#wings over houston

[gremlins-hotel]

#callsign gremlin checking in #gremlin’s things with wings #wings over houston #aviation #usaf thunderbirds #b 17 flying fortress #f 35 lightning ii #f 35a #f 16 fighting falcon #b 25 mitchell #air show

[writingquestionsanswered]

I'm realizing the amount of research I have to do for this year's NaNoWriMo novel (which is a lot), so do you have any tips on doing efficient research for stories?

NaNoWriMo: Efficient Story Research

1 - Go General First

Let's say you're writing a story about a fictional astronaut in the 1960s. It can be tempting to just research everything about being an astronaut, being an astronaut in the 1960s, the 1960s in general, life in Houston, the history of Johnson Space Center, what Kennedy Space Center was like in the 60s, and so on... But there's going to be a lot of data there that never actually makes it into your story. So, a good place to start would be to read a short general overview of those things just so they're in your head. Then...

2 - Get Specific for the Needs of Your Story

Next, look at your plot outline or scene list and make notes about specific details you'll need to know about. For example, if you have a scene that takes place in Johnson Space Center, you may need to research the specific building where that scene takes place and get an idea of what it might have been like in the 1960s. Or, let's say you have a scene where your character is doing some sort of simulation to train ahead of the mission... you would need to research astronaut training in the 1960s to find out what kind of simulation they might be doing for training, or if you already know, you can research that specific simulation. But, you don't need to learn everything there is to know about astronaut training in the 1960s unless all of those things make an appearance in your story somehow.

3 - Placeholders Are Your Friends

Most important of all, just remember your first draft isn't your final draft... you don't need to have every single fact fleshed out before you start writing. If you're writing and you get to something that needs to be researched, put in a placeholder so you can research it later. You can literally type [placeholder] or you can just wing it, and correct whatever you come up with later on with something more factual. Either way, placeholders help ensure you don't spend a lot of time researching things you don't actually need to know about.

4 - Watch Out for Rabbit Holes

You're writing this story because the subject matter interests you, but interesting subject matter can lead us to fall down rabbit holes when we're researching. When that happens, it can be easy to justify it as research, but if you find yourself falling down one while researching, ask yourself, "Will any of this make an appearance in my story? Does it help me understand the subject matter more as a writer?" If not, back out of the rabbit hole immediately.

5 - Break It Up/Get Organized

It can really help to break your research down according to your story. Like, all the things you need to research for Act I, Act II, Act III... or maybe by character or setting. By breaking the research up into like parts in this way, it forces you to sift through it all more thoughtfully and makes you really think about what you actually need to know and spend time researching.

I hope that helps!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

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[ladyelissarose]

‘My Desert Flower’

Jake Seresin x girlfriend reader - nickname, ‘Poppy’

 Warnings? FLUFFFFFFF

Summary: After coming home early from deployment overseas, Jake is happy to come home to Texas to surprise his favorite girl as they celebrate his mommas birthday 

  Jake Seresin had just gone back from overseas after a successful mission, but, the thing was that he had arrived on land much earlier than scheduled. They were planning to be home until two weeks later.  

 So with that said, he figured that he’d give his family and girlfriend, Poppy, a good surprise. All his wing buddies agreed  to drive him to the airport, and the whole way there they teased him about being a softie when it came to talking about his girlfriend, the green in his eyes shone so brightly and his cheeks gave off a light pink shade of color, he looked and acted like a crushing high school boy. From seeing this look on Jake, Bradley and Natasha concluded that he was head over heels for his girl. Javy and Reuben tried to mimic Poppy’s voice to tease Jake and call him pet names. Bob and Mickey just laughed and went along, they were too shy to emerge, but had fun either way. But Jake laughed the most and was all happy smiles, because it was true, Jake was deeply in love with his sweet girl Poppy. He met her while she was taking a trip in San Diego, and she had stopped by to say ‘Hi’ to Penny who was a best friend but also her babysitter from when she was a little girl. But what was supposed to be a short ‘Hi and Bye’ soon led to her staying the whole afternoon till evening as she chatted happily while catching up, but that’s when her eyes landed on the tall blond man who had walked in with a fitted black t-shirt and some aviators hanging low on his nose, then her ears fell for his sweet and flirtatious words as he kindly and respectfully greeted everyone around him, including her. Poppy had tried to play off her interest in him for most of the night, but the minute Jake asked for her number, she didn’t even hesitate to say yes. But she was quick to explain that she was only in San Diego for short time, but that’s when Jake asked where she came from, and in that moment he knew that he’d have for for a long time. Poppy explained to him that she came from Houston, Texas to be exact. Jake immediately told her that he was born and raised there too, and that maybe there they could get to know each other more, and see where they went with that. Which soon turned out to be 3 years in a wonderful relationship, Jake loved his girl, she was loyal and caring, always waited for Jake to come back, sent gifts and necessities overseas to him and his fellow sailors, even spent lots of time with his family to stay close and get to know them more too. Poppy had a masters in child development, and worked as a teacher for adorable preschoolers. All this he shared about her to his friends, and was grateful to see how happy they were for him. But Jake was more excited to know that soon he’d be able to see her again, as he said his goodbyes to his fellow aviators, and received loud smooches on his cheeks by Natasha and Javy who couldn’t stop the teasing. Jake promised them that soon they could all meet up and he’d introduce Poppy to them, and that only made his wing buddies all more mushy and playful with Jake, but deep down they actually were more than anything happy for him. When they first got to know him, Jake was the kind of guy that only did one-night-stands and didn’t know how to commit to relationships. But they also witnessed the day that changed, which was the night he laid eyes on Poppy at Hard Deck, while she twirled and danced to Bradley playing the piano with happy tunes and helped serve everyone to ease some work off of Penny’s shoulders that very night. 

Taking the plane was the fastest way to get home, but Jake still felt like it took forever to get there, what in reality was like maybe 2 and a half hours, Jake felt like he had been in the damn plane allllll day. But finally once he arrived at the airport in Houston, he changed his uniform khakis into his favorite button down orange shirt and Levi jeans along with his cowboy boots. As much as Jake loved to be seen in his Naval apparel, he loved his cowboy apparel more, it made him feel at ease and at home, knowing that not anytime soon he’d be called back, for now he could forget it. Jake had left his favorite cowboy hat home with his girl, so she could take care of it while he was gone he had told her, and knowing how careful and protective Poppy was with all his stuff, he was sure she did. Once he was changed and refreshed, Jake took a cab to go to his girls house, his initial plan was to surprise her there first before going to his family’s house. So in between telling his driver the ‘Can you go a little faster?’ - ‘the light was yellow you could’ve gone’ and trying to be nice at the same time was kind of a hard deal for Jake when he desperately wanted to get home. Much to his surprise though when he finally got home, was that his old red Chevy truck sat in the drive way just fine, but Poppy’s black ‘67 Mustang wasn’t there. He got off the cab after paying the driver well, and went straight to the door and found the key under the mat where his girl had left there for him, which in that mere moment it sent him warm butterflies in his chest, to know that she had kept that there for him, letting him know that he was always welcome, whenever. When he walked in her house, an aroma waving a scent of fresh flowers and its sweet nectar hit his nose, along with her natural body’s scent, which was so addictive to Jake. But he also caught a whiff of what smelled like carrot cake? He knew his girl loved to bake, but was disappointed when he didn’t find the source of the smell. Though He straightaway went to the fridge where he knew she’d have her to-do list hanging on it, which would tell him what her plans were for today. And he was right when he read on the paper in her lovely handwriting,

  ‘To-do list for today:

 By Momma Seresin some flowers.

By her birthday present.

 Bake the cake. 

Leave at 5:00 to help decorate at the Seresin Ranch at 5:30’

  Jake checked the large white clock that hung on the wall near by and it read, ‘5:10’

 He smacked his forehead slightly as he thought,

  ‘Damn it I just missed her!! It’s my moms birthday! Shoot I didn’t forget... but I did.. ok ok, let’s just go and surprise them there! Now where are my keyssss... oh there they are!!’

  On the key rack Jake found his truck keys, with a new, small charm on it, the Texas Longhorn symbol dangled from the chain, he realized that his girl must of gotten it for him while he was gone, knowing that he was a HUGE fan and had wanted one sense he saw it at the local gas station. It made his heart swell for the sweet things she did for him, it showed him that she really cared and remembered the little things about him. 

After hopping into his truck and relishing in its familiarity it for a few minutes, he turned it on and grew a huge smile when the motor roared to life, showing him that though it was old, it still worked like magic. While driving down the familiar streets of Houston, he drummed his steering wheel to his favorite tunes that played on repeat, which was unknown to everyone except his girl, was actually Taylor Swift’s album ‘Red’. He was currently jamming to ‘I Knew You Were Trouble’ as he finally found the dirt road that led him to the Seresin Ranch. He as always liked to roll down his windows so he could coo and call out to every cow and goat he passed, it was a habit no one could pull him out of, but he enjoyed it greatly when they replied back to him in their animalistic language. He could feel the breeze that grazed and brushed against his skin as he continued down the road, he let his hand hang out the window as his fingers drummed against the door. The sun let out its golden shade, and painted the sky beautifully above him, which the clouds danced in every color as they began turning into different ones as the seconds passed. Soon the Ranches Red Barn came into view, and he found several familiar cars parked in the grassy driveway, one which was his girls Black Mustang. He parked his truck in front of the open barn yard, which showed the lights and tables that were set up, he liked how it looked so homey and beautiful. Turning off his truck he looked around and saw a ladder that stood in the middle of the open place, right under what looked like a large lamp filled with dangling lights in mason jars. He thought that maybe it was his pops that was doing the job, but he was so wrong when he saw the woman of his dreams skipping into sight with a box of lightbulbs in her hands. She wore a gorgeous, white sun dress with her tall brown cowgirl boots that Jake had bought her for her birthday. Her hair was curled and bounced loosely, and set on top of her head, was Jake’s favorite cowboy hat. Taking in such a sight for his sore eyes, just about made Jake drool onto the steering wheel he leaned on while watching. He smiled to himself when he heard her singing with a sweet melody, he couldn’t quite catch the words, but it sounded like ‘Shake It Off’, another Taylor Swift hit that Jake had fallen for because of his girl. She twirled and danced, moving her hips softly, like if she was imagining that she was dancing with her loved one. 

As much as Jake could stay there for hours watching her be herself, in the freedom and fresh air of the Seresin Ranch, his anxious heart couldn’t wait to be in her arms any second longer. Opening his door and closing it softly so he wouldn’t be heard just yet, Jake then fixed his shirt and his hair, making sure he looked fixed and smelled good, then checked his pants and boots, once satisfied he finally agreed to himself that he was ready to be seen by his girl. Though he knew that she didn’t care how he looked or smelled, it could be him wearing his flight suit while smelling like sweat and jet fuel, or like the cows when they spent the summer with his family at the Ranch, she always hugged him tightly and kissed his chest over his heart then his lips. While walking closer he realized she was singing a different song, as she still danced slowly, he caught her words as she went on sweetly,

  “Say you remember me.. standing in a nice dress staring at the sunset babe... red lips and rosy cheeks.. say you’ll see me a-gain even if it’s in your-“

  “wiiiiildest dreams..-“ 

  “OH MY GOD!!”

 Jakes intentions were to collaborate with Poppy and go on singing, but he actually startled her which made her gasp and drop the whole box of lightbulbs as she held her chest to hold her heart from jumping out from fear. Her and Jake quickly reacted to pick up the bulbs and kinda forgot about the realization of seeing each other again as they chucked and apologized,

  “I’m sorry I scared you-“

 “No no it’s ok, I didn’t realize you had arrived- woah wait-“

  She then stopped mid sentence as she took in Jakes presence, then squealed when she fully realized that he was actually there,

 “JAKE!!”

 Poppy unexpectedly threw herself in Jakes arms to which he let out an ‘omff!’ while almost hitting the ground. But quickly he composed himself and held onto her tightly as he stood up and held her feet above ground. She squeezed her arms around his neck as she pressed a ton of kisses on his head, Jake kissed her head too as he smelled her citrus scented hair, and relished in it, happy to know that she was actually and finally in his arms. He then heard her voice say with a sniff,

  “Welcome home honey.. I really missed you.. and didn’t think you’d be here today.”

 Jake squeezed her hips as he cooed,

  “Awe sweetheart.. I’m right here.. don’t cry ok? I’m not going anywhere for a long time.”

 “Please don’t... I miss you all the time.”

  “So do I baby girl.”

He then gently put her down and detached his hands from her hips so he could delicately hold her face, he kissed her nose before saying,

 “You look so pretty in my hat.. let’s all the guys know that I’m yours.”

  Shyly giggling Poppy touched the charm on the hat that had Jakes first and last name imprinted. Jake then grabbed her hand and kissed her fingers as she asked him,

  “You came home early?”

 Nodding proudly he replied,

  “I did.. our mission was a complete success and done ahead of schedule.. so that earned us plenty of time off.”

 Her eyes glistened with excitement as she asked,

  “How long?”

With a million dollar smile Jake cheered,

  “4 whole months!”

 Gasping with glee she jumped in Jake’s arms again, to which he began to twirl her around as they laughed happily. 

  Later that evening, once everyone knew that Jake was home and welcomed him back gratefully, his momma then let the party begin. Roars of cheers and laughter could be hear everywhere, along with the younger nieces and nephews running around chasing after the lose chickens and baby goats that were desperate for them to go home and leave them be, (except when they were fed off the table by the little kids of course.) After eating a hearty steak that Jake’s pops and older brother grilled, the tasty macaroni and fruit salads his aunt put together, and lastly his girls special carrot cake with homemade vanilla ice cream, everyone was called to the dance floor after letting the food settle down. Country music began to fill in the atmosphere, as a couple of talented uncles and cousins played their favorite instruments. It was traditional that they danced all together for every celebration or party, so it wasn’t awkward when they all began to move in sync with the same dancing choreography as they took in the music like air to the lungs. Jake was quick to take his girls hand as they danced in their boots hand in hand, he lived off the smile she gave every second, and she lived off his laughter that was more than music to her ears. The jolly and upbeat music had everyone sweating and gasping for air once it came to an end, as they had been jumping, twirling, and moving the entire time. As the evening passed, it was time to settle down, so softer music began to play, a few went back to sit down, others chatted by the fruit and drink bars, while very few still swayed on the dance floor. Jake still wanted to dance in his girls arms, but he noticed how she kept moving her feet uncomfortably, so he asked her what was wrong in her ear wondering,

 “What’s the matter baby girl?”

 She looked up to him from under the hat as she said shyly,

  “My boots are beginning to hurt my feet.. but I really want to dance to this last song with you.”

Jake understandingly took her hand and led her away, but before she could protest, he sat on a chair and sat her on his knee as he began to take off her boots. Poppy was afraid that she’d be judged for having Jake take off her boots like that in the open, but felt a rush of relief as she watched him rubbed her feet lovingly, then placed her boots under his chair so no one would step on them.  

  Poppy continued to worry about his caring choice of actions, but soon forgot about those thoughts when he stood her up and walked her back to the dance floor as he said instructively,

  “Stand on my boots, baby.”

 Looking for reassurance in his green eyes once again while trying to tilt her head back so she could see him properly from under the hat she asked,

  “what?-“

  “Stand on my boots honey. Come on.”

 Sense his boots were kinda soft on the top, it wasn’t uncomfortable when she stood on them, her small feet actually fit quite perfectly on them. He then held her waist tightly as he said sweetly,

  “Hold onto my neck so you don’t fall ok? I’m going to move slowly. I got you.”

  When she did as he said, she immediately felt safe and sound in his arms, as they began to sway in complete sync. Laying her head on Jakes chest after placing her kiss on his heart, she felt him take a deep breath before saying,

  “I’m so grateful for you... you’re always so faithful and sweet, and always helping my family when I’m not here. That means a lot to me you know that?”

 Lifting her head up to him, caused him to chuckle when his hat fell on her eyes again, so he quickly said,

  “Put the hat on my head baby, I’ll hold it for you.”

 Taking the hat off she brushed his hair back before settling it on his head as she replied to him,

  “Your family is my family Jake, no matter what. I’ll always be here, wait for you, support you, and love you. Ok?”

  Jake tried to hold it in, but couldn’t help the fact that his eyes either way teared up. Her words meant more to him than anything else, as he remember where they started. Jake had met his girl in the worst time of her life, she had decided to leave her family after being treated and used so poorly, which was a hard decision for her to make, because she didn’t have anyone to fall back on. She had gone to Penny hoping she’d help. (which she did of course, Penny wasn’t one to leave anyone behind.) Poppy was like a desert flower that had been left alone, waiting to be given water, given love so she could flourish, and Jake was the one to do just that. He never plucked her out of her place, but instead made her surroundings more durable and safe, and planted himself next to her, so they could grow together. Penny was the only one at the time that gave her a safe place, but when they began their relationship, Jake was happy and quick to want to take Poppy under his wing, but he gave her the time to know him first and see that she could trust him. Which soon she did when they bought a little house in Fighter Town. But when Jake and her made the choice to make their relationship more serious, he knew she was afraid to meet his family, he had heard all her sad stories of how she was poorly treated by family, but he was confident to know that his family would never hurt or reject her, which was something she had to see to believe. So as time had passed and she got to know them more, Poppy began to always make plans to go be with them, and that’s when Jake saw that she finally trusted them and him fully, and he couldn’t be happier. Pressing a tender kiss to his lips she then wiped his eyes carefully as she confessed,

  “I love you so so much.”

Lifting her up slightly off his boots so she could be at his eye level, Jake replied,

  “I’m very proud of you.. and I love you so so much too.”

  They pulled each other into a hug, and felt complete with one another, knowing that no matter how alone or dry the desert might be around them, as long as they had each other and loved, they’d be more than just fine, they’d be one another’s desert flowers. 

 Later that night, the warm summer breeze still filled the atmosphere, and by then everyone had retreated to their homes and comfy destinations, all except for Jake and his girl, who rested in the bed of his truck laying on thick white comforters while watching the stars above, which painted the sky beautifully. Poppy’s leg was thrown over Jake’s waist as she hugged him and laid her head on his chest, as Jake had his arm wrapped around her too, and he used the other hand to hold onto her thigh that was on his waist. He felt so much happier as he began to hear the soft snores coming from her pretty lips, it confirmed that no matter where they were, she trusted him to keep her safe in his arms, even in the put and opened, right beneath the stars that gave off a low light, that illuminated her skin. Jake then carefully moved his arm away from her thigh to pull the extra blanket on top of them, to keep them covered and comfortable, but Poppy either way woke up and lifted her head off his chest due to his shifting, but sent him a warm smile when she realized that he had covered them both. Tilting her head down to meet his lips with hers, they brushed together as she sighed happily,

  “I’m so happy you’re my family Jake, you love and take care of me, and make me feel super safe.”

 Lifting his head up slightly to press a firm kiss to Poppy’s lips, Jake replied,

  “And I’m happy you trust me. And believe me Poppy, I’ll protect your life with mine at all costs, I’ll keep the birds and bugs away from my desert flower, and I’ll make sure she blooms and flourishes like no other. You stand out in a desert, you follow the sun no matter the season, you give life in a place others only thought could give nothing.”

  Poppy’s tears landed on Jakes cheek then rolled down slowly as she took in his sweet words, it was rare when he said something so deep and meaningful, because he didn’t always know how to word out his passionate love for her. But she wiped his cheek gently with her fingers as she asked shyly,

 “I’m your desert flower baby?”

 Nodding while kissing her one last time before holding the back of her head to lay her down on his chest, Jake confidently said and promised,

  “You’ll always be my desert flower, strong and beautiful, the only one. And I’ll forever make sure you stay planted on good land and grow. I’ll always keep you flourishing and safe.”

  Squeezing his waist tightly Poppy awed,

 “You’re so amazing... thank you.”

 Keeping his hand on her head while the other held her tight Jake cooed,

  “And you’re my wonderful baby... I love you.”

“I love you too, honey.”

 Silence soon fell upon the two, as nature continued to treat them with its nice, warm breeze, settling in for them to have a nice, and peaceful night. Both in the comfort and safety of one another’s arms, they were lulled to sleep by the sound of one another’s heartbeats and soft sounds of nature that surrounded and embraced them lovingly.

#jake hangman x y/n #jake hangman x reader #jake hangman seresin #jake seresin x reader #jake seresin #jake seresin x oc #hangman seresin x reader #hangman headcanons #hangman x you #hangman x reader #hangman blurb #jake hangman seresin x reader #jake hangman fic #jake hangman x you #jake hangman imagine #top gun hangman #hangman fluff #jake seresin fluff #jake seresin fanfiction

[sissylittlefeather]

Hey @mysteriouslymagicalwolf! I definitely got carried away with this one and wrote a whole ass fic. I hope you enjoy it!

Birthday Girl

Warnings: 18+ MINORS DNI, kissing, cussing, fingering, oral sex (f receiving), masturbation (m), ejaculation

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

You're late.

You hate being late, but since you've become a mom, it seems like it gets harder and harder to get anywhere on time. And now with the divorce, it's even worse than before. Not only do you have to get Jeffrey ready to go, you have to try to convince him to stay with his dad.

Tonight was particularly difficult for some reason and it couldn't have been a worse night for Jeffrey to have a complete meltdown. It's your birthday, your 30th birthday, and you saved up for months for these tickets to Elvis's show in Houston. You don't really have any friends left, since most of them were wives of your husband's army buddies, so you decided to go alone.

It would've been fine. But you're late. And it's dark and he's half way through Bridge Over Troubled Water already and you cannot find your seat. The ushers have disappeared, so it's on you to find it but you just can't. The reality of everything in your life comes crashing down on you all at once and you just fall to your knees in the aisle and cry. You cry because you're alone, your husband doesn't love you anymore, your kid is melting down at every little thing, you've been looking forward to this concert for months and now you've missed half of it, you can't find your seat, and it's your goddamn birthday.

You're sitting in the aisle sobbing when the house lights come up. You look up suddenly, eyes red with tears, and somehow he sees you from the stage. The last thing you needed was to be noticed, much less by him, so you bury your face in your hands in shame and your shoulders quake with sobs.

"Honey, c'mere." Surely he isn't talking to you. "In the aisle, come up here. Y'all go get her."

He gestures for the security guards to go get you and bring you to him. When you realize what's going on, you're paralyzed and they have to half-carry you up to the stage.

"Bring her up." The security guards lift you so that he can reach you to talk to you from the stage. When he realizes how upset you are, he puts the mic on the ground and kneels down to be as close to your level as he can be.

"Honey, what's goin' on? Are you alright?" He speaks to you as softly as possible with the crowd noise. His voice is gentle and smooth. Elvis is used to fans falling apart when they see him, but he senses that this is different. You look up at him in shock.

"I-I'm fine."

"You don't look fine, sweetheart. What's got you so upset?" You take a deep breath and try to decide how much you should tell him. But then it all comes pouring out of you.

"It's my birthday. And I was late because my kid had a meltdown because he didn't want to stay with my ex and now I can't find my seat and I'm sorry I was just so excited to finally see you and I spent so much money and now I missed half the concert and I'm alone and it's my birthday and I'm so sorry to bother you."

He listens attentively and then reaches out to put his hand on your cheek, wiping away some of the tears with his thumb.

"You're not botherin' me, honey. Don't you worry about that. Here." He grabs the mic and turns to the wings of the stage. "Joe, get this girl a chair and put it on the front row."

"You really don't have to-" He puts the mic down to talk to you again while Joe fetches a chair and adds it to the front row for you.

"Yes, I do. You can sit in that seat. And also..." He reaches into his boot and pulls out a key, pressing it into your palm. "This is my hotel room key. I'm at the Hilton, room 1614. You come to me tonight and we'll celebrate. You deserve a real birthday."

"I can't take up your time like that-"

"You're not taking anything, honey, I'm offering it." He pulls the scarf from his neck, throws it around you and uses it to pull you into a kiss, pressing his lips against yours gently. "I have to get back to the show. I'll see you later."

He nods to the security guards, who lower you back to the ground and guide you to the chair Joe added for you. Elvis picks up the mic and goes right back into his concert. He makes eye contact with you throughout the rest of the show, like he's doing this just for you, even winking a couple of times. You blush every time, but your resolve gets stronger to go to his hotel and see him after the show. If nothing else, you have to thank him for taking the time to be kind to you.

******

After the show, you sit in your car in the parking lot of the Hilton trying to decide if this is crazy or amazing. Eventually, you come to the conclusion that it's a little of both, but you'd be stupid not to at least see what happens. Besides, it's your birthday. What do you really have to lose?

When you find yourself at the door, you're not sure what to do. You have a key, but just walking in seems rude. You settle for knocking and wait to see if he's there. After a few seconds, he opens the door still in his jumpsuit, but without the belt.

"Oh! It's you!" He closes the door quickly, leaving you outside. You stand there shocked, not sure if you should leave or stay. When you're just about to turn around and leave, he opens the door again. In his hand, he's holding a small plate with a cupcake on it, a single candle burning on top. He ushers you into the room and begins to sing Happy Birthday. You absolutely melt at his excitement. He gets to the part where he's supposed to say your name and stops, looking at you expectantly.

"Oh! Y/n."

"Happy birthday dear y/n. Happy birthday to you!" He finishes the song with a flourish and then holds the cupcake up for you to make a wish. You close your eyes and smile and then blow the candle out. He cheers and laughs and then sets the cupcake on the table.

"Happy birthday, baby." He puts his arm around your waist and kisses your cheek.

"Thank you. That was great." You turn and look up into his face and there's some kind of electricity building between you. You look down at the cupcake to break the tension, picking it up and pulling the candle out. He watches you with an amused look on his face as you take a bite. The icing gets all over your lips, so you run your tongue over the top and giggle. Something inside him flip flops when you do. For some reason, he finds you unbearably endearing. You miss a spot of icing on the side of your mouth, though.

"Oh, honey, you got..." He uses his thumb to wipe the side of your mouth and then licks the icing off. "That's pretty good."

You dip your finger in the icing and put it in your mouth. The icing is sweet and decadent and it's your favorite part of a cupcake anyway.

"Lemme get some more of that." You dip your finger in the icing again and offer it to him. He holds your hand and puts your finger in his mouth, sucking gently and sending a shiver down your spine. You feel your center get a little wetter with the sensation of his mouth around your finger. He backs off of you, but keeps holding your hand, opening your palm and pressing his lips there. Turning you towards him, he slips a hand around your back and pulls you in close to him. He speaks softly.

"I'd like to give you something else for your birthday, if you want it." He leans forward and kisses you deeply, parting your lips with his and sliding his tongue into your mouth. You sink into the kiss, letting your arms find their way around his neck. He pulls back a little, hovering with his lips just above yours, and whispers.

"I will go as far as you want me to. You can tell me to stop at any time. Otherwise, I'll just keep on going."

"Elvis?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't stop." You don't have to tell him twice. He dives back into kissing you passionately, his tongue dancing against yours. His hands roam over your body, touching your hips and your sides and your ass and your breasts. He reaches back behind your thighs and lifts you so that your legs are around his waist, carrying you over to the bed. He crawls onto the bed and lays you down, kissing your neck down to your cleavage. Moving down your body, he slides his hands up your thighs under your mini dress.

"Can I take this off?" You nod fervently.

"Yes, please." He slides his hands up your body and pulls your dress off, dropping it on the floor next to the bed. He kisses back down to the place where your bra meets the skin of your breast. Pulling it down a little, he exposes your nipple, dragging his tongue around it. His hand goes around behind your back to undo your bra and he removes that quickly too. He continues to explore and worship your body with his mouth and hands.

"You're so beautiful, honey." He kisses down your stomach to the top of your panties and whispers into your skin. "I wanna taste you."

You whimper and lift your hips as he hooks his fingers under the sides of your panties and drags them down your legs and off. Then, he unzips his jumpsuit all the way down, pulling out his rock hard cock. He lays with his head on the pillows and grabs your hips.

"C'mere, honey." You scoot over to him and he situates your hips over his face so that he has easy access to you. He uses one hand to guide your pussy down to his mouth and the other to stroke himself. Then, he pushes his tongue into you a few times before licking up to your clit and settling there. He drags his tongue over and around you eagerly, like your pussy is his last meal. He lets his tongue flick your clit softly for a bit before you groan and grind into his face. Then, he puts his whole tongue on you again, licking you hard. You feel the rush of your orgasm gathering in your hips as he stops stroking himself and uses two fingers to slide inside you and pump in and out quickly. He tickles your g-spot and continues to move his mouth on you.

"Oh, fuck, Elvis!" You moan loudly and slam your hand on the hotel room wall as you cum hard in his mouth. The vibrating ecstasy reverberates through you like bolts of electricity. But he doesn't stop. No, he just keeps on licking you and finger fucking you until you cum again a second time. When you try to pull off of him, he holds your thighs.

"No, honey, you got one more in ya. I'm gonna get you there." You whimper, sweat running down your chest. His hair is wet with sweat too, since he's still in his jumpsuit. You look down at him with his face buried in your pussy and he's beautiful with his eyes closed. He moves his hand back to his cock, where he pumps himself as he licks you. Your third orgasm slams into you, exploding in your veins like firecrackers and making your legs shake, knocking out the hearing in your left ear. You feel him shudder underneath you and realize that he's cumming too, shooting his release out onto his hand. Finally, his body relaxes with yours.

He can tell you're exhausted, so he releases your thighs, letting you fall sideways off of him to lay on the bed.

"Happy birthday, honey." His words slur a little from the use of his tongue. You look down at him where he's made a mess on his hand and the crotch of his jumpsuit.

"You didn't have to do that. I could've-"

"No, honey, tonight was about you. I didn't want you worryin' about me." You turn to look at him and he kisses your forehead. "Was that a good birthday?"

"I think that was the best birthday I've ever had."

"You wanna stay? I can give you more in the morning." You smile and nod.

"Under one condition, though."

"What is that?"

"Let me take care of you tomorrow." He smiles.

"I think I can make that happen."

"Good." You roll out of bed and get him a towel from the bathroom to clean himself up. He stands up to strip off the suit and you hear him groan.

"What?"

"I was supposed to wear this tomorrow night. And I made a mess of it." You laugh and lay down on the bed. He finishes taking the suit off and climbs into bed with you, pulling you in close to him and pressing his naked body against yours. "Worth it for my birthday girl."

He kisses your cheek and holds you as you both drift off to sleep.

Looks like wishes made on birthday candles do come true.

******

The End

#elvis presley #elvis presley fanfiction #elvis fanfic #elvis #elvis presley fic #elvis smut #elvis presley x reader #elvis x reader #elvis fanfiction #elvis presley x y/n #elvis fic #elvis x y/n #elvis x you #elvis presley smut #elvis presley fanfic #elvis presley x you

[nocternalrandomness]

Houston Airshow Cats

Grumman F6F Hellcat leads a Grumman F7F Tigercat. Photographed at the 2019 Wings Over Houston Airshow

#Grumman #F6F #Hellcat #F7F #Tigercat #Vintage aircraft #Fighter #Fighter Bomber #Airshow #warbird #formation #flying #planes

[lonestarflight]

"The second free-flight test of an evolving series of X-38 prototypes took place July 10, 2001 when the X-38 was released from NASA's B-52 mothership over the Edwards Air Force Base range in California's Mojave Desert. Shortly after the photo was taken, a sequenced deployment of a drogue parachute followed by a large parafoil fabric wing slowed the X-38 to enable it to land safely on Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards. NASA engineers from the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, and the Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, are developing a 'lifeboat' for the International Space Station based on X-38 research."

Date: July 10, 2001

NASA ID: EC01-0204-2

#NASA X-38 CRV #X-38 #Crew Return Vehicle #CRV #NASA #spaceplane #lifting body #Dryden Flight Research Center #Edwards Air Force Base #California #Boeing B-52 Stratofortress #B-52 #mothership #bomber #July #2001 #X-Plane #my post

[who-knew-a-sheep-can-write]

Voyeuristic Intentions: Blackwatch!Genji Shimada x Reader x Blackwatch!Cole Cassidy (NSFW)

Contains: Poly sex, oral sex, anal sex, slight masturbation, hair pulling, semi-public sex, spanking (done once), dirty talk, slight-voyeurism with a little surprise at the end ;)

Reyes’ office was dark, tall curtains drawn shut from the bright white snow outside glittering in the moonlight. Winds howled, pushing against the reinforced glass and metal windows that protected you from the harsh Swiss weather. It was dark overall, to be honest. Instead of the normal gray and white paint coating the walls of the rest of the Overwatch base, Reyes made it a fact to paint the walls black in his office despite the small Blackwatch wing matching the rest of the base.

Your feet squeaked against the polished marble tiles. They were a light gray to match the ceiling, contrasting the black, it made everything feel sterile strangely.

Normally it would feel like you were suffocating when you sat across from him in this office, the void black walls would feel like they were closing in on you as you would get a lecture. Now, it felt as though it was pushing them both closer to you.

Both the jingling sound of spurs and the clicking of cybernetics made your head swim. You felt hot under the collar of your Blackwatch uniform, you felt it clinging to you in ways that made you wish they would both pull it off of you faster.

You felt Cole’s hands run up your sides, fingertips digging into your ribs so tightly that you swore he could feel your heart beating through the bone cage. He hooked his fingers into the fabric, wanting to so desperately yank it off of you without fear of the consequences of a ruined uniform. That would certainly land you right back here in Reyes’ office for a stern lecture. He was behind you, his broad and brawny chest was pressed up against your back. He had his face buried in the side of your neck, his beard scratching at your skin as he pressed hot kisses to your throat and biting the columns of your neck. He was so warm, his heat made you want to cry and rip your uniform right off your body.

Genji was in front of you. Unlike Cole who was pressed up against your back, Genji gave you just a bit of room before you so you wouldn’t feel crushed. His hands were cold, you welcomed them as they traveled along your front side. From your face to your throat where he could feel your pulse racing under his thumb down to your chest and shoulders where he grabbed at to guide you forward into the empty office. His eyes were open, trained on yours, looking for even the slightest hesitation to let him know to stop.

Reyes’ office wasn’t all that furnished. A large metal desk towards the back of the room, his large and overstuffed desk chair sat tall facing three smaller chairs. They were metal with only a little bit of a padding for the cushion, it helped drill in the feeling that you were in trouble. You would rather be handcuffed in the holding cells on the concrete and metal jut out that made up the “bed” than those chairs. There were barely any hangings on the walls, just a few plaques bestowed upon him by Overwatch as well as a group photo of Blackwatch hung behind him.

All that was missing was the mug Cole comically had gotten him a while ago when you five had a mission in Houston; A big white coffee mug with the words ‘World’s Best Dad’ written on it seemingly with black crayon.

“You sure we won’t get in trouble,” you glanced over your shoulder to the tall cowboy behind you.

Cole only tutted you, knocking back the tip of his stetson, feigning being wounded.

“Darlin’, ya hurtin’ me,” he nuzzled into your hair, “ya know we’ll take mighty good care of ya.”

Cole nipped at your earlobe as he tugged on your uniform. Genji moved his cybernetic hand to your face, his cold fingers cradled your chin and lifted your head to look him in the eyes. The cyborg had removed his faceplate, revealing his full scarred face.

“And besides, the Commander is not here.”

“Yeah, probably fuckin’ Morrison in some broom closet,” Cole ground himself against your behind. “Just like how we’re gonna fuck you.”

You shivered at those words as the two gripped onto you just a bit tighter. Cole and Genji lead you deeper into the office towards the desk, Genji leaving your front for just a moment as he rounded the desk and pushed Reyes’ towering chair out of the way. Cole pushed you forward until you were pressed up against the ridge of the cold desk.

You were pushed down onto the desk only to catch yourself on your elbows. Cole wasted no time fumbling with the pants to your uniform, his large hands grabbing the belt and wrestling it off of you from behind until he was finally able to pull it off and lower your waistband and underwear to just below the curve of your ass. Cole, not being able to help himself, smacked your bare ass, a short cry managing to leave your lips before the cowboy clamped a hand over your mouth.

“Maybe we’ll save that for next time,” he smirked at Genji wolfishly.

The cyborg stayed silent as Cole fumbled with his belt, you felt Genji shift before you. The cyborg before you had removed the plate from his lower torso, revealing his erect cock now in your face. It wasn’t scarred like the rest of his body, and a bead of precum rested right at the tip slowly beading down his thick shaft.

You had leaned forward and wrapped your lips around Genji’s cock. The cyborg hissed as you swirled your tongue around his head, licking up the beads of precum that had leaked out. You had started to slowly bob your head along his length until he hit the back of your throat when you pulled back gently only to do it again. Genji placed his human hand on top of your head, fingers curling into your hair, nails biting into your scalp just enough to lightly pinch. He would sink his nails into your scalp every time you bobbed your head down on his cock, taking in his thick length more and more until you had swallowed him to the root. As you looked up, you noticed he wasn’t looking at you, instead, he had his eyes closed and his head was tilted up just a bit. His mouth was opened slightly, eyebrows twitching, and his breathing was shaky.

You heard Cole’s fly finally rip down, the cowboy’s cock hitting your bare asscheeks. You shivered when you heard him spit into his hands and stroke himself. Cole’s deep groans made you whimper against Genji’s cock.

You pulled away when you felt Cole spread your asscheeks. You whimpered at the tap at your hole and cried when you felt his lubricated head slowly penetrate through the tight hole. Genji gave you no time to catch your breath when he hoisted your jaw open and jerked his cock back into your mouth.

You could barely breathe between Genji’s cock basically choking you from the front and Cole’s cock stretching your ass from the back. Cole gave you only a moment to adjust to his girth before he started to move. It started with slow strokes, the cowboy hissing behind you as he tried to get used to how tight you were, he grabbed at your waist and dug his fingertips into your flesh.

Cole eventually got faster with his thrusts, he got more sloppy and rough with each buck of his hips. With every thrust, he would push you closer and closer to Genji, push your front into the desk even more, and jerk your legs up just a bit with each thrust to the point where you would be standing on your toes.

With every thrust from behind, you would jerk further forward, forcing you to take Genji up to the root every time.

You moaned, feeling your legs wanting to go numb. You felt static forming in your knees. Your back ached from the curve but you loved it. You don’t know how much time had passed. Minutes melted together to what felt like hours of bliss.

“Fuck, darlin’,” Cole groaned as he continued pounding away, “yer so fuckin’ tight. I can only imagine how that pretty mouth of yours feels right now.”

“Don’t stop,” the cyborg warned.

You weren’t sure who it was he warned, but you knew Cole wouldn’t let up anytime soon.

Genji’s fingers tugged at your hair again, making your back arch in a way that had Cole groaning and quicken his thrusts. You felt the coils in your core tighten up fast, you felt tight and stiff, about to tip over the edge into ecstasy.

You came with a short moan muffled by Genji’s cock. By that point, your pants had fallen to your shaking knees.

You felt Genji’s cock start to twitch in your mouth, he was groaning more, and his breathing was starting to labor until he finally came apart in your mouth.

You swallowed Genji’s salty cum, the cyborg forcing you to look him in the eyes as you did so with his fingers pinching at your jaw. You rocked in his touch as Cole still thrust from behind, you couldn’t help but screw your eyes shut when he bucked his hips and plunged himself deeper and deeper inside before you felt him twitch inside of you. You both let out moans at the warm stretch only for Cole to groan loudly, the cowboy planting a hand at the back of your head and forcing you cheek-down onto the Reyes’ cold desk.

Genji let go of your jaw to wipe away a drop of his cum that had dripped out from the corner of your mouth as Cole rode out his climax still in your ass, warmth seeping deep inside of you slowly before he pulled himself out, releasing his grip on your head in the process.

You shivered as you felt Cole’s hot and sticky cum roll down your inner thighs. The sudden opening of the door had your eyes fly open out of a mixture of shock and fear. You felt both Cole and Genji lock up, you and Cole having to whip your heads around to see the figure standing in the doorway.

Commander Reyes stood there, having now just looked up from the folder in his hands, eyes landing on the three of you at his desk and the creamy white mess. The Commander simply rolled his shoulders and lowered his brow, his lips were pressed into a tight line.

He dropped the folder to the floor by the door and kicked it closed with the heel of his combat boot, marching towards the three of you.

“Looks like you forgot to invite me to the party.”

#overwatch #genji shimada x reader #genji shimada #cole cassidy x reader #cassidy x reader #cole cassidy #jesse mccree #mccree x reader

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Considering how rapidly the right's "war on woke" is expanding, it was perhaps inevitable: Self-identified "mama bears" on a Texas school board are angry that a classroom had a poster showing people of different races holding hands. Last week, the school board in Conroe, Texas, a small city north of Houston, turned the right-wing mania for censorship into a dark parody of itself. At issue? A poster that seemed to imply that interracial friendship is possible.

According to ABC 13 Eyewitness News in Houston, things started when school trustee Melissa Dungan declared that she had spoken to parents who were upset about "displays of personal ideologies in classrooms." When pressed for an example, according to the news report, "Dungan referred to a first grade student whose parent claimed they were so upset by a poster showing hands of people of different races, that they transferred classrooms."

"I wish I was shocked," Dungan said of the poster. "I am aware these trends have been happening for many years."

Some other members of the school board did, in fact, argue that there was nothing objectionable about such a poster. But Dungan was backed up by another trustee, Misty Odenweller, who insisted that the depiction of uh, race-mixing was in some way a "violation of the law." The two women are part of "Mama Bears Rising," a secretive far-right group fueling the book-banning mania in Conroe and the surrounding area. At least 59 books have been banned due to their efforts.

When another trustee asked Dungan if she personally objected to an illustration of cross-racial friendship, she demurred, simply declaring that she was just trying to avoid "situations like that." Situations like what, exactly? She didn't say.

Dungan's behavior is a perfect illustration of the "anti-woke" tap dance. The person alleging nefarious wokeness never admits to their own bigotry, instead pretending that they're reacting to "woke" people who are "pushing" an agenda, in this case through innocuous poster art.

Of course, the entire premise of the argument is rooted in bigotry, as this example shows. It presumes that the feelings of real or imagined bigots who might take umbrage at such an image are of paramount importance, and that everyone else's freedoms must be curtailed to appease them.

It's tempting to shrug it off as one-off weirdness from Nowheresville, Texas. But while this was an especially ham-fisted example, it's part of a well-funded nationwide effort, led by a group of interlocking far-right groups, aimed at destroying modernity, undermining democracy and imposing authoritarian government against the will of most Americans.

Donald Trump sucks up most of the oxygen in the discussion about rising American fascism, but even without him, this movement is powerful and widespread, and it's using these local culture-war skirmishes battles to seize even more power. And old-fashioned racism, the kind on display in Conroe, is very much at the center of it all.

Last week, the New Republic published a lengthy and terrifying investigative article by Katherine Stewart about the Claremont Institute, once a vaguely respectable conservative think tank and now among the leading right-wing organizations pushing the anti-education and anti-democratic agenda below the surface of the Conroe incident.

One of the many Claremont alumni Stewart profiles is Christopher Rufo, who spearheaded the recent hysteria over "critical race theory" in education. In reality, critical race theory was an approach used in law schools and other graduate-level academic spaces, and had basically nothing to do with public schools.

Rufo's ingenious idea was to turn it into a catch-all scare term that could be used to demonize any and all forms of anti-racist education, even something as previously noncontroversial as a poster depicting interracial friendship.

The far-right, anti-democratic politics of the Claremont Institute are so grotesque that many readers will dismiss them as preposterous, but it's all carefully documented and disturbingly real. As Stewart chronicles, Claremont has promoted the work of Costin Alamariu, who holds a PhD in philosophy from Yale and writes under the name "Bronze Age Pervert." He has declared that the "liberation of women" is an "infection" that requires "the most terrible convulsions and the most thorough purgative measures."

A frequent contributor to Claremont's online journal, who writes under the name "Raw Egg Nationalist," argues that "men and women shouldn't work together in the same spaces" and describes the Black Lives Matter protesters of 2020 as "hideously ugly, malformed people." Claremont-associated blogger Curtis Yarvin argues (in Stewart's words) that "America needs a king, a dictator with total military power." Claremont's most famous associate is board member and former law professor John Eastman, now known as "Co-Conspirator 2" in the indictment against Donald Trump for attempting to overthrow the U.S. government.

Because of their tight link to the book-banning efforts, the relatively new but suspiciously wealthy group Moms for Liberty has received massive media attention in the past couple of years. Even so, the group's radical ideology has not really been covered in most mainstream news coverage, which tends to portray the Moms as a bunch of overzealous church ladies. As Flux editor Matthew Sheffield, Media Matters vice president Julie Millican and researcher Olivia Little explained in a recent "Theory of Change" podcast, however, underneath the facade of "Christian moms" is some startling far-right radicalism.

For instance, while it was widely reported that a Moms for Liberty pamphlet from one branch was caught quoting Adolf Hitler, the group was able to spin that as a misunderstanding and a mistake. But at their summit a few days later, speaker Tiffany Justice yelled, "I stand with that mom" — the one who quoted Hitler — while the audience whooped its approval.

Moms for Liberty has heavily promoted trainings for conservative activists on how to take over school boards, which ought to make clear how we should understand stories like this one, which just sound like a racist tantrum in a Texas suburb. These aren't random or isolated events — they're part of a large, well-organized and well-financed attack on public education across the country.

Mama Bears Rising, the group that fueled the Conroe school board takeover, in unsurprisingly discreet about its connections to the larger national movement for censorship. But screenshots of online communications by local anti-censorship activists suggests that it's no coincidence that the books targeted for censorship in Conroe are the same ones that show up on book-ban lists across the country. Mama Bears Rising is drawing on the same playbook that's being disseminated nationwide through a well-funded network of Christian nationalist activists.

These days, it's almost never just one nutty lady at a school board meeting. It's about a movement with a committed ideology, that has deep connections to Donald Trump's campaign to end democracy.

#us politics #news #salon #2023 #republicans #conservatives #book banning #book bans #wokeness #woke #moms for liberty #interracial friendship #racists #xenophobia #tweet #twitter #Mama Bears Rising #Claremont Institute #Costin Alamariu #Christopher Rufo #critical race theory #Curtis Yarvin #John Eastman #Tiffany Justice #adolf hitler #censorship

[jayarrarr]

2023

If you’d told me this time last year that this time this year I’d be where I am right now, I’d have quietly suggested that perhaps the holiday season was getting to your head a bit. Hell, I said it myself, the day I drove down to Houston for the first time: “Ain’t no fucking way my fucking ass is moving to Houston fucking Texas.”

Famous last words.

I ended 2022 in the liminal space of a Schrödinger’s relationship that was simultaneously clearly over and not over yet. I was mentally, physically, and psychically drained. I was also ready to turn over the proverbial apple cart of my life because I knew nothing I’d been doing for the past seven years or so had actually gotten me anywhere I truly wanted to be.

I needed a push. And I got a push. It wasn’t the push I wanted at the time, but pushes seldom are. Do you think when mama bird pushes her fledgling out of the nest there’s a brief second when that little bird is hurtling through the air at terminal velocity and feels betrayed? Coz yeah, it was something like that.

But then, mere moments before that little bird crash lands, those wings start flapping and that little bird soars.

Okay, it doesn’t soar. It ain’t pretty, a fledgling flying for the first time. It ain’t pretty, but it works. And like that little bird, I spent the early part of 2023 discovering who and what I am, and who and what and where I’m meant to be.

Turned out that was Houston fucking Texas.

In my mind, the best relationships are the ones that accentuate and emphasize the parts of you that you love the most about yourself while simultaneously uplifting the parts of you that you maybe don’t like so much and saying “hey—all of this is okay too. Maybe it ain’t my favorite, but it’s part of you, and you’re my favorite, so yeah, I love all of it, even the parts I don’t like so much.”

It seems that to get what you really want, you have to actually ask for it—which is to say, first, that you have to believe that you deserve to get what you want, that you deserve to be loved for everything you are, that you deserve to be fucking happy for once.

The midlife crisis is over. Now we enter midlife ecstasy. I said that last night and, punnage to the side, every exhale has his name written on it. And forever feels like a small word for such an unwieldy and unpredictable thing, but at the same time, even the most active imagination has its limits and I can’t imagine any place I’d rather be or any person I’d rather be with.

Maybe that’s what falling in love really means.

And yeah, feels like I’m a completely different person at the end of 2023 than I was at the beginning of 2023. For all the faults and flaps and failings, this was the year I learned to fly.

©️2023 by Jennifer R.R. Mueller

#jrrm #prose #bloggy blog #essay #2023

[kaylinalexanderbooks]

Find the word

Thanks @eccaiia for the tag!

Rules: find the words given to you in your WIPs! Synonyms are welcome. Then tag people with new words!

My words: sight, sound, smell, taste

Your words: strap, small, scratch, study

Softly tagging @mk-writes-stuff @monstrouswrites @blind-the-winds @little-peril-stories @buffythevampirelover @mysticstarlightduck @jezifster @jessicagailwrites @gottestod-writes @willtheweaver @theeccentricraven @digital-chance @moonandris + anyone else!

TSP intro

TSP tag list (ask to be +/-): @thepeculiarbird @illarian-rambling @televisionjester @finchwrites - soft tag

Keep reading for:

Lexi and Ash arrive at the Gateway

William makes a breakthrough

Ash uses the probes (no!)

Noelle is hurt oh no

Sight - from The Secret Portal Part One (Lexi POV)

“It seems weird,” I said looking at her as I turned around the corner of the school. “Like—ah!” My boot got caught on the grass, causing my feet to slip. I tumbled onto the ground and dropped my violin, the “oof!” that followed indicating Ash tripped over the sturdy case. It was eerily quiet and the smell of the exhaust was gone. I became hyper-aware of the grass I lay in and shot up to a seated position, jumping when I realized nothing was in sight but a dizzyingly-clear horizon. Ash groaned beside me. “Since when does Falcon have grass—” She cut herself off as she pushed herself upright, taking in the sudden new scenery. We sat in the middle of a seemingly endless field. The grass that stretched in each direction appeared freshly mowed, though it lacked the smell that usually came with it. Instead, a chillingly sterile air hit my nose. “Ash,” I asked, low-key freaking out, “where are we?” Ash looked around. “Where did—how did we get here? Where’s the school?” I couldn’t answer. The sun that had been burning in the late afternoon was no longer casting a deathly heat paired with Houston humidity. In fact, looking up, the burning mass seemed to be missing, despite the sky being a soft periwinkle. “Okay…” Ash said after a moment, standing slowly. “Maybe if we go back the way we came, we’ll return to the school.” “Right,” I said, rising to join her. “That—that makes sense.” We retrieved our stuff and tried to retrace our steps. We walked a couple yards, but nothing happened. “We could’ve gotten turned around,” Ash pointed out. “Maybe there’s one specific spot we have to step in to get back.” She sighed, setting her stuff on the ground and sitting beside it. “Give me a second to think.” “Think about what?” I asked, joining her. “A way out? A way back? What the hell is happening? “Maybe we’re dreaming?” “Isn’t that cliche?” “Then we’re hallucinating!” “More cliche!” “Well, you think of something!” We were both silent.

This passage used smell twice lol

Sound - from The Secret Portal Part One

“I was wondering when you were coming back to bed.” “No time soon,” William told his wife. “What are you doing up?” Atsila paused before saying, “I could ask you the same thing.” “You know I have to work,” said William. “You don’t miss me, do you?” Atsila laughed on the other end. “Not at all. I just want an estimate so you didn’t catch me doing anything embarrassing.” William chuckled. “Now, don’t joke like that.” “Who said I was joking?” William sighed, not understanding his wife’s sense of humor. “I’ll work another hour, and then I’ll come to bed.” “Let me know when.” “Will do.” “I love you.” “Love you, too.” Atsila hung up and William turned back to the bubbling chemicals. He jumped in his seat. “No way….” He grabbed the flask and examined it closer. Suddenly giddy, he turned to the snakefly behind him. Gingerly, he tilted the flask and allowed a drop of the chemical to drop on the insect’s wings. William opened the tablet and began recording. The snakefly’s wings continued to rapidly beat together, then slowed as if stuck in treacle. It froze midair, dropping to the ground by the forces of gravity. William let out a sound that would have caused him to flush if anyone was around to witness as he abruptly shot out of his seat. He cleared his throat, though still vibrating from excitement, then called his wife on the comm. “Atsila! Atsila! I did it!” “What is it, Will? You coming early? Do I have to clean up all this mess in five minutes?” she joked in response to his jubilant celebration. “I’m not coming to bed, hon. I’m sorry.” “What—” “I’ve reached a breakthrough.” “Good to kn—” William turned off the comm and continued his work.

Smell - from The Secret Portal Part Two (Ash POV)

Hannah closed the door behind us as I slowly sat on my bed. “I don’t remember pushing Amanda.” “You did,” said Hannah. “Just psychically. So, I told the truth. I think you were overwhelmed by being in that corner go. Just decompress here, kay? You have your phone?” I looked at where I’d tossed it on the bed earlier and nodded. “Text me when you’re ready to come out.” She shut the door behind her. I sat on my bed for a while, not moving. Trying to process everything. I felt a familiar tug from under the bed. I hadn’t gotten the telepathic devices out since my birthday. But I felt them every night. I remembered how they helped me wake everyone up. Maybe they could help me better control my powers. Or at least, make me feel better after the meltdown. I slipped off the bed onto the floor. I crawled underneath the bed and pulled out the puzzle box I’d put the devices in. I opened the box up. There they were. Coin-shaped. Small. Black but glowing a light purple. I placed them on my temples and gasped as a shudder raced through me. The room seemed to swell. Light up. Like I could taste every molecule. I could see everything… I could see their thoughts. Feel them from outside. Smell them, almost. I felt a small pressure on my brain. Spinning. The feeling of being on a rollercoaster. Falling… falling… until everything suddenly was still and quiet.

And this one had taste!

Taste - from The Secret Portal Part One (Maddie POV)

My tongue scraped my braces as I willed Noelle to stir. I caught a glimpse of Kelsey holding her neck, likely in pain from the ticking that had been aggravated. Still scratching my tongue, squeezing Wilfredo with my right hand, I placed the other one on Kelsey’s shoulder and squeezed it. She put her free hand on mine. Eventually, though, Noelle groaned and opened her eyes. We all let out an audible sigh. “What happened?” she muttered. “You hit your head when you came out of the portal,” Gwen explained softly, still applying pressure to the wound but putting her hand on Noelle’s forearm. “You may have a concussion. Can you stand?” “I don’t wanna try,” Noelle groaned. “I’m not getting reception,” Rose said, looking down at her phone. “We need to find civilization,” Gwen pointed out, eyes fixed on Noelle. “She needs a legit doctor, and that wound could get infected.” “How?” Rose asked, rubbing her nose. “Guys!” Kelsey said from a standing position. She pointed off to her left. We all turned to see that we weren’t too deep into the forest, as a neighborhood peeked through the trees. “Is it safe to move her?” Rose asked, standing. Gwen shrugged. “Not sure. Besides, no offense, I don’t think we can support her.” “None taken,” Noelle muttered. “Maybe y’all three could go off and see who you can find that could get her help. I’ll stay here.” I was surprised at how well Gwen composed herself in this situation, whereas I was so nervous, I’d run my tongue over my braces so many times that the strong taste of my own blood began to fill my mouth.

People love giving me prompts with taste. I feel like I've exhausted them lol.

#the secret portal #tsp #teaspoon #find the word #wip excerpt #writing tag game #tsp excerpt #lexi morgan #ash hathaway #william baxter #atsila mclain #hannah hathaway #maddie morgan #kelsey newman #noelle bishop #gwen amante #rose hernandez #my writing #writing blog #writers on tumblr #writing community #writers of tumblr #writing on tumblr #writeblr #writeblr community

[dycefic]

Ocean Burial: A History!

Howdy! My name is Olivine! I’ve been a big fan for a hot minute now, but I just wanted to let you know how much I loved your newest story about Bone Beach. Now, I am an aspiring ethnomusicologist, and imagine my surprise when I first saw one of my favorite songs in the story! I just wanted to share some information about its deep and storied history. 

Our story tonight begins many, many years ago, with a young man from New York. Edwin Hubbell Chapin was a teenager when he wrote his poem Ocean Burial, also known as Bury Me Not, while training to become a priest. Shortly after its publication (by Edgar Allen Poe’s poetry journal!), a popular sheet music writer named George N. Allen set it to music, and thusly, one of the most tragic songs of the age was born.

But its growth did not halt there. But first, I have to take a step back and give y'all a tad bit of context. I am a Southern gal, born and raised (Southern US, that is),  and I never did know any “Ocean Burial”. However, when I was just a young child, I fell in love with the mysterious, haunting ballad that my father sung to us all as a lullaby. It told the tale of a young cowpoke who laid in the prairie brush at sunset, breathing his final prayer to his companions.

“Bury me not, on the lone prairie." 

You see, Chapin’s song had grown wings and took flight far over the lands, took the leather and the iron of the cowpokes. Through the oral tradition and the ancient magic of stories among travelers, this sailing song had become a tragedy of the American cowboy. 

First published by John Lomax, sources at the time claimed that it came from the Uvalde region. Some believe that it was originally the Lohn Prairie, the name for the vast grasslands around the region. It was first recorded in the most popular version (most similar to the original, too) by Charles Sprauge, a boy hailing from Manvel, Texas, not too far from Houston. He grew up as a ranch-hand on his family’s farm, learning songs from his uncles, as well as the transient cowboys and ranch-hands who made their way on through. 

After his service in the first World War, he came home and recorded ”The Dyin’ Cowboy“ in 1925, and would go on to produce a few albums with Victor records. Tragically, his career was cut short but the Great Depression. But ultimately, he shaped American music, especially country, into what we see today. He was the original "Singin’ Cowboy”, giving rise to most every country star from Willie Nelson to Johnny Cash himself. He also had a massive influence on the rise of rock, being one of those oft-touted folk singers who “paved the road for rock n’ roll”.

Now-a-days, it still lives on. Covered by popular artists such as Colter Wall, it still lies in the heart of American folk music. However, it lives on in the spiritual sense. You see, it holds a poignance and timelessness that forever holds the grief of a life cut short. Truth be told, I do believe that Chapin, Lomax, and Sprauge would be glad that their songs have lived on in the minds of so many others, that their dying youth may forever be remembered.

Thanks for your time! I know I have a tendency to ramble, so I apologize if I went on for too long, or ended up getting too philosophical. But my words have been spoken and my tongue’s all sore, so this is it for me tonight. Have a good day, and thank you for your patience!

Check out this amazing little glimpse into the history of ‘The Ocean Burial’! I am delighted to know that I accidentally chose a song for my story with such a rich history!

#submission

[cleoselene]

so the Eras Tour on Disey+ and right wing conspiracy misogynist propaganda has turned my mom from casually fond to a self-identified Swiftie, which I've mentioned before

her favorite songs are "Delicate" (though she does not appreciate the 1-2-3 LET'S GO BITCH! because it's 'like calling Taylor a bitch and that's sexist. Why do we put up with sexist talk?' lmao

and her other favorite song is "betty" because it sounds super gay to her. She has watched both Eras Tour and Long Pond, she knows the story that inspired betty as a song, but my mom is a "betty is a gay song truther."

She told me her theory of the song: Betty is a girl Taylor knew back in high school (I'm only 17) and Betty had a crush on Taylor (James is definitely Taylor according to Mom's Theory of the Song), and "the worst thing that I ever did, was what I did to you" was to not just reject Betty but to tell other people about it to humiliate her, leading to Betty dancing with some GUY at the far side of the gym. And James Taylor here realizes later in life that she only outed Betty because she was afraid of her own lesbian feelings in return and she wishes she could have just kissed her in front of all their stupid hater homophobic friends

like you have to understand lmao my mom is an "everyone is gay" truther lol this is not exclusive to Taylor, but I didnt have the heart to tell her that she had inadvertently written Gaylor fanfic. She's a truther about Dolly Parton and Whitney Houston and Oprah all being undercover lesbians. With Dolly she allegedly has a friend of a friend who briefly dated her, her husband is a total merkin according to my mom. She also knew about Lucy Liu being bi over a decade before it was common knowledge. I'm telling you, lmao, not all Boomer lesbians know each other, that's just an offensive stereotype. That being said, while not ALL Boomer lesbians know each other, my mother in particular seems to know most of them (if not date most of them rofl)

#mom's a gaylor lmfao

[thegoodthebadthealternative]

The warm wind of a promising summer tumbled across and around the overpass; the monument of civil engineering scythed to the horizon over vacant lots and broken brick buildings, the souls of unsmoked cigarettes still lingering within- waiting for the ones who put up those unlit neon signs in the windows to return. The highway formed a skeletal wall between the Second and Third wards of Houston, though those weren't their names- not anymore. In the shadow cast by the asphalt serpent, a lone aura stalked, taking shelter from the bladed wings of the dusk's light. 

Future Lieutenant Detective Terezi McCoy had a hard enough time seeing as it was, without the death throes of a May day glaring in her vision. But soon the cold sapphire night would fall, and the sightless would no longer be an exception. Her cane tapped and scrabbled across the uneven sidewalk, the rough surface and spidering fractures like a scab that begged to be picked.

Why was she out here? Putting her neck on the line for a city that couldn't give a damn about her? Well, that was a long story.

The chief was a good man- too much of a good man. Too honest, too hopeful. Karkat's skin was rock, but his heart bled like a damn stuck pig. He was too busy guarding the line between the light and the shadows, he couldn't see what was lurking- what was building within them. Change was in the air, and it reeked of iron and sand.

That's where she came in. Where she should come in. And tonight was going to prove it.

The wyrm was gonna turn.

Interested in what Terezi's doing? Like the prose? Check out our fic!

#terezi pyrope #karkat vantas #homestuck #homestuck fic #prose #monsterstuck #humanstuck #urban fantasy #fanfic snippet #karezi #mystery #the good the bad and the alternative #adorabloodthirsty

[nocternalrandomness]

A6M2 Zero flying at the Wings Over Houston Airshow

#Mitsubishi #A6M2 #Zero #Zeke #warplane #airshow #airplane #plane

[thecourtfinchster]

rating and reviewing a selection of live action Cinderella films: part 1

1st place is Ever After (1998) with Drew Barrymore

ok so this movie is 10/10 across all categories.

not only does it have some of The Best historical costumes I've seen in a film, but all the characters are wonderfully developed.

the staff aren't totally dismissed, and they love Danielle. also key supporting characters and without them Danielle would not have gotten to know the prince.

Henry the prince himself is kind of a dickhead, but hey at least he's got a personality! and he Does get better eventually. Henry actually has a very nice arc and gets humbled multiple times. Danielle inspires him to open a university. He also has solid dynamics with each of his parents, the king and queen, which aids the believability of the story as a whole. like the royal family actually have substance to them.

and i like how there's no love at first sight!! of course, Danielle and Henry do fall in love over a short period of time, but it's earned.

also the Utopia quotes when Danielle is saving Maurice!!!!!!! yeah girl give us socialism!!! i love how ready she was to address classicism. like she was Not expecting to see the prince let alone lecture him on social systems and his own arrogance.

(the aforementioned king and queen. they're fun <3)

the stepmother is so wonderfully cruel! Angelica Houston plays Rodmilla so coldly, with conniving schemes and haughty style. she's still horribly abusive and manipulative and definitely deserved the ending she got, but i do love how she is portrayed in this film. there's one scene of vulnerability where Danielle asks if she ever loved her father, and Rodmilla replies that she barely knew him. Danielle's father, Gustave, was the second husband that Rodmilla had to marry to survive. Although she is the villain, at the core of her character is her dedication to the security of her daughters and herself. In Ever After, the stepmother is given a complexity that so many other retellings lack. It makes for a more compelling character for the audience to be invested in.

Marguerite and Jacqueline are, in my opinion, the most dynamic stepsisters in any Cinderella retelling. Marguerite is just as corrupt as her mother is, but with less control over her temper, but she's also just as cunning. She's quite intelligent, albeit spoiled to the core. Jacqueline is seen as the lesser of the two by Rodmilla, which is why she becomes so sympathetic for Danielle and how she's treated. i love how her character gets to learn what is important to her. she does get a man, only after she's established her own standing, and they are quite happy together.

a super cool costuming detail is the difference in sleeves between Danielle's mother's dresses and the ones that the step sisters wear. tighter fitting sleeves vs the big and poofy tell how much time has passed between trends, which i think is a nice touch. also the movie is supposed to be set in the earlyish 16th century. they do a really good job of keeping it accurate, although there is some 15th century inspiration sprinkled in.

i LOVE how Leonardo da Vinci acts as the fairy godmother. he's just this eccentric old man that goes around imparting knowledge and fiddling with inventions. and he's just as much a mentor for Henry as he is a godmother to Danielle. he helps Henry see past his stupid arrogance and teaches him the beauty of love and life. and yes, he Does get Danielle to the ball, and convinces her to tell Henry the truth of her identity.

one of my favorite quotes is when Danielle says, "a bird may love a fish, signore. but where will they live?" and Leonardo replies: "then i shall have to make you wings"

AND MAKE HER WINGS, HE FUCKING DOES

they're STUNNING and i LOVE THIS DRESS SO MUCH. this is at the masque ball. she has glitter on her face but no mask, because she's there to reveal the truth. i do not Care if the glitter might be historically inaccurate because it's Gorgeous and i will Not be accepting complaints. also I'm pretty sure the wings are made of a type of organza? i found an article a while ago that talked about it but it has since been lost :(

plot wise, everything goes to shit at the masque. and then Danielle gets sold to this creep who was in one (1) earlier scene, but she rescues herself as soon as the prince gets there. Henry proposes, Rodmilla and Marguerite get shipped to the americas, and Leonardo gives Danielle a portrait of herself as a wedding present.

honorable mention to the jester that appears in two scenes who is unnamed and never speaks. i love you random jester <3

#cinderella #going feral #ever after: a cinderella story #i love this movie so much #film review #film recommendations #jester #historical costuming #renaissance film #costumes

[best-of-basslines]

Song Masterpost

[I was planning on linking all the songs to versions on Youtube, but apparently it goes over the number of links allowed on a post. Instead, the songs will be linked on each poll.]

Talk Talk - "It's My Life"

Kajagoogoo - “Too Shy”

The Beach Boys - “Good Vibrations”

Rush - “New World Man”

Cream - “Spoonful”

The Police - “Message in a Bottle”

Jackson 5 - “I Want You Back”

Diana Ross - “I’m Coming Out”

Diana Ross and the Supremes - “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted”

The Supremes - “You Can’t Hurry Love”

The Jam - “Town Called Malice”

David Essex - “Rock On”

Radiohead - “15 Step” | “Paranoid Android”

Michael Jackson - “Thriller” | “Billie Jean”

Elton John - “Dirty Little Girl”

Angra - “Nothing to Say”

Serú Girán - “La Grase de las Capitales”

Os Mutantes - “Ando Meio Desligado”

Bill Withers - “Lovely Day”

Blur - “Girls and Boys”

Sly and the Family Stone - “Thank You (Falettinme be Mice Elf Again)”

Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band - “Express Yourself”

Jr. Walker and the All Stars - “(I’m a) Road Runner”

Marvin Gaye - “I Heard it through the Grapevine” | “Midnight Lady”

Marvin Gaye and Tammi Tarrell - “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”

Red Hot Chili Peppers - “Higher Ground” | “Snow (Hey Oh)” | “Give It Away”

Primus - “My Name is Mud” | “Is it Luck?” | “Lacquer Head”

Beck - “Go It Alone”

The Fabs - “That’s the Bag I’m In”

The Shapes - “College Girls”

Herbie Hancock - “Chameleon”

Pink Floyd - “Money”

Rasputina - “Secret Message”

Madonna - “Material Girl”

Was (Not Was) - “Walk the Dinosaur”

Lemon Demon - “Jaws”

Creedence Clearwater Revival - “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?”

Steve Miller Band - “The Joker”

Violent Femmes - “Blister in the Sun”

War - “Low Rider”

Poppy - “Motorbike”

Tokyo Jihen (Tokyo Incidents) - “Noudouteki”

Graham Central Station- “Hair”

Oingo Boingo - “Dead Man’s Party”

Vulf Peck - “Deantown”

Iroha (feat. Rin Kagamine) - “Meltdown”

Labi Siffre - “I Got The…”

Deep Purple - “Space Truckin’”

The Breeders - “Cannonball”

Earth Wind and Fire - “Let’s Groove”

Parliament - “Give Up the Funk”

Liquid Liquid - “Cavern”

Melle Mel - “White Lines (Don’t Do It)”

Tiger Army - “Cupid’s Victim”

Limp Bizkit - “Nookie”

White Zombie - “Black Sunshine”

Alice in Chains - “Rooster”

Pearl Jam - “Daughter”

Norah Jones - “Cold Cold Heart”

Joy Division - “Transmissions” | “Disorder”

Metallica - “Orion”

Anthrax - “Caught in a Mosh”

Muse - “Hysteria” | “Plug in Baby” | “Futurism”

Arctic Monkeys - “Fake Tales of San Francisco” | “A Certain Romance” | “Dancing Shoes”

Bauhaus - “Double Dare” | “Kick in the Eye”

Chic - “Good Times” | “Everybody Dance”

Royal Blood - “Better Strangers”

Fleetwood Mac - “The Chain”

Iron Maiden - “Aces High”

The Damned - “Neat Neat Neat”

The Smiths - “Barbarism Begins at Home”

New Order - “Age of Consent”

Talking Heads - “Psycho Killer”

Romeo Void - “Never Say Never”

Cocteau Twins - “The Hollow Men”

Rage Against the Machine - “Killing in the Name” | “Bulls on Parade”

Dance Gavin Dance - “Don’t Tell Dave”

Queen - “Another One Bites the Dust” | “Dragon Attack”

Gorillaz - “Feel Good Inc.”

Megadeth - “Peace Sells”

Korn - “Got the Life”

Pantera - “Cowboys from Hell”

Queen + David Bowie - “Under Pressure”

Stevie Wonder - “Superstition”

Shiina Ringi - “Koufukuron (Etsuraku-hen)”

The Temptations - “My Girl”

Paramore - “Ain’t it Fun”

Måneskin - “For Your Love”

The Seatbelts - “Tank!”

Cake - “The Distance”

Gloria Gaynor - “I Will Survive”

Miles Davis - “Bitches Brew”

The Fall - “I Feel Voxish”

Public Image Ltd - “Swan Lake (Death Disco)”

Thelma Houston - “Don’t Leave Me This Way”

Killdozer - “King of Sex”

The Beatles - “Hey Bulldog” | “I Want You (She’s so Heavy)” | “Lady Madonna” | “Dear Prudence” | “I Will”

Wings - “Silly Love Songs”

Lou Reed - “Walk on the Wild Side”

White Stripes - “Seven Nation Army”

Gang of Youths - “Achilles Come Down”

AJR - “Sober Up”

Duran Duran - “Rio”

The Who - “Baba O’Riley” | “Getting in Tune”

Yes - “Roundabout”

Led Zeppelin - “Ramble On” | “Dazed and Confused”

The Cure - “Lovesong” | “The Lovecats”

#not a bassline poll #blog update #song masterpost