#I genuinely as surprised will wood wasn’t number one given how many of his songs made my top song list

[maxgicalgirl]

I am exposing myself as a Swiftie I’m so sorry to betray your trust like this

[ryewi]

When I’m with you I’m in Utopia [Chapter 5]

Summary:  9 years ago, the world split in two halves, Utopia and Dystopia. One of the laws allows citizens of both worlds to visit the other once in their lifetime, for a whole week, after which, they’re forced to return home. If by any chance, they don’t return, a death punishment is sentenced. Jeon Jungkook, a citizen of Dystopia seemed to be desperate enough to challenge that exact law.

Genre: Utopia!au, Dystopia!au, fluff, angst, drama, to be added~~

Words: 1,5k (indeed a smol chapter)

Warnings: none for now!

< Previous | Part Five | Next >

Early AN: Buildup for the next chapter, aka the first chapter where drama begins! Also an important chapter!

“The number you’re trying to dial is currently unavailable. Please call later or leave a voice message after the sig-”  

For the eighteenth time in the past last hour, Faith’s sighing echoed through a small caramel bedroom. Her touchscreen phone was thrown somewhere on the other side of the room, screen already cracked on one of its corners. Never once has her mood been this bad. The four walls seemed to close in on her, then back away each time Jungkook didn’t pick his phone up.

Where was he? Did he already go back home? Is that why she wasn’t able to contact him? Faith always despised the fact that phones worked between two people situated in the same world, just to stop whenever one of them left.

Was this how Luna felt 9 years ago?  

Luna.

Retrieving the small device that was positioned under her closet, Faith dialed the first emergency number in her contacts. It took exactly four rings for Luna to pick up, which was labeled as pretty fast, considering the time; 2:42am.

“Faith? Is everything okay?” Luna’s groggy voice came out from the other side, indicating that the woman was sleeping just a few moments ago. She sounded tired, but at the same time worried, it wasn’t every day that her little sister called up at 3am.

“I can’t sleep” Faith replied, throwing herself back on to the soft silk sheets, enjoying how soft they felt against her tender skin. Unconsciously biting her lower lip, Faith’s thoughts wandered off to Jungkook once again. Was he okay?

“Just give me a moment” Luna said, now sounding a bit better but still relatively quiet, knowing that whenever Faith couldn’t sleep, there was something going on and she needed help. Faith heard some shuffling, the sound of doors closing and then her sister once again, “Shoot”.

“Where are you?” The smaller asked, curiosity flooding her mind.

“I kind of slept with Seokjin, but that’s not why you called-”

“You what?! Luna he’s your best friend!”  

“Listen Faith, shit and mistakes happen,” Luna laughed and Faith was once again reminded why she was currently on line at 3am. Mistakes. “Now open that pretty mind and spill the tea”.

“How did you deal with your and Charlie’s situation after, you know, the split?” Faith knew that it was a touchy subject for the other, especially after 4 years of the two being together. Charlie was one in a million, everyone in Keith household was in love with this cheerful, lovely and charming person. Every time Charlie came over, Faith would abandon all homework and schoolwork for the next day just so they could talk. Luna has never been happier, and when they finally sealed the deal with beautiful golden rings, a huge celebration was created.

“Well, uh, I most definitely didn’t think you’d ask that” The older seemed all over the place, numerous memories suddenly replaying in front of her eyes. No tears were forming but the tightening of her chest was enough of an indicator that those moments still easily opened a barely healed wound.

“Is this about that Jungkook guy?” Instantly, Faith sat up, slightly amazed by the guessing skills of her sister. Of course, Luna was introduced to him, as detailed as possible, however, at the beginning, she didn’t really care. Luna knew that Faith found this guy pretty intriguing and that there definitely was something, although her sister didn’t want to admit that.

“I, well, I didn’t- yes, it is” Faith gave in, head hanging low while her free hand traced invisible circles on the soft sheets. Truthfully, she didn’t even know what kind of help she was seeking for. Was it emotional support? Was it how to plan a trip to Dystopia? Or perhaps she just needed to get something off her chest?

“Did he leave already? If my calculations are correct, he still had today and tomorrow?” Luna said, the sound of a lighter appearing somewhere near the telephone. She must be smoking as they were speaking, which the other hated the most, why would you poison yourself like that?

“I don’t know, we just, actually I fucked up” She admitted, quickly running through the story, chewing down the unimportant and spitting out important pieces. Luna only hummed in understanding, letting her little sister get everything off her chest. It was captivating, and the older wasn’t sure if Faith was conscious about how in love she sounded.  

“His eyes shone and not in a good way, I know how Jungkook’s eyes sparkle when he’s happy, he was hurt”, “His tone was cold, I felt horrible, I really was the reason behind his hurting”, “Jungkook’s voice is beautiful, alluring, relaxing, can you believe he sang twelve songs to me? Twelve songs and I still had to fuck up”, “When he was singing, he had this child like smile on his face, while his eyebrows were scrunched”

On the other side of the city, Jungkook was packing his own belongings into the same black backpack he carried the day Faith oh-so-carelessly waltzed into his life. Just when Jungkook remembered the date, the screen of his iPhone lit up for the nth time that night. It was on for just a millisecond before it turned off, signaling that the call has been blocked once again. However, that millisecond was enough for Jungkook to notice “Faith” written on the dark background.  

Jungkook knew that the way he has been acting is similar to a pussy. Running away because your past couldn’t let you think straight? Have you really fell that low, Jungkook? Was this friendship something you just had to ruin?

Standing up and approaching the door of his bedroom, the male switched a big ceiling light off. It surprised him, the way this small place still seemed lit up thanks to moonlight. Jungkook closed his eyes, resting for a moment as he sat down on the bed, fluffy covers scrunching to accommodate his strong figure.  

“You just sound like an angel, that’s all”, “Your smile reminds me of a relaxed bunny”, “Does that mean we can call each other exploring buddies from now on?”, “Is it weird that I got a sudden urge to boop your nose?”

He was an idiot. Jungkook was a fool, left and right, up and down, squared and cubed. Even though a cheeky smile played on his lips, Faith’s soft and welcoming voice didn’t bring up any kind of happiness.  

Jungkook didn’t want to admit, but he silently hoped for the other to call once again. Maybe this time he’d have enough luck to pick up the call regardless of it being blocked. Maybe this time he’d get to hear her for the last time, to tell her he was wrong, to fix his mistakes.

But the next call never arrived. The male waited, anxiety eating him alive, has she really given up? Well of course Jungkook, you blocked more than twenty calls.

Not being able to take it anymore, he picked up the small black device and with shaking hands, called her back.

“The number you’re trying to dial is currently busy. Please call later or leave a voice message after the signal. Ding.”

“Faith, I’m sorry, I really shouldn’t have reacted the way I did, I don’t know what was going on in my head to snap at you like that, you’ve only ever been so kind to me” Jungkook said, voice quiet while trying to hide the way his throat thickened from the sudden rush of emotions. It might’ve been because of the clock ticking 2:45am, that he suddenly wanted to fix everything, but it also might’ve been because he genuinely cared.

“I’d ask you to call me back, but I’m sure that after all the calls I’ve blocked out you’ve given up” He chuckled, but the sound came out dry once again, emotion running away as far as possible from it. Jungkook on the other end felt a lot, he felt so many different emotions, yet somewhere in the mix of it all, his voice presented a dark and deep void where all of them disappeared. He was about to continue his monologue, but Jungkook hung up after noticing that the filter between his thoughts and mouth started disappearing. Enough damage has already been done.

Once again, a massive wave of paranoia flooded Jungkook’s mind. Every time his eyes caught on to the bag next to the wooden bed, an urge to throw it as far as possible swallowed him. As if confusion and anxiety would disappear by it, Jungkook kicked his carriage to the other side of the room, watching it slide over the parquet floor.

He didn’t want to go back, he’d rather sell his soul than go back.

His eyes caught on to a shiny metal that rested comfortably on a bedside table. The object reflected the moonlight which effortlessly made its way through an opened window. Walking closer to it, Jungkook inspected it carefully, instantly recognizing it as his brown pocket knife.  

Gulping and examining the sole weight of metal and wood, a horrible and dangerous idea flew through his head.

Maybe he just found a loophole in the system.

AN: Has Faith blocked Jungkook’s number now too? Do work your minds around that for now~~~ But let me tell y’all, the next chapter is where shit starts and all of this buildup will be worth it. Hold on tight and I’ll see you in another 3 days!

[some-cookie-crumbz]

Kids Again

Kids Again Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender Pairing: Keidge Summary: And when I’m feeling small, You help me through it all. [link] Standard Disclaimer: If you read and enjoy this, please give it a like/ reblog so I know if I should write more. AN: Day 3 of KidgeFest fill! I just want to say that I have associated this song with Kidge since the first time I heard it and I am so grateful to have an excuse to advertise that fact!

He grew sick of the constant lectures he got from Kolivan pretty quick and simply adjusted to taking it in stride.

He knew he wasn’t supposed to go sticking his neck out to save other Blade members on missions. “We may work with Voltron,” Kolivan had said, sounding tired from having the conversation for yet another time, “but we are not them. The Blade has other priorities. Knowledge or death, Keith; that is what it means to be a member of the Blade.” He hated having to hear that phrase over and over again. It just reminded him that he didn’t belong there, with the rest of them. Sure, he was half-Galra like a good chunk of the other members, but he was like them. He didn’t bear any hint of his Galran heritage physically – due to never being injected with small doses of quintessenses as a child, he later learned – and he had spend so many years of his life participating in things that required teamwork that he wasn’t so good at that.

Pidge had once teasingly called him the lone wolf that actually looked out for an entire pack but it was more accurate than he’d like to admit.

He headed back to his own room in their headquarters and slumped against the small cot-like bed there. He’d just been reamed into because Nihaar had gone ahead and saved another member of the Blade while retreating from a Galra-hub with a device full of secret, coded files. It hadn’t been hard for them to figure out where she’d picked that habit up from, all things considered. The other Blade that she’d saved was furious when she woke up – actually tried to attack Nihaar for denying her the glory of death on the battlefield – and Kolivan warned that they would be permenantly kept from working together if the problem persisted.

Nihaar was one of the few Blade members that was good to Keith. She was more a friend than a comrade and he hated the idea of never getting to work with her again. He trusted Nihaar and knew she had his back in a way that only two other people in Keith’s life ever had. She was a great support and had taught him a lot about his Galran heritage that he never would have known otherwise. The older members of the Blade had no patience for his questions and curiosity, while Nihaar was always eager to tell him what she knew as long as he shared the Earth snacks he kept stashed in his room with her. There was only one other place in the galaxy that he felt comfortable being himself without fear of reprecussions.

“Geez, these windows are really easy to open, aren’t they?” An all too familiar voice goaded from the other side of his room.

Speaking of Keith’s limited safe places to fall.

He jerked upright and looked over, needing to verify that his ears had been right. There, with a small stereo playing quiet music, was none other than Pidge, sitting cross-legged in the slightly ajar mouth of the Green Lion. “What are you doing in my neck of the woods?” He asked, skeptical that she was actually here. Pidge had been on the Blade’s main base before – she was a Paladin of Voltron and his girlfriend, after all – but to see her here on personal business without him knowing was strange.

She shrugged, adjusting the boombox in her lap, and the little spurs on the leather jacket she was wearing clinked together softly. “I was just in the neighborhood… Figured I’d see if I could convince a pretty little thank like you to sneak out for a night on the town,” She said, winking playfully.

He snickered a bit and shook his head. “Kolivan would kill me if I did. I’m already in enough trouble with him as it is,” He said, shoulders sagging a bit as he remembered the previous conversation.

“What was he getting on you about this time?” Pidge asked, rolling her eyes a bit. She was probably the only other person as sick of Kolivan’s treatment of Keith than Keith himself, if he was honest.

“I guess Nihaar saved another blade from getting blown up after an intel gather went south. Now he’s threatening to break us up on missions if I don’t stop exhibiting behaviors that directly conflict with the initiative of the Blade,” He explained, keeping his gaze casted to the floor. Not too long ago, he would have gotten defensive or shut down at a question like that. Well, admittedly, he still tended to get a bit aggressive when he was pestered about what was wrong with him.

Unless the person asking was Pidge, that is.

“Are you kidding me?” She sputtered indignantly. She huffed and changed the tracks on her boombox to something a bit more intense to match her mood. “That’s absolutely stupid! The Blade numbers are already kinda pathetic compared to any other group we’re allied with! You’d think that maintaining what little they have would be a huge benefit! Want me to Allura on him? I know she’s having another meeting with all the groups in the coalition soon. I’m sure she’d have a field day dressing him down in front of a bunch of other leader-types.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “For as much as I appreciate that offer, I shouldn’t. The fact remains that I shouldn’t be doing things against Blade regulations,”

“You’ll never be able to fit in with them the way things are, Keith. You’re too genuinely loving and compassionate to abandon someone on the battlefield; consequences be damned,” She said in a gentle but serious tone. He paused and stared at her, meeting her blazing gaze. “That’s why you’re still doing it, even after all this time you’ve been working with the, and it’s honestly one of the reasons I love you so much. You’re a real softie underneath that edgelord exterior, and you won’t stop doing something when you know that you’re right, and I sincerely hope that you never do. The galaxy would be a lot better with more people that think like you in it.”

He opened his mouth to say something then closed it again, unsure of how to respond. He learned that, when Pidge was allowed to be honest, she could say things that were sincerely sweet. She – much like him – had a bad habit of shoving her foot in her mouth and being misinterpretted. He had dealt with that a lot growing up, too, and had been so relieved as he got closer to her and found it wasn’t like that. For the longest time they’d both apologize right after saying something that might be seen as harsh or rude, but the other would wave it off, completely unperturbed and understanding.

He knew what she was saying, both what the words meant at face value and the other message attached.

“Now, given that, it sounds like you absolutely need a night out. Get changed and get in the Lion,” She hummed with a small click of her tongue, setting the bookbox off to the side and crawling to the edge of Green’s mouth. If not for the fact the mechanical feline was nearly pressed right up against the building itself, he’d have panicked about her falling out.

“And where, exactly, are you planning to take me?” He asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

She beamed at him, smug and proud. “We – Lance, Matt and I – may have found an illegal spaceship racing derby not too far off from here. Lance is planning to enter the race with Red. The rest of us – Matt, Hunk, Allura and the two of us – are going along for moral support. And to, you know, maybe do some gambling,” She explained, her tone completely casual.

Keith hummed then glanced back at the door to his room. “If Kolivan finds out I bailed -!”

“If Kolivan gets huffy, I’ll lie and tell him that it’s an Earthling courtship ritual or something. I always have a contingency plan, and if I don’t, I can cook one up like that,” She said, snapping her fingers for emphasis. She then clearled her throat and patted one of Green’s large metal fangs. “Now why don’t you get all dolled up for a trip on the space equivalent of a magic carpet?”

“I’ve flown a Lion before, you know,” He laughed, but he turned and headed towards the small closet regardless.

“Hey, I am being suave here. Don’t spoil my fun,” She tsked back at him.

“Have you been getting advice for Lance?”

“Rude. I haven’t gotten that desperate yet,”

“Not yet?” He teased back, disappearing into his closet to actuall change. He left the door cracked a bit so that he could keep talking to her.

“Give me some credit. I came here because I just had a feeling you were gonna need me, so I may not have figured this whole thing out ahead of time. Well, that I thought you’d enjoy going to the race. I know how much you like checking out the craftsmanship behind some of the self-built ships other non-Galran factions use,” She commented.

He smiled as he tugged up his jeans and slipped a belt through the loops. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t at least a little interested,” He agreed.

“Damn right you would be!” She laughed lightly.

“You know,” He called, tugging a shirt over his head, “isn’t this situation supposed to be the other way around? Like, you know, the guy coerces the girl to sneak out while Daddy isn’t looking to go to some risky event?”

“Have we ever followed the norms of a situation in our relationship?” She retorted as he opened the door, grabbing his jacket and shoving it on as he crossed the room to her. She stood up, one hand holding the handle of the boombox and the other extended to him.

“No, we haven’t. And I hope we never do; I like the surprise you bring to my life,” He said, smile wide and sincere and warm.

“Right back at you, Kogane,” She mused back, leaning up to give him a quick kiss. He tried to chase after her but she stepped back. “Ah, ah. You gotta wait until we get their if you want more.”

He chuckled and followed her into the cockpit, making a note to remind Pidge to leave hickies in less obvious places this time around. The hour-long conversation hed had with Zartula, another Blade general that was working with Kolivan, about the Galran equivalent of safe sex had been humiliating – hilarious to Pidge when she told him – and was something he’d like to avoid again.

[geekade]

Little House: Revisiting a Childhood Classic

To a girl who grew up in the 90s in New Jersey, the Laura Ingalls Wilder’s America, with her family constantly and directly affected and impeded by their environment and at times struggling just to survive, is an alien one. But in another sense, it is a very appealing picture. The Ingalls family were one another’s only entertainment, often only company, and though we often picture old-fashioned families as very stern, the Ingalls’ story is one filled with song, laughter, and love. Irecently reread this series after about a decade and a half, and it was a totally new experience. I engaged with the characters in a way I didn’t think would be possible, considering differences in time and lifestyle, and while I was reading, I felt like I was a member of the Ingalls family.

The series begins with Little House in the Big Woods, which takes place in the Big Woods in Wisconsin. This book centers around the Ingalls homesteading, and is probably the ‘coziest’ of the books, as it doesn’t touch as much on the dangers and difficulties of survival as much as the other books do. Laura, her older sister Mary, (and their baby sister Carrie, included in the story though chronologically not born yet), alternate playing and helping around the house, sometimes combining the two, and spend their evenings being entertained by their Pa’s fiddle and vivid storytelling. While living in Wisconsin, the Ingalls were near their cousins and grandparents, so we also get a glimpse into what it was like visiting family and hosting social visitors in this time period.

Growing up, this was my favorite book in the series and has had a massive influence on who I am as a person. I love gardening and homesteading-related hobbies. I love to sew. I hope one day to own enough land to grow the majority of my own produce, and to preserve and store it as the Ingalls did. But more than the influence it had on me, I treasure the impressions it left me with as a child. The lively family in this story is nothing like how they appear in photographs - stern, and grayscale, their clothes restrictive and mouths tight. The young Ingalls family read just like any other family - loving, interdependent upon one another, and truly pleased with their lot in life.

Little House on the Prairie, technically the third book and the namesake of the TV series based loosely on the books, was the second book that I read during my re-read. I chose to omit the books centering around the childhood of Almanzo Wilder because when I initially read the series as a child, I had no idea they even existed. (I plan to follow up with them in future.) Little House on the Prairie chronicles the events of 1869-1870, in Kansas, where the Ingalls moved, following rumors that the nearby Indian Territory would soon be settled. Moving in a covered wagon from the Big Woods, the Ingalls suffer a number of hardships that come in as a stark contrast to those in the first book. One such is the “fever n’ ague” that the family comes down with (later identified as malaria) which puts them out of commission while a neighbor, Mrs. Scott, cares for them along with her own family. Mrs. Scott is one of a few companions of the Ingalls family in this book, another being Mr. Edwards, a bachelor from Tennessee, who later on plays “Santa Claus” for the children. At great risk to themselves, the Ingalls’ neighbors weave into the story by helping them through times that the Ingalls mightn’t have gotten through on their own. In 1870, the government announced that the land would not be open to settlers, and so the house that Pa Ingalls built on the land, and all of the work he’d done tilling the field came to nothing, and the family packed up to move East, closer to ‘civilization,’ where the girls could get educated.

I have to say, this particular re-read was the most incongruous to my memory. I may have conflated it with the following book in my mind, but the easy laughter and confidence of the Big Woods book is gone in this one. Pa Ingalls comes across as a more imposing, decisive character; moving his family from place to place on nearly no notice. Though the trek certainly was fascinating, and brings back old memories of playing Oregon Trail, I didn’t enjoy this book nearly as much as I expected to--ruined by my own memories and ideas about it, I guess. One thing I will say is that I grew an unexpected and truly fierce love for Jack the dog, though. Jack is the Ingalls family companion, and though he squares off against mountain lions and bears in the Big Woods, his protectiveness and stalwartness along the trail to Kansas is incredibly endearing, and his near loss is heartbreaking. (In real life, it wasn’t a heartbreaking near-loss, but an actual loss, and Jack didn’t journey from Kansas to Minnesota with the Ingalls.)

On the Banks of Plum Creek is what I had been expecting from Little House on the Prairie: community, family, adventure, and history, all within the setting of an untouched landscape in Minnesota. Living in a pre-“built” dugout home near the banks of Plum Creek, the Ingalls begin working on their wooden, above-ground home, while also gathering wild grass as hay for their horses and beginning again to till the land. Mary and Laura also go to school for the first time in this book, and the infamous Nellie Oleson is introduced. Nellie, I think, is a more infamous TV character than in the book, where she comes across as your average schoolyard bully, but Laura makes you hate her either way. Nellie is a shopkeeper’s daughter from New York State, and she makes sure everyone knows it and how many advantages it's given her. Rubbing her considerable wealth in everyone’s face, Nellie hosts a “town party” and invites the “farm girls” to join, almost for the purpose of flaunting her resources. Laura’s resulting jealousy inspires her to host her own, more fun party later in the year.

Unfortunately things take a turn, and a swarm of Rocky Mountain locusts literally wipe the traces of the Ingalls’ entire year's work from the earth, leaving them in debt, without food, and a little later, trapped by a snowstorm. Pa goes missing just before the blizzard, and is gone for two days before the blizzard lets up and he can make his way home--apparently having been trapped behind a hill only a few hundred yards from home.

Gosh this book was exciting, and immersive enough to get me saying “gosh.” As Laura ages and the Ingalls’ lives become more and more complicated, the story reveals more about America’s past and the private lives of citizens in the late 1800s than I could have imagined. The humanity and relatability of these characters is something I never would have applied to the early settlers of America’s farmland if I hadn’t read them.

The following book, By the Shores of Silver Lake, follows the Ingalls’ life in De Smet, South Dakota and introduces the fourth Ingalls child, Grace, as the baby. With ‘baby’ Carrie now getting a little older, she is responsible for helping around the house like Laura and Mary were, and is a more apt playmate for Laura as time goes on. However, this book opens with the surprise that Mary has gone blind from her illnesses previously mentioned in the other books, along with a bout of scarlet fever. (Mary’s blindness was later theorized to be due to a thyroid disease, and diabetes that plagued the entire Ingalls family.) Along with Mary’s sight, in this book, we lose Jack, a device Laura moved to this story to help signify the change from childhood to young adulthood. Jack’s peaceful death the day before the family’s long journey to South Dakota is sad, but they give him a wonderful last day filled with his favorite foods and games.

We gain some insight into Laura’s story-telling ability when Pa tells Laura to “be Mary’s eyes” and Laura becomes responsible for describing to Mary the many sights of their new home, and the move, and even the train that the family takes and its passengers. The train is also an exciting part of this story, and begins the relationship throughout the series between the train’s advancement, and America’s encroachments over unsettled land. Pa Ingalls even gets a job working for the railroad company as a paymaster, and the family is able to winter in the surveyor's house, making friends with the local Boast family and hosting workers and pioneers. The Ingalls home became almost an inn during that time, making the family a great deal of money by charging 25 cents for meals and board overnight, and thus begin saving to send Mary to a college for the blind that their former Reverend told them about on a visit. This story is the first to truly engage in the technological advancements and travel capabilities of America’s settlers. The Ingalls not only get visits from family, but make friends and see old ones as they travel across the country, settling in different states.

In The Long Winter, we not only get a true scope of the hardships faced by a family genuinely on their own as far as resources go, we also begin to get a sense of the small-town communities we know to be a big part of American culture today. Shops, inns, and homes begin to crop up in the area, and the Ingalls family winters in the center of town, to be closer to the train as well as the shops and fellow homesteaders. We also first meet Almanzo Wilder in this story, who in the fictionalized account was pretending to be 21 (actually 19) in order to lay a claim to unsettled land, but in reality was closer to 23 (Laura was 13.) Laura and Carrie attend school as often as possible, but are hindered and ultimately stopped entirely by successive blizzards which bury the town and make the roadsimpassable. Food dwindles and even the innovative methods of stretching their stores fail the Ingalls eventually. The blizzards continue for 7 months, and many throughout the town go without food until Almanzo Wilder shares his seed-grain with the locals, and the trains finally thaw, delivering a Christmas barrel of supplies and donated clothing to the weakened Ingalls’ home.

Despite being one of the shorter books, The Long Winter was certainly drama-packed, and at times I truly was scared while reading it, but ultimately I felt it could have been rolled into Little Town on the Prairie. Undoubtedly one of the most formative times in Laura’s life, this book was one where Laura began to really seize on adulthood and responsibility, often talking about protecting her younger sister Carrie, who’s discussed as being a sickly child (despite going on to be quite athletic in her adulthood). Little Town on the Prairie, however, is less focused on hardship and more focused on economy. Laura gets a job sewing for a shop in town in order to pay for Mary’s college education. When she’s let go, the family tries to sell crops, only to have their harvest destroyed by blackbirds. Finally, selling a cow for the money, Mary gets ready to go off to school with Pa and Ma escorting her, leaving Laura, Carrie, and Grace at home.

Again demonstrating her responsibility, Laura leads her sisters in the fall chores, leaving the house sparkling for Ma and Pa’s return. Nellie Oleson befriends the new schoolteacher, Almanzo Wilder’s sister, whose father is on the school board and who had consistently clashed with Nellie in the past, and turns her against the Ingalls girls. The younger students rally behind Laura and torment the new teacher, halting lessons essentially until Nellie joins in the bullying of Ms. Wilder and she eventually leaves. The new teacher helps Laura to achieve her teaching certificate, which Laura wants only to earn more money for Mary, and not because she wants to be a teacher (which she makes clear she does not). Around the same time, Almanzo Wilder begins walking Laura home from church, which Laura seems not to fully understand, but comes to appreciate. At the end of this book, Laura is offered a teaching position in a nearby town, and she prepares to move away from home for the first time.

I have to say, the minute Almanzo enters the story as Laura’s suitor, I began to get giddy. Laura’s narration seems almost willfully naive about his romance attempts, and I found myself rooting for their relationship hopefully, despite knowing that in reality, the couple were married until Almanzo’s death at 91. This feeling intensified in the following book, as Almanzo became Laura’s only rescue from her teaching position and boarding situation.

  The book These Happy Golden Years starts out miserable, with 15-year-old Laura being driven by her Pa out to the teaching position from the previous book. Laura boards with the Brewster family, who, unlike her own family, allow animosities and arguments not only to surface, but to come to light in front of her. Mrs. Brewster begins with the silent treatment, but rapidly progresses to shouting at Laura, her husband, and anyone who will listen to her. Eventually, Laura wakes up to the sound of the Brewsters arguing because Mrs. Brewster was standing over her sleeping husband with a knife and he woke up. Almanzo Wilder, fond of Laura and having gotten permission from her Pa, appears each weekend to take Laura home. Throughout the season, Laura proves to be a good teacher; eventually gaining the respect of her students (some of whom were older than she was) and completing her school term, earning $40 for Mary’s college fund. When Laura returns to town, however, Nellie makes a move on Almanzo.

I have never hated anyone as much as I hated Nellie Oleson while reading this book. Nellie, in previous books, boasted about getting whatever she wanted from boys, often flirtily stealing their candy and gifts for other girls, and frequently mentioning that she wanted to go for a ride with Almanzo Wilder and his beautiful horses. Nellie gets her wish, and Almanzo takes her along on a few of his rides with Laura. Laura is eventually able to trick Nellie out of these rides by urging the horses to go faster and scaring Nellie out of repeat trips. Shortly afterwards, Nellie moves back to New York State due to financial hardships, and around the same time, the Ingalls are visited by a relative. Laura’s Uncle Tom, Ma’s brother, comes bearing tales of a terrifying trip to try to mine gold in the Black Hills. Laura later takes a short job helping a family with housework on their homestead, returning for a summer visit from Mary, and to attend singing classes with Almanzo. On their last day of class, Almanzo proposes to Laura, almost casually, and she accepts. On his next visit, he gives her a garnet ring with pearls, and her first kiss. A few months later, Almanzo finishes building their house, and asks if Laura would mind a quick wedding, so that his mother and sister don’t take over and host an enormous one. Laura agrees, and the two are quickly married by Reverend Brown, have a wedding dinner with Laura’s family, and settle into their marital home.

Maybe it’s the effect of having my own schoolhouse love in my life, but Almanzo and Laura’s three-year courtship took my breath away. In a time where most girls are more restrained, Almanzo admires Laura’s bravery and sense of adventure, and while she doesn’t admit much of her own admiration, Laura behaves possessively of Almanzo almost from the start. When Almanzo and Laura kiss for the first time, and Laura tells her parents about her engagement, I was just about jumping with joy, which was really embarrassing, because I was on the subway. It’s impossible not to feel caught up in their love, which is another thing that confronts expectations about old-fashioned families and courtships. Sure, there were fewer fish in Laura’s sea, but it’s obvious from the first time they walk home from church together that Laura and Almanzo were right for one another--just enough thirst for adventure and freedom, just enough seriousness and responsibility. Laura doesn’t want to be a “farm wife,” but promises Almanzo a few years of ‘trying it out,’ hence the title of the next book, The First Four Years.

The first four years of the Wilders’ marriage do not go very smoothly. Almanzo becomes briefly paralyzed, a condition which would continue to hinder him throughout his lifetime, and the environment and loans take their toll on the family’s resources. Much of the material in this book is more adult-oriented than the other books, but not by much. It was never finished by Laura, or edited by her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane (one of the founders of Libertarianism), but was found by Lane’s adopted grandson and subsequently published, and thus is less poetic and polished than the other books.

Unfortunately, the first crop of wheat the Wilders raise is destroyed by hail, and Almanzo mortgages his homestead claim. What they grow on the claim helps to pay for some of their debts and supplies, and Rose Wilder is born in December following Laura’s confusion at her own illness, which turned out to be her first pregnancy. Almanzo and Laura both get diptheria, and Almanzo subsequently struggles with physical disability. As he can no longer work all of his land, they sell their claim and move to their first home. Heat destroys their next crop, but they stay afloat with a flock of sheep Laura invests in. Hot winds destroy the harvest the following year as well, and their son is born in August, but dies a few weeks later, unnamed. At the end of the story, their house burns to the ground, but the story ends on an optimistic note, and the Wilders move to Mansfield, Missouri, where they lived out the rest of their days on a successful dairy farm.

While I was disappointed by The First Four Years because I’d hoped Laura and Almanzo lived joyfully together ever-after, it was incredible to see how the young family faced their struggles. While Laura’s family was never far off, while they lived in South Dakota, the Wilders were ultimately independent during this time, occasionally trading help with neighbors and family. I was also a little bummed to find out that the (to me) infamous Rose Wilder Lane was actually Laura Ingalls Wilder’s daughter, but even this brought some revelations. Most of the struggles that the Wilder family, and to a certain extent the Ingalls, faced were made worse by government intervention, or lack of government protection, and it’s easy to see how Lane could have gotten the impressions on which she based her ideology. As a story arc, including The First Four Years in the Little House series makes it somewhat anti-climactic, with no real solution for the problems set up by this book, and no sequel, (after Almanzo’s death, Laura stopped writing) this story, for me, is a bit of a downer. However, knowing the historical fact of the Wilders’ happy lives together and the joy which Laura expressed and received from sharing her stories with the nation brings the tail end up again.  Rereading these books felt like going on Laura’s adventures with her, and particularly from the perspective of a young adult, framed the incredible courage and strength of will put forth by my peers of over a century ago. It was a unique experience capable of being shared by anyone, which in my mind, is exactly what Laura meant to do--bring the entire world into her little house--and she succeeded.