#I truly do not draw nearly enough of my otp

[celandineitsaflowerdickward]

A modest tender Bughead piece, cause I wanted to do a lil something to laud the fact that I was nominated for the @bugheadfanfictionawards, for the bonus award of fan artist?? Excuse me-

It makes me very happy that you all appreciate my art -and to think that any of you like it so much, you deem it worthy of this amount of praise?? Tbh honored to be nominated alongside such astonishing creators in the fandom, and especially since I haven’t even been posting for a full year yet- so yuh thank you guys so much for the nomination and here’s some soft prom bughead

[revengerevisited]

okay well, some people requested that i post my anti-ship rant, so here it is. please read the tags first for content warnings before continuing. also i really don’t want to get into a big argument over this particular ship, i’ve already been through that sort of thing before years ago and i don’t want to go through it again. >_>’

so... talking about my ‘most hated ship of all time’™ is kinda hard for me, because it means bringing up one of my major squicks— selfcest/incest, which i’m afraid makes me look like an anti if i complain about it, doubly so since everyone has their own personal interpretations of what selfcest/incest is in the kh series, if it exists at all. like for example, is ro*kushi incest? i don’t think so, but some people do (and yet they often don’t consider ro*kunami that way... hmm suspicious :P). in other words without any common ground on whichever characters are actually related to each other or not (seeing as half of them are magical clones), the hypocrite finger could potentially be pointed at anyone, including myself. XT

anyway, it’s easier and more comfortable for me to complain about te*rraqua, because (ignoring the væ*nqua haters and weird ‘aqua is ven’s mom’ stuff) my dislike of it essentially boils down to, “it’s boring and overshadows my otp,” which is a relatively mild take. but with ve*nvan, and yes this is about ve*nvan, it’s more like, “it overshadows my otp AND the selfcest/incest aspect makes me physically nauseous,” which is a much more intense yet also subjective take that draws proshipper ire and potentially hurts people’s feelings. >_<

now as far as canonical sibling relationships go, i can point to vanitas repeatedly calling ven (and sora) his brother multiple times in canon, but then the ve*nvan shippers could also point to ven saying that they’re not, and technically they’d be right. ve*nvan isn’t incest or even selfcest anymore, not after re:mind. i’m still surprised that the shippers i talked to back then were actually upset by ven and vanitas not being related (in the sense of being the same person) anymore, since that’s actually a benefit to their ship and all. in fact, i’ve only ever seen one celebrating the “we’re not brothers” line. i guess the original connection between the characters in bbs is what they like about the ship, and why they’re upset that that relationship doesn’t exist anymore, even though for me that exact same connection is what i like about them being brothers.

idk, i guess before re:mind it was easier to point out why i didn’t like ve*nvan, but now if i ever say the reason is because incest ships squick me out, probably the mildest response i’d get would be “but it’s not really incest...” and that just ends up circling back to what vanitas said vs what ven said. like, if vanitas truly feels that his relationship with ven is a brotherly one, is him saying that they’re brothers good enough for me to be allowed to call them brothers, canonically? or do i have to accept ven’s rejection of that notion? because i’ve also encountered ve*nvan shippers who’ve personally gotten angry with me just from me casually calling them brothers without even mentioning disliking the ship. and if i say that adopted/step-sibling incest grosses me out too, regardless of blood relation... ultimately it doesn’t really matter, does it. 

i mean, there’s already hundreds of ve*nvan fanfics and thousands of fanarts out there; complaining about it does nothing but paint a target on my back— same as it did years ago. it’s a helpless feeling, really, how inescapable that ship is, if i ever want to look up anything involving my favorite character. :( just imagine if væ*nqua was half as popular as te*rraqua or ve*nvan. there’d be so much content i wouldn’t even have a reason to be upset. ...i’m just now realizing that’s really what this all comes down to, isn’t it; a lack of content for ships i like, and an overabundance of content for ships i don’t.

*sigh* at least i’ve learned a lot about the whole ‘anti vs proshipper’ thing since then (including the term ‘proshipper’ itself, that’s how little i knew), and also what not to do when it comes to posting about ships i don’t like (ie don’t tag them like an idiot). like obviously i’m not gonna go after anyone for shipping ve*nvan, and if you like it that’s fine, but personally it’s just not my cup of tea at all, sorry. that said, will i ever write a va*naquaven smut fic? most likely, but there’s a reason why aqua’s name is in the middle. ;P

anyway, so yeah i guess that’s the end of my big dumb rant against my notp, which i probably wouldn’t hate nearly as much if my otp was even just a modicum more popular. there’s just no solution other than to make more va*nqua content... and that takes a lot of hard work. anyway, most of my opinions on other kh ships are basically just, “it’s fine,” “not interested,” or “why ship that when va*nqua is right there?” but otherwise my feelings on those ships aren’t particularly strong nor rant-worthy. mostly. o3o

[ixchel-sketch]

TITLE: AAXILIZTLI / SABER GENRE: Crime & Romance FANDOM: Mayans M.C. SHIP(S): Coco & Original Female Character STATUS: Complete LENGTH: 3,057 words

Which Member of Your OTP takes UNO wayyy too seriously ;  Coco is a total card shark and Maya can barely tell the difference between Uno and Go Fish. Which makes for a pretty interesting game of Strip Poker + 20 Questions.

 “So… explain it to me one more time?” Maya sat with her elbows on the bar while Chuckie spread out a deck of cards between them. She was glad the guys weren’t back yet, even if she’d been waiting there for the better part of an hour. From the looks she’d seen the squirrely man receive it was obvious not all members of the club were comfortable with their resident helper. Only she seemed to enjoy the odd conversations and company that he would provide. “I think I’m a lost cause.”

“ I do not accept that, practice makes perfect,' they say. Practice makes perfect.” Even though he disagreed Chuckie's face kept an upbeat smile, almost puppy like enthusiasm that couldn't be dulled by her harsh self criticisms. Maya's lips thinned, trying to commit the rules of the game to her memory one more time before finally calling it quits. The whole thing had come up after he’d told her the club was having some kind of meeting at the Casino on tribal land...and she’d mistakenly admitted to not knowing the first thing about playing cards.  Chuckie’s hands may not have been as dexterous as they once were but the man sure was able to memorize a set of rules, using the awkward wooden fingers to point out the meaning of different cards and different techniques used to win games. She’d be lucky if she could just remember their names. 

“How’d you get so good at this?” The shock on Chuckie's face at the mild compliment was almost heartbreaking. 

"Here and there and there and here. I'm not good though, not like your boy." 

Dark eyebrows shot up at that remark but Maya didn't have time to comment before the sound of approaching engines rumbled through the sandy yard and sent Chuckie scurrying to complete whatever chores he'd been given before they left. She remained hunkered over the drink that he’d gotten her, finishing it quickly as the noise from outside got ever closer. Mostly laughs and camaraderie between the guys which quieted by only a fraction when they saw her waiting inside. With a brief nod Coco split off from Angel and Gilly, large eyes giving her a quick once over to judge her mood before a small smile spread on his face. “ Didn’t think I’d be seeing you here.” He dug through his pocket to pull out a cigarette and nodded for her to follow him back outside. 

 "I wanted to pick you up some lunch but Chuckie said you guys were at the Casino?" That causes him to side eye her for a moment and Maya quickly back tracks. "You win anythin?" 

"I got some cash." He took a couple drags before pulling his hand away, making sure to blow the smoke downwind from where she stood. "So I can get food later, you don't gotta buy me shit." 

Their relationship was still fresh and she could sense the hesitancy at her taking more liberties to get close to him than she had before. When they were only friendly (because could she really call what they were doing now dating?) she would never show up to the club’s base without telling him first. Or dare to hang out and wait around for him. The way he wouldn’t meet her eyes for too long caused a wave of unease in her gut...was he having doubts? Did she fuck it up without realizing? 

“I know...I wanted to.” 

Coco shrugged, his cigarette nearly half gone already and Maya let out a big sigh that finally got his attention, his brows pinching together in the only show of concern. The times he would go quiet and get lost in his own head were the hardest for her to get used to. Still, determined to derive some communication she charged on, “Well, anyways. I gotta drop some stuff off at a local gallery. They’re letting me put my shit up in return for a few shifts a week in the shop.”

“That’s cool. That mean you’re staying?” 

“For a little while. I need to make more stuff before I can do another venue anyways.” 

“Cool.”

Maya bit her lip, looking towards where her bike was chained up and then back at Coco. “Can I come by the house later? I know I don’t have to but I can bring take out?” 

Maybe it was the slight wobble of insecurity in her voice that broke Coco out of his introspective stupor, or the words jarring him back into the present with the realization she was about to take off but he nodded, flicking away the remnant of his cig and pulling her against him in a lose one armed hug. It eased some of the tension that his sudden mood had brought on, the quick peck to her lips erasing the rest. “Sure. I’ll catch you later. Just, uh...text first.”

It didn’t take too long to complete her errands, the cumbersome portfolio she had strapped to the back of her bike only carried a couple pieces that wouldn’t take long at all to put up. But it did give her enough time to think and reflect on the interaction that had just transpired. At first he’d seemed genuinely happy that she’d been there waiting for him, but as soon as Maya had brought up the club business Coco had gone cold. Already she knew most of what went down with the Mayans was on a strict need to know basis and tried to steer clear of asking anything too invasive. But as Maya was finishing up putting up her paintings she paused with sudden realization. 

She didn’t really know much about Coco at all. Sure, they had spent a fair amount of time together over the past few weeks, especially after coming to terms with the severity of their feelings. But none of that time was spent truly getting to know each other. Mostly they just hung out, smoked weed, and watched bullshit sitcoms or reality shows to pass the time.  There was no real way for her to know if Coco’s earlier silence had been of her doing, or caused by something the club was dealing with. It would be an outright lie to say that this didn’t bother her a little bit, the same kind of insecurity knotting up her stomach as she texted him to ask what he would like her to pick up. 

Thankfully, mercifully, Coco texted her back immediately with the okay to come over. She didn't know how she would react if he'd ignored her and left Maya to stew over his abrupt silence. By the time she's pulling up to his house and chaining up her bike the sun has already set. Maya's knuckles barely have time to rap on the door before it's being yanked open and Coco blinks wide eyes at her through the crack. He looks jumpy, posture tense as he moves to hold the door open for her so she can slip inside. 

"Sorry, traffic was starting to pick up so it took me a little bit to get here."

"You don't got to apologize. Thanks." He took the paper bag of chinese food from her and headed into the living room, the smell of cigarettes heavy in the air. Her own dark eyes scanned the room until they landed on the coffee table, a slow smile spread across her face.

"Are those cards?"

"Yeah...why?"

"Wanna play a game of strip poker while we eat? I've never actually played it before but Chuckie explained the rules to me today." 

His hands stilled where they'd been emptying the contents of the take out onto the coffee table. An odd expression on his face that seemed to be a mixture of amusement and distaste. "You had him tell you how to play that?"

"What? No, I asked him how to play poker," She came over to sit next to him on the couch, bumping Coco with her shoulder and letting out a peal of giggles at his assumption. "The strip part is only por ti." 

“Hmm. Okay, but I’m not going easy on you because it’s your first time.” His chopsticks raised in her direction as Maya is already reaching for the cards to shuffle and set up the game. She pouts for only a moment before nodding, eyes lighting up as an idea hits her. 

“Well, then every time one of us removes an article of clothing, they get to ask the other a question?” 

He turns hesitant but nods anyways, expression going blank as soon as he’s got his hand of cards and the game has begun. The first couple rounds go simple enough, setting the mood and making it clear that Coco would keep his word. Though for every simple article of clothing she removed, a personal question was asked in kind. They started off easy -- Where were you born? Did or do you play any sports? What’s your favorite color? Maya realized quickly that her chances at winning anything were doomed, her face giving away every hand. Even when she did get lucky enough to draw a good combination, Coco would finally break his stony expression with a small smirk. 

"I fold." He put his cards down face up and shrugged out of his shirt. His cards were still better than hers but something in her expression must have tipped him off to her confidence. Immediately Maya’s shoulders sank and she let out a disappointed sigh, prepared to answer an equally arbitrary question. “How did you get into the travelling artist thing? There’s gotta be other ways to do it.” 

“Oh, good one.” She adjusted where she’d moved to sit on the floor, their food long forgotten as the game had dragged on. Enough time for Coco to have rolled a joint and begun to pass it between them. “My dad was a musician. He started travelling and touring again after my mom finally left him. It was just...an easier life for me than staying with her and my sister in a small town.” 

His eyes bore into her, taking in her words and nodding in response. A blush rose to her cheeks and her shoulders caved inward with a small shiver. Only a few rounds in and she was already down to her mismatched bra and underwear, the wall AC unit sensing just the right time to kick on and cause a chill to run down her spine. Meanwhile Coco was still in his jeans and white undershirt, his one article of clothing standing in stark contrast against the small pile she had building. Perhaps that was why when Maya found herself finally divested of her plain black bra she was no longer in the mood to ask trivial, lighthearted questions. 

“You said before you were in the military? The marines?” “Yeah.” “Why’d you join?”  

He went silent. Usually when she asked a question he would break the still cold expression he wore while holding cards. Coco’s eyes remained locked on hers, instead of the usual attention he would be paying to her topless form. It was obvious he was thinking intently about how to answer and she didn’t want to rush or interrupt him. He abandoned the joint to pull out a cigarette from the pack on the table between them. 

“I had shit to get away from.” 

When that was met with only more silence, his expression turned dour. He leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees and smoked in silence while his words turned over in her head. Maya tried her best to keep her expression neutral, the stakes higher than any card game. In moments like these it was almost impossible for her to guess what he might be thinking. 

“I did some time. Got out and wanted something different.” 

“Oh.” 

“Why? You got anymore fucking questions?” She ignored the biting words and got up to sit next to him on the couch, stopping short of reaching out to place a hand on his arm. As it was closing the space between them didn't seem to comfort Coco. He leaned away from her slightly, no longer able to meet Maya's eyes. 

"Nah. I'm good," She shrugged. "I don't wanna make you all uncomfortable and antsy. I'm not a fuckin' child and I'm not here to judge you, man. We all got our shit." 

His head swung towards her, emphasizing each word with a jerk of his chin. As though they were being hurtled at her. "Why the fuck are you here. You don't got anywhere better to be than riding some fuckin' cholo dick? You like slumming it?" 

"Basta, stop it." Her chin wobbled but Maya's expression remained determined. "I'm here because I want to be. Because I like you." 

Silence falls over them once again as she refuses to take the bait and fall into his trap. Coco crushes the butt of the cig in the ashtray and all the fight leaves him. His hand clenched and released over his knee and finally she felt comfortable enough to reach out and place hers on top of it. He doesn't pull away which is all the encouragement she needs to press up against his side where it's warm. Even though she had managed to keep her calm Maya's pulse still raced at the argument they had just narrowly avoided. 

Both of them had short tempers in the right circumstance and it could be a challenge not to react…But not when Coco was so obviously upset and dealing with deeper shit. All she really wanted to do now was to take away the darkness lingering in his grimace. Whatever heavy thoughts he has seem to get a little lighter as he reclines against the couch once again and brings one arm up around her shoulders so she can stay close. Both of her arms slink around his chest to hold him in a tight embrace and he lets out a long shuddery breath before relaxing against her. It must not be easy for him to open up and be any sort of vulnerable and she’s more than willing to reward him when he is. 

“I do have one more question though.” He freezes for half a second before noticing her gaze is directed down towards the only article of clothing she’s still wearing. The switch in moods is so drastic that Coco can’t help but let out a small chuckle and shake his head, the arm around her shoulder folding so that he can pat down some of the waves of her hair.

“Yeah?” 

“Do...you wanna fuck me?” 

He doesn’t respond out loud, simply turns and shrugs out of the wifebeater in one smooth movement. Most of the time the fact that he’s been in the military remains somewhere in the back of her mind, a difference that she has very little interest in dissecting. It’s only when he moves that it becomes an apparent and undeniable part of him. In a moment she’s stretched under him, her head resting on the arm of the couch and his hands trace up her side and pause to cup her breast. Maya arches into his touch, arms wrapped around his chest to hold him close while his other hand abandoned its place clutching her hip to hastily brush her hair away from her neck. He groaned, pressing her even harder into the worn cushions and attacking her throat and collar with kisses and nips. 

“Fuck, take your jeans off.” She rolls her hips up against him and he rewards her by grabbing her ass and pulling her close so that the only thing separating them was the damp material of her underwear and the denim of his pants. 

“Patience, shit, I wanna wind you up first.” 

Maybe it was punishment for all of the questions earlier or simply his own prerogative, but either way she couldn’t bring herself to complain when he pulled away to remove his belt and help to slip her underwear off. His hand was warm and large on her thigh, spreading her open so that he could slip a couple fingers inside to rub against her. The feeling of his teeth grazing her shoulder and his hand coaxing her hips into a rhythm. Just when Maya thinks she may be close to some relief he pulls her into a kiss and removes his hand, swallowing the sound of disappointment she makes. 

Coco’s breath is warm against her skin, his pants slung low and he kicks them off before pinning her against the couch. It’s easy to slip her legs around his waist and help to ease him inside. He let out a soft groan and she answered in kind, peppering kisses along his shoulder while Coco drove into her. One of his hands reached up to tug back Maya’s hair and expose the kiss marked column of her neck. Her blunt nails scrape at his back as the quick pace of his thrusts pushes her over. His own orgasm isn't far behind and Coco all but collapses on top of Maya afterward, enjoying how her hand absentmindedly cards through his hair while they catch their breath. Even if they were just starting out getting to know each other as a couple, there was no denying that they already knew how to satisfy the other completely. 

"So..that was fun." She sighed and turned to press her bare back against the warmth of his chest when he’d finally eased off of her. Coco grunted in response, one arm wrapped around her torso to hold Maya against him. Her eyes caught the abandoned cards and noticed how many of them had fallen from the table to scatter on the floor below. They probably wouldn't end up getting picked up and put away until morning. 

"Let's just stick to Uno from now on?" Finally earning a laugh, the vibration rumbling against her and causing a chain reaction. 

"Pretty sure I can still beat your ass in that, quierida. I'm game for whenever you want to lose." He pinched her pert rear end and earned another high peal of giggles. 

"Okay, we'll see." There was a challenge in her voice but Maya knew he was probably right. 

[moderately-ok-trash-bin]

Three OTP Questions

So I just kinda spontaneously decided to write this for my two favourite OCs because if I don’t force myself to talk about them now then I never will. Sooo here’s the first one, my Altmer Dragonborn Aradove.

1) How did they first meet?

‘Must keep going. Must remain vigilant. Dragons, the Thalmor, the Imperials, bandits, beasts... any or all of them could appear at any time. I won’t be truly safe in this land until I can make it so. Rid Skyrim of the dragons and the tyrants, show her people they can trust me, and show my people that peace and coexistence is possible. Then I can go home... then I can rule a land of prosperity and growth, instead of a land of foolish supremacy and cruelty. I’ve been given this power by the Divines, and I’ve been given it for a reason. It is up to me, and me alone, to end the cycle of senseless violence that has plagued Tamriel...’

It was thoughts like this dominating my mind as I rushed through the forests and cliffs of the Rift. While I couldn’t help but feel excitement at the rush of the wind, the smell of the trees and the river, and the sounds of the untouched wilds all around me, the weight of my purpose kept my face unflinching as stone. Ever since I’d fled Summerset and, after narrowly evading execution upon reaching Skyrim, learned that I was the prophesied Dragonborn, things had been different. I was no longer a disillusioned princess with no desire to be the figurehead of a regime that rejected all ways of life but their own, but a destined hero who must bring about a new age. And this was a destiny I knew I must take seriously. It is up to me to herald in a new peace for both those it is my birthright to rule, and those is is my birthright to save. That is all that matters. Nothing less than that would satisfy me.

My head snapped to the side when I heard a faint but deep snarl in some nearby grass. I drew one of my two steel swords, and in my free hand, sent a fire bolt hurtling at the Sabre cat that now charged at me from its hiding spot. The animal screeched with rage as the flame hit the side of its face, but it did not slow, leaping into the air to attack me. I narrowly blocked its huge paws with my blade as it landed, deftly shoving it to the side and drawing my other sword in my free hand. As it dashed in to try and rake me with its claws, I inhaled sharply and, focusing my energy into my voice, I used my Shout. ‘Fus’ echoed slightly around us as the beast staggered, giving me the opening I needed to move in and put my swords through the animal’s chest.

I stepped back, briefly wondering if I’d ever get used to the feeling of using my Shouts. They were unlike anything I’d ever felt, some deep, complex knowledge in my very soul that manifested as power. This was the Divines’ gift to me, the gift that uniquely allows me to deliver this world from calamity... I’d never before imagined that such a power could exist in me...

I suddenly became acutely aware of the reality of my current situation. I’d been careless, lost in thought in the middle of the wilderness after using the most attention-grabbing power at my disposal. I’d let my guard down. I was vulnerable.

Too late.

The second Sabre cat slammed its paws into my chest and nearly knocking the wind out of me as I whirled around, claws digging into my leather armour as I winced and dropped one sword, hastily bringing the other one up toward my face. I heard the clang of bone against metal as I barely managed to put my sword between the animal’s massive teeth and my throat. I tried to push it off of me, but to no avail. It had me pinned and I was in no position to use any of its strength or even my own against it so I could get up and fight on. Magic wouldn’t work either, as I needed to keep both hands on my weapon to keep the creature at bay.

I felt my heart drop in fear. Would this thing tire before me? I was already straining to keep pushing it back at the poor angle I was forced into, would it tire before me? How long would I need to stay here? What if it outlasted me and I died here? A chorus of ‘no’ echoed within me, yet try as I might to Shout again, the power still needed time to recharge. I winced as the pressure on my chest began to register at the same time that I tried to push the Sabre cat off, closing my eyes tightly to try and distract myself from the peril of my situation, instead focusing all of my energy into trying to escape and save myself. I had no idea how long I was there. A second? Two minutes? Didn’t matter. I only snapped back to my senses when I heard a muffled cry of pain from the Sabre cat, followed by the complete removal of the pressure crushing my chest as I opened my eyes to watch the beast slump over, a shining steel greatsword being pulled from its side.

I sat up, and after looking to the Sabre cat that had just nearly ended my life just to make sure it was truly dead, I gazed up to see who it was that had come to my rescue. What I saw triggered a landslide of things within me that I could not begin to understand.

My mysterious saviour was a Nord man with dark brown hair and a short beard. Black war paint framed his eyes like tear-streaked eyeliner. He wore a type of armour I’d never seen before, with more furs and a more brownish tone of metal, and some metal wolf heads adorning the torso. After briefly looking him over, I gazed back up toward his eyes, and I became distinctly aware of both his disdainful expression, and the Imperial woman in studded armour behind him. I tried to find the words to say, but before I could, he addressed me.

“Are you alright? That thing was damned close to ripping your throat out.” Instinct told me to bite back and tell him he had no idea who he was talking to, but I refrained, only just remembering I needed to keep my identity a secret.

“I’m fine. The thing simply caught me the second I dropped my guard,” I replied, attempting to keep my composure despite the strange feelings welling within me. My face felt warm and my heart was beating faster. I glanced to the ground, briefly wondering if I’d contracted a disease from one of the Sabre cats...

“Hmph. You can’t just be complacent out here, elf. Do that, and you’re sure to get torn apart,” he sneered, my face flushing further as I looked at the annoyed expression on his face. I gritted my teeth subtly at the implication that I was just being foolish.

“I’m not a fool, I know that. It was simply bad timing to lose focus. There’s been much on my mind these past few days,” I replied, standing up and sheathing my blades.

“Hah. An off day, hmm? Of course.” I could feel the sarcasm dripping from his words, his disbelief in my abilities clear. I decided it was time to take the focus off of me, before I felt like I needed to give a demonstration.

“Those matters aside... I must thank you for saving me. You have my deepest gratitude. May I ask who you are?” I inquired, attempting to summon up the regal politeness that was drilled into me as I grew up. The man stood with a certain sense of indignance and pride as he introduced himself.

“My name is Vilkas, a member of the Companions in Whiterun. This is my Shield-Sister, Ria. We of the Companions fight for honour, glory and coin. We take the burdens of people who don’t feel up to defending their own honour,” he said confidently. I had heard mention of the Companions before, both rumour and small talk in Whiterun, and the famous Five Hundred Companions of Ysgramor from my history lessons. Things had changed drastically over time, it would seem. Yet this thought’s importance in my mind paled in comparison to the still-rapid beating of my heart. Something about looking at this man gave me such a rush. I had no idea what I was feeling, and at that point I was beginning to fear it. All I knew was that I needed to get away, and quickly.

“I see. Once again, many thanks for coming to my rescue. I must now return to my travel, but know that I will not forget your help.” I turned to leave, Vilkas giving me a nod of acknowledgement as I walked away. Once I had passed through enough forest to be out of his sight, I leaned against a tree, bringing one hand to my chest and the other to my still-red face.

‘What on Nirn is this feeling...?’

2) What did they think of each other at first?

Aradove was immediately attracted to Vilkas, but she had no idea what she was feeling at first, so she was suspicious of him because of the effect he had on her until she figured out what it was. Vilkas, on the other hand, thought Aradove was just some stupid elf too full of herself to be aware of danger.

3) Were they immediately interested/attracted or did that come later?

Aradove yes, definitely. Vilkas though, only began to take a shine to her as she rose through the ranks of the Companions later on in her story and proved herself strong, honourable and level-headed.

——————————

Oh my god I did it. I wrote a whole OC post. And I don’t hate it. Whattt

@hircines-hunting-grounds @curiousartemis

Idk what do you guys think? I hope you liked it :)

[crimsonbluemoon]

H2O Vanoss: Merman

Final one! Okay, so this is my OTP and this idea actually was my LEAST favorite at first, but now? Now I love it. ugh, I’m a mess. Please enjoy this monster of a HeadCanon! ^.^

H2OVanoss Merman

Basis: Evan is a merman prince of an undersea kingdom, Del is a struggling artist who is in desperate need of a beach vacation according to his friend Luke.

IDEAS (...Basically just a story)

The story starts when Evan is about to assume the reign of his kingdom, as a sign of his coming of age on his 25th birthday. During the banquet just before the coronation, one of his advisors gives him a drink poisoned with human blood, known to mermaid’s as “The Loner’s Curse.” 

The poison weakens him to be stronger than humans but weaker than mermaids, and also turns him human. The advisor and some of his henchman subdue him and end up stranding Evan on shore, tying him to a post so he’ll drown when the tide comes in.

Instead, Delirious finds him while finding a morning surf shore that he and Luke had taken for the summer while Luke took over his uncle’s beach house and surf shop (with Delirious assisting him.) Evan is almost drowning when Delirious spots him, so once Delirious unties him he’s stuck dragging an unconscious Evan back to the beach house, where Luke and Del get him cleaned up. 

Luke berates Del about not dragging dead people into the house again as they’re doing this.

When Evan wakes up, he’s stuck as a human and has to find a way to reverse the poison that’s still in his system and get back to his kingdom and save it. He keeps track of the poison by looking at his veins in the moonlight, and where his veins glow is where the poison has reached. 

If the poison reaches his heart, he’ll literally drown in human blood and die. Thankfully, he has Delirious to help him, and Luke when he’s not managing the shop.

Not that any of them have ANY idea what they’re doing.

In the process of searching for a cure, there’s really cute moments! Evan hates being human (walking, the increased metabolism/need for sleep, basically everything to do with a human body) until he eats pizza for the first time. He’s literally addicted to the pizza from Panda’s Pizza Parlor, which has the best pizza on the coast. 

He also likes Panda, who can always tell exactly what kind of pizza he wants with a single glance (he does this with all his customers, and gives Evan an anchovy special each time he walks in, heavy on the fish.) 

Delirious absolutely refuses to try it, no matter how much Evan tries to get him to eat it (“They’ve still got their eyes, Evan! I can’t eat no fish eyes, they’re still looking at me an- and making me feel bad!”)

Evan is NOT used to wearing clothes and keeps “losing” them. The number of times that Delirious has turned around to/walking in on/returned to a shirtless or entirely naked Evan most definitely contributes to his attraction to the merman prince and his extreme embarrassment. 

Evan only really likes this one shark tooth necklace that Delirious bought for Evan, as it helps him to comfort him when there are too many people around.

Evan can’t be left alone in the house because he breaks SO MUCH STUFF. Luke has had to replace most minor appliances and is very tempted to “take a gutting knife to the damn fish already and have some peace again.”

Fire at the beach: Del teaches Vanoss how to dance for the first time, super intimate and romantic. 

Girls flirting with Evan at the surf shop annoys Delirious to the point of “accidentally” knocking a soda onto the girls and making them leave.

Luke is torn between snickering and groaning at the loss of profit

Del comes into Evan’s room in the middle of night because he’s crying in pain from the poison

This starts the tradition of then sleeping next to each other every night (despite Luke teasing Del every morning)

Del asks Evan about merepeople’s sexuality and kinda discovers Evan’s into men over women

Del teaches Evan how to surf (and fails miserably). 

They almost kiss for the first time before a wave pushes them away from each other and ruins the moment

Evan stumbles in on Delirious trying to draw in the window seat of the beach house, but from the crumpled up drawings and broken pencils, it’s obvious he’s not having any luck. Evan doesn’t know the first thing about art, but he likes to watch Delirious draw, and is genuinely interested in how he makes drawings and why he chooses certain styles or lines for parts of the picture. 

Del is a bit nervous talking about it at first, but as he answers Evan’s questions, he relaxes. By the time the questions are done, Del’s drawn a picture without even really realizing what he was doing. 

It ends up being a picture of Evan from the waist up, and Delirious ends up asking about what Evan looks like as a mermaid (the color of his scales, his tail length, etc). He draws Evan’s full form from the answers, and Evan is bittersweet looking at the picture of what he may never be again. But he asks if he can keep the picture, which Del lets him, worried when Evan leaves the room that he’s made a mistake drawing it.

One day when Evan is suuuuper stressed after a lead on the cure goes bust (their informant cancels on them), Delirious takes him to a carnival to cheer up. Evan’s instantly taken in by the sounds and colors, which nearly overwhelm him until Delirious grabs his hand and shows him how fun everything can be. 

Evan decides that cotton candy is the absolute best, candy apples are from hell (“Delirious, get this stupid thing off my face!” as the caramel adheres to his cheek), and he’s NOT a fan of heights. But he’s watched a lot of romantic movies with Luke over the past two weeks, and he knows that Ferris wheels are a romantic thing that people do. And he’s… kinda into Delirious, so he wants to go on it despite his fear of heights, insisting that his shaking knees and sweaty palms are from the poison (“Evan, that doesn’t make me feel better!”) 

Delirious pretends that he’s scared of heights to keep Evan from going on it, and they end up going on one of those little helicopter rides instead that go up and down in a circle, and Evan absolutely loves it.

When they get back home, Evan is left alone with Luke while Delirious grabs all the prizes they won from Evan being OP at carnival games. Luke asks if Delirious “made a move on you” on the Ferris wheel, as it’s his favorite ride. This leaves Evan confused, telling Luke that he was scared of it, but the Southerner is stubborn in his insistence that the wheel is his favorite “fucking stupid ride.” 

When Delirious comes back, he confesses that he does love the Ferris wheel, but also says that the carnival was supposed to be for Evan, to make him feel better, and Delirious would rather have fun with Evan than make him go on a ride he’s terrified of.

Essentially, it’s their first date, and it goes very, very well.

Luke: “Man, if all I had to do was convince you it was a date to stay off that ride, we’d be on our tenth anniversary by now!” and that’s what makes them realize it’s a date

However, there’s still angst… because now they realize that even if they can cure Evan, he’ll turn back into a mermaid and have to choose between his kingdom and Delirious. 

Evan starts to pull away from Delirious as a result of this realization, not wanting to hurt him with his eventual departure. He can feel his soul missing Delirious, though. 

He ends up in this mental limbo over the choice between Delirious and his duty to his kingdom, and ends up stumbling across this tiny aquarium on the edge of town.

Evan finds comfort in the small aquarium’s ocean window, and he ends up going there often when he’s overwhelmed or down on himself over the course of the summer.

And eventually, it’s his last night alive, as he hasn’t found a cure.

Evan goes there on his last night alive, as he doesn’t want to die in front of Delirious or the ocean. 

He leaves a note explaining that he’s grateful to Delirious for everything he did. It’s a sweet goodbye, ending it with a wish that he could have told Delirious “how he felt.” He doesn’t think he’s ever going to have a chance to explain it.

He writes this note on the back of the drawing Del did for him, adding his own little mess of a doodle of Del swimming next to him as a merman.

It’s dark in the aquarium, as it’s closing time, and moonlight is streaming through the window where he’s sitting and his whole body save his upper chest lights up. The owner ends up sitting next to him, a man named Brian.

“I should have known you’re just like me. Focking’ Christ.” And then Brian leans over the table and kisses Evan.

Delirious runs in screaming for Evan, panicking over the note he found, to the sight of a very panicked and breathless Evan yanking free of Brian’s kiss, and he’s rightfully infuriated and confused at the both of them for everything that’s happening.

Brian reveals that he used to be a merman, but was poisoned on accident while trying to save a “kid” who fell over the edge of his father’s fishing boat and scratched up his hands trying to climb up. 

Brian ended up swallowing some of his blood and was turned into a human, but was saved by the guy’s father. 

Brian knows enough about mermaids to know that the cure to The Loner’s Curse is to “share air” with either a human or a mermaid, turning the afflicted into whichever species kisses them until they go into/leave the water. And the stronger the bond of affection between the two, the longer the curse will be gone for- but only true love’s kiss can truly “cure” it. So Brian bought Evan time, but can’t cure him.

Cue a frantic Delirious begging Evan to not die and not accept this. In his panic, Delirious asks Evan to kiss him, recounting their dates and intimate moments as reasons why it would work. Evan is scared to die, but is more terrified of kissing Delirious- because it’s a double-edged sword. 

If he kisses Delirious and goes to the water and becomes a merman, then he’ll have to leave Delirious behind forever. But if he doesn’t turn into a merman, it’ll mean Delirious doesn’t love him, and he’ll lose him anyways when he dies of the uncured curse. 

So Evan, almost-coronated prince of the undersea kingdom, does the mature thing and runs away. Again.

Delirious follows him to the beach, tackling him to the sand before he can reach the water. He’s crying, upset and in love with this stupid dying mer-prince, and when Evan tries to get away Delirious screams that he’s “in love with you, and I have to do this even though it’s gonna kill me to let you go. Cuz it’ll make you happy, and all I’ve ever wanted is that you’re happy!” 

And when Evan is too stunned to reply, Delirious kisses him.

As they kiss, Evan’s whole body glows in the moonlight, the poisonous curse fading from his body. They break apart to breathe, but just as they go to kiss again the first wave washes over Evan’s body as the tide rises, and he starts to turn back into a merman in Delirious’s arms. 

Evan starts to tell Delirious he loves him as well, but Delirious cuts him off, inconsolable as he realizes he can’t love Evan and have him. As he starts to walk away, Evan realizes Delirious looks like how he did when he first tried walking (wobbly and shaken), and also that this is the first time Delirious has ever really broken down in front of him.

Evan tries to call him back, but Delirious says that he’s got a kingdom to save, “and I’ve got another purpose to find.” 

And then Delirious is running away down the beach, along the shoreline towards his house, and Evan is frantically swimming after him through the shallows trying to get him to come back. 

The jetty wall stops him from following, and Delirious gives him one last look of love and pain before running back into his house and leaving Evan alone in the water.

Realizing that there’s nothing he can do, Evan goes back and saves his kingdom. It’s the least he owes Delirious and their lost love. He wins, but he’s still heartbroken.

Every day for a month, he goes to the beach to see if Delirious is there, but the man never appears. 

Luke does show up, though, and absolutely rips into Evan for hurting Delirious and breaking his heart. He tells Evan how Delirious won’t surf, won’t go out, won’t even draw anything, and that “I hope your goddamn kingdom was worth it.” He tells Evan to never come back so Delirious will “find someone who can stand on his own two fucking legs and who won’t run away.”

Evan decides he’s gonna break into Brian’s aquarium, following the half-wild fish in through the pipes and scaring the absolute fuck out of Brian one night. He begs Brian to tell him how he’s still alive, as he’s seen Brian go in deep water and not turn back into a mermaid. 

Brian tells him that the secret is to kiss the person whose blood he accidentally consumed (Evan yells at him for kissing a kid, but really the kid was a young adult whose father called him “kid” as long as Brian knew him. Brian and Brock are now happily married and Brian still teasingly calls him “kid” because his dad joked at their wedding that “the kid fell head over heels” for Brian.)

Which means that he has to drink Delirious’s blood and then kiss him and they can be happy! 

The only problem is convincing Delirious to do that, which is where Brian, always a sucker for a happy ending and NOT having mermaids in his aquarium, offers his services of sticking Evan into a tank with a tarp on top and driving over to Delirious’s house.

Brock walks in on Brian putting the tarp over the tank, takes two seconds to look at Brian’s guilty face and Evan’s panicked eyes, and just takes a sip of his coffee before saying “Babe, I’m not gonna ask any questions so long as you buy me clams tonight” and walking away. 

Brian mumbles “jokes on him, clams always makes the sex better later” and Evan’s like “please just drive me to Delirious and never talk to me about your sex life again.”

They drive to the house, and while Brian’s trying to pull Evan into the pool Luke walks out and gets suuuuuuuuper pissed at Evan for coming back. 

Brian’s like “you like him?” and Evan’s all “no no I like the guy who showed up last time!” (“Who’s this, then, his new boyfriend?” “I’m his best friend, you dipshit!”) and it’s all a mess that ends up waking Delirious up.

When he comes outside and sees Evan and is absolutely flabbergasted and excited and very, very cautious. Evan, being the great person he is with words, asks Delirious if he can have some blood and then kiss him (“What the fuck, Evan?” “So I can live with you!”) And Luke is like, super done and tells him to fuck off and not to use “my best friend- whose heart you broke by the way- as a fucking sacrifice for your bullshit mermaid things!” 

But when he tries to drag Delirious inside after telling Brian to go give him to Panda so he can be on one of those pizzas he liked so much, Delirious blurts out “why are you still wearing my necklace?”

Everything sort of pauses around the two of them as Evan tells him he’s still in love with him, that he hated every day he was gone but he had shit to take care of before he came back, and that even though he tried every day to find Delirious and say he was coming back he was never able to. And he ends his speech with 

“Delirious, if I was gonna break your heart, it was gonna be for a damn good reason, and I wasn’t gonna leave it broken if I could come back.”

At this point Delirious goes quiet, and then looks to Brian and asks if the same rules apply about the kiss and going back in the water. Brian tells him the truth, which is that Evan would be with him forever, as a human, unless they weren’t in love anymore in which case he’d stay a mermaid. 

Delirious then bites his own lip with enough force to make it bleed, which makes Evan panic a bit from the sight. But Delirious says he needs to do it to start the first part of the ceremony, because he’s still in love with Evan, and Luke is like “are you serious” and Brian’s like “are you sure? You can’t go back from this” and both Evan and Delirious are like “absolutely, yes.”

So they kiss, and Evan is getting poisoned by Delirious’s blood as he kisses him, and the whole thing is over in a literal flash as his body glows from the poison and is instantly cured.

Has legs! It worked! And now Delirious, who is laughing and crying in happiness, is hauling him out of the pool and it’s happy all around (except for Luke, who warns him to not touch a single goddamn thing in the house without someone watching him.)

And they lived happily ever after.

[norrington-hell]

Uhh ship thing again? James and Will

…oh. OH.

First off, I would like to establish that, in the world of canon, I do not ship Will and James (or Willington, if you prefer). That said…as I wrote Redemption’s Promise and built a mutual respect and admiration between them that flowed so naturally I hardly had a hand in it, I saw the potential for a multi-faceted relationship there. And while I didn’t explore a romantic edge to that facet in my fic, I would be lying if I said the idea hadn’t sparked an interest in me (and several of my readers, as they felt the need to point out lol).

All this to say that these listed dynamics are operating under the assumption that James and Will are 1) not antagonistic toward one another 2) do not have Elizabeth between them to muddy the situation 3) are both mlm (which I honestly headcanon them as anyway).

Alright, enough with the fine text. Onto the main event!

Werewolf: WillHunter: JamesAs I said with the Norribeth one of these, James is already a pirate hunter by trade. That translates really well. But I see Will as being a nonviolent Werewolf. One who’s just trying to get by, maybe even trying to find a cure. I imagine him ‘outing’ himself by jumping between James and an enemy werewolf and transforming to fight. After that, James has to struggle with the fact that he can no longer believe all lycanthropes are evil. Something something crime-fighting duo. Something something overcoming biases. Something something James should not be turned on by this. >:D

Mermaid: JamesFisherman: WillI had to think about this one a bit, and I’m still not super jiving with the results. I suppose I just don’t feel this dynamic really suits them.

Witch: ElizabethFamiliar: James and Will and JackOkay I lied. This one definitely brings Elizabeth into play. She’s a witch with three familiars: James (a hawk), Will (a wolf), and Jack (a black cat). Maybe they’re all former lovers she’s cursed into doing her bidding. OOoooh I like that. Jack gets up to all sorts of clownery, leaving James and Will to fix things. Hijinks ensue.

Barista: WillCoffee Addict: JamesJames prefers his coffee black, not especially fond of all the bells and whistles people tend to throw into the mix these days. But a simple black drip means he’s out the door in less than two minutes, and, for reasons he hasn’t taken the time to parse out, he’s keen to spend just a few more than that waiting by the counter.It could be the pleasant smell of freshly ground beans in the air. It could be the cozy, laid-back atmosphere of the establishment and how it gives him a break from his fast-paced life. It could be he simply likes the unique roast of the espresso. It could be many things.But, while they may add to the draw of the place, James knows the truth of the matter, even as he wraps himself in a cloak of denial.A soft, sincere smile. Warm russet eyes. The way the barista instantly memorized his on-the-spot, conjured, confection of a drink.‘See you tomorrow, James.’He pretends not to notice how their fingers brush as he takes the paper cup, which he would usually pawn off on a coworker before using the communal office Keurig. But the scrawled seven-digit number beneath his thumb makes that an impossibility today. This one is his.‘I wouldn’t miss it.’

Professor: JamesTA: WillAnd my reasoning is much the same as my Norribeth version. An 8 year age gap. Probably some sort of history class. Likely Age of Sail. James builds model ships as a hobby. Will would probably find that enchanting. 

Knight: JamesPrince: WillJames is a protector by nature. It just seems to suit him. And Orlando Bloom played a prince in a different trilogy, sooo…there you go.Oh god…Will is promised to a princess from another kingdom, but his heart truly lies with his oldest friend and staunchest protector. But duty and station mean everything to James. How could he ask him to turn his back on that?…I like this au too much. Too much to continue to play in this space. I can’t afford to get attached.

Teacher: WillSingle Parent: JamesPapa!James is very near and dear to my heart. No idea who the mother is, but the story would be a tropey mess, that’s for damn sure. Will sees his student dropped off every day by her doting, if serious, father. Who is very handsome. And very single. He would arrange a meet up outside of school. Try to teach James to open up and have fun. Eventually, try to teach him how to love again.GOD I HATE HOW MUCH I’M ENJOYING THIS.

Writer: JamesEditor: WillJames writes aggressively researched true crime novels and has been doing so for the better part of a decade. His life is ritual and routine, which he very seldom deviates from. Then his editor retires, and a new, young, fresh-faced replacement arrives. At first, James is upset, annoyed. Why, he’s no more than a boy! But, Will proves to be meticulous, cunning, and just the right amount of tenacious to be an optimal fit, not just as an editor and fellow researcher, but as so much more.

Okay. So. I guess my muse was really spoiling for some Willington. I didn’t write nearly this much for the version of this that was about my OTP! Oh well. I hope y’all enjoyed my pithy ramblings.

I tag @literarytrashpanda. You know what you did.

[ruensroad]

DickTiger | Witch!AU

I’ve been horribly out of practice with writing lately and I’m hopping on my old OTP’s for some inspiration. I adore these two and I’m glad to see they’ve got a following. :)

HAPPY VALENTINES <3

Under the cut, babes!

Tiger is just closing shop when Dick Grayson walks into his store. It’s not an earth-shattering moment, or anything out of the ordinary, even if the man is the sort of beautiful that makes him double take. But there’s something about the way his heart seems to stutter that makes him pause and take notice.

Dick is in a jacket and jeans, a gray tee-shirt with BPD printed on the front, and Tiger takes in his bright eyes and darker skin in a preliminary assessment of ethnicity, which lends greatly to magic. And he has no doubt Dick has magic. It’s muted and small, not a large gift, but still there, brightening his soul, until Dick is quite possibly the brightest thing in his whole shop.

He slowly puts down his broom and ignores the all too knowing gazes of his familiars from where they’re lazing in the last remnants of sunlight on the floor to greet him.

“Maakhaam mo pa kheyr,” he says in welcome. “How may I help you?”

“Helena sent me,” is the first thing Dick says, all smiles and laughing eyes. “She says you’re the best.”

“I am,” Tiger tells him and it’s not even a boast. He knows his strengths and what his magic can do, and depending on what is needed, he truly is the best at healing magic this side of Bludhaven.

His serious tone only gets him a chuckle as Dick’s blue, blue gaze flickers this way and that, taking in all the odds and ends of his magic shop. After a moment, his eyes alight on Tiger again and only get more excited, like Tiger is just as wondrous as the rest of it.

Tiger raises an eyebrow at that, waiting, and Dick laughs, realizing that he’s been staring, and begins to explain, “Sorry, I need -”

“I know what you need,” Tiger cuts him off and takes his hand, not quite realizing it sounds like some pick up line until both his black cats huff in their signature laughs and Dick’s cheeks turn scarlet. Undeterred, Tiger just cups the man’s fingers, as though to raise them to his lips, and reaches out with his magic. A playful, curious energy touches his in return and Tiger draws it in, parsing through what all it tells him. After a moment of quiet, he has the answers he needs.

“You’re looking for love,” he says dryly, gently letting Dick’s fingers slide away from his own. “Richard John Grayson, age twenty-four, police officer, innate Romani magic. You go by Dick,” he adds with a bit of a furrowed brow. “Though I’m not sure why you would shorten a great name. Powerful ruler, if my translation is correct.”

Dick breaths out slow and deep, as though he’d been holding it in. “Well, fuck,” he whispers, cheeks still rosy, and touches the Sara e Kali pendant dangling from his neck, “that was sexy.”

Tiger snorts at that. “You’re also an idiot,” he says, more lightly, and silently enjoys the pout he gets. “I do not do ‘love spells’ here,” he continues, getting to business before those lips drive him to distraction. “I do not believe in influencing anyone against their will with my abilities. I can, however, offer a scrying, or a calming stone to settle you.”

Dick nods quickly. “I don’t want any love spell,” he promises. “I’m lonely, but not that lonely.” He makes a disgusted face as though to further his view on the matter. “Helena said you offer some… hm, reassurance? That’s how she put it, I’m not sure what she meant.”

“I can do that,” Tiger nods, knowing what Helena must’ve been getting at, though her angling is becoming clear to him now. Sure, she may have sent Dick here with that as a true motive, but she’s also a terrible matchmaker and he can’t deny Dick Grayson appeals to him in all the ways he is cautious to allow, and he knows, from that touch, that the attraction is mutual. And since Helena always has a double agenda...

Remind me to send Helena a long message when this is over, he tells his familiars, who just huff their little cat laughs again. He sighs and gestures Dick to follow him to a side room.

Dick goes happily enough, taking in everything with the delight of a child at the North Pole, perhaps, or in a candy store. “Your shop is amazing.”

“Thank you,” Tiger says and waves a hand over a locked box that clicks open once it feels his magic. Inside lay a pile of earthen stones and gems and he takes Dick’s hand again, drawing the man’s magic into himself before feeling through the rocks and setting a few aside. As he goes, he tells Dick what they are, and why his magic is calling for them. Abalone, for protection and healing; Amethyst, for calmness and soothing; Carnelian, for confidence; Labradorite to enhance magic and curiosity.

He puts them in a small velvet bag and hands them over, pleased to see, if only in some dark corner of himself he can allow to be pleased, that Dick is blushing again from where their hands are touching. There’s something… electric about touching the man, and Tiger indulges in further contact just long enough to explain the way to meditate with each stone before letting go. Or at least, he tries to, but then he feels Dick’s fingers squeeze his and their eyes meet and his magic sings and he finds he just can’t muster up the strength to let go just yet.

He hides the pure, naked need under a calm professional attitude, disguising it all as business. He leads Dick to his scrying pool, a basin of the purest spring water with two slowly swimming koi within, and starts tracing a finger through the water, focusing.

“You seek love,” he murmurs. “Let’s see if I can give you some reassurance that you are not alone.”

Dick makes a soft noise, but seems stunned quiet as Tiger pulls Dick’s magic into the water, like his body is a conduit from lightning bolt to ground. He certainly feels it, given the way the playful energy crackles through his veins. He’s never felt such a reaction before and nearly loses focus, only managing it with a stern thought: that whoever is in Dick’s future had better be worthy of him. The man is bisexual, he knows it through the magic, can feel his likes and dislikes, his needs and wants, where he falters, where he soars. He’s good man, Tiger can feel it, and hates the way his attraction only grows.

To say he’s surprised to see his own reflection in the scrying pool is a bit of an understatement. He blinks, tries again, then nearly splashes the vision he sees right out of existence, knowing that if he were less than what he was, he’d be blushing. Even so, his ears start to burn in warning and, with a thick swallow he forces himself to calmly wave the visage away. But even as it ripples out of focus, it still burns in his mind, and he can feel the phantom kisses already, an echo of Dick’s laugh in his ears, and wonders how he could possibly have this.

“What is it?” Dick asks, bringing him out of his reverie. They’re still holding hands and Dick’s magic is still dancing around his own and Tiger feels a little lost as he shakes his head in wonder.

“It would seem there is someone in your immediate future,” he tells him, and has to smile a little at the way Dick immediately perks up. “A man. A fellow witch.”

Dick takes this in with a glowing smile, his aura humming with energy. “Does he make me happy?” is what he asks, and Tiger nods, a bit dumbly, still seeing Dick’s luminesant grin in his mind’s eye.

Oh yes, he makes - will make - Dick Grayson very happy. How, he’s not so sure. He’s never really made anyone happy in such a way. He’d never been allowed to love the way his heart cries for. In Afghanistan, it was a death sentence to love another man. As a spy, love was a commodity that only complicated things beyond all reason. And though he’d left the spy life behind after the death of his partner, to focus on healing instead of killing, he’d been hesitant to touch that side of himself that he was born with, even though he was freely exploring his other Allah-given gifts.

He frowns, then sighs at himself. “He’s new to this,” warns Dick. “He’s… never allowed himself to love a man. Has never known the kind of love you crave. He will make you happy, but only if you work on him. Make him better. Be understanding and patient.”

“Of course,” Dick says as easy as breathing, as though there were no other way to do it, and Tiger feels his heart clench almost painfully as pure want grips him. Not a physical want, he’s felt that before. Easily remedied with meditation and training. But this… this is a bullet to the heart, shards of glass in his soul, but a good pain. A longing pain. One that, should it be lost, would be devastating.

Tiger breathes this in, breathes out. Forces himself to calm. Then he takes Dick’s hand and gives into the urge to kiss the young man’s fingers. He meets his eyes over the knuckles, smiling easily as Dick’s cheeks go back to dark red.

“Well then,” he says lowly, “it would seem I owe Helena one.”

Dick blinks, then his eyes widen, and the grin that overtakes his face is like being in freefall. Exhilarating and terrifying all at once.

“Really?” he asks, excited, gripping his bag of stones to his chest. “You and me?”

“Yes,” Tiger says, kissing those fingers again. His lips tingle as Dick’s magic dances over his skin. “If… well, if you’d want me.”

“Are you serious right now,” Dick huffs. “I mean, holy Adonis? Have you seen you. Yes! My magic has been going crazy since the moment you touched me and, honestly, if my heart keeps stopping you’re going to have to resurrect me.”

He’s laughing now and his eyes are practically crescents, his smile is so wide. “Please, be mine,” he says in a rush, fingers squeezing Tiger’s in a silent plea. “Especially if I make you happy as well.”

Tiger can’t deny that truth, remembering his own quiet, fond smile in the vision, and nods. “One day, yes.”

“Then yes,” Dick says, decided, and leans up to kiss Tiger’s bearded cheek. The tingles migrate from his lips to the spot and he shivers. “Can we get started on that ‘one day’ tonight?”

He looks so eager that there’s really nothing for it but to say yes. Within minutes, Dick’s talked him into his jacket and into dinner, and as Tiger leaves the store, arm in arm with a happily chattering witch, he looks back at his all-knowing cats, and sighs at their amused faces.

I’m still sending Helena a very long note, he tells them, which they huff at. But… remind me to send flowers along.

He can hear their laughter long into the night. But hearing Dick’s own laugh and settling into the awing knowledge that he has the power to make this man happy… well. It’s more than worth it.

[myricds-archive]

UNO

POSITIVITY | always accepting !

UNO - positivity for the first person you remember shipping with ( in general or on this muse )

the first two people i remember shipping with ever in the indie rp scene are @indissoluta‘s cai and @sebastianstanrps‘ jefferson. both on emma, both nearly four years ago at this point. and this is going to get long because we’re talking about two of my favorite people in the tumblr world and so, settle in folks.

MYLLIE first. my first interaction with her was when caiden was a standalone blog at burymeinprettylies ( & let me say that once we were shipping these two i found a lot of satisfaction in the fact that both of our urls contained the word ‘lies’ ) and at the time i had no real intention of shipping emma with anyone ( emma+happines=the true otp ) but here came this bartender who matched wits with her and made her feel like she belonged in a place that felt so foreign and she was a goner from the start ( even though she still has trouble admitting it ). NOT TO MENTION that this was one of my first interactions with an original character and i was just so blown away by how well developed he was and how RICH his story and characteristics were that within a couple of threads he ceased to be an original character in my mind and became a part of the once canon story. there’s never a mention of the rabbit hole without my mind going to caiden. AND THEN ON TOP OF THAT myllie has such a grasp on the characterization of all of her characters and whether its friendship like jenna and nat or ships like caiden and emma or kaidan and shepard, etc. my muses can’t resist the draw of hers and that’s a testament to how great of a writer she is and NOT TO MENTION she’s one of the nicest people i’ve ever had the pleasure of talking to on this site and i’m so happy to have met/gotten to know her & that she’s still tolerating my stupid ass.

AND NICOLE who refuses to come back to indie even though i’ve begged and succeeded briefly with getting her back on her bucky. nicole is another one of the first people i met when i ventured into the indie scene. i followed her jefferson back when i was still learning the ropes after coming from a group rp and the first interaction we had was literally once sentence from a meme. we turned it into a thread and by the time it was done it was over 1000 words per reply. but everything we wrote was so intense and meaningful to me, and nicole’s writing always blows me away and i truly believe writing with her helped to make me a better writer, because i was always striving to be better so that my replies could match hers for quality. beyond all of that, she became my best friend, eventually my roommate, and even though she abandoned me to move to virginia, she is — to this day — one of my favorite people and someone i will always consider my best friend. she is the one who will call me out on my shit when i need to hear it, and let me vent when i just need to get things off of my chest. we can go weeks without talking and pick it up as though no time has passed. one of those friends that you know no matter what happens, they will be there for you if you need them. i miss her face like crazy and don’t get to see it NEARLY enough but i love her and i guess that means i have to forgive her for that and now that she’s no longer doing indie stuff i use her blog as a resource blog all of the time so at LEAST SHE STILL HAS SOME USE TO ME ;)

[rockthistowninsideout]

20.08. Time Period AU - Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries AU

Digimon OTP Week Part 7

Rating: Mature Additional Warning: Rape and abuse mentioned Pairing: Taichi/Sora Words: 1162

In which Sora slips into the role of Miss Phryne Fisher, 1920s Melbourne’s most remarkable private detective, and Taichi is her dutiful partner in crime, Detective Jack Robinson.

The Honorable Miss Sora Takenouchi, private detective extraordinaire, poured tea into a delicate piece of china, then set the pot aside and eyed her counterpart in the other well-cushioned green armchair.

“Inspector Yagami-“

“I thought you had transcended the stage where you called me by my last name.”

She raised an eyebrow. “I don’t like it when people interrupt me, not even the intelligent and admittedly handsome Detective Inspector of the City South Police. But, as you wish, Taichi” she stressed his name more than was necessary “how are the investigations going? Takeru found himself quite unable to tell me the details.”

The detective coughed. He should have known that Miss Takenouchi had not invited him just for a relaxed cup of tea and an idle chat. The look she was giving him meant business. Still, he had walked in here, dewy-eyed, and had taken the steaming mug she had offered him. When he was here, he always felt like a sailor on a rough sea, and she was the siren, drawing him to her rocks, were his doom was waiting. It has never been deadly with her, though, at least not here in her grand mansion in one of the suburban streets of Melbourne.

“Well, the commissioner wants to have Mr Motomiya arrested by the end of the day as he has a believable alibi missing.”

“But Taichi, we both know that there’s also something else missing: a motive and the circumstances of when or where he could have acquired the poison. He is a simple dock worker, not a pharmacist or of any similar profession.” After the word “pharmacist”, Sora’s voice slowed and she looked at Taichi with realization dawning in her eyes. Taichi had comprehended as well and was already at his feet.

“I will call Takeru and tell him to go straight to Miss Inoue’s house. We will meet him there.” He rushed over to the telephone.

Sora hurried into the kitchen to inform her housekeeper, Mr Gennai, that they were off to catch a possible murderer. She met the detective in the entrance hall where she threw over a superbly sequined black coat and put a matching hat with feathers at the side on her accurately combed red bob. Taichi held open the door for her, they got into the police car and drove off with determination.

Sergeant Takeru Takaishi waited for them in a side alley of Miss Inoue’s pharmacy.

“She has just sent her apprentice home so she is alone in there. Do you think it has been her?” he asked his boss as they exited the car. When he saw Miss Takenouchi, he tapped his helmet and greeted her, then followed the detective to the side entrance.

“Takaishi, open the door for me. We will approach her from behind, you on one side, I will be on the other. Miss Takenouchi-“ he turned around to address her, just to discover that she didn’t stand next to him anymore. He rolled his eyes and swore under his breath.

The bell over the pharmacy entrance chimed. Miss Inoue turned away from the medication she had been preparing to greet the new customer.

“Good evening, how can I help you, Miss Takenouchi?” Her voice was warm and welcoming, but Sora’s suspicious nature, and the countless missions she had been on by now, told her that this might as well be a perfectly implemented façade.

“Miss Inoue, I was wondering if you could not recommend me a good medicine against back pain. My butler Mr Gennai, well, he’s never complaining but I can sense that he has to deal with some gruesome aches now and then.”

Miss Inoue nodded knowingly, as if she had anticipated the question. “Heat always helps. Give him a hot water bottle and some rest, then he should be good. If the pains are ongoing, just come back to me. Or maybe send him right away, if you can spare him for a while.”

Sora noticed a movement in the back room which could be accessed by two door frames that were guarded by pearl curtains. She caught Taichi’s eye and nodded, when Mrs Inoue perched behind the counter to get something. Simultaneously, Taichi and Takeru stepped into the salesroom. With surprising speed and strength, the pharmacist shot up from her crouched position, grabbed Sora by the arm and vaulted her over the counter, holding a pistol against Sora’s temple.

“Detective, did you really think I was so naïve and, above all, blind that I wouldn’t anticipate your coming or see your sergeant lingering in the street?”

She held Sora tighter and now pointed the gun at Takeru, then at Taichi.

“Miss Inoue-“ Sora began, but the pharmacist cut her off.

“Quiet, Miss Takenouchi, you’re definitely not better than those men, than all men in fact.” She nearly spat the word “men” out, then continued. “All my life have I’ve been serving men; when my Mom died I had to fill her role because my Dad was too busy drinking himself to madness. When I was sixteen he sold me off to a brothel, and there they were again, greedy men with their hands all over my body which I never wanted. I could escape, but I landed in the arms of a professor who promised me an academic career but you know what he wanted in return? You’ve guessed it, sex. Now that I finally had my own business, my own home, my own life there comes Mr Ishida and threatens to take it all away from me. I could not have let this happen, now could I?” The question was simply rhetorical, and they were all wise enough not to answer.

After a pause, Sora tried to calm her. “Miss Inoue-“

“Don’t! I’m now at a stage in my life where I cannot take it any longer.” She took the pistol away from Sora’s head and held it against her own. But before she could pull the trigger, Sora had rammed her elbow into Miss Inoue’s stomach. The gun went off, but only shot the lamp above their heads to pieces. Taichi and Takeru were at her sides now, grabbing one arm each and holding her tight between them.

Sora panted and looked compassionately at the pharmacist. “I’m sorry that this happened to you, but you now have taken away all that you’ve worked so hard for by yourself.”

The police men brought her out to the car in handcuffs.

Sora and Taichi were back at her mansion, sitting in the living room and sipping their whiskeys. After the events of today they had needed something stronger than Earl Grey.

“Taichi, I am really sorry for Miss Inoue. She’d had a hard life, one that is not uncommon, but she managed to escape. Only to be ripped of it again.”

Taichi nodded. “It is truly a shame, but murderer stays murderer. There is not really anything we could do for her now.”

@digiotpweek

[whitewolfofwinterfell]

Hey, I just read your meta on amy and eleven and omg it was beautiful. Do you have any thought on twelve/clara though ?

Hey there! Aw, thank you so much. I’m so glad you liked it. Eleven and Amy are one of my ultimate OTP’s so I loved writing it so much.

I actually stopped watching the show at the end of season 8, so my thoughts on Twelve and Clara won’t be nearly as developed or in-depth as they were for Eleven and Amy. Having said this, I’m more than happy to share my thoughts with you, but they will only be based upon what I know of them from season 8.

Twelve and Clara actually have a lot of parallels with Eleven and Amy, but particularly regarding the whole what are they question. Are they friends, family or more? Are their feelings for one another platonic or romantic? Personally, I would define their relationship as ‘it’s complicated’, because boy, is it complicated. There is, however, an easy way to simplify it.

With Eleven, things for Clara were completely uncomplicated. She was instantly taken with him, she respected him, was in awe of him, she utterly adored him. There was never any question of that from her, Eleven or us as the audience. But then the Doctor regenerated.

Clara’s reaction to it was negative, to say the least. She was confused, resistant and she was grieving. That’s what’s often taken for-granted when the Doctor regenerates - although he doesn’t technically die, the Doctor he is at that particular time does die. The Doctor didn’t just regenerate into Twelve, Eleven died and Clara lost him. She was lucky enough to have one final phone call from him, but she never got to see him again, he was gone. Forever. She needed time to deal with that and to process it, which is fair and reasonable, but there was almost a feeling of hostility that was born from that moment that continued to bleed into Clara’s relationship with Twelve in season 8.

It’s a difficult subject to analyse and interpret, because the only comparison we have to draw on is Nine’s regeneration into Ten at the end of season 1 and Rose’s reaction to it. In the beginning she had a somewhat similar reaction to Clara: confusion, reluctance, resistance, sadness. She felt a sense of loss, just as Clara did, but I think the main difference is that Rose came to accept and realise that the Doctor was still the Doctor naturally. She saw it herself. She saw the Doctor in Ten, could feel that he was still there with her and when she realised that her behaviour towards Ten and her feelings for him were exactly the same as they were with Nine. That didn’t happen with Clara.

No matter what he said or did Clara just couldn’t see the Doctor in Twelve and Twelve even said himself:

“You look at me and you can’t see me. Have you any idea what that’s like? I’m not on the phone I’m right here. Standing in front of you. Please, just see me.”

The reason that Clara accepted the Doctor’s regeneration and finally embraced Twelve, is because Eleven told her to.

“The man you are with right now, the man I hope you are with, believe me he is more scared than anything you can imagine right now. And he needs you.”

The fact that Clara needed to speak to Eleven to hear those words from him to accept Twelve makes me wonder what would’ve happened if Eleven had never made that phone call. Also, Clara didn’t swing right back to being how she was with the Doctor before, her behaviour seemed different (not in a negative way, just different) and her feelings definitely were. I strongly believe Clara had romantic feelings for Eleven, but after regeneration that seemed to be gone. Clara even said herself in a conversation with Jenny:

“If Vastra changed, if she was different, if she wasn’t the person you liked…”

That made it clear how Clara felt about Twelve. She didn’t see the Doctor, she saw not Eleven. He wasn’t the person she liked anymore, he wasn’t the person she loved anymore. In a conversation Vastra actually called Clara out on that. Here are some important snippets:

“He looked like your dashing young gentleman friend. Your lover, even. But he is the Doctor. He has walked this universe for centuries untold, he has seen stars fall to dust. You might as well flirt with a mountain range.”

She also goes on to make a point that Eleven looking young and flirting with Clara was for everyone, not her. It was something he did to be accepted.

“I wear a veil to keep from view what many are pleased to call my disfigurement. I do not wear it as a courtesy to such people, but as a judgement on the quality of their hearts. The Doctor regenerated in your presence. The young man disappeared, the veil lifted. He trusted you. Are you judging him?”

This that Vastra said makes a very important point, and points out one very fundamental thing that Clara didn’t seem to understand. The Doctor is the Doctor. Regardless of whether he’s Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve or any other Doctor before him, he is still the Doctor. But Clara only saw Eleven and the version of him she chose to see. His young appearance and energetic and playful spirit blinded her to who the Doctor really is. He’s a centuries old Timelord, with two hearts, he’s witnessed things that no one else has before, he is wiser and more knowledgeable than anyone she could ever hope to meet. He was not merely some young, handsome, quirky young man with a special box who whisked her away on adventures and gave her flirtatious stares. But that is who she thought he was and when he wasn’t, she didn’t like it. What’s more important is that as Vastra said, the Doctor trusted her. Trusted her to always be a faithful and loyal companion and friend, and although she was in terms of the fact that she never left him, she did temporarily abandon him, even if it was only emotionally.

I bet you wonder why I’m focusing on the regeneration much, but the reason is because this one event happened right at the very beginning of their meeting and I really think it shaped their relationship and essentially created a lot of the issues that followed them throughout season 8.

(I should also like to mention that although this seems so negative so far, I’m certainly not bashing Twelve and Clara’s relationship, which I consider to be so special and important. The positives, will be coming, I can assure you of that.)

So now that I’ve addressed the issues with the regeneration, I can get onto the ongoing issues I believe it created. In Twelve it created a deep rooted insecurity that made him feel unloved and unworthy of Clara. He knew how much she adored Eleven and he wasn’t that person anymore, through no choice of his own. It’s important to remember this: the Doctor never wants to regenerate. He doesn’t want to have to keep ‘dying’ and coming back as a completely new person that he has to get to know all over again and who the people around him have to reestablish a bond with again. Just think about how hard and emotionally exhausting it is to keep track of who you are throughout your life, to maintain friendships as you evolve and now imagine how much harder it would be if you were literally changing into someone different. That’s what the Doctor goes through all the time. Do you think he wants to? Of course not. He does it to stay alive, that’s the only reason. So bearing that in mind, do you really think the Doctor wanted to become Twelve? As Eleven he was young, he was handsome, he was fun-loving, but more importantly he was a person that Clara loved. So to lose that and have to become someone he never wanted or chose to be, was inevitably going to be difficult for him. In addition, regeneration is generally a hard slog, there’s a period of disorientation, confusion and adjustment. Then on top of all that, Clara essentially rejected the “new” him and changed towards him. That must’ve been so incredibly painful for him and something I don’t feel like he truly got over. Twelve is already different from Eleven and also Ten, in the way he handles his emotions. He’s a lot more closed off emotionally, so for Clara to hurt him like that so early on, it only closed him off even more since it made him doubt the one person he thought he could trust. Throughout season 8, Twelve seemed to keep Clara at a distance, more so than Eleven ever did and even though he always had Clara I couldn’t help but feel that most of the time he was alone. It’s hard to explain or justify why I felt this way, but I just saw a man who was carrying the heavy burden of constant heartache around with him and I think that’s because he wanted his relationship with Clara to be different. To be how it was before his regeneration.

As for Clara, I think that after receiving the phone call from Eleven she did accept Twelve as being the Doctor. She proved that she wasn’t the shallow person she appeared to be in 8x01 when she rejected him based on the fact he was older with grey hair and wrinkles. She continued to travel with him, to be his friend, to be the faithful companion the Doctor always expected her to be. But…it felt like there was always a sense of regret and sadness that Eleven was gone and Twelve was in his place, because I think in her mind she saw them as being separate people. I saw that in her relationship with Danny. Of course, the number of episodes she had with Eleven were limited so there wasn’t enough time for Clara to develop an outside relationship. Even still, it’s intriguing to me that she only seemed interested in maintaining a normal life on earth and engaging in a relationship after Eleven was gone. I can’t help but think that if Eleven had still been with her, she never would’ve fallen in love with Danny because she wouldn’t have even allowed herself to be in a position to because her heart would be with Eleven. And that was Clara’s issue: she was in love with Eleven and didn’t know how to feel or what to do once he regenerated. It makes sense, because it is confusing. Physically the Doctor had turned into an old man, affecting the attraction she had for him when he was Eleven and attraction is a part of the romantic feelings she had, so without it could it really be considered romantic love anymore? Then there’s the personality changes and let’s face it the jump from Eleven to Twelve was the biggest change in terms of both looks and personality that had or has happened so far. So there’s not just the issue of does she fancy him, but does she even like him? Then there’s the added confusion of knowing that technically Twelve is still Eleven, that he was still the Doctor, with the same memories and experiences. All of this must’ve been going through Clara’s head and driving her crazy, because she couldn’t decipher how the hell she was feeling and furthermore, she didn’t know how she should be feeling.

This dynamic is what is at the core of Twelve and Clara, I think, and is what makes them so interesting. It’s that whole idea of them being in love with each other in a very true and pure way, but circumstances have changed and it’s no longer right. Of course, from the Doctor’s perspective it never would’ve been right because despite outward appearances he is always aware that he’s over 900 years old and I don’t think he would morally engage in a relationship with a human so much younger than him. Nevertheless, the point is that as Eleven he felt comfortable flirting with Clara and perhaps indulging in more of the romance because he looked young, but as Twelve he could no longer do that. He even said to Clara,  “I’m not your boyfriend”. Why did he say that? A person would only say that to someone if they knew that there were romantic undertones to their relationship that needed to be addressed and avoided. He was essentially telling her, “Whatever might have been between us, whatever we felt before, nothing came of it and now nothing can.” To me, that was Twelve trying to save his own feelings, of drawing a line in the sand and trying to accept that nothing more could ever happen between him and Clara. And that was a constant source of pain for him, particularly since I think that he fell completely in love with Clara as Twelve.

I already touched upon the idea of the Doctor imprinting on the first face he sees after regeneration in my meta about Eleven and Amy, and “the first face this face saw” bond is a canon aspect of Eleven and Amy’s relationship, but it’s also an important element of Twelve and Clara’s relationship too. Now, this is a completely personal opinion that’s likely affected by the fact that Eleven and Amy are my OTP, but I didn’t interpret Eleven to be in love with Clara. He adored her, she was his friend, he valued her, he enjoyed flirting with her and I also think he liked knowing that she felt romantically towards him, but I believe that’s where it ended. The Doctor falling in love with Clara didn’t come until Twelve. In season 8, I saw that Clara meant everything to Twelve, even if Clara didn’t (which she often didn’t) and I saw a man that was heavily invested in everything to do with her, even more so than Eleven was. Why? Because she was the first face his face saw. No one can convince me that anyone other than Amy Pond was the most important person in the universe to Eleven and likewise, no one can convince me that anyone other than Clara Oswald was the most important person in the universe to Twelve. Clara is the person Twelve refused to leave behind, she’s the one he invested everything in, she’s the one whose safety he put above anything and everything.

I think at times during season 8 Twelve’s love for Clara could easily have been interpreted as unrequited, but as the season went on I began to see that despite her relationship with Danny or life on earth, Clara was still very much clinging to the Doctor. We were made to believe that Clara accepted Twelve by the end of 8x01, but she didn’t. It was a process that I felt took place across the entirety of season 8 and with each day she was with him, she grew to know the new parts of Twelve, but also caught sight of the old parts of Eleven. This enabled her to fall in love with him all over again, not as Eleven this time or even Twelve, but as the Doctor. And that is another special aspect of Twelve and Clara’s relationship - by experiencing the regeneration process Clara got to know the Doctor more deeply, because she didn’t know just one version of the Doctor, but two. Much the same as River, who has met three versions of him, it strengthens their love for the Doctor because it’s a more real perception of who he is. Whether he likes it or not, regeneration and every generation from the First Doctor up to the Twelfth Doctor is a part of The Doctor and it’s important to know and understand that.

It saddens me that I can’t go even further with this, because I know Twelve and Clara’s relationship developed even more in season 9 and became even more profound and multi-layered. However, I can still confidently say that my true opinion on Twelve and Clara is that their relationship, like every relationship between the Doctor and his companions, is utterly unique and special. Although I think they had more issues than perhaps any other Doctor and companion before them, they had an incredibly special bond and there was such an immense amount of love between them. Was that love romantic? I believe aspects of it were. But due to the complicated circumstances, I don’t think their romantic feelings would’ve ever been enough for them to act on it. Even still, they understood and realised that they needed each other, so they pushed that aside. That’s how important they were to each other. So important that they didn’t care to analyse what they were or how they felt, they just knew they wanted and needed each other in their lives. That’s why I think rather than trying to label what they felt for each other or put them in a box, it’s more fitting to acknowledge that they loved each so other deeply and unconditionally, and that it kept them together against all the odds for a long time.