#in practice we will be here in this universe for the next several centuries

[belugalord]

Also worth asking here who decides which surgeries are purely cosmetic. Like, people will get plastic surgery after a really bad burn to try to cover up the scar, which can decrease skin irritation. People get “cosmetic” breast surgery in order to decrease back pain. People have many reasons to get surgery, the human experience is vast, but have you never put on makeup just to feel pretty?

I think the straight up worst take on gender abolitionism by far is like "in the gender abolitionist utopia nobody would feel the need to transition medically"

Fuck you. That's completely backwards. True gender abolition can't be achieved without total bodily autonomy and genuine freedom to have whichever bodies we want.

The suggested "utopia" here is just a cisnormative one where you're not allowed to accurately name it as such.

[ctewrites]

This work of fiction will try to stick to the genre of fantasy. All the subgenres of portal, magical realism, grimdark, paranormal, romantasy, sci-fi fantasy... toss these scribbles into a blender and hit the smoothie setting.

The writer will try to see if Oakley is available to guide you to the mead hall in the lands ruled by Raedwald to meet Wulflaed - a witch who has the power to move between alternate worlds - or is it one of many worlds? Could it be in a bubble reality? Oakley doesn't know, and she cannot explain how she can take you to meet the völva who, from all measurable estimates, lives in 7th century East England during the time of the Anglo-Saxons.

Oakley is a scientist - or at least she would be if her life hadn't gone horribly wrong in the summer of 1993.

At least, she thinks it was 1993. In her timeline back on Earth. Or here on Earth, in the place she believes circles the star she learned was called the Sun.

~ 1 ~

You see, as someone trying to interview Oakley for my podcast, she's a little hard to pin down. When I moved here to Ogdensburg, New York, I never thought I'd meet a teenager quite like Oakley. I've taken to write these posts when I meet her to see if she'll tell me a bit more about her travels. I'd really like to see if I could meet Wulflaed the völva as she sounds fascinating.

Oakley doesn't seem to think so. I've suggested she may have encountered what we here in 2024 might interpret to be a witch, or known then as a völva in 7th century England. After all - this young mother of seventeen is known for being adept with the practice of Nigon Wyrta Galdor (Nine Herbs Charm). Oakley is currently adapting to 21st century technology, and loving how quickly she can research and record her observations of Wulflaed. According to Oakley, Wulflaed can wipe away skin ailments, and provide powerful elixirs and other ingestibles that could compete with the best modern pharmaceuticals. Wulflaed may have more powers that Oakley either refuses to acknowledge, or simply cannot articulate into a decipherable interpretation.

Oakley isn't convinced that völva - witches - exist, whereas I like to hand judgement over to preoccupy those who can't think of anything better to do. I like the idea of witches, and Wulflaed seems to fit the description nicely. Oakley doesn't seem to take me seriously on my request to join her at the next meeting with the witch, but has deputized me to become her journalist.

I've always wanted to time travel and space travel. Oakley appears to be irritated by this ability, as if this wonderful gift is a vexing inconvenience. I think it would be fascinating to experience the times Wulflaed lives in, and learn if she has real magic or just really excellent tools for advanced science. I want to see if Wulflaed may have a deeper understanding of how the Universe -or universes? - might work using the web of Wyrd. It's possible that she would never call herself a völva, but she apparently uses a staff that would hint she is wand-wed. Either that or it hides precision tools... sort of like a Swiss army staff for as yet to be labeled witches or scientists.

At some point I will have to tell you how I met this girl, but first I must convince her to take me along. Right now I'm hinting that Wulflaed should be brought onto my podcast. Oakley ignores these suggestions and seems to forget why she shares with me this magnetic tale. I would dismiss her as foolish had I not seen her appear in a blink before my eyes walking my dog along the Oswegatchie river the other night. In truth, Oakley has appeared and disappeared several times over, all within eyeshot of my house. Once right in my living room. I jump out of my skin, catatonic with a heart that might explode every time. Oakley seems only mildly irritated.

I've decided it's better to find a way to start with the first memory Oakley shared with me, and get as linear as possible with her experience. I only get snippets of Oakley's recollections using what she hands to me. I can only describe it as a virtual reality headset that might come straight out of a Steampunk cosplay convention - a vintage aviator hat with welding goggles with a full face snorkel underlay. When I first put it on, I was in a cinematic experience that engaged my full senses....

~ 2 ~

Oakley stormed out the back of her grandmother's kitchen, snagging her jeans on the jagged edge of the broken screen door that clung to rusty hinges.

Words from her mothers mouth swarmed in her head, stinging her eyes that sprung wet tears she scraped away with the back of her hand. "Spend the summer here". "Try it out". "I just can't with you anymore!"

Tripping down the bent and uneven three steps of the makeshift back porch, Oakley couldn't feel her feet on the gravel, but the heat of the late afternoon sun warmed her exposed skin instantly; a stark contrast from the chill of the AC from the disheveled bungalow discarded behind her.

This was Ogdensburg? Ugh. No thanks. Why wasn't she touring colleges for science programs like her mother promised? No. Instead she was dumped here, like forgotten cargo that would tip into the St. Lawrence and wash her downstream.

STAY TUNED FOR MORE. THANK YOU FOR READING THIS FAR.

[dynamicmanifold]

A Kabbalistic Reading of Book of the New Sun

[This is a re-upload/edit of a post of mine from Cohost. RIP my beautiful footnotes, but I did my best]

Gene Wolfe's Urth of the New Sun contains several explicit references to the Jewish mystical tradition of Kabbalah. The most obvious of which are probably two place names: the planet Yesod which somehow exist outside of Severian's universe, and said universe which is know as Briah. I think it’s worth unpacking those references a bit.

However, before I dive into what those terms mean, a quick note on Kabbalah.

A Quick Note on Kabbalah

Kabbalah is not one singular thing. Even setting aside derived traditions of Hermetic Qabalah and Christian Cabala[note 1], the Jewish mystical tradition has taken on many forms over the centuries. Kabbalah is in some cases a way of understanding the mysteries of creation, in others a practical guide to performing miraculous acts, and still others a philosophical framework. What unites these strains is a shared intellectual history and a common symbolic language. I’m mostly interested here in using these common symbols as a device for reading The Book of the New Sun, and I will pull in whatever traditions feel most applicable in the moment. This post isn't about "the truth" of Kabbalah (nor, for that matter, "the truth" of The Book of the New Sun), but rather about how we can understand The Book of the New Sun through Kabbalistic ideas and thought. Importantly, Kabbalah is a active part of many Jews religious life, especially for those in the Hasidic movement, and should be treated with appropriate respect.

If you’re interested in learning more about Kabbalah generally, I am primarily pulling from two text: Gershom Scholem’s Kabbalah and Daniel M. Horwitz’s A Kabbalah and Jewish Mysticism Reader.

With that out of the way, let us discuss Yesod and it's place within the Sephirot.

The Sephirot and The New Sun

The Hebrew word sephirah (plural sephirot) translated into English is something akin to "an act of counting" or "enumeration". Sometimes in Kabbalistic literature sephirah is linked to sappir (sapphire, or other blue gem), which may bring to mind the Claw of the Conciliator. We will return to that connection in a moment.

There are ten Sephirot, whose canonical ordering is

Keter (Crown)

Chokhmah (Wisdom)

Binah (Intellegence)

Chesed (lovingkindness)

Gevurah (Strength)

Tiferet (Beauty)

Netzach (Lasting Endurance)

Hod (Majesty)

Yesod (Foundation)

Malkhut (Kingship)

The Sephirot are usually arranged diagrammatically as shown bellow.

The Sephirot on the right side are usually considered masculine, those on the left feminine, and those in the middle a combination/balance of both[note 2]. Yesod is also sometimes referred to as Tzedek (Justice), which is the etymological origin of Tzadkiel’s name. Tzadkiel, the Hierogammate who dispenses justice on Yesod and whose gender shifts over the course of Urth of the New Sun fits nicely within this framework.

We may also draw a connection between Malkhut and the Autarch Severian. Severian has within him both male and female persona, his Autarchship is of central importance to the series.

Now that our players are set, how are we to understand them within the Sephirotic system? One view holds that the Sephirot are vessels which hold and channel divine light (ohr ayn soph). This light takes on different hues in each sephirah, but is ultimately of the same substance, like light viewed through a stain glass window. Of interest to us is that Yesod channels this light downward to Malkhut. This can then be readily understood in Urth of the New Sun as Severian receiving the literal light of the New Sun after his trials on Yesod. The New Sun is describe as a white hole, the inverse of a black hole where matter—posited to come from some other, higher place—flows out of it. We will discuss this higher place in the next section, but we can read this process now as the outflow of light from Yesod to the New Sun/Severian/Malkhut. As alluded to above, the light Severian calls forth from the Claw can also be seen as part of this process.

We can now read Severian’s story as that of Kabbalistic tikkun olam (repairing the world). In mainstream Rabbinic Judaism tikkun olam would be understood as a mission in which we are changed with trying to make the material world a better place. However in Kabbalah it is a metaphysical restoration. The story goes that in the beginning God created ten vessels of light, which were fragile and shattered. The tikkun (repair) of tikkun olam is then the restoration of the Sephirot and their divine light to their rightful places. See here for a brief primer on the Kabbalistic creation myth.

In a very literal sense is it obvious that Severian is trying to restore his dying Urth, but we can also read it as him performing his Kabbalistic duty to restore divine light to its proper place. In Kabbalah, this is done via acting with proper kavanah (intention, directing one’s heart). Now, it may at first seem odd to suggest Severian, who by his own admission “backed into the throne”, but for most of The Book of the New Sun Severian isn’t even aware of this divine light, let alone the need for him to engage in tikkun olam. In fact, we can see Severian’s journey in the first four books as him coming to appreciate the immediacy of the divine. This is best expressed by a scene towards the end of The Citadel of the Autarch,

What struck me on the beach and it struck me indeed, so that I staggered as at a blow—was that if the Eternal Principle had rested in that curved thorn I had carried about my neck across so many leagues, and if it now rested in the new “thorn (perhaps the same thorn) I had only now put there, then it might rest in anything, and in fact probably did rest in everything, in every thorn on every bush, in every drop of water in the sea. The thorn was a sacred Claw because all thorns were sacred Claws; the sand in my boots was sacred sand because it came from a beach of sacred sand. The cenobites treasured up the relics of the sannyasins because the sannyasins had approached the Pancreator. But everything had approached and even touched the Pancreator, because everything had dropped from his hand. Everything was a relic. All the world was a relic. I drew off my boots, that had traveled with me so far, and threw them into the waves that I might not walk shod on holy ground.

The revelation Severian comes to is very similar to the Kabbalistic doctrine that sparks of divine light exist in everything[note 3]. It is only after this that Severian make act with the proper kavanah to restore these divine sparks to their rightful place and bring about the New Sun; and it is with such kavanah that he journeys to Yesod.

How did Severian reach the right kavanah? Though obtaining a state of devekut (adherence/clinging). In the meditative tradition of Kabbalistic, one attempts to obtain a mental state where the practitioner "clings" to God, breaking down the barrier between themself and the divine[note 4]. Pursuing devekut can be seen as a dangerous process if one is unprepared; one in particularly intense prayer can enter a state of hitlahavut (burning fervor) where the soul is consumed as if by a flame. This union with God is comparable with ego death, with the distance between the self and God reduced to nothing and one is overwhelmed with the awareness of God. Severian obtains this state while meditating on the Claw at the end of The Sword of the Lictor, in the chapter appropriately titled The Claw:

Whenever I looked at [the Claw], it seemed to erase thought. Not as wine and certain drugs do, by rendering the mind unfit for it, but by replacing it with a higher state for which I know no name. Again and again I felt myself enter this state, rising always higher until I feared I should never return to the mode of consciousness I call normality; and again and again I tore myself from it. Each time I emerged, I felt I had gained some inexpressible insight into immense realities. At last, after a long series of these bold advances and fearful retreats, I came to understand that I should never reach any real knowledge of the tiny thing I held, and with that thought (for it was a thought) came a third state, one of happy obedience to I knew not what, an obedience without reflection because there was no longer anything to reflect upon, and without the least tincture of rebellion. This state endured all that day and a large part of the next, by which time I was already deep into the hills.

This process of losing himself in the contemplation of the Claw[note 5] (which we above linked to the sephirot), Severian orients himself with proper kavanah to serve the divine in his quest of tikkun olam. We can view Severian's journey throughout the first four books as a series of moments furthering his devekut, which ultimately allows him to succeed where precious Autarchs have failed.

The Four Worlds and The New Sun

Now that we have discussed how Kabbalah relates to the story of The Book of the New Sun, we may move on to what people truly care about: fictional cosmology.

Briah is the name of Severian’s universe. It is also the 2nd highest of four worlds in Kabbalah. These worlds (olamot, the plural of olam) are thought of as steps in the chain in which God created the universe. In descending order they are

Atzilut (Emination)

Briah (Creation)

Yetzirah (Formation)

Assiah (Action)

Typically the mundane world is thought to be at the bottom of Assiah. In some traditions[note 6], these four worlds are conceived as stages the mystic reaches through meditation on the Divine.

The world of Yesod that Severian travels to is notably outside of Briah. Traditionally each world is said to contain its own copy of the sephirot, linked in a chain with the Malkhut of the higher world being the Keter of the lower world. When Severian is observing the passage of the ship from Briah to Yesod he notices a strange phenomenon (Urth XV)

Into the center of that disk we plunged, so that for a moment there was a ring of ebony set with ghostly stars all around our ship, the Diadem of Briah.

The capitalization leading us to think of this as an object and not merely a trick of the light, we can read this as passage through the Keter of Briah/Malkhut of Atzilut to the Yesod of Atzilut[note 7].

Additionally, the worlds come into play with the white hole mentioned in the previous section. The energy which flows out of this white hole of the New Sun is thought said to come from a higher place, presumably Atzilut—the universe Severian travels to on his quest to bring the New Sun. Severian's journey thus parallel's the Kabbalists meditative journey though the Four Worlds in an effort to bring down Divine Light to the mundane world.

As I write this I am realizing this bit is just listing facts at you, so let's run through several smaller connections to Kabbalah: In Kabbalah, the higher worlds are also thought to be the realms of the angels, and in Urth the planet of Yesod contains angelic beings. The cyclical nature of time Severian mentions in Citadel XXXIV, the "divine year" is similar to that discussed in the 13th/14th century Kabbalistic text Sefer HaTemunah which connects the sabbatical year[note 8] to a cycle of creation/desolation of the world. And finally the Brook Magregot which Tzadkiel tells Severian runs from Yesod to Briah, is named from the Hebrew word for "steps"/"stairway", possibly alluding to ascension between the worlds of Kabbalah.

With that out of the way we can now proceed, as we always should, to asking "so what?"

What Are We to Make of This?

It is at this point worth mentioning that Gene Wolfe is Rather Catholic. While I think the case is clear that Gene was drawing from Jewish Kabbalah for The Book of the New Sun it is unlikely he was doing so with Jewish meaning in mind. Gene also makes references to various other non-Christian mythologies and belief systems, though I am not nearly knowledgeable enough on them to comment on their use. Regardless, it seems that Gene wanted to bring together mystical ideas from different backgrounds and religions in his work.

One possible reason is that Gene was, following in a Christian tradition, attempting to evoke Jewish ideas in a search of the "original" Christianity[note 9]. By evoking Jewish and other non-Christian ideas Gene attempts to establish a universality for the ideas he expresses in his books—much in the same way a politician might invoke "Judaeo-Christian values" to paint their efforts to legislate Christian ethics as a pluralistic endeavor. One should be wary of such universalisms which take faiths on the margins and cherry-pick ideas from them to suit and support the beliefs of the universalist[note 10], often by eliding inconvenient ideological or theological differences.

However, I think Gene's Kabbalistic references suggest a genuine attempt to engage with Kabbalah, if not on Jewish terms, at least in earnest. And while Gene was no doubt writing with a foundation of Christian dogma we can still reconstruct Jewish meaning from his use of Kabbalistic words and imagery. Perhaps this is merely the fact that many different meanings can be constructed by joining together whatever scraps the author leaves in various ways, but I would like to believe that the coherence we can salvage reflects Gene trying to do some amount of justice to the ideas he was borrowing.

Regardless, my personal desire to read The Book of the New Sun with a Jewish point of view came from seeing the Jewish imaginary used in the series somewhat ignored. I am by no means a Wolfe expert, but when I searched for anyone mentioning the Jewish character of the words he used I found very little. It seems odd to me that Jewish language and ideas can be used so centrally in the series (especially in Urth of the New Sun) while being a footnote in discussions.

Also I had a Jewish education and I gotta do something with all this stuff.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I will be using the convention of using “Qabalah” and “Cabala” to distinguish non-Jewish mystical traditions which evoke the same language as Kabbalah but are fundamentally not Jewish. The relation between these non-Jewish traditions and Kabbalah is sometimes contentious. On the antisemitic/appropriative elements in Cabala/Qabalah see Ezra Rose’s FYMA. A full discussion is beyond the scope of this post.

Painting the central column of sephirot as a middle ground between masculine and feminine is not a exactly standard practice. It is also complicated by a persistent, explicitly sexual, Kabbalistic metaphor wherein Yesod is the phallus through which feminine Malkhut "receives" from masculine Tiferet in exactly the way you are imagining. Kabbalah as a whole is full of heteronormative sexual metaphor. This is one of those instances where I am bracketing off part of Kabbalah for the sake of this exercise[note 11].

For instance compare to this quote by Rabbi Tzvi Freeman of the Chabad-Lubavich movement: "The fire of the sun, the air we breathe, the roaring waves of the oceans and all that lives in them; When we perceive beauty, it is because we have found that window to the infinite . . .the Earth and the plants and animals that live upon it; even the human flesh, its vital soul and the angels above—everything we find in our world and in the worlds deeper within—all are no more than artifacts of the sparks that fell in the explosion of that primordial world. But the essence of the human being, the breath of G‑d within us, that is G‑d Himself, gathering, refashioning and piecing back together an impossible dream."

We can also note that Severian also obtains a similar state of mental closeness with Thecla. If we interpret Thecla's presence in Severian as like that of the Shekhinah (see note 11) then this too could be read as devekut.

Consider this passage from Arthur Green's These are the Words on hitlahavut: "[Hitlahavut] is a rare and precious moment that happens in the life of those who give themselves wholly to prayer. Usually it comes and goes almost in a flash. But no matter: The real impact of hitlahavut is in the memory of such moments. They are stored in the contemplative mind and become important steps on the road toward the much cooler but longer lasting goal of devekut, an attachment to God in which one may live and act."

See Artur Green's Ehyeh : A Kabbalah for Tomorrow

The world atarah, often translated as “diadem”, is used in Kabbalah to refer to Malkhut. This contrasts Malkhut as the lower crown to Keter’s upper crown while highlighting their similarities. Since atarah and keter are Hebrew words we should not be too hung up on the choice of translation. The scene makes sense with the Diadem being an allusion to Keter.

The biblical tradition of shmita (release) dictates that agricultural land is to be left fallow every seventh year. Sefer HaTemunah extends this idea to the entire universe. (though each cycle is longer than 7 years, obviously).

See this wonderful article by Sheila Spector: http://cejsh.icm.edu.pl/cejsh/element/bwmeta1.element.ojs-doi-10_34839_wpt_2018_26_1_33-40

I'm not talking about Universalists, as in those who follow the Christian theological doctrine that Salvation will, in the end, be universal and everyone Saved. Though I am sure someone else could talk about the relationship between the two.

However, even in the case above[note 2] we can still make the connection between the Autarch Severian and Malkhut (which is where we are going with this if you didn’t know already). Malkhut is also associated with the Shekhinah (dwelling/settling) of God. The Shekhinah is feminine, and denotes God’s presence settling in the physical world, such as in the burning bush or the Tabernacle. In this case we can draw the parallel with Thecla dwelling within Severian, and it is through her that Severian is able to access the higher Sephirot. This does then leave out the gender ambiguity for Tzadkiel, but that is of lesser concern.

[umichenginabroad]

Week 6: Peaked (literally)

Welcome back to my blog! I'm a bit behind so I'll be posting weeks 7-9 within the next few days as well :) Thanks for your patience, life abroad gets busy real quick!

CSE UAO visitors

This week we had visitors from the University of Michigan CSE UAO, IPE, and CGIS offices! All the students in the program were able to chat with them about how things are going in Prague, in terms of academics, accommodations, social life, and anything else relevant to our well-being here. I’d like to give a special shoutout to Julie and Shelby from the CSE Undergraduate Advising Office (UAO) for making the trip! I’ve been looking forward to their visit and was so thrilled to catch up with them both :) For those of you who may not know, I worked as a CSE Peer Advisor this past semester and absolutely loved my role in supporting other CSE students and helping out around the office. I highly admire all of the UAO staff for their kindness and dedication to bettering the CSE community, and Julie and Shelby are a prime representation of their hard work. Also a shoutout to all the visitors for conveying some of our concerns to the IFSA staff, particularly in regards to our Spring Break (which was more like a singular day off) and our exam accommodations in Prague. We now have an extra day off of school, making our break a 5 day weekend! Also, we have more clarity from our professors on what to expect from our midterms and exams here, due to mandatory practice exams and added transparency in format and grading. Thank you all, we’re happy you came and glad you made it back safely!

Vyšehrad

I showed my dad around Vyšehrad hill, which was the location of our first architecture tour. Situated next to the Vltava and Botič river valley, Vyšehrad is very strategically located for defending Prague, and was first incorporated into Prague’s medieval defense scheme by King Charles IV. Following the siege of the Swedish forces at the end of the Thirty Years’ War in 1648, Emperor Ferdinand III began to fortify Prague, including transforming Vyšehrad into a formidable fortress. In an earlier blog, I wrote about two churches within the fortress, a rotunda and basilica, with rich architecture and even richer history. This time, I’m going to focus on new sites & views within the walls that I found while exploring with my dad! 

First we explored the Vyšehrad Cemetery, the resting place of some of the most influential people in Prague’s history. Within we found the graves of political figures, musicians, composers, artists, priests, reformers, and more. Notably, I found the grave of Milada Horakova, a Czech politician, a women’s rights activist, and an anti-Nazi and democratic resistance leader, which was special because I did a presentation on for my Essential Czech class. Her grave is pictured below (with flowers).

Next we peeked into an old bunker (bottom right photo) that used to be a food cellar for the royals of the first ruling dynasty in Bohemia, but is now a museum. After, we climbed the hill adjacent to the old residence and the views of Prague (the two photos on the left side) were immaculate. It was peak daylight and there was clear visibility for miles, offering the most amazing views of the Vltava river and the bridges that span it. We ended our visit at one of the coffee shops atop Vyšehrad and got some crepes and coffee before parting ways.

Josefov (Jewish Quarter)

One of the most significant places that my dad and I visited was Josefov, the historical Jewish Quarter of Prague. Dating back to the 10th century, Prague's Jewish community is one of the oldest in Europe. The Jews flourished for centuries here, despite facing persecutions and pogroms before emancipation, and their community contributed significantly to the city's cultural, economic, and intellectual landscape.

To buy tickets we visited the Jewish Museum and got entry to 7 sites as well as an audio guided tour to supplement our visit. Josefov is home to several beautifully preserved synagogues. Among the most notable are the Old-New Synagogue, which is Europe's oldest active synagogue, and the Spanish Synagogue, renowned for its stunning interior (pictured on the bottom left). 

We also visited the Old Jewish Cemetery, which is among the oldest surviving Jewish burial grounds in the world. It was the only place Jews were allowed to bury their people for centuries, so the site is unique for its multiple visible layers of graves. It was quite surreal to see in person.

AnonymouS Bar

Lydia’s best friend Courtney was visiting this week too, so we headed to the infamous Anonymous Bar for drinks Thursday evening. This bar is a hidden gem with a V for Vendetta-inspired interior and employees wearing Guy Fawkes masks. They offer cocktails served in a unique style corresponding to the name of the drink. The drinks pictured on the bottom left are fixed on knife platters, but other drinks we ordered were served on infusion stands and another featured a whole show tossing around a drink lit on fire! They even offered me a separate non-alcoholic anonymous menu since I wasn’t drinking that night, and they were absolutely incredible. Way better than the alcoholic ones in my opinion. The staff was great the entire night and let us stay past our 2-hr reservation time with a mini bribe. I definitely recommend making a reservation if you come to Prague.

Tram interaction

This week, a Czech woman approached me on the subway with a question in Czech. She had asked if we had arrived at Můstek, and I responded with, “Ne, příští stanice Můstek.” She replied “Děkuju!” and sat back down with a smile on her face. Though simple, our brief exchange felt like my first step towards becoming a true local. She not only understood me, but replied in Czech! Acknowledging my progression with the language has been a motivating factor to engage in more local interactions. 

Switzerland

This weekend my dad and I went to Switzerland, which was absolutely incredible. We flew into Zurich on Thursday night as I scrambled to finish up an assignment due at 11:59pm (I turned it in at 12:04… but my prof was nice and didn’t mark it late :) )

On Friday, we spent the morning in Lucerne, which is a beautiful, quaint little town in between Zurich and Interlaken. We got brunch and walked along the water, then drove to Interlaken where we would be spending the next two days! The drive is known to be incredibly scenic, and did not disappoint. After arriving, we checked into our hotel and immediately went for a walk to try and beat the sunset. After wandering for ~45 minutes, we found ourselves an insane viewpoint at an old amusement park and playground. We climbed a random tower to get the views and met these two American students at the top! They were studying in Florence but were here for the weekend as well. I’m sure you could tell by now that my dad and I never shy around talking to strangers :) Afterwards, we got dinner which was arguably the most amazing pasta I’ve had in my life. Bold statement, I know.

On Saturday, we planned to hike Harder Kulm, a mountain peak overlooking the city of Interlaken and its two lakes. It was a pretty steady incline, but we were cruising for the first hour and a half or so. At about the halfway mark my dad told me to continue without him. He’s in decent shape, undoubtedly great for his age, but he had taken a break from running recently so I guess the fatigue hit him hard. I continued to climb and after reaching the first peak, I set out for the tippity top of the mountain. There was a point in the second half of the hike where I truly hadn’t seen a human for about an hour, and there was a lot of snow on the ground so it was hard to see the trail markers, but I kept climbing (with caution). Right as I’m considering turning around, I hear a couple of voices ahead of me so I hurry my step. On the last switchback of the hike, I catch up to a group of 3 other American students studying abroad and, together, we peak the mountain. At the top we got to know each other a bit. They are studying in Geneva, another city in Switzerland, and were also here for the weekend. I ended up spending the next 4 hours or so with them, chatting and making our way down the mountain. It’s crazy how much we ended up having in common. One of the students goes to WashU and knew one of my camp friends and another was in Cape Town at the same time I was this summer! The world really is so small. The hike was also a race trail closer to the bottom, so we picked up the pace and started running down the mountain. This may sound cheesy but I cannot remember a time where I had felt so free. We had hiked around 12 miles by the time we reached the bottom, and had climbed over 4000 feet. I got their instagrams before parting ways, and I plan to keep in touch through social media. Maybe we’ll meet again someday!

Sunday was a bit rainy but my dad and I found a hotel spa to spend the day at. I definitely needed to chill after yesterday, and found myself immersed in salt baths overlooking the cliffs I had recently climbed. Afterwards, I laid in the sauna and washed off in the shower. It was an extremely tranquil experience and perfect before heading to the Zurich airport and eventually back to Prague.

Now again, let me share some ins (what’s working for me) and outs (what has brought me difficulty).

Ins:

Clarifying relationships: Ummm so my dad and I have now been mistaken as a cross-generational couple on numerous occasions, so he began introducing me as his daughter in pretty much every new place or situation we find ourselves in. This has helped us avoid any more humbling and extremely awkward encounters with strangers and their assumptions.

Suiss Chocolate: On a lighter note, the chocolate in Switzerland is to die for. We flew SwissAir in and out of Zurich and they give chocolates as their in-flight snack. Even that was incredible. My dad and I couldn’t help ourselves but to stop at every chocolate shop we passed to sample and make a purchase.

Wandering: Simply wandering around without any strict agenda in new places led to some of our best experiences. From stumbling upon the seemingly abandoned viewpoint on Friday to the new group of friends I met on Saturday’s hike, core memories were made. Highly recommend just living in the present.

Outs:

Staying in touch: I’ve realized how little time I’ve had to catch up with a lot of my friends both in the states and abroad while I’ve been in Prague. By no means is this purposeful or a reflection of how much I think of or care about them, but it’s definitely gotten worse as I’ve begun to travel more. Hopefully this is something I can work on in the coming weeks.

Alcohol: I realized I’ve taken a break from drinking this week, and will likely continue to in the upcoming weeks.

That’s all for now, thanks for reading!

Na shledanou,

Reese Liebman

Computer Science and Engineering

Institute for Study Abroad (IFSA) CS Tech Career Accelerator in Prague, Czechia

[siyadev]

The History of Dentistry

A beautiful smile is a universal symbol of health and vitality, and humans have strived to maintain their oral health throughout history. Dentistry has progressed a long way since its humble beginnings. The history of dentistry is an enthralling journey spanning thousands of years, full of remarkable discoveries, innovations, and cultural practices. In this blog, we’ll look at the fascinating history of dentistry, from ancient remedies to the sophisticated dental care we have today.

Ancient Remedies and Early Practices

Humans have always been concerned about dental care for millennia. Evidence of dental work can be found dating back to ancient civilizations. Here are some key moments in dentistry’s early history:

Ancient Egypt (3000–2000 BCE):The ancient Egyptians were forerunners in dentistry. They practised oral hygiene and invented various dental instruments, such as twig toothbrushes and pastes made from ashes and crushed eggshells.

Ancient China (1600 BCE): The Chinese also practised early dentistry, treating dental pain with acupuncture. They thought dental problems were caused by imbalances in the body’s energy flow.

Greco-Roman (500 BCE-500 CE): Influential figures such as Hippocrates and Celsus contributed to dentistry during the period. They discussed tooth extraction and dental hygiene.

The Middle Ages and Renaissance

The Middle Ages saw a decline in European dental knowledge, but the Renaissance saw a revival in dental practices. Among the significant developments during this period are:

Barber-surgeons: In mediaeval Europe, barber-surgeons frequently performed dental procedures such as extractions and simple toothache treatments. The iconic barber pole, with its red and white stripes, symbolises these two occupations.

Dental Instruments: During the Renaissance period, more advanced dental instruments such as forceps for tooth extraction and foot-powered dental drills were developed.

The Birth of Modern Dentistry

The 18th and 19th centuries saw significant advancements in dentistry. Among the significant events that occurred during this time are:

Dentures of George Washington: Contrary to popular belief, George Washington did not have wooden teeth. He had several sets of dentures made from materials such as human teeth, animal teeth, and ivory.

Dental Schools: The first dental school was established in Baltimore in 1840, marking the formalization of dental education. This resulted in the standardization of dental practices and better patient care.

Modern Dentistry

The twentieth century saw remarkable advances in dentistry, including:

Fluoride and Preventive Dentistry: Fluoride in water and toothpaste has significantly reduced the incidence of dental caries (cavities). Preventive dentistry has become an essential component of good oral health.

X-rays and Dental Imaging: Radiography has become an indispensable tool for diagnosing dental issues and planning treatments.

Dental Implants :These replace missing teeth, were developed and have since become a standard practice in modern dentistry.

Cosmetic Dentistry: With the rise of cosmetic dentistry, it is now possible to improve smiles through procedures such as teeth whitening, veneers, and orthodontics.

Conclusion

The history of dentistry is a testament to human ingenuity and our determination to preserve our oral health and maintain beautiful smiles. From ancient remedies and rudimentary instruments to the highly specialized and advanced dental care of today, dentistry has come a long way. As technology continues to advance, the future of dentistry will likely bring even more exciting innovations and improvements in oral healthcare. So, the next time you visit your dentist, take a moment to appreciate the rich history that has paved the way for modern dental care and the radiant smiles it helps create.

Global Dentals, the best dental clinic in Gorakhpur, is equipped with advanced technology and has expert dental doctors. Here, we take care of your dental health in the best possible ways.

[mbbsinrusssia]

Bashkir State Medical University: Nurturing Healthcare Excellence

When it comes to pursuing a medical education, choosing the right university is paramount. Bashkir State Medical University (BSMU), located in Ufa, Russia, is emerging as a prominent choice for students worldwide. With a rich history, a commitment to excellence, and a focus on producing skilled healthcare professionals, BSMU is a beacon of hope for aspiring doctors. In this article, we will delve into the remarkable journey of Bashkir State Medical University, exploring its history, academic offerings, international recognition, and the opportunities it provides for students seeking to embark on a fulfilling medical career.

A Historical Overview

Bashkir State Medical University has a storied history that dates back to its establishment in 1909. Over the past century, the university has evolved into a leading medical institution, known for its contributions to medical science and healthcare education. BSMU's commitment to academic excellence has been a driving force behind its growth and global recognition.

Academic Excellence

BSMU's commitment to academic excellence is evident in its diverse range of programs in the field of medicine. Here are some key aspects that contribute to BSMU's academic prowess:

Distinguished Faculty: BSMU boasts a highly qualified and experienced faculty comprising accomplished professors, researchers, and medical practitioners. This faculty plays a pivotal role in shaping the next generation of healthcare professionals.

State-of-the-Art Facilities: The university provides modern laboratories, well-equipped hospitals for clinical training, and cutting-edge medical technology to facilitate hands-on learning and research. Students have access to the latest tools and equipment.

Global Collaborations: BSMU actively collaborates with universities and research institutions worldwide, fostering an environment of international exchange and cooperation. This allows students to engage in global healthcare initiatives and research projects.

English-Medium Programs: To cater to the diverse international student body, BSMU offers several programs in English, ensuring that language is not a barrier to accessing world-class medical education.

Recognition and Accreditation

Bashkir State Medical University holds a position of prestige in the international medical community. It is recognized and accredited by esteemed organizations, including:

World Health Organization (WHO): BSMU is listed in the WHO's Directory of World Medical Schools, attesting to its global recognition.

Medical Council of India (MCI): BSMU is approved by the MCI, making it an attractive option for Indian students seeking to study medicine abroad.

Recognition by Other Countries: The university's degree programs are acknowledged by various countries, allowing graduates to pursue medical licensure and practice medicine internationally.

Multicultural Learning Experience

One of the most remarkable aspects of studying at Bashkir State Medical University is the diverse and multicultural environment it offers. The university attracts students from over 40 countries, creating a vibrant and inclusive community. This multicultural exposure is invaluable for future healthcare professionals as it prepares them to work in diverse patient populations and healthcare settings.

Clinical Training and Practical Experience

BSMU places significant emphasis on clinical training, ensuring that students are well-prepared for real-world medical practice. The university collaborates with leading hospitals and clinics in Ufa, providing students with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a clinical setting. This practical training is an integral part of the curriculum and prepares students to meet the challenges of modern healthcare.

Research and Innovation

BSMU is not only dedicated to teaching but also actively involved in medical research and innovation. The university's research centers and institutes are hubs of scientific inquiry, exploring various medical disciplines and contributing to advancements in healthcare. Students are encouraged to participate in research projects, fostering a spirit of inquiry and innovation.

Student Support Services

Recognizing the challenges faced by international students, BSMU offers a range of support services to ensure a smooth transition into university life in Ufa. These services include assistance with accommodation, language support, and cultural integration programs. The university is committed to creating a welcoming and nurturing environment for all students.

Conclusion: A Path to a Medical Career

Bashkir State Medical University stands as a testament to the pursuit of excellence in medical education. Its rich history, commitment to academic rigor, and global recognition make it a top choice for students aspiring to become medical professionals. Whether you dream of becoming a physician, surgeon, researcher, or healthcare leader, BSMU provides the foundation for a successful and fulfilling career in medicine. Embark on your journey to medical excellence at Bashkir State Medical University and be a part of its legacy of shaping the future of healthcare.

[donsvgfile]

Graduation Celebration: Exploring the History, Traditions, and Fun Facts with Inspiring SVG Files

Graduation is a significant milestone in one's life, symbolizing the culmination of years of hard work, dedication, and academic achievement. It is a time of celebration and transition as individuals embark on new chapters and pursue their dreams. In this post, we will delve into the rich history, explore the cherished traditions, uncover intriguing facts, and showcase a collection of Graduation-themed SVG files available at DonSVG.com. Whether you're a graduate, a proud parent, or someone who loves the spirit of Graduation, this post is for you.

History of Graduation:

The tradition of graduation ceremonies can be traced back to medieval Europe. The first universities were established in the 12th century, and students would attend for several years before receiving their degrees. The ceremony of conferring degrees was a way to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of these scholars. The practice spread throughout Europe and eventually made its way to America. The first recorded graduation ceremony in the United States took place in 1642 at Harvard University. However, it was not until the mid-19th century that graduation ceremonies became more widespread and formalized. Today, graduation ceremonies are a common tradition in educational institutions worldwide.

Types of Graduation Ceremonies:

In the United States, graduation ceremonies are an integral part of the educational journey, and they vary across different levels of education. Here are some of the different types of graduation ceremonies commonly observed in the USA: - Kindergarten Graduation: Kindergarten graduation marks the transition from early childhood education to elementary school. It is a celebratory event where young students, often wearing mini caps and gowns, participate in ceremonies that recognize their completion of kindergarten and their readiness for the next educational phase. - High School Graduation: High school graduation is a significant milestone in a student's life. It represents the completion of secondary education and the readiness to move on to college, university, or the workforce. High school graduation ceremonies typically involve students wearing traditional caps and gowns, speeches by valedictorians and guest speakers, the presentation of diplomas, and the symbolic turning of the tassels. - College and University Graduation: College and university graduations are highly anticipated events that mark the culmination of higher education. These ceremonies often take place in large auditoriums or outdoor venues and include the recognition of academic achievements, the awarding of degrees, the procession of faculty and graduates in academic regalia, and inspirational speeches. College and university graduations may also include traditions specific to the institution, such as the ringing of bells or the throwing of caps. - Graduate School Commencement: Graduate school commencement ceremonies honor individuals who have completed advanced degrees, such as master's degrees and doctoral degrees. These ceremonies are similar to college and university graduations but often have additional elements specific to the graduate school, such as the hooding of doctoral candidates or the recognition of research accomplishments. - Military Graduations: The military academies, such as the United States Military Academy at West Point, the United States Naval Academy, and the United States Air Force Academy, have their own unique graduation ceremonies. These events combine elements of military traditions, such as the cadets' formal march and the rendering of honors, with the formal conferral of academic degrees. - Online and Virtual Graduations: In recent years, online and virtual graduations have gained popularity, providing an alternative for individuals who have completed their education through distance learning programs or online universities. These ceremonies are conducted online, allowing graduates from various locations to participate, often through live streaming platforms. Virtual graduations can include digital diplomas and interactive elements that simulate the traditional graduation experience. Each type of graduation ceremony holds significance and serves as a memorable milestone in an individual's academic journey. These ceremonies provide an opportunity to celebrate accomplishments, honor achievements, and recognize the dedication and hard work of graduates.

Traditions Associated with Graduation:

Graduation ceremonies are steeped in tradition and symbolism. Here are some of the most common traditions associated with graduation: - Caps and Gowns: The traditional attire for graduates is a cap and gown, which symbolizes academic achievement and scholarship. - Processionals and Recessionals: Graduates often enter and exit the ceremony in a processional and recessional, usually accompanied by music. - Diplomas and Awards: Graduates receive their diplomas and often additional awards or honors for their achievements. - Speeches and Addresses: Graduation ceremonies often feature speeches from notable figures, such as the school's president, faculty members, or guest speakers. - Tossing of the Caps: At the end of the ceremony, graduates often toss their caps into the air in celebration. - The Turning of the Tassel: Explore the tradition of flipping the tassel from one side to another, symbolizing the transition from student to graduate.

Facts about Graduation:

Here are some interesting facts about graduation that you may not know: - The word "graduation" comes from the Latin word "gradus," which means step or degree. - The color of the tassel on a graduate's cap can signify their area of study. For example, gold is often used for science and engineering, while white is used for the arts. - The tradition of throwing caps at graduation originated in the U.S. Military Academy in the late 19th century. The first recorded instance of this practice at a civilian graduation was in 1912 at the U.S. Naval Academy. - The longest graduation ceremony on record was held by Weber State University in Utah in 2013. The ceremony lasted for 5 hours and 40 minutes. - The shortest graduation ceremony on record was held by the University of Leicester in the UK in 2011. The ceremony lasted just 11 minutes. Celebrating Graduation with SVG Designs: If you are looking for a unique way to celebrate graduation, consider using SVG designs from DonSVG.com. Here are some ideas for using these designs: - Graduation Cards: Send your congratulations with a personalized graduation card featuring a unique SVG design. - Graduation Party Decorations: Use SVG designs to create banners, centerpieces, and other decorations for a graduation party. - Graduation Gifts: Create custom gifts, such as mugs, t-shirts, or tote bags, featuring a special graduation SVG design. - Graduation Scrapbook Pages: Use SVG designs to create scrapbook pages commemorating this special occasion. There are several compelling reasons to consider purchasing Graduation SVG designs on DonSVG.com. Here are some of the key reasons: - Customization: SVG designs offer a high level of customization. By purchasing graduation-themed SVG files, you have the freedom to personalize your graduation-related projects. Whether you're creating invitations, decorations, or gift items, SVG designs allow you to tailor them to your specific preferences and needs. - Unique and Professional Designs: DonSVG.com offers a wide range of professionally designed SVG files specifically crafted for graduation-related projects. These designs are unique and eye-catching, ensuring that your creations stand out and make a lasting impression. - Time and Effort Savings: By purchasing SVG designs, you save valuable time and effort. Instead of starting from scratch or searching for individual design elements, you can access a collection of ready-to-use SVG files that are specifically designed for graduation themes. This allows you to complete your projects efficiently and focus on other important aspects of your graduation celebrations. - Versatility: Graduation SVG images are versatile and can be used across various mediums and platforms. Whether you're working on digital projects like websites and social media graphics or physical items like banners, T-shirts, or signage, SVG designs can be easily scaled, manipulated, and adapted to suit your needs. - Professional and Polished Look: DonSVG.com offers high-quality SVG designs that ensure a professional and polished look to your graduation projects. The intricate details, clean lines, and crisp graphics of SVG files contribute to a refined and professional appearance, enhancing the overall aesthetic of your creations. - Reusability: Once you've purchased SVG designs, you can use them repeatedly for multiple graduation-related projects. Whether you need to create additional items for friends and family or for future graduations, SVG files provide the flexibility to reuse the designs without any loss of quality. - Cost-effective: DonSVG.com offers affordable pricing for their SVG files, making it a cost-effective option for obtaining high-quality graduation-themed designs. Instead of investing in expensive graphic design services or purchasing individual design elements, you can access a vast selection of SVG files at a fraction of the cost. In Conclusion Graduation is a momentous occasion that deserves to be celebrated and honored. By understanding the history, embracing traditions, and uncovering fascinating facts, we gain a deeper appreciation for the significance of Graduation. Whether you're looking to commemorate your own achievements or show support for a graduate in your life, the Graduation-themed SVG files from DonSVG.com offer a creative and customizable way to add a personal touch to your celebrations. Let's celebrate the journey, accomplishments, and limitless potential that Graduation represents. Read the full article

[pennsylvaniabusinessclub]

A Unique Experience on Boathouse Row in Pennsylvania

Nestled along the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, lies Boathouse Row – a stunning sight to behold. Home to some of the oldest rowing clubs in the United States, it’s a unique cultural experience that’s not to be missed. Here’s a closer look at this unique Pennsylvania spot and what makes it so special.

A Historic Landmark

Boathouse Row is one of the oldest landmarks in Philadelphia. It was established in the mid-1800s, when the first boathouse was built as a clubhouse for the Schuylkill Navy, an organization dedicated to rowing and sculling. Since then, the area has become home to 15 rowing clubs, making it an important cultural hub for rowing in the United States. 

The Boathouses

The boathouses are the main attraction at Boathouse Row. Each of the 15 boathouses has its own unique style and architecture. Some of the most notable designs include the Gothic Revival-style Vesper Boat Club, the Romanesque Revival-style Undine Barge Club, and the Victorian-style Fairmount Rowing Association. In addition, many of the boathouses have been painted in vibrant colors, adding to their beauty and charm. The clubs that occupy the buildings are equally diverse, ranging from recreational clubs to competitive teams. All of them, however, share a common passion: rowing.

Boathouse Row is home to a number of rowing clubs and organizations, each with its own unique history and legacy. The clubs offer a variety of services to their members including boat storage, training, and competitive racing.

The oldest club on Boathouse Row is the Schuylkill Navy of Philadelphia, founded in 1858. The Schuylkill Navy is a non-profit organization that serves as a governing body for amateur rowing in the Philadelphia area. Over the years, the Schuylkill Navy has grown to include more than twenty clubs, including the Vesper Boat Club, founded in 1865, and the Undine Barge Club, founded in 1868.

Other clubs in Boathouse Row include the Fairmount Rowing Association, founded in 1877, and the Pennsylvania Athletic Club Rowing Association, founded in 1885. These clubs offer a variety of services to their members, including boat storage, training, and competitive racing. In addition to these clubs, Boathouse Row is also home to several collegiate rowing teams, such as the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University.

For those interested in getting involved with rowing in Philadelphia, Boathouse Row is the perfect place to start. With its rich history and legacy, Boathouse Row provides the perfect environment for new and experienced rowers alike to explore the sport and make lasting connections.

The Riverbanks

The riverbanks along Boathouse Row are a sight to behold. On any given day, you can find rowers practicing for their next race or simply enjoying the beautiful views of the river. The area is also home to a number of monuments and statues, including the Fairmount Waterworks, a 19th century water pumping station, and the statue of John B. Kelly, a famous Olympic rower.

Exploring Pennsylvania’s Boathouse Row

Boathouse Row is a great place to explore, especially if you’re looking for a unique Pennsylvania experience. You can wander around and admire the stunning architecture, explore the riverbanks, or even take a rowing lesson with one of the clubs. There are also plenty of events, such as regattas and races, throughout the year. 

Whether you’re a local or a visitor, Boathouse Row is a must-see destination. With its rich history and unique culture, it’s an experience you won’t soon forget.

Local Business Profile

Brick Mill Furniture & Custom Woodworking

1000 Commerce Park Drive, 

Suite 1000, Williamsport, 

PA 17701

(272) 202-3782

www.brickmillfurniture.com

Come to Brick Mill Furniture & Custom Woodworking for all of your custom cabinet needs in Pennsylvania. We specialize in creating beautiful and functional cabinets tailored to your exact specifications. Visit us today and see why we are the top choice for custom cabinets Pennsylvania.

About us:

At Brick Mill Furniture, we take great pride in our craftsmanship. Each piece of furniture is designed with precision and care, using only the finest salvaged, locally sourced wood. Our team of experienced artisans craft each piece of furniture with the utmost attention to detail and quality. Our furniture is designed to last, and will stand the test of time, withstanding the daily wear and tear of life. We strive to create furniture that is not only aesthetically pleasing but is also an investment in quality and craftsmanship. With an uncompromising commitment to quality and customer service, Brick Mill Furniture is your source for handcrafted, one-of-a-kind, custom wood furniture.

[acemapleeh]

I See, I See, What You Do Not See

May 24th: Historical

Summary: A rainy fall date to one of the best museums in the country leads to reminiscing and forgotten perspectives.

Written for Day 2 of @nedcanweek, May 24rd: Historical

Characters: Netherlands, Canada

Word Count: 2365

Read on ao3

Late Fall, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 2014

“How long are you going to stare at this painting for? You know there are over eight thousand other things we can look at. Two thousand of them are from my Golden Era alone. Eighty rooms, eight hundred years of history to look at.”

“I told you, I’m trying to see how many paintings I can find you in. There’re so many people here and it’s a harbor so, of course, you have to be here somewhere.”

“Is this what you do when you visit your own museums? Ik zie, ik zie, wat jij niet ziet?”

Matthew let out a dry laugh. “Please, any paintings that were done of me were from Father’s commission and those are all looming in the English countryside gathering dust.”

“And you think there would be hundreds of artists who would find me a perfect muse?”

“More you than me.”

Jan sighed, moving his attention to the program guide. He was interested in seeing the newest photography exhibit that covered most of the 20th century. He’d been to this museum several times since it opened and he liked coming back whenever renovations or new exhibits were finished. Taking Matthew here simply made sense for a day out together. "If you sat still for me, I would paint you." He had leaned forward, resting his chin on Matthew's shoulder. "And I'm right there by the way. Closest to the ship with the ledger and hat."

Matt promptly swatted him in the chest with his own booklet. "You're an ass. I would have found you in the next five seconds." He was flushing slightly, not that it took much. "You can just take a picture of me- which I've seen you do. You take terrible candid shots of me. Why do you have a photo of me shoving poutine in my mouth as your phone background?"

"Because you hardly ever let me take any photographs of you. I have to practically beg you."

He snorted and began walking to the next piece of a snowy town and a large crowd going about their day, navigating the winter freeze. “And you can keep on begging. Not all of us can be photogenic.”

“How many times do I have to tell you that you are?” Jan reached out to hold the other’s hand, something that had taken years for Matthew to be comfortable in public with, but now squeezed his hand back lovingly. “I highly doubt that in all the museums in your country, you are not in a single one of them. If I can very clearly see how beautiful and handsome you are, then so do your people.”

“Stop, there’re too many people around.” He was grinning though, biting his bottom lip to hold back laughter. “I’m sure there’s something somewhere; I just know all the ones I actually sat for, Dad has hung up or stored. I do not want a portrait of myself in my own home.”

“Would you oppose to me having one of you?” A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as he leaned closer. “A tasteful nude portrait perhaps?”

“Johan van Schipper- you will not hang a nude of me over your sitting room fireplace nor will I pose for one. You can get off to those terrible photos of me eating.”

They dropped the topic for now, deciding to browse through the next several paintings hand in hand. It wasn’t a terribly crowded day. There weren’t too many tourists, but there were a few school groups taking guided tours and university students seated on benches taking notes or figure drawing. 

Matthew was able to pick out Johan in a handful of other paintings. One where he was actually in the foreground along with Antonio at the Ratification of the Treaty of Münster, another where he was just another member of a crowd that took Matt nearly ten minutes to locate, and a lone oil portrait from the early 18th century that had been a part of the exhibit for over a hundred years.

“You should grow your facial hair out again, it looks good on you.”

“No thank you. I will entirely leave that to you. I’ve had my centuries of careful grooming and spending too much on beard oils and mustache wax.”

There was a healthy amount of snickering at the carefully preserved clothing articles and accessories. Johan didn’t blame Matthew for finding the ruff of linen and needle lace to be less than useless. He had come into the world a mere toddler when they were beginning to fall out of style, at least, for the rest of Western Europe; not that they would be useful in fur trapping and chopping lumbar but knowing Francis he still likely donned one while playing mountain man as long as Paris still deemed it the highest of fashion. 

“Did you just continue wearing them out of spite or because you looked really dashing in them?”

“Philip IV of Spain did ban them in 1623, so partially spite, partially because it was made by my people as well as the starch that stiffened them, partially yes, I did look nice in one.”

“Would you ever consider wearing one again?”

“Would you ever wear a starched shirt collar again?”

Matthew wrinkled his nose and loosened the top button of his flannel.

By half past noon, they were seated at the museum’s café for a much-needed break. Coffee was served with Dutch gin and whipped cream and between the pair, plenty of farmhouse cheese, rye rolls, and smoked meats were shared. 

“The photography exhibit is in this wing right?” Matt asked, licking spilled butter from his fingers. “You finish eating. I’m going to get a head start, I’ll meet you there.” With a kiss laced with dill and sweetness, he left Jan to enjoy the rest of his midday meal. He watched as Matthew trotted off, thinking how well he blended in with the rest of the crowd with his height and fair hair. Perhaps to an outsider, he could pass for being a local. How quickly he was reassured that was his Matthew when he accidentally bumped into someone, drew his arms into himself, and blurted out an accented apology that could easily be made out amongst the crowd. The reflective glint of the maple leaf keychain on his bag made him smile inwardly.

Johan took his time finishing his meal, the still life soup warm on that breezy autumn day as he listened to the rain pound against the wall-sized windows. He was still amazed he had convinced Matthew to leave the bed that morning at all. Jan had roused at his natural hour, limbs long and bare tangled in the sheets. An equally long and bare arm was draped across his lap, a silent plea for him to stay right where he was but a request he was going to have to deny. There had been a tug at his joggers the moment he pulled them up to his hips. Matthew peered up at him, most of his face hidden in the duvet, and Jan caved in mere seconds. The Canadian was much more compliant after a sensual morning of lovemaking that Jan had absolutely no qualms with. Breakfast was on the go to make up for lost time so they wouldn’t be late for the museum’s opening hour.

Not wanting to leave Matt waiting too much longer by himself, he finished the last roll and cleared the table.

Matthew was standing alone in front of a collection of photographs that his form blocked Jan from seeing what they were.

“Shifting through more crowds?” he asked, joining beside him. “Found me yet?”

“Yeah, I have actually,” Matt’s voice was flat. It was distant like he was speaking from a star but his voice didn’t have the proper projection. Jan followed his gaze to one of the black and white photographs. It was a collection of works regarding the Liberation as well the later years of the war, Jan only had to glance at each piece to know every location or event that was captured. Matthew was focused on the pieces on the right, several of which featured Canadian soldiers celebrating alongside Dutch citizens. 

It didn’t take long to figure out which one had caught his attention for however long he had spent standing in front of it.

Matthew’s hair might have been longer, glasses missing, and facial hair in desperate need of a trim but it was unmistakably him. 

Johan placed a hand on his shoulder, kneading the muscle there tenderly. “Are you alright?”

“I think so- I guess, I just never really looked at photos of myself from back then. Shit... it’s like I know that’s me but it doesn’t... really feel like me.”

They often jested of the age difference between them, how Matthew being only three hundred something years old meant he was slightly older than a mere child in the eyes of the Old World but ancient in his own. Jan's scars on his body were older than him, known nations his age twice over. He had a home with more memories than Matthew had in a lifetime. They shared the same understanding of mortal immortality, of being far older than every single person that lived in their country and beyond. But the weight of that feeling was one that took ages to adjust to. Jan could look at the old paintings of himself, a memory of long ago that happened that he could never really forget but was simply that. 

The photograph was of Matthew seated closely with Johan next to the crumbled remains of a windmill, the latter looking worse for wear with bandaged cheeks and arm in a makeshift sling. Cigarette butts were pressed together, eyes half-lidded and gazing into each other. The foil wrapping of a chocolate bar shimmered amongst the grime and dust. Evidence of celebration was around them, blurred and hard to make out, but present nonetheless. 

Jan couldn’t forget the captured moment. It was right after the initial high of the announcement of the war being over wore off. He had been trembling and sobbing and the pair sunk to the ground with a lazy kiss. All his aches and exhaustion had hit him at once and Matthew had silently cared for him, sitting together for what felt like hours until the feeling in his legs returned.

It was a memory of a moment in time, important and dear to him, but another moment of history he had to remember as he’d done hundreds of thousands of times. It was just a part of what they were, one endless task they were entrusted with no matter what those memories contained.

For someone his age, it was as simple as taking and exhaling breath and putting one foot in front of the other.

For Matthew? His Matthew who housed a heart too willing to take on all the burdens of the world that weren’t always his own? To store guilt for a century, or even more? Who stayed up well into the early hours of the morning, turning questions over in his head on whether he was loved by the man sleeping beside him? 

In those moments when Johan felt like the lowest part of his country, like his lowest of lands were sinking and flooding, Matthew held out his hand and pulled his head above the churning waves. Matthew stood at his full height, made him warm drinks, wrapped him in blankets, and loved him carefully and fully. He hadn’t questioned back then what turbulent thoughts ran through the other’s head and how much he struggled he stay afloat. 

The years it took of them sitting together, carefully trying to figure out the best way for Matthew to find his voice- for Johan to see through him and help him say the right words. ‘I will listen, tell me everything, and when you’re done, we’ll keep talking. If you don’t know how we’ll figure it out together.’

He entwined his fingers with Matthew’s carefully and kissed the side of his head, the scent of his partner’s favorite shampoo filling his senses.

“I promise that’s you and that I love the person in the photograph the same amount as the person I’m holding hands with. I know we tend to distance ourselves from the version of ourselves from the past, but it’s still us, no matter how much we change.”

“But that wasn’t me.” Matt’s voice was a whisper. “That confidence? It was only for the war. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have been able to do my job. It was a bravado. You met this fake version of myself.”

“Really? Because the Matthew I know is caring, patient, sweet, and willing to step up to do anything for the people he loves. I’m certain that’s the one I met.” He leaned his head against the other. “You met me when I was less than functional and extremely vulnerable. Do you think that you met a false version of myself?”

“Well,” Matt drawled, biting his lip. “No, I don’t. I never did.”

“In the middle of chaos, as my heart lit up with the cheers of my people, I saw you. I found you without having to look, and wordlessly, you pulled me in and celebrated with me. Without warning my heart was yours.”

“Alright, alright, you made your point.” He tugged at his arm and Jan could see the tips of his ears were tinted bright pink and matched the rest of his face. “Come on, we still have this whole exhibit to look at. I don’t want to mull anymore about this until we get home. You can praise me there.”

“Did I not do that just this morning?” Jan followed him in tow.

“Maybe I need to hear it again. I don’t think I heard you that well.”

“You’re blind, not deaf.”

“So?”

Jan grinned, bumping his shoulder. “Do you believe me when I say I love you for both your looks and personality?”

“Please stop saying things that make me want to blow you in public.”

[221bshrlocked]

Show Me Your True Colors

Pairing: Marcus Pike x Fem!Reader

Words: 14092 (I swear this was supposed to be a short oneshot but it got out of hand. I'm so so sorry.)

Warnings: 28% smut, 72% plot. Penetrative, unprotected sex (wrap the shlong before you king kong my dudes). Oral (male and female receiving). Fingering and Squirting due to overstimulation. Some dom/sub elements but not full-on. Creampie. Rough handling (e.g. hair-pulling, spanking, hand-binding, some more hair-pulling). I think that's all?!

Inspired by these posts [x] [x] and by this lovely artist. Thanks @danniburgh for humoring me with my thots.

A/N: I came back from my temporary hiatus to post this because I couldn't wait. And now I shall return to my little corner again. Sorry guys these school/administrative issues are taking longer to deal with so I'm for the most part still away. This is not beta'd. Let me know how I'm doing in the comments please and reblogs are always appreciated. Enjoy. And you can add yourself to the taglist here.

It’s such a different atmosphere, from what he remembers at least. It’s been so long since he stepped foot on a university campus, and he can’t help but smile at the spectrum of personalities all around him. While some students lounge underneath the trees and on the grass, others ran hastily to their courses. Those were probably freshmen.

As he makes his way through the campus, he has to look at his phone numerous times to figure out where exactly he was going. That’s definitely one thing he didn’t miss about being in school, the fact that he was shit in directions and how he almost always got lost during the beginning of each semester.

When he does finally find the art history department, he silences his phone and heads to the first office he can find.

“Good afternoon, my name is Nicola. How can I help you?”

“Hi Nicola, I’m here to see Dr. Y/N Y/L/N. I was wondering if you could direct me to her office please?” Marcus smiles as he unbuttons his suit jacket, not realizing that his FBI tag was now visible to the world.

“She’s currently in one of her lectures, you could-” Marcus follows Nicola’s line of sight when she grows quiet and groans when he sees that she noticed his FBI tag.

“Please, she’s not in trouble. I am part of the FBI Art Crime Team, and I’m actually coming to ask if we could get her professional opinion on an artifact. Just need her to consult on something.” He smiles at Nicola and waits for her expression to relax before he continues.

“Do you mind telling me which lecture hall she’s in?”

“Y-yes, she’s in H140. Make a right at the door and it’s the hall all the way at the end.”

“Thank you Nicola, have a good day.” Marcus nods at her before he buttons his jacket again to avoid any suspicious, terrified looks as he makes his way to the lecture hall. He walks quietly, avoiding the students walking past him as they exit the rooms. When he reaches the door, he turns the knob slowly to not make any noise, hoping that he wasn’t being too disruptive once he walks in. As he shuts it behind him and looks around, his eyes almost fall out of their sockets.

There are at least 250, maybe 300 students filling the seats of the room. He awkwardly smiles when some students look to the side and see him standing at the foot of the door. He quickly takes a seat and says nothing as the students return their attention to the large projected screen. Marcus hears what he assumes is your voice through the large speakers but he can’t place your position. As he looks at the projected images, he finally catches you through his peripheral vision as you step off the railing near the exit doors at the front of the room.

“Because of this association with the gods, many amulets used to ward off the evil eye include depictions of mythological figures and deities who are almost, if not always, female. To the Greeks and Romans, the most common fascinations with an evil eye were women in any shape or form. They were thought to have the most powerful and harmful gaze that might kill if eye contact was established. That’s basically me telling you to never look me in the eye or else I will curse the cow of your second cousin twice removed.” Laughter reverberates off the walls at your joke and only grows louder when you whisper, “just kidding...or am I?” Marcus can’t help but smile at your jokes, watching with fascination as you move up and down the stairs of one side of the lecture hall once you continue to speak.

“Now, I know what some of you are thinking...isn’t that a bit sexist? Well, to the ancients, no. And to us, it’s kind of a meh thing. I know that doesn’t sound very feminist of me but it all comes down to the culture and the ancient practices that carried over. Just remember that it wasn’t because they were women, it was because they were thought to be powerful...a glass half-full kinda thing.” Marcus watches you closely as you maintain your focus on the students before you switch the slide and stand in the middle of the stairway with your back towards the projector.

“So, we find goddesses such as Erinnyes or the Furies associated with the evil eye because of their avenging nature. Their heads were covered in serpents and their eyes were always bloodshot and one of the Furies by the name of Megaera was considered in late antiquity as the personification of envy and whose eyes were the most envious and deadly of all the Furies. She was described by poets as baskanon omma pherousa...bearing the evil eye. Naturally, many children in late antiquity constantly wore amulets of stone galactite to protect them from the eyes of Megaera, and sometimes even wore necklaces with her face on it to counteract the evil eye of someone else and have her curse the ones who tried to harm them. Basically, the ancients were playing a game of tag with the evil eye.” You descend the stairs and walk to the other side of the hall, and Marcus feels his chest tighten with how much confidence you exude, not just through your words but with how you carry yourself as well.

“Perhaps the most famous of these dangerous women is Medusa who was one of the Gorgones in Greek mythology. The Gorgones were one of many female beings such as the Harpies, the Erinnyes, the Graiae, and the Keres, who were said to be grim-faced, and who held horrible looks. Briefly, the story tells of how she was one of the most beautiful women to ever walk the earth and later became hateful-looking by Athena as punishment for being raped by Poseidon in the middle of the huntress’ temple. Her hair became serpents and she was so furious that anyone who would look at her would turn into stone...at least that is the version you will hear from the “all-knowing” male scholars within this field. But, and I know I’m going on a rant here, if you’re like me, you’re more likely to argue that Athena pretended to hate Medusa. The serpents were no punishment! The goddess looked at the poor woman and gave her a weapon to use against men because unfortunately, she couldn’t do anything to avenge her...not only because she didn’t get along with Poseidon but also because he was a god as well. Anyway, back to Medusa’s amazing power which I would love to have so I could use it whenever I’m talking to some professors in this department...don’t quote me on that.” Again, Marcus chuckles at your side commentary and notices how calm and enjoyable the atmosphere of the lecture is. If only he had professors like you when he was in university.

“Even after she was decapitated by Perseus, her powers were very much alive and it is said that Athena placed Medusa’s image on her shield, once Perseus returned it, in order to use it when she hunted. This suggests that depictions of her severed head held apotropaic power and like earlier, one could use a creature who held the power of the evil eye against another being who is said to use the evil eye. Following this principle of similia similibus, it is not surprising that most of the amulets found in Greece and Rome contained illustrations of Medusa’s decapitated head on them. What was once the possessor of the evil eye became a protective symbol against the very same thing.” Just as you are about to continue with the next image, an alarm goes off and Marcus frowns in shock at how inconsiderate it was that phones weren’t silenced. But his surprise only heightens when he sees you running down the steps to your desk and picking up the phone sitting in the middle of the table.

“Ahhhh man, we were just about to get to the cavalier. That’s okay. Remember, the second response is due first thing on Friday. If you can’t turn it in during class, shoot me an email and we can work something out with my TAs. Go forth my clever spawns!” Marcus stands up and glues himself to the wall when he sees students emptying the lecture hall, his eyes on your form at the front of the class. He hopes you don’t leave out of the front exit and begins to make his way to you through the multitude of undergrads leaving. When he reaches your desk, he stands to the side until you finish chatting with one of the students and begins to collect your work.

“Dr. Y/L/N?”

“Please, it’s just Y/N. Who are you and how can I help you today?” You almost do a double take when you look up from your bag and see the man standing in front of you. To say that you were starstruck by the man in front of you would have been the understatement of the century.

“I’m Special Agent Marcus Pike,” he holds out his FBI tag for you and watches as you raise an eyebrow at him before you swing your bag across your shoulders and motion for him to follow you out of the hall.

“I would like to put it on record that I do not, in fact, wish to turn any of my colleagues to stone.” You joke, and Marcus senses that you are perhaps nervous at seeing his tag.

“Believe me, I would like to do that to some of mine as well...but no, not why I’m here.” Marcus clips the tag below his jacket as he walks with you.

“May I ask what I have done that caught the FBI’s attention?” You walk ahead of him, and ask him if it was okay for him to head over to your office with you.

“I’m with the FBI Art Crime Team and I’m here on a request. We would like to consult you on an open investigation and I came here to ask what your availability is.” Marcus follows you up the stairs, barely forcing his eyes to remain on your feet instead of elsewhere.

“Oh, me? That’s...wow. Of all the things I thought I would accomplish in my life, that’s definitely not one of them. May I ask what it is you need my opinion on?” You push open the doorway of the staircase and point at your office across the quiet hall.

“Unfortunately, there is a lot of paperwork you need to fill out before we get to work so I can’t disclose anything about the case until you sign in.” Marcus steps into the office behind you and watches as you set your things down before you move to your desk. He can’t help but feel his muscles loosen at the sight of the bookshelves across your room.

“This is probably the most exciting thing to happen to me all year long so yes, hundred percent. I’m available for the rest of the day today as well as tomorrow and Friday after lecture which ends at the same time as today’s.” You beam up at him as you take two books out of your bag and replace them with a folder that was sitting in the middle of your desk. Marcus looks at you quizzically, marveling at how much easier this was going. He genuinely thought he was going to meet with someone who was probably a bit proud and perhaps as much of an asshole as his previous professors but you were so much different than anyone he’s ever met within this field.

“Are you sure? I understand if you need to take a week or two-”

“No please, you’ll be saving me from faculty lunches and two seminars by colleagues that I genuinely cannot fucking stand- oh, sorry. Sorry, didn’t mean to-” You swing your leather bag around your shoulder again and shut the blinds of the windows before you walk to the door.

“Please, you don’t have to worry about that with me.” Marcus chuckles at the excitement rolling off of you and bites his lower lip when he watches you quickly fix your hair.

“I might need to have lunch on the way to your office though if that’s okay?” You take a plastic container out of your bag and smile sheepishly at him as you lock your door.

“Wow...is your bag bigger on the inside or something? And, yeah fine by me.” He pushes his hands into his pockets again and walks next to you, a little corner in his heart gradually filling with hope letting him know that he should be cautious. He didn’t want a repeat of last time.

You both chat briefly on your way to headquarters and Marcus apologizes every time he looks over and sees you struggling with your food. By the time you make it to the building, Marcus can tell you are a bit nervous and he assures you once more that this was merely a consultation.

“Wait how did you even find me?” You take your jacket off along with everything in your pockets, laying them down near your bag as they go through the scanner. Marcus passes through with his badge and waits for you on the other side, picking up your things as you put your jacket back on.

“I made some calls and a friend suggested to get in touch with you because of your expertise.”

“Oh now we’re getting somewhere. You have a Greek artifact don’t you?” Marcus halts in his steps and looks over to you as he shuts his eyes in irritation. He should have watched what he said.

“S-sorry I couldn’t help it. I’ll stop until I fill out whatever paperwork you have for me.” You take your things from him and walk quietly as he leads you to the elevators.

“I didn’t mean to be rude. It’s not personal, it’s just-”

“Business I know. I know. I’m so used to watching this kind of stuff in movies that I tend to forget it’s all fake and you’re...the real deal.” You hope he doesn’t see the way your eyes trail over his taller form, silently cursing yourself when you meet his eyes and notice how he’s already staring at you with a smile.

“Sorry.” You apologize again and look straight ahead, hands tightening around the leather strap when you realize that he’s still looking at you.

Marcus fists the hands in his pockets to prevent himself from saying anything else that might make you uncomfortable, and he looks at the increasing numbers as they reach his floor. A loud ring signals your arrival and Marcus stretches out his hand so you could walk ahead of him. You wait until he tells you where to go and say nothing when he stops for a second and whispers something to another agent.

When you arrive at his office, you stand to the side and wait for him to tell you what to do.

“What’re you doing all the way over there? Come here.” Marcus calls you over to his desk and smiles, hoping to put you a little at ease. You step towards him and set your stuff on the floor as you sit opposite him on one of the two chairs. He pulls out a couple of files and sets them in front of you in four different piles.

“That’s a lot of paperwork.” You chuckle nervously as you take out a pen from your bag.

“I know, I’m sorry. But that’s why I’m here. These are the building rules and your signature is basically you telling us you’ll abide by all of them.”

“I don’t know any of them.” You respond immediately, and rub harshly at the pen between your fingers.

“I’ll be with you at all times so you don’t have to worry about that.” His smile throws you off guard and you nod before you sign the highlighted areas.

“And these are you swearing that you will tell no one of whatever you see, hear, do, etc. within the building.” You nod and sign through the stapled paperwork before sliding them his way.

“We’re almost done. These two are like the second pile but they have to do with this case specifically. And they extend to outside the premises, meaning that if I or another agent on the case tells you anything that has to do with your work here today while we’re grabbing coffee from across the street, you can’t say it to a living soul.” Marcus points at the four highlighted boxes and tells you to sign the date next to them as well.

“So I can say it to my dead cousin?” You ask as you sign the two papers and hand them to him, unable to hold your laughter when he shakes his head as he pushes the last pile towards you.

“I had a feeling you were going to say that.”

“Can’t help it.”

“And finally, these are you swearing that whatever you tell us today, be it an opinion, a fact, or anything else, is the absolute truth. Basically, you’re not fucking with us.” You raise an eyebrow at his choice in words and he shrugs his shoulders as he motions for the empty spaces again. When you’re done, Marcus collects all the files and places them in a folder before he unlocks his desk and pushes them inside.

“I don’t ever want to see my signature again.” You whisper as he leads you out of the office towards a conference room. He holds the door for you and nods ahead, waiting for you to step in before he shuts the door behind him and turns around. You try to ignore the hand pushing on your lower back as you walk in and spot three gentlemen and one woman standing towards the end of the long table.

“Wow, that was quick.” The female agent is first to speak and you say nothing as Marcus introduces you to them.

“Thank you for coming on such a short notice.”

“Of course. This is very exciting for me so I’m happy to help in any way.” You shake her hand and stand to the side as Marcus motions for you to sit down.

“This is Lydia, Ethan, Henry, and Noah.” Marcus points to each member of his team as he pulls out a chair next to you and sits down.

“It’s nice to meet you.” You nod towards them and look at the folder that Lydia hands to you. Marcus says something as you flip open the folder but you can’t respond, eyes almost falling out of their sockets as you take in the large image on the page. You look up at Marcus and everyone else before you return your attention to the picture.

“You recognize what this is then?” Ethan breaks the silence and watches as you move through the pages quickly.

“Umm, that seems like an oversimplification but yes.” You continue to study the images in front of you for another few minutes before you set them down and look up at Marcus.

“Some explanation would really help me out right now.” You tap softly on the papers, and your mind conjures up the wildest possible stories behind the images currently displayed in front of you.

“Oh right yes. We received a tip from the Smithsonian’s acquisitions department about a man trying to sell them this artifact for three million dollars,” Marcus notices your eyes widen but he continues, “but they’re not sure if it’s stolen or not. And he refuses to cooperate.”

“Which is where you come in. Have you seen anything like this before and if so, where?” Lydia stares at you as you return your attention to the pictures again.

“And the Smithsonian can’t confirm this?”

“Far from it. Marcus here is just afraid they’ll eventually get greedy and do anything to get their hands on it.” You look next to you and watch a faint blush take over the agent’s handsome features.

“I mean I don’t blame you. There are a bunch of real assholes in this field.” You laugh when he gives Lydia a ‘told you’ look.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’ll be able to help you if I don’t see the actual pendant.” You shut the folder and push it away from you.

“That might be a problem.” Henry takes his glasses off and proceeds to clean them as he looks at his co-workers.

“Why? Do you not have it anymore?” Your heart skips a beat at the prospect of the FBI losing such an object.

“Oh no we have it. Our guy is afraid we’ll switch it out with a fake so he refuses to hand it to us unless he’s in the same room.”

“That’s funny. Is there a rule that says I can’t look at it while this man is in the room?” You ask Marcus and he can’t help but notice how giddy you’re being all of a sudden. Your excitement is almost palpable and he wills himself to focus on the question and not how you bite your lower lip as you wait for him.

“I mean…”

“You’re all going to be in the room aren’t you?” You cut him off before he says anything and when they all nod, you turn to Marcus once more and wait for his response.

“I guess it’s fine.” Marcus reluctantly answers before he asks Ethan and Noah to bring the man from the interrogation room he’s been in for the past couple of hours. Lydia and Henry let you in on more details and Marcus watches as you furrow your eyebrows in focus, occasionally cutting them off to ask them a question.

Fifteen minutes later and a knock on the door breaks you out of your haze. You look up just as Ethan and Noah walk in with a man in front of them. You say nothing as they bring him to your side of the room and set him down across from you.

“How many times do I have to tell you, I didn’t steal it. I found it!” Your ears perk at his comment but you say nothing as he crosses his arms and narrows his eyes at you.

“May I see it?” You ask before anyone else says anything and the man continues to stare at you before he ignores your question.

“Please, I’m just here to confirm your story. I know for a fact there isn’t a museum out there that has this.” You notice the hardened expression on Henry’s face but he says nothing. A few long moments pass by and the man shifts to take something out of the inside his jacket. You inhale deeply and watch as he unwraps the cloth before he places the small pendant on the table in front of you.

“May I?” You ask again and if Marcus didn’t know any better, he’d think that you’re just trying to put the man at ease. If you were nervous around five FBI agents and you did nothing wrong, then his little thief must have been scared shitless.

When the man nods, you bring out a pair of gloves from your handbag and put them on, forcing yourself to remain calm as you pick up the pendant.

“What a beautiful work of art you are baby. Red jasper, my favorite!” Your excited words break the silence and you look up at the man in front of you with a smile, feeling your hands sweat when he slowly returns the expression.

Got you.

“Greek is marvelous...crystal clear, grammatically correct, unique placement.” It’s as silent as a cemetery and Marcus watches you closely as you narrow your eyes and adjust the stone under the light. If he wasn’t dealing with a criminal and a potentially stolen artifact, he would have told you how beautiful you looked when you were deep in the middle of a task.

“Hmm, what is this 6th century-ish spell? Oh my bad, no no no, I tend to mix them up sometimes. It’s definitely a 7th century formula.” You make an awkward face and watch as Lydia shakes her head at your little mix up.

“Now, let’s see what you got on the other side sweetheart.” You carefully turn the amulet around in the palm of your hand and barely hold back from gasping dramatically.

“My god...what a goddamn sight...oh oops sorry, that was probably blasphemous. A perfectly etched crucifixion...cross with 4 sides, with a plaque at the top...and of course, can’t forget the clothed Christ. The detail on this is truly unlike anything I’ve ever seen, down to the ‘Iesous Xristos Theou Yios Sotare’ around the figure. Where did you say you found it again?” You casually ask as you continue to inspect the stone, almost laughing when the man responds immediately to your question.

“Mount Athos.” Marcus turns to his team in shock. You’d managed to get the information out of him so easily while they spent an entire day trying to get him to say anything. It was a little funny how at ease the man seemed now, leaning forward towards you as you flipped the stone around.

“Ohh the hub of Eastern monasteries. Boy is this the most valuable artifact I’ve ever had the pleasure of looking at then.” You set it down on the cloth and wrap it up before taking your gloves off and leaning back on the chair.

“See, told you its one of a kind. No one’s ever found anything like it before.” The man beams at you before he takes the object and puts it back in his jacket.

“Oh yeah it’s one of a kind alright...because it’s the most fake amulet I’ve ever had the misfortune of examining. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever been this disappointed in my life. And here I thought another one of these was out there. Did you even bother to do any research on this?” You frown at him and cross your arms in irritation, completely missing Marcus’ reaction and how he turns to Lydia to confirm that yes, you just said that it was a fake artifact.

“W-what?”

“I’d love to know where you got the red jasper because you could have fooled me with that. Let’s break this down shall we? The Greek is perfect, too perfect if I’m being honest. You never have grammatically correct syntax etched on a magical amulet, let alone proper diction. Oh and you should have probably used Classical Greek instead of modern Greek, like were you even trying? Really bad move to use a 7th century formula with a non-altered 6th century spell. The formula didn’t even exist yet!” You tilt your head to the side and watch as the man in front of you begins to fidget. His smile is replaced with a shocked expression and you watch as it slowly becomes angry.

Marcus was speechless. He never saw this coming and was looking at you with a mixture of awe and surprise at the turn of events. He could only stare at you as he took in your energy, the same confidence and intelligence he saw earlier in the day when he walked into your lecture.

“As for the back, you never get 4-sided crosses with these, only three, and the head of Christ makes up the fourth which you don’t actually see because of his head. No plaque, too detailed and non-existent in protection spells. Christ is always nude on magical amulets by the way...yes it’s weird, but it’s a fucking amulet and he was just some extra deity. And finally, never, ever, write out ‘Iesous Xristos Theou Yios Sotare.’ You write the acronym IXOYE.” You flip open the folder that was in front of you and grab a sharpie from Marcus’ file, circling the first letter of each Greek word and holding it up as if he was one of your students and you were trying to lecture him.

“Don’t even get me started on your provenance. Mount Athos? I mean for fuck’s sake, Constanza would have been a better option. At least we actually found amulets out there. How much was he asking for this?” You turn to Marcus and completely miss the starstruck eyes he’s giving you. When you raise an eyebrow at him, he finally realizes that you asked him a question.

“Uhhh 3 mil.”

“Oh boy...yeah, this is worth jack shit. Wouldn’t even do it’s intended job if you actually wore it as a protection pendant.” You watch as the man’s expression changes from anger to outrage and you barely have any time to push away your chair and hide behind Marcus before the man tries to jump on top of the table towards you. It takes Ethan and Noah approximately five seconds to tackle him down before they take him out of the room. You watch as they reach for the amulet in his pocket and give it to Henry just as they push him out.

You’re still coming down from the adrenaline rush when Marcus turns around and asks you if you are alright. As soon as you see the gun in his hands, your hold on his jacket tightens and you gulp nervously when you meet his eyes. He apologizes quickly once he sees where you’re looking and quickly puts the gun back in its holster.

“You okay?” Marcus holds your wrist and rubs his thumb over your pulse point until you begin to relax. You fix your jacket and take a deep breath before you meet his eyes, almost gasping when you see how dark and oddly calming they are.

“Didn’t think a consultation would get this exciting but uhh, yeah I’m good. I think.” You try to laugh it off but looking at the object in Henry’s hand makes you realize that the last five minutes did really happen and you actually managed to piss off someone to the point where he tried to attack you.

“And we were worried it was stolen…” Lydia shakes her head when she takes the amulet and swirls it around in her hand.

“I might be wrong but I think you should try to find out who made it, especially because of the red jasper. This came real close to a fake. And you should also try to date it as well...there might be more of these out there.” You smile when Lydia agrees and collects the folders on the table, thanking you on her way out.

“My pleasure...apart from that last bit.” You laugh it off and watch as she exits the conference room with Henry.

“So…” You turn to Marcus and whisper a quick thank you when he hands you your bag.

“So, this definitely wasn’t what I had in mind when I asked you to consult on this case. I- I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am that this happened. It’s not always like this, I promise. The exciting stuff usually happens when we find guys like him in abandoned warehouses.” Marcus continues to word vomit as he leads you back to his office.

“It’s okay really. My advisor always warned me about this.”

“About working with the FBI?”

“No no, about rambling so much that I piss off someone to the point where they try to kill me.” You’re taken aback by Marcus’ laugh and can’t help but giggle along with him as he leans back in his chair and continues to laugh.

“I hope that doesn’t mean you won’t work with us again?” There’s something in his voice that doesn’t ease the butterflies in your stomach and you place your hand on your chest dramatically as you bat your eyes at him.

“Why Agent Pike, are you trying to recruit me to the FBI?” You ask sarcastically and watch as he shrugs his shoulders before shutting off his computer and standing up.

“Just a consult here and there, should we meet another Greco-Roman artifact? Or...a fake one I guess.” You swallow the lump in your throat when you see the way he’s looking at you and hope that you’re not misreading any signs.

“Can I take you out to dinner? As a thank you and an apology for putting your life in danger?” Marcus is reluctant to ask but he takes the leap of faith and hopes that you wouldn’t reject him.

“I- actually...in all honesty, I don’t think I’ll do well in public after that whole thing.” You gesture towards the outside offices, and Marcus nods in disappointment and contemplates on whether he should ask you to dinner some other time. You never give him a chance to follow-up though.

“How about take-out at my place?” You stand up and smile when you see his eyes beam with excitement as he fixes his tie and motions towards the door.

“Lead the way doctor.” You flush under the title and walk ahead so he doesn’t notice the obvious effect he’s having on you. You glance at Marcus every now and then as you make your way out of the building and towards his car.

You chat about random things as he drives through the busy streets, and you feel your heart skip a beat when he says something scandalous about your favorite Impressionist artwork, not because of the comment but because of the way he winks at you as he slides his hand to your thighs and nudges them to let you know he was just joking. You hope that Marcus asks for your number by the end of the night, maybe even invite you to dinner again, because if you’re being honest, it’s been a while since you met a decent guy and he’s been checking all of your boxes all day long.

Kind. Intelligent. Hard-working. Funny. And of course, attractive. There was something about the way he smiles and you kept on replaying the moment he hid you behind him and continued to ask if you were alright.

“What do you mean you don’t like Bal du moulin de la Galette? It’s one of the most magnificent paintings out there. Best of Renoir’s if you ask me.” You unlock the door and switch on the lights, throwing your coat and bag on the wall before telling Marcus to make himself at him. He takes his jacket off and hangs it as well, turning around to continue his argument.

“Listen, I’m just not a crowd kind of guy. I’m more of a Paris Street, Rainy Day man okay so-”

“Why am I not surprised by that?” You laugh as you bring him a cup of water, hoping you were being subtle as you continued to check out the gun resting in his holster. Shaking your head, you take your phone out again and tell him that it’ll take you a few minutes to order pizza since neither of you can make up your mind.

Marcus looks around when you walk away to place the order, his eyes taking in the three bookshelves behind your couch. It’s almost as if the office space wasn’t enough so you had to make more room for all of your textbooks and novels. Maybe it was the other way around…

He takes a sip of water and glances to the side, instantly choking on the liquid when his eyes zero in on the three watercolor paintings hanging above your television. Marcus blinks rapidly and rubs his eyes to make sure that he wasn’t seeing things. He approaches the wall and looks between the three artworks, unable to tear his gaze away. He notices new details every time he focuses on a different corner of each painting, and his pants suddenly feel uncomfortable when he shifts closer.

“Pizza will be here in thirty-ish minutes and-” You almost drop the phone when Marcus jumps back and almost trips over his own feet. “Sorry I didn’t mean to scare you.” When you walk closer and see the blush creeping down his neck, you can’t help but giggle and glance at your paintings, almost as if you were taunting him into commenting on your choice in decoration.

“These are...interesting.” Marcus avoids looking at them when you stand next to him, merely pointing to the side as he looks at you.

“Oh no...here we go. I know what that means. You don’t like them?” You tilt your head to the side and hold back from smiling when he takes a long sip of water before he sets down the glass.

“N-no no, that’s not...I didn’t mean- I just...it’s a bold choice.” His stutter makes you laugh even harder and you apologize when his blush deepens. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to laugh. It’s always really funny when people come over because I get all kinds of reactions but you’re definitely the first guy that doesn’t call me a slut because I have pornographic paintings hanging in my living room.”

“Why not? The Dutch lords and the Italian merchants did it, why can’t you?” Marcus is almost offended by the remark and he forgets all about the awkwardness of the paintings when he sees you nod aggressively in agreement.

“Exactly!? Why is a guy allowed to hang an Odalisque in his home but I can’t hang some BDSM scenes?” You take the glass from the table and ask him if he wants more. Marcus shakes his head and quickly attempts to fix himself through his pants before you return.

“So you like them then?” You lounge on one chair and wait for Marcus to sit on the couch before you ask him.

“It’s a different aesthetic I think, and it somehow goes well with your bookshelves. Something about textbooks and nude paintings depicting sex just goes together...can’t explain how. And kudos to the artist too! The brushstrokes, the layering, the complementary colors...the scenes and positions are so natural. They’re perfect combinations. Did you pick them or did you commission them?”

“Oh I commissioned two of them. The third was just too good to not order. I’ll ask you this then, which ones do you think I commissioned?” Marcus glances to the canvases again and grows quiet for a few moments, his eyes switching from one painting to another before he meets your gaze.

“I think you commissioned the two on the left.”

“Why?” You try to hide how impressed you are by how he correctly figured you out, almost cringing when the question leaves your mouth before you could stop yourself. As much as you enjoy where this conversation was going, you really hope this wouldn’t lead to some misogynistic response on his part. Just as Marcus is about to respond, the doorbell rings and you tell him you’ll be right back.

Marcus thanks the heavens that the pizza arrives because he isn’t sure how he could respond to that question without accidentally giving his train of thoughts away. When you come back with plates and napkins, Marcus thanks you and proceeds to separate the pizza slices.

“It was the closest I could get to owning something that resembled the area I study.” You say through chewing and Marcus furrows his eyebrows, silently asking you to elaborate on your comment.

“Nudity I mean. I can’t afford sculptures so I settled with these.”

“They are beautiful. And the positions are-” Marcus stops abruptly when he realizes that his inner monologue just rolled off of his tongue.

“Go on, what were you going to say?”

“I- uh, I just think that the positions are intimate. And they become more intimate the longer you look at them.” He chews faster when you nod and take another slice of pizza.

“You have a favorite?” You ask and pretend you aren’t paying attention to every single word he says. You get the sense that he has a lot to say about the paintings but is choosing to hold back so you don’t get the wrong idea about why he is having dinner with you in your apartment after only knowing you for a few hours.

“Definitely the middle one.” His answer surprises you, especially because the one on the right has handcuffs and you genuinely thought he’d be into that because of his line of work.

“Really? Why?”

“Oh...I- this might sound weird but I think the scene is intense and- and close? Private? I’m not sure what it is I’m trying to say but the fact that she’s completely nude except for the panties around her thighs while he’s fully clothed and is focusing on her pleasure is- it’s intimate. And the hand on her back is a mixture of dominance and care, like he’s letting her know that she has his undivided attention but she has to behave for him.” You’re not sure when exactly you stopped eating and you clear your throat when you realize that Marcus was looking at you to gauge your reaction.

“Y-yeah that...ahuh.” Something about the way he says the word ‘behave’ twists your insides and you immediately stand up and head to the kitchen, whispering something about needing to wash down the food with something. Marcus eats quietly and hopes he hasn’t just made things even more awkward. When you come back and hand him a glass of red wine, Marcus relaxes and continues to eat.

“Have you ever drawn something like this?” You shake your head as you take a sip of the wine, laying against the back of the couch and crossing your legs.

“I wish. Human anatomy is so fascinating I think. I sometimes get this adrenaline rush when I look at the far right one and I tell myself that I’ll sketch all the risque and open positions I can think of but then I remember how long it would take me to finish one piece and I- I don’t have time for that sadly.”

“You can always start out with simpler ones? Maybe solo pieces, and move up from there.” Marcus mirrors you and sits back with the wine glass in his hand.

“Yeah, but I just love this kind of genre so much. It needs to be passionate, and sexy and out there you know.” Marcus smiles at the energetic response, feeling much more relaxed now that he’s had a cup of wine and found chatting about your choice in decoration less awkward.

“I get you. It’s why that lifestyle is interesting to so many people. The whole dynamic, whether we’re talking about the figures in the scene or actual partners, is based on that trust. You- you have to create that sense of trust and comfort for the scene to be enjoyable...pleasurable. It’s not as easy as some think it to be. As a Dom, you have to be aware of your partner at all times and the effect you have on them. And the same goes for a Sub too. You need to ensure that your Dom knows how much trust you put in them and the level of dedication that’s going into the scene. Both parties are depending on each other and it’s- it’s amazing.” Marcus smiles when he notices the intensity swimming in your eyes and he gives you a few seconds to collect your bearings before he asks his next question.

“Would you draw something as intimate as that?” He breaks the silence and watches your train of thought come and go.

“Would you?” You throw the question right back at him, holding in a breath when you see him lean forward with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

“I would...but only if I have the right model.” Marcus doesn’t know where all of this is coming from but he can’t find it in himself to break whatever bubble the two of you found yourselves in. You’re silent for a few moments, long enough for Marcus to think that maybe, just maybe, he’s crossed the line.

But then you’re smiling at him mischievously, chugging down the rest of the wine before standing up and heading towards the hallway.

“I have an easel and some 16x20 papers lying around...I hope you don’t mind working with chalk.” You throw back at him before you walk down the hallway and Marcus has to give himself a quick pep talk before he follows you. He slowly makes his way into your bedroom and stands at the doorstep until you allow him to come in.

“I think the lighting is best in this corner but you’ll be the one working so sit wherever you prefer.” You bring over a chair and set it in front of the easel before you grab the large box of supplies and pull out all the chalk sticks that you have. Marcus nods in silence as he pushes the easel closer to your bed and begins to choose which of the chalk sticks he wants. There is a variety of shapes and sizes, and he’s not sure if he should start out bold or if he should ease himself into this. It’s been a while since he’s drawn a model and he really doesn’t want to screw up, especially because it is you.

Marcus is so busy preparing his workstation that he doesn’t notice you stripping off your clothes. You keep your eyes on him and find the little scrunch he does with his eyebrows when he focuses on something endearing. Taking a deep breath, you take off your bra and panties before laying on the bed and getting in a comfortable position. Your movements are minimal, and you stretch out your legs in wait for him. You fight the part of you that’s yelling at you to cover yourself and keep your focus on him to gauge his reaction.

“Pose however you want and we can work on the postures once we-” The words die in his throat as soon as he looks up from the easel and sees your state of dress, or lack thereof. The thick chalk stick he’s holding between his fingers snaps in half and breaks the blanket of silence that fell on the room. He visibly gulps and doesn’t try to hide the way his eyes trail down your form slowly before they return to look into your dilated ones. Marcus knows for a fact that the image of your heaving chest and hardened nipples will forever be etched in his mind.

“I- uhh, are you...c-comfortable?” He hates how much he’s stuttering and you smile at him when you notice how he is focusing on the wall behind you and not you.

You look around for a few moments, grabbing a couple of pillows and placing them behind your back before you stretch out one leg and bend the other one to your chest. Marcus almost chokes on his breath when he sees how open you are being with him but he says nothing and turns his attention to the blank piece of paper underneath his hand.

“I’m ready.” Your voice brings him out of his stupor and he nods briefly as he tries to reason with himself. He cannot draw you unless he looks at you. But he is well aware of the hardening predicament he’s currently suffering from and he’s sure you probably noticed by now the effect you were having on him.

“I won’t tell you how to do your job Agent, but artists usually have to look at the models they’re drawing to...you know, draw them.” Marcus rolls his eyes at the teasing remark, briefly glancing at you with a raised eyebrow before he begins to softly outline the shape of your shoulders. His cock twitches in his pants and he tries his hardest to not squirm too much in his seat. But every time his eyes move towards your nude form laying not five feet away from him, he silently curses himself and pretends he’s fine and that he isn’t imagining pushing you down and shoving his tongue deep into your wet cunt.

“Are you usually this quiet when you’re sketching, Agent Pike?” Something about the way you’re addressing him makes him clench his jaw tightly and he unintentionally whispers a little louder than he intends in response.

“Jesus fucking Christ.”

Your giggles let him know that you heard his remark and he is sure his face is growing a deeper shade of red but he shrugs his shoulders and ignores your obvious amusement. Marcus swallows the lump in his throat as he shifts his focus below your neck, parting his lips when he notices the tilt of your head from his peripheral vision as he ceases all movement and continues to stare at your chest.

“Oh sorry, is my arm in the way,” you lower your arms and move them behind you to support your weight, never breaking eye contact with him as you rock your bent leg back and forth and give him a full view of your most intimate parts.

Marcus is almost shaking in his seat at the sight of your breasts, unaware that he’s harshly rubbing the chalk stick with his thumb the more your leg sways to the side and reveals the outer folds of your pussy.

“P-perfect, thank you.” He whispers and returns to the sheet in front of him, biting into his lower lip as he rolls the chalk across and sketches the curves of your breasts. For a moment, he forgets what he is doing and narrows his eyes at the shapes in front of him before he smudges the black material across to shade in the skin. He looks back and forth for a couple of minutes until he’s happy with the shading of your body.

You marvel at how he’s managing to keep it together for this long when all you can think about is begging for him to fuck you into the mattress. You thought it would be easy for him to break but ever the gentleman, he takes the task seriously and tries his hardest to not dwell on your skin for longer than necessary.

A thought comes through your mind and you smile to yourself as you shift your bent leg to the side and move the other one until it falls from the side of the bed. You stare at him and hope this is what finally does the trick. And you don’t have to wait for too long because the next time Marcus looks at you, he takes a double-take and doesn’t bother to hide how he’s only focusing on the skin between your thighs.

“I thought it would be easier for you, you know. Easier access and everything.” You’re not sure what you’re going on about but you can tell that it’s taking every ounce of control in his body to not pounce on you. You hold your breath when Marcus stands up and meets your eyes, and you think this is it. This is the moment you’ve been waiting for.

But then he’s freeing the paper from the easel and moving towards you, his expression never once giving his plan away. You gulp when he kneels at the foot of your bed and sets the paper between your thighs.

“You’re right, easier access,” Marcus says as he brings the chalk down on the paper and sketches your thighs, not bothering for propriety as his eyes zero in on your slit. You know you’re wet and you can feel slick easing down your folds but you don’t move a muscle, watching him as he expertly outlines your skin before he rubs the chalk with his thumb to shade the area again.

“It’s not quite how I want it…” His remark makes you shiver and you’re about to beg him to forgo the sketch when he leans forward and nudges your legs apart, perhaps a little carelessly, before he collects your arousal with his middle finger and swipes it across your folds. You’re shocked by the turn of events and barely hold back from moaning as he dips the clean finger into your pussy and rubs your walls for a few more seconds, his soft brown eyes turning dangerous as pushes his finger a little deeper and bites his lower lip when he feels you clenching around him. Marcus turns his attention back to you, his jaw tensing when he sees sheer bliss etched on your expression. Your little gasps are music to his ears and just as he feels your hips moving against him, he pulls his hand away.

You watch him like a hawk as he inspects his finger, gasping when he smudges at the chalk on the sketch to create darker shades around your center.

“Hmm, that’s more like it.” Marcus turns to you and smirks when he sees your parted lips turn into a frown.

“Do you not like it?” He feigns ignorance and raises an eyebrow when your frown deepens as you move back into your pillows. You lean back but continue to hold his gaze as you part your thighs and lazily stroke your cunt. Marcus slowly puts down the paper and chalk onto the floor and stands up just as you begin to pinch your nipples.

“Please…” Your whispered plea shoots straight to his cock and he laughs when it turns into a whine once he makes his way to the bathroom in your room. He says nothing as he quickly washes his hands and dries them before moving back and standing next to your bed.

You don’t stop touching yourself, hoping the needy sight of you is all the push he needs to take what he wants.

“What’s your safeword doctor?” Marcus keeps his hands in his pockets as he trails his eyes down your shivering body. He’s itching to touch you but he remains still and waits for confirmation that you do, in fact, want this as much as him. A part of him knows that the two of you should probably slow down and perhaps discuss whatever this is before you go any further. But it feels right being here with you. And he doesn’t want to give it up just yet.

“J-Jasper.” Your voice breaks when you see the hunger swimming in his eyes and you shift to the center of your bed as Marcus kicks off his shoes before taking off his socks.

“Hmm.” Marcus hums as he takes off the holster from his belt and quietly places the gun on your nightstand. When he turns back and sees you watching the gun and increasing your movements, he groans down at you before walking around the bed.

“Maybe another time baby...when you and I are a little more acquainted with each other.” You flush at the implications behind his words and nod at him. You watch as he begins to roll up his sleeves and your anticipation grows with each inch of skin he reveals.

“You look so pretty sweetheart, all needy and desperate for my touch. Do you want to cum baby?” Marcus asks teasingly and you nod frantically as you begin to push two fingers into your cunt.

“Nuh uh, use your words. I’ll let it go this time but from now on, you use your words if you want something from me.” His tone is less gentle and your inner walls spasm at the thought of hearing that same commanding voice telling you to get on your knees for him.

“S-sorry yes...yes please. I- I want to cum, please.” Marcus smiles in amusement as he steps closer to the bed until his knees touch the mattress.

“Good girl. Now, if you really want to cum, then you better come here and suck me off. Be a good girl for me and show me what that sweet fucking mouth of yours can do.” His chest puffs out proudly when he sees how quickly you’re moving to please him. You lay on your stomach and palm him through his pants, moaning along with him when you find him hard and ready for you.

“May I undress you?”

“Go on sweetheart, take what you want.” Marcus caresses your cheek as you excitedly unbuckle his belt and unzip his pants. He doesn’t dare look away as you shove his pants down his thighs before leaning forward and nuzzling your nose into the bulge of his boxer briefs.

“Fuck baby, are you trying to kill me?” You giggle and shake your head in response, purposely rubbing his length with your nose just before you feel his fingers combing through your hair and tugging on it.

“Remember sweetheart...bad girls don’t get to cum. Stop your teasing before I shove my cock down your throat.” Marcus pulls on your hair harshly and groans when he sees you smiling up at him.

“Is that a promise Agent Pike?” You know you’re pushing his buttons and don’t hold back from gasping his name as he rolls you onto your back and aggressively pushes his boxer briefs down far enough to free his cock. He’s not really a vain man but seeing you lick your lips and inch closer to him as you stare at his hard dick makes him just a little cocky.

“Go on baby, open your mouth. Part those pretty fucking lips for me.” Marcus pats your lips softly and shivers when you respond to him right before you shut your eyes and wait for him to give you his cock.

“Yes sir.”

His knees buckle for a second the moment you take his tip into your mouth and suck on it. Marcus is torn between throwing his head back to enjoy the softness of your mouth and keeping his eyes on you as you suck on his cock. He leans forward and bites his cheek when you relax your throat and take more of his cock down your throat.

“P-part your legs for me baby please. Let me- oh fuck, your mouth is made of magic sweetheart. Let me- let me see how wet that pretty cunt is.” Marcus is already breathing heavily and he furrows his eyebrows in focus, not wanting to end this night early. You swallow around him a few times and hum when you feel his hand cupping your breasts while the other rests around your throat.

Taking a deep breath through your nose, you try to take him down as deep as possible just as you part your thighs and begin to play with your pussy. Marcus groans and swears above you as you work him expertly and he can’t hold back from pushing the palm of his hand a little harder on your throat. He can feel his cock passing across your pharynx and moans your name over and over again when he looks down and sees drool rolling down your cheeks.

“Ahh fuck oh god, s-sweetheart you’re a fucking dream. W-where have you been all my life?” Marcus continues to kneed at your tits, but when he gets a little irritated when he sees your fingers rubbing your clit. Without warning, he leans forward as far as he can and slaps your hand away, replacing it with his own and biting his cheek when he finds you soaking.

“Shit baby, you’re so wet. Is this all for me?” You hum around him and twitch in surprise when you feel two of his thick fingers pushing past your wet folds and into your cunt. You’re already so close to coming from his teasing and you whimper when he nudges your thighs apart aggressively.

“Keep those legs open for me baby. Shit, the smell of you is fucking intoxicating. Fuck, that it’s, get on your hands and knees for me.” Marcus moves away and silences you with one look when you start to whine and reach for his cock.

“Unless you want to call it a night, you’ll get on your fucking hands and knees for me. Shit baby I’ve wanted to shove my tongue in that pussy as soon as you stripped for me.” He never breaks eye contact as he kicks away his pants and briefs before he makes quick work of his shirt. You quickly turn around and bite into your wrist as you get on all fours and try to look at him through your elbow. You reach down and ease two fingers into your cunt as you take in his broad shoulders and lean form. You swear his muscles flex the longer you stare at him and when you finally look at him, you’re a little embarrassed at being caught openly ogling him.

“Look at you, like a bitch in heat.” Regret rolls off of him as soon as he registers what he just said. An apology is on the tip of his tongue but then you’re arching your back and shifting closer to him, giving him a show as you curve your knuckles to try and hit that sweet spot inside of you.

“Oh aren’t you the prettiest sweetheart in the world.” You moan his name when he caresses your back and kneels behind you, laying soft kisses across your back as he palms and lightly smacks your ass. Marcus removes your hand away slowly but not before licking your fingers and humming around them as the taste of you fills his mouth.

“Marcus please...I- I need you inside me.”

“What do you need from me? You want my tongue and fingers? Or do you think this cunt is ready to take my cock?” Marcus nips at your skin and pushes a hand on your lower back when you try and move away from him.

“W-whatever you want...just- need to feel you inside me. I don’t care, please. Oh fuck...please.” You squeal when Marcus spreads your cheeks apart and spits on your slit right before licking across your cunt. You fist your hands into the sheets and bite down on your wrist when you feel his nose nudge at your entrance as his tongue flicks your engorged clit.

“Good answer sweetheart,” you hear him whisper just as he kisses across your folds and dips his tongue into your core. You’re already shaking with need and rock back against him, hoping he’d end your agony and give you his fingers as well. Marcus is losing his mind and he tries his hardest to focus on pleasuring you. But it’s so hard to hold back when you’re whimpering at his touch and shoving your pussy in his face to get more friction.

“Stop moving,” Marcus growls against you, and you cry out his name when his palms land on your ass cheeks three consecutive times before he rubs the reddening skin.

“Oh god, your tongue feels so good Marcus. D-don’t stop, please. I want to cum, l-let me cum. You’re so fucking- ahh s-shit.” You think you feel him smile against you as he pushes two fingers into your pussy but you can’t be sure because you suddenly feel full. Fuck, and it’s only his fingers.

“Jesus Christ sweetheart, you’re so fucking tight. Can’t wait to feel you around my cock.” He slowly parts you with his fingers and groans when he feels you squeezing his fingers. When you try to move against him again, Marcus slithers his hand across your back and grabs your neck, pushing your face into the bed as he leans over to whisper in your ears.

“You’re being such a bad girl tonight. I won’t give you another warning baby. Move again and I won’t fuck you.” You shiver when you hear his hoarse voice on your ears, grasping the pillows as hard as you can when he pushes his fingers as deep as possible and curls his knuckles.

“N-no please...I’m s-sorry- ahh gahd I’ll stop. I’ll stop.” Marcus is pleased with the effect he’s clearly having on you and almost gives in. But he wants you to cum before he takes you. From the looks of it, you aren’t looking for anything gentle, and with how hard he is, has been for the entire day, he doesn’t have the self-control to be anything but rough.

“Good girl...sweet fucking girl.” You force yourself to remain immobile as you feel him reaching deeper and applying more pressure on your spongy walls. The hand on your neck moves to your back and massages your heated skin. It takes you a while to realize that he’s reenacting the paintings in your living room and the thought shakes you to your core. Before you can even warn him, you feel a familiar pressure growing in the depths of your stomach and your heart hammers in your chest as you lose yourself to the sudden swelling sensation. You gasp his name over and over again as you cum around his fingers, and Marcus fists his hand in your hair when he feels you shuddering beneath him.

He’s shocked at how quickly you unravel at his ministrations and he doesn’t look away as he brushes his thumb against your clit and watches your body fight to not move away from him.

“M-Marcus wait- I...too much.” You can barely form a coherent sentence, let alone a thought, and you bite into the sheets when you feel his scruff scratch your skin deliciously as he licks off your juices.

“Use your safeword sweetheart and I’ll stop. But you came without asking so now I have to punish you...fuck, you taste as good as you smell baby, shit, maybe even better.” Marcus slows down but continues to move his digits across your tightening walls and when you say nothing, he sits up and twists his hand, waiting for your breathing to slow down before he begins to fuck you with his fingers.

“Oh oh f-fuck I- Marcus M-Marcus oh god...yes please fuck ahh I- I’m…” You try to warn him but he doesn’t slow down once, continuing his assault on your abused cunt until he feels you tightening around him again.

“Beg!”

“Can I- oh god, can I cum? Please fuck, I- I can’t s-stah ahh fuck.” You reach around and dig your nails into the hand fisting in your hair. You try to warn him again of what’s about to happen but he doesn’t give you a chance, picking up the pace just as he curves his digits and rubs at your sensitive spot.

“Drench me baby.” It’s all you need to fall over the edge again and your vision whites out as you convulse around him. Marcus smiles proudly when you listen to his command but his expression changes to one of awe when he feels you gush around his hand and wet his arm and thighs. He doesn’t stop once, completely captivated by the sight of your juices flowing around him so easily. When you try to move up the bed, Marcus lets go of your neck and pushes down on your lower back to keep you still. The damp spot beneath you is growing and something primal takes over Marcus. He wants nothing more than to soak the entire bed.

But he snaps out of his haze when you cry out his name and beg him to slow down. He looks at you as he gradually comes to a halt but keeps his fingers in your pussy. Marcus massages your muscles as he eases his wet fingers out of you and carefully maneuvers you until you’re laying on your back. You hiss at the sudden feeling of emptiness and almost jump away when you feel his tongue passing across the skin of your thighs. When you finally have enough mind to look at him, you’re taken aback by the sheer bliss written on his face as he closes his eyes and cleans you up. Your eyes widen in horror and embarrassment when you look at his glistening skin and you call for him shyly to grab his attention.

“I-I’m so sorry...I- I’ve never-”

“Don’t you dare apologize. That was the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen and the fact that I’m the first to make you squirt...best feedback I’ve ever gotten.” Marcus cuts you off as he licks at his forearm and fingers before he sits up behind you. You find his gaze much more intense than before and you hide behind your arm to avoid it.

“Marcus, stop.” He laughs at your sudden shyness and leans over to pull your arms away from your face.

“Please baby, don’t hide from me. Please.” You feel exposed underneath him and it’s a stupid thought considering what the two of you have been doing so far. But something about the way he’s staring at you with those deep, brown, soulful eyes makes you want to hide under the sheets. But instead, you take his hand and pull him close until he’s flush against you.

“K-kiss me.” You watch as his expression intensifies just as he leans forward and molds his lips with yours. You expected him to be rough but the way he parts his lips and allows you access to his mouth leaves you breathless. His scruff and mustache heighten the sensation and you instantly shove your tongue in his mouth when he melts against you. You hum when you finally taste yourself on his tongue and Marcus growls as the kiss grows more desperate. Just as you run out of breath, Marcus pulls away and holds back from smiling when you chase after him.

“Sweetheart, c-can I have you?” You’re amazed by how he’s still asking you if you want to do this even after the events of the past hour or so.

“Yes, please.” You respond as you push him off to resume your previous position again. Marcus feels his cock harden at the sight of you on your knees for him. But the moment shatters into a million pieces when he looks down and realizes that he doesn’t have any condoms.

“Fuck.” He hisses and begins to move away when he feels your hands reach for his thighs to stop him.

“What? What is it?”

“I- I didn’t think this would...I don’t have any condoms baby.” You stare at him for a few seconds before you break the silence and hope he doesn’t think any less of you. “I was tested after the last time and I’m clear. A-are you?” Marcus pins you with his eyes as he nods along. “I’m clean too...and, it’s been a while.” He hates to admit that last bit but he wants you to know that this, whatever it is, is serious.

“Same.” Your answer surprises him and he’s about to ask how that’s possible but forgets the question when you shift closer to him and dig your nails into his thighs to grab his attention.

“Fuck me.” The vulgar request sounds so pure rolling off of your tongue and Marcus pushes your knees wide open and settles between them. You continue to stare at him with hunger in your eyes as he strokes his cock a few times before he slides it across your wet slit. You’re already so sensitive from earlier but you can’t care less because you’ve only wanted to feel him inside you for the better half of the day. Marcus bites his lower lip and grasps your hips with one hand as he positions himself against your entrance and slowly pushes past your wet folds. He feels your walls already clenching around him and he hesitates for a moment as he moves his hands across your back to try and get you to loosen up.

“F-fuck...relax sweetheart. Relax for me please. I- I don’t- oh god, h-how are you this tight?” Your walls flutter around him when his hoarse, almost pained voice sounds through the room. “You’re doing so good baby, taking my cock in that pretty little cunt. Fuck, that’s it. Let me in sweetheart...could make you feel so good. Shit, that’s it.” Marcus cooes above you as he feels you slowly sucking him in. You sigh heavily when he finally sheathes himself completely inside you and it’s not until a few moments later that you realize he hasn’t moved a muscle.

“Marcus, m-move. Fuck, just- move.” Your impatient groans make him twitch inside you and the two of you hiss when his hips jut forward at your gasped requests. His hands hold onto you a little harshly, squeezing the skin of your hips and making you giddy at the thought of seeing those bruises the following day.

“Just wait...please baby I- I don’t want to hurt you. You feel so fucking good around me and- and I...oh fuck, f-fuck...squeezing the shit out of me. Please I-”

“Fuck. Me.” You turn your head around enough to look at him and find the sight of his sweaty forehead and furrowed eyebrows intoxicating. He can sense your eyes on him and reluctantly looks down at you when you pronounce those two words, watching as you pierce him with a harsh gaze as you roll your hips against him.

“I- are you…”

“Fucking please...take what you want.” The desperate tone of your voice breaks him and he pulls away until the tip of his cock is nudged in between your folds before he snaps his hips forward aggressively.

You shut your eyes and cry into your pillows as Marcus lets go and pounds into you. He’s no longer trying to hold back and you feel proud of the effect you have on him. Thinking back to the past hour, you realize that Marcus was going out of his way to control himself and not hurt you. But with every brush of his cock against your inner walls, with every groaned swear word and whispered affirmation, you can’t help but beg for him to fuck you harder. To take you like a crazed man. Because now that you’ve had a taste of what he’s capable of, you don’t want him to ease up on you.

“Shit baby, you’re perfect. Fucking perfect. Your cunt is begging for my cock sweetheart. Can you feel how deep I am? How deep this tight pussy is sucking me in?” Marcus nudges your knees a little farther apart as he plunges into you over and over again. You’re a moaning mess beneath him and as you try to reach back to hold onto his hands, Marcus lets go of your hips and grabs your wrists, using them as leverage to fuck you deeper.

You scream his name as his thrusts become relentless, the resonating sound of skin against skin reminding you of how sore you were going to feel for the rest of the week. You can’t really pay attention to what he’s saying anymore, choosing to focus on the way his dick fills you up completely and hits your special spot with precision. The thought of knowing that you’re at this man’s mercy and that he’s using you like he owns you makes you shudder and Marcus doesn’t realize you’re coming around him until he feels a pressure push out of you. He looks down and watches your cunt gushes on his cock and thighs again, the sight somehow even prettier the second time than the first.

He waits until you’re no longer convulsing in his arms before he thrusts his cock back into your pussy. Marcus leans down and wraps his arms around your front to bring you flush against his chest. Marcus brushes your hair aside and nuzzles into your neck as he begins to roll his hips against your ass, trying to drive his cock into you even further without hurting you. You reach around and pull on his hair when he bites on the juncture of your neck.

“You’re amazing, sweetheart.” The confession feels more intimate than anything he’s said to you thus far and you throw your head back and smile when his hands roam your front and settle on your navel.

“Marcus...please.”

“What do you need, baby? I’ll give you anything. Tell me...oh god, I- I’m so close.” Marcus kisses across your shoulder as one hand cups your breasts while the other descends to your clit. He feels you convulse around him but he doesn’t move his hand away, wanting to feel you cum one last time around his cock.

“I- I need you to cum for me...cum inside me. Fill me up baby...wanna feel you so deep inside me. Make a mess of my cunt. Please.”

“C-can you give me another?” He’s breathless, his pace faltering when he feels your walls squeeze around him tightly with every pass of his cock against your heated core.

‘I- I don’t think I can...too much baby.”

“Please, for me. Cum for me o-one last time...oh god, I’m close sweetheart. B-but I wanna cum with you. Please oh fuck- oh god, I- I’m fucking coming.” He growls into the crook of your neck as he rubs at your clit harshly, crying your name like a prayer as he feels you milk him dry. His thrusts are desperate and you pull on his hair harder than you intend when you feel his cum fill you up. Marcus can barely breathe as he shoots his seed deep in your pussy and feels you pulse around him. He continues to buck against you, the caveman mindset telling him to breed you and fill you up until you can’t take it anymore.

He stays motionless for a few minutes before he finally registers that you probably need to rest. As carefully as possible, Marcus pulls out and cradles your body against him as he lays you on your back. He looks down at you and smiles when he sees the mess he’s made between your thighs. He tries to get off the bed to bring you a cup of water and grab a wet towel when you reach out and pull him by his wrist.

“I need to clean you up sweetheart.” He tries to reason with you but you shake your head and pull harder on his hand so he could sit next to you.

“No just- come here. I need you. Please.” Marcus doesn’t have to be told twice. He lays down next to you and kisses your forehead when you cuddle into his arms. He draws circles on your shoulder and back when he feels your fingers play with his chest hair.

“Are you alright baby?” Marcus asks and pulls his head back when you hum a soft ‘yes.’ He searches your expression for any sign of discomfort, and when he finds none, he rests his head back again and lets you explore his skin.

“Hmm...did you know that hair was used in some ancient spells to ensure that the desired outcome occurred?” You break the silence after a while and Marcus furrows his eyebrows at you when you look up from his chest and meet his face.

“Uhh should I be worried Y/N?” He asks almost immediately and laughs when you panic and try to retract what you just said.

“Oh god sorry that- I didn’t mean...Jesus, I still need to work on my bedside manner.”

“I was kidding sweetheart. I actually enjoy listening to people talking about their interests, it’s a little calming. And no, I didn’t know that. What kind of spells are we talking about here?” You’re surprised by his response but say nothing and continue to follow the soft trail of hairs down his chest.

“Well, there are lots of curses that didn’t need hair but it was better if they were added...for efficacy and such. But the most common spells that required little curls like these were love spells, which technically are also curses but it sounds better when you say that it’s just a spell.”

“Are you trying to tell me something doctor?” Marcus can’t help but tease you again and he snorts when you sit up on your elbow and try to justify what you just said. He pulls you back into his arms and brushes your hair aside to take a better look at you.

“Oh no no, I just- I tend to think about this stuff at random times. Sorry. I swear I’m too much of a wimp to actually try anything. You never know if the desired outcome has any side effects...”

“No need to apologize baby. Besides, I don’t think you’ll ever need love magic with me.” The admission is out before he can stop himself and he cringes at himself, hoping that you don’t misunderstand him.

“Oh yeah, and why is that Agent Pike?” The hint of amusement in your tone lets him know that you didn’t mind teasing him back and he blinks a few times at the ceiling before he turns to gaze into your eyes.

“Well, you’re doing fine on your own being this amazing human being. You’re mesmerizing when you’re lecturing, you’re confident in your skills and knowledge, your intelligence is- I’m sure I’ve only scratched the surface with the case today. And you’re the prettiest little thing I’ve ever seen...we could work a bit on your art choices but-”

“Hey!” You slap his shoulder and try to slither away from him but he’s too quick and wraps his arms around you before you can get off the bed.

“I’m kidding, I'm kidding...your art choices are the cherry on top.” Marcus nudges your nose with his and leans down to kiss you. He smiles when you moan beneath him. But the kiss is cut short when you push him away suddenly and narrow your eyes at him.

“You never told me how you knew which ones I commissioned.”

“Ugh no please, you’re going to think I’m a pervert.” Marcus falls back on the bed and tries to hide behind his arms.

“Oh yeah?” You slowly trail your hand down his stomach and wrap it around his cock. It’s all Marcus needs to lower his arm and look down to where you’re touching him. He shuts his eyes and lets his head fall back when you lean forward and nip at his jaw.

“B-baby fuck...oh god, please. I- I need a few more minutes and-”

“Tell me, please.” You cut him off with a bite to the shoulder, giggling when he thrusts up into your loose hold to get more friction.

“I- I was picturing the two of us...fuck, re-reenacting those scenes and those two jumped out more...more than the third.” He can barely speak through the haze you’ve put him in, and moans your name when you reach down and fondle his balls just as you whisper in his ears.

“How scandalous of you Agent Pike!”

“Sweetheart, please.” Marcus whines for you, the arm around your back pulling you flush to him and giving him perfect access to your breasts. He wraps his lips around one nipple and softly sucks on it as you continue to stroke his cock.

“Hmm, I like the sound of you begging...baby. Tell me, do you by any chance have your handcuffs on you?” The question catches him off guard, and he pulls away to look at you, finding a different kind of fire dancing behind your eyes.

“Fuck…I- uhh, they’re in the car. W-wait where are you going?” Marcus regrets his answer as soon as you let go of him and jump off of the bed. He watches as you run to the bathroom without answering him, only to return a few seconds later with bright red handcuffs clanking between your fingers.

“To get my own set Agent. Like you said, you and I need to get acquainted.” You unlock them as you walk back to the bed and straddle his thighs. Marcus looks at you with adoration and softly nods at you when you silently ask him if you could cuff him to the headboard of your bed.

“I’m yours sweetheart, take what you want.”

Taglist (some aren't working):

@pastel-0-princess @feelmyroarrrr @libbymouse @its--fandom--darling @spideysimpossiblegirl @princess76179 @cheekygeek05 @miraclesoflove @purple-mango @freeshavocadoooo @metalarmsandmanbuns @acthenerd @greeneyedblondie44 @cannedsoupsucks @purplepascal042 @talesfromtheguild @f0rever15elf @vibin-hippie @onesmokinbabe @leaiorganas @words-way-of-life @kideyz @lovesickmadsadpoet @niall7inches @rosiefridayrogersunday @tati-adventures @sleep-tight1 @itsfreeekinbats @cybergroupie @vibin-hippie @marsplsstop @fan-of-encouragement @evelynseventyr

[printandmatter]

Session 5: Abeera Kamran & Pattern Making with Stamps

Written by Hannan Almasyabi

This week's session began with a fantastic talk from guest speaker Abeera Kamran, which was especially interesting for me, as I found it reminded me of that ever-old debate of 'art vs STEM subjects' and 'left side of the brain vs right side of the brain', where it's suggested that instead of both coexisting, it must be a choice between one or the other. Abeera's talk was a clear demonstration that there is no conflict between creative expression and practical need as she took us on a journey through Urdu's deep ties to identity, history, the practical hurdles and all-round accessibility.

As someone from a non-South Asian background it was a fascinating glimpse into a language I knew next to nothing about and provided me with a deeper appreciation and some small understanding of the language and it's beauty.

To give a bit of context to the speaker, Abeera Kamran is a graphic designer and front-end web developer based between Birmingham, UK and Karachi, Pakistan. Her work encompasses web design and development, typography, publication design and more. During her talk, she highlighted a range of different projects she'd worked on including several that featured the Urdu language, outlining why the way that Urdu was presented in each print and web project was very particular to ensuring that key information was conveyed appropriately to an Urdu speaking audience. Abeera recently completed an MA Research in Typography course at the University of Reading, her research looked at the challenges surrounding digitizing the Urdu language including the historical, cultural, design and technological complexities surrounding the typographic representation of the popular Lahori Nasta'liq in web browsers.

In the image above, Abeera demonstrates to us how letters in the Nasta'liq script not only start higher up at the beginning of the word and move down, but words overlap, making the move from traditional, handwritten content to digital much more difficult. Because of this, Abeera shared with us that "Urdu newsletters were still handwritten until as late as 1981 whereas mechanised printing was already in use in East Asia as early as 800AD and in Europe as early as the 15th Century." You can find more about Abeera Kamran and her work here.

The Art Workshop

This week's creative session built upon the previous session where we used erasers from your everyday stationers to create alphabet stamps, however this session we focused on making patterns. This was a nice reminder that art can be created with basic and affordable everyday materials, challenging the misconception that art is an expensive hobby. Many of us opted for designs that could easily be used to make repeat patterns, we went on to experiment with different ways of tiling the same stamp. It was fascinating to see the diversity of patterns we came up with, there were floral patterns, abstract patterns, designs featuring simpler line work all the way to intricate designs inspired by Portuguese tiles.

In my own work, I also experimented with the type of ink used to stamp with, as this gave an entirely different effect. I used the traditional stamp pad but also tested out printing with Indian ink, as the Indian ink is much darker and thicker in texture it provided a very similar style to a Lino-print which I preferred to the stamp pad effect.

Here's what my repeat pattern looked like in a 2x2 grid which I was pleased with! You can see how it differs to the stamp pad print. Below are a couple of examples of fantastic designs that were made. You can see how the same stamp changes based on how they are tiled, creating entirely different designs. Some of us even made repeat patterns combining two different stamp designs into a single print to create something entirely new. I loved seeing everyone's creative expression and ways they thought outside the box!

Follow-up from last session

In addition to the art workshop we ran, we also printed 'Ladypool Road: Impressions', a booklet about our impressions of a local road/high street we visited in a previous session. During the walk, we all did some visual research using illustration, photography and writing to document our walk. Everyone went away and worked on their pieces separately, so it was great to see some similar themes emerging in the way art pieces were interwoven in the booklet whilst simultaneously seeing the different individual perspectives everyone had even through we were all looking at the same street.

We used the Risograph to print this and went with a two-colour print of black and green which worked well.

I love the final result and the mix of patterns from this session's rubber stamps which made for good segment dividers between different themes running across the pages. It was also interesting to see how some attendees prioritised text whilst other's focussed on imagery, some producing very literal observations and others more abstract or personal reflections. I think one of the more difficult things to do in art is collate several different art styles and pieces into one cohesive flowing document which we achieved here!

Looking forward to seeing what we do in the next session and what new techniques we explore and lessons we learn from our guest speaker.

[lovelylunarwriting]

Jaemin Soulmate!AU

Jaemin has a reputation as a “cool” kind of guy, which is why he wears bracelets to hide the words permanently etched on his left wrist

“Wait- if it’s not butter, then what is it?”

Jisung and Haechan are notorious for giving him shit for having a ‘weird’ soulmate, but Jaemin thinks it’s kind of funny, honestly

Like great question dude but,,, why are you asking me this

Jaemin’s apartment is around the corner from a little family-owned grocery store that he’s frequented since his high school days.

He’s very much a regular, to the point of the owner being like “Jaemin…. Please just work here. You already know where everything is”

To which Jaemin has to respectfully decline, because he wants to focus on his dancing and singing, and working too much would get in the way of practicing.

That, however, does not stop the old man from sending customers with questions to Jaemin whenever he comes in.

Because Jaemin is too polite to be like “uhh I don’t work here, good luck”, he always ends up helping them

But secretly, he doesn’t mind. He thinks that maybe one day, his soulmate will be the next one to ask him a question.

Even after repeated questions about “how much does this cost?”, “when do you guys open tomorrow?”, “when will the next shipment of bok choy be in?”, he still isn’t terribly bothered.

The other employees chastise the boss for sending customers to Jaemin, but the old man is always like “he knows this store better than you all do. That’s why he gets a discount higher than yours”

Employee discount: 15 percent off all merchandise

Na Jaemin discount: 20 percent off all merchandise

It’s an unspoken rule amongst employees that Na Jaemin gets a discount, but they are NEVER to mention it to him! He knows that business has been rough recently and wouldn’t accept the generosity, but the boss thinks Jaemin is too skinny and wants him to be able to afford to eat well.

Now lovely reader, this is where you come in. You recently got a job at this grocery store but you work in the back, so you have never seen the famous “Na Jaemin” that all your fellow employees chat about so frequently.

Coworker #1: “Ugh, he’s like SO dreamy”

Coworker #2: “I know right? He’ll have no trouble becoming an idol at this rate”

Meanwhile you’re like “lol what who? Also where is the printer for printing clearance labels”

You specifically applied for the back of house position because you did not want to talk to people.

It’s not that you’re antisocial by any means- honestly it’s the opposite. It’s just that you have the tendency to say whatever you’re thinking with absolutely no filter.

So in the past when more…. challenging… customers have talked down to you, you gave back the same energy without thinking.

Management was not happy,,, so you were like “mmmm maybe I should just keep to myself and everyone would be happier”

One day though, it seems that you’re shit out of luck.

Your work bestie calls you at 3 in the morning on your day off saying that her kid has a fever and she’s gotta stay home and take care of him.

You have no plans other than generally being a lazy lump at home, and she’s always had your back at work, so you’re like “girl don’t worry about it, I got your shift. I’ll make some chicken noodle soup for him too”

To which she’s like “bitch if I hadn’t found my soulmate already I would’ve snatched you up T-T”

You giggle and tell her to try and get some rest- both her and her kid.

And then sleep another blissful 4 hours before rolling in for the 8am shift.

When you get there, boss man is like “ayeee so you’re covering for her shift which is stocking shelves, are you gonna be okay doing that?”

You: “Ahaha yeah it’ll be fine~ just please don’t send customers to me oh my gosh”

Boss Man: “Don’t worry, I just saw Jaemin walk in. I’ll send them to him”

You: “... who is Jaemin”

Boss Man: “He’s my FAVORITE!! Remember that!”

You: “Oh, okay!! Yes sir!”

You’re like fifteen minutes into your shift and you’re already on edge because all you’ve done so far is dodge all the old ladies who are shopping this early.

No actual products have been put on the shelves yet, or at least not by your hands.

Settling down in the dairy section, you relax a bit and start putting cold products in the cold shelves fixed to the wall.

And of course- things are in the wrong place. Why would anyone put anything back where it belongs?

Picking up a product, you glance at the label out of sheer boredom more than anything.

“Wait- if it’s not butter, then what is it?”, you say to yourself.

Or so you think.

“Yeah, that is like the one question I don’t know how to answer”, you hear a masculine voice say from behind.

You spin around and look up into the man’s face.

And oh boy is that a nice looking face.

“Oh I’m sorry, I- WAIT”, you start, before you realize what he said.

Grabbing his left wrist, you push up the bracelets to reveal what you’d just said. Then you drop his hand out of sudden shyness, and because it’s not cool just to grab people.

“Do… do you mind if I look at your wrist as well?”, he asks quietly.

You roll up your sleeve and present him with your arm. He delicately wraps his fingers around your wrist and flips it over to read the words written”

He drops your wrist and sinks into a squat, flopping his arms over his head and looking at the ground.

“Oh my gosh why did I say something so lame…”

“Umm,,, to be fair,,, I did ask you about butter so by comparison yours isn’t that bad,,,,”, you try to comfort him, and he lifts his head up to meet your gaze.

“You mean that? It wasn’t like the lamest thing you’ve ever heard?”

“Oh I’ve heard much lamer things, don’t worry!”, you say with a cheery smile that contrasts your words entirely.

He stands up again and clasps your hands in his. With a look of determination he looks straight into your soul and asks:

“What time do you get off work?”

You tell him, but let him know that you’ll be busy after work making chicken noodle soup for your coworker and her son.

He’s like “oh you can cook?” and you’re like “lol no but I’m gonna die trying”

He writes his phone number on your arm (next to your soulmate tattoo) and is like “text me when you’re done with work and I’ll swing by and walk you home and maybe I can help you cook”

And quickly clarifies “ONLY IF YOU’RE COMFORTABLE WITH ME IN YOUR HOME, I UNDERSTAND IF BECAUSE WE JUST MET YOU-”

You’re like “dude,,,, it’s fine, we are literally destined to be together. Also if you try anything I’ll just beat you up so it’s chill”

Looking at his watch, he sprints makes a beeline for the checkout counter, going on about he’s gonna be so later and Haechan’s never gonna let it go if he’s late twice in a row, and something else but by that point he’s so far away from the dairy aisle you can only hear muffled sounds where words should be.

The next several hours could not go by ANY SLOWER.

Starting off today, you figured the day would go by quickly because you’d be preoccupied figuring out how to do something new, but now all you can think about is pretty soulmate boy.

And how he never mentioned his name, but to be fair, it was a rather quick exchange.

What feels like centuries later, your shift is coming to a close so you grab the ingredients you the internet tells you you need for the soup and head to your favorite cashier.

Somehow the front of the store is both quiet and abnormally loud for this time of night.

“Jaemin’s been waiting there for fifteen minutes? Do you think he’s waiting for someone?”

“Maybe he needs to talk to the boss? Usually he’d just ask one of us to grab him but he’s just standing outside”

“Ugh it’s so cold, should we tell him to come inside?”

You glance over to the crowd of coworkers towards the entrance and break out into a smile.

“Just keep ringing me up, I’ll be right back!”, you tell the cashier and fast walk past the small crowd.

Peeping your head out the door, you greet him.

“Are you cold? Come inside, I’m almost done”

“Oh okay, should I wait by the door though?”

“No, come with me. I wanna show you off~”, you instruct and he raises an eyebrow, but plays along.

Holding open the door for him, he scuffles his way in and shyly offers his hand.

Gladly, and with a pounding heart, you lock your fingers between his.

“Your hands are freezing, dude”

“Shhh it’s fine. I was trying to be cool, okay”, he jokes with you as you walk back to the register

Ringing up your items, the cashier is looking at you and him with raised eyebrows, and you’re just like “shut up jessica I’ll explain tomorrow”

The two of you walk back to your apartment and spend the rest of the night cooking and talking about everything and nothing.

The more you learn about Jaemin, the more confident you are that the universe got this one right.

Even when most things feel unclear, you know this person is someone you can always rely on.

(also when you bring your sick work bestie the soup, Jaemin insists on tagging along and she’s like “omg Y/N that’s JAEMIN” and you’re like “I KNOW” and he’s like “hi here’s some soup, also why do you know my name”

[worldoffanfiction2021]

Eternal Love of Dream - Chapter Next 6

(Image Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/601582462717336907/)

Xiaobai's body and spirit had finally recovered fully.  Her wounds had healed and her cultivation had come back. She had started practicing martial arts again and was very happy about it.

With Dijun himself  helping her, she didn’t need to worry. He would  push her just out of her comfort zone, every few days. Only when she got comfortable there he would challenge her further. He was a very good teacher. She was an equally dedicated  student.

Gungun would tag along with them all the time. He loved to watch his mom and dad practice. Dijun had made him a smaller wooden sword and every day his mom or dad would spend some time with him playing with it. He didn’t realize that while he thought they were playing, they were also teaching him many important skills. He was a happy and cheerful child.

Fengjiu had been making great progress on handling her duties as a monarch too. She set aside some time each day to go over various reports and work through them. Her father was delighted to see that for sure. She had also made several decisions to appoint capable citizens of Quinqui to take on more responsibilities around the kingdom. People were appreciative of her efforts. Overall things were settling well.

Dijun undertook several small trips back and forth to Sky Kingdom to handle his work. He was training Ye Quingti on different aspects of administration at Tai Chen palace. Fengjiu and Dijun had found that each time they would leave each other, they would be so anxious to meet again.

Tonight was just one of the nights when he had returned from Sky Kingdom. He had waited (im)patiently for Xiaobai to finish her day, to put Gungun to bed and to get to their room. As soon as she entered, he closed the door behind her and took her in his arms, kissing her all over hungrily. After her initial shyness, she kissed him right back. "Missed me?", he whispered in her ear, teasing her. She buried her face on his chest shyly and nodded. Very pleased with that, he let out a husky laugh, scooped her up in arms and took her to bed.

When Dijun woke up hours later, he realized they had not changed or tidied up the room or closed the windows. He chuckled softly. In the last several millions of years, Dijun had never felt this way about anyone else. He realized he was a completely different man now than before. This soft, frail little woman had melted his heart of rock. For someone who had been devoid of desires for centuries, she had become the one desire he could not give up on.

He waved his hand to fix the room and close windows. Then he pulled the quilt up on both of them and scooted closer to Fengjiu. Spooning her close to him, he closed his eyes.

——

As usual, Fengjiu woke up at the first light of the day. She turned to face Dijun who was still sleeping soundly. She reveled in the moment, shyly admiring her handsome husband. Out of habit she started playing with his silver hair. That woke him up. “You are awake? It’s still early, don’t get up yet”, he murmured groggily and pulled her close. She could hear his steady, rhythmic heartbeat. That was the best sound in the entire universe for her. She closed her eyes and slept some more.

After a while Dijun got up and got ready. He sat at his desk half reading, half watching Xiaobai sleep. Her delicate features looked exquisite while sleeping. He recalled how warm and soft her skin had felt under him last night and was very much tempted to get back in bed with her. "Stop. Let her rest, Dong Hua. She has been working hard lately.", he reprimanded himself.

When Xiaobai finally woke up, the sun was up already.  When she stirred and opened her eyes, Dijun smiled at her. “Good morning, honey.” He teased. She made a face. She was still not comfortable hearing him say that endearment in broad daylight.

“Get ready, honey. I will fetch us breakfast and we can eat together. Would you like that? Honey?”, seeing her face, he continued to torment her. Frowning, she got up and came to him. She put her hand on his mouth to make him stop calling her that. He was only too glad. He grabbed on to her hand and started kissing each finger slowly, unhurriedly. She felt like her knees were about to melt.

“Mom, you are up! Why did you sleep for so long today?”, Gungun ran in bursting with questions. She snatched her hand back blushing all over. “I… Me.. We…”, Fengjiu fumbled for words. Meanwhile Dijun composed himself quickly, turned around and hugged Gungun. “I think you got too tired last night, didn’t you? Honey?” He asked her with a naughty smirk.

“Last night? But you put me to bed on time, why did you get tired? What did you do after?”, asked a confused Gungun. She turned a shade more pink at the mention of last night and was rendered speechless. First of all her brain had not fully woken up, then Dijun had turned it almost to a mush with his lingering finger-kisses and now this. All she could say was, “I don’t know how…”

Dijun, who was taking pleasure in her discomfort, finally decided to relent and came to her rescue. “Your mom has been working hard these past few days. She must have been tired and not realized it. Let’s go bring our breakfast here. Mom can get ready by then and we can all eat together.”, he said extending his hand to the boy. Together they went out.

“Phew”, she shook her head and sighed, watching their retreating figures.

----

While they were eating and chit chatting, Dijun started a topic with all seriousness. “Xiaobai, I think we have lived in Quinqui long enough. Your parents have been kind enough to have us. Do you think we should go somewhere else for the next few months? We can go to Tai Chen palace or Bihai Cangling. I can arrange for messengers to deliver important messages about your work to you every day. What do you think?”

Xiaobai nodded and agreed, “I have been thinking about the same thing. Give me 4 weeks to arrange my current work and make sure there are things in place for Quinqui while we are away. After 4 weeks, let’s go to Bihai Cangling. Gungun hasn’t been there at all. He should know that’s his home too.”

“Sounds like a good plan, hon....”, Dijun smiled and stopped halfway through 'honey' as he saw her expression. Gungun looked up, utterly confused. But both his parents were serving him food and they looked very engrossed in eating.

———

[bounce-a-coin-off-your-witcher]

In My Dreams Tonight

for @chaotic-bard who asked me for some fluff!

have a soulmates that dream about each other au featuring both a modern au and the canon universe!

brought to you by “Dreams Tonite” by Alvvays

---

“You’re nothing but trouble, bard,” the tall man glared from atop his horse. He always seemed to be glaring or glowering or huffing, the man in Jaskier’s dreams. The familiar stranger wore his long white hair pulled halfway back and he had golden eyes, the pupils of which were slit up the center like a cat’s. His name, Jaskier had learned after the third straight week of seeing him every night, was Geralt of Rivia. A Witcher, apparently, whose job it was to hunt down monsters.

“Ah, but what a lovely piece of trouble I am!” Jaskier replies. And he’s rather sassy himself in these dreams. Far more clever and ready to fight than he is when he’s awake. “You would miss me if I left, wouldn’t you, Geralt?”

“Hmm.”

The stranger hums a lot. He glares and he hums. Jaskier’s heart stutters frightfully in his chest whenever the man smiles, though. The sight is rare. Geralt has smiled perhaps three times in the past two months.

“Where are we going today?”

“Werewolf outside of town. You’re staying at the inn, where I know you can’t get into… nevermind. You can get into trouble anywhere.”

There’s a lightly teasing tone to the stranger’s voice that Jaskier hasn’t really heard before. He likes it. He craves more of it. He tosses and turns in his sleep, his skin damp with sweat. The dream goes on.

“Geralt, please,” he whines, “I can’t write ballads about monsters I haven’t seen! Or fights I did not attend! That’s lying to my audience, Geralt, and I simply won’t do it. I must go with you.”

“Drop it, Jaskier,” the man snarls. Jaskier feels sad. Incredibly sad.

Rejected?

“Gera-”

“I said drop it, bard.”

Jaskier wakes up feeling a little heartbroken and he yearns to be held. His pillow holds the fading scents of leather and wood-smoke. The sight of a pine sapling at the dog park makes him tear up.

He starts to wear the color yellow out of nowhere and his taste in jewelry switches from gold to silver. 

When his best friend asks him about the recent changes, he cannot answer.

---

Geralt pours himself a mug of tea and shakes his hair out of his face. He’s been having odd dreams lately, things that feel familiar but manage to stay just out of his conscious grasp. Someone important is waiting for him. Someone he love and cares about and needs. 

Geralt doesn’t really buy into the concept of soulmates, but he does understand instinct. He knows to trust his gut. He knows to listen and start paying attention when the same haunting blue eyes creep into his dreams every night for six months, plaguing him in the waking hours by refusing to give up their owners’ identity. 

He wipes a hand down his face and sighs loudly into the otherwise empty studio apartment. “Fuck me, I gotta figure this shit out. I gotta talk to Yen.”

Talking to himself has always helped him calm down. He does it again, just to hear his own low voice scraping through the silence. 

“I gotta see what’s going on with my head. These dreams are… getting to be a bit much, even for me.”

He nods to no one in particular and goes to text his best friend and coworker.

---

Jaskier hops off the bus and carries his guitar case down to the coffee shop on the corner. Finally, he’s managed to get a gig that wasn’t through the university.

He sets up his stuff in the tiny alcove the shop treats as a stage and watches as a few customers stroll around near the counter, waiting for their drinks or reading through the menu, hovering just far away enough from the line to keep others from growing confused.

He loves people watching. 

Once everything is ready to go and the light outside the window has dimmed a bit, indicating early evening has finally arrived, he pulls his guitar onto his lap and strums through a few quick chords.

“Rode here on the bus,

Now you're one of us.

It was magic hour,

Counting motorbikes on the turnpike;

One of Eisenhower's.”

 “Live your life on a merry-go-round;

Who starts a fire just to let it go out?”

He watches a particularly handsome man with broad shoulders and a vintage denim jacket approach the counter. Jaskier adds a haunting, well-practiced lilt to his voice as he goes into the chorus, hoping to get his attention:

“If I saw you on the street,

Would I have you in my dreams tonight?

If I saw you on the street,

Would I have you in my dreams tonight, tonight?”

An equally beautiful woman with long, curly black hair approaches the denim-clad angel and whisks him towards a table nearby. She settles with her back to Jaskier, leaving him with a decent view of the man’s sharp, lightly stubbled jaw, glittering eyes, and severe white ponytail. He’s gorgeous.

He’s also uncomfortably familiar.

Jaskier continues to perform, trying to identify his attractive mystery man the whole time and failing miserably.

---

“He’s everywhere, Yen. I feel like I could identify him by scent if I got close enough. I can’t remember his name, though. Or the color of his hair. I don’t know his face, only his eyes. It’s driving me crazy.”

“Have you talked to Dr. deStael about it?”

“Yeah, but she said this kind of thing is normal. Recurring dreams often help us sort out our trauma or something like that. I don’t know. I don’t feel traumatized by this guy I feel… protective of him. Maybe even like I love him?”

“Hmm.”

“Hey, that’s my line.”

“Shut up for a minute, this live music actually slaps and I want to listen to it. Then we can discuss your weird possessive tendencies towards your dream boyfriend.”

Geralt takes a slow sip of his coffee and glances up at the singer off to their left, perched on a barstool with his guitar held carefully on his lap. His voice is soft but somehow bright. Geralt finds himself utterly entranced.

“On the weird guitar;

Said you'd go to work

In the waking hour.

In fluorescent light,

Antisocialites watch a wilting flower.”

 “Live your life on a merry-go-round;

Who builds a wall just to let it fall down?”

The lyrics are strange and hold a dream-like quality to them. They draw a picture in Geralt’s head, something dark and heavy and oddly hollow. He has another sip of coffee and tries to ignore the feeling of panic welling up inside him. He glances at Yennefer to see if she’s picked up on his mood, but her violet eyes are focused on the singer and his nimble fingers as he continues to play and sing.

When he glances up towards their table and their eyes meet, Geralt loses the ability to breathe.

That shade of cornflower blue was…

Couldn’t be…

Had to be…

The gorgeous, feathery tenor continues to fill the air, whirling pleasant notes past his ears and deep into his subconscious. Geralt knows that voice. He’s heard this man laugh and sing and cry and scream a thousand different times. Through a handful of different lives. Geralt knows that face, those hands, those strong legs and long arms and blue fucking eyes. He’s held this singer in his arms every night for centuries, feeling his breathing as they both drift off to sleep.

He has protected this man and been protected by him in return. He has kissed and been kissed, caressed and been caressed. The two men sitting across from each other in the coffee shop physically embody an endless cycle of love. It has been bound up in the souls of two no-longer strangers. Geralt knows that he knows this man. 

He knows Jaskier.

Petal pink lips continue to form soft words and slender hands keep plucking at vibrating guitar strings:

“Don't sit by the phone for me,

Wait at home for me, all alone for me.

Your face was supposed to be

Hanging over me, like a rosary.”

Geralt stands suddenly, startling Yennefer but not the performer, even though he’s clearly just as shocked as Geralt about this recent development.

Their mutual realization.

“So morose for me,

Seeing ghosts of me,

Writing oaths to me,

Is it so naïve to wonder…”

Geralt crosses the room to the edge of the stage in three quick strides. Yennefer is close behind him, her latte just as abandoned as his coffee at their table. She grabs her friend’s arm as if to stop him from doing something violent, but when he doesn’t struggle against her grip she lets it go again easily. 

“Geralt?” the musician asks.

“Jaskier?” Geralt replies. The guitar is placed quickly to the side and a pair of incredibly familiar arms are thrown around the taller man’s neck. Geralt hugs back just as firmly, his arms flung low around the brunette’s waist. Geralt knows that this is Jaskier’s favorite way to be embraced; he doesn’t know how he’s aware of that fact, but it comes to the front of his mind clear as day. 

“Holy shit,” Jaskier breathes, leaning back to stare Geralt in the face. One of his string-calloused fingers traces down over Geralt’s eyelid and cheek and he cocks his head to the side. “No scar?”

“No,” Geralt shakes his head. “Not this lifetime, I guess.”

“Were we? Are we- are we, you know...?”

“Yeah,” Yen beams, adding her two cents from the sidelines. “I think so. Congrats, boys. This is one of those one in a million chances and you’ve gone and done it.”

“Done what?” Geralt asks. Jaskier tosses his head back and laughs. His happiness rings out through the cafe like a struck bell and Geralt’s heart stutters frantically. He really does love this man already. Wholeheartedly and without fear. “What have we done, Yen?”

“As obtuse now as you were then,” Jaskier chides affectionately. “Soulmates, my love. We’ve been bound by the red string of fate and ta-da! Here we are. Again, apparently.”

“Yes, okay,” Geralt breathes, nosing his way along Jaskier’s jaw with giddy determination. He presses a quick and wholly welcome kiss to the bard’s lips. “That makes sense.”

 “Do you... do you want me again? This time around?” Jaskier asks, fingers fiddling with one of the ties on Geralt’s hoodie. A pair of chapped lips press against his again and he sighs into it, melting against his no-longer-Witcher. 

“Yes. And the next one, as well.”

[siyadev]

The History of Dentistry

A beautiful smile is a universal symbol of health and vitality, and humans have strived to maintain their oral health throughout history. Dentistry has progressed a long way since its humble beginnings. The history of dentistry is an enthralling journey spanning thousands of years, full of remarkable discoveries, innovations, and cultural practices. In this blog, we’ll look at the fascinating history of dentistry, from ancient remedies to the sophisticated dental care we have today.

Ancient Remedies and Early Practices

Humans have always been concerned about dental care for millennia. Evidence of dental work can be found dating back to ancient civilizations. Here are some key moments in dentistry’s early history:

Ancient Egypt (3000–2000 BCE):The ancient Egyptians were forerunners in dentistry. They practised oral hygiene and invented various dental instruments, such as twig toothbrushes and pastes made from ashes and crushed eggshells.

Ancient China (1600 BCE): The Chinese also practised early dentistry, treating dental pain with acupuncture. They thought dental problems were caused by imbalances in the body’s energy flow.

Greco-Roman (500 BCE-500 CE): Influential figures such as Hippocrates and Celsus contributed to dentistry during the period. They discussed tooth extraction and dental hygiene.

The Middle Ages and Renaissance

The Middle Ages saw a decline in European dental knowledge, but the Renaissance saw a revival in dental practices. Among the significant developments during this period are:

Barber-surgeons: In mediaeval Europe, barber-surgeons frequently performed dental procedures such as extractions and simple toothache treatments. The iconic barber pole, with its red and white stripes, symbolises these two occupations.

Dental Instruments: During the Renaissance period, more advanced dental instruments such as forceps for tooth extraction and foot-powered dental drills were developed.

The Birth of Modern Dentistry

The 18th and 19th centuries saw significant advancements in dentistry. Among the significant events that occurred during this time are:

Dentures of George Washington: Contrary to popular belief, George Washington did not have wooden teeth. He had several sets of dentures made from materials such as human teeth, animal teeth, and ivory.

Ether and Nitrous Oxide: The 19th-century discovery of anaesthesiarevolutionised dental procedures, making dental work far less painful and traumatic.

Dental Schools: The first dental school was established in Baltimore in 1840, marking the formalisation of dental education. This resulted in the standardisation of dental practices and better patient care.

Modern Dentistry

The twentieth century saw remarkable advances in dentistry, including:

Fluoride and Preventive Dentistry: Fluoride in water and toothpaste has significantly reduced the incidence of dental caries (cavities). Preventive dentistry has become an essential component of good oral health.

X-rays and Dental Imaging: Radiography has become an indispensable tool for diagnosing dental issues and planning treatments.

Dental Implants:These replace missing teeth, were developed and have since become a standard practice in modern dentistry.

Cosmetic Dentistry: With the rise of cosmetic dentistry, it is now possible to improve smiles through procedures such as teeth whitening, veneers, and orthodontics.

Conclusion

The history of dentistry is a testament to human ingenuity and our determination to preserve our oral health and maintain beautiful smiles. From ancient remedies and rudimentary instruments to the highly specialized and advanced dental care of today, dentistry has come a long way. As technology continues to advance, the future of dentistry will likely bring even more exciting innovations and improvements in oral healthcare.So, the next time you visit your dentist, take a moment to appreciate the rich history that has paved the way for modern dental care and the radiant smiles it helps create.

Global Dentals, the best dental clinic in Gorakhpur, is equipped with advanced technology and has expert dental doctors. Here, we take care of your dental health in the best possible ways.

[daddysfangirls-marvel]

Material: Series

Series:

* Smut / Smutish

Polyamorous series: ( ongoing) Three people fall in love with each other in a time when loving more than one person was looked down upon. But even in a time when it’s not allowed they still share love and memories. Here are their polyamorous memories

First Kiss |  *First Touch | *Moving in  | *The day they left for war | Found you | *The day Howard Stark Found out  | *Big Change | The train | The plane | Alone | Unfortunate Sequences of events | I know her  | The restaurant  pt1 | The restaurant pt 2 | *It’s me | You can keep her | He’s okay with that | Mama loves me | Kissing Captain | Kissing Winter | Healing | *Hurt | *We’ll wait | Memories | Prude | *Whore |  Put in her place  |  The day Stark Jr. Found out |  Now You Know  |  Nursing  |  *Like a virgin  |  *Morning After  |  The Catacombs | Off with Her head |  Grieving the insane |  Let me make it up to you* |  Punishment*  | Spiderling pt1  |  Spiderling pt2  |  Twentieth-century love  |  The new we can imagine  |  Connection |  Please, Marry me  |  Walk me  |  Stand with me  |  Final touches  |  I do |  HoneyMoon  |  A moment in paradise |  Pictures from Paradise  | The Fever  | The Bad days | Let’s talk about it | *Practice makes perfect pt1 | *Practice makes perfect pt2 | Seed | Unknown Stolen | unfulfilled duties | Talking Emotions | Next Step | Holy shit!! | First steps to hope | She’s awake | Nicknames | The Mother and The father | The Boy | The Name Game | Talking | Not Ready | No Boys 

*Bonus*

Peggy Carter

*Let’s play a game

Howard Stark’s Video - ongoing

The Rain

Bucky finds a child in the rain. After noticing a few weird things about her he decides it’s best if she stays with him. Now they’re on the run. [complete]

Part 1  | Part 2  | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 |  Part 6  | Part 7   | Part 8   | Part 9  | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14

The Snow

Sequel to ‘The Rain’. The reader meets Thor, Bruce, and Loki. She accidentally tags along in their adventures. Along the way, she helps Loki. [ Loki x child! fem! reader] ( Complete)

Part 1 | Part 6 | Part 11 | Part 16 | Part 21

Part 2 | Part 7 | Part 12 | Part 17 | Part 22

Part 3 | Part 8 | Part 13 | Part 18

Part 4 | Part 9 | Part 14 | part 19

Part 5 | Part 10 | Part 15 | Part 20

The Storm series: Trilogy/ third to The Snow. “All life has water,” Someone said that to her once she didn’t understand how significant those words were until have the universe was threatened. The reader has been known to help everyone but this time she can’t help anyone. (Complete)

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

The Eye

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | (Hiatus)

Summary: After the Snap (Y/n) spends the next five years trying to put herself back together again along with everyone else. Just as she’s on the edge of finding or giving up hope for this world of the leftovers Scott Langs shows up with a plan to bring back what was once lost.

Lost Love: [ on Going]Okay what if some write about the Winter Soldier instead of Bucky. Maybe read is forced to work hydra and she gets him to trust her and he protects her and she’s the only one who can calm him down and then he goes back to Bucky and doesn’t remember her and like has to fall in love with her all over again. ( Bucky Barnes/ Winter Soldier x fem! reader)

1 |  2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7  | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |18 | 19 | 20 | 21| 22 | 23| 24 | 25 | 26| 27 | 28 |Ongoing

Black White & Gray:( Loki x reader )reader  is a prisoner in a high-security prison in the Stark Tower, and she is incredibly dangerous, and Loki is being brought in by the Avengers and he wonders why she is in there, they escape together and travel the Galaxy and then just stop on a planet and like start a new life but then Thor finds them and calls them to help on Earth and everyone sees how good they are afterward and just lets them start a secret family Europe or something

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 - Complete

70 years: Bucky Barnes x reader, Steve Rodgers x (sister) reader. After Bucky and Steve fail to come home after ww2 y/n is driven crazy from the hatred she feels from being abandoned by her brother and left alone in the world she becomes an Assassin to kill those who ruined her life. 70 years later the avengers are sent to find an Assassin that has been killing for the last several decades only for Steve and Bucky to be horrified by who it is. (Codename reaper) Complete

Grief | Pain | Alone | Happiness| A thousand years of Happiness

Goth Boss: Tony stark x daughter goth reader. The avengers find out that Tony has a secret teenage daughter and make tony ask her to visit. But when they meet her the avengers find out why she was kept secret. (tony has a strained relationship with y/n as she grew up without him and he kept her secret) - Ongoing

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6