#the retirement they deserve

[salchat]

I just posted another little addition to my Secret Flowers series.

Grapevines

Dean had pizza dough stuck under his fingernails. He picked some of it out, rolled it in a ball and flicked it into the fireplace - which wasn’t a great idea, because it would be a while before they’d light the fire again.

He stretched and yawned, his arms reaching out past the arm of the couch, feet waggling at the other end. His t-shirt dragged across his sweaty skin, exposing his abs to the sultry air. He yawned again and glanced at the old clock on the mantelpiece. Cas had found it in an antique shop, brought it home and set it between the cactus-guys, who danced frantically every time it chimed.

The pizza dough still had a while to rise. Dean had put it in the cellar, because he wanted it to rise slowly - the flavour would develop more that way - and it was too hot everywhere else. Air-conditioning. That should have come way higher up on Dean's list than building a pizza oven. And higher than constructing a big wooden framework to make an outside dining area off the side of the porch, because Cas had wanted to pretend he was Italian, or at least in Italy. A pergola, Cas called it.

“We can dine al fresco,” he’d said, his eyes easily as blue as the summer sky. “And I can train grape vines and flowers to grow over the framework so that they hang down all around us. It’ll be beautiful, Dean.”

It was beautiful. But still, air-conditioning would have been nice.

Read on AO3

[makima-s-most-smile]

For Vash it is a reminder that he is more akin to a human than to a monster. One of the big reasons of separation of himself to everyone else is that he lives on a different timeline. What is a short jaunt for him is Brad growing up from a little brat to a teenage brat with heartache. Vash lived on the fringes of communities, if at all, too aware of his otherness. Time doesn't get him like it does humans, much like bullets and more.

But his hair shows, that he finally can age. It means he can rest, his work is done. There'll be a new generation that can take up his coat and gun. And even better, since he can age, even if his loved ones leave first, he won't have eternity without them. Vash can finally settle down with the knowledge that this is something secure, something real.

And Wolfwood, yes, some may say how sad it is. His youth was stolen and his body still doesn't stop. The time he has lost, won't come back. The grey is the best example for it. He lives, but his body is already breaking down. How much time will he have left?

But for Wolfwood, he couldn't even dream of growing grey with age. There was nothing written in his future but his untimely death for his duty. And instead of coughing out his lungs after an overdose (well, he most likely did that anyway, but got yoinked back somehow ™), he is surrounded by close loved ones. People he can let close enough for them to recognise change in him when they spy a grey hair and shout that out (somehow I believe that Meryl would be the one). It is nothing shameful, it is an award. It is the safety of a home and a community. Something Wolfwood always protected from the outside without being part of it.

vash and wolfwood with gray hair. vash grays around the temples first and wolfwood goes all salt and pepper. everyone tells wolfwood how handsome he looks with them but really he just feels nice that it looks like he's lived. he didn't think he'd make it this far. in some ways, he didn't.

[worm-on-a-blog]

hey! take it easy soon, if you can. 

[tojisun]

biting a rock thinking about (retired) simon’s daily acts of service </33

he cuts open a pomegranate for you and pours the seeds into a bowl so it’s easier for you to eat them. he pushes your hair away so that not a single one gets caught when he zips up the zipper on the back of your clothes. he hooks your necklace for you, apologizing when it’s taking so long for him to do so because the clasp keeps slipping from his pinched fingers. he takes the fuzzy socks from your hold so he can slide them on your feet himself, his big hands massaging the back of your shins with murmured praises because he knows how much your legs are hurting after such a tiring day. he talks to your plants because you told him, in passing, how you heard that plants apparently react to human voices the way people do so he makes sure to tell them how much he loves you—he thinks it will help maintain the healthy lushness of their leaves. he brews you coffee before fixing himself up a cup of tea; then, he learns how to make iced coffee when he noticed that you prefer colder drinks. he’s always the one who ties your shoelaces, be it at home or outside.

(now that he’s retired, i love imagining simon round with all the love he carries, both for you and from you. he is softer now. happier. yes, he still prefers to keep to himself, still prefers the quiet. but now it is not tainted with the necessity to survive, instead, it is filled with tenderness and love. and you.)

[montereybayaquarium]

🐾🌊 Sending a frond farewell! 🌊🐾

 🎉 We're shell-ebrating an otterly amazing journey and wishing our beloved sea otter, Kit, the very best as she embarks on a new adventure at the Detroit Zoo!

🦦Kit turned 14 in December 2023, and after a decade of being a super-mom in our Sea Otter Surrogacy Program, it's time for her to enjoy a well-deserved retirement. Kit has been a pawsome surrogate mom, raising 10 pups and contributing greatly to the conservation of southern sea otters.

🌍Our Sea Otter Surrogacy Program has been making waves since 2001, helping to recover California’s southern sea otter population. Thanks to our dedicated team and partners, we can give orphaned pups a second chance at life by rescuing, raising, and releasing them. Back in the wild, they help restore and support healthy ecosystems–playing a key role in combating climate change.

🙌 Why Detroit? After reaching out to other AZA facilities, we found Detroit Zoo to be the pawfect fit for Kit! They have a wonderful sea otter program, and Kit's presence will be a great addition to their social group. 

🌟Although we’ll miss Kit dearly, her move allows us to continue our important surrogacy work here at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and allows a younger female otter to join our team and carry on Kit's incredible legacy. 

🦸‍ So here's to Kit, our fin-tastic frond, who has been nothing short of otterly wonderful! We wish her the best of luck and lots of joy in her new home. 

💙 See her before she leaves. The last day our guests will be able to visit Kit will be Monday June 3rd. She will then move off exhibit to prepare for her journey to her new home. Check her out in her new home in Detroit later this summer.

[czpeterp]

Another one from The Archives! (Aka all the art I made this year and never shared)

I just think they're neat :3c

[dukeofthomas]

Here's my controversial opinion; if you're trying to write Bruce as a non-abusive, good parent, you should also write him respecting his kids' privacy, boundaries, and not stalking&surveying them.

[gazkamurocho]

"They are finally back home"

Some soft post-Y8 Kazumaji for @kazumaji_ on Twitter, who won my 1500 followers giveaway ❤

[urdadsceilingfan]

Crying

[trustymikh]

happy birthday, old man

[boredomsbonedeep]

they're gonna bring jason back right?? and piper's coming too? and she'll be an important part of the plot instead of just getting mentioned at the end? and leo will be there? and then valgrace?

[nelkcats]

Conner Phantom, learning to live

It had been a few years since Vlad and Danny had stopped being enemies, years since Amity had been at peace with the ghosts. Danny spent his days teaching his children (he assumed they were his children) about well, everything.

Dan and Ellie had prefabricated knowledge, the halfa couldn't quite get it, but the point was that while they knew who was the creator of the chemistry, they had no idea how to do 2 + 2, so he made it his homework to fill in all the gaps.

No one at Amity blinked at the 30-year-boy-who-was-actually-12 and the 15-year-girl-who-was-actually-4, Danny guessed they had gotten used to the weirdness. One day, Vlad called and pointed out that someone had entered his database a few months ago (apparently he checked his digital security very little when he didn't make "evil" plans) and they had stolen the plans for the cloning capsule. Danny had a bad feeling.

Of course, it was after a month of searching that he found out about Lex Luthor's little "project." To say that he was angry was an understatement; he found the poor Superboy being mind controlled. He felt sad when he remembered Ellie's situation and well, he ended up stealing a clone child and destroying some laboratory. Like old times.

The world did not know of Phantom; Amity was suspicious, almost jealous that their protector could be taken away if they said a word, so they didn't say anything out of the city. It's not like the League did anything when they called. Danny didn't care, less tedious meetings and contingency plans for him. Besides, he wasn't excited about going back to the field if he didn't have to, as long as Amity was safe, the world could be destroyed for all he cared.

He wondered if spending too much time with Dan was affecting him, but in the end he dismissed the thought. Upon arriving home, Superboy had woken up and was being interrogated by the Phantoms. He chose his name to be Conner (sounds good apparently) and agreed to take classes to fill in the gaps of knowledge, just like Ellie, he seemed uncomfortable with the gaps.

The poor boy looked uncomfortable, waiting for the other shoe to drop, but it never did. After finding out whose clone he was, he wondered if they would take him to Superman, but Danny just snorted. By the end of the week, Conner was a Phantom, and he was fine with that. Danny even told him that he could live normally if he wanted to, and the boy happily accepted the offer. Conner didn't want to be a hero, at least not that early, and Danny was happy with his decision.

Danny frowned thinking of all the heroes who would say that is "selfish" for someone with power to not to use it. But he believed that they were doubly selfish. Being a teenage hero wasn't fucking easy. He hugged Conner, welcoming him to the family and within days, the whole town already knew about him (they also knew whose clone he was, but they didn't really care, they weren't snitching).

Curiously, it was Tim Drake who noticed the strange family visiting Gotham (a 23-year-old seemed to be berating a 30-year-old for stealing tires, he snorted at the irony). However he froze when he saw Clark?, but much younger, speaking in Kryptonian and laughing. He called a meeting in the batcave and tried to call the family, but as soon as they saw the expression in his face they vanished from sight.

Hell, he needed to report it to Bruce.

[toastysol]

Thinking about how, between him and V, Jackie is by far the more personable of the two. He oozes such easy charisma that it's really hard to actually hate him. He's the one with connections all over Night City. V's best friend who always knows a guy. He hooks V up with whoever they could possibly need. Everyone who's ever met him either loves him, or has great respect for him.

And yet. Despite the number of people he knows and who know him, after he dies, V is the one they remember. "Didn't you have someone with you?" Sandra asks. "You did well, V. You and that... friend of yours." Wakako states. Jackie is the one who got them that job. Or at least that's what the prologue sequence led me to believe. V asks him if Wakako had any tips for the Sandra case. Therefore, Jackie was the one who got them hired. I cant tell if Wakako forgot his name on purpose cause she didn't like him/care enough or genuinely doesn't remember. I know Sandra has good reason not to. She was unconscious.

It's just gut wrenching to me. Jackie put in all this work, prolly called in so many favors, to help V get to where they needed to be, and in the end, no one knows his name. He went out with a bang and didn't even get a footnote. Of course, V can change that after the game if they want I would guess. Use their prestige and respect to spread the word about the bestest friend they ever had in nc. He does get his own drink at the Afterlife, but does anyone know who they're drinking? How colorful and full of life he was? Do they know how he died? What he did?

And I mean, his name seemed to be at least somewhat well-known in the valentinos. But that means about jack squat in the merc world. He was supposed to be a legend, but all he ended up as was a ghost.

What makes this worse in my canon, is that the "Major Leagues" was never even V's dream. It always belonged to Jack. When he chases it, he does so in Jackie's place. For him. Not for V. Sometimes he wishes it were Jackie's name he was using, just so someone would hear it and be filled with hope for the future. Just like Jackie was with Morgan Blackhand, Andrew Weyland, and Adam Smasher. He carries Jackie's ghost on his back, every rung of the ladder, and no one even sees it.

[casdeans-pie]

The people who defend Dean's death via rusty nail on a run of the mill vamp hunt always quote him saying he's going to die on a hunt as their defense of why they they're pro rusty nail death, but they conveniently seem to forget that he also explicitly fantasised about retiring and going to the beach and putting his toes in the sand. because its something he acknowledges that he deserves

[valgeristik]

Ничего не останется от нас, Нам останемся, в лучшем случае, мы

hi. hello. listen to this song

i have so many thoughts about these two. oh my god. maybe i will write it out some day, but for now drawing it out will do

translation will be under the cut! knowing the words does add to the work so i do recommend reading it. or just enjoy the art <3

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heres the translation, color coded according to how i broke it up for the art. just in casies

first page:

Love is scarier than war

Love strikes more true than steel

second page:

More true, because of your own volition

third page:

You run towards all the winds

Let there be pain and eternal battle

Not atmospheric, not earthly

fourth page:

But definitely with you

caption:

There will be nothing left of us,

we will be left with, in the best case, ourselves

[applejuucee]

"Don't be afraid to let go."

Quick Wash sketch. I miss the freelancers dearly.