#of course my last encounter with wildlife

[faustocosgrove]

today’s adventure was eating food a stranger gave me.

yes, it was a milf driving a mini van. no i did not get into the vehicle.

[wintrwinchestr]

lather (joel miller x f!reader oneshot) 18+

moodboard by @iamasaddie

summary: you decide to try shaving your pussy for the first time on your first night settling into jackson with joel. he accidentally nicks you while helping you shave, but he makes sure to kiss it all better <3

warnings: 18+, smut, early jackson joel, established d/s relationship, porn with some plot (probably too much), oral (f receiving), innocence kink/roleplay, daddy kink (bordering on ddlg), shaving, a bit of insecure reader, blood (tried to keep it short & not very graphic), sprinkle of humiliation, pet names (darlin’, baby, babygirl, lil’ girl, honey, sweet girl, etc), joel refers to reader’s pussy as she/her, spitting, reader can be lifted by joel and has hair that can be tucked behind her ear, implied *legal* age gap (reader went to school in the qz)

word count: 2.9k

a/n: this fic is based on an nsfw audio by u/organ_donor86 on reddit!! i went to reddit and found it again so i could properly credit them for the inspiration, but i haven’t heard the full audio in probably 2 years so this fic is only based on what i could remember of the premise <3 this is my first time writing smut, nice comments and reblogs are appreciated if you enjoyed!!

You were sat on the end of the first clean, comfortable bed you had encountered in twenty years, taking in the surroundings of the charming bedroom you now found yourself in: The deer antler lamp emanating a warm glow from the bedside table, the framed paintings of various Wyoming-native wildlife hung up on the walls, the earth-toned woven rug beneath your bare feet. You took a deep breath, savoring the smell of a house that had never known decay. For the first time since outbreak day, you felt safe. Truly safe. Of course, Joel did his best to protect you as you traveled together over the last year or so since you met him, but you were never really without a looming threat of danger nearby.

His familiar, comforting voice startled you out of your daze.

“Y’ alright, babygirl? Settlin’ in okay?”

You looked over to where Joel was standing in the doorway, freshly showered and changed into a clean flannel and jeans.

You smiled with a relaxed sigh, flitting your eyes around the room again. “Yeah, I like it here, it’s cozy… Can’t wait to finally get a good night’s sleep in this bed tonight.”

“I’m with ya, baby, Maria ‘n Tommy gave us a real nice place, huh? Speakin’ of which, it’s about dinnertime, I think they just started servin’ it up down at the dinin’ hall. Why don’t we all go get somethin’ to eat together, hm? I know you must be hungry, sweet girl.”

Your eyes widened and your smile dropped a bit at the prospect of socializing with strangers, especially after the exhausting day you’d had getting to Jackson. Joel clocked your expression immediately, approaching where you were sat on the bed with slow strides. He gently pinched your chin between his thumb and pointer finger, tilting your head up to meet his eyes.

“I know, my babygirl’s a shy one, huh? There’ll be a lotta people down there, I know…” He stroked a lock of hair behind your ear with his other hand. “Why don’t I go down there myself and see about bringin’ back some plates for us to eat together, just you and me? We’ll save the introductions for tomorrow, alright, darlin’?”

You nodded, your shoulders relaxing as your anxiety was soothed by his reassurances. He smiled down at you and pressed a gentle kiss to your forehead. “Alright, sit tight, honey, Daddy’ll be right back… We’ll have a nice lil’ night together.” Another soft kiss, to your lips this time, and he was gone from the bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

You got up from the bed and padded over to the window. Peering out to the main road, you could see a crowd of people lined up outside the dining hall to get their evening meal. You figured you had at least fifteen minutes or so until Joel returned, deciding to take the opportunity to explore more of the house while you waited.

You wandered out of the bedroom and down the hallway, peeking your head around the doorframe of the first room you came upon. You reached out your arm and blindly felt around for the lightswitch, flicking it on once you found it. You were still standing in the doorway, knowing by now to wait a beat for the roaches to scatter before stepping fully inside. But to your surprise, there were none. The fluorescent ceiling light revealed the room to be a bathroom, a clean one at that. 

You stepped over the threshold, immediately taking notice of the charming basket of homemade-looking toiletries perched on the sink’s granite countertop. It might as well have been Christmas morning, the overwhelming joy you felt at the idea of getting to take a bath in a clean tub with soap after all these years. 

You picked up a white bar of soap from the basket and brought it to your nose, your eyelids fluttering closed as you inhaled its sweet vanilla scent. When you opened your eyes again, you noticed something even more enticing in the basket: a razor. The QZ school you attended had allowed the boys to have them in order to keep their facial hair under control, but deemed them a non-essential for the girls. Which, you supposed, was true, but you had still always fantasized about having a smooth, hairless body like the girls you had seen in wrinkled magazines and faded movie posters.

Your newly acquired shaving supplies planted an idea in your head: you were going to surprise Joel by shaving your pubic area for the first time. You imagined what it would be like to make a move on him after dinner, getting him hot and bothered, letting him carry you back up to the bedroom to have his way with you, and the wanton look on his face when he pulled down your cotton panties to find your pussy glistening and bare for him for the first time.

You practically tripped over your own feet in your rush to close the bathroom door. You quickly stripped off your worn jeans and underwear, tossing them into the corner of the bathroom to be dealt with later. You plugged up the sink and began to fill it with warm water, hoisting yourself up onto the countertop.

You swished the bar of soap around in the water, then rubbed it on a small patch of hair to create some suds. You placed the razor onto your soapy mound, then dragged it upward along your skin toward your belly button. Removing the hair proved to be more difficult than expected, and you were surprised to find that it hurt. It felt like you had just ripped out the hair instead of shaving it clean off. Just as you had touched the razor to the same thatch of hair to try again, you heard Joel’s heavy footsteps approaching, returning with your dinner much sooner than you had expected. 

He was slowly turning the knob before you had a chance to get up and lock the door. “You in here, darlin? I was callin’ your name but you weren’t respondin’, and you weren't in the bedroom…”

“Sorry, Daddy… I’m just, um… doing something…” you responded, not very convincing in your flustered state.

“Can I come in, baby?”

You hummed your permission and he pushed the door open. The concerned look on his face dissolved when he saw you, worried at first that you might have been crying. His eyebrows raised and his lips parted in realization as he took in the sight of you before him.

“What’re you doin’ in here, darlin’, hm?”

“I… I wanted it to be a surprise. Wanted to shave it for you…” you admitted with a defeated pout.

“Oh babygirl… you know I’ve never cared about what you look like down there, don’t you?” You suddenly felt shy under his gaze, beginning to regret giving in to your girlish idea.

“I know, but… just wanted to look pretty for you, that’s all… like the girls in the magazines…”

“Oh, baby… you’re already the prettiest lil’ angel I ever laid eyes on… But if you really wanna shave her, Daddy’ll help you, sweet girl, don’t gotta keep struggling…”

He pulled up the worn little wooden stool from the corner of the bathroom and took a seat between your spread legs, gesturing for you to hand him the razor and bar of soap. You gave them up reluctantly, placing them delicately into his calloused hand. Your lips were still formed into a little pout, upset that your surprise had been ruined.

He dipped the vanilla-scented bar into the sink again, then rubbed it back and forth along the same vertical strip of skin above the hood of your clit that you had tried to start shaving first. He took note of the shoddily clipped hairs and how the skin beneath them was already looking a bit irritated from your misguided attempt.

“Gotta shave in the direction of the hair first, honey… like this…” He swished the razor in the water, then demonstrated the technique. The fingers of his left hand were splayed out across your lower tummy, his thumb pointed down, tugging the skin up towards your belly button as he shaved downward with his right. “See, baby? Just like this…” He did a few passes over the area, rinsing the razor in between each one. 

You were mesmerized by his movements, watching his expert fingers work to remove coarse hair, revealing velvet smooth skin underneath. His hands looked so strong and competent as they moved from one patch of hair to the next, his brows furrowed and his tongue peeking out from between his plush lips in concentration.

You felt your core becoming wet as he exposed more bare skin to the bathroom’s cool air, his warm breath ghosting over your clit with each careful stroke of the razor. As he pulled away to admire how his work was coming along, the focused tension between his eyebrows released, noticing your hole beginning to drip.

“Oh…” he breathed, gathering some of your wetness on his thumb and bringing it closer to his face, inspecting it. “What’s all this honey, hm? This just from Daddy helpin’ you shave your lil’ pussy?” He sucked his thumb into his mouth, his eyelids fluttering as he savored the flavor. “Taste so sweet, babygirl… always so fuckin’ sweet f’ me…”

You nodded and whimpered at his words, heat rising to your cheeks at his slight mocking tone. “Can’t help it, Daddy…” Your hips started twitching of their own volition, rocking upward toward where his lips were now curled into a faux-sympathetic pout. You knew this was part of a little game he liked to play with you, the one where he made you feel a little embarrassed for being so easily turned on by him.

“I know, honey, I know… Lil’ girl can’t ever help herself, always gets wet f’ me so easily, doesn’t she? But you gotta hold still f’ me, let Daddy finish helpin’ you shave, okay?”

You gave another quick little nod and a hum of agreement that came out sounding more like a pathetic whine, and tried your best to control the movements of your pelvis as he got back to work.

But his big, warm hand was spread out over the delicate skin of your tummy again, and his lips were so close to being right where you wanted them, and what little self control you had been able to muster was quickly beginning to slip away. You were nearly able to contain yourself for the rest of his shaving, but your eager hips betrayed you on what would have been the final pass of the razor, giving a swift little buck toward Joel’s face despite your best efforts to keep still.

He wasn’t prepared for your sudden movement, and the sharp blades nicked the skin of one of your outer lips. You let out a startled cry as a little crimson pearl began to bloom on your sensitive skin. Joel gasped and was quick to apologize, even though your injury was really due to your own desperation. “Oh, Christ… I’m sorry, babygirl, I’m so sorry… here, gimme a tissue, baby.” 

With a shaky hand, you reached over to the box of tissues sitting on the back of the toilet, plucking one out to hand to him. He dropped the razor in favor of the tissue, balling it up and gently pressing it to the little cut. His free hand quickly came up to the side of your face, smoothing his thumb across your cheekbone. “You okay, babygirl? I’m sorry, honey, I didn’t mean t’ hurt ya… told ya to keep still for me, baby…”

He wiped away a tear that had slipped from your lashes as you sniffled. “I’m okay, Daddy, jus’ scared me… stings a lil’ bit…”

“Yeah, I’ll bet it does… my poor girl. Daddy shoulda been more careful, knew you wouldn’t be able to control yourself, needy lil’ thing… But you know what, babygirl? Daddy knows somethin’ that’ll help, that’ll make it stop hurtin’...”

“What is it?” you asked, soft voice still wavering slightly.

“Well, I read somewhere a long time ago… that spit can help a lot with lil’ cuts and things…”

You could tell this was part of one of the other little games you liked to play together. The one where you pretended to be innocent and inexperienced, when in reality, Joel had made sure you were anything but. But you liked this game, it put butterflies in your tummy and made your weeping hole quiver when you played the part for him.

“It… it can?” you wondered with a naive-sounding lilt.

“Oh yeah, babygirl, you never heard o’ that before? Spit can help a whole lot, ‘specially Daddy’s spit, can make it feel all better, darlin’...” The stained tissue now discarded, his thumbs gently stroked the slick pink skin of your outer lips as he spoke, careful to avoid your little injury. “And your lil’ baby pussy is a real uncomfortable place to have a cut like this, too… Don’t want my girl hurtin’...”

Your eyebrows were knit together with need as you released a pathetic whimper, your breath hitching and heat rising from your fluttering tummy all the way up to your cheeks. He barely concealed a smirk as he noticed the change in your demeanor, knowing how this particular game had always affected you.

“Whaddya say, sweet girl, hm? You wanna give it a try? You want Daddy to kiss it all better?”

You nodded frantically, your mouth slightly agape as you began to pant out of desperation.

He was quick to deliver a small swat to your inner thigh at your unspoken answer.

“Words, baby, you know better…”

“Y-yes, Daddy, please, want you to kiss it better, make it stop hurting…”

“There you go, good girl. Spread your legs a lil’ more for me, honey, let me see her…”

You wiggled your thighs further apart on top of the counter, giving him full access to your now soaking cunt. 

“There she is, baby, she’s cryin’ for me, ain’t she? Needs her Daddy to make her feel all better…”

He placed a few wet kisses to the afflicted area before looking up at you with apologetic eyes. “How’s that feel, babygirl? She still hurtin’?”

You nodded your head with a pathetic little cry, mindlessly chasing after his mouth with your hips. “Still hurts, Daddy…” you vocalized your answer this time. 

“Yeah? Poor lil’ pussy… She need some more lovin’ from her Daddy? More of his spit to help make her feel good again?”

Another frantic nod, another eager mewl. “M-more… please, Daddy…” 

“Alright, babygirl, don’t you worry, Daddy’ll give her some more…”

He latched his lips onto your swollen clit, alternating between sucking it into his mouth and giving it soft kitten licks. His large hands were firmly planted on the inside of each of your thighs, keeping you spread wide as he devoured you. You were already so sensitive from his teasing, it wasn’t going to take much more to push you over the edge. You were practically riding his face, your hips canting feverishly into his mouth with each expert drag of his tongue across your folds. 

When he started fucking his tongue into your bitty hole, swirling it around and then licking back up to your clit to circle it, you knew you weren’t going to last much longer.

“Please, Daddy, please… feels so good, ‘s too much, gonna cum, Daddy…”

“Yeah? I dunno, babygirl, I don’t think she’s healed all the way just yet… might still need some more takin’ care of,” he murmured into your pussy before pulling his head away to spit directly onto your cunt. The lewd action was enough to launch you into your orgasm right then, his head still between your legs, slurping up the divine combination of his saliva and your sweet juices. As you rode it out, his tongue maintained a gentle, steady strum on your clit, eliciting breathy whines of please and yes and Daddy…

When you finally came down from your high, your breath catching up to you and your hips stilling, your pussy twitched one last time at the sight of Joel’s wrecked face. He was smirking up at you, his face soaked with your slick, thumbs rubbing soothing circles onto your thighs. 

“Well, I reckon it worked, whaddya think, darlin’? She feelin’ better now?”

“Much better… thank you Daddy…” you sighed, still catching your breath.

“You’re welcome, babygirl, such pretty manners… Now, why don’t we get ourselves cleaned up and have some dinner, hm? I even brought back a slice o’ huckleberry pie for ya if you eat all your vegetables like a good girl…”

You lit up immediately at the promise, prompting Joel to reach into the basket and pull out a soft, cream-colored washcloth. He dunked it in the water, squeezing out the excess, and carefully cleaned up your now freshly bare pussy. When he was done, you took the washcloth from him, rinsing it in the sink before repeating his cleansing process on his own face. He helped you up off the counter before leaving the bathroom, returning promptly with a fresh set of clothes for you to change into. He helped you into a clean pair of panties, which you noted felt nice against your naked skin, then into a warm sweatshirt and comfortable leggings.

He carried you into the kitchen and sat you down at the little table set for two. You ate your dinners together by soft candlelight, relishing the feeling of having a sturdy roof over your heads and warm food in your stomachs.

You supposed tonight, and this little house in Jackson, represented a new beginning in more ways than one.

tag list: @beefrobeefcal @gracieispunk @iamasaddie @rebel-held

[mingiswow]

Rebel Rebel | Seonghwa

Pairing: Rebel!Seonghwa x fem!reader

Word count: ~ 4.3k

Genre: dystopia, apocalypse, angst (?), smut (MINORS DO NOT INTERACT)

Summary: When the devil of a man you had the disgust of calling a grandfather destroyed the country and turned it into his little isolated dystopian world so he could rule and sell his powdered food, lots of people, animals, and vegetation died. Now, years later, you are born into this hell of a family who couldn't give less fucks about you, what can you do except rebel against this system you grew to hate? Maybe fuck your dad's biggest enemy?

Content Warning: mentions of death, family issues, cursing, fighting against the system, and sex (if I forgot anything here let me know)

Smut Warning: Filth, pure filth (I was inspired), unprotected sex (would there be condoms in an apocalypse/dystopic universe?), oral (both receiving), piv, face fucking, cum eating, multiple orgasms, Seonghwa calls reader princess and baby a lot of times, he has a filthy mouth and a big dick

a/n: another part of my Halazia brain rot series, I don't know if I'll do with all the boys, but I NEEDED to do Yunho and Seonghwa (maybe if you want you can request another member). So hope you enjoy and let me know what you think in the comments or tags or dm or whatever

You covered your head in the white hood and left the building from the back part. The path already engraved in your brain from how many times you’ve escaped the fort that held your dad and his lackey monkeys. 

You see, it’s been years since your grandfather destroyed the country and turned into something you could only imagine seeing in dystopian movies. He cut the connection to any other country, he destroyed basically every sign of vegetation and wildlife he could encounter. All because he could and he was an evil man. Ever since, your family is the one ruling whatever was left and the people that survived. But for everyone’s safety - and your own enjoyment - nobody knew who the family of the ruler was. When your grandfather was the ruler, your grandmother, as well as your dad and his siblings, were forced to be inside the fort. No one could leave or enter. It was a way of protecting not only the family but not giving the enemies the knowledge and power to enter the weak spot. Not that your grandfather cared, he was the one to kill his only daughter after he found out she escaped the building. 

Your dad, on the other hand, cared a lot about your mother and your younger brother. You? Just a mistake. Women couldn’t rule, so he didn’t give a single fuck about you, which was great. For you.

You don’t care about your life, what was the point of it? You just want to live the day as if it was last, because it can be. You found your aunt’s diary when you were around twelve years old, and became obsessed with the idea of escaping the fort. So since then you’ve been doing it. And you’re already an adult. 

It was during one of your night escapades that you met the group of rebels that was planning on dethroning your father. To say you were thrilled to go against your father but also be part of something was an understatement. 

The leader was this tall, handsome, and alluring man. His voice was sultry, low, almost like he was always whispering even when he was screaming all kinds of filthy words against your family. You caught yourself going there more often than not, as if you were hypnotized by the man. 

Over the course of the months you've been going there, a lot of the members of the rebellion tried to know more about you, to pry into your life and story but you just push them off by saying you’ve been living alone ever since your family abandoned you. Some of the days you don’t even go home knowing that they were following you, so you just sleep at the abandoned mall. 

You were quite a mystery in that group, but a good addition none the less, your ideas always turned out to be good and helpful since you’ve known your dad your entire life and the inside knowledge helped, not that they knew it was inside knowledge anyways. 

But that didn’t go unnoticed by the leader himself. He was as intrigued as everyone else by you, even his finest men couldn’t find anything about you. You weren’t registered in the country’s births for the year you said you were born or a couple of years before and after. You were a ghost. And Seonghwa wanted to know who you were. 

So when you arrived at the meet spot that night and didn’t find anyone you got scared. Were you trickered? Did they find out about your origins? Were you going to be executed? 

“Hello? Is anyone here?” You asked, your voice almost echoing in the empty place. “Wooyoung? San? Mingi?” You called for some of the rebels you’ve talked the most but still no one replied. You got up at the improvised stage that usually Seonghwa spoke and started to play as him. “These dirty motherfuckers want nothing but to destroy us. They don’t give a fuck about us the poor. They just want to sell that disgusting powder food of them” you said as you were talking to the rebels. “They are nothing but the scumbag of humanity. They just want money and power. The ruler doesn't even care about his family. Why would he care about us?” 

“How do you know he has a family?” The familiar sultry voice scared you, your body turning to the side where the sound came from, finding a relaxed Seonghwa, his arms crossed on top of his chest as his tall figure leaned against one of the pillars that held the place up. 

“Don’t you think he has a family?” You asked, trying not to sound too caught up by his presence and his questions. Was he testing you? “After all, when he assumed no one knew that he existed, what stops him from doing the same?”

“You have a point, miss yn” he walked towards you, stopping in front of the stage, arms crossing again. You walked towards him and sat on the edge of the stage, staying almost face to face with him, your feet wiggling in the air. “You are a rare figure, do you know that?”

You tilted your head genuinely curious at the man. “How so?”

“You appeared out of nowhere in our group, you have no family, no place to live and no register in the country’s systems. Who are you?"

“I’m not registered?” That was new to you. But it made sense, your dad wouldn’t risk putting you or your brother in the registers, it would be too easy to track you down. He denied. “So you went after me huh?” You smirked at the man, who simply put his hands into the pockets of his pants. “Are you that interested in me, leader?” He rolled his eyes at your question. . 

Was he interested in you? Sure, you were an intriguing being, a lone wolf in this messed up place you called home, smart, smarter than most of his men. Combined. And to say he didn’t find you attractive was a lie. The way you swayed your hips when walking or how your flesh was squeezed whenever you hugged some of the others when celebrating a plan that worked. The way you smiled or laughed at some of the jokes that were cracked to break the ice of the seriousness that they were dealing with. Or how your ass looked so squeezable and spankabe whenever you bend down to grab something. He was indeed interested in you, in both your story and your body. 

“I guess I’d be interested in a ghost if I’ve seen one as well” you answered yourself after his silence. 

“Are you telling me you’re dead and just a soul wandering around?” You smiled at him, he wasn’t usually playful, always so serious, so seeing him being slightly funny with you made your pride swell and give you a confidence boost. 

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. I'm a mirage. You imagined it all” he chuckled at the way you swayed your arms. 

“If you’re a ghost how can I touch you?” He smirked at you, taking two steps closer, but still not touching you. 

“Can you, sir?” You challenged him, hands resting on your sides and holding the weight of your upper body, legs slightly open and relaxed on the edge of the wooden stage. 

He felt like a winner, you were biting his bait just like he wanted. Little did he know that you knew the game he was playing and you were more than excited to play with him. 

Seonghwa took another step, this time staying in between your legs, and gently laid his right hand on your knee. “See? I can definitely touch you” you chuckled. 

“That’s what you call touch?” You got yourself up and grabbed both his hands, laying on your thighs. He instinctively squeezed them, making you smirk. “See? Like that is better” your fingertips slowly went up his arms and you could see his hairs shiver with the touch. “Have you touched someone else before?”

“Many times” he answered proudly. Men… always the same. “Have you ever been touched?” You smiled remembering your escapades with your dad’s soldiers. They were dumb but at least did whatever you told them to. You nodded.

Seonghwa finally took his hands out of your thighs and grabbed your waist, squeezing the flesh and bringing you flush against his body. You could feel his semi-hard cock under his pants and wondered if he got even bigger when hard. The thought made you bite your lips, which didn’t go unnoticed by the man that rubbed your lower lip with his calloused thumb, the tip teasing to enter your mouth for you to suck but never did. 

“And have they ever made you cum?” You chuckled at his question.

You leaned over his ear and let a breathe out, tickling his ear before speaking “Bold of you to assume I’d even let someone leave before making me cum at least twice”

“Is that a challenge?” 

“Does it sounds like one for you?” you kept looking at each other, the intensity of it making you burn inside, you were sure your wetness was passing through the thin materials of your pants.

His long fingers went under your hoodie, feeling your warm skin shiver with his touch, the tips squeezing the skin, pretty sure the indents of his nails would be a mark for tomorrow. You instinctively sighed at the feeling and his reaction was just to chuckle at your desperation. “Before we start I just need you to tell me one thing” you nodded, eyes never leaving his. “Are you sure you want to do this?” You nodded again. “I need words, princess”

“Yes, I want to” you bit your lip again, consent never felt so hot.

Seonghwa replaced your teeth with his, biting your lower lip before sucking it and starting to kiss you. You expected him to be hushed, to kiss you with desperation but no. He was soft, gentle, kind, it was such a nice contrast to his chapped lips. And a big contrast to how needy you were. His hand kept massaging your skin under your hoodie, squeezing and bringing you even closer to him. Your legs wrapped up on his waist, your core rubbing slightly with the now even bigger tent in his pants. A little whine left your lips as soon as he disconnected your lips to attack your jaw and neck.

“Can you feel it, baby? What you have done to me” he grinded on you and you felt your pussy squeeze on nothing. God, you felt so ridiculously horny for this man. His voice in your ear was like a feather, slightly touching you but still making you shiver from head to toe. If it was sultry normally, now, full of lust, was even more velvety. He kept lowering his kisses and love bites, marking your neck and chest, you definitely would have a hard time hiding it from your parents. Not that they even cared. But a little care never killed anyone.

Seonghwa stopped his ministrations and moved away from you a little so he could grab the hem of your hoodie and pull off of you, leaving your bare breats exposed to him. If once you had any ounce of self-doubt or shame it went out of the window with the way he growled before attacking one your breasts, kissing it, sucking it, biting it. His teeth grazing your niple and biting a bit harder so he could pull a little before letting it go, the stinging sensation only adding to your experience as you threw your head back and let a low moan leave your lips.

He stopped his ministrations on your chest so he could pull your face close to his again, foreheads touching and eyes staring at each other “I wanna hear you moan, I don’t want you holding your sounds like you did just now” he bit your ear, making you shiver before adding “I want everyone that passes through here to be able to know that I’m fucking you good” you nodded, eyes meeting again. “Such a good girl you are, aren’t you?” you eagerly nodded again.

You’re never the one to submit, always used to boss around the men you’d fuck, making them beg for you to touch them and making them eat you out until you came. But Seonghwa was different, there was something about him that made you a puppy around him, eager to do what he says, to be and do good for him, to impress him, make him like you. It could be your daddy issues speaking louder but you couldn’t care less, all you wanted was for this man to destroy you.

He stroked your hair, hand slowly sliding to your neck, holding it on the sides without applying any pressure. “So why don’t you be a good girl for me and get on your kness?” you could feel like a cold snake going down your body, taking shivers wherever it touched with the way he talked to you. You left the stage and kneeled in front of him, his tall figure hovering over you and you couldn’t feel smaller. He ran the tip of his fingers on your face and hair and you closes your eyes enjoying the touch. “Now put that smart mouth of yours to some use, eh? Suck me” you were dazed, your body reacting by instinct as you pulled his pants and underwear together, his penis finally getting free of the confiments of the fabric and hanging hard in front of you. 

Never in your right state of mind you’d think a dick was pretty, but Seonghwa’s was a sight to be seen. He was on the bigger size and it was thick. You saliveted imagining his girth splitting you open when he fucked you and your legs stinctively rubbed together and you could hear a little chuckle that came out of the man’s mouth when you did. You finally grabbed the member in your hands, excited with how big it looked in your hands, and took a squeeze. You licked his slit, the salty tasty of his precum touching your tongue before your started licking it’s sides slowly trying to wet the length. While one your hands stood on its base, holding a bit tight, the other went to massage his balls as you kept licking it stroke by stroke like a popsicle. Seonghwa grabbed a handful of your hair and guided your mouth to finally suck him, which you gladly did. You started to bob your head, each time trying to fit more in your mouth. When the tip hit the back of your throat it was the first time he moaned a bit louder, grabbing your head again and looking down at you, that looked up with the most innocent eyes you could convey.

“I really wanna fuck your mouth, princess” you nodded, holding his tights and looking at him one more time as a confirmation. He grabbed your head by your hair, holding you im place before starting to move his hips slowly, but as soon as he heard the filthy sounds of your mouth on his dick and the spit falling to the sides of it he lost and started to fuck your mouth fully. You tried to breathe through the nose your mouth was too busy gagging on him, his tip hitting the back of your throat repeatedly. “Fuck! You’re so hot like this” he managed to say through his grunts, right hand caressing your face softly as he cleaned the tears that started to fall. “Just a little bit more, princess. I wanna cum in your mouth and I wanna see you swallow it all like a good girl” you nodded freneticaly, holowing your cheeks a bit more as he kept using your mouth like his personal fleshlight. 

As his grunts and moans and whispers of princess started to fall more repeatedly from his mouth you could feel your pussy starting to pulse as well, his moans were so hot and you were the one causing them, you couldn’t help but be extremely turned on by the ego boost. Not only that, but anyone could walk at any minute and see you devouring his cock. With a few more thrusts Seonghwa finally came in your mouth, a bit of his semen falling out of your mouth and landing on your chest. You swallowed the thick liquid and showed your empty mouth to him proudly. “Such a good girl for me. If you keep like that I might reward you” you smiled at him, eyes hazy from pleasure. 

He pulled you on your feet and started to lick his own mess on your boobs. “Fuck, Hwa” you managed to moan. The scene alone was too hot for you, he was cleaning his own cum and your spit from your chest. He was filthy. In all the good ways.

The man got on his knees and took the rest of clothes you had, his hands squeezing the skin of your legs and going up to your mons pubis, caressing the soft skin and eye-fucking you. “Now here’s how we gonna do, you’re gonna rest your back on the edge of the stage, open your legs and put one of them on my shoulder” you did as he told you to, anticipating what was about to come. He smirked at you before without any warning or preparation attack your clit with licks. You almost fell from the sensation but your leg on his shoulder held you in place. His mouth kept working wonders on you, from his thick lips sucking you, to his long tongue licking you up and down, spreading his saliva and your wetness all over your vulva. Your hands held the edge of the wooden stage, knuckles turning white from how hard you were holding not to fall. “You taste heavenly, yn. I could eat you out all day” you don’t know how he managed to speak but you were too turned on to care, the coil in your stomach starting to grow as he kept his ministrations. “Now I understand why the men gave you at least two orgasms, I could give you so much more just by tasting this delicious pussy of yours” his hoarse voice mixed with his dirty words made you moan louder, one of the hands finally leaving the stage to hold on his hair, pushing him closer to your core.

He started to enter the tip on his tongue inside your vagina and you lost, finally coming without a warning on his face, moaning his name like a prayer but he didn’t stopped. He moved his tongue to your clit again and finally inserted two fingers inside you. You lost your balance almost falling on top of him with the sudden intrusion added to your sensitivity post orgasm. “Se.. Seonghwa… More, please” 

“More what, princess? Tell me what you need” the vibrations of his words on your clit and the rapid pace of his fingers send you over the edge instantly, your second orgasm threatening to explode.

“Dick.. I need your dick, please” your head hung back as he darkly chuckled and started going faster with his fingers. Your mouth opened but almost no sound left, you were already completely fucked out and he had even fucked you properly yet. 

“Cum again for me, baby. Cum again and then I’ll give you my cock” you nodded rapidly, a string of ‘please’ leaving your lips as he added a third finger and you finally came again, this time stronger, your legs finally giving out on his shoulders but thankfully he was there to hold you. He gently placed you on top of the stage, getting inbetween your legs and wiping the sweat out of your forehead. “Are you sure you still can take my cock, princess? You seem tired already” you denied with your head, hands circling around his neck as you kissed him. 

The kiss was once again calm and gentle, like your mouths were meeting each other again after many years and cherishing the sensations of the other. You sighed against his lips and brought your body closer to his, chest flushed against each other and warmth irradiating from both bodies. He deepened the kiss, invading your mouth with his tongue as his arms held you flush in your place by your lower back. You two made out hapilly for a while until your bodies started to grow impacient and horny again.

Without separating your mouths, he guided the tip of his member into you, slowly entering your vagina. You moaned against his mouth, face scrunching with the sudden intrusion. You were right, his girth was gonna rip you. The man didn’t say a word, but you could see by his smirk that he was feeling himself with the way you almost didn’t take his cock, stretching you open just for him to ruin you for the next men that even though of getting near you. Not that just his mouth alone hadn’t done the job.

When he felt your walls pulsating around him, he started to move slowly, being careful to not going too fast to quickly otherwise he wouldn’t last long just by the way you were squeezing him inside you. “Breath deeply, princess. Look at you, taking my cock so well” you nodded, fingers holding his shoulders. “Are you cock drunk already? I barely fucked you and you are already cock drunk for me?” you nodded again, a whine leaving your lips as he started to quicken his pace a little. “I want you to remember today, baby. I want you to remember my cock everytime you’re going to fuck those stupid men again”

“Hwa…” you moaned, head hanging low and resting on his shoulders. “I want you, only you to fuck me, please…” you choked on a moan as he sudenly started to piston inside you, his arms holding your legs open even wider, the lewd noise of skin slapping echoing through the empty room as he fucked you into oblivion. “I’m… close…”

“I can feel it, princess, me too, cum for me so I can fill you up” you threw yourself back, lower body falling almost with a thud and arched your back. With a few more thrust and dirty words by the man, you came undone on his cock, almost no sound coming out of your mouth as he kept fucking you even faster before stopping by a halt and letting his seed paint your walls. 

His body fell on top of yours, his weight comfortably reminding you that you were alive and everything was real. The following silence making you feel comforted, at home, like you never felt before. Not even at the meetings. Maybe it was the warmth of his cum and softening cock inside you, but you never felt so full, physically and emotionally. And that scared you.

After a few more minutes of you both getting your energy back, he finally came out of you, a whine leaving your lips at the sudden emptiness and wave of cold air that hit your body. He grabbed a cloth from God knows where and cleaned yours and his mess, before handing your clothes for you to put back. Even with jelly legs you managed to finish the task.

He pushed you against his chest by your lower back, a smirk on his lips before he spoke “I hope that from now on you don’t fuck that stupid soldiers of your father again”.

“I won- Wait what?” you blinked at your scared expression, like a deer caught in headlight. “You always knew?” he nodded. “I…”

“What? You thought we were too dumb to know that? You came out of nowhere, no registration, clothes made with fabric that nobody under here has access, always glowy and healthy”

“So why didn’t you guys killed me?” you asked genuinely dumbstruck. So all his talk about you being intriguing was a lie? The sex was a lie too?

“Because you are much more worthy alive than dead, at least for us” 

“So you were using me this whole time?” he nodded.

“Yes but not so much” you tilted your head in confusion. “You see, we dind’t know who or what you were until your first plan, your informations were very valuable to us, but until that day, you were just another rebelion” you looked at your feet, not knowing how to feel after all. Seonghwa grabbed your chin with the tip of his fingers, making you look at him. “Might I ask why you decided to rebel against your father?”

“He’s not my father, at least he doesn’t consider me his daughter and don’t consider him my father, I’m a woman, I can’t rule after him” you sighed and kept going. “Not that I want anyways, I hate this place and I hate this system, I wanna know the world, I wanna know different places, different people, I want to leave this country that lives like we are stuck eternally in the past. I hate my grandfather for doing this and hate my dad even more for still doing this. Those selfish bastards. I hope they rot in-” he cut your rant with a kiss and just then you realized how angry, sad and desperate you were, tears spilling down your cheeks as you finally allowed yourself to be weak and vulnerable. He held your face between his hands and looked into your eyes, foreheads touching each other.

“Let’s make a deal, you, me and the rest of the group are gonna dethrone your father with your help from the inside and when that happens, I’ll take you to meet the world, ok?” you nodded. “But you gotta promise one thing first”

“What?”

“Just fuck me from now on”

“Oh that it’s a promise I am more than glad to keep”.

This is a piece of fiction. The descriptions and actions of the people involved do not reflect the reality.

Masterlist | Request and Feedback

[highways-are-liminal-spaces]

are there really that many bears in Alaska? asking bc you often include a very cute bear in your photo sets

It depends what part of Alaska you're in!

Juneau is absolutely overrun with Black Bears. They move around a bit, so sometimes you won't see any for days at a time, but also if you live there long enough, you're basically guaranteed to encounter a few "trash bears" just poking around garbage cans right in the downtown area. They're the hardest to see when they first start waking up because they can be anywhere, but then they get much more consistent with certain food sources. Driving past the dump, you often see them rolling around in the adjacent fields. Throughout late spring, they like to graze on the wildflowers along the roadsides, and you can often see the really little cubs with them. When the salmon run starts later in the summer, there are a few spots you can go where bears are basically a guarantee. Throughout the first 2 weeks of August and then again in the first week of September (i.e. the chum and then the pink runs), I could think to myself "I want to go see the bears today" and go see the bears. On my best day last summer, I had a total of 12-13 (with one that might have been the same bear twice).

We don't really get Brown Bears in Juneau—they show up every so often, but mostly if you want to see them in the area (and you should, because they're the really cool giant ABC Islands Bears, which are almost as big as Kodiak Bears), you need to head out to one of the islands like Admiralty, which has the world's highest bear: human population ratio (3:1!).

When I lived in Anchorage over a summer, I saw no bears around the city (though people often do!) and had to drive down the Kenai to see any Black Bears that whole year. They get Brown Bears down toward Seward and Homer too, but pretty rarely, and I've never seen one around there. On the other hand, I've never been to Denali and not seen multiple Brown Bears. And then any location you would go on trips specifically to see bears because of a seasonal food source like a salmon run (e.g. Katmai, Pack Creek by Juneau, Fish Creek in Hyder, Kodiak, Lake Clark, etc. (though I haven't done those last two yet)) will have dozens of bears around during the season.

And then there are some parts of the state (Interior and Far North) where bears are common but there is just so much space for them that you're less likely to encounter them. I have been hiking around Fairbanks a decent amount and, while you definitely have to take serious bear country precautions, I've never actually seen a bear around there. I've driven the whole Dalton Highway twice, where Brown Bears are very common, and I've only seen one over the course of a total of 8 days and almost 2000 miles covered. The Alcan route I drive on the other hand, which crosses Interior into Yukon, usually has bears—over the course of driving it three times, I've seen 5 Brown Bears and 3 Black Bears, and I've been told I had "pretty bad bear luck" on those trips (my friend Alex once had a single trip count of 9 Brown Bears and 7 Black Bears!).

I was trying to estimate the number of bears I have seen in Alaska, but it is essentially completely impossible. Definitely over 100 individuals of each species! Single days that stand out to me are that one 12 bear day in Juneau (that was at the Shrine during the end of the pink salmon run), one day driving the main road into Denali when we had a total of 22 Brown Bears and started having to drive right past them since we wanted to have time to look for other wildlife, and the only time I've been to Brooks Camp in Katmai, when we had a conservative estimate of 48 total Brown Bears.

This turned into a very long answer (can you tell I love talking about bears!) but basically: tl;dr yes there are a metric fuckton of bears in Alaska.

[heartcereql]

born to die

neteyam sully x fem!omaticaya!reader

𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒- in which, you make it out alive from the attack to the sky people’s base, but a part of you is gone, forever.     ࿐࿔*:･ﾟ Choose your last words, this is the last time / 'Cause you and I, we were born to die࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ

𝐂𝐖- ATWOW SPOILERS !! , angst, mentions of death, blood, italics are past memories, pre-mating relationship, english is not my first language, 

A/N- LANA’S NEW PHOTOSHOOT HELLOOOOO!! this had me in tears bskdhdfr if you have any requests w any song feel free to submit! <33

you didn’t cry at first. you couldn’t. you thought this was some joke- a sick one. despite tsireya’s efforts to keep you away from his body, you had to see him. you needed to see him. your neteyam. because he wasn’t gone, right? he couldn’t be. 

why him, of all souls? why him?

you begged for your feet not to fail you as you ran on the rocks that surfaced towards where the metkayina girl had avoided leading you. you asked for your feet to take you to the finish line. yet your heart was breaking with every step you took. hoping that he would be waiting, that he would continue to be yours. 

walking through the smoke, tears started to blurry your vision. every time you tried to deny it, it became more and more real. 

*:･ sky people were at it again. and of course toruk makto’s eldests had to be there once again. as your hands carelessly prepared bandages for the hurt, you heart tightened at the though of neteyam out there. was he hurt? was he okay? had he been taken down? had he- 

your thoughts were interrupted when you saw the sullys’ ikrans. you left everything to come to their encounter. jake was telling off neteyam and lo’ak. neteyam. he was okay. or so you thought until you saw kiri’s worried expression as she aided him to get to mo’at. 

“hey! kiri, stop!” you shouted, jogging towards them. your eyes were immediatly roaming his body, in search of whatever injury was causing him the slightest pain. said eyes widened when you saw a trail of blood. 

“neteyam!” you gasped, barely audible. 

your fingertips were caressing the scratched area, worry washing your features, when his hands made their way to your jaw, gently lifting your gaze to meet his. 

“ ‘m okay, i promise” he smiled. 

for eywa, how you loved this man. you pressed your forehead together, kiri long forgotten a she made a disgusted expression, leaving to find her grandmother. 

“don’t make me sad, don’t make me cry over nothing, neteyam sully” you whispered, while your beloved brought you closer to him *:･

oh how you wished love would be enough now, when the road got though. you just wanted him to make you laugh once again. life was long, but, with him, you carried on, trying to have fun in the meantime. 

as you started to acknowledge it, every inch of you started to ache, every inch of you that wouldn’t be caressed by him again. 

stumbling in your unsteady stride, you finally spotted a group of people. your heart fell to the floor. it could’ve stopped beating, it wouldn’t make any difference to you. 

tears flowing now uninterrupted. your hands were shaking as you tried to control your breath, exhaling softly as you finally reached the family. 

*:･ he had taken advantage of jake and neytiri’s night out to take you out. walking together, hand in hand, you diverted your gaze towards the glowing wildlife of the forest. 

neteyam, however, couldn’t take his eyes off of you. the way some freckles shone, matching the night, made you look even more majestic. eyes wide, taking in the beauty of nature, reflecting the sparkly night, made you look different than how neteyam had always seen you, yet he loved it as much. 

he was so absorbed in admiring you he didn’t even notice the drops falling until you tugged at his arm. 

“ ‘teyam, it’s raining!” you laughed, dragging him under a big leaf.

“you look so pretty, yawne” he whispered, tucking a few strands of hair away from your face. 

“ma neteyam” you spoke in an equally soft voice.

your hands went to cup his cheeks, the tips of your fingers brushing his braids slightly. your senses were focused on neteyam and neteyam only, so much that you didn’t notice the rain pouring harder and harder, making weight on the leaf that you were using as an umbrella. this resulted in a stream of water landing on the crown of your neck and sliding down your spine. 

you gasped loudly, your body shivering against the cold liquid. neteyam was quick to laugh. 

“stop laughing, skxawng!” you exclaimed, gently shoving his arm.

he took your hand again, intertwinning his fingers with yours. he hadn’t stopped laughing, and, before you could get ahold of yourself, you were laughing with him. 

he dragged you out of the leaf and into the rain, making you laugh even more. he brought you close to him again. looking deep into your eyes he pressed a delicate kiss to your forehead.

“let’s go!”

he suddenly started dragging you throught he forest once again, but this time you two were laughing, enjoying the rain, the sky, each other. *:･

 you grew up confused, lost, you tried to take what you could, scared that you wouldn’t find all the answers. but you were found. and yet, it was being taken away from you now. 

muffled sniffs and agony grumbles could be heard from the distance you kept. seeing neytiri rock a body, his body, absolutely shattered your soul. as painful as it was, you felt like you had to get there. 

the pointy rocks stung your bare feet as you sped towards the family. you remembered when he told you he was going away with his family. how you cried, endlessly. and how you were determined to go after them. and so you did. look where it got you. 

if only your ikran hadn’t been injured during your flight along the metkayinas’s ride. if only you had been able to get there on time. 

tuk was the first one to notice your presence, since she wasn’t able to keep her eyes on the devastating scene. she immediatly ran to you. the two of you had gotten close, back in the forest. you loved taking her to your favorite spots deep in the woods, or going for a flight together. 

“y/n!” she screamed, strangled by tears. 

you ran to her encounter as well, tears stinging in your eyes as well. you knelt down and hugged her tightly as she launched into your arms. shoothing a hand over her head, you buried your face in her shoulder. you wouldn’t be able to see lo’ak’s face, nor anyone’s for the matter. 

tuk’s rapid heartbeat was aching you. you wanted to stay like this forever, in the comfort of a child as sweet as tuk, forgetting everything else. but you knew you couldn’t.

you lifted your head from tuk’s shoulder, only to meet their broken eyes. but your gaze quickly shot down to his body. and there he was. limbs rigid, eyes still open, since nobody could find the strength to close them. neytiri, who was all tears, was rocking his body. jake was holding lo’ak and spider, engulfing them into a hug, each boy standing at different sides.

letting go of tuk, you started to move to neytiri. to neteyam. getting close enough to see his expressionless face, his wound, his numb body, was enough to make you crumble.

you dropped to the floor, like your limbs were no longer at your command. your whole body was shaking, you eyes were exhaling every tear left on your body.

neteyam was loved. by his family, by his clan, by the metkayinas, by you. yet love didn’t seem to be enough when the road got tough.

*:･“you cannot be serious” you said “you’re leaving!”

“y/n, it was not my choice. my father chose to protect us by taking off to another place”

you were beyond upset. not with neteyam though. but who was going to care for him like you did? and who was going to care for you like he did?

“i understand. i try to” you whispered, looking now at your feet.

he was on the point of leaving. his things were packed and his ikran was ready. his arms sneaked around your waist.

“i see you, y/n” he said. 

the tears that threatened to spill were now held back. of course you saw him too, more than that, but this was the first time he told you.

“i see you” you were quick to say back, the brightest smile adorning your face. 

his tail was tracing patterns down your legs, making your stomach, and every other part of you, erupt in butterflies. 

“i will be back, i promise” he spoke.

“i know you will” you responded. 

as you watched him take off, you had made a decision. you were going after them. *:･

unconsciously, your hand was now over his cold one. remembering all the moments they were laced together. reality hit you as you came back to your senses. 

his hands wouldn’t caress you again. his eyes wouldn’t see you no more. his lips wouldn’t twist into the beautiful smile you’d grown to adore. his mouth wouldn’t speak tender words to you again. his laugh wouldn’t spread to yours ever again.

your tears were staining your vision. slender fingers dazed over his face. 

*:･“you are insane” neteyam scolded you. don’t get him wrong, he was beyond happy to see you, but you could’ve gotten caught, you could’ve been captured by the sky people. 

what was truly a miracle is that jake and neytiri weren’t mad nor bothered by your presence, although they did tell you off about how dangerous it was. 

“well, you like your girls insane” you shrugged, a playful smile on your face, that was quickly matched by neteyam’s.

“i’m glad you’re here” he told you, walking to you. “still, that what reckless. eywa knows what could’ve happened to you”

you didn’t hestitate no longer and oulled him into a hug.

“i missed you, tey” you whispered against his skin. 

“missed you too, yawne” he rested his head on top of yours as he answered. *:･

‘i miss you , ma neteyam’ you thought now, as you evoked moments that were just mere hours away. 

*:･“what do you mean you’re going back? we have to get out of here!” you hurried him.

“spider is still there!” he explained, grabbing your arms gently “it is dangerous, but we can’t leave him. i’ll be back before you notice i’m gone”

he kissed you knuckles as your heart clenched at the anticipated anxiety you knew you’d have as you’d wait. 

“be careful, ‘teyam” you told him, eyes begging him to stay. 

he nodded, giving you a reasuring smile as he rushed to lo’ak. *:･

he didn’t quite think his last words to you though, did he? foolish you, who had returned to where tsireya was waiting, believing it would be as he said. 

you felt empty. a part of you was gone as well. 

but you’d see him again, right?

cause you too,

you were born to die

[dansnaturepictures]

Four of my favourite photos I took in April 2024 and month summary

The photos are of; an Osprey at Lossiemouth in Moray, Speckled Wood on dandelions by Lakeside Country Park in Hampshire, early spider orchid at Durlston in Dorset and view at Laggan Dam.

April was another momentous and splendid wild month for me with so much seen and many amazing places visited. My birdwatching year continued to go from strength to strength with some smashing spring species seen and my year list kept pace with where my others had been at this stage in a year being second only to the number I was on last year my highest ever year list. Spring delights Swallow, House Martin, Wheatear, Whitethroat, glorious Sedge Warbler, Redstart, thrilling views of Guillemot and Fulmar, Little Tern and Common Tern were key species added to my year list this month alongside blockbuster names Osprey and rare Marsh Sandpiper. Avocet, Marsh Harrier, Buzzard, Sand Martin, Goldcrest, Blackcap seen and heard and my first Cuckoos heard this year were other highlights. Following the Lakeside Great Crested Grebes with their four growing chicks and a pair still courting and the new Winchester Peregrine pair was special again this month, as was seeing Greylag goslings and adorable Moorhen chicks at Lakeside. The month ended and the new one began whilst away on the incredible adventure that has been our Scotland holiday; it has been pure, tranquil, joyful and nourishing being out in wilderness areas surrounded and embraced by sensational wildlife both at the amazing cottage we’re staying in and the many fantastic places visited. By the end of April we had already seen many of the standout species of the trip including resplendent summer plumage Black-throated Diver and Red-throated Diver, majestic White-tailed Eagle, exuberant Willow Warblers a very welcome constant, Pink-footed Geese, Red Grouse, Red-legged Partridge, loads of Common Sandpipers, Little Ringed Plover, Knot, Hooded Crow, Kittiwake, amazing views of many Ospreys, Razorbill, Puffin, Common Scoter, Goosander, Goldeneye, Long-tailed Duck, Teal, Wheater, Sand Martin, Yellowhammer, Crossbill, Brambling, White Wagtail, Tree Sparrow, Raven, Skylark, Buzzard, Common Gull, Curlew, Lapwing and Oystercatcher.

It was a massive butterfly month for me too as the peak season moved through the early gears enjoying magical views of Red Admiral, Peacock, Brimstone, Speckled Wood, Small Tortoiseshell, Small White, Orange Tip, Green-veined White, Holly Blue and Wall Brown with many making the most of the wealth of dandelions out the front and at Lakeside. My moth year got going too with White-shouldered House moth at home and bright Brimstone moth at Durlston.

It was a marvellous month of mammals with Hedgehog at home, more Roe Deers in a strong year I’m having for them, Sika Deers on the way to Durlston and Grey Squirrels enjoyed. A massive part of the Scotland trip was exhilarating encounters with mammals, getting some of my best ever views of certain species; inside April this included stunning intimate views of Hares and Roe Deers around the cottage, an amazing moment as a Stoat ran through the garden, a dream encounter watching Bottlenose Dolphins at Spey Bay and Mountain Goats. Bees, spiders, Black and Yellow Cellar slugs and pill woodlouse were other highlights this moth. 

Flowers gripped my month of course too as the season really matured with cuckooflower, garlic mustard, wild garlic, early purple orchid, my first ever known sighting of green-winged orchid, early spider orchid, cowslips, bluebells, greater stitchwort, marsh marigold, wood anemone, milkwort, buttercups, lesser celandine, wood anemone, cuckoo-pint, red deadnettle, white deadnettle, yellow archangel, forget-me-not, green alkanet, speedwell and herb-Robert starring alongside the breathtaking dandelion scenes. Vetch, sea and red campion, thrift, hogweed and oxeye daisy (some more than others and largely down to personal perspective) were examples of the cycle of the floral year being slightly ahead again. In Scotland it was interesting to observe spring being slightly behind compared to home with daffodils and primroses still around in numbers among others. It was nice to enjoy the sight of fungi here and there in April including hoof fungus in Scotland.

I enjoyed two great social occasions this month, the Hampshire Ornithological Society’s Member’s Day and a talk from Megan McCubbin based around her book which I thoroughly enjoyed reading earlier in the year. Both were inspirational and eye-opening times where it was great to meet like-minded people something watching the Great Crested Grebes has allowed a lot too. Finally I enjoyed being out and looking out so much in April taking in my surroundings and taking in some wonderful vistas and epic sky scenes. Immersed in the splendour of the vast, open, rugged, mountainous and varied landscape in Scotland also including wetland, coast and forest we enjoyed some incredible and breathtaking views.

[leoparduscolocola]

hey, it's me. i'm not coming back to tumblr permanently, but i figured i'd post this here as a virtual diary entry of sorts (and because i don't know anyone irl that wants to talk about cetaceans at the moment). maybe this post will change people's minds, or at least get them thinking. this isn't directed at anyone or anything; it's more to clear my mind and hopefully inform others about orca captivity, seaworld, etc.

the past six months have been very difficult for me. i'm doing better now, but i'm just not at the place in life i thought i would be at right now. throughout my struggles, one of my biggest sustainers has been my passion for animals, and orcas have been my predominant obsession for a while now. the felidae family, especially lions, will always have my heart—they're the first animal i fell in love with, and they will always be incredibly fascinating and awe-inspiring to me. however, orcas have seized hold of me in a way that i can't really describe. everything i've learned about them has blown me away, from their uniquely stable, mostly nonviolent and matriarchal social structure to their incredibly diverse hunting techniques to their cultural behaviors to the wide diversity of their physical appearance. i just love them so much.

as such, it is inevitable that i would encounter debates about captivity in the course of my internet travels in search of ever more information about these animals. for most of my life, i was unapologetically pro seaworld, viewing them as no different from any other zoo or aquarium and their critics as simply having been bamboozled by the film blackfish (although i staunchly refused to actually watch the film until a few months ago, only listening to how seaworld and its supporters depicted the film to me). by the time i started this blog, i had grown more critical of them, as reflected in my pinned post. at that time, i was more critical of killer whale captivity in general than of seaworld specifically. however, after i had to leave my former college in the middle of the semester due to my mental health, i found myself with a lot of time on my hands before the start of the semester at my new college, so i started doing some more research. as a history nerd, i have always been interested in the history of human interactions with wildlife, and the history of human interaction with orcas is unique from an anthrozoological perspective. i became particularly interested in the era just before and after the release of blackfish in 2013—how seaworld, the scientific community, the animal advocacy community, and the public at large responded, and the lasting reverberations of that era today. i fired up the wayback machine and began painstakingly examining any website i could find from that era that had to do with that topic, from awesomeocean.com to seaworldofhurt.com (neither of which are credible sources, btw: awesome ocean is basically a seaworld-funded buzzfeed clone and seaworld of hurt is run by peta). what i found blew me away in the worst way possible.

the website i spent the most time on was askseaworld.com/ask.seaworldcares.com (https://web.archive.org/web/20160110084856/http://ask.seaworldcares.com/). i cross-checked the information posted there with a little-known website i urge everyone to check out, https://www.seaworldfactcheck.com/ (which i didn't have to use the wayback machine to access, because seaworld has attempted to purge pretty much everything related to the blackfish era from their websites whereas anticap websites haven't). only a handful of the sheer volume of questions they received were fact-checked by seaworldfactcheck, so i had to check a lot of them myself. i was flabbergasted by the responses seaworld posted on askseaworld. they ranged from just your typical corporate pr messaging to outright lies. a common thread running through all of them was a complete refusal to admit that they ever did anything wrong in their entire history. that's something that the entire zoological field has trouble doing, but never had i seen it on such clear display. for example, they audaciously claimed that kohana's calves weren't inbred, and that the degree of relatedness between kohana and her calves' father, keto, is standard practice in ex situ breeding programs. meanwhile, the aza says that inbreeding is to be avoided here and here. additionally, these two pages, while they focus on pedigree dogs, stress that a coefficient of inbreeding (the likelihood of having identical alleles from a common ancestor on both sides of the pedigree) over 5% leads to problems, and kohana's calves had an inbreeding coefficient of 6.25%. i'm no geneticist, but sw's response to that question is questionable, to say the least. when asked about the whales they captured from the wild, they only used the word "collected", which came across to me as corporate doublespeak attempting to obfuscate the trauma and utter cruelty of ripping these complex, cultural, family-oriented animals from their families permanently for the primary purpose of entertainment—which, regardless of their current messaging, was undeniably the purpose of seaworld when it was founded (see page 9 of that link, which is also an incredibly well-researched and well-referenced argument against marine mammals in captivity that cannot be dismissed out of hand just because it comes from an anticap source). they refused to offer even a semblance of regret for how those captures were carried out—even a halfhearted "society's standards for animal welfare were different back then" or "at the time, we had no idea how this sort of thing could impact these animals" would be better than what they said, which was simply that "those were a long time ago". ok, but just because we didn't know it was wrong back then doesn't mean it wasn't wrong. it was just as wrong then as it was now, and seaworld doesn't even say it would be wrong for them to do so now; they just repeat the same line over and over about their last captures being decades ago.

however, none of these are as bad as the askseaworld response that appalled me the most. it genuinely made me question every positive thing i had ever heard about seaworld. unlike most of the questions, the name of the person who asked it was not stated, giving the impression that seaworld perhaps posed it to itself as a sort of preemptive strike. this was their response:

this is one of the most unacceptable and heartrending things i have ever seen written by any person or entity related to animals. nonhuman animals are not a monolith; there are millions of species of animals out there, each one with its own unique behaviors, social structures (or lack of social structures), role in the broader web of life, and ways of thinking. to suggest that the social dynamics of all the animals in the world are so similar that they can be crammed into the word "most" is utterly presumptuous and incorrect. at the risk of sounding like a vegan activist, i will dare to say that this statement enforces a harmful anthropocentric worldview that implies that humans are the only species that could experience distress at the loss of a loved one. by declaring that most animals just get over a member of their social group dying without a second thought, seaworld dismisses years upon years of science revealing the social lives of animals from cows to rabbits to, yes, orcas. including parents in this statement is especially ironic, considering that mother orcas undeniably demonstrate some of the strongest bonds with their children in the animal kingdom, arguably even stronger than humans—after all, when's the last time you met a human who has never left their mother's side their whole life? with this statement, seaworld revealed a callous indifference to the rich inner lives of their animals, focusing on the grief their human employees feel when an orca under their care dies over the far greater grief the orcas themselves probably feel when a member of their actual family dies. orcas have inherent worth and dignity and that deserves to be acknowledged, not dismissed so we can all go back to empathizing with the trainers. i'm not dismissing the trainers' grief in any way; i'm not trying to say the reverse of what seaworld said. rather, i'm saying that their grief shouldn't be seen as more important or more valid than the grief of the orcas.

some might say that this single response, no doubt composed with the help of a public relations firm, should not be taken as representative of seaworld or its trainers as a whole. to that, i would say that while individual employees (i.e., orca trainers) of seaworld may not agree with this statement, it can be presumed that this is or was at the time the official stance of the corporation that is seaworld parks and entertainment, incorporated. personally, i do not think it is possible to separate support for the trainers from support from the larger corporation running the show, as financially supporting seaworld inevitably supports the corporation (which has asked its employees to do some pretty unethical things) and its stakeholders, not just its employees. customers' money is not going into the pockets of trainers; it's going into the corporation first and foremost to pay the CEO and stakeholders before a paltry amount per dollar is redistributed at the company's whim to their trainers and rescue efforts.

as i processed this response, i decided to do some more research into the anti-cap side of things. i found that, despite seaworld's constant claims that they are a science-based organization, i could not find a wild orca biologist (meaning somebody who researched orcas exclusively in the wild, without a personal connection to seaworld or any other captive entity) who supported keeping orcas in captivity in general or seaworld specifically. of course, i don't know all of the wild orca biologists in the world, so i could be missing somebody, but all of the big names who conducted the most groundbreaking research on orcas in their natural habitats condemn orca captivity, as these links show: michael bigg, alexandra morton, ken balcom, deborah giles, naomi rose, paul spong, erich hoyt, and ingrid visser. these are not peta activists—they are experts in their field with phds and decades of experience! pro-caps often accuse anti-caps of only listening to their emotions instead of science, but how is it valid to dismiss all of these esteemed scientists as being biased when their research and experiences in the field with orcas are the reason why they are against captivity? seaworld tends to portray itself as objective and rational and their opponents as emotional and irrational, but how can all of these orca experts who have nothing to gain financially from opposing seaworld be completely incorrect when it comes to captivity and the corporation that profits off of having them in captivity be completely correct? the most praise directed towards orca captivity from a wild orca researcher i could find was robert pittman referring to them as "sacrifical animals" who display obvious signs of poor welfare but need to be kept in captivity anyway so the public will fall in love with their species; hardly a glowing endorsement. in her presentation at the california coastal commission, naomi rose said something (starting at 10:36) that really opened my eyes. she said that she does not believe that seaworld and its trainers are being intentionally cruel to their animals, but that they simply do not understand them: "if they don't know what normal is, then they cannot know what abnormal is." she's saying that in order to build a solid foundational understanding of a species' normal behavior, one must spend as much time as possible observing that species in its normal, evolutionary, default way of living, i.e. "the wild". without doing this sort of firsthand research or drawing upon the scientific literature produced by those who have, one cannot claim that an animal of this species in totally abnormal conditions is displaying normal behavior. the aim of captivity for any species should be to replicate an animal's normal way of living as much as possible to allow the optimal amount of normal behaviors to be expressed, and what the scientists i have mentioned claim is that orca captivity is failing at replicating this way of living.

the institution of orca captivity in its current form takes away almost all elements of what would be considered an orca's normal lifestyle, from hunting to staying in their matrilines to communicating with other orca pods to moving large distances on a daily basis to choosing who they mate with and when to experiencing changes in water depth, light level, pressure, salinity, currents, waves, and weather. they destroy their teeth , exhibit increased aggression levels with each other (compared to their remarkably stable social structure in their natural habitat), and experience dorsal fin collapse, a phenomenon that seaworld has declared has no implications for these animals' well-being despite conducting zero research on it (seriously, imagine if all male lions' manes fell out in captivity and zoos shrugged their shoulders and said it was fine without ever exploring why). manmade enrichment and training can supplement this, but in my opinion it can never replace it entirely because these animals live such active and complex lives in the wild. basically the only natural thing that they are allowed to do in captivity is breed (but again, they can't always choose when they mate and with whom). i and the above scientists believe that orcas' welfare is already so compromised in captivity that removing this element is worth it to protect future orcas from having to endure this and to reduce demand for wild captures as genetic diversity in breeding programs runs out (to my knowledge less than 30 orcas worldwide are part of captive breeding programs) and, as we're seeing in china, new parks opening demand more orcas faster than they can be born. more and more and more breeding (chimelong has been breeding especially rapidly, forcing katenka to have 3 calves in just under four years when a wild orca would only have one calf in that time frame, and shanghai and kamogawa sea world are breeding as well) does not quell the need for wild captures; it drives it. the success of seaworld parks in the usa is likely a major factor in why businesspeople in other countries (china, russia) have started majorly investing in capturing orcas in the past decade.

that brings me to something that has really disturbed me lately. over the months since chimelong spaceship opened in china, i have seen a continual backwards shift in what the pro-cap community has considered acceptable. the number of pro-caps that i have seen praising chimelong while giving mere lip service to the fact that most of their orcas were traumatically ripped from their families is astounding. you cannot praise a facility while ignoring the source of their animals, and you cannot condemn the fact that these orcas were wild-caught while throwing your support behind the industry driving demand for these captures. i highly doubt people come to a theme park that is literally shaped like a giant spaceship with any intention of being educated or supporting conservation; they come there to be entertained, just as people came to seaworld solely to be entertained for much of its history. also, pro-caps must not ignore the fact that spaceship's parent company, chimelong, operates a deplorable circus, chimelong international circus, that abuses wild animals and forces them to perform dangerous and demeaning tricks. chimelong also operates zhuhai chimelong ocean kingdom, at which cruelty and neglect have been documented (china cetacean alliance may be connected to animal rights groups, but that doesn't mean the results of their investigations are completely invalid). this report about chimelong and shanghai, including concerning animal behavior and misinformation being spread by chimelong trainers, is also incredibly concerning. even if no outright orca abuse has been recorded at shanghai, chimelong, or other new facilities yet, it is still concerning that their sister facilities engage in such blatant abuse with other animals. if three out of four restaurants in a chain have been caught on camera serving moldy, spoiled food to their customers, it's a pretty safe bet that the fourth one will eventually be caught doing so too.

anyways, that about wraps up what is by far the longest post i have ever made on tumblr. nobody i know irl really cares about cetacean captivity, so i wanted to vent here. i am not the most anti-cap anti-cap out there for cetaceans, but i definitely am more so than i used to be. heck, i'm not even universally opposed to something like the whale sanctuary project being constructed—wikie, inouk, and keijo are likely going to be transferred out of marineland antibes soon, and even though the sanctuary model is totally unproven, i can't help but feel that their welfare would be better there than at the places they are rumored to have been sold to: kobe suma sea world, kamogawa sea world, and port of nagoya public aquarium. the former two feature tank complexes that are barely bigger than tokitae's infamous "whale bowl", and kamogawa still does waterwork. also, it is rumored that marineland antibes wants to split up their orcas between these facilities, which wouldn't happen at the wsp and would make the stress of the move even worse. however, i absolutely cannot stand the wsp's messaging; they spread a lot of poor-quality information. as many others have said before, the sanctuary model could be super risky, and it's doubtful they could construct it in time if the french government allows the orcas to be moved, considering marineland antibes wanted these orcas gone yesterday. as usual, captive orcas are stuck between a rock and a hard place.

however, i want to make one thing clear: i'm not an expert or a scientist, nor do i wish to portray myself as such. i'm just a bored college student who is obsessed with animals and has too much time on her hands. i try to get as much of my information from experts and scientists as possible, but i do not claim to be an expert and i'm always willing to learn from the scientific literature and from people who can engage in respectful discussion. in regards to captive orcas, i would certainly love to be wrong.

[rebeccathenaturalist]

Hero Dog? How to Prevent Dog-Wildlife Conflicts

Originally posted on my blog at https://rebeccalexa.com/hero-dog/

We’ve all seen the headlines: “Hero dog saves owner from rattlesnake!” “Hero dog saves owner from bear!” “Hero dog saves owner from Godzilla!” (Okay, maybe not that last one.) But it’s common to see feel-good articles about how someone’s dog attacked a wild animal that was presented to the reader as a threat. Scary wild animal is routed, dog returns to have its wounds attended to by the vet, people marvel at how wonderful their dog was for protecting them.

Yet in reading these articles, I’ve found that in many of them the entire encounter could have been avoided. There are, of course, legitimate situations where a wild animal advanced on a person unprovoked. However, that’s not always the case.

I love my dog, and I enjoy taking her out hiking. However, I am aware of the fact that wildlife view dogs as a particular type of threat, even compared to humans. Small animals, of course, recognize her as a potential large predator. But even bigger wildlife may consider her a danger to their young in the same way that coyotes and wolves are; these canine predators may hunt and kill young elk, deer, and even bear cubs if they have the opportunity. That means dogs (even small ones) can induce the same predator alarm response as their wild cousins. And remember that dogs have been used to help us hunt for thousands of years, so they haven’t lost those instincts, nor have wildlife forgotten the danger they pose.

So a wild animal that may simply move away from a human alone may be more on guard if a dog is present. Even if all we’re doing is quietly walking on a trail, with her on a leash, I am paying extra attention to what’s going on around us, just in case. After all, I want to try to avoid being this person, who accidentally startled a mother bear and her cubs.

Here are some ways to help reduce the chance of dog-wildlife conflicts.

In reading these articles, I noticed a common theme: the majority of the dogs were off-leash. That makes it much more likely that the dog will charge at the wild animal, even if the animal is just walking by or standing within sight. In those cases, it is the dog that is the one starting the fight, not “defending their owner”.

“But–but–my dog always walks off leash and stays right by me!” I’ve heard this a lot, and yet even the best-trained dogs have a point at which the temptation is too great, and they ignore their owner’s recall. In fact, here’s an article about a highly trained police K9 malinois that went missing after chasing a deer. Just because it hasn’t happened before doesn’t mean it can’t ever happen; there are a lot of “My dog has NEVER done that before!” incidents out there. Why not just make sure there never is a first time?

If you want to reduce the likelihood that your dog is going to start a fight with a bear, elk, raccoon, or other wild animal, keep them leashed. And leashes aren’t just important to protect wildlife from dogs, but to protect dogs from wildlife. Smaller dogs are convenient prey items for coyotes, mountain lions, and other large predatory animals. It only takes a few seconds for a small dog to wander off into the underbrush out of sight, and a leash is a great way to keep tragedy from happening.

Another thing that happens in wildlife conflicts is that the dog will start barking and otherwise acting aggressively toward the wildlife. In this article, for example, the owner says that one of the dogs barking is likely what provoked a bear to attack. BearWise points out that the behavior that dogs commonly show when wildlife appear–barking, snapping, and lunging–is seen as a threat. That means that an animal that might have otherwise continued on its way now feels threatened and defends itself accordingly.

Yes, it’s natural for dogs to bark. However, it is possible to train a dog to stop barking, and to not jump or lunge. By training your dog a command like “Quiet” or “Hush”, and training them to stay on heel right next to you even with distractions, you are greatly reducing the perceived threat to wildlife. It’s still a very good idea to retreat away from the animal with your dog as quickly as possible rather than stand around and see if your training worked.

[This prairie rattlesnake’s (Crotalis viridis) curled pose and shaking rattle is its last-ditch attempt to get a threat to leave it alone so it doesn’t have to strike. It is NOT an “attack pose”; given the choice, the snake will go away.]

Finally, a special note for those of you in areas with venomous snakes: I’ve seen too many article (like this one, or this one) in which a dog ran up to a venomous snake that happened to be nearby and got bitten after “saving” their people from the snake. Snakes don’t want to start fights; instead, they’d rather have the room to retreat from danger so they don’t end up injured or killed. If you happen to step too close to a snake, the best thing you can do (as difficult as it may sound) is to stay perfectly still until the snake goes away. The absolute worst thing you can do is provoke it, and all a barking, lunging dog is doing is escalating the situation so that the snake feels it has no choice but to defend itself.

So how do you keep your dog from running up to a rattling rattlesnake or not-well-camouflaged copperhead? Snake avoidance training! By training your dog to just not go near snakes in the first place, you can help avoid them rushing in at a venomous snake and getting bitten.

I think in an ideal world we would all want to keep our pets safe. And “Well, it’s the dog’s job” isn’t an excuse. Just because some dogs were bred to hunt or protect doesn’t mean that it’s okay to place them in circumstances where they’re unnecessarily at risk, especially when it’s possible to avoid the conflict in the first place. As thrilling as “hero dog” headlines sound, ultimately they’re all situations in which people’s pets end up in seriously dangerous conflicts with wildlife. And yes, in some cases those pets end up dying, and the wildlife may be injured or killed, too. By doing what we can to minimize the chances of these conflicts occurring in the first place, we make it more likely that our beloved furry friends stay safe and sound, as do the wild animals we share space with.

Did you enjoy this post? Consider taking one of my online foraging and natural history classes, checking out my other articles, or picking up a paperback or ebook I’ve written! You can even buy me a coffee here!

[evolutionsvoid]

I am sure at this point I have made volcanic deserts sound absolutely miserable, at least that is my hope. They are one of those fascinating biomes that are incredible to read about, but are utter torture to actually visit. The rough sand, shredding rocks and endless storms, they are all just too much to deal with. Of course my studies have taken me to these ecosystems multiple times, and I have to say I hated every one of them. Sure, there have been amazing things to see and study, as the flora and fauna there are incredibly unique, but that usually only happens during the five minutes a day you get where you aren't desperately trying to survive. It isn't a whole lot of fun, I will tell you that! While the wildlife of these lands are an amazing thing to witness, there are times when they are the last thing you want to see. I have already talked about my encounter with a flab rat, and I am sure you can still see that story on my leg, but that incident is just a shallow weed compared to the other things that roam this land. I certainly aim to see as many creatures as possible, but there is a beast found in these volcanic deserts that makes the list of "Creatures I never want to see while they are alive." In this case, I am referring to the Fuldruk, or Lightning Wyrms. I know there is much confusion about what is and is not a true dragon, but this species is absolutely a member of the true dragon family. They belong to the group that split away from the whole winged design and stuck with a more serpentine route. Though they are very snake-like with their insanely long and flexible bodies, you will notice that they still possess limbs. Four stubby legs are all they got, and I am pretty sure they are only used to assist with scaling obsidian spires and for grooming. Those limbs are barely used for walking, as they just slither about on that serpentine body of theirs. Though it is quite flexible, it is also heavily armored, allowing them to survive the grating sandstorms and sharp rocks. If you tried rolling over the same things they do, your bark would be sanded down to the pith. Along their bodies is also a dorsal line of glows spikes, which lead into clusters on the head, above the two pairs of limbs and on the tail. These structures actually house special organs that allow them to generate and store electricity. The tiny ones obviously hold minute amounts, but the large clusters is where the real power is at. You can tell when they are charged up by the blue glow that comes from these structures, as the brighter they are, the more electricity they have. I would say that if you ever see a Fuldruk glowing so bright that it hurts your eyes, stay far away. However, even if their bodies were pitch black, I would still advise to not be anywhere near them.

This incredible amount of energy is no doubt used for defense and offense, but it also fuels their senses. If you were able to get a closer look at their heads, you would notice that they have no eyes. Indeed, the Fuldruk is blind, but that hardly seems to matter to them. The glowing cluster on their head is able to release electrical pulses that allow them to navigate their environment and locate prey. And since these spikes are super hard and sturdy, they fare a whole lot better in these grating sands than squishy wet eyeballs. This sense allows them to find food even if it is buried deep within the dunes, or if it is trying to retreat into a darkened tube. It doesn't matter where you hide, because the Fuldruk will find you, and that is when the trouble begins. A quick look at those teeth and you should already know that this species has a taste for meat. Though those jaws are quite thin, the material they are made out of are rock solid. Powered by strong muscles, they can clamp down on prey and hold on tight, but chewing is not their forte. Instead, they use their pincer-like tails and serpentine body to help tear chunks off. The tail may hold food down as the head grabs and rips, or they will just grab hold of a meaty piece and start spinning into a death roll. In truth, this slender beak is designed to plunge through deep sand and seize buried prey, striking so fast that the victim doesn't have a chance to flee. Their diet consists of pretty much anything that has meat, though there are a few things they don't bother with. What defense the prey has usually doesn't matter to the Fuldruk, as they seem to have an answer to any problem. The thin mouth cuts through sand or can target chinks in armor. Their long bodies can constrict and crush, cracking open armored foes like a nut. And for anything else that dares stand in their way: lightning.

Obviously the name "lightning wyrm" gives away their most potent ability, but that spoiler certainly doesn't downplay their power. With high amounts of electricity coursing through their bodies, Fuldruk are capable of incredible destruction. They can catch prey in their coils and then unleash a sustained shock to fry their prisoner. They can charge their spikes to zap those who are jabbed by them. Their tails can be lit up with an insane amount of energy and then snip prey in two with these charged blades. From their heads come their most famous move, where they dump electricity into their quivering jaws. A quick snap of teeth and a blaze upon their head clusters, the Fuldruk will fire off a literal lightning bolt from their mouth! The damage this causes should be quite obvious. If you didn't pop on impact, you will be a smoldering cinder shortly. Even if you aren't hit by it, the resulting thunderclap could knock you off your feet! With abilities like this, you can see that Fuldruks rarely go hungry. They can hunt down pretty much anything and cook them to their liking. As for threats to themselves, there really isn't any. There are beasts that can make a lightning wyrm hesitate, like a troop of volcanic trolls, but these beasts don't go out of their way to hunt down these dragons. Rather, most things would prefer that they never run into them, a feeling I quite understand!

Like all other true dragons, Fuldruk lay eggs and they incubate them in the blackened sands of the desert. The preferred location is near the lava rivers, where the constant heat can provide warmth even during chilly nights. The mother will bury them and herself in the sand, coiling her body around them for protection. This position also allows her to warm them if something were to happen to the heat source, using that stored energy to maintain the proper temperature. During this time, she is incredibly hostile and dangerous, which is stupid for me to say because Fuldruk are always like that. I guess the real danger is that she is buried and thus hard to see. If one isn't paying the closest attention they may literally tread on top of her while she is guarding her eggs. If that happens to you, my condolences to you and your family. Hopefully better luck to the next person. There is no advice to give on what to do in that situation because you won't know it happened. You'll just be walking along then wake up in whatever afterlife you believe in. For your companions, they will just see a blinding flash of blue and the smoking remains of your clothing and maybe your skeleton. Best tip I can give is not go anywhere near a volcanic desert during the Fuldruk breeding season. Even better advice, don't go to a volcanic desert. Ever. Because that will at least guarantee that you will never meet a Fuldruk.       As a true dragon, they certainly live up to their name. Dragons tend to be associated with destruction and carnage (which is usually unfair), and the Fuldruk embodies that perfectly. Their lightning abilities give them an insane amount of power, and their armor makes them difficult to even harm. They can be blindingly fast, slipping in and out of the desert sand and then striking you down before you even know it. With a bolt shooting mouth and a snipping tail, no end or part of this species is safe to approach. The other issue is that it also has the other famous trait that true dragons tend to have: intelligence. Though they can seem like mindless beasts, they are quite smart, or at least have enough brains to enjoy what they are doing. They can plan strategies to ambush prey, figure out schedules of local villages to find the right moment to strike, and burst into horrifying laughter whenever they fry another helpless soul. Fuldruk do not appear to talk (at least no one has heard one speak) but they do emit vocalizations that have to have some kind of meaning. The most common sound to hear is....well, imagine if a lightning storm could giggle. Feels like the noises they make fit more with an energetic bird than a massive reptile, and the sheer glee that you can hear in it! It is just a charged giggle that trails off into some weird warped howl or something. Pretty hard to explain, but I feel you would know it if you heard it. Just pray that you never do hear that noise. Or that sound they make when they get struck by lightning. They like to climb up spires during storms to get the free energy from the lightning strikes. Getting hit doesn't hurt them in the slightest, they just absorb the charge. They do feel something though, as evident by that unsettling noise. The safest way to put it is that they really seem to like it. A lot. Like I mentioned, Fuldruk are powerful, smart and dangerous which makes them absolute menaces to everything they encounter. They appear to enjoy torturing prey and playing with their food. Talk of them burying themselves beneath the sand to ambush and torment prey, usually having their head spook them and then their hidden tail lash out and cut them down. Using bursts of electricity to paralyze prey even when they could end the hunt with a single bite. Animals that can resist their electricity are still hunted and pretty much tortured to death, as if punishing them for spoiling their fun.  They know that they are the apexes of this land and they relish in every moment of it. They attack villages seemingly for pleasure, as they never appear to be starving or desperate, they just find it enriching. With all their strengths and defenses, fighting them off is no easy feat. Forget your armor plated knights, those guys would be cooked in a second. Anything with metal would lead to a frying pretty quick, so people have to rely on more natural armor and weapons. This is why flab rat skin is welcomed in these communities, as the rubbery hide resist lightning. They have also brewed up a special concoction that is flung at the Fuldruks and splatters all over their charged cluster. It is a sticky fluid that seems to disrupt their electricity, essentially blinding them or disorienting them. This is often enough to drive them away, but it is rare to fend one off without a fatality or two. This should say something, since these people are used to this species and still cannot keep them away without death. Now imagine if one of these beasts was transported OUTSIDE THEIR ECOSYSTEM! It's a disaster! A nightmare! A fuldruk outside of its natural habitat is a menace to every living thing! No creature outside of a volcanic desert is built to withstand such energy, so everything is easy pickings for them! And that is even if they choose to eat their prey! Fuldruks that have been unleashed into other lands are capable of decimating local populations, as they just zap everything in sight. They ravage the ecosystem and burn villages to the ground, taking countless lives before they are finally slain. Obviously volcanic deserts are quite isolated, so natural migration is rare, but there are unfortunately cases where people try to smuggle their eggs or young out. Fuldruk anatomy is quite cool looking, so some people want it as trophies. Their parts and pieces are powerful materials for magic users, so there is a market for that as well. And obviously there are the people who think dragons are the kind of thing you can slap a collar on and put into a kennel, which don't even get me started on that. As long as they breathe, Fuldruk are incredibly dangerous and should not be removed from their natural habitat. I don't care that you think nurture beats nature, and that no one is born evil. I agree that evil is not an inherent thing, that no species is born with wickedness in their heart. However, we have yet to see a Fuldruk grow beyond that, so don't even try it! Every instance of someone trying to rear a lightning wyrm hatchling has led to absolute disaster. The coliseums don't even want these things! They are banned at the Enamel Spire, and you know what they let into that place! Turns out betting on death matches don't work so well when the audience is included in the causalities.   Chlora Myron

Dryad Natural Historian

--------------------------------------------------------

It appears to be smaugust, so why not post a dragon? And of course it can't be a normal dragon, because that's not how we do things around here people. Take a wild guess on what this thing is based on. Is it a river dolphin or a gharial? That's only half of it, but that doesn't matter CLACK CLACK CLACK!

[spiremire]

PSA for parents with young kids! please teach your kids the etiquette for approaching strange dogs, no means no!!!!

I don't generally have a lot of advice for parents, not being one myself, but I suppose this is applicable to people of all ages. I'm also hoping this is just a regional problem and that other people aren't currently dealing with this as well, but this deserves a wide audience regardless.

I live in Alaska, where most dogs are well socialized to humans and have absolutely atrocious obedience skills and manners in addition to generally being walked off leash or allowed to wander off leash.

Many times over the past year and several times in just the past few months, I have been out on a walk with my dog and we have encountered unsupervised kids in small groups who try to pet my dog without my permission. Sometimes they reach out without asking at all and other times they outright ignore my refusal after they do ask.

This is problematic in many ways, but is first and foremost very dangerous. If the dog in question is a service animal, it can endanger the handler because the dog could miss something in it's distraction. If the dog is not a service animal, then you, as a stranger, have no idea how the dog tolerates people. Dogs that don't like people deserve to go on walks as well, and they and their handlers deserve to have their boundaries respected regardless of your opinion on the matter.

Some context for my dog, specifically: he is a cattle dog I rescued from the local shelter a little over a year ago, and the shelter staff think his previous home life wasn't great. I have managed to, over the course of the last 14 months, train out his leash reactivity to cars, pedestrians, cyclists, and children. We're still working on other dogs and wildlife, but I suspect that will be much harder.

Because of his breed (he gets nippy when he's excited) and his relatively unknown history, I do not allow strangers to pet him on walks. My dog is not a bite risk (if I felt he was, he would wear a muzzle when we go out), and does not have a bite history, as far as his documentation goes. I don't want this to change, so we do not interact with strangers on walks. He also has a job (he's not a disability service animal but he is a working dog) so I don't really want him to associate being on leash with the reward of human attention, because that distracts him from his job.

The first three times we were approached by children who ignored my denial of permission, he was still highly reactive to pedestrians and children. These kids saw a snarling, barking, backing away, mean-looking dog and decided it looked like it wanted to be pet.

When supervised children approach us, I tell them that he's in training, and that's usually enough for the adult to have them move on.

When unsupervised children approach us, I tell them they cannot pet him because he isn't friendly. I make him stand between my legs a good distance off the path, and we send them on their way before we continue on. Sometimes they listen and its fine. Other times they're trying to pet him anyway. That is met with stern scolding and me physically placing my body between them and my dog.

I don't like intimidating kids this way, but it's entirely unacceptable. These unsupervised kids have ranged from something like 6 to 14. Many of them have been old enough to know better.

If you still don't get where I'm coming from, I want you to imagine a scenario where the strange dog is a bite risk. Every time you approach a strange dog, you only know what the owner tells you and when an owner tells you their dog is unfriendly, you should assume they are not lying regardless of how calm the dog is before you engage with it. In this scenario, I am out on a walk with my bite risk dog, at the time I usually go, which when I expect less people to be around for a more enjoyable and less stressful experience. I am not expecting to encounter anyone, so I do not put on my dog's muzzle (or maybe I don't have one, for some reason, but that's a different conversation for a different audience). An unexpected and unsupervised kid approaches with intent to pet (verbally communicated or otherwise) and I tell them no, not friendly.

The kid reaches to touch him anyway, and gets bit. I now have a pissed off and frightened dog to wrangle and a bleeding child to deal with. I don't know where this child lives. I don't know who is in charge of them. And with the injury, I can't guarantee that the child will be able to tell me where they live or who I should call for them. All I know is that in the eyes of the law, my dog will be at fault, and if the parent chooses to press charges, my dog will be euthanized.

TLDR: If your unsupervised kid would approach an unfriendly dog against the handler's advice, then they should not be unsupervised. Save everyone a lot of pain, medical expenses, and legal fees, and just teach your kids not to do this.

[novantinuum]

I am very curious about the Ford in Hyrule fic! Mind talking a little about it?

Heeheeheehoohoo!!!

So this lil idea was born out of my love of seeing a world through a completely third party observer’s eyes- I’m doing the same thing pretty much with my Steven Universe OC work right now, but when it came to Zelda (and specifically the world of Breath of the Wild) I thought it would be super fun to explore Hyrule through the eyes of a dimension hopping Ford Pines.

This story takes the form of numerous journal entries written down by him over the months he’s wandering this place… and desperately trying to find a portal that will lead him out of here. For this one I am using the headcanon that he cannot create his OWN portals, but rather has to find natural fissures in the dimensions he lands in to hop to the next. And this makes things pretty difficult here, as the moment he lands his rift compass starts acting up. (This is actually because of the Calamity, which is interfering with the signal… but of course, he doesn’t know that yet.)

Basically, not too long after Ford starts wandering around here, unbeknownst to him Link awakens on the Great Plateau and sets things in motion for the Calamity to wake up, but like… Ford is just an observer. So he spends much of the next year exploring the region, sourcing any interesting pieces of tech he can to integrate into his quantum destabilizer, and trying to figure out how to re-calibrate the right compass to hop to the next dimension.

Snippet:

_

Journal entry #8539

Day 2

At first glance, this world is a vessel of stark contrasts.

A barren land, strewn with ruins of a civilization long past… and yet irrevocably alive. The wide bounty of wildlife, so similar to the creatures of my own dimension in form, are no doubt the true rulers of this place. Thick young-growth forests blanket these rolling hills all the way to the horizon, practically bursting at the seams with deer, wild boar, foxes, squirrels, and wolves. A diverse variety of avian species populate the vast skies. If I’m honest, such unfettered freedom amidst the local fauna is not a sight I often see in a lot of the more technologically advanced dimensions I frequent, and that saddens me. There’s just something so ephemeral and intimate about observing the daily routines of critters in their natural habitats. (And it’s a large reason why I began my cryptozoologic research in the first place.)

Of course, as I mentioned briefly in my last entry, the crumbling remains of former houses, barracks, and marketplaces (among countless other facilities I cannot even begin to guess the purpose of) exist as gaping scars amidst this otherwise pristine wilderness. While the broad grasslands I currently traverse certainly seem peaceful on the surface, all the lingering rubble and rust paints a dire picture of this realm’s history. Dented, tarnished swords lay long-abandoned in the dirt. Scattered humanoid remains pepper the edges of settlements like garish confetti. Certain structures are now housed by small troops of tribal, flat-nosed creatures the likes of which I have never seen, a species which must be unique to this dimension. Since these were the first tool-wielding creatures I had encountered in this world, I briefly considered making contact to learn more about their customs and capacity for communication, but after observing their nature from afar for quite some time, I determined it unwise to approach. While seeming endlessly loyal to each other, this species quickly proved to be intensely territorial upon the approach of those who were not a part of their tribe. I watched them all take arms against a lizard-like creature who made the mistake of hunting too close. Suffice it to say, that lizard was not long for the world.

I shan’t be making the same mistake.

Once I complete my sketches of some fauna for this entry, I aim to head east. I can spot a smoke signal in the distance, and I’d very much like to make contact with some non-hostile inhabitants soon, if possible.

[theflyingfeeling]

Random thoughts etc. just writing these down for me, read if you're interested in my uneventful life lol

~

Had my orientation for my new job yesterday and I'm still so excited!! I spent a year studying there 11 years ago (👵) so it's fun to go back, but it's definitely also gonna be a little weird first. Both of the two teachers who taught me there will be absent this semester (unless the other one returns from her maternity leave after Christmas, but that's not set in stone yet), although I'm meeting the other for another orientation tomorrow, which I'm excited about because she's probably my favourite teacher ever and she's just so great and said such nice things about my writing skills 😭 so it's a shame I won't get to work with her nor the other English teacher (the one on maternity leave), so it's just me and the Swedish teacher (who will also be my supervisor), and my memories of her are...not quite as pleasant 🥲

the Swedish teacher: so you were here 11 years ago? that means that was my first year teaching here! me: oh yes, I remember it was your first year! :) the Swedish teacher: oh god, I must have been a total dummy back then! 😄 me, thinking of how she had accused me of not having written my Swedish essay myself: 🙂

lol obviously I'm not bitter about that anymore and I also sort of understand why she thought I had not written it myself (somehow talking Swedish in Swedish class is not the same as writing an essay in Swedish in the safety of your home), and she did apologize afterwards, assumably having brought this up with the English teachers and being told there's no way I would've done that, and yesterday she was suuuuuuuuper nice and helpful , so I'm sure we'll get along just fine 😌

...I know I just said I'm excited, but I haven't really done any planning for the courses or anything concrete at all, so if you see me crying about life next week, assume it's because I've realised how horribly incompetent I am for the job 🙂👍

~

Today I was on godmother duty with my niece (10½ months) and y'all should be SO proud of me from protecting her from the evil, baby-eating spider that was climbing on her carriage 😪 It was a dramatic and somewhat traumatic encounter with life-threatening wildlife, especially when the spider wouldn't hop off the carriage when I swept it with a twig the first time, but together we made through it (the niece was sleeping the entire time)

~

Speaking of wildlife, I saw a little stoat running on the parking lot of my building this morning 🥺 I hope it he had a safe journey to wherever it was hopping...

~

Seeing BC on Saturday (yes, again 🥰) and I'm so excited because 1) aaaaaaaaa what if they play the new song, I know it's not officially out until next week but come ooooon it's the last show of the summer tour and the last show in Finland until god knows when (😭) and they also played Don't Fix Me at shows last summer before they officially released the song so idk about you guys but I for one am totally getting my hopes up 🤞, and 2) aaaaaaaaa gonna see so many of my beloved BC mutuals, it's gonna be a grand ol' reunion again!! 🥺💕 however, I have zero idea about when/how I'm gonna get there (it takes ~4 hours to travel to the venue from where I live, and amazingly the train ain't much more quicker than the bus 🙂) or when/how I'm gonna be leaving back home again because I still haven't decided whether or not I should stay the night somewhere (I don't want to miss any potential after-show hangouts, but I also really love sleeping the night in my own bed lol), so if this issue would somehow just solve itself that would be great thanks ✌️

[kcenvs3000w24]

Blog 01: Launching into Nature Interpretation

Hi everyone! Welcome to my Nature Interpretation Blog. For this first blog post, I will describe my ideas regarding nature and some of my experiences. I am excited to have taken this course to learn more about nature and its interpretations. So far I have already learned from our textbook that interpretation seeks to find a deeper understanding of our world, by looking at it with a different lens. As for our prompt this week, we are focusing on our current relationship with nature.

I would say that I have always been drawn to natural environments and have a great appreciation for them. Our natural world here on Earth never fails to amaze me. For example, I have seen countless sunsets throughout my life, however I still like to take a picture every time I see one. 

Here are pictures of sunsets I have taken over the years: 

Growing up, I loved to go on hikes with my family and cousins, who offered me a sense of place. Many childhood memories I hold close to my heart have been spent with them. However, I also feel that I have found a sense of place within myself as well. By spending time on my own in nature, I am able to freely experience everything surrounding me. As a child, physically, I found that hiking is not always the most desirable activity. Especially on a sunny and humid day through a rocky trail filled with slopes and hills (and of course I can’t forget about those irritating mosquitos). Despite this, the end result is always worth it once I was able to see the mesmerizing views and wildlife that nature has to offer. One of the distinct memories I have of hiking with my family would be when we visited the hiking trails near the Niagara Whirlpool. I remember it was a difficult hike, but I will never forget the enchanting feeling of seeing a natural wonder of the world up close. My connection with nature continued to grow and deepen as a young girl whenever my family would visit Muskoka or another location up north to camp for a few days. Since I grew up in Guelph for the majority of my childhood, traveling to a more relaxing and peaceful location for camping was a lovely opportunity. 

A few hiking photos:

Now as a young adult, I still enjoy going on hikes with my friends and family. I find that with all the busy activities that occur in my daily life, it’s tough to take a moment out of the day to immerse myself in nature. I will admit that I do not spend enough time connecting with nature as I wish to. In our fast-paced society revolving around convenience, it can be difficult to take a step back to “stop and smell the roses”, or appreciate what we have right in front of us. Now that I am in my last year of studying Biological Science, I have matured quite a bit in my way of thinking and perceiving the world around me. I hope to continue exploring the natural environments I encounter, and as a goal for the new year of 2024 I am aiming to make this a priority. 

Thanks so much for reading!

[indianamoonshine]

Strawberry | Chapter 16 | Powder Room Liaisons

Summary: A little footsie can get you a long way.

A/N: This doesn’t give much plot but it’s my gift to you for having to wait for so long! Have some explicit smut! And as always: NO MINORS!

TAG LIST: @t3a-bag @lumimon47 @dodgerandevans @hallway5 @dancingwiththeplanets @steeevienicks @orneryscandallousandevil @ficthots @gaiusfrakkinbaltar @reginagina-blog1 @loveme-tenderly @lastphoenixrising @rattlemyb0nes @rebellou @alljusthumans @gaiuswrites @lovecatsnotpeople @literallydontlook @the-ginger-hedge-witch

Breakfast was strawberries, lilac honey, and leftover ham from last night’s dinner.

The table this morning was just as chatty as it usually was, though not without the usual morning-dewed banter that volleyed back and forth betwixt Rhea and Charlotte. Any time earlier than nine in the morning was when their ice was usually the thickest – their glacier usually thawed after the morning’s meal when their tummies were full of sickly sweet syrup and pomegranate seeds.

You’d only been up so early because Din woke you. While this had been your own personal request (a self-promise made with good intentions), it was almost worth getting caught by your father sneaking in even if it meant just one more hour of sleep. Din almost caved in too until he took a gamble by whispering, “Oh fuck, I think I heard someone coming up the front porch…” in your ear. Needless to say, it scared you straight out of bed and shimmying into your silk shorts that had been left abandoned on the floor.

Your dad prepared breakfast this morning which was an event akin to Haley’s Comet – it happened every once in a Blue Moon. It wasn’t to say your father was a – well, “traditional father” – but he did, however, work on the farm before anyone got up. While your family didn’t own heavy livestock like cattle or horses, you were the proud parents of some asshole chickens and roosters. He used their very eggs for breakfast today – speckled, brown, and plain ‘ole white. Logically, they shouldn’t taste very different, but you were always keen on the brown hens yourself.

You’d only known your dad made breakfast today – not just because he bragged about not burning the ham for once – but because you’d almost walked straight in his line of vision while trekking back from Din’s cabin. It had been light enough that you felt safe to do so on your own; the raccoons and any other suspicious wildlife had gone back into their burrows by then. While you’d been concerned about getting your hind chewed by, what is essentially the Midwestern Koala, you’d overlooked the possibility of encountering a much more dangerous beast: a pissed off farmer. And not just any farmer, but a dad who realized his youngest daughter was sneaking out of his best friend’s bed.

Fortunately, you spotted him just in the nic-of-time and hid behind a haystack.

“How were the ladies this morning, dad?” Charlotte asks, forking her slice of ham.

He snorts, rolling his eyes. He already looks beat and it’s only nine in the morning. “Stubborn as always.”

You smirk while taking a sip of your water. “Of course they are – you’re taking their eggs.”

Your father shrugs. “Maybe they’re pissed they aren’t getting the special treatment they usually do this time of year.”

Rhea stops chewing, eyebrow raising. “You’re not gonna show them this year?”

He shakes his head. “No. Too busy with the crops. Maybe by next year I’ll have a sow.”

You hum under your breath, listening as Rhea and Charlotte laugh at the idea of your father shoveling manure. Rhea supplies the table with the – admittingly hilarious – mental image of a cow being hoisted onto a crane to have their hooves worked on. Even Din laughs at this, his dark eyes crinkling and bright smile like one of legends.

Maybe it was a bad idea, but you take a strawberry to your lips and barely graze its shiny skin with your teeth, focused in on Din’s charming laugh. It doesn’t take long for him to notice and he does everything he possibly can to pretend he doesn’t; you can tell by the way he avoids eye contact with you altogether. He shifts uncomfortably in his seat, clearing his throat as covertly as he can.

Bullseye.

“Din, you remember when we went cow-tipping?” your father asks, his voice alight with melancholy. His eyes glaze over a bit, visiting a memory shrouded with time.

Rhea almost looses her mind at this. The unexpected anecdote causes her to choke on her sip of water and she coughs before saying, “That’s an actual thing?”

Din tries to contribute to the conversation, allowing a few sparse words here and there. But he’s suddenly preoccupied with the foot you slide up his leg, thigh-high sock slipping off your calf just slightly. When he casts you a glare, it’s frustrated and almost scornful.

If it weren’t for the obvious tint of red in his face (a blush only lovers can detect) you’d suspect him to be angry with you for the display even though no one can see. Din’s emotions don’t usually run easily across his face, but he clenches his jaw as you trail your foot up farther.

The jubilant conversation has not faltered though it was just background noise now. You continue to maintain eye contact with him, foot now dangerously close to a rather obvious bulge…

Din tenses his jaw, widening his eyes just slightly as a warning. Don’t you dare, the expression shouts.

Unfortunately for Din, you were something of a brat.

He lets out a strangled grunt when you press your heel against his cock, bowing over the table just slightly. You smirk in victory but pretend to focus on your meal and not notice, stabbing a piece of ham with your fork. Din attempts to camouflage his groan with a cough, taking a rather large gulp of his coffee, and apologizing immediately.

“You alright?” your father asks him.

Din nods, pretending to clear his throat again. “Yeah, just swallowed my spit wrong.”

You raise a brow, pushing your food around your plate with disinterest. “I hate it when that happens,” you mock.

🍓💗🍓💗🍓💗🍓💗🍓

You were going to be the fucking death of him.

As soon as everyone leaves the kitchen, the day officially begins. Mark had decided to go back out to the farm and continue to wrestle with the chickens. “They still need tending to”, he declared before rising from the table. Rhea and Charlotte stowed away in their bedrooms, the doors locked shut behind them.

Once Mark is far enough away, Din is free to watch you clean up the table with a pair of vengeful eyes, swallowing every inch of your still-sleepy form. You scrub at an old pan with every ounce of elbow grease you can muster, blowing a strand of hair out of your eyes. Doing the dishes shouldn’t be such a seductive act, nor should the concentrated expression written so plainly on your face.

Din clears his throat, startling you out of the engrossment your task requires. When you turn to face him with an eyebrow raised he starts for the hallway.

“Come here,” he says under his breath. It’s a bit ragged, towing the line between exasperation and pure adrenaline.

You put down your rubber gloves hesitantly, stepping away from the sink, and following him. Your steps are timid as though he’s prepared to scorn you for something. In a way, he supposes he is.

“Wha…” you begin.

Din covers your mouth, a muffled shriek barely audible between the cracks of his fingers, before shoving the two of you in a nearby bathroom. He flicks on the light and immediately lifts you upon the cool, laminate surface of the counter.

It looks like the bathroom hasn’t been remodeled since the fifties. A white, floral wallpaper covers the walls – the kind of wallpaper that’s a bitch to tear off. On his right is a toilet with a pink, terry cloth rug beneath it. He’s reminded of the bathroom at one of his foster homes.

“Din!” you whisper. “What are you doing?”

He’d like to say so many things with so few words.

But he doesn’t say a word.

He just kneels. 🍓💗🍓💗🍓💗🍓💗🍓

When you pulled your little stunt this morning, you hadn’t expected this to be his reaction.

You’re glad it is though.

Din’s torn your sleep-shorts off completely, tossing them haphazardly behind him. The moment his lips touch the inside of your right thigh, you gasp a little out of instinct. He hasn’t shaved in a few days so the sparse facial hair framing his jaw tickles you a little; usually this would cause you to giggle and thrash against him with playful protest.

But not today.

Logical thoughts form on your tongue but they fall short, clustering at the end and ultimately dissolving. Din inches your underwear down with deft fingers in a flurry of motion and, just when you think he’s going to toss those aside too, he does something very unexpected.

He considers it for a moment – considers doing away with them completely. You can see the gears in his head turning, a maniacal plan forming. Instead, he tucks the pair in his jeans for safe keeping.

“Oh shi…” you start, but you can’t get any further than that.

Din grabs your hips and pulls you to the edge of the counter, your thighs splayed open on either side of his head. The movement burns your skin and chafes you just slightly but it’s a small price to be paid. He presses three separate kisses to the soft flesh near your core before ultimately taking your clit in his mouth and sucking hard.

It is unstoppable that your eyes roll into the back of your head, fingers raking through Din’s thick hair and pulling just slightly. He growls against you when you tug, his forearms encasing your calves against him more firmly. You’re unable to move, unable to speak. Pathetic mewls bubble in your throat and then fizz like pop when you try to release them.

He pulls away, your arousal evident against his lips. He looks as though he’s just drank from the pond. You can’t help but blush crimson.

“You think you can pull a stunt like that and get away with it?” His voice is…authoritative. Demanding.

Sexy.

You whine, shifting above him to dull the ache he’s leaving behind.

Din growls, taking a finger and stuffing it inside your pussy. The stretch burns just slightly despite having had sex last night. A weird, choking sound cuts off your answer when he curls it towards him.

“Answer me.”

You shake your head, eyes clenching shut. “No. I’m…”

Din raises his brows teasingly, mouth curved into a slight grin. “What, baby? Use your words.”

“I’m sorry,” you relent.

You’re not sorry in the fucking slightest.

“That’s it…” Din smirks. He inches another finger beside the first, supporting you when you arch into his grasp. “That’s my girl.”

🍓💗🍓💗🍓💗🍓💗🍓

He has to hold you upright so you won’t fall.

He’s stepped between your legs and inched his cock inside already, cradling the back of your neck so you don’t slam it against the mirror. Your thighs have knocked over the toothbrush holder upon the floor, the contents of it spilling on the tile. Din’s also positive you’ve shredded the wallpaper with your fingernails but he’s far too enthralled by the wet slap of your cunt.

It’s…rougher than usual. Protective. He’s not been this aggressive with you until now. You’re enjoying it though, squealing wordless jargon in his shoulder as he pistons his hips against yours. It lasts for five minutes before he notices the twitch of your insides and the way your eyes go soft, lashes fluttering, and kiss-bitten mouth dropping open.

You press your forehead against his, trying to conjure up something to say.

“I know, baby…” he coos, pressing his lips against your temple. “I know…”

When you cum, you shudder around him without noise. Your arms wind tightly around his neck, pressing yourself as close to him as physically possible. Afterwards, you sag in his arms, body pliable and soft, and let out a glorious whine only he can hear.

Din grunts, your aftershocks jolting his cock like electricity thrives in his veins.

“Please, baby. Please…” you whisper in his mouth, lips touching and your breath exchanging. “Please…”

He makes a noise like he’s just been punched in the stomach. “Where…”

“Wherever you need it. Please…” you beg, tilting your head back against the mirror. You’re spent.

Finally, Din cums with a stifled howl. His teeth graze the skin of your neck before biting down just enough to cause you to yelp. Ropes of his seed coat your insides and he experiences the way your pussy so greedily sucks it in.

There’s a moment of silence that falls upon the bathroom. The two of you remain in one another’s arms, his lips still on your skin, tongue gently nursing the unintentional bruise he left. There isn’t a notion of life behind the bathroom door, indicting the two of you have gotten away with this.

He’s terrified that one day your luck may run out.

For now though, you pull back from him with a great and heavy sigh. When he looks into your eyes, he sees the way the irises glitter in the light and how rosy your skin is. You never look the same after each orgasm – equally as beautiful but different still. This time, a flush appears on your collarbones.

The both of you stare at one another for a moment before you crack a pretty grin and snort as though you’re trying to hold in a giggle.

“What?” he asks you with a grin. He wipes a bead of sweat from your forehead.

You giggle some more. “I have no idea.”

[flanklurker]

Starving for Skye content 😭🙏 Could I request a Skye x Fem!Reader where they wake up early on their day off together, and they decide to stay in bed for a bit and it's just super fluffy ?? Maybe Reader traces all of Skye's scars (Maybe Skye is telling Reader each how she got each scar?) and just admires her freckles 🧍‍♀️ I'm so inlove with her it's insane

My good friend, same I say, having had this sitting in my inbox for like 3 months(? Imsosorry) I hope you enjoy~

Skye x Fem!Reader: Lazy Day

The first thing your sleepy eyes lock onto are the way the sliver of warm light from the window picks up the dust particles hazing through the air. The light is brilliant when it hits them—little flecks of gold in an otherwise still-dark room.

The second thing you notice is your girlfriend, mouth slightly ajar and hair mussed over the pillow. Her chest rises and falls, all sheets and blankets having rolled to the side during all the tossing and turning she did to get comfortable last night.

The last mission was a bitch.

It wasn’t often you guys got scheduled on the same mission. Don’t get me wrong, your synergy was great—some of the best teamwork in the Protocol in fact. It was more that you were both so invaluable that Brim often needed you chaperoning the more… trigger happy members of your organisation.

God it was nice being able to wake up next to her. You’d saved yourself a lot of stiffness by taking yourselves off to Sage last night. For the first time in however long then, you had yourselves a morning off.

The smallest grumble from across the bed draws your attention, and you see Skye stir on the pillow next to you. Her eyes crinkle blearily as she tugs the blankets back around her.

You smile gently and brush a little bit of hair out of her eyes. Before you can retract your hand, she reaches up and grabs it, locking your fingers and murmuring something soft that ends in “…morninggg.”

“Hey sleepyhead. Missed morning run alarm huh?”

This draws angrier grunts as she rolls the blankets around, pushing her head closer to your chest to block out the light. “MmmMMmmmbb,” she mumbles.

Usually Skye’s ready to crack on with a run, so you decide to make the most of the moment to tug her in closer and run your hand through her hair. She leans into the touch and hums.

“Wanna stay in a bit?” she whispers.

“Of course,” you smile.

After a while, she makes another grumble and shifts over to press her back up against you. The loose night shirt tugs down and exposes her neck and shoulders, filled with scars and scrapes. Almost absent-mindedly, you start running your fingers across the various ridges, tracing currents down her skin.

She chuckles. “The perks of havin’ an aviary.”

“Where did you get these ones anyway? Didn’t think we’d been melee’d that many times on the field recently,” you chuckle.

“Oh these? Nah, they’re old news.” She tugs the shirt further back to reveal the marks that pepper her shoulders. Your little huffs of concern are met with an easy smile.

“They don’t hurt anymore ya goof, these are from my days as a hiking guide. Someone’s kid got himself somewhere he shouldn’t, and I might have gone a bit past OH&S requirements to get him out of a pretty tight cave. Granite’s a bitch.”

She moves your hand to a thick, textured indent on her left shoulder. “This one, I got from an overly ambitious bike outing. To be fair, it was a pretty sick jump, I can show you the video if I can dig it up.”

“You videoed that?” you ask, incredulously.

“My mate did,” she chuckles. “Funniest shit I ever seen.”

“What about this one on the back?” you ask, tracing a big gash through her upper back. You ask it jokingly, but you’re met with a surprisingly serious expression.

“Shit, Skye, is that off-limits? My bad- I didn’t mean to dredge up-“

“Nah fam, you’re right. Just a vicious encounter I’d prefer to forget.”

“Realm? Mirrors?”

“Worse. Australian wildlife.”

What the fuck could be deadlier than some universe’s Reyna? You gotta know. “What the fuck did that one Skye.”

“God, these things are so rare I couldn’t fucken believe I ran into one,” she starts up. “Dead of night, day three of the gnarliest fucken bush bash I’ve ever been on. I go off to find a place level enough to bury the team’s poo-“

“Skye that’s fucken nasty,” you cut in.

“Naw naw, listen though. We had head torches and shit right? Not much is gonna fuck you up if you make noise—snakes tend to stay the fuck away and kangas are more interested in beefing with each other anyway. But there was this weird rustling, right?”

“Mm.” You’re riveted.

“And there was just something about it. My heart dropped and I think I kinda knew what I was in for. God, even thinking of it now makes my blood run cold. As slowly as I could, no sudden moves, I looked up towards the branches. The torch cut across these eyes. Fuck. I can still remember exactly the way they lit up in the gumtrees. The low growl that seemed to come from everywhere. Bone white claws and tusks live with spittle.”

“Oh my god, Skye. What was it,” you say softly.

“Stuff of Australian legends, girlie. The tyrant of the bush. The hunter of the canopy.”

Here, she pauses, and takes a deep breath, looking at you dead on.

“The drop… bear.”

You look at her for a full ten seconds, coming to terms with the enormity of what she’s just said. She looks at you, trying to remain as impassive as she can but not quite as a small, rakish smile tugs at the corner of her mouth.

“Skye.”

“Love of my life.”

“I can’t believe you just fucking tried to drop-bear me-“

“Successfully, drop-beared you,” she shoots back.

“-believe you successfully drop-beared me in the year of our lord 2-“

You’re cut off with a flurry of kisses, as the pair of you can barely supress grins and giggles. Skye peppers kisses all over your face as you squirm in mock-protest, until you both dissolve into a pile of pillows and blankets and laughs.

Yeah, that counts as a good day off.

[deputyash]

you have a vampire au for dove right? tell me about that au with her and john! (--direwombat)

This is less headcanons and more just me rambling about my Vampire AU haha XD I love that I’ve finally been given a chance to talk about my AUs. Thanks for sending it in! :D

Like her regular storyline, Dove is from Texas originally. She was living a normal life until she was turned into a vampire (haven’t planned out how exactly yet). Obviously the sun-filled state of Texas isn’t a good place for a vampire, so she moves to Hope County with the help of her uncle’s friend, Earl Whitehorse. Dove moved to Hope County because she thought it would be a nice, quiet, peaceful place to escape the sunlight and have access to all the wildlife she would ever need to survive. Well…that didn’t happen, at all. 

In this universe, she still starts out as the junior deputy. It was a way to cover up her secret and give her a sense of normalcy. She stuck to the night shifts (again thanks to Sheriff Whitehorse) to ensure she would be safe. Unfortunately, when a certain cult by the name of Eden’s Gate moves in, things take a turn. When the Marshal shows up to arrest Joseph, Whitehorse is forced to bring his dwindling team with him, including Dove. (Somehow Whitehorse convinced Burke to wait until nightfall to make the arrest.)

After she is separated from everyone, she is mostly on her own. Besides fighting an entire cult on her own, it’s very difficult for her to balance her need for blood and her desire to keep her humanity. She doesn’t get to hunt for animals nearly enough and she refuses to drink from people unless they are willing (or if they really manage to piss her off, but even then she tries her best to be restrained). She fights the cult as best as she can, but it’s slow progress due to her restrictions. However, the fact that she can’t really become injured or die easily does help. This does begin to raise suspicion among some people. John is the first to notice out of the Heralds. He’s only ever encountered her at night and he’s heard stories of her getting into situations that would’ve killed anyone else. His initial guess is wrong. He believed she was a demon, sent to destroy him and his family’s divine mission.

To further investigate, he sets a trap for her (more of an experiment actually). After she escapes her bindings in his bunker, he willingly opens the doors, only for it to be revealed that it was daylight outside. He asks her what was wrong, already knowing the answer. Dove is instantly angry at him, knowing that he’s figured out her secret. When she’s forced to walk back to their confession room, they have a back and forth discussion (semi-mild argument really). John accuses her of being a monster and Dove retorts that she may be a monster, but that he’s no better than her. He has his humanity still and yet he does awful things.

Jumping ahead in the timeline, Dove and John manage to get themselves stuck in one of the random small bunkers in the county. (Haven’t come up with a reason why yet haha.) There’s plenty of regular food in the bunker to last until they can be rescued, but of course Dove can’t eat it (or gain any benefit from it at least). Dove is already weakened from restricting her diet so much that she’s essentially starving to death. Also, important note, at this point, her and John have moved from pure enemies to “it’s complicated.” John reluctantly offers to be a willing participant for Dove to feed from. She is wary of his willingness, but she’s hungry so she accepts the agreement. And oh no, John finds that he’s into the act of Dove biting into his neck and oh no why is he thinking about all of the other places she could bite him (*coughs* “You know Dove, there’s a pretty good artery on the thigh.” - John Seed). Meanwhile, Dove’s in absolute heaven from finally feeling stronger again. And oh no, why does she like the feeling of John’s heartbeat racing against her palms? Why does she want to be closer to him, to feel his warmth against her skin?