#greystorm week

[humlors]

day 3 of greystorm week!

heyoo! this one became wayy longer than i’d thought to begin with! this is one of many fjorester moments that made me scream out loud, but greystorm flavored!

prompt: Old Meets New - Recreate a scene from another campaign with @greystormweek! 

summary: In a deep underwater cave with limited ways of keeping your air in your lungs, few things and many things may happen. 

5k, read on ao3

On paper, the job hadn't seemed like a hard one.

The toughest ones never were, that was something Dorian had learned after many months on the road, scrapping by saving kittens from trees, only to be attacked by the owlbear mother and cubs living in said tree. With more people by his, Orym and Fearne's side though, things felt safer, easier. Yes, he'd get mildly mauled by a creature which nature should have thought twice before producing into the world, beak and claws in his face accompanied by a sure to be very manly scream. But, now the monstrosities would quickly and violently be dealt with, be it with an orb made of pure energy, a very scary dead woman, or a giant glass-maul smashing them to pieces of what they once were.

Though while all of that was a metaphor – more or less – it didn't change the facts. Dorian felt that life was easier in a larger party, no matter how strange many of them might be. More financial freedom, more people to rely on, a safety net in both directions. He was grateful he could trust the Bell's Hell's, as when having a brother on the run from some very crafty and bloodthirsty bounty hunters, he knew he at least could have a shoulder to cry, or at least mildly complain on.

So when their mission led them underwater, he felt like he could finally step up, pay back some respects and all that. The only thing standing in the way, though, was something that he shied away from even on his best day.

“I swear it's gonna work,” Imogen grunted through clenched teeth, a bead of sweat trailing down her cheek. From this angle, Dorian couldn't quite see what she as hunched over, but he'd been in the vicinity when the sorcerer had driven a hard bargain for the enchanted mask that according to the shop keep would allow a person to breathe underwater. Sadly, he'd been having a chat with Laudna only a metre or two away from Imogen when she'd seen the tear in the fabric, effectively breaking the spell. His ears still rang a bit from that. Some day he'd have to ask what all those words meant. Turns out that just because they were words in common didn't mean he had a clue they could be combined in those ways.

"And no one will blame you if it doesn't!" Laudna said sweetly over her companion's shoulder, right before looking up at the rest of the group with the same smile, but all reason gone from her eyes. "Right?"

"'Course not!" Fresh Cut Grass chimed in. (If they were following along in Laudna's cheery morale-upkeep from fear of the undead woman, or simply complete obliviousness, was never quite clear.) Rolling over with a slightly squeaky wheel – next to him, Ashton grimaced in pain at the sharp noise – the robot laid a few cold steel fingers on her shoulder, obviously giving her a quick inspiration. "You'll do anythin' you set your mind to, I'm sure of it!"

Orym looked up from his perch on Fearne's lap, just barely, to give a single thumbs up before once more settling on the faun's soft legs. Fearne smiled gently in the way only she could. Imogen ignored all of them entirely, her eyes and hands alight with concentrated magic. A simple mending spell didn't usually fix enchanted objects, everyone knew that. No one wanted to challenge Imogen when it came to magic. The conundrum was plain and simple.

"How long 'til she cracks, you think?" Came Ashton's low voice from the right of Dorian, with more than a hint of amusement leaking through.

Dorian's breath caught a bit, feeling the other genasi's warm breath gently touch his ear. "Not long," He whispered without meeting the other's eye, congratulating himself for not sounding as affected as he was from Ashton's proximity. "But I'm honestly just waiting for Laudna to pull a handful of hair out any second now."

The deep chuckle Ashton tried to hide behind his hand made Dorian's heart swell in his chest. He chanced a glance in Ashton's direction, letting his gaze trail over the sandy beach they were currently standing in the dunes of. They were probably counting themselves lucky in their usual sleeveless look. The sun above them was relentless, and Dorian couldn't risk taking off his armour before the mission was over. The most likely cooler water looked more and more inviting by the minute.

Ashton had a crooked smile on their face, gold lines glinting beautifully in the daylight, arms crossed. "So…" He began, gaze firm on Imogen's still form and Laudna's pacing (Dorian wasn't looking at their arms, no matter how fantastic they looked, just slightly flexed and up close. No, really.) before trailing up to meet the bard's eyes. "When are you gonna tell 'er you don't need air underwater?"

Dorian's eyebrows shot upwards, a surprised smile making its way to his face. "Huh. Not many people know that."

Ashton shrugged one shoulder (now he definitely wasn't looking.), something mischievous in their mismatched eyes. "I know more than you'd think, blue."

And if Dorian stopped breathing for a second or two, who was even counting?

A yelp of pure, frantic joy broke their short but intense staring match. Both heads snapping forward, Imogen was making a noise halfway between laughing and screaming. "It worked! I said I'd fix it, and I stitched that fucker back! Hah!" she stood up – a bit shakily, her knees surely not liking having been in one position for so long – kicking sand around her, the hand not holding onto the flimsy mask pumping the air in triumph.

Laudna was clapping her hands next to her, relief washing over the previous stress in her face. "Oh, I knew you could do it! Now…" she looked around, everyone suddenly snapped out of the last half hour's respite quickly (Out of the corner of his eye, Dorian spotted Orym leaping into action, newly awoken, fumbling for his sword before realizing that no danger was about, just a very loud and excited sorceress.) "… Who's volunteering for taking a dive?"

Ashton took a step away from the boulder they'd been leaning on, hand shooting up. "I'll do it. Didn't win over Anni in breath holding three Winters' Crest's in a row with nothing to show for it. In case that fix you did isn't permanent." His tone held a just barely held back cockiness that Dorian couldn't help but smile about.

Fearne, after putting Orym back on his feet while still looking a bit disoriented, cocked her head in curiosity. "Winter's Crest? I've never heard of that part of the tradition?"

"Well, we've got this whole – We make it more of a game night, and we've got that whole 'eat apple's from a tank'-thing used a bit more creatively- I guess – Anyway." Ashton explained in a rush, most likely leaving everyone with more questions than answers. He gestured with his thumb over his shoulder in the other genasi's direction. "Dorian's comin' with me."

"Pardon?" Imogen said after a beat. She'd stopped dancing by now, and it was obvious all that energy could easily be redirected into some other emotion. "There's only one mask. You can't-" She paused, eyes trailing over to Dorian, suddenly something like white-hot anger in them. "Dorian. If you knew the spell all this time, so help me-"

"I don't! I-I swear!" Dorian yelped, hands flying up in surrender. "I just… uh…"

He looked at Ashton, a bit helplessly. Of course, they had nothing but a shiteating grin on their face, eyebrows raising with a nod that said, 'No, no, go on. I wanna see this.'

He sighed. Then quickly blurted out, "I- my- my kind can kind of… hold our breath indefinitely. Gets pretty useful when diving a-and, other things. I guess." He could barely look at Imogen at the moment, shuffling his feet in the sand. "I was going to say something but, well, you seemed so set on the mask, so…?"

Braving a glance up, he was not entirely unsure Imogen wouldn't pounce and strangle him where he stood (not that that would have done anything, his mind unhelpfully added.), but instead she was quiet for a moment, took a deep, audible breath through her nose, then said. "Yep, Dorian. You really should'a said something."

"Cool!" Ashton said, clapping their hands together as a way of defusing whatever murderous intent Imogen was about to direct at Dorian. Obviously enjoying this far more than he should, Ashton cast a glance to Dorian with a grin. "Let's get wet then."

Dorian only barely registered Fearne giggling to his left, ducking and shaking his head slightly. And if his cheeks were warm while the party made their way towards the water, who would have seen, anyway?

-

"And if something goes wrong and panic sets in, you remember you have to-"

"—Get to the surface, yes Orym, I do know basic swimming safety." Dorian couldn't help but laugh while quickly putting his hair up in a rudimentary ponytail. Armour cast off (defence be damned, he knew he'd more easily sink than swim with it on.) he was only in his pants and undershirt by now, and he felt like he could finally appreciate the warm winds flowing into the warm cave they'd moved into. The pool in the middle of the cavern was fragrant of salt and stagnant water, and he'd multiple times seen Fearne drop progressively larger pebbles into it, 'just to see what would happen'.

A few days ago, the chief of the small fishing village they'd been staying in the last week had burst into their rooms, screaming about a robbery, how the thieves taken the village taxes for this month, and how his head would be on the line if the local enforcers stopped being paid and started letting the various monsters living in the area into the community. After a sit down where Laudna and FCG had carefully but firmly explained that he should care more about people, the party had rushed off in the direction the sobbing chief had pointed in. What he'd failed to mention was that the thieves were not in fact a gang of dangerous criminals, but a small crowd of teenaged kenkus with a penchant for shiny thing. The Bells had followed the tracks of feathers and angular footprints to a hill overlooking the nearby ocean. The sound of chatter could be heard from quite far away, the avian creatures whooping and hollering about their latest prey. This meant the party had no issue sneaking up on them. Of course, with the steep hill, they hadn't seen the deep hole in the ground (the birds had been throwing coins into it just to hear them sploosh as they hit the water, just so they could then perfectly replicate the sound just heard. Really, who could blame them?)

So when Grass had rolled forward with a pleasant "Howdy!" as a way to make amends and end this confrontation peacefully, of course the pack of teens had scattered, trying helplessly to fly, all in different directions, all failing miserably. But, of course, not before one of them had knocked over the chest containing the treasury, sending all of it plummeting into the water below.

So after a quick rescue mission to the teens that had accidentally landed in the water, brushing their feathers off, giving them a stern talking to about what's yours to take and what isn't, and another long rant from the chief about how he couldn't have found more miserable mercenaries if he'd tried, they were back. Only, they'd thankfully happened to find a cave that lead directly to the surface of the pool they were to look for treasure in - Laudna's words, not his – which only made the situation marginally better. So much for luck.

Orym still looked slightly concerned, wringing his hands together, a knit between his brows. But instead of saying something more or less useful that would only make Dorian sigh deeper, he turned to Ashton instead. "And you, Ash, we still don't know exactly how long that mask lasts, so the second you've got the chest-"

"—Get to the surface! Yes, I'm aware!" Ashton said with a crooked smile and a grimace, stretching his arms above his head, delighting in hearing a crack or two. "Seems to be the end-all solution to being in the water. Getting out of it."

"It's not exactly the safest place to spend your time, that's all I'm saying." Orym huffed, arms crossing. Dorian did understand him in a way. Growing up on a mountainside like the village of Zephrah would make anyone suspicious about the unexplored parts below earth. "Just - make sure you get up before you're forced to do so."

"Aye aye, cap." Ashton responded non-committally with a small salute, going to remove the various heavy rings and studs on their fingers. 

As Dorian made himself ready, decidedly looking away from Ashton – somehow, without all the embellishments, they looked a bit more naked than usual - Fearne's voice came out from nowhere, as it usually did, over his shoulder. "So, you will definitely snag any other things you might find down there?"

Turning, she was smiling that smile that for most of the population meant a face of kindness and trust, but one that Dorian saw through for eagerness for another trinket to add to her collection. Dorian raised an eyebrow with a small, knowing smile. "You know we're doing this as a nice thing, not to gain from?"

Fearne just shrugged innocently, eyes twinkling in the low light Laudna had procured around them. "All I'm saying is that you never know what you might find." she looked down at him, cocking her head slightly. "Maybe a sugilite, lavender quartz…" Her gaze trailed around the cavern, obviously going down a list of some kind. "… I'm sure there might be an amethyst down there you'd like."

Dorian's eyebrows furrowed for a moment, then shot up when realizing the implication. He swallowed hard, neck heating up. "Maybe." He responded, tone high in his throat. "S-still, not why we're here."

He then decidedly moved away from Fearne, who's gaze burned in the back of his neck. Not why we're here, indeed.

Seeing that Ashton was getting an earful from Imogen who was fruitlessly trying to explain how the mask worked, he slid up next to them. "Ready?"

Imogen batted away Ashton's hands, fiddling with the tie in the back of his neck. "Sure! So long as you don't mess with it – I'm serious, Ash, stop it – this should give you at least an hour without harm."

Dorian, seeing Orym's eyes widen in terror, mouthing a frantic 'an hour??' cut him off. "And we should definitely be done by then." Turning to Ashton, he said, "So?"

Ashton adjusted the mask covering the lower part of his face carefully, mismatched eyes glinting with excitement. "So? Who're you waiting for?"

Dorian blinked. "Well, uhm-"

Before he could say another word, Ashton gave him a firm smack in his back before standing up and running, then jumping into the pool and sinking – well, if it wasn't too on the nose – like a rock below the waters.

The splash was loud, water getting everywhere in the cavern. Beside him, Dorian could make out the disgruntled sounds of Imogen grumbling about getting water in places she'd rather not speak of. FCG, who had been standing right by the pool, made no move to wipe themselves off, simply looking curiously down where his friend had taken the plunge.

"Just – get in there." Imogen grunted as Laudna came running with a handkerchief, which she accepted gracefully.

Dorian swallowed the laugh building up, instead wading into the small, shallow plateaus of the pool. Closing his eyes, he took a deep, deep breath before stopping, getting used to the feeling of air flow staying where it was, before closing his hands, palms downwards, and diving beneath the surface.

He thought he'd heard a "Good luck!" right before his ears closed up, sounds becoming muffled and incoherent beneath the water. After sinking a second or two, he opened his eyes, vision blurred for a second, before seeing a dancing light having followed him down, floating in a way that it never really did in the air. Mentally saying a silent thanks to Laudna, he kicked his legs behind him, waved his hands downwards, and took the dive.

The bubbles Ashton had left behind were a helpful guide in locating him, already quite a few feet below. Still, the pool was deep, deeper than expected. While swimming downwards, his ears popped slightly, though he could barely pay attention to it, marvelling at the various plant life living under the waves. It was beautiful, And with the light he could stop anemones, corals and kelp, all shining in marvellous colours he couldn't imagine would look the same above surface.

While getting distracted by a plant – probably a coral that seemed more like a fancy, red mop, swaying back and forth in a way that was positively mesmerizing – Dorian felt a tug on his ankle that very nearly made him startle. Looking down, Ashton was still holding onto him, making eye contact before nodding downwards. Right, just an hour with no telling how deep they might have to go.

Dorian nodded as a silent confirmation, moving downwards as quick as he could muster, hoping he didn't look too embarrassed. In silent unison, the two continued swimming downwards.

The cavern moved in strange crooks at times, Ashton taking time to fill their pockets with stray coins that had fallen out of the chest on its way downwards. Dorian did his best to help, even if Fearne's "helpful" comment about gemstones before made it harder to focus.

Finally, after probably ten or so minutes of swimming, Dorian spotted the chest, lying open and bruised at the very bottom of the pool. Reaching over to tug at Ashton's arm – having gone cool after this amount of time underwater, yet still as calloused and scarred as he remembered from the few touches Ashton had allowed him – he pointed in the direction. Ashton's eyebrows shot upwards as a silent "fucking finally". Dorian couldn't agree more as they quickly moved, gathering the coins, digging in the sand as they slowly but surely gathered up and shut the chest.

When they both felt satisfied, the chest closed and secure enough to be lifted upwards, they both took one of the handles on either side. Ashton made sure to catch Dorian's eye before holding up a hand, showing three fingers. Second by second, he counted one down after the other, before the last one came down, and they both heaved, setting their feet and pushing up, up.

While the chest in itself wasn't huge, and it's contents not even particularly heavy, it took a lot for Dorian not to try to chip for breath, the surrounding water adding resistance enough for it to feel like they were carrying a struggling horse through a sea of syrup. While Ashton's strength outmatched his own, he was proud to say he didn't lag behind all too much, grabbing and pushing off of the cavern wall when it became necessary. They worked in tandem and efficiently.

Once in a while, Dorian couldn't help but to glance over at Ashton, taking brief moments to admire just how flawlessly they seemed to move underwater, how the low light accented the curves of his muscles in a delicate, gentle way. Above the surface, it was hard to watch him in battle, what with having to care about dodging attacks and charging back to ensure his own survival. But here, now, he could finally truly appreciate the way Ashton moved. Harshly, a bit recklessly, but always with a purpose. Dorian savoured it the most he could, letting his gaze trail over the other genasi's neck, fingers, chest…

Focus, he reminded himself, setting his eyes upwards again. Not what we came here for.

Slowly, they worked their way through the same path they came. The same plant life still bloomed as capturing as it had done before. At one point, Dorian's hand slipped from the rock he'd held onto. Panic surging through him for half a second, he grabbed onto part of the red strings of algae he'd admired before, pulling harshly before getting a safe hold once more. He would've breathed a sigh of relief, had he been able to.

Ashton shot him a look of concern, brows furrowed, to which Dorian only shook his head. Danger over, they continued.

The surface was gaining quickly, and at the sight of it, Dorian summoned the last of the strength in his aching arms to pull himself the last stretch quicker than before. The last few metres seemed tougher somehow, Dorian accounting it to seeing the end in sight making it both easier and harder at the same time. Several more lights floating above, as well as their friend's blurred faces gazing into the depths, Dorian heaved, hand firm on his handle of the chest.

Finally, his head breached the surface, and he spluttered, breathing deeply and as well as he could. Head spinning, he felt two sets of hands pulling on his free arm above shore.

"Oh, thank heavens-"

"How far deep down was that thing-?"

"Are you okay-?"

His friend's concerned voices came bombarding to his senses, the slowed down noises below the water he'd quickly gotten used to, making it seem like everything was being said at a much higher frequency than he as used to. He coughed out whatever water had gotten in his airways, taking one last lunge to haul the chest upwards, finally on land again. "I-I'm fine. It went well."

Wiping his face off, he looked up, the rest of the gang all having looks of concern and relief written across their faces. Orym, a bit further off in the cave, had his hands on his knees, head downward, letting out a groan of reprieve. Fearne was half in between casting a comforting smile to Dorian, and halfway gathering the coins that had fallen out of the chest. If she was pocketing for herself at this point, Dorian didn't have the energy to care about.

Feeling a tap of cold metal on the top of his head, he turned to see Fresh Cut Grass silently uttering a few words, a feeling of calmness overflowing him. "I'm sure you're fine but - It never hurts." They smiled (probably. It was always hard to tell.).

Dorian sighed deeply, the satisfaction of a job well done sinking deep in him. Exhaustion tugged at his entire being, and he longed to be some place dryer than where he was right now.

Just about to start complaining about how caverns really shouldn't be as deep and as hard to navigate as this one was, Laudna cut him off.

"Where's Ashton?"

Dorian froze. Whipping his head around, eyes darting around the pool, there was no sign of the other genasi. His eyes focused, and a handful of bubbles floated to the surface, just in the place Ashton had previously held.

Without a second thought, Dorian took another deep breath, and sunk below once more. His mind in high drive, he pushed off a wall, eyes searching for a hint of green, purple, black-

There. About ten feet below, Ashton's fuzzy shape was moving. But not quickly. Hazily, concurrently with the water around them. Not moving by themselves, not truly.

Dorian didn't think, couldn't, as he launched himself in Ashton's direction. Swimming closer, he saw more clearly what was happening, and almost swallowed a mouthful of water in panic.

The red algae, the one's he'd in a moment of need used as a handle before, was wrapped around Ashton's throat, his chest, his arms. Holding him close as a jealous lover would, terrified they would move another centimetre away. Ashton was fighting it, fingers curled around the harsh barbs of the plant. The points of them were sharp, pointed enough to cut through any fabric, enough to-

The mask was floating a bit helplessly, uselessly, about a metre away. Ripped nearly in half. Ashton wouldn't be able to reach for it, not that that was in the forefront of their mind at the moment.

Dorian didn't let panic take over, per se, but he didn't have another thought in his mind when swimming downwards, summoning whatever magic came naturally to him, hands alight and grasping, tearing the algae from their roots and up, except, Get off him. Get off him, now.

Not until the red strands were floating around them, twitching in their last moments of life, did Dorian see the violence he'd caused. It didn't matter. Frantically, he looked at Ashton's face, searching for anything to give him hope.

Their eyes were hazy and unfocused, eyelids slowly closing. From their lips came a few stray bubbles, the last of the preserves he'd had at the moment of attack. His hands floating weakly in the water, seemingly having reached for Dorian in those last moments, before giving up.

No. Dorian's mind raced. No, no, no, no. Grasping the genasi's face, he searched for any spirit left, just enough to get to safety.

None. One eye a clear purple, the other milky white, all stamina was draining quickly.

Dorian acted before thinking, leaning forward and pressing his lips to the other's. Reaching deep, he channelled whatever ancestor and whatever elemental power they'd left behind he could muster, pushing out the never ending air in his lungs and into Ashton's. The moment in itself felt too long, too drawn out, the gentle push of skin against skin, noses bumping against each other, fighting and hoping severely that it would be enough, if only for a moment. Under his fingertips, he registered the molten lines of gold, hard crystals, and the last warmth still in Ashton's body.

He pushed one breath, two, heart beating a thousand times a minute at the third, before he felt a gentle touch at his waist.

Dorian pushed backwards. Ashton's gaze was still unfocused, but he blinked once, twice, eyes darting over the other's face.

Fighting the urge to scream in joy and alleviation, Dorian quickly brought an arm under Ashton's, found a foothold, and kicked them both upwards.

They were heavy, but it didn't matter. An uncountable amount of seconds afterwards, Dorian kicking his feet against the gravity for dear life, he broke surface once more. Next to him, he both felt and heard a large and shaky intake of breath, and it may have been the most beautiful sound he'd heard in his life.

Around him, the Bells had gone into full panic mode, dragging both of them up to land again with intermingled shouts that he couldn't register. Every limb felt heavy and useless, yet he still could feel and missed the density of Ashton's form near him as they were separated. Every breath of air felt like a blessing, resonating in every crevice of his body.

Opening his eyes to see his friends rushing about the two of them, he laid his head down on the cold stone floor, his last ounces of energy having been thoroughly spent. Oxygen getting in his system once more, he registered Ashton about a metre away, coughing up saltwater in quantities that couldn't be healthy, Orym leaning over him, trying feebly to pound at his back.

Above him, Fearne was talking to him, asking something that he didn't hear the separate words of. He didn't care, not now. Instead, feeling droplets of water run over his face, he cast one last glance over at Ashton – alive, breathing, incredible Ashton – and with a single tired smile, let darkness take him.

-

Birds sung in tune when he woke up again.

The linens he was resting on were harsh on his skin, but warm. Sun rays were hitting his face, and he grimaced at the sensation. With a groan, he turned over on his side, quickly regretting it, as every muscle in his body screamed in protest.

"Dorian, hey."

With a quick intake of breath, he recognized the voice, opening his eyes only a sliver. Light obscuring his vision or not, he noted the room he was in as one of the one's the party had been residing at in the fishing village the days prior. At the end of the bed were a handful of ribbons, as well as the pouch of treats Fearne had assigned for Mister resting. Orym's shield leaned against the wall just below the window he was facing. His own bag of toiletries were laid carefully in a corner. And in the chair where they were supposed to be was...

"Got me worried, there." Ashton said lowly, voice a bit rougher than Dorian remembered. Leaning his elbows on his knees, a small smile slowly worked its way to his face. "Good to see you're still among the living."

Still drowsy with sleep and overexertion, Dorian squinted. "How long was I…?"

"Not long." Ashton shook their head. "Probably just, y'know, a side effect of being underwater without air for a while. Kinda knocks the with outta you."

Despite himself, Dorian laughed quietly. The muscles in his stomach ached in response. He persevered.

Finally looking at Ashton – really looking – he saw dark circles under his eyes, exhaustion weighing hard on him. Around his throat and arms, prickles of newly healed wounds dragging like lines across his skin. "Are you…?" He started, something catching in his throat, letting out a cough before continuing. "You got stuck. How…?"

Ashton shrugged lifelessly, leaning back with a heavy sigh. "I dunno, man. One moment, things were doing good, the next, that shit just – caught me. No idea how it could even do stuff like that." They huffed a humourless laugh before crossing their arms, gaze trailing to the floor between their feet. "Unless you'd come back, I… I dunno."

The memories hit. The panic, the mindless decision to take his face in Dorian's hands, to bring their lips together-

"I'm sorry," was, of course, the first thing out of his mouth, heat rising on his chest and up his face, suddenly feeling more awake than the last second ago. "I-I didn't know what else to do, I just – I know you hate touch like that, but I had to do something -"

"Hey, hey," Ashton showed their palms, speaking in a tone uncharacteristically gentle for his character. "I get it. I don't blame you. You, uh -" They searched for words for a second, knee bouncing, one hand fiddling with a fraying part of their pants. "You did what you had to." They swallowed hard.

Somehow, that statement didn't give the relief Dorian had hoped it would. It had been a necessity, a moment of paralysing shock, nothing else. There were a million things he wanted to say and ask in response, among them being 'hope this won't make things weird', and, 'I'd do it again', and, 'please, don't read into it too much. Please.', but instead, he opted for a relieved, if pushed smile, and a "Yeah. Exactly."

Too many emotions swirled in his guts to be so newly awoken, and the pause that followed hung heavy in the small room.

Eventually, Ashton rose from their chair in a quick move, looking anywhere but the bed. " Anyway, everyone's been hovering for hours now, I'll just – go down, say you're good." They spoke quickly. "Oh yeah, and – uh, the chief guy was fucking overjoyed to see his money back. So that's – settled."

"Good!" Dorian squeezed out, wanting to shrink into the sheets more than he could possibly hope to do.

"Yep," Ashton said, mostly as a way to fill the silence. He stood for a moment, then took a few long and firm strides to the door, the floorboards thudding beneath them.

Content to wallow in his own conflicting emotions for the short amount of time before his friends undoubtably came rushing in, Dorian waited for the door to make its groan of unoiled hinges and then close again. It didn't come.

"Look-" Ashton's gruff voice came again, frustration apparent. Dorian peeked out from under his barricade of sheets, seeing the other genasi hesitating by the door, gaze anywhere but at Dorian. "I didn't – I'm not mad about it. Yeah, I fucking hate when people touch me out of the blue like that, but-"

Dorian sat up slightly, something tugging at him in Ashton's voice. It took a long second, one hand on the handle of the door, but after a deep intake of breath, Ashton met his eye.

"I didn't hate it." They said, let it sink in for half a moment, then opened the door, walked out, and shut it once more.

The bard in the bed didn't move, blinked, blinked again.

The words sunk in. The meaning behind it did. Ashton wasn't an eloquent person, no one would accuse him of that. But in the time Dorian had gotten to know him, know his way of speaking, of his quirks, of his manner of saying things and not at all saying them, he learned to work with them. Work with the feeling, the tough words that hid a tougher front, that peeled oh, so carefully back just a hint, revealed…

Well, Ashton had been waiting in that chair, hadn't he?

Dorian couldn't, wouldn't hold back the smile that came unhindered, that soft, warm feeling settling in the centre of his chest like a home to stay in.

He let it stay. In the moment, it felt like it crystallized, most likely in a shade of purple quartz.

#greystorm #greystorm week #dorian storm #ashton greymoore #critical role #critrole #campaign 3 #it's 3 am and it's finally done. god #this became a monster i had to finish very quickly #but i did it #had this idea the second i saw the prompt #bc who else remembers that air genasis can hold their breath indefinitely? no? only my dorky ass? ok #anyway this is almost completely unedited save spellcheck #dont bust my ass about it #oppost #majsfic

[critter-rarepair-reccs]

Happy Wednesday, friends! Hope you're all well. This week, we have seven recommendations for fics that are still being published! As always, you can find them below the cut and if you check any of them out, I encourage you to leave kudoes and comments to spread the rarepair love 💕

Three Card Spread by NephriteKnight (13,298 words, Explicit) Pairings: Mollymauk Tealeaf/Essek Thelyss (Shadowmauk), Mollymauk Tealeaf/Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast (Shadowidomauk) Warnings: Accidental Voyeurism

Caleb is in romantic relationships with both Molly and Essek, though the two of *them* aren’t together. Essek is certainly interested, but tries to keep his distance, unsure of if Molly feels the same. That is, until one night while Caleb’s away…

Reccer Says: It’s very sweet!!! Domestic Shadowidomauk is so cute and so is Essek pining over Molly!

Cut Her Out in Little Stars by EchoingArias (7,956 words, Teen) Pairing: Keyleth/Vex'ahlia (Vexleth) Warnings: Anti Half-Elf Racism

While the twins are still living in Syngorn, a summit for leaders from across Tal’Dorei is held. Among the guests is the leader of the Air Ashari and his daughter, Keyleth. Vex is immediately smitten.

Reccer Says: The balance between the sweetness of the twins interactions and Vex’s crush on Keyleth and how awful Syldor and the other elves are is so good and perfectly heartaching.

between earth and sky by floralprintshark (2,536 words, Teen) Pairing: Ashton Greymoore/Dorian Storm (Greystorm) Warnings: None

An AU in which Ashton is earth genasi royalty and is arranged to marry Dorian, the youngest son of the Wyvernwind Clan.

Reccer Says: This fic just started but I’m already very sold on it. The worldbuilding has intrigued me, the character voices for Ashton and the Krook House folks are super on point, and I’m very excited to see Dorian’s POV on the whole situation.

The Peacock’s Palace by WhoGroovesOn (59,145 words, Explicit) Pairings: Mollymauk Tealeaf/Essek Thelyss (Shadowmauk), Mollymauk Tealeaf/Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast (Shadowidomauk) Warnings: Discussions of Caleb’s backstory

Essek owns a burlesque club in Nicodranas, which Molly performs at. They’re perfectly happy and in love, though one night they want to try something a little different. Enter one Bren Aldric Ermendrud.

Reccer Says: It’s very very hot and very fun. The angst is a delicious side dish to the rest and the plot that’s been building is intriguing!

against all my sins and the candlelight by Solanaceae (13,813 words, Teen) Pairing: Astrid Beck/Jenna Iresor Warnings: None

Jenna Iresor (the Cerberus Assembly member who is secretly a doppelganger) takes an interest in Astrid. Scheming and wizard-speak ensue.

Reccer Says: Probably the definition of a rarepair, and SO good! Astrid’s characterization is on point and the political intrigue is so well thought out and interesting.

Can I See You Again? by lespetitesmorts (5,796 words, Teen) Pairing: Keyleth/Vex'ahlia (Vexleth) Warnings: None

Scanlan drags Keyleth with him to go see a show. Before it starts, Keyleth meets Vex, who happens to be the lead singer and bassist for the band in question. And they both may just fall a little bit in love in that moment.

Reccer Says: It is so cute! Keyleth is perfectly awkward and you can really feel just how hot Vex is lol. And Vex's strategy for finding Keyleth again is fun!

Something Happened On The Way To Heaven by SweetSilentSteps (24,014 words, Explicit) Pairing: Orym/Dorian Storm/Will (Dorymwill) Warnings: Kidnapping

A Dorymwill Ladyhawke AU! Dorian is captured by the Paragon's Call, escapes, and meets a mysterious (and handsome) half-elf with an odd raven companion on the road to Jrusar.

Reccer Says: I've never personally watched Ladyhawke but I am very familiar with the concept and love an AU based on it and this does not disappoint. The drama, the intrigue, the dynamics!!! It's so good. Updates monthly and its 4th chapter just went up so now's as good a time as any to catch up to follow along!

Thank you for joining us this week’s recc list! All the love to everyone who submitted a fic 💕 All enclosed recommendations were submitted by the community via our submissions form, which you can find here. All fic information is as it was provided by the reccer, so it may not be accurate to the author’s intent or the precise contents of the fic itself. Please assume good intent from all parties 💕

Submissions for next week’s list are already open! We’ll be featuring Angst. If you have any you’d like to highlight, you can send them in here. The week after that, the theme is Spring and the weeks after that we’re taking recommendations for Jester Rarepairs and Alternate Universes! Submissions for all of these themes are currently open.

If you want more rarepair fic, check out @cr-summer-wildflowers and their event collections on ao3! If you want some friendship after all this romance, take a look at @critter-genfic-events and their recc lists! And if you’re interested in everyone’s favorite wizards, you can’t go wrong with the lists at @aeor-is-for-reccing !

Thanks all and have a lovely day/night/timezone! 💕

#critter rarepair recc lists #shadowmauk #shadowidomauk #vexleth #greystorm #astrid x jenna #dorymwill #critical role #cr fanfic

[greystormweek]

Welcome to Greystorm Week 2022!

This week we’re celebrating all that’s good about the ship of Greystorm from Critical Role. We all love Ashton and Dorian so today is an opportunity to share fanworks and answer questions about them.

Day 1 - Future Possibilites - Show us how you think Greystorm will meet again

Today we’re starting with a basic prompt. Sadly Dorian has been gone for a while but Bells Hells are very open to him returning. So let’s share how we think he’s going to rejoin them.

You can share fanart or fanfic, just make sure you tag #greystormweek and @ us in your post.

If you don’t have any creative work but want to tell us how you think Ashton and Dorian might meet again - feel free to shoot us an ask with your thoughts

#greystorm #critical role #ashton greymoore #dorian storm

[bakumeowkatsuki]

The Necklace

Fandom: Critical Role

Rating: T

Relationships: Ashton Greymoore/Dorian Storm

Other Tags: Mostly pre-slash, awkard crush, campaign 1 rewrite with campain 3 characters, @greystormweek

Before Dorian has to go he gifts Ashton a necklace to protect them.

Greystorm Week 2022 - Day 3 - A scene rewrite

The Fic

#greystormweek #ashton greymoore #dorian storm #critical role #fic

[bardolatrycore]

going out of town for a few days!

Which means no live cr episode this week. The reactions will be missed :'(

But I've filled the queue and plan on catching up (and also work on stories shh. I've already mentioned this in the greystorm server but a ball/gala fic is in the beginning stages ✨)

#musings

[thessalian]

Character Description Ask: ToR!Mychae, #8 Their interactions with their significant other(s), if they have them

“Your … *ahem* ‘family’ is requesting we move up the wedding date. In no uncertain terms.”

Mychae groaned from her careful spot on the window ledge. She always sat that way; ready to escape at a moment’s notice. For a Coruscanti with recently discovered Force-sensitivity, it was probably a fair position to take when sharing a room with a Sith Lord. It still made Lord Tromeros’ heart hurt a little bit. “I get the political advantages to this and everything, but is there any way we can postpone this? You’ve got a war to fight and so do I and it’s going to get messy enough as it is without adding one of those endless Alderaanian party messes. Besides, the last couple I’ve been to have been made of ass.”

“House Thul–” he began.

He didn’t get any further before Mychae groaned again. “House Thul wants to solidify its ties to the Empire in no uncertain terms before the war hits Alderaan, even though technically Alderaan was the first place it hit with the Imperial-aligned Houses and the Republic-aligned Houses fighting over the small but statistically significant power vacuum the disbandment of House Greystorm left. And they’re sacrificing their dilettante however-many-removes cousin to that cause. Great.” She sighed. “Man, when I make an alias, I make it stick.”

“I don’t like it any more than you do,” Tromeros lied. “I have other things to be getting on with–”

“And you don’t like those either,” Mychae pointed out, wry and sharp and without a trace of obsequiousness. “You’re kriffing the mini-medic over however you get involved if you do, and you’re dead if you don’t. So you figure one of those week-long parties, not to mention the months of big-ass wedding prep-time keeps your resources and focus off the battlefield and lets you avoid that for awhile longer while you figure out how you’re going to get out of the kark-up that is having a Jedi Master as a best friend.”

It was one of the things he liked about Mychae, this challenging of just about everything he said or did that could be challenged. His view towards power and victory was almost Mandalorian; he liked an honourable challenge … which was denting his view of the Empire and the Sith Order a little more every day, but that wasn’t the matter at hand. “But it also keeps you out of the field, I suppose.”

“Too karking right it does!” Mychae abandoned her defensive posture, leaning forward in a mildly aggressive manner. “And some of us need every hand instead of relying on a nearly unending horde of minions! I’m still building a new MeepMobile after the mess at Coronet City, I’ve got Imperial ties to find - and sever, by the way - in Ord Mantell’s Separatist movement–”

That was news to Tromeros. “…what.”

Mychae rolled her eyes. “Don’t give me that look. You know as well as anyone that the Empire’s stirring up the Seps out there. And the Seps are assholes. They don’t care who ends up in the crossfire, they drug and brainwash kids to make child soldiers - and don’t you dare tell me they don’t because not only have I been on the ground down there but my 2IC is Mantellian so I think we know better than you!“

After a moment, Tromeros simply asked, “Do you even want this wedding?”

A moment of silence followed the question as Mychae reverted to her defensive position leaned up against the window frame. “…It’s tactically convenient,” she began, and then softened enough to add, “and it wouldn’t entirely suck. But you knew what you were getting into when this started. I’m not the person who could get close with someone … well, anyone. Not yet. Maybe not ever, I dunno. We’ve been fake-engaged a long time - or you and ‘Jara’ have - but it’s hard for someone like me to even get past ‘Sith’, never mind the other kark.”

Once again, Tromeros vowed to slap this Aurrin individual if the cyborg who had apparently finished the job of making Mychae shut the blast doors on her heart was still alive to slap. That done, he spoke up again. “So what shall I tell the Thuls?”

Mychae sighed. “Give me a galactic standard month. I can fake Jara having Denbrellian measles until then, and it’ll give me time to finish this thing on Ord Mantell. Then we can start the prep and decide how we’re going to handle appearances and kark like that because fake-married or not, I am not giving up my job.” With that, she disappeared out the window like she’d never been there.

Tromeros only had a moment to start trying to formulate some way of easing Mychae’s reservations before he heard a *fwee* noise of a party noisemaker from somewhere in one of the air vents. A shower of confetti followed, hitting Tromeros in the face as he looked up. Then, a woman’s voice asked, “Will there be brownies at the wedding feast?”

“GO. AWAY.” Then he thought again. “Or, if you wanted to do something more useful than showering me with confetti, go leak some data on the Imperial ties to the Ord Mantellian Separatists to the proper people. I’d like to get married sometime this decade.”

A blue twi’lek face peered out of the air vent over Tromeros’ desk. “…Even if it’s fake? Even if she still doesn’t entirely trust you?”

“I like an honourable challenge,” he reminded his former Fixer vent-gremlin. “Now go.”

#Fic #TOR!Mych

[humlors]

day 4 of greystorm week!

wrote a small thing a few months back when the discord was ranting about fake dating/college au’s, figured I could post that one now!

prompt: Dropped into an AU! @greystormweek

summary: Dorian has a request. Ashton is going to oblige, as soon as they stop laughing. CW’s: implied/referenced homophobia.

1,5k, read on ao3

-

“Okay, so just-” Ashton cuts themselves off, just barely holding in another chortle. “Just go over it again, you want me to…?”

Dorian’s cheeks were getting darker by the second, holding onto the chipped mug (Anni’s) containing fragrant tea (Milo’s) that was growing cold for dear life. He was sitting up straight in an armchair that had seen better days, the threadbare fabric clashing harshly against Dorian's spotless exterior. “I said,” he said through clenched teeth, “that you would do me a huge favour pretending to be my date to my brother’s engagement party later this month.”

“Pretending.” Ashton echoed, a grin set firm on his face. “Listen Storm, if you want to ask me out, I’d give you the hot tip not to go straight to a whole ‘meet the parents’ thing as a first date. Kinda throws me off a bit.”

“I’m not-” Dorian tried to argue, irritation obviously rising. With a curl of his lip, he set his cup down on the table in front of them with a thud. His clear blue eyes bore into Ashton’s. “I promise you, this is an arrangement that is time limited, serves a purpose, a-and is not some ruse to- go out with you for real.” 

“Well that just hurts my feelings.” Ashton was still smiling widely, one palm resting over their heart as a show of just how crushed he was over this fact. It was kinda fun to see Dorian squirm though, so he couldn’t help but continue. “So what kind of purpose will this serve as? Kissing practice? It’s not embarrassing to be a late bloomer buddy, promise.”

Dorian’s deep tan face was completely flushed by now, and by the way his face was scrunched up in borderline rage, it seemed this was the last drop. Without a word, Dorian stood up, snatched up his messenger bag and headed for the door.

Ashton jumped from their seat on the couch, regret in the forefront of his voice following the taller man to the door. “Whoa, okay okay, sorry ‘bout that, dunno when to keep my mouth shut and all that- just- Dorian, stop.”

In the middle of pulling on his jacket (a deep dark blue trench coat thing, probably cost more than all the furniture in this whole apartment), Dorian did stop, eyes though downcast. “What?”

Fingers combing through their washed out purple locks, Ashton eyed the figure before them, silently wondering what exactly had drawn Dorian to their doorstep. They weren’t friends, exactly. Friend of a friend (how Laudna had managed to befriend the richest and most handsome guy on campus by just walking up and saying hello in her own special way was anyone’s guess, but the two were friends, and therefore he was friends with Laudna’s girlfriend, and Laudna’s girlfriend’s extended friend group and so forth), classmates (medieval history was kicking both of their asses at the moment, it wasn’t exactly a class you sat in to chat with people in), clubmates (Ashton hadn’t been that surprised seeing Dorian shyly showing up at the weekly meeting of their university’s queer club, but they liked it when their suspicions were confirmed) maybe, but friends was overstating it. Dorian hadn’t really spoken to him one on one more than he did by running into Ash multiple times a day. He’d never seemed interested, so Ash hadn’t seemed interested back.

And then he got a text earlier that day about “an awkward request” that apparently was “better spoken about in person”. Now that intrigued Ashton. Whether it be good or bad, he was in. 

“What kind of ‘purpose’ are you talking about here?” Ashton spoke, arms crossing and leaning against the doorframe of the hallway. “What, you need me as an accomplice to steal your parent’s fortune or something?”

“No,” Dorian ground out, hands still holding his jacket. “You would- it’s- my parents, they, uhm.”

Ashton raised an eyebrow, seeing Dorian fiddle with the hem of his outterwear. He was obviously nervous. But not about Ashton, they quickly caught. 

“I-if I brought someone like you home…”

Ashton squinted. “What, a queer person?”

Dorian tilted his head, indicating something else.

Ashton squinted harder. “...A punk person?”

Dorian’s head tilted further, a small high pitched hum that meant “I’m not stopping you, but keep talking so I don’t have to” emitting from his throat.

Ashton’s eyes were now slivers. “...a… I dunno, broke person?”

“Well- not exactly- listen.” Dorian cut him off by a nervous wave of his hands, somewhere realizing that Ashton had a timer in their head slowly going down from “this guy is screwing with me” to “begone, bourgeoisie scum”. “My parents, they’d hate you. You’re loud, you’re different, you’re not afraid to speak up, a-and they won’t stop pushing their latest ‘daughter of a friend who’s my age’ my direction every time I visit them, and it’s infuriating.”

Dorian breathed out heavily after that, probably having divulged more information than intended. Ashton was a little stunned, having no idea that the man thought that highly of them. Something warm seemed to creep into their chest when the statement set in, but they quickly discarded it. “So, you’re… not out to your parents yet?”

“I am. Technically.” Dorian responded shortly, shoulders set. 

“‘Technically.’ as in that they didn’t listen?”

Dorian breathed in, then out deeply, decidedly not looking Ashton in the eye. “Yeah. Something like that.”

Ashton sighed, empathy unwillingly washing over him. “Dickheads,” he muttered, then spoke up. “So, your plan is to get me to come with, leave an impression hard enough for them never to pull some shit like that forced hetero shit ever again, and then… what?”

Dorian met their gaze again. Damn, his eyes were just so annoyingly blue, passed a fleeting thought. “That’s… about it, I suppose. I think the hopes of them never doing it again is a little high, but-” he swallowed. “My brother just got engaged. I’ll have enough to think about. I… I know this is a lot to ask for, Ashton, but-”

They shook their head, cutting him off. “No, no, I’ll do it.”

Dorian’s eyes widened. “Wh- really?”

“Yeah! I like pissing off homophobes just as much as the next person, and I’m guessing there’s gonna be free booze and stuff, so…” he shrugged. “Hell yeah, I’m in.”

First, Dorian smiled, completely taken aback by surprise. Then, “Well, they’re not- My parents mean well, they’re just… not very- modern, I suppose.”

Ashton huffed. “Whatever you say, blue. So, when do I gotta pack my bags?”

A smile tugged on Dorian’s lips now. “End of the month, I’ll send you the details later.” Then he hesitated for a second, before reaching out to pull Ashton into a hug.

He surprised himself with only flinching back a bit as an afterthought, not actually having the feeling of immediate fight or flight at the sudden touch. Dorian was a little taller than them, so with their nose pressed against his shoulder (expensive cologne and clean linens hit their senses), their arms slowly came to wrap around the man.

“I hope you understand, I really appreciate this.” Dorian spoke quietly, and something about  the rawness in his voice made the gravity and fear of returning home after months in a free environment hit Ashton. The thing developing in their chest was there again.

A few seconds passed, then Ashton surprised himself again. Pulling away slightly, he pressed his lips to the corner of Dorian’s, pressing chastely before pulling away completely. 

Dorian’s eyes were wide, flush rising to his cheeks once more.

“Guess that’s something we gotta get used to, if we’re doing this,” Ashton smiled devilishly, ignoring the elevated beating of their heart - his skin was so soft. “In small doses, mind you. I’ve grifted like this a few times before, it’s not something to get hung up on. Don’t think your pears are gonna expect us to make out wherever we go.”

Dorian swallowed visibly. “N- no, no I don’t think so. Uhm,” he stammered, removing his hands he seemed to have forgotten were still at Ashton’s shoulders. “I-I’ll text you everything, I should-” Voice now in high pitches, he pointed a thumb nonverbally towards the door behind him.

Ashton swallowed down a huff of laughter. Who knew Mister Charisma could get so flustered over a single kiss on the cheek? “Guess I’ll be waiting by the phone then.” he smiled.

Dorian smiled back, gazed at Ashton for another long second, then seemed to chicken out, and with just a small “okay, bye!” he was fumbling with the door handle and out of the apartment.

Ashton stood there for a long few seconds, processing everything that had just happened, then laughed out loud. 

If anything, this was going to be a story to tell for many years forward. That was award enough, he decided.

#greystorm #ashton greymore #dorian storm #critical role #greystorm week #i love finding things in the depths of google drive you'd forgotten writing #especially when it fits a prompt week! #man i love this au. the possibilities are just *chefs kiss* #that 'oh' moment is just waiting to happen #half of me wants to write more of this timeline #half just wants a modern au of dorian finally away from his parents #coming to college all 'uhh so i'm gay and i hope that wont be a problem to anyone' while being so nervous he's about to yarf #meanwhile imogen sitting in laudnas lap just 'what. what are you talking about. what gave you that impression' #majsfic #oppost

[humlors]

Hey! Chapter 2 of my greystorm soulmate au fic is out in the wild now!

It's right here if u wanna give it a go! 💙💚

#greystorm #critical role #dorian storm #ashton greymoore #atfliy #all the fight left in you #yes YES this one took five months to write. you can laugh its okay #but when i rlly got going it was very fun to write. especially laudna and cyrus are just growing in my heart bc i love writing them so much #anyway. this chapter includes: #a heartfelt brotherly conversation about their shitty parents! #questionable stimtoys! #two (five) shots of vodka (whiskey)! #ashton but this time he's flustered and angry at the same time! #aaaand many other things! #i was supposed to do something for greystorm week but. i had this. so #oppost #critrole

[critter-rarepair-reccs]

Hello bees! It is yet another Wednesday and we have yet another recc list for you. This week, we have five fics featuring miscommunication of some sort. As always, you can find them below the cut and if you check any of them out, I encourage you to leave kudoes and comments to spread the rarepair love 💕

Steamy by Rikku (1,507 words, Teen) Pairing: Fjord/Mollymauk Tealeaf (Fjolly) Warnings: Drug Use, Implied Dubcon

After Beau and Molly get high off skein, Fjord takes the two of them to the bathhouse to cool off.

Reccer Says: Fjolly beloved! This fic is very sweet with a nice side dish of angst as the boys wavelengths don’t quite line up.

Harbour by VioletTeaTime (2,995 words, Teen) Pairing: Orym/Dariax Zaveon Warnings: Mentions of Homophobia

Orym and Dariax are college roommates. Orym has a crush, but worries Dariax might be a touch homophobic (it all works out in the end though)

Reccer Says: It’s very silly and very cute! Orym and Dariax are adorable disasters and the confession scene is cute. Also it’s a neat little time capsule of early EXU (Dorian is a triton and it’s a vibe, honestly)

say my name by floralprintshark (4,906 words, Explicit) Pairing: Ashton Greymoore/Dorian Storm (Greystorm) Warnings: Choking

Ashton and Dorian are friends with benefits. Ashton catches feelings.

Reccer Says: There’s never enough of these two in the world and this is a really fun take on how they might end up together 💚💙

in the ocean washing off my name from your throat by Princex_N (4,057 words, General) Pairing: Laerryn Coramar-Seelie/Loquatius Seelie (Loquaerryn) Warnings: Hurt No Comfort, Allusions to Infidelity, Domestic Disputes

In the heat of a fight, Quay makes a suggestion he doesn’t mean, and everything comes crumbling down around him.

Reccer Says: The way this fic makes my heart ache, oh my god. Everything is perfectly in character in the most painful of ways, it truly feels like this could be the fight that led to their divorce in canon. Quay’s reflection on the state of their relationship, the mistakes he’d made along the way, how deeply he loves Laerryn, the cultural differences between them and the misunderstandings because of them, all just *chef’s kiss*

And we have two reccs for; Fjord Tusktooth: Pact of the Sugar Baby by Demenior (23,529 words, Explicit) Pairing: Fjord/Original Male Character Warnings: None

In order for the Nein to successfully pull of a heist, Fjord sets about seducing the lord he and his friends are robbing. He’s exactly Fjord’s type, though there’s one complication; he’s a dragon. And it takes Fjord a little while to catch on. A heist gone wrong leaves Fjord seducing the Nein's mark - and that mark is a dragon.

Reccer 1 Says: Excellent Fjord characterization, a delight of an OC, chaotic Nein shenanigans, and extremely hot dragon sex make this fic (and the entire series) an extremely fun read. Highly recommend reading all of it, the way the relationship between Fjord and Gairdneri develops is especially wonderful, imo. Reccer 2 Says: This fic is SO fun! Demenior does a fantastic job capturing the voices of all of the characters, and the sex is hot too.

Thank you for joining us this week’s recc list! All the love to everyone who submitted a fic 💕 All enclosed recommendations were submitted by the community via our submissions form, which you can find here. All fic information is as it was provided by the reccer, so it may not be accurate to the author’s intent or the precise contents of the fic itself. Please assume good intent from all parties 💕

Submissions for next week’s list are already open! We’ll be featuring Works in Progress. If you have any you’d like to highlight, you can send them in here. The week after that, the theme is Angst and the weeks after that we’re taking recommendations for Spring and Jester Rarepairs! Submissions for all of these themes are currently open.

If you want more rarepair fic, check out @cr-summer-wildflowers and their event collections on ao3! If you want some friendship after all this romance, take a look at @critter-genfic-events and their recc lists! And if you’re interested in everyone’s favorite wizards, you can’t go wrong with the lists at @aeor-is-for-reccing !

Thanks all and have a lovely day/night/timezone! 💕

#critter rarepair recc lists #fjolly #orym x dariax #greystorm #loquaerryn #fjord x oc #critical role #cr fanfic

[greystormweek]

Welcome to Greystorm Week 2022!

This week we’re celebrating all that’s good about the ship of Greystorm from Critical Role. We all love Ashton and Dorian so today is an opportunity to share fanworks and answer questions about them.

Day 4 - Dropped In an AU - College | Actor | Steampunk

I actually meant to include paranormal as a prompt for this day. So if you have a paranormal AU as well, feel free to share that and tag us. Our main prompts are college, actor and steampunk. Prompts that could give us all some totally different views of Ashton and Dorian. Let your imagination run wild and we’ll see what you come up with.

You can share fanart or fanfic, just make sure you tag #greystormweek and @ us in your post.

If you don’t have any creative work but want to answer one of these prompts - feel free to shoot us an ask with your thoughts

#greystorm #critical role #ashton greymoore #dorian storm

[greystormweek]

Welcome to Greystorm Week 2022!

This week we’re celebrating all that’s good about the ship of Greystorm from Critical Role. We all love Ashton and Dorian so today is an opportunity to share fanworks and answer questions about them.

Day 5 -Aesthetics - Jewels | Music | Elements

Aesthetic is an interesting way to look at your favourite characters and ships. These are all pretty open prompts so use these in any way you like. Let your imagination go wild.

You can share fanart or fanfic, just make sure you tag #greystormweek and @ us in your post.

If you don’t have any creative work but want to share an aesthetic that reminds you of Ashton or Dorian - feel free to shoot us an ask with your thoughts

#greystorm #critical role #ashton greymoore #dorian storm

[greystormweek]

Welcome to Greystorm Week 2022!

This week we’re celebrating all that’s good about the ship of Greystorm from Critical Role. We all love Ashton and Dorian so today is an opportunity to share fanworks and answer questions about them.

Day 3 - Old Meets New - Recreate a scene from another campaign with Greystorm | Vox Machina or Mighty Nein Meets Greystorm

Probably the prompt I’m most proud of for this event. Critical Role has been running for a long time and we have various campaigns to look back on and love. Today is all about combining those old campaigns with Greystorm. Whether you want a serious look at what Ashton probably swallowed with the Mighty Nein or you just want to have chaos with Vox Machina you can. You can either rewrite a scene or write something new. it’s up to you.

You can share fanart or fanfic, just make sure you tag #greystormweek and @ us in your post.

If you don’t have any creative work but want to answer one of these prompts - feel free to shoot us an ask with your thoughts

#greystorm #critical role #ashton greymoore #dorian storm

[greystormweek]

Welcome to Greystorm Week 2022!

This week we’re celebrating all that’s good about the ship of Greystorm from Critical Role. We all love Ashton and Dorian so today is an opportunity to share fanworks and answer questions about them.

Day 2 - Group Chaos - Split the Party | Time in the Hole | Disguises

A few options for today’s prompt but it’s all about the chaos that can be caused when you’re travelling with adventurers. Talk about a time they split from the party or what they might do if they were stuck in their brand new hole together for some time. It doesn’t matter which prompt you choose, it’ll be chaos galore.

You can share fanart or fanfic, just make sure you tag #greystormweek and @ us in your post.

If you don’t have any creative work but want to answer one of these prompts - feel free to shoot us an ask with your thoughts

#greystorm #critical role #ashton greymoore #dorian storm

[greystormweek]

Greystorm Week starts tomorrow! I hope you're all ready to celebrate these two.

Remember to @ our account and tag #greystormweek in your posts

#critical role #ashton greymoore #greystorm #dorian storm #gspost

[greystormweek]

Welcome to Greystorm Week 2022!

This week we’re celebrating all that’s good about the ship of Greystorm from Critical Role. We all love Ashton and Dorian so today is an opportunity to share fanworks and answer questions about them.

Day 7 - Not All Bad -  First Date | Gifts | Ball

Our final day is sadly upon us! Though this isn’t the last day you can post and tag us in something - more on that to come in a later post - this is the final official day. So let’s get fluffy and give these two some adorable moments. What’s their first date like? What gifts might they give eachother? Or what else could have happened at the ball?

You can share fanart or fanfic, just make sure you tag #greystormweek and @ us in your post.

If you don’t have any creative work but want to answer one of these prompts - feel free to shoot us an ask with your thoughts

#critical role #greystorm #ashton greymoore #dorian storm

[greystormweek]

Welcome to Greystorm Week 2022!

This week we’re celebrating all that’s good about the ship of Greystorm from Critical Role. We all love Ashton and Dorian so today is an opportunity to share fanworks and answer questions about them.

Day 6 - The Pain of Being - Injuries | Headaches | Guilt

Ah angsty backstories. We all love them. Dorian and Ashton both have some stuff in their pasts. Ashton especially seeing as there’s still physical issues he has thanks to it. So today we’re going to dive into that beautiful angst. Share your work related to injuries, headaches and guilt and give us all the feels.

You can share fanart or fanfic, just make sure you tag #greystormweek and @ us in your post.

If you don’t have any creative work but want to answer one of these prompts - feel free to shoot us an ask with your thoughts

#greystorm #ashton greymoore #dorian storm #critical role