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verfound · 7 months

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MINIFIC: Oct. 23: Day 14: Mushroom (MLB, Lukanette, DLM AU)

For a brief moment – like the teeny tiniest of moments – I was considering the logistics of getting Mason to France and really having fun with ‘mushrooms’. It would have been very easy, actually, but…I couldn’t do that to Luka. I already stuck him with Dingo. 😂

For @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers October Minific Challenge 2023.

Read on Ao3

To Feel Alive Again: Ch14: Mushroom

“…I’m hungry,” Marinette said about halfway through the second movie. They had both agreed horror was…probably not the best option, and they had abandoned the DVDs to find something on a streaming service. He hadn’t really complained when she’d pulled up Finding Nemo. She hadn’t really crawled off of him yet, either, though her head was now resting on his shoulder instead of hiding in his chest. She hadn’t said anything about it yet, though, so he wasn’t going to, either. She peeked up at him, and he tried not to notice the way she was biting on her lip. “Are you hungry?”

“I could eat,” he said. “You brought popcorn, right?”

“I’m hungry,” she said. “For food, not snacks. Want a pizza? I’ll buy.”

His nose wrinkled.

“I’m not a big fan of pizza,” he said. Her eyebrows rose.

“Seriously? Everybody loves pizza,” she said. He chuckled and tugged on a pigtail. He wasn’t sure when his arm had moved around her shoulders, or when he’d started playing with her hair, but she hadn’t asked him to stop, so…

“I used to deliver pizzas,” he said. “When I was a kid. It was a lifetime ago, and I actually loved that job, but it turned me off pizza for life.”

“My papa used to make the best pizzas,” she said, sighing. “He grew his own toppings and everything. There was one summer he went a bit crazy and grew like fifteen different types of mushrooms. I don’t think I ate mushrooms for a year after that, but it was a pretty good pizza.”

“…ew,” Luka said, his nose wrinkling again. “I hate mushrooms.”

“Seriously?” she laughed, and he shrugged.

“They grow in shit,” he said. She laughed harder.

“Most things do,” she said. “It’s called fertilizer and it’s really good for plants.”

“It’s called bacteria and it stinks,” he said. She rolled her eyes and pushed away from him. He tried to tell himself he didn’t miss her weight and warmth against him.

“Ok, then, monsieur,” she said, lifting her arms above her head in a stretch. “What would you have me order, then?”

“…your ma’s Chinese, right?” he asked. She nodded, but she looked confused. “Any good Chinese places you won’t be personally offended by?”

She snorted and reached for her phone, pulling up a delivery app.

“Only if you order the crab Rangoon,” she snorted, looking up from phone. “That’s not Chinese, Luka.”

“Ok, ok,” he laughed, stretching himself before pushing himself up from the couch. “I need to hit the bathroom. Order what you want. Just, please, no mushrooms if you get pizza.”

He was down the hall and about to close the door on the bathroom when she called after him, and he almost smiled at the teasing note in her voice.

“Ok, no mushrooms – how do you feel about bananas?”

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poorly-drawn-mdzs · 3 months

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Game night ruined.

[First] Prev <–-> Next

#poorly drawn mdzs #mdzs #wei wuxian #jiang cheng #wang lingjiao #If the assorted Jiang disciples look familiar it's because they are the same as the disciples in the LWJ in Yunmeng Jiang AU comics!#I decided that if I was going to have background characters come up a lot I may as well solidify a few designs.#We are following MLP background character rules in the sense there are more disciples around but these guys fill in for them #Do they have names? No(t yet).#I just think the jiang disciples are very sweet and cute in the audio drama. I hope nothing bad happens to them.#(let me have me fun and whimsy with them before...you know...)#I feel like I totally missed an opportunity to set WLJ up as an 'Um Actually" girl.#“you're hitting on my man? UM ACTUALLY get BURNT”#“You want to fly kites? UM ACTUALLY It's offensive to my sect so get fucked”#“UM ACTUALLY we're setting up a supervisory office here”#“You want me to stay? UM ACTUALLY I think we pissed off some ghosts so I'm outtie <3”#Do you see the lost potential here? I'm furious at myself for not seeing it sooner.

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sketchy-scribs-n-doods · 5 months

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i'm a little sad at how sparse steddyhands and stizzy art and writing is on here now after the finale (thankfully, i am still digging through the couple thousand fics up on ao3 so i'm not totally bereft)

because during the airing of the season there was new stuff in the tags every day, sometimes even every few hours, but i think the finale really punched all of us in the face

there's lots of good stuff from before s2 to go digging through of course, and ao3 and twitter still have some new art and fic and memes if you go looking for it, but the difference from before and now seems a bit stark

don't misunderstand me, this isn't me being defeatist, just being a bit melancholy (and mad at the s2 finale tbh lol) about it. shout out to the regulars i see in the tags still making stuff and posting jokes, ya'll are doing the most and i wish you all the passion and motivation and time to create in the world <3

#obviously in this day and age ppl seem to drop fandom right away after the media in question is done so it's not totally unexpected #but the stark difference between so much new art being shared during airing vs the sudden quiet after the finale was. damn.#the izzy tag and regular fandom tags are still pretty active but i have a very specific love lol and it is #stizzy #steddyhands #gentlehands #even the ed and izzy tags are a little more active tho that's mostly because of the meta and angst enjoyers (mood)#anyway as soon as i'm done with finals and have some free time during the break i am going to draw so much old man yaoi #and maybe finally do more of and share my steddyhands mermaid au lol #also one more thing #if i'm sad about how much less steddyhands and stizzy stuff is happening #i am sending so many thoughts and prayers ™ to the frenchie and izzy and lucius and izzy shippers bc goddamn #they also got fucked over this season #we all thought we were winning and then suddenly we all got smacked in the face about it adfgfkj

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plutosschild · 7 months

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I’ve been so busy prepping for Halloween that I forgot to do a Halloween drawing so I’ll do one and post it another time but here’s a doodle I did of @sugarlesswriting ‘s fic ‘Clementine’ instead of paying attention to my lecturer x

#both of them: *sigh* being in love with my long distance chat room pen pal is so hard <\3 #also both of them: *literally like a few rooms down from one another*#also both of them: *started talking online because the other pissed them off*#oh also there’s some creepy animal murder happening #my art #digital art #td courtney #total drama #duncney #td duncan #artists on tumblr #total drama au #I got Duncan’s base from this tiktoker I’m on the train rn when I get home I’ll give them proper credit #the artist is @mellon_soup they don’t have a tumblr but they do free bases for people to use in art go check them out <3 #td duncney

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itsamenickname · 1 year

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So I have a question to the Bowuigi fans who have an AU where Luigi and Bowser are married.

Is Luigi's title in your AU "King Consort Luigi" (where only Bowser has the actual power) or would he officially be an actual king just like Bowser (in that he would have as much power/rule as Bowser currently does)?

I've seen multiple different ideas (not just with Bowuigi) where Mario and Luigi are king consorts, but I don't know if there's an AU where Mario and Luigi are just "King Mario" and "King Luigi."

#luigi #luigi nintendo #bowser #bowser nintendo #bowuigi #bowser x luigi #super mario #super mario bros #TBTBWTK miscellaneous stuff #headcanons #mario headcanons #I can think of 1-2 Mario aus I've seen where Luigi might be an actual king just like Bowser #but often times I feel like people have it to where Mario and Luigi are king consorts but they just shorten it to king #and there's nothing wrong with making Mario and Luigi consorts of their respective kingdoms #I was brainstorming some Bowuigi moments in my particular au that happened before the events of TBTBWTK occured #and it got me to thinking about this question #for anyone who's curious my Bowuigi au has it to where Luigi is officially a king just like Bowser (and has the same power and rule)#but the thing I really like about the idea of “King Luigi” is the idea of Bowser's royal court hating his decision in making Luigi a king #because I can totally see Bowser “encouraging” his royal court to make Luigi an official king and not a king consort #and by encouraging I mean he will not hesitate to literally burn them to a crisp unless they agree to his idea #did any of that make sense #anyway that's enough of my rambling #Today on what is nickname thinking about right now

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wheredidalltheusersgo · 6 months

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The Stranded and The Scaly

Chapter 8

Day 7: Transformation.

Content warnings for chapter: Body horror? Descriptions of transformation/mutation, gore, vomit.

It was dark, very dark. He couldn't feel his legs, he couldn't feel his arms, he couldn't feel his body.

He couldn't feel his skin and flesh melting and falling off his bones, but he could see it. He could see his tendons snapping and shredding. The cartilage on his body dissolved. He didn't have the vocal chords to scream.

But all of a sudden, he was whole again. There was a nagging, burning sensation in his skin, all over his body.

The set of the Aftermath Show formed all around him, the coloured lights, that familiar couch. Bridgette was next to him, what a relief. However, she was looking away from him. He reached over and gently cupped her cheek so she could face him. He quickly regretted that move. Her face was horribly distorted, skin stretched in ways that shouldn't even be possible. He quickly jolted away from the nightmarish girl.

Big mistake.

A pair of hands roughly grabbed at his waist from behind, it was Duncan, with the same horrid facial distortion.

He wanted to scream, he wanted to scream so loudly. He wanted to run, he wanted to get away. Duncan's grip around his waist only increased as he tried to escape. Someone grabbed at his right leg. Owen. Another grab at his left leg. Tyler.

Nightmarish versions of his friends were crawling out from behind the props on set, they swarmed him and pinned him down.

He couldn't move. Bridgette and Gwen held his arms tightly.

He looked ahead, past the empty rows of seats, to the double doors, the entrance to the entire room.

There was a loud banging noise coming from behind those doors. He struggled in the grips of his friends, his fellow castmates, his allies.

Bang. Went the double doors again.

Bang. He knew they wouldn't hold.

Bang. The doors gave way and flew off the hinges.

A large, humanoid beast was hunched over at the entrance. It looked too much like him. It's wild blonde bangs obscured it's scaly features, it's long, thick tail swayed behind it. It approached slowly, and the ground shook with every step. As it got closer, he could make out more of it's features. The curved nose, the cleft chin. Those were all of HIS features. The beast was towering over him now, the distorted versions of his friends held him firmly in place. It opened it's jaws to reveal rows of sharp teeth and leaned in closer. He sobbed and closed his eyes as the jaws slowly closed in around his head and the beast's saliva dripped onto his hair. He accepted his fate as the jaws snapped shut.

Crunch.

Geoff jolted upright with a frightened scream, tears streaming down his cheeks.

His skin still burned. The nightmare was over, why did it still burn? The scream had startled Ezekiel awake, and he was staring at his blonde companion with wide eyes.

Geoff sobbed as he frantically rubbed at his arms. It was so hot, he felt like he was boiling alive.

"Z-zeke, what's going on?! What's wrong with me, man?!..."

Ezekiel didn't know what to do. He held onto Geoff's arm firmly to keep him grounded.

Both of Geoff's legs ached harshly, but that ache spread all throughout his bones. He whimpered and gasped through his tears as his entire body trembled. Ezekiel stared in horror as scales began to burst through Geoff's soft skin. They were covering his entire body. Geoff felt his bones stretch and grow, he threw his head back and planted his palms firmly on the ground as he wailed loudly. He tried to get up, but he hunched over in pain and fell to his knees.

It hurt. It hurt so bad. He just wanted this to stop.

Zeke watched as the boy grew taller and wider. His eyes were fixed on the horrific display in front of him.

Geoff felt his spine elongate and protrude from his lower back into a long tail. His nails formed into claws, his teeth sharpened, his ears grew pointier, jagged ridges grew and ran along his back and new tail. His hair almost reached past his neck now.

He screamed and clawed at the ground, the scales were still growing all over his body where smooth skin once was. His stomach churned furiously, the pain was making him nauseous.

Geoff kept his eyes screwed shut, but tears still poured down his face and dripped onto the ground.

Ezekiel was easily dwarfed by Geoff now, the boy was nearly twice as large as he had been just an hour ago.

Geoff was breathing hard, he still felt so damn nauseous. It was unbearable.

He gagged and turned away from Ezekiel before vomiting on the cave floor.

Great, now his throat burned as well.

There was a loud thud as he collapsed onto his side, he felt so weak. He panted and wheezed as he stared up at the stalactites far above him.

Ezekiel rushed to Geoff's side and pressed his cheek against his chest with a whine.

There was no response from Geoff.

The boy wasn't human anymore.

Aside from his chest, belly, and inner thighs, he was covered in smooth, slightly shiny scales. All along his spine and his long, thick tail, there were rough ridges. His ears were also long, pointed, and covered in smaller scales. While his leg had healed, the scars on his chest remained. His hands and feet were now clawed, and his hair was long and wild.

Geoff simply couldn't find the words to speak, so he gently pulled Ezekiel close for comfort. Ezekiel stayed still as the blonde boy held him.

After a few minutes of complete silence, Geoff spoke up.

"I really need some new jorts."

-------

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elithemiar-blog · 1 year

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Danny gets adopted by the Batfam.

Dani gets adopted/recruited by the Young Justice.

Dan gets recruited for the Suicide Squad by Amanda Waller.

No one realizes they're related and when it does come out it's a 'you didn't ask?' situation.

-----

It'd be hilarious if neither of the three were even aware of the others situation, just that Amity is a no longer a good place to be. They find out each others situation a 'yeah that tracks'.

Take the head canons and fill it up.

#dpxdc #two is a coincidence #three is a pattern #danny gets adopted and he's ignoring the alter egos #then of course the one time that the family isnt out on patrol he gets caught #dani stays in her ghost form and pulls a bunch of pranks on the YJ #they find her eventually and they take her in as another sibling #except the main JL have no idea but the YJ are obviously keeping a secret #dan does eventually escape and he's mellowed out after Jazz did some convincing in one way or another #and maybe ARGUS finds this OP meta but Dan messes with them about his power accessibility #anyway some Infinite Realm thing happens whuch causes batfam to ask danny but he doesnt know #he believes that his sibling/clone/daughter might but the info they need is from Dan #so Phantom reunion and the issue is solved #or it could be before Danny's secret is out (or GhostKing AU)#because danny and his classmates were highly defensive of the ghosts being hunted down when not all of them were out to hurt anyone #they just need an energy outlet #and thats fighting danny #oh and they totally just trauma dump all the time #particularly about Vlad #and someone eventually pieces together a backstory of how they originally met #they are concerned

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honeyxmonkey · 8 months

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The Spiders 👀

They’d be friends

Coincidentally their stories and skill sets are extremely similar. Inej and Carter trauma bonding real

#totally on accident too bc usually when stuff like this happens #an already established character has inspired some of my ocs #but I created carter before reading soc #so this is a total coincidence and I love it #tales of arcadia #wizards tales of arcadia #hisirdoux casperan #toa wizards #honey's art #carterdoux #carter howard #tales of arcadia oc #toa oc #toa ocs #sab/soc au #shadow and bone crossover #six of crows crossover #six of crows #inej ghafa

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perpetualexistence · 26 days

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The Dragon and The Jester: A Nowen Total Drama Fantasy AU

The Truth As It Is Written

Once upon a time, there was a prince named Chris. He was fourth in line for the throne, yet was still promised a life of luxury.

This didn't matter to Chris. He wanted more.

He attempted to scheme his way to the throne. Each time he was thwarted before he could get too far. Each scheme was bolder than the last. Each one treason worthy of punishment. Yet his father couldn't bear to see any of his children hurt. No matter how much they hurt him.

So Chris was pardoned, over and over. For 35 years, this process continued. His father kept getting older, making his eldest sibling's coronation all the more looming. The threat turned into reality when his father revealed that he would relinquish the crown early for a peaceful retirement.

This, Chris couldn't allow.

On the day of his eldest siblings' coordination, all of the immediate royal family was gathered to celebrate the event. As joyous as the occasion was, the king was still wise enough to assume his ambitious son would plan something. He ordered extra guards to keep a steady eye out and watch for any tricks. Their focus was on the outsiders coming in to celebrate.

None could anticipate the ravenous dragon that swooped down from the sky.

When the dust settled and the last ember flickered, Prince Chris stood atop the ashes and named himself King. He announced that all who dared to oppose him would face the beast he had tamed.

Thus started his bloody campaign to annihilate all who could possibly challenge him for the crown. The Dragon torched soldiers and devoured civilians for the king's amusement. The mindless beast provided no mercy for those in its warpath.

With each life it destroyed, it grew larger. It was only the size of two wagons during its first rampage. By the time its growth slowed, only the tallest soldiers matched the height of a single claw.

The massacre grew even worse when the king debuted The Jester to the world. The old court jester had been one of the casualties of the first massacre. The first act of this jester was to desecrate his grave.

Where The Dragon struck, The Jester was soon to follow. The Jester ridiculed the grieving and made a mockery of the dead. He saw the ruins of towns suspected of harboring enemies of the king, and he laughed.

Worse still, The Jester was as brilliant as he was cruel. He would come along to battle and twist his words just right to anger enemies enough to break rank and weaken themselves. He had the ear of the king, and would whisper strategy of bloodshed and further destroying the morale of those who would oppose him.

Despite the odds stacked against them, resistance bloomed still. Pockets formed in the hopes of one day deposing King Chris and restoring peace to the kingdom. One even dared to form in the capitol, the heart of Chris' power.

In this pocket were two newer recruits: Owen and Noah. Owen, a palace guard in training to keep control of the masses through any bloody means necessary, who wished only to be a pacifist once the revolution was complete. Noah, a wizard-in-training who had been kidnapped from his home in service of the king who only wished to return to a family unthreatened.

Both have every reason to be loyal to the cause of the king's death. Neither could ever risk showing their full potential for the cause. They wanted to keep their heads.

No rebel would ever believe that The Dragon and The Jester deserved any form of mercy.

Even if their actions had never been their choice.

#It's finally happening fellas #I cracked like a peanut and started going off about it on the intern server #So I figured it's only fair you guys get to see some of what I was cooking #I've still not fully written this out but I do have good chunks of it down so that's good for me #also don't expect the other posts to be in this style #this one was just because i had an idea and I had to try it out #and also because I don't know which backstory to go into first so I'm doing what I normally do when I'm indecisive #leave the decision to other people #still I'm really excited to go off about this AU #have fun and feel free to ask me questions about it!#total drama #total drama au #total drama noah #td noah #total drama owen #td owen #total drama chris #td chris #chris mclean #td nowen #total drama nowen #nowen #td au #fantasy au #sfw giant/tiny #giant/tiny #The Dragon and the Jester

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softquietsteadylove · 1 month

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I’m glad you liked the idea!! The result was so perfect and sweet as usual. Here’s another if you’re interested/have muse! Words: curiousity, animals, whispering

Gil gulped, trying to focus on plating more appetizers as the guests mulled about. For the most part, they were scattered around the rest of the sprawling estate, but some of them had gravitated towards the kitchen naturally out of eagerness for the next round.

And they kept whispering.

He couldn't make out what they were saying, of course, but Gil knew when he was being whispered about. He had grown up as a husky but strong boy who loved cooking, he was no stranger to feeling like an animal in a zoo. But the scrutinising glares of a couple dozen millionaires were more than enough to put him on edge.

He dabbed at some sweat on his forehead and heard a giggle behind him. He was glad he had the steam and stove and various other heat sources to blame for the flush in his skin. Clearing his throat, he turned with the platter in hand. "More hors d'oeuvres--canapes with cavier and brie crostini with blackberry and prosciutto."

"How delightful!"

"Wherever did Thena find a specimen like you?"

"I simply must get the recipe to my own chef!"

Gil just smiled, setting down the platter for them to maul at will. He slipped backwards, eager for the refuge of the inner kitchen again. When Thena had described this as a 'monsters' ball' of a soiree, she wasn't kidding.

She had warned him that the guests were technically allowed wherever they wanted to be, including his own space, as much as she wanted to discourage it. There were also warnings about how rude they could be, even if the words were polite, as well as not to let any of them subtly try to poach him from her.

As if that were possible; he had no desire to work for anyone but Thena.

Only a few more hours and it was over. Even if there were still guests lingering, Thena had made it very clear that he could leave after 11. It was pretty sweet, all things considered. It wasn't uncommon for the chef to be stuck there catering to everyone's desires until guests had left, and then clean up after everything too.

"Sir, the food is being received splednidly!"

"Jesus!" Gil cursed, gripping the pocket of his chef's jacket over his heart as Karun - yet again - materialised out of thin air. He glared at him, "dude!"

Karun just chuckled, though, not minding the casual speech in the least. "The Madam is the envy of all present, thanks to you and your recipes, sir. I have heard only glowing reviews throughout the party."

Well, no chef disliked hearing that. And if the guests weren't going to compliment him so honestly, then at least he could hear it from someone he trusted. They hadn't said anything bad of course, but even when they were saying nice things, he really felt like he couldn't believe anything any of them were saying.

"The Madam knew, of course. I have never heard her praise anything so highly as your food!"

Sometimes Gil really wondered if Karun exaggerated Thena's words, at all. She was just so quiet, so hard to read. It was hard to imagine her going on at length about...well, anything. And yet Karun made it sound like it was something she gushed about.

"Where is Thena?" Gil asked, even looking around in hopes of catching a glimpse of her bright blonde hair. He wiped his hands on the towel tossed over his shoulder. "I haven't seen her since the doors opened."

She had stopped by before getting ready, while he was still preparing everything. She had seemed a little nervous, actually, hovering around his prep work as if to procrastinate putting on her fancy dress and doing her hair.

"Ah, the Madam has many guests to entertain," Karun lamented, although still with the same immovable smile on his face. He straightened his bow tie. "Although, she did mention fetching something from the wine cellar."

"Huh," Gil murmured, still wiping his hands, mostly to occupy them with something. He didn't have anything on the fire currently, although he had considered that he could use some sparkling just to float on top of the personal panna cottas. "Maybe I'll see if she needs a hand with anything."

Gil walked down the stairs to the fancy underground wine cellar with heavy steps. He just needed a second wind to get through the rest of the evening. If he could have a little snack and push out the desserts then he would have a clear board. There were dressed up wait staff walking around with drinks and trays of his food anyway.

Maybe Karun had planned it, but Gil turned the corner and found Thena. She was seated on one of the crates yet to be unpacked, probably full of bottles that cost more than his whole salary. She was hunched over a little plate of food with her legs crossed, the slit of her dress exposing the length of them, while also pooling unceremoniously on the floor with her heels. Her hair was still pinned tightly at the back of her head, although he was guessing that the sparkly clip sitting beside her had been in it until she got down here.

She still looked gorgeous, although he had to admit he was more fond of the way she looked first thing in the morning, enjoying one of his omelettes.

"Oh," she looked up, not rushing to polish her appearance again. She rearranged her dress somewhat, starting to slip her stocking feet back into her shoes. "I was-"

"Hey, it's okay," he rushed. He could only assume she had taken off the high heels because her feet were killing her. "I won't tell."

She smiled at him, thankful for his secrecy. She did indeed slip her feet back to the tile floor, holding her rations preciously. "Did you come to escape them as well?"

"Escape them?"

She glanced upward in the direction of her own party, "the animals."

Gil snorted. He had certainly thought of them as such, but he hadn't exactly thought Thena did too. At least, not so literally. "I thought you knew at least some of them."

But she looked downtrodden, bordering on miserable. Gil immediately thought of the times in his life when he felt like a shy little outcast, sitting alone at lunch or being excluded from playing with others. "I suppose I am acquainted with a few of them. But this is largely a networking event. It is my turn to host it, nothing more."

He didn't exactly know everything about Thena's super fancy lifestyle. Actually, he knew very little about it. But he was confident in saying that she didn't ask for any of it, let alone like it. "Really sounds like more of a pain in the ass, than anything."

He usually didn't swear in front of Thena (his boss). Well, he didn't always talk in front of her at all. But she smiled again, her finger playing with a sprig of green onion that had tumbled off a canape. "I would have to agree."

Given that this was the most he and Thena had ever exchanged in terms of words or conversation, Gil decided to push further. He abandoned the search for champagne in favour of leaning against a stack of crates facing her. He slipped his hands in his pockets, although he immediately wondered if it was coming off as 'trying too hard'. "Is there anyone here you like at all?"

She looked up, stared him dead in the eyes, and said, "you."

Gil blushed.

Thena looked down at her lap again. She didn't rush to correct her statement, but her fidgeting with her plate increased as she brought her knees closer to her chest. "Not that I make for good company."

"What?" he laughed, hoping she would follow suit. "I'd rather be down here with you than up there, anyway."

She didn't quite take it as the compliment he intended, but she did look up again. Her lip set in a firm line, "have they been pestering you? I did attempt to make it clear that you were to be left to your work."

They had circled him like sharks observing a wounded dolphin. "I haven't really noticed them."

Thena scowled down at her beet cured salmon rosette. "Not one of them is of the mind to brush elbows with their own staff. I knew that your food would entice them into playing nice, but I did hope they would have some decorum."

He definitely got the impression that, while happy to sing his praises here and now, working for them was probably a nightmare. He would much rather be here with Thena, hiding from her own guests like ne'er do wells under the bleachers.

Thena blinked as he stole the rosette right off her plate. "I beg your pardon."

He gave her a grin, chewing it thoroughly. It turned out well! "What?--you were just playing with it. Someone should enjoy my work."

Her lips tugged up again and he really noticed how the red colour made them look even fuller than usual. "I did not realise my secret stash would have to be shared."

Gil shrugged, leaning forward to steal something else. Despite her teasing reproach, she leaned back and offered her plate to help him select something. He grabbed the remaining half of a mini buratta with a disk of tomato gelee and air crisped basil. He'd never created such pretentious finger food in all his life, but that was exactly what the animals wanted, according to Thena.

"I took two of everything and came down here nearly an hour ago," she confessed, hanging her head in guilt. She finally picked up the blackberry from her crostini and ate it. "Mingling with them is simply beyond my threshold for suffering."

She said 'they're a bunch of assholes' so eloquently.

"I guess I don't blame you," Gil chuckled, taking the rest of the crostini she had left after claiming just the fruit from it. "It's your party, your house--if you wanna play hooky, then who cares."

"Play hooky?" she furrowed her brows at the expression.

He laughed again, which she seemed to take as a scathing mockery of her ignorance. His expression softened and he leaned off the crates.

Thena drew her shoulders up but ultimately made room for him on her crate as he sat down next to her. It was neither too small nor comfortably large. He managed not to touch butts with her, but there was nothing he could do about his shoulder brushing hers.

He glanced at her from his position of having to somewhat perch himself on the corner, "aren't you cold?"

Thena's cheeks took on the most charming shade of pink he'd ever seen in his life. Now that he was closer to her, he could see the faint tremor in her hands and shoulders. She looked down at her plate again, positively mortified. "Freezing."

Poor thing was so eager to leave her own party that she would rather freeze by herself in the wine cellar than mingle a little. Gil immediately wished he had something on under his chef's jacket (although that would only ever create more of a sweating problem).

Gil put his hand on hers, which really was startlingly cold to the touch. "If you don't wanna come up to the kitchen, I get it. Some of your guests do keep poking their heads in."

That certainly was enough to keep her rooted in place.

He gave her frigid hand a squeeze, "but I'll bring you something, okay? Something to warm you up in hiding."

Thena looked up at him as he stood, preparing to leave her again. Those big, dazzling green eyes of hers pleaded with him, "hurry back?"

He would let all of the desserts burn if he had to. He lingered at the door just to wave to her, "I'll grab more rations for us too."

The brightened expression on her face at the promise of his lengthened return was blinding. It was more than enough to convince him to set the desserts out all at once and whatever happened, happened. As far as he was concerned, the guest of honour was down here freezing her butt off, the least he could do was grab a cup of hot cocoa and his hoodie and some more snacks for her.

#Thenamesh Hamptons AU #poor Thena has negative social skills #of course she would rather hide in the basement than attend her own party #everyone attending is just some rich asshole anyway #so their families know each other so what #Karun knows she's hiding from everyeone #and he knows just the cure #so he goes into the kitchen and says oh hey I think I saw Thena going downstairs #Gil: great I just happened to need something down there totally unrelated #I love this prompt so thank you #Thena doesn't really want any of them talking to her sweet and funny chef #she finally gets the chance to talk to him and it's because she's having a terrible time #little does she know Gil is like this is my chance #he pulls everything out at once and tells the catering staff this is what everything is I'll be back whenever #if they ask for something I do not care #he comes back downstairs with a nice hot mug and puts sweater over her shoulders and presents more snacks and desserts for her #and Thena falls even more in love with him #I mean they have an appropriate and professional relationship #Karun isn't matchmaking at all

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tathrin · 11 months

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A response to this ask; taken from this prompt; anyone can feel free to send other numbers in at any time, I don’t care how long it’s been. (Just maybe add some context to your ask if it’s been like a month or more since I posted this, because otherwise I won’t know what to do with the random number in my inbox).

#28....as a lie.

*technically this one picks up after the end of this story if you want to read that first, although you don’t need to; it’s as much a self-contained snippet as any of the others, it just happens take place in a setting within the events of a specific fic, that’s all.

Gimli’s eyes were drawn ever and again to the elvish dancers, even as he was drawn several times into brief conversations as friends and acquaintances paused at the table he now shared with Gandalf to exchange a few words and toast their well-wishes together for Gondor’s king and queen. Gimli was glad of the toasts, at least, for they brought fresh mugs of cool ale, and the heat of so many cavorting bodies had raised the temperature of the hall to near-dwarven levels, despite the cool white stone and tall windows through which a summer’s breeze still wafted.

Legolas’s hair shone like a sunrise in the rich torchlight, and his eyes gleamed like starlight on pale clouds. Gimli was amazed that anyone could long look elsewhere, with the shine of him whirling there to draw the eye.

He was not amazed that the other elves twirling on the dance floor were drawn to him; of course they were. How could they help but be lured in, dull drab moths circling that golden glow? Long hands ran up and down Legolas’s lithe limbs and pressed against his slender waist, long fingers twined through the streaming locks of his unfettered hair and curled possessively around his braids—

The mug in Gimli’s hands gave a crack and shattered, soft metal collapsing in on itself in his grip. He stared at the mess in his hands, numbly grateful that he had at least drained it already and so there was no ale left to spill out across his lap, and then he hurriedly shoved it onto the table behind him. He could feel his cheeks burning hotter than any torch in the hall.

Gimli chanced a sideways glance at Gandalf, who was watching the dancers with every evidence of placid enjoyment on his old face. Had he seen? Had he heard? He said nothing, but that did not always mean anything with Gandalf. Perhaps Gimli should speak, should craft some excuse...

“Flimsy human metal,” he muttered, and glanced at the wizard again. Gandalf nodded absently, but did not otherwise react.

Gimli let out his breath in relief—and then a second later he nearly choked on it, as Legolas suddenly bounded out of the tumult to perch on the bench beside him. His eyes danced as merrily as any of the revelers and his smile beamed bright and clear upon his beardless face.

“Will you not dance with us, Gimli?” he asked. His voice was light with laughter and with joy and his thin chest heaved from his exertions. Gimli found his eyes drawn upwards to the bare lips above that smooth and hairless chin.

“What?” he said.

“Dance with us, Gimli!” Legolas repeated. “Come, you can teach us dwarven steps and I will show you the ways of elvish revelry up close.”

“No,” Gimli answered automatically, his heart stuttering in his throat. “No, I—I am quite comfortable here, thank you.”

“You do not seem comfortable,” Legolas observed, and Gimli felt his stomach drop like a stone. He could not stop himself from glancing behind him at the ruined mug, even though he knew the gesture was a dead give-away; if Legolas had not seen it before, he surely would now, with Gimli’s gaze to lead him to it like a map—or a swift arrow.

“I am perfectly fine,” Gimli insisted. “Gandalf and I are enjoying the dancing quite well from here, thank you.”

Legolas spared a glance at the unmoving wizard but his eyes soon fixed on Gimli once more. “You are bothered by something,” he said quietly. “I can tell. Will you not tell me what? Perhaps I can help.”

Gimli’s mind stuttered with the possibilities of the help that Legolas might offer, and he quickly shied away from the idea. “No!” he blurted. “No, I—as I said, I am fine. It is merely warm in here.”

Legolas laughed. “Warm!” he cried. “But you are a dwarf!”

“Aye, a dwarf,” said Gimli, “and one who is enjoying his ale from his comfortable seat, and has no need to go whirling about like some flighty elven dandelion!”

Legolas should have laughed; Gimli knew his friend well enough to know that much. He should have laughed, but he did not. Instead his pale eyes narrowed sharp and keen on Gimli’s face, and Gimli could feel himself blushing beneath that tight scrutiny.

“Does it bother you,” Legolas asked in a low voice, “to see me frolicking so with these other elves?”

“What?” Gimli exclaimed. His hands clenched convulsively, and he was glad that he had already broken his mug; had he still been holding it now, he would surely have turned the thing into a flattened disk of over-stressed and useless metal. “Bother me! Of course it does not!”

To prove it, Gimli made himself laugh and shake his head, as though Legolas had spoken some ridiculous jest. He even lifted the elf’s lean brown hand and kissed the smooth knuckles as more evidence of how thoroughly unbothered he was. “Go back to your dancing, Master Elf!” Gimli chortled. “I am doing quite well watching it from afar, thank you!”

Legolas stared at him for another moment, his smooth face unreadable . The tips of his ears were flushed dark red from all of his cavorting and his pale eyed looked very wide with no beard to frame them.

Then he shrugged, and said, “As you like, then!” and squeezed Gimli’s shoulder once before bounding away and throwing himself back into the whirl of the merry elvish dancers.

Gimli let out a shaky breath and flexed his hands a few times, getting the blood-flow back into them.

"Lying will do no good for either of you," Gandalf declared calmly. "And it is hardly fair to Legolas; he will take you at your word, whatever you tell him."

Gimli could feel his cheeks burning hotter, shame coming along to add its kindling to the blaze. He managed to force an unintelligible grumble of disagreement from his lips, but nothing more articulate than that; he felt as though he was already strangling on all the words he would not, could not, say.

"He will," Gandalf insisted. "The elvenking might be able to spot a lie from 300 leagues and skewer it as neatly as his son ever has an enemy with that bow of his, but Thranduil's people are another matter. Lies are not generally told in Mirkwood. It is not a place for dissembling, or oaths, or scheming. The Wood-elves are a simple, honest people. And you are Legolas's friend." Gandalf pulled his eyes away from the dancing and fixed his gaze on Gimli instead. His bushy brows were drawn very low atop them, making his eyes glint like embers in deep shadow. "If you tell him something, he will believe you, Gimli. And you will have none but yourself to blame for the results."

Without waiting for Gimli to muster either the courage or the wits for a response, Gandalf swept to his feet and strode off into the tumult of the party.

Gimli slumped low on his bench and stared miserably at the dancing elves.

Legolas was still so impossibly vibrant and noticeable against the duller backdrop of the others. Gimli's eyes fixed on him at once. He seemed to be moving now with even greater abandon than before, if such a thing were possible.

And if such a thing were not impossible, Gimli would almost have said that Legolas kept glancing back at the table where Gimli sat as well—but he was not, of course, and so Gimli put the thought from his mind.

He had more than enough to think of anyway, when a tall elf of Lórien slid up behind Legolas and snaked her arms across his narrow shoulders, leaning in low to murmur something into his finely-pointed ear.

Legolas laughed and turned to face her, their long lithe arms entwining as close as any dwarven lovers. They swayed and swirled together with the music, and the elf-woman’s hands slid up from Legolas’s shoulders to tangle in his braids. Legolas smiled up at her and said something that Gimli was too far away to hear, but it made her laugh. Then Legolas gave one of her dark braids a gentle tug, and Gimli realized that he was growling low in his throat as though facing down a horde of goblins.

He turned away blindly and reached for his mug, realized that it was both empty and broken, and turned back around just in time to see the elf-woman twirl away into someone else’s arms as another pair of hands took Legolas by his trim waist and plucked him out of the center of the tumult to pull him in close against their long lean body, and—

And it was Haldir, Mahal curse it. Gimli’s mouth went dry, his blood pounding in his ears like drumbeats as the March Warden leaned in close and lowered his mouth to Legolas’s ear, whispering something. He took one of Legolas’s braids in his hand and rubbed his thumb across the heavy golden strands, like a dwarf might test a metal for its quality. Haldir was hardly dancing; only swaying a little as he stared down at Legolas, who stood balanced before him on his toes like a bird paused on the edge of flight.

Gimli was on his feet before he realized it, about to start forward and—and what?

His hand was at his belt, which was empty of course; a wedding was no place for weapons. And why was he reaching for his axe, anyway? He sat back down on the bench with a heavy, hollow thump. What was he thinking? What was he doing?

He had had too much ale, clearly. It was the only explanation for his strange behavior tonight. His throat was dry, but he would not drink anymore tonight; he had drunk too much already, clearly, and it was clouding his thoughts. Making him think strange, impossible things. Making him dream things that—that were not, that could never...!

Legolas laughed and rose up onto his toes to press a light kiss to Haldir’s lips.

His head reeling, Gimli watched as the March Warden took Legolas by the hand and led him, smiling, towards the door. If Gimli thought that Legolas paused on the threshold and looked back, somehow finding Gimli’s eyes across the crowded room and glancing at him hesitatingly, questioningly, even hopefully—well, then that was just another sign that he had reached the night’s limit for ale; reached, and more than passed.

Gimli held himself very still, schooling his expression to a placid calmness that might have rivaled Gandalf’s, and then he forced a smile and a nod—just in case Legolas was really looking; just in case he could really see him.

A shadow seemed to flicker across those bright elvish eyes, as though one of the torches near the door was on the verge of guttering; although when Gimli looked at them, they both appeared to be burning tall and strong still.

When he looked back, there was only a faint fading flicker of golden locks flowing around the corner as Legolas vanished into the night and Haldir’s arms.

Gimli sat there for several minutes, staring into the empty darkness of the door. The noise of the wedding revels that had once filled the hall with such bright merriment seemed to have faded now, somehow; he heard it from a distance, like echoes from some far-off cave. Eventually he forced himself to rise, and murmur unintelligible farewells as he passed his friends, and trudge his way across the long white hall towards the other door.

He stumbled back to the rooms the Fellowship shared, alone.

#this was supposed to be a little more silly and slapstick than it ended up being oops #sorry? and/or enjoy the angsty dwarf i guess #this isn't necessarily the ''canon'' ending to that fic btw #so i'm not going to be adding it on to the story #it's just...where this snippet happened in my head when i started writing idk #i promise to try and keep most of these totally stand-along moments #rather than things that you need to read other stories or know the context of specific aus for #anyway that one's pretty canon-based too; it's just aragorn and arwen's wedding #it just has some extra set-up before it if you want to read more scene-setting that's all #gimleaf #gigolas #send a kiss meme #my writing #my stuff #gimli #legolas #haldir #legolas x haldir

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