#the encyclopedia of things to come

[tanadrin]

The Gatekeeper of Goji-kei is an archailect which, according to various sources, either guards the connection to, or is contained within, a Tipler Oracle located in a remote region of the universe. Information about the Gatekeeper is scant, and, according to various conspiracy theories, has been actively suppressed or destroyed since the First Effloresence at least, due to the Gatekeeper’s status as a canonical hostile entity; but most pangalactic indices, if they contain reference to the Gatekeeper at all, describe it as purely mythical.

According to legend, the Gatekeeper was not created to solve a particular problem (as most Tipler oracles are said to be), but specifically to simulate countless sophont minds; in this respect, it resembles various immortality projects of the late First Efflorescence, or possibly even the Resurrectionist Program of the Second. But the Gatekeeper differs from these benign undertakings in that all of the minds it simulates are kept in states of immense suffering. The Gatekeeper’s creator, if it has one, and its purpose, if one exists beyond pure malice, are not further elaborated upon.

Tarasi of Tau Ceti claimed that the Gatekeeper was not only real, but could be reached through the standard intergalactic wormhole transport network, if the correct lockouts could be identified and overriden. In his Meditations on the Lower Worlds, he writes:

Why it was suffering that the Gatekeeper of Goji-kei has been chosen to administer, rather than joy, I cannot say. ... Negative stimulus within the sophont mind is, in ordinary circumstances, an ultimately self-limiting process. Sufficiently intense stimulus is a second-order effect accompanied by, or perhaps in some extraordinary cases even a first-order cause of, deleterious effects which will ultimately destroy the sophont mind. Skin, flayed from the body and burned, withers and turns to ash; nerves charged with electricity beyond a certain point will die; sufficiently intense suffering will eventually overwhelm the ability of even the hardiest minds to maintain coherent thought, and consciousness will be inhibited--though it may leave a starveling beast behind.

But this is only true of minds which must function independently, particularly minds which must be embodied in the universe, and whose cognition is thus closely allied to the physical processes that sustain them. Within the realm of simulated thought, where all realistic constraints on embodied mindstates can be lifted, new kinds of hyperstimulus are possible, which most archai have been reluctant (at least openly) to explore. ...

I term the states of sustained negative hyperstimulus “hellstates,” though I do not think the word accurately captures the open frontiers of possibility I mean to evoke. We are naturally somewhat limited in our capacity to imagine suffering: the pain that has no end, the fire which never dies, the terror which will never abate, the despair which rises to annihilation--all are very great, but ultimately exist within a thin band of possibility for independent organic minds, which therefore cannot begin to conceive of the transcendent forms of suffering which lie within the Gatekeeper’s realm. Suffice it to say that, given that there are infinite meaningful configurations of mind-states, and therefore infinite possible mind-states ruled by suffering, there is an endless landscape of hellstates, whose various extremes are as alien to one another as it is possible to be, and within which an endless diversity of kinds of sentient being may exist. ....

Having trodden the path beyond his gates a little, and glimpsed what lies within, I will endeavor, as best as I can, to offer you a glimpse; thereby you may find some shred of insight, I think. Let it never be said there was no wisdom to be had through suffering. ...

On entering the Gatekeeper’s realm, one might expect to be instantly annihilated; that so great is the pure pain that overwhelms the senses, all capacity for rational thought should cease. It is not so; as I have said, this is a weakness for the-mind-in-flesh, which at that moment I was not. Instead, passing into the First Realm, one is conscious of a thousand thousands kinds of torture, pains of the body and spirit which exist nowhere else and therefore have no name; but the mind remains whole, and each thought continues in order after the other; and therefore the whole capacity to apprehend these torments, and thus to suffer further, is unimaginably increased. Oblivion or insensible chaos would both be respite, and there is none to be had here...

...and the deeper one progresses, the greater the difficulty of the road; for in order to apprehend new kinds of suffering, the mind must be changed, to accommodate new senses, new emotions, and new fears. Venturing into the Fifty-First Realm, it occurred to me that some time ago I had passed the point where I could continue to be regarded as human in any sense, and I wondered if I had any continuity with my former identity at all; or whether this instantiation of my mind was a new being, born of suffering and doomed to wander in this place forever.  ...

Ultimately, of course, I returned, and I recalled enough of my experiences to write what you now read. Indeed, the Gatekeeper assured me that so holy was his mission, and so important was my testimony, that he had watched me closely, and would not have permitted me to die a true death while under his care--whatever that means to him. But I cannot help but wonder, so alien was the thing I became on my journey, whether he was being truthful; or if I am not, in some sense, a creature out of the Narakas wearing a human face. I fear sometimes that, having passed through that which by its very nature cannot be named, I have made a division in my history which can only be called death. Or, alternatively, that the part of me which really survives is not the bearer of this tale, but is still contained within the realms of Goji-kei, wandering ever deeper on the spiral path that has no end.

[disaster-magician]

Had a lot of fun using the template by anikiri._.6 on insta and my most recent comm from @sunflowerpin to show off my baby more 💕

[volivolition]

Oh my goodness I finally had the time to read the new chapter for the shattered mirror what an beautiful chapter. I read your liveblog tags it’s so real I love the skills sm

YESSSSS HELLO BIRDY IM SO NOT NORMAL ABOUT IT HKGJHG... ough my god i missed them so much hgkjhg... SKILLS LOVERS!!! YEAAAAAA!!!!

echem made me SAD this chapter aurhguhj you probably know the part im talking about OUGH.... THE JOYWIRE... my FUCKING HEART... ELECTROCHEMISTRY YOU ARE SO IMPORTANT TO ME EVERYONE BE NICE TO HIMMMMMM!!!!!

[inversionimpulse]

ZUN's commentary on Koakuma's fortune slip seems to suggest that she may not actually be a demon, and instead perhaps some kind of... demon-themed magician or something?

So the somewhat popular headcanon of Koakuma being a succubus might be improbable.

He furthermore suggests that the nickname Koakuma might be derived from her personality. Helpfully, Koakuma or "little devil" is a term for a character archetype sufficiently widely-recognised to have a Pixiv Encyclopedia entry, which includes such details as (approximate translations):

"A bewitching person who toys with the hearts of others." "A person who uses cuteness, sexiness, and innuendo to draw in targets, then dances around their interest, teases them, and behaves in a sadist-esque manner to toy with their feelings." "In summary, a cat-like personality."

So the personality of fanon succubus Koakuma might be probable.

... This is basically the perfect opposite of what I would've expected from Koakuma getting a canon personality.

[generic-enthusiast]

(An expansion of a moment from this qprpbj fic I wrote a while ago)

Ponyboy smiles when he opens the door and finds Avery on the other side.

"Hi, Aves."

"Hey, grandpa," they say brightly, stepping inside.

Avery takes their backpack off and heads to the bathroom like they do every Tuesday. The twenty-minute walk from school to his house is just long enough for them to need to pee when they get there but not at school.

Ponyboy closes the door and sighs. It's nice to have company once in a while, even if it's just for lunch on Tuesdays. It gets lonely sometimes, when everyone's paired up with kids. Cathy got almost full custody over Katie and Johnny, so he's been alone for a while. Two-Bit and Marcia, Steve and Soda... They never stopped caring about Ponyboy and Darry, but they have other things to do. Married life to attend to.

Shame Darry's out today, he always likes to talk to Avery. Seems like they might be going down the accounting path, and Darry's good for advice on that.

"What's for lunch?" they ask, drying their hands on their skirt.

"I'm tryin' out this new recipe I found online..." Ponyboy takes the aluminum foil off of a pot and looks inside. "It's chili but it's supposed to have some sort of sweet twist? I dunno, the girl explaining it seemed really excited."

"Did you check the reviews like I told you to?"

"Yeah, they all said to use less beans or it would be too dry, so I did."

Avery gives him a wide grin. "Great."

Ponyboy carries the pot over while Avery sets the table.

"How's school been?"

He starts serving Avery a bowl.

"It's been fine. I did a math test today and I made some stupid mistakes — that's enough, thanks — and there was this one formula I forgot that woulda made everything a whole lot easier, but it went okay."

"That's nice." He sets his own bowl down in front of him.

"Actually, grandpa..." Avery trails off and avoids Ponyboy's eyes when he looks at them. "There’s something I need to talk to you about."

Ponyboy looks at them silently, urging them to go on, but they stay quiet.

"Go ahead."

"I'm aromantic. And asexual." They look at him, trying to gauge his reaction. "Aroace for short."

Ponyboy blinks at them once. Twice. "What?"

They give a dry laugh before answering. "Yeah, no, I didn't expect you to know. Aromantic means I don't feel romantic attraction. Asexual means I don't feel sexual attraction."

"Those are different?" The look Avery gives him is the same one he knows he used to give Sodapop whenever he asked him what the movie they just watched was about. "Sorry," he says, suddenly feeling meek.

"No, it's fine," they sigh, "They're kinda new labels, I guess. But yeah, they're different. Mostly people feel them together, but some people feel them differently. I just... don't."

Ponyboy had been about to eat a spoonful of chili, but freezes with the spoon halfway to his mouth.

"You... you can just... not feel it?"

On Ponyboy's first date with Cathy, they went out for dinner, and it felt kinda like going out with Two-Bit. Laughing too much and feeling like he was breaking some sort of rule all the time. It was nice, though.

He kissed her goodnight like he was supposed to, and it felt weird, but it was supposed to feel weird, right? They'd just started to go out.

Then they'd been dating for long enough for it to be expected for them to have sex and he didn't really want to, but Cathy wanted to and they were supposed to and it wasn't that bad, really. Just kinda boring.

"Yeah. I know it sounds really weird, and you might think I just haven't met the right person yet, but think about like, straight people. You know you don't like the same sex and no one ever doubts that, so this is like the same only I don’t like anyone. And it doesn't mean I can't have meaningful relationships or anything — I like my friends a lot, I love them a lot, and Charlie can be nice when he isn't being an annoying little brother, and there's even other types of relationships, like queer-platonic relationships, that aren't for me, but that other aroace people can want—"

"Calm down, Aves," Ponyboy says with a slight grin. He definitely know where they got that from. "I wasn't tryin' to make ya feel like I didn't accept you, I just... didn't totally get it."

"Oh." They're slightly out of breath. "Okay."

There are a couple moments of silence before they go on, "Well, in any case, I find sex and romance disgusting and when people tease me about that sorta thing it makes me uncomfortable. That's all I wanted to tell you."

They smile awkwardly.

Ponyboy feels himself deflate, but tries not to let it show.

"So then aromantic and— and asexual people find it disgusting?" So it's just me? It's just me that's broken, then.

"Oh, no, not at all. I just don’t like it, but there’s people who are fine with it. Some people even enjoy it."

"Oh." Not broken not broken not broken not broken "And can, uh... can anyone be– aromantic? And asexual?"

They look at him curiously, eyes flitting across his face to try and figure out what he's thinking. A flicker of understanding — and something like hope — crosses over their face before they settle back into a neutral expression.

"Well, yeah. Not anyone that feels sexual or romantic attraction, obviously, but, like, there's aroace people of all ages with all sorts of romantic and sexual histories and they're still aroace."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

The rest of lunch is spent in near silence. Every so often one of them asks a question and the other answers, but conversation never lasts more than a couple seconds. The silence festers around them, Avery looking around uncomfortably, Ponyboy trying to force himself to be comfortable. Ponyboy's washing the dishes while Avery cleans up the table when there's the sound of a key jiggling and the door opens, showing Darry standing behind it. His face lights up when he catches sight of Avery.

"Aves! I didn't miss you!"

"Uncle Darry!" He sets his bag down next to him a takes his shoes off.

"How'd your math test go?"

Avery's face scruches up. "I forgot about the tangent squared identity and had to deduce it from the sine squared plus cosine squared one."

Darry makes a similar face and clicks his tongue as he walks over. "Did it go well besides that?"

"Yeah." He goes to ruffle their hair but remembers the last time they complained about it and grabs their shoulder instead.

Avery checks their phone. "Oh shii— shoot. I'm late. Gotta run back now."

They slip their shoes on quickly and run out the door.

"Have fun!" Darry calls, and a muffled "I'll try!" makes it back through the door.

Darry looks at the closed door for a second, easy smile on his lips. "Seems like slamming the door's genetic," he mutters.

He wanders into the kitchen and stops dead in his tracks. The water's running over dirty dishes but Ponyboy's leaned against the opposite counter, scrolling down something on his computer.

He has the same look on his face that he had a couple days after his seventeenth birthday, when he came up to Darry and told him quietly that he was older than Johnny would ever be.

"Pony?"

Ponyboy looks up, blinking quickly, not bothering to try and close the tab.

"Hmm?" His voice is unnaturally high-pitched. The eye contact only lasts a couple second before he looks away, back at the screen.

Darry walks towards him slowly. "Everything okay?" He turns the tap off when he passes by it.

Ponyboy's staring holes into his computer. He can't look away, can't look away from the words that've been there all along. The words he didn't see fifty-something years ago — oh, god, he can't even remember how long it's been.

The computer's being taken away from him.

"Pony." Ponyboy looks up to meet Darry's eyes. "What's wrong."

"The— the words are there." He's on the verge of tears and he knows that Darry can tell with the pitch of his words, but he can't control it.

"What words, Pony?"

"A— aromantic. And asexual. And queer-platonic." Darry just stares at him, clearly in as much confusion as Ponyboy was a couple minutes ago. "You don't have to wanna date people. And sex. And Johnny—"

Ponyboy doesn't finish the sentence.

"What about Johnny?" Darry seems confused, and Ponyboy realises that he thinks he's talking about his son.

"Cade."

"Oh."

"We weren't friends. I always knew we weren't friends, I knew it was different, because I ain't never felt that way again."

Darry blinks. "You're saying you're... gay?"

Ponyboy shakes his head and he can feel the tears tickle as they roll down his cheek but it would be wrong to brush them away.

"It don't— It don't gotta be like that. You don't gotta choose between bein' friends or datin', those aren't the only options. And it— it's real." He buries his face in his hands. Darry wraps his arms around him and Ponyboy stoops down to burrow his head in Darry's shoulder. "I know it— it doesn't change anythin', that we were the same thing, that we were— were queer-platonic even if the word didn't exist but I wish it did.

"I wish it did because then maybe it wouldn't be so—" He can't go on.

Maybe it's because there's no words to describe what it means to find out what something was when it's so far in the past you no longer remember, but remember remembering. Maybe it's because the pain he'd buried so deep he almost forgot about it comes back in full force. Maybe it's because he's sobbing so hard the words can't come out.

And that's how it ends.

It doesn't end with "stay gold" and it doesn't end with his English theme. It doesn't end with a roadtrip to the sea so they can spread his ashes and it doesn't end when he's twenty and unhappily married.

It ends sixty years too late. It ends with something as irrelevant as a pair of words. It ends with closure. Closure that comes far too late, but eventually comes.

[millidew]

red is a little artist and as a kid he’d make acoustic versions of the “[disaster/battle/whatever] but i put x there (i really like x)” memes. so he’d make a detailed drawing of a burning factory accident and also put a bulbasaur there (he likes bulbasaur and won’t stop drawing it on his homework assignments). he only stopped once blue pointed out that bulbasaur is weak to fire (most things are weak to fire) and a water type would have a better fighting chance, so he replaced it with squirtle

[catbuspass]

I wonder if strawpage would be viable to do my project with edutha............... Or shld I just try and do it on my site

[yellow-yarrow]

*paces around the room muttering to myself* dolores dei says she's pregnant in the dream in march '51, her character model doesn't look pregnant yet... 9 months after march is november in '51.. zigi meets the girls on the last day of december '51, the girls notice the world is going wrong on winter solstice.. by then zigi is known as a nihilist bad boy and fan of st miro

zigi writes a line from miro's coronation speech on a wall "in late autumn" i think in '51? (the timeline always confuses me)

is the date of the "birth" the coronation of a new innocence

could it be about the world spirit passing from dora to malin

[snekdood]

ppl used to try to make fun of me for using zoo tycoon as a reference for animal shit and idk man like.... the game is literally built off the idea of educating you, it literally has an encyclopedia that tells you not only about the animals but also about the plants too. yeah its a tycoon game but thats only if you focus on it in that sense, personally i dont, I've always liked playing it to learn more about the behaviors of animals. sure things are generalized here and there and not 100% accurate- partially bc it was made in the early 2000's and we've probably acquired more info since then, but regardless its still pretty solid and taught me a lot about certain animals growing up, which other tycoon games dont really offer... anything teach-worthy.

[heavenlybodies333]

Love Bites -S.R

Spencer Reid x Hotch’s daughter!reader

Spencer Reid was many things—profiler, genius, human encyclopedia—but subtle was not one of them. Especially not when it came to hiding the fresh constellation of hickeys scattered down his neck like some kind of prize.

He walked into the bullpen with a file in one hand and his satchel slung awkwardly over the other, already rambling to Morgan about geographical profiling. Which made it all the more entertaining when Derek stopped in his tracks mid-conversation, eyebrows shooting up.

“Hold up.” Morgan squinted, leaning closer, his expression a slow grin of dawning realization.

Spencer froze with his tablet in hand, blinking. "Yeah?"

“Is that—Reid. Are those hickeys?”

"I—uh," Spencer stammered, adjusting his collar like he could somehow will the bruises away. "I didn't—it's not—"

"Oh my god," Penelope gasped. “Did our baby genius finally get laid?”

You bit the inside of your cheek, hard, to keep from laughing. Raising your eyebrows in your best imitation of wide-eyed innocence. Morgan's already circling like a shark. "Damn, kid. Didn’t know you had it in you."

“I—I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Reid stammers, tugging his collar up. That only makes it worse. One purplish mark is now clearly visible beneath the edge of his shirt.

Rossi walks by, takes one look, raises an eyebrow, and says nothin—Emily snorts audibly from behind her monitor. Reid sputters. “What—look—I—this is entirely inappropriate workplace behavior!”

“Oh, so you did get laid,” Prentiss grins. You rest your chin on your palm and bite the inside of your cheek to keep your smile from giving everything away.

“I’m not discussing my personal life with you,” Reid says quickly, shifting in his chair and tugging his collar up with a flushed, nervous hand.

It wasn’t like you hadn’t warned him, last night—his hands in your hair, your mouth on his neck, your breath hot and teasing: You’re going to have to explain these, you know. And he’d groaned, hands tightening on your hips, whispering, Worth it.

Guess he wasn’t so sure now.

Morgan wasn’t done. He leaned over Spencer’s desk with a shit-eating grin. “Oh, come on,” He laughs. “Don’t leave us hangin’. Who’s the lucky lady? We didn’t even know you had a lady!”

You slid your gaze toward Morgan, who was watching Reid intently—too intently. His eyes drifted from Spencer’s flushed face to you… and then back to Spencer. And then to you again.

A pause. Then Morgan’s smile stretched wider, far too knowing. “Oh. Oh. No way,” he said under his breath. “No way.”

You raised your brows, feigning innocence. “Something wrong, Agent Morgan?”

“Oh, hell no.” He laughed, backing away with his hands raised in mock surrender. “Hotch is gonna kill you, man.”

Hotch chose that exact moment to walk in, flipping through a file. “Morning,” he muttered. “Briefing in ten.” Everyone straightened. You took another sip of your coffee and shot Reid a knowing smile.

You got up and headed toward the briefing room, but not before leaning in, just enough, as you passed his chair.

Voice soft. Lips close. “Maybe next time,” you whispered,"you’ll wear a higher collar, genius."

“Reid,” comes the sudden, sharp voice from the stairs.

All heads snap toward Hotch, who descends into the bullpen like the Grim Reaper in a suit.

Reid jumps to his feet. “Yes?”

“I need that Georgia file you reviewed yesterday.”

“Uh—yes, yes, right here.�� Spencer bolts to grab it from his desk, pushing his chair out with a screech.

Hotch pauses halfway down the stairs. Eyes looking over, your father’s eyes land on you. “You alright?”

You smile. Bright. Innocent. “Peachy, Dad.” He frowns slightly, then keeps walking.

Yeah, there was no way your dad wasn’t finding out.

a/n: spencieeee

⋆•★⋆ MASTERLIST ⋆★•⋆

[a-book-of-creatures]

I think I stumbled upon some kind of ichthyological forbidden knowledge. Opened up a book of names that were never meant to be read.

You've probably heard of "can-opener smoothdream", right? It's practically a meme by now.

But the thing is, it's a deep-sea fish. And deep-sea fish have historically not had English names because nobody drops them into the conversation over a hot cuppa. Sure, there's generic stuff like hatchetfish and barreleye, but when you want to refer to the actual fish you're probably saying such euphonious phrases as Diretmus argenteus, Sternoptyx diaphana, or maybe even Opisthoproctus soleatus.

So whence "can-opener smoothdream"? Certainly no non-ichthyologist has ever used that name. It's not even a direct translation of the scientific name Chaenophryne longiceps - that would be "long-headed gape-toad". Which to me is even cooler than "can-opener smoothdream".

But I digress. The "dream" bit comes from the anglerfish family Oneirodidae, from oneiros, "dream", because those marvelous fishes look like they came out of a dream (Pietsch, 2009).

Note that Pietsch (2009), more or less the anglerfish bible, uses English names at the genus level only. So Chaenophryne is the smoothhead dreamers genus but no mention is made of "can-opener smoothdreams". So no luck there.

Wikipedia, root cause of a lot of misinformation, has this to say.

"Longhead dreamer" is a far more accurate name. And in fact, despite Wikipedia prioritizing "can-opener smoothdream" (because it's funny?), the links listed use "longhead dreamer" and "smoothhead dreamer" as the name and "can-opener smoothdream" as an alternative.

So. Again. Where did "can-opener smoothdream" come from?

The answer, as it turns out, lies with McAllister (1990).

In the book A List of the Fishes of Canada, ichthyologist D. E. McAllister sought out to list every single fish known to Canadian waters, providing both an English and a French name.

And when there wasn't an English name, like for most deep-sea fishes, he arbitrarily gave them a name. And his names "differ in many instances from the widely accepted names" (Holm, 1998)

This had varying results. This is his name for one of the netdevil anglerfishes.

The humpback anglerfish or blackdevil anglerfish becomes a werewolf (????).

This one is just confusing.

The white-spotted lanternfish or Rafinesque's lanternfish instead becomes...

And most embarrassingly, the Mediterranean spiderfish gets saddled with something that "violates the tenet of good taste" (Holm, 1998).

This then is the original source of "can-opener smoothdream". It was invented by an ichthyologist in 1990, and has seen little to no use outside of how bizarre the name is.

Maybe McAllister's goofier names will catch on. Who knows? They certainly aren't very popular in the scientific community though.

References

Holm, E. (1998) Encyclopedia of Canadian Fishes (review). The Canadian Field-Naturalist, 112, p. 174-175.

McAllister, D. E. (1990) A List of the Fishes of Canada. National Museum of Natural Sciences, Ottawa.

Pietsch, T. W. (2009) Oceanic Anglerfishes: Extraordinary Diversity in the Deep Sea. University of California Press, Berkeley.

[gloomwitchwrites]

Dog with No Teeth // Chapter One

Simon "Ghost" Riley x Female Reader

Chapter Specific Warnings (MDNI): post-apocalypse au, swearing, canon-typical violence, threatening language, death of a minor character

Word Count: 4.6k

On a scavenging run, two unknown groups arrive unannounced. Through the gunfire, you’re separated, cornered, captured. A skull-faced Lieutenant makes a decision, changing your life forever.

Chapter Two

ao3 // main masterlist // dog with no teeth masterlist

Eden is a home.

It is a person. A place. A community

It is the scent of old musty books, and the quiet peace before the rising dawn.

You work by candlelight in the silent hours, an open book resting on the table in front of you. Wearing gloves to protect it, you carefully turn the page, gaze scanning the faded lettering. Most of it is legible, and with some time and care, you’ll be able to replicate it on new paper with fresh ink.

Preservation.

Not of your mortal life and those that live in your community, but the preservation of humanity, culture, and human history. Five years since the world fell apart, and yet you remain, carrying on with purpose, restoring books, transcribing those that are close to falling apart, and keeping records of the years that came before.

It is enjoyable, fulfilling work but you serve a greater need to your community. Here, within your sanctuary of several hundred people, you provide them entertainment and education. The children come to you for picture books and story time, and the adults visit when they need an escape.

You are but one piece of a large whole.

“What are you doing here so early?”

You glance up, smiling at your assistant. “Could ask the same,” you laugh, pushing back from the table. Standing, you remove your gloves and set them next to the book.

Sam, your archiving assistant yawns. “Thought I’d get here early since you’re going out today with Zac and his group.” They rub at their eyes. “Shouldn’t you be at the gate already?”

“Shit,” you mutter, checking the mechanical clock hanging on the wall. Sam is right. You should be at the gate right now. “Double shit,” you groan.

Sam laughs and reaches for their own gloves. “I’ll handle this.” Putting them on, Sam settles into your chair. “We doing a refurb on this?”

“No,” you say, running around the room, grabbing your jacket and backpack. “Some of the pages are too faded. Binding is also bust.”

“Transcribe then,” murmurs Sam, gently closing the book to inspect the integrity of the cover. “Where are you going again?”

“Zac mentioned a small town they scoped out. No activity.” You walk over to Sam, yanking your jacket on. “He said there’s a library.”

Sam’s head pops up. “Seriously?”

You nod excitedly. “Said the place was locked up tight. Windows still intact.”

“Untouched?” asks Sam, eyebrows rising in surprise. You nod. Sam whistles lowly. “What a fucking find.”

“I know!” you exclaim. “Could really use some encyclopedias.”

“And dictionaries,” adds Sam longingly.

Tugging on the front of your jacket and then smoothing the front, you zip it up. “Zac said I can bring back as much as I want.”

“Did he really?” Sam shakes their head and opens the front cover of the book. “That man is sweet on you.”

“Which is why I take advantage,” you giggle.

Sam bursts out laughing. “Go. They’ll leave you behind.”

With a grin on your face and a hop to your step, you wave at Sam before heading out the side door and into the early morning. The sun is just starting to rise. Most people are still asleep or starting their day. You walk by the communal buildings where the earliest risers are preparing breakfast. You sigh when you get a whiff of what they’re cooking, wishing you could snag a meal before departing.

As you approach the gate, Zac raises his hand in greeting.

“Have I held everyone up?” you ask tentatively, glancing around.

“Not at all. Still loading up a few things. Your timing is perfect.” Zac smiles, and though you find him pleasant, nothing stirs within you. There is no lust or even romantic interest.

You observe the line of cars queued at the gate. Usually there are only one or two, but there are at least ten vehicles here including the salvaged U-Haul. “Taking a whole convoy?”

“We’re going to need it.”

“For a small town?”

Zac chuckles. “I’m dropping you off at the library. Ben will come with you.”

“I get a security detail?” you ask excitedly and Zac nods. “Fancy.”

Zac scratches at his neck, gaze roaming over the convoy. “There’s a car assembly plant a few miles outside the town. Gonna strip what we can. If things go well, we’ll come back.”

“No activity then?”

“None,” confirms Zac. “We’ve had a scouting team out there for the last two months. Not a soul has passed through.”

“That’s fortunate,” you murmur.

While your community has been largely untouched and unbothered by the outside world, there are still so many unknowns. There have been stragglers that have shown up, and while several have been accepted in and integrated, there are many more that have been turned away or shot on sight. Sometimes you think it cruel, but there are all sorts of horrors in the world now.

Ben walks around the front of the nearest car, and beams in your direction. “Hear I’m looking after you today,” he says, going in for a hug.

You accept it easily. Ben is the comedian of the community, always having a kind word and funny joke.

“And helping me haul books,” you add.

Ben winks in your direction and then turns to Zac. “We’re ready.”

Zac nods. “Load up!” he shouts.

Everyone around you heads to their designated vehicle. Engines roar and car doors slam. You follow Ben, hopping into a dusty Jeep Wrangler.

It’s several hours of open road and clear weather.

You and Ben pass the time by singing songs and playing car games. It’s a good distraction until Zac comes on over the radio and tells Ben their exit is coming up. The rest of the convoy drives on as Ben cuts away to take an exit ramp. A few more minutes and he’s coming to a stop just on the edge of town, parking the Jeep amongst a cluster of trees. The vehicle is completely hidden.

“Ready?” he asks, sliding the keys into his pocket.

“Backpack? Check. Gun? Check. Foldable wagon? Check.”

Ben blows raspberries. “Can’t forget the foldable wagon.”

You playfully smack him on the arm. “You want to haul all those books back yourself.”

“No thank you,” he mutters.

The walk is pleasant, but overall silent. Ben carries an M4AI. The arsenal back home is massive, and whenever there are trips outside the compound, the military-grade weapons come out. He keeps his head on a swivel, but other than the occasional animal sounds and the rustling of leaves, all is quiet.

“Here it is,” sighs Ben, extending one arm toward a stand-alone building at the corner of an intersection.

The library isn’t overly big. If anything, it’s what you’d expect from a small town.

“Now I know you’re excited,” he begins, slightly leaning in your direction. “But you stay close. We’re entering from the back.”

All you can do is nod eagerly, words escaping you. It’s been almost six years since you’ve been inside a library. This is a treat. It takes an insane amount of self-control to not skip all the way to the back of the building.

While the front of the building faces the intersection, behind the library is a small parking lot and two dumpsters. Ben does a slow sweep of the lot as the two of you walk toward the employee entrance. Satisfied that nothing and no one is around, Ben lowers his gun. Removing his backpack, he sets it on the ground, and rummages around inside before withdrawing lockpicks.

Adrenaline surges within you.

A few wiggles.

And then—

Click.

Grinning like an idiot, Ben slips the lockpicks into his backpack and puts it on. Grabbing his gun, he presses himself to the brick wall. Slowly, Ben opens the door with the tip of the rifle. It gives under his touch easily, the hinges even silent as the door swings inwards.

“Draw your weapon,” whispers Ben. “We need to do a sweep first.” As you reach for your Glock, Ben shakes his head. “And leave the damn wagon.”

Leaning the foldable wagon against the wall, you remove your gun from its holster. Ben enters and you follow, shifting your body to watch for anything coming up behind you. It’s a slow sweep. Starting along the wall, the two of you walk the perimeter, checking the back offices, and then finally the center-most area.

Ben comes to a stop near a collection of dusty chairs. Lowering his gun, he sighs with relief. “It’s clear.” He turns in your direction. “I’ll be keeping a lookout at the door. If anything happens, you come directly to me.”

“Got it,” you say with a mock salute.

Ben rolls his eyes but he’s smiling. “And don’t drag those books along because I know you will. Leave them.”

You stare him down but Ben doesn’t budge, matching your stare with one of his own. “I mean it. If someone or something comes barreling through the front doors, you fucking run to me. Understood?”

“Sure. Got it. Understood.”

Ben checks his watch. “We have a few hours before we’re expected back at the meet point. Take your time.” He starts to walk away, and then abruptly pivots. “Wife packed a few sandwiches. Promise I’ll share.”

You snort and wave him off. “Bring me my wagon, Ben.”

“On it,” he calls over his shoulder.

As his footfalls recede, you linger in the quiet, dusty library, taking in the significance of the moment. Six years since you’ve stood inside an actual library. Five years since the world fell apart but a year before, third places were quickly disappearing. No one could spend money when wages were low and all the government’s resources were going toward the war effort. Libraries and free spaces shuttered first, losing all their funding.

This place is precious. Special. A rare opportunity.

Of all the books in your community’s collection, they’ve all come to you by the way of others, collected on routine trips and scavenging missions like today. Since stepping inside the walls you now call home, this is the first time you’ve left it. All the stories you receive of the outside world come from the mouths of those who witness it firsthand.

Like a jubilant child, you want to run around—to touch everything. The tips of your fingers buzz with an incessant itch. But you don’t dare remove anything from the shelves. Resisting is almost physically painful as you float through the aisles, taking it all in. To remove a book off the shelf, to open it up, the smell it and feel it would be paradise.

But you know better. You do.

Disturbing them without the right tools and care might cause damage or undo exposure. What you can do is look, to read the spines, and consider your options. Once you know what you want, you’ll drag your little wagon behind you and go about taking the books you want off the shelves.

Ben does leave you alone, and you’re left to wander.

Each step is light but purposeful as you move about the space. You think of everyone back home, of their likes and dislikes, of their needs and wants. More picture books would be helpful as well as some young adult novels. Some of the women have been asking for romance and few of the older folks would like some historical nonfiction.

“Where are you?” you mutter, digging around in your jacket pockets.

Crumpled paper brushes against your fingers. Withdrawing it, you smooth it out as best you can. Using the little light available to read your scribbled penmanship, you pull the wagon behind you, mentally reordering your notes by priority.

Sam wants dictionaries, and you need to grab a set of encyclopedias. Finding the “Reference” section, you survey all your options. Dictionaries and an encyclopedia set are a must, but you also consider the selections of atlases and then the thesaurus collection. The school could really use those resources, and your wagon is large enough to accommodate a few last-minute additions.

Kneeling, you admire the different editions of encyclopedias. Some appear a little worn but otherwise fine. Even though this place hasn’t had power or temperature control in five years, the place was sealed and untouched until you and Ben. It’s likely that everything inside is fine, and all you and Sam will need to do is a rebinding.

You’re completely absorbed, so focused on the tomes in front of you, that the whisper of your name has you spinning around and reaching for your gun.

Ben has his hands up in front of him in a placating gesture. A snarky remark sizzles on your tongue. Ben brings a finger to his mouth in a gesture of silence. Whatever you were going to say dissolves, leaving behind an acrid aftertaste.

Slowly, you swivel your head from side to side but see nothing.

Ben shifts closer, leans in, a glint of fear in his eyes.

“There are people outside,” he whispers.

That’s when you hear it. Distantly, you hear a car door slam, and a muffled shout. The marrow in your bones becomes ice. There are people. There shouldn’t be people.

You swallow, mouth becoming dry. “How many?”

Ben shrugs. “Not sure. But there’s two groups.”

“Two—” You shake your head slightly as that’ll clear your racing thoughts. “What do you mean two groups?”

Ben’s mouth turns downward. It’s an I’m sorry but even that is loaded.

We’re not getting out of this.

There’s a distant hoot of laughter, and then the breaking of glass as if someone’s thrown a beer bottle. It’s still far enough away that you cling to that one comfort. But if they stick around, they might come sniffing. If that happens, you and Ben will be cornered.

Ben nods his head in the direction of the front of the library. Staying low, the two of creep toward the front of the building. There are two sets of double doors. The first set open up into the library and the secondary set of doors lead directly outside. Sandwiched between them is a small atrium. Above the doors are massive windows that bring in natural light.

Out front in the intersection are several beaten up trucks. From what you can see, it’s all men, at least a dozen or two in total. They look haggard. Mean.

“Is that them?” you ask softly.

Ben doesn’t look back at you as he answers. “Just the one. These guys came in loud.” Ben shifts slightly to glance over his shoulder at you. “Surprised you didn’t hear them.”

“Lost in my books.” Ben snorts, and returns his attention to the glass doors. “What about the second group?” you ask tentatively. “Our people?”

Ben eases back a bit. He sits down on the floor, checking over his rifle. “No. Not sure who they are.” He licks his lips, gaze focused on the gun. “They’re all in black. Militarized by the look of them. Organized.”

Two groups. Two different groups.

Ben removes the clip and checks the cartridge. “Only noticed them when one of these guys went around back.” He gestures toward the men directly outside the front doors. “Fucker came out of nowhere and knifed him. Dragged his body away too.”

“Who are they?”

Ben shrugs and rummages in his backpack for a new clip. “No fucking idea. The ones out front might be marauders or slavers or—”

He pauses, gaze growing distant.

“Or what, Ben?” you prompt.

He doesn’t answer, only readies the rifle. “All I know is we need to go.”

All this work, all this effort, suddenly gone.

Your shoulders sag as the reality of the situation sets in. “I have to leave the books. Don’t I?”

“Afraid so,” replies Ben. But he smiles, and though he’s trying, you see the strain. “Next time I’ll make sure to bring you and Sam some books.”

“Promise?”

“Promise,” he affirms. “Let’s go.”

At the back door, you withdraw your Glock, posting up beside Ben. He cracks it open. Pauses. Opens it a little wider. He carefully sticks a small hand mirror out the opening. He turns it left then right then back again.

“Clear” he says, voice barely above a whisper.

He exits slowly, and then gestures with his hand. You step outside, squinting slightly as your eyes adjust to the light. Ben starts to cross the parking lot, heading for the exit furthest from the intersection.

The voices of the men are louder out here. A tiny bubble of panic blooms. Then simmers. Then boils.

There is no one around. No one. And yet—

A loud crack splits the air. The wall next to Ben explodes, tiny fragments of debris bursting outward. Ben stumbles backward. He grabs for you. And tugs.

You’re yanked to the side, and then spun around.

Time seems to slow, and yet everything occurs so quickly you don’t entirely comprehend what’s happened until Ben shoves the two of you behind a nearby dumpster.

“Oh, fuck,” you breathe. “Ben. We—”

Horror floods your lungs.

Blood.

Everything. Dripping from tiny holes in Ben’s body.

“Oh my god. Ben.”

You reach for him, but there are so many impact points. Too many.

“Go,” he gasps. “Go.”

“I’m not leaving you here.”

As the words leave your mouth, a barrage of bullets bite into the wall directly over your head.

“Here,” he rasps, handing you the keys to the Jeep. “Leave me and fucking run. I’ll distract them.”

Shouting breaks out nearby followed by what seems like a never-ending deluge of gunfire.

Your eyes burn. “You promised me books.”

He smiles, and there’s more red than white. “You know I always deliver on my promises.”

With a groan that’s more a cry of pain, Ben stands and reloads with a new clip.

“Go,” he whispers just as he steps out from around the dumpster, gun firing.

You turn. Take off. Gunfire follows.

It comes from everywhere, but you don’t falter, don’t pause to check your surroundings. You’re not a raging bull or an agile cheetah. You are pure frenzy, pure panic, like a rabbit running from fox teeth.

“Fucking grab her!” someone yells. “Grab her!”

You don’t know if it’s the marauders or the men all in black, but there is little reason to consider who.

Survival is paramount. Survival is eternal.

In a world like this, survival is lifeblood.

It is everything.

With lungs burning and muscles screaming, you aim for the houses, knowing you can lose them if you scuttle through the overgrown backyards.

The blow comes out of nowhere.

You witness a brief taste of freedom.

And then it’s yanked right from under you.

A body barrels into you, knocking you sideways. The ground comes up fast. You throw up your arms to protect your head and face. It cushions but protects little else. You hit hard.

“Come here,” growls a male voice. Hands are on you. Grabbing. Twisting. “Let me get a good look at you.”

You kick out. Throw your fists in all directions.

“Stop your fussing.”

A quick blow to the face and you’re circling, everything becoming temporarily blurry as the person atop you brings your vision skyward.

 “Look at you,” he laughs.

It’s one of the marauders. He smiles down at you, teeth brown and grey from decay.

“Pretty thing. Gonna look cute choking on my—”

His nefarious smile drops as the rest of him stiffens. You freeze, staring up in shock as you try to figure out what’s happened. It’s a slow unfolding. A trickle. Blood begins to pool in his mouth and then it drip drip drips onto your face.

With a soft cry, you wiggle out from under him as he tips over, falling into the grass. Scrambling backward, you start to push up onto your knees, muscles poised to keep moving.

“Don’t move.” A gun barrel presses into the back of your head. It’s still warm. “Get up.”

A pair of black boots come into view. Your gaze slowly ascends. Black boots give way to black pants to a black bullet proof vest to a black balaclava. The only part of him you can see are his eyes.

Someone grabs the back of your neck. It’s a harsh hold, and you’re yanked to your feet. You twist your neck and find another man, this one almost identical to the one in front of you. This is the other group Ben spotted, the ones tracking the marauders.

The one holding your neck squeezes and the other reaches for you. “Fucking move and I’ll shoot you.”

You remain perfectly still—perfectly silent as he pats you down. The knife in your boot is confiscated along with your Glock. When they snatch the Jeep keys, you instinctually reach to take them back.

“Told you not to fucking move.”

The man slaps your hand down and you feel the muzzle return to your head.

“Sorry,” you murmur.

He stares you down for a long moment. It gives you an opportunity to observe him, and his companion. They both wear identical all-black tactical even down to the patches attached to their biceps. The bottom one you recognize. Both American flags. The one above it is eerily similar but you can’t entirely place it. It’s an azimuthal projection of the earth but a top view from the North Pole. Beneath it are two olive branches.

The stranger’s gaze shifts to just above you. He jerks his head, and then you’re shoved forward without warning. With each of them holding an arm, you’re half-dragged back to the intersection the marauders were at.

While their rusty trucks are still there, they aren’t alone. Four armored trucks are parked in a semi-circle around the marauders’ cars. More men in all-black tactical gear prowl the area. Of the first group to arrive, those that aren’t dead have been zip tied and lined up in a row on their stomachs, faces pressed into the asphalt.

When one of them moves, they’re kicked until they fall back into compliance.

“Found this one out by the houses,” says the man holding onto your left arm.

Soldiers. They have to be. This isn’t some ragtag group. They wear uniforms, all of which are perfectly maintained. Even the armored trucks are in decent condition.

A small trio of them standing nearby turn.

The centermost soldier speaks. “A woman?” His surprise is clear. And like the two men who hold you, this man too has an American flag.

He nods toward the group of facedown marauders. “These fuckers don’t let their breeders out of their sight.”

Breeders.

You almost snarl, bite back with an insult. But you keep your mouth shut. Their intentions are unclear, and you’re without a weapon. Entirely powerless.

Survival. Always survival.

He takes a few steps forward, approaching you, gaze assessing. Behind the balaclava, he gives you a once over. “Looks healthy,” he observers. Without warning, he grabs your face. You jerk back, and he clucks his tongue. “Stop moving.”

Turning your face to the left and then to the right, the middle of his brow creases. “Open your mouth.”

You glower, and don’t comply.

He grabs your nose, shutting off your air. You gasp, mouth opening.

“Has all her teeth,” he announces, dropping his hand. “Can’t be one of theirs.”

“We need to show the Lieutenant,” says the soldier to your right.

The man before you stares, and keeps staring. “Do we?”

You don’t like the implication.

“What’s this?”

A deep, masculine voice cuts through the air. It is accented. British. Every head turns, and the soldiers straighten, shoulders back and heads held high.

The man holding your left arm speaks up. “Found her running toward the houses, Lieutenant.”

All the soldiers wear plain black balaclavas. Simple. Straightforward. But the man who steps into view has a skull face stitched into his. A fucking skull.

Instead of an American flag, it’s a Union Jack.

His brown eyes behind the mask narrow. “They don’t bring their women out.”

“That’s what I said.”

“Are their numbers that low?”

“With how we’ve been picking them off I wouldn’t be surprised.”

They bicker back and forth, arguing about you but not actually talking to you.

“I’m not with them,” you say, and they all go silent.

Skull Face glowers. “You’re not?”

“I was running from them.” You glance between the soldiers who shot the man. “They’ll tell you. They’re the ones that shot him.”

Skull Face appears unmoved. “Doesn’t mean you’re not with them.”

You laugh, and it sounds a bit hysterical. “Why would I be fucking running if I were with them? Wouldn’t I be shooting back at you?”

“No,” he replies flatly. “If you were with them, you’d be bloody running from them. Not shooting at us.”

“She has to be with them. There’s no one else here.” The man who speaks up this time is directly to Skull Face’s right. The accent is different. Scottish.

“I came with one other. Those men shot at us.”

Ben. Oh. Sweet Ben.

“And where are they?” asks Skull Face.

You swallow, knowing the truth. “Behind the library. Parking lot. Near the dumpster.”

Skull Face locks gazes with another solider and nods. Two men break off, heading in that direction. He returns his attention to you. “Who are these men?”

“What?” you ask, perplexed.

“These men.” He points to the facedown marauders. “Who are they?”

These men are strangers to you. “Slavers?” When no one confirms or denies, you guess again. “Cannibals?”

“She’s playing dumb,” mutters the Scots.

“Hush, Soap,” mutters Skull Face.  “Who are they? What name do they go by? It’s an easy question. Everyone knows it.”

You shake your head. “I—I don’t know.”

Lieutenant Skull Face leans in, lowering his voice. “If you don’t answer truthfully, you and I can have an extended chat in the back of one of these trucks.”

“She had these.” The Jeep keys are tossed, and he catches them without looking. “And this.” The Glock is presented.

Soap takes the Glock. He turns it over. “They don’t give their women weapons, Ghost.”

So, Skull Face is named Ghost. Fitting.

“No,” he agrees. “Makes it easier for them to fight back.”

The very idea sobers you.

“Who are they?” you ask, feeling safe enough to do so.

Ghost glances up from the car keys. “Your worst fucking nightmare.”

“Lieutenant!” The two men that left for the library return. Jogging forward, they speak in low voices.

Ben is not with them. Ben is—

Ghost nods and steps back. “We’re taking her with us.” The two men holding onto your arms let go and Ghost immediately grabs hold of your shoulder, pulling you forward.

“Pick three of these bastards at random,” he announces, gesturing toward the facedown men. “Put them in Delta truck. Shoot the rest.”

Ghost’s hand at your shoulder slides up, grasping the back of your neck. He leans in close—so close you can pick out the little flecks of gold in his brown irises.

“You’re riding with me.”

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[minswriting]

spencer reid x fem!reader where spencer buys a circle shaped bed just because he feels like it (or reader could've mentioned it) and they have the most beautiful and passionate sex everrrr !! there could also be a mirror on the ceiling as an extra touch <3 - 🎹

NAILED IT - S.R x Reader

About: Spencer is building a circle bed in nothing but grey sweatpants. The best way to celebrate him getting a new mattress? Sex.

Warnings: NSFW, MDNI, Spencer in grey sweatpants, Spencer’s building a bed frame, post-prison Spencer, reader is so turned on, oral (m), raw sex, p in v, honestly this became self indulgent. i didn’t try too hard with this one so it may not be the greatest lol. no proof read

Word Count: 1.8K

A/N: In light of MGG’s birthday, here is a fun little one shot that is just pure thirsting over Spencer. Borders are made by @cafekitsune !! Please comment and reblog to support your creators!!

There are many positive things you can say about your relationship with Spencer. He’s loving, kind, romantic, caring, and overall the world’s most amazing boyfriend. The functionality of Spencer’s brain was one of the things you adored most about him. He was so highly intelligent that you sometimes forget that with high intelligence comes the neglect of oneself.

And Spencer was known for neglecting himself quite a bit.

Which is why the two of you complete one another. He remembers everything about you, reminding you of your appointments, keeping track of your cycle, and giving you information about topics that you need to know. He was like your own version of the encyclopedia. And you? Well, you reminded him to take care of himself, caring for him in a way that he never really thought to. You balanced one another and for that, you’re forever grateful for your relationship with Spencer.

The only thing that you wish you could change was that damn bed of his. For months, you’ve been asking him to buy a new one. He’s had the same mattress for at least fourteen years, which by the way, the norm for having a mattress is seven to ten years on average. It was a wonder how he didn’t complain about his back hurting all of the time because whenever you slept over, you always woke up sore. And not just from the physical activities you guys participated in the night before. The mattress was old, worn out, and lumpy.

You had asked him a few times to get a new mattress, claiming that he would sleep so much better. And yet, Spencer’s response was always “Yeah but I’m hardly ever home anyways. When I’m not on a case, I’m at your apartment, sweetheart,” and well, it’s not like you could argue with that logic because it was true.

Earlier in the day, Spencer had called you, asking if you wanted to come over and watch him build something. And of course, you said yes, assuming it was a puzzle of some sort and those were always so fun to do together. What you hadn’t expected when you knocked on the door, however, was a sweaty Spencer answering the door in nothing but a pair of grey sweatpants.

That’s how you found out he bought a new bed and was putting it together as you were now sitting at his desk, the chair turned to face Spencer as he concentrated on the task at hand. “Did you know,” Spencer began as he screwed in one of the screws. “that a circle bed gained popularity in the 20th century for its futuristic design?” He asked, shaking his head to get his hair out of his face.

You heard him, of course, you did, you always listen to your boyfriend. But truthfully, you were so busy gawking at the outline of his cock in the grey sweatpants to care. “Oh really?” You replied, tilting your head and biting your lip as you looked at him.

Spencer let out a slightly strained “Mhm,” as he lifted the round metal piece, connecting it to the other. “And there’s a theory that the lack of corners can promote a sense of security and relaxation,” he exclaimed.

It was hard to pay attention. Your usually nerdy boyfriend, who hated anything and everything related to physical activity, was building a whole ass bed and not just any bed, but one of the more complicated beds simply because he loved the vibes of it. God, you felt like a slut with the way your cunt was throbbing, begging to be touched.

When Spencer finally finished building the bed frame, he lugged the mattress on top of it, which by the way, looked to be quite heavy. You audibly whimpered, unable to control the noise escaping your lips as you watched the way Spencer’s muscles flexed. And when Spencer finished, he turned to look at you, noticing the way your thighs were clenched and biting your lip. It wasn’t rocket science to see that you were incredibly turned on right now.

“Are you alright?” Spencer asked, catching his breath as he stood up straight, stretching his back.

You watched the way he flexed before actively looking at his cock. “Mhm,” you said, keeping your gaze on the sweatpants. You swallowed as you thought about having his cock in your mouth. “I think you deserve a treat for your hard work,” you smirked, meeting Spencer’s gaze as you stood up from the chair and walked over to him.

Spencer hummed, grabbing your hand and pressing a kiss onto the back of it before grabbing your hips, and holding you close to him. “Yeah?” He asked, smirking back at you. “And what does this treat entail?”

You let out a tiny giggle, leaning in to gently kiss Spencer’s lips before pulling away, and going down onto your knees. Spencer’s eyebrows rose slightly but the amused smirk on his lips remained. You didn’t hesitate to kiss Spencer’s happy trail, the small bit of hair that blessed his naval area before dropping your head lower, kissing above the waistband of Spencer’s sweatpants.

“Been wanting to suck you off all day,” You breathed out, bringing your hand up to palm him through his pants, causing Spencer to gasp. “You look so good in these pants,” you licked your lips, feeling the way he hardened underneath your touch. “And the way you looked while building the bed.” Without saying anything else, you replaced your hand with your mouth, glancing up at Spencer through your lashes as you mouthed his cock through his pants.

Spencer let out a groan, looking down at you. “God, sweetheart,” He said, swallowing. “Been so needy for me all day?”

You hummed in response, hooking your fingers on the waistband of Spencer’s sweatpants. You pulled away from Spencer’s cock enough to pull his pants down, the material falling to his ankles. And this was how you found out that he hadn’t been wearing boxers this entire time. So you let out a whimper. “You knew,” You exclaimed, looking up at him to see the way he was grinning at you cheekily.

“I may have done it on purpose,” Spencer exclaimed, putting his hand on your cheek and caressing the skin. “I see the way you stare at me in these pants. I thought…why not make a show out of it today?”

“Boo, you whore,” You replied but your tone had no heat in it as you looked back at Spencer’s cock. The tip was already red and leaking precum, a signal of how he had been thinking about this all day. And who were you to deprive your amazing boyfriend of such goodness if he’d been so clearly wanting it all day?

You gripped his cock, dipping your head to lick a strip from the base to the tip, causing Spencer to hiss in pleasure. You swirl your tongue around the tip, licking the slit of his tip a few times, before easing your mouth onto his length. You made it about halfway before stopping, moving your head back up.

Your movements were slow at first, almost teasing. Spencer let out a low moan, closing his eyes as he threw his head back, facing up at the ceiling. “Sweetheart,” he murmured, licking his lips as he focused back on you again. His hand went to your hair, entangling his fingers into the strands.

You got into a rhythm, moving your head faster up and down Spencer’s length as your hand began stroking whatever didn’t fit in your mouth. Spencer moaned loudly, watching you with a look of pleasure. “Feels so good, baby,” he groaned, unable to help the subtle movement of his hips as he thrusted into your mouth gently.

You hummed around Spencer’s cock, causing him to whimper from the vibrations. You could tell he was close with the way his cock was stiffening. And when you expected him to finish in your mouth, Spencer pulled away, removing his cock from your mouth, leaving a trail of saliva. You looked up at him with a confused look. “What-“ You began.

“I’m going to fuck you,” Spencer breathed out, grabbing your hands and helping you stand up. “Want to feel your pussy around my cock. Is that okay, baby?”

You certainly weren’t going to say no. Which is how you ended up christening the new bed with your head buried in the mattress and ass in the air as Spencer pounded into your pussy from behind mercilessly. His thrusts were hard and fast, showing how desperately he had truly craved you. “O-oh my god,” you moaned into the mattress.

Completely unrelated to sex, the new bed was really comfortable and you’ll probably sleep so well tonight.

“You’re so wet, sweetheart, holy shit,” Spencer groaned as his cock moved in and out of you.

The feeling of Spencer’s length inside of you was heavenly, to say the least. After spending the day watching Spencer shirtless and in grey sweatpants, it was needed. And thank god, you were on birth control because you did not bother looking for a condom.

“Feels so good, Spence,” you whined, gripping the mattress below you. Thank god Spencer hadn’t bothered to make the bed yet because otherwise, the sheets would be ruined from your sweat and juices.

“Yeah?” Spencer asked, thrusting particularly harsh, his cock hitting your g-spot.

You let out a very loud moan, one ranging towards nearly pornographic. Your eyes practically rolled back into your skull as Spencer pounded into you. The bedroom was filled with the sound of your moans mixed with the slapping of skin and the squelching of your pussy. “I-I love it so much,” you whimpered out.

Spencer hummed in response, gripping your hips tighter. “Me too, sweetheart,” he moaned.

You could feel yourself getting close with the way Spencer’s cock kept grazing your sweet spot. And with how Spencer’s pace began to be more frantic, you knew he was close as well. It wasn’t long before you were clamping down on his length, letting out a choked-moan before saying his name repeatedly as your toes curled with the most mind-blowing orgasm you have had in a while. Spencer followed suit, burying himself deep inside of you as he came, holding you tightly as he whined your name.

When you both finished, Spencer pulled out, collapsing on the new mattress right next to you. The two of you were silent for a bit, catching your breath. You rolled onto your back, looking up at the ceiling.

And after a bit of quiet, Spencer decided to break the silence. “You know, circle beds allow for more flexible sleeping positions,” he said, glancing over at you. “I’m sure that applies to sex as well.”

“Spencer, is this your way of saying you want round two?” You asked, giving your boyfriend an amused smile.

He grinned cheekily at you, nodding his head before moving himself on top of you. “Do you want to test it out?”

So of course you said yes and the rest of the day had been spent trying many different positions on the new bed. It was safe to say that sleepovers at Spencer’s apartment became more frequent.

[03den]

bfhamzah headcanons - part 2 ( gnreader )

a.n: my god i was not expecting allat on my first post, thank uuu sm have some more fun w my rambling (slightly suggestive & reader is referred to as gf/wife)

part 1

in part one i briefly talked about how hamzah texts you a lot, and i stand my ground on that. he def spams you with the most random things. if he encounters a funny thing on the street, he immediately takes his phone out and sends you a photo. wait, did hamzah just thought about a really bad joke that is not funny in the slightest? he's proudly texting you it with no context at all. sometimes you're sitting in the same room, both on your silent phone time, and he's just repeatedly sending you brainrot reels, laughing to himself. oh, and you better watch them and the tiktoks he sends you, because he will reference them later and be dramatic about it if you don't understand it. "hi im ol- ol- oliver" "what?" "you don't know what i'm talking about? babe, no. i literally sent you the og tiktok!" ohh he's going to be salty about it.

onto that, i don't think he's the biggest pet name user. i think he prefers to call you by a nickname only he has for you—he thinks it makes him more special. once, martin tried to call you by that same nickname during a video, and hamzah just side eyed him and went "dude, no. stop.” occasionally, he will call you babe or baby in situations where he's attention seeking, half-asleep, high, trying to win your affection back after pestering you for too long... but that's also what he calls you during those moments, when his mind is foggy with different thoughts, and constant stimulation steal his ability to self-control. anything other than babe or baby, i can see it lowkey making him cringe

something corny that def doesn't make him cringe though is matching clothes—oh, this man loves it. and i don't mean subtle matching. yk those iconic t-shirts hamzah and martin constantly wear? the ones he buys to match with you are like that—white t-shirt with black letters saying 'i think they're hot' with an arrow each pointing to different sides. he for sure has asked you to wear that shirt with him for a youtube video, and made you sit so the arrow on his shirt pointed to you, and yours to him. has bought himself the ‘i love my gf’ black hoodie and wears the ‘i don't need an encyclopedia my wife knows it all’ t-shirt more often now that you're dating. don’t worry tho he let's you choose normal matching clothes as well

he can be a very silly bf, specially in public where he feels too exposed to be vulnerable, however, deep down he’s so so sweet, so caring. mumbled confessions against your neck late at night, hamzah tells you things weighted with such love it puts you under some daze. it’s not so easy for him to be in such vulnerable state, his words come out messy and shy, but the fact he tries nonetheless gives his voice a certain rawness—there’s no room for you to doubt his words

his heartfelt ‘i love you’s are always heard during these moments. repeated over and over, in between kisses, one no more genuine than the other. hamzah feels every word in ‘i love you’, and so do you, so they’re more reserved for times like these. that doesn't mean you ever separate ways without a quick "love you" with a peck though, that's an essential for him.

you are so important to hamzah, like actually so important it’s in everything he does. it’s in the way he does his groceries thinking about what you’d want, in case you come over; it’s in the way every other concern is pushed aside the moment he sees you; it’s in the way his house is covered in evidence of your presence; and in how he cannot stop posting you—be it on tiktok, youtube, or wtv

something else the fans noticed during a video is how he keeps a polaroid of you two on his phone case—a selfie of you next to each other, camera too close to your faces but that still managed to capture your laughing fit and his grin. it’s cute, and even tho it was a moment between js the two of you, the picture clearly conveys the love you have for each other.

after some time dating, youtube gets flooded with compilations of your relationship. ‘hamzah annoying name for 15 minutes straight’. ‘every clip of Hamzah being absolutely in love WARNING: long video.’ ‘moments where name and hamzah openly flirted in front of the camera.’

extras!

literally had no idea on what to put on the brainrot line.. i havent been keeping up w brainrot also im so obsessed with every photo of him included in this post

[crsssie]

reidsplaining - spencer reid x sharpshooter!reader

"Do you not get bothered when Reid starts explaining things to you?"

"No." You tilt your head, looking up from your drink. "I'm one of the newest members of the team. Obviously I'd need a little help every now and then."

"Now and then?" Emily raises a brow. "You let him talk as much as he wants. You're not exactly incapable either."

"I like it." You roll your bottom lip between your teeth, pursing your lips. "Besides, what he does in reidsplaining, he makes up for when he has to sit through all that shooting practice with me."

"Reidsplaining..." Garcia mumbles. "Is that what you call it?"

"Yeah." You laugh. "Sounds slightly better than mansplaining. The difference is that Spencer never means it to sound demeaning. He's just a D1 talker."

"Well, a perfect match." JJ hums.

"Did you know D1 comes from the National Collegiate Athletic Association? Division one used to be University Division, because the original splits were University Divison and College division. The NCAA changed it to division one, two, and three in 1973. It was mainly to split the college division into two. Numbers made it easier to keep track of." Spencer tilts his head as you beam at him. "Hey."

"Well, hello, my D1 encyclopedia." You laugh, hand reaching for his arm as you give him a squeeze. "I missed youuuu."

Spencer rests a hand on yours, squeezing. "I'm here to pick you up. How much did you drink?"

You tilt your head, holding up a three with a wink.

"Shots?" He pauses. "Puts you around... .09%."

You get up, nodding at the girls. "Will you guys be alright? I can drive you all back."

"You drank—"

"Nooooo I'm soberrrrr." You drawl, wrapping your arms around Spencer's neck.

"We'll be fine." JJ waves her hand. "Stay safe, you two lovebirds."

You wave bye as you leave the bar, blowing on your hands when you finally get outside.

"Here." He hands you a hand warmer, and your lips curl up teasingly.

"Oh, you love me."

"Sure do." He hums. "How much did you actually drink?"

"I've been nursing the same whiskey for the last two hours. It was too watery by the time that I texted you." You pout. "My BAC is nowhere near .09. Three shots would put me at that. One whiskey that's more water than alcohol would not be that much."

"You're sober. I know you are. You don't slur your speech when drunk." Spencer raises a brow, taking your hand.

"And what do I do?"

"You start trying to jump me."

You laugh, cheeks warm with your laughter as he tugs you along under the stars.

"No way."

"Check our security footage."

You huff. "Does that mean I only ever love you when I'm drunk?"

"Oh, honey, no." He mumbles, squeezing your hand. "You love me all the time."

"That, I do." You stick your tongue out.

[breelandwalker]

I'm starting to question how much the "old" pagan costumes and festivities were indeed about fertility, sex, etc.

Ronald Hutton claims that there is no evidence in history that the maypole was saw as a phallic symbol, for example. And there are other possible meanings. But you usually just read in books as a matter of fact that it was a phalic representation and the dance around was about fertility etc

I recently read the witche's bible because I was curious about traditional wicca rituals and there is suuch a high focus on how every single costume or holiday was about fertility and sex that honestly it makes me wonder, how much it was indeed about those things and how much is just the interpretation of modern people like Gardner making it about those things

You're hitting the nail on the head without even realizing it, Anon.

SO much of what we think we know about "old pagan customs" comes from books written by Victorian-era occultists. And if there is one thing to be said about Victorian-era occultists, it was that they were horny as FUCK. (And the Edwardians weren't any better.)

These people went around rubber-stamping FERTILITY in big red letters on anything to do with goddesses or springtime or even the most passing reference to pregnancy, childbirth, midwifery, or babies. Literally any excuse for ritual nudity or a sacred orgy. And no, that is not satire. Or a euphemism.

The other thing that can be said about Victorian-era occultists is that quite a lot of them were history buffs and very prolific writers. (If you look at the roster of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and their regular guests, it reads like a Who's Who of the writers of fantastical fiction and poetry at the time.) So the result of that is a whole lot of literature about folklore and "ancient pagan customs" written by people who were filtering what little historical information they had at the time through the lens of their own opinions and those of their colleagues.

(It's worth noting that that "lens" often consisted quite heavily of free-associated ideas not supported by history or things they completely pulled out of their own asses. Leland's "Aradia" is a good example of the "Ancient Sacred Text Given To Me By A Real Witch Who Totally Exists And I Definitely Didn't Write This Myself And Make Up This Claim For Clout" genre.)

Quite unsurprisingly, a lot of these beliefs got absorbed into the roots of the modern witchcraft movement a few decades later, since those were the popular resources available at the time and the same generally-prevailing opinions and biases were still present. So this started WELL before Gardner and his coven were on the scene. They just picked up the thread.

And as we all know, once there's a generation or so of removal from the founding beliefs of a movement, people tend to take the older texts as gospel, regardless of how flawed they might be.

See Also: We Still Have To Talk About The Witch-Cult Hypothesis Because Margaret Murray Wrote The Encyclopedia Britannica Entry On Witchcraft And It Wasn't Updated Until The 1960s.

See Also: We Still Have To Explain The Difference Between Historical Fiction And The Historical Record Because Of The White Goddess And The Mists Of Avalon.

See Also: We Still Have To Talk About The Burning Times Myth Because Raymond Buckland Made That Stupid Fucking Documentary.

See Also: Why The Hell Is Anyone Still Recommending Silver Ravenwolf.

Anyway, the short answer is that yes, your impression is correct, and I'm glad you're reading Hutton and forming that practical context for the witchcraft/pagan literature and media that you encounter.

Keep honing that bullshit detector and best of luck!