#over the summer while i was in charleston

[yellowlaboratory]

The way jj and kie looked at each other when she got on his motorbike at the start of episode 5. The song choice and everything made me scream

don’t even say this to me because I’ve been playing kilby girl non stop and it’s becoming a problem. i was on a plane yesterday and I was crying as i entered the plane, then i sat down, started playing kilby girl, and immediately started vibrating at the speed of sound. i think my seat buddy was worried for my sanity (and rightfully so).

LOOK AT THEM.

(gif credit to @kiekiecarrera because wow)

[upsidedownwithsteve]

Dad Steve in the summer bringing his nugget(s) and you to the beach 💗

dad!steve harrington x fem!reader

The car kept in the sticky heat in a way that Indiana never did. Boneyard Beach in Charleston, South Carolina was a mere forty minute drive from Hopper and Joyce’s new home, but the journey felt too long behind the wheel of the rental car.

Steve was pink in the cheeks by the time he parked in the sandy lot, his hair wild from the rolled down windows but at the sight of the ocean, he turned to you and grinned.

“It’s so blue,” you exclaimed, hands clasped together under your chin and you were almost frantic as you tugged off your seatbelt and opened the door. “Look, baby! Can you see the waves, huh?”

From behind your chair, your toddler clapped her hands, completely too young to understand what you’d asked her, but Margot gurgled happily all the same. Almost two years old and with curls as wild as her dad’s, she shared your eyes and Steve’s pouty, pink lips.

Steve managed to contain his grin as he gathered the bags and blanket from the trunk, eyes soft behind his sunglasses as he watched you gather your daughter from her seat and into your arms. She was still sticky with sunscreen, chubby little arms clinging to yours as you attempted to pop a sun hat on her head, much to Margot’s dismay.

Steve did his best to wrangle the bags into one hand in order to curl his free arm around both of you as you made your way from tarmac to sand, the pearly white grains of it making the vacation feeling come to life. The sky over the water was blue, cloudless, the ocean relatively calm and the beach quiet. There were a few families relaxing on the sand on bright towels, a couple and their dog a few miles down, throwing an orange frisbee into the shallows.

And once you found the spot you wanted, partly in the shade of some palm trees for Margot’s sake, you set her down on the blanket between your legs and let Steve tug off her tiny sandals, cooing at her the whole time as her daddy grasped her tiny hands in his own and let her experience sand for the first time.

She was unsure at first, babbles turning to whines as she stamped her little feet into the cool hills of it, brows scrunched as she stared up at her dad warily.

“I don’t think she likes it, babe,” Steve snorted, grinning at you and looking too pretty while he did so, with red swim trunks and his shirt off, freckled shoulders already turning tan under the summer sun. “Wanna try the water instead, Margot, yeah? Daddy’s gonna find you the prettiest seashell on the beach, how ‘bout that, princess?”

Your heart ached as Steve scooped your baby up, her fingers flying for his hair like always, grasping onto the ends of it as Steve blew a raspberry against her cheek. “I’ll find the second prettiest for you, honey,” Steve promised, winking at you in a way that reminded you all too much of senior year in high school, all the way back to when you first met him.

“You’re such a flirt,” you snorted, leaning back against the empty picnic bag and stretching out your legs. Your book was folded on your lap, fingers itching to pick it up. “I’ll hold you to that, Mr Harrington.”

Steve was already making his way down to the shore, but he looked back over his shoulder at you to grin wider. “Please do, Mrs Harrington.”

Despite your intentions, you found that you didn’t pick up your book at all. No, instead you watched from the sand banks as Steve held your daughter above the gentle waves, her tiny legs kicking wildly at the cool water, her face a picture of absolute marvel as she squealed and shrieked happily at each splash.

[thedeviltohisangel]

All The Things I Did (Interlude): My Little Bunnies

a/n: happy belated easter to all those who celebrate! i wanted to write john & cass' first easter as parents and it became a 10 page fic with smut/fluff/angst. read on to meet their twins, meet cass' parents, learn more about her family history and so much more. and to the anon who sent an ask about them getting a bloodhound, yes. he is here. this was a real labor of love but it is my gift to you. i hope you all love it and please come let me know your thoughts on this little family. xoxo

warnings: smut

When Cass was quiet, it meant she was thinking. And since they had left the driveway of their beach house, she had been quiet. A notebook in one hand and a pen and leash in the other, John thinks she was attempting to memorize her to-do list for Easter Sunday.

“You know part of the reason I was convinced into coming here this weekend was your insistence on family walks,” he looked down at the two little bundles that were already gazing right back at him, “tell Mama she can relax for one night.”

“I’ll relax after everything goes off without a hitch tomorrow. It’s their first Easter and our first time hosting a holiday and the first time my family is seeing the house and-” She paused as Gale let out a sound of discomfort and started to squirm in the carriage, Cass quickly reaching down and smoothing a finger over his cheek with a coo. He quieted just as quickly at her touch and blinked up at her sleepily. “There, there my sweet boy. I’m right here.” Not for the first time, and not for the last time, John was endlessly amazed by his wife. How she managed to be a mother, a wife and still impress the brass in DC was beyond his comprehension. He hadn’t known it was possible to fall more in love with her and here he was. Falling in love with her more and more everyday. 

“We Egan boys get cranky when you aren’t around to dote on us.”

“Is that so? Do you agree with that, Butter?” The bloodhound gave a gentle bark in answer which John took as his agreement. “Well, Miss Penelope does have a habit of looking at every plane in the sky while she waits for you to come home.” He grinned so wide his eyes crinkled at the corners.

“That’s my little lamb,” he said with a gentle tickle to the top of her tummy, her giggles making her parents laugh right along with her. “And what about you? What do you do all day while you wait for me to come home?”

“Oh, I just stare longingly out the window because the thought of you not being around paralyzes me, Lieutenant Colonel Egan.” Cass held her hand to her forehead and feigned hysteria.

“I guess it is kind of beautiful here,” John relented as their walk took them to the beach. The waves were crashing against the sand as the sunset laid a pink backdrop to the view. He lifted his arm and Cass fell into his side with ease.

“I told you so,” she murmured against his chest. Cass had loved growing up on her family’s estate outside of Charleston. She had learned more about life running around that land than she ever had anywhere else. But every summer her mother would take her and siblings for Kiawah Island, where her father would join on occasion, and she would roam free on the sand and in the sun. There were no boys trying to dance with her and her mother didn’t yell at her for being barefoot and she was able to laugh loud and run fast and there were no consequences. “You see that gray house with the white balconies a few hundred yards that way?” She pointed in the general direction and John shaded his eyes to look. 

“That’s not a house, Cass, that’s a mansion.”

“That’s my parents house. My dad built it for my mom when I was little,” she said sheepishly. When she had been old enough to truly understand love and relationships, she had thought it was the most romantic thing. Had seen how happy it made her father to provide for her mother. How happy it made her mother that it was hers and only hers and almost a monument to the life they created together. “Since then, I’ve always wanted to raise my own family here.” John watched her caress the cheeks of their sleeping children with a smile.

“All I ever want, Cass, is for you and Gale and Penelope to be happy and safe. Nothing else matters to me.” The white house that was surrounded by trees on one side and the beach on the other had been a dream of Cass’ for a long time. She had told him about it back at Thorpe Abbotts and he had dreamed about it in his bunk on those cold German nights. Dreamed about buying it for her and carrying her over the threshold and filling it with their love and the pitter patter of little feet. 

“Lucky for you, that’s all I want, too. And maybe some more kisses.” 

“You’re saying I don’t kiss you enough?” he asked with raised eyebrows. She shook her head.

“Not nearly enough.” John had worked overtime for months to set aside enough for the down payment. Had turned down her father’s offer to buy it as a wedding gift. He had wanted to get this for her, for his wife, all on his own. She was the reason he was alive. It was only a drop in the bucket for what he owed her. 

“It’s talk like that that got us here in the first place,” he whispered with a nod towards the carriage. “You being a little kiss thief.” Butter whined with displeasure.

“He doesn’t like when you’re snarky to me.” Their chests were pressed together now, his nose bumping hers as he laughed. “You’re the one that spent his whole puppy life telling him he had to be my guard dog,” she added with a gentle poke to his chest. Cass had just sweet talked her way into convincing John that Butter was meant to come home with them, having found him in a horse stall at her family’s place, when he asked if she wanted to take a drive to the beach. She thought he meant somewhere close but as they drove past the turn for Folly she began to get an idea of where he was taking her. She remembers her heart sinking when SOLD was in big red letters on the sign. John had asked if she wanted to take a look around anyways. For old time’s sake. 

“Yeah and when he successfully chased that crazy bird away from you last month you were very grateful for it.” He scratched behind the hounds ears for good measure.

“I was. Seagulls scare me, you know that.” Ever since one had snatched her lunch right out of her hands on the very beach they were looking at when she was still in pigtails. Cass had told him that story while they walked around the house. Her hands wistfully touching the floors and her smile at the scent of the water making it hard for John to keep the secret in. She had known back then she was pregnant, hadn’t found the right time to tell John yet and hadn’t known there were two baby Egans on their way, but had told him she hoped this house made a family happy. That they loved it the way she had as a little girl and didn’t change a thing. He had told her to close her eyes and hold out her hand. And she looked confused at the cool metal that he placed in her palm, understanding registering when she opened her eyes and saw it was a key.

 What do you say we fill this house with our family, my love?

----

As it was most mornings, her nightgown was bunched around her waist as she gasped into John’s mouth. She was gently rotating her hips while his fingers gripped her hips tighter and tighter and his hips thrusted up into her slowly. 

“Fuck, John,” she moaned as he sat up and kissed her roughly. 

“You close, baby?” It was always a bit of a race to get there before the twins woke or before a housekeeper or nanny knocked on the door to get the day started. John wished he had all the time in the world every time but wouldn’t trade the moments he had with her for anything, no matter how quickly they went. “Look me in the eyes, my sweet girl.” His thumb found her clit between them and pressed until she threw her head back.

“Don’t stop, please don’t stop,” she panted as she knocked her forehead against his. John wouldn’t even dare to think to stop as she came undone around him and his own finish followed instantly. He fell back against the pillow, her lips on his the entire time, and stroked her cheek gently as he tried to regain control of his breathing. “Think they’ve got five more minutes in them so we can-” The sound of one baby crying pierced the tranquility followed in quick succession by the other. 

“That’s a no,” he remarked with a smile. “They probably think if they cry loud enough, you won’t make them dress all fancy and go to church.”

“They are always perfectly well behaved at church.” Butter’s barking joined the cacophony and the bubble was fully burst. “If you let him out and start the coffee, I can change diapers and get their clothes out.” He gave her bottom a gentle pat as she begrudgingly let him slip out of her. 

“Hey, Spook?” Cass turned from where she was slipping her underwear on. “I love you.” Unable to keep herself from blushing, she pecked him one last time before the craziness of the day settled in. 

“Hey, John?” He hummed with delight as his nose rubbed against hers. “I love you, too.”

----

True to her word, the twins behaved like angels at their first Easter mass. Gale had only tried to kick his shoes off for a few minutes and Penelope had only required John to make silly faces through one hymn. Cass had rolled her eyes on their way out the door as her husband produced two stuffed bunnies from behind his back and tucked them between their fingers. She had reminded him they each had a whole basket of stuffed bunnies waiting to be opened by the fireplace and probably many more arriving as gifts later in the day. One more from their dad couldn’t hurt was all he had to say.

The house was near mayhem when they arrived back. Caterers had taken over the kitchen, their house manager Alice was leading a small army in pillow fluffing and men with white gloves were polishing glasses in the dining room. John was once again reminded how differently he and his wife had grown up.

“Mr. and Mrs. Egan, Happy Easter, I hope you had a wonderful morning.” Alice reached for Cass’s purse and gloves, taking them before smiling at the sleeping twins who each had a head on one of their father’s shoulders. “I can have Joan take them off your hands, sir.” 

“It’s quite alright, Alice, I think the three of us are going to find a cozy spot on the beach to keep out of my lovely wife’s way.” 

“Perhaps someone could find them an umbrella and blanket and chair?” Cass inquired as she began to walk towards the kitchen, handing Alice her hat as well along the way. “How’s the ham looking? It smells wonderful.”

“Yes, ma’am, we’ll get the beach set up for them. And the ham should be ready to carve exactly as we scheduled dinner for.” John side stepped around a group carrying boxes down the hall. “That would be the two options for porcelain Mrs. Cooper sent for your consideration.”

“Porcelain?” John thought it was a simple family dinner. He didn’t think it would be such an affair when Cass broached him with the idea of hosting.

“Yes. And if I pick the wrong one then I will never hear the end of it.” She turned back to Alice. “I’ll need to see a complete place setting of each one.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll have them get right on it.” 

“What happened to you not wanting to be reduced to a housewife?” John asked as he walked towards the back door, Cass opening it for him and following him down the back steps and onto the sand. 

“I just want everything to be perfect today. I’ll be back to the Spook you know and love as soon as this is over.” 

“First, I love all of you, all the time. Second, I heard you talking to Alice and Joan about hiring more staff, that word is honestly beyond my comprehension, when we go back to Virginia.” Cass took Penelope from him and laid her gently on the shaded blanket that had been set up, her hand brushing over her curls and kissing her forehead gently. 

“And? You don’t want the help?”

“I thought the two of us were getting by quite well on our own.”

“I can’t put off going back to work any longer and I want someone I know and trust with them during the day. And if Alice or Joan are watching them, then they need someone else to do the things they have been doing.” Sure her and John had figured out a rhythm. But eventually Cass needed to get back to doing the work she loved. Rediscover who she was just as Cass and not just as John’s wife or her children’s mother. “Besides, they aren’t watching them so I can go to tea or try on dresses. I need to get back in there. You know what they’ve been saying about Korea.”

“Is that what you’ve been worried about? It’s a few years from anything active, Cass, if anything at all.” She wasn’t used to the anxiety that coursed through her veins after she had the twins. Wasn’t used to feeling her chest so heavy when she thought about how hard this world was going to make it to protect them. 

“Yes, but if I can even do one thing to help prevent them from having to live through a war…” She trailed off and wiped angrily at her eyes, lifting Penelope against her chest and kissing the top of Gale’s head where he still rested against John. “I don’t want them to ever have to experience anything like what we went through.” He gathered her into his side and kissed her temple.

“We went through that so they could live in a better world,” he said softly. “Came out the other side because right here, right now is where we belong.” She looked up with a laugh as she noticed Butter trotting his way over to them, his nose sniffing at Gale and Penelope before he plopped on his side in the shade. 

“If it bothers you, I’ll tell them all to go home and never come back. The five of us can figure the rest out.” 

“No, they’re fine. It’s just not how we did things in Wisconsin. It’s taking some getting used to.” He had assumed Cass came from money when he met her. The well-manicured nails and silk nightgowns and impeccable table manners cluing him in. He just hadn’t realized he was marrying into a Carolina rice dynasty. It came with multiple homes and polo matches and hunting trips and acres of land and hundreds of employees in the home and around the burgeoning corporation. For so long, Cass had thought marriage and kids were not in the cards for her so the structure of a household was a non-existent problem. But then she had fallen in love with John Egan and married him in London and spent two years dreaming of their future and the comforts of her childhood had found their way in.

“Well, Butter, you keep an eye on these three while I pick out porcelain and tie drapes and whatever the heck else a lady is supposed to do these days.” With one last kiss to the top of her daughter’s head, her son’s head and her husband’s head, Cass was off and pulled into a million directions upon re-entering her home. Whenever she could, she would look out the window at her husband tickling their tummies or helping them put sand in a bucket or carrying them to dip their toes in the water. She knew none of the material things around her mattered. And if it made John more comfortable to get rid of them, she would in a heartbeat. She only needed those three humans and the one furry family member to be happy. To be fulfilled in this life beyond her wildest dreams. Any threats on the horizon be damned.

----

Cass waited anxiously for her parents' new Italian sounding car to pull into the driveway, her siblings, extended family and some of the local friends her and John had found already socializing about the house and grounds. She had taken a sip of her husband’s whiskey she was so nervous. 

“Baby, I know for a fact your dad is going to be too focused on the twins and the other grandchildren running around to even care about the way I carve the ham. And who cares if your mother doesn’t like the color of the shutters? I didn’t spend a whole weekend painting them for her.” He had for Cass. She had spent days deciding between two shades of green that John thought were exactly the same but had provided his minimal input when asked. 

“I rewarded you handsomely for your efforts, Mr. Egan.” John remembered. They hadn’t left their bed for days after Cass couldn’t stand the sight of him sweaty and with a pencil tucked behind his ear working on their house any longer. She had had her way with him and John had taken on many more projects around the house ever since. And every time, his wife was unable to maintain even a shred of decency. 

“I never got that round two you were mentioning this morning, Mrs. Egan,” he mused as he drifted closer and closer until his hands wrapped around the small of her back and her arms draped over his shoulders.

“We have a house full of guests,” she giggled as he nipped gently at her lips. 

“Yes but the babies are occupied which means no little angelic interruptions.” She moaned as he pressed a searing kiss to her lips, her toes curling in her new heels. 

“Not even on Easter Sunday can you two find a sense of decorum?” 

“Shush, Gale, they’re in love,” Marge said with a gentle slap to his arm. If Gale Cleven had a nickel for everytime he had caught the two of them in various stages of passion, he would have been able to use the profits alone to buy a similar house to the one he was standing in.

“Oh, I am so happy you were able to make it!” Cass kissed Gale on the cheeks eagerly and let out a squeal of delight as she wrapped Marge in a hug. “I’ve got you both all set up in the guest room furthest from the nursery so you can hopefully sleep in peace while you’re here.” Before John could even say his own hello, Cass and Marge were off towards the backyard with their heads close together as they whispered. 

“Well, we did always say they’d be thick as thieves,” he remarked as he grabbed the suitcase Marge had abandoned by the door. “Up this way.” Gale smiled and nodded politely at all the strangers that were dressed in black and white, bustling in and out of the kitchen and dining room with haste. He could only imagine how it was driving his best friend crazy.

“Who would’ve thought? John Egan having ten people cook his Easter dinner for him,” Gale teased as John set the suitcase down in the guest room and dropped himself into the armchair by the window. 

“I hear it’s being served on porcelain,” he mused back. Gale settled in the chair across from him. 

“It’s a beautiful house, John. You’ve got to be proud of yourself.” John stared out the window and nodded.

“Yeah, it is. Makes Cass happy to be out here.” It wasn’t that she was unhappy at their home in Virginia but John knew she missed South Carolina. Missed the beach and her family being close by. 

“And are you happy?”

“With her and the kids, always. Just learning this new side to her is all.”

“That seems to be what marriage entails. Learning to love something new everyday.” The hum of a car engine broke the comfortable silence between two old friends and Gale peeked out the window with a low whistle. “Is that a Maserati?”

“That it would be, Buck. You want to come distract my mother in law with your good looks for me?” When John and Cass had their more official wedding last year, Buck Cleven had been the hottest commodity. The women of Charleston hadn’t given him a moment to breathe. 

“No I think you’ve got the Cooper women under control, Bucky.” Gale clapped him between his shoulder blades. “Now where’s that beautiful baby you named after me?”

Cass was at the bottom of the stairs waiting with a baby on each hip, Gale kissing their sprouting curls on his way to find Marge on the beach, and John forgot all about anything negative he had been feeling that day. 

“Say hi Daddy, we were looking for you.” The twins smiled like they always did when they had their parents attention solely on them. The sound of Cass’ voice bringing them a calmness only John could ever begin to relate to. 

“Hi, my little bunnies.” John took Penelope onto his own hip, kissing her cheek around the stuffed bunny ear that was between her teeth, Cass reaching to tuck a few of his curls back into place. “I thought you preferred them all messy.”

“I do but-” the door opened and the words died in her throat. 

“Cassandra Ann, that dog of yours does have a habit of sticking his nose all over the place.” 

“Hi, Mama. Happy Easter to you, too.” John whistled for Butter who came and sat at his side dutifully. “Hi, Daddy.” She pressed a kiss to each of her parents’ cheeks and almost cringed as she saw the line of valets carrying colorful baskets into the backyard. The level of stuffed animals entering her home was reaching a near suffocating level. 

“Oh, John, how handsome you look this afternoon.” Cass rolled her eyes as her mother stepped forward to kiss John’s blushing cheeks.

“Thank you, ma’am, you’re looking very lovely yourself. Sir.” He shook her father’s hand firmly, smiling when Penelope reached for her grandfather instantly. 

“Cassandra, aren’t you going to show me around? I’m very curious as to which place setting you chose.” She looked at John to say I told you so before guiding her mother down the hall. 

“Of course. We can start in the dining room if you’d like.” John felt like a bad father as his son looked at him with wide blue eyes over his mother’s shoulder as they disappeared around the corner but he would make it up to him with something sweet after dinner.

“Can I offer you something to drink, sir?” 

“Whiskey, John, thank you.” While John had had to work his charm hard on Mrs. Cooper to convince her he wasn’t a street urchin there to steal her daughter, Mr. Cooper had taken no convincing to know John was the right man for his daughter. Had sat down for one dinner with the two of them and saw how they looked at each other. How he had kept a hand on her protectively the entire time. Had seen the absolute gratitude in Cass’ eyes that John was alive and next to her every time she looked at him.

“I told Cass you’d be more interested in the grandkids than the way I carved the ham later,” he pointed out as Penelope was filled with utter glee at the way her grandfather was tickling her cheeks with her bunny.

“Cassandra has always been my most perceptive child yet, on occasion, forgets that is one of her own most formidable qualities.” John handed him a glass, bringing them together with a clink before taking a sip. “How is my daughter doing?” 

“This one and her brother keep her busy and she’s looking forward to getting back to work. But she’s good. She smiles everyday, I’ll always make sure of it.” Penelope’s lower lip began to wobble and John gathered her against his chest just as the first tear rolled down her chubby cheek. 

“I can go find the nanny-”

“I’ve got it, sir.” John kissed her forehead gently and she quieted. “She’s just like her mother. Pouts until she gets a kiss then she’s fine.” Now she was focused on the fabric of John’s tie and trying to get it into her mouth. Yes, Mr. Cooper thought, Cass had made the perfect decision to marry this man.

“Son, if I may offer a few pointers on carving the ham.”

----

Hours later, after bellies were full and babies were sleepy, the house was beginning to calm down. Cass had shed her stockings and tied her hair back and accepted Marge’s offer to put the twins to sleep. There were people finishing dishes in the kitchen and packing away porcelain in the dining room. Alice was orchestrating the entire effort for which she was grateful, her fingers wrapping around the neck of a bottle of whiskey and heading towards the small fire that was glowing on the beach.

“You hiding from me?” she teased as she dropped a kiss to the top of his head and sat in the chair next to him.

“Never, baby. Was just having a cigarette before coming in to help with bedtime.” Cass wanted him to quit but was starting with not allowing him to smoke around the kids. She handed him the whiskey and took the cigarette from his fingers, inhaling a few times before putting it out in the sand. 

“Marge asked if she could put them to bed for practice. I ran away before she changed her mind,” she giggled. “Thank you.”

“For what?” he asked around a pull from the bottle.

“Everything.” 

“Spook, you know my ego needs specifics.” He opened his arms, summoning her into his lap, and closed his eyes in peace as her head settled under his chin.

“Not letting me chase you away all those years ago. Not divorcing me when I showed up at your bunk bed in Germany. Our babies.”

“I had very little to do with those two but I’ll take it.” She kissed him gently, lovingly. Without a care in the world and in no rush. “Everything to your liking today?”

“Yes. I promise we won’t host anymore holidays for awhile.”

“You pick the right porcelain?” 

“Of course not.” John laughed and she joined in, taking her own swig of alcohol. “And I was very impressed by your knife skills at dinner.” John kissed the tip of her nose.

“Your dad told me it was important the man of the house not treat it like carving a ham but like he could use the knives to protect his family.”

“Did he?” she asked with a furrowed brow. 

“I think he was trying to convince me to take it more seriously. It worked.” 

“It certainly seemed it did.” Cass twisted her finger around the loose curl in the middle of his forehead as he looked out towards the ocean. “I do have one last ask up my sleeve.” Slowly undoing the buttons of her dress, John was more focused than he had been all day. Between her breasts was an Easter egg with hearts painted on it. 

“I would’ve joined in on the egg hunt had I known, Cass.” 

“Open it.” As soon as he had it in his fingers, her lips were on his jaw and down his neck and he had an inkling what might be inside. He could barely read the words she had written as the blood rushed from his head to between his legs. Round two? His lips were on hers in an instant, John groaning as his hand slid up her thigh and found nothing but bare skin. She made quick work of his belt and zipper, sliding his waistband down just enough to free him. 

“Fuck, baby, no time for teasing.” His hands lifted her hips and he sunk into her with a contented sigh, his lips latching onto her collarbone as she found a steady pace. “Want the neighbors to hear how good I make you feel.”

“John,” she whined as his hand wrapped around her throat and squeezed gently. Unable to hold himself back, he laid her onto the blanket and used the new leverage to increase the pace, her legs hooking around his hips and urging him to go harder and faster. “You’re going to make me cum.” 

“You look so pretty when you cum, baby,” he cooed into her ear as he felt her clenching around him. “That’s my good girl, taking me so well.” His wife looked so good underneath him. Like she truly was made to be his. 

“Fuck, right…there…oh, God,” she arched her back into him as her orgasm washed over her in a waves, John’s hips stuttering as he moaned into her mouth and she took all he had to give her. “I love making you moan.” John was handsome and rugged and all the masculine words that she could think of. But he was also so damn pretty.

“Good thing you’re so good at it,” he said as he nuzzled into the side of her neck. “You’ve worn me out, Mrs. Egan.”

“Can you carry me to bed?” she murmured as her own eyelids were growing heavy. 

“Just let me hold you like this for a few more minutes.”

“Hey, John?” He kissed the side of her neck in acknowledgment. “I love you.”

“Hey, Spook?” She smiled in anticipation. “I love you, too.”

And if Gale earned another nickel as he was closing the blinds that night, no one needed to know.

[davycoquette]

Acrostic Sentence Tag Game

Thank you for the tag, @sableglass! The word you gave me was

STRANGE

Soon you forget all about how you ran away because of her, because you didn’t want her to know you threw your life away. You can’t think why you did it, now, so it must be the devil is real. It must be he’s as real as the wild pining that dragged you out of the wilderness to tempt fate underneath bridges downtown. As real as the vanity of being wanted. As real as the mounting fear that you did it because you wanted something terrible to happen to you.

Teenage Shiloh contemplates returning home to his mother.

The last of the four horsemen does not come in.

From an old west classic saloon shoot-out scene. Four bounty hunters have ridden up to the saloon and three have filed through the door.

Right after you see it, you smell it, and it doesn’t smell anything like a man but that’s when you know it used to be one.

Child Shiloh finds a body in the crick.

Antebellum propriety is long wrung out of him, and even the treacly Charleston drawl has abraded shrewd and terse. It suits him. He’s wide-faced, with little dark eyes nobody trusts. His eyebrows are puckish and full, contrary to the sparse mustache that slants like a gable roof over his mouth. The white men call him amigo and the women call him Oliver, and the locals don’t speak to him at all.

Reintroduction to an old west story character who grew up on his parent's rice plantation in Charleston, South Carolina.

No one blamed her; this was not Donovan’s first time careening into the light.

From an old west piece called The River King. Refers to a woman's apathy as Don Rucker lays dying.

“Good. You look like you could stand to set a while. Go on — I got the laundry. You’re jes droppin’ it on the ground, anyhow.”

Arabel, daughter of the leader of an outlaw gang, suggests Ruck fuck off and let her get the chores done.

Every place is the same to you, isn’t it? You see this ancient land with forests older than the continent itself rooted to the ruins of mountains that used to pierce the sky. You see rushing whitewater and brightly colored birds and rolling fields of wildflowers, and you smell honeysuckles and pluck blackberries off the bush in the summer. Schoolhouses and clotheslines and governments �� but what do you care? You never cared about home or community. Hell, the same town you were born in, the place where you grew up – it was one of these places. And now? Empty, smoldering. They say it’ll be a hundred years before the fire under the earth burns out, before that place looks like anything but a scene transplanted out of hell.

This one's from an RP character profile. Fella is a lackey for a coal mining company that's ravaging an Appalachian town.

Taglist:

@albatris

@capnmachete

@harmonic-melodii

@illarian-rambling

@michellekarnold

@nathaniel-zellos

@saturnine-saturneight

Sorry if y'all already got tagged in this one!

Also, OPEN TAG!

Your word is: FUNK

[cashthecomposer]

tell me about your musical :3

Of course!

I have my debut musical premiering this Halloween, called:

Fantasmagoriana

It's about the summer of 1816 at the Villa Diodati. Lord Byron invites several of his contemporaries to holiday with him, to dance together, to drink together, and to read ghost stories. He challenges them to write their own. A slew of drama ensues; romance, storms, duels, and near death experiences alike, sparking inspiration in all. Byron's personal physician creates the modern Vampyre, but Mary Shelley wins the competition through the creation of Frankenstein... But at what cost?

I've taken the story of Mary's composition of Frankenstein, and turned it into an allegory for the Frankenstein story in itself. It's a show about what it means to create, what it means to have a legacy; and it's a show about mistakes, consequences, and death. The characters are all young adults, 18-28, so it's about the things I struggled with through those years; particularly, coming to face one's own mortality.

My dad had the idea back in 2016, the 200th anniversary of that summer. I was 19, the same age as Mary- it was kismet. I went ahead and wrote down some ideas, and began research. A few years ago, my dad was diagnosed with cancer, and I was hit by a car, so I got acquainted with the idea of mortality very suddenly. I wrote the show while heavily concussed, and workshopped it once I was better.

I'm producing it this Halloween as a one night only immersive experience, and I have a film crew recording the show to stream on my Patreon early next spring.

At the same time, I'm writing a new show, working title:

Six Miles

It's about the local legend of Lavinia Fisher. According to myth, she was a serial killer who ran a hotel with her husband, John; when they were caught, he was hanged first, and she went to the gallows in her wedding gown, but when no one would save her through matrimony, she announced-

If anyone has a message for the devil, tell me now, for I'll be seeing him shortly!

And jumped to her death.

Now, this isn't the truth. The truth is, Lavinia was a slave, owned by John's uncle. When their relationship was discovered, she was sold down to a doctor in Charleston. John stole from people until he got enough to secure her freedom, and together, they ran a little hotel for a while. Eventually, their relationship was discovered, and they were framed for highway robbery, and sent to jail. John escaped, and tried to free Lavinia yet again, but couldn't- he chose to be recaptured rather than being free apart from her. They were hanged together, and buried in a pauper's field- until that doctor who bought Lavinia, the surgeon general of South Carolina, had her dug up, and her remains hung in a museum for over a hundred years.

I'll be showing both sides of the story- a ghost tour guide will present the legend, while a pair of actors will play the pair, showing us the actual history.

I'm documenting the process of writing this new musical on a YouTube channel, starting from its conception, all the way through production! A new video comes out every other Sunday, including tomorrow! The videos are released early on my Patreon fyi.

So those are my shows, I hope you'll stick around to watch them! I'm all about women in horror. Not sure what that says about me. 😅

[vintagepresley]

Love Me Tender

68’ Comeback Special Blurb - Requested

Ada is watching Elvis perform from backstage and gets hurt.

Elvis had gone back out for his summer tour and you had decided to stay behind with the twins, not wanting to add more chaos and stress to his tour. But also the constant traveling wouldn't be fun for them. But Ada still wanted to go, she loved seeing her daddy perform and she wouldn't miss it for the world. She was his biggest fan and she begged to still be able to go. You didn't know how to feel about that because you were always the one to keep an eye on her, but Jerry assured you that he'd look after her while Elvis was working and that he'd make sure she was okay. You trusted Jerry because he truly cared for Ada and always treated her like his own. You hesitantly agreed. But naturally as a mother you worried. But Elvis also assured you that'd she be okay. It would be the first time that you were away from her for so long and the first time Elvis would be on full-time daddy duty when he wasn't working of course. So you did your best to pack her clothes for everyday so he wouldn't have to worry. But you knew he'd probably end up buying her more wherever they were.

You joined them at the airport with a few of the guys to see them all off and after you kissed and said goodbye to Elvis, he watched as you hugged Ada so tight that she let out a soft groan. "Mama hurting me.." she mumbled. You quickly loosened your grip and pulled back with tears welling up in your eyes, but holding back so she wouldn't get upset. "I'm sorry, baby. I'm just gonna miss you." you smiled. She leaned up to kiss your cheek. "I'm gonna miss you too, mama!" she smiled. "You be a good girl, okay?" you said softly, brushing a hand over her head. She nodded. "I will!" she said excitedly as Elvis grabbed a hold of her hand. You stood back up and quickly wiped your eyes and Elvis pulled you into a hug. "She's gonna be okay, ya big cry baby. We'll be back in no time." he chuckled. You laughed softly, nodding at his words. Then you walked back over to the car where Lamar was waiting for you and you waved to them both as you watched board the plane with the guys.

July 12, 1975 - Charleston, WV

This was the fourth stop of his tour and his show was later tonight. So far things seemed to be going good and Ada was having the most fun. Though she did have a tantrum here and there, but nothing Elvis couldn't handle. The both of them would call you every night before bed and she'd tell you about her whole day. She slept in his bed at every hotel they've been to so far even though she always had her own bed. But she would be too scared to sleep alone. Elvis figured they'd probably be sharing a bed the entire tour, which he didn't mind. He liked knowing she was safe beside him. He had ordered up some breakfast for the two of them and he liked to make sure to spend some time with her during the day before he had to get ready for his show in the evening. Once it was show time he'd always help get her ready. She was sporting her one of her favorite t-shirts, an Elvis shirt and black sequin leggings with her little pink sneakers. Elvis had gotten one of the wives to help do her hair.

She watched as Elvis got ready for his show and he was showcasing one of his new jumpsuits, when he came out in it her eyes widen and she gasped. "Daddy looks handsome!" she giggled. He smiled at her words. "Thank you, Addy." he said softly as some of the guys helped him. Ada sat there playing with her barbies and looking up every so often at him. "Daddy?" she said softly. "Yes?" he responded. "You sing my favorite song?" she asked sweetly. He smiled at her words, turning to face her. "That depends. What's your favorite song, baby?" he teased. She giggled softly, tapping her little index finger against her chin. “Yuv me tender!” she squealed. He raised an eyebrow at her, chuckling. “You mean love me tender?” He said softly. “That’s what I said, daddy.” She beamed. He laughed. “Okay, baby, I’ll sing that song just for you.” He nodded. Before long Elvis was kissing her goodbye and heading out to get ready to take the stage and Ada stayed with Jerry before it was time to go.

Whenever Ada had watched his shows he always made sure she wore her special headphones to protect her ears from all the loud noises from the band. Especially when she watched from backstage. Jerry had gotten her headphones on and he picked her and carried her to the side of the stage and they both watched as Elvis entered from the other side. She clapped happily and she had the biggest smile on her face seeing her daddy. She was always so proud of him. She had seen enough of his shows and listened to so many of his albums that she knew some of the songs and would try to sing along. Jerry put her down after a while and he smiled as she began dancing and singing along to ‘Hound Dog’. One of her shoes got caught in a wire on the floor and she ended up tripping and falling face forward onto the ground, scraping her right elbow, she began crying hysterically.

Jerry came running to her side, helping her up and doing the best he could to soothe and comfort her, but nothing was working. She kept crying and now she was calling out for Elvis, holding her elbow. “Owie..” she cried. “It’s okay, Addy, uncle Jerry can fix it. Your daddy is busy right now.” He said doing his best still to calm her down. “No!” She cried and she wiggled out of Jerry’s grip, needing her daddy to kiss it better because to her he was the only one to make her owies better. She ran out as he was just about to finish the song until the crowd let out a collective, “Aww.” when they saw her running out. Elvis raised an eyebrow not knowing what they were doing that for until he looked over to see Ada.

He laughed softly, stopping the song. “Say hi to my little daughter folks!” When she approached him he finally saw that she was in tears. That’s when he quickly kneeled down in front of her, holding the microphone away from himself. “What’s the matter, baby? What happened?” He whispered frantically. “I got owie, daddy.” She said through her little tears and she lifted her right arm up to show him her scraped elbow. “You kiss it better?” She pouted. “Aw, ‘course I will, baby.” He nodded. He brought the microphone back up to his lips. “Timeout folks, she’s got an owie.” He said with a soft laugh trying to keep the crowd entertained before passing over the microphone to Charlie as he tended to her. The crowd watched the both of them and they couldn’t stop “awwing” the entire time as he took her little arm into his hands and he peppered several kisses over her scraped arm. She giggled quietly from his kisses tickling her elbow.

“How’s that? All better? Or does her need one more kiss?” He asked in their baby talk with a smile. “Her need one more, satnin.” She said softly, rubbing her wet eyes. He nodded with a wide smile as he gave her elbow two extra kisses. “Him make her owie all better now.” He said softly. She giggled even more as she began to feel better, looking at her elbow and smiling because her daddy made it all better like he always does. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged him. “Daddy’s all sweaty, honey.” He said with a laugh. But she didn’t care. She hugged him tighter. “Thank you, daddy.” She whispered to him. He held her tight in his arms and he just smiled. The crowd was loving every adorable moment of it.

She pulled back from him. “Daddy sing my favorite song now?” She said as she looked at him with those familiar big blue eyes of her. He nodded. “Anythin’ for you, baby.” He hummed. He lifted her up into his arms as he stood back up and he took the microphone back from Charlie and apologizing to the crowd once again, but they didn’t mind one bit. They thought Ada was so adorable. She waved to all his fans, smiling. “I’m gonna sing one of my daughter’s favorite songs, a song from my first movie, ladies and gentlemen.-“ before he could even finish his sentence the crowd was cheering already knowing what it was. “The songs called Love Me Tender.” He grinned cheekily. She smiled happily once he began to sing.

He was singing directly to her as he held her in his arms, reciting these lyrics specifically.

You have made my life complete, and I love you so..

Love me tender, love me true. All my dreams fulfilled..

For my darlin’, I love you.. And I always will..

After singing those few lines to her he planted a big kiss to her cheek and continued singing her favorite song.

**

Tagging: @prayerstopresley @18lkpeters @mrspresleybutler3591 @jfkkenndy @re3kin @memphis-mania @kendralavon7 @powerofelvis @vintageshanny @kiankiwi @elvisblueshoes

[emira-addams]

Hazbin Hotel - Alastor & Rosie - One Hell of a Team

TW: 18+

Their first murder leaves Alastor and Rosie with a special taste…

The scorching summer sun shone mercilessly down on the Louisiana Country Club, which stood out like a filthy stain in the wasteland of endless farmland and vast countryside. The country club was surrounded by rough, dry meadows and extensive woods.

The heat blazed over the lush green of the golf course. Sprinklers danced and the sun painted glittering rainbows as white golf balls flew through the air and across the grass.

A gentle breeze allowed the mellow grass to sway lazily in the warm wind, while countless bugs buzzed and hummed restlessly in the stifling heat.

The polished windows of the main building reflected the glaring sunlight, while the clear sky stretched above Alastor’s and Rosie's heads and not a single cloud dared to spoil the idyllic picture of pure blue. Even the birds were silent, with only the lively twittering of overzealous crickets interrupting the peace and quiet of the afternoon teatime.

Alastor and Rosie sat in the protective shade of a parasol at a table on the terrace with a cup of tea.

"Hm..." Rosie enthused, lavishly. "Today really is a wonderful day, wouldn't you say, Alastor?" she inquired of her best friend, the gentleman seated opposite her in a white shirt, black bow tie, and round glasses perched on the tip of his nose.

"Heaven on earth and a pure bliss," Alastor replied serenely, a smile curling his lips. "Care for more tea, my dearest Rosie?"

"Indubitably."

Alastor rose elegantly from his chair, lifted the teapot, and with a gentle hand, poured some more for the lady. The sound of Fats Waller's rich voice and how she sang the lyrics of "Ain't Misbehavin'" spilled from the speakers of the small table radio, sizzling and static-ridden, the rustling melody accompanied by his piano playing.

"I dare to say, the jazz craze is taking over, eh?" Rosie steeped her Assam with sugar cane. Slowly, her spoon stirred in her cup until the crystals dissolved into the dark brew. Sideways, she caught Alastor's grimace at the sight of the huge amount of sugar cane in her tea. "The rhythm, the spontaneity. Quite the bee’s knees. Heard of the new jazz joint downtown? Been there yet?" She rested the spoon on the saucer and brought the porcelain to her lips.

"Jazz, eh? Haven't stepped in yet, but the music and its leading voices quite captivate me." Alastor sipped his own Assam, prefering his tea without sugar. "These country clubs, so buttoned-up, they create their own lost world. Everything there is so... stiff… Jazz on my radio broadcasts could be the cat's pajamas, a real breath of fresh air, or should I say, a blast from Louis Armstrong's trumpet?"

"Alastor, miming the wag for once," Rosie sniggered in amusement. "But you're right. Jazz is the new sound for the escapism this spoiled society craves."

"Absolutely, a splendid escape. Speaking of escape, heard about the party next weekend at the Fitzgeralds’. They’re promising something ‘unprecedented and utterly daring’.” Alastor gestured grandly, then leaned close to Rosies ear, ensuring their chat wouldn’t have an unwanted audience. “I suspect they’re just desperately aim to outdo the Morgans’ bash from last month. Rumor has it, they're planning to introduce the Charleston to the elite. It’ll be quite the spectacle, watching the old guard cutting a rug."

"Oh, the competition never ends, does it? These bashes, tiresome, and becoming more and more of competitions for the biggest show-off. Who can be the most extravagant, be the talk of the town. Like we're all characters in a novel, vying for the most dramatic storyline."

"Indeed." Alastor always had more tea to spill during his outings with Rosie, ever keen on the latest gossip and sharing it with his best friend. "Caught wind of the Robinson debacle? Their latest venture has failed spectacularly. They're practically social pariahs now. It’s all the town can talk about. Seems their stock’s is falling faster than hemlines!"

Rosie waved it off. "Heard, and can't say I'm all wet," she whispered, swiftly glancing all around. "Always too big for their britches… They were always so utterly confident, almost arrogant. Watching their fall from grace is like observing a meticulously planned fireworks display that ends in a fizzle. There’s a certain… satisfaction in it…"

A broad grin graced Alastor’s grimace. "Schadenfreude, my dear friend, which is the word you were looking for, a really snazzy German term. But it’s hard not to indulge when the high and mighty take such a spectacular nosedive. It’s the most entertainment we get around here, apart from my fantastic radio broadcasts."

"Spot-on..." Rosie muttered, downing the last of her Assam. The contents of the teapot were completely bone dry. "Speaking of entertainment," she changed the subject of their conversation. "I was mulling over of hosting a little soirée of my own. Nothing like these grandiose displays, mind you. More intimate, with real jazz musicians. I want to see our peers let their hair down, for once. We’ll have it all—music, dance, and maybe even a bit of bootlegged gin, the hooch to loosen up the stiff collars."

Alastor applauded his hands with zest. "A really splendid idea, my dearest Rosie! Let's show them how it’s done and give them something to jaw about. This time we could be the trendsetters. Just imagine the talk it’ll stir up, us hosting something so… authentic. It’ll be the cat’s pajamas!"

"Exactly my thought, Alastor!" Rosie beamed, her enthusiasm palpable. "High time we spiffed up these gatherings with some genuine fun. Let's put our heads together on it. It'll be our little project, a gem of authenticity in a sea of fakery. We'll be the talk of the town, the big cheese, the darlings of the Jazz Age, flappers and philosophers in equal measure."

Alastor scrutinized, swirling the empty teapot back and forth. "Oh, I'm all in. Let’s shake up this stiff status quo. More tea, or shall we start planning our soirée? After all, rebellion is the greatest form of flattery in these modern times, wouldn’t you agree?"

Dusk painted the grasslands and woodlands of the Louisiana Country Club in the most beautiful colors, a brilliant yellow and a blazing orange. In the last light of the fading sun, the shadows grew. The heat was waning and the staff had already started to close the parasols. The first exterior lights flickered noisily to life, the electricity crackling. A bunch of boys were busily collecting the white golf balls scattered across the green grass.

"I reckon it's time to beat it..." sighed Rosie melancholically as Alastor, ever the thoughtful gentleman, offered his assistance and helped her to stand up. Further planning of the soirée would be postponed until their next outing. "The day's wearing thin and you know how angry Franklin can get if I'm not back before the lights are out..."

"Hm..." Alastor muttered as he handed her her hat and offered her his arm. When Alastor touched her, she winced. "Oh, Rosie..." He read her straight through. "You're a very special kind of actress, but even your smile for your old pal can’t mask the anguish in your eyes." Before Rosie could respond, he had carefully taken her wrist and exposed her arm. Under the silky fabric of her dress, gruesome abrasions, ghastly scratches and deep blue marks appeared on her pale skin. She froze in horror in his hold. "You know I've got no use for your husband," he spoke in a soft voice. His fingertips dragged their comforting circles over her arm. "I don't like the way he treats you and his manners towards a dame are distasteful. I would prefer to make him-"

"Alastor, don't-" Rosie interrupted him in his sentence as she quickly freed herself from his hold and hid the cruel sight of her arm under the fabric of her dress again. She closed her eyes as her fingers clawed into the cloth of his shirt. Her voice fell to a faint whisper. "You know how my father promised me to my husband. It was a business deal and I wasn't given the say or the luxury of complaints." She sighed. "I-It... It's gotten unbearable with him, Alastor. This marriage... it's... suffocating..." The rest of her words died on the tip of her tongue. Her voice trembled as her fingernails dug into his flesh. They strolled slowly around the country club building.

"Rosie..." Slowly, the everlasting smile slipped from Alastor's face. "I have known you for years, you are my oldest and closest confidant. I was reluctantly forced to watch you fade into a shadow of yourself in the presence of that abominable man, and I must admit that it pains me greatly to see you so diminished. What he is doing to you is not-"

"Alastor, please pipe down your voice," Rosie pleaded. Nervously, she began to chew on her lower lip and quickly looked all around. "Franklin is a man of high repute, no doubt revered by many, a man above reproach. And I... I am merely his arm candy, the canary with clipped wings and caged in gold, sweating to live up to what society expects of me… I gotta play the dutiful wife, because I am the fool…”

"You can't be justifying his violent behavior towards you!" Alastor objected, full of anger and protest, but also helplessness. "Neither his age nor his wealth, let alone his position as your husband, allow him such a right."

Rosie fought down a harsh sob as teardrops shimmered in the corners of her eyes, threatening to blur her vision. She quickly blinked them away. "What’s to be done, Alastor?" she desperately asked her best friend. "I can't find a way out of this marriage. Filing for divorce and leaving Franklin would cause a scandal and shame... I’d be a marked doll. I probably wouldn't be able to step outside the door again."

"Oh, my dearest Rosie..." Alastor sighed softly. When they reached the waiting car in the driveway, he pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to her before opening the door to the back seat for her and they separated. "I promise you, you're not in this alone. We'll scout out an escape, somehow we'll dig up a way for you," he whispered. "I promise you that you can count on me."

Rosie took a deep breath, wiping the traces of tears from her cheeks. There was a weak smile on her lips, overshadowed by her somber expression and the hopelessness in her eyes. "You are my port in a storm. Thanks, Alastor."

"Sure thing! In case of need, you know who to buzz." He gave her an encouraging smile as he bid her goodbye "I wish you a good night, Rosie."

"Nighty-night, Alastor."

The next night was dreadfully dark.

The starry shape of the moon was missing from the firmament. A black moon ruled over the darkness and the dense clouds drowned out the last light of the stars. Sheer endless stacks of gloomy black clouds smothered the sky. A warm wind blew. Its hideous howling echoed like a dog's whining and wailing between the buildings. In the distance, thunder rumbled sinisterly and glaring flashes of light split the sky, roaring and crashing.

A severe storm was looming on the horizon.

The glaring flashes of lightning shattered the deep darkness of the night as the thunderclap that followed tore Alastor roughly from his peaceful dreamland. He was startled out of his sleep with a strangled shriek as the ceiling above his head trembled. Again and again, the sky was split into thousands of pieces by glaring light, the stars shattered into shards and the earth seemed to shake, while the storm and the wind raged against one another like two wild beasts in battle. Rain roared.

Alastor sighed sorrowfully. He closed his eyes and rubbed his raging temples when suddenly the soft ringing of the telephone from the kitchen reached his ear, the sound muffled by the closed bedroom door. "The phone?" Surprised, he glanced at the clock display on his wall. "Who would...?" he pondered as a feeling of dread settled in the pit of his stomach. "Rosie!" Filled with fright, Alastor leapt from his bed. His leg tangled in his lay and he didn't take a very glamorous fall onto the hard wooden floor.

"Damn..." Under bated breath and between curses, Alastor pulled himself back onto two legs before sprinting barefoot out of the bedroom and into the kitchen to the phone. He yanked the receiver from its stand. "Rosie?" He listened to the stunned silence on the other end of the line as irritated fingers rubbed the sore spot on his arm from his fall off the bed. He stifled a yawn and tried to keep the sleep out of his voice. "Rosie? What's the matter? It's quite an ungodly hour for a call from you..."

"Alastor?" A strangled whisper broke through the static, her voice trembling. "I-I... I find myself in quite the predicament... I... I fret I've done something dreadfully wrong... Something most unfortunate has happened to my husband. Alastor, y-you must come here immediately..." Rosie's voice broke off.

"What happened?" Alastor was wide awake, frantically rubbing the remaining sleep from his eyes. "Rosie, I need you to speak to me more clearly. Are you in harm’s way?" The silence and the incessant static on the other end of the line were driving him crazy. "Rosie? Rosie, please talk to me."

"Oh, Alastor... I don't dare over the phone. Could you possibly make your way here?"

He heard her unsteady breaths and heavy sobs through the receiver. "Hang in there, Rosie. Promise me you'll stay up wherever you are, do you hear ? I am getting dressed and making my way out as we speak, please leave the door ajar for me. Whatever happened, we'll deal with it together."

"Please, just make haste, Alastor..."

"I’ll be there posthaste. Please try to stay sane until then, will you?" he promised, when the next moment lightning struck with a roaring thunderclap and the line went dead. He clenched his fists, cursing, and slammed the receiver back into its holder. Alastor had to get to Rosie pronto.

"Rosie!" His voice cracked. Frantically, he strove to shout her name against the crushing silence as he rushed through the heavy front door of the mansion, his boots muddy and his clothes soaked to the bone by the pouring rain. Dark strands of hair hung in his face, the lenses of his glasses were blind and he had armed himself with an axe, just in case.

Alastor strained to hear. "Where are you, Rosie?" The eerie silence seemed almost peaceful as he listened to the rapid, fast-circulating blood rushing through his veins and his heartbeat echoing loudly in his ears. His knuckles turned white as they clutched the wet handle of the axe tighter.

"Rosie?" whispered Alastor. The dim light of the antique lanterns along the walls flickered nervously. The reddish glow of the rising morning sun fell against the rigid walls of the mansion, creating ominous shadows, dust specks danced bustling in the first sunshine. In the distance, the bells of the church chimed solemnly for the full hour. Faintly, almost tenderly, each of the individual strokes against the dull metal mingled with the bizarrely cheerful chirping of the birds and echoed hauntingly in Alastor's head, while his wheezing breath slowly strangled his throat and filled his lungs with wadding.

"Where are you, Rosie?" His mouth was dry, his hurried footsteps bouncing back from the towering brick walls of the mansion, betraying his panic as his restless gaze twitched back and forth, keeping a careful eye on the shadows.

"H-Here..." Suddenly, the wretched sound of her voice came from the kitchen.

Alastor dashed towards the kitchen.

"Goodness gracious, Rosie! What has happened here?" As Alastor entered the room, he suddenly stepped in something moist. A sticky liquid stained the tips of his boots and the stinging smell of a mixture of iron and salt crept into his nose. The smell of blood clouded his senses as he stood stiff and silent in the red puddle, but then he spotted Rosie.

Her silhouette crouched on the ground with her head down and her shoulders slumped. The gleam of the knife blade in her hands shed an ominous, shimmering glow on the scene. Her husband's body laid amidst shards of glass and a smashed chair.

Alastor took a deep breath, then crossed the pool of blood on the kitchen tiles with steady steps and sat down with his best friend, sighing in sadness. The brass handles of the cupboard doors dug into his spine. "My dear Rosie, let's set the knife aside, shall we?" Carefully, he freed it from her tight grip.

"Oh, Alastor..." her voice whispered weakly, stifled by heavy sobs. "W-What have I done?" Eyes sunken and cheeks wet with tears, she stared stunned at her bloodied hands. "I didn't mean for it to come to this. Oh, Alastor, I had no wish to cause harm and hurt him. My only desire was to protect myself from him but then the things took a dreadful turn…”

"Is he dead?" Alastor demanded to know, his voice low. He rose and stalked over to her husband, his chest rising and falling weakly with rattling breaths. More and more blood oozed from the wounds of his injuries as the pool on the floor grew.

Rosie shook her head swiftly. "I believe he is still drawing breath, albeit faintly. I am filled with fright, Alastor, truly frightened..."

"Hm..." Lost in thought, his boot nudged his body, Franklin tried to stir with a grave groan. "Rosie, listen carefully. We must remain composed now. Taking him to a hospital is out of the question, as it would raise far too many inquiries. Yet, do not fret, we get through this predicament together..."

Rosie looked at her best friend, her eyes wide with fear. "But what shall we do for him, Alastor? If he... if he succumbs, I shall be branded a murderess!"

"Now, now, my dearest Rosie, please do not distress yourself with such thoughts..." Alastor asserted. He got down on his knees next to her husband and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. "No one will talk about you as a murderess" he promised her. "No one will ever know what happened here and no one shall cause you harm evermore." An ice-cold smile graced his lips as he stared deep into Franklin's eyes and wrapped his hand around his throat.

Franklin gasped. A mixture of blood and drool gushed from his mouth, snot ran from his nose and spread across his chin. His eyes bulged out of the sockets of his skull as Alastor firmly squeezed his throat. Deep crimson color built in his face, Franklin spat and spluttered blood. Alastor stared him straight in the eyes with a gleaming grin as the last of his life drained from them.

A low laugh escaped Alastor, he smiled in satisfaction, as he rose quickly and kicked the lifeless body on the ground one last time for good measure with the tip of his boot.

Franklin was dead.

"Rosie? Are you all right?" Alastor asked carefully.

"Yes, thanks to you... I am truly grateful, Alastor..." Rosie sniffled. She wiped the last of her tears away with the sleeve of her dress.

"I-I... I cannot fathom what I would have done without you. The fear was overwhelming, yet now you are here, and it seems as though all could be well once more..."

"Indeed, all shall be well," Alastor assured her.

His best friend looked up at him silently as he got down on his knees in front of her, regardless of the pool of blood. He cupped her cheeks with his bloody hands. "What should we do with his body now?" she wanted to know calmly. "I surely cannot bury Franklin in the flower garden. Would that not be the first place they would search?" She scrunched her nose up, still sniffling. "Moreover, I fear his decomposing remains would mar my roses..."

"Hm... Perhaps I am aware of a more covert method to ensure he 'vanishes'..." Alastor murmured, lost in his thoughts as the last tears escaped Rosie's eyes and the salt water mixed with the blood on her cheeks. Carefully, his fingertips wiped over her cheekbones. "Hm," he hummed with delight as he licked his bloody fingertips.

Suddenly the expression in Rosie's eyes changed, her gaze became hungry. Saliva collected in the corner of her mouth as her tongue licked over her lips. Her fingernails dug firmly into Alastor's flesh as her cold fingers wrapped around his wrist and she turned his palm towards her. Then slowly, her tongue began to lick over his bloodied hands.

"Are you still in possession of the recipe for jambalaya I shared with you, the one from my mother, my dearest Rosie?" Alastor asked.

"Yes, but the quantity of meat would be excessive for our consumption," Rosie added with a deep frown. She cast a cursory glance at the calendar on the kitchen wall. "We're lucky!" she said cheerfully. "Fortuitously, the elementary school is slated to host a summer festival this weekend. Franklin was to be the guest of honor, and the committee had requested I contribute a culinary dish or dessert. I had contemplated a cake, but jambalaya might indeed be more fitting."

"That's my brave dame," Alastor stated proudly as he helped his best friend to her feet and pulled her into a tight hug. Arm in arm, they stood embraced on the sill between the cold tiles and the warm pool of blood, dancing in small circles around each other, holding each other still and silent. Their hands found one another and their fingers intertwined. In the middle of the dawn, in the warm glow of the rising sun and the stone floor at their feet, they swayed gently to the music of a song that no one but they would ever hear. They hummed to the melody that the wailing wind sang for them alone. The horrors were forgotten and for the moment the storm completely ceased its rampage. "Now, take deep breaths, Rosie. I am here for you, you are not alone. Gather the pots and pans, and I shall retrieve the necessary tools from the shed."

"Don't we make one hell of a team, Alastor?"

"Indeed, my dearest Rosie!"

[kraekat29]

Until I Found You

Summary: Ruby never believed in love, not until JJ.

Growing up Ruby never really saw what love was, she had a heartbroken father after their mother had left, Big John shut her out and John B became the prize.

When she met JJ she felt something different, she assumed that's what true friendship felt like and never really questioned it.

Not until they got older, seeing how girls were always all over him made her stomach clench, it wasn't a good feeling seeing him kiss someone else.

There were moments she'd kiss his cheek or he would kiss her head, they would cuddle on the Pogue and in the hammocks, falling asleep together after a midnight smoke session.

At parties everyone would assume they were dating and it stung each time JJ quickly denied it, removing his arm from around her.

Ruby Routledge did not believe in love, all that came with it was pain and suffering, she vowed to herself to never fall for someone because of that.

So, she watched from a distance, telling herself she felt nothing for him, ignoring the girls who would come out with a walk of shame, giving them a bitchy smile as she sipped her coffee.

But when she got with Rafe? The jealously behind JJ's eyes was evident, the way he would scowl and brush Ruby off, giving her a snarky reply or some lame excuse for why they couldn't hang out.

She didn't know why she kept her window open for him at night, letting him in even as he was pushing her further and further away.

Only in the moments he held her in his arms did she feel at peace, like maybe, just maybe his feelings matched hers.

Everytime she would try to run from him ( and her feelings) he would catch her, never letting her get away.

She'd spent countless nights crying over him, questioning why she even cared so much, they were best friends, nothing more and nothing less.

But this summer was different, his eyes would linger on her longer, his grip around her waist would tighten when they were in public.

Soon she realized she wanted to be with him so with some courage ( and a lot of beer plus whiskey) she confessed to him at the kegger, her heart racing the entire time.

The next day she got her answer, she now had a boyfriend- who was also her best friend and that thought made her giddy, wanting to scream it to the world.

But the treasure hunt caused a lot of strain, the danger and the fighting, but somehow like magnets they always found their way back to each other.

She knew what she felt and it scared her, laying next to each other in the room she finally said it, " I love you.." She whispered, tracing patterns on his stomach to distract herself, preparing for his rejection, " I love you too.." He whispered and she smiled, leaning up and connecting their lips in a sweet kiss.

They spent many nights tangled up in each other, she couldn't get enough of him and it scared her, what if he left her? What if he realized he actually didn't love her?

So she once again ran from her feelings, the rain soaking her but she didn't care, not until he caught her around the waist and kissed her, knocking the air from her lungs, he'd never kissed her that way before.

But she didn't have time to think about it, one moment she was with JJ and the next she was running away with John B, being framed for a murder they didn't commit.

The entire time he was on her mind, she wondered if he would welcome her back and everything would be normal again, but then another part wondered if he had found someone else.

But then she was shot.. She didn’t care about herself, she thought about what John B would do, if he would be okay, and she wondered if she would ever be able to tell JJ she loved him again.

Death is something you don't forget, it changes everything and shines a new light on what you once thought that you knew.

Ruby wanted to go home, she wanted to be back in JJ's arms watching some dumb movie while they cuddled, she needed to see him again.

In Charleston she was exhausted, the pain in her shoulder was throbbing from the bullet wound, but once she looked up and saw those blonde locks she was jumping out of that cart and running like hell into his arms.

She kissed him like her life depended on it, like he was the air she needed to breathe, she didn’t care how bad her shoulder hurt, being in his arms was all she needed.

But of course nothing could stay happy forever.. Once again they were dragged into a mess of a treasure hunt, this time with a cross.

Watching the love of your life almost die is earth shattering, Ruby knew she should've moved faster, maybe even taken the blow for herself, anything to not have him limp in her arms.

If he died she would be nothing, she couldn't live without him, it felt like she couldn't breathe

But when he finally woke up she sobbed and threw her arms around him, holding him against her, terrified to let him go.

On the island everyone kept saying that they wanted to go back home, but once she looked over at JJ and he smiled?

She knew she was home.

Tag list: @cristina-t @jjgaybanklover @zoeeeruiz @pankowperfection

[sexintheraine]

October 17th.

The last day of my shackles. The last day he was here.

My last relationship was with a drunk. I have slowly grown to hate that word. I myself have only felt those effects 3 times in my life. And every single time, I’ve had the time of my life… but I’ve also made the choices that have had significant effects on my life too.

The first time. Summer of 2018. I drank alcohol before that moment - but never to the point of excess.

The summer of 2018. I had just gotten out of a 3 yr relationship with my best friend and he broke up with me because he felt we were “too different” and wanted “different things out of life”. I didn’t agree but I couldn’t change his mind. Nor did I want to after being let down by his own undoing. I called my ex from before him. (My toxic ex that somehow always was there for me when shit hit the fan.) we met at Total Wine and I bought a six pack of angry orchard. We drove to his townhome neighborhood and twisted open bottle after bottle. I drank four while I didn’t know where to put my hands and we talked about our lives without each other. He told me all about his recent break up and I drank every word with the liquid I was swallowing. I went to stand to leave and the effects hit. He caught me before my face hit the ground and it was the first time we actually touched the entire night. I was melting all over again. He sat me back on the curb and grabbed a bottle of water out of his car. The gesture caught my heart in my throat and I leaned my head on his shoulder while I sipped.

“Want to come over?” I finally said.

“Your family would not want to see me.” He objected. I was still living with my parents.

“My family is out of town. I could sneak you in.” My words were slurry and serious as I attempted to search his eyes. He still objected. “You could fuck me.” I stated finally - the words were serious, but playful. His expression hardened for a moment before he softened them and then laughed.

“They’re really not home?” He confirmed. I nodded enthusiastically and smiled - which turned into an intoxicated giggle.

“Come on” I tried to stand to get to my drivers side door and he stood and caught me as I fell towards my car. Facing him I wrapped my arms over his shoulders. “You always know how to make me feel better.” My words were a slurred whisper. His hard features broke into a small smile. “I just want your body on mine.” I was really milking it now.

“Where are your keys?” I searched my pockets. Giggled with glee when I found them. “I’ll drive” he stated - taking them from me and guiding me to the passengers side door.

I don’t remember the drive much - other than my excitement building and the peaks I kept taking at him as he drove my car. I remember pulling up to my parents house and a friend of my brothers being at the house. He looked to me for what to do. I told him to go in through the back while I went through the front door. He waited for me to go in first so I could distract my brothers friend who was playing guitar in the living room. I told him immediately that I was sneaking someone in and not to look behind him while I watched the movement of my lover go up the stairs and he laughed at me asking if I were drunk. I said yes and he laughed and said “right on, dude”. I made my way upstairs. He turned around at the sight of me. I through my clothes off faster than I ever have (even to this date) and pulled his lips to mine. He fucked me hard and fast. We couldn’t get enough. I begged him to stay. He said he’d be back in the morning with my car and left.

The second time was late 2018. October, probably. I was in Charleston with my brothers - performing with our band at the Music Farm the next evening. I had one too many cocktails at this fancy bar we popped into called Probition. The drink tasted like a naked juice and I was obsessed with it. I had three. Then promptly got the courage to tell my oldest brother that I had a crush on his best friend. (The one who is now a person I never want to lay eyes on ever again. The one who made home life pretty miserable for the last two years of our four year relationship… the same one I gave everything to and got nothing in return. The same one who is currently suing me for money from my house just because he signed the piece of paper when I was first purchasing it. He has legal rights to it because of a signature and no contribution. The same “best friend” who said awful things and tore everyone down with narcissistic tendencies I had to listen to, in his drunken rage. Never taking the blame… yes… that best friend… the one who finally moved out on October 17th, 2023)

I wish I had known what I know now. I wish I hadn’t put him on a pedestal. I wish I hadn’t trusted him to do the right thing and instead, protected myself. I wish I had given my love to someone else. For the first time in my life… I regret someone. I regret the choice I made to trust him. I regret the choice I made to stay for so long in the toxicity of hoping he would get better. I regret imagining a life with someone who was never going to give me the world and the peace I needed.

I now crave the love. I crave adoration (from me to them and them to me.) I want someone who will hold me in the middle of the day and brush the strand of hair out of my face while they tell me I’m pretty. I want someone who craves adventure and is playfully sexy. I want someone who can’t keep their hands off me. But also wants to make dinner and who will melt against me while I wrap my arms around them as they are doing the dishes. I want to wake up next to someone who says goodmorning in an adorable wonder of how lucky is he that I am there. And how lucky am I that he is here. I want the give and take and take and give. I want the trust to be trusted and the depth to be unlocked. We became surface and then we became argumentative. We became nothing quickly after. If I knew what I know now…. I wouldn’t have had that last drink in Charleston. I would have never told my brother how I felt. I would have found someone else to love. I would probably be married with a baby.… I would probably still be sad about something. But at least I wouldn’t be scared of erratic behavior and Tito’s bottles.

The third time I got drunk, was at my best friends wedding. I got home after. Got naked and stripped of my dress and fell asleep on the couch… wine drunk.

Two years ago… October 2022. I wonder where I’ll be this October….

[ash-morse]

{ JOSH HEUSTON, 21, DEMI-BOY, HE/HIM } Is that ASHLEY MORSE ? A SOPHOMORE  originally from CHARLESTON, SC, they decided to come to Ogden College to study PRE-MED on an ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIP. They’re THE HIMBO on campus, but even they could get blamed for Greer’s disappearance.

THE ESSENTIALS

TBD

CHARACTER INSPIRATIONS

elle woods (legally blonde) - chris traeger (parks and rec) - finnick odair (the hunger games) - aaron samuels (mean girls) - troy bolton (high school musical) - finn hudson (glee) - jeremiah fisher (the summer i turned pretty) - wally clark (school spirits) - amy santiago (brooklyn 99) - seth cohen (the oc)

TV TROPES

THE HIMBO, book smart, ditzy genius, endearingly dorky, lovable jock, dumb muscle, beautiful all along, in with the in crowd, more TBD

OGDEN COLLEGE 2022-2023

MAJOR:

Pre-Med with a Gender and Sexuality Studies Minor

EXTRACURRICULARS:

Lacrosse (Defenseman), Sailing Queer Alliance, Pre-Med Society

BASIC INFORMATION

FULL NAME: Ashley Morse

NICKNAME(S): Ash

DATE OF BIRTH: May 29, 2002

AGE: twenty

ZODIAC SIGN: gemini sun, leo moon, libra rising, taurus mercury, cancer venus, gemini mars

OCCUPATION: ogden college student

HOMETOWN: charleston, sc

NATIONALITY: american

ETHNICITY: anglo-sri lankan

LANGUAGE(S): english

GENDER & PRONOUNS: demi-boy, he/him (

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: pansexual

PHYSICAL INFORMATION

FACE CLAIM: Josh Heuston

HEIGHT: 5'10”

EYE COLOR: light green

HAIR COLOR + STYLE: dark brown curls, worn long

ACCENT + INTENSITY: TBD

TATTOO(S): none

SCAR(S): TBD

PIERCING(S): one pierced ear, thanks to link 

GLASSES: no

CLOTHING STYLE: TBD

PERSONALITY

MBTI TYPE: TBD

POSITIVE TRAITS: extroverted, sociable, clever, practical, determined, goofy, determined, intuitive

NEGATIVE TRAITS: scattered, flighty, indecisive, two-faced, over-sensitive, inconsistent, closed-off, judgmental

SKILLS: solving a rubik’s cube in about 10 seconds, can tie essentially any type of knot that exists, doing a standing back tuck (he does celebrate the rare goal as a defenseman in lacrosse this way)

GOALS/DESIRES: TBD

FEARS: TBD

HOBBIES: TBD

HABITS: TBD

SMOKES? yes, weed at least

DRINKS? yes

DRUGS? yes - he injured his knee last year and has been lowkey using opiates to help him deal with it because he can’t be kicked off the lacrosse team and lose his athletic scholarship. he completely downplayed the injury at the time, and has been consistently trying to hide the lasting affects - before that, he wasn’t much of a hard drug user.

PLEASE EXPAND ON HOW THEY EMBODY THEIR CHARACTER TROPE: THE HIMBO

tbd

expanded personality tbd

CONNECTIONS

connection page tbd

RELATIONSHIP TO GREER: NEW FRIEND

Last year, when Ash showed up as a freshman, his newly developed looks and the confidence that went along with them found him blending right into the popular clique. While he was aware that these were the very people who would’ve ignored him in high school, he couldn’t help but go along with it with the slightest sense of awe. Maybe because he is friendly with both Kit and Jesse, he never had anything but positive interactions with Greer, actually getting along extremely well. They often goofed off together, Ash definitely someone that could bring out her more easy going side, though that could be said for most people he interacted with.  

BACKGROUND

FAMILY: 

SOCIAL CLASS: upper class/upper middle class

FATHER: TBD

MOTHER: TBD

SIBLING(S)? TBD

family page tbd

BIOGRAPHY:  

ash was definitely more shy/reserved/closed off in his younger years - before going through puberty, he was skinny and felt so outta place in who he was, so he held himself back a lot and was very much one of the shy nerdy kids

there was definitely some bullying as well through middle school/early high school, which definitely didn’t help him feeling comfortable in his own skin

his personality started to come out a lot more once he began to feel more confident, and people realized he was a complete goofball, albeit one who is very pretty

he had a glow up around senior year of high school, and was suddenly much more welcomed into the popular cliques

not being one to hold grudges, ash became friends with a lot of the kids who were previously mean to him

when he came to ogden, he was instantly accepted in as a jock, and fit in with the quote-unquote cool kids. it was a shock for him, and he tries to hide his still very loud nerdy side so they don't realize he doesn't belong and kick him out

expanded biography tbd

SOME FUN FACTS

TBD

he has def like...concussed himself on his own locker at least once

thinks ollie is g!

[mariacallous]

After a long stretch of record-high rents, Americans are renting fewer apartments as demand in the third quarter fell to its lowest level in 13 years. 

Some renters are choosing to take on roommates, while others are boarding with family or friends. More people are opting to stay longer in their parents’ homes or moving back in, rather than pay steep rent increases, according to a recent UBS survey.

Apartment demand in the quarter, measured by the one-year change in the occupancy of units, was the lowest since 2009, when the U.S. was feeling the effects of the subprime crisis, according to rental software company RealPage. Measured quarterly, the drop in demand was the worst of any third quarter—normally prime leasing season—in the more than 30 years RealPage has compiled the data.

Meanwhile, the apartment-vacancy rate rose to 5.5% in the third quarter, up from 5.1% the quarter prior, according to property data firm CoStar.

Rents have risen 25% over the past two years, according to rental website Apartment List, pushing many renters beyond what they can now afford. Meanwhile, inflation on other essential goods, such as food and energy, is also eating into how much people have left to spend on housing. 

“It’s a signal that rent can’t continue at the same level it has sustained over the last couple of years,” said Michael Goldsmith, an analyst at UBS. “We’ve reached a point where renters are maybe willing to pull out of the market.” 

The apartment rental market looks to be cooling following a boom that started in early 2021. After the introduction of a Covid-19 vaccine, many people—especially younger people who had been living with their parents—rushed to rent in cities around the country. That boosted apartment demand and put upward pressure on rents. Some rental apartments were even subject to bidding wars.

Record high housing prices also played a role. They priced out many Americans who wanted to buy starter homes but instead have remained captives of the rental market. Home prices are now falling on a monthly basis, however, according to the latest S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller National Home Price Index.

Rental prices have started to fall on a monthly basis for the first time in nearly two years, too, while other recent data points also show that renters are starting to push back.

Shonda Austin, a home healthcare worker, and her three children moved into her mother’s house in Flint, Mich., this month after facing a 24% rent increase in Las Vegas. She hopes to return to a home of her own by March to somewhere more affordable, such as Arkansas or North Carolina, where she could potentially buy. 

“My goal is to just save as much as I can,” Ms. Austin said.

The supply of new apartments, which has grown this year in large markets such as Phoenix and Dallas, may be contributing to the drop in overall demand, because new projects add empty units to a slowing market. Economic uncertainty rooted in fears of a recession may also be contributing to lower apartment demand.

Leasing also typically eases during colder months, but analysts said the drop in demand that started earlier this year is now greater than what was expected. 

“The spring and summer leasing season was a total bust,” said Jay Lybik, national director of multifamily research at CoStar.

Yet even with the recent decline in demand, asking rents have remained near record highs. Nationally, asking rents have started to drop only slightly month-to-month, and are still up by 6% or more when viewed annually, according to several data sources. In some hot markets, they are up much more than that. In Charleston, S.C., rent is 14% higher than it was a year ago, according to Apartment List. 

To escape record high prices, more people are choosing to live rent free with friends or family, a September UBS survey found. Eighteen percent of U.S. adults surveyed said they had lived rent free with other people during the last six months, up from 11% at the same time one year ago. That was the highest share of adults living rent free with friends and family since UBS began asking the question in 2015. 

Other renters are finding roommates or splitting rent with family members. In North Charleston, S.C., 27-year-old bartender Bailey Byrum said her younger sister moved in with her at her two-bedroom rental house. Ms. Byrum said her sister had trouble finding her own place and had recently been living with her parents. 

“She has a good job… but places by yourself are like $500 to $600 out of her budget,” Ms. Byrum said. 

Some landlords are encountering resistance to steeper rent increases. In downtown Birmingham, Ala., last year, Kim McCann and her husband leased a spacious loft apartment for $2,800, a rent that then already seemed overpriced, Ms. McCann said. This July the landlord texted Ms. McCann to say she would be raising the rent by an extra $900 a month because local real-estate demand had “exploded.” 

Rather than pay $3,700 for the same apartment, Ms. McCann and her husband decided to move out in August. The loft sat on the market until at least this week, according to a listing on Zillow, and the asking price was cut twice.

“Fingers crossed other landlords come to their senses soon,” Ms. McCann said.

[throatcoat]

//chapter 7// //dear laurie allen//

i am crumpled on my floor amongst the laundry heaps, and there is fruity pebbles stuck in my hair. my head aches, and the bottle is empty. i can not remember even taking a sip. all i can smell is the saltwater vomit in my nose. the tape deck has released, the speakers crackling, and i swear i can hear my name amongst the empty transmission waves. groaning, i turn on my back, and stare at my ceiling. there is a crack there, it matches the one in my childhood bedroom. i wonder if the same earth quake caused this one, too, i wonder if we are on the same fault line.

slinking out to the kitchen, i squint my eyes closed. the morning sun is blinding. the coffee in the pot is lukewarm, and the handle on my mug is broken. opening up the sliding glass door, i step out in the cold mist of the pacific west coast. between gulps of coffee and lungs filled with smoke, i am looking at mt. rainier hidden between rain clouds. this place has never felt like home, not to me anyways. home was some place different, untouched by the mold on a windowsill.

before my little sister was born, i lived in a different town, nestled closer to the mountains of canada, away from the valley. closer to the Fire-camp, it was a tiny place, no more than 100 population. it is made up of the chapel, an old tavern, a gas station with the best charleston chews, and the post office with only one post-master. the house we lived in was blue and the yard was covered in wildflowers, in daisies, there was an apricot tree right next to the maple that housed a held-up-by-twine homemade baby swing. my grandparents lived up the hill, in a 100 year old school house made of cold concrete. If you look near the clear blue lake, you can see the look-out i used to dream climbing up. Old Ruby Mine lies just a couple miles further, and now no one looks for gold in the creek anymore. my earliest memories lie here, the sweetest ones. This ghost town, it might as well be a holy land.

my grandparents used to watch me while my mom and dad went off to work. pops would make me vegetable soup made with their summer crops, i would hide in the clawfoot bathtub and sing softly to my grandmother's porcelain dolls, my cousins would hold my hand as we walked down to the gas station for an ice cold soda pop. the air always smelled like moss, the sap leaking from the pine trees, the wet soil of the lake. it smelled like daffodils and chimney smoke. it smelled a little like happiness. I'd sit in the grass, making clover chains and watching the rabbits sprint into the woods. it felt safe here. ghosts refused to step foot here.

sometimes, i wonder where it all went wrong, if there were ever warning signs of the mudslide, was there a flash flood? I realize my eyes are closed now, no longer looking at the volcanic giant in the distance. the coffee is cold as the mist and it seeps into my bones. the colder i get, maybe the more it will feel like home. there is a crane sitting in the bay, looking for fish and it reminds me of the herons that would dip into palmer lake. the night prior i spent drinking, looking for answers, and now, some how the salt waters seep into the fresh glacier lakes and i am no longer here in the sleepy sea side town.

i still have a scar on my tongue from when i almost bit right through it. i was a stubborn child, and although my mother told me not to try to walk down the cement stairs alone, i did it anyways. i wanted an apricot. i do not remember stumbling, i remember my mother yelling for my father, the first time i ever tasted blood in my mouth. she picked me up and held me close and it was the last time i ever felt remotely loved by my mom. she only seems to love me most when she is scared. even now, over twenty years later, that first time ever falling sticks to my brain, the way my mom looked. the same look she had when my dad fell off the ladder and convulsed on the ground.

we ended up moving down to the valley after that, my mom pregnant, wanting to be closer to the hospital, closer to where there were more people than just the fishermen at the bar, truckers at the gas station, and folk just passing through. we ended up in the yellow house by the highway, the one we would stay in until i was 16 years old. although it was not the chilly mountains, i would grow to love the desert just as much as the snow. often, i would give anything to be back there, now i do not think anyone would be able to name me, recognize me. maybe it could be safe again. at least it is always familiar.

the town we ended up in was the same place i had been born, right in the hospital on main street. my parents had both spent a portion of their childhoods here, too, at different moments. always within reach of one another, never in sight. they thought it would be the perfect place to also raise their two daughters, familiar. safe. it used to be, at least.

the valley was on fire the last summer i spent there. 256,108 acres in total, it was a massive wildfire turned complex, caused by lightning and just the right conditions. carlton led my town to be under evacuation orders and i watched on the side of the highway as person after person flew past in their pickup trucks. if you stepped outside, the smoke choked you. i stayed as the fire burnt through, scorching the abandoned orchard behind our house. if you kept walking up the dirt road behind the apple tree stumps, you will find a small village filled with folk in plain clothes, mennonites who claimed their own stake a century past. i wondered if they stayed, too, if their prayers worked, or if it felt like punishment, all brimstone and sulfur.

it felt fitting, that the last remnants of me existing in the place i always knew would end like this- burnt up, dried out, and abandoned. i took a deep breath and the ash in the air choked me. i walked down the highway, opposite of where all the cars were headed. following the traintracks, you will end up near an apple processing plant, a small one. it smells like wine and wet cardboard. this is where my first field trip took place, right before we walked to the library. keep walking, and you'll find empty crates stacked up, blocking the entrance to history park. i lost my first tooth there, in that park. i buried it beneath the elm tree, near the swing set.

the park was where i was headed, even without intention. the can of grape soda was sweating against my hand, slowly slipping each time i lift to take a sip. there is one person there, other than that i was alone. i sat at the wooden bench where my friends and i had carved our names once in middle school, and it was the same bench i smoked my first joint at. i always found myself here, at this bench, when i needed some place quiet to think. i sat watching the kid shooting hoops, practicing dribbles like our town was not on fire, like he had no place to go and had all the time in the world. the pool was closed, abnormally silent for a scorching july day. the only sounds were the okanogan river and the dribbling of the basketball. the birds had all left.

i lifted the can only to find i had finished it already. i took out my pocket knife and carved into the wooden table, right beside the initials we had left years prior. a crooked heart. sloppily, i carved three words. i carved my own name. sometimes, i wonder if it is still there, the heart with my name. did someone cross it out? scratch it and replace it with a better name? my cellphone began ringing out, and it is my mother on the other end, asking where i am.

i hung up, slam the phone shut, and laid my head on the warm wood. all i wanted in that moment was to sink into the earth, buried right next to my lost baby tooth.

sometimes, when i close my eyes, i am back there, in that park, under the layers of grass and mud and the indian burial ground.

[jonfarreporter]

Heirlooms apparent & abundant at ‘The Patch’ in Sonoma

With the bounty of summer comes the annual season of fresh tomatoes, bell peppers, onions and cucumbers. One spot that has become a favorite for locals is ‘The Patch’ a two acre plot of land that harkens to when Sonoma was known for farming and other horticultural activities long before wine became its main claim to fame.

Located on 2nd Street, East on the opposite side of the street from Vella Cheese, ‘The Patch’ can easily be overlooked if it weren’t for the hand painted sign on the right hand side of the shoulder of the street.

Providing mostly fresh onions and tomatoes of various types including heirlooms, ‘The Patch’ this season has zucchini, garlic, basil and for a limited time, locally grown peaches.

“Where else can you find onions larger than a baseball,” exclaimed Thelva. She’s a nearby neighbor who volunteers as cashier/check out clerk on most days during the week. “We only take cash here,” she said.

Her Southern drawl signifies that the beauty of Sonoma attracts people from all over. “I’ve been in Sonoma since 1960.” “I am originally from Charleston, West Virginia,” she said. “I came out here when my brother wanted to start a new life out in California.” “I’ve been back to visit. But it’s so beautiful here in Sonoma I decided to stay and live here.”

Not to be confused with Charleston, South Carolina, Thelva noted, “this Charleston where I’m originally from is the state capitol of West Virginia.” “I still have family there, she said, as well as relatives in Ohio, which is about a 2 hour drive away.”

Yet, being in Sonoma for over 50 years, this is home. “The beauty of the valley fills my day, that’s why I’m pleased to be able to help out at ‘The Patch.’” She said. “We have fresh produce brought here and to Sonoma Market every day.” “Our place is the only spot where you can get fresh garlic from right out of the ground with the scapes (stems) uncut.”

Reviews on Yelp praise ‘The Patch.’ As Robert D noted… “it’s nice locally grown produce and while they usually have mostly heirloom tomatoes, they also have corn, green beans and squash.”

TripAdvisor praises ‘The Patch’ and points out that during its seasonal run from May through November, ‘The Patch’ also provides its produce to Farmers Markets in Sonoma and Sebastopol.

Beets and berries can also be available from time to time. “It’s good to stop by frequently throughout the week,” said Thelva.

The amount and variety changes depending on the harvest and availability. Open six days a week 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, ‘The Patch’ at is at 250 2nd Street, East not far from the Plaza. Street parking available but limited. ‘The Patch’ is closed on Sunday. For more information call ‘The Patch’ at 707 849-7384.

[noelcollection]

Memorial Remembered

The last weekend in May for many Americans is a celebration for the start of summer, it marks the opening of boating ventures, open pools, and the opening of beach houses. However, how well do we know the history of this American holiday? The observance of the last Monday of May is a call for friends and family to remember the fallen war heroes, all over the world there is a day selected to moan and remember the uglier side of history with the laying of wreaths and poppies penned on lapels. It is likely that we may think that this is a day originally dedicated to the lives given for World War I or WWII. 

The U.S. National Cemetery Administration website (https://bit.ly/3yJdNow) has the history of Memorial Day in great detail; but it will briefly be given here. In years following the Civil War, communities throughout America decorated the soldiers’ graves with floral wreaths in the spring as decoration days, which can be traced to Roman and European traditions. The federal holiday was originally called “Decoration Day.” The Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of Union veterans, proposed the Memorial Day Act, or General Order No. 11, as a way of formally establishing a day for the nation to remember the soldiers fallen during wartime with flowers on May 5th, 1868. GAR was led by Major General John A. Logan. The Major General had been aware of the informal memorial efforts and their origins, even citing the practice in a speech he gave in Salem, IL on Independence Day in 1866. However, The Grand Army of the Republic formally accredited an anonymous comrade, it was another member of the organization that recounted their native German traditions of paying homage to cemeteries by spreading flowers on graves. The act of remembering the lost as a result of the Civil War was happening throughout the affected States, a trio of women in Boalsburg, PA would adorn graves of soldiers in October 1964, while another group in Charleston, SC held a large memorial on May 1st, 1865. 

General Order No. 11 called for May 30th to be the observation day to ensure that the best springtime floras would be available for all graves all over the country. Major General John A. Logan’s additions to Order No. 11 urged the nation to never forget the Civil War’s human cost. It was New York that became the first state to officially recognize the holiday in 1873; and other formally Union states followed in the observance of Decoration Day by 1890. It would not be until 1966 when President Lyndon B. Johnson recognized 100 years of Memorial Day event held on May 30th in New York, that the full observance of Memorial Day. The occasion changed from Decoration Day to Memorial Day, and officially became Uniform Monday Holiday Act in 1968, designated the last Monday in May as Memorial Day in 1971. 

The James Smith Noel Collection does have a hardy collection of print resources that discuss the American Civil War, we also have one text that focuses on Major General John Alexander Logan. The book in discussion is the Life and services of Gen. John A. Logan as soldier and statesman by George Francis Dawson (https://bit.ly/3QWR1zO), the edition house within the collection was published in 1887 by Belford, Clarke and Co. The boards are in a deep green with a black embossing with some gold decoration on the spine and cover. The end pages are printed with floral decoration. There is a frontispiece photograph of John A. Logan. There is also a personal letter written by his wife as a preface. The Major General was born February 1826 in Murphysboro, Illinois to Dr. John Logan and his second wife, Elizabeth. John A. Logan began his military career after enlisting in the 1st Illinois Infantry during the Mexican-American War. 

The book details his life in several parts; before, during, and after war. He was accused of being a Succession sympathizer. His efforts at Bull Run, the Battle of Belmont, Northern Mississippi Campaign, and many others are greatly detailed. Logan remained strongly political after the Civil War. There is a particular portion of the book which is “Part IV.-Logan on the Presidential Ticket.” Logan was a Demarcate before the war and sided with the Republicans post-war. He was one of the House managers in the impeachment trial of U.S. President Andrew Jackson. He was also the second Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic from 1868 to 1871. Logan was nominated for Vice-President in 1884, though he personally was not in favor of the nomination.

The Major General began to experience illness in December of 1886, his cause of death is not given but by mid-December his arms began to swell and he experienced pain in his lower limbs. Doctors said his condition was fatal, John A. Logan reposed on December 26, 1886. His body lay in state in the Capitol and was formally buried in the mortuary chapel of the United States Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Home National Cemetery in Washington in 1888. 

[theextracharacters]

What’s your favorite Halloween candy?

Have you ever played those ghost urban legend games? Alone or with others?

How do you feel about your local autumn weather?

How does your wardrobe change in fall?

What’s the weather like when it’s fall where you are?

How do you feel about haunted house attractions? (For all of them)

Fall Stuff

What’s your favorite Halloween candy?

Mike- "Snickers, the only one I have a real weakness for."

Shira- "Reese's Cups"

Lily- "Skittles. I have a bowl full of them next to my computer."

Alyona- "Kit Kats."

Have you ever played those ghost urban legend games? Alone or with others?

Mike- "I don't think so

Shira- "No. Maybe it sounds interesting. I could go with a few friends."

Alyona- "No, why would I do that?"

Lily- "I went with some friends to a house that was supposed to be haunted before. It was creepy, but nothing made us think we saw a ghost."

How do you feel about your local autumn weather?

Mike- (Atlanta) "It's similar to Charleston, where I grew up. A bit colder. Not usually as warm as when I lived in Miami. I don't usually mind it."

Shira- (Atlanta) "The average temperature isn't too different than what I grew up in, but it's more prone to cold spells, especially in November. I like a little more stability, but it's not too bad."

Alyona- "Local? I move from place to place. It was cold back in Russia. It's usually warmer here. I don't notice much difference from summer in Florida. Farther north it's more likely to be colder. I saw snow in New York in November once."

Lily- (San Jose) "It's usually nice. We don't usually have a lot of wild temperature swings here any time of the year and it doesn't rain much except during winter."

How does your wardrobe change in fall?

Mike- "Not too much, unless it gets cold. I wear more sweatshirts."

Shira- "More sweaters, maybe a pullover and sweatpants over the gym wear."

Alyona- "I wear warmer clothes, sweaters, more pants instead of skirts. Not usually bundled up like back in Russia."

Lily- "Not much during the day. Maybe tights under skirts, jackets at night. The weather doesn't change that much in Silicon Valley until the middle of winter."

What’s the weather like when it’s fall where you are?

(I feel like this one got answered above for the last two and just don't think the answers would really be much different)

How do you feel about haunted house attractions?

Shira- "James wants to see if I'll jump. I'm trying not to..."

Mike- "My kids like them."

Lily- "They're fun! Most are goofy, but once in a while one might really be scary."

Alyona- "I don't care for them. I pulled a knife on the last person who scared me, so it's probably not a good idea."

[roamanddiscover]

South Carolina

South Carolina, located in the southeastern region of the United States, is a state rich in history, culture, and natural beauty. The state is bordered by Georgia to the south and North Carolina to the north, with the Atlantic Ocean on its eastern coast. Known for its beautiful beaches, stunning landscapes, and historic landmarks, South Carolina is a popular tourist destination for people from all over the world. The state's name is derived from the Latin word "Carolus," meaning Charles in English, in honor of King Charles I of England. South Carolina was one of the original 13 colonies that declared independence from Great Britain and played a significant role in the American Revolution. South Carolina's unique geology is a mix of coastal plains, rolling hills, and mountains. The state is home to several scenic lakes, rivers, and waterfalls, including Lake Marion, Lake Moultrie, and the Reedy River Falls. The geography of South Carolina is divided into three distinct regions: the Coastal Plain, the Piedmont Plateau, and the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Coastal Plain is in the southeastern part of the state and consists of flat, sandy terrain near the coast and fertile soil further inland. The Piedmont Plateau lies in the central part of the state and is characterized by hilly terrain and forests. The Blue Ridge Mountains are located in the northwestern part of the state and are known for their stunning views and hiking trails. The state's ecology is incredibly diverse, with a variety of plant and animal species. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources oversees the state's natural resources, including wildlife conservation and habitat protection. Visitors can see everything from alligators in the swamps to dolphins off the coast. South Carolina has a humid subtropical climate, with mild winters and hot, humid summers. The state is known for occasional hurricanes and tropical storms that can bring heavy rainfall and strong winds. - Endangered species in South Carolina include the Carolina Heelsplitter, a freshwater mussel, and the Red-Cockaded Woodpecker, an endangered bird species. - South Carolina is the only state in the United States that produces tea. The Charleston Tea Plantation on Wadmalaw Island produces tea under the American Classic Tea brand. - The state's official dance is the shag, a popular dance style that originated in beach clubs along the Grand Strand during the 1940s. South Carolina has something to offer for everyone, from its deep historical roots to its beautiful landscapes and exciting activities. It's no wonder why so many people choose to call this state their home or travel here for unforgettable experiences.

Etymology

South Carolina derives its name from King Charles I of England, who granted the land to eight Lords Proprietors in 1663. The name "Carolina" originates from the Latin word "Carolus" meaning "Charles." At first, the land was divided between North and South Carolina, but they were combined as one colony before separating again in the late 1600s. The roots of South Carolina's name go even further back than the English monarchy, however. The native tribes who inhabited the area before European contact had their own names for the region. The Cherokee people called it "Kuwa" meaning "pitch tree place," while the Cusabo people named it "Essaw" meaning "standing fish." South Carolina has a diverse cultural history, and its name is just one example of the many influences that have shaped it. From the native tribes to the English monarchy to modern-day influences, South Carolina's past and present are reflected in its name.

History

South Carolina is a state with a rich and complex history, spanning from the colonial period to the present day. The state was originally home to many Native American tribes, including the Cherokee and Catawba, before European settlers arrived in the region in the 16th century. The first permanent settlement in South Carolina was founded by the English in 1670, at Charleston. The colony grew rapidly over the following decades, fueled by the cultivation of rice and indigo by enslaved African Americans. In addition to plantation agriculture, South Carolina's early economy was also shaped by trade and commerce. The state was a major hub for the transatlantic slave trade, as well as for the export of goods such as naval stores, lumber, and deerskins. During the Revolutionary War, South Carolina played a pivotal role in the American victory against British rule. The state saw many decisive battles, including the Battle of Charleston in 1780 and the Battle of Cowpens in 1781. The Civil War had a significant impact on South Carolina, which was one of the first states to secede from the Union in 1860. The war wreaked havoc on the state, with many battles fought on its soil and the widespread destruction of property and infrastructure. Following the Civil War, South Carolina underwent a period of Reconstruction, during which federal troops occupied the state and sought to rebuild its shattered economy and society. However, this period was marked by violence and upheaval, as white Southerners sought to maintain their dominance over freed Black Americans. In the 20th century, South Carolina continued to play an important role in American history. The state was a center of the civil rights movement, with many prominent activists, such as Septima Clark and Modjeska Simkins, working to advance racial equality and justice. Today, South Carolina is a modern, vibrant state that is proud of its heritage and history. The state's rich past is reflected in its many historic sites and museums, including Fort Sumter National Monument, which tells the story of the start of the Civil War, and the Charleston Museum, which houses a wide range of artifacts related to the state's history and culture. South Carolina's history is a fascinating and diverse tapestry, shaped by many different people and events over the centuries. Whether you are interested in colonial settlements, the Civil War, or the civil rights movement, there is something for everyone to discover in this dynamic and beautiful state.

Geology

South Carolina boasts diverse geological formations and landscapes that showcase the state's natural beauty. Some of the notable geological features in South Carolina include the Appalachian Mountains in the northwest and the coastal plain in the southeast. The Appalachian Mountains, extending to South Carolina from Canada, consist of various rock types like granite, gneiss and slate. The Appalachian Mountains run parallel to the state's northwest, creating steep ridges and valleys in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The highest peak in the state, Sassafras Mountain, is situated in the Blue Ridge Mountains, with a summit elevation of 3,553 feet. The Middle and Great Appalachian Mountains are characterized by numerous faults that caused earthquakes in the past. On the other hand, the Coastal Plain, extending across the southeastern parts of South Carolina, is home to swamps, sandy beaches, wetlands, and barrier islands. The region was created by the deposition of sediment from rivers that flowed from the Appalachian Mountains over millions of years. The sediments, which consist of sand, silt, and clay, were compressed over time to form the layers of sandstone, limestone, and shale that are found in the Coastal Plain. The Grand Strand in Myrtle Beach is an attraction for people from all around the world, with more than 60 miles of wide, white sand beaches. In addition to these formations, the Midlands region of South Carolina is home to a geological feature known as the fall line which separates the piedmont region from the coastal plain. The fall line comprises a series of waterfalls and rapids that create a natural boundary along major rivers. Rivers including the Broad, Saluda, Catawba, and Congaree rivers flow over the fall line, creating numerous waterfalls like Congaree and Broad rivers. The state has several more geological attractions, including caves, sinkholes, and dinosaur tracks, that showcase the natural beauty and diversity of South Carolina's landscapes. As a result of these features, South Carolina remains a popular destination throughout the year, attracting millions of tourists who come to explore the geological formations and landscapes.

Geography

Geographically, South Carolina is a diverse state with several distinct regions. The state is located in the southeastern part of the United States and shares borders with Georgia to the south and North Carolina to the north. It has a total area of 32,020 square miles and is the 40th largest state in the U.S. The state is divided into three geographic regions: the Coastal Plain (also known as the Lowcountry), the Piedmont Plateau (the Upstate), and the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Coastal Plain covers the eastern part of the state and includes the coastal areas and barrier islands. It is relatively flat and has an elevation of fewer than 500 feet above sea level. The Piedmont Plateau, a hilly region, encompasses the central part of the state and forms a transition zone between the Coastal Plain and the Blue Ridge Mountains. The majority of the state's population resides in this region. It has an elevation of up to 1,500 feet above sea level and is known for its numerous rivers, including the Saluda, Broad, and Catawba. The Blue Ridge Mountains, located in the western corner of the state, are part of the Appalachian Mountain range and are known for their stunning peaks and breathtaking scenery. The tallest peak in South Carolina, Sassafras Mountain, is located in this region and rises 3,554 feet above sea level. South Carolina is home to several large lakes, including Lake Marion, Lake Moultrie, and Lake Hartwell. The state also has several major rivers such as the Savannah, Pee Dee, and Edisto. In addition to its natural features, South Carolina has many man-made elements, such as dams, bridges, and highways. The state has an extensive transportation system that includes several major highways, international airports, and ports. South Carolina's diverse geography and physical features make it an exciting place to live, work, and visit. Whether you prefer to explore the beaches, hike the mountains, or simply enjoy the rolling hills of the Piedmont, there is something for everyone in this beautiful state.

Ecology

South Carolina's ecology is diverse, with varied wildlife and ecosystems in different regions. From the coastal areas to the mountains, South Carolina is home to unique habitats and species. The state's coastal region includes salt marshes, barrier islands, and beaches. These areas provide critical habitat for shorebirds, sea turtles, and fish species, such as red drum and king mackerel. The ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge is home to diverse wildlife, including alligators, bald eagles, and otters. Inland, the state's forests are home to wildlife such as black bears, deer, and wild turkeys. The Congaree National Park, located in the central part of the state, features one of the largest intact old-growth bottomland hardwood forests in the southeastern United States. It is also home to numerous plant and animal species, including the endangered swallow-tailed kite and wood storks. The Upstate region of South Carolina hosts the Appalachian Mountains and several rivers. The mountain landscape features rare plant and animal species such as the green salamander and the peregrine falcon. The rivers provide habitat for fish species such as the brown trout and the striped bass. South Carolina's aquatic ecosystems, including rivers, lakes, and estuaries, are home to a wide variety of fish and other aquatic species. The Santee Cooper Lakes in the central part of the state provide habitat for striped bass, catfish, and other fish species, while the Chattooga River in the Upstate region is known for its trout fishing opportunities. The state's estuaries, such as the North Inlet-Winyah Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, are important nursery habitats for a variety of fish and shellfish species. Endangered species are also present in South Carolina. These include the red-cockaded woodpecker, the Carolina heelsplitter mussel, and the Eastern indigo snake. The state government, along with conservation organizations, works to protect and manage endangered species and their habitats. South Carolina's diverse ecosystems and wildlife provide numerous opportunities for wildlife viewing, outdoor recreation, and conservation efforts.

Biodiversity

South Carolina is home to a rich diversity of plant and animal species. The state's numerous ecosystems, ranging from the high mountains in the west to the sandy beaches in the east, provide habitats for a multitude of unique organisms. The biodiversity of South Carolina is one of its many draws for nature enthusiasts. One of the most iconic species found in South Carolina is the American alligator. These large reptiles can be found in most of the state's freshwater habitats, from swamps to rivers to lakes. Other reptiles found in South Carolina include the venomous copperhead snake and the eastern diamondback rattlesnake. Mammals native to South Carolina include the white-tailed deer, black bear, and bobcat. The state is also home to several species of bats, including the federally endangered Indiana bat. The birdlife of South Carolina is particularly diverse, with over 400 species recorded in the state. One notable bird is the painted bunting, a colorful species commonly found in the Lowcountry. Other species include the red-cockaded woodpecker, a bird of the longleaf pine forests, and the swallow-tailed kite, a raptor that preys on insects. South Carolina's coastal habitats provide nesting grounds for several species of sea turtles, including the loggerhead, green, and Kemp's ridley turtles. The state's beaches are also popular nesting sites for several species of shorebirds, including the black skimmer and the least tern. South Carolina's diverse forests and wetlands are home to a wide variety of plant species, including many rare and threatened species. Longleaf pine forests in the coastal plain are home to plants such as the Venus flytrap and the pitcher plant. The Appalachian Mountains in the western part of the state support a diverse array of plant life, including the mountain laurel and the Fraser fir. In addition to its native species, South Carolina is also home to many non-native, or invasive, species. These include the Chinese tallow tree, which crowds out native vegetation, and the European starling, which competes with native bird species for resources. Conservation efforts in South Carolina aim to protect the state's biodiversity by preserving critical habitats and controlling invasive species. Organizations such as the South Carolina Wildlife Federation work to promote sustainable land use practices and educate the public about the importance of protecting wildlife and ecosystems. Through these efforts, South Carolina's unique biodiversity can be enjoyed for generations to come.

eastern diamondback rattlesnake

Climate

South Carolina experiences a humid subtropical climate, with hot summers and mild winters. However, due to its diverse topography and geographic location, the state experiences a wide range of weather patterns and climate variations. The coastal region of South Carolina is influenced by the Atlantic Ocean and experiences a mild, pleasant climate throughout the year. Summers are hot, with temperatures averaging around 90°F, while winters are mild, with temperatures rarely dropping below freezing. The upstate region of South Carolina experiences a humid subtropical climate, with hot summers and cool winters. While summers can be quite hot and humid, winters can be chilly with occasional snowfall. The mountainous regions of South Carolina, on the other hand, experience a highland climate with cooler temperatures. Summers are mild with temperatures averaging around 70°F, while winters can be cold with significant snowfall. The state is also prone to severe weather events, including thunderstorms, tornadoes and hurricanes. The hurricane season in South Carolina lasts from June through November. The state experiences an average of two hurricanes per year, with Hurricane Hugo being one of the most devastating hurricanes in the state's history. South Carolina's location on the eastern seaboard, combined with its varied topography, makes it vulnerable to storms and natural disasters, including flooding and severe thunderstorms. The state has implemented various measures to manage the risks associated with these weather events, including evacuation plans and building regulations. If you're planning a trip to South Carolina, it's important to be prepared for the weather changes and fluctuations that the state experiences. Bring lightweight, comfortable clothing for the summer months and be sure to pack warm clothing and layers for the cooler winter months. Always check the weather forecast before traveling and be aware of the potential risks of severe weather events.

Environmental Issues

South Carolina has a range of environmental issues that threaten the state's natural beauty and biodiversity. One of the most significant challenges is air pollution, which has a severe impact on the health of people and wildlife. South Carolina's industrial activities, power plants, and transportation systems are the primary sources of air pollution. The state has taken several measures to reduce air pollution, such as emission standards for vehicles and power plants and offering incentives for using cleaner energy sources. Another environmental concern in South Carolina is water pollution. The state's waterways are often contaminated with pesticides, fertilizers, and industrial runoff, causing harm to aquatic life. In response, the state government and non-profit organizations have implemented measures like the South Carolina Adopt-a-Stream program, which aims to maintain the state's water quality by encouraging citizen involvement. South Carolina is also vulnerable to natural disasters such as floods, hurricanes, and wildfires. These disasters have a significant impact on the environment, leading to soil erosion, habitat degradation, and loss of biodiversity. However, South Carolina has developed a robust emergency management system to respond to these challenges. Moreover, the state government has introduced measures to mitigate climate change, like incentives for renewable energy, energy-efficient buildings, and transportation systems. Agriculture is a vital industry in South Carolina, but it can also have a negative impact on the environment. The excessive use of fertilizer and pesticides often leads to soil erosion and contamination of waterways. Read the full article