#this was so fun but it was also so tricky

[olderthannetfic]

Sorry for sending bullshit here but I just found this and I'm so confused:

https://www.tumblr.com/cinderellahoneymoon/741707066361675776?source=share

Okay, since when was "simp" an aave? I mostly saw being used in memes for fictional characters and people who are worshipping mediocre celebrities and youtubers.

"also yall barely interact w black selfshippers in general, get on that." I don't interact with a lot of selfshippers at all because you are all insufferable and try to police people on how to like fictional characters! These characters aren't real! This is supposed to be fun! And you're surprised why others laugh at us.

As a selfshipper this is just yikes 💀 Fancops are the worst.

--

Since always, silly.

--

God, the tone of that post... And yes, yes, tone policing, but this is definitely going to just send people screaming into the night, not make them pay attention to the message. Would I even want to interact with other people's self-shipping anyway if I were a self-shipper? Maybe I'd want to just do my own thing in my own corner.

But... nonnie... 'simp' is appropriated AAVE.

This is a well-known fact, and there have been a million posts telling people to stop using it, not because of appropriation but because it's a gross term with a gross ideology it's time to drop.

It's an insult for men who are too subservient to women, hence the use for people who are pathetically worshipful of celebrities. It's the 90s version of today's ridiculous internet men calling each other "beta cucks" or whatever.

I guess it might be kind of funny to ruin 'beta cucks' for the sort of gentleman who uses it, but...

Broadly, if you see "new" "teen" slang in English coming out of places like twitter or tiktok, you should assume the overwhelming majority of it is driven by clueless non-black American teens appropriating AAVE and failing to understand what the words mean.

I get that this is tricky even if you're one of those teens and especially if you're not American or not even a native speaker of English, but this is just the reality. Theft from black people is the engine that drives American popular culture. It's true of language as much as of musical styles.

I'm certainly not going to be too precious to use the words we've long since finished incorporating into mainstream American English. 'Cool' springs to mind. Yes, really! Even former slang as common as that! We stole it in the 1930s or something, so it's a done deal at this point.

Nor will I necessarily avoid dialectical things that are present in AAVE but also other dialects. I wouldn't say 'finna', but I do have relatives who actually use 'fixing to' (meaning planning to/about to) and I might use it in jest even if it's not a standard part of my dialect.

I generally won't use y'all, but that's because I associate it with an extremely tiresome flavor of wannabe ~sassy~ internet post. And in that context, it is absolutely about non-black idiots imitating black twitter and the like. But even so, y'all is a perfectly normal word in plenty of dialects outside of AAVE. Just not my dialect.

[pandorasfavorite]

I live for your writing literally supporting my delusions ❤️❤️❤️ But anyways I think you’ve already written with this idea before but hopefully this request is a little different. So a fem reader and Dominik have been dating for a couple months but the reader beings to get annoyed by Dom’s close relationship with Rhea. The reader kind of starts giving him attitude about about this and Dom takes matters into his own hands with him showing the reader that he only wants the her and saying some stuff like “Do I kiss/touch Rhea like this?” and then proceeds to show her😝😝

Pick a Side

AN: Requests are coming as fast as I can write (don't give up on me). And keep a look out for your request mixed in with other posts.

It's not in Dominik's hands how he is supposed to do things. I mean he did choose to join the Judgement Day but the close relationship with Rhea was essentially pushed on him for more attention and heat. You were not a part of the Judgement, instead you stayed solo and stayed away from factions. You weren't with Dominik until 3 months after he joined The Judgement Day. But he grew on you slowly but surely; the way he was constantly in your life and that adorable smile and crazy hair; he was irresistible. You knew who all was in The Judgement Day too; you knew he liked Rhea as a friend, so he said, though lately the jealousy has gotten worse.

When you liked Dominik it didn't hurt as bad to see them paired together in the center of the ring acting like a couple. Yet the longer your relationship carries on, the more you love him, seeing him hug her and hang off her shoulder was slowly killing your nerves. So yeah you've been moody towards him lately, he should know by now anyway. On the other hand, Dominik was getting a little frustrated with your little mood. But he wasn't dense; it was clear as water that you were being pissy about Rhea. What could he do other than show you how he only wants you? Just finding the right time was the tricky part.

Well, the tricky part was over because you were blowing up on Dominik for touching Rhea's hair. In his defense, it really was an accident, but anything that had to do with them being in contact was ticking you off effortlessly. So now you were pacing in front of the king-sized bed (where Dominik was leaning against the headboard with his arms crossed), and you were going on a rant about the ridiculous events that have happened recently.

"You know it wouldn't matter if you at least acted like you didn't mean to do it. And then you want to throw your arm around her shoulder- or wait NO MY ARM, what's yours is mine, and your mine. So what I guess I'm really asking is why are you throwing my arm around another woman?" you spewed with your hands flying around to emphasize your point. Dominik was so fucking flabbergasted; somehow you managed to not only call him out for an accident but also claim his arm as yours. But he listened anyway and tried to act normal because if he smiled at your insanity; you would say he was making fun of the problem. So with a straight face (one that was about to break), Dominik patted the bed beside him.

You furrowed your eyebrows and looked at him with apprehension, yet your body still went and sat beside him. Dominik turned to look at you with soft loving eyes while you turned to look at him with fire burning behind yours. He did the first thing that came to mind, kiss you until gasped out his name. His lips slipped against yours in a wet kiss and his whole body moved with the kiss. Every smack of your lips against his was followed by Dominik moving on top of you with ease. One of his legs was slotted between both of yours and your mind felt a bit foggy at the unexpected sensation. But the fog wasn't thick enough to distract you, that much Dominik already knew, his thigh pressed against your clothed cunt and he began pulling your clothes off one by one.

First start with your shirt and then your bra right after. The moment it slipped off, not even on the floor yet Dominik's hands were playing with your tits and his lips were sucking dark marks onto your sensitive skin. Each movement of his hands was directly followed by his thigh just barely pressing against you. He pulled back to taunt you, "Do I touch Rhea like this? Kiss her like this?", he rasps but you grit your teeth at the name alone.

"Don't say her name right now", you huff and grab the back of his head like you are about to push him back down onto you. He grins and pushes his hair out of his face, "Yea, I rather hear you say my name instead". You held back your surprise when Dominik ripped your pants completely off your body and slid your panties off. He looked at them with the same cocky smirk and showed you the prominent wet mark right in the middle. He smacked your pussy lightly; you felt yourself jolt and moan at the same time. "No surprise there", he commented and threw them off the bed all the same.

His hand splayed down your body; only for his tongue to follow the same trail, just barely dipping down to lick the inside of your thighs teasingly. You wither from above and try to wrap your legs around his head like you always do. Dominik never went a day without tasting your cunt. It was his favorite way to relieve stress; it was almost like a routine for him to come home with you and get on his knees to slide his tongue into your wet pussy. Though tonight he only glided his tongue against your clit for a split second before just barely letting his teeth graze over it. Your body reacted before your mind processed the new action. You gasped and raised up off of the bed to see what the fuck he just did and why the hell did it feel so good. "Like that mami? I thought you would, I know this pussy in and out", he sticks his tongue out playfully but he was still so low the tip of his tongue hit your pussy all the same.

You moaned his name and glared with impatience. You had never claimed to be the patient one in this relationship. Dominik took that as a sign to hurry up and pull his cock out to slip inside of you. After all this time you thought you'd be used to the stretch of his cock, but each inch sent you reeling and gripping the sheets for support. The way his cock filled you up, made you feel full it was unexplainable; really only your intangible moans could begin to explain it. "Fuck you feel so good", you whined and convulsed around his cock.

Dominik let you scratch down his cock and throw your arms over his shoulders while he just barely rocked into you. But he couldn't help but reply, "Oh yeah?" he asked but knew the answer based on how much you were pulsing around him already. "Fuck you", you grit out without meaning, though in reality, you wanted to pull his face down to slip your tongue into his smart mouth. He looks at you from the curtain of his long hair, "I can't wait" he said back. And he meant it with his entire being. Dominik loved you on top, roughing him around, and shoving your panties into his mouth.

Now Dominik was practically abusing your cunt with each harsh thrust that hit your g-spot with no effort. Each thrust made a smacking sound of his hips against your ass and then the squelch of him pulling in and out of your pussy. Dominik was now holding the headboard to better fuck you and the sight you got to see was better than any other. He was panting and licking his lips while watching you moan and work through the up-and-coming orgasm. His muscles were convulsing and his hips were ramming his cock inside of you. The quirks of Dominik being so athletic really paid off in bed.

Dominik pulled out and barely gave any time for you to whine out complaints. He grabbed you by the hips and flipped you over, he pushed your knees up and pushed your back down so you were arched in front of him; ass up and ready. Dominik slipped inside of you effortlessly this time and groaned at the sight in front of him. He grabs your hips again tightly this time and slams you back on his cock while he thrusts into you all the same. "Why would I want her when I have you taking my cock like a whore? God, I could fuck you forever Mami", his words are sloppy and dirty. You pulse around him and moan into the sheets he pushed you into over and over again.

"Dom please", you mumble from the sheets; that was the best way to tell him you were about to cum. And in this case, it was going to be the best one you've had in weeks. Dominik groaned as your pussy got tighter with each pulse and now one of his hands moved to the arch of your back to keep you in the right position. "Just a little longer princess, my good girl can do that right?", you only nodded into the sheet and Dominik felt his body constricting with each long pull. But you not speaking wasn't nearly enough for him. "My little cock slut can handle it hm?", he moved his hands down to grasp and pull at the plush of your ass. Smacking and pulling to make his cock drive even further into you. The degradation and praise mixed together always had you gushing around his cock and stilling while you cum. Already knowing Dominik would have no problems with fucking you through it.

Your ass pressed against him and his cock was as deep as it could go when you squeezed around his cock tightly. So tight he could barely pull out or stutter his cuss of praise. But of course, he managed, "That's my girl"

[chobani-flip]

buddie goggles and why you might enjoy wearing them more if you acknowledge them

so yeah, i think the buddie goggles are a real issue. (ive had them too, fellow shippers, no judgment) like, is it possible that buck and eddie will at some point start a deeply fulfilling romantic relationship? yes. is it what's happening on screen right now and what the show is 100% suggesting is imminent? no. sorry, it's just not.

look, the thing with analysing and interpreting any text is that it's very much about finding things that the text is doing, what could be there, looking at it from different angles and choosing to focus on certain aspects: that's why you have feminist readings of X and queer readings of Y, etc

but if you go looking at a text with the intention of looking for authorial intent and secret messages the author is leaving that only you and the fandom can pick up on correctly? that's such a slippery, tricky slope.

consider:

simply communicating ideas face to face to one single other person can often end in misunderstandings

communicating ideas in writing?... well, we live in the pissing on the poor era of the internet, don't we.

like, how many times have you read/written something, looked at the comments and gone: but...that's not what's there? like, interesting that you see it, but also, i don't know where you got that from

see where I'm going with this?

there is so much that goes into the making of a tv show besides the script and actors' delivery that i am absolutely not an expert on: costumes, set dressing, blocking, lighting, editing, soundtrack...

taking any of those aspects and analysing it and looking for connections is my favourite thing to do and read about and...

ngl, watching the show and looking for buddie in all of them is so much fun. i love it, it's what got me into 911 in the first place.

but i promise you, the moment you stop acknowledging that that's what you're doing, that what you're doing is a Buddie reading of 911, and instead proclaim it as the one single truth? that's when you set yourself up for a wild and not always pleasant ride.

and this isn't about having or not having faith in the writers or buddie or the one they call tim, and honestly, it's kind of telling that the word "faith" is used so often.

it's about accepting that while watching a tv show, we're all putting ourselves in a position of observing the shadows of plato's cave with binoculars on a low-visibility day. (ok. that's a really pretentious twatty thing to say, but i'll leave it there because i think the image is funny. ) and no amount of media literacy is going to give you a clear insight into the minds and intentions of all of the people creating the show (can we please stop shouting at people to get "media literacy" if they disagree with our interpretation of a text, even if what they're saying sounds dumb)

now, i don't know if yall were here for the TJLC thing back then, and I am absolutely not saying that what the Sherlock show did and what 911 is doing is in any shape or form similar, however, on tumblr and amongst the fandom, the lead-up to season 4 and then the secret fourth episode fallout felt exactly like what some parts of the 911 fandom are doing now. so... just take care, friends. and don't be dicks to people who disagree with you over a ship.

[ronearoundblindly]

how would Steve try and describe human relationships to mermaid reader? and what would her reaction be?

also I love the fact that she has her own “room”.

Miss G?

Steve Rogers x deep sea mermaid!Reader from Sun, Salt, and Shield

Headcanon below the cut! (It got soooooo rambly, but is very cute.)

Well, only Steve calls you 'Doll,' and though Tony will not stop calling you 'Grariel,' eventually you're called 'Miss G' instead--added bonus that you roll around on your Segway with Hollywood-huge sunglasses.

'Miss G' sounds like a celebrity and fancy. You don't understand that distinction yet, but Tony and Steve like it.

Oof, does Steve know how to describe relationships to humans? He's so awkward. He would start with simple things: couples enjoy doing activities together, spending time with each other and other couples or people, often times they touch casually (tricky to explain that word in limited english), and they...kiss.

Important things Steve would mention is that your teeth are very sharp (and numerous) compared to humans. Respectfully, he teaches you to smile without opening your mouth, and does warn that, though he's a fast healer and tougher than most, he will bleed if your teeth catch any part of him ::cough::.

Tony sank a pressure chamber into the bottom of the pool, so you can sleep there comfortably. Rarely, he'll let Steve take one of the Divers and camp out on the ocean floor where you live. Sometimes that makes Steve a little sick for a day or two after, but he never mentions that to you.

This is sorta dumb, and Steve thought it was downright offensive at first, but Tony left all the pool toys in the corner of the room and slowly teaches you to play with all of them. You're quite dense, so you need like ten foam noodles to 'float' you on the surface, but it's very fun.

You find the beach ball is endlessly entertaining, mainly because you swim so fast and can hit it so hard that the ball ricochets off the ceiling like a higher level of Pong. You've popped nearly a dozen of them, but Tony just buys them in bulk.

So, back to relationship and Steve's explanation.

The most heart-warming thing Steve teaches you is the hug. So simple. So reminiscent of your first meeting. If you lay your head on his chest, your face can remain underwater to breathe and hold onto Steve indefinitely, and he's tried. The longest he's gone is five straight hours of just you two holding each other, brushing his thumb over your cheek, giving you soft back rubs, getting gentle back scratches from you, and loving every second.

Sometimes he just talks to you, even when he knows you can't understand most of the words. It's shocking how much gets across by emotion and intonation alone. You squeeze him a little tighter when he's telling you a sad story, and you rub your forehead into his sternum when he laughs at something.

Turns out, Tony used F.R.I.D.A.Y. to compile 'essential human visuals' into a slide-show, and Steve will explain pictures like prompts. That's helped a great deal because it gives him somewhere to start a conversation and lets him see how interested you are in what's happening on the screen. The light of the projector took some adjusting for your eyes, and then was too low for Steve to make out very much, so he now has his own special glasses, like Tony's, that show him an enhanced version of the slides.

Okay, okay, but I gotta say, the absolute most random and best thing ever was you trying to find Steve's room in the compound on your own. Tony gave you the room number--which you don't actually know how numbers work yet, but you go by memorizing the shapes--and then got engrossed by some other work. You hopped up onto your Segway, shades on, Atlantian breathing mask on to keep your mouth and throat in salt water, and you zoomed right through those double doors and past you 'guard.' They aren't there to keep you in, after all, but you did scare the shit out of them.

Off you fly down the main hall, back the other way, straight into the elevator, and you wait patiently, listening to horribly boring music and flicking your fin rapidly with nerves.

The buttons are confusing.

So. You press all of them.

Zippity doo-dah, round and round the halls you go, smiling (with your lips together) at the multiple people you almost run over, getting waylaid by the view of distant mountains from one window, and diligently starting to understand that the shapes Tony showed you repeat everywhere. You're looking for the correct order to them.

It takes over 45 minutes of going between 0 and 20 miles per hour to find the right combination on a little plaque, and it takes only the very tip of your nail to depress the squishy button below the plaque.

You're growing quite fond of the squishy buttons. Some of them are hard but light up. The surface is fun.

Steve is wiping white foam from a fresh shave off his jaw when the door swings open, and you do a spin on your wheels, spreading your fingers like the showy jazz-hands in one of the pictures about stage plays--musicals, they're called--better than elevators, you hope.

You get the ten cent tour of his little apartment and sit on a couch for the first time. Very exciting. Fabric is delightfully strange.

There's talk of a beach vacation, one where you and Steve might get to race along the shore, you in the surf and him on the sand.

You aren't sure whether you'll let him win or not.

[Main Masterlist; Light Masterlist; Ko-Fi]

a/n: yeah...i don't even know, gang.

[bericas]

— headless john the baptist hitchhiking, c.t. salazar (twaw2022: october 7 ↣ style swap with @alphaboyd)

[lo-fi-charming]

so i've been keeping up with TMP as it's airing, which has been fun, it's actually really nice to experience this kind of story weekly since i came into TMA late and listened up to the s4 finale in like, a month or two. i've been enjoying the new characters and statements, and while i was worried i'd have trouble actively listening (my attention span/executive functioning can be really variable when it comes to podcasts), it's been surprisingly easy for me to actually listen to each new ep the day it drops publicly

all this to say im enjoying the show! but i've found myself feeling increasingly frustrated with a couple things i keep seeing when it comes to discussions of it

to me, it seems... there's been a pervasive reluctance to take TMP as what it is. and i do understand that. it'd be stupid to pretend TMP doesn't exist exclusively because of TMA and that show's success, that it's a successor that was pitched as being similar. it's a story being written by the same people (plus guests), in the same universe (roughly), going for about the same tone and maybe themes.

i just feel like it's a bit of a shame, though, that so many folks seem unwilling not to carry TMA with them when they're engaging with TMP

i don't know where or when it was said, but i swear there was a comment made by jonny and/or alex about how TMP will have some commonality with TMA in terms of world-building, but also, people who listened to TMA first may find themselves theorizing in the wrong direction because we're judging things based off what is no longer concrete, reliable information; things are going to work differently in the world of TMP, and since we have preconceived notions on what is relevant or how things work, that's going to influence how we engage with information presented in TMP if we let it. and that's not even considering the fact that they've been explicit in conveying the idea that TMP was written so you can experience it fully without having listened to any of TMA at all!

i'm very much someone who tries to engage with media on its own terms, largely taking things at face value until i'm given reason to suspect otherwise. that's something i'm trying my best to still do with TMP, even though obviously, i've also listened to TMA and am basing some of my thoughts and personal theories on what we know from that

but that's what i mean to say i guess, it's something you have to actively choose to do. and it feels like, just based on what i've been seeing in fandom spaces, that a lot of people are having a bit of an odd time with TMP because of a reluctance to do that?

i think the easiest way to explain what i mean is to point to a general acceptance, already on the level of fanon it seems, to interpret the computer voices as Our Jon and Martin (+ Jonah/Elias, maybe). now obviously we have the actual real world reason why their voices are present in TMP, because of course jonny and alex were going to come back as voices in the show in some way. and i 100% agree it's a perfectly logical conclusion to then interpret their inclusion as being related to Jon and Martin somehow. i'm personally very into the theory that it is in no way them - not in any way that matters - but specifically their voices that have been stolen (by the Web?) as a means to help spread fears in other realities. but that's really not how i've been seeing people play with the concept? it seems largely 1:1. and again, i totally understand where people are coming from with that - especially when you consider how it can be a super fun concept for horror and angst, or even just the fact that folks want an excuse to carry their favorite characters into this new show and still play around with them. i promise i don't mean to bring this up as a means of making anyone feel bad or like, chastised for interpreting things a certain way and playing in the space!

it's the biggest example of what i mean though, and was a huge point of frustration for me when we were first being presented with TMP. it's not just that i don't want the voices to be Jon and Martin proper (i am very into their Ambiguous End, i believe it's best to leave that as a space for fans to play in); in all honesty, i think it's kind of a shame and maybe even a bit boring (im sorry!) to be engaging with TMP this way

and it's not just stuff like that - i've been seeing a fair amount of people expressing frustration and feeling disappointed with how TMP is hitting, but i mean, i feel like that's inevitable when you're going into it expecting More TMA? i saw at least one person basically say "ive been waiting for it to make me feel the way TMA made me feel, and it hasn't yet", and i really just feel like that's setting yourself up to be dissatisfied! beyond the fact that we're only 5 episodes in and the story has barely gotten a chance to happen yet, a huge element of this new show is that it's being approached as a largely collaborative effort, it seems, with lots of guests coming in to help shape the story and more writing and plotting influence that isn't jonny

obviously it's fine to not be super into that! undoubtedly it's a question of taste. but you do have to acknowledge that that's the case and adjust your expectations accordingly, or else you're not going to have a great time

i really like TMA, i had a great time with it, but even if TMP is a sequel to its parent podcast, it's not the same thing - and personally, i don't want it to be! i do hope that's a sentiment that is able to be more widely felt by some fans as we gain more distance from TMA while TMP is airing. i just think more people would be able to enjoy it that way, and come up with more interesting theories and interpretations of things! but those are really just my own personal thoughts

[soaked-ghost]

best part of having a blorbo is playing dress up with them :}

[starflungwaddledee]

I have a feeling Starstruck Dee (and perhaps you lol) are gonna go all out in February, pinks and reds, decorating and covering Dreamland with hearts

absolutely!

perhaps in all honestly more likely me than her, but if valentine's day exists she would be SUPER into it for sure, whether she understood it or not. i think she and kirby could be team Friend Hearts Everywhere and every year everybody else just wakes up February 1 to find that even their locked rooms were decorated in the night.

fwiw, i decided that i'll be celebrating this month by posting answers to various starstruck 'ship' prompts i've received! there'll be some comics, some single images, and so on!

i by no means have enough to fill the entire month yet, so i'm still taking suggestions, and i'll attempt to do as many as i can! i'm not sure if i can feasibly maintain One A Day but i'll do my best!

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Hello! I was wondering if you’d be willing to take commissions someday 👀. No pressure tho! I just love your art so much

The short answer: "not at the moment, but it is very possible in the future'!

The slightly longer answer: I would have to figure out a good pricing and payment system! PD-MDZS is also where most of my free time goes, so until my life settles down a bit, I would be on the slow side to complete them.

[chrisrin]

ohhh i’m thinking SO hard about them. (audio from here)

[mitamicah]

11/13 Käärijä stickers 🦩🌴⛱️

Did I plan that I'd take this long between drawing the sketch and rendering the finished piece so that Jere is now on vacation again making this relevant? Nope, but it would've been fun if I had x'D

I couldn't leave Frank out tho :'3

⬅️Previous entry ➡️Concept sketches

[qcomicsy]

Writing Bruce feels like herding a wild cat to a door with a broom but the door it's a metaphor of 'not being an asshole'.

Me, trying to write Bruce being emotionally open and mature: He would not fucking say that.

[avanii]

The Beast of Magma, with its augite crystal claws and teeth, is always trying to find a way to the surface. Another beastie for my geology monsters project! This creature is based on eruptible magma, I may make another of more 'dormant' magma that's kinda just hanging out in the subsurface, we'll see! Painted with acrylic inks.

[micamicster]

Bruce Springsteen's eighth album TUNNEL OF LOVE as Penguin Classics (series): Tobias Verhaecht / Kerry James Marshall / Botticelli / Jusepe de Ribera / Caravaggio / Andrew Wyeth / Raphael / Essam Marouf / Rene Magritte / Raymond Bonilla / Theodore Gericault / Soren Martinsen

[wreckerdecker]

Baby Talk

Tech fans… we’re all hurting right now. I decided to help ease the pain: the world NEEDS Tech bonding with baby!Omega. All fluff, no hurt, short and sweet Tech-centric baby AU. 

----

“You should stop talking to her like that.”

Wrecker’s mouth clamps shut and he looks over at his brother. In his hands he’s holding Omega, who’s absolutely beaming with joy. He’s crouched on his knees on the floor of the bunk room. Tech stands a few feet away, gazing neutrally at the two of them.

“What’s wrong with the way I talk to ‘er?” 

Gloved fingers tap away at his datapad. “Your baby talk. It holds little to no developmental value to her speech skills.”

It’s silent as Wrecker blinks slowly and looks back at their sister. She gives him a open-mouth, gummy smile in return. He looks back up at Tech.

“Omega is a baby?”

Tech nods. “Correct. But she needs more mental stimulation than baby talk provides. Full-sentences, preferably.”

Wrecker stands-- his knees audibly cracking on the way up-- and Omega coos as he pulls her closer to his chest. He closes the gap between Tech and himself with barely more than a single step. The datapad is ignored as he shoves the baby into Tech’s arms. Wrecker laughs when it clatters to the floor in favor of Omega.

“Alright, then. You love talking, so you do it!” He leans down and gives Omega a kiss on the forehead, then gives Tech’s shoulder a gentle (well, gentle for Wrecker) punch on the arm. “I’ll be outside. Have fun!”

Tech and Omega look at one another awkwardly once he exits the ship. 

Oh, dear.

“Okay, Omega. I’m sitting you down now.”

It’s a half-hour later. After being forced to take a small detour that involved a warm bottle of formula, Tech decided to work on the cockpit passenger seat and the horrific grinding squeak it had recently developed. He’d warned his brothers to stop dropping into it so roughly all the time. Had they listened? Clearly not. But what else is new.

Meanwhile, Omega sits curiously in the other chair. Tech had swiveled it so she was facing him, fully able to watch what he’s doing. 

“I’m going to fix this chair,” Tech says out loud. “And hopefully give you some speech lessons as I go.”

So far, Omega has little to say about the matter. She eyes the toys Tech had placed in front of her-- as interesting as chair repair is, he knows better than to expect her to pay full attention. She grabs the closest one and starts chewing on it. 

“I’m looking for an appropriate tool,” Tech says as he roots through his toolbox. As much as he enjoys organization, it is a community toolbox, and there’d sooner be peace to the galaxy than successfully convincing his brothers to put stuff back where it belongs. “I need to remove the outer base cover to investigate the squeaking.”

As expected, he gets no response. He continues on, narrating his way through the process, only occasionally glancing up to make sure the baby wasn’t in danger of falling from the chair. He’s applying an oil spray to the offending spring joint when he hears a soft thud. It’s not heavy enough to be Omega, so he takes his time in turning his head over to investigate. 

On the floor is one of Omega’s toys. It’s a limp-bodied doll, painted to represent reg clone armor. One of Omega’s favorites. She’s gazing down sadly at it.

“You dropped your doll.”

She looks up at him and for a split second he swears she gives him a ‘no shit’ look she had to have learned from Hunter. But it’s quickly replaced with distress. 

Tech expedites his repair and quickly throws the base back on the chair and has it secure with a few twists of his wrench. He sits up, wiping his hands off on the front of his shirt, and grabs the toy off the floor. 

“Here you are,” he says politely as he hands it back to his sister. Her wide grin makes him smile. “This is when people would usually say thank you. It’s a signal of gratitude, and often considered polite.”

She proceeds to shove the left arm of the doll in her mouth. 

“Since you’re currently incapable of speaking, I’ll give you a pass for now.” He winks at her. He decides not to think about the contaminants running rampant on the cockpit floor, and how many she probably just introduced to her system. She’s got to build her immune system somehow, after all.  

He sits down on the newly repaired seat. It creaks a little, but the grinding squeak is no longer. He nods in satisfaction. 

“I’ve enjoyed having you here with me, Omega. You’ll make a fine repair assistant some day.”

He means it, too. Though she’s currently busy drooling all over the doll, he can see a spark of intuitiveness and wit within her every time she’s introduced to something new. The way she reacts to stimuli implies a deeper intelligence than one might expect. She’s going to be a sharp child soon, and he can’t wait to be there for it. 

“Are you having fun?” He asks amusedly. He leans forward and grabs her other toy-- a hollow round ball filled with beads-- and shakes it a little. She finds this hilarious, and waves her little arms with joy. He touches the orb to the top of her tiny foot, then to the other. 

“These are your feet,” he says, smiling, watching her watch the ball. “Shin, knee, thigh.” He boops each corresponding body part as he says them, the toy rattling as he goes. “Stomach, chest, arm.” 

Omega shrieks in delight. Tech can’t help but laugh with her. 

“And this is your nose.” He puts the ball gently up to her face, rattling it against her little button nose. “You use it to smell.”

He puts the ball down on the seat in front of her. He expects her delight to follow it, but when his hand unblocks her face, he realizes she’s gazing-- in all her unbridled joy-- up at him. His mouth twitches with an unidentified emotion. 

“And... and you are my younger sister,” he finds himself saying, pointing at her. He turns the finger to himself. “I’m your older brother.”

Though she’s squirming with joy, he can tell she’s listening. Her eyes follow him, and he hopes she can understand. 

“You’re my little sister, and I am your big brother. And I love you very much.”

Her eyes sparkle. Something in his chest twists in the best way. He lowers himself out of his seat and onto his knees, so he’s closer to eye level. He rests his hands on either side of her chair as if protecting her. She gazes intently at him.

“You are 216 days old. Your first tooth is coming in any day now. You live here on the Marauder with Hunter, Wrecker, Echo, and myself. You can’t talk yet but I suspect you will very soon. Everything about you is incredible.”

He says it steadily and confidently, because everything he’s saying he knows to be a fact. There’s a small beat of silence, but it’s quickly filled with Omega’s gentle whining. She reaches her arms out to him-- he can’t imagine a single galaxy where he wouldn’t hold her here and now. He holds her tightly and starts rocking side to side. She nuzzles against his collar. 

Tech, like the rest of his brothers, is a natural solider. He’s familiar with the rare cracks and splits of the endless wall that is war. In those grooves you could find rest, maybe even some sparse and patchy solace. 

But this... this is peace. And it’s a new, beautiful feeling. 

[the-cloudy-dreamer]

Sandman Inktober 2023, Day 7 & 8 Rain/ Wings

This time around we will go with the vibes more than the literal usage of Rain / Wings I just knew I wanted to do something with this scene from the kindly ones:

I’m gonna need to pause my Inktober challenge because real life stuff will keep me more busy for the following days/weeks so I wanted to at least end up this first week with something a bit more special!

I am happy that I’m feeling a bit more confident with my digital painting even after just one week— this was so much fun to do!! And since this scene happens in the rain and we have Death in it I thought it might count for this weekend’s prompts.

I might post each one of this as an individual post later/tomorrow so you can all see it more up close 🖤

*Edit here’s the link to this as individual portraits/ close up