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madstronaut · 26 days

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prepareth thineselves for another doozy of a ramblecommentating

obligatory alphalist link:

the pining. THE MOTHERFUCKING PINING IN THIS STORY is enough to power a standard size nuclear plant imo and madstronaut is here to do her civic duty as a staunch supporter of the environment and fighting fossil fuels, yes, truly the main reason i read smutty/yearny fic-

Reading: Christian Woman by @kneelingshadowsalome

“You don’t know how it even happened, but you became friends with a foreign man visiting your city.”

this is basically reverse tinder iykyk

“You feel warm and safe with him, lost inside a soft bubble you quickly create in the corner table of a cellar cafe.”

this very aptly desscribes how this story makes me feel. i cried the first time i read it through fully; just made me feel so many emotions 🥹🥹🥹

Perhaps it’s the dimly lit environment or perhaps it’s just him, but you have one of the deepest conversations ever with this mysterious man.

i hope everyone experiences the happy accident of a spontaneous deep conversation with a stranger - feels like God/the universe just gifting you a random act of kindness

“Well… I don’t do twerking, but yes, nuns are allowed to dance.” girl you about to do a lot more than that very soon

You can see he hasn’t skipped a leg day either, and immediately chastise yourself for checking out his butt in the coffee queue.

*when God sings with his creations, will not König's ass be part of the choir*

You know it’s an attempt to make you forgive his choice of career when he reveals to you that his best mission was when he saved thirty women from sex trafficking. And it does make your heart crack open a little.

just speaking personally quite a heady experience to have someone attempt to better themselves for you but way too easy for this dynamic go from sexy/flattering to emotionally off-kilter - how does the phrase go? with great pus-power comes great responsibility

Actually, you catch him looking at your breasts, scanning your body and cherishing the tender spot between your collarbones more times than you can count. They’re quick, stolen moments, so harmless that you choose to stay quiet.

🥰🥺🥰🥺

He listens to your every word with a softening glow in his eyes, a shimmer that spreads across the table and makes you feel warm all over. fucking LOVE THIS LINE

König always softens in your presence... You always tense up in his.

Your face is flushed, and you blame it on the overcrowded cafe. You feel both safe and in danger with him, and it must be the virgin inside you talking.

this is such a great description of how a good ole crush feels - “you feel both safe and in danger with him”

It’s bubbly and lively and colourful, just like your friend; it’s the opposite of König, the special operations soldier who’s dark, intriguing, and intimate, just like the dimly lit cellar cafe you meet him in secret.

total sidenote but since I was just recently there - you wanna talk bright bubbly cafe next to dim cellar cafe - bedford cheese shop next to irving farm coffeeshop on irving place off union square in nyc fits these descriptions exactly lol

"Soldiers are crazy. I once dated this peacekeeper,” your friend continues in her usual chirpy way.

why did the following description make me think of john cena peacemaker, who does indeed own a fleshlight in the show 😂😂😂

And at times, hearing about all the things your friend has gone through, being an onlooker to all that heartbreak and pining and loss, has managed to strengthe your resolve. a whole moooooood

“No, seriously. We’re talking about fistfights and broken bones. Dating apps would explode. People would get killed.”

we all need a friend like this 😂

If anything, you’re scared of men, and you loathe the dating world. You’re put off by shallow commitments and one-night stands and getting ghosted and God knows what else.

omg it me????

You always told your friend that Jesus Christ is the most stable man you’ve ever met, and you will stick with him.

recalling all those worship songs nicknamed “Jesus is my boyfriend” songs in youth group growing up😂😂😂😂

“Stable? Excuse me, but didn’t he start a riot or something at the temple? Are we talking about the same dude who lead an uprising against the Romans? Hung out with whores, raised corpses from the dead, fucked around and found out until someone nailed him at the cross? Stable my ass!”

I want to banghang out with this Jesus tbh amigoingtohellfortypingthatmaybesavemeJesus😉

Your friend's enthusiastic grin turns into an uneasy, pitying smile when she realises how deep into this man you actually are.

i knew she was a goner when she started talking about his hands

If you're chosen by God, your friend is chosen by the Devil, that's for sure. like i said WE ALL NEED A FRIEND LIKE THIS 😂

There’s no chaos and no guns and no tall men with big dicks, no Austrian war criminals trying to seduce you and then discard you after their deployment ends.

There’s only a man with a kind smile, warm eyes, and a nice, husky laugh. Some good coffee with distant notes of chocolate and perfectly civil conversations about European philosophers and the crisis of modern thought.

WHY NOT BOTH?

Sturdy walls support you; they have held you for centuries, and the crucifix above you has given hope to so many people before you. The ever-safe embrace of your faith envelops you, and you can always trust that you are loved, even when you’re flawed and incomplete.

Even with indecent thoughts, you can pray for mercy and ask for forgiveness. Even if you have impure urges towards your Austrian mercenary, you can still pray for him... It’s the least you can do to repay the kindness he has given you.

i appreciate how fleshed out our nun reader is <3 i found myself in a weird limbo of wanting her to remain true to herself while still navigating her faith (as someone also on a post(idk tbh?)-faith journey i find her spiritual self-wrestling very relatable and familiar)

You don’t want to draw the Lord’s attention to you while your hand travels down beneath the sheets, your thoughts wandering to a certain god-like soldier with eyes like burning ice.

probs goin to hell for this (but im on tumblr so im already here??? lmao) but S i r if u invented the whole concept u can at least watch and give me pointers/tips

And that’s ok - physical touch like that is ok. Holding hands is not.

truly the absolute dirtiest sluttiest thing you can do fr fr let me say it once again with my whole chest 👏HOLDING👏HANDS👏IS👏FOR👏 SLUTSSSSSS👏 (it's me, the slut, im the slut)

It finds you in silence, envelops your tiny palm completely, squeezes you softly and emanates so much heat that a cord of fire shoots across your arm and straight into your heart.

i remember my first innocent hand holdings/cheek kisses and they felt EXACTLY like this, reading this felt like salome went digging into my brainfolds and pulled the sensations out and put them in writing 🤯

The only thing you ever craved for was another slice of cake. omg nun reader your innocence is adorable all the better when watching it break

“I’m sure you’ll find some other girl to… hold hands with,” you say, hating how bitter and self-pitying you sound. holy self-sabotage, batman - NUNREADER DONT DO THISSSSS

“I’m sorry too,” he laments, but the corner of his mouth curves slightly up. “So sorry you wouldn’t even believe…” excuse me while i mop myself off the floor; melted right off my chair

You wonder if he’d pay you a visit if you told him where you sleep. You wonder if your single bed would creak if he tried to make love to you on it... You wonder if you could muffle your cries when you clenched with him inside you. If he’d groan too loudly when he reached his peak…

nun reader can i interest you in an alternate, similarly unpaid career trajectory of…*drumroll* SMUTTY FIC WRITING???? pls i will send u an ao3 invite and comment on every 5th syllable of your stories and be your 2nd-biggest personal hypebae (first one being her own bff who would be over the moon ofc)

The back door is always open too because some of the nuns are smokers.

im deeefinitely picturing nun!aubrey plaza from the little hours below

“Of course not. I will pray for you every day,” you smile with a good amount of affection. It has the same effect as saying something like “I want to blow you right here on this street” because your Austrian giant gets visibly excited. spit my fuckin tea out at this, fucking hilarious

the giant soldier who now carries a piece of your heart with him. You wonder if he even knows he owns it. 🥺🥺🥺reminds me of old crushes/lovers who broke my heart. did u know how much you held when you had a piece of it? steadfastly not thinking of the ones i broke too🤪

The morning prayers and mass are a chore and bring you no comfort, and the usual dawn bliss is gone.

i have often heard it said both in a spiritual and practical context that when your peace leaves a place, you should pay attention and leave with it and it’s still a very relevant and wise piece of advice imho

But at the same time, you know it must’ve been the Lord who brought you together. There must be a reason for God to make you two meet, you refuse to think it’s only because He wishes to tempt you. There must be a bigger plan; the connection, as sinful and carnal as it is, has to serve some higher purpose.

tw for churchish talk so pls skip if its not your cup of tea but without getting into all the fucked up stuff that is the monstrosity of evangelical churchianity, personally speaking one of the earliest places (and most constant sources) i learned about self-worth and compassion and love and extending it to myself and others was through people of faith (i know this might be ironic/offensive to some because believe me i have also been there in being traumatized/antagonized by ppl of faith as well but trying my best to hold all our different experiences and perspectives in hand to be able to see listen and understand the good the bad and grey and everything in between in a nuanced way, anyway story of my life); i wish i could offer similar encouragement i heard to nunreader - omg, can we instead focus on the verses/stuff in bible like Christ coming to set us free, not keep us chained to laws, God is love, loving God and others are apparently the two most important things in the faith and everything else rests on these two, also there is a shitttttton of smut in the bible coughsong of songs, the book no one ever preaches aboutcough and also i dont think the supposed inventor of sex hates sex, anyway ending my shittylittle fauxsermon/rant here but end of tw, back to the fic~

And you wonder if you’re going mad, because your most sinful thought is that you actually see God in him. i know reader is deep in the cups of churchthought but this is honestly one of the most beautiful things ive read; i want to (and imho i do) ‘see God’ - see something divine, beautiful wondrous heavenly full of love and joy and peace and gentleness and kindness and all that other stuff from that galatians bit i dont recall now- in the people I love too

You decide to hold on to this thought: that you were meant to meet so that you could come to know God through each other. cough once again trawling through some old memories resurfacing from my churchish days but apparently one of the meanings of the original hebrew word for to know in the bible also meant to have sex with, i am 1000% serious👀👀👀

You wear your everyday clothes to the café, and König says nothing about your sudden moral choice, only gives you another longing, enamored once-over.

recalling an old convo with a guyfriend when we were discussing/joking about modesty and clothing and i joked that the ultimate level was a nun habit/outfit - in complete seriousness though he turned to me and said to a man in lust/love, the right woman has nothing she could wear that wouldn’t tempt him - including a nun outfit - and ive never forgotten what he said lol. I joked about ankles sticking out and then of course we dove into a deep discussion on the existential nature of feet fetishes. in hindsight, apologies to anyone nearby we may have traumatized/offended that june afternoon in washington square park

You hate it that the bright, playful air of your meetings is gone, and your heart is tearing itself apart in your chest because the only thing you wanted was to spread joy into his world. Even the Lord seems disappointed in you being so cold-hearted, and you can’t bear to see His sadness and suffering in König’s eyes.

all he has to do is sneak inside your heart and take the place that belongs to God. You don’t even feel the difference as he makes himself at home.

Well, actually, you do... It’s like your Christ’s love and mercy have finally come to flesh and blood before you. They're materialized in the man sitting opposite of you, bouncing his knee excitedly and grinning like the most innocent little devil on Earth.

peak yearning right here. also i think salome captures thoughtprocess of nunreader so well in her eventually assauging her Intense Catholic Guilt™️ by basically equating König to Jesus/God, the only man nuns are allowed to simp for (if anyone is offended by the near-constant blasphemous shit in this post - tbh my whole blog - pls say a prayer for me lol)

“I–I can’t just escape from the window.” my SISTER in CHRIST, you just gave away your whole escape plan LMAO

But everything feels so right that it can’t be a sin – if it is, it just so happens to be the most natural, most divine thing to do too.

nunreader i am cheering you on with little party hats and confetti bombs in spirit-

Everything’s so tight and earthly; everything’s so… there. Visible... Touchable.

very into how nunreader is feeling herself here. yes my queen get ready to fucking get ittttttt

And König has seen you without makeup all this time, so what on earth has possessed you to lament the fact that you don’t own a single case of lipstick? You’d kill for a few sweeps of mascara, too, just to bat your lashes at a silly man.

i am restraining the urge to dive into the screen into this story with my makeup kit to Give Reader A Mini-Makeover (i fucking LOVE those scenes in stories/shows/movies and also for me makeup is art and the canvas is my face/body and i enjoy perfecting my art on the daily- totally forget over the pandemic how much i enjoyed putting on makeup before going to work)

“Here, kitty, kitty…” why is this extremely goofy and sexy at the same time? peak König vibes tbh

Whenever you’re with your sisters, the feeling is pure, pristine love, not a surge of complex emotions and thrill like it is with König.

why not both, my sister, why not both? something something love is a many splendored thing - shakespeare probably

You walk the streets with a flower in one hand and his palm in the other. this is the cutest fucking thing ive ever read so far i am biting my pillow to shreds~ also König handfeeding strawberries to sis at the restaurant?? someone call 911 for public indecency???? hot damn and you were worried bout HOLDING HANDS???

He's nervous, too... Your cruel soldier is nervous, and kind, and shy because he's pressed against you. every girls dream 🥰🥰🥰

instantly getting hard from a first kiss does feel very könig-coded, do not @ me

You hear whistles and whoos in the distance, some men yelling, “Let’s go!” and “Get a room” while they pass by. not me also joining in-

The world revolves like it always has, as you choose a crucified man over the one who’s flesh and blood and holds you through your pain. not me getting together a petition.org straight to Jesus to cut our sister some slack-

“The world tests us in many ways... But Lord never tests us. He only loves us.”

on this note i remember being briefly fascinated by nuns/priests as a young madstronaut - mostly fascinated by these women living sans men in such a male-dominated world/space and foregoing sex/marriage (anyway little did i know of religious patriarchy and such then) but knowing what i know now, that under all the collars and habits and wimples are still regular people/human beings - i wonder how many IRL Christian Women fics are being lived out right now somewhere 👀coughBEFREEMYSISTERScough

He just now crossed your mind when you remember how he used to smell: of salty seabreeze mixed with intoxicating musk, the scent of excitement and safety all in one.

smellsandbells are my bread butter and jam! research has also shown the sense of smell is strongly linked with memory too and i can attest to this

The tallest man you’ve ever seen steps out from the dark in full combat gear, and while you can’t see his face because it’s covered with a draping black hood, you recognize it’s him simply from the way he moves.

do not resist dear sister, no one can when COD men deck themselves out in full gear, its simply not physically spiritually mentally emotionally chemically possible, cold scientific fact, biblical gospel, incontrovertible truth, in this annotated research paper i will-

You must look like a frightened deer because König mistakes your horrified look as sweet, simple concern.

“Don’t worry... They have it much worse, I assure you,” he says with his usual grin – you can hear it from the way he says it that he’s smiling. okay König fucking would say something like this lmao READ THE ROOM SIR but also sister has it d o w n b a d if shes able to recognize him just by the way he moves and “hear him smiling” iykyk

So when he asks you if there are any motels or a bed & breakfast nearby, you say you know just the place. sir i see right through your schemes and i am giving my 100% certified stamp of approval tbh i wouldn’t have even put it past him in this fic if he stabbed himself in a nonlethal area so sister can see some skin without ICG in teh way (Intense Catholic Guilt™️)

You suppose this is what your friend calls a happy trail...

And it does make you very happy.

you and me both sister, you and me both

“Pay no mind to that,” he says thickly and completely without shame. “ pay no mind? my brother in christ you are giving free handouts (trying not to let my brain rot away thinking of double entendres here)

“I wrote to you, Braut Christi... Many times. Never sent the letters… They’re still in my room, at the base.” sir sir if i can guess at the contents of some (most?) of these letters…may I ALSO interest you in an alternate albeit unpaid career trajectory of smutty fic writing-

You wonder if hearts can find each other, even through a distance, and if you’ve felt the urge to go to the flower he gave you at the same time König has gotten the desire to write another letter to you. It’s bittersweet, like this whole thing between you two, the mystery that both brings you together and rips you apart.

damn this is peak writing right here. this rivals published writing ive read, all my standing ovations, slow claps, and hats off to you salome~ i go through tons and tons of fic in hopes to read sentences like these and stories like yours ❤️❤️❤️honestly their whole exchange with sis kneeling by him as he falls asleep is peak yearning/tenderness

also nunreader’s “why exactly does König like me so much, is it because of any other possible reason other than myself” is peak relatability - once again restraining myself from grabbing reader through the screen and giving them white-board scrawled peptalks breaking down why they are amazing and worthy

He must be getting better if he’s behaving like this... The man’s insufferable enough when he’s uninjured, but now that he’s getting pampered, he’s somehow even worse. 😂😂😂 sis finally gettin the memo

Your only summer dress resides at your parent’s house as a relic from the past, a token from your life before sisterhood. this is true, i recall reading that once someone enters the convent/monastery they basically get given one nun/priest outfit and like maybe a backup one when the main one gets washed? my new yorker fashionloving ass could never

“No, I’m not. I’m just some woman you bumped into in the street.”

“That’s exactly what an angel would say.”

😂😂😂

You sigh: it’s useless with König, hopeless, like trying to wrestle with God. No matter what you say or do, he always turns it against you in the sweetest possible way. as someone with the near-useless superpower of getting weird inside baseball bible/sunday school/youth group jokes/references however vague in modern lit/culture when they appear i appreciate the “wrestle with God” reference, peak research vibes

also the last line here really smacks of the nicer interpretation of what the abbess told sis: “God doesn’t test us, he loves us” <3

There’s nothing sexual about it, so why not?

she says “aint nothin sexual bout lyin in a bed, the primary location where people usually have sex, with an almost nude man who is horny/erect 95% of the time he is around you, alone, in what i can only describe as a an ideal small town honeymoon suite while it is moodily raining outside” my sister in christ, do you recall lying (yes even to yourself) is a s i n

also i have never been catholic but hot damn i was also blushing and did think König is fucking s h a m e l e s s reading about him feeling up sis STILL IN HER HABIT 😂

He’s ever so grateful for his saving angel, who he gets to cuddle “as a reward”. You don’t quite know if it's a reward for you or him.

once again my sister in christ w h y n o t b o t h (also im deliriously pleased i can use sister in christ with multi-layered meanings here)

“Perhaps we’ll stay there... Forget all this,” he chatters lazily, clearly in the same sweet bubble as you. ive always found it so sweet and vulnerable and tender hearing bfs/guys muse and daydream about a future together 🥰🥰 just hits different when boys do it, and openly too

the last of your armour, your pride and shame and vows, drift away like they were made of nothing but simple steam.

But there’s nothing to hold on to but him, so you anchor yourself in the dark hunger of his eyes.

That’s all the reply you get: a pleased, filthy stare of someone who’s about to wreck you up.

“Come here,” he says while you’re already locked in an inseparable embrace.

*chefs kiss* these lines are perfection

You start to cry in full, not even knowing why. You just know you’ve wanted this for ages. This connection, this ecstasy, this mutual presence and fulfilment, this sense of belonging to someone.

*nodding along sagely* yes cathartic cries are the best cries

your pussy wakes up after recovering from the initial shock… For some reason, it is vital for you not to let the old receptionist know that a humble sister of Christ is getting licked to ruin in his establishment.

HAHAHA SALOME OMFG ABSOLUTELY SCREECHED READING THIS

You’re going through several stages of ego death and bliss; you’re going through a crisis of faith and multiple rebirths while König is having a field day with your pussy. Honestly completely normal reaction imho

All thoughts of What if he doesn’t enjoy it evaporate when you see the demanding erection between his legs, pointing at you so viciously that you feel pity for the fabric of his pants.

fics that have genital personification have a special place in my heart. also i did not expect to write such a sentence today or in my life but here i am, thank you tumblr

You’re not wearing any bra; you stopped wearing them years ago as useless and immoral. ok hold up one moment why are bras immoral lol girl unless you are small enough to join the free the nip movement without penalities a good support system is vital!!!

“You naughty girl…” he says thickly.

tbh in context of entire fic König calling sis a naughty girl is probably the hottest thing he’s said…sir where did u get all this rizz

“Want to see what I got?”

…forget what I said about the rizz, this is the fucking goofiest follow-up he could say 😂😂😂 salome has König vibes down pat

You’re mesmerized to see him already tensing from the chest up, the tendons on his neck becoming visible as he grits his teeth together. 🥰🥰🥰 an absolute vision

It's riddled with chants of Put it in and Forget about the bloody plastic because even with your zero experience you know it wouldn't feel as good as skin *me, reading, also joining in the chant*

The room must be smelling like a sex cave by now. protip: make sure the smell is gone if you have guests coming over

It makes you smile; him being so happy with simple things such as good food and some kinky sex, a nice cuddle and a nap to top it off. giggling at nunreader thinking humping is kinky UGH WHY ARE YOU SO SWEET AND ADORABLE i just want to take you on a shopping and makeup spree and introduce you to things like bubble tea, dry shampoo, glossier merch, weekend farmer's markets at union square, the hot barista/server at veselka's-

“This is what I call liking someone so much it hurts.” 🥺🥺🥺 couldnt seduce a woman if he tried my ass

König learns your body language; he knows it like a native speaker by the end of the week. EAT YOUR HEART OUT DUOLINGO (please dont kill me i'll fix my streak i promise)

König only smiles on the bed while you treat him; it’s like his master plan finally worked. I FUCKIN CALLED IT

“I would never hurt you….and no one ever will.” their whole conversation here is one of my favorite scenes in the whole story.

Without mentioning König or what you’ve been up to lately, you simply tell her you’ve decided to move on with your life. yes, i am one of those plebs who clap when the plane lands, but for dramatic turning points in fanfic

You receive lots of well wishes, hugs, even tears when you tell others you’re leaving. Embarrassed that you almost got rid of your robes and sneaked out to another secret lover’s meeting without even saying farewell, you meet everyone with full presence until you find yourself crying too.

i love a fic that has lore and a bit of worldbuilding so well-built that you want to look around corners and peek into windows and doorways about what else there is - i found myself wondering about sister’s relationships here with the other nuns - but also loved that last phrase of reader finally feeling whole, “meeting everyone with full presence” after feeling so fractured and divided the first half of the story 👏👏👏we love a good full circle fic 👏👏👏

No wonder men die younger – you’d have to tie this specimen to a sturdy lamp post if you wanted him to stay put... i too think this everytime i see some dumb bullshit, mostly on @drunkpeopledoingthings

“Well, you’ve seen me,” you extend your hands to your sides, knowing you’ve already lost. “You can go back now.” there's something just very delicious watching someone fight a losing battle

desire pools, brims, until you feel like you can’t breathe anymore. loooooooove this phrasing

This must be one of the craziest things you’ve done in your life says reader, of having sex for the first time, a near universal experience

To you, he’s all men in one, the sheer mass of him making your thighs tremble from want. 🥰🥰🥰reader in love is so poetic <3

also yes squeaky beds are my kink, ty for including salome 🥰🥰🥰

also sis describing her pussy “hugging” dick has got to be the fluffiest smut ive ever read🥰🥰🥰

Ten times more powerful than the most blissful experiences with your God, you want to come here for worship again and again, to have his body entangled with yours. ah yes to know König is to know God indeed 😏😏😏😏😏

When done, he sinks half his weight on you, thoroughly spent, and you feel fulfilled, some deep-seated joy taking hold of everything that once was hollow. Curiously, all shame is absent. 🥹🥹🥹 i love this line so much. i hope everyone is able to experience this, especially if you like me have had some religious purity culture trauma in your life - there is no shame in love <3

The happiness, the pure joy in his eyes, is heartbreaking. At that moment, you know that all his silly jokes, follies, and babbles about taking you to the mountains and whisking you away have been real. They have been true, honest wishes... There is no lie in him, no jest, no fakeness. Just pure, simple joy from hearing that you finally chose him, too. 🥹🥹🥹

The old man doesn’t even care to look surprised when he sees you clothed in jeans and a simple shirt this time, smiling as you rush upstairs, hand in hand with König. okay but shoutout to this dude, you a real one for being the best unintentional wingman this side of europe

You can’t wait to sleep with him tonight: simply sleep with him, finally, curl up together in safety, do the most basic thing all lovers do. You can’t wait to wake up to a fresh dawn together, lovely, curious, and new. 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹

You take new vows: promising to yourself to live each day fully and bravely, and never again shut your heart.

The only thing left of you on your old bed is your black and white robe, and on it, a crucifix and a rose, and a note that says:

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love… But the greatest of these is love.

screaming crying i cant even explain how this fic made me feel, some mixture of joy and heartbreak and catharsis and healing all wrapped up in one as i found so many parallels both with reader and König at times and isn’t that just some of the best things about great stories, when it helps us see and feel and know and love ourselves and others in new ways we couldn’t before?

i wanted to do this absolutely lovely fic justice so ive literally been sprinkling comments on this during re-reads for months; i will close with a fitting - and catholic - quote that i love:

“There is a twilight zone in our hearts that we ourselves cannot see. Even when we know quite a lot about ourselves-our gifts and weaknesses, our ambitions and aspirations, our motives and our drives-large parts of ourselves remain in the shadow of consciousness. This is a very good thing. We will always remain partially hidden to ourselves. Other people, especially those who love us, can often see our twilight zones better than we ourselves can. The way we are seen and understood by others is different from the way we see and understand ourselves. We will never fully know the significance of our presence in the lives of our friends. That's a grace, a grace that calls us not only to humility, but to a deep trust in those who love us. It is the twilight zones of our hearts where true friendships are born.” - quote by Henri Nouwen, catholic priest

#madstrothought #FaFiCoWriMo #fanfiction #call of duty #König #Christian Woman (fic title - to avoid this going into the general tag lol)#kneelingshadowsalome #DanceofTheSevenVeils

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easthavenhq · 4 months

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EAST HAVEN'S 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY EVENT: THE WIND STORM

With the 1 year anniversary of East Haven's opening, we have decided to have an event that centers around a wind storm that is blowing it's way through town, inciting chaos where ever it goes. The event will start on January 5th at 12pm (noon) and end on January 15th at 12am (midnight). No new starters should be posted after January 10th.

You were placed into groups that are listed below. You will be expected to write with at least one character in that group that you normally do not write with. You are still free to do other threads with others in the group, but are required to at least one.

Participation for this event will be mandatory. Acceptances and checks will be held as usual. Reminder: Injuries need to be in by January 3rd*. You can find the form here. Details of this will be posted on the 5th.

Characters and locations are listed under the cut and will be updated with acceptances & unfollows. Please use the tag easthavenevent007.

East Haven Memorial - Maple Hills

Stevie Wagner - Kayla Johnny Wagner - K Sunny Hussan - Jennie River Jackson - Star Sarah Ruiz - El Gale Peterson - Nadine Callum Jackson - Madison Alec Kincade - Justin Aubrey Miller - Lital Wesley Levitt - K

City Hall - Downtown

Nate Clairmont - Kayla Brody Evans - Jackie Aarin Duskin - K Chantel Bedford - Katelyn Ann-Marie Seigert - Jennie Maggie Sommers - Kayla Mallory Sinclair - K Verity Wagner - Mat Max Diax - Star Isabella Castro - JimJam Andrew Jackson - Nadine

Willow Springs Apartments - Downtown

Ashi Hussan - Kayla Emre Ediz - K Orion Blakely - Justin Jude Sanchez-Khalid - Star Amerie Chen - Mat Dana Allen-Lopez - K Apollo Williams - Desi Riley Day - Marie Celine Ediz - Gigi Beyza Senkan - Kayla

Heywood University - Downtown

Liliana Santos-Blake - Nadine Cami Quintana-Lopez - Marie Cristian Hernandez - Dix Asher Spring - Kae Wyatt Wheeler - K Prue Cassidy - Kayla Marcus Reyes - K Alex Fontenelle - Madison Frederick Sullivan - Star Genevieve Hernandez - Beki

Fire Department - Downtown

Connor Bowen - K Penelope Ruiz - Nadine Benjamin Jackson - Justin Harlow Hanlon - S Eddie Castro - Kayla Ari Seong-Paterson - Katelyn Keely Seigert - Desi Brady Levitt - Jennie Roman Rhodes - G Javier Rivera - Dix Renee Thompson - K

Mount Aston Lodge - Mount Aston

Josiah Huddington - Katelyn Neena Wagner - Gigi Dilara Baysal - K Malik Farouk - Jackie Travis Jackson - Kayla Samuel Bradford - S Cameron Hatcher - Dix Mason Paterson - K Josh Pryce - Nadine Diego Castro - Star

Gas n Go - Sutherland Park

Shane Marshall - Jay Alice Cheung - K Bridget Levitt - Kayla James Morrison - Sam Quentin Levitt - Nadine Hunter Renner - Star Bee Bowen - El Estella Harris - Lital Julieta Alvarez - K Alliannah Vaughn - Katelyn

Animal House Shelter - Maple Hills

Evren Osman - Katelyn Morgan Fontenelle - K Alaric Farrow - S Lance Browne - Justin Roberta Rhodes - Kayla Gavin Gunther - Jackie Chanse Ainsworth - Kae Chloe Austin - Madison Mateo Torres - K Isla Ricci - Mat

South Pines - Primrose Heights

Abraham Wilson - K Julian Heywood - Nadine Luciana Medina - Kayla Owen Bentley - Star Ricky Thompson - Jennie Luna Morales - Lital Simon Heywood - Marie Matt Wheeler - Kayla Valentina Delgado - K Rohan Belton-Stone - Justin

Old Maple Way - Maple Hills

Dean Walker - Dix Nicole Peterson - Kayla Haven Sinclair - Katelyn Oliver Hensley - JimJam Aster Moon - G Hazal Senkan - K Kanyon Webb - Jackie Aindreis Blythe - Marie Yasmin Ansari - K Sydney Heywood - Gigi Demir Ediz - Lisa

Tequila Cowboy - Sutherland Park

Donovan Morgan - Star Marcel Vaughn - Mat Amayah Fontenelle - Nadine Abel Morgan - K Teagan Weatherford - Katelyn Jaslene Clairmont - K Maverick Bennett - Dix Sofia Carmichael - Kayla Romeo Clark - Jackie Graham Winters - JimJam

Maple Hills Mall - Maple Hills

Parker Campbell - K Xia Huang-Clark - Kayla Viktor Pierce - Dix Lenny Clairmont - K Nancy Lee - Kayla Nora Sinclair - Beki Tyler Day - Star Summer Cassidy - El Ali Webster - Sam Daniel Kwon - Nadine Harrison Lee - Jennie

Moose Lodge Rentals - Primrose Heights

Nick Wagner - Kayla Eli Browne - K Vivek Virani - Jackie Charlie Davis - Star Waverly Erickson - Em Cael Montgomery - Nadine Adem Sahir - Madison Jeremy Lieberman - Kayla Jo Spring - Marie Logan Walker - K

*We did change this so we could have time to talk to and plan these injuries.

#easthavenevent #easthavenevent007

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ahedderick · 1 year

Text

Being Frank 2

This post would be TOO long, so I’m breaking it up into two parts. Frank continues:

“The next project was to get timber for the floor joists. Where I got most of it for the subfloor and the joists was from the power line that was put through. The trees were cut down and left lay. I didn’t have a truck to haul these logs, but there was a 1952 Chevy two ton with the motor shot. I went to Saccos salvage and got a motor out of a Chevy that was wrecked. It fit in the truck and I used that to haul the logs to the sawmill in Palo Alto. It was twenty dollars a thousand board feet to have them sawed. I worked by myself logging. I drug the logs down and backed the truck into a ditch. I played out cables across the bed and used the tractor to winch the logs up in the bed; that was how I loaded them by myself. I had excess lumber after milling. Mike C. approached me to take down a silo and he put it up at his house. It was forty feet high. I had to take all the excess lumber and build a wooden scaffolding inside the silo. I got paid 500 dollars and I hired two guys who were tree trimmers to help. They were used to working high in the air. It took me two days to master myself to go all the way to the top of it. In those days I was afraid of heights! Everything had to go in those manholes and they’re not big! You put a round of scaffolding around every six feet. That’s how I got more seed money to build the house. I had no deadline and that was key. You can eat an elephant one bite at a time. It was a labor of love.

Now I began my hunt for other materials, wherever I could get them. After the trees from the farm, I bought a stone ranch house up on Brown Ave that was going to be demolished for Interstate 68. It was on a concrete slab and all stone exterior. I paid 100 dollars for it. All I wanted was the stone, rafters, paneling, 2x4 studding, and bathroom fixtures. I sold the windows, doors, and roof to a friend of mine who was building on Oliver Belt Rd for $100. So I got my money back on that deal. I hauled all that stone and material out here on that old truck, loading and unloading by hand. The basement of this house was studded out with the 2x4s and the paneling from that house. The bathtub was square and had two seats in it. The fireplace insert came from that house. I did have an old man, Elsy C., help me haul the stone. The stone for the planter came from Costello Construction, which was located on Valley Street, and I purchased other building material for the meat shop at the same time. The planter here, Max, laid that for me. He was a mason.

I was deer hunting over at the Gordon farm, now Hemmis, and found that big stone out front to the left. The one downstairs over the fireplace came from Cosgrove’s farm when I was plowing. There are some fossil stones on the patio that came from Wills Mountain. All the stone windowsills and lintels came from a building on Bedford street that was a tombstone company. When they were being demolished, I was able to get all the windowsills. I saved a pile of money on that! The stone slabs approaching the porch came from the parklet next to Times News when they were renovating. I bought all the cement I needed to lay the block and stone for 15 dollars from the B&O railroad damaged freight depot. Their freight agent was Tom R. One corner of the freight car got damp and I removed all the cement and cleaned the car out. When I was using the cement I had to take a window screen and put it over a 50 gallon drum. I had to screen all the cement so there wouldn’t be lumps in it.

The steel beam needed to run the entire 48 foot length of the house. Moore farm was having a sale where the current AC College is. I bought a two steel beams there that would cover the length and hauled them on the old Chevy. I also bought a stack of pine 2x10s. The beams were over the top of the truck and 5 or 10 feet out in front. I put a flag on the longer piece and hauled it on Sunday morning when there was no traffic. I put the beam on a wagon and brought it around to the back of the house with the tractor. I had pipes on the wall and slid the ends on one at a time. I worked each end over to the center and set it by myself. Next thing was to set the floor joists. I used sidecut boards on a diagonal for the subfloor. All oak! The diagonal boards add to the strength.

Over to the garage: the garage door came from a house in the Dingle where I was able to salvage many items. The structural steel supporting the roof/patio I set by myself with an old Dodge truck with a telephone pole on it. The header was steel, and came out of the B&O freight station on George Street. The other major steel beams came from the demolished Sears building that stood where the Holiday Inn parking lot now is. The next steel was 30ft long coal mine rails that came from Abe Feldstein’s salvage yard in LaVale. The corrugated metal decking that the concrete was poured on came from a B&O derailment at Swanton. Some of the same corrugated metal was used on the barn roof.

Interviewer: Well, Frank, did you get anything from West Virginia?

Frank: Hell no, they didn’t have anything to throw away!

The posts on the patio were originally pipes that I welded plates on the end of. The 6 inch steel beam that goes across the center was also salvage from a building. In later years when the Bowman’s addition flood program began, I salvaged some ornamental aluminum posts from a house behind Hartman’s Store. They weren’t long enough, so I cut the short ones and spliced them into the long ones. The ceiling joists for the patio were the 2x8s from the stone house I tore down on the I68 right-of-way. The patio step stringers were two pieces of timber from the B&O freight station. The two posts that are on the stairway came from the old German Brewery and the handrail, redwood, came from the farmhouse (Old George’s porch). All the rafters and ceiling joists for the house portion were salvaged from the loading dock at the B&O freight. All the plywood on the roof was from a ‘fire sale.’ The rail car overheated and the floor caught fire; the smoke damage to the plywood was severe enough that they couldn’t sell it. I paid 75 cents a sheet.

Downstairs there’s one room I didn’t finish. All the ceiling was salvaged drywall that had been damaged by forklifts at Valley Lumber. I had an Amish man swirl the ceiling down there. On the other side downstairs the ceiling was finished by tile that came out of the Woodmen of the World building, along with that maple cover over the planter. It was previously a banister at Woodmen of the World. The bedroom downstairs was finished with mismatched paneling from Valley Lumber. The interior of the closet was lined with leather-type paneling that came out of B&O.

My uncle Charles built these cabinets in the kitchen out of birch plywood. He was a finish carpenter. He also trimmed out all the oak trim doorways and baseboard in the house. The front doorway was custom built by Slim (Cecil), neighbors down the road here, and Don, from my sketch. The two birch doors, front and basement, solid core, I bought from the B&O freight claim agent Tom for 15$. The sidelights on the front door I bought from Bernie G. in Frostburg. The outside hanging light was from a yard sale for $5. It had a sidearm on it, but I figured I could adapt it to hang on a chain. The inside light there on the steps came from Westons department store.

There were many people who helped me build. We traded labor. Floyd, a carpenter, helped me frame; we traded labor. The stonework was crafted by Hayes Albert Northcraft, a WWI veteran. Elsy was the mudmixer. I was at this time working 7 days a week at the Kelly. Hayes laid all the stonework and this fireplace for $1,400 with no time in it for job completion. I had a dump truck with scaffolding I’d drive around the house and we’d throw the stone in the bed of the truck, then hoist it up on the scaffolding for him to pick out what he wanted. I was to move the scaffolding every day after he was finished. One time I missed it and he was laying the stone under the bay window. He left a divot in the stonework because I didn’t move the heavy timbers for him. That’s a forever reminder that I didn’t do my duty. Hank P., whom I worked with at the Kelly, was a part-time cement finisher. He’s the one who placed the penny in the front stoop.

Well, that was a long story. It seemed like I had all the time in the world in those days, and lots of energy. You might ask when I finally finished the house. I don’t think I ever have! In fact, this year (2016) I reclaimed the large plate glass windows from the solarium at Roy Roger’s restaurant when they tore it down and I’m using them to put a sun room on the back of the house. It’ll have a hot tub when I’m finished, and also the washer and dryer. So, you see, it remains a work in progress to this day.

My note: Frank, like my parents, was born slightly before WWII and lived in this area all his life. Members of the “Silent Generation” are getting fewer these days. I had my doubts about committing to this project, but now I’m very glad I did.

#home builder #diy #solarpunk #reduce reuse recycle #recycle #recycled materials #appalachia

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countyflagchampionship · 4 months

Text

On to Round 2!

This is a wrap-up of the current standings. Polls for round 2 will be published starting this Saturday (12/16).

Congratulations to all the counties that progressed!

The state that is standing the strongest is New York, with 39 counties progressing to round 2! Albany, Allegany, Allegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Chemung, Chenango, Clinton, Columbia, Delaware, Franklin, Greene, Hamilton, Jefferson, Kings, Livingston, Nassau, New York, Niagara, Oneida, Orange, Otsego, Putnam, Rensselaer, Richmond, Rockland, Saint Lawrence, Saratoga, Schuyler, Steuben, Suffolk, Sullivan, Ulster, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Westchester, and Wyoming.

Next most powerful state is Virginia, which has 36 winning counties. Alleghany, Alleghany, Amherst, Augusta, Bedford, Brunswick, Caroline, Carroll, Charlotte, Chesterfield, Fairfax, Fauquier, Fluvanna, Gloucester, Goochland, Grayson, Halifax, Isle of Wight, James City, King and Queen, King George, King William, Lee, Louisa, Montgomery, Patrick, Pittsylvania, Prince Edward, Pulaski, Rockingham, Scott, Smyth, Southampton, Tazewell, Warren, and Wise.

Ohio is also standing strong with 27 advancing counties. Brown, Butler, Columbiana, Coshocton, Crawford, Defiance, Erie, Fulton, Geauga, Holmes, Jackson, Lake, Lawrence, Licking, Madison, Mahoning, Medina, Mercer, Monroe, Muskingum, Perry, Pickaway, Ross, Scioto, Seneca, Trumbull, and Van Wert.

North Carolina is up next with a solid 24 wins. Beaufort, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Camden, Carteret, Craven, Currituck, Granville, Harnett, Henderson, Hoke, Jackson, Johnson, Lenoir, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, Mecklenburg, Northampton, Onslow, Person, Robeson, Tyrrell, and Wake.

Only 1 more state has over 20 counties that made won their match-ups and that's my wonderful Washington. Adams, Asotin, Chelan, Clallam, Cowlitz, Ferry, Garfield, Grant, Grays Harbor, King, Kitsap, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lewis, Pacific, Pend Oreille, Skagit, Snohomish, Thurston, Walla Walla, Whatcom, Whitman, Yakima. Stay strong my soldiers.

A much higher number of states are comfortably in the middle of the pack. They are as follows:

Texas: 19 counties. Bosque, Collin, Dallas, Denton, Fort Bend, Goliad, Hockley, Jones, Lipscomb, Live Oak, Llano, McMullen, Milam, Ochiltree, Orange, Panola, Parker, San Patricio, and Travis.

California: 17 counties. Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Imperial, Lake, Mariposa, Monterey, Orange, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Tulare, Tuolumne, and Yolo.

Pennsylvania: 16 counties. Allegheny, Blair, Butler, Carbon, Dauphin, Franklin, Greene, Jefferson, Lancaster, Lycoming, Mifflin, Montgomery, Perry, Potter, Venango, and York.

Tennessee: 15 counties. Blount, Campbell, Carter, Cumberland, Hardin, Houston, Johnson, Knox, Madison, Maury, McNairy, Obion, Union, Williamson, and Wilson.

Nebraska: 13 counties. Adams, Buffalo, Cass, Cherry, Dakota, Keith, Knox, Nuckolls, Platte, Saunders, Stanton, Thayer, and Webster.

Nevada: 13 counties. Churchill, Clark, Douglas, Esmeralda, Eureka, Lander, Lincoln, Lyon, Mineral, Pershing, Storey, Washoe, and White Pine.

Illinois: 12 counties. Cook, DeKalb, Franklin, Jasper, Kane, Marion, McDonough, McHenry, Morgan, Peoria, St Clair, and Winnebago.

Maryland: 12 counties. Anne Arundel, Calvert, Carroll, Cecil, Dorchester, Frederick, Montgomery, Prince George’s, Queen Anne’s, Talbot, Washington, and Worcester.

Michigan: 12 counties. Barry, Berrien, Clinton, Genesee, Gogebic, Kalamazoo, Lake, Oceana, Ottawa, Rocommon, Sanilac, and Wexford.

Iowa: 11 counties. Dickinson, Fayette, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Humboldt, Jefferson, Jones, Polk, Pottawattamie, and Wright.

Louisiana: 11 parishes. Ascension, Bossier, Cameron, Catahoula, Concordia, Jefferson, Lincoln, Natchitoches, St Bernard, St James, and St Tammany.

New Jersey: 11 counties. Bergen, Cumberland, Essex, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Salem, Somerset, Sussex, Union, and Warren.

Kentucky: 10 counties. Boone, Boyle, Breckinridge, Daviess, Leslie, Logan, Pike, Shelby, Trimble, Woodford.

Many of these poor cute states are barely hanging on. Please wish them luck.

Florida: 8 counties. Alachua, Bay, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Okaloosa, Osceola, Palm Beach, and St Johns.

New Mexico: 8 counties. Colfax, Curry, Doña Ana, Lincoln, Mora, Otero, Roosevelt, and Socorro.

Georgia: 6 counties. Bartow, Cherokee, Floyd, Fulton, Pierce, and Rockdale.

Indiana: 6 counties. Benton, Elkhart, Jennings, Marion, Marshall, and Starke.

Minnesota: 6 counties. Aitkin, Clearwater, Hennepin, Hubbard, McLeod, and Pipestone.

Wisconsin: 6 counties. Calumet, Fond du Lac, Osaukee, Portage, Racine, and Sheboygan.

Wyoming: 6 counties. Big Horn, Converse, Lincoln, Natrona, Park, and Teton.

Missouri: 5 counties. Clay, Gentry, Greene, Newton, and St Louis.

South Carolina: 5 counties. Anderson, Calhoun, Dillon, Dorchester, and Lexington.

Utah: 5 counties. Beaver, Summit, Utah, Washington, and Wayne.

Alaska: 4 boroughs. Anchorage, Juneau, Matanuska-Susitna, and Wrangell.

Arkansas: 4 counties. Cross, Searcy, Washington, and White.

Colorado: 4 counties. Douglas, El Paso, Fremont, and La Plata.

Oklahoma: 4 counties. Bryan, Payne, Rogers, and Washington.

West Virginia: 4 counties. Fayette, Marion, Monongalia, and Roane.

Alabama: 3 counties. Bullock, Cleburne, and Mobile.

Arizona: 3 counties. Coconino, Maricopa, and Yavapai.

Maine: 3 counties. Androscoggin, Hancock, and Washington.

Idaho: 2 counties. Bannock and Bonner.

Kansas: 2 counties. Atchinson and Johnson.

Massachusetts: 2 counties. Barnstable and Berkshire.

Montana: 2 counties. Gallatin and Silver Bow.

North Dakota: 2 counties. Benson and LaMoure.

Some states only have 1 county that progressed. They are: Delaware (Kent County), Hawaii (Maui County), Mississippi (Adams County), New Hampshire (Hillsborough County), Oregon (Linn County), and South Dakota (Bennet County).

```

In addition to all the winning counties above, there will be 83 new county flags folded into round 2!!! (Because of math reasoning this had to happen) Get hyped

They are as follows:

Alexander NC, Allen OH, Alpena MI, Alpena MI, Alpine CA, Arapahoe CO, Ashe NC, Avery NC, Baldwin AL, Baltimore MD, Bell KY, Benzie MI, Bernalillo NM, Black Hawk IA, Brevard FL, Camden NJ, Campbell WY, Canyon ID, Centre PA, Charles City VA, Cheatham TN, Chester PA, Clark WA, Clarke VA, Cleveland OK, Cochise AZ, Columbus NC, Coweta GA, Darke OH, Davidson NC, Elko NV, Erie PA, Florence SC, Garrett MD, Goshen WY, Greene VA, Grundy IL, Gwinnett GA, Hidalgo TX, Highland OH, Hocking OH, Holt NE, Hot Springs WY, Howard MD, Huntingdon PA, Ingham MI, Island WA, Kankakee IL, Lackawanna PA, Lawrence PA, Leelanau MI, Lehigh PA, Leon FL, Liberty TX, Lucas OH, Madera CA, Mahaska IA, Manitowoc WI, McLennan TX, Meigs OH, Milwaukee WI, Nashville and Davidson TN, Northumberland VA, Orleans NY, Page VA, Porter IN, Sacramento CA, Salt Lake UT, San Diego CA, Sangamon IL, Sevier TN, Shelby TN, Skamania WA, Spotsylvania VA, Stafford VA, Sussex VA, Terrell TX, Trinity CA, Tulsa OK, Tuscarawas OH, Ventura CA, Wahkiakum WA, Yuma AZ

#updates

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makairodonx · 5 months

Text

Keiko’s Strange New Job Offer, Part ll

The next day, Keiko received 50 gold marks for her first task, and afterwards she was given the details of her second assignment by the mysterious old lady in the purple cloak.

“A large, burlesque monster of a hulking stature has been sighted in the Bedford Moor attacking the Corbetts and their livestock,” she said, “and you are to go to their property and investigate the matter for yourself.”

“Could it be a troll?” Asked Keiko.

“Maybe not…” Said the lady, “but I think it might be something even taller and stranger!”

“An ogre, I suppose?”

“I think so…”

“All right…I think I’ll try my best to handle this monster with the best of my spells and return before the next sun rises.”

“Sure then…and good luck!”

Afterwards the sorceress donned her hat, picked up her staff and started off for the rugged country of the Bedford Moor. The sky overhead grew increasingly cloudy, and in a few minutes a light shower of rain started to pour upon the tops of the pines and the birches. But soon enough Keiko arrived at the Corbett’s household and knocked on their door a few times with her staff, and Farmer Corbett opened it for her.

“I am Keiko Yamamoto, and I’m a Caretaker of Hideous Creatures,” she said. “Have you had any problems with demons or monsters lately?”

“Yes we do Keiko,” Farmer Morris replied. “We just saw this huge ogre devour two of our beloved cows right in front of our eyes…and our attempts to stop him with out pitchforks and rakes were useless against his sheer size and bulk!”

“And we now believe the monster is now hiding somewhere in the woods nearby, waiting to kill more of our cows and pigs without us knowing it…” His wife added.

“An ogre, a monster of amazing size and strength? Wait a minute. I think I can use some of my magic spells to keep that ogre under control!”

“Very well,” said Farmer Corbett, “We aren’t magic-users ourselves, and only a sorceress like you is what we now need to handle this monster problem of ours!”

“And don’t forget to avoid the ogre’s sudden attacks,” said his wife, “for he might grab you with his huge hands and whack you around like a rag-doll if you come too close to him!”

“For sure! And I am always cautious and steadfast in the face of danger!” Keiko smiled at the couple.

And thus the sorceress headed out into the farm as the sun was setting below the dense groves of pines and birches in the distance. In some places she had to hold her nose for quite a while, for there were a few black vultures gathered around dead cows lying around here and there. But soon enough Keiko spotted some huge footprints laid out on the muddy ground in front of her.

“Hmmm…” she wondered, “did the monster use this mud trail to retreat into the woods? Let me see for myself…”

As the trail drew the sorceress deeper and deeper into the woods, the sun’s last rays sank below the tall trunks of the pines and birches, and the sky quickly grew into a very dark shade of indigo blue. Keiko used the glowing white light of her staff to find her way through the increasingly complex maze of trees as a lone fox darted past her and an owl gave out a few hoots high upon the branches above her. But soon she stopped in her tracks as a deep, yet loud, growl sounded off from the distant, black nothingness lying in front of her. The girl pelted straight for a nearby tree, crouched behind it, and lit up the darkness with the light of her staff as she felt her heart thumping steadily in a mixed state of fear and excitement.

Within a few heavy footsteps and another unsettling growl, a great, burlesque, and grayish green-skinned figure of humanoid shape stepped straight into the glowing white light and right in front of Keiko’s eyes. It stood nearly thirteen feet tall, and it had a surprisingly muscular stature with a heavily-built neck and arms. Once the creature stopped to turn its large, leaf-eared, big-toothed and crooked-nosed face upon Keiko, she quickly turned her face and neck away and started breathing heavily, hoping that it won’t touch her with one of its turkey-sized hands. But after the ogre yanked its head back and started waking away from her, the sorceress turned around, and stoop up to face the monster with her staff fixed right upon its small, red eyes.

“There you are…” Keiko said as the ogre shielded its eyes from the bright light with his hands, “Devouring the livestock of Farmer Corbett and his wife and threatening their very lives, too…And now you shall be punished for your heinous crimes!”

With a roar of madness the ogre tried to smash the sorceress repeatedly with its hands, but Keiko was quick enough to dodge its attacks one by one, till at last she used a spell in the form of a striking blow of her staff aimed at the creature’s belly to send forth a powerful blast of bright, purple light that knocked the ogre straight down onto the ground in front of her. Then with a circling gesture of her hand, Keiko shrunk the once-terrifying ogre into the size of a small hamster and neatly placed it into a sealed jar that she conjured out of thin air. Afterwards, the sorceress teleported herself straight to the Corbetts’ house and showed them the results of her work.

“Here you go, both of you,” she said, showing them the shrunken ogre trapped in her little jar. “Now your ogre problem has finally been taken care of!”

“Thank you very much, Keiko!” Farmer Corbett said to her. “Thank you for saving us and our livestock from this now not-so-terrible beast!”

Everyone started giggling with amusement once the ogre, whose fierce roars now sounded more like the squeals of a guinea pig, began to vent out its anger at the humans by pounding the glass walls of the jar with its fists, an act which made it look like as if it was some strange, adorable little critter trying to escape.

“You’re truly welcome,” Keiko smiled. “And after I work my healing magic upon the cows and pigs that have been wounded by the ogre, I’ll keep him as part of my Special Collection of the Hideous Creatures I’ve caught so far!”

With those words, the sorceress went into the Corbetts’ farm to heal the cows and pigs that had been badly hurt by the ogre, and after a scrumptious dinner consisting of slices of beef and pork and a mix of cabbages, carrots, and radishes, Keiko bade farewell to the Corbetts, left their house before the next sun rose, and eventually received the next 50 Gold Marks for her work the following day. And thus, with more tasks accomplished for the rest of the week, Keiko was finally able to earn the first 2,500 Gold Marks of her job as a Caretaker of Hideous Creatures.

#literature #original story #original characters #original character

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slut4sway · 1 year

Text

i think we could do it if we tried

if only to say you're mine

sofia, know that you and i

shouldn’t feel like a crime

•

honey, i don’t want it to fade

there’s things that i know could get in the way

but, i don’t want to say goodbye

and i think that we could do it if we tried

🪫•••••••••••••••••••🩸

anywherebound

chapter II : bloody knuckled

notes : this was a very sensitive topic for me to write about and it took a lot to really go into a dark place to talk about my own sobriety and intergrate it into this. this may be one of the only fics i can really write genuinely because i pour my soul into this and it really helps me cope. currently 15 days sober and i hit the 2 week mark for the first time in a very long time yesterday!

tw : self harm

5/26/23

about 12 hours sober, but 1 week clean gone to waste. it was a never-ending cycle, trevor would be all go-fucking-lucky for a day; then mood swings would get the best of him and he’d relapse. genuinely, he did want to get better but every 7 days or so he found himself bleeding on the floor. but there was no emotion shown. he was either crying and bawling until he couldn’t breathe or just carving his skin apart with a stoic expression that was almost apathetic; and lacking emotion.

the blood had almost completely dried, the small drips were glazed with the morning light. trevor just stared down at himself and what he’d just done. maybe if he’d just gone back to his old habits and started punching walls again, his now pale skin wouldn’t be different shades and textures because of his scars. if he had just let himself go apeshit on the drywall like he did when jamie would piss him off; at 16 he could have bloody knuckles instead of blood running down his forearm. only sucker punching walls because of him then going out to ride bikes up in ontario around his neighborhood. climbing up on their spot; an old abandoned rehab center, 6 stories up just watching the sun crest westbound. behind all of the high rise buildings they could see them, in the orange. something in the orange told them maybe they were right for each other. because they pined for each other like nothing else.

the bedford sunsets were different though. westchester county was different. the old architecture and the trees gave it more of a homey feel for sure. hours before they would lie in the bed of trevor’s old f-150 or in some deforested field, he would be talking about jamie non stop to his mother. she would just listen, watch him swoon over the boy; leaning on the counter as he smiled with every word regarding jamie that came out of his mouth. how much loved him and how he wishes he could just tell jamie that; bringing that smile to a false linger. even mrs. zegras knew trevor really liked jamie, and that it was authentic.

“trevor baby..” jamie fought back tears, gawking at trevor slumped against the bed with blood dripping down his forearms the same way coke dripped off his nose the night before. his stomach dropped, gaping at trevor while he stumbled over from the window and came to his knees next to him.

trevor just stared at jamie with heavy eyes. there was nothing to be said. or nothing that was said. he was holding back as if his life depended on it, and now that he was sober he wishes he could just tell him how much he wishes he could just get better and maybe be able to love jamie the way he should’ve. the amount of anger and frustration built up came out in tears, like they always had.

“you were doing so good.. what happened?” his unsteady voice broke something inside trevor. he was asking such an obvious question, so irritating and apparent jamie knew; but didn’t want to admit.

“you wanna know what fucking happened jim?! you happened. it’s ever god damn night we go up to the roof and get faded, i cant stand it anymore because i know you don’t love me! it’s the same thing every week and you know what? i fucking hate you, because this is your fault and you know why this happens but you still ask as if you’re fucking clueless every time..” the older boy choked out his words, suffocating as his breath hitched in his chest every once in a while with tears falling from the corners of his eyes and bending around the curves of his grecian nose.

the ‘i fucking hate you’ really hit home for jamie in more ways than one. that told him all he needed to know about how trevor was feeling right now, and told him that he seriously fucked up. trevor was always so tolerant with him, but now it was unclear. did he really mean what he said now that he hit his breaking point?

jamie gave him an empty glance before he leaned over trevor and pulled the drawer open and taking out a gauze wrap and some tissues.

“i’m sorry trev.”

“how am i even supposed to know if you’re telling the truth? you always say that but then you do the same thing?”

“i really am, and z.. i know i mess up a lot but we both know it’s hard to like- stop or quit, feel me?” jamie affirmed, gently wiping the blood away from his arms. his words were truthful for once, and sweet, sweet, sober jamie was home.

“i’m tired. i’m so fucking exhausted. i’m so numb i don’t even know what’s wrong anymore. i need you but we’re..” he tapered off the sentence with the sound a fucked up kid makes. trevor let jamie wrap his arm with the sterile gauze; with deep devotion and affection that felt so fake yet so real. it was frustrating. complicated. because love is patient, and love is kind. it shouldn’t make someone lose their mind. there’s got to be more to this than being pissed off all the damn time.

“it’s like every therapist i go to doesn’t work.” trevor shifted the topic. he doesn’t think he’ll ever be ready to say that him and jamie were toxic.

“i know baby. i know.” the way jamie called him baby like when they were just wild-haired messed up kids brought him back. back to the times when they smelled like liquor, spirits, and weed. it should be disgusting, but when jamie said he’d give anything to be near it; that was enough. he finished wrapping trevor’s arm after what seemed like an eternity, feeling him melt into his arms while trevor’s messy curls fell in sync with his motion.

“and like.. we say it’s the last time every night but it’s not..? i don’t want it to be the last time, i cant leave you. i just cant, and like i wanna stop using and drinking and i wanna stay clean, but like i cant?” his focus shifted again. the amount of thoughts running through his head rushed through his entire body that was just a soulless entity.

“i.. i cant leave you either trev. i’ll try baby, i swear i will.” jamie cooed as trevor rested the side of his head on jamie’s chest with his legs sprawled out beside him.

that was an empty promise though. because it’s not easy like that. cause someone can’t just pack up and leave to some foreign country, and quitting substances and bad habits was their foreign land. none of that shit is easy. loving each other was hard enough; and when they can’t even feel real without having alcohol coursing through their veins it was just more difficult.

“can we both.. try and stay clean and sober for a week?” this small proposal from trevor was a big step for them, hence relying on artificially produced dopamine to not feel like they’re about to die any time they’re one day off and having withdrawals.

they’ve been drowning in each other for a long time, and it wasn’t fun anymore. neither of them were happy with what they had; no matter how much they put on a false front or convinced themselves they did. getting high was supposed to be fun.

this wasn’t fun.

“it’s gonna be one step forward and three steps back, you know? so can we not give up right away?” another empty fucking promise. trevor took a deep, shaky breath as he said this. his open wounds singed every second.

“promise.” jamie knew. he knew that it wouldn’t happen right away. he knew even if it did happen and they made it to one week, they’d be lucky.

•

jamie awoke to trevor gently snoring in his arms, the reddened gauze turning a light toffee color as the blood dried. sleeping off the hangover he ignored was not the move. trevor’s phone vibrated, screen lighting up to a notification from their groupchat.

cloud 9 ☁️😵‍💫

jack⁉️: bonfire party tn down at the coast bring what u want

sonny🙌: k im bringing weed what strain do u guys want

i have wedding cake and northern lights on me rn

jack⁉️: no sunset sherbert or cookies?

sonny🙌: no sorry

colesy🫃: white runtz

jack⁉️: cole u don’t smoke what are you talking about dawg 💀

colesy🫃: yes

sonny🙌: bye whos baby is this 😭😭😭

mctavish™️: HELP ME

mctavish™️: told some of the hoes some r coming

colesy🫃: i have malibu

sonny🙌: cole that’s so gay

colesy🫃: 🥺🤭🩻🪅🚂😵‍💫‼️😵‍💫🤤😇😧™️🎸📭™️🙌🎉😧🤭🚂🪅🎸😵‍💫🩻🫃🩸🚂™️🩻☁️😨😇⁉️⁉️🫃💌🪅🎸🤤😵‍💫🎉😇😇☁️🩻😰😇😧🚂

mctavish™️: someone come get their child he got out the cage

colesy🫃: okok sorry i’ll bring red white blue smirnoff and we can mix it w monticello it’s so good

jack⁉️: do u mean limoncello 🧍‍♂️

colesy🫃 : same thing

notifications popped up one after another, overlapping each other. jamie picked up his phone and unlocked it, responding back:

we’re trying to stay sober. we’ll come but we aren’t using. trevor is asleep this is jim btw

jack⁉️: ok yea that’s fine good luck boys

sonny🙌: 💪💪

colesy🫃: ok love u guys

mctavish™️: good job, proud of you guys

thanks.

Jamie shut off Trevor’s phone, placing it face down where it was before. Hopefully, they can fulfill their promise.

Maybe Trevor won’t relapse or go bloody-knuckled in the afterglow of the party.

#Spotify #trevorjamie #trevor zegras #jamie drysdale #anaheim ducks #mlm #men’s hockey rpf #anywherebound #chapter 2

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focsle · 2 years

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Hi, your whaling tag made for a very interesting read at breakfast this morning, thank you so much! I started to wonder what happened with people who died on the ship (and death by blubber seems like a way to go). Your beautiful prose about visiting the grave of a whaler kind of answered my question, but if you like, could you explain more?

Ah, thank you very much for reading them! To complete the circle I’m answering this over my own breakfast. Death was very common—I don’t think I’ve read a single journal where at least one person didn’t die, or was discharged at a port in such a state that he probably didn’t live long after. On the other hand, I’m surprised there wasn’t MORE death given how incredibly dangerous the work was and how limited the medical care. But deaths were marked and acknowledged by the entire crew.

In very rare instances a body was preserved in a cask of oil or liquor to be sent home, but that was really only in the case of captains or members of their family, and even still wasn’t typically done for anyone.

For a burial at sea, the man would be dressed in his shore clothes. Then he’d be sewn up in canvas and weighted down with something heavy to keep the body from floating, thus making it as proper a burial as it could be. The sails were laid aback, all hands were called on deck for a brief funeral service, and then he’d be slid into the sea.

If there was ANY land though, port or otherwise, attempts would be made to bury him there instead. On the uninhabited (but for birds) Denis Island in the Seychelles, whaler J.T. Landgon came across others’ makeshift graves on multiple occasions in 1851. He tended to get very reflective about them.

“While wandering over the island I chanced to pass by the grave of Wm Owen who died in the ship Lafayette of New Bedford. He is buried in a lonely part of the island with a pine board for a tombstone with the simple inscription William Owen aged 31 1848 He was I believe an American and a native of New Bedford In a short time the board will rot away and no trace will be left of the grave.”

A few months later, when they returned to the island for eggs Langdon remarked that the graves of two more men had appeared on the island.

“A single board marks their resting place on this desolate island simply stating their names, ages, and the day they died. They are buried close to the beach where the breakers dash up with a continuous sullen roar and the wild sea bird screams their funeral dirges over their lonely graves. The 2nd mate was with me where found them and the dusky night was drawing its sable veil over the Earth and sea as we turned sadly away from the lonely lot to return aboard sincerely hoping that such may not be our[s].”

In ports of call frequented by whalers there were often more dedicated cemeteries for foreign seamen. Here’s a 1970s photo of the approximate location of the whaler’s cemetery in Paita, Peru.

The markers were likely wooden and have since decayed, so there’s no physical trace of graves now. The graves themselves were also quite shallow, and as it was just sand the remains were often exposed. Whaler Stephen Curtis, aboard the Mercury in 1841 described the “hundreds of greedy turkey buzzards [that] hovered around this miserable abode of death.”

In the case of men killed by whales, such as a boat being stove or someone being taken out of the boat by a line, or otherwise drowned, it was often difficult to recover the body (though attempts were made). The Seamen’s Bethel in New Bedford has cenotaphs lining the walls, paid for by family or other community members, to memorialize those who died at sea.

After a death, the man’s personal effects would either be locked up in his chest to be given to some relation ashore, or they’d be auctioned off among the crew. Very personal items such as journals, letters, mementos, or valuables, would likely be held onto by the captain in the hopes of returning them to friends or family once ashore, but things like the man’s tools or clothes would be put up for auction. The stated purpose of the auction was to give the money to the deceased’s loved one’s ashore, but the cultural purpose was deeply connected to the social life of the ship. Men often paid much more than an old shirt or a sheath knife was worth, and it wasn’t because they had any intention of using them—it was extremely bad luck to use a dead man’s tools. Instead, through that auction they were buying a memento mori for themselves and a physical remembrance of their lost shipmate.

In a place where one only sees the same 20-30 faces every single day for years out, bound together in very difficult conditions, a loss of anyone would be keenly felt. Sometimes a fellow whaler would write in the back of the deceased’s journal before it went to the captain (or the Captain would write in it himself) to explain what happened to any living eyes who read it. In these it’s clear how much impact a death had on the entire crew. To speak to that I’ll close with a poignant note left in the back of John Perkins’s journal, greenhand on the ship Tiger, who was killed by a whale at age 21 on June 15th, 1846.

“It has become the painful task of one of the friends of the deceased to conclude the journal which has been thus far written to transmit to his friends the particulars of his end, but before closing the volume, justice to him who has been called away demands an expression of the feelings and regrets of his companions. To say that he was esteemed and respected by all would be but a slight testimony to his worth. His gentleness of manner, kindness of heart & disinterested generosity won upon every one and the good nature & amicable disposition that characterized him endeared him to his shipmates. His death so unexpected, so mournfully sudden produced a shock that will never be effaced from the minds of his friends. Every breast felt a pang, every eye was dimmed with a tear & words of pity & sorrow of which the pen cannot do justice burst from every lip. Beloved by all & bound to us by ties which none can appreciate but those who have passed months together within the narrow compass of a ship, his decease has caused a gap which will never be filled.”

#death //#awhalin #fcktaken #asks #ids in alt text

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