#Explorer x Novelist

[mullberrylemonade]

Orphkurt/Kurtpheus stuff before i post my ao3 fanfic

Orpheus: Can i help you with something? Kurt: Yeah, can you help me fight the urge to kiss you? Orpheus: Pardon? Kurt: N-nothing! Just a random thought

....

Orpheus: You could have just said please, you know.

[otakusparkle]

So I got the information regarding future events of Identity V (from Mori (Twitter))

- Next diary is Hullabaloo circus and will be implemented next year

- The continuation of the main story (Ashes of Memories) will be released next year

- In addition to the new episode of AoM, Entomologist will have Identity Switch (Hunter) form

- Every character will have their turn to get S-Tier Costume, it is state by NetEase apology that there is no unfairness for every single character and for the Visitors to please be patience for the release

- Toy Merchant S-Tier Costume

- Cowboy S-Tier Costume

- Instead of Photographer, COA 8 Hunter will be Soul Weaver to get S-Tier Costume

- Journalist and Novelist S-Tier for Sherlock Holmes collaboration will be released next year

- Undead new costume

- Explorer new content

- Female Dancer new content (this year)

- Breaking Wheel and Entomologist GG team champion

- Deduction Stars will be released at the end of this year : Fool's Gold, Journalist, Composer, Hermit, Cheerleader, Patient

- Nymph Award : The Ripper and Prospector

[ybklix]

BROOKLYN BABY

★ pairing: rockstarbf!hyunjin x fem!reader

✦summary: Your boyfriend’s pretty cool, plays guitar and is in a popular band. You love to support him, yet you can't help but feel jealous and insecure at the sight of all his fans and the groupies the rest of the members bring backstage.

✭ content - tags - warnings: MDNI, smut, established relationship, fluff, fingering, oral sex

word count: 3.7k

•masterlist•

♡ inspiration:

a/n: happy late ultraviolence day, my fav album, no one loves her like i do lolol, so here’s a little smth, i'll write more inspired by the rest of the songs omg i love my fav child

Hyunjin was a romantic, unlike the rest of his band members, who enjoyed the excess, success and fame that grew more and more every day. He was in charge of writing each of the songs that thrilled thousands of teenagers since he had such an idealized perception of love and loved to romanticize every detail as well as he was in charge of designing each artistic design of the album because of his skills in drawing and painting, he was a sensitive artist, born under a water sign, trying to give the image of a tough and sexy guy for the good of the band. His position was to be the lead guitarist and backing voice for the lead vocalist, yet everyone in the band contributed vocally, grabbing the audience like no other band in that year in the nineties. The crazy nineties, everyone loved rock and roll with the same intensity as the seventies and this time more styles were explored. Everyone loved your boyfriend's band.

You were lucky enough to meet him when they were still newbies with big dreams performing in bars, where Hyunjin claims to have fallen in love with you at first sight, however, his shyness got the best of him and he didn't dare to talk to you and, it wasn't until a month later that, in a jazz club in Brooklyn, in one of the poetry sessions and nights, almost by fate, he met you again, he couldn't miss the opportunity and finally approached you, he seemed so cute and strangely his face seemed so familiar to you, it was about the handsome guitarist you saw once.

Hyunjin didn't have a specific favorite band, he took inspiration from the greats, he enjoyed everything from Nirvana to Guns n' Roses, to classics like Led Zeppelin, he was frequently talking to you on the phone to tell you about his obsession of the week musically, the most recent one, Chris Isaak. Two months ago he started his official tour around the country, which you couldn't accompany him no matter how much you wanted to, the university stopped you. Yet you still supported him from afar and watched every TV show he went on and every radio station with his interviews, you were so happy for him. His most recent appearance was on MTV, he looked like a celebrity, but he was still your sweet and tender Jinnie. And finally he was coming back to close the tour at his hometown in New York City, where it all started for you.

You, unlike Hyunjin, were more down to earth, honest and not afraid to stand up for your beliefs, so you studied law, with an uncontrollable passion for shy lyrics. In contrast to your parents, both rock and roll lovers, artists, your mother was a tarot amateur and identified herself as a spiritual person, your father a landscape painter, both met at a music festival the same amount of years ago as your older brother's age, a Manhattan novelist; yet you grew up in an environment where support was always constant and your personality developed being totally different from your boyfriend's, bold and daring, born under a sign of fire.

You loved Hyunjin, together you were literally like fire and water, and finally you could see him again after so long, you missed him too much, you missed when his band was still small and you spent days in his apartment watching him play the guitar, how he held you by the waist and kissed your neck while you combed your hair to go to college, every little detail that from one day to another changed.

Because of your schedule you couldn't meet your boyfriend at the airport and you could barely stand in the front row, waiting for them to come out and play. You wanted to go backstage to wish him luck, run into his arms and kiss him, after so long and only surviving on phone calls. But, for the first time you were terrified to be in the crowd and you didn't want to lose your place in the front row next to your boyfriend's position, although you thought for seconds if you should go closer and watch the concert from backstage… you were so indecisive and you never visualized your boyfriend's manager to authorize you to enter… you pouted and in a matter of minutes the venue was filling up more, you noticed how, among the crowd and entering easily, three girls were standing next to you. You couldn't help but notice them, they were wearing skirts and cleavage-baring tops, their eyeliner was sharp and perfect, you felt a little inferior and slightly less attractive for a second.

And the show started, the lights went down, and you heard your boyfriend's guitar, the people started to scream and your heart accelerated, the lights turned on, illuminating individually each one of the four members and, among them was your boyfriend, looking as good as always, his long black hair, his red guitar and wearing a gray sleeveless shirt attached to his body with ripped jeans and black combat boots, you noticed he was wearing the necklace you gave him before he went away from you to start the tour and… suddenly your world came to a standstill, there was only Hyunjin in front of you, doing what he is most passionate about.

Hyunjin, once he started to play, he looked for you with his eyes without stopping until he found you in front of him, his smile got bigger, he was smiling like he had never done in another concert, he felt so full. He winked at you and continued with his show, moving his fingers with agility, a young and gifted guitarist with talent, so did Rolling Stone described him in a small article; a little more than an arduous hour of concert later, Hyunjin finished agitated and slightly sweaty and, among the emotion, the only thing he asked to make the night more beautiful, was to be able to hug you. Until he finally did it, he had to go backstage with the rest of the group, but his manager took care to guide you discreetly to the room behind the stage, at the same time you noticed the same three girls next to you walking next to you, to which you understood instantly that they were groupies, you sighed, you could not help but get upset at the fleeting thought that… maybe Hyunjin has had his own groupie before.

Among the darkness of the venue, you finally found the light, the lit room and, there, your boyfriend standing there with a nervous smile waiting for you, your jealousy vanished in seconds, you couldn't be mad at him, he looked so cute with his little sparkling eyes and a shirt over his shoulders trying to dry his sweat. You ran to him and hugged him no matter how soaked he was, it was part of his routine. You felt his lean frame next to your body and warm chest bump against yours, oh, Hyunjin, you had missed him too much.

“I missed you” Hyunjin spoke, his chin resting on your shoulder, holding you tightly.

“I missed you, too” you replied breathlessly, you were so excited to see him.

You slowly pulled apart and he had to kiss you, so he took your face in his hands and did it delicately and passionately, in such a unique way he knew how to do it.

You both smiled at each other as you pulled apart.

“You should have come with me next time, oh god, the west coast is… so different, I think we should move to California once you finish college, love. They offered me a house in Hollywood” Hyunjin blurted out suddenly excited and overstimulated to have you near him.

You laughed softly at his adorable reaction, the way his cheeks went up, narrowing his eyes more, his smile, hiding his upper lip and showing his teeth, ready to speak again.

“I have an interview for Rolling Stone in a few minutes, but after that I'm all yours, I promise, let's get you to say hi to the guys” Hyunjin spoke softly taking you by the hand.

You happily walked into the place, but your smile faded as you saw one of the girls wildly kissing the lead vocalist, Han, on one of the couches while she was sitting on his lap. Another girl on the drummer's lap as he sat behind the instrument and the bassist talking animatedly with another girl.

“Hey, guys” you said shyly trying not to interrupt something.

The members came out of their trances and greeted you.

“Do you want something to drink?” Hyunjin tried to distract you with a tender smile.

“I'll get it, love” you smiled at Hyunjin giving him a quick kiss on his full lips and headed to the drink table.

Hyunjin made himself comfortable on an elongated couch, alone, and waiting for you.

“And you, Hyunjin, if you had the chance to smoke and chat with any singer who would it be with?” one of the girls came dangerously close to Hyunjin, plopping down on the couch very close to him, placing her hand on his thigh.

You turned around, with the two drinks in your hands and suddenly saw the scene of the girl near your boyfriend, making you squint your eyes in annoyance.

“I don't smoke. I don't know… Steven Tyler maybe” stood Hyunjin uncomfortably and walked to your direction, giving you a tender smile and taking one of the glasses.

“God, his daughter is beautiful, we saw her at that club in L.A., didn't we? A pretty, educated girl” added Chris, the drummer.

“The correct answer is Bon Jovi, he's too good looking, who wouldn't want to talk to him?” commented Changbin, the bass player.

Los Angeles, you thought, just California that Hyunjin told you so passionately about a few moments ago… you couldn't help but think of ideas not good at all, you were jealous, upset and a little hurt. You knew Hyunjin would never do anything to hurt you… or would he?

You looked at him, he understood your look instantly, he knew you as well as every string of his favorite precious guitar and tried to pull you away from them, taking you to his dressing room, ready to calm you down and be more in privacy. Hyunjin knew you were easily angered, you tried to be a cute and docile girlfriend but you couldn't. He recognized your annoyed expression, making him bite his lip undecided what to say.

“Those girls are always with you?” you spat annoyed.

“Y/n…” tried to reassure you Hyunjin.

“Hyunjin have you been with a groupie?” you blurted out suddenly staring him straight in the eyes defiantly.

You weren't thinking clearly, anger took over you, you were aware that it happened every time they finished a concert, or at least you want to think it's like that for the rest of the members who are single, but seeing it with your own eyes made your blood boil at the thought of a girl near your boyfriend trying to seduce him. The life of a rock star girlfriend wasn't for you, you wanted Hyunjin all to yourself.

“You know I wouldn't do that… I waited every day for you, I thought every day about you” Hyunjin replied, taking your glass and leaving it on a small table over there just like his drink.

Hyunjin searched for your gaze, you didn't want to see him, you were behaving a bit childish but his words could be a lie, after all he was a rising star. He grabbed your forearm, squeezing them gently between his large hands and you turned to look at him. His tender but manly face of compassion, his thick eyebrows making the slightest expression of concern, if you didn't love him too much you would have trust issues, but you believed Hyunjin blindly.

You approached up to him and hugged him, he reciprocated the happy gesture, your heartbeats joining and the closeness of your body, Hyunjin was so in love that if there was a way to make you do it clearly, he would do it without thinking. Sex was not enough, he wanted to live inside you forever and he was so passionate about it that he wrote countless songs, you were his muse and the great love of his life.

You stood on your tiptoes and brought your arms up to wrap around his neck with a smile.

“Tomorrow, let's go to your favorite place in Greenwich Village, okay?” you said to him, letting your frustrations pass you by.

Hyunjin raised his eyebrows excitedly and smiled sweetly without showing his teeth.

“I'm dying to go… and to kiss you and make love to you while we play an Audrey Hepburn movie in the background…” he said slowly and flirtatiously, holding you tighter around the waist and leering at you from above.

You laughed softly as you remembered the first time you fucked in his apartment, where he promised a romantic movie date and ended up frantically pounding your pussy as he cummed in you.

Hyunjin leaned further into you, closing his eyes and kissing you fiercely, after a little over a minute, his sizzling kisses suddenly turned you on, making you weak in his arms. You hadn't had sex with Hyunjin for two long months, at this point you thought it was even abstinence, you needed him.

He continued to tease you with his deep, slow kisses as he groped your body and brazenly ran his hands under your dress, reaching down to your bare bottom wearing only panties and massaged your ass hard. You were starting to feel a mess of emotions, but luckily this time you finally had your boyfriend with you.

Hyunjin continued to squeeze you tightly, drawing you to his body and this time feeling that he was the same way you were, aroused. Hyunjin found his way to bring his dominant hand to your entrance, making you open your mouth slightly in a soft moan between the kiss. He pulled inches away from you, almost still almost touching your lips and you saw how attractive your boyfriend looked with his slightly intimidating gaze and fuller lips from your passionate kisses.

“I missed you so much” he said excitedly, nimbly pushing aside the fabric of your panties for better access to your area.

You lowered your hands from his neck and held onto his abdomen. Hyunjin was more turned on by the slight difficulty in caressing your pussy because you were standing still. You felt his long, slender, slightly raspy fingers, due the strings of his guitar, stroking along your tight, compressed folds and you spread your legs wider trying to facilitate his caresses, Hyunjin smirked smugly at the sight of you horny, licking his lips.

“Do you like it, love?” he sighed amused and excited.

You nodded awkwardly and didn't stop looking into his eyes for a second, but your peripheral vision caught perfectly his long arm guided in your area, you were losing more and more strength, every touch of Hyunjin made you lose your sanity, he was so skilled with his hands and fingers, after all he was a talented guitarist, you wanted to fuck him so desperately, to feel filled by him after such a long time. You didn't think about it and your hand also went to his prominent bulge, rubbing it gently, this time driving your boyfriend crazy. You stroked and squeezed the denim, he was so hard and at the same time his cock was so soft and slick, it always felt good.

Hyunjin sped up his rubbing on your clitoris, making you tremble a little, he leaned towards you bringing his foreheads together and looking at you sweetly.

“Do you want me to fuck you with my fingers, my sweet angel?” he said, as you felt his hot, heavy breathing hit your face.

“Yes” you moaned in between breaths.

Your boyfriend smiled sweetly, so innocent almost like he didn't seem to know exactly the distance from your labia to your entrance, slipping two of his fingers easily into your tight, wet hole. He gently fingered you, enjoying your caresses on his erection and being in control of your pleasure, occasionally looking smugly to his right side as you were in front of the mirror, watching your body tremble before him, but it was becoming increasingly difficult for you to stand, so your boyfriend, concerned looked for an immediate solution, looking at his dressing room chair.

“Sit down. Let me taste you, love” he whispered in your ear, gently pulling his hand away from you.

You were about to do so but a voice near you, interrupted you.

“Hyunjiiiin, come out, where are you? The Rolling Stone fuckers are about to arrive” you heard a rather familiar voice shout, as it slowly approached.

Hyunjin opened his eyes in fright, causing you tenderness, followed by a gasp of frustration.

“Shit, I can't show up to the interview like this” he groaned in frustration.

You looked at your boyfriend's large and noticeable erection in his pants, and you again directed your hand on it squeezing it gently and looked him submissively in the eyes.

“Let me help you, Jinnie” you said seductively, stroking his bulge to which he moaned.

“B-but” he was about to protest.

“Shh” you silenced him, giving him a quick kiss and a cocky grin.

And with no time to waste you got down on your knees in front of his cock, you were so aroused, your pussy was throbbing hard and your throat was suddenly dry and ready to be filled with boyfriend's stiff member. You loved giving him blowjobs, his cock was exquisitely long and Hyunjin always knew how to use it with agility at every strategic spot on you, he knew you so well. You nimbly pulled down his pants and underwear finding his well standing and sensitive manhood, your boyfriend whimpered, yes, he was excited to see you too.

You grasped the base of his penis with your right hand and gently held his balls with your other hand, you raised your gaze to Hyunjin, who was pressing his lips tightly together letting himself be carried away by your touches. You ran your hand over his slightly tanned cock, your mouth was salivating more and more and your poor pussy was also reacting for your boyfriend's erect cock. You had forgotten how it was the last time you sucked him off and you were more than happy to be able to do it again. You gently spat on its tip and lubed it further, jerking it off in the process, feeling its slippery, slightly rough texture; Hyunjin was panting hard, letting out deep sighs and moans from his chest, a completely vocal boy.

You stuck out your tongue a little and opened your mouth to flick his big piece of organ on your needed tongue, tasting a little of his nice white precum, until finally introducing it little by little in your mouth, making sure your lips also felt what was yours, Hyunjin's big cock, all yours. He was big and with a very good thickness, always filling your insides to overflowing, to your limit; you had it all with him, he was cute, romantic and gave you the best orgasms.

Hyunjin whimpered at the feeling of the inside of your soft cheeks caressing his cock and immediately held onto your hair delicately without pulling it.

“Aggh, sweetheart, it feels so good” he gasped.

“Hyunjin, where the fuck are you man?” they shouted again.

“Fuck” gasped your boyfriend frustrated by the situation and the tightness of his cock in your mouth.

You also felt the pressure, your blood flow rushing harder and your heart racing, you had to make your boyfriend cum fast; so you started sucking him hard and keeping a little faster pace than usual, back and forth, taking all his swollen and throbbing length expertly.

“Hyunjin” you heard again a call in the distance. “Hyunjin come out, the Rolling Stone magazine people are here.”

“I'm coming” he squealed out loud in a shuddering whimper, completely lost from the stimulation of his cock in your mouth, “I'm literally coming, what the fuck” moaned Hyunjin biting his lip and taking more tightly your hair, intensifying your movements, fucking your mouth wildly.

You felt your boyfriend's climax near, so he didn't hesitate to feel the bottom of your throat, pushing hard on your head until you felt his tickling glans rubbing your throat as your boyfriend gave gentle lunges, you whimpered on his cock, your eyes quickly watered, you couldn't breathe somehow and, after a few seconds, he pushed you away a little. Finally, you saw his head falling back, his thighs quivering and his perfect abdomen contracting as he babbled excitedly and barely understandable your name. Until you felt his glorious shot of cum in your mouth, filling you completely; Hyunjin always cum in one strong shot and then his cum kept coming slowly so you waited to have it all in you. He subtly stopped holding your hair tightly and gently pushed your head off his member; resulting in the obscene image of his shiny, lubricated cock spurting out of your mouth as more of his liquid fell to the floor.

You swallowed your boyfriend's thick, white liquid and stood up quickly, Hyunjin was trying to steady himself and think clearly again, but you recognized that he was in a hurry, that was the main reason you were sucking him fast and hard so he would ejaculate fast and also the reason you tried to quench your fiery desire and arousal, he had to continue being a rock star and doing rock star things.

“Come on, Hyunjin you have to go out” you told him.

Your boyfriend gently shook his head as he stared at you and reacted instantly, rearranging his cock back into his underwear and pulling up his pants, you watched the scene cheekily biting your lip, even without him being hard, you could clearly see the big package your boyfriend was hiding in his pants, you blushed and once again thought of all the fucking groupies fantasizing about fucking him.

Hyunjin took your face in his hands and made you look into his eyes, his sharp dark eyes that made him look so intimidating, if only they knew he was the most tender and you had him in the palm of your hand, so docile and obedient.

“I promise to reward you, okay?” he whispered, pressing a kiss to your forehead, “Thank you for that, love, I love you.”

You nodded softly even with his grip on your cheeks, you watched him lovingly. And you watched him walk away, ready to go back to being the shining star Hwang Hyunjin.

[northwindow]

reading on reading

a literary syllabus [x]

how to read now by elaine castillo

a collection of essays by novelist and essayist elaine castillo about the politics and ethics of reading. castillo exposes the inherently colonial premises behind not only the works of many individual writers; but the way reading cultures analyze and canonize works, the tokenizing nature of the publishing industry that fails writers and readers of color, and the unfulfilled promises by bibliophiles and literary institutions to "build empathy" through reading diverse books.

"time in the codex" and "lastingness" by lisa robertson

two essays by poet lisa robertson from her prose collection nilling, both meditations on reading. “time in the codex” is an ode to the sensory and cognitive processes that reading evokes. “lastingness” explores the relationship between passivity and will when it comes to receiving the stories and ideas we read, using the work of hannah arendt to analyze texts by lucretius and pauline réage. 

a history of reading by alberto manguel

alberto manguel (former director of argentina's national library) compiles a history of reading that encompasses the prehistory of books in ancient mesopotamia, the story of the library of alexandria and its influence in libraries that followed, literary societies such as the heian court, book thieves throughout time, book banning in multiple cultures, and the progression of text formats around the world from clay tablets to modern bookbinding.

selections from not to read by alejandro zambra (trans. megan mcdowell)

essays taken from the collection not to read by chilean writer alejandro zambra about the practice of reading, his own evolving reading life, and writing books; mixed with a variety of literary criticism. selections include "in praise of the photocopy," "against poets," "obligatory readings," "traveling with books," and "novels-- forget it."

"how do we read?", "the reading ape", and "inventing reading" by stanislas dahaene

three chapters from cognitive neuroscientist stainslas dahaene's book reading in the brain. "how do we read?" functionally breaks down how our brain understands written words. "the reading ape" imagines how our ability to read evolved by recycling preexisting neural circuits. "inventing reading" explores how languages themselves have formed over time to serve the way we think.

"when robots read books" by inderjeet mani

essay by computational linguist inderjeet mani on ways that artificial intelligence could enhance literary criticism by analyzing classic texts, particularly cumulative corpuses of works. examples of literary AI usage include finding similar character traits, archetypes, and tropes between different books and authors; quantitatively tracking literary trends; and generating timelines and maps of information pulled from narratives. 

"uncritical reading" by michael warner

essay by english professor michael warner which attempts to define what "critical reading" actually is, the beginnings of a history of that practice, its alignment with agency and morality in academic culture, and what the qualities of "uncritical reading" (such as “identification, self-forgetfulness, reverie, sentimentality, enthusiasm, literalism, aversion, distraction") might offer us.

"someone reading a book is a sign of order in the world" by mary ruefle

essay adapted from a lecture in poet mary ruefle’s madness, rack, and honey that traces a reader's development through personal experiences in her own reading life. topics include rereading, what it means to read “the right book at the right time”, and the pleasure of finding imaginative connections between books. 

[dramalets]

2024 Watch List pt2

Mr Unlucky has no choice but to kiss - Very, very cute and silly without being slapstick. This gets a bit lost in its own soup and after about episode 4 it drags some. Also just a bizarre and somewhat anticlimactic ending. The leads are lovely though and they do work well together. 3/5 (22/2/24)

What did you eat yesterday S1 - Just perfect. Watching Shiro & Kenji grow together over the episodes is a treat. This is as warm and tender as it is brilliantly observed and funny. A true must watch. 5/5 (24/2/24)

The Sign - This just got lost in itself. It had moments of absolute perfection but there were, for me, too many threads it didn’t tie up. Personally I liked this show the most in its procedural show parts and less in its fantasy elements, where I feel it had the most work to do. This isn’t one I’ll rewatch but I did enjoy the journey. 3/5 (25/2/24)

If it’s with you - Lovely is the best word for this. Just a little warm hug of a thing. A sweet story of first love. 4/5 (26/2/24)

I became the main role of a BL drama - Very soft and silly. Not much happens but the leads are lovely and fun to watch. Would kind of love a spin off about the managers if I’m honest. Zero complaints. Just a cute, easy, quick watch. 3/5 (27/2/24)

Kabe Koji - Very enjoyable. Absolutely loved the manga come to life concept of this one. It was super fun to look at. Personally, I think this could have done with maybe 1 or 2 more episodes. Neither character felt as explored as I would have liked. A nice watch nonetheless :) 3/5 (27/2/24)

The Man who defies the world of BL s1 & 2 - This is so unbelievably funny and well observed. Atsuhiro is a master at comedic faces and they never feel slapstick or overdone. Loved every silly second. 4/5 (28/2/24)

Candy Colour Paradox - This isn’t the best acted thing and the chemistry is only so-so it also really starts to drag in places. (Inserting Izuka Kenta into a multiple episode arc was a choice because he’s incredible and it only serves to highlight the so-so of the leads.) Having said all these things it still has a charm and I still enjoyed watching it. Just perhaps not one I’ll be itching to rewatch or suggest to friends. 3/5 (28/2/24)

Perfect Propose - A sweet six episode watch that’s really all about being human. Kai has to realise that being part of peoples lives is both terrifying but necessary and Hiro must learn to value the role he plays in the world. Just a gorgeous little watch. 4/5 (1/3/24)

Kei x Yaku - Is this a BL? Not really? It’s more like gay romance is heavily inferred but here is a messed up, lovely little found family so enjoy that. This is so much fun and I can’t rec it highly enough. Very much just tune in and have fun. 4/5 (1/3/24)

Cherry Magic - Zero notes. Absolute perfection. TayNew supremacy. 5/5 (2/3/24)

My Personal Weatherman - Just bored me honestly. It’s not bad but it’s not as good as some make it out to be. I think if I’d watched this before the novelist I might have liked it more? Not something I’ll reach for again. 3/5 (3/3/24)

My Beautiful Man s1&2 - This is very Japanese and, on paper, should not have worked for me at all. In practice tho? I loved this. I understand the reasons this is controversial but I also think if you go into this without any of the disk horse you’ll just see it for what it is; a love story between two broken boys with piss poor communication skills and self esteem issues. 4/5 (5/3/24)

My Beautiful Man Eternal - This movie is the third part of the beautiful man series. I genuinely think you could skip s2 and go straight in for this. It delivers what I would have wanted, but was impossible to give in four episodes, from s2. We see Hira and Kiyoi’s growth as individuals and also together and we finish with them as equals, with Kiyoi speaking to his king Hira. Beautifully shot, excellently acted. Will watch again. 5/5 (6/3/24)

[mermaidsirennikita]

Hi! Do you by chance have any kind of reading list for newbies to romance who want good examples of common tropes & an understanding of how the genre has evolved over time? Or recs for iconic titles and pioneer authors in the genre? I know Nora Roberts and Danielle Steele are everywhere but are they really the best place to start?

I can offer some recs/guidance! My word definitely isn't gospel and I have my blind spots—I try to read diversely, but I can always do better and am a white, cis, physically abled woman.

Soooo in terms of Nora and Danielle, I'd say yes to trying Nora, no to her necessarily being the best START, and personally I don't care for Danielle's books. But that's a pure taste issue, and the big thing is that the vast majority of Nora's books are romance (more recently, she's been published some dystopia/fantasy-bent stuff with romantic subplots while still publishing romance, I believe, and she's been publishing her In Death series, which is romantic suspense with some sci-fi elements, for years as J.D. Robb) whereas a lot of Danielle's books aren't. The first Danielle Steel book I ever read as a kid was pitched as a romance. It wasn't, and I hated it.

Nora is very good, but I do think she can be a bit overwhelming for new readers just because she's been through so many eras. She also has a very distinct voice, and you're either gonna be into it or you aren't. Nora writes a lot of trilogies, which will sometimes offer standalones and sometimes reeeeally read as interconnected series that happen to focus more on one of three couples per book (while the other couples still stay on as strong supporting characters). See my favorite books I've read by her, the Circle Trilogy. It's paranormal romance with a strong fantasy element. While each book centers one of of three couples, the books must be read in order and all feed into this overarching "save the day" storyline.

But to cut to the chase... Here are some books that can offer you an intro "sampler".

Iconique Classiques

A Kingdom of Dreams by Judith McNaught. This medieval romance is enemies to lovers where they're LEGIT enemies to lovers, with a delightfully complicated heroine. It's a great example of Judith McNaught, who is a foundational author, and despite being written in the 80s (with all that entails) it holds up really well.

The Bride by Julie Garwood. Another foundational medieval with a "oh, this is 80s but it hjolds up" vibe. Arranged marriage with a classic medieval setup: the Border Marriage! (Scotland x England marriage for political purposes.) Alec Kincaid is an EXTREMELY influential hero, and this is just such a fun book.

Indigo by Beverly Jenkins. Beverly Jenkins isn't by any means the only author who's written historical romances about Black characters, but she's perhaps the most influential and probably the historical romance novelist wh does the most research in general. Her writing is gorgeous, and this book focused on a practical heroine who ends up in over her head after she nurses an infamously rakish Underground Railroad conductor back to health is just so romantic.

A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux. This is a really interesting romance, again very 80s but still good (imo). It focuses on a heroine in the 80s who goes to a church to cry wishing for a knight in shining armor after being abandoned by her douchey fiance. Then a literal medieval knight literally time travels right before her eyes. And he's also a douche lol. But a hot one!

Johanna Lindsey is also a very influential author in the genre, but a lot of her big CLASSICS are more noncon-leaning. A big one is Prisoner of My Desire, in which the heroine is forced to rape the hero in order to get pregnant (he later does the same to her in revenge... and then they fall in love). Kathleen E. Woodiwiss's The Flame and the Flower also features the hero raping the heroine, and it's also a classic. I won't get into it on a request post, but if you want to explore the genre more academically~ and are okay with reading noncon, I'd encourage checking out these and/or McNaught's Whitney, My Love. They're good books, imo, but the reality is that consent issues are a part of the genre's history, and that books with consent issues did and DO appeal to many romance readers for reasons that I think relate to the genre's appeal in a big way.

Kiss an Angel by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Susan Elizabeth Phillips did a lot to work towards the contemporary romcoms of today, except her books are often a lot more romantic and a lot funnier. This one is also generally WILD with a super dickish alpha hero who takes the heroine (who was forced to marry him by her dad) on a jaunt around the country with a TRAVELING CIRCUS. It's crazy. It's extremely fun. It's WILD.

To Love a Dark Lord by Anne Stuart. This is another historical, and to me it shows a lot of the early seeds of dark romance. You have a shady hero, a deal with the devil, and high stakes throughout. Stuart writes the biggest assholes for heroes, but this one is on the softer side for her.

Contemporary

Reel by Kennedy Ryan. Kennedy is one of the best in the biz! This book focuses on a famous director who falls for the up and coming actress he's chosen to star in his passion project. But she has a secret that could come between them. It also has a unique quality in that it goes back and forth between their story and the movie "script", which tells its own love story.

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert. The first in Hibbert's funny, feelings-y, and hot Brown Sisters trilogy. Showcases a heroine with chronic pain who decides to get a life (as the title suggests) witht he help of her hot neighbor.

Lush Money by Angelina M. Lopez. A super unique billionaire romance with a Latina heroine who is in fact the billionaire, making a very unique deal with a prince in need...

How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang. A successful author sets out to have her books adapted into a TV show, only to find out that one of the writers on the show is a man who was pulled into her sister's suicide when they were teens. (Basically: her sister jumped in front of his car, it was by no means his fault but the heroine and her parents hated him for it.) They can't resist their chemistry as adults, and begin a short-term no-strings thing that obviously... is a lot more. SUPER emotional, super hot, would recommend 100000%. READ THIS OVER EMILY HENRY. IMO.

Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid. A great way to try sports romance, and a particular niche of sports romance called hockey romance, and a particular niche of hockey romance called GAY hockey romance. One of the only hockey romances I'm into, about a pair of longtime rivals who've secretly had a FWB situationship for years and are clearly in love but can't handle admitting it. SO. GOOD.

Chef's Choice by T.J. Alexander. A classic fake dating setup with a lot of cooking when a down on her luck woman agrees to pretend to date the French heir to a famous cooking family while he takes on a cooking... challenge...? To lock in his inheritance. A book with a trans hero and a trans heroine, rare (unfortunately) in romance.

Managed by Kristen Callihan. This is a great example of a rockstar romance, albeit one that focuses more on the manager of the band who's sooo uptight, and the social media girl/photographer he can't live without.

Lead by Kylie Scott. And if you want a rockstar romance that's about, well, the rockstar side... Here's a book about a recovering addict frontman whose world is turned upside down when his hard-ass assistant/sober living companion/unintentional best friend quits her job (because she just realized that somehow she's fallen in love with him).

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang. A woman on the spectrum who's convinced that she's bad in bed (and wants to get married to please her family) hires a sex worker to get her out of her funk. Definitely recommend!

Historical

Again the Magic by Lisa Kleypas. This is the prequel to Kleypas's Wallflowers series. By and large, I generally recommend trying to read older editions of Lisa's earlier books—she's been making a lot of edits since 2015ish that I don't... love.... I haven't heard of any edits being made to this one, though, and she's one of the greatest historical romance authors of all time. This is a dual romance, with a second chance/revenge interclass romance as the main story, with an age gap sort of redemption romance in the second story. Both are excellent.

Thief of Shadows by Elizabeth Hoyt. Hoyt's entire Maiden Lane series is sooo good, but if you're going to read one book by her, go for the one with the virgin vigilante hero who finds love with a jaded society widow.

The Duke Gets Even by Joanna Shupe. This is a standalone that's even better when you read the prior books in its series first. However, I think it's a great sendup of historical romance tropes—you get a rakish heroine, a hero who likes some rough sex (giving AND receiving bites and bruises) and a lot of HIGH OCTANE EMOTION with a feminist streak.

A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall. A friends to lovers romance between a PTSD-ridden duke and a woman who, unbeknownst to him, is his best friend from before the war, who faked her death after the Battle of Waterloo in order to live as her true self. A rare historical romance with a trans heroine.

The Dragon and The Pearl by Jeannie Lin. A cat and mouse villain/kidnapping romance set in Tang Dynasty China. Super tense in the best possible way.

An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera. A sapphic romance set in 1800s Paris, with one heroine being forced to show the other the secrets of the lesbian art community as a part of a business deal.

Princess by Gaelen Foley. To me, this is a great example of CAMPY 90s bodice ripper vibes in the best possible way. A bodyguard! A princess! An age gap! It can't be! She lactates when he sucks on her tits (she's a virgin).

The Mistress Experience by Scarlett Peckham. A sex work-positive romance with a shy hero and a bold heroine, a super modern and exciting look at historicals.

Devil's Bride by Stephanie Laurens. This is one I would definitely recommend to see a throwback—it's a great example of the campy historicals focused on one big family, with a solid dose of humor. And I mean... you kind of need to read a book with a hero named Devil.

Unmasked by the Marquess by Cat Sebastian. A super lovely friends to lovers romance with a nonbinary protagonist. It definitely broke new ground in historical romance.

Waking Up with the Duke by Lorraine Heath. Lorraine is one of the best historical romance writers in the game and is known for turning bonkers plots (in this case, local man agrees to impregnate his impotent best friend's wife) into suuuuuuper emotional love stories. A must-read.

Paranormal Romance

Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh. A really interesting, influential shifter romance with a heroine who's literally incapable of feeling emotion... falling for a hero who's a literal panther shifter that feels ALL the emotion.

A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole. A CLASSIC paranormal romance and the first full-length installment of Immortals After Dark, the best PNR series I've ever read. Very classic hyper alpha werewolf book, with the "feminine but headstrong" heroine type Kresley's so good at. I would also make your way to Lothaire, which is later in the series but probably the BEST vampire romance novel I've ever read. A true example of a villain romance, which can be hard to find.

Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison. Another Big Alpha romance with mating bond stuff, this time featuring a dragon shifter who hunts the heroine down after she steals from him.

Morning Glory Milking Farm by C.M. Nascosta. Not MY favorite book, but it's cute, and if you want an example of the modern "soft monster" romance, this... is it. (Run, Run Rabbit is my Nascosta of choice, but it's definitely a darker bite and feels a bit less "monster romance" to me as the leads are werewolves. To me, a monster should be less... humanoid.)

Bride by Ali Hazelwood. I really liked this, but I also think it's good to read to see the contrast between currently lite paranormals and paranormals from the height of the early 2000s wave. Plus, it's a tradpub book with knotting, which... shows how far we've come lmao

Moonglow by Kristen Callihan. Another KCallihan, but she writes across so many subgenres! This one I'm recommending to illustrate a particular niche we don't get enough of—historical paranormals. A werewolf/witch book set in Victorian London? And he's a Scottish rake? HELL YEAH.

A Long Time Dead by Samara Breger. A recent release that offers more gothic approach, with a romance between sapphic vampires spanning centuries. You can totally see an Interview with the Vampire call and response thing going on, but as a true romance novel with more explicit queerness (referring to the Interview book, not the show).

Erotic Romance

Priest by Sierra Simone. Good for dipping your toes into the Sierra Simone waters, a very classic "taboo" (but the taboo is religious, so it's light for a lot of people) romance between a Catholic priest and a woman seeking to unburden herself. With unique usages for holy oils. For Simone, I'll also recommend..............

The New Camelot Trilogy. This is for people who are ready to expand a bit and explore poly romance—I personally don't think anyone writes poly as well as Simone. An MMF triad retelling of the King Arthur myth, with the president, vice president, and first lady in a tangled, semi-dark-but-more-emotionally-speaking-not-violently-speaking triangle. Her writing is MAGNIFIQUE.

Praise by Sara Cate. Sara Cate is hit or miss for me, but this one is a great way to try her out while getting a good example of a "sex club" romance. The heroine ends up in a light D/s relationship with her ex-boyfriend's dad, with a good bit of praise involved. ;)

The Master by Kresley Cole. Another author who has to be featured multiple times due to her expansiveness. This one is a Russian mafia book that involves some truuuuuuly interesting... devices. But also, a lot of heart, as Kresley Cole is so good at making everything work. An interesting contrast to Lothaire, which I maintain is the paranormal version of this book in a lot of ways.

Mafia Mistress by Mila Finelli. A great example of an Italian mafia romance, with a massive age gap and some daddy stuff. I will also say—it does end on a cliffhanger and you need to read Mafia Darling to get the full story. Mafia Madman is actually my favorite in this series and is about a different couple, but they're ALL super good.

His Valet by S.M. LaViolette. A historical erotic romance with boss/employee stuff, secret identity stuff, a great grovel, and a nonbinary protagonist. Gorgeously written, daring, and a must.

Preferential Treatment by Heather Guerre. A billionaire romance that critiques the very concept of billionaires, and a great example of a soft femdom romance.

Act Your Age by Eve Dangerfield. An interesting and again self-analytical daddy age gap romance.

Fantasy Romance

A Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane. An amazing barbarian-type romance with a big fantasy world and a ton of heat and swoony passion. A must!

The Witch Collector by Charissa Weaks. I just think this series is everything people tell you ACOTAR is, and I would absolutely recommend for multiple great romances (m/f and m/m), complex characters, and amazing dynamics throughout.

Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco. This kicks off Maniscalco's Kingdom of the Wicked series, with witchcraft, demons, and more. This series began with a YA tone (the heroine was never underage, though) but in the second book Maniscalco transitioned to a fully adult sphere (and content...). You could also begin with the "adult from the start" spinoff Throne of the Fallen, it's up to you.

The Wisteria Society for Lady Scoundrels by India Holton. A whimsical and super romantic book kicking off a series with thieves, flying pirates, witches, and a ton of humor with a historical romance bent.

The Winter King by C.L. Wilson. Another high fantasy type romance with a conquering winter king marrying a summer princess in a true-making arrangement. Ice sculptures, war, and enemies to lovers goodness ensues.

Aaaand I don't read a lot of alien/sci-fi romance, but I'd definitely say that everyone should give Ruby Dixon's Ice Planet Barbarians series a try for the culture! Barbarian's Mate is my favorite, but Barbarian Alien might be a good place for newbies to start.

[keeponquinning]

Yes, Professor — M A S T E R L I S T

Joseph Quinn x Erotica Novelist Fem!Reader. 18+

Summary — slightly based on this, but mainly. You're Joseph's secret, writer, girlfriend who you met amidst the start of his convention tours, things are hot and heavy between you two, though strained for the inconvenience of not living in the same city and not being official. You're forced to spend a week apart but plan to meet up with him back in London on the last day of his Con appearance, and after teasing him for his Professor type choice of outfits, well, you just couldn't resist showing up dressed as your professor's favorite student, now could you? We thought not.

Part One | Part Two | Part Three

Notes — Right, because I'm working on this one too. Three parts to this particular story, but I'm planning on going back and exploring these two because writing part one, kinda fell in love and wanted to write them from the start. So, Yes, Professor ending up as a preview / prequel of sorts?? This was just supposed to be smut, but I'm forever extra. This IS RPF, like straight up, the fictional version of Joseph that lives rent free in my head. Do not like? You're valid for it and completely understand. Just don't be a dick about it, block or scroll on, this is for the folks that DO like it. Or just wanna imagine Joseph finally in a romcom.

LIKE THIS POST TO BE ADDED TO THE TAG LIST!

Taglist — @lunaapis , @munsons-mayhem28 , @inourtownofhawkins , @sleepy-wyvern , @daleyeahson , @munsongirl48 , @missonlypost , @live-love-be-unique , @maxwell2 , @gagaslave , @nina211544 , @chaoticcancer , @devilinthepalemoonlite , @sexibeastlawrence , @shanalynnphotos , @bluegalaxyprime , @tomhollandseyes , @chickensinrainboots , @honey-eyed-munson , @flightsocks , @dumbbxtchjuicx, @lilluvhs , @aysheashea

[dtmacgxstorys]

Novelist X Reader!

This is an Orpheus/Novelist X Gender Neutral Reader! (No Plan, Just Write!)

You wake up in an unfamiliar place. You get up off the floor & look around. You notice that you're in a machine of so kind. You also noticed that a door was left a jar. You quickly go over to it & listen to see if anybody's in the room. You open the door & go in to see a guy who looks like they just broke out of prison, a circus performer, a well-dressed man, & a robed man with his eyes covered. "Oh, the new kid's up!" The prisoner said as he gets up from the table. "Name's Luca Balsa!" He said as he approaches you. "Luca, they're probably confused and scared, don't seem so eager to meet them. Am Eli Clark, by the way." "Hhiii New Guy! I'm Mike Morton!" The circus performer waved at you from behind Eli.

The well-dressed man approaches you & offers you his hand. "Hello, cell me Orpheus." You take a step away from him. "..w-what is this place? Why am I here." You asked. "This place is called The Oletus Manor. As for why you're here, we don't know either." Orpheus said. After a while, an overwhelming number of people came into the dining room & introduced themselves. Someone said dinner would be soon & to start finding seats. You asked Eli & Matthias Czernin to sit next to you & they agreed. Luca, Tracy Reznik & Demi Bourbon asked you if they could join you & you agreed. You had a good time talking with them. After dinner, you decided to explore the manor. You walked past a room where someone was playing a piano & a room full of different art stuff.

You eventually come across the quiet room full of tables & chairs. As you enter what you thought was an empty room, you hear a familiar voice cell out to you. "Oh, it's just you. .. I just realized I didn't catch your name." You turn to see Orpheus offering his hand to you again. You don't take his hand & continue walking & say: "I'm Y/N." "You're really not going to shack my hand?" You stop, stand there for a bit before turning back to him & shack his head. "Since you're here, why don't we get to know each other. I enjoy writing stories for others to read. What do you enjoy doing?" "I like to draw but not paint." "Oh!? Could I see you draw at some point?" You turn away from him. "Maybe." "Uumm do you prefer the quiet of nature or the noise of the city?"

You sit at a table & say: "Nature, you?" He sits down next to you & says: "I like the quiet of nature as well. You don't have to answer, but, have you ever expected Love at first sight? If so, can you describe it?" "*sigh* I'm no good at explaining, but I have, once." You say, looking down at the table. ".. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you updated. I don't know how to write that because I've never experienced it." "Um? Oh, it's fine, Orpheus." You say as you sit back up straight. "Umm Love at first sight. ..for me, it was like time slowed and that me and him were the only people in the room." You say while looking down at the table. "... What is your favorite animal, i like birds?" You replie with your favorite animal/s. "Umm interesting. .. Well, as much as I love to continue talking to you, it's getting late for me. You know, I think your room is near mine. Would you like me to show you to your room?" "Ok." You replie.

You follow him down a long hallway & he stops in front of your door. "Well, here's your room. If you need anything, mine is three doors down on the opposite side." "Thank you, Orpheus." You say as you enter your room. You close your door & thing to yourself: "He's probably only interested in talking to me because I don't look poor." For a week now, Orpheus would ask to join you for lunch. You were surprised, but happy to spend more time with him. After lunch, you went outside & saw Orpheus sitting on a bench. You approach him & say: "Hi Orpheus, you mind if I sit with you?" "Um Oh, Y/N, Not at all!" You sit & ask him: "It's rare to see you not writing, are you ok?" ".. Yes, I'm fine."

"... I have an important question for you, Orpheus. .. Would you ever date someone from a lower class for you?" He looks at you a little confused. "..I mean, it would be nice to have more money, but no, I don't care if the person has more or less money than me. Why do you ask?" You turn your head away from him. "No particular reason." You can't see, but he smiles at you. "..I came out here to think about something." You look back to him. "Something positive or something negative." He turns his head away from you but is still looking at you. "Positive. .... can you give me your hand?" He offers his hand to you & you hesitate for a moment but eventually give him your hand. He gently brings your hand up to his lips & gently kisses your knuckles. You blush as he looks up at you. "I came out here thinking about you."

You look away from him & say: "This feels like a dream." He puts his thumb on your chin & gently pulls your gaze back to him. "I promise you, that is real Y/N." He moves a little bit closer to you & ask: "can I kiss you?" You surprise him by pulling him into a kiss. He kisses you back & his one hand runs through your hair. You pull away for him & say: "I love you, Orpheus!" "I love you too, Y/N!"

End!

[mullberrylemonade]

Orphkurt/Kurtpheus stuff before i post my ao3 fanfic #2

Memory: What does bees make? Kurt: Honey? Orpheus: Yes, darling?

[otakusparkle]

Identity V New Collaboration Release

Identity V x TOIVO 2nd Collaboration

For more information :

[noodleblade]

for the ask game! 📚 ❄️ 🧩

Thank you <3

📚 ⇢ what's the last thing you wrote down in your notes app? 

Mine and my roommate's meals for the week so we could go shopping for groceries.

❄️ ⇢ what's your dream theme/plot for a fic, and who would write it best?

I would die for a lengthy, multi-chaptered fic for rodimags, really getting deep into their horribly intertwined histories and motives and how their relationship is a tangled mess. They way they foil each other and compliment/contradict each other. I need the complexities explored, I need the tension, the tenderness, the awkwardness. I have many thoughts. They make me x---x sick.

I'm not sure if the 'who would write it best' part meant like an actual fandom writer or like novelist/director type beat? but @spiderscribe would be my pick, but only because she and I have the exact same brain so I know she'll cater it to me:3 (NO PRESSURE!!!!! OUR DMS ARE SATISFYING ENOUGH!!!) Also she is a very talented writer and y'all will be in for a treat when she finishes up her fics:3

🧩 ⇢ what will make you click away from a fanfiction immediately?

Typically its first person pov or really bad formatting x--x I just have difficulty with it even if the fic is good and well-written otherwise.

[madamlaydebug]

On this day, remembering James Baldwin

Happy Heavenly Birthday to the profound, brilliant author and activist Mr. James Arthur Baldwin!

James Arthur Baldwin was a novelist, essayist, playwright, poet, and social critic.

Baldwin's essays, such as the collection Notes of a Native Son (1955), explore palpable yet unspoken intricacies of racial, sexual, and class distinctions in Western societies, most notably in mid-20th-century America, and their inevitable if unnameable tensions.

Some Baldwin essays are book-length, for instance The Fire Next Time (1963), No Name in the Street (1972), and The Devil Finds Work (1976).

His novels and plays fictionalize fundamental personal questions and dilemmas amid complex social and psychological pressures thwarting the equitable integration of not only blacks, but also gay men—depicting as well some internalized impediments to such individuals' quest for acceptance—namely in his second novel, Giovanni's Room (1956), written well before gay equality was widely espoused in America.

Baldwin's best-known novel is his first, Go Tell It on the Mountain (1953).

SOCIAL & POLITICAL ACTIVISM:

He wrote about the movement, Baldwin aligned himself with the ideals of the Congress of Equality (CORE) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee(SNCC). In 1963 he conducted a lecture tour of the South for CORE, traveling to locations like Durham and Greensboro, North Carolina and New Orleans, Louisiana. During the tour, he lectured to students, white liberals, and anyone else listening about his racial ideology, an ideological position between the "muscular approach" of Malcolm X and the nonviolent program of Martin Luther King Jr..

By the Spring of 1963, Baldwin had become so much a spokesman for the Civil Rights Movement that for its May 17 issue on the turmoil in Birmingham, Alabama, Time magazine put James Baldwin on the cover. "There is not another writer," said Time, "who expresses with such poignancy and abrasiveness the dark realities of the racial ferment in North and South."

[thetempleofthemasaigoddess]

Chapter seventeen

Young!Silver Rayleigh x reader. Modern AU. NSFW for sex and violence.

*****

Imagine moving to live in a mountain chalet to escape the bustle of the big city. Your small house is situated in the middle of the woods, the closest -small-ish- town reachable by car but quite isolated, which suits you just fine. You spend most of your days writing at your laptop, reading in front of the fireplace and taking long nature walks.

Beyond the occasional hiker, some of whom knock on your door to ask directions back to the town after losing their way, the only person you meet semi-regularly is your only neighbour, owner and resident of the only other chalet in the area, only a couple miles away from yours: Silvers Rayleigh. 

You had no idea there was someone living within walkable distance of you, but the day after your arrival you heard ringing at the door, went to open thinking it was the mailman since you knew no one in town and it was too early for your friends from the city to come visit… and found yourself face to face with this tall, imposing man, neck-length blond hair and dark eyes still piercing despite the barrier of his reading glasses.

“Hello. Name’s Rayleigh, I live nearby. I saw your car pass by, and since we’re the only two people crazy and clever enough to come live in this corner of the world, I thought I’d introduce myself. You need help with moving in?”

You are favourably impressed by his friendly but direct approach, the exact opposite of what you got used to in the decades you spent living in the city; you tell him that no, you have everything under control since you brought only the essentials from your old home and you’ll be done moving everything to its new place by the end of the day, but you appreciate the offer, and are glad to meet him.

You and Rayleigh become acquainted over a cup of tea in your freshly stocked kitchen. Like you, he moved to the mountains in search of peace and quiet after decades spent living in a large city; you tell him you’re a novelist, which means you are free to work at home as long as you have your laptop with you and an internet connection, while Rayleigh is the owner of a small but successful coating business, and has left day-to-day operations to his colleagues to visit his old workshop once in a while. 

You feared Rayleigh would resent you for having come to interrupt his solitary life in the woods -not that you’re a particularly noisy person, nor the sort who listens to loud music at all hours, not to mention your chalets are two miles away from each other, but still- but he seems genuinely happy to have met you. Both well aware of the risks of living miles away from the closest urban centre, you exchange telephone numbers, to be able to call each other in case of need, and spend most of the afternoon talking. 

A quiet friendship soon blossoms between you. Rayleigh is, just like you, a lone wolf, content with his own company, but apart from the fact even the most reclusive man feels the need to exchange words with another human being once in a while, you seem able to spend time together without getting on each other’s nerves. You meet for a drink at your or his place, and Rayleigh accompanies you to explore the mountains, the experience much more engaging and pleasant than if you had gone alone with your map and compass; he’s the sort of person who knows when to talk, when to listen, and when the best thing to do is simply to remain silent, a gift you rarely found among the people of your old life, and you often spend hours talking or simply enjoying each other’s company. 

You gradually learn to know the people of the small town, salespeople you do business with and a few women your age, but you don’t feel the need to build closer relationships; Rayleigh is different, and even though you never discuss it openly, you know it’s the same for him. 

One day, months after you moved to the mountains, you visit Rayleigh’s chalet to return the drill you had borrowed to mount a few shelves on a wall -there are a few men in town who could have done it for a small price, but you decided you might as well learn to do it by yourself, and did a more than decent job- and as you sit on the sofa waiting for the tea he’s making, you notice a book on the table next to you - your first book, that you published when you were only twenty-one.

“I, err, bought it online; I was curious to read what you wrote.” Rayleigh admits, looking suddenly embarrassed as he rubs the back of his neck with his hand “Sorry, maybe I… shouldn’t have?”

“Of course not! I am flattered, like any novelist would be knowing someone has read her book. Did you, err, like it? You can tell me you didn’t, I won’t get offended, and my style was still a bit acerbic back then…”

The truth is you would have been supremely disappointed to learn Rayleigh disliked your work, or even worse was left indifferent by it, but he seems sincere in saying that he loves it, finds the story compelling and original, and your writing style elegant and engaging. “I haven’t finished it yet thought; I just finished chapter seventeen.”

Chapter seventeen, you remember perfectly even though you consigned the manuscript of that novel to your newly found agent decades ago, contains the most explicit, steamy, downright lurid sex scene you have ever written, a passionate encounter between your protagonist -a female novelist- and a mysterious man who has captivated her heart soon after their first meeting. You’re usually not the sort of writer who takes inspiration from her own life, but chapter seventeen was the exception, even though unfortunately those had been dreams -the wet sort- and fantasies rather than real events. You normally wouldn’t mind discussing it in any case, your readers are mostly adults and there’s nothing wrong with writing and reading about sex…

But then why are you blushing furiously at the thought that Rayleigh has read that particular section of your book? And it’s not either as short as some of your other chapters are, no less than twenty pages of explicit filth and intense lovemaking, three rounds of it…!

Your only consolation is that Rayleigh is blushing as well, even though he seems unable to stop smiling as he looks at you; you don’t need to be a mind-reader to realise he’s imagining you in the place of your character, and perhaps himself in that of her love interest, and that makes you feel… well, something you had thought you would never experience again as you left your youth behind you to fully enter middle-age. It’s somehow surprising; but the sort of surprise you can’t help but appreciate.

For a whole minute neither of you feels able to speak as you gaze at each other, until the sound of kettle whistling in the kitchen puts an end to a tense, and only vaguely awkward, silence. You enjoy your tea as you discuss your tastes in books, and an hour later you leave to return home, suddenly in a good, almost giddy mood. 

*

You have enjoyed your first four months in your new home, more inspired to write than you remember having been in years and enjoying long walks in nature, when suddenly that almost idyllic life you had built comes crashing down, or at least suffers a serious setback, on an apparently peaceful night of early summer.

You are sleeping soundly in your bed when a sudden noise wakes you up, followed by a drunken laugh; in a daze you reach out for your bedside lamp to switch it on, rise, peek out of the room, and observe a terrible scene: three men you have never seen before, all wearing biker jackets and heavy boots, are in your living room, drinking from the bottles in their hands -one has a baseball bat as well, another a large hunting knife hanging from his belt- and breaking your things for the simple pleasure of doing it. 

Your home, your peaceful little chalet, has been invaded; what can you do? Call the police? The closest station is at least twenty miles away, and given the state of the mountain roads it might take the agents a full hour to reach you, but you can’t let these men destroy your home! But you are alone, unharmed, and the men must have noticed your car parked outside, which means they know there is someone here…

“Who do you think lives here?” one of the men suddenly asks, as if he had just read your mind, and then another, who had spent the last minutes meticulously breaking all the framed pictures and diplomas hanging from your walls, turns swiftly, and you’re not quick enough to back away in the hallway. The men grin.

“Hello, darling.” the one who saw you first says “Hope you don’t mind if we came in. Why don’t we all have a bit of fun?”

The easiest, safest thing to do would be to barricade yourself in your bedroom, whose heavy door could withstand the onslaught, and call the police with the phone on your bedside table, but one of the men is quick to approach and, as you move away to stop him from grabbing you, he puts himself on the doorway connecting the living room to the hallway, blocking your path.

“Come on, darling… if you’re good I promise we’ll let you live…”

The five minutes that follow are the most terrifying of your life, and you seriously doubt you’ll live to tell the story, or that you’ll survive unscathed; the men, laughing and jeering, play with you like cats with a mouse, grabbing and pushing you, but finally, taking advantage of a moment of inattentiveness, you grab an empty bottle from the floor and smash it against the face of one of them. 

You run, faster than you’ve ever run in your life, you run as if you had all the demons of Hell after you, and as the threats and shouts of the men follow you. Barefoot, wearing nothing more than a t-shirt and shorts, you reach the house door, fortunately left open after the intrusion, and pass it, disappearing into the still cold summer night.

By the time you have reached Rayleigh’s house, you’re freezing, and limping, still terrified the men could catch up with you, even though you have chosen a narrower, less easy to find path on which even their bikes, that you have seen parked in front of the house, might be unable to ride along. Sobbing quietly, shaking, you ring the bell, and your friend’s expression when he comes at the door expresses all the horror he must feel.

“Oh my God! (name), what happened to you?”

“I… I…” you stammer, and then you’re unable to say more, but you burst into tears, tears of fear and relief at the same time, reaching out for Rayleigh, who quickly takes you in his arms and accompanies you inside. 

A minute later you’re sitting on the sofa -once again there’s one of your books on the table next to it; the fourth, that Rayleigh insists on buying online even though you offered to lend or even gift him the copy of each you brought with you from your old home, in case you had to check your references writing a sequel or whether a scene you’re planning is too similar to one you already published- with a blanket on your shoulders and a water bottle in your hand.

Your sobs have calmed down enough to allow you to tell Rayleigh what happened; when you tell him that you are hurt, but not hurt, you see his large shoulders sag in relief, but your friend’s expression remains grim. “That it should happen to you.” he murmurs in the end.

“Well, we’re the only two people in a twenty mile radius, and I’m not wishing this to you…”

“You know what I mean. I… shit, this is horrible; but I promise you are safe now, and I’ll stay with you until the police come.”

Rayleigh remains where you can see him while he carries out a short but very grim, judging by his expression, conversation over the phone; then he returns to you, and says that the agents will go directly to your chalet and they will warn you once they have ascertained that it’s safe to come back.

Rayleigh gets to work to make you as comfortable as he can. His clothes don’t exactly fit you, but the night is too cold for you to remain half-naked as you are, and his heavy jumper and trousers are, if not comfortable, at least warm. The main source of pain is your poor feet, bleeding after two miles hobbling down a mountain path; you use the contents of Rayleigh’s first aid kit to clean and bandage the wounds, and then put a pair of heavy socks on. 

“I can make some tea if you want; I’m afraid we’ll have to wait for a while.” he offers then, and while already feeling guilty for all the trouble you’re causing him -it’s the middle of the night, and no matter how fond you are of each other you’re ready to bet Rayleigh would gladly return to his bed to sleep rather than playing nurse to you- a hot, calming tea is exactly what you need, since you can’t seem to stop shaking - more out of shock than cold.

“I’m sorry for all of this.” you whisper sadly as you follow him to the kitchen, unable to stand a distance of more than a few feet between you “But I couldn’t grab my phone nor my car keys, and didn’t know where else to go.”

“Are you kidding? (name), of course you did the right thing coming here. I’m… glad I can help.”

He seems so sincere, so earnest in his pure and genuine desire to support you, that whatever apology you were about to offer dies on your lips. 

You drink your tea sitting on the sofa, wrapped in your blanket, Rayleigh’s arm heavy and comforting on your shoulders, a gesture both of you would have considered inappropriate in any other circumstance but that here, and now, feels perfect, naturally offered and gratefully accepted.

“Has anything like this ever happened before?” you ask after a while, more because you can’t stand the silence than out of genuine curiosity; by this time the agents must have reached your home, but you can’t bear to think about the damages the three intruders could have caused in your chalet, that you had lovingly furnished and in which you felt at home, safe and protected, even just a few months after moving in.

“Not at all; I would have warned you otherwise. The worst I ever witnessed in a decade I have spent here was a band of campers who played loud music and poached a few buzzards in the woods, and a hunter who shot a doe and then left the carcass in the middle of the road. When I think of what could have happened to you… but you were good at defending yourself; good, and very brave.”

A tiny smile blossoms on your lips, his words of praise making you feel marginally better when you could have sworn nothing could. “Well, I used one of their bottles, and you know what they say, when you make your bed…”

In the end, it takes a full hour before Rayleigh receives a call from the agents, announcing that the intruders have left, and that it’s safe for you to return. Having taken his two heavier coats, one for each, Rayleigh accompanies you outside and drives you back home.

“You are safe, alright?” he murmurs ten minutes later, opening the door and offering you his hand to get out “And I’m here with you. It’s going to hurt, but you can’t start healing if you don’t look at the wounds first.” 

You nod mutely, but you find strength in those words, enough to stand the sight of your home after the invasion. The whole place has been ransacked: the furniture in the living room, the kitchen and your bedroom has been kicked and knocked over, the framed pictures on the walls and the shelves on the wall broken to pieces, the curtains on the windows and the pillows of the sofa slashed. And then, of course, there’s the stealing: your laptop, on which all your work is stored, has miraculously survived unscathed, but the intruders have taken the money you kept in the bedside table, a few of your jewels including a ring you had received as a gift from your late mother and held great sentimental value, and even, absurd but true, your microwave oven.

The police agents take your statement, that you will have to repeat tomorrow at their station; you describe the men for them, already convinced they will never be found and your things are lost forever, and in the end the agents leave you and Rayleigh alone. 

He makes it clear that he’s not leaving, and that he wouldn’t mind if you wanted to spend the night at his place, but you are not going to let those - those bastards chase you out of your own home. You put some clean clothes on, and take a blanket and a pillow to sleep on the sofa; you offer to prepare a bed for him as well, but Rayleigh refuses, and it’s then that you notice his gun, that your friend keeps stuck in his belt, until now hidden by his coat.

“I’ve got a licence; and I never had to use it since I moved here, but I’d better be safe than sorry.” he tells you, and while uneasy at having a firearm in your home, you nod, accepting his reasoning.

You sleep badly that night, and when you wake up with a start after nodding off and lift yourself up from the sofa, you see Rayleigh standing near the window of the living room as he stares outside, lost in his thoughts, the dark of the night enveloping his body; he’s standing guard, probably aware it’s highly unlikely your tormentors will come back but unwilling to take any chance. He doesn’t notice you have awoken, but knowing he’s there makes you feel better - safer, enough to place your head back on the pillow, close your eyes and succumb to exhaustion as you finally fall asleep. 

*

The next day Rayleigh has to leave for a business trip; he’s due to be away for a week, and he offers to postpone it to remain help you, or to accompany you to the town’s only B&B, so that you don’t have to sleep alone in your home, still bearing the signs of the invasion.

You refuse both offers. “There is no reason; the home alarm will be installed tomorrow, and the sooner I start cleaning up and fixing everything that’s broken, the sooner I’ll be done. I’m fine, truly.” you assure him “And if I leave, or if I get used to needing someone else's presence to feel safe, I might never be able to live here alone again.”

Clearly unsure, Rayleigh finally acquiesces, and makes you promise to call him if you need help, or just want to talk. “Take care of yourself.” he says, and then he kisses your brow, something no one has ever done since you were ten, and that fills your heart with tenderness.

You start missing him a minute after he left, but you roll up your sleeves and get to work. You have a cutting-edge home alarm installed, complete with cameras surrounding the property and a panic button, and the home door replaced with a more secure sort; you clean the chalet from top to bottom, throw away the pieces of furniture that can’t be repaired, and visit a large shop in a nearby -well, an hour drive away- shop to buy some more, and to replace all the things you can’t use anymore, including your microwave oven. 

It costs you quite a lot of money, and it’s hard work, especially for a woman alone, but every little step forward, every new shelf installed or framed picture hung, makes you feel a little better, and back in control of your own life. You don’t plan on buying a gun like Rayleigh did, but in the end your home is certainly back to its original, cosy state, and the night before his return, for the first time since the accident, you sleep soundly in your bed, at ease once again in that place you initially feared you would never feel safe in again.

Rayleigh has left by train; you check the company’s website for the schedule, and make sure to be at his door before he is, having prepared the dishes he has shown to appreciate the most in the several occasions you have dined together. He must be very tired, but his face lights up when he sees you as he gets out of his car, joy and almost relief making him even more handsome than he normally is.

“You’re here!”

“I am, hope you don’t mind. How was your trip? I brought you dinner.”

You prepared more than enough, as you often do, so you end up eating together at his place; Rayleigh tells you of the state of his business, fortunately in good health as far as both number of clients and level of profits are concerned, and is happy to learn you have made your home more secure and once again livable. 

“So… it’s everything alright?”

“I think so; I still feel insecure at times, especially when some noise wakes me up in the middle of the night, but it gets a little better every day. From now on I’ll go back on focusing on my work, and I’ll leave this nightmare behind me.”

“I’m glad to know. I…” Rayleigh rubs the back of his head with his hand, suddenly awkward for some reason you can’t decipher “I must admit, I feared you would decide to leave, to move to town, or to go back to your old place in the city.”

You admit the thought had crossed your mind, but leaving would mean giving the men who have ransacked your home and tried to hurt you the win, which is the last thing you want. You love living at the chalet, and except for this accident, which as he said was a case in a million and not a common occurrence, you never had any reason to consider moving away. You made sure to be more protected at home, and now you’ll go back to enjoy the peace and beauty of the mountains…

And then there’s him; Rayleigh, who is different from any man, any person really, you have ever met, and is a positive aspect of your new life you hadn’t expected to find. If you were to move, he’s the thing you would miss the most, and one of the main reasons why you’re determined to remain. You can’t tell him; not yet at least, not so early after realising that delicate truth yourself, but in the privacy of your heart you know it, as surely as you know your name.

Rayleigh smiles at you; his hand leaves the fork to take yours over the table, the touch delicate, almost shy, but full of significance. “I’m glad you’re here, (name).”

“I’m going nowhere.” you tell him; it’s a promise, to you both “You have my word.”

* 

“Have you made arrangements about the wood?” Rayleigh asks you one day. You’ve met in town, both of you buying groceries, and decided to get a coffee before returning home. You have noticed the way the waitress looked at both of you as she served your table -coquettish towards Rayleigh, openly resentful towards you- while he ignored her, his dark eyes focused on you with an intensity that at times is able to make you feel flustered “For the winter, I mean.”

The day is chilly at best, the mid-autumn wind making you shiver unpleasantly as you leave the cosy warmth of your home or take your clothes off to get in the shower, but you can only imagine how terribly cold it will get in the heart of winter, when snow can fall for days and water freezes inside the pipes. There is a wood shed on the back of your chalet, where you found a little timber left from the previous owner, but you have already made arrangements with a logging company to have enough to last you through the winter, delivered directly to your house.

“They’ll come next Thursday.” you explain as you enjoy the content of your cup. 

“Good. You know how to chop it, yes?”

“... sorry?”

“Chop the wood, to put it in the shed.” Rayleigh explains, smiling gently in response to your flummoxed expression “The logging company will deliver the wood to your home, but they won’t put it in your shed; they usually leave it on the front porch, and the logs are usually too big to be used, and need to be chopped.”

“Oh… I had no idea…”

“It’s fine, it’s your first winter here.”

“Can I pay the logging company’s workers to do it for me?” you ask, suddenly aware of how naive you’ve been, not considering this little matter “I’m not even sure I have an axe…”

“You can try but they usually don’t do it, for insurance reasons, not to mention they’d overcharge you. It’s alright, I’ll do it.”

“... sorry?”

“I’ll chop your wood; just call me when they are done on Thursday.”

You insist that you can’t ask him to do that, easily imagining how tiring and time-consuming the job could be, even for a strong man like Rayleigh, but he remains undeterred, and looks supremely unimpressed when you offer to pay him for it. 

“We’re neighbours, living in an isolated area; it’s normal that we help each other.” he points out gently “Wouldn’t you do the same for me?”

“Of course, but…”

“But, nothing, (name). It’s fine; if you really want to make it up to me, you can cook me dinner like you have done so many times already.”

You share a smile, and you’re about to say something when the waitress approaches. “Can I bring you guys anything else?” she asks, speaking in the plural form but openly ignoring you; you see Rayleigh tense, and suddenly his leg is pressing against yours under the table.

“No, thank you.” you answer firmly, also speaking without looking away from the man sitting in front of you “We have everything we need already.”

*

And that’s how, on the following Thursday, you find yourself with a full-blown mountain of wood spread on your driveway, and with Rayleigh, who came immediately after the logging company had left and you called him, ready to get to work. You brought him a bottle of water and a towel, and begged him to let you help him in any way you could, but he assured you he was fine and would be done before the end of the day - which, given the fact it’s barely early afternoon, could mean several hours.

“Please don’t overexert yourself. Have you eaten? Take as many breaks as you need, it’s alright if you want to finish tomorrow or any other day…”

“(name), I’m fine.” he reassures you, openly amused; his hand -which is just like him: broad and strong, the touch gentle but firm when it need be, and why are you suddenly hot, even though winter is only a few weeks away and you’ve gone outside without a coat?- is placed on your shoulder, the gesture chaste and reassuring but that for some reason is enough to make your heartbeat accelerate “I’ve done this for more than a decade every year, the last time only six days ago. I’ll be fine, and if I need to take a break I will, you have my word.”

Reassured but still vaguely embarrassed for the inconvenience you’re causing him, you leave Rayleigh to his axe and block, and return inside to get to work: your latest novel is almost ready, but during their latest call your agent has insisted you need to submit it as soon as possible, so as to have it ready for publication in time for Christmas. 

You sit in the living room, with your laptop and a cup of tea to sustain you, polishing your work and making sure even the smallest detail will satisfy your readers. You’re quite proud of this novel and usually capable of focusing on what you need to do, but today you’re unusually distracted, and the reason why you need to re-read the same line three times and to keep deleting what you just wrote because of yet another typo is not the noise of traffic out of your apartment or the loud music the lodger upstair is generously sharing with the whole complex, like when you still lived in the city…

It’s him. 

The soft thuds of the axe cutting the log and the two halves hitting the ground reach your ears; looking out of the window, you can see Rayleigh hard at work, the axe lifted above his head and then swiftly lowered for a neat cut. He’s been working for two hours without any sign of slowing down, and maybe you should insist he takes it easy, but concern is not the only impulse that leads you to abandon your work -and by now cold cup- to cross the living room, reach the house door and linger there, your shoulder resting against the jamb and your arms to your chest, to observe him closely like you would do with a really good show.

Which he really is. 

You had thought Rayleigh was attractive ever since your first meeting. Tall and imposing, he has the physique of a man who keeps fit more through an active lifestyle and working hard than going to the gym; he has broad shoulders, arms whose strength you got to admire every time he offered to bring your groceries and other heavy parcels inside, and a very pleasant to look at backside, especially when he wears a certain pair of heavy but form-fitting trousers. He has strawberry blonde hair, piercing brown eyes, and the sort of smile that makes dimples appear on his cheeks; he is without a doubt one of the handsomest men you have ever met, and no matter how sincerely you consider him a dear friend, you have grown increasingly aware of the fact the more time you spent together… and it has never been harder to keep your attraction under control than now that he’s on your front porch, naked from the waist up.

There is an unspoken elegance in the way he works, the deliberate, confident movements of his body betraying a full control of his actions; the axe he’s handling is very heavy, not to mention dangerous should its edge cut through flesh rather than wood, and Rayleigh would have any reason to be tired by now, but his stamina must be higher than you gave it credit - which is another thought your mind can’t help but linger on. 

You can see perspiration glister on his shoulders and back as he works, and the way he stops for a moment to brush the hair away from his eyes before returning to work; from your position at the door -you are sighing, biting your lip and squeezing your thighs as you fantasise about being able to touch and caress what you are now admiring; you should probably feel embarrassed, at the mercy of your impulses like a teenager who has just discovered boys, but you don’t, no, you could even say you like it…- you can see his broad back bend and straighten, muscles rippling under his taut skin, and the way his biceps bulge with the effort of raising the axe…

“You know.” Rayleigh mentions after a while without looking up at you, amusement clear in his voice “It will last longer if you took a picture.”

You hadn’t even realised he had noticed you were there, but you’re determined not to make him see he has caught you off guard. “You’re probably right.” you answer pensively, and then, unflinchingly, you retrieve your phone from your pocket, select your camera, frame him, and take the picture.

“Perfect, thank you.” you say cheerfully, turn and walk back inside swinging your hips before Rayleigh has time to react.

The picture came out really well, but that’s not the only reason why you’re openly grinning; you are sure Rayleigh will not let the matter drop, and he in fact doesn’t.

He has joined you in the living room a minute later, still naked from the waist up even though he must have used the towel to wipe away the sweat from his body; you are face to face, his naked chest in front of you -wide shoulders, firm pectorals, a taut stomach, soft-looking blonde hair disappearing under the waistband of his trousers; God, he looks so good you might start salivating any minute- a pleasant view you shamelessly enjoy, not bothering to hide your mouth behind your hand when you lick your lips, suddenly hungry for something that is not food.

Rayleigh is smiling as he reaches out towards you; he has noticed your interest and doesn’t bother to hide how flattered he is. “Let me see the picture.”

“No, I don’t think I will.”

“Come on, (name); it’s my picture after all, and I don’t want it to be on your phone if it didn’t turn out right.”

You tell him that the picture is very flattering, so much that you were planning on asking the publishing house to use if for the cover of your new novel, but Rayleigh is not deterred; he tries to take the phone from your hand as you retreat deeper into the room, until the base of your back is pressing against the edge of the table top, and his hands rest on it at the sides of your hips, effectively caging you.

Your heart is pounding; you try swallowing and you manage - barely. Without a word you surrender your phone in Rayleigh possession, and he observes the picture after turning on the screen. “Not bad.” he decides, and grins as he places the phone safely on the table. 

“So; the cover of your next novel, was it? I should feel flattered.”

“I'm sure my readers would love it, but I think I changed my mind; I want to keep that picture for myself, rather than sharing it.”

“I see. I could let you do a whole photoshoot if you'd like…”

You grin; Rayleigh smiles, and a moment later his hand, warm and strong and delicate, has cupped your cheek. 

“Tell me I can.” he murmurs; his voice, low and soft, and the arousal behind it, is enough to make you shiver “(name), please, tell me I can or I don't know what I'll do…”

It’s like taking a deep breath after having held it for a lifetime. “Of course.” you murmur, offering him your mouth, and a moment later the space separating you has disappeared.

Kissing Rayleigh is everything you had hoped for and more; soft and intense, passionate but unhurried, as if he wanted to take his time savouring it - savouring you, and the taste of your lips. You hear him moan softly when your tongue finds his, deepening the kiss, and a moment later you’re running your fingers through his hair, feeling his heart pound against your chest; you can feel Rayleigh’s hands running up and down your sides, gently moulding the shape of your body, and when you finally part, both breathless, a look is enough to make it clear you want the same thing.

Rayleigh grabs you by the hips to effortlessly pick you up and place you on the table. You quickly circle his hips with your legs, closing the space between you; your arms snake around his neck as he still holds you in place, but a moment later your hands descend down his chest, exploring flesh and skin, so deliciously masculine and warm under your touch, and you can feel a rumbling of pleasure under your palms.

“Am I of your liking?”

“You most certainly are; especially if we were not to limit ourselves to kissing.” you point out; it’s quite a bold declaration, especially if shared between a couple that has been so for less than two minutes, but Rayleigh has the power to make you feel safe, at ease, even if just from the embarrassment of discovering you want different things.

That, and the fact that you can feel his erection pressing against your thigh.

“Are you sure?” Rayleigh’s gaze meets yours as he takes your face in his hands, torn between the desire of hearing you confirm yours and the fear of making you uncomfortable “I don’t mind, I… I want you so much, but we have all the time, I don’t want to ruin…”

“We’re ruining nothing; and I want you too, more than you can imagine. I just need to feel you, Rayleigh; whatever happens from tomorrow onward, I have never been as sure of something as I am of this.”

The handsome man in front of you raises an eyebrow. “From tomorrow onward?”

“Yes, because I want to spend the rest of the day making love to you.” you explain placidly, arching your hips to press yourself against his turgor, and Rayleigh whines.

“Woman, you are killing me…”

You have no intention of causing him any more discomfort, and you prove it by lifting your arms, allowing Rayleigh to free you from your sweater, long-sleeved shirt, and tank top, all in one. You should feel cold, almost completely naked from the waist up, but the way he is looking at you is enough to fill your belly with warmth. 

You kiss some more, touching each other and panting as the desire between you grows; Rayleigh’s hand runs up and down your clothed leg, his mouth smiling against yours as he feels you arch your hips as you search for a modicum of friction, the pressure between your legs mounting to unbearable levels. 

“Down, girl…”

“I can’t… Rayleigh, please…”

He grins, leaving your lips to bite gently at the column of your neck. “I like the way you say my name.” he murmurs “And don’t worry, I’ll take care of you in a minute.”

You help him unclasp your bra, and a moment later you’re lying on the table, moaning as Rayleigh, bent over you, kisses and licks your breasts. You run your fingers through his hair, and a moment later he has captured your right nipple in his mouth, sucking with just enough force to mix pleasure and pain, and rather than moaning, you are screaming -Rayyleeeiiiggghh- and in a murmur he tells you to go on, and you’re so beautiful and hot, and he’s waited for almost a year to hear you scream his name.

One of Rayleigh’s arms is resting on the table next to your head, supporting him. He lowers his free hand between your legs, cupping your core; despite the heavy trousers you are wearing you can feel his thumb finger pad against your clit, gentle but merciless as he rubs and caresses and stimulates, and then suddenly something snaps inside of you and a tide sweeps you away, and your scream is no longer a name, or a word, but a simple, raw declaration of love and passion.

Rayleigh’s hand carries you through your orgasm, drawing every last drop of pleasure from your body until your head falls back on the table; you are wheezing, and while you thought you were past embarrassment you can’t help but blush when your gaze meets his.

“Don’t look at me like that! I haven’t had sex in a decade…”

“Then we’ll spend the next one doing it.” he decides; he kisses you, sweet and passionate. “Let me bring you to bed.”

“No.”

“No…?”

“No.” you repeat, smiling as you rest your forehead against his “I want to do it on the rug.”

The living room’s rug is one of the few pieces of furniture you brought with you from the city, soft and heavy, the red and black wool perfect for lying in front of the fireplace with a book, and also, you discover today, to make love on.

Rayleigh picks you up before you have time to react to carry and then gently depose you on the rug. “Comfortable?” he asks softly, and when you nod he smiles, stands, and starts stripping. 

The sight of his naked legs, like the rest of his body made strong and taut by a lifetime of work, is enough to make you bite your lip, but then you sit up, and Rayleigh turns back to you, the turgor inside his black briefs is at the same height of your eyes, and suddenly you can’t quite remember how to breathe.

You rest your hands on his hips. “May I?” you ask, looking up at him, and having received a nod of permission you slowly, cautiously finish undressing him, and then there’s nothing you can do but stare, open-mouthed, and Rayleigh groans, as if having to physically stop himself from filling your open cavern with his organ. 

“Darling, please…” he begins, and then doesn’t finish, because you have taken his erection -lovely, absolutely perfect, long and big and veiny, erect against his belly, the base surrounded by soft blonde hair and the tip already leaking pre-cum- in your hand, pumping it hard enough to force a litany of swear words from Rayleigh’s mouth, and you must not be the only one who hasn’t done it in a while, because it takes him only a few minutes after you have swallowed him to murmur that you need to stop, because no matter how much he’s enjoying your ministrations -oh God yes, yes darling, just like this, don’t st-oh God your teeth…!- he wants more, for your first time. 

He lets you take off your shoes and socks by yourself, and then he’s kneeling above you, opening your trousers; he kisses your belly, then the apex of your thigh, and then further and further down as he slips your trousers down your legs, and finally all you are wearing are black panties, which is not the sexiest, nor the newest, pair you own, but Rayleigh doesn’t seem to mind, so you don’t either.

You kiss some more as his hand slips under the cotton. “You are so wet.” he murmurs, and you can feel him once more, the clever movement of his fingers pushing you to the brink for the second time; you arch your hips against him, but a moment later he has retracted his hand, and laughs when he hears you whine “Patience, my darling; I promise it’ll be worth the wait.”

It is, a thousand times worth it, but nevertheless you are almost crying with need when Rayleigh frees you from your panties, remains a moment still to admire you, and then takes you in his arms once more, you legs intertwined, an arm bent under your head as a pillow, your hands caressing his back as his slips between your bodies, and a moment later you can feel his tip pressing against your folds.

“I’ve wanted you since the first day I met you.” he murmurs; your faces are close enough you are almost sharing breath, and it’s never been like this for you, the perfect intimacy of this moment almost bringing tears to your eyes “I’ve always been content on my own, and then one day you were there, offering me tea even though you were in the middle of a move, and coming to me after you had to run from your home. God… you are so beautiful.”

You smile, heart bursting with happiness, but at the same time you’re frustrated, because you’re not good with words, at least when you have to speak them out loud rather than typing them to be published, and there’s a reason why most of your books have always been devoid of romance. Talking about feelings is hard, and scary; and while being with Rayleigh has always had the gift of making you feel safe, you are not sure you can actually express what you already know in your heart.

You decide to try.

“I…”

“You don’t have to say anything.”

“But I want to; I… I never thought I could feel this way; especially not at this age.” you murmur “To be honest, I had lost hope I could; that I could meet someone I can be myself with, without fear. But I did; I found you, Rayleigh, and for this I will be grateful forever.”

It’s pretty inadequate as far as affection declarations are concerned, but Rayleigh looks happy; he kisses you once more, arching his body above yours, and then he starts to push, slow, deliberate movements as he grins, well aware of the effect he’s having on you.

“You’re so tight.” he moans in your ear, and you wish you could point out that the reason is your long period of celibacy as much as his size, but you can’t, because it would be a complete lie and because at the moment you wouldn’t be able to talk even if your life were at stake. 

Rayleigh is gentle at first, making sure you’re comfortable and he’s not hurting you more than you’d appreciate, but then something changes; he holds you in his arms as he shifts, kneeling on the rug and then moving, his pace quickening, his muscles tense and his groans and cries filling the air, and he’s so hard, so big and strong and masculine and in control, and he’s looking at you, his dark eyes fixed on your squirming, panting form. He looks at you as if you were the realisation of all his dreams, and despite the delicious friction filling you belly with fire you’re taking his body as if you had done it a million times already, as if you were made for it and for him and he for you; you grab his biceps hard enough to sink your nails in his flesh and

“More.” you growl, and Rayleigh grins, and obeys, giving you his all as he makes sure you forget any other man who has ever touched you, and any other partner you have ever loved. 

*

Leaving Rayleigh at the end of your lovemaking is the hardest thing you’ve ever done, but the day is too cold to remain naked and exposed, so you regretfully stand, separating your body from his and giggling when Rayleigh takes your hand to pull you to him once more and steal a kiss from your lips. 

“Where are you going? Stay here, I’m not done with you yet…”

“I’m glad to hear it; I just need to fetch a blanket, I’ll be back in a minute.”

He finally lets you go -make it half a minute, I miss you already- and remains lying on your rug, naked like the day he was born, looking at you as you cross the room, swinging your hips a little more than you normally do. You walk quickly towards your bedroom, and after a moment of indecision you retrieve a heavy quilt from the wardrobe; you bought it only a week ago despite its high price, in anticipation of the cold winter, and you couldn’t imagine a better occasion to inaugurate it. You also take both of your pillows.

Rayleigh has not remained idle while you were away; he is now kneeling in front of the fireplace, perfectly at ease in his nudity -and who wouldn’t be, with a body like his?!- as he uses the little wood you had found in the shed behind the house and brought inside to kindle a fire. He looks up at you, smiling as he rubs his hands to wipe the soot away, as the light of the flames bathes his face; he’s handsome enough to make your heart tremble. 

“Hope you don’t mind; we’ll be warmer.”

“I don’t; after all I have enough chopped wood to last me through the winter.”

You both laugh as you return to the rug, and quickly arrange a comfortable bedding with the quilt and the pillows. “Are you tired? Do you want something to eat, or to drink?”

Rayleigh shakes his head, looking at you fondly. “Maybe later. Now come here, the only thing I have an appetite for is you.”   

You happily snuggle together under the quilt, unbothered by the perspiration permeating both of your bodies; you kiss for a while, hungry hands moving on warm skin, satisfied but not yet sated. Out of the house night is falling, but neither notices; it’s not like you had something to do, or somewhere to be, more important than this and here, with each other, discovering a future neither had dared to hope could be in the plans.

“So.” you murmur in the end, resting your cheek on his shoulder as your hand plays with the soft hair of his chest; Rayleigh seems to appreciate, given the way he’s literally purring, a low rumble of pleasure that reminds you of the content growl of a tiger “It seems like we’re having a chapter seventeen of our own.”

It may seem too obscure a reference, since Rayleigh has by now read several of your books, and who knows how many others, but he immediately understands what you mean; he smiles, vaguely unsure, as he brushes his fingers against your cheek. “Maybe.” he concedes “It’s been a very enjoyable chapter, even more than the one you wrote, and it can be so again. But…”

“But?”

“But, I would also be happy if this could be our chapter thirty-one.”

Chapter thirty-one is the one, in the book you’re both referencing, where your novelist protagonist and her love interest, the no longer mysterious man, confess their feelings to each other and decide to pursue a relationship. You’ve never been particularly interested in romance and your novel was not exactly a love story, but you’re pretty proud of how you had built up the relationship between the two characters, a love that doesn’t magically solve all of their problems -rather, it creates a few more!- with the two not falling suddenly in love at first sight or, worse, after having sex, but building a relationship based on trust and respect, learning to compromise and taking care of each other.

You were young when you wrote that novel, too young perhaps to know what love was, but you thought, and you kept on thinking, that perhaps one day you would find a relationship like that as well. And who knows, maybe you can, now, if you only had the courage of…

“Sorry, maybe it was corny… what I meant to say is…”

“I know.” you reassure him, turning in Rayleigh’s embrace to look him in the eyes; his hands raise to cradle your hips, the hold possessive and still hungry, but there is tenderness in his eyes, and a smile you can’t help but returning as you caress his hair “And I’d like that.”

“Are you sure?”

“I am; really, really sure. How could I not, given everything we have shared ever since we met? I mean, I haven’t had a relationship worthy of the name in more than a decade, I don’t even remember what it means to have a partner, but…”

“We’ll remember together.” Rayleigh reassures you; he kisses your brow and then, as if remembering suddenly that he can, your mouth “Now come here; I want to hold you for a while before the next round.”

Happy, you settle in your lover’s arms, his solid body warming you better than any heavy blanket ever could, and enjoy the feeling of his heartbeat under your cheek as Rayleigh holds you in his arms, tight, as if never intending to let go.

[shiningqueen]

part ?? / silvertongue, hawk eyes.

Right-o, a tldr of this fic: I've spent the past 2 months writing little pieces of an OC with Mihawk. This is just one of many, which I could honestly build a whole mini fanfiction with how much I've written..

Tossing it out here just to see if people enjoy it too.

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rating: e for everyone / sfw

word count: 854

featuring: afab/female oc x dracule mihawk

summary: mihawk has allowed fay, an aspiring novelist, to stay on kuraigana for a time. he finds her doing strange things sometimes..

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There are a few things that Fay could appreciate about being allowed to stay on Kuraigana, even if just for a brief tenure of a few months. It had been a little uncomfortable at first sharing a mutual space with Hawkeye but she'd quickly pegged him as a relatively docile if taciturn introvert. Which meant he was best left alone except for the rare moments they happened to converse, and Fay is perfectly capable of entertaining herself while affording him the space he preferred. She could appreciate the peace and quiet, the relative freedom she was permitted to wander with and the expansive collection of books Mihawk kept in his library.

It came as absolutely no surprise that he'd carry multiple encyclopedias on old world and current age sword forms, the way the ancient art had both changed but somehow stayed constant was fascinating. Perusing its contents had been inspiring, since she'd planned on writing a dueling sequence in her novel that now required a full rewrite since losing all of her previous work. 

Fay had spent the first week here exploring every inch of the huge castle, memorizing its layout and rooms, secret passageways that opened with the touch of a certain stone or pulling a candelabra. She knew what rooms were empty and unfurnished, covered in dust and cobwebs because Hawkeye hadnt bothered to convert them into anything yet. She wasnt sure if he planned to and hadn't asked either. Trying to determine just how much conversation the man could tolerate was still a work in progress. Either way, Fay took to the hallways and slipped into one of the western rooms with a series of open windows to let the ruddy sunlight in.

With a book in hand and sufficiently alone, she unclasped her knife from its holster and decided it would have to do for practice. The process was very slow and fumbling at first - checking the illustrations to adjust her stance and grip, then flowing from one stance to the next. Bit by bit, often having to correct herself and start from the beginning. Each stance was typically for guard, neutral or in preparation to attack. So that meant the motions between each position ought to allow her to return to start again. At least that is what the book detailed anyway.

Dust swirled around her feet as she improvised movements, cutting her knife through the air in slow motion and imagining she was fighting an invisible opponent. The cold stone room fell away as she slipped into a reverie: 

She was a Knight dueling a rival for the privilege of earning rank. The clang and clash of blades striking was enough to send shivers down her spine, the flurry of blows shedding sparks as they danced around each other. In her hand, the book became a shield to deflect and push away her opponent. Focused, determined to emerge victorious as swords met and parted and met again. Fay huffed as she ducked the swing of her unseen challenger, thinking all at once how this could be converted into words for her novel and also immersing herself in the daydream.

"What are you doing?"

Fay startled with a yelp and dropped the book with a thunk, yet held onto her knife as she turned heel to face her host standing in the doorway. The ensuing silence is deafeningly tense as she flusters for an answer, "Killing time." Her nose tickled and she flinched to cover a sneeze in the crook of her arm, "Whew, s'cuse me."

Mihawk stared at her with what looked like curiosity and something near annoyance; or she could be mistaken, he was a difficult person to read even for her. "Do you even know how to use that knife?" His monotone tenor is just as inscrutable.

"As a tool, yes." She hooked it back onto her belt and bent down to scoop up the dropped book, "Is scaring the wits out of me going to be a regular thing with you?" Fay sighed, hoping to divert the subject away from what she'd been doing. As if she needed the swordsman to criticize her nonsense

He scoffed at her, "You should be more aware of your surroundings."

Fay huffs and sets her hands on her hips, "I chose this room for a reason, I wasnt expecting to be interrupted." It's a lot easier now to hold his piercing stare, though sometimes his glare still made her skin prickle uncomfortably.

"I'm not keeping you from continuing to 'kill time'." Hawkeye drawled, as if implying he wanted to watch her play pretend. "Though perhaps you'd be better suited holding something closer to a real sword."

The brunette can't help but laugh a little, "I definitely do not need you watching me make a fool out of myself, thanks." She walks forward to pass by him, "I was only trying to visualize a scene to write, which is what I'll go do now." Fay neatly steps around Mihawk and ventures down the hallway. She'd find somewhere else, away from the castle perhaps, to take up her rehearsals.

[abwwia]

Louise Dahl-Wolfe, Carson McCullers, 1940; Gelatin silver print, 14 x 11 in.; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Helen Cumming Ziegler; © 1989 Center for Creative Photography, Arizona Board of Regents

Carson McCullers (February 19, 1917 – September 29, 1967) was an American novelist, short-story writer, playwright, essayist, and poet. Her first novel, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1940), explores the spiritual isolation of misfits and outcasts in a small town of the Southern United States. Her other novels have similar themes and most are set in the Deep South.

McCullers suffered throughout her life from several illnesses and from alcoholism. At the age of 15, she contracted rheumatic fever, which resulted in rheumatic heart disease. As a result of the heart damage sustained, McCullers suffered from strokes that began in her youth. She lived the last twenty years of her life in Nyack, New York, where she died on September 29, 1967, at the age of 50, after a brain hemorrhage. She is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery. Via Wikipedia

[anonymous-rendezvous]

╰┈➤ back to nav.

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KEY:

🌼 Fluff || 🌧️ Angst || ❤️‍🩹 Comfort

💘 Getting Together || 💞 Established Relationship

🌶️ Spicy || 🔞 NSFW (features content not intended for anyone under the age of 18)

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🦁 Luca Kaneshiro 🦁

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Snippets of time showing how you and your partner care for each other.

Luca Version: He comforts you 💛

Luca Version: 💛 You comfort him

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

╰┈➤ An Unconventional Relationship || 🌼👿

Word Count: 3.3k

Based on the sentence prompts - "You're lucky you're cute." "Wait, you think I'm cute?"

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

✦ — Chapter Fic's

╰┈➤ Redamancy: || 🌼🌶️💞✨

Total Word Count: 5.8k

After a night out with friends, Luca can’t stop thinking about his relationship with you. You are his world and he wouldn’t trade it for anything. But he can’t help but wonder, would you want to take your relationship a step further?

Part 1 || Part 2

☯️ Shu Yamino ☯️

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Snippets of time showing how you and your partner care for each other.

Shu Version: He comforts you 💜

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.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

╰┈➤ How Do You Faze A Sorcerer? || 🔞💞👿

Word Count: 4.3k+

It’s been a while since you and your boyfriend really had any time to spend with each other, resulting in both of you feeling a little more touch-starved than usual. Although Shu really needs to finish up his work, you can’t help but see how far he’ll let you go in order to get some of his attention.

Part 1 of Under-The-Desk Shenanigans

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🖋️ Ike Eveland 🖋️

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╰┈➤ Ink & Affirmations || 🌼❤️‍🩹💞👿

Word Count: 2k+

After a rough day at work, coming home to your loving boyfriend is already a gift enough. But Ike still wants to find a way to lift your spirits from the hectic day you’ve had.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

╰┈➤ Comfort & Care || 🌼❤️‍🩹💞✨

Snippets of time showing how you and your partner care for each other.

Ike Version: He comforts you 💙

Ike Version: 💙 You comfort him

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

╰┈➤ Take A Break, Won’t You? 🔞💞👿

Word Count: 5k+

The novelist is in the middle of writing one of his greatest stories yet. Except, he’s been so engrossed in writing that he hasn’t paid much attention to you as of late. Luckily for you though, you know just how to push his buttons to gain his attention.

Part 2 of Under-The-Desk Shenanigans

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

╰┈➤ Fika 🌼✨

Word Count: 2k+

A new coffee shop opens near Ike’s home. As he starts to visit it more regularly, he slowly gets to know you.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

✦ — Chapter Fic's

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🦊 Mysta Rias 🦊

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TBA

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╰┈➤ Smitten With You || 🌼💞✨

Word Count: 1.3k+

Sometimes you just need to appreciate how pretty your menace of a boyfriend is.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

╰┈➤ Comfort & Care || 🌼❤️‍🩹💞✨

Snippets of time showing how you and your partner care for each other.

Mysta Version: He comforts you 🧡

Mysta Version: 🧡 You comfort him

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

✦ — Chapter Fic's

╰┈➤ Intertwined with you 🔞💞✨

Pairing: Vox 🧧 x GN!Reader x Mysta 🦊

— A nonlinear series of intimate moments spent exploring new things with your boyfriends.

🧧 Vox Akuma 🧧

✦ — Headcanon's

TBA

✧ — One-Shot's

╰┈➤ Comfort & Care || 🌼❤️‍🩹💞✨

Snippets of time showing how you and your partner care for each other.

Vox Version: He comforts you ❤️

Vox Version: ❤️ You comfort him

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

╰┈➤ Dancing in Red || 🌼🔞💞👿

Word Count: 13k+

Intimate moments with your demon lover, Vox Akuma, weren’t far between. Him being as affectionate of an individual as he is. The two of you have been dating for a while, yet you haven’t tried taking anything further in your relationship. That may change when you ask to visit his home for the first time.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

╰┈➤ Those Small Shared Touches || 🌼❤️‍🩹👿

Word Count: 3k+

Based on these prompts - “Do you need any help? I'll bandage that up for you.” & “It's nothing. Hurts like hell but -- I've dealt with worse.”

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

✦ — Chapter Fic's

╰┈➤ Intertwined with you 🌼🔞💞✨

Pairing: Vox 🧧 x GN!Reader x Mysta 🦊

— A nonlinear series of intimate moments spent exploring new things with your boyfriends.