#v lumple dapplins

[leaderinmovingblog]

continued from here w/ @anger-mxnagement because this might be a long thread, buckle up kids, get your popcorn, and prepare for gay longing

He thought it would have been the usual bickering. A quick chastising to be a little more sensitive to the others. They were practically children in comparison. They didn't know what they knew. They hadn't seen the things they had seen. It felt like he was always lifting them up. Grumpy didn't mean anything by it. He knew that, but if he caught any of the youngest at their weaker moments, they'd crack. Doc simply got used to hen-pecking and being defensive. He was the one patching up scraped knees. They were so much older now and he still couldn't shake the habit. Even when Grumpy was right, though a little rough in the delivery, he had a nasty habit of trying to interrupt and sweeten the admonishing. It was bound to happen one day. This thread in their family was going to snap, bringing the scraps flying to the ground. "Grumpy, I ain't mean-" He felt a lump in his throat. Say something. You owe it to him. You're wrong. Stop talking over him. They'll keep rushing for you and Happy anyway but the least you can do is stop talking over him. "I..."

His voice cracked. They could be on edge at a moment's notice. He didn't want to fight. Unfortunately, Doc also had a stubborn streak. "Yer so 'ard on 'em! I know they screw up, but they ain't learned to be proper dwarfs! We're all they got! 'Course they don't know their ass from a hole in the ground!" He sputtered, feeling his heart drop. "Ain't gotta rub it in, jus' tell Sleepy it's wrong!" But it's been years... Failing can mean an injury or death. That's why he's tough. That's why he's hard. You're just getting soft.

[leaderinmovingblog]

"No such things as dragons." Oh, no. He's back on his bullshit. He knows there is, but "pompous bastard" is how he was designed and he's going to have these days. Also that Scarpa comic is just a little too traumatizing and we're going to pretend that Bashful didn't die like that.

[leaderinmovingblog]

@wishingxuponxstars gets a vaguely creepy one liner! (Still accepting here!) FOR ARVIN!

"Fer those fearin' death, I can only tell 'em they shouldn't o' considered bein' born..."

[leaderinmovingblog]

@valiantroyalty asked:

(Not really) Surprise! Snow made sure the cottage is cleaner than normal and she’s impatiently waiting until Doc came home. When she heard, she booked it out from the cottage and (nearly tackled) hugged him tightly! “Glücklicher Vatertag, daddy!” There’s something in her hands she’s pushing into his: a little statue made entirely of gems of a deer.

Despite being solidly built, Doc manages to fly a few feet from the hug. He's caught off guard but truth be told, Snow White is surprisingly strong. One has to be to lift dwarven furniture to clean it. For furniture to support a dwarf, it has to be just as solid! Oh, it was that day! Humans were fond of days like this, but with such short lifespans, it must have made sense to celebrate parents. The words were warm and comforting. She thought of him in such a way. And... His cheeks flushed for a moment. "Oh... Lil' Raven." He presses his forehead against Snow White's for a fleeting moment before realizing something is in his hands. It's beautiful... "...Are we gonna need to teach you to forge? This is..." Like a dwarven apprentice's first work. Usually it was reserved for the family. It was brilliant and beautiful... "Y'got talent. S'beautiful..." These precious items often rested in a box of special items for a dwarf; items pertaining to family. This was a treasured item from a daughter. A first gemcraft. "Oh m'gonna be so excited seein' wha' else y'make. Really!" He held the deer up, letting the light shine on the grass in a brilliant rainbow. "Fergot fer a second yer not a dwarf, princess. We're rubbin' off on ya!"

[leaderinmovingblog]

The mine was oppressive this time of year, so that meant days were shorter. More mornings with afternoons spent at home. Doc was already slipping into a semi-retired role; two days a week spent at his work bench while the rest were dedicated to wandering the fields and stocking up the cellar. Today was different. Today was spent climbing trees. Climbing trees, at his age! The eldest of the seven sat carefully on a branch with his sleeves rolled up. Legs dangled precariously while he scratched away in a well-loved book. A chipmunk, a familiar visitor to the cottage, slowly skittered to appraise Doc's work. "Well?" Doc held the book out. "Oh, oh yer ruft- uh, fluffed- I mean, y'gotta lil' uh, spot 'ere." He pulled the book back into his lap, sketching again as the chipmunk looked on curiously. Dwarfs usually didn't come to visit... Save for the one time Sneezy had blown himself up this way. "Now yer done! Not as uh, cute as the kreel heel- the spiel feel-" He inhaled. "Well, matters wha' the princess thinks." (open rp)

[leaderinmovingblog]

continued from here w/ @pcisondapple

Tempers flared often between the two of them. He didn't intentionally want to make Grumpy upset... "Y'think? He's a... such a...." Most of the words he'd like to say aren't suited for Dopey to hear, so he tugs at his beard and lets out a defeated sigh. Grumpy was probably going to stay in the mine and work on something until he was calmed down. If that happened. "Ooh, he's a treasure but sometimes I wanna bury 'im!" His hands wrapped around the cup while he mulled around the idea. It would be nice... When was the last time they had time away? Weary amber eyes glance up and over the cup at Snow White as he exhales slowly. "Barely get 'im to 'gree to a picnic. If he ain't frettin' 'bout gettin' the cottage ready fer winter, maybe I can get 'im out... Woods are awfully pretty. Would be a shame if he misses bein' all... stubborn." He takes a sip from the cup and closes his eyes. Stubborn. Oh so stubborn. But Doc would let him have that. It helped them survive this long... even if it meant for a few explosive fights. They always made up somehow... Or they just forgot why they were so mad at each other. "Princess... H-he loves ya, I promise. Y'know he does. He's an ol' goat. Stubborn an' full o' garbage."

[leaderinmovingblog]

continued here w/ @pcisondapple because reasons

He was happy... wasn't he? There was the cottage. This was the family he had pulled together. This wasn't happily ever after. This was waiting for those final pieces that were scattered in the wind and the wind was never favorable in his direction. "Oh, ain't changin' it! Nev'r. Best of my strife- uh, no no. My life. Good things spent in this cottage. I metcha. Raised Dopey 'ere. Built this place wit' my own, uh..." Words becoming elusive, he starts to wiggle his fingers. Doc puffs himself up (beard too) and tries to slap on a smile. It isn't all bad. There's just a few things missing. And how it aches to know they're missing. It's a smile that easily wrinkles at the sides of his eyes. It's either practiced or he can find happiness in what he has; he's salvaged so much to make something out of tiny fragments. "It's a quilt. Lil' scraps makin' somethin' o' comfort. But I ain't so sure it's, uh... Well it's good 'nough. Not good. Good 'nough. Ah... d-don't worry. Sometimes feelin' sad kinda finds 'way into yer thoughts an' ways a style- ah, a file- it sits an' takes a lil' room, I mean!" Stomach empty, mind full, and impacting his appetite in a way very uncharacteristic for a dwarf.

[leaderinmovingblog]

He's banned from the kitchen. Otherwise, the cake might come out looking more like a rock. He's got a nasty habit of adding more; more icing, more filling, or more heat in the desire to have something bake faster. It's just safer to put him in charge of one of the gifts. He's spent a while on them; a menagerie of animals from around the forest carved from birch and given a little paint for extra character. The deer and birds especially seem as if they posed for him so he could capture their personalities. Nearly life-like. He hasn't done a carving since he made Dopey's bed. These are special... And he can only hope she'll enjoy them. Doc arranges each figure quietly on the window sill with an excited grin. "Well... ain't a crown. Maybe somethin' diff'rent be real nice... Oh, hope they get the cake done... She bett'r not be makin' her own birthday cake. Shoulda let me help." (@valiantroyalty for Snow's birthday yaaaaay)