#written in the heart: lore | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

riftofthestars · 1 year ago

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Been thinking about Blackwood and Ada lately and how - were they in any other place but Asterium - they would have been in a really healthy sub/dom relationship. Just because of a few factors.

Their first meeting was when Blackwood took shelter from a snowstorm in a cavern, but tripped and fell down into an underground river, ending up in Ada's kingdom injured and on the brink of death. Intrigued by Blackwood's plain body, Ada took him in and saw that he would be healed by her own hands. She used crystals to mend his broken bones and bark to mend his skin and flesh, resulting in his distinguished appearance.

But an important thing in Asterium is that people's bodies change to fit their surroundings: a smith will grow metal to be protected from the flame, a sailor would grow ghills and webbing etc. But Blackwood, despite being of age, at a time where he should have had signs of change for years, never evolved such things. So this change was basically forced onto him by Ada - both to experiment what would happen and because she knew no other way to help him - and this, during a time when Blackwood was in too much pain to even resist or say anything, resulted in a mutilation that wouldn't give his body an attempt at a slower evolution.

That didn't mean he wasn't grateful for Ada's help, she saved him from certain death, didn't she? So while he recovered in this place of almost pure darkness, say for the fluorescent plants that littered the cavern walls, and dangling by silk ropes from the ceiling, he still showed Ada the kindness and gratitude he would have showed anyone else.

Ada got her power by making people submit to her rule after dethroing and killing her father, so she was used to people recognizing her status and acting accordingly.

And that got Ada's attention. She had a lot of consorts, and quite a few of them submitted to her easily. Those that didn't were those that held some sort of status in her kingdom. But Blackwood didn't have any sort of status, there was no bolstering pride or resistance against in him at that time.

Blackwood was the first person in a very, very long time to not treat her as a queen, but rather just a person that saved his life. He treated her with kindness born not out of respect of her status, but from his heart. Ada wanted to see more of that. The two talked like any two people would while Blackwood recovered, but there was always something in the back of Ada's mind that wanted to see more of this hunter that fell from high above, hear more of his stories.

The presence of this hunter was pleasant to her, of course she would want to spend more time with him. He had a way of telling stories of the people he met, of the things he'd done, of what he'd seen that it was music to her ears; the way he treated her servants with such nervousness and humility was just adorable and endearing; his passion was delectable to witness. Ada wanted Blackwood to be hers, she wouldn't allow for her other consorts to do the same things she would allow between themselves.

She wasn't going to keep him in her caverns by force, goodness no - but that didn't mean she wouldn't convince him to come back. And she was in certainly no rush to get him out of her kingdom.

When Ada figured it had been long enough after Blackwood's full recovery, she made sure that he would be allowed to leave. She was part of the escort that guided Blackwood out of that mountain, giving him a kiss on each cheek before allowing him to leave with an invitation to come back to the Crystal Caverns at any time.

Blackwood had also enjoyed Ada's company. Compared to most royalty he heard of and most peope in power he met, there was something... different about Ada. The way she was careful with her actions, how her words seemed so captivating and deliberate and how curious she was of the outside world. The gentle yet powerful way of her sway is what captivated him.

While going on about his life, he kept visiting her more and more. From a day to two, from two to three, from three to a week and so on. And each time he fell in love with her just a little bit more.

Blackwood was always a loving person - he loved the earth and its trees, the sky and its wind, the water and its rivers, and the people. But this love was different, it grew as time went on, putting a pleasurable weight on his chest. The weight wasn't anything negative, it wasn't worry about what others would say or paranoia about what Ada would do or anxiety about how his body looked. This was the weight of a passion towards a person, genuine love that sparked intensity.

His mind came to accept that the crystal and the bark was just how he looked now, that it was just a reminded that tried to dampen the bad memories of his almost death through beauty.

But in truth, that was just a coping mechanism - he began to say that what Ada did to him was "A piece of art made by a very skilled hand" because he was worried that he would see it as a mutilation that some saw it as if he didn't convince himself..

He was truly in love with Ada, she didn't even need to try and plant any sort of seed for him to come back - she didn't even get the chance to try.

Ada also slowly fell in love with Blackwood. It wasn't just to satisfy her curiosity or to fulfill this thirst of hers for whatever Blackwood's presence brought her.

Slowly but surely, Blackwood began to spend less and less time with in the city and with the people he would travel literal days before, even spending less time in the cabin he's lived all his life in, preferring to spend his time in the caverns, with Ada.

And slowly but surely, Ada took more and more. She did love Blackwood and Blackwood loved her, so he would surely tell her when she was too much, right?

Blackwood was never pushed to the extreme or on the point of breaking. Ada was so careful and gentle as she tried newer and riskier things, she would know when to stop, right?

Blackwood's boundaries were pushed bit by bit, yes, but it was a slow enough progression for the both of them to think that he was adapting well.

Blackwood put trust into Ada to not go too far and Ada put trust into Blackwood to make sure she didn't went to far.

Yet there where still these... moments, cracks in their relationship that were never discussed besides being fixed in the moment. With time, over the course of the 5 years they were together, these cracks just gathered. Not once did Blackwood truly move in with Ada, but he did spend more time with her and on the trips to her kingdom than in his own home.

While most of Ada's consorts accommodated to Blackwood and his relationship with Ada, there were still those that were jealous that he was getting special treatment - those that thought they deserved to be by Ada's side instead of Blackwood. One of them took it upon themselves to give Blackwood a piece of their mind.

He was told he was nothing more than a pet for Ada, a plaything, something to be admired, used then discarded. After all, Ada still had her consorts, she still showed them affection and slept with them.

Blackwood never told Ada this. He tried to put whatever he was told to the side, because he knew that Ada was actually in love with him, right?

She indeed was in love with Blackwood, madly. But she couldn't read minds.

Next crack in their relationship showed up was what broke Blackwood. It wasn't long after this jealous consort confronted Blackwood, not even a month. And normally this would have been a moment where either Blackwood would have asked to stop or Ada would have realized that this would have been too much for him. But he just bared it with clenched teeth and let the moment go. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, a voice was telling him that if she actually loved him, Ada would have already known that what she was doing was too much. But again, Ada couldn't read minds.

What followed was a spiral of reliving every crack in their relationship, which devolved in realizing how much power Ada had over Blackwood not only in status and strength, but also how swift she was in her words.

What he once loved about her, that smooth influence over those around her that she had, turned from filling his chest with passion to filling his mind with paranoia. Had she been doing the same to him? Was she indeed just using him?

The answer was no. After a very short while, after she made sure that Blackwood would visit her again, Ada stopped trying to influence him intentionally, she would have probably allowed him to leave one last time and never retun if she was asked to.

In Asterium people can influence others in much heavier ways. Sometimes unconsciously.

That's what Ada didn't realize. She might have stopped doing it on purpose, but that didn't mean she stopped doing it entirely.

Blackwood figured that out. He began seeing things as that jealous consort put it in front of him. He felt broken. He felt betrayed. There was no use in even talking to Ada, because in his mind she already showed her colors.

So he left at the same night, at the first chance he got. Without an escord and without telling Ada anything. In the morning she was confused about Blackwood's disappearance. Worried that she was a bad partner, which wasn't entirely wrong, nor right.

They never met since.

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PHEW that was a lot... this took me to write... an hour holy shit.

I just felt like I had to give the whole picture. Now for some author notes:

The most important thing in their story is Ada's influence. Were they not in Asterium, it would have been seen just as a dom being a dom. A good one at that. Blackwood's boundaries were never broken, even if they were pushed.

The main problem was a lack of real communication about each other's concerns, which only served to amplify all other problems. If they had just talked, if Blackwood didn't unfairly put a new responsibility on Ada without saying a thing and if Ada didn't put a blind ammount of trust into Blackwood being strong enough emotionally from the start they would still be together.

#The Rift Hunter Rides: IC #Her Majesty Declares: IC #Written in the Heart: Lore #Long post #It's sort of suggestive but things are just implied/reference to quickly #it doesn't go into details about anything besides the emotional status of their relationship #if there are any trigger warnings I must put on please do let me know

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hydrasquadd · 3 months ago

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Sabbia and Savannah

When Sab was introduced to the group, it was assumed they'd get the typical treatment from Savannah. Glaring eyes that swished up and down one's body, the curl of her lip in a disapproving scowl. A look those such as Alpine had seen many times.

That was the immediate response. A look from her feathers to her feet, then a turn of the head. The introduction went just as the siblings' had.

As a few days passed, Sab was settled in rather quickly. She was assigned the role of medic, the member in charge of the group's health. Her natural skills with medicinal plants was a conversing portfolio. She moved with a delightful energy, stacking the shelves of her new den with seeds to soon sprout. Her and Alpine became fast friends. Her kind smile brought life to the space as she emerged.

This charm did not go unnoticed. Of course not by Alpine, nor Sugar, but surprisingly, Savannah. The others caught quick glimpses of her eyes darting with a soft glance. A look only Sugar had the privilege of getting.

Alpine laid hidden behind the lengthy brush, sneaking as long of a look as she could at the sight. Sab had crossed the area a few moments before, likely returning to her nest for the night. Her shoulder brushed against the rough surface of a tree on the way. She soon disappeared out of sight. But there was someone else on her tail. A glint of orange fur entered the clearing, and slowly walked Sab's path. She seemed to be pondering something.

Savannah's head twitched down, ears more pointed than before. She slowly lifted her paw, feeling something different underneath. Grabbing onto something soft, she revealed a small leaf. It was pale green with a thick shape. Instantly its origins were clear. The round plants that sprouted from Sab's fur... This leaf must have been brushed off. Savannah's paws curled around it. She stood there for a moment. Alpine watched in anticipation. With a careful step, Savannah continued forward. Reaching forward once again, she found another leaf left behind. Long, round, and a unique orange hue.

The same leaves were found later by a nosy blue feywing. Exactly where she expected. Near the nest where Savannah slept.

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