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fr3sh-tragedies · 5 months

Text

Serenity

[Shadow of the Tomb Raider] Lara Croft x Female Reader

Word Count: 5.12k

Proofread: Yes

Content Warnings: Touch starved Lara (?), feelings of homesickness, fear of death, mentions of mourning, brief descriptions of wounds

Categories:

Angst Fluff Mix

One-Shot Preference Headcanon

[A/N]: Wanted to try a bit of a different format for the summary, hope it makes sense.

Enjoy!

Harsh winds whipped past the shape of the land, bending around every mountain and down every ravine and valley like ribbon. Shivering harshly and clutching onto her heavy coat, Lara sighed, planting herself in front of the campfire she had set up. As the flames crackled to life and began to grow, she scooted closer, holding her hands out towards the blazing heat in an attempt to warm them. She huffed out hot air into her cupped palms before rubbing them together and shifting to hold them out again.

She repeated this motion a few more times before wriggling her fingers around a bit. Once she was sure they were warmed up enough, she slipped her journal out from her traveler’s pack and took her pen out. She flipped over to the next blank page, beginning to jot things down with stiff hands. It started with her summarizing all that had happened during the current expedition up until that point, but quickly shifted to her feelings of homesickness. It wasn’t the manor or her private apartment she was missing, however. She was missing the woman waiting for her back home.

A small smile of content formed on her lips at the mere thought of her.

“God, [Y/N], I wish you were…”

She shook her head as a chill ran down her spine, as if she was being reminded of the brutal conditions she was in. With a small struggle, she scribbled out the ending of the sentence before starting a new one.

“No, I wish I was there with you. I didn’t realize how much I’d miss you. Especially how warm you are. It’s freezing out here, although I’m not sure what I was expecting. Even when we stayed by the hot springs for a bit, my hands were too frozen to do anything. Writing this right now is extremely difficult because we’re headed toward the peak of a mountain where the snow is really dense. The altitude levels are getting high, and it’s making some of the crew sick, so we had to set up camp in the meantime. Aside from Jonah, the crew here doesn’t really care for all of this. They’re either doing it for the media exposure or for the money. The majority of them have made it clear that they aren’t doing it for the sake of discovery. I do kind of wish you were here in all honesty. Jonah is interested in what we’re looking for, but it always takes some convincing with him. With you, you’re always on board immediately. And, according to the others, you share the same level of enthusiasm as me. I guess I never really noticed it.

“Which is honestly a bit of a surprise. I know I can get a bit…aggressive about these things, or obsessive. People tell me I start getting picky about things once I realize they don’t have the same interests and intentions as me. And Sam wonders why I don’t like hanging out with other people.”

She laughed softly to herself, skimming over her words before she continued writing.

“Except you, of course. I wish I could bring you along with me to these expeditions, but I’m just…worried Trinity is going to get to you somehow, and aside from Jonah, you’re the only one I have left. If they got ahold of you, I don’t know what I’d do with myself. I’ve lost too many people already. I can’t lose you too.”

A small pause. She wasn’t sure what to do with herself during these trips anymore. Before she had met [Y/N], she had gotten used to sleeping alone and spending the majority of her time alone. She could go on journeys without worrying about returning home to someone. She didn’t want to die, that wasn’t what she was thinking of. She just didn’t feel guilty about trips taking longer than she initially planned. Deep down, though, she knew [Y/N] understood. Each time she’d make it home to her girlfriend, she was always greeted with relief and excitement rather than annoyance and resentment.

During the nights where she was alone on the expeditions, she could eventually get herself to fall asleep for short periods of time, pretending she was back home in bed with her girlfriend, cuddled up together under the blankets and sleeping in.

Another thing she had to readjust to was doing things solo. The only thing she tended to do on her own at the manor anymore was paperwork. [Y/N] would do everything with her there: researching, reading, cleaning, taking trips to different cities, and so on and so forth. She had grown so accustomed to that to where she found herself itching to talk to someone or move around at the campsites when she used to just sit there and think to herself.

She genuinely enjoyed the idea of having someone to come home to every time, but it still caused guilt when anything went wrong. There was a near-constant worry that her job was straining the relationship, regardless of what [Y/N] told her.

She had never been in a relationship before, so she really had no idea what to expect. It was stressful trying to learn how to open up to someone, but once she realized she could fully trust [Y/N], she found it much easier to start talking about her past.

Another sigh slipped past her lips, her gaze dropping down to the page of her journal again.

“I can’t wait to get home to you again. And honestly, I never thought I’d be able to say that. With how often I’m traveling, I figured I wouldn’t find someone who was willing to put up with my constant researching and preparing. I suppose I could take you on easier trips where I know Trinity won’t be. I could teach you how to go rock climbing and the basics of how to survive out in the wilderness.”

A sense of fondness washed over her, remembering how Roth would take her backpacking and traveling to random places so she could learn all of his tricks.

“If Roth were still here, I bet I could’ve convinced him to let you come with us to one of our training expeditions. He loved teaching all about journeying. He probably would’ve talked your ear off the way he did with me.”

Once more, a soft laugh escaped her.

“I’d honestly give anything to hear him lecture me about trusting my instinct again. You would’ve loved him. He was a good man.”

She studied her entry, repeatedly skimming over Roth’s name scribbled out in her shaky handwriting.

“I wish you could’ve met him.”

She frowned at the memory of what happened in Yamatai, guilt beginning to bubble up to the surface again. She sighed, trying to shift her focus to something else.

“I can’t wait to get back home to you. I miss you. Hopefully I’ll be able to see you sooner rather than later. I already want to come back just so I can be with you again. I love you.”

Gently, she shut her journal and tucked it away again, dropping her pen in on top of it before zipping the bag shut. Once she placed the bag to her side, she shifted to turn back to the fire, which had grown to a decent size. Her unfocused gaze watched the flames in front of her dance wildly to the bitterly cold gusts of wind. Soon, as she waited for Jonah to call her over, her mind wandered off, her body shivering, aching, and craving to be in her warm, plush bed by [Y/N]’s side again.

The expedition finally came to an end. Unfortunately, it had taken an extra three days thanks to Trinity’s operation disrupting everything. Lara was returning home with another artifact, one which she planned to donate to a local museum instead of adding to her personal collection. She asked Jonah to drop the artifact off for her, her expression alone telling him all he needed to know. He agreed, knowing she just wanted to get home to [Y/N] again and rest. Once the plane landed and they disembarked with their luggage, Lara instantly found her car still parked in a private garage she had paid for ahead of time.

She hopped in instantly after tucking her small amount of luggage into the trunk, started the engine, and sped off toward her home. The majority of the drive there, she reflected on what had happened during the expedition. Although she had been in a warm environment for hours on the way back, she still felt chilled to the bone after swimming in glacial waters for hours on end. All she craved was to get home and warm all the way up so she could sleep comfortably, even though she knew the moment the numbness subsided, her joints would ache even more.

Once she finally arrived, she parked her car in her usual spot and headed inside, completely forgetting about the bags in the trunk. Her body felt like it would collapse any minute, so she was desperately trying to get inside and find [Y/N].

With a great deal of effort, straining the aching muscles in her arms and back, she shoved the main door open leading into the front parlor. Before any of the servants could lead her somewhere to get her injuries treated or get changed into warmer clothes, Lara made a beeline to the stairs leading up to the second floor of the main building. She wobbled down the hall to her bedroom door, weakly pushing it open with a small grunt of pain. She didn’t spot [Y/N] in the bedroom right away, so she checked the bathroom attached to it.

She wasn’t there either. Odd.

With a groan, she forced herself to trudge back out of the room and down the hall, planning to check the library next. And if she wasn’t there, she’d search the main study. Before she could make it to the doorway leading to the library, [Y/N] stepped out carrying a couple of books. When she spotted Lara, her face lit up, excitedly placing the books aside on a nearby console table and rushing over to the brunette. At the sight of [Y/N] heading her direction, a small surge of energy bolted through Lara’s senses. She beamed over at her and opened her arms, sighing in relief when the smaller woman leaned heavily into her embrace.

“Lara, you’re back! How was the trip? Find anything good?”

Lara grinned wider at her enthusiasm–a breath of fresh air to have someone show genuine interest in her own passion. “Yeah, we found an old artifact, but I told Jonah to just go donate it to the local museum. I don’t have much space left on the shelves in my study, and I don’t want to clutter our room with them.” [Y/N] chuckled at her words, a small nod as her response as they remained in their embrace a moment longer.

At length, much to Lara’s dismay, [Y/N] leaned back. One hand dropped down to gently take hold of the brunette’s, and the other lifted to cup her cheek. At the feeling of warmth against her face, Lara leaned into the touch, her eyes shutting as she sighed. “C’mon,” [Y/N] started softly with a warm smile, “let’s get you patched up and changed. Then you can get some sleep.” Before she could try to refute, Lara yawned and nodded, wearily following the smaller woman’s lead as she carefully tugged her toward the bedroom again.

Once in there, she sat Lara down on the bed, retrieved the First Aid kit from the medical cabinet in the bathroom, and joined her on the mattress, which the brunette seemed to immediately sink into. She pulled out a damp rag she had also grabbed and began to dab cautiously at the scratches and cuts littered across Lara’s skin. When she began to apply the antiseptic, she earned a few hisses of pain, though they quickly died down with each passing second. All the while, Lara’s eyelids were growing heavier. She did her best to bite back her yawns, though most of them still snuck through.

After cleaning all of the visible marks, [Y/N] stitched up what she needed to, and applied bandages to what was left. She quickly packed the kit back up and stored it in the bathroom once more. Then, she helped Lara head into the bathroom and get undressed, helping her step into the bath when the warm water filled up enough. Once the brunette was situated and comfortable, [Y/N] took her hair down for her and began to rinse and lather it with the shampoo she had set up beforehand. Once her hair was clean, she then washed Lara’s back, shoulders, and mostly everything but her stomach, legs, and mostly whatever was underneath the water, which she let the Croft do on her own.

By the time Lara was clean and wrapped up in a towel after stepping out of the tub, [Y/N] left and came back in carrying a pair of clothes that had just been pulled out from the dryer. She gave the brunette a bit of privacy to get dressed. Lara hummed contentedly at the warm, soft fabric brushing across her skin: a pair of black fleece pants with a slightly oversized gray t-shirt.

She stood after tugging her clothes on. After folding the towel back up enough to hang on the rack on the wall, she flipped the lightswitch off and left the bathroom, finding [Y/N] standing by the bed with a tray in her hands. Curiously, Lara walked over and sat down at the foot of the bed with an eyebrow raised. Before she could question what it was, [Y/N] moved to hand the tray to her, revealing her favorite dish warmed up and placed nicely on a plate.

At the sight of it, she blinked, and soon looked back up at her girlfriend, who had moved to her own side of the bed. “Go ahead and eat. I wanted you to have something in your stomach so it doesn’t growl and wake you up like last time.”

With a pleased grin, Lara nodded and shifted up to her spot in bed to prop herself up against the headboard. She was quick to pick up her fork and dig into the dish, clearly grateful to have something prepared for her instead of needing to fix something for herself the way she had done the past few days in the wilderness. It saved her a lot of time and energy, all of which she could spend on recovering from the trip. Within minutes, the plate was clean and her cup was empty. She moved to get up and bring it to the kitchen downstairs, but [Y/N] was quick to stop her and take it from her hands. “Hey, no, go ahead and stay here, alright? I really just want you to relax for a while.”

Even if Lara had planned on refusing the help, it would’ve been no use, as [Y/N] was already by the door by the time she finished speaking. She quickly slipped out of the room, leaving Lara there to wait. She hadn’t even had a chance to nod. She sighed, shuffling downward to bundle up underneath the thick blankets layering her mattress and tugging them partially over her head. The moment her head made contact with her pillow, she groaned in relief, the plush surface welcoming her and pulling her into a partial slumber already.

She fought to stay awake a little longer, however, wanting to be cuddled up against [Y/N] as she slept so she could hear her heartbeat. Ever since the two had started sharing the bed, that’s how Lara fell asleep. It’s why going on long expeditions was so difficult sometimes–she had no heartbeat to listen to, no breathing she could hear but her own, and no warmth to lean into when she got a chill or had a strange dream that kept her eyes pried open in alarmed confusion. Another yawn pushed past her lips, her eyes slowly fluttering shut. Just as she was close to being lulled into sleep, the bedroom door creaked open again. [Y/N] stepped inside and turned the lights off, then headed over to the windows and closed all the heavy curtains, leaving a very dull light in the room.

She then crawled into her side of the bed, though she was quickly met with Lara scooting over and pressing her head against her chest, planting her ear directly over the girl’s sternum to hear the steady thumping of her heartbeat resting safely behind her ribs. A sigh of relief made its way from Lara. She wriggled over a bit, nuzzled her face further into the blankets, and finally settled for a position. With a small smile, [Y/N] rolled over just enough to wrap both of her arms around the brunette’s torso. She pulled her closer as softly as she could.

“Did you wanna talk about the trip?” She whispered softly. A bit of a delay, but Lara answered with a small shake of her head. “No,” she murmured almost inaudibly. “Maybe tomorrow.” [Y/N] nodded in response. She slid one of her arms over a bit, earning a groan of disapproval, though it was quickly replaced by an even fainter groan of pleasure once her fingernails began to gently rake through Lara’s brunette locks. [Y/N] repeated this motion for a while before changing to let her nails scratch soothingly at the sore muscles of the taller woman’s back. “Mmm, what about you?” Lara finally managed to slur out after a few minutes.

[Y/N] hummed, confused. “What about me?” She questioned quietly. Again, there was a pause before she got a response. “What about your day? Tell me…about your day.”

“Oh. Well, it wasn’t very eventful, to be honest. I just helped some of the maids and then read a few books. That’s why I was leaving the library when you made it in.”

“Mmh.”

Lara groaned and shuffled even closer. “I missed you so much,” she whispered. [Y/N] beamed down at her, pure adoration in her eyes. “I missed you too.” She pressed a kiss to the brunette’s forehead, to which Lara responded by scrunching up her nose and leaning her head forward, wordlessly asking for another one. The smaller woman complied after letting a gentle giggle slip in between breaths and pressed a longer kiss to Lara’s head, earning a small huff of satisfaction.

For a while longer, [Y/N] continued to talk about whatever came to mind. Lara wasn’t entirely listening, she just wanted to hear her voice, but [Y/N] already knew that. She didn’t mind. She could talk about seeing a bird on the window sill, and Lara would still find it calming solely because she could hear her speaking. She could hear the low rumbling and vibrations in her chest with every word spoken, and on top of the sound of her heartbeat, it was like the ultimate white noise for Lara.

She wasn’t entirely sure why it brought her so much comfort, but she certainly wasn’t complaining. It helped her fall asleep and stay asleep, which is something she struggled with for the longest time. Being able to get a proper night’s rest felt so refreshing.

Especially after having to be on high alert and sleep lightly for weeks on end during most of her journeys.

After a while, [Y/N] ran out of things to talk about. However, knowing that hearing her make noise was what helped Lara fall asleep, she opted to sing softly instead. An hour or so must’ve passed before Lara’s breathing deepened and slowed, evening out as her body signaled she was fully asleep. After finishing the song she had been practically humming at that point, [Y/N] stopped singing. When she fell silent, her own eyes beginning to droop from fatigue, Lara tugged her closer, unconsciously trying to find the source of the noise again. She settled after a moment when her hearing focused in on her heartbeat once more.

She mumbled something under her breath, though the blankets muffled most of it. The other half of the incoherent speech was caused by her lack of conscience. [Y/N] didn’t mind it though. Finally being able to hold Lara safely in her arms again after two and a half weeks was all she had been wanting. She glanced down at her, smiling tiredly and pressing a gentle kiss to her head again before yawning and closing her eyes.

Soon enough, she fell into a deep slumber as well.

The following morning, the sun crept in through the blinds, alerting everyone of its wake. Bright golden beams trailed their way into the bedroom, sneaking up the covers and making Lara suddenly aware of her surroundings again. She grumbled, calloused fingertips grasping at the hem of the comforter that had slipped from over her head and tugging upward, desperately trying to block out the warmth that stirred her awake. It had been years–until she met [Y/N], anyway–since she had been able to sleep in peacefully without the overwhelming worry of needing to constantly accomplish something. She wanted to stay asleep at least long enough to finish her dream.

For a moment, she smirked to herself, noticing just how soft she had gotten once her relationship had been established with the other woman. Had they never met, nor had they gotten as close as they did, she’d likely still be awake at this hour, buried away in her personal study with stacks of books and loose files strewn about.

With a sense of bitter hesitation, one in which she debated falling back into the dream she had been having just a moment prior–which thankfully wasn’t another nightmare keeping her awake–she let her weary eyes flutter open. A small shove downward let the covers fall free from over her head again, begrudgingly allowing the sunlight to caress her features in a more willing manner. A sigh of relief slipped past her lips once she was able to let her eyes adjust to the blazing beams of light dancing around with each small movement.

After a moment of gaining her bearings, she yawned, drowsily rubbing the exhaustion from her eyes as she shifted over to find [Y/N] still resting at her side. The corners of her lips perked up into a small smile of contentment at the sight. She hummed, shuffled up to let her head rest even in front of [Y/N]’s, and gazed over at her.

The light that had disturbed Lara of her rest now brought her a sense of peace. The warm glow of the amber streaks lighting up the room seemed to embrace every little mark across [Y/N]’s skin, highlighting each scar and stray freckle. Never before had she seemed so at ease in her slumber–or maybe Lara had been too focused on holding her close to have noticed. She noticed it now, though.

And she intended to savor every minute of it.

Moments passed, and her hands were itching to feel the softness of the woman’s skin. With a slight ounce of uncertainty, worried she might stir her awake, she finally lifted her hand from the spot on the mattress next to her and drove it up to let the backs of her fingers graze over [Y/N]’s cheek, huffing out a small sigh at the warmth as though she hadn’t been pressed tightly against her mere moments before.

Her fingers trailed up to tuck a few loose strands of hair behind the sleeping woman’s ear, slowly and silently shuffling forward to press a featherlike kiss to her forehead. At the feeling of soft lips and touches against her skin, [Y/N] began to wake, her brows furrowing together momentarily in thought, as if she were stuck between her dreams and lucidity. Her features softened just as quickly as they tightened, followed by her eyes flitting open and instantaneously focusing on the smitten gaze in front of her. She hummed, grinning and letting her hand slide up to gently take hold of Lara’s. With a small squeeze to her lax hand, [Y/N] turned her head to press an equally soft kiss to her palm.

“Morning,” she murmured against her skin, letting her focus flicker back toward the deep brown eyes now somehow filled with even more love than before.

“Morning,” came her faint reply.

“Are you feeling better now that you’ve slept?” Lara grinned, nodding almost unnoticeably. She carefully slipped her hand from [Y/N]’s, then letting it trail down to the smaller woman’s hip. Once moving a bit closer, as well as shuffling back down further into the comforter, she wrapped both arms around [Y/N]’s waist, tugging her closer and letting her head fall against her chest. Once [Y/N]’s chin moved to rest atop the brunette’s head, Lara sighed, her eyes fluttering shut once more. “Yes, but if I’m being completely honest, my entire body is aching right now. So much happened before I got back.”

She chuckled, wincing to herself at the sudden jolt of pain that erupted from the nerves in the skin taut against her stomach. “I don’t know if I can physically get up yet. Or if I'll be able to at all today.”

A playful snicker sounded above her, prompting her to lift her head and look up at [Y/N]. “Are you sure that’s why? Or do you just want to stay in bed and cuddle like this for the day?” Lara rolled her eyes with a smirk of her own. “I’m telling you: every single muscle in my body is painfully sore. I could get up if I absolutely needed to, but I don’t, so I’d really just prefer to stay here.”

With a moment in between the playful banter, Lara dropped her head back against [Y/N]’s chest. She waited, pondering what she wanted to say as her nails gently scratched at the soft fabric of the shirt she leaned against, sighing silently at the feeling of the motion being reciprocated in a far more soothing way. As she focused on [Y/N] tracing random shapes and words against her scarred skin, subconsciously wondering if she could make out anything specific if she focused, she closed her eyes.

“But even if I somehow wasn’t sore like I am now, I’d absolutely want to stay like this for the day. I missed you,” although her voice had already started off gentle, her tone only seemed to drift further into silence. Whether it stemmed from sheepishness or fatigue, [Y/N] didn’t know. She didn’t mind it, however, and instead pulled her closer. “I missed you too. So very much.”

She paused, one of her hands stroking the brunette strands sprawled out on the mattress behind Lara as her brow creased in thought. “I do worry about you though,” she admitted after what felt like hours, not sure if Lara was still even awake at the moment or if she had heard her. She had, however, and was quick to gaze back up at her, partially hidden way beneath the comforter. Her eyes, which had just been staring at her with a mix of blissful fatigue and love, were now a concoction of bleary concern and confusion. “Why?”

“Because sometimes I worry that something is going to happen to you while you’re away, and I’m never going to know. I mean, I know you won’t go down without a fight, but I’m still terrified that there will be a day where I see you alive for the last time. That thought alone plagues my mind every single time you leave, and it just…scares me?” She scoffed. “No, it’s so much more than just feeling scared. I’m terrified beyond belief that a thought like that could somehow become a reality.”

She hadn’t realized she had begun rambling until Lara shifted up to be eye-level with her again, a far more serious expression taking over. With her features creased with concern, Lara cupped [Y/N]’s face, the pads of her thumbs stroking away the tears that she hadn’t even realized had fallen. When had she started crying?

“I promise you I’m never going to let that happen, alright? There’ve been so many times I shouldn’t have been able to survive, but I did. Like you said: I won’t go down without a fight. And now that I have you here, I have all the more reason to fight to stay alive. I couldn’t bear the thought of never coming home to you. Just…don’t ever worry about me not coming home, okay? One way or another, I’ll find a way to get back to you.”

Her tone softened with every passing word, her heart and mind filling with relief upon seeing a gentle smile grace [Y/N]’s lips. She returned her grin and leaned forward to rest their foreheads together. “Even if it means I have to admit to Jonah that I’m wrong,” she added with a fake annoyance and a small roll of her eyes. [Y/N] couldn’t help but chuckle at her words, allowing Lara to finally let out a small sigh of solace.

“I wouldn’t trade my time with you for anything,” she reassured, trading roles and pulling [Y/N] into her chest instead. “Not for an artifact, not for a trip to some uncharted land, not for my studies, not for anything. I know I may not be the best at showing it, but I truly love you, [Y/N]. I promise you that I’ll always find my way back to you.”

At her reassurance, [Y/N] nuzzled closer to focus in on her heartbeat, unable to bite back the wide smile that stretched across her lips. “I love you too,” she whispered.

Her words were true, she just wished she could find a way to prove it to her every day. Regardless of how invested she could get in her studies or research for her next expedition somewhere far away, she wouldn’t trade these moments of serenity for the world. She treasured them far more than any artifact she had discovered, and would do anything to ensure more of those memories could be made. Not even the strongest forces out there would stop her from returning to the one person she could call home, and she vowed, one way or another, to make sure it stayed that way for good.

#fluff #x reader #female reader #slight angst #tomb raider #rise of the tomb raider #shadow of the tomb raider #lara croft #lara croft x reader #lara croft x fem!reader #lara croft x female reader

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kckt88 · 5 months

Text

Love Me Harder.

Summary:

Daera Targaryen, wife of Aemond, is thrown into turmoil when she receives an anonymous letter detailing her husband's infidelity with a mysterious witch at Harrenhal named Alys Rivers. The letter, shrouded in secrecy, raises the doubts and suspicions in Daera's mind, and as she grapples with the shocking revelation, she then has to decide how she will address the potential betrayal that threatens to unravel her relationship with Aemond.

Warning(s): Angst, Hurt, Fear, Possible Cheating, Doubt, Kissing, Schemes, Obssession, Death, Smut – Fingering, Oral Sex (M & F Receiving), P in V Sex.

Word Count: 3620.

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!!

AEMOND x SISTER WIFE

Inspired by the song: ARIANA GRANDE & THE WEEKEND - LOVE ME HARDER.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the House of The Dragon or Fire & Blood characters nor do I claim to own them. I do not own any of the images used.

Comments, likes, and reblogs are very much appreciated.

Taglist: @immyowndefender, @iloveallmyboys, @snh96,

With trepidation, Daera unrolled the parchment, her eyes quickly scanning the words that accused her beloved husband, Aemond, of having an affair with Alys Rivers, the alleged strong bastard witch of Harrenhal.

A mixture of emotions coursed through Daera in a single moment - betrayal, anger, and a deep-seated sorrow that threatened to consume her. The flames in the hearth flickered, casting endless shadows that seemed to dance in mockery of her shattered world.

Tears welled in her violet eyes as she clutched the parchment to her chest. The once-unbreakable bond between her and Aemond now seemed like fragile glass, ready to shatter at the slightest touch.

The weight of the unborn child within her seemed to intensify, as if sharing in their mother's anguish.

In the cold silence of the chamber, Daera found herself at a crossroads, unsure of the path that lay ahead, torn between the love she once knew and the shadows that now threatened to engulf her world.

The news of Aemond’s alleged infidelity had spread around the Red Keep like wildfire, many pointed whispers and sympathetic glances has been cast in her direction and it made Daera want to scream.

Even their own mother, she had clutched her seven pointed star necklace and wept endlessly that her favourite son was a deviant just like Aegon, and their grandsire for the briefest of moments had let his mask slip and the sour disappointment poured from him like water.

The anonymous nature of the letter had left Daera torn between confronting Aemond or seeking the truth independently, but as the whispering increased Daera was left with little choice.

Determined to unveil the truth and confront the spectre of betrayal that haunted her, Daera prepared for a journey to Harrenhal.

So, with her decision made, Daera gently cradled her swollen belly as she mounted her fierce dragon, Cannibal.

The air hummed with anticipation as the colossal creature spread his leathery black wings, casting a far reaching shadow over the Red Keep.

The rumours of Aemond's alleged infidelity with Alys Rivers, had ignited a fiery resolve within Daera—a resolve that now propelled her and her dragon towards the seat of House Strong.

Even with the war raging-Daera was determined to seek the truth, her Cannibal would protect her, and he would exact fiery vengeance upon Aemond and Alys if the rumours were proved true.

Either that or she would split Aemond from cock to throat with his own dagger, whilst Alys watched.

As Cannibal soared through the skies, Daera gripped her dragon's spikes, her long braided silver hair whipping in the wind.

The Red Keep shrinking in the distance behind her.

The chill of the high altitude was nothing compared to the ice that gripped Daera's heart at the thought of the impending confrontation with Aemond and his witch.

As Cannibal glided through the sky, Daera's mind raced with a cacophony of emotions—betrayal, anger, and a motherly instinct to protect the unborn child growing within her.

A number of hours after leaving Kings Landing behind, Harrenhal emerged in the distance, its sprawling ruined towers cutting through the horizon like rotten jagged teeth.

Cannibal circled the blackened ruins a couple of times before landing within the castle's vast courtyard, the impact reverberating through the ancient stones.

Daera carefully dismounted, her violet eyes ablaze with determination as she spotted Ser Criston slowly walking towards her, the Hand of the King weary of the Cannibal who hovered protectively behind his rider.

“Princess, you should not be here”.

“No-I should not, but I need to see my husband” replied Daera as she slowly pulled off her leather gloves.

“His Grace is-“

“-Is what? Ser Criston, sequestered away in his chambers with his bastard witch” snapped Daera.

“You know of her?”

“Everyone knows of her-closeness to my husband” said Daera.

“Perhaps in your condition Princess you should not-“

“You will direct me to my husband Ser Criston, or I will have Cannibal burn you alive-I’m not in the mood” quipped Daera.

“As you wish Princess-this way” said Criston, eyeing the Cannibal with cautious fear.

The dragon was well known for his ferocious temper and his protective nature over his rider, she was the first to ever bond with the fearsome Cannibal and he was utterly devoted to her and if he percieved anyone as a threat he would react instantly.

Daera followed Ser Criston silently, curiously watching his white cloak brushing against the dirty floor with every step he took, it was a rather odd thing to focus on given the circumstances, but it served its purpose-a distraction from what she was no doubt about to face.

“Up there Princess-first door on the right” muttered Criston lowering his head as she walked past.

With each step, Daera ascended the winding stairs, her heart pounding in sync with the rhythmic sound of her boots against the stone floor.

The air within the tower grew heavy, fraught with tension as she approached the chamber where Ser Criston said her husband would be.

After taking a deep breath, Daera reached forward and pushed open the blackened wooden door that creaked loudly on its old, rusted hinges.

Aemond, startled by her sudden entrance, quickly rose from his seat, the dark haired Alys Rivers stared at her-a smirk plastered across her face.

The room shrouded in the eerie glow emanating from the fireplace.

A tense silence filled the room, broken only by the crackling of the hearth and the distant roars of Cannibal, still looming in the courtyard below.

“ābrazȳrys, what are you doing here?” asked Aemond (Wife).

“There has been a number of rumours about you taking another woman to your bed”.

“Daera I-“

"Aemond-Is it true? Have you been bedding Alys?" asked Daera her eyes glinting with a mixture of hurt and anger.

"Daera, you mustn't believe such baseless rumours. I am your husband, and I would never betray our marriage vows."

Daera however, was not easily swayed by her husband’s words.

"The rumours have grown too loud to be dismissed as baseless," replied Daera, her hand unconsciously resting on the swell of her belly. "I received an anonymous letter detailing secret meetings and whispered confessions. Tell me the truth Aemond”.

“Issa jorrāelagon, I swear to you on our blood and the honour of House Targaryen, I have not been unfaithful. I love you, and only you” replied Aemond firmly (My love).

“Making false statements based upon the sanctity of blood is dangerous my Prince” said Alys sweetly as she rose for her chair, the black fabric of her dress sweeping behind her like a giant shadow.

“False statements? I haven’t-“ exclaimed Aemond as he turned to face Alys.

“Sweet Princess, the truth often hides behind veils woven by those who fear them. Aemond may deny our connection, but the fire between us cannot be extinguished with mere words".

“Aemond what is she talking about?” asked Daera.

“She’s talking rubbish-don’t listen to her” urged Aemond.

"Aemond and I did share more than mere words, Princess. In the depths of the night, passion ignited between us like a wildfire. He may deny it to protect his honour, but I have no reason to lie” muttered Alys her gaze unwavering.

“I swear-I have not, Daera please-” said Aemond.

"-Love is a fickle thing. Perhaps your husband sought something in me that he could not find in you. Or perhaps destiny played a hand in our union,” said Alys.

“STOP LYING. We did not have an affair, and you know it. Why are you doing this?"

"Aemond, my love, you cannot deny what transpired between us. The passion we shared; the secrets whispered in the night – they are etched in the fabric of our souls” replied Alys a provocative smirk danced across her face.

"This is madness, Alys. I am married to Daera, and our union is bound by duty and love. I would never betray her, nor our family” said Aemond angrily, his jaw clenching.

"Love, duty – noble sentiments, but they pale in comparison to the fire that burns between us. You cannot deny the truth forever, my dragon” chuckled Alys, her laugh sending shivers down Aemond’s spine.

"Enough of these lies! What do you hope to gain by tarnishing my name and sowing discord between me and my wife” snapped Aemond his patience waning.

“Aemond-“ gasped Daera.

"I will not let your lies destroy everything I hold dear. I demand the truth, Alys. Why are you doing this?" gasped Aemond his frustration boiling over as he seized Alys by her shoulders.

“You” whispered Alys, her gaze mixed with defiance and desire.

“What?” exclaimed Aemond, releasing Alys and stepping away from her.

"I want you for myself. Daera is but a hindrance, a barrier between us. Our fates are intertwined, and the rumours were the key to breaking the chains that bind you”.

“You're the one who sent the letter” said Daera, her voice sharp with accusation.

"You would tarnish my name, destroy my marriage, all for your own selfish desires?"

"Love makes warriors of us all, Aemond. I would tear down the walls that keep us apart. The whispers were my way of bringing you to me, unencumbered by the burdens of your marriage” muttered Alys now circling Aemond like a predator closing in on its prey.

“Our marriage is not a burden-“ snapped Daera, taking a step towards Alys, but Aemond shook his head, warning her away.

"I saw it in the flames. A vision of a child, a child of fire and blood, born of the union between a dragon prince and a sorceress. It is our destiny, our legacy” said Alys her green eyes glinting in the darkness.

“I already have a child on the way” said Aemond, his eye never leaving Alys.

“-It matters not, mistakes can be taken care off”.

“N-No” muttered Daera as she cradled her swollen stomach protectively.

"From the moment you arrived on the back of Vhagar, I knew. The flames spoke to me, foretelling a union that would change the course of history. I have watched you, yearned for you, and the whispers were but a means to bring us together” urged Alys.

"My duty lies with my wife and the child she carries” retorted Aemond.

"Aemond, the power we could wield, the legacy we could leave. It surpasses the bonds of marriage and duty. Our child would be a beacon, a symbol of the union between dragon and magic” said Alys rubbing her palms together.

"Your visions and desires do not absolve you of the harm you've caused. I will do what I must in order to protect my family from this madness”.

“You seemed to enjoy my madness when it brought you victory” snarked Alys.

“Not at the cost of my marriage, I have no desire to sully myself with the likes of you”.

Undeterred by his resistance, Alys approached him with an otherworldly grace.

"As I said, whispers were but a means to an end. A way to break the chains that bound you to Daera. Our union would birth a new era, a dynasty unmatched in power and glory."

"I will not let you destroy my wife and tarnish the honour of House Targaryen. Our blood is sacred, not a pawn in your twisted games” said Aemond, stepped back, his resolve unwavering.

Alys watched with wild fury, as Aemond embraced his wife, his hands cupping her face gently.

“I’m sorry, my love. I should never should have doubted you” exclaimed Daera.

“Issa prūmia, it's not your fault. Alys manipulated us all, and the rumours were a poison none of us could escape” replied Aemond pressing a kiss to his wife’s lips (My heart).

"No, Aemond. I should have trusted you, and believed in the love that has bound us. Instead, I let the shadows take hold. For that, I am truly sorry” sobbed Daera, tears rolling down her pale cheeks.

“Our love is stronger than the schemes of those who seek to tear us apart” whispered Aemond wiping away his wife’s tears.

"I was blind to the truth, but now, I see. We cannot let Alys Rivers' deceit define us. Our family and our child, deserves better” replied Daera, pressing her face into Aemonds shoulder and inhaling his familiar scent.

"We will rebuild, Daera. Stronger than before. The flame that binds us will endure”.

Alys scoffed at the declarations of love and forgiveness. This was not how it was supposed to be, Aemond belonged to her, not his silver haired bitch.

As the minutes passed Alys, grew more envious and resentful, her mind screaming at her to rid Aemond of his wife once and for all, so she drew a concealed dagger from the folds of her dark garments. The cold steel glinted ominously in the flickering torchlight as she advanced with malicious intent.

“You stole him from me. He was mine, and you took him away” hissed Alys, the venom in her words cutting through the silence.

With a feral snarl, she lunged at Daera, the dagger gleaming in the dim light.

Aemond, fuelled by a potent mixture of anger and determination, turned sharply, and withdrew his sword, clashing blades with Alys, the clang of connecting steel echoing around the chamber.

Alys rounded on Aemond her green eyes alight with fury, she let out a roar of rage and lunged forward, waving the dagger wildly in front of her.

“If I can’t have you-then no one can” screamed Alys.

In a surge of fury, he parried her frenzied attacks, his eye ablaze with a determination to end the twisted game Alys had orchestrated.

Daera watched as Aemond engaged Alys with his steel, he was skilled with the blade and could have ended her in seconds, but he seemed to be toying with her, almost deriving some sort of pleasure from allowing her to believe she had a chance.

Eventually Aemond grew bored with Alys and with a swift and precise movement, his sword found its mark, piercing through Alys's defences. The room echoed with the clang of metal, followed by a haunting silence.

Alys, her eyes widening in disbelief, crumpled to the cold stone floor, her hands pressing against the oozing wound.

"You sought to taint the honour of my house, to use my blood for your selfish desires, "I will not allow it" declared Aemond, his voice cutting through the silence.

Alys, defeated and gasping for breath, met Aemond's gaze.

“You're a manipulator, Alys, a puppeteer pulling the strings of our lives for your own whims. You've endangered my family, and the life of my child”.

"Love and power often come at a cost. But with me, you could’ve had everything” chuckled Alys, her wheezing laughter echoing through the chamber.

“I already have everything” said Aemond firmly.

Daera sat on the bed and watched the blood pooling around Alys, her crackled wheezes still emanating round the chamber.

“I-I spent nights laying in that bed, wishing to hold you were here with me”.

“I’m with you now” replied Daera.

Aemond smiled slightly as he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers.

His heart was pounding in his chest, it had been so long since he’d experienced any form of intimacy and the mere touch of his wife’s lips upon his was enough to reignite that spark in his blood.

He wanted her, in every way possible. He wanted to sink his cock into her and bask in the feeling of her wet heat wrapped around him once again.

“W-What about?-” asked Daera cautiously as she looked over Alys’ prone bleeding body.

“-Let her hear what she could never have” growled Aemond, his voice low and raspy.

Her first thought was to refuse, it would not be proper to fuck her husband in the company of another, but her second thought was to allow Aemond to give her every ounce of pleasure that she’d sorely missed in the weeks they’d been apart, and the vindictive part of her wanted that witch to hear how Aemond would make her beg for his cock, she wanted Alys to hear every single moan, gasp and plea before she eventually succumbed to her wounds.

So, Daera shimmed out of her riding gear and laid on the bed. Her body had of course changed over the weeks they were apart and Aemond’s eye hungrily devoured the curves and comfortable roundness.

Aemond discarded his clothes double-quick and gently laid down next to her. His mouth claimed hers and his teeth pulled at her plump bottom lip.

Moving his hand down her body, he slid two long fingers into her cunny and speared them in and out of her at a slow gentle pace.

His palm bumped against her clit with each movement of his hand.

“Oh, Aemond” moaned Daera desperately.

Aemond withdrew his hand from her wet centre and manoeuvred himself down the bed, leaving a trail of wet kisses on her skin, as he reached his desired destination he hooked his hands around her thighs, and his mouth descended on her cunny.

Ravenously, he pressed into her core with his tongue. Daera clutched at his head with one hand, whilst her other hand fisted the sheet.

Aemond withdrew from her soaking wet core and lashed hard at her clitoris with his tongue, pulling on it with his lips. He was hard, fast, and brutal, alternating between her assaulted bundle of nerves and drinking deep from her cunny.

Daera ground down on Aemond, his tongue speared deeper inside her, as she felt the warm curl of her peak approach.

Yet Aemond withdrew and Daera whimpered with frustration at the denial of her peak.

“So wet for me” muttered Aemond, his voice husky.

"P-Please Aemond. I-I need you” moaned Daera.

Aemond smiled as he turned her over to her side and began suckling on her exposed neck.

"I want to feel you come all over my cock" growled Aemond.

Aemond lifted her leg and slowly slid his cock into her cunny.

Daera grabbed hold of the sheet, and closed her eyes, letting out a gratifying moan.

Reaching back, she entwined her fingers into his long silver hair and whimpered, "More, Give me more".

Once Aemond was fully sheathed, he carefully grasped hold of her waist and started to slowly thrust into her.

"Daera, my sweet wife. How I’ve missed the feeling of your tight wet cunny squeezing my cock” exclaimed Aemond, his hot breath caressing her neck.

After weeks without her delectable body to satisfy his ravenous sexual appetite, Aemond felt the need for release quickly spread across his body.

Daera was so wet that he almost lost his grip and slipped out, but he managed to remain ensconced within her as he continued to thrust into her sweet tight cunt.

The sweat off her back rubbed against his chest and her moans and muffled groans were sweet music to his ears.

Aemond snaked a hand between her legs and rubbed her clit repeatedly until the rise of heat engulfed her and toppled her right off the edge.

"Aemond, don't stop, my love" gasped Daera, her cunny clenching his cock.

“Fuck, Daera. Yes, that’s it” moaned Aemond thrusting one final time as he exploded deep inside her, rope after rope of his seed painting her inner walls.

Aemond buried his face in her shorter silver hair and breathed in her familiar scent.

As he went to pull his softened cock from her, Daera stopped him.

“Let’s just stay like this a little longer. Please”

Aemond nodded and pressed closer to his wife’s warm body.

A feeling of pure love shot through him, as he nuzzled the back of her neck with his nose.

“You have no idea how many nights I dreamt of you, wishing that you were in my arms again” whispered Aemond.

“I had those same dreams my love” replied Daera, sighing with contentment.

She was back in her husband’s arms, and she never wanted to leave.

Eventually Aemond pulled his softened cock from his wife and pressed a kiss to her shoulder.

Daera cupped her round stomach and slowly rolled onto her back.

Aemond placed his hand on her stomach and smiled as he felt the movement within, their little dragon, he couldn’t wait to hold his babe in his arms.

“D-Do you think she’s dead?”

“Hm” muttered Aemond as he slowly rose from the bed and pulled on his breeches.

Alys’ eyes stared unblinking at the ceiling, her chest no longer moving. Aemond gently nudged her with his foot, and she remained unmoved.

“She’s dead” said Aemond as he reached down and closed Alys’ eyelids.

“Mayhaps we should have her removed from here” suggested Daera.

“I will request-“ muttered Aemond as an urgent banging sound on the door interrupted him.

Aemond hesitated for a brief moment so Daera could properly cover herself with a sheet.

“Your Grace”

“Cole-“ said Aemond as he wrenched open the door.

“Apologise for interrupting but-is she dead?” asked Criston as he spotted Alys.

“Yes, never mind about her-what’s wrong?” questioned Aemond.

“A raven has arrived-Kings Landing has fallen“.

#house of the dragon #aemond targaryen #hotd aemond #aemond fanfiction #hotd fanfic #aemond x oc #aemond fic #aemond x original female character #hotd fic #aemond #aemond one eye #aemond smut #prince aemond #aemond targaryen x oc #hotd smut #hotd #alys rivers

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bestiarium · 2 months

Text

The Zhujian [Chinese mythology]

According to the ancient Chinese Shan Hai Jing (the ‘classic of mountains and seas’), there is a place called Single-Sheet Mountain. The location of this mountain, if it even corresponds to a real-life place, is unclear, but it features a desolated high-altitude landscape where no trees or other plants grow.

Several strange creatures call these heights home, one of which is the Zhujian. The most striking characteristic of this bizarre beasts is its human head, while its body resembles that of a leopard. It has a singular eye in the middle of its face, and its ears resemble those of an ox. The Zhujian has a remarkably long tail, which it holds in its mouth when moving. When the creature sits down, its long tail is coiled.

Not much is known about these creatures, but the Shan Hai Jing also mentions that it is known for making angry shouts.

Source: Strassberg, R. E., 2002, A Chinese Bestiary: Strange creatures from the Guideways through the Mountains and Seas, 313 pp., p.123-124. (image source: SUGA良仁 on Artstation)

#Chinese mythology #monsters #mythical creatures #creatures #mythology

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apod · 1 year

Photo

2023 March 28

A Multiple Green Flash Sunset Image Credit & Copyright: T. Slovinský & P. Horálek (IoP Opava); CTIO, NOIRLab, NSF, AURA

Explanation: Yes, but can your green flash do this? A green flash at sunset is a rare event that many Sun watchers pride themselves on having seen. Once thought to be a myth, a green flash is now understood to occur when the Earth's atmosphere acts like both a prism and a lens. Different atmospheric layers create altitude-variable refraction that takes light from the top of the Sun and disperses its colors, creates two images, and magnifies it in just the right way to make a thin sliver appear green just before it disappears. Pictured, though, is an even more unusual sunset. From the high-altitude Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile one day last April, the Sun was captured setting beyond an atmosphere with multiple distinct thermal layers, creating several mock images of the Sun. This time and from this location, many of those layers produced a green flash simultaneously. Just seconds after this multiple-green-flash event was caught by two well-surprised astrophotographers, the Sun set below the clouds.

∞ Source: apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230328.html

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unhappycylinder · 1 year

Text

Gonna Be Trouble (Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin x Reader) Part 2

Summary: You watch Jake’s demo at the air show before going on your date and visiting one of your favorite spots from high school

Warnings: fluff, swearing, SMUT (minors DNI, pinv unprotected, fingering, dirty talk, car sex, idk what else to say its naughty)

Word Count: 3464

Part 1 Part 3

“Ladies and gentlemen please welcome our next demo team brought to you by your very own United States Navy,” the announcer began from his podium in front of the bleachers as the F-22 demo team landed behind him, “the F/A-18 Super Hornet!”

Just as he finished, Jake’s jet roared through the sky just above the runway, starting up into a steep climb to kick off the demo. As he flew, the announcer narrated each and every move, and you couldn’t help but be impressed by Jake’s flying.

“This F-18 is flown by Lieutenant Jake Seresin, callsign Hangman, from North Island Naval Air Station. He is a combat veteran with over 3,000 hours logged in the F-18 over ten years of service.” You listened intently as they described Jake to the crowd, trying to absorb every detail you could about him before your supposed date tonight.

“Now for his final demonstration of today, Lieutenant Seresin will execute a high speed pass at less than 200 feet altitude. He will be traveling at over 700 miles per hour as he flies over the crowd one last time today! Watch your hats ladies and gents, cause this one is gonna be fast!”

Once again, right on cue, Jake sped over the crowd from behind, shaking the ground and making most of the spectators jump. You felt your stomach drop as he passed over, it was thrilling, especially since you knew the man flying.

He circled the mountains behind the base to slow down before landing on the runway. There was an intermission before the Thunderbirds performed in two hours so you had plenty of time to figure out what the hell was happening with Jake before the crowds got insane for the hometown heroes. You grabbed your water bottle and jacket from the ground and started walking towards where the F-18 would be parking shortly. Jake was still taxiing and was making his way down the lane closest to the crowd, waving to kids at the fence with his canopy open and mask off, showing that million dollar smile. You couldn’t help but get butterflies as you watched him. He spotted you behind the crowd of children and photographers and pointed to you, causing a good amount of the crowd to turn around and stare at you just in time to see you blush a deep red. Then he blew you a kiss, which made you blush even more, before you lifted up your hand and blew one back to him. It was cheezy but he pretended to grab the kiss and stuff it into his pocket, returning to waving at the kids once again. Some of the moms looked insanely jealous, while some of the others gave you sweet smiles and waves.

Jake was doing his post-flight with his team at the edge of the airshow while you explored the other planes parked nearby. There was a piper cub, a P-51, and a Texan, all of which you adored seeing out on display, talking to the pilots and asking them a million questions. You were in depth in conversation with the owner of the piper when you felt a strong arm wrap around your shoulders and pull you in for a small side hug. Looking up you found the gorgeous Jake Seresin looking down at you, aviators on to disguise the lines on his face from his oxygen mask.

“Nice flying up there hotshot,” you said, Jake chuckled and squeezed you a little tighter.

“Thanks darlin, tried to put on a good show for you”

“Well you did, I was thoroughly impressed,” you said, turning to face him.

“Oh god, don’t stroke his ego too much, his head’s gonna fly off” a female voice said from behind you. Jake looked up from you and you turned around to see a woman with dark hair in aviators and a flight suit identical to Jake’s.

“Credit where credit’s due, Phoenix,” Jake said in a cocky tone, throwing an arm around your shoulders again, pulling your back flush with his body.

Phoenix took her sunglasses off and rolled her eyes at Jake. She gestured toward you with the hand holding the glasses, “this your girl Bagman, the one you wouldn’t shut up about?”

“Indeed she is, except she’s not my girl…yet,” you could feel him smirking at that last word.

Phoenix held out her hand and smiled at you, “anyone crazy enough to pursue Seresin has my full respect…Lieutenant Natasha Trace”

You shook her hand and smiled back at her, “pleasure to meet you, I’m y/n. You’re a pilot too I see?”

“Yep. Navy’s got me stuck with this asshole, making sure he doesn’t crash the jet during his demos. Before that we were at Top Gun together…twice!” She leaned in closer to whisper to you, still loud enough for Jake to hear, “I seriously can’t get rid of him, I’m begging you please take him off my hands”

“Alright alright that’s enough shit talkin’ for one day.” Hangman pulled you closer

“Top Gun? You went to Top Gun!” You practically yelled, jumping out of Jake’s arms and facing him, Phoenix chuckled.

“Y’all have a lot of catching up to do, I’m gonna leave you to it. Mostly because I can’t stand to hear Hangman talk about himself…makes me sick,” Phoenix turned to walk away, “Nice to meet you y/n, good luck with the king of all dickheads!”

“Ignore her,” Jake said shaking his head.

“No no no, I think I like her, I mean she’s got all the dirt about you that I’m just dying to hear,” you smiled, playing with the chest pocket of his flightsuit.

“Please can I take you out now,” Jake begged, “so I can tell you everything before Phoenix rubbs off on you too much and you never listen to me again”

“Lead the way Mr. Top Gun,” you grabbed his hand and gestured for him to take you to wherever the hell he planned on taking you.

—

“These stories better be good Jake, I’m missing the Thunderbirds for this,” you said, taking the beer from his hand as slid into the booth next to you.

“Oh please, like you haven’t seen them a million times,” he chuckled, throwing an arm over your shoulders.

“Not since I started college,” you sipped your beer, “its been three years”

“College huh? How old does that make you then?” He tensed up a bit.

“Relax,” you settled into his embrace, “I’m 21, almost 22.”

“You’re just a little thing,” he took a swig and shook his head, “deeefinitely gonna be trouble”

“What? Is that a problem?” You turned to face him, sitting with your legs propped in front of you on the booth seat.

“No, I mean you’re more than a whole decade younger than me…just don’t want to make you uncomfortable”

“Jake,” you leaned forward, resting your head on your knees, “I’m very comfortable, and I want to be here, really bad, but only if you want me to be here too,” you looked up at him with doe eyes.

“Darlin’ I wanted to get you to myself the second I saw you walk up to my jet this morning,” he lifted a hand up to your cheek and drew his thumb over it in little circles, you melted into his touch

“You’re absolutely gorgeous, you know that sweetheart?” He set his beer down and turned to face you straight on in the booth, you lifted your head up from his hand

“You know you’re the first guy to ever tell me that actually”

“I don’t believe that for a second Y/n, those college boys just don’t have their shit straight”

“Jake I literally thought I was gonna throw up when you asked me out today because of how astronomically out of my league you are. If anything’s hard to believe, its whatever you’re saying,” you turned to grab your beer but were stopped by Jake’s hand on your cheek again. He gently turned you to face him before placing his other hand on your other cheek, squeezing slightly so your lips pouted as you stared at him confused.

“Y/n L/n I swear to God if I hear you put yourself down one more time I’m never gonna buy you another drink again, and you don’t know how damn bad I want to keep buying you anything you want just to keep you close to me”

You blinked harshly in absolute awe of what Jake was saying.

“Can I kiss you,” you asked quietly through your squished cheeks

Jake leaned in, resting his forehead against yours and moving his hands down to cup your jaw, your lips parted in anticipation.

“No,” he said quietly, you furrowed your brow, “not here. A first kiss has to be somewhere special.”

“Damn you Jake Seresin,” you laughed, “follow me, now its my turn to take you out.”

—

“Okay turn left up here,” you pointed through the dry pine trees to a small dirt trail on the side of the mountain road.

“Onto that janky dirt path? Y/n are you trying to break my rental truck?”

“It’s a truck isnt it Jake? Can’t it handle a bit of offroading? Plus I used to do this all the time in my camry, you’re fine I promise”

“Woman,” he turned onto the road, immediately jostling the both of you around as you drove over the rocks and through the dips, “you drove this? In a camry?”

“Come on you fly F-18s for a living and this little dirt road is getting to you?”

Jake chuckled at you, “Nothing but trouble.”

There was a clearing in the trees ahead, you pointed to it, “Stop up there, that’s our destination Lieutenant”

He looked over at you briefly before turning back to the road. You had taken him to a lookout on Mount Charleston where you could see the entire city. Plus the sun was just beginning to set below the mountains on the other side of the valley, making the Vegas sky light up all sorts of pinks and oranges.

Jake put the car in park and leaned forward on the wheel, admiring the sunset above him through the windshield. You were already stepping out of the car, “view’s better from out here, I promise”

You walked up to the stone wall at the cliff edge, crossing your arms over your body for warmth and admiring your hometown, closing your eyes as the mountain breeze hit you and welcomed you home.

You felt warm arms creep around your sides under your own, pulling you tightly against Jake’s chest. He rested his chin on your head and breathed a deep breath.

“Nice right?” you asked

“It’s beautiful, must have been a fun place to grow up”

“It was fun, but definitely crazy. I made use of this place a lot as an escape, its special”

“Absolutely is,” he said as he turned you around to face him, sliding his arms around your waist and pulling your fronts flush. You put your arms up around his neck and played with his hair.

You two stood there for a moment just looking at each other and listening to the wind in the trees before Jake began to lean down towards your face. You closed your eyes as his cheek brushed against yours, parting your lips once again

“You picked a good spot, Smalls,” he whispered in your ear making you giggle, you liked the nickname. Your laugh was interrupted by Jake’s warm lips against your own. The kiss was deep and full of love, his lips gently moving to explore yours, you doing the same in return. After a few seconds he pulled away and looked down at you, his blue eyes burning into your own. He let out a big sigh and looked up towards the pink sky

“What?” you asked, leaning your chin on his chest

“This is it,” he said to the sky

“What’s it?”

“This,” he looked back down at you, lifting his hand to tuck a strand of your hair behind your ear, “you. You’re it for me.”

Your blush must have matched the color of the sky and you broke out into a crazy smile.

“Yeah I think I’m all set here too,” you smiled up at him. He leant down and kissed you again, this time with tongue, and his hands gripped your jaw and your hair as he kissed you with more passion than anyone ever had before.

“Do people come to this place often?” Jake asked, quickly pulling out of the kiss and looking around

“No, never. I’ve never seen another person here. Why?”

“Just wondering if anyone’s gonna walk in on us in the truckbed anytime soon,” he said as he grabbed you by the hand and pulled you towards his truck.

“Jake Seresin!” You yelled and laughed as you followed him.

—

Jake grabbed some blankets from the backseat of his rental and laid them in the bed of the truck before helping you in and laying you down. He climbed on top of you, putting his knee in between your legs and his hands on either side of your head. You stared up at him, nervous but comfortable.

“Is this okay?” He asked before he moved to do anything

“Yes, absolutely,” he came down and started kissing your neck, “its just,” he stopped instantly and looked you right in the eyes, “I haven’t really done this much before, so I’m sorry if I’m like inexperienced”

He sighed and smiled, “Y/n, sweetheart, my gorgeous girl, there’s nothing to be sorry about. I’ve got y’a, we can go slow, you just let me know if anything’s uncomfortable for you okay darlin’?”

You just pulled him down into a deep passionate kiss, sticking your tongue into his mouth and gripping at his hair and his shirt collar as you made out.

Jake started lifting up your shirt, you nodded between kisses to let him know to keep going. He pulled your shirt up over your head and threw it to the side in the truckbed, looking down at your bra with awe as he straddled your hips.

“Absolutely perfect,” he said as he ran his hands down your chest and then stopping at your waist.

“Now its my turn,” you said back, pulling his shirt up over his head, revealing his perfect abs and his dogtags dangling over your face. You ran a hand over his stomach, he smiled down at you as you admired him.

“Fuck me,” you whispered to yourself in awe of his body, but he definitely heard you,

“If you insist,” he said as he scooped you up by your waist and brought you into another deep kiss, your chests flush against each other. One of his hands reached around you and unclasped your bra, you helped him pull it off your body and throw it next to your shirt. His hands immediately went to your breasts, playing with one in each hand as he glanced down in between kisses.

“I need you,” he growled, looking up into your eyes. All you could do was nod.

He laid you back down under him as he pulled your leggings and underwear off before undressing himself, throwing your clothes into the pile. He reached a hand down to your core and looked to you for confirmation, you nodded again. He slid a finger up and down your folds before inserting one into you and pumping it a few times, making you gasp.

“You okay sweetheart?” He asked, planting a kiss on your forehead

“Yes Jake, yes, please just fuck me” you threw your head back in pleasure.

“As you wish ma’am”

Jake pulled his finger out of you and positioned himself in between your legs, pulling your hips up to meet his before sliding the tip of his cock into you. You tenset at the feeling and threw your head back again.

“I’m gonna go real slow darlin’ and you tell me if you need me to stop,” Jake caressed your thighs

“No,” you practically begged, “no slow. Jake I told you to fuck me”

Lust filled his eyes and he immediately thrust into you, filling you up as he bottomed out. You let out a yelp and looked at him, nodding to him to continue.

Jake thrust into you slowly at first, then harder and faster as he realized just how much you liked it.

He pulled your knees up over his shoulders and wrapped his arms around your legs, you reached your arms out to grab ahold of his forearms. He began to thrust into you faster and harder, letting out groans and moans that only made you get even more wet for him.

“Such a good girl,” he growled, “so wet, so good, you’re doing perfect sweetheart”

“Jake I can’t last much longer,” you whined

“Let go baby, go ahead, cum for me”

You moaned his name as you came on his cock, pushing him over the edge as you felt him twitch and fill you up with his seed. You clenched your eyes shut as you threw your head back again. Jake pulled himself out of you and crawled on top of you, planting kissed from your stomach to your lips. He kissed you tenderly and cupped your cheek, you looked up at him.

“My perfect girl, you are amazing”

You chuckled, “says you honey, I’ve never felt like that before”

“You better get used to it, I’m not going anywhere for a long long time”

You kissed him again, grabbing at his biceps and his neck. When he pulled away you started to shiver, which he noticed instantly.

“We should probably get you warmed up darlin’, it got cold,” he began, “and dark too,” he chuckled while looking up at the sky, now covered with stars.

Jake cleaned you up and handed you your clothes as he stood up by the side of the truck and put his undershirt and flightsuit back on, not pulling it up past his waist, a look which made you desperate for round two.

You were pulling your shirt over your head when some light caught your eye. Your pants were on but your shoes were barely hanging off your feet and your makeup and hair looked like you just got your brains fucked out, which you did, and Jake was hardly looking his best either (yet still perfect somehow of course).

The lights belonged to a car coming down the same dirt road you and Jake had used. Jake came around to your side of the car, closing the truckbed hatch on the way, placing his hand on the small of your back.

“Get in,” he said into your ear as he helped you into your side of the car before rushing around to his and getting in. He started it immediately and pulled around so you and the mystery car were going head to head. As the lights got closer you realized it was a forest service officer car. Jake put his hand on your thigh, he could tell you were feeling tense.

The officer pulled up next to you as you passed and stopped, signaling for Jake to roll down his window.

“Evenin’ officer” Jake said with a nod

“Evenin’ what are you folks doing out here?” The officer asked

“Oh just admiring the view, its magnificent,” Jake said, squeezing your leg, you smiled at the officer

“Ah alright, alright. This late?”

“Yes sir, wanted to see if we could catch some stars or meteors or anything.” Jake was quick.

“I see. Well, forest service roads are closed to the public after dusk, so I’m gonna have to ask y’all to hop back on the main road”

“Not a problem at all sir, we’ll be on our way”

“Alright, you kids be safe, have a good night,” the officer responded, rolling up his window.

“Easy peasy, he didn’t suspect a thing” Jake smiled at himself as he drove down the road

“He knew,” you said, “he most definitely knew”

“No! No way!” Jake said “you think he could tell?”

“Jake, babe, look at the state I’m in,” you giggled

“Oh shit,” Jake said, registering your raccoon eyes and tangled hair, “yeah you look like you just got fucked”

“He could tell.” You said, looking forward

“Yep, he could tell,” Jake agreed, rubbing your thigh and chuckling.

You two drove the rest of the way to your hotel with Jake’s hand on your thigh, your hand on top of his, and soft country music playing on the radio. This man was gonna be the death of you, you were already head over heels for him.

Taglist:

@luckyladycreator2

#jake seresin x reader #jake seresin #jake 'hangman' seresin #navy #top gun #top gun maverick

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flavinbagel · 2 months

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30th June, 1973 - BAC Aérospatiale Concorde 001 F-WTSS as it flies from the Canary Islands to Chad chasing the Path of Totality of a solar eclipse at supersonic speed.

More details about this image under break.

F-WTSS, unit 001, was the first of two prototype models built, and was the first Concorde ever to fly on 2nd March 1969. Though its components differed significantly from those of production Concordes and it never saw commercial service, F-WTSS enjoyed sporadic operation in the early 70s for various high speed and high altitude scientific testing.

One such scientific mission occurred in 1973 during a total solar eclipse over the equatorial Atlantic and Saharan Africa. The airframe was modified to include four portholes in the ceiling, enabling scientists onboard to observe and record the total eclipse, which from the ground would last a crazy long seven minutes. With its cruising speed of 202% the speed of sound (about 1,400mph/2,250kph), the Concorde could happily chase the moon's shadow across the surface of the earth, enabling its occupants to experience an unprecedented 74 minutes of totality.

Additionally, from the jet's crusing altitude of 60,000 ft above sea level, the clarity of the eclipse was unlike any experienced before. Combined with the extended time, this flight provided more scientific data on solar activity than any single solar eclipse could have previously. And here, in this photo, most likely taken through a telescope by Arthur Gibson, such a special event was captured at an absolutely precisely perfect moment, with the mighty jet passing just over the "diamond ring" at the very edge of the totality.

No Concorde has flown since 2003. Unit 001, F-WTSS, now sits in a museum in Bourget, France, still outfitted with its eclipse-viewing portholes. No aircraft flying today has the availability or the onboard space to host a scientific venture while keeping up with an eclipse, as the few fast enough are all military with very small crew spaces and "better" things to do than conduct civillian science. No civilian jet today flies this fast, or this high, and it's not even close. That's why this photo feels so incredibly important to me: not only is it a one-in-a-million snap of a rare event, it's also a great shot of something that will never happen again.

(At least not any time soon.)

Image is as featured in The Smithsonian Book of Flight, Walter J. Boyne, published 1987 by Smithsonian Books, p. 231. Photographed by Arthur Gibson.

#eclipse #solar eclipse #concorde #photo #astronomy #astrophotography #flambles #aviation #science history #supersonic

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usafphantom2 · 5 months

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How the advances of the 'Jet Age' helped five military planes break aviation records

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 12/18/2023 - 00:16in History, Military

The post-war era saw tens of thousands of fighters and bombers produced around the world. These five were revolutionaries.

The post-war era saw technological advances that made warplanes exponentially more powerful than before. Jet engines, radars and guided missiles made individual planes faster, more capable and more lethal than a squadron or more of its wartime equivalents. These advances in the "Jet Age" have led to some record advances - and breaking records.

Here are five military aircraft that have reached new heights in the areas of air combat, engine power, payload, resistance and large number built.

Air-Air Combat Champion

Just 20 years after the end of World War II, the Vietnam War produced many surprises for the United States. The poor performance of third-generation fighters, such as the F-4 Phantom II and the F-105 Thunderchief, in air-to-air combat, against a smaller military power equipped with inferior aircraft, led engineers who designed fourth-generation fighters to again emphasize maneuverability rather than speed.

The F-15 Eagle was designed purely as an aerial superiority fighter, with the design team operating under the principle of "not a kilo for air-to-ground", which meant that the plane was designed entirely for air-to-air combat, not to drop bombs. As a result, the F-15 has an incredible record of 104-0 in air combat, with 104 enemy aircraft shot down and zero Eagle losses. (However, the F-15s were lost due to ground-to-air missile firing, including a 2018 incident in Yemen).

youtube

This is probably the permanent record for a combat plane anywhere, at any time in history, in air-to-air combat. The alleged slaughter, on October 20, of a Houthi cruise missile by a Saudi fighter, probably carried out by an F-15, would indisputably be considered as another slaughter.

Climb time

Sukhoi P-42, the Su-27 nicknamed Streak Flanker.

In addition to maneuverability, one of the most useful attributes of a jet fighter is the engine power. A fast jet with high acceleration capacity can approach the enemy faster, maneuver to an advantageous position more quickly and escape faster if necessary. Above all, it can gain altitude faster, which gives the fighter pilot not only a positional advantage, but also energy to spend on maneuvers.

In the 1970s, an F-15 Eagle nicknamed "Streak Eagle" reached an altitude record of 98,425 feet in just 3 minutes and 27.8 seconds after the brake was released on takeoff.

youtube

Even so, it had enough momentum to continue to climb to almost 103,000 feet before going down. The Streak Eagle also set a climbing record of 15,000 meters (49,212 feet) in 77.02 seconds.

In the 1980s, a modified Sukhoi Su-27 "Flanker" jet fighter, designated P-42, easily broke the record of 15,000 meters of the F-15, reaching the same altitude in 70.33 seconds.

Higher payload of bomber

After World War II, the jet engine quickly replaced the piston engines. Jet engines could provide much more thrust, allowing heavier and faster aircraft and heavier payloads. The bombers, in particular, saw the amount of bombs they could carry fire. The B-52, first flown in 1952, broke records, with a single bomber capable of carrying the same cargo as two B-17 bomber squadrons.

The B-52 is the all-time champion in bomb payloads, with the manufacturer Boeing reporting that it can carry an impressive 70,000 pounds. Of the 76 B-52 bombers in service, 36 are capable of carrying up to 36 cruise missiles with AGM-86B nuclear warhead each.

All B-52s can carry GPS-guided JDAM bombs, laser-guided Paveway pumps, conventionally armed JASSM-ER cruise missiles, LRASM anti-ship missiles, Harpoon anti-ship missiles, Quickstrike naval mines and common and unguided "durre" bombs.

Flight without longer refueling

All aircraft are restricted by distance and altitude. Factors such as payloads, climate and crew resistance can also affect the time a plane can remain in the air. Aircraft without pilots and without the life support equipment necessary to keep a pilot alive can dedicate this payload or range, giving unmanned aircraft a range advantage over manned aircraft. Therefore, it is no surprise that the military plane with a world record for non-stop flight does not even have a pilot.

In 2013, a U.S. Air Force high-altitude and long-term RQ-4 Global Hawk reconnaissance drone took off from Grand Forks Air Base and remained in the air for a record 34.3 hours. The aircraft, known as "Lady Hawk", also set an aircraft record with flight crew and exclusively female support.

Most produced combat jet

If you want to look for the most produced jet fighter of all time, there are only two candidate countries: the United States and the former Soviet Union. The two countries were superpowers that led opposing blocks during the Cold War, and armed and equated not only their allies in NATO and the Warsaw Pact, but also non-allied friendly states. Although countries like France and Sweden built very good fighters, they did not even have close to the customer base ready for a superpower.

The most produced jet fighter is the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21. Known as "Fishbed" by NATO, the MiG-21 was a fighter optimized for air-to-air combat, but it was also capable of limited air-to-ground missions. The jet was elegant and similar to a dart, with short and stuffy wings and an air intake from the engine in the nose. The fighter could reach a maximum speed of Mach 2 and carry up to four short-range infrared teleguided air-to-air missiles.

According to the most detailed count available, the USSR built at least 10,158 MiG-21 jets, making it the most numerous fighter of the post-war era. The MiG-21 is also officially recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records in the category of largest production of military jet aircraft.

Source: Popular Mechanics

Tags: Military AviationHISTORY

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Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. He uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

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blueiskewl · 1 year

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Ancient Roman Shrine To Mountain Gods Discovered In The Alps

Slogging away on years-long excavations in the scorching desert or freezing English rain, just hoping to find a tiny clue about ancient burial rites or something – only for some rando to wander up a mountain one day and accidentally stumble upon a long-lost shrine to the Ancient Roman mountain gods.

“We do find single Roman coins occasionally in the Alps, but this site is unusual because of the amount of coins and the location,” Regula Gubler, scientific project manager on the archeological team that’s been investigating the site since 2022.

“We are only at the beginning of the investigations, but we think it is a holy place,” she explained. “[P]eople went [there] to deposit votive offerings – mainly coins, but also other objects – asking the deities for things or thanking them […] I guess a kind of pilgrimage.”

The first sign that something interesting might have been going on in the area came back in 2020, when a stray hiker happened across a single ancient coin buried amongst the rubble.

After reporting the find to local authorities, however, it became apparent that this high-altitude site was hiding a lot more than just a few bits of dropped change. So far, the team has discovered 100 ancient Roman coins, 59 Roman shoe nails, 27 small rock crystals, a brooch, and a fragment of a leaf-shaped votive plaque.

But at 2,590 meters (nearly 8,500 feet) above sea level, and well clear of established passing places, the site proved difficult to reach even for the modern excavation team. “[It] is far from human habitation, today and in Roman times [...] and definitely not a pass,” Gubler told Newsweek. “We had to fly our supplies up there and camped for several days.”

Combined, this all suggests a place of great importance for the ancient folk who left those artifacts behind. The team suspects its importance may have something to do with the naturally occurring rock crystal formations that can be found in the area.

“We often consider this type of object as offerings,” explained Adriano Boschetti, an archaeologist with the Archaeological Service of the Canton of Bern, in a statement. “It cannot be ruled out that the high plateau between the [peaks of] Ammertenhorn and the Wildstrubel massif, visible from afar, was a sacred place.”

It’s not totally surprising: the site is just 19.3 kilometers (12 miles) away from the town of Thun, where several Roman temples can be found – including an effigy specifically devoted to the goddesses of the Alps.

“The mountains had clearly a religious significance,” Gubler said. “[This] is an interesting site because it shows that the Roman population of the region didn't only worship the mountains from afar, but also went up and close to them to deposit votive offerings.”

By DR. KATIE SPALDING.

#Ancient Roman Shrine To Mountain Gods Discovered In The Alps #archeology #archeolgst #ancient artifacts #history #history news #ancient history #ancient culture #ancient civilizations #roman history #roman empire

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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 1 year

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A Multiple Green Flash Sunset: Yes, but can your green flash do this? A green flash at sunset is a rare event that many Sun watchers pride themselves on having seen. Once thought to be a myth, a green flash is now understood to occur when the Earth's atmosphere acts like both a prism and a lens. Different atmospheric layers create altitude-variable refraction that takes light from the top of the Sun and disperses its colors, creates two images, and magnifies it in just the right way to make a thin sliver appear green just before it disappears. Pictured, though, is an even more unusual sunset. From the high-altitude Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile one day last April, the Sun was captured setting beyond an atmosphere with multiple distinct thermal layers, creating several mock images of the Sun. This time and from this location, many of those layers produced a green flash simultaneously. Just seconds after this multiple-green-flash event was caught by two well-surprised astrophotographers, the Sun set below the clouds. Image Credit & Copyright: T. Slovinský & P. Horálek (IoP Opava); CTIO, NOIRLab, NSF, AURA

[h/t Scott Horton]

* * * * *

"The Soul, secure in her existence. smiles at the drawn dagger and defies its point. The stars shall fade away, the sun himself grow dim with age and nature sink in years, but thou shalt flourish in immortal youth, unhurt amid the wars of elements, the wreck of matter, and the crush of worlds." From 1713, “Cato” by Joseph Addison. This was the passage Edgar Allen Poe encrypted and challenged his readers to decipher in 1841. It was not until 1992 that a Duke University doctoral student succeeded. ∞(via metaconscious)

#Green flash #sunset #T.Slovinsky #P.Horalek #AURA #Scott Horton #Cato #Joseph Addison #Edgar Allen Poe #metaconscious #coded

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fatehbaz · 2 years

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Insects in the sky. A “green wave.” Fig wasps building entire tree groves. Hummingbird hawkmoths keeping endangered violet flowers alive. Migratory creatures and the prosperity of a “salmon year.” Creatures do “not need to be big to be consequential,” do not need to be warm-blooded “to register in the very heartwood of a forest.”

---

On the natural exodus and ingress of insects, science was, for much of history, limited to guesswork. Invertebrates have proved hard to track for all the obvious reasons - tininess, diffusion, difficulty telling kindred species apart - and, too, because many insects shapeshift across their lifecycle. Especially elusive have been “noctivagant” or night-wandering insects, those that take advantage of a drop in thermal currents after sunset to wend their way by cover of darkness. Even in very large numbers, nocturnal insects can pass by unnoticed. One morning the bugs are just here: they’re everywhere. An old magic is frisking the shrubbery. No wonder the thinkers of antiquity held that many insects were inert matter sparked to life. [...]

The fact of insect migration - not to mention the basic biology of metamorphosis - has since been well substantiated, but though researchers have known for over a century that insects undertake seasonal, long-distance travel, the misguided belief that such movement is entirely passive and dictated by the winds persisted into the 1980s. Some insects clearly are at the mercy of the weather [...]. But [...] it has become clear that several winged insects - including bogongs - sense, and selectively choose, which air currents to ride, some forming massive, multispecies “bioflows” at high altitude. [...] What [entomologists have] seen up there is, frankly, astounding. The spectacle of animal migration may be typified by the grandeur of herds sweeping over the Serengeti, but most terrestrial migrants are insects -- by number of individuals and, perhaps more surprisingly, by mass. One study showed that each year in south-central Britain two to five trillion high-flying insects migrate over an area roughly the size of Georgia. Together, those insects have an estimated biomass greater than that of the nation’s migratory songbirds. Indeed, the volume of insects up in the air is so tremendous that researchers have suggested thinking of them as “the plankton of the sky”: a constant particulate, bobbing overhead.

At the same time our [knowledge of aerial insects] [...] has been upgraded, so too has our understanding of the impact of insect migration down on the ground. Large, traveling vertebrates, including elephants, caribou, and wildebeest, have long been known to link up ecosystems, transporting energy and nutrients [...]. Upstream salmon rushes in British Columbia have been shown to pump nitrogen into surrounding forests, where fish carcasses fertilize fir, spruce, and cedar (so much so that tree rings record rapid growth in a banner salmon year). An animal does not need to be big to be consequential; it does not need to be warm-blooded, or a grazer, to register in the very heartwood of a forest.

The passing of mammalian herds and fish runs can score a landscape visibly by magnetizing carnivores to an area, leaving torn-up vegetation behind, or creating a “green wave” where animal activities encourage plant growth. But though the movements of insects are often more covert, over generations their transit can shape an ecosystem in equally durable ways. Very small beings have system-wide effects.

Because many winged insects are pollinators, they create gene flows between plants they alight on along the route of their journey. In Spain, for instance, endangered violets surviving in geographically distant islands of habitat are genetically enchained together by the migration of hummingbird hawkmoths. Each hawkmoth threads flower to flower.

Trees along a 250-kilometer stretch of the Ugab River, in Namibia, have genetic linkages that flow with the easterly movement of fig wasps.

Billions of pollen grains are shifted southward each year by high-flying hoverflies in the UK, some lifted over the English Channel to the landing-pads of flowers in Europe -- a targeted haulage the wind alone could never achieve.

---

Text by: Rebecca Giggs. “Noiseless Messengers.” Emergence Magazine. 27 June 2022. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me. Italicized first paragraph/heading added by me.]

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tokusmuts · 2 years

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My holiday (Chapter 1)

Characters: Hidden Male Character x Yume Shinjo

Category: Miniseries

Words count: 1391

P/s: This is my first story I have ever did about Toku girls (of course with some additional I've recently added to it today). Please enjoy it as a replacement and I will be back with my main projects soon! Thank you so much for that!

I am the director of an estate company, which is very influential in the Japanese land investment world, and thanks to that, I get a lot of attention for girls, especially actresses and singers, and of course all the girls who are now officially my wife are actresses, especially from the Tokusatsu series - the birthplace of the Gravure model treasure famous throughout the country. And just like any other normal human being, I also need to take the holidays for myself to recharge. Today is my 2nd day of rest in this long holiday, each day is literally not related to anything work-related. Especially when staying with me during this holiday is Yume Shinjo - one of my favourite wives, a true sex machine. But if the whole day was just sex, it would be boring (actually for her only and I absolutely want to be at home and fill up inside her all day long). So to start a new day after having a passionate night of love, both of us decided to go to the mall to shop and see the scenery.

Yume and I are still standing on the balcony of a fairly high floor in this shopping center right in the heart of Tokyo, but on the occasion of winter with a beautiful sunny day, we decided to go out and she wanted to dress modestly so I can take some beautiful pictures to post on Instagram. But because I just did a few rounds all night with her yesterday, this morning we were both a bit tired. But this morning she was still pretty enough to smile when taking pictures. The air at the high altitude is fresh, but what always makes me want to see the most is her body. Her big and tight butt kept my dick working all night long, the feeling when the succulent skin from her butt stuck to my groin made me want to do it. forever, also those full breasts, no wonder why she always calls me baby, I can suck them all day without having to take them off even though she still has no milk in her breasts. Back to the present, she's wearing a pink sweater, but it's tight enough for her breasts to rise above the shirt, the bottom has nothing to see since the dress is covered all of them, along with high heels. But just those breasts are enough, just when Yume was still enjoying the air, I came right behind her, hugged her tightly, and still did not forget to squeeze her breasts.

"What's wrong? Aren't you hungry yet?" - she said, looked at me and smiled

"Yeah! Yesterday, I still didn't eat enough!" - nothing is enough when eating her

“But we’re in public! We should go home and you can do whatever you want!" - she said and gave me a kiss

"That's what I wanna hear"

So we decided to go home after finishing the photo work. And as she took off her high heels, Yume slowly began to pull down her skirt to reveal her white panties with her toned butt. Then continue with the pink sweater, today she is wearing a loose white bra, so today my work seems to be reduced quite a bit. I was just waiting for that to come straight up from behind, pick her up and throw her straight on the sofa. We started with gentle kisses, then gradually moved on to sucking each other's lips. The kisses continued to become more intense, making her also begin to find it difficult to breathe, feeling that it was not enough, I reached down to that wet place and stroked the outside of that panty, making her moan every time in her throat. Eating her lips clean, I moved down to that sweet neck area and left a few light hickey marks on it, enough for no one to notice the next day if she were to perform. And then with just two fingers, I tugged her bra down. The bra just slid down and released her breasts full of life. The two newly released soft nipples bounced back and forth and the scene made me very excited, those nipples are small but on those breasts, they are perfect. I didn't wait any longer, but went ahead to suckle, cach sucking on those nipples made her moan with joy while one of my hands was squeezing hard on the other breast, occasionally tightening the other nipple, in then the other hand went inside the panties and started using 2 fingers to stab her pussy

“Aahhh. ..kimochi...aaahhh..suck the other side too..aaahhh"

I kept sucking on both breasts continuously as if they had milk. My fingers down there work faster and harder

“Ahhh..faster please...aahhh...I'm out...aaahhh”

And then when I inserted a third finger into it, a stream of milky white water flowed out, soaking her underwear.

"Let me go down and clean it up." - I said

"Yes, please” - She said while still breathing

Then I let go of her breasts regretfully, but going down and seeing her wet panties, I took it off right away and then met my eyes with a wet and still wet pussy. so many solutions to that pleasure. I buried my face and started licking her pussy, the moment my tongue touched that tender skin, her whole body shivered and her whole body swelled in pleasure.

"aahhh...that’s right...aahhh...suck it up...aaahhh”

"As you wish” - That’s what I’m waiting

My tongue began to penetrate inside, going through every nook and cranny and licking every spot. Every time I sucked on her part, she moaned in satisfaction, as if begging me to do more. Her thighs kept clamping my head, but that stimulated my desire even more because the skin on her thighs was so soft and succulent, I had to leave that wet place many times just to suck on her thighs a few times, her grip makes me feel like I'm surrounded by really soft pillows.

"Aahh... more honey...I'm coming...aaahhh”

Her words of encouragement seemed to motivate me to use more force and suck hard on her cunt.

“Aahhh...I'm out...I'm out...AAAHHH"

That scream was accompanied by a stream of water that shot straight into my mouth, I swallowed them all but could not help but rub by the delicious taste of the water.

"You already shot at me, now it's your turn to shoot at you again" - I looked at her cunt and couldn’t hold my dick anymore

Then I took off my pants, my dick was already as hard as ever and just waiting to get inside her. I was lying on top of her shoving my dick into her cunt just like there was an eternal lubricant. I began to push her slowly, and still slowly increasing the speed, she moaned in pleasure after each thrust ny lower body was attacking hers.

"Aahhh...kimochii....aahhh...don't stop honey...aahhh” - she kept moaning nonstop

“Aahhh..I’m going to cum too...I'm going to cum...aahhh” - I also cannot stop moaning alongside hers

"Shoot it, please..AAAHHH" - she screamed in pleasure

After about 30 minutes of bouncing up and down, I finally got my first full load on her. But pushing the hole in the front wasn't enough, the best place to fire the bullets - her ass wasn't even there yet. So I turned her over and raised her hips, even though her upper body was tired and no longer wanted to work, that kneeling position naturally helped her buttocks expand in an extraordinary way, and not there's no reason why I would refuse it, I shoved the still wet dick with sperm on it into the narrow gap between her two peaches and locked it with the sImooth skin of her buttock area into me. We went on to play a few more rounds of Doggy, and it's true that with that wonderful butt no matter how long it takes, because just a few slaps while pushing and looking at the way it bounces is not enough. Any limit is enough for it at all. But when my strength was exhausted, I also gradually passed out on the back of the girl who had been moaning for the past hour.

Read chapter 2 here

#toku smuts #yume shinjo #新條由芽

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blu3b1rd · 1 year

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i saw your concept sketches (they rock btw!!!!!!!!!) and i wanted to point out that flynn's cgi model in ssa and giants is depicted with three fingers + a thumb while his in game models in every game are two fingers + a thumb it's one of those funny inconsistent skylanders design quirks that you learn to notice over time

Actually!

Thats probably because he’s wearing gloves made specifically for high altitude stuff!

Though they’re probably for mountaineering instead of flying a fictional magic boat! But it would still make decent sense considering the wool lined jacket/hat. Even the fluffy guy needs protection from the cold sometimes I guess!

But yes, there’s plenty of inconsistency in the skylander franchise, which makes them quite fun! I mean the comics literally make Tessa pure orange instead of including her normal patterning.

Also like major thanks to TheLeatherDragon for actually telling me what these gloves are called, I knew about them but had 0 idea how to find actual pictures :P

#blu3b1rd #skylanders

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choco-pudding · 2 years

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Space Channel 5: Gyun Gyun Book p.18-p.25 (Translations by @lavoszero and myself. Edit by myself)

Repost of some old pages that have been retranslated and tweaked plus some new pages. As the book claims, details may be fictitious.

Imgur link to all of the Gyun Gyun Book translations we’ve done thus far.

Plain text below

p. 18

Morolian Speculations Thank goodness Morolians were all actually good people... Anyways, where did Morolians come from in the first place? What are their daily lives like? This is what we're discovering in this issue. Since we wanted to know more about them, a Morolian research team was created. Here are the reports from that research!

p.19

! The Morolians and Moro-facts presented in this book are from the imaginations of their editing crew. The facts shown here may be vastly different from the ones in reality. Thank you for your understanding.

p. 20

This Is Morodia!! (Visualization of a Morodia Map) Where do Morolians live? Blank's room? That's not true of course. He doesn't live on the planet because he isn't a Morolian. But wait, where is this Moro-planet even located? Do Morolians really live on Morodia?

Moro-Mountain As the elevation on Morodia increases, the volcano occasionally erupts to relieve excess gas pressure. So if you're traveling at high altitudes while it's accumulating, it can get pretty wild!

Moro-Continent The Moro-Continent is a vast place covered in many vibrant fields. The plants look almost artificial with how colorful they are, no wonder the people here are so colorful too!

p. 21

Moro-River A popular spot that Morolians have fun playing "water races" at. There's a Moro-drying rack near the river for anyone who needs to dry their wet bodies after falling in.

Moro-Town The cute voices of Morolians are calling out constantly, and the whole Moro-town is lively with a big populace. It truly is a spectacular sight. And even more spectacular to see all the variations of Morolians. Of course, there are also many different types of buildings that you wouldn't see on Earth, and you can notice new things almost every day.

Clay MAP: Taku Anekawa

[Translator’s note: In the original text, they just call the planet the Moro-Star.]

p. 22

Illustrated! Morolian (Body Structure) Morolians have really amazing motor skills! The speed of which they suddenly and cutely "boing” into action is extraordinary! What kind of body structure do Morolians have? We'll answer this question in clear detail at once, here are the secrets of Morolians!!

Moro-Brain They're so smart that their IQ can't possibly be measured, given how they're capable of making Dancing Beam rays. Among them, Blumoro's the top technician, and has the most brains of them all.

Moro-Eyes Everyone thinks they have an eye like a space suit visor, or compound like an insect. But no, it really is just a cover. What's underneath it is a mystery still.

Moro-Hands Both hands are properly connected to a joint. They're normal Moro-hands. The shoulders are barely visible, but they do have joints there too. Both hands have a grip strength of 60kg.

Moro-Innards They're capable of instantly digesting food with wicked strong stomach acid, and keep their energy stored in their stomach with a super strong alkaline neutralizer! This is why they don't need to use the restroom.

Moro-Ears An extremely sensitive antenna that can detect even weak radio waves. Because of this, they were easily brainwashed by Chief Blank's radio waves.

Moro-Face We can't see through the mask, which people often mistake for eyes. Judging from their high-pitched voice, it's estimated that they are capable of speaking 600,000 words per second.

Moro-Skin Many have said that it's "surprisingly fluffy," and it has been discovered that the skin of a Morolian is actually covered in fur. If they don't dry it out properly, it could get moldy.

Moro-Muscles Just like chicken fillets, they have more muscle than fat, and many have lean muscle tones (with the exception of Boss Moro). They can do 50 push-ups easily.

Moro-Legs Having extra joints (between the hip and knees!) is the most noteworthy feature here. They have the record of 4.9 seconds for the 50-meter space race.

p. 23

Newly Discovered Species!? (Pictured Above) Boss Moro, Leader Moro, Purmoro, Remoro, Gremoro, Blumoro, Yemoro, Pimoro; these eight are no longer the only types of Morolian! They appear to come in even more varieties of colors, there are so many unknown types of Morolians on their planet. Here are the research team's newest discoveries, we'll present them to you immediately!

Soldier-Moro Combat! Hut, hut, hut ra ra ra, hut, hut, ra ra ra~! Long live the USA!

Baseball Player-Moro Ha~anshin Tigers! Go, go, go, go~! Ah, it was so fun going to see Masayuki Kakefu!

Barber-Moro Lookin' like this, customers lookin' to get their hair done would increase right? Sounds like a good plan, but would it work? Shaggy hair fixup!

P.E. Teacher-Moro Come on, hop to it! Woah! Don't you want to join Fushimi Technical High School's official sports team. That'll give you a successful career.

Pattern-Moro (floral) No one can deny it. Floral patterns are so, so beautiful on anything. Wouldn't you want to be as beautiful as a flower too?

Chef-Moro Start off with a basic banquet. Then give them Moto Hagio's Cake! Cake! Cake! It's a feast to read!

[Translator’s note: above is a reference to the manga ケーキケーキケーキ (Cake Cake Cake) by Moto Hagio.]

p. 24

Morolians Still on Earth? (Purely Speculatory)

This Morolian likes being Naughty, kinda Yemoro is a mischievous type and is great at coming and going with the wind, and is convinced he's one with it. He pretty much is the incarnation of wind when he lifts up ladies’ skirts…

This Morolian likes Sake, kinda Gremoro was discovered in the middle of a peaceful flower viewing event. He's a nature-loving guy that loves digging around in soil. He was among office workers, fiddling with a cup of sake in his hand. Wonder if he's all right? -

This Morolian likes Anime, kinda Blumoro is a cool and intelligent Morolian technician with an even cooler body temperature and a hobby of watching anime. In between studies, he likes to relax by drawing pictures of anime gals.

p. 25

This Morolian likes Singing, Kinda Usually a shy and lonesome Morolian, Pimoro is delighted when given something soft. The only problem he has is when he get his hands on a mic, he gets carried away with singing; maybe it’s just that go wild feeling that gets him?

This Morolian likes Festivals, kinda The antsy Remoro seems to have taken notice of Earthling festivals, and immediately tried his hand at drumming. He appears to playing around a lot, and paying more attention to the passing women in yukatas.

This Morolian likes Sounds, kinda This quiet, balloon-loving Purmoro, gets excited when he sees something floating in the air. And is in charge of collecting sound effects for the balloon race broadcast. He works very hard.

The truth is a secret, moro!!!

[[Text on the side of both pages]]

This next story is about the mother of one of our staff members, who had an interesting dream. She was wearing a Yomiuri Giants’ uniform, and her skin was orange. "Are you Ja**, by any chance!?" A Morolian came to visit his mother's house. Oramoro (orange Morolian) said, "We're being hassled by fans... We've improved a lot this year, but we've fallen to the point where we can't even win a championship. The fans are furious we've sunk so low and can't even win a match." He sat down by the table with a very miserable look on his face. His mother served him tea and looked through the small window near the entrance, at Fujimi-dori, and saw the Director-moro of the team being chased by a mob. (Even though he looked like Sadaharu Oh, apparently it was really Shigeo Nagashima). He ran like a prehistoric being chased by predators. He was anxious, wondering if Manager Oramoro would be OK, but then he woke up… His mother's husband used to be a sports reporter for a local newspaper, and professional tennis players used to visit their house often, so it isn't that unrealistic of a story. How extraordinary!

Anyway, Morolians sightings are typically like this. If you look at all the sighting reports on the official website, you'll find things like, "I saw him in front of Omia, Sonic City eating a fried monkfish with a cut lip that was covered in blood" (Witness: Rolence) "He suddenly came to my house with his luggage and asked me if he could stay for three days. He offered to teach me how to dance in return...I refused." (Witness: You!) As for seeing for ourselves, we saw the mischievous Yemoro swimming in the fountain in front of the roundabout in front of Kōenji Station, taking advantage of the breaks between trains on New Year's Day, he jumped down into train tracks to run around them, (this is very dangerous, so readers shouldn’t do that!) how reckless. And then, he kicked a soccer ball between platforms 2 and 3. He seems to just go with the flow, and is a very spur of the moment kind of guy, kinda unhinged, gets down in the dumps easily (which is a bit annoying because he instantly forgets about it if you start sympathizing with him), is always getting into trouble, makes questionable purchases, and runs wild in strange places. Best be careful. Conversely, if you want to discover and witness them, it's more likely to happen if you make bad decisions (^-^).

Now, with this we have compiled all the latest sighting of Morolians from all over Japan in this page. The contents of these six species of Morolians are completely different from each other. Now you can discover the hidden lifestyles of the Morolians!

#space channel 5 #morolians #translations #blib #cred #yaroo #gromb #plurp #proonk #Gyun Gyun Book

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