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nightynightghoul · 3 months

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I have so many thoughts about the ghouls and the ministry.

So this is my take on what the abbey/ministry looks like + a lot of my own worldbuilding. (I made this in Inkarnate, which is meant for dnd maps and stuff.)

Be warned that this is like 2000+ words of what my head has come up with. So under the cut it goes.

I based it on actual abbeys. I've been to like two monk ones and a few convents where I live and abroad and this is what I came up with. I also attended a catholic nun school for a good while, so many of the things here are actually from my memories...

From what I've seen, abbeys are usually isolated and at least partially self-sufficient. Even when they happen to be in the middle of cities. The smaller ones are like a square corridor surrounding a courtyard and the bigger ones have many buildings with that pattern.

I'm not sure where this would be located, maybe Sweden, maybe the US. But since I Imagine the ministry being so old, it wouldn't fit in the US, since there aren't buildings this old or with this architecture.

I also read up on how abbeys work to bulk up the lore in this map and what goes on in the buildings.

So strap in because this will be long.

The biggest building in the abbey is the Grand Church (Ghurch), I headcannon that they have this very big beautiful sorta gothic style cathedral in the abbey grounds, since religious live does kinda go around services and all that. Them having this pretty church would also mean that there's no need for a chapel?

I also think ghouls are not summoned in the church proper but rather from a permanent circle/well. So there's the Summoning Well beside the church. They probably made it that way because it would be dangerous to have any sibling walking in there.

To the other side, there's a sacristy and a Papal Office. The sacristy is where Papa would have his ceremonial robes with his mitre and stuff. I also think it works as storage for service supplies. Things like incense, books, all the plates, cups, and things they would use.

Then the papal office would be the actual workplace for the current papa. Big ol wooden desk with lots of bookshelves, a sofa, probably one of those fancy liquor carts?

There's also a mausoleum close to the church. I mean, I needed a place to keep Nihil's corpse… But it'd be pretty useful to keep the memory of siblings that pass away in the abbey.

Under that are the Clerical buildings. I imagine that when people say “the ministry” it's the Clergy Offices they're talking about. Since most siblings/clergy spend their time within the abbey, it only seems logical to separate living spaces from working spaces to keep people moving and changing environments.

Since I also believe these buildings are super old then the most sought after and fancy offices and quarters would be on the ground floor (no elevator and all that). Which means Imperator probably has her office on the ground floor here along the past Papas and older clergy members.

The living quarters would be much the same in that Imperator, the Papas and now Copia have their rooms here. This building probably has a common room but most have their own kitchenette. Since it's such an old building, the interiors of the rooms have probably been remodelled many times. But it being built out of stone also means it's cold inside all the time.

Both buildings are inside a walled garden. I head cannon that way back, like a couple hundred years back the ministry didn't have a very good grasp of ghoul summoning, and they were sometimes more aggressive or feral than what they are now. (It's probably more of a case that in the olden times, clergy treated ghouls like shit, so they had more reasons to lash out and or kill someone) So they kept some of the abbey's buildings behind tall rock walls and wrought iron gates to add a little more protection. Since it's hardly necessary today, the gates stay open, but the walls are still there.

Then down the path there's the chapter house. What is a chapter house I hear you ask. It's the place where the people that live in the abbey talk and manage non religious things related to abbey life. So this would probably be where poor Aether get's relocated to do taxes and where other mundane office tasks are done. So accounting, admin work, grounds keeping and “housekeeping” are all located here.

Across from it is the Seminary. A seminary proper is like priest school, they go and study for a few years I think, and then they come out priests. But I imagine that in this case it's like a college/university thing, where siblings have Latin classes, horticulture, demonology etc... There's probably some teachers offices here and several classrooms raging in size from auditorium to 3 chairs and a letter sized whiteboard. It for sure has a pretty foyer thing. Imagine groups of siblings sitting around before or after classes, complaining how they thought Terzo's basic Latin class would be a breeze, but it's actual hell. This building has one of those pretty inner courtyards, fountain and all. I'd like to think some classes can be held there, like outside but not outside, you know?

Beside the Seminary, there's a school/nursery. I think couples that have children within the ministry can have the option to move into a bigger space together within the siblings quarters and their children will have a regular secular education until they are old enough to choose satanism or something else. The nursery part takes care of the babies and ghoul kits during the day or while the parents are busy.

I think joining the ministry and becoming a sibling is not something that happens easily or quickly. The same way, nuns spend a few years being novices before actually dressing and having the same responsibilities as their elders. Hence, the Novices Quarters. They are still part of the abbey's daily life, but they have to attend more classes at the seminary and are just a bit more separated from ghouls than regular siblings. Since they probably want to make sure they are really devout and prepared before seeing and interacting with an actual demon. Out of all the siblings and clergy, Novices would probably be closer to being actually “recluse” since in my head there's no way they can freely explore the abbey without accidentally running into a ghoul or walking in to a ritual or seeing things that shouldn't just yet.

In front of it are the workshops. I've seen some people headcannon that the ghouls not only have “jobs” in their downtime and retirement but also hobbies. Like fire, ghouls probably frequent the forge in the workshops or blow glass. Earth ghouls can maybe take the prettiest wood here to be turned into furniture. Ghouls and siblings would work together here to repair and maintain the abbey's physical structure.

Down the path there's the main storehouse. Pretty central in relation to the other buldings. It has 2 floors and a basement. That way they can keep everything, from ageing cheeses and wines to office supplies and staples.

Across the path there's the sibling's Infirmary. I definitely wanted to keep the ghouls and siblings apart in this case. Mainly, because if the building are so old, and they were protected by walls and gates, ghouls would most likely not be trusted to be left in the same building as sick and defenseless siblings. But I think that nowadays ghoul medical staff like Omega, Aether and Phantom work in between the “sibling” infirmary and the “ghoul” infirmary with no trouble. But ghouls do prefer to stay in their own infirmary, since it's closer to the dens.

The siblings quarters surround “Mother's garden” or “Lilith's garden”, both wings share a common room but since the buildings are so old they were built to segregate women from men. Hence, the two quarters wings, two office building and two distinct baths. This separation is ignored nowadays. One, people can have other genders. Two, the “sisters” side has been remodelled to accommodate families.

Like I mentioned when describing the siblings infirmary, there's also a ghoul infirmary. Much smaller and closer to the dens, this infirmary does not have much regarding sophisticated equipment. But it's rather used for minor injuries and easy to fix things. Although the second floor does have Omega's office and private rooms for ghouls. Like Dew (not me making a whole building to be able to imagine @littlemoon-beam fics and headcannons about Dewdrop) who's a frequent flyer of the infirmary.

Of course there has to be an outdoor space of recreation, so I made a “central” plaza with benches and a fountain in the middle (Is this where a high, zooted of his ass Rain has been seen naked? naaaah. Surely not). I called it “All hedonist's fountain” because I can and because it's a nice mirror to things called “All saints whatever”.

Behind the ghoul's infirmary, there's a huge stone wall and gate. That would be the dens. Since I headcannon that there are more ghouls than just the band ghouls, they also need a place to live. Hence, the “General quarters” of the dens, there's also the “band quarters” separated from it. They both share a common room, but they're not directly connected to it, and both buildings have their own little common room. I think the band quarters was the first building made to house ghouls and that's why it has it's own kitchen.

There's also the ghouls workrooms. I think this is where they would have a rehearsal room and other offices.

“Father's gardens”, “Lucifer's gardens” or more recently “Primo's gardens” are within the den's stone walls. (I like to think Primo keeps them all pretty for the ghouls). It has a little pond in it too, no fish though. Blame hungry water ghouls for that.

Across the dens there's the Library. When I was in school, that was the biggest, grandest, most secular place there was and I loved it. So I made this library huge. I separated it into two wings connected by a hall. The only difference between both wings is that the east wing houses all the older books, and it probably has a “restricted” section that only higher clergy members have access to. Maybe for the better, since they wouldn't want a curious sibling trying to summon lord Leviathan and pissing him off.

In the middle of the wings there's the scribes hall. I'd like to think that when people write ghouls working in the library this would be the place. They would probably have book binding equipment, scribes tables, the whole thing. All to maintain the old books in a usable state and register new information the clergy learns from hell.

By the library's east wing, there's "The observatory". Again included because my head needed a scenario and location for the quints to watch the stars. I'd say its a fairly tall tower with a glass dome, some furniture, some books, maybe a desk and telescopes.

There is of course a mess hall. I imagne a big kitchen on one side and a cafeteria like thing where most have their meals, or at least they can go get them to take to another place in the abbey.

Beside it there's a pretty herb garden, animal pastures, some crops, a barn, granary , mill and the greenhouses. I think it was @mac-and-thefox who came up with the idea of there being a farm like think within the abbey and my mind just ran with it. (Do correct me if I'm worng there).

Now there's only one more man made bulding in the map and that would be "Mountain's greenhouse". A true staple for ghost fanfics. It probably was a run down space abandoned by groundskeeping but Mountain wanted privacy + plants and everyone agreed he could do whatever with the little building. Not that Imperator needs to know that Mountain grows weed and hellish plants inside...

The whole eastern side of the abbey is flaked by a forest (ghouls need to have hunting grounds people.) In it there's Mountain's greenhouse, a small rocky hill "Starry hill" and under it a small grotto. More like a hole the water made within the stone, so it's now a tiny cave.

Of course I had to have "The Lake", or else this map would not fit any fanfic involving Rain and Dew. There's a small stream that crosses the abbey and ends up at the lake. Most siblings know to stay away.

The "Southern Clearing". A little clearing full of clover and flowers, a nice place for siblings to celebrate the solstices and equinoxes.

Finally, just beside the Summoning well there's a rocky hill with an old wrought iron door closing it off. I headcannon there are indeed tunnels and crypts running under the abbey but they're closed off now since they're dangerous. Doesn't mean the ghouls don't have a way to go in and out but it's still dangerous for humans. I think the more elusive ghouls, like Special and Cowbell stay here because they want the isolation. There absolutely are old abbandoned torture and sacrifice rooms down here. But modern siblings don't need to know that. (Also, I very much think old ghouls before Nihil and way back were not only not treated nicely or fairly but straight up chained or tortured sometimes. (I'm still in the air on the fact that Imperator knows this and threatens misbehaving ghouls with that along with banishment.)

#the band ghost #nameless ghouls #shitghosting #ghost ghouls #ghost #This took me way too long #Is ghost consuming my thoughts? yes #Am I obsessed with this band and it's all TF fault? Also yes. More at 10:00 #I'm also hella nervous about tagging other people in this #If someone has more thoughts on the map or base their things in it I will evaporate

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suashii · 1 month

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kuroo + making dinner ﾉ a late night snack wif him in a college au ? i hope ur week treats u well bbie <3

such a cute suggestion — thank u for sending it! hopefully u enjoy :3

you’re usually better about not leaving a mess by the door when you return to your apartment, but tonight is different. you can’t help but messily kick off your shoes and shed your book bag in the growing pile at the entrance. after a long, draining study session, you can’t be bothered to keep a clean house at the moment. anyway, once you catch sight of your carelessness in the morning, you’re sure you’ll be rushing to pick things up.

“hmm,” you hum, stretching your arms above your head. the action feels good after being stuck in a chair for the past few hours and it seems like now that you’re home, just within reach of your bed, the exhaustion is finally catching up to you. “to eat or to sleep…” you ponder over your choices.

“i vote for the former.” kuroo chimes in from behind you. he replicates your movements, dropping his bag and stretching a bit before he turns and makes his way to the kitchen. “food is fuel, you know,” he tells you matter-of-factly.

“yeah, well, so is sleep. and that sounds like it’ll take a lot less energy than eating.”

he snorts at your reasoning as he surveys the contents of the refrigerator. it’s more bare than he remembers it being—the two of you are past due for a trip to the grocery store. still, he doesn’t let that stop him from trying to convince you to stay up just a little longer for a meal. “fair, but we skipped dinner. you should try to stomach something small at the very least.”

your bed is calling your name, you can hear its tempting whispers from down the hall, but you sigh and nod, joining kuroo in the kitchen to find a replacement for the dinner you missed in favor of reviewing powerpoints. the task seems like a tall one when you get a look in the fridge.

“what do you suggest?” you ask from beside him, “loose lunch meat doesn’t sound too bad.”

he laughs and pinches your arm at your unserious approach, which earns him a pinch back for ever daring to pinch you.

“what about ramen?” kuroo proposes, lifting an arm to open the cabinet that holds your shared supply of noodles. unsurprisingly, there’s quite a selection of instant ramen at your disposal. “we’re never short on that.”

you take a few seconds to consider it before agreeing—something quick and warm should be satisfying enough.

“take your pick.” kuroo gestures to the multiple differing packages and you point at one—your favorite brand—for him to pull down. he grabs that and one for himself, closing that cabinet and opening the one that houses your pots. the kitchenware clangs loudly as they knock against each other but kuroo doesn’t seem to mind as he juggles the two, carrying them to the sink to fill them with water.

you busy yourself with opening the colorful packages and fishing out the seasoning packs while kuroo brings the pots of water to a boil. other than the gas from the stove and the occasional rustling of plastic, a still quiet falls over the kitchen. it’s far from tense or awkward and there’s a beauty that comes with it—being able to enjoy the company of someone without having to share words. and it isn’t lost on you how kuroo tries to take on the bulk of the work, emptying flavor packs and stirring the contents before you get the chance to grab the chopsticks.

he even pours the noodles into your preferred bowl and takes it over to your tiny dining table for you.

“i would have eaten this straight from the pot, you know,” you tell him, sliding into the chair and picking up your utensils to dig in.

he’s known you long enough to be able to read between the lines of your speech—what you really mean to say is that he made extra dishes that you have no intention of washing. it makes him smile on the other side of the table. “i can handle the dishes.”

“don’t worry, i’ll help you,” you say in between bites. you hold his gaze, blowing on the noodles hanging from your chopsticks. “as long as we do it in the morning.”

he swallows a bite of his own. “deal.”

#omg omg omg i'm sorry this took so long ><#i had an idea of what i wanted to write but #zero time to do so #but! here it is now! so i hope u like~#kuroo x reader #kuroo fluff

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justpoliteconversations · 2 months

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Apple Merchant [BOTW!Link x Isekai!Reader] (Part 6)

Plans are being made. And Link is facing his demons as well as he can.

Still taking time to inch my way back to full speed. Things are getting better though and I can feel my fingers itching to write more and more. Still riding the joy of pure indulgence with a feel good favorite. I can never stop myself from rambling in this one.

Part 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

Alternate Extras: Embrace

Masterlist

TW: Choosing not to display warnings. Read at your own discretion.

Disclaimer: Don't own The Legend of Zelda franchise.

---

Finally back in Hateno after several weeks of long, uncomfortable (sand infested. lizalfos infested) travel along the coast (doing your standard business. gathering what supplies you could for Link), and you were ready to just slip into bed for the rest of your life. Maybe even retire early. Ensure you never have to see another damned lizalfos for as long as you live (you won't, but the thought is there).

But it was simply not to be. You'd barely crossed the gates into Hateno proper and already you were planning (reluctantly) an even longer trip into territories you'd never (well. not never. but not for long) thought to venture to. And honestly, you weren't looking forward to it.

And by the look on Skim's and Adino's faces, neither were they.

Not even a day after returning to your home village you'd broken the news to your guards that you were planning a trip towards Goron territory. Though, if you were lucky and utilized your resources wisely, you might never even have to set foot in that brimstone hellscape of a volcano (you hoped).

You'd thought once (some years ago), that maybe it would be a place you should visit. The Gorons were known to be friendly to travelers. The paths were littered with unclaimed mineral and gemstone deposits. And the infrastructure for travel was there thanks to the thriving tourism industry in the area.

It'd seemed like a wonderful idea when you'd started planning such a venture in your early days of merchanting. Back when you were still riding high from making your first small fortune and were still relatively unaware of the world at large. Of its challenges. Of its dangers.

That was until you started gathering information on the hazards in the area, and your opinion of the region took an immediate and drastic turn.

The high death rates associated with heatstroke, dehydration and smoke inhalation were concerning enough. But learning that the volcano occasionally erupted (killing dozens, even hundreds of travelers when it did), and was infested with talus' (over 40 confirmed sightings. nearly 20 unconfirmed). It was enough to put you off.

Skims and Adino knew this. You'd made it a point to explain to them why you wouldn't be heading that direction ever (but apparently not ever, because here you were. planning). No matter how much money could be made harvesting minerals or trading with the locals.

Not the produce trade though, despite what one would think coming from a land known for its lava lakes and frequent wildfires.

The volcanic soil was actually an excellent source of fertilizer (which you wanted. in bulk. as much as you could shove in your mindslate). Making the region around the volcano one of the more prosperous lands for growing crops and herbs. Even when compared to the more central settlements of Hyrule, right on the bread-belt of the land (if you were willing to risk the guardians, that is).

It was a region a farmer (and merchant) could make a fortune, if they were lucky enough to hit brown gold. And If one was willing to take staggering losses everytime the volcano blew its top. And there would be losses. There always was when mother nature got involved with the lives of mortals.

No. You had been eager to get into the fish and cloth (and sand) trade. So close to the volcano, magma deposits were unusually close to the surface in the surrounding lands. And while this created the most beautiful hotspring (entire lakes worth) tourist attractions, it also limited the amount of life-sustaining (and fish-sustaining) water sources in the area. Which, in turn, limited the number of local fisheries and livestock flocks the land could sustain.

The constant presence of ash and volcanic runoff also poisoned much of the water sources in the immediate areas around the mountian. Further adding to the lack of available water sources for fish and livestock (and people too, for that matter. Hence, the sand. A natural filtering agent for locals in the area) to live off of.

So. Fish and cloth (and sand). Those had been your plan a couple years ago. Until the reality of the territory's dangers made you reconsider. And later, dismiss the idea all together.

Knowing this, of course Skims questioned your sudden interest in the northeastern part of Hyrule. A territory you had said yourself was not worth the risk of death and revenue loss to expand your business ventures into.

You had been honest with them, of course (you were always honest with your most trusted guardsmen. when confronted, at least). Though not necessarily forthcoming with the details. Which, frankly, was par for the course as far as your more private dealings were concerned.

"I'm looking to acquire localized goods for an important client." You offered in way of an explanation, letting the things you hadn't said speak volumes. And, of course, Skims merely nodded. Still looking doubtful, but willing to accept your reasoning as your own without contest.

That was another thing you liked about him, other then his fierce loyalty and care. Easy going at the best of times, accepting at the worst. You never had to worry too much about Skims poking holes in your reasonings or explanations. You just needed to pay him, and he was willing to turn a blind eye to your eccentricities.

Adino, on the other hand.

"It's a waste of damned time no matter how important this so-called client of yours is. Just use the stable system instead of draggin' us along to that Goddess forsaken hellhole." Adino snapped, irritable still so soon after the previous trip (the bite a lizalfos nearly took out of his rear near Highland Stable not having helped his already sour attitude). Narrowing his eyes at you with suspicion.

Which was fair, honestly. In any other situation, letting the stable system deliver your desired product would have been the most efficient (and cheapest) way for such a limited and precise order. What would take several months of travel for a merchant (yourself included), the system could get delivered several weeks earlier. Maybe the same amount of time, or slightly longer than originally calculated, if the weather turned unfavorable or a blood moon cluttered up previously clear roads with monsters.

Without knowledge of your mindslate or the connection you have with Link (the previously mentioned client), it does sound like a bullshit reason to undertake such a dangerous journey out of the blue. Especially when there are safer and more cost efficient methods to achieve the same results (sort of). But the fact of the matter is that the system would not be quick enough to deliver your order before Link begun his journey towards Death Mountain.

(And it would be soon. Already there were rumors of the Zora Domain's endless rains easing at the boarders.)

Tally up the timeables, and getting the merchandise yourself was the only feasible way to get ahold of what you needed when you needed it. Where the stable system would require a two way trip to acquire your goods, you needed only one way to get it yourself (and add the slate's instant delivery to Link, and you're set). It was the only way to guarantee you'd meet the rapidly approaching deadline.

Also, you didn't trust the stable system to be as discerning as yourself when choosing suitable product. While you didn't doubt they would put forth their best efforts, you acknowledged that a delivery guild probably had limited knowledge of advanced spell craft and their associated counterfeits.

You couldn't afford to make any mistakes when it was The Hero of Hyrule's life you were working to secure.

Only the very best would do for Link, after all. Even if you had to put in the footwork to ensure it.

You smiled tiredly at Adino, noting how his thin brows were pulled into a deep frow. How his eyes flickered over your road-weary face and sagging posture with veiled intent. Searching and prying and worried. Lips pulled down in displeasure.

He was worried for you. Keeping secrets (something you'd seldom done so openly before. something you'd rarely done, period). Taking seemingly unnecessary risks (something you'd never done at all before this little proposal). All behaviors that were definite red flags. All behaviors that were concerning. Especially coming from someone like you (who you'd become).

And you loved that about Adino. How quietly observant and caring he was when he cared enough to try. Even if he acted like a prickly little cactus most of the time.

"Trust me. I wish I could just let the stables handle this." You'd begun, meeting Adino's (and Skims) gazes as you continued. Sighing. "But this is something I have to do myself. It's important to me."

Skims nodded, having already accepted your reasonings regardless. And slowly, reluctantly, Adino nodded too. Still looking as surly as ever, but willing to back down quietly so long as you were in possession enough of your thoughts to acknowledge the strangeness of your current plans.

"Thank you." And you meant that. Even as the next words hurt your very soul. Perhaps even more than the damned sand (yeah right). "I'll pay you triple if you agree to accompany me as my bodyguards." Skims' and Adino's eyes lit up at that, and you could practically see the rupee signs swimming within them. The bastards.

And somehow Red was suddenly there as well, looking just as bright-eyed and eager as she nodded along with the boys.

Your brow twitched. And Red grinned. Far too many teeth caged within blood red lips.

You sighed.

'Damnit, Link. Why do you cost me so much money.'

---

Sitting on the edge of the Zora Capital's Central Reservoir, Link held the slate in his cold-numbed hands. Looking out over the misty landscape laid out far below, cushioning the shining zora city in its translucent shroud.

The divine beast calmed at his back, as was the spirit still trapped within its confines (patient. kind. understanding. even in the face of death and heartbreak).

His fingers tightened on the slate's smooth edges at the reminder. Knuckles turning white from the pressure of his grip. The chilled ache of his bones a painful burn against his exposed flesh and skin.

His shoulders begun to shake. He wanted to sleep in his own bed, with his own pillow and his own blankets. He wanted to bathe in his shiny round bowl of a bath with his nice smelling soaps and hair cleansers.

He wanted to go home.

He was afraid to go home.

But no. That wasn't true. Not really. It wasn't that he was afraid to go home (to his home. to your home).

It was that he was ashamed. Ashamed of what he had lost. Ashamed of how he had failed.

Seeing Mipha's face (and that was her name. Mipha. the zora woman he may have once loved. not some nameless face peering out of her tomb with sad, accepting eyes) had finally made him understand the weight he carried upon his shoulders now. The burden of his past failings.

And he didn't know how to reconcile these feelings. Of who he was, and the pain he'd left in the wake of his death.

And who he was now, and his inability to grieve these people who had once meant so much to him. And who, in some ways, still did. Even if he couldn't remember why he felt as such. Even as the guilt tore him apart at the seams.

Far below, in the dark waters of the Domain's endless web of rivers. The flashing white of paper slips beneath a rising current. The ink fading into the darkness of the depths.

---

AM,

Thank you for everything you've done for me. Without you, I don't know if I'd have the strength to continue on. Knowing so much has been lost because of my failure.

I'm afraid of what I'll find if I remember who I used to be. I don't think I can be the man so many remember.

I don't want to be him. He's dead. I'm not him anymore. I'm me.

Is it selfish of me to just want to be the man I am now?

I'm sorry I couldn't be stronger for you and everyone who ever believed in me. I'm sorry I don't want to remember how to be strong.

I hope one day you can forgive me.

-Link

---

Back to the shadows to rest.

I forgot the tags before sleeping! Sorry Babies, I know you already found it, but I'll still tag you regardless!

Tagging: @littlepanda7 @2000babies

#botw x reader #link x reader #botw link #isekai reader #link x you

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nasa · 2 years

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You Are Made of Stardust

Though the billions of people on Earth may come from different areas, we share a common heritage: we are all made of stardust! From the carbon in our DNA to the calcium in our bones, nearly all of the elements in our bodies were forged in the fiery hearts and death throes of stars.

The building blocks for humans, and even our planet, wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for stars. If we could rewind the universe back almost to the very beginning, we would just see a sea of hydrogen, helium, and a tiny bit of lithium.

The first generation of stars formed from this material. There’s so much heat and pressure in a star’s core that they can fuse atoms together, forming new elements. Our DNA is made up of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus. All those elements (except hydrogen, which has existed since shortly after the big bang) are made by stars and released into the cosmos when the stars die.

Each star comes with a limited fuel supply. When a medium-mass star runs out of fuel, it will swell up and shrug off its outer layers. Only a small, hot core called a white dwarf is left behind. The star’s cast-off debris includes elements like carbon and nitrogen. It expands out into the cosmos, possibly destined to be recycled into later generations of stars and planets. New life may be born from the ashes of stars.

Massive stars are doomed to a more violent fate. For most of their lives, stars are balanced between the outward pressure created by nuclear fusion and the inward pull of gravity. When a massive star runs out of fuel and its nuclear processes die down, it completely throws the star out of balance. The result? An explosion!

Supernova explosions create such intense conditions that even more elements can form. The oxygen we breathe and essential minerals like magnesium and potassium are flung into space by these supernovas.

Supernovas can also occur another way in binary, or double-star, systems. When a white dwarf steals material from its companion, it can throw everything off balance too and lead to another kind of cataclysmic supernova. Our Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will study these stellar explosions to figure out what’s speeding up the universe’s expansion.

This kind of explosion creates calcium – the mineral we need most in our bodies – and trace minerals that we only need a little of, like zinc and manganese. It also produces iron, which is found in our blood and also makes up the bulk of our planet’s mass!

A supernova will either leave behind a black hole or a neutron star – the superdense core of an exploded star. When two neutron stars collide, it showers the cosmos in elements like silver, gold, iodine, uranium, and plutonium.

Some elements only come from stars indirectly. Cosmic rays are nuclei (the central parts of atoms) that have been boosted to high speed by the most energetic events in the universe. When they collide with atoms, the impact can break them apart, forming simpler elements. That’s how we get boron and beryllium – from breaking star-made atoms into smaller ones.

Half a dozen other elements are created by radioactive decay. Some elements are radioactive, which means their nuclei are unstable. They naturally break down to form simpler elements by emitting radiation and particles. That’s how we get elements like radium. The rest are made by humans in labs by slamming atoms of lighter elements together at super high speeds to form heavier ones. We can fuse together elements made by stars to create exotic, short-lived elements like seaborgium and einsteinium.

From some of the most cataclysmic events in the cosmos comes all of the beauty we see here on Earth. Life, and even our planet, wouldn’t have formed without them! But we still have lots of questions about these stellar factories.

In 2006, our Stardust spacecraft returned to Earth containing tiny particles of interstellar dust that originated in distant stars, light-years away – the first star dust to ever be collected from space and returned for study. You can help us identify and study the composition of these tiny, elusive particles through our Stardust@Home Citizen Science project.

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thewriterwithnoplan · 4 months

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THE WINTER KEEP (2/2)

Summary: You have fled the Red Keep, the Greens and Alicent's poison. It is time to play your hand and herald your mother's ascension on a larger scale. You will fly to Winterfell, treat with the Lord Cregan Stark and await your brother. You are weak and a girl, no longer. You are a dragon ready to spill blood to ensure your promises are kept.

[Part 2 to The Highest Tower]

Soulmate AU: Your animal familiar leads you to your soulmate.

Pairing: Cregan Stark x Reader

Word Count: 5631

Warnings: Canon typical warnings, swearing, canon divergence, my first time writing for hotd, pretty sure I'm missing something...

Masterlist

Laesuvion had taken to the skies through a hole in the dragon pit. Swift and lethal and stealthy as a white dragon against dark clouds could be. Come morning the whole of Kings Landing would know that you had fled. Come morning the usurper King and his council of snakes would be plotting your demise. You would need every advantage, every inch of distance you could gain before they found the wherewithal to send men after you. The Queen could protect you no longer, your time as her ward had passed. As Laesuvion crested the skies above the Red Keep, and you urged him north, you left just as you had arrived all those years ago. Rhaenyra’s only daughter. Her greatest supporter. Her most loyal weapon.

It took some days to fly north, you rested only once. On the second night of flying, setting down in the swamplands just beyond Greywater Watch. You swaddled yourself in your flying cloak and huddled in a hollow tree as Laesuvion hunted. Sleep came in fitful bursts, each gust of wind and animal sound convincing you that despite your head start from having flown through night and day and night again, the king's loyal men had somehow found you. You awoke around dawn to find Laesuvion’s bulk curved around your tree, his breathing deep and rhythmic in sleep. You crept toward his front claws and the charred mass caged there.

Your first food in some hours, since the day prior when you had polished off the meagre supplies you had smuggled out of the Keep. You tore charred clumps from what might have once been a deer or livestock from a nearby farm. You set these aside in case Laesuvion woke hungry, as you shredded his offering until– There, protected by the cocoon of hardened char, well-cooked meat. You gorged yourself.

You took to the skies an hour later, dehydration your greatest enemy so close to the searing sun. You wrapped your cloak around you, tied yourself firmly to the saddle and tried desperately to catch another snatch of rest. Through that morning, that evening and night, Laesuvion tore through the skies of Westeros.

You landed in the Northlands on the third dawn of your travels. The south gate of Winterfell rose to greet you, a small host of men waiting under its shelf. Dehydrated, exhausted, terrified, you could have wept with joy.

“Holt!” You startled. It was a woman.

“I mean no harm.” You dismounted Laesuvion carefully, moving purposefully to disguise your limb's feeble shakes. At eye level, though separated by a good fifty yards you repeated, “I mean you no harm.”

“Your dragon?” The woman demanded.

The men shifted nervously as Laesuvion gave a chest-deep rumbling purr. “Merely glad to have found our destination.”

“Come forward.”

“To whom do I speak?” You inched forward, Laesuvion nosing at your back.

“Sara Snow.” Up close you found Sara Snow to be very beautiful. With ebony hair twisted in intricate braids and eyelashes so long they caught snowflakes. A true northern beauty, with a sword strapped to her back and a pelt secured to her shoulders.

“I seek an audience with Lord Cregan Stark.”

“He is in a meeting with his men.”

“He will want to speak to me.” You smiled pleasantly, “He owes loyalty to my mother, the Queen.”

“House Stark owes loyalty to King Viserys.” Sara jutted her chin, “No oaths were sworn to his lady-wife.”

“You misunderstand me, Sara Snow. I speak of my mother, the Realms Delight. Queen Rhaenyra to whom Lord Rickon swore fealty.”

The men sent furtive glances to one another. Sara paused and then curtsied. “Forgive me, Princess. The North had not heard word of you for some years now, we feared you had been lost.”

“Ah, I have been kept to the Keep for some time.”

“Winterfell is most honoured to–” Sara turned.

The sound of crunching snow, hurried footsteps, quickened breath. One of Sara’s men toppled to the ground as a dire wolf barrelled through his legs. Pitch black but frosted with snow, it careened toward you. The man giving chase shouted the wolf’s name, skidded around the line of men, and stumbled to a stop mere inches in front of you. In what seemed to be perfect, practised coordination, Laesuvion jammed his snout into your back as the dire wolf danced around his owner's legs. In a heap of limbs, winter cloaks, and riding leathers, you collapsed on the man and fell to the snow.

You wheezed; the air knocked from your lungs. Your limbs shook as you scrambled up, plating a hand on the man's face as leverage.

“Sir.” You hissed; with all the royal poise you could muster. Alicent would be appalled. Your mother would be beyond amused.

“My apologies, lady.” The man grabbed your hips to lift you from him. Mortified you slapped his hands away and fought to your feet. “If you would just let me–”

You struggled, “Unhand me!”

“Here, just–” You planted a knee in his groin. He tried to curl up beneath you.

“Get off me!” You gave him a harsh shove and fumbled to your feet. “How dare–”

Sara Snow launched into raucous laughter. Hand clutching her side as she howled in delight. Her men shuffled as if wondering whether to intervene. Your assailant hobbled to his feet, one handheld protectively over his front, the other outstretched toward you as if to keep you at a distance.

You whirled toward Sara, “What is the meaning of this?”

“Apologies, lady.” The man heaved, his dire wolf prancing about his feet. “It was an honest accident. Shadow has been tense of late.”

“You let your wolf run wild in such a way?” You sneered.

“As wild as you allow your dragon to be.”

As if on cue, Laesuvion pressed the length of his head to your back again. The dire wolf herded his owner.

“Laesuvion?” You turned, pressing your freezing fingers to the scales of his nose. “Lykirī, iōrās aril.” (be calm, stay back).

He huffed and shoved at your hands. You toppled again; this time the man caught you against his chest. Laesuvion shuffled back, his tail swishing through the snow in a great arch. A growl rumbled up his throat as one of Sara’s men tried to approach.

“Ah.” The man smiled down at you in understanding.

You tried shoving at him again, but his grip held firm. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like I am a wolf pup or a precious stone, or some covetous thing.”

“You are more precious than both I fear, and certainly something to covet.” He held your forearms to contain your struggle. “I have waited many years to find my Promised. I did not imagine you would be so violent.”

Sara coughed, “Welcome brother. Might I be the first to introduce you to our Princess, daughter of Rhaenyra. She has come from King’s Landing to treat with you.” She sketched a bow, her lips still trembling, “Your Highness, my brother, the Lord Cregan Stark.”

You gaped, your mouth opening and closing. A myriad of emotions warmed your face. Bone deep mortification. The purest delight. Wonderment. Utter confusion. Behind you, the dire wolf, Shadow, ran playfully around Laesuvion. Your dragon moved to face the tiny yipping creature, stealing his warm breath from your back. You shivered the cold striking through you like a physical blow.

“Princess?” Cregan Stark asked softly. “Are you well?”

“I am cold and hungry and tired, and I wish to bathe.” You said in a rush, utterly horrified with yourself.

But your Promised only smiled, “Of course.”

Cregan Stark was a most gracious host. In the hours since your arrival, you had been given quarters in the same hall as that of the Starks. A maid had gone about filling the tub in your rooms with water warmed on the fire, to which she added fragrant oils and sweet-smelling soap. As you bathed the maid returned – Atara, you learned – to ply you with cheeses and fresh bread, soft meats, and stewed root vegetables. Once you had been thoroughly scrubbed and fed, you dressed in the soft night clothes Atara had brought with her and curled up in the thick expanse of blankets atop your bed.

You were allowed to sleep for far longer than you might have suspected. Only being roused by Atara once the sun had well and truly set.

“Your Highness, Lord Stark asks that you join his family for dinner.”

You tumbled out of bed, and over to the dresser where you let her braid back your hair in the northern style. She handed you a thick winter dress that Sara had sent for you to borrow and allowed you to don it yourself. Stepping in only to tighten the taught laces at its back. You delighted in the simple joy of dressing yourself, so used to the Queen’s maids who scrubbed you raw and laced you tightly into dresses all shaded the same insidious green.

Atara whispered to you as she led you through the halls of Winterfell, “Lord Stark is a good and generous man. He has been Warden of the North for some years now, he is a just leader and kind to those in his employ. It is his uncle, who was his regent, and his power-hungry cousins you must watch.”

“Will they be at dinner?”

“No, they are north and east in Karhold. Though his sister will be present.”

“Sara Snow. She is his sister born? I assumed the Lord was her brother-at-arms, not a true blood relative.”

“Indeed,” Atara corralled you down another cavernous hall. “She is his sister and among his most trusted advisors.”

“Why does she bear the name Snow?”

“It is the surname given to those born out of wedlock in the north.”

“And this is not an issue in the north?”

Atara considered it for a moment, “For some it is. But Lord Stark is a better man than most.”

You wondered if she had been sent to sing his praises or if the people of the north were truly so enamoured with their lord.

“Is he not married?” You asked hesitantly, the thought had not yet crossed your mind.

Atara grinned, “He is not, Your Highness.”

“Nor betrothed?”

“Nor does he have a lover.” She assured. “We servants would know.”

“Thank you, you have been most enlightening.” You smiled as you reached the Stark’s private dining hall, “I will see to myself tonight. Please, enjoy your evening.”

Atara curtsied, “Have a most wonderful night, Your Highness.”

You most certainly would.

The Starks took private dinners in a humble hall. Three places had been set at the far end of the dining table with a generous spread laid out between them. Cregan and Sara looked up from their conversation as you crossed to your seat.

“My apologies, Lord Stark, Lady Snow.” You bowed your head. “I did not mean to keep you waiting.”

Sara snorted into her cup, “Please, Princess, formalities are for the feasting hall and for those whose names you cannot remember.”

“Sister,” Cregan hissed.

You fought a smile, “Forgive me, Sara, I would not have you think I had forgotten your name already.”

“How does the dress fit?”

“Wonderfully,” You swished from side to side, “You are most generous.”

“I have never had a sister,” she said thoughtfully.

Cregan spluttered into his cup. You grinned, “Nor I.”

You thought only briefly of Heleana and her mother and their glittering cage.

Cregan leapt from his seat to pull yours out for you, “Please, ignore my sister, she is overly friendly.”

“Please, ignore my brother,” Sara mocked. “He is overly nervous.”

“Tis not everyday one meets their Promised.” He met your eyes fleetingly.

What a soft demeanour for the Warden of the North, you thought. Though you supposed you had smiled more today than you had in all your years in the Red Keep, so perhaps today was not a good judge of anyone’s character. You allowed him to serve up your plate as Sara kept up a steady stream of conversation. First marvelling at the fit of her dress on you, then the colour of your eyes, your hair in northern braids, your improved state after some well-needed rest.

“Is she not a sight, dear brother?” She teased.

“I apologise for my earlier state of unkempt.” You winced. You had hit the Lord of this castle, your Promised rather hard.

“I thought you looked marvellous.” Cregan argued, then seemed to realise what he’d said and hurried to add, “We have received reports that your dragon has taken to the Wolfswood.”

You exhaled slowly, “Laesuvion flew through day and night twice over to get me here so swiftly. He will be in need of food and rest as much as I.”

“Laesuvion. That is a beautiful name.” He said softly. “We can send meat if you wish?”

“He is a good hunter; he has fed himself since I was ten.”

“Still to have flown so fiercely, with so little rest…”

“It does not do well to deprive a dragon of its hunt. Especially in such times as these.”

Cregan placed his utensils down carefully, “Princess, what has brought you to Winterfell?”

You lowered your fork. Good, time to stop dancing around the subject. From the pocket of your skirt, you withdrew the King’s missive.

“I am not sure how far and fast word has travelled,” You looked to the siblings and frowned. “King Viserys is dead, and Aegon has been crowned in my mother's place. The night of his coronation Queen Alicent gave me this letter for you, Lord Stark, she wishes for us to marry.”

Cregan broke the seal of the King’s letter and read silently.

“There are worse things than to be told to marry ones Promised,” Sara joked lamely. You smiled weakly in the tense silence.

Finally, Cregan folded the letter and turned to you, “Why were you with the Queen, not with your mother on Dragonstone?”

“I have been the Queen’s ward for some nine years now.”

“And are you loyal to her?”

“As a dog is to its owner.”

“They are very loyal in the North,” Sara said.

“I was traded to her as reparations when my brother gorged her son's eye.” You said plainly, “I was her possession, but I remain my mother’s daughter.”

“House Stark swore fealty to Princess Rhaenyra when she was made heir,” Cregan watched you carefully. “There has never been a Stark who has forgotten an oath.”

“I too have made a promise to my mother. I intend to keep it.”

Cregan brandished the letter, “This offers your hand in return for the North’s neutrality in the coming conflict. Is that what you wish?”

“May I speak plainly, my lord?”

“Please.”

“That letter is likely a forgery by the Dowager Queen’s hand. She is mistaken on many fronts, I fear, the least of which was Aegon’s ascension to King. I do not wish to go to war with my kin, but if it becomes inevitable I would rather do so with strong allies and in support of my mother.”

His head tilted, “House Stark is already an ally of your mother.”

“Yes,” You folded your hands on the table. “I should tell you, Lord Stark. My mother has sworn to marry me to my Promised for my service as her spy in the Red Keep.”

“You wish us to marry?”

“I wish to offer you my hand, outside my mother’s promise or the Queen’s demands.” You cleared your throat, and just as you had carefully prepared on your journey here you said, “I have been trained in the ways of the court, I will be of use to you in councils and in handling the affairs of your territory. I am of royal breeding, you will be made Prince-Consort, our children Princes, and Princesses of the realm. I have dragon eggs for their cradles and Valyrian blood for their veins. I would ask only that you allow Laesuvion to stay with me in the North. If not, I shall wait here until such a time as my brother Jacaerys comes to treat with you, that I might return with him to Dragonstone.”

You watched the Lord, his eyes dancing with an unnamed light as he listened to you. “I will need time.”

“Of course, my Lord, speak with your advisors.”

“You misunderstand him, Princess.” Sara grinned.

Cregan smiled, “I will not marry you hastily. I will need to summon my family and prepare a feast. It is a special thing, for those of our station, to be given leave to marry our Promised.”

“I–” You were unsure what you expected. “I suppose it is.”

Sara clapped gleefully, “Shall we call for dessert?”

You wore the soft nightclothes once more as you sat at your vanity and penned your mother a letter.

Mother,

How I have missed you. Know that I have thought of you often and never strayed from my mission nor my loyalty to you.

I have fled King's Landing and taken the Lord Hands life with me. Though the smallfolk have no mind to protest whichever Targaryen collects their taxes, you have many allies in the Red Keep. I have interred a list of those Lords and Ladies who remain loyal to you as well as those I have heard of beyond and some whom we may turn with careful diplomacy.

I am at Winterfell with my Promised, Lord Cregan Stark, whom I will marry in the coming weeks. With your blessing, of course. I await Jacaerys, with news of our family and our strategy. In the meanwhile, I intend to discuss what supplies and men Winterfell may have to offer you.

Mostly I am writing to you because I can. I am overwhelmed with the freedom to do so, to be able to tell you once more how much I love you. I cannot imagine how this week has been for you, know that though we are separated I am your most fierce supporter.

I have had a thought, in my hours here, about how far Winterfell is from the capital. How far we will be if we are forced into battle and bloodshed. Perhaps you might consider sending Joffery here, to mine and my soon-to-be Lord Husband's care.

I hope you are well, Mother. I love you from the very depths of my heart.

You signed the letter with a careful flourish and set it aside. You would ask Atara where you might find a raven-master to have it sent. You touched your fingers to it softly, your first contact with your family in nearly a decade. To tell your mother that you were preparing for marriage and war.

As you blew out your candles and settled into bed, you hoped your mother would like Lord Cregan Stark.

On your fourth morning in Winterfell, you took morning tea with Sara. She had taken lengths to make you comfortable in the days since your arrival, and you took great joy in breaking your fast with her each morning. Today, you spent the early hours humming and haring over the tiny sample cakes you had been sent to taste for the upcoming feast. As you ate, Sara told you all that she could about the castle, the arriving lords, the Stark territory, and their histories.

Northern marriage traditions, you had learned, were not so different from those celebrated at King’s Landing, there would be the exchanging of cloaks and binding words spoken before gods but there would also be a hunt. Women such as yourselves would not be invited but you would find your own fun, Sara assured.

“It is tradition to have the pelts in your quarters and the meats on the feasting table.”

You lifted a citrusy cake between your thumb and forefinger, “Husband and wife share quarters here?”

“Most,” Sara said thoughtfully, “Though I’m sure Cregan would accommodate you if it is different in the south.”

“What happens if their hunt is unsuccessful?”

“I imagine there will be much embarrassment among the North, that we could not bring our Princess quarry for her wedding table.” Sara snatched the half-eaten cake from your hands and winked, “Fear not, Cregan is a good hunter.”

“If he is not,” You smiled fiendishly, “I suppose the two of us will have to find meats for the feast ourselves.”

Sara snorted, “I think my brother would be rather put out at being unable to provide you with a gift on your wedding day. But the look on his face as we return from our own hunt is almost worth it.”

You jolted, “Am I to bring him a gift?”

“You have brought him dragon eggs.”

“For our children.” You argued.

“For his heirs,” She assured, “I think he is already downtrodden at the idea of only being able to bring you fur and meat.”

“I bring only scales and fire.”

“You will be a very warm family.”

“And very well-fed.”

Sara snatched another cake from you, “Only if you keep eating all of these before I get a taste!”

You guffawed. “I am hungry, and they are so tiny!”

“They need be, so you can keep eating.”

“And I shall!”

“Your Highness, Lady Snow,” Atara curtsied as she entered, “Lord Stark has requested your presence in the courtyard.”

“Another lord has arrived?” Sara sank her teeth into another teacake. “Which house does he hail from?”

“No Lord, my Lady.” Atara looked to you uneasily, “A Prince. Of House Targaryen.”

After nearly nine years kept apart by the waters of Blackwater Bay, and three long days separated by your duties, the time had come. You caught your first look at your eldest brother as you left the comfort of the Great Keep and nearly crumpled to the ground. Sara laid a steadying hand at your shoulder as Atara whispered sweet comforts. But nothing could prepare you for the sight laid out in the courtyard.

Jacaerys, with Vermax perched atop the walls of the keep. Jacaerys, with tousled dark hair. Jacaerys, once the awkward boy you followed dutifully, now an emissary of the Queen. Jacaerys, your brother. Jacaerys, your mother’s son.

“Jacaerys!” You ran. Past Sara and Atara, past Cregan and his warning cry. You ran. Almost straight into the end of your brother’s sword. You pulled to a halt, the blade a whisper away from your sternum, “Jacaerys?”

“Sister,” He sneered. “How far you are from your castle.”

“I have escaped.”

“You have been sent as an emissary of the usurper and his cunt-mother.”

“She did not tell you?” Your arms slumped at your side. “Mother sent me as a spy, she and Daemon trusted me to–”

“Her trust was misplaced. You have betrayed us.”

“I have come here to rally the North for our mother’s claim, just as you have.”

“You have come here to better your station.”

“I am a Princess.” You hissed, confused, and insulted.

“You are Princess of nothing, of no house.”

“I am of House Targaryen,” You pressed forward until the tip of his sword tore through the bodice of your dress and blood welled. You turned, held out your hand and gave Cregan a pleading look, he shifted but stayed back. “I am Princess of loyalty, of oaths and duty. I have come to the North to escape the Greens, to tell our mother, the Queen, all that I have discovered these years.”

“Where was loyalty,” Jacaerys shook with rage. “When they dragged us before the Iron Throne and called our mother a whore and our brothers bastards? Where was duty, when Lucerys was nearly stripped of his birthright? Where were you when Laenor died? When Rhaenys flew to our mother's side to tell her of–”

“Our father is dead?” You whispered.

“Your father is Daemon.” He growled under his breath.

You reeled back, “My father is Laenor Velaryon.”

“It is Daemon. He told us so himself when he married Mother.”

“Daemon and mother are married?”

His sword sagged slightly, “The Greens did not tell you? What of Viserys and Aegon?”

“Our grandsire and uncle?”

Jacaerys looked pained, “Our brothers.”

You fell to your knees, shoved your face in your hands and wept. Jacaerys jerked his sword backward and staggered away from you as Cregan rushed to your side.

“Princess?” He wrapped a protective arm over you. “What is the matter?”

“The question of Driftmark’s succession,” Jacaerys stared at you in horror. “Where were you?”

“I did not know!” You sobbed. “I did not know!”

“Otto Hightower said you would not see us, that you felt abandoned and betrayed when Mother gave you to the Greens.”

Cregan pulled you closer to him as Jacaerys inched forward. He growled, “Stand back. You have no enemies among the Starks. Do not make one.”

“I went willingly, for mother, for Lucerys.” You glared up at your brother. “You watched me! I traded my life; you watched me do it!”

“Otto Hightower–”

“Is dead!” You bared your teeth. “I fled King’s Landing, and I killed the man who usurped our mother, and you as her heir. I am loyal, I am steadfast, I am your greatest supporter as heir.”

“Tis true.” Cregan attested. “She has come to the North in support of your mother's claim. She has offered her hand to me, and we have talked much of giving your mother’s children sanctuary here.”

“You are betrothed?” Jacaerys whispered.

“I am.” You said proudly.

Cregan smiled at you softly, “The North is yours, my Prince. So long as my Promised wills it.”

“Sister.” Was all Jacaerys could say. “Sister.”

“Come,” Cregan lifted you to your feet. “My betrothed will catch a cold out here, let us speak inside.”

Cregan sat you gently by the fire swaddling you in the great expanse of his cloak. Sara brought tea to your side while your brothers sat at the other end of the room to discuss politics.

“Did you hear?”

Sara blew on her cup, “I heard a lot.”

“Did you hear what he said about my father?”

“That you lost one? Or that…” She pursed her lips.

“That I am Daemon’s bastard.”

“I did.”

“Do you think Cregan heard?” You burrowed into his cloak.

She gave you a secret smile, “Does it matter? You are a Princess, twice over. And Cregan keeps me around, does he not?”

“I only meant…” You turned away. “I fear he may think me liable to follow in my mother’s footsteps.”

“Will you?”

You stared at her, “Cregan has been kind to me, listened to me, protected me – given me more than anyone has ever offered me. And he is my Promised. Why should I stray from him?”

“Then there is no reason to fret.”

“And the King’s Hand?”

“What of him?”

“I killed him.” You half hid your face in your teacup.

“Do you regret it?” Sara asked curiously. “It is no small thing, to kill a man.”

“He has haunted my family for generations. I would do it again.”

Sara shrugged, “Then we will speak no more of it, justice has been served. I’m sure Cregan will more than agree.”

“Will he?”

“He has been forced to make decisions even further North of here, at the wall.” She took a long sip of tea and stared into the flames. “Some even I do not agree with. But we are family, and he is your Promised. So, it does not matter, does it?”

“No.” You stared into your cup. “I suppose not.”

“Princess!” The man in question came over with a charming grin, “Your brother has offered to escort you at our wedding.”

Jacaerys looked at you timidly, “If you will have me, sister.”

You looked first to Cregan who nodded, and then to Jacaerys with a soft smile. “Of course, brother. Nothing would please me more.”

The letter from your mother arrived another four days later. It came to you clutched in Jacaerys’ hand with the seal broken. He had caught the raven just south of Winterfell as he, Cregan and the Northmen returned from the ceremonial hunt.

“I apologise, sister, I have never been accused of being patient.”

You scoffed, “Some things do not change.”

“Indeed,” Jacaerys said rather gravely. “I must ask a small favour of you before I give you this letter. It is on behalf of myself and our mother.”

You straightened, “Of course brother.”

“You will not open it until after you have been blissfully wedded to Lord Stark.” He paused at your dubious look, “Mother has words she wishes to share only after your wedding. Congratulations and such.”

“I suppose that is agreeable.” You took the letter carefully, “Though we require her blessings to move forward.”

“And you have them.” He tapped the letter. “In there. You shall marry your Promised tonight.”

“Tonight?”

“Tonight.”

And so, you married him that night.

The Godswood was eerie in the darkness of night. Though lit by the torches of countless Northmen, it felt as if the darkness were reaching cool unnatural fingers toward your procession. Coaxing you, in your red-black Maiden Cloak toward the foot of the weirwood heart tree, where your Lord-Promised, his uncle, and the dire wolf Shadow wait. Jacaerys held your hand tightly as if frightened to let you go. Around you, Lords and honoured guests planted their torches in the snow, lighting the way for you and your brother. The wind whistled through the silence, broken only by the great rumbling in Laesuvion’s chest where he perched on the lip of the keep’s gate.

"Who comes before the Old Gods this night?" Called Bennard Stark.

Jacaerys whispered your name, then cleared his throat in embarrassment and announced it proudly, "Daughter of the House Targaryen, comes here to be wed. A woman grown and flowered, trueborn and noble. She comes to beg the blessing of the Gods. Who comes to claim her?"

"Cregan, of House Stark,” Your Promised sent you a small secret smile, “Warden of the North and Lord of Winterfell. Who gives her?"

"Jacaerys, of the House Velaryon, who is her brother and Prince." Jacaerys gave your hand a firm squeeze as he gave you to Cregan.

"Princess,” Lord Bennard made an admirable effort to say your name without disdain, “Will you take this man?"

You took Cregan’s large warm hands in your own and smiled, “I take this man.”

Silently, hands joined, you knelt to the cold earth. Around you, the Lords of the North fell to their knees and bowed their heads in deference. Foreheads pressed together, you and Cregan offered silent prayers to the Old Gods. When you stood as one, Sara was there in her uncle's place, a cloak of thick, luscious fur in the silver-grey of House Stark.

You tipped your head back as Cregan fiddled with the ties of your Maiden’s Cloak. You smiled at the sky as he struggled gently against your neck. Finally, it loosened, there was a brief shock of cold and then there was wonderous heat, the furred collar tickling your chin. You look to Cregan then, donned in his colours, wrapped in his protection. You smile softly at one another and lean into a soft kiss.

The black sky lights up with swashes of red as Laesuvion spits fire at the stars.

All at once sound returns to the Godswood as the witnesses of your nuptials cheer, chief among them is your brother. You laugh in delight as Cregan grips your cheeks and plants another kiss on your lips. Shadow yips at your heels as your husband sweeps you up into his arms and carries you toward the Great Hall.

He whispers sweet promises for your future, and you have never been more grateful to know how fiercely a Stark is at keeping their word.

It was the wolf’s hour when the festivities swelled through the Great Hall and you found yourself drawn to a quiet corner. You excused yourself from your husband by pressing a chaste kiss to his temple. He smiled softly at you and trailed his fingers from yours as you walked toward the hearth roaring at the far end of the hall. You pulled your mother's letter from your pocket and pressed your fingers against her seal as if you could fuse the two halves back into a whole. She and Jacaerys would not mind, you were sure, it was your wedding day after all, and you craved an inch of your mother’s presence.

You unfolded her letter and read:

My dearest girl,

I have never doubted you and I do not do so now.

You have my blessings. Marry the Lord Cregan Stark and take joy in your Promised. I will entrust Baela and Rhaena to bring your young brothers into your care.

You have served me well, which is why I write to you now, though my heart tells me to spare you.

Aemond has taken Lucerys’ life. War has come.

You looked up gripping the letter until your fingers drew indents in the paper and made desperate eye contact with Jacaerys’ pained face. A sound halfway between a scream and a sob tore from your throat, drowned by the thundering roar of Laesuvion overhead. Cregan stood, fighting to stumble his way toward you, as the walls of Winterfell rattled with your fury.

Nine years you had spent in the Red Keep, learning your enemies inside and out. Carefully ushering pieces across a board too vast for you to comprehend, hoping desperately you could stop a war conceived long before you. It all narrowed to this moment. Wrapped in the cloak of your husband’s house, framed by the hearth fire, as your dragon raged above.

Your Brother. Your Dragon. Your Husband.

By Blood. By Fire. By the Old God’s Promise.

You would avenge your brother and bring war to the Greens.

#cregan stark x reader #cregan stark #cregan x reader #cregan x you #cregan fanfiction #jacaerys velaryon #prince jacaerys #lucerys velaryon #aemond targaryen #aegon ii targaryen #queen alicent #alicent hightower #hotd #house of the dragon #hotd fanfic #otto hightower #rhaenyra targaryen #daemon targaryen #soulmate au

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vespaer77 · 1 month

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Pairing: Gale x Named OC/Tav Author play through, making it up as we go =) Rating: Eventual smut 'cause you know they bone. Cosmically.

Link to read on AO3

Summary: Tempest Tidewater's Terrific Teas, Tonics, and Tinctures had been her whole life. She'd built her little shop from nothing but an empty shack and a dream, turning it into a household name in Neverwinter for all things aches and ailments. But at the height of her success, a mystery had begun to unfold. Her supply chain had suddenly run dry, amongst strange rumors of troubles brewing near Baldur's Gate. Left no choice but to leave her life's work shuttered and dormant behind her, Tempest embarked upon a journey south seeking answers, never anticipating the wild adventure she'd soon be set upon. This is a story of friendships and struggles, of mindflayers and cultists, but mostly… of how an artificer and a wizard fell in love.

Tempest Tidewater could hear the rush of the river behind her. And if she kept her eyes closed and stayed very still, she could almost imagine she was back in Neverwinter, gathering mergrass by the shore and waiting for a ship to arrive from Baldur's Gate carrying herbs that were found in greater abundance near the Cloakwood. And though the fabled market district in Waterdeep would claim the greater bulk of the supply, she could still rely heavily on trade to bring her things like mugwort, belladonna, and autumncrocus. Even balsam and daggerroot. If she could've sourced the quantities she'd needed from the surrounding hillsides, she would never have left. But the latitudes just weren't as favorable.

And the shipments had begun to dwindle. She'd even started struggling to make simple healing potions.

She hadn't been the only shop owner to feel the pinch. The Chionthar was a huge artery, carrying a heavy and widely varying flow of trade goods down from the continent and out through Baldur's Gate, to seek foreign ports all along the Sword Coast. The fall of Elturel had only been the beginning. Soon after came troubling rumors of hoards of devilkin roaming the surrounding forests and villages. Then there were tales goblins and gnolls, raiding tollhouses and terrorizing towns and fishermen.

And then it was drow.

And then it was cultists.

But now it was like a dream.

If she stayed very still, she could imagine that she would just wake up, safe at home. That she would open her eyes and step out of her bed, warmed by the first rays of sunshine that spilled past her windowsill. Like the ones washing over her even now. She would dance down her creaky little staircase, humming a tune as she donned her cured leather apron to begin sorting her ingredients and measuring caustic solvents. She would eat scones with honey and start boiling the kettles to brew the tea.

And if she stayed very still, so still, deadly still and just kept her eyes closed, she could smell it. The tea. Lavender to calm, mint to soothe, rosehips to heal, and currant for a smile. And of course her prized morning tea - a black blend, lively and bright, yet also acrid and smoky. Heady, like the wood coals of a bread oven. Or a campfire. Or like smoldering flames.

Like ashes falling all around her.

Flesh burning, still on fire.

And then a sound came from behind her, or above or all around her. Large chunks of detritus, groaning before falling and splashing into the water. Sounds of fragile wreckage crackling with heat before submitting to the forces of gravity. She was not safe.

Her eyes flew open and she sat up straight.

It was real, all of it. The gangplank bouncing beneath her knees as she boarded the ship without looking back. The beautiful, hazy blue mirage of Blackstaff crowning the horizon as her ship passed Waterdeep. Even her capture by a nightmarish nautiloid ship. And finally, her infestation with an illithid tadpole. All of it. It was no dream, and she would not be waking up. Her life's work - the entirety of her savings, her education, and her efforts, the whole sum of all her meager accomplishments - lie shuttered and dormant behind her to collect cobwebs and late fees and tax penalties, possibly in perpetuity.

Tempest Tidewater's Terrific Teas, Tonics, and Tinctures.

Yes. Terrific, indeed. A terrific loss. The latest in a lifelong string of them. How could she ever rebuild?

How she longed for one more piece of Tangy Tidewater Taffy. How she ached for one single, soothing cup of tea. She could just lay back down and mildew into the wet sand instead, never open her eyes again and become as sun-bleached as a sand dollar before sinking away forever. But she'd made a promise to herself, long ago, when she left her childhood home. When she spent so long languishing in inadequacy at the top of a wizard's spire. When she felt so lost and so alone - a feeling that had never left her, if she was honest.

She'd promised herself that she would not let this world beat her.

So, she groaned and slapped her knees, and summoned the strength to stand up and brush herself off. She wanted to scream. She wanted to weep. She wanted to take this hurt that sat in her belly like a blade and wrench it out. Oh, how she yearned to find that stupid fucking marid that cursed her family line and punch that bitch in the throat. After all, woe betide anyone who dared to be born genasi. At least, in the pastoral communities that worked the land and fed the breadbasket of Neverwinter.

Already exhausted into apathy by her anger, she chose to inspect herself for hidden injuries then she turned a slow circle to get her bearings.

Despite the black smoke still pouring out of the purple, tentacled abomination lying crushed and dead on the beach, the sky was warm and blue and cloudless, letting cheerful sunlight glitter across the water. An insect buzzed past her nose to land on plump, abundant blades of mergrass swaying in the light, gentle breeze of late afternoon. It was a perfectly lovely day, all things considered.

Wherever she was.

To ground herself and wash the grime of battle from her skin, she took off her boots and waded out into the river for spell. There was time for aimless wandering later. The daylight was already fading, and she wouldn't get far before she'd need to forge together some sort of camp for the night. So she allowed herself a moment of peace to float on her back and let her hair billow and fan all around her. She let the water cradle her like the mother she never had. One that wanted her. She listened to the river as it filled her ears and she dug her heels into the gravel, heeding the mild, placid current as it filtered through her toes. It renewed and replenished her, feeding her courage and a connection to the world around her, a direction forward like the needle on a compass.

Which she found she needed immediately when she stepped out of the water and slipped her feet back into her boots. Ahead of her, twisted and face down where they fell, lie the crumpled forms of those who were less fortunate than her. The poor souls who did not survive the crash, or possibly even the circumstances of their capture to begin with. Their blood soaked the dirt in dark puddles beneath them, and insects had begun gathering to feast. Clouds of them hung heavily in the low, orange shafts of afternoon sun.

But then she saw something move. Something so small she nearly missed it.

It was a foot, just ahead, along the trail of the scar the nautiloid had carved into the earth. And then Tempest thought she heard a moan. Someone was alive. With any luck, it was one of the women she'd met while still aboard the ship. The githyanki had been a skilled fighter, and if one could forgive her ruthless demeanor, she was clearly beneficial to have as a traveling companion. And Shadowheart, while cagey and mysterious, was a cleric. It was possible the girl's skills in the healing arts could even rival her own.

So she finally moved forward. Solid strides with purpose, one foot in front of the other, and with each step she felt that purpose grow. With each step, faces and words and memories circled through her mind like water down a drain. A wizard who preferred her as a pet rather than an apprentice - a meal ticket, as long as her mother's monthly tuition kept rattling in his coffers. A mother who couldn't wait to sell her once she finally came of age, and at last could pretend her family curse did not exist.

And a kind mentor, the first and only to see beyond the places where planar elements had marked her, who had the courage to nuture an untapped spark of potential, and whose only crime was to simply die of old age, happy and fulfilled.

She wondered if Mister Henry would still be proud of her, now that she'd lost everything. Now that she'd conflated her own courage with foolishness. But then his voice called to her from the depths of her own memory, steeling her nerves as she knelt beside the dark-haired cleric who stirred in her slumber on the sand. It was something he'd told her when he'd first taken her in, when no one else would.

"Look for the light in the darkness, girl," he'd said. "It will always be there. They may be at odds, but they are still sisters. Where one ends, the other surely begins. Look for the light, do not fear the dark, and be ready to begin."

In many ways, her life had begun the day she'd met him.

And it would not end here on this shore.

"Okay," she murmured to herself, reaching to shake Shadowheart's shoulder. "It's okay. I'm okay.

"I'm ready to begin."

#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 gale #gale bg3 #gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #bg3 fic #bg3 fanfic #bg3 fan fiction #gale x tav #tav x gale #tempest tidewater

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ninjaturtlemaniac · 1 month

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Hello! Do you do art requests? Could you do Branch with an egg in his hair and Poppy?

If not could you tell us about JD's life before TBT? Did he also have exes like Floyd? Did he date Delta Down? Sorry if you already posted these headcanons and I missed it😅

Hello Gorgeous! 😻

I am doing art requests, it just may take a while as I have a few I need to finish. But I will absolutely do that one. 💕

Oh Jonathan Dorian...

He spent the bulk of his years out in the wild butttttt come winter time, hunting and foraging was harder and Rhonda didn't like the snow. ❄️

So once he was low in supplies, he would wander closer to civilization and stock up while he bothered interacted with the locals. 😬

He doesn't have any serious ex's, just women who tolerated his presence or brief 'swept off your feet' kinda romances.

John Dory is the reason Growley Pete, is so growley.

Why?

JD met his three beautiful daughters... and I imagine he's the kinda Papa Bear with a rifle. 😂

Delta Dawn indeed met John Dory... when he was arrested. He thought she was gorgeous, she thought he was cute in a dorky kinda way. He serenaded her from the inside of the jail cell, she called it whining.

They exchanged some intense flirting, but it never really developed beyond that. He now calls her the one that got away.

When they meet again later on through Branch, she's like "Ohhh god how're you still alive? Thought you woulda caused some critter an upset stomach by now!"

While JD is like 🥴

#dreamworks trolls #trolls #trolls band together #trolls movie #trolls brozone #trolls john dory

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bettafishblr · 1 year

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Fish ownership on a budget:

Do your research before you get the fish. I cannot emphasize this enough. It may not seem like a budgeting tip, but you WILL waste money going in blind. You'll buy stuff you don't need, buy the wrong thing and have to replace it, hurt your fish and need to buy treatment, etc. Sick fish are expensive fish, and it's not fair to make an animal suffer because you're impatient.

Save up and buy supplies gradually. This allows you to wait and find the best deals, as well as avoid the shock of dropping $200 on fish tank stuff all at once. Impulse buys are not your friend.

Buy the tank and filter first, if possible. You'll want to start your cycle as soon as possible, since it can take awhile (weeks) depending on tank size. I'll make a post about what that means later, but trust me, it's important.

If you live where there's Petco stores, wait until they have their Dollar Per Gallon sale. It is what it sounds like; a 10 gallon tank (good size for a betta) will cost you $10. Capitalism stupid, so make it work for you.

If you don't live where there's Petco stores, you might try buying a used tank. Garage sales, Ebay, Facebook Marketplace, whatever. Make sure it can hold water before buying, and clean it well once you get it home.

Some folks will try to sell you a tank at the price they bought it for; do not buy at that price if you can help it. Wait a bit longer and there will be someone who's selling at a more reasonable price. Fish tanks do not have high resale value once they have been used.

Guppies are a popular beginner fish, and they breed a lot. Most livebearers do. Don't slut shame them, just get a big tank, or all one sex. All females might still bring about fry (babies) as they might be pregnant when you get them. All males will still need a good sized tank as you need a lot of fish and a lot of plants/decor to avoid fighting.

If you've got a friend with guppies, you might be able to get a few for free/cheap. I am not kidding when I say these guys breed a lot.

"Feeder fish" are often priced cheaply, but they may not actually be a cheap fish in the long run. Goldfish need very large tanks, and a strong filter as they produce a LOT of waste. Feeder fish in general may also be sickly, partially because of poor breeding, partly because of how easily disease spreads in the stressful situations they are usually kept in. That's not to say they can't be good pets, but be aware of the risk.

If you're going to buy it often, buy it in bulk if possible. You'll usually save money that way (Exception is food if your fish is a picky eater. Nobody wants to be stuck with a fucking gallon of fish food your Gordon-Ramsay-In-Fish-Form refuses to eat).

Embrace the ugly. You may have decided to get a fish for the aesthetic pleasure, but you must remember that it is a living being above all. Fish tanks can be beautiful, and there's no reason they shouldn't be! But if you can't manage pretty and healthy, it is your responsibility to prioritize the health and wellbeing of your fish, whether the tank looks how you want it or not. You might like to be able to see your fish at all times, but if having limited hiding spaces stresses them out, give them somewhere to hide.

#fish #fishblr #petblr #betta fish #guppies

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likkolo · 6 months

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cw omegaverse, omega bin/alpha chan/alpha minho, breeding kink, pregnancy kink, lactation kink, belly kink, implied feedism, weight gain, body worship, belly worship, sweet submissive bin

idk if anyone here particularly likes omegaverse but fat omega changbin has me like 😵‍💫 rn so

“Come here, baby.”

Changbin obeys, going to his alpha as if drawn by a magnetic force. He always obeys, of course, because he’s such a good and sweet omega. Because his alphas would never command him to do anything he wasn’t yearning to do already.

He tumbles gracelessly into Chan’s lap, going boneless against his strong, sturdy alpha. He’s pulled away almost immediately, made to fall back on the sofa until he’s slotted snugly between Chan and Minho.

“My gorgeous, soft omega,” Minho croons. “You’re so good for us, aren’t you?”

Changbin just preens and nods.

“Let’s see Binnie’s sweet little tummy.”

Minho pulls Changbin’s shirt up, watches as his round belly plops into his wide lap.

“So cute,” Minho coos, eagerly pushing his fingers into the soft flesh. “Our pudgy bunny.”

Chan is nosing against Changbin’s temple, nuzzling him, smiling against his cheek. He takes a pinch of belly fat, savors the way it squishes between his fingers. “So healthy,” he murmurs. Chan gives it a light shake, watches Changbin’s belly ripple and bounce. “So fertile for us. Gonna nourish our pups so well.”

Minho’s hands come up to cup Changbin’s chest, palming a shapely breast in each hand. His thumbs find the large puffy nipples, brushing along their contours with worshipful wonder. He bears down lightly to see if he can coax a bead of milk from the buds.

Changbin is still just a gilt, but he’s so well-fed that the excess nutrition has already caused his milk to come in. His tits are now big and pillowy, all thanks to his abundant diet, and Minho couldn’t be more delighted.

Minho imagines their future pups suckling happily from an endless supply of milk. Strong, greedy pups who will never want for sustenance, just like their mama.

“God,” Minho shudders, the only outward sign he allows himself of how weak he is for the beautiful body in his hands.

“Gorgeous fat bunny,” Chan coos, his hand creeping over the lower swell of Changbin’s belly, savoring the sheer amount of fat in his hand, relishing all the weight they’ve put on their breeding doe in preparation for the kits they’ll give him.

Chan can’t wait to see their little doe grow even larger, becoming impossibly round with the litter swelling his belly. Chan wants to see him waddle, encumbered by the bulk of his growing kits, further hindered by his wide ass, his curvy hips, his bulging love handles.

So much cushioning around Changbin’s precious womb, so much padding to cradle and protect the treasured little lives growing inside.

Minho's hand rubs circles over the upper crest of Changbin's belly while Chan's hand continues its ministrations below. Between them, Changbin shivers and shudders. He melts into their touch, savoring the feeling of his soft flesh being manipulated in their hands. Then he smiles, so full of bliss and so relaxed, and it looks absolutely angelic on his full face. Chubby round cheeks, an adorable double chin that creases where it meets his neck. Soft jowls instead of the harsh jawline he had before. Chan can’t help admiring him dreamily.

Not to mention Changbin’s perfect lips, which were made to be kissed and bitten, to make a perfect “O” as he moans in pleasure, to pout for food and affection.

"Such a perfect omega," Chan sighs. "So docile and sweet."

"So good for us, baby."

Chan finally delves into the heat between Changbin’s fat thighs.

Changbin lets his knees fall apart readily, gratefully, rolling his hips to push himself into Chan's hand. "Ohh," he moans, and the sound is as soft and sweet as the rest of him.

His cunt is throbbing for his alphas' touch, so wet that the slick drips from the lips of his pussy and oozes onto the sofa. His hips buck, and he lets out a helpless puff of air.

"Binnie wants… Alphas, please—"

"What do you want, sweetheart?"

"My belly," Changbin pleads, his voice reedy with arousal. And then he blushes, his cheeks flushing a lovely pink that spreads to the tips of his beautiful ears. "Please. My belly," he asks again, too bashful to be any more specific, to describe out loud the worshipful ways they touch him, how they knead and squeeze and bite at his fat to flood him with pleasure.

His pudge is so sensitive, so pleasurable. It feels so good to be touched in every place where he carries extra weight, to feel his alphas' strong and capable hands manipulating his soft, yielding flesh. But the majority of the fat he's gained has settled into a gorgeous, doughy gut, and it's his favorite place to be touched by far.

"Hyungs are already touching your chubby belly," Chan teases, his lips at the shell of Changbin's pink-tipped ear.

"But—"

"Do you want our mouths?"

Changbin rocks against the hand still shoved between his thighs, inviting the fingers there to stroke his clit.

"You do?"

Changbin nods helplessly, his head lolling, seemingly exhausted just from withstanding such an overwhelming need for pleasure.

Minho chuckles, equal parts mischievous and indulgent, as he lowers his head to the swell of Changbin's belly. He kisses the soft skin, nips at it as carefully as if Changbin were already bred up with kits.

His tongue finds a crease that runs horizontally along Changbin's side, the place where two curves meet and roll into each other. His tongue delves into the roll, licks a stripe that causes Changbin to whimper and whine.

Meanwhile Chan sucks at the skin around his belly button, leaving redness in a ring around the dip of his navel.

It's inevitable that Chan and Minho meet in the middle, that their noses brush and they lift their heads to lock their lips.

The kiss is harsh, fueled by the arousal of having Changbin between them and beneath them, of knowing that they fed him up so well, fattened him up so he would be comfortable when they finally filled him with kits.

Their chins bump against Changbin's gut as they open their mouths to kiss deeper. Tongues slide together, licking into mouths that both taste like their omega.

Changbin is panting now, looking down at them in a way that makes his double chin bulge adorably. “Oh,” he breathes. “Oh my god.”

Minho's hand creeps over a fat thigh, dips beneath the hand Chan is using to finger Changbin’s cunt. He curls his fingers through the mess of slick between his legs. Then he rubs a finger along the rim of Changbin's hole, satisfied when he immediately feels it quiver.

There's something wet rolling down Changbin's belly, and Chan looks up to find that it's milk, leaking in a weak stream from the engorged bud of one of Changbin's nipples. He stares at it dumbly, his brain at once all lit up and completely empty. Chan knew that with the fullness of Changbin’s tits it was only a matter of time. His omega isn't even pregnant yet and he’s started leaking helplessly from his over-nourished body.

Then Minho shifts his weight, leans forward to lap up the little milky trail. "Mmm," he hums. "Our pups are going to be so healthy."

“It’s good?”

Minho just nods and closes his lips around the bud, giving a suck so that more milk flows into his mouth. He hums his satisfaction again, sucking until he has a big enough mouthful to swallow.

“Lucky pups,” he says, licking his lips. “Making me jealous of the tasty milk they'll get to drink.”

“Well, I’m not pregnant yet,” Changbin says shyly. “There’s no pups for you to be jealous of right now.”

“Are you saying Lino should drink some more of your milk?”

Changbin blushes again. “Alphas fed me up so well. Fed— fed me until my milk came in.” Changbin gives a little shudder, clearly struggling to think past the arousal flooding his body. “Want hyung to have it.”

It's all the encouragement Minho needs. He latches back onto Changbin's breast, drinking his milk shamelessly as he continues to tease his fingers at Changbin's hole.

Chan is more hesitant, eyeing the inviting tit waiting before him. Still, it doesn't take him long to lean forward, to bring the breast to his mouth.

He has to nibble slightly, biting gently on the nipple to begin the flow of milk. But once he tastes it, creamy and thick and so delicious, he begins to suckle more fervently.

Changbin starts to squirm, letting out short gasping huffs of pleasure, and Chan remembers he's still knuckle deep in the omega. He continues to rub and stroke, earning a litany of sweet sounds.

He's barely gotten a full mouth of milk before Changbin shudders through an orgasm.

"Alphas," he pants.

"Another?"

Changbin nods.

The alphas continue drinking, suckling hungrily as Changbin comes again and again. Finally Changbin's desperate gasps begin to turn to exhausted whimpers.

He comes one more time and Chan asks, "do you want another or are you done?"

"Binnie's done." Changbin slumps against the sofa, boneless, even as Minho continues nursing from him.

"What a good bunny," Chan praises softly. "Letting us use your body. We’re going to get you all cleaned up, and then how about a snack, hm?"

Changbin perks up at the mention of food. "Yes, please, hyung. Binnie’s starving."

#chubby changbin #skz feedism #omegaverse #a/b/o #weight gain fic

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diaperdaddies27 · 20 days

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Happy Mothers Day Post/ Update

Firstly, the big question I'm sure a lot of you want to know is, am I still going 24/7? Yes. Though, I can't say I haven't had moments of fatigue just from getting in my head as of late. However, I have stuck it through and truly feel all the better for it. Have I started losing control?! Yes, and no. I definitely after six months can say I have been struggling to feel the need to hold it past just when my bladder is full. Like when my brain wants to go, I just do. I don't have the second thought I used to have, or the worry of will my diaper hold it. Because I just have naturally been letting go so much. I definitely would say my control is waning. In the next 6 months at the year mark, I definitely feel I will have experienced some true accidents. I also get a lot of questions on how I can afford diapers regularly on a budget. Having received this a few times, I have started composing a guide to how I buy diapers. I plan to publish tonight or tomorrow for all the littles looking for the info. Quick baby math for you, kiddos. If you get a pack of 10 diapers for $40. That is an average of $4 dollars a diaper. That's a lot of money for just one pamper. Especially when sometimes packs get a bad one or even two. Then you're out $4 dollars and short on supply. Now you buy 80 diapers at $220. That's an average of $2.69 a diaper. Saving you roughly about $1.31. Which adds up. I know bulk seems scary, but the savings plus the amount you get each time. Makes do this system worth while, and affordable.

Next, I want to talk about my Mama. Just today, I told her that words will never do her justice. Because to me, she is truly exceptional and one of a kind. She is a natural nurturer. Not a day passes do I feel I can't talk to her about anything. She is always looking out for me and wondering about how I am. I wake most mornings to her. Good morning, texts. Waking me into the world. She makes me feel confident and safe about my life choices to be a little. Not only that, she wants to care for me just as much as I crave to be in arms. Every day, I grow antsy waiting to be with her irl. Knowing once I am, I will never want to let go. I want to lose myself to my little side fully with her. Letting go of the bigg me and just folding into her embrace. I want to be fed baby food, given naps, diaper checks, and changes no matter the time or place, watch cartoons while babbling around my paci trying to show mama, I want to play with toys at her feet while she reads or decides she needs me to service her, I want to nurse from her multiple times daily, have a bed time, be take to the park and out places, let mamaz dress me up. I want to let go and just be her baby fresh and new. I'm so happy I introduced her to Tumblr. I know so many littles message her and ask to feel cared for. To have babysitter for a change. Sharing Mama is hard, but it makes me happy to know she is so loving to so many. It makes me love her even more. She is truly beautiful body and soul. Happy mothers Day, Mama!! @mommyposts10

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auspicioustidings · 5 months

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Farah rides a "cowboy" (specifically, Alex Keller).

Congratulations on your milestone of 1k followers! Thank you for considering our celebratory requests. 💖

This turned out a lot softer than I was intending but I cannot write these two as anything but an unreal level of in love :')

Keep Quiet

Words: 1k

CWs: smut-ish (it is very soft)

“You need to keep quiet habibi, don't want to disappoint the old man do you?”

Alex groaned low and pained. He knew this would not only disappoint Captain Price, it would probably earn him a beating from the man. After all Farah Karim was his favourite and he had punched out soldiers for even looking at her the wrong way. What would he do if he overheard them and came in to find Alex in his chair with her speared on his cock, his fingers squeezing bruises into her hips and her claw marks on his chest.

It wasn't his fault really. If Farah asked him for the stars from the sky he would find a way to the cosmos for her, so it was hardly a surprise that when months ago she had asked him for his body he had been eager to give it.

“I care for you Alex Keller. I do not want to die without your taste on my tongue” she had said, as if that wasn't completely ruinous to him.

He had let himself be taken right there and then, slow and agonising as all of the adoration he had been trying to bury came spilling from his lips. He had held her after and finally felt what contentment was like. Farah Karim had brought him back from the dead and given him purpose. He was certain the purpose was to love her with every fibre of his being.

Even when she was being a horrible woman like right now. She had asked him into the nearby office, John fucking Price's office, to “discuss the supply chain”. It was small and bordered by the rec room, the wall thin enough that usually anyone getting a bollocking had every word of it heard by whoever was making themselves a cup of tea or watching TV.

So he hadn't really suspected anything. Had been pretty scandalised when she had pushed him into the Captain's chair and unceremoniously moved around clothing so she could sink down onto his cock in one go, knocking the wind out of both of them.

“Fuck, Farah you're tight” he hissed through gritted teeth, trying to follow her instructions and keep quiet.

She smiled and he wanted to cry at how beautiful he found her, his fingers flexing and burying themselves further into her softness. She lifted herself nearly all the way off of him and hovered, looking into his eyes as they both took a moment to brace before she achingly slowly lowered herself all the way back down, choking out a gasp.

“I think my love that it is that you are too big.”

He bit off a curse and his self control evaporated, hips starting to snap up as he fucked into her in earnest. Fuck she was perfect, walls hot and wet and strangling his cock. He had no idea what he could do to possibly deserve her, but he was willing to spend the rest of his life trying to earn it.

“Alex, ah!”

Farah usually went slow, she liked being able to focus on the feeling of how he stretched her out, how her body would caress around him. She liked how he would look at her with love and neediness too, how he would tense and fight his own desire to take control.

But this? Fuck this was something else. When Alex Keller broke, he was pure unbridled passion. She dropped her head to his shoulder, muffling her cries into his skin and clinging on for dear life as he hammered up into her, the wet slapping sound obscene. Her pussy was practically drooling at the uncharacteristically rough treatment, the bulk of him underneath her the only thing stopping a wet patch being left on Price's chair.

“Fuck, sorry” he panted as he slowed.

He could feel her trembling in his arms and he knew that he was probably starting to hurt her. Farah shakily raised her head and pressed a soft kiss to his lips as they both stilled and recovered. She was unused to him treating her roughly and while it was exciting, she was thankful he had sensed when it had gotten too much.

There was a soft keening from him when she started to slowly roll her hips again, muttering an “I love you” onto his lips. His fingers started to massage gently at the bruises he feared he may have left as he sighed into the kiss. He was close and he was happy and he did not care that this was absolutely wrong on so many levels for them to be doing this here and now.

“Darlin’, I'm close” he said, moving a hand to gently play with her clit.

He was a gentleman and would rather die than cum before her. She needed at least one before he got off, ideally a few after too. It was how he liked to spent the afterglow, lazily lapping between her legs to bring her to a slow and gentle second or third orgasm. He imagined that wasn't on the table given where they were, so at least he'd like to give her one.

“Inside.”

“That safe?”

“One day.”

They both chuckled softly at one another, his fingers then bringing her over the edge nice and soft.

They had spoken about it at the start. Farah would not risk bringing a child into the world before it was safe for them and Alex had gotten a vasectomy almost immediately so she would never have to worry about it. But they had talked about reversing it once the war had been won. It wasn't sure to work of course, but they'd leave it to chance. So this little exchange was their way of alluding to that dream life beyond the fighting, the idea that one day they might feel like they had made their world safe enough for a family.

She circled her hips through her high, walls flexing around him until he hugged her to his chest with a choked off sob and followed her. They both stayed like that and just breathed for a moment, holding one another close.

A loud knock at the door made them both jump and then groan at the overstimulation it caused.

“At least invite me next time!” Gaz yelled from the other side of the door before his laughter disappeared down the hall.

#mhairiwrites #cod #farah x alex

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mizuki-nautilus · 10 months

Text

『 Thorn & Roses 』 - Chapter 6

Berry Bliss and Business Brilliance

Several days had elapsed, and [Y/N] was now in her second day as the Manager of Mostro Lounge. It was her first time holding such a position, but with Azul's keen intelligence and [Y/N]'s unwavering determination, she was quickly grasping the ins and outs of running the business much faster than anyone had anticipated.

"Here you go, Azul." [Y/N] handed him the meticulously prepared menu for the next two weeks, taking into account the season's weather and focusing on the delightful theme of "Berry Bliss" for the drinks. "And I've also completed the Inventory and Supply Chain Management for this month," [Y/N] continued, displaying her dedication. "After reviewing the past inventory, I noticed that we can optimize the purchasing of certain cleaning supplies by buying in bulk. I reached out to Sam, and he's willing to offer us a discount as well."

While [Y/N] continued her presentation, she brought up another proposal. "I would like to suggest organizing community events for Mostro Lounge and establishing a stronger presence on social media," [Y/N] expressed, presenting her well-organized papers justifying the project. "I spoke with Cater, who has extensive experience as an active social media user, and I've compiled his insights in these documents." Azul couldn't help but be amazed. He already knew that [Y/N] was an exceptional worker, but her remarkable performance in this role exceeded his expectations.

He couldn't help but develop stronger feelings for [Y/N] with each passing moment. "Excellent," Azul said, attempting to conceal his amazement. "I'll examine your proposal and see how we can accommodate your events." In a moment of shyness and in a barely audible tone, he added, "… Sunshine."while trying to maintain his composure. "Would you assist me in studying this year's strategic planning? It would greatly help me if you familiarize yourself with the plan." Azul handed her the paperwork, "Of course! Let me take a look” [Y/N] eagerly grabbed the paperwork to read.

The business was experiencing a slow day, allowing Azul and [Y/N] to have ample space to work together on the Monster Lounge sofa. With a drink in hand and equipped with calculators, paper, and pens, the two of them savoured their time collaborating on their tasks. At moments like this, Azul could not help but to be captivated by [Y/N]'s enchanting features; to him, she embodied perfection in motion. There was a distinct way her eyes radiated with brightness, leaving him mesmerized as he gazed into them. He genuinely admired how her hair always appeared flawless, even on days when she didn't have the chance to style it. The texture of her hair was simply stunning, framing her adorable face in the most beautiful way.

Among all the captivating qualities [Y/N] possessed, the one that truly mesmerized Azul was the radiant glow of her smile. There was a perfect curvature to her lips that made him feel reassured and safe, as if everything would always be okay in her presence.

Caught in [Y/N]'s adorable expression, Azul was momentarily distracted and failed to realize that she had been trying to get his attention. "Oh! Sorry! Can you repeat that?" he quickly responded. [Y/N] chuckled, "Hahahaha~ You were quite distracted there, Azul. I was just asking about this particular point," she said, pointing to the relevant section in the paper.

While Azul was in the middle of explaining the requested point, Jade unexpectedly interrupted, breaking Azul's perfect scene. "Azul," he calmly stated, "the constructors for the Mostro Lounge renovations are already here." Azul paused for a moment, considering the importance of the situation, and made the decision to join the constructors. "I'll join you back in a second, [Y/N]," he said, leaving [Y/N] alone at a separate table, far away from the rest of the staff and clients.

Engrossed in her work, [Y/N] diligently read through the papers and made detailed notes about the task at hand. She kept her mind focused on the important matters that required her attention. Taking a sip from her drink, she felt a momentary pause as her thoughts drifted towards recent events. It had been a few days since she last heard the cryptic message, "please acknowledge me." The lingering question of what these occurrences meant and why they were happening began to weigh on her mind.

There was always the possibility of dismissing these strange auditory experiences as mere exhaustion or anxiety-related symptoms from her involvement in numerous overblot incidents. Or … someone could genuinely be trying to communicate with her. Contemplating these possibilities, she turned around to survey her surroundings, searching for any signs of people nearby. Finding no one in proximity, she made a decision. "If someone is truly trying to reach me," she murmured, "give me a sign." With bated breath, she sat there, enveloped in anticipation, waiting for any indication.

Seconds stretched into what felt like hours as she fixed her gaze on the table, waiting for something to move or provide a sign. Every fiber of her being was attuned to the slightest movement or change. Just as she began to expect a headache, a hand gently rested on her shoulder, causing her to jump in surprise. Startled, she looked up to find Floyd standing beside her, wearing an amused expression. "Shrimpy~ Did I startle you? " He mockingly expressed.

With a nervous laugh, [Y/N] responded, "Ahahahaha, Floyd, I was just contemplating this document on Sustainability and Responsible Practices, so yes, I did get surprised". Floyd gazed at her with an indifferent expression, showing no interest in the document's content. "Well," he began, "the construction crew will be occupied for a while, Azul said you could leave for the remainder of the shift." As he ran his hand through his hair, Floyd casually delivered the message.

[Y/N] briefly locked eyes with Floyd and expressed gratitude for the information, acknowledging her appreciation for leaving work a few hours earlier. "Let me escort you home, Shrimpy~" Floyd declared, offering assistance with [Y/N]'s belongings. Unbeknownst to [Y/N], as they set off on their journey towards the Ramshackle dormitory, they failed to notice the formation of water droplets from their chilled beverage, spelling out the word "Here."

_______________________________________________

Certainly a brief chapter, but allow me to convey that this marks the beggining of the Azul Ashengrotto x reader narrative tag in this ongoing project 🐙

Another romance involving [Y/N] will be introduced as the story unfolds, but details about that will be revealed later, hehe~

⭐Tag list ⭐

@worldussysblog

#disney twisted wonderland #twistedwonderland #twst wonderland #disney twst #diasomnia #malleus draconia x reader #readerinsert #readerxcharacter #reader insert #malleus draconia #azul ashengrotto #twst azul #azul x reader

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