#lord byron in space if you will

[lucy-moderatz]

[moonchild9350]

Whispers of Beauty

summary: you find your way again after a horrible breakup with the help of poetry and Hyunjin.

pairing: Hyunjin x fab!reader

genre: strangers to lovers au (slow burn), angst, fluff, smut-18+ MDNI

word count: 6.8k

warnings: time jumps, nipple play, clit play, unprotected sex (don't), creampie, multiple orgasms, cum tasting, finger sucking

notes: reminiscing of hyunjin as always. this will also probably be it until i finish the series i'm working on lol. the poems used in this fic are Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal by Tennyson and She Walks in Beauty by Lord Byron if you'd like to read them in full!

if you enjoyed, please consider a like, reblog, or comment as it keeps me motivated ♡

dividers by @saradika-graphics

please do not copy, translate, modify, use, or repost my work elsewhere without my permission. ©moonchild9350 (2024)

It was another busy day at the cafe, people coming in to order their usuals as they made their way to work, school, or elsewhere. You lose yourself in the art of making their drinks, the familiar task giving you a sense of comfort.

You definitely needed comfort after a recent breakup, the wounds so fresh, you could still feel your heart rip in two at just the thought. You were in need of some healing and your friend, Ember, knew just the activity that will help.

Every Friday, the cafe you worked at hosted poetry night where others can spend their evenings sharing their original works or reciting works of some of poetry’s greatest authors.

You loved poetry, loved getting lost in the words of those who walked this earth centuries before you. The works always incited emotion, your eyes welling up in tears, or scowling in anger at the passion of the writers.

You also loved listening to others, as they poured their heart out through words, weaving their stories through happy narratives or euphemisms.

While you were dating your ex, your passion for poetry dimmed, finding no comfort from the words on the page as your love for the stories was berated and considered worthless.

You sat aside your poems in exchange for the thought of love, burying the feeling of hopelessness deep within your heart.

Now that you were free, you started engaging in poetry reading again, getting lost in the words once more, your smile returning as you found some comfort from them. Ember suggested you start going to poetry nights, so you could get out of the house, meet new people, and of course engage in your ultimate love.

At first, you weren’t keen on the idea, having not gone to an event like this in years, but overtime you changed your mind, deciding it was exactly what you needed.

So you busied yourself in your work, counting down the hours until the end of your shift and when you could take a seat and enjoy the entertainment of the night.

Time passed, people came, drinks were made. Before you knew it, you were clocking out, taking off your apron and setting it on your hook. You fixed your outfit in the bathroom, then went in search of your friend, hoping she had already arrived.

You smiled as you spotted Ember, sitting on a couch in the corner. You walked over to her, embracing in a hug before sitting down with a sigh, happy with the relief of getting off your aching legs.

“I’m so excited you agreed to do this!” Ember exclaimed, pulling you close so she could hug you.

“Same, it’s been too long,” you replied, wrapping your arms around your friend.

She playfully ruffled your hair, laughing as you protested. “Seems like it’ll be a good turn out.”

You scanned the room, noticing that the tables and couches were filling in, friends, couples, and singles alike settling in for a good night.

“Yeah, the turn-out is usually good,” you replied.

You listened to the chatter, your mind wandering elsewhere in the cozy atmosphere. You’re not sure how much time passed as you stared into space, your mind running nonstop.

“Y/n! It’s about to start!” Ember said as she elbowed you in the side.

You shook your head to come back to the present. The lights were dim, a small spotlight shining on a spot in the center of the room. You assumed this would be where those who wanted to share their thoughts would sit, as there was a small wooden stool present, along with a microphone.

The crowd quieted, their attention focused on your boss who walked to the mic. She tapped on the head before clearing her throat.

“Welcome to poetry night! Tonight we will listen to some talented people recite some of literature’s greatest works. So sit back and let the words flow through your soul.”

You clapped as she left the makeshift stage, the first performer taking their place. You listened to poem after poem, your mind opening up and your heart beating at the promise of the words that were flowing through the small space.

Before you knew it, the night was almost over, the event coming to a close. You clapped as the last performer took to the stage, your eyes widening at the sight of him.

He was dressed in a black sweater and jeans, the fit loose on his slim body. His brown hair framed his face perfectly, the strands hanging down to his neck. His eyes were a beautiful shade of chocolate brown and seemed to shine with the spotlight that shone from above. His lips were large and plush and a pretty shade of pink that had you blushing.

He sat on the stool and pulled the mic closer and adjusted it. He cleared his throat as he looked out into the audience, his eyes roaming those gathered as if he was summoning their attention.

The extra step was moot however as everyone’s eyes were trained on him, awaiting the beautiful words that would fall from his lips.

You watched with bated breath as he opened his mouth and began to speak:

“Now sleeps the crimson petal, now the white; Nor waves the cypress in the palace walk; Nor winks the gold fin in the porphyry font. The firefly wakens; waken thou with me.”

As the man spoke, you felt like you were transported to another time, as a princess professes her love for the prince. The words that he spoke were smooth like velvet, yet full of emotion.

His eyes gazed upon the crowd, his eyes catching person after person as he recited the poem, making sure to captivate the audience. Eventually, his eyes made it to you and remained there as he continued to speak.

You couldn’t help but watch his lips as they opened and closed, as he continued his prose. You could feel your face heat up, as you dragged your eyes to his, holding his strong gaze.

He finished in a beat, the crowd erupting in cheers as he stood up and bowed slightly, before returning to his seat. He wasn’t sitting far from you as he was only a few tables away, his back turned toward you.

As the night went on, you couldn’t help but stare at the man, your mind still reeling after that performance. You wondered who he was as you haven’t seen him around the cafe. Ember tapped you on the thigh, causing you to turn and look at her.

You rolled your eyes as she wriggled her eyebrows at noticing how you were staring at the mystery man.

Once the lights came back up, people milled around chatting, discussing the choices of the night. You noticed a crowd of people surrounding the mystery man, mainly women gushing at how well he did.

“I’ll be right back,” you told Ember, who was speaking with some random person that was sitting next to you.

“Sure thing babe,” she replied, a sly smile forming on her face.

You walked over toward the man, determined to speak to him before the night ended. You definitely wanted to compliment him on his choice of work as Tennyson was one of your favorite authors.

You waited patiently as the flock of groupies gushed to him about irrelevant things, probably trying to see who could get his number first. You smirked at their desperation, watching as he tried to disentangle himself from a girl who was trying to hug him.

Chuckling, you decided to help him out.

“Eh mm,” you said, raising your eyebrow at the girls who turned around to see who had interrupted them.

“Others are waiting to speak with the gentleman, just wanted to let you know.”

The girls looked at you with disdain, their eyes narrowed as they hesitated to move. When you opened your mouth to say more, they scrambled away, muttering under their breaths about how they were rudely interrupted.

Shaking your head, you approached the beautiful man and smiled.

“Hi, great job tonight. Tennyson huh?” You said, watching as the man blushed and tucked his head down.

“Thank you, uh…yeah. He’s one of my favorites.”

“Really mine too! I’m y/n,” you responded, holding your hand out to shake his hand.

His eyes lit up at your words, excitement etched on his face. “Ah! Another fan, that makes my heart sing y/n. I’m Hyunjin.”

Hyunjin reached his hand to you, wrapping his fingers around yours and giving you a firm handshake. You couldn’t help but think how soft his hands were, albeit a little sweaty.

“I’d love to chat with you more about him…or poetry in general,” you said dropping your hand.

“Of course, of course, that would be excellent!” Hyunjin said as he nodded, his hair falling into his face at the movement.

“Great, I actually work here, so maybe we can meet-up after one of my shifts?”

“Sounds perfect,” he said, fiddling with his sleeves.

You smiled at how nervous he was, thinking he was pretty cute. “I’ll see you around then,” you said with a wave of your hand.

You turned on your heels and walked away, making your way back to Ember. You couldn’t miss the sly grin she had plastered on her face.

“Well, well, well, someone’s been busy,” she teased, giving you a wink.

“No, no, I just wanted to speak with him and see if he wanted to talk more about Tennyson. Turns out that’s his favorite poet too.”

“Mmhmm, sure whatever you say babe. Did you get his name?” Ember asked.

“Hyunjin,” you said simply, a warm feeling spreading throughout your body as you said his name.

“Well, may great things be in store for you two,” Ember said, as she genuinely smiled at you.

-- --

Weeks passed with you filling your days with work. You picked up long shifts which left you exhausted by the end of the day, causing you to tread home and immediately fall into bed out of exhaustion.

You saw Ember sporadically over the weeks on your few off days, which was a nice change of pace.

You haven’t seen Hyunjin, as he hasn’t stopped by. You pretty much gave up on the idea of the man showing up, chalking it up to that he forgot or wasn’t interested….not that he owed you anything anyway.

Despite this, a part of you hoped he would have stopped by, wanting to discuss with him his love for literature. You were fascinated with him, remembering how velvety his voice sounded as he brought centuries old words to life.

You were working the register one day, taking people’s orders, which you didn’t mind as most of your customers were regulars and really kind. However, the sight of a particular person made you gasp, your eyes widening at the sight of them.

The man sauntered over, a smirk on his face as he approached the counter.

“Well, well, hi love,” he said.

You felt bile rise-up at his words, your mind swirling with a million thoughts.

“What are you doing here?”

Your ex, Elias chucked and ran a hand through his hair.

“Can’t I just stop by for some coffee and to see my favorite girl?”

“I’m not your girl,” you sneered, your fists balling up at your side.

“Oh come on love, don’t be like that. I’ll take you back you know. Just be a good girl and be mine again.”

You were furious, heat rising to your face as your blood boiled. You could feel your hands shake, wanting to punch this man in front of you.

You were about to respond when another person stepped behind Elias, his eyes narrowed.

You looked up and recognized Hyunjin, your heart skipping at a beat at the sight of him.

“You’re holding up the line,” Hyunjin said, crossing his arms and adapting a threatening stance.

“I’m almost done,” Elias said as he continued to focus on you.

You swallowed as you saw Hyunjin’s face turn red, his fists balling up.

“Is he bothering you y/n?” Hyunjin asked you, concern in his eyes.

You merely shook your head yes, scared your voice would betray you as you were close to tears.

“Leave.”

Hyunjin spat the word out with so much venom, even you were taken aback. He seemed so sweet and innocent, but it seemed he had a tough side as well.

“Oh, I see how it is,” Elias said, looking between you two. “Good luck man she’s a piece of work.”

At that, Elias turned on his heels and walked away, walking out into the crowded sidewalk. You found yourself letting out a breath you didn’t know you were holding as your eyes landed on Hyunjin.

Hyunjin let out a huff and then uncrossed his arms, as he walked up to the counter. His eyes searched yours, making sure you were ok.

“Hi,” you sheepishly replied as you fiddled with your apron.

“Hi,” Hyunjin replied as he smiled, clearly happy you were ok.

“So, can I get you anything?” You asked as you smirked.

“Hmmm, I was thinking we could have that chat. Sorry I haven’t stopped by sooner, work has been busy.”

At his words, you felt your heart flutter within your chest, your excitement rising at the prospect of spending time with him. You tried to control yourself before responding, willing your heart to slow.

“I’d love that. I get off at 8.”

Hyunjin smiled, elated that you accepted his proposal. “Perfect, how about I swing by and pick you up then?”

“Sure,” you said as you tried not to bounce on your feet.

“It’s a date then. Oh, and I guess while I’m here, might as well get an iced americano!”

You chuckled and began to ring him up, a smile on your face all the while. When you selected his cup to write his name down, you drew a cute smiley face, adding little stars around the face. You smiled at him as you set the cup down.

“See you tonight y/n,” he said as he turned to walk to the pick-up area.

Your mind was reeling, your heart pounding in your chest. Hyunjin called it a date, an actual date. Is it a date? Did he just ask you out? Or was he just saying that to be cheeky?

The rest of the day, the thought was on your mind, causing you to make a few mistakes as you helped out customers. As the time for your shift to end got closer, you began to feel nervous and jittery, as you weren’t able to stand still.

Hyunjin was right on time, a huge smile on his face as he walked in looking like an absolute angel. You couldn’t take your eyes off him, not realizing you were staring until he called your name.

Apologizing profusely, you clocked out and grabbed your stuff, rushing to stand by his side.

“Where to?” You asked, looking up into his eyes.

“Well, I thought we could take a walk around the city? Chat a little and enjoy the night atmosphere?”

A walk after a long day sounded perfect.

“I love that, let’s do it!”

Hyunjin grinned and bowed, ushering you ahead. You giggled and blushed as he opened the door for you, the little bell tinkling lightly against the glass.

You stepped out into the night air, the crispness a nice welcome after being in the cafe all day. You both joined the many others making their way down the sidewalk.

“So you like poetry?” Hyunjin asked in a serious tone as he stared straight ahead.

“Mmhmm, I do. I studied English literature back in university. I don’t know, it’s just something about reading the words of those from long before you that creates such an intimate look into their life and thoughts.”

“I get it. I’ve been studying and reading poetry a few years now. It’s a comfort to me.” Hyunjin said, as he contemplated his thoughts.

“How long have you been reciting poetry?” You asked, turning to look at him.

Hyunjin paused in thought as he considered your question. “I’d probably say the last three years or so.”

You hummed in response, impressed with his dedication. You both were silent for a moment, the sound of crickets chirping through the night, their song almost melancholic.

“So…” Hyunjin began, “who uh…who was the guy that was harassing you earlier? Of course you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to! I was just curious…” he continued, his voice trailing off.

You let out a heavy sigh. You deserved to give him an answer, especially since he came to your aid.

“That was my ex, Elias. We broke up a few months back. He um…I caught him with another girl in our bed…”

Your mood fell at the thought, remembering the day when you came home, exhausted from your long day at work. You were excited to see your boyfriend and have a relaxing evening…that is until you found out he wasn’t exactly excited to see you as he was between some other girl’s legs.

You recounted to Hyunjin how Elias tried to deny the affair, even though you saw the proof with your own eyes, but you didn’t give him a chance to grovel, ending the relationship that very night.

Hyunjin listened intently, his heart breaking at the fact that someone who was supposed to love you betrayed you instead. He definitely thought you deserved better as you seemed intelligent and kind and not to mention beautiful.

“I’m sorry y/n… he seems like an asshole to be honest.” He replied as he balled his hands into a fist at the thought of the sleaze bag he encountered earlier in the day.

“I recognize that now. There were definitely signs leading up to that night, but I guess I chose to ignore them.”

Hyunjin nodded, “I get it. You were blindsided by what you thought was a loving relationship.”

You hummed in agreement. You were blinded and so stupid, but Elias was in the past. You didn’t have to worry about him anymore.

“You deserve better y/n, just thought I’d mention it.”

You felt the corner of your eyes prickle with tears, threatening to spill over at any moment. Your chest felt heavy at his way of consoling you.

You did deserve better, and you believe that’s why his betrayal hurt so much. Your heart was healing, one day at a time. You could feel another stitch find its way within you at his words, Hyunjin’s company soothing. Somehow at that feeling, you knew you would be ok, and could continue to heal with the help of Hyunjin.

Your mind wandered to the man next to you. Maybe it was fate that you met him that night. If it wasn’t for your friend pushing you out of your comfort zone, you’d have never stayed to listen to others pour their heart out in prose and ultimately never met Hyunjin and his beautiful soul.

Months have passed and you are now dating Hyunjin. Each day is full of bliss as he showers you with love, making sure you feel like a queen.

He is picking you up after work and taking you to dinner as today is your birthday. You tried asking where he was going to take you, but he kept saying it’s a surprise.

You were excited to say the least at the thought of the night to come. Your shift couldn’t end soon enough, as the clock struck six, your boss letting you go early in honor of the special day.

Your face lit up at the sound of the bell, Hyunjin walking into the cafe. He looked handsome in his jeans and sweater, his hair styled neatly.

“Hi angel! Ready?” He asked, stopping at the counter.

“Yep! Let me clock out and grab my bag.”

Hyunjin chuckled as he watched you scramble around, picking up your bag and hurrying to his side.

“Now I’m ready,” you smiled, looking up at your boyfriend.

Hyunjin grinned and took your hand, his fingers lacing with yours as he brought the back of your hand to his lips for a kiss.

Even though you’ve been dating for a few months now, you still blushed at his antics, the novelty never wearing off.

“Then let’s go, angel.”

Hyunjin led you out of the cafe and outside. You looked around your surroundings, your eyes widening at every restaurant you passed, wondering if it would be the one.

However, you passed building after building, not stopping at any of them.

Hyunjin could sense your curiosity, as he gave your hand a squeeze. “We’re almost there, see?” He asked, pointing to a building in the distance.

You took notice of a brick building that seemed empty. You were confused as he guided you to the door, the corridor beyond eerie looking.

“Where are we going?” You asked as you were more than nervous at this point.

You trusted Hyunjin but a part of you was a little scared, not knowing what awaited you within the building.

“Don’t worry angel, let’s keep moving, just one more flight of stairs,” Hyunjin cooed, as you both walked up a flight of stairs.

At the top of the staircase there was a large door, the metal frame seeming unwelcoming. Hyunjin stopped in front of it and grasped the handle while looking at you with a bright smile on his face.

“Ready?” He asked.

You nodded your head and held your breath, prepared for whatever was on the other side. As he opened the door, you were greeted with a balcony overlooking the city, the skyline lit up against the night sky. There were fairy lights strung around the perimeter, casting a soft glow on the rooftop.

In the center, there was a small table, set up for two, the flicker of two candles casting shadows across the table. It was all so surreal. You couldn’t believe Hyunjin did all of this for you.

“Surprise!” Hyunjin said, dramatically wiggling his fingers.

You chuckled at his antics, all of your nervousness gone.

“It’s beautiful! I can’t believe you did this for me,” you said, your voice breaking as you looked at Hyunjin.

“Aww angel, don’t cry,” Hyunjin said as he rushed over to you.

He gently wiped the tear that had escaped while he pulled you closer to his body.

“I’d do anything for you y/n. I love you so much.”

Your heart skipped a beat at his words as the feeling of butterflies fluttered within your stomach. You couldn’t believe your luck, happy that you were able to share this moment with the most perfect man.

“I love you too,” you gushed, your cheeks flushing with the statement.

Hyunjin flashed his beautiful smile before taking your hands in his once more.

“Shall we?”

“Yes please,” you softly said, letting him pull you toward the table.

You watched as he pulled your chair out, gesturing for you to sit. Once seated, he rushed to his chair and sat down. Your eyes followed his every move as he plated up dinner, the food smelling delicious as it was piled up on your plate.

He poured both of you a glass of wine and then signaled he was done. You both began to eat, the food seeming to melt on your tongue as a burst of flavors invaded your taste buds.

Hyunjin filled the evening with chatter, asking you about your day in detail. You were more than happy to discuss your day, as it was a little rough, having some difficult customers come through.

Once you were done eating, Hyunjin dished up dessert, setting down a slice of chocolate cake in front of you.

“You know me so well,” you said as you eyed the cake, your mouth watering in anticipation at eating the sweet treat.

“Of course angel, have to make sure you have your chocolate!”

You giggled and picked up your fork and cut a piece off. You moaned at the taste, your eyes closing as it melted in your mouth. You were in heaven, or close to it.

“So,” Hyunjin started as he twirled his fork around in his hand. “I am going to enter into the poetry night contest at the cafe. I think it would be something fun to do.”

Hyunjin looked at his plate, nervous in how you would respond. He wanted to share his talent with more people, and what better way to do so than through a friendly competition? The prize was also nice, one he believes would be worth winning.

“That’s a great idea baby!” You exclaimed, clapping your hands at the idea.

Hyunjin’s eyes lit up at your enthusiasm, his body relaxing further into the chair at your acceptance.

“Mind if we practice when we get home?” He asked, hope in his eyes.

“Of course, I’d love to help you,” you gushed, excited to hear which poem he chose.

“Great, let’s pack up and then we can head back.”

You nodded and began to gather your trash, helping hyunjin clean up. Once done, you both walked back to his apartment, giggling and chatting the whole way, your arms swinging back and forth between you.

“Thank you for dinner baby, I really did enjoy it,” you said, as you continued your walk.

“I’m happy you liked it angel, anything for my baby.”

You chuckled, your heart swelling at how sweet he is. You walked in silence, enjoying the quiet of the city as it was late. Within the last few blocks from Hyunjin’s apartment building, an idea popped in your head.

“Wanna race the rest of the way and see who can get there first?” You asked, wiggling your eyebrows.

“Oh yes! Let’s do it,” Hyunjin said.

“Just so you know, I plan on winning,” you teased as you dropped your hand from his.

“I’d like to see you try,” Hyunjin responded while squatting, preparing to take off.

“Ok, ready? 3…2…1..go!”

You both took off down the walk, a fluster of laughter and shouts as you both raced to his building. You couldn’t remember ever feeling this happy as you felt the wind blow through your hair as you raced your boyfriend. Tonight was a perfect night indeed and would definitely be one of your favorites.

— —

Once inside, you both made yourself comfy, changing into your sleep clothes. You giggled as Hyunjin pulled you into bed and pressed kisses all over your face.

“I love you sweet girl,” he murmured in between kisses.

“I love you too baby, that tickles!” You chuckled as he tried to pull you closer, all the while continuing to kiss you.

Once he was satisfied, he pulled back to look you in the eyes. “Happy birthday angel,” he whispered as he tucked a loose strand of hair behind your ear.

You smiled before leaning over to kiss him on the lips, your heart swelling at the gentleness of the kiss. You both laid there for what felt like a lifetime, snuggled into each other’s embrace as you lazily kissed each other. You tugged your fingers through his hair, the soft locks gliding easily through them.

Hyunjin whimpered against your lips, as he pressed himself against you, his length hard against your thigh. You rolled your hips, grinding against him as you deepened the kiss, running your tongue against his bottom lip asking for entrance.

He pulled you closer, your bodies flush against each other as his tongue danced with yours. You wrapped a leg around his waist so you could feel him better and continued to grind against him, sighing against his lips as his cock brushed against your core.

Disconnecting with a gasp, you laid there catching your breath as you stared at your lover, taking in the love mixed with lust in his eyes. Your eyes fluttered as Hyunjin lightly dragged his finger down your cheek, to your lips, his thumb catching at your bottom lip.

You moaned as he slowly pushed his finger within your mouth, your lips immediately wrapping around the digit. You lightly sucked on his finger, your tongue swirling around the digit, your eyes on his.

You smirked as you felt his cock twitch against your thigh. As you released his thumb with a pop, Hyunjin pounced on you, rolling you onto your back. He attached his lips to yours in a hurried kiss, his hands fumbling with your sleep shorts.

He dragged them down as best as he could, you aiding the process as you wiggled out of the fabric, your feet pushing them down your legs. Hyunjin pulled away briefly as he gripped the hem of your shirt and pulled it over your head.

You moaned as he attached his lips back to yours, your pussy clenching as he rocked his clothed cock into your core. He lazily kissed you, his pace slowing down, his heart beating against yours. You were lost in the feel of him when you heard him murmur, his voice sultry in your ear.

“She walks in beauty like the night, of cloudless climes and starry skies; and all that’s best of dark and bright, meet in her aspect and her eyes; thus mellowed to that tender light, which heaven to gaudy day denies.”

You pulled away slightly, confusion plastered on your face.

“Baby…what…”

But Hyunjin just silenced you with a kiss. “Shhh my angel, I’m practicing remember?”

It took you a moment to realize what he was talking about, lost in thought as his lips moved with yours, until it clicked a few seconds later. The poem. Ahh it made sense now.

At that, you relaxed further, letting out a sigh as his lips moved to your neck, sucking the skin there and licking the area to sooth it. Your fingers played with his hair, twirling the ends around the digit. As he continued to leave purple marks on your skin, he continued murmuring, his voice soft in the otherwise quiet room.

“One shade the more, one ray the less, had half impaired the nameless grace, which waves in every raven tress, or softly lightens o’er her face; where thoughts serenely sweet express, how pure, how dear their dwelling place.”

Once he was done reciting the next part, he trailed his lips on your chest, pressing wet kisses down the valley of your breasts. He wrapped his plush lips around your nipple, letting out little moans as he suckled the hardened nub.

“So beautiful angel,” Hyunjin murmured in between kisses as he fondled your breasts, his eyes closed in bliss as he savored your body.

His fingers trailed down your tummy, leaving goosebumps in its wake as he made his way to your core, his fingers swirling around your swollen clit. You sighed as he continued to gently play with the nub, shocks of pleasure wrecking your frame as you surrendered to his ministrations.

As he tortured your sweet flesh, his eyes snapped up to watch you writhing in pleasure. Licking his lips, he took a shaky breath before continuing on.

“And on that cheek, and o’er that brow, so soft, so calm, yet eloquent, the smiles that win, the tints that glow; but tell of days in goodness spent, a mind at peace with all below, a heart whose love is innocent.”

You opened your eyes as he finished, his voice trailing off at the end. You looked down at the love of your life between your legs, watching the veins pop out of his arms as he continued to pay attention to your clit.

You were close, the pleasure building, your chest heaving as you tried to breathe. Your hands gripped the sheets, the white fabric bunching up as you rocked your hips against his fingers.

“So sweet, so beautiful, delicate like a flower. Cum for me angel.”

You groaned at his words, your orgasm hitting you hard as he continued to gently fondle you. He grinned as you fell apart, his eyes roaming your face, taking in the look of pleasure, the scent of you as your slick made a mess of his hands.

Once you came down, Hyunjin shuffled up, parting your legs even more. At some point he had rid himself of his clothes, his hand stroking his leaking cock.

He brought his length between your folds, running his cock through your slick, before pushing into you. You both let out a moan, your arms reaching out for Hyunjin as he began to thrust into you.

“My baby,” Hyunjin cooed as he leaned down, your hands wrapping around his neck as you brought him closer to you.

Hyunjin slowly thrusted into you, taking his time, his cock dragging through your walls and hitting your sweet spot each time. You whined as he buried his face within your neck, placing sloppy kisses there, as he murmured his love for you.

You felt overwhelmed as he made love to you, the heat within your core building again. You clutched onto Hyunjin anywhere you could, his hair, his back, his waist as he brought sweet bliss upon you.

You reveled in the sound of both of you, as you breathed as one, punctuated with a low moan as he continued to rock into you. Hyunjin groaned each time your pussy made known how good he was fucking you, his hips stuttering as you squeezed around him.

“Come on angel, cum for me, be a good girl yeah?” Hyunjin moaned into your ear, his pace becoming more erratic as he got closer to his high.

You felt his cock twitch within you, your pussy clenching again and again, locking him in. You were blindsided as the coil within you snapped, your orgasm hitting you hard as you gasped, your pussy dripping with your arousal, drenching Hyunjin’s cock as he continued to fuck you through it.

Hyunjin let out a loud groan at the feel of your walls spasming around him, triggering his high, his cum spurting out within you, thoroughly coating your walls.

As you came down, you watched the man you love fall apart above you, a sight you will never get used to. He looked down at you, sweat dripping down his face, his hair disheveled as he thrusted his hips within you a few more times for good measure.

“Such beauty in your afterglow,” Hyunjin cooed as he pushed a strand of hair behind your ear and trailed a finger from your lips, down your chest, your breasts, your tummy, all the way down to your core.

He dragged his finger through some of the cum that was leaking around his cock that was still buried within your heat. Taking his soaked finger, he brought it to your lips, smiling as you opened and took the digit in.

You swirled your tongue around his finger, licking up the salty liquid, humming as you swallowed.

“Good girl,” Hyunjin praised as he withdrew his finger and his cock.

You whimpered at the emptiness, your arms reaching out for Hyunjin. He snuggled into your embrace, pressing sweet kisses all over your face.

“Stop baby,” you giggled, turning your head side to side.

“Nope, won’t stop angel,” Hyunjin teased as he continued his assault.

You both battled for a little while longer, the room filled with laughter as you both teased each other. Hyunjin settled down however and stared at you, almost as if he was staring into your soul.

“You know I love you right?” Hyunjin whispered, as he memorized your face for the millionth time.

“Mmhmm,” you said as you brushed your fingers through his hair. “And I love you.”

Hyunjin smiled at your confession as he leaned to press another kiss to your lips.

“Happy birthday,” he said as he rested his head on your chest.

This would be one of your best birthdays yet, filled with special moments with the man you love.

The days passed as Hyunjin prepared the competition. He was ready to win, ready to receive that prize so he could surprise you. He had a plan after all.

You helped him practice as much as possible, your nights spent at your place or his, snacks scattered around the table as Hyunjin paced the floors reciting the poem. You were sure he would win, as he improved greatly over the last few weeks.

You had to work the day of the competition, however, Hyunjin would meet you there before your shift ended.

“You got this babe,” you said to him as you left for your shift, giving him a smile as you walked out the door.

Your shift passed, your nerves getting the best of you as the time of the competition drew nearer. Ember showed up early, wanting to support your boyfriend and cheer him on.

You directed her to a table, so that way you both would have good seats for the night. It didn’t take long until Hyunjin showed up, handsomely dressed as always.

He smiled as he approached you. “Hi angel!” He gushed, his body radiating with excitement.

“Hi baby, ready?”

“Of course, gonna win this thing!”

You chuckled at his optimism. “Go sit, Ember saved us seats. I’ll be there soon.”

Hyunjin nodded and blew you a kiss before walking away, taking a seat next to your friend.

You finished your shift and clocked out, the time passing fairly quickly. You sat down next to Hyunjin and placed your hand on his giving it a squeeze. He seemed to be buzzing with enthusiasm, but deep down you knew he was nervous.

“You got this baby,” you whispered, giving his hand another squeeze.

Hyunjin smiled and relaxed, elated that you were there to cheer him on.

The event began in no time, the little cafe packed with patrons. You watched as contestant after contestant performed, their words filling the small space, and taking the listeners to a different place and time.

Before you knew it, it was Hyunjin’s turn. You and Ember cheered him on as he took his place on stage, his confidence oozing as he gazed at the crowd. You were captivated as he began to speak, the words reaching each person, telling a story of love and beauty.

Hyunjin maintained eye contact with each person, his voice raising and falling at the appropriate moments, his hands flowing in movements that helped tell the story.

You couldn’t take your eyes off of him and neither could anyone else. After he recited the last line, there was silence in the cafe as everyone recovered from the journey, before a thunderous applause rang out.

You grinned as you cheered enthusiastically, watching as your boyfriend bowed before walking back to your table.

“Good job babe!” You said as you kissed his cheek, the flesh reddening at the action as all eyes were on him.

As he was the last contestant, the award ceremony began shortly after his performance. You listened as your manager thanked everyone for being there to support these talented people as cheers rang out once more.

Once she was done with logistics, the time came to announce the winner. You held your breath as she slowly unfolded a piece of paper, your hand reaching out to hold on to Hyunjin’s.

She took a moment to read what was written before a smile broke out on her face.

“And the winner is….Hwang Hyunjin!”

Cheers rang out at the announcement, but loudest of all was you. You hugged Hyunjin tightly, tears forming in your eyes at his win.

Hyunjin stood up to go claim his prize, the loud uproar not dying down until he sat down.

“You did it!” You exclaimed, grasping his hands in yours.

Hyunjin beamed, his eyes shining as he tried not to cry.

“I did it for us love.” He said as he gazed into your eyes.

You cocked your head in confusion. “For us?” You inquired.

Hyunjin nodded as he handed you the prize he’d won. “Open it.”

You took the envelope from him and opened it, eyeing two pieces of paper nestled within. It took you a moment to notice what they were.

“Plane tickets?” You looked closer. “Oh! We’re going to Paris!” You exclaimed as you began bouncing on your seat.

“Yes we are angel,” Hyunjin said as he watched you dance in your seat.

Hyunjin needed to win this trip. He wanted to take you to Paris, the city of love, to shower you in love. He also had another plan up his sleeve, one that he had to keep secret for just a little longer.

His mind wandered to the little black box tucked away in his sock drawer, a beautiful diamond nestled in the velvet within. He knew you were the love of his life from that first day he saw you, sitting in the crowd listening to him speak.

You were his muse, his love, his everything; your aura radiating whispers of beauty.

He wouldn’t want to spend his life with nobody else but you. That he was sure of.

Taglist: @jehhskz @jeonginsleftcheek @simpforleeknaur @armystay89 @palindrome969 @slut4hee @ivydoesit23 @amarecerasus @kaysungshine @fun-fanfics @baby-stay92 @velvetmoonlght @possum-playground

[jesuisgourde]

A list of all the books mentioned in Peter Doherty's journals (and in some interviews/lyrics, too)

Because I just made this list in answer to someone's question on a facebook group, I thought I may as well post it here.

-The Picture of Dorian Gray/The Ballad Of Reading Gaol/Salome/The Happy Prince/The Duchess of Padua, all by Oscar Wilde -The Thief's Journal/Our Lady Of The Flowers/Miracle Of The Rose, all by Jean Genet -A Diamond Guitar by Truman Capote -Mixed Essays by Matthew Arnold -Venus In Furs by Leopold Sacher-Masoch -The Ministry Of Fear by Graham Greene -Brighton Rock by Graham Green -A Season in Hell by Arthur Rimbaud -The Street Of Crocodiles (aka Cinnamon Shops) by Bruno Schulz -Opium: The Diary Of His Cure by Jean Cocteau -The Lost Weekend by Charles Jackson -Howl by Allen Ginsberg -Women In Love by DH Lawrence -The Tempest by William Shakespeare -Trilby by George du Maurier -The Vision Of Jean Genet by Richard Coe -"Literature And The Crisis" by Isaiah Berlin -Le Cid by Pierre Corneille -The Paris Peasant by Louis Aragon -Junky by William S Burroughs -Absolute Beginners by Colin MacInnes -Futz by Rochelle Owens -They Shoot Horses Don't They? by Horace McCoy -"An Inquiry On Love" by La revolution surrealiste magazine -Idea by Michael Drayton -"The Nymph's Reply to The Shepherd" by Sir Walter Raleigh -Hamlet by William Shakespeare -The Silver Shilling/The Old Church Bell/The Snail And The Rose Tree all by Hans Christian Andersen -120 Days Of Sodom by Marquis de Sade -Letters To A Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke -Poetics Of Space by Gaston Bachelard -In Favor Of The Sensitive Man and Other Essays by Anais Nin -La Batarde by Violette LeDuc -Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov -Intimate Journals by Charles Baudelaire -Juno And The Paycock by Sean O'Casey -England Is Mine by Michael Bracewell -"The Prelude" by William Wordsworth -Noise: The Political Economy of Music by Jacques Atalli -"Elm" by Sylvia Plath -"I am pleased with my sight..." by Rumi -She Stoops To Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith -Amphitryon by John Dryden -Oscar Wilde by Richard Ellman -The Song Of The South by James Rennell Rodd -In Her Praise by Robert Graves -"For That He Looked Not Upon Her" by George Gascoigne -"Order And Disorder" by Lucy Hutchinson -Man Crazy by Joyce Carol Oates -A Pictorial History Of Sex In The Movies by Jeremy Pascall and Clyde Jeavons -Anarchy State & Utopia by Robert Nozick -"Limbo" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge -Men In Love: Masculinity and Sexuality in the Eighteenth Century by George Haggerty

[arbitrary line break because tumble hates lists apparently]

-Crime And Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky -Innocent When You Dream: the Tom Waits Reader -"Identity Card" by Mahmoud Darwish -Ulysses by James Joyce -The Four Quartets poems by TS Eliot -Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare -A'Rebours/Against The Grain by Joris-Karl Huysmans -Prisoner Of Love by Jean Genet -Down And Out In Paris And London by George Orwell -The Man With The Golden Arm by Nelson Algren -Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates -"Epitaph To A Dog" by Lord Byron -Cocaine Nights by JG Ballard -"Not By Bread Alone" by James Terry White -Anecdotes Of The Late Samuel Johnson by Hester Thrale -"The Owl And The Pussycat" by Edward Lear -"Chevaux de bois" by Paul Verlaine -A Strong Song Tows Us: The Life of Basil Bunting by Richard Burton -Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes -The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri -The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling -The Man Who Would Be King by Rudyard Kipling -Ask The Dust by John Frante -On The Trans-Siberian Railways by Blaise Cendrars -The 39 Steps by John Buchan -The Overcoat by Nikolai Gogol -The Government Inspector by Nikolai Gogol -The Iliad by Homer -Heart Of Darkness by Joseph Conrad -The Volunteer by Shane O'Doherty -Twenty Love Poems and A Song Of Despair by Pablo Neruda -"May Banners" by Arthur Rimbaud -Literary Outlaw: The life and times of William S Burroughs by Ted Morgan -The Penguin Dorothy Parker -Smoke by William Faulkner -Hero And Leander by Christopher Marlowe -My Lady Nicotine by JM Barrie -All I Ever Wrote by Ronnie Barker -The Libertine by Stephen Jeffreys -On Murder Considered As One Of The Fine Arts by Thomas de Quincey -The Void Ratio by Shane Levene and Karolina Urbaniak -The Remains Of The Day by Kazuo Ishiguro -Dead Fingers Talk by William S Burroughs -The England's Dreaming Tapes by Jon Savage -London Underworld by Henry Mayhew

[moontrinemars]

TENTH LORD IN MARS NAKSHATRAS

Thanks for your patience in waiting for the next part of the series - I’m glad you guys are interested. As always, recorded for my own benefit, published for yours. General disclaimer is in my bio. Credit to KRSchannel for inspiring this post.

Find your 10th lord here, and find your 10th lord’s nakshatra here.

The 10th house rules our life’s honor. It represents the services we perform for society as well as the reputation we earn as a result. It is associated with the father and the career because traditionally, this is where both our standing in society and the role we performed in society would come from - inherited through the father’s family line. However, in our contemporary world, this isn’t always the case, which is why it’s important to know the grander themes at play.

The three Mars-ruled nakshatras are Mrigashira, Chitra, and Dhanistha.

Mars is a planetary object that represents motivation, force of will, and personal drive. It is the pursuit of pleasure and the incurring of wrath. While Venus rules earthly and rational matters, such as the aesthetic of beauty and the value of wealth, Mars rules our desires which are primal and sublime. He is impulse, passion, giving us strength and making us vulnerable simultaneously. He is also fear and terror. More than any traditional planet, Mars is tied to the cycle and the transformation of life and death, as the ruler of the 1st and 8th house. His impact is severe, earnest, and compelling, and is escaped by no one.

DO YOU HAVE YOUR 10TH LORD IN A MARS-RULED NAKSHATRA? THAT MEANS YOU…

Mick Jagger, Ryan Reynolds, and Bob Marley all have their tenth lords in Mars ruled nakshatras. Mick's is in Mrigashira, Ryan's is in Chitra, and Marley's is in Dhanistha.

… HAVE A PUBLIC PERSONA MOST SHAPED AND DEFINED BY YOUR IMPULSES, INDIVIDUALITY, AND INDEPENDENCE.

Those born with this placement usually find themselves at odds with the rest of society. Though they don't necessarily fail to fit in with the culture of their time, they tend to let their gut instincts dictate the way they engage with it and this results in distinct and memorable individuals who stand out from the crowd, and cause waves with just their personalities and the effect they have on others. Thus, they may be capable of contributing to massive culture shifts. However, they're also liable to let their impulses lead them to scandal and enmity.

Mars is a chthonic planet, and so it's no surprise we see it ruling the lord of the house of status and legacy in many of the most famous and widely mourned celebrities but that doesn't make this a death sentence for the influential. More than anything, fame in tangent with this placement signifies someone who inspires controversy, not with their choices or behaviors, but in their possessing fame at all. Other people will argue over the legitimacy of whatever talent, beauty, act, or positive attribute to which their fame is attributed. Their fame may be cyclical, as may be the public's support or enmity towards them.

MORE ON THE SPECIFICS OF MRIGASHIRA, CHITRA, AND DHANISTHA BELOW!

IF MRIGASHIRA RULES THE TENTH LORD, YOU…

Bette Davis, Lord Byron, and Milo Ventimiglia all have their tenth lords in Mrigashira. Others with this placement are Louis Lumiere, Prince Philip, Claudia Schiffer, Babe Ruth, Christopher Lee, and George Lucas.

Find yourself constantly searching within your professional and public spaces for something more fulfilling than what you have.

Throw yourself into your work, and are eager to learn whatever you can to develop and improve your craft, or your social standing.

Communicate articulately about responsibilities and projects, as well as political beliefs and social causes that are important to you.

Network and establish your personality easily, as your work and your society inspire you to engage in debate consistently.

Have an eye for major trends and business opportunities, and can capitalize on them just as they take off, leading the charge.

AND YOU MAY FIND…

Pursuit, stalking, or cheating might be a pattern at your workplace.

Quickness is the key trait that defines your reputation: in casting judgement, responding to a crisis, and haste to get desired results.

Your work has you spending time in recreation-friendly spaces: parks, street markets, town squares, playgrounds, your home, etc.

Sensitivity to your surroundings makes you adept at resolving immediate problems involving authorities or a formal setting.

Over-sensitivity, whether to sensory experiences, to tone, or to social graces, can lead to overreactions that confuse people.

MRIGASHIRA is the Searching Star. Industries and career types favored are those involving art, expression, navigation, earth, textiles, animals, trends, sales, advertising, agriculture, telecommunications, occult studies, crafts, research, drama, and travel.

IF CHITRA RULES THE TENTH LORD, YOU…

Mary Tyler Moore, Kim Kardashian, and Cher all have their tenth lords in Chitra. Others with this placement are Leonard Cohen, Mika, Diego Rivera, Bette Midler, Cesare Borgia, John Mayer, Leonardo Dicaprio, Paul Williams, Emily Dickinson, and Queen Elizabeth I.

Find it easy to engage with coworkers and members of the public as equals, both to yourself and to one another.

Experience the most professional and political epiphanies when everyone else is asleep, especially at three to four in the morning.

Strategize and organize your workspace as well as career and public events with ease and poise, to the satisfaction of all.

Can be stingy and thrifty with professional funding, and turn a critical eye upon those who insist on lax public spending, even if as an individual you practice generosity and charity.

May experience jealousy, or just suspicion, toward coworkers, public figures, or others in your field who remind you of yourself.

AND YOU MAY FIND…

Legacies play a role in the way that your workplace or public persona operates, such as becoming or gaining an apprentice, but you may find it hard to get on with those who inherit your position.

Bright colors, flowers, and natural beauty dominate your place of work, or settings with these attributes empower you publicly.

Others treat you with dignity and respect your aesthetic potential, even following your lead with the way you dress for events.

A quick temper and sensitivity to presentation inspires you to challenge the views or choices of others preemptively.

Intense procrastination hinders you in moments of specific importance.

CHITRA is the Star of Opportunity. Industries and career types favored are those involving aesthetics, communication, specialized expertise, design, dynamics, narrative, creative production, quality inspection, force of personality, precision, and reconstruction.

IF DHANISTHA RULES THE TENTH LORD…

Billie Joe Armstrong, Paris Hilton, and Lauren Bacall all have their tenth lords in Dhanistha. Others with this placement are Carl Sagan, Greta Garbo, Walt Whitman, Antony Armstrong-Jones, King Louis XV, Anna May Wong, Sarah Hyland, Charles Manson, and Liza Goddard.

Are capable of making highly insightful observations about society due to your keen perception and intimate understanding of power.

Had aspirations and politics shaped by a pragmatic altruism from a young age, perhaps in response to a parent or authority figure.

Feel uncomfortable in and experience adversity from business partnerships, and any relationships which are too public-facing.

Attract status and fame, seek positions of dignity, and approach tasks with a sincere desire to produce something of high quality.

Have no qualms about lying to or manipulating others in order to get what you want - and there is a great deal that you want.

AND YOU MAY FIND…

Even accomplishments celebrated in the public sector or by your industry feel hollow to you; the answer may lie in volunteer work.

Gender discrimination affects your workplace, status, or politics.

Popularity among certain demographics and subcultures: namely, the wealthy, the young, the politically liberal, and the creative field.

Any siblings can be of aid to your career and public image, but associating with extended relations may be detrimental to either.

Your experiences with honor or power - that of your own or that of others - affect you on a deep, even spiritual, level.

DHANISTHA is the Star of Symphony. Industries and career types favored are those involving music, timing, rhythm, quality inspection, physical performance, group coordination, property, strategy, math and science, poetry, spirituality, creativity, engineering, and charity.

HOPE THIS WAS HELPFUL. AMOUNT OF REQUESTS MEANS WE’RE GOING OUT OF ORDER, BUT WE WILL ABSOLUTELY RETURN TO THE OTHERS LATER. FEEL FREE TO MESSAGE WITH QUESTIONS, THOUGHTS, OR IDEAS. PART 5 WILL FOCUS ON JUPITER-RULED 10TH LORD NAKSHATRAS NEXT! ♡

[aquagirl1978]

L A D Y I N R E D

william rex x ava(oc) | prompt: day 18 - praise kink | tags: nsfw; minors - dni; established relationship; praise kink; oral sex (suitor receiving); teasing

”Lord Rex!” a tall, bespectacled man called out. “It’s been at least six weeks since I last saw you at one of these parties!”

“That’s because a certain sparrow has kept me quite occupied,” Will said under his breath to Ava, causing her to blush. “At least, maybe more,” Will replied to the tall man who was now approaching the couple.

“Not here, Will,” she scolded, removing his roving hand from her waist. 

“I might have to steal you away later, then,” Will replied in a conspiratorial whisper.

“Byron, it's been too long,” Will greeted cordially, extending his hand in a polite greeting. “I heard your business has been booming.”

“Oh, yes it has, Lord Rex,” he replied excitedly, shaking Will’s hand. “We outgrew our old space and had to relocate to a larger one. And I had to hire three new employees to handle the extra clients. All thanks to your advice.” 

“I’m always happy to see dreams pursued and fulfilled, And if I could help in any way with that, it’s my pleasure.”

“My apologies, Lord Rex, I didn’t realize you had a guest with you,” the gentleman said, finally noticing Ava. He gazed into her eyes, clearly taking an interest in her, and lifted his hat, bowing slightly. “Who is the lady in red by your side?”

“My name is Ava,” she responded with a small curtsey. She noticed he continued to stare at her, as if he was waiting for her to continue speaking. It took a moment for Ava to realize he was waiting for her to state her last name – the only problem was that she wanted absolutely nothing to do with the last name given to her at birth.

“Ava Rex.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, her stomach twisted in knots while poor Byron stood there utterly embarrassed that he was unaware of their relationship status. To make matters worse, Will found the situation funny.

“Lord Rex, Lady Rex, my deepest apologies. Congratulations to you both. I had no idea you had gotten married. Or that you were even engaged.”

“Funny, neither did I,” Will whispered in Ava’s ear. “Would you please excuse us,” Will said in a louder voice, “there’s someone who just arrived that I absolutely must bring my wife to meet.” Will tilted his head and glanced at Ava, his smile charming and alluring.

Byron nodded and waved, walking off quietly, still shocked. Will took Ava’s hand gently, his fingers lacing between hers. “Let’s go, my darling wife.”

Will quickly led Ava through the crowd, navigating a path where they avoided any potential conversations.

“Who are we meeting now?”

Will turned to look at her, the smile from his face earlier now gone. “Oh, we’re not meeting anyone. I wanted to have a moment alone with you.”

With Will being the bully that he was, Ava knew she was in trouble.

Once they got to the other side of the room, Will guided Ava down a secluded hallway and opened the door to an empty bedroom, quietly locking it behind them.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, so sorry. I just said the first thing that came to my mind and now look at me, I’m a blubbering mess.”

“You’re not a blubbering mess.” He was smiling. His charming, alluring, adorable, sweet, precious smile.

“If you’re mad at me, you can yell at me. If you want.”

“I’m not mad,” Will said softly. “I’m thrilled..”

Ava stared at him in disbelief as he approached her. He took her hands in his and brought them to his lips, brushing a kiss on each fingertip. Closing his eyes, his breath was warm on her hands as he spoke.

“You took my name. You saw something you wanted and claimed it as yours. You freely sang your true desires.” He opened his eyes and gazed into hers; Ava had never seen him look at her with such tenderness before. “You haven’t looked this beautiful since the day when you confessed your true feelings to me.”

“Why would I yell at you?”

“You looked so serious as you dragged me across the room.”

“I didn’t want anyone to engage me in conversation and delay my time with you,” he said simply. “And I didn’t drag you across the room,” he added with a sweet little laugh.

“I should slap you.”

“You can, if you want,” he said, his pleased smile flustering Ava.

“You’re horrible. And awful.”

“And yet you still want my name.” He was still laughing.

“You're not going to let me forget that, will you?”

“No. never.” He brushed a kiss on her hand again and pressed their joined hands to his heart. “What do you want, my sparrow? Tell me everything you desire.”

She didn’t have to think; she gazed into his eyes and the words flowed from her mouth as quickly as she spoke his name earlier.

“I want the ring. And the ceremony and the dress and the vows. I have other promises I want to make to you. I want that. I want all of that.”

Will nodded, and almost looked relieved “Good. I want all that, too. I want to be the one to give you that ring.” He let go of her hands; lifting his hands he cupped her face and brought his close to hers, his eyes looking like they might waver at any moment. “And I want you to always use my name.”

Ava’s heart filled with a warmth she wasn’t sure she ever felt before. She didn’t know who kissed who, but that didn’t matter. They soon tumbled into the bed, their kisses sloppy and desperate.

“Lie down.” Ava pushed Will down onto the bed and straddled him, her knees on either side of his legs. After removing his jacket and vest, she began to unbutton the buttons on his shirt, leaving a trail of light kisses in her wake. When she neared his chest, she pushed the fabric away, exposing his nipples. He let out a soft moan as she took one between her teeth, gently sucking on it.

She explored further, past his navel and down towards his waist. Pulling away when she got to his pants, she sat up and began to unbuckle his belt.

His breath hitched when you freed his cock. “What are you doing?”

“Loving you,” Ava replied, looking up at him with a sweet smile. Wrapping her fingers around his shaft, she stroked the tip with her thumb, enjoying the pleased sounds he made.

Lowering her body, Ava pillowed her arms across Will’s thighs. She brought the tip of his cock near her mouth; her tongue darted out and licked the tip, swirling around it before covering just the tip with her lips.

She lifted her gaze to meet Will’s and kept her eyes on his while she placed gentle kisses along his shaft.

“Good girls don't tease,” Will groaned.

“Who said I'm a good girl?” Ava asked, lifting her lips off his cock.

“I did…” He let out a delicious moan; his fingers tangling in her hair, he guided her mouth towards his stiff cock. “When you swallow my cock like that, you're my good girl,” he praised.

His hips rocked, thrusting his length in and out of her warm mouth. “You’re almost there,” he said softly, his hand stroking her hair. Her cheeks hollowed as she slid his further in her mouth until his tip hit the back of her throat. 

“You feel so good, I'm…”

Cupping his balls, she wrapped her other hand around the base of his cock and squeezed roughly as her head bobbed up and down.  He stiffened in her mouth before spilling inside her mouth. 

“Swallow it all,” he commanded. It somehow tasted sweeter, her body tingling with a special electricity. 

“Just like that…” He held her head gently as she did as he commanded. “You look so pretty with my cock in your mouth,” he sighed.

When she was done, she slid his softening cock from her mouth and held it, kissing the tip clean.  He let out an adorable groan. “Keep that up and I’ll be ready again soon.”

“That’s exactly what I want,” she said with a mischievous smile.

Tagging: @natimiles @valkyyriia @queengiuliettafirstlady @william-rex

@ike-garden2024 @lucyw260 @faustianfascination

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Hollywood is the single best example of mature labor power in America

This afternoon (May 6), I’ll be in Berkeley at the Bay Area Bookfest for a 3:30PM event with Glynn Washington for my book Red Team Blues; tomorrow (May 7), it’s an 11AM event with Wendy Liu for my book Chokepoint Capitalism.

Weds (May 10), I’m in Vancouver for a keynote at the Open Source Summit and a book event at Heritage Hall and Thu (May 11), I’m in Calgary for Wordfest.

The Writers Guild is on strike. Hollywood is closed for business. The union’s bargaining documents reveal a cartel of studios that refused to negotiate on a single position. This could go on for a long-ass time:

https://www.wga.org/uploadedfiles/members/member_info/contract-2023/WGA_proposals.pdf

If you’d like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here’s a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/06/people-are-not-disposable/#union-strong

The writers are up for it. A lot of people are saying this is the first writers’ strike since 2007/8, but that’s not quite right. That was the last time the writers went on strike against the studios, but in 2019, the writers struck against their own talent agents — within the space of a week, all 7,000 writers in Hollywood fired their agents. They struck against the agencies for 22 months.

https://deadline.com/2023/04/hollywood-strike-writers-guild-studios-talent-agencies-1235333516/

The agencies had consolidated down to four major firms, two backed by private equity who loaded them up with debt that could only be repaid if the agencies figured out how to vastly increase their profits. They did so, by unilaterally switching the way they did business with their clients. Instead of taking a 10% commission on the creative wages they bargained for, the agencies started to take “packaging fees” from the studios for putting together a writer, director, stars, etc. These fees came out of the same budget that the talent got paid from, so the higher the fee was, the less the talent made. Soon, some showrunners were discovering that they were getting 10% and their agents were getting 90%!

The agencies weren’t done, either: they were building their own studios, and planning to negotiate with themselves on behalf of their clients. The writers said fuck this shit. They issued a code of conduct ordering the agencies to knock all that shit off. The agencies swore they’d never do it. Why should they? Every job these writers had ever done came through an agency, and the agencies were staffed with the toughest, most obnoxious negotiators on the planet.

They were sure the writers would cave. After all, the top tier of writers had been handled with kid gloves by the agencies and not ripped off to the same extent as their jobbing, workaday peers. They’d break solidarity and the union would collapse, right?

Wrong. Twenty-two months later, every one of the agencies caved on every single point. Bam. Union strong.

(Want to learn more? Check out Chokepoint Capitalism, Rebecca Giblin’s and my book about creative labor markets:)

http://chokepointcapitalism.com

Now the writers are back on strike and it’s triggered a predictable torrent of anti-worker nonsense (“striking writers will lead to public indifference to torture!) (no, really) (ugh):

https://www.readtpa.com/p/on-the-tv-writers-strike-dont-fall

One common theme in these bad takes is that writers aren’t real workers, like, you know, coal miners or Starbucks baristas. They’re coddled intellectuals, and haven’t the intelligentsia been indifferent to proletarian struggle since, you know, time immemorial?

This is wrong in every conceivable way. For starters, it’s ahistorical. Lord Byron and innumerable other toffs and poets and such were right there with the Luddites, demanding labor justice during the Industrial Revolution, as Brian Merchant writes in his outstanding, forthcoming history of the Luddites, Blood in the Machine:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/03/20/love-the-machine/#hate-the-factory

But you don’t have to look back to the stocking frame to find this kind of solidarity. As Hamilton Nolan writes in his newsletter, “Hollywood is the single best example of mature labor power in America”:

https://www.hamiltonnolan.com/p/the-coral-reef-of-humanity-encircling

The entire Hollywood workforce, from grips to carpenters, costumers to plumbers, teamsters to medics, is unionized. That includes writers and actors (I’m a member of IATSE Local 839, AKA The Animation Guild). I live in Burbank, the entertainment industry’s company town (fun fact! The “Hollywood” studios are largely over the city line, in Burbank). Walk down Burbank Boulevard, Magnolia Boulevard, or any of the other major roads, and you’ll pass many union halls.

Burbank is a prosperous place. That’s thanks, in part, to the studios, whose entertainment products are very profitable. But working in a profitable industry is not, in and of itself, a guarantee that you will get a share of those profits. Some of the most profitable industries in the world — e-commerce, fast food, logistics — have the lowest paid workforces.

Burbank is prosperous because the unions made sure that everyone — the grips, the costumers, the animators, the actors, the writers, the teamsters and the pipefitters — gets a decent wage, decent health care and a decent retirement. My pal the set-dresser who worked crazy hours shlepping furniture around sitcom sets for decades? All that work did bad stuff to his joints, which meant that he needed a hip replacement in his forties — which was 100% covered, including his sick leave while he recovered. He was able to take early retirement in his late fifties, with a solid pension, with his health in excellent shape and many years of happiness with his partner stretching before him.

That’s what unions get you: a good job that might be hard at times, and the costs of your work are borne by the employer who profits from your labor. As Nolan writes, the point of unions is to “make sure that people! Are! Not! Disposable!”

Unions deliver the American dream. As Pete Seeger sang in “Talking Union Blues”:

Now, if you want higher wages let me tell you what to do You got to talk to the workers in the shop with you You got to build you a union, got to make it strong But if you all stick together, boys, it won’t be long You get shorter hours, better working conditions Vacations with pay. Take your kids to the seashore

http://www.protestsonglyrics.net/Labor_Union_Songs/Talking-Union.phtml

We tend to focus on wages in union discussions, but unions aren’t merely about getting better pay, it’s about making better jobs. When LA teachers went out on strike in 2019, wages weren’t at the top of their list — they bargained for greenspace for every school, replacing rotting portables with permanent buildings, ending ICE entrapment of parents at the school gates, social workers and counselors for schools…and wages.

I really like how Nolan puts this. The way that the studios make money has changed: streaming is clobbering ad-supported TV and movie theater tickets. The studios are adapting. The workers want to adapt, too. The studios would rather “treat[] their work force as a disposable natural resource to be mined, used up, and then abandoned, as business dictates.”

A union gives workers “the same ability to adapt to changing industries that companies already have.” The studios want to leave workers behind. Unions give workers the collective power to say, “No. You’re taking us with you.”

Union workers are wealthier than their non-union counterparts, but that’s not just because of higher wages. As Nolan writes, “Unions make sure that the people get to adapt to changing industries, and not just the investors and the business owners.”

[Union workers] have a far greater ability to build coherent, long-term careers, as opposed to a constant treadmill of unstable short-term gigs. In non-union industries, businesses can just act like ships cutting through a desperate sea of workers, scooping up whoever they want and then tossing them overboard as soon as it’s convenient. In a union industry, though, the companies are forced to deal with the labor force as an equal. The workers have their own damn boat.

Advocates for market capitalism insist that market forces increase prosperity for everyone. They say that, in the end, having corporations serve their shareholders results in corporations serving everyone.

But a comparison of unionized and nonunionized industries reveals the hollowness of that prospect. Hollywood is wildly profitable and it pays every kind of worker well. That’s because workers have solidarity across sectors and trades. Striking writers like jonrog1 are calling on supporters to donate to the Entertainment Community Fund:

https://twitter.com/jonrog1/status/1654168529728307204

The Entertainment Community Fund supports everyone else who is affected by the work-stoppage, all the other creative and craft trades whose work has been halted by the writers’ struggle. If you want to support these workers, make sure you select “Film and TV” from the drop-down menu when you donate (we gave $100):

https://entertainmentcommunity.org/

Because all the workers are in this together. As Adam Conover explains in this amazing CNN clip, David Zazlav, the head of CNN parent-company Warner-Discovery, made a quarter of a billion dollars last year, enough to pay all the demands of all the writers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aL-YwKO81go

And Carol Lombardini, spokesvillain for the studio cartel AMPTP, told the press that “”Writers are lucky to have term employment.” As John Rogers says, she “wiped out the doubt of every writer who wasn’t sure this negotiation really IS so important, that it actually IS about turning us into gig workers.”

https://twitter.com/jonrog1/status/1654506611086606336

The stakes in this strike are the same as the stakes in every strike: will workers get a fair share of the value their labor creates, or will that value be piled up in the vaults of $250,000,000/year CEOs? It’s not like the studios especially hate writers — like all corporations, they hate all their workers. The same tactics that they’re using to make it so writers can’t pay the rent today will be turned on every other kind of Hollywood worker tomorrow — and when the writers win this one, they’ll support those workers, too.

There’s a lot of concern about AI displacing creative labor, but the only entity that can take away a writer’s wage is a human being, an executive at a studio. As has been the case since the time of the Luddites, the issue isn’t what the machine does, it’s who it does it for and who it does it to.

After all, as Charlie Stross points out, a corporation is just a “Slow AI,” remorselessly paperclip-maximizing its way through the lives and joy of the flesh-and-blood people who constitute its inconvenient gut-flora:

https://media.ccc.de/v/34c3-9270-dude_you_broke_the_future#video&t=3478

Catch me on tour with Red Team Blues in Berkeley, Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, DC, Gaithersburg, Oxford, Hay, Manchester, Nottingham, London, and Berlin!

[Image ID: Animators walk the picket-line during the Disney Animator's Strike in 1941.]

Image: LA Times https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Screen_Cartoonist%27s_Guild_strike_at_Disney.jpg

CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en

[illuminopseudonymous]

Every single Brawl Stars character as songs

So, I was unhappy with my prior posts on this topic, both because of the song choices I made and because I didn't properly credit the musicians behind them. Ergo, I'm going to compile all of the brawlers into a single list below the cut, and then update and reblog this post each time a new brawler is released.

Feedback regarding song choices is encouraged if you think you have a better fit for a character.

8-Bit: "Pac-Man Fever" by Buckner & Garcia

Amber: "Burnin' Up" by A Flock of Seagulls

Angelo: "There! Right There!" from Legally Blonde: The Musical (written by Nell Benjamin and Laurence O'Keefe)

Ash: "Trash Day" by "Weird" Al Yankovic

Barley: "Bottle Action" by Ms. B'Havin

Bea: "Lord of the Hornets" by Robert Calvert

Belle: "Disciple of Lightning" by DJ the S

Berry: "Skipper Dan" by "Weird Al" Yankovic

Bibi: "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" by Albert von Tilzer and Jack Norworth

Bo: "The Wild West is Where I Want to Be" by Tom Lehrer

Bonnie: "Human Cannonball" by Webb Wilder

Brock: "Rocket Jump Waltz" from Team Fortress 2 (by Valve Studio Orchestra)

Bull: "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen

Buster: "Rock-And-Roll Nerd" by Tim Minchin

Buzz: "Run This Town" by JAY-Z featuring Rhianna and Kanye West

Byron: "A Little Heart-To-Heart" from Team Fortress 2 (by Valve Studio Orchestra)

Carl: "Diggy Diggy Hole" by The Yogscast

Charlie: "Spider-Man (1967) Theme" by Paul Francis Webster and Bob Harris

Chester: "I Remember Larry" by "Weird Al" Yankovic

Chuck: "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" by Johann Sebastian Bach

Clancy: "Crab Rave" by Noisestorm

Colette: "Every Breath You Take" by The Police

Colt: "Shoot to Thrill" by AC/DC

Cordelius: "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane

Crow: "Young Dumb and Ugly" by ""Weird Al" Yankovic

Darryl: "He's a Pirate" from Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (Composed by Klaus Badelt)

Doug: "Surf Wax America" by Weezer

Draco: "Through the Fire and Flames" by Dragonforce

Dynamike: "T.N.T." by AC/DC

Edgar: "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana

El Primo: "Mexican Wrestler" by Jill Sobule

Emz: "Respectless" from Hazbin Hotel (Composed by Sam Haft, Andrew Underberg, Andrew Alderete, Gooseworx, and Parry Gripp)

Eve: "Mean Green Mother from Outer Space" from Little Shop of Horrors (Composed by Alan Menken)

Fang: "Kung-Fu Fighting" by Carl Douglas

Frank: "Fireflies" by Owl City

Gale: "Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)" by Garth Brooks

Gene: "Arabian Nights" from Aladdin (Performed by Robin Williams)

Gray: "Scheming Weasel" by Kevin MacLeod

Griff: "Big Boss Man" by Jimmy Reed

Grom: "Main Theme" from Bomberman (Composed by Jun Chikuma)

Gus: "Turn the Lights Off" by Tally Hall

Hank: "Send the Marines" by Tom Lehrer

Jacky: "Poundcake" by Van Halen

Janet: "Death from Above" by Turbonegro

Jessie: "More Gun" from Team Fortress 2 (by Valve Studio Orchestra)

Juju: "Friends on the Other Side" from The Princess and the Frog (performed by Keith David)

Kenji: "Title Theme" from Fruit Ninja (Luke Muscat)

Kit: "Nyanyanyanyanyanyanya!"/ "Nyan Cat Theme" by daniwell featuring Hatsune Miku

Larry & Lawrie: "Back to Back" by Pretty Maids

Leon: "Right Behind You" from Team Fortress 2 (by Valve Studio Orchestra)

Lily: "Return of the Giant Hogweed" by Genesis

Lola: "Big Shot" by Billy Joel

Lou: "Sky-High Sundae" from Mario Kart Tour (composer unknown)

Maisie: "What's Up Danger" from Into the Spider-Verse (by Blackway & Black Caviar)

Mandy: "Cookie Land" from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (Composed by Shinobu Tanaka and Kenta Nagata)

Max: "Caffeine" by Psychostick

Meg: "Peach-ball Launches! Robobot Armor" from Kirby: Planet Robobot (Composed by Hirozaku Ando and Jun Ishikawa)

Melodie: "Miku" by Anamanguchi featuring Hatsune Miku

Mico: "Beverly Hills" by Weezer

Moe: "Cripple's Shield Wall" by The Knight in Leslie Fish

Mortis: "Hate the Day" by Behind the Scenes

Mr. P: "Hotel California" by The Eagles

Nani: "Time in a Bottle" by Jim Croce

Nita: "Wild Child" by The Doors

Otis: "Graffiti Crimes" by Mi-Sex

Pam: "You Will Be Okay" from Helluva Boss (Composed by Sam Haft and Andrew Underburg, performed by Bryce Pinkham)

Pearl: "Pass the Biscuits, Mirandy" by Spike Jones

Penny: "You Are a Pirate" from LazyTown (by Stefan Karl Steffanson and composed by Máni Svavarsson)

Piper: "A Spoonful of Sugar" from Mary Poppins (Composed by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman)

Poco: "Spooky Scary Skeletons" by Andrew Gold

R-T: "Eye in the Sky" by The Alan Parsons Project

Rico: "Pinball Wizard" by The Who

Rosa: "Garden Song" by David Mallett

Ruffs: "Send the Marines" by Tom Lehrer

Sam: "Super Macho Man" from Punch-Out!! Wii (Composed by Mike Peacock, Darren Radtke, and Chad York)

Sandy: "Enter Sandman" by Metallica

Shade: to be released

Shelly: "Faster Than a Speeding Bullet" from Team Fortress 2 (By Valve Studio Orchestra)

Spike: "Super Mario Bros. Desert Theme" from Super Mario Maker 2 (Composed by Koji Kondo)

Sprout: "Trees" by Tom Lehrer

Squeak: "Slime Creatures from Outer Space" by "Weird Al" Yankovic

Stu: "Drive Fast (The Stuntman)" by Bruce Springsteen

Surge: "Rules of Nature" from Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (Composed by Jamie Christopherson)

Tara: "Hot Rails to Hell" by Blue Oyster Cult

Tick: "Drop Da Bomb" by Doctor Steel

Willow: "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Fishmen" by H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society

[leoofitzz]

I got bored and decided to make an overview of David Bowies' characters, the songs they're in, and fun facts (might update?)

Major Tom

Space Oddity

Ashes to Ashes

Hello Spaceboy

Blackstar

Love you till Tuesday

Described as a junkie and alcoholic, likely based on David himself

Ziggy Stardust

Five Years

Soul Love

Moonage Daydream

Starman

It Ain't Easy

Lady Stardust

Star

Hang On to Yourself

Ziggy Stardust

Suffragette City

Rock 'n' Roll Suicide

Androgynous alien

Aladdin Sane

Watch That Man

Aladdin Sane

Drive-In Saturday

Panic in Detroit

Cracked Actor

Time

The Prettiest Star

Let's Spend The Night Together

The Jean Genie

Lady Grinning Soul

Often mistaken for his predecessor, Ziggy Stardust, based on the idea of Ziggy going to America

Halloween Jack

Future Legend

Diamond Dogs

Sweet Thing

Candidate

Sweet Thing (Reprise)

Rebel Rebel

Rock'n'Roll with me

We are the dead

1985

Big brother

Chant of the ever circling skeletal family

Described as a real cool cat, relatively short-lived as David started transitioning into the soul man in the Diamond Dogs tour

The soul man

[Soul part of Diamond Dogs tour only]

Appeared at the height of Bowies coke intake, a sort of transition into The Thin White Duke

The thin white duke

Station to Station

Golden Years

TVC 15

Stay

Wind is the wind

David at the height of his drug use, controversial period

The DJ

D.J.

DJ could stand for David Jones, Davids given name

Pierrot

Ashes to Ashes

Threepenny Pierrot

On the cover of Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), rarely seen character [I love you Pierrot💔]

Screaming Lord Byron (left)

Jazzin' for blue jean (short film)

Blue Jean

Vic (right)

Jazzin' for blue jean (short film)

Vic is a hopeless romantic who was at Screaming Lord Byron's concert with a girl, Screaming Lord Byron ends up leaving the concert with her as they already knew each other from Peru

The blind prophet

Lazarus

Blackstar

Davids last character, likely blind as a symbol of David being blinded by fear of his inevitable death

[tourneys-by-me]

Here is the Bracket!

Match ups were randomized this time so there might be a few coughing babies vs hydrogen bombs, sorry about that

If y’all have propaganda can you please tag it as #propaganda or send it to my inbox so I can see it

(vs template by TotallyNotIncina on DA)

[bracket under the cut]

Round 1 (A)

Sinbad - Magi: the labyrinth of magic vs Weiss Schnee - RWBY

Cure Magical/Riko Izayoi - Precure vs Lafcadio Boone - The Sexy Brutale

Beverly Toegold V - Not Another D&D Podcast vs Carol Malus Dienheim - Symphogear

Lucy Heartfilia - Fairy Tail vs Aaravos - The Dragon Prince

Cure Miracle/Mirai Asahina - Precure vs Traveler - Genshin Impact

God Serena - Fairy Tail vs Joker - Persona

Maruju - TearRing Saga vs Omnath - Magic: the Gathering

Isaac - Golden Sun vs Delsin Rowe - Infamous

Mega Man - Mega Man vs Lord Snicklefritz - Towertale

Kakashi Hatake - Naruto vs Hazel Levesque - Percy Jackson

Mage - Miitopia vs Gill - Street Fighter

Jason Grace - Percy Jackson vs Mario - Super Mario Bros.

Round 1 (B)

Honey Lemon - Big Hero 6 vs Daylon - Dislyte

Donald Duck - Kingdom Hearts vs Y'shtola Rhul - Final Fantasy

Zoya Nazyalensky - Grishaverse books vs Paula - Earthbound

Alina Starkov - Shadow and Bone vs Domingo - Shining Force

Nami - One Piece vs Alatreon - Monster Hunter

Kevin Kaslana - Honkai Impact 3rd vs Omnimon/Omegamon - Digimon

Erin Ruunaser - Aurora vs Percival King - Epithet Erased

Citan Uzuki - Xenogears vs Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi - Bleach

Wairuha - Bionicle vs Mirabelle Chevalier - In Stars And Time

Mr. 104 (John Dubrovny) - DC Comics vs Tlalocmon - Digimon

X - Mega Man vs Robin - Fire Emblem

Sora - Kingdom Hearts vs Sypha Belnades - Castlevania

Round 1 (C)

Carl, the Invoker - Dota 2 vs Eidolon - Worm (Wildbow's Parahumans)

Vince Reynolds - Super Powereds vs Ark - Terranigma

Camille Severin - Muted vs Skylor Chen - Ninjago

Doctor Coyle - ARMS vs Aang - Avatar: The Last Airbender

Clark Kent/Superman - DC Comics vs Magolor - Kirby

Cetrion - Mortal Kombat vs Siffrin - In Stars and Time

Elemental Hero Neos - Yu-Gi-Oh! vs Greencap - Lone Fungus

Castform - Pokemon vs Trisana Chandler - Emelan

Squall Leonhart - Final Fantasy vs Akamai - Bionicle

Rae Taylor - I'm in Love with the Villainess vs Kirby - Kirby

Korra - Legend of Korra vs Cassian - Villain to Kill

Silvally - Pokemon vs Tiamat - Dungeons and Dragons

Round 1 (D)

The Collector - Aurora vs Twinrova - The Legend of Zelda

MOON - Space Funeral vs The Mage - Magicka

Katarina Claes - My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom vs The Dragonborn - The Elder Scrolls

Chu Wanning - The Husky and His White Cat Shizun vs Zagreus - Hades

Teclis - Warhammer Fantasy vs Qiyana - League of Legends

Sasuke Uchiha - Naruto vs The Defect - Slay the Spire

Blackbeard - One Piece vs Ben Tennyson - Ben 10

Manaria Sousse - I'm in love with the villainess vs Koromaru - Persona

Link (BOTW and TOTK) - The Legend of Zelda vs Callum - The Dragon Prince

Patchouli Knowledge - Touhou vs Soren - Fire Emblem

Spring Man - ARMS vs Shouto Todoroki - My Hero Academia

Capricorn (Tristan and Byron Vera) - Worm (Wildbow's Parahumans) vs Dan Heng - Honkai Star Rail

[probably-enjolras]

parking on my college campus is great because all the cars have something that is just slightly unhinged. here is a list of things i’ve seen YESTERDAY alone:

my own car that has a fall out boy bumper sticker encouraging people to keep honking at me and i’ll ignore them in favor of listening to TTTYG

a car that has the license plate “oh worms”

a regular car with military decoration saying the driver was in the marines and had family in the military and it’s all clean and organized except for a corner that just has an alien smoking a cigarette and saying “existence is pain”

a car with the license plate “mstr yda” (Master Yoda) and definitely lived up to it because instead of those antlers you can put on your car for christmas to be a reindeer, this car had Yoda’s ears on it

a car with a sticker that told people to be nice to them because their tummy was upset (AND i know exactly where this sticker came from bc it’s a local trans owned art business that does mostly DND, queer, and funny/relatable stickers, bookmarks, notebooks etc)

the staff parking has roughly 4x the amount of yellow cars than the student parking, even though it’s only two lanes compared to multiple lots for students

a staff car that was almost certainly an english professor with a sticker that said “let me tell you why i hate lord byron”

no one (including staff) following the rules on which corner to put your parking pass sticker on (guys we get free parking all over campus and they will give you more stickers any time you lose yours just PUT IT IN THE RIGHT PLACE)

a line up of three cars next to each other with one being a truck with an american flag with the blue line for the “blue lives matter” thing (gross), a confederate flag (gross also but we’re in rural virginia so not unusual), and surprisingly no tr*mp stickers but pretty much every republican in the state and local areas, next to a small red buggy that was mostly covered in doctor who, star wars, and marvel stickers and a small pride flag in the window, next to a jeep that had the sticker “silly boys jeeps are for girls” and a license plate that said “chicks rule” (in a way that fit the license plate amount of space)

and, my personal favorite because we have the same schedule and i see him at my local bagel place a lot, a guy with an ATV that has a lot of stickers about all the forests, monuments, and national parks he’s been too, but double the amount of stickers telling everyone that he loves bigfoot, bigfoot is real, bigfoot is his sugar daddy, and a line up of different cryptids in the corner that you’d see those little family stickers that show the mom, dad, kids, and pets as stick figures

i don’t like taking pictures of cars, i feel like it’s quite violating and because i’m at a local college if i took a picture, it wouldn’t be hard to actually doxx these people, so you’ll just have to take my word for it but i don’t think i’m creative enough to actually make this shit up lmao

[mybeingthere]

Fossilized Flower of Florissantia quilchenensis, an Extinct  Member of the Mallow Family, Washington State,  Middle-Eocene Epoch, c. 48,000,000 Years Ago.

“Have you ever plunged into the immensity of space and time by reading the geological treatises of Cuvier? Borne away on the wings of his genius, have you hovered over the illimitable abyss of the past as if a magician’s hand were holding you aloft? As one penetrates from seam to seam, from stratum to stratum and discovers, under the quarries of Montmartre or in the schists of the Urals, those animals whose fossilized remains belong to antediluvian civilizations, the mind is startled to catch a vista of the milliards of years and the millions of peoples which the feeble memory of man and an indestructible divine tradition have forgotten and whose ashes heaped on the surface of our globe, form the two feet of earth which furnish us with bread and flowers. Is not Cuvier the greatest poet of our century? Certainly Lord Byron has expressed in words some aspects of spiritual turmoil; but our immortal natural historian has reconstructed worlds from bleached bones.”

― Honoré de Balzac, “The Wild Ass’s Skin” 1831

Via kvetchlandia

[lieutenantwilliamrusso]

The Ivy Crown II

A/N: Hi!! In honor of Valentine's Day and the SaB season 2 trailer tomorrow (!!!!) here is this!! Side note, the word "darkling" means in the dark and was commonly used during the late 1800s in poetry.

"I had a dream, which was not at all a dream. The bright sun was extinguished and the stars did wander darkling in the eternal space.

-Lord Byron

Darkness

Book II

When you wake, it is to the sun inching across your window pane, prickling at your eyelids in the early morning. You groan, attempting to turn over to block the harsh rays, but your legs get tangled in the sheets and you're forced to lift yourself from slumber. You're back in your room, in the little white house the literature students lived in. You had no memory of arriving there, but you were sure a quick glance at your phone would reveal that your friends had deposited you here.

When you finally scrape yourself up and off your bed, the night begins to return to you in flashes, little pin pricks of memory. You remember your friends' laughter, the shots of kvas and, and...Aleksander. His green sweater, his eyes as he'd laughed at your drunken state.

His...compliment.

And he'd called you something in Old Ravkan. Mil...mil...but it never comes and you're left to ponder the fact that Aleksander Morozova was checking out your chest.

It had to be a fluke. You aren't unattractive, but there's no way Aleksander would seek you out above every other gorgeous, willing woman traveling through the halls of the university. Maybe he'd just been alarmed, he'd never seen you in something so revealing before.

Saints, what a night.

You wash the remnants of your drunken mistakes off in the hot press of the shower water and focus your energy on your reading for Monday.

->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->

Monday comes rapidly and you're suddenly left with the realization that you're going to have to be alone with Aleksander today. He prefers to workshop student essays in private, giving constructive feed back in a safe space. And you're scheduled first, right after class.

You barely look up as you take your seat, pulling out your poetry anthology and setting up to take notes. When you do finally raise your head Aleksander is already watching you, something unreadable in his gaze, something almost dangerous. It alarms you, leaves you feeling the need to gasp, so you look away, pretending to check your notes.

"All right. Let's begin." He commences class, clapping his hands once. "Who wants to tell me what they think the rose represents in Mina Loy's "Sea-Rose?"

This one is easy, so you sit back and let the boy sitting to your left answer. Aleksander smiles and nods at him encouragingly.

"So we've established the rose is a woman. Then what are we to do with that first stanza?"

You raise your hand.

"To me, this is a political poem. The "harsh rose, meager and sparse" takes on societal perception of women. If you're too harsh, too outspoken, you're useless to patriarchal society. I think that's what she's saying here."

Aleksander nods, biting his lip. You watch the movement closely, memorizing the white of his teeth peeking through his plush mouth. Then the moment is over and he's walking back towards the whiteboard.

->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->

Class ends, and you wait in your seat for the other students to file out, mentally trying to prepare to be in close proximity to Aleksander.

"We still on for our meeting? Or are you here to break my heart?" He jokes as he gathers his things, coming to stand in front of your desk.

"We're on, though I'm quite popular today so I don't know for how long." You tease.

"Oh I'm sure you are everyday." He eyes you, eyebrow raised slightly.

You chuckle, moving to stand and follow him to his office.

Aleksander's office is like that of any great academic. That is to say, a mess. Papers are strewn in haphazard piles across his desk and floor, books sit precariously on shelves as if they are only waiting to be told to fall off. Aleksander smiles at you almost sheepishly as you navigate the chaos, stopping to clear off a plush leather chair for you as he goes to take his own behind the sturdy oak desk across from you.

You sit on the chair and take out your paper, knowing Aleksander prefers to edit papers when they're printed. It's cute, the way he struggles with technology, and you almost want to say you forgot to make copies just to see his nose wrinkle at the thought of using your laptop.

"Shall we?" He asks, clasping his hands in front of him.

"Sure." You agree and pass the paper over.

He reads your paper slowly as you sit, his intentional analysis making you squirm. Your writing feels like a part of you, like something intimate that came from a deep spot at your center. Aleskander's eyes are on it now, but you don't mind, not when it's from him.

"Hmm..." He mumbles, fingers dancing across the arm of his chair.

"Good or bad?" You question, unable to keep it in any longer.

"Excellent." He chuckles at your squirming. "Relax, milaya, you've done well. I expected nothing less."

Milaya, that's what he'd called you the other night, you suddenly recall. Your eyes widen but before you can question him he's continuing.

"The way that you bring out the longing in the poem is masterful. You explore Prufrock's voice closely, that's what I was looking for. You do it so well I can only wonder what's got you thinking so much about hidden desire?" His eyes are molten as they meet yours, like chocolate that's melted on your fingers after you've held it too long.

Saints, you want to hold him too long.

You don't know what to say, whether to let the truth fall from your lips or to laugh it off like what happened over the weekend meant nothing. The truth it, the memory comes back to you all the time, unavoidable.

"What does milaya mean?" You ask instead, mind turning over too much to respond to the question.

Aleksander smiles then, full and bright and you can't help but think you've revealed an answer you aren't aware of yet.

"What, didn't pay attention in your Old Ravkan lessons?" He teases.

"Saint, they were three years ago, I'm not sure I can summon much more than a few lines of Oretsev." You admit sheepishly.

"I can't blame you. It never hurts to review, however." Is the only answer you get.

Aleksander lets it drop and continues to mark up your paper, his broad scrawl visible from your vantage point.

When he'd finished with you, you gather your things to leave for the day, but his voice stops you.

"Any plans for this weekend?"

"Nothing quite as interesting as the last." You chuckle softly.

"Did you get home all right?" He asks softly, brows pulled down in concern.

"I always do." You smile, slipping through the door, leaving him.

[misshallery]

a list of literary references in aitsf: nirvana initiative chapter titles

tidied up this ol' twitter thread. basically: every single chapter title in aini is a reference to a work of literature, i figured out most of them. here's an explanation of where they came from and what they mean. let us begin.

edit: some gaps filled in by the discord user aaabatteries! thank you!

"a strange tale"/"dispossessed"/"alone" (chapter 0) reference 'the turn of the screw' by henry james.

the framing device of this novella is a group of friends reading a manuscript written by someone else. ryuki being interrogated by mizuki is something of a framing device for what we perceive as his 'side' of the story, six years ago. this is also a quintessential piece of gothic fiction, which is famously concerned with the subconscious and repression- two themes aitsf is very interested in!

"anyone imagines"/"ought to know" (ryuki chapter 1) reference the bible verse corinthians 8:2

"If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know"

naix is an ideology that has the power of religion over its believers. this quotation reflects that people who don't believe in the ideology who think they understand the nature of the world (and believe it's real) are ignorant to the fact it's a simulation.

"nothing to be done"/"go" (ryuki chapter 2) reference 'waiting for godot' by samuel beckett

"nothing to be done" is something of a reoccurring joke in the play. much time is spent watching characters act aimlessly, accomplish little, and lack purpose. these chapters in the game have a lot to do with ryuki feeling frustrated by tokiko's indecipherable philosophical ramblings.

"farewell"/"joy for anguish"/"smile for tears" (ryuki chapter 3) reference 'farewell' by anne bronte.

"And who can tell but Heaven, at last, May answer all my thousand prayers, And bid the future pay the past With joy for anguish, smiles for tears?"

this poem is about the pain of saying goodbye to a loved one. of course, "saying goodbye" is a classic euphemism for death. these titles likely reference shoma reckoning with komeji's death. the joy/anguish duo are strange parallel chapters where komeji lives or dies.

"well known"/"mind of god" (ryuki c4 r1) reference 'a brief history of time' by stephen hawking

"If we do discover a theory of everything…it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason—for then we would truly know the mind of God."

these chapters introduce us to tearer as a character, who is, of course, closely linked to naix and their ideology. naix believe they understood the nature of human existence, and accomplished the goal of knowing 'the mind of god'.

"i found me"/"past its ken" (ryuki c4 r2) reference "the masked face" by thomas hardy

"I found me in a great surging space, I" At either end a door" ... "There once complained a goosequill pen To the scribe of the Infinite Of the words it had to write Because they were past its ken."

this poem is about people with a negative outlook who struggle to comprehend that there is more to the world than they know. shoma only believed in shallow simulation theory to justify his depression. "past its ken" means beyond one's established knowledge.

"not all a dream"/"she was the universe" (ryuki chapter 5 r1) reference "darkness" by lord byron

"I had a dream, which was not all a dream. The bright sun was extinguish'd" ... "Darkness had no need Of aid from them—She was the Universe."

this poem describes an apocalypse that resembles a natural disaster. fitting that this route leads to the explosion ending, involving the collapse of the underground cave. darkness becomes "the universe"- ryuki is traumatised.

"pass mildly away"/"end where i begun" (mizuki c1) reference "a valediction: forbidding mourning" by john donne

"As virtuous men pass mildly away, And whisper to their souls to go" … "Thy firmness makes my circle just, And makes me end where I begun."

this poem is about two lovers parting, but i think the game uses it to reflect platonic relationships. kizuna has lost bibi. bibi lost mizuki. mizuki lost date. family members who love each other deeply have been apart for a long time.

"the expense of spirit"/"hell" (mizuki chapter 3) reference sonnet 129 by william shakespeare.

"The expense of spirit in a waste of shame Is lust in action..."

this poem theorises that after people satisfy their lust (their desires), they're left with shame. this could be a metaphor for chikara's experiments, but he doesn't seem to feel shame. i think it's about mizuki wanting answers about the institute until she gets them and they're painful.

"all living things"/"of arms and of man" (mizuki chapter 4 m2) references virgil's "the aenid".

"I sing of arms and of the man, fated to be an exile, who long since left the land of Troy and came to Italy to the shores of Lavinium"

i think a parallel is drawn between lien and the protag of the aenid, aeneas. he flees the fall of troy and travels to rome, becoming the original descendant of the ancient romans. lien escapes the 'tragedy' of his life of crime and becomes something of a hero to kizuna.

"who's there"/"bid the soldiers shoot" (mizuki chapter 4 m2/m3) reference the first and final lines of william shakespeare's "hamlet".

the first line is spoken by a guard who hears the ghost of hamlet sr. in this route, jin's corpse is found in the freezer... not quite a ghost. the final line is spoken by fortinbras, an invading prince, upon storming the palace and finding the corpses of the whole cast. he commands the shots to commemorate the deaths of the royalty. lien and kizuna escape among the gunfire of chieda's armed goons... some commemoration.

"all that we are" (mizuki c5 m2) is a buddha quote.

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought: it is founded on our thoughts and made up of our thoughts. If a man speak or act with an evil thought, suffering follows him as the wheel follows the hoof of the beast that draws the wagon…. If a man speak or act with a good thought, happiness follows him like a shadow that never leaves him.”

this chapter precedes gen and amame's end. gen highlights that he considers amame to be a naturally kind and loving person in a way that others haven't been towards him. this quotation implies that good things follow kind people, which doesn't follow considering the tragic end amame gets here.

"sweet silent thought" (mizuki chapter 5 m3) references shakespeare's sonnet 30

When to the sessions of sweet silent thought I summon up remembrance of things past, I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought, And with old woes new wail my dear time's waste

this poem is about regrets. when you think "sweet silent thoughts" (contemplate your life), you feel unhappy and consumed by what-ifs. interesting that this chapter is the direct opposite of the poem- lien and kizuna take their chance and run away together. no regrets!

"births"/"the end of craving" (mizuki c5 m1) is a buddha quote once more.

simply put, to reach the end of craving is to achieve the titular nirvana and a higher state of being.

"braver than all flowers" (epilogue) references "proof of immortality "by william carlos williams

"for there is one thing braver than all flowers; richer than clear gems; wider than the sky"

this is a sort of humorous poem about how the one thing that humans throughout history have in common is ignorance. maybe it's a ref to how the mizukis used their wit and investigation skills to overcome that ignorance and win the day?

"all this happened, more or less" (ryuki diverge) references the opening line of slaughterhouse-five by kurt vonnegut.

this is regarded as a crazy opening line for a crazy novel. it's the literary equivalent of "well, that happened" for better or worse, much like this ending.

the only currently missing reference is 'traveler'/'left behind'.

[asksuccubussides]

Logan and Husband:

Have yall met any famous historical figures? Is the current day impression of them accurate?

"I find a lot of historical figures to be much less remarkable in person than the portrayal of them in popoular culture makes them out to be. Most of them aren't Lone geniuses as much as being well connected with many smart people that together create genius" Logan rambled "That being said Alexander Fleming was a riot at parties. That's the man who invented antibiotics"

"I made several archdukes and various princes my lovers but I don't think any of them became that well known hmm....Mikey was a nice lover" His husband said while petting their hellhound.

"He's refering to Michelangelo"

"It's a shame you weren't around when Mikey was alive. I stood model for him a few times. Ruben as well! That was close to when I met you!"

Logan suddenly snapped his fingers at rememerbing something "Charles Darwin was incredibly rude!"

"He was! I remember! He insulted my cooking!"

"Exactly! There was a lot of scientists we met during those years" By years he meant a few hundred years "A fascinating and infuriating time. It was a good thing I was born after heliocentrism had been accepted because if I had to live through The church denying the clear scientific evidence that the sun was in the centre I would have" Logan motioned for explosions at the sides of his face "Fire! Fire of frustration!"

"If I have to pick a favorite I would say hmmm Well speaking of space! I think my favorite historical figure I've ever met is Laika!"

"The dog?"

"The dog!" He scratched under the hellhound's chin while adding "Oh but you're still my favorite doggy. Oh yesss you areeeeee" He kept patting the dog "Oh and of course the hottest historical figure was-"

Both of them said in unison "Lord Byron!"

[houppellande]

20th April 2024 To Lord G.G. Byron, who got me through CoviD and through one of the darkest periods of my life. To a complicated, messy and very human man, who taught my younger self to take more risks in relationships and in life's experiences, & who showed me that perfection is overrated. I really owe this guy a part of my personal growth in recent years. With his good (and bad) example, he is proof that humanity, with its thousands of worries and desires, truly trascends time and space. B was in no way a paragon of virtue, he had very dark behaviours and opinions which I can't fully digest (nor do I think I ever will), but he sure did have a nice brain. He poured all his soul in his poems & letters, and he put down on paper some universal truths and feelings that we all feel and know but which we are often not able to express. Some of them are less universal, but still. Thank you B

Happy 200th Deathday! (+1) 🔥🔥🔥​

P.s. I think if he could see the one-note rakish reputation he has nowadays, he'll be equally stoked and angry (depending on the day)

[orangepeelshortbreadcookies]

all i can say (is i was enchanted to meet you)    

Sophie Beckett thought she must have been chosen to be joke of the day by the universe, that she was partnered up with Benedict Bridgerton.

OR

Sophie wants to study. Benedict is not making it easy.

For Benophie Week 2023. Day 1.

Trope: University.

Dialogue: "Are you trying to flirt with me?" / "Yes. Is it working?"

 Sophie Beckett thought she must have been chosen to be joke of the day by the universe, that she was partnered up with Benedict Bridgerton. 

 It was not that the guy was an ass, far from it. He was one of the nicest people one could ever meet, at least from what she had heard (eavesdropped) from people who knew him. Funny. Charming. Handsome as hell. It was not that he was a shirker or stupid. Alright, maybe he was a bit of a shirker, but only in a way that people with massive talent could take the easy route through life. The guy was talented, and he did take his craft seriously when it was demanded of him. His arrogance could cause mild annoyance, but it was in no way a problem.

 So what was the problem?, one might ask. The problem was of course Sophie’s embarrassingly immense crush on the guy. And he seemed to demonstrate that problem right now, by lording his impressive height from the opposite end all over the library table. He was practically lying on top of it. He leaned in so close, she could smell the soap he used, distracting her from making sensible, accurate calculations to her 3D building model. Their model.

 Benedict Bridgerton thanked his lucky stars that he got to work with Sophie Beckett.

 He had noticed her since the Freshman party and fell in love on the spot. They did not share a lot of classes together, unfortunately, with her majoring in Architecture and him being in Visual Arts. He had kept a low profile, however. He needed a perfect approach to get in her good graces. And so during the first two semesters, he had greatly enjoyed the pleasure (torture) of Sophie-watching from two rows behind her, thus gathered much interesting intel: how she had a great feeling of space, how immaculate she was in her calibrations, how she was the smartest in their 3D Reconstruction course. How the sun kissed her shoulder, painting it in golden light from his vantage point. How much she resembled a faerie from a storybook, in both features and stature, with her wild shiny hair and her standing up straight to five-foot-nothing. Then at some point, Weatherby would quietly (and rudely) remind him that he was staring and/or drooling and Benedict would stop his gawking. For about ten point one minutes.

 Academically, Benedict knew he needed Sophie’s help. She had a great mind for structure and numbers while Benedict did not. He hated mathematics as much as he detested Lord Byron. It was why all his building sketches looked like wobbly liquid. More like funhouse reflections of buildings than actual houses. Studying with her had been amazing, while they were exchanging notes on WhatsApp. She offered great insights about skeleton building then took his opinions about colours in stride. Then he read her hour-long rant about Brutalist architecture while grinning like an idiot, after which she joyfully cheered for his spiral into Postmodernism. Subsequently they passionately discussed how stupid the fourth Matrix movie was, and on and on as it dragged on into the wee hours of nights.

 But sitting with Sophie in the library, face to face, was a brand new experience for Benedict, and the new perspective pumped fresh inspiration into his creative thoughts and his daydreams. It was difficult to remain professional when she was only an arm’s reach away from him, as his artist’s brain took in new details about her beauty and his lizard brain… also took in her beauty. How she pursed her lips slightly and her eyes were impossibly huge as she concentrated, how her fingers were dancing elegantly  across the keyboard as she built their 3D model. How her cute little button nose was light pink from sunburn, and how he wanted to kiss it after putting some sunscreen on it.

 The inkling suspicion that she was not at all immune to his advances only fueled Benedict’s hope and imagination. Occasionally, he caught her glancing at him. Every time it happened, Sophie drew her gaze shyly away after being discovered, a red flush coloured her cheeks, and Benedict bit down a smug grin as he tried to focus his eyes on the text in front of him, while his pencil absentmindedly sketched the outline of her face on his notebook.

 ‘Benedict.’ her voice snapped him out of his daydreaming. ‘Did you listen to a word I just said?’

 ‘No.’ He admitted honestly. ‘Come again?’

 Sophie rolled her eyes.

 ‘I need you to revise that column you just drew for me.’ Patiently, she explained it again to him, point by point. She thought to herself that she should have been way more annoyed with him than she was. She just liked the guy too much for her own good. For shame.

 He listened to her this time. Together, they nudged that column to both of their satisfaction. Sophie was pleased. Perhaps they could get some work done today.

 Then she caught him staring at her.

 ‘What are you doing?’ She asked, trying to keep her expression neutral.

 For a second, Benedict considered lying. Giving her some lame excuse and keeping things as they were, this nice camaraderie that they have established. Then he thought what the heck, he was already halfway in love with this girl anyway. It was not like she did not know, with him ogling her so blatantly in the past year. A friendship with her was nice, but in the long run he imagined it would look more like agony for his part. Being an emotionally driven man of action, he would prefer the certainty that she hated him rather than not knowing where they stood. And since she had asked, he might as well give her an honest answer.

 ‘I’m looking at you.’ He answered plainly.

 ‘Why?’

 ‘Because you’re beautiful.’ He said, flashing her his infamous smirk. He had been told it was his best feature. It had gotten him out of trouble more times than he could count.

 She rolled her eyes at him again.

 ‘Could you please stop messing around and focus…’ Then it dawned on her. Sophie’s computer-brain might have short-circuited for a second there. Her mouth dropped open in surprise. Red crept up from her chest to her cheeks. ‘Wait, what?’

 ‘Don’t tell me you never noticed it.’ He looked puzzled at her genuine astonishment. ‘You really didn’t? I thought I was so obvious.’

 ‘I tend to zone everything out when I’m concentrating.’ She admitted, embarrassed.

 ‘I know. It’s one of the things I like about you.’ He chuckled. ‘Was it that bad, though? I have been staring at you the whole goddamn year, Sophie.’

 ‘Are you…’ she gasped, trying to regain her composure. ‘Are you trying to flirt with me?’

 Benedict bore the grin of the cat who ate goddamn the canary. His grey eyes seemed to sparkle in the sunlight and Sophie’s head swam.

 ‘Yes. Is it working?’

 She was dumbfounded for a minute, or perhaps a lifetime, then exclaimed.

 ‘Ugh, you are so annoying!’ In a tiny voice that sounded unconvincing even to her own ears.

 Cheeks blazing, Sophie dug her head back into her laptop, refusing to look back up at him. She knew if she stared into those eyes a moment longer, she would do something silly like counting his eyelashes or kissing that stupid grin off his face. He had her now, she knew this. She would now be aware of his attention to her forever.

     It was working. It was working very well indeed.