#Mercurius Magazine
Text
Surreal-Absurd Sampler Aaron Kent
This bi-weekly feature surreal-absurd at Mercurius is chalk-full of freshness. The latest, the poetry of Aaron Kent, features the belly of a dinosaur, avatar’s eating themselves from the inside, making the milk rounds, oceans of flame and the universe as a diamond. It is activism. The serious colliding with the absurd.
Check out the poems over here.
View On WordPress
0 notes
Text
four from Vik Shirley
Vik Shirley is a poet, writer, editor and academic from Bristol now living in Edinburgh. Her collection, The Continued Closure of the Blue Door (HVTN), her pamphlets, Corpses (Sublunary Editions), Grotesquerie for the Apocalypse (Beir Bua) and Poets (The Red Ceilings Press), and her book of photo-poetry Disrupted Blue and other poems on Polaroid (Hesterglock) were all published 2020-2022. Her chthonic sequel to Corpses, Notes from the Underworld, is forthcoming from Sublunary Editions and will feature illustrations by Joshua Rothes. Her work has appeared in such places as Poetry London, The Rialto, Magma, 3am Magazine, Tentacular, Perverse and Tears in the Fence. A Poetry School tutor, teaching on the Surreal Narrative and the Grotesque in Poetry, she has a PhD in Dark Humour and the Surreal from the University of Birmingham. Vik is Associate Editor of Sublunary Editions and Co-Editor of Surreal-Absurd for Mercurius magazine. Follow her @VikShirley.
0 notes
Text
Holidays 11.11
Holidays
Air Day
Battery Day (Japan)
Cartagena Independence Day (Colombia)
Children’s Day (Croatia)
Chopsticks Day (Japan)
Concordia Day (St. Marten Island)
Eleven Eleven Eleven Day (Netherlands)
Four Ones Day
Graphics Information Systems Day
Guang Gun Jie (Bare Sticks Day, or Singles Day; China)
Heir to the Throne Day (Tuvalu)
Hollantide (a.k.a. Hallow-tide; Isle of Mann)
James Bond’s Birthday
King Jigme Single Wangchuck Day (Bhutan)
Lāčplēsis Day (a.k.a. Lacplesa Day; Latvia)
Lunantishees Day (Ireland)
Metal Day
Mortens Day (Denmark)
National Athleisure Day
National Education Day (India)
National Metal Day
Nigel Tufnel Day
Old November Eve
Ones Day
Origami Day (Japan)
Pepero Day (South Korea)
Red Lipstick Day
Republic Day (Maldives)
Route 66 Day
Singles’ Day (a.k.a. Guanggun Jie; China)
Soccer Day (Japan)
St. Martin's Day [patron saint of tavern-keepers] (a.k.a. ...
Beggar's Day (Netherlands)
Funeral of Saint Martin
Jum San Martin (Malta)
Mardipäev (Estonia)
Märtekuu (southern Estonia)
Mārtiņi (Latvia)
Martinigians (Sursee, Switzerland)
Martinje (a.k.a. Martinovanje; Croatia)
Martinloben (Austria)
Martinmas (Old England)
Martin Přijíždí na Bílém Koni (Czech Republic)
Martinstag (Germany)
Old Halloween
Old Hallowmas Eve
St. Maarten Day (Sint Maarten)
Tear-Stomach Day
Tori No Ichi (Rooster Day #1; Japan)
Women's Day (Belgium)
World War I Victory Celebrations (a.k.a. ...
Armistice Day (Belgium, France, New Zealand, Serbia)
Death/Duty Day
Independence Day (Poland; from Austro-Hungary, Prussia & Russia, 1918)
Poppy Day [also Last Monday in May]
Remembrance Day (UK, Commonwealth of Nations)
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Day
Veterans Day (f.k.a. Armistice Day; US)
Veterans of Foreign Wars Day (Micronesia)
Food & Drink Celebrations
Bean Sprouts Day (Japan)
Bonza Bottler Day
Kölsch Day
National Sundae Day
Noodle Day (Japan)
Pocky & Pretz Day (Japan)
2nd Friday in November
Domino Day [2nd Friday]
National DTC (Direct-to-Consumers) Friday [2 Fridays before Black Friday]
Independence Days
Angola (from Portugal, 1975)
Poland (Restoration of independence after 123 years of partitions by Russia, Prussia, and Austria, 1918)
Washington Statehood Day (#42; 1889)
Feast Days
Bartholomew of Grottaferrata (Christian; Saint)
Carnival Session begins (a.k.a. Fasching or Karneval; Austria, Germany, Netherlands)
Charlie Manson Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)
Day of Remembrance of the Volhvs (Asatru/Slavic Pagan)
Einherjar (Feast of the Fallen; Norse)
Fasching begins (a.k.a. Karneval; Germany, Netherlands)
Feast of Dionysus
Feast of the Fallen (Norse)
Guru Nank Jayanti (India, Nepal)
Louis XI (Positivist; Saint)
Lunantishees Day (Celtic Faery Day)
Martin of Tours (Roman Catholic Church) [tavern-keepers] *
Menas (Christian; Saint)
Mercurius (Coptic)
Samson (Muppetism)
Small Furry Creatures Appreciation Day (Pastafarian)
Søren Kierkegaard (Lutheran Church)
Theodore the Studite (Christian; Saint)
Turn It Up To Eleven Day (Pastafarian)
Victory Over Pinks VP Day (Church of the SubGenius)
Lucky & Unlucky Days
Lucky Day (Philippines) [62 of 71]
Sakimake (先負 Japan) [Bad luck in the morning, good luck in the afternoon.]
Premieres
An American in Paris (Film; 1951)
Bad Moms (Film; 2016)
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Film; 2022)
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, by Hunter S. Thompson (Magazine Article; 1971)
Fearless, by Taylor Swift (Album; 2008)
Coming to America (Film; 1988)
Fearless, by Taylor Swift (Album; 2008)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1 (Film; 2010) [#7]
Magic Mike (Film; 2012)
Men at Arms, by Terry Pratchet (Novel; 1993) [Discworld #15]
Mull of Kintyre, by Paul McCartney & Wings (Song; 1977)
My Best Friend’s Girl, by The Cars (1st Picture-Disc Single; 1978)
Ratatouille (Animated Pixar Film; 2007)
Ted (Film; 2012)
The Two Towers, by J.R.R. Tolkien (Novel; 1954) [Book 2 of The Lord of the Rings trilogy]
The Ugly Duckling, by Hans Christian Andersen (Fairy Tale; 1843)
Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins, by John Lennon & Yoko Ono (Album; 1968)
Today’s Name Days
Martin, Menas, Senta (Austria)
Minka, Minko, Viktor, Viktoriya (Bulgaria)
Davorin, Martin, Viktorin (Croatia)
Martin (Czech Republic)
Morten (Denmark)
Alev, Elev, Elvo (Estonia)
Panu (Finland)
Martin, Vérane (France)
Leonie, Martin, Mennas, Senta (Germany)
Drakon, Minas, Minos, Victor, Viktoras, Vincent (Greece)
Márton (Hungary)
Martino (Italy)
Nellija, Ojars (Latvia)
Anastazija, Martynas, Milvydė, Nastė, Vygintas (Lithuania)
Martin, Martine, Morten (Norway)
Anastazja, Bartłomiej, Maciej, Marcin, Prot, Spycisław, Teodor (Poland)
Anastasia (Russia)
Maroš, Martin (Slovakia)
Martín (Spain)
Mårten (Sweden)
Mina, Stephania, Victor, Vincent (Ukraine)
Chandler, Dallas, Jalen, Johnathan, Johnathon, Jon, Jonatan, Jonathan, Jonathon, Jonte, Jorel, Jorrell, Lincoln (USA)
Today is Also…
Day of Year: Day 315 of 2022; 50 days remaining in the year
ISO: Day 5 of week 45 of 2022
Celtic Tree Calendar: Hagal (Constraint) [Day 14 of 28]
Chinese: Month 10 (Lùyuè), Day 18 (Wu-Chen)
Chinese Year of the: Tiger (until January 22, 2023)
Hebrew: 17 Cheshvan 5783
Islamic: 16 Rabi II 1444
J Cal: 15 Mir; Sunday [15 of 30]
Julian: 29 October 2022
Moon: 90%: Waning Gibbous
Positivist: 6 Frederic (12th Month) [Louis XI]
Runic Half Month: Nyd (Necessity) [Day 2 of 15]
Season: Autumn (Day 50 of 90)
Zodiac: Scorpio (Day 20 of 31)
0 notes
Text
Holidays 11.11
Holidays
Air Day
Battery Day (Japan)
Cartagena Independence Day (Colombia)
Children’s Day (Croatia)
Chopsticks Day (Japan)
Concordia Day (St. Marten Island)
Eleven Eleven Eleven Day (Netherlands)
Four Ones Day
Graphics Information Systems Day
Guang Gun Jie (Bare Sticks Day, or Singles Day; China)
Heir to the Throne Day (Tuvalu)
Hollantide (a.k.a. Hallow-tide; Isle of Mann)
James Bond’s Birthday
King Jigme Single Wangchuck Day (Bhutan)
Lāčplēsis Day (a.k.a. Lacplesa Day; Latvia)
Lunantishees Day (Ireland)
Metal Day
Mortens Day (Denmark)
National Athleisure Day
National Education Day (India)
National Metal Day
Nigel Tufnel Day
Old November Eve
Ones Day
Origami Day (Japan)
Pepero Day (South Korea)
Red Lipstick Day
Republic Day (Maldives)
Route 66 Day
Singles’ Day (a.k.a. Guanggun Jie; China)
Soccer Day (Japan)
St. Martin's Day [patron saint of tavern-keepers] (a.k.a. ...
Beggar's Day (Netherlands)
Funeral of Saint Martin
Jum San Martin (Malta)
Mardipäev (Estonia)
Märtekuu (southern Estonia)
Mārtiņi (Latvia)
Martinigians (Sursee, Switzerland)
Martinje (a.k.a. Martinovanje; Croatia)
Martinloben (Austria)
Martinmas (Old England)
Martin Přijíždí na Bílém Koni (Czech Republic)
Martinstag (Germany)
Old Halloween
Old Hallowmas Eve
St. Maarten Day (Sint Maarten)
Tear-Stomach Day
Tori No Ichi (Rooster Day #1; Japan)
Women's Day (Belgium)
World War I Victory Celebrations (a.k.a. ...
Armistice Day (Belgium, France, New Zealand, Serbia)
Death/Duty Day
Independence Day (Poland; from Austro-Hungary, Prussia & Russia, 1918)
Poppy Day [also Last Monday in May]
Remembrance Day (UK, Commonwealth of Nations)
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Day
Veterans Day (f.k.a. Armistice Day; US)
Veterans of Foreign Wars Day (Micronesia)
Food & Drink Celebrations
Bean Sprouts Day (Japan)
Bonza Bottler Day
Kölsch Day
National Sundae Day
Noodle Day (Japan)
Pocky & Pretz Day (Japan)
2nd Friday in November
Domino Day [2nd Friday]
National DTC (Direct-to-Consumers) Friday [2 Fridays before Black Friday]
Independence Days
Angola (from Portugal, 1975)
Poland (Restoration of independence after 123 years of partitions by Russia, Prussia, and Austria, 1918)
Washington Statehood Day (#42; 1889)
Feast Days
Bartholomew of Grottaferrata (Christian; Saint)
Carnival Session begins (a.k.a. Fasching or Karneval; Austria, Germany, Netherlands)
Charlie Manson Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)
Day of Remembrance of the Volhvs (Asatru/Slavic Pagan)
Einherjar (Feast of the Fallen; Norse)
Fasching begins (a.k.a. Karneval; Germany, Netherlands)
Feast of Dionysus
Feast of the Fallen (Norse)
Guru Nank Jayanti (India, Nepal)
Louis XI (Positivist; Saint)
Lunantishees Day (Celtic Faery Day)
Martin of Tours (Roman Catholic Church) [tavern-keepers] *
Menas (Christian; Saint)
Mercurius (Coptic)
Samson (Muppetism)
Small Furry Creatures Appreciation Day (Pastafarian)
Søren Kierkegaard (Lutheran Church)
Theodore the Studite (Christian; Saint)
Turn It Up To Eleven Day (Pastafarian)
Victory Over Pinks VP Day (Church of the SubGenius)
Lucky & Unlucky Days
Lucky Day (Philippines) [62 of 71]
Sakimake (先負 Japan) [Bad luck in the morning, good luck in the afternoon.]
Premieres
An American in Paris (Film; 1951)
Bad Moms (Film; 2016)
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Film; 2022)
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, by Hunter S. Thompson (Magazine Article; 1971)
Fearless, by Taylor Swift (Album; 2008)
Coming to America (Film; 1988)
Fearless, by Taylor Swift (Album; 2008)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1 (Film; 2010) [#7]
Magic Mike (Film; 2012)
Men at Arms, by Terry Pratchet (Novel; 1993) [Discworld #15]
Mull of Kintyre, by Paul McCartney & Wings (Song; 1977)
My Best Friend’s Girl, by The Cars (1st Picture-Disc Single; 1978)
Ratatouille (Animated Pixar Film; 2007)
Ted (Film; 2012)
The Two Towers, by J.R.R. Tolkien (Novel; 1954) [Book 2 of The Lord of the Rings trilogy]
The Ugly Duckling, by Hans Christian Andersen (Fairy Tale; 1843)
Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins, by John Lennon & Yoko Ono (Album; 1968)
Today’s Name Days
Martin, Menas, Senta (Austria)
Minka, Minko, Viktor, Viktoriya (Bulgaria)
Davorin, Martin, Viktorin (Croatia)
Martin (Czech Republic)
Morten (Denmark)
Alev, Elev, Elvo (Estonia)
Panu (Finland)
Martin, Vérane (France)
Leonie, Martin, Mennas, Senta (Germany)
Drakon, Minas, Minos, Victor, Viktoras, Vincent (Greece)
Márton (Hungary)
Martino (Italy)
Nellija, Ojars (Latvia)
Anastazija, Martynas, Milvydė, Nastė, Vygintas (Lithuania)
Martin, Martine, Morten (Norway)
Anastazja, Bartłomiej, Maciej, Marcin, Prot, Spycisław, Teodor (Poland)
Anastasia (Russia)
Maroš, Martin (Slovakia)
Martín (Spain)
Mårten (Sweden)
Mina, Stephania, Victor, Vincent (Ukraine)
Chandler, Dallas, Jalen, Johnathan, Johnathon, Jon, Jonatan, Jonathan, Jonathon, Jonte, Jorel, Jorrell, Lincoln (USA)
Today is Also…
Day of Year: Day 315 of 2022; 50 days remaining in the year
ISO: Day 5 of week 45 of 2022
Celtic Tree Calendar: Hagal (Constraint) [Day 14 of 28]
Chinese: Month 10 (Lùyuè), Day 18 (Wu-Chen)
Chinese Year of the: Tiger (until January 22, 2023)
Hebrew: 17 Cheshvan 5783
Islamic: 16 Rabi II 1444
J Cal: 15 Mir; Sunday [15 of 30]
Julian: 29 October 2022
Moon: 90%: Waning Gibbous
Positivist: 6 Frederic (12th Month) [Louis XI]
Runic Half Month: Nyd (Necessity) [Day 2 of 15]
Season: Autumn (Day 50 of 90)
Zodiac: Scorpio (Day 20 of 31)
0 notes
Photo
✥
Birds of Los Angeles
© Photo-collage by hiromi suzuki, 2021
published in Mercurius Magazine (January 24, 2022)
…
via Mercurius Magazine
#hiromi suzuki#poetry#photo-collage#visual poetry#vispo#collage#photography#poetry magazine#poetry journal#literary journal#Mercurius Magazine
2 notes
·
View notes
Photo
Andromeda & lady Mercurius rotterdam
3 notes
·
View notes
Text
Journalism - A short story about the press
Journalism – A short story about the press
Earlier this week I stumbled across an old Sunday Times supplement, one which was dated back to 2010. On the front cover was an image of Tony Blair, and as I turned over each and every page, it seemed to me to be jammed packed full of interesting things, starting with images taken during the Blair years that included Princess Diana at Chequers, sitting cross legged on the terrace beside Blair’s…
View On WordPress
#acta diurna#C18th#censor#circular#communication#copyright#forum#gazette#gentleman#gentlemans#gutenberg#journal#journalism#journalistic#licensing#magazine#Mercurius Britannicus#Mercurius Pragmaticus#news#newspaper#newsreel#periodical#press#reporting#satire#The Oxford Gazette
1 note
·
View note
Text
r u n
🏃
Original image from electronic games magazine from 1994
🏃🏻♀️
21 notes
·
View notes
Note
If you're taking requests, how about a Nalu Christmas Au. The big writer lucy goes back to her hometown and meets her high school sweetheart after so long and a mutual break up, and her feelings resurface??
Happy Holidays Anon! Hope you like it!
All I want for Christmas
Nalu modern day AU, loosely inspired by the Mariah Carey song All I want for Christmas is s You. @fortheloveoffandomevents
“Come on it’d be great,” her friend Levy coaxes through the phone line. “I haven’t seen you for over a year because of your hectic schedule.”
Lucy sighs, “I know. The new book is doing great but travelling around the country for all the book signings has been tiresome.”
“Exactly! Which is why you need to come back to our hometown for the holidays and get the much-needed R & R you deserve. I’m not taking no for an answer Lu, I’ll send Gajeel to kidnap you if I need to.”
“Okay, okay!” Lucy laughs aloud and smiles to herself because she knows Levy would do it too. “I’ll come home for Christmas.”
“Good! You can stay with me. Text me the deets when you book your flight.”
“Alright. See you soon Lev…. And thanks!”
“That’s what best friends are for…”
Magnolia. Home to the Magnolia High Dragons and Fairytail Café where Lucy had spent the better part of her high school years hanging out with friends. After going away to nearby Crocus University, and a short-lived career at Sorcerer’s Weekly Magazine, her dreams had come true when one of her novels was picked up by a major publishing house. The rest, as one might say, was history.
Three successful novels later and 9 years out of high school, Magnolia was a city always on her mind but far from her ability to visit as often as she’d like to. Most of her closest friends still lived and worked there, like Levy Redfox, her best friend. Unfortunately, it was much more convenient to live in the bigger city of Crocus, close to her editor, so for now, Lucy made do with visits every chance she had.
It would be a 4-hour train ride from Crocus on the bullet train, putting her into Magnolia around 5pm that evening. Her plans were to stay a week, so as the train pulled away from Mercurius Station, Lucy settles in. Let the Vacation begin! There were so many things she was hoping to do in the short time she’d be visiting. One week sounds like a lot of time, but when you’re having fun it blows by quickly.
Day one was all about relaxation and settling in at Levy’s home with her family. Lucy was excited to see how big the Redfox twins were getting. Day two was planned as quality girl time with Levy and their friend Cana. As an early Christmas present, she’d signed the trio up for a spa morning at Blue Pegasus, then lunch at Fairytail Café, ending with a shopping trip so Lucy could pick up gifts. She could have shopped back at home, but that would have required lugging everything with her on the train. For the third day, Lucy and Levy would prepare for the Christmas Eve party Levy was hosting, cleaning, organizing, decorating, and cooking that needed to be done.
And that would bring her to Christmas Eve itself. The party was meant to be a friend reunion of sorts. As Cana had pointed out, parties were the quickest and easiest way to gather a bunch of people under one roof. All of their old friends from high school were planning on attending…
Lucy pauses in her thoughts. All of their old friends. She shakes off a creeping anxiety, nothing would ruin this trip for her as long as she didn’t let it. It’s not like it was a bad thing, awkward would be a better word for how she was feeling about seeing a certain person again. ‘You’ll be fine Lucy,’ her unconscious chimes in, ‘you two ended on good terms, went your separate ways for the sake of career choices. There’s no shame in that. He hadn’t even crossed your mind in years.’
That was true. This was the first time in probably 5 years that she’d actually thought about her high school sweetheart. Lucy had no idea what he was doing, if he was a family man now, or if he was even in Magnolia. She’d done that on purpose, not wanting to dredge up old emotions, even stayed away from social media to avoid coming across him and seeing things she may not want to see. Again, she shakes her head, ‘not gonna think about it!’ It wasn’t worth getting her hopes up. Lucy pulls out her headphones and turns on her music, it was time to send him back to her past once more.
“Levy!!” Lucy waves at her friend as she drags her suitcase across the train platform. The short woman was easy enough to spot thanks to the blue color of her hair.
“Lucy!!” Levy wraps her arms around and hugs tightly to her friend. “I’m so excited you’re here!!” She lets go, crossing over to take hold of the suitcases pull handle, “let me help you.”
“Thanks,” Lucy smiles, pulling from the other side.
Time flying by really was an understatement. Lucy had so much fun with Levy and Cana over the last couple of days, that she couldn’t even believe that Christmas Eve morning would dawn in a mere 7 hours. It was like the old days, the three of them goofing off around town, playing Princesses at the spa, and laughing it up at the café for hours. She was happy to see that place doing so well. Old man Makarov had finally given up the reigns to his grandson Laxus and his wife Mira to run, but while keeping the place the same, updated and livened it up even more.
It was almost midnight, as Lucy and Levy reclined on the couch with a couple of mugs of cocoa going over the morning routine. They expected guests to start arriving around 4 or 5pm which gave them all day for any last-minute decorating and cooking.
“I think we’ve got everything covered,” Levy states confidently. “I’ve got games for back up if things gets boring, music programmed on my Spotify. Gajeel is gonna take care of putting the drinks in the cooler and dealing with the grill. His parents will pick up the twins in the morning too.”
“I can’t wait to see everyone again,” Lucy takes a sip of her drink. “It’s been so long.”
“Everyone is excited to see you too Lu.”
Lucy brings her lips up to the cup and sips at her drink to muffle her words. “I doubt everyone.”
“Are you…” Levy sits forward, turning her body towards her friend, “Are you worried that Natsu won’t want to see you? He wouldn’t have accepted the invite if he felt that way.”
“I supposed,” Lucy sighs. She puts her drink down on the coffee table. “I’m probably just psyching myself out for nothing, but… 9 years is a long time.”
Levy places her hand on her friend’s shoulder, “you’ll be fine Lucy. Besides, there will be so many others here, you’ll have plenty of people to catch up with. Natsu will become just another face in the room.”
“I hope so.”
“You’re tired, so trying to sleep on it,” Levy squeezes Lucy’s shoulder before standing up. “In fact, we both need to get to bed.”
“You’re right. Goodnight Levy.”
All the guests had arrived by 6pm on Christmas Eve, packing the house full of people. Lucy was having a great time reconnecting with everyone, flitting around to the different pockets of partygoers. There was so much to talk about, she asking how they were doing, while they grilled her on the successes she was making in the literary world. Drinks flowed, music filled the air, and best of all her anxiety was keeping at bay for the time being. Natsu was around, talking with the guys and acting just as she’d imagined, unchanged, but seemingly uninterested in her. Not in a bad way, for he’d said hello, just not focused on her. Lucy wasn’t sure if that was upsetting or a relief.
After all these years he had barely changed. Natsu still looked as he did the last time, she’d seen him outside of the Fairytail café. Their break-up was mutual since she needed to go away for college, and he was leaving for the national guard. But that didn’t mean the feeling she held for him had gone away. Lucy groans internally, ‘Why did he still have to look so damn good!’ Her friend Juvia brought her up to speed on what Natsu had been doing. Apparently, he and Gray were now police officers here in Magnolia, which is why Natsu kept in such good shape.
By 11pm, the party had wound down. A few guests that had to work the next day, including Gray and Juvia had gone home, leaving just a handful relaxing in the living room or dining room areas. Lucy stood in the entryway that separated the two rooms, leaning against the frame after a conversation with Erza. She was growing tired but didn’t want to go to bed while guests were still there.
That was a lie. The main reason she didn’t want to leave was because Natsu was still there. All night she’d fought the urges bubbling up, the desire to see if there was still a spark between them. And the more it simmered, the more those thoughts ate away her. How do you go from being friends since primary school, joined at the hip by middle school, to a couple in love in high school, then nothing since then? Do such intents die so easily? A lot of people thought they’d become inseparable and were shocked when they broke up. It was both their choices, and both their faults for not keeping in touch over the years, but they’d been young.
Lucy sighs, and turns away so if he looked, Natsu wouldn’t see the light tears building in her eyes. She drags her finger under her eyes, catching a couple drops of tears. A stupid song on the stereo wasn’t helping either. Mariah Carey belting out, ‘All I want for Christmas is you…’ Yeah talk about a mood! Ugh, nostalgia mixed with alcohol was turning her into mush!
“Hey are you okay?”
She feels a light graze against her waist and stiffens. “I’m fine,” Lucy turns with a fake smile plastered on her face to hide the sadness, “just getting tired.”
“Luce, I know it’s been a long time, but you can’t hide from me. I could always tell when you’re feeling down.”
“I’m fine really, Natsu,” her smile only widens.
She knows he knows she’s lying.
“If you say so,” he plays along for the time being. “Hey... um, we didn’t really get a chance to talk tonight, but I wanted to congratulate you on the new book.”
“Oh, thank you, that’s really sweet of you.”
“I always knew you would be successful one day.”
“It is what I always dreamed of.” She almost wanted to say, it was a lonely experience, but catches herself before it slips out. Sure, she was doing well, but she was all alone in Crocus, and quite possibly this career is what cost her the once love of her life. Lucy pauses in thought, that was the first time she realized that about her choice. But it was a hard choice to make, her dream of being an author, or her dream man slipping through her fingers?
Natsu notices Lucy zoning out and waves a hand in front of her face. “Earth to Lucy?”
“S-Sorry.”
He chuckles, “I have one more question.”
She looks up and notices a nervousness settle on his face. “Oh--kay?”
“Are you still single?” Natsu rubs the back of his neck. “I-I don’t mean to be so forward, but I figured this might be my only chance and I needed to take it.”
Lucy blinks in surprise. “Yes, I’m still single. Why do you ask?”
“Because if you are then…. Then I want to do this.”
Before she can even ask what ‘this’ is, Natsu leans down and steals a rough and needy kiss upon her lips, holding it for what felt like a lifetime.
Lucy’s body immediately melts against him, and he reacts by wrapping an arm around her waist to steady her. All those dormant memories of their past trysts flood her mind. Natsu always felt so…. Perfectly made for her, and she for him.
Natsu pulls away slowly, letting their lips hover for a second, as if preparing for round two, before releasing part of his grip. He lowers his head, closing his eyes, savoring the heat left on his skin. “God Luce, I’m such an idiot for letting you go once.”
With a deep breath to steady herself again, Lucy leans her forehead to his. “You’re not the only one at fault.” She sighs, “I stayed away out of fear that you’d moved on, because I think my heart wouldn’t be able to take it. But we’re here… now…. It’s a… second chance if we want it.”
He smiles and cradles her face, “You’re all I ever wanted Luce.”
#nalu#nalu fan fic#request#modern au#christmas#christmas nalu#natsu dragneel#lucyheartfilia#all i want for christmas#nalu drabble#fairytail
93 notes
·
View notes
Text
Review (and Riposte to) "The Selling and Self-regulation of Contemporary Poetry" by JT Welsch, in Mercurius magazine
Review (and Riposte to) “The Selling and Self-regulation of Contemporary Poetry” by JT Welsch, in Mercurius magazine
“A Romp in the Bookish Dark of Tecnocracy” @AnthemPress
https://www.mercurius.one/home/a-romp-in-the-bookish-dark-of-technocracy
View On WordPress
0 notes
Text
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
Classified ads continue to give an imperative wellspring of income for day by day newspapers even as these kinds of ads move increasingly into specific newspapers and magazines and onto the Internet.
In the late 1430s, Johannes Gutenberg's invention of versatile kind opened up another world for the individuals who wished to disseminate information to the overall population. The principal advertisement in English showed up in 1477. The main advertisement in an English newspaper was printed in 1625 in Mercurius Britannicus and concerned the distribution of a book. The term advertising was introduced in 1655. By 1704, the main U.S. newspaper, the Boston News Letter, started carrying advertisements.
A lot of frontier American advertising, by the present benchmarks, would really go under the heading of classified pieces. Boats available to be purchased and notification of those sailing were among the most various classifiedlike ads of the time, in spite of the fact that need ads were normal.
As the eighteenth century arrived at an end, London's Morning Herald was going so far as to arrange its "Needs" sections by category&emdash;"Want Places," "Deals by Auction," "To Be Sold" and "To Be Lett"&emdash;while cooks, workers, housemaids, educators, coachmen and women's servants offered their administrations in shorter advertisements. For all intents and purposes the entirety of London's newspapers were packed with advertising.
The Philadelphia Public Ledger is said to have invented "current" classified advertising not long after the U.S. Common War, which finished in 1865. Basically, it was the first to advance this kind of advertising as a unique division.
Article source- free classified ads
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
Jeff Hilson Surreal-Absurd
“Is there anything more beautifully absurd than Kenneth Koch’s tiny play about the island of Madagascar breaking away from the African continent, or Hannah Weiner’s code of signals Romeo and Juliet? I’m currently writing a series of very short plays about fungi, as well as making a record of all the dreams I’ve been having since lockdown about British poets.”—Jeff Hilson
This week’s Mercurius…
View On WordPress
0 notes
Text
two from Thomas Helm
the rebel
those who dug the wells lived in plywood shacks with corrugated iron roofs at the end of an interminable highway. the glittering peaks of a megacity could be seen from a distance, on the other side of the dust bowl, where the sand was as soft as powdered snow. those who dug the wells were no more than five feet high; scars marked their hands and their skin was permanently cracked from exposure to the sun. barbed, electrified fences crisscrossed the wells whose land belonged to the local oligarchs. profits from the wells were used to fund the oligarchs’ lifestyles and occasionally build more wells. for this reason the oligarchs were informally known as the drinkers. every month those who dug the wells were permitted a satellite call with their families, most of whom were scattered in other labour intensive zones. one day, the satellite dish broke. in a single furious wave, those who dug the wells killed the guards and set fire to the machines and their shacks. then they destroyed the satellite dishes and marched across the desert towards the city.
the darkness
when the darkness was finally upon them, the child said to the father: should we stand up to it? the father said no. just be polite and go to your room and do your maths homework. Soon the darkness was hanging on the roof and the trees and the pyramids and the air tasted like ash. five rabbits took refuge in the cellar. the father shot them and roasted them. but the darkness didn’t abate. not even the circus lights and the pancakes singing eat me from the television could stop the darkness from infiltrating major political parties and taking over the world.
Thomas Helm has lived and worked in various European cities. His work has been published in a wide range of platforms, such as 3am Magazine, Beir Bua, and Neon. He has a particular affinity with the surreal-absurd prose-poem. He edits Mercurius Magazine. thomasdhelm.wordpress.com
0 notes
Text
Mercurius Magazine - essay
Mercurius Magazine – essay
An editor’s letter I wrote for a Beir Bua anthology was republished in this exciting journal – to read it and see some more of my work – click here.
View On WordPress
0 notes
Photo
photoshoot may 119
clothing and set design by satchel mcqueen; modeled by atlas gavinstar, narcissus cassiopeia, and caesar aulus; photographed by mercurius tiberius
[irl credit: where the wild roses grow @ flair magazine, ph: jeff bark]
0 notes
Text
Ghosts Passing along Sunset Boulevard
✽
It is an endless sky. I can see the cumulonimbus that spreads fluffy like cotton candy. A swallowtail butterfly that is weakly swept away by the wind. A crow that stops flapping and jumps into a canopy of zelkova leaves. The days are getting shorter. It is the end of summer.
The SUN has been falling on the emergency stairs of my apartment. It is a fragment between my diary. The letters “SUN” put on it. SUN has sunburned and faded after a lapse of seasons. I wonder it comes down from the sky waiting for dusk. Like Montgomery Wood a.k.a. Giuliano Gemma in Spaghetti Western filmed in the mid 1960s, the SUN squints in the glare of a brilliant west sky.
When the sun sets, a grey evening slowly begins to wrap around the town. At the same time, a ghost of winter appears through the gap between the clouds. I cannot remember the colours of this summer. It has faded into the pages of my diary again. Only boring memories come and go at dusk. All are due to my poorly regenerative hippocampus.
I go out to buy a toothbrush or something, return to my apartment keeping with coins in pocket of my overcoat. I am not sure whether I should choose a light bulb of 80 or 100 watts for my bathroom. The light bulb in my brain is also about to burn out. I cannot enter my room because of the lost key. The owner of the apartment lives in Hong Kong, so I cannot get a copy of the key right away. I am at a loss sitting on the emergency stairs in my apartment, watching taxis and trucks come and go on Sunset Boulevard. “Sunset Boulevard” is the name I give to National Route 20. As I stand on the highway in the fine and chilly evening time, I can see the beautiful bright red sunset to the west. As long as I gaze on the shining Mt. Fuji with the setting sun in the background, I am in paradise. I feel bizarre to watch the view that the same scenery has been there for about 200 years.
Tamagawa Aqueduct used to flow along National Route 20, but now it is a subterranean waterway. The groundwater streams through the culvert from Shinjuku to Harajuku and becomes the Onden River. “Watermill at Onden” in the print collection Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji by Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) depicts Mt. Fuji as seen from the current lively Harajuku in Tokyo.
There is an old persimmon tree in the backyard of the apartment. Under the emergency stairs, a ripe fruit of persimmon emits a rotten odour. The colour of persimmon is a shade of sandstone. It is a hazy shade of winter. It seems to fade into a tunnel that larva of antlion made with dry soil. My fuzzy memory goes through the ephemeral underground tunnel and reaches at a diner on the other side of Sunset Boulevard.
It was the end of last summer. It was the late afternoon when I entered the diner on Sunset Boulevard. At the seat next to me, two businessmen facing each other across the table were quietly talking, "The pandemic will never subside in just a few years." They left their cold steaks mostly uneaten, paid with cash, and went out of the diner. The cook muttered, "I have to close my diner within this year." I was the only one at the table. Oil of French fries splashed on the floor, a film of the dust had formed on the wallpaper, so the whole diner looked dark and dull. Not to mention cleaning, I could see the pots left in the kitchen sink and the tablecloths full of stains, I recognized that the diner was run by the cook alone. No, I saw a shade of his wife. The ghost of his wife. Reproduction paintings of Georges Seurat in the tilted picture frames, Un dimanche après-midi à l'île de la Grande Jatte, Jeune femme se poudrant, Une baignade à Asnières had been giving the walls lights and colours faintly. Decorative chandelier with bulbs imitating candle flames. Elton John's vinyl records in the 1970s that had been piled up randomly on top of an old Sony stereo component system for five decades. Hand-knitted doilies on each table. Dried buds of roses in the cracked vases. Piano of Steinway & Sons that had never been tuned. The shade of the ghost that have been dwelling in each object. The cook faking a smile brought to my table a cup of coffee, filled with steam of his sigh. A fly was dead in the sugar pot. The carcass got buried in the sandy white sugar. I could hear a voice of the ghost from the antlion's tunnel. And the music floating on the turntable of the old Sony stereo component system.
Sometimes just before I fall asleep I think about her, but all I can remember about her is that she had a dog. We met at a bar. We talked for a while. We had a few drinks. Then we went to her place. There was a bicycle in the front room. I almost fell over it. The bicycle was right beside the door.
We made love and she had a dog.*
“Would you dance with me?”
The ghost wearing an apron of Laura Ashley is dancing on the boulevard. Her printed cotton dress made in the mid 1970s blooms softly and slowly in the setting sun. She sings the songs she knows. The songs I know, too. We count the headlights on the highway. Taxi lights shine so bright. The evening sky in flamingo pink is flowing into the night. My skull is flooded with the songs of the 1970s. A lullaby is coloured in pale pistachio green with voices of the ghost. I can remember the colours of last summer. Only boring memories come and go at dusk. I am at a loss sitting on the emergency stairs in my apartment, watching taxis and trucks come and go on Sunset Boulevard.
✽
...
Reference:
*Ghosts by Richard Brautigan
The Tokyo-Montana Express A Book by Richard Brautigan (pp. 187 / Derlacorte Press, 1980)
...
✽ ✽ ✽
...
Ghosts Passing along Sunset Boulevard
© short fiction by hiromi suzuki, 2021
published in Mercurius Magazine (January 24, 2022)
…
via Mercurius Magazine
#hiromi suzuki#short fiction#short story#poetry magazine#poetry journal#literary journal#Mercurius Magazine
1 note
·
View note
Last Seen Blogs
nerdyblogger06
Nerdy Blogger
light-spires
light spires.
ravenleigh85
this is who i really am
sams1023-blog
Personal injury
akirathelifeist
Akira