#jedediah smith x reader

[komotionlessqueenmm]

Imagine # 1,042

Gif NOT mine.

If this gif is yours (or you know who's it is) please let me, so I can give you/them credit.

Gif credit goes to - @meph1stophel3s (Unless told otherwise.)

Year posted - 2023

⚠️Warning(s) - Little spicy at one point, you'll see.

*I made up a random name for the book in this story, but odds are there's actually is a book by that title, because to me it sounds so generic so someone is bound to have used it. Just roll with it.

(Y/h/c) = Your hair color

The sound of the tiny electric car approaching rapidly should have been warning enough. But (Y/n) found her nose deep in her latest book, one she'd gone as far as to create a elusive cover for with washi tape. Due to her embarrassment of her latest taste in literature, and considering why she was so enthralled with such stories since she began working nights at the museum. Should she have saved these stories for when she was home, nestled in the comfort of her favorite reading chair, and surrounded with privacy? Yes, she probably should have. But that was easier said than done, considering just how perfect this particular book had been so far.

'He trailed kisses along her pulse point, taking his sweet time as he drank her in. His dexterous leather clad fingers inched slowly from the back of her neck, trailing down her clavicle, to the swell of her breast, where he gave a playful almost needy squeeze. As his nose gently nudged the underside of her jaw, tilting her head back further, and his fingers continued their journey. Fire was left in their wake across her bare skin, and making her ache in ways she never knew was possible. His hand grasped firmly on her hip, as he nudged her legs apart with his knee, whispering sweet nothing's as he began kissing down the valley of her breast. "What a sight you are darlin'." His voice drawled deliciously as he peered at her untouched flower. "Sweet I'll bet." He hummed as he inched his face closer and closer to where she needed him most. "Oh~." She breathed out a soft moan as his tongue-'

"Evenin' darlin'!" Jedediah called out as he and Octavius existed their hotrod. In an instant (Y/n) snapped her book closed with a very audible thump. Then, without thought, she shoved the book underneath her right thigh, as a precaution that no one would learn of what she was reading. Her cheeks flushed as she looked down to the cowboy and centurion, their confession evident on their faces as they peered up at her questioningly. "H-hi guys." She stumbled over her words, clearing her throat immediately afterwards in an attempt to calm her racing heart. "Good evening (Y/n)." Octavius called out to her, attempting to move on from the odd encounter. Jedediah on the other hand, was having none of it.

"Watcha readin' there darlin'?" He asked as he tried to peer at the book only just barely poking out from under her thigh, frowning a little when he realized he could only see the edges of the page and no title. "Oh! Uh n-nothing just a u-um." She trailed off trying to think of a quick lie. "Horror story!" She suddenly belted out, chuckling nervously as she wiped her sweaty palms against her pants, hoping her lie was convincing. "Is that why yer so jumpy?" Jed asked with a tilt of his head, while Octavius looked at him confused, clearly having seen right through her lie. (Y/n)'s eyes darted around for a moment, unable to look at Jed without blushing all over again. "Yes yes exactly, it's very..." She trailed off, subconsciously thinking back on the words she'd just been reading moments ago. "Scary." She concluded in a soft tone, before shaking those thoughts away.

"Perhaps we could read it some time." Octavius suggested, knowing damn well she was lying, and attempting to get her to admit it. "O-oh no n-no it's um... It's not my bo-book I'm afraid!" She cursed herself internally for still being so flustered. "Maybe you could read it to us then." Octavius pushed, a cheeky grin on his face when he noticed just how deep her blush became. "No I uh don't read aloud to well, an-and I don't really have a good reading voice." (Y/n) cleared her throat once more, squirming a little out of nervousness. "Are ya crazy? Your reading voice is real sweet I'll bet." Jed tried to encourage her, unknowingly making her thighs clench at the words 'sweet I'll bet'. But Octavius noticed, and suddenly realized exactly the kind of book she was reading.

"Ah well perhaps another time." Octavius suddenly stated before pulling Jedediah back by his vest, confusing the cowboy as he waved goodbye as he spoke again. "We'll leave you to your story then." He stated before all but shoving Jedediah to the car. "See ya later darlin'!" Jed called out, complying to Octavius' silent demand to get in the car. (Y/n) waved goodbye despite averting her eyes to the rather "interesting" part of chipped tile on the floor. "What was that for? I wanted to-" Octavius cut Jedediah off by simply holding his hand up. "My friend." He started before casting his gaze to (Y/n), who could be seen inching her fingers towards her book. "(Y/n) is reading a scandalous book." He stated as Jed followed his line of sight.

"What do ya mean scandalous?" Jed questioned as Octavius began driving away. "I mean a romance novel that takes a rather lewd turn." Octavius tried explaining without actually saying it, but Jedediah understood this time. "Oh... Oh!" He muttered under his breath before frowning. "How would you know?" He quickly questioned, making Octavius sputter a bit. "This-this isn't about me!" Octavius quickly defended himself, turning Jedediahs attention back to the matter at hand. "Didn't you see the way she was acting? She couldn't handle looking at you without blushing!" The Roman pointed out, his words effectively directing Jedediahs attention elsewhere. "Well... So what?" Jed concluded with indifferent confusion.

"Well that means she's probably reading that story with you on her mind!" Octavius pointed out, as if it was obvious. "No." Jed denied the notion, making Octavius groan as he slammed on the breaks, jostling Jedediah in the process. "Hey what are ya doin'!?" Jed hissed as he readjusted his hat, which had become lopsided. "That means she likes you, you idiot." Octavius pointed out as if it were obvious, which admittedly it was pretty obvious. "Yer crazy." The cowboy shook his head, a faint blush dusting his cheeks at the notion. "Fine if you don't believe me, I'll just have to prove it to you." Octavius decided before making speeding off, needing some reinforcement in order to do what needed to be done.

----

They watched and waited for the precise moment before enacting Octavius' plan. The moment coming when (Y/n) began her rounds to ensure all the doors that needed to be locked were still locked. "Now!" Octavius exclaimed as if they were charging into battle, him and his men along with Jedediah rushed as quickly as they could to cross the room. Then they climbed up to the bench where (Y/n) had left her book lay, right beside her bag of assorted trinkets she would toil with to occupy her mind. Luckily she left it with the spine away from her bag, making it possible for Octavius' men to heave the large cover open. It took a few minutes, and much encouragement from Octavius, before the solid cover of the book swung open and fell with a loud bang. Well... Loud for them.

Octavius and Jedediah climbed up the thick book, walking across it to read the title. "A Cowboys Lust." Jed read aloud, a blush creeping up his neck. He couldn't look at Octavius, so his eyes cast to his feet, where he realized they stood on a large image. And image of a blond cowboy, holding a woman with (Y/h/c) hair firmly against his body as he kissed her throat, her body scarcely covered by a thin sheet as he held her in his lap on horseback. Octavius had been observing the image as well when he realized what Jed was looking at, a smirk spreading across his face as he noted the similarities between the characters in the book and (Y/n) and Jedediah. "I told you so." Octavius stated as he placed his hands on his hips. "Shut up." Jed quickly shot back, sulking away, much to Octavius' confusion.

"Well what's wrong now?" Octavius questioned as he and Jed hopped down from the book, silently signaling for his men to close the book so as to not raise suspicion. "What's wrong?" Jed chuckled bitterly. "What's wrong is I'm not even a fraction of her size! I couldn't... We could never... I can't even hold her hand!" Jed exclaimed dramatically, making Octavius hum in acknowledgement. "That does pose a problem." The Roman mused aloud, making Jed scoff. "Ya think?" The cowboy retorted sarcastically. "Well... Maybe Ahkmenrah can do something about that with his tablet? We've never asked him before." Octavius offered as they stood a good ways away from his men, near the edge of the bench. Jedediah sighed sadly before descending down their makeshift ladder, unable to allow himself to feel any semblance of hope that they could do something about it.

Octavius wasn't about to let it go like Jedediah had, he knew all to well how much his dear friend cared for (Y/n), and he always was a sucker for romance. For two nights Octavius and Ahkmenrah worked in secret, to figure out a way to temporarily change Jedediahs height. And when Jedediah finally found out what they were up to, Ahkmenrah was confident he'd finally figured it out. "Now hold on." Jedediah started, hating the flicker of hope that bloomed in his heart. "Ya can't just-" He tried to argue, but Octavius had cut him off. "You'll thank us for it." The centurion stated before waving an encouraging hand to Ahkmenrah, who with a nod of his head began pressing the appropriate buttons.

The tablet glowed a brilliant bright gold, making all three men's eyes widen in anticipation. But nothing happened. The glowing dimmed and snuffed out as quickly as it had came, leaving Ahkmenrah and Octavius confused, while Jed tried to swallow the knot in his throat brought on by disappointment. "I don't understand, it should have-" Ahkmenrah was suddenly cut off by the sound of (Y/n) screaming from down the hallway. Ahkmenrah quickly snatched up Octavius and Jedediah before dashing out into the hall to see what had happened. But as they locked eyes on (Y/n), they saw that she was shrouded in that same brilliant golden glow that the Tablet of Ahkmenrah had just been bathed in, the sight making Ahkmenrah freeze in his tracks. "(Y/n)!" Jedediah called out to her.

"What's happening?" (Y/n) called out as she locked eyes with the Egyptian Pharaoh. But before he even had a chance to utter a word, (Y/n) suddenly glew so bright they had to look away. And when they looked back, she was gone. "(Y/n)!" They all shouted in unison, panic bubbling within each of them, that is until movement caught their attention. There she was! In the exact same place she had been, only now she stood at about an inch tall. "Put me down!" Jedediah hollered, and Ahkmenrah complied, setting him and Octavius down gently after he crossed the majority of the distance between them and (Y/n). Which was only about 12 feet, but he knew to them it would have felt like miles.

"Jed." (Y/n) called to him with confusion etched onto her face, the wind being knocked from her lungs when he suddenly embraced her in a bone crushing hug, his hat having flown off from the impact. "Jed." She wheezed quietly, making him loosen his grip in an instant. "Sorry!" He blushed in embarrassment, keeping ahold of her shoulder when he pulled back from the hug. "What's going on?" She questioned as she looked around, realizing quickly that she'd somehow been shrunk. "That would be my fault." Ahkmenrah chimed in, smiling sheepishly. "Mine as well." Octavius cut in. "But we were trying to make Jedediah grow!" The Roman quickly added. "I'm not sure what happened." Ahkmenrah mused as he looked to his tablet. "It shouldn't be permanent though." He added as he looked back to (Y/n).

"Shouldn't?" She breathed out fearfully. "I'm sure it will be fine." The Pharaoh reassured her, again smiling sheepishly. "Why exactly where you trying to make Jed grow in the first place?" (Y/n) asked as she looked to Octavius, her gaze turning back to Jedediah when he released her shoulders, to instead hold her hand between both of his. "Well darlin'... It's because I've been wanting to ask ya out on a date." Jed explained anxiously, his piercing eyes gazing longingly into her own. "You?... You do?" She asked in honest surprise, not realizing that Ahkmenrah and Octavius were slowly leaving to give the pair privacy. "Course I do. Do ya have any idea how incredible ya are?" Jed mused with a large smile, using his right hand to turn her head to look at him, when she bashfully looked away.

"I'm serious (Y/n), yer incredible." He whispered softly, slowly leaning in for a kiss. (Y/n)'s eyes widened at the realization of what was happening, and when a fleeting thought that this could be her one and only chance to kiss him occurred, she shut her eyes and closed the distance. The kiss was filled with passion and tenderness, nothing quite like anything else (Y/n) had ever experienced before. "Is it bad that I don't ever want the spell to reverse?" Jed asked softly as they parted for air, his question making (Y/n) lightly smack his shoulder with a playful glare. "What?" He chuckled with bright sparkling eyes. "How about that date cowboy?" (Y/n) changed the subject, her words immediately sparking the perfect idea in Jedediahs head. "Come on." He grabbed her hand and swept her away, spending the rest of the night riding around on his beloved horse, simply enjoying each other's company and forgetting about the what ifs of the whole situation.

*Making a custom cover with washi tape on scandalous books is something I actually do. Because I will read them while out and about, and especially on downtime at work, and I'd die if anyone was to see the actual cover and know what I'm reading. And if I ever feel like someone is getting nosey over my shoulder, I snap the book closed and wait until they've gone before picking it back up. 😅 Stupid I know, but what can I say?

[bosinclairsgff]

Requests Rules <3

Hey everyone, I want to get back into writing fanfiction and stuff like that! So here are my request rules and other important things to know! (I used to only write on Wattpad so I'm new to using Tumblr pls be nice <3)

Requests: open

Will do

Hurt x comfort

Fluff

Head cannons

Sometimes mentions of abuse, kidnapping, murder or sh (there will be trigger warnings)

Light angst

Drabbles

Characters hurting the reader (there will be a tw)

Reader with depression or anxiety

NSFW

Won't do

Pregnant reader

Child reader

Parent reader

x male, ftm, mtf or poly reader (I am not qualified to write about those as I have no experience involving them)

Characters I will write for

Halloween: RZ Micheal Myers, Corey Cunningham

Amusement: The Laugh

The Boy: Brahms Heelshire

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Nubbins Sawyer, Bubba Sawyer(platonic only),Thomas Hewitt, Chop Top Sawyer, Drayton Sawyer, Vilmer Sawyer

Scream: Stu Matcher, Billy Loomis, Amber Freeman, Sydney

Friday The 13th: Jason Voorhees

House Of Wax: Bo Sinclair, Lester Sinclair, Vincent Sinclair

Saw: Amanda Young, Mark Hoffman

House Of 1,000 corpses: Otis Driftwood, Baby Firefly

American Psycho: Patrick Bateman

Child's Play: Tiffany Valentine

The Black Phone: The Grabber/Albert Shaw

The Collector: Arkin

Silent Hilld/DBD: Pyramid Head

Carrie: Carrie White

Ghost Ship: Jack Ferriman

Thirteen Ghosts: Dennis Rafkin

The Shining: Jack Torrance, Wendy Torrance

The Invitation: Walter Deville

Midnight Mass: Father Paul

The funhouse massacre: Doll face

A nightmare on Elm Street (2010) : Quentin Smith

My Bloody Valentine 3-D: Tom Hanniger

Don’t breathe: Norman Nordstrom

The Purge Anarchy: Leo Barnes

Midsommer: Pelle

Thanksgiving: Sheriff Eric Newlon

Leather face (2017) : Jedediah Sawyer

American horror story : Kai Anderson, Kit Walker, Patrick March

Jennifer’s Body : Jennifer Check

Re- animator: Herbert West

Jeepers Creepers: Darry Jenner

Grave Enconters: Lance Preston, Alex Wright

The Dare: Credence, Dominic

31: Doomhead

Longlegs: Dale Kobble, Lee Harker

Trap: Cooper Adams

CREEP: Josef

DO NOT INTERACT WITH MY ACCOUNT IF YOU ARE

Homophobic

Fatphobic

Transphobic

Racist

[raggedy-dxctor]

hear me out....

Jedediah Smith x reader ??

[dem-obscure-imagines]

Growth Spurt

Jedediah Smith x Reader

Fandom: Night at the Museum

Summary: When a battle breaks out at the Smithsonian, you need all the help you can get. Your magic, however, has a mind of its own.

Note: Takes place during NATM 2. I’m a little out of my comfort zone on this one, so let me know what you think lol. I might be willing to write a part 2...?

Warnings: None?

Word Count: 1.3k

Reader is: Female

This was bad. Very, very bad. At the moment, you were in Washington D.C. Ahk’s brother was crazy, apparently, and he was recruiting all of the powerful villains he could possibly assemble, and he wanted to, basically, use the tablet to rule the world. Add to this the fact that he had captured Jed and stuck him in an hourglass.

Add to THAT the fact that he had snatched your family amulet from around your neck…you figured the man must have a death wish. If only he knew what he was messing with.

And yet, the forces he had assembled were too great for you to comfortably overpower without the rest of your friends present, so you figured it was best to keep your powers a secret, even if only to preserve the element of surprise.

“You got this, partner. I know you do.” Jed put his little hands against the glass, his eyes sad, but hopeful. “I’ll be fine. Go.”

“But—”

“Go!”

“Come on,” Larry gave your arm a tug, and though your eyes lingered on poor little Jed, trapped there in the glass, you followed after Larry.

It was an odd friendship you shared with Jed. He flirted with you, you laughed. It was impossible. He was about an inch and a half tall. And yet, the flirting never stopped and he never hesitated to remind you of your beauty, especially when you doubted yourself the most. You were powerful and he admired you for that, but he also loved your laugh, your smile…he knew it was silly and that there was no chance of something serious between the two of you, but that didn’t seem to prevent him from trying…

Amelia caught up with the two of you easily and you caught her up on the situation at hand.

You checked in with a Theodore Roosevelt without a body, but he didn’t have much to contribute to the situation. Neither did the Thinker. And so, the three of you headed out across the campus in search for answers. If not, Jed’s hour in that hourglass would be his last.

“So, this cowboy friend of yours, are the two of you…?” Amelia asked.

“Are we what? Dating?”

“Yes, that. You care about him, that much is clear.”

“I mean, yeah, but it just wouldn’t work out.”

“And why not?”

“He’s a miniature.” Larry explained. “He’s about two inches tall.”

“Oh!” She laughed. “Well, that would complicate things, now wouldn’t it?”

“You can say that again.” You thought for a moment. “Hey, weren’t there some Einsteins in the Air and Space Museum? I bet they’d be able to help.”

Larry snapped. “Good thinking.”

So, after a brief chat with the Einsteins, the three of you took the Wright Brothers’ plane and crashed it through the window of the building Kahmunrah had set up base in. Amelia ran to get help and you hopped off of the plane and took refuge behind a pillar, watching as Larry argued with Kahmunrah, wracking your brain for something, anything, some spell that would work to get Jed out of that hour glass.

And then it clicked.

It was a longshot, and you knew that, but if it worked…

As soon as Larry got the hourglass, you called out, “Over here!”

“Sparkle Fingers!” Jed lit up.

Larry threw the hourglass to you and you caught it, flipping it so the side Jed was trapped in was on top.

“Seize her!” Kahmunrah shouted.

You booked it as fast as you could down the hall and around a corner, listening as Kah’s guards passed, and once they were a safe distance away, you exhaled a long breath.

“I knew you wouldn’t leave me in there.” Jed smiled softly up at you. “Alright, what’s the plan?”

“Well, there’s something my grandmother used to say. She said magic is really very simple; you just have to want something and then let yourself have it.”

“So…?”

“Hold still.” You told him, your power festering around your fingertips. You flicked it down and the purple rays shined through the glass, straight onto Jed.

“Hey, what is that?” Jed asked, somewhat fearful. “What did you do? I feel…weird.”

You bent down and set the hourglass on the floor, taking a few steps back and bracing.

Jed groaned, and then, all at once, the hourglass around him exploded as he grew to human size. He looked down at himself, holding his hands in front of his face as he moved his fingers. He kicked the pieces of the hourglass aside with his foot and looked up at you, his face awash in awe. “Holy smokes, Sparkle Fingers! I didn’t know you had it in you.”

You stared up at him, your eyes wide. You gulped. “Neither did I.”

“Well, I hope you’ve got some more in you. I have a feeling this night is far from over.”

You chuckled, “Me too.”

***

Once the battle was over and the dust had settled, Jed walked straight up to you, a nervous look on his face, his usual confidence dwindled now that he was standing face to face with you after all of this time.

“I…don’t know how much longer your spell is gonna last, so I’ve gotta do this now.” He said, taking off his hat and handing it to Larry, who was, understandably, shocked at the scene unfolding before him. Jed grabbed you by the hips and tugged you into a kiss, his lips exploring yours without hesitation. You kissed him back, your arms winding around the back of his neck, pulling him closer.

The rest of the museum exhibits, who had seen your relationship with Jed grow over the years cheered alongside your new friends, and when the kiss ended, Jed leaned his forehead against yours, smiling softly. His warm breath fanned across your cheeks.

He chuckled, “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that.”

“Believe me, the feeling is mutual.”

“Oh!” He said, suddenly remembering something. He reached into his pocket and held up your amulet. “I believe this is yours.”

Your eyes widened and you stared at it. You were sure it had been lost when Kahmunrah had been pushed into the portal, but here it was, in perfect shape.

“You…how did you get it back?” You asked as Jed fastened the chain around your neck.

“Let’s just say Octavius and I have a few tricks up our sleeves.” He shrugged. “Speaking of…”

Octavius popped over the top of Jedidiah’s chest pocket. “Hello!”

“Hi, Oct.” You chuckled.

“At some point, I hope you feel so inclined to try that spell out on me.” Octavius said, causing you to smile. “If only to broaden my horizons.”

“When we get back to New York? Absolutely.” You promised.

Larry looked to Amelia. “Speaking of, Amelia, can you fly us home?”

“Certainly, Mr. Daley. It would be my honor.” Amelia nodded, grinning at the sight of you standing next to Jed.

He took your hand and pulled it to his lips, his fingers intertwining with yours. The whole flight back to New York, his arm wouldn’t leave your waist, and once you were finally back and inside the museum, Teddy had to do a double-take.

“Jedediah, my boy, is that you?”

“Had a growth spurt.” Jed shrugged, helping Octavius out of his pocket so he could get downstairs with the others. “And I feel like it’s gonna wear off soon…”

“Yeah…” You felt it, too. Your power slowly leaving him and you couldn’t do anything but watch as he shrank about an inch. And then another.

“Think I could get one more kiss for the road?” Jed asked.

You leaned forward and captured his lips with yours, kissing him one last time before the magic wore off, and when you pulled away, he shrank the rest of the way, back down to his normal size.

“Thanks for the adventure, Sparkle Fingers.” He saluted up at you from his spot on the floor.

“See you tomorrow?”

He winked. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

[historical-kitten]

Avast ye swabs! The next chapter is up! We arrrr so glad to continue writing, mateys!

And it's a pleasure writing with you @jacomitabarthalock! I'd wait as long as it takes. /Done with cheesiness

Finally, finally, we published the fifth chapter!!! We’re not done yet, you won’t get rid of us this easily >:)

@historical-kitten thank you so much for waiting for me, writing with you is terrific!! Let’s goooo

[lumber-jack-white-2]

Hard-to-find redwood grove no longer so elusive, and trees are suffering

For years, the Grove of Titans was barely more than a myth. Incredibly old. Incredibly large. And incredibly hard to find.

It used to be that the grouping of eight old-growth redwood trees deep within Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park near Crescent City (Del Norte County) could be reached only by following clues in a book about tree hunters. There were no direct hiking trails, and the nearest road was miles away.

Then, in 2011, someone uploaded a geotag marking the trees’ location online. As many as 50 people a day began finding their way to the grove and loving it to death.

The onslaught of tourists bushwhacking through the rain forest is slowly killing the giant trees, park officials say. The damage can be reversed by building elevated walkways and viewing platforms, similar to the ones used at Muir Woods, they say. But it’s going to cost more than $1.4 million.

The Redwood Parks Conservancy, the nonprofit paired with the state park, is crowdfunding part of its construction. So far, the group has raised $14,940. There is no timeline for when the project will begin or finish, and there is little state funding available.

There are many trees in the park, but none quite as large as the titans. The biggest ones — Del Norte Titan, at 307 feet, and the 230-foot Lost Monarch — are the fourth- and fifth-largest known coastal redwoods in the world.

Naturalists Stephen Sillett and Michael Taylor named the stand in 1998 and wrote about it in their book “The Wild Trees.” In a chapter called “The Lost Valley,” they gave clues about the redwoods’ whereabouts, tempting many readers to set out to find the giants.

Officials say a walkway would protect the redwoods’ shallow and fragile root systems from being trampled and prevent the flattening of forest vegetation. Already, an area of native plants about the size of seven basketball courts has been badly damaged, and a tree in the grove called Screaming Titans is showing signs of stress, officials say.

“There’s a trail network going into and out of the forest grove right now that looks like the Los Angeles freeway system,” said Joanna Di Tommaso, development director for the Redwood Parks Conservancy. “The goal of this project is to get ahead of the problem and make sure we don’t wait until the trees are already dead to do something.”

Visitors have stripped layers of bark from the redwoods’ trunks while posing for tree-hugging photos, destroyed huge swaths of ferns on the forest floor and left behind trash such as protein bar wrappers and plastic bottles. And the culprits aren’t hard to find, if the hundreds of geotagged photos on Instagram are any indication.

Photo: Joanna Di TommasoFoot traffic along one of the “social trails” has damaged giant redwoods in the park.

“Started the day off by finding the elusive Grove of Titans!” one woman wrote, her four children squeezed into a hollowed-out redwood trunk. “Explorer’s reward,” said the caption on another photo shot upward into the canopy.

“They have this mentality of, ‘Oh, it’s just me,’” said Brett Silver, sector superintendent for the California State Parks. “‘I’m not doing any damage. If I just go out there, I won’t hurt anything.’ They aren’t thinking of the thousands of other people doing and thinking the exact same thing.

“The genie is out of the bottle, and we can’t put it back. It’s gotten to the point where the social trails are more flattened and in better condition than our own trails.”

Soil compaction caused by meandering hikers has led to increased erosion and hurt plant growth, according to a park report issued last year. Visitors also bring in seeds and pollen from other areas, introducing nonnative species, the report said.

“Social trails are often created with motivations such as avoidance, exploration, access to places of interest and shortcuts,” said Claudia Voigt, a researcher with Humboldt State University who wrote a thesis on damage caused by social trails in the park. “Once created, social trails are difficult to disguise and slow to recover because of the associated vegetation loss. Frequently used trails become more attractive because of the ease of use.”

Those trails, in turn, draw more visitors because they are easily recognizable, she said.

Some 200,000 people are expected to visit Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park this year, nearly double the total who visited in 2015. The increase was partly because of the National Park Service’s centennial anniversary last year, Silver said. That means more people are straying down the undesignated trails.

Park officials have installed signs with before-and-after photos showing damage to the redwood stand, but not enough people are getting the message. The park has also put up cameras near the grove that capture footage of trespassers, but ticketing offenders is difficult.

“The state parks just don’t have the resources to keep up with the monitoring and maintenance required to pick up after everyone, let alone catch the offenders,” Di Tommaso said.

“Although we have tons of incredible trees, everyone wants to go to this particular stand because of its name,” she said. “Creating a new path for that purpose will be incredibly helpful.”

Building a walkway right to the grove might save it. But Silver said he knows it’s going to take time. The conservancy has barely made a dent in the needed funding, and significant help from the state is unlikely. There’s barely enough money now to cover maintenance projects on already-constructed trails, officials say.

“Everyone who is going in there is doing damage,” Silver said. “If people could just have some patience, we can get the trail built out. We just need to fund the project first. We know they want to see it. We want to share it. It will happen, but it’s going to take time.”

Source: (X)

[dem-obscure-imagines]

Unexpected and Unusual

Jedediah Smith x Reader

Fandom: Night at the Museum

Summary: While catching up with your old college friend, Larry, you learn he knows your soulmate. It’s not until you get to the museum, however, that you realize just how strange the circumstances surrounding your destiny are…

Note: Wow I’m actually pretty proud of this one. I missed writing for NatM and I’m always in the mood for a good soulmate au.

Warnings: Some swearing.

Word Count: 2.3k

Reader Is: Female

You looked down at the words written on your wrist and chuckled. You figured whoever your soulmate was must be an actor or something. Maybe you’d meet them at a Renaissance Festival or a dinner and theater type thing? Like Medieval Times, but for cowboys? You weren’t sure, but it seemed like it would be a memorable experience regardless.

Your phone buzzed and you reached to click off the alarm reminding you to head out if you wanted to make it to dinner with your friend Larry. The two of you had met in college and now he worked as a night guard at one of the museums in town. Therefore, you were having dinner a little earlier than you were used to, but you didn’t mind.

So, you grabbed your stuff and headed to the diner you and Larry used to go to in college sometimes. You ordered your usuals and started catching up.

“So…how are things at the museum lately? Any new exhibits?”

“Not since the last time you visited, no. Same old, same old. It’s pretty fun, though.”

“Isn’t it like…creepy? Being there all alone at night?” You asked. The thought of being in a building full of lifeless wax figures and statues and whatnot gave you the chills just thinking about it. Especially if it was dark. It didn’t seem like a fun gig, if you were honest.

“Nah, it’s not so bad.” Larry said. “I keep myself occupied.”

“Well, good for you, Larry. I’m glad you found something you enjoy, finally.”

“Yeah, me too. So what’s new with you? Any updates?”

“Nope. Boss is still a jerk, my classes for my master’s degree still suck, and I’m still not really sure what I’m doing with my thesis or…you know, what I want to do with the rest of my life.”

“Yeah, I feel that. But you’ll get there. I know you will. You’ll figure it out. You always were the clever one.”

“Heh, thanks. I needed to hear that.” You took a bite of a French fry.

“So no soulmate yet then, huh?” Larry asked.

“Yeah not yet…I’m pretty sure he’s an actor or something.”

Larry perked up. “Wait, you finally got your mark?”

“Few years ago, yeah.” You said, grinning and rolling up your sleeve to show him. “Seems like a fun guy, right?”

Larry stared for a long time, something akin to shock mixed with realization washing over his features. “Oh, you have no idea…”

You laughed, looking at him. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing, I just…” Larry shrugged. “I think I might know him, is all.”

“Woah, you what? You know him? Who is he? What’s he like? Why does he…talk like that?”

“It’s kind of hard to explain…” He thought for a long moment, fighting with himself over something. “You know…why don’t you come to work with me? It might be easier to…well, to show you.”

“Are you sure? Is that allowed?”

Larry had a knowing look on his face. “Oh, I think they’ll make an exception.”

***

Once the two of you finished eating and paid the bill, you went to the museum together. It wasn’t too far away from the diner, close enough to walk, in fact. And it was a beautiful walk. You loved New York.

The sun wasn’t quite setting yet, but you suspected it would be soon. Larry told you that was usually when he went in, just before sunset. And so, once you got to the museum, you started looking around at the exhibits. You’d gone there a lot in college, mostly for research, but also partially because there were some nice quiet spots that were perfect to study in.

“Theodore Roosevelt, right?” You said, looking up at the wax replica of him, riding on his horse.

“Yep. 26th president of the United States.”

“When I was a kid, I always liked him because I liked Teddy bears and they were named after him.”

“I feel like he’d like that.” Larry smiled, laughing softly. “You should tell him that.”

You made a quizzical look and turned back to face him. “What?”

“Yeah, in about…” Larry glanced down at his watch and you watched him incredulously. “Three…two…one…”

“Lawrence, my boy! Good evening!” Said a voice behind you.

You whipped around and looked up at the moving (?) statue. Your eyes widened and you stared up at him as he climbed down off of his horse.

“And who might this beautiful young lady be?” Theodore offered his hand. “Theodore Roosevelt at your service.”

“I’m (Y/N).” You said slowly, shaking his hand and turning back towards Larry to mouth ‘What. The. Fuck.’

“I know, it’s kind of a lot.” Larry shrugged. “But you’ll get used to it.”

“Ah, Larry,” There was another voice, someone coming down from one of the upper levels. He was dressed all in gold, a luxurious cape billowing behind him. He stopped when he noticed you. “Oh, hello. I am Ahkmenrah, Fourth King of the Fourth Kings, ruler of the land of my fathers. And you are?”

“Ahk, this is (Y/N).” Larry looked at you and walked up to Ahk, cupping a hand around the Pharoah’s ear and whispering something that made him smile and laugh quietly to himself before nodding.

“Yes, I can do that.” Ahk nodded and offered his arm to you, which you took hesitantly. “Right this way. Larry wants me to show you where our, uh…little friends live.”

“Oh…alright?” You followed him through the corridors, heart racing as you ran through everything that had happened so far. Wait. If Larry wanted you to come here with him to see…all of this…did that mean…?

“Your first time, I presume?” Ahkmenrah asked, a kind and patient look on his face.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure I’m hallucinating, actually.”

“Well, I must say, you are taking it very well. Some of the people Larry brings here tend to…faint upon seeing Theodore come to life.”

“Oh…well, I guess I’m glad I didn’t pass out, then.” You laughed. “Unless I did pass out and this is all a weird dream…”

Ahk chuckled softly. “Well, only time will tell, I suppose. Anyway, here we are.”

He stopped you in the doorway of a room that contained a few miniature exhibits. One looked like the old West complete with a mine and a railroad, and the other was a Roman city, filled with columns and gorgeous architecture.

Upon closer inspection, there were tiny little people moving about. People that you assumed had come to life like the rest of the museum.

Ahk leaned closer to you and spoke quietly, “Good luck,” before leading you into the room, and straight up to the western exhibit.

“Well, if it ain’t the King of Egypt himself! What brings you in here, partner?” Asked a tiny cowboy, reciting the words on your arm perfectly. He then looked up at you, his expression softening. “And who is this tall glass of water? Are you a friend of Gigantor’s?”

You stared at him, dumbfounded. Your heart raced and your legs felt wobbly. They said fate worked in funny ways, but this was…something else entirely. Now you felt woozy…

“I…think I’m gonna pass out.” You took a few steps back and leaned against the wall. “This isn’t possible.”

“Are you alright?” Ahk asked with concern, taking a few steps closer to you.

You nodded, but you weren’t so sure. Your soulmate, your freaking soulmate was a teeny, tiny cowboy about an inch and a half tall. How was that even possible? Why? How did the universe expect something like that to work out when he was literally the size of your pinkie finger?

You slowly slid down to the floor, taking deep breaths in an effort to get your heartrate back to normal.

“I’m going to get you some water.” Ahk announced. “Stay here.”

“Will do.” You nodded, watching as he left the room while you sat on the cold, tile floor.

Slowly, the tiny cowboy made his way across the floor towards you, careful not to make any sudden moves. When you saw him, though, your eyes widened slightly.

“Easy there. I ain’t tryin’ to scare you none. Are you alright?” He asked, his voice tentative and…nervous? Did he know who you were? Did he have a tiny little soulmark on his arm, too?

“Getting there.” You replied, looking down at him as he got closer and closer.

“I don’t know what to say to you to make you feel any better.” He admitted, his face earnest and somewhat sad. “I know it ain’t…” He shook his head and chuckled. “Well, I’m probably not what you were expecting.”

“I mean…you’re…right.” You nodded. This was ridiculous. Maybe you had passed out.

“I knew you probably wouldn’t take it well.” He shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck, holding up the arm you assumed had his mark on it. “And I wouldn’t expect you to, all things considered.”

“What’s your name?” You asked. It was crazy. It was. But…he was your soulmate, apparently, so…shouldn’t you at least give him a chance?

“I’m Jedediah. What’s yours?”

“(Y/N).”

“Beautiful name for a beautiful gal.” He asserted, causing you to smile, a blush rising to your cheeks. “See, there’s that smile I was waiting for. Breathtaking.” He took a few steps closer, still hesitant to get too close. “You think you’re gonna be alright?”

You nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”

“Good, good.” He exhaled in relief and put a tiny little hand on your calf. “Don’t worry, darling. You’re in good hands.”

As soon as he stopped touching you, the words on your arm started to glow a bright gold color, the light powerful, almost blinding.

“Woah.” You shielded your eyes with your hand, peering through your fingers to look at the letters. Looking down at Jed informed you that this was not a solo experience; his arm was glowing as well.

He wobbled in place, looking down at himself. “What in tarnation…?” He fell back on his little butt, and if you weren’t so confused and startled, you would have tried to help him up. However, as soon as you thought to move, something even stranger happened.

He started to grow.

It was slow at first, with Jed letting out a string of confused curses, but then, exponentially, he shot up until he was human-sized, sitting in front of you on the floor, looking up at you, and then at his own body, and then at you again.

“Holy fuck.” You stared at him for a long time. Now that you could actually make out his features clearly, you had to admit: he was handsome. “Um, hi.”

“Howdy.” He chuckled softly to himself, shaking his head. “They always did say fate works in mysterious ways, but I didn’t expect something like this.”

“Me either.”

“I’m sorry it took so long. The vending machine on this floor was out of water. How are you…” Ahkmenrah came into the room with a water bottle, but dropped it when he looked up and saw you sitting across from Jed at human size. “Oh.”

“Yeah, I ain’t sure either, twinkle toes.” Jed shrugged, getting to his feet. “Probably best not to question it.” Jed took your hands and helped you to your feet while Ahk grabbed the water bottle off of the floor, handing it to you.

“Thank you. For the water.” You said, twisting off the cap and taking a sip.

“Of course.”

“Hey, how are things going in here?” Larry walked in finally, deciding to check up on the situation. He stopped dead in his tracks, staring up at Jed with wide eyes. “Jed? That’s what you look like?”

“We’ve been friends for how long now, Gigantor, and you don’t know what I look like?”

“Well it’s hard to make out your face when you’re so…you know.” Larry shrugged. He looked at you. “You okay?”

“Better now, yeah.” You nodded.

“Okay, good. Because there’s a lot more where that came from.” Larry grinned, and you knew this was only the beginning of something very magical…

***

It didn’t take long to establish a routine. Every night about an hour before sundown, you would meet Larry at the museum. They let you do homework at the front desk on the condition you occasionally did little filing tasks like making copies or stapling things together. It wasn’t a bad gig.

Then, once the sun set, Teddy would come to life and greet you, followed by Rexy, who you’d learned to throw a bone for every once in a while, then Ahk would come down the stairs and greet you on his way to do whatever task he had decided to do for the evening. And then, finally, you’d hear the little electric hum of the yellow RC car Jed and Octavius were so fond of, approaching you slowly but surely.

“Howdy, darling. How are you tonight?” Jed asked, hopping out of the car.

“I’m doing good! How are you two doing?”

“I’m well, thank you for asking, (Y/N).” Oct nodded, smiling.

“And I am doing much better now.” Jed grinned.

You lowered the chain of paperclips you’d made and he grabbed on, letting you pull him upwards until he could grip the edge of the counter, which he did with ease, and then, once he was in position, it was time for your magic trick. You reached over and carefully poked his hand with your pointer finger and immediately, he shot up to human height, smiling down at you.

“I will never get sick of that.” He insisted, reaching out for your hand.

“Me either.” You slipped your hand into his, letting him pull you up from your seat and into the open room, where he effortlessly dipped you back, pressing his lips to yours in a passionate kiss. When he pulled you upright again, you leaned your forehead against his, grinning. “And I will never get sick of that.”

What you had with Jed wasn’t normal, by any means, but that didn’t matter. You finally found your soulmate. And you knew that every night for the rest of your life, you were in for the adventure of a lifetime.