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talenlee · 1 month

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A Conspiracy's Theory

Something that a few friends have been surprised to learn with the recent Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond product, is that I for some reason, am someone who is familiar with the deep lore of Assassins Creed. Oh, not the current games – in fact, after Assassins Creed 3 the only Assassins Creed game I played at all was Assassins Creed Liberation, meaning that I’m something of an originalist in the extremely silly space that is Assassins Creed.

Now, if you’re like me and think ‘oh yeah I know about Altair and Ezio’ and think that you checked out of Assassins Creed at that point and therefore you’re familiar with ‘a lot’ of Assassins Creed, you’re really, really out of date. That period of five years represents maybe six games, and the franchise has since then kept spilling out to 14 ‘main’ games and 17 ‘spinoff’ games. Which is to say, that period of history, the ‘start’ of the franchise story, covers about a fifth of the games in this sprawling franchise, and are the defining framework that the rest of the games follow.

What I think is remarkable then is the idea of ever caring about any of the games after that point strikes me as an interesting non-starter.

In a time when people seem to be thinking deeply about the sanctity of the history touched upon by this incredibly stupid franchise, because they want to use the word ‘DEI’ as if it was just the n-word, it was the first time I was given a reason to think about this series and what it meant to me, as someone who had played a lot of them and then done a hard stop.

I have a theory about this.

It is literally a conspiracy theory.

Spoilers for all of Assassins Creed up to Assassins Creed 3.

First there was the Creed. Assassins Creed releases in 2007 on a bunch of platforms, and it was, generally, heralded as good. It was good in a way that showed ways it could be developed. Some elements of the game were very strong and some elements were a little weak. There was resistance, there were limits, but the technical challenges of what the game was and what it needed to get made meant that there was a certain kind of air of prestige to it. Assassins Creed was promoted as both something special in terms of how it got made and what it was trying to do. Real history, real geography, what an impressive and cool thing it was, and it even got to stand in that weirdly respectable space of talking about Muslim culture without being necessarily enormous assholes about it.

Make no mistake: Assassins Creed would not give you useful insights or historical context for what it was like being a Muslim in Syria in the 1100s. Even though he was stated as being born to a Muslim pair of parents, I don’t think as a player who has indulged in a lot of Altair-ing around, that I learned anything about his faith and beliefs as a Muslim. Despite this though, this was 2007, it was a big swing to depict characters from the region at all as not inhuman monsters and to present Crusaders as actually bad.

Anyway, it arrived, it was a game that we call good by all the useful metrics and it was exciting. It presented in its first piece a mystery story and a promise of more. Because yes, this was the story of Altair Ibn-La’Ahad, but it was a story you accesed through the story of Desmond, a schlubby bartender from the modern day who was supposedly descended from the Assassins and it was left somewhat ambiguous as to what was going on.

It’s been years since this was new, since this was still a mystery, but at this point it was a point of genuine uncertainty as to whether or not Desmond was an Assassin who was being turbo-upskilled by his memory diving, or if he was Just Some Guy who had the right genetic thread, and the first game wasn’t clear on that. In the process, he got the attention of one Lucy Stillman, who worked for Abstergo, the head of the Templars, and in the last moments of Assassins Creed, Lucy revealed herself to be a secret member of the Assassins and broke him out of Abstergo! You went from playing the Assassin things through the interface of the Animus, with all the videogame trappings, to play without that interface and instead play Desmond doing all the cool assassin things.

There was the promise! Suddenly, we had a new story, expanding, and the Animus was out of our reach! What would be our next development?

Anyway, then we get Assassins Creed 2, which was pretty much exactly what you expect of a sequel. It was a bigger game, it had more stuff in it, it was largely better in all the ways people care about, and because it was being made by people with access to all the experience and skill of making Assassins Creed 1, it wasn’t hard to recognise the ways it was better. Consider the boss battle finale of Assassins Creed 1 which is fighting Al Mualim in an open field (who cares) and in Assassins Creed 2, you fist-fight the Pope in the Vatican.

The story had a clear set-up. Desmond dives into a more recent period of history to take on the role of Ezio Auditore, who was an Assassin who was renowned for his ability to fight, and the experience of diving into his memory was meant to be a training experience for Desmond. See, they were preparing Desmond. He was getting ready to start fighting. You see, there was a very clear direction in Assassins Creed 2 for the story to focus on and then, then, then…

Nothing happened.

What we got next was instead of Assassins Creed 3, we got Assassins Creed Brotherhood, which felt like a mission pack for Assassins Creed 2, a sort of temporary stand-in-space where the story builds a treadmill then starts running on it. Then we get Assassins Creed Revelations which is the same treadmill, with a lower incline because there’s less nowhere to go to.

But that’s not to say nothing happened in those two games. One very important thing happened, which is Kristen Bell stopped being a sorta mid-league actor who could be afforded by the crap factory at Ubisoft. It was that special price point where Ubisoft’s story department would pay for like, a Star Trek actor, but not an actor actor. And that meant the story arc being built up in Assassins Creed 1 and 2 got to take a sudden hard swerve to the very important task of completely cutting out the Lucy Stillman plot, by killing her then revealing she was all along a Templar, and at this point, at this point, I started to consider that maybe in fact, this story wasn’t going anywhere. Maybe there was never going to be a Desmond game where he was the protagonist even if I didn’t like him.

If you go back and listen to me on old podcasts from ten years ago, you might find that I didn’t like Desmond and I think that that’s still a fair impression. He was both boring and annoying, someone who both lacked enough personality to carry a game and someone who only showed up in the story to interrupt me from doing something cool I liked doing.

And yet.

When I got to Assassins Creed 3, I played it for just long enough to get sick of America, a culture that I think we can all accept is just a flat-out mistake, right? Anyway, that’s where I tapped out. I tapped out and watched the story on Youtube and saw how the narrative I’d spent five games and six actual years of my life paying attention to, farted out wetly. The culmination of this story is that Desmond spends some time being mad at his dad, and then gives his life to save earth from an exploding sun.

It is a complete out of context narrative at that point. What started as a mystery about retrieving information from the memory of the past, is now instead about Ancient Aliens making machinery that will blow up the sun in accordance with a prophecy that works on a functionally arbitary timetable.

This was what Assassins Creed was ‘about.’ This was the story that the games were built towards and it was also supposedly a billion dollars in overall game production costs. And the thing is, when I talk about storytelling in videogames, I normally bring up Assassins Creed when I want to point out that the mechanisms of the triple A game industry don’t have the means to create a meaningful story.

And this is where I veer into my theory.

I think Assassins Creed 1 succeeded. Then I think Assassins Creed 2 was successful enough that Ubisoft changed the parameters and decided agnostic of the games that they needed to make more games in those parameters. It was the kind of mindset that said there wasn’t going to be a game about a story but instead units of game produced within certain genre parameters. It’s a consideration of games as a sausage factory where the tube gets cut and twisted at different points and that’s how you got two more games that were, realistically speaking, perfectly fun games in their own way, but which if they were divorced from the ‘story’ elements of it they’d be better games.

My theory is that whatever Desmond game they were working on got pushed down the line to make room for the most recent Ezio game. Whatever it was doing was more ambitious, freerunning in a modern or cyberpunk city, that got harder and harder, that got more and more challenging compared to mapping historical cities. And in the process, it became less and less and specific, until there was this chunk of a game, this demand of a game that didn’t have anywhere to be or anything to do.

I think that Desmond Game got spun off and eventually reused for parts to be made into Watch_Dogs.

This is, all of it, a conspiracy theory. It is unprovable and unfalsifiable. Anyone who wants to talk about the inner workings of Ubisoft in 2007 is not likely to be able to give entirely trustworthy information. Any of the institutional memory is degraded. There is probably proof of things like Watch_Dogs existing before that point, even as just a hypothetical, and the disjointed story of Assassins Creed, pissbowl knockoff of Chariots of the Gods it wound up becoming.

It does make sense to me, though and whenever I think about it, I just get a little embarrassed how much of the lore of Assassins Creed I bothered to remember given how little it seems to care about what it’s supposed to be.

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

#Games #Media

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amazingphilza · 3 years

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study buddies :: cc!multiple x reader

fluff , platonic , gender neutral ! some headcanons if the mcyts were trying to help you do hw :D

cc’s included in order: tommyinnit , tubbo , ranboo , wilbur soot , philza , technoblade

tommyinnit

i feel like he’s the type to be in a long discord call with you whilst you both try to finish your work

mans uses the screensharing feature like there’s no tomorrow

“y/n watch my stream on discord and help me guess the answers”

“tommy no! i haven’t even taken a film class before”

“your guess is good as mine”

“just cheat and google the answers!!!”

“fuck you”

he actually just wants your attention because he’s bored out of his mind doing homework

five minutes later of asking you to help him guess questions he’s like

“hey y/n”

“what now?”

“let’s play bedwars”

“oh my god shut up!!!”

if tommy has to speedrun something before a deadline, it is a whole different story tho; he will be so focused on completing that he won’t hear what you’re saying

if you’re struggling in math, you’re on your own

“math is shit, only numbers i need is my primes and youtube analytics” says tommy any time you complain about math

besides the fact he isn’t good at solving math problems, you can’t even read his handwriting if he did try showing you how to do a problem

“okay, y/n, it’s simple, just look” he says in his kareninnit voice and everything

you’d be like “is the variable a G or a 9??”

“fuck you that’s a 4!!!”

tubbo

i don’t know if tubbo ever talked about school before but something about him makes me think he’s actually pretty good at math

like he can explain a few things when it comes to math / algebra

CODING GO BRRRR

no geometry or calculus though, anything past algebra will go bad

if tubbo is doing homework with you, he will definitely tune you out

“hey tubbo can you help me on this question?”

you don’t get a response until like 20 minutes later

“oh yeah, what was it y/n?”

like now you answer? i just got the answer myself after so long, forget you smh

“oh nothing tubbo, nevermind!”

but you’re still grumbling in your head because if he answered just a bit earlier you wouldn’t have gone through the work of finding the answer online

i can also imagine if you’re taking chemistry tubbo is like ;

“oh you’re taking chemistry? let’s make some bombs!” /lh

tubbo would definitely pull an all-nighter with you to finish your projects together

if you had a group project, he would make you do the writing part while he does the drawing part

“we definitely aced this project”

“of course we did, if i made you draw we would’ve ended up with stick figure diagrams”

“TUBBO. THE FUCK?”

ranboo

okay i know ranboo said he isn’t a theatre or band kid (unless im wrong and forgetful) but i feel like he’d be somewhat educated in the topics nonetheless

half the time he’s great moral support, helping you stay motivated !

the other half is him making fun of you

“i cant believe you’re failing, that is so sad, can’t be me”

“it’s literally an honors class, ranboo! it’s supposed to be hard!!”

“taking an honors class willingly? also cant be me AHAHA”

i honestly can’t see ranboo going to school like i know he’s a minor and said he had zoom calls before and plays volleyball but like did i miss something? has he dropped out yet? like something about ranboo does not scream “student” /lh

besides that, i’m not sure what subject he would actually be good in,,, but something about nutrition/health sciences,, he knows a few things

don’t get me wrong, i don’t think he actually likes the subject but somehow remembers what he learned from the class

also gives me the type of energy of the type of person to take a first aid class to be a certified person to do cpr on someone just to kill time during his lunch breaks for a while or something

“i am a certified cpr person”

“my life in ranboo’s hands? oh god please no”

you two would probably joke about the ‘bad’ people in your classes or talk shit about your schools than actually doing anything homework related ngl AHAHAH

“you think your school is down bad? mine went back to campus full time after like 6 months into quarantine because they were running out of money”

“what the hell y/n? your school is a scam, drop out”

“arghhhh i knowww”

“i bet i make more money than your teachers combined AHAHAH”

wilbur soot

he doesn’t seem like the best person to ask for help for homework but can info dump you on very specific historical events + a bit of geography

i kinda see him as the person you can ask to proof read an essay for you and would help it improve immensely

who needs a thesaurus when you have vocabulary boy wilbur?

i dunno if it’s an american thing only or at all, but if/when you get to studying hamilton in your english class, he will get so fucking excited

“no wilbur it isn’t fun! imagine listening to lin-manuel miranda rap ‘alexander hamilton’ at the white house from like 2009 on repeat for over an hour whilst trying to write an analysis about it!! it was so distracting”

“well clearly someone has a personal problem with mr lin-manuel. if i were you, i’d be singing the whole thing”

is this last bit personal and complete spite from my freshman year english class? yes. i do not care? no. /hj

unrelated but i actually scribbled nice guy ballad lyrics and other songs on my english scratch papers in freshman year but anyway

probably isn’t the best person to be in a call to do homework with but wilbur doesn’t mind you ringing him occasionally sometimes

i dunno i can just see him easily get bored of the silence or something but also doesn’t want to bother you too much

but he is genuinely proud of you whenever you tell him you aced a big test you were studying for :D

philza

this man’s bad advice is as bad as him trying to help you on any subject

he’s an old man so /hj

but like honestly, he hasn’t been at school for so long, phil can probably only help with the most basic things when it comes to school

if you have a wack teacher that makes you collect data through surveying people, phil would be one of the best people to ask! straightforward and won’t take too much of your time compared to other people ahem,,

statistics things ! sobs

if you ever complain a lot about your classes and contemplating dropping out and stuff, he will def scold you hard

“ugh phillllllllll can i just like,, never go to school again?”

“do not drop out”

“argh fine, i won’t just ‘cause philza minecraft said so”

honestly if you get a high score in a big test like your sats/gcse’s (whatever you’re taking from wherever you are) he’d probably order you a small meal or something to celebrate :D

like how phil bought ranboo bought him food to his house, it would start as a joke but when you get your test scores back he’s like “YOOO GOOD JOB Y/N”

expect a left meat pizza coming to your house .

technoblade

like wilbur, techno is also helpful when it comes to history!

def knows a decent bit of literature too

besides that i don’t really see him being that helpful

even if he was supposed to be an english major

he will just get mad at the school system for teaching you useless things

“being in school is good but why do you need to know how to know if something is a triangle or not? i can obviously see with my eyes that it’s a triangle”

“i dunno! ask the person that made up geometry”

“just look at a kaleidoscope and be over with it, it isn’t that hard”

“that isn’t how it works—”

“bruhhh”

if you’re looking for the person to call while doing homework, he is not the person /lh

it’s either like 0 or 100 with techno

he can just completely not say anything and ignore you or go on a full rant about whatever class or homework you have

if you have an essay you need written, it will take a lot of bribing but he might take the opportunity if you are rich

“techno i’ll paypal you $10 please help me”

“no. i can make 10 times that amount in 5 minutes if i just started streaming right now”

“techno i don’t have that kind of money! pleaseee”

“no. instead of complaining, you can use that time to actually start you work”

“you’re the worst”

then you speedrun the essay and get an A just to spite him

#dream smp imagines #dream smp x reader #dream smp x y/n #dream smp headcanons #sbi imagine #sbi x reader #sbi headcanons #mcyt imagine #mcyt x reader #mcyt x y/n #mcyt x you #mcyt headcanons

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a-s-fischer · 3 years

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OH ALSO do you have any tips for creating a religions when you are world-building?

This is such a rabbithole, as ultimately any sufficiently broad world building topic is. The thing is to decide what role religion plays in your story, the societies you're writing about, and in the lives of your characters, and to build your religion or religions around that. I find it most useful to ask myself a series of questions about the religion and then to formulate answers. This will be a theme, because this is a standard world building and general writing technique for me. But anyway, here are some of the questions I use.

Are any of your main characters religious? If so, what is most important to them about their religion? Is it the ritual? The codes of behavior or moral philosophy? A sense of community? A sense of certainty in how the world works? The stories and myths? A personal relationship with an individual diety? Does the religion give them a sense of control or security? Are they a normal practicioner, or do they have an unusual role, such as being a priest or priestess? How do the most important parts of the religions to your main characters compare to the parts important to other people or the most emphasized within the religion itself?

Are there differences in observance and practice across different segments of society? Across class, gender, age, or position? If there are various gods, saints, or cults within a single religion, what would influence someone to choose one or another? Are soldiers drawn to certain ones? Mothers to another? Are they associated with specific places or communities?

What parts of a character's religious practice are taken for granted by the character, and might not be usually thought of as religious, for example diet or clothing? Is there a line between religious and other cultural practice, or is it fuzzy? Are there strong religious taboos that your characters or societies buy into? What happens when those taboos are violated, or when they come into contact with societies that don't share those taboos?

Are there mulitiple religions represented in your society? Are some of the religions considered more or less presigious or powerful? Are any of minority religions associated with minority ethnicities, or with foreign elements?

Where do the different religions come from? Are any originally from the culture your story takes place within, or are they foreign imports? Do any of them have antecedent religions that they evolved out of, and if so, are those antecedent religions still around, ala Judaism and Christianity? Do any of the religions seem as if they have been around since time immemorial? How have any imported religions been modified to suit the local culture? Are there variations within the religion across geography or culture?

Do any of your religions proselytize? Why or why not? What doctrinally within the religion, outside the religion socially, might encourage or discourage proselytizing or conversion? If any of the religions proselytize, does this cause tension with other religions? (It does, the question is what kind of tension). Are all of the religions mutually exclusive, or is it possible to be a devotee of a combination, as for example it is possible to be a Buddhist and Taoist at the same time? Are there syncretic combinations of religions? If so, are there non-syncretic versions of the componant religions around, and how do they feel about the syncretic forms?

That is a lot of questions, I know, and obviously you don't have to focus on all of them. Take from these questions the ones that make you go "hmmmm".

And of course, there are always the pitfalls to avoid. As a reader, the two things that bother me most are authors who project their own disdain for religion into the world, and when the religions of the world in question are re-skins of Christianity. Also that weird tabletop roleplaying inspired thing where there are actual evil gods in a pantheon, and they have evil followers, and everybody technically belongs to the same religion, but these are the bad guys with their bad gods, and this is totally the way it would ever actually work. But I actually suspect that this is a weird little subset of the second problem of way too much Christianity getting into fictional religions that are probably not meant to look that Christian.

The first of these is the easiest to avoid as a writer. If you feel that all religion is ridiculous superstition that was invented to enslave the masses, just don't include it in your world building. That's fine. Plenty of writers don't. It's okay to leave out the things that don't interest you. Just don't be obnoxious and smug about it and talk about how your favorite civilization has moved past such silly primative things. Religion is still an important part of the human experience for many people, and you aren't better or smarter because it isn't part of yours. Be nice. Looking at you science fiction writers.

This holds true for anyone being smug and self righteous about their personal religious beliefs in fact, but the religious version tends to be something I run across less in my fiction reading.

For the second, I want to give an example. The Jedi are so very Christian. Specifically, they are so very midwest American Protestant. They have an outer covering of Buddhism and Taoism (and other "mysterious Eastern traditions") but they take their fundemental moralities and ideas about how the world works from Christianity. Strikingly, the Jedi are really big on negative emotions being a path to the dark side, and Christianity is pretty big on thoughts and pure vs. impure intent being the determinator of sinfulness, much more so than most religions.

This Christianess of the Jedi becomes so much more blatant when you bring in the Sith. The Sith are an example of the "religion of people who believe all the same things we do but side with evil" thing I talked about before. They believe in all of the same cosmological things as the Jedi, and have a code that is heavily based on the Jedi code but flipped. They are evil Jedi. And this makes them the same kind of evil mirror image that Christians have historically imagined their supposed religious enemies to be.

So how do you avoid this level of Christianity seeping in? To be frank, it's impossible to avoid letting your own cultural background into the worlds you create. You are human, and the world you are part of is the foundation for the worlds you create. But you can widen your view of religions by learning about other religions at a philisophical and structural level. And look, I know that I am a huge proponent of having a strong knowledge base as a writer, and I know that this is a hard, time consumjng thing to accumulate. I get that. I got mine over three decades of letting my natural ravenous acquisitiveness toward historical knowledge to run free. It was fun for me and that's why I did it. I get that research is something that can just eat up all your time and never let you get to writing. I do get that. But a broad knowledge base on a subject not only means you know a lot, it means you usually know what you don't know, and can plan your research accordingly.

And unfortunately, the problem of fictional religions overwhelmimgly reflecting Western culturally Christian understandings of what religion looks like, is primarily a problem of people from that cultural background not knowing what they don't know.

And I am definitely not telling you not to take fictional inspiration from Christianity. If that's what you want to do, great! You can do some really interesting and nuanced things with that. I come from a Jewish background, and the religious group the main character of one of my stories is part of, is heavily based on Judaism. That is a deliberate choice that fits into the world I have created. And I have another society in another novel whose religion is heavily based on 14 and 15 hundreds Catholicism. The above advice is about avoiding doing it unintentionally, not to convince you that you should never do it intentionally!

So anyway, I hope this is helpful.

#a s fischer original #writing #writeblr #long post #there are no stupid questions

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fanforthefics · 5 years

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Bennguin Animal husbandry for the 5+ headcannons 8D

1) Tyler is the big city slicker sent to the country to lay low during his scandal. It’s not a big scandal, he’s only minorly famous for being rich and hot on Instagram, but like, maybe he said some shit and did some shit that got caught on camera and his mom told him, very nicely but in her most Disappointed tone, that it would probably be good if he lay low for a while, just until her latest deal goes through. Tyler doesn’t actually want to fuck things up, even if it’s bullshit how much of a fuss everyone’s making about some partying and some admittedly badly phrased tweets, so he goes. It’s not like they don’t have the internet everywhere, and the dogs will be there so that’s what’s important.

The town he goes to is a little town in the middle of nowhere, which is about as close as Tyler gets to figuring out the geography. His mom knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy, and then Tyler’s driving up to an honest to god ranch, through some pastures that are filled with cows.

Gerry pops his head up, barks out the window at one of them. The cow does not react. “Yeah, we’re not in Kansas anymore,” Tyler agrees. Or maybe the point is they are. Where did his mom even send him?

Where she sent him, he sees on the sign when he turns in the drive, is the Star Ranch. And who she sent him too, he sees, when he gets out of the car and rings the bell, the dogs tugging excitedly on the leashes to explore, is a big man about Tyler’s age, with eyes as big and brown as the cows, and who looks far more surprised to see Tyler than Tyler is to see him.

“Hi, I’m Tyler Seguin,” Tyler says.

“Yeah, I know,” the dude mumbles. He runs a hand through his hair, then straightens. Tyler can’t help but look. His shirt’s loose, but damn. “I’m Jamie Benn, my family owns the place. Come on in.” He steps aside, still looking awkward. This...doesn’t bode well. But Tyler can make it work, he figures. There have to be some views around here for some good Insta posts. And at least the dogs will be happy.

2) To say Jamie’s happy to have a...lodger, at the ranch, is an overstatement. He gets why, and the money they’re getting for Seguin’s room and board is plenty welcome--they’re a small operation and money’s always tight--but to say Jamie’s awkward with new people is an understatement. Jordie always gives him shit when he says that, says he just needs to work at it, but Jamie doesn’t see why he should. He’s fine with the cows, with the employees on the farm, and at the market where they sell, and Jenny and Jordie can handle all the rest of the marketing and sales.

But it’s not like he doesn’t want Seguin to fit in. And, as Jenny had said, when they were talking it over, Seguin’s got more Instagram followers than Jamie can conceive of, so anything he says about the farm will be great publicity. The east coast hipsters, she says, are a vast but untapped market.

So he tries. He greets Seguin’s dogs, who seem pretty great and make Jamie laugh as they all try to lick his face, then shows them around, to the room where Seguin’ll be staying, around the house, whatever. It’s getting late to go around the grounds, and Seguin-call-me-Tyler-no-seriously had a long drive today; he doesn’t want to press. Tyler doesn’t ask, thougn he does look around at everything curiously, like it’s all alien to him. Jamie guesses it might be, for a kid who grew up in the city. It’s all Jamie’s ever known.

Still, it’s a relief when Jordie comes back in, so he can take over the conversation. He has Tyler chattering over dinner, about his drive and the dogs and his home and the Canucks and whatever else comes to mind. It’s nice, to have the noise; it’s always quieter when Jenny’s away, and Jamie and Jordie spend too much time together to talk too much. Tyler doesn’t seem to have that problem; Jamie can see why he’s so popular online, in the city. He’s pretty clearly making an effort, but that doesn’t stop the magnetic charm from working.

It probably helps that he’s got that ridiculous body and that smile and those curls that are like an invitation for someone’s fingers to tangle in them, and he clearly knows all those things. He flirts with Jamie and Jordie indiscriminately, and when Spezza comes in from the barn to tell them that he’s heading home for the night, Tyler flirts with him too.

After dinner, they clean up, and chat a little longer, then, Jordie stretches to head upstairs. “Night, then,” He says. Tyler makes a shocked face.

“Already?”

Jamie snorts, and Jordie grins. “Sun’s down, city boy. And we wake up early here.”

“Oh.” Tyler still looks gobsmacked.

“You don’t have to,” Jamie says, taking pity on him and the horror on his face, and only laughing a little. “Though the cows might wake you up anyway.”

“No rooster?” Tyler asks, rallying impressively. Jordie chuckles, ruffles Jamie’s hair, then heads upstairs with another good night.

It’s silent, for a long, long moment. Tyler’s just watching him.

“He also has to call his girlfriend,” Jamie offers. “That’s why, um. It’s early even for us.”

“Thank god.” Tyler grins. Jamie nods, but he doesn’t have anything to say either, so he gets up to go to bed too, after telling Tyler where the TV is and how the remote works and that shit. Tyler waves him away, but. He looks kind of alone, in the big kitchen all by himself, and very out of place.

3) Tyler spends three days almost always in his room. Or at least, Jamie thinks so; he’s in his room except for meals when Jamie’s in the house, anyway, and he doesn’t see him much around the ranch, except for when he’s running with the dogs. When he’s not in his room, he’s wandering around the house or the yard, fidgeting like a dog who can smell the rain.

He’s not getting in the way or anything, but Jamie still only lasts until the fourth day before he knocks loud on Tyler’s door, as the sun rises outside.

It takes him a few minutes, but then the door opens, and Tyler’s sleepy face pokes out. “Is something on fire?” He asks, rubbing a hand over his face. Jamie swallows, because Tyler sleep-rumpled is a sight, but then,

“Get dressed,” he says. “You’re helping out today.”

“I’m what?” Tyler asks, blinking. Not like he’s refusing, just like he doesn’t get it.

“You’re going to learn how a farm works,” Jamie tells him. “Come on, milking waits for no man.”

Tyler blinks, then shuts the door.

Jamie mostly expects for that to be the end of it, but five minutes later Tyler’s got jeans and an old Leafs t-shirt on, and he’s scrubbing water off his face. “Okay,” he says, looking determined. “Let’s go.”

So they do. Jamie takes him around the farm with him, introduces him to the hands and shows him how things are done. Tyler’s green, but he’s not stupid, and he asks questions and he touches the animals with the right amount of gentle firmness, and Jamie’s not going to think about that.

They’re finishing off feeding the sick cows in the barn when Esa comes over, to talk with Jamie about the fence in the back pasture.

“You finish up here,” Jamie tells Tyler, wiping his hands off on his jeans. “I’l come back when I’m done.”

Tyler stares at him, like he’s never heard that before. “Just—finish up? With this?”

“You’ve got the hang of it.” He’s been good so far. “I’ll be right back.”

“Um, yeah.” Tyler gives him a little salute, which makes Jamie chuckle. When he comes back from dealing with Esa, the cows are all fed, and Tyler’s looking at him, a little nervous and a little proud.

“Looks good,” Jamie tells him, and Tyler grins. Jamie can’t look at that grin for long.

They finish up the day, then go back in to shower before dinner. Before they go inside, though, Tyler catches his arm.

“Hey. Thanks. For this. I know I slowed you down, but—“

Jamie shrugs. “Looked like you needed something to do. And training only speeds people up in the long run.”

Tyler smiles again, then glances away for a second. “I thought you didn’t like me,” he admits, with a twist to his lips.

“Why?” Jamie doesn’t get it. He doubts anyone ever dislikes Tyler who’s met him.

“Because you didn’t talk to me?” Tyler says, with a self-deprecating laugh. “And wouldn’t look me in the eye?”

“Nah, that’s just Chubbs,” Jordie says, coming out of the office to throw an arm around Jamie. “I told you, he takes a while to settle in. How was your first day at the office?” He asks Tyler, and Tyler lights up again, talking about it.

Jamie slips away to shower as he does. There’s only so much of Tyler’s grin that a man can take.

4) It all spirals quickly, after that.

Tyler would like to say that he isn’t to blame. He’s only human, and he’d like to see the person who could see Jamie Benn hand-feeding a calf and not fall for him hard and fast. Or see him pitching hay, his shirt sticking to his broad chest as he worked in the sun. Or see him with the other employees, leading everyone like he’s forgotten he’s supposed to be shy and awkward. Or see how excited he gets about organic farming and all the sustainable changes they’ve made to the farm (that he’s made, Jordie tells Tyler, as Jamie pretends he isn’t listening; apparently it’s been Jamie’s baby). Or watched a baseball game with him, seen him yell at the screen and get flushed and hyped about it. Or just—seen Jamie, who looked at Tyler and saw what he needed, who didn’t hesitate to trust him with the things he loved most. Not a lot of people have trusted Tyler, historically.

And Brownie can go suck it, if he thinks this is just that Tyler usually falls hard and fast. Jamie’s different. Jamie’s not one of the charming people back in the city, all flirting and hard edges and fast times and fun. Jamie’s. Different, is all Tyler can say, and if Brownie doesn’t believe him, whatever. Tyler knows what’s up.

And for a while, it’s just sort of fun, in a hopeless sort of way; Tyler watches Jamie and banters with him and Jamie warms up, slow and sure. It’s sort of nice, actually; Tyler feels like he earned every time Jamie laughs at him, every time Jamie rolls his eyes and flips him off when he tries to sneak a picture of him framed by the morning light. It makes him feel special, that Jamie trusts him with that. And it just feels good, to make Jamie smile.

It also feels good to see Jamie squirm, which is why Tyler asks, at the bar Jamie took him to to meet up with some of his friends to give Jordie the house for the evening for a date night with his girlfriend, “So he was a big shot in high school?”

The guy Jamie had introduced as Tyson but who had corrected Jamie that it was T-Beauty laughs, as Jamie rolls his eyes.

“Oh yeah, for sure,” Tyson says, grinning mischievously at Jamie. “Shoulda seen him. Baseball, hockey—this guy was the shit.”

“Fuck off,” Jamie retorts, but he’s blushing in the good way. “It was all a team effort.”

“Sure, mon capitan.” Tyson salutes. Tyler laughs as Jamie shoves him almost off the stool. “Wow, see if I give you a compliment next time!”

“You compliment everyone, they aren’t worth anything,” Jamie complains, and Tyson scoffs. Tyler watches. It’s nice to see this too, Jamie casual and comfortable and having fun. He’s a little flushed from his few beers, even though they’re kind of shitty beers, and his long legs are stretched out in front of him.

“Fine then. Should we talk about how despite being captain of two varsity teams, you still only just managed to ask Jess Rogers to prom, then?” Tyson asks, and Tyler leans forward.

“Yeah, I think we should.”

“I really think we shouldn’t,” Jamie says. He pushes up from the table. “Another round?”

“Yeah. Whatever their best whiskey is, though, I need some real alcohol,” Tyler tells him, and Jamie makes a face but goes. Tyler is, again, only human, so he watches a little. Jamie’s jeans are not doing him any favors, but it still manages to work.

He starts to dig more about high school Jamie, because that’s definitely a topic he wants to know more about, so he only looks back at the bar to see some guy chatting with Jamie, a guy a little shorter than Jamie wearing flannel and cowboy boots and standing just a little closer in Jamie’s space that Tyler’s seen Jamie be comfortable with before.

“Oh, hey, speak of the devil,” Tyson says, following Tyler’s gaze.

“What?”

“Jess Rogers.” Tyson nods towards the guy. Tyler’s heart thumps. And maybe his dick a little bit. Okay then. “He’s been trying to get back in Chubbs’ pants since high school, but he was kind of a dick. And not in the way Jamie likes.”

“So that’s what Jamie likes? Dicks?” Tyler tries to be casual, but that’s not something he’s particularly good at.

Tyson gives Tyler a look like he definitely failed at the casual. “The literal kind, sure. The metaphorical kind…I’ll leave the shovel talks to Jord, eh? He’s more intimidating than me.”

Tyler reaches out to pay Tyson’s arm. “Don’t sell yourself short,” He tells him, and Tyson laughs.

“I like him, can we keep him?” He asks Jamie, when Jamie gets back. He hands Tyler a drink, and Tyler takes it. When he takes a sip, he let some linger on his lips so he can lick them, keep eye contact with Jamie.

Jamie definitely watches his tongue. “Um, yeah,” he says, just a beat too late. “As long as he’s here.”

5) Subtlety is not Tyler’s game, and what he needs is just to see, so he doesn’t particularly try. He pushes hard into Jamie’s space, he flexes, he flirts hard, and it gets him what he wants—Jamie is definitely looking back. He didn’t notice before, didn’t think there was a reason to, but. He knows how people who want to fuck him look at him, and that’s definitely it.

Or. It’s it. But maybe it’s more? Tyler’s less certain about that look.

Anyway, one step at a time, and Tyler knows how to put his best foot forward, so he waits until they get back to the ranch, after he lets the dogs back in and Jamie feeds them both water. Then he steps forward until Jamie’s back is to the wall, and he could move if he wanted to but it’d take pushing past Tyler.

Jamie’s breath catches, and his eyes widen. “Ty?” He asks, a little quiet. Unsure. Like he thinks he might be reading this wrong.

“No harm no foul if I’m wrong,” Tyler says, and then he kisses Jamie. Jamie’s not surprised for long, and of course he kisses like Tyler thought he might, beneath all the aw shucks Canadian boy exterior—bossy and sure and steady. It’s not the best kiss Tyler’s ever had, probably, technically, but who cares about technicalities when Tyler can bite at Jamie’s lip and hear the noise he makes at that? When Tyler can pull back to see Jamie staring at him, still like he’s confused but also like he’s so, so pleased?

“Um. So. You want—” Jamie starts, and it sounds like it might take him a while, so Tyler takes over.

“Upstairs, Jameson. Unless you want your brother to catch us bare-assed on the couch.”

Jamie snorts, grins. “Wouldn’t be the first time,” he says, with that hint of a grin in his eyes, and Tyler laughs incredulously as he tugs Jamie upstairs.

6) Jamie’s days pass in a haze of Tyler. He gets his work done, of course, but—Tyler comes with him around the farm, helps out on his own tasks. Pushes him onto the hay of the barn to kiss him, like Jamie all sweaty really gets him going. Poses for selfies with cows and tries to coax Jamie into them. Works out in the yard when he knows Jamie’s working on accounts in the office with the window with a view. And then when they’re done for the day, it’s just—more Tyler, joking and teasing and snapping his pictures and bugging Jordie and waiting for Jordie to go to bed before pushing Jamie onto the couch and going to his knees.

Jamie’s not a virgin, he’s had sex before. He’s had boyfriends before, and they’ve had very satisfying sex lives. But Tyler’s—it’s pretty clear he’s done a lot of shit Jamie hasn’t thought of, and he’s happy to share the fruits of his experience with Jamie.

But it’s not just that. Tyler’s—he helps out with the calves, and he’s started trying to learn to ride a horse even though he’s laughably bad at it, and he sometimes grabs Jamie’s hand just to play with his fingers, casual and sweeter than Jamie had expected.

Jordie just laughs and rolls his eyes at them when he sees them, because if Jamie had been considering keeping it a secret, that chance was basically gone when he’d come down with a hickey on his neck and Tyler looking very smug. It’s…nice. Working on the farm, coming home to dinner with his brother and Tyler.

“He seems very nice,” Jenny agrees. She’s back in town for a few days, and had, like everyone else, been immediately charmed by Tyler. Now she’s sitting at a booth in the bar with Jamie, watching as Tyler dances with one of the girls there. Jamie would maybe be jealous, but Tyler keeps looking at Jamie, like he’s checking in, and also—Tyler’s really hot when he dances. He dances like he knows everyone’s watching and he loves it.

“He’s going to break your heart.” Jenny doesn’t say it like an accusation. She says it like a fact.

“Yeah.” Jamie’s not stupid. He knows what’s going to happen. Tyler’s a city boy, and he’s still got his Instagram and his twitter he updates all the time and all the friends who keep up blowing up his home and the way he laughs at their run down bar and complains about how there’s no good Chinese food and ordered better sheets online because theirs weren’t soft enough. Tyler’s bright as a star, and about as far away. Jamie knows that. Knows that once everything’s died down, Tyler’s going to go back to the city and forget all about this dull little town. “But it’s good while it lasts.”

Jenny shakes her head. “Jamie—“ she starts, all big sister, but then Tyler’s there, holding out his hands.

“Do you mind if I steal your brother?” he asks Jenny. “Someone said there was going to be a line dance and I need someone to show me how.”

“Oh I am not—“

“Take him,” Jenny says, laughing a little. She catches Jamie’s eye, shrugs. “He’s being modest, he’s good at them.”

“Of course he is, what isn’t he good at?” Tyler asks, and Jamie snorts and rolls his eyes but lets Tyler pull him to the dance floor. It is good, he thinks, Tyler’s hand in his. For as long as he can have it.

7) Tyler doesn’t think about any of that—about the future, about what happens when he goes home. He just thinks about Jamie. He knows he’s playing out of his league here, because he’s a fuck up and Jamie’s—Jamie, steady and grown up and a business owner and all that, but Tyler knows what he’s good at, and he’s definitely got tricks in bed that Jamie’s not used to. Which works out well all around, because Jamie might not be used to them but he can read Tyler’s play like nobody’s business, and he’s learning fast. Tyler’s—worried is the wrong word, but…he’s not entirely sure how he’ll keep tricking Jamie into staying with him, when the sex stops being so novel. Normally Tyler’d buy him shit, or something, but the time Tyler had gotten Jamie some nicer sunglasses Jamie had thanked him, but given him an odd look, and he still wore his old ones.

But for now, Tyler’s…happy. Sure, the ranch is a little quiet, but he likes working with animals, and how he’s getting enough of a hang of the ranch that he actually feels like he’s being helpful sometimes, and hanging out at the bar even with its shitty beer and janky sound system, and he likes Jamie. He lies Jamie a lot.

“Yeah, you’ve said,” Brownie tells him, patient even though Tyler’s told him about Jamie’s thighs a hundred times, probably. Tyler loves his bro. “Are you sure, though? This place looks weird.”

“What do you mean?” Tyler asks, defensive. The ranch is fucking great.

“The pictures on the website make it look like it’s in the 40s, that’s all.” Tyler makes a face, and pulls out his laptop. Brownie’s not wrong.

“Has anyone redone your website in the past forever?” He asks Jamie, knocking on the office door. Jamie looks up from his computer, with the pinched expression he always gets when he’s been thinking about the accounts. Tyler doesn’t want to ask, because it’s none of his business, but he knows what everyone says about farms and how shitty the business is nowadays.

“Um, I don’t know. I think my dad got someone to make it a while ago? We haven’t had the money to hire someone.” Jamie flushes, like he always does when he as to admit to shit like that.

“Bro, you know that like, it’s all about marketing these days, right?” Tyler asks. “Do you even have social media?”

“I don’t know, I think Jenny does—“

“OH, wow, your twitter hasn’t been updated for literal years.” Tyler shakes his head. “Come on, you have adorable animals as your business, how is this nor working?”

“We’ve been busy trying to run a business,” Jamie snaps, that temper of his—slow to rise, but Jamie’s seen him blow up at some teenager who was throwing rocks at the cows—coming in.

“Yeah, right,” Tyler mutters. Obviously this is none of his business. “Clearly I know nothing about that.”

“Fuck, Ty—“ Jamie takes a breath, runs a hand over his face. “I didn’t—I just don’t know about shit like that, okay? Jordie made me shut down my twitter after I did some stupid drunk tweets.”

“Okay, I need to see those, first,” Tyler informs him. “And. Yeah. Okay. So you don’t mind if I take some photos of the calves?”

“No? I don’t see why—“

“Trust me,” Tyler tells him, patting his thigh, and Jamie looks up at him, no hesitation.

“Of course.”

Tyler swallows. It’s so easy. It makes Tyler feel like he deserves it. Like he wants to be the kind of guy who deserves it.

8) Then—Tyler’s mom calls, and says it’s time he can come home.

She calls Tyler, then Jamie separately, to finalize the payments. So Tyler’s already packing when Jamie knocks on his door. Jamie’s not surprised, that he’s getting out of here as fast as he can. He’s just.

Well, he knew what was going to happen, didn’t he?

“So your flight’s tomorrow?” He asks.

“Yeah, bright and early.” Tyler surveys his room. A lot of his shit’s moved to Jamie’s in the past few months, so there’s actually not too much here. “God, I can’t wait to see everyone. Brownie’s been texting me nonstop since I told him, we’ve got so much to catch up on.”

“Right.” Jamie swallows. “Good. I’m glad you get to go home.” He’s not going to be an asshole about this, he’s not.

“And mom got a new dog! She’s got to meet her nephews.”

“Yeah,” Jamie agrees, and Tyler turns to look at him. Jamie tries, he really does, but Tyler’s managed to get good at reading him, these past months. His hand comes up, rests on Jamie’s cheek.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“What’s up?” Jamie echoes. “I—fuck it, never mind.” He turns on his heel, to go downstairs, to go out with the animals who don’t leave him behind. Who are his, his land, his town.

“Jamie! Come on, what’s wrong?” Tyler follows him down the stairs. “Tell me.”

“It’s nothing,” Jamie says, tight. “Have fun in the city. Maybe think about us when you eat some ice cream, if you use real cream.”

“What?” Tyler’s arms cross over his chest. “Think about you?”

“If you have the time.”

“If I—what the hell?” Tyler demands. “Are you breaking up with me?” He throws it at Jamie, but Jamie’s known him well enough to hear what’s underneath it.

“It’s not—you’re leaving,” Jamie says. It’s obvious.

“Yeah, so? They’ve got things called phones now? And FaceTime?” He’s getting paler, as Jamie shakes his head. “Are you honestly dumping me when you can’t get laid all the time anymore?”

“Don’t be a dick,” Jamie snaps. “I just don’t want to draw out you breaking my heart.”

“So you’re going to break mine now?” Tyler retorts. “Fuck you.”

Maybe this is easier, Jamie thinks. Maybe it is easier like this.

“Fine,” he says, and takes a breath. Straightens. He’s fine here. He’ll be fine again. “Good luck, Ty. I mean it.”

Tyler glares, and Jamie goes outside.

9) He doesn’t see Tyler again before he leaves.

10) Tyler goes home, because fuck Jamie. Fuck Jamie and his ranch and his earnestness and his thinking Tyler would just forget about him. Tyler wishes he could forget about Jamie. He tries. Tyler goes out to a party the second night he’s back, after spending the first with his mom, pretending like she doesn’t see right through him. He goes out and dances and drinks and finds a guy and tells himself he is definitely going to hook up with him. He definitely is, and who cares who might have a camera, who might see and talk about wild, scandalous Tyler Seguin—

Except. Except he can’t help but see Jamie’s face, and of course, and fuck him. Fuck him for ruining this too. Fuck him for making Tyler think he doesn’t need this.

Tyler gets home by 1. He can’t help but notice his mom’s smile, the next morning.

So partying doesn’t work, so Tyler tries something else. It doesn’t take much research to find a shelter, which seems up his alley. And it’s—it is fun, because it’s playing with puppies, and that’s never work, but. It’s not the ranch. It doesn’t have the same feel to it. Tyler’s volunteering, sure, but he’s not—he’s not adding something a five year old couldn’t do. (There’s no Jamie, Tyler knows. That’s the difference. But Jamie hadn’t wanted him in the end, he’d figured out that Tyler wasn’t worth keeping without sex, and that’s. Not unexpected.).

Then Jenny shows up at his door.

“Hi,” he says, too confused not to let her in. Or maybe to resist her pushing her way in. “Yeah, come in.”

She makes it to the entranceway before she turns on him. It’s like a weird dream, having a Benn standing here, in his house. “I told him it was a bad idea,” she says, like they’d started the conversation already. “I told him it would fuck him up, but did he listen to his older, wiser sister? Of course not.”

“What—“

“My brother,” she says, stabbing a finger at him, “Has been miserable.”

It’s a weird mixture of feelings that evokes in Tyler; he never wants Jamie to be unhappy, but there’s a visceral satisfaction in it too. “So?” He manages to ask. “He broke up with me.”

She snorts. “You can’t break something with an end date.”

“We didn’t have an end date he didn’t put on it,” Tyler snaps. She rolls her eyes.

“Come on. Like you were ever planning to stay with him when you were done with us.”

“Of course I was,” Tyler retorts. She rolls her eyes again, all condescension.

“And what, show him off to your fancy city friends? Your hick boyfriend? Sure.” She shakes her head. “We all knew what it meant.”

“Yeah, I’d have introduced my boyfriend,” Tyler says, trying to keep calm. He would have. He—it’s weird enough having Jenny here, he thinks. It’s true. What would Jamie do here? At one of the parties, like last night? He would have. He would have. “What are you doing here, anyway?” He asks, because that’s—too much. “So Jamie’s miserable. I’m doing great.”

She snorts again. “Unlike my brother, I actually have an Instagram, Tyler. Tell me another one.”

“Well what do you want me to do?” He tries again. “If you’re so sure it’ll never work out.”

“I…” she sighs. “You left it on a bad note. I know Jamie feels especially bad about that.” Of course he told her. The Benns don’t keep secrets from each other. “Maybe if you talk…”

“Then he can call me.”

“I tried that. He thinks you’ve already forgot about him.” She shakes her head. “I think he’s just trying to keep it a clean break, for his own sake, but—it’s not really clean. Not like this.” She looks at him again, and she doesn’t have her brother’s eyes at all, but it’s still somehow close. “Look, if you’re actually happy, let it go and he’ll get over it, but—think about it. Maybe it’ll help you both.”

11) She leaves. Tyler thinks about it. About we all knew and breaking my heart and forgot about him. About the shelter and the ranch.

Then it’s a lot, so he goes on Instagram, because that’s easy. That he knows.

Except he scrolls through until he finds a picture he took, the one he managed to sneak of Jamie holding a calf, feeding a bottle. It’s gotten good pick up, and not all because of the guy.

Tyler can’t look away from the guy though, the way he’s holding the calf in his arms, the way his face is caught between laughing irritation at Tyler taking the picture and fondness at the cow. He thought even then that this was only a thing until Tyler left, Tyler thinks. He’d thought it was only for slice of time, and he’d still turned down Tyler’s gifts, still smiled at Tyler like he didn’t want anything else, anything more.

The next picture’s of the ranch too, the sign against a sunset. It’s gotten really good engagement, actually. And a comment, a ‘are they sustainably farmed? Link please!’

Which. Huh. Tyler turns that over. Thinks about it, too.

And makes a choice.

12) Jamie’s hot, and tired, and he needs a good shower after he’d spent the whole day dealing with a sick cow who they’d had to move into the barn. It’s hot, sweaty work, but it’s also the kind of physical work that Jamie’s good at, that keeps his head in the game and not anywhere else. Say, a city thousands of miles away. Where it has no business being.

He’s considering how to escape Jordie’s continued campaign to get him to go out to the bar that night, like hooking up with someone else could wash Tyler away, when he comes into the yard and—Tyler’s there.

Jamie blinks. He doesn’t think heart break causes hallucinations. But—the other options is Tyler is back here, sitting on the stoop in the ranch yard, wearing the jeans and sneakers like he was planning to work and not the designer stuff he had arrived in before. Looking at Jamie like he was a sight for sore eyes.

“Um. Tyler?” Jamie asks, and Tyler scrambles to his feet.

“Hi. Jamie.” Tyler grins, and it’s as big and overwhelming as it ever was.

“What are you doing?” Jamie asks. His heart’s beating loud in his ears. This is the hurt he wanted to avoid.

“Yeah. So. Here’s the thing. You need a marketing person.”

“Tyler—”

“There’s a whole untapped social media market out there, look. I posted a picture and I got like, a dozen requests for a link.” Tyler’s pulling out his phone, like he’s going to demonstrate it, that hint of nervous he’d have when he needed someone to tell him he was doing a good job. “You can really expand here, and—“

“Tyler,” Jamie interrupts again. He’s sure Tyler’s right, this is what Tyler’s good at, but. Jamie feels ripped open. “Why are you here?” He swallows. “I thought you were back home. Not thinking about” me “us.”

“Yeah, funny story.” Tyler’s smile isn’t very amused. “So this guy broke my heart.” Jamie really doesn’t want to hear this.

“Ty—“

“Turns out, he’s got this complex, see. Thinks that he’s forgettable. Like I could ever forget about him.” Tyler shakes his head, tsking his tongue, but he’s not looking away from Jamie.

“You went home.” Jamie knows that, even if Tyler’s back here, with the hot sun on their necks. “You went back to the city. This isn’t your home.”

Tyler takes a second, squaring his shoulders, like he’s gathering courage. Then, “But it could be,” he says, and he sounds—hopeful and trying not to hope at once, like he could be casual. “I—could help out on the ranch, and do the marketing, and—”

“You got bored here for three months,” Jamie cuts him off, before he can start to hope. This place is in Jamie’s bones and blood, but he gets it’s not for everyone. “You couldn’t get back to the city fast enough, I saw—”

“Because I missed people. But that’s what visiting is for.” Tyler swallows again. “I haven’t—I’ve never felt like I could actually be useful, until I came here. Until you trusted me with this. There’s nothing back h—back there, that feels like this. But I can help, and—“

“We can’t pay you.” Jamie feels like he’s throwing things at a wall, but he needs—he can’t. This is too much, too terrifying, too everything he wants.

Tyler smirks, suddenly. “You’ll be able to once I’m done.”

“Tyler,” Jamie says again, because it’s all he can say. “Are you sure?” If he wasn’t—Jamie knows that heartbreak would be so much worse.

Tyler nods, brilliant and bold and reckless. “Can I stay?”

Jamie’s officially done with words, so he grabs Tyler and kisses him instead, and Tyler kisses him back just as desperate, like he doesn’t notice the sweat or the heat or any of it. Like he’s coming home.

#stars fic #stars tumblr fic #my fic #bennguin #things I know nothing about: dairy farming #things I know a lot about: writing these two and turning them into a small town romance #apparently #because that's always what happens #i'm not sure this is exactly what you were expecting but enjoy!#nemorps #izzy answers

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rrrawrf-writes · 6 years

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2, 3, 13, 14, 17, 19? for the fantasy ask post

i’ve kinda been doing both ythea and bannerworld for most of these asks because i really kinda think that bannerworld is probably the historical version of ythea, but i am still unsure, because the geography doesn’t quite work out in my mind. idk. we’ll see, i guess. also i just won’t shut up so we’re talking about em both.

02. do any of your characters have magical abilities? what kind?

do any of my characters not have magical abilities, may be the better question

banner. banner doesn’t

tarquin and keo are both inkmages! tarquin used to be able to heal, but only himself. healing magic does not and cannot coexist in the same person as other magic, tho, so when he became an inkmage, he gave it up. he’s more offensive-based, while keo is better with shields and illusions.

sheisha has a little bit of magic; she has three or four spells she can do on a regular basis. keo is trying to teach her to make better shields, but she would rather just learn his phasing spell so she can rob places more easily. that one’s a bit too tricky for her, tho.

locrian can turn into a big giant lizard, tho idk how magical that really is, it’s more like just a perk of being an outlander. however, he can also freeze people and inspire fear in them by staring real hard. it’s a drake thing. he may or may not also be able to breathe fire, but that would probably be OP.

talzee’s son is a magic pusher! he can sense magic, and can disrupt spells by literally shoving or pulling the magic apart. he does not play a very big part in the story.

hmmmmm i could probably go on but i should. avoid doing so. there are Too Many People.

03. is there a character without abilities? why are they unique?

talzee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i love talzee. she was either stolen or sold or sent away as a baby, to a secret terribly child spy school vis a vis black widow style, and was raised to be an assassin. except!!!! when she was sixteen or so and hadn’t yet done any of the more terrible things, their complex was busted open and she and a bunch of others were “”””rescued.”””” she still ends up in the espionage business, but at the time of the story, is allegedly “out.” this may or may not be true. anyway, she is an adorable chubby, dumpy little single mom with a bright smile and the best sniper skills you’ve ever seen. or not seen, rather. she could kill you with her bare hands in sixteen different ways, but she won’t, because she’d rather just make cookies.

and then there’s banner! there’s probably a million other soldiers just like him, but he is mine and i love him. he is better at hand-to-hand combat than swords and things (tho he is also very good at swords and things, he has to be, he was eolan-trained!!!), and has a cool pair of gloves with metal plates sewn into the backs and along the knuckles. he can use it to fight off sword-users, and has gotten decently good at it, but it’s also more of a last-resort thing, because you’re just as likely to get your forearm sliced off as you are to beat a swordsman with them.

13. who are the main protagonists? do they have any special weapons?

keo, tarquin, and sheisha are the main-main characters, but talzee defo deserves a mention. besides the first three’s magic, no, not really.

banner’s got the gloves i mentioned before!!!

14. who are the main antagonists? do they have any special weapons?

borza is the main antag for keo and tarquin’s story. he doesn’t have any personal weapons, but he is an oligarch, and has a great deal of authority and leverage that lets him get things done.

17. are there any important symbols in your book? explain.

do i look intelligent enough to make symbols??? my word, i cannot get that deep.

uuhhhhh banner’s company is called the red dogs, and they’re very proud of it? i am not sure if they were already named that, or if they name themselves that after he was turned into a pupper. that’s about as symbolic as it gets around here.

19. do any of your characters fly? how?

nope. king mafvin probably could, but he has no reason to. sheisha can cast featherfall, tho!!!

#asks #ask games #gingerly-writing #worldbuilding #banner #ythea #tarquin #kk #talzee #sheisha

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dailyaudiobible · 6 years

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05/22/2018 DAB Transcript

2 Samuel 1:1-2:11, John 12:20-50, Psalms 118:19-29, Proverbs 15:27-28

Today is the 22 day of May. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I'm Brian. It's great to be here with you today as we move forward, the next step forward in our adventure through the Scriptures, which actually brings us to the doorway of another book. And we'll step into that today. We completed 1 Samuel yesterday and the life of Saul. And of course, Saul was killed in battle and we read of that. Which brings us today to begin 2 Samuel. And just by way of reminder, 1 and 2 Samuel were of a larger collection of books with other texts that were separated along the way, made individual books for clarification and ease. It would be pretty hard for Samuel to have written 2 Samuel since he had already died. So we don't actually know who penned this book, but it does seem to be a collection from previous times. But because of the way that the narrative reads, whoever did account for these Scriptures had first hand knowledge. 2 Samuel is gonna pick up right where we left off. So it's not like we're switching gears here and have to reframe what we're looking at. It's gonna pick up right where we left off. And we've basically concluded the book of 1 Samuel with the death of Saul and his sons. So we'll pick up there as 2 Samuel begins. And then we'll cover the life of David, his ascension to the throne, his victories, his conquests, his relationship and passion for God and then the mountain top of his life and then the trailing off and his falling away from God as well. And we'll be able to sit here in the front row and watch all of this happen and apply it to our lives. Because we'll certainly find ourselves in the life of David. And in his life we'll have one more example of how pressing into God, obeying God, following God with our whole hearts brings about victory in any situation and the falling away from God brings about rebellion and eventual destruction. And just a heads up. If this is your first time through the Scriptures, one thing to note is that the stories that we're reading now, these will be re-told again when we get to the books of 1 and 2 Chronicle. But it's not like it's the same book word for word and it's not coming from the same perspective and that's an interesting thing about the Bible. We have this story of David and we're reading it in Samuel from a prophetic perspective, from the view of the prophets. When we move back through the story again when we get to the books of Chronicles, we'll read this same story of David's life, only from the view of the priestly perspective. So with all of that said, let's begin this new adventure that we're on known as 2 Samuel. And we'll read chapter 1:1-2:11 today.

Commentary:

Okay. So, we've talked about 2 Samuel a little bit. Now let's just talk about the context of the territory that we're moving into. Because we can be reading the story of David's life in 2 Samuel or in the books of Chronicles and then we can, at the same time, be reading a Psalm of David and these would be from different periods of his life. So, David can write a Psalm that refers to Jerusalem. But in 2 Samuel where we are right now, Jerusalem doesn't exist. It is a Canaanite city called Jabez, but it's not the holy city of Jerusalem that we know of today. It's not the capital city of Israel. So, we've gone through the story, right? David has left Ziklag and moved back into his homeland to the city of Hebron, which still exists today. And the people of the tribe of Judah, which is David's tribe, they anoint him king over themselves. So Saul had died but he has an heir, Ish-bosheth, who is successor who is also anointed king. David being on the run and his fame from killing Goliath and his fame for his leadership throughout the country has put him in his favor, but he's just a commoner. And it wasn't a practice in those days, like it wasn't a democracy where everybody would vote on who would be their king. So, we have some political intrigue going on here. One of the tribes has spoken and made themselves have a king, King David, over them. Not everyone's on board with this plan. So, it's very easy for us to think, well, David comes after Saul so Saul dies than everybody anoints David king and they live happily ever after, but that's not what happened. So, where we are now is that David is ruling in Hebron and he's there for seven and a half years as the ruler. But not everyone is united around him. And there is no Jerusalem yet. And we will witness David capturing Jabez but he will make it the City of David where he will eventual build his capital and then the city will become Jerusalem.

Prayer:

So Father, we thank You for Your Word. We thank You for our ability to continue in the journey through Your Word each and every year, each and every day. And we thank You for the different nuances that we get to explore, some historical, some deeply, deeply spiritual, penetrating very much to our essential identity. And all kinds of stuff that just makes us think about the road that we're walking and Your Holy Spirit knits it together within us, planting the seeds that become a harvest. And we ask for a bountiful harvest of the fruit of the spirit in our lives. Because we spend time in Your Word each day and find counsel in it. Come Holy Spirit we pray. In Jesus name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, it's home base, it’s where you find out what's going on around here. So always check in.

See what's going on at the prayer wall…what people are praying for, what people are asking for prayer about. Check out the Daily Audio Bible shop, where there are resources that will help you on your journey in a year through the Bible, including the Promised Land films, which I mention from time to time, especially when we visit places in the Scriptures that we have filmed pretty extensively because Promised Land was created with the intention that it is a companion to go through the Bible where you can pause, zoom in, look at what we're talking about and where it is and situate yourself in the geography. So Hebron, for example, is in the Promised Land films where David reigned from. But Hebron has a pretty long biblical history. It's where Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their wives are buried. So check that out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There is a link. It's on the homepage. I thank you for gratitude and humble thanks for (your) partnership. There's a link on the homepage. If you're using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner, or if you prefer, the mailing address is P.O Box 1996, Spring Hill, Tennessee, 37174.

And, as always if you have a prayer request or comment, 877-942-4253 is the number to dial.

And that's it for today. I'm Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi everybody. It’s Margo here from Australia. I just have a little bit of a prayer request. I wanted to say thank you to Beloved by Him from Gloucester in the UK. Prayed for police the other day. It was some sort of police day in the UK. And I would love it if you could pray for my husband. He’s been in the police for about 10 years now and he’s really struggling with it. He’s just really finding the stress of it all, it’s really getting him down, and we, in the process of getting him out of the police, were going as you know to Africa next year to the mission field. But it’s a good eight months away. He’s having trouble sleeping and just really struggling with it at the moment so I would love it if you guys could pray for God’s supernatural peace for him and to help them get some good strategies to help them through this last, hopefully only eight months. And I also have another little interesting fact, I wanted to share with Lee from New Jersey who is doing the anger prayers. And I was listening to Shangri-La hard on CD recently and he mentioned a few little facts that if you are angry you lose 25.2 points. So, that might explain sometimes why we make some pretty poor decisions while were angry. I thought that was interesting anyway guys. Love you all heaps. We really love listening every day to my wonderful DAB peeps. You have a lovely day. Bye.

Hi everyone. It’s Karen in St. Louis. Hey, I just wanted to lift up prayers for some things I heard today, today’s program. I wanted to lift up John in Bethlehem PA. And I also want to lift up Tom. And he and Johnson Jr. John, I love your prayers brother. So, I just ask you Father God, Holy Spirit, Lord Jesus I pray that You would be the God of all comfort to John and the community at his church as well has his family. I pray Lord Jesus that your light words just shine through at the funeral service and I pray that your glory would be shining through in the stories that are going to be told about Al and I pray that hearts would be prepared to receive You Father, for those who don’t know You at the funeral service. And I pray also for Pelham. I pray Father God that he would come so close to You. I just think about Matthew 11:28-30, come to me all who labor and are heavy laden and I will lift you up, take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, being gentle and knowing and hard and find rest for your souls for My yoke is easy and My burden is light. And Lord, I just pray that for Pelham. I pray that he draws so close to You Lord, that the fear would just totally dissipate, that he trusts his future, every single day of his life. And, you know, I pray that for all of us, for the DAB, and all the believers in the world Lord that we would walk by faith and not by sight Lord, that we would just put all of our days in Your hands. And I know that we go through many trials and that we have griefs that we go through and longings that are fulfilled Lord and I just pray that You would be our all and in all. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Good morning family. This is Cherry Chase, Cherri Pie. I hope all is well. I’m calling for prayer. I know months and months ago I had to call in about my job. And still, same situation. Now we have another new manager, this is like my fifth or sixth manager. The team, now are moving to a totally different new building, but the team we have now, and I hate to say it, they’re very racist. I feel like I’m living in the 60s or what it was like two years old all over again. I work with a bunch of, and I hate to say it, with a bunch of Caucasians or white people who think they’re superior and they think all black people are beneath them. So, that’s my job, that’s what I’m working with. So, I’m asking you guys to protect me on my job. Asking for protection, asking that I don’t snap. I don’t know why God keeps taking me through this, whatever He is taking me through, but when He moves me, trust me, I will be wanting out of there, but I’m not, this is not my time to go yet. I’m not letting anyone push me out of what God brought me into. So, I’m just asking you guys for prayer. I’m working with a lot of evil, a lot of people that just don’t like black people. So, and the __ people in the office more. And they’re moving all of them out. Or their bringing more Caucasian people in too, I guess, to mix it up but it’s very stressful. I’ve never really been… I have, I’m black, so, but it’s hard because you think by now, times changed and people doesn’t talk like that for the do and it’s worse now for whatever reason. It’s horrible, this racial stuff, this hate between our skin color. I don’t understand it or never understand. Mine, I have biracial’s and all of my family. My grandkids on biracial. My son-in-law is white. I don’t have that problem but there’s just so much hate in the world. I’m just asking you guys to cover me on my job. Cover me and asked God to protect me…

Good morning everyone at Daily Audio Bible. This is Silver Bell and I’m calling from the Poconos in Pennsylvania. I’m calling regarding a call from May 19th, Pelham. As soon as Pelham started talking I knew something was wrong and I just want to reassure you that God is not the author of confusion. You said you were confused. God is not the author of confusion and I just want you to know that I’m praying for you and whatever is happening in your life, God is going to work that out for you. And, so, I just wanted to touch base with you and let you know that we all love you and just stand and know that God is still on the throne. Father God, I just pray for Pelham right now. I just ask you to calm his fears, calm his doubts, and Lord to show him that You are present with him in Your Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit is our comforter. Father God, I pray that the Holy Spirit lift him now, Pelham like never before, that Pelham will feel the Holy Spirit’s presence from his head all the way down to his toes. Father God, we pray for Pelham, we pray for each other, we pray for the Daily Audio Bible team and we just thank You for allowing Your face to be able to call this line to get help. As the Bible says, that You God are our refuge. The Daily Audio Bible is a refuge. And Pelham, I thank you for using DAB as your refuge, that we can reach out and safety here. And we just bless the Lord and we pray that God will keep us…

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reekierevelator · 5 years

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Beyond Burns

a short story

I was getting set up to record my latest spacecast on holiday trips to Mars, - Spacex starships were offering a special deal, - when in barges the director, slamming the door behind her.

‘What does the big data analysis tell you to spout on about this time?’ spluttered the red-faced human, in her usual sensitive way.

‘Summer holidays – trips to Mars.’

‘Oh, not that old shite again. Same every year. Hell’s teeth, we don’t employ robot vidcasters just to end up doing what everyone else does. Post-festive season it’s all diets and holidays, same old same old. Now listen to me Chuck, I’m after the interplanetary broadcaster medal and the other stations are already all over the new technology. We have to do better than RADG, who got that whizz-kid to do an interview with James Watt.’

‘Who?’

‘Who knows, an engineer or something, hundreds of years ago, the point is Chuck that if they can do it so can we. We need to get our act together, get on this bandwagon quick, or else we pack our bags and get out. It’s a cutthroat business – well, not for you obviously, maybe cut your cables and sell you for scrap if no-one else wants you, but at least you don’t have any bags to pack. Listen hard Chuck, we’re up against it, so do it now while it’s still just this sound across time tech stuff; get in right away before upgrades escalate it to visuals and prices follow suit.’

‘But all my algorithms are geared to entertainment, holidays and so on – what do I know about history, engineers?’

‘It doesn’t have to be James Watt, numpty. We can set up the new tech to beam in on anyone selected. Even this sound-only stuff is expensive though, so we need a well-known name. It’s January, you know that red red rose song? I’ve always had a hankering to know more about that bad boy.’

‘Who?’

‘Name of Robert Burns, numpty. I can’t be the only one still knows the name, even if it’s hundreds of years since he was around.’

‘Where do I find him?’

‘For God’s sake Chuck, it’s over a year since you were working out of Moon West. You need to be all about Earth people now. He was an Earthling. Ok, I know this is tricky for robots but you’ve got to remember Earth people can be as interested in their ancient predecessors as in red planet holidays.’

‘You do know they’ve worked out that water problem on Mars now.’

‘Will you forget Mars Chuck. Just do as I ask, ok? Bobby Burns. Get on to him. Record him. Get him on the WSKY worldcast.’ The director flung her head back, turned on her high heels, flecks of saliva spraying from her mouth, and slammed the door on her way out. All work and no love life, that woman’s heading for a heart attack. I suppose I might be too if I had one.

I searched my Universal Knowledge databanks and checked out this Burns guy. Apparently an Earth human born 1759, died 1796. An entertainer. Wrote some songs and poems. That must have been what passed for entertainment in those days. And I thought, that’s only thirty-seven years, hardly enough time for a simple human to have done very much.

I switched on my motor control and rolled off to see the engineers. This new-fangled technology annoyed me intensely. I mean I was only built five years ago and already my memory capacity can’t keep up with all the new software updates. It’s the middle of the twenty-first century, the Earth’s dying on its feet, anyone human who can afford to is escaping, moving to the Moon, or buying a holiday home on Mars or Venus - some even taking a punt on Mercury - and so my mad boss lumbers me with this nonsense about new tech and tells me to talk to an ancient geezer from centuries ago. I mean, jeez-o.

The engineer android showed me the kit and explained how to set date and time and to use GPRS Historical Module to pinpoint the human I wanted to talk to, and some kind of one-way microscope to get a visual fix. Then there was this contraption to shout though so that your voice somehow carried back through time. The engineer said it would probably sound a bit tinny to the recipient, especially given my five year old voice activation system. He warned me the humans were all ensnared by religious controllers back then and it might sound like some ethereal voice of God to him when he heard it. But then he smiled that ingratiatingly metallic smile of his and added that he knew any good media jock – such as myself – would be well-used to talking to total randoms at any distance and putting them at ease.

Since this guy Burns hadn’t lived that long, for a human anyway, I decided that to get anything at all interesting out of him I’d better set the time module for his last couple of years. He’d at least have had time to do something. I fixed the controls for 1795 and told the engineer to locate Robert Burns and tie me on to him. My databanks said he ended up someplace called Dumfries in a bit of the Earth called Scotland.

The engineer locked on to a scruffy looking human, half-dressed in breeches and black waistcoat, living in some dingy accommodation in a squalid street called the Mill Vennel. Then he turned to me and clicked his metal joints into the thumbs up sign.

Surprised, I pressed my voice activation speaker close to the horn and shouted ‘Hey there, Bobby, this is Chuck, coming straight at you from WSKY Earthwide, - and, oh yeah, I’m about two hundred years away.’

There was a slight time delay before I heard: ‘Whit the Deil!!’ Whit’s that rammy in ma lug?’

‘Hey, like I said Bobby, it’s me, Chuck. You won’t be able to see me…’

‘Whit, are ye hidin lik some kin o wee sleekit cowrin tim’rous beastie?’

‘No it’s this new tech Bobby, no visuals yet, maybe in a few years - once the android geeks have worked on it…’

‘Is this God speirin? I canna unnerstaun. Whit d’ye want o me? An can ye stop ca’in me Bobby?’

‘Ok what name do you prefer? My databanks are throwing up options – there’s Bobby, Bob, Bert, Bertie, Rob?’

‘Rob? Aye weel Rab, Rabbie then.’

‘All good, - Rab it is, and what I want here is just for you and me to have a chat Rab – maybe I‘ll ask a couple of questions – you ok with that Rab?

‘You’ve a gey peculiar voice God.’

‘Like I said Rab, I’m Chuck, can’t really claim to be a deity as such. Call me inhuman if you want. I don’t mind. I can’t take offence. You can say what you like to me.’

‘I canna unnerstaun ye. But syne yer no God, that’s something forbye. I canna deny I’ve had mair than a few run-ins wi the Kirk in ma time. Yet, I’m aywes interestit tae hae a blether wi ither chiels an hear their stories.’

‘You’ll need to speak up Rab, the sound’s having to travel quite a long way. Can you just behave like a typical human who walks along entirely by himself and bellows into some mini-microphone that’s radio-linked to the communicator in his pocket.’

‘Whit? Oh I can bellow alright. Gin ye ever heard me recitin ma verses at the Tarbolton Bachelors Club, the Crochallan Fencibles, or even in The Globe ye widna doot it.’

‘Well, that’s good to know Rab. But I see all those get-togethers involved drinking alcohol.’

‘Aye, an whitfor no? When chapman billies leave the street, an drouthy neebors neebors meet. There’s naethin wrang wi the nappy. Wi tippeny we fear nae evil; wi usquabae we’ll face the devil.’

‘You could be right Rab. Not something I can comment on. For me, it’s just another way to rust the bodywork. So can we do the usual stuff? Check through the data - What you do, where you came from, how you got into the business, famous friend anecdotes, women you’ve known – you know, the usual stuff. When we’re done my monomaniacal medal-seeking big boss director will bung you some compensation for your time.’

‘A ken the big boss type. Ye shouldna worry aboot yon high heid yins that think ower much o theirsels Chuck. Ye see yon birkie ca’d a lord wha struts an stares an a that? Though hundreds worship at his word he’s but a coof for a that. For a that an a that, his ribband, star, an a that, the man o independent mind, he looks an laughs at a that.’

‘Well Rab, that’s certainly something I’ll add to my memory bank, but robot unemployment is on the up these days and the second-hand market is down. It’s the metal scrapheap that beckons if my boss gets vindictive.’

‘Ach, dinna be feart man. Did I heard you say ‘compensation’? Does that mean money?’

‘Sure, cash, spondulicks, filthy lucre.’

‘I’ve aywes suffered wi bein awfy short o the siller.’

‘Glad to be able to help out Rab. So let’s get started – early life?

‘Aye weel, let’s see, ma faither, a gairdner, tenant farmer, wis pit aff a fairm in Kincardine, near Stonehaven. Cam tae Ayrshire an met ma mither. Build his ain but’n’ben at Alloway for a vegetable gairden. The faimly grew so he needed mair room. He took oot a loan for a tenancy at Mount Oliphant. Found it wis gae stony grund. The loan wis lik a millstone. Seiven bairns an me the auldest. We a had tae chip in wi the fairmwork soon as we were able. An later we flitted tae a fairm at Lochlea but naethin much changed. Ma faither wisna weel then an I wis the man o the fairm at fifteen. Hard, hard life. Aywes freezin or mingin, or baith; workin masel tae death.’

‘But what about college Rab?’

‘College? I went tae schuil at Kirkosward for a few year, stertit when I turned six. Ma faither wis mad keen on the learnin but. Scrimped an saved. Got me a tutor for two year, learning French, studying English. An efter that faither taught me hissel – geography an sic lik. An then a year o the mathematics in Ayr. Aye, I wis well educated, nae ignorant ploughboy. I’ve aye been wide-read. An then ma mither taught me tae. Ma mither wis born Agnes Broun. She hadna her letters at a’ but she wid sing as braw as the laverock. Mony a song I took fae her, an a bit o the fiddle anaw.’

‘My data banks say you wrote songs yourself? My boss seemed to know one.’

‘Aye, scrieved the first few at fourteen. They skipped ben ma heid gin I grappled wi the plough. They went down well wi the lassies. Mind, even at the schuil there was yon Peggy Thomson. Ye ken, the sweetest hours that ere I spend are spent amang the lasses O. At Lochlea there wis an eager lass, Elizabeth Paton. Oh aye, but gie me a cannie hour at e’en, my arms about my dearie O, an war’ly cares an war’ly men, may a gae tapsalteerie O. She had ma bonnie wee bairn an we ca’d her Elizabeth. But a wis too young yet an her faither wadna let us mairry.’

‘But what became of your daughter?

‘Died. No lang syne. I canna speak o it.’

‘Sorry to hear that Rab.’

‘Aye, it angers me the whiles. State o the warl. Politics.’

‘How do you usually vote Rab?’

‘Vote? Nae French Revolution here frien. Nae restoration o Scots independence. Sic a parcel o rogues in a nation. Wid the lik o me, a tenant fairmer, hae the franchise? Na, na. An them that’s tried fechtin for it are in Botany Bay. Ye can nae mair speak oot loud aboot sic things as murmur the Fiscal. But yet there’s weys if it’s dressed up in a sang. Scots wha hae wi Wallace bled - now’s the day and now’s the hour - wha for Scotland’s king and law, freedom’s sword will strongly draw, freeman stand or freeman fa, let him follow me. Mair for Thomas Muir o Huntershill that for Bruce.’

‘I see, so you wrote protest songs, political songs Rab?’

‘It’s no jist yon Whigs an Tories man. It’s a muckle brawer, bonnier thing. Like I say, then let us pray that come it may - as come it will for a that, - that sense o worth o’er a the earth, shall bear the gree an a that. For a that, an a that, that man to man the world o’er, shall brithers be for a that. Ma favourite poet wis aye Milton.

‘But the data has you down as more of a ladies man Rab.’

‘Aye, the lassies, mony a fair charmer. They lik’d me as muckle as I lik’d them. An Chuck, just in case ye really are God, I’ve suffered my penance in the Kirk for athing. But yet O Lord, confess I must at times, I’m fash’d wi fleshly lust, an sometimes too in worldly trust, vile self gets in. But Thou remembers we are dust, defil’d wi sin. O Lord yestreen Thou kens wi Meg, thy pardon I sincerely beg, O may’t ne’er be a living plague, to my dishonour. An I’ll never lift a lawless leg, again upon her. Besides, I further maun avow, wi Leezie’s lass three times I trow, but Lord that Friday, I was fou, when I cam near her. Or else, Thou kens, Thy servant true, wad never steer her.

‘It’s still Chuck, Rab. There’s no gods for me. But I’ve heard humans say confession is good for the soul, so it’s as well you got it off your chest Rab. So this whole fame and celebrity thing; how did that happen?

‘Ach, I’m aye sayin I’m a fiddler an a poet. But fairmin wis ma livin. An I wis a’ set tae gie up the fairmin an flee tae the Indies when a freemason pal o mine agreed tae print up a wheen o ma poems. He cam awa wi six hunner copies an yon buik wis read a ower the land. Rax it frae ma shelf for ye the noo if ye lik. They read it even up Glesca wey, so I gaed north. That’s where I fell in wi a lass fae Campbeltown, Mary Campbell, ma Highland Mary. But she vanished. I went on tae Embra tae see yon man Creech. He printed mair editions. I wis the toast o the toon richt eneuch, invitit here, there, and everywhere. I met yon laddie Walter Scott an a’ the bigwigs. Creech said he’d buy the copyricht.

So I toured the hail country frae Highlands tae the Borders, gaitherin tunes the whiles an waitin for Creech tae stump up. I wis makin new words, better words, for thae auld tunes. I met yon greatest o fiddlers, Neil Gow, in Dunkeld. We talked o the rubata tempo, an I telt him tae save Scotland’s strathspey, its staccato, fae thae continentals lik Mozart wi their legatos an sustenos. They didna unnerstaun it. They drain the life oot it wi tremolo an vibrato till it’s sterile – and them bein paid for it anaw, no lik us. Mozart’s faither agreed wi me did he no? He kent the auld tunes an telt his laddie tae let them be.

‘The database says you were the first folk song collector; that you insisted the culture resided in the medium. The medium was the message.’

‘Aye, I kent the Italian musicians settled in Scotia. I collected sangs fae the Borders, an Gaelic tunes anaw; even Russian tunes; an Irish tunes I got fae ma sister in Dundalk. Ma favourite tune’s ‘Yestreen I had a pint o wine’; ma words tae an Irish melody. Ach, strathpeys, highland jigs, borders’ hornpipes, slip jigs, reels, - I ken them a’. Ken the notes an rhythms. I mixed them a’ thegether, jist lik I jumbled the words o a’ the dialects o Scots wi English words an Auld English tae.

An in Embra waitin for Creech did I no fa’ in wi yon Agnes McElhose. That wis a lassie cast off bi her waster o a man, left her wi twa bairns. But she wis a rare beauty, Clarinda tae ma Sylvander when we passed notes, but we ca’d her Nancy. Aye, it wis hard when I maun tak leave o her. I telt her ae fond kiss and then we sever, ae fond kiss goodbye forever. But that’s a ahint me noo. I’m long bye cooried doon wi ma wife, Jean Armour, ane o thae Mauchline Belles.’

‘So she’s been good for you?’

‘Aye, for mony a year. Chuck, my luve is like a red, red rose that’s newly sprung in June. My luve is like a melodie, that’s sweetly play’d in tune. She gave me twins, a boy and a girl, - of course we ca’d them Robert an Jean, - even afore we mairrit in ‘88. An mind, there’s been seiven more since.’

‘Ok Rab, that sounds great. So do you have time to do anything else nowadays other than looking after your family?’

‘Weel I’m at the songs yet, an still scrievin mair poems. Near eight hunner o them noo. But still, songs dinna pey the rent. Whit spare siller I hid got I’ve gien tae ma brither, Gilbert, tae help wi his fairm an his faimly. An noo ma health is no up to much. The consumption ye ken, a fair scunner.’

‘My database interprets that as pulmonary tuberculosis Rab. That’s not so good.’

‘Naw, ye’re richt. I’m wastin awa tae naethin. I’m bound whares ghaists and houlets nightly cry. But Jean an the ithers, they’re dependin oan me. I’ve taen a post as an exciseman. I maun ride a horse ilka day ower half the country, rain or shine. Then nichts I’m at the scrievin for a yon numbers. I’m pressed sae hard there wis even nae time tae gang tae ma ain dochter Elizabeth’s funeral An forbye, the sawbones noo prescribes bathin in the freezin Solway every day.’

‘Sounds tough Rab, but time is nearly up.’

‘Time near up?? Aye, weel, ye’re lik as no richt. Ye sure ye’re no God Chuck? Ye ken I’ve no been richt for ages. I’ve telt abody this last wee while ma time is surely comin gey soon. Aye, it’ll a’ be ower afore I get much aulder.’

‘What I meant to say was we need to wind up our chat Rab; keep down the new tech expenses etc.’

‘Aye weel, it’s been a grand wee blether Chuck. I hope the bother atween you an yer big boss-man get sortit oot.’

‘My big boss is a woman Rab, a lassie you would say, but thanks anyway.’

‘A lassie? Michty me, whit lik? Sic an antrin thing Chuck. This lassie, is she bonnie?’

‘Tall for a human, I’ve heard her called sexy, fiery, knows what she wants and works hard to get it.’

‘She wadna bide up by Alloway? I’m no deid yet Chuck an I aince kent a lassie lik yon. There's nought but care on ev'ry han', in ev'ry hour that passes O, what signifies the life o' man, an' 'twere na for the lasses O. Bring her ben the hoose gin ye call roon again an I’ll gie her a sang or twa.’

‘Well, I can ask Rab.’

‘Guid man. But here, Chuck, my jo, I canna see ye, but I’ll haud oot ma haun. And there’s a hand my trusty fiere, and gie’s a hand o thine, and we’ll tak a right guid-willie waught, for auld lang syne.’

‘Ok Rab, I’m stretching my metal limb across the centuries.’

‘Brawly done Chuck.’

‘And hey, that ‘auld lang syne’ thing, I’ve heard of it. My databanks tell me you did a song of that name; say it’s going to be really big for you. But, ah, unfortunately it won’t be published till after you’re dead. Oh, and apparently everyone will sing it to the wrong tune, using a Major 6th for a Reel instead of the Minor 6th for a reflective Air.’

‘Ach I hinna time tae care Chuck. We’re a’ jist passin through. Even you. An whit we leave ahint is fur ithers tae dae wi as they will. But mind the whiles we’re here, it’s ne’er how much God’s gien ye, it aye whit ye dae wi whit yer gien.’

‘That’s food – well, drink - for thought Rab. This spacecast will certainly be something different. You’ve added a lot to my human emotions databank. I can even see the Moon and Mars-dwelling types taking to your output once the recording is re-broadcast around the solar system. Maybe my boss really has got something going for her after all. She’s pulled you up from the depths of her human brain cells and she’s going to put you out there again. Maybe have you on the spacecast again soon Rab. Teach us a few of your songs. And you’re right. In the end we are all scrap, but maybe on the next time-tube visit we can catch you in your younger years.’

‘Ach, awa wi ye. I see ye in ma heid Chuck; fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face. An gin ye’ll be quicker than Creech wi the ‘compensation’, or I’ll be deid afore it comes. I canna even offer a wee deoch an dorus. Ach, I’ve composed mony an epitaph Chuck. It’s time I wis awa noo an scrieved ma ain.’

‘Ok, bye for now Rab.’

Just then the door crashed open and in strode the boss. ‘Well, how did it go? Tech work ok? Lively discussion? Am I in line for the interplanetary broadcast medal after all?’

‘Aye,’ I said ‘a that an a that, but a coof for a that.’

‘Are your sensors causing problems Chuck? Sounds like your wires are crossed somewhere. I swear you’re more trouble than you’re worth. If it wasn’t for the state of WSKY’s budget I’d replace you tomorrow with one of those shiny new supercyber androids coming out of the Mars mega-factory.

‘He was asking after you, great leader. Very interested to hear about you. Said he was keen to meet you, sing you some of his songs, and happy to invite you into his home if the tech ever allows it.’

‘Well, Chuck that’s really not a bad idea. He was a handsome man. Did he mention red, red roses? I think we’d have a lot to, er, talk about. Maybe you do have your uses after all Chuck.’

#Reekie Revelator #Robert Burns #Edinburgh #short stories #science fiction #scotland #Scots language

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culturespotting · 7 years

Text

Treating Your Chickens For Lice And Mites

This text discusses how you can determine parasites in your hen coop and what it's essential do to maintain your chickens and your coop free from these tiny blood sucking creatures. Mites and lice aren't any enjoyable for any kind of pet. These tiny creatures even seem within the yard hen coop, affecting the well being of your chickens which may then affect the amount and high quality of eggs they produce. The place do mites reside? In case your hen coop is made from timber, mites can usually be discovered living within the tiny cracks and crevices of the partitions of your hen coop. Mites can dwell throughout the timber partitions for quite a long time, rising mainly at evening-time to feed on the chickens. As unpleasant as it sounds, mites are a blood sucking type of creature that draw blood out of your poor chickens! Mites are usually black in colour but will appear to be extra pink in colour after a blood feeding out of your chickens. We bought 7 alpacas that year, the fee paid for all of our stud fees. Final year we bought 6 alpacas, once more on behalf of other folks. Privacy Again the stud fees had been coated. This year so far we've already offered 7 alpacas and summer season has solely just begun. It is the very best start to a yr we have had since we started selling and we are apparently in the course of a credit crunch. So why have we been able to promote alpacas? I don’t really know the precise causes however I believe I do know a number of issues that will have helped. Individuals need to know who and the place you're. It's essential make this happen because no-one else will do it for you. You need to connect with people. Why buy from you? What makes you totally different from everybody else? Honesty and integrity, without that you are not doing anyone any favours least of all your self and you'll be came upon. Assume massive, our motto is ‘You don’t should be huge to be mighty’. Think exterior the box, be completely different, be brave. Get on the market and make it happen, have faith and be positive! So there we've it, I hope it helps. We've huge faith in our alpacas and large religion sooner or later. Doom and gloom haven't any place amongst the mighty Patou herd. Alpacas are fabulous animals and so they produce a fabulous product. Individuals must learn about them. We as alpaca breeders, small or massive, have a duty to unfold the phrase. So what are you ready for?

For years, Finland has been the by-word for a profitable training system, perched at the top of international league tables for literacy and numeracy. Solely far japanese international locations reminiscent of Singapore and China outperform the Nordic nation in the influential Programme for Worldwide Scholar Assessment (PISA) rankings. Politicians and training experts from world wide – including the UK – have made pilgrimages to Helsinki in the hope of identifying and replicating the key of its success. Which makes it all of the extra exceptional that Finland is about to embark on one of the most radical training reform programmes ever undertaken by a nation state – scrapping conventional “teaching by subject” in favour of “teaching by topic”. Pasi Silander, the city’s improvement manager, defined: “What we'd like now's a special sort of schooling to prepare people for working life. Young people use fairly superior computer systems. In the past the banks had plenty of financial institution clerks totting up figures however now that has totally modified. Topic-particular lessons – an hour of historical past within the morning, an hour of geography within the afternoon – are already being phased out for 16-yr-olds in the city’s upper faculties.

Backyard Rooster Coop - Cops May Take Your Chickens Away! Writer: Stan Evans You may have already got a space laid out in your backyard rooster coop. However have you ever thought of the legal problems with proudly owning chickens? Yes there may be a lot of speak about owning chickens. Sure they supply wholesome organic eggs and you may learn that it is easy to build a hen coop your self. However not many people will inform you the authorized ordinances of proudly owning farm animals. Writer: James Harley There are such a lot of reasons why anyone with a vacant lot and the time to spare to begin caring for chickens. Raising chickens for meat is just one among them. For some, waking up early in the morning to harvest recent free vary eggs is most rewarding. Should you happen to be only a beginner and delighted of the concept on how one can successfully start your personal rooster farm. Backyard Rooster Coops - How Does Constructing Yard Chicken Coops Change Your Lifestyle? Writer: Daphne Schmitz Spending a lot of money on organic chickens and eggs? Many persons are selecting to build their very own yard hen coops to save some cash. The question, nonetheless, is how much will it actually impact your current Suri Alpacas for Sale (visit website) lifestyle?

It was the moment that I have been waiting for. I may feel the emotion constructing, I'm welling up penning this, how ridiculous is that? IT WAS QJORI TIME. Right here he's, the moment in my memory is all a bit of a blur. Kathy having a good have a look at Qjori, who's title triggered a little bit of an issue with the ring commentator! Qjori was awarded first place and in this picture you may see a large brown alpaca next to a large bald man quietly blubbing away as tears of joy hit the present ring flooring. Simply prior to that shot I had looked up and seen Angus leaping about with joy within the stands. It was the one that actually mattered. It was the big one. We all knew it. I could not assist myself. Subsequent was the Championship. I had already been in for the black female Championship with Ruby, the brown feminine Championship with Reeya and now I was within the brown male Championship with not solely Qjori but in addition Roger Resilient.

So, how did we get on? Nicely, I managed to safe the dealing with companies of the Silver Fox himself, Trevor Selby, collector of many grey alpaca associated rosettes, as a handler for the junior grey male class. Vickery and Wasimba had been in a highly aggressive line up so I gave Vickery to Trevor, (considering that Wasimba was a bit denser, I sensed glory for myself) and I was very happy with a 3rd and 4th place. The Silver Fox, somewhat too smugly for my liking, took the third place rosette with Vickers. Mmm, what do I know anyway? The choose, Cathy Lloyd, mentioned some very nice things about them each and they're going to stay in the show group for the remainder of the season. Umberto and that i then did 'the stroll of shame', together, heads held excessive. It was then Tsar and Talisker time and having fired Trevor, for being a lot of a glory hunter, I took on Karen, from Amiryck, as a handler. The rooster coop system is appropriate to what you want. The effort is quiet profitable and is necessary for individuals to cultivate them. The necessity for coop system for chickens are important. The try is quiet worthwhile and is important for individuals to advertise them. Chickens have the life as we've got and their correct care is very essential. Chicken is probably the greatest food delicacies everywhere in the world. To offer a wholesome hen it is prudent to keep them in proper hygiene surroundings. The Coop plan is probably one of the best technique to groom chickens. The coops plan rely on the chicken grooming as a result of when you groom chickens in dwelling you will require a small area however whilst you intend to go industrial it's a must to have a larger room. Chickencoopplans123.com has many forms of designs for commercial in addition to private grooming of the hen. Contemplating the variety of grooming you might have positive recommendation from consultants regard to the area concerns. The essential customized is to supply comfy situation for the chickens both horizontal or vertical.

#alpacas #alpacas eating apples #alpacas fighting #alpacas funny #alpacas humming #alpacas mating #alpacas running #alpacas screaming #alpacas spitting #alpacas spitting on people #alpacas stuffed animal #alpacas t shirt #alpacas with hats #alpacas world #animals #chickens #finland #llamas #videos

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bunniwithmonocle · 7 years

Text

Treating Your Chickens For Lice And Mites

This text discusses find out how to determine parasites in your rooster coop and what you'll want to do to keep your chickens and your coop free from these tiny blood sucking creatures. Mites and lice aren't any enjoyable for any type of pet. These tiny creatures even seem within the yard chicken coop, affecting the well being of your chickens which can then affect the amount and high quality of eggs they produce. The place do mites live? If your chicken coop is made from timber, mites can usually be found living within the tiny cracks and crevices of the walls of your hen coop. Mites can reside inside the timber walls for quite a long time, emerging primarily at night-time to feed on the chickens. As unpleasant because it sounds, mites are a blood sucking sort of creature that draw blood out of your poor chickens! Mites are usually black in colour however will appear to be more pink in color after a blood feeding out of your chickens. We offered 7 alpacas that yr, the commission paid for all of our stud fees. Last year we bought 6 alpacas, again on behalf of different people. Privacy Again the stud charges have been covered. This year thus far we've already bought 7 alpacas and summer has solely simply begun. It's the very best start to a yr we've got had since we started selling and we're apparently in the middle of a credit score crunch. So why have we been capable of promote alpacas? I don’t really know the exact causes but I think I do know several things that may have helped. Individuals must know who and the place you are. You should make this occur as a result of no-one else will do it for you. You need to connect with folks. Why buy from you? What makes you totally different from everybody else? Honesty and integrity, with out that you're not doing anybody any favours least of all yourself and you may be found out. Assume large, our motto is ‘You don’t need to be large to be mighty’. Suppose outside the field, be totally different, be brave. Get out there and make it occur, have religion and be optimistic! So there we've got it, I hope it helps. Now we have large religion in our alpacas and huge religion sooner or later. Doom and gloom have no place amongst the mighty Patou herd. Alpacas are fabulous animals and they produce a fabulous product. People need to learn about them. We as alpaca breeders, small or large, have a duty to unfold the phrase. So what are you ready for?

For years, Finland has been the by-phrase for a profitable education system, perched at the top of worldwide league tables for literacy and numeracy. Only far eastern countries reminiscent of Singapore and China outperform the Nordic nation in the influential Programme for International Student Evaluation (PISA) rankings. Politicians and schooling specialists from around the globe – including the UK – have made pilgrimages to Helsinki within the hope of figuring out and replicating the key of its success. Which makes it all the more exceptional that Finland is about to embark on one of the vital radical training reform programmes ever undertaken by a nation state – scrapping traditional “teaching by subject” in favour of “teaching by topic”. Pasi Silander, the city’s growth supervisor, explained: “What we'd like now could be a different kind of education to prepare folks for working life. Younger individuals use quite advanced computer systems. In the past the banks had lots of financial institution clerks totting up figures however now that has totally modified. Topic-particular classes – an hour of historical past within the morning, an hour of geography within the afternoon – are already being phased out for sixteen-yr-olds in the city’s upper colleges.

Backyard Rooster Coop - Cops Might Take Your Chickens Away! Publisher: Stan Evans You could have already got an area laid out for your yard hen coop. But have you thought-about the authorized issues of owning chickens? Yes there may be quite a lot of speak about proudly owning chickens. Sure they supply wholesome natural eggs and you'll learn that it is straightforward to build a hen coop yourself. However not many people will tell you the authorized ordinances of proudly owning farm animals. Writer: James Harley There are so many reasons why anyone with a vacant lot and the time to spare to start caring for chickens. Elevating chickens for meat is just one of them. For some, waking up early in the morning to harvest contemporary free vary eggs is most rewarding. For those who occur to be just a beginner and delighted of the idea on how you can successfully begin your individual chicken farm. Backyard Hen Coops - How Does Constructing Yard Rooster Coops Change Your Way of life? Writer: Daphne Schmitz Spending a lot of money on organic chickens and eggs? Many people are selecting to construct their very own yard chicken coops to save some cash. The query, nonetheless, is how much will it really effect your current Suri Alpacas for Sale (visit website) way of life?

It was the second that I have been waiting for. I might feel the emotion building, I'm welling up penning this, how ridiculous is that? IT WAS QJORI TIME. Right here he is, the second in my memory is all a little bit of a blur. Kathy having an excellent take a look at Qjori, who's title induced a bit of a problem with the ring commentator! Qjori was awarded first place and on this image you may see a large brown alpaca subsequent to a big bald man quietly blubbing away as tears of joy hit the show ring floor. Simply previous to that shot I had looked up and seen Angus leaping about with joy within the stands. It was the one that actually mattered. It was the massive one. All of us knew it. I could not assist myself. Next was the Championship. I had already been in for the black female Championship with Ruby, the brown female Championship with Reeya and now I used to be in the brown male Championship with not only Qjori but also Roger Resilient.

So, how did we get on? Properly, I managed to safe the dealing with providers of the Silver Fox himself, Trevor Selby, collector of many gray alpaca associated rosettes, as a handler for the junior grey male class. Vickery and Wasimba have been in a highly aggressive line up so I gave Vickery to Trevor, (thinking that Wasimba was a bit denser, I sensed glory for myself) and I was very happy with a 3rd and 4th place. The Silver Fox, reasonably too smugly for my liking, took the third place rosette with Vickers. Mmm, what do I know anyway? The judge, Cathy Lloyd, said some very nice issues about them both and they'll stay in the show crew for the rest of the season. Umberto and that i then did 'the walk of disgrace', collectively, heads held excessive. It was then Tsar and Talisker time and having fired Trevor, for being too much of a glory hunter, I took on Karen, from Amiryck, as a handler. The chicken coop system is compatible to what you need. The trouble is quiet profitable and is critical for individuals to cultivate them. The need for coop system for chickens are important. The try is quiet profitable and is critical for people to advertise them. Chickens have the life as we now have and their proper care could be very essential. Chicken is among the finest meals delicacies all over the world. To offer a healthy rooster it is prudent to maintain them in correct hygiene setting. The Coop plan is maybe the very best solution to groom chickens. The coops plan depend on the hen grooming as a result of once you groom chickens in dwelling you would require a small area but when you intend to go commercial you have to have a bigger room. Chickencoopplans123.com has many types of designs for industrial as well as private grooming of the chicken. Contemplating the number of grooming you may need constructive recommendation from experts regard to the space concerns. The important custom is to offer comfy state of affairs for the chickens both horizontal or vertical.

0 notes

cartersdarling · 7 years

Text

Treating Your Chickens For Lice And Mites

This article discusses find out how to establish parasites in your chicken coop and what you have to do to maintain your chickens and your coop free from these tiny blood sucking creatures. Mites and lice aren't any enjoyable for any kind of pet. These tiny creatures even seem within the yard hen coop, affecting the well being of your chickens which may then influence the amount and high quality of eggs they produce. Where do mites live? In case your chicken coop is made from timber, mites can usually be found residing within the tiny cracks and crevices of the walls of your hen coop. Mites can dwell within the timber walls for fairly a long time, rising primarily at night-time to feed on the chickens. As unpleasant because it sounds, mites are a blood sucking sort of creature that draw blood from your poor chickens! Mites are typically black in colour however will seem like more red in colour after a blood feeding out of your chickens. We offered 7 alpacas that yr, the commission paid for all of our stud charges. Final yr we offered 6 alpacas, again on behalf of other people. Privacy Once more the stud fees have been covered. This 12 months to this point now we have already bought 7 alpacas and summer time has solely simply begun. It's one of the best start to a yr now we have had since we began promoting and we're apparently in the course of a credit score crunch. So why have we been able to promote alpacas? I don’t really know the precise causes however I believe I know several things that will have helped. Folks need to know who and where you might be. You might want to make this happen as a result of no-one else will do it for you. You need to connect with people. Why buy from you? What makes you completely different from everyone else? Honesty and integrity, without that you are not doing anyone any favours least of all yourself and you may be discovered. Suppose large, our motto is ‘You don’t should be large to be mighty’. Think outdoors the field, be totally different, be brave. Get on the market and make it occur, have religion and be optimistic! So there we've got it, I hope it helps. Now we have massive religion in our alpacas and huge religion in the future. Doom and gloom don't have any place amongst the mighty Patou herd. Alpacas are fabulous animals they usually produce a fabulous product. Individuals have to know about them. We as alpaca breeders, small or giant, have a duty to spread the phrase. So what are you ready for?

For years, Finland has been the by-phrase for a successful schooling system, perched at the top of worldwide league tables for literacy and numeracy. Solely far jap countries such as Singapore and China outperform the Nordic nation within the influential Programme for International Pupil Assessment (PISA) rankings. Politicians and schooling consultants from around the world – including the UK – have made pilgrimages to Helsinki in the hope of identifying and replicating the secret of its success. Which makes it all the more exceptional that Finland is about to embark on one of the most radical education reform programmes ever undertaken by a nation state – scrapping traditional “teaching by subject” in favour of “teaching by topic”. Pasi Silander, the city’s development supervisor, explained: “What we need now's a special kind of schooling to organize folks for working life. Young individuals use fairly advanced computers. Up to now the banks had numerous financial institution clerks totting up figures however now that has totally modified. Topic-particular lessons – an hour of historical past within the morning, an hour of geography within the afternoon – are already being phased out for 16-yr-olds in the city’s higher colleges.

Yard Hen Coop - Cops Might Take Your Chickens Away! Writer: Stan Evans You may have already got an area laid out in your backyard rooster coop. However have you ever thought-about the legal problems with owning chickens? Yes there may be plenty of speak about proudly owning chickens. Sure they supply healthy organic eggs and you'll learn that it is easy to build a chicken coop yourself. However not many people will let you know the authorized ordinances of owning farm animals. Publisher: James Harley There are so many the reason why anybody with a vacant lot and the time to spare to start out caring for chickens. Raising chickens for meat is just one among them. For some, waking up early in the morning to harvest recent free vary eggs is most rewarding. If you happen to happen to be just a newbie and delighted of the concept on learn how to efficiently begin your own rooster farm. Yard Hen Coops - How Does Building Yard Rooster Coops Change Your Lifestyle? Publisher: Daphne Schmitz Spending some huge cash on organic chickens and eggs? Many persons are selecting to construct their own backyard rooster coops to avoid wasting money. The question, however, is how a lot will it truly impact your current At Hensting Alpacas Hampshire (visit website) life-style?

It was the moment that I've been waiting for. I could really feel the emotion constructing, I am welling up writing this, how ridiculous is that? IT WAS QJORI TIME. Right here he is, the moment in my reminiscence is all a bit of a blur. Kathy having a very good look at Qjori, who's name caused a little bit of an issue with the ring commentator! Qjori was awarded first place and on this picture you'll be able to see a big brown alpaca next to a big bald man quietly blubbing away as tears of joy hit the present ring flooring. Just prior to that shot I had looked up and seen Angus leaping about with joy in the stands. It was the one that basically mattered. It was the massive one. All of us knew it. I could not assist myself. Subsequent was the Championship. I had already been in for the black female Championship with Ruby, the brown feminine Championship with Reeya and now I was in the brown male Championship with not only Qjori but in addition Roger Resilient.

So, how did we get on? Well, I managed to safe the handling services of the Silver Fox himself, Trevor Selby, collector of many gray alpaca associated rosettes, as a handler for the junior grey male class. Vickery and Wasimba were in a highly competitive line up so I gave Vickery to Trevor, (thinking that Wasimba was a bit denser, I sensed glory for myself) and I was very pleased with a third and 4th place. The Silver Fox, relatively too smugly for my liking, took the third place rosette with Vickers. Mmm, what do I do know anyway? The choose, Cathy Lloyd, stated some very nice issues about them each and they will stay within the present workforce for the rest of the season. Umberto and i then did 'the stroll of shame', collectively, heads held excessive. It was then Tsar and Talisker time and having fired Trevor, for being too much of a glory hunter, I took on Karen, from Amiryck, as a handler. The rooster coop system is suitable to what you need. The hassle is quiet profitable and is important for people to domesticate them. The necessity for coop system for chickens are vital. The try is quiet worthwhile and is necessary for folks to advertise them. Chickens have the life as now we have and their correct care could be very crucial. Rooster is one of the best food delicacies everywhere in the world. To supply a healthy rooster it is prudent to keep them in proper hygiene setting. The Coop plan is perhaps one of the best method to groom chickens. The coops plan depend on the rooster grooming because when you groom chickens in home you will require a small space however while you intend to go industrial you have to have a larger room. Chickencoopplans123.com has many varieties of designs for commercial as well as non-public grooming of the bird. Contemplating the variety of grooming you may have optimistic advice from consultants regard to the house issues. The essential customized is to supply snug state of affairs for the chickens either horizontal or vertical.

0 notes