#sometimes you gotta go with the crack ships

[baejax-the-great]

hiiiiii for the never have i ever: have you written zag with anyone other than than/meg?

Have I ever!! Why did I write this? Who know! But I wrote a fic that is Zagreus x Head Chef

[mushiemellows]

These mf’s need a better name than Old Strawhat Polycule but I will present regardless

Franky and Robin need no introduction. She finds him interesting and a good dose of silly guy cures the depression like nothing else. If a man (35, blue hair, pronouns, naked, craftsman, surfer, local union representative) built me a fish tank and a library, I too could simply not resist. He thinks she’s the most gorgeous beautiful stunning intelligent funny wise woman in the entire world because she is.

Robin and Brook, likewise, ooooo the macabre appeal of the hanahone ship. She licks him in the way that archeologists lick rocks and bones to figure out if they are a rock or a bone and she thinks it’s a funny joke every time. He thinks she’s the most gorgeous beautiful stunning intelligent funny wise woman in the entire world because she is. When they go to the beach he buries himself halfway in the sand and she digs him back up and she thinks it’s sooooo funny every time.

Brook and Franky lay stoned on the deck noodling their guitars and they’re like when two rockstars kiss on stage. Brook stands there like an anatomical model when Franky’s gotta crack open the hood and points to stuff. They’ve got the same strand of “lived in isolation on an abandoned ship” disease but Brook’s just for it 9x as bad (50 years to Franky’s 4). Sometimes they make Franky run on Milk to see what it does (you DONT want to see Milk Franky)

Jinbei 👏 and 👏 Franky both love 👏 SUNNY!!!! They get her, and to understand Sunny is to Understand Franky and he stands there and he watches Jinbei drive his car like the master that he is and it makes him Feel Things. They listen to dad rock. They go surfing together. They go snorkeling together. They go fishing together. They go to 2pm Wednesday half priced movies together. They go bowling together. They share a shirt collection.

Robin and Jinbei free political prisoners!!! The thinks he’s handsome, she thinks he’s kind, she thinks he’s Just. She thinks he’s admirable. They organize protests, they attend community meetings, they figure out direct action. She’s kissing fish men and it’s making the papers for the revolutionary act that it is (and the papers can’t even comprehend when Franky Kisses Him). He thinks she’s the most gorgeous beautiful stunning intelligent funny wise woman in the entire world because she IS!

Brook And Jinbei used to Go to Chilis together but then chilis got rid of the 2 for 25 deal (because of inflation) so they’re a little mad about it and are taking direct action against the banks. And trying to find a new restaurant to go to. They’re considering getting into lawn bowling/bocce because bowling nights with everyone are getting too expensive (because inflation is too high! $75 for 4 people to bowl for an hour????? We can have bowling at home!!) but it’s not the same.

And then they all pile up when they sleep too because a cuddle pile ain’t just for the younger crew

[toffeebrews]

Any errink headcanons? :D

Tumblr hates me so I had to rewrite this, anyway... [Note: all my hcs ofc nothing is canon but some may be based of canon information! Sometimes I may refer to non-canon past rps :P]

Error and ink do dumb rps with his puppets together, they've made a super dramatic soap opera plot.

I think Ink realizes Error would never change and he's content with that (sigh as much as I would love to say he would).

Ink finds error's six tongues fascinating, rather than gross. In a similar way, error is fascinated by ink's star eyes (I wonder what that hc came from).

If they ever kissed it would be the most disgusting revoltingly thing ever because error doesn't know how to kiss at all and he also has 6 tongues.

If you asked them how they became friends they would just look at you and shrug. Not even they know how to happened. All they can say is they "get eachother." Error deep down has always wanted a friend and Ink gives him that. Ink is willing to deal with error's bs and error is willing to deal with ink's. Ink can feel a little lonely in his own role and among a world that is fake and Error being an outcode like hin understands him a way others wouldn't. Not even mentioning their story parallels but I gotta stop my self before I start rambling. They're some of the only people who know some of other's deep insecurities.

Ink found Error's crashes funny before he knew how absolutely painful they were. Although not sure if he would ever trigger them on purpose even before he knew ngl.

more yapping under the cut

I would define them as whatever happens when you cross a friend an enemy and a partner.

Ink loves all of his shipkids and error... feels very conflicted about all of them.

They also think the other is a freaky than them when in reality they're both freaks.

Error still thinks about when Ink proposed to him at loveball, ink doesn't think about it at all. Ink also proposed to him with a ring pop that he found in the candy bowl in my head LOL.

Ink doesn't mention his dads to him .. maybe out of fear

Other people still make fun of Ink for proposing to error at loveball and ink always goes "IT WAS ONE TIME!"

Error and Ink are both quite short, Error is only a few inches taller than Ink.

Due to loveball, Error is always scared (in a playful way) when Ink starts drinking.

Error does feel guilty for the time he left ink in the antivoid. Not all of the time, but at times when hes sitting with Ink in the anti-void he can't help but reflect on it. If he would ever admit it? Probably not.

Error and ink's dancing at loveball was a beautiful disaster. Ink is actually an okay dancer but because Error was really nervous it threw him off and it was so off beat. It was really cute though, regardless.

Ink finds errorink ship art very amusing and he shows it to error just to freak him out sometimes.

Error always kills ink first in among us. Error also always blames ink as the imposter even if he isn't.

They have a "close but not too close" rule just close enough to feel the warmth of the other person but not enough to touch. (do skeletons give off warmth?). They do hold pinkies though fr fr. Also Error does lay his head in Ink's lap sometimes, typically when they're watching something. Ink may also give Error forehead or hand kisses.

I like to think Error runs quite hot, because he crashes all the time, so hes warm like a computer LOL. Ink who in my hc has a lessen sense of touch and runs sorta cold due to be soulless lovess sitting around him because of it.

Crack headcanon, when error's eyes glitch up or hes about to crash if you really listen you can hear the sound of computer fans going ham.

Ink will often just... walk up to error and put him a different outfit. Something about his being "too basic" and "his outfit has an ugly color palette".

If you know my pinkie sense ink hc Error doesn't know HOW it works but he fully believes him every single time. Even when ink is trolling, LOL!

Error and Ink call eachother "Ruru" and "Kiki" but only to annoy the other. Specifically if ink is pleading for something he'll do it to annoy him "please ruru :(" They also call eachother glitch and squid in a movking as well LOL.

They have friendship rings? platonic rings? idk if those are a thing made from blue string.

In my own error design, he has a big tooth. Because of it ink calls him a "big kitty" to make fun of him.

[semper-legens]

132. Running Close to the Wind, by Alexandra Rowland

Owned: No, library Page count: 433 My summary: Avra Helvaçi has a problem. He's in possession of the world's biggest secret - the formula that wards off the sea serpents that swarm the shipping lanes in this season. If he can find a buyer, he could sell it for a fortune. If he can find a buyer. He thinks he's got a chance with his ex, pirate captain Teveri az-Haffar. Who hates him, currently. And to make matters worse, the statuesque and perfect Brother Julian has eyes on him - a shame about Julian's vow of chastity. No, despite being blessed by luck, Avara always finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Will he survive his brush with the seas once again? My rating: 5/5

This book. Hoooooooooooo boy. This book. I picked it up for reasons that, if you know me at all, are entirely obvious. Pirates! Magic! Fraught relationships! Characters sparking off each other on the high seas! And when I cracked it open, I…gotta say, I was not expecting what I got. This book is silly, it's horny, it's absolutely ridiculous and very much not for everyone. I spent most of the first quarter of it unsure whether I liked it or not. But by the end, I couldn't help it. I was invested. Something about this silly, silly book drew me right in, and I was absolutely hooked. Gotta hand it to the author, they really know how to keep things interesting, and by the end I was completely sold on this world and these characters and everything going on. What can I say, it's a pirate's life for me!

So, like I said, this book is silly. And yet, there's still a grounding in reality that is much appreciated. For example, a large part of the plot is that the sea is impassable at certain times of year because sea serpents are breeding - typically referred to in crude terms. Characters angsting about not being able to traverse the giant fuckpiles of sea serpents is, in itself, funny! But the danger they pose is real, and the consequences of trying to sail is grave for the characters. The pirates have an annual cake contest which is the most serious business in the world to them, and once the narrative begins exploring that, the reader understands it on a deep level. It's not silly no-consequences land, characters that are under threat of pain or death are still under serious threat. There's just fuck serpents and horny ghosts and spooky dentists and spooky dildos, too.

Our main character is Avra, an ex-spy who was supremely bad at his job and is also the ex of Teveri, longsuffering pirate captain. Avra has stolen a secret that might be the reason how one of the countries can get through the sea serpents, but he doesn't know how to use it, and he's hardly in anyone's good graces. That's what being a silly little s1ut will do for you. He's honestly delightful - his manner of speaking and the repetitive nature of his toadying and weaselling his way out of trouble might be grating to some, but I enjoyed him immensely. Tevari's stoic, no-nonsense, gruff mien provides a great foil for Avra. I like that they have some kind of Tragic Past, but that the narrative decides it isn't the focus and, while it sometimes comes up, doesn't spend too much time mining it for angst points. And I like that Tevari isn't humourless! They just tend towards the sarcastic rather than the silly, balancing Avra and some of the other characters perfectly. Rounding out our protagonists is Julien, a monk of unparalleled hotness, who provides the heart of this story. He's sincere, he's heartfelt, and he's passionate about his convictions, which is interesting to see for his character archetype. I think he wound up my favourite, just for his antics around the cake contest.

For a book that's so, so deeply h0rny, I'm legitimately impressed with how well I, a sex-repulsed ace, could get along with it. The conclusion that I have reached is that it is horny but not necessarily erotic, which is a huge distinction for me. Characters have sexualities and wants and desires, but they have other facets to them too, and actual sex is more of a punchline than a Drama. Sex seems to be quite casual in this world, at least among the pirates, and that goes a good way towards establishing this fact. What else? I liked that the book committed to its premise and its worldbuilding. I really enjoyed how a lot of the names and cultures seemed more Arabic-inspired than European - Europe is often seen as the default model for fantasy worlds, but there's a wealth of history in literally every other continent too! Overall, this was just fun. I loved it, and I'd highly recommend it.

Next, an island full of magical children faces down the government.

Editor's note: the author uses they/them, which I didn't know when first writing this, so I've sneakily corrected a pronoun or two!

[the-invisibility-bloke]

fic writer interview

Thanks for the tags, @galaxostars, @microdamage, @shoopsthereitis, and @wolfpants! I love your deep dives, so much of y'all's on my TBR.

How many works do you have on ao3? 40

What is your total wordcount? 468,229

Top 5 stories by kudos: (please don't perceive these, I loathe my old work) now we walk, manie sans delire, Five Times Walter Meets Jesse and One Time He Says Goodbye, don't give me your heart i can't take it, blindsight

Do you respond to comments? Always <3

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending? ​Hmm how 'bout the Starcest where Reg DIES​ (don't come for me it was by request)

What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending? Most have happy endings (heh), but I think this one's extra sweet bc Teddy's a lil honeybear (which sounds dirtywrong so all the better)

Do you write crossovers? Not unless you count the one in the next question

Have you received hate for a fic? Rarely because I disable guest comments. 😅 The artist and I both got death threats for this blip on the radar, which is especially hilarious because it's hardly my most problematique work. (It also scared the artist out of the fandom, which is. Less hilarious. Fuck antis.)

Do you write smut? With great disdain (my style is ill-suited to action/logistics)

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Reposted but not plagiarized, I’m way too niche to attract that attention 😂

Have you ever had a fic translated? My Breaking Bad fic, randomly enough

Have you ever co-written a fic before? Kinda, or do artist collabs count? Those are the frosting on fandom cake.

What is your all-time favourite ship? A multishipper's nightmare. Gotta be the Sirry > Heddy or Sirry > Drarry > Tedrarry pipeline. Sirius died so Tedrarry could live.

What's a WIP you want to finish but don't think you ever will? ​My Gauntcest... it's all outlined, but I have to go where the hyper fixates

What are your writing strengths? ​Turn of phrase, dialogue​, ​cadence, emotion

What are your writing weaknesses? *cracks knuckles* Plot, action, pacing, versatility (I am not as well read as many of my counterparts because yep I’ll admit it, most tradpub bores me), the balance between ​poetic prose and character voice. I get Artax-swamped in descriptors, I recycle metaphors, I'm a cringey tryhard in the face of transitions, never know if they land and I can't ever leave a sentence bare. I know, I know sometimes you can just say "He walked to the door" but good sir no I cannot.​ I could parse my shortcomings at the dissertation level... oh... oh maybe a ppt... El’s Insecurities: A Treatise.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in another language? I love the immersiveness and/or hotness, but I’m biased because I usually only run across French and I can muddle through. If you’re unfamiliar with the language it might be hard to follow. (I’ve seen translation footnote links, which, genius, can a tech-savvy gen Z teach me this?)

What's a fandom/ship you haven't written yet but would like to? ​Jalbus. Dralbus. Scarry. Drarry/Scorbus OT4. (Does Draco/Scorpius have a ship name? Scorco and Drapius are… yikes. Malfoycest it is.) Drarry as a two-wheeler and not a tricycle (soon soon soon).

What's your favourite fic you've ever written? ​Passion cools fast for me, but I like my Tedrarry. It got the biggest dose of my wit and sold me on Drarry (which, fail, given I wrote it for a rarepair exchange).

Everyone's already done this, I think? If you haven’t, tag you’re it, @ me. 🩵

[ncity-agere]

In my feels about Hoshi’s upcoming enlistment so maybe a drabble about how his little would handle it ?

You don’t want Caregiver!Hoshi to go! He’s your Tiger, why does he gotta leave?

Soonyoung is trying his best to calm you down while you’re on the floor having a meltdown, looking at your phone screen. “Sweetie? Cub? Can you tell me what’s wrong?”

You turn to face him, tears running down your face and snot starting to flow from your nose. “Tiger… Tiger is enl… enlisb… en-” You tried to say.

“You saw?” Soonyoung asked, peering down at the article on your phone screen, no doubt reading the dreaded ‘Hello, this is PLEDIS ENTERTAINMENT’.

He cooed pitifully and knelt down next to you, holding his arms open. “Oh, Cub… Tiger’s gotta enlist, yeah.” He sounded a little sad, but not super bothered. Still, you curled up in his arms and sniffled as he wiped your nose with his sleeve. “It’s not my choice. I’d much rather be playing dress-up with you or making Mickey Mouse pancakes-”

You wrinkle your nose. “Burning Mickey Mouse pancakes.” You correct, even though your tears.

“Okay, burning pancakes -but I’ve gotta do it. It’s my duty, you know?”

You giggle a little at that. “Hehe… Tiger said ‘duty’.” You laugh, making Soonyoung crack a smile.

“Yeah. I guess I did, huh?” Soonyoung held you, pressing his lips together tightly. “It won’t be the worst thing in the world. I can still call you sometimes, I’ll visit during leave, and you’ll get to see Tiger without hair! Me! Bald! Can you believe that?” He asked incredulously, already having made peace with his soon-to-be lack of hair. Really, after a year and a half of merciless bleaching, it’s probably for the best now.

“No hair?” You ask, peering up at him curiously.

“No hair. It won��t be so bad since I’ll look so silly.” He assured you, kissing your hair. “I won’t be gone for so long. Before I go, you can take lots and lots of silly pictures of Tiger bald, okay?”

You sniffle and wipe your tears, nodding. “Okay Tiger. Promise?”

Soonyoung nuzzled his forehead with yours and nodded, shutting his eyes. “Tiger promises. My brave little cub will be just fine without me, okay? I’m so, so proud of you already.” He holds your hands and starts to get up from the floor with a soft groan. “Now come on, let’s get off the icky floor before one of us gets sick, huh?”

Well… the enlistment came eventually, weeks later. And both of you were in conflicted tears when it came time to shave his head and ship him off. You stood with the rest of Seventeen and a few of Soonyoung’s friends and family to see him go at the very last day. There were a few Carats nearby, but Pledis had agreed to make this a quiet event, as were Wonwoo and Jeonghan’s enlistments.

He waved to you all with a smile and entered the base, leaving you all to stand there sadly. His hyper energy was just… gone. And it left your heart sad and missing you tiger’s excitable energy already.

Sure, he was okay. He was only a few hundred feet away now, but it felt like a million, billion miles. You missed your Tiger.

But true to his promise, your camera roll was full of blurry, silly bald-photos of your caregiver. There were some where his eyes were wide in surprise and others where you were in frame making a funny face while Soonyoung was distracted. You smiled scrolling through them now, a pang of hurt and a pang of happiness hitting you at the same time.

Hoshi had only been gone a day by now, but you missed him. You wiped your tears, not wanting to cry but doing so anyways. Of course you would, you can’t control it. You miss him so, so much.

You had to remind yourself that he’d be back soon. He’s your Tiger and tigers don’t break promises. For now, you’d have to take care of yourself like a big kid.

And a brave little tiger cub like you is always up for a challenge.

[moodymisty]

Alright I gotta represent for us in the Rogal Dorn Simp Nation, Misty! This idea fell directly on my head from my old history nerd childhood, we’ve got stories of queens holding down the fort and being badass while the king is away so why not let the lady of the House of Dorn and the Imperial Fists kick some ass??? Dorn’s off doing y’know crusade shit etc etc and gets a frantic vox hail from Inwit (or whatever fortress world she was on) that they’re under attack. Luckily he’s done with whatever his assignment was or has somebody he can trust and leave it to so he can flip Phalanx in reverse and hop back to make sure nothing goes wrong. Only to find his beloved commanding the standing force of guardsmen and marines, not just holding it down but WINNING. On the outside he’s his usual stoic self like “psh yes of course I wasn’t worried, I never worry, this is something I expect her to be able to handle. I am proud tho” but internally he’s like “oh no this is hot” XD. Indomitable warrior queen decked out in armor he probably commissioned for her (always gotta be prepared) making battle plans and laying the verbal smack down on any captains or commissars who are questioning the competency of somebody ROGAL GODDAMN DORN chose to be with. Yeah I think that’d do a whole lot for him 😂

Having soft moments of reflection on his humanity matched against his beloved’s is delicious of course but so is meeting him where HE’S at, seeing how loving him and learning about him would change somebody. And getting to commit some grand old grimdark 40k VIOLENCE is always fun lol

[ 𝕸𝖔𝖔𝖉𝖞𝕸𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖞'𝖘 𝕸𝖆𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖙 | 𝕬𝖔3 ]

Author's Note: We are on the front lines for Wall Husband I will go down with this ship. Boring this bland that fuck everyone else we're right I'm stacking bricks around them

Summary: Stuck in a violent snowstorm on an Imperial Fist controlled planet being sieged, you take command for the first time while waiting for Dorn.

Relationships: Rogal Dorn/Fem!Reader

Warnings: Dorn is your future husband and Alexis Polux is your battle husband it's like a work husband but much more violent, Mentions of battle and death, Typical 40kness, I think I blacked out while writing this I'm sorry

Word Count: 2566

You had known from the very beginning of your courtship that Dorn had wished for you to be a link in his chain of command.

What you hadn't expected, was for your first time in leadership to be completely alone, surrounded by no less than fifty Astartes waiting for orders, and five hundred or more Guardsmen half frozen due to the horrid weather; With a multitude of tech priests working on the various machinery and equipment.

This sun up makes it a week since the siege had began, the distant sounds of bolter fire constant. Sometimes the ground shakes from explosions, pulling dust off the cracks in the brick walls.

Walking down the east hall, you step into the large room that has been made into a sort of 'central command' to coordinate the current forces, stuffed tight with a massive holotable and various tech priests scattered around it. Some are working on fixing any malfunctioning machinery, such as the vox equipment that has had trouble maintaining a signal even on-planet through the storm.

You look around to see if anything drastic has changed in your absence. In the moment, you notice a familiar face; A commissar from the beginning of this week. He has the most command over the Guardsmen under you, having been their only superior before the invasion. Any captains or other commissars had been made to report to him, up until now. His closest in rank subordinate had been killed in an explosion on the first day, and in a morose thought, you wonder if they had been any more palatable than he is.

"Any progress hailing the Phalanx?"

He gives you a curt shake of his head, looking over the shoulder of the tech priest operating the vox equipment. Another harsh whip of wind batters against the walls, howling and shaking the glass windows. It rattles them almost just as bad as the distant explosions do.

"Nothing more than a few seconds at a time. But it should be enough of a message for them to understand the planet is under siege." The Commissar speaks short and stiff, face frozen in a neutral, stoic gaze underneath his uniform and few day old facial scruff. You cross your arms.

He's on his best behavior now, considering his disrespect shortly after you'd taken command had nearly gotten his head rent from his shoulders. He hadn't realized he was speaking to the Lady of the Imperial Fists, but the Astartes that had been in your company to deliver the news of your ascension in duty hadn't given him the leeway he might've thought he deserved. He acquiesced command of his guardsmen to you quite quickly, after that. There has been nary a squeal from him since, nor any of his fellow commissars or guard captains.

"Good. Then we will hopefully have aid soon. For now we need to push them back from the storage buildings before my men run out of bolter ammo."

Not that they can't work with just their chainswords, but long range options remain vital considering the hostile terrain you're all working with.

You hear the sound of heavy footsteps approaching.

Alexis Polux, a veritable giant of a man, is nearly unable to get through even a doorway meant for fellow Astartes; Though not of his size. His armor is packed with snow at the seams, pauldrons slick with snow melted into a sheet of ice. His thin, blonde hair is quickly becoming wet at the tips, from where snowflakes are melting in the slight heat of the room. Anywhere he walks, he leaves chunks of melting sleet right behind. It has to be almost packed a meter high at this point out there, judging where the worst of it ends on his leg armor.

"Welcome back, Captain Polux." You smile in spite of the situation. It's something that Dorn had said he found- in his own words- 'curious' about you.

He holds his helm in his hands, walking closer to you. He brushes past the Commissar with not even the slightest tilt of acknowledgement. Unsurprising. He'd been there when the man had questioned your acting in Dorn's proxy. Polux is a man of a surprisingly amount of humility and softspokenness, but he is rarely forgiving.

"The storm is getting worse."

You hear another bout of wind howl through the brick and stone, as it continues to dump more snow onto the ground. While the Astartes can traverse it without much issue, it's becoming one for the Guardsmen. They've slowed their advance significantly as the snow reaches their knees.

"Even if we do get aid, they're going to be hard pressed to get anything more than small gunship planet-side; Though it goes both ways. We're all stuck out here in this mess." You open your mouth to continue, but Polux cuts you off.

"They are not built for the cold like we are."

You look up to the massive marine who's been serving as your second in command. Perhaps it wasn't an officially given title, but he's taken it well, and you could think of no better man for it. Especially given that the other Astartes respect him- which makes your orders have less of a weight to them, given they still have a degree of unfamiliarity with you. Your hands rest on the rim of the holotable.

"Finished my sentence for me." He hums as an odd sort of apology, the humor of your response going right over his head. When you let out a soft chuff of a laugh a few guardsmen curiously look at you for a moment.

"It was a compliment, Polux." He stares, eyes flicking across your face as he loudly thinks.

He really is a Son of Dorn.

You resist the urge to smile again, and look down at the holotable. It's been quite the week, but what was once another language has now become nothing but second nature. Putting theory to practice has proved quicker and less frightening that you'd thought, a week ago.

Though you still hope Dorn returns to you soon, turning away from the holotable to receive an update from a guardsmen holding a dataslate.

If anyone had ever asked, Rogal Dorn has remained no different than the stalwart nature he's always had. Though his captains and commanders can hear tenseness in his voice. No matter how phenomally well the Primarch can mask it.

It's been there since they'd first gotten the first of multiple emergency vox hails, only a few seconds long with a barely stable connection. But the few words that had gotten through had made it obvious that the planet was being sieged.

One of their bases was being sieged, a spit in the face of the Imperial Fists.

Even worse, Dorn has no idea as to your welfare.

He'd thought you safe there, the safest you could be other than with him or on Inwit, and now you stand on a world being laid waste with no way to contact anyone off world. He wonders deep in a part of his mind if it was an error on his part.

They're less than a day out now, watching the warp tear by. Dorn stands at the ship's bridge- unmovable. He'll see the planet any moment now when they leave Warp travel, and then can he prepare for what all is ahead of him.

He has the utmost faith in his men and you. However that doesn't mean that a small, human part of him doesn't worry at the idea of you being stuck mid-siege in an unknown location.

He taught you well. He taught you well. A mantra in his head no one else can hear. It is up to yourself to survive without him.

The siege isn't visible from orbit when they arrive, given the massive storm blocking large swaths of the land in a white blanket. It will making landing difficult, but the storm is clearing- at least according to the tech priest currently in charge. Not long after orders are given to begin battering the enemy's battleships as they strike back, shields taking a sizable hit. Nothing the Eternal Crusader and it's crew cannot handle.

But it doesn't feel as if the ice storm is clearing with the way the gunships struggle to remain stable, even with the most competent of pilot. Though they still manage to land on solid footing in one piece, the wind whipping their armor like a flog. Sheets of snow blow across snow already heavily packed onto the ground, covering up the large footprints of Astartes that had been here moments before them. The stone of the steps is barely visible through it all.

Dorn strides forward, the snow sticking to his boots as he trudges through it. He can hear bolter fire in the distance, as well as what seems like the highpowered cannon of multiple Baneblades. A small team of five Astartes follow behind him, two on each side and one directly behind. They have their bolters raised, ever vigilant even well in the safely of their own area of control. Wind rips through his cropped hair and howls in his ears, and for a split second, he perhaps regrets not wearing his helm. Even for a man of Inwit, this cold stings; He can hear the ice and snow crunching in the seams of his armor.

Stepping inside the cathedral, the first thing he notes is the myriad of supplies stacked inside in the aisles, safe from the elements. Guardsmen are looking after them, divvying them out amongst themselves, or delivering them to the Astartes in need of them. Of which there are a few- Imperial Fist guards from before the siege began. Most seem in decent condition; Dorn notes a lack of injuries amongst the Guardsmen and Astartes alike, and how there seems to be an established system amongst them.

He keeps walking through the nave, passing Guardsmen and Astartes who all give him a drop of the head when he passes.

"Primarch Dorn!"

An Imperial Fist Lieutenant calls to him, helmet in his hand. He has blood on his lips from where his skin has split, the cold having whipped his skin dry. Going down the few steps of the ambulatory, he gives a curt nod.

"Lady Dorn and Captain Polux are in the east hall. Central command has been established there."

He affirms to the warrior and turns, walking through the transept and down the hall. The one who'd spoken to him seems to have other duties, and stays behind on the ambulatory.

He can hear chatter in the large, arched hall- it increases until he reaches the door it's bleeding from, and he opens it and ducks to come through. It's just too short for him, but the ceiling inside can thankfully handle someone of his height. It's a thought that is always in the back of his mind.

When Dorn enters the room, the first thing his eyes focus on is you; Leaning over a massive holotable with Captain Alexis Polux standing firmly at your side. He stands like an unmoving guardian, a hand on the pommel of his chainsword. He's the closest to you out of anyone in the room- either out of his own will, or the gargantuan Astartes has incidentally created a personal area of clearance around you both with his presence alone.

"Dorn!"

You say, an audible pep in your voice. The Primarch walks closer and examines the scene in front of him. You appear uninjured, apart from your skin being slightly pallid from the cold.

The Primarch notices how everyone operates around you with a level of assiduity and efficiency, having been giving clear cut duties. There is no arguing, no fighting, everyone both in this room and all around the cathedral operate smoothly. You have a perimeter established, and you’ve been careful to push the advance but not stretch yourself too thin.

You've done well. That much is clear. A part of him wonders if you'd be able to clean this all up on your own, had he decided to simply give you the reinforcements and leave.

Dorn watches as you momentarily turn away from him to speak to an approaching commissar, and he finds himself listening to your confident and assured tone of voice. A thought crosses his mind.

You look beautiful.

All of your inquiries, curious questions and shaking confidence in your ability to lead have all mixed together, and while you might have made different choices than him, he cannot deny your effectiveness.

Dorn decides to speak before he distracts himself within his own mind further. A hold of your hand or to take a kiss of yours are things reserved for private, not here. As much as he might wish to.

"You appear to have done well for yourselves."

You look up at him and give a wry smile, while he glances at the holotable in-between you both.

"It could be worse. I have a squad of Astartes stuck behind enemy lines, but we've pushed the enemy back from the supply warehouses."

This planet has large city buildings that the wind rips around through, unlike the shorter ones of Inwit. The Astartes are fine in their sealed suits and higher body temperature, but the Guardsmen are all struggling. You more than likely are as well, despite holding strong. He can see the chill on your skin, the cracked skin of your lips.

Dorn's reinforcements will provide valuable support to yours, and with their might together, this planet with be rid of the siege.

You turn to order that the men currently in the battlefield get notice that Primarch Dorn has arrived, and that reinforcements are coming. Besides the soon coming tactical advantage, it will provide a well needed boost to moral. With the intense weather, it has surely been lowering. Though your smile and optimistic look in your eyes prove to be a valuable motivator.

No matter how good the orders, often times the way they're said and the person giving them are what matter most.

The Primarch looks to Captain Polux, and gives him a curt nod. The Astartes politely returns a dip of his head in thanks to the silent compliment of his duty. Dorn then looks back to you.

"You and any men injured will return to the Eternal Crusader." You let out a laugh and shake your head. He can hear the rattle of the bolter on your hip.

"Well now that I've started this, I'm kind of keen on seeing it finished before I leave."

Dorn's eyebrows raise ever so slightly, amused by you. He taught you well, he repeats again. Your command over a such a less than optimal situation has proven as such.

The Lady of the Imperial Fists has proven herself not only to be smart, beautiful, and full of humility, but to be stalwart and confident as well.

"Very well."

He'll stay at your side, and judging by his solid stance, Polux will as well.

Dorn very rarely has doubts, but your confidence and ability to adapt have solidified his thoughts that he had made the right choice in you. His 'sons' taking well to your command makes it far easier.

They will have to when you officially become his wife, after all. You have already accepted the title of Lady Dorn, he has no reason to not seal your bond. There hasn't been much else in his life he has been more sure of.

Ignoring any of his more personal desires in the back of his mind, Primarch Rogal Dorn abides by your request, eyes focused more on your lips as you smile at him.

[ceooflovingreiner]

make a wish - reiner/jean

a small birthday drabble for @fromriches-tosin! happy birthday!!! I'm so glad to have found this fandom and ship and you are truly keeping it alive :')

i wrote this in like 5 minutes so I apologize for any mistakes!

Reiner sighs, his head falling into his hands. He’s exhausted, the days seem to be dragging on and on as they continue their ambassador work. Today, in particular, seemed to never end, the sun only just starting to set as he settled in his assigned tent. 

The flaps to the tent pull open, with a familiar face popping in. “You good?” 

It’s Jean. Of course it’s Jean, Reiner thinks. Jean always seemed to know when Reiner was in one of his moods. He nods before shaking his head, an invitation that Jean takes to come in and sit on the cot beside him. 

“Alright, spill. What’s going on? You were completely out of it at the meeting earlier.”

Reiner shrugs. “It’s nothing.”

“Bullshit,” Jean says bluntly. Reiner always appreciated the way Jean spoke to him; no filters and no sugarcoating. It was what he needed sometimes. 

He sighs again, giving in. “Today’s August 1st.”

Jean stares at him, expecting him to elaborate. “And that upsets you?”

Reiner huffs a laugh through his nose. “It’s my birthday.”

Jean nods. “Right…still failing to see the issue here. Is it because no one got you a cake because I gotta say, man, I don’t think we have cakes readily available.”

“No, I don’t care about that. I didn’t tell anyone for a reason. It’s just…” Reiner takes a deep breath. “Today’s my 23rd birthday. I wasn’t supposed to live this long.”

Jean’s eyes widen, understanding crossing his face as he nods. “Oh.”

“Yeah,” Reiner says, his voice cracking a bit. “A little weird to think about, I guess.”

“Yeah, for sure,” Jean says. “Well…glad you’re still alive, man.”

Reiner scoffs. “Sure. I mean…I’m glad too. I kind of accepted my fate a long time ago, but now that it’s not happening anymore I just feel a little strange.”

They chat a little while longer, Jean doing a good job of lifting Reiner’s spirits before taking his leave with a wave. Reiner sighs, feeling a lot lighter but still exhausted and decides to get ready for bed. As soon as he’s about to turn out the lantern burning nearby, there’s a ruffle of his tent door again. 

“You got a sec?” Jean asks.

Reiner nods and Jean enters, his hands behind his back. “Alright, now don’t tell anyone I did this because I’ll probably get in a shit ton of trouble but..” he pulls out his hands, a small pastry tart in it. 

Reiner is speechless. “How did you get one of those?”

Jean shrugs. “New shipment of supplies came in. They’re going to hand these out tomorrow but I figured you could have yours now.”

Reiner smiles - his first genuine smile in a few days and he nods. “Thanks, Jean.”

“I’m not going to sing you happy birthday or anything but pretend there’s a candle in there. You gotta make a wish.”

Reiner chuckles, playing along with him and nods. “Okay, fine.” 

He closes his eyes, pretending to make a wish. He didn’t have anything to wish for - maybe the continued health of his family and friends. Maybe for a quiet life in the near future. All the things he wanted to wish for seemed trivial and stupid, but he picks one and pretends to blow out a candle.

When he opens his eyes, Jean is staring at him, his face only inches away. When did he get that close? They’d come close to this a few times - usually after a few drinks and some heart-to-hearts - but one of them would always stop before it got to that point. But Reiner would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about it constantly.

“What’d you wish for?” Jean asks. 

“Can’t tell you. It won’t come true,” Reiner says, his voice above a whisper. 

Reiner doesn’t know what, but something changes - a subtle shift in the air between them and Jean leans in, closing the gap as his lips find Reiner’s in a soft, chaste kiss. He pulls back slightly, gauging Reiner’s reaction. Reiner responds by pulling him back in, a hand pulling him in by the nape of his neck, his fingers threading through Jean’s hair.

They both pull back after a few moments, panting slightly, leaning their foreheads against each other. Jean is still holding the tart, but it’s the last thing on Reiner’s mind. 

“Happy birthday,” Jean says quietly, pressing a few small kisses to Reiner’s face. 

Reiner closes his eyes, a soft smile on his face.

“Thank you.”

[sparklylovegiver]

sorry it’s been a few days but 18 for the OC thing if you’re still doing it! :)

Always doing prompts my OCs!! It took me a minute to figure out which OC this one would for best for, lol. (Lmk if you want a prompt and ill Ask you one!)

Context- Heather is Micah's little sister, 8 years younger. Their dad was in and out of their lives (home for like a week then gone for two) working for a cargo ship for the first 10 years of her life so Heather always looked up to Micah. After Voyager goes missing when shes 15 Heather signs up for Starfleet as soon as she's old enough with the intention of trying to find him.

I cant fail again

Twenty three. Twenty three simulations and every fucking one had gone wrong. Four days making the calculations down the drain, and she was ready to spiral. She didnt have another choice, Heather had to start over.

She was five coffees deep, reworking the size of the array for the fifth time when she heard the steps behind her.

"I take it the simulations didn't go too good?" Her dad's voice came from behind her, but she didn't turn.

"None of 'em worked." She replied. She heard him sigh.

"Ya gotta sleep sometime, flower." He said softly, sitting down beside her. She looked up, tears filling her eyes before she could even speak and he scooted his chair over to pull her into a hug.

"How?" She choked out. "How am I supposed to sleep when he's out there, dad?" It had been three weeks since they got the news Micah was alive and she had always known. Everyone else might have given up, but not her, not her family. A Williams always came home. Micah would come home, just like dad had.

"How are you ever gonna figure this shit out if you're runnin on no sleep and caffeine?" He countered, "You wanna actually crack this fuckin egg, you gotta take care of yourself." A small chuckle escaped through her tears.

"You're just sayin that, so I'll go to bed," she muttered, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"He'd tell ya the same thing." Her dad said softly.

"I can't fail again, dad. I- I gotta figure this out." She pulled herself out of his hug, but the older man grabbed her Padd before she could. Heather's eyes snapped up, glaring at him, but she could see the tears in his eyes.

"And ya will," he replied, blinking them away, "But I'm not gonna let ya burn out before you pull it off. Lemme look it over." She hesitated, but his eyes hardened this time. For a 'go-with-the-flow' sort of person, Cole Williams was not one to argue when he put his foot down. She wasn't about to win this fight, and he was right. She needed sleep.

"Thanks dad." She said instead, standing. She turned, getting three steps up the stairs before she looked back at him. "You really think Voyager will get home?" She asked. As much as she wanted to believe, even Heather had her doubts somedays.

"If I could survive the Cardassians, your brother can survive the Delta quadrant. Williams always come home." He replied, not even looking up from her Padd. "Now go to bed." Hearing him say it eased the burning anxiety in her chest. Williams always came home. It might be decades this time, but Micah would come home, and she wouldn't give up till she got her brother home.

[saints-who-never-existed]

Davechella Week 14: Crozier

Another mishy-mashy vibes-based affair for you today! Enjoy!

Worse Things Happen at Sea - Frank Turner Well honestly, your honesty, it has emerged unscathed/ And I hope you’re doing fine, because me, I’m doing fucking great/ And I wouldn’t want to waste another second of your time/ I know my place, I know your face/ So you hide yours and I’ll keep to mine You say, “Worse things happen at sea”/ I say, “Worse things have happened to me”/ Bitter eyes to the bedroom floor/ And we’re not going to talk anymore/ We’ve got nothing to talk for/ And you’ve got nothing to be sorry for/ And I’ve got no one to care for

Float - Flogging Molly Drank away the rest of the day, I wonder what my liver'd say/ Drink, that's all you can/ Blackened days with their bigger gales blow in your parlor to discuss the day/ Listen, that's all you can Oh, but don't, no, don't sink the boat/ That you built, you built to keep afloat/ No, don't, don't sink the boat/ That you built Sick and tired of what to say, no one listens anyway/ Sing, that's all you can/ Rambling years of lousy luck, you miss the smell of burning turf/ Dream, that's all you can Oh, but don't, no, don't sink the boat/ That you built, you built to keep afloat/ No, don't, don't sink the boat/ That you built, that you built to keep afloat

Black Trade - The Unthanks The bane of your life lies there snug in the slips/ She′s round at the stern and she′s wide at the hips/ And she's proud in the bow and the pout on her lips/ Says this country′s an island and an island needs ships/ And you're black trade/ You′re just black trade

Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole - Martha Wainwright You say my time here has been some sort of joke/ That I've been messing around/ Some sort of incubating period/ For when I really come around/ I'm cracking up/ And you have no idea No idea how it feels to be on your own/ In your own home/ With the fucking phone/ And the mother of gloom/ In your bedroom/ Standing over your head/ With her hand in your head/ With her hand in your head I will not pretend/ I will not put on a smile/ I will not say I'm all right for you/ When all I wanted was to be good/ To do everything in truth/ To do everything in truth

Mississippi - The Secret Sisters All my life, I ain't ever been a lucky man/ Saw the back of my daddy's hand/ Lost your mama to the promised land/ In my time, I ain't ever had a thing that's mine/ 'Til they handed me a baby fine/ My little girl There are only two things I know/ I get ugly when the whiskey flows/ Wanted you to know I love you so/ And I would kill before I let you go

Thin Line - honeyhoney Sometimes I'm doing things/ Half-ass wrong/ Sometimes the words I sing/ Are just some half-ass song I get lost/ And I get found/ Oh, and I'll be good until I need another round 'Cause I want whiskey when I'm sick/ And a man when I'm well/ But it's nice to have them both sometimes/ When I feel like raising hell So don't try and save me/ I'll be just fine/ Oh, I'm getting used to walking on a thin line/ No, don't try and save me/ I'll be just fine/ Oh, I'm getting used to walking on a thin line/ Oh, I'm getting used to walking on a thin line

Whiskey - Tejon Street Corner Thieves Well this life that I've been living ain't too easy on the soul/ Sometimes you gotta give in and let that whiskey flow/ When you're feeling lost, down and low Well, whiskey, come and take my pain/ Numb my heart and ease my brain/ Oh whiskey, don't you let me go!/ Whiskey, won't you help me hide/ This pain I have inside?/ Oh whiskey, don't you let me go!/ Don't let me go! Well this bridge that I've been living under burned into the ground/ I've done packed my bags, now I'm leaving town/ Ain't no peace or comfort I've found

The Boat Song - Amanda Palmer & Jason Webley We’re gonna need a miracle/ We’re gonna need a plan/ We’re gonna have to find a place to go/ We’re out here in the water with our pockets full of sand/ And the sinking souls around us yelling/ No, no, no We’re gonna need a bigger boat/ For all this shit/ We can’t just go around pretending/ Everyone is gonna fit I know I told you/ I promised it/ But I have always been a liar/ Sorry, life’s a fucking bitch

The Shore - Woodkid I walked all day along the shore/ I was made for loving you/ I drown my pain in alcohol/ How could you feel the same way too? My feet will not walk anymore/ So I guess you ought to know the truth/ I wonder what I am made for/ If I'm not meant to be with you I wish you were here on the shore/ That we could build up something new/ I wonder why I am so sure/ Nothing's stronger than me and you

Émigré - Alela Diane I hear yelling, I hear crying, I hear praying/ As the ocean threatens us on all four sides/ The water rises deeper every minute/ This vessel cannot bear the burden of our load Seabirds fly the salty wind/ East to South – North to West/ Can we go, as they go, across the borderlines? One by one the children have grown silent/ From their mother’s arms, they float away/ The roaring sea will wash our quiet bodies/ Upon the foreign shore, but our souls will find a way And with seabirds fly the salty wind/ East to South – North to West/ See us go, as they go, across the borderlines

[e-dubbc11]

Dog Day Afternoon

Photos are not mine. They are courtesy of Pinterest/Google.

Pairing: Brock Rumlow x F! Reader

Warnings: Couple of swear words, fluffy bunnies and unicorns

Word Count: 3.8K-ish

Summary: STRIKE team commander at SHIELD, Brock Rumlow finishes a mission and brings something home with him that he wasn’t expecting

A/N: Based off of a conversation I had with my lovely Lily @munsonownsmyass I sent her Frank Grillo’s Insta story of him in his hot tub with his dog, Rumlow, next to him outside of the hot tub. He said that the dog never lets him have any alone time. So Lily said she would love a Brock Rumlow fic where he adopts a puppy. I’m also sorry I haven’t been around lately. Life throws curveballs sometimes 💔

As always, thank you for reading!  I appreciate it so much and comments, reblogs are welcome and encouraged. Don’t be shy to tell me your favorite part. 💕💕 💕

“Is that all of them?” Rumlow asked.

Commander of the STRIKE team at SHIELD, Brock Rumlow and his team finished rescuing the hostages that were being held by pirates. One by one, they were removed from the ship and placed back into SHIELD custody.

“I think so.” Rollins said. “You want me to sweep the ship one more time?” He asked.

Brock pondered for a minute before replying, “I’ll come with ya…cover more ground that way.”

After checking the entire ship for hostages they may have missed, Brock and Jack met back in the control room. As they continued to talk, Brock thought he heard a whimper. Turning his head to the side, he held up a hand at Jack to get him to stop talking.

“What is it, Rumlow?” Asked Jack.

Brock pressed his lips together and listened again. “You hear that?” He asked.

Rollins listened intently as he heard the whimper that Rumlow heard. “Where’s that coming from?” Asked Jack.

Brock lowered his weapon and took out his flashlight. He shined his light under the control board and huddled in the corner, Brock saw two little sad eyes staring back out at him as it continued to whimper.

He crawled underneath and emerged a few seconds later with a dark graphite colored puppy. The pup was still whimpering and shaking; the poor thing was terrified.

Confused, Jack asked, “What was that doing under there?”

Brock replied, “I dunno…but other dogs were found in the cargo area. Maybe this one escaped and found it’s way up here.”

Jack started to walk toward the main deck of the ship.

“Well put it down, we gotta get outta here.” Said Jack.

Brock started to put the puppy on the floor but stopped. He looked into the scared eyes of the little dog and as soon as it’s legs touched the floor, Brock scooped it back into his arms again and headed for the main deck.

Jack cracked a slight smile. “Rumlow…what are you doin’? Leave it.”

“I can’t just leave her, Rollins.” Said Brock, nervously. “And don’t look at me like that, let’s just go.”

Jack just shook his head and followed Brock to the helicarrier, where the pup finally stopped shaking, curled up in Brock’s lap and fell fast asleep before they even left the scene.

**********

SHIELD Headquarters

Brock had his bag slung over his shoulder as he walked along the busy hallway toward the briefing room. Jack saw him walk into the room and immediately walked away from the other team member he was talking to so he could talk to Brock.

“Don’t start with me, Rollins. It’s too early in the mornin’ for you to be botherin’ me.” Brock said, his gravelly voice had a slight touch of anger behind it.

Jack’s hands raised in surrender and replied, “Alright, alright. I was just gonna ask if you took care of that dog.”

Brock glared at Jack. “Of course I took care of it.”

What Brock didn’t tell Jack was that he brought the pup back to his place and later today after work, he was going to stop by the pet store to pick up necessities for her because he couldn’t keep feeding her table scraps and locked in the bathroom with newspaper all over the floor for very long.

He hated to admit it but he took one look into her eyes and realized there was no way that he could bring her to a shelter now, not after this so after work he drove straight for the pet shop. As soon as he stepped inside, Brock was immediately overwhelmed by everything he saw.

Aisle after aisle of food, toys, grooming supplies, collars and leashes…he didn’t know where to start but lucky for him there was someone there that recognized the look of a new and overwhelmed pet owner.

“Excuse me, sir? Can I help you with something?” You asked softly so as not to scare him. You did sneak up behind him when you noticed he looked a little lost.

The man looked rough around the edges but still quite handsome. He had dark brown hair, light tanned skin and his narrowed eyes were the color of amber.

You spoke again.

“I’m sorry, I hope I didn’t scare you. You just looked a little lost, thought maybe I could help. I’m y/n, this is my shop, and if I don’t have what you’re lookin’ for, I can definitely order it for you. Are you shopping for a dog, cat, or another animal?” You asked.

His eyes were hyper focused on you the minute he turned around.

“Nah, you didn’t scare me sweetheart. You’ve got a nice shop here and I am shopping for a dog…well, a puppy. And I’m Brock, by the way.” He said as he held out his hand for you to shake.

Your eyes widened as soon as the word “puppy” escaped his lips and your mouth split into an excited smile as you shook his hand.

“Really?!! A boy or a girl puppy?!” You asked, clapping your hands together.

Brock let a shy smile stretch across his lips. “Girl…she’s a rescue. Found her a few nights ago and since it was a full moon, I’ve been calling her Luna.” Said Brock.

You almost had to clutch your chest because the look he had on his face as he talked was so sweet.

Snapping yourself back to reality, you managed to ask him, “What kind of dog is she?”

Brock shrugged and started to pull his phone from his back pocket.

“I dunno…but I do have a picture of her.” He said.

Brock leaned in close, you could feel the heat radiating off of his body, and warmth flushed across your cheeks. You watched as his thick fingers unlocked his phone and navigated to his photo gallery before pulling up one of the sweetest faces you’ve ever seen.

“OMGoodness, look at that face!!” You exclaimed. “Well, she looks like a Cane Corso. If you just found her, I’m guessing you haven’t taken her to the vet yet?”

Brock shook his head vigorously. “Nah, I’ve had to work so I haven’t been able to do that yet.”

You explained to him that he may want to bring her to the vet soon just to make sure she’s ok and you gave him the card of the veterinary hospital you bring your dog, Charlie, to.

“…They’re a husband and wife, really nice and fairly priced. Actually…lemme call them.” You said.

Brock started to protest.

“Oh, that’s ok…you don’t have to—“

“It’s no trouble.” You said, holding the phone to your ear. “Hi Jessica, it’s y/n. I’m good, how are you? Great! Listen…I have a guy here who has a new puppy and she needs to be seen…uh huh…Oh Dr. Alice can see her tomorrow? Awesome!” You said. “Oh the owner’s name is Brock…what’s your last name?” You asked, pulling the phone away from your mouth.

“Oh…it’s Rumlow.” Replied Brock.

“Yeah…Brock Rumlow. And the puppy is Luna. Thank you so so much, Jessica! Bye!” You said.

After the call ended, you flashed a smile at Brock and asked, “You weren’t busy around 4:30 tomorrow, right?”

Slowly shaking his head, Brock narrowed his eyes and repliedwith a sly smile, “Nope, I guess I’m not.”

Excitedly, you clapped your hands together again and said, “Well, let’s go Mr. Rumlow! We have a lot of stuff to pick out for little Luna, which I will warn you…she won’t be little for much longer. She’s gonna grow into those paws, ya know.”

You made him push the cart and took him from aisle to aisle to pick out food, toys, and a collar, among other things. He needed everything including a bed, food dishes, and a crate. That cart was full by the time you were done.

“Do I really need all this stuff, y/n?” Asked Brock.

“Well…you do plan on keeping her, right?” You asked.

Brock paused before answering.

“Yeah…I plan on keeping her.” He said.

You shrugged and pressed your lips into a straight line.

“Then you need all this stuff.” You replied.

Brock spent a small fortune on everything he needed for Luna but he was thankful for all of your help and knowledge. After loading everything into his truck, he said it was a good thing he didn’t bring the bike which made you crack a slight smile.

“So don’t forget, Luna’s appointment is at 4:30 tomorrow afternoon and the address is on that business card I gave you so don’t lose it. Actually, give me your phone…” You demanded.

He handed his phone over to you and you dialed your number so he had it in case he lost the card.

“Just in case. I’ll see ya around Brock Rumlow and if you need anything else for Luna, you know where to find me!” You said.

You watched him drive away until his truck turned the corner and he was out of sight. Brock’s little pup was just as cute as could be but you couldn’t stop thinking about her owner. The rasp to his voice, muscles visible under his tight black t-shirt, and every time he looked at you with those whiskey colored eyes, you felt a flutter in your stomach that was familiar but you haven’t felt in a long time.

You hoped that he would come back because you definitely have a crush on Brock Rumlow.

The Next Day

The day was moving along, the shop was busy from the minute you opened until around 2:30 when it started to slow down a little. A steady stream of customers came in and when you glanced at the clock, it read 3:30.

Luna’s appointment was in an hour.

What were you doing? Daydreaming about a man you spent an hour with picking out stuff for his new puppy? But he was so handsome and sexy…thinking about him was helping the time go by faster.

Around 5:30, the bell on the door rang. You were in the back trying to clean up the bath stations. For people who didn’t want to wash their dogs at home, you had an area in the back of the store that they could come and wash their dog for a fair price. They didn’t have to buy shampoo or anything but you would make money on people not wanting to wash their dog at home. It was a win-win.

Drying your hands on your apron, you walked toward the front of the store and you saw Brock standing in the middle of the open floor, holding one end of a leash and at the other end was little Luna. She started to wag her tail as soon as she saw you.

You felt a dip in your stomach as soon as you saw Brock. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt and dark jeans and you hoped he didn’t notice you blushing so you crouched down to the floor to pet Luna.

“It’s nice to see you again too, y/n.” Brock said sarcastically.

You had scooped up Luna in your arms and she was licking the tip of your nose.

“Oh you are even cuter than your picture…yes you are! I’m sorry, Brock. I’m gonna go for the puppy every time, just to warn you.” You said with a wink. “How did it go at the vet’s office?”

Brock went through Luna’s entire appointment. They weighed her, estimated that she was around three months old, and gave her all of her necessary shots. He even told you that you were right about the type of dog she is.

“Well…I do know my dogs!” You said. “But she’s ok?”

He nodded. “Yeah, she’s fine. I just figured since I was in the neighborhood, I’d stop by so you could meet her.” Said Brock.

Still holding Luna, you looked at her as she licked your nose again and said, “Well, I’m glad you did because she is just the cutest thing. I can see why you couldn’t just leave her when you found her.”

“Just don’t go around tellin’ everyone I’m soft for cute faces.” He said with a wink.

Warmth spread across your chest and the tops of your cheeks. Brock was making you blush again and you needed to distract him before he noticed.

“While you’re here, do you need anything else for little Luna?” You asked, scratching behind her ears.

“I think I’m good, doll.” Said Brock.

The pet name made you blush again.

“Ok, well don’t be a stranger. Stop in whenever you need something or if you have any questions.” You said with a warm smile.

Brock waved as you watched him and Luna walk out the door. Well, you had hoped that he would come back but now you wanted to see him again.

You’ve had plenty of good looking male customers come in and none of them had made you blush like Brock had. What was it about Brock that had you so smitten with him? You knew it couldn’t JUST be the dog.

He was mysterious and acted tough but he was sweet too. You felt comfortable around him and he had a slight smile on his face when you were playing with Luna; you had a feeling that he wasn’t as grumpy as he seemed.

**********

Over the next few weeks, Brock would stop into the shop and sometimes it would be more than once a week. He would either buy Luna a new toy or a new bone to chew on and he picked up some orange cleaner recently because she would still have an accident every once in awhile but he said she was getting used to crate training.

Sometimes he’d come in to ask you things he could have easily found out for himself but maybe it was just because he liked talking to you. You couldn’t be sure though, but you were very sure you enjoyed talking to him.

The texts started coming in not too long after meeting Luna for the first time. One of them was a picture of her outside of the shower and the picture was taken from inside the shower…by Brock. You clenched your thighs together at the thought of him taking a shower.

He captioned the picture…

“She won’t give me any alone time.Always has to be by my side.”

You smiled at the picture he sent and replied,

“Awwww, she loves you.”

And you also replied with a picture of Charlie, sleeping in between your legs with the caption…

“If he could crawl inside me to sleep, he totally would.”

He replied with a laughing emoji.

You could always tell when Brock came to the shop right from work because of how he was dressed. He wore all black tactical clothing and you definitely enjoyed the view of him in that tight black t-shirt.

You asked a few times but Brock never told you what he did for work; he always jokingly said it was “classified” so you didn’t push too hard about it.

“What can I do for you today, Mr. Rumlow? Luna didn’t eat another remote control, did she?” You asked, chuckling a little.

Brock pressed his lips into a straight line and narrowed his eyes at you. “Very funny, y/n and no she didn’t eat another remote control. She has been really good the past couple of weeks, I think she’s getting used to being left alone and knows I’m eventually coming back.”

“Well that’s good. So did you need something?” You asked.

“Yeah I wanted to take her to socialize and play with other dogs. Figured you might know a place I can go.” Said Brock.

The two of you had been dancing around each other for weeks, being flirtatious through texts and in person when he would stop by but he hadn’t made a move so you decided to take matters into your own hands.

“Actually, I was gonna take Charlie to the dog park tomorrow afternoon, if you and Luna would like to come.” You said, watching your corgi chase after the clumsy Luna.

Brock watched as the two dogs played with each other, running circles around the two of you and playfully barking at each other.

“They seem to get along, huh.” He said with a smirk. “Yeah, the dog park sounds great.”

You told him where it was and agreed to meet there tomorrow. It wasn’t exactly the date you had in mind but you would use any excuse to see Brock outside of the shop. It would be the first time seeing him NOT wearing your work apron covered in wet dog hair.

As he called for Luna, the door to the shop opened and a tall man with a couple of scars on his face walked in and called out to Brock.

“You kept it, didn’t you! I fuckin’ knew it!” The man said, pointing at Brock.

You bit back a smile. “A friend of yours?” You asked.

Brock rolled his eyes at the man walking toward him then turned to you and replied, “Yeah…we work together…you followed me here, Rollins?!”

“Where is it?” Asked Jack, looking around.

“SHE is playing with Charlie somewhere around here.” Replied Brock. “I’m sorry, y/n. Lemme just…I’ll be right back.”

Before Jack could reach the counter, Brock cut him off. You managed to make out part of their conversation.

“What the fuck are you doin’ here, Jack?!” Brock asked.

A sly smile played across Jack’s lips as he looked at you then back to Brock.

“Well, I wanted to know why you kept blowin’ off after work drinks with the team but now I know why. You keepin’ her from us too? She’s hot. That apron is really doin’ it for me.” Said Jack.

Brock pointed at Jack.

“Will you keep your voice down! She’ll hear you.” He said, angrily.

“Alright, alright you don’t have to get all bent about it. I’m just sayin’ you should make a move or else I’m gonna. Maybe I should get a dog.” Said Jack, raising his eyebrows.

“Will you get outta here!” Brock said, glaring at Jack.

Brock introduced you to Jack before he left and confirmed your “date” for late tomorrow afternoon. You had butterflies in your stomach for the rest of the day and couldn’t wait to see him tomorrow.

From what you gathered from his conversation with Jack, it sounded like maybe Brock had a crush on you too.

Scratching Charlie’s ears, you said “We both have dates tomorrow, Charlie. You better be a good boy or else Luna isn’t gonna want to play with you anymore.”

Charlie licked your hand and cuddled up in his bed that was behind the counter. Apparently, chasing Luna around the store, took a lot out of him. He needed his rest if he was going to try and keep up with a puppy tomorrow.

**********

The dog park was no place for nice clothes. There were pups everywhere, kicking up dirt, putting their paws on you, and trying to trip you up as they ran in circles around you. But you still wanted to look good so you put on a black t-shirt, jeans and black sneakers.

You were also thankful it hadn’t rained lately so you wouldn’t have to walk through mud or worry about Charlie rolling in it, although he always needed a bath when you brought him home from the park anyway.

As you opened the fence gate, you scanned the park for Brock and Luna. It usually wasn’t very busy at this time, more than likely because it was prime time for cooking dinner. You found Brock sitting on a picnic table bench and throwing a ball for Luna to fetch and bring back.

He had a genuine smile on his face as he continued to play with her and he looked incredibly sexy in his gray t-shirt, jeans, and aviator sunglasses.

Charlie saw Luna, and as fast as his little legs could take him, took off running toward her. Biting down on your lower lip, you glanced quickly at Brock, and immediately felt your ears start to get hot.

You walked over to the picnic table and gave him a warm smile as he removed his sunglasses to look at you. His eyes were a warm gold color in the sunlight.

“Hey there…come here often?” You joked.

Brock cracked a little smile. “Are you full of jokes every Saturday, y/n?”

“Oh you know it! I leave my shop in good hands so I can have weekends off.” You replied.

“Ah, so you’re free on weekends.” Brock stated with a sly smile.

You heard what Brock had said but got distracted by Charlie rolling in something about 20 feet away.

“CHARLIE!! NO!! STOP THAT!!” You shouted at him as you turned to Brock and said, “I swear they always find the grossest things to roll in. He probably found a dead frog or something just as disgusting. Has she done anything like that to you yet? It is so foul!”

He started to laugh.

“I gotta tell ya, doll…you really do make me laugh and that ain’t easy to do.” Brock said softly, leaning in close enough to share the same air.

His compliment made you blush and he didn’t take his eyes off of you. The warmth from the late afternoon sun touched the high points of your face as you gently brushed your thumb against the bristles of his days old stubble and your lips ghosted over his before you said in barely more than a whisper, “Well I’d like to do it more often…if that’s ok.”

And you gently pressed your lips to his. Tension gripped your body and you became lightheaded with fear as you slowly pulled away, wondering if he felt the same way. A trace of a smile stretched across his lips as he leaned in to kiss you this time.

“I’d like that, sweetheart. I think we should be watching the dogs though, shouldn’t we?” Asked Brock.

“Then stop kissing me.” You replied with a sly smile.

“Oh I don’t wanna do that.” Brock husked against your lips. “But I do wanna take you out…without the dogs.”

Batting your eyelashes and jokingly clutching your chest, you asked, “Without the dogs? Well whatever will we do without them?”

Biting down on his lower lip, Brock eyed you from head to toe and brought his gaze back up to meet yours. The lump in your throat was hard to swallow and you felt like your heart was going to burst out of your chest.

He kissed you on the cheek before whispering into your ear, “Oh I’m sure we’ll come up with something.”

Tag List: @munsonownsmyass @k-marzolf @gijos @nutmeg17 @nekoannie-chan

Others that might enjoy: @itwasthereaminuteago @fluffyprettykitty @redstarsandnightmares @randomlittleimp

If I tagged you and you didn’t want to be, just let me know and I’ll never do it again. As always, thank you again for reading!

[mimiri22-6]

Ok guys, I'm gonna say something controversial so buckle up

Adam = Keith

Shiro = Lance

I take no criticism but I will take comments and questions.

I spent an actual hour writing in the tags. Holy shit I did Not mean for that to happen O_O

I can connect SO many parallels between Lance and Shiro, but I can't connect that many parallels between Shiro and Keith. Personality wize. Sorry, I just really wanted to make this because holy shit idk how it happened but I could have sworn this was universal and then they killed Adam and then everyone started making Adam the jokester between him and Shiro. Like, with what little screentime Adam got I could have sworn, I don't think he smiles. Like, that is not the Lance parallel between klance and shadam (i don't remember their ship name) this is just how it is. I could have sworn Shiro was the type of leader/person that could crack a joke, a dad joke, and lift the crew's spirits just by entering the room. Keith had to pull his own teeth to even get a motivating speech out. Yes yes it was his first time leading, but who was leading Keith through his blind anger episodes? Lance. The right hand man. The leader behind the leader. Lance was the Leader in the first fucking episode at the Garrison!!

☝️AND another point I just remembered, Shiro was the heart of the team before he 'died' he was the bridge for Keith, Pidge and Allura into the team. After he's gone, Lance is the bridge for the Entire team. The glue. The Heart of Voltron. He has a connection with every crew member. Maybe the least with Allura but he was constantly ready to be open with her. His door was open to her to have deeper conversations as shown in that one scene where she identifies his bayard as an altean broadsword. Keith? He left the team for a really long time, especially on his end. 'Keith what is Pidge's favorite band/food/color???'😳🤨🤔🤷 There's a reason there are So many fanfics of Lance leaving/getting kidnapped/dying and the crew falling apart. Sometimes not to the point of total collapse but enough for a noticeable strain stiffness and loose seams.

Like when Shiro vanished.

*sigh* this post started because i remembered the era of black paladin Lance and come across a tiktok along the lines of 'lancestans: he should have been the black paladin. hes a punching bag for the creators. hes a sad boi. he had so much set up. ect. (so on and so forth. I forget the rest) *cut to shiro* what about him, the real tortured, punching bag for the writers?' and I gotta be honest, that tiktok set this whole thang off.

I could go On and On And On! I have so many more examples, but I don't have the time for a 30pg essay rn. PLEASE ask me about my Lance and Shiro parallels/black paladin Lance reasonings! I wanna ramble about my boi touching the stars! 🤩

(also I get it w Keith, sometimes a leader is someone that learns to be one before they even want to be one, but also 1)Lance has wanted this forever 2)Lance is already close with everyone, he's an extrovert(not that introverts can't be leaders, I'm an introvert and I know all about introvert leaders) 3)Lance and Shiro get hurt the most, but still have that calming effect, wether you wanna admit it or not, Lance has those vibes)

[real-total-drama-takes]

mod courtney can u rank courtney ships? (Including rarepairs)

I did a while ago, but I’d happily do it again! I’m not sure how much my opinions have changed.

Courtney/Duncan - 10/10 I talked about this in my Duncan ship ranking. I love duncney. certified classic to me. They’re my Roman Empire. Courtney’s allowed to be unhinged with Duncan, and he’d never admit it, but he loves her for it. Their build-up feels so genuine. Ugh, I just. I’m going to die a duncney fan. Free me from this hell.

Courtney/Scott - 9/10 honestly I really like scottney but I think the main detriment is that it didn’t get enough time to develop. It easily could’ve been on par with duncney if only they got more TIME. Courtney’s crush on him felt like she genuinely liked him for HIM. Scott is a little evil and a little gross, but that’s okay. She likes that, actually. I think they could bring out the best in each other (like Duncney), but Scott is much less unashamed of his desire to be bossed around. He’s so unashamed that he’s smitten of her and completely lacks Duncan’s ego. It works really well for me.

Courtney/Gwen - 10/10 absolutely a yuri classic. I gotta say, Courtney and Gwen did have real chemistry in all stars. I get that gwourtney is kind of overblown in the fandom, but it really does work. Every time Courtney and gwen are friends, i think it feels like a REAL friendship. The way they banter, the way they gossip, etc. it feels very genuine. I really do love it. In another universe, I think gwourtney could be endgame. There is nothing heterosexual about the way they interact in all stars. Courtney is so sweet and kind to Gwen, and we rarely see her like that. I really do love gwourtney.

Courtney/Bridgette - 8/10 I LOVE BRIDGNEY. Bridgette might be courtney’s only real friend by the end of the series. I think Bridgette loves and cares for courtney despite all her faults, and that makes for a pretty good ship. I also think brigette could work as a foil for courtney— bridgette is kind and forgiving, which is something courtney lacks. And then bridgette sometimes struggles to stand up for herself, which courtney is VERY good at doing, lol. There’s so much potential here. More bridgney content please.

Courtney/Heather - 10/10 this might actually be my favorite courtney ship. I know I said that about duncney, and as far as nostalgia is concerned, yeah, I’m a duncney fan first. But heathney has really grown on me over the years. While bridgney involves courtney and bridgette learning and growing with each other, heathney is exactly the opposite. They’re both evil. But always correct. And that’s fine.

Courtney/Alejandro - 9/10 another sleeper hit for me. I think I do prefer aleheather as far as Alejandro ships are concerned, but i think he and courtney could really work. The end of TDWT was basically heather using Alejandro the way Alejandro used Courtney. There’s a really interesting dynamic there. Total Drama Cruise Control also won me over with this one. Even though they weren’t endgame, the relationship between alecourtney was SO. *chefs kiss*

Courtney/Jo - 10/10 TDCC what more do I need to say

I’ll do more if you guys send me them! I’m not aware of most crack ships, but I’m sure I could form an opinion of them lol

[mytragedyperson]

Honestly of all Haikyuu texting videos on YouTube, gotta say, Princess Angel probably does my favourite. First of all, none of the elements I dislike such as toxic characters or ships, or honestly, popular fanon versions in general. All the ships are really cute and actually love each other. And they don't bully each other, they all support each other. And there's no Hinata harem/everyone being weirdly obsessed with Hinata. I don't have a problem with canon Hinata, but sometimes, in fanfiction and especially these texting videos, even if it's not technically Hinata harem, everyone will be strangely obsessed with him. This is made worse when combined with the slightly toxic versions of ships, particularly regarding Kuroken. Like, when Kenma seems more into Hinata then Kuroo, his boyfriend, you kinda wonder why Kenma's even with Kuroo and if he's only with Kuroo because Hinata is dating someone else (usually Kageyama). This is more of a preference thing for me personally but so is everything I say here as this is my opinion, not facts or me saying you have to agree

That's another thing i like. No angst. It's all just cute fluff and crack. Lyric pranks, but they catch on and join in. They hype each other up and support each other, which is really refreshing when most Haikyuu text videos are either angsty or have toxic characterisations. This is fine if this is what you want, but I personally prefer fluff and crack and people being friends and couples who actually like each other, at least for texting videos.

In terms of ships, lots of poly ships which, as a multishipper, I love. Kiyoennotaka (Kiyoko, Ennoshita and Tanaka), sakuatsuiwaoi, bokuakakuroken, tsukiyamakagehina, suga, Daichi, kita and Aran. Other ships in their main GC. But they also have separate AUs where they explore other ships too. All cute and fluffy. All just absolutely hyped up and supported. Also, this isn't quite as important to me as someone who is cisgender, but there is also some gender stuff in there, I'm pretty sure Oikawa is genderfluid or non binary or something since he switches pronouns and I think there are others with similar gender stuff going on. Also special shoutout for their version of Ushijima and especially introducing me to the concept of Asahi, Nishinoya, Tendou and Ushijima as a poly ship. Not one i would've thought of but I honestly love their version of it.

Honestly if you're into multishipping, polyshipping, fluff and crack with no angst and like chatfics or like texting videos, I really do recommend. Whenever I want to watch this content, this is the first channel i go to

[limey-self-inserts]

Badsansuary Entry 2

Prompts: 11. Hands & 13. Stained

A/N: next round of prompts! this one was very sweet and fun to play with, and it looks like I'm getting into a rhythm with the word count. you can check out the prompts list here

word-count: 2k

writing tag-list: @lavenoon @mikealys-ael @kissingarthurclaus @bugsband @avenships @faerie-circle-ships @textreasures-rbs

-

“hey.”

Aspen jolted, eyes quickly refocusing as they blinked fast and hard to readjust back to reality. Bright lighting. Bookshelves. An open book on their chest. A sofa under their back. A pillow haphazardly jammed under their head and neck, albeit one that didn’t match the sofa they were resting on.

Right. They’d been studying. Or at least trying to, anyway. There weren’t that many moments of quiet in the castle.

They blinked again. The looming figure by their side hadn’t moved.

“Hi Axe,” Aspen grumbled, smearing a hand over their eyes as if that would wipe away the remaining grains of sleep from their head. “Y’need something?”

“yeah. you.”

“Charmed. Care to expand the why?”

Axe’s head tilted to the side. The library’s lighting snagged against the marring of his skull, the shadows inside the massive crack turning almost void-like. A hole in space as well as his head. His singular eyelight tracked over Aspen’s face, down along their torso, down to his own hands.

This was normal. Aspen was patient.

“gotta go get food for cooking. need ‘nother pair of hands.”

“And you didn’t trust the others to help?”

Axe gave Aspen a flat look as they peeled themselves off the sofa. Setting the book aside with a nice little mistletoe bookmark, they stretched their back out and grunted as several bits of their spine realigned loudly.

“you and dust should compete,” Axe snarked. “who’s the crunchiest.”

“I absolutely would win.” The pair both laughed, soft and snorting, as Aspen followed Axe out of the library.

While Axe wasn’t the tallest figure Aspen had witnessed, he was certainly the largest skeleton out of Nightmare’s crew on a regular day. He slouched a good foot over Aspen’s head, his jacket with fur ruff making for an intimidating silhouette as he took the lead through the castle corridors. That was fine - Aspen was content to hide out in his shadow, shielded from passing view and leaving them to idly think as they trailed along.

Axe had mentioned once before about how he managed to be so much taller than most skeletons, most other people altogether. He’d been hesitant in the manner of someone who felt that it was better to have certain things out in the open but didn’t like talking about it.

Monsters could gain LV, just like humans, through Encounters. It was that way with Dust and Killer, who’d gained more LV than their bodies really knew what to deal with, which manifested with Dust in magical overloads and with Killer in his soul being external as well as tears of Determination. There were other symptoms, as Aspen had been witness to. Nothing the boys liked to talk about openly.

In contrast, Axe didn’t have high LV, because he hadn’t killed as many humans or monsters like Dust and Killer, and not in Encounters either. But his body had absorbed exceptional amounts of magic from consuming humans and monsters. Because of that, it’d caused his body to grow larger than normal.

Again, it wasn’t something he was especially proud of. It wasn’t going to be something he would be ashamed of either. He and his brother survived and that was the end of it.

Aspen had asked where his brother was. Axe had remained silent for a long while before murmuring something about Nightmare promising he’d be safe and well, and then changed the topic.

He wasn’t always silent. Sometimes he had to be - Aspen wasn’t good with sign language yet but they were learning the basics for the days when Axe couldn’t muster his voice to work. Today seemed to be a better day at least. 

“gonna be makin’ some pies, pies need filling,” he explained, pushing open the door to a portal room. Nightmare would drop the team off at an exact location in an exact AU if he desired it, but these little ‘passages’ would carry a person through to a generic location at a random AU. If you wanted a city, you’d find one. If you wanted a Snowdin, you’d get one. If you wanted to go berry-picking in a woodland, you’d get the forest at least but the berries would be a lucky shot.

“What should I be looking for?” Aspen asked, taking a basket that was handed over to them.

“brambles. blueberries. redcurrants. anythin’ you know can be eaten.”

Fair play. Go for what you recognise. Better that than risk picking something poisonous. Aspen nodded, and watched as Axe walked up to the empty door frame in the middle of the room and-

Gone.

Aspen was next though, and they were just a couple steps behind Axe to step up to the doorway and pass through.

Cold, somewhat humid air was quickly replaced by fresh warmth and a breeze that tousled through Aspen’s hair and the fur on Axe’s jacket. No more candlelight, now dappled midday sunlight fell across them through trees stretching overhead. Both were stood in waist high (ok, thigh high for Axe) bushes, the sound of bird song rippling overhead. 

They were also encircled by bramble bushes.

Thankfully the brambles themselves weren’t circled around either of the two, although Aspen did instinctively wince and take a hop away. Staring around, there were flecks of purple and blue visible, blueberries scattered between the brambles. Axe hummed quietly, a low note of surprise. 

“nice,” he mumbled.

“Yeah, pretty nice,” Aspen agreed. “Especially pretty.”

“don’t get too distracted. gotta get this done quickly.” Axe huffed, a noise that was probably a laugh. His head was turned to block the grin on his skull. “‘nother reason I wanted you instead of the others.”

Aspen barely managed to hide their own chuckle, watching as he turned away and started to approach the brambles. He barely needed to bat the thorny branches away, brushing them easily out of the way to start plucking shiny black and red berries. Deciding to avoid scratching themselves off the bat, Aspen wormed their way towards the patch of blueberries.

Luck had definitely smiled on the pair. The berries were plentiful, and it didn’t take long for both of them to start filling up their baskets. Some were still some time away from ripening, small green buds that Aspen left on the branches. Others were large and plump, but felt too soft when Aspen picked them, a couple even splitting and spilling over their fingers. Grimacing as another fell away too quickly, Aspen stepped across to Axe, holding it up.

“I keep finding berries that are too squishy, what’s the verdict on this? Keep or toss?” they asked, as Axe paused in the manner of someone having their rhythm broken and then took the berry from them. Humming softly in thought, Axe rolled the berry over between his fingers. The metacarpals, thick but notched with claw tips, handled the soft small object so carefully. His eyes sockets narrowed just a touch, the slightest hint of a squint.

“overripe,” he muttered. “too many’d be bad in a pie. it's not too bad for a snack though.”

“Aw, fair,” Aspen replied, pouting slightly. He dropped it into their open palm and they flicked it into their mouth, munching away with a slight grimace. Yep - watery and a little gritty. Uncomfortable on the tongue.

The more they continued to pick berries, the more they started to notice that Axe had been doing his own sorting in this way. Every now and again he’d inspect a berry, squint a frown at it, and then toss it inside his own mouth without a bare need to chew.

Logically, Aspen knew it was magic. It didn’t stop them from squinting and staring at his spine every time he made a swallowing sound with the gentle tilt back of his head to pair with.

Still, now a small door had been unlocked. While the berries Aspen snacked on weren’t the best, they stocked the human’s appetite. Maybe a few of the berries they ate should have gone in the basket, but the sweet and tart little treats were rather enjoyable this fresh. The brambles especially were juicy, and at one point Aspen coughed as one berry tried to escape their mouth, the juice trickling over their cheek. 

“eat ‘em, don’t breathe ‘em,” Axe teased them with another huff of laughter, glancing over to Aspen. But then the laughter frozen, his eyelight dilating in the eye socket. 

Aspen froze too. The hairs on the back of their neck prickled. Like a rabbit spotted by a hound.

“Axe?”

The eyelight blinked and Axe’s eye sockets narrowed into a low scowl. Stepping easily across the small clearing, he pulled a grimy handkerchief from his pocket, the other hand cupping the back of Aspen’s head as he smeared it against their face. 

“you're gettin' messy,” he muttered, pulling the cloth away to reveal the dark purple-red stain the berries had left behind. His gaze flickered down, a grumble rattling through him, and his hand traced down Aspen’s shoulder to their arm as he lifted it up.

His hand absolutely could close entirely around the limb, but he still held it gently. Aspen thought about the overripe berry for a moment, then also looked down to see what Axe was fussing over now. His handkerchief wiped across their palms, doing his best to clean away other berry stains and bright red scratches from the bramble thorns, scratches that Aspen only noticed as they stung while wiped clean.

“I’m gonna live, right?” Aspen said the words with levity but didn’t expect to feel Axe’s grip twitch on their arm, the skeleton’s expression curling with a sourness.

“don’t joke ‘bout that,” he mumbled under his breath. Aspen’s shoulders sagged slightly, and they let themselves settle more into Axe’s palm as he finished cleaning them up.

“You want me to do the same for me?” they asked softly, gesturing to the similar stains across his carpals. A look of genuine surprise briefly crossed Axe’s face, before he handed over the cloth to Aspen. Unfortunately with the handkerchief’s state and having already been used for Aspen, they ended up smearing the stains more across Axe’s hands than they did cleaning them up. Aspen’s nose wrinkled into an awkward grin as they stared at the dark purple stains on dusty white bone, while Axe silently snatched the cloth back from their grip.

“it’ll wash out.” A truth and an intention.

“Sorry,” Aspen murmured.

“you oughta wash your arms too. don’t need you getting anything in there and having to go see the doc.”

A small shiver hit Aspen’s back at the thought of needing to get medical attention from the resident skeletal doctor. Not a bad shiver, but - it was difficult to not think about Dr Baggs after every check-up. Like he left something in their head each time they left.

They glanced up at Axe’s back, watching him pick up both their baskets and move away towards the spot where the portal should still be waiting. The silence felt uncomfortable now, like they’d stepped on his foot but he hadn’t fully responded to the pain. No direct cue to apologise for their accident. Words rolled through their head but couldn’t quite make it to their lips without fear of breaking this tension.

It held in the air.

Birdsong chirped sweetly over their heads.

Axe stepped forward over a tree branch and vanished. Aspen closed their eyes, sighed heavily as the regret began to set in, and followed their way back.

As the cold room washed over them, a hand blocked their way forward. Axe’s palm settled across the front of Aspen’s chest, his eyelight looking down at them. Into them. A fist raised up into Aspen’s eyeline.

“here.” As Aspen opened their hands to him, Axe tipped a dozen bramble berries into their palms. A softness settled across his expression. Gratitude. Or satisfaction.

“Thank you,” Aspen said, managing a smile in return. “Have fun with the pies.”

“...you can come too, if you want.”

The smile brightened.

[chejuu]

20 questions for writers

thank you @wingdingery for the tag and excuse to self-indulgently talk about myself <3

1. how many works do you have on AO3? 17 on cheju, then 11 more on my various and sundry accounts 🫣

2. what's your total AO3 word count? 73,122 on cheju, a total of 110,145

3. what fandoms do you write for? nightwing + some original work as of late + various fandoms i used to be in that people request in fic exchanges

4. what are your top 5 fics by kudos? like two days ago bad desire just surpassed the kudos of a ten-year-old sansa/margaery fic i published on my old account. wow! please ignore that i was writing smut at 16

setting aside my other accounts, then it’s diesis (smut), listen to teeth (smut), sex, lies, and audiotape (mafia au. also smut), and exactly what it looks like (silly identity porn crack)

5. do you respond to comments? always!

6. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? down together leaves it open but probably fits the bill, in that the sex makes things significantly worse between slade and dick

7. what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Rescued Slut Thanks His Studly Savior is established relationship sladick fluff (if pure smut can be fluff i guess) which i thought i would never write so maybe that. or better now, but it's about theater camp (2023) which is already a feel-good comedy movie to begin with

8. do you get hate on fics? not yet. i feel like it's a rite of passage, tho. quick someone send me hate

9. do you write smut? If so, what kind? it’s like... all i do

10. do you write crossovers? no, but never saying never!

11. have you ever had a fic stolen? nope

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? nope!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? i think i’d be too embarrassed

14. What's your all-time favorite ship? gotta be drarry (sorry sladick)

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will? i plan to finish all my wips eventually, even the unpublished ones! at least any that have made it out of the notes app and into a word doc. the only one that maaay not make it is a recursive fic (author permission granted!) based on a popular sladick story—i’m a bit nervous about not living up to the original 🙈

16. What are your writing strengths? character voice, i think, and banter in particular. sexual tension, smut. so i've been told!

17. What are your writing weaknesses? i hardly write anything longer than a single scene, let alone more than one chapter. the one time i've given it an earnest go, i've gotten so caught up in the weeds that i haven't updated in months T_T

i'd also like to get better at atmosphere. not so much descriptions of the setting, more like... creating a distinctive tone through detail, metaphor, word choice. sometimes i feel like unless i'm writing a very particular setting, the tone is just. nonexistent?

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? i honestly have zero thoughts

19. First fandom you wrote for? harry potter when was 14. wow it even has an A/N and everything

20. Favourite fic you've written? i think it’s bad desire so i’m glad the people agree hahah 

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tagging @lordwisteria @roipecheur @mattdillon @thesubtextis @ontheropesss !