#their kepler is amazing

[distracted-obsessions]

OH SHIT YOURE THE PERSON WHOS WRITING THE DOUG EIFFEL FIC THATS DESTROYING ME EMOTIONALLY OH MY GOD. I DIDNT KNOW THAT I WAS TALKING TO A GENIUS

UM, EXCUSE ME, I JUST READ ONE OF YOUR FICS AND YOU'RE CALLING ME THE GENIUS!?!?! I WAS LITERALLY GIGGLING AND SCREAMING, IT WAS AMAZING!!!!!!

[maveriquecultureis]

maverique culture is being extremely swag and cool

maverique culture is!

[rexscanonwife]

JANE JANE JANE!!!!! Kind of uncreative question but is there any songs you associate with Kepler/songs that have his vibes? 🥺

HIIIII MIA 🥺🥺💖💖💖 don't worry I love this kind of question, it's not uncreative at all! In fact I'm kind of glad you asked because I in fact have a whole PLAYLIST of songs that remind me of him/his vibes!!

It's only got a handful and a few of them are chosen for specific reasons! I did wanna kinda point out a couple that are especially significant 👉👈

So THIS one is an especially hard hitter cause I've actually been meaning make an animatic/(lyricstuck for those of you Who Know) because all of the lyrics give me a pretty strong visual that I just NEED to get out there...one of these days ._. Maybe I intimidate myself out of big projects but ah well. There's always my imagination!

So this one aside from being an amazing song by an amazing composer sung by an AMAZING singer (I'm a Jeremy Jordan stan for sure) from one of my favorite animated series!! The lyrics are so PAINFULLY Kepler there was no way I couldn't have this on the playlist! 🥺🥺💖💖

[isabellovelaces]

SAVE A HORSE RIDE A COWBOY‼️

@isabellovelaces I hope you don't mind me drawing your si5 cowboy au I'm going nuts over it

[idealisticcatastasis]

Here's the illustration I created for the @thylabang 2024, The Shore Leave Reverse Bang! My idea was to draw Spock and Kirk in the Lower Decks style, engaged in typical Lower Deck-ian shenanigans. My amazing partner kettleknight wrote 'The Kraken on Kepler-3b' to go along with it, go check it out!

[astrosky33]

𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐘 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐒 𝐈 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐀𝐒 𝐀 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐅𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐄𝐑

ABOUT ME

Hello! I’m Skylar if you’re new to my page and I got my diploma in astrology from Kepler College (the #1 best astrology school in the world)

I’ve been studying astrology for over a decade now as well and these are the books I recommend

☆ BEGINNER BOOKS ☆

The Only Astrology Book You’ll Ever Need by Joanna Woolfolk

Goes over all the basic information for beginners and has interpretations written in as well. In the beginning of the book it focuses a lot on Sun Signs but gives more insight on other placements later in the book don’t worry

Astrology for the Soul by Jan Spiller

Another great book for beginners. I like the interpretations

The Inner Sky by Steven Forrest

Written by a very renowned astrologer. He goes over signs, aspects, etc and breaks them all down really well

You were born for this by Chani Nicholas

I love how this book goes over how to use astrology in your daily life and isn’t just cookie cutter definitions of placements like many other books. It’s also interactive and you can write in some pages which is always fun. It’s one of my favorite books for beginners

Aspects in astrology by Sue Tompkins

This is a great book for people curious about what each aspect means and how they can manifest into your life

☆ INTERMEDIATE BOOKS ☆

Predictive Astrology by Michele Adler

This book is definitely worth the price. It gives lots of information on techniques you can use to make predictions in astrology. It’s based on Western Astrology

The Art of Predictive Astrology by Carol Rushmam

Another great predictive astro book that talks about how to make predictions based on transits in your chart

Medical Astrology by Judith Hill

This is a great book with information on body part astrology and medical information. Although I do want to note when reading this do not be afraid if you share one of the transits that the public figures mentioned had during their health issues arising as astrology is a polarity. Meaning you can take on positive traits rather than the challenging ones often

☆ ADVANCED BOOKS ☆

Asteroid Goddesses by Demetra George

Goes over all the major asteroids in astrology. This can help you a lot if you’re interested in learning basic information on asteroids

Planets in Composite by Robert Hand

There are not many books out there on Composite compatibility so out of all of them this is my favorite even though it’s very basic it’s still a good read if you’re learning about Composite charts

The Psychology of Astrocartography by Jim Lewis

This is the best book about astrocartography I’ve found so far and very informative. The only bad thing I have to say about this book is that the print is really small. It’s amazing other than that though

☆ OLD AGE ASTRO BOOKS ☆

Mastering Traditional Astrology by Mychal A. Brian

If you’re more interested in old age astrology then this is an amazing read. You can purchase it on Amazon

Astrology of the Tree by David Frawley

This is great for beginners in vedic astrology and goes over all the basics. Really anything by David Frolly is great if you want to learn about vedic

The Nakshatras; the Lunar Mansions of Vedic Astrology by Dennis Harness

It’s a short read and goes over all the meanings of all the nakshatras

Light on Relationships by Hart De

A very comprehensive read that goes over synastry in Indian astrology. It gives lots of interesting techniques that can give insight on future marriages as well

Mayan Calender Astrology by Kenneth Johnson

This is extremely hard to comprehend so don’t purchase if you’re new to astrology. Even I had to read it a few times to fully get it. It discusses the astrology that the egyptians wrote in their hieroglyphics

☆ BOOKS I STUDIED FOR MY DIPLOMA ☆ [these aren’t all of them just some of my faves]

Sky and Psyche; the relationship between cosmos and consciousness by Nicholas Campion and Patrick Curry

This is an extremely underrated book and one of my favorites by far. This book goes over not just meanings of the planets, houses, synastry aspects, etc but also why the planets manifest in certain ways

The planetarization of consciousness by Dane Rudhyar

This one isn’t a basic overview like the other books I’ve mentioned it’s more psychological type astrology which I found really interesting

History of western astrology volume 1 & 2 by Nicholas Campion

This goes over how astrology has been used throughout history and why it was used in the past

☆ OTHER ASTRO BOOKS ☆

Moonology by Yasmin Boland

This is a manifestation astrology book. It gives an amazing story about the authors life before using astrology and manifestation and how it impacted them. Great for learning how to manifest using the moon cycles and astrology

The Handbook of Chinese Horoscopes by Theodora Lau and Laura Lau

My favorite Chinese astrology book. There isn’t many good ones out there

Birth Time Rectification by Paul Manley

There are some things I would’ve added to this book that weren’t mentioned but other than that it’s pretty good in helping find the right birth times using vedic astrology

<- 𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗧

[podcastlvr]

not tmagp but happy january 24th: the day daniel jacobi and warren kepler invented being the worst people on the planet (and in space)!! 🪐🛰️🔭🍾 my favourite toxic couple forever 💓

original inspo: @endoplasmian ❤️❤️ check out their art - it is amazing!!!

[simpystarrr]

SHDJDJ THIS IS PERFECT! He looks so tiny and confused and I love it!

The way you draw 5eb3 is just *chefs kiss* wonderful 🤌🤌🤌

"You know what, fuck you" *picks up your Asu like a cat*

(5eb3 belongs to @simpystarrr)

[callunavulgari]

Top 25 Fics of 2023

1. whatever you want by Wildehack (tyleet) | Wolf 359 | Kepler/Jacobi | 5k

Kepler doesn't fuck him that first day, when Daniel swallows his pride like it's a hot coal he can feel boiling down to the pit of his stomach and dials the number left on the card. Heather Says: Back in 2017, Wolf 359 changed my life. I relisten to it every year. I reread fic. I sometimes write it. And THIS year, I was blessed with one of my favorites writing my favorites from Wolf 359. It's honestly exactly what I wanted out of a Wolf 359 fix it/coda.

2. god was a dog-man by @andthepeople | Teen Wolf | Derek/Stiles | 13k

“Do you have a secret teenage son?” Stiles demands, as soon as Derek opens the door. Heather Says: I did NOT watch the Teen Wolf movie this year. I did, however, relentlessly stalk reaction posts and (very select) gifsets. I also read this fantastic fic, which is now the movie in my brain because since I didn't see it, I'll never know.

3. then out of nowhere, somebody comes and hits you with an ooh la la la, ooh la la la, ooh la la la, ooh by @calciseptine | Deadpool | Peter/Wade | 49k

A man with spider-themed superpowers accidentally breaks into Wade's apartment. Heather Says: Deadpool is one of those fandoms that I'm technically a part of because I like it and I think Spiderman and Deadpool is both hilarious and hot, but it's always just on the edge of my peripherals. But sometimes Steve's fic just kind of creeps on me and demands my attention. This was my feel good fic this spring.

4. By the Laws of Magic by Lenore | The Sandman | Dream/Hob | 32k

It’s 1959, and Hob Gadling is working at a London auction house, amazing his colleagues with his uncanny knowledge of art and artifacts from the 14th century on. When he gets the assignment to catalogue a family library at a place called Fawney Rig, he looks forward to a working vacation in the country. What he finds is a house with a preternatural chill where odd disturbances happen daily, an ornate carved door with a secret clearly hidden behind it, and visions of his mysterious stranger every time he turns around. Heather Says: I honestly love this ship. The fairy tale elements combined with the very compelling idea that in another universe much like this one, Hob Gadling ends up saving Dream from his glass prison made for some truly great fiction.

5. Dawnshot Through the Heart by @sirnotappearinginthisblog | Wax&Wayne series | Wax/Wayne | WIP | 80k

Ten years ago, Wayne fled instead of letting himself get arrested for murder. He’s been an outlaw ever since, keeping one step ahead of the lawkeepers who want him dead or alive—especially Dawnshot. But his luck was bound to run out eventually, and he knows how it always ends for the Bad Guys in stories. Heather Says: I think that this is the only WIP on here but I cannot rightfully leave it off because I LOVED this fic this year. I love the Mistborn series, but I've never really sought out fic for it before. This one though, this one found me. The writing is SUPERB and I wish it was a bigger fandom because it deserves so much love, you guys. It's so so so good. I love Wax and Wayne's dynamic in the series. They're great. But also- what if they had an enemies to lovers thing going on that turned poly? WHAT IF?!

6. One Size Fits All by @entanglednow | Stranger Things | Eddie/Steve | 65k

Steve just wanted to do something nice for a friend, he doesn't mean to get Eddie's ring stuck on his finger, and it's definitely not his fault that everyone he knows is jumping to conclusions. Heather Says: This is not the last time that you will see this author or this ship on this list. I really would have thought that Steddie would have crept out of my brain right now, but NOPE. And part of that is because every couple weeks entanglednow drops an absolute BANGER of a fic that obliterates my brain for anything else.

7. you are spring by @wildehacked | Supernatural | Castiel/Dean | 20k

God makes a wish. His parents work some things out. Heather Says: I got very close to leaving this one off the list, not because it wasn't good or that it wasn't one of my top 25 but purely because I've been out of the Supernatural fandom for so many years. I mean, c'mon. I didn't watch the last FIVE seasons. However, getting to follow along wildehacked's rewatch journey on twitter was a blast from the past and then THIS lovely shining fic that they churned out lured me back in for one last nibble at this ship that took over my life for the better part of a decade. It is so incredibly amazing and since I never finished the series, I will happily go on pretending that this is how it ended.

8. Interim by starkraving | BotW/TOtK | Ganondorf/Link/Zelda | 95k

She has no throne. Girls without thrones should not have knights, but hers won’t go. Princess Zelda – the girl who killed Calamity – would love to fade into legend, but Link’s bought a house, he’s fighting off monsters, and he’s selling giant horses to strangely familiar Gerudo men. She'll never have any peace now. Heather Says: This fic. THIS FIC. Is so richly built. Is so intoxicating. It leans into found family. You spend chapter after chapter watching Zelda and Link traverse Hyrule with the hot Gerudo that they met along the way after the events of the first game. And it is so fucking compelling. Honestly, while I'm happy that they smooched, I would have been completely fine reading another 100k of just these three wandering Hyrule together, being absolute goblins. 10 out 10, will read again.

9. one hundred years past by tciddaemina | BotW/TotK | Ganondorf/Link | 38k

Link wakes up a century early. It changes everything. Heather Says: Can you tell that playing Tears of the Kingdom left me desperately thirsty for any and all Ganondorf content this summer? I'm a sucker for all sides of the poly triforce but I'll admit that Ganondorf and Link scratches that enemies to lovers itch PERFECTLY if it's done well. And this one is done well.

10. Step Right Up by entanglednow | Stranger Things | Steve/Eddie | 3k

Steve had mostly given up on trying to meet anyone new after everything, but it's been six months and his friends had started giving him pointed nudges to get out there again. Heather Says: Told you it wouldn't be the last you saw of entanglednow. I actually think that this might be my favorite fic that they've written? Which is saying a lot because I will scream it to the rafters that any Steddie fan should read their fic. But this is FUN HOUSE MIRROR MAZE and MISTAKEN IDENTITY KISSING. Guys, I have no chill about this fic. I have no chill about Steve's hands in Eddie's hair, or the sounds that he makes, or the smell of strawberry. It is just so so good.

11. the most remarkable thing about you standing in the doorway is that it’s you by @greatunironic | Stranger Things | Steve/Eddie | 35k

Sixteen years after the world didn't end for the last time, Max Mayfield showed up on Steve’s doorstep and said, “You gonna walk me down the aisle in May or what?” Or, it’s 2002 and Steve Harrington attends a wedding, a funeral, and a birth. Heather Says: I genuinely do not think that I have words for this one. It is one of those all encompassing fics that sucks you in and just won't spit you out again. It hurts, an ache just under the breastbone. But god, it's so beautiful.

12. Fight Night by @rlnerdgirl | Teen Wolf | Derek/Stiles | 12k

Stiles starts fighting in college. He doesn't tell anyone. Heather Says: There are three...? Yeah, three Teen Wolf fics on this list. Three. Like it's 2015 again. Like my brain broke and time went ticking all the way back to when I was ridiculously invested in these characters. But honestly? All three Teen Wolf fics on this list are incredibly therapeutic. They get to be the ending for me instead of whatever clusterfuck good ole Jeff tried to pull. This one in particular is fantastic because it's canon-divergence after SEASON one. Yes, we have Erica and Boyd. Yes, Stiles is BAMF. It's a good read.

13. strange fear i ain’t felt for years by Sister | Batman | Tim/Jason | 31k

“Can’t believe a pretty thing like you has to come begging to the Red Hood,” he says against Tim’s neck. “Thought they’d be lining up down the block for you. Thought Daddy would need to get the shotgun.” Heather Says: Oh look, another ship and fandom that I was only peripherally aware of that had me in a chokehold for a good month and a half. I don't even like DC that much.

14. Silver-Tongue by starkraving | Baldur's Gate 3 | Astarion/Karlach | 9k

Astarion fast-talks an abnormal number of enemies into killing themselves in the shadow-cursed lands and the team makes idle (then less idle) conversation about it. Heather Says: Okay, so I STILL have not finished this game. I have however very carefully consumed as much content as I can get my hands on without being completely and totally spoiled. This was the first fic that I really loved in this fandom. It's no surprise that I ship Astarion happily with everyone, but damn is he good with Karlach in this one. Their characterization is perfect.

15. A Sign of The Morning by ToEdenandBackAgain | Stranger Things | Eddie/Steve | 86k

Vecna is dead. The Upside Down is cut off from Hawkins yet again. Steve is trying to go back to normal, whatever that is. He's also trying to figure out exactly how Eddie Munson has managed to fit so easily into his life. Heather Says: Honestly? What can I say about this one? It has 19,000 kudos despite being published last June. It's on a ridiculous number of collection/rec lists. The tension is exquisite. The found family? Even better.

16. Phantom of Truth by Haiju | Danny Phantom | Maddie Fenton & Danny Fenton | 58k

Locked away in a secret government lab with Phantom as her sole object of study, nothing stands between Maddie and the truth... except, perhaps, herself. Heather Says: Oh look, another fandom that I have never ever been a part of. I saw this REALLY NEAT and angsty tiktok (tw for ghosty gore) and basically immediately was sucked into a show that I've never even watched before. The comments lead me to this fic which is perfectly gen, angsty, and honestly absolutely perfect. I cannot get over how much I loved this.

17. Manacled by senlinyu | Harry Potter | Draco/Hermione | 370k

Harry Potter is dead. In the aftermath of the war, in order to strengthen the might of the magical world, Voldemort enacts a repopulation effort. Heather Says: I did the thing. I read the incredibly dark fic that I've been avoiding since 2018. I typically steer-clear of anything that is overly bleak and I do not tiptoe into non-con waters often. But one of our groomsmen who isn't even involved with fandom read this so that his girlfriend would watch Star Wars with him and then spent a good portion of a Halloween party talking it up. So I gave it a shot. Over all, it is too bleak for me. That said, I finished it in a weekend. I loved it. I hated it. I wish I'd broken it up over a longer period of time because the emotional bleed off of it was intense.

18. Ready for Love by @idiopathicsmile | Singin in the Rain | Cosmo/Kathy/Don | 12k

Don and Kathy would move in together. They would have a dog or two and then inevitably, a small parade of adorable little brats who would call him Uncle Cosmo, and they would spend less and less time with him, not on purpose but busy with the rest of their lives, and ultimately Cosmo would learn to make his peace with it because he’d have no other choice and he would have to try to move on and not live too much in his memories. He could picture it so clearly, he figured if the songwriting gig with Monumental didn’t pan out, he could always return to the backwater circuit with a new act: The Amazing Cosmo of the Cosmos—ladies and gentlemen, he sees the future, he reads the stars, he silently pines for his best married pal and all the while tap dancing! Don and Kathy inviting him along on their honeymoon, though—that part was a surprise. Heather Says: I LOVE this movie. It is one of my biggest comfort movies. I watch it to feel happy. I watch it when I'm sad. And I have always shipped these three but NEVER read fic for it. And honestly? I'm glad I waited for a good fic to find me because this one was perfect.

19. A Series of Forgettable Events by @trensu | Stranger Things | Steve/Eddie | 27k

Steve wanted to be a dad more than anything. Unfortunately, he was a single dude in his thirties which meant no adoption agency in the world was willing to give him a chance. Or at least no human adoption agency. Heather Says: Honestly just a delightful little jaunt in a world where Steve wants to be a dad, Eddie is a very overprotective siren, and the kids are, well. Little horrors. I love it. There's a sequel now which I am very patiently waiting to read it until I am less busy in RL.

20. the dry sand of daylight by @andthepeople | Inception | Arthur/Eames | 15k

Arthur is married to Eames for the better part of a decade. Then he wakes up. Heather Says: This fic left me ACHING for the Inception fandom circa 2010-2012. When livejournal was still a thing and the fandom community was alive and thriving. It is so achingly tender and perfect. I had forgotten how much I loved them.

21. brutalist masterpieces by @greatunironic | Stranger Things | Steve/Eddie | 12k

Ten years on, in a town in Nova Scotia, on the edge of the Atlantic, Eddie finds Steve again, and also maybe himself. Heather Says: Maybe that's my thing this year. Achingly sweet tender pieces that leave you reeling in the aftermath. This fic is SO incredibly beautiful.

22. What Made Milwaukee Famous by synthetica | Danny Phantom | Vlad/Danny | 30k

Ten years after establishing a tenuous truce, Danny crash-lands at Vlad's Milwaukee lakehouse with a particularly nasty wound, three days recovery time, and absolutely nothing to do but talk to his long-lost archnemesis. Heather Says: I'm told that this is something of a rarepair. However, from the limited information that I have from the series I can say with full certainty that two ghostly beings locked for years as enemies growing up and meeting in the middle? Fully my thing.

23. then now and always by @raisesomehale | Teen Wolf | Derek/Stiles | 13k

Stiles is stuck. Stiles is stuck in the fucking snow in the middle of bum-fuck-nowhere at night with a broken down car three days before Christmas, and the nearest tow truck company—over fifty miles away—doesn’t open until morning. Heather Says: And here we have the promised third Teen Wolf fic, the most cathartic of the bunch. I am so so sweet on future fic particularly in this fandom with missed chances. And this one is just so syrupy sweet. It's winter! There's horses! Derek's an alpha! They smooch. Anyway, this is how I cope with a series finale that didn't happen and a movie that doesn't exist.

24. Terminus by @rcmclachlan | Loki | Loki/Mobius | 4k

"Keep me here," he begs against Mobius's lips. "You must keep me here." Heather Says: What do you mean you didn't spend all three replays of the Loki series finale weeping into a pillow? What do you mean you didn't spend the next few days trying to find the perfect coda? What do you mean that you didn't find this fic and positively expire from the sheer fucking tenderness in Mobius' voice? What do you mean? What. do you. mean? Anyway, I know I'm not supposed to have number one favorites. This list exists because I cannot condense it further than 25. But guys, this was my favorite fic this year.

25. Eye Of The Beholder by @entanglednow | Stranger Things | Steve/Eddie | 22k

Eddie works himself up to ask Steve if he can borrow his instant camera, because the type of pictures he wants to take are…not the kind he can get developed in town. Heather Says: And to round it out, another Steddie. This one with sexy photos. The tension is killer.

[maggotwithanf]

BACK FROM WASTELAND.

Holy shit this was a brutal one for my tribe but we made it through the hottest WW on record. We had multiple tribe members get hospitalized or sent to medical for Jugger, Thunderdome, heat exhaustion, and worse. But we're all here for each other, and that's what counts!!!

Ok NAMES TIME: Mush!!! It was SO GOOD TO MEET YOU IN PERSON!! I can't wait to hang more next year aaaaaaaaAAAAA

Pupcake/Missfortune, & Mr. Privilege, you are TRULY the dream blunt rotation and I love you both SO MUCH and I can't wait to blast off to Thotumn at Neo!!! Pupcake, I love you and I can't wait for more WWs with you!! Mr P I also especially cannot wait to shtick some shtick at you and touch your deck some more at the LCC and beyond (at the CTRL ALT WIN. obviously.)

Disaster, you are LEGITIMATELY one of my favorite people in the Wastes and beyond!! The Rat Trap is the most magical place on earth and I will never forget watching the sun rise on the last day of Neo with you!! BALORT FOREVER. You have no idea what the Rat Trap being real and there every Great Gathering means to me :'))

Warbird, I loved getting to know you and wander the wastes with you!!! You're so fun I can't believe we haven't hung more!!

FROG. MY LOVE. You are SO BRAVE for surviving this WW and the gnarliest Thunderdome injury in ODS history. You are amazing and loved and I can't wait to see you on Kepler!!!

To my LCC VIP Blackjack Squad: Barter Jinx, Sweet Dee, The Plague, Numbers, (Triple) Ace, Pedromeo, and of course our newest inductee Squints: *slams table* WINNING ALL THE TIME WINNING ALL THE TIME WINNING ALL THE TIIIIME I can't wait to blackjack every fucking night again for the 5th year in a row!!!!

Donut, GoGurt, THANKS FOR SAVING ME FROM HEATSTROKE HOLY SHIT. Donut especially for carrying me half the way like a fireman & GoGurt for staying with me the whole time /sob

And of course, to our Operation Dessert Storm inductees this year: Dr Pepper, Waffles, the Muffin Man, Champain, Snatch Goblin, Chef, Cap'n Crunch, Tart, Airhead, Big League Chew, Jammy Dodger, WELCOME TO THE FAMILY!!!! Some of you have obvs been here longer than I have but inductions come in batches like muffins and I love you all so much!!!!!!!

Tart: I love you so much and can't wait to bug hunt on Kepler with you :'))) you mean SO MUCH to me!!!

I know I'm missing a bunch of people but SCREAMING. I LOVE ALL OF YOU SO FUCKING MUCH. Special shoutout to Baby Ruth the very first unborn ODS member to complete their first WW in the womb (congrats Sweet Justice & Twix!!!) as well as the beautiful newlyweds Bear & Bananaz!! BONERTOWN FOREVER!!!!

xoxoxoxoxo PVT MEAT

p.s. slugga 4 sheriff 4 lyfe

[thiswasinevitableid]

Cactus Gorge (Sternclay)

For the yeehawgust "chaps n spurs" prompt poll, the tied winner was "cactus blossom." This fill is NSWF and does reference violence.

Cactus Blossom Gorge is said to be the prettiest place west of the Rockies. In the spring, the cacti bloom in waves of pink and orange, leaving the air almost candied in its sweetness and the vistas like a watercolor. 

Barclay’s never had a reason to be in the canyon until now; it’s a day's ride from town, is steep and treacherous to descend, and is rumored to be home to a race of monsters. So, the fact that the blossoms can be boiled into syrups that make desserts taste amazing (and sell out faster than his flapjacks) has always taken second place to staying alive.

He wouldn’t be here now if it weren’t for the fucking kidnapping. 

He’d been hired out as a day cook for a party of wealthy tourists from back east. He didn’t take those jobs often, but with summer on the horizon, visitors to Kepler Desert will get scarcer, so he took the generous fee and left Moira to run the kitchen. 

It should have been easy; pack a picnic and drinks, show off cooking on the campfire at dusk, then call it a day. But the group hired a guide they met at the station, rather than asking in town. 

Turns out the guide was a member of the Copperhead Gang, looking for a fat mouse to lead straight into a trap. 

So now he’s stuck here, five days later, arms tied except for when the bandits demand he cook something. They’ve left his legs undone, because his first escape attempt was also his last; he can afford the broken nose. If they get his fingers, like they promised they would, he’ll be fucked when he gets back home. 

If he gets back home. 

He’s laying on his side, in the shade of a boulder, wondering if anyone is looking for him. Mama, Aubrey, all his friends, they must be worried sick, must know what happened. The gang left the bodies there for the coyotes, after all. 

But what if the sheriff and his men assumed Barclay’s body had just been dragged off? Told everyone it was a shame, that they’d catch the varmits eventually (as they’ve been saying for the last four months, in spite of there now being bounty hunters prowling the desert, looking to catch what they clearly can’t).

Dirt crunches behind him. Before he can sit up, a kick catches his upper back. 

“Up. Buddy shot some quails.”

Barclay spends the sunset plucking the birds, cooking them over the fire. Sprinkles a seasoning blend over them; he intended to make these assholes eat the blandest food alive, but after they threatened to cut out his tongue since it was clear he wasn’t using it to taste, he’s been using his special mixture on sad stews and shot birds.

The leader, Bobby, snarls that he better not overcook it. Or he’ll end up like the last cook. 

Barclay tries not to think about the last cook. The guy must have had friends and family, must have sat by the fire with these same copperheads circling him, hoping someone would save him. 

(“Copperheads” he can hear his friend Duck’s voice in his head, “we ain’t even got those out here.”)

The meal is good enough to keep him alive, though he gets ash kicked on his shirt and nearly in his eyes for trying to snag a stray piece of skin. 

Then he’s tied up by the boulder once again, eyes stinging, stomach rumbling, and hope fading. 

It’s when empty plates are being scraped that one of the men says, “Where’d Mike go?”

“Powder room.” Bobby chuckles, still pleased with his idea to call the privacy granted by some stones twenty paces from camp. 

“No I know, but he’s not back. Ain’t been since the start of dinner.”

“Then eat his share and shut up.”

“I’m worried-”

“Then you go check on him.”

A set of footsteps disappears into the darkness. 

“Boss!” Buddy’s call is cut off, like someone knocked him out. 

“What in the hell-” Another of the men, the one closest to Barclay, stands. Barclay rolls over in time to see him disappear the moment he steps out of the shrinking ring of firelight. 

Guns are drawn now and Barclay curls further against the rock as bullets ricochet off stones and get stuck in cacti. A rock hit’s one of the remaining three men in the head, and when they all turn to shoot at the thrower, Barclay watches a huge, lithe figure dart past the fire, a tail kicking up sand to douse the flames. 

The darkness only makes the gang fire more panicked shots. One man turns to flee, only to scream a moment later, and then there’s a horrible, clicking sound as the remaining henchman is dragged from view by clawed hands. 

“Come out and fight me, fucker!” Bobby screams. 

The monster is back, leaping from the surrounding boulders directly onto the outlaw. There’s a struggle, a moment of panicked, sobbing screaming, and then nothing as the creature sinks its teeth into Bobby’s neck. 

Barclay is shaking, hands over his mouth, praying to anything that might listen that the thing hasn’t seen him. 

The narrow head raises, then snaps his direction. Eyes, glowing eerily, faintly blue, lock onto him, and the beast stands. 

Barclay closes his eyes. But the creature doesn’t move. 

Or he thinks it doesn’t. When he opens them, it’s nearly to him on silent, clawed feet. 

At this point he’s hiding his face in his arms, trying to do something, anything, rather than shake and whimper like a whipped dog. 

“It’s okay.” The monster’s tone is cool but not unkind, and Barclay does not feel any less like a hound when it says, “it’s okay. I won’t hurt you.”

He freezes as it grips his arms, but a moment later the ropes drop away. 

“Can you stand?”

He nods, lets the creature lift him until he has no choice but to take his weight or risk his feet leaving the dirt. Then the hands retreat, falling by dark-furred thighs. Barclay wills himself to look up; the monster is a head taller than him, face close to that of a wolf yet narrower, with a small mane of fur. It’s arms and legs are long, it’s tail like one of the lizards Duck is always trying to get to eat the ants who attack his garden. Short spines sit along it’s back from below it’s shoulders to it’s tailbone. 

It takes Barclay a moment to register that the spines are poking through a men's shirt. No, not poking, it looks like it’s been tailored to let them through. 

He looks down again; since when do monsters wear pants?

“Since I was able to get some made to fit. But I’m guessing you didn’t mean to say that out loud.”

“S-sorry.” He looks away, “I, I don’t, I can’t…” he hugs himself, “what’s going on?”

“The short version is I don’t believe in letting murderers escape justice. The longer version is I’m a bounty hunter, they’re my quarry, and your friends back in Kepler will be so glad to see you.”

“How did-”

“You’re Barclay Cobb, right?” 

“Yeah. Yeah I am.” He feels like he’s speaking from far away. Like he’s about to wake up and discover he’s still tied by the boulder. He shivers; it gets so cold in the canyons at night, it isn’t fair. 

“I’m Joseph.” The monster extends his hand and Barclay shakes it, “Let’s get you somewhere more comfortable for the night, Mr. Cobb.” 

“You can call me Barclay. Basically everyone does.”

A smile, charming in spite of the sharp teeth, “I can manage that.”

He follows his rescuer out of the camp, doing his best to pick his way over small rocks and patches of plants without any moonlight for help. After his third, near-miss with a cactus, Joseph pauses. 

“Do you want to take my hand? Night vision has its perks.”

Barclay takes the offered hand, holding tighter than he really means to as Joseph winds them through the canyon and up onto a ledge the size of a homestead. Barclay can make out the shape of an abandoned Pony Express depot; they’d tried to place one here once upon a time, only to half complete it before the express stopped running. 

Joseph holds the door, allowing Barclay to pass inside. He stands awkwardly in the dark as there’s a rustling of a drawer, a thwick of a match, and a lantern springing to life. 

The inside of the building is shockingly tidy; there’s a small bookshelf, a bed that’s been made as neatly as if they were in a hotel, and small wardrobe that looks like it’s been fucking dusted. 

He glances down at himself and growls in frustrated disgust; his clothes are a mess of dust, sweat, spit, and blood both his own and not. 

“Let’s see, order of operations…” Joseph is moving through clearly familiar motions, lighting lamps and opening doors, checking cabinets and running his claws though the fur atop his head. 

“Please tell me there’s somewhere I can rinse off? Or change?”

“There’s a spring in the hillside. I have a towel somewhere, and I should be able to find you something of mine to wear.”

Barclay looks toward the back door where Joseph gestured. He can’t go out there. What if the gang isn’t all dead, what if one of them comes looking, what if Joseph isn’t the only one of his kind out here and the others aren’t nearly as friendly-

“Or” Joseph is studying his face, taking in his huddled posture, “I could fetch a few buckets of water and bring them in.”

“Please?”

“Make yourself comfortable.” Joseph picks up two wooden buckets and slips through the door. Barclay hears that same clicking, not as menacing, and the words, “here Nessa, brought you some blossoms.”

Barclay is still trying to figure out why someone like Joseph needs to ride a horse when his host returns, buckets sloshing slightly as Barclay holds the door for him. 

“Here we go.” Joseph pulls over a stool, then sorts through the wardrobe, pulling out a washcloth and a bar of ivory soap and presenting them to Barclay, “there’s not much privacy so I, um” his spines ripple a moment, “I promise I’ll keep my eyes elsewhere.”

“Don’t mind if you peek, not like I haven’t been naked around guys before. But if you want a show, I might charge you.” 

Fuck, where did that come from? 

“Sorry, I, that was weird.” 

Joseph lays a hand on his forearm, “You don’t need to apologize. You’ve been out here for close to a week, scared out of your mind and being mistreated. People say all kinds of things when they’re stressed. Or coming out of it.”

The hand retreats, the claws brushing his skin making him want to sigh and melt, to beg Joseph to trace them over him again. 

The water is cold, Barclay’s skin going goosebumped after only a few minutes of scrubbing himself, but just being able to get clean makes him want to cry with relief. 

When he’s done, he hangs the cloth on the little washline strung up on one of the windows, and picks up the towel Joseph left for him. He turns as he finishes tying it around his waist, and catches Joseph looking quickly back down at the newspaper he’s reading at the little table. 

“I found a shirt that should work” Joseph stands, handing him the white fabric, “but none of my pants will fit you. The ones I wear, you’ll be swimming in, and the ones I have for a human body won’t fit someone as big as you.” His eyes stay politely on Barclay’s face, but the spines ripple again, “this should at least let you make a very comfy skirt.”

“Thanks.” Barclay takes the clothes, pulls on the shirt and wraps the soft blanket around his waist in place of the towel as Joseph pours them water and sets out a handkerchief with some hard tack and cured, even harder sausage. 

He sips his water, finds it floral and bright, “Cactus blossoms?”

“It’s what I grew up putting in water jugs. If you don’t like it I can-”

“No, no I like it. Just surprised me. Kind of a delicacy up in town.” He takes another sip, “does that mean you, like, live down here?”

“Only sometimes; it’s often a better base camp if I’m hunting than town is. And since this stretch of canyon technically is my family territory, it does feel like home.” 

Something about the way he says ‘technically” suggests a sore spot, and so Barclay flicks his gaze to the folded newspaper, looking for a new topic. 

“You were solving the chess problem?”

A smile, “Yes! This was a quick one, at least for me. Do you want to give it a try?”

“Maybe after dinner. I try to solve those when it’s slow at the Lodge. I like the little mystery they’ve been running in the town paper lately, too.”

“Yes.” Joseph nods emphatically, “those are so tricky, I love the challenge.”

“Y’know they’re actually by the McElroy’s youngest? Kid’s got quite a mind for puzzles.” He snickers, “they’ve been coming to Lodge long enough I remember when his brother went through a phase where he’d only eat beans.”

“At the restaurant or…”

“Nope, period, poor Mrs. McElroy kept coming to me for recipes…”

They eat up the remainder of their dry, but pleasant, dinner discussing some of Barclay’s stranger customer requests, and Joseph’s memory of a fellow bounty hunter who seemed to survive on Parsons Cashews alone. 

Joseph insists Barclay take the bed for the evening, so he settles himself on top of the quilt with the chess puzzle as Joseph snuffs out all but the nearest lamp and goes to check on Nessa one final time. 

Barclay holds his breath the entire time his host is outside, afraid he’ll hear a thud and then a human face will peer through the door. 

Joseph returns unscathed, tipping the last of the water into Barclay’s cup before setting himself in a chair with a book of ghost stories. The wind in the canyon is picking up, carrying blossoms past the windows as it rattles them. 

Once he solves the puzzle, Barclay flips to a new page, reading the mystery for the day and solving it a bit faster than he’d hoped. Then he reads the news, then the want ads, then advertisements. 

He’s considering starting the paper all over again when Joseph yawns, “I think we ought to turn in for the night. We have a long ride back to town tomorrow.”

“Yeah. Good point.” Barclay sets the paper away and crawls beneath the blankets. Joseph murmurs a goodnight and Barclay responds with the same. 

Then he lays there. Wide awake. His brain plays the same song of “what if” over and over again; what if Joseph didn’t get them all? What if one escaped and brought back friends? What if Bobby was just playing dead and is waiting for them to sleep so he can sneak in and gut Barclay like a trout?

The window shakes again and he winces. 

“Everything okay?” Joseph’s eyes glow up at him from the floor. 

“Are you sure they’re all dead?”

Joseph sits up, “No. Because I didn’t kill them.”

“What?” 

“I paralyzed them. My bite can do that, and I have enough practice to know how hard and long a bite I need to give in order to keep them out and immobile until I can round them tomorrow and take them into town. I…prefer to at least let there be a trial before someone dies. If you hadn’t been here I might have just tossed them all into the cart I have waiting and started for town, but you needed rest. And care. Besides” his smile is a little bitter, and a little ashamed, “I also don’t feel too bad if someone who murders people in cold blood loses a toe to a coyote because my bite has them too paralyzed to run.”

Barclay nods, trying to take all that in at once. 

Joseph leans forward, resting a hand on his knee, “I’m good at what I do, Barclay. But even if somehow, someone slipped out of it and came here, I wouldn’t let them hurt you.”

“Thank you.” He takes Joseph’s hand, clinging to it, “fuck, I’m sorry, I know we need to sleep but I can’t, it’s awful, I keep jumping at every sound and when I close my eyes I see them leering over me or, or I see, see what they did, what I only survived because they’d seen me at the campfire.” He holds tighter, “I’m so tired. I could barely sleep because of how scared I was, or because they thought it was fucking funny to kick me awake.”

A low, rapid click, as Joseph’s tail twitches. Then he clears his throat, rubbing his thumb over Barclay’s knuckles, “Is there some way to help you relax.”

He starts to shake his head, then meets Joseph’s eyes, “What happens if you give someone a little bite?”

The spines straighten a moment, then relax, “It depends on how little. If it’s very small, it will produce a sense of relaxation and mild euphoria. You’ll still be lucid, but it might be easier to sleep if your body isn’t holding all that tension.” 

“Please bite me.” 

“You’re sure? I can try to think of something else, I don’t want it to backfire and leave you feeling helpless or like I’m hurting you-”

“Please” He says again, rolling onto his side, “I…I trust you.”

Joseph studies his face a moment, then lifts Barclay’s left hand. Carefully, he brings the tip of the thumb to his mouth, parting his lips. A hint of pressure, then a sting, and before Barclay even finishes gasping his monster is setting his hand gingerly back down on the mattress. 

“How long does…does..” he blinks, suddenly finding his legs and neck heavy, but not unpleasantly so.

Joseph chuckles, “It happens incredibly quickly. In humans it’s almost instantaneous, but even for my kind, a bite only takes thirty seconds at most to kick in.”

“You bite each other? Like when you’re fighting?” The image of Joseph attacking Bobby comes back to him, but this time his mind lingers on how graceful Joseph was, how swiftly and smoothly he rescued him. 

“Sometimes, but we love a debate more than a fistfight for settling arguments. Even if the debates take longer and can result in more bad blood in the end. But we do more biting with, um, with mates. Lovers. These mouths aren’t exactly as easy to kiss with as a human one is, so love biting takes its place.” The spines are rippling again, and Joseph is looking away from him. 

Barclay reaches down, pulling Joseph’s hand up to his mouth. Then he turns it, palm up, and bites down on the soft, short fur and the skin beneath. 

Joseph yips, surprised, but doesn’t pull away until Barclay lets him go. 

“It’s not nice to tease, big guy.” He murmurs, tracing a line along the edge of Barclay’s beard. 

“Not teasing. Was trying to kiss you. Besides, you just called me big guy.”

“It slipped out.” Joseph’s posture suggests he’s blushing, “Barclay, you’re incredibly handsome, and I’d fuck you in a heartbeat if I knew that’s what you wanted. But I don’t want you to do anything with me you might regret. Like sleeping with someone whose appearance scares the hell out of you.”

“I mean, it did.” Barclay tries to scoot closer but can’t without risking falling out of bed, “but it doesn’t now. Now I know you’re Joseph and not just something waiting in the dark to tear my throat out. And you’re, uh, It’s” he drags a hand over his face, “I almost never find guys who are bigger than me and it’s so fucking hot and it makes me feel so safe. Felt that way before you bit me, too.”

“In that case…” Joseph pulls the blanket off him, “you can bite me as many times as you like.”

Barclay undoes the knot on his makeshift skirt as quickly as his fingers allow, letting it fall open under Joseph’s appreciative gaze. A different noise bubbles from the monster’s throat, more a purr than a click, and he bends forward, tongue longer than humans lapping at Barclay’s cock as he cradles it in one palm. 

“Ohhhhfuck, fuck, Joseph it, that feels incredible.” He’s heard of people paying to have wax dripped on them during sex, and maybe that’s because it feels like this; warm without being painful, smooth as it covers his skin and leaves him tingling. 

“Better test it a few more times to be sure.” Joseph swirls his tongue over the head, licks lovingly up and down his shaft from every side. The claws of his free hand run with a comforting prickle along Barclay’s thigh and card through the hair on his stomach and chest with obvious pleasure. 

He’s weightless, he’s in heaven, he’s getting the best head of his life. 

And he’s not getting hard. 

“Fuck” he groans, frustrated. 

Joseph sits up, though his hand continues stroking and teasing Barclay’s cock, “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t, I think I’m too exhausted, or stressed or something, I can’t get it up, I’m sorry.”

“My sweet Barclay. That’s nothing to apologize for.” Joseph leans down, nuzzling his cheek, “All you have to do right now is let me take care of you, however feels good. Besides” the tongue drags up his throat, “who said anything about us needing your cock?”

“Fuck, yes” Barclay tries to spread his legs, but they feel as if they’re too heavy, or as if he’s too far away from them somehow.

“Oh, big guy, has it been too long?” He says it with genuine sympathy as he rolls Barclay onto his front.

“Uh huh, fuck, people get one look at my dick and they, they think I wanna be in charge, wanna be on top, fuck” he gasps, clutching for the pillows as Joseph’s tongue runs from his neck down to his ass. 

“Well, they can have their narrow ideas while you and I have a great time.” Joseph nuzzles the top of his head this time with a happy sigh, “now, be a good boy and hold still for me.”

“You’re not gonna prep me?” Fear reemerges, threatening to spread through his system in a wave. 

“It’s a little different with my, well, set-up,” 

Barclay glances back; Joseph’s cock is thinner than a humans but a good seven or eight inches long, absolutely dripping with something golden and sticky,  with short, knobbly spines scattered across it. 

“They won’t hurt. Here, feel.” He rubs the shaft along Barclays ass with a hungry growl as the spines bend, soft and flexible. 

“Okay.” Barclay takes a deep breath, spreading his knees wider, “okay.”

The tip of the cock presses into him with ease, whatever’s slicking its way seeming to open him as it does. Joseph wraps an arm around his middle, sets the other hand on top of Barclay’s own, “I’ve got you big guy.”

Joseph works his hips in short, deliberate thrusts, his cocking sliding deeper and deeper until he’s flush against Barclay’s ass and Barclay is nearly clawing the sheets from how good it feels. The spines rub against him, finding sensitive spots he’s not even sure he knew existed before now as Joseph’s breathing picks up. 

“You feel so good, big guy. I think I might just stay here all night. If you can’t sleep, I could just keep fucking you until you’re too tire to keep your eyes open.”

“Fuck, yeah” He moans, trying to push back to meet the thrusts but finding his limbs to relaxed to do anything but keep him how Joseph has arranged him. 

“Mmmm” Joseph laughs into his neck, then trills and clicks when Barclay turns to nip at his forearm, “maybe that’s my real reward for this bounty. Not the money, but the chance to demand that because I saved your life, I get to find you every night and fuck you until you’re dripping and so relaxed that all you can do lay there and let me be good to you.”

“Yes, fuck, yes, Josephohfuck” His toes curl as Joseph picks up the pace, his cock finally responding to being ground against the bed. 

“That’s it big guy, let go for me. You’re mine, I’ve got you, I’ll never let anyone hurt you ever again, I take care of you, I will, ohfuck, shit” he pulses into Barclay, working his hips frantically as Barclay rocks against the quilt, desperate to cum. Eventually Joseph gets his breath back, little clicks and purrs leaving him as he whispers, “I love feeling watching you fuck my cum back into that perfect ass.”

Barclay cums with a weak cry against the sheets, Joseph rubbing his sides and doing his best to kiss his shoulders as he shakes and twitches through it. 

There’s a mess on the quilt the instant he pulls out, but neither of them minds. Instead, Joseph curls around him, promising him he’s safe, telling him how wonderfully he did, and Barclay falls asleep petting soft, black fur. 

—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Barclay steps into the morning light to find Joseph hitching Nessa to a wagon full of bleary-eyed, terrified outlaws who, upon seeing Barclay, begin begging him not to let the monster get them. 

“It’s funny, what heat and liquor can do a man.” Joseph produces a silver ring and slips it over his finger. Suddenly there’s no monster to be seen, just a tall, black-haired man with blue eyes and the most charming smile Barclay’s ever seen. 

“Agreed. Makes people see things that aren’t there.” Barclay steps beside Joseph, ignoring the ongoing shouts from the wagon to press a kiss to his cheek. 

Joseph passes him the reins to one of the outlaw’s horses, “We should hit Kepler before sunset. I need to take these men to the jail and collect my bounty.”

“Any idea what you’re gonna spend it on?” Barclay climbs into the saddle and Joseph does the same. 

The bounty hunter sets a black hat onto his head as blossoms begin dancing in the breeze, “How about taking you to dinner?”

[the-blaze-empress]

the angel's prize

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: QSMP | Quackity SMP Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Ángel Missael Castañeda Vega | MissaSinfonia/Phil Watson | Philza Characters: Phil Watson | Philza, Ángel Missael Castañeda Vega | MissaSinfonia, Ender King (Philza Hardcore) Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Canon-Typical Violence, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Dehumanization, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Phil Watson | Philza Needs a Hug, MissaSinfonia Needs a Hug, Blood and Injury, Reaper Ángel Missael Castañeda Vega | MissaSinfonia, Non-Consensual Kissing, this only happens once dw, can be interpeted as queerplatonic or romantic, Other Additional Tags to Be Added Summary:

Phil told him of the Ender King, once. He told him everything. What the god of the End had done, and how he'd hurt him. How scared he was. How powerful the self-proclaimed king was.

Phil wasn't home when Missa got back. He didn’t notice. He didn’t worry.

He should have.

-- -- --

new fic new fic new fic!! PLEASE heed the warnings and the tags before you read btw it is. not excellent! as in its whump its an excellent fic. co-written with the wonderful kepler who is simply amazing and such a good writer and all the good things. uh yeah anyways!

as you probably well know by now i have been consumed by the pissa brainrot, it was only a matter of time until id publish a fic. enough of me rambling, go read!

[choicesjanuary2024]

MASTERLIST || WELCOME || PROMPTS || RULES || HOST

Listed in alphabetical order by artist name. If I missed adding one on this list, or missed reblogging, please let me know.

@aallotarenunelma

Chronicles of a Crimson Summer 11 (ID Fic & Edit, Cas x MC)

Songs that describe my pairings (ID & It Lives Songs)

@dutifullynuttywitch

Starlit night (WtD Fic, Troy x MC)

@inlocusmads

chosen family (CoP Fic, Trystan)

hello, goodbye ~ jimmy rose (CoP Fic, Jimmy)

laplace’s angel (CoP Fic, Trystan x MC)

meeting at a crosswalk (CoP Fic, Trystan x MC)

slam poetry (MAH Fic, Stevie x MC)

@jerzwriter

A Different Fate - Final Chapter (OPH Fic, Ethan x MC)

A Little Mess (OPH Edit, Tobias x MC)

A New Perspective (OPH Fic, Tobias x MC)

A Tipsy Winter Tale (CoP Fic, Trystan x MC)

Clucking Amazing (OPH Edit, Ethan x MC)

Different Destinations (OPH Fic, Tobias x MC)

If the hat fits… (CoP Fic & Art Commission, Trystan x MC)

It Always Starts Somewhere…. (CoP Fic, Trystan x MC)

Pen-sive (OPH Fic, Ethan x MC)

Pietro & Azul (OPH Fic, Tobias x MC)

Stress Reduction (OPH Fic, Tobias x MC)

The Morning (WtD Fic, Eli x MC)

Trystan’s 2023 Holiday Recap (CoP Edit, Trystan x MC)

Twenty-Five (WTD Fic, Troy & MC)

@ladylamrian

A Prince for the Holidays (Blades Fic, Aerin x MC)

His Barbie, Her Ken (Nightbound Fic, Nik x MC)

Loyal to be Royal (Nightbound Fic, Nik x MC, Garrus x MC)

@liaromancewriter

Daddy’s Girl (OPH Fic, Ethan x MC)

Making It Work (OPH Edit, Ethan x MC)

Miami Nights: Before and After (OPH Edit, Ethan x MC)

New Year Wishes (OPH Fic, Ethan x MC)

Whatever It Takes (OPH Edit, Ethan x MC)

@lilyoffandoms

Alex as the Winter Princess (Nightbound Art, MC)

Aerin x Raine (Blades Art, Aerin x MC)

Aerin x Raine (Blades Art, Aerin x MC)

Ash Clark (ILITW Art, OC)

Captain Pandrosion Elara (AtV Art, Sol, Meridian, Kepler, MC)

Casey MacTavish (OPH Art, MC)

Coffee Date(s) (CoP Art, Trystan x MC)

Detective Lilah Rose (CoP Art, MC)

Ethan (OPH Art)

Gabriel Rose (CoP Art)

Imtura Tal Kaelen (Blades)

Inspired by Mal x Daenarya (Blades Art, Mal x OC)

Kajsiab (Alpha Art, MC)

Kieran (TCH Art)

Lancelot x Guinevere Silhouette (Guinevere Art, Lancelot x MC)

Leaf, King of Birds (TCH Art)

Lilah Rose (CoP Art, MC)

Luca O'Rinn (ID MC)

Mal Volari (Blades Art)

Marianna Howard (Desire and Decorum Fanart, OC)

Nia Ellarious (Blades Art)

Nora Rose (CoP Art, MC)

Sabastyan Thorne Case File (CoP Art)

Saini Rusanen (ID Art, MC)

Tatum x Aubrey (FA Art, Tatum x MC)

Together We Win (Blades Art, MC)

Trystan (CoP Art)

Tyril Starfury (Blades Art)

Wallace (Blades Art)

@lovealexhunt

Happy New Year (RCD Fic & Art Commission, Thomas x MC)

Helios - Emma’s Arylu (TE Art, Familiar)

#plantlove (OPH Fic, Bryce x OC)

Post Christmas Bliss (RCD Art Commission, Thomas x MC)

Spread Joy #841 (Blades Edit, Mal)

Tuneless Wonders (TE, Fic & Art Commission)

Valax (Blades Art)

@peonyblossom

Hades of House Nightbloom (Blades Art Commission, MC)

I Wasn’t Built For Iceland (AME Fic, Carson x MC)

We’ll Figure It Out (Untamable Fic, Kit x MC)

@stars-are-within-me

In Her Arms (CoP Fic, Vasili, Juliana)

The Skies (Blades Fic, Imtura, Ventra)

@tess-liam

Turning the Page (TRR Fic, Liam x OC)

@thosehallowedhalls

A 2AM Christmas Tree Farm [1/2] (CoP Fic, Trystan x MC)

Babysitting the Demonic Duo (CoP Fic, Trystan x MC)

Home without - Part One (CoP Fic, Trystan x MC)

Progression (CoP Fic, Trystan x MC)

Tabloids, or a story in 5 headlines (CoP Fic, Trystan x Emma)

[snapdragoned]

Kepler invites his mom Laura over. Since she's a professor, she was in the area anyway :)

I laughed out loud when I saw the grade start going up over Kepler's head. Laura hasn't actually been a professor since Round 1 or 2, but I guess because I never changed her info in SimPe, Kepler interacting with her still positively affects his grade in his major? Amazing. It pays to have connections, I guess!

[hyperfixssession]

the way Kepler and Jacobi bounce off each other is so fucking amazing, like the chemistry between them as characters (and the amazing work of the VA’s!) makes them so fucking fun to listen to even though they are SUCH antagonistic antagonists (Maxwell equally, but there is something different, something I can’t put my finger on, about the way she interacts with Kepcobi)

[bellafarallones2]

prison break (2/2)

part 2 of this, in which questions are answered

Duck Newton used a nondescript keycard to swipe into the Bureau of Hero Management building at eight thirty. His footsteps were deafeningly loud on the tile in the empty lobby: any sane employee had already gone home for the evening. 

Getting summoned here always made him feel a little bit like he was in trouble. Especially when the summons was “at your earliest convenience.”

He took the elevator down to the lowest level of the basement. Maybe Agent X had a new upgrade for one of Duck’s weapons, though these days more of Duck’s sparring with his nemesis had been verbal than physical. 

The elevator doors opened, and Duck found himself in a familiar windowless room. The lights had been dimmed, illuminating only the steel table where Agent X was sitting on a stool, a laptop open in front of him. “Good evening, Mr. Newton,” said Agent X. His voice was perfectly pleasant, but Duck had always found him unsettling. 

“Uh, yeah. Hey, Agent X. What did you want to meet about?”

“I assume you heard about the prison break in Nevada in May,” said Agent X.

“Yeah, that was wild,” said Duck, only more confused about why he’d been summoned here. None of Kepler’s heroes had even had anything to do with search efforts, as far as he’d heard.

“We have recovered pieces of the explosive that was used to breach the prison wall. From outside, oddly enough.” Agent X gestured to the steel table in front of him, and Duck leaned over it to examine the charred pieces of the device. 

“The method seems flashy,” Agent X continued. “More like a supervillain than an ordinary criminal, but none of the escapees have connections to any known supervillain, and none of them seem to have known it was coming. I know you’ve been a hero for several years, and are familiar with most of the major villains in Kepler. Does this workmanship look like anything you’ve seen before?”

Duck squinted. He could reconstruct it in his mind, sort of, the way a device small enough to fit in a backpack had been engineered to produce enough force to blow through a wall. It was clever. The soldering was very neat. It reminded him of…

He bit his tongue and looked up at Agent X. The agent’s face was blank, as always, his blue eyes as cold as the table they were standing over. 

“I’ll think about it,” said Duck. 

–

At home, posted up on the couch in his boxer shorts with his cat around his shoulders, Duck pulled up The Moth’s file, rereading the text he already knew pretty much by heart. The Moth - Indrid Cold - had few known associates, certainly not any of the men who’d escaped from prison in Nevada. Duck sighed at the prospect of cross-referencing the Moth’s dates of activity against the lives of the escapees to see if any of them could have met. 

Then his phone buzzed with a news alert. Six of the escapees had been captured at once, together in an abandoned hunting cabin a few dozen miles from the prison. That meant only one was still at large. 

Barclay Cobb. According to the news article Duck pulled up, he’d been a mild-mannered cook before his arrest for the murder of the man he’d been sleeping with, an FBI special agent called Joseph Stern. A cook - Duck thought of the time a few weeks ago when he ran across The Moth sitting on a fire escape, eating something out of a Thermos. Duck had never seen him eating anything except packaged snacks. My roommate said if I was going to be out all night he should pack me a snack, he had said when Duck asked what he was doing. He’s an amazing cook. 

But Duck was distracted from that thought almost instantly. There was a picture of Special Agent Joseph Stern on the page, smiling at the camera in his black suit and tie, and it was a picture of Agent X. 

It couldn’t be. Did he have a twin? Duck read further - Agent Stern’s body was never found, but the last person to see him alive was Barclay, Stern’s fingerprints were all over the inside of Barclay’s car, and a jury had found him guilty of the murder. And sentenced him to die. 

A loud rapping at the window above Duck’s head made him yell “Fuck!” and shove the laptop off his lap. A ghostly face had appeared in the darkness, with reflective red sunglasses. 

Duck almost tripped over his laptop cord in his haste to get to the window and throw it open. The Moth, dressed in all black, slipped inside. 

“You broke Barclay Cobb out of prison,” said Duck. 

“Took you long enough to figure it out,” Indrid teased. 

“You’d never done a prison break before! As far as I knew. Why’d you do this one?”

“Because I knew he was innocent.” 

“How?”

“I had a vision. I didn’t know what actually happened to Joseph Stern. But I think you just figured it out.”

“There’s no way. He must be a twin or something.” 

“I don’t think so.” Indrid smiled, that smile that always made Duck’s knees and professional ethics alike go weak. “Do you want to go searching for birth certificates? Or do you want to cut to the chase and just ask him?”

Duck pulled out his phone and dialed the laboratory. “We might have to call back tomorrow if he’s asleep now,” Duck warned. 

But Agent X picked up immediately. “Hello, who’s speaking?” 

“Hey, uh, it’s Duck. I thought of something about that prison break. Can I come talk to you sometime? Sometime soon?”

“How soon can you get back here?” 

“Uhhh…” Duck covered the receiver and looked at Indrid. “I don’t think the trains run this late more than once an hour.”

“I brought my car,” said Indrid.

Duck spoke into the phone again. “I’ll be there soon.” He hung up and looked at Indrid. “Just let me put some real pants on.”

–

Indrid’s car was parked in the alley behind Duck’s apartment. “You know that’s a no-parking zone,” Duck grumbled as he climbed into the passenger seat. 

Indrid just tapped the side of his glasses smugly. The radio turned on automatically as Indrid started the engine, and Duck was unsurprised to discover that Indrid had it tuned to a Kepler police scanner. 

“I know, I know, you’ve got powers and can tell whether you’re gonna get a ticket or not. Do you need the address?” Duck added as Indrid pulled out of the alley.

“I know where the Bureau of Hero Management is, chivalrous one.” 

“Of course you do.” Duck reached under his seat to scoot it forward - the last person to sit there must have been tall as fuck. 

Without traffic they made relatively good time. “I’ve never actually been inside before,” Indrid admitted as he pulled into the parking garage. It took him two tries to make the ticket machine give him one. 

They took the elevator from the garage into the same place Duck had been just a few hours ago. He’d wondered before, seeing Agent X here at all hours, whether he might sleep here. 

Agent X barely allowed surprise to flash across his face at the sight of Indrid in the elevator at Duck’s shoulder. “Hello, Ranger,” said Agent X. “And who’s this? I hope you have good reason for bringing him here.”

“Are you a twin, Agent X?” said Indrid.

Agent X tensed instantly. “Why do you ask?” 

Indrid cocked his head. “I have a photo to show you.” 

He pulled out his phone and pulled up the picture of Joseph Stern, smiling. Agent X bent over it. “Who is that?”

Indrid sighed, pulled a compact mirror out of his pocket, set it on the table so Agent X could see his own reflection. 

“Oh,” said Agent X. “Oh, fuck. Who is that?”

“A man who’s been presumed dead for ten years.” 

“...Who are you?”

“I’m Indrid Cold. The Moth. Duck’s nemesis.” 

Agent X buried his face in his hands. Then he took a deep, shuddering breath. “I don’t know if I have a twin or not. I don’t remember. I don’t remember anything before… ten years ago, it would be. Working here. But I… Duck.” He met Duck’s eye and then touched the back of his head, parting the hair as he turned so Duck and Indrid could see the scar running horizontally along the back of his skull. Like someone had cut his scalp open from ear to ear and then sewed him back up. “Who is in that picture?” He turned back to face them.

“Special Agent Joseph Stern,” said Indrid.

“I… that name means nothing to me,” said Agent X.

“What about this picture?” Indrid pulled up another one, of a man with an auburn beard. It took Duck a moment to recognize him; he looked different than he had in his prison pictures. Less miserable. 

“Barclay,” breathed Joseph. “I - I know him. I don’t know how. I know he’s important to me. Or he was. Where is he? Is he okay?”

“Until a few weeks ago he was on death row for your murder.”

“What? What the fuck? Oh, no, he… the escapee. The Nevada police all think he’s dead; he had no experience surviving outdoors and there’s no logical reason they haven’t been able to find him. He must have died in the woods or the desert somewhere.”

“You really don’t remember anything from before?” said Duck, not quite believing. 

Agent X shook his head. Then suddenly his gaze went sharp again. “Hayes. Agent Hayes would know.” He started for the elevator.

“Uh,” said Duck. “It’s past ten, there’s no way he’s here.”

“We could still search his office,” said Indrid. 

The three of them took the elevator all the way up to the top floor. The windows here afforded panoramic views of Kepler’s skyline, and Hayes had a corner office. 

“How do you want to do this?” said Agent X. “I can start with his desk and you guys can do the file cabinets?”

“Just give me a minute,” said Indrid. “We don’t have to go through every drawer.”

“Oh. Your powers. Of course.”

Indrid was silent for a moment, eyes closed, rocking back and forth almost imperceptibly on his heels. Then he reached for a drawer in the middle of the filing cabinet. 

It was locked. Indrid sighed and went digging in his pockets. 

Agent X reached across him and yanked the drawer out hard enough to break the lock. 

“That’s another option.” Indrid pulled out the drawer, flipping through the manila folders inside until he pulled one out and put it on Hayes’ desk. It bulged with papers and the lump of a slim, black leather wallet. 

Agent X opened the wallet. “Oh, fuck.” A Wisconsin driver’s license belonging to one Joseph Richard Stern. A very faded Costco membership card. A photo of an infant in a pink onesie. 

“I don’t know who that is,” said Joseph, holding the photograph. 

“Your niece, I believe,” said Indrid softly. Joseph and Duck both looked over at him. 

Indrid shrugged. “Barclay told me you had a two-year-old niece who you adored.”  

Someone had written on the back of the photograph in blue pen Baby Olivia, 11-14-2009. Joseph stared at it for a long moment, then looked back up at Indrid. “Is he okay? Barclay?”

Indrid was quiet for a moment. “About as well as could be expected,” he said finally. “He has nightmares. But he’s sleeping through the night more often than he did back in May.”

“And all because of me.”

“Hey, whoa,” said Duck. “I’m not getting the vibe that you agreed to have all your memories wiped. And even if you did, it sounds like it was more the DA in Nevada who decided to blame Barclay for you disappearing.”

Joseph put everything back in the wallet and put the wallet in the back pocket of his slacks. “I still have to fix this.” 

Duck cleared his throat. “So, uh, should we still call you Agent X?”

“Please call me Joseph.”

–

The three of them were still there when the first others people started arriving in the office the next morning. It reminded Duck of stakeouts he’d done before as a hero, except with slightly comfier seating and less fast-food takeout. 

Finally an older man in a black suit came into the office and shut the door behind him. This must be Hayes. His appearance was unremarkable in every way, the kind of man you’d forget as soon as he left your field of vision. 

“Agent X?” he said. “What are you doing here? And who are these people?”

Joseph stood up. There were dark circles under his eyes. “What happened to me?” he demanded. 

“What on earth do you mean?”

“Joseph Stern. That’s my real name. And you knew it, and you never told me, and Barclay was sentenced to death for murdering me!”

“That was never my intention. I didn’t realize the Nevada prosecutors would be quite so zealous as to put a man on death row with no real evidence.” Hayes sat down in his desk chair and started booting up his computer. “But really, what’s one life against all the good you’ve done working for us?”

“Not just one life. All of his friends and family, all of my friends and family… that’s not just collateral damage!” 

“You were going to quit. I couldn’t let you.”

“Well, consider this my resignation. And give me my memories back.”

Hayes laughed. “Oh, no, you think I have your memories in a bottle somewhere? Like a science fiction movie? No. We opened your skull and used a laser to abrade your hippocampus. The man you were before is gone. Forever.” 

Joseph made it two steps into a lunge for Hayes before Duck tackled him out of the way. “Hey, man, do you really want to start a fight here? Or do you want to go tell the police in Nevada that you’re alive so you can get Barclay set free?”

For a moment Joseph fought him, but Duck was stronger. And then Joseph went limp on the tile floor. “Let’s get out of here.”

–

“Thirty-five dollars for parking??” said Indrid when he put the ticket back into the machine to pay.

“Wait, wait, wait,” said Joseph. “Maybe my employee ID will work?” 

Indrid took it from him and scanned it. “Invalid employee ID.” 

“Fuck,” said Joseph. 

“I’ve got some cash,” said Duck, pulling out his wallet. He handed over a ten and three ones.

“All I have is a twenty,” said Joseph.

“Fine, fine,” said Indrid. He flinched an instant before the car in line behind them honked, and then fed the bills as well as some from his own wallet into the machine. 

All three of them let out a sigh of relief when the gate opened to let them out. 

“So, uh, where are we going?” said Duck. 

“I want to see Barclay,” said Joseph.

“I’ll have to call him and warn him that we’re coming,” said Indrid. “Do you want me to tell him you’re back? Or do you want to do that yourself?” 

Duck looked around and saw that Joseph looked nervous, like a kid about to ask his crush to prom. “...Will you tell him? I’m not sure I’d put it in the right way.”

“Alright,” said Indrid. He picked up his phone and handed it to Duck. “Duck, will you call Barclay and hand me back the phone?”

Duck handed it back while it was ringing. He and Joseph could only hear Indrid’s half of the conversation. “Hello, Barclay. I just wanted to alert you that I’ll be back in about twenty minutes and I have two people with me. One is my nemesis, Duck, and the other one is Joseph Stern. Yes, we found him. It turns out he’d had his memory wiped by a shadowy government organization but he’s at least somewhat back now. Yes, he remembers you. No, he knows you didn’t have anything to do with what happened.”

Joseph made a sound like a choked-off sob. 

“No, we haven’t had breakfast yet. Yes. We’ll see you soon, Barclay.” 

Indrid hung up the phone. 

“Is he still…” Joseph’s question trailed off.

“Single?” said Indrid, sounding slightly amused. “As far as I’m aware.” 

“Can we stop somewhere on the way back so I can buy flowers for him? He… he always liked flowers.” 

Indrid looked over. “Alright.” 

“Thank you. Just let me run in.” 

They stopped in a grocery store parking lot and let Joseph out. Duck and Indrid sat there in silence, watching people and cars go by. A woman with a baby in one arm left the grocery store with her purchases, twelve-packs of RC Cola stacked up in the bottom of the cart.

“Well, it’s been a long night,” said Duck.

“Yes, it has.” Indrid’s body was slack against the driver’s seat. “But I thought you might like to see this through before you go home to sleep.” 

“Yeah. How do you feel about all this? Reuniting people, uncovering truths… it all seems a little heroic for you.”

“On the contrary.” Indrid smiled. “The Bureau of Hero Management just lost their most competent agent. Every villain in the city should be thanking me.” 

A few minutes later Stern emerged from the grocery store with a spring bouquet, mostly pink and red flowers. He slid into the back seat and buckled his seatbelt. “Thank you. Now I’m ready to see him.” 

–

Duck had been curious to find out where Indrid’s lair was, and he watched the street signs as they drove closer. 

“Don’t bother,” said Indrid quietly. “Now that you know where I live, I’ll be moving soon.” 

“That seems like a hassle,” said Duck.

Indrid shrugged. “Life of a villain on the run.” 

The door of the basement apartment opened as they reached it. Duck was startled by what a big guy Barclay was, even taller and broader than Indrid and Joseph, who were both over six feet. But Barclay wasn’t looking at Duck. He was looking at Joseph, his brown eyes red-rimmed with emotion. 

Indrid’s voice broke the tension. “Let’s get inside and then you two can catch up.”

“Of course,” said Barclay and stood aside to let them in. 

“Hey,” said Duck. “Uh. I’m Duck.”

Barclay nodded. “Indrid has a picture of you above his workbench.”

“Really?” 

Indrid had his head in his hands. “There were so many futures where you didn’t say that.” 

“Do I inspire you, ‘Drid?”

At that moment Joseph offered Barclay the bouquet of flowers. “These are for you. I’m so sorry for everything. I’m going to go to the police in Nevada and get this all cleared up, I’m so sorry, I didn’t remember, I never thought…” 

“Oh, Joseph.” Barclay pulled him into a tight hug. “I’m just so fucking glad you’re alive, holy shit, I thought, I thought you were dead!” 

“I know. I’m sorry. And I… I still don’t remember everything from before. I don’t know if I remember my family.” Joseph held Barclay at arm’s length for a moment to look into his face, eyes now brimming with tears. “But I remember loving you.” 

Barclay kissed him, hard, and after a moment of surprise Joseph melted into his arms. 

Duck averted his eyes. Then he felt Indrid’s cool hand slip into his and start tugging him back towards the front door. “Let’s give them some space.”