#ruthie the hen

[acourtoffeyandfables]

“How’d you like some eggs, big boy?”

[theabstractcolor]

Ruth Bader Hensburg drinking some water.

[crittercrossing]

Rest in Peace, Mykerion

June 29th, 2013—February 1st, 2024

Mykerion was the second chick to ever hatch from their egg at my house—one of three chicks that were ever born from chickens I already had. On a June night in 2013, I held Mykerion, still in her egg, as she fought her way into the world. She was the only child of Georgia and Raven, two of the bantams in my original flock. The other two chicks who hatched that night belonged to two other chickens from the same flock.

When Mykerion hatched, she was impossibly tiny and very, very cute. Sadly, neither of her fellow chicks survived for very long, and so I was extra determined to help Mykerion thrive.

I was afraid of something happening to her outdoors, so I raised her indoors and spent a ton of time with her, showing her all around the house and introducing her to the other pets.

Mykerion strongly resembled her mother, Raven, when she was a chick, and so I was excited to find out what she would look like as an adult. I tried several times to show her to my bantam flock, but neither of her parents seemed to really care, and Raven went so far as to try to attack her young daughter. Ruthie, the broody hen who had sat on the eggs, also didn't seem to care now that Mykerion was no longer in an egg.

So, Mykerion stayed indoors until she nearly adult size. As she grew, she started getting these beautiful reddish-brown feathers around her neck, making her look like a nice mixture of both of her parents. She also had the feathered legs of her father. Once I was sure that Mykerion was female and big enough to take care of herself, I tried once again to introduce her to her family flock... to no avail. All of them tried attacking her, and it was beyond the level of normal pecking order aggression.

As a young adult, Mykerion lived in the backyard, always hanging out right beside the other chickens, but safe from their aggression, as they lived in a pen and she did not. (I had not yet lost enough chickens to predators to be afraid of letting them free-range.) At night, she slept in a repurposed rodent cage safely indoors until she outgrew it. When she no longer wanted to be contained in the house for sleeping, she took it upon herself to find the perfect new sleeping spot—an uncovered slow cooker pot on a shelf in the garage. I always wondered if she recognized the irony in that. We spent a lot of one-on-one time together in those days, and I really enjoyed it. I was with her when she saw her first snowfall, holding her as I stood on the back porch, watching her watch the snowflakes fall.

A few months into 2014, several members of my original bantam flock had passed away, and I ended up being able to integrate Mykerion, then almost completely grown, in with Alaska and her then-newly-hatched son, Alex. As soon as Alex was grown, he took over as the flock leader, and these three lived together as their own new family.

For some unknown reason, Mykerion once again became the target of aggression—this time from Alex. They had lived together peacefully for a long time, but then he began attacking her and not letting her eat. I have never understood why that happened, and I used to get frustrated about it. Mykerion was such a sweet hen.

In 2016, Mykerion found her calling in life when she got to raise chicks for the first time. When Alaska sneakily hatched eggs she wasn't supposed to and brought JD, Jamie, and Willow into the world, Mykerion was as loving and doting over the chicks as their mother was. From the first time I saw Mykerion with the chicks, it was evident that Mykerion was an excellent mother hen, even if the chicks weren't hers. If Mykerion knew they weren't hers, she didn't care.

Mykerion did just as much as Alaska did to raise the three young birds. When Alaska and Mykerion teamed up to sneakily hatch more eggs just a couple of months later, she added Spearow and Pidgey to her group of adopted children and protected them fiercely.

Spearow and Pidgey were rehomed (I had no more room to separate roosters, and Pidgey went with her brother to keep him company), and as JD, a cockerel, got older, I had to separate my flock again. Since Alex was not fond of Mykerion, I separated him and Alaska into their own pen. Mykerion's new flock consisted of the three young birds she'd raised, and she spent the rest of her life with JD, Jamie, and Willow, with the four of them always remaining close.

Mykerion spent probably at least half of her adult life being broody. She would determinedly sit on non-existent eggs for weeks at a time, refusing to move, eat, or do anything else until I physically removed her from the nest. Oftentimes, she would go straight back. Most times, she would peck at me relentlessly as I tried to move her. I usually had to block off the nest completely to keep her out of it. She wanted so desperately to be a mother, it seems.

She got that opportunity again in 2017, when I gave her two eggs to sit on. The eggs belonged to Arizona and Georgia, making them her half-siblings through their father. Mykerion was delighted, and didn't seem to notice that the eggs, containing standard-sized chicks, were much bigger than normal. She hunkered down for 21 days straight, and I'm pretty sure the only reason she survived is because I put food and water in the nest with her. I never saw her leave those eggs for a second. She even stayed put during a hurricane, when everything in the pen threatened to blow away in wind strong enough that it took down trees and ripped up roofs. She sat there like nothing was going on.

Only one egg hatched, and Jamal came into the world, Mykerion's half-brother. She raised Jamal like he was her son. She adored him and watched over him with a warmth and love that I've barely seen elsewhere in the animal world.

She taught Jamal all the basics of being a chicken, and shot nasty looks at any of the other adult chickens who got too close.

Even though Jamal very quickly caught up to Mykerion in size (due to him being standard and her being a bantam), she didn't seem to mind. That was still her baby.

Mykerion never really seemed to think of Jamal as grown, even when the day came when he had to be removed from the flock—he was much bigger than everyone else, and was starting to pick fights with JD. He was never out of sight, though. He moved to his own pen, started his own flock with new hens, and Mykerion could see him from across the yard. On a couple of occasions when Jamal was out for supervised free-ranging, he would walk back over to the pen where he grew up and greet Mykerion through the fence. She was always happy to see him.

For several years, it was just Mykerion, JD, Jamie, and Willow. Mykerion firmly held her spot as top hen there, and the favorite hen of JD. She never used much violence to hold her rank. I know this is probably anthropomorphizing the situation, but I kind of wonder if the other hens just respected Mykerion for raising them, and for seeing how wise and calm she was in most situations.

Mykerion never had any biological children of her own, something that I regret in a way. I know it probably wouldn't have mattered much to her, since she seemed to love all chicks equally, but I personally would have loved to continue her bloodline. If she had ever had chicks with Alex, it would have merged all four bloodlines from my very first bantam flock, which would have been cool. However, Alex never did really fully like Mykerion again after he started harassing her. I know that JD and Mykerion would have gladly been parents together, but with JD being inbred, I was afraid of intentionally continuing that bloodline, so I never let any of Mykerion's eggs hatch. When she stopped laying eggs for good, I couldn't help but be sad about it.

Though her time had passed for ever having a chance to raise biological children, Mykerion got to be a mom one more time when the bantams pulled another sneak-egg-attack and hatched more chicks that they definitely weren't supposed to. Mykerion would have defended these little guys with her life. I had always noticed that she seemed to get a little bit fiercer each time she took care of baby chicks, but there was a pretty dramatic leap this time. For the first time in her life, just before her 10th birthday, Mykerion attacked me and other people—because we got too close to her babies. She was trying so hard to be scary, but it was really endearing. Two of the babies were kept and have since grown up—Dominic and Jakob. Mykerion got to see them make it to almost a year old, and she continued to love them and care for them like they were her own.

At 10 years and 8 months old, Mykerion passed away from old age. She slowed down a lot towards the end, and never appeared ill. I suspected it was coming for a while. But 10 years is an impressively long, full life for a chicken. She was the oldest chicken I've ever had. She was there with me as I navigated my late teenage years and young adulthood, and it still feels really weird that she's gone.

But as far as an end of life can go for a chicken, hers was relatively peaceful. She was surrounded by JD, Jamie, and Willow, who she had lived with for six years at that point, and the younger boys, Dom and Jakob—all five of which she raised from the day they were born. She was with her children, in the same home she had been born in herself. I don't think she would have wanted anything different.

[independentjournalism]

"Remembering Ruthie Mai Mincy: A South Bend Legend of Love and Kindness"

Ruthie Mai Mincy, a cherished matriarch known for her unwavering love and boundless kindness, peacefully departed this world at the age of 91 on Monday, March 18, 2024 Born to James and Elizabeth Parker in Henning, Tennessee, on November 6, 1932, Ruth’s journey led her here to South Bend where she found her soulmate, Gatson Mincy, with whom she shared a lifetime of love until his passing. A…

[lostkiids]

Updated Muses List (3/25/23)

TELEVISION.

7th Heaven : ruthie camden

9-1-1 : hen wilson. evan buckley. may grant.

9-1-1 Lone Star : charlie ryder. gabriel reyes. gabriella reyes (oc). marjan marwani. owen strand. t.k. strand.

Alexa & Katie : alexa mendoza. katie cooper. lori mendoza.

Bella and the Bulldogs : Bella Dawson. Newt. Sawyer.

Degrassi : zoe rivas. zig novak.

Emergence: Piper

Family Reunion : ami mckellan. jade mckellan.

The Fosters: jesus foster. jude foster. mariana foster. sophia quinn.

Full(er) House : donna jo tanner/fuller/hale. jackson fuller. joan gladstone. ramona gibbler. max fuller. michelle tanner. roxanne mahan. stephanie tanner.

General Hospital : brook lynn quartermaine. cameron webber. charlotte cassadine. emma scorpio-drake. josslyn jacks. michael corinthos III. oscar nero. violet barnes.

Gilmore Girls: lane kim. rory gilmore.

Girl Meets World/Boy Meets World : auggie matthews. ava morgenstern. cory matthews. isadora smackle. maya hart. riley matthews. topanga lawrence/matthews.

Glee : brittany pierce. quinn fabray. santana lopez.

Grey’s Anatomy : arizona robbins. derek bailey shepherd. ellis shepherd. sofia robbin torres. william george bailey jones.

The Goldbergs : adam goldberg. erica goldberg.

Insatiable : brick armstrong. patty baldell.

Jessie/Bunk’d : emma ross. gwen flores.

K.C. Undercover : k.c. cooper. marissa miller.

Love Victor: lake meriwether.

Once Upon A Time : aurora. belle french/lacey. dorothy gale. henry mills. ripley lucas-french (oc). ruby lucas.

One Day At A Time : alex alvarez.

One Tree Hill : lydia bob-scott.james lucas scott. lucas scott. millicent huxtable. quinn james.

Part of Five : beto acosta. ella barnett. valentina acosta.

Riverdale : betty cooper. cheryl blossom. veronica lodge.

Saved By the Bell : kelly kapowski. zach morris.

Sweet Magnolias : annie sullivan. kyle townsend.

That 70’s Show : jackie burkhart. michael kelso.

Victorious : cat valentine. jade west. tori vega

Xena: Warrior Princess : gabrielle. xena.

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist: zoey

MOVIES/MUSICALS.

Billy Elliot : billy elliot.

Dear Evan Hansen : zoe murphy

Falsettos : jason

Finding Neverland : peter llewelyn davies.

Heathers : heather duke.

Mean Girls : cady heron. gretch weiners janis sarkisian. karen smith. regina george.

Sierra Burgess is a Loser : veronica.

The Prom : alyssa greene. shelby.

Tuck Everlasting : jesse tuck. winnie foster.

Waitress : jenna hunterson. lulu hunterson.

[musingsofmonica]

March 2023 Diverse Reads

March 2023 Diverse Reads

•”Above Ground” by Clint Smith — March 28, Little Brown and Company, Poetry

•”The Perfumist of Paris” by Alka Joshi — March 28, Mira Books, Historical

•”Dust Child” by Mai Phan Que Nguyen — March 14, Algonquin Books, Historical

•”Flux” by Jinwoo Chong — March 21, Melville House Publishing, Science Fiction 

•”Rootless” by Krystle Zara Appiah — March 7, Ballantine Books, Contemporary 

•”The Next New Syrian Girl” by Ream Shukairy — March 14, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, YA Contemporary 

•”Sea Change” by Gina Chung — March 28, Vintage, Literary

•”Ada's Room” by Sharon Dodua Otoo — March 28, Riverhead Books, Historical

•”Wandering Souls” by Cecile Pin — March 21, Henry Holt & Company, Historical 

•”Y/N” by Esther Yi — March 21, Astra House, Literary

•”The Great Reclamation” by Rachel Hen — March 28, Riverhead Books, Historical

•”Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers” by Jesse Q. Sutanto — March 14, Berkley Books, Mystery 

•”The Human Origins of Beatrice Porter and Other Essential Ghosts” by Soraya Palmer —March 28, Catapult, Magical Realism 

•”Too Soon for Adiós” by Annette Chavez Macias — March 21, Montlake, Contemporary 

•”Chlorine” by Jade Song — March 28, William Morrow & Company. Fantasy

•”There Goes the Neighborhood

Jade Adia — March 07, Disney-Hyperion, YA Contemporary 

•”Our Best Intentions” by Vibhuti Jain — March 14,  William Morrow & Company, Literary Thriller 

•“River Spirit” by Leila Aboulela — March 07, Grove Press, Historical

•”Birdgirl: Looking to the Skies in Search of a Better Future” by Mya-Rose Craig — March 28, Celadon Books, Memoir/Environmental/Natural

•”What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez” by Claire Jimenez — March 07, Grand Central Publishing, Literary 

[droctavius]

i have never had a silky chicken in my flock and they are just the weirdest looking things to me????? fUR?? on BIRD??????? whAT!!!!

[mrfelixfischoeder]

Name: ruthie Age: 27 Timezone: gmt Favourite tropes and/or canons: slowburn of the ages, secret mother hen, pretend married into real marriage / dolores umbridge, lockhart,  What do you want to see in a cyberpunk setting?: repomen taking technology out of bodies, neon lights, the last surviving greenery in a misty room in a city of steel,  Most used emojis:  👏  🤪  🥰

[youngchronicpain]

One of my hens was taken by something in the night. I’m so sad. so, so sad. I am heartbroken for the remaining hen. I need to find her a couple of friends soon, my mom said she is so distraught. :( I’m not even sure which one it is yet because I’m at my dad’s at the moment, but they’ve both been such lovely hens. My poor girls. 

[image description: Mo’s buff oprington hens, Ruthie and Marmalade, scratching at new pine shavings in their coop on Valentine’s day. One hen (Marmalade) is the main focus of the image while the other stands as a blurry golden orb in the background}

[crazybagelbitch]

It’s New Year’s Eve and Maddie decides that after two kids and another on the way, it’s time to propose to chimney who doesn’t appear to be doing so anytime soon 🥺

“Is everything okay, mommy?” Ruth asks with huge wide eyes, her five year old clearly picking up on her anxiety.

“Everything’s fine,” she nods, “don’t worry about me. I just... have to do something later.”

And that thing she has to do later? Proposing to Ruth’s father. They have two kids, another one in her belly and have been together and in love for years, getting through every curve ball they’ve been thrown together. She knows Chimney loves her and isn’t wary of committing himself to her, so she gets the feeling that yes, he would absolutely propose to her if he knew that’s what she wanted, but is scared of “pushing” her into marriage.

It’s a sweet line of thought, given what fresh hell she went through in her first marriage, but it’s not an accurate one. Sure, back when she still couldn’t say I love you to him because of the trauma, she wasn’t ready for marriage. But she is now and it doesn’t seem to matter how many hints she drops, he hasn’t proposed to her.

She even called Hen to confirm that he had no ring or current plans to propose so she wouldn’t steal his thunder, and Hen had laughed and said no, but vowed to keep her secret so that Chimney would be surprised.

She’s just waiting for him to get home so she can ask him to marry her before they go to Bobby and Athena’s New Year’s Eve party. They can celebrate with everyone after he says yes, but neither of them are big on the concept of a public proposal, even if “public” is just their closest friends.

“You suuuuure you’re okay, mommy?”

“I am, Ruthie, just a little tired.”

Ruth is perfect. She’s strong willed like her mother, smart, and hilarious like her father and she can be a pain in the ass like all five year olds, but Maddie wouldn’t have it any other way. Her little sister Cora is one and a half-- the age gap wider between the two of them than both of her parents would have liked it to be, but they had a rough go of conceiving a second time.

And then Cora was born when Maddie was 39, and then they were certain their family was complete, because they were content with two kids and also because they didn’t think they’d ever be able to get pregnant again, given how much trouble they had with Cora’s conception and that Maddie was now even older, it would only get harder.

And then after weeks of nausea, at age 41, she found herself staring down at another positive pregnancy test.

She moves her hand down to her growing bump, smiling when she thinks about this wonderful unexpected gift the universe had given her. She’s hoping for a little boy, but she knows Chimney wants another little girl. They’ll find out who is going to be over the moon next week at her ultrasound.

The door knob starts turning, and she takes a look at Ruth on the couch, and her sister in her highchair and briefly imagines them in fancy dresses with flower headbands at their parents’ wedding.

All Chimney needs to do is say yes and her vision will come true.

The thoughtful plans she had for this moment go out the window when the door swings open and Chimney is in front of her, practically slamming herself down onto one knee.

“Uh, you okay?”

“I want you to marry me,” she blurts out, and it takes Chimney a second before the look on his face changes from confusion to one of wonder.

“Are you... y-you’re proposing?”

“Yeah, hold on I have a ring-- for me not you but I knew you wouldn’t want on-- let me get out. Sorry, I had this whole speech and--”

“Yes.”

“...What?” she asks, his words pulling her out of her anxious rambling so it’s taking a moment for her brain to catch up.

“Yes, I’ll marry you. Nothing would make me happier.”

“You haven’t even seen the ring yet,” she teases, but she’s grinning and the tears of joy are already slipping down her cheeks.

“Well, it’s for you, not me, so.” 

“Here, still w-want you to see the pretty ring I bought myself.”

“Later. Right now I just want to kiss you.”

“Mommy and daddy are getting married?” Ruth interrupts, clapping her hands as she runs over to them.

“Yes, baby girl, mommy and--”

“Mommy and daddy are getting married, Cora!” Ruth shouts, even though Cora is a baby and does not understand any of what’s just happened or what her sister has said to her.

“Maybe you’ll have to wait for your kisses until later,” Maddie laughs, throwing her head back, “but for now... look at the ring I bought me.”

[rather-impertinent]

So I’ve been skimming The Stranger From The Sea to lessen the Poldarkness and I can’t believe Debbie didn’t include a scene of Demelza convincing Caroline to be the Lady of the Flowers and then forcefully teaching her a Cornish song while Caroline stands there pretending to be grumpy about it, now THAT is the content I’d have liked to have seen in S5.

But most of all I can’t believe she didn’t somehow insert this wonderful scene between Ross and Demelza because I laugh out loud every time I read it:

Then twenty-four-odd years ago the clumsy John, who had always had an eye for Demelza, had married Ruth Teague, who had always had an eye for Ross, and this did not make for an easy relationship. Ruth had tended to be spiteful towards Demelza, and John, at a long-remembered ball at the Bodrugans, had once come, he swore, within an ace of getting Demelza into bed with him, being frustrated at the last by old Hugh Bodrugan himself and that damned Scotsman, McNeil, both on the same scent.

There was also a notable occasion in 1802 when they had been dining at the same house and staying the night, when John had put it to Ross that they should swap wives for the night. After all, he said, it was hard in the country to get anything fresh except the occasional village girl or a guinea hen in Truro; and it stood to reason however much one stood by one’s dear wife in a crisis – and no one, no one, could ever say he’d ever let little Ruthie down – a bit of a change, a different sort of a ride, did nobody any harm. As for Ruth, he’d wager there’d be no objection there; because once years ago when there’d been a quarrel between them, a real set-to, all on account of him having got into bed in his riding breeches, Ruthie had let out that she didn’t care if she never saw him again, so long as Ross was only a couple of miles away over the fields and the sand-dunes. And concerning Mrs Poldark, she had more than once made it clear that she thought him, John, a handsome, randy sort of fellow, and he could guarantee he’d give her the greatest of satisfaction. Some women had said, well, I can tell you, old friend, what some women had said about me being like a red hot poker …

Ross had declined, then climbed the stairs to break the news to Demelza. Demelza was highly indignant. ‘But you know how I’ve always fancied him, Ross. How could you refuse? Think of the conversations we might have tomorrow, comparing notes!’

[alamorcd]

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Nothing like going for a RIDE!! ❣️ 😊 ❣️ #waterlandyou #repost #reposting Posted @withregram • @lancasterfarmsanctuary Ruthie went from lying in shambles along a roadside and needing extensive surgery to champion surf boarder🏄‍♂️🏆. Amazing❤️🐔 #chickens #pig #farm #friends #rideboldyride #hens #poultry #swine #farming https://www.instagram.com/p/CB4wmbpFaRg/?igshid=143qi9b8i5spg

[avengerscompound]

Fame and Glory - Stage Fright

Fame and Glory: A Captain America Fanfic

Masterlist

Buy me a ☕ Character Pairing:  Steve Rogers x OFC (Glory) with some Steve Rogers x Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers x Peggy Carter and Steve Rogers x OMC

Word Count:  2538

Warnings:  Angst, smut (M|F, M|M, Bisexual MMF, oral sex, vaginal fingering, vaginal sex, loss of virginity (Steve’s), anal sex)

Synopsis:  After taking the Super Serum that changed him from small sickly Steve Rogers to the man we now know as Captain America, Steve is sent on a USO tour to increase sales of war bonds and entertain the troops. Being on stage and the chorus girls both terrify him.

With the help of dancer Glory, Steve begins to warm up to the idea of fame until he starts doing things he never thought he would and begins to question himself.  Does he like the man he has become and who does he want to be?

Stage Fright

Steve followed Senator Brandt into a large hall.  There were a few men milling around in front of a stage while a pianist played an uptempo number.  Around twenty women, all wearing extremely revealing workout wear were on stage being directed through a dance routine.  Steve tried not to stare at them.  His eyes would flit around the room, but they kept getting drawn back in their direction.

“Gentleman,”  Brandt said, approaching the men.  “Here’s our hero.  Private Roger’s is going to help us win this war.”

The men looked up and their eye’s slid up and down Steve’s body.  “I read you ran down a Hydra agent on foot.   Is that true son?”  One of the men said.

Steve blushed and his hand went to the back of his head.  This sudden change from being seen as a joke to being seen as a hero was overwhelming.  He didn’t trust the words that were coming out of people’s mouths.  “I was just doing my duty.”

“Good, man.  Good, man.”  The man said.  “My name’s Bill, and this is Jerry and Ed.  We’ll be putting together this show.  So what were we thinking, Senator?  We need him to be someone to look to?”

“I think we’ll need to up his rank.  At least honorarily.  No one’s hearing Private Roger’s and giving money to the cause.”  Brandt said.

Steve was only half listening.  His eyes kept drifting to the women on stage.  How was he going to do this?  The only woman who had ever given him the time of day was Peggy.  He had no idea how to act around women.  How was he was supposed to travel the country with twenty women who would constantly be in attire most decent women wouldn’t be caught outside the bedroom in?

“What do you think, son?”  Bill said, clapping Steve on the shoulder and shaking him out of his thoughts.  “Shall we make you a Captain?  Captain America has a nice ring to it.  Should make people feel some pride in their country.”

“I like it, Bill.”  Senator Brandt agreed.  “Dress him in the flag.  Having him punch Hitler.”

Ed threw his head back laughing.  “The Star Spangled Man.”

The other men all roared with laughter while Steve stood awkwardly watching them.

There was a sudden commotion on stage as some of the women collided throwing everyone else off.

“I swear, Betty if you step on my foot again…”  One of the women shouted.

“I wouldn’t step on your feet if you got the routine right.”  Betty countered.

There was some shoving and Bill clapped his hands.  “Ladies, Ladies.  That’s enough.”  He shouted.  The women all stopped fighting and looked down to Bill.  “We have our lead here now.  This is Private… no, my mistake… Captain Rogers.  He’s why you’re all here.”  He clapped Steve on the shoulder again.  “Karen, Glory can you show Steve to the dressing room.  Get him measured for his costume.”

“Costume?”  Steve asked.

“Of course son.  You’ve got to have a costume.”

A redhead and a blonde both ran down the steps that ran up the side of the stage.  Steve tried not to stare at the way their hips swayed.  How their … bits … bounced as they moved.  He tried.  He looked up at the ceiling, but his eyes kept flicking back to the women.

The redhead put one arm around his waist and took his hand with her free one.  “Oh, he’s cute, Bill.  We’re going to have a good time with you.”

Steve blushed deeply and looked helplessly towards Senator Brandt as the girls lead him to the stage door.

“You’re quite something, Captain Rogers.  We can have a lot of fun with you.  Don’t you think, Glory?”  

Steve blushed again.  “Steve - uh - you can just call me Steve.”

“Aww… you’re shy.  That’s so cute.  You don’t have to be shy of me, Stevie.  I don’t bite.  Unless you ask nicely.”  Karen teased.

Steve tensed up and glanced around awkwardly.  His face was bright red now.  Before he can say anything the woman named Glory piped in.

“Leave him alone, Karen.”

Karen stuck out her bottom lip.  “Well, you’re no fun.”  She let Steve go and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, she tapped on out of the deck and put one in her mouth lighting it.

Steve started coughing.  It’s almost like a Pavlovian reaction.  The smoke actually didn’t affect his lungs.  Not since the serum.  But before the serum being around someone smoking would cause his asthma to flare, sometimes to the point he’d have to be hospitalized.  His body was now so used to coughing being the reaction to cigarette smoke that it did it as a force of habit.

“Oh, dahlin’ how’d you even get into the army?”  Karen said stopping short.  “You take him, Glory.  I’ll wait here.”  She leaned up against the wall and inhaled deeply.

Glory rolled her eyes and gestured to Steve to follow.  They went into a long narrow room with mirrors along the length of one wall and lockers on the other.

“Don’t worry about her.”  Glory said, running her fingers along the lockers.  “You kinda become family when you do these tours and families can be a little crude.  Ya know?  Best to try and think of her as your annoying, trampy cousin.”

“I don’t have any cousins,”  Steve said.

“Sisters?”  Glory asked.

Steve shook his head.  “Well, you do now.”  She offered Steve her hand.  “I’m Glory.  Stick with me, doll.  I’ll take care of you.”

Steve shook her hand unsure of how much protection such a slight woman could provide.

“This is the dressing room.  This locker’s free, you can have it.”  She opened the second to last locker showing it’s bare contents.

“I have to - I get - you all - I’ll be dressing with the dames?  Ah - women?”  Steve stuttered.

“Oh, honey.  You really are out of your depth aren’t you?”  Glory soothed.  “You’ll get used to it.  It’s always so frantic before a show you won’t even have time to notice us.  We won’t be looking at you.  Handsome as you are.”

Glory took Steve back out of the dressing room and down the hall.  She knocked on a door and when the call to enter was given she entered.  “Hi, Ruthie.  This is our new star.”  She said greeting the bone thin, middle-aged woman.  “He needs to be measured.”

Ruthie directed Steve to a stepping stool and started running a measuring tape over his body.  Around his chest.  His waist.  Measuring his biceps.  His legs both the outside and up the inner seam.

“I read that you were smaller before.  They did something to you?”  Glory asked, hopping up on the desk in the room and crossing her legs.

Steve looked at her and suddenly looks away.  His cock twitched at the duel input of seeing one woman - one beautiful woman - in person looking like she belonged in a pinup calendar and another running her hands over his body.  Even in such a functional manner, it was definitely not something he was used to.

“Yeah.  Uh… I don’t know how much I’m allowed to say.  Military secrets.”  Steve answered.  “I was small though, yeah.”

“Must have been weird.  How much smaller?”  Glory asked.

“Much, smaller.  I was smaller than you.”  He answered.

“Damn.”  Glory said, and quickly covered her mouth.  “‘Scuse my French.”

Steve laughed.  “It’s excused.”

“Such a gentleman.”  Glory laughed.  “Do you keep bumping into things and hitting your head?  Because you forgot how big you got?”

Steve went to run his hand through his hair again and he was slapped on the hand by Ruthie.  “Stay still.”  She scolded.

“Sorry,”  Steve said, sheepishly.  He looked back at her, this time not seeing the pin-up doll, but the person.  “Yeah, I do.  It’s strange.  I’m always knocking into things now.”

“I’m sure you’ll get used to it, honey.”  Glory said.  She stretched her hands up above her head and Steve’s eyes were drawn to her breasts.  He blushed and looked away.

“Alright, alright.  I’m done here.  Both of you out.”  Ruthie said suddenly pointing to the door.

Steve was thrown head first into the show.  A song was written.  He had a speech to learn.  He had a lot of trouble getting the words down and not much time to learn it.  They didn’t make him dance which he saw as a blessing but he did have to pretend to punch out a man dressed as Hitler.

By the time the show was set to perform, Steve still couldn’t look at the chorus girls without blushing.  He couldn’t bring himself to even go into the dressing room when they were changing.  He didn’t know the words.  He hated the costume.

He was changing in a small men's room stall before and after rehearsal, only briefly ducking into the dressing room to store his things.  He barely spoke to anyone.  He felt anxious and alone and wondered if enlisting might not have been the stupidest idea he’d ever had.

Glory started to see herself as his protector.  Which in a way she knew was ridiculous.  Already she’d seen he could lift a whole car over his head.  But he was fragile.  She could see that too.  The other girls liked to tease him.  Not all of them.  He had other protectors.  He seemed to attract two kinds of attention.  The mother hens like Glory who wanted to protect him.  And the teases who could see his vulnerabilities and like poking at them for sport.

On the day of the first show, there was a flurry of activity behind the scenes.  The theatre was packed with people wanting to see the soldier science created.  Unfortunately, no one could find him.  There was a panic as cast and crew searched for him.

It was Glory that found him cowering behind a dumpster in the back alley.

“Whatcha doin’ back here, honey?”  She asked, approaching him slowly.  “We need you inside.”

He shook his head.  “I thought I could do this.  I can’t do this.  I enlisted in the army to fight not to go on stage in tights.”

Glory reached her hand out and stroked it up and down his arm, her fingers caressing the hills and ridges of his well-muscled form.  “It’s okay, doll.  You got this. You’ve been practicing.  Us girls have your back.  You don’t need to worry.”

“I’m going to make a fool of myself.  They’re all going to laugh at me.”  Steve cried.

“Oh no, baby.  It will be fine. You’re doing fine.  They’ll love you.”  Glory assured him.

“I rub people the wrong way,”  Steve said.

“What makes you think that?  I think you’re swell, Steve.”  She said taking a step closer to him.

“Some of the other girls don’t seem to like me.”

“Oh, honey.  That’s just their way of telling you that you’re family.  I know they can be cruel, but family can be cruel sometimes.  They do like you.”  Her hands slid up his arm to his neck and she ran her fingers along his jaw.  “We need you up there, Stevie.”

“They won’t hate me?”

“Scouts honor.”

He followed her back in and was rushed to the side of the stage.  The chorus girls started to move on stage and as she passed him, Glory pulled him down and kissed him.  Sucking his lower lip and she pulled away.  “For luck!”  She shouted as she moved out on stage, leaving Steve standing startled in the wings.

The show was a success, despite Steve obvious nerves and awkward delivery of his lines that he read from the back of his shield.   After they cast and crew went to a bar for drinks.  Steve relaxed around everyone, basking in the reflected glow of the show's success.  While he didn’t stick by Glory’s side, his eyes did keep returning to her as he thought about the kiss.

When she headed outside he jumped up, saying some hasty goodbyes, to follower her.

“Glory, wait up.  Where’re you going?”  He called.

She turned and smiled.  “Home.”

“Where’s home?”  He asked.

“Brooklyn.”

Steve smiled.  “Me too.  Can I keep you company?”

The two headed to Brooklyn on the subway.  Laughing and talking about the show.  At Glory’s stop Steve hopped out to walk her and they strolled together her arm linked with his.

“Can I tell you something?”  Steve asked.  “Don’t laugh.”

“Of course.”

“When you kissed me before.   That was my first kiss.”  He said.

Glory stopped dead and her hands shot to her mouth.  “Oh no.  No. No, no.   I’m so sorry.  Steve, I can’t believe I did that.  I’m a complete jerk.”

Steve smiled and ran his hands up and down her arms.  “It’s okay.  It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not.  Men are always doing things like that to me and I complain about it and there I go and do the same thing.  You didn’t want your first kiss to be with me and now it is and I can’t take it back.”  Glory cried.

“I mean, I probably would have liked it to be more special than that.  It was over so fast…”  Steve mused.

They started walking again and Steve took her hand in his.  “I am really sorry, Steve.  You never had a special girl?”

Steve shook his head.  “There was a girl… a woman… her name was Peggy.  I thought, maybe...?  But then they shipped her out to the frontline.  I haven’t heard from her since.”

“I’m sorry.  Maybe after the war, you’ll find each other?  Or someone else.”

Steve shrugged.  “Maybe.  Peggy knew me when I was still a little guy.  She was the only dame whoever gave me the time of day.  Ya know?  How am I supposed to trust that a girl I meet likes me and not just the bits science made now?”

Glory frowned.  “You seem like you have a good heart.  I think it could probably tell.  Might take a while to figure it out though.”  She groaned.  “I’m so sorry.”

“You don’t have to be.  I don’t mind that it was you.  Just; now my memory of my first kiss will be this rushed thing I didn’t get to enjoy.  It’s not how I thought it would happen.”  Steve explained.

They reached Glory’s building and he turned and looked up at him.  “How did you picture it?”

He leaned down and captured her mouth with his.  It was slow and tender.  Their lips slightly parted and fitting together like pieces of a jigsaw.  When they eventually pulled apart Glory sucked his bottom lip again, but this time more slowly.  “That was a good first kiss.”  She hummed.

“Yeah, I like that one better too.”  Steve agreed.

They stood looking at each other for a moment and then shook themselves out of their daze.  “I’d ask you up for coffee but I’m not allowed to let men in the building.”

“That’s okay.  I really just wanted to make sure you got home safely.”  Steve said.  “I’ll see ya tomorrow, Glory.”

“Night, Steve.”  She said.  “You did good tonight.”

“Thank you.  I kinda think I might not hate it after all.”

// NEXT

[triscribe]

Foster Witch

Don’t mind me, posting some notes about my new project for all and sundry to see...

How often does a kid get to say their new foster parent is an honest to goodness, spell-casting, ritual-singing witch? Well, Becky Jones is now one such foster teen, though she’s been in and out of enough homes not to be convinced by first impressions alone.

But the longer she spends with Ruth Rivers, the more Becky starts to think that, even without the magic stuff, her new caretaker is a pretty cool person.

Through the mundane days of school and homework, to holiday road trips across the width and breadth of the country, these two individuals are going to discover that, sometimes, there is no greater magic that the bonds of found family.

Main characters:

Becky Jones - seventeen, about to start junior year of high school, gets approached by Ruth during her children’s home Visiting Day. “What, you just saw me sitting over here reading instead of mingling, and decided to come say hi?” “Yeah, pretty much.”

Ruth Rivers, aka Natalie Ruth Bridger - thirty, independent artist, farmer, writer, and witch, has decided to take a big step in her life by bringing a teenager into it. “Let’s put it this way: I’m definitely your caretaker, but Parent is a title you get to decide to use or not. I’m perfectly happy being referred to as your foster aunt, foster cousin, foster roommate who can drive - whatever you feel comfortable with. Bottom line, I’m responsible for your safety and well-being. Beyond that, I’d like to impart some life lessons I would’ve considered helpful at your age, along with homework help, a broadening of your media horizons, and- well, whatever you need, really.”

Pass and Grae- Ruth’s familiars, a female golden retriever and male gray cat, respectively. They both enjoy lounging, whether that’s next to the woman or in any warm spot in general, and sometimes lend themselves to spell-casting. “You always have to ask their permission. Cats never do anything they don’t want to, and ordering rather than asking is the quickest way to cause them to ignore you out of spite. Dogs are generally more obedient, but it’s still polite to offer them the option of saying no.”

Other animals on Ruth’s property include half a dozen hens, a rooster, two lesbian ducks, a pig named Mister Dug, a guard donkey called Bobette, the retired stud bull Milkshake, three nitwit sheep and their goat leader, and Grae’s extended relations who keep the place clear of rodents, snakes, and such (including his parents, two aunts and an uncle, various siblings, half-siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews). At some point in the story, Becky finds and brings home an orphaned squirrel, whom she names Queer, and even after growing up and moving back outside, he sticks around the homestead, recognized by the rest of its inhabitants as one of their own.

Additional characters:

Scooter Zimms - Ruth’s neighbor just down the hill, a grumpy old man who minds the animals when she goes out of town and checks in from time to time to make sure she’s taking proper care of herself too. “He’s what we call an Ironclad Marshmallow - once you get past the rough exterior, he’s just a softy inside, one who thinks it’s good to have a local witch around and that you can never give a cat too many treats.”

Kay Blandersen - one of Becky’s classmates and former foster roommates, who has a hard time being non-binary when very few of the adults responsible for them care to understand the term. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, the Nelsons are nice folks - but they just, don’t get it. And I don’t get the feeling they’re really invested in trying to get it, either.” “I’m sorry, kiddo. I know how that feels. But, hey, you won’t be stuck in a small town forever; sooner or later you’ll be free to get out into the great wide world, and there’ll be a whole crowd of folks who do get it, whether they’re the same as you or not. And it’s going to be great, I promise.”

Joshie Dell - another classmate and local trans boy, also a social outcast who, along with Kay and Becky, find a warm welcome in Ruth’s home. “My dad’s been pretty cool about it, but now whenever my aunt and uncle come by they get rude, and he argues with them, and I just- I want to be me without putting a strain on everything, y’know?” “Yeah, I know. At the end of the day, though, you are only responsible for yourself, and they are the ones responsible for their actions. There’s no shame in cutting off ties to people who can’t accept who you are.”

Ticah Woods - an old college roommate of Ruth’s, who first introduced her to the proper ways of magic, and with whom she exchanges occasional letters. She stops by at one point to drop off some felted soap, garden seeds, and a new embroidery pattern for stitching spells of subtle protection directly into clothing. “I could’ve done more to hide the magic stuff from her, but honestly, from day one Ruth seemed like the kind of person who would do well with it, either as an ally or a witch herself. So, I started casting spells a bit more openly, and after watching for a while she asked if I’d teach her some stuff, and like they say, the rest is history.”

Marsha Bell - Ruth’s mom, who she converted into witchhood via the benefits of familiars, and runs a visitation farm down in central Texas. The girls go visit her for the winter holidays. “Nattie! Oh, I’ve missed you so much, c’mere and give me a hug- And you must be Becky! It’s so nice to finally meet you, Nattie’s told me a lot in her letters, but I can’t wait to get to know you in person!”

Aerie Strangeness - a witch friend of Ruth’s who lives in Tennessee. She hosts the girls for a night on their summer trip up north. “Oh goodness, I’ve known Ruth here almost a full decade, now - a mutual friend put us in touch on the internet because we share a love of storytelling, actually. It was just coincidence we both happened to be magical, but for sure a happy one!”

Emma Bridger - Ruth’s paternal aunt, also a witch, who lives in Philadelphia, far away from anyone else in their family. The girls stop by to visit her on their summer trip, using a Witch Way to get from the outskirts to the heart of the city and skip traffic or overnight parking fees. “Well, actually, neither of us knew the other was a witch until Ruthie first visited by herself as an adult, oh, six or seven years ago at this point. We’ve stayed in touch a lot more since then.”

Gail Hills - Ruth’s best friend, also a witch, who lives in Massachusetts, where she visits for an extended stay every summer. The girls spend two weeks with her during July. “Ha, no, just Gail - but Ruth likes to claim it’s short for ‘Abigail’, so she can pull out my ‘full name’ whenever she’s pretending to be mad at me over something.”

@yogurtbear242, @danger-flammable, you two ought to have fun reading this one. ;)

[crazybagelbitch]

Chimney rescues a puppy from a devastating apartment building fire 🥺 he brings it home to his pregnant wife and toddler just for the NIGHT because no puppies in this house, just him. But oh puppy fits right in 🥺

“Just for the night,” he grumbles to her over the phone, knowing that he needs to make that clear BEFORE he comes home. And maybe he’s a little cranky because the only reason this (admittedly cute) puppy is in his car is because he couldn’t save her owner in time.

“Okaaaaaaaay, just for the night,” Maddie agrees, but he can hear the hope in her voice and jesus, this is going to be a long night.

But all he says is an “okay, goodbye” because he’s still paranoid about being on the phone while driving because he was trying to call Tatianna when he was in the car accident that impaled and nearly killed him. He stops at the first pet store he spots and buys a leash, and then he’s home.

He knocks and when he hears the squealing before his wife even opens the door, he knows he’s royally fucked.

“Just for one night, remem--”

“She is so cute!” she coos, bending forward as much as she can with her heavily pregnant belly in the way to pick up the puppy, giving it a kiss on the forehead before looking at the name tag, “look, Howie, her name is Maggie!”

“I know, I saw,” he huffs, trying to remain stern and unbending to his wife’s excitement but even he has to admit that the sight before him is adorable.

“Doggie!” the excited voice of three year old shrieks, running as quickly as she can forward, “mommy, daddy, doggie!”

“Just for one night, Ruth,” he reminds her, but she’s clearly not listening to him.

“Be gentle, okay, Ruthie?” Maddie hums, placing Maggie down in front of her.

Chimney never should have agreed to this; he knew his girls would get attached. It’s just that Hen was unsure of how her dog (rescued from similar circumstances) would handle a puppy, Buck’s landlord doesn’t allow pets even temporarily, Eddie had already raced down to Christopher, and Bobby didn’t want to piss off Athena. And he couldn’t just drop the cute little puppy off at a shelter that night, after the poor thing had been so scared by the fire, right?

But still, he brought this upon himself.

“Doggie!” Ruth laughs, patting it with exaggerated gentleness, “daddy, look at doggie!”

“I know, Ruth, I brought her home,” he says with a hint of a smile as much as he tries to keep it from showing on his face, “but she’s not ours, okay? Just staying with us until tomorrow.”

“I want doggie!”

“I know but--”

“I want doggie, too,” Maddie says with a pout.

“Madeline.”

“What? Did you expect me not to get attached?” she asks, crossing her arms around her chest, “and besides, between me, Ruth, and the little girl growing in my stomach, you’re already outnumbered by estrogen. What’s one more? And besides, I’ve wanted to get a dog forever.”

“Oh really? I hadn’t noticed between all your begging for one.”

“Howie, please? Puppies are good stress relievers and I’m very pregnant and crankier than usual.”

“That’s not fair.”

“It’s truuuuuuuuuuuuueeee.”

“We hardly have room for the three of us, and there’s another one on the way. We don’t have room for a dog,” he tries, but he knows it’s no use by the way Maddie is shaking her head.

“We can make it work and besides, we’re looking for a bigger place anyway.”

“I don’t really have much of a choice in this, do I?”

“Nope,” Maddie grins, “lost your right to choice in the dog matter when you brought a puppy home.”

“Doggie ours?” Ruth squeals.

“Yes, sweetheart, doggie is ours,” Maddie nods.

Yeah, he has a dog now. He should have known better.