#the pose in the first image took me a collective 4 hours i hope it looks right heart emoji !

[tea-time221]

snrrkkk mimimimimi

good morning wyllstarion nation -holds this post out like its birdseed in my palms-

[kirindensetsu]

The Making of Fubuki

((Reposting from Den of Angels workshop thread because I wanted my friends to be able to see~))

After years of pining after dolls I couldn't afford as a broke teenager, my first BJD was a Bobobie Sprite I purchased for my 18th birthday. Unfortunately, she didn't live up to my expectations and I never really bonded with her. Her face was cute enough, but the Bobobie body lacked the grace and posing ability I imagined for the Unseelie faerie I'd been daydreaming of for years. Sueding and wiring didn't help, blushing and tattooing highlighted her blockiness, it was a mess. I packed her away and tried not to think about my disappointment for 12 years. In the meantime I learned to build and paint resin garage kits, inherited one of my sister's dolls, bought some others, took anatomy & physiology in college, and did a couple extensive restorations and full-body modifications. I was sure I had thrown her away at some point as a failed project, but last weekend I found her tucked away in a doll bag I thought was empty. Having just finished substantial mods on a Dollshe body, and awaiting an unfinished Unoa kit for my birthday in September, I decided that I owed it to her to try again. Doll nudity below the cut, looooong post--

My Sprite was originally going to be a pooka with golden eyes and extensive woad tattoos. The golden eyes are incredible, so those are staying, but she's now going to be a blue oni to fit in with the rest of my collection. My plan is to do extensive additive epoxy work, and then to use Krylon Fusion to give everything a unified finish. The goal of the project is to reduce the... idk, STRAIGHTNESS of the old Bobobie body. I was never going to be happy with it, the lines were all far too rigid.

Head: Modified mouth for a wider, smirking smile. Magnets added to headcap (old Bobobie used an S-hook iirc; I did this part back in 2008). Forehead drilled for 3mm brass rod armature, and epoxy used to sculpt horns over rod. Bust: Substantial subtractive modifications to breasts, which involved removal and readdition of nipples. Addition of epoxy clay to back and shoulders to give a more curved body line in profile. Deepening of shoulder sockets with 18mm eye bevel, followed by sanding to make shoulders narrower. Waist: Reshaping of upper torso joint into sphere for smoother range of motion. Subtraction of resin in back and addition of epoxy in front to enhance lumbar curve. Hips: Substantial reshaping of lower waist seam to more naturally follow the pelvic girdle. It reminded me of granny panties before  Added epoxy to butt, again for lumbar curve. Thighs: Suwariko joint mod (cut the thigh and added a PVC insert to enable swivelling at the hip). Added epoxy to make her thighs look less straight. Calves: Removed 1cm of length at the ankles and rebevelled the socket. Removed resin at the ankles to bring them in, and added epoxy at the calves to make them curvier. Feet: Sculpted little claws, which were cute, and then decided the feet needed to be 5mm longer. Cut across, drilled and pinned with brass rod for structural strength, gap filled with epoxy clay. I also modded her feet to have defined arches and balls back when I first got her. Alas, spitting into the ocean. I added S-hooks, but did so by drilling the ankle and inserting brass rod to form the axle for the hook. Arms: The proportions on her upper arms BOTHERED me! they were so SHORT! and I only just figured out that's what I hated about them last week! I added 5mm to the upper arms by cutting them in the middle and using SteelStik to make a structural repair (plumber's epoxy putty has a shorter open time but far greater structural strength than artist's epoxy clay). Sanded the heck out of the wrists to give them a more delicate taper. Hands: Beyond salvage. The hands were my least-favorite part of this sculpt. I tried to bulk them up to look less spidery but it was just too difficult... I've ordered a different pair of MSD hands which will have claws added, and then when everything is painted it'll all match. Thanks for reading this far! Here's a preview of what her golden eyes look like next to Krylon Fusion in Antique Blue.

((first progress post)) I think I'm mostly done adding epoxy clay (at least where it'll show; presumably the wrist sockets will require tweaks to fit the new hands), so now it's time for finish sanding. I start with 60 grit for shaping, then switch to a 120 grit sanding sponge. To check for scratches, pinholes, and inadequately feathered edges, I apply a wash of diluted acrylic paint. Once the paint has dried, I scrub the piece with a nylon scouring pad. Paint remains in the surface irregularities.

All sanded with 220 grit. I don't think I'll be going higher than 400 because I want there to be some tooth for the paint.

Any pitting in the epoxy clay that can't be sanded out is marked with a Sharpie and will be patched with Tamiya spot putty.

I did a test spray of the Krylon Fusion on the headcap and it's fantastic! Holy cow is it *poisonous* tho, I'm used to working with volatile chemicals but this was something else. Get OUT OF THE AREA between coats and leave it outside until it stops outgassing, not just until it's ready to handle.

This test piece is four light coats sprayed 1 minute apart, allowed to cure for 4 hours, and then wetsanded to remove the spray texture. It's pretty sturdy but I will wait several more days to see how it continues to cure before experimenting with matte sealants. ((progress update 2))

Haven't done much but sand-and-fill-and-sand-and-fill, but my 14mm beveller came in today so I can start deepening her elbow and ankle sockets. Added some epoxy clay to the insides of the eyewells so 14mm eyes will fit with no gap. I need a needle file to clean up the corners of her mouth... Monster feets! Nails on the right came out better than the left, still need to feather-sand everything.

Elbows progress. The early Bobobie elbows are I guess /technically/ double-jointed because the joint is a sphere with two slots, but I thought I could do better than that. You can see epoxy clay spliced in to make the sphere into a peanut: this isn't a structurally sound repair unless you pop it apart and drill/pin/glue-epoxy it back together.

View from the back. By keeping the joint heads spherical with no elbow-shaped detailing, there's some rotation as well as flexion, which I like.

Touching her face with one of her old hands. I hope the new ones come soon!

((progress update 4))

In good news, these parts are all ready for paint! It's really hard to do prepwork with no filler primer, hope I didn't miss any spots...

In less good news, her new hands arrived and they are... very smol ;u; I forgot that the new trend for slim minis means that everyone has TINY LITTLE HANDS.

They are, however, beautifully sculpted and a good 3D reference for what needs fixing and how. Bobobie palm is very short relative to fingers: I made a transverse cut behind the knuckles and added epoxy to lengthen More curved volume across the back of the hand: Not necessarily realistic, but looks a little cuter, plus it makes the transition into the cylinder of the wrist look less stylistically jarring. More defined joint angles: Some of these I did via cut-and-thermoform repositioning, mostly I'm aiming to fake it by building up and carving away at the weird smooth curves. The fingers are just TOO SKINNY: But obviously I'm not going to squish rice-grain-sized blobs of epoxy to the fingers, right? It's too fiddly, it doesn't want to stick. What's the solution? Brace for a truly hideous WIP image--

"AAAAAAGH WHAT IS THAT DARK GRAY MESS" it's JB Weld epoxy! It's like load-bearing, slow-curing modeller's putty! Slathering putty onto an armature and then carving it away to refine the shape is how anime figure artists make hands and detailed hair.  I was thinking about it from a polymer clay technique/perspective so I missed the obvious solution. Hand in the foreground has more layers than the hand in the background, every layer gets the shape a lil closer. ((progress post 5)) Parts set up on sticks so I can handle them without touching...

... and after 4 light coats!

Closeup of the head, lil' glossy because it's still drying. For the deeper areas like the joint slots, mouth, and the crannies of the ears, I'm going to have to decant some of the paint into a jar and apply it with a sacrificial brush.

((progress post 6)) I return from Depression! I finally finished sanding-and-spraying the Krylon Fusion coats, gave her a last polish with microfine to even out the texture, and have started blushing her. I'm using a mixture of Tamiya X-series acrylics applied via airbrush for basic contouring, then I'll go back in with pastel to add warm tones and details.

Fun discovery: in an attempt to cover some accidental overspray, I tried spraying the Fusion directly into the paint cup of the airbrush and using it to "erase" back to the base color. I'm NEVER using this product straight from the can again, it goes on so smooth and gorgeous from the airbrush! No orange peel or bubbles to sand away. I'm seriously tempted to get a can of pink and try blushing with it.

((progress post 7)) Doing a faceup over a spray-painted substrate is HARD I want to CRY. I talked about sanding out the spray texture to get an untextured surface, right? Welp, didn't/couldn't sand well enough in the corners of the mouth and the folds of the eyelids, so it's crusty-looking with pastels over it and now there's nothing I can do about it that doesn't involve stripping down to resin and starting again.

((final post)) Sueded and strung!

I didn't take pictures of the sueding process because I was using Barge Cement and it is messy and time-sensitive. I used masking tape to make templates of her joints, transferred to some thin gray lamb suede I found on eBay, and glued it fuzzy side out. The suede was thicker than real pliver, more like the thickness of silicone KIPS discs, but I think it worked out without too many fit issues. The trim store had 3.5mm elastic in a beautiful slate-blue color that I thought would look nicer in the joint slots, so she's strung throughout with thicker elastic. Some more poses to show off the functional mods~ Suwariko joints let her sit crosslegged, and more mobile wrists let her put her hands into the pose.

A more ball-and-socked shaped contact surface at her waist lets her slouch at a full range of angles instead of being locked into two.

With longer upper arms, she can reach the ground in this pose! You can also see how the modded waist joint lets her cock her hips.

She could always stand with locked knees. I think she needs some wire in her legs to let the suwariko joints hold their rotation against gravity, but I'll see how the elastic tension settles in first.

A parting shot out the snowy window. We've been having a hard time picking between a few names for her, but I think this settles it. Welcome back, Fubuki~

[reeesea]

Something Sweet: Part One

~the sweetest drink on the menu~

one ~ two ~ three ~ four ~ five ~ six ~ seven ~ eight ~ nine

pairing: just minsung, han jisung/lee minho

warnings: mild language (like barely)

words: 3.5k (2k too many ngl)

summary: Minho is working his usual shift at Seoul's most expensive high end restaurant, when a trio of new-comers arrive and by the end of Minho’s tedious night he’s plus one additional phone number.

a/n: To be honest this is the first thing I’ve ever written and actually posted. SO please accept this minsung one-shot that just came out of wanting more waiter Minho in my life. anyway if you read it and like it let me know, and maybe ill write more of it. In my head it has at least a few more chapters of non-plot where the other boys show up <3

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

It had only been an hour since the dinner rush started and Minho was already counting the minutes until he could collect his tips and go home. Sure, he could think of countless more exhausting jobs compared to being a waiter at Menu 98 (an upscale restaurant in a part of town he most definitely did not live in), but today just hit different. He never had to do much more than just put on his Customer Server Smile ™, not mess up the orders, pour the wine without spilling, and recommend the highest priced appetizer if asked. Pretty simple stuff. Nothing too draining, but still the exhaustion set in, probably due to spending 2 more hours in the dance studio than he should’ve the previous day. 

His feet were paying for those additional long hours trying to perfect choreo by making each minute of his shift more painful than the last. Even so, working at the ever popular restaurant paid for the daily discomfort that Minho may have felt from his blistered feet. The restaurant was a well known hot spot for anyone with enough money to casually spend the equivalent of three of Minho's paychecks on a meal. CEOs and their business partners along with idols and some lesser known celebrities made up most of their usual clientele on a casual Friday night like this one. The customers always came in waves on Friday evenings, parties of usually 4 or more coming in to celebrate some successful business venture that took place during the week. Great for Minho really, because that meant usually more wine, more appetizers, larger meals, and larger checks, which means bigger tips. His bank account really needed these Fridays especially if he was gong to keep saving up to finally pursue his dream. 

A new party of six was just assigned to Minho’s section. Trademarked smile: on, Feet: still aching, Hours until close: at least another three. It looked like tonight it was going to be a long ass night. 

An hour or so passed before Minho was able to get some form of rest from being out on the floor. Minho leaned his body weight against the wall near the back of the dining room, appreciating the brief calm before the night crowd started to roll in. Thoughts of the dance he was trying to choreograph flashed through his head. He hoped that the movements he’d chosen would be able to convey the emotions of the song he had in mind. The thought of asking Hyunjin to watch his performance briefly popped in his head, but before he could consider it further the hostess was calling his name. 

“Minho! There's a new table for you in section three.” Minho moved from his comfortable position against the wall and went through his checklist; Apron? Flattened. Backup pens? Check. Hair gently moved out of his face to perfectly frame it? Check. Lastly, Polite customer service smile? Obviously. 

The three boys at the table were definitely new customers to the restaurant. Minho observed that the three of them appeared to be blissfully unaware of the de facto business casual to fully formal dress code that the other patrons in the restaurant followed. The Trio seemed to sport the street style that you would see in the popular clubs not only a block away. Two of them clothed in almost all black outfits while the third wore a bright pink colored hoodie under his jean jacket. 

“Hyung, I still can’t believe we did it! The crowd was huge, I mean after going on stage I don't even remember anything. I might have blacked out. Holy shit did I actually black out….” Pink hoodie seemed pretty animated about whatever the reason was for their meal out. Maybe a little too animated, as other tables glazed bitterly toward the source of their evening’s disruption.   

Before approaching he considered the possibility that these boys being idols was likely, but Minho still found it odd for multiple reasons. He didn't recognize them at all as idols, which he was usually pretty good at keeping up with, and when idols did casually come in it was more likely to be on a weekday for an early dinner and not a late Friday night after the dinner rush. Nonetheless, with his perfect waiter image on, he walks over to the table never showing his curiosity.

“Good evening gentlemen, My name is Minho, and I’ll be serving you tonight. Is there anything I can get you to drink before your starters?” His script rolled politely off his tongue like it had the whole night. All complete with a slight smile and arms perfectly placed behind him, as carefully and as naturally as a doll whose been posed in the same position for the past six hours.

The wide set, somewhat brooding boy has already decided after glancing at the drink menu, “yeah I'll order a bottle of the house red for the table,” glancing up at Minho from beneath his black cap. Minho swiftly wrote down the order, and moved his glance over to the next boy at the table.

“Hyung, you're the only one of us who chooses to drink wine voluntarily,” Pink hoodie spoke up, seemingly upset about the prospect of drinking bitter fruit water. 

“Jisung, you're just saying that because you can't handle anything that you can actually taste the alcohol in. I'll drink whatever Bin gets,” the handsome curly haired blonde mentions, glancing at the soft hoodied boy next to him with a look that reminds Minho of a disappointed father. Minho actively fights off the smirk that is wanting to form on his lips.

“WHAT that's not true, THAT ONE TIME I drank an entire bottle of-”

“Fine, fine just stop yelling. You’re gonna get us kicked out before we even get to eat” Mr. Black cap glances up at Minho again, but with a more apologetic look. “Add on an order of the fruitiest and sweetest drink you serve still with alcohol in it, for the small squirrel boy.” That last part came with a smirk from the dark haired speaker and a glare from from the ‘squirrel boy’ to his left. 

Minho had trouble keeping the smirk from forming this time. And maybe his perfect image faltered for a second, but he was quick to recover, and confirmed their orders with a straight face and a promise to return with water as he left to give them time to select from the menu. 

---

“Great now our waiter thinks I'm a whiny baby who looks like a squirrel. Wow, thanks Changbin-hyung.” Jisung grumbles and pinches his cheeks that cursed him with the rodent nickname. 

“Good, at least he won’t be fooled into thinking you're anything but the truth” 

“Yah! WHa-”

“Hey settle down you guys, lets try not to get kicked out please. Binnie recommended the food here, and I would very much like to eat it before we are politely asked to leave” 

Jisung grumbles something inaudible at Chan’s request, and Changbin can't help but respond with a smirk at getting to see the younger be told off.

“Also we're supposed to be celebrating selling out our show so lets do that, yeah? First show 3racha single handedly sold out! WE did that!” 

All three of them get proud smiles after that, and the bickering is left forgotten as the three recount the night, even though they had lived it together

“Not gonna lie, I think our Binnie stole the show tonight. You were on fire tonight man.” Chan said proudly, receiving a thankful smile from the younger boy, who had become shy and bashful at the praise.

“Though, Chan-hyung your rap was so charismatic tonight, you almost made that girl in front faint when you winked at her, the whole audience fucking lost it” Jisung had switched from literally yelling to just a whisper shout for emphasis.

“Hahaha, yeah I can't even believe that happened. Man, today’s energy was just different.” The smile on Chan’s face was blinding, as usual. “Hopefully we can get to play even bigger venues soon. I could get used to this...” Chan mused, seemingly already focused on the future plans of 3racha. 

“Yeah, those paydays would be real nice right about now.”

“Bin-hyung, what are you talking about, you’re literally loaded. Plus since you got that producing job, we can actually pay the rent on the apartment you parents let us stay in '' Jisungs pretty thankful for all the support Changbins parents had given them, while the three of them worked toward their collective dream to make and perform music. But he thinks they all can agree that finally being able to use their own money to live instead of just relying on handouts and the kindness of friends or family to help keep them from becoming starved or homeless, is a new kind of satisfying that Jisung hadn’t considered before. Just look at them now, at one of the nicest (and most expensive) restaurants in Seoul, fighting over drinks and having a meal that would hopefully be the first of many celebrations for their groups accomplishments. The trio could all agree that the financial stress has been one of their greatest worries, and that beginning to escape it has been all kinds of relieving. 

Before any of the boys could respond to Jisung’s comment, Minho had returned with three glasses of water, three glasses for wine, and a bottle of wine all balanced perfectly on a tray perched on the palm of his hand. Jisung had to admit it was impressive how he had managed to balance all of the glassware and liquids without losing balance, and while moving with more grace and agility than he would expect from your average waiter. 

Before Jisung had even returned from his thoughts, three glasses of water and the expertly poured wine glasses, all set delicately without a single drop spilled, were identically placed in front of each of them. Graceful may have been an understatement. 

“Have you decided what you would like to have tonight, gentlemen?” Their waiter Minho said, all with a gentle expression on his face. 

No, the answer was no, but before Jisung could respond, Changbin had already ordered the pricey steak to go with his wine. Soon after, Chan ordered the surf and turf dish that had a stupidly complicated name that Jisung couldn’t pronounce. Jisung hadn’t even remembered them even looking at the menu, or maybe it was just him who had yet to even glanced at it. Details. 

“Uhhhhh…” Jisung searched hopelessly over the menu and then at his friends, who stared blankly back at him, then back to the menu again. This was a regular occurrence when the three decided to go out and eat, when they weren’t holding themselves in their apartment for weeks at a time. Still, Jisung always ended up hopelessly unprepared to successfully order without awkward pauses and at least three consecutive strings of ‘hmm’s and ‘uhhh’s. And so,

“Hmmmmm…. I think.. Uhh…. maybe…” nothing was popping out at him, and Jisung was pretty sure at this point that he had forgotten how to read. “Ya know what, surprise me,” he decided this was the best response he could come up with.  

“Surprise you?” Minho looked just as confused as Jisung felt.

“Yeah, is that an option? If not, I'm this close to just closing my eyes and pointing.” He says while dramatically closing his eyes and waving his finger over the menu. Once again Jisung was hopeless.

He hears a soft chuckle and opens his eyes just in time to catch their waiter’s lips curl in a sweet smile that makes his eyes turn into crescents. It lasts barely a second, before his face returns to his neutral customer service expression. But Jisung decides he really likes that smile, and a part of him is sad to see it retreat so soon. 

“Well in that case, I can do the blind pointing for you, but I personally recommend the seasonally prepared local beef served on house baked brioche, that comes with garlic and parsley potato wedges. Does that sound alright?” Jisung felt he had said it faster and with more details just to confuse him. 

Jisung stares at him blankly in response, and he's pretty sure four whole seconds pass in silence before the Pretty Waiter ™ follows up, an ever so slight smirk on his lips, “it's pretty much a really good local burger with homemade fries, I think it would be something you would enjoy.” 

Jisung grins at that, “Oh! Yeah that does sound good...Thank you! I will have that.” For some reason he really likes the idea that their waiter chose something off the menu that was specially meant for him. Not that he wouldn't like all the nicer and fancier dishes they serve here with small plates with dry ice fog, but a part of him was more content in getting a dinner that didn't require him to question whether or not something on his plate was even edible. And the happy curiosity definitely had nothing to do with the way their waiter’s eyes sparkled when he talked or the barely-there smirk that Jisung just caught sight of. 

“Alright then, I’ll put in these orders. Oh! And then I'll be right back with your speciality fruit drink,” He says that last part with a slightly more upbeat tone, resulting in another smirk to appear on Changbin’s face and a groan from a slightly embarrassed Jisung.

---

Minho surprised himself. 

On any given day of work at Menu 98, he deathly avoids having to do anything more than the regular polite small talk. But for some reason, tonight he couldn’t stop himself from playing along with the antics of the cute boy at his table. The three boys were entertaining, and maybe he could blame the exhaustion and the numb pain in his heels, but the comical distraction was welcomed by Minho. He didn't even realize just how much he had been looking for a distraction from the long shift until it was staring right at him with big shiny eyes and a cute round face. Minho hurried back to enter in their orders, including his suggestion for the squirrel looking boy.

Minho wasn’t going to deny that the flustered boy at the table was cute, he was pretty aware how attractive all three the boys were when he took their orders. He had thought they were idols originally, so in Minho’s mind it made sense. Still, the waiter still felt something about the three was too unique to be categorized as just idols or trainees. As much as it may have piqued his curiosity though, Minho still got paid for his service not for his interests in customers, so he brushed it off almost as soon as it appeared. 

The rest of the evening, Minho tended to all four of his assigned tables with his usual perfect server act and minimal small talk. When it came to the three somewhat boisterous customers in the corner table, Minho may or may not have allowed himself to subtly laugh at their arguments and antics. The dynamic of the three boys was slowly becoming the highlight of his late night shift. Each of their personalities greatly contrasted and amplified the other, making way for animated and comical exchanges and arguments between them. 

When Minho had returned with a Strawberry daiquiri for the boy in pink, a chorus of giggles could be heard from the other two boys, while the other happily accepted the drink in substitute for the untouched glass of wine in front of him. Upon drinking it, the cute boy's eyes somehow widened further and shined more than Minho thought was possible. He flashed his heart-shaped smile as he thanked Minho for the drink. 

Minho nodded in return, and internally decided that Heart-shaped smiles were his new favorite. 

---

Jisung had been hyper since the show, and the energy was now focused on a new mission to see the pretty smile of their waiter again. Granted, he didn't have to try that much harder to gain the attention of the pretty waiter, being the loud and excitable person naturally he was. Every small grin that Jisung was able to pull out from under the other boy’s infuriatingly polite facade, was a major win in his book. 

Chan, Changbin, and Jisung celebrated further by enjoying the food, which was all phenomenal, and discussing their next gig the coming week. The best way to celebrate one performance is to look towards the next, or someother random bullshit Changbin had said after a couple more glasses of wine.

Overall the night was a celebration of all of the dedication and hours they had put into their music, as well as their grind to perform and grow a somewhat sizable following. They were all high on the potential of finally getting to realize their dreams and reach their goals as a group, something none of them actually thought they would get to do together. The overwhelming happiness of the night easily made it one of Jisung's new favorite memories. 

As the boys were finishing off their third--or forth--drink (Jisung definitely had another one of the strawberry drinks Minho had brought him), after dinner and figuring out their checks, Jisung felt a surge of boldness. Mostly due to having a few drinks in his system, and the slight infatuation he had with the pretty waiter's smile, Jisung decided ‘whats the worst thing that could happen? Rejection? lmao’ and wrote down his name and number on his receipt in hopes that Minho would actually read it, or maybe even contact him. Maybe. 

It was a shot in the dark, but Jisung had been feeling a little high on life, and felt like he couldn’t leave without at least shooting his shot. Jisung and the other members of 3racha got up to leave, and Jisung searched out the waiter. He  wasn’t able to see him in the mostly empty dining room now, but a hopeful part of him felt that he would see him again, leaving the restaurant with his arms around his members already bickering about who would get to shower first after their long night. 

“I'm just saying, Chan-hyung I know for a fact that you’re not even going to make it to the front door before passing out, so I call dibs. And Jisung, I’m older than you so I get veto power over your rights and decisions as your hyung.” 

Jisung was about to grumble in response but something about how Changbin’s smile was so carefree left him feeling like he deserved this victory. Changbin was definitely a little tipsy, but seeing his hyung so happy after such a rough week made Jisung glad to do anything to keep that smile there.

“Fine, fine hyung but you have to help me carry Chan-hyung up stairs when he inevitable falls asleep on me in the cab” 

“I don't know what youre talking about,” Chan replies, already yawning, while climbing into the cab.

---

Minho was picking up the receipts from his tables when one of them caught his eye.

Hey, I’m Han Jisung ^~^ (the cute one in the pink hoodie!)

Thanks for your suggestions, best waiter ever!!!

I think your smile is beautiful, Maybe I’ll get to see it again sometime?

555-XXX-XXXX

Minho couldn't help but smile to himself. He’d been hit on occasionally by customers and has been given countless numbers, which usually don't make it much farther than the trash, but something about the innocence of the note and cuteness of the boy made him actually consider keeping it.

He scoffed to himself after a second of considering it. As cute as the boy was, and as sweet as the note was, Minho didn’t have time or energy to have another added person in his life. No matter romantically or platonically, new relationships were on his ‘things to stay away from if you ever wanna make it into the dance academy’ list. He already barely ever saw his roommates, and if they weren't all in the same dance troupe, they probably wouldn't talk much. All of their time was spent working and practicing, and he and his roommates only had enough energy and free time to spend a meal or two together on the weekends. There just wasn’t any more time for anything extra, no matter how nice the idea may sound. 

He was about to give the little message the same treatment as the others as he cleaned up for the night, but a part of him couldn't bring himself to throw it away, and discreetly pocketed it instead out of instinct. Out of sight and out of mind as far as Minho was concerned.

-----

thank you if you read this far <3

one ~ two ~ three ~ four ~ five ~ six ~ seven ~ eight ~ nine

[thewritewolf]

Inseparable Chapter 12: Tears

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

@ladynoirjuly2019

Enjoy!

Read on Ao3

“Rumors abound about these new heroes,” Marinette read aloud from the Ladyblog article. “Sources confirm that no akuma was seen yesterday, making their appearance at the ice cream parlor all the more mysterious. Eye witnesses claim that the heroes were wearing merchandise of Paris’ famous protectors, suggesting that these might be fans who are trying to follow in Ladybug and Chat Noir’s foot steps.” She had to stop as Chat Noir laughed. “The criminals of Paris are sure to be a little more paranoid knowing that our favorite superheroes could be around any corner. More as it comes. Stay connected!”

She exited the article and closed her yoyo, grinning at Chat as he got his laughing fit under control. He wiped away a tear, her heart soaring with pride when she saw the bracelet she made for him on his wrist, reminding her of the mirrored weight she felt on her wrist. “Well, she isn’t completely wrong. They really are big fans of yours, LB.”

“Big fans of us both, kitty. We’re both pretty claw-esome.”

Chat collapsed back into a heap of giggling and Marinette couldn’t help but laugh along with him until they were both red in the face. She hadn’t thought their disguises were that good, but apparently they were good enough to fool all media outlets that had picked up the story. Maybe she should give them some slack - after all, at most ten people saw them at the shop, and no one took pictures. They could hardly poke holes in their disguise from secondhand sources.

Master Fu returned with steaming tea that he set in front of each of them. He frowned as he stroked his beard. “I do not understand your levity, young ones. This news is surprising. Even common criminals are not so easily dispatched as has been described. I fear more miraculous are in play.”

“Master,” Marinette managed as she calmed down, “we were the vigilantes.”

“Ah.” Fu took a sip of his tea. “Then why were you at that shop? I did not hear of any akumas that night, and it was not on one of your patrols.”

“We, uh, we were just… hanging out.” Chat rubbed the back of his neck.

“Hanging out,” Fu repeated slowly. “I see.” Another sip. “While I approve of you two becoming closer, this is not quite what I had in mind. I urge you to be cautious. Unnecessary attention being drawn to you is not ideal, though I understand your reasons in this case.”

Across from her, Marinette saw Chat staring contemplatively at his cup of tea as he held it. “Something on your mind, chaton?”

“Yeah… What are our vigilante names? I was in the Ladybug stuff so maybe something like…” He struck what Marinette was sure he thought was a badass pose. “...Manbug!”

Marinette snorted and even Master Fu chuckled. Seeing his pouting, she smirked at him. “Sure, Chat. You can be Manbug if you really want to.”

“Well, what about you?” He huffed. “Let’s see you come up with something better.” He drank some of his tea.

“Hm… a Chat Noir theme name… What about… Ladynoir?” Chat’s eyes widened and he choked on his drink. She crossed her arms as he spent a minute or two coughing and recovering. “Is there something wrong with Ladynoir?”

“Oh, I don’t have any problem with Ladynoir, Lovebug.” He pulled out his baton and did a quick search. “But it might really sell the idea that you’re a big fan girl of us.”

He showed the results of his google images search for Ladynoir and she blushed at the fanart of the two of them. When she met his eyes again, he was grinning and waggling his eyebrows.

“Okay, fine, no Ladynoir,” she grumbled.

Master Fu cleared his throat. “I believe we are here for a different purpose than this?” Despite the sternness in his voice, there was a wrinkling around his eyes and a faint smile at his lips. He stood and pulled the mats over. “Shall we get started?”

This session of meditation went much more smoothly than last time, partly because Marinette was more focused on it and partly because she refused to open her eyes and see what her partner was doing. And she was sure he was doing something because, well… he’s Chat Noir. Being distracting is his job description, or at least he acts like it is. After a few minutes, she’d managed to put all thoughts of Chat aside and focus solely on her breathing. Not long after, her mind was emptied of all thoughts.

I hope she isn’t mad at me.

The words were tinged with worry and entered her mind in Chat’s voice. Her eyes flew open and she winced from the lights. Where they always that bright? When her sight adjusted, all she saw was Chat Noir sitting opposite her, eyes closed and body still. It was at that point she realized that in hearing the words, her ears had been bypassed entirely. She looked at her partner, eyes wandering as she tried to make sense of what just happened. As she stared, the designer part of her brain idly noted that black suited him.

Her partner grinned and opened his eyes. “Well, I’ve always thought so. But I’m glad you see it too, bugaboo.” She winced at the sudden noise that hurt her ears.

Master Fu furrowed his brow and looked between them. “Am I missing something, young ones? Is this another… reference that I do not know about?”

Confused, Chat tilted his head with a bemused smile. “What’s the matter? LB just said black suited me. I happen to agree.” He stood and stretched, which reminded Marinette of the stiffness in her own joints. A glance at the clock revealed why - two hours had passed during their meditation.

“She... said nothing. Correct?” Master Fu turned to her.

“Y-yeah. Not that I wasn’t thinking that but-” She looked at Chat flatly when he waggled his eyebrows at her.

“Admire my beauty all you want, LB. I am gorgeous for the people.” He struck a ridiculous pose which drew a surprised giggle out of her.

Master Fu simply stroked his beard as he watched the two of them. “Is there anything else that happened?”

Chat shrugged. “No, not really.” His face split into a grin. “Although if I get to hear more about what my lady really thinks of me… well, I won’t be too upset.”

“You might find yourself regretting that, chaton.” Getting to her feet, she rolled her shoulders and stretched out her legs. She’d need to be limber to get home. “Well, master, it’s getting late. Are we okay, or is it just something from the meditation?”

“Do not concern yourself with it for the time being.” Master Fu smiled. “I’m sure it is nothing to worry about.”

Marinette had the suspicious feeling he knew more than he was letting on, but she was starting to feel more and more exhausted by the minute. Besides, it was hardly the first time Master Fu had left them in the dark for vague reasons. After they said their goodbyes, she and Chat parted ways outside the little shop Master Fu called home.

The way home was practically memorized by now and before she knew it, she landed on her balcony. She fell into her room and dropped her transformation in one movement and just as she started getting ready for bed, her stomach growled. The noise was echoed by the growl of a much tinier stomach.

Tikki giggled beside her. “Sorry. Want to grab some midnight snacks?”

Marinette crept down the stairs, but relaxed when she heard her mom snoring. Marinette was surprised - mom must be really out of it to be snoring so loud she can hear her through the door. She shook her head and walked into the kitchen, rummaging for any bakery leftovers to tide her over until the morning.

Naturally, it didn’t take long for Tikki to track down the cookies. As she passed by the fridge, she saw a note taped to the fridge. No doubt one of her dad’s reminders to himself - pretty common when they receive a special order since he could get a little carried away sometimes. Out of curiosity, she read the note. What she read made her nearly drop all the goodies she’d collected in her arms.

“Remember: Agreste Fashion Show, one week from now. Catering, more macaroons.”

A smile slowly dawned on her face as she went back upstairs. After how well she did last time, maybe she could convince her parents to let her help out again? Not only would she get to see Adrien at work, she’d get to see a Gabriel brand fashion show for free!

Between her tiredness and her excitement, she never noticed that she had managed to walk through her house without a single light on to guide her, completely at ease in the near pitch black conditions.

[solastia]

Faith | 6

Chapters:  [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Pairing: Namjoon x Reader

Word Count: 2,600 (short, but good)

Genre & Warnings: Angst, fluff. Smut free chapter. 

Notes: One more official chapter left. Maybe a Namjoon POV if y’all want it. I might be able to be talked into drabbles if you’re nice. 

Silence. 

That’s all you’d heard from Namjoon for the past week. He wasn’t answering the calls or texts you’d sent, although you knew that he’d at least read them. There hadn’t been any sightings of him on the gossip channels either. It was like he’d disappeared, but you knew he was probably at his Mom’s or the hotel. You’d considered trying to stop by the room, but you’d envisioned horrible enough scenarios to talk yourself out of that. You also knew that appearing at his Mom’s when even his family didn’t know about Faith would just make the situation worse. So you backed off. You knew he’d come to talk to you when he was ready. 

Still, the waiting was not easy. 

Even knowing that Namjoon would never do something like snatch Faith away, you still thanked the powers that be for you having a job in a daycare where you were able to keep an eye on her at all times. Even if Namjoon himself wouldn’t do it, there were still plenty of people around him that very well could. 

You were so upset with yourself. All of this could have been avoided if you had been less of a coward and trusted him a little more. At the same time, you were still a little happy he’d gotten to fulfill his dream and live his little rich and famous lifestyle without baggage. At least now, if he forgave you at least, you’d be able to go forward without worrying about him thinking he’d missed out on anything.

You sigh wearily, reminding yourself to buck up and focus on work. Snacktime was not a good time for self-reflection. 

“Come on, Monkey.” You pick up Faith and strap her in booster chair next to you, setting out her apples and cheese. She munches away, happily unaware of the drama happening in her life. God, you hope Namjoon chooses to at least want to see Faith. This little girl would be so blessed to have a father like him. 

Your phone vibrates, and you take the chance to look at it, quirking an eyebrow when you see that it’s from Keisha’s Instagram. She’d followed you last week, no doubt to try and keep tabs on you, and you’d followed her right back to show you weren’t afraid. You don’t know why you bothered to check the update right now other than morbid curiosity. It was probably just yet another selfie that was 75% boob. 

The picture is of her in a familiar looking bed, the sheets drawn up to just barely cover her, but low enough to tell she wasn’t wearing anything under it. She was grinning smugly into the camera. You inhaled sharply when you realized that she wasn’t alone. It was just the back of him, but there was Namjoon. He was shirtless and turned away from her, most likely asleep, but the implications were clear. And by Keisha’s expression and the fact that she posted such a photo publicly, she wanted you to see it. 

Message received. 

The rest of your day went by in somewhat of a blur. You finished work and drove home. Took the dog for a walk around the complex. Fed and bathed Faith. Got her to bed and asleep with minimal fuss. When everything else was done you sprawled across the couch and stared at the television. You couldn’t focus enough to watch anything, but it was better than silence. Snoop jumped up and settled between your legs, staring up at you with a gaze that suspiciously looked like sympathy. Great, even the dog knew you sucked. 

Just as you’re about to give in to your exhaustion and doze off, a knock sounded at your door. The pattern was familiar, and you couldn’t help a quick fond smile over how music was so ingrained into his soul even his knocking was a catchy beat. You release a tense breath before unlocking the door and open it to reveal a very rumpled looking Namjoon. 

“Hey.” 

“Hi. You wanna come in?”

“Sure. Cool.”

You open the door wider to allow him to come inside, cringing inwardly at the awkward beginning. Still, at least he was here. 

Snoop made his presence known, jumping all over Namjoon and knocking him over onto the couch. 

“Hey there, little man. Jesus, you’ve gotten a little chubby, huh? Mom’s been feeding you well?” Namjoon chuckled as Snoop rolled onto his back and demanded belly rubs on his admittedly bigger than usual tummy. Although that could be blamed on Faith, who thought it was hilarious to throw her lunch on the ground for him to eat. 

Namjoon sighed, patting Snoop one last time before turning to you. 

“Is she asleep?” 

“Yeah. I try to have her in bed by eight every night.”

He nods, looking nervously at his hands. 

“That’s good. I’d like to see her, but this makes it easier to...talk.” Namjoon ruffles his hair and sinks into the couch a bit. “I don’t even know where to start.” 

“I can at least start by saying sorry. I know it can’t erase anything, but I truly am sorry. I made a decision that affected you without your knowledge, and that was wrong of me. I shouldn’t have let my fears of what might happen influence me.”

You plop onto the other side of Snoop, grateful for the little buffer to help calm your nerves. Namjoon thinly smiles at you before nodding. 

“Thank you. I’m still hurt, and it’s probably going to be hard for me to trust you like I used to, at least for a while. But, I had a lot of time to think this past week, and I think I understand your reasoning. I don’t think that would have happened with us, though. You were my whole world, and you having my child would have made me the happiest person alive. It would have just motivated me to work harder. I’m probably always going to be a little upset with you for the time I lost with her, I’m not going to lie, but I think we can move past this. I want to try.” 

Your stare at Namjoon in shock, hope trying desperately to fight its way into your heart. 

“What do you mean?” 

“I’m mean I’m as in as I ever was. I want you, all of you. I want to marry you and be a father to my child. Maybe give you a few more.” 

You blush wildly, the image everything you’d ever dreamed. But...

“What about...I thought you’d gotten back with Keisha?”

“Oh, you mean that picture? Naw, she got someone to give her a key to my hotel room and posed while I was asleep. Creepy as hell. Told her that too. And now thanks to Trey, I don’t have to deal with her at all anymore.” 

“How so?” 

“Trey was getting ready to release his debut album. He’s really talented, and I’m really excited for him. Apparently, he offered to give her a verse and let her be in his MV. She dropped me so fast it was hilarious. She got off the phone with him and said, “Sorry, Nam Nams. This could be it for me, you know. It’s been real.” Then she just waltzed off. I mean, I knew she didn’t have any actual feelings for me, so it’s not that much of a surprise. I’m just sorry for Trey because now his debut’s success is reliant on her not fucking up.” 

“So, just like that? She’s gone? Seems...I don’t know. A little anticlimactic,” you frown. The woman you’d met seemed like she’d fight until the end. 

“Babe, this is real life, not the movies. Did you expect her to melt after throwing water on her? Or, what was that one lifetime movie you made me watch? The sister drugged the husband until she was knocked up or something and then she tried to kill the wife?” Namjoon chuckled, looking at you fondly. 

“Yeah, okay. I got it,” you roll your eyes, before taking a deep breath as you felt some of your burdens fall right off your shoulders. That was at least one worry done. It still seemed too good to be true, but maybe Namjoon was right, and you just watched too much damn television. 

“She went where there was the most chance for her to get famous. That’s all I was for her, and I knew that.” Namjoon shrugged. 

The silence that followed was pleasant now, comfortable. Snoop reveled in the attention as the two of you pet him while you collected your thoughts. 

“So what now?” Namjoon finally asked softly. You glance up and meet his eyes, eyes that were surprisingly full of hope and want. God, you did not deserve this man. 

“I think that should be up to you. I’m the one that messed up here, so I will take whatever you can give,” you tell him hesitantly. You wanted to tell him you wanted everything, all of it, your entire soul belonged to him. But you’d lost the right to demand anything. You’d happily do whatever he wanted. 

“We’ll take it slow at first then? Date a little, get to know Faith. I still have a couple weeks here that we can use to figure things out. I’d like to eventually let my family meet Faith. I kinda already blurted out her existence to them the other day. They are excited about her.”

“That sounds reasonable,” you nod. Fuck, his family probably hated you now. It was such a shame because you adored them. 

“So...how much touching is allowed when one is taking it slow?”

You gape at Namjoon, surprised to find him wearing that look. The look that was so filled with dark promise and love. You wanted to weep because you’d thought you’d never see it again. 

“Once again, up to you,” you responded, your voice thick with unshed tears. 

“Cool. Get your ass over here and cuddle me then,” Namjoon smirked and gently pushed Snoop off the couch, hauling you closer so you were draped on top of him. He wrapped his arms around you, practically crushing you to his chest. The both of you released contented sighs as you just relaxed and enjoyed each other, watching the television silently. 

“Are you staying the night?” You finally ask after about a half hour, knowing you needed to ask now as you were dangerously close to falling asleep. 

“If that’s alright. I’d like to meet Faith in the morning.” 

“That sounds good. Cuddle in the bed then? I’m too old to sleep on the couch.” 

“Yeah,” Namjoon says quietly, but with a little soft smile that showed off one of his dimples. 

You jump up and hold your hand out to him, pulling him into the room and the exact bed that you’d once shared. His snores soon brought you the best nights sleep you’d had in that bed since he’d left.

You were finally awakened when the sun was hitting you right in the face. That struck you as odd for a moment, but you couldn’t remember why. 

You kept your eyes closed but slowly sat up, stretching your arms and arching your back. You managed to crack your eyes open a bit and looked around, your mind finally starting to catch up with you. 

The sun in your face was weird because it had been so long since Faith had let you sleep past six. It was always dark when you started your day. Which led to you realizing that Faith was not in her crib and you didn’t hear her. 

Namjoon wasn’t in your bed either. 

You shot up and jogged out of the bedroom in a panic, not really sure what it was you feared yet, only to freeze once the dining room comes into view. 

Faith is in her high chair, giggling and covered in different colored globs of food. Namjoon is sitting in front of her, also covered in food, but making up some rap about the wonders of fruits that she seems to enjoy enough to open her mouth for another bite. 

“Good morning,” you snort as you grab some wipes out of the nearby diaper bag and stalk towards the pair. 

Namjoon is absolutely beaming as he smiles at you, and Faith smacks her lips in demand for a kiss, which you give her after wiping her face a bit. 

“Morning, babe. She woke up a few hours ago, and I wanted to let you sleep in. I think she likes me. Aside from our battle to figure out what baby food she likes. Which, we decided that the peas suck.”

You laugh and eyeball the chucks of hardening green stuff all over his shirt. 

“I can see that. You have to trick her. Give her a toy to distract her then shove a spoonful in there.”

“That’s sneaky but smart.” Namjoon chuckles then waves another spoonful of applesauce towards Faith, who accepts it without a fight.

“She also let me change her diaper. I think I put it on wrong, but so far she doesn’t seem to mind. Wasn’t as gross as I thought it would be.” Namjoon bounced happily as he told you all of his accomplishments. You sneak a peek towards Faith’s seat, and sure enough, the diaper is on backward. 

You snort and bump him with your hip. “You wanna see gross, you should have seen her newborn diapers. I thought I’d killed her when black stuff came out of her. Didn’t read about that happening beforehand,” Namjoon’s look of horror made you giggle, and you walked towards the kitchen to start your coffee. 

That was already made. And also surrounded by four open containers of baby food, obviously rejected.

You shake your head fondly and make yourself a cup before leaning with your back against the counter, watching the two.

You wanted to cry because it was so perfect. Namjoon was so very happy just being able to do something as simple as feed his daughter, so proud of himself. He was so good with her and she seemed to like him just as much. That you’d nearly messed things up so much that you would have never gotten see how cute they were together made you want to sob.  

“She’s probably going to need a bath because we both have peas and weird pasta stuff dripping off of us. I can take care of it if you want? I promise not to break her,” Namjoon asks earnestly, watching you with big eyes as Faith further dirties herself with the unattended spoon of applesauce. 

You laugh and wave him towards the bathroom. 

“Have at it, handsome. I’ll make breakfast. Waffles okay?” 

“Yeah, that sounds great.” 

Namjoon picks up Faith and comes over to kiss your cheek. The vision of two adorable dimpled smiles shining down on you with happiness fills your heart with joy. 

[artmutt]

The Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam, Pt. 2)

The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam is one of the largest, sleekest, and highly developed museums devoted to the work of single artist. Museums often reflect multiple points of view, and evolve from the work of multiple curators. Occasionally, you encounter a museum collection that was established by a single collector (the Leopold Museum in Vienna, for example, or the Broad in Los Angeles), and these are often interesting is showing how one person’s “eye” is drawn to certain kinds of work. Museums devoted to a single artist are much rarer, and in Europe often feel kind of creepy and necrophilic, especially when the museum exists in the artist’s former home. Amsterdam, after all, has the Rembrandthuis, in the artist’s former residence. But it’s hard to think of another instance where a city has devoted so much money and real estate into an institution devoted to a single artist.

The current building saw enlargement from its original footprint years ago (the glass gridded extension you see above was grafted onto an existing concrete box). In recent years, the museum has completed a further extension, a round building, that from above kind of suggests that a spaceship had landed outside the previous structure. The new round building now provides the ticketing and entrance area, as well as a large bookshop, giftstore, and “boutique.” More on that anon. If you plan to go there, buy your ticket in advance, online. The tickets are “timed,” in half-hour intervals, to prevent the museum from getting over-crowded.

You will feel sympathetic to that concept once you are inside. If you go here hoping for an intimate moment with the work of one of the most introspective artists who ever lived, you will be disappointed. At 9:30 on a Sunday morning, the place was jammed with people: adults, families, teenagers running up and down the stairs, elderly people in wheelchairs, etc. A huge cross-section of humanity seemed to prefer communing with art to going to church. And the community was very much international: there were easily as many visitors from China and Japan as there were from Europe. Moreover, the majority are locked into headsets, explaining in a variety of languages the history and significance of the artwork. Simply looking at the works, or feeling a sense of bonding with the artist’s vision, isn’t either easy or exactly encouraged. Photography is prohibited, so at least you aren’tfighting a sea of cameras going off, or people posing for selfies in front of their favorite works.

The collection is well-organized, in more or less chronological order, so that you start with the artist’s earlier works, and as you go up in the building, you get later in his career. This used to require climbing the stairs: there are elevators now to ease your ascent. And it is worth the climb: the works on the top floor are genuinely astonishing. Having seen them in slide form in art history classes, going back almost 50 years now, the real works have so much of what Walter Benjamin characterized as “aura” that they practically shimmer. Compositionally, in terms of color and technique, the works Van Gogh produced in the last couple of years of his life are really remarkable, worth all the hassle and hype of getting to them. And interestingly, the top floor is usually the least crowded, though there’s often a tour group or a clot of people with headphones, in front of the “Wheatfield with Crows” painting. My favorite is a painting of a flowering almond tree, painted against a brilliant spring blue sky, a painting that fills me with a kind of spontaneous joy and sadness that is hard to describe, but intensely vivid to feel.

Alas, the museum knows the specialness of that flowering tree image. They’ve reproduced it like crazy, on notebooks, t-shirt, umbrellas, coffee mugs, etc. Often, they get the blue all wrong, turning it into a kind of murky watery gray, instead of the vivid pale blue of the original. Or sometimes it gets darkened into a blue that’s just wrong. But it’s clear that the multiple shops in the museum (I counted 4) are all about selling you just the bit of Van Gogh memorabilia to take home with you, and seal the experience in your mind.  So many books and objects, all plastered with images of Vincent’s work. It’s alarming. Considering that neither Vincent nor his gallery dealer brother Theo had much luck selling his work in his lifetime, it’s shocking that his paintings now sell for millions of dollars, when they rarely come on the open market. Am I wrong to feel there’s something twisted in this museum making so much money from images of his work now?

I can get over the notebooks and pencils and umbrellas and t-shirt, emblazoned with badly color-corrected images of his paintings. It’s the selling of the artist himself that bothered me the most. Vincent puppets, Vincent dolls, and most egregious, a Vincent coffee mug that is designed to look like him (the iconic red goatee) with a butterfly bandage over the left ear. We spotted this, and at first I started laughing, and then that turned into a kind of giddy rage, and I began to wonder how many of these mugs I could throw against the wall and break before security reached me and stopped me.

You can find online information about the Doctor who treated Van Gogh after the infamous “ear” incident. You can find a copy of a drawing the doctor did, to show how much of the ear was left, and the answer is, almost none of it.

That the museum dedicated to Vincent’s work, that is currently showing family photos documenting how Theo’s widow took care of Vincent legacy after Theo’s death, and eventually brought him to broader attention and acceptance, and then in the gift shop be making money from an object that completely trivializes a self-inflicted injury that the artist committed in a state of mental illness, well, it just makes me kind of sick. We fled the museum shortly after this discovery of the coffee mug, and they better not have it in the shop next time I’m there, or I’m liable to test my skill at destruction, security of no security.

[wishtheywerereal]

Modelling to slavery.

Jack was a 20 year old, about to complete his National Service, awaiting his university life. Unfortunately for that young straight jock, life was going to change, forever. Jack was a fit young man who had much interest in gyming. Body building became his hobby and he used to work out whenever he booked out of camp.

Jack  came from a family that was struggling to meet ends. His dad passed on when he was just 11 years old and his mother had to do 2 jobs to provide for him and his sister. Jack couldn’t wait to finish his studies and help his mother out. Mother’s day was around the corner and Jack wanted to show his appreciation to his mother by buying her something special.

Few weeks before Mother’s day, Jack was walking down Jurong Point when he came across a beautiful diamond bracelet. “Mum would love that” thought Jack as he looked at the price tag. “UP: $699, Offer Price: $500”, read the price tag. There was no way Jack could afford that with his NS pay. He decided to continue strolling to find something else. Jack was suddenly approached by a promoter and his first line caught Jack’s attention:

Pro: We are looking for young talents like you to model for our clothe line, are you interested? Would you like to try out?

Jack: Modelling? Me?

Pro: Yes sir, you look like someone our agency needs, would you like to try out?

Jack: I’m not too sure, I…I…

Pro: We understand, are you 18 years or older?

Jack: Yes I am.

Pro: Here is our card and the details to our auditions which will be held in one week. If you are interested, please feel free to be there, no need to bring anything, we will be giving you some of our new season collections, if you feel comfortable wearing and posing according to our crew’s instructions, you can continue, if not you may leave with our collections as a gift for trying out. This is our way of thanking you for your time and effort.

Jack: Jack slipped the card into his wallet as he walked on thinking about the offer. He ended up returning home not buying anything as he wondered if the modelling agency would pay him enough for him to buy the bracelet.

While in camp, Jack stared at himself in the mirror a few times, wondering if he was modelling material, he then decided to give it a try, it was a win win situation for him. Or so he thought.

One week passed by, Jack arrived at the hotel ballroom where the audition was being held.

Crew: Welcome sir, you are auditioning I suppose?

Jack: Yes. I am.

Crew: My name is Stan, I’ll be guiding you through this process, please follow me to the men dressing room sir.

Upon reaching the room, Jack saw a few more guys, hanging out, trying on clothes and getting their hair and make-up done.

Stan: Sir, we have our new season collection laid out on the table, please choose whatever you wish to wear, try on the sizes in those rooms and prepare for the photo-shoot in 15mins time. Our image consultants will prepare you for the shoot.

Jack had no idea what to choose so he decided to go with whatever he liked, slipping on a pair of jeans and a floral shirt along with some nice black leather shoes. The image consultant then gave Jack a make-over and prepped him for the shoot.

When it was his turn, Jack was led into a room with lights and cameras and along with the cameraman there were 2 more guys, one dressed in a suit and another, probably the man’s assistant.

The man in the suit then introduced himself, “Good morning, I am Samuel, the owner and founder of this company and this is my assistant, Gary. Sir, can you introduce yourself and please explain to me why you wish to model and especially model for my company”.

Jack: I am Jack, erm, 20 year old, currently in NS. Actually I have never modelled before but I am just trying out, hoping to earn some cash on the side to help out my family.

Samuel: Okay, thanks for being frank to us. Pose for the camera please.

(Few clicks later)

Samuel: Mr Jack, you seem way too amateur for this, I’m sorry we have to let you go.

Jack: Oh, it’s ok, thanks for letting me try.

Jack was about to rush out of the room from humiliation when Gary called him aside.

Gary: Jack right? Listen, erm Mr Samuel has other plans for you, he wishes to help you out, in terms of side earnings, you interested?

Jack: Help me? How?

Gary: Listen, go to the 15th floor, room number 1503 and wait there, here take the keycard. Don’t breathe a word about this, ok?

Jack: Erm ok.

Jack entered the room and sat on the couch waiting for someone to tell him what was going on; he was already late for a lunch date with his friends. After what seemed like hours, he heard the door open, Mr Samuel walked in.

  Mr Samuel was the owner and founder of an International, multi-billion dollar company; he spent his life building this company that though he was almost 45, he was still single. Mr Samuel had a secret, he was gay but he never allowed anyone to find out. He believed money will buy him anything he wants, even humans. He had bought many nights and days with models and actors he found interesting or hot to him and Jack was his next target.

Samuel: Well Jack, please, sit down, anything to drink?

Jack: No thanks, erm may I know what is going on?

Samuel: You need to calm down young man; I’ve seen many like you. Listen, I have a proposition for you. I have a personal collection of special clothe line for men and models for those are anonymous and of course, the photos won’t show my model’s faces too. That album on that table have a few examples, take a look and if you are interested, I will personally do the photo shoot with you, right here, right now, if not, you may walk out.

Jack walked over to check the album which had pictures of guys in male lingerie. Some of which were lacy, almost revealing the guys junks and some only had a small piece of cloth to cover just the front jewels. Some had their asses exposed. However, none of the photos showed the faces of the model.

Jack: WTF, this is insane. I’m not a retard. Fuck you guys.

Jack exclaimed as he stormed towards the door.

Samuel: Before you leave, Mr Jack, I must say, this is a one-time opportunity, each of these models are paid thousands for EACH photo. The choice is yours.

Jack:  Thousands? You must be joking.

Samuel: Why would I joke? You think I am very free to have this conversation with you for nothing? Listen up, if you are willing to take this offer, you will earn thousands for less than 4 hours, if not, leave empty handed.

Jack: How can I trust you?

Samuel: Everything will be in black and white Jack, we will sign a contract here and now before we begin the shoot.

Jack sat on the couch and thought hard. I need the cash, no face anyways. Should I?

Jack: How much for one photo?

Samuel: I can’t say without seeing what we are working with first.

Jack: I’ll do it, but the contract?

Samuel: Here, read it, I had it prepared for your name when you register, I will be preparing my camera in the meantime.

Jack read the contract line by line but was interrupted by Samuel when he asked for Jack’s waist size.

Jack walked over to check on the waist size and came back to read the contract but Samuel rushed him to be quick thus Jack signed the contract without completely reading it. Especially the main point written in bold “This contract allows the party to be involved in film, head to toe, with or without apparels”.

Samuel: This is my special camera that has done so much magic for me, now Jack, please remove your clothes down to your undies, let me decide on the price. I won’t snap any pictures, the camera is off and it will be with you till we negotiate.

Jack felt confident that he was in control, he placed the camera facing away from him and took his shoes, jeans and shirt off. Standing in his tight white Hush Puppies underwear.

Samuel: Nice, looking good, nice package, how hairy are you down there? Pull your underwear down just a bit.

Jack pulled his underwear down a bit to reveal a thin layer of hair.

Samuel: Perfect. You’re a perfect candidate Jack! You’re going to make some money today boy! Listen, I’ll pay you, $1000 for each photo you let me snap and for each apparel you wear, I will give you an additional $100 dollars. What do you say?

Jack: S1000? For one photo? Sure, will I get to see the photos first?

Samuel: Yes of course, we both will look through the photos in my laptop, in fact, I will connect the camera to my laptop once the shoot starts and once we are done, each photo taken will be there, we will choose the best and final payment will be based on that.

Jack: Okay, I’ll pick one apparel and wear it on, will be back.

Jack went to the toilet to change while Samuel picked up the camera and sat down on the chair. Jack was unaware that Samuel’s camera was programmed, every 5th shot taken will be sent to a hidden folder in Samuel’s Laptop and will be deleted from the main folder. Samuel kissed the camera and awaited for Jack.  Jack came out wrapped in a towel, feeling shy about being almost naked.

Samuel: I don’t have all day kid! Drop that towel.

Jack dropped the towel to reveal a red laced lingerie which was revealing his tool to Samuel. Samuel’s dick was starting to harden in his business pants.

Samuel starting snapping the photos, zooming into Jack’s dick every now and then to get some snaps too. Every 5th photo taken was either a photo of Jack’s dick, ass or a photo revealing Jack’s face.

After trying on nearly 5 apparels, Jack was tired.

Jack: Can we stop now? I’ve been posing for nearly 4 hours now.

Samuel: Sure, why don’t you go get dressed and we can look through the photos. I’ll order you something to eat too, is Italian okay?

Jack: What if you delete them while I’m changing?!

Samuel: Boy, you still don’t trust me. Fine you can change here while I order the food. The camera and the laptop is right here, in front of you.

Jack: Thanks.

Jack changed into his own clothes and both of them had their late lunch. Samuel then started pulling out the photos and Jack was looking at all of them. After another hour of vetting through, they filtered out 15 photos that both parties could agree on.

Samuel: 15 photos with 5 apparels that will be $15,500, okay? The money will be transferred to your account before you leave this room.

Jack: $15K?! Wow! No joke?

Samuel: Check your account now.

Jack: OMG! It’s in. I thought it was going to be a scam. Mr Samuel, thank you, you have no idea how much this means to me. Thank you so much.

Samuel: Relax kid, this $15000 is nothing, it’s not even 10% of my daily revenue.

Jack: I apologise for not trusting you sir.

Samuel: I want to help you more kid, I have a new set of apparels coming in, next Month, but I won’t be in Singapore, I will be in Tokyo, would you like to come to Tokyo, for another shoot? I’ll double your price per photo? Fully paid trip too.

Jack: I’m in NS, I need to apply for leave, can I get back to you?

Samuel: sure, heres my card with my personal number, remember kid, you signed a contract, this must stay a secret.

Jack: I promise it will, thank you sir.

Jack left the hotel feeling happy, buying some gifts for his mother. Little did that boy know he was in deep trouble.

(Few weeks passes on)

Samuels personal phone vibrates and the message reads “Mr Samuel, my leave got approved, I can come with you for a maximum of 10 ten days”.  Samuel grins, looking at the secret photos he snapped along with the recordings of Jack changing in the toilet. Samuel plan was about to reach it’s climax.

Both parties reach Tokyo and Jack checks into his room, a huge suite with his own pool and a separate bedroom.

Samuel: Rest well kid, tomorrow night, we will be doing a night shoot, I need some cool shots too.

Jack: Sure sir. I will be there tomorrow.

The shoot day arrives and Jack is feeling excited to make more money, but things were going to change.

Samuel: As usual Jack, same camera, same Laptop, apparels there, but this time, you will do everything as I say, including your pose, okay?

Jack: Yes sir. I’ll get changed.

Jack changes into one of the apparels and walks out into the room to find Mr Samuel sitting down wrapped in a towel as well. He is stunned to see Mr Samuel almost naked and starts wondering what is happening.

Samuel: What’s wrong kid? I’m also having a break here, I don’t want to be in that suit all the time, now listen up, sit on that bed with your legs wide open.

Samuel starts snapping a few shots with a few poses changes, after trying on 5 apparels, he stops.

Samuel: Now, time to add some to my own collection.

Jack: Huh?

Samuel: Take those off and show me that dick, I need a few snaps of it.

Jack: What?! You’re kidding right?

Samuel: Does it look like I’m kidding? Do as I say!

Jack: No way! Fuck you! I’m not gay, neither am I a prostitute or whatever. I want to go to my room!

Jack grabs his clothes to get changed but Samuel grabs his clothes and flings them across the room. He then pushes Jack against the room door and pins him against the door “listen kid, you will do as I say, or else you will pay”.

Though Samuel as in his late 40s, all those expensive personal trainers, dieticians and body supplements made him a hunky daddy with strong muscles, capable of easily pinning the 20 year old down.

Jack: Mr Samuel, please can we talk first, please sir, please let me go….

Samuel: No funny business kid!

Samuel loosens his grip on Jack and made him sit on the chair.

Jack: Mr Samuel, please, I’m not into all these nudity or whatever, let me go. I don’t even want the money, please.

Samuel: Listen carefully, you signed a contract and now you will do as it says. You read it right? Especially this line?

Samuel shows him the line stating that he has to do as the client’s wish. With or without clothes on.

 Jack: I never read that. Can we not? Please sir. Please! I beg you.

Samuel: Look, as I said earlier, face isn’t involved anyways, what are you afraid of? I’m paying you double you know?

Jack: But, I’m so nervous, I’m scared. Please sir.

Samuel: 5 mins to consider, if you’re backing out, this will be a break in contract, my lawyers will see you.  

Jack: No no, please no. My mother will be devastated. Okay I’ll do it. Just no face, please.

Samuel: Sure, once again you will vet through the photos with me. Now take those off, apply this oil on yourself and start posing.

Jack did as he was told, posing naked in front of the camera, revealing his lean fit body and his dick to the horny daddy behind the camera. Every 5th shot compromised Jack’s face, without his knowledge. After vetting through the photos, Samuel told Jack to get dressed and to get ready for dinner while vetting through the photos. Jack was so embarrassed to see nude photos of himself on the laptop but he felt a little comfort that none revealed his face.

Samuel: Be here tomorrow morning for the last shoot and payment will be given to you in full tomorrow morning, understood?

Jack: Yes sir.

Jack went back to his room and lay in his bed, wondering if all this was worth it. He couldn’t remember what time he fell asleep, he woke up to his alarm clock ringing away. He quickly showered up, got dressed and headed to Mr Samuel’s room.

Jack: Good morning Mr Samuel.

Samuel: Good morning kid. Before we get to work, we need to speak. Sit down there.

Jack: Sure.

Samuel: Look here kid, I’ve gotten enough photos of you, now let’s get to the real deal. I can make you famous and rich, but I will need something from you. Something special.

Jack: What is it?

Samuel: Yourself.

Jack: What?! Nonsense.

Samuel: Really? Do I sound nonsensical? Crazy? What do you think your friends and family will think when they see this?

Samuel turns the laptop screen to Jack revealing photos of him naked, with his face.

Jack: What? No way. You said no face!

Samuel: I don’t have the patience to explain, basically, I wanted you from the moment I saw you and you fell right into my trap. Now, you do as I say all these remains a secret shoot, or else, you will be the world’s latest trend. Imagine billboards with you in those skimpy clothes. Pure art!

Jack: You’re crazy, how dare you!

Jack runs over and blows a punch onto Samuel’s face. Samuel quickly recovers from the punch and pins Jack on the floor. Jack starts shouting for help.

Samuel: If you don’t stop shouting, those photos will be up on the net within seconds.

Jack: I will call the police.

Samuel: You think the police will trust a random 20 year old or the guy who can give them their lifetime in a single Cheque. You have no way out of this!

Jack: The contract, that will be my proof.

Samuel: I don’t wish to repeat myself, I have my tracks covered.

Jack: What do you want from me?!

Samuel: I want you! Now take off your shirt and lay on the bed! You will be mine!

Jack: No. No way!

Samuel: Fine. Your mum, her name is Stella, right? I think I have her number in my phone, she may love seeing her son’s special stills.

Jack: No no. Please. Ok, as you say. Ok.

Jack starts crying and lowers his head. He unbuttons his shirt and walks over to the bed. While Jack is walking over, Samuel turns on his laptop’s camera and remotely turns on the camera on the tripod that is now facing the bed. Jack fails to notice this. He lies on the bed and closes his eyes.

Jack: Mr Samuel, is there anything else that I can do instead of this? Please sir, I am not gay. Please.

Samuel: Shut up. I hate it when my partner speaks too much. All I want to hear is you moaning and crying from pure pleasure.

Samuel removes his shirt and climbs on to the bed and lies beside Jack. He runs his finger along Jack’s body, gently pinching his nipples along the way. Jack starts crying silently not wanting to make Samuel angry. Samuel closes in on Jack’s face and locks his lips on to Jack’s. Jack struggles to break free from the man’s lips but Samuel is way too strong. Jack’s struggle pisses Samuel off and he grabs Jack’s crotch In anger and whispers “I said, do as I say”.

Jack: Sorry! Sorry! Ahhh..please it hurts, please. I’m sorry”

Samuel let’s go of Jack’s crotch and slips his hands into Jack’s jeans while he slowly kisses Jacks body, moving lower n lower. Samuel could feel Jack’s dick getting hard and his crotch was feeling slimy with precum. Though Jack wanted to fight this as much as possible, his was getting turned on by Samuel’s dominance. His body liked what his mind and heart didn’t.

Samuel: Seems like you like this huh?

Jack: No sir, please. Anything but this.

Samuel reaches Jack’s crotch and buries his face into Jack’s crotch, sniffing the young jock’s crotch, taking in the smell of his precum. Jack attempts to push Samuel’s head off of him, trying to stop Samuel but this turns up making Samuel very mad. Samuel gets up and walks over to his phone.

Samuel: You haven’t learnt to listen to your elder’s words. Now you will face the consequences of not giving in to me. I shall start off by sending the picture of you in that sexy red lacy underwear.

Jack: No no, I’m sorry. Please.

Samuel: Sorry? How many times are you going to apologise. I’m annoyed by your disobedience. Who do you want me to send it to? Your mum?

Jack: Sir please, I beg you, please.

(Jack gets off the bed and kneels in front of Samuel and starts begging him”

Jack: I won’t stop you anymore, please sir. Don’t send it. Please.

Samuel: You already said this before. I don’t like to repeat things.

Jack quickly gets up and places Samuels hand on his crotch. “Take me, please don’t send those images, please” he begged. “Now that is a good boy” said Samuel as he placed his phone down and lifted Jack off his feet and threw him on the bed. He unzipped Jack’s jeans and pulled it off. Jack laid on the bed, in his white CK underwear, revealing his body to Samuel. Samuel places both of Jacks hands above his head and ordered him to keep his hands there. He started massaging Jack’s crotch. The young lad’s dick started getting hard and within seconds, Jack was hard as rock. His CK undies could barely hold his 6inches in. He pulls Jack’s balls out and starts licking them making the young jock shiver in pleasure. Jack has never had sex before and he has only seen this being done in porn videos he used to watch. Soon enough, Jacks CK undies came off of him. He was laying naked and Samuel stood by the bed side, watching the hot jock as he took off his pants, revealing the black jockstrap he was wearing inside. He climbs beside Jack and starts kissing the lad as he gently strokes Jack’s dick. Jack let out a soft moan as he felt the man’s strong hands grab his dick.

Samuel ordered Jack to place his hand on his crotch and rub his crotch while they continued kissing. Jack had no choice but to adhere to his master’s order. He starts rubbing Samuel’s dick, feeling the man’s hard 8 inch dick. Jack was surprised to feel such a big dick; he has never seen a dick that big, not even in porn videos.

Samuel: How does it feel boy?

Jack: You’re big sir; I’ve never seen anything like this before.

Samuel: Why stop at seeing and touching, I want you to taste it kid!

Jack was stunned, he knew this would happen eventually but he didn’t know Samuel was so big. He was hoping Samuel won’t be so big so that it would be easier for him to just get it over with. Samuel climbed over Jack placing his knees on either side of the boy. He pulled down the waist band of his jockstrap revealing his huge 8 inch rod, slapping it on the boy’s face. “Suck it!” he ordered. Jack hesitated as he has never done it before. “Relax, close your eyes and think of it as a huge ice Popsicle and suck it, no teeth boy, or you will lose your teeth” warned Samuel. Samuel closed his eyes and started wrapping his lips around Samuel’s dick. He couldn’t take more than 2 inch into his mouth but he was trying his best. The smell of the man’s dick was so strong and was making Jack feel uncomfortable but he knew he had no more chances with this man. If he stops the photos will leak out.

Samuel quietly reached for his phone which was in his pants pocket and started snapping pictures of the young lad with a huge dick in his mouth. Then Samuel started recording a video of Jack suck his dick. After gathering enough footage, Samuel threw his phone on to the pile of clothes on the floor and instructed Jack to open his eyes. He started forcing his dick slowly into Jack’s mouth making the boy gag on his dick. Jack’s eyes were tearing from having to suck and choke on a dick tat big. Yet Jack’s fear was something else, he was worried if Samuel would want to fuck him with that big dick. His body shivered when he thought of it.

Samuel grabbed Jack’s hand and guided him slowly towards his ass. He placed Jacks finger on his hole and instructs him to play with it. Jack stops sucking on the dick and asks “play?” Samuel replies “rub it, poke it, finger me, anything boy!” Jack is surprised. He wondered if this meant that Samuel doesn’t fuck. Does this mean that Samuel wants to be fucked? Jack felt lost, he had never watched gay porn before and this was too confusing for him to absorb.

Jack rubbed his finger on Samuels’s hole and this made Samuel moan very loudly. Jack found this weird. He continued doing it hoping to make the man cum quickly so it will all end but it only made Samuel hornier. Jack than had an idea, “maybe if I put my finger in there, it will make him cum faster” he thought. Jack forced his index finger into Samuel’s ass making Samuel jump in pain.

“WTF kid, don’t you know you have to lube it first!” exclaimed Samuel. Jack looked at him feeling lost. Samuel pulled Jacks finger out and started licking and sucking on the finger. Jack felt grossed out by that. Samuel then told Jack to finger him using that finger but slowly. Jack slowly puts his index finger into Samuels’s ass making the grown main moan in pleasure. “Now fuck me with that finger while you suck my dick” instructs Samuel. Jack starts to finger fuck Samuel’s ass going slowly but gradually increasing speed to see if it would make the man cum quickly. A few minutes passes by and no cum yet. Jack starts to feel tired and annoyed. Samuels slowly stands up and removes his jockstrap. He then gets into 69 position and starts sucking Jack’s dick. Jack is surprised but quickly feels overwhelmed by the pure pleasure of a warm mouth around his dick. Samuel takes Jack’s dick out of his mouth and says, “Suck my dick and play my ass boy, don’t wait around!” Jack starts sucking Samuels’s dick that is already covered in his saliva.

  However, Jack was slowing down on the sucking as he liked the way Samuel’s mouth felt around his own dick.  “Should I let this last a while longer? I really like my first blowjob” he thought to himself. Instead of using 1 finger, Jack uses 2 fingers to fuck Samuel and Samuel loved it. He loved having his ass played like that. Soon enough, Samuel wanted more than just 2 fingers. He got off the bed and broke the 69 position. He told Jack to lay flat and close his eyes. Jack questioned what Samuel was going to do as Jack was afraid of being fucked. “Just do it!” exclaimed Samuel.

Jack quickly closed his eyes. Samuel reached into the bedside drawer and took out a few things. The first was a butt plug. He told Jack,” Before we any further you’re going to need this in you first”. The butt plug wasn’t too big; in fact it wasn’t made big enough to hurt anyone. It was a mini butt plug. Jack felt an icy cold liquid on his hole and the boy opened his eyes and saw Samuel stuff the butt plug into his hole. It didn’t hurt much and Jack wondered, “Why would he put that there if he was going to fuck me?” Jack then quickly closed his eyes before Samuel caught him. Samuel them took out a condom, opened the pack and slipped it on to Jack’s dick which was rock hard. Jack felt something tight on his dick but he didn’t dare to open his eyes. He didn’t know what Samuel was putting on his dick.

Samuel then applied some lube on his hole and started to squat down over Jack’s dick. He grabbed Jack’s dick and aligned it to his hole. Slowly Jack’s 6 inches were disappearing into Samuel’s hole. Samuel could feel something very warm and soft and awkwardly tight. He didn’t know what it was but it felt awesome. Soon, Jack’s entire shaft was deep in Samuels’s hole and Samuel was moaning in pleasure. He starts riding the dick and instructs Jack to open his eyes.

Jack opens his eyes to see Samuel sitting on top of him, riding his dick with his own eyes closed and moaning away in pleasure. Jack is stunned and asks Samuel “you like to be fucked?” “What else do you think I am doing here? Shut up and fuck me!” orders Samuel. Jack moans as he feels Samuels’s tight ass wrapped around his dick. Samuel humps really slow not wanting to make the boy cum too quickly. Jack simply lies on the bed and enjoys his first fuck while Samuel does the work. “Though this is gay, I guess I can enjoy it while it lasts?” he thinks to himself.

Few minutes pass by and Samuel starts to get tired from humping on Jack’s dick. He stops humping and just moves slowly. Jack realises that Samuel is getting tired and a thought strikes him. “Since I am going to have to go through this, sort of forcefully, I should have a bit of revenge as well. Time to make this fucker cry” he thought to himself. He gently places his hands on either side of Samuel’s shoulder. Samuel looks at Jack and Jack responds with a smile. Before Samuel could make out what is going on, Jack starts drilling the man’s ass real hard. He uses his hands to hold Samuel down and starts pumping his dick hard into Samuel’s ass. Samuel tries to move but he can’t. “Like this you bitch?” exclaims Jack as he starts fucking Samuel. Samuel starts moaning and shouting in pain but he can’t loosen Jack’s grip as he was feeling tired from the long humping before this.

A few minutes goes on like this, Jack drilling Samuel hard and Samuel eyes start tearing from the pain. He had to do something quickly or he might lose to this young lad. He quickly starts scrambling around the bed, looking for something. He grabs a black remote control and presses number 5 on it. Immediately the butt plug in Jack’s ass starts pulsating and vibrating making the hunk shake. Jack jumps up and Samuel uses this to get off of Jack and hold him down. He flips Jack over and starts spanking his ass while saying “How dare you try to go over my head? You’re the bitch here!” he shouts. Jack tries to break free but the butt plug was sending strong pleasure into him.

Samuel spanks Jack till the poor boy’s butt cheeks turn red and he starts pleading “stop please, please, I got carried away, I’m sorry, he begged. Samuel lets go of Jack and Jack falls on the floor, clenching on to his butt cheeks while moaning in pain. He pulls the butt plug out and lay on the ground. Samuel remained sitting up on the bed slowly recovering from the hard drilling he received. “Look here kid, you’re already in deep trouble here, don’t think you can try to pull any tricks on me!”

Sorry sir, I’m sorry, I won’t do anything, I promise exclaimed Jack as he slowly stood up. Jack knew this won’t end unless he pleases Samuel thus he decides to do anything to please Samuel. Jack walks over to Samuel, kneels down and starts sucking Samuel’s flaccid dick. “Now that’s a good boy” Samuel said seductively, as he laid back to enjoy the young boy’s mouth wrap around his dick. Jack worked his tongue up and down Samuels’s dick as it started getting hard. He starts sucking on Samuel’s dick head, almost like a Popsicle and Samuel seemed to love it. Jack couldn’t believe Samuel was enjoying the blowjob; Jack was merely mimicking whatever he saw on porn videos. “Climb over me with your knees on either side of my shoulder”, I want to suck your dick too boy!” ordered Samuel. Both men started sucking each other off in a 69 position. Jack’s fingers gradually explored their limits by slowly inching towards Samuel’s hole. Samuel knew Jack has already given in but he remained alert in case Jack tried to pull off another one of his nonsense.

Jack licked his finger and starts rubbing Samuels’s hole with his saliva as he continues sucking Samuels dick. On the other hand, Jack’s dick was throbbing hard inside Samuel’s mouth. A few minutes go by and Samuel decides to take it up a notch. He starts dry fingering Jack which causes sharp pain for Jack. Jack stops sucking Samuels’s dick and starts moaning and grunting in pain. “Yea, that’s what you get when you try to play tricks” claims Samuel as he slowly starts to finger Jack. Jack decides to continue pleasing Samuel, thus he starts sucking on Samuels’s dick but this time round, he starts fingering Samuel as well.

Samuel has a very sensitive hole thus this gave him intense pleasure. This goes on for a few minutes, with each man fingering and sucking each other. Samuel then orders Jack to get off and slip on a new condom, “drill me boy, I want you to breed me” instructs Samuel. Jack slips on a new condom while Samuel lies on his back and spreads his legs, opening up for the boy. Jack aligns himself and thrusts into Samuel, slowly fucking the man.

Samuel: Faster! I want you to shoot your young boy load while fucking me.

Jack: Yes sir. As you please sir.

Jack starts fucking Samuel hard and the room fills with the noise of balls slapping against Samuels ass and both man moaning in pure pleasure. Samuels’s dick starts leaking pre cum and within minutes, Samuel starts shooting his load all over Jack and himself. The sight of an elder man cumming like that makes Jack shoot his thick warm load into the condom. Jack pulls out slowly and lies flat on the bed while Samuel gets up. Jack heads to the shower to clean up while Samuel packs up his camera which recorded every single bit of hot intense action that took place in the room and he then joins Jack in the shower and gives the young boy another hot blowjob, swallowing his young load.

Both men settle down for a drink, wrapped in their towels.

 Samuel: Whatever happened here, will remain within these 4 walls. I’m sure you’re okay with that?

Jack: Yes Mr Samuel, please. I won’t spill a word. Please don’t release anything,  my whole life will be ruined.

Samuel: Good.

Jack: Can I ask you for another favour?

Samuel: The money? Of course you will get it.

Jack: Actually, I did all that to please, can this be the first and last. I won’t be able to go through with this again. Please sir.

Jack starts crying as he pleads.

Samuel: Wipe your tears kid. I won’t ever bother you again. In fact, you won’t be seeing me again after this trip. This is my promise to you.

Jack: Thank you sir. Thank you so much.

Samuel: Now enjoy this drink, your money will credited to your account in the morning. We are leaving tomorrow so go do some shopping.

Jack goes back to his room and falls asleep from exhaustion. He wakes up, does some shopping and in no time, is on his way back to Singapore in his business class seat. He made a lot of money in that trip, but whether or not it’s worth the money was a question that will always linger in his mind.

Samuel on the other hand, starts looking out for more targets. Wonder which young boy gets pulled in the next time.

[anotherplacemag]

In Conversation With Elliott Verdier

Interview by Iain Sarjeant

It’s been quite some time since our last interview, but to coincide with the release of our recent title ‘A Shaded Path’ we decided to catch up with Elliott Verdier and speak to him about the series and his photography in general.

Hi Elliott - many thanks for taking the time to answer some questions for us.

Firstly, can you say a little about your background and your route into photography initially… how did it all start?

I wanted to be a photojournalist from very young. My godfather was a print collector and I spent lot of time with him looking at his collection. He shared with me his sensitivity and love for photography. Then, when I was 19, I received a grant to undertake my first trip as a photographer - a series of portraits of former Karen soldiers who were victims of landmines, in Burma.

Since then, I’ve been to a photography school in Paris and travelled for several projects during summer holidays. I went to Burma over and over again, documenting drug addicts and the Rohingyas crisis, but also visited Mongolia and Indonesia. There I spent a month with afghan refugees, living with them in a slum area, getting to know them. It changed my relationship with the people I photograph, and more widely, the way I wanted to document things.

Your project ‘A Shaded Path’ saw you spend 4 months in Kyrgyzstan with your large format camera – what first drew you to this country?

I like to travel to places where somebody like me, born in a middle class family from Paris, would have never been - meet people I wouldn’t normally meet. I want to tell explore the world away from sensational news headlines, tackle social issues, take time and break into people’s personal stories. This is why I try to find original themes that suit my everyday quest for beauty through struggling - people full of nostalgia, melancholy and sensitivity.

I was more and more interested in Central Asia after my trip to Mongolia. And I remember looking at a map and wondering what was Kyrgyzstan. I had literally never heard of this country before. I know - it’s a shame it’s not better known. I started doing some research on it and found very little information. So I decided to go for a month to see it for myself first – with a plan to return for a longer period to develop the project further.

Did you have a clear idea of how you wanted to approach the project before arriving in Kygyzstan? Is research an important element of your work, or do you prefer to let the project develop naturally as it progresses?

Not really. I wanted to work with a large format camera for the quality it offers - I had often worked with one in photography school in Paris. The thing is I bought one in Paris from an old man just before leaving, and barely tested it, not really realizing how heavy and big it was. It was clearly a large format camera for indoor studio work!

I felt it was important to leave plenty of space for the project to grow naturally - if you have a very clear idea what you will do in the field, what’s the point of doing it? You will just fill yours and others expectations. I’d rather be surprised, sensitive to what’s happening in front of me, let my impressions draw on film.

There’s a sense of melancholy about the work, a beautiful country struggling to adapt to a fast changing world and shake off it’s Soviet past. Tell us a little of your impression of Kyrgyzstan as a country… it’s landscape and people. What are the hopes of the younger generation?

I think I will always remember the first time I arrived in Kyrgyzstan. It was dawn. The soft pink light of the rising sun was touching the wall of mountains south of Bishkek. All was quiet. Everything there seemed eternal. That feeling never left me during the rest of my trip.

The young people of Kygyzstan are very connected, modern, especially in the main city Bishkek. They are influenced by Western and Russian culture, which is now globalized. But the main problem is that they feel invisible to the wider world. Today’s society is much about self esteem and empowerment. ‘A Shaded Path’ also raises an existential issue - if you don’t exist in the eyes of others, what is your existence for?

How did the people of Kyrgyzstan react to your project – were they helpful and interested in what you were doing? Was it a difficult country to travel around to make work? The portraits in the series are very powerful – how did you approach these… were they chance encounters? I’m thinking that using a 5x4 would require a certain amount of time with your subjects before photographing, planning everything… to what degree do you get to know the people you photographed?

Well, first of all, thank you. It is really some thing I have been working on a lot, but I still feel that there is no exact recipe for a great portrait. It depends so much on tiny details. In Kyrgyzstan, people were very friendly and open to me. Photography undoubtedly connects people, so when they accepted me to take their picture, they were naturally sharing their story with me. My large format camera, which needs time to settle, helps to create a special relationship with them. It will sound weird, but, more than words, I think they could feel my intentions just by my body language. It also brings some trust and respect, for the first time I was not that young silly tourist, but a real photographer in their eyes. They were naturally posing seriously, as the large format camera is quite impressive.

I was looking for new people to portray everyday, everywhere. The people in the photographs are very diverse. Some I just met quickly on the streets - but I also spent hours with veterans and nights with young people. Men and women in coal mines, fishers, hunters. I waited months for some to agree to be photographed, and spent as much time to set up some portraits, find the good spots, the good light. Sometimes, unfortunately, I didn’t have time to photograph people who were willing.

Getting to Kyrgyzstan was no problem at all – it is very accessible with no visa needed for visits under 60 days. But once there, I was arrested once by the police and detained for few hours. I was doing some pictures in an industrial area, and it was apparently forbidden. Two guards saw me and thought I was a secret agent, they were calling me “James Bond”! They took my finger prints and mugshot at the police station. And fortunately, some friends came and explained the situation, negotiating with them. I think they just wanted money from me, as police corruption is a common thing there. I can definitely say that the biggest threat over there is the police.

And what next? Have you any other personal projects planned or under way? Are you drawn to travel again to work on another similar project, or perhaps turn your camera on an aspect of your home country?

I would really like to develop some cool press assignments, because I have never done one before - I was lucky to get grants or awards for previous projects. But it’s looking possible since ‘A Shaded Path’ has been a good calling card.

But of course, I would like to do more documentary work, because long term projects are what truly drives me in photography. I am preparing something about collective resilience in Liberia, planning a first, short trip there in September. I’d like my work to follow some themes I value, something around time, memory, and existential struggling.

Settling down and having a family will come later!

Many thanks again Elliott for sharing your thoughts and experiences with us!

Elliott’s book ‘A Shaded Path’ has just been released by Another Place Press and is available for £17 here

All images & text © Elliott Verdier

[a-mad-scientist-approaches]

The Cipher Conspiracy (1)

Another fic! What is this! 

I had a massive brainwave some time ago, and this is what happened. A Gravity Falls Spy AU. 

I don’t know if the Spy AU in general belongs to anyone, let me know if it does, but this was kickstarted by @hntrgurl13‘s version (with a few changes, sorry, sorry) and that one story anon. My imagination was CAPTURED, I tell you.

Adeline Marks is @hntrgurl13‘s marvellous OC, and the Addiford ship belongs to @scipunk63.

AO3  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14

Chapter 1: Numero Uno

Sacramento, California (USA)    ∆

Stanley Pines knocked briefly on the office door before making his way inside and sitting familiarly in a chair. Not the comfy swivel chair behind the desk. That hadn’t been appreciated when he’d tried it.

“I’m finished for the day,” he said, stretching his arms out behind his head.

“Must be nice,” huffed Senior Special Agent Carla McCorkle of the FBI from over at her filing cabinet.

Oh. One of those days.

“Case not going well?”

“It would be, if one of these idiots could get me the right information, and not lead me on a wild goose chase TO THE PIZZA PARLOUR!” she finished in a shout, turning to direct it across the hall at the office opposite hers. A muffled (and maybe English-accented?) yell answered her, but the words couldn’t be discerned. Although Stan was pretty sure they weren’t polite.

He frowned. “You need me to teach that guy a lesson?”

“Believe me, I already did,” Carla flashed a malevolent grin and walked past him back to her desk.

“That’s my girl!” He took the opportunity to pat her butt. Instantly, she whipped around and gave him a death glare that made him quail. “Okay! Okay! Sorry!”

Not the time. Got it.

A tower of files was dumped on the desk, enough to obscure Carla when she sat down in the coveted swivel chair. Not for the first time, Stan was immensely glad that he had never completed the FBI training course. Best to leave the paperwork to people who actually had the patience to get through it, like Carla, or Fo-

“Y’know, we were getting so close. What the hell happened? Suddenly we can’t gain an inch on these guys!”

“These guys being the-” Stan stood up and looked at the name on the topmost file – “Cipher Wheel?”

“Yep. Whoever’s running the show goes by Bill Cipher, according to rumour. We don’t have anything concrete to back that up, though,”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” Stan said easily. Carla grunted unhappily.

Time to break out the big guns, he decided.

He stepped between Carla and the desk, the chair rolling backwards. She didn’t look happy to have her work interrupted, but Stan was confident that that would change soon.

“I have a present for you,” he told her, putting his hands on the chair’s armrests.

“Pines,” she warned.

“You’ll enjoy it, I promise,”

“We’re at the FBI!”

He leaned closer. Before she could threaten to eject him from the building, he shoved a hand in his jacket pocket and brought out a white-petalled flower. While she stared at it, he tried to keep the smugness off his face.

“You lost your other one,” he shrugged, by way of explanation.

For the first time since she’d gotten to work, Carla laughed slightly.

Mission accomplished.

She took the flower and kissed him gently. “See you back home?”

“You know it, babe,”

As he was leaving, Stan gave a mock salute and said, “Until tomorrow, Special Agent McCorkle,”

“That’s Senior Special Agent McCorkle, Mr Pines,”

When Carla made it back to their apartment (a full three hours later than himself), she had the flower tucked behind her ear.

Manhattan, New York (USA)    ∆

“Fidds, what the hell happened?” Agent Adeline Marks stared in shock at her partner, who was covered from head to toe in muck. His normally green suit was completely brown and black.

With as much dignity as he could muster, Agent Fiddleford McGucket took off his glasses and wiped them clean, then placed them back on his long nose. “I’ve just crawled through five hundred heckin’ metres of basement to fix our gosh-darn processin’ system, and I don’t think it was worth it,”

Addi stared at him pityingly for a moment. “You could have waited for the clean-up crew to get rid of the mess down there,”

“I was getting frustrated, and I wasn’t sure they weren’t goin’ to reschedule again.” He sighed. “They wouldn’t keep doin’ that if they knew what our building was a cover for.”

Addi nodded, and Fiddleford knew she was wistfully reminiscing of the prioritisation they had had before their branch was supposedly shut down.

“Well anyway, you know we’ve got a meeting now? I think it’s a new assignment,” she said.

Fiddleford groaned as he looked down at himself, and then back at the mud trail he had left coming through the elevator doors. It had definitely not been worth it. A passing agent slipped in the tracks, papers flying everywhere.

“Alrighty, let’s get this over with,” Quickly, so I can have a shower.

They headed up to their boss’s floor.

Sacramento, California (USA)    ∆

“Hope you like fish! It’s all we had,” called Stan from the stove as Carla dumped her bag on the couch.

“Smells great,” she said in relief, wrapping her arms around him from behind and burying her head in the crook of his neck.

“Geez, you really need a holiday,” said Stan, knowing what the answer would be.

“Not until the case is done,” she mumbled.

“And then you gotta promise you’ll give it a rest for a while,”

“You betcha. I am so sick of these hours,”

They stayed like that for a little while, until Stan noticed the fish was burning. As he hurriedly took it off the heat and waved away the smoke, Carla sat down at the kitchen table and examined their mail.

“Bills, neighbours having a party tomorrow, more bills – huh. A postcard,”

“Well, I don’t have any friends – any who want to contact me anyway – and all yours live around here. So who’s it from?” Stan set a plate down in front of her.

“Doesn’t say, exactly.” She looked up at him curiously. “Take a look.” She passed it over as he sat down on the opposite side of the table.

The postcard showed a forest and a cliff-face with a waterfall running down it. In big orange and green block letters, the words ‘Gravity Falls’ were emblazoned across it.

“Never heard of it,” said Stan, and turned it over. He almost dropped it in shock. As Carla had said, there was no address, no message, not even a name. There was a drawing. A hand. A six-fingered hand.

He looked up at Carla. “Ford?”

“It looks like it,” she nodded, clasping her hands in front of her face. “It’s been, what, five years?”

Stan took a deep breath. “I – I’ve gotta-” He stood up and ran his hands through his hair, staring between her and the postcard helplessly.

“Yeah I know! Go!” Carla said, smiling widely and standing up as well. “Come on, you have to pack!”

Stan laughed incredulously as they raced to the bedroom. He was feeling simultaneously scared and overjoyed. Before Carla could extract his suitcase, he pulled her in for a hard kiss and hugged her tightly.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can,”

“No, it’s okay, take your time. I think you’ll need to. He wouldn’t have contacted you unless he needed something,”

Well, that hurt. But she was right. It wasn’t Ford’s fault, not really, and truth be told they hadn’t exactly parted on the best of terms. He should be glad he was getting to see his brother at all.

“I should probably bring some cereal,”

“Good idea,”

Manhattan, New York (USA)    ∆

The Oracle Division had been created for the sole purpose of finding and eliminating the worldwide threat posed by an organisation known as the Cipher Wheel. The only problem was, as they soon found, no one had ever knowingly encountered an agent of this organisation. No one had ever admitted to having dealings with the organisation, even through a middle-man. There wasn’t even any evidence to back up the rumour that the head of the organisation’s name was Bill Cipher. So far, the only thing that the agency had managed to collect was a wide variety of symbols that the criminal underground had used in connection with the Cipher Wheel. Of course, they had so far led nowhere. Still, the government maintained that it existed.

So, due to the extreme lack of work available for the Oracle Division, it was a very small agency, and until anything to do with the Cipher Wheel was brought to their attention it was assigned other cases for efficiency purposes. Furthermore, as the Oracle Division was classified in an ultra-top-secret manner, it had to be hidden. Thus, why it had recently been relocated to a tiny five-storey building in Manhattan.

Adeline reflected on this as Fiddleford knocked on their director’s door. It was still surreal knowing they were the only field operatives in the whole agency.

“Come in,”

They entered.

“Well, agents, I’m sure you know – Fiddleford, are you okay?”

Fiddleford dripped onto the carpet. “Sorry ma’am, I was seein’ to the processing system,”

“Well, you have my thanks. It really did need something done for it. You’ll be hailed as a hero tomorrow.” The director smiled. “I’ll make this quick so you can go clean yourself up.”

“Thank you,” Fiddleford sighed.

“As I was saying, I’m sure you’ve guessed why you’re here,”

“You have a mission for us,” Addi said.

“Correct.” The tall, dark-skinned woman stood up from behind her desk and turned on a projector. An image of a bemused-looking woman appeared on the blank stretch of wall.

“This is Dr Jane Hansen. She is a chemist who has developed a new material with extraordinary refractive, reflective, and focal properties, called shimmern. This could be used to revolutionise the technological industry, for instance providing greater laser capabilities, enhancing computer operations, and creating a far cheaper way to manufacture stealth products.” The director nodded approvingly at Addi and Fiddleford’s raised eyebrows.

“Dr Hansen, however, is a very gentle soul who has insisted on using the only existing sample to create a fabulous piece of jewellery for her wife, which made our superiors rather frustrated,” the director said with a small smile.

The image changed to show a photo of Dr Hansen in her house, presenting a glittery, tear-shaped pendant on a silver chain to another woman. The picture was taken through the leaves of a bush.

“Aww,” said Addi. It was a very sweet scene, captured forever in an ethically questionable manner. “So, you want us to obtain that necklace?” she asked, switching back to professionalism.

“Of course. As well as the method she used to create it. We’ve been asked to hold onto it until our superiors have had a chance to study, and presumably replicate, it – as Dr Hansen has made it clear she has no interest allowing it to be used for weapons or stealth technology,” the director said with only the vaguest hint of approval.

“I assume the plans’re all stored electronically?” asked Fiddleford.

“Yes, Agent McGucket,”

“Then it’ll be an easy workday, ma’am,”

“Good to hear. Dr Hansen is planning on unveiling her creation at the Centro Congressi Giovanni XXIII Convention Centre in Italy five days from now. It will be a very classy event, so, Agent Marks, I assume you have some very classy clothes?”

Addi grinned at the director. She was looking forward to this assignment. “Of course, Jheselbraum,”

Gravity Falls, Oregon (USA)    ∆

Stan walked cautiously up the stairs to the porch of 618 Gopher Road. It was a very isolated house, nestled in a forest, and yet Stan couldn’t help but feel watched. Like there were eyes pointed at him from all directions. Considering this was apparently where Ford lived, though, that wasn’t exactly surprising. He’d probably been scanned no less than eighteen times since stepping out of the car.

Trying to convince himself that everything was fine, is fine, would be fine, he knocked on the door. It was flung open instantly, and he looked down the barrel of a gun.

His hand was coming up almost as soon as the door started opening. Stan slapped it away from his face and into his other hand where he flipped it around and caught it in a two-handed grip pointing at his opponent.

Ford beamed and said, “Well done, Stanley. It’s good to see you haven’t lost your skills.” Then he stood aside as though it was perfectly normal to brandish weapons at your family members.

“I’m fine, by the way.” Stan muttered as he stepped inside. “Might’ve pissed myself, but I’m fine.”

“I assume you found my message?” asked Ford, holding out his hand for the gun, which Stan wasn’t exactly eager to return.

“You mean the one written in invisible ink on the mysterious postcard with a cryptic drawing?”

“Yes, that one,”

“Yeah Ford, I found it. Been doing that since we were kids.” Stan rolled his eyes. “But an address and ‘Please come’? You had me worried, bro.”

“I’m sorry, but there wasn’t much else I could say. I didn’t want to risk it falling into the wrong hands. By the way, you burnt that, didn’t you?”

Stan nodded. As they spoke, his eyes roamed around, taking in everything they could. Ford didn’t look like he was in any trouble. He seemed completely normal, if a bit manic, but he had been that way forever. At least he wasn’t in some deep danger like Stan had been had been fearing. Five years of silence, and then ‘Please come’? Worried was an understatement: he had almost had a heart failure.

The large room they were standing in was absolutely covered in things with Ford written all over them. Maybe even literally, if he had been indulging in the invisible ink. Technology, gadgets, weird substances in science beakers, it was all there.

Ford was looking at him oddly, with an awkward half-grin on his face like he wasn’t sure what else to say. Guess it was up to Stan to make the next move.

Crap.

He didn’t know what to do either. It was getting weird now. Should he try for a hug? No, that would make it even worse. Ford was still standing there, and now they were staring at each other. Just when Stan was on the verge of yelling “NON-SPECIFIC EXCUSE!” and making a break for it, his brother spoke up.

“So . . . you’re working for the FBI now?”

“Oh, er, you know about that?” Of course he does, it’s Ford. “And it’s more like with, not for. I’ve got connections and such, I know people. Useful for them, and I get paid when they need me, so I’m not complaining,”

Ford nodded, like this was exactly what he had wanted to hear. This is getting stranger by the minute.

“How did that happen?” This time, the question was genuinely curious, not prying for information, or confirmation, or whatever.

“Heh, well, remember Carla, from back in Glass Shard Beach? She works for ‘em now. Found me in California about four years ago, arrested me on a case, I put the moves on her,” he waggled his eyebrows and Ford snorted disbelievingly, “she couldn’t resist, and the rest is history.” Not exactly true. He’d completely fallen for her all over again as soon as she had laughed in recognition while handcuffing him. Then he’d bargained for a job and sold out his co-conspirators.

“It was surprising to learn you went back into law enforcement, or some semblance of it,” said Ford.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I just never would have expected it of you, especially after the way you gave up your training when we were both at the FBI,”

Stan frowned. “The way I gave it up?”

Ford tilted his head. “Well you didn’t exactly quit in a regular fashion,”

“I didn’t quit, they ran me off the property!”

“Yes, because you were idiot enough to accept a drunken bet and try to steal secure files! That practically sealed your life as a criminal!”

“Well let me remind you why I was off getting drunk that night. A certain high-paying job offer from a shady government agency ring a bell?”

“Stanley, we have had this conversation before. They offered you the exact same deal!”

“Which you were all too eager to accept! A deal, by the way, which included completely cutting off all ties with family and friends,”

They were glaring at each other now, and were unconsciously tensing for a fight. Things had gotten heated even more rapidly than Stan had expected.

“That was not a permanent arrangement, Stanley, as is clear from your presence here right now,”

“It’s the principle of the thing that matters, Ford! You just upped and ditched me, like you couldn’t wait to get rid of me!”

“You’re talking to me about principles and ditching? The last time I saw you was five years ago, when you led the FBI to my apartment after attempting to steal from them, broke in, yelled at me while grabbing all my cereal, and then climbed out the window! I am assuming that was all deliberate, as when the FBI kicked down my door they thought I was you and arrested me!”

“Well, in your words, that wasn’t a ‘permanent arrangement’ and they sorted it out eventually,”

They lapsed into silence, the air between them practically sizzling. Stan had said enough, had had enough. He’d come here to help Ford if he could, and he’d hoped to maybe patch things up, but it didn’t look as though Ford was all that inclined t-

“I didn’t mean to abandon you, Stan,” Ford admitted, frowning angrily at him. Stan blinked. Carla’s words immediately came to him: he wouldn’t have contacted you unless he needed something. However, if this was a ploy to get his help, it was pretty sincere.

“Although your actions didn’t make it easy to apologise. Furthermore, taking my cereal was incredibly petty.” Ford waited, looking closely at him, seeing how he would respond. Stan was tempted to start up another argument over Ford’s hypocrisy in calling him petty – he wasn’t the one still sore about cereal. Instead, he was reminded forcefully of his brother as a kid, and what one of his first thoughts had been to do when he thought he’d gotten a chance to see Ford again. He’d been half-convinced he never would, what with the super-secret job Ford had taken.

Stan pulled a box of cereal out of his bag and handed it mutely to his brother, who stared.

And stared some more.

And laughed. And pulled him into a hug.

“It’s good to see you again,”

“Yeah, you too bro,”

Well that was easy.

Ford gave him a tour of the house. As he memorised the layout of it, Stan noticed that Ford didn’t seem able to confine his inventions to the main workroom – and they were Ford’s inventions. Stan guessed his brother’s brain was the main reason he had attracted attention from the government.

“Ford, not that I’m complaining, but why am I really here?”

Ford grinned and stepped back into the workroom. He picked a thick, red-bound book off a bench. “For this,”

Stan took the book. It had a gold, six-fingered hand emblazoned on it, similar to the one on the post-card. He opened it to where it was bookmarked.

All the words were in code, but it was a code he and Ford had used since they were kids. It was like a second language to Stan, and he read it easily.

“What’s shimmern?” he asked, looking at a hand-drawn picture of a pendant on a chain.

“A new kind of material.” Ford had an excited look in his eyes. “There’s only one sample in existence, in fact. My assignment is to appropriate, and eventually replicate, it. You’re here because I want your help,”

Stan noticed with some elation that Ford had specifically said “want” not “need”.

“This would be much easier with you, Stan. Like you already said, you have contacts. You’re good with people, not to mention you haven’t lost the skills you had five years ago,”

“I’m in,” said Stan without hesitation. “but don’t you have a partner to help you out? Pretty sure that’s what’s supposed to happen when you work for the government.”

Ford cleared his throat. “That’s not how we do things. Our missions are carried out entirely without assistance from other agents. There’s less chance of a leak that way,”

No matter what his brother’s test scores said, to Stan, Ford was as easy to read as a child’s book.

“Ford . . . you do work for the government, don’t you?”

His brother shifted now, not even attempting to lie under Stan’s scrutiny. “You don’t have to worry, we aren’t working against anyone. We’re primarily research-based,”

“What kind of research needs highly-trained field agents with no connections?”

“I’ve told you all I can,” Ford said firmly, with a hint of apology.

Ever since he and Ford had both been made an offer during the training course for the FBI, Stan had assumed it had been some sort of government branch, the CIA or something. However, the more he thought about, there was absolutely nothing to support this assumption. In short, Ford had him worried. Again.

Even more reason to stick close to him then.

“Okay, I’m still on board. How do we get this thing?”

“Italy, five days from now. We have a party to attend,” Ford said mischievously, and again Stan was reminded of the plans they’d come up with as kids, specifically the more notorious ones.

“I’m gonna need my fake IDs again,”

∆

“Hey Fordsy, how’d it go?” Bill Cipher said, sitting ramrod straight in Ford’s desk chair and swivelling around in it as the elevator doors opened to the basement.

“Good,” Ford replied. “We’re ready for the assignment. Or we will be soon. Stan has to sort a few things out first,”

When he’d first met his employer, Ford had been slightly disturbed by his too-wide smile, eyes that blinked less than a person’s normally would, and far more familiar demeanour than befitted the director of a shadow organisation. Now, he knew it was just one of Bill’s quirks.

“I hope you understand how lenient I’m being, letting your brother in on this. Not that I have anything against him, swell guy I’m sure, but of all the people to choose . . . I mean, really? Didn’t he used to be a bit – what’s the word? Oh yeah. Impulsive. Reckless. Untrustworthy. Take your pick. From what I’ve seen, smart guy, you are far more capable on your own. I don’t want him dragging you down or anything, numero uno,”

“Stan was just angry before. I promise that he will be more focused on this, and he will be a valuable asset,” Ford assured him quickly. It had taken over a year for Bill to come around to the idea of letting Stan meet up with him, and Ford was sure he had only agreed because he knew how ridiculously stubborn Ford could be.

Or because it was affecting your work.

The thought was immediately brushed away. Bill was right to be concerned about Stan. The organisation he had built was founded on levels of secrecy unlike any Ford had previously encountered. Any breach of that could bring it all crashing down. So yes, allowing Ford to bring someone in was a risk, he understood that. And so what if Bill had only agreed because their argument five years ago was eating away at Ford enough to disturb his performance in the field and the lab? That just proved how much Bill trusted, valued,and even cared, about him.

“Alright Sixer, we’ll try this your way. Just keep the objective in sight, you know what I mean?”

If there was one thing Ford was certain about in his line of work, it was that Bill Cipher was a good guy.

“Yes sir,”

[funnynewsheadlines]

107 Times People Couldn’t Believe Their Luck In Thrift Stores (New Pics)

You can spend hours in a supermarket and still not find what you're looking for. Or you can go into a thrift store without searching for anything in particular and walk away with a full bag. I mean, how could you walk away from a plate with a drawing of a bird pooping, with the words, "Here's your snack, dumbass" written all over it? It would go beautifully with that cat-shaped dispenser that shoots tissues out of its butt. Bored Panda has collected some of the most delightfully weird second-hand finds people have ever come across and you have to see them to believe them!

#1 Lucky Enough To Find Matching Dresses For My Boyfriend And Me So We Could Do This Pose At The Stanley Hotel. Estes Park, Co Thrift Shop

Image credits: Robyn Maitland Ross

#2 My 9 Year Old Daughter Found This Today At The Goodwill In Niles, Michigan. She Said He Had To Come Home With Us Because She Loves Weird Things And She Just Knew That Nobody Else Would Buy Him And He Would Be Lonely

Image credits: Katrina Hastings

#3 Mad At Your Spouse???

Image credits: Blanca Juarez

#4 Just Had To Share This Charming Tissue Dispenser I Came Across In New York

Image credits: Sarah Greene Reed

#5 Had To Spruce Her Up A Bit

Image credits: Amber Jones

#6 I Present... Bizarre Cat Trinket Pot! It Did Not Come Home With Me

Image credits: Rachel Johnson

#7 Pencil Flats. I Hope A Teacher Somewhere Out There Will Stumble Upon These Gems

Image credits: Sydney Morris

#8 The Other Ladies Thought It Was Super Weird, As Soon As I Seen It I Knew It Had To Come Home With Me!! (Whether It Fit Or Not)

Image credits: Kristle McElroy

#9 I Recently Found This Gem At My Fav Thrift Store. Bought It For My Husband, He Won’t Wear It, So I Will (On A Date With Him)

Image credits: Melynda McCulley Taylor

#10 I Found Casket Barbie Today. I Low Key Regret Not Taking Her Home

Image credits: Katrina Sara

#11 I Literally Darted Across The Store When I Saw Her. She’s So Fancy I Love It

Image credits: Adele Küntz

#12 Two Months Ago, My 20 Year Old Kitty Passed Away. After All Those Years, I've Been Heartbroken. Yesterday I Went Downtown To The Salvation Army Store And Found This Gem. I Pasted My Kitty's Photo In The Image So You Can See How Amazing This Is. I Mean. It Is Her!

15K

Image credits: Linda Trem

#13 So Brought These From Savers And Didn’t Look At The Back

Image credits: Shannon Rose Van Nek

#14 My Best Friend And I Wore Thrift Store Wedding Dresses To A Showing Of Bridesmaids. After The Show, This Woman Stopped Us. She Was The Original Owner Of Our Dresses. Both Dresses!!!

Mine is from her first wedding and my friend's from her second..... A small world post from today reminded me of this glorious moment

Image credits: Tacky Joe

#15 You Could Have Heard Me Squeal With Glee When I Walked Up On This Gem! I Grabbed It And Held On Tight (Granted No One Else Was Around At The Time)

Image credits: Diane Elizabeth Dunn

#16 I Found This Last Year At A Local Thrift Shop In Pa. I Took It Home...because One Of Me Is Just Not Enough

Image credits: Lori Callaway Beneyton

#17 My 6 Year Old Spent Her Allowance On A Hand Painted, Canvas Portrait Of A Goat She Found At The Flea Market. Yes It Came Home. It's Now Hung In Her Room

Image credits: Angie Carey

#18 Take Your Brother To The Thrift Shop, They Said. It Will Be Fun, They Said. This Monstrosity Now Occupies A Place Of Honor In His Apartment, And In My Nightmares

Image credits: Lizzy Avery

#19 Y'all, My Local Bin Dig Store Had A Fill-A-Cart For $10 Sale, So I Started Filling Up On Small Toys To Hand Out At Halloween. I Grabbed This Fake Credit Card, Because It Said James Bond On It. This Morning, I Noticed There Was A Slider On The Back And Opened It. It's A Freaking Lock Picking Set!!!

Image credits: Amanda L. Richards‎

#20 Finally... I Can Drink My Beer With Ladylike Class!

Image credits: Judith van Es

#21 "When 16 Pockets On The Front Of Your Skirt Isn't Enough, You Don't Worry Because There Are 16 More On The Back! So Heavy!"

Image credits: Jill Dolland Gafken

#22 So... I Couldn't Be Happier With My Goodwill Find Today. I Previously Worked For A Termite And Pest Control Company But They Closed 2 Julys Ago

Today...I was hired as a data entry coordinator at a new and much better pest control company!!!! I headed to goodwill to beef up my office clothing and found this gem!!! Perfect addition to my eccentric office lady wardrobe!

Image credits: ‎April Piper

#23 I Found This In A Yard Sale

Image credits: Kirby Shofner

#24 He Clearly Wears It Better. No Competition

Image credits: Trish Hirschkorn

#25 Can't Help But Feel A Tinge Of Heartache From Finding This Abandoned

Image credits: Travis Sinski

#26 I Found A Sculpture That Looks Like Me At A Garage Sale

Image credits: Andrea Good

#27 Found On The Street. This Little Guy Is Only An Inch High. Where Did He Come From?

Image credits: Vonnie Ruiz‎

#28 Now That's A Bright Idea!

Image credits: Jenny Barton

#29 Found This Interesting Lamp Today... I Think It Has Hair Inside The Shade??? Looks Like This Is A Van Briggle Art Piece But In Pretty Rough Condition!

Image credits: Jenny Kovach

#30 Not My Size. But Worth The Share. Goodwill

Image credits: Matthew Werner‎

#31 Back In January, I Acquired One Of My Most Prized Possessions- A Life-Sized Cast Replica Of An Apatosaurus Femur Bone!

It is a little over 6 feet tall and made of fiberglass. My friend Kathleen and I found it at a Pocono antique mall for a little over $160. The first time I saw it I actually left it behind, wondering “do I reallyyyy need a dinosaur bone?” And I regretted it all week! Once the market was open again I raced up to bring it home in the middle of a snow storm and it is now permanently on display in my living room

Image credits: Hillary Pierson

#32 My Husband Brought Home This Terrible Mask After Thrifting Today. So Yeah, Husband For Sale

Image credits: Jesse Lewis-Gainey

#33 I Found This Last Week And It’s Definitely My Favorite Thing I’ve Seen At An Antique Or Thrift Store. Introducing The Violin Vampire Killing Kit!

Image credits: Amanda Anatole

#34 Someone Recommended I Join Because Of Pics I Take Of Weird Stuff I Find, And I Decided To Start With This

Image credits: Amorette Dye

#35 Bought A Nice Frame At Goodwill For $0.50. Put A Photo In It And Kept Seeing A Smudge. Removed The Back And Held It Up To The Light And Saw This...

Image credits: Jordan Bem

#36 I Found This At Goodwill! This Has Officially Become My Wedding Rehearsal Bouquet!

Image credits: Jennifer Sanford

#37 All Hail This Truly Cursed Item

Image credits: Lauren Boo

#38 Random Find At "Finders Keepers" Hagerstown, Md It Made Me Laugh So Hard

Image credits: ‎Abby Paulson-Mathews

#39 This Is My First Weird Find. He Stayed Right On The Shelf

Image credits: Stacey DeAngelis

#40 I Saw This Tissue Box And Couldn't Pass It Up! Just Makes Me Giggle

Image credits: Abigael Marie

#41 Ever Wish The Design Of Crocs Could Be Something You Carry Around??? I Have The Purse For You

Image credits: Gabrielle Smith

#42 Found In Minnesota At The Center For Lost Objects In St.paul. Please Visit This Unique Secondhand Store!

Image credits: Linda Polizzi Borgersen

#43 Yes I Did Buy This Elephant Sweatshirt. Made Me Laugh Too Hard Not Too

Image credits: Melissa Nowicki

#44 Someone Posted Miniatures On Here And Wanted To See This! It’s A Bean With Ten Tiny Elephants In It. I’ve Had It For About 50 Years And I Got It At An Antique Store When I Was A Kid

Image credits: Sandi Loveland Eldred

#45 Oh My Achy Breaky Heart. Billy Ray At A Yard Sale With Mullet

Image credits: Peggy Williams

#46 My Mom Got This At A Thrift Shop. It’s For Chips And Salsa. She Got It For Someone As A Christmas Gift But As She Said, “It Was Too Good To Give Away!”

Image credits: Sarah Doneghy

#47 My Four Year Old Daughter Absolutely Could Not Live Without This Four Foot Rainbow Trout!

Image credits: Jenea Villaseñor

#48 Found My Own Face On A Mug One Time At A Goodwill. I Don’t Know That The Pictures Quite Capture The Resemblance But I Do Know I’ve Kicked Myself For Years For Not Taking My Little Twin Home With Me

Image credits: Kate Monnes

#49 Sooo... This Didn’t Come Home With Me, Either

Image credits: Anthony Hutson‎

#50 Obviously This Shirt Had To Come Home With Me Today. It's Way Too Large For Me But Oh Well

Image credits: Summer Morgan

#51 Only For You People Would I Don A Five-Sizes-Too-Small Kittycat Onesie And Take An Embarrassing Selfie

Image credits: Mary Lutz

#52 I Rescued This Incredible Globe From The Trash, It’s About 20” Tall And Handcrafted With Semi-Precious Stones And A Brass Base. Not Really That Weird But Definitely Second Hand And Pretty Unusual

Image credits: Pete Anthonius Leggio

#53 You May Be Over Jumpsuits But I'm Not When I Come Across Gems Like This Baby That I Got For A Buck!

Image credits: Leslie Gengo

#54 Just Not Sure What To Say

Image credits: Diana Cook

#55 Yes. It Came Home With Me. Haven't Read It Yet

Image credits: Mags Denizkizi

#56 Went To An Antique Store Liquidation. Mostly A Bust But I Did Leave With Some New Bling

Image credits: Justin Jones

#57 Hey Girl...

Image credits: Rainey Johnson

#58 “I’m Just Gonna Go Ahead And Get Those And Send Them To Her As A Gift”

Image credits: Bunny Furr‎

#59 Thank You To The Saint Who Donated This. It’s Now Thriving In Its New, Loving Home!

Image credits: Summer McCusker

#60 In At Atlanta Area Goodwill, July 15. When I Told My Son I Didn't Buy It He Said "What's Wrong With You?!"

Image credits: Jason Spears

#61 Last Year My Son Asked Me To Get Jenga. So When I Found A Used, But Complete In The Box Set At Value Village I Bought It And Gave It To The Kids

When they took it out of the box we quickly realized it had been modified and I had purchased “Frat House Edition”! My kids are way too young for this edition, so now it lives at my friend’s mostly-adults-only cabin

Image credits: Alicia Kincaid

#62 You Better Believe I Bought This Giant Antique Industrial-Grade Wire Whisk Mixer Attachment I Have Absolutely No Use For Other Than To Admire For Aesthetics

Btw, it came with a note that said it came from a milwaukee convent and was purchased for the convent in 1889

Image credits: Brianna Lorraine Wunsch

#63 Crikey! Look What We Found, Was Not Going To Drop $150 For It So It Stayed Where It Was

Image credits: Ben Funnell‎

#64 One Of My Greatest Finds! A Fancy Martini Cocktail Dress!

Image credits: Sarah Scarnechia

#65 The Gentleman Who Had These Said He Got Them From The Natural Museum Of Science In San Antonio. Did I Score 4 Of Them? Yes I Did! No Bones About It!!!

Image credits: Missy Cisneros

#66 Thrift Store Painting To Which Someone Had Added A Dinosaur

Image credits: Lisa Haslbauer

#67 Who Remembers ....

Image credits: Scott Smith II‎

#68 Now You're Singing It

Image credits: Faith Moultrup‎

#69 Found This Gem Today At Savers In St. Louis. Pretty Sure It’s Homemade (No Tags) And For $2.99, You’d Better Believe It Came Home With Me

Image credits: Pam Marty

#70 Found This At A Goodwill. Adorable Little Animals To Impale What A Weird Toy

Image credits: Jenny Popples

#71 Check Out This Kraken Stand I Have In My Kitchen Now

Image credits: Cheyanne Cooper

#72 Whoever Made This I Love You. Damn Straight It's Coming Home With Me

Image credits: Megan Fraser

#73 Found This Yesterday And Bought For My Son, Who Loved It! Best £2 Spent Ever!

Image credits: Rachael Slater‎

#74 By Far My Best Goodwill

Image credits: Sydney Small

#75 Got The Dragon For Free! It Stands About 7 Feet Tall And Is Hand Pounded Tin

It was a tent topper for a circus I think. I got it from a guy whos uncle had one of PT Barnums houses here in Denver. I gave him some real estate advice and he gave me Dragon. It has a hole where the mouth is for smoke and a spot for the tongue but the tongue is missing. It’s super light! It had been in the back yard for years and was covered in weeds. I dream that it traveled the world on sideshow adventures

Image credits: Jeanette Wild

#76 Watch Out For My Bodyrolls!

Image credits: Madi Walsh‎

#77 Really Beautiful And Intricately Carved Skull At Asiabarong Gallery, Great Barrington Ma

Image credits: Hannah Helena

#78 She’s Not So Much As Odd But Very Unique. I Think She Is Beautiful! Her Hair Looks Like It’s Made Of Spider Webs And The Ends Of Her Hair Has Actual Keys Attached

Image credits: Whitney Leaf

#79 I Wanted To Give Y’all An Update On How Absolutely Perfect This Crazy Piece Looks In My Bright, Plant Filled Dining Room

Image credits: Chels Collins

#80 Definitely Bought It

Image credits: Amber Tollefson

#81 My Inner Ninja Turtle Is Screaming. This Came Home

Image credits: ‎Caitlin Nicole‎

#82 Tie With A Brain Scan Pattern, Found In A Charity Shop

Image credits: ‎Zofia Roginska

#83 Picked Up This Double Header In Lenox, Massachusetts

Image credits: ‎Rene Dominique‎

#84 This Large, Weird Mushroom House Lamp From The '70s Is One Of My Favorite Second Hand Finds.

I used to work at a little used book store, and one day this guy just showed up with a box of old books and two of these lamps in it and said "Keep 'em". My boss didn't want them, so my coworker and I each got one

Image credits: ‎Boston Corbett‎

#85 Found In A Recycle Store Called Savers In South Australia

Image credits: ‎Sarah Kate‎

#86 My Niece Found This Fabulous Dinosaur Dress At The Salvation Army Store Today. It Is So Cute On Her And It Did Go Home With Her

Image credits: ‎Lisa Ginzel‎

#87 The Local Vfw Had A Table Of Items That Were Free. Every Single Penny Has A Year Of 1973

Image credits: ‎Ashlie Grace Fry‎

#88 Zombie Horse...

Image credits: ‎Tara Bowman-Kelley

#89 Apparently My Husband Inherited This Atrocity From His Late Grandfather. A Nut Cracker. It Is Not On Display

Image credits: Starlette McDaniel

#90 Where Would I Hang The Needlepoint Caged Unicorn? Might Go Back And Rescue It If I'm Convinced...

Image credits: Jeannine Edwards Stambaugh

#91 Speaking Of Creeptastic Dolls...

Image credits: Lynn Young

#92 I Still Don’t See A Couch But For As Comfortable As This Empty Space Was It Did Not Come Home With Me

Image credits: Brendan Brown

#93 I Don't Know If These Qualify As Weird As Much As They Do Amazing. Found At A Small Local Thrift Store. I Picked Them Up Without Hesitation

Image credits: Shalon Cade

#94 Get That Paper Bucket Otta My Face!! I Only Eat Kfc Out Of The Finest Crystal!

Image credits: Monica Gutierrez

#95 Really?

Image credits: Bonnie White

#96 Laughed When I Found Them, Had To Take Em Home. I Love It!

Image credits: ‎Hollie Olin‎

#97 Hi Y’all. First Time Poster. Found These Shoes At Red, White And Blue In Harahan, La. They Look Like Something H. R. Giger (The Guy Who Created The Creature In Alien) Made. As Much As I Loved Them, They Sadly Stayed In The Store

Image credits: Suzy Smith

#98 Behold The Pickle Putter

Image credits: Sondra DeWitt

#99 Goodwill Find Of Last Week

Image credits: Rachel Flowe LeCroy

#100 It Seemed Like An Innocent Box... Until I Turned It Over I Have So Many Questions.

Image credits: Jonelle Lyn Forbes

#101 Found The Honeypot Of 90's Troll Earrings!

Image credits: Maysa Coty

#102 Not A Great Pic Because I Took It Through The Shop Window But Check Out These Lil Gnome Shoes

Image credits: Jill Blutt

#103 I Picked Up This Pillow At An Estate Sale.

I Really Love The Fabric! But I Noticed It Was Strangely Lumpy. I Got It Home I Unzipped It And Discovered To My Horror That It Was Stuffed With Old Worn Out Nude Colored Nylon Stockings

Image credits: Nickey Robo

#104 Here’s Looking At You, Kid

Image credits: Meg Brown

#105 I Was Gifted This Years Ago At An Estate Sale!

I Was Looking At The Jewelry And The Jeweler Saw Me Looking At It. I Was Obviously Drawn To This Tiny Little Book And He Probably Thought No One Would Buy It! Score Babbaayyyy I Gladly Accepted! It Is A Tiny Book That Has I Love You Written In Different Languages. I Love It! My Cute Little Book Of Love!

Image credits: Kate McVeigh

#106 For Those Who Need Assistance In Making A Good Cuppa A.k.a Me. Sorry Boss For Putting Way Too Much Milk In Your Tea!

Image credits: Csilla Schild

#107 Found Today In Witchita Falls, Tx At An Antique Store

Image credits: Becca Merimon

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With their heady brew of well-known names, soiled secrets and techniques and Victorian ethical outrage, it’s no marvel the courtroom trials involving famend playwright Oscar Wilde enthralled most of the people through the last decade of the 19th century.

Wilde, an Anglo-Irish playwright and bon vivant, was recognized for his acerbic wit and celebrated works, together with Woman Windermere’s Fan, A Lady of No Significance, The Image of Dorian Grey and The Significance of Being Earnest. In early 1895, the husband and father of two was on the peak of his fame and success; his play, Earnest, had debuted to nice acclaim in February that yr, making him the toast of London.

Thanks for watching!Go to Web site

By the top of Might, Wilde’s life can be turned the wrong way up. Convicted of gross indecency, he was sentenced to 2 years of arduous labor in jail. Three years following his launch from jail, he would die, impoverished, in France.

Thanks for watching!Go to Web site

Thanks for watching!Go to Web site

Oscar Wilde together with his lover Lord Alfred ‘Bosie’ Douglas, generally known as a spoilt dandy.

Getty Pictures

His lover’s father was disgusted by the liaison.

Wilde (1854–1900) met Lord Alfred “Bosie” Douglas in the summertime of 1891 and the 2 quickly turned lovers. It was an affair of the guts that may span years, and continents, and would finally result in Wilde’s very public downfall. Douglas, the third son of the Marquess of Queensberry, was 16 years Wilde’s junior. Reportedly a dissolute, extravagant dandy, he was virtually inseparable from Wilde till the latter’s arrest 4 years later.

It was Douglas’s father’s response to the entire affair that prompted the fateful courtroom proceedings. Queensberry (John Sholto Douglas) was a Scottish nobleman greatest recognized for selling guidelines for novice boxing, the “Queensberry Guidelines.” By early 1894, Queensberry was sure the flamboyant Wilde was a gay and demanded his son reduce off contact with the author. (The Victorian period was particularly recognized for its tradition of sexual repression, and carnal exercise between males was a felony offense in the UK till the late 1960s.)

“Your intimacy with this man Wilde should both stop or I’ll disown you and cease all cash provides,” Queensberry wrote to his son in April of 1894. Douglas ignored his father’s rising condemnation of Wilde, incensing Queensberry and fueling his hostility towards his son’s alleged lover.

First, Queensberry tried to disrupt the debut of The Significance of Being Earnest, the place he deliberate to current the playwright with a bouquet of rotten greens and inform theatergoers of Wilde’s alleged scandalous way of life. Thwarted, he then visited London’s Albemarle Membership, of which Wilde and his spouse, Constance, have been members.

Queensberry left a card with the porter of the membership, asking that it’s handed to Wilde. Written on the cardboard was, “For Oscar Wilde, posing somdomite [sic].” Affronted and embarrassed, Wilde wrote to Douglas, saying he believed there was nothing left to do however criminally prosecute Queensberry for libel. “My entire life appears ruined by this man. The tower of ivory is assailed by the foul factor,” Wilde wrote.

Wilde went on the offensive.

Throughout preparations for his case towards Queensberry, Wilde’s legal professionals requested him immediately whether or not there was any fact to the allegations of homosexuality. In line with Wilde, the allegations have been “completely false and groundless.” Forward of the April 1895 trial date, Wilde and Douglas journeyed collectively to the south of France.

Wilde’s first trial (Wilde v. Queensberry) started April three on the Central Legal Courtroom of England and Wales, generally often known as Previous Bailey. Trying to get forward of Queensberry’s accusations, Wilde’s lawyer Sir Edward Clarke, included the studying of one of many playwright’s letters to Douglas that would recommend a gay relationship between the correspondents. Whereas Clarke admitted the wording could seem “extravagant,” he reminded the courtroom that Wilde was a poet, and the letter ought to be learn as “the expression of true poetic feeling, and with no relation no matter to the hateful and repulsive recommendations put to it within the plea on this case,” in line with trial transcripts.

Wilde quickly took the stand, telling the courtroom of the harassment he had endured from Queensberry. Requested publicly if any of the allegations have been true, Wilde replied: “There isn’t a fact in any way in any of the allegations, no fact in any way.”

Cross-examined by Queensberry’s lawyer Edward Carson, Wilde was referred to as upon to defend his revealed works on the idea they contained immoral themes, or had gay overtones. He was then questioned about previous relationships he had had with younger males.

The ever-eloquent Wilde displayed a dexterous command of the English language—and a penchant for witticisms that might ultimately incriminate him in courtroom. On the second day, Wilde was questioned a few 16-year-old male acquaintance named Walter Grainger and whether or not or not he had kissed the teenager. “Oh, pricey no. He was a peculiarly plain boy. He was, sadly extraordinarily ugly. I pitied him for it,” Wilde replied.

Urgent Wilde over his response, Carson continued to ask if that was the only cause he didn’t kiss the boy, just because he was ugly. “Why, why, why did you add that?” Carson demanded. Wilde’s reply? “You sting me and insult me and attempt to unnerve me; and at occasions one says issues flippantly when one ought to talk extra critically.”

The identical afternoon, the prosecution closed its arguments with out calling Douglas to testify as deliberate. It was not wanting good for Wilde.

Oscar Wilde Photograph By Napoleon Sarony by way of Wikimedia Commons

One trial beget one other.

In protection of Queensberry, Carson introduced in his opening speech that he meant to name to testify a lot of younger males with whom Wilde had had sexual encounters. Such accusations have been extra than simply phrases in 1895, when it was a criminal offense in England for any individual to commit “gross indecency,” because the regulation had been interpreted to criminalize any sort of sexual exercise between members of the identical intercourse. That night, afraid of the place the trial could lead on, Clarke urged Wilde to drop the case. The next morning, Clarke introduced the withdrawal of Wilde’s libel go well with towards Queensberry. A verdict of “not responsible” was the courtroom’s remaining choice within the matter.

Through the trial, Queensberry’s lawyer had forwarded copies of statements by the younger males scheduled to seem as witnesses to the director of public prosecutions, leading to a warrant for Wilde’s arrest on expenses of sodomy and gross indecency the identical day Queensberry’s “not responsible’ verdict was handed down.

Wilde would in a short time be again in courtroom—this time within the position of the accused.

The primary legal trial of Wilde (The Crown v. Wilde) started April 26. Wilde and Alfred Taylor, the person accused of procuring younger males for the playwright, confronted 25 counts of gross indecencies and conspiracy to commit gross indecencies. Wilde pleaded “not responsible” to the fees. Quite a few male witnesses testified for the prosecution, detailing their participation in sexual acts with Wilde. Most expressed disgrace over their actions.

In contrast to his look at Queensberry’s trial, a extra subdued Wilde took the stand on the fourth day. He continued to disclaim all fees towards him. Throughout his testimony, Prosecutor Charles Gill requested Wilde concerning the which means of a line in a poem by Douglas: “What’s ‘the love that dare not converse its identify’?”

“‘The love that dare not converse its identify’ on this century is such an excellent affection of an elder for a youthful man as there was between David and Jonathan, reminiscent of Plato made the very foundation of his philosophy, and resembling you discover within the sonnets of Michelangelo and Shakespeare,” Wilde answered. “It’s that deep religious affection that’s as pure as it’s good. It dictates and pervades nice artistic endeavors, like these of Shakespeare and Michelangelo, and people two letters of mine, resembling they’re… It’s lovely, it’s fantastic, it’s the noblest type of affection. There’s nothing unnatural about it. It’s mental, and it repeatedly exists between an older man and a youthful man, when the older man has mind, and the youthful man has all the enjoyment, hope and glamor of life earlier than him. That it must be so, the world doesn’t perceive. The world mocks at it, and typically places one within the pillory for it.”

Although Wilde’s reply appeared to strengthen the fees towards him, the jury reportedly deliberated for 3 hours earlier than deciding they might not attain a verdict. Wilde was launched on bail.

A 3rd trial sealed the author’s destiny.

Three weeks later, on Might 20, Wilde was again in courtroom to face the identical costs. The federal government was pushing for a verdict.

The prosecution, spearheaded by solicitor common Frank Lockwood, had tightened its case towards Wilde, reportedly dropping weaker witnesses from the primary legal trial. Summing up, Lockwood said: “You can’t fail to place the interpretation on the conduct of the prisoner that he’s a responsible man, and also you should say so by your verdict.”

Hours of deliberation handed earlier than the jury handed down their conclusion: responsible on nearly all of counts. Reviews of the time say Wilde’s face turned grey when the decision was learn.

Wilde and Taylor have been convicted of gross indecency and sentenced to 2 years exhausting labor, the utmost allowable for the crime. When the sentence was handed down, shouts of “Disgrace!” erupted within the courtroom. “And I? Might I say nothing, my Lord?” Wilde responded, however the courtroom was adjourned.

After his conviction, Wilde’s spouse Constance modified her and her sons’ final identify to Holland, in an effort to distance themselves from the much-discussed scandal, and moved to Switzerland the place she died in 1898. The couple by no means divorced.

Following his two years in jail, Wilde was bodily lowered and bankrupt. He went into exile in France, residing with buddies or staying in low cost lodging, writing little. Wilde died of meningitis on Nov. 30, 1900. He was 46.

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The post How Oscar Wilde’s Libel Trial Backfired and Ruined His Life appeared first on Geek Sprinkles.

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Getty Pictures

With their heady brew of well-known names, soiled secrets and techniques and Victorian ethical outrage, it’s no marvel the courtroom trials involving famend playwright Oscar Wilde enthralled most of the people through the last decade of the 19th century.

Wilde, an Anglo-Irish playwright and bon vivant, was recognized for his acerbic wit and celebrated works, together with Woman Windermere’s Fan, A Lady of No Significance, The Image of Dorian Grey and The Significance of Being Earnest. In early 1895, the husband and father of two was on the peak of his fame and success; his play, Earnest, had debuted to nice acclaim in February that yr, making him the toast of London.

Thanks for watching!Go to Web site

By the top of Might, Wilde’s life can be turned the wrong way up. Convicted of gross indecency, he was sentenced to 2 years of arduous labor in jail. Three years following his launch from jail, he would die, impoverished, in France.

Thanks for watching!Go to Web site

Thanks for watching!Go to Web site

Oscar Wilde together with his lover Lord Alfred ‘Bosie’ Douglas, generally known as a spoilt dandy.

Getty Pictures

His lover’s father was disgusted by the liaison.

Wilde (1854–1900) met Lord Alfred “Bosie” Douglas in the summertime of 1891 and the 2 quickly turned lovers. It was an affair of the guts that may span years, and continents, and would finally result in Wilde’s very public downfall. Douglas, the third son of the Marquess of Queensberry, was 16 years Wilde’s junior. Reportedly a dissolute, extravagant dandy, he was virtually inseparable from Wilde till the latter’s arrest 4 years later.

It was Douglas’s father’s response to the entire affair that prompted the fateful courtroom proceedings. Queensberry (John Sholto Douglas) was a Scottish nobleman greatest recognized for selling guidelines for novice boxing, the “Queensberry Guidelines.” By early 1894, Queensberry was sure the flamboyant Wilde was a gay and demanded his son reduce off contact with the author. (The Victorian period was particularly recognized for its tradition of sexual repression, and carnal exercise between males was a felony offense in the UK till the late 1960s.)

“Your intimacy with this man Wilde should both stop or I’ll disown you and cease all cash provides,” Queensberry wrote to his son in April of 1894. Douglas ignored his father’s rising condemnation of Wilde, incensing Queensberry and fueling his hostility towards his son’s alleged lover.

First, Queensberry tried to disrupt the debut of The Significance of Being Earnest, the place he deliberate to current the playwright with a bouquet of rotten greens and inform theatergoers of Wilde’s alleged scandalous way of life. Thwarted, he then visited London’s Albemarle Membership, of which Wilde and his spouse, Constance, have been members.

Queensberry left a card with the porter of the membership, asking that it’s handed to Wilde. Written on the cardboard was, “For Oscar Wilde, posing somdomite [sic].” Affronted and embarrassed, Wilde wrote to Douglas, saying he believed there was nothing left to do however criminally prosecute Queensberry for libel. “My entire life appears ruined by this man. The tower of ivory is assailed by the foul factor,” Wilde wrote.

Wilde went on the offensive.

Throughout preparations for his case towards Queensberry, Wilde’s legal professionals requested him immediately whether or not there was any fact to the allegations of homosexuality. In line with Wilde, the allegations have been “completely false and groundless.” Forward of the April 1895 trial date, Wilde and Douglas journeyed collectively to the south of France.

Wilde’s first trial (Wilde v. Queensberry) started April three on the Central Legal Courtroom of England and Wales, generally often known as Previous Bailey. Trying to get forward of Queensberry’s accusations, Wilde’s lawyer Sir Edward Clarke, included the studying of one of many playwright’s letters to Douglas that would recommend a gay relationship between the correspondents. Whereas Clarke admitted the wording could seem “extravagant,” he reminded the courtroom that Wilde was a poet, and the letter ought to be learn as “the expression of true poetic feeling, and with no relation no matter to the hateful and repulsive recommendations put to it within the plea on this case,” in line with trial transcripts.

Wilde quickly took the stand, telling the courtroom of the harassment he had endured from Queensberry. Requested publicly if any of the allegations have been true, Wilde replied: “There isn’t a fact in any way in any of the allegations, no fact in any way.”

Cross-examined by Queensberry’s lawyer Edward Carson, Wilde was referred to as upon to defend his revealed works on the idea they contained immoral themes, or had gay overtones. He was then questioned about previous relationships he had had with younger males.

The ever-eloquent Wilde displayed a dexterous command of the English language—and a penchant for witticisms that might ultimately incriminate him in courtroom. On the second day, Wilde was questioned a few 16-year-old male acquaintance named Walter Grainger and whether or not or not he had kissed the teenager. “Oh, pricey no. He was a peculiarly plain boy. He was, sadly extraordinarily ugly. I pitied him for it,” Wilde replied.

Urgent Wilde over his response, Carson continued to ask if that was the only cause he didn’t kiss the boy, just because he was ugly. “Why, why, why did you add that?” Carson demanded. Wilde’s reply? “You sting me and insult me and attempt to unnerve me; and at occasions one says issues flippantly when one ought to talk extra critically.”

The identical afternoon, the prosecution closed its arguments with out calling Douglas to testify as deliberate. It was not wanting good for Wilde.

Oscar Wilde Photograph By Napoleon Sarony by way of Wikimedia Commons

One trial beget one other.

In protection of Queensberry, Carson introduced in his opening speech that he meant to name to testify a lot of younger males with whom Wilde had had sexual encounters. Such accusations have been extra than simply phrases in 1895, when it was a criminal offense in England for any individual to commit “gross indecency,” because the regulation had been interpreted to criminalize any sort of sexual exercise between members of the identical intercourse. That night, afraid of the place the trial could lead on, Clarke urged Wilde to drop the case. The next morning, Clarke introduced the withdrawal of Wilde’s libel go well with towards Queensberry. A verdict of “not responsible” was the courtroom’s remaining choice within the matter.

Through the trial, Queensberry’s lawyer had forwarded copies of statements by the younger males scheduled to seem as witnesses to the director of public prosecutions, leading to a warrant for Wilde’s arrest on expenses of sodomy and gross indecency the identical day Queensberry’s “not responsible’ verdict was handed down.

Wilde would in a short time be again in courtroom—this time within the position of the accused.

The primary legal trial of Wilde (The Crown v. Wilde) started April 26. Wilde and Alfred Taylor, the person accused of procuring younger males for the playwright, confronted 25 counts of gross indecencies and conspiracy to commit gross indecencies. Wilde pleaded “not responsible” to the fees. Quite a few male witnesses testified for the prosecution, detailing their participation in sexual acts with Wilde. Most expressed disgrace over their actions.

In contrast to his look at Queensberry’s trial, a extra subdued Wilde took the stand on the fourth day. He continued to disclaim all fees towards him. Throughout his testimony, Prosecutor Charles Gill requested Wilde concerning the which means of a line in a poem by Douglas: “What’s ‘the love that dare not converse its identify’?”

“‘The love that dare not converse its identify’ on this century is such an excellent affection of an elder for a youthful man as there was between David and Jonathan, reminiscent of Plato made the very foundation of his philosophy, and resembling you discover within the sonnets of Michelangelo and Shakespeare,” Wilde answered. “It’s that deep religious affection that’s as pure as it’s good. It dictates and pervades nice artistic endeavors, like these of Shakespeare and Michelangelo, and people two letters of mine, resembling they’re… It’s lovely, it’s fantastic, it’s the noblest type of affection. There’s nothing unnatural about it. It’s mental, and it repeatedly exists between an older man and a youthful man, when the older man has mind, and the youthful man has all the enjoyment, hope and glamor of life earlier than him. That it must be so, the world doesn’t perceive. The world mocks at it, and typically places one within the pillory for it.”

Although Wilde’s reply appeared to strengthen the fees towards him, the jury reportedly deliberated for 3 hours earlier than deciding they might not attain a verdict. Wilde was launched on bail.

A 3rd trial sealed the author’s destiny.

Three weeks later, on Might 20, Wilde was again in courtroom to face the identical costs. The federal government was pushing for a verdict.

The prosecution, spearheaded by solicitor common Frank Lockwood, had tightened its case towards Wilde, reportedly dropping weaker witnesses from the primary legal trial. Summing up, Lockwood said: “You can’t fail to place the interpretation on the conduct of the prisoner that he’s a responsible man, and also you should say so by your verdict.”

Hours of deliberation handed earlier than the jury handed down their conclusion: responsible on nearly all of counts. Reviews of the time say Wilde’s face turned grey when the decision was learn.

Wilde and Taylor have been convicted of gross indecency and sentenced to 2 years exhausting labor, the utmost allowable for the crime. When the sentence was handed down, shouts of “Disgrace!” erupted within the courtroom. “And I? Might I say nothing, my Lord?” Wilde responded, however the courtroom was adjourned.

After his conviction, Wilde’s spouse Constance modified her and her sons’ final identify to Holland, in an effort to distance themselves from the much-discussed scandal, and moved to Switzerland the place she died in 1898. The couple by no means divorced.

Following his two years in jail, Wilde was bodily lowered and bankrupt. He went into exile in France, residing with buddies or staying in low cost lodging, writing little. Wilde died of meningitis on Nov. 30, 1900. He was 46.

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The post How Oscar Wilde’s Libel Trial Backfired and Ruined His Life appeared first on Geek Sprinkles.

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With their heady brew of well-known names, soiled secrets and techniques and Victorian ethical outrage, it’s no marvel the courtroom trials involving famend playwright Oscar Wilde enthralled most of the people through the last decade of the 19th century.

Wilde, an Anglo-Irish playwright and bon vivant, was recognized for his acerbic wit and celebrated works, together with Woman Windermere’s Fan, A Lady of No Significance, The Image of Dorian Grey and The Significance of Being Earnest. In early 1895, the husband and father of two was on the peak of his fame and success; his play, Earnest, had debuted to nice acclaim in February that yr, making him the toast of London.

Thanks for watching!Go to Web site

By the top of Might, Wilde’s life can be turned the wrong way up. Convicted of gross indecency, he was sentenced to 2 years of arduous labor in jail. Three years following his launch from jail, he would die, impoverished, in France.

Thanks for watching!Go to Web site

Thanks for watching!Go to Web site

Oscar Wilde together with his lover Lord Alfred ‘Bosie’ Douglas, generally known as a spoilt dandy.

Getty Pictures

His lover’s father was disgusted by the liaison.

Wilde (1854–1900) met Lord Alfred “Bosie” Douglas in the summertime of 1891 and the 2 quickly turned lovers. It was an affair of the guts that may span years, and continents, and would finally result in Wilde’s very public downfall. Douglas, the third son of the Marquess of Queensberry, was 16 years Wilde’s junior. Reportedly a dissolute, extravagant dandy, he was virtually inseparable from Wilde till the latter’s arrest 4 years later.

It was Douglas’s father’s response to the entire affair that prompted the fateful courtroom proceedings. Queensberry (John Sholto Douglas) was a Scottish nobleman greatest recognized for selling guidelines for novice boxing, the “Queensberry Guidelines.” By early 1894, Queensberry was sure the flamboyant Wilde was a gay and demanded his son reduce off contact with the author. (The Victorian period was particularly recognized for its tradition of sexual repression, and carnal exercise between males was a felony offense in the UK till the late 1960s.)

“Your intimacy with this man Wilde should both stop or I’ll disown you and cease all cash provides,” Queensberry wrote to his son in April of 1894. Douglas ignored his father’s rising condemnation of Wilde, incensing Queensberry and fueling his hostility towards his son’s alleged lover.

First, Queensberry tried to disrupt the debut of The Significance of Being Earnest, the place he deliberate to current the playwright with a bouquet of rotten greens and inform theatergoers of Wilde’s alleged scandalous way of life. Thwarted, he then visited London’s Albemarle Membership, of which Wilde and his spouse, Constance, have been members.

Queensberry left a card with the porter of the membership, asking that it’s handed to Wilde. Written on the cardboard was, “For Oscar Wilde, posing somdomite [sic].” Affronted and embarrassed, Wilde wrote to Douglas, saying he believed there was nothing left to do however criminally prosecute Queensberry for libel. “My entire life appears ruined by this man. The tower of ivory is assailed by the foul factor,” Wilde wrote.

Wilde went on the offensive.

Throughout preparations for his case towards Queensberry, Wilde’s legal professionals requested him immediately whether or not there was any fact to the allegations of homosexuality. In line with Wilde, the allegations have been “completely false and groundless.” Forward of the April 1895 trial date, Wilde and Douglas journeyed collectively to the south of France.

Wilde’s first trial (Wilde v. Queensberry) started April three on the Central Legal Courtroom of England and Wales, generally often known as Previous Bailey. Trying to get forward of Queensberry’s accusations, Wilde’s lawyer Sir Edward Clarke, included the studying of one of many playwright’s letters to Douglas that would recommend a gay relationship between the correspondents. Whereas Clarke admitted the wording could seem “extravagant,” he reminded the courtroom that Wilde was a poet, and the letter ought to be learn as “the expression of true poetic feeling, and with no relation no matter to the hateful and repulsive recommendations put to it within the plea on this case,” in line with trial transcripts.

Wilde quickly took the stand, telling the courtroom of the harassment he had endured from Queensberry. Requested publicly if any of the allegations have been true, Wilde replied: “There isn’t a fact in any way in any of the allegations, no fact in any way.”

Cross-examined by Queensberry’s lawyer Edward Carson, Wilde was referred to as upon to defend his revealed works on the idea they contained immoral themes, or had gay overtones. He was then questioned about previous relationships he had had with younger males.

The ever-eloquent Wilde displayed a dexterous command of the English language—and a penchant for witticisms that might ultimately incriminate him in courtroom. On the second day, Wilde was questioned a few 16-year-old male acquaintance named Walter Grainger and whether or not or not he had kissed the teenager. “Oh, pricey no. He was a peculiarly plain boy. He was, sadly extraordinarily ugly. I pitied him for it,” Wilde replied.

Urgent Wilde over his response, Carson continued to ask if that was the only cause he didn’t kiss the boy, just because he was ugly. “Why, why, why did you add that?” Carson demanded. Wilde’s reply? “You sting me and insult me and attempt to unnerve me; and at occasions one says issues flippantly when one ought to talk extra critically.”

The identical afternoon, the prosecution closed its arguments with out calling Douglas to testify as deliberate. It was not wanting good for Wilde.

Oscar Wilde Photograph By Napoleon Sarony by way of Wikimedia Commons

One trial beget one other.

In protection of Queensberry, Carson introduced in his opening speech that he meant to name to testify a lot of younger males with whom Wilde had had sexual encounters. Such accusations have been extra than simply phrases in 1895, when it was a criminal offense in England for any individual to commit “gross indecency,” because the regulation had been interpreted to criminalize any sort of sexual exercise between members of the identical intercourse. That night, afraid of the place the trial could lead on, Clarke urged Wilde to drop the case. The next morning, Clarke introduced the withdrawal of Wilde’s libel go well with towards Queensberry. A verdict of “not responsible” was the courtroom’s remaining choice within the matter.

Through the trial, Queensberry’s lawyer had forwarded copies of statements by the younger males scheduled to seem as witnesses to the director of public prosecutions, leading to a warrant for Wilde’s arrest on expenses of sodomy and gross indecency the identical day Queensberry’s “not responsible’ verdict was handed down.

Wilde would in a short time be again in courtroom—this time within the position of the accused.

The primary legal trial of Wilde (The Crown v. Wilde) started April 26. Wilde and Alfred Taylor, the person accused of procuring younger males for the playwright, confronted 25 counts of gross indecencies and conspiracy to commit gross indecencies. Wilde pleaded “not responsible” to the fees. Quite a few male witnesses testified for the prosecution, detailing their participation in sexual acts with Wilde. Most expressed disgrace over their actions.

In contrast to his look at Queensberry’s trial, a extra subdued Wilde took the stand on the fourth day. He continued to disclaim all fees towards him. Throughout his testimony, Prosecutor Charles Gill requested Wilde concerning the which means of a line in a poem by Douglas: “What’s ‘the love that dare not converse its identify’?”

“‘The love that dare not converse its identify’ on this century is such an excellent affection of an elder for a youthful man as there was between David and Jonathan, reminiscent of Plato made the very foundation of his philosophy, and resembling you discover within the sonnets of Michelangelo and Shakespeare,” Wilde answered. “It’s that deep religious affection that’s as pure as it’s good. It dictates and pervades nice artistic endeavors, like these of Shakespeare and Michelangelo, and people two letters of mine, resembling they’re… It’s lovely, it’s fantastic, it’s the noblest type of affection. There’s nothing unnatural about it. It’s mental, and it repeatedly exists between an older man and a youthful man, when the older man has mind, and the youthful man has all the enjoyment, hope and glamor of life earlier than him. That it must be so, the world doesn’t perceive. The world mocks at it, and typically places one within the pillory for it.”

Although Wilde’s reply appeared to strengthen the fees towards him, the jury reportedly deliberated for 3 hours earlier than deciding they might not attain a verdict. Wilde was launched on bail.

A 3rd trial sealed the author’s destiny.

Three weeks later, on Might 20, Wilde was again in courtroom to face the identical costs. The federal government was pushing for a verdict.

The prosecution, spearheaded by solicitor common Frank Lockwood, had tightened its case towards Wilde, reportedly dropping weaker witnesses from the primary legal trial. Summing up, Lockwood said: “You can’t fail to place the interpretation on the conduct of the prisoner that he’s a responsible man, and also you should say so by your verdict.”

Hours of deliberation handed earlier than the jury handed down their conclusion: responsible on nearly all of counts. Reviews of the time say Wilde’s face turned grey when the decision was learn.

Wilde and Taylor have been convicted of gross indecency and sentenced to 2 years exhausting labor, the utmost allowable for the crime. When the sentence was handed down, shouts of “Disgrace!” erupted within the courtroom. “And I? Might I say nothing, my Lord?” Wilde responded, however the courtroom was adjourned.

After his conviction, Wilde’s spouse Constance modified her and her sons’ final identify to Holland, in an effort to distance themselves from the much-discussed scandal, and moved to Switzerland the place she died in 1898. The couple by no means divorced.

Following his two years in jail, Wilde was bodily lowered and bankrupt. He went into exile in France, residing with buddies or staying in low cost lodging, writing little. Wilde died of meningitis on Nov. 30, 1900. He was 46.

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The post How Oscar Wilde’s Libel Trial Backfired and Ruined His Life appeared first on Geek Sprinkles.

[cautelo-sa]

Getty Pictures

With their heady brew of well-known names, soiled secrets and techniques and Victorian ethical outrage, it’s no marvel the courtroom trials involving famend playwright Oscar Wilde enthralled most of the people through the last decade of the 19th century.

Wilde, an Anglo-Irish playwright and bon vivant, was recognized for his acerbic wit and celebrated works, together with Woman Windermere’s Fan, A Lady of No Significance, The Image of Dorian Grey and The Significance of Being Earnest. In early 1895, the husband and father of two was on the peak of his fame and success; his play, Earnest, had debuted to nice acclaim in February that yr, making him the toast of London.

Thanks for watching!Go to Web site

By the top of Might, Wilde’s life can be turned the wrong way up. Convicted of gross indecency, he was sentenced to 2 years of arduous labor in jail. Three years following his launch from jail, he would die, impoverished, in France.

Thanks for watching!Go to Web site

Thanks for watching!Go to Web site

Oscar Wilde together with his lover Lord Alfred ‘Bosie’ Douglas, generally known as a spoilt dandy.

Getty Pictures

His lover’s father was disgusted by the liaison.

Wilde (1854–1900) met Lord Alfred “Bosie” Douglas in the summertime of 1891 and the 2 quickly turned lovers. It was an affair of the guts that may span years, and continents, and would finally result in Wilde’s very public downfall. Douglas, the third son of the Marquess of Queensberry, was 16 years Wilde’s junior. Reportedly a dissolute, extravagant dandy, he was virtually inseparable from Wilde till the latter’s arrest 4 years later.

It was Douglas’s father’s response to the entire affair that prompted the fateful courtroom proceedings. Queensberry (John Sholto Douglas) was a Scottish nobleman greatest recognized for selling guidelines for novice boxing, the “Queensberry Guidelines.” By early 1894, Queensberry was sure the flamboyant Wilde was a gay and demanded his son reduce off contact with the author. (The Victorian period was particularly recognized for its tradition of sexual repression, and carnal exercise between males was a felony offense in the UK till the late 1960s.)

“Your intimacy with this man Wilde should both stop or I’ll disown you and cease all cash provides,” Queensberry wrote to his son in April of 1894. Douglas ignored his father’s rising condemnation of Wilde, incensing Queensberry and fueling his hostility towards his son’s alleged lover.

First, Queensberry tried to disrupt the debut of The Significance of Being Earnest, the place he deliberate to current the playwright with a bouquet of rotten greens and inform theatergoers of Wilde’s alleged scandalous way of life. Thwarted, he then visited London’s Albemarle Membership, of which Wilde and his spouse, Constance, have been members.

Queensberry left a card with the porter of the membership, asking that it’s handed to Wilde. Written on the cardboard was, “For Oscar Wilde, posing somdomite [sic].” Affronted and embarrassed, Wilde wrote to Douglas, saying he believed there was nothing left to do however criminally prosecute Queensberry for libel. “My entire life appears ruined by this man. The tower of ivory is assailed by the foul factor,” Wilde wrote.

Wilde went on the offensive.

Throughout preparations for his case towards Queensberry, Wilde’s legal professionals requested him immediately whether or not there was any fact to the allegations of homosexuality. In line with Wilde, the allegations have been “completely false and groundless.” Forward of the April 1895 trial date, Wilde and Douglas journeyed collectively to the south of France.

Wilde’s first trial (Wilde v. Queensberry) started April three on the Central Legal Courtroom of England and Wales, generally often known as Previous Bailey. Trying to get forward of Queensberry’s accusations, Wilde’s lawyer Sir Edward Clarke, included the studying of one of many playwright’s letters to Douglas that would recommend a gay relationship between the correspondents. Whereas Clarke admitted the wording could seem “extravagant,” he reminded the courtroom that Wilde was a poet, and the letter ought to be learn as “the expression of true poetic feeling, and with no relation no matter to the hateful and repulsive recommendations put to it within the plea on this case,” in line with trial transcripts.

Wilde quickly took the stand, telling the courtroom of the harassment he had endured from Queensberry. Requested publicly if any of the allegations have been true, Wilde replied: “There isn’t a fact in any way in any of the allegations, no fact in any way.”

Cross-examined by Queensberry’s lawyer Edward Carson, Wilde was referred to as upon to defend his revealed works on the idea they contained immoral themes, or had gay overtones. He was then questioned about previous relationships he had had with younger males.

The ever-eloquent Wilde displayed a dexterous command of the English language—and a penchant for witticisms that might ultimately incriminate him in courtroom. On the second day, Wilde was questioned a few 16-year-old male acquaintance named Walter Grainger and whether or not or not he had kissed the teenager. “Oh, pricey no. He was a peculiarly plain boy. He was, sadly extraordinarily ugly. I pitied him for it,” Wilde replied.

Urgent Wilde over his response, Carson continued to ask if that was the only cause he didn’t kiss the boy, just because he was ugly. “Why, why, why did you add that?” Carson demanded. Wilde’s reply? “You sting me and insult me and attempt to unnerve me; and at occasions one says issues flippantly when one ought to talk extra critically.”

The identical afternoon, the prosecution closed its arguments with out calling Douglas to testify as deliberate. It was not wanting good for Wilde.

Oscar Wilde Photograph By Napoleon Sarony by way of Wikimedia Commons

One trial beget one other.

In protection of Queensberry, Carson introduced in his opening speech that he meant to name to testify a lot of younger males with whom Wilde had had sexual encounters. Such accusations have been extra than simply phrases in 1895, when it was a criminal offense in England for any individual to commit “gross indecency,” because the regulation had been interpreted to criminalize any sort of sexual exercise between members of the identical intercourse. That night, afraid of the place the trial could lead on, Clarke urged Wilde to drop the case. The next morning, Clarke introduced the withdrawal of Wilde’s libel go well with towards Queensberry. A verdict of “not responsible” was the courtroom’s remaining choice within the matter.

Through the trial, Queensberry’s lawyer had forwarded copies of statements by the younger males scheduled to seem as witnesses to the director of public prosecutions, leading to a warrant for Wilde’s arrest on expenses of sodomy and gross indecency the identical day Queensberry’s “not responsible’ verdict was handed down.

Wilde would in a short time be again in courtroom—this time within the position of the accused.

The primary legal trial of Wilde (The Crown v. Wilde) started April 26. Wilde and Alfred Taylor, the person accused of procuring younger males for the playwright, confronted 25 counts of gross indecencies and conspiracy to commit gross indecencies. Wilde pleaded “not responsible” to the fees. Quite a few male witnesses testified for the prosecution, detailing their participation in sexual acts with Wilde. Most expressed disgrace over their actions.

In contrast to his look at Queensberry’s trial, a extra subdued Wilde took the stand on the fourth day. He continued to disclaim all fees towards him. Throughout his testimony, Prosecutor Charles Gill requested Wilde concerning the which means of a line in a poem by Douglas: “What’s ‘the love that dare not converse its identify’?”

“‘The love that dare not converse its identify’ on this century is such an excellent affection of an elder for a youthful man as there was between David and Jonathan, reminiscent of Plato made the very foundation of his philosophy, and resembling you discover within the sonnets of Michelangelo and Shakespeare,” Wilde answered. “It’s that deep religious affection that’s as pure as it’s good. It dictates and pervades nice artistic endeavors, like these of Shakespeare and Michelangelo, and people two letters of mine, resembling they’re… It’s lovely, it’s fantastic, it’s the noblest type of affection. There’s nothing unnatural about it. It’s mental, and it repeatedly exists between an older man and a youthful man, when the older man has mind, and the youthful man has all the enjoyment, hope and glamor of life earlier than him. That it must be so, the world doesn’t perceive. The world mocks at it, and typically places one within the pillory for it.”

Although Wilde’s reply appeared to strengthen the fees towards him, the jury reportedly deliberated for 3 hours earlier than deciding they might not attain a verdict. Wilde was launched on bail.

A 3rd trial sealed the author’s destiny.

Three weeks later, on Might 20, Wilde was again in courtroom to face the identical costs. The federal government was pushing for a verdict.

The prosecution, spearheaded by solicitor common Frank Lockwood, had tightened its case towards Wilde, reportedly dropping weaker witnesses from the primary legal trial. Summing up, Lockwood said: “You can’t fail to place the interpretation on the conduct of the prisoner that he’s a responsible man, and also you should say so by your verdict.”

Hours of deliberation handed earlier than the jury handed down their conclusion: responsible on nearly all of counts. Reviews of the time say Wilde’s face turned grey when the decision was learn.

Wilde and Taylor have been convicted of gross indecency and sentenced to 2 years exhausting labor, the utmost allowable for the crime. When the sentence was handed down, shouts of “Disgrace!” erupted within the courtroom. “And I? Might I say nothing, my Lord?” Wilde responded, however the courtroom was adjourned.

After his conviction, Wilde’s spouse Constance modified her and her sons’ final identify to Holland, in an effort to distance themselves from the much-discussed scandal, and moved to Switzerland the place she died in 1898. The couple by no means divorced.

Following his two years in jail, Wilde was bodily lowered and bankrupt. He went into exile in France, residing with buddies or staying in low cost lodging, writing little. Wilde died of meningitis on Nov. 30, 1900. He was 46.

!perform(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=perform() n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments) ;if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n; n.push=n;n.loaded=!zero;n.model=’2.zero’;n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!zero; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)(window, doc,’script’,’https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js’); (perform() fbq(‘init’, ‘1818263528206619’); fbq(‘monitor’, ‘PageView’); var contentId = ‘ci024ba1f200002619’; if (contentId !== ”) fbq(‘monitor’, ‘ViewContent’, content_ids: [contentId]content_type: ‘product’);

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The post How Oscar Wilde’s Libel Trial Backfired and Ruined His Life appeared first on Geek Sprinkles.

[peachypeach-xoxo-blog]

Getty Pictures

With their heady brew of well-known names, soiled secrets and techniques and Victorian ethical outrage, it’s no marvel the courtroom trials involving famend playwright Oscar Wilde enthralled most of the people through the last decade of the 19th century.

Wilde, an Anglo-Irish playwright and bon vivant, was recognized for his acerbic wit and celebrated works, together with Woman Windermere’s Fan, A Lady of No Significance, The Image of Dorian Grey and The Significance of Being Earnest. In early 1895, the husband and father of two was on the peak of his fame and success; his play, Earnest, had debuted to nice acclaim in February that yr, making him the toast of London.

Thanks for watching!Go to Web site

By the top of Might, Wilde’s life can be turned the wrong way up. Convicted of gross indecency, he was sentenced to 2 years of arduous labor in jail. Three years following his launch from jail, he would die, impoverished, in France.

Thanks for watching!Go to Web site

Thanks for watching!Go to Web site

Oscar Wilde together with his lover Lord Alfred ‘Bosie’ Douglas, generally known as a spoilt dandy.

Getty Pictures

His lover’s father was disgusted by the liaison.

Wilde (1854–1900) met Lord Alfred “Bosie” Douglas in the summertime of 1891 and the 2 quickly turned lovers. It was an affair of the guts that may span years, and continents, and would finally result in Wilde’s very public downfall. Douglas, the third son of the Marquess of Queensberry, was 16 years Wilde’s junior. Reportedly a dissolute, extravagant dandy, he was virtually inseparable from Wilde till the latter’s arrest 4 years later.

It was Douglas’s father’s response to the entire affair that prompted the fateful courtroom proceedings. Queensberry (John Sholto Douglas) was a Scottish nobleman greatest recognized for selling guidelines for novice boxing, the “Queensberry Guidelines.” By early 1894, Queensberry was sure the flamboyant Wilde was a gay and demanded his son reduce off contact with the author. (The Victorian period was particularly recognized for its tradition of sexual repression, and carnal exercise between males was a felony offense in the UK till the late 1960s.)

“Your intimacy with this man Wilde should both stop or I’ll disown you and cease all cash provides,” Queensberry wrote to his son in April of 1894. Douglas ignored his father’s rising condemnation of Wilde, incensing Queensberry and fueling his hostility towards his son’s alleged lover.

First, Queensberry tried to disrupt the debut of The Significance of Being Earnest, the place he deliberate to current the playwright with a bouquet of rotten greens and inform theatergoers of Wilde’s alleged scandalous way of life. Thwarted, he then visited London’s Albemarle Membership, of which Wilde and his spouse, Constance, have been members.

Queensberry left a card with the porter of the membership, asking that it’s handed to Wilde. Written on the cardboard was, “For Oscar Wilde, posing somdomite [sic].” Affronted and embarrassed, Wilde wrote to Douglas, saying he believed there was nothing left to do however criminally prosecute Queensberry for libel. “My entire life appears ruined by this man. The tower of ivory is assailed by the foul factor,” Wilde wrote.

Wilde went on the offensive.

Throughout preparations for his case towards Queensberry, Wilde’s legal professionals requested him immediately whether or not there was any fact to the allegations of homosexuality. In line with Wilde, the allegations have been “completely false and groundless.” Forward of the April 1895 trial date, Wilde and Douglas journeyed collectively to the south of France.

Wilde’s first trial (Wilde v. Queensberry) started April three on the Central Legal Courtroom of England and Wales, generally often known as Previous Bailey. Trying to get forward of Queensberry’s accusations, Wilde’s lawyer Sir Edward Clarke, included the studying of one of many playwright’s letters to Douglas that would recommend a gay relationship between the correspondents. Whereas Clarke admitted the wording could seem “extravagant,” he reminded the courtroom that Wilde was a poet, and the letter ought to be learn as “the expression of true poetic feeling, and with no relation no matter to the hateful and repulsive recommendations put to it within the plea on this case,” in line with trial transcripts.

Wilde quickly took the stand, telling the courtroom of the harassment he had endured from Queensberry. Requested publicly if any of the allegations have been true, Wilde replied: “There isn’t a fact in any way in any of the allegations, no fact in any way.”

Cross-examined by Queensberry’s lawyer Edward Carson, Wilde was referred to as upon to defend his revealed works on the idea they contained immoral themes, or had gay overtones. He was then questioned about previous relationships he had had with younger males.

The ever-eloquent Wilde displayed a dexterous command of the English language—and a penchant for witticisms that might ultimately incriminate him in courtroom. On the second day, Wilde was questioned a few 16-year-old male acquaintance named Walter Grainger and whether or not or not he had kissed the teenager. “Oh, pricey no. He was a peculiarly plain boy. He was, sadly extraordinarily ugly. I pitied him for it,” Wilde replied.

Urgent Wilde over his response, Carson continued to ask if that was the only cause he didn’t kiss the boy, just because he was ugly. “Why, why, why did you add that?” Carson demanded. Wilde’s reply? “You sting me and insult me and attempt to unnerve me; and at occasions one says issues flippantly when one ought to talk extra critically.”

The identical afternoon, the prosecution closed its arguments with out calling Douglas to testify as deliberate. It was not wanting good for Wilde.

Oscar Wilde Photograph By Napoleon Sarony by way of Wikimedia Commons

One trial beget one other.

In protection of Queensberry, Carson introduced in his opening speech that he meant to name to testify a lot of younger males with whom Wilde had had sexual encounters. Such accusations have been extra than simply phrases in 1895, when it was a criminal offense in England for any individual to commit “gross indecency,” because the regulation had been interpreted to criminalize any sort of sexual exercise between members of the identical intercourse. That night, afraid of the place the trial could lead on, Clarke urged Wilde to drop the case. The next morning, Clarke introduced the withdrawal of Wilde’s libel go well with towards Queensberry. A verdict of “not responsible” was the courtroom’s remaining choice within the matter.

Through the trial, Queensberry’s lawyer had forwarded copies of statements by the younger males scheduled to seem as witnesses to the director of public prosecutions, leading to a warrant for Wilde’s arrest on expenses of sodomy and gross indecency the identical day Queensberry’s “not responsible’ verdict was handed down.

Wilde would in a short time be again in courtroom—this time within the position of the accused.

The primary legal trial of Wilde (The Crown v. Wilde) started April 26. Wilde and Alfred Taylor, the person accused of procuring younger males for the playwright, confronted 25 counts of gross indecencies and conspiracy to commit gross indecencies. Wilde pleaded “not responsible” to the fees. Quite a few male witnesses testified for the prosecution, detailing their participation in sexual acts with Wilde. Most expressed disgrace over their actions.

In contrast to his look at Queensberry’s trial, a extra subdued Wilde took the stand on the fourth day. He continued to disclaim all fees towards him. Throughout his testimony, Prosecutor Charles Gill requested Wilde concerning the which means of a line in a poem by Douglas: “What’s ‘the love that dare not converse its identify’?”

“‘The love that dare not converse its identify’ on this century is such an excellent affection of an elder for a youthful man as there was between David and Jonathan, reminiscent of Plato made the very foundation of his philosophy, and resembling you discover within the sonnets of Michelangelo and Shakespeare,” Wilde answered. “It’s that deep religious affection that’s as pure as it’s good. It dictates and pervades nice artistic endeavors, like these of Shakespeare and Michelangelo, and people two letters of mine, resembling they’re… It’s lovely, it’s fantastic, it’s the noblest type of affection. There’s nothing unnatural about it. It’s mental, and it repeatedly exists between an older man and a youthful man, when the older man has mind, and the youthful man has all the enjoyment, hope and glamor of life earlier than him. That it must be so, the world doesn’t perceive. The world mocks at it, and typically places one within the pillory for it.”

Although Wilde’s reply appeared to strengthen the fees towards him, the jury reportedly deliberated for 3 hours earlier than deciding they might not attain a verdict. Wilde was launched on bail.

A 3rd trial sealed the author’s destiny.

Three weeks later, on Might 20, Wilde was again in courtroom to face the identical costs. The federal government was pushing for a verdict.

The prosecution, spearheaded by solicitor common Frank Lockwood, had tightened its case towards Wilde, reportedly dropping weaker witnesses from the primary legal trial. Summing up, Lockwood said: “You can’t fail to place the interpretation on the conduct of the prisoner that he’s a responsible man, and also you should say so by your verdict.”

Hours of deliberation handed earlier than the jury handed down their conclusion: responsible on nearly all of counts. Reviews of the time say Wilde’s face turned grey when the decision was learn.

Wilde and Taylor have been convicted of gross indecency and sentenced to 2 years exhausting labor, the utmost allowable for the crime. When the sentence was handed down, shouts of “Disgrace!” erupted within the courtroom. “And I? Might I say nothing, my Lord?” Wilde responded, however the courtroom was adjourned.

After his conviction, Wilde’s spouse Constance modified her and her sons’ final identify to Holland, in an effort to distance themselves from the much-discussed scandal, and moved to Switzerland the place she died in 1898. The couple by no means divorced.

Following his two years in jail, Wilde was bodily lowered and bankrupt. He went into exile in France, residing with buddies or staying in low cost lodging, writing little. Wilde died of meningitis on Nov. 30, 1900. He was 46.

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With their heady brew of well-known names, soiled secrets and techniques and Victorian ethical outrage, it’s no marvel the courtroom trials involving famend playwright Oscar Wilde enthralled most of the people through the last decade of the 19th century.

Wilde, an Anglo-Irish playwright and bon vivant, was recognized for his acerbic wit and celebrated works, together with Woman Windermere’s Fan, A Lady of No Significance, The Image of Dorian Grey and The Significance of Being Earnest. In early 1895, the husband and father of two was on the peak of his fame and success; his play, Earnest, had debuted to nice acclaim in February that yr, making him the toast of London.

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By the top of Might, Wilde’s life can be turned the wrong way up. Convicted of gross indecency, he was sentenced to 2 years of arduous labor in jail. Three years following his launch from jail, he would die, impoverished, in France.

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Oscar Wilde together with his lover Lord Alfred ‘Bosie’ Douglas, generally known as a spoilt dandy.

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His lover’s father was disgusted by the liaison.

Wilde (1854–1900) met Lord Alfred “Bosie” Douglas in the summertime of 1891 and the 2 quickly turned lovers. It was an affair of the guts that may span years, and continents, and would finally result in Wilde’s very public downfall. Douglas, the third son of the Marquess of Queensberry, was 16 years Wilde’s junior. Reportedly a dissolute, extravagant dandy, he was virtually inseparable from Wilde till the latter’s arrest 4 years later.

It was Douglas’s father’s response to the entire affair that prompted the fateful courtroom proceedings. Queensberry (John Sholto Douglas) was a Scottish nobleman greatest recognized for selling guidelines for novice boxing, the “Queensberry Guidelines.” By early 1894, Queensberry was sure the flamboyant Wilde was a gay and demanded his son reduce off contact with the author. (The Victorian period was particularly recognized for its tradition of sexual repression, and carnal exercise between males was a felony offense in the UK till the late 1960s.)

“Your intimacy with this man Wilde should both stop or I’ll disown you and cease all cash provides,” Queensberry wrote to his son in April of 1894. Douglas ignored his father’s rising condemnation of Wilde, incensing Queensberry and fueling his hostility towards his son’s alleged lover.

First, Queensberry tried to disrupt the debut of The Significance of Being Earnest, the place he deliberate to current the playwright with a bouquet of rotten greens and inform theatergoers of Wilde’s alleged scandalous way of life. Thwarted, he then visited London’s Albemarle Membership, of which Wilde and his spouse, Constance, have been members.

Queensberry left a card with the porter of the membership, asking that it’s handed to Wilde. Written on the cardboard was, “For Oscar Wilde, posing somdomite [sic].” Affronted and embarrassed, Wilde wrote to Douglas, saying he believed there was nothing left to do however criminally prosecute Queensberry for libel. “My entire life appears ruined by this man. The tower of ivory is assailed by the foul factor,” Wilde wrote.

Wilde went on the offensive.

Throughout preparations for his case towards Queensberry, Wilde’s legal professionals requested him immediately whether or not there was any fact to the allegations of homosexuality. In line with Wilde, the allegations have been “completely false and groundless.” Forward of the April 1895 trial date, Wilde and Douglas journeyed collectively to the south of France.

Wilde’s first trial (Wilde v. Queensberry) started April three on the Central Legal Courtroom of England and Wales, generally often known as Previous Bailey. Trying to get forward of Queensberry’s accusations, Wilde’s lawyer Sir Edward Clarke, included the studying of one of many playwright’s letters to Douglas that would recommend a gay relationship between the correspondents. Whereas Clarke admitted the wording could seem “extravagant,” he reminded the courtroom that Wilde was a poet, and the letter ought to be learn as “the expression of true poetic feeling, and with no relation no matter to the hateful and repulsive recommendations put to it within the plea on this case,” in line with trial transcripts.

Wilde quickly took the stand, telling the courtroom of the harassment he had endured from Queensberry. Requested publicly if any of the allegations have been true, Wilde replied: “There isn’t a fact in any way in any of the allegations, no fact in any way.”

Cross-examined by Queensberry’s lawyer Edward Carson, Wilde was referred to as upon to defend his revealed works on the idea they contained immoral themes, or had gay overtones. He was then questioned about previous relationships he had had with younger males.

The ever-eloquent Wilde displayed a dexterous command of the English language—and a penchant for witticisms that might ultimately incriminate him in courtroom. On the second day, Wilde was questioned a few 16-year-old male acquaintance named Walter Grainger and whether or not or not he had kissed the teenager. “Oh, pricey no. He was a peculiarly plain boy. He was, sadly extraordinarily ugly. I pitied him for it,” Wilde replied.

Urgent Wilde over his response, Carson continued to ask if that was the only cause he didn’t kiss the boy, just because he was ugly. “Why, why, why did you add that?” Carson demanded. Wilde’s reply? “You sting me and insult me and attempt to unnerve me; and at occasions one says issues flippantly when one ought to talk extra critically.”

The identical afternoon, the prosecution closed its arguments with out calling Douglas to testify as deliberate. It was not wanting good for Wilde.

Oscar Wilde Photograph By Napoleon Sarony by way of Wikimedia Commons

One trial beget one other.

In protection of Queensberry, Carson introduced in his opening speech that he meant to name to testify a lot of younger males with whom Wilde had had sexual encounters. Such accusations have been extra than simply phrases in 1895, when it was a criminal offense in England for any individual to commit “gross indecency,” because the regulation had been interpreted to criminalize any sort of sexual exercise between members of the identical intercourse. That night, afraid of the place the trial could lead on, Clarke urged Wilde to drop the case. The next morning, Clarke introduced the withdrawal of Wilde’s libel go well with towards Queensberry. A verdict of “not responsible” was the courtroom’s remaining choice within the matter.

Through the trial, Queensberry’s lawyer had forwarded copies of statements by the younger males scheduled to seem as witnesses to the director of public prosecutions, leading to a warrant for Wilde’s arrest on expenses of sodomy and gross indecency the identical day Queensberry’s “not responsible’ verdict was handed down.

Wilde would in a short time be again in courtroom—this time within the position of the accused.

The primary legal trial of Wilde (The Crown v. Wilde) started April 26. Wilde and Alfred Taylor, the person accused of procuring younger males for the playwright, confronted 25 counts of gross indecencies and conspiracy to commit gross indecencies. Wilde pleaded “not responsible” to the fees. Quite a few male witnesses testified for the prosecution, detailing their participation in sexual acts with Wilde. Most expressed disgrace over their actions.

In contrast to his look at Queensberry’s trial, a extra subdued Wilde took the stand on the fourth day. He continued to disclaim all fees towards him. Throughout his testimony, Prosecutor Charles Gill requested Wilde concerning the which means of a line in a poem by Douglas: “What’s ‘the love that dare not converse its identify’?”

“‘The love that dare not converse its identify’ on this century is such an excellent affection of an elder for a youthful man as there was between David and Jonathan, reminiscent of Plato made the very foundation of his philosophy, and resembling you discover within the sonnets of Michelangelo and Shakespeare,” Wilde answered. “It’s that deep religious affection that’s as pure as it’s good. It dictates and pervades nice artistic endeavors, like these of Shakespeare and Michelangelo, and people two letters of mine, resembling they’re… It’s lovely, it’s fantastic, it’s the noblest type of affection. There’s nothing unnatural about it. It’s mental, and it repeatedly exists between an older man and a youthful man, when the older man has mind, and the youthful man has all the enjoyment, hope and glamor of life earlier than him. That it must be so, the world doesn’t perceive. The world mocks at it, and typically places one within the pillory for it.”

Although Wilde’s reply appeared to strengthen the fees towards him, the jury reportedly deliberated for 3 hours earlier than deciding they might not attain a verdict. Wilde was launched on bail.

A 3rd trial sealed the author’s destiny.

Three weeks later, on Might 20, Wilde was again in courtroom to face the identical costs. The federal government was pushing for a verdict.

The prosecution, spearheaded by solicitor common Frank Lockwood, had tightened its case towards Wilde, reportedly dropping weaker witnesses from the primary legal trial. Summing up, Lockwood said: “You can’t fail to place the interpretation on the conduct of the prisoner that he’s a responsible man, and also you should say so by your verdict.”

Hours of deliberation handed earlier than the jury handed down their conclusion: responsible on nearly all of counts. Reviews of the time say Wilde’s face turned grey when the decision was learn.

Wilde and Taylor have been convicted of gross indecency and sentenced to 2 years exhausting labor, the utmost allowable for the crime. When the sentence was handed down, shouts of “Disgrace!” erupted within the courtroom. “And I? Might I say nothing, my Lord?” Wilde responded, however the courtroom was adjourned.

After his conviction, Wilde’s spouse Constance modified her and her sons’ final identify to Holland, in an effort to distance themselves from the much-discussed scandal, and moved to Switzerland the place she died in 1898. The couple by no means divorced.

Following his two years in jail, Wilde was bodily lowered and bankrupt. He went into exile in France, residing with buddies or staying in low cost lodging, writing little. Wilde died of meningitis on Nov. 30, 1900. He was 46.

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