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wild-west-wind · 5 months

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Hi 👋As a Park Ranger (interpretative, like me?), I assume you know all about how the NPS was formed- most of the land was brutally, illegally taken from the local tribes. I've been having a moral dilemma about my role in the national park system. I love educating the public and being a positive influence, but am I upholding an oppressive system? I know that if I were to switch to education or to museums, it'd be the same question. What I'm asking is: how do you reconcile with that?

I mean, this is true of all the land in the US, so it's bigger than the park service.

Before I dig into this as a white person, here's what Deb Haaland has to say:

I think that the Park Service has a lot to reckon with historically, and I think parks lately are showing some interest in trying to do that. From big parks like Yellowstone bringing diverse Indigenous stakeholders to to table on management decisions while also supplying buffalo to regrow and strengthen herds thousands of miles away, to Canyon de Chelly's requirement that tourists travel into the canyon only with a Navajo guide in recognition of the location's sacred nature, to Pipestone National Monument celebrating ongoing traditional pipestone quarrying, to advocacy for protection by the Department of the Interior at Bears Ears.

As a (pretty much entirely) white interp ranger, I understand that I'm living in someone else's home, but I was living in someone else's home when I lived in LA too, and none of that is unique to the US. And honestly I think, for the tremendous flaws of the National Park idea, at least we try to preserve things. In a lot of colonial nations that hasn't been the case.

I think more National Park Sites should form better relationships with local tribal governments, and see what they want. Different people have different relationships with different places, and will want different things. I think the Park Service should open the door to co management more, and encourage more opportunities for Indigenous people to tell their own stories and not leave it all in the hands of randos like us. I think we're moving the right direction in that regard.

The fact of the matter, in the end, is that none of this begins or ends with the Park Service. It's a puzzle piece, a tool used to enact, enforce, repair, undo, and uphold the ideals of a nation that has never effectively dealt with its past, present, or future. I think protecting land from development and preserving natural spaces is a valuable, albeit naive, goal. It can't be done in a vacuum though. As I look toward a future of the National Parks, I see a lot more Native involvement in their management. That will look different in each site, in reflection of the different cultures there. I can't speak to what that will look like for anywhere in particular, but it is happening already, and as educators it's part of our job to explain the whys and hows of that to people who don't get it, and who think sharing will mean losing something they love. At the end of the day, that thing they loved was broken, and there is good momentum behind fixing it, and most people can understand that given time.

I think it's good that you feel guilty. It means you're paying attention. I think the important thing now is to turn that into momentum and passion. Figure out what you can do and do it.

#in which i am a park ranger

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enjoythesilentworld · 3 months

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I can’t believe I almost missed the chance to ask you to write smth. That’s what I get for having a busy tumblr dash. Anyway. “Join me” as a prompt pls? 💜

hello my darling Lia. you know i'd write anything you asked me to. for today, here's a (not) little ficlet in which Simon neglects to read the fine print and somehow it actually turns out really well for him.

💜enjoy xx

Alone in a foreign country, Simon must find a stranger to join him on the romantic couples food tour he’s accidentally booked. (a 2.3k strangers to lovers, fake dating, speed-run of an AU) if you see this again for day 2 of simon's month dont worry bout it

Simon curses under his breath as the confirmation email comes in.

So, he’d booked the food tour a little quickly, possibly without reading all the fine print. He can’t even blame a language barrier because he’s in Spain and, thanks to his mamá, his Spanish is really better than his English.

The solo-travel thing had been a bit of a last-minute decision. Spurred by the post university graduation crisis of, ‘Oh Fuck What Am I Doing With My Life?’ whichled twenty-somethings around the globe to grab a backpack and buy a one-way plane ticket. Simon’s decision was also encouraged by the fact that he’d woken up one day and realized he was in a toxic relationship, quickly packing his bags and saying Hejdå to a two-year relationship. He’s only about three weeks into the whole self-discovery shtick, but it seems to be going well so far. He enjoys the independence of it all. Not that he’s not independent at home — in fact, he’s been a little bit too much of an adult since he was 10 — but more so that he doesn’t have to worry about anyone else. Simon goes to museums when he wants to, stays for as little or as much time as he wants. He eats when he wants, goes to shows he likes, and doesn’t spend every second of every day worrying about everyone else. (Of course, he’s called his mama and sister nearly every day since he left, but he’s working on it.) He also, apparently, incorrectly books guided food tours that are actually romantic couples excursions.

Glancing around the nearly empty breakfast room at his hostel, he chews on his options. One is to show up to this tour alone and look like a dumb tourist. Two is to find someone willing to go on it with him.

There’s a pair of British girls in the corner, giggling over their plates of breakfast. Simon recognizes them from the stand-up comedy show the hostel had organized the night before; they’d been attached at the hip the whole night. Slim chance of separating them. Crowding around the cereal bar is a group of American guys who all look like fraternity brothers. If Simon remembers correctly, he’d overheard some vile words from them in the bar last night, and so he’s is not too keen on participating in any sort of tour with any of them, romantic or not.

The only other person in the room is sitting a few seats down at the communal table: a very good-looking man with light auburn hair and high cheek bones. His long fingers, nails painted a deep purple, hold up a book with one hand and gingerly lift a coffee cup to his lips with the other. He’s dressed quite casually, in an un-done button up over a tank-top and baggy trousers, but somehow makes it look refined. Simon noticed him yesterday afternoon in the hostel café, noticed the way the man’s eyes tracked Simon from across the room.

His pretty brown eyes are no longer locked on the pages of the book, but have found Simon again and caught him staring. Simon forces himself to hold his ground and smiles, glancing down at the book title. It’s by a Swedish author, he realizes, and a gay Swedish author at that.

Gesturing with his head, Simon asks, “Is it good?”

The pretty man places his coffee cup down clumsily. “Yeah, it’s one of my favorites.”

“I hope I’m not interrupting.”

“I’ve read it a million times,” he says, closing the book. “I’m Wille.”

The light blush on his cheeks is endearing.

“Simon.”

Wille smiles softly and nods, “Trevligt.”

He’s polite and looks suspiciously rich to be in this hostel, but his eyes are kind and has a rainbow pin on his tote bag so, before Wille can say anything else, Simon slides one chair closer.

“Are you doing anything today, Wille?”

Wille moves to the chair across from Simon. “Nope.”

Simon props his head on both his hands and gazes at this beautiful stranger, wondering why he didn’t speak to him the day before. “Would you like to join me on a romantic food tour around Barcelona?”

Wille quirks an eyebrow, then mirrors Simon’s position. “I would love to.”

The tour doesn’t begin for a few hours, so they sit and chat while the breakfast room fills up around them. Wille laughs when Simon explains how he’s gotten himself into this situation, and the sound sets little sparks bursting in Simon’s chest. What luck he’s had this morning.

Simon learns that Wille is also at the beginning of a self-discovery trip, running away from a family legacy and a desk job he desperately did not want. He also learns that Wille is incredibly funny and quite flirty, though whenever Simon starts flirting back he becomes incredibly flustered. His stare, though, is the thing that gets Simon the most. Wille looks at him so intently, gaze flitting between Simon’s eyes and his mouth, listening to every word and seemingly staring directly into Simon’s soul. It would be troubling if he wasn’t so goddamn beautiful.

The conversation flows so easily between them that Simon, so wrapped up in Wille’s laugh and crooked teeth, almost forgets they have somewhere to be.

They walk quickly through the streets of Barcelona together, heading towards the café at which they’re meant to meet the rest of their tour group. Wille’s fingers brush against Simon’s a few times, though his voice never falters, so Simon isn’t sure if it’s just him that feels the jolt of electricity each time.

“You said this is a romantic food tour?” Wille asks, reaching out to pull Simon out of the way of a passing cart.

The city is bustling with life around them, the sun shining hot between the buildings, people hanging off balconies, chatting with neighbors or stringing up laundry to dry. It’s absolutely beautiful, and somehow it seems a bit more colorful than it had the day before.

“Yes.”

“Is it going to be obvious that you and I just met?” he says, letting Simon go ahead of him to squeeze through the crowd, staying close, with a hand hovering over Simon’s lower back.

“Well,” Simon muses, “we could make it a bit of a game. If you’re down.”

Looking over his shoulder, he sees Wille’s eyes light up with mischief. “I’m down. What kind of game?”

Simon chuckles and shrugs, checking his phone to make sure they’re still headed in the right direction. “We could pretend to be a couple. You know, really put on a show.”

“That sounds very, very fun, Simon.”

For the last ten or so minutes of their walk, they establish some basic rules. They’ll hold hands and gaze lovingly in each other’s eyes and ramble to anyone who asks about their beautiful love story. The goal is to one-up every other couple there by acting sickeningly in love. By the time they make it to the café, only a few minutes late, they’re holding onto each other and cackling at the increasingly ridiculous ‘meet-cute’ ideas they’ve come up with.

There are three other couples in the tour: one looks like a very young newly-wed couple, another is a pair of middle-aged ladies, and the third is a pretentious-looking, older couple who already look fed up with everyone else. As the tour-guide starts on their spiel, Wille wraps a tender arm around Simon, pulling him close and whispering jokes into his ear, somehow making them look more like a couple than even the newly-weds.

They sit down to start, and Wille lets Simon order for them off the selected menu. They feed each other bites of tomato toast and gently wipe crumbs from each other’s cheeks, all the while giggling to each other and only half-listening to the explanations of the food. It also seems they’ve unintentionally started a competition with the other young couple of who-can-look-more-in-love. When Wille hands Simon a napkin before he can even ask to wipe up his splashed juice, the man of the other couple tries to lovingly whisper something in his wife’s ear but gets brushed off as she’s too busy listening intently to the tour guide. When Simon holds out a forkful of potato omelette for Wille, the man tries to do the same, but his wife shakes her head, smiling, and fondly pats his cheek then turns back to her own plate.

As they move through the next few stops — a restaurant, a food cart, and an open-air market — he and Wille fall even further into their ‘game’. There’s plenty of very intentional touches and exchanged loving glances, but Wille also asks Simon about himself. About his family and his dreams and where he’s going next. Simon learns even more about Wille’s obsession with frogs and his love for lakes and his passion for writing. The rest of the tour group fades away, and things between them start to feel a little less like a game and a little more real. The prolonged eye contact becomes less playful and more loaded. The lingering touches become less out of competition and more out of some deep urge. Simon’s eyes flick more often down to Wille’s lips, watching him lick cream off his fingers or clean gazpacho off his spoon.

Maybe it’s the wine, but as they head to their last stop of the day, hand in hand, trailing behind the group, Simon finds himself hoping Wille isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. He’d made a few friends over the past few weeks, but it always seemed to work out that when he was having a great time, the person would be leaving the very next day, heading off to some new country or heading back home.

Wille grins over at him and points out a pretty sculpture, mumbling something smart about the artist and looking absolutely ethereal in the light of the early evening with his flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes. Maybe it isn’t just the wine.

Their final destination is small tapas place on the beach. Simon and Wille have given up any pretense of listening to the tour guide or of playing their little game. Instead, they sit close at their table and chat about their favorite memories growing up and tell embarrassing stories. Simon, as he’s done at every place, translates every bit of Spanish on the menu and giggles helplessly as he corrects Wille’s pronunciation. They share a plate of pulpo and split a liter of sangria and it’s one of the most perfect days Simon’s ever experienced.

“I’m really glad I misread that website,” Simon says, fiddling with his fingers. When he glances up, he finds Wille grinning at him. He takes Simon’s hand.

“Me too.”

After the tour concludes and their guide bids they all farewell, their group mostly scatters. But, Wille and Simon stay at their table, finishing off their pitcher and becoming increasingly rowdy with their jokes. After a few annoyed looks from their waiter, they collect their things and stumble down to the beach. Simon jumps onto Wille’s back, laughing loudly and savoring the feeling of Wille’s strong hands wrapped securely around his legs. Wille wades out into the shallow water of the beach, and Simon yelps when he pretends to nearly drop them both into the cool water.

Eventually, Wille lets him down but takes his hand instead, and they walk down the sand, talking about the food tour and realizing that they maybe didn’t pay attention at all.

There’s a warm buzz in Simon’s body, making him giddy and calm all at once. When they make it to a small concrete pier, Wille pulls him out to the edge of it and they stand, arms wrapped around each other, staring out at the Mediterranean.

Simon sigh happily. “Beautiful.”

“Yeah. Very,” Wille says breathlessly, and Simon looks up to see Wille staring down at him. He smacks Wille’s chest playfully.

“You’re an idiot, Wille.”

Wille laughs, “I’m being serious!”

“Sure,” Simon hums, turning back to the water, biting back a smile.

“Hey.” He turns back again and Wille’s face has sobered, and he’s now gazing down at Simon with that same intense stare. “You are beautiful, Simon. You’re also funny and kind and— I had a really, really great time today.”

He squirms slightly at the force of the words, the conviction in Wille’s tone, but can’t help but let his eyes flicker down to Wille’s lips. He’s so close and looks so pretty in the cool lighting of the twilight evening and Simon’s never thought it could be possible to fall for someone like this, this hard, in one day.

“Me, too,” Simon whispers. Then, “Wille?”

“Yes?”

“Can I—”

Wille nods, gasping, “Yes,” before Simon can even finish his sentence and then they’re both rushing forward.

Finally, after thinking about it nearly all day, Wille’s lips connect with his. He tastes like fruity wine and olives and something so Wille, and Simon melts into his arms, coming up onto his tiptoes to press further into him. Wille’s hair is soft under his fingertips and though they’ve basically been touching all day, this is different and overwhelming and everything.

When they break apart, giggling into each other, the lights have come on along the paved pathway by the beach.

“Maybe we should head back?” Wille suggests, looking just as much like he doesn’t want to head back as Simon feels. But, it’s getting late and he’s also starting to feel tired from all the wine and walking, so Simon nods and takes Wille’s hand again.

They trail slowly back through the streets, pausing occasionally to exchange a quick kiss, or to slip into an alcove and exchange a slightly longer one. By the time they make it back to their building, Simon’s limbs feel syrupy with sleep and his chest feels warm with the events of the day.

Two steps up the stairs to the front door of the hostel, Simon stops and turns.

“Where will you be tomorrow?” he asks, looking down at Wille.

Wille smiles. “Wherever you are.”

#i'm actually not allowed to do 'drabble' prompts anymore #this is ridiculous #these were all very fun to write though #thank you to everyone who submitted a prompt <3 #this one is also a love letter to 'glowing review' by our dear bigalockwood #and also somehow mimicks ftts in its setup #my genre of fics is: simon doesn't read and then falls in love with wille in a very short amount of time #wilmon #yr ficlet #young royals #blank me

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farity · 2 years

Text

There is only one bed

Pairing: Modern AU Aemond Targaryen x reader

Summary: Spies running from a common enemy find refuge in a tiny inn.

Warnings: Smut

You surfaced from the lake, barely feeling your limbs due to the freezing temperatures. Your earpiece was gone to shit and there was no chance of communicating with your team.

You were on your own.

The city was quiet, the pre-dawn light enough to guide you through the familiar cobblestones. If you didn’t change out of these clothes you were going to end up too sick to be able to take care of yourself. There was an inn not far from here, if you remembered correctly.

A noise to the left caught your attention. You leaned into a door frame, pressing yourself against the side in order to let the source of the noise become more apparent.

A tall man, dressed in black, came into view. He was walking slowly and if tradecraft had taught you anything about reading people, he seemed to be wounded. Immediately, your hand went to your side, where your blade lay neatly along the seam of your jacket.

He was making his way down the narrow street where you were hiding, and now you could see him pressing an arm to his side.

Stealthily you progressed from door frame to door frame, hiding as you kept up with him. It wasn’t difficult as he seemed to be slowing down, and soon you had managed to place yourself past him. The inn was about two blocks away and you had to figure out if this guy was friend or foe.

“I can hear you.”

His voice was barely audible, but you did not react. Was he speaking to you or to someone he was working with?

He repeated the sentence in various languages, each time his voice sounding more and more tired.

If he was pretending to be injured, he was very good at it.

“Soon alight are the morning doves.”

The phrase was one you had been instructed to use amongst fellow allies. American, British, Westerosi, etc. all would recognize the phrase in various languages.

He stopped, and your heart began pounding in your ears. If he didn’t recognize the phrase, you had to get ready to fight.

“Beware the lying clocks for the time is not yet here.”

Fuck it, you thought, if he is a foe who somehow knows the phrase and the response, we have bigger problems to deal with.

You crossed the narrow road and stopped about five feet from him. “I’m visiting from Virginia,” you said quietly, referencing the headquarters of your organization.

You saw his shoulders visibly relax, although his arm remained pressed to his side. “A tourist from Dragonstone.”

His face was mostly covered by the hood of his jacket, but when he lifted his head you saw sharp angles, a wide mouth, lips pressed together in pain, and piercing blue eyes. “Had a bit of a scrape,” he added.

“Come on,” you took his other arm, draping it over your shoulders. He let you take some of his weight. “I have a medi kit, and there’s an inn-”

“A couple of blocks away.”

You nodded, keeping your pace slow alongside him.

“You’re soaking wet.”

“Early morning lake dive.”

“You traveling all alone, dragon boy?” you asked. In the distance, you could see the familiar roof of the inn.

“Got left behind during a little bar fight.”

* * * * *

Aemond had to keep gritting his teeth to keep himself from groaning in pain. At least the inn was only a few feet away now, and the woman who had miraculously appeared out of nowhere - thank the Seven - said she had meds with her. He could heal up, contact his superiors, get some supplies and get on with his mission.

“I’ll talk,” she said when she opened the inn door. She slipped out from under his arm, stepped in. The older gentleman behind the desk was reading his paper and looked up in surprise. “Hello,” she said cheerfully. “Got any rooms?”

He was staying a couple of feet behind her, not wanting to draw any attention. If there was something Aemond was good at, it was not being noticed.

“One. Single.”

“I’ll take it,” she said, and placed a passport and a card on the desk.

Once finished, he followed her down the hallway, thank the Seven the room was in the same floor because he wasn’t sure he could deal with stairs quietly.

The room was serviceable enough, one bed pressed against the wall and he sighed. It was better than nothing, he reminded himself. “You can have the bed,” he said.

“Lay down. I need to figure out how bad your wound is.”

She began taking her jacket off, then her pants, and placed them on the towel heating rack. Her t-shirt was next, and while he was almost delirious with pain, his eyes still fucking worked and goddamn, she was gorgeous.

She turned on the shower while he laid down on the bed, pulled up the hem of the sweater he wore, hissing when the fibers stuck to the wound.

“Could you not? Just let me get my kit.”

A minute later she pulled the chair next to the little table over, turned on the lamp. “God, this is useless,�� she slapped on a headlamp and opened a small canvas bag. “Jesus, when did you get this?”

“Couple days,” he said, breathing through the pain.

“Well, it’s infected. Here,” she pulled out a tiny bottle of whiskey, gave it to him. “Drink.” She began taking items out of the canvas bag.

“I need to make contact with-”

“Are you fucking kidding me? You’re a couple days away from sepsis here. I need to clean it and that’s going to hurt. Drink.”

“I don’t know you,” he protested.

“Are all Westerosi this stubborn? If I wanted you dead, I could have kicked you in the gut and left you to rot.” She gently swiped a disinfecting pad along the cut on his abdomen and he let out a long stream of what she knew was High Valyrian but she didn’t quite catch what the words were. “You kiss your mother with that mouth?”

He let out a laugh and then groaned in pain.

“Sorry, will keep my brilliant wit to myself.”

Aemond closed his eyes and summoned all the techniques he’d learned to deal with torture while she cleaned out the wound, added some kind of ointment to it, and dressed it in clean bandages. When she was done, he was breathing heavily but felt a little better at having had the wound looked at.

“Okay, that’s done. You have a fever and a pretty neat infection, so I am going to hop in the shower which is hopefully hot now while you turn over.”

“Why?”

“I have antibiotics. I need to give you a shot.”

* * * * *

The water could generously be described as warm, but at least it was taking the edge off the chill you felt. You had paid for two nights, and hopefully dragon boy would heal up and you could each go on your way.

You padded out of the shower, wrapped a nice warm towel around yourself and decided that would be your outfit until your clothes dried. You grabbed a binder clip out of the tiny tool kit in your boot and secured it over the edge of the towel.

He was very well built, you decided, I mean he had to be to do this kind of work. There was a definitely a six pack there, you had noticed while cleaning out his wound. There had been some debris and fibers from his sweater in the shallow cut and you’d done your best to make sure it could heal well.

When you walked back into the room, he was laying on his side. He had taken off his jacket and his pants were loose around his waist, which meant he’d unbuttoned them in order to give you access.

“You could inject me in the shoulder, you know,” he said.

“I’m giving you more than 1 mL, and are you seriously going to fight me over this?”

“Nope, no, I’m not,” he said, "thank you, by the way, I appreciate the help.”

You sat on the chair again, lowered the waistband of his pants and the boxers he wore beneath.

Ladies and gentlemen, what we have here is a prime example of a world class ass.

Taking your kit, you swiped an alcohol pad over the outer, upper quadrangle of one very inviting ass cheek, then readied your syringe. “Three, two, one,” you said, before pushing the needle in. He didn’t react as you slowly pushed in the antibiotic. Once done, you pulled out the needle and pressed a new alcohol pad over for a few seconds. “You’re done.”

“That was very gentle, thanks.” He pulled up his boxers and pants and sat up on the bed.

“What are you doing?”

“Giving you the bed.”

You sighed. “Whatever misguided chivalrous bullshit you’re spewing right now needs to stop. You need to rest and so do I, so scoot against the wall and I’ll lay on the outside and we’ll be happy little grown ups, okay?”

He looked at you for a few seconds, then scooted until there was enough room for you to lay down.

“Look at you, being all sensible and all,” you said cheerfully.

He gave you a look before turning over slowly. “Get under the covers,” he replied.

You did, hoping he didn’t snore too loudly because you needed some fucking sleep after everything you’d been though. You wished you could put your ear plugs in but honestly, one of you needed to be able to react if needed and that was not going to be him. Not with the sedative you’d added to the antibiotics. He needed rest if the meds were going to clear his infection and you couldn’t get boggled down with a wounded ally if you were going to make it back to your team. You’d sleep for a bit, then try and figure out your next steps.

* * * * *

Aemond opened his eyes, and realized he was cradling a soft, delicious breast in his hand. He didn’t quite remember taking anyone to bed recently, but there was a very female body pressed against him. Whoever it was, she was asleep, and her hair smelled like lavender. He turned his head, trying not to wake her, saw the darkened room, and remembered.

Oh, shit.

He immediately froze and began wondering how to get himself out of the situation. There were two thin layers between them, the sheet and the blanket, but the towel she’d wrapped around herself had long ago been pushed down. She made a little noise and wiggled against him and he felt her ass pushing against his cock and fuck this, he started getting hard.

He had to get his arm out from under her, the last thing he wanted after all she’d done for him was for her to think he’d been trying to fuck her as she slept.

And then, she turned over, flinging one arm over him. She sighed and pressed her nose into his neck and Aemond cursed his damned luck, that this incredibly beautiful woman, naked, in bed with him, was someone he worked with, at least temporarily.

Her hand was now sliding under his thin sweater, fingertips skimming up his chest, and she felt so damn good, but his fucking conscience wouldn’t let him simply enjoy this.

“Hey,” he whispered, and realized he didn’t know her name. “Wake up. Please.”

She made another little noise and murmured something he couldn’t make out.

“Wake up.”

She gasped as she woke, and then went very still.

* * * * *

You woke up startled by someone’s voice. You were in such a nice, warm bed, his tall lean body so delicious under your fingers. For some reason you were already naked but let’s face it, that’s where things were headed with- with-

Why couldn’t you remember his name?

Oh, shit.

You pulled back, grabbing the thin blanket against your chest. He was leaning against the wall, his sweater halfway up his chest with your hand under it. You had to remove your hand. He had a cut on his stomach although damn, he looked a lot better in the dim light.

“I should move,” you said, rather obviously, but right now your brain wasn’t functioning very well. Your hand was still on his chest and goddamnit it wasn’t moving for some reason.

His eyes were burning straight through you, and tentatively, he reached up to cover your hand with his own. “Probably.” But one corner of his mouth lifted as he said it.

His skin was smooth as you slid your hand down until you reached the waistband of his trousers. “Oh, your bandage.”

“Bandage is good,” he replied immediately.

Okay, then.

You smiled, and raised your face to his. His lips were warm against yours, and he tugged gently on your bottom lip with his teeth as he turned onto his side. “You feel so fucking good,” he whispered.

“Likewise, dragon boy,” you traced his bottom lip with your tongue and felt his hand on your throat. Not squeezing, just the gentlest of pressures and the feeling hit your belly like lightning. Your hand finally curved around that blessed ass of his, feeling the muscles shift as he moved to push his pants and boxers down.

He settled between your legs, his hand leaving your throat to caress your thigh as he pulled your leg over his hip. When he began stroking silky soft flesh, you gasped, each slide of his fingertips like kindling, sparking need inside you. “Fuck, you’re so wet, so perfect,” he muttered, and after a moment, began pushing inside you.

Holy god above, he was big.

He took his time as you did your best to relax to accommodate him, but he was filling you completely and still kept pushing in. And in. “So fucking perfect,” he said against your ear, his voice so rough you couldn’t help but flutter around him. “Hmm, you feel delicious, sweet.”

Once he was finally fully inside you, you reached up to touch his face. In the dim light, his features softened as he gazed down at you. He pulled back slowly, the friction making you moan. “I, uh, don’t think, this is going to take long,” you said as you breathed, trying to slow down your body’s responses because god knew you were not going to last much longer.

“We’ll take longer next time,” he said, and drove back in, seating himself in you. Again he pulled back, faster now, and as he moved within you, the heat deep in your belly began to spread, each thrust bringing you closer and closer to release. “Come for me, I want to feel you coming,” he said, and you clung to him, your only anchor as the orgasm tore through you. You cried out against his shoulder, holding onto him through every last contraction. He was driving hard now, and then his body went taut. He buried his face in the pillow and groaned as he came, and then collapsed against you.

* * * * *

The shower, as she’d said, was tepid at best, but then the sliding door opened and she stepped in as he rinsed off the shampoo and the water temperature was the least important thing in his mind.

He pushed her against the wall, his hand holding both her wrists above her head while she curled one leg around his hips. “If I hurt you,” he whispered, “let me know.”

“I’m pretty tough,” she said, smiling against his jaw.

He hauled up her other leg, holding her in place as he began fucking her against the wall. The water kept hitting his back, barely muffling the sounds of flesh hitting flesh. She was whimpering, gasping with every snap of his hips, until he felt her thighs tighten around him and knew she was close. He let go of her wrists and she immediately wrapped her arms around him, She fisted one hand in his hair, pulling until he drew his head back and she began kissing him, her little moans growing in volume until she threw her head back, her scream echoing around the shower walls.

The feel of her coming pushed him over the edge and he barely managed to hold himself up until it was over and he thanked the Seven for slippery walls so that he could slowly lower them both to the floor.

“Please tell me you didn’t rip open your wound.”

“Is that seriously the first thing you’re going to say to me?”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Oh, I’m sorry, did you want a marriage proposal? Because I’m all out of those.”

She wrapped herself in one of the towels and stepped back into the room, and he heard a car pull up around the side of the inn.

He wrapped a towel around his hips and walked in to the room to find her sitting on a chair, a man holding a gun to her head, and another pointing a gun at him.

#aemond targaryen #aemond fanfiction #aemond targaryen fanfic #aemond targaryen x reader #aemond targaryen au #aemond fic

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bonefall · 1 year

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I've been playing with the idea of part of WindClan territory being on a Pleistocene bonebed and someone finding a smilodon skull and thinking it was from one of their gods/a skull from a mountain settler. Maybe they think it's the skull of Shattered Ice because it was found near tunnels (their oral history traditions didn't preserve that he eventually joined RiverClan) It's unrealistic and would need a lot of geography fuckery, but it's a fun idea

Not actually as far fetched as you think, the only thing wrong here is the mention of a smilodon specifically. That's an American animal; you're more likely to find the Eurasian Cave Lion or a Scimitar Cat where I put BB.

Or even just, like, a normal European lion. England did very much have real lions that went extinct, and then the Romans brought MORE lions because they liked watching them fight.

Which is also a possibility by the way. The Romans were all up in this area, building walls and arenas and roads and other Roman things. The Roman Empire is ECOLOGICALLY VALID lmao

Like I'm deadass. They still have structures from Roman settlement. There's a funny story about William the Conqueror being super disappointed that this one Great Wall was less cool in person than his travel guide or whatever told him, and he got so mad he burnt the city down about it.

(Normal tourist reaction)

I want to throw some ruins into WindClan, too. So if not lions, then they probably could bump into human skeletons, or various bones of livestock. For some reason I want Breezepelt to find a skull and I don't even know why.

#better bones au #bone babble #Bones

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penofglen · 23 days

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Navigating European Etiquette: A Traveler's Guide to Avoiding Common Pitfalls in Croatia

Planning a trip to Croatia? 🇭🇷 Before you go, check out my latest blog post on European etiquette and tips to avoid common tourist traps. Trust me, it'll save you some euros! 💶 #TravelTips #Croatia #TravelSmart #vacation #holiday #travel #euro #money

Following my last post, I received quite a few requests to share more about Croatia and my experience in Split. I understand that many of you, especially those from the US, may not be familiar with this beautiful part of the world, and that makes sense given the distance. However, what did surprise me during my trip was just how many American tourists I encountered—by far the largest group in…

#advice #author #bar #blog #blogging #book #books #croatia #europe #fiction #help #holiday #interest #interesting #money #novel #publishing #reading #scam #story #tip #tipping #Travel #vacation #writing

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momo-de-avis · 1 year

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Sinto-me um bocadinho triste no que se trata de viajar. Após ganhar maior "awareness" quanto às consequências do turismo, fica difícil de pensar num destino decente que não seja prejudicado por isso. As grandes cidades estão todas a ter imensos problemas com a habitação e os preços de praticamente todos os bens. Destinos pequenos sofrem imenso também (basta pensar no Hawaii). E isto é sem falar das consequências culturais em ambos os casos, ainda para mais quando se trata de povos que sofreram e ainda sofrem com o colonialismo. E o "engraçado" é que mal dá para explorar o próprio país ironicamente por causa do turismo. Será que as únicas opções éticas são não sair do local onde se mora ou fazer voluntariados nas zonas onde se visita? Sei que a culpa de muito do turismo ser assim é pela forma como o capitalismo estruturou o mundo, mas não deixa de ser triste de qualquer forma.

Peço desculpa se é um desabafo meio ignorante e estranho...

Travel during low season

Im dead serious and saying this both as someone perfectly aware of the tourism problem and also someone who works in tourism bc i want to still have a job but i dont want cities packed in the summer. We are so glad to see people travelling in january, February, bc it makes high season less suffocating

Also, whats important is not where to travel but how to travel. Practice conscious tourism.

First step is to learn about the country you're visiting, i know this sounds basic as hell but you wouldn't believe. I've had people arrive in lisbon who had never heard of natas/custard tarts. I don't mean compile a list of ten things to do and see, I mean learn the dos and don'ts. There are going to be cultural barriers and misunderstandings and its better to just, when it happens, go "haha apologies i was no aware" than believing everyone is trying to defraud you. Like when they charge you 7€ for the cheese and olives and bread they served you without asking in Lisbon they're not scamming you, that's a cultural thing, you just didn't look at the menu. They're scamming you when they charge you 2€ for slicing a sandwich

When i say learn about the country i do mean cultural aspects of course. The nata thing is a bit of an anecdote but it shows how poorly the person planned their trip since natas are the number one thing advertised about lisbon

Also please don't take suggestions for places to eat out from tiktok. I am yet to see a list that's good and not bougie

For me the most important thing is to ditch the authentic tourism mindset. I fucking hate Authentic Tourists TM. You're a tourist. You're going to eat at an overpriced restaurant, you're going to visit a highly touristic spot, you're going to wait in line and yes, you're going to see americans oh my god just deal with americans (this is a side rant never mind it). The fact is there are authentic places that are touristy. When i went to San Sebastián i had one pintxo place on my list and that was txpetxa taberna. It happened that our food tour had a stop there and it looks touristic as fuck. The walls are covered with photos of celebrities who went there and everything. But goddamn if our basque tour guide didn't say "mira, son portogeses eses" ans from behind the counter we hear "EU SOU DE TRAS OS MONTES" and we had the best Pintxos in my life. Who gives a shit if it looks touristic. Its one of San Sebastiáns most iconic tabernas. There's a lot of places in lisbon that are very authentic but they look touristy bc they adapted to the tourism wave

Also you won't find the truly authentic places bc the locals don't want you there. It's their getaway. You bet there are restaurants me and my coworkers keep a secret among us bc we just want a spot to rest and have cheap lunch. It's just that the authentic craze is very condescending. I am forever reminded of the american who asked me where to listen to fade and I directed her to a fado tour (i was working as reseller of touristic services back then) and she very condescendingly said "listen I've done those fado tours and they're just for tourists, I want an authentic place not what you're selling me" my bitch do you think fado is still prostitutes and sailors singing in a dingy tavern while some taverner spits into a glass and wipes it like some fucking dnd starting scene??? No amount of "fado has changed drastically" could convince this bitch. I also have a lot of "i want to eat at a place that has portuguese ppl only working there" well good fucking luck there

Authentic Tourists TM usually think they know your city better than you do and I promise you nobody hates them more than locals.

I also don't want to sell my own bread but do a guided tour. AND NOT A FREE TOUR STAY AWAY FROM FREE TOURS (if you have the chance, a lot of cities actually don't have any other option, in which case tip the fucking guide. Tip them and tip them well). Its just that, think of it this way: you've just arrived in a new city you are trying to know and you want suggestions for like lunch and getting around. A guide is your best option cause they will not give you the names of the truly authentic places and they will help you navigate the city against the touristic mass. I speak for myself, I try to get people out of the 28 tram every day by explaining to them that it truly is public transport and its going to be overcrowded and the line is extremely long but there are alternatives. The guides will also direct you to the touristic places you should be visiting and will help you practice more conscious tourism.

When a guide tells you to go to this one local restaurant they're probably avoiding sending tourists to places where every day citizens go to have lunch while working but they're nonetheless telling you: hey this is a local business that we should support. Be open with your guide, we appreciate the sentiment of this ask and i speak for myself and my coworkers, we will help you navigate the issue as best as we can bc we understand where you're coming from

Stay away from Airbnbs. Book a hotel. Hotels are not the expensive alternative anymore, there's a lot of options that are pretty affordable but also you have room service and breakfast of you want. Plus hotels tend to be located in central areas and that is what you want. Its the funniest thing seeing tourists look very discouraged and despondent as they look up the massive set of stairs they have to climb with their huge luggage in Alfama. What did you expect bro

The massive problem with tourism right now, the way I see it, is that governments are seeing this a cash money opportunity and are refusing to regulate tourism. I am of the opinion that we have to start limiting tourism. The Pena Palace should limit visits. Jerónimos monastery should limit visits. Etc. These places should only sell a very limited number of tickets a day. I don't care if you have to book three months ahead this can't keep happening. The line for the monastery today did a full U that's how long it was.

And we have to limit the number of cruise ships allowed in the city. We have to stop letting 20 thousand people dock outside of alfama at a time and pretend this is normal. We have to limit things. I want tourism to thrive cause i want to have a job lol hell i love being a tourist. But what the hell man I don't mind waiting a few years to visit some place because of limitations that come to the benefit of the locals. And also I'll still have work BC it's not just tourists who use touristic services, and i think it would do well for tourism agencies to stop bending over backwards for tourists and come up with a plan for LOCALS. Aim their services at LOCALS which ideally is what should happen in low season

One last thing. You mentioned hawaii but i am speaking only from a european perspective. I'm completely out of the loop with hawaii however aware of its mass tourism problem but I'm not going to talk about something i don't know

Anyway. Go ahead and travel. Visit lesser known places or grab a car and travel across the country. Travel during low season it's the best time to travel in my opinion. Practice conscious tourism. Read up on your destination, book a hotel, book a tour, plan your trip, and enjoy. And get that fridge magnet. You're a tourist, not an Authentic Tourist TM.

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icecreamartist · 6 months

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✨📚 Rebecca Dowers 📚✨

✨ Redrew one of my old Ocs~

Meet Rebecca Dowers, She's an American mink.

Rebecca is the daughter of a rich family, her parents are Henrik and Eliza Dowers.

She works as a museum tourist guide, her love for traveling, learning about different cultures,art and history knows no bounds.

Hope y'all like her✨💕

#toon ocs #Rebecca dowers✨📚#anthro #american mink #my art #my oc #character ref #she deserved more def and I gave ✨#working on her parents next #<3 <3 <3 #💗✨

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tacky-jack-with-a-hat · 11 months

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💀 Alaska

Alaska has travelled the world but nobody noticed.

•Hawaii will sometimes come with Alaska to introduce him to her out-of-states friends (e.g Thailand).

•People think that because Alaska isn't at meetings much he must always stay in his state right? Nope, they just don't question him. Alaska doesn't get on with most states except Hawaii, so he doesn't have to tell anyone where he's going.

•He's been to every continent at least 7 times but switching the location everytime.

Whether or not she comes, Hawaii made some rules for when Alaska travels (note the list was originally for a different state but Alaska follows these rules out of respect for her):

•Alaska and Hawaii rarely travel together as Hawaii hates tourism, she'll only go if theirs a goal in mind- to meet up with old friends, to help scare away tourists for their friends, or to seek revenge by going to where most of the tourists come from and just partying loudly in otherwise quiet towns.

•Alaska by himself will just stand in the background of other people's photographs, observing the world around him. Not needing to do much to enjoy himself.

Bonus: Hawaii's travel guide for Alaska

-Don't participate in closed practices. It's daily life not your spiritual awakening. I'm not going to Utah for a baptism so why the other way around?

-Stick to the path to not damage plants or to avoid getting lost.

-Research cultural norms in said area to not insult the locals.

-When looking for restaurants, go in Google maps and write "restaurant" in the language of said location to avoid tourist traps.

-If you're waiting in a line outside full of a bunch of white people who look like Florida but act like California, you're in a tourist trap. There's better places to be without waiting an hour.

-learn the language, especially for things you will need (e.g "where's the toilet?").

-Also check if there are formal, informal and derogatory ways of saying the same words/sentences in the same language. Some direct translations from American English are inappropriate in other languages even if they mean the same thing.

-Clean up trash you left behind.

-If it's a popular tourist attraction, don't go it's overrated. The locals hate it's overcrowded, the tourists have damaged it overtime, and the prices are too high.

-Oh and mother nature will kill you if you damage her ecosystems. If you can please avoid air travel to reduce carbon emissions.

#wttt alaska #wttt Hawaii #wttt #welcome to the table

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longliveblackness · 1 year

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The Negro Motorist Green Book, popularly known as the Green Book, was a travel guide intended to help African American motorists avoid social obstacles prevalent during the period of racial segregation, commonly referred to as Jim Crow.

The book listed businesses that would accept African American customers. The book was the vision of Victor Green, an African American US postal employee from Harlem, New York. The first guide focused on Metropolitan New York. The next year, in 1937, Green expanded listings to other locations.

His book would eventually include every state and several international destinations before ceasing publication in 1964.

Before its demise the book was the most popular of several tourist guides created specifically for an African American audience.

These types of travel guides were necessary during the Jim Crow era because African Americans were subiect to acts of discrimination and occasional intimidation as many businesses refused to accept them as customers. African American motorists, for example were warned to avoid sundown towns which required minorities to be outside the city limits before sundown, hence the name. African American travel could be fraught with risk and guides like the Green Book were an important resource.

Green wrote that his book would not be necessary "when we as a race will have equal opportunities and privileges." He died in 1960 and the last edition of his guide was published in 1964.

The 1956 creation of the national highway system diminished the need for these travel guides because highways minimized contact with local communities, decreasing chances for discrimination against African American motorists. Eventually, the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act made the Green Book and similar publications obsolete, just as Green predicted.

•••

The Negro Motorist Green Book (“El libro verde del conductor negro”), popularmente conocido como el Libro Verde, era una guía de viajes que tenía la finalidad de ayudar a que los conductores afroamericanos evitaran obstáculos sociales que prevalecían durante el periodo de la segregación racial, comúnmente conocido como la era de Jim Crow.

El libro contenía una lista de negocios que aceptaban clientes afroamericanos. El libro fue la visión de Víctor Green, un empleado postal afroamericano, originario de Harlem, Nueva York. La primera guía se centró en el área metropolitana de Nueva York y al año siguiente, en 1937, Green lo amplió a otras ubicaciones.

Su libro eventualmente incluiría todos los estados y varios destinos internacionales antes de dejar de publicarse en 1964.

Antes de su desaparición, el libro era el más popular de varias guías turísticas creadas específicamente para una audiencia afroamericana.

Este tipo de guías de viaje fueron necesarias durante la era de Jim Crow porque los afroamericanos estaban sujetos a actos de discriminación e intimidación ocasional, ya que muchas empresas se negaban a aceptarlos como clientes. A los conductores afroamericanos, por ejemplo, se les advirtió que evitaran las ciudades del atardecer, estas requerían que las minorías estuvieran fuera de los límites de la ciudad antes del atardecer. Los viajes de afroamericanos podían estar llenos de riesgos y guías como el Libro Verde eran un recurso importante.

Green escribió que su libro no sería necesario "cuando nosotros, como raza, tengamos las mismas oportunidades y privilegios". Murió en 1960 y la última edición de su guía se publicó en 1964.

En 1956, con la creación del sistema nacional de carreteras, se disminuyó la necesidad de estas guías de viaje porque las carreteras minimizaban el contacto con las comunidades locales, lo que disminuía las posibilidades de discriminación contra los conductores afroamericanos. Eventualmente, la aprobación de la Ley de Derechos Civiles de 1964 hizo que el Libro Verde y publicaciones similares quedaran obsoletas, tal como predijo Green.

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ofoceansandtombsanew · 2 years

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O & T Travels Itinerary Guide

Hello, welcome to O&T Travels, the premier agency for fun and unique travel experiences! Each package is carefully crafted and catered to individuals with specific desires that way every customer gets something they want out of it! Whether you wish for the hustle and bustle of popular tourist attractions or prefer the quiet of the countryside, there is something for everybody at O&T Travels.

Please look further below to see what packages we offer here at our company.

Paradis & Marley Package (SNK): If you prefer the hustle and bustle of a thriving nation as well as the slow and peaceful pace of an island, this is the package for you! Enjoy your journey through the calm of Paradis and be enraptured by the city sights of Marley just in time for Marleyan holidays and festivals. There should be no run-ins with Titans during your trip, but should you take things off the beaten path... well we at O&T Travels are not liable as disclosed in the terms and conditions prior to purchasing your package.

Trauma & Baddies Package (Jujutsu Kaisen): You're either here for one of two things. 1) Baddies or 2) Trauma. Thankfully in this package, we aren't in short supply of either. You want trauma and emotional damage beyond all repair? We've got you covered! You want big tiddy bitties and hair pullers? We've got that too! Just please be mindful that any harm to your person is coincidence and we here at O&T Travels are not to be held responsible.

Hellishly Conquer Your Fears Package (Chainsaw Man): If, for some reason, you are a masochist who would rather not enjoy the typical vacation of relaxation and pleasureー this is the package for you! As we all know, Devils are beings that are physical manifestations of human fears. One way to conquer those fears is by doing it head on! Pick this package if you wish to attempt this form of fear conquering. Results may vary and as disclosed in the waiver you must sign prior to purchase, we at O&T Travels are not legally responsible should harm come to your person.

The Bizarre Adventure Package (JJBA): Forget a basic travel plan, you want something wild and unexpected to happen on your your trip. Vampire encounters, aquatically-named prisons, the historic streets of Europe and stories that are so absurd your friends would had to have been there to understand your new inside jokes! Well then rest assured, this package is without a doubt what you are looking for! From Japan to Africa and even England and Italy, you will leave this trip spiritually changed. Still, unpredictable is part of this package’s game, we at O&T travels will not be held responsible for any harm to your person if this is the package you purchase.

Maximize Your Ego Package (Blue Lock): Suffering from low-self esteem? Feel like you’re simply following the crowd? Well we at O&T Travels offer our Maximize Your Ego Package for those who wish to come out of their journey a much more confident human being! Along with travel, this package offers a variety of confidence-boosting workshops to help you blossom into the badass you always have been! Screw being a team-player, you’re a team of one and you will leave your trip feeling as if you alone can accomplish anything you set your mind to!

Four Seasons Package (Our Life): An American tour of Southern California and Oregon in the summer and fall. In the summer, enjoy the coastal shores of Sunset Bird and Prism Vista and indulge in the boardwalks or even catch a show by the Amazing Alexander! Then come fall, enjoy a week or so in the sleepy town of Golden Grove where magic truly exists in the rustic town or the gold-dappled forests. Either season will supply you with countless memories!

All Blue Package (One Piece): North Blue, South Blue, West Blue and East Blue. All* of the Blue Sea is at your finger tips in this adventure-packed cruise that is the only one of its kind! As with any cruise, there may be occasions where one of our liners may bear witness to a harrowing battle between pirates and the marines. Should these instances occur, please do not try to be a hero. As disclosed in the waiver and safety guide, while we at O&T travels will compensate accidental harm to your person, should you go out looking for it intentionally that shit is on you. Happy seafaring! (*We are not permitted to travel to Marie Geoise, please do not ask.)

Which ever Package you choose, we hope you are satisfied with your experience!

While here at O&T Travels we offer a plethora of itineraries for you to choose from, we do have packages that no longer are available for selection. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Teyvat Package (Genshin Impact): Experience the land of Teyvat like you never have before with our Teyvat Package! Enjoy the wine and song of Mondstadt, the ancient traditions of Liyue, the islands of Inazuma and the forests and deserts of Sumeru. Unfortunately, for the time being, this package does not include travel to Fontaine, Natlan or Snezhnaya we hope you understand. Still, we at O&T Travels believe you will enjoy the four nations presently available to visit.

Travel Through Time Package (Tokyo Revengers): In the past, time travel was a thing of legend but it is possible with our agency! Unfortunately, our time travel machine only seems to work when outdated Japanese delinquents are inserted into the formula in order to prevent travelers from breaking the space-time continuum, therefore encounters with delinquents and yakuza members should be expected if you purchase this package. Thankfully, they are under contract not to harm you... mostly. Please do not attempt to find the strongest person in the yard and take them out in an attempt to assert your dominance. We at O&T Travels cannot be held responsible for the ass kicking you will receive.

Bonus!

Outside of travel packages, we at O&T Travels also host a plethora events year round for you to experience. Please take a look at our catalogue of previous events in order to get an idea of what to expect from us should you ever wish to participate!

love letters from the sea tag (closed)

the seashells told me tag (closed)

#masterlist #shingeki no kyojin #genshin impact #tokyo revengers #tokrev #chainsaw man #csm #snk x reader #genshin x reader #tokrev x reader #csm x reader #blue lock x reader #bllk x reader #jjba x reader #jojo x reader #jjk x reader #one piece x reader #op x reader

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enjoythesilentworld · 3 months

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Simon's Month - Food

day 2! thank you @youngroyals-events <3

Alone in a foreign country, Simon must find a stranger to join him on the romantic couples food tour he’s accidentally booked.

read below or on ao3 (T, 2.3k).

Simon curses under his breath as the confirmation email comes in.

Gesturing with his head, Simon asks, “Is it good?”

The pretty man places his coffee cup down clumsily. “Yeah, it’s one of my favorites.”

“I hope I’m not interrupting.”

“I’ve read it a million times,” he says, closing the book. “I’m Wille.”

The light blush on his cheeks is endearing.

“Simon.”

Wille smiles softly and nods, “Trevligt.”

He’s polite and looks suspiciously rich to be in this hostel, but his eyes are kind and has a rainbow pin on his tote bag so, before Wille can say anything else, Simon slides one chair closer.

“Are you doing anything today, Wille?”

Wille moves to the chair across from Simon. “Nope.”

Wille quirks an eyebrow, then mirrors Simon’s position. “I would love to.”

The conversation flows so easily between them that Simon, so wrapped up in Wille’s laugh and crooked teeth, almost forgets they have somewhere to be.

“You said this is a romantic food tour?” Wille asks, reaching out to pull Simon out of the way of a passing cart.

“Yes.”

“Is it going to be obvious that you and I just met?” he says, letting Simon go ahead of him to squeeze through the crowd, staying close, with a hand hovering over Simon’s lower back.

“Well,” Simon muses, “we could make it a bit of a game. If you’re down.”

Looking over his shoulder, he sees Wille’s eyes light up with mischief. “I’m down. What kind of game?”

Simon chuckles and shrugs, checking his phone to make sure they’re still headed in the right direction. “We could pretend to be a couple. You know, really put on a show.”

“That sounds very, very fun, Simon.”

Their final destination is a small tapas place on the beach. Simon and Wille have given up any pretense of listening to the tour guide or of playing their little game. Instead, they sit close at their table and chat about their favorite memories growing up and tell embarrassing stories. Simon, as he’s done at every place, translates every bit of Spanish on the menu and giggles helplessly as he corrects Wille’s pronunciation. They share a plate of pulpo and split a liter of sangria and it’s one of the most perfect days Simon’s ever experienced.

“I’m really glad I misread that website,” Simon says, fiddling with his fingers. When he glances up, he finds Wille grinning at him. He takes Simon’s hand.

“Me too.”

Eventually, Wille lets him down but takes his hand instead, and they walk down the sand, talking about the food tour and realizing that they maybe didn’t pay attention at all.

Simon sighs happily. “Beautiful.”

“Yeah. Very,” Wille says breathlessly, and Simon looks up to see Wille staring down at him. He smacks Wille’s chest playfully.

“You’re an idiot, Wille.”

Wille laughs, “I’m being serious!”

“Sure,” Simon hums, turning back to the water, biting back a smile.

“Me, too,” Simon whispers. Then, “Wille?”

“Yes?”

“Can I—”

Wille nods, gasping, “Yes,” before Simon can even finish his sentence and then they’re both rushing forward.

When they break apart, giggling into each other, the lights have come on along the paved pathway by the beach.

Two steps up the stairs to the front door of the hostel, Simon stops and turns.

“Where will you be tomorrow?” he asks, looking down at Wille.

Wille smiles. “Wherever you are.”

#technically a repost #shhhh #simonmonth2024 #simon eriksson #yr fic #intothelight #all our words were worth it

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bisluthq · 4 months

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Hi! I hope this isn't a rude question but from what I remember you live in South Africa, and I was super curious. Yesterday I read a post on reddit from a female solo traveler who was planning to travel for months, first landed in Johannesburg, spent two days there, felt super unsafe, cancelled her whole trip and went home. A lot of comments were saying it IS super dangerous there and she just did poor research. Is it really dangerous there? If yes, is it just Johannesburg or all over?

not a rude question! My take is, honestly, it’s as dangerous as you let it be. Johannesburg has some pretty dodgy areas which I wouldn’t recommend to tourists and it’s a VERY big city - just geographically/spatially not even talking about population - so I wouldn’t recommend for any tourists (solo or not) to go without a guide/group. I’d book in with a guide. It’s a REALLY cool place though - I know many Brits and Americans who actually preferred it to Cape Town and rated it on par with their safari experiences. There’s a lot to see and do, it’s vibey, the people are lovely. But if you try diy your itinerary/accommodation and rely totally on Ubers like yeah you can put yourself in some pickles. You do need a guide or to like be relatively local (I’ve spent a fair amount of time there for work and for my brother’s competitions and to go to my embassy and because I was very briefly seeing this girl who lived there when my ex and I were breaking up but sorta not broken up idk anyway I flew up there to see this girl a few times and I can honestly say I’ve never had any funny or bad experiences there. I liked it and felt safe but I’ve also lived in South Africa since 2001 and I have friends there so it’s really not the same as a foreigner going by herself). A weird thing multiple people have told me now is the train system there is nicer than Europe’s and I guess it is lol. It’s very on time and very clean and not like whatever is going on in France or Germany or the UK (side note I personally thought the Italian trains are great but they were def dirtier than the Gautrain system). So there are yk a lot of… really state of the art things about Joburg.

Cape Town is a lot safer and more “European” so easier to go with no plan/guide. I know sooo many women who’ve traveled here solo and had a rad time. Again, obviously be smart lol like don’t do dumb shit but that’s a good rule of thumb traveling anywhere.

I mean okay here’s a story - when my bf was in college (he’s American - or rather Californian which is its own thing but he was in college on the East Coast) he started dating this French foreign exchange student and that summer he took a summer school course in London in part to be able to see her more. Two of the girls on his course were friends of his from school so they were staying together and anyway these girls wanted to go to Paris for the weekend and see Paris and all and that worked well for everyone ergo they basically arranged a swapsie situation - his gf would come to him in London and they’d have the flat to themselves and these girls would get to use her apartment for free. All good. The girls were told very explicitly like what trains to use and when the last one leaves but they were partying and the guys they were with told them that actually there’s a later train and they believed them because cute French boys idk I guess and obviously it turned out there wasn’t a later train - obviously V knew when the trains to her apartment stopped running lol - so these boys and their girl friend offered to drive them back to the apartment, which they accepted, and then like the Americans invited them up like for a thank you nightcap and these people proceeded to badly SA the American girlies and rob my bf’s gf’s apartment. The girls obviously left to go home to the US immediately the next day and my bf’s gf broke up with him because all her shit was stolen lol because of his moron friends so she wasn’t happy with him. That’s a real story that happened - doesn’t mean I’ve ever felt unsafe in Paris though. I’ve felt like I’m overpaying for shit but I’ve always been… safe. I’ve actually taken the last train in Paris myself and it was totally fine even though I was not sober lol and the American girl *I* was with there (not romantically like we were just vibing together) also had nothing bad happen to her at all lol so it’s not even a dumb American thing. It’s like… bad shit sometimes happens.

Basically, my take is touristy South Africa isn’t unsafe tbh any more than any other touristy part of the world (if you go into really bad areas that’s different) but keep your wits about you dudes if you do decide to go and obviously feel free to hmu.

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merelygifted · 2 years

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The US' 2,000-year-old mystery mounds - BBC Travel

Constructed by a mysterious civilisation that left no written records, the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks are a testament to indigenous sophistication.

Autumn leaves crackled under our shoes as dozens of eager tourists and I followed a guide along a grassy mound. We stopped when we reached the opening of a turf-topped circle, which was formed by another wall of mounded earth. We were at The Octagon, part of the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, a large network of hand-constructed hills spread throughout central and southern Ohio that were built as many as 2,000 years ago. Indigenous people would come to The Octagon from hundreds of miles away, gathering regularly for shared rituals and worship.

"There was a sweat lodge or some kind of purification place there," said our guide Brad Lepper, the senior archaeologist for the Ohio History Connection's World Heritage Program (OHC), as he pointed to the circle. I looked inside to see a perfectly manicured lawn – a putting green. A tall flag marked a hole at its centre.

The Octagon is currently being used as a golf course. ...

... However, after the Hopewell Culture gradually began to disappear starting around 500 CE, other indigenous peoples stepped in to become caretakers of the land. One of those groups was the Shawnee Tribe, which called Ohio home before they were forcibly removed west of the Mississippi River in the 1830s.

"We may not have been responsible for building or creating them, but I know that my ancestors lived there, and that my ancestors protected them and respected them," said Chief Glenna Wallace of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, who believes that other tribes should have a role in the future of protecting the Hopewell Earthworks and communicating their cultural importance.

However, receiving Unesco status is a difficult, bureaucratic process. While sitting on land owned by the OHC, The Octagon is under the control of the Moundbuilders Country Club. The club negotiated an unprecedented lease that extends until 2078 and only allows visitors to walk the mounds four times a year. The rest of the time, visitors can access a platform in the car park to view a very small section of the property. OHC is currently suing to evict the country club (with compensation) through eminent domain. The lower courts ruled in favour of the historical society, but the Ohio Supreme Court is hearing an appeal. If OHC can't guarantee public access, this may affect Unesco's decision.

While a Unesco designation wouldn't entail the return of land or reparations, it does mean greater local representation and education about Ohio's Native American history. It also means more indigenous stakeholders, like the Shawnee, telling that story from an indigenous perspective for future generations.

"I just want people to know about it," said Chief Wallace, "I want people to be able to see it. I want people to be able to visit it and want people to realise that it is a cultural phenomenon. That it's priceless."

#Native Peoples #Indigenous Peoples #Hopewell Culture #Archaeology #ohio #WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK OHIO?!

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feralkwe · 7 months

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Top 5 places you'd like to visit

ooh! a good one because i am truly not a travel-for-whimsy person. i largely find travel awful unless there is a specific reason for said travel, i.e., someone specific on the other end i want to see. that said, there are places i would willingly go if i had the opportunity (money and politics included) and could do so without being "part of the problem" while doing so. having lived in a major tourist destination for almost two decades has made me very aware of the ways tourism is a scourge, and i have a lot of complicated feelings on travel for travel's sake as a marker of success and education or wev the common belief of it is as a result.

that said:

5. scotland. while i do have one singular friend there whom i would enjoy seeing, this is a place to which i would travel without that being the main purpose. i don't have any deep reason for it. i think it's extremely lovely, would love to see some of the castles, and some of the really old graveyards. i also have this weird idyllic notion that i would enjoy hiking and staying in bothies in the process. i have a really distant relative who was forced out by the clearances but has never actually been part of the draw.

4. tibet. this is definitely a "if i could not be part of the problem" thing. because i don't mean like, chinese controlled tibet. like, tibet as it belongs to the indigenous people of the region. i just want to learn as much as i can about it from the people who love it, who can tell me about it without the oppressive government twisting, and it may be the one place on my list i want to see purely for this purpose. it's also, for many reasons, the one place on this list i am least likely to ever have the opportunity to visit, second only to one place i will mention shortly.

3. australia. while i pretty famously have a dear friend here, my desire to have my ass kicked by nature extends far before that friendship was even in its infancy. seeing @icescrabblerjerky would obviously be the main goal now, but i really need to have a kangaroo stare me down from his native land or something. there is also a "don't be part of the problem" element here, as respecting, supporting, and understanding indigenous culture is always a goal of mine wherever i might be.

2. far northern america. like, canada, alaska, and even the northwest stretches of the upper peninsula. like i grew up there and have never been to copper harbor. i've been to alaska once on a layover with enough time to go to the best state fair i have ever experienced, but i'd appreciate the opportunity to see more. the northwest territories. the yukon. nunavut. i don't have a goal or actual destination in mind, but the far reaches of turtle island/mishiike minisi hold a lot of (probably obvious) appeal to me.

1. your house again. obvs. you have cool dogs and take me for walks. i know i am cheating a bit, but really. you're the main attraction of the midwest, baybee.

there needs to be an honorable mention here that has too many caveats to list, but north korea. having lived in seoul, i think it's natural that i would be curious about it. there is so much about life in seoul that was in relation to the north in an odd and casual way that i only sort of grasp, even after 20 years of it being a factor in my life. we did visit the dmz and incursion tunnels on a guided historical tour, and there is a "city" (kijong-dong) you can ostensibly visit (we were forbidden by our specific circumstances from doing so), but that tour experience has a very bizarre atmosphere i have a hard time putting into words, and as i was much younger and not a korean speaker like my spouse, i am sure a lot was lost on me. like, our guide made a joke about there being a body in the han river as we drove by on our tour bus and so many people (mostly korean people, as we were surprisingly the only americans on that tour???) found this hilarious, but i found it extremely uncomfortable. like i said, a lot was lost on younger me. so, a complicated mention here.

so, there you go! thanks for the ask! i am feeling needy for them today lmao.

#from the annals of my askholebox #yamisnuffles #top five

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