#fossicking

[shifter55]

The next episode of this would likely be about the conditions these are cut in, almost all of the new age crystal industry's labour comes from india, and in places known for incredible labour rights violations. Or you could talk about the mining conditions in the (primarily) African regions in which the material is sourced? The general lack of blatant disregard for quality and human safety runs to practically every aspect of this industry. If you are interested in minerals and crystals and don't want to deal with the mislabelling and outright scams, you are better off locating and joining lapidary/fossicking/rockhounding clubs and forums over anything with the mineral or crystal collecting label.

So I wanted to know what kind of crystal could go in a wizard staff, right? so I googled “big crystal,” as one does, and got an Etsy ad for This

And as you all know I Am currently taking a geology class, so I am probably more emotionally invested in minerals than usual. But that is...very obviously not a natural crystal.

So I did some looking around on Etsy.

Now, these shops all seem to advertise to the “witchy”/“spiritual healing” type of person. And there are a lot of them. Crystals are a Big Thing on Etsy. And ALMOST ALL of them are obviously artificially cut into the same sort of prism with a triangular pyramid top, regardless of the actual sort of crystal it is supposed to be.

Even like, fucking, obsidian. Obsidian is volcanic glass, it doesn’t form crystals at all, it is not a crystal

I’m not throwing any shade at people who are into crystals for like witchy reasons, but it really seems like if crystals are spiritually important to you, you should know what a crystal is...right...?

[alasarys]

norrussell + blanket? 🧡

💙🧡 A snippet of sappiness ...

It's not what George was looking for in the cupboard, behind plastic containers of Posca pens and sketchbooks, neatly packed CDJs and a frankly astonishing number of shoeboxes, at least half of which, it turns out, are filled with beaded bracelets from fans. It shouldn't have been possible to find it, because George had got the distinct impression that Lando chucked it years ago – “What would I do with that, mate? Got the real thing now. Much better.”

Nonetheless, several house moves and one possibly-a-bit-of-a-fib later, there it is, carefully folded so it fits into a Nike Air Force 1 dust bag, in the deepest recesses of their cupboard. George tucks the blanket with his face on it back into the space it came from. “Sentimental git,” he murmurs as he continues his search. 

(send me a ship/character and a prompt, and I'll give you five sentences)

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Word List: Sick

beautiful words with the word "sick" to try to include in your next poem/story

Airsick - affected with motion sickness associated with flying

Brainsick - mentally disordered

Carsick - affected with motion sickness especially in an automobile

Cropsick - sick from excess in eating or drinking

Fossick - to search about; rummage

Greensick - in pathology: refers to chlorosis (i.e., an iron-deficiency anemia formerly common in adolescent girls that may impart a greenish tint to the skin)

Heartsick - very despondent; depressed

Homesick - longing for home and family while absent from them

Lovesick - longing for, marked by, or expressive of a desire for romantic love

Oversick - excessively unwell

Seasick - motion sickness experienced on the water

Sickbay - a compartment in a ship used as a dispensary and hospital; broadly: a place for the care of the sick or injured

Sickbed - the bed on which one lies sick

Sickle - an agricultural implement consisting of a curved metal blade with a short handle fitted on a tang

Sicklily - in a sickly manner

Sickroom - a room in which a person is confined by sickness

If any of these words make their way into your next poem/story, please tag me, or leave a link in the replies. I would love to read them!

More: Word Lists

[womblegrinch]

Frederick August Neubauer (1855-1945) - Birth of Venus

Oil on canvas. Painted in 1893.

48.6 x 28.5 inches, 123.5 x 72.5. Estimate: £3,000-4,000.

Sold Roseberys, London, 12 March 2025 for £3,410 incl B.P.

Born 23 April 1855 to Friedrich Ludwig Neubauer and Anna Catharina Zimmerman Neubauer. Neubauer died 17 July 1945 and was buried in Walnut Hills Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio. Neubauer was married to Ottilia Fischer Neubauer and had 4 children: Estella Neubauer, Alma Neubauer Ramsey, August Neubauer, Amor Neubauer.

70-acre Walnut Hills Cemetery began as a 5-acre plot of land known as The Second German Protestant Cemetery in 1843. As well as Neubauer, his parents, three sisters, wife, and his four children are also buried there.

If you are here via Tumblr then this will be of little interest to you, though perhaps more so if you've googled him. Roseberys did not list a date of death in the catalogue, nor did Christie's when they sold this painting in 2003 (for alot more). Nor does Artnet and neither does Invaluable. However, it only took ten minutes of fossicking about with Mr Google for the pair of us to find the information on peoplelegacy.com. You don't have to be an expect in any given field (I'm certainly testament to that) to be able to add something to the narrative. No one deserves to be forgotten.

[punchspeedchunk]

My last purchase from @bekkathyst arrived today! So you know what that means?

COOL ROCKS TIME!

This is just the parts of my collection I've been able to find since moving into a house I will (hopefully) be able to spend several years in. I don't know where all my tumbled stones are, and I know I'm missing some of my tiny carved ones (I have a moonstone moon and labradorite star somewhere), but I'm finally able to display them PROPERLY.

Having said that, I could NOT get the lighting to show the new Wolf Carving's flash except when it was freshly unwrapped on my desk (plus little extra flashy sunstone that came with, THANK YOU BEKKA ITS GORGEOUS!!!). But I had to show it displayed with it's partner, the lead crystal casting I made way back in 2010 during my undergrad (took glass electives while doing jewellery major. I also made the milk jug and the little purple vase. The pretty red/copper one is from Malta though I did not make that).

I have rearranged the shelves a bit more after taking the photos, but I have a lot of specimens purchased from Bekka, as well as several from my GF @dullgecko who does Lapidary, and one or two that I Fossicked myself. Plus ones I bought or was gifted over many maaaaaany years.

In particular though, you can see that little yellow half-heart displayed in a frame - That's one my GF Free-hand shaped out of a man made material called Nanosital - it changes colour depending on the light you hold it under! So under the lamp (daylight) it's golden yellow, but when I hold it to my flourescent in the bathroom, it's pink! It's hard to see just how drastic the light change is since it's day time, but it's SUCH a dramatic flip in colour.

Nanosital is made to switch in a variety of colours, not just Yellow/Pink, and it imitates natural stones that can do this like Alexandrite (which is suuuuuper fucking rare and so expensive).

And also she gave me a lil opalite keychain dong ;P

The two in the last pic are an Amethyst I got as a teenager, so one of my oldest pieces, and a rose quartz (Yes it is ROSE QUARTZ) that my grandma got from my late uncle, but it has bleached out completely because she kept it in direct sunlight for years. It also has the roughest polish I have ever come across, no idea where my uncle got it.

Anyway feel free to ask about any of the pieces and I'll see what i can remember lol. And now i wanna figure out a better lighting setup for my cabinet. hmmm.

[galleryofart]

The Prospector

Artist: Julian Ashton (Australian, 1851-1942)

Date: 1889

Medium: Oil on canvas on hardboard

Collection: Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

Description

The discovery of gold in Australia the 1850s enticed thousands of fortune hunters from here and across the globe into a frenzy of digging, scouring and fossicking for riches.

In 1889 when Julian Ashton painted 'The prospector', the height of the gold rush was over and many of the eclectic bunch of itinerant prospectors had abandoned the goldfields. As such, Ashton’s painting, a nostalgic conception of the prospector, was posed and painted in his studio. A pick and shovel have been carefully arranged at the prospector’s feet while he intently examines the contents of his panning dish for that elusive glimmer. Ashton portrays the prospector as a hard-working, strong and self-reliant character – virtues which at the time were central to the notion of Australian character and emerging identity. Ashton’s vision of the heroic prospector feeds into mythologies of the gold rush being dominated by British and Irish men when, in fact, the goldfields were populated by diggers from many countries including China, Germany, Italy and Poland.

[mybeingthere]

Sarah Amos, originally from Australia, left home after receiving a BFA in Printmaking from RMIT, to attend the Tamarind Institute of Lithography in New Mexico. In 1992 she became a certified Tamarind Master Printer in Lithography. In 1998 Sarah became the Master Printer for the Vermont Studio Center Press until 2008 and during this time she also received an MFA from the University of Northern Vermont. Sarah has been an Adjunct Professor at Dartmouth, Williams and Bennington Colleges teaching Printmaking and Drawing since 2007.

Sarah tells: "I grew up in a very artistic family, which I initially took for granted. It was not until I was in my teens that I realized the great accomplishments of the artisans within my family. My grandfather, Len Annois, was an accomplished student of naturalism who specialized in landscape painting and large Fresco murals and devoted his life to his work, and my grandmother, Mavis, was a gifted ceramicist and weaver. One of my favorite memories was going into my grandfather’s large studio, fossicking around and playing with all the painting and ceramic tools, charcoal drawings and paintings.

My mother, Rosie, has also been a huge influence as she, too, is a talented artist; she has worked in landscape and abstract painting, fashion and interior design. My mother is a whirlwind of creative energy, and when I was a child, was regularly covered in paint, flour or fabric, while making things on various tables all over the house, with a dog often curled up beneath her feet. She wanted to work with her hands and to make beautiful objects that in return gave her deep satisfaction. Her drive and commitment were infectious. I witnessed and absorbed all of this creativity from the edge of the table.

When I got older, I went to art school in Australia and received an undergraduate degree in printmaking. I soon left Australia for Albuquerque, New Mexico where I had been accepted into Tamarind Institute, an institute that solely focused on lithography (lithography is a printmaking technique that includes drawing with grease pencils and washes onto limestone blocks, chemically treating it to offset onto paper). I loved the alchemy and hands-on physicality of lithography.

[skydarcyedwards]

No thoughts, head empty.

Quenda, southern brown bandicoot, Isoodon fusciventer. They are sometimes... not very aware. I briefly thought this one was frozen in fear, but it went back to happily fossicking for food right at my feet.

Sky Edwards

2022

Canon 60D

Canon EF 100-400 L IS USM

[kissesandarsenic]

I think about you constantly. When I’m at work, no matter what I’m doing or where I’m at, I get so hard and imagine all the things you’d do to me or have me do for you. I get excited knowing I get to touch myself to You after work. I wonder what I could do to make your day/life easier, being your servant, and your slut 😵‍💫

Good. That's the way it should be.

Like a parasite that burrows it's way into your brain and starts fossicking around. Pulling strings, altering your wants and desires, making sure every connection leads back to me.

I want that initial like and attraction to turn to obsession. Morals turning caustic until they're nonexistent. You're just a servant willing to do anything for a lick of attention. For the chance to pump that cocklet of yours into your fist so you can cum all over yourself.

And that sounds better than any other dream a desperate little thing like you could ever come up with. Doesn't it?

[phenomenalgems]

🌀 To round out 2024, I’ll be counting down our 10 favorite finds of the year!

Starting with #10: pyritized Ammonite fossils we dug at Schieferbruch Kromer quarry, in Ohmden, Germany. The famous Posidonia shale in this region has yielded Jurassic fossils like icthyosaurs, crinoids, aquatic reptiles, and so much more. These diminutive beauties were a fabulous souvenir to bring back from Germany!

🇩🇪 #favoritefindsoftheyear #pyritizedammonites #germanfossils #schieferbruchkromer #holzmaden #ohmden #rockhoundinggermany #fossicking #rockhounding #phenomenalgems

[tgmsunmontue]

Can't buy me love 1/3

Hangster, Explicit, ~16k (complete, posting chapter/day)

(Part of the Top Gun AU Bingo - squares for Ranch, Single parent, Billionaire, and semi power-balance).

MANY BELATED THANKS to @nevergettingoverit for the beta and correcting all my typos and the discussion of the word fossick.

Summary: Jake doesn't need help around the ranch, but he's not going to turn down cheap able-bodied labor either. He's not stupid. The fact that Bradley knows nothing about ranching doesn't exactly help his case, but he's a fast learner.

---------

                Jake had had plans. He’d planned to get out of Texas and away from his family, as loving and supportive as they are… None of his plans had come to fruition.

                None of his plans had included getting his high school girlfriend pregnant.

                None of his plans had included becoming a single parent when his girlfriend then died in a freak accident when their baby was only a few months old.

                None of his plans had included never leaving the state of Texas.

                None of his plans had included studying agriculture, business and keeping up to date with stock bloodlines.

                None of his plans had included raising a young girl in Texas for fifteen years.

                None of his plans had included being single at thirty-three and with no-one he’d consider having something serious with.

                And yet here he is, and while he finds himself lonely in the evenings, he can visit his parents’ house, or any of his siblings. He can go into town and see some of his friends. Find someone to scratch the particular carnal itch he gets sometimes when he isn’t tired from working all day.

                Despite all of that he wouldn’t change his life. Ashley is amazing and delights him every day, even when she swings between terrifying and annoying.

                So his plans had changed, but he’d made new ones and maybe put his dreams on a shelf. He can get them down, dust them off, and look at them later.

…            …            …

                He sees her leading a horse out of the stables, knows it’s not late enough for her to have done all her chores if she also had homework, but she’s already got a horse saddled up for riding.

                “Ashley! You done your homework?” he calls out, jogging a little to reach her so she can’t pretend to not hear him and simply ride off.

                “Ugh. Yes dad, of course I have. I did it in study period. Anyway, I’m just going to grandmas to help in the garden.”

                “Oh, okay. You’re a good girl. Ride carefully.”

                “Always do!”

                He watches until he can’t really make her out, knows she’ll be well in sight of his mom’s kitchen window now, that while she’s between his house and his parents’ place she’s the safest she can be.

…            …            …

                He’s not expecting anyone, so his eyes narrow when he sees the tell-tale cloud of dust indicating a car is headed toward him. It gives him time to wipe his hands, to just place himself in a slightly more defensible spot than out in the wide open space of the yard. A dusty beaten-up truck comes to a slow stop, engine switched off and then a man is getting out, alone and he looks harmless. Jake doesn’t shift, looks can be deceiving.

                “Hello, can I help you?”

                “Hi. The woman, Michelle, at the diner in town, said you might be looking for workers?”

                Jake runs his eyes up and down his body, and he’s in t-shirt and jeans, but clean and tidy, clearly not worn on a ranch doing hard labor.

                “What’s your name?”

                “Bradley Mitchell.”

                “Jake Seresin” Jake offers, holding his hand out. “Ever ridden a horse?”

                “Nope.”

                “Ever roped or dealt with cattle before?”

                “Nope.”

                “Ever stepped foot on a working ranch before today?”

                “Nope.”

                Jake raises an eyebrow and bites back the comment about not expecting a greenhorn that’s his age, especially not one that is wanting to work on a ranch.

                “How about you tell me what skills you do have,” Jake offers, because maybe the guy will surprise him.

                “I have a degree in mechanical engineering. I’m good at fixing things that are broken. I can follow instructions, am able bodied and am keen to learn. And I don’t need paying until you feel I’m worth paying.”

                Jake raises an eyebrow at that, because that’s one hell of a bargaining chip he just put on the table. Not that they’re hurting for money at all, but free labor is still free labor. However it also raises a couple of red flags, because people aren’t usually willing to go unpaid if they have nothing to hide.

                “You got any ID on you?”

                Bradley pulls out a driver’s license, one for California, and it definitely shows his name as Bradley Mitchell. Hmm. So not hiding that at least. And he’s a couple of years older than Jake. The guy in the photo looks healthier than the one standing in front of him, but he’s not going to judge. He rubs at his face, not really sure, because it’s not like they’re in desperate need for help either. But he does need some help, there’s always work to be done and never enough time or hands to do it all. He pulls out his phone and takes a quick photo of both sides of the license before handing it back to him.

                “You’ll get room and board and a small allowance a week, then after a month we can talk a weekly pay rate if you feel like sticking around. Earlier if I think you’re worth it.”

                “Sounds fair,” Bradley agrees easily. Too easily.

                Jake just hums and shows him to the bunkhouse.

…            …            …

                He rings the sheriff and asks her to do a check on a Bradley Mitchell from California, says he’s bringing him on to live on the ranch so just wants to keep his family safe and he knows it’s calling in a favor but he also has Ashley to consider and it still feels like the bare minimum, and he should still ask to do a reference check, but people can lie so easily, can be bought so easily, that he’d rather just watch and make his own judgement call. He sends through the photos he took, knows it’ll probably take a day or two, that she has more important things to do than run a background check, but it’ll happen. Just to be safe he asks his mom to keep Ashley at her place.

…            …            …

                The next morning he heads out to the bunkhouse earlier than usual, not needing to get Ashley to school, which gives him more time. He introduces Bradley to the other three cowhands, explains with a dry expression that Bradley has zero experience so will be shadowing Jake so he can learn some basics. And Jake stresses that he means the basics, which gets a few sniggers from the others but, well, without the ability to ride a horse or deal with cattle he is pretty useless. However there are jobs he can assist Jake with, that free up one of the others, so it does work out. He sends the others out, gives them a list of jobs and they leave with tips of their hats, Mikey giving his shoulder a shove and a muttered good luck under his breath.

                “So, you ever collected eggs before?”

                The look Bradley gives him is dry, like he clearly thinks Jake is an idiot for asking given their conversation the day before and Jake gives him a conceding look, gesture for him to follow him out to the coop.

                “Okay. So you gotta be careful the shell is hardened. Too fresh and the shell will be warm and you picking it up will just crack the entire thing. Okay? If the chickens are still sitting sometimes it’s best to just leave them and come back later. If they’re broody then they won’t move, and some will give you hell if you even try.”

                “Okay. I didn’t understand half of that.”

                Jake laughs and then walks him through it all, actually shows him how to collect the eggs. Decides to leave them all in the bunkhouse kitchen despite it usually being split fifty-fifty with his own house; he doesn’t want to take Bradley there, he is still a stranger.

                He starts doing some of the two-man jobs or tricky ones which just become so much simpler when there is another pair of steady hands. They re-fence all of one side of two paddocks, and he’s pleased to note that Bradley is indeed able bodied and able to follow instructions. He asks for clarification when he doesn’t understand something, rather than assuming or guessing and Jake appreciates it, because it means they’re doing the job once, the right way, the first time. That level of maturity is a benefit then, not afraid to ask questions and appear clueless in the face of new tasks. Jake definitely prefers it over some cocky kid who thinks he knows everything and then fucks up, wasting time and resources.

                Despite his tidy fingernails and soft-looking hands he doesn’t shy away from any of the jobs that Jake has him help with. Seems equally content mucking out the stables as he is using a post-hole augur, makes observations about fence placements, and land features, which tells Jake he’s probably well versed in some theory of land use, if never exposed to the physical and practical side of it. He arranges for Ashley to stay at his parents again and rings Mandy and learns that the check has come back clear, except for one parking ticket in San Francisco. Okay. So not a serial killer. Or at least not that has a trail of bodies attached to him. If there is anything it’ll be white-collar crime, because Jake’s still suspicious as hell.

                He doesn’t think of himself as overly protective, but he is careful. The fact that he’s taken Bradley on with just a simple background check, no references… other than checking he wasn’t a wanted criminal. He doesn’t get bad vibes from him, just… he’s hiding something and Jake’s not going to go prying, because every man is entitled to his privacy. Except he also has a responsibility to keep his child and family safe, so he doesn’t blame himself if he’s a little more watchful of Bradley than he is of his other workers.

…            …            …

                He has to relax his guard eventually though, Ashley getting impatient about getting back to her own bedroom and she gives him the stink eye when she is dropped home by his dad the next evening, her horse in a trailer because it’s after dark and he won’t let her ride when it’s dark. He invites his dad down to the bunkhouse to meet Bradley. His dad has always been a good judge of character and is even tempered, he’d like his opinion. The other cowhands greet his dad with friendly backslaps and greetings, introduce Bradley themselves and Jake just shrugs, excuses himself to go back to the house and check on Ashley and apologize probably.

                He’s right on the money, he does have to apologize and promise she’s allowed a sleepover that coming weekend. He also makes pancakes with fruit for dinner, a more silent apology for being overprotective. He knows she can look after herself, has ensured she knows how to use a gun, some basic self-defense. But he knows he’ll never forgive himself if something happens to her that he could have somehow prevented. All the other workers are men he’s known for over ten years. He went to high school with Mikey. Having someone new, someone he doesn’t know, makes him feel a little uneasy.

                His dad turns up two hours later, wide smile in place and he’s nodding his head, clearly impressed by whatever conversation he’s had with Bradley.

                “Leave him with me, I can show him a few things.”

                “Thanks dad.”

                It will help, if he’s able to get out with the others and drive the cattle, two teams of two working much more effectively, even if Mikey and his dogs work seamlessly as a team all by themselves. His dad worked this ranch for years before Jake took over most of the day-to-day running. He can leave a list of jobs that his dad can do and show Bradley, jobs he wouldn’t generally ask his dad to do now, not with him getting on in years, but he is capable of teaching and knowledgeable in what needs to be done, so getting him to help with Bradley just makes sense.

                The next day goes quickly, working with the others and he wants to keep checking in on his dad, who had collected Bradley that morning. He’s glad Ashley is at school, doesn’t need his attention split three ways rather than focusing on the tasks at hand; two ways is bad enough, but he can’t help it. Not until he knows Bradley Mitchell better and gets a feel of his character. He’s washing up when his dad finds him, Ashley doing her homework at the table.

                “He’s a fast learner. Knows some weird things, but sometimes oddly useful. He came up and looked at my old truck you know, got the engine turning over but said he’d need a couple new parts to get it running properly.”

                “Huh. Okay then,” Jake says, because so far everything is working out. “And what feeling did you get off him?”

                “That he likes to be useful. And that he’s…” his dad lets out a long sigh. “Lonely? No. Isolated maybe? He’s not sad or upset, but there’s something.”

                Jake nods, because yeah, he’d got that feeling too. He’s just not sure what to do about it.

…            …            …

                While Bradley clearly can’t ride a horse or herd cattle he can cook, something the others appreciate when they come back to the bunkroom kitchen in the evening and there is a stew bubbling away with what looks like bread rolls rising in a dish, ready to be slid into the oven.

                “You can cook.”

                “I can. Didn’t think of listing it amongst my skills when I introduced myself.”

                “Well, it’ll endear you to the others a lot more if it tastes as good as it smells. They’ll put up with a lot if they’re getting fed well.”

…            …            …

                “Ashley! Are you wearing makeup?”

                “Yeah.”

                “Where did you get makeup from? When did you get makeup?” Jake asks, and his daughter is sixteen, he knows she isn’t too young for it, but it makes her look so much older and his heart can’t handle this, seeing his little girl, looking so much like her mother, getting ready to leave the house for school.

                “Grandma took me. Plus she took me for some lessons, said what she knew wouldn’t be suitable for my skin tone. Kathryn and PJ are still allowed to come over tomorrow right?”

                “Yeah. Of course,” Jake says, because apology sleepover. Right.

…            …            …

                He finishes for the day and he goes in search of Bradley. His dad had called him, left a message telling him he’d sent Bradley back on a horse of all things, which is a small miracle considering a week ago the man couldn’t ride. But also his dad had suggested that Bradley might need help getting off the horse, so he has to go and check to ensure Bradley isn’t lying somewhere injured. He heads to the stable first and Jake finds him immediately, all in one piece and apparently uninjured, leaning against the fence and watching Ashley ride in the arena doing basic jumps.

                “Afternoon.”

                “Afternoon,” Bradley greets back, but he keeps watching Ashley and Jake tries to not let that bother him. “She’s good…”

                “You can barely tell the front end of a horse from the back, you can’t tell if she’s good or not.”

                “Hmm. Touche. Except your dad’s been giving me riding lessons the last few days. Then this afternoon he said I could ride back here, or walk the horse with a lead. I rode, but I then had to get her help to get off the horse.”

                Jake snorts, he’s glad Ashley was there to help, because he can imagine the damage Bradley could have caused if he’d tried to dismount without help when he’s not used to riding, but he’d been trying to keep them separated.

                “How’s the body holding up?”

                “I have muscles I didn’t even know existed. I think your dad has been limiting it so I don’t become completely useless,” Bradley says with a quiet laugh and Jake would put money on his dad doing exactly that.

                “You’ll get used to it.”

                “So everyone keeps telling me,” Bradley says quietly. “She seems like a good kid. Happy,” Bradley says, and his dad’s words come back to him from a few days ago. Isolated. He wants to dig a little now. Also he wants to head off any questions about how young he is to have a sixteen year old.

                “My god-father has a step-daughter the same age, she reminds me of her…”

                “What’s her name?”

                “Huh? Oh. Amelia. And my god-father is Pete and his wife is Penny… anything else you want to know?”

                “Well, I figure you’re either running or hiding from something. Just don’t want you to bring any trouble to our door…”

                “I feel like I’ve been running my whole life. I guess I’m trying out the staying in one place for a bit…” Bradley says, and his eyes are still on Ashley as she rides around the arena and Jake sucks in a breath, needs to be upfront because he gains nothing by beating around the subject.

                “Well, I’m a little protective, so maybe don’t spend too much time watching her okay? Might give me the wrong idea.”

                Bradley surprises him then by laughing and coughing in an awkward combination that leaves him almost choking, head shaking when Jake offers to slap him on the back.

                “Sorry, sorry… just… no. So many levels of no. She’s a kid. Young enough to be my kid, and also I’m… I’m gay. So I’m not ever going to be, uh, interested, even if she were ten years older…”

                It’s like he’s braced himself for a punch and Jake wonders how many times he’s maybe been hit for just blurting it out like that.

                “Gay people exist in Texas.”

                “Do they? Could have fooled me.”

                “Bisexual people too. You’re fine,” Jake says, looking away, because he doesn’t come-out to many people, let alone strangers he’s known less than a week, even if they miss it as an actual acknowledgement of his own sexuality. However if Bradley hangs around long enough he’ll likely hear about him anyway, he’s definitely a favorite subject of conversation.

                “Okay… good to know thanks. Also I won’t bring any trouble to your door. I’m not in any trouble. The only people looking for me are my family. And I’m not an asshole, they know I’m alive. Just not where I am exactly. I just… need a break. And you’re good to be cautious. You don’t know me.”

                Jake nods, wonders what has maybe happened that he can just walk away from his family, job and life and walk onto a ranch in the middle of nowhere Texas and hide away from the world.

…            …            …

                “You okay baby?” Jake asks, watching as Ashley taps a pen against her bottom lip.

                “Yeah, this calculus is kicking my butt though.”

                “Yeah, I can’t help with that sorry. You want me to see about getting a tutor or something?”

                “No, I’ll ask Mr Mallory and see if he can explain it again. I’ve almost got it, but there’s just like… something I’m missing.”

                “Okay, well you let me know. I’m just going to go and lock up.”

                He heads out to double check the gates, stops by the bunk house and it’s not late by any stretch, he knows the others have headed into town to blow off some steam, which just leaves Bradley Mitchell at the kitchen table, long legs stretched out, reading a book, quietly drinking a cup of something that doesn’t smell like coffee at all. Probably some type of tea.

                “Evening again,” Bradley greets, clearly relaxed and not bothered by Jake suddenly appearing.

                “You said you had a degree in mechanical engineering.”

                “Yeah.”

                “You do calculus?”

                Bradley nods slowly, clearly unsure where Jake is taking this exactly.

                “Ashley is working through some problems, if you have some time over the weekend I’d appreciate it if you could maybe have a look.”

                “Yeah, of course. Got nothing but time. What jobs have you got lined up for me this weekend?”

                “Oh, you don’t have to work weekends.”

                “Jake. I don’t mind. I enjoy it.”

                Jake pauses and then shrugs.

                “You can join me for a few hours. I don’t do as much, like to spend my time with Ashley, riding or doing some catchup on the admin. But you’re right, animals don’t care about days of the week.”

                “Great. I’ll see you after breakfast then.”

                Jake nods, knows a dismissal when he hears one.

…            …            …

                When he gets up the next morning he can see Bradley already out and about, collecting eggs, horses released to pasture. As he watches Bradley stops and tilts his head back, facing the rising sun like he’s soaking it up and he looks calm and at peace, however Jake suspects he is anything but. Nevertheless he does seem to like it here and Jake feels more relaxed about him being around. He has breakfast, leaving Ashley to sleep in because he knows she’s going to have a late night with the sleepover and her friends being here. Also trying to wake her up is a battle he is not picking to have today. He leaves her a note and heads out, mind already on the little odd jobs that he and Bradley can get done.

                The day passes quickly, Bradley helping him pull some of the dead branches down and using the chainsaw to reduce it to moveable and usable pieces for firewood. They move some of the cattle, fix a couple of lines of fence, scrub out some troughs. He’s easy to be around, doesn’t try and fill the silence between them with meaningless chatter and Jake appreciates it, despite his burning curiosity. They head back for lunch and Jake says he’s finished working for the day, but he’ll do some riding that afternoon if Bradley wants the practice. He concedes he definitely needs it.

                They split for lunch and he spends some time with Ashley, talking about school and her upcoming tests. He goes and does the admin, pays bills for feed and veterinarian services, materials and other costs. The accounts are all nice and healthy and in good shape, he’s got nothing to worry about, which is a good thing, he can save all his worry for Ashley and her future. Not that she doesn’t have a significant college fund, her mother’s college fund going to her and her mother’s side of the family all topping it up for years. She’ll have her choice of places.

                Of course when he finds him later he’s sitting side-by-side with Ashley, a textbook held in his hands and he’s pointing at something and talking. Ashley is nodding, scrunches her face in disgust and Bradley laughs, shakes his head, pokes at the book again. Then her face lights up, like she’s suddenly got it and his heart swells and he gets closer, can hear what they’re saying.

                “Thank you so much. I just wasn’t getting it. You explained it way better than Mr Mallory.”

                “What was the issue?” Jake asks.

                “Application of separation of variables,” Bradley states, and Ashley nods and Jake can do nothing but nod and smile, his own calculus at high school so long behind him it’s a hazy memory at best.

                “So much easier to understand now. That’s all my homework done now dad! Which means I can ride until my friends get here.”

                “You still have your chores.”

                “Nope! They’ve already been done. Bradley did them already.”

                “I didn’t realize they were her jobs on the weekends. Ashley, you let me know if you have any more questions. Happy to help.”

                “Thanks Bradley! Tomorrow I can teach you how to get off a horse properly.”

                The look on Bradley’s face is self-deprecating and Jake would tell Ashley off for being rude, but he thinks she legitimately wants to help Bradley with something he can’t do so he just does his best to hide a smile, glad that clearly Bradley doesn’t have an easily bruised ego.

                “Sorry about the whole chores thing, didn’t mean to step on any toes.”

                “It’s fine, I should have told you. Totally slipped my mind to be honest. As long as they get done, I don’t care. She’s a good kid, she still went and checked. Thanks for helping her with the math.”

                “Any time. Was good to do something different with the brain.”

                “You’re welcome to come for dinner. The girls will be making pizza.”

                “Oh, thank you, but I have been to one teenage girl sleepover and I ended up with braided hair, glittery gel nails and a facemask which I am certain is used for torture by the military. Never again.”

                “I bet your skin felt amazing afterwards though,” Jake says, lips twitching in amusement.

                “I can neither confirm nor deny. I will leave you to your evening.”

…            …            …

           ��    Jake’s mom insists on coming to spend the night for the sleepover, like he can’t handle four teenage girls. He’s just going to let them have free reign in the kitchen and hope for the best. However he is glad of his mom’s presence when Angelique is the mom in question to drop the other four girls off. All of the moms and dads of Ashley’s friends are at least ten years older than him, which isn’t that much and definitely doesn’t stop any of them making a pass at him, men and women both, married and divorced. He’s learnt to be very careful about who he is anything more than passingly polite with, lest they take it the wrong way. Angelique is one of the still-married and pushy as hell types and he’s glad he can leave his mom to the negotiating and instructions, doesn’t need to have her running her fingers over his arm as she asks him if he needs any help.

                She does eventually leave, his mom an expert at making it clear she does not need to stay and is in fact, not welcome to stay. The sleepover goes flawlessly, in that he’s back in Ashley’s good graces, makes them all pancakes for breakfast and then arranges to take them all to church, where they’ll be collected by their parents; two girls going with his mom and two with him and Ashley. He isn’t particularly religious, but he does like the sense of community, when they discuss at the end how some people need help with hay baling, or others with harvesting, or branding and he’s always willing to help out. While he’s been the subject of their gossip more often than not, they’ve also been the first to help him or his family.

                He’s back at the ranch by lunch, leaving Ashley with his mom so she can continue to socialize and be dropped home later. He can use the excuse of needing to get back to the chores, although he suspects that Bradley has likely already taken care of some of the more critical ones. Sure enough the horse feed has all been topped up, their stalls mucked out and the horses themselves out in the pasture where Jake had let them out earlier that morning. He finds Bradley in the kitchen, and he’s just wearing jeans and t-shirt, but is barefoot and is kneading what he assumes is bread dough. Everyone else has the day off, and he should have told Bradley he didn’t expect him to do anything.

                “Where did everyone disappear to this morning?” Bradley asks and Jake stares.

                “It’s Sunday…”

                “Yeah. And?” Bradley asks, as if it’s a standard day of the week and clearly for him it is, not like how it’s ingrained for Jake as the day he goes to church. A look of realization comes over his face. “Oh. Everyone goes to church?”

                “Yeah.”

                “Huh.”

                “Sorry, didn’t think to see if you wanted to come. You’re welcome to come along next week if you want. If you want to be the center of attention and have a bunch of people talk about you behind your back that is.”

                “Why do you go if they do that?”

                “Oh. That happens regardless of whether I go to church or not,” Jake states, because it does. He got used to it when he was the seventeen year old father of a new baby, and then the looks had become slightly pitying when Jessica had died. Then they’d continued to watch him, and the looks had turned approving and respectful. He knows he’s proven a lot of people wrong, and he knows he has his parents to thank for their unwavering support.

                “Yeah, I get that.”

                “Anyway, I just wanted to say I don’t expect you to work every day, you’re entitled to days off.” Bradley’s grinning at him and Jake rolls his eyes. “I’m aware I’m not currently paying you anything, and you could decide to just… walk out the gate if you wanted to. But don’t go thinking you need to work yourself to the bone for me or anything.”

                He catches a brief something in the look Bradley gives him and he doesn’t even have time to parse it before Bradley’s laughing.

                “I might make a couple of phone calls home, let them know I’m okay. Once I’ve got this bread rising anyway.”

                Jake just nods, says he’ll leave him to it, because Bradley had mentioned family, and of course he is staying in touch with them. He has a life away from here, one he will likely return to once he’s gotten the break he said he wanted.

…            …            …

                Another week ticks by, the routine becomes settled again, Bradley’s presence still not standard, he asks far too many questions for anyone to be able to just ignore him, but he has found multiple ways to make himself useful, playing to his strengths. He’s become an infinitely better rider, Ashley taking him out every time she rides herself, and it surprises him that he trusts Bradley with her. Although when he learns Bradley has been talking to her about all the places he’s visited it makes Jake wonder if he’s making it up simply to make Ashley’s wanderlust greater, or whether he is as well travelled as he talks.

                He catches him talking on the phone one evening, his voice soft and he’s reassuring someone, asking them about school and he suspects it’s maybe the person Bradley had mentioned, his step-father’s god-daughter or something? He can’t remember, but the fact that Bradley is talking to her tells him it’s someone important to him. He walks away, not wanting to eavesdrop any more than he already has, but it makes something else in him settle, that Bradley isn’t as footloose and fancy free as he’d first thought. That he does have roots and people he cares about, even if he’s away from them right now.

                Another week slips by, and he realizes that the month trial is coming to an end. While Bradley isn’t an experienced ranch hand by any stretch of the imagination, not worth the money Jake is paying Mikey, he definitely makes himself busy and useful enough that Jake needs to consider paying him more than the tiny stipend he’s been leaving in an envelope for him every week. He finds him out riding, following Ashley’s directions and she’s trying to convince him to try a jump, which he is adamant about not trying.

                “Hey dad.”

                “Hey honey. How’s your favorite student coming along?”

                “He’s stubborn! And he won’t take any risks. Just keeps playing it safe…”

                “He’s also old and terrified about falling from a height and breaking a limb!” Bradley calls out, clearly having heard Ashley slandering his good name. Jake laughs.

                “You want to show him how it’s done dad?”

                Jake gives Bradley a look, there’s a flash of amused challenge and he feels a sudden flash of desire to look good in front of his kid and Bradley licking in his gut.

                “Yeah, why not. Come here and let me have a turn.”

                He watches as Bradley swings himself off, clearly more comfortable with that now and Jake immediately adjusts the stirrups before swinging himself up into the saddle, encouraging Chester into a gentle canter. There are jumps set up, clearly Ashley has been riding, her own horse loves jumping, whereas Chester is a steady and dependable work horse, able to jump when coaxed into it and given a firm hand, but the simple bars Ashley had laid on the ground for Bradley to apparently jump over wouldn’t have even made Chester blink. Getting used to a horse jumping is a learned skill though, and he’s glad Bradley at least is willing to speak up about his own limits. Jake never competed in any rodeo events growing up, but he still knows the mechanics of how they all work and he knows he can’t do anything on Chester that is more complicated than letting him just run and jump and hanging on for the ride. He clicks his tongue, jerks his head toward the gate and Ashley swings it open.

                “I’m going to take him for a quick run. I’ll be right back.”

                He lets out the reins then, leans forward and just urges Chester into a full gallop. It’s been a while since he’s just ridden fast for the sheer fun of it and he lets out a whoop of joy, glad that Chester doesn’t spook easily. It’s exhilarating and he makes a wide circle, doesn’t want to end up a long way away on a horse that’s run out of steam. When he comes back into the arena, he can feel the coiled energy and attention of Chester now focused and he heads into a loop, plotting out a route to take the lower jumps, because he does agree with Bradley, he also doesn’t want to fall and break a limb, even if it’s far less likely for him then it would be for Bradley. He completes the circuit and comes to a stop beside them, adrenaline buzzing through him and he jumps off, rubbing his hands over Chester’s neck in comfort and appreciation.

                “Damn that felt good.”

                “I can see where Ashley gets it from. That was amazing.”

                “Thanks.”

                There’s something in Bradley’s gaze and it’s been a while since Jake has had that directed at him, especially from someone who isn’t married, ten to fifteen years older, never had it directed toward him when he’s at home…

                Desire.

                Blatant open attraction.

                He licks his lips and Bradley’s eyes flick down, following the motion.

                Oh.

                God he really needs to get laid. And not with Bradley. Because he is Bradley’s… boss. Even if he’s not exactly paying him yet. He will be. Paying him that is. And not for anything else.

                Shit.

                He turns away, busies himself with Ashley, talking about her schoolwork, and putting the horses away and the moment, if it had even been a moment, slips away and Bradley is simply leading Chester back toward the stables, no longer looking at Jake.

(This is complete, posting a chapter a day)

CHAPTER TWO

[melancholic-marksman]

:D okay let me try another.

You must be moissanite, cuz you shine far brighter than a diamond

Alright alright tha’s enough. Gonna make yerself fosSICK. Heheh.

[egglygreg]

A while back I posted a list of Australian-isms I've been collecting for my story Strahliana, and, well, the list has grown quite a bit since then lol!

Here's what I've got so far with mostly no context:

Chucking a wobbly

Chucking a tanty

Bargey bum

Chin-wag

Going for a feed/have a feed

What a rip off

That's cooked

You'd better get a wriggle on

My dogs are barking (sore feet/toes)

Bloody beaut

You little beauty/ripper

Scarn on?

Cheeky mate

Flat out like a lizard drinking

Chook

Rock up

Tell him he's dreaming

Get decked

Howryagarn?

How ya travelling?

Too easy

Legend

Cheers mate

Darl' (darling)

Rubbish

Arvo

No drama

Snags

Swagman

Tah (thanks, give)

Sanga

Won't be a min

Far out!

She'll be right

Spruiking (promote, advertise, talk something up)

I'm deadset serious

Pull the other one

A few roos loose in the top paddock

Cool bananas

Heaps good

Crow eater

What are you on about?

Had a bit of a blue (a fight)

Derro, feral

Had a prang

Bucketing down

Old mate (derogatory)

Hard yakka

Onya

Go for ya life

Too easy

Whack it on

Cooee

Carrying on like a pork chop

Full as a goog

Cobber

Drongo

There ya go

What an absolute wombat

Silly galah

Bob's your uncle

3 dog night (it's bloody cold)

Absolutely rank (smelly)

Off like a bucket of prawns in the hot sun

Dunny

Stone the crows (surprise)

Spit the dummy

Have a kip

Brekkie

Oi!

No worries

Tucker

Have a gander

Agro

Cushie

Chuck a sickie

Cutting crook

Rug up

Stoked

D'ya reckon?

Shrapnel

Redback- $20 note

Whaler- $10 note

Fair crack of the whip

Have a whinge

My shout

Ripsnorter

Better than a kick up the bum

Pull the wool over their eyes

Spinning a yarn

Dodgy

Mosey- on

Billabong

On Ya Bronya

Brolga (long legs)

Bonza

Gone walkabout

Rightie oh

Ridgy-didge

Mucked up

Fair go

Crankie

Gnarly

Don't cross me mate

What a cracker

Dickie- on the blink

Not on your life

Top notch

Zonked

Dead as a door nail

Chockers, chock a block

Kicked the bucked

Daggy

Doozie

Nose out of joint

Browsing

Knock it off

Being fleeced

Done a runner

I'm rapt

I'm stuffed

Scrubs up well

Doona

Bluey (red hair)

Righty-oh

Dork

Dipstick

Fang it

Bushfire

Bum nuts

Shut ya gob

Spewing

Frumpy

Fossicking

Hooroo

Wouldn't know him from a bar of soap

Loose unit

Mrs Kafoops (bit pompous or self important)

Nark

Gronk

Cutting crook

Sesh (session)

Yonks

Bin chicken

Havin a sook

Chunder

Getting flogged

What a mad dog

You muppet

Munted

Me missus

Dobbing

(I'm not collecting true swearwords and really crude sayings, so none of these are particularly offensive. Also some of these may be words that are normal in the general English language but mean something else in Aussie English when used in a different context, and a few are way out of fashion and haven't been widely used since the 60s. Also some are regional!)

[obsessedwithlarkin]

WELL-KNOWN DANCERS COMPETING AT NUVO OMAHA:

4PM DANCE:

• Jessica Sutton - After The Rain

ARTISTIC FUSION:

• Danielle Brotherton - Bang Bang

BECKY NAVALENKO'S DANCE AND TUMBLING:

• Aria Telander - Titanium

CSPAS:

• Stella Binkerhoff- TBA

CLUB:

• Ellary Day Szyndlar- TBA

• Kennedy Besch- Longing

• Brooklyn Besch- Illusions

• Alexis Alvarez- TBA

DANCE DELUXE:

• Bradley Kawa - Mein Herr

• Breckyn Kawa- Winds Of Change

LARKIN:

• Brooklyn Williams- Swingamajig

• Jade Glyzinski- Smile

• Harper Kill- Show Off

• Lexie Charnstrom- Rewind

• Evelyn Ringsiel- Praise You

�� Hayden Haider- King & Lionheart

• Stella Ames- Hit Me With A Hot Note

• Evie McCune-Barrett- Halleluijah

• Ava Fraser- Falling In Love

• Hailey Turnbull- Remember

• Bella Charnstrom- Walking On

• Mailyn Munos - Misty

• Scarlett Manzel- A Thousand Steps

• Matinly Conrad- Ave Maria

• Charlotte Tracy- Singing In The Rain

• Palmer Peltier- Moon River

• Tillie Kuhl - Fly On

• Erik Baker - Thru The Roof

• Matissa Conrad- Think Of Me

• Laci Bloss - Pure

• Claire Monge- Fall Deep

• Brynn Kotska - Afloat

• Ava McCraine - Out Of Reach

• Kate Monge - Whisper

• Ingrid Writz- Redefined

• Giselle Mourand - Mind

• Tahari Conrad - I Won't Complain

• Ava Rothmund - I Feel You

• Harlow Pike - Blinded By

• Savannah Werner - All In Circles

• Keira Reisenner - Change Is Everything

LEGACY DANCE STUDIO:

• Madeline Fossick - Glass

WFDC:

• Lily Hackney- The Audio

• Isabella DiBenedetto - The Killer Was A Coward

• Desa Jankes - Let Me Fade

[destieltaggedfic]

Michael Possession & Aftermath - Part 8

You are in love with him, aren't you? – Castielee   Ao3

Set S14.  To learn his new vessel, Michael is fossicking through Dean’s memories and learns some very interesting things.

Word Count: 2k                                 No Sex

Reclamation (Take Me Home) – FelOllie   Ao3

Set S14.  After Michael’s death, Rowena stops by to check on Jack’s soul.  She also checks on Dean and they discover that Michael rooted around in Dean’s worst memories and now things he had repressed are back, including his rescue from hell.

Word Count: 16k                              Graphic Sexual Acts

Brutal Love – outoftheashes   Ao3

Set S14.  Between Sam and Cas they get Dean to agree to go out.  Cas’ plan is to convince Dean not to go into the Ma’lak box is by telling him his feelings.

Word Count: 1k                                 No Sex

Let the Actions Speak – Tibbins   Ao3

Set S14.  The apocalypse world hunters are dead, no one is sure whats going on with Jack’s soul after his killing of Michael and Dean is trying to help his family cope, while he has stopped talking and isn’t doing well himself.

Word Count: 23k                              No Sex

creepin' into my head, your body's breathin' me in again – SheldarpCauseFuvkIt   Ao3

Set S14 AU.  To stop Dean struggling for control, Michael kicks Dean out of his body and into Cas’ vessel.  After a fight, Cas is left fighting for his life until Dean takes control and helps fix him up the human way until his grace can kick in.

Word Count: 4k                                 Graphic Sexual Acts

[elwenyere]

asking my own questions instead of the ask meme template questions: how did you first get into writing fic? whats the most rewarding part of fic writing for you? and what are some of the most satisfying obstacles to overcome in the writing process?

Hello, friend!!! Thank you so much for these wonderful questions. <3<3<3

How did you first get into writing fic?

Back when I was in high school (a long, long time ago: ye olden dayes), I dabbled around the edges of fandom without really knowing that was what I was doing. I found fanfiction.net and read some things erratically, and I also had a long-running AIM chat with a friend that was basically us role-playing self-insert rpf where we lived in a big house with the cast of LOTR. Obviously I was also very, very popular. Eventually, when I went to college, I got caught up in other things and spent a period without fic in my life.

Then back in 2020 I was working a job that was really crushing me spiritually and was looking for sources of serotonin. I knew of AO3, and I started fossicking about, and after reading for a while, I decided to try writing a little myself, as an experiment. I've never been particularly good at relaxing or having hobbies, but I found that writing fic was something I could get sufficiently absorbed in, to the point that I could actually block out other anxieties for a while (but watch out!). A little while after that I went looking for other people who were also writing and reading, and I've been here ever since.

What's the most rewarding part of fic writing for you?

I love the discoveries. Many of my stories start with just a kernel of something: maybe a premise, maybe a single scene or line. Then I start to feel my way around the rest of the narrative by plopping myself down in different places/times and testing for things that feel crunchy. This means I almost never have all the plot beats of a story in my head before I start (sometimes I have hardly any), and while I have an initial sense of what I think I'm after, it often happens that many elements that end up feeling structurally and thematically crucial to the story turn out to be surprises or late developments: like I've been excavating a creature and imagining what its skeleton looks like and then I uncover a spinal cord or a major ligament that changes the whole shape of the beast in a way I could never have anticipated.

I think a lot about this quote from James Baldwin: “When you’re writing, you’re trying to find out something which you don’t know. The whole language of writing for me is finding out what you don’t want to know, what you don’t want to find out. But something forces you to anyway.”

What are some of the most satisfying obstacles to overcome in the writing process?

The segment of the writing process when I'm most likely to abandon a story is when I have it 10-35% finished: I've gotten down whatever sparked my initial inspiration, but I haven't done enough of the legwork to start uncovering what else is there to excite me, and that's when I'm mostly prone to feelings of, "this is nothing, actually." That means that when and if I can push past 50%, I often get a fresh surge of momentum that can feel really exhilarating (sometimes almost too exhilarating lol), and though it doesn't happen with every fic, there's nothing that feels more heady to me than the stage where the fic starts to feel like a place where my brain wants to live.