#look it's The Ship here imo

[moeblob]

A little ol' lady!

[piningpercussionist]

transfem scott getting lots of support from ramona and kim in the early 2000's when shit's very taboo but they all 3 have a fire forged bond and lord if they aren't going to make sure they're all as happy as they can be because they've come this far and I dunno it just makes me happy all three of them

YES YES YES

It makes me very happy as well,,

Like I've said before. General Trans Scott enthusiast here- I love the idea of their little support network *violent coughing* I (we?) mean polycule *violent coughing* so fucking much.

Ramona I think has a bit of a more gentle hand with reassuring Scott with gender issues, but sometimes she just can't help herself from some pointed banter or teasing- how could you with someone so dense? (Said w affection)

And then Kim I think is more blunt. But like, in a good way mostly, you know? The kinda blunt that makes you snap to attention and go "Oh. Yeah that was silly of me." And if Ramona's started some sort of banter? Kim is SO piling on. Maybe sometimes she's a bit TOO blunt with it- but it's only because she's so firm in her support. She wants Scott to Get It Together- and be happier for it. So if some ribbing now and again is in order, then goddamnit she will do so! Anything to crack that shell.

And ohhh can you imagine how they would react to some transphobic bullshit?? Unholy terror would be driven into the offender before they walk off with an absurd amount of coins between them. I can feel it in my bones. Scott doesn't even have to lift a finger (if the transphobe is even noticed/processed at all, bc I honestly can see Scott just. Not realizing someone's being transphobic.) Kim giving someone a lashing with her tongue as distraction and then Ramona coming in with the hammer- BAM! Free Money! Paying literally with your life for your transphobia. A Better And Just World.

And of course (transfem Scott more specifically, here,) the way Scott would start to flourish under their support... cagey and maybe a little (perhaps a lot-) resistant to start- but Kim's blunt affirmations and no nonsense attitude for bullshit (which is what Scott insisting on "being cis" would be, c'mon now,) and Ramona's also low bullshit tolerance but less Stabby (bc I won't lie, that's probably how Kim's comments would feel,) assurances? Ough... My Heart... Be Still-

I would Kill for them, Your Honor-

(Ran out of tags so putting this in the body of the post- I am SO tired someone pls sound off if this isn't as coherent as I am hoping this is. I WAS trying to nap and get the extra sleep I desperately needed but the writing bug... it Bit Me.... only a little but enough to stop that process-)

[novasjaneway]

Star Trek: Voyager - Nara (J/7)

[cinderflower]

the concept of miq/malenia drives me insane bc it directly appeals to everything that drew me to princes but amps it up to 1000

a character (2 in their case) born into a title that dictates they take over the existing rule dominating the land after lifetimes of that rule devastating the people of the land

said character(s) suffering from an affliction as a direct result of that inheritance that inadvertently places them in a position to see the faults of it rather than the good in it

egregiously toxic codependent siblings who forsake everything in service of the other and in opposition to their inheritance

political drama and schemes!!

but for miq/malenia, especially miquella, the lengths to which they go?? the implications of the lore???

malenia, who was born cursed with decay, cursed by an outer god that rotted her body in a way that the golden order was helpless to stop, who by all means should have been considered a lost cause and an affront to the Greater Will and Golden Order, and yet still perseveres and learns to fight and becomes (one of) the most fearsome warrior(s) in the lands between for miquella

malenia, who is doomed to spread the scarlet rot to those around her except, (speculatively) miquella who helps her find not a cure but at least a way to halt the rot

malenia, who goes to war during the shattering in miquella's name, who is placed in an impossible battle far from the haligtree who chooses to unleash the horrors she's known her entire life and doom an entire region to suffer the same fate because she has never and will never know defeat so long as she still has options, so long as she fights as miquella's blade even if it brings her one step closer to blooming as the true goddess of rot and dooming herself in the process

miquella, who was born cursed to stagnate but by all means was given so many other gifts that would have allowed him to thrive within the system the Golden Order had established, who instead casts it aside when it's too limited, too lacking to be able to help malenia

miquella, who from a very young age (implied in the lore) not only masters what the Golden Order has to offer but then is forced to seek beyond it, and when there are no other answers to be found elsewhere, invents/discovers a solution which also places him at odds with the Golden Order

miquella, who in time rebels against the meddling of all the Outer Gods - and (presumably) also the Greater Will which acts in a similar capacity - because he has seen first hand the devastation they are capable of, the horrors they inflicted upon the person closest to him, who would never be able to take such action alone in his condition but can because he has malenia as his blade at his command

with princes the Romance in their actions is in the conscious decision to be passive, to simply allow the world to take its natural course, finding comfort with each other

with the twins the Romance is in the opposite, it is in the conscious decision of rebellion, in the wrathful rejection and deconstruction of the fate they were born into no matter the cost, in seizing control over their own lives to build something new together in the mentality of no cost too great where the other is concerned

[batsplat]

tumblr user batsplat i need you to know that your work for the motogp community is appreciated beyond measure, thank you so much for your absolutely incredible effort!!!

thank you!! that's very sweet! lemme tell you my favourite bit of extremely low level valentino beef. fair warning: this is extremely minor. it's not that serious. I just like old drama

so you know the 2006 season, right, where valentino actually got on pretty well with all the other title contenders? depending on how you want to look at it, there were 4-5 contenders that year... capirossi's a bit marginal whether he counts as a 'title contender'. he was tied leader of the standings after six rounds, but then was involved in a horror crash at catalunya that halted his momentum. the crash was caused by his teammate sete and there's a decent chance capirossi would have been champion without this race. his eventual third place in the championship standings was due to him bouncing back to claim a strong string of results late in the season

here's a few more photos of that crash:

the other four contenders were nicky hayden, valentino, marco melandri and dani pedrosa. to give you a sense of what that title fight looked like, here were the standings after eleven out of seventeen rounds:

obviously valentino was a title contender given he nearly won the whole thing - but, yeah, he was very much on the back foot that entire season. so of those other four contenders, valentino got on very well with capirossi (who valentino had been a fan of as a kid and had met when he was eleven years old) and with hayden (who valentino had helped with the transition from superbike when hayden became his rookie teammate at repsol honda in 2003). he was reasonably friendly with pedrosa and had a long-standing friendship with melandri, if one that seems to have cooled off when they became premier class rivals (according to melandri in any case). you do have to say, the good vibes are a little unusual as valentino title fights go... it's a very chaotic very exciting season that has quite a few excellent valentino performances as he attempts to bounce back from all manner of ill fortune - but no realbeef. it really is a title fight mostly fought in good spirits. the most significant drama between any of these contenders was the hayden/pedrosa estoril crash that very nearly cost hayden the title. from broadbent's 'ring of fire' about the scenes after the race:

in the end dani was bailed out by valentino's crash in valencia (though a lot of american fans did not move on from the incident); it was by far the most significant on-track clash he had with hayden in their years together at honda, at a time when the vibes in that team were *checks notes* not great. hayden said all was forgiven - if with the caveat that he didn't know how he would've felt if he hadn't won the title. but, y'know, heartwarming: valentino is part of a title fight where he is not involved in the biggest beef of the year (the other title fight this is true of was 1998, another iconic season)

there is however one other rider who played an important role in the 2006 title fight - one who thinks that his relationship with valentino was affected by the events of that year. first bit of context: the season opener at jerez went disastrously wrong for valentino at the very first corner, when toni elias rode into him and caused him to crash. that jerez crash was one of those classic first corner incidents that could've easily been a lot uglier, and some riders quite narrowly avoid valentino

kind of started the season off the way it was going to go on, really. anyway, here's valentino reacting to the crash, and also elias coming over to him post-race to apologise:

elias ended up finishing 4th, while valentino picked the bike up to finish 14th. here's what valentino had to say post-race:

"We knew this was going to be a difficult race but maybe not so difficult!" said Rossi, who had been battling chatter problems for much of the weekend and qualified just ninth on the grid. "I saw Toni come up on the inside and he hit me; this is racing and these things happen. "I have known Toni for many years and he is a good rider. He apologised to me after the race so I told him not to worry - only to remember to brake next time and if it is too late then to hit another bike instead of me!"

great line, fairs

by the way, this incident allowed casey to get such a good start to his rookie season, in a race where he ended up finishing sixth:

I made a great start off the line and our luck improved further in the first corner, when Toni Elías got his braking markers completely wrong, took out Valentino Rossi and opened up a gap for me to dive through. I was sixth by the end of the first lap and up to fourth two laps later, just behind Nicky Hayden in third.

and there's probably some symbolism there if you dig deep enough. elias was also involved in the eventual outcome of the 2006 motogp season in another way (from the vale race recs post):

anyway, moving on from the 2006 season for now, there's a couple more on-track interactions we might as well rattle through. the two of them had quite a tense coming together at turkey 2007, the third race of the season and around the time valentino was coming to realise the casey/ducati combination was going to be a real problem that season. the fight between elias and valentino didn't have much of an effect on valentino's race given how he had some nicely fucked up tyres (bit of a theme that year), but that didn't stop valentino from being irritated post-race:

Elias took second from Rossi with a move down the inside at the final complex, but both riders nearly came off their bikes as they touched during the pass. While Elias maintained second to the flag, Rossi later fell to 10th after developing tyre issues. "I'm very disappointed with Elias because he was very unfair with me," Rossi told Italia1 television. "Obviously we're all racing, but he had already overtaken me, and when he came on my side he tried to push me out and make me fall on purpose. I don't think that's fair behaviour. There are other words than 'unfair' coming up in my mind, but I'll leave them to the imagination. "He had already tried to come to apologise another time after the chequered flag. I'll say no more, I owe him twice, so I'll see him in China. I think he has a rather unfair way of riding with everyone. He had already overtaken me, so there was no need to throw me out. We know these things among riders. So now we know, and we'll know how to behave next time we meet him." Elias shrugged off the incident. "These things happen in racing and I'm happy with today's result," he said. "The way I drive may look risky but I feel comfortable with it and I will carry on like this."

at this point, I do just have to go on a brief tangent to present my 'casey complains about toni elias' compilation

exhibit a: some exciting solidarity between casey and valentino

exhibit b: casey saying elias is continually stuck on his "arse-end"

exhibit c: peace talks held at casey's motorhome

definitely some fun lines in this, like "I think casey has problems with everybody and not only me". ouch. this does help show elias was just one of those guys who a lot of riders had minor beef with... you know how it is sometimes (incidentally, elias was also a talent linked to alberto puig, so they met quite young before casey was a full time grand prix rider)

the other minor on-track incident between valentino and elias I wanted to include is one where I haven't found any post-race reporting or comments from either rider, so, again, clearly not that big a deal. still found it funny so. it's sachsenring 2008, casey has just won the last two races, and he's well on his way to winning his third consecutive one after dani crashed out from a massive lead. it's raining, which is why the whole field is super spread out. valentino is actually riding a pretty decent race, but his problem is he's coming back from seventh on the grid and casey started on pole, with fairly predictable repercussions for their respective race. still, in those conditions it's always worth trying to put as much pressure as possible on the leader, and valentino does end up closing in until he's around five seconds behind casey

which is how valentino ends up attempting to lap elias - while the commentators chat about how valentino very much does not want to be taking any risks, not with toni elias, not with twenty world championship points at stake ("the front of toni elias' bike knows the side of valentino rossi's bike very well, doesn't it"). elias doesn't really move to one side, which means valentino has to overtake him the regular way. after the move has been completed, he does this:

a little bit annoyed, do we think?

anyway, obviously valentino doesn't catch casey, and casey picks up his third consecutive win. worrying from valentino's perspective... especially given that there's a lot of tracks come that really seem to suit casey, including the upcoming laguna seca

to round things off. after laguna, elias shares two consecutive podiums with valentino at brno and misano - both of which valentino won after casey crashed out of the lead

when elias was unable to secure a motogp ride for 2010, he ended up switching to moto2 and becoming the first ever winner of the series. from his motogp.com profile:

He started the year as one of the title favourites in the Moto2 class, and throughout the season his wealth of experience and race-craft has shone through as he claimed seven wins, including four in a row over the summer period. His characteristic “hang-on” riding style and charming personality has won him millions of fans across the globe, and the Spaniard becomes the first ever Moto2 World Champion at the age of 27.

he returned to motogp and had a troubled 2011 season, before competing in a mix of motogp and moto2 in 2012 - and his last full season in grand prix racing was 2013. I mainly bring this up so I can include this truly charming casey comment:

"one failed" casey. please

elias ends up moving stateside to compete there instead. so, he still runs into motogp riders at austin - which he brings up in a 2020 interview, while accusing valentino pf still being bitter over 2006:

“Being able to beat Valentino [for victory] has only happened to me once in my life,” he told DAZN. "Michelin brought me a new tyre on the Saturday and I managed to improve my pace by seven-tenths and fight for victory. "I thanked Michelin for the help, although I was very angry when I discovered that this rubber, with a softer casing, was the one used by the best riders throughout the season and they only gave it to me in the penultimate race of the year. "When I meet Valentino - I see him every year in Austin - I can see that he still has [Estoril 2006] stuck in his heart, he has not forgiven me… It's over, it's time to be friends, but it is not possible. He is so competitive, he will never forgive me!"

these comments were put to valentino, to which he said the following:

"When I met Toni Elias in the United States, because now he runs there, there were only positive moments,” he told a video chat with BT Sport. “We have a good relationship and I'm not angry with him because he beat me in Portugal, but because he knocked me out in first corner during the Spanish Grand Prix.  “In that season, Jerez was the first race of the year and immediately made me lose points and probably also the championship."

obviously, this is a joke, and valentino is allowed to make those occasionally. it's also probably a joke that has just a little bit of truth to it. who knows how valentino feels about toni elias these days, whether he really was still acting coldly towards elias during austin trips because of a grudge that dates back to 2006. but, y'know, it's also kind of fine to hold grudges for petty reasons sometimes... I'll say it: I support valentino's god-given right to just find some of these guys kinda annoying. not everything has to be an epic feud. sometimes guys just have a little mental list of past transgressions where each individual item is kinda small and silly but they're also literally never going to forget about each of them and they haven't forgiven anything even if it's been well over a decade... you know how it is

[youngpettyqueen]

fascinating bit of characterization in this book in having Julian be REALLY good at hiding his panic

[sashannarcy]

Why do you think people wants Sasha and Anne to be always fighting each other? Just this last week I saw: the fanon Sashanne is bad because Sasha isn't a bitch to Anne, Anne is mis characterized as a damsel in distress and being "small" in comparison to Sasha so her saving Anne is bad, that they are a bad written Catradora, that they would never work without Marcy in the relationship, that people always give them bad break ups and that Season 3B Sashanne is bad because they don't fight 🤷‍♀️

honestly I think it's just based off of two things I've seen in the fandom over and over: 1) they throw a fit when Marcy isn't involved and 2) people are dead set on this idea that Sasha is abusive. Sashanne is a very wonderful ship but it's also the most complex out of all the trio ships, so it... is not surprising that a lot of people just want to see it burn. you're talking abt a fandom that, like a lot of other cartoon fandoms, thinks primarily in black and white. ofc they're not going to want to see a friends to enemies to lovers arc, they're going to want it to stop at the enemies part. especially since Sasha never seemed to be truly remorseful about his actions until s2/s3; he was kind of just fucking shitty. which is. literally normal. sometimes you are just a shitty person before you get better. but to people who cannot understand nuance to save their lives, this means he is abusive and that he should always be a bitch to Anne or else it's out of character

[psy-ay-ay]

oh Orihime how I love you so

[teabutmakeitazure]

Not my guy friend suddenly saying he ships (mutual guy friend's name) and me and not the mutual friend being my highschool crush 💀

[sludgeguzzler]

being a fan of media and wanting to buy merch but all the merch is from outside your country so if you want to buy anything you have to go through the experience of seeing something you like thinking "oh this price isnt too bad!" then converting it to your local money and quietly taking the item out of your cart

[piningpercussionist]

idk why I thought of this cute drawing crossover idea for pride month but fuck it ! and it’s understandable if you can’t do it but pls take care of ya self !

Kim Pine swimming underwater in a blue aquatic doodle background alongside the Bull Shark Pup aka the shark protagonist from the game Maneater and Kim be casually normally petting its snout while sneakily finding it cute as it nuzzles intelligently back with its snout.

and the Bull Shark Pup has cute waterproof lgbt lesbian flag blanket wrapped around its dorsal fin

and be equally nuzzling it’s snout against Ramona Flower while she was scuba diving allowing her to gently feel the bull shark pup’s. damaged scarred dorsal fin and sneakily use a underwater camera to take picture of its cute unknown existence.

Details: the ref images I sent were to help show what Kim Pine and Ramona Flowers wear while underwater and the in game design of the Bull Shark Pup.

Kim Pine be casually holding her breath underwater cause she can and secretly skilled at it. While wearing a green teal style long sleeved zip swimsuit and red diving mask on her face with a snorkel mouthpiece attached to it. and wearing pair of black red diving flippers.

Ramona Flowers would also secretly dye her hair in the Bull Shark Pup’s unique red blue colour pattern after finding out about its existence and it surviving in a public swimming pool due to Kim Pine discovering it first normally.

While Ramona be wearing a black blue short sleeved zip wetsuit diving flippers and diving mask on her face with a scuba tank on her back

while Ramona breaths from the scuba regulator oxygen mouthpiece in her mouth while holding gently onto a underwater waterproof camera.

i still don’t know why I came up with this and sorry for bothering with this cute idea but pls remember to take care of yourself and have safe day or night !🦈🤿🪸🏳️‍🌈🫧🎸

wow you came prepared

Yeah, bit too much detail/elaboration for me to really do- especially given I haven't played or seen much gameplay for Maneater just yet- BUT! I did do some sketches based on/around what you've given me here!

+bonus Scott doodle because that's genuinely how I think he'd react to the hair colors shfkshdkfhe

(And here's just the shark, in case anyone wants it- although I will note that it's blown up to fit the canvas, so sorry if that nerfed the quality.)

[alchemiclee]

do you ever feel like some people dont understand the difference between pity and sympathy/empathy? (people don't even know the difference between those two, to be fair) giving someone sympathy or having empathy for them is not the same as pitying them. someone trying to reach out and seeking or expecting sympathy from you or wanting empathy isn't wanting you to pity them!!!!!! dont mix the two up 😭

[thatsnotbeautiful]

OK, i know i have ship goggles on, but i really do feel like Kabru smiles more openly/genuinely around Mithrun once he realizes that Mithrun has no desires or designs on him

aside from when he’s smiling getting excited talking abt ppl, here are some other smiles… inc. with his own party members

(granted, two of these are “i want something from this person” smiles)

we get a faker looking one with Mithrun on day one, too

but then you also have these…

very different from the first few imo

[illusioncanthurtme--art]

A very self indulgent Billford playlist!

Self indulgent, because this music does not appeal to the masses at all; these songs are limited to the stuff I listen to. So I’m being VERY transparent about my embarrassing taste in music right now! Plus, NOBODY ASKED FOR THIS!!! But I hope some of these resonate with you. This is a little collection I’ve formed in my phone notes since I got into this ship a couple weeks ago.

Not a fancy spotify playlist, it’s just links to the music on youtube. 

I’ve got this divided into parts:

-The Billford Songs

-The In This Moment Billford Songs

SO MUCH of their music is enemies/lovers perfection. I’ve thought about so many *killing you but also making out with you* pairings to this shit, because these songs were like, DESIGNED to be recycled for any and all love hate relationships, and still hit insanely hard EVERY TIME. So now that you have these songs under your belt, you have them FOREVER. You’re welcome. I haven’t even listened to all their music, I’m sure there’s more songs for this category that I simply haven’t discovered.

-The…Maybe…Billford Songs

My standards were kinda high for making this list. But every song is about your ship when you’re insane, right??? So these are the maybe’s. One’s I’ve thought about billford to, but maybe the lyrics don’t totally align.

Playlist under the cut! I wasn’t gonna ramble about each song but WHOOPS I DID 🤷‍♀️

The Billford songs:

Monophobia - Deadmau5 (Extended version, cuz it’s the best.)

THE LYRICS… THE LYRICS!!!! Definitely bill pining in theraprism. 

Propane Nightmares - Pendulum

This one WAS gonna go in the maybe’s, but I convinced myself otherwise after listening to it eighty more times, and now it’s up here on top. And fuck it, this is the *self indulgent* billford playlist, so I do what I want. I go into a fucking trance when I listen to this song, so I can’t really explain 110% why this is a billford song to me, but I’ll try.  Apparently, this song is about the heavens gate cult. So not enemies/lovers angst. But looking at the lyrics, you could interpret it as giving yourself to something greater, and coming to the realization that what you pledged yourself to is actually a very bad thing which will ultimately destroy you. (also, you can’t deny that there was some cult like manipulation happening with Bill and Ford. Sense of purpose and friendship.) Definitely billford-y when you consider Fords commitment to bill. And I’ll admit, when I listen to it, there is some pov switching. Because the “trail of fire”,  “we will be as one”, and “bring it on home” is VERY reminiscent of bill executing weirdmageddon. So overall, my interpretation of this song is Ford feeling torn about bill, feeling regret, feeling scared, and Bill of course, just wanting to bring the dimensions together. “BRING IT ON HOME!!!!”  Or I just like the song. 

Rule 34 - Fish in a Birdcage

Bestie recommended this song to me. It needs no explanation.

Painkiller - The Queenstons

…NEEDS NO EXPLANATION DSKFDSKJHF It’s similar to the above, just more… scary imo. Violent. Definitely bill being a little psycho. I really love this song. It’s very recyclable too. You have it for any toxic ship now. 

9V - The Queenstons

One of my favorite Lapfox/Halley Labs songs… I’m gonna give you the lyrics, it’s a bit hard to understand without them. In my eyes, it’s about betraying Ford. Also these vocals (and other music by this artist) works so well for bill because of the synthesized voice. 

LoveBOMB - S3RL

This is a new S3RL song. This song sounds like a tantrum, and I really liked it when I first heard it, but it didn't fit anything I was into at the time. Luckily, bill suffered a horrible breakup, and now this song has it’s meaning. 

When I'm There - S3RL

Bill thinking about joining the third dimension with Ford. 

Click Bait - S3RL

I’ve listened to this one a LOT before this, and I surprised myself with how much it aligns with bill, specifically, him tricking Ford.

Space-Time - S3RL

Speaks for itself.

Sodom & Gomorrah - Dorian Electra

This one’s just funny :)

The In This Moment Billford Songs

Sick Like Me

Sexual Hallucination

This is one of those recyclable songs, but I was damn surprised at how well the lyrics suited them, because it alludes to being out of body, possession, etc.

Blood

Half God half devil

Roots

Whore

Damn it, I cant deny this one suits them.

Big Bad Wolf

DAMN IT I wasn’t gonna include this one, but I just checked the lyrics and fuck, it works. In this moment, how are you so wonderful

The…Maybe…Billford Songs

Illuminaughty - Infected Mushroom

I'm kind of grasping at straws with these lyrics, but with a title like that? Come on

The Pretender - Foo Fighters, Infected Mushroom, Turbo Remix

Three versions, for whichever suits your fancy.

Leopold - Infected Mushroom

This one has NO LYRICS, but it has this buildup that sounds really cool, and it has an abrupt decrescendo. Reminds me of their "friendship" and how it all came crashing down.

Idolize - Dorian Electra

Hmmmmm, I just like Dorian. But the idolization thing works for obvious reasons.

That’s it! Hope you enjoy. Maybe I'll do an expansion pack of sorts if I find enough songs for a part 2.

[aerynwrites]

Unexpected, But Not Unwelcome

Gale Dekarios x afab!Reader/Tav

A/N: based on this request - god I literally wrote this the second that I got it lol. Gale was the perfect one to write this request for imo and it was such a pleasure!

Word Count: 1.8k

Warnings: pregnant reader, slight angst, pregnancy, fluff.

The longer you’ve lived in Waterdeep the more you start to understand why the balcony outside the study is Gales' chosen spot in his tower. 

You still remember the slight shock you felt when you first arrived to see the space was exactly like the illusion he showed you all those months ago. 

Now it’s also become your place of solace, much to the wizards delight. 

“Views like this are much better enjoyed with company. And I couldn’t wish for a better half to spend it with.” 

The balcony is swathed in deep orange light, the sun slowly creeping towards the horizon, the bottom just barely kissing the edge of sea way out in the distance. Her fading rays dance along the calm bay waters, the only disturbance to its surface being the few ships leaving or entering port. 

‘What do they carry?’ you wonder. 

Fine silks and clothing? Or perhaps rare spices from across the world. It’s a game you find yourself playing more often than not whenever you sit out here. But now…

Now it’s all you can do to try and focus on the ships, your mind constantly flitting back to the news you were given earlier in the day. 

You’d missed your monthly cycle a few weeks back, and while it wasn’t immediately alarming, that along with other symptoms finally made you decided to seek out a healer. 

Gale had told you of his plans to spend the day at Sorcerers Sundries, looking for a specific tome for research he was working on. So, today was the perfect day to slip away unnoticed. You didn’t want to worry your husband unnecessarily, but now you want nothing more than for him to be home, the news eating away at you. 

You’re pregnant. 

It’s honestly nothing you’ve ever truly thought about. Before the tadpoles, you’d been alone, just living day to day in Baldur’s Gate. Then of course the whole tadpole incident happened and then…you met Gale and fell in love and started to build a life with him here, in Waterdeep. 

You’re honestly surprised the topic never came up. But now, with it staring you in the face…a sense of uncertainty settles deep in your belly. 

Tara noticed immediately of course, aware of your unusual quietness as you retreated to the balcony as soon as you got home. You’d found yourself spilling the news to the intelligent cat as soon as she asked, her deep eyes softening ever so slightly as she jumped in your lap and curled up. 

You couldn’t help but sense a wave of excitement coming from her, though. A sense that somewhat calmed you despite the nerves running wild in your mind. 

That was a few hours ago, Tara hasn’t moved from her spot, lounging peacefully as you stroked her fur and watch the ships glide across the water. 

Only the very distant sound of the tower door opening and closing, and Gales faint greeting finally pulls you from your thoughts, that anxiety creeping back in full force as you tense. 

Tara sits up as well, stretching and letting out an enviable yawn. You wish you could be that relaxed. 

“Relax, dear,” Tara says gently, nuzzling your hand before turning to jump from your lap. “I feel you have nothing to be worried about.” 

She turned and pads towards the inside of the tower just as Gale appears in the archway, stopping to offer her a welcoming scratch before she disappears.

He sends you a warm smile as he rights himself, approaching and taking a seat next to you on the padded bench, arm wrapping around your waist instinctively as he presses a kiss to your temple.

“How was your day, my love?” He asks, nose nuzzling your cheek. 

You smile, realizing it doesn’t quite reach your eyes past the anxiety roiling in your chest. “It was good,” you tell him, not completely lying but not offering the full truth either. “How was your adventure to Sorcerer’s Sundries?” 

At the mention of the bookstore Gale’s eyes light up as he tells you about what he found. Slowly, as he talks about the new information he found regarding his research, you both maneuver into a more comfortable position. Gale moves to lay across the length of the padded bench, leaning against the armrest as you settle between his legs, back resting against his chest. 

His arms wrap loosely around your middle, hands resting over your stomach, completely unaware of the life that’s now growing there. 

His words fade into the background as your mind starts to wander again, your hands moving to rest atop his own, your fingers slipping to toy with the simple gold band around his ring finger.

You don’t truly have many worries about the news. You know that Gale will weather anything with you but…you don’t want this to be a storm, or anything negative. What if Gale doesn’t want children? What if he pulls away from you when you tell him the news or is just as scared as you feel?

Soft lips against your neck pull you from your thoughts, familiar fingers slipping between your own to give them a squeeze. 

“I know my research ramblings can at times be boresome. However, you seem to be lost to me more than usual this evening.” His words are gentle with just a touch of amusement as rests his head against yours. “What’s on your mind?”

You don’t respond right away, your nerves at an all time high and making your already tumultuous stomach even more uneasy. You squeeze his hand in yours.

“I went to see a healer today.”

Gale’s arms tighten around you, and you can feel the way he sits up straighter, your words concerning him. 

“A healer? I didn’t even notice - are you sick?” He asks, worry clear in his voice. “I cannot believe I was so preoccupied I failed to take note of-“

You tug on the sleeve of his robes, holding him tighter to you. “I’m not sick. At least not…” You trail off, taking your lip between your teeth.

Gale urges you on with a gentle press of his lips to your shoulder, and that action alone seems to calm the raging sea of anxiety within you. 

“I’m with child, Gale.” 

The silence that follows your revelation feels oppressive. The only sounds meeting your ears being the lapping of waves against the shore and the distant call of gulls in the air. 

Emotion clogs your throat as you clutch his hand. “Please…say something.”

You sit up then, turning to face the man behind you, but before you can fully do so, two strong arms wrap around you and bring you to your feet. Your surroundings turn into a blur around you as Gale spins you through the air, boisterous laughter falling from his lips until he brings you to a stop, capturing you in a breathtaking kiss. 

His lips are warm and his arms secure as he holds you to him, as if afraid this would all fade away if he were to let you go. 

Heat floods your cheeks when he pulls away, elation adorning his features as he looks at you, eyes glowing with an utter joy you’ve never quite seen on him before. He cradles your face in his hands, thumbs brushing softly against your cheeks. 

“I’m going to be a father? We’re going to have a child?” He asks, whispering the words in unbelieving reverence. 

The smile that splits your lips is almost painful, any and all anxiety dissipating from you as you take in his reaction. 

“Yes they…The healer said I would start showing soon, and if we want…Towards the end of the pregnancy they should be able to tell us the gender,” you tell him, hands grasping at the fabric of his robe. 

Gale smiles wider, hands falling down to cradle your stomach and the new life that sits there. 

“It doesn’t matter,” he says gently. “They will be loved either way, and no doubt a powerful wielder of the weave if I have anything to say about it.”

You can’t stop the chuckle that slips past your lips, and the surprising happy tears that fall down your cheeks. Gale notices the streaks immediately, smile faltering ever so slightly as he reaches back up to wipe the tears away.

“Why the tears? This is a joyous occasion, we should be celebrating!” 

You shake your head, reaching up to place your hand atop his own as you turn to press a kiss to his palm. “They aren’t tears of grief…I was worried. Worried about telling you. I didn’t…we’ve never talked about children.”

Your husband smiles gently, eyes reassuring as he leans in to press a kiss to the corner of your lips. “I can admit that this news was unexpected, but it’s…it is not unwelcome,” he tells you, eyes bright once more. “I’ve never given much thought to children because of everything that had consumed my mind in the past and then you appeared in my life and took over the rest of my thoughts,” he laughs. “But this…” He presses his hands to your belly again. “This is more than I could have ever asked for. More than any power I’ve ever dreamed of having. I find myself filled with indescribable joy at the thought of creating a life with you - a family.”

You press your lips to his as soon as the words leave his lips, pulling him impossibly closer until you break away to nuzzle into the space between his head and shoulder, excitement and happiness threatening to burst from your chest. 

“I love you, Gale Dekarios.” You say, smiling as he pulls you tighter against him. “I can’t wait to start a family with you.”

You move to speak, but the presence of a familiar winged feline interrupts you as Tara rushes onto the balcony, wiggling happily. 

“Oh my!” She exclaims, weaving between yours and Gale’s legs before jumping effortlessly up to perch on his shoulder as you both separate. “This is most exciting! Another Dekarios, can you believe it?” She asks, turning to Gale. “Hopefully this one won’t light himself on fire like you did all those years ago.”

You watch in amusement as Gale flushes a light shade of pink, flicking Tara’s ear playfully. “I was just starting to learn to master the weave! And I was eight, you can hardly blame me.”

You chuckle at their antics and reach up to card your hands through his hair at the nape of his neck, drawing his attention back to you.

“Well, they will have the best teacher. There’s no telling what they will accomplish with you as their guide.”

Gale smiles, leaning down to kiss you one last time before embracing you once more. 

“We’ll guide them together.”

You hum in agreement, basking in the golden rays of the setting sun, the snapping of sails echoing across the water as you whisper against his skin. 

“Together.”

Tags:

@dark-and-kawaii

[triflesandparsnips]

So I understand that there are Good Omens show fans who have never read Good Omens the book, and that makes me deeply sad because--

Like, there's so much depth to the story being told about humans and humanity and the choice between good and evil -- and how that's actually a false dichotomy whoooops -- WHILE ALSO not really being about Aziraphale and Crowley at all (who are, imo, basically there as embodiments of "Impressive Failures" for the purposes of Theme and also Plot).

BUT IF you want to know why I've shipped them since the book-- here's the moment it happened for wee teenage me:

Wednesday (before the end of the world)

So it's Warlock's birthday party. And there are all these children and security guards and also an angel doing magic tricks while a demon is disguised as a caterer. This bit is basically the same as the show, so hooray.

But as wee me understood the characters up to this point, they were still basically enemies who had been in the field together for way too long and knew each other's moves well enough for the same tempting/thwarting of one another to become kind of boring and repetitive and generally pointless-- particularly once they realized that they could, for instance, just live their (separate!) lives watching humans being weird (Crowley) and seeking various sensory stuff (Aziraphale) while doing the least work necessary to keep their respective bosses off their backs.

The Arrangement was borne not out of hiding a friendship or anything, but instead the realization that sometimes covering for one another would just... cut down on their total overall workload. They were, at best, employees of two different, competitive companies-- though in same kind of department, doing the same kind of work-- who discovered they liked to have lunch at the same deli and that their jobs were sometimes distressingly more similar than either was comfortable with.

SO ANYWAY. BACK TO THAT WEDNESDAY. They're not covering for one another with this whole Antichrist thing-- they're now actively collaborating, and they've acknowledged (mostly) that it's not to cut down on their individual workloads, but rather to preserve their identical-- but not shared (not yet)-- goals of Getting To Continue The Lives On Earth They've Grown To Enjoy.

But like-- still not friends. Not really.

Until Aziraphale fucks up a bit, Warlock accidentally gets hold of a security guard's weapon and starts waving it around, and:

Then someone threw some jelly at Warlock. The boy squeaked, and pulled the trigger of the gun. It was a Magnum .32, CIA issue, gray, mean, heavy, capable of blowing a man away at thirty paces, and leaving nothing more than a red mist, a ghastly mess, and a certain amount of paperwork. Aziraphale blinked. A thin stream of water squirted from the nozzle and soaked Crowley, who had been looking out the window, trying to see if there was a huge black dog in the garden. Aziraphale looked embarrassed. Then a cream cake hit him in the face.

My teenage brain exploded at this moment.

BECAUSE: there is no reason for Aziraphale to do that.

Work-wise: If he got shot, Crowley would get discorporated, but not die-- and anyway, it would happen in such a way that both of them could explain it away easily to their respective sides (and possibly even be commended for it!).

Collaboration-wise: If Crowley had been watching Aziraphale, and if he'd seen Aziraphale have the chance to change the gun but not do it-- then yeah, probably that would've been annoying enough to have warranted some chilly conversations once he came back topside, and therefore, Aziraphale choosing to save Crowley could've been a reasonable, logical choice to keep their working relationship on an even keel until they'd sorted out this Doomsday thing.

But Crowley was looking the other way.

Work-wise, it doesn't make sense-- and secret-collaboration-wise, it doesn't make sense-- and so it is, overall, really weird that Aziraphale saved him.

But his automatic reaction-- in a blink-- is to stop Crowley from getting shot. And he knows it's weird-- he feels embarrassed that his sudden, unthinking reaction is to save his "enemy".

And the final bit is just a couple paragraphs later:

With a gesture, Aziraphale turned the rest of the guns into water pistols as well, and walked out.

SO LOOK: He changed only the pistol about to shoot Crowley. His automatic reaction had nothing to do with saving a party full of humans, many of them children-- nothing to do with Heaven or Hell-- nothing to do with preserving the coworker he needs to stop Armageddon--

It was all to do with saving Crowley. Who may be the enemy, but he's Aziraphale's enemy. And another part of his life on Earth that he's doing all of this just to preserve.

Which may also be, for the first time, the moment he lets himself realize how important Crowley in particular is to him.

...and so anyway, that's how I started shipping these two immortal idiots, and one of many reasons why everyone should read the book.