#Buffalo salons

[meadowslark]

The return of the American bison is an environmental boon — and a logistical mess

Probably a five minute read than will tell you more about buffalo, and the contemporary management and politics of buffalo herds, than you’ve ever known. An excerpt:

Wallowing is a useful form of pest control: It keeps the number of flies and ticks down on individual animals. But it also sets off a cascade of events that benefit local wildlife. Sticky seeds often hitch a ride on bison coats, and when the animals roll around, the seeds fall and sprout into a carpet of deep-rooted grasses that lock carbon in the earth. In the spring, the dusty wallows collect water, providing a breeding ground for frogs and salamanders in a landscape where ponds are otherwise scarce.

The ecological benefits of wallows can persist for decades. Jason Baldes, a member of the Eastern Shoshone who now manages the tribal buffalo program for the National Wildlife Federation, remembers riding with his father through the Wind River Mountain Range as a child and spotting relic wallows from buffalo long gone. They were overgrown with brush and wildflowers, but the dips in the land were still easy to spot. Later, as a graduate student at Montana State University, Baldes studied old wallows and their relationship with culturally significant plants. He found that several species — yarrow, tall bluebells, and arnica — tended to thrive in them.

Do you want to help the restoration of bison? Buy some; eat it. I’ve never been able to afford big, dramatic cuts but I do love an annual stew or meatloaf. (Feel free to add some reserved bacon drippings to add some fat to the meatloaf.)

[nonbinaryspy]

Fun Facts About Cheren (mostly from BW2)

- He claims to have given up his glasses so he could focus on Pokémon battles, but someone going by the name "3rdGradeGoodyGoody" wrote into 'The National Gymquirer' after witnessing him "making his thumb and middle finger into a circle like glasses," implying he misses them.

- This contains the broader implication that Cheren's students write in to gossip shows about him.

- According to both BW2 and Pokemas, he loves taking his Pokémon to the salon.

- For tactical reasons, he gives his Pokémon berries.

- An NPC beside the weather institute mentions that you can call Cheren to ask him about Pokémon natures and type advantages. While this is of course a hint to the player, in-universe it implies that people who live nowhere near Cheren have his number and regularly call to ask him to read them the encyclopedia.

- Luckily enough, in many adaptations and spinoffs, he has a nice voice.

- At the shrine dedicated to Landorus, you can fight one of his students. She talks like a valley girl, speaks admiringly about him, and has a Deerling and a Zangoose.

- His Pokémon include a cat, a dog, a bird, a monkey, a chinchilla, two vigilant rodents, a buffalo, a bunny, a mongoose, a blob affected by weather, an upgraded artificial creation, a boulder, a dragon, and Lickilicky.

- He lives in the mountains but hates cold weather. This is the in-universe explanation for why he enlists a preteen to take care of the game's plot despite being among the first to notice the signs of Kyurem's imminent ice age.

- In fairness, on his first day at his second job, said preteen kicked his ass.

- He was a very good sport about this, though afterward he complained about it to the scientist from his home town.

- His favorite people are his childhood friends, one of whom is a legendary dragon's Chosen One and the other of whom is an insecure-yet-peppy researcher with a complementary color scheme to his, and a wandering grandpa who implicitly helped him get his first job.

- Said grandpa compares Cheren, visibly a scrawny nerd, to another mentee of his who is a martial artist. Said martial artist seems to take no offense to this.

- Said grandpa and said martial artist both regularly jump off of cliffs. Amusingly, in Pokemas, Cheren is shown to make multiple dramatic entrances by simply walking around tall places instead of jumping down from them.

- His dog, however, jumps down dramatically in his stead.

- He and said dog are "best buds."

- Though his catchphrase is "what a bother," as 'the one who seeks the right path,' he's incredibly good at making sentimental speeches relevant to the games' themes about ideals and bonds, and has touching dialogue in the post games of both BW (link to no commentary vid) and BW2 as well as in the mobile game's main story and events.

- He doesn't understand why ferris wheels are fun, so he spends multiple rides trying to figure it out, before concluding that he dislikes the fact that the view changes because he prefers things to stay the same.

- He's very tall.

[antifainternational]

Far-Right Mass Shootings, May 2022-May 2023

Now that we know that the mass murderer in Allen, Texas was a far-right extremist and incel (as well as that puzzling but not-that-uncommon mix of being a racialized neo-nazi/white supremacist), we wanted to illustrate that mass shootings by the far-right are not aberrations with this list of similar events from over the last twelve months: December 23, 2022: A gunman opens fire in Paris, killing 3 Kurdish people & wounding 3 more in a plan to “kill non-European foreigners.” The attacker had just been released from prison after attacking migrants in Paris with a sword the year before. December 19-20, 2022: 22-year-old Anderson Aldrich enters a CO. gay bar with an assault rifle & opens fire, killing five and wounding 25 others before he is subdued. November 25, 2022: A 16-year-old former student storms two schools in Aracruz, Brazil, armed with two pistols and wearing a bulletproof vest emblazoned with a swastika. The teen shoots 16 people in the rampage, killing three of them. October 12, 2022: After posting an online manifesto against Jewish & LGBTQ+ people, a Bratislava, Slovakia teen shoots three people outside a local gay bar, killing two and wounding the third person before fleeing. The suspect was found dead the next day. September 27, 2022: Brothers Mark & Michael Sheppard are charged with manslaughter for opening fire on a group of migrants getting water near Hudspeth County, TX. One victim died from gunshot wounds, and one is recovering at an El Paso hospital. September 26, 2022: A gunman wearing a balaclava and a t-shirt with a swastika emblazoned on it enters an elementary school in Izhevsk, Russia, killing 15 people - 11 of them children - and wounding another 39 before turning the gun on himself. September 11, 2022: 53-year-old Igor Lanis’ obsession with far-right conspiracies ends when he guns down his wife, 25-year-old daughter, & family dog, before turning his shotgun on responding police, who shoot him dead. Only his daughter survives. August 9, 2022: A group of Black men helping someone jump-start a car in a Macon, GA. Wal-Mart parking lot are subjected to racial abuse by another man who then pulls a gun and begins shooting at them. May 15, 2022: 68-year-old David Wenwei Chou is charged with hate crimes after storming a Taiwanese church in Laguna Woods, CA. and shooting parishoners, killing one and injuring five others

May 14, 2022: An 18-year-old white supremacist opens fire in a supermarket in a black neighbourhood in Buffalo, NY, killing ten customers and wounding three others while livestreaming the attack.

May 11, 2022: A masked gunman walks shoots 3 Korean women working in a Dallas hair salon. Authorities believe the incident is connected to two earlier drive-by shootings targeting Asian-owned businesses in the Dallas area on April 2nd and May 10th. This is just a list of mass shootings committed by bigots, fascists, and far-right extremists over the last 12 months. We haven't included shooting with less than two victims, thwarted mass shootings, or any of bombings, stabbings, vehicle attacks, or other acts of violence.

In 2022 we documented 477 violent incidents motivated by hate or committed by bigots, fascists, or right-wing extremists, including 112 shootings. These attacks killed 366 people and injured 399 others. Read our 2022 report here. When we say anti-fascism = self-defence, we meant it. The endpoint for far-right ideology is mass murder. Fascists intend to do harm to our communities and will seize on any opportunity to hurt others. The only thing stopping them is ourselves. WE PROTECT US!

[jstor]

Henri Rousseau, Fight between a Tiger and a Buffalo, 1908.

A self-taught artist and retired customs inspector, Henri Rousseau was admired by Pablo Picasso and other avant-garde artists for his originality and the naïve purity of his vision.

Having never ventured outside France, Rousseau derived his jungle scenes from reading travel books and visiting the Paris botanical garden. He placed this imaginary scene of a tiger attacking a buffalo within a fantastic jungle environment in which botanical accuracy was of little importance (note the bananas growing upside down). Here, sharply outlined hothouse plants are enlarged to fearsome proportions.

Rousseau was working on this painting while imprisoned for fraud in December 1907. Officials granted him an early release to finish it for exhibition at the Salon des Indépendants, where this major composition, one of the artist's largest and most important, appeared in March 1908.

Image and text from The Cleveland Museum of Art collection on JSTOR, which features more than 28,000 high-quality open access images.

[thelearningcurvephotography]

Bygones and Beauticians and Buffalos No 1 Old Film Version.

In a row of buildings constructed between 1889 and 1893, Nos 238 - 242 Queen St E in The Moss Park area of Toronto Canada are now home to a vintage clothing store, a salon and a restaurant. The row of buildings were designated a Heritage Property by The City of Toronto in 1973.

Original photography using a Canon EOS RP body with a Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM ART lens and Analog EFEX Pro 2 as a Lightroom plugin for the Old Film effect.

Brian Carson The Learning Curve Photography linktr.ee/thelearningcurvephotography

[pedritapascal]

Max Lord Always Gets What He Wants.

Maxwell Lord Always Gets What He Wants

WARNINGS: Explicit Sex; Sex Language; SA; Fingers; Tongue; Nudity; Explicit Details

Pedro Pascal's character - Maxwell Lord aka Max Lord - [ML]

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

Being in a place like this really suits me. I don't know at what point during the phone call last night, while Jimmy was telling me about what was happening on the Indian reservation in Montana, I thought it would be a good idea to just take the first flight out in the morning to get here.

I look around to see the fence lying on the ground, on one side some Crow tribesmen with rifles resting on their shoulders, pistols in their holsters as they ride their Appaloosas or Arabian horses on the other side of the territory once marked only by the precarious wooden and wire fence on the ground, is the richest family in Montana.

The big case here is, where a huge herd of buffalo can be seen in the distance, it's the land of the Crow tribe, and on the other side of the fence where there are three huge, grim-faced men and where I can see some pedestrians arriving on their tricycles, it's the land of Mr. Lord, yes, Maxwell Lord IV, my father's best friend. Not that I ever really spoke to the man, because he was always meeting with Dad talking about riches and lands, our family gatherings on big occasions or closed contracts, always very cordial and kind to me, I can't remember a time when Max didn't frequent our family. And despite this, I still followed him around the salon whenever I had the chance, wasting a minute or two more on the newspapers where pictures of him appeared. Always overbearing in his luxury suits.

- The animals are here now, no matter what you say, they're ours now - Lodge Grass, the tribe's leader, arches an eyebrow, his strong jaw moving and clenching as he chews his tobacco

And then the whole argument starts again, I try to calm it down, the fact is that yes, the animals are from the Lord's farm, and yes, the buffalo even have a cattle brand on their ear listing each one, but they are here on Indian land now. When the men raise their guns, the weather heats up, the thin trickle of sweat running down the back of my neck gives me goosebumps, and this has nothing to do with Montana's 37° heat, the midday sun doing its job along with the arid terrain…

- Hey hey, Mick, put the damn gun down, Lodge is right - I speak with one foot on either side of the divider where the fence is, right on the division of the land, my hands up asking everyone to calm down before they actually pull the trigger and I end up like a sieve in the middle of this semi-desert. - What a great idea, huh?

- Get out of the way, little girl, you shouldn't be here - Mick complains, pointing his gun at Catori, who is very tense on his horse to my right…

- Well, I guess there's not much point in me coming here every weekend to train the horses on the Lord's estate, is there?

- What the hell? - I hear Mick talking as a helicopter approaches us, dust flies around us, I have to put my hand in front of my eyes to keep from going blind, the loud noise of the propellers makes me dizzy, or maybe it's the logo of the Lord family empire that gives me a damn vertigo, strange things happen in my stomach that tightens and retracts as if I were on the long descent of a roller coaster

- What is it, boys? We can solve this in a civilized way - I hear his voice low, hoarse, the sexy sound of it brushes across my skin like a caress giving me goosebumps, even with the sound of the helicopter gradually diminishing, the propellers stopping turning, his voice is still powerful and strong, like a general making himself heard in the middle of war

The farmhands lower their weapons and I watch as the men behind me refuse to lower theirs, still under their horses.

Maxwell is wearing a dark gray three-piece suit, his black dress shoes match the suspenders I could see when the ends of the suit flew off. His gaze is hidden by his sunglasses.

I turn to look in the direction of the white corsair with dark spots

- Don't you see my niece here? - The voice sounds so much closer now, I feel arms wrap around my waist in an innocent hug

- "That's my favorite niece," he whispered so quietly next to my ear as he looked at me over his glasses, that if it weren't for the shiver that went straight down my spine I'd think I'd just imagined the words.

- "Hi Uncle Max," I shrug, feeling my cheeks heat up strangely, and snort at the indignation of my traitorous body wanting to blush. I don't blush

- Mick, let it go, a few head of cattle won't make any difference - Max slings an arm over my shoulder and starts guiding me towards the helicopter, not taking much notice of the situation…

- But Sir Lord - Mick complains - There's hundreds of dollars in there - The man grunts, sounding disgusted

Maxwell Lord says nothing, just looks at the man, stops him in his tracks and continues his confident steps, guiding me. I'm amazed at how easily he gave up so much money and how quickly he solved the problem by helping the indigenous people in the end.

- When are you going to New York? Has your father told you anything about winning a scholarship? I don't know what the options are, but you should move there - he said, not wanting to talk about what had just happened

I didn't ask him how he knew what was going on here, after all he always seems to know everything, and I didn't need to ask him why he came in person to sort it out. I think your friendship with my father is important enough for him to want to guarantee my safety.

- You make it sound as if I have somewhere to live other than under the bridge - I scoff lowly

"It's not just because my father has some money that he did anything for me, he was very firm after my teenage years that I should make my own money, especially when I refused to follow the career path he had planned for me.

Me, a defense lawyer? That would never work, and he thought it was far inferior to his little girl to be studying political science with an emphasis on social welfare.

- Don't be silly girl, I have an apartment there, you can make yourself at home. - As long as you don't mind me stopping by once in a while on business.

At that moment he had his glasses off and I could see those brown eyes shining at me in the warm sun and I forgot what to say

- Let's see - as he stretches out his hand, beckoning me to get on the helicopter with him, I just say no - I'm going to take advantage of being here and get on with my work, I miss my... your horses - I smile, remembering who's really in charge here

- See you soon then - he kisses my hand, puts his glasses back on and disappears into the helicopter…

************************************************************************

Moving to New York was one of the best choices I could have made, I still miss the farm and the horses I used to train, seven months is a long time without riding, without feeling the wind whipping my hair and the horse's breath synchronized with mine, intelligent and sensitive animals those, able to understand me better than any human being, not to mention the always cold climate of New York and the people always in a hurry and who didn't seem to see you…

Max showed up here four times during that time, none of them telling me he was coming, and I didn't really care, he proved to be great company, we ended up watching something or talking about trivial matters, the last time I just watched as he worked, the sleeves of his dress shirt folded up to his elbows, his tense body hunched forward, looking at a pile of papers, his hair still in place even after hours of work, that day he wore a petrol blue vest and my legs felt weak from watching him concentrate, I can still feel the slight dampness between my legs just with the memory...

I shake my head, trying to concentrate on the papers in front of me, the many books spread out in front of me, having chosen political science as my major is killing me...

I stand up a little to stretch, the black baby doll rides up my back as I stretch and reach for a book on the other side of the table

- Ufhh - I hear a loud sigh behind me and I jump up looking over my shoulder with my heart racing from the shock.

- Hey, it's you - I giggle, going over to Max to give him a hug - I got a fright.

- I didn't mean to - he smiles and hugs me back, his chin resting on the top of my head while his hands go around my waist and rest on my hips, stroking with his thick fingers.

- You look tired - I say, noticing the soft dark circles under his brown eyes, today he's just wearing a white shirt, a black suspender that matches his dress pants and Italian shoes, his jacket hanging on the rack in the hallway

- It's been a long week - he goes into the kitchen, ignoring the papers scattered on the counter, all the things I need to study for next week's exam - I'm going to open some wine to relax, will you join me?

He shakes a bottle of Domaine Leflaive Montrachet, I didn't know much about wine, but I knew it wasn't the cheap stuff I sometimes drank at night while studying, it would certainly be one of the most expensive wines in the world, and even though I'd love to share a glass with him, I thought I'd better not risk it

- It's better not - I say laughing, watching as he pours a good amount into a glass and then grabs another from the cupboard that I can barely reach without standing on my tiptoes, he doesn't even have to stretch - Wine has an effect on me very quickly - smiling in a corner and a little miffed at having been...flirtatious, I shrug, looking away and going into the living room to find something to watch.

- Oh, you're not going to do that, are you? - I saw him coming with both of them in his hand, both with two fingers of wine in each

Well, since it was in the glass, I wasn't going to waste it. I sat down and picked up the glass and he sat down next to me and started telling me about his turbulent day. I loved it when he told me about his problems and asked me for advice on how to act in certain situations where he had to deal with emotion, because according to him, he didn't have a heart, he was 100% rational and that's how you won in life...

He loved how much I paid attention to every word he said and with my raised eyebrows I only ignored when he said that this world would eat me alive if I kept being so sweet...

- Little one, ignore what I say about you being sweet, keep it up, bring balance... it's just today that was - he gasps tiredly, leaning back against the sofa, while I finished my second glass of wine...

And I saw how comfortable he was with me, tie loosened, two buttons open, sleeves folded...

Max pulled my legs apart and let me rest on his lap, his big, warm hand sliding down my calf to my knee as we laughed to some movie playing at a very low volume in the background. I wasn't even paying attention anymore.

And with the first sip of the third glass, my legs itched where I felt his skin touching them, I felt hot and wet, my stomach light and my thoughts running like torrents in my head. When I felt his fingers on my lower thigh, I let out a low moan, unable to disguise the way he was touching me, my skin so tingling that it was impossible for him not to have noticed the hairs on my arm that were bristling

- Max - I moaned again when he put my legs on his lap and I felt the huge erection there

I don't know who moved first, who pulled who or how it happened, I just realized that I was straddling his lap, my thighs hugging his hips while I was right on top of his big, bulging erection. His mouth hit mine hungrily and the low moan I heard made me gasp and get even more aroused, my panties practically sticking to my wet pussy as I began to roll slowly onto his lap

Our tongues intertwined as he deepened the kiss, the wet kiss, with teeth and bites, that slow kiss that leaves your legs weak and your heart racing wildly in your chest. Max's hands grabbed my ass and pressed it hard against his cock, making me moan even more into his mouth, fuck yes, I could feel his length right on my clit. My hands on his face, holding him back for fear that he might run away from me, even though I was the one who should have run away...

- We can't, shit this is wrong - I gasped as our mouths parted

He grabbed me by the back of the neck and pulled me into another kiss, silencing my protests. One of his domineering hands went to my waist and guided me back into the movements so that we could rub together.

My hands now in his hair, gripping and squeezing the back of his neck, we looked like two teenagers who had never experienced a hard-on before in their lives.

I pushed his chest so that he lay back on the sofa and I opened the remaining buttons button by button, so lost in my own hard-on that I could barely think, and just feeling was taking an enormous effort. My hands were shaking, I don't know if it was because I was so horny or because I was so tense that it was really happening. That's when I felt his fingers squeezing my ass, making me rub my honeyed pussy, covered only by the thin fabric of my panties, even harder against his hard cock.

No, it definitely wasn't another dream about Maxwell Lord, he was there, touching me eagerly and thirsty for me too...

As much as it hurt between my legs, I really wanted to taste him. I moved away enough to unzip Max's pants, it was a martyrdom and he complained when he no longer felt the heat of my body so close to his.

When I sidestepped your mouth, kissing your cheek, then biting your neck, dragging my tongue across your chest and past one of your nipples, I looked up and saw your naughty, cornered smile.

- "It's so wrong, Max, but I want it so much," I said whimpering, the weight of my conscience trying to bring some sense to my horny thoughts.

- I want it too, little one, I've always wanted it - he caresses my cheek and just that light touch gives me the strength to continue, he lifts his hips when I pull his underpants down a little to release his erection.

His cock is big, so big that my eyes widen in surprise. It must be about 18 centimeters long, with veins and a bulbous head that's red and irritated with lust, the little pearly drop at the tip makes me salivate with desire as if I hadn't sucked a cock in 84 years.

- You're so beautiful here," I say, stretching out my tongue and catching the drop of pre-cum, moaning when I taste it on my tongue.

- That's it, my little whore, I want to see all my cock in that delicious mouth." The thick, husky voice makes me sigh, he gathers all my hair in his fist and guides my head towards the huge head of his cock.

I wrap my mouth around it, taking in every inch, taking care not to scrape my teeth, I feel his strong thighs tense under my fingers, and I look up in time to see his head falling back and his eyes closing, his fingers tighten in my hair and he pushes slowly so that I swallow more.

- Go on, a bit more, swallow all of my cock - he says quietly, as if he can't keep the strength in his voice and God, I love being able to do that to him.

I relax my throat and swallow the remaining centimeters, feeling the head of his cock touch my throat and throb with my tongue

- Oh, fuck. You're so good at sucking me small

I moved up and down, pressing my lips around the veins and dragging my tongue along the underside, his fingers gripped my hair tightly, immobilizing me, and then he fucked my mouth, pumping, making the head of his cock slip into the back of my mouth again and again.

I grabbed his balls and massaged them between my fingers, motivated by the moans and grunts Max let out as he fucked my mouth.

- Oh my God, stop or I'll come - God, I was loving how he was begging me, the mighty Maxwell Lord, begging me?

He kept begging me as he tried to stop me from continuing.

But I squeezed my lips tighter around his length, my tongue swirling around and over the slit at the tip every time I almost pulled it out of my mouth and then swallowed as much as I could.

I could feel his balls throbbing in my fingers, my legs tensed and he thrust one last hard thrust, moaning as he came in my mouth, the thick strands of cum running down my throat, making me smile and suck the tip clean.

When I sat on his leg, I wiped the corners of my mouth with my thumb, saw how his brown eyes were blazing at me and how his chest was rising and falling while his breathing still hadn't returned to normal...

Max settled down with me on his lap again, one hand sliding up my thigh to grab my ass and the other wiping away the tears that had formed in my eyes when I slid his cock into my mouth.

- I thought I'd told you to stop - he says, squeezing my cheeks with his hand and without leaving me time to reply, he kisses me, tasting himself in my mouth and exploring everything with his tongue

I feel a naughty finger passing through my ass and going to the tight bundle of nerves making me a little tense but then he goes down moaning in my mouth when he feels my panties all wet, pulling them aside he runs two fingers through my pussy and sighs biting my bottom lip

- All wet for me, little one, look how you've made my fingers wet - he brings his wet fingers in front of my face before putting them in his mouth and sucking on them, making a Ploc with his lips.

I'm not a silent person, not really, but my brain seems so melted and full of serotonin that I can't think of anything witty to say in reply

- It's very nice here - Max says, grabbing my ass with both hands, his fingers so firm that I know I'll have his fingerprints all over me the next day - But my bed is bigger - he adds as he pulls me onto his lap.

Fuck that's wrong, very, very wrong. But fuck, I'm in love.

- Don't you think it's a bit strange? Us doing this, huh? - I ask, kissing his neck as he carries me towards the master bedroom he always uses when he comes over...

- No, nothing's wrong here - he presses his fingers into my ass and throws me onto the bed, making me squeal with laughter.

I take a moment just to look at Maxwell Lord, he looks like a Greek god of sex and sin, his hair, which has always been in order even after hours of work, is messy, his tie is open and hanging from his strong neck, his white shirt is open, showing the few hairs on his chest and the way to his doom, his forearms with thick, visible veins are bare and the fabric is folded up.

His suspenders are down, falling close to his knees, and his open pants show his black boxer briefs. On his face is the damn corner smile that makes me gasp and squeeze my legs together

Realizing how affected I am by the sight of him still dressed, he makes no effort to take off his clothes. Instead, he climbs onto the big bed on his knees like a lion ready to corner its prey, pushes my knees apart with his hands and stares at me seriously, taking off my baby doll shorts, and then when he grabs the ends of my panties, he tugs hard, tearing the fabric. I take advantage of this and finish taking off the rest so that he can have all of me...

His concentrated eyes focused completely between my legs, his red tongue flicked across my lips and he lowered himself without saying a word, taking a long lick of my soaked slit, from my perineum to my swollen clitoris I could feel the moist touch making me press my fingers into the pillow and close my eyes

- You have such a sweet little pussy - he said, giving it another long lick, making my legs tremble with tension - I'm going to love spending hours here

- Ho-hours? - I ask, choking when I feel his tongue penetrating my entrance and I feel his fingers parting my lips to give him better access - Fuck, Max, I'm not coming...

I grow silent as he runs his tongue up my clitoris in tight, languid circles, sucking and rubbing the nerve endings.

- Shiiiiiu, you're going to take it, I'm going to make you take it - he says with a cocky smile, always overbearing, and I love it - I'm going to give my little whore everything she needs, don't worry little one...

He adds a second finger to the first and goes back to sucking all over my pussy except the point where I need it, he licks and bites my lips, takes his fingers out and then sticks his tongue in as far as he can and then comes back with his fingers, driving me crazy, making me gasp and moan with abandon. The heat between my legs spreads to my belly and down my legs, my head feels heavy and I try to keep my eyes open looking at his handsome face as he pleasures me

Whenever I'm close to cumming, he slows down, making the shivers of orgasm go away and leaving me on the edge of the precipice of wonderful cumming and frustration, frustration that he soon pushes away as he begins his torture all over again.

- Oh shit, I never thought you'd be a patient man - I moan between my teeth when I feel the light blow right on my clit making me shiver and moan

The light slap on my breast came as punishment and then I felt his fingers roll over the nipple and squeeze the hard tip making me even crazier, pushing my hips towards him.

- I'm very patient - he punctuates by slipping a finger into me again, slowly in and out several times - You have no idea how much - a second finger joins the first and the movements speed up making me hopeful that he's finally going to make me come - I've had to wait a few years for this, I'm going to fuck you all night - he mumbles this last part, as if he thinks I'm going to refuse.

It seems so.

Three of his big, thick fingers fuck me and when they're all the way inside me he curves them slightly upwards, touching something very close to what I need. When his tongue touches my clit and I hear the moan of appreciation, I don't need much more than one or two stimulations to finally explode in an orgasm that makes me shudder and scream his name, my eyes shut tightly as my lungs explode with the air I didn't even realize I was holding.

It takes a while to feel his weight on top of me, his hand running down my leg from my calf to my thigh and pulling it towards his hip. I felt the big head of his cock at my entrance and stifled a surprised yelp when it slid all the way in in one hard, fluid movement

- Aah, fuck, don't move - I say panting, pressing my hands that were previously dead on the mattress to his back, trying to hold his body to mine and keep him still.

- "Fuck, you've got a huge cock," I complain, but I can't stop myself from smiling when I feel the lips on my neck - which had been kissing there before - stretching and the breath of his kettle laugh close to my ear.

- I'm not going to move - Max says, lifting his tight lips in concentration, his eyes two small, shiny slits, the wrinkles around his eyes and mouth appearing

- You're so fucking small everywhere, aren't you?

Now it's my turn to laugh. He squeezes my ass hard as if staying still like this is too much of an effort, I kiss his chin, and his neck, run my nails lightly down his back and try to roll over feeling a little wider for his cock and less uncomfortable, when I do it a second time he understands that it's okay and pulls out only halfway and then enters again with a slower movement Breathing hard

- Faster - I'm almost begging as I start to feel ready again, the easy slide of his cock because of how wet I've gotten from the first orgasm.

Max kisses me deeply, his tongue assaulting me in a slow kiss as he thrusts hard and goes all the way inside me, I gasp into his mouth and he swallows all my moans. The sound of our bodies fills the room, the thrusts getting faster and stronger, the hand that was on my ass goes up to my breast, paying attention to my nipples while the other holds him above me

- I'm so close," I say, still listening to his dirty whispers in my ear.

- "Then come for me, lick all over my cock," he murmurs and I almost scream at the shocks I feel when his fingers reach between us and rub my clit.

I feel another wave through my body, this one calm and spreading through all my limbs, without being that crazed explosion, every part seems to heat up, shivering and tensing and then the relief comes like gentle waves of the sea kissing my skin and sliding between my legs. I'm so soft and lost that it takes me a while to realize he's moved away, his sweaty chest no longer touching mine and the fabric of his pants rubbing against my legs.

Max turns me over on my stomach and puts a pillow under my belly. He slams both hands down on my ass, making a loud pop, and shoves his cock into me again without slowing down as before.

I've never been quiet during sex but I can't think of anything to say or do, I can only enjoy the sensation of him so deep inside me. I know he's about to come when his thrusts become frantic and erratic, his fingers press hard into my hips as I meet his movements, he pulls out again cursing and cursing and I feel the hot come hitting my back and ass, I turn to look at him over my shoulder, Max has his head thrown back, his eyes closed and his mouth slightly open, the veins in his forearm are so dilated that I can see the slightly green color, his shirt is open, his chest is heaving and I can still see his pants halfway down his thighs.

With a long sigh, he opens his eyes and smiles at me. With two fingers, he spreads his cum all over my ass and uses them to lightly stroke my asshole, making me tense up a little.

- Relax, little one, we've got all night - he reminds me with his other hand caressing my back, lightly slipping just the tip of his finger into the cluster of muscles and nerves and smiling again as I try not to tense up - Hasn't anyone ever played with you here?

- No, sir, Lord." I nod, smiling, still looking at him over my shoulder.

- Then let's take a shower, today everything you have will be mine. - Stretching out his hand to help me, since I looked weak...

I'd never dared to go into the bathroom of Max's suite, but once I went into his room when he wasn't there just to get another blanket because it was a cold night in New York and I felt like an intruder in that place.

Max always liked a lot of luxury, and his bathroom was no different, a rectangular bathtub that ran from one wall to the other, almost a swimming pool, not that I hadn't had luxury in my life, I had until the moment I took my father to be free, and I'm sure that if I hadn't done that, this night wouldn't be happening.

Max turned on the taps as the bath filled up, and I just watched him as he moved around, still in his clothes, standing in front of the sink, removing his rings, his Swiss watch, he looked at me in the mirror with a smile in his corner as I watched his every move sitting on the edge of the bath, waiting for the moment when my body would actually touch his... he was enjoying seeing the effect he was having on me.

- Come on, little one, I'll help you get in - taking me by the hand to help me

- Hey, but you...?

- Shiiiu, just obey me...

I've never been one to obey anyone, but he had me like under a spell, so I did, I sat in the bath, the water warm, he was still sitting outside, he took my hand, stuck two fingers in my mouth, making them wet.

He took my hand to the middle of my legs...

-When I'm not here, and you touch yourself, do you think of me? - pushing my hand deeper inside me and pulling it back

- "I-I do, sir," I said, biting my lower lip.

-And when you come, do you call my name?

- S- yes... - I moaned low, like a whimper, not sure if I was too shy to confess that I was thinking of him like that, or if my voice failed me because of the hard-on that was taking over my body.

- So now you're going to touch yourself, while I watch you until you come for me, little one...

He stood up, leaned against the sink, crossed his arms at chest height, he looked me up and down, as if he owned me, and that night, he did...

- Go on, you can start... he motioned with his head for me to start for him... and I readily obeyed...

I put one leg on either side of the bath, so that he could see me completely, I leaned my head back a little and left my hands where he put them, I felt the slight shocks on my clit as I moved my fingers up and down, Max just watched me with his lower lip bitten.

- Moan louder for me little one - he ordered

It didn't take much effort at that point, as I started to circle my fingers, I felt a wave of pleasure coming over me, and another orgasm coming as I whispered his name, just like those nights when I wanted him...

Max enjoyed everything to the end and approached the bathtub, I was still gasping from my last orgasm when I saw him finally take off his shirt, leaving it on the floor... and then his pants and underwear.

I adjusted myself in the bath as he got in and pulled me close to him, I felt his hands on the back of my neck and his lips on mine, a long kiss...

I could finally feel his body on mine, the touch of his skin on mine, as we kissed I enjoyed every bit of him with my hands, I squeezed his strong arms, smoothed my hands down his back a little, until I reached his ass, where I squeezed slowly and felt him smile in the middle of the kiss.

- I never thought that behind all your sweetness, you were hiding this horny woman - tucking my hair behind my ear

- Does that bother you?

- No, of course not, it surprised me in fact, in a positive way, I don't think I'd have the patience to teach you things - smiling

- Always overbearing, aren't you Maxwell Lord - squinting - Can I ask you a question?

- Of course...

- You said today that you've waited years for this... what do you mean? You're not going to tell me that since I was 18, like in those novels we read and the guy is just waiting for the girl to come of age and? - he interrupts me

- Buurf - he snorts - Of course not, it was later... actually - he seems to remember when it was - Remember a Thanksgiving about five years ago?

- And how can I forget...

- It was that day, you were already 21, in college, doing law, and in the middle of dinner, while your father was talking about what your life would be like, you stood up and said you'd dropped out of college four months ago

- My father almost had a heart attack that day - I remember with wide eyes

- Yes, the vein in his forehead popped out - Max laughs as he remembers the scene - 

That's when I saw you as a woman for the first time... and then when you came with the excuse of training the horses at the stud farm, because you had nowhere to stay, since your father had cut down everything?

- But I really wanted to train the horses... I just wanted to combine the useful with the pleasant

- Did you know that I started visiting that stud farm more after you went there? And I loved watching you from the balcony in the late afternoon while you rode...

I'd never seen you like that, talking about your memories with such sincerity, even more so with me...

- So you mean I was in Max Lord's thoughts? - I try to be overbearing, but he doesn't answer, he just raises an eyebrow at me, pulling me closer to him as he glues his mouth to mine again...

His kiss is slow, but hard, as if he doesn't want to lose any of me there, one of his hands holding me by the back of the neck, under my hair, and the other gluing me to him, down my hips, lifting one of my legs, I feel his thumb passing through my bct, I moan softly into his mouth, he sticks his thumb in quickly before going down a little further, I feel the tension when he starts to caress my ass, and he says into my mouth.

-Just relax

My body trembles, I hold him by the nape of the neck as he thrusts deeper and deeper, letting out low moans still in his mouth...

- Max...

He continues until he's halfway in, and pulls it back out, slowly making his way back in, his mouth descending to my neck, while I felt his tongue licking it, he played with my ass as he wanted...

- It won't be good for you here - he whispered in my ear - Let's go back to bed, so I can fuck your ass…

************************************************************************

Max lay down on top of me, pulled the hair out of my face and kissed me affectionately

- I promise I'll be careful, I just need you to trust me, okay, little one? Brushing his nose against my cheek

I just nodded, I was tense, but I wanted him there so much...

Max put me on my side and lay down behind me, like a little mattress, I felt his bare chest touch my back and his lips kissed the back of my neck, going down to my shoulders, his hand was now searching for my pussy, he opened me up a little to reach my clit, making me wet again, he ran his fingers inside it, taking as much of my libido as he could, and began to caress my ass calmly while still kissing the back of my neck, I felt the head of his huge cock forcing its way in, my body tensed.

- shiiiiii, calm down, if it hurts, just tell me

Him whispering in my ear was just what I needed to relax, my hand gripping the mattress as I felt him invading me, at first I thought it would hurt more, but I was anesthetized and held by Max's huge arms, he kept thrusting halfway in, his hand started holding my neck, taking the air out of me a little, as if he was going to suffocate me, I felt his hot breath in my ear

- You're so tight, baby," he snorted.

I thrust my hips more towards him, causing more of his cock to enter me, I felt him gasp and hold my hips, Max started to pump hard and slow while moaning and whispering in my ear, his hand went down from my hip to my clit where he started to touch me while he pounded faster and faster into my ass, I was in ecstasy, feeling his hips already hitting my ass, and his moans getting louder and louder

- Come for me again little one - as he circled my clit with his fingers - I'm going to come inside your ass now

I'd lost count of how many times Max had made me come so far, but I could feel the next wave coming, and God, him pumping so deep into my ass was really driving me crazy...

I thrust my hips even more as I came, and I called his name loudly MAX... I gasped loudly and heard him moan, straddling me as he pumped his entire cock into my ass, Max moaned loudly and stroked his face through my hair, and I felt him come inside me, his sweaty body glued to mine as our breathing returned to normal, I felt him slowly pull out of me

- You were great, little one - he whispered in my ear - better than in my fantasies...

Max turned me towards him, smoothing my hair out of my face... he smoothed my cheek and kissed my forehead, then went down to my mouth, lay down and pulled me to his chest...

When I woke up Max wasn't in bed with me. If it weren't for the insistent pain in all the right places on my body I might think it was just another one of my torrid dreams about him, but the throbbing pain in my pussy and ass won't let me forget that so quickly

Good Mr. Maxwell Lord, I look forward to your next visit...

PEDRITA PASCAL

[hidelias]

A bend in space-time Season 3 - [Chapter 6: The legend of the White Buffalo]

[Chapter 6: The legend of the White Buffalo] Links : AO3 - Wattpad - FFN

Summary: Feeling uplifted by a wind of change, Rin gets her hair cut at the Hotel Obsidian's hair salon. Shortly afterwards, she meets “Iggy” again, who tells her… the Lakota legend of the White Buffalo.

Excerpt

"Does this white buffalo have any particular symbolism for Native Americans?"

Iggy lets a faint smile pass on his knife-edged face, amid the smoke that envelops him.

"It belongs to one of the most sacred stories of those who walk the Great Plains. The story of Ptesáŋwiŋ, the White Buffalo Woman, who entrusted a sacred calumet to the People as a 'bridge' to Wakȟáŋ Tȟáŋka: the Great Mystery."

I widen my eyes, marveling at this, so tempted to let myself be carried away by his words. I’ve known since the first day: Iggy is not ordinary man.

"The Great Mystery…" I repeat. And I finally venture to ask, "What is it?" He uncrosses his legs, which end in cowboy boots, then crosses them again differently. "Wakȟáŋ Tȟáŋka… is a creative life force that permeates and connects all things. It manifests in you, in me, from the rocks to the sky, and in every living being. Everything—even the tiniest thing—holds a part of Wakȟáŋ Tȟáŋka and should be respected, as it is also a part of us."

I no longer drink. Suddenly, my coffee seems forgotten.

"Is it a god?" I try to grasp these foundations of Lakota sacredness, and he gently shakes his head. "No. The Great Mystery is not a personal entity, yet it is Everything. It is the Grand Machinery of the universe."

(…)

↝↝↝↝ Read 'A bend in space-time' ↜↜↜↜ Full chapter : AO3 - Wattpad - FFN Season 1 complete : AO3 - Wattpad - FFN Season 2 complete : AO3 - Wattpad - FFN Season 3 in progress : AO3 - Wattpad - FF

I chose to insert an OC - Rin - into the plot of The Umbrella Academy, appearing almost only in deleted scenes. This fic is not a self-insert nor a OC-centric fic : Rin exists to flesh out the canon characters, and the fic is mostly focusing on Klaus. Please read the introduction for more details ♡

[rockybloo]

How would the other beloveds respond if their respective flavor four just showed up in their place (I mean like straight up inside their home without telling them they were going to be there)?

Sourpuss and Bitterbat are the most likely to not give a heads up compared to the other flavors, thought Bitterbat has a free card because he lives with Sweetheart. So it's a bit out of character for Redhot and Halite to just pop in unless it's something important. THAT BEING SAID:

Dear - He still lives with his mom, as well as his brother, but they tend to be busy with work (mom works at a Hair Salon, brother is Green Buffalo of the Gamers) so he has a decent amount of alone time. However, their schedules can change at the drop of a dime and they have no idea he is a Beloved, so having Redhot's big ass appear at home is a big "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING IN HERE" followed up by him scrambling to try and tear off whatever fanmade Redhot posters he bought and hiding the red bull plushie he sometimes sleeps with. There are def some strong words shared. Redhot would def prefer arriving in the kitchen for the sole purpose of cooking Dear food since he's a junk eater.

Baby - Similar situation to Dear where she still lives with her family but now you got the added complication of MULTIPLE siblings as well as grandparents. Which means she is almost never home along. And since it's damn near impossible to not have someone spot them, Baby would snatch them up by the back of the neck to trigger the mini-monster mode and act like they are a plushie before hurrying to her room. She immediately asks Sourpuss to not surprise her again unless they appear in her room. And even then, she very much wants to know ahead of time. Sourpuss could honestly show up anywhere inside the house but Baby would try to get them to use the basement the most.

Honey - The only other person she lives with is her father so chances are, if Halite did show up, Papa Bear let him in and they are just hanging out until Honey returns. He also is most likely taking care of Bee which Honey is always alright with as that's a bit less work for her to do for the day. In the scenario she is home alone with Bee, she would of course be surprised but I imagine the only time Halite would really do such a thing is if he has a present or it's a special occasion. And even then, he would limit his spontaneous arrival to the living room.

And I know this question is more directed at non-Sweetheart and Bitterbat but I misread and already had a thing typed so have this anyways:

Sweetheart - They live together so she gave Bitterbat a key even though he really doesn't need to use it. He can just poof in and out as he pleases. It's a very common occurrence and doesn't bother her since it's a habit he's has since he was a kid. I will say that the first time he poofed into her room while they were still kiddos, she fuckin' screeched but that's because he choose to appear under her bed. He prefers spontaneously arriving in her bedroom.

[abookishdreamer]

Character Intro: Neicus (Kingdom of Ichor)

Nickname- The Blond Brain by Dione

Age- 35 (immortal)

Location- Skyline district, New Olympus

Personality- He's intellectual, cool, & suave, viewing debate as one of the greatest intellectual arts. He's single.

He has the standard abilities of a god except shapeshifting. As the god of debate & appeal his other powers/abilities include speech manipulation, dispute inducement, vocal projection, and seductive magnetism.

Some members of his family includes his younger sister Dimósia (goddess of debate) & niece Peitho (goddess of persuasion & sensuality). His relationship with his sister is good despite their busy schedules, but he hasn't been around his niece much.

Neicus shares a condo in the Skyline neighborhood of New Olympus. He lives in The Parthenos Plaza with his best friend Favian (god of philosophy). Neicus gets around in a sleek silver sports car & has been thinking about possibly getting a pet griffin!

He takes great pride in his appearance and physicality. Neicus has a whole skincare routine & keeps his facial hair neatly trimmed. He often frequents the medical office of Paean (goddess of physicians) at the royal palace on Mt. Olympus for teeth whitening, the plaza's gym for a high cardio workout, and the Gold Rays tanning studio for a healthy looking golden bronze glow. Neicus describes his personal style as "sophisticated casual." He opts for quality over quantity when it comes to his wardrobe- pressed silk shirts, khakis, as well as fine leather shoes, sneakers, & sandals going upward of 500 drachmas a pop! He also has his suits expertly tailored.

A go-to drink for him is a white russian. He also likes dry martinis, scotch on the rocks, pinot grigio, champagne, negronis, rum & cokes, and beer. His usual from The Roasted Bean is a large decaf espresso.

His go-to thing to eat for breakfast is the chipotle chicken, scrambled egg, & avacado sandwich on ciabatta bread from The Bread Box. He'll also order hash browns, sweet potato home fries, and turkey sausage patties from The Hearthside Diner.

Neicus' bond with Favian is deep. They like to think of themselves as brothers. They even got matching friendship tattoos on the inside of their wrists.

A guilty pleasure for him are buffalo wings! He opts for a 20 piece whenever he goes to Olympic Chef.

Neicus' main source of income comes from being the head of the communications department at New Olympus University. He personally teaches the new media communications class. Neicus is also an esteemed speechwriter, even writing the speech that King Zeus delivered on the country's millennial anniversary celebration! For other means of income he models for/endorses Platinum Alchemy, Cerulean Stone, Ouránio Théama, & Thunderstruck (Zeus' underwear brand). Neicus is also a frequent political commentator on The Agnostic Network. With his personal ventures, he's trying to step into the world of professional boxing.

His favorite dessert is the mille-feuille from Salon du Sucre, the patisserie owned by Aphrodite (goddess of love & beauty).

In the pantheon Neicus is friends with Pathos (god of emotion), Litismós (goddess of culture), Sophia (goddess of thought); his best friend's sister, Porus (god of resourcefulness), Eikono (goddess of iconography & literature), Nomos (god of laws), Horkos (god of oaths), Kéfi (goddess of mirth), Aion (god of time, eternity, & the zodiacs), Aplistos (god of avarice), Dione, Momus (god of mockery, satire, & ridicule), Amphictyonis (Amy) (goddess of diplomacy), Hydros (god of water), several river gods including Achelous (god of freshwater), Priapus (god of fertility, vegetable gardens, livestock, sexuality, & masculinity), Rhapso (goddess of sewing), and Chiron (the immortal centaur).

As for his love life, Neicus is enjoying not being tied down in a relationship. A new development has been him & Rhapso getting more flirtatious and familiar with each other, including a situation that happened in her dressing room where Neicus gave her a foot massage after she was complaining about her stiletto heels. Despite finding her incredibly attractive, he hasn't made a real move for fear of ruining their friendship. Neicus shared a kiss with Apheleia (goddess of simplicity) at an induction ceremony & has dated Nymphe (goddess of self-care). He's currently seeing a theater actress, a mortal woman named Petroula Aetos.

His all time favorite food are king crab sushi rolls.

In his free time Neicus enjoys reading, writing, playing video games, football (soccer), swimming, golf, sunbathing, basketball, poker, tennis, bike riding, playing pool, and surfing.

"You don't win a debate by suppressing discussion. You win it with a better argument."

[pulaasul]

TWENTY-THREE YEARS OLD

Ace-sama is dead.

Sara was with Keiwa when she learned that news, she's sure if she asked her brother not to fight the person who killed Ace-sama, he would not go.

"Promise Me, you'll Come Back"

A/N: As this was intended to be a birthday fic, the main prompts here were the Persona 5 Fandom's "Kiss Ryuji Day" wherein every Persona 5 character is drawn or written to kiss Persona 5's Ryuji, one of the preview images for the last episode of Geats, and Keiwa's wish to become an idol.

FFN I Ao3

--------

News of Ace's death had reached even Sara's ears. She was with Keiwa when her brother was informed through his spider phones about that particular announcement.

One word from her, she's sure that Keiwa wouldn't fight Sueru.

"Please promise me you'll come back."

Sara saw her brother bite his lips and looked away for a moment.

The both of them knew that she could lose her brother, for good this time. No ominous frog statue to force her into a deadly tournament in exchange for reviving her brother.

"Nee-chan, I love you."

"I love you too, Keiwa."

The siblings hugged each other, both knew that this could be the very last time they get to hug each other in their lives.

As soon as Keiwa left the apartment to meet with Neon-chan and Buffalo-san, Sara spied on the calendar, specifically on the 25th day of August.

"Please let him make it to his 23rd birthday."

--------

Sara had caught glimpses of the final fight against Sueru, she didn't have the heart to witness the whole thing, especially when the red and black Rider was choking the life of her brother.

She had been in the apartment after she had called in sick when she was unceremoniously teleported to the DGP salon.

"Sara-sama, I apologize for forcefully teleporting you here, I didn't know who else to call."

"It's okay Tsumuri-san, what do you need?"

"I don't know…" Tsumuri admitted. "Ace-sama… he…"

"Is he alive?"

"I don't know," Tsumuri shook her head. "I had teleported the both of us from where he and Sueru fought and then he vanished."

"Didn't that simply mean that he's alive?" Sara offered, hopeful for the outcome of the ongoing battle with her brother and Sueru.

"I.."

Before another word could escape from Tsumuri had gasped.

Curious why Tsumuri gasped, Sara turned around and saw on a holographic screen that Neon-chan and Buffalo-san in the floor while the red and black Rider took her brother by the throat and lifted him off of the ground.

"Keiwa!"

Whatever was said the man holding her brother by the throat, none of it registered in Sara's mind. She couldn't do anything to save her brother from his fate.

If Ace died against Sueru, what hope could his brother have?

"I'm sorry Tsumuri-san, but…" Sara tried her best to hold back her tears. "I don't think I can watch this… Can you…"

"I'll take you to the spare room, Sara-sama."

Tsumuri escorted Sara to the spare room, coincidentally; It was the room Keiwa was in when he was recovering from the risky play made by Ace just to get the Ninja Buckle, judging from the log of users at the entrance of the room that showed Kamen Rider Tycoon's core ID logo.

"Call me if you need anything, Sara-sama."

Sara only nodded before she sobbed herself to sleep, muffling her voice with the pillow already in the room.

--------

Sara woke up hours later. It was already three in the morning on the 25th of August, judging from the time and date that was said on her phone.

"You didn't make it to your 23rd birthday, Keiwa." Sara whispered to herself as she made her way back to the lounge of the salon only to be greeted by Tsumuri right by the lounge's entrance.

"Sara-sama! You're awake!"

Sara was confused as to why Tsumuri was dragging her to the lounge, only to be greeted by everyone's sleeping forms from Daichi-kun to her brother, even Ace-sama was with everyone.

Everyone was sleeping soundly on the floor.

"Is Keiwa?" Sara had to make sure.

"Yes, Ace-sama arrived just in time to stop Sueru from killing Keiwa-sama." Tsumuri whispered gladly.

"Say, Tsumuri-san, does this place have an oven, it's Keiwa's birthday today."

"It is?" Tsumuri smiled with excitement. "I'll show you where the kitchen is, Keiwa-sama has also made use of the kitchen when he was living here with Daichi-sama and Sae-sama."

"Really? Lead the way, Tsumuri-san!

---------

"Heh, so it's Tycoon's birthday today."

Sara had just briefed everyone on why there was a cake on the bar's counter. She had just revealed to everyone that this was a celebration of Keiwa's birthday, as much as it was a celebration of their victory against Sueru.

"If…" Neon trailed off as she realized something in horror.

"It wasn't permanent, so we're not going to think about that." Ace immediately shut down Neon's train of thought. "We should be celebrating his birthday and our victory."

"You're right," Neon smiled. "What do you have in mind?"

"Sara-san and nee-san – "

"I'm not your nee-san."

"– already did everything for us, I'd suggest we decorate the place, but we're all still sore from the fight yesterday." Ace hummed.

"Why don't you just change clothes then you'll hide somewhere?" Sara suggested. "Then we can start the celebration after he wakes up."

"How is he still asleep?" Michinaga questioned.

"Whenever he's so tired, he sometimes needs someone to wake him up." Sara smiled fondly. "He's gotten good at waking up by himself even when he's tired the previous day, the fight must've taken a lot out of him."

"You saw the fight?" Neon squeaked in alarm.

"I couldn't bring myself to watch the entire thing as soon as I saw Keiwa getting choked by your enemy." Sara admitted.

Michinaga and Neon looked at each other as if having a silent agreement, at least that is what Sara determined was happening.

"Ace-sama, please hide the cake for the time being, I kind of want to surprise him when he wakes up."

"Sure thing."

--------

"Nee-chan?" Sara heard her brother call out.

"I'm here, Keiwa" Sara announced her presence.

"Wai- What are you doing he-" Keiwa immediately sat up in alarm.

"Calm down, Keiwa!" Sara immediately approached her brother. "Tsumuri-san called me and wanted me here, so I'm here."

"O-oh."

"You and your tendency to assume the worst." Sara sighed. "Lighten up a little, it's your birthday."

"A-ah! Right." Keiwa sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Right," A small smile graced his face. "I made it to 23."

"So birthday boy, you better clean up after yourself and change your clothes so we can go home and have a small celebration between us."

"Hai~!" Keiwa agreed.

Suddenly, Keiwa realized he didn't know where the others were.

"Everyone?"

"They all woke up before you, so they already went home."

"I see." Keiwa nodded.

---------

With a fresh green polo with black and white stripes, brown pants, and a pair of white sneakers, Keiwa entered the lounge, fully prepared to go home with his sister.

"Surprise!"

The exclamation startled Keiwa to the point that he jumped a bit from the surprise.

"Happy Birthday, Keiwa!" Everyone announced as his sister approached him, cake in hand.

"Happy Birthday, Keiwa." A huge smile graced the siblings' faces before Keiwa closed his eyes and blew out the flames of the candle on top of the cake.

"What did you wish for?" Neon asked.

"If I told you, it wouldn't come true." Keiwa deflected.

"I'm hurt, you forgot all about me." Ace mock pouted at the birthday boy.

"Yeah, no." Keiwa stuck his tongue out. "Not happening, Ace."

"What's the harm, we've got our kami-sama here to grant your wish." Win placed an arm over the birthday boy's shoulders.

"Well," Everyone listened to Keiwa's wish attentively. "I wish I become an idol."

"But, Keiwa, you already are an idol," Neon hummed. "Technically speaking at least."

"Eh? Really?"

"A lot of people saw your fight against Kekera, or at least that's what I'm seeing online," Neon stated. "Saying how good of an actor you were to fool your opponent."

"Heh, you want to be a star like me, Tycoon?" Ace smirked. "I can send someone from my agency to scou-"

"No, no, no!" Keiwa immediately frantically declined the suggestion. "It was just a joke, a joke!"

"You're already famous, sooner or later someone's going to scout you with or without my intervention."

"No, just no."

"So what did you wish for?"

"Whatever it is, I'm sure you can achieve it, if you just believe."

Keiwa nodded.

"For this," Keiwa gestured at everyone in the room, and the happy faces it gave him, barring Michinaga and Daichi who were smirking. "To last long and for a world where everyone is happy."

Ace smiled at the wish.

"And we'll continue to fight for this to last long," Ace declared. "And strive for the world where everyone is happy."

Everyone nodded.

"Happy Birthday, Tycoon." Ace made a fox gesture with his right hand and poked it at Keiwa's forehead.

"Happy Birthday, Keiwa!" Neon giggled as she planted a kiss on the birthday boy's left cheek.

Michinaga simply patted his right shoulder and nodded at him.

Win mimicked Michinaga's action but patted Keiwa's left shoulder.

Daichi simply nodded at the birthday boy.

"Happy Birthday, Keiwa-sama." Tsumuri greeted the birthday boy happily before planting a kiss on his right cheek.

"Keiwa, I'm so glad that we got to celebrate your 23rd birthday despite everything we went through!" Sara hugged her brother. "Happy Birthday, Keiwa!"

"Thank you, nee-chan," Keiwa smiled at his sister. "Thank you, everyone!"

"Aside from Tycoon's birthday, this is also in celebration of the victory we secured against Sueru and the people of the future," Ace declared. "Good work, everyone."

"Good work!" Everyone greeted each other.

"Cheers!" Sara exclaimed as she raised her glass of drink.

"Cheers!" Everyone responded and mirrored Sara's actions.

[carmenvicinanza]

Rosa Bonheur

https://www.unadonnalgiorno.it/rosa-bonheur/

Rosa Bonheur, artista francese del XIX secolo, autrice di memorabili ritratti di animali, è stata la prima donna insignita della Legion d’Onore sebbene la storia dell’arte tenda a dimenticarla.

Dichiaratamente omosessuale, libera e indipendente, è stata tra le prime donne a indossare i pantaloni. Per farlo, doveva chiedere un’autorizzazione alle autorità che, ogni sei mesi, era costretta a rinnovare.

Nata col nome di Marie Rosalie Bonheur, il 16 maggio 1822 a Bordeaux, era la figlia maggiore del pittore Raymond Bonheur e di Sophie Marquis.

Ai suoi tempi le donne non potevano frequentare le Scuole di Belle Arti e il padre fu il suo maestro e quello dei fratelli e sorelle.

Invece di andare a copiare i quadri del Louvre preferiva stare in campagna e frequentare le fiere di animali che adorava.

Espose per la prima volta nel 1841, a diciannove anni al Salon di Parigi. A ventisei vinse la sua prima Medaglia d’oro, tra artisti come Corot, Ingres e Delacroix.

Per trovare l’ispirazione girava per i mercati di animali e i macelli indossando pantaloni, coi capelli corti e un sigaro in bocca per confondersi tra la folla.

Il suo quadro Aratura nelle campagne di Nevers, del 1949 è oggi esposto al Museo d’Orsay.

La fama internazionale era arrivata con La fiera di cavalli, arrivata al Metropolitan Museum di New York nel 1887, ancora oggi uno dei quadri più apprezzati della struttura.

La sua fortuna artistica è stata molto legata al mercato inglese, era molto apprezzata dalla regina Vittoria, e a quello statunitense.

È stato un raro esempio di artista che è riuscita a guadagnare in vita con le sue opere. Riuscì infatti a comprare il castello di By, a Thomery, vicino Fontainebleau, dove allestì il suo atelier e organizzò gli spazi per i suoi animali. Ci viveva con il suo primo amore, Nathalie Micas, anch’ella pittrice, conosciuta quando aveva quattordici anni da cui non si separò mai sino alla morte di lei, avvenuta nel 1889.

Allevava animali esotici e coltivava le sue passioni, musica, letture, teatro, ma anche sigari, caccia, cavalli. Sezionava i cadaveri degli animali per studiarli meglio.

Riceveva scrittori come Victor Hugo, Gustave Flaubert, i musicisti più famosi dell’epoca, Georges Bizet, Jules Massenet, Charles Gounod, appassionata d’opera, si recava spesso Parigi per assistere agli spettacoli.

Anche Buffalo Bill, che aveva conosciuto quando aveva visitato l’accampamento del Wild West Show, lo spettacolo che portava in giro per l’Europa, dove aveva visto per la prima volta i bisonti e altri animali esotici. Dal loro incontro nacque un celebre ritratto a cavallo dell’ospite americano, che le aveva donato un abito dei nativi visibile ancora oggi nella ex dimora dell’artista.

Nel 1865 è stata insignita della Grande Croce della Lègion d’Honneur dall’imperatrice Eugénie, moglie di Napoleone III, che aveva visitato il suo atelier e insistito per poterle consegnare la più alta onorificenza francese.

Anni dopo la scomparsa di Nathalie, si innamorò della per la pittrice statunitense Anna Klumpke, con ha vissuto fino alla morte e che è diventata la sua erede universale.

Ha lasciato la terra il 25 maggio del 1899 nel Castello di By. È sepolta a Parigi nel cimitero di Père-Lachaise.

I quadri, gli acquarelli, i bronzi e le incisioni presenti nel suo studio, così come la sua collezione personale, furono venduti alla galleria Georges Petit, a Parigi, nel 1900. Oggi il suo atelier è aperto al pubblico come Musée de l’atelier Rosa Bonheur a Thomery.

La sua biografia è stata scritta, nel 1908, da Anna Klumpke, la sua ultima compagna.

Nel 2022 per il bicentenario della sua nascita è stata allestita una mostra al Museo di Belle arti di Bordeaux e successivamente al Musée d’Orsay.

Nel suo castello, ora ribattezzato Château Rosa Bonheur, l’attuale proprietaria si batte per far riscoprire l’opera della pittrice e valorizzare la dimora che contiene molti documenti d’archivio ancora inediti rimasti conservati nei solai e magazzini e che, poco a poco, vengono studiati per arricchire la conoscenza di una donna emblematica della sua epoca la cui memoria non deve andare persa.

Si stima che al momento della sua morte al castello fossero presenti circa 4.500 opere. Grazie alle lastre fotografiche di Anna Klumpke, scoperte nei solai, si è potuto ricostruire in parte un inventario delle opere scomparse. Le immagini sono state il cuore dell’esposizione Le Musée des oeuvres disparues  che presentava un centinaio di opere inedite della pittrice rivelandone aspetti meno conosciuti come le caricature, la pittura storica e paesaggistica, le illustrazioni di leggende inglesi.

Nel castello dove ha abitato è possibile dimorare e godere del meraviglioso giardino dove teneva i suoi amati animali.

[sweetalize]

Acrylics + Buffalo plaid 🎄 Inspo: @helennails_yeg (at KHROMA Nail Salon) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cl3yZ_JrMXo/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[jillian-dawn]

I'm feeling somber right now

I'm thankful for the blessings and beautiful ppl in my life And on another hand I am sad that I don't get to walk this life with my daughter anymore I miss her at every turn everywhere I go everything I do I miss my princess I just left tropical smoothie and I know that you should be one of her favorite places to grab a bite to eat so standing there ordering a smoothie and not being able to order one for her the sunset smoothie Baja Sunrise actually with the buffalo chicken wrap that was her Jam prior to that I went to the nail salon and was just missing her as a sat there getting my nails done remembering when she used to be right next to me getting her nails done as well I'm thankful for my family and friends and co-workers in my life my job my son my beautiful beautiful son and my new love I'm thankful for him I'm so thankful that God placed a companion in my life that is such a beautiful person I wish that my daughter could have met him they share the same birthday I know that she's watching over me and I know that I'm going to see her again so I'm going to try to get through this pain get through this hurt and get through the night and just get through another day thank you Lord for being with her and for being with me in Jesus name amen

[bapperina]

I had such vivid dreams last night… and the night before. You were in some of them. I’m ovulating right now so I’ve been having a lot of sex dreams and just constantly feel horny throughout the whole day lol.

I can’t remember all the dreams but one of them in part was in a mall and going to a spa/salon. I was getting a facial and my hair done. And then something to do with a tranny. This creepy guy in a dress and makeup showed up and was also trying to get his hair done. And then something like a Buffalo bill situation? I remember feeling in edge inside the mall and keeping my eye open for anything suspicious. At one point I was trying to run away from somebody and had to take elevators.

Then another dream. About you. And an orgy I guess. It was us and another man and woman, and you were all doing eachother. I remember feeling so utterly jealous that you were having sex with another woman. I hated it and wanted to cry, I was so hurt and mad. I wanted to make you jealous and was planning to have sex with another guy, but I don’t recall going through with it.

Then another dream about you, we were meeting up for the first time in a while. We were meeting up at a pool. I felt so nervous to see you. Especially since I was in a two piece. And felt all exposed. You saw me and instantly lit up, happy to see me. You gave me a hug and wanted to catch up. I didn’t know how to feel. I felt anxious, but glad, but sick to my stomach (much how I feel in real life). Some of my family was there too.

Then I think it was a separate dream, but I was back in my childhood bedroom and he was sick in bed. Something was wrong with his head, he had cracked his skull and was all bandaged up. I also remember my mom being there telling me I had to drink this special tea for my hormones lol. I laid in bed next to him, he was so out of it but turned to look at me and smiled… it was such a tender moment. I remember gently cuddling up to him and caressing his face, telling him he’ll be okay and I’ll stay there with him. I love him so much. That I’ll take care of him.

All these dreams just point out my mix of unresolved emotions. My head says one thing but my heart says another. I can’t let go. Is it love? I don’t love you. But I love you. I don’t know what else to call this emotion. Maybe it is love, but a different kind of love. Maybe it’s just a habit. I don’t know how other people do this. I don’t know how to lighten this load off my heart. What can I say? What can I do? I carry this to my grave. I stay silent. I ache, I am confused. Nothing makes sense. Yet I keep it all inside me with a pretty little bow on top. I’ve always been so good about being contained. But I overflow at times, I spill, my insides are so tangled and tainted. It makes me heart sick. Another year will pass. And another, and another. And you’ll still haunt me. Pathetic. I can’t stand myself. I never know the good and right thing to do. I still think about you. Will you ever leave me?

[hoodoverhollywood]

New women-owned nail parlor set for 716 Day grand opening in Hamburg

Cure Nail Parlor will celebrate local female entrepreneurs with vendor pop-ups during grand opening week. BUFFALO, N.Y. — Shannon Vogel’s interest in the beauty industry started with her grandparents, the former owners of Richards Beauty Shop, a salon in downtown Buffalo.  “They had a full-service salon, and I always knew that one day I wanted to be in the business of making people feel special…

[sexybedhead]

on the nature documentary in the nail salon,

the narrator says that despite growing human population,

the tiger population is increasing.

I wonder what they know that I don’t,

about surviving occupations.

I learned from my ancestors

(the bears)

(the bison)

(the buffalo)

(the wolves)

how to survive occupation.

I learned from my ancestors,

(the trees)

(the dirt)

(the rot)

(the river)

how to survive occupation.

despite the way greed has crept into my home,

despite a growing occupation,

I witness the giggles of girls in the nail salon

and the tiger population increases.