#dotty shading :)

[pearlore]

david attenborough voice. The L D Shadowlady

[kirbybecomesastarwarrior]

Happy New Year! Thank you to the friends I made along the way!

I know some of you may not be here on this site forever... maybe one day, you guys will move on. But all the more reason I wanted you all to know how grateful I am to have known you now. Thank you for inspiring me to continue and just being great friends in general.

Thank you guys! <3

@ceoofmetagala - Fecto Flora @gethoce Valfrey

@poyoofthestars Magopon @galapathy Sir Gwynn/Guienvere

@quanblovk Sir Uther @zombiecicada - Wolfbell

@rosiegardenlove Shade Knight @cauli-flawa Dotty

@mercyillustrator - Lady Nebula @lulu-chaos-incarnation Morgan

@theneverhooood Merlyn & @starrygoober Daisy Dee

And, of course:

To all who have followers & my other friends (mutuals) who have been there for me. The people who inspired and supported me throughout the year. May not have shown it, but truly, it was a tough year... Thank you so much for helping me make it through.

Anyways! I have big plans for Arthur & Celestine in the (AU), and I can't wait to show it to you guys! Stay tuned~

Cheers to another and better year!

[rosiegardenlove]

Shade spots something flying through the sky!!

It’s, uh… falling. Very quickly.

[Seeing the screaming figure approaching fast, Shade sprang into action]

Shade: "I'll catch you!"

[He backs up to try and be in catching range of the figure before catching them. Falling on his rear end from the momentum]

Shade: "A-Are you alright!?"

[homieharbor]

Isn't he so cool

[darlingofdots]

erinnere mich gerade an das Keksrezept meiner Mutter, in dem eine zentrale Zutat "1 Pä Va Zu" ist

[right-draw]

This is from a sketch I did a couple of years ago when I was into Animal Crossing Pocket Camp of a stylized version of Dotty! I think I gave Dotty a pink parka/hoodie and a yellow hair-bow when she was in my camp which prompted me to do the drawing in the first place. I made the parka/hoodie the same colours as her dress that she wears in New Horizions.

[dottie-mcveigh]

Maybe ask @gothamnewsnetwork-official. They love tabloid journalism.

Them 💖

[rockingbytheseaside]

I know I just sent in that eremite hcs thing but idk if your requests are open and I'm shy💔

I really love your writing and I was hoping you can do Dottore x eremite reader, GN is pref but I would like descriptions of them being big and muscular (because they are, they're better than most playable models i fear) if ever

maybe eremite reader being the representative that will form an alliance with the fatui?

or..Dottore disguised as a regular person (we all know he can ehapeshift, or atleast his segments) and gets bumped into yadda yadda to see if Sumeru has changed since his last visit, only to be greeted with absolute kindness from eremite reader? :3

(I’ve seen your previous messages anon, and mmmm do I love your interpretation of modern Dottore’s design and small influences of eremite culture in it. I know this is not what you exactly wrote, but I needed to let this out of my system. For all those requesting more Dottie stuff, this is for you)

✦ An Oasis in the Desert of Heretics 

(Zandik/Dottore x Eremite Reader: sfw) 

✧ Imagine the astonishment of your tribe when you return one day with a scrawny kid dragged by the collar in your hands. He looked disheveled, and a single glance at his Akademiya Jellabiya was clearly indicative that he was some wandering fool from Sumeru City. Your peers were confused, who was this blue-haired kid and how did you even find him amidst the desolate dunes of Deshret’s lands? 

The youth was disgruntled when you dragged him here, however, the elders of your tribe warned him to be thankful. Had it been anyone else, he wouldn't have made it in the desert alive. 

✧ It took a couple of days for this young man to recover. After he was nourished and offered plenty of water and rest, he was the one who slowly moved out of his shell. In the scorching sun of the day, he sat silently in the shade of the tents, observing you training with your Eremite peers. When you sparred and moved on with your duties, it looked as if Deshret’s gaze itself blessed your sun-kissed skin. And in these moments, the youth realized how far from home he was; even if he never considered Sumeru City his home.

You offered him company, but he often remained apprehensive between the Eremites. You weren't surprised, you thought he'd be another student who looked down upon your folk. But this boy showed none of such inhibitions - what you saw was genuine pain and fear in his ruby eyes. 

✧ After much coaxing and several Ajilenakh Nut candies, this young man began sitting down with you more frequently. Whenever dinner was served, you offered him a seat amongst your people. When he silently stood in the cool shadows of the desert night, you were the first who'd welcome him by the fire. It was in these moments that you learned his name, Zandik. And it was by the stillness of the night he confessed about his exile from the Akademiya, of his heresies.

You listened patiently to every word. Though you did not promise him paradise amongst your tribe, the young boy never forgot your words: “In the desert, we're all exiles. Is there a difference where you come from when we're all abandoned by our Gods?” 

✧ From here on out, Zandik could be found lingering in your secluded tribe. Perhaps it was an unofficial welcome, but you often showed him the ropes of your community. His once tousled uniform was forgotten, and instead, people provided him with more suitable clothes to protect him from the harsh desert sun. His silent brooding slowly shifted into timid approaches. At least he didn't ogle you whenever you trained in the mornings, he now asked you to train him. And though he was awkward at first, he didn't have the heart to confess his eyes were drinking praise of your muscles whenever you taught him.

Your peers joked and called him the foreigner of the tribe. Zandik never rebutted; he said it was better than being called a heretic. He just relished sitting next to you on the carpeted floor, listening to your chatter and chuckles as everyone ate Tahchin for dinner. 

✧ Zandik wasn't gullible though, he knew he shouldn't take your hospitality for granted. Eremites were cautious of outsiders, and no matter how he may look, he is one. The eremites saw hardships more than his young, inexperienced self did, thus his ignorance was transforming. Even without the Akademiya, he learned you valued any knowledge and books your people collected. The folk of the tribe were not uneducated. If anything, the people here welcomed topics that were often shunned in the halls of the institute. 

Whatever books and notes Zandik had on him when you found him in the desert, he felt more compelled to share them with you. In the silent hours of the night, you and he would share a tent hurried in some books he brought. He listened to you in awe when you said your tribe was never prohibited from exploring the Valley of Darhi and the giant Ruin Guard slumbering there. 

✧ But even your tribe harbored a tumor no one could eradicate – Eleazar. Many elders suffered from it, and more symptoms were showing in some of your peers. Zandik watched with a solemn gaze as you toiled and helped with whatever resources your tribe had. It was a grave topic in your tribe, to take care of those suffering, or honor those who passed from it. However since the young man had academic knowledge in biology and medicine, he wished to provide medical help. 

When his hand reached for vials of medicine, your own jolted to grasp his in a warning. You stopped his interference, telling him not to meddle. Zandik only gazed at you, a silent plea: “...You don't trust me yet?” Alas, you remained silent.

✧ Zandik’s restlessness was evident. With unbridled determination, he desired you to teach him to be competent in the desert. If he wants to be of use for the Eremites and his own research, his academic knowledge would not suffice under Deshret's red sand. Zandik instead followed you, like an eager child ready to mimic and learn, he desired to accompany you beyond the safe grounds of the tribe and venture forth on expeditions. 

You taught him to wield a spear first. It didn't take long for him to lose his footing and get a face full of sand… But after much trial and error, you mentored him with a claymore. Your hand was often on top of his when you guided him to hold onto the hilt, his skin getting warmer than usual. 

“Okay, maybe the heavy weight of the weapon will make sure you stay on both your feet for now.” 

✧ You were surprised at how much of a chatterbox he became wherever the two of you ventured on expeditions. He'd blabber endlessly about the numerous academic matters regarding the ruins you two found; of the leylines and its history. He never spoke for so long whenever the two of you were in the tribe. Yet as the sun cast its golden hues upon you two, Zandik realized he never found the desert sun cumbersome while trekking alongside you. When he smiles a boyish grin, his shoulders brushing against yours, the sunset becomes a queue to find shelter and set up camp for the night. 

In a secluded nook hidden from the endless expanse of sandy dunes, the dim glow of a single lantern illuminated the small makeshift tent. Within its confines, Zandik found himself nestled close beside you. It was his idea to push the sleeping pads together - to save space, as he had suggested with feigned practicality. Yet now, with his head resting on your arm and his short, unruly curls brushing against your shoulder, the throes of cold desert nights faded into irrelevance. All that remained was the tender warmth of your embrace, a solace he quietly cherished, cradled in the stillness of your presence.

✧ Perhaps this is why, after many centuries, a certain Harbinger was adamant about finding a cure for Eleazar. Having been recruited by the Jester, the Doctor rarely visited the lonesome desert of Sumeru. Yet it didn’t stop him from gazing off with wistful melancholy at the land. Perhaps the ever-shifting sands had since swept the evidence of yours and his footsteps, but his fond memories of trekking with you alone never faded. 

All his relentless research, the unyielding pursuit of knowledge and cures – were all to honor your people and the memory of your smile that lingered in his dreams, cradling a young Zandik in the warmth of your embrace.

(My headcanon stays, Pierro just magically teleports and appears to those he wanted to recruit. No questions asked, he just adopts them)

[morgana-larkin]

Hiyaaa! Can you please do Agatha Harkness x fem reader, where Agatha has a panic attack and Y/N is there to calm her down please?

Hi! Thank you so much for sending an Agatha prompt! I did my best to write her as it’s my first time writing for Agatha. Not edited in the slightest and I hope you like it!

Protecting You

Warning: none

Words: 2.3k

“That damn stupid witch won’t crack!” Agatha yells as she enters her house. She just got back from killing Wanda’s dog, hoping that having her kids get upset will cause her to crack or bring the dog back to life, but she didn’t. She then goes to her kitchen and magic’s herself a tea. As soon as she takes a sip there’s a knock at her door. She puts her tea down and goes to answer it.

“Hiya neighbour!” You say and Agatha smiles at seeing you.

You met Agatha at one of those Neighbourhood meetings that Dottie was having. She offered you some alcohol when you looked as bored as her and you’ve been friends since.

“Hi Clara, how are you?” She asks as she steps aside to let you in.

“I’m alright, busy day though. Joe wanted some alone time so give our son a woodworking lesson so I decided to come here.” You tell her with a smile. “How are you?”

The one thing about you is that Agatha is starting to like you as more than a friend but in this life you’re married and with a child, she has no idea what you were like before.

“Busy as well, Ralph is always off doing god knows what so I can do whatever I want.” She tells you in her Agnes voice and you giggle.

“Must be nice, to not have to tend to a husband or take care of a child.” You tell her with a smile and then you frown. “But I don’t have a child or a husband.” You suddenly say and Agatha looks at you strangely.

“What was that, hun?” She asks you. You then suddenly look up at her with that lost look in your eyes that everyone has and a smile is replaced on your face again.

“What was what?” You ask her and Agatha looks at you before brushing it off.

After a couple hours at her place, you leave to go back home which is across the street. Agatha looks at your retreating form until you’re safe in your home. She then thinks about what happened earlier, you broke through the spell for a second, you’re fighting it really hard. Another thing that she noticed was that you mentioned that you don’t have a child or a husband which brought a smile to her face.

The next day everyone is getting ready for Halloween. In order to not raise suspicion to Wanda, Agatha goes and puts up decorations on her front lawn. When she looks across the street, she sees you doing the same thing but having a hard time hanging something up on the window due to being short. She walks across the street and hangs the decoration for you.

“And there we go!” She says and looks at you with a smile.

“Oh thank you Agnes. I was having trouble as I can’t reach.” You tell her and look down a little embarrassed.

“Oh that’s totally alright! We need short people to do things tall people can’t.”

“Like what?” You ask her, eyes full of wonder.

“Like looking innocent and adorable.” She blurts out before she thinks and your cheeks turn a shade of pink.

“Oh thank you. Um- do you want to come in for some tea? I was just about to have some.”

“Tea sounds lovely, hun.” She says and you both go inside. She should probably get back to plotting against Wanda but she can’t help but be around you.

“And here’s the tea and some biscuits if you’re hungry.” You offer on a plate and then sit down beside her with a cup of tea of your own. You take a sip and then put it on the coffee table and grab a biscuit.

Agatha looks at you curiously, yesterday you broke through the curse by yourself, and she wonders what would happen if you had help.

“Hun?” She starts and you hum and look at her. “Yesterday you said you don’t actually have a child or a husband. Why did you say that?” She asks and you look at her confused.

“What do you mean? My husband is at work and my child is at school.”

“What’s your child’s name?” She asks you and you’re about to say an answer but all of a sudden your mind comes up blank, you have no idea what your child’s name is. Agatha can see it in your eyes that you know something isn’t right but the spell is too strong. She then puts her hand to your temple and lifts the spell from your mind. “There, that must be better.” She tells you and you look at her with fear and confusion.

“What’s going on?” You ask and look around quickly and then at yourself. “What am I wearing? Who are you?”

“My name is Agatha Harkness and I just lifted Wanda’s curse from your mind. I’ll have to put it back in a few minutes to avoid suspicion but I wanted to know who you are.” Agatha tells you and she can see the wheels turning in your mind. “So who are you?”

“My name is Y/N Y/L/N.” You tell her and that says absolutely nothing to her.

“Yesterday you were able to half break through the curse. How?”

“What? I don’t even know what you’re talking about?”

“Are you from Westview? Do you live here?”

No, I’m from New York.” You tell her and she nods and clicks her tongue. “I came here to visit a friend.”

“Who’s your friend?”

“Her name is Sarah, but under the curse she goes by Dottie.” You tell her.

“Seeing her must have triggered you to try and break through the curse, and you managed yesterday.” She figures out. “Look I’m going to get Wanda to break it for everyone, but I have to put the curse back on you to do that, ok?” She says and you shake your head.

“No, please. It’s torture. All I hear and feel is pain and it’s too much!” You tell her and she looks at you with sympathy.

“I’m sorry, but everything will be back to normal soon enough.” She tells you and goes to break it but you get up and you go to run away but she stops you with her magic. “Before I put it back, I do want to do something.” She tells you and then gives you a kiss and you kiss her back. During the kiss she puts the curse back and pulls away before you go back to Clara and lifts her magic.

“Oh, would you look at the time! I gotta get back to those decorations. They’re not going to put themselves up!” You say and she smiles at you before bidding you goodbye.

The next day, she sees you in the crowd when she lifts the spell to torment Wanda. You two lock eyes when Wanda lifts the barrier from a section and tells everyone to leave. Agatha gives you a nod for you to leave but you freeze, for some reason you don’t want to leave her here. Agatha sees you freeze and sees Vision and Wanda’s kids start to disappear due to the barrier being lifted a little and knows you won’t make it. Agatha starts to panic cause she doesn’t want you to get in the crossover of a witch fight. And if to make it worse, the military starts to appear. She finally meets someone she likes and that person might die unless she acts fast. She flies to you, grabs you and flies you away before you have time to react. In a second you’re in your house from the curse and Agatha is looking at you.

“Listen Y/N, I have to go back but you have to leave. Over there is too dangerous for you so you have to run. Escape from the back and just keep going. Do you hear me?” She asks you and you just stare at her.

“I’m not leaving you, why are you staying if she lifted the curse?”

“It’s too complicated for you right now but I have to go back and you just have to run away, do you hear me?”

“I’m not going!” You say and stomp your foot.

“Jesus Y/N! Please go! I don’t want to lose you.” She tells you. “Sarah, your friend is across the barrier, don’t you want to be with her?” She asks you and you shake your head. “Oh my god! The one time I’m trying to save someone’s life and they’re refusing to be saved! Just my luck.” She screams and then turns back to you. “Fine, if you want to die then stay here or go right back on the battlefield.” She tells you while she points to where the battlefield is. “I can’t save you if you go out there, and you more than likely won’t live if you do!” She tells you before leaving through the door.

While Agatha goes back to fighting Wanda, you peek out through the window and see someone step in front of Wanda’s kids and stop the bullets. You see Wanda and Agatha in the air fighting and two Visions fighting. You run out of the house and go to the kids and the stranger that caught a bunch of bullets.

“Who are you?” She asks you.

“I’m-”

“Clara!” Tommy yells. “You’re still here.” He says to you.

“My name is actually Y/N. Who are you?” You ask her.

“My name is Monica. I know Wanda, I know she means no harm, she’ll save us.”

“No harm? Did you not go through the torture and pain in your head? I did and it sucked! If anyone actually saved us, it’s Agatha!” You yell at her and that gets Agatha’s attention, it distracts her long enough for Wanda to throw an object at her and sends her crashing into a building. “Agatha!” You yell and attempt to run to her but gets stopped by Tommy who runs in front of you to block your path.

“You shouldn’t go to her, it’s not safe for anyone to go there.” He tells you. You try again but get stopped again.

“Y/N!” Agatha yells and you look at her. “Leave now!” She continues and Wanda watches with interest.

The fight between Agatha and Wanda continue until Wanda takes all of Agatha’s power and sends them to the ground. You run to them now that everyone else is distracted. You hear Wanda sentence Agatha to imprisonment as Agnes but you run up to them and intervene.

“No wait!” You say before Wanda can do anything. “Don’t do that.”

“And why not?” Wanda asks you.

“Haven’t you already imprisoned enough people?” You ask her and she looks at you with guilt. “I know it was an accident but I think you’ve done enough. Just let her go as is.” You tell her and she seems to think about what you said. “She can’t do anything without her magic.” You add on and Wanda straightens her posture and backs off.

“You make a good point, I’ll let her stay as is.”

“You don’t deserve her magic.” You add when Wanda begins to walk away and she turns around to look at you.

“What did you say?”

“I said you don’t deserve her magic. You’re no better than a villain.”

“A villain would have killed her.” Wanda says.

“A villain would trap an entire town full of innocent people just to have her own happiness.” You counter and she looks at you before flying off. You then turn around to Agatha who starts walking off and you run after her. “Agatha!” You yell and you both get to the house you lived in under the curse.

“Why did you save me?” She asks you.

“Because I care about you.”

“I have no magic, I might as well die.” She says. “I can’t do anything without my magic.” She says and her breathing gets heavy.

“I don’t have magic and I think life is good without it.” You say, trying to cheer her up.

“You don’t understand, you’ve never had magic so you don’t know any better.” She says and she suddenly feels like she isn’t getting enough oxygen and she falls to the ground, breathing quickly. “I can’t breathe, why can’t I breathe?” She gets out and you run to her on the ground.

“Agatha, listen to me, you’re having a panic attack, ok. Can you look at me, please?” You tell her and a few seconds later she turns to look at you. “Good, now you need to follow my breathing.” You tell her and you start a breathing technique to help people who are having a panic attack. She tries to follow but fails, so you do the next best thing quickly so she doesn’t pass out. You grab both her cheeks and pull her in for a kiss. You pull back a few seconds later when you notice she isn’t breathing heavily and fast anymore. “Well that worked.” You say to her as she looks at you shocked.

“So you just kissed me to get me out of the panic attack?” She asks you and you shake your head after a couple seconds of thought,

“I kissed because I also wanted to kiss you, because I like you. All those moments where we were Clara and Agnes, I remember them and parts of Clara were me and you were completely you. And I began to like you, Clara began to like you, without even knowing.” You tell her. “I like you, Agatha.” You finish and she looks at you with wide eyes. She then surges forward and kisses you.

Taglist:

@imaginesmultifandoms

Let me know if you want to be added!

[giantchasm]

OWO what's this?

Just an animatic for the @kirbyoctournament that's a propaganda piece for my OC Peony featuring not one, not two, not three... but 54 other contestants!

I'll put a list of all featured OCs under the cut. I'm sorry if I didn't manage to fit yours in! There are so many OCs in this tourney I absolutely adore. Maybe if Peony makes it through to Round 5 I'll do another propaganda animatic featuring even more OCs.

But for now... vote Peony when her poll goes up tomorrow! And enjoy the wonderful cast of this little project.

EDIT: Peony’s poll is up! Give her a vote, if you’d like! It’d mean the world 💖

Every OC featured in the animatic, in order, from left to right:

@george228732's Fylass @a-stardusted-sky's Dazor @zombiecicada's Wolfbell

@karmapigeons' Ant-Hony Bellerose @shippyo's Life

@hadopelagicpsi's Aphelion @nautical-nova's Dawn @starlightintermezzo's Hyper Knight

@staring-at-a-blank-pagee's Starry Dee @pastille-pain's Qiri @springbreezes-and-peonies' Peony

@ivynajspyder's Techie @rosiegardenlove's Shade Knight

@kamalemons's Pink Lemonade Driblee @expy-ceri's Ceri @jaspermythic-8's Cryst

@taranzas-biggest-fan's Zerpy @kirbart90's Astro @shibuyatoastedcursor's Periwinkle

@poppybros-jr's Cosmo @c0ffee-7's Star @boa35's Anti

@m0x1ez's Moonstone @clairetimes' Moroshi @isaackkkbunn's Artemis

@cauliarty's Dotty @eliastheownerof0axolotls' Flower Waddle Dee @ceragolor's Lorelia

@maybeher0's Chiffon @sacrificecage's Mapobas @starmagnets' Vic

@waddledoodledee's Reclusa @unleashedsonic's Atlas @ceoofmetagala's Flora @moonsharkss' Whisp @starrygoober's Daisy Waddle Dee @dizzy-dudd's Rifty

@moonverc3x's J @aseuki's Parhelion Knight @starflungwaddledee's Starstruck Dee

@quanblovk's Sir Uther @desultory-novice's Noir Fontaine

@absolutely-zero-regrets's Clark @tailsdollr's Vulcan @galapathy's Guinevere @azzie-tangerine's Era Knight @kosmic-autokrat's Aife @windstriker427's Nighty Knight

(As well as musescfmusic's Storm Knight, pinkestmenace's Olympea, gethoce's Valfrey, and scrorchrend's Sorile, however I'm not tagging the owners of those OCs as I'd feel bad tagging them just for a shadowed back view of their characters. I ought to draw all of them properly eventually!)

And... of course, finally: @justalilstar's Night Terror and @what-is-love-babey-dont-hurt-me's Sir Meteor: Peony's opponents in this upcoming round! Two truly fantastic characters, and I'm wishing them both the best of luck.

It was a blast getting to draw so many people's OCs! I'd love to do something similar again in the future. There are seriously so many awesome characters featured in the tourney that this is barely even scratching the surface. I hope everyone enjoyed their little cameos!

[frog-chemicals]

Could not stop thinking about this creature

Hey remember when I used to draw fake minecraft mobs

[solarmorrigan]

(One more thing about Steve and Robin working at a diner. The other waitresses look out for Steve, small side order of platonic stobin)

Admittedly, the first time Steve comes in for a shift at the diner wearing sunglasses and swaying slightly on his feet, most of the other servers assume he’s hungover.

It’s not necessarily that he’s given the impression of someone who stays out all night partying (or who would drink so much on a Tuesday night that he’d show up still hungover on a Wednesday afternoon), but what other reason could there be for the way he flinches at any loud noise, or the way he squints under the fluorescents of the dining room?

They watch him carefully as he takes an extra few seconds to balance a tray before heading out to his table, but he doesn’t falter after that, so they leave him alone. Whatever’s wrong isn’t affecting his work, so it’s none of their business.

(Naturally, this means they all watch him like hawks for the remainder of his shift. Servers are the nosiest people in the world; they won’t even deny it.)

But then it happens in the middle of a lunch rush; he’d come in just fine, as energetic and ready to complain about unpleasant guests as ever, but somewhere partway through, he starts to flag. He holds himself sort of hunched when he thinks no one is looking, like he’s in pain, and he looks about ready to throw up when the dishwasher slams an entire bin of silverware down on the counter (a noise fit to rattle the eardrums of anyone who isn’t already feeling sick).

When Robin takes her break at the end of the rush, she seeks out Steve, the same as always, and she catches on immediately to the fact that something is wrong. Her eyes narrow in displeasure as she marches up to him, and they have a vehemently whispered discussion in a corner of the server’s line that involves a lot of pointing at the parking lot from Robin and a lot of defensive arm-crossing from Steve.

Evidently, Robin loses the argument, because her lips are pressed into a line of displeasure as she shoves a glass of ice water at Steve, followed by a cup of black tea she’s made from the Lipton tea bags they keep under the counter. She spends the rest of her break making sure he drinks it all.

The other servers are more curious than ever.

It doesn’t happen often. Sometimes Steve will come in looking pale and off, sometimes it will start partway through a shift, sometimes no one will notice anything is wrong at all until the night is over and he lets himself drop, but there doesn’t seem to be much rhyme or reason to it. He calls out of work all of once, and Robin catches a ride with someone else that day and spends her entire shift distracted.

The other servers start to worry. What if he’s sick? What if it’s serious?

Something finally breaks one slow evening when there isn’t much to distract anyone from their own boredom – least of all Steve, who seems to power through those days when he doesn’t feel well by keeping busy. He leans against a counter and stares into space for the better part of fifteen minutes and then has to make a dash for the men’s room after he stands too quickly, nearly loses his balance, and turns an alarming shade of green.

It's Dottie who goes in to check on him (she’s 58, has three sons, five grandsons, and reasons that literally nothing going on behind that door could surprise her at this point), and she finds him bent over the toilet losing whatever he’d managed to eat earlier in the day.

“If you’re sick, you need to go home, sweetie,” Dottie tells him. “No one wants that near their food.”

Steve shakes his head. “Not contagious,” he insists breathlessly, spitting into the toilet and leaning back when it seems like his stomach has settled. “Just a bad headache. Should actually start getting better now.”

Dottie frowns, but she doesn’t force the issue. She trusts that Steve wouldn’t willingly spread a stomach bug around the restaurant, and besides that, she’s seen how carefully he counts his tips at the end of the night. He might still be living up in his parents’ house, but she doubts if they’re footing the bill for much these days.

True to his word, Steve seems better for the rest of his shift, but this doesn’t stop Dottie from sharing what he’d said – and it’s exactly that comment that finally clicks something into place for one of the other servers.

Migraines, Arlene insists; her cousin gets them, says they’re like headaches from hell. Sometimes they’ll put her poor cousin down for as many as two or three days. It only makes sense, Arlene declares.

Migraines. Well, now that they have a word, and they’re reasonably assured their Steve isn’t dying, the other servers go about their business.

They keep an eye on him as best they can (though, by and large, he seems to do alright taking care of himself, or being gently bullied into it by Robin), but aside from helping to pick up the slack a little when he stumbles or pushing a cup of tea at him, there isn’t much they can really help with.

At least until the night one hits with the worst possible timing.

It’s Saturday night. Ten o’ clock. The last showing at the movie theater’s just let out, there are teenagers whiling away the final hours of their last free night of the weekend, couples prolonging their dates, bar-goers stopping in for a bite – the diner is packed, the cooks are slammed, the servers are swamped, and Steve drops a plate.

It’s only a side of pancakes, and the cooks already have another one up in the window, but the other servers all catch the way he reacts to the noise as if a gun had gone off by his ear, flinching like he’s in pain.

But it’s busy, and they can’t afford to slow down. The dishwasher pops out of the kitchen to help clean the mess, so Steve goes back to pulling the rest of his order from the window, but anyone standing close enough can see that his hands are shaking. Hard.

He nearly drops another plate—a burger and fries, this time—before Gina swoops in and stabilizes it.

“I can get this, it’s right next to my table. Why don’t you get the drinks for the one you just got sat with?” she offers.

Steve looks like he wants to argue, but he’s got stubbornness and pragmatism in equal measure, and he’ll yield to the latter if he can see he’s slowing other people down. He nods and ducks out of the way, heading for the soda dispenser instead.

Of course, why Gina had thought he’d do better with glasses than with plates is beyond anyone else. He doesn’t drop anything, but it’s a near thing, and the drinks all wobble alarmingly when he tries to put them on a small beverage tray and run them out. He drops the tray back on the counter with a clatter and shoves the heels of his palms into his eyes in a moment of raw frustration.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, not now,” he hisses.

“Honey,” Arlene tries, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“I can do this, just– I just need a minute,” Steve insists.

“We don’t have a minute,” Gina says, blunt, but not entirely unkind. “Just let us help. If you can pick up again later, great, if not – at least we won’t all be even more in the weeds.”

It seems unlikely he’ll be able to pick up again later, and they all know it – Steve especially, with his face gone red and his gaze trained on the counter.

“Fine,” he practically whispers, almost unintelligible over the noise of the kitchen and the dining room on either side of the line. “Thanks.”

They split Steve’s section between the lot of them, each taking a table or two to share the load. It isn’t great, but the diner isn’t huge, so it isn’t the worst, either.

They all expect Steve to find somewhere quiet to sit and wait the evening out—the back office, maybe—but it seems he’ll be damned before he stops doing something to help. They find him standing at the cook’s window, pulling plates down to load trays up with full orders. He’s using two hands and going slowly, but it’s still faster than having to stand at the window individually and fish for orders in the sea of plates that the cooks shove their way.

For the next hour and a half, Steve is their serving assistant. He pulls orders, loads trays with drinks, hands out condiments, and restocks the counter with anything that isn’t breakable. Robin shoots him looks through window; she can’t afford to step off the line and check on him, but she sends him worried glances that eventually morph into ridiculous faces that put something like a smile back onto his face.

At the end of the night, he refuses to leave without doing his share of the sidework—it’s clear he’d like to leave, he’s still squinting under the harsh lights, but some sense of pride won’t let him—and each of the other servers approaches him by almost unspoken agreement.

Arlene is first, pulling several folded bills from the back of her server book and placing them on the counter in front of him. “From tables six and seven.”

Steve blinks at her. “Uh…”

“Oh, right!” Gina plunges her hand into her apron pocket and pulls out a crumpled wad of money. “From eight and ten.”

Dottie adds to the pile, and Steve stares at all three of them, baffled.

“These are the tips from your tables,” Dottie explains, as if he won’t recognize the numbers that had been in his section.

“But – I wasn’t serving. I didn’t serve these tables,” he says.

“But they were yours.” Arlene shrugs.

Steve shakes his head. “You guys should keep this, I didn’t – I didn’t earn this.”

“Sure you did.” Gina gives his shoulder a gentle shove. “You worked, same as we did. Just take it, kid.”

Steve shakes his head again, but Dottie heads him off. “We want you to have it. You would’ve done the same as us,” she says. “And if you don’t take it, we’re just going to leave it on the counter, and then the dishwasher will probably take it, and then where will we be?”

At that, Steve lets out a little huff of laughter, reaching out with still-unsteady hands to pull the pile of bills closer.

“Thank you,” he says, quiet again.

And if his eyes are a little wet as he trains them on the counter, they can all just blame the migraine.

(Robin, though. Robin has no trouble acknowledging what they’d done, and makes their employee meals without asking for any kind of order ticket for at least the next week. It all evens out.)

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Unexpected 41

Warnings: non/dubcon, pregnancy, pegging, Lloyd being the worst, post partum, csection, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging.

You sit around the patio table, a cushion beneath you as you stare dully across the yard. The shade of the umbrella falls short of your shoulder as the heat of the sun grows torturous, but you don't move. You like the pain.

Dottie's nails scrape against the box as she pulls out another sleeper. She trills as she waves it before her and tries to bring your attention to how cute the little cloud pattern is. You give a fleeting glance before leaning forward on your elbow to cup your chin.

Through the open sliding door, you can hear the subtly clinking in the kitchen. Andy's favour only underlines your futility further. You just feel useless. Your only purpose is to let this child bleed you dry.

"It's so nice of Andy to come by, isn't it?" Dottie turns to pull the stroller closer, checking in on the baby in the makeshift bassinet. "Why didn't you tell me about him?"

You tilt your head and leer from the corner of your eyes. You sit up and drag your arm off the table and sigh. You drop your chin and chew on the inside of your cheeks. You bite down as your anger surges to a hot flame.

"Why don't you tell me where your son is?" You snap through your teeth.

She clicks her tongue and keeps a hand on the stroller. As you glance at her, she has the grace to look guilty. Too bad she never passed that down to her deadbeat offspring. And now, there's another generation to carry this bullshit on.

"I don't know, hon. That's why," she says decisively. "If I knew, I would wring his neck--"

"But you don't talk about it. You won't acknowledge it. You won't admit that he is an asshole. That he used me for his fun and now he's tossed me out like a broken toy."

She sucks in air and frowns, her painted lips almost clownlike, "he's scared, that's all--"

"Don't make excuses for him. I don't want to hear that. Not from you or him, if he ever drags his sorry ass back," you flick your hand at her dismissively, "in fact, I don't want to hear anything else from you."

"Now, honey--"

"Don't," you warn as you raise a single finger, "I am doing what I have to. I feed the damn thing, I hold her even as she's squirming and wiggling like some slug. You can't expect anything more."

"You can't just do the bare minimum. Not forever. Children need love--"

"You give it to her. You want her so bad, take her. Once she's old enough, you can be her mother because I can't. I won't."

Dottie recoils and shakes her head. She turns her face away but she can't hide her revulsion. You feel the same. To hear all your thoughts out loud. You know they're wrong but you feel them nonetheless. The child is not precious, she is a burden you never wanted.

"You want to talk, fine, I'll tell you all about your son," you go on, "how he sabotaged me. I didn't want him or this creature latching onto me--"

"Enough," Dottie pinches her fingers in front of her mouth, "enough. I get it. I can't... I can't make him come back. Harlan will, though. I know he will."

"I don't fucking care," you drawl and flinch as the child begins to fuss.

You huff and roll your eyes. Your chest pulses, the fullness aching until you relent. You stand to take the child, noting how Dottie hesitates at the movement, as if she would stop you. Does she think you're a monster? That you would hurt a baby?

You sit back down and pull down your shirt, putting the baby to your tit, letting it suckle like a vampire. Your head spins and you close your eyes. You feel weak and empty and flat.

A savoury aroma tickles your nose and you hear the footfalls pad out from inside and onto the patio. You force your eyes open and watch Andy near the table with a plate in each hand. He sets down one before you and one in front of Dottie. You notice how he peeks for just a second at the baby and suddenly you're embarrassed. You don't want him to see you like this.

"Smells, delicious!" Dottie preens, "oh, is this gnocchi? I've never tried it but I've seen it on my cooking shows."

She picks up her fork and takes an emphatic whiff of the steam rising off the sauce. You cradle the baby, trying to block your chest as best you can and muster a smile.

"Thank you, Andy."

"Not at all, I'll just go grab my own," he gives a short nod and spins on his heel.

As he steps up into the house you see how he clenches and unclenches his hand. You don't think too much of the gesture, maybe just a tick. You reach over to the stroller and pull out the receiving blanket to cover your shoulders and chest, nestling the child beneath.

And returns as you awkwardly hold Luna with one arm and reach around the blanket with your other. You press the sprinkling of parmesan into the sauce and pierce a piece of gnocchi. You raise it and blow away the steam, tentatively tasting it.

"I hope it's as good as it looks," Andy remarks, "I found the recipe in one of L-- my wife's old books and thought I'd try it out. Not often I get guinea pigs to test it out on."

"Delicious," Dottie swallows and reaches for her glass of wine. "Your wife was a very lucky lady."

"I was the lucky one," he counters.

You grumble. And you? Chronically unlucky. Cursed to men who only care about their dicks, to live in the consequences of their narcissism.

You bite into the gnocchi and put your fork down. You bring your arm back under the blanket and focus on feeding the kid first. You can't do much with her latched on.

"So, how's it coming? Get a routine yet?" Andy prompts, "not that you ever really stick to one with young ones.

"Eh," you shrug, "i–she gets hungry, she eats, she sleeps."

"Adorable little thing," Dottie says, "peaceful."

"Oh? Wouldn't expect that. Well, from how much I know of Lloyd, it's definitely not from him."

"Ah, she's stoic like her mama," Dottie praises, "strong."

"Insatiable like her father," you sneer, "always wanting something."

Dottie reaches over to pat your arm, "you know how the early days are. No sleep, all nerves–"

"Not so fun when you're alone," you mutter under your breath and Dottie clears her throat to cover it.

"So, you know my son? How long have you been neighbours?" She redirects as you glower at the top of the blanket.

"Couple years. You know, we'd meet in passing, a good morning, well on my end," Andy laughs, "he's always in a hurry, it seems…" he looks at you as your eyes are drawn up by the subtle shift in his posture, "always somewhere else to be."

You hold his gaze for just a minute then rescind it, hanging your head as you feel a tight knot in your chest. The baby slips free and you feel the dribble as she babbles and slobbers all over you.

"Shit," you hiss and stand, turning your back as you uncover her and try to fix your hold on her.

She spits up creamy puke all over you and a ripple rolls over you, blazing and blurry. God! Can this thing not stop?!

You growl, fighting the urge to just shove her back in the carriage and stomp away. Your company keeps a sliver of sense in tact. You mop up the vomit with the blanket and sigh.

"I gotta go inside," you utter.

"I'll keep your food warm," Andy goes to stand as you move away from the table.

"It's fine," you snip as you rush past him "I'm not hungry."

[askthedreamyversegang]

Tada! I decided to draw every single oc in the tourney I can draw (+A few honorable characters that deserved a spot in the doodle sheet).

Credits under the cut!

Star by @c0ffee-7

Valfrey by @gethoce

Amaterasu by @zerosocialskillz

Rainbow Dee by @cali-kabi

Moonstone by @m0x1ez

Lemon Dee by @snazzyladreal

Starry Dee by @staring-at-a-blank-pagee

Rifty by @dizzy-dudd

Aphelion by @hadopelagicpsi

Aijo by @starstruck358 / @birby-blog

Dotty by @cauli-flawa

Shattered Reality AU​ Marx and Dokutaro (Actually Pecharunt​ from Pokémon)​ by @poyoofthestars / @galactic-ambitions-jester

Starstruck Dee by @starflungwaddledee

Cosmo by @poppybros-jr

Sir Uther (Who is probably a pile of ash by now) by @quanblovk

Periwinkle, Ginger, Moss, Niru, Artist Dee and Honey Toast Dee by Me, @shibuyatoastedcursor .

And that wraps it up folks, I hope you don't mind the pings!

Bonus:

A​ placeholder Shade Knight I thought looked a little too good to leave out.

Shade Knight by @rosiegardenlove .

For: @kirbyoctournament

[sweetwhitechoco]

Look at them! :3

The Mew Crew

of the sanctuary!!

And Briar. Well their fur patterns XD

Basically full body and full color refs for the Mew Crew themselves X3

(Opal is Naive. Anais is Quirky. Kandi is Timid. Angel is Quiet. Dotty and Amora are Impish. Lucky is Calm. Shade is Bold. Ezzie is Serious. Briar is Lonely)

Anyone else I should do? Lemme know!

[rainbowsky]

Good Morning Rainbowsky,

Thank you for the informative post on "Happy Queer History Month".

Excuse my ignorance, I would like to ask...when it comes to marriage proposals, is it usually one party more than the other that will make the "proposal"? I believe it is not correct to say "husband" and "wife", so both parties would be a "husband"?

(i.e. in a heterosexual relationship, usually the man would be doing the proposing, although there is usually an understanding of marriage already between the parties, so the proposal is not entirely a "surprise".)

So in a relationship like ggdd's, would gg wait for dd to make the proposal?

Thank you again for all your posts & pics, I really enjoy reading them.

Dottie (Canada)

Hi Dottie,

Thanks for your kind words, I'm glad you're enjoying my blog! 😊

It's funny how you've revealed your perspective here, perhaps unintentionally or unconsciously, that GG is the 'woman' in the relationship*. Just a reminder that these are two men. Half the point of being gay is to be able to say 'fuck you' to all that gender normativity/gender role bullshit. Men are men. They aren't women.

*No shade, here, we're all a product of our environment, and we live in a deeply heteronormative, homophobic world.

We also don't know anything about the dynamics of their relationship. It's none of our business. There are a lot of assumptions that go around the fandom about GG and DD, what they do in the bedroom, etc. and that, too, is none of our business.

Does GG look like someone who waits around for anything? Does DD? Let's remember who these guys are, and what they're like. Neither of them are passive, wilting maidens.

Next to nothing is known about their relationship or relationship history. There are rumors GG chased DD from the beginning, and there are rumors that DD chased GG. Both are credible. Both of them are go-getters in life. Both of them are eminently chaseable.

Ultimately everything is speculation, and that speculation will always, always say more about the person doing the speculating than it could ever say about GG and DD.

Gays are just as diverse and inscrutable as straights. We don't have any special insight into the lives of other gay people just because we're gay. Any speculation I do about GGDD is just as clownish as anyone else's speculation. I have no secret peephole into their lives and personalities.

I have been asked in the past to share some of my CPN about their relationship, and I've done so, but I hope everyone realizes that it's just fan fiction. I really have no idea how their relationship came about, whether they are married or not, or who - if either of them - proposed.

I actually have a deep distaste for 'grand romantic proposals'. I find them tacky and embarrassing, and very hetero. Of course, there are gay couples who really go in for that kind of thing. Are GG and DD that sort of couple? It's possible. I don't personally think it's very likely, but I could be wrong.

Here are some related posts that you might find interesting. I think if you read all these you'll probably get a good idea of where I stand on these issues.

My CPN on how they might have gotten together

My CPN on the whole proposal question

Are GG and DD married?

GG and DD's personalities

Gender role preferences in the fandom

Gender role assumptions

Top/bottom categories in the fandom

Oversexualization of gay relationships