#constellation cove

[avixenk]

GUYS

idk if Tumblr will keep the boops going after today, but through the power of discord emoji, you can boop your friends in a server. or idk, paste them in someone's askbox.

edited to include image description by @bisexualbaker

[Image: All three booping paws, one from each direction of the screen. End ID.]

[hughmanbean]

The Moon Looks Back

As a child, Bruce liked to stargaze with his parents. It was something that connected them, and soothed him in a way hard to describe.

That hadn't changed, after the night in the alley, when he went soul searching, or even when he took up the cape. It certainly hadn't stopped after all these years, with all of his children beside him.

During his trek around the world, he regarded the moon as a sort of companion, ever-changing but consistent. It stuck with him, even just by existing.

He stargazes less often, of course, with everything he does nowadays. But he still takes time to look at the night sky, constellations and childhood friend still there.

Of course, he didn't know that it was actually alive. And he'd really of appreciated if he didn't have to learn that while stranded in space.

---

It was nice to just relax when things got a bit difficult. The moon was a nice little cove for Danny to just decompress and watch the world go by.

One such benefit was that he could see those who looked to him as the moon. The grandfather of a family, watching the sky as the kids go to sleep, the couple on a late night date, and the astronomers that study the stars.

Amongst them, one Bruce Wayne stood out. In the beginning, just the child of a wealthy family, though after the death of his parents he continued to look to Danny. Every once in a while, Danny would sense Bruce, in some drastically different location and situation.

Eventually, he seemed to settle back down in Gotham. Though not without a few new habits, so to speak.

Now, this was an opportunity to finally talk face to face. After all, it wasn't everyday he got the chance to speak to such an interesting stargazer in person.

[shousetsubangbang]

Shousetsu Bang*Bang: Distracting You With Happy Endings Since 2005!

Sure, our whole zine focuses on smutty queer romance with a happily-ever-after aesthetic. But we asked our Discord which stories are especially warm and particularly fuzzy. Here's a list of the recommendations they gave, just in case you need something like that in your life right now, for whatever reason.

Arame Cove: Stardew Valley yaoi

c:\rano.bergerac: the Mechanical Turk, but make it sexy

Cheesecake and the Art of Political Warfare: the electoral college… IN SPACE!

Corvus, Cancer, And Other Constellations: friends don't let friends go through cancer treatments without smutfic

El Presidio Rides North: hurt/comfort while escaping zombies

A Fish Story, OR, The Ones That Got Away, OR, The Mermaid Solution: pretty much what the title implies

Moonstricken: knife-throwing, paperwork, chains, and other unorthodox ways to (not) approach your crush

Busted: same as above, but with 100% less werewolves and 100% more explosions

oh Charlie Harper we love you get up: everyone knows elocution lessons are very sexy

Out in the Wash: and you thought your laundry mix-ups were incriminating

Sid Stills’ Blues (Three-Quarters in the Bag in Alphabet City): aging musician falls in love, does not die of cancer

Up the Garden Path: D&D&D (Dungeons & Dragons & Dicks)

War Bonds: just two gals bein' pals while the men are off fighting in WWII

And of course if you're looking for something even more specific, we have https://www.s2b2search.com/ to help you navigate our enormous back catalog. You can search all 1200+ pieces in our archives by issue, by author, by artist, by tagged content, or by some combination of the above. Enjoy!

[ros-garden]

Kinda still on the topic of Lucifer being a softie especially around Christmas-

Lucifer’s the type to keep a branch of mistletoe in his pocket just so he can hold it above your head and kiss you under it <3

Lucifer loves tasteful christmas lights- is what he says, really he loves them all!!!! and it’s honestly so cute to watch how his face softens just a little bit when he looks at the Christmas tree in the HoL. 

He would absolutely love to take you on a late night drive, down the snowy roads ‘hunting’ for house’s coved in christmas lights~

He has special wrapping paper for each of his brothers and you ofc!! (Mammon’s is very flashy gold paper, Levi’s is the classic orange and white strips, Satan’s is that cat meme wrapping paper!!! Asmo’s is plan baby pink~ Beel’s is that goofy fast food print ‘n Belphie’s is that extra pretty gift paper that’s covered in constellations!!)

Stockings are his favorite part of Christmas morning!!! Because, while Lucifer knows exactly what he put in everyone else’s stocking his is always filled with a very odd assortment of little gifts from his brothers. But nobody ever really acknowledges it- it’s just another one of their quiet traditions. 

Extra note; I’ll probably add more to this later!!! but if I don’t post it now I’ll forget about it 🏃🏼‍♀️💨

[sugar-omi]

a request for baxter x cove ship from *this anonie  i didn't think i'd get this one done in time. i had like.. 2-3 different ideas on this one... but it ended up like this, and now you have to wait until next year for part 2 🙊

DAY FOURTEEN — Camshow [ baxter + cove ]

tags : NSFW, no reader, camboy baxter, dom/bottom baxter, sub/top cove, caught in the act, masturbation,

synposis : cove didn't know exactly what baxter did for work, he just knew that he had a specific chest in his room he was banned from touching, steaming equipment and sound proofing in his room, and a simple request for cove to avoid his room after midnight.

which isn't a problem, cove isn't a night owl and he sleeps like a rock. but tonight.. he just can't get to sleep, maybe jerking off once or twice will knock him out. he didn't plan to stubble upon his roommates camboy account. and he definitely didn't mean to get off to it..

[ kinktober '24 masterlist | ao3 ]

this has to be against some kind of law, or against some moral code about watching your roommate get off in front of an audience, talking dirty to them and enjoying every plea for more or degrading comment about how filthy baxter is for showing his ass to the camera, slowly working himself open as he prepares to take a dildo.

but cove just can't look away.

he had every intention not to click on it, he really did. but cove knows those deep brown eyes from anywhere, that pale skin and inky black hair and the mask does nothing to hide the fact that cove knows that face.

his heart is beating against his chest, every inch of common sense screaming at him to stop thinking about baxter, to stop insinuating that this guy could possibly be baxter.

it's rude, it's disrespectful right? it's.. it's him.

cove feels something crash on him, he can't tell if it's embarrassment or something akin to it for finding out his roommates.. occupation. or if it's something else, but he has a feeling it's a little bit of both..

"you guys are so demanding." baxter laughs, the sound cutting through cove's headphones and straight into his ears. it's almost chilling how clear he can hear baxter's voice.

it's a bit muffled through the mask, but he knows. he knows what baxter sounds like.

cove squirms up his bed, propping more of his body against his pillows. even though he's heavy with shame, he can't deny he's turned on...

and it must be the lack of sleep these past few nights that's clouding his judgment, because cove tugs on his pants down just enough to pull his hardening cock out, taking himself in his fist and watching baxter's fingers slowly and hypnotically spread his hole open, scissoring and pumping them in and out, letting a few quiet moans fall from his lips that the mic just barely picks up..

cove looks over at the wall he and baxter share like he's trying to see past his fish tank, poster, and through the wall.

on the other side... baxter is bent over his bed with a camera pointed towards his flushed milky skin, capturing how his fingers stretch himself open, showing baxter's thousand and some viewers how lube runs down his thigh and how his legs quiver.

cove sees someone saying how they'd love to bite baxter where the mole on the back of his thigh is, and he can't help but think "fuck.. i want that too.." already imagining baxter with his legs propped up on cove's shoulders, cove's lips magnetizing towards every beauty mark on baxter's body and leaving hickeys there like he's drawing lines to constellations.

"okay.. that's enough." baxter announces in his smooth voice, a bit breathy, the sound flowing like honey through the audience's headphones and igniting a fire in them if the "i could listen to your voice all day" and the filthy comments about making baxter moan is anything to go by.

baxter leans back against the pillows, hitting a button on his computer to switch camera to the one facing his bed.

"now.. lets try this monster you guys begged me to use." baxter teases his audience, reaching over to grab the toy and starts lubing it up.

cove swallows, slowing down the pace of his fist around his cock, watching with bated breath as baxter prepared to take the toy.

the toy is certainly different from a basic dildo, curved with a girthy knot at the base with thick ridges thinning out the closer it gets to the head, and a comically thick vein going up the side of the shaft.

cove flushes. he didn't know baxter was into those type of things.. well, how could he, because he definitely didn't know or even consider that he was a camboy.

"mmng.." baxter moans, his fist curling into the pillow by his head as he sinks the head of the toy past his wet, puffy rim..

cove bites his lip to hold back the groan building at the base of his throat, slowly stroking his cock head, tightening his grip around his length. god, what he wouldn’t give to be in the place of that toy.

he wonders what sounds baxter would make, what he’d look like when cove sank his cock in to the base. he’d feel better than that toy, right? paired with his lips on baxter’s long neck, his hands pulling baxter against his body..

“god..” baxter gasps, his back arching and forcing a moan from him when the toy sinks deeper because of his movement. “this.. this toy is really thick..” baxter pushes the dildo deeper, the knot just a couple inches away from pushing back his rim..

cove pumps his fist around his cock faster, panting, trying to keep a moan or grunt from slipping past his lips.

baxter takes a moment to adjust to the girth and shape of the toy, exhaling out in a breathy laugh that the ridges of the toy are pressing against his good spots. “‘push it in already, pretty boy.’” baxter reads a comment and he looks at the camera through hooded eyes. “you really wanna see me take this knot, huh?”

he tightens his grip on the base of the toy, and he starts thrusting the toy in and out of his hole slowly, then slammed it in down to the knot, producing a loud, feminine moan from baxter’s throat. cove stiffens, realizing he could hear baxter’s moan through the wall.. clearly baxter’s new soundproofing wasn’t good enough.

he throws his head back against the pillows, letting baxter’s little moans and snarky comments to his chat fill his ears.

“-so good..” baxter groans, pumping the toy in and out at a quick pace, angled it up so it hits his g-spot when he thrusts the toy back in. “it-” baxter swallows thickly, gasping. “it’s rubbing against all my sensitive spots.” he cries, giving shallow thrusts of the toy into his wet insides, the slick sound from all the lube echoing through the audience's headphones, comments about baxter’s “filthy cunt” filling the chat.

baxter's hand falls to his cock, quickly stroking his length as he pushes the toy in, moaning loudly. "god-damn!" baxter cries, and cove can hear the bump when baxter's jolting makes the headboard hit the wall. "the tip- it's, mngh! it's pressing against my prostate..!" he whimpers, and you can just barely see tears pulling at the bottom of baxter's eyelashes from the pleasure..

"take that knot in your slutty hole" cove reads the comment as it pops up with a donation. baxter reads it too.

"nng.. thank- thank you for the donation." baxter forces out, not pausing or slowing down his movements as he reads the comment, the toy bullying his insides, the thick knot at the base pushing against baxter's butt but not quite pushing in.

baxter cries out loudly sometimes from it, the knot of the toy trying to push its way into baxter's pliant hole occasionally from his tough thrusts. he swallows, his adam's apple bobbing with the movement. "fuck- well, with such a generous donation.." baxter whines in the middle of his sentence, trying to pull himself together to look presentable but he just looks like a desperate mess.

"lets try to fit this knot inside me.." he sits up, stopping his movements so he can try to get comfortable before taking the toy. his lips press together, trying to hold back a moan as he pulls the toy out, shuffling and squirming before he finally settles on presenting his ass to the camera, laying his upper half against the pillows.

baxter spreads his legs, trying to calm his trembling thighs as he starts to push the head of the toy past his rim, his body easily accepting the toy, his pretty insides enveloping every ridge and bump on the dildo, his moans trembling as he takes it to the base.

cove gives his cock a long strong, his cock throbbing as he feels himself getting closer and closer to coming.. he doesn't want to finish yet, but fuck he's pretty sure he could come just from seeing baxter work the knot of this toy into his perfect insides.

cove licks his lips. he knows he can't look baxter in the eyes normally after this, he's ruined. and he knows the shame and guilt will hit him after he comes, he's sure of it.

but fuck if he isn't drowning in fantasies of his lips on baxter's thighs and his bigger hands pulling baxter's ass apart as he eats him out or watches the way baxter takes his cock.

and the way his cock throbs and a groan rolls past his lips because the image of baxter's pale skin turning red from the force of cove's thrust is too great.

baxter's thighs shake as he starts to push the toy against his hole, the knot slowly pushing against his insides.

the chat encourages him, not that he could see it from his position, but it's the thought that counts. he knows such gentleness won't get the knot in, and baxter all but forces the knot into his hole, his handle on it immediately falling.

he whines loudly, his thighs trembling as he adjusts to the new girth.

the chat floods with comments about how pretty baxter looks stuffed full with the dildo, cooing about how pretty his whines are and how they wish they were there to give his pretty ass a few spanks, that he'd be prettier with a bruised ass to go with his stuffed hole and leaking cock.

cove's eyes are locked in on the scenery too, and he hates that he shares the sentiment with baxter's chat because he wishes this scene was for his eyes only, no one elses..

it's a selfish desire, he knows that. but fuck if he doesn't wish he could take the place of baxter's chat and devour every inch of porcelain skin and full lips.

baxter gathers himself, finally being able to bring himself to take the toy in his shaky hand and he starts moving it, pulling the knot out until only the tapered tip is inside him..

baxter slams the toy back in, knot included this time, forcing a loud moan from him. he doesn't know it, but cove heard that one for sure, the sound whorish and pathetic.

he keeps thrusting the toy, in and out, pushing it against all his good spots and whining at how the knot stretches him open. baxter doesn't even need to give his cock any attention because of all the pleasure he's feeling from the toy, his flushed cock hanging between his legs and leaking pre.

cove glances at the chat, and he sees a few people coo about how sweet his leaking cock is, or how they wish they could suck him off while he gets fucked.

"fuck! i'm gonna-" baxter whimpers, his face buried in the pillows and his ass arched in the air as he keeps slamming the toy in and out of his ass, pressing the head against his g-spot. "i'm cumming! fuck, i'm cumming!"

cove strokes his cock faster, pre running over his fists as he gets closer and closer to the edge, trying to time his orgasm with baxter's.

baxter's cock drools on the sheets, a pool of pre connected by a steady river from his straining cock. his cock twitches as the knot pushes past his rim, baxter gives shallow thrusts of the toy in and out of his hole, and his last thrust must've hit that magic spot because he blows his load all over his fresh bed sheets, his thighs trembling and a series of whiny moans falling from his lips and hardly being muffled by the pillow.

baxter's body trembles as he cums, his hole tightening around the length and knot of the toy, trying to stifle his sounds when he finally gathers the strength to pull the toy out of his tender insides..

cove slaps his palm over his mouth, muffling his moan as he spills his cum all over his fist, thick ropes of cum painting his fingers and making an increasingly slick sound with every stroke of his cock as he works through his orgasm.

"that.. fuck." baxter laughs, his back facing the camera as he takes some tissues from the box off screen. he turns around to face the camera, revealing his flushed face, the mask clinging to his cheeks from the sweat.

baxter starts to talk to his chat, but cove leaves the browser after baxter ends the stream.

cove drops his phone, his earbuds still in his ears so all he can hear is the hard beating of his heart and blood rushing through his ears. he.. he really did that.. he.. got off to his friend and roommates camshow…

cove knows he should feel more shame for such debauchery on his part, baxter doesn’t know after all, and he clearly didn’t want cove to know. but.. he definitely doesn’t have enough shame because he’s still fucking hard, and the only thing on his mind is baxter.

he can’t sleep in the end because all cove can see if baxter’s pale, blushing skin, the way he spread his legs and exposed his pliant body, his cock hanging so fucking prettily between his legs..

and he can almost hear baxter’s moans in his ears again, the memory of seeing baxter split open on that dildo is at the front of cove’s mind and he curses himself for it…how the hell is he going to face baxter, now?

[damned-punk]

Observation Duty (Heat x Reader)

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Content Warning: description of kissing

Content Description: gn!reader has feelings for Heat and the Kidd Pirates scheme to give them some alone time

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As you trekked back to the ship after shopping with House, you ran through what you were going to wear during your night shift. Every so often, you traded jobs with your crewmates in order to accommodate them if events or a change in plans clashed with their ship duties. Tonight’s schedule consisted of you trading assignments with Hip, leaving you and Heat guarding the upper deck which worked in your favor particularly well as you’d had your eyes on the tattooed man for sometime. There never seemed to be a great time to have a meaningful conversation with him, only short words exchanged in passing. You hoped that things would remain peaceful tonight so that you could get to know him a little better.

As the final rays of sunlight settled beneath the waves on the horizon, you made your way to the mast and awaited his arrival. Admittedly, you were a bit nervous to have all of this alone time with him but you were equally as excited to have the opportunity to spend the time with him. The deck was totally empty, the crew occupying themselves with an array of activities elsewhere, making Heat’s footsteps appear louder than usual. He postured himself against the mast to your right, smiling at you as a greeting.

“Probably gonna be a long night. I don’t figure much will come from this empty coast.”, he broke the silence and you hoped he was right.

The Victoria Punk was docked in a cove that was shrouded by wilderness. The closest town required a decent bit of travel and it was very unlikely that the docile people of this island would randomly strike a rebellion. The two of you watched the stars as a pass-time, pointing out constellations every so often.

“What’s your star sign?”, you asked him, determined to find his assigned constellation.

“What the hell is a star sign?”, he asked dumbfoundedly, his response causing you to stifle a laugh.

“It’s part of your birth chart.”, you started to explain, “When’s your birthday?”

“December first…”, he trailed off, curious as to where you were going with all of this.

“Your star sign is a Sagittarius. Ironically, it’s a fire sign.”, you replied scanning the sky, “The Sagittarius constellation is right there and mine is just over there… They aren’t all that far apart actually.”

He was listening to your words but he was most certainly not looking up at the sky. He was admiring how your face lit up as you info-dumped about all the interesting details that you possessed in the realm of astrology. If it had been anyone else, he would’ve been more likely to tease them but he wouldn’t dare interrupt this moment. He’d had an interest in you from the day you’d joined the Kidd Pirates, but he didn’t want to overwhelm you. Everything was too new and he’d feel much more vindicated in his approach if he could’ve ensured that you were settled and comfortable.

When he’d looked at the schedule and saw your name written next to his, he could hardly contain his smile and earned quite a bit of teasing from Wire in the process. In fact, the whole issue of Hip needing to trade shifts with you in the first place was the result of Heat’s ramblings to Wire. He knew better than anyone that Heat was far too reserved to approach you under usual circumstances so he knew the responsibility was on his shoulders to give Heat the chance that was needed. It was sweet that everyone was so tightly-knit on the ship, but it left such little room for secrets.

You glanced back at him after mapping out the stars and awkwardly glanced around as you’d caught him staring. He did the same and the whole situation became increasingly suffocating. The words were right on your tongue but the fear of rejection loomed too high. Heat felt the same way, irritated at himself for his own reservations.

“(Y/N)…”, he said your name quietly, prompting you to give him your attention, “I’d like to try something, but only if it’s alright with you…”

“Alright… I trust you, Heat.”, you furrowed your brows, a bit confused as to where this was coming from all of a sudden.

Your words sounded incredibly intimate to him, it made him feel so warm to hear that you trusted a man like him. It gave him the final push he needed to lean over in front of your face and press a soft kiss to your forehead. This left you stun-locked for a solid few seconds, Heat eagerly awaiting your response. The air was thick in his lungs as you brushed your soft lips against his own, urging him to take things further. He rested a hand on your waist, your own making their way to his shoulders as he finally pressed a kiss to your lips. You mimicked his intensity, riling him up until he began sucking your bottom lip. Before things became explicit, you parted from him for air and felt a very heavy weight lift from your shoulders as he smiled down at you.

“Get a damn room.”, Killer jokingly yelled, trailing down the hallway after retrieving a late night snack.

The two of you could only laugh at being caught, what a wonderful night to be on observation duty.

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[sixteenth-days]

If you want a prompt maybe eldritch!XB? :0

At the bottom of the ocean, something which had been sleeping woke up.

Every now and then, when XB's shoulders started clicking and he developed a cough and a persistent pain where the base of his spine would be, he knew he'd been too small for too long. It was inconvenient, but not catastrophic.

Whenever that started happening, he'd put all his gear away, let the hermits know he'd be away for a few days or weeks, and find a secluded cove to crawl out of his skin and into the blessed embrace of the saltwater. It always felt like a balm against his real self, dried and desiccated from so long spent in the air and sun. He'd slip into the ocean and spread out like an oil slick, all black and blue and eyes, invisible beneath the play of sunlight on the water, slide down to miles and miles of seafloor, and rest.

But now he was awake, and it felt too soon. Something must have woken him. Scales blinked open up and down his spine, searching for any disturbance in the water immediately surrounding the greatest concentration of his mass, but found nothing that might have roused him.

Ugh. He didn't want to get up. But something was wrong, a sense of unease creeping in through all the estuaries and rivers where he lay, rubbing wrong against the rubber and scale and sand of him.

He heaved a sigh that shoved waves against distant beaches, gathered up a pair of forelimbs from where they dangled in an underwater magma cavern, and pushed himself upwards.

Something about the water around him felt strange, as he ascended through the oceanic zones. A slight shift in the salinity, maybe. Up, and up, from the midnight to the twilight, as the water began to slowly lighten around him. Black water turned blue, and bluer, and bluer, until he was drifting the final few meters to the surface, feeling unaccountably hesitant.

Something was wrong.

He broke the surface, blinked a constellation of eyes against the sudden air, reared up and dug claws into a birch-plank bridge that creaked warningly under his weight. It was immediately obvious that he had not come up where he'd gone down, and that was going to be really inconvenient, if he couldn't get back into his skin, but- one problem at a time.

Starting with: if he's not where he entered the water, where was he?

The air against his scales was stagnant, dusty, untouched by breath or word. This world was clearly abandoned. He caught a glimpse of a sign, affixed to a nearby fencepost: By JoeHills and IamSp00n.

Ah. He'd come up in the wrong ocean.

(Send me Hermit fanon switcheroo asks!)

[ternfic]

The Atlantis Expedition

Chapter Seventeen: Constellations

Airheart and her crew were not, in fact, waiting for them back at the temple’s entrance, much to their collective relief. They decided to make camp there for the night before heading back to the shore in the morning, and hopefully avoid crossing paths with the sky pirates along the way.

Benny made his way outside as soon as he thought he would go unnoticed, heading for the canopy to stargaze, and get his thoughts in order. He was also still mad and didn’t care to be around his friends at the moment. Oh, he knew Unikitty was just heckling him- that had been a staple of their friendship pretty much since the moment they’d met- but her teasing had crossed a line this time. She had no right to call him out like that in front of the others…!

He didn’t bother to look as he heard faint puffing and the clattering of hooves against wood as the friend in question was trying to make her way up to his perch. “You’re not welcome,” he said as soon as she made it up to his branch.

“Oh, come on Benny,” she whined. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to climb trees with hooves?”

“Did it not occur to you that that’s maybe the point of my being up here?”

“Look, I’m sorr-”

“You had no right, saying something like that in front of everyone! I mean I don’t care that Jonas knows, he’s been my best friend as long as you have and probably figured it out already, but the others-”

Unikitty laid her ears flat and stomped a hoof on the branch, nearly shaking Benny off of it. “Won’t judge you for it either. The world’s not the way it was when you left it, Benny. You’re going to have to get used to that.” She sighed and sat down. “I am sorry I embarrassed you, though. And I’ll make sure Lucy and Busy don’t say anything to Bad Cop until you’ve told him.”

“I don’t know if I even will.”

“What? Why not?”

Benny shrugged. “I’ve been trying to give hints, nothing so obvious as to freak him out but not too subtle either. You know, try to gauge his reactions, but he hasn’t responded to any of it. If anything, he just writes it off as one of my ‘quirks’ and continues on like it’s business as usual. I can’t get a read on him, and if he’s not interested… He’s a good friend, and I don’t want to risk losing that. Heh…” He pressed the heel of his palm into an eye. “Imagine that. Being Bad Cop’s friend started out as a chore, but now I can’t bear the thought of him not being around…”

“Oh, Benny,” Unikitty cooed, and scooted forward to press her rough tongue to his forehead. “Come on. Metalbeard’s telling stories, maybe that’ll help distract you.”

“Better be a good one,” the spaceman mumbled, wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her fur. She nudged him onto her back and leapt back to the ground, landing light as a feather. “A thought occurs to me,” he said as he slid back onto the ground. She looked at him expectantly. “How come you’re giving me crap, but not Emmet and Lucy?”

“Well, one, Emmet and Lucy are already together- but you can bet your lucky stars I will be shrieking the moment those two finally have their first proper kiss.” She grinned and bounced, and Benny laughed.

“Yeah, I can believe that. Two?”

“You’re my best friend and it’s practically my job to give you crap about your crushes. Besides, you’re just sooo cute about it I can’t help myself!” She giggled as he turned red again and gave her a shove.

“Shut up, ‘Kitty…” She snickered and pranced back inside.

He took a moment to compose himself before following her. Sure enough, Metalbeard was in the middle of one of his favorite tales- the almost-prank-war. Much as he liked to gripe about Benny’s mischief, he also took great pleasure in seeing it unleashed on others, especially those particularly deserving of it.

There’d been a good reason Caesar had permanently banned Benny from Pirate’s Cove, after all.

“Ah, there ye be, Benny!” Metalbeard called out over the others’ laughter. “I saved me best tale for last, almost thought ye’d miss it!”

“You mean the prank war isn’t your best story?” Benny chuckled. “Sure seems to have slayed them.” Emmet in particular was doubled over wheezing, tears streaming down his face as he tried to catch his breath.

“That was definitely… inventive,” Bad Cop remarked, looking immensely amused. “Seems this Caesar doesn’t like being out-pranked.”

“Not especially, no,” Benny agreed, sitting down to join the circle. “So which one is it, Metalbeard? The zombie pirates? The cursed treasure? The raid on Octan Tower?” That one was met with a chorus of annoyed groans, and Benny grinned. “Oh, how about that one with the lady you kept flirting with who turned out to be a-”

“Hush, Benny,” Metalbeard interrupted, and the astronaut snickered. “Nay, it be the tale of when we first met.”

“Ooooh.” Benny bounced.

“I’m guessing it’s a very interesting one, if that devious grin Benny’s sporting is any indication,” Business said.

“Oh it is. Cause it’s also the story of how I escaped Bad Cop the first time.”

“…Oh good lord,” the cop in question groaned, facepalming as Benny cackled in delight, and his former employer looked positively eager to hear it.

“Is this the story you were telling me about a while back?”

“They told you?” Bad Cop sulked.

“Teased me with it more like, they wouldn’t give me a single detail…”

“Shh!” Unikitty scolded, and Metalbeard started his tale.

“So this was about five years ago, just as Bad Cop was really startin’ to whip his robot forces into shape. Me crew and I fled beyond the Tower, hopin’ he wouldn’t follow us into uncharted territory. We did manage to lose him in the fog, but only for a short while. We chanced upon a small island, when me lookout spotted what be a fancy coffin washed up on the beach! Naturally we had to go take a look, couldn’t leave a soul lost at sea. Still dunno how we managed it, but we got it opened, and inside was Benny. Imagine our surprise when he was still breathing! So we bring him aboard, tend to him as best we can. He wakes up right soon- just as Bad Cop catches up to us again.” Emmet snuggled up close to Lucy, eyes wide.

“Oh no!”

“Oh yes!” Metalbeard crowed. “Nearly caught us that time, he did!”

“I did almost have you,” Bad Cop muttered bitterly, “if it hadn’t been for that lunatic.” Benny only snickered in response.

“This is the best part,” the astronaut whispered to Emmet.

“So Benny takes one look at Bad Cop and his troops, and off he goes, trying to use his jetpack and his own head to ram Bad Cop’s cruiser, playin’ chicken with him,” Metalbeard snickered.

Benny cackled. “Yeah, and I don’t think I’ll ever forget that look of shock on your face,” he teased. Bad Cop scowled back at him in response.

“Bad Cop goes down to avoid him, and Benny shoots straight into one of the robots’ transports, has it apart quick as lightning.”

“He used the electrical cables from that transport to make a tripwire and took out three more in one go,” Bad Cop grumbled. “Then set off a fuel explosion that blew up another four. I’d never been more embarrassed.”

“Hey, who’s tellin’ the story?” Metalbeard snapped. “Anyway- next thing we know he’s comin’ back loaded down with bits of shrapnel and wire and engine parts, and he’s got me puttin’ propellers on me ship! And there’s an engine in me cargo hold! He sets that lever up by the helm and in a blink we be off, leavin’ Bad Cop and his robots in our wake. Saved our skins, he did.”

Somehow during the telling, Benny made his way over to drape himself over Bad Cop’s back, chin resting on his head and arms draped loosely over his shoulders. To his credit, Bad Cop didn’t even bat a lash at it. Business was smirking at his former henchman. “Well, I can see now why that incident didn’t get reported. Goodness, that’s humiliating.”

“Well, it worked out for the best anyway,” Emmet piped up. “If Benny hadn’t been part of our team, we never would have succeeded in stopping you from Kragling the world, and we wouldn’t be here now enjoying each other’s company.”

“Speaking of which,” Lucy sat up, looking at him, “you never did tell us what happened after you fell into the Infinite Abyss.”

“Aye lad, I’d be curious to know, too,” Metalbeard added.

“And me!” Benny chirped.

“Well… It was very disorienting at first. Everything was enormous, and I couldn’t budge a muscle! And then I got stepped on by a giant!” He was met with gasps of horror. “But somehow I didn’t get squished. And then he picked me up and I thought he was going to eat me, but he just… smiled at me, and said ‘hi, Emmet!’ Like we were old friends.”

“Was it The Man Upstairs??” Unikitty gasped.

“No, he was just a little boy,” Emmet said. “I think his name’s Finn.”

Benny felt Bad Cop stiffen under him. “Huh? What is it?”

“The boy who makes the stories…” Bad Cop mumbled, drawing the others’ attention. Emmet’s eyes went wide.

“Did you meet him too??”

“No, I didn’t meet him.” Bad Cop frowned. “But I think I did have a dream about him. When I was in the hospital. He was… saying something… I don’t think I ever quite caught what, but then, I don’t think it was directed at me in the first place.”

“Keelan?” Lucy guessed.

“Yes.”

“Who be Keelan?” Metalbeard asked.

“Can we meet him??” Emmet was giving him such an earnest look, he couldn’t find it in him to say ‘no’ outright.

“…Let me find out if he’s up to it.” Would you like to meet the others?

…thEy won’T laUGh?

They won’t laugh, promise. “Be nice, and don’t crowd him,” Bad Cop instructed before switching out. Keelan hunched in on himself at Business’ shocked staring, but relaxed when he caught Lucy’s reassuring smile and felt Benny’s arms wrap around him to give him a squeeze.

“So, uh.” Business cleared his throat. “You’re Keelan?”

“I’m Emmet!” the Special introduced himself, holding out a hand. After a bit of prompting, Keelan took his hand and shook it. “Nice to meet you!”

“Um, nice to meet you…”

“So we didn’t exactly have proper introductions last time, but my name’s Lucy, and the nerd who’s currently got himself wrapped around you is-”

“Benny,” Keelan finished, smiling sheepishly. Said ‘nerd’ snickered. “I- I know. Cary, um, Cary told me.” He looked around at the group. “And- and you’re, um, Metalbeard, and you’re Unikitty, and you’re- you’re Business.”

Business slumped. “Not even a first-name basis?” he pouted.

“Well what did you expect?” Benny smirked. “B’s still kinda ticked off at you, and the kiddo here only knows what B will tell him.” He ruffled Keelan’s hair. “Don’t worry, he’s really not so bad once you get to know him.” Keelan reached up and smoothed his hair back into place without a word. “You getting used to everything okay?”

“Y-yeah. Cary makes it easy.”

“You know, I never would have thought that under all the claws and the teeth and the grrr that Bad Cop’s really a big softie,” Emmet mused. “I mean, once you actually get on his good side, anyway. He’s kind of terrifying otherwise.”

“But he’s not scary.”

“Maybe not to you, sweetie, but we kind of have history together,” Lucy explained. At Keelan’s confused look, she shook her head. “It’s a long story, and it’s in the past anyway. We’re friends now, so it’s nothing you’ll have to worry about.”

“Okay…”

The trek back to the shore was surprisingly uneventful. As each day passed without sign of the sky pirates, their spirits continued to lift with the hope that they’d given them the slip entirely. Between the trip being almost entirely downhill, and their renewed energy, they made it back a day early. Benny was practically vibrating with his excitement and eagerness to build another spaceship, babbling out ideas as fast as they came to him.

“-and a talking computer! I’ve always wanted one of those! I should put laser turrets on it too- oh, what if we rigged some sort of EMP gun, give those sky pirates a taste of their own medicine? What do you guys think?”

“We should make it rainbow colors!” Unikitty enthused.

“I fully defer to you on this, Ben, you’re the expert on spaceships here,” Bad Cop spoke up as the others maintained exasperated silence.

“It’s gonna be my best one ever I just know it- ow!” He’d collided with Metalbeard’s back as the captain stood frozen at the tree line. “What the heck?” he complained.

Metalbeard stared out at the ocean in horror. “Me ship…!”

[ilycove]

You and Cove sit a distance away from each other, your index fingers the only heat the two of you shared in the autumn. The ocean air seemed to whisper and flitter about, sending chills up your spine even through Cove's sweatshirt.

His eyes linger on your hands, intertwined, scared as if they were made to leave him. But as he steals another finger or two of yours to hold, it seems like all of his thoughts just disappears. The only thought that is present in the moment is how your hand fits against his so perfectly.

He goes from a finger, to two, to three, to your entire hand. He swipes his thumb up and down the back of your hand before he pulls you closer to him by your waist.

He slips a hand underneath your (his, technically) sweatshirt and just palms your bare skin, relaxing almost immediately when he feels your warm skin on his. He buries his face into your neck and just sighs. He breathes you in and breathes you out.

"Hi, handsome," you play with his hair a bit before laying down on the sand. He smiles against your skin and presses a bit more of his weight on you. "You know, we might get sand in our hair."

Cove hums. "I don't mind."

"Our bed would be nicer."

"I don't mind," he repeats. You laugh a bit and he presses his cheek against your neck, feeling the vibrations of your laughter echo throughout his body. He sighs again. "You're soft enough."

You don't argue with him anymore. It's late, you're both sleepy, and you're close enough to your house. You'll be fine. 

You look for constellations but with you being so close to Cove and being able to listen to his breathing so clearly, it makes your heart pound and you can't focus. You've lost the big dipper around four times.  

You try and find the moon but it's obscured by a bunch of clouds and it's getting harder to keep your eyes open. Cove is just so warm and you're so comfortable and it wouldn't hurt to close your eyes for a minute or two. 

You lean a bit more into his touch and he wraps his arm further around your waist.  His hair smells different, you want to ask him about it in the morning. 

But for now, all you ask is, "Could we like this for a bit longer?"

(And he'll always reply with, "Of course.")

[ythrial]

yippee i finally did one of these 🙏 i was tagged by my sweetie friends @latenna & @ordinarymaine to do some oc associations ^_^v / tagging @camillathe6th, @dannyburke & @greenecreek if youse wanna do it i’ll link a blank version here 🤲

for fialine of course 🫶

animals.

white mountain ermine, buck moth.

colour.

off-white, saffron yellow.

month.

january.

songs.

francis – hayley hendrickx, max garcía conover. (but there’s something on your skin that you can’t get clean, there’s a fawn in the fence that you can’t get free)

mountain spines – marika hackman. (let me hold back the tears i’m sitting on, i will be plagued with your blood)

number.

nine.

plants.

aethusa cynapium, fool’s parsley – foolishness, gullibility, to burn. 

smells.

cinnamon, peppermint, pine. 

gemstone.

thulite – expression, passion.

time of day.

nautical twilight.

season.

winter.

places.

melodia’s garden at moonrise – once full of sweet, powder blue flowers that shimmer in moonlight. / a cove just beyond the gate – isolated and untouched. 

food.

spiced apple porridge, cinnamon hard candies.

drinks.

mulled wine. hot tea with ginger.

element.

earth.

seasonings.

cinnamon, fennel, nutmeg.

sky.

enveloped by nimbostratus clouds, dark and dull with jagged edges.

weather.

the serenity of heavy snowfall. 

magical power.

blindness, command, healing word.

weapons.

eight-flanged mace, imbued with radiant light. lovingly engraved with an ancient prayer. 

method of long distance travel.

on foot.

art style.

neo-impressionism.

fear.

irrelevance. 

mythological creature.

strix.

piece of stationary.

a worn, unremarkable carte de visite.

three emojis.

🫀🪽🌒

celestial body.

cepheus – the constellation named after the myth of king cepheus, who attempted to sacrifice his daughter to appease poseidon. one of its brightest stars, alfirk, loosely means “flock of sheep.” 

[the-umiran-amulet]

The trek through Pirate’s Cove was as long and uneventful as the twins had warned it would be. They didn’t speak much the first day or so; Cary and Alastar were still reeling from the shock of discovering their king had sent an assassin after them. By noon of the third day, Emmet decided he couldn’t take any more of the silence. Still intrigued by the tale of Bath-El’s disappearance, he thought another story would be the perfect way to pass the time as they hiked. “What else do you know about Bath-El?” he finally asked.

Ahead of them, Cary rolled his eyes, but didn’t shush them.

Vitruvius hummed to himself as he thought. “From what I’ve read in historical records and the glimpses I’ve been able to catch during my scrying, it was a beautiful city built of sparkling pale brown stone. Many of those records also recount how the city took pride in their gardens. One of its most famous landmarks was the Library, which housed not only books and scrolls but relics brought from all over the world, given as tribute to the Four. Though the Library is in ruin now, and the books have likely all long since decayed from exposure to the elements, it’s rumored the relics are still there. I imagine that’s what has lured many a treasure hunter to brave the Outlands.”

“No scholars though?” Benny questioned. “I’d imagine having so many ancient artifacts of such historical import right there for the taking would be tempting for them too.”

“I believe there was a team put together around a decade ago, but their expedition didn’t make it very far. They were very thorough in recording their experiences though, and as far as I’m aware, it has done a remarkable job of discouraging anyone else from attempting it.”

Emmet let out a longing sigh. “I wish I could have seen it at the height of its glory. Did the Four really live down here??”

“The few surviving accounts of the city all say so,” Vitruvius confirmed. “They are beyond my ability to scry though, so I cannot say for absolutely certain.”

The old wizard only knew of one other story about Bath-El, an old fairy tale that took place in the temple city. Once his limited knowledge was exhausted, Benny picked up the slack, telling Emmet stories about the stars and constellations. Between the two of them, they managed to entertain the acolyte for a week.

Benny eventually remembered to ask Vitruvius how he survived his Volcano Encounter (emphasis courtesy of the mage, which had the wizard giggling). As Emmet had never heard the tale before, Vitruvius recounted the entire story from its beginning.

“There was once a powerful wizard who fancied himself my rival. He called himself Mallock the Malign.” Vitruvius grinned as Cary snorted in disbelief. “My sentiments exactly. Anyway, powerful and crafty though he was, his reputation was still nowhere near what mine was, even back then.”

“This was a long time ago, then?” Emmet asked.

“Nearly two hundred years, yes.”

“Damn Vitruvius, you’re old!” Benny cackled.

“Wizards usually are,” Vitruvius replied jovially, taking the teasing in stride. “So Mallock decided to declare me his rival, even though I had no idea who he even was, and executed every dastardly plan he could come up with to show me up. He did, unfortunately, prove to be more than a mere nuisance, and so I was forced to seek him out and put an end to his plans more often than I would have liked. I do have to say though, those two bumbling skeleton henchmen of his were quite entertaining… After about a hundred years of his nonsense, some explorer or other came back from Dino Island with the news that some Firexo Crystals were developing inside the volcano. I knew that Mallock would try to get his hands on them for some new nefarious plot of his, so I departed immediately to retrieve them and hide them somewhere safe before he could find them.”

“What exactly are Firexo Crystals, anyway?” Cary interrupted, curiosity finally getting the better of him. “I’ve heard that they’re powerful, but no one’s ever really explained their actual use to me.”

“A very special type of volcanic glass that takes on a red hue from the magicka it absorbs. They’re mostly useful for fire magic, as you might have guessed, but can also provide extra magicka for some really big spells. I’m sure you can see how Mallock would find them tempting.” Cary hummed in agreement. “I got there in what I thought was good time, and managed to climb down to the ledge they were growing on without a problem. I’d harvested three of the five of them when I heard Mallock shouting at me from the ledge above. I looked up just in time to see him casting an explosive spell at me. The shelf I was standing on crumbled, and in my shock, I ended up flinging the satchel with the crystals into the lava… Fortunately I landed on solid rock, even if it did hurt, and just my luck, there was a lava tube right there that led back outside. Unfortunately, I was injured from the fall, so even though I managed to escape the eruption, it still took me a lot longer than it normally would have to get back to Middle Zealand. It was worth it though, for the look on Mallock’s face when I showed up to thwart his next evil plot after two weeks of him telling everyone I was dead. No one ever saw him again after that. I can’t imagine how embarrassing that must have been.”

They had to pause and wait for Benny and Emmet to stop laughing so hard and catch their breath. Even Cary was unable to hold back his chuckling.

Nights were spent on magic lessons. If Vitruvius was even the least bit overwhelmed by finding himself saddled with three students, he did a remarkable job of not showing it. Emmet seemed especially fascinated as the wizard taught the twins about their ancestry. He had never heard of anyone whose mytho ancestry played such a strong role in what magic they could use.

After two weeks of practice with the conjuring of spells, Vitruvius decided it was time for them to start casting them. The twins had gotten the hang of energy management by that, with the head start of Benny’s help, and summoning their magic didn’t wear them out nearly so bad anymore.

“Benny, how are your wards?” Vitruvius asked.

The mage got to his feet. “Pretty good. You want them to use me as target practice?”

“If you don’t mind. Emmet, you can use this opportunity to practice casting your healing and protective spells as well.” Emmet nodded.

Cary grumbled as he got to his feet as well. “You’re not target practice, Ben.”

Benny grinned back at him. “I’m something for you to aim at, aren’t I? Don’t worry so much, my wards will hold.”

The soldier heaved a sigh. “Fine. Emmet—”

“You don’t even have to say it,” the acolyte assured. “I don’t want to see him hurt any more than you do.”

“Good. As long as we’re all on the same page.” With that settled, Cary began casting.

Crossing the border into Gotham was almost like flipping a switch. Where the few people they had run into in Pirate’s Cove had left them alone, most everyone in Gotham seemed to want a piece of them, for some reason. It made getting through the country unnecessarily difficult, but also provided the twins the opportunity to practice their magic against real opponents, though they sought only to discourage their attackers, rather than do serious harm.

“Is everybody here out of their minds?” Cary muttered, completely baffled by the unusual behavior.

“I wouldn’t rule out the possibility,” Vitruvius mused, earning a snicker from Benny. “The people of Gotham are certainly an interesting bunch. Though if you think this is nuts, wait until we reach Gotham City. The people there are, eh... colorful, I’ll say that much.”

“Please tell me Lord Wayne isn’t going to be just as weird.”

“No, no, he’s uh...” Vitruvius chuckled. “Well, you’ll see.”

It took another three days to get around the bay to reach the peninsula where Gotham City was located. By the time they passed through the city’s gates, Emmet had gotten used to the near grueling pace Cary liked to set, and was finally capable of keeping up.

“So how are we supposed to find his house?” Benny asked, looking around. “Everything here looks the same.” In fact it looked like the entirety of the city had been designed by the same architect, and one who had been pretty stuck on the same theme as well. Every building they could see looked gloomy and spiky and was covered in gargoyles.

“Look for the big mansion in the middle of the lake,” Vitruvius told them.

“I’m guessing the Wayne family has been around for a long time, to warrant having a moat around their property,” Benny snickered.

“What I wouldn’t give for a map right now,” Cary grumbled, “if only to figure out where we’re at in relation to this lake.”

“Why not just ask somebody?” Emmet suggested. “In fact I see a guard right over there, I’m sure she’ll know.” He made his way over to the guard to ask for directions. He returned a few minutes later, looking confused.

“Any luck?” Benny asked.

“Uh, well, I got an answer, but I’m not sure how much of it was actual directions...” Emmet said, scratching his head. “It was all very confusing. But if I understood enough of it, it’s in that direction.” He gestured down the street they were to start on.

Cary heaved a sigh. Already he could tell it was going to be a long day. “We better get started then.” They started walking down the street Emmet had pointed out. The next three hours were spent backtracking, getting turned around, and going in circles. Cary was pretty certain they had gone down one street at least six times; he was starting to recognize some of the shop names. Emmet had even stopped to ask for directions again several more times, and they still kept getting sent the wrong way. “I’m starting to think these people are messing with us,” he growled.

“Oh!” Benny gasped, and pointed. “Wait, I can see it from here! This way!” He charged off down a street almost at a run, forcing the others to hurry to keep up with him. He zipped through twists and turns with almost frightening speed, making the others wonder how he had memorized the way in just a matter of seconds. But eventually they reached the bridge that crossed the lake. Emmet doubled over when Benny finally stopped to wait for them, trying to catch his breath.

“Was rushing like that really necessary?” Cary huffed at the mage. “We almost lost Emmet and Vitruvius.”

“Sorry,” Benny said, giving them a sheepish grin. “I just wanted to get here before I forgot the way.”

“There’s no need for reprimands, we all made it in one piece,” Vitruvius pointed out. “Now, if you don’t mind leading the way? We’re so close, there’s no point in stopping now.”

“All right,” Cary agreed, and started across the bridge. Benny was right behind him.

“Are you all right?” Vitruvius asked as Emmet took his arm again.

“Yeah,” the young man panted. “I’ve just never run so fast for so long before. I had no idea Benny could move like that.” Vitruvius chuckled and patted his hand.

They finally approached the door. There was no knocker to be seen, but a pull rope dangled near the side of the door. Benny reached to give it a tug, and was surprised by the unexpectedly deep tolling of the door bell. “Now that’s just showing off,” he muttered. Cary snorted in amusement.

It was nearly a minute before someone answered. Benny was debating pulling the rope again when the door finally opened to reveal an older gentleman standing on the other side. “Oh,” he said, somewhat startled. “Are you Lord Wayne?”

The man’s gaze swept over them, studying them for a moment. “May I ask who calls upon Master Bruce?” he asked in turn. Benny tried not to roll his eyes at the response. There were certainly easier ways to say ‘no’, but he supposed it must be this guy’s job to ask.

“Tell him Vitruvius is here to call in that favor,” the wizard called out from where he was half hidden behind Cary. He sounded amused. The butler (at least that was what they guessed him to be) raised an eyebrow in response.

“Very good,” he said. “Please, do come in. Master Bruce is not presently ready to welcome guests, but you may wait in the parlor in the meantime.” He held the door open as they made their way inside, then showed them to the parlor nearby. It looked comfortable enough, but so well kept that none of them really wanted to sit in the nice clean furniture and get it dirty with more than three weeks’ worth of dust and dirt from the road. The butler left, and returned ten minutes later with some tea and refreshments. He looked amused to find them all still standing. “Please, feel free to sit down. This room so rarely sees visitors as it is.” They awkwardly sat down in the various chairs and lounges that filled the room. The butler set the tray he held down onto the tea table in the center of the room. “Master Bruce will be in to see you shortly,” he told them before leaving once more.

Emmet and Benny were the first to reach for the refreshments. The little sandwiches and cookies were too tempting to pass up after spending almost a month eating only what they could hunt and forage. Cary finally relented and got himself a cup of tea. “You know, you really ought to tell us what you did that this guy owes you a favor for,” Cary said. Vitruvius only smiled and hummed in response, accepting the cup of tea that Emmet handed to him.

By the time the master of the house made his appearance, the snacks and tea were gone. The butler seemed pleased with this, and removed the now empty tray from the room. “I’m surprised you’re still alive, old man,” was the first thing Bruce said. Vitruvius only chuckled.

“Come now Bruce, you should know better than to think that mere old age would ever do me in.”

The others shifted uncomfortably as they continued to banter. Something about the Gotham noble wasn’t sitting right with any of them. Benny sucked in a sharp breath when Bruce shifted his gaze toward them and his blue eyes briefly reflected red. “Oh stars,” he muttered. “You’re a vampire!” Emmet let out a fearful squeak and Cary’s hand flew to the hilt of his sword as he leapt to his feet.

“Really, Vitruvius?! A vampire?!” the former soldier snarled. The wizard only sat there calmly, waiting for his companions’ panic to subside. Bruce just gave them a bored look, and otherwise didn’t budge an inch.

“Do you want my help putting this team together or not?” Vitruvius asked once he judged them sufficiently calmed.

“Yes, but a vampire??”

“Team?” Bruce questioned.

“You can’t deny he’ll have skills that would be very useful to our cause.”

“We’re not trading one demon for another!”

“Somebody better start explaining,” Bruce warned, frowning at his guests. “What do you need a team for, and what’s this about a demon?”

Cary finally calmed himself, removing his hand from his sword. “I’m sure you’ve heard that Octan is at war with Undar, and has been for over a year now.”

Bruce nodded. “I’ve heard,” he confirmed. “I also heard that Octan nearly won, until someone made one hell of a blunder at Southlake Point and got every single Octan soldier there killed.”

Cary glowered at him, barely biting back a growl. “It wasn’t a blunder. It was a demon that no one could see. The same one that all the Octan nobility at the treaty signing got sacrificed to.”

“...That has got to be the biggest load of bullshit I have ever heard,” Bruce drawled. He smothered a bored yawn. “Alfred, would you mind showing them out? I think we’re done here.”

“Are you refusing my favor, then?” Vitruvius asked. Bruce froze. The wizard waited in pointed silence. Bruce let out a long, petulant groan. “You gave me your word, Bruce,” Vitruvius reminded.

“Fiiiiine,” the vampire grumbled. “Fine. I’m in. Happy now?”

“Yes,” Vitruvius said, smiling.

[littlemissbigears]

Chosen Characters as songs from my Chosen vibes playlist ✨part 4✨

Carry on Wayward Son covered by The Arcadian Wild

My Shot from Hamilton

Tread the Dawn by The Gray Havens

High Hopes by Panic! At The Disco

The Story of Tonight from Hamilton

History Has Its Eyes on You from Hamilton

Constellations by The Oh Hellos

Just Begun by WILD

Wild I Am by Vocal Few

Monsters of the North by The National Parks

Twinkling Lights by Annalise Emerick

Come Further Up by Sarah Sparks

The Graduate by The Arcadian Wild

May it be covered by Voces8

Eyes Open by Taylor Swift

Wellerman covered by The Wellermen

We Will Run by Hollow Coves

Coastline by Hollow Coves

The Woods by Hollow Coves

Can’t Go Back Now by The Weepies

Not Home Yet by The Gray Havens

The Nights by Avicii

Here We Go by WILD

Go by Vocal Few

Long Way Home by Steven Curtis Chapman

Revival Anthem by Rend Collective

SING IT FROM THE SHACKLES by Rend Collective

Beautiful Things by Benson Boone

Out Of The Woods by Taylor Swift

epiphany by Taylor Swift

Forever Winter by Taylor Swift

Little Talks by Of Monsters and Men

The Gardener by Sarah Sparks

Shasta’s Complaint by Sarah Sparks

The New Song of Trumpkin by Sarah Sparks

Hello My Old Heart by The Oh Hellos

Cold Is The Night by The Oh Hellos

The Great War by Taylor Swift

Slow And Steady by Of Monsters and Men

Carry by Branches

evermore (feat. Bon Iver) by Taylor Swift

Man in Room 39 by The Arcadian Wild

In My Blood by Shawn Mendes

[captainsvscaptains]

1 - Any player can build a wooden boat. It's color depends on the type of wood used. A boat can be occupied by two entities, they can be used to transport mobs, players, or a chest.

2 - It's Kirby transformed into a submarine. He shoots torpedoes. He's Kirby! He's adorable!

3 - The Lemurian ship was created a long time ago by the Lemurians (Lemuria is pretty much the in universe version of Atlantis or smth). It does not have sails unlike the other boats in universe. It can only be controlled by Adepts (people with psychic powers), by using a Black Orb to amplify their psychokinesis. There are three Lemurian ships in game, but the one used by the player belongs to Piers. After a while, magical... er, enchanted psychic wings are attached to it, which allows it to hover briefly. Later you also get a cannon!

4 - it’s a pirate ship! the captain is a strong buff lady who once killed a sea dragon with only a claymore and is DEFINITELY a lesbian. she used it to fight a giant sea god literally hundreds of times her size. she used it to smuggle a criminal wanted by the literal GOD of a country to safety. the rest of the crew are also mildly insane and every day I wish they weren’t npcs so we could learn more abt them. AND they commit tax evasion <3

5 - owned by captain caviar cookie, crew of mostly children, not sentient, usually doesn't take passengers

6 - A switcher from the Star Fleet. He's just nifty tbh. Bro has seen some shit. i love him. his voice is kinda gender ngl.

7 - Sentient taling ship owned by Pirate Percy. "YOU HAVE...TO GO...INSIDE"

8 - Physical manifestation of the Argo Navis constellation and summoned by the constellation witch to traverse the ocean. It's fucking beautiful and also has ancient mythological roots

9 - It's shaped like a whale that's so awesome! Like don't you just want to get in it??? If I had a ship I'd make damn sure it was shaped like some kind of creature.

[wavewrought]

the playlist of all time ... watchmojo's top 10 cirene jams ... thank u ...

the albatross, taylor swift. i crossed my thoughtless heart, spread my wings like a parachute. i'm the albatross, i swept in at the rescue.

hurricane drunk, florence and the machine. no calm, nothing to keep me from the storm and you can't hold me down, because i belong to the hurricane.

warrior, aurora. underneath darkened skies there's a light kept alive. let love conquer your mind.

constellations, the oh hellos. all that's left for me to climb to the heavens is the chasm of the night.

the woods, hollow coves. wake up feeling the cold in between our toes. is there a way back? nobody knows.

neptune, sleeping at last. i'm only honest when it rains. if i time it right, the thunder breaks when i open my mouth. i wanna tell you, but i don't know how.

shatter, maggie rogers. i don't really care if it nearly kills me, i'd give you the world if you asked me to.

i of the storm, of monsters and men. are you really gonna love me when i'm gone? i fear you won't, i fear you don't.

i'm with you, avril lavigne. isn't anyone tryin to find me? won't somebody come take me home?

the calling, the amazing devil. i look into the waters and see a face i don't understand.

[everydayfrimmel]

July 1, 2024

"The L Word (Love and/or Leaking Roofs and/or Late-Night Cable Television)" 1000 words, roommate au, part 11/? (finale of birthday mini-arc)

Flamme is meddlesome, but she knows what her daughter likes. She knows that Frieren will always choose fruit-flavored sweets over chocolate ones, that she would never choose to be in a place full of people without a compelling reason, and that if she didn’t bring Himmel along, Frieren would barely have said a word the whole time they were in the car. She knows how to coax Frieren out of her shell, if only for a few hours.

So maybe Frieren should not have been so worried, because they drive west, and when she wakes again, she can see the far-off ocean and know that Flamme is not going to make her do something terribly obtrusive after all.

“Came out here with the Geriatrics Who Hike ladies last month,” she says casually, as if having joined yet another athletic organization for senior ladies of an active bent is not news. (It must be at least her fourth.) (And she had to have been the one who came up with that name.) “And I thought you’d like it.” 

What Flamme thought Frieren would like is a crescent of beach at the base of the cliffs ringing a sheltered cove. The ring of cliffs jutting out into the ocean keeps off the worst of the pounding breakers offshore, and what waves do reach the sand roll in with an agreeable murmur and roll gently back out. Clinging plants spill over the edges of the cliffs and tumble down their faces, and she doesn’t like admitting when she likes things, but from the look on her face it seems as if Flamme already knows.

“I’m impressed you got your granny hiking group all the way down here,” Himmel comments. 

He has to crane his neck to see the tops of the cliffs, and even though it’s overcast, he shields his eyes with his hand like he’s looking into the sun. The effect is one of a middle-aged father of four trying to find a certain constellation to point out to his children. 

“You’d do well not to underestimate what us Geriatrics Who Hike will do for a good view,” Flamme replies. 

This is apparently the sort of exchange that passes for normal in Frieren’s world these days. 

It’s nice, though. It is overcast—Frieren’s favorite kind of weather—and Flamme brought strawberries, pre-washed with the tops removed in a glass jar. Neither Himmel nor Flamme tries to bring her into their conversation after she has tucked herself into fetal position on a blanket and begun to eat her strawberries whilst staring at the ocean. And sometimes it is a beautiful thing to be allowed to sit silently on the margins while everyone else goes about their socializing. 

There is cake, too. She’d eaten it every year before she left home and Flamme had never failed to show up at her door with a white pastry box containing the same cake, a fluffy lemon one with strawberries to garnish and light, hardly-sweet whipped cream for icing, on her birthdays in university. She should have known.

“She’s a creature of habit,” Flamme tells Himmel. “Same birthday cake twenty-three years running.” 

“That sounds like Frieren.” 

He says she has good taste, though. He takes a whole slab of the cake and then another little sliver, and then another, and it’s only when he goes up to the car to get some of the napkins Flamme keeps in her glove compartment that he stops. 

Frieren knows that Flamme is going to say something by the way she’s watching him leave, but not what. 

“So. Himmel.” 

Frieren looks at her blankly. “What about him?” 

“Sounds like a pretty great roommate.”

She swallows her cake, then says, “he’s fine.”

“Frieren. C’mon.”

Grudgingly: “his company is enjoyable.”

“Enjoyable?”

“What? It is.” 

“Do you even realize what a catch you have on your hands, Frieren?” 

“This again?” 

“I’m serious, that boy is crazy about you.” Flamme’s eyes are full of mischief, but genuine delight, too. She says that as if this is, more than something to meddle in, genuinely hopeful news. “Don’t you get it by now?”

“I still contend that that’s a highly unsubstantiated claim.”

“Difficult girl.” Flamme ruffles Frieren’s hair. “How is it that you’re already twenty-five and you still haven’t realized I know what I’m talking about?” 

“You’re twice-divorced.” 

“Before you were even born!” 

“I rest my case!” 

“Listen, Frieren, haven’t you ever looked at him and thought, ‘huh, he’s kinda hot’?” 

“Um…no.” 

“You’re definitely lying.” 

“I can acknowledge that Himmel is objectively attractive without-“ 

“Can you?” 

He’s just come back into view, making his way towards the cliff’s edge and the rickety wooden staircase that leads down to the beach. He’s barefoot, wearing shorts on a sunless day like the boys she’s known inexplicably always do, and he jogs down the stairs two at a time. Someone should give him fashion advice, Frieren thinks. The coral-pink color of his shorts clashes with his hair. 

But Flamme has a point. From down here she can clearly see his sharp jawline, his taut calves. Everything about him has an air of strength, but he doesn’t look hard or angular or unwelcoming. His cheeks are too soft and his fashion choices too suspect for that. He looks, Frieren decides, like he could hurt you, but is emotionally incapable of doing so. Like the sort of person who could move mountains but only wants to be happy. 

Frieren is too withdrawn to notice those things about most people. She could blame the fact that she has on proximity, but even to Frieren, that would not feel honest. 

“He’s my roommate,” she says hollowly. “After this year, I’ll never see him again.”

“That’s entirely within your control, Frieren.” 

Flamme would say that. “I can’t just-“ 

“Well, you want him to stay, don’t you?” 

Compared to love, or to attraction, that is a much less frightening thing to admit. “I think I do.”

“Then it’s your job to make sure he knows that.”