#melissa.

[dojimakaichou]

The queen hadn't really graced the harbor with her presence in a while now - mostly due to the fact that there was no need to visit that part of the capital very often. Solaris did not rely on maritime trade routes as much as it did on terrestrial ones, despite the fact that it had been flourishing over the last years: as a result of the union of the heirs of the sun-kissed land to Koutetsujima, ships had become the favored means of travel over horses in the narrow and older roads.

According to the missives they had exchanged, that was the day where the Ryujo was expected to make port - and Melissa had cleared her schedule in advance of the date, with Okamura being fully aware of the reason but not in the company of many others serving the royal household (although gossip was running freely between servants who had a keen eye for detail and for the suspicious movements of tailors going into the queen's chambers).

As the ship became clearer on the horizon, Melissa sighed longingly and held her friend's hand tightly - for a moment, they were children once again, seeking support in their trusted companion that would never judge them no matter what. But as the vessel approached, Okamura stepped back to observe protocol, but not without a fond squeeze to Melissa's fingers that lingered pleasantly after that. She was not alone - in more ways than one.

And as soon as Daigo turned from distant shadow to recognizable visage, Melissa smiled at him - and also used the digits that had been idle to caress over her stomach, playing with that area until they settled over that region and did not move anymore. It was very difficult to see from that position, but the brunette standing on firm land had news to share with her husband and ally - and that was how she had chosen to communicate it at first.

But even if the figure of the Solarian monarch was not fully transformed, there was a certain glow to Melissa: perhaps as a blessing of the Goddess, the wind was soft and blowing in a certain way, with sunlight reflected upon calm waves and the melodic singing of the birds making a poetic backdrop for a woman that looked... Different. It was often said that motherhood was the divine manifesting in flesh, and the queen shone with a different light.

The hand did not leave her belly until Daigo disembarked and made for her, the softest of the smiles playing on Melissa's lips while they traded the small curtsies and greetings that were expected of them while standing in public. "My dear husband," Melissa said first, looking up into his dark yet beautiful eyes that meant the world to her, "I apologize for not having written with the good news but I wanted to tell you in person instead of disturbing your work in the islands. Daigo..." her voice turned into a whisper, less of a ruler speaking to another of political matters and more of a wife to her soulmate, "A winter child - just like you, my love."

★. ―

Daigo walked around the main deck. The journey to Solaris was not particularly long — six days, provided the weather was good — but it was long enough for the new King. He had always been better suited to horseback ; sailing, while interesting, was never something he considered himself skilled with.

At the first sight of the royal port, Daigo felt his heart leap into his throat. That ache in his chest suddenly worsened. Surrounded by his homeland, back among the traditions of his people, and yet . . . he had spent every hour missing her, wishing to be in Solaris. His bed was cold and too large without her.

Daigo remained still, allowing the dedicated crew of the Ryujo to work around him, until he saw the Queen. She stood alone, toward the end of the dock. Daigo's dark eyes fixed on her, studying her for any silent news. All at once, he sucked in a breath, lips hovering open. There was — a difference to her, a difference he wouldn't have been able to place if not for the position of her hands. Was she attempting to tell him . . . ??

Ordinarily, it would take several minutes for the Ryujo to stop and all passengers to disembark. Daigo, however, couldn't wait that long. Without any warning to his men, he bolted for the rail. Majima's laughter and Mine's yelping objections were drowned out by the wind whooshing past the King as his boots left the soaked wood. He grabbed at the ropes hanging down from the trimmed sails and used those to slow his fall. Luckily, his gloves were thick enough to prevent a burn. The King landed hard on the dock. His poor knees and back, battered by years of fighting and harsh living, protested ; in spite of that, Daigo immediately stood up.

He looked more like a Koutetsujima sailor than the King of the iron - rich islands, dressed in tattered and dark clothing suited for work. There were only a few things that told him apart from the rest : the infamous circlet on his brow, tied into his crown ; the fine sword on his hip ; the way he was bundled in an effort to show no skin and therefore ink ; and the detailed weave in his salt - encrusted braid.

Daigo began to walk. He stopped just before the Queen of Solaris. There were one thousand questions on his tongue, but the King bowed his head to her silently first. That was important, especially when the alliance between their countries ( solidified by their marriage last autumn ) was so new. It was only after Melissa greeted him in turn that Daigo stepped forward, closing the distance between them.

The Queen's quiet confirmation of Daigo's suspicions made his eyes widen. Instinctively, he removed one of his gloves and reached for her middle. Melissa nodded, fingers wrapping around her husband's, and pressed his palm to her lower belly. It was not significantly rounded, as it would be later, but the King could feel even through her dress that her stomach was . . . fuller, firmer. As Daigo held his hand there, his expression grew tender.

There was much that rode on this pregnancy — the blood union of Koutetsujima and Solaris, as well as the future of either country's throne depending on its sex. No one could deny that. For Daigo, though, having a child with Melissa had long left the realm of political strategy. He loved her immensely, and creating a family with her was another way of expressing that.

"You are not far," Daigo murmured, shifting to hold her by the hip, "but it has already changed you, Melissa. You glow, like the little suns around your palace." The King cursed the fact that all knowledge of the Solarian language seemed to be eluding him in his excitement. He drew his brows together. "Have you announced it ??"

Melissa shook her head. "Not yet — not until the baby moves. It is customary, in case there is an early complication."

Daigo grinned, slanted smile wrinkling the bags under his eyes from travel. The Queen patted his forearm. "Let us go," she said softly. "Your men will handle the Ryujo."

Her husband nodded. Before they moved, though, his hand slid back to the bottom of her belly. Daigo cupped it in his large palm. The corners of his eyes crinkled with how wide his smile grew. "Praise be to the Snake of my mother," he whispered, referencing the great tattoo on his body and preferred deity. "She has filled your womb with water and given it life. May She coil around the child. Keep it safe."

Melissa shivered faintly at a stirring of the breeze, which caused the sea to ripple. Mindful of the goosebumps on her skin, the Queen removed Daigo's bare fingers and squeezed them. "Come, my love. To our rooms. Nothing would make me happier than introducing you two without all of this fabric in the way."

[tommasogiordano]

Tommaso possuía um círculo social bastante extravagante, com todo tipo de gente, que exercia todo tipo de função, dentro do organismo social de Nunca Mais. Isso incluía a figura de @hellsbabyy, que exercia junto dele uma relação de troca e benefícios prolongados: Melissa alimentava-se da energia de Tommaso e, em troca, ela falava bem a quem quisesse ouvir (ou, no caso, ler) no jornal, o que contribuía e muito para a vida social dele dentro daquele lugar. Escândalos abafados, causas e atitudes promovidas... Ainda assim, por mais que tivesse sido uma relação por interesse à princípio, o Giordano genuinamente passou a gostar dela a ponto de se preocupar com a succubus. Por isso, ao vê-la em um canto mais afastado das escadarias, aproximou-se com cautela, tendo se demorado um pouco nos jardins que os separavam, para conseguir um pequeno ramo de flores. Não havia muitas, mas serviria para animá-la se fosse o caso de estar triste. —Jantares para politicagem sempre ficam cansativos no final das contas, não acha? — Foi só um pretexto para se deixar ao lado da Kim, a alguns centímetros de distância, antes de virar o rosto para fitá-la. — Sabe que gosto de te ver nos meus sonhos, mas acho que nunca te disse como gosto de te ver pessoalmente também. Como você tá?

[pyeonqie]

melissa barrera (the actress who got fired from the scream franchise for being pro palestine) has started a fundraiser with unrwa!

[sayruq]

[be-the-glenn-to-my-maggie]

Percy heard the Oracle say that he's going to be betrayed by a friend, and he goes "Fuck you, my best friend Grover would NEVER do that he's my OG."

[argentisms]

☎ melissa mccall

NAME: Mama McCall

RINGTONE:  Default

PICTURE: 

LAST TEXT RECEIVED: Hi sweetheart! Hope you're doing well. I know we haven't spoken in a while, but I was wondering if you could send me your mom's recipe for Creme Brulee? I haven't stopped dreaming about it since the time you brought it to dinner! Call me, I'd love to hear from you. xo Melissa

LAST TEXT SENT:  Of course!! I'll call you after class!! ❤

[lionydoorin]

aaand it's been confirmed

i hope scream 7 flops and i am not watching nor supporting this 💖

[celebscleavage]

Melissa Benoist

[pinktwingirl]

Just so we’re clear, the reason why Hollywood will bend over backwards to defend Zionists while blacklisting anyone who speaks out against Israel is not because of the anti-Semitic “jEWs cOnTRoL tHE meDiA” bullshit conspiracy theory; it’s because the U.S. military complex has the whole industry in its pockets. IT’S CAPITALISM GUYS IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN CAPITALISM

[podcastwizard]

they're electrocuting those poor sex robots

[bathroom-sand]

paramount and spyglass are trying so hard right now to save face because jenna ortega rightfully left the scream franchise after they fired melissa for supprting palestine. nobody is dumb enough to believe the excuse that it’s a scheduling conflict hours after rumors she was trying to get out of her contract cause she was pissed. i’m very thankful that jenna is risking her career and using her position to do the right thing. she’s been outspoken about palestine for years now. i hope this begins a trend of zionist losing money for their support and complacency with an active genocide

[newsmutproject]

When it comes to sex scenes, the rules say things like: Don't write them at all, and if you do, don't use these words. Don't write them silly, porny, dramatic, tragic, pathological, grim, or ridiculous.

My whole practical thesis around the craft of writing a sex scene is this: it is exactly the same as any other scene. Our isolation of sex from other kinds of scenes is not indicative of sex’s difference, but the difference in our relationship to sex. It is our reluctance to name things, the shame we've been taught, our fraught compulsion to an act a theatre of types. It is indicative of the lack of imagination that centuries of patriarchy and white supremacy has wrought on us. 

To teach sex scenes is to talk about plot, dialogue, pacing, description and characterisation: all those elements that make a captivating scene. A sex scene should advance the story and occur in a chain of causality that springs from your characters’ choices. It should employ sensory detail that concretises and also speaks symbolically to the deeper content of the story. Or if not, it should service your work of art in whatever ways you want from your scenes.

“Mind Fuck: Writing Better Sex” in Body Work by Melissa Febos

[53v3nfrn5]

An alligator basks in the midday sun in the Okefenokee Swamp along the Georgia-Florida line. They call it black-water country, but in this sandy-bottomed stretch the water looks as red as cranberry juice owing to tannins from decaying leaves. photo: Melissa Farlow (1992)

[purlturtle]

Twitter thread by Melissa Caruso about a labyrinthine magical bookstore in Syracuse, NY edited: it's in Saratoga Springs, NY! Link to the first tweet in the thread; most pictures have image descriptions! Now here are the screenshots of that thread:

And then a hero of the labyrinthine magical bookstores of the world put all the bookstores that people listed in the replies on a map! (Google Maps link)

[rrondo]

Photo by @mrchill (website | instagram)

[sayruq]

They're openly blacklisting actors.

This is why Melissa was fired. She had to drop a project in order to film Scream 7 early next year. She's not the only one getting blacklisted

I guess you have to celebrate genocide to keep your job