Joy Sullivan, From “These Days People Are Really Selling Me On California”, Instructions For Traveling

“come closer, but don’t flinch”

> come closer, but don’t flinch when you see the places I’ve bled quietly. I am not soft in the way you expect — I am soft like wildfire, like midnight rain that forgets to be gentle. I love like this: with cracked palms, shaking breath, and a heart too heavy to float but too stubborn to drown. if you want me, know this: I won’t promise easy, but I will promise real. raw fingertips. unhidden scars. midnight confessions no one else has ever touched. come closer. and if you stay— I’ll hand you everything I’ve ever buried under my ribs.

“why do you have a gap in your resume” idk why is there a gap in your staff. worry about that

"When a man loves like wildfire" By Astrum

i do not love like petals and poetry, i love like wildfires and earthquakes— the kind of love that cracks your ribs just to make room for my name. i am not soft, i am raw. when i touch you, i mean to carve my presence into the marrow of your bones, so even if the stars forget our names, your body remembers mine. i don’t promise forever — i promise depth. the kind of depth where you drown willingly, smiling as my chaos becomes your oxygen. come close, closer— until you realize you were never made for shallow touches. you were crafted for a love that leaves fingerprints on your soul. and baby, i have never known how to touch without leaving marks. — i love like wildfire. and you were born to burn.

Facial Expressions & Emotional Micro-Reactions for Writers

(For those subtle moments when “he frowned” just isn’t enough.)

Tight-lipped — Mouth pressed closed, often from restraint, anxiety, or irritation. Jaw clenched — Tension from anger, fear, or self-control. Eyes narrowed — Suspicion, doubt, or intense focus. Brow furrowed — Confusion, concern, or frustration. Lip twitching — On the edge of a smile… or a snarl. Eye roll — Dismissiveness, annoyance, or teenage energy. Lip biting — Anxiety, hesitation, or suppressed emotion. Nose scrunch — Disgust, confusion, or mild sass. Blinking too fast — Shock, overwhelm, or trying not to cry. Staring blankly — Dissociation, distraction, or emotional overload. Smirking — Confidence, mischief, or sarcasm. Avoiding eye contact — Shame, discomfort, or guilt. Looking down quickly — Vulnerability, embarrassment, or attraction. Shoulders rising slightly — Insecurity, fear, or defensiveness. Forced smile — Pretending, hiding, or surviving the moment.

I wish I could run to you and cry.

You don't have to say anything. You don't have to tell me it's going to be alright. Just be there. Just sit with me and let me cry. Just your presence is enough. I am just so tired. I am tired and hurt and I want everything to end.

But I know I can't. I know I can't and that hurts more.

It's not about how long you've known someone, but about who walked into your life, said 'I'm here for you,' and proved it."

Yours Astrum.

I don’t want a home.

I want a heartbeat

that beats louder when it feels me near.

𝓕𝓸𝓻 𝓱𝓲𝓶 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓘...

lulling waters

"I loved you past your skin" By Astrum

i didn’t fall for your body — i fell for the way your silence trembled when you trusted me to hear it. i loved you past your skin, past the curve of your lips and the softness of your breath. i loved the cracks in your voice when the world grew too heavy, the storms in your eyes when you were too tired to smile, and the ache in your soul that you tried so hard to hide. Don’t you see? i was not memorizing your body— i was memorizing the map of your hurt. because love, i did not come to touch you like a tourist touches a city— i came to live inside you, the way a poem lives in the chest long after the page is burned. You were not a body to me. you were a home i wanted to return to, over and over, even when the doors were locked. — and baby, i still have the keys.

Don't Leave Me