#Dexter's Dream Team

[storieswithvenus]

Babygirl - Tyler Owens x Fem!Storm Chaser!Preg Reader

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ 𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘴

hey! i felt in the mood to write something somewhat wholesome so here we are! i’m really sorry if this doesn’t make sense x

Word count; 1096

.*･｡ﾟ☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ

Growing up you had always wanted to chase storms, after experiencing your first tornado at the age of 7 with your mum the second month of you living in tornado alley.

Living in England before that you had never been exposed to the world of storms and what dangers come with it. As you grew up you watched many different storms and the havoc they caused. your senior year at school you had been out on lockdown due to an EF4 heading straight to your high school, that’s when you met Lillie.

You and Lillie have been the only two out of a group of 40 teenagers taking shelter in the hallway that wasn’t scared, frankly - you two were always ordered to put your head down in case the tornado hit because you two were trying to get a glimpse of the storm.

You two quickly became friends after that day, finding comfort in someone else who loved storms just as much as the other. while Lillie heading to college to get a degree in technology which you two could use to get close-ups of future storms - you went into meteorology. That's where you met your now husband and the tornado wrangler, Tyler Owens.

Tyler has caught your attention from the first time you walked into that lecture hall. His tall and muscular frame, dirty blonde hair, and green eyes caught the attention of all the girls in the class, many even tried their shot with him but were turned down and never showed their faces in that class again. Tyler quickly became the face of the class, everyone wanted to be him or be with him. which is why you were shocked when he asked you to be his partner for a project.

During that project you and him grew closer, you two learned about each other and what they could bring to the table in an actual storm-chasing group. At the time, it was a dream, the two of you were going into your last year. The thought of being in a team chasing storms all over was something you would have only dreamed about, because it couldn’t be a reality… or could it?

You and Tyler had graduated top of your class, and this led to getting the attention of many different investors who would’ve loved to work with the pair of you and build an empire. However, you and Tyler wanted to create this dream by yourselves.

You two worked endless jobs, bouncing from city to city to save up for starting this team. You were lucky that Lillie immediately nominated herself to join the group when you first brought the idea up to her when you two were studying together for a final. Along with Tyler's good friend Boone who wanted to be his right-hand man, along with the person getting all the good footage for the viewers.

After many years of working your absolute hardest and saving up all the money you could, you were able to buy your equipment. At first, you were live streaming to nobody, it was obvious the team was slightly disheartened by this and after months of nobody viewing the streams - you had all actually spoken of leaving the group and going separate ways. That was until one livestream someone joined, and coincidentally that’s when you got the first-ever footage of Tyler and Boone driving into a tornado and sitting through it.

In hours the clip blew up all over social media, and thousands upon thousands of people were tuning into the channel and subscribing. the next time you streamed the view count was at 16k. After a time, the team expanded adding in the valuable members Dexter and Dani, viewers, and sponsors pooling into the channel and eventually, you and Tyler confirmed your relationship.

ੈ✩‧���˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

Bringing you to now, 4 months pregnant and barely showing. After telling Tyler the news of the pregnancy, he never left your side. Always getting anything you needed even if he had to drive hours for it and miss several big storms. For a while he let you join in the back of the jeep when he and Boone were driving into a tornado, now that you were pregnant however - you had to be miles away so he knew you and your baby were safe.

“Dani, this is the biggest storm of the season and he is planning on driving into it?” your voice was full of concern as you, her, and Dexter all watched the live stream on her laptop from the campervan. Watching the father of your baby drive head-on into a storm really made you anxious. You knew he knew what he was doing, but what if something went wrong?

Grabbing the walker from the front of the dashboard, “Ty? Can you hear me? Please stay safe, our baby needs her daddy home." Dexter and Dani's heads quickly turn to you, mouths dropped as they realize what you just said. Paying no attention to them you watched as the message went through to Tyler on the livestream, and watching his reaction was the best thing.

From when you first told him about the baby he said it would be a baby girl, and that he would be the ‘world's best girl dad’. So, when he heard the sex of your baby on the walkie-talkie, you watched as he and Boone went absolutely mental. You swear the jeep nearly tipped over from the amount of jumping and punching the roof of the car there was, Dani even had to lower the volume due to all of their screaming.

You didn’t have time to join in on the excitement before the tornado hit them head-on, leaning forward in your seat with anxiety, picking at the skin on your fingers as you watched two of the most important people in your life get shaken around while being struck inside a tornado. It felt like hours they were stuck in that position, not being able to move due to them having to be drilled into the ground beneath the car.

When the storm finally passed, you all had let out a sigh of relief. even after years of doing this - you still didn’t know when today was going to be the day it didn’t work and something bad happened to one of you.

As tyler started up the jeep again to drive away and join the rest of you back at the meeting point, he turns up to the camera facing him and points,

“That’s for you babygirl.”

[favefandomimagines]

Thunderstruck (t.o)

Request: @mystargirl-interlude after watching the Dallas cowboy cheerleader show I can’t stop thinking about Tyler dating a Dallas cowboys cheerleader 😭😭 I was wondering if you could do like a one shot of his group meeting her and going to one of the games to see her preform?

AN: I love this request lol i love making masculine characters total simps for their partners

Tyler Owens had always been obsessed with two things: tornadoes and the Dallas Cowboys. His obsession with storms began when he was a kid, watching funnel clouds twist and churn on the horizon from his small Oklahoma town.

The Cowboys, well, that love ran just as deep. Sundays were sacred, filled with the sounds of the game on TV and a house full of cheering and yelling at plays. But as much as he loved football, there was one thing—or rather, one person—that had stolen his heart even more completely than any touchdown or tornado ever could.

His long-term girlfriend was a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. It still felt surreal sometimes, like a dream he hadn’t fully wrapped his head around.

To see her out there, all eyes on her as she performed at the center of AT&T Stadium, was almost too much for him to handle. Tyler had met Jenna before she ever wore the blue and silver of the Cowboys’ iconic uniform, but knowing she was out there, dazzling crowds of thousands, was more than he ever imagined.

Tyler and his team of tornado chasers—Boone, Javi, Kate, Lily, Dani, and Dexter—had made a name for themselves online. Their YouTube channel, which documented their daring storm-chasing adventures, had gone viral several times over, gaining them a massive following.

There was something undeniably thrilling about watching them race against nature, capturing footage of tornadoes as they tore through the plains. The adrenaline rush was unmatched, though for Tyler, it still couldn’t compare to watching Jenna perform on the field.

When the Cowboys organization reached out to invite the whole team to the season opener, it felt like a dream come true. Not only were they being recognized for their storm-chasing success, but it was an opportunity for Tyler to see Y/N in her element, doing what she loved most.

The day of the season opener was electric. Tyler and the team arrived early at AT&T Stadium, their excitement palpable. Tyler had a permanent grin on his face, barely able to contain his enthusiasm. Sure, they had been invited because of their growing fame, but for him, this day was about Y/N.

“You’re about to lose it, aren’t you?” Boone teased as they walked through the stadium's hallways toward the cheerleaders’ locker room.

Tyler shot him a look. “I’m fine,” he said, though the nervous energy in his voice betrayed him. “I’m just…excited to see Y/N.”

Javi chuckled. “Dude, you’re not just excited. You’re a total fanboy for the Cowboys. Admit it.”

Tyler shrugged, unable to hide the truth. “I’ve been a Cowboys fan since I could walk. This is huge for me. But yeah, seeing Y/N is the real reason I’m here.”

When they reached the cheerleaders’ locker room, Tyler’s heart raced. He knocked, and after a few seconds, the door opened, revealing Y/N, looking absolutely stunning in her Cowboys cheer uniform. Her smile lit up the room when she saw him.

“Tyler!” Y/N exclaimed, rushing into his arms. He scooped her up, spinning her around like he always did.

“You look amazing,” he said, his voice soft with admiration. “I mean, you always do, but wow.”

Y/N blushed, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “You’re biased, but thank you. I’m so glad you’re here.”

The rest of the team gave them their space, letting Tyler soak up the moment with Y/N. Boone, ever the jokester, leaned over to Javi. “I give it five minutes before he cries,” he whispered, earning a chuckle from the others.

Tyler couldn’t take his eyes off Y/N. The excitement for the game seemed secondary now. It was all about her. “I’m so proud of you, Y/N,” he said, his voice genuine. “I mean, look at you. You’re living your dream.”

She smiled up at him, her eyes full of affection. “And you’re living yours too. Storm-chasing with your team and now being here with me? I’d say you’re doing pretty great.”

After a few more minutes of talking and catching up, Y/N had to get back to her pre-game routine. Tyler reluctantly left the locker room, but not before giving her a lingering kiss on the cheek. His heart felt full, and his mind raced with anticipation for the game. He couldn’t wait to see her out there, performing in front of the massive crowd.

When game time finally arrived, the stadium was alive with energy. The stands were packed with tens of thousands of fans, all buzzing with excitement for the Cowboys’ season opener. Tyler and his team had incredible seats near the field, thanks to the Cowboys’ invitation.

The moment the Cowboys’ cheerleaders took the field for their pre-game Thunderstruck performance, Tyler couldn’t help but get caught up in the moment.

As the music blasted through the stadium speakers, and Jenna and the other cheerleaders began their routine, Tyler was on his feet, clapping and cheering louder than anyone around him. His eyes were locked on Y/N, watching every move she made. She was radiant, her movements precise and graceful, her energy infectious. Tyler was completely captivated.

“Look at him,” Dani laughed, nudging Kate. “He’s so smitten.”

“He’s head over heels,” Kate agreed, shaking her head with a grin.

Tyler barely noticed his friends teasing him. His entire world was focused on Y/N, and he couldn’t help but feel overwhelming pride. He had always supported her dreams, but seeing them come to life on such a grand stage filled him with a sense of awe.

“She’s killing it!” Tyler yelled over the roar of the crowd, his voice filled with admiration. When the routine ended, he was the first to jump up and applaud, grinning from ear to ear. “That’s my girl!”

The game was incredible, a nail-biter that had the crowd on edge, but Tyler’s thoughts kept drifting back to Y/N. It was surreal to be in the stadium, watching his favorite team play, knowing that his girlfriend was one of the cheerleaders who had worked so hard to be part of this iconic experience.

After the game, Tyler and his team waited outside the cheerleaders’ locker room again, this time with a surprise in store. When Y/N emerged, looking radiant despite the exhaustion of a long game, Tyler couldn’t contain himself.

“You were amazing, Y/N!” he exclaimed, pulling her into a tight hug. “I’m so proud of you.”

Y/N smiled up at him, her eyes sparkling. “Thank you, babe. It means the world to me that you were here.”

Tyler hesitated for a moment, then grinned as he reached for the hem of his Cowboys jersey. “I have something to show you,” he said, pulling the jersey over his head to reveal a custom-made t-shirt underneath.

Y/N gasped when she saw it. Printed across the front of the shirt was her picture—Y/N in her cheerleader uniform, mid-performance, with the words “I’m here for her” emblazoned beneath it.

“I had to make sure everyone knew who I was really here to see,” Tyler said with a playful smile.

Y/N’s laughter filled the hallway, her face lighting up as she stared at the shirt. “You’re unbelievable,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him. “I love it. And I love you.”

“I love you too,” Tyler replied, pulling her closer. “You’re a superstar, Y/N. I’m so proud of everything you’ve accomplished.”

The rest of the team couldn’t help but watch the sweet moment unfold, a mix of admiration and amusement on their faces.

“Well, I guess we know who the real MVP is,” Dexter joked, gesturing to Y/N.

“Hey, I’ll take it,” Y/N said with a wink. “But seriously, Tyler, you being here today… it means everything to me.”

Tyler kissed her again, a sense of peace and happiness settling over him. Tornadoes would always be his first love, but standing there with Y/N, his heart bursting with pride and admiration, he knew there was nothing that could top this.

[roanofarcc]

A CRUEL FATE

pairing. javi x reader 

summary. getting trapped as a tornado rages closer and closer dredges up all of the horrible memories of that day five years ago, but you’re determined not to lose any more friends.

warnings. lowkey reads as javi x reader x kate... but I'm not sorry about it. reader is having a very bad time. past-trauma, grief, anxiety, and mention of injuries. happy ending (no one dies this time). not proof read

word count. 1.9k || masterlist

One of the worst places to be in the middle of a tornado was under an overpass. The strong, solid structure tricks you. Its sturdiness and convenience can make a mind think ‘I’ll be safe under there.’ It may rattle and shake, but its ability to hold the weight of traveling cars and semis is deceiving. It probably won’t collapse in the wake of a tornado- that’s not what a person has to worry about- it’s the vacuum the overpass creates that makes it so deadly. As the tornado nears, it creates an impossible pull under the overpass. Anything underneath is likely to be sucked out at wind speeds almost unfathomable and spit out into the storm as if they were weightless. 

From a young age, growing up in tornado alley, you knew that. As a college kid dreaming of a grant to continue storm chasing with your best friends, you had witnessed firsthand the effects EF5 winds had in the space under the overpass. Sometimes when you closed your eyes, on a bad night, you heard the screams of your friends as they were ripped right from you. You could still feel Addy’s hand grasping yours as she climbed up after you. The sheer force of nature tore her from your fingers, nearly taking you too. But by some unfair miracle, it hadn’t. You and Kate, bloodied and at an utter loss, clung to a space that shouldn’t have kept you safe but did. 

Only you and her walked out from under the overpass. And from the second you stepped out into the awful blue sky and destruction as far as the eyes could see, you swore you’d never go chasing again. 

You had moved away and fell out with Kate and Javi when the grief became too much to bear. But somehow, you all found your way back to each other. Between steady convincing from both of them and Kate’s experiment working to successfully take down the twister in El Reno, you found yourself back in the game and one of the newest members of the growing Wranglers team. 

Most of your work was to hang back and track the storms with Javi and Dexter. You started to enjoy it again, missing the thrill of the dangerous storms and the utter awe of their power. It had been going so well. For the first time since the accident, you felt almost whole again, sandwiched between your renewed friendship with Kate and a blossoming relationship with Javi. Everything was nearly perfect until you found yourself facing down an overpass again. 

The small camper the Wranglers had fixed up as their on-the-go weather tracking center was carrying you, Javi, Dexter, and Dani to the nearest gas station to fix a tire slowly leaking air. The rest of the team planned to continue their chase as you all ventured further away from the forming storms. But the universe seemed to have to out for you; a cruel and unusual fate that you returned to after five whole years of healing.

A storm had switched directions, picked up speed, just as it had when you were in college. Before you fully knew what was happening, Dani slammed on the breaks, spinning the camper just slightly as the wind tugged on the vehicle, ratting it straight through to your bones. 

Everything fell fuzzy on your ears; all you heard was the awful howl of wind and your heart lurch into your throat. Someone tugged on your arm, forcing you out of your daze. Javi grasped your shoulders, shaking you slightly. 

“We’ve gotta go!” he yelled above the rising noise all around you. Together, you followed Dani and Dexter out of the camper, stumbling into the wide open. The wind whipped all around you and rain drenched you from head to toe almost immediately. 

You spotted the tornado behind you; its size monstrous, turning the sky an ugly gray. 

“This way!” Dani yelled, pointing toward it. The second your eyes landed on the overpass, standing almost as monstrous in your mind as the twister raging behind you, you felt heavy dread cement your feet to the road. Your lungs burned, a scream to tell them to stop stuck in your throat. But all you could muster was turning to Javi, who held onto your arm. 

“No,” you whispered, the world blurring as the storm grew nearer and nearer. “No, no, no. There has to be somewhere else-” 

He cut you off, eyes shining with something almost as fearful as your own. “There is no where else!"

You watched for a horrible moment as Dani and Dexter sprinted toward the overpass. In their shadow, you saw Addy and Jeb and Praveen running ahead of you for the very last time. Javi slipped his hand into yours and took off after them, forcing your feet to move. 

You ran through the rain, lungs and legs on fire. The second you all stumbled under the overpass, you felt the gut-wrenching tug of wind try so desperately to knock you off your feet. You gritted your teeth, flushed with so much fear it circled back to determination. You had been determined that day too. Determined to reach back and find Praveen after he vanished from your sight. Determined to keep holding Addy’s hand as she tried to climb up on the ledge after you. Determined to help Kate hold onto Jeb. 

When it was left to just you and Kate, you weren’t sure you had ever held onto anyone so tightly, only to let them go once the storm had settled. You had found her again, slipped right back into your old ways, but there would always be that thing that stood between you two; a shared bond and blood that you couldn’t talk about. And it was happening to you all over again. 

“Up there! Let’s go!” Javi yelled, ushering everyone up onto the slippery slope of concrete where the very same ledge was. Dexter crawled up first and you right after him. The wind only grew harsher, knocking Dani to her knees. 

You screamed something terrible, bending down and clutching her wrist so tightly you knew there’d be bruises left behind. But you hadn’t held onto Addy tight enough. You could have saved her; you know you could have, despite what everyone tried to tell you. But Dani was there, and you weren’t going to let her go. You pulled her up with all the strength you could muster as Javi crawled up the slope beside you, helping you. 

Together you got Dani up with all three of you, but the wind pulled on each of you so hard. With each second you felt your body threaten to get swept away, but you clutched the ledge with the same ferocity you had back then. 

Javi’s head was ducked right beside yours and one hand was snaked around you. You fisted the fabric of his shirt, tears and rain pouring down your face as the tornado engulfed the overpass. Under your hold, you felt Javi start to move, pull away but not of his own volition. You grabbed him tightly, hooking your arm around his. 

You couldn’t lose him too. The Javi who had swooped in in the aftermath, distraught but composed enough to take both you and Kate to the hospital. The Javi who, despite your fallout still left you birthday messages. The Javi who you came back to, who meant more than words could properly describe to you. You could feel him slipping from your fingers, but you only held on tighter, testing Mother Nature and her wrath. If she was going to take him, she’d have to take you too. 

It felt like a lifetime, but it was only a minute tops before the tornado passed and moved on. Javi’s body slammed back into the concrete, the wind puttering out. You couldn’t tell what on your body was physical wounds and what was phantom pain, but that hardly mattered as you peered back, seeing both Dexter and Dani still with you, not unharmed but alive. 

A cry of relief left your lips as you sat upright. Hands gently grasped the sides of your face, and your attention was on Javi. He wiped the rain and teardrops from your cheeks before resting his forehead against yours, letting out his own breath of relief. You threw your arms around him, holding him to ensure yourself you both were okay. 

“Guys,” Dani croaked, getting your attention. “The rest of the team...they’re here.” 

You cranked your head to see Tyler’s truck hurry beside the flipped-over camper. You all slid down the concrete slope and landed on the road to see the devastation left behind the tornado’s wake. 

From Tyler’s truck, you watched as Kate jumped out of the passenger door. She sprinted toward you, and you and Javi started to hobble out from the overpass. There was a sharp pain across your knee, burning with each step, but you didn’t care. 

There was a look of both horror and relief pained across Kate’s face as she approached the two of you. Without hesitating, she threw her arms around you and Javi, holding you guys close as her shoulder’s shook. 

“We saw the storm change but when he tried to reach you, you weren’t there,” she muttered into your shoulder. “You weren’t there, and we saw…I thought…” You pulled back from her embrace, seeing the same shell-shocked woman you had five years ago, only she was a little tougher and a little lighter now.  

“We’re okay,” you whispered, to both her and yourself. 

All of the Wranglers gathered around the three of you, checking on each other. You had a nasty cut across your knee, Javi had scratches littering his legs and one across his forehead, and Dani and Dexter both had bloodied limbs too. But aside from that, you all were still standing in some miracle that you couldn’t wrap your head around. 

“That was a hell of a storm,” Dani muttered, ringing out her soaked hat. She gazed at you, holding up her bright red wrist. “And you’ve got a hell of a grip.” 

Something between a sob and a laugh escaped your lips. Javi placed his hand on the small of your back, something that had always kept you steady. “I wasn’t going to let you go.” Your words held more weight than most of the Wranglers knew, but not Kate. She slipped her hand into yours, squeezing it lightly as to say she was there, she remembered, and she was just as sorry as you were. 

“I think that’s enough excitement for today,” Tyler said. “Let’s call it, get cleaned up, and grab some dinner. Yeah?” 

Everyone nodded and started walking toward Tyler’s truck, which they all were going to have to squeeze into. But you, Javi, and Kate lingered behind. 

“Are you sure you guys are okay?” she asked again. “That…” Her words hung silently in the air. That was too familiar, too close. 

“Yeah,” Javi breathed out, shaky but a little more sure than moments before. “Right?” He turned to you. 

You nodded and gazed up at the sky that began to shine bright blue. It had that day too. You didn’t know what you believed in, what happened after life, but as the sun beamed down on the three of you, you thought of all of them: Addy, Jeb, and Praveen. Maybe they were peering down at the three of you. Maybe they made their own vow not to let any of you go. Or maybe Mother Nature thought your fate had already been screwed with enough. Whatever it was, you were still standing with no intention to let anyone else slip from your grasp.

[cat-in-a-box13]

Twisters HC Part 2, electric boogaloo

ft. my attempts to make a coherent timeline based almost entirely on vibes

Kate and Tyler take an excruciatingly long time to get together. If the movie is set is June (which is what I'm going with based on when tornado season starts and the fact that it makes the most sense for the movie to start a little after the beginning of tornado season), they dance around each other until August after the last chase of the season.

However, by the end of the first week, the Wranglers are sick of their shit. Boone dreams of locking them in a closet together. Javi and Lily actively scheme to make them room together. Dani sticks a post-it note to Tyler's back that says "kiss me" and shoves him at Kate. Dexter intentionally sets their sleeping bags together every time they chase overnight. Nothing works until Kate finally just walks up to him after the last chase of the season and asks if he plans on kissing her, and Tyler responds by dipping her in the sappiest Hallmark kiss you can imagine. No one is sure whether to cheer or groan, because from here on out they will be even more insufferable.

Two weeks after she starts dating Tyler, Kate wakes Javi up in the middle of the night sobbing about how she's going to get him killed just like she got Jeb killed. Javi just silently calls her mom and hands her the phone. Cathy provides expert advice, and Javi provides hesitant head pats because what do you say to that?

Javi and Kate fight like siblings. The first time Javi steals Kate skittles and she full on tackles him, it surprised the Wranglers. The third time, no one even looked up. The seventh time, Tyler just called Cathy and put her on speaker.

Javi's mom left when he was a toddler, and his father traveled a lot for work. When Javi and his dad moved to Sapulpa, they became the Carter's closest neighbors. Rural neighbors, which means there's about a mile of the Carter's farmland in between their houses, but Javi and Kate met when Kathy dragged her over there to deliver a welcome pie.

Because Javi's dad traveled so much, Javi spent a ton of time over at Kate's house, to the point where Kate started calling the guest room, "Javi's room".

Javi's dad died unexpectedly a few weeks after Javi's 18th birthday. Cathy offered to let Javi move in with them, at least until he graduated high school, but Javi insisted on staying at his house, and his room at Kate's house went back to being the guest room. Of course, it didn't stay empty; there was almost always at least one Tornado Tamer that needed a place to crash and now, five years later, Cathy finds herself with a new group of kids (because they're all kids to her) crashing in her guest room and raiding her fridge.

Kate left town a few weeks after the funerals finished. She didn't go straight to New York but instead worked her way up the East Coast for about two years before she landed her meteorology job in New York 3 years before the start of the movie.

Javi drifted aimlessly for about six months before he served four years of active duty in (insert whatever military branch is the most likely to do whatever it was Javi was doing because I don't know how the military works) and is now an IRR for the next four years (I think this is how it works?). He got off active duty about six months before the events of the movie (based on his hair has somewhat grown out of military regulations at the start of the movie, but he still gives off military vibes).

Tyler and his team have been chasing unofficially for about six years, but it wasn't their full-time job until about two years ago, shortly after they brought Lily and her drone on-board.

They don't livestream every chase. Instead, they film for the majority of tornado season and try to get enough footage to be able to release weekly videos through the off-season, in addition to making more educational-type videos about tornadoes and what to do if one is coming for you, as well as showing behind the scenes kind of stuff, like what modifications they've made to the truck and stuff like that. The Wrangler's family dynamic is as much a draw for their audience as the tornadoes are and they know it.

Boone has absolutely stuck a Lego up his nose on a dare, and Dexter yelled at him the whole way to the ER when it got stuck.

Dexter thinks he's the only sane person on the team, but in reality, he gives off serious mad scientist energy when he gets going. He also thinks he's the Team Dad, but it's really Tyler. Dexter is the fun childless uncle that bought you toys your parents hated at Christmas and let you drive the ATV before you were old enough to.

[leaderpinhead]

Leona - The Lion's Den

Prompt: Breath (TwstOber) & Nap (Blotober) I found this in my files unedited, so I don't think I ever actually uploaded it. If I did...I guess you guys just get another round of LeonaxYuu anyway. You're welcome :P

“And here we have the rare, but lazy, Prince of the Savanna.” 

The audible click of a camera shutter made Leona’s ear twitch. He kept his breathing even in a feigned image of sleep. He heard the plastic siding of his tent rustle, and a slight breeze funneled through his previously insulated shelter. Another shutter click made his ear twitch again. 

“This species is known to average around twenty-three hours of sleep per day.” Leona had enough practice with Cheka interrupting his naps to keep his expression under control. Only one corner of his lip twitched upwards. “Researchers have yet to discover this fascinating lack of self-preservation, but theories have circulated the community. The popular one being an inflated ego paired with piles of thaumarks.” 

Another shutter click made Leona’s tail flick. His eyes may have remained closed, but his spatial awareness flared the moment the prefect crept into his tent. The tent crinkled under her precise movements. He wondered how much film her ghost camera held as she snapped another picture. 

“Despite this lazy species contributing little to nothing to the community, documentation of him is wildly popular to the population of female preteen and older. Multiple marriage proposals have been thrown at this lazy good-for-nothing with only minimum success. What is the gatekeeper to this wild beast’s heart? This documentarian is sad to say that the ladies may forever stay heartbroken as the answer to that question has yet to be found.” 

A loud crinkle of the tent floor behind his shoulders signaled the time to strike. He twisted his torso with a speed and dexterity Yuu clearly hadn’t anticipated from her expression of startled dismay. It was easy for him to wrap one arm around her waist and haul her over his hip to land with a startled squeak against the back of the tent. He anchored her legs with his own to limit her method of attack in that area. His other arm snaked around her shoulders, and his fingers tangled with her hair when he cupped the back of her head and shoved her face against his collarbone. 

Yuu’s attempts to squirm away from him were met with a husky chuckle. “Your research is lacking, princess.” 

Yuu huffed into the collar of his outdoor jacket. “I think I've done a very good job.” 

“Lazy is a poor descriptor.” Leona curled around her the more she attempted to squirm from his grasp. He smirked at the pained grunt he received as he effectively maneuvered her into the position of a living body pillow. “Intellectual is a better word. Intelligent, handsome, powerful—.” 

“Lazy, average, egotistical,” she snapped back. Her arm wiggled free from his hold and attempted to reach for the camera that went flying from her grasp when he had snared her. “Lemme up! I have an important job of documenting to do.” 

Leona hummed and loosened his grip as if to let her go free. Her squeak of indignation was all the more amusing when he tightened his grip just shy of her reaching her ghost camera. “And you call me egotistical?” 

“It’s not egotistical if you’re doing a job assigned to you!” 

“But important?” He chuckled again when she clawed at his shirt with her blunted nails. “Last I checked, this camp was set up for the sports team. Not little herbivores running around with a camera.” 

“Just wait until I get free! I’m going to bust out some moves you never dreamed an herbivore could do!” 

His humming laugh shifted into a large yawn. Yuu protested when he rolled more on top of her. “I thought as a documentarian you’d be interested in documenting what was previously a mystery.” 

“And what exactly is that?” 

“The gatekeeper to a wild beast’s heart.” 

Yuu paused in her struggling. Leona smirked at the silence, and his eyes drifted shut once more. Sadly, the silence didn’t last. “Suppose I was interested. For record keeping sake. And totally not to give the girls at Mourning Dove Institute new material on Magicam to leave me alone for a week.” 

Leona’s smirk widened. “So that's why you were sneaking in to take pictures? I almost feel violated.” 

“I am a self-proclaimed documentarian! All of my research is done for the greater good.” 

“I said almost. So you want to know the way to my heart, kitten?” 

“This is getting awkward now.” 

Leona swallowed a chuckle. He leaned down over her head to whisper into her ear. “The key to my heart—” 

“Could you not make this more awkward?” 

“—is a good body pillow.” 

Leona reveled in the moment Yuu realized she had truly become his prey. Her hand shot out to the tent’s wall as she frantically beat against it. “Ruggie! Save me!” 

Ruggie snorted from outside the tent. “You’re kidding me, right? I told you to leave him alone.” 

“Epel!” 

“Sorry, princess. I sent him off to gather more wood. He’ll be gone for a good hour now. Shyeheeheehee.”  

Leona matched the hyena’s snickers with a dark chuckle of his own. “You should know better by now than to sneak into a lion’s den.” 

“You just wait until you fall asleep. We’ll see who regrets what then.” 

Leona emitted a hum of disbelief and nuzzled his face into the top of Yuu’s head. They had barely made camp but she already smelled like the woods: the airy scent of the pine trees with an undertone of smoke from the campfires. He balanced his chin on the top of her head and settled in for a nice, long nap. 

...which never actually came thanks to his victim’s constant squirming and huffing, so he unceremoniously threw her out of the tent. Without her camera as his single act of petty revenge. 

[sadly-never-after]

Music in the EAH Universe and who listens to them Part 1.

This is just an excuse to try to make music puns and share music I think the characters would listen to. (Some of these are even canon by the books!) I don't even like a majority of these musicians but I am fully convinced of my choices here. I marked in colours the one that are canonically part of the EAH Universe.

Since Tumblr only allows 100 inline links for a post I have to make different parts.

Part 1 (Alistair, Apple, Ashlynn, Blondie, Briar, Bunny)

Part 2 (Cupid, Cedar, Cerise, Chase, Courtly, Daring)

Part 3 (Darling, Dexter, Duchess, Farrah, Faybelle, Ginger)

Part 4 (Holly, Hopper, Humphrey, Hunter, Jillian, Justine)

Part 5 (Kitty, Lizzie, Maddie, Meeshell, Melody, Nina)

Part 6 (Poppy, Ramona, Raven, Rosabella, Sparrow, Tucker)

♤♡◇♧ Alistair Wonderland Liddel ♤♡◇♧

David Longbow (Heroes, Changes, Under Pressure)

Tailor Hall (Fate of the stars, The Trap, Hymn for a Scarecrow)

The Beetles (Strawberry Fields Forever, Lucy in the sky with diamonds, Yesterday)

The Doorknobs (People Are Strange, Light My Fire, Strange Days)

The Poison (Lullaby, Three Imaginary Boys, The Caterpillar)

🍎❄🪞✨ Apple White ✨🪞❄🍎

One Reflection (You Don’t Know You’re Beautiful Charming, Story of my life, One Thing)

Taylor Quick (Love Story, Castles Crumbling, I Knew You Were Trouble)

Little Red Sheeran (The A Team, Celestial, Love In Slow Motion)

Reneé Rabbit (It‘s not my fault, poison poison, snow angel)

Chappell Throne (Good luck Babe, Kaleidoscope, California)

(the last two are secret because of comphet)

ʚ ☾⋆｡𖦹 °✩ 👠₊˚⊹♡ 𓍯 ɞ Ashlynn Ella ʚ ☾⋆｡𖦹 °✩ 👠₊˚⊹♡ 𓍯 ɞ

Taylor Quick (Wildest Dreams, Daylight, Lover)

Elvis Princely (Can't Help Falling In Love With You, Suspicious Minds, Love Me Tender)

Fleetwood Myth (Dreams, Landslide, Say You Love Me)

Florence & The Mill (Shake it out, South London Forever, No Choir)

Lana D'Aulnoy (Cinnamon Girl, Say Yes To Heaven, Margaret)

🗝🐻🧸📋🧋 Blondie Lockes 🗝🐻🧸📋🧋

ABBA-cadabra (Mamma Mia, Dancing Queen, Voulez-vous)

Goldie (Heart of Glass, Atomic, Rapture)

Fleetwood Myth (Little Lies, Second Hand News, Mystified)

Dolly Charmton (Jolene, Dumb Blonde, Powerful Women)

Maidonna (Material Girl, True Blue, Borderline)

🥀 ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 🥀 Briar Beauty 🥀 𐰁 𝗓 ᶻ 🥀

Sugar and Spice Girls (Wannabe, Spice up your life, Stop)

Chappell Throne (Good Luck Babe, Pink Pony Club, HOT TO GO!)

Katy Fairy (I kissed a girl, Last Friday Night, California Gurls)

Royale (Green Light, Perfect Places, Ribs)

Gwen Stepfairy (Just A Girl, Misery, Cool)

ִֶָ𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ🐇་༘࿐ Bunny Blanc ִֶָ𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ🐇་༘࿐

The Beetles (Here Comes The Sun, She Loves You, All You Need Is Love)

The Doorknobs (Light My Fire, Love Me Two Times, The Spy)

Fleetwood Myth (As Long As You Follow, Monday Morning, Dreams)

Lana D'Aulnoy (Chemtrails Over the Country Club, Terrence Love You, White Dress)

Spellanie Martinez (Tunnel Vision, Tag, You're It, Notebook)

You are trapped on an eight-hour long road trip with these guys and you have to give one of them the aux chord.

[haverkampink]

stop making aus of your highly specialized field challenge: failed

this all started because chilchuck reminded me of the grumpy heart of gold union dudes in my industry—he’s too little to be a carp, but his skill with budgeting and dexterity with small machinery makes him the ideal master electrician/technical director. Falin and Laios are a lights/sound dream team (Lighting is magic to me, ok. And Laios insists on doing all his own Foley), and Kabru is the perfect poker-faced stage manager.

Toshiro is the celeb cast brought in from out of town who had to have his entire team hired with him. Maizuru is actually the costume designer but keeps acting like his personal dresser.

[the-ninjago-historian]

Ninjago: Into The Deep (Master Post, Summary, and Q and A!)

Hello everyone! Thanks for stopping by! If you've been on my blog, you probably know about this upcoming project. But for those of you who don't, what is Ninjago: Into The Deep? I'll tell you! Ninjago: Into The Deep is a fully fleshed out Ninjago fan season inspired by legendary fantasy works such as Narnia, Lord of The Rings, and even classic Disney films and more modern adventure stories like Avatar: The Last Air Bender. Here's the summary!

Things are looking up for the Ninja since their battle with the Crystal King! Jay and Nya have gotten married, Lloyd is now training to become a sensei, and Ninjago City hasn't had a major disaster in over a month! (A new record!) Everything seems to be going well, until the team receives a mysterious letter from Queen Vania, requesting their presence.

Once they arrive, they discover an evil plot, orchestrated by former king Vangelis, to overthrow Vania and take the throne again! And having a taste of conquest while on the Crystal Council, the disgraced monarch has his sights set on the rest of Ninjago as well! Powered by a new energy source, Vangelis is now far too powerful for the Ninja to defeat with their current abilities. They must find a new way to defeat him!

This takes the Ninja on a quest to a new world! The magical and beautiful subterranean kingdom of The Deep Lands! There, they must find the Elemental Beasts. Seven creatures created by the FSM and imbued with elemental powers, to teach the first Elemental Masters how to use their abilities. And who control the very balance of nature itself! From these magical beings, the Ninja will learn new powers and skills that are beyond their wildest dreams, and take down Vangelis once and for all! So join us, as we meet new friends, experience new powers, and journey Into The Deep.🍃🌊🔥🪨❄️🐲⚡

So that's it! I also have some cool concept art that should be finished soon!

Now here's some Q and A to answer all your questions! Some are from one of followers, and others I added in just to give general information. 😁 If you don't see a question being answered that you would like to see answered, please feel free to send it in!

(Under the cut because this is LOOOOOONG.)

First some general info.

Q: How will the episodes be released?

A: Each episode is three chapters long. Therefore, split into three parts. (Kinda like how you would have two commercial breaks in a real episode of Ninjago!) One episode will be released every week! Via a released chapter every Sunday, Wednesday, and Saturday.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Q: How many episodes will there be?

A: 16-20. About as many a regular season of Ninjago would have!

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Q: What is this series rating?

A: G - PG! I don't do adult humor or gore. So it will be about as kid friendly as a usual Ninjago Season!

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Q: Will there be exclusive characters?

A: Yes! Several! Some including the Elemental Beasts, and even Cole's Grandfather Rocky! More will be released as the series goes on.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Q: Will the season ever be animated?

A: If I aquire the time, resources, and skills, absolutely!

Now, let's answer some questions from one of my followers and awesome friend @dexter-the-dog!

A: Probably the only thing that makes it an Alternate Universe is that Dragons Rising isn't canon to this story. Other than that, it should fit nicely with the canon.

A: YES! The Elemental Beasts! They are so cool! I can't even put it into words! Currently, there are six Elemental Beasts. One for Fire, Water, Earth, Ice, Lightning, and Air. The Air Beast will have a very important role to play in this story! I'm also partial to Cole's Grandfather Rocky, who will also be making an appearance! He's a very interesting guy. And super powerful too! After all, he fought the Serpentine and the Time Twins! So he has quite a few tricks up his sleeve!

A: As Doc would say, #NoSpoilers! Lol! But there is a really cool scene were Nya uses her powers in a new way! It should be EPIC. So cool in fact, I just might animate it!

A: Ah! I can answer both of these! Since Into The Deep is a fan season, it will try to fit into the canon as closely as possible. That being said, the characters are exactly as you would see them in the canon show. No backgrounds or roles changed. But whether they will gain new abilities or new roles? Well that I can't say without spoiling things.

A: It's definitely the Cole x Vania story I have planned. Lol. Yeah, I ship them. I think they're cute. And they'll have plenty of cute moments in this story!

A: Into The Deep happens about a month or two after Crystalized. :)

A: I've been waiting to answer this one! The Elemental Beasts take on a mentor role for each of their appointed ninja. They will help them learn new abilities and fight their inner demons to truly become their most powerful selves. They're also are basically Nature Spirits. Each one controls a certain element in nature from their base kingdoms in the Deep Lands. Because of this, they can never leave to go up to the surface, or the balance would be offset. This factor is important, so make sure you remember it while reading.

And that's all the questions I got! That was fun!

Before I end this post, I'm gonna tag a few people I remember being interested in this thing! (@rinkunokoisuru @shatteredhope123 @miraculous-stud @nocturnal-nexu @dexter-the-dog) Hope you guys enjoy all this info! And thank you for all your love and support. It's really kept me going.😁🫶

Well, that's all for now! Keep an eye out for updates! And I'll see you around! Bye! - ✒️🐉

[bifuriouswaterbender]

Take a Shine

I finally saw Twisters yesterday, and my brain won't let go of the polycule dynamic clearly going on with that team. Also available to read on AO3

“You’re being pouty,” Dani cooed in Lily’s ear, relishing the way it made her jump.

Lily turned around to glare up at her. They’d all spent enough time together that sneaking up was hard to do, and getting into a truck bed quietly was no easy feat.

“Wanna talk about it?” Dani propped her arms on the side of the truck.

Lily settled in, leaning back in such a way that Dani could brush her finger’s back and forth across her shoulder. “No. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Dani snorted. “Oh, don’t you?”

“No, I don’t.” She sniffed. “Just out here looking for gossip or something.”

“So I’m imagining the way you’re pouting at the way Boone’s hanging on Cowboy Carter’s every word?”

Lily offered her a withering look. “First of all, don’t call her that. I know some of the fans are, but they’re absolutely going to get us sued if we’re not careful.”

“And second of all?” Dani asked, full of fake helpfulness.

“I’m not pouting.”

“Would you prefer pining?”

“You know,” Lily said, “someday you’re going to run your mouth to the wrong people and say the wrong thing, and somebody’s gonna smack you upside the head.”

Dani grinned. “I’ll deserve it too. But don’t change the subject. We’re talking about you.”

“Boone can do what he likes and who he likes.”

“Not in this case,” Dani chuckled. “I get the sense Kate’s more of a one trick pony type than the rest of us. Think she’ll keep Tyler committed?”

Lily flicked her hair. “If she does, Boone’s shine on her won’t last long.”

“So it is about Boone.”

Lily didn’t respond.

Dani leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Lily’s bare shoulder. “You’re only human, you know. Even with this whole situation and as well as we all work together, it’s okay to be jealous of her.”

“Why would I be jealous of her?” Lily asked with a sniff, though she did lean more completely against Dani’s arms.

“Because the first woman to rope Tyler accidentally went and enthralled Boone too.”

In the silence that followed, Dani paused. Perhaps she’d miscalculated. “Or maybe it’s not Boone’s attention that’s the issue. Maybe it’s hers.”

With a scoff that immediately gave her away, Lily twisted away from Dani’s touch. “It’s not like that. If Tyler’s happy, I’m happy.”

“You were trying to move in before she was actually Tyler’s,” Dani realized. “‘Oh, I better go take her a plate! Doesn’t seem like Storm Par cares if she goes hungry!’”

“You shut your mouth,” Lily said, although there wasn’t much heat to it. They knew each other too well to lie when they’d already been caught out.

Dani let out a low whistle. “She’s a little too buttoned up for my taste, but I can see what you all like. If you’re into that clean cut sort of thing, she’s a dream.”

“Are you saying I’m not clean cut?” Lily teased.

Dani bumped her shoulder again. “I’m saying Dexter’s as likely to threaten to hose you down as he is me. High in the sky as your eyes may be, you get a little dirt under your fingernails just the same.”

Lily hummed in acknowledgement. “See, you say that, but Kate’s already showing us how willing she is to do the same. She’ll be good for Tyler. She’ll be good for us.”

This was written mostly to get the idea out of my system, but alas I am continuing. Chapter 2 is up on AO3.

[loonarii]

MADE IN KOREA: EP. 1 (my thoughts on the tv show for that british kpop bg sm decided to do for some unknown reason)

So if you didn't hear, SM Entertainment is the latest kpop company to dip their toes into the concept of a western kpop group - we had VCHA from JYP and their show A2K, KATSEYE from HYBE with their show Dream Academy (and I believe upcoming Netflix docu-series?), and now we have 'Dear Alice' from SM with the show 'Made In Korea: The K-Pop Experience'. Unlike the previous two groups, Dear Alice is a boy group, and are specifically all British, whereas the girls of VCHA and KATSEYE are from all over the world. As your local british kpop stan with access to BBC iPlayer (where this show is streaming) I decided to watch and drop my thoughts on the show and see if its any good, basically.

Right off the bat, the pitch to SM was clearly: 'we will make you a new One Direction' - like you can easily pick out of the lineup who is supposed to be Harry and Zayn and so on. It's not a stupid idea because after South Korea, the UK is probably the biggest exporter of music groups beloved internationally, but I doubt whether kpop stans will take to this well. At least they are promoting this on the BBC, directly to the UK, which is presumably their target audience.

They keep calling this whole thing an 'experiment' which it obviously is, but the higher ups at SM seems to be very on edge about the whole thing - after the groups first performance to Heejun (the director basically) she called a fucking emergency meeting with the SM team and the british producers - there generally seems to be a lack of confidence in the success of the group.

In the beginning of the episode they briefly mention (but for the most part gloss over) the audition process for this show, claiming they chose the five boys for their talents in singing and dance. Throughout the episode though it becomes apparently clear though that they (in the nicest way possible) don't really hold a candle to the debuted idols from SM. The whole show is based on this 'make a british kpop group in 100 days' gimmick, but the truth of the matter is you need a lot more than 100 days to become idol level good at dancing and singing - most idols train for 2 years minimum, some upwards of 6. I have no idea why they didn't choose boys with more preexisting skill in the audition process, or just give them longer to train - perhaps there could've been a bootcamp for a month before the going to korea bit to build basic skills - none of the 5 seem to be overly familiar with the kpop industry and it seems that pretty much all of their context as to what is expected of an idol is drawn from the SMTOWN concert they attended before their training began. They came off as quite unprepared, and Heejun's harsh comments to them in their evaluation clearly came as bit of a surprise to them. It is only episode one though, so i think if anything, now they know the level they are supposed to be at.

All of them apparently have a background in theatre or dance in some capacity (one of them is a tiktoker... ok) but only Dexter and maybe Reese struck me as having much aptitude for kpop dancing, but again it is only episode one so I'll cut them a little bit of slack. They struggled a lot with coordination and accuracy, but from my perspective as a dancer myself and kpop stan, the dance they learned to their song 'Feel the Vibe' (we will get to that don't worry lol) was not what I would call hugely difficult?? the members other than Dexter lacked a lot of fluidity but none of them were awful and I think with a lot more training they could be quite good. Olly seemed to struggle a lot with the dance, and there was some chatter from the producers that members could be cut, and if I had to guess anyone right now to be dropped (momentarily, I'm assuming anyone they kick is going to pull a Momo and be brought back) it would be him.

The song 'feel the vibe' is like.. what you would get if you asked an AI to spit out a 'boy group song' - it has a little bit of RIIZE energy so I wouldn't be surprised if this was an abandoned demo of theirs, but it also feels a little kidz bop? lmao? It's fine basically, not very exciting but not totally unlistenable. My main concern is that its quite a high song especially in the chorus, and the boys seem to struggle to hit the notes. Giving them a song that is out of almost all of their ranges is kind of setting them up to fail especially when they had a week only to learn it. Their poor vocal performance also explains why Heejun was so unconfident in this groups success - SM is is the kpop company known for its vocalists, being able to sing like Ningning or Taeyeon may not be necessary to succeed and debut in other big companies, but in SM vocals are crucial. Again they did only have a week, so at the very least potential is there.

They did a lot of b-roll content of them seeing the sights of Seoul, they did a gangnam style bit (god help me) met with Shindong (...), met RIIZE and TEN of WayV etc etc which was cool i guess - i hope this is a mainstay in the series and not just an introductory element.

Overall the show is not boring by any means, if a little cringey at times, my only concern is that the group that will emerge on the other side will not be up to par? I guess we will see.

[howlingday]

Penny Installed a Lightup feather for her freckles that can only be triggered by Pressing her nose.

Nora: SOOOOOOOO COOOOOOOOOOOOL!

Jaune: RIGHT?! HER BODY'S AMAZING!

Penny Poledina, the tenth member of the Rose Gang had returned, and was the first member to arrive at the hideout after the team was separated two years ago. Now in an upgraded and more heavily armored body, "Amazing Android" Penny Poledina bursts onto the scene!

Penny: Salutations~!

Nora: You're like a real robot! Can you shoot laser beams?! Or missiles?! What can you transform into?!

Penny: Correct! With the hopes and dreams of every organic person dwelling within her heart, she arrives to become a real girl! Her name is... ARMORED GIRL~!

Nora: ROBOT! ROBOT! ROBOT~!

Jaune: C-Calm down, Nora! There's such a thing as too much excitement!

Nora is set on her back, breathing heavily with a cool rag on her forehead. All the excitement overloaded her body and caused her body heat to skyrocket to Yang levels. For Yang, it's okay, but Nora can't take the heat.

Jaune: By the way, Penny. If you're so big and clunky, how will you do delicate work?

At these words, Penny's big fingers split open, where a much smaller and more dexterous set of digits grabbed the empty air.

Penny: Pardon me. Did you say something?

Jaune: TINY HANDS FROM BIG FINGERS!

Nora: SHE'S GOT BABY HANDS!

Penny: Press my nose~!

Jaune: Huh?

Penny: Press my nose for longer than three seconds for a surprise~!

Penny: PRESS AND HOLD MY NOSEFOR THREE SECONDS, PLEASE.

Nora: SHE SAID IT LIKE A ROBOT~!

Jaune leaned close, Nora hanging onto his arm as he pressed his finger into her soft, rubbery nose. Together, the two meat-people began counting down from three. Before saying zero, Penny's face exploded into feather-like whiskers from her freckles. She looked like a wildcat!

Nora: YOU HAVE WHISKERS NOW?!

Penny: (Combs whiskers) Affirmative~!

Jaune: WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW~!

Nora: WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW~!

Nora: Can we see your new weapons?! Pleeeeeeeeeease~?!

Penny made whirring and clunking sounds as she turned. With cold, sterile, and stiff movements, she turned to face her friends with exaggerated movements. Every sound was made from her lips.

Penny: NEGATIVE. I MUST WAIT FOR RUBY-MECHA.

Jaune: Sh-She moved like a robot!

Nora: And she said "mecha" too!

[polliwoggers]

it's the 28th anniversary of Kirby Super Star's release in Japan, so it's technically Marx and Bandee's birthday!

I probably won't have time to draw anything today, so I wanted to write down some headcanons to celebrate Marx's special day instead, because I've been thinking about him a lot more lately. I'll do something for Bandee some other time.

pranks are done purely for his own amusement and no other goal. other ex-villains might see that as boringly unambitious, but marx really and truly does NOT care what anyone thinks about him. He's just here for a good time.

freakishly good at math. he doesn't even need a calculator or anything. not that he could even really use a calculator, even if he DID have one, on account of the lack of hands.

has issues sleeping. for how energetic and bouncy he is, you'd think he got a restful sleep every night! but, in reality, he has to really tire himself out to even have a chance at getting to sleep. as in, ready-to-collapse tired. he also happens to be a very light sleeper, so on the off chance he actually gets some shut-eye, it's frustratingly common that he gets woken up by someone moving around, even if they're trying not to wake him. disturbing his slumber is sure to put you on the tippy top of his next-to-prank list. "revenge" pranks are some of his most malicious, so it's best to give him a wide berth if you see him resting.

has quite the appetite, but never seems to grow any bigger. he's not the sit-down-and-savor-awhile type of eater, either; he can be just as frantic about eating as Kirby or Dedede! He could never pack in as much as either of those gluttons in one sitting, though.

his food preference is for fresh fruits and floral-flavoured pastries. He actually doesn't eat much in the way of meat, but he'll happily crash your barbecue anyway.

DOES NOT FORGET ANYTHING. truly, he has the memory of an elephant. Just not the wisdom of one.

a surprisingly good listener. will actually sit still and take the time to hear out all your woes. he may even give you some advice! just don't expect him to pull any punches or sugar-coat anything. however, before you tell him your secrets, there is a very good chance that he will bring whatever info you confide in him up again just to poke fun at you, so be very careful with what you're willing to share.

if he had the patience (and dexterity) for strategic board games like chess or checkers, he'd actually be very good at them. Less so at card games.

the most frequent targets of his antics are Dedede, Susie, Taranza, and Magolor; that said, he's certainly not above pranking the other denizens of Dream land when he can think of something to get under their skin. When he decides to team up for a prank, he gravitates toward Magolor and Kirby as his partners in crime.

he and Taranza do NOT get along. Taranza considers Marx a deeply disrespectful, obnoxious, unfunny clown, and an overall complete waste of space within the star allies. Marx doesn't consider Taranza at all.

Marx finds Gooey very boring to interact with, since he never seems to get riled up over anything. Gooey still quite enjoys tagging along with Marx, though! Gooey finds him to be a very fun, funny clown.

Doesn't really have a proper place to call home, so places friendly to him will save a spot for him should he decide to pop by. These places include Castle Dedede, Kirby's House, and the Lor Starcutter, when Magolor's not off using it to sail the galaxy. On warm nights, Marx likes to rest outside and look up at the stars.

[itsdappleagain]

It's time for the end of season 2- The Deep Dive Caper!

What an absolutely showstopping finale!! I'm so thrilled to liveblog it. This episode gets serious like no other episode really does before or since. Lets get started!

Late, as usual. Buy a lottery ticket the day I do one of these on time. Notes under the cut as always!

right off the bat this episode is pretty much unlike any other. they try to have a caper setup- the vile drive- but it's not long before we realize that EVERYTHING is gone. even in the last finale the sort of "caper" of the episode was rescuing devineaux. this episode is all about answers.

"all on my own. the only sure way i know." hrnnrgh carmen

their boat is being so nice and stationary in the middle of a raging storm and waves taller than they are

"MY FIST IS GOING TO MAKE YOUR GUTS EXPLODE" ivy never change

its ALLL GONE

rip vile island we hardly knew ye

the cs team is just showing off their background artists 😌

ah would you like some mashed shadowsan with your steak

maelstrom your plan sucked babygirl sorry. should have sic'd brunt on her on the train like a rottweiler

interesting plan though. if shadowsan really had killed dexter, what would carmen have done? beat him up? sent him to acme? just thrown him out? she promises to hunt him down if he runs but like what were you going to do after that? murder for a murder?

malestrom: maybe she'll show up in botswana ✨ carmen who's been out for the count for half a year and has no reason to have even shown up in botswana as early as she did:

the teddy bear <3

in love with cleo's boob straps. that safety harness does not even clip in the front its like if a backpack was securing you to a car

that explosion animation is so good though its so impactful

its a damn good thing devineaux showed up when he did he could have been blown to the gates of hell in one second flat and no one would have been any the wiser

chase drinks so much disrespect women juice the first two seasons that he blames julia for an impression of her that his own mind dreamed up i love him for that

angry carmen is so babygirl to me. go bestie show emotion. get so mad about that shit

mmm and theres the shot i used for our title card! and what a fantastic one it is. shadowsan's motif playing in the background as carmen pauses at the oni, but the show itself telling us that he is still on her side with that gigantic, massive symbol of him framing carmen in a circle of red. if you pay attention and learn the colors the team likes, you don't even have to worry about this ep its all cool

you know what the dominant color in this entire scene of carmen trying to find out the truth is, though? blue. even when she's in the server room or staring at shadowsan's oni, the water isnt tinted green like they easily could have made it. its. all. blue.

obsessed with how zack wakes up he's being exorcised and the demon was the peppers and onions

agree it would have been hilarious if devineaux finally gets rescued and it turns out to be a really, really pissed off carmen sandiego

roundabout has the air of a theater kid who always got the leads but had to act surprised about it

evil ihop

i love how confused roundy looks its so funny

devineaux stabbing himself and the scream makes me cry laughing every single time

devineaux really goes ↘️↗️↘️↘️↘️↘️↘️↘️↘️

i would watch a series about devineaux being left to fend for himself on the island and slowly losing his mind

his supervisor was so excited about firing him

okay here we go it all gets real now

carmens realization going from my dad was a cop -> my dad was literally the exact opposite of a cop and neither of those things being things she is happy about

i love the realization hitting her face (even if it was animated. a touch blandly)

shadowsan's face s just animated fantastically here. his eyebrows are up- he realizes carmen is there, maybe confused about why she isnt saying anything. then his eyebrows drop, his face falls ever so slightly. he knows the jig is up

also. yes. "your silence is like thunder" is just. ough its such a good line

he isn't even surprised by the question he knew it was coming eventually

"if you run, I will find you." its not a threat its a damn promise. for older viewers its easy to draw the connection between the famous i will find you and i will kill you. it doesnt have to be said.

mm and carmen rejecting the offer to sit and be comfortable around him. she just can't

even in the flashbacks your can see so much of carmen in him its so great. its dishonorable, and everything carmen stands against, but she is undeniably her father's daughter

the plot for this flashback is so sophisticated its so so good. they treat the audience really well about it

also young faculty designs <3

the red on the inside of dexter's jacket to symbolize his secret with carmen im sobbing

also the decision to make carmen have his eyes is. hrngh.

already been pointed out but the way the music softens when shadowsan says "you" HURTS

THAT BABY IS A SNITCH. carmen. snitchdiego

the heartbreak when present carmen speaks again gfgrgh

i like the new mask he hangs behind him before carmen confronts him, by the way. its green and white- the shadow of vile and his past looming over his shoulder, maybe- but also the mask of vile he had to put on to lie about what really happened to wolfe

BABY CARMEN CRYING AS DEXTER TRIES TO HIDE HER :(((

the dolls rdhg im not crying you are

anyone have any thoughts on a dexter voice claim btw?

also also i sprang this on rueitae already but "dexter" while referring to dexterity and his skill as a thief can also mean "the one who dyes" which. jesus. it refers to dying cloth but the double meaning is ouchie

he locks her in gay baby jail!!!

i gotta stop making jokes about the most serious part of the entire series sorry

there's a little bit of a pink panther hint to his theme as he sneaks out the window which is interesting

rue's also already covered it but what WAS this man's plan for just leaving baby carm in there. like shadowsan says desperation i guess

god young chief shooting and killing an unarmed dexter wolfe and presumably orphaning her is the twist. of a fucking lifetime

the despair in the music cue when it reveals it was only his car keys

the matryoshka dolls getting burned in that fire ahrhgfrdshgsghds

love that shadowsan not only sets the house on fire while he and a baby are still in it but gives said baby an object that just got set on fire

also vile protocol dictating that he should have just burned a baby alive?? what the fuck!

bellum's apathy, mael's mild interest/concern, and cleo's disgust towards baby carm shdfjads

little tiny baby carmen shunting her butt at cleo is hilarious

faculty: omg she's a real natural thief she stole that thing without anyone noticing baby carmen in broad daylight five seconds earlier:

btw bb carm is so cute she's so round

carmen finally just sliding to the floor under the weight of all of that information. now that she has at least the idea that shadowsan was not the one who murdered her father, even if she still needs proof

"why would you make me find out on my own?" is one of the most heartbreaking lines in here. she had to go through this realization almost completely alone. her trust in the man she was coming to see as a father was shattered and he could have just told her. he could have just told her

ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh shadowsan crying theyre so family

you can just hear the regret and fear and sadness in his voice paul nakauchi is literally so good

REAL CHIEF!

COMMANDER!!!! oh shittt i missed the one and only canon commander caturday rip...

ivy violently hitting the cash register is a mood

the little reveal even in the music as it pans to ivy in the starbucks uniform

chief nailed the good natured but a little exasperated "hmm" when dealing with people who have no idea what they are doing

ivys little look as she sees carmen walk in. the smile drop off her face as she walks away

carmen's theme ahrugdhjdsg the music in this show is so good

what is her hand doing

oh chief no honey

the deadpan "i wouldnt drink it"

i love the little nod/head bow thing of acknowledgement of carmen's efforts

the sinister music as carmen ever so casually pulls off her little trick is GREAT

i didnt know chief could open doors 🤨

congrats on being gay agent argent you did it again

player hack chief so bad the logo goes off of the screen

"somethings wrong" yeah no shit julia

chiefs oh shit face is so funny shes like aohhhhhhhhhhhh noooooooooooooooooo

little guy

im so mature

we love digging up graves

that dawning apprehension on carm's face as she realizes there's a chance she might be about to see the decayed corpse of her twenty-years-dead mom in there

carlotta being modelled after old carmen was a cool choice. lots of fan theories about old carm being her mom this day 🫡

"are you with me?" "to the end of the line." grgfhgjhsdhjsgds im shaking them violently in my teeth if i ever got a cs quote tattoo or something it would probably be that line

the only thing i dislike about this cliffhanger is that in s3 they kind of try to deliver on this big wide promise that this finale gave us and then give up until the last episode of the entire series. like. isk. i feel like they should have either gone harder on the carlotta mystery or left it alone although they did leave me the opportunity to write a 66 thousand word fic series on the concept so i guess i cant complain

half clean shaven half very unshaved chase is so funny its cursed. he shouldnt have no hair but he shouldnt have that much worst of both worlds

devineaux's theme mixing in with that iconic action/danger soundtrack as he grins devilishly is just fantastic shit

chief waiting for a response as chase just silently smirks into the mirror

anyway GOODNESS GRACIOUS i cannot believe we're already through season 2????? what???? tis the end of my favorite season :( but s3/4 are nothing to sneeze at, either!! im super excited to get into more. (plus tsonts? are we doing that?)

[massiveladycat]

so i paired two of my main pjo ocs together because i couldn't resist!! HARRIS CONWAY

harris is one of my SWEETEST ocs. he's really big brother like and is very affectionate to others. he used to be very timid when he was little, but his confidence started growing, and he didn't need to start fights or do anything that went against his morals to do it!! harris is the co-counselor of cabin 2 (poseidon cabin) and he absolutely loves his siblings. he even convinced his mother morgan to adopt roman, an orphaned 13-year-old poseidon son!! harris is too polite for his own good, though, and tends to let people walk over him even when he did nothing to deserve it!! harris is very family-oriented, and he even has a good relationship with poseidon. when someone harris cares for (for example, roman), it is going BERSERK in a few seconds. harris can canonically control water and control blood when he's panicked enough. he doesn't do it, though; it makes him feel inhumane. harris will actually listen to a lot of the campers rant; he's easy to talk to, and the campers like him so much that they can, will, and have fought people who thought they could hit harris and get away with it because harris excuses them. harris has lightly tanned skin, blue eyes, and wavy black hair with a lean body AINSLEY RIDDLE

ainsley is one of my oldest ocs (meaning, she's been here for a long time; not in age, she's 18 or 19)!! she's a mature daughter of bacchus, and an augur's assistant. she doesn't take shit from anyone and is confident (though insecure in a few points, like her body) and is very duty-oriented, though she's just full of love and she protects and helps anyone she cares about ! she can and will drive through a freak snowstorm to get someone she loves out of there. she loves her siblings very much, even if dexter's an idiot (son of dionysus) and izabel's a sassy thirteen year old girl (related to ainsley by mortal mother). ainsley is the type of person to get to the point quickly, and it doesn't take long for her to understand something. ainsley's usually reserved but give her a party to plan and i promise every part of it is going to be CRAZY. bc you cannot convince me that every camp jupiter doesn't occasionally have secret parties with ainsley as the planner. and they hide it from the higher-ups (and sometimes even the centurions will join in). she's passionate and driven; when her composure shatterrs, it cuts. ainsley is black in race, has dark black curls that she will normally wear in a bun, brown eyes a few facts on them and their dynamic!!

harris helps ainsley to open up and not be scared to be vulnerable

harris comforts ainsley when she's feeling stressed about augury

ainsley gets very frustrated when people walk all over harris; she WILL fight and harris has to tell her its okay (but its not)

ainsley isn't super good at understanding emotions, reading people, or comforting them or making herself seem approachable

harris is good at that, so there are quite a few scenarios they would be the dream team in

ainsley doesn't know how to control the vine aspect of her bacchus bloodline, so harris tries to help her the best he can

ainsley keeps a level head while harris can and will panic; ainsley comforts him

because ainsley is direct, she won't hesitate to tell harris not to downplay his own needs for other's wants

harris trusts his girlfriend enough to do almost any battle plan she asks

ainsley trusts harris enough to know he'll succeed (though she will occasionally get nervous watching him fight)

harris is more of a pacifist; he doesn't like to fight, but he will if he needs to defend himself.

harris is a long-distance fighter, and ainsley is a close-up fighter

they both went on a quest together with hector campbell (another pjo oc) and thats how they connected • harris and ainsley are both 18

[startrekfangirl2233-writes]

Don't You Forget About Me

Part Two

Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw

Description: Jake's had to live with a lot of incredibly annoying people over his life. But of all of them, he's never been as frustrated by anyone the way he has been frustrated by one Bradley Bradshaw. Rooster may be a textbook perfect pilot but he hesitates too much. Tell someone they'll never get anywhere once and get your head bitten off? Sure. But at the same time, Jake can't help remembering the one person who had inspired him to dream of the sky. That Bradley, wherever he is, had better be proud. Because Jake is. This Bradley, no matter how sexy and alluring with his damned pornstache and effortlessly tousled curls had better watch out. His callsign is Hangman for one particular reason, after all. Everything comes to a head after the Uranium Mission. Maybe Jake's Bradley from Texas is closer than he thinks? Disclaimer: This is a Hangster story -> What you see is what you get, folks. Slight mention of homophobic/ lgbtq+ phobic family members. Word Count: 2755 Author's Note: Hiya! I wrote this fic for @roosterforme's Top Gun Rocktober Event based on the song Don't You Forget About Me by the Simple Minds. Here's part two. I hope you all like it! Part two happens after the Uranium Mission and is in Jake's POV.

It's been a long road, getting to where I am right now. Years of sweat and blood and tears. Years of ignoring my uncle's insistent demands for money, years of sporadic contact with Mom. But I don't regret one bit of the pain or sorrow of the past decade. I can't imagine what my life would have been like if I hadn't met Bradley at the party all those years ago. Hell, I probably would've been working on some ranch in Texas, still under my uncle's thumbs and miserable to boot.

I can still remember the smile on his face and how gentle he'd been with me. I mean, don't tell Phoenix or anything, but I haven't always looked this good. There was a time when I weighed about ninety pounds soaking wet. I was gangly limbed - all the grace of a newborn colt with none of the dexterity. The only thing I knew I wanted for the future was to stay with my boyfriend. That went over well, didn't it? Especially considering how monumentally that relationship crashed and burned.

It's weird, attributing so many of the biggest accomplishments in my life to one person, especially someone that I knew for only a night over a decade ago.  His words, his opinions, I remember them like I’m still sitting in the passenger seat of his car. But I barely remember his face or what he was wearing. The attraction? That I still remember. I remember that all too well, one could say. I’ve never felt like that with another man before him. Even the fact that he’d called me ‘kid’ hadn’t seemed to matter, not when my hand was in his and when I was transfixed by the heat in his whiskeyed gaze. It’s no wonder that whiskey is one of my favorite drinks, not when each sip makes me remember his eyes.

There’s only been one other person in the past twelve years that has made me feel the same way that Bradley did. Even his first name is the same, and his eyes. But he’s never once looked at me like he remembers me. So he can’t be the boy who changed my life. Then there’s the fact that until not too long ago, I couldn’t stand him either. Him and I, we’ve always been like oil and water. Bradshaw was the responsible person. The guy COs loved to fawn over because he flew by the book without ever deviating from it. I’m the renegade, the maverick - the guy you send in to get shit done no matter what. He was the asshole who everybody liked and who wouldn’t get off of the perch his namesakes loved to sit on. 

But even I can admit that things have changed over the past few weeks. I’m a part of a team, for one. Not just a lone ranger doing their own thing. I’m actually a part of this squadron. Standing in the Hard Deck after what has to be the hardest mission of my whole career, I feel better than I ever have. Let me make it clear. I was the auxiliary on the mission. A part of me is still not over that fact. I understand it now, but call it my ego or my need to succeed or whatever you want, it still stings. Maverick saw my performance up in the air, he saw how I flew and he still found me lacking.

But I was the man everyone could count on. The guy who made sure everyone came home. But why is the true hero of the mission, the man who made the one-in-a-million shot, sans laser sight, during the mission, nowhere to be seen?  Phoenix is doing shots with Bob. Payback and Fanboy are poorly serenading some unsuspecting girls on the other end of the bar to the song pouring out of the jukebox. But where is Rooster?

There must be something wrong because he hasn’t unplugged the jukebox even once and led the bar into an easy rendition of some Jerry Lee Lewis throwback from a century ago. I haven’t spent a single night at the Hard Deck out with him where he hasn’t rounded the night out with a surprisingly tuneful albeit drunken rendition. Between me and whoever else hears my mental dialogue, it should be illegal for someone to sound that good while drunk. The bar is packed, but well, you’d think finding a six-foot-tall man would be far easier than you think. But even as I order two beers from Jimmy at the bar, I don’t see Rooster Bradshaw anywhere. At least that is, until I’m in the corner of the bar near the pool tables.

He’s sitting on the deck out back, looking out over the placid ocean. It’s honestly a relief to escape the hoppy stale air and the insistent crowd the minute I open the doors. If I have to tell the story of my dashing rescue mission, complete with “Good afternoon, ladies and gentleman, this is your savior speaking.”, I might just scream. My throat is sore and I wish that the news of my derring do’s hadn’t passed around base the moment the carrier docked. 

But all of my thoughts fly out of my mind the minute I see his face. He looks good, it wasn’t exactly a secret that first night back in San Diego that I thought that. I’ve always thought he looked way too good to be true. But tonight, even I can admit that Bradley Bradshaw has looked better. There are dark bruises rising up across his chest, his arm is in a sling and as a whole he looks like he’d be better suited to curling up in bed than sitting out on the beach outside of a bar. Should he even be drinking with the potent meds I’m sure the doctors gave him? I’m kind of afraid to ask, so instead I sit down near him and hand him one of the beers. I rub the condensation away on my jeans and truly, I don’t know what to say.

A part of me knows that I should ask if he’s okay, but instead I ask, quietly, my voice barely audible over the rushing ocean tide, “Why did you do it?”

“Do what, Bagman?” He’s slurring his words, exhaustion evident in every pore. When he picked up a bruise on his cheek, I have no idea.

“Why did you go back?” I don’t know why of all the questions I have for Bradley Bradshaw after over a decade competing with him, it was this one that I chose to ask.

He looks confused for far too long before he rasps out, “I had to. Mav’s the only family I have left.”

His earnest, easy acceptance and love for our Captain leaks from every word. The look on his face, too, is unspeakably familiar. I can’t help wondering if maybe I have met Bradley Bradshaw before. But when? How? I don’t think we’ve actually talked to each other, not once since the day we met. It’s been friction, just glorious dizzying friction since that day. He pushes me to be better, even when he’s acting like I’m not worth the space I inhabit.

Tonight, though, Bradley Bradshaw makes me feel different. It’s probably just the exhaustion on his face as he sips lacklusterly on the beer in his hands. But I feel younger and older all at once. In the glint of the moon, his eyes flash golden.

“Why’d you do it, Jake?” I wasn’t expecting that question. Not at all. 

“I…” If he notices how my throat works as I try to string my disparate thoughts together, he doesn’t call any attention to it. I feel transfixed under the liquid amber of his gaze. “I had to.”

“Mav said we all had to come home. All of us meant you and him too. I’ve lost a wingman already. I’m not ready to lose anymore.”

I busy myself shredding the sodden label of the beer in my hands. It’s mostly full still, my mouth too dry and throat too tight to swallow any of the liquid. My head’s spinning too, caught in his gaze.

“Huh…” His chuckle makes my cheeks warm. “I didn’t think you had it in you.”

“I didn’t either.” For several moments, it’s quiet outside. Then someone props the back door open and I can hear some of the music pouring out of the jukebox. 

Don't you try and pretend

It's my feeling we'll win in the end

I won't harm you or touch your defenses

Vanity and security, ah

Don't you forget about me

“Why’d you join the Navy, Hangman?” My eyes open at the unexpected question. I guess they’d closed when I listened to the song on the juke.

“I figure I might as well ask.” He shrugs, just the one shoulder, gesturing with his bottle to get me to spit the words on the tip of my tongue out.

“I met someone going to Officer Candidate School when I was seventeen in Austin. He was different … nice. I’ve never been called a kid more affectionately. He told me about the Navy, and well, there was nothing better waiting for me. So I joined up right after I graduated.” Nostalgia colors my tone as I think back to how different I was back then. “I think this song was playing on the radio actually.”

What I don’t expect to hear is laughter. Pained, overloud, sudden, jarring laughter. I turn my head and like I expected, it’s coming from Bradley Bradshaw. It rankles a little having someone laugh at something I’ve never told anyone else.

“What?!” If I sound like I’m snarling, well I’m sure it’s my prerogative.

“God you always were a little shit, huh?” The naked fondness is more than a little surprising. 

“What do you mean?” I’m pouting and grumbling, I know. My beer’s sitting on the decking and I have no idea where I should look. If I look into his smug face, I’m going to say something I know I’ll regret. 

“You ran into me that night, if I remember correctly. Called me an asshole and everything." This can't be happening. There is no way this is happening. My Bradley, the kind, supportive one, can't be Chicken Bradshaw. That's not possible. Please don't tell me I've spent the better part of a decade trying to antagonize the one person who convinced me that there was something better for me than being my uncle's whipping boy.

"I definitely did not." 

"You were about ninety pounds soaking wet. Sure, you look different, but that particular rage in your eyes? I've only ever seen it on one other person." He licks his lips, but while I should be focusing on what he's saying, I can't help noticing how chapped they are and how incredibly soft they look.

I'm frozen, paralyzed. Until a hand nudges my own. I'm not sure why I do it, but I put my hand in Rooster's. His hands feel the same as they did all that time ago. Big, just a little bigger than my own, the long fingers calloused but gentle and warm as they clasp mine.

"I know I'm probably not who you thought you wanted to thank." Is that self-deprecation in Rooster Bradshaw's tone? No way. He just saved the entire world as we know it.

"Who says, Roo?" It's gratifying to see the pink on the apples of his cheeks. This close it feels like there are whole galaxies in his eyes and I feel this sudden sense of deja vu.

In Austin, all those years ago, as we were talking high above the city in Bradley's vintage Bronco, all I wanted to do was sink into his lap and kiss him until all he knew was me. I thought I'd outgrown that particular fascination with the stars in his eyes and the scars trailing down the side of his face. Obviously not. 

A lot has changed in the decade between that night and this one. I'm still incredibly handsome, obviously, but muscular and fit, no longer emaciated and malnourished. Bradley's even broader and stronger than he was before - beefy is the only term I can use. And DADT, that one governing guideline for all non-heterosexual people in the military is dust in the wind.

But more than what I want, which is to croon 'Roo' into his ear as he rails me until I can't feel anything below my waist, I have to consider whether he wants me, too. It wouldn't be the first time that I'm too much for somebody. It probably won't be the last time either. 

"Hangman? Jake? JAKE!" I blink, sure I'm blushing because I think I just zoned out looking at his lips.

"You okay?" 

I nod, smiling just a little. He's close, incredibly, impossibly close to me.

"Jake. Tell me if I'm reading this wrong, but I really want to kiss you." His raspy voice sends shivers down my spine.

But I know he's not feeling his best, so I take control. His hair feels like silk at my fingertips as I peck his lips, once, twice, and finally a third time. It feels way too good, how even those simple kisses make me feel giddy in a way I've never felt before.

I cradle his face gently in between my palms, levering my body onto his lap until I'm straddling his waist.

"You look good, Bradshaw." His chuckle makes me smile, something real. Something soft and new.

"I am good, Seresin. Too good to be true." I kiss him again, relishing in the prickle of his mustache against my lips and cheeks. This new angle also lets me look, really look at Roo. There are dark smudges under his eyes, bruise-like in their intensity.

"Roo," My voice is gentle as I pepper kisses against his jaw. "How long has it been since you've slept, baby?"

His nose wrinkles. "I haven't really slept since before we left."

"Let me take you home, then, sweetheart?" His eyes darken at my words, but I stop him with a soft chuckle. "Not to do that. Though I do want to. You look as exhausted as I feel. I just want to see you sleep, darlin'. Okay?"

His nod is a little dazed, but he doesn't argue when I grab the beer bottles and slip back in to drop them off back at the bar. I get accosted on my way back out to Roo by the one person who would be perceptive enough to notice the two of us out there.

"Hey, Hangman." I blink, more than a little surprised at the surprisingly strong arm barring my way.

"What can I do for you, Bobby Boy?" 

He pushes his glasses up and says in a serious tone, "The two of you are good together. Take care of him, yeah?"

Now I really must've entered the twilight zone. I've got everything I've ever wanted and the one person who probably should disapprove of everything I do just told me to take care of Roo. But I can't help the giddy grin on my face. Rooster's still right where I left him, watching the few sparse clouds sail past the moon.

"Take me home, Seresin." I don't think I could stop smiling if I tried. He's said my last name so many times, in so many ways, but it's never been so fondly.

"You got it, Bradshaw." His hand is warm and secure in mine as I get him into the passenger seat of my pickup.

By the time I pull into my parking spot on base, Roo's nearly half-asleep. Sleep's tugging at me too, but I manage to keep it at bay until I have him in a pair of my flannel pajama pants, curled up comfortably under the sheets of my bed.

I lie down and face him, tracing each dip and strong line of his face with my eyes as I finally start to fall asleep after the mission.

"Hey, Jake?" I hum lightly, too tired to say anything more.

"Don't you forget about me, okay?"

"I'll be calling your name, Roo. I couldn't forget you if I tried." It's true. I never would've expected one of the worst nights of my life to lead to the one person who has always known what I needed. Now it's my turn to make sure he has what he needs.

Taglist:

@chaoticassidy @kmc1989 @shanimallina87 @mayhemmanaged @desert-fern @cassiemitchell @dakotakazansky @roosterforme @cherrycola27 @thedroneranger @mak-32 @beyondthesefourwalls @sarahsmi13s @horseshoegirl

I DO NOT CONSENT TO HAVE MY WORK POSTED, TRANSLATED, OR PUBLISHED ON ANY SITES OTHER THAN HERE OR ON AO3 BY ME. IF YOU SEE MY WORKS ANYWHERE OTHER THAN HERE OR AO3, THEN THEY HAVE BEEN POSTED WITHOUT MY PERMISSION AND I WILL BE WORKING TO TAKE THEM DOWN.

[doehoney]

What if Dexter wasn’t even gonna be a serial killer and his dad made him into one bc I’m personally team Dexter yelling “no this is YOUR dream dad”