#like oil and water

[lordbhreanna]

shoebox | drabble | jill/nicholai, mild AU, introspection

Kneeling down, she starts picking up the papers. His handwriting peeks out from their corners, as if to remind her what these are—why she keeps those notes he slips into her mailbox, why she stores them safely in an old shoebox stuck at the back of her wardrobe. Like a secret you don’t want to be found out, but you can’t let go of it.

Read on AO3

[part of like oil and water]

[scavengerssuccotash]

How do Clint and Natasha deal with nightmares?

Ohhh the nightmares! The kinds of nightmares that plague are duo pale in comparison to our own. It’s only natural that their fears would manifest in truly frightening ways.

This will not be a happy read unfortunately. :(

Clint’s nightmares before Loki were a walk in the park. Memories of his foster father and the abuse he dealt jolted him from sleep so many times over the years that he’s had to develop a way to catch sleep wherever he could. Cue the power naps. (Thanks Jeremy!) The aftermath of his Pre-Loki nightmares usually meant a change of sheets since he sweat through them and a quick shower. He always keeps a cup of water by his bed too, getting ripped out from his dreams makes him parched. Once him and Natasha started sleeping together his return back to reality was less of a cinder block to the face and more of a pat on the cheek. Literally. While it’s generally advised to not wake a highly trained assassin in the throes of a nightmare, Natasha’s able to dodge the haymaker and bring him back to the present with a firm and quick, “Clint!”

The after-Loki nightmares are Clint’s own personal hell. His imagination, supplemented no doubt by Loki’s promise to have him kill Natasha “slowly, intimately in every way he knows you fear”, is far too powerful for a slap to the cheek to overcome. They had to get creative as a necessity. Even though she wants to touch him when he cries out she can’t. Of the times she did she ended up on her back and Clint woke with his hands on her. Natasha’s usually able to slip out of his holds, but there’s something about the abject pain in his voice that decimates her and overwhelms her better nature. She has to let it play out, and watch on the other side of the room with her face in her hands until Clint fights out of it on his own. She knows he’s awake by the time he falls out of bed and sobs into his hands.

Eventually, through time, patience and a lot of observation they figure out the triggers that induce these nightmares. It’s usually after a particularly difficult mission, one where he makes a mistake or slips up or the ones where he can’t keep her in his line of sight. After those, and afraid that it can trigger a nightmare they prep him with calming teas, long cuddles sessions and even longer assurances that she’s safe (and more importantly safe with him). They switch the bedding together, all soft sheets and even softer pillows. Calming scented candles are lit and weapons are removed from their bed side drawers. Once he’s asleep Nat waits outside the bedroom for a good thirty minutes, if she doesn’t hear Clint thrashing around it’s safe to say that he won’t be having a nightmare that night. On the good days when he wakes without a nightmare they make very gentle very tender love in the morning hours. It’s painfully tender and breaks Clint’s heard every fucking time. (Yeah, Loki really fucked them up both. I wish this was happier but it’s just not. It’s sad and angsty and it makes me incredibly sad. But they still have each other and that somehow makes it easier to bare)

The aftermath of Natasha’s nightmares is scary at the least and downright terrifying at most. Clint’s woken up more than a few times with her hands around his throat. Clint’s forced to get physical, which he hates because unlike on the mats Nat doesn’t pull her punches when she’s in the throes of her nightmares. She goes for the kill and fights like hell. Gradually though much like what they’ve discovered with Clint’s they find the triggers. Strike Team Delta will only take the child trafficking missions if it’s a last resort, the aftermath just takes too much out of the both of them to be fully operational the day after. They tried the teas, they tried meditations but they aren’t that effective long term. Strangely enough white noise seems to help though they don’t know why. Nat alternates between rain and nature documentary. Natasha’s a crier after, completely soaking her pillow with snot and her eyes are puffy and swollen by the time she’s able to calm down. Before Clint she had no one to talk to so she just bottled it up and let it fester. Now though Clint will force her to talk it through and she’s grateful even if they are both dead tired the next morning. Clint’s always comforting too, all hushed warm tones and hair brushing with the occasional dropped kiss to her forehead. They don’t have sex after but he does shower with her in the morning and help braid her hair.

Sleep doesn’t come easily for either of them, but it gets better with time, patience and most importantly with understanding that their nightmares are just their brains working through the trauma. It will pass with due time and as long as they have one another at the end of it they’d gladly sacrifice their sleep schedule in the meantime.

(Hi, yeah that was sad! But hey don’t worry it gets better I promise, now here’s a tissue. Good. Now blow! Good! See all better!)

[peacefulandtranquil]

i don't doubt that i would enjoy phasmophobia if i wasnt a coward

[quesadilla-day]

delicious jade 😋yummy yummy 😍

[inkskinned]

as we enter the start of a semester and the dreaded Hour of Making Friends us upon us... if ur ever at a loss for what to say in one of those weird social situations where you only vaguely-know people, one of my favorite questions to ask is "what is your favorite food crime." a food crime is like the food combination that you love that other people find revolting. press them to take it further than pineapple on pizza, that's rote. food crimes is a good topic that has many benefits as it turns out all people are degenerates and also it will give you some cool ideas to try out later in the privacy of your own degenerate kitchen

the other good thing to ask is "okay but has anyone here ever been someplace haunted" bc it turns out if you ask most people directly they don't believe in ghosts, but many people are like "oh yeah i lived in a haunted house. ghosts aren't real tho"

[chaoticvi]

Caitlyn and Vi being protective over each other

requested <3

[cosmicwhoreo]

SO, I made my own tragic legendary sea cookie since that seems to be the theme for devsis in between comms-

Beneath the dark, forgotten waves of the west sea, amongst a once bustling and colorful coral forest is it's sleepy monarch; Grand Reef Cookie. A jolly, yet strangely complaisant individual who spends his frail, doddering years tending to the decaying remains of his children's once proud homeland.

They have all left, of course. Some more hesitant than others to leave their loving father's side. But, Grand Reef Cookie was insistent of their retreat. That, unlike him, they were not bound to their namesake in soul and body. That the ocean held much more plentiful and vibrant sights that were not to be wasted fretting over a forgotten relic of the past. That doesn't stop many from visiting though... Bringing with them trinkets and offerings to help alleviate his wistful loneliness.

But, unlike some of his children, Grand Reef doesn't harbor any resentment for cookies. It's just not in his nature to harbor any hatred for... Well, anything, really. A reef is meant to be a nurturing and peaceful place for even the most ruthless apex predator, to be unwelcoming and unkind to even one creature would go against his very nature. ________

Why be a betrayed and/or volatile tragic, when you can be a sweet, hospice patient kind of tragic? That, and sea pollution and global warming tragic, I mean it's right there-

[horrorknife]

babe, this wouldn't be the first time it will not be the last time there's no parasol that could shelter this weather

[lordbhreanna]

Hi! Hope all’s well! Will you be updating LOAW? I love it so much and still reread it from time to time ❤️

First of all, thank you for asking, anon! I am doing well, I'm healthy and happy, and even more happy knowing people still reread my stuff :___) I appreciate it a lot ❤️

I apologize for the long wait, and I'm afraid you will still have to wait longer... I have hopes I can continue LO&W someday, but when or how, I have no idea. It's more a case of not having written anything in the past years, not just LO&W specific :( Not even an Ada/Leon oneshot after RE4R came out!

It's been a mix of writer's block, some changes in RL stuff like moving places and getting used to new routines, plus struggling with the story itself. I had an original plan for moments of truth, then I decided I wasn't happy with it after I started publishing and went on hiatus, and after drafting new stuff based on what I had already written... I realised I didn't like it much after a while.

I haven't deleted that fic in case someone is attached to it (I mean MoT especifically, not LO&W as a whole), but I think I might because it doesn't represent whatever I might do in the future. The main story beats I had in mind will be the same, but the whole plot will change a lot I believe.

I've always struggled with longfics because my creativity comes in bursts (both for writing and art), usually when I am hyperfixating on something and it can last years, but then it's like the well drains... until it comes back (which happens a lot with RE, since it's a longlife fandom). I am trying to be more consistent, not as an obligation but because I love writing and drawing and want to finish this fic someday!

[mossy-paws]

Subspace doodles (PHIGHTING! Mermaid au)

so I was thinking more about the PHIGHTING mermaid au I’m doing and. What if subspaces’ gas- instead of being like actual gas, was polluted oil? I think that could make for a really cool trope if I ever were to redesign him for it :3!

For the design notes in specific:

When out of control, his “gas” takes the form of polluted oil, in control (as in wearing his mask and tank) it gets filtered into something akin to toxic brine (in which long exposure to can cause a lot of issues, specifically different types of shock, breathing issues, etc). Although the brine isn’t too dangerous to be around in small amounts, it can be harmful over time.

for those wondering what ACTUAL brine water (or more specifically brine pools) are, it’s pretty much a large accumulation of highly concentrated saltwater (which usually is around 10 times saltier then the ocean surrounding it) For most sea animals this brine means instant death due to the fact that is has no oxygen in it as well as the high saline levels.

(Im hyper fixating again can you tell)

[such-a-downer]

While I was scanning through some chapters after the KEEL fight, I only noticed this really funny detail now

While waiting for Sakura, these four are circled around. I'm freakin impressed that Suo was seated beside Tsugeura.

[magnificentmicrowave]

Are you well groomed? i see the way you draw women and think to myself "wow, you should brush your hair." Also please be sure to use shampoo and conditioner when you shower.

im soooo groomed

[plague-of-insomnia]

your daily reminder of how yana regularly feeds us non sebaciel gay content, so no it’s not just the sebaciel shippers “seeing” things…

[zahmbii]

Taking a sudden left turn toward my new fixation after months of posting almost nothing. (I love TADC, i already ordered 2 plushies to support the show.)

[chaoticvi]

Birds of a feather flock together.

requested by @phoenixlionme <3

[babygray]

Me and the guy that gets pats and praise after fixing the paper cup he crushed and threw at me.