#Hopeful Vine

[lunarosewood23]

FFXIVWrite2024 Prompt 10: Stable

XVI -> XIV crossover and both Endwalker and MotR spoilers: The gang crashlands in the Omphalos after getting back from Valisthea. Fts @starswornoaths's Serella and a few of @inkblood-mistrieu's characters.

~~~

Raven still couldn't believe it, yet while she made her calls to Serella and the others as she stared at the monolith of the Omphalos she felt tears stinging in her eyes.

They were home.

A gasp caught her attention and Raven looked down at the others. Their newfound friends from Valisthea came with them too!

And they looked like they were all going to be sick. Well, the ones not currently being tended to by Mingxia, who was doing her best to stop the spread of the petrification trying to take the three who fought at Origin.

She was no healer, but she could still try singing.

Ratatoskr? Can you help me one more time?

“You know I will hatchling. Especially after you helped in rescuing my brood brother.”

With that Raven began to sing. It wasn't much of a melody, but it seemed to help stabilize them until L'tahsu and Serella showed up with Hopeful Vine, G’raha, Noudenet and Haumeric.

"...Hopeful Vine, Noudenet, Uathach, prepare the space. We begin operation immediately." L’tahsu stated as he knelt next to Mingxia and the three men who appeared to have...dead yew leaves on their chests.

Raven flung her arms around Serella. “Thank goodness I've missed you!!”

“I missed you, too-and came as quickly as I could! You have me worried, friend." Serella replied.

“Sorry, but in my defense it was urgent.” Raven admitted sheepishly. “Once we get them stable you think Tataru will let us keep them in the Rising Stones until they're well enough to travel?”

“I have no doubt. But while they rest you have to tell me what happened.” Serella assured. "Though for now, at least give me their names and some sort of explanation for what happened. Can't help if I don't know what's going on."

Raven nodded and began pointing out everyone, starting with the three L'tahsu had started to work on. “The man with black hair is Clive Rosfield, the redhead is his brother Joshua, and the blonde in white is his stepbrother, Dion Lesage. Those three sustained the worst damage as they fought the big bad.”

She then began pointing out the ones who were merely aethersick. “The wolf is named Torgal, who is the sweetest hound we've met. I think Vardr would be glad to have a friend. The woman with long silvery hair is Jill Warrick. I think you and Ysayle would do best with her, she's specialized in ice magic. She and Clive are also very close.”

“The woman with short brown hair and is dressed like a Tonberry is Jote. She's Joshua's retainer and...I think they're dating? I don't entirely know their deal.” She explained as she pointed to the woman that Haumeric was tending to before looking at a man with brown hair in a militaristic cut and wearing silver armor, the crest of a dragon set on his breastplate. A young girl about the same age as Kaia and Zephirin’s foundlings was clinging to him. “Terence and Kihel. He's Dion's second in command, while the child saved his life after a shitshow in one of the cities. I think Zephirin is gonna have words with Dion, and Kaia might find a kindred soul in Terence, who knows.”

“As for the lovely blonde woman over there-” She pointed to her, who G'raha had been tending to. “-that's Benedikta Harmon. She made me think of Yotsuyu, a little.”

“Similar stories.” Rukia offered. “Yotsuyu might have a kindred spirit with her, and Barbarricia.”

“As for what happened, well...the super rushed TLDR version is we were called, we made friends, aaaaaaaand we saved a shard of Etheryis from potentially rejoining, or just getting blown out of existence. I’m not entirely sure at this point. But we’re back! And we brought our new friends with us because someone-” She looked over at Mingxia, who was currently smushed against Dion and looking like she was going to fold at any minute. “-shared her aether around among them.”

“Sounds about right.” Serella stated. “Well I’m glad you guys are back. Thankfully it’s been quiet since you guys disappeared, though I hope Mingxia knows she chose an interesting place to drop off her friend Telamon.”

“Cid’s here? Hell yeah thank gods!” Rukia piped up. “I missed that sexy silver fox.”

“Of course you would.” Serella replied with a sigh and a fond shake of her head before looking at the ones collapsed on the ground. “How bad are they guys?”

Haumeric sighed as he looked up from where he was knelt at Jill's side, her silvery hair falling in her face. “A majority will merely be aethersick for a good while, however I worry for those three.” He explained as he looked towards L’tahsu, Hopeful Vine and Noudenet, who seemed to be in focus at the three people that looked to be in various stages of...petrifying?!

“What the...why does that look like what we saw on the First with the Inn patients??” Serella asked.

“Their world isn’t exactly kind to magic users, or those who held similar magic to Ysayle and could summon a primal into their bodies. Not to mention that their bodies are suffering from an aether depletion.” Haurchefant explained, already switching to his white magic kit to help. “Though I would liken this more to what Giott and I saw with the dwarves, stoneblight.”

Serella nodded as she sighed. “Oh boy...alright. I didn’t think to bring a porxie but-”

“No need I got it.” Hopeful Vine assured as the creature flew over and landed on Clive while L’tahsu finished up on Joshua.

“I’ll introduce you to everyone properly when they’ve woken up.” Raven promised before looking to the others. “One of us should call Tataru and see if we can borrow the Rising Stones for a bit while they recover.”

“I’ll call.” Rukia offered. “Someone should also call Telamon too, unless he came with you.”

“I actually told him to wait in Mor Dhona.” Serella replied. “I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to bring him to the Omphalos, all things considered.”

“Then I’ll go get him too.” Rukia replied as she stood. “I can even take one of them with me if you want.”

Raven looked over at the Valistheans in thought before nodding to Benedikta. “Take Benedikta. I’d say take Kihel but I think Terence would freak the hell out if you did.”

“Cid might also appreciate seeing Bene too.” Rukia agreed as she slowly sat the woman up, who groaned. “Hey Bene, how are you feeling?”

“I feel as though I'm going to vomit.” She groused, her hazel green eyes clouded by the aethersickness. “Ugh where's my pipe...”

“Easy Bene, I'm taking you to somewhere you can rest. Can you stand or would you prefer I carry you?”

Benedikta tried to stand on her own but keeled over the second she was upright. “Damnit...alright some help would be appreciated. Where are we?” She asked as she winced at the light.

“Not in Valisthea, that's for sure.” Rukia stated. “You're in our world now. Hate that your first little bit is spent like this, but welcome to Eorzea.”

“Too bright...” She grumbled.

Rukia giggled as she went to carry her. “Go back to sleep Bene. Don't worry, we'll get you somewhere cozy and something light to eat to help with the bad stomach bug. Your body is gonna need time to get used to the aether here.”

Serella watched Benedikta sigh and close her eyes, choosing to trust Rukia after what felt like bells.

“Thanks Bene. I gotcha.” Rukia soothed as she scooped her up. She looked up at Serella with a sigh. “Like I said, she's like Yotsuyu. Been through hell. Should probably introduce them when she's better.”

“There's a lot of people who they should be introduced to. I know for a fact Zephirin’s gonna have words with that one.” Raven sighed as she pointed to Dion, whom Mingxia was clinging to.

“Agreed. But I'll meet you guys at the Stones. Call if you need help.” Rukia nodded as she walked out, though not before Haumeric put a necklace and pair of wristbands on Benedikta. If she remembered correctly from when L'tahsu treated Telamon, they would help in easing the amount of aether intake.

She sighed. “You need me to make more of the jewelry?”

“If you are willing and able that would be most appreciated.” Hopeful Vine replied in L'tahsu's stead. “These three are in the worst shape, but the others are severely aethersick. Thankfully they’re all under a sleep spell to help with the nausea.”

Serella nodded and got to work, but noticed Jill slowly reaching for Clive. Her eyes were closed but she seemed to be murmuring in her sleep.

“...Clive...hurt...Shiva...” She murmured before going still.

“Shiva?” Serella asked.

“Y’know how Haurchefant said that there were people who were like Ysayle and could summon primals into their bodies?” Raven asked. When Serella nodded she pointed at Jill. “She could summon Shiva. She might’ve been trying to use her powers to help Clive.”

“There were others like her too. A total of nine, though one of them technically wasn’t supposed to exist. One for the six elements, plus Light and Darkness, and the bonus one.” Floriano explained. “They were called Dominants there, and not all of them are here. The Dominants of Titan and Odin, are dead. Rukia just carried off the Dominant of Garuda.”

“Hold up a sec, trying to set these correctly.” Serella explained as she had already pulled out her goldsmithing tools and was setting a gem in a necklace. “Sorry, continue.”

“You met Telamon, who had Ramuh.” Raven started before pointing to Joshua, “Phoenix.” then pointed to Clive. “Ifrit.”

“And finally, the reason we got pulled to their world, Bahamut.” She finished as she pointed to Dion. “While there we discovered that the Bahamut of their world was actually the Dawn Wyrm of ours. The big bad yanked his soul from the Lifestream after he died in our world and dragged him there.”

"By the Twelve...were Ascians involved, do you think?"

“We think it was an Ascian, but the way that thing was warped into some undead ginseng sephirot, we don’t know what it was that made it like that, though it made Mingxia really sick by the looks of it.” Raven explained as she looked over at Mingxia before sighing. “I need to get a hold of Hades, because if there’s anyone who would know how the hells Bahamut got to another shard after his death, it’d be him.”

“You mean if he didn’t have a hand in it?” Serella muttered bitterly as she passed off several necklaces to Haumeric before starting on the wristbands.

“He does have soul sight. Wouldn’t be surprised if the fucker yanked Bahamut out of the Lifestream himself and gave him to the corrupted Ascian to cause a Rejoining.” Raven grumbled. “Either way, if I want answers for how he got there, the best chance to get answers is him.”

Serella patted Raven on the shoulder as L’tahsu rubbed at his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, appearing to be done with at least Clive before moving to Dion, the one that Raven said carried Bahamut. 

“Gods I hope the song of your soul becomes something more than just a beautiful tragedy, Dion. Now that you're here, somewhere you can actually heal without duty trying to slow you down...” Raven prayed as she looked over towards Terence and huffed a breath of relief. “And you won't be alone either.”

Serella gave her a worried look as the brunette seemed to be reaching for the blonde, albeit weakly.

“G'raha, help him.” Raven stated softly.

He looked at her in confusion before he noticed what was happening and placed his hand closer, letting him take the blonde's hand and weakly squeeze it before going still again.

Serella looked at Raven, who only gave a small smile. “They're married. Have been for years, even if they couldn't show it. But also he's his pillar of support, the only one he had for most of his life.”

Serella blinked at their joined hands before sighing. “There's a story there.”

“There is, but sadly one I can't elaborate on until they wake up.”

“Gotcha.” Serella nodded as she passed off a few sets of wristbands to go with the necklaces she made before they heard a gasp and a swear from L'tahsu. They looked up to find Mingxia slumped on the ground while the blonde, Dion, was for the most part breathing, even if he was still passed out on the ground before everyone shrieked.

“MINGXIA!!”

Suddenly, they watched the redhead, Joshua, slowly blink as he opened his eyes. He sat up and took in their surroundings before spotting Mingxia on the ground. “Soul sister...”

Serella blinked and watched as Joshua reached over and take her hand. He placed it to his chest before a spark of a flame erupted from his hand. “Please soul sister...”

Mingxia gasped before she winced. “Ugh...Fried Chicken did you-” She started before falling over against his chest, where she spotted a familiar glyph on his chest peeking from his shirt.

“A flower...”

“A flower?” Serella asked as she looked at the redhead. “Wait, are they-”

“Joshua has a similar flower to Mingxia.” Foulques supplied. “And he is just as prone to gambling with his life as she is.”

“Oh boy...there's two of them now...” She sighed.

“Joshua and Mingxia both having that glyph are the biggest clue we have for us thinking we were on another reflection.” Raven explained as Mingxia bunted her face against Joshua.

“You okay Fried Chicken?”

Joshua chuckled as he leaned his head against her. “I'll be alright. But where's-” He started but soon spotted Clive. “Clive!”

He started to try to move when he was hit with an intense wave of nausea and a cane landed firmly on his shoulder stopped him from moving.

“Do not move, your brother will be fine.” Noudenet assured. “Your little stunt saved Mingxia’s life and spared us the trouble of spending more energy to bring her back, but that was still risky. Rest now little bird, go back to sleep.”

Joshua groaned, feeling drowsy, but reached over to take his brothers’ hands and hold them to his chest. Mingxia hugged him tightly as he murmured “We did it...and we're alive for our efforts...thank you...”

"Yep. We made it. Somehow. Thank you Dad. Oooogh...that. That was. Too close.” Mingxia groaned  before they saw her wobble a bit before flopping on top of Joshua.

“Damnit Novice...” Foulques grumbled before looking at Floriano. “Can you check to see if Rukia’s gotten them a place to sleep?”

Floriano nodded as Serella sighed. She looked at the aether-surgeon. “Are they clear to be moved? While the Phantom Realm is good for discretion, it's not ideal in the ways of comfort.” She questioned softly as she finished the last of the jewelry sets for the three men from another star.

“Yes, they should be clear to be moved, though they still need to be heavily monitored by some of the healers on hand.” L’tahsu stated before leveling a glare at Raven and the sleeping Mingxia. "Is it going to kill you people to not bring me critical cases every time you decide to take a walk?!"

“Hey we didn't plan this!” Raven grumbled. “Shit just kind of...happened.”

"My point still stands. The amount of trouble you all manage to get into accidentally is beyond unreasonable." He groused in annoyance.

"At least we're not causing you problems on purpose?"

L'tahsu sighed as he rubbed at his temple. "I suppose I will have to be satisfied that I have something new to study and solve. I should have expected something when you all disappeared."

“At least it was quiet? But in any event, want me to rehash what I already said or do you wanna hear the tale from them? I'm assuming you already heard a bit of it from Telamon.”

"I have the gist of it. I will hear the rest once they are well. Twelve knows I will need the time to prepare my heart and blood pressure for the nonsense you both got up to- especially her." He thumbs at Mingxia.

"Hey I had what was basically my hometown 2.0 and his sperm donor-" She points at Dion. "-was basically Thordan."

"Lovely," L'tahsu says dryly. "I shall hope for a swift recovery."

Raven pouts as she grumbles something about a “rotten arrogant old man” as she moves to scoop up her oath brother. She heard Ratatoskr croon at him from within her soul.

Can you hear Bahamut, Ratatoskr?

“I can.” The crimson dragon replied from within. “He will be alright. He frets for your friend Mingxia.”

She’ll be fine. You’ve seen the nonsense she’s pulled off.

“I have, I have indeed. He wonders if they will be alright.”

They will. The aether isn’t trying to kill us here for one. The most they’ll deal with is a bad stomach bug for a few days, a week tops. I know it’s been several millennia since he’s been home, but it’s changed so much. Allag is long dead, Tiamat is well, and boy will she be thrilled to know her beloved is back in some form. Among other things...

She sighed as everyone picked up each of the Valistheans with some effort, but when Haumeric made to gather Jill he stopped and blinked.

“Hopeful Vine, could you come confirm something for me?” He asked.

“What's up?”

“Lady Jill's aether...I cannot see it, but while tending to her I thought I felt the presence of another? Not so much the primal she could call upon, but another person.”

Hopeful Vine blinked as she did a quick check before smiling. “She’ll need to be monitored carefully as well. Good catch, Haumeric.”

He smiled as he gently picked her up, making sure to carry her in a way that wouldn't put too much pressure on her belly. She may not be visibly showing, but better safe than sorry.

[justarandomart]

happy holidays everyone!

bonus under the cut :)

[velichorus-k]

The second installment of this comic right here. In which the gang hangs out :) pages under the cut!

[fiepige]

Saw some old vines and got inspired:

So here y'all go, Spiderverse as Vines!

[pomegranate]

so I’m sitting there, mashed potatoes on my titties

[eveningalchemist]

Black Sails ended in 2017. Vine died in 2017.

Coincidence?? I think NOT!!!

[Video Description: a compilation of clips from Black Sails, with the audio replaced by Vines. transitions are a ship, the Walrus, exploding. a full description of each Vine is written beneath the cut. end ID]

I think we're gonna be friends kazoo kid vine over Silver and Flint in the we might be friends by then scene.

Screaming kid good morning vine over Joshua trying to jump scare Gates.

Don't fuck with me vine over Jack Rackham fighting for his first prize with another pirate captain.

The fuck this shit I'm out song over Silver watching Flint beat Singleton to death. Silver jumps overboard after.

The when will you learn vine over Max shouting at Eleanor during their break-up scene.

The yeet vine over Flint tossing Richard Guthrie's wig off the boat.

The free your mind vine over Vane's speech before he fights the logging camp leader. Fast-forward though the fight to Vane getting his face kicked in.

Sail! vine over a beautiful opening shot of the Walrus. A crew member shouts. Cut to the Walrus being blasted apart with cannon-fire.

Today I will be playing Mozart vine over Miranda about to play on her clavichord before being interrupted by Flint collapsing at her door.

Kitty! I want to sing you a song vine over various scenes of Randall and Betsy, the ship cat.

Do you ever want to talk about your emotions vine over Gates chastising Flint outside in Nassau, cut with Billy interrupting.

Gimme your fucking money vine over Eleanor arguing with a pirate crew, followed by Vane throwing Ned Lowe across his cabin, cutting to his warning sign that reads, I angered Charles Vane

Saw you hanging out with Katelyn yesterday vine over Billy confronting Dufresne about his betrayal, with pirates reacting in the background.

I am the sand guardian vine over Flint and Silver on the beach after the Walrus is wrecked, cutting to Dufresne walking away from them.

It is Wednesday my dudes vine over the island's Puritan priest practicing his sermon in a field looking distressed, overlaid with the scene of Miranda seducing him.

Barbecue sauce on my tittles vine over the scene of Gates and Flint drinking during the storm, with Gates giving a solemn speech. Cutting to Flint laughing drunkenly.

Welcome to Chili's vine over Anne going to Max's room, interrupted by Jack appearing while they are in bed.

Harry what's for dindin vine over a crew member walking up to Silver while he's giving his goings-on report. He punches Silver in the gut and Flint makes an 'oh' face.

Bop-It! vine over quick cut scenes of Jack, Anne, and Vane, including various fuck-you jack moments.

Welcome to my meet or greet vine over Colonel Rhett of Charlestown welcoming Flint into the city, unfriendly.

Dad look, it's the good kush! vine over Vane rolling a cigar, cutting to Blackbeard standing in his tent looking tired.

It's an avocado vine over Woodes Rogers receiving Eleanor's embroidery attempt.

Do you have any ice? vine over Thomas Hamilton explaining his plan to pardon the pirates to Flint, who looks baffled.

Somebody left an ice cube on the ground vine over Silver walking into Nassau's tavern to call-out the pirates for taking pardons. He hits Dufresne with a mug.

Get on top of the fridge vine over Flint yelling at Billy during the storm. Cut to Billy clinging onto a yard as the ship nearly capsizes.

Look at this graph vine over Silver trying to use navigation instruments and explaining them to Madi. Madi looks increasingly concerned.

Road work ahead? vine over Jack in Roger's carriage as they are approached by pirates on horseback. The carriage crashes.

You should get the orange soda vine over Eleanor and Max talking in her office after Eleanor's return from London. Eleanor is the orange soda woman and Rogers is the waiter.

Two bros chillin' in the hot tub vine over quick cuts of scenes of Silver and Flint, including sitting on the beach after the doldrums, staring at each other across a gap, and Madi in between them giving Silver a pointed look.

Release all of those sounds that are trapped in your mind vine over Vane talking to Eleanor while he's in prison. Cut to Eleanor screaming in the corner.

The fuck is in the air vine over Jack arriving in Boston and complaining about the snow.

I love you, bitch, vine over Vane getting punched by Eleanor, then getting a noose slipping around his neck as she watches.

It's finals week vine over Silver scenes across all seasons, from pleading his innocence in season 1, to getting his leg removed, to trying to save Muldoon from drowning, and then pulling a gun on Flint in the final episode.

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

this popped into my head and i had to draw it As Fast As Humanly Possible

bonus:

[foundfamilyhq]

[drawnfamiliarfaces]

ive been absolutely enthralled by the tiniest glimps of First in @zhinchino 's Bard Randy AU here and i've got such a one track mind because i was like instantly ELF FIRST ELF FIRST and well

[phoenixcatch7]

Cap should be allowed to teleport to the rock with his transformation lightning. I mean that's where it's coming from, after all.

He would use it to get out of so many situations XD.

Batman: captain, do you have a minute to stay after this meeting?

Billy, going to be late for school if he doesn't hup to: um haha sorry the wizard wants me back at the rock I'm already pushing it hahaSHAXAM

The wizard, looking up from his orb: *raises an eyebrow*

Cap, transforming back with more lightning and rushing for his bag: I'm sorry I'm sorry Mrs Ermine is going to KILL me if I'm late again this week!

The wizard, to his rapidly retreating back: this is the seventh time this month you've used me as an excuse.

Billy, halfway down the hall of sins, voice echoing: I said I'm sorrrryyyyyyy!!

Batman, left all the way on the watchtower: :|

[foolishlovers]

MUTUAL PINING FIC RECS: Below you'll find a list of Good Omens fics in which Aziraphale and Crowley are pining for each other.

You can request more fic recs here.

you play with my feelings (right from the start) by PenroseSun (G, 3k)

There were three things of which Crowley was absolutely certain: 1. Aziraphale, being an angel, was required to be kind and loving towards all things, even when those things were flawed or sinful or fallen. 2. Notwithstanding that obligatory kindness, Aziraphale would never, and could never truly love a demon, in any meaningful sense. 3. Despite this, Crowley was desperately, hopelessly, in love with him.

For To Quench My Thirst by apliddell (G, 6k)

After moving to Sussex with Aziraphale, Crowley is trying so hard to be satisfied with friendship and the suddenly beautiful life he already has.

Slow by write_away (T, 9k)

It started like this: A boy with the ability to warp reality met an angel and a demon and he made assumptions. You might say it started like this: An angel and a demon found a marriage contract hung on the wall of the angel's bookshop. They didn't question it. It also could have started like this: Once upon a time, the angel told the demon he went too fast. The demon took it to heart.   Aziraphale and Crowley find themselves somehow married. Crowley fears going too fast. Aziraphale forges ahead. Neither know how to ask questions of each other.

got a pretty face, pretty boyfriend too by KissMyAsthma, leukozyna (T, 9k)

Aziraphale and Crowley are next-door neighbours. They’ve been attracted to each other since they met. The only thing keeping them apart is a thin wall between their bedrooms and Atticus and Freddie, Aziraphale’s and Crowley’s respective life partners… or are they? A human AU glued together by misunderstandings and wet food.

speed limits (and how to break them) by darcylindbergh (E, 13k)

There is a trick people do with a mint candy and a bottle of cola which results in a small eruption, and something very like it, for much higher stakes than a laugh in a car park, is about to take place in Aziraphale’s back room. Or: what happens when you finally unscrew the cap on a six thousand years of repression, and drop in Valentine’s Day.

Something We Were Withholding Made Us Weak by triedunture (M, 17k)

"Yes, exactly. Retire." Aziraphale reaches for the last remaining tartlet brimming with summer berries. "Somewhere along the south coast, perhaps." Or: Crowley and Aziraphale learn to move in tandem.

32 Questions That Lead To Love by ffonippop (E, 32k)

”First formulated in 1997, [32] questions to fall in love is a study by psychologist Dr. Arthur Aron which took place at Stony Brook University, New York. The aim? Speeding up the creation of intimacy between two strangers.” The Cosmopolitan Okay, fine. Crowley was 32-Questions-That-Lead-To-Love-ing Aziraphale. Sue him. He had no expectations, all right? Just, an innocent curiosity.

Flowers From The Grave Of Our Friendship by WaitingToBeBroken (E, 50k)

Crowley is very good at temptation, not so good with what comes afterwards. Aziraphale knows demons don't love so he is happy to take anything Crowley would give him. Both of them are too blind to realize the thing they want is right in front of them.

Fledging by FeralTuxedo (M, 53k)

Cool Dad was at the school gate again. Clambering out of his ridiculous sports car like a great big spider, all black denim and designer sunglasses. What a prat. He made his way towards the entrance, followed by his equally lanky son. All the mums' eyes were on him. Which was fine. At least they weren't staring at Aziraphale for a change. Cool Dad high-fived his son goodbye, because of course he did, then sauntered back to his car. Making it look so bloody easy. Aziraphale Fell is much too young to be looking after eleven-year old Pepper. He barely has his life together as it is, with his minimum-wage job and a half-baked dream of trading rare books for a living. And as if adopting a recently bereaved pre-teen isn’t enough, there are some rather more adult problems to navigate: playground politics, the shadows of his own childhood, and the growing question of how Crowley, the only other dad at the school gate, feels about him. A human AU/kid fic.

Style and Substance by Cabernet_Woebegone (E, 89k)

“But y’know, if my boss finds out I’m helping you even a little, they’re gonna throw me out on my ass.” “Yes, I understand it is a bit of a conflict of interest for you… Is there something I can offer you in return? Something you would like?” Aziraphale questioned hopefully. You, Crowley thought loudly as he took a second sip. I want to know if you moan when you kiss the same way you do when you try something delicious. I want to know if your lips taste like Zinfandel. “Yes, actually.” Aziraphale is having difficulty running his restaurant, and it isn't helping that he believes the place across the street is trying to sabotage him. To his surprise, chef Crowley comes to him on friendly terms. Together they come up with an arrangement that could benefit them both.

On Espionage and Prophecy (or How to Accidentally, but Wholly, Fall in Love With a Soho Bookseller) by RockSaltAndRoll (E, 133k)

1941 is the London Blitz and the year that MI5 really comes into its own with the now infamous ‘double cross’ system. The service keep tabs on suspects, root out enemy agents and try to turn them into doubles. Anthony J Crowley is fucking great at this job. He can be sneaky, underhanded and damn ruthless but also charming and kind. It’s what makes him good at turning. Aziraphale is just a regular Soho bookseller who loves his shop and books and good food and wine when he’s approached by a woman claiming to be MI5, wanting to recruit him for espionage. The poor man is too trusting and gets the shock of his life when he’s approached by a charming but dangerous-looking man also claiming to be MI5. Crowley recruits Aziraphale to double cross a double crosser and Aziraphale takes to espionage like a duck to water. Danger, hijinks, and sex ensue.

Old Vines by sevdrag (E, 189k)

A.Z. Fell, one of the most respected names in wine and food blogging, has been sent on assignment with his assistant Warlock Dowling to spend six months in California Wine Country. Under direction (by his boss, Gabriel) to use this experience to double his blog followers and write a novel, Aziraphale is both excited and anxious about the opportunity. Anthony J. Crowley is the owner and viticulturalist of Ecdyses, a winery that unexpectedly fell into his lap eleven years ago when he hit rock bottom. He may be in debt, yeah, but he’s paying off his loans — and despite pressure from his lenders and their team of inspectors, Crowley has found a kind of contentment tending his little corner of terroir and producing extraordinary wine. Crowley’s old vines are the heart of his vineyard, and he’s never let anyone in. Crowley finds Aziraphale intriguing; Aziraphale finds Crowley enthralling. Turns out a famous wine expert and an experienced viticulturalist can still learn things from each other. The summer of 2019 unfolds.

[emile-tb]

Live Laugh Vinesplash

[reasonsforhope]

"Around the capital beltway or Washington’s famous Rock Creek Park, you may see a group of people ripping up vines along the treeline beside the roads.

If you have then you’ve glimpsed superheroes who traded in their capes for gardening gloves and their time for the satisfaction of terminating an invasive species and saving a native tree.

Washington D.C’s “Weed Warriors” are a group of volunteers going back to 1999 that work for free to keep hundreds of species of invasive shrubs, vines, and climbers from taking over native ecosystems.

Among the 600 or so non-native invasive plant species found in and around our nation’s capital, some like Polygonum perfoliatum, also known as “mile-a-minute” vine, can be devastating. Suffocating trees by overgrowing the leaves in their canopy branches, mile-a-minute can kill thousands of trees every year.

Since 1999, Weed Warrior volunteers have logged over 135,000 hours of time weed whacking in Montgomery County alone. Anyone can become a Weed Warrior; the group works in units for two-hour spaces removing weeds or planting native species in their place.

These invasive species management events are led by specially-trained volunteer Weed Warrior Supervisors and/or staff from the Montgomery Parks Dept. Warriors can get certified to de-weed in their spare time, or lead events on their own. They can even have their own unique patch of ground in the D.C.-Metro area to control.

Why would anyone want to trade their free time or laboring hours away for free doing something our tax dollars are supposed to do for us? The answer is simple: it’s addicting.

“If I have any good mental health, it’s due to Weed Warrioring,” said 74-year-old area resident Barbara Francisco. “You have a sense of accomplishment.” ...

The Weed Warriors website states that non-native, invasive plant species (NNIs) can alter the complex webs of plant-animal associations that have evolved over thousands of years to such a degree that plants and animals once familiar to us are eliminated...

Anyone who feels this is something they want to contribute their time to can go to the Montgomery County Parks website here and look at the upcoming Weed Warrior events—the next one is October 21st."

-via Good News Network, October 12, 2023

[choiyeonjuns]

[libraryofgage]

SpiderPool Steddie Part 3

Part One | Part Two

Welcome back to Steddie secret identity shenanigans ;)

This part is kinda long, but it's helping set up stuff for future parts lmao

As always, if you see any typos no you didn't

It's a beautiful day in the city: the birds are chirping, a nice breeze is blowing the smell of coffee over the streets instead of trash, and there are just enough clouds to create consistent patches of shade as they block the sun.

It's the perfect day for being out and about, the perfect day for Steve to meet Eddie at a coffee shop and flirt his way to lunch as well.

He just wishes Vecna hadn't gotten the fucking memo, too. And, if he had to get the memo, Vecna could have at least had the decency to cause problems in the evening. Seriously, it's just basic manners to not cause chaos and mayhem the same day Steve has a date.

Of course, to make it all worse, Vecna chose to let his demobats attack while Steve was on the way to said date. Not even the 30-minute buffer from leaving his apartment early will help him here, not when he has to knock the demobats out with his nail-bat, keep citizens safe, and not get himself eaten at the same time.

Maybe the worst part, though, is that Steve didn't get the chance to text Eddie that he'd be late before hastily ducking into an alley, haphazardly shoving his clothes into his backpack while tugging his mask over his head, and securely webbing his bag to the underside of a fire escape.

Steve thinks of his phone tucked into his backpack as he sends a demobat flying before it can attack a civilian trying to run away. He waves to the woman, returns the fist bump the toddler in her arms offers, and then dashes to catch up with the main swarm of the demobats. He shoots a web at a streetlamp and tugs sharply, using the momentum to send himself into the air. Once Steve is off the ground, he uses his webs to swing from building to building.

Fighting demobats is always the same routine: aggressively flapping wings, unholy screeching, claws and fangs tearing at Steve's suit as he tries to balance swinging past buildings and swinging his nail-bat. With each swipe of talons across Steve's suit, he tries to think of a plausible explanation he can give Eddie when he finally gets to the coffee shop.

A demobat dives into his face, resulting in a sharp pain across the bridge of his nose, and Steve is trying to figure out if walking into a doorway is a plausible excuse when he hears a familiar voice shout, "Yo, Spidey!"

Steve blinks, completely messes up the timing to web the next building, and suddenly starts to free-fall as demobats continue to swarm around him. He curses under his breath, catching himself on a streetlamp and wincing at the harsh yank to his shoulders.

"Oh, shit, sorry!"

Yep, definitely the person he thought it was. Steve swings off the streetlamp, landing in a crouch in front of Eddie. He spins around as he pops up, swinging at a pair of demobats that dove after him. "Hey, man, you should get outta here. You don't wanna get hurt," he says, glancing over his shoulder to look at Eddie.

Eddie just flashes a grin and shrugs. "I won't get hurt, remember?" he asks, holding up his hand and wiggling his fingers. Steve blinks, recalling the super-fast healing of Eddie's hand after he stuck a few nails through it.

"Right," Steve says, frowning slightly under the mask. He hears a shout a few feet away and doesn't think twice before sprinting toward it. There's a group of kids huddled together, trying to use their backpacks to smack away the demobats currently dive-bombing them. None of them look older than twelve, and the worst part is that Steve recognizes one of them as Dustin. He pushes himself to run faster, trying to ignore the guilt he feels at letting the demobats get near Dustin and his friends in the first place.

That guilt is for later when he can curl up under his blanket and try to tell himself that he's just doing his best and he's only one person and...man, being a hero is tough.

Dustin happens to look over as Steve is about to reach them. Despite the situation, he lights up, relief visibly washing over him. "Spider-Man!" he shouts, forgetting about keeping the bats away with his bag long enough to wave erratically like Steve hasn't already seen him.

"Hang tight!" Steve tells him, sliding behind the group and crawling up the side of the building there. He sticks to the side and takes note of the trees on either side of the kids, a vague plan starting to form in his mind. He just needs to get the bats to leave the kids alone long enough for it to work.

Just as Steve is about to throw himself into the fray as bait, he notices Eddie scramble up one of the trees by the kids, scoot out along one of the sturdier branches, and pull the guitar case off his back. He grins at the kids, winking at Dustin before swinging the guitar case like a bat. He's got a much wider range than Steve's nail-bat, and he manages to sweep most of the demobats away in two swings.

Steve sighs with relief; this is much better than the plan he had half-formed in his brain. He jumps off the building and lands next to the group of kids. "Don't just stand there!" he says, gaining their attention as he herds them toward an alley that lets out onto a street that isn't swarming with demobats.

And then, because Steve can't fucking help himself when Dustin walks by, he leans down and whispers, "Aren't you supposed to be in school right now?"

Dustin blinks. "We get attacked by demobats, and that's the first thing you ask?"

"Don't avoid the question, Henderson. I will tell your mother," Steve hisses, more upset that Dustin encountered danger in the first place.

His tension must be more obvious than he thought because Dustin sighs and raises his hand in surrender. "Geez, fine, we wanted pizza for lunch. But we'll head back now, okay? I'll even text you a picture of the school when we get there," he promises, flashing a grin from the edge of the alley before running to catch up with his friends.

It will have to be good enough. Besides, Steve doesn't exactly have time for arguing; his spider senses start screaming not a second later. He whips around in time to see the demobats attack Eddie and his branch. Steve feels his heart drop into his stomach as he runs back to the trees.

The branch breaks when he's a few feet away, and without thinking, he shoots a web at Eddie and yanks as hard as he can.

Later, Steve will look back on this moment and realize he might, in fact, be just a tiny bit dumb. If he took even a second to review the facts, he'd have realized Eddie 1) wasn't even ten feet off the ground and 2) could heal himself at an exponentially faster rate than Steve.

Steve realizes none of that in the moment, though. So what he gets is Eddie crashing right into him, his guitar case digging painfully into Steve's stomach and his elbow jabbing the side of Steve's neck and his boot just two centimeters from neutering Steve free of charge.

He lands roughly on the concrete, a dull pulse of pain beginning to radiate from his tailbone. Steve winces, groaning as Eddie rolls off him and hurriedly says, "Holy fuck, sorry, Spidey. Are you okay?"

Steve groans again, trying to shake off his disorientation. "Yep, all good, totally fine, quick question," Steve says, taking the hand Eddie offers to help him up, "What the hell were you thinking jumping in like that?"

"That some kids needed saving? I don't know, man, I didn't really think. It's not like they could really hurt me," Eddie replies, shrugging as he glances over at the trees again.

His subsequent frown makes Steve realize that, oh yeah, there are fucking demobats. He tenses and follows Eddie's gaze only to find absolutely nothing there. Steve blinks, wondering if he's hallucinating somehow, and walks over to the trees.

Broken branch? Check. Webs that will dissolve in a few hours? Check. Splatters of demobat blood on the concrete? Check.

The demobats themselves? Nowhere to be fucking seen.

"Where'd they go?" Eddie asks, looking at Steve like he'll somehow know, and Steve has to suppress the urge to reply with something snarky. Snark for the sake of being mean isn't nearly as fun as snark for the sake of banter.

Steve takes a deep breath and shakes his head. "Not sure. I'll patrol the area and surrounding blocks," he says, trying to hide how confused he is. It's not like the demobats to fly away before Steve has lowered their numbers by at least half. Something feels wrong, but he has no clue what the actual problem might be.

"Right," Eddie says, sliding a foot back and smiling apologetically at Steve. "Well, I gotta run. Got that coffee date with Stevie. But share all the fun details about your patrol the next time you're on the roof!"

And with that, Eddie rushes off, absolutely clueless that he's about to get a text from Steve apologizing for running so late that at least an hour will pass before he can make it to the coffee shop.

Steve sighs, pushes down the guilt that builds in his stomach for a completely different reason now, and scales the side of a nearby building so he can start swinging through the surrounding blocks.

----

Steve really did spend an hour looking for any sign of the demobats before swinging back to where he stashed his bag. Thankfully, Steve has become an expert at changing into regular clothes in mere seconds. There aren't too many wrinkles in his polo or his jeans, and his high-tops aren't bent, which is even more of a relief.

Once he's changed, Steve swings his bag onto his back and dashes toward the coffee shop. Eddie might have texted back after Steve's first message that he was okay with waiting, but that doesn't mean Steve is going to make him wait any longer than necessary. Plus, he can't shake the anxiety that Eddie might decide Steve isn't worth waiting for and leave.

At least he had plenty of time to come up with a believable lie.

Steve practically rams into the door of the coffee shop, catching himself just in time to yank it open instead. He tries to get control of his breathing, his heart pounding against his chest as he looks around the shop before seeing Eddie waving at him from a corner table, his guitar case slung across the back of his chair.

A wave of relief surges through Steve, and he walks toward Eddie with a grin. "Hey," he says, barely holding back a grimace at how breathy he sounds, "sorry for taking so long."

Eddie waves his hand dismissively before gesturing to the seat across from him. "Don't worry about it, Stevie. Is that--" Eddie gestures once again, this time pointing at Steve's face "--what held you up?"

Steve blinks as he sits, raising a hand to his cheek. He winces slightly at the burst of pain. Right. The demobats had managed to get a few hits in, not to mention Eddie crashing into him at the end. "It's, uh, kind of a funny story, actually," Steve says. He drops his hand to the table, only then noticing the iced coffees in front of him and Eddie. "How long ago did you order?"

"The coffees just got here," Eddie replies, nudging the one in front of Steve toward him once he's sat.

Their fingers brush together when Steve reaches out to take the cup, and he can't help noticing how Eddie's rings are surprisingly warm, like he's been fiddling with them. He also can't help noticing a speck of dried blood at the base of Eddie's thumb. He frowns slightly, forgetting about the drink to gently rub at the spot. "What happened? Are you okay?" he asks.

He misses Eddie's grin but not how Eddie twists his hand so he can grab Steve's, boldly lacing their fingers together. "How about this, sweetheart," he says, leaning forward to prop his chin in his free palm, "You tell that funny story, and I'll tell you about how I heroically helped save a bunch of kids."

Steve already knows about that, though, and he's flustered enough over their hands to almost say it.

Almost.

He stops himself at the last second, grateful that his blush can still be attributed to Eddie, and clears his throat. He picks up his coffee, takes an experimental sip, and relaxes some as vanilla and coffee coat his mouth. "I had to babysit last night and into this morning. One of the single moms on my floor, Carla, had an emergency shift, so I had her toddler, Miguel, until this morning. Carla was running almost an hour late to pick him up, so I started playing with Miguel to keep him occupied. And then he threw one of his Hot Wheels at my face and it cut my nose," he explains, gesturing to the slash across the bridge of his nose.

"Was it at least one of the cool ones?" Eddie asks, amusement obvious in his voice.

Steve snorts. "They're all cool, I'll have you know," he says, shaking their hands and hoping Eddie doesn't notice how sweaty his palm is becoming. "Anyway, Miguel apparently thinks my pain is the funniest thing ever because he starts giggling so hard he falls over. And once he finally stops laughing, he throws more of his Hot Wheels at me!

"So there I am, stuck in a Hot Wheels fight with a toddler and losing, when Carla finally comes to pick him up. She takes one look at the cuts on my face and immediately starts apologizing and trying to convince me Vix will somehow make them heal faster while trying to shove like three twenty-dollar bills into my pocket, even though I'd already told her she didn't need to pay me."

Eddie's grin widens, and he leans in closer, the ends of his hair brushing against the table. Steve has to fight the urge to tuck the strands behind Eddie's ear, which he does by taking another sip of his coffee. "What, did Carla somehow cop a feel?" Eddie asks, waggling his eyebrows playfully.

Steve barks out a laugh, almost choking on his coffee. "She almost did," he admits, "but she managed to get the money in my pocket first. I slipped it back, of course."

"Of course," Eddie says, nodding once.

"Anyway, I finally get them to go, but then they keep coming back because Miguel keeps realizing he left one of his Hot Wheels behind. Between finding, like, 30 Hot Wheels and trying to get ready to meet you and Carla being chismosa, as she calls it, I didn't manage to leave my apartment for another hour and a half."

Eddie hums softly, his smile having gotten soft while Steve was talking. "You know, I had a feeling you were good with kids," he says, and the statement would have caught Steve off-guard if he hadn't already heard it from behind his mask earlier.

"What gave you that idea?" he asks.

"Just something about you."

Steve finds himself wondering what, exactly, about him gives off that vibe, but he doesn't ask for now. "What about you?" he asks like he doesn't already know, "What's this heroic story?"

Eddie practically lights up, and Steve wonders how long he's been crafting the perfect retelling of the story in his head. "Well, first of all, how do you feel about Spider-Man?" Eddie asks.

"Uh, he's cool, I guess," Steve says, a little thrown by the sudden question. Though, when he thinks about the story Eddie is about to tell, the question does make sense. "He does a lot for the city, and his web shooters are really cool, but I don't follow him super closely."

"Well, yours truly helped Spider-Man save a group of kids from a demobat attack today," Eddie says, his chest puffing out slightly and his expression practically begging for Steve to look impressed.

And the image is so endearing that Steve can't help playing along. He widens his eyes, perks up a little in his seat, and says, "Seriously?! Wasn't that, like, dangerous?"

"Danger is my middle name, Stevie. I mean, it kinda comes with the whole heavy metal thing," Eddie explains, winking at Steve.

Steve raises an eyebrow at that. "Okay, you should definitely explain that next, but what about Spider-Man?" he asks.

That gets Eddie back on track, and Steve finds himself relaxing as Eddie talks. He plays along to the story, gasping in the appropriate places, looking awed when Eddie tells him about beating away the demobats with his guitar case, and laughing when Eddie plays up the comedy of crashing into Spider-Man.

And it's easy once Steve stops overthinking. Being with Eddie, laughing at his jokes and flirting back and holding his hand the whole time is wonderfully, blissfully, incredibly easy.

He could get used to this.

----

Tag List (there's still room, so let me know if you'd like to be added!)

@soaringornithopter, @suikatto, @murdblurdock, @starman-jpg, @somegirlsomewhere, @heaven428, @vacantwatchers, @sidebarre, @swimmingbirdrunningrock, @imjust-that-shy, @spookednsaucy, @7shrewsinatrenchcoat, @fanshipper4ever, @amrice, @spectrum-spectre,

[anniflamma]

"blushing and looking at Poseidon," can I at least bury my face in his hair, - it looks great, it's probably silky and smells nice... Seriously, why does he look so irresistibly beautiful!

Oh its silky and smells nice indeed! He showers with pantene~~!