Tumgik
#all seeing aspen trees
Text
New Tales of Florida Gothic - Chapter 6
"Despite my ghoulish reputation, I really have the heart of a small boy. I keep it in a jar on my desk." Robert Bloch
Tumblr media
Whenever a freshly dug grave appears in your yard, you know it's time to kill again.
Tumblr media
Although not native to Florida, many swamp witches cultivate Aspen trees for use as an extra set of eyes.
Tumblr media
With basements so uncommon in Florida, most police never think to look for hidden trapdoors.
Tumblr media
Something has been clawing at the trees in the swamp behind your house. A direct challenge to your territorial hunting grounds that cannot go unanswered.
Tumblr media
Florida homes that survive hurrricanes unscathed are usually protected by the old gods, not the new.
Tumblr media
Warning signs in Florida should be taken seriously. Very seriously.
creaturesfromelsewhere 11/22/2023
42 notes · View notes
flintbian · 2 years
Text
Well. The light show was a bust. RIP
#it's disappointing...to say the least#i've been back for almost a week now so I've had time to process before I write#we got unlucky. It was cloudy/snowing all but one day. the one day it wasn't the bz wasn't low enough and the kp wasn't high enough#the most we saw was what looked like white fog through the clouds even through a camera#apparently the day before we got there and the day after we left it was beautiful but were just unlucky#and social media algorithms know I track it and now after it's like it's mocking me showing the beauty I never got to see#i'll likely never get another chance...at times like these i feel like my life was just a massive failure in all regards#i know it's a game of chance but i had hoped maybe the universe would grant me one wish. One kindness. But I've never been lucky have i?#but you miss it if you don't try at all and I did. I did try. That's all you can do#i've been a bit depressed since but I'm determined to actually live a little and explore after all I live in such a beautiful place#i thought all the hikes would be inaccessible but I found some and I'm determined to see the beautiful things all around me#there are books I want to read and food I want to bake. Maybe if I last we'll try again#though extremely difficult the travel is#and there were some good things like I met some amazing people and cuddled with five dogs in a cuddle pile 🥰#they seemed to sense I was in pain and were gentle around my legs. Codiac always demanded More attention#even as he's already in your lap and you're already petting him 😂 even the shy wolf mix joined my pile 🥹#i got jokes that I'm a cyborg or biomech based on the scanner and x rays lol. saw and touched some Aspen trees and saw the big dipper#but overall a disappointment and I'm recovering now...not sure what to do next honestly#it's hard. How do you cope when you Know there's no purpose to the pain...to all this suffering. It was all for nothing. Why continue?#my dreams are all dead and I'm resigned to disappointment. hope is a curse#but part of me claws for breath saying I want to live I want to live if only for the hope of it getting better or finally experiencing...#but I never do. I just get worse and worse relegated to a solitary room resigned to disappointment and pain and failure#why continue suffering for suffering's sake? But I have to try. I hear hiccup's voice and remember my promise#idk why. Things are constantly downhill and my dreams die and I never amounted to anything and my body is a broken nightmare#I'm heartbroken but I'll pick myself up. Try another day as long as I can. And now I'm making mini goals#I wish to read The Lost Metal in November. That's what I'll do for now#but yeah my one chance failed. That's just the way of it I suppose. I just have to be resigned to that now. Maybe eternity will be kinder.#after all hope is painful. ive added much salt to the sea#to one more day then#p
1 note · View note
dumbsoftheart · 4 months
Text
threads of fate
pairing: peacekeeper!coriolanus snow x preachers daughter!reader
tags: 18+, mdni. dub-con, heavy and dark religious themes, dark themes, fingering, kissing, swearing, sliiight voyerism, corruption and innocence kink,
summary: after a chase in the woods, coriolanus becomes devoted to making you his one and only follower.
notes: i don't know what came over me.. enjoy!
word count: 7.2k
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
౨ׅৎ
the blood of the lamb, washed over the sins of those strayed away from god, atones those begging to be spared from destruction. the saccharine ichor was the ultimate gateway towards deliverance- and thus sought out by sinners and saints alike to be granted eternal redemption for the transgressions that permeated the sweats and tears of the individuals whose secrets would have them damned to the dreadful inferno beneath their feet. the sweet lamb; symbol of innocence and purity, and the wolf who hunted it, the face of deception and treachery, stood now in the heart of the woodlands, the sweet kill hidden shamefully in the asylum of the crowded aspen as it’s predator tauntingly whistled in pursuit of it’s coveted prize. 
tears fell in a waterfall down into the vessels of your collarbones, trailing down and staining the frail white fabric of your dress, unveiling the soft tanned skin of your chest in its wake. with one hand clasped tightly against your mouth, you tried to conceal your wails of fear and the threatening thumping of your heart so as not to draw attention to the towering figure looming dangerously close to you, chuckling lowly as he carefully made his way through the maze of trees and forestry. your other hand was clutched desperately on the golden cross that hung around your neck, thumb haphazardly caressing the delicate engravings and etchings of the cool metal. 
hail mary, full of grace, the lord is with thee. blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, jesus. holy mary, mother of god, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death.
shame washed over you as you thought of your mother and father- your dear father, and what they would make of your inevitable disappearance. you were taught the way of the lord since you emerged from your mothers womb; it followed you everywhere you went. by all means, you had lived your life for god himself. what would he think of you now? the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of god. and yet there you were, a thief, running from, no doubt, god’s punishment for your sins. 
despite your fathers widespread fame throughout the district, your family struggled to bring food and water to the table regularly. seeing the despair that clouded your mothers eyes as she failed to provide a dinner some nights for her family had driven you towards madness. you grew desperate- desperate to alleviate the stress that haunted her and satiate the hunger that settled in your stomach for the fifth day in a row. you rationalised, that with your undying devotion, god would find it in him to forgive you. with all the work your father put into his sermons and dedication to delivering god's word to the poverty stricken peoples of district 12, the divine being would be forgiving in his punishment in recognition of the loyalty you harboured. 
now, you knew you were wrong. 
you berate yourself for even entertaining the stupid idea of pilfering from the small bakery near the marketplace. in truth, it wasn’t even stealing. you had waited until dark threatened the sky, then snuck behind the establishment to snatch a few meagre, stale loaves that had been carelessly discarded in a small bin beside the refuse receptacles. combined with the butter you had been gifted earlier in the week, these provisions would barely suffice to stifle the persistent pangs in your stomach for a few days, at most. you naively assumed you were in solitude and hastily fled when you’d filled up your small leather bag with as many old rolls and loaves as possible. 
oh, how wrong could you have been? you never caught sight of the face of the man who now charged after you- only a faint glance at a familiar blue that weaved its way through the trees- but the adrenaline rushing through your veins urged you to run, and to never stop. and now, here you were, caught in the act, pathetically weeping as you waited for the repercussions of your actions to find you. 
you moved to press your back harder against the thin trunk of the tree, a twig snapping under the weight of your foot, and your eyes widened with fear as the sound reverberated against the still of the forest, the soft footsteps that trailed behind you coming to an abrupt stop. then, a voice. 
“my dear, it would make it so much easier for us if you just came out. i promise you, i don’t bite.” it purred. the way he spoke was low and unrecognisable, laced with an amusement that had you shiver with the depravity of it. your crying ceased at an attempt to remain as hidden as possible, nary a whimper escaping from behind the painful grip of your hand across your mouth. 
“i know you know what you did was wrong. i mean, stealing from a bakery? i wonder what your father would think of you now, his daughter a thief.”
you fought back tears at the mention of your father, shame once again weighing at your conscience, “come out, and i promise your punishment won't be as harsh as it should be.”
the proposition had you thinking for a bit, the truth behind the words appealing to you for a sliver of a moment. before you could consider your next step; find an out or comply to the omnipresent man’s offering, a gunshot pierces your ears, and you let out a shriek so loud you swore all of panem could hear you.
you begin to wail again then, uncontrollably, screaming and begging for respite as your body gave in under the weight of itself; your knees buckling and falling harshly against the ground. you shake with the ferocity of a small rodent before you’re pulled up by your shoulders and engulfed into a familiar, warm hug. your eyes wide with panic, you thrash your head back in forth in an attempt to find the man who was tormenting you, only to see that he was now gone, and in his place, a small search party lead by a peacekeeper cheered in glory at the sight of you. relief washed over you as you looked up to find your father, falling into the safety of his arms as he escorted you out of the forest, giving a curt thank you to the peacekeeper and another man you recognized to be one of your fathers students, before dragging you to the comfort of your home. 
౨ׅৎ
when your father found out the reason behind your being in the woods, you’d landed yourself a life of extra chores and punished to more frequent church visits until your father decided you had repent enough. your father, reassuring you of god's forgiveness as his child, warned that your actions wouldn't fade from memory. he emphasised the necessity of restoring your relationship with the lord and savior. you were under his constant watch, now. each morning, before dropping you off at school, he compelled you to pray fervently for protection over your family and yourself, urging you to plead for deliverance from the consequences of your actions.
with your increased presence in church taking up most of the time you had to yourself, you found yourself taking note of the other frequent church goers. your father, of course, and his dedicated student, were a constant in your peripheral vision. the old couple who lived only a few minutes away from you, mrs. harmon and her froofy, dirty church outfits, her boisterous children, and her grumbling husband. you noticed small things; like how the wife of the newly-wed couple in town had stopped wearing her wedding ring, and how her husband seemed to never give her a second look. how the twin boys in the grade below you suddenly surpassed you in height, and their younger sister now seemed to lack a certain innocence that was pertinent in her character before. you made a small promise to yourself to pray for her. 
there was one person, however, who you were not familiar with, yet you could feel it in the deep ends of your bones that you knew exactly who he was. he had begun to appear only once a week, his shiny buzzcut and blue peacekeeper uniform sticking out sorely from the rest of the crowd. then, twice a week- then three- and then suddenly you found you could not escape from him. everywhere you turned, he was there. when you walked home from school, you would catch him patrolling somewhere nearby, or laughing and chatting with his peacekeeper friends. when you opened the church doors for mass, he would be first to walk in, handing you a small smile before making his way to sit in the pew farthest away from you. he was there, everywhere you looked, and it unsettled you greatly. there was a lack of sincerity in his eyes when he smiled, and for a moment you thought that it had seemed like hunger, but you pushed the idea away before your brain could process it. one night, when closing the church doors and heading to your home, the small sound of rapid footsteps triggered your fight or flight response, the latter winning. when the man rested his hand on your shoulder politely, handing you a handkerchief you had dropped, you felt a strange sense of deja vu. the speed at which it sounded he had ran towards you didn’t match how he stood before you now; breathing even, chest pushed out pridefully, his dark sapphire eyes never leaving yours. but you were so sure that the man had been sprinting, just like the man who had sprinted after you a few weeks ago had. you gave him a small thank you before speed-walking your way to the front door, panting heavily as you locked it shut behind you and your hand made its way back to the pendant on your neck, grasping it so tightly it hurt, the stipe digging into the soft flesh of your palms as a way of grounding yourself back to your senses. 
that night, when you got on your knees to pray, you couldn’t shake the look on the mans face from your thoughts. his features themselves were even, lacking any sense of emotion, but his eyes troubled you the most. the way they bore into yours made you feel as if you would burst into flames right then. it made you feel as if there was something he wanted from you, but your poor innocent soul couldn’t figure out what. when you nestled yourself into your bed that same night, you vowed to stay as far away from him as possible. 
you hadn't realised how hard that would be. 
he approached you the next morning. it was saturday, and the usual gloomy weather of district 12 had been forced away and replaced with the harsh, bright sunlight. it shone spectacularly through the stained-glass windows, gracing the dark wood of each side aisle with vibrant reds and yellows and blues  and brightening the deep red carpet that lay evenly along the nave. you stood behind the pulpit, readying your fathers sermons and homilies for that week's sabbath. he had barged in unannounced, making his way towards you slowly as you pretended to ignore the tall figure making its way down the red path. 
“good morning, miss,” he spoke lowly towards you, peering upwards slightly as the pulpit was slightly taller than the rest of the church, and you pretended to read through the cards and flip through your bible as if it were you preparing to speak in a mere 15 minutes. he cleared his throat once, and you waved your hand nonchalantly towards the pews, “the preacher will be ready shortly. please, have a seat.” 
from behind your fathers flashcards, you could see a small tick of his jaw and he pressed his lips together tightly, nodding slowly before making his way to his usual seat, feigning interest in the architecture of the building. 
“its quite beautiful, no?”
you hummed. 
“i wonder how the district could afford to pay for it.”
the comment caught you off guard, causing you too look up at him with scrunched brows, your lips parted in confusion. surely, he knew the capitol had paid for it- and even then, what did it matter? a sanctuary for god deserved only the best of resources, you thought. the beauty of the church was a reflection of the beauty of your religion, the intricacies and meticulous carpentry of the building spoke to one of the three transcendentals that point to god. of course, it would be beautiful. 
before you could think of a response to the bizarre musing, your father burst in, pressing a light kiss to your cheek and thanking you kindly for preparing for him. the man stood up to make his way to greet the preacher, and you were out of sight as fast as lightning. 
that cycle continued for a while. he would sit in the pews, admiring the architecture (when really, he was admiring you), then stand to greet your father enthusiastically, frowning ever so slightly when you disappeared the moment he made any closer to your father. eventually, you had become quite good at avoiding him. you saw him less in the markets, saw less of him in church, and rarely caught sight of him anywhere else. that was, until you found him at your doorstep one hot summer day. 
you and your mother swore it was the hottest day to see district 12, and you sat on the porch in a small, lace trimmed top and cut-off jean shorts. your hair was carelessly tossed into an updo to relieve your neck of some heat, and you sat in your fathers old chair as you sipped on some juice your family had been given earlier that day. 
you weren’t expecting any visitors that day, so it was safe to say you nearly choked when the man appeared from behind the path of thrush that hid your small home from sight of the church, dressed only in the blue dress pants of his peacekeeper uniform and a thin white shirt, silver dog tag swinging like a pendulum across his chest as he made his way towards you. your father had emerged delighted, mr. snow!, he cheered, patting the man- snow, what a fitting name- on his back and urging him inside. you scrambled to the backdoor and into the kitchen where your mother rest, the door slamming behind you loudly as you entered, causing her to jump. 
“dear?”
“that man daddy’s talking to- who is he?”
she gave you a halfhearted shrug, “i wouldnt know, pumpkin, it’s probably business with your father. he goes to the church, no?” 
you nodded, pacing back and forth, ignoring the crazed look your mother threw at you as you processed the information. 
“do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” she reminded you, and your jaw dropped at the silent accusation she threw at you. 
“absolutely not, mother!” you stormed back out the door, drowning your mother’s laughter out with frustrated mumbles of has she lost her mind? and what a woman! how she could ever think something about snow was tempting you was beyond your understanding. however, when you made it back to your chair and your watered down glass of juice, the sight of a shirtless ‘mr. snow’ and your, otherwise fully dressed, father in the garden, dripping sweat shamelessly into your mothers vegetable patch, a snap thought breached your mind that perhaps there was something tempting about the mysterious man. 
that sent you into a frenzy. your knee bounced anxiously as you silently begged god to forgive you for the thought, and that it was simply intrusive, and not reflective of the morals and high grounds you held closely to your heart. nervously, you grabbed the book you had abandoned weeks ago and shoved your nose into the pages as if to distract yourself from your own brain and its wicked ministrations.  
you weren't sure of how much time had passed, yet it felt like the man's stay was suspiciously short as he and your father made their way inside. you gave him a curt nod, and your father gave you a small lecture about manners, insisting that the two of you become accustomed to one another. and there you were, legs drawn up to your chest as if to protect yourself from the sinful looking man before you. 
“my name is coriolanus snow,” he said. coriolanus. it was unlike any name you’d heard before. you returned the gesture softly, hoping that he would disappear behind your father into the house and you could breathe again, but he stayed and stared at you with that look, “your father tells me we’re the same age. he’s a nice man.”
you bit your lip at that. the same age? there was something about coriolanus that seemed older. it also begged the question: what was someone his age doing as a peacekeeper? you opened your mouth to pry at him, but he cut you off, stepping closer. 
“tell me, dear, what sins weigh in your heart?” 
you drew yourself back further into the safety of your chair, face laced with disgust as you tried as hard as possible to distance yourself from the imposing man now caging you into your confinement. his breath was heavy on your nose, and your heart pounded harshly- from what, you weren’t sure. fear? a sense of danger? temptation? his lips were so close to yours now, you could smell the faint scent of cologne that mingled with the saltiness of his sweat, and you tried your best to keep your breathing as even as possible, feigning indifference to his proximity to you poorly. 
“i dont know what you mean, mr. snow.”
he smiled at that, laughing lowly. he didn’t expect you to know what he meant, of course, but he had an inkling that if he played his cards just right, he’d have you right where he wanted. he leaned closer now, lips dodging yours, lightly brushing your nose as his head turned to whisper in your ear. 
“do you think of me at night? our little chase?”
“wh-what?”
“you’re smart, miss. think about it.”
he disappeared into the house, bidding goodbye to your mother and father and whisking himself away. your mouth remained parted, eyes wide with confusion as you tried to process what his words could have meant. 
surely, he couldn’t mean.. 
no. absolutely not, you decided. coriolanus may have unsettled you ungreatly, but he was a peacekeeper- and your father had always told you that they served to protect you, that they would never harm you purposely. you stood shakily and made your way quietly into the old house, reeking of old wood and boiled vegetables. you sat on the couch near your brother, holding his head to your chest as you stroked his hair comfortingly, still trying to process. from the kitchen, your father called, “he’s a nice boy, no? perhaps he could be of some influence to you, sweetheart.” 
you agreed meekly, despite disagreeing with your father completely. you werent entirely sure what he saw in the man at all, yet you were adamant that he was, in fact, not a good influence, but a parasite. you wanted absolutely nothing to do with him. he made you feel unsafe- unsure of yourself, and for some reason, your faith. you decided he was no good; but yet you couldnt make any understanding of the bittersweet ache between your thighs. 
when coriolanus walked home that evening, he couldn’t fight his smile. he saw you, in all his glory, struggling pathetically under his gaze, squirming and fidgeting uncontrollably as he trapped you within the cage of his arms. 
the sacrificial lamb has been caught, he thought. 
what a stupid, stupid lamb. 
౨ׅৎ
you rushed into church near 5 am the next day, sleep deprived from the constant running of your mind and the damned words of coriolanus snow. 
“our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” you repeated to yourself, kneeled below the large wooden crucifixion of jesus, hands clasped tightly together, your head resting painfully against the white of your knuckles. 
what you were praying for, you didn’t know. you couldn't go to the confessional- heavens forbid, no. confessing secrets of your dreams of coriolanus’s hands, the outline of his jaw, the way he whispered his sinister words so sweetly into your ear- to your father? you would rather be hanged for the whole district to see. there was nothing sinful about your dreams, exactly, but it felt sinful, dirty, downright hellish. you thought of his lips, the soft and pink flesh of them, the stormy blue of his eyes- and, oh god, you couldn't stop replaying his words in your head. 
‘do you think of me at night?’ he had asked you so earnestly. as if he needed you to tell him yes, you did think of him, every night. it wasn't a lie, of course, only the way you had begun thinking about him had changed. but that wasn't your doing at all, was it? no, he was to blame, for speaking to you like that, for dangling his dog tag so close that it brushed your cross indecently, for showing up to your house and stripping himself half naked, sweating impurely over the soil you and your mother sowed and reaped with love, with innocence, purity. it was entirely his fault, from the way he seemed to be forcing himself into your life. the church door creaked open, and you continued to pray, “give us this day, our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
your heart raced as footsteps neared closer, as if you knew exactly who they belonged to. 
“what troubles you, little lamb?” his voice took you with fear, the way it rumbled in his chest and reverberated on the walls confining the two of you, alone. you raised your head, refusing to look back at him, “i do believe that's none of your concern, mr. snow.”
you heard him chuckle lowly, repeating the words mr. snow to himself under his breath. it made you shiver, and you recited the bible verses your father drilled into your head from as young as you could remember: vindicate me, o god, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation; rescue me from deceitful and wicked men.
you could feel him now, knee pressed lightly against your back. you stood up and turned to face him, eyes wild and daring as they searched the azure maze of his own. his hand reached to stroke your hair, and you flinched. 
“why is it that you fear me so much, do you think?”
“i’m not afraid of you.”
he tsked, “‘fear’ is different than ‘being afraid’, darling. to be afraid is a fleeting moment. your brain's immediate response towards danger,” he moved to touch your hair again, now more forcefully, tucking the loose strands along your hairline behind your ear. 
keep back your servant also from willful sins.
he continued, “i asked, why do you fear me?”
you tried to search deeper into his eyes, trying to grasp any understanding at what he was trying to communicate to you. your mind ran amok, and it was no help that coriolanus's hand now snuck its way into your fingers, fidgeting with the soft digits mindlessly. 
“i don't.. i don't know-” he cut you off by stepping closer before you finished. you had wanted to tell him that you didn't know why he thought you feared him, that you didnt understand the question, and that you needed to get home soon, so to please excuse you. 
“i think you fear what i impose between you and your precious god.”
you let out an involuntary laugh, giggling childlishly at the accusation. you stopped, when his eyes darkened. 
“i’m sorry, mr. snow, but i really don’t know what you mean!” you were struggling to contain your girlish giggles. what he imposes between me and god? it was such a bizarre statement, so plainly laid out for you, that you couldn’t even comprehend it entirely. your laughing ceased, for good now, when his hand circled tightly around your wrist. 
let them not have dominion over me.
then i will be upright.
“i’m not stupid, love. i saw you, yesterday, practically drooling over me. i wonder what your father would have to say if he saw the sinful way you ogled at me,” he paused, and you swallowed painfully, “and dont tell me you’ve forgotten all about our little chase, hm? wasnt it exhilarating?” now, panic engulfed you. you tried to back away from him as the pieces etched themselves together in your brain, but his hold on your wrist was only getting tighter. 
“that was you?” your voice was impossibly small, weak from the alarm that blared in your head. your eyes darted back and forth desperately, searching for an out, hoping and praying that someone might burst in and see the scene before you, tear hades away from his persephone and save her from her impending doom. 
i will be blameless and innocent of great transgression.
he dipped his head to your neck, lips deliciously grazing over the supple skin of your collar bone, pressing kisses so light you could barely feel them as you tried to wriggle from his grasp. 
“of course it was me, darling,” the way you felt him smile against your skin was chilling, and you fought back tears as he moved impossibly closer to you, “isn’t that adrenaline rush just addicting? tell me, dove, what do you think about me when you lie in bed and replay our precious little moments together in that pretty head of yours?” 
your breathing quickened, and you winced as coriolanus gripped tighter at your wrist, his other hand painfully gripping the small of your waist, massaging the gentle muscle of it. you could feel his entire body pressed against yours, and a tear threatened to slip when you felt the hard pressing of his lower region on your stomach. you shook your head, refusing to give in to his line of questioning, but his grip on your waist tightened and you cried out in pain, “your hands!” you whined, relief slowly making its way to the sore area of your waist as he loosened his grip. he made to grasp your chin under his index, forcing you to keep eye contact with him and urged you silently to keep going. 
“your..” you let out a shaky sigh, “your h-ands, your voice, the words you speak to me. i don't understand why.” 
he cooed at you now, as if proud of you for speaking up. your eyes darted to his lips, and you saw something flash in his eyes, “anything else?”
let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight,
lord, my rock, and my redeemer. 
you tried to look down at your feet as if to run away from the question, but his hold on your chin was unrelenting. shamefully, you whispered, “your lips.” 
he let out a small ahhh, as if the admission shocked him. he knew, of course. of course he knew. you poor thing. sweet, little lamb, so innocent and pure. untouched by lust, blind to its deceptive allure. he knew from the moment he’d gone after you in those woods and failed to catch you, that he would do everything in his power to make sure you would never escape his grasp again. he knew when his frail attempts at getting closer to you failed, he had to resort to a harsher solution. he needed to infiltrate every space you breathed in, and break his was into your mind until he had you right where he needed you to be: malleable, so he could corrupt you just as easy. 
he knew your father protected you, the extent to which he went to protect you, as well. banning sex education in your school, ensuring your mind stays as pure as possible to the exploits of fickle men and their wants. you knew the basics, thanks to your mother and her worrisome self, but her teachings were meddled down into some confusing allegory that left your mind as clueless as before, so that you stayed intact, perfect and pristine in the lords eye as well as the rest of the district, in your white frilly dresses, light makeup, and perfectly crafted manners. 
he knew how easy it would be to get in your head. the human body is funny, like that, wherein it begs for things it doesn’t know of. he knew when he flexed his hands you caught sight of it, when he swallowed you intently watched the way his adams apple bobbed, he knew when he showed up to your home and stripped himself almost bare it would plague your mind with an unknowing want and desire, and soon enough, you’d have no choice but to give in to it, abandon your god and his lessons for coriolanus alone. 
he ran his tongue across his bottom lip, swiping his thumb across yours as if to mirror himself, and then ducked his head closer, “go on.”
you squeezed your eyes shut. everything felt so, so wrong, and you didn't know why, but you couldn't stop. when he continued to toy with your lip, slightly plunging the tip of his finger past them and into your mouth, you let out an involuntary, small moan, and your legs shook and quivered as the strange ache from yesterday returned. 
“wh-what?”
“kiss me.”
your eyes widened, and you shook your head. coriolanus thought it was adorable, how you struggled to piece together what was about to happen, how your brain tried desperately to fill in the blanks with information it didnt know. you heard coriolanus sigh disapprovingly at your protests and he shoved his thumb further into your mouth, causing you to choke. he removed it, then wiped the saliva that remained over your bottom lip before inserting the digit in his mouth, tasting you. 
“its okay, little one. you can kiss me. he wont mind,” you didnt realize your fingers lingered over the necklace nestled on your chest, and your gaze followed his finger as he gestured upwards. he wont mind. you racked your brain over the things coriolanus said to you from he entered the church.
“i think you fear what i impose between you and your precious god.”
now, you truly hoped someone would burst in, and you could scream and wail as you explained the horrors coriolanus was about to commit to you (even if those horrors were unclear). he was so close, and something still pressed hardly against your stomach, and suddenly you couldn't breathe, “he would mind. i promise to pray for you coriolanus, i don't know what troubles you, but the lord-” 
he cut you off by shoving his lips onto yours harshly, groaning at the contact. his hands made their way to rest on your clothed breasts, and you wriggled and struggled to try get away from him, but your efforts were fruitless. you were cornered, now. a lamb with nowhere to run or hide, forced to face its fate. he ravaged your lips, hands restless as they caressed all over your protesting body. the ache between your legs grew, and a small part of you realized that the last thing you wanted right now was for someone to walk in, and see the preacher's daughter being completely defaced by a peacekeeper. 
“your god cant give me what i need, angel. cant you see? you did this to me,” his hand grabbed yours as he pulled away to speak, trailing it down the hard muscle of his abdomen and palming the hardness that threatened to burst through the seam of his pants. your eyes were wide and doe-like, and coriolanus never needed to fuck you more. his lips met yours again, and his other hand fumbled to remove his pants, hissing when the air hit his straining cock, all while you tried your best to distance yourself from him as much as possible. your face was hot, and your hands remained in the air, unsure of where to rest them, as you slowly allowed coriolanus to slip his tongue into your mouth. 
“good girl,” he practically growled, and you let out a pathetic squeak when you felt your core tighten, pleasure washing over you at the small praise. coriolanus was turned on beyond conception, moaning disgracefully as he stroked himself through the fabric of his underwear. if you could see the spectacle the two of you were making, in the middle of church- no less, the thought alone had coriolanus close to the edge. you gasped when you saw him palm himself, and without thinking, your hand brushing his ever so slightly, lingering a second too long before his eyes snapped up at yours, pleading you to go ahead and touch him. 
when you finally pressed your hand to his clothed region, you swore the way coriolanus threw his head back with a small mewl and moan would land you an eternity in hell alone. 
“thats it, baby, jus’ like that.. keep going..” you gasped when his hand sneaked its way under your dress- your sunday best- your hand faltering a bit when his long middle finger lightly grazed your clothed cunt. the foreign feeling it elicited from you had you desperately searching coriolanus’s eyes for an answer, unable to speak as his fingers that toyed with the most intimate parts of you had you moaning softly and lowly, uncontrollably. you continued to palm him, and his hand slipped into the lacy cotton of your panties, cursing hotly under his breath when he feels you. 
“so wet for me. you dirty fucking girl, look at you: making a mess in church.” you didnt know what he meant, but shame burned through your skin. confusion grappled at you and you began to sob, not ignoring the way your tears seemed to make coriolanus throb beneath you, “please stop, coriolanus, this is immoral.”
“baby, if it feels good, then it cant be bad,” he stroked the tear stains on your cheek softly, cupping your face with false earnest as he pulled your head to lay on his chest, “does it feel good?”
coriolanus reveled in the way you looked up at him, like a devoted follower in the arms of their saviour. when you nodded slowly, he gently spun you around and shoved your face into the cool wood of the crucifixion behind you, his hand painfully pushing against your cheek enough so that you couldn't look anywhere but above you, into the sad eyes of jesus. 
your panties were ripped off with a shriek that was muffled by coriolanus’s hand around your mouth, and you sobbed as pain mixed with pleasure as he gave a few slaps to your dripping cunt, mumbling about how pretty it is. in a desperate attempt to wiggle out of your new position, you accidentally arched your back further, giving him more access. 
“let me show you how i can love you,” he whispered into your ear, before returning his fingers to the slick mess that coated your cunt, your body jolting when they occasionally brushed over your clit, the unfamiliar sensation already too overwhelming for you to handle. with a few more agonising strokes of his fingers, he prodded at your hole, teasing your entrance in a way that had your eyes roll to the back of your head. when he finally slipped them in, your hand pounded desperately against the cross you were pressed up on, pleads to stop falling pathetically into the hand of coriolanus and onto deaf ears. he was merciless with it, greedily pounding his fingers into you in a way that had your knees gravitating towards each other and animalistic grunts of pleasure vibrating through his hand. 
something in you burned, your body was pleading for more as an unfamiliar coil formed in the pit of your stomach. your hand continued to bang against the cross, tears falling as you forcibly peered into the eyes of your saviour while you got your cunt ravaged in the middle of his shrine. 
“oh god, oh god” you mumbled through his hand. you were unsure if it was shame, or the delicious way coryo pumped his fingers into you, but you grew lightheaded and dumb, eyes hazy as you grew closer to your release. 
“thats it, take it. you’re filthy, taking my fingers so well in the middle of church.” now, both hands scraped desperately against the cross, leaving marks in the wake of your fingernails digging into the hardwood. coriolanus tugged your head further up, forcing you to stare at him with tears streaming down your face and desperate pleas for him to stop going unheard. he smiled coyly when he felt your pussy clench around his fingers, and he withdrew them just before you reached your release, a loud, agonising whine of relief and desperation leaving your smushed lips. he was quick to replace his fingers with his cock, the slow intrusion of it making you let out a low, droned out groan as he stretched your virgin cunt past its limit.
he removed his hand from your mouth, and a string of prayers tumbled out of it, “o my god, i am heartily sorry for having offended thee,” and “and i detest all my sins because of thy just punishments, but most of all because they offend thee, my god, who art all good and deserving of all my love.” it earned you a slap to your ass, and you cried out loudly as coriolanus shoved your dress off of you, watching as it fell uselessly around your legs into a pool of white. he flipped you around, admiring your soft breasts and the way they spilled over in the hold of his fingers, and he traced the soft, plumpness of your belly as he chuckled lowly at your continuous prayer. with his cock still nestled into you, he leaned forward to whisper in your ear. 
“god loves you, but not as much as i do,” and then he thrust his cock into you with such force that you nearly tumbled to the floor. his hand rest on your lower back, forcing you to arch closer to him, your hips meeting his unwillingly at his fast pace. coriolanus’s cock grazed the inside of your gummy walls perfectly, and you found yourself slipping from reality as he continued to pound his dick into you, moaning when you contracted around him without rhythm, your inexperienced self almost overloaded with pleasure, unable to control your body. 
“you’re being such a good girl, taking my cock like this,” he weaved a hand through your hair, “‘n you’re gonna let me cum inside you, yeah? gonna make a woman out of you.” you couldnt focus on the words he was throwing at you, lost in pleasure as the tip of coryo’s dick hit that one spot over and over again. the way he spoke to you had you at a crossroads, and it didnt help that he was fucking you into oblivion, and now you understood what he had meant when he said he imposed between you and god, because you were becoming addicted to the push and pull of his cock inside of you. 
“thats right, take it. you look so pretty all dumb and fucked out on my cock,” you reached to grab his arm to steady yourself, your orgasm creeping in closely, “you gonna cum for me?” 
you didn't know what it meant, but you nodded anyways, completely lost in bliss, “coryo..” you moaned out, his brows raising slightly at the new nickname, a smirk settling on his face. moans and mewls lewdly left your mouth as he quickened his pace, his unused hand massaging at your tits, twisting and pinching softly at your nipples as you thrashed with pleasure under him. 
“gonna make you worship this fucking cock, baby” he was close himself now, his head falling and his voice itching up an octave, lewd moans clashing with yours as the rhythm and pace he set began to falter, and he fucked you as hard as he could as he chased your high and his own, “gonna make you devoted to me. you’re never gonna wanna be away from me again,” his face twisted with pleasure, and you circled your arms around his neck as you tried to ground yourself, the coil in your stomach slowly beginning to unravel and threatening to snap. a shadow passed, and your eyes widened with terror as you slapped coryo’s arm haphazardly, begs falling from your mouth to stop. he turned his head lazily to look at what you were whining about, but his thrusts didn't stop. 
“let them see what a dirty fucking girl you are.” 
your walls tightened and your eyes rolled so far back into your head you were scared they wouldn't come back up as your orgasm reached you. you covered your mouth, shrieking desperately as the shockwaves of pleasure rolled over you, the newfound feeling unrelenting as it took over every part of your body. coriolanus repeated words of encouragement and praise as he fucked you through your high, before bottoming out and releasing his load in you, christening your walls. you whined at the feeling, so full and drunk off of it that your concerns of the passerby faded. the both of you stood there, panting heavily, both groaning when coryo slid out of you. he slapped his tip on your puffy clit one, two, three times, before a loud knock rapped on the church door. 
you could feel coriolanus’s spill leaking out of you as you crouched on your knees, hidden, and you cried silently, the reality of what had just happened to you settling in. coriolanus snow had corrupted you, in the worst possible way, and now you could only feel yourself crave more of him. as he spoke to the intruder, egging them to run along, a thumb caressed your head gently, as if to tell you he had everything under control. the small southern drawl he’d begun to pick up was more prominent. when the intruder finally left, you were forced to your feet, and coriolanus grabbed your ruined panties, resting on his knees below you to shove them into your used cunt, before making his way back to his feet, towering over you. he spoke to you like he would if he were on duty:
“you go on home now, miss. and tell your father i say hello.” 
and you did. 
౨ׅৎ
@dumbsoftheart, 2023
394 notes · View notes
gummydummy19 · 4 months
Text
A White Christmas
Pairing: Steve Rogers x Male Reader
Summary: You and your boyfriend Steve have the tower to yourself this Christmas :))
Content Warnings: Smut (handjob, use of toys, cum eating, anal, top M reader, bottom Steve Rogers, slight degradation, daddy kink...), fluff, horrible Christmas puns :))
A/N: @sozombiearcade thank you so much for this lovely Christmas request and for being so patient with me <3, I hope you enjoy it. Merry Christmas everyone!!xxx
Word Count: 1860+
Tumblr media
The streets of New York were packed. People desperately scattered around trying to find a last-minute Christmas present. It was absolutely freezing, or at least that's what it looked like. You were nice and warm up in Stark Tower, with a book on your lap.
You smiled to yourself as you glanced over to the big, beautiful Christmas tree, the neatly wrapped present you bought your boyfriend immediately catching your eye.
The Tower is quiet, aside from your Christmas playlist you have on repeat. Thor and Loki went back to Asgard, Nat and Bruce went over to Clint and his family during the Holidays, Sam invited Bucky to join him and his sister for Christmas dinner and Tony took Pepper skiing in Aspen. Leaving you and your boyfriend Steve alone in the Tower, which you had decorated excessively.
The smell of gingerbread slowly invades your senses and you hear Steve hum along with "Jingle Bells" from the kitchen. Sadly, his happy humming stops and gets replaced by an upset whine and a naughty word or two.
'Language!', you yell with a grin, but when you don't hear a reply, you decide to put your book aside and make your way to the kitchen.
'Stevie, everything okay?' you ask as you stick your head through the doorframe. Steve is looking down at his tray of freshly baked cookies with a defeated look.
"What's wrong, honey? They look great!" you ask as you walk closer.
"I forgot to buy icing." The look on his face breaks your heart, but admittedly the little pout on his face is quite adorable. Truth be told, he has been looking insanely good all day.
Steve is not only an attractive man, he also cares a lot about hygiene. Back in the 40s he didn't have all the luxuries he has today, and when he goes on missions he sometimes can't shower or shave for weeks. So when he's home, he showers and shaves every single morning after his run. He hates body hair, so he was always perfectly sleek...everywhere.
"Oh Stevie, that's okay...they still look good without the icing," you reassure him, looking down at the gingerbread men.
"They look naked." he points out with a frown on his face.
You grin, pulling Steve closer and pressing a sweet kiss on his neck. "I do love my men naked..." you mumble as you nibble on his ear, hoping to cheer him up a little.
Unfortunately, the defeated look on Steve's face didn't go away that easily. "Aw, Stevie..." you cooed, wrapping your arms around him, "you know I hate to see you sad," your lips found his neck again while your arms squeezed him tighter to your chest.
Steve's breath hitched when you found his sweet spot, nibbling on it while your hands gently grabbed his hips, pulling his ass flush against your hardening cock. His hands grabbed the counter for balance as he whined, feeling your bulge grind against his ass.
"I'm sure we can figure something out...let me turn that frown upside down, baby, hmm?"
"Yes, daddy", Steve moaned obediently.
"Wanna touch daddy's cock? Hmm? Would that make you happy? Wanna jerk me off, baby?", you teased.
"Yes, daddy..." he whined.
"Ask daddy nicely, baby,"
"Please, daddy, please," he bucked his hips forward.
"Please, what?" you taunted.
"Please can I touch you, daddy, can I jerk you off, please..." he begged.
"Good boy...of course baby, c'mere," you packed up a little, allowing Steve to turn around. He immediately dropped to his knees and pulled down your sweats, noticing that you were already rock-hard.
"What a slutty boy..." you groaned, spitting in your hand before reaching down to stroke your hard cock.
You groaned at the feeling, letting your eyes fall shut for a second until you heard Steve whine impatiently.
You looked down at him, "Touch daddy's cock, Stevie", you commanded and he immediately did as he was told, squeezing your dick tightly as he stroked it up and down before twisting his first over your tip.
As you felt yourself creep closer to the edge, the tray of cookies caught your eye. You reached over, pulling it closer while Steve sped up his movements around your throbbing cock.
"That's it, baby...be a good boy and make daddy cum."
It only took a couple more strokes until you fell over the edge with a loud groan. Your body shook a little as you tried your best to aim for the platter, covering the gingerbread men with your sticky, white cum.
"Fuck, Steve...", you couldn't help but groan, "good fucking boy..."
You pulled him up against you, fumbling to pull your sweatpants up in the meantime. You let him drop his head on your shoulder as you did the same. Your mouth found the pulse point on his neck, feeling his rapid heartbeat against your lips.
You looked at the counter, observing the wonderful mess you had made. "Look at that, Stevie...your gingerbread men aren't so naked anymore", you grinned, picking up one of the cookies that was covered in cum and bringing it to his mouth. He took a large bite, savoring your familiar taste.
"Delicious...", he hummed, looking at you in adoration. You couldn't help but pull him in for a passionate kiss, tasting the sweetness of his cookies and the saltiness of your...icing.
"I think you deserve to open one of your Christmas presents early, what do you think?"
"Yeah?", he blushed and you nodded, taking his hand and pulling him to the living room.
"Say, Stevie, have you been naughty or nice this year?" you smirked and you pushed your boyfriend back on the couch.
"Is that a trick question?" he grinned, making you smile.
"Hmm," you couldn't help but kiss him again before getting up and grabbing a neatly wrapped box from under the tree.
"Naughty and/or nice, you've definitely been my good boy this year", you praised.
Steve gently ripped open the packaging, his cheeks tinting red again as he saw what you had gifted him. It was a navy blue, vibrating stroker.
"Do you like it?", you asked, grinning when Steve nodded franticly.
"Wanna try it?", you asked, trying to contain the twinkle in your eyes.
He nodded again, this time a bit more shy.
"You want uh...do you wanna...or...you want me to...uhm...", he stuttered, making you chuckle before leaning in closer.
"I wanna use it on you, Stevie, if that's okay?"
"Y-yeah, yes, absolutely."
His enthusiasm alone made your cock stir again.
"That's my good boy," you mumbled against his lips, "take off your pants and play with yourself while I go get the lube,"
Steve's pants hit the floor before you even made it out of the living room. When you got back, merely a couple seconds later, you found him panting on the couch with his cock in his hand.
"Merry Christmas indeed," you stated, dropping down next to him. Your hand quickly took over from his, pumping him a couple times until he was a moaning mess.
"Turn around", you commanded and he obeyed immediately, giving you a clear view of his shaven asshole.
"Fuck, you know, I hate it when they call this America's ass. This is my ass, all mine," you grumbled, giving his cheek a good squeeze followed by a light smack.
"Ah...yes, daddy, all yours, please touch me, daddy", he pleaded.
"Yeah? Want me to touch you? Want daddy to fill your stocking, hm?"
Steve couldn't help but giggle a little at your awful pun, earning him another spank.
"Shut up," you chuckled, before reaching to grab the lube and applying a good amount on his bare hole and your fingers.
Steve moaned loudly as you slid a finger inside, prepping him for your hardening cock. You slowly worked him open, adding another finger while your other hand gently traced his skin.
"Ready for my cock, Stevie?" you questioned after a couple minutes, noticing he was getting harder and more desperate.
"Yes, please...please"
You used some more lube to cover your cock, stroking it a few times before pressing it to Steve's hole. Slowly but steadily you slid inside him. Both of you let out a string of whines and groans, your hands holding onto his hips as you fucked him slowly from behind.
You gave him some time to adjust before you grabbed the toy, adding a little bit of lube to that as well.
"C'mere, Stevie, lean up a bit...like this", you gently grabbed his shoulder, making him lean his back against your chest so you had easier access to his smoothly-shaven cock. The toy slid over him with ease.
"Oh shit, daddy!" he moaned when you turned up the vibrations, stroking the toy while starting to fuck into him again.
"Fuck, baby, doing so good, my good boy", you praised as you picked up the pace, positively destroying his asshole.
Your free hand roamed over his strong, hairless chest, pinching his nipple in the process.
"Ah, f-fuck..." he stuttered, his head lulling back against your shoulder.
you chuckled, "You like it when I play with your nipples, hmm? Such a desperate little slut...look at you, I've only just started and your cock is already leaking", you taunted, feeling the sticky drops land on your fingers.
"Please, daddy...fuck, that feels so good..."
That was your cue to turn up the vibrations, making Steve keen in pleasure. His hands for your arms, trying to keep himself grounded.
You angled your hips up a little, hitting his spot perfectly.
"Fuuucckk, daddy, right there! Please please please can I cum? Can I cum please m'so close...", he begged, tears welling in his eyes.
"Cum for me you fucking slut, cum for me while I fuck your ass."
And he did. Hard.
Steve's cum shot out of his dick in thick ropes, covering his own stomach and chest.
You fucked him roughly through his high, before discarding the toy and pulling out of him.
"Turn around!" you roared, as you jerked yourself off at a fast pace, ready to tumble over the edge.
Steve clumsily dropped to his knees, just in time to catch the hot spurts of cum all over his face.
You yelled out his name, screwing your eyes shut as pleasure consumed you.
"Fucking hell..." you huffed out. Your eyes fluttered open and you were met with an absolutely ruined Steve, leaning exhausted against the couch, covered in both your and his own cum.
You dropped down beside him, pulling him close. "You did so good for me, you're so hot, so perfect...", you mumbled, trying to bring him back down to earth with sweet words and gentle kisses.
"You okay?", you asked, taking in his fucked out look.
"Hmm", was all he could muster, looking at you with a dopey grin plastered all over his face.
"Looks like you got a white Christmas this year, huh?", you grinned.
"Oh, shut up", he chuckled, playfully hitting your shoulder.
The two of you cuddled for a while after that, before taking a nice hot shower together. Though in hindsight, that might have been a bit pointless, since Steve still had to give you his gift too....
Taglist;
@metalbuckaroo @princessayveke @montsepliego @scxrletrecsmarvel @hopelesslyrogers @eclecticpatrolroadlawyer @tfandtws @vicmc624 @ahahafudge @enchantedbarnes @wickedravyn @pono-pura-vida @amayaraestyles @matchat3a @fictional-hooman @sebastianexplicit @peaches1958 @avengersfan25 @jamneuromain @tryingtoliveonmywishes @mrsevans90 @daybreak96 @tiredqueen73 @fallingforunrealisticromance @identity2212 @randomweirdoss @ragamuffin285 @juliaorpll78 @geralts-yenn @imjusthereforliam @bangtanstoeart @squeezyvalkyrie @enchantedbytomandhenry @superduckmilkshake @kingliam2019 @bascmve01 @missgaygurl @foxyjwls007 @mollymal @urmomsgirlfriend1 @luxeydior
252 notes · View notes
willtheweaver · 2 months
Text
‘Something’s not right’ writing prompts
•’Last time I checked, horses had flat teeth and only two eyes.’
• The hotel was only three stories tall. So why does the elevator go to the twentieth floor?
•The lights in your living room come on when you flick the switch. The only problem? The storm knocked down the power lines and the company said it would take a week to get the electricity back on.
• ‘These trees have eyes.’
‘They’re aspen. They only look like eyes. But they are just scars leftover from where there were branches.’
‘Then why did one just wink at me?’
•Character is in hiding. They have someone deliver supplies to their remote cabin every Monday. It’s Tuesday, and the delivery is 24 hours late.
•You just hooked a 12 ft. long shark. You also are fishing in an artificial lake, completely landlocked, and with no connection to the sea.
• “I heard you were having an open house today. May I come in?” Said the well mannered gentleman who did not cast a shadow.
•You run out to the fairy ring deep in the forest. When you get there, all you find is one very confused walrus.
•With its walls made of matte black stone, lack of windows, narrow hallways with body sized niches, and musty smell of decay, the building didn’t look like a hospital. It looked like a tomb.
•Closing time at the Cairo Museum. The security guard escorts the last few stragglers out. From one of the display cases comes a voice.
“Thank Amun-Ra for that. Those last few tourists were so annoying, trying to claim that my great temple was the work of extraterrestrials.”
•Character looks up at the sky. They see the words Are you sure you want to delete this file?
213 notes · View notes
buckets-and-trees · 4 months
Text
Cold Hands, Warm Hearts
Fandom: MCU Collection: Cedar Trees Characters/Pairings: King!Steve x Queen!Reader Word Count: 1.3k Summary: After a week of festivities celebrating the high winter holidays, you are traveling with your husband to the summer palace to retreat for a week just the two of you, to spend the Yule Week together.
Content Warnings: royal AU, some modest agoraphilia, vaginal fingering, cum eating, fluff because these two are over the moon for each other
Logistical Notes: This is the reveal for the other kink I teased in this ask @stargazingfangirl18... EVERYONE IGNORE THAT IT'S ONLY STILL NEW YEAR'S EVE IN LIKE HAWAII AT THIS POINT, OKAY? It still counts.
↠ Masterlist | Aspen's Ask Box | Field Guide to the Forest
Tumblr media
You smile as Steve’s knees gently jostle against yours which are covered in your skirts and a warm blanket. The royal carriage was not quite built for his long legs, at least not like this. It wasn’t any problem when you sat together on the same side, but he’d insisted on sitting across from you. You had teased him that he would fall asleep on your journey, and he had maintained that he would not, but that sitting with his back to the front of the carriage would ensure that he wouldn’t fall asleep.
And yet he sat across from you, slightly slumped over, legs relaxed, very much sleeping.
It’s why you’d snuck a book inside your fur muff and only snuck it out when he’d finally succumbed to his exhaustion.
And so you were more than happy to see him resting. It’s mid-morning on New Year’s Eve, and you could hardly believe you were here. When he came to you a few weeks before with his proposed plan, you were a little surprised but incredibly pleased when he told you he wanted to retreat with you to the summer palace for a week for the new year. He worked sunup to sundown, tirelessly fulfilling his duties as the devoted king to his people that he was. They loved him for it, and so did you.
Although the royal carriage was well built and very sturdy, it was still a testament to how tired he was that he could sleep as it rolled along over the roads in the countryside, but ultimately a particularly rough patch of road jostles you both, and he jerks awake.
“Good morning again, my sleepy king.”
He frowns, but there’s only warmth in his blue eyes. “How long did you let me sleep when I did not wish to, my queen?”
You glance at your book and shrug a shoulder at him. “You know I do not mind; you deserve your rest.”
He takes a look at his pocket watch and complains, “An hour robbed of your company.”
You laugh, reach across for his hand, and tug on his arm to pull him over to sit next to you. “We get to have each other for an entire week,” you say, your easy smile splitting into an eager grin.
“And I look forward to every minute.” He presses his forehead against yours as he settles in next to you.
“You’re cold, my lord,” you fuss, and quickly lift the wool blanket to cover his lap as well.
He chuckles as you shift a little and place your fur muff between the two of you, grab his hands, and stuff them inside with yours. “I’m not that cold.”
You tsk at him, “There’s no need for you to be cold at all.”
“I suppose you are right,” he concedes. He leans in again and captures your lips in a kiss. “Not when I have you,” he murmurs against your lips. You melt into him, your lips part, and he teases his tongue inside.
You become lost in his kiss until he starts shifting, and his hand moves under the blanket, and you gasp he rucks up your skirt and petticoats until he can move his hand beneath the swaths of fabric to brush up your thigh and right to your center.
“Steve!” you protest in a dazed but shocked whisper. You press your thighs together. “We can’t!”
You can’t help but think of the coachman and the footman riding on the front of the carriage, and the six guards riding along behind.
“Oh, I believe you’ll find we can do all manner of things in here, my love,” he insists. With his hand still between your clenched thighs, he reclaims your lips and squeezes the tender flesh of your leg, easing you open again as he kisses you with such fervent passion you can’t help but surrender to him.
You whimper as his fingers slid along your folds, and you know he finds you’re growing wet for him already.
His other hand comes up to cup your cheek. “Keep your pretty sounds soft, my love, only for me.”
“Steve,” you whine.
He noses along your neck, but you know exactly the wicked grin he must have across his face.
“An hour of wasted time, neglecting my queen, I must make it up to you.”
You bite your lip when he inserts the first finger into your warm hole, and you clutch his arm – not wanting him to stop now but because you need to hold onto him. He pushes it slowly in and out of you a few times before adding a second finger. You cant your hips forward to give him a better angle. Steve keeps the slow pace, working up your wetness on his fingers.
“I want you dripping for me,” he whispers in your ear.
“Oh, God,” the soft plea tumbles out, and you drop your head back.
Steve presses hot kisses to your neck, but only briefly as it’s too much pleasure for you to keep quiet, and he chuckles as he quickly angles your head back to him with his free hand so he can smother your moans with his mouth. He curls his fingers up to find the spot you both love for him to stroke on the front of your walls, and he knows exactly when he’s found it as your body arches for him. He rubs there insistently, expertly, and your body starts to tighten the strings pulling toward your climax.
He doesn’t rush it, pushing you until you’re mewling into his mouth between demanding, hungry kisses. Then he presses his thumb to your pulsing clit, giving it ample pressure, circling, until the pleasure driving at the dual points knocks you over the edge into bliss, and you convulse against him, breaking away from his kiss so you can breathe.
Steve takes the pressure off your clit, but slowly keeps stroking your cunt as it clenches around his fingers, bringing you gently down through your climax.
“So beautiful, my love,” he speaks softly against your temple, pressing a kiss there.
You laugh softly, feeling the giddiness and satisfaction of the act the two of you just engaged in whilst traveling through the forest in your carriage. You know Steve was mindful of keeping what you were doing quiet enough to stay private, but the thought that you might have been overheard had been its own forbidden thrill.
You turn your body more toward him. “Steve, that was…” you let the words linger, and smile up at him.
“It was,” he says. He brings his fingers up to his lips and licks them thoroughly clean. You can only watch him, concentrating on taking deep, steady breaths.
You begin to reach for his waistline, but he grabs your hands in both of his. “Oh, no. I’m not confident we can keep any sounds I would make to a discreet level for anything you might have in mind.”
You laugh and feel your neck and cheeks heat in a mixture of desire and shock and a touch of flustering.
“Here,” he says, angling his body more toward you, then scoops up both your legs in the heap of skirt and petticoats, and pulls them over his lap. You help him by scooting closer, and he drapes one arm around your back. “Let me kiss my lovely wife a bit more, and we can talk a while before we get to the palace.”
“Sounds perfect, husband.”
He presses a tender kiss to your lips now, and you place a hand on his chest over his heart, looking forward to the week ahead, only the two of you, no engagements or responsibilities, only time together, and you could not be more happy and content.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
↠ Masterlist | Aspen's Ask Box | Field Guide to the Forest
291 notes · View notes
Text
When The World Is Crashing Down [Chapter 10: Blame Everyone But Me For This Mess]
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Series summary: Your family is House Celtigar, one of Rhaenyra’s wealthiest allies. In the aftermath of Rook’s Rest, Aemond unknowingly conscripts you to save his brother’s life. Now you are in the liar of the enemy, but your loyalties are quickly shifting…
Chapter warnings: Language, warfare, violence, serious injury, alcoholism/addiction, references to sexual content (18+), Aemond-induced chaos, death and destruction, witchcraft! 🔮
Series title is a lyrics from: “7 Minutes In Heaven” by Fall Out Boy.
Chapter title is a lyric from: “I’ve Got a Dark Alley and a Bad Idea That Says You Should Shut Your Mouth” by Fall Out Boy.
Word count: 6.2k.
Link to chapter list: HERE.
Taglist (more in comments): @tinykryptonitewerewolf @lauraneedstochill @not-a-glad-gladiator @daenysx @babyblue711 @arcielee @at-a-rax-ia @bhanclegane @jvpit3rs @padfooteyes @marvelescvpe @travelingmypassion @darkenchantress @yeahright0h @poohxlove @trifoliumviridi @bloodyflowerrr @fan-goddess @devynsficrecs @flowerpotmage @thelittleswanao3 @seabasscevans @hiraethrhapsody @libroparaiso @echos-muses @st-eve-barnes @chattylurker @lm-txles @vagharnaur @moonlightfoxx @storiumemporium @insabecs @heliosscribbles @beautifulsweetschaos @namelesslosers @partnerincrime0 @burningcoffeetimetravel-fics @yawneneytiri @marbles-posts @imsolence @maidmerrymint @backyardfolklore @nimaharchive @anxiousdaemon @under-the-aspen-tree @amiraisgoingthruit @dd122004dd @randomdragonfires @jetblack4real @joliettes
Only 3 chapters left! 🥰💜
“Aemond!” he roars into the cerulean midday sky, knowing it is useless, that fate has already spoken.
All his life, fate has proven Criston Cole wrong. He once believed he could not rise above being born to a steward in the Dornish Marches. He once feared he would never be permitted to join the Kingsguard. He once felt in his twisting, self-loathing guts that he would never love any woman but Rhaenyra. And Criston once knew—without reservation, without complexity—that Alicent’s eldest son would never amount to anything worthwhile, could never be courageous, self-sacrificial, competent, a true king. Each time, fate had a different ending in store.
All around him, Green soldiers are dying in what will be known to history as the Butcher’s Ball. They are being slit open, disemboweled, crushed beneath the hooves of warhorses, stabbed and clubbed and speared. The Northmen have scorpions with them as well, with massive bolts to bring down dragons; but they are unnecessary. There are no dragons on the battlefield today.
Criston pictures Aemond as a boy, always so sullen, always so dutiful. He read and he wrote and he sparred in the castle courtyard until the blisters on his palms burst and bled and then turned to callouses, knots of dead-nerved scar tissue that grew over his wounds but never cured them. Criston did not just believe in Aemond’s abilities, his honor; he was certain of these things, he carried them as interminably as the lines in his palms. Criston knew Aemond and Vhagar would be the saviors of the Greens in this war. He knew Aemond would be here.
But he’s not. He’s just not, and there’s nothing I can do to bring him.
Cregan Stark is cutting through the Greens’ men. He is not a soldier, he is a force of nature, he is a thunderstorm or a famine or a rogue wave, he is winter coming to rip the trees bare and bury the weak in frostbitten earth. Arrows are loosed by the Northmen’s archers, lethal hissing rain. One hits Criston in the shoulder of his sword arm. Another pierces him through the small of his back, severing his spinal cord and dropping him to his knees.
Through the fray, Cregan sees the Kingmaker. He wants him, he wants Criston’s blood on his blade, his hands, his face; and what the Warden of the North wants, he is never denied.
Alicent, Criston thinks, and he remembers her lying in bed after giving birth to Aegon. She was a girl, just a girl, pale, sick, in terrible and unspoken pain, never the same in body, forever darker in mind, alone in a room full of tapestries of her husband’s house as the court celebrated her newborn son. She knew she had been used. She knew this was her life and always would be, a wheel that goes around and around and crushes the same bones until they stop mending, until the misery and desperation becomes so much a part of you that you could almost forget it’s there. It’s your shadow, it’s your religion, it’s a sigil or a ring.
I suppose now I have something to live for, Alicent had said, and Criston sat on the edge of the bed took her small, cold hand in his own. He raised her knuckles to his lips and answered: I swear to you that I will always protect him. That I will never let him die.
Here in the Riverlands as Cregan Stark descends upon him, Criston looks up again and sunlight spills over his face, warm and kind and golden; but the sky is still empty.
~~~~~~~~~~
In the gardens of Dragonstone, on a bench carved out of gloom-grey basalt, you pull Aegon’s legs into your lap and roll up his loose cotton trousers to inspect them: scars that have knit shut the gashes bones once cut through, muscle mass that is slowly building itself back again, good circulation, able to carry him if only for short, hard-fought distances. You have bled twice since Aemond flew back to the Riverlands to seize Harrenhal. Here under flinty autumn skies and pine trees that sway in brisk wind that smells like saltwater and metal, you think that perhaps the earth is done giving things. This is the time for harvests, not blooms. This is the season of endings, long nights full of cold stars, firelight, reaping.
“Stop,” Aegon says gently. He’s clutching a thick wool blanket around his shoulders. He’s always cold now, pale and shivering. His silvery hair hangs in untamed waves around his face adored with only a single small braid that you weave for him each day. “I don’t want you to do it.”
No; he only wants the maesters to see his weakness, his suffering. “I like taking care of you. It’s the only thing I’m good at. It’s how we met, remember?”
“Oh, I remember.” Now he smiles. “I have no idea what you saw in me.”
“An exemplary cock, mostly. Better than any in my medical books.”
Aegon laughs, a sound you rarely get to hear anymore. Then he is grave again. His hair blows in the gales that roll in off the ocean; his eyes, a tumultuous blue like waves in a storm, are ringed by shadows. “Angel, listen to me.” He places a hand over yours where it rest on a knot of scar tissue just below his kneecap. “If I don’t…” He pauses, and you think as you look at him: He’s nothing but scars now, he’s nothing but pain that is calloused over but never forgotten. “If I’m not here when the war is over, I want you to know that you’ll still be protected. Aemond knows. Larys knows. You are to be provided for. You will reside only where and with whom you choose to.”
“Why wouldn’t you be here?”
Aegon shrugs, avoiding your gaze. “We should be realistic.”
“You’ll be here. You have to be.”
Aegon stares into a thicket of rose bushes, blood-red petals and twisted thorns. And he says faintly, like something a strong wind could carry away: “I’ll try.”
“We’re winning, Aemond and Criston and Daeron and the Greens’ armies. They might have won already and we’re just waiting to hear the words. Aemond will end the war and then we’ll all be together again in King’s Landing.”
Aegon gives you a wry smirk as you roll back down the legs of his trousers, concealing his roadmap of harm. “A man like Cregan Stark would not be such a disappointment. He would be able to ride into battle. He would not have compelled you to bloody your own hands. He would not be feeble and deformed.”
“It can’t be anyone but you.”
Overhead, half-shrouded in mist, there is an immense reptilian shadow and a rumbling like the earth splitting in two, cracked and forced apart by eruptions of steam, lava, trapped toxic heat. Gingerly, Aegon returns his boots to the earth, stony and barren. He winces and groans before he can bite it back to hide it from you.
“I’ll go,” you tell Aegon, skimming your fingers through his hair and touching your lips to his temple. His wave-blue eyes are watery, grateful. “Stay here. I’ll bring him to you.”
You hurry through corridors and down spiral staircases, watched by dragons of iron and stone with fire burning in their mouths. And of course, there is more than one reason why you want to greet Aemond by yourself. You don’t know what he will say to you; you don’t know if he’s still angry. But when he strides through the entranceway of the castle to meet you—his hair in one long white-blond braid, his black coat billowing around him in the sharp wind—he is not alone.
There is a woman with him.
“…Aemond?” you say, staring at her: hair like onyx, skin like snow. She grins at you beneath eyes that are pools of ink, dark and glassy and with hardly any whites. You do not believe she intends to unnerve you; still, there is a blade-cold shudder that tumbles down the rungs of your spine.
Aemond replies with pride that is hushed, pure: “This is my wife.”
“Your…?” You cannot look away from her. Her gown is black lace with long, dragging sleeves and a train that curls around her like a dragon’s tail. You can see glimpses of her starlight skin through the fabric, her forearms, her waist, her thigh. Isn’t she cold? You are wearing heavy velvet, pine green like Aegon’s banner, and still the impending winter needles at you. “Who…?”
Lord Larys Strong arrives, his cane tapping on the stone floor. When he sees the woman, he jolts to a halt and gawks. “Alys?”
“Hello, brother.” Her voice is deep, smooth, melodic. She speaks the language of ocean currents, roots in dark fertile soil, the revolving of the stars.
You turn to Larys. “Who is this?”
“A bastard daughter of my father,” Larys answers, slow and disbelieving. “Alys Rivers. She…she was at Harrenhal, last I saw her…years ago…”
“And now she is here with me,” Aemond says. “She is precisely where she belongs.”
Silence fills the room, the world, the space that has opened up between you and Aemond. Wife? Bastard? Harrenhal? At last, you manage shakily: “Aegon is in the gardens. He’s waiting for you.”
“Good,” Aemond says. He wears something you have never seen on him before: not just pride but serenity, consolation, contentment. “There is much to discuss.”
As slate-grey wind whistles through rose thorns and cranberry bushes, you and Larys step out into the gardens with your uninvited guests. Aegon’s eyes snag on Alys, widen, and then dart to you. He mouths: Who the fuck is that? You shrug, bewildered.
Aemond says: “Allow me to present my wife, Lady Alys Rivers of Harrenhal.”
“Your wife?!” Aegon exclaims, like he couldn’t possible have heard correctly. “Your wife?!”
“Yes.” Aemond’s arm snakes around Alys’ waist. She folds into him, palm to his chest, lips to his throat, something creeping and boneless like ivy or mist or smoke. “You’ve had two now. I’ve only just found mine.”
“Rivers,” Aegon echoes incredulously. “A bastard from the Riverlands.”
Larys notes: “One of my father’s natural children.”
“A Strong bastard?!” Aegon cackles and looks to Larys. “Where is Daeron presently? Can he be summoned here? He should see this.”
“It is no jest, Your Grace,” Aemond says calmly. “It is a true pairing of souls.”
“And you were not at liberty to give yours. You have to marry Borros Baratheon’s daughter. That was the deal, that’s why he has pledged his army to us.”
“Daeron can do it.”
“Daeron won’t be old enough to marry for years, and that’s not the point! This is a slight, an egregious slight, to reject a Baratheon noblewoman in favor of a…a…what was she, a serving wench? A wetnurse? What happened to your pathological obsession with self-righteous duty? And why aren’t you and Vhagar with Criston?! Is this what you’ve been doing for the past six weeks while I was trapped here, suffering and useless? You’ve been hiding in the crumbling towers of Harrenhal with your so-called wife? What was so fucking crucial that it kept you from the battlefield—?!”
“She carries my son,” Aemond says.
A gasp spills from you before you can silence it; Lord Larys covers his mouth with one hand. Aegon stares numbly at his brother, not warring with envy or spite but raw astonishment. This is an asset to the Greens, it is a detriment, it lifts a burden from his shoulders, it imperils all of you. “You have no way of knowing what it is yet.”
“I know. We know.”
“And why have you flown to Dragonstone?” Aegon demands. “To torment me with your disobedience, to illustrate so vividly how all that relentless, calculated striving has finally cracked your brain in half—?!”
“No.” Aemond glances to you. “Something has happened. And I wanted to be here in person to deliver the news and…express my condolences.”
“Condolences?” you say, fearful, alarmed.
“Lord Larys will not have received word yet,” Aemond continues. “It has only just transpired. But Alys has seen it.”
Aegon shakes his head. He doesn’t understand. “Seen it…?”
“She sees things. The future, the past. Not every detail, but some of them. She’s seen Mother in the Red Keep, a prisoner but still alive. She’s seen Jaehaera safe and well at Storm’s End. The child has a protector, though Alys isn’t sure who.”
“She’s a witch?” Aegon says flatly. “This bastard Strong woman that you have taken to wife is, among all her other deficiencies, a witch?”
And Alys answers in a voice like the night sky, dark but threaded with glimmers of stars, moonshine, comets: “I am a woman who lives between two worlds. Your Angel is much the same, I think.”
Aegon blinks at her, not entranced or awed but fighting the instinct to flinch away.
“There have been riots in King’s Landing,” Aemond says.
“Yes, obviously. Everyone is aware of that. I think the Wildlings north of the Wall have heard.”
Aemond ignores the jab. “The Master of Coin, Lord Bartimos Celtigar, was travelling through the city in a carriage when…” He trails off, uneasy. He glances at you again. His sole remaining eye—river-blue and without any malice—shimmers with grim compassion.
“What?” you say. “What happened?”
Aemond speaks to Aegon in words you cannot comprehend, swift ageless High Valyrian.
Aegon sighs testily. “Slower. Enunciate.”
Aemond tries again. Aegon repeats a certain word, unable to decipher it. Aemond offers him several others, what you can only assume are synonyms.
Aegon’s face goes even paler, the last of the blood draining out of his cheeks. Then he reaches out a hand to you. “Come here,” he beckons softly.
“Why?”
“Angel, come here now.”
“They killed him, didn’t they?” you ask Aemond. Your voice is trembling, icy, choked. He was an architect of Rhaenyra’s war effort, but he was your father first. He was a beast with blood on his hands, but now you are too. “The common people hate Rhaenyra and they hate my family. So they murdered him.”
Alys says: “They did not just murder him.” And she is not taunting you, though she grins like she might be; she has lost pieces of what it means to be human. She is no longer fluent in anything as trite as sympathy or decorum. Her obsidian eyes gleam, polished, glowing. Her long black hair blows in the wind. There are raven feathers in it, you notice now, and twigs, pine needles, earth, sand, ashes. “They bound and tortured him, they sliced off parts of him to keep as relics, they rode on horseback through the streets swinging his severed head and cock as they celebrated an end to all taxes—”
“Will you shut the fuck up?!” Aegon shouts at her. “Angel, please, come here.”
“Your brother was there too,” Aemond says solemnly.
Yes, of course he would be. He was always Father’s favorite. “Clement,” you whimper, pressing a palm to your chest. Your lungs burn as they drink down chill autumn air that cuts like a blade.
“No,” Aemond says. “The other one.”
“What?” No. No, that can’t be true.
“Not Clement,” Aemond insists. “It was the other brother. The burned man.”
No. No no no. I can’t believe it, I won’t believe it.
“Angel,” Aegon pleads, still reaching for you.
“Everett,” Alys says, dreamy, not knowing how cruel it feels, like splinters of glass beneath your skin instead of arteries and muscle, like shattered bones. “He was not difficult for them to catch. He could not run.”
Your words escape in a hoarse whisper. “I don’t believe you.”
Alys offers her hands. They are long, lithe, white like a skeleton’s. “Would you like to see?”
“No.”
“I can show you. Then you will trust what I say.”
“Alys, my love,” Aemond warns.
“No, you’re a liar,” you snarl at her. “You’re not a witch, you’re not some prophet, you’re just a liar and I don’t believe you—!”
And before you can flee she’s crossed the space between you, she’s gripped your wrist with those slender claw-like fingers, she’s pouring her magic into you like poison down a prisoner’s throat. The vision surges into your skull and fills it, sight and sound and scent: Everett screaming as he is dragged from the carriage, the hoard ripping at his clothes and his eyes, dull kitchen knives pulled from pockets, the coppery ether of blood in the air. You can feel the feverish heat of the crowd. You can feel their boiling-over animal rage. You can feel everything, but you can’t stop it.
Beyond the grisly mirage, you can hear yourself shrieking, muffled and distant; and you can hear someone else bellowing for Alys to let you go. Her hand is yanked off of your wrist and you are abruptly back in the gardens of Dragonstone surrounded by indomitable flora that warps and tangles and endures. You are kneeling on the cobblestones, tears flooding from your eyes. Aegon is on the ground with you, his arms circling around your waist. He is calling Alys a bitch, a monster, a demon. He is threatening to feed her to his dragon.
“Forgive me,” Alys says to you, peering down with a vague sort of regret etching lines into her brow. “I did not intend to cause any distress. I only meant to help you understand.”
Aegon seethes at Aemond: “Take your witch back to Harrenhal.”
“No,” you protest; and Aegon studies you, puzzled, as you gaze up at Alys, this half-human phantom that dwells between realms, something like a dark mirror image of an angel. “What else have you seen?” Tell me Aegon lives. Tell me the Greens win and we have a chance at a better world one day. Tell me this was all worth it.
“She has seen Daemon and Caraxes meeting me at the Gods Eye,” Aemond says. “She has seen me taking flight to join them in battle.”
Aegon is stunned. “When?”
“Soon. Three days from now.”
You sob, thinking of Everett; and Autumn too, wherever she is, who will reappear when the war is over searching for home but forever unable to find it. Aegon holds you and you pull yourself into him, arms slung around his neck. His silver hair brushes your face; his scarred right cheek is rough against yours. When you breathe in violent hitches, you inhale rose oil and wine and salt and warmth and misery, you taste the war that built him and now has returned to claim the debt.
“It’s Rhaenyra’s fault,” Aegon whispers, fierce and merciless. “We will kill Daemon and Cregan Stark. We will retake King’s Landing and capture Rhaenyra. And I swear to you that she will burn.”
Aemond is saying: “Do we have permission to stay the night or not? We’ve traveled a long way. My wife is tired, and so is Vhagar. Another flight so soon would tax her.”
“You can swim,” Aegon pitches back.
Lord Larys Strong—ever servile, ever composed—clears his throat, both hands resting on the handle of his cane. “Would anyone care for some soft-shelled crabs?”
~~~~~~~~~~
Mist hangs heavy over the castle the next morning, a cool metallic grey like steel; the sun is muted, only a wisp of itself, a memory that is swiftly fading. Alys Rivers stands in the surf fetching seashells and stones that she plinks into a basket. Locks of her long, wild hair dip into the roiling water and emerge sopping and heavy, sticking to her ink-black gown. Aegon is curled up with Sunfyre at the edge of the beach. The dragon breathes with rattling, labored heaves and Aegon pets his golden face, wishing the beast’s wings to knit themselves back together and his own legs to be strong again, murmuring to Sunfyre in some clumsy patchwork of High Valyrian and the Common Tongue to assure him that he’s served his king well.
You and Aemond walk down the windswept beach together, your boots sinking in wet sand and leaving imprints like bruises on flesh. Your gown is a deep, vibrant red like the sigil of the newly decimated House Celtigar; Aemond’s hair is wavy and damp and blows loose in the breeze. You are reminded of the night you shared with him six weeks ago, though you don’t want to be. Neither of you have mentioned that indiscretion. You believe you have silently agreed to forget it. You ask the prince regent: “How many people do you think you’ve burned in the Riverlands?”
“Why do you care? They’re not you. They’re not me.”
“Perhaps each life we take robs something from us as well. It carves a piece of the soul away and leaves it less than it was before.”
Aemond raises his eyebrow, intrigued.
“I am less than I once was,” you explain. “Acts of love feel like violence, violence is mistaken for love. Things that horrified me a year ago are now what give me solace when I dream of them. Vengeance, slaughter, fire and blood. Aegon grows more bitter, more ruthless. And so do you.”
“We will have the luxury of reforming ourselves when the war is won and Aegon is the undisputed king of the Seven Kingdoms.”
“If there’s any part of us that remembers who we were supposed to be.”
“I remember exactly who you were.” Aemond grins. “Fawning over Aegon, weaving braids into his hair. Scurrying around with your bandages and vinegar and honey. Always seeking to take his pain away. Always waging your own little war against the agony of mankind.”
“That feels like a different person,” you say, peering out over the ocean.
“We will build monuments to those we’ve lost,” Aemond promises. “Jaehaerys, Maelor, Otto. Your brother and my sister. You say you dream of fire and blood? I often find myself dreaming of Helaena.”
You turn to him, startled. And you recall the warnings her ghost gave Aegon before Baela and Moondancer arrived on Dragonstone: Don’t fall, don’t fall. “Does she say anything?”
“She keeps telling me I’ll lose my left eye.” Aemond smiles wistfully. “And I answer: Helaena, that’s happened already. But when I try to comfort her, when I try to embrace her, she turns away from me and says it’s too late. That I’ve ruined myself.” He walks with his hands linked behind his back, his face thoughtful but not brooding. “I still miss her,” he says. “And I still feel responsible. But things are easier now.”
You follow his eyeline to where Alys is plucking a starfish from the frothing waves and placing it in her basket. And doesn’t it make some strange bit of sense that Aemond’s match would be someone rare, bizarre, gifted in ways that are in equal parts mesmerizing and fearsome? “I’m glad you found someone who eases your burdens.”
“She has suffered tremendously. She knows what it is to be unloved and overlooked. She had to reinvent herself, just like I did. She had to shed her skin and step into a new one that she stitched together herself.”
“Perpetual Resurrection,” you say softly.
“Perpetual Resurrection,” Aemond agrees.
Now Alys is trekking up the beach to join you, her soaked hair whipping in the wind and her basket slung over one arm. From where he sits with Sunfyre, Aegon watches her with narrowed, disapproving eyes. “This belongs to the king,” Alys says to you, opening her hand. In her palm rests the ring of gold wings and jade eyes. “You should return it to him. He does not like me.”
You gasp and take the ring that you last saw before Aegon fell from the sky and shattered his legs, his spirit. “How did you find this?”
“It spoke to me. I spoke to it.” She smiles, more like a leer, though she does not mean it to be. Her eyes—onyx, jet, black moonstone—are bright with amusement. “See? You do not understand. Sometimes it is best not to ask.”
You slip the ring onto one of your fingers for safekeeping until you deliver it to Aegon. From the stone staircase that leads up to the castle’s main entrance, Larys waves Aemond over to him. Aemond kisses the woman he calls his wife farewell—a deep, burning kiss—and then departs. You say to Alys: “How did you become…like this?”
“I surrendered to it. Anyone can, if your life is hell and you are willing to burn it down to the foundations. You go deep into the swamp and then it goes into you. It grows through your skin and into your veins. It tangles up with you, vines climbing your ribcage and spine like ivy on a trellis. It changes you. It makes you greater than you were before. The victim becomes the victor. The weak turn watchful and wise.” She is gazing at where Aemond stands with Larys, exchanging theories and plots. Aemond shakes his head at something Larys says. “I always knew he would find me. The man whose fractured pieces fit with mine. Yet each time I thought I glimpsed him only to realize he wasn’t the one, I would think: How long must I wait? I have buried so many children. Will I ever have more? Will he come to me before it is too late? Is it too late already? But no, he flew to Harrenhal just as my hopes were giving out like a dry well. And Aemond was worth every second, minute, month, year. He was worth the beatings and the contempt, the rapes and the blood. He was worth all of it.”
Alys reaches out to touch your cheek and you recoil; but she is not giving you a revelation this time. She is merely tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear with a fond, maternal smile. There are mottled plumes of violet and indigo on the side of her throat, you notice only now. Alys catches you staring.
“Aemond can be rough, domineering,” she says with a sly smirk. “You know how he is.”
You know how he is. You know how he is. Horror strikes you like lightning; you imagine what other visions she has swimming in her changed blood. “It was a mistake. Aegon must never learn of it.”
“Of course not. That would kill him.” And you are gutted by a blade of cool serrated treason. Alys does not appear to be aware of it. “If I can ever be of service, please do not hesitate to summon me. I can appear and speak to you briefly, perhaps for five or ten minutes. I will be like a mirage, a ghost. Find a closed door and write my name upon it in blood. Then knock three times and open the door. I will be there.”
“A door? Which door?”
“Any door.”
You contemplate her. “Why would you believe that you owe me loyalty?”
“Because of Aemond,” Alys says simply, without any trace of resentment. “You mean something to him. So you mean something to me.”
He doesn’t crave me anymore. He has his own prize now. “I think you’re mistaken.”
“I never am.” Then Alys glides off to rejoin her husband.
Hours later as you are helping Aegon into bed—he must be carried up and down the castle steps by his guards in a litter, something he considers mortifying—you weave a new braid for him and then pour him a cup of milk of the poppy when his glazed eyes keep listing to the glass bottle of pearlescent relief, deadened nerves, liquid dreams. You crawl into bed beside him, curl up against his scarred chest, listen to the slowing thud of his heartbeat as his arms enfold you and draw you in ever-closer. His dragon ring glints on his hand, returned to its rightful place.
“Your legs?” you ask, kissing the gnarled scar tissue that has grown over his collarbones like climbing roses, like ivy. He can’t really feel your touch there, that’s not why you do it. You do it to show that you aren’t repulsed by his wounds and could never be, could never think of any part of him as something less than wondrous.
“That’s most of it,” Aegon murmurs drowsily. “I’ve started getting this ache in my back too. It won’t go away.”
“What?” You bolt upright in bed. “Show me where.”
He gestures: the curve of his spine, just above his hips. Panicked, you begin pressing lightly over where his kidneys are.
“Here? Aegon? Does that hurt?”
But now he’s realized how frantic you are, how upset. “Oh, no, never mind,” he says, clutching his pillow and feigning being too tired to speak on the subject for even a moment longer. He yawns dramatically. “It’s just a sprained muscle, I think. You know I’m always crawling around now like some kind of vermin. It’s nothing serious. It will heal in time.”
“Aegon—”
“I’m alright.” He grabs your hand and pulls you back down to him, buries his face in your hair, nuzzles and sighs contently as he whispers: “Shh. I’m alright. Stay, stay.”
~~~~~~~~~~
“You left him!” you hear Aegon yelling from his rooms, and you drop the book you had been reading in the castle library, an anthology of illnesses of the body, the mind, the soul. You sprint through the shadowy corridors towards the noise, the hem of your sapphire gown fluttering around your ankles. You are always dressed in jewel tones these days. You are anything but neutral.
In Aegon’s bedchamber, Larys has pressed himself to one stone wall like he wishes to disappear. Alys is observing with her strange, impassive, void-dark eyes. Aemond is being berated. He does not appear resentful or defiant; no, he is paralyzed. He is haunted, he is damned.
“You left him!” Aegon screams again, and hurls a full wine cup that strikes Aemond in the chest, spewing red through the air like blood spurting from slit veins. The king is standing, but with great effort; he is scrabbling through the drawers of his bedside table for things to throw at his brother. Yet the glass bottle of milk of the poppy remains untouched. “You abandoned him, you betrayed him, you fucking murdered him!”
“Aegon, what’s going on—?!”
“Almost a week ago, Cregan Stark’s army met Criston’s in the Riverlands,” he tells you. He is panting, red-faced, furious as he recounts Lord Larys Strong’s words, the news the Master of Whisperers only now received from one of his innumerable informants.
You stare at Aemond, horrified, already knowing what this means. “And Aemond wasn’t there.”
“He was at Harrenhal!” Aegon roars, tossing one of your medical books at Aemond, a volume on herbology. It strikes the prince in the nose, and blood gushes from his nostrils; ruby droplets freckle his hair. Aemond makes no attempt to defend himself. He is in shock, he is mourning. “He was fucking his witch while our men were being butchered!”
“Criston, he’s…he’s…?”
“He was slain in battle,” Larys informs you quietly.
Aegon staggers to his brother, shoves him roughly, receives no retaliation. “He was the closest thing you had to a father, he worshiped you, he loved you, and you left him to fend for himself after I told you over and over again that you and Vhagar needed to stay with him, and now he’s gone!” There are tears on Aegon’s face, crystalline tracks that bleed down his cheeks and jaw and throat. “You killed him, you killed him!”
“The Stark men?” you ask Larys, not wanting to know but needing to.
“Moderate losses. Now headed south towards Daeron and the Hightower army.”
“You fucking traitor,” Aegon hisses, sobbing, beating his palms against Aemond’s chest again. “Your whole life all you’ve wanted was responsibility and the second someone gives it to you, you throw it away! Why can’t I be the one with a body that works?! Why can’t my dragon be whole again?!”
And at last Aemond finds his voice. It is brittle and almost too hushed to hear. “I’ll make this right. When I defeat Daemon and Caraxes at the Gods Eye, it will be over.”
“It’s already over for Criston!” Aegon explodes. “It’s over for Helaena and Jaehaerys and Maelor, it’s over for Otto and Everett, it’s over for Sunfyre, we keep losing people and it’s all your fault! You started this war and you’re too much of a goddamn coward to end it!”
“He will end it,” Alys says in that deep placid voice like dusk, dawn, midnight.
“Don’t try that bullshit with me! I don’t want to hear about your delusions, I want him to do his goddamn job! I want him to act like the hero he’s been begging to be seen as since he was five years old! You know why no one wants to write books about him or carve his face into statues? Because he doesn’t fucking deserve it!”
“I’m sorry,” Aemond whispers, his mouth trembling.
“You should be!” Aegon hemorrhages, and then collapses to the floor, moaning with his face in his hands.
You go to him, try to soothe him, grab the wine cup from the floor and fill it with milk of the poppy, tilt it against Aegon’s lips. He gulps the numbness down with helpless, hated need. Aemond and Alys flee for the doorway.
Aegon says, suddenly more calm: “Aemond, wait.”
The prince regent stills and turns back, listening. Aegon, with great difficulty, begins to say something in High Valyrian. Aemond cuts him off. “No, that won’t happen—”
“Please,” Aegon rasps. “Listen to me.” Then he continues. And as he speaks, Aemond’s eye fills with tears, a glistening like ice over lakes in the winter, like gemstones in a crown. You look between them, searching for any clues you can read.
“I understand,” Aemond says at last.
“Good. Now get out.”
Aemond wipes his face with his sleeve and then disappears from the room. You tell Aegon as you rise to your feet: “I’ll be right back.”
Aemond is moving quickly; you don’t catch up with him until he’s passed through the castle entranceway. Down by the ocean waves beneath a blood-red sunset, Vhagar is already landing, leaving cataclysmic imprints in the sand with her claws, trenches and impact craters. From the edge of the beach, Sunfyre watches with dull, wounded interest. Alys is halfway down the staircase. Aemond stops when he hears your footsteps, waiting under the rising full moon and materializing constellations.
You demand: “What did he say to you?”
“Nothing.”
“Aemond.”
“He’s confused, he’s exhausted, he’s in pain. He doesn’t understand—”
“Aemond, what did he say?”
The prince regent sighs and looks at you. “He said he doesn’t think he’s going to get better this time.”
I can’t believe that. I can’t survive that. “Why did you have to do it?” Your voice splinters; your throat burns. “He’s right that you started this war. You’re the reason Rhaenyra will never negotiate. You’re the one who made this horror inevitable. Why did you have to kill Luke?”
The dusk is radiant on Aemond’s face like firelight. It is a long time before he speaks. “I never intended to.”
That doesn’t make any sense. “What?”
“I never gave Vhagar the order. She went after Arrax. I tried to stop her.”
It wasn’t murder. It was an accident. And you think of all the times people have told Aemond that everything that’s happened is his fault, and how he has never disagreed with them. “Who knows?”
“You. Alys.”
“No one else?”
“Who would believe me?” Aemond smiles faintly, profoundly sad. “And even if they did, would that make me so much more noble than a kinslayer? A Targaryen who can’t control his own dragon? A man who is reckless, ineffective, unworthy?”
Here in air the color of flames and gore, you tell him, perhaps more kindly than he deserves: “You’re worthy, Aemond.”
“I will end this. I will meet Daemon and Caraxes in battle. Alys saw it.”
“Did she see you win?”
“Are you worried about me?” Aemond teases, grinning crookedly. And he does something that he hasn’t tried in a long time. He swipes for your forearm and you snatch it out of the way just before his fingers can close around it, just before he can catch you. Aemond chuckles. “I don’t want you to worry. I’ll win the war for the Greens. We will return to King’s Landing, we will rebuild, Aegon will heal. He will live for a long, long time.”
“Yes,” you say, wanting so desperately to believe it.
“You know,” Aemond adds as it occurs to him. “If the king does happen to predecease you, in ten years or twenty or thirty…and you find yourself unincumbered…Aegon the Conqueror had two wives. Alys would always be first, but…”
“No, Aemond.”
“Fine,” he says, agreeably enough. He smiles down at you. “I will come back to let you know when it’s done. Then I will fly south to join Daeron in annihilating Cregan Stark’s army. And then we’ll all go home.”
Yes, yes, let that be true. “Good luck,” you tell him, soft like a whisper.
“I don’t need it.”
Aemond descends the staircase, climbs up the rope ladder into Vhagar’s saddle, takes flight with Alys into the late-autumn dusk; and you watch them vanish into the crimson horizon until the sky is empty.
252 notes · View notes
starry-hughes · 5 months
Text
star’s ficmas event
Tumblr media
welcome to star’s christmas (ficmas!) event. every day, starting december 1, a christmas/winter-related fic will be posted. down below is the list of all the fics that will be posted and who they will be about.
you can choose who the fics are about by sending an ask with a player and what day/fic you would like to see! it's a first come, first serve basis (aka i will be choosing the name given to me first). once the fic has a name next to it, it is off the table. all players i write for can be found here, if you don't see a player you'd like on the list, feel free to ask! please send an ask with your picks! i won't post all the asks, but i will update the list as it goes
merry christmas and happy holidays!
star's navigation
Tumblr media
day 1: ice skating → luca fantilli
day 2: mistletoe → anthony beauvillier
day 3: gingerbread house → mat barzal and teacher!gf
day 4: ugly christmas sweaters → dakota and mark (au)
day 5: picking out a tree → mat barzal
day 6: playing in the snow → single dad!jack (au)
day 7: hot chocolate→ jamie drysdale
day 8: present exchange → single dad!jack (au)
day 9: christmas traditions → caroline and kent (au)
day 10: playing santa → single dad!jack (au)
day 11: bah humbug → andrei svechnikov
day 12: wrapping presents → jack hughes
day 13: decorating → mat barzal
day 14: meeting the family → logan and nico (au)
day 15: fireplace snuggling → kasey and mackie (au)
day 16: fake holiday date → luke hughes
day 17: secret santa → jack hughes
day 18: baking → daisy's au (quinn hughes au)
day 19: christmas music → aspen and cole (au)
day 20: baby’s first christmas → sawyer & quinn (au)
day 21: christmas shopping → nico hischier
day 22: holiday disaster → luke hughes
day 23: family heirloom → mat barzal
day 24: christmas dinner → trevor zegras
day 25: christmas wrapping → quinn hughes
139 notes · View notes
csuitebitches · 11 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Skiing - a beginner’s guide
I first went skiing in Switzerland with my friends nearly 10 years ago and I loved it. The feeling of the wind on my face, the speed, the adrenaline- it was exhilarating.
I’ve compiled a basic list of ski events, a semi-scandalous article and some of the best destinations in the world as well as some budget friendly ones.
Socialite ski events:
Snowboxx:
Since it launched in 2013, winter festival Snowboxx has been growing in popularity - and it involves flying out to the Alps for a week-long ski party.  It takes place in Avoriaz ski resort, Morzine, France each March, and this year saw a superstar lineup of artists performing in the mountains, including ex-Radio 1 DJ Annie Mac, Becky Hill, Jax Jones, Sonny Fodera and Andy C. 
The combination of partying to some of the world's best DJs, with the unusual day-activites of skiing and snowboarding, are making many turn away from the summer festival circuit in favour of the winter one. 
Hahnenkamm, Kitzbühel , Austria:
The Hahenekamm ski race weekend in Kitzbühel is arguably the biggest alpine ski event in the world. The world’s best take on the iconic Streif downhill track, which is historically the toughest ski race track on the World Cup circuit. A lot of the speed skiers consider winning races here as a bigger honour than the Olympics. As a spectator, the atmosphere is electric with fans around the world admiring some breathtaking ski racing.
X Games, Aspen, USA:
The world’s best freestyle skiers and snowboarders compete annually in Aspen. The event is a prestigious honour to win amongst action sports athletes and has propelled careers. Spectating the event is excellent because you can see most of the action from the viewing areas. The halfpipe events in particular are excellent to watch for this reason.
European Snow Pride, Tignes, France:
Tignes is home to Europe’s biggest gay ski week, with the European Snow Pride. Each day has a theme with nights of brit-pop to superhero days. Many international DJs are invited to play each evening party in the resort’s local clubs and bars.
Slightly scandalous tales: Things I Never Knew About Skiing Until I Was a Private Instructor in Aspen
Really interesting read. I was thoroughly entertained.
Popular ski destinations:
1. Whistler Blackcomb, Canada
Whistler makes it onto pretty much every ‘World Top 10’ list when it comes to ski resorts
2. Niseko, Japan
Located on the northern island of Hokkaido, this Japanese skiing destination is a snow-covered paradise. With a huge 15 metres of average snowfall, it’s no wonder that Niseko is the country’s premier ski resort.
3. Zermatt, Switzerland
As the highest resort in the Alps, it’s got the views. The incredible peak of the Matterhorn can be seen from just about anywhere on the slopes! It also boasts the greatest vertical drop in Switzerland, and there’s all year round skiing at the Matterhorn Glacier.
4. Courchevel, France
The resort is a part of the world’s largest alpine ski area, offering more than 600 kilometres of terrain and interconnected ski runs across 10 summits. The snow here is well-groomed, and there’s a legendary black run that’s considered to be one of the trickiest in the world.
5. Cortina D’Ampezzo, Italy
Known only to the most dedicated, well-travelled skiers prior to the 1956 Winter Olympics, Cortina is a hidden gem in Italy’s Dolomite Mountains.
6. Baqueira-Beret, Spain
It may be a surprising destination for skiing, but Baqueira-Beret in Spain is one of the best places in Europe where you’ll find value for money for a ski holiday. You’ll be able to find affordable accommodation as well as some of the finest tapas restaurants in the country.
7. Ylläs, Finland
The arctic landscapes of Lapland are perfect for skiing. If you dream of snow-dusted trees, the magic of the Northern Lights, or the glow of the midnight sun, Ylläs is a unique winter resort that you won’t want to miss. As Finland’s largest ski resort, it’s got everything you need.
Budget friendly destinations
1. Vogel, Slovenia
An ideal spot for couples or families, this Slovenian spot is a truly beautiful and peaceful ski area. Overlooking Lake Bohinj, Vogel is part of the Triglav national park.
2. Livigno, Italy
Duty-free zone Livigno offers excellent slopes for intermediate skiers. But advanced skiers and snowboarders will be kept busy too – especially if they’re keen to explore off piste.
3. Poiana-Brasov, Romania
Poiana Brasov is Romania’s biggest mountain resort and certainly one of the nicest. The fairytale slopes, flanked by pine trees, are the perfect place to take your skis. With more than 24km of ski runs, there’s plenty to explore.
4. South Korea -Muju Deogyusan Resort
Muju Deogyusan Resort in Jeolla province is only 3 hours away from Seoul. So, if you want to spend your holiday skiing and still enjoy the city of Seoul, this is the place to go.
5. Niseko Ski Resort
Located in Hokkaido, Japan, Niseko Ski Resort boasts a total of four different resorts but with linked ski area. A single pass would give you access to all four resorts. One of the resorts, Mt. Resort Grand Hirafu has been officially named as Japan’s number one snow resort due to the wide array of activities offered.
6. India - Gulmarg
Gulmarg is a rare gem in the Himalayans that will undoubtedly take your breath away with its picturesque beauty. However, skiing in Gulmarg, Kashmir is not for the weak-hearted as the terrains are not suitable for beginners - to add to that, the ski lifts carry you to the highest point in the Himalaya at 13, 780 feet!
7. China - Nanshan Ski Resort
80km away from Beijing, Nanshan Ski Resort is perfect for skiing and snowboarding as the snow are neither too hard nor too soft.
317 notes · View notes
katy-l-wood · 4 months
Text
Tumblr media
New year, new branding!
Well folks, here we go! Big announcement time! After a lot of thinking over the last year about myself and my art and writing and where I want to go with everything, I have decided to stop operating under just my name and rebrand everything under a shiny new umbrella! The name Aspen & Copper is inspired by my favorite trees and the place I grew up, which has copper in the name. And, as you can see, it's a very outdoorsy theme with topography and mountains and camping and such. I'm stupidly in love with it, honestly.
As for WHY this is happening, I needed a more clear dividing line between who I am and what I do, and operating under just my name wasn't allowing me to do that. But a big rebrand like this is no easy undertaking! It is, in fact, still in progress and probably will be for awhile yet given how busy I am. But the new website is officially done, and that was one of the biggest pieces. If you have time, please go poke around the new site. I'm quite proud of it!
What this means for YOU, my lovely subscribers and fans, is the following:
My books will still be by Katy L. Wood, but they'll be under the umbrella of Aspen & Copper.
I'm in the process of switching most of my socials over to Aspen & Copper. (More info on Tumblr specifically here in a sec.)
I'm retiring my old email address and switching over to [email protected], so if you want to reach out to me about projects or anything else, that's the spot to do it! The old email still works, but if you reach out to that one you'll be redirected to the new one.
The www.Katy-L-Wood.com URL will now redirect to www.AspenAndCopper.com.
That's about it! All my projects are still going ahead as normal, just with this lovely little new brand leading the way.
What this means for tumblr specifically:
This blog isn't going anywhere! But I do have a new blog, @aspenandcopper, (which isn't fully set up yet, shhhh...) which will eventually JUST be my art and writing so there's a (somewhat) cleaner way to navigate all that stuff just on Tumblr itself.
Also, I am toying with changing the name of this blog at some point, but I haven't found anything I like enough yet so for now it shall stay my name. Don't worry, if I change it I'll make sure to make the change very clear to everyone!
Newsletter:
I swear I'm going to get better about sending out my newsletter. 😭 To make it more fun for anyone who signs up, I'll be including an exclusive look at new art and writing stuff in each one! The most recent one had a sneak peak of a little doodle of Royal and Shiloh that I'm cleaning up and finishing, and a piece with Dustin and Vivian I've been working on for awhile! Plus a fun snippet from my book, Camp Daze, which is (finally) launching on Kickstarter very, very soon!
You can sign up for the newsletter super easy on my website.
Speaking of Kickstarter
Like I said above, Camp Daze is FINALLY launching soon, so be sure to sign up to be notified about the launch. More info about that coming soon.
138 notes · View notes
vacayisland · 5 months
Text
@!; Christmas Time at Vacay Island Spruce (Bruce) / Reader
"Summary"! What I think Christmas time with Bruce and your little family is like! <3 (there's not enough content for him.) (Also I love Brandy with all my heart, but we're going to pretend that Bruce and her are just co-owners in Vacay Island. She's literally so sweet though) "Tag"! Fluff, fluff, fluff, FLUFF!!
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
@!; Being parents of 5 little Trolls and two on the way can be rather taxing during the holiday seasons. With Halloween costumes and makeshift trick-or-treating at the hotel, Thanksgiving at your parents place, and then finally Christmas! You loved the Holidays, more so now with your family. And Bruce.. oh Bruce. In short, Bruce went wild during the Holidays. Sure, this was a summer Vacay resort and it was basically summer all year around, yet that has never stopped him from going buck wild during the holiday season. "Hey, Honey?" Bruce called from the back of the reception desk, looking through the closet in the office to find the Christmas decorations. Though despite knowing how much he was struggling at the moment, you couldn't help but be a little goofy. "Yes Dear?" You asked, acting clueless to why Bruce could possibly be calling you at this moment. And you could hear his chuckle from the back, which he tried to stifle but failed to. "What did you do to the Christmas decorations?" "What's Christmas?" You tried to stifle your own laughter, turning just in time to see Bruce poking his head out from the back with the most exaggerated shocked look, like I had uttered some sort of curse on our first born children! "Did you throw out the Christmas decorations?!" "What?? Of course not! They're in the back, probably behind all the summer decorations you oh-so-love to take out seasonally despite us being literally beach side!" The snicker was all Bruce needed to see to know that he had completely over looked the box that the decertations were in. An his quirky, slightly nervous smile back was all you needed to know what that he overlooked them. "Thanks Babe!" And he disappeared back into storage room that that smile you oh so love.
@!; Christmas with Bruce is nothing short but magical, and a little goofy. You stood in the kitchen of the little suite Bruce and you lived in on-property, baking chocolate chip cookies with one of your girls, Lyre, as the rest had flocked to help dad with the tree; putting up all the lights and ornaments, garlands and stocking. It was a warming sight to watch while you whipped up the cookie batter, hugging your young one to your side. "Papa! Where does this one go?" Your youngest, Aspen, bombarded Bruce with the largest grin, his two front teeth missing. In the background, your eldest, Holly, was helping the second youngest, Colt, place an ornament in the middle of the tree. Bruce held a box of the more special ornaments, "Where ever you want sport!" He would exclaim before shifting the box in his hands and quickly ruffled Aspen's hair; in which Aspen took his words as a sign to literally place the ornament anywhere. He reached up for Bruce, "Come down!" He would giggle and receiving a playfully suspicious look from your husband as he leaned down. You could tell by the look in his eyes he knew what Aspen was going to do, hook the ornament (which thankfully didn't have a hook, yet rather a silk ribbon) around Bruce's ear. "There! Now you look more- uh-" Aspen failed on his words, so he simply preformed little jazzy hands and gestured to the 9ft tree nearby. "Christmassy? or rather incredibly handsome?" You laughed as Bruce played along with Aspen, failing to notice your second eldest, Dolly, grabbing one of the special ornaments from right under his nose; swiping it like a little thief and giggling as she ran off with it. The giggles were the only thing that alerted Bruce of the thievery, in which he was quick to place the special box down before rushing after the little thief. Playing a little game of catch around the apartment, slowing down and speeding up, looping around the rooms and peaking in and out from behind walls, playing ring around the table and couch. It was defiantly a sight to see. Lyre couldn't help but giggle, watching her older sister being chased by her father, "Run! Run, Sissy!" She clapped and cheered as you bounced her up, so she wouldn't slide off your hip, and slid the bowl of cookie dough off the mixer; turning to grab the chocolate chips. "Hey, hey! You're meant to be cheering for me!" Bruce playfully pointed at Lyre as he 'ran' (more like jogged) past the kitchen after Dolly. Lyre let burst out in giggles, playfully kicking her feet. "That better not be the ornament my parents gave me Bruce!" You shouted after your husband, measuring out a cup of chocolate chips before you poured it into the bowl. "Don't worry I got this, Honey!" "Or the own from our anniversary." A small snicker as you poured the cup of chocolate chips into the batter, sliding the bowl back into the mixer and turning it back on. "It's not!" But you heard Bruce's whisper next, "Dolly come here your going to get me killed!" "Bruce!" Your playful shout towards your husband as Dolly squealed in laughter, having finally been caught by Bruce, caused Aspen, Holly, Colt, and Lyre to burst out in laughter. They then let out playful "ooo"s and "Daddy is in troouble!", before giggling louder. Bruce let out a small huff, smiling as he walked back into the room; Dolly under one of his arms, she was wiggling and struggling to break free but giggling nonetheless. In the other he carried an all too familiar ornament, which caused you to place a hand on your hip and give your husband an all too knowing look. He choose to ignore it, but you knew he saw it. "Don't worry kids, dad as saved the day." Bruce held up the ornament, which (thankfully) wasn't cracked or broken.
He carefully placed it back into the box, cushioning it so it would be protected until it was hung up. He let out a dramatic 'phew!' and wiped his forehead. Dolly giggled and finally managed to pop herself out of Bruce's hold, rushing over to help her other three siblings decorate the tree. "Those cookies are smelling lovely, honey!" Bruce called as he picked up a box of regular ornaments, a cheeky smile spread across his cheeks. "Uh-huh, thank you, Love." You knew he was trying to change the topic and get his ass out of hot water. You didn't know why, you weren't even mad at him in the first place! But god did you love your husband and all his goofiness.
@!; Christmas with Bruce is staying up late watching movies with the kids, putting them to bed, then staying up later listening to festive music and wrapping gifts. It was a tradition you both started when you started dating; keeping presents away from each other until the last minute. You would hid at different sides of the couch or counter, playing festive music, and wrapping presents to give each other. Now you could sit side by side, watching as Bruce struggled to fold paper over a cylinder as you wrapped up a box with ease; sliding it off to the side, meeting the pile of already completed gifts. "Having trouble there, Dear?" You would tease as you reached over him, purposefully being obnoxious, as you reached for another present to wrap. Bruce tried dodging your arms, ducking to look down at the cylinder below him with this oh-so-serious look on his face. You couldn't help but laugh softly at him as you rolled out the wrapping paper, placing the box on top to measure how much you would need. "This would be easier without you next to me. Your beauty is oh-so-distracting while trying to wrap this cylinder." Bruce flirted, glancing up at you with the most mischievous eyes as a grin pairing it grew on his lips. You pointed a finger at him, a silent warning to not start with his little shenanigans. You guys had so many presents to wrap! But Bruce had a mind of his own, a mind that you both loved and cursed at times. Rolling your eyes, you turned away from Bruce as he began to wiggle his eyebrows at you. "Do not try and get out of your task with flirting, Bruce! You said you could handle the cylinder and you're going to wrap that cylinder-" But the protests didn't matter much when Bruce had made up his mind, and had already cupped your cheeks and brought your face to his. He littered your face with so many kisses that it began to tickle. "Bruce! Bruce stop!-" You giggled and cackled, trying to shove Bruce away with the brightest smile. But it was to no use, before you knew it Bruce had you both laying on the ground as he continued to attack and pepper your face with kisses. He wouldn't stop until your laughter was wheezy and airy and you were smacking him on the shoulder, not being able to breath due to how hard you had been laughing. Even when he stopped, you still couldn't help but laugh and he was quick to use your weakness to scoop you up into cuddles; though he also couldn't help but laugh with you at the silliness of what he had just done. Even if he had peppered all those kisses on your face with all the love he had for you. Every single one of them was very serious in meaning! You both laughed and giggled and wheezed until you couldn't anymore. And even then, while enjoying being in your husband's arms, you playfully smacked his shoulder and drew away; giving him a square look with a playful smirk, knowing he was just trying to bribe you to get out of wrapping gifts. "You're so evil!" You whispered to him, exaggerating your words a little; causing him to snicker and snort. "Oh says the one who handed me a cylinder to wrap!" He would cock up an eyebrow. "Well you said you could handle it!" "Honey, you know I was just trying to impress you." Bruce grinned and you stared at him for a moment before shaking your head; knowing he was being serious about that. "Oh yes, because wrapping a cylinder would make you so attractive in my eyes and impress me so much." Your voice dripped with sarcasm. Bruce didn't care! He peppered another kiss on your forehead, "See? I knew you would understand it, Honey! You know what? This is exactly why I married you-" "Alright up, up, lover boy! We have to finish these presents before the sun rises unless you want to deal with rowdy kids on zero sleep and a bunch of hot coco!"
Tumblr media
.ᐟ this work is published and owned by @vacayisland. please do not plagiarize, copy, or steal this work; like, reblogs, and saves are appreciated :D
98 notes · View notes
detectiphoenix · 3 months
Text
Tumblr media
A silly little Viravos-centric Pokemon AU where Viren is a Pokemon Professor, and Aaravos is a near-immortal Mythical Pokemon disguised as a human ~
I'll be tagging all art in this AU #phoenix's tdp pokemon au, so if the content bothers you, please block said tag! On the other hand, if you decide to make art/content of this AU, please use said tag 👀
Typed out tidbits underneath the cut!
AARAVOS, DARK/DRAGON MYTHICAL
Is "The Fallen Star"
Can appear as either his draconic Pokémon form or human - can also sprout horns and a tail if comfortable
Likes living as a human. Likes creating rumors about himself more
In his many years of life, has mastered fluent human Standard speak, but can also communicate telepathically
Horribly enamoured by the cute little Professor who thinks he's on top of the world
AMAYA HANSEN, GYM LEADER
Commands the easiest gym in the region, but boasts an impressive combat threat outside of gym battles
Celebrated for having extremely deep connections to her Pokémon
Favorite part about being a gym leader is giving new trainers their first badge
CALLUM ASPEN, POKÉMON TRAINER
Pokémon enthusiast!
Is very serious about his "catch-em-all" mission
Met Rayla when they were both trying to catch the same Pokémon
Acknowledges his last name is the name of the tree, and won't stop talking about his fate being to be a Pokémon Professor
CLAUDIA CYPRESS, POKÉMON TRAINER
Wanted to stay with her father to help him with his research, but he convinced her to stay with Soren for the time being
Determined to be a Pokémon Professor one day
An expert with her items and consumables
Cheers every time a trainer engages her in battle
EZRAN ASPEN, POKÉMON DAY CARE ASSISTANT
Is almost old enough to get his starter Pokémon, but isn't sure if he wants to be a trainer
Sneaks treats to all of the Pokémon under his watch
He thinks he's being sneaky, but everyone knows he's sneaking treats and no one says anything because all of the Pokémon adore him
HARROW ASPEN, POKÉMON CHAMPION
Defends his title with pride and a bright smile
Popular for his natural charisma, even outside of his region
His great-grandfather was a Pokémon Professor
Pip, a Talonflame he raised from a Fletchling, is his star fighter
JANAI COETZEE, ELITE FOUR
Despite being the newest member, is considered to be the most difficult challenge of the four
Often described as having a threatening aura during battle
After battle, however, her kind nature is clear
RAYLA COLLINS, POKÉMON TRAINER
Got the Pokémon
Determined to be the Champion one day
Wants to make her dads proud (they're already proud)
Began her journey saying she would only fight using stronger Pokémon to increase her chances at becoming the Champion, but gets extremely attached to every Pokémon she catches
RUNAAN COLLINS, RETIRED POKÉMON CHAMPION
Used to be the region's Champion, before retiring to spend more time with his husband and adopted daughter
Isn't that old, but has enough funds from his championship that he is able to live comfortably without a job
Still assists his husband, Ethari, with his Battle Items Shop
SOREN CYPRESS, POKÉMON TRAINER
The trainer that will run up to you and engage you in a Pokémon battle
Determined to be the Champion one day, or at least a cool gym leader in his home region
Very suspicious of that guy who keeps spending time with his father
Likes to travel across regions and bring his father Pokémon that don't appear in their home region
VIREN CYPRESS, POKÉMON PROFESSOR
Has spent the vast majority of his life researching "The Fallen Star"
Believes Aaravos to be a researcher as passionate as himself in the same field
Wants to be the first to discover "The Fallen Star", sees Aaravos as frustratingly intelligent competition
Needs reading glasses to read, but despises wearing them
Would have found "The Fallen Star" already, if not for an insufferably attractive individual's meddling
100 notes · View notes
carnivorousyandeere · 4 months
Note
👀 Aspen in a virgin killer sweater and high thighs getting tied up using Christmas light and then ridden until she's an absolute mess
Yessss, that’s so cute… having Aspen tied up would be a perfect time to sit on her face, or suck her off too… you could tease her for hours…
Aspen’s Xmas Surprise
( MDNI, No Age in Bio DNI )
CW: smutty, restraints, teasing, overstimulation, crying
Info: gender-neutral reader, dom reader
Aspen squirms uselessly next to the Christmas tree, muttering to herself.
“Shoot, shoot shoot…”
All she’d wanted to do was give you a nice surprise, let you come home to all the Christmas decorations already set up. But she’d only got some of the lights strung up around the tree, before her antlers got caught in a tangle of lights… in trying to get them off, she’d only managed to tangle the lights around her hands, too.
Aspen closes her eyes and sighs. The twinkling lights still shine through her eyelids, mocking her. Aspen’s about to start trying to untangle herself once more, when the sound of the front door unlocking makes her freeze like a deer in headlights. She shifts her legs and tries to curl up a little to hide herself, regretting her choice to wear the short, backless sweater dress you’d gotten her.
“Aspen~!” You sing, arms full of bags, “you home?”
Aspen squeezes her eyes shut tighter and prays that if she doesn’t say anything, you’ll leave the room without seeing her and she’ll have another chance to get unstuck. Of course, she’s not so lucky— the bags rustle, fall on the couch. You giggle, and then— a click.
Aspen’s eyes fly open. “H-hey! Don’t be taking pictures like that!”
You only laugh again, squatting down next to her. “Sorry, sweetie~! You just look so cute like this.”
You pause thoughtfully. Aspen pouts, eyeing the phone in your hand. “Can you please untie me now…?”
“Hmmm… No, I don’t think so. Not yet.”
Aspen’s heart skips a beat as you straddle her hips. You take another picture, giggling again at her flustered expression. She tries to turn her head, embarrassed by the neediness you must see on her face, but her bound antlers hold her in place.
“Ah ah ah… don’t move so much, baby girl. You don’t want to knock over the tree you spent so much time putting up, now do you?”
Aspen gulps, swallowing a whine at the pet name and the pressure of your body atop hers. You cup her face in your hands, silently asking for a kiss. Her cheeks are burning hot under your touch. Aspen shuts her eyes as you lean in, lips parted and breath shallowly fanning over yours. You press a soft kiss to her lips— gingerbread lip balm, how cute— and pull away, watching her through lidded eyes as she strains upward to follow you. Your fingers slide down her cheek, to her neck, feeling her pulse.
“Your heart’s beating so fast, baby… tell me what you want.”
“You, always you, anything for you—“ the words begin to slip out before Aspen can think them through, but you only smile and cut her off with another kiss.
Aspen’s head is buzzing by the time you pull away. You can feel her hardness growing against you, and Aspen whines softly every time you shift your weight. You move back a little bit to slide your hands up her thighs, then further, dragging her dress up. Her abs twitch under your touch as you uncover her lacy panties, the tip of her dick peeking from the waist band.
“Oh, baby…” you purr. Aspen’s breath catches as your thumb runs under the waistband, tracing dangerously close to her cock. “These are so pretty… haven’t seen them before.”
“G-got them for you…”
“Awww, a Christmas present for me?” You trace the lace with your fingers. “You wouldn’t mind if I… opened it early, would you~?”
Aspen gulps and agrees with a nod, shaking the tree and dislodging part of the string of lights from its branches.
“Hehe, okay… just try to stay still for me, okay?”
She can’t, not when she has to watch you open yourself up on your fingers, can’t touch you. Her fingers clench and unclench, her thighs twitch beneath you.
Aspen’s eyes roll back and she arches up against you as you hover over her and guide her inside of you. She’s just so big, you have to pause every few seconds just to breathe and make yourself relax. Your thighs tremble with the strain. You can barely hear her whispered pleas for more over your own blood rushing. Aspen’s breath hitches, then spills over into a hiccuping whine as you finally settle all the way down, resting your head on her chest. Her hips jerk once, then twice, and you gasp at her warmth spilling inside you.
“M’sorry, sorry…” Aspen hiccups again, tears beading her lashes.
“Mm, you’re okay baby…” you grind your hips against hers. “You’ve got one more in you, don’t you? One more for me?”
Aspen nods tearfully. Anything for you.
64 notes · View notes
hadeantaiga · 5 months
Text
People calling me a "gender defender just like the patriarchy is" is fucking hilarious.
"Gender" the way I use it is so, so far from its original definition. It is the word I'm using to mean "personal identity".
I'm here for the people who don't want a gender at ALL, who want to define their personal identity WITHOUT that word. I'm here to tear the concept of gender away from the patriarchy and pull it apart into a trillion pieces. No more gender roles! No more sex stereotypes!
I want the idea of what it means to have a gender to be personally defined by every individual who wants one. I want no woman or man or non-binary person to be the same. I want the biggest, gruffest dude you've ever seen to say he's an asexual nonbinary woman, and the femmest delicate dame to say she's a bi-lesbian man. I want no one to be able to guess your sex assigned at birth just by looking at you. What's in your pants? Mystery!
I'm here for body modification, HRT, surgery, all that shit. You wanna get elf ears? Sure! You want breast implants, a full body lizard tattoo, phalloplasty, and dermal implants? Hell yes. Full bodily autonomy is what I support.
I'm here for the neopronouns and nounself pronouns and xenogenders. I'm here for people identifying with the gender euphoria of clouds and trees. Fuck, half of the time I describe myself as "masculine like a misty mountain forest". I'm forest-gender. I'm they/them like the Pando Forest (a forest of aspen "trees" that are all technically one tree). I'm he/him like the snow you see walking through the woods when there's orange skyglow everywhere. I'm "it/its" like how you call the deer you see through the trees as you hush the person you're walking with - "Shhh- do you see it? Look!“
You know who hates this kind of shit? Transphobic radfems. Transphobic gender critical feminists. I think the original trans gender abolitionists would be on board with me, but that term has been stolen by a lot of terfs, radfems, and the GCers. That's why I use "gender liberation", to differentiate myself from transphobia.
I assure you, the patriarchy does not approve of any of this shit either, and while I use the word "gender" to mean "personal identity", I promise that the things I think "gender" encompasses is in defiance of anything the patriarchy would approve of.
The patriarchy only approves of two binary genders, that are rigidly based on birth sex, and are unchangeable. They believe being male makes you strong, and being female makes you weak. Their version of gender is based on those stereotypes about birth sexes, and comes with precise roles, behaviors, and places within a social hierarchy all based on your birth sex and the traits they think that biology gives you.
Transphobic radfems, terfs, and gender critical feminists also believe in two binary sexes that are rigidly based on birth sex and are unchangeable. Some of them believe just like the patriarchy that your birth sex determines your behaviors, that males are "inherently" violent, and females are "inherently" weaker. In fact, they believe that these biological qualities are WHY men invented the patriarchy in the first place: it's baked into their biology to oppress women. That's why so many of them are female separatists or female supremacists.
That is not what I'm here for. But I sure see a whole lot in common between the patriarchy and transphobic feminists.
73 notes · View notes
holdupjack · 9 months
Text
The Captains Princess
——————
Part 2
Pairing: Hermione Granger x Fem!Reader
AU: Pirate/Monarchy
WARNINGS: MENTIONS OF VIOLENCE/SEXUAL INNUENDOS
——————
Third Person P.O.V:
September 18th, 1655
Hermione Granger was part of a well-known and very respected royal family that looked after the island country that fell under Danish rule.
(A/N: I'm talking about Iceland btw, or Islandia if you want to be technical. If I read my history books correctly, which I probably didn't, then Iceland should have been under Danish rule at this point? I'm not sure, just go with it lol)
The island held a Volcano in the southwest, the land around it was now uninhabited, after a horrible tragedy ten years ago.
The mountain had suddenly come to life, spewing ash and molten rock onto the people below. Everyone at the edge of the city was able to evacuate at the time, but most were lost under the hardened rock or simply melted away.
Hermione was eleven at the time, and she remembered watching the smoke pouring over the mountains from her window.
Her mother had ushered her away, closing the window and cooping her up in the library for the entire week.
Yet, she saw what was happening at night.
The sky had gone dark, the lack of the sun and stars caused by ash as it was carried by the wind and into the main city. It covered everything like black paint, forcing everyone to cough and heave as they shoveled everything into wagons, sending it back into the outskirts of the destroyed town.
It took months, but eventually, Hermione was free to roam the city once more. Later did she learn how many of the people had died from the ash and eruption.
The number was staggering.
Now she is twenty-one, well almost, and the population had doubled in size since that day.
Her coronation was to be held tomorrow, on the day of her birth, and where she would take over the kingdom for her father and mother. It wasn't something she was excited about, but she knew it needed to be done.
In all honesty, she wanted to see the world.
She wished to explore the structures of Egypt and the booming colonies of America. Everything she had read in books and newspapers fueled her intrigue to extreme measures, but she had a job to do. Whether she wanted to do it or not.
Hermione now sat in the city garden, the smell of the Lupine flower filled her nose as royal guards stood close by.
Seagulls called over her as she heard the yelling of men and women near the docks, the shade of the Aspen Tree above her made it easier to read the newspaper in her hand.
'Virginia Blockaded By England After Declaring Allegiance To The House Of Stuart'
Hermione knew little about what went on around the world, but it still shocked her with the decisions people made.
"Come on Cap! Why did we even stop at this god-forsaken place?"
The Princess's eyes flickered up to find a group of three walking down the sidewalk nearby.
A woman around her age stood in the middle of them with a wide grin. Two tall men walked on either side of her, they seemed to be twins. One had long hair that was up in a ponytail, while the other kept it almost like a guard's military cut.
"I told you two, we need a new navigator since the last one died in the battle outside the British seas!" She replies as they made their way into one of the pubs. Hermione raised an eyebrow as the group disappeared into the building, the door shutting loudly behind them.
Her curiosity peaked, she wondered how this girl became a captain so young, and had so many questions about the lands outside of her own.
"Excuse me Princess, but we must get you back to the castle. Your mother wanted you to help pick out the last bit of details before your celebration tomorrow" A guard states as he had somehow snuck up beside her.
"Oh yes, let us be going" Hermione mumbled as she stood up and folded the newspaper under her arm. Her eyes stayed on the pub door a few moments longer before she ripped them away.
Yet, she thought back on the Captain.
Only had watched her for less than a minute, but now she seemed to hold her curiosity by the neck.
Maybe she would see her tomorrow?
It was an 'everyone invited' event after all.
——————
September 19th
Hermione sat on her father's throne, wearing a beautiful pure white dress that had originally been her grandmother's coronation dress. The Royal Tailor had taken in it for Hermione to update it to the current times of fashion.
She felt like she was getting married.
Well, she supposed she was in a sense? She was vowing her time, love, and dedication to her country.
The main hall was filled shoulder to shoulder with everyone around the land. Children, adults, and elderly alike all talked amongst each other as servers passed out food and drink.
The coronation wasn't till later in the night when they would crown her at exactly twelve, so she may begin her reign as queen immediately.
Hermione looked down at her lap and sighed softly, she felt as though her life was slipping through her fingers.
A soft whistle cut through the crowd.
She looked back at the party, no one else noticed the call for her acknowledgment, but it wasn't hard to find the whistler.
The Captain from the day before stood at the edge of the crowd, looking up at her with the same grin she wore in the street.
Instead of the normal attire that the women wore, she sported a nice white shirt and some black pants. Hermione could see the passing judgment people gave her as they walked by.
The future Queen raised an eyebrow, to which the Captain nodded her head over to the open balcony near them.
Hermione gave a small smile in return as the Captain disappeared back into the crowd. The royal stood up to follow after, but her mother walked up to her with a puzzled look on her face.
"Who were you eyeing in the crowd? A future husband?" She asks with a slight tease in her voice as Hermione chuckled at the question.
"A new friend, maybe" Hermione replies as she started to make her way into the crowd, her mother raises a brow at her retreating form.
"Getting some air?" She calls after, but Hermione was already too far by the time she did.
The music from the small string band seemed louder on the main floor as people greeted and smiled at her.
As she got to the doorway of the balcony, a guard stopped her with his arm.
"Do you know the woman that is standing out there?" He asks, as she peered out into the night, she could see the back of the Captain's head.
"Yes, and I would like to talk to them in private if you don't mind?" She replies to which he drops his arm and nodded.
He quickly opened the door for her and closed it as soon as she stepped out into the cold air.
"It's nice to finally meet you Queen Granger" the woman speaks as she turned around and smiled again.
"I'm not Queen yet, and please, call me Hermione" she replies as she stepped to the edge of the balcony and looked over the almost vacant city.
"Greetings then Hermione, my name is Captain Y/n Y/l/n. At your service, of course." the woman greets as she held out her hand for her.
Why did that name sound familiar?
Hermione watched her with a playful intrigued stare as she let her hand be taken and kissed upon by the sailor.
"What may I do for you, Captain?" Hermione asks as she felt goosebumps raise from the skin the women had pecked.
The Captain smiled again as she watched the Princess stand at the parapet with her.
(A/N: a parapet is a wall-like structure around a balcony or terrace, saved you guys a Google search.)
"Well, a little birdie told me that you're a prodigy at navigating and that you have helped map out this entire country with your expeditions," Y/n says and Hermione chuckled.
It was true, when she wasn't forced to be cooped up in the castle, Hermione was out mapping and exploring the country. She had journals upon journals in her room filled with sketches of plants, animals, and landmarks.
As you could guess, she had learned from the guardsmen how to use the stars when a compass would fail them in their endeavors
(A/N: btw, didn't know that compasses were invented so early. The first one ever recorded was in 1190. Omg we're learning so many things in this imagine, I love it.)
Her parents were always so worried about killers and thieves when she would plan a trip, but it wasn't like she wasn't being sent out with a small army with her.
"Yes, may I ask why you wanted to know?" Hermione questioned as she stared up at the beautiful night sky. Millions of stars poked through an inky abyss.
"I'll reveal that later on, but before I do, it seems you have questions to ask me" Y/n replied as she smirked at the beautiful royal.
Hermione hummed and thought for a moment, she had many questions, so she had to play her cards right.
"Are you part of a fleet? Or are you a...freelance type of Captain?" the Princess asks discreetly as she heard one of the Guards talking behind the glass door.
"Let's just say I have more fun without a boss around" Y/n replies as Hermione chuckled.
Great, she was talking to a Pirate.
"I'm surprised you haven't recognized me, I've been in the paper recently" the Captain states, causing Hermione to turn to get a better look at her.
Y/n poses as it clicks in Hermione's mind, no wonder her name sounded familiar.
"Wait, are you that Captain that stole almost half of the treasury of Venice?" she replies as Y/n began to snicker quietly as the Princess stared at her in disbelief.
"Ah don't look at me like that! We gave almost all of it back to the people!" Y/n says as she continued to grin at her, to which Hermione just chuckled in astonishment.
"Have you come to steal our treasury then? Distract me while your friends pillage us dry?" she asks with honest questioning, which caused Y/n to laugh softly at her conclusion.
"That's a smart idea, I might have to try it sometime, but no. We didn't come to steal any money from you." she replied as she turned her body toward the Princess, who didn't even look concerned at the fact that she was standing shoulder to shoulder with an enemy of many cities
"Then why did you come here?" Hermione asks as she turned herself towards her mysterious company.
Y/n's eyes travel down her body slowly, the royal felt hot for some reason, it wasn't foreign to Hermione to feel men undressing her with their eyes.
Maybe because it was a woman this time around that she felt...different.
Yet, it wasn't an uncomfortable feeling.
"My crew and I came here looking for the best navigator in this country since we're on a hit list in the other ones," Y/n says as she gazed back up into Hermione sight. The Captain's intrigue in her past time now made a lot more sense.
"Before you even ask, the answer is 'no'." Hermione states as Y/n rolled her eyes.
"Aw come on Princess, I've been watching you at this party all night, and you have been miserable!" Y/n sighs, which sort of reminded Hermione of an annoyed child trying to prove their point.
"I've made a promise to my country-"
"Not yet"
"-and my parents! I'm not going to run off with some pirate Captain that thinks of herself as a modern-day Robin Hood!" Hermione whispers with her own annoyance laced in her words.
"Who said you have to take over anyways?" Y/n asks as she stepped closer, forcing Hermione to take in the sea salt aroma she carried on her skin, which wasn't a surprise.
"No one said! I'm just doing my due diligence to my family-" she was cut off again by the captain's eye roll.
"You know what? Why am I even arguing with you? The answer is 'no'." Hermione whisper yells as she turned on her heel and went to step back into the party.
"When was the last time you did something for yourself?"
This made the Princess pause and turn back around. Her mouth fell slightly at the question that was just asked to her. She has never been talked to like this, and it ticked her off to see that Captain's face was still grinning.
"Excuse me?" She laughs out in disbelief as Y/n jumped up onto the wall around the balcony, and sat down.
"It's a fair question, you seem like you've had all the fun sucked out of you since you were little" Y/n hums as Hermione slightly tripped up on her dress, but walked up to her nonetheless.
"All have you know, I am very fun" she protests with a pointed finger as Y/n just playful smiled at her, trying to keep the conversation going between them.
Why was Hermione even trying to defend her personality from some grinning criminal pirate?
"Also, stop smiling!" She whispers as Y/n looked her over again, letting her lips fall from her toothy grin to a subtle rise of the corners of her mouth.
"I'm sorry Princess, I just find you very pretty" she admits, which caused Hermione to be struck dumbfounded.
Who just admits that after asking a Princess to join their gang of murderous pirates?
"Well, uh, thank you," Hermione says as she cleared her throat, and smoothed down the front of the dress. Her embarrassment from her outburst started to set in, she never got this upset with anyone, and she has sat down with political parties.
"But flattery won't get you anywhere" she states as Y/n picked at a loose string on her pant leg.
"Listen, my ship is docked at the east bay. I'll have one of my men holding a lantern on deck during his patrols, in case you want to visit me before your crowning." Y/n says as she jumped back into the floor and dusted off her pants, pulling out a pocket watch.
"You have two hours before you get crowned and we head off to some new land that people are calling the 'West Indies'. A friend of mine was even able to send us a map of its location, we'll get there with or without you." Y/n states as Hermione's interest seemed to skyrocket again.
"You said that you needed a navigator? Won't you get lost?" She replies as Y/n stuffs the device back in her pocket.
"I'm not just a ruthless Robin Hood Captain with a small army of society rejects, but I'm also a decent enough Wayfinder!" Y/n hums as she went to step towards the door, back into the party. Hermione quickly stopped her with a hand to the Captain's chest, she burned her eyes into Y/n's.
"You'll be lost within a day" Hermione states as Y/n leaned closer, causing their noses to bump slightly.
"Maybe, or we'll be right as rain" she replies as they stared at one another with glares that held different meanings. It's quiet between them as the people in the hall began to sing a drinking song.
"Too bad you'll be marrying yourself off to some child-like man" Y/n mumbled as she let her harden gaze drop, Hermione furrowed her brows at the statement.
A questionable time to bring that up.
"Why do you say that? Do you think you could do better?" She asks with a scoff as the Captain took her arm and began to move them to a secluded corner.
"Much better" Y/n whispers as they hide from any prying eyes in the main hall. Hermione hummed as the woman stepped even closer, their heads tilted to the side as their lips ghosted one another's.
"You say that, but you probably have a different girl in your quarters every night," the Princess says as her hands grasped Y/n's hips in an attempt to steady herself.
Hermione started to question her own intentions at this moment, trying to figure out how their argument turned so scandalous in a matter of seconds.
"I haven't been to bed with another in many voyages, but when I saw you in that garden yesterday, I knew that needed to change," Y/n admits as her body pinned Hermione to the wall behind her.
"You saw me?" Hermione asks as the sailor hummed and pressed a kiss to the corner of the royal's lips.
"My crew thinks I'm just asking you to be our navigator, but I have had my own intentions from the start," Y/n says as she left a trail of kisses down to Hermione's neck.
She should push her away, Hermione knew better than to let a random criminal kiss and nip on her skin like this, but in all honesty...she was enjoying this Captain's touch more than she would like to admit.
"Come sail by my side, be my Princess" Y/n whispers into her ear, sending a shiver down Hermione's back as goosebumps rose onto her arms and her hands gripped the woman's hips.
"I don't know you, or your intentions" Hermione replies as Y/n kissed her jaw, but she ultimately hummed in agreement.
"That's true, you don't know anything about me" she states as she backed away to look at the flushed girl, who looks as if she had dipped her face in red paint.
"But, we have a little bit of time before your crowning, so what would you like to know?" Y/n asks as she stepped away and jumped back to sit on the balcony again.
They could now be seen again by any snooping partygoers and patrolling guards.
Hermione stood up straight as she pushed down the wrinkles on her dress, and brushed away any lint or dirt she saw.
"You!...you should know better than to push yourself onto a Princess!" She whispers as Y/n's grin made its reappearance, almost teasing her to come closer and make it disappear.
Whether from a slap or a kiss, Hermione wasn't certain.
"You could have pushed me away" Y/n replies, making the young Granger pause and try to come up with a valid excuse.
"You caught me off guard"
"Mhm"
Y/n began to quietly snicker as Hermione just huffed and crossed her arms against her chest. She was making herself out to be a stupid bratty princess, and she was not.
"You know that asking someone you find pretty to join your crew and leave her country behind, isn't a very good way to ask them on a date" Hermione chuckles as she started to relax slightly, now finding her smile less irritating as time went on.
"I've never asked a woman on a date before, I use to only pay for their company when I was younger," Y/n says as she shrugged her shoulders and looked down at her dangling feet.
Hermione noted the embarrassed behavior she exhibited, almost like she was insecure that she had to pay for a woman in her bed at night.
"I understand when it comes to society on land, with their prejudices about two women being together." Hermione starts as she thought back on the people who had been run out of their city because of silly ideals.
"Yet, I thought Pirates didn't care? As long as they got their drinks, money, and partners out of it." She asks as she heard a clank of beer mugs and cheers from men inside.
"Of course, they don't care, it's just hard to date another sailing woman, especially if they are part of another ship" Y/n answers with a sigh as she pinched the bridge of her nose.
"You must have girls on your own crew then?" Hermione questioned as she took a step closer. Y/n look back at her with a laugh and shook her head in quick succession.
"They're like my sisters!" Y/n states, which made Hermione chuckle as well. She guessed that made sense since probably being on a ship for months on end would bring them all closer as a family more than anything,
"Also, all of my crew has lads or lasses back home waiting for them to return" Y/n continues as she laid down on the parapet, one leg swung over the edge while her other foot was planted on the stone, and her knee pointed to the sky,
"Be careful, we're high up" Hermione stated as she stepped closer, her fingers twitched as she stopped herself from grabbing ahold of the girl.
They were just one story up, but it was still high enough to break something.
"I've fallen from the crow's nest of my ship, multiple times! This is nothing." Y/n chuckles as she locked her fingers and puts them behind her head as a makeshift pillow.
"I'm guessing you drank one too many pints?" Hermione asks as her eyes scanned the Captain's body.
"See? You're getting to know me so well already!" Y/n replies as they chuckled together.
"Did you land in the water each time? Or have you somehow not died from that yet?" The Princess asks as her hand finally grasped the hem of her shirt.
"Almost all were in the water, but last time I hurt myself real bad" Y/n replies as one hand snuck out from under her head and hooked a finger around the fabric between Hermione's breasts, pulling her closer again.
They weren't hiding anymore, this was a dangerous position to be in, but maybe that was the point.
Was Y/n trying to get her shunned from the castle for engaging in scandalous behavior with another woman?
A fucked up way to force her to join her crew?
Hermione suddenly backed away and cleared her throat, pushing down her wrinkles again.
"As entertaining as this conversation has been, I must go back to my party" she sighs as her chin went back to being high and mighty, and her back as straight as a wooden beam.
"Do you have to?" Y/n asks as she sat back up, causing Hermione to smile. Her childlike questions were almost begging, like she truly didn't want Hermione to walk away.
"I must, it is my birthday party after all" she replies and Y/n hums as she thought of an excuse for her to stay just a little bit longer.
"Just answer one more question," Y/n asks to which Hermione raised her eyebrow in return as the Captain stood back in front of her.
"Will I see you tonight?"
They stared at one another for a few moments, the air around them was chilly, but a slight heat seem to burn between them.
Hermione then just walked away.
That told Y/n that it wasn't a 'no', but it wasn't a 'yes' either.
She wondered what went through that beauty's mind, and if she knew that she had easily gotten a stoic sailor on her toes.
——————
When Y/n had arrived back at the port with no one in tow, Ginny gave a loud sigh from the deck of 'The Morrigan'.
"Captain on deck!" Ron yells near the bow of the ship.
"Is she-" she starts but the Captain quickly raised her hand in a 'stop' gesture and grabbed the lantern that hung near the entrance of her quarters.
"She still has an hour until her crowning, which I told her we will leave at exactly then also," Y/n says as she handed Ginny the lantern, and smiled at her irritated expression.
"What does that even mean?" the ginger replies as the sounds of her twin brothers echo from the crow's nest.
"Look at that whale Freddie! Looks like your ex-girlfriend!"
It was funny to think that half her crew was just the entire Weasley family.
"Just keep this lantern lit as you do your patrols around the deck" Y/n states as she patted the girl's shoulder and disappeared into her quarters.
As the door shut behind her, a soft groan came from her lips as she grabbed her hat from the hook on the wall.
Placing it on her head, she took a seat at her desk and began looking at the new inventory report.
Molly has requested more fruit cabbage for her kitchen, while Draco has asked for a new pair of boots. Harry needs new glasses, and Blaise needs to go to the blacksmith and sharpen his swords.
Y/n felt a headache begin to form as she tried to figure out a way to get everyone these things. This kingdom had almost everything, but she would have to dig through the old navigator's journal entries to find out where they got Harry's glasses the last time he broke them.
She needed help, and she didn't know how to ask for it without looking vulnerable in front of her crew. Y/n was only one person, and she needed someone as sophisticated as Hermione.
Granted, Y/n still planned to make Hermione hers, but that would have to wait.
Minutes went by quicker than she had realized as she scanned through the reports of everything below deck. She eventually noticed that it was ten to twelve.
"Come on Hermione" Y/n whispers as she stood up and walked back onto the deck.
"Begin preparations for departure!" Y/n yells out as a chorus of 'Ayes' rung out around her.
Ginny still stood near the walkway with the lantern in hand as she stared out into the town, which seemed devoid of life if it wasn't for the castle that was lit up like a fireworks display.
"I don't think she's coming" Y/n whispers as Ginny just hummed.
"You've always been so quick to judge" she replied as her eyes flickered towards different corners of the streets that stood in front of her.
"Ready Captain!" Percy states from his post as he stood at the stern with his hand on his pistol.
Percy always seemed to know when trouble was headed their way, it was almost like a gut instinct for him to grab his weapon.
"There she is" Ginny chuckles as she tapped Y/n's chest with the back of her hand.
Y/n's head snapped to find Hermione bolting down the street towards them, she now wore pants and a shirt instead of the beautiful white dress she had been given earlier in the day.
The Captain quickly made her way to the walkway, but soon noticed that she wasn't just running to get to them in time. Y/n heard the yelling of guards and began to smile.
"Once she's on the ship, time to go!" Y/n called as Draco took ahold of the wheel, and barked orders at the boys on the deck.
Hermione caught the Captain's eyes as she dashed down the dock towards them, and smiled at her, to which Y/n broke out in a grin in response.
"Come on Princess! We don't have all night!" Y/n teased as she held out her hand for her to take across the board between land and ship.
As soon as their hands grasped one another's, Y/n yanked her on deck and let Ron and Harry quickly pull the wood onto the ship as well.
"Full sails! Get us out of here!" Y/n yelled as the woosh of the sails fell and took in the wind of the sea.
Tens of hundreds of footsteps pounded on the dock as they pulled away, one guard had managed to jump and grab the side of the ship, but Pansy was able to just lean over and wack away his hands with the butt of her sword.
He didn't fall into the water at first, but her threat was able to make him choose his fate.
"Let go, or I'm chopping them off"
He quickly dropped into the cold unforgiving ocean.
Y/n darted towards the stern as The Morrgian began to take speed and drift off into the night.
She watched as hundreds of guards stood at the docks watching as their future queen ran off with one of the most hated pirates in the seven seas.
"I'll kill you Y/l/n!" A man yells from his place in the troops, from the crown on his head, she hadn't had to guess that he was King Granger.
"Well, that's one way to make a first impression on the crew!" Ginny snickers as she greeted Hermione on the deck.
"It would have been a lot calmer if my father hadn't caught me sneaking away" she replies as she put her back into a ponytail with a few hairpins she had left in her pockets.
"We'll have an introduction party tomorrow, right now Hermione and I need to begin setting a course for the West Indies" Y/n joked as she made her way back to the deck, Hermione stumbled slightly as the ship swayed side to side.
"Don't worry Princess, you'll get your sea legs eventually" the Captain snickers as she gestured to her quarters, and held out her hand for Hermione to take for stability.
As she took it, Blaise began to sing a chantey proudly, to which the crew joined in as well as they began their Mundane chores around the ship.
Y/n shut her door behind them, muffling the ruffians, as Hermione took in the beautiful books and maps that were scattered around.
"These are beautiful" Hermione whispers as she walked around the space with so much intrigue.
"I would hope so, since you'll be living in here" Y/n states as points to another desk that face the window that looks out into the sea behind the ship. A small bed lay next to it, almost looking untouched since its last owner as many books and papers were scattered around the space.
She could see her home fading away as they drifted away further.
"Wait, the Captain and Navigator share the same room?" Hermione asks as she turned back to find Y/n suddenly standing almost face to face with her.
"Of course, you're my right hand now" she mumbles as her eyes flickered around Hermione's face.
"If there wasn't already evidence of this cot being lived in, I would think you had done this on purpose" Hermione chuckles as Y/n brushed past her and took a seat at her desk.
"We could always push our cots together? Make this space very lived-in" Y/n suggests as Hermione stood in front of her, the only thing separating them was the desk of the captain.
"You would like that, wouldn't you?" the former royal asks as she leaned down and restart her hands upon the wood.
"Certainly, I like to have my treasures close by me" Y/n whispers as she herself leaned closer, and like earlier in the night, they stared at one another intensely.
Hermione smirked and brushed her nose against hers in a teasing manner.
"You think of me as one of your treasures?" she replies in a hushed tone as she heard a soft shudder come from the sailor.
"Yes, I've caught myself a princess after all" Y/n mutters as Hermione pecked the corner of her mouth.
She was using her tricks.
"Did you? Or did I catch myself a Captain?"
Y/n's grin found a home on her lips once more for the night, before being wiped away with a kiss from Hermione.
The captain saw stars behind her eyes that were more beautiful than the ones in the sky.
The poor Captain tried to chase after another one as she backed away with a mischievous smile.
"As fun, as it is to fool around with you, we do have work to do" Hermione states as she walked towards her new desk, her hand squeezing Y/n's shoulder as she went by.
Hermione could feel eyes burning into the back of her head as she sat down and took a book from one of the piles.
"If you want more, you have to woo me, my Captain," she says as she whispers the last part in a sultry tone.
Even though her decision to betray her country was almost just for the fact to see the world, she also knew a part of her wanted to see how a flirty Captain would treat her during their months at sea.
She knew sooner or later she would allow herself to be taken into the Captain's arms and ravished behind closed doors.
Yet, she still wanted to be treated like a proper lady, and it was going to be fun to watch an urchin like Y/n try her best at it.
Hermione could only chuckle as she heard Y/n walk out to the deck and begin asking questions about dates to her crew, having left the door open slightly.
This is going to be fun.
114 notes · View notes
aisling-saoirse · 1 month
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Quaking Aspen - Populus tremuloides
Today I want to bring up a charismatic favorite: the Quaking Aspen. Like all populus species, it's a fast growing, clonal colony forming, northern extreme and mountain loving tree (just like its Eurasian sister species: A. tremula) with an incredibly wide range of distribution. In addition to all those interesting qualities, the oldest known organism is presumed to be a Quaking Aspen colony (Pando, in Utah)
General identification before I can talk about the more interesting bits, Aspens are best known for their yellow autumn leaves and smooth white bark with dark knots, they can grow as large as 60' but depending on their environment can be stunted to around 5-20' (think of krummholz). Leaves of this species appear slightly heart shaped and retain the same sheen on both sides (image 1). Plants are unisexual meaning individuals either have male or female flowers, interestingly enough this is a good method to distinguish where one colony begins and ends by looking at the color of the branches in spring (see image from Colorado below, note trees with light green and those without). Emerging catkins are white at first which become green and longer as the season changes, male catkins having slightly longer stamen but female fruiting catkins ultimately growing longest at 10 cm. Seeds are small capsules with silky hairs to assist in wind dispersion, these trees are ruderal so they produce around 1.6 Million a season with many unable to germinate. Seedlings often need consistent moisture and full sun to even germinate, most of the seeds growth goes to root structure the first year.
Tumblr media
The name Quaking Aspen (or trembling per the Latin) refers to the extremely mobile habit of the leaf. Leaves are connected to flexible petioles (stems) which flip around in the slightest breeze. Environmentally speaking, I was once told that leaves have chlorophyll on both sides however this stem could also be a biological strategy to cope with harsh wind conditions in mountainous environments, I didn't encounter any recent research verifying this though. Interestingly enough, given the harsh nature of which this tree thrives, apparently, there is chlorophyll in its trunk, allowing extra energy to enter the tree when it's leaves are gone.
Quaking Aspen is an early succession species, able to reestablish/colonize a site after a fire or other major disturbance. Many of Upstate New York's famous Aspen forests are actually a result of logging and fires in the early 1900s rather than a typical forest compostion. Establishment is different depending on opportunity, in the west its often long lived clonal roots systems, in the high arctic its often through wind blown seed, in the east its generally short lived clones out-competed by hardwood/conifer forest after a century, and in its furthest southeastern range I typically only encounter individuals on rocky outcrops or former fields.
Tumblr media
Above ground trees usually live less than a century, in the east maybe 50-80 years given our moisture, out west individual trunks can live two centuries. It's common to find dense forests with even-age trees since clonal root structures re-emerge together (Image above from Bluebell Knoll Mountain in Utah). Its also thought that the root system can live for two millenia or longer, Pando being an example of extreme longevity (I mean 40,000 years would survive an ice age, even in Utah there would be mountain glaciation, thats quite spectacular if true). Ironically, one of the best survival tools in the Aspen's playback is fire recovery, otherwise it will get out-competed/shaded pretty fast (see the context in image 2, that NJ forest used to have lots of aspen).
All this in mind its good to point out that Aspen's early successional habit makes it great for ecological restoration. It's common to find them as the first pioneers on former mines or superfund sites (aspen grove below from Palmerton gap, Pennsylvania). Unfortunately one of the negative side affects is that populus species often bring up a lot of heavy metals in their leaves and wood meaning they can re-contaminate through their own biological accumulation. Which is good for extracting small scale contaiminants...very bad for large sites where you need to trap metal under soil to prevent toxins from eroding offsite
Tumblr media
All this being said Quaking Aspen's large geographic range mirrors that of the last glacial maximum, implying a rapid spread onto retreating glaciers. This also suggests a growth habit requiring wet or moist soil conditions. This range is North West to Alaska nearly touching the Arctic Ocean at its Northern-most range in the Yukon, then east to Newfoundland; south west to Mexico (usually restricted to high mountains) and east from Iowa to New Jersey (with scattered populations in West Virginia).
Since Aspen often colonizes sites of former glaciation, with climate change it's predicted there will be a northward and uphill progression of populations. Aspen isn't really in intense danger of dissappearing but studies have shown major stressors (draught, extreme heat, over-grazing) cause higher mass-mortality events from minor stressors (typically disease and insect herbivorey). Given the fact that many forests are clonal there was a question of low genetic diversity amoung populations, yet interestingly, individuals undergo somatic mutations (DNA alterations after conception) and are extremely variable, so different individuals often place different energies into different defense tactics.
In addition to all of this information Aspens are primarily used today to make paper pulp. Historically settlers used aspen to derive quinine (think gin and tonic), and indigenous tribes have a history of using big trunks to create dug out canoes.
So please go out to your nearest mountain/boreal forest to enjoy the Quaking Aspen's lovely smooth bark and haunting shaking in the wind!
39 notes · View notes