#otp: may i?

[queen-scribbles]

My home, my heart, thank God you are Someone who loves me

For my beloved @haledamage! 💕💕 I give you a soft Etain/Vikkari moment thanks to @sunshinemage bc I saw the one YCH pose and my brain immediately went to our babies.

[haledamage]

Dancing Lights

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAIT @queen-scribbles 💖💖💖💖💖!!!! Hope you're having a great day!

I bring you a gift of Etain/Vikkari, with him as Commander and her as the companion for a change 😉 she wanted to help him with what must be Azata path's biggest issue in the early days. fairly early in the game, I think, and definitely pre-relationship, but Etain definitely has a crush :3

---

Etain was staring.

She knew she was, and that she shouldn’t be, but she couldn’t bring herself to stop.

She just hadn’t expected the Commander to be so… adorable. Not that he wasn’t also powerful, and strong, and courageous, and charismatic, and all the things the leader of a crusade should be, but… Well, she’d assumed that the mysterious power that inspired the Fifth Crusade would have less… butterflies.

There were just so many of them. They’re like little dancing lights of blue and green and pink, catching Etain’s attention anytime she lowered her guard--which was more often than it should be, lately, but something about Vikkari put her at ease.

Like now. They’d set up camp on the edge of a thick copse of trees that seemed as safe as anywhere could be in the Wounded Lands. Dinner had already been eaten, and their group had split off to take care of their own business before sleep and watch rotations started.

Etain was supposed to be cleaning and restringing her bow, but got distracted halfway through the task, and now she was staring. At Vikkari. 

Again.

If he noticed, he didn’t seem bothered by it. His focus was on the small block of wood that he was carefully carving into, strong hands gently and meticulously coaxing it into shape. Butterflies flitted around his head, glowing softly in the falling daylight.

One of them landed on his nose, flexing its tiny teal wings. Vikkari shook his head to shoo it away, but it held fast. He lowered his whittling with a dramatic sigh, which fluttered the butterfly but didn’t dislodge it.

Etain couldn’t help it. She giggled.

She covered her mouth almost immediately after the sound escaped, but it was too late. Color bloomed over her cheeks all the way to the tips of her ears, but she managed--barely--not to pull up her mask to hide her face when Vikkari’s attention fell on her. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to--I, um--” she took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and tried again. “I think you’ve got somethin’ on your face.”

His laugh finally dislodged his butterfly mustache, which flew away in a decidedly irritated way.

The laughter faded, but lingered in his eyes and the warmth of his smile. “Did you need something?”

“Oh!” She shook her head a little too quickly, dropping her gaze to her hands for a second before it was pulled back to the commander. “No. I was just curious about your… your butterflies.”

Vikkari finally (reluctantly? Or was that just wishful thinking on her part?) looked away from her to the jovial swarm fluttering around him. “There do seem to be an awful lot of them.” He sounded more amused than bothered by them.

Etain hummed in agreement, watching the glowing insects in consideration. She could feel the moment Vikkari’s attention returned to her, but she resolutely didn’t look back, in case doing so would make her forget what they were talking about. “Are they illusions? A manifestation of the magic of Elysium?”

He nodded slowly, getting lost in thought for a moment, before he finally said, “Maybe they’re like Aivu. Real butterflies, drawn here by…” he paused, smile faltering, “whatever this power comes from.”

The urge to comfort him was almost overwhelming; Etain would say almost anything to bring that smile back. “Or they could be local. Maybe they just think you’re a very interesting flower.”

Half of his smile came back, a crooked smirk that would look cocky on someone less charming. “Because I’m so pretty?”

“Because you’re sweet.”

A dazzling smile lit Vikkari’s face as an equally radiant blush spread across his cheeks. Her own cheeks flushed in response, and she ducked her head to hide it behind her half-unraveled braid.

Her eyes fell on her knapsack, and a sudden thought struck her. “Sweet,” she murmured to herself, an idea forming.

“What was that?” Despite his obvious curiosity, Etain knew he wouldn’t push if she didn’t want to share.

“May I try something?” She waited for him to nod before reaching for her bag, and dug around until she found a small bottle of amber liquid. The gentle pop of the stopper drew Pippin’s attention from dozing by the fire, but she ignored him and let a couple of drops from the bottle fall onto the back of her hand.

As soon as she held it out toward Vikkari, two butterflies changed trajectory to inspect, landing on her knuckles and flexing their wings with what could only be excitement.

Vikkari leaned closer, golden eyes glowing brighter in echo of the insects’ reaction. “What is that?”

Etain shrugged one shoulder, careful to keep her hand still. “It’s just honey.”

Eventually, the butterflies ate their fill and flew off to join the rest again--though they gave a little more respectful distance this time, she noticed.

Vikkari watched them in something like awe. Etain watched him in much the same way.

“So they are real.”

“I guess so.” She held her hand out to her side where Pippin waited patiently to clean the rest of the honey off of her hand.

The conversation ended there, meandering to other subjects--the Crusade, Vikkari’s whittling--before Seelah, Lann, and Aivu came over to join them. But Etain thought about it the next day while they traveled, and the one after.

Inspiration finally struck two days later, while the group traveled a road that cut through the middle of heavy forest. Etain walked parallel to the group, mask up and bow drawn, scouting the woods for ambushes; Lann took the other side, doing the same, with the rest of their collection of melee fighters and magic users on the road.

She didn’t find any ambushes (it had been waiting a mile up, in the middle of the road in plain sight), but she did find something else.

She brought it to Vikkari after dinner that night, relishing his surprised look when she held out the bundle of flowers in her hands. “May I?”

It took him a few seconds to reply, which made something warm settle in her chest. She didn’t know the Commander could be lost for words.

Eventually, he nodded. “Of course.”

Etain carefully unfolded the flower crown and placed it on his head, arranging it carefully against his (soft, how is his hair so soft this far from civilization?) hair.

As she’d hoped, the butterflies immediately took interest, coming in to land on the flowers instead of swarming around his head. Within moments, he had a halo of glowing wings, green and blue lights among the orange, pink, and purple flowers.

“Aster, phlox, lavender, and butterfly weed,” she said in answer to the question he didn’t ask. “Hopefully that will keep them out of your eyes, at least.”

He grinned at her, brighter than the fluttering crown he wore. “How do I look?”

“You look…” she blushed and looked away, unable to answer honestly and unwilling to lie. “I’d offer to show you, but I don’t own a mirror.”

“Thank you.” His voice was too soft, too warm, and it just made her blush darker. As always, he was kind enough to give her an escape route from her own embarrassment, and changed the subject. “What are the rest of them for?”

“Oh.” Etain had almost forgotten that she still held an armful of flowers. “They’re for Aivu. May I?”

The question was directed at the havoc dragon, who lounged nearby. Aivu nodded eagerly before the question was even finished, and Etain smiled as she settled the larger flower crown on her head. “There. I thought you might like one too. So you can match.”

“Where’s yours?” Both the dragon and the cleric asked at the same time before exchanging a grin, a silent conversation flowing between them that she couldn’t even begin to understand.

“I don’t need one,” she said quickly. It’s not like she had a swarm of fae butterflies to deal with, and even so she wasn’t one to indulge in pretty things. (Except the Commander, a knowing voice whispered in the back of her head.) “And I didn’t want to pick too many anyway.”

Vikkari nodded, seemingly in agreement, but she could see the gears whirring behind his eyes. Etain knew she hadn’t heard the last of this.

Strangely, she found herself looking forward to finding out what happened next.

[mendokayalways]

robbie celebrating after romancing two liam characters back to back

[almightyshadowchan]

More sketchies!

(It’s been HOW MANY MONTHS since i last drew them?!?)

[tamelee]

One practice for my project, I'll be releasing a few of them (suggestions about these or help is always welcome ^^) I'm in the final stages of the script *-*~

[nonbinarypirat]

I’m getting into manga coloring and I had to color my favorite art of my lovelies 🩷💚💙

[elephantlovemedleys]

listen to my heart can't you hear it sings telling me to give you everything

MOULIN ROUGE! (2001) dir. Baz Luhrmann

[pameluke]

Hear me out:

Outsider POV from the neighbors who start to worry about Carlos and TK's relationship once they stop needing earplugs to ward against the sexy times sounds on a daily basis.

[frouponical]

doodle

[curapicas]

I'm positive that Kabru, besides his self-appointed quest, felt personally interested because "he's weird" is the kind of comment he'd feel a certain kinship with

[queen-scribbles]

benefits of solitude

14. Scratch (WotR Dance of Masks; Etain/Vikkari)

borrowing @haledamage's girl with this one :3 -----

Vikkari appreciated the cover provided by the Kenabres celebrations. Between going strong so late into the night and their nature as a masquerade, it was far easier to sneak out of the city with Etain than he would have thought. There were twenty 'Knight-Commanders' running around, no one spared a second glance to notice his was the real one.

Etain walked beside him, noticeably distracted despite agreeing to come and following his path without complaint. He left her to her thoughts and didn't pry, walking in equal silence until they reached his goal--a small copse of trees circling a boulder large and smooth enough to make an excellent natural seat.

"We're here," he said, giving her arm a gentle nudge.

Etain rolled her shoulders as she pulled her focus back to the moment and surveyed the surroundings. A hint of a smile crinkled her eyes. "Very nice."

She always seemed more relaxed in the woods, but this time some tension remained, a shifting in her stance that spoke of unease. "Everything alright?"

"Mm," Etain hummed, shifting her weight foot to foot. "We just saved the day again, why wouldn't it be?"

Because you seem antsier than Titus when he broke one of our father's beehives. But he just shook his head and gestured to the boulder. "Just checking."

She sat--near the edge, he noted--and cocked her head. "So, any reason in particular for the solitude?"

"I know it's your preference," Vikkari said. He dropped his attention to the small pack he'd brought, and when he looked up she was leaning against the tree behind her, rocking back and forth. "Etain." Bit his lip to hold back a chuckle when she froze. "Is something wrong?"

Etain slouched with a frustrated growl. "I have an itch. Started right before we left the city, and it's right at the top of my wings so I can't reach it, and it's driving me crazy."

The chuckle escaped as Vikkari sat next to her. "Hence the Pippin impression, I assume." He started to reach toward her back, then paused. "May I?"

"Oh, please," she groaned, leaning into his hand like a cat when it settled between her shoulder blades.

"Here?" he confirmed, scratching the top edge of where the feathered wings joined her back.

"Mmhmmmmm," Etain hummed in gratitude, her head falling back against his shoulder as she sagged in relief. She sat in contented silence a moment, then tugged down her mask and tipped her head further to look at him. "Thank you."

Vikkari, quite enjoying the weight of her leaning on him, tipped his head to kiss her temple. "You're very welcome. I know you'd do the same for me." He lightly brushed his fingers along the top of one wing before letting his hand fall.

"Of course." Etain let her head loll against him a moment longer before straightening. "Although I'm pretty sure this wasn't what you had in mind when you asked me out here."

"No, though I'm always happy to help. I, um." A sudden rush of nerves hit him, and he fought the urge to fidget as he pulled the small pack closer. "I made you something."

"Again? The others really will accuse you of favoritism," she teased, gently nudging his shoulder.

"We're well past hiding that, I think," he laughed. "But I'm not talking about whittling." This time. The next of that kind was still in progress. Deep breath as he pulled the carefully wrapped bundle out of the pack. "I've been tweaking one of my recipes, and I think I'm finally happy with it and wanted you to have the first batch."

Etain's eyes lit up. "Cookies?"

Vikkari smiled as he handed them over. "Oh, I hope they live up to that reaction."

From the deeply satisfied groan that accompanied her first bite, he didn't have anything to worry about. She was three cookies in before she stopped and looked at him. "They're delicious."

Vikkari chuckled. "I may have suspected. Thank you, I'm glad you like them."

"I forget how much you like to cook since Seelah does it a lot when we're traveling..." Etain sucked crumbs off her fingers and offered him a cookie, which he declined(he'd tested plenty while making them), before wrapping them up. "You're very good at that, too. Thank you for the cookies, and the solitude. And the back scratches."

"You're very welcome for all three, but," he linked his fingers between hers and brought her hand up to kiss the back, "I don't think we need to be done yet..."

"You don't think they'll miss us?" she arched a brow.

"I think it'd be fun to see how long we can push it," he countered with a smirk.

"No arguments here," Etain said warmly, leaning her head on his shoulder again, and it was quite a while before they deigned to return inside the city walls.

[haledamage]

I was lucky to get the chance to commission @rayeliann for this beautiful piece of Etain and Vikkari 😍 they're so damn pretty, and even prettier together!

@queen-scribbles HAPPY CHRISTMAS, CAIT!! I am obsessed with these two and it's at least 70% your fault 🥰 Etain and Vikkari deserve all the romantic kisses in the snow

[whollyjoly]

push your face down on my chest and your heart ain't nothin' but the best and now a dog's a stray but i'm gonna stay

aka the bucktommy cowboy au nobody asked for part one (part two) (part three)

(song insp.)

[nobleriver]

Just watched The Legend of Ruby Sunday, and now my delusions of River being the mother of the Doctor’s children (I blame @sonickedtrowel fanfiction!) is at its PEAK!! What do you mean the doctor doesn’t know his own daughter? That means he doesn’t know the mother of his daughter? AND why does the show keep asking who is my MOM? Wouldn’t she want to know both parents??? No ones looking for dad?? Show’s pushing hard that she’s already found her father AKA THE DOCTOR, and now she just needs to find her mom. Who is tall…and recognizes the Doctor…oooh the clown makeup is ON TODAY!!! So excited!

[apparently-artless]

●✦ SABIKUI BISCO ✧ BISCO & MILO ✦●

PRIDE MONTH APPRECIATION POST [06.2024] Anime: Sabikui Bisco Characters: Akaboshi Bisco & Nekoyanagi Milo Song Lyrics: Perfectly Broken by BANNERS

[bitterseaproduction]

Bilbo wasn’t just an author or chronicler. He was a poet. A songwriter. A lyricist. He composed or put words to pretty much half of the songs you can think of in Tolkien (Edge of Night, The Road Goes Ever On, Bofur’s song in the extended An Unexpected Journey—).

Meanwhile, Thorin had the voice of a muse and skills at the harp to back it up.

There is a lot of happy ending fluff or modern au fodder or angsty what-might-have-beens to draw from these combined facts. Just sayin’.