southern spirit ;

⸻ had an angel on my shoulder but the devil always won

[rvstiks]

⋆⋅✰⋅⋆  ⁄  …  #rvstiks exclusively  affiliated  with  deervalleyhq

lorenza  solis  ⸻  33,  food  &  wine  critic         ✰  introduction         ✰  polaroids         ✰  character  study         ✰  connections shay  hayworth  ⸻  42,  equine  vet  &  horse  trainer         ✰  introduction         ✰  polaroids         ✰  character  study         ✰  connections

[derailmvnts]

‎ "hey, it's a free country, man." jamie is a big believer of standing anywhere you damn well please, and in a town as small as deer valley, people ‘being in the way’ is hardly anyone’s concern. “was just tellin’ you about our spring deals.” he hands her one of the flyers for the general store in his hand; his boss told him not to come back inside until he’s given away every single one. while there’s no stopping him from just tossing everything into the trash and calling it a day, use his free will the way god intended, he’d be just as bored inside as he is outside. at least he’s getting some fresh air out here and not being forced to listen to katy perry songs on repeat. “we got big discounts on camping gear and mystery picnic bags worth $10 if you purchase yellow sticker items. you seem like the outdoorsy type, you might wanna take a look.”

[rvstiks]

       "i  seem  like  the  outdoorsy  type?"  amusement  colored  her  tone  as  shay  glanced  up  from  the  flyer  he'd  handed  her  just  to  check  if  he  was  being  serious.  it  came  to  her  that  he  likely  couldn't  care  less  if  she  stepped  into  the  general  store  and  shopped  or  not.  something  about  the  emotionless  spiel  tipped  her  off.  "worth  ten  dollars.  do  you  know  what  that  means  these  days?  that's  really  supposed  to  be  enticing?"  brow  slightly  raised  and  smirk  dimpling  one  cheek  she  wasn't  sure  if  she  really  cared,  well,  she  didn't,  or  if  it  was  just  to  give  him  something  to  do.  "being  the  outdoorsy  type  i  already  have  everything  i  need  so  if  you  just  wanted  to  be  less  bored  we  could've  gone  for  regular  conversation.  not  about  the  weather,  though."

[witchdances]

the figure is seen from the glass doors, still for so long that caroline can't help but to get drawn towards them. "actually, i was asking if you were going to come in?" caroline gives an unsure smile towards old friend; it's clear from the way that shay was distracted, that something was up – caroline looks forward, to the direction the woman was looking at, but she recognizes nothing, so she continues. "something in your mind? it's good to share."

[rvstiks]

       mildly  startled,  coming  back  to  reality  and  out  of  her  homicidal  fantasy  she  glanced  at  caroline  and  then  the  establishment  behind  her.  "yeah..."  it  came  in  a  breath  out,  a  half  sigh.  "i'm  comin'  in."  turning  toward  her  old  friend  she  took  a  couple  of  steps  and  then  stopped.  "oh,  just  saw  my  ex-husband  and  was  wondering  why  cars  don't  jump  the  sidewalk  when  you  really  need  one."  something  she  shouldn't  really  share  out  loud  but  shay  stopped  giving  a  fuck  some  time  ago.  "got  anything  on  special  today?"

[haunvings]

starter for the lovers @rvstiks

ruby's diner was bustling. the tables nearest the front were all taken, and tired, cranky, her feet hurting, alyson did not want to stand or take her food to go. residency was kicking her ass and though she reminded herself of her ultimate goal, she thought that she had a right to complain about the hours of non-stop work. but god, she loved it. she found that she thrived under pressure, under intense situations, and the reward of a happy healthy baby being born at the end of it was enough to keep her going. but even she could admit that she was tired. having just left her shift at white hart, her hand found her neck and she gently massaged the area as she looked for a place to sit. seeing ren there in the back, alyson hesitated. their relationship was a little strange - both pushing and pulling all the time, but alyson enjoyed ren's company. enough to get a burger and fries with her after a long day, surely. making a beeline to the woman's table, alyson threw her bag into the booth across from her before sinking into the cushioned seat with a heavy sigh. for a moment, she just looked at ren; taking in the way her hair fell, the way the light hit her face, and she felt those familiar little butterflies flutter away in her stomach. "share a milkshake with me?" she knew she looked a little worse for wear; probably beyond tired, but she hoped she could tempt the other woman. "what are your thoughts on strawberry as an option? or are you classic chocolate?" a grin had settled onto her features at the innocence of the question, her eyes alight with mischief as they so often were in conversation.

[rvstiks]

       usually  if  the  blonde  doctor  were  present  somewhere  in  the  same  space  as  herself  her  green  eyes  always  tended  to  find  aly.  it  was  akin  to  a  gravitational  pull,  a  silent  force  of  nature  that  ren  was  powerless  to.  so  when  the  beauty  suddenly  appeared  like  a  rogue  tumbleweed  blown  in  it'd  caught  her  off-guard.  the  smile  on  her  face  regardless  was  immediate.  how  could  she  not  feel  any  kind  of  warmth  toward  a  face  like  that?  the  ups  and  downs  of  their  friendship  and  it's  benefits  could  never  make  her  opposed  to  the  company,  but  something  was  niggling  at  her  that  there  might  be  a  little  more  to  it  at  the  moment.

"sure."  the  menu  in  her  hands  fell  to  the  table.  unsure  why  she  ever  bothered  perusing  it  to  begin  with.  ren  leaned  forward,  her  chest  pressed  against  the  edge  of  the  table  as  she  took  in  aly.  really  looked  her  over.  exhaustion  appeared  to  be  burning  bright  in  those  features  and  ren  figured  the  blonde  had  just  come  off  another  long  shift.  "strawberry's  good  enough  for  me  if  that's  what  you  want.  but...  have  you  eaten  in  the  last  six  hours?"  many  times  over  she'd  heard  how  a  day  could  go  for  aly,  and  this  was  her  care  spilling  out  a  bit.  "let's  get  something  to  go  with  the  shake.  i'm  starving  and  now  that  you're  here  you're  sure  as  fuck  not  gonna  let  me  eat  alone."

[rvstiks]

open  starter  anytime,  some  downtown  sidewalk  probably

     the  bitterness  still  harbored  in  her  heart  years  post  divorce  wasn't  for  longing,  she  didn't  want  him  back.  broken  trust  and  betrayal  was  a  difficult  thing  to  make  peace  with,  and  whenever  shay  saw  him  about  town  spite  seemed  to  seep  into  her  chest  with  the  urge  to  kick  him  in  the  teeth  as  a  bit  of  payback  for  the  pain  he'd  caused.  the  ripple  effect  of  his  actions  harmed  more  than  just  her,  their  son  had  paid  a  price,  too.  now,  for  shay,  trust  was  even  more  challenging  to  come  by.  startled  by  a  voice  from  behind  her  and  pulled  from  vindictive  reverie,  shay  turned  slightly  and  took  a  breath  as  she  changed  gears  realizing  she  was  a  stone  in  the  river  on  the  sidewalk.  “sorry,  i  guess  i'm  in  the  way,  huh?”  that  signature  texas  twang  was  faint  some  near  three  decades  later  yet  still  present  as  shay  spoke. 

[ablcze]

open starter! location: care for you

it was a rare occasion when maggie was ahead of schedule with her lesson plans as of late (translation: never). more often than not in the last few years, she would have the next day or week's projects planned out the night before, or in worse cases, the morning of right before first bell. but call it divine intervention or a child-free weekend, or most likely the third coffee that was running through her system, and she'd managed to get almost three weeks ahead on her lessons. thank you, holiday craft ideas. it may have taken her the last few hours at this table to get to this point, but a win's a win.

"do you think this is too much to ask of a kindergartener?" maggie asked, her brows furrowing as she looked up from her laptop, turning the screen towards the person nearby. the screen revealed a project she'd found online, a 'mosaic' project with paper glued down in the shape of earth. a glue disaster waiting to happen, but parents would appreciate it. "i'm thinking for earth day with the younger ones. usually i'd make my own kids be my guinea pigs, but they're with their dad and frankly too opinionated for their own good, so. thoughts?"

[rvstiks]

       as  shay  glanced  at  the  screen  she  was  partly  thankful  that  dylan  was  past  that  kindergarten  stage  yet  somehow  still  missing  it  a  little.  once  they  started  growing  up  they  really  did  never  stop.  now  her  boy  was  in  the  double  digits  in  age  and  a  whole  life  and  personality  forming  on  his  own,  seeking  independence  from  her  in  small  doses  and  she  wasn't  entirely  sure  how  to  feel  about  it.  a  mixed  bag  for  sure.  it  was  inevitable,  it  was  nature,  but  shay  wished  it  would  slow  down  a  little.

"i  think  it's  a  cute  idea  and  likely  will  be  a  lot  of  fun.  tons  of  chaos,  too."  a  grin  dimpled  her  cheeks.  "it's  brave  if  you  go  for  it  but  i  suppose  that  depends  on  how  many  kids  you've  got  and  if  you  have  any  help  as  well."  the  mention  of  her  kids  being  with  their  dad  prompted  shay  to  wonder  if  she  were  in  a  similar  situation  as  she.  divorced  and  sharing  custody.  although  most  everything  fell  on  shay.  "how  old  are  your  kids?  mine's  ten  and  enjoys  crafts  so  he's  not  good  for  me  to  judge  on  this  for  you."  light  laughter  escaped  her.

[ashstfu]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TONY

[rvstiks]

⋆⋅✰⋅⋆  ⁄  …  is  that  PRISCILLA  QUINTANA?  no?  that’s  LORENZA  SOLIS?  are  you  sure?  she has  been  here  for  33  YEARS,  and  they  now  live  in  DOWNTOWN.  no  wonder  i  missed  them!  it  seems  that  they  are  also  THIRTY-THREE and  that  they  work  as  FOOD  &  WINE  CRITIC.  are  you  telling  me  that  they  are  creative  and  resourceful,  but  also  hedonistic  and  foolhardy?  i  guess  it  makes  sense  they  would  remind  people  of the  haze  of  fading  sun  and  colors  of  sunset,  coke  zero  straight  from  the  can,  jokes  and  laughter  at  inappropriate  times,  and  an  air  that  carries  the  weight  of  hard  won  success.  now  i  can’t  wait  to  meet  them!

⋆⋅✰⋅⋆   ⁄   …   devil's   in   the   details.

✰   full   name   …   lorenza   solis  ✰   nicknames   …   ren ✰   birthday   …   august   11,   1992 ✰   age   …   33  ✰   zodiac   …   leo  ✰   height   …   5'5''  ✰   build   …   petite,   fit  ✰   hair   …   brunette  ✰   eyes   …   green  ✰   birthplace   …   deer   valley,   colorado  ✰   sexuality   …   bisexual  ✰   relationship   status   …   who   knows

⋆⋅✰⋅⋆   ⁄   …   a   little   story   about   lorenza.

born  in  mexico  and  immigrated  to  deer  valley  when  she  was  just  a  year  old,  most  of  lorenza's  childhood  she  felt  as  though  she  didn't  fit  in.  her  family's  culture  was  so  vastly  different  from  those  around  her.

it  was  her  interest  in  the  culinary  arts,  the  passion  for  cuisine,  and  the  chef's  work  that  eventually  brought  lorenza  out  of  her  shell  and  allowed  for  her  personality  to  begin  to  shine.  her  parents  enrolled  her  into  community  classes  at  the  local  college  and  through  the  rec  center,  from  there  a  lifelong  passion  for  the  culinary  arts  began.

college  was  forgone  for  culinary  school  and  her  path  seemed  to  follow  one  of  her  heroes,  anthony  bourdain.  she  took  on  most  gigs  that  came  her  way,  wanting  to  collect  the  experience,  and  felt  like  a  rockstar.  it  got  her  into  hot  water  and  trouble  plenty  of  times,  living  life  on  a  bit  of  the  edge  like  she  had  been  but  it  was  too  surreal  living  her  dream.

big  mistakes  were  made  with  her  reckless  lifestyle  at  the  time  while  living  in  london  and  paris.  to  the  point  where  she  not  only  got  fired  from  jobs  but  also  became  blacklisted.  the  industry  moved  on  reputation  and  lorenza  had  done  a  bang  up  job  at  destroying  hers.  she  returned  home  with  her  tail  between  her  legs  but  was  determined  to  rebuild.  with  a  rebrand  and  a  blog  lorenza  became  a  name  again  in  the  culinary  world,  sought  after  by  restaurants  and  publications  and  fear  by  chefs.

redemption  is  key.  the  place  and  point  she's  at  in  life  now  is  if  she  can keep  ahold  of  what  she's  built  for  herself  all  over  again.  if  she's  able  to  stay  behaved  there  might  be  a  chance  she  gets  back  in  the  kitchen.

[sweetfridays]

♡ priscilla quintana for based on a true story

[jennyslcte]

MINKA KELLY for LIVE FASHIONABLE. 

[rvstiks]

⋆⋅✰⋅⋆  ⁄  …  is  that  MINKA  KELLY?  no?  that’s  SHAY  HAYWORTH?  are  you  sure?  she  has  been  here  for  27  YEARS,  and  they  now  live  in  THE  VALLEY.  no  wonder  i  missed  them!  it  seems  that  they  are  also FORTY-TWO and  that  they  work  as  EQUINE  VETERINARIAN  &  HORSE  TRAINER.  are  you  telling  me  that  they  are  resolute and  adaptable,  but  also  escapist  and  guarded?  i  guess  it  makes  sense  they  would  remind  people  of the  first  evening  breeze  at  the  end  of  a  long  warm  day,  a  paradox  in  motion,  trauma  carried  around  like  her  shadow  and  grief  as  if  made  of  her  bones,  night  showers  with  soft  light,  and  stargazing  to  feel  small  yet  infinite  possibilities.  now  i  can’t  wait  to  meet  them!

⋆⋅✰⋅⋆  ⁄  …  devil's  in  the  details.

✰  full  name  …  shay  hayworth ✰  nicknames  …  sunny ✰  birthday  …  june  24,  1983 ✰  age  …  42 ✰  zodiac  …  cancer ✰  height  …  5'5'' ✰  build  …  petite,  fit, athletic ✰  hair  …  brunette ✰  eyes  …  brown ✰  birthplace  …  magnolia,  texas ✰  sexuality  …  bisexual ✰  relationship  status  …  tumbleweeds

⋆⋅✰⋅⋆  ⁄  …  a  little  story  about  shay.

a  world  away  from  the  cozy  corner  of  colorado  that  shay  has  called  home  for  the  last  27  years  is  where  she'd  grown  up  in  magnolia,  texas.  a  community  outside  of  houston.  the  young  girl  followed  two  older  brothers,  and  it  was  clear  from  the  start  she  was  meant  to  wear  boots  and  sit  in  a  saddle.  before  she  could  even  walk  her  eyes  were  always  drawn  to  the  horses  that  her  mother  kept  and  rode  and  shared  her  passion  over.  

growing  up  on  a  small  ranch  full  of  an  array  of  farm  animals  shay  had  learned  hard  work  and  discipline  from  the  start.  there  were  always  chores  to  tend  to  and  something  that  needed  fixing.  when  she  reached  her  teens  she  couldn't  head  out  with  her  friends  until  her  tasks  were  completed.  the  thing  was,  when  it  came  to  the  horses  and  the  barn,  there  were  no  real  complaints.  she  was  the  type  that  you  didn't  have  to  ask  to  do  things,  nor  did  you  have  to  follow  up  with  shay.  

the  two  older  brothers  were  protective  and  it  was  a  tighknit  family,  the  siblings  all  got  along  and  supported  each  other.  shay's  brothers  liked  mechanics  and  building  things,  lars  showed  a  talent  for  metalwork,  and  had  a  dream  of  one  day  opening  up  their  own  car  and  fabrication  shop.  the  first  vehicle  she  ever  got  was  the  truck  her  brothers  rebuilt  for  her.  as  often  as  she  went  to  car  shows  for  them,  they  supported  her  horsemanship  and  competing  in  rodeo.

when  she  was  fifteen,  due  to  a  job  transfer,  the  family  had  to  move  from  their  beloved  texas  to  colorado,  settling  in  deer  valley.

as  a  teen  she  won  the  state  championships  with  her  drill  team  three  years  in  a  row.  in  the  youth  division  of  the  national  rodeo  shay  won  at  least  once  in  all  major  categories  she'd  been  entered  in.  she  had  all  the  promise  of  continuing  on  to  be  a  womanly  face  for  rodeo,  especially  since  shay  had  become  a  name,  but  an  accident  on  the  road  when  she  was  a  young  adult  on  the  circuit  changed  the  course  of  her  life.  after  surgeries,  psychological  help  in  dealing  with  loss  and  trauma,  shay  went  into  veterinary  medicine.

it  was  at  texas  a&m,  a  back  and  forth  lifestyle  for  years,  where  she  earned  her  dvm.  all  of  her  internships  took  place  locally  around  deer  valley.  but  it  was  at  the  convincing  of  her  mother  to  start  training  horses  and  giving  riding  lessons  to  young  girls  that  she  found  something  else  she  loved.  not  only  did  shay  get  back  in  touch  with  horses  and  training,  western  competitions,  she  really  began  to  deal  with  her  traumas.

due  to  transitioning  from  traveling  and  competing,  then  going  into  large  animal  veterinary  medicine,  she  had  been  a  late  bloomer  when  it  came  to  settling  down  in  a  relationship.  eventually  shay  married  and  had  a  son,  the  combination  of  those  two  things  had  brought  her  life  to  change  in  the  midst  of  still  trying  to  heal.  it  was  a  new  chapter  and  a  new  season.  

at  thirty  -  two,  with  an  infant  baby  boy  named  dylan,  that  was  when  she  started  up  her  own  roping  event  for  women.  it  was  a  lot  to  juggle  and  still  shay  felt  confident  in  being  able  to  handle  it  all.  a  career  in  equine  medicine,  wife  and  mother,  horse  trainer,  occasional  riding  instructor,  and  groundbreaking  events  planner…  yeah,  it  ended  badly.  her  marriage  did.  

something  like  lack  of  attention  and  inadequacy  was  the  reason  the  marriage  struggled  from  the  start.  only  a  few  years  in  that  ended  up  blowing  up  in  their  faces  as  they  tried  to  ignore  the  problems.  shay  just  hadn't  expected  the  affair.  after  a  few  years  of  marriage  and  a  child  she  divorced  her  husband  and  is  sometimes  still  a  bit  bitter  about  it.

the  all  girls  roping  event  she  started  some  ten  years  ago?  it's  grown  into  a  big  event  pulling  in  competitors  from  all  parts  of  the  country  and  so  much  media  that  it's  now  televised.  outside  of  her  son,  dylan,  she  at  least  has  that  to  be  proud  of.

[sverate]

[rvstiks]

[rvstiks]

I have always tried to make a home for myself, but I have not felt at home in myself. I have worked hard at being the hero of my own life, but every time I checked the register of displaced persons, I was still on it. I didn’t know how to belong. Longing? Yes. Belonging? No.

Jeanette Winterson, Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?

[gha19-deactivated20200521]

[laaanat-deactivated20220929]

The feminine urge to argue w a man for fun

[dirigma]

“In me burns the most Catholic of longings: to devour the divine.”

— a haiku for the holy eucharist (or: a haiku for a childhood on my knees)