#providence athenaeum

[costarringyourlocallibrary]

The interior of the Providence Athenaeum (Providence, RI) in Woody Allen’s Irrational Man (2015). (Identified in the film as “Braylin College Library.”)

[nancydrewwouldnever]

Oh, to travel back again North and haunt the aisles of the Providence Athenaeum with the shades of Edgar Allan Poe, Walt Whitman, and H.P. Lovecraft.

[nilfiths-grove]

Providence Athenaeum

[blindmagdalena]

The Athenaeum Portrait

18+ 4.7k homelander x f!reader. established relationship, first time having sex, reader has a complicated relationship with sex, abuse of superpowers for cunnilingus, overstimulation, penetrative sex, lite sublander, praise kink, slight coercion, unhealthy dynamics, implied codependency, implied verbal abuse.

Your relationship with Homelander is a delicious, precarious thing. Like a perfectly ripe peach, its closeness to something bruised and rotten makes it all the sweeter.

AO3 link. inspired by this anonymous prompt. thank you! 🖤

Homelander did not enter your life so much as he bull-rushed into it, a living whirlwind that uprooted you and hurled you into a familiar yet strange new world as unceremoniously as the tornado that took Dorothy to Oz. 

Vought Tower sparkles just as vibrant as the Emerald City, and provides no less surreal of a backdrop to your new life. Homelander's penthouse is a bizarre caricature of personhood, loaded with hundreds of years of American history. It would ring false, just another aspect of his brand, if not for the fact he can—and often does—regale you with a laundry list of historical facts on any piece in the collection.

This is how you find out that Gilbert Stuart is one of his favorite painters. When you ask Homelander why that is, he shrugs. "He painted over a thousand portraits, and he's most famous for the one he didn't finish. Ironic, huh?"

The Athenaeum Portrait, it's called. An unfinished portrait of George Washington that was replicated and sold by Stuart over a hundred times before his death.

The original was never completed.

The more time you spend in proximity to him, the more you start to understand why the piece resonates with him. You see replicas of him sold throughout the world on a daily basis, his face synonymous with Vought’s branding. There is a completeness to the commercial image of Homelander, America’s wholesome hero, but behind closed doors, you see his frayed and unfinished edges.

You feel his desperation for someone who will complete him in the way he touches you. He takes hold of your hands and brings them to the places where he is sketched at best, a ready and yielding canvas for your fingers. He likes when you stroke his hair, and sometimes touching his face turns his eyes glassy. There is a woundedness to the way he seeks your love, like he’s never entirely sure whether to expect the carrot or the stick.

You’ve never raised the stick to him, but it’s clear that those who came before you certainly did. It’s difficult to imagine that a man as powerful as him has been hurt like this, but he is a painfully obvious man at times, wearing his emotions like the scars his impervious body will never show.

When you lie down to read on the couch, he’s drawn to you like a magnet. He has no problem making space for himself within your bubble, sprawling on top of you, snaking his arms around your middle, his head settled on your sternum. You smile to yourself and rest your book on the top of his head as you read.

He gives a small grunt of complaint, but you’re fairly certain he’s smiling, too.

For every night of domestic bliss, so too are there sudden perils. Unexplained nights of absence, wild mood swings, fits of paranoia. He fights as many battles in his own mind as he does on the city streets and on foreign soil, a living weapon used to the fullest extent by Vought and the American government.

It feels like you lose him temporarily, like he becomes someone else. He paces around you like a caged tiger with his teeth bared, daring you to give him a reason to bite. You never do, and he never does, but sometimes you worry just how close of a call it was.

Occasionally he comes to you spattered in muck and bloody viscera. On these nights, he can’t seem to comprehend your presence, your gentleness, your love. It’s as if these concepts ring false in the wake of everything he has been made to endure. It’s suspicious to him that you would love something so repulsive, so opposite of everything Vought has polished his image into being.

He screams at you for this, takes you by the shoulders and demands you explain what he cannot understand, but you can’t. You can’t explain something that you don’t always understand.

Your relationship with Homelander is a delicious, precarious thing. Like a perfectly ripe peach, its closeness to something bruised and rotten makes it all the sweeter.

When things are good, they’re very good. He’s sweet, a romantic who learned everything he knows about romance from jewelry ads and Valentine’s Day specials. He brings you roses on random days of the week and adores showering you in gifts, especially the kind you wear. He tends to gravitate towards soft, velvety fabrics for your clothes because he likes the feel of them. He buys you perfumes that smell like vanilla and pink pepper. He likes fresh, warm scents. Nothing too floral or artificial.

Most importantly, he likes you. There’s rarely a day that the two of you don’t make each other laugh. His sense of humor is strange, but in the same way that yours is. Sometimes it feels like you’re two aliens creating a brand new language that only the two of you will ever know. The more time you spend together, the less the people outside of your relationship seem to understand you.

Not that it matters much. You spend the majority of your time with him these days, consumed by the excitement of this thrilling new thing the two of you share. Homelander is profoundly tactile, always needing to feel or touch you in some way. He loves to kiss you, content to make out languidly with you until your lips start to chap.

You’ve learned to keep lip balm on hand at all times.

Inevitably though, his hunger for intimacy outgrows quaint touches and kisses. You’re cuddled up together on his couch, only half paying attention to the movie playing. Homelander is nuzzling at your neck, pressing warm, wet kisses to it while his gloved hand slips beneath your shirt, fondling your breast through your bra. There’s something endearingly innocent about it, like a fumbling teenager piloting the body of a man in his forties.

Sex is nice enough. You have nothing against the act, but you’ve never felt as though you get as much out of it as the partners you’ve had in the past. Homelander’s touch feels good to you because it’s his, and because you know he wants to make you feel good in his enjoyment of you. You reciprocate by pushing your fingers into his hair, nails scraping along his scalp, eliciting a sweet, rumbling moan from him against your neck.

“Want you,” he mumbles fervently against your skin, his need so palpable it gives you goosebumps. “Can I have you?”

You knew this was coming. It’s not that you don’t want to fuck him, it’s that he’s not the only one whose portrait feels incomplete. You’re a fully grown adult, and never in your life have you managed to pleasure yourself to completion. In your youth, you’d just faked it for partners once you’d had your fill. With Homelander, you’re not even sure that would work. You’re not sure you would want it to.

He’s got a thing about lies, even little white ones.

You swallow and softly say, “Yes.” Ultimately, you do want him to have you. You just hope that what he gets doesn’t disappoint him.

He smiles into the crook of your neck, withdrawing his hand from beneath your shirt. He kisses you as he gathers you effortlessly up into his arms, carrying you to his bedroom. His strength is another aspect of why sex has made you nervous: the internet is full of horror stories of accidental sexual mutilation occurring between humans and supes. 

However, Homelander seems hyper aware of your fragility versus his power. He’s never harmed you. It seems to come naturally to him after years and years of navigating a world not made to withstand him. In the same way you’re capable of handling an egg without shattering it, he has learned how to hold you.

He lays you down on the bed, and then begins the ritual of shedding his signature suit, starting with his belt. You recline, content to watch him, but your gaze seems to make him uncharacteristically self conscious. You’ve never seen him without his suit before, another little quirk that you’ve largely just accepted to this point.

“Aren’t you gonna…” He gestures vaguely to you, expecting you to undress as well.

“Just enjoying the show,” you say coyly, attempting to lighten up a bit of the tension in his expression.

It doesn’t work. The furrow of his brows deepens slightly. “Ah, well. Y’know, the suit, they uh, pad it up some, so don’t–it’s different,” he says, fumbling over his words.

Your expression softens. “I know. It’s okay. I’m excited to see you,” you say, sitting up. In solidarity, you pull your shirt off first, and then wiggle out of your pants, kicking them off the bed. Homelander smiles at this, and works his pants off the rest of the way, kicking off his boots as well, leaving behind just a pair of dark red briefs. You sit up on your knees to help him with the fastenings of his suit top, which he seems to be the most apprehensive about.

To distract him from it, you kiss him. He melts eagerly into the press of your lips, slipping his tongue between yours with that same hunger to taste, to feel, to have. He’s bolder now that you’re no longer playing the part of spectator, shrugging his top from his shoulders and letting it fall with a surprisingly heavy thud to the floor. His ungloved hands skim up your sides, warm and positively thrumming with excitement.

You explore him as well, mapping out the slopes of his body that have previously been hidden from you. He’s leaner, more manageable than the ridiculous bulk of the suit. Part of you had always assumed there was a level of exaggeration in the chiseled, over the top musculature of the suit, but his build is still more slender than you expected. Regardless, it does nothing to detract from his raw strength as he catches you by the backs of your thighs and flips you onto your back, startling out a giddy bark of laughter from you.

He grins down at you, descending to catch you in another slow, consuming kiss, making space for himself between your legs. His lips trail from yours to the corner of your mouth, your jaw, your neck. He turns his head to messily suck two fingers into his mouth, and then slips his hand down the front of your underwear. He finds your clit with surprising precision–someone definitely taught him that–and begins to rub slow figure-eights over it, as gentle as he is deft. It does feel good, so you close your eyes and try to simply enjoy it for what it is, for the touch and warmth and intimacy of it all.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t come. This is still nice. You can feel his desire for you in the heat of his body, in the hot huffs of his breath wafting across your skin between kisses. He eventually slips a single finger inside you, patiently working you open. You drag your nails up his back and into his hair, breathing deeply, willing your mind to pause and let you experience this pleasantry in the same way you would a hot bath or a nice massage.

However, no matter how you try, the looming matter of expectation weighs heavily on your mind. You’ve never been comfortable with the attention being solely on your pleasure: it feels like dangling a treat in front of someone on a treadmill. They’re running for something they’ll never reach.

“Hey,” Homelander calls quietly, yanking you from your mental downward spiral. You see him above you, no longer tucked against you, working your skin with his lips and teeth. His brows are slightly furrowed. “You’re quiet. Am I doing something wrong?”

“No,” you exhale, the question immediately putting a wash of guilt through you. “No, not at all, feels good. I’m just really in my head right now,” you admit, cupping either side of his face. “You’re doing great, I’m ready. I want you inside me,” you tell him in a breathless flurry, pulling him down into a kiss. 

He does relax at that, sinking in against you for a moment before lifting himself back up. He shucks his underwear down and then pulls yours off as well, lifting both of your legs over his shoulder as he slips the panties completely off of you. While he does that, you unclasp and toss your bra aside. He turns his head to kiss the side of your leg before he lowers them both back down around his waist, lowering himself back down atop you.

The thick head of his cock presses wetly to your cunt, sliding up and down, spreading his slick and yours. You can already feel his excitement in the tension of his body, his shoulders drawn tight beneath your hands. You knead them, rolling your palms against steel-woven muscle. “That’s it,” you encourage, working to relax the both of you. “Nice and slow, mmm… Fuck, you’re big,” you say, biting your lip as he spreads you around the girth of his cock.

“You’re tight,” he moans in response, already sounding frayed. He moves his hips in slow, slightly jerky motions–clearly holding back for your comfort–until he finally bottoms out, keening so sweetly in your ear you can’t help but stroke his hair, hushing him.

“Good, good, feel so good in me,” you coo, the words a familiar script. He shudders for the praise, kissing down your chest, mouthing hungrily at your breast, the same he’d been fondling earlier. His mouth is hot and wet, perfectly pleasant as he sucks at your nipple, moaning into your skin. You cradle his head in both hands, adjusting to the onslaught of sensation. 

It’s been awhile since anyone fucked you. The feel of it is just as alien as you remember, but you’re distracted by the persistent swirl of his tongue alternating with the pull of his lips as he lavishes attention on one breast, and then the other. With his bare skin against yours, you’re more aware than ever of the superhuman frequency of his body, how he seems to literally vibrate with restraint and eagerness in equal measure. It’s like there is a line of semi trucks driving by you, the bed itself buzzing with it.

“You’re amazing,” you marvel quietly, tightening your legs on either side of him to feel that preternatural hum against even more of your skin, tingling your inner thighs. “You feel amazing.”

He grunts out a needy, strained noise at that, followed by a jagged thrust deep into you. To your surprise, you realize then that he’s coming apart, dull nails biting crescent marks into your skin, clutching you as tightly as he dare allow himself. You thought that maybe his powers would give him superhuman stamina as well, that he might fuck you raw before he came, but if the shaky cadence of his thrusts are any indication, he’s already holding himself back.

“I can feel how bad you wanna come,” you murmur, carding your fingers through his hair. “Mm? You can, you can come in me,” you say, feeling his whole body shiver from your words. You clench, tightening up around his cock so suddenly that it makes him gasp.

“Fffuck, fuck, oh god, y’can’t–fucking Christ, you–mmm, fuck!” He rasps, choking on his own breath as he comes, burying his face between your breasts at the same time he slams in deep, fading into tight, erotic little whimpers as he loses himself to the rhythmic clench of your cunt. You do it purposefully, milking him of his orgasm, enamored with how thoroughly you’ve reduced a demigod to these simpering noises. The flood of come is hot inside you, already dripping out where your bodies are connected.

All that, and he still never lost control. You doubt his fingerprints will even bruise, though you find a part of yourself wishing they would. 

Homelander comes down gradually from his high, limp against you, breathing shallowly against your skin. He looks dazed, eyes only half open. It’s cute, which isn’t a word you necessarily would have ever thought to associate with The Homelander before you started dating him. When he looks up at you, you smile, already more satisfied than you’ve been with sex in your life.

“That was playing dirty,” he tells you, voice a touch fried.

“I just wanted to make you feel good,” you respond simply, watching as he nuzzles into your hand.

He rumbles out a low hum, kissing your palm. “Which means it’s my turn to make you feel good,” he says, moving to slide out of your hands. You stop him, taking hold of his arm.

“You don’t need to,” you assure him, tugging gently to lure him back up. “Really. That felt incredible.”

He frowns, looking every bit like a confused puppy. “But you didn’t come.”

“I know,” you say, that ball of tightness coiling back up in your gut. “It’s okay.”

He exhales an incredulous little scoff. “What kind of boyfriend d’you take me for? I’m gonna make you come,” he says, shrugging off your hand as he moves down your body, sliding out of you.

“Homelander,” you implore, reaching out for him. “Really, it’s okay, you don’t need to–”

“What, you don’t think I can?” He asks. You can see the challenge in his eyes, but you also recognize the potential of a stinging wound to his ego in those words.

You sigh, folding your arm over your eyes as you lay your head back. “It’s not that I don’t think you specifically can, I’m… Eugh.” You take a deep breath. “It’s not something that I do. I can’t. I’ve never been able to,” you say to the darkness of your arm, fingers rolling apprehensively. “And I don’t want you to take this as some kind of challenge, and then be upset when it doesn’t happen,” you say, speaking from very specific experience.

The space between you is silent for long enough that your curiosity beats out your apprehension, and you lower your arm. Homelander stares at you from between your legs, expression pinched, eyes flickering slightly, as if he’s solving the world’s most complicated puzzle in his brain. His eyes narrow softly, his bewilderment showing.

“Like… You haven’t come… Ever?”

“Ever,” you confirm. “It’s not that I haven’t tried, there’s just something broken.”

He processes that a moment longer. “But all of this still felt good, at least… Yeah?”

“Yeah, yeah, of course it did, I liked it. You really do feel amazing,” you assure him, lest he think you were lying with what you said earlier. “It just never finishes for me. That’s all.”

“Alright,” he says, the gears in his brain clearly turning. “So. Sure, no crossing the finish line, but I can still, y’know. Take you for a cruise? A little joyride?” He asks, making you laugh softly.

He really is cute. Sweeter than one might expect, too.

“A joyride?” You echo with a quirk of your brow, smiling.

He smiles, too. “Yeah. No destination, just a little drive.”

“I can do a little drive,” you say, feeling that knot of tension in your gut begin to untangle itself.

“Good,” he purrs, shouldering down between your legs. “Gimme that pillow,” he says, which you promptly do. He slides it under your ass, adjusting your hips until the angle is just right. He smooths his hands up and down the outsides of your thighs, glancing up at you. “Now, you just sit back and relax. Close your eyes, and imagine some smooth jazz.”

“I hate jazz,” you laugh.

He laughs as well, breath rolling over your wet pussy in hot waves. “Well, fuck, imagine something you do like.”

Relaxing back against the bed, you exhale a deep breath, closing your eyes. The first wet, hot slide of his tongue makes you jump a little. He responds by gripping your thighs and pinning you still, which does admittedly run a little thrill up your spine. You test his grip by pushing against it, and when that fails, pulling away, but neither grant you any leeway.

“Squirming already?” He asks between drags of his tongue.

“I like feeling your strength,” you say through a pleased little smile.

He gives an intrigued hum at that and spreads your legs wider, forcing them down against the bed. To even your surprise, that pushes a small, thin noise out of you. Encouraged, he presses his tongue inside, lapping up the mess he made inside you. It feels fine enough, but after a bit of his tongue pushing in and out of you, you give his hair a little tug. “Clit,” you say simply, a command he happily obliges, drawing back up to suck your clit between his lips.

Without the looming pressure to achieve some kind of euphoric release at the end, you find yourself more capable of simply enjoying this for what it is. Homelander is good at this, but it’s really his persistence that elevates the experience. At no point do you feel him begin to waver or slow, or shift and breathe in impatience. He’s relentlessly consistent, swirling his tongue and lapping at you like he’s starved for the taste.

You sigh, idly scratching his scalp as you toy with his hair. “Mmm, that feels good,” you say, more aware of the effect your praises have on him. He makes an appreciative noise, nuzzling into your cunt. One odd thing is that your clit is starting to ache in a way you’re unfamiliar with. You shift back a touch, but Homelander pulls you right back in.

“Greedy,” you accuse, which draws a low laugh from him, the rumble of it making you shiver a little. You must be growing oversensitized. You’ve lost track of how long he’s been at this.

He pulls back, and the cool air almost stings for the loss of his hot mouth, but that ache was beginning to grow uncomfortable anyways. You’re just about to thank him for his service when a whole new sensation steals the words right off your tongue. You don’t even know how to describe it: hot, pressure, but weightless. Your whole body jerks, but Homelander keeps you still, forces you to endure whatever the fuck it is he’s doing now.

“Wh-what the fuck is that?” Watching him, comprehension dawns; he’s blowing on your clit, lips pursed, forcing out a concentrated stream of warm, almost hot air that has your thighs quivering in his grasp. “Oh fuck,” you gasp, equal parts bewildered and overwhelmed. You try to close your knees, but once again, his hold is completely unrelenting, keeping them spread wide. Immediately that same ache is skyrocketing back up, spreading tightness low in your belly.

“Hold on,” you groan, gripping his hair tighter. You expect it to end before too long, for him to at least need to inhale, but beyond all logic and reason, he just keeps going. The heat of it is surreal, the weightless pressure of it constant. Your toes curl, heels digging into the bed while every muscle in your body starts to lock up.

Homelander’s gaze flickers up to meet yours, nothing pure wicked delight in his eyes. Just as suddenly, he descends upon you, tongue feeling hotter and wetter than ever as he dotes on your clit with it, focusing it with alarming precision. The abrupt change in sensation makes you thrash, stumbling over a stream of nonsense as you pull at his hair, that aching tightness now so prominent that you can hardly take in a breath.

“That’s enough, that’s–fuck, Homelander, it’s too much, it’s too much, s-stop, s–” your pleas erupt into a gasp because he’s focusing that stream of air right back on you again, the feel of it so surreal, so indescribable that your brain can hardly function around it. Your eyes roll back, you writhe, but he’s so much stronger than you’d ever really wrapped your mind around. He’s entirely unyielding in a way he’s never felt in your arms, against your body on the couch. He’s more inhuman than he’s ever been, and it’s driving you wild. 

Tears gather in your eyes. This  assault of sensation walks the knife’s edge of pain, but never quite falls over it. Your whole body is throbbing, and you feel like you’re going to fucking explode. He twists that knife by taking you again with his tongue, swirling and slick in contrast to the dry pressure of his breath.

“H-Homelander, Homelander, please, I’m–I’m–fuck!”

The world turns white, and suddenly you can’t breathe. You hear yourself make a strained noise you’ve never heard before, but it might as well not even be you. You’re somewhere outside of your own body, floating in a torrent of indescribable sensory input that is so alien to you, you don’t even feel real anymore. Homelander isn’t holding you still anymore, but you can still feel him slowly lapping at your throbbing clit, watching you through foggy eyes as he licks you through your first orgasm, no doubt tasting and smelling the endorphins that flood your body.

Every single taut muscle in your body snaps like the strings of a marionette, leaving you to collapse limply on the bed, panting through it as your soul gradually descends back down into your body. Blissfully, Homelander ceases his torment and joins you, laying sideways with his head propped up in his palm while his other hand rests on your hip, thumb rubbing soothing circles. 

“Oh my God,” you whisper eventually.

“Please, you can still call me Homelander,” he says, sounding just as smug as one would expect him to be after such an accomplishment. If you had any power whatsoever left in your lifeless arm, you’d smack him. However, he quickly makes up for it by drawing you gently into his arms, kissing your forehead. 

“I can’t believe you did that,” you say, more malleable than ever as he adjusts you both beneath the blankets. “I thought I was going to die.” It’s only a slight hyperbole.

Homelander laughs softly, beaming at you with pink cheeks and a sly, delighted little smile. “See? Nothing’s broken,” he murmurs at your ear, catching you off guard. That had been such an offhand remark, you didn’t expect to hear it come back around.

“What if I hadn’t? What if all that, and nothing happened?” You ask, adjusting slightly while he entangles his limbs with yours, bodies slotting together like jigsaw pieces. You’re both jagged in all the right ways, fitting nicely together.

He gives a small shrug, stroking his knuckles up and down your spine. “Still would’a been a hell of a ride. Not everything has to be finished to be good.”

Slowly, you smile. “Yeah. I guess you’re right.”

Loving Homelander isn’t always easy or good. There are times when he makes it hard, and there are times when you make it hard, but if there’s one thing you’ve learned in this lifetime, nothing worth doing is ever easy. Love may start as an incidental thing, a passion that ignites as readily as tinder, but the upkeep of it is more like pottery. It’s messy, and even once you get the shape of it right, you don’t always know how it will react to the heat necessary to give it solid form. It can be broken, it can be fixed, it can even be remade, but never is one the same as the last.

Still, even when it hurts, when it’s frustrating, when it doesn’t turn out the way you wanted it to, the euphoria of creating something so beautiful keeps you coming back to it. When the same love that burns you can also warm you against the cold, coat your throat like honey, and fill your night sky with stars to guide your way in darkness, it becomes impossible to let go of.

To love something is to heal it. Everything that is loved is beautiful, even things that are unsightly, unfinished, unappealing. Even things that are broken.

Finally, you think you understand why Stuart never finished his original painting.

He loved it precisely as it was.

[a-word-a-day-for-writers]

𝐀𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐞𝐮𝐦

ath-uh-NEE-uhm

1. Ge. Antiq. The temple of Athene in ancient Athens, in which professors taught their students, and orators and poets rehearsed their compositions (Similar institutions, with the same name, were afterwards established at Rome and Lyons.) 

2. In modern times used as a title for:

a. An association of persons interested in scientific and literary pursuits, meeting for the purpose of mutual improvement; a literary or scientific club 

b. A building or institution in which books, periodicals, and newspapers are provided for use; a literary club-room, reading-room, library. Esp. the Athenaeum Club in London. 

c. A periodical devoted to the interests of literature, science, and art, e.g. The Athenaeum, published in London

[thethirdromana]

As to the tall, curly-haired man, I suppose it was the one who was with me at the last Pop.

Brace yourselves, I'm about to provide way too much detail on literally one word of this entry.

A "Pop" was a popular classical music concert; specifically, part of a series held at St James's Hall. I suppose the word "Pop" might have been used by other places? But the concert series at St James's Hall was very well known and well established, so I think it's fair to assume that's what Lucy is referring to.

St James's Hall was located between Regent St and Piccadilly where the Dilly Hotel now stands. It opened in 1858 and was demolished in 1905.

The first two images are sketches of the hall when it opened in 1858; the final image is a photo from 1885. You'll notice that it's next door to the Aerated Bread Company; here's their menu.

Apparently the interior is in the style of the Alhambra, but it's a bit hard to tell.

Pops were chamber concerts, held on Monday evenings and Saturday afternoons. Tickets started at a shilling each (source, p139), which was affordable for anyone on a middle-class salary (it's about a week's coal bill for a poor family). I'd assume Lucy and Arthur paid more for better seats.

At the Pop reviewed by Werner's magazine in 1893, the programme was:

Schubert, String Quartet in A minor, op. 29

Brahms... I have no idea what the convention is when there are slurs in the titles of classical music? Let's call them Brahms' folk songs, op. 103

Beethoven, Sonata in C minor, op 111

Schumann, Quartet in F flat, op. 47

Henschel, Five Quarters, op. 51

A less detailed review in the Athenaeum (here, p477) suggests that this was a reasonably typical programme.

I had assumed that a Pop would be all crowd-pleasers, given the name and pricing, but I asked a musician friend for his thoughts (since I'm not qualified to judge) and he says it's not; the programme above is highbrow and relatively abstruse, and it was performed by notable musicians.

I don't know how much this actually tells us about Lucy and Arthur's taste in music. But since we don't have much else to go on, I'm going to headcanon it as a genuine enthusiasm that they share.

[esoteric-chaos]

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We have over 1000 channels across our server network, filled to the brim with information. Join our community if you are interested < 3 Dishboard Link and blurb: "The Cobalt Athenaeum is a Witchcraft and Spirituality information database server network linked through this social server. The Information provided is from witches who have been researching and practicing for years and mods here have a combined experience of 100+ years.

We wanted a place for witches of all skill levels to have access to good and reliable information. We also have submissions for those who have information of their own to contribute. We're always adding new info so If there is something that we don't have added yet and you'd like more information on, let us know and we will do our best to get that information out. We also have a study corner for those who want to listen to music or talk while they study and sift through all of our channels in our sister-servers!

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an 18+ server for shenanigans and debauchery Within our server network we have over 1,000 information channels to choose from; you're bound to learn something new every time you take a look around!"

Discord Link:

[letters-from-dekarios]

Gale;

By the time this letter arrives in Waterdeep I will have already departed from Candlekeep. I have found several tomes relevant to your interests and have copied what I can, though given my inability to withdraw books from the athenaeum it may be wise for you to visit yourself.

We should return together, when you are free of your students.

You may tell Tara to stand down - I have been informed that my good friend Arnold the Dog already has an owner, and that if I try to smuggle him out of the city again neither you or I would be permitted entry in future.

Be grateful I prefer you to the dog.

To say that I have missed you would be an understatement. These few tendays I have spent within the library have been the longest I can remember.

I remain unsure that my research will be seen as adequate. I do not doubt your faith in me my love, though I am forever uncertain about what the world may think of an academic Bhaalspawn. I fear that you may be the only learned man who forgives me my lineage, and though I am not surprised I am…

Distraug-

Devast-

Disappointed.

We will be passing through Baldur’s Gate soon enough, I will give Jaheira your best. It will be strange to see the city without you beside me.

With all the love I have to give;

Dreuer.

P.S. if you try to trick me into using a filing system again I will start moving the bookmarks around in your books when you aren’t looking.

P.P.S. i look forward to seeing what part of you you inadvertently dyed purple. I have several ideas, none of them suitable to be committed to ink and parchment.

Loveliest Dreuer,

It pleases me greatly that you were able to find such information. Even the smallest of copied words is enough to begin another journey in my studies. I am sure it is plenty to begin with and will provide a good starting point to search for more if I ever have the chance to visit myself.

Once the summer sun rises and the students have taken their break, perhaps we can make the journey. I still have much to do, and much to prepare, but I can never pass down an adventure for the literary arts.

Tara will be pleased to know this! However, I have several questions as to how exactly you found out Arnold had an owner. If you risk my chance to visit the Athenaeum, I shall be thoroughly disappointed.

I have missed you greatly so, my love. The longer I spend within my books without your embrace, the more weary I become. Though I know you are safe, I only wish to be by your side.

Trust when I say that your lineage is likely the least surprising thing any academic society could come across! They simply judge others for where they cannot judge themselves. I understand your perception of it is and will forever be worlds different than my own, but you truly have nothing to become anxious over. I know you may hate that I would do so, for pride or ego, but I would use my name in a heartbeat if anyone attempted to discredit your research. I know, as well as any other person, how much effort you’ve put into this- if that doesn’t change the minds of even the most heartless, I’m not sure what will.

What matters the most is not what others think, my love, but what you think. Be satisfied with your works, and be joyous in your research. Only you can pave your path forward to academic achievements- and I know you well enough to have full confidence that you will accomplish all you set your heart to.

I’ll send coin for you to use within the city. I know I don’t have to, but I want to. Buy Jaheira a drink, or yourself something if you’d like. I have gone too long without spoiling you since you’ve been away, allow me to make up for it even in such a small dose.

The heart that belongs to only you,

𝑮𝒂𝒍𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒌𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒔

P.S. If you even think of moving my bookmarks I will force the Netherese orb back into my body and use it. [ there is a small angry face drawn next to the text to convey that he is joking. probably. ]

P.P.S. Now I am going to lock you out of the tower until it returns to normal. I shall also solely blame this on you for not letting me label things. This is why we need the filing system.

[ there is an half-inked feline paw-print stamped at the corner of the page, some small splashes of ink surrounding it, indicating Tara was very much a part of the process in writing the letter. ]

text reads: gale dekarios

[fictional-library-tournament]

Polls masterlists

Prelims round 1

Four polls a day, each open for a day. This post will provide links to them and also give their status. If I've got my timings right, the last of these should end midnight GMT on the 9th December.

Poll 1 completed!

Winner: Junior Woodchucks Guidebook, Guardians of the Lost Library by Don Rosa

Poll 2 completed!

Winner: Endless Athenaeum, Critical Role – Campaign 1: Vox Machina

Poll 3 completed!

Winner: Noumenon, Final Fantasy XIV

Poll 4 completed!

Winner: Kiersau Abbey Library, Pentiment

Poll 5 completed!

Winner: Neo-Gotham Public Library, Batman Beyond

Poll 6 completed!

Winner: Downing Hill Public Library, Hello from the Hallowoods by William A Wellman

Poll 7 completed!

Winner: Mrs Phelps' library, Matilda by Roald Dahl

Poll 8 completed!

Winner: Sazed's Copperminds, Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

Poll 9 completed!

Winner: ART's archives, The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

Poll 10 completed!

Winner: Bag End library, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien

Poll 11 completed!

Winner: Sunai, The Archive Undying by Emma Mieko Cando

Poll 12 completed!

Winner: Merlin's Library, The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne

Poll 13 completed!

Winner: The Scholomance Library, A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

Poll 14 completed!

Winner: The Thunderhead, Arc of a Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Poll 15 completed!

Winner: The Black Archives, Doctor Who

Poll 16 completed!

Winner: Vault of Knowledge, Sky: Children of the Light

Poll 17 completed!

Winner: SCP-4001 "Alexandria Eternal", SCP Foundation

Poll 18 completed!

Winner: Death's library, The Discworld series by Terry Pratchett

Poll 19 completed!

Winner: The Lines Between, Dimension 20: Neverafter

Poll 20 completed!

Winner: Justice Strauss' library, A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

Poll 21 completed!

Winners: The Library, Clue/Cluedo; The Incorruptible Republic of the Immortal Library of the Grand Architect (aka The Incorruptible Library), Girl Genius

[loominggaia]

Is there a reason Disgrace seems so determined to hunt down Karenza, even before she earned her title as the Divine of Love?

"Lost Scriptures of Love and Light" has a little insight on this, but I'll go into more detail below.

(Possible spoilers ahead?)

There is evidence to suggest that Mankind's Disgrace might actually be Darshaan, the man Karenza fell in love with during her mortal years.

Darshaan loved Karenza dearly. He was a mercenary who constantly threw himself into danger to provide a happy life for her. When she became pregnant with his child, he grew desperate for more gold so that their child would not have to grow up destitute and miserable like he did.

One day, Darshaan heard of a great treasure lying inside a cursed cave, guarded by foul monsters. Karenza begged him no to go, but he was determined to claim this treasure and escape poverty once and for all. He went into that cave and never returned.

Or did he?

Not long after Darshaan disappeared, a crazed man in a golden mask broke into her home, murdering her and her unborn child. He then went on to slaughter most of their village before disappearing into the wilderness. His identity and motives were unknown.

Long story short, Karenza resurrected and returned to the place of her death to find clues. She found only the remains of her unborn child. These bones were one of the ingredients she used to forge Isaac, along with her own hair and blood, as well as a drop of Darshaan's blood, which he gave to her in a locket before he disappeared.

So, what about the masked man? He kept popping up in various places throughout the Serkel Desert region, causing terror and amassing a monstrous army. When he learned Karenza was still alive, he once again tried to kill her. But she had grown stronger by then and managed to defend herself. He has been relentlessly chasing her ever since.

But why? What does he want from her? In truth, no one really knows. There are only theories:

A ) There are many eye-witness accounts of Disgrace seemingly "fighting" with his mask, attacking it and trying to pull it off. Some believe the mask itself is a parasitic creature that has taken control of its host, but on occasion this host finds strength to fight back. If the host really is Darshaan, and the mask really is the source of his wicked behavior, then his relentless pursuit of Karenza might be Darshaan trying to reunite with her, while his violence against her is the result of his cursed mask.

B ) Karenza's Order of Love and Light is a faction that spreads love, beauty, and good deeds across the world. They follow Karenza's scriptures by easing the world's misery and trying to make it a better place. Misery is Disgrace's bread and butter; it's literally how he feeds. So, by destroying Karenza, he can dismantle the Order of Love and Light, make the world merciless, and become more powerful than ever. Karenza has always been the biggest obstacle between him and world domination. Many believe he is trying to destroy Karenza with the Divine Executioner so he can rule the world and basically turn it into Hell.

C ) Perhaps Disgrace's mask is feeding on Darshaan's misery by forcing him to terrorize the person he loves most for all eternity.

D ) It's possible that Disgrace is not Darshaan, but some other entity who has beef with Karenza. Some think he is actually the ancient king of Alqamah, who imprisoned Karenza in her mortal life. She later returned to him as a divine and killed him. This king could have been a divine himself, resurrected and corrupted by a thirst for vengeance against her.

Destiny was one of the few World Athenaeum researchers brave enough to study Disgrace and his motives, and, well...we all know what happened to her.

It looks like the world will just have to wait a while longer before the truth is revealed!

*

Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost

Read the Series

[costarringyourlocallibrary]

The interior of the Providence Athenaeum (Providence, RI) in Woody Allen’s Irrational Man (2015). (Identified in the film as “Braylin College Library.”)

[coffee-in-veins]

Day 24: Deal with the Devil

an entry for darkest prompts promptober 2022  

previous days: 1, 2, 3,  4, 5, 6,  7,  8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23

now available on ao3 too

Deal with the Devil IDIOM - the pact is between a person and the Devil or another demon, trading a soul for diabolical favours, which vary by the tale; also used metaphorically to condemn a person or persons perceived as having collaborated with an evil person or regime.

* * *

I am the keeper I am the secret I am the answer I am the end

-- Dark Matter by Les Friction

The shades were soft and easy on the eye, only the scarce light of a singular candle keeping the Darkness away. The hustle and bustle of the outside world were trapped, squashed and silenced into the form of parchment reports, keeping the room’s concentration unwavering. One could find it weird to work on texts in such lacklustre light conditions, but one would completely miss the point of this condition.

It was simply easier to converse that way, and after so many iterations of streamlining, one could learn to appreciate removing unnecessary inconveniences.

[…it would be to Thy most convenience, Thy Cautious Grace, to keep the Weald road cleared and guarded so that the stream of supplies and new adventurers wouldn’t run dry, and thus…]

“Does it amuse you?”

She was used to the velvety, regal voice which manifested in the darkest corners of her manor just as much as she was used to singling out the slippery, fleshy, wet-sounding undertone of it. It was funny how they still felt the need to use the courtesy of pretending to be what they ceased to be aeons ago. Funny – if she was capable of comprehending such distractions on a mortal level. Although, she got much better at pretending in the last fifty-four cycles. 

After all, if there were no rules, what was the point of the game?

“What shouldst I findeth amusing?” she asked evenly, reaching for another parchment. The Weald didn’t interest her much – not the prophesized reward, nor the task at hand.

“This eternity of futile struggle?”

[…his Holiness, together with his highest regards, requests Thy Grace to send a party to venture into the Old Estate and gather relics of the Light left in the old manor as the lands were overrun…]

The Darkness coiled its interlaced tentacles, weaving itself into a frame for the old, faded mirror that was showing four mortal shells cautiously climbing down an ancient crumbling staircase.

“Finding the stuff is only the first test - now it must be carried home,” it mused, observing the mortals with far more interest than it wanted to be known. She who was known only as The Heiress leaned back, sparing them a glance. So far, those proved to be worthwhile investments of her limited resources.

First tools always seemed to serve her the longest.

Unless they broke immediately, of course.

That was the unfortunate inevitability of providing oneself with unreliable tools, she supposed, carefully penning expenses in the lifeblood-red ink.

“Peculiar how thou art the one to asketh it,” the Heiress hummed, gesturing to the Caretaker to bring her another ledger. Mortals required excessive care, and despite her obligations lasting aeons by now, she still was sure there was room for improvement. Efficiency. Streamlining.

“Don’t blame the damnably transcendent terrors of our lands on me,” the Darkness writhed, pitch eyes unblinking, as the tendrils webbed themselves on the blackened silver. “The choice was yours. You answered the letter – now like me, you are part of this place.”

[…the community of Athenaeum would humbly ask Thy Grace to organize an expedition into the grottos and have an opportunity to study pelagic fishfolk that contaminate the region, and permission to gather the samples mentioned in the attached list…]

There was a laugh to her side – quaffing, croaking, obnoxiously loud despite being suppressed. The Heiress looked up, her eyes instantly meeting the unnaturally wide grin of her supposed underling, and she tilted her head to the side slightly, patiently waiting out the fit. Admittedly, him wagering himself onto this role and this existence still was an unsolved puzzle to her, the one she was willing to spend a decent chunk of her eternal cycles to crack.

They all collected something here, after all.

Even that not yet fully awakened newcomer, who bumbled into their game, unannounced and unaccounted for, following the loopholes provided by the third thespian.

“Ah, how can we forget the poor Caretaker,” the Darkness wriggled, leaning over the gangling man’s shoulder, each of the eyes blooming into the tooth-filled mouth to mirror his unnatural grin. “I fear his long-standing duties here have ...affected him.”

“Nay more than the rest of us, to mine own knowledge,” the Heiress responded, paying only the strictly necessary amount of attention. The ledger in front of her was far more captivating than etiolated feathers of blackened indigo peeking out of his dingy sleeves.

[…as a head of the farming community, I would modestly ask Thy Merciful Grace to investigate the blatant theft of the food from the farms under my care by the walking pigs, as it can lead to famine and inability to provide for Thy troops…]

“Ah, are the requirements of survival an issue yet again? Would you finally pay a visit to the wondrous fury of the Stars?” the Darkness clicked its swirling claws against the darkened wood of the desk, avoiding dim candlelight with practiced ease. “Despite our timelessness together, the hateful scorn of the swirling constellations was an unexpected addition to our ardent duet.”

“Sitting on a two-legged chair is quite uncomfortable, concur thee not?” was her answer, as she put the parchment to the side, but closer to herself. “And mayhaps.”

This was an issue she had to deal with, first and furthermost. In a few ways, the Darkness was useful. It used to be a human, after all, however long ago it had been, and was a valuable source of knowledge in its taunting barks.

Yet now she had another plan in mind.

The Heiress stretched out a hand in an offering gesture towards the Caretaker, a pristine raven-black feather in her elongated, pale fingers.

“Wend forth mine own raven remindeth the mortals wherefore shouldn't those gents becometh compliant with landeth's riches,” was her blessing, and the man took the feather, uncontrollable cackling finally much closer to actual monstrous cawing, gnarly fingers elegantly tipped with stubbed talons.

“Can you allow yourself such levity?” the Darkness inquired, its fleshy coils twitching and making way for yet another raving creature of its design.

The Heiress’ pale, almost colourless eyes glanced at the intricate, ornate clepsydra which marked their current bet, as she stroked the ledger as one might a pet despite having no familiarity with fondness.

“Ninety-nine weeks art enow.”

[hplovecraftmuseum]

Inside the ATHENAEUM, Providence, RI. (Exhibit 141)

[carothehotmess]

Oh my god. Y’all.

I found the Poe meme in real life

Shoutout to the Providence Athenaeum for their impeccable taste in decor

[keyboardandquill]

Happy STS! Do you have a fave way to start your wips? Or does it change with every project? @writingonesdreams

Hiya! Thank you for the ask @writingonesdreams :3

Most of my WIPs start with a fairly vague concept that gets refined as I talk about it with a bud or as I put notes into a doc. So often times I'll have a place to begin writing from if I decide to pursue it! I call them plot dumps and they can range from 700 to 2500 words but they provide a pretty useful idea of the vibe I want and the events that could happen. But, I'm also a discovery writer, so I'm happy to change elements of the story as needed until something takes shape in prose.

I think I've mentioned in a post before, but Athenaeum started with a mental image I had of a desert wanderer looking out over the ruins of a library! So I started thinking about how she got there, what the library was, why there was a wasteland, etc.

And Rocket Boosters and Other Things You Can Find in a Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland was borne out of me watching a gameplay trailer for the indie game Eastward. I didn't particularly have a solid concept for the story other than that, so I decided to try my hand at building some characters for the story first and that was a fun experience. :)

[athenaeumscientificpublishers]

Explore Quality Research in Scopus Indexed Journals

Discover a wide range of high-quality research published in Scopus indexed journals at Athenaeum Scientific Publishers. We provide a platform for authors to share their groundbreaking studies and for researchers to access invaluable resources across various disciplines. Our commitment to excellence ensures that all published works meet rigorous academic standards, enhancing their visibility and impact. By choosing to publish with us, you connect with a global audience and contribute to the advancement of knowledge in your field. Visit Athenaeum Scientific Publishers today to learn more about our submission process and explore our journals.