#whoops they're a ship now

[giggly-squiggily]

Oh could I request Volo and adaman? I just think those two had to have gotten bored waiting for the protag to get to the lakes ykwim.

Oo, these two! I haven't written for Legend Arceus in a hot minute! I've gotcha covered, anon! :)

Cloud 9 (Taglist Peeps)

@gladdygirl18

Adaman gasped awake, eyes wide as he sat up, feeling his chest, his shirt, his hair. “How long has it been?”

Volo, who had been sitting by with his Togepi, gave him a bored stare. “Five minutes, Adam.”

“Pfft- no fun. You can at least pretend with me.” Adaman groaned, falling back into the grass with a huff. He and Volo had been waiting for what feels like centuries for Akari. She was a sweet, dedicated girl.

So dedicated in fact she was notorious for being incredibly, almost unforgivingly late.

Okay- not true for the most part. Important events and meetings were there on the dot, if not a few minutes too early. She never left Adaman waiting if he needed to see her asap. Really- it was his own fault for not specifying this meetup was important.

It wasn’t- but it would have gotten her here faster. Now he and Volo had to wait for her to finish catching whatever pokemon a villager required. He prayed to Arceus and back it wasn’t a female Combee. They’d be there for days.

Now they were here, waiting for Akari to arrive so they could get their Pokemon battle going. Adaman was slowly but surely losing ways to entertain himself. He tried teaching his Pokemon to sing, laid on his back and patted a song against his belly. He tried taking a nap, but the sun was too bright and he had too much energy. He then tried pretending he was waking up from a 1000 year old coma, he and Volo the last remaining survivors of this foreign land.

Yes he was an adult and the leader of the Diamond Clan. He could act like a kid when he wanted to!

…Arguing with himself didn’t ease his boredom either. Damnit!

Volo decidedly ignored the last verbal comment he made, turning his attention back to Togepi. If he was bored, he sure knew how to hide it. His expression was calm, hands busy as they tossed a little ball to the Pokemon and back. Adaman figured waiting around was part of the Merchant game.

That’s great for him, but he was losing his mind!

“Hey, let’s play a game.” Adaman rolled onto his belly, grinning at the blonde. “Truth or Truther.”

“Isn’t it Truth or Dare?” Volo raised a brow, blinking at the other curiously.

“Yeah, but if we start getting into dares, we might just forget about Akari. Besides, I wanna know more about you.” He grinned a classic cheshire cat grin, eyes twinkling as Volo squirmed. “Nervous I'll learn something juicy about you, Merchant?”

“Hehe…no, I’ll be fine.” Volo cleared his throat, sitting back. “Alright. Who’s gonna start?”

“I’ll go. What’s your type?” Right for the jugular.

“.....Normal?” Volo blinked, looking at Togepi. “Also Psychic I suppose.”

“No, no- I mean; what’s your type in people?” Adaman almost laughed at how obtuse Volo seemed. It was strangely endearing. “Like- what do you find attractive?”

“Oh…Oh!” Volo blushed, both from embarrassment at missing the question and just…the context. “I erm…I guess I like all kinds of people…maybe more so those who are interested in mythology and history…”

“Ah, a nerd.” Adaman nodded appreciatively. “My turn. I like tall blonde merchants who sell good stuff and are also into history.”

Volo blinked, face red and eyes widening. Adaman wagged his eyebrows.

“Ugh, you’re awful.” Volo laughed, hiding his face in his hands for a moment. Pushing his hair out of his face, he gestured to Adaman. “Okay, your turn. Ugh…any weaknesses?”

“Tall Blonde Merchants-”

“Real weaknesses?” Volo waved him off with a snort.

“Hmm….” Adaman hummed, thinking about it. “I overwork myself. When I get into something, I don’t stop until I’m done with it completely, so I tend to take breaks and rest.” He laughed, leaning into his arms. “Got a little real there.”

“I like it.” Volo smiled teasingly. “It’s the real you.”

“Ugh, you’re gonna make me blush.” Adaman grinned. “What about you? What’s your weakness?”

Volo hesitated again- he did that alot, the Clan leader started to notice- like he had a lot of thoughts but was selective in the ones he shared.. Gnawing at his lip, he sat in consideration for a few moments before speaking. “I’m ticklish.”

“Come again?” Adaman blinked.

“I’m ticklish.” Volo said again. “Does that bother you?”

“No, no not at all, just…I think you’re the first person I’ve ever met who just…admitted it.” Adaman blinked, taking it in. “Most people try to hide it, yeah?”

“Sure, but I’ve learned not to bother.” Volo shrugged, a teasy smile on his lips. “Not when a certain clan leader before me is way more ticklish than I-”

He was gone. When’d Adaman leave?

“Adam?” He sat up, blinking as he looked around. That’s when he felt it, a cool and devious presence behind him.

“Should have kept it a secret, Volo.” The voice spoke in his ear, making him jump. “Now I’m curious.”

~~~

In hindsight, Volo was rather shortsighted.

He figured Adaman would be stunned long enough for Volo to get the jump on him- or at least come from the front so he could grab his ribs- Adaman was pretty bad there if he recalled.

And yet- he forgot one simple detail.

Adaman was tricky.

“Ahehahhahaa! Wahhahahait, whahahhahahait hoohohohohoohohld ohoohohohhohon!” Volo cried, squeaking in laughter as fingers attacked his sides, pressing past his layers and going right for the ticklish spots across his ribs. “Adahahahhhamahahahahn!”

“Why wait? Don’t you like being tickled, Volo?” Adaman cooed at him, grinning from ear to ear as he worked his fingers along his torso, pinching his waist and giving his armpits the occasional prod, making the blonde yelp and snort. “Aww, aren’t you a cutie! Look at how much you’re smiling!”

Volo squeaked, doubling over as he tried blocking out the hands working towards his belly. “Ahahahahhadaahhahamn, plehaehhahahahse! Gehahahahahhahaa not thheheehehhehhere!”

“Aww, why not? Does it tickle that bad?” Adaman asked, daring a few jabs and earning quite the laugh. “Man, you were so confident earlier too! I bet you thought you could trick me, huh? Poor ticklish Volo- as if you could ever defeat me.” He grinned gently pushing the other over so he could sit on his hips, fingers flying over his belly and making him squeal. “Can’t fight back, can you? You’re just to ticklish for your own good, you cute wittle ticklish guy, you!”

“Nohohohoohoohoho! Dohohoohn’t you dahahahhahre!” Bright red, Volo covered his face with his hands, a gesture that lasted only a second before they shot back down, trying to block out Adaman’s hands as they wiggled past his shirt and jacket. “Ahahahhahahdamahahahhan! THehehehehhey’re coohohoohohld!”

What are my hands? Well, warm them up for me!” He grinned, laughing as Volo flailed beneath him, feet kicking against the grass and back arching. His hat tumbled off at one point, spilling liquid gold across the green earth. That combined with his rosy he looked, Adaman swore Volo looked like some fallen angel.

Damn- he’s got it bad.

“Gehahhahahhahahhaha! Oohoohohohokay ohohoohohkay! Stahhhahhap ihiihhihiiht!” Volo pleaded, grabbing Adaman’s hands within his own, pushing them up and out of the way. Gasping for air, he glared some, his face half hidden in his hair. “Thehehere…”

“Hmm…alright. But I want one more thing before I stop for real.” Adaman grinned, starting to lean down. Volo looked confused, then panicked.

“No! Nohohoohooho, don’t you dahah-AAHAHAHAHHARE!” Volo all but shrieked when Adaman pressed his face against his belly, blowing a loud unforgiving raspberry dead center. All of Volo’s strength left his body, leaving him drained and exhausted in helpless giggles.

“Pfft- Bahahaha! Oh man, that was great!” Adaman tittered, falling off the other and into the grass beside him, grinning cheekily. “We need to do that more often!”

“Leheheht’s not…and say whehehe did.” Volo groaned, making the clan leader laugh harder. Once he’d calmed himself, he reached out, brushing a few loose strands of hair out of his eyes.

“Golden hair, silver eyes. How pretty.” He mused, making Volo blush deeper.

“Shush.” He went to swat him away, but Adaman caught his hand, letting their fingers intertwine. Volo didn’t fight back. They laid like that for a moment, something quiet yet growing brewing between them. Adaman felt himself start to lean in-

“Hey! There you two are!” They shot apart, Volo sitting up flustered while Adaman rolled away, posing at the last minute. Akari blinked as she came up the hill, furrowing her brows. “Did something happen?”

“Just uh- Pokemon ambush.” Volo cleared his throat, pulling hair back into a bun before plopping his hat on. “Speaking of, how’d your hunt go? Anything good?”

Akari lit up as she went into details about her search, telling Volo all about it while Adaman watched in the background. Something soft lit the blonde’s face as he listened, or perhaps it was just how the sun hit it in that moment.

Yep. he definitely had it bad.

Thanks for reading!

[blonde-and-cat-suc]

If Adora and Catra both did crap to hurt each other then why do I never see comics abt Adora feeling like crap and feeling bad for hurting Catra

[mercuriart]

hmmm i want to be. a little bit controversial. but i fear this is the no nuance no critical thinking webbed site. and i don't want to start discourse on this account. ill just. tags.

[ai-the-broccoli]

.... Yeahhhh I REALLY think not.

This request was sent to us and we made a poll in response to it. Send any Blorbo-related question you want to our inbox and we’ll make a poll on which people can vote with their own Blorbos in minds

[torgawl]

genshin created kaeya's hangout just for kaeya enjoyers. they just casually dropped most of the things we wanted to see and questioned about him on a fine tuesday and i'm very happy, thank you. see, sometimes this game deserves rights

[perrigoaway]

Part 2 to a comic I made a little over a month ago! I was going to make it for white day, but I was a bit late TT see the first part here

.

more thoughts beneath the cut, as always!

Hi! so as I said before, im a little late for when I wanted to post this. I realized it was white day a few days ago and thought it would be fun to make a little comic with Apollo's attempt at revenge! I started it ON white day, then I realized there was NO way I was getting it out then whoops! Here it is now >:)

I worked on this and it was actually driving me nuts, I continuously thought "does this comic even make sense at this point?" hopefully it does TT

I do want to say though, I went into this thinking that no matter how I made things, I wanted it to MOSTLY backfire on Apollo TT SORRY APOLLO LOVE YOU TT I just think he would have really odd ideas on how to get back at someone. Like what kind of person steals the shirts out of your closet for revenge? Him, I guess. Or me since I was the one who thought up the idea LMAO. ALSO I think that Klapollo as a ship in general is interesting because, no matter how someone writes them, inherently, they're BOTH just losers. Yet, they both want to be the coolest person ever and sometimes (most of the time) it doesn't work out how they want, especially with Apollo. He wants to be cool so bad but says stuff like "um, hiya..!" He's my favorite little guy, just like me fr

AND shout out to my sisters for helping me to block this out TT my younger sister practically did ALL the work for the second panel, she even drew it out for me initially, so thanks gug <3 @abandonedart

I'm only a little sorry for yapping this time >:)

[hellenhighwater]

Whoops! Just saw you listed the price for the minotaurs a few posts before I asked. The perils of existing as a being in time.

As a potential buyer: great deal holy shit. As an art admirer: I feel like you're undercharging, and my conscience demands I tell you that.

My bronze question still stands though!

Thank you! Part of this is that I expect that I'm going to have to find a gallery to sell these through, so I'm anticipating the actual sale price will be higher--the $750/$1000/$1500 is what I'm hoping to take home after the gallery's cut. I would love to get more than that but I'm not sure how realistic that is. While I have been making and selling art for a long time, I have not done gallery work since undergrad so I don't feel that I have the artistic pedigree to be charging more than that at this point. We'll see how things go. I have to actually finish the work and find a gallery first!

And no, none of them are cast. It's just careful glazework. I actually have more of a background in casting than I do ceramic sculpting, and if I could get my hands on a studio space with a casting foundry, believe me, I would! But for now they're just clay.

I have thought about maybe trying to make molds of the Miniataur, and selling them individually? I may have to do a re-sculpt for a more castable pose, but I think I could make and ship them.

[loreensdarling]

🧍🤏 soooo they have a child now, she's two apples tall and her name is kiko

I used a reference by MANYU_Eel 🫶🫶

happy fucking pride month to **checks note in hand** the mand'alor and her girlfrienemy

this was SO fun to do, it's only my third bigger piece and I've still made sm improvement compared to the other two pieces and I'm glad to be finally done with it barely in time for pride month 🫶🫶

picture is scrambled for AI, unscrambled version will be uploaded somewhen on cara ig (I've made a profile on there under the same username idk if anyone wants to check that out)

reference is by mellon_soup on pinterest

[skullvgirl]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE BEING BEST FRIENDS WITH THE BLUE LOCK BOYS 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

being best friends with the blue lock boys | school au

warnings ;; suggestive, school!au, fem reader, possibly ooc i haven't written for them in a years whoops. situation-ship ( ? )

incl ;; isagi, bachira, barou

an's ;; i backkkk ( maybe )

isagi

hes unsurprisingly super depenable, sweetest guy, always got your back and a picture perfect best friend. you've been best friends since you were kids and now that your in high school, not much has changed. the stoy has always been the same—the two of you met at a park, somewhere between where the both of you lived and since then you've been stuck together like glue.

you were so close in fact that at a certain point in time none of you can read people began to think of you both as one person. if isagi needed to know something but wasnt there at the time, just tell yn and the message would be received. isagi's in class that day but you have an appointment? just tell him and eventually the words will reach you ears, it was awfully convenient.

in some cases ( some rare cases ) isagi might've received a love letter to pass onto you and strangely enough you never seemed to get the message, speaking normally to whomever sputters and blushes while talking to you. its no surprise that most people think your off limits—they assume that your off limits beacause of how often the two of you are together, and while there are many many normal best friend behaviors that come along with your long lasting friendship there are a few...questionable things on-lookers observe about the two of you.

like for example your at almost every game and every practice. even when they're forced to practice inside it's almost like your unofficial designated manager because no one questions your presence and often ask you favors as if you're a real manager. and in the rare case somebody does ask ( most-likey a new freshman player ) everyone just answers with "oh her? thats yoichi's girl."

nobody's ever corrected it and its not like either of your really minded.

at games you wear his jersey or at the very least his jersey number and cheer like a maniac in the stands which ( isagi will never admit to your face ) boosts his ego like crazzzyy, spurring him on to play harder and harder each time.

you always leave in his car after whatever events took place that night and sometimes is even seen coming with him in the mornings. it doesn't help that you have 4 classes which him plus you're lunch period where the both of you will 100% without a doubt sit next to each other.

in the end he'll always be your best friend, whatever you need he's got you. wether thats a pat on the back or a lomg makeout session in the back of his car, he'll always be there for you. no matter what. ◡̈

bachira

you became friends in middle school. he was just as lonely as he'd been for years and just your luck, you were to!

the two of your bonded over your loneliness and if i'm being honest, neither of you saw each other in a romantic way until someone brought it up. bachira one day had been sitting in math and was about to fall asleep when his classmate tapped his shoulder to get his attention.

"hey, aren't you friends with YN?" he asked.

bachira didn't know what he was trying to get at by asking the question. I meanf wasn't it obvious? he was with you everyday. "Yeah..why?"

"aren't you gonna tap that? She's like, hot as hell." the male snickered disgustingly and if it wasn't for Bachira's scattered thought process he would have defended you from his peers comment. He thought it over for a moment.

am I gonna tap that...?

you on the otherhand were in your english class ready too doze off as well, hoping to dream about your little trouble maker of a friend.

"psst! yn! wake up!" your friend called from besides you.

you groaned and sat up to see what she wanted to say. "hmm?"

she giggled and scooted s bit closer too you whispering into your ear. "are you and him like—are you guys like dating or something?"

you pulled away from her and raised your eyebrows like you were surprised even though it was probably the 10th time somebody had asked you that.

"what? no! were just friends, really close friends thats all."

you both later realized that even before all the accusations the two of you liked each other, I mean, what kind of best friend lets you crashout at his place for days on end, spooning in his bed "because he's cold" then the next morning make breakfast for him and spoon feed it to him?

yeah now that you think about it...you should have seen this sooner...

barou

you don't know whats worse. being best friends either barou or being in love with him. you''ve decided on both.

it's only been s year since the two if you met, you were the new kid he happened to take a liking too even though he was well intergrated into BLLK HIGH, although there were many attemps at other people trying to enter your and his little circle of friends, they were met with disappointment. barou wasn't the one too mess with, especially not with his loved ones.

barou, although you considered yourself his friend, was still so hard too read sometimes. you share lunch together and you just can't help it if your heart races when his hand creeps up on your thigh, rubbing the squishy fat between his fingers. it makes you heart confused when he's barely even looking at you while he's doing it too, pretending to listen to whatever you're friend is saying.

at his game, he's perfect. sweaty and glistening beautifully under the lights as though a light rain had come doen too greet him. he meets your in the locker rooms and you congratulate him in many ways. what started out as just a few kisses soon turned into wandering hands and breathy moans cut off by the rest of the returning soccer players.

whats worse is the next day he acts like it's nothing. continuing to go about your regular schedule and trying to ignore the pains you get when he talks about possibly going to the spring dance with someone, he just doesn't know who.

it doesn't help that all of your friends on both sides seem too ship you two like crazy, having no problems in making sneaky little comments that suggest the two of you should get together.

barou didnt seem interested and for your own sake they drop the idea quickly. for a moment in your friendship ( if you could even call it that at this point ) the touches and the kissing stopped when it was let loose by a certain someone that you too weren't interested in the idea of being with him first the dance. and so for 9 long painful weeks of endless tension and pinning barou finally decided to make a move.

he burst into tge classroom he heard you were in for stuying and your body immediately tensed.

"oh, hi barou, what are you doing here?"

he smacked his lips and stomped over too your desk, "it's shouei to you, since when have you ever called me that?"

you shrugged your shoulders feigning nonchalance, "since whenever I started, now tell me what you want quickyly, i need too study."

barou shook his head head and moved you belongings aside so he was the center of your attention.

"hey what are you—!?"

"It this because of the dance?"

You stopped in the middle of your sentence to stare at him. "what?"

"the dance, because i said i wouldn't go with you?"

well that is not what you were expecting. "no...?"

barou sighed and crouched down so his was squatting now. "l—that time I thought, well I don't really know what I thought and-"

"shouei." you cut him off and he looked at your expression. "do you want to go to the dance with me?"

he stood up from his position taking you along with him. "'course i fucking do."

an ;; 🤢 shit ending, god awful writing, i know i sorry, ill do a samu soon to make up for it.

[faeriekit]

hi! hope you're having an okay day. I was wondering if you had any fic recs, specifically with Matches Malone and/or identity shenanigans? I also really enjoy those fics :D hope you have a good day!

Identity shenanigans or Matches Malone?? Uhhhhhhhhhhh (*immediate panic*).

So the thing is, it really really really depends on what you, stranger, are comfortable with, and what you enjoy?? There are a lot of fics I like, or at least have tried out myself, but there are also a half-dozen that are super content sensitive, especially when it comes to, like, gang stuff and Gotham's underbelly...? I'm going to put a couple things here, but. Uh. I will also recommend just opening the Matches Malone tag on ao3 and applying your own filters, since I don't know any of your hard lines! There's only like 173 fics in total. Sorting through them is super easy. Have fun and be yourself.

On the other hand, I've got some stuff here:

Matches Malone identity nonsense:

⭐Good girls don't, but I do: Superbat, several undercover identities, gender fuckery (of what nature is up to reader interpretation), Journalist Clark Kent, and first time meetings! Unfinished so far, but super fun with a lot of potential! I am very excited about this one!!

⭐Have I told you about Minnie? Steph and Bruce bonding! Turns out, if you're pretending to be someone else, it's super easy to say nice things about your kids when they're not listening, lol...or are they? 👀

Matches Malone Has Too Many Kids: Man, weird how Matches Malone has as many kids as Brucie Wayne, huh....and boy will he tell you all about what his crime family has been up to! Features Bruce & Family bonding via undercover identities; what could go wrong?

⭐homewrecker: Omegaverse; Red Hood accidentally tells Two Face that Matches Malone (Bruce, undercover,) is his mom. ...Whoops. Now all of Gotham has an opinion on Matches' (Bruce) and Batman's (also Bruce) custody battle over their crime lord son, and new step-mom Bruce Wayne (also also Bruce) is asked to weigh in lmao. Top tier comedy. So dumb. Cannot recommend enough. Every single Bat kid takes the piss. Gotham's undergound is in a tizzy. Bruce is so, so tired.

⭐Under(under)cover: DC x White Collar. Tim, undercover as an ex-con in the government's favorite form of law enforcement, suddenly has to get the detectives around him off his back before his identity is exposed...so obviously pulling out a few Malone family members is a good enough distraction, right? 💀 Pretending you've recently escaped a crime family is totally not an extra burden to your already half-busted cover identity, Tim! There are no possible consequences for this!

Don't Mess with Ma's Boy: Ma's Boy, Metropolis's enforcer for Mafia head Ma Kent, catches a Bat in his back yard. Obviously, the solution is to show him around town and share street food, of course. (SuperBat, with Super Shenanigans lmao)

Other Malone nonsense (Batfam Identities Two, Electric Boogaloo):

Playing with Matches: Batfam-centric secondary identities schtick. You're a Malone! You're a Malone! Red Hood's a Malone?? Everyone's a Malone!! Outside POV from Red Hood's gang and more!

⭐Robbie Malone saves the day & spills secrets: a DC x White Collar undercover op extravaganza, featuring Jason and Dick as our MCs. (TW: does feature fears of sexual assault, nothing onscreen.)

The one who got away: another DC x White Collar fic. Turns out, uh, if you don't tell your new kid that you're the famous Gotham Bats or why one of Gotham's most famous untouchable mob families is coming around to visit all the time, they're going to come to their own conclusions! Those conclusions may not be flattering! They might be scared enough to cut and run, actually! You may have to apologize for making this extremely stressful on them!! ...If they let you back in at all!

Features smut (mostly SuperBat)(There are other ships in the tag they're just not my thing; go explore the tag yourself for other options):

⭐I want to sell what you're buying: Clark Kent, journalist, meets Matches Malone, informant, for a...wilder time than he was expecting to agree to on his trip into Gotham. (TW Fic eventually makes it more obvious that Clark knows who/what he's agreeing to, but it does read on the edge of identity dubcon for a hot minute if you're sensitive to that)

Matches and the Doll: I do love the dynamic of a ne'er do well and his extremely obedient Super as choice of undercover roles, but this is, at the end of the day, all leading up to wild exhibitionist smut FYI

Pretty Reporters Are Always In Need of Saving (title is largely self explanatory) is followed up with by a SuperBat week 2024 fill Good Boys Play with Matches. It's uh. You know. Alley sex and roleplay. Read the warnings.

Recs from the discord (Home of the Apiary Genders!)

(Un)Conventional Date Night: Dp x DC. Matches Malone and two out-of-town scientists tear up the town on their night off!

Your Boy That Was, the Son That Is... More Matches Malone & Red Hood identity angst. What happens when the son recognizes his father, but the man himself cannot?

Art:

Bruce as Matches Malone and Clark Illustration, as presented on ao3!

I think that's all I have time for today...? There are other identity shenanigan fics I love that aren't on here, but this list took me like an hour and a half and there is other writing I'm supposed to get done today...lol. I'm only 181 pages into this unreleased fic! I better get moving! 😜

Thanks for asking!🧡

[moocha-muses]

Just caught one of your hallowpoems on my dash, always love to see them! So, how about the prompt 'meshing'?

I love everyone who tries meshing, new skills are hard, i'm not your boss, I treasure everything you make, I love you, I'm sorry-

Whoops! No morphs included. (He can still gain weight. He does still gain weight, It might not show, but he gains it, he can see it on the scale, his ribs, his skin, his muscles, his organs all compressing the fat, like an exoskeleton. His skin is crunchy, and tough, and a prison for the globs fat squirming and sloshing inside- He is denser now. He is dense, dense, dense, He looks as slim as ever but his feet punch through the floor-)

I ran out of time, so I left out the maternity shape- (She's pregnant and the baby is inside of her terrible, inflexible skin, growing, and growing, pressed up against the cage of her, there's no room-)

I know the mesh still has a few black shadows- (They're just not natural. He wonders if they'll spread, if he'll make up one day, black patched over his hands, his stomach, his mouth-)

Can you believe the game shipped with a broken fat morph- (They gained five pounds and spikes of bone burst from their skin, exploding outwards, impaling their lungs and their stomach and their eyes and any loved one who stood too close-)

How do you even do knee joints- (His knees snap as he moves, as he sits. They snap, and crinkle, and her kneecaps splinter out through his jeans, staining them red-)

There's some minor clipping- (Her dress is moving through her, sliding under her skin, a rasp of sequins against her raw muscle-)

This is the first time I've tried repoing anything and I think I unlinked a texture- (Now her dress is her skin, now she is the dress, a distorted thing, tanned flesh and buttons, and a zipper where she used to have a spine, her breasts are flat and distended, and lacy-)

Maybe I'll learn how to do shoe swaps, first- (His feet-)

[leiascully]

Girl your “love is dead” anon got me tweaking! I don’t want to disrupt your fictober flow - but I have a prompt request for later. Can you write some petty fight or argument about Jerse or Diana while they’re already together, preferably set after s7? I’m not in the mood for their usual “we’re gonna be mature and discuss it maturely” - I want some petty and petulant heat of the moment fight. Bonus if there’s smut — SINCE MULDER AND SCULLY ARE HOT AND IN LOVE AND THEEEE SHIP BLUEPRINT with so much sexual tension and chemistry even after 30 years, and even if they weren’t soulmates you can’t look at them and honestly think they don’t have hot sex ANONN!!

It should be a nice afternoon. Mulder's over at her apartment. They're watching baseball. She's on maternity leave. She's relaxing. And yet every single thing in her life is irritating. Her body doesn't feel like her own. She didn't sleep well, because her belly is inconveniently big. Every craving she's had lately seems to exacerbate her heartburn, and she has to pee all the time, and even her walks around the neighborhood make her short of breath. She's tired of stretch marks and she's afraid of hemorrhoids, especially since it's harder to turn to wipe at this point.

Mulder seems blissfully unaware of all this and she's glad about that, but irritated too. It was only weeks ago that he was still icing her out like it was her fault he'd been buried. She knows that's the trauma—God knows she felt some of it herself after her abduction—but it's still frustrating as hell.

She prayed so hard for this pregnancy, but being pregnant comes with its own strange burdens, even during the moments that she's not afraid for her life and her child. She prayed for Mulder to be returned to her, but not for this alternately blithe and bitter version of him who's sometimes acting like nothing's wrong and sometimes seems to blame her for all of it. A quarter of the time, he's so solicitous it's as if he thinks pregnancy has broken her. A quarter of the time, he seems like he's about to bolt. The other half of the time they're together, it's like he ignores the whole situation, except for the occasional quip. But she never gets to forget it.

Whatever happened to him seems to have reset their relationship, and that also pisses her off. Seven years of foreplay, and all for what? For him to act like now that she's pregnant, she's the Virgin Mother? Especially now, when her hormones are at extreme high tide and she just wants to be railed within an inch of her life? He just sits there looking like the man who used to eat her out until her whole body ached from coming too many times, and watches baseball like he doesn't remember the way he thrust against her when he was pretending to teach her how to play.

There's a sharp crack from the tv, the sound of a ball hit hard and fast, and Mulder whoops. Scully jumps in her seat. The fact that she's startled makes her seethe.

"What do you think?" he says, turning to her. He's grinning widely. "Is it finally time for me to get NY tattooed on my ass?"

Anger bubbles over inside her. He said the same thing when he saw her tattoo for the first time. "Fuck off," she suggests, almost cordially, and starts to heave herself up from the couch. She can read in bed or something. Drink pathetic herbal tea at the table. Anything but sit here and want what they used to have.

"Hey, whoa." He catches her arm. "What did I say? Do you not want me to get a tattoo?"

"Far be it from me to suggest you do anything with your body," she says frostily, sort of crouching on the edge of the sofa. "Although I can't imagine you extending me the same courtesy."

"What's this about?" he asks, putting the tv on mute.

"You never miss a chance to needle me about my tattoo," she says. It's a completely unfair statement, the kind of deranged nonsense that only couples say to each other, and she didn't even mean to put "needle" and "tattoo" in the same sentence.

His face clouds. "It wasn't about that."

"No, of course it wasn't," she says, looking away from him. He's still holding her arm. "Because you don't care what I do unless I'm fucking someone else, even if you don't want me."

"I don't want you?" He finally sounds a little bit angry. Good. She wants to stoke those fires. Maybe he'll kiss her, maybe he'll storm out: either way, they'll have reached a tipping point. Something seems to click in his brain. "Are you fucking someone else?"

"Would it be your business if I were?" she challenges him.

"I guess not," he says, but he's got that stubborn set to his jaw.

"If you're not going to make it your fucking business, you should leave," she tells him. "It'll save me the effort of boxing up your stuff the next time some leggy brunette from your past shows up."

"Not pulling any punches, huh," he says, breathing fast. She hates the way his chest looks in that t-shirt. She hates the way his jeans strain over his thighs as he shifts.

"You never hold back when you're kicking me when I'm down," she says, looking at him levelly, and it's not fucking fair and she knows it, but none of this is fucking fair. She has everything she thought she wanted and all of it's just not quite right. She's half an inch from bursting into angry tears.

"What the fuck is happening right now?" he asks. "I thought we were watching baseball." As if he doesn't remember the way he talked to her about Ed Jerse. He remembers. He remembers everything.

"Just go," she says, turning her face away. She puts one hand on her belly, as if she could calm the roil of lust and resentment and disappointment.

"Uh uh," he says. "You don't get to kick me out before I leave you. I know that trick." His chest is heaving now.

"You've left me before," she says in a low voice.

"I'm not fucking doing it now," he tells her, anger crackling in his voice. "Diana's dead, if you remember."

"It wouldn't be the first time you've abandoned me to chase a ghost," she says, and it's a low, low blow.

He flinches like she slapped him. She didn't mean Samantha, of course she didn't. But there were other ghosts along the way, and she knows he knows that.

"What do you mean I don't want you?" he asks, the words rasping out of him.

She shakes her head. "You haven't so much as kissed me on the cheek since you got back."

"Scully, I want you all the fucking time," he says, and the intensity in his eyes and his voice hits so deep she feels it in her bones. It's like he's really looking at her for the first time since the hospital. Her lips part. She watches his eyes drop to her mouth. Fuck, she wants him so much even that makes her wet. "I didn't think you wanted me anymore."

"I want you so badly," she says, almost whimpering it, and she hates herself a little for that, for being so weak in him, but he pulls her forward and crushes her against him and his mouth is against hers at long fucking last and God, that's exactly what she needed. To be held by him, to feel him against her, really and truly here, really and truly hers.

"Please," she says, and he's already tugging her into his lap. She straddles him, the ridge of his cock making itself known under her thighs. She's wearing some t-shirt dress and leggings her mom got for her and she hates it, she absolutely hates it. She misses her sleek suits and her jeans that didn't have an elastic panel in them and being able to wear any of her sweaters without feeling like she's stretching them out in the bust. She misses the body Mulder couldn't stop touching. But he can't seem to stop touching her now, either: his hands cradle her tits, slide down her back, mold themselves over her hips. He even touches her belly, very gently, but like he's maybe a little less afraid of it.

"Can we...?" he asks.

"If we don't, I might die," she tells him, and kisses him. He kisses her back like her mouth is the only thing that can save him. His tongue is in her mouth and God, she missed it. She missed everything about him. Even the smell of his skin is intoxicating. She grabs him around the neck like she'll float away if she doesn't hold on.

They kiss until she's dizzy with need. She breaks away and sits back on her heels, panting a little. "That was a joke. About dying."

"I got that," he says, "but we can't take that chance." His hands skim up her thighs, under the hem of her giant unflattering t-shirt. She lifts her hips and her arms so he can pull it up and over her head. Immediately, his eyes are on her tits, and then his face is buried in them, his lips wandering over her skin. She moans as he thumbs her nipples through her ugly maternity bra. They're so sensitive and he knows exactly how to touch her somehow. He always did.

"Is it weird if I suck on your tits?" he asks, the words muffled by her cleavage. In answer, she lifts her nipple to his mouth and moans again as he tongues her through the fabric. Fuck, it feels good. She grinds on the bulge of his erection. She's come just from this, but not for a long time. She moves faster, torn between wanting to hump him into oblivion and wanting to come with him inside her, his skin against hers. The second possibility wins out. She crawls off his lap.

"Everything okay?" he asks. His eyes are hazy with desire and his hair is mussed. He looks so much like Mulder-Before that her heart squeezes and she almost wants to cry. They're not who they were. But they can be themselves again.

"No," she says, and gets to see his panic face. "You've got way too many clothes on."

"You got me," he says, stripping off his shirt. His scars are fading, much less livid than they were in the hospital. She studies him with an appreciative eye as he undoes his jeans. He's still got it. He wiggles out of his jeans and helps her peel out of her leggings and her maternity underwear.

"How do we do this?" he asks.

"However we want," she says. "Mulder, pregnant people can have sex." She is very, very slightly worried given how many problems she's already had, but not enough to stop. They deserve one fucking break in the midst of all of this, one thing that's still the same.

"Lean back," she tells him, nudging him toward the corner of the sofa. He goes where he's told, his cock bobbing as he moves. The slightly reclined position makes room for her stomach. It might not be the most comfortable, but she wants to look at him. She straddles him again, up on her knees. His hand is between her thighs, sliding between her folds. He swears in a low voice when his fingers find where she's wet. She echoes him when he brushes his slick thumb over her clit. It's like Fourth of July fireworks and twinkling lights on Christmas morning all at once, but inside her body.

"I want you," she tells him, looking down at him.

"You got me," he promises. "I want you so much, Scully."

"Show me," she says, sinking down. He guides his cock into her. God, it's been too long. She's tight, and even though she's so wet for him, it takes a minute to take all of him. She eases herself down and down and down the hot length of him. She moans as she takes him deeper, spreading her knees on the sofa to get another half-inch. Finally she's resting against his thighs and she's so full she thinks she could come just like this, just feeling him all the way inside her. He puts one hand on her face, as tender as if it's their first time. In a way, it is, all over again.

"I missed you," he whispers, and she bursts into tears as she starts to move. But she's laughing and crying at the same time, riding him. She lets herself be loud, lets herself be messy. He should see how he undoes her. But his mouth is open and desperate under hers too. His hands tremble on her skin.

"I missed you so much," she says, the words broken up by kisses and by the way he thrusts up into her. She loves feeling the strength of him under her. She loves his arms around her. His bare skin against hers is what she's been craving the worst her entire pregnancy. She has brief flashes of what it would have been like if he'd been here the whole time: the way he would have caressed the slight swell of her growing belly, the delight in his eyes feeling the baby kick.

"It's not too late," she says, and he groans in agreement. She's close. She sits up so she can ride him hard, grinding her pelvis against him. His fingers find her clit and she gasps, a sharp noise. He grins up at her.

"Hips before hands," she pants.

"I knew you loved baseball," he says roughly.

"Just the nice piece of ash," she says, and he flicks her clit just right and she's coming, shivering around his cock. He throbs inside her, thrusting up like he can't help himself. It's all she can do to grip his thighs with her knees as he pounds into her, but she won't shut her eyes. She needs to see him. She watches his pleasure build. His mouth is open and his cheeks are flushed. There's a light in his eyes she hasn't seen since Before.

"Come on," she urges. "I need this."

He makes an inarticulate noise that's about half her name and comes hard, his thighs like steel under her. She holds him as her muscles flutter in delicious empathy. His eyes are shining as he looks up at her. A tear rolls down his cheek. She catches it on her thumb and brings it to her lips. He laughs, sounding surprised.

She climbs off him. It's a slightly difficult process, but he braces her with his hands and that helps. She retrieves the detested t-shirt dress and wads it under herself to shield the couch from any sticky residues. They both lie back against the cushions, breathing hard.

"What were we fighting about?" she asks.

"Whether I love the Yankees more than I love you, I think," he says, sprawling next to her.

"You do," she says. "But that's okay."

"I don't," he says. "I don't love anything more than I love you, Scully. Not even ghosts."

She meets his eyes. His gaze is steady. "Okay," she whispers.

"Okay." He nods. "As for things I might have said about anyone else you were fucking, it's not an excuse to say that I was insanely jealous, but it does explain it a little. Sorry I was a dick."

"Sometimes we were both dicks," she says. "I think that's how love works."

"You wanna find out together?" He holds out his hand.

"Yeah," she says, taking it. "I do."

On the television, a baseball soars into a cloudless blue sky. It's a grand slam.

[airbender-dacyon]

Benlynn Parallels & Analysis

Alright, so this is by no means an exhaustive list, just what I am able to recall right now, but here's some of the Ben & Brooklynn parallels I noticed from Season 1 of Chaos Theory, as well as a few under the cut that are speculation based on trailers and promos from Season 2 (so spoiler warning for those). And I ended up doing more analysis on this than I intended, whoops.

Apologies for the long post, but I wanted to keep any spoilers under the cut and this ended up being much longer than I planned. I also apologize because it's been a minute since I've been able to watch Camp Cretaceous in its entirety and a bit since I last watched S1 of Chaos Theory so I hope my memory is right on most of this.

Also, this is meant to just be a fun post. It is a ship post, but I also acknowledge that the parallels likely don't mean anything beyond they're friends with shared interests/similar traits (if they even mean that).

Dark Jurassic Nerds

"What about that website I showed you?" "OMG. Dark Jurassic? Yes. Amazing." "Isn't it?"

Ben, in a surprising twist to me, was the one to discover Dark Jurassic. When Camp Cretaceous ended, I wouldn't have guessed he would be the one to become invested in a social media site. I will say that it makes sense that Brooklynn, having grown up as a social media influencer, was staying away from social media more after the Nublar Six returned home and that she didn't come across Dark Jurassic sooner. Regardless, the pair are both heavily invested in the website, though Brooklynn seems to have vetted the theories more than Ben, given her interaction with Yaz:

So it seems like Ben had a habit of sending a lot of stuff he found interesting her way, but only a few things, like the Dino Immersion Therapy, Brooklynn found to be legit.

2. "Okay, at first, I was like, ugh. But this view!"

I still think it is surprising that between Ben's flashback and Kenji's flashback, Brooklynn expresses more excitement over the view of a pretty ordinary skyline from the rooftop of a college dormitory that Ben shows her during her surprise visit than she does the bioluminescent Parasaurolophus at sunset amidst cliffs and a waterfall that her boyfriend of 5+ years had planned as a big romantic gesture.

We don't know the exact date when Brooklynn visited Ben at college, so I fully admit that probably plays a big part in the difference in Brooklynn's reaction. Since this is shortly after Ben introduced Brooklynn to Dark Jurassic and we know that 1) Brooklynn visited Yaz 14 months before the start of Season 1 and 2) Kenji broke up with Brooklynn shortly before (at least a few weeks, I believe) her apparent death roughly 6 months before S1, the Benlynn flashback takes place at least 14 months before S1, probably even earlier than that. Heck, it might be 18-24 months before S1. So, obviously Brooklynn is in a much healthier headspace in Ben's flashback whereas she had become obsessed with uncovering the dinosaur trafficking conspiracy by the time of Kenji's flashback, resulting in her indirectly neglecting her relationship with him.

3. Funny Stories, Personal Questions, & Other Shared Interests?

"Uh, yeah. College is great, but sometimes I gotta get outside just to feel like I can breathe." "Weird how it can be so hard to feel normal, now that everything is so... normal." "See those Pteranodons up there?" "Uh-huh." "One of them grabbed a freshman's backpack and took off with it." "No way." "She had to tell her professor that a dinosaur ate her homework." [Brooklynn laughs] "What?" "That's really funny." "Well, not to her. She failed her assignment." [Brooklynn laughs harder] "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. No, I'm sorry, that's really sad." [Snorts] "That's sad." "The point is, I don't know if there's such a thing as normal anymore." "Yeah."

It hadn't been my intention to quote such a large chunk of the flashback, but I do find it interesting how this interaction between these two played out. Ben & Brooklynn had only a handful of scenes - more accurately, a handful of interactions - together in Camp Cretaceous. And so to see these two alone together and enjoying each other's company was refreshing to see. Again, this isn't a 'they shared a moment together, now they're going to end up together' post. The fact that there was a significant flashback that highlighted how Ben & Brooklynn get along, despite not being one of the other's closest friends within the Nublar Six, was a stellar choice. They could have easily done for Ben what they did with Sammy: a very brief, but still impactful memory/vision of Brooklynn.

But in this scene, it's neat that Ben is telling the story to reassure Brooklynn that 1) even though they've been home safe from Nublar for years now, their experiences will never go away and 2) prehistoric wildlife is out in the world, "normal" doesn't really exist and they shouldn't expect it to. Like on Nublar, they have to adapt to the new dynamic. But, intentionally or not, Ben is also telling the story in a very humorous way, which results in Brooklynn's laughter. And whether you see the moment as shippy or just friends, it was pretty adorable to see Ben making Brooklynn laugh.

The scene on the rooftop also begins in a rather interesting way, as Ben's dialogue starts by announcing the rooftop view is his favorite spot on campus, followed by why he goes there/gets outside. So, presumably, Brooklynn had asked him how college was going. And after the Pteranodon story, Ben does something unique to the flashbacks we've seen in Season 1.

He asks Brooklynn how she's been doing.

"Anyway, how's everything with you? Any cool stories you're working on? Wrongs to be righted? Buried truths to be uncovered?" [Laughs] "Trying. It is hard out there for a reformed "social media influencer turned aspiring investigative journalist."

Now again, I fully recognize this is the easiest catalyst in the flashback to introduce Brooklynn's interest/activity in Dark Jurassic. And I also fully recognize that we haven't seen Darius' flashback with Brooklynn yet and Sammy's vision/memory of Brooklynn is too short to really compare to the other three we've seen so far.

However, in Yaz's flashback, we see Brooklynn is the one helping her with the Dino Immersion Therapy and inquiring about how she's doing, why she's there instead of Sammy, etc. And in Kenji's flashback, we see that he's so excited to share the view he's discovered with Brooklynn. And when she is too distracted (presumably by her mission) to acknowledge the beauty of the moment, Kenji breaks up with her and his dialogue suggests this has been happening for a while.

The video recordings of the earlier Kenlynn date and when the Nublar Six returned home at least give us a glimpse into happier times. But with regards to the flashbacks, while Brooklynn is likely there to check up on her friend (unannounced and strangely late in the evening from the looks of it), Ben's flashback is the only one where the focus seems to be on both characters equally rather than Brooklynn acting in a supporting/secondary role in the scene.

A much smaller parallel, likely unintentional, is that Ben and Brooklynn seem to (almost) have matching outfits in the flashback.

Continuing from that, and acknowledging similar outfits is already a stretch, I guess there is a parallel with music? Kinda?

We see in Brooklynn's video call to Darius that she is wearing what looks like a band/album T-shirt and Ben has become quite the fan of rock music. Some of the concept art for Ben's dorm room also showcased several band posters, if I recall correctly.

So, while not a certainty, it seems they could have also developed a connection through similar music tastes, though this is a fair bit of speculation.

4. Boots

Another parallel that's a stretch, but Ben eating food out of a boot seemed really, really odd when it was introduced. Perhaps out of desperation, maybe he accidentally broke his last bowl or ran out of disposable ones? Who knows. An odd choice, especially with the later Ruby Ropes container conversation being weird enough on its own that the food boot seemed excessive.

But then it was shown that Brooklynn also had an unfortunate boot-related habit, though fortunately nowhere near as disgusting. Kenji trips over one of her boots and comments on it, with Darius also having suffered from the problem:

"She was always leaving these in the middle of the floor. It was so annoying. I was so afraid I was gonna-" "Break your neck?" "Did she do that when she was staying with you after we broke up?" [Chuckles] "I swear she did it just to annoy us."

Again, this one's a big stretch, but it felt like a possibility.

5. A specific set of skills

Or, rather, just one skill. I can't remember if any other members of the Nublar Six ever picked any locks throughout the shows, but Ben having a set of dedicated lock picks was an interesting development. All of the N6 have picked up new skills in the time between CC and CT, but Ben's activities - and this skill in particular - seem to mirror a lot of Brooklynn's.

6. Conspiracy Boards

Again, going back to the fact that Brooklynn was more interested in legitimate stories and credible theories, Ben's board is quite a mess while Brooklynn's is more refined. Ben's looking into all the possibilities, no matter how ridiculous they might be, whereas Brooklynn is focused on (presumably) unraveling the dinosaur trafficking conspiracy and anything else nefarious that might be going on in relation to it.

7. Season 1 Bookends (unused)

I don't want to repost the art without permission and I really want to get the post up today, so credit to Brandon Roberts in this concept art post here. It shows Ben on his laptop in his dorm room.

However, I will provide the description Brandon Roberts gave, as well as the confirmation by Scott Kreamer on the post:

This would have been an interesting parallel and way to bookend the season: opening with Ben on Dark Jurassic getting vague messages and closing out with Ronnie sending vague messages to someone on Dark Jurassic and the reveal that it's Brooklynn.

And only time will tell if there is something real between these two. Or it might all be just an illusion.

"There's definitely some pretty out-there stuff on there, but every so often there's something that seems, I don't know..." "Real?" "Real."

And aside from the spoilery speculation below, I think this might be it. There could be other parallels I'd thought of previously, but as of right now, this is all I can remember. If you made it this far, thanks for reading my inane ramblings. I hope you enjoyed!

Also, shoutouts to @p0m0u and @kitabearuwu for being the inspiration for me falling down the Benlynn rabbit hole and continued inspiration since (we'll see if I can get my Benlynn fic done by tomorrow), especially their posts here, here, here, and here. And special thanks to @p0m0u for letting me use the beautiful gifs she made in this post!

Spoilers for Season 2 Trailers & Promo material under the cut!

Starting from what I feel is the weakest parallel to the strongest:

8. Why are you holding that in your mouth?

When I saw the tweezers or tool or whatever fall from Brooklynn's mouth, I swear I'd seen Ben do something like it before in the show. I tried to scour Season 1 of CT to find it, but to no avail. I then remembered where I'd seen something similar, back in Season 4 of CC. Again, leading with the weakest parallel here, but like the boots, I find it interesting and odd that both of them have held things in their mouths - and these are things that probably shouldn't be held in their mouths - only to drop them at some point during the scene. Ben's out of relief that the BRAD is gone, Brooklynn's potentially by whoever is breaking into her location (if the clips immediately before and after are part of the same scene).

9. You're great and I like you, but...

Given that it looks like we'll have a Darius and Brooklynn flashback finally, I have to wonder, will it play out in a similar vein to the Ben & Yaz moment in S4 of CC? We know that Ben mistook Yaz's interest in getting him away from Kenji & Brooklynn so that Kenlynn could develop as romantic interest. What if we see Brooklynn realize Darius' growing affection for her and makes it clear in a similar way?

I'm not saying we'll get a "Darius, look, you're a great guy and I like you. But I just don't like like you." But possibly something similar.

10. What? You've never seen a ghost before?

We'll see if this turns out to be another 'back from the dead' moment or not, but it has that kind of vibe to me. And I have to credit @p0m0u for pointing it out to me originally. Fingers crossed, it seems like a perfect setup for Ben's line to make a comeback!

And I think that's everything for now!

[illusioncanthurtme--art]

SCREAMIBG GIGGLING KICKING MY FEET ONE OF MY FAV ARTISTS DRAWING NOT ONLY GRAVITY FALLS, BUT FIDDLESTAN???? SCREAMING

Ok now time for an EVIL question what's ur op on fiddlebill. Neither of these idiots can have ford and blame eachother. Now kiss

(specifically pre-portal because I feel like it'd only really work then- fidds losing his memories and no longer being fords apprentice bill would just seem him as pointless to interact with and fidds probably wouldn't have such deep rooted opinions on him anymore either)

SJKFHSDFHFD LMAO YEAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!! It's pretty much become my favorite gravity falls ship!!!! I'm so crazy about them!!! I love them so much!!!

That is SUCH an evil question dude. It's not anything I've really ever considered or thought about? I'm a multishipper so I'm not gonna shoot anyone down though. I mostly like to think about bill fucking with fiddleford out of pure unadulterated jealousy. He KNOWS fiddleford has feelings for Ford, a LOT of unrequited feelings, and he feels super duper insecure about that, despite the fact he's got ford wrapped around his toony ass finger. So I like to think he gives fiddleford weird dreams. That's something I meant to draw, actually. I came up with a scenario where bill goes into one of fids *fantasizing about ford* dreams and loses his shit. Hopefully I'll finish that eventually.

So yeah, he definitely contributed to fiddlefords mental downward spiral. Really contributed to the psychological thriller that was originally supposed to be a queer rom com in a cozy cabin in the woods.

I kind of took your ask and started rambling on it? I'm sorry. This was supposed to be about fids x bill. Whoops. You know what... closest I can see to that is bill posessing ford and putting the moves on fiddleford when fiddleford doesn't realize it's bill. Like they're in the bedroom and it's all dark so he can't see the yellow eyes. And bill is doing that to manipulate him. To find a way to hurt him in the process so he'll leave. GOD IT'S ANGSTY NOW THAT I'M THINKING ABOUT IT WHOOPS

HERE'S A BILLFORD/FIDDAUTHOR/MAYBE FIDDLEBILL SONG *throws it at you and runs away*

[waokevale]

Looks at you with my eyes sitting in front of you like I'm interrogating you (but it's actually a really nice cozy room). I have heard tale of this WXwood ship. Tell me what you find compelling about the ship I'm considering joining you in WXwood land. Literally just say words at me I'm listening

Alright, very well then, so I shall! 🫡

At first, I only shipped them ironically, because they seemed like the classic "opposites attract" trope, which I favor 👍

But then I got digging, and I realized they're not actually that different after all. In fact, they share plenty of common traits and interests. What many people overlook initially, is that neither of them is actually a black&white character. None of the DST cast is, to be fair. 🩶

So it was inevitable, I became enthralled with this ship and now it's probably my nr 1 of all time.

Here's a list of my reasonings and what I found out about these guys thus far (updated):

1. WX-78 is actually a bit of a softie if you spend some time reading through their quotes. They act tough and logical to presumably hide whatever ounce of empathy they have left, that didn't escape them completely. (But they're not doing too good of a job)

They either use this uncharacteristically soft tone or hide a kind gesture or well-intentioned thought behind robotically constructed sentences and insults.

Even when they are threatening someone/something, they're all bark no bite. They might be very rude, but most of the time they won't actually go through with what they say.

And of course, I don't think I need to show the quotes for machines or metallic structures, since WX-78 openly sees them as their family and acts basically the same as Wormwood does with his plant friends.

2. Speaking of, Wormwood isn't always an empathetic creature. He can sometimes be callous, apathetic and even have favorites amongst plants (and people too), though he doesn't directly state that. He also isn't as dumb as he portrays himself to be, he definitely knows something, but either has too limited English speaking skills or is actively choosing not to say much.

He often sobs or cries when a creature dies, but there are times he reacts with either "whoops", "oh" or "too bad" like it's a small inconvenience at best.

And those are only some of the examples. If you'd like I could always try and find more of these specific quotes at another time.

3. Despite seeming vastly different at first, they would eventually become good friends.

And why do I think that? Because WX-78 actually likes plenty of things that correspond with Wormwood!

Bees (If we were to go back to their previous quote I've shown). Fun fact, WX-78 has a lot of quotes where they express how much they like/respect bees! And since Wormwood blooms, there's countless of them surrounding him at those times. It's a welcome bonus while hanging out around him. (Though maybe not in Spring)

Their quote for green gem is: "PRESSURE AND IMPURITIES HAVE PRODUCED PLEASING PERFECTION" which is. well. Something.

They're very fond of pumpkins, describing them as: "IT HAS A PLEASANT SHAPE" while their seed as "IT IS A SOURCE CODE FOR PLEASING PLANTS" And guess who just happens to have a pumpkin skin ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

The lunar affinity. If I didn't know any better, I'd assume WX-78 was outright worshipping the moon. They have dozens of quotes describing how THE MOON IS SUPERIOR, INORGANIC AND GOOD, I wouldn't be able to fit all of them into this post, (just trust me on that). Regardless, they're still deeply attached to it. it wouldn't be surprising that, if they found out about this aspect about him, they'd become very fascinated with him, because c'mon, it's the moon, and he's from it!

Despite acting like it, WX-78 doesn't actually hate all organic life. Plants in particular, are actually some of the organisms they seem to hate the least. They're partial to potatoes and lureplants; the former because they say they can relate to them, and the latter because "AWW, IT'S JUST AS EVIL AS I AM". They even recognize the beauty of certain flowers, even if they say it in a mocking tone. So then, would it be too farfetched of a concept for them to grow to appreciate organic life with Wormwood's influence ?

And yeah, they might not like him at first due to the whole "Filthy Organic" attribute, but that's just how they are with everyone! And that's what we're here for! That slowburn! With the two of them getting to know each other and realizing they have shared interests and know similiar struggles!

Going back to Wormwood. His quote for the W.A.R.B.I.S armor and head gear suggests that he highly admires WX and would like to be strong like they are.

–Wormwood, examining the W.A.R.B.I.S. Head Gear: "Just like robot friend!"

–Wormwood, examining the W.A.R.B.I.S. Armor: "Be strong, like robot friend!"

There's also his quote for the Nautopilot where he's the only one who shows genuine concern for WX-78's perturbation:

–WX-78, when examining the Nautopilot: THIS IS A TERRIBLE IDEA

–WX-78, when examining an active Nautopilot: I THINK THAT RIDICULOUS SCIENTIST IS TRYING TO KILL ME

–Wormwood: Robot friend doesn't like Pull Rock

5. The survivors' farming animation is quite charming, I certainly loved their small interaction there. They're also shown in the official Return Of Them vignette, farming on the side.

6.. I like the fact that one of them is afraid of water and the other of fire. Adds an interesting dynamic.

7. As @benzybenny mentioned, it's a cute idea that they could make each other's favorite foods. Wormwood has the resources for making a butter muffin practically instantly available, due to his Bee King and Berry Bush crafting skills. And WX-78 is perfectly fitted for the ruins, yes! Them fetching bananas (definitely only to spite the monkeys, not for Wormwood and Wendy specifically) sounds very plausible to me. 😁

8. They just work. Despite claiming they want to "DOMINATE ALL ORGANIC LIFE" WX-78 appreciates people who can stand up for themselves. I'd guess Wormwood would be a huge pushover at first, no doubt, but with their influence, he would certainly have to grow a spine (metaphorically speaking)

Likewise, WX-78 struggles to show kindness to non-robotic creatures, because they fear they might come off as WEAK and SENTIMENTAL. Things they loathe to expose about themself. Wormwood could help them show that it's okay to love organic friends and be nice to others! (sometimes at least.)

I'd say they balance out each other perfectly and that is quite rare to see in modern ships.

While they'd definitely struggle to get along at first, they'd surely grow fond of the other one day :)

I hope this convinced you. if not, I'll try and dig up some more stuff. Then again, keep in mind that there aren't many canon character interactions besides whatever crumbs we've got from their quotes and official animations.

[mychlapci]

The broodmare Megatron still being intimating and fully prepared to throw down ask gave me an idea. Specifically for the tfa broodmare ship au.

A Carrier's instinct to protect their brood is a powerful urge, and despite the Autobot broodmares being, well, Autobot broodmares, they were still at one point trained to fight. Bumblebee and Bulkhead were in the Autobot boot camp, they were intended to join the elite guard so they must have trained accordingly. Despite Ratchet being an old mech now and a Medic to boot, he was still on the battlefield and can whoop serious ass if need be. Prowl is a fucking cyber ninja for God's sake. And Optimus was the star student of the Autobot Academy, getting top marks in every class and even managed to get the title of Prime before he even graduated.

And Omega Supreme is, well, Omega Supreme.

If anyone were to enter their nests or bother their clutches/sparklings without permission, they wouldn't hesitate to start throwing hands regardless of their pregnancy status.

Bulkhead's a big mech, usually the mere presence of a massive pissed off carrier is enough to deter wannabe intruders. But if one were to try to bother him or his bitties, they would be in for a rather personal introduction to his wrecking ball fists.

Anyone who tries to mess with Prowl who's not one of his chosen studs or one of the other broodmares that make up his team is usually treated to a shuriken to the back and a foot to the face before getting kicked out.

Anyone who messes with Bee, well, they're in for quite the shock. Those stingers are no joke, he would practically electrocute them into a coma. He's also a fast little bugger so you wouldn't even see him coming before you suddenly feel the wrath of Zeus come down upon you for daring to mess with his clutches or whatever bitties he's babysitting.

Omega Supreme is a Titan. And a warship. It's just stupidity to try anything with him. Anyone who is stupid enough to mess with his hotspots will be treated to the full power of a Titan.

Ratchet, well, he usually has Deadlock to protect him and his bitties. If he's busy elsewhere, Ratchet usually just throws them out with his magnets. But if someone were to get past Deadlock, they'd have a pissed off Medic on their ass who knows the Cybertronian body inside and out and will use that knowledge against them. They'd probably still be online as Ratchet tears them apart piece by piece.

But if getting caught by Ratchet is torture, then being caught by Optimus, Megatron's personal broodmare, is a Death Sentence. He wouldn't stop at just throwing you out of his nest like the others, he would Hunt You Down. As the captain and leader of the Orion and his Autobots, his territory extends past his nest. This includes the other's nests (though even he wouldn't enter without prior permission), Omega Supreme (since aside from Ratchet, he's basically Omega's speaker), his hab-suite (it's actually Megatron's) and various other areas on the Nemesis he adopted.

So it doesn't even have to be his bittlets - or even anyone else he views under his protection - you disturbed, it could be any of his teammates and once they kick you out of their nests, you're at his mercy. Usually he just makes an example of them by scaring the pit out of them with a rather terrifying game of cat-and-mouse then beating the slag out of them to deter them from ever approaching his territory again. (The first time he does this, Megatron swears he falls in love just little more watching this half feral carrier verbally, mentally, and physically tear into the would-be intruder.) But if they were to hurt anyone on his team, any mech under his protection, or - Primus forbid - any of the sparklings, all bets are off, that just made this everyone's problem. That's a dead mech walking.

To be welcomed into the nest of a Carrier is like being on sacred ground and the Carrier is the Deity that rules it. Anyone - bittlet or not - willingly welcomed within the nest or even territory is the Carrier's responsibility to care for and nurture as much as the guest is to respect and abide by the Carrier's rules. (Which is why there's very few instances of in-fighting within Optimus' territory, he has little to no patience for such behavior.) If a Carrier feels threatened, usually a sire or other protective mech steps in to defend them. But if it's within their own nest/territory? They have no problems protecting themselves. A Carrier's duty is to protect their charges as much as it is to nurture them.

Unfortunately, the Autobots have no concept of this, which lands them in quite a bit of trouble. The first - and only - time Sentinel tries to get into Optimus' nest, he figures out real quick why Megatron likes him so much. He doesn't try to mess with Optimus again after that. (Though there is some part of him that is a little jealous of all the attention Optimus is getting.)

yessssss god, i’m a sucker for broodmares’ nests being a sacred place where no one can step outside of the boudnaries they themself set... It’s so hot to me. And the Decepticons take it very seriously. Now that they’re keeping broodmares on the ship, most of the decepticon infighting has been subdued or kept very passive, all for the sake of the growing bitties and because no one knows when Megatron’s beloved broodmamma will waddle in and overhear everything. And if he tells Megatron, then they’re goners...

oh lord, who even let Sentinel on the decepticon warship... Maybe they’re trying to seize Megatron’s ship and make a little rescue mission out of it, perhaps there’s a peace treaty in the making so the autobots and decepticons are playing nice (even though i doubt they’re willing to go through with it... the autobots are too prideful and the decepticons are already building an army, as can be seen by the broodmares they’ve collected) and Sentinel ends up straying into Optimus’ nest... Megatron’s very own berthroom.

Optimus has never looked angrier, not that Sentinel noticed. He kept trying to get Optimus to get up, putting his damn hands on him, thinking he’ll be a hero who rescued a fellow autobot who was demoted into the role of lowly decepticon birthing machine... Optimus ends up decking Sentinel in the face, something he’d wanted to do for a long time, but always chose not to, just to keep the peace.... But Sentinel tried to poke at the baby in his arms, without permission, and he couldn’t stand that.

Sentinel ends up being chased away all the way through the ship until Optimus decides that he’s far enough from his nest... Megatron is very proud (if they’re taking over the ship, then Optimus has captured an intruding autobot, if they’re playing civil, then he’s taught the autobots some manners, at least...)