#and then another whole month goes by without me posting a new poll adventure - however - this time I DID fully intend to so

[lucalicatteart]

Finally finished my weird hanging painting thing (originally a secondhand partially-done 'paint by numbers' kit that I found at a thrift store and kept to repurpose lol)! Imagery somewhat based in my own worldbuilding projects, and text written in my constructed language for one of my fantasy species, but also vaguely inspired by old tapestries and illuminated manuscripts and etc. I've never been great at neat clean patterning or text, but it looks cool from afar, and I always enjoy making "props" or things that are somewhat like real objects that might could exist in my world. :0

(additional pictures/info under the readmore)

-

Here's what it was originally! I probably didn't have to actually have a river running down the middle because it further makes the composition of the whole thing weird (various connected yet separate locations and things happening, instead of one unified event being portrayed), but I wasn't sure if I'd be able to fully cover up the already existing paint that was there.. and I can also kind of justify it by going with a more "all the imagery is just symbolic so it doesn't have to make exact sense" approach lol.. How is one half of the grass green and the other is suddenly snowy? shhhh.. it's not literal.. shhh...

Made a vague sketch, then painted over it, and then added more distinct lines in black pen. Center image first and border second.

The very last thing was the text, which actually took forever to translate because my conlang is still only like.. partially done, and some of the grammar is not worked out exactly how I would like it to be, so a few sentences I had to think about for a long time before just going "eh, this is probably not how I would do it if I considered it more, but I'll go with it for now" lol . I also am not entirely satisfied with all of the characters for the writing system, but again, it's good enough for a quick project, it doesn't have to be 100% accurate and perfect because it's a fake language that nobody knows anyway lol.

I thought about breaking down the text and translation here like I have for some of the tidbits of Avirrekava (the language) in things I've posted in the past, but I think it would take too long and is not interesting to anyone but me ghghj, so for the sake of getting the post out quickly, I shall not spend an hour typing All That lol.

The general jist of the writing though is that it's just about the Avirre'thel being cast out from the other elves, after abandoning their magic for immortality as a means to truly attain perfection (an important concept in elven culture), the usual, blah blah blah, but how it's Actually A Good Thing, because the gods are wrong and immortality is Cool actually and they like the shitty frozen lands they were sent to, so it's fine that everyone else is being a Hater about it lol

Lastly, here's a few photos outside in the sun to TRY and show the gold detailing actually shimmering or showing up! It really doesn't come through in photos, but there's plenty of little golden spots to highlight light or Importance.

Mostly the fire, the pink sparkle that represents magic, the red drop that represents blood, the light behind Inaashi's hands and head (common symbol for the elven religion/one of their main gods, shout out to anyone who read the ancient elven religion post and recognized that lol), the sun, and the symbol for the Avirre'thel/country of Navyete at the very top. I did a few other gold bits, but they're not highlighted because they're Significant, more just that it looked more symmetrical to have some gold on the border too lol.

Other things of note: The animals are not actually significant to Avirre'thel culture really, I just wanted to put a cat and a bird because I like them lol. (I also wanted to have a few funny looking creatures, as I was slightly trying to go with the 'in some old medieval painting the anatomy and perspective is very weird' vibe, though I think some of the other parts of it look too Normal to pull it off entirely). Same with the four leaf clover, which means nothing in their culture - but these are the only areas where stuff was just added self-indulgently .

Bligabata (giant cabbage that grows along rivers in Navyete) making an appearance! The architecture of the building IS based on actual concepts for ancient elven/older Avirre'thel architecture and metalwork. The Avirre'thel who's turning away from Inaashi/elves/magic and collecting blood, is doing so in a Special Bowl, as is part of their culture (collecting it in the hands, or just in a normal vessel would be disrespectful, they have Specific Bowls which is the only thing blood can be kept in, etc.).

The figure that represents Jhevona (and thus, a closer connection to magic, celestial imagery, etc.) is in weird ugly teal, which is not necessarily a color or design associated with them, as I don't have much common culture (like clothing) worked out for Northern Jhevona (who the avirre'thel would have come into contact with) yet, BUT everyone else is in more Typical colors (a northern elf in green, Inaashi in lavender + white + blue, an Avirre'thel in darker purples and reds).

Some things, like the four figures in the corners, and the two people + fish in the stream, do not currently have a meaning, but in-world they would.. Like, I could make up lore for how they're culturally significant and it would be true because I am god of the world, but I don't have anything currently. But just know.. they DO mean something, I just haven't decided it yet, maybe kind of fill in as I go, come up with a meaning later lol. Probably along the lines of an old myth from the ancient elven religion, a story, etc.

-

I don't know, probably other stuff, but that's my Trying To Keep It Short rambling for now lol. I'm just glad I finally finished this! For how vaguely sloppy it is up close (everything being completely freehanded, only used rulers once when doing the initial sketch and lining where the border should be + my hands are shaky + the canvas is bumpy + my handwriting is scratchy and terrible + etc. etc.) it still took a REALLY long time, even when not trying to make it all perfect. Especially if including the text translation + writing, which took like 3+ hours itself.

Maybe all the asymmetry/lack of things being centered is NOT because I was too lazy to measure anything, but is actually because in-universe, it's a practice illustration made by some young apprentice who has to work on little canvases for years before he can be trusted will a full sized mural or tapestry. It's his first week on the job! of course he's uncoordinated! don't laugh at him!!! lol

#worldbuilding #elves #I AM WORKING ON A NEW PAVENTURE POST also !!!! I know I keep being like 'oh I'm going to get back to that! I'll stick to it this time!!' #and then another whole month goes by without me posting a new poll adventure - however - this time I DID fully intend to so #*do another one soon but my beloved beautiful perfect cat unfortunately passed away AND there was a heat #wave ANd I felt sick for a while for unrelated reasons so I just genuinely was not focused on posting online at all #I am trying to get back to it though along with other things hopefully so. #ANYWAY #avirre'thel #irithoas #maybe???? not super relevant to elves but I'll keep it intheir tag anyway also. Just since their lore is so closely tied with avirre'thel s #stuff and they're mentioned in the post. Or the gods are. Inaashi is. #OIGUGUGUGUHH I should have done a tapestry with the FCJhjkING triplets!!!!! Sehalanora Semoniyare and the other one whatever the hell #his name is. ... sehalanora my beloved .. (I'm referencing the ancient elven gods - for those who dont know) #It's funny that I rarely watch tv shows and when I do I rarely if EVER care about characters at all in any capacity #with maybe like a handful of even then extremely minor exceptions so I cannot relate to the concept of like 'having a blorbo' or whatever #but then for my extremely niche worldbuilding content #.. it's like OMG MY FAVORITE character!!! my favorite obscure god from a religion #that I entirely made up myself for a cultural group that I also made up that literally only I and maybe like two other #people who are able to sit through my novel long dry and wordy worldbuilding posts care about!! you all know them DUH!! #even WITHIN modern elven culture in the world at the moment in current day most people do not give a shit about them hghj #BUT .. I should have made a painting of the siblings actually!!! I stand by that!! #I mean I like Inaashi and Nisateyu and everything too. Actually all of them are fine except for Ea'ivuyera I guess. whoever the #like War and Order bootlicker god is basically. and the Evil dumbass one. but all the others are fine. I'm suprised I'm even able to rememb #that many ancient elven goofily long names ghgh.. But I could have maybe made it about the elven gods #The thing is just that.. i Don't have ancient elvish worked out as a language and I knew I wanted to put text on it #so it kind of HAD to be something written/drawn by the Avirre'thel #Knwoledge of the ancient elven gods is still a thing in their culture. But usually more as a joke or just a common fairytale knowledge #sort of thing. not really something to make a painting of. Inaashi is here less because of Inaashi The God being genuinely significant and #and more just she's there to Symbolize the elven religion as a whole. just like all the other figures are mere symbols of things. etc.

[lunarrwolf]

black butterflies [colby brock]

fandom: sam and colby/traphouse

pairing: colby x self

word count: 1,963

part(s): one

summary: after a prank gone wrong, colby and his friends meet another youtuber during her meet and greet in hopes it will cheer her up

A/N: this is a self-insert because it’s a fic that was started for my own personal pleasure. it was supposed to be shared last year on my fan account after a poll was done but never was bc i ended up not feeling ready to do so. i figured since i‘m ready to share it now, it would be best to do it here since it’s pretty detailed

ONE

“What’s up guys?! It’s your girl Kirsy here, and today we’re going to be entering Freetown State Forest. Otherwise known as The Cursed Forest of Massachusetts.” The girl looked into her camera brightly, the excitement of finally being able to explore her home state’s most bizarre places setting in as she recorded.

“Wait - cursed? You didn’t say anything about that.” Her best friend and roommate exclaimed, red locks shaking as quickly as her head was. Casey had been interrupted during a well credited movie of theirs when her friend decided she wanted to go out and take advantage of the fact that neither of them had any plans for the weekend. And as usual in their two bedroom home, no morning schedules meant the freedom to explore the best-worst possible places and capture it all on film for both social network and personal use.

“Didn’t I?” Kirsy chimed, turning the camera toward her roommate who only glanced into the object before shooting her friend the middle finger. She laughed and followed the retreating figure toward the path that would eventually lead them into the actual forest. It was a widened road of dirt and rocks, causing the two of them to nearly trip every so often. The sun was just beginning to set, so the scenery on the other side of the camera was something the green haired girl was glad she was able to capture as she filmed. They continued to walk down the barren path for about forty-five minutes - trees starting to surround them after a half hour - and by then the sun had set quickly without notice and the night began. She could hear Casey muttering about how the place was significantly creepier, and an idea popped into her head. She turned the camera to herself and glanced up to make sure no attention was being brought to her before looking into the lens. “So we’ve been walking for nearly an hour. Casey is already kind of freaked out because of how dark it is, so as her best friend I thought it would be fun to do a little prank on her.”

“What are you doing?” She looked up to meet the narrowed eyes of the redhead that caught her speaking lowly to the camera.

Casey’s eyes didn’t falter from their current state as she continued to glare at the other girl. “Kirsy, I swear if you’re planning something-”

Kirsy scoffed, “What would I be planning out here? Your murder? No thanks - too much work.” She finished off, laughing lightly at the expression she received before the girl with reddish brown locks turned back to survey their surroundings. Kirsy did the same thing for the following ten minutes of their walk. The only sounds they heard so far were forest animals and the wind rustling through the loose leaves of the trees. There was the occasional crunch or branch snapping, which unnerved both of the girls until they would see some small critter scattering to another bush or inside a hole somewhere. She really wanted to pull a practical joke on her friend after not being able to do one on her the whole month she’d been gone on a trip prior to this night. It seemed to be quiet enough to where she wouldn’t really suspect a thing. As long as comments were made from behind her, Casey wouldn’t notice.

She took the opportunity when they were nearing a fork in the pathway and jokingly said something about the atmosphere of the place that would make her friend give her a knowing look. And that was just what happened. However, when Casey turned around, the main star of the channel the video would be posted on was nowhere to be seen. She turned in a full circle slowly, being even more aware and extremely careful where she stepped so she wouldn’t disrupt the sudden silence of the area. “Kirsy.. Kirsy.” She hissed out, moving toward the edge of the path. “I swear to god if this is one of your pranks-” A twig snapped from directly beside her once she got to the natural line that separated a way back to civilization from unpredictable darkness. Her heart was pounding, and tears were springing in her eyes. It had been too long of a time since her last appearance in one of her friend’s scary videos; she forgot how frightening things could get within minutes or hours of arriving somewhere.

There was an obnoxiously loud rustling coming from the same direction, and she approached the bushes to her right cautiously. Reaching a reluctant arm out, she started to move stuff away from her so she could peer behind the plant. As her face got closer, someone jumped out and screamed a scream that was deadly enough to be included in a horror film. “Shit!” Casey jumped back, almost falling to the ground if she hadn’t been able to balance herself.

She glared up at the girl who was trying hard to hold on to the camera as she held her stomach in laughter. “Holy crap, you should’ve seen your face!”

“Dude. What the fuck!” Casey stood back up and snatched the camera away from her friend, marching away as she ignored the calls of the hysterical girl running to catch up.

-

A small group of friends sat on the leather couch in the living room, watching a fellow YouTuber explore a haunted forest with only one other person. It was entertaining to say the least - the amount of times the media influencer messed with her friend was endless, and it only got better when payback would be put into order. One of the darker haired males shook his head, a smile on his face as he shared an amused look with his friends. “I need to marry this girl.”

“Marry who?”

Brennen looked up to see a brunette enter from upstairs, looking at the group of them with curiosity written all over their faces. “Kirsy, dude. Not only is she rocking the new hair, but she obviously knows how to have fun.” Colby didn’t hesitate to join the others on the couch once he heard the name. She was very well known in their industry; a skyrocketing vlogger who stuck to the same several categories of videos and never failed to deliver quality content. She was known to go above and beyond for her fans after having been one herself for years before deciding to dive into the world of explorations. At a recent milestone of 500,000 subscribers, she not only released new merch, she also scheduled a last minute meet and greet that had the sidewalks and almost half of the central park of Boston flooded with local fans of hers. She was someone the members and friends of the trap house admired, as she wasn’t afraid to be herself even when others put her down and criticized the way she behaved on camera.

“Guys, check it out. She added something at the end of this.” Jake brought the guys’ attention back to the computer from their phones. She wasn’t smiling and didn’t hold a bright aura like she usually did when adding bits recorded after her adventures. When she spoke it sounded normal, but after having watched her for the past three years, the boys knew when something was off. They watched the girl give the lens a wry smile before clearing her throat, glancing away as she dove right into the point of the additional bit.

“So this part was recorded a couple of nights after we went into the forest. Casey hasn’t been with me since we got back.” She started off. “I did realize after the fact that she was genuinely mad at me, and I do feel really bad about it. She’d been gone for a month before then. Which meant she didn’t have to deal with abandoned houses, restless spirits, or me and my stupidity - so she wasn’t prepared to be brought back into the swing of things so quickly. I take full responsibility for any actual fear I caused her, and I want to apologize for doing this to her right as she got back from what I know was a good, relaxing trip for her. I did apologize off camera as soon as I caught up with her and she did say she forgave me. However, she uh- she won’t be in videos anymore. And I’m going to be honest with you guys...” She trailed off, and Colby’s heart lurched when he noticed the glossiness in her eyes, “I don’t know where our friendship stands. We know each other’s limits, and while I didn’t go too far, I think she just got tired of me doing all of this. So... yeah.” She gave a dry chuckle, tugging at the end of her sleeves.

“Damn.. she must be crushed right now.” Mike commented, glancing between his friends as they all gave their agreements.

“I can’t even imagine possibly losing you guys.” Sam added.

“And over a prank - Casey’s pretty cold.” Corey brought in, changing his position on the couch and leaning forward when the girl began to speak again.

“Anyway, I’m sure you guys didn’t keep watching just to see me get all emotional. So on to the good news!” The green haired girl continued, clapping her hands together and smiling brightly at the camera as if nothing happened. Still, they could see the look in her eyes, and it was unsettling to see the otherwise outgoing Dominican that way. “I'll be going to Los Angeles in a few days on business, and am happy to announce that I'll also be having a meetup at Santa Monica Pier. I haven't set the exact date in case my schedule goes out of whack, but I will be bringing along someone special. I expect that our family's policy of acceptance will be applied to him.”

“Wait wait wait - my girl's got a man?”

Mike rolled his eyes, smirking at Brennen. “If she was yours, wouldn't she know you exist?”

There was a short amount of silence while the targeted guy looked over with a playfully offended look on his face. “That was cold.” The guys laughed and chuckled, but deep down they still felt bad about what they just heard. The ginger had been by the brunette's side since the start of the channel. Though Casey was mostly the support and a guest in abandoned vlogs and some other types of videos, she would speak out as her friend's defense and help out in any way she could. Some would have figured that a month off would have her ecstatic in going back into working with her best friend. However, it sounded like that time away made her less for the type of content Kirsy had and more against it. The latter of the two must have been devastated at that moment.

“We should go meet her.” Sam announced. “Sounds like it's free - and Brennen could use an ego boost if she does know he exists.”

“You guys gotta give me a little credit here. My channel's pretty big.”

“Yes, but has she acknowledged it?” The dyed brunette questioned, laughing at the glare he received in return. It seemed like it was a unanimous agreement to take a short trip to the pier when she arrived, but everyone was vocal except for Colby. Sam shook his best friend's shoulder, and the young man blinked, switching his gaze over to the former blonde. “You alright?”

“Yeah.” He nodded, glancing back at the screen. “I agree. We should go meet her.”

#Sam and Colby #colby #colby brock #colby and sam #colbybrockimagines #colby brock imagines #Corey Scherer #corey scherer imagines #sam golbach imagines #sam golbach #jake webber #jake webber imagines #traphouse #trapboys #cole robert brock #self-insert #self insert #fandom #youtube #youtubers #youtuber #fanfiction #fanfic #Fam5 #xplr

[officialmaleclibrary]

Top 20 Magnus/Alec fandom favourites - the results are in!

Thank you to everyone who submitted fics and voted in all the rounds of the poll - and, of course, thank you to everyone for following us! 

We’re very excited to announce the results of the second round of voting. As we explained before, we want to showcase as many authors as possible, so only one fic (the one with the most votes) has gone into the top 20 for each author. The list of all nominations will be posted soon.

The list is in order of author pseud from A - Z. Happy reading!

The Language of Flowers by astudyinfic (PG13 | 8/8 | 19,099)

Following the loss of his brother, florist Alec Lightwood wants to do something to remember him by. Enter tattoo artist Magnus Bane who brings beauty and love into his life. What starts as a one-time thing blooms into an expression of love for all the important people in Alec's life.

Paparazzi by Alxsteele (Not Rated | 31/31 | 219,060)

Magnus Bane is a pop star best known for his break up songs and wicked dance sequences. Alec Lightwood is an actor best known for being the object of Magnus' songs.

When Alec’s new tv show gets picked up, a series of events throws Magnus back into his life, bringing up a mess of memories and confusion. Forced to spend more and more time together, will they ever figure their feelings out?

Good Our Whole Lives by beatperfume (Explicit | 9/9 | 34,833)

They say that prostitution is the world’s oldest profession, and it’s just as true for the Downworld as the mundane one.

But this is the first time Magnus has ever heard of a nephilim hustling his crowd.

Reconstruction by bumblebeesknees (Explicit | 3/3 | 80,115)

It takes months for Valentine to find the Mirror, and longer still to defeat him. Afterward, Alec has another first that he shares with Magnus: the strange and tentative transition from being not together to back together.

He’s not handling it as well as he’d like.

Appassionato by chonideno (PG | 35,866 | 2/2)

Alec plays the piano every day, with great talent. One night, a note slips under his door: it's a request from an anonymous neighbor. Before he knows it, Alec picks up the habit of leaving his window open so his neighbor can listen to him. Requests keep coming. Slowly, two strangers start a conversation without words and let the music do the work for them.

Eyes On Me by clockworkswan (Mature | 5/5 | 102,076)

When a new same-sex dancing rule gets people talking, Magnus Bane decides to take the jump from Latin to Ballroom in order to prove that change is a good thing. Looking for a new challenge, he’s determined to win the Ballroom Championships and be crowned victorious in the first same-sex partnership.

Now all he needs are the right shoes, the right music, and the right partner.

~

Alec is well on his way to securing another victory for his parents’ prestigious dance school, yet a new face, and surprising feelings, might change that. When Magnus turns up, he sweeps more than dancing traditions off their feet.

As the competition rounds heat up, and dreams hang in the balance, can the pair prove themselves to a worldwide audience of fellow dreamers, critics and cynics?

Deeper Than the Truth by insieme (Mature | 149,820 | 15/15)

Alec Lightwood is a world-famous author, though the world knows him only under his pseud: Gideon Archer. Magnus Bane is a fashion designer who just happens to be a big fan of Gideon's work.

One Show Only by KouriArashi (Explicit | 7/7 | 29,410)

It's hard to stay in the closet when the guy you had a one-night stand with two nights ago turns out to be your new partner ... but Alec will be damned if he isn't going to give it a try.

Love Is A Gamble by la_muerta (Explicit | 20/20 | 44.768)

Upholding law and order in gold-mining town Nephilim Falls, population 1,700 souls, is the responsibility of Sheriff Alec Lightwood. As it is, Alec already has his hands full with the saloons and whorehouses making tempers rise and the men rowdy when the day's mining goes badly, and the constant threat of bandits in the hills. The last thing he needs is some no-count gambler setting up a gambling hall in his town. And what kind of name is 'Magnus Bane', anyway?

pillow talk by lacheses (Mature | 5/5 | 26,592)

Alec Lightwood falls in love, one nap at a time.

And the Oscar goes to... by Lecrit (Explicit | 1/1 | 21,494)

Working for Magnus isn’t easy. Magnus is out of control and Alec has to yell more often than not to get him to listen to him. He hates everything formal because it means he has to watch his mouth. Most importantly, Magnus is an incorrigible flirt.

Which would be alright if Alec wasn’t utterly, irremediably, unfathomably in love with him.

Based on this prompt: "AU where Magnus is an Oscar winning actor and Alec, his PA, is in love with him."

Set Me In Motion by lemonoclefox (Mature | 20/20 | 132,055)

“Is that your way of asking me to cook for you sometime?” Alec says. “'Cause I will.” The moment the words escape his mouth, Alec finds himself slightly panicking. Because he does not talk like that, ever―in a way that might even be considered flirting―and he still doesn’t understand what it is about Magnus that brings stuff like that out of him. More importantly, he has a boyfriend. Magnus, however, just looks mildly surprised as their eyes meet. “My, my. Master chef, good family name, and charming?” Magnus tilts his head ever so slightly. “Careful, Mr. Lightwood,” he says in a low, teasing voice, mouth curving up in a smile. “You’re gonna make me swoon.” ---

One night, Magnus spots a handsome stranger in the elevator of his apartment building – which wouldn’t be a big deal if said stranger didn’t turn out to be dating Magnus’s neighbor. The stranger soon becomes Alec, and their paths end up crossing more than once. A tentative friendship develops as they slowly get to know each other, and they both find that it’s effortless in a way neither of them has ever known. It's only when other kinds of feelings start getting involved that things become a bit more complicated.

A Horse That Loves You by Lemur710 (PG13 | 1/1 | 5,563)

Magnus rushes into battle to rescue Jace—and comes to terms with what it means to love a shadowhunter with a parabatai.

Days of Dark by magnusragnor, ohprongs (Mature | 9/9 | 97,115)

Alec clutches the worn out comic book in his hands, his eyes sweeping over Captain America’s stance on the cover. He still remembers how excited Max had been when he’d gotten it, going on and on about how Captain America helped people, how he just wanted to stop the bullies - how he was a hero.

Staring down at the star on Cap’s shield, Alec pushes away all his anger and grief, focussing on the single most ridiculous idea he’s ever had. He can hear Hodge's voice, clear as day:

“With great power, comes great responsibility.”

(or, the the amazing spider-man ish au)

Fools Rush In by Maleciseverything (Mature | 4/4 | 85,198)

Alec, Jace, and Simon go to Vegas for Jace's bachelor party and things get a little bit ridiculous.

Alec wakes up the next morning and...wait a minute, who's that in his bed?

Five Times Magnus Isn’t a Good Boyfriend And One Time He Is by notcrypticbutcoy (PG13 | 1/1 | 7,112)

Being a high profile celebrity makes it difficult for Magnus to find enough time for his personal life. Alec's feeling lonely after spending yet another night alone.

Or, in which Magnus is spending too much time at work, Alec confides in Chairman Meow, and Magnus tries to make everything better.

Adventure XXL by RedOrchid (Explicit | 9/9 | 26,858)

Tune in for a breathtaking adventure—Reality TV like you’ve never seen it before. Join us on an exhilarating ride where contestants are both pitted against each other to complete challenges and forced to find ways to cooperate—as we determine who has the intelligence, strength, creativity and charm to make it to the top.

Six teams. One game.

This is Adventure XXL.

(Aka Jace signs himself and Alec up for a stupid reality show. Once Alec’s there, he meets fellow contestant Magnus, and suddenly the stupid show doesn’t feel quite so stupid anymore)

pro bono by sarcasticfluentry (Explicit | 1/1 | 7,195)

After the Clave drops the charges against Isabelle and declares her free, Magnus decides he doesn't want Alec's bow and quiver after all. He gets something even better.

The first time by theonetruenorth (Explicit | 1/1 | 1,623)

“Alexander, my darling,” Magnus whispered, leaning over Alec once more to tenderly stroke his thumb over Alec’s lips, red and sensitive from kissing. “You take my breath away.”

veni vidi amavi by WendigoBaby (PG | 1/1 | 5,663)

Alec still looks so young, bright-eyed and with morning scruff covering his face; there are no grey hairs on his head, no wrinkles embedded in his skin, except for little crow’s feet around his eyes that came from smiling. The golden band around Alec’s right ring finger catches the light as he cuts the tomatoes, quick and efficient.

It’s an unspoken rule that warlocks rarely marry. Usually, it’s the fear of commitment with mortals - the promise of heartbreak after they pass lingering like a ghost over your shoulder or people not wanting to spend the entirety of their lives devoted to one soul. But Alec has always had a tendency to surprise Magnus.

#3k poll

[shirlleycoyle]

Fucking in Public Reveals Who Public Spaces Are Really For

“If something exists, there is porn of it:” Welcome to Rule 34, a series in which Motherboard’s Samantha Cole lovingly explores the highly specific fetishes that can be found on the web. If you’ve thought of it, someone’s jerked off to it.

The links in this article may be considered NSFW.

Dahlia Drake's most memorable moment of exhibitionist sex involved fucking against a parked car at 2 a.m. It was dark, but she and her partner were in full view of a business's security cameras.

"We got out, started making out, and things got hot and heavy quickly, and we ended up having sex against the side of the car as well as on the hood of the car," she told me. "The idea of risking getting caught sends an adrenaline rush and really gets people hot and bothered. It’s that excitement that interests people and really gets them into it. Personally, I don’t think there’s anything more thrilling than performing a lewd act in a very public area."

As a cam model, Drake is used to showing off her sexuality in front of others. Usually, this means performing in front of a small audience watching a stream, or sending videos and pictures to paying customers. On her own time, however, she enjoys getting lewd in public.

"The main reason I do it isn’t necessarily because fans request it, but because I legitimately enjoy public play," she said.

"It makes sex into an adventure and that adventure ends in passion," Raven Risque, an art model and fetish model who often plays publicly, told me. "You are nervous and scared but delighted and turned on… Everything feels heightened because of the adrenaline of being caught, of being seen. Sometimes I even want to be seen."

Every once in a while, a video of people getting intimate in public goes viral. Tabloids pick it up, and suddenly everyone has an opinions about public sex. Last month, it was a duo on a New York City subway platform. In the past, it's been bus riders, a guy with his ass out trying to copulate with a pile of leaves, or Yankees fans.

Sex in public can be fun. It can be gross, regrettable, thrilling, passionate, and inadvisable all at once. But in a time when everyone has a smartphone ready to record or post your sexcapades to the internet, it's a lot harder to get away with it without going viral.

FUCK THE CAR, CALL THE COPS

In 2018, a drunk Kansas man refused to stop fucking the tailpipe of a car until someone tased him. Was he horny for cars, confusing the car with a person's orifice, turned on by the public nature of the car-fuckery, or just very drunk? It doesn't matter—he was charged with "lewd and lascivious behavior." Because in this country you can't fuck anything, let alone someone else's vehicle, in broad daylight.

If you're going by the rule of law in the U.S., your right to have sex outdoors varies from state to state. In most states, sex in public is a misdemeanor under public lewdness and indecency laws, but the definitions of "public" and "lewd" vary, and are often ambiguous. For example, in 1991, a New York court ruled that sex in a car wasn't considered sex in public unless passers-by could see it from outside.

Sex on the beach, while logistically difficult, is one of the most common fetishes, according to some polls—despite being super illegal if you're on a public beach. The 1953 classic From Here to Eternity may have set the mold for sensual beach scenes, spawning a whole trope for romance films.

Pop culture tends to draw a hard line between this dreamy, passionate, thrill-of-the-moment public sex, and "exhibitionism," which conjures images of a man in a trenchcoat flashing people, or nudism and extreme extroversion. But the desire to toe that line—to dawdle in the possibility of getting caught, but not too brazenly—is a common fantasy.

Justin Lehmiller, a research fellow at the Kinsey Institute, surveyed more than 4,000 Americans about their sexual fantasies during research for his book Tell Me What You Want . Forty-two percent of participants reported fantasies of having sex in public. But the majority of those who described public sex as their all-time favorite sexual fantasy said that shocking other people wasn't the goal.

"Rather, what turned them on was the idea that either (1) they could potentially be observed, but weren’t actually being observed, or (2) that other people might watch, but would enjoy what they were seeing," Lehmiller said. "In other words, most people with public sex fantasies don’t want to do something non-consensual, which makes them different from the clinical exhibitionists—the ones who get off on other people’s shocked or disgusted reactions."

David Ley, a clinical psychologist who specializes in sexuality, told me that it's important to distinguish between public sex as a fantasy, and exhibitionism for the sake of shocking others without their consent. "The place where this becomes a problem, illegal and disordered, is when people violate the rights of others, forcing them to observe their sexual behaviors without consent," Ley said. Exhibitionist disorder is clinically diagnosable, according to the DSM-5, and is defined as "exposing one’s genitals to an unsuspecting person or performing sexual acts that can be watched by others."

Public sex is primal and natural in an unnatural world that looks down on public intimacy.

"In assessment and treatment of these issues, I tend to be more interested in the levels of empathy, impulse control and antisocial tendencies, than in the sexual fantasy itself," Ley said. "Someone who is doesn’t care about the rights of others, the possibility of being arrested and charged as a sex offender, or potentially exposing children to their sexual behaviors, are the people I worry about."

Most people don't take their fantasies that far, or even want to. A public sex enthusiast named Lukas (who spoke under the condition of anonymity—this aspect of his sex life is illegal, after all) told me that although he likes to play outside, it's not because he might get caught. The best sex he's had was while hiking in New Zealand with his girlfriend.

"I like feeling peacefully connected to the world during sex, and nature gives me that," he said. "When having sex in nature, I worry about being caught, because whoever catches me would probably not feel happy about it. Being transgressive can be part of the thrill for me, but only against perceived rules, not some passerby. Under ideal circumstances, I’m in a spot where there is no real risk of getting caught and I don’t have to worry about it."

Many people don't even take it farther than their browsers. Searching "public sex" on most porn sites returns hundreds of pages of videos featuring people doing it in cars, on beaches, in parks, at festivals, parties, and bars. There's even a video from circa 2011 of two people having sex during a skydive. Even if most people don't actually have sex in public, it's clear that many of us find the fantasy appealing. On Pornhub, one of the most visited porn sites, Public Agent and Fake Taxi, two porn channels focused on public sex, are the fifth and sixth most popular channels, where they've gained billions of views.

But sex in public isn't just a sandy daydream, and it's often not a perverse or malicious thrill, either. For a lot of people, it's a reality of life.

WHO IS PERMITTED TO FUCK IN PUBLIC?

Unlike blueberry porn or farts-as-fetish, exhibitionist sex is a topic that brings up a lot of questions about capitalism, bigotry, and class struggle. In order to have a conversation about sex in public, we have to discuss who is privileged to enjoy this kink as a fun, potentially-risky taboo, and who can't.

There are the issues surrounding class inequalities that likely result in many of the videos of public sex gone viral. Many homeless shelters segregate genders and don't allow couples, even same-sex couples, to stay together—who then face the choice of separation or living on the street.

How to define "public space" (and how the inside of a car isn't, until it's in someone's view) is a legal question, but it's also a cultural and societal one. Hostile architecture, like spiked wall edges or sloped benches, makes it impossible to simply sit and chill—let alone cuddle up with another person. Pseudo-public courtyards and parks creep into the few shreds of commons we have left, and those areas aren't policed by the local government but by private security guards. These places are often not public to people who have nowhere else to go, and who aren't the types that those private developers want to attract.

Then there's the not-unrelated topic of survival sex, and the ways being a sex worker in public spaces is policed and criminalized, especially in the U.S. After the 2018 passage of FOSTA, a bill that made platforms liable for sexual solicitation, sex workers were pushed offline and public places were the only option for many sex workers to make what they needed to survive. This, obviously, isn't kink—it's oppression.

Public sex is also fraught in terms of queer history: Who is allowed to display their sexuality in public, without repercussions? Gay men, especially, have been stereotyped as being promiscuous in public places, and have been treated with suspicion in bathrooms or for simply being in public places after dark. This might sound like a shameful relic from the 90s George Michael era, but police still launch massive undercover stings to entrap gay men and charge them for "lewd acts."

Sex and gender activist Gayle S. Rubin grapples with similar questions in Culture, Society and Sexuality in 1998—and also hints at the ways we're surveilling ad censoring each other can be in the same vein of class brutality as landlords and cops:

"The general public helps to penalize erotic nonconformity when, according to the values they have been taught, landlords refuse housing, neighbors call in the police, and hoodlums commit sanctioned battery. The ideologies of erotic inferiority and sexual danger decrease the power of sex perverts and sex workers in social encounters of all kinds."

In part, the culture that vilifies things like cruising or simply displaying queer sexuality in public forced them, too—it's sometimes the only place the queer community can enjoy the anonymity and relative safety of the commons, outside of oppressive and bigoted households or neighborhoods.

Sex work activist Liara Roux told me in a Twitter message that when they were a teen, before coming out, it was the only option to explore their sexuality.

"I was so worried my parents would kick me out if they caught me doing anything so there was no way I was doing anything at my house or at my friends' houses," they said.

Roux said they've had numerous experiences with public play since then. "Usually it's me fingering another girl in a public place where it can look like nothing is going on! Like sticking fingers up a skirt when they are wearing nothing underneath," they said. "Once my partner fingered me on the BART coming home from SFO after a long trip, was very hot… And one of my favorites was sticking my foot into another girls pussy under the table while we were drinking tea at a very tranquil teahouse."

People assume they're platonic friends and don't look more closely than that, they said.

Just because sex forced into the wild is a complex topic doesn't negate the existence of sex in the wild for the sake of celebration. But to do it properly, you'll want to stake out the right spots, and ride the thrill in a reasonable, respectful way—ultimately, away from the suspicious and unsuspecting eyes of the public.

"It can be done easily or it can take much planning," Risque said. "I've been in moments of sheer lust that I don't care where I am, the clothes must come off. And other times it's a date with someone I love. We plan a day of it… Public sex is primal and natural in an unnatural world that looks down on public intimacy, nudity and sex in general. So for me it brings me into my animal nature in a way I thought lost to me."

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