#calyx's paths

[redtsundere-writes]

Chapter 29: Meetings

King!SukunaRyomen x Servant!FemReader

Summary: You used to be just another servant among the army of humans operating under the command of the terrible king, Sukuna Ryomen. An ordinary human who only knows how to wash, clean and cook. Until one day, he notices something in you that you hadn't seen before.

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A/N: I'm back <3 I'll be posting on Sundays :3

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The chill on your back stirred you awake. Morning had finally arrived after a long night with your king. Still half-asleep, you reached out for the familiar warmth of your beloved—only to be met with empty sheets. Your eyes opened heavily to realize Sukuna was no longer by your side. Rubbing the sleep off your eyes, you sat up in bed with the sheet pulled up to your chest to cover your nakedness. A deep ache coursed through your body, but the memory of what caused it brought a knowing smile to your lips. At the foot of the bed, a breakfast tray waited beside a single white rose. Curious, you slid across the sheets, reaching for it—only to find a neatly folded note resting beside it.

“Good morning, daisy.

I hope you like breakfast.

I’ll see you in the office at noon.

Love, Sukuna.”

The euphoria manifested in your body with a squeal of excitement. You read the love note written by your king, rolling in the bed from side to side. You were so happy to finally be able to be with him. Hungry, you opened the tray to find the breakfast Sukuna had ordered for you.

"He's so cute!" You squealed tenderly before throwing yourself back onto the bed. "Ouch!" You complained, having slammed your aching body onto the mattress.

After eating breakfast and putting on the most low-cut dress you owned, you left your room. The sight of the hallway, lined with delicate white flowers, took your breath away once again. Each bloom was a silent testament to your king’s devotion, their soft petals glowing in the morning light. With a gentle touch, you plucked a single daisy, twirling it between your fingers before continuing on your way, the faint scent of blossoms lingering in the air.

"He loves me, he doesn’t love me, he loves me, he doesn’t love me..." You sang happily as you skipped down the corridor, like a bunny in the middle of spring running through a vast open field, sweetly shedding the flower petals with each step.

"Looks like someone's happy." Mr. Wasuke crossed your path.

“I still can't believe last night was real. It was dream like,” you said, besotted with love as you jumped around him.

“I'm glad. Congratulations on your engagement, kid.” Mr. Wasuke took your hand to inspect the engagement ring closely. “The king is a very lucky man.”

“I'll let him know. He's waiting for me in his office.” You smiled at him before leaving.

As you plucked the last soft white petal from the calyx, you paused, a quiet smile forming on your lips. He loves me. The thought warmed you from within, filling you with a contentment deeper than words. With delicate fingers, you removed the pistil from the stem to tie it like a small ring beneath the engagement ring. Your marriage to the king was no longer a deal to prolong his legacy; it was a pact of love that you would carry in your hearts for the rest of your lives.

Light as air, you made your way to the king’s office, your steps nearly weightless with joy. You knocked on the door until he granted you permission to enter. The moment you stepped inside, your heart swelled at the sight before you—Kenjaku, Mahito, and Uraume stood in attendance, but your gaze sought only one.

Your king.

You smiled at him, soft and sweet, the memory of his whispered words from the night before still lingering in your mind. Heat crept up your cheeks as you recalled the way he had looked at you, the way his voice had wrapped around you like silk.

Perhaps it was love’s lens that painted the world in softer hues, but today, Sukuna looked even more handsome than usual. His unruly hair was slicked back after being tousled on your pillows. His red gaze rested placidly on the documents as if he were looking down, only on you. The large hands that had taken over your body now held the pen he'd surely used to write you that beautiful note.

"Good morning," you said with a nervous smile, not out of fear, but rather out of love.

"You're late," Sukuna scolded you without taking his eyes off what he was doing.

“Oh no…” Your smile disappeared, not expecting such an aggressive tone. Your heart sank to the bottom of your chest. You apologized quickly before rushing next to the guests, forming a horizontal line. Your eyes looked at the floor at your disappointment no longer wanting to be just his useful object. 

Sukuna, finishing what he was doing, coldly inspected the guests. He quickly noticed the change in your attitude. At your disappointment, you clasped your hands together on your skirt, making your breasts look even more prominent in the cleavage. Sukuna bit his tongue as he remembered your breasts bouncing before his eyes as he fucked you. “Okay, calm down,” he begged his body, beginning to get excited. Despite having accepted his vulnerability for you, it was still hard to get used to it.

“I’ve summoned everyone to report to me on the two events that happened recently.” Sukuna began the meeting in an attempt to ignore his deep desires. "First, I want to hear what you have to report about the Zen'in ball."

"Commander Mahito and I, along with the camp, were able to study the area of ​​the Zen'in kingdom and made a detailed map." Kenjaku took a scroll from his sleeve to display it to the king. Sukuna didn't hesitate to open it. "The Zen'in kingdom is divided into two large zones: the sorcerer zone and then the zone full of monkeys. The sorcerer zone is the outer layer, then there's the monkey zone in the middle, and at the core is the area designated for the royal family."

"It's not actually divided, but it's organized that way to protect those who can't protect themselves from curses," Kenjaku explained.

"Although there are monkeys who carry cursed weapons and cursed monocles That could mean those humans can see curses," Mahito added.

"Very well. Good report." Sukuna rolled up the scroll and then inspected it closely. “Y/n, you certainly have a lot to tell me, don’t you?”

There you were again. Facing the king and his imposing chessboard. From the moment you decided to do everything necessary to protect the commune from the war, you knew this game would be dangerous. But there was no turning back. You had caused too much damage to allow yourself to hesitate now. Human lives hung in the balance, and you were willing to do whatever it took to win. You would tell him the truth, but never the whole truth. You took a deep breath, sat down, and, with the determination of someone who had already crossed the point of no return, moved the first pawn forward.

“Yes, there is a lot I must tell you.” You hid your nervousness behind a smile. “While you were in your meeting with King Toji, Queen Nozomi invited me to talk. She told me she's expecting her first child.” 

"It was about time," Kenjaku commented sarcastically in a whisper.

"What do you mean?" You thought it, but Sukuna said it.

"King Toji is almost forty; the older he is, the more difficult it is to have children." "40?! He looks so young!" you thought, surprised. "Maybe the queen isn't that fertile," Kenjaku hypothesized to himself this time.

"Y/n, continue,” Sukuna asked you to proceed. 

"After that brief conversation, Commander Naoya arrived, and the queen forced me to dance with him." You smiled to yourself, remembering his hateful glare at you. It helped you relax a little. "Then the dance was interrupted by King Gojo and King Nanami. I got to meet them both."

"And you sure did meet him," Sukuna muttered, jealous. “He’s still upset about it,” Kenjaku, Mahito, and you thought as if you shared a single mind. “What exactly did you talk about?”

You hadn’t moved any major pieces yet. Only pawns, advancing cautiously, one square at a time, protecting what was truly important. Each move was a shield, a distraction, a calculated sacrifice. Luckily, you’d spent countless hours pondering which pieces of information you should withhold, which truths to guard to turn to your advantage when the time came.

Then, you slid your rook across the board, a move designed to draw Sukuna’s attention away. If all went as you hoped, he’d stop focusing on your king: the secret of your cursed technique must still remain in the shadows.

“So, King Gojo mistook me for my sister.”

“He mistook you for Yorozu? It must be your energy,” Kenjaku theorized.

“My energy?” You asked, confused, worried that you had accidentally revealed something.

“Gojo has the power to see people’s energy levels. Being sisters, you must share a similar energy level,” he explained. “So if Gojo mistook her for Yorozu, it must be because Y/n must have high levels of cursed energy. That means Y/n definitely has a technique,” ​​Kenjaku thought. “What did you talk to King Gojo about?”

“Besides flirting with me and kissing me without my consent…”

Out of nowhere, you were pulled out of your mind when Kenjaku’s hand flew to your cheek. Everyone in the room flinched at the impulsive act. You looked at Kenjaku in horror, but he also looked just as horrified that his hand was reaching out to hit you. You closed your eyes, expecting the tremendous slap you were about to receive, but someone pulled you by the waist to move you away from danger. It was Uraume.

A slash echoed through the room. Kenjaku's head flew out and bounced off the floor. The body of the deceased King Geto collapsed to the ground thanks to the nature of gravity. Sukuna had his hand raised, a sign that he had cut off your teacher's head. You didn't know what the hell was happening; everything had happened so fast that your mind didn't register what had happened in the first few seconds. 

"Damn, that was… something, wasn’t it?" Mahito whispered, impressed.

"Are you okay?" Sukuna asked you, tucking his arm into his kimono.

You could only stare in shock. You looked at your Kenjaku's body lying on the floor. There wasn't a single drop of blood staining the black tile pattern. His eyes remained open, expressionless. You realized how calm you were about the situation. You were starting to get used to death, and it terrified you.

"Don't worry. He's not dead," Sukuna reassured you. "Continue what you were saying." You took a deep breath and returned to the game as if nothing had happened.

"I was going to say we didn't talk much, he just courted me. It was very strange. He seemed desperate." 

"Why do you think that?"

"He flirted with me shamelessly and even proposed to me a few hours after we met him, I don't know why. It made me feel uncomfortable," you explained.

"Anything else?" Sukuna inquired.

So far, you had survived the game only by moving pawns and sacrificing your rook, King Gojo's marriage proposal. You still had Nanami's offer of help and the discovery of your technique to yourself, but this game wasn't over yet.

"That's all, my king."

"Good. Now let's move on to the next topic of this meeting. The crow bombing from a week ago." Sukuna granted Uraume permission to take the floor.

"Last week after midnight, a flock of bomb crows attacked the first and second floors where I and other curses were standing guard. Unfortunately, I was knocked out and woke up a few hours later when the crows had already left. After that, I went to check on the lady," Uraume reported. 

"Do you know the purpose of the attack?" Sukuna asked.

"Yes. The next morning, I went to check on the weapons room, and 50 cursed weapons were missing. My hypothesis is that the attack was a distraction while the robbery took place," Uraume explained. 

"Do you have anything to contribute?" Sukuna turned to you.

"I was so scared by the bombing that I didn't see anything Uraume hadn't already said. So no," you answered.

"Uraume, do you have any idea who could have been behind all this?" Sukuna saw.

"Due to the proximity, it was most likely the commune, my king," Uraume suggested.

This was the tricky part of phase 2 of your plan: protecting the commune from accusations of the bomb crow attack. You were sure Hiromi had already hidden Mei Mei pretty well by this point, but it was up to you to do most of the dirty work.

"What?" you asked, confused, putting on your best face of disinterest. "But they were bomb crows. How could someone from the commune do that?"

"Maybe there are sorcerers there that we haven't discovered," Uraume argued.

"I highly doubt it. People in the commune don't believe in sorcerers," you argued.

"They don't need to believe for them to exist." Uraume had an excellent point; luckily, you were already prepared for this situation.

"What if it was someone from another kingdom?" You redirected the conversation.

"Why would another kingdom go to such a fuss just to steal cursed weapons?" Sukuna tried to follow your train of thought.

"Maybe it's a message, a warning that they can come in and take what they want."

Sukuna remembered the warning King Toji had given him at the ball. "If you don't make that deal with me, you'll leave me no choice but to take what I want by force." Maybe your hypothesis wasn't as crazy as it initially seemed.

"That doesn't make any sense," Uraume argued.

"Your hypothesis doesn't make sense either," you replied.

"Your sister turned out to be a sorceress."

"But it was because she found out when she came here."

"Enough," Sukuna ordered. They both looked at each other reluctantly, but obeyed immediately. "Until there's concrete evidence, your hypotheses have equal value. I'll investigate the commune first, then the Impossible Belt to look for leaks in our security." 

“Go to the Judge. He knows everything about everyone and can give you the answers you need to solve this case,” you advised.

“Do you know the Judge?” Sukuna raised an eyebrow. That took him by surprise.

“He’s my friend. If you tell him you come because I sent you, I’m sure he’ll cooperate,” you said with a smile. “Just friends?” Sukuna thought, jealous.

“Fine, I’ll do that tomorrow. Does anyone have anything else to say?” Faced with the silence, Sukuna decided to end the meeting. “Then we’re done here. You may leave now. Uraume locks Kenjaku in his room. I’ll interrogate him as soon as he recovers.”

This chess game finally came to a halt, but you were worried that at some point you’d have to resume the game. It was tiring, but it was the right thing to do. One by one, everyone bowed their heads in farewell. Uraume instructed Mahito to carry the body, while they took the head. The curse obeyed without hesitation, heaving the corpse onto his shoulder as if it were a simple sack of potatoes, then followed in his loyal companion's footsteps. You stayed behind, being to be the last to leave so you could close the door behind you. But then, the king spoke again.

"Y/n, we still have something to discuss."

"Yes, my king." You complied, closing the door behind you and returning to your place. You were ready to resume the power play. 

"Come closer," he commanded with his index finger.

You circled the desk to reach him. He gently took your hand to guide you onto his lap. Your cheeks turned crimson as he forced you to sit on it. His arms held you close to his body, melting into the pleasure of sharing the same space in the world. His lips searched for your warm face in your hair, kissing your temple sweetly. You let yourself be carried away by his touch, returning to the tender girl who gave him anything he wanted on a silver platter. 

"How was your sleep, my daisy?" Sukuna whispered in your ear.

"Wonderful, and you?" You smiled at the soft tickling of your skin.

"The best night's sleep I've ever had."

Sukuna took your chin and redirected you to his lips, placing a tender kiss on them as his hands traveled over your curves, accentuated by the corset.

"You scared me. I thought you'd be cold with me again," you reproached him as you broke the kiss.

"I'm sorry, I just have an image to maintain with my subjects." Sukuna took your hand and kissed your knuckles. "Besides, only you can see my vulnerable side."

That was what you loved about Sukuna; he always made you feel like the only girl in the world deserving of love and devotion. He could be the devil himself, but he made you feel like an untouchable goddess.

"So what do you want to talk about, my king?" you asked curiously.

"I already told you, you can call me Sukuna." The king rolled his eyes.

"Sorry, I'm not used to it yet. What do you want to talk about, Sukuna?" You giggled, embarrassed at using his first name.

"We need to plan a wedding," Sukuna reminded you. "Ask for whatever you want, I'll give it to you. The only thing I'm asking is that I want the wedding to be in a month."

"Just a month? What's the urgency?" you asked worriedly.

"I have... plans," Sukuna said.

You knew it was about the war. He didn't know, but he'd given you an idea of ​​the timeframe his plans were going. "Maybe I should check his planning again," you thought, scanning the office to figure out where he might have hidden it.

"Okay, we'll be married in a month." You nodded.

"Perfect. I can't wait." Sukuna finally moved his hands to your breasts and squeezed them like two stress balls.

"Ow! Careful!" You squealed in shock as your face turned a new shade of red.

"Can you blame me? They stared at me the entire meeting," he said before squeezing your breasts again.

"Sukuna!" You scolded him.

➽──────────────❥

The Gojo Kingdom was the most prosperous of all, a spectacle of unparalleled wealth and splendor. Silver lanterns danced over the white onyx streets, reflecting the light in an ethereal glow. Tall marble buildings rose gracefully, while nobles and merchants wandered wrapped in kimonos and robes of embroidered silk, each thread telling a story of lineage and power. Gojo was a kingdom where tradition and innovation intertwined in perfect balance, home to sorcerers, eccentrics, and those who pushed the boundaries of both worlds.

It wasn't the first time Commander Naoya had set foot in the Gojo Kingdom, but he had yet to accustom himself to the imposing grandeur of its castle. His eyes scanned the crystal colossus, whose structure rose to disappear into the clouds, as if seeking to touch the domain of the gods. Two majestic and stalwart silver towers guarded the fortress, gleaming in the sun with an almost divine brilliance.

"It's impressive what we humans can accomplish, isn't it?" King Toji mused aloud before patting the commander on the shoulder. "We're the last to arrive at the meeting."

King Toji and Naoya strode forward toward the castle entrance, flanked by Queen Nozomi and the other members of the feared the Hei, an elite group made up of four of the Zen'in family's finest sorcerers, each with skills that challenge the limits of magic and strength.

Next to Naoya walked Ranta Zen'in, his younger cousin, a sorcery prodigy. His technique allowed him to capture his opponent's movements as long as both eyes were fixed on him, a technique as lethal as it was relentless. At his side, Jinichi, the eldest of the cousins, was renowned not only for his brutality in combat, but also for his fists, whose power could split rock with a single blow. Closing the formation was Chojuro, one of Naoya's uncles, a veteran whose name inspired both respect and fear. He was the oldest of the Zen'in, and with that, the bearer of knowledge and experience few could match.

The Zen'in were greeted and guided through the castle to the meeting room by one of the Gojo's most loyal servants, Misato Kuroi, the current guardian of Princess Riko Amanai. Naoya knew her quite well. During the last winter ball, when he tried to meet the princess, the servant wouldn't let him get close due to her bad reputation with women. Miss Misato, despite being very friendly and calm, could turn into a terrifying beast when it came to the princess's safety.

"By any chance, will the princess be at the meeting?" Naoya asked Misato just to annoy her.

"No," Misato snapped, glaring at him before turning around and heading back to the entrance.

Naoya smiled triumphantly at his accomplishment and followed the others into the hall. The meeting room was a well-lit room with a wonderful view of the kingdom. There was a large round table in the center where almost all the kings of the world were seated. King Toji and his queen sat next to King Geto and King Yaga. Despite the large crowd, no one spoke. Not until King Gojo arrived. 

Naoya scanned the room until he caught the eye of Ino Takumi, King Nanami's first commander. He always wore a black military uniform with his golden plates gleaming on his shoulder, along with a ridiculous cap covering his brown hair. Ino hated Naoya for the same reasons as most of his enemies for being a conceited, selfish, sexist. He had the misfortune of working with him on a mission once, and he hoped it would be the last. The two glared at each other and then ignored each other.

"Why are you so serious? Who died?" Gojo made his grand entrance with an off-the-cuff comment, as always.

He entered the room and sat in his usual chair. Behind him were Ichiji, his personal assistant, and Shoko Ieri, his main commander. Naoya found the woman very attractive, but she had a rather tiresome attitude, so it would never occur to him to chase after her.

"Okay. I get it. They're a bunch of bores who only come to do business." Gojo rolled his eyes under his mask and sat up straight. "So let's get started. Sukuna Ryomen..."

Everyone knew in one way or another about the curse king's presence at the Zen'in dance. Even though more than three weeks had passed, the topic was still on everyone's lips due to the magnitude of the strange event and how it didn't start a war. Half of the people criticized King Toji for doing the outrageous thing of inviting Sukuna to the dance, the number one enemy of humans, when he's supposed to protect humans. The other half applauded his intentions of inclusiveness and making a rumored peace treaty with the curses. In the end, it all came down to speculation.

"...had a meeting with King Toji during your anniversary dance. Could you share what you two were talking about?" Gojo questioned the king in front of everyone.

Toji relaxed in his seat, looking directly at Gojo with an offended smile for trying to make him look bad. Although their ancestors had signed a peace treaty and alliance centuries ago, the current kings were no longer very supportive of it because they realized their peers had been hiding highly valuable information.

"A negotiation that failed. I have no direct relationship with King Sukuna," Toji declared, creating a commotion in the room.

"What kind of business?" King Geto asked curiously.

Naoya glanced out of the corner of his eye at poor King Sogo Geto, a father who lost his only son and future king of his lands three years ago. A true tragedy, as his death remained a complete mystery. It was unknown if anyone would ever know who had murdered his son in his sleep. So he had to resume his position as king despite the fact that he was consumed by mourning more and more each day. It was unknown what the future held for the Geto kingdom if the old king didn't declare a new king soon.

"To make a trade for him to give me the key to the Kamo Kingdom," King Toji replied.

Some people laughed or whispered passive-aggressive comments. Getting the Kamo to cooperate with them was practically impossible as things stood. The Kamo were too busy preventing the curses from invading them and finding ways to save their own people from Sukuna's clutches, while the other kingdoms were too cowardly to help them, wanting to avoid a war and losing their largest source of income.

"And you were going to trust the king of curses? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," Gojo commented with a mocking smile.

"I think you're even stupider for proposing to his companion after just one night of knowing her," Toji finished him off.

Naoya smiled as he saw Gojo's smile disappear when he realized the Zen'in had spied on him that night. The whispers turned to complaints, prompting King Gojo to give an answer about his intentions. King Toji relaxed again in his seat and took his wife's hand under the table to let her know everything would be okay.

"What? A man can't fall in love with a beautiful lady at first sight?" Gojo asked, offended.

Nanami held his forehead, embarrassed by the cringe he was experiencing. "Is that really your reason?" he wondered as the other kings mocked his friend. They all knew how strict the Gojo clan is about who they allow into their lineage. They must usually be royalty or extremely wealthy, so the idea that King Gojo would want to marry King Sukuna's servant was hilarious.

"Save your excuses, King Gojo. It's known you saw something in that girl that we can't," Toji said.

"You're right. I lied." Gojo sighed in resignation. "I'm also a little embarrassed that my negotiation failed as well."

Gojo knew he was cornered thanks to a spy inside the Zen'in castle. He'd been so busy flirting with you that he didn't notice the presence of a secret ninja.

"So, can you tell us what you saw in her?" King Yaga asked directly, speaking for the first time since the session began. 

King Yaga had his typical unfriendly face and his sunglasses on despite being indoors. Things between King Yaga and King Gojo were somewhat strained due to a marriage that didn't seem to want to mend between Princess Riko Amanai and the ancient chief commander of the Yaga kingdom, Tengen. This had worsened their relationship in recent years.

Gojo smiled. "Greatness. That's all I can say."

The kings looked at each other, confused by such a vague answer, while Naoya instantly realized the true meaning behind his words.

➽──────────────❥

The allies' meeting had finally concluded, and the Zen'in were beginning their return to their kingdom. Night was descending on the forest, their shadows lengthening through the trees as they left the city behind. The commander was dangerously silent during tea time with the other kings, his mind caught in a whirlwind of thoughts. King Gojo's words echoed over and over in his head. "That has to be it. There's no other reason." He couldn't ignore it. And, worst of all, a part of him feared the king was right.

"King Gojo approached Y/n because she was Kamo, but he proposed to her because of her technique. That must be the only reason," Naoya explained to King Toji and Queen Nozomi once they returned to the carriage to begin their journey home.

"Her technique? Was King Gojo impressed by her technique?" The king asked, perplexed that the most powerful king in the world would be impressed by anyone other than Suguru Geto, his late best friend.

"It seems to be a concentration technique like Ranta's, but King Gojo told him it might be enough to defeat Sukuna," Naoya replied.

"Oh, I would have loved to meet her at the dance. We could have talked about our techniques while we danced," Ranta muttered in disappointment.

"That's the thing. She only discovered her technique thanks to King Gojo," Naoya explained with his arms crossed, somewhat jealous of the idea of ​​you dancing with his cousin.

"She could be our key to the commune, then," Touji thought aloud in a eureka moment.

"I don't think it's that easy," Nozomi opined. "She's very much in love with her king. I doubt she'd want to collaborate with the enemy."

"But not enough to sneak out of the dance on her own." Naoya argued.

Naoya had spent countless nights replaying the last time they'd seen each other. Something about that last encounter in the dark hallway unsettled him, as if it had all been part of a plan meticulously laid out from the beginning. As if you'd planned your escape from Sukuna from the start and he'd only been a hindrance in your way.

You were the most dazzling woman at the ball, the one who captured everyone's attention. But also the most enigmatic. A riddle wrapped in silk and shadows, a joyful conundrum that seemed to have a simple answer... but whose true meaning eluded him.

"She's up to something," Naoya simply blurted out, giving up trying to understand you.

"What if you go check it out?" Ranta inquired.

"What?" Naoya asked, confused.

"Yes. You can return to Sukuna's kingdom to get more information from him..." His cousin echoed his suggestion, his eyes glittering. "...and confess your feelings to her while you're at it," Ranta whispered mischievously as he nudged him.

"Feelings?! What feelings?!" Naoya exclaimed, offended, his cheeks flushed.

"Do you like Y/n?" Queen Nozomi inquired excitedly.

"Of course not!" Naoya defended himself.

"You draw her naked." Ranta aired his dirty laundry, making Naoya look like a tomato.

"It's called art, you little jerk!" Naoya scolded him before lunging at him to choke him.

"Stop it!" Toji roared, to which the two boys immediately obeyed. "Ranta's idea isn't so bad..."

Since the peaceful negotiations with King Sukuna had failed, Toji had to think of new ways to enter the Kamo commune without starting a war… yet. This was an opportunity he wasn't going to waste.

"Naoya, do you think you can infiltrate Sukuna's kingdom again?" Touji asked her.

"I've done it for five years straight. One more time won't be difficult," Naoya declared confidently.

"Good. Then your new mission will be to find that girl and convince her to collaborate with us before King Gojo gets there." The king ordered.

"Yes, my king," Naoya bowed.

"Take Ranta with you," Nozomi advised. "If she has a similar technique and doesn't know how to use it yet, you could convince her with a few lessons in sorcery."

"That's a great idea, darling." King Touji took his wife's hand to kiss its knuckles. "Yes, take Ranta with you."

"Great! I've always wanted to see Sukuna's kingdom," Ranta exclaimed excitedly.

"Then we'll get off here," Naoya said as he opened the carriage door.

"Good luck, and report back as soon as you have news." Touji gave them his blessing.

Naoya and Ranta jumped out of the moving carriage and left their group, heading toward the curse realm. Even though Naoya was the fastest of the Zen'in, Ranta could easily keep up. Since they were already close to the Impossible Belt, they could make it by the afternoon of the next day. The journey would be difficult, but not impossible with Ranta by their side. Even though I didn't want to admit it, I was excited that this mission involved seeing you again.

➽──────────────❥

Even though Sukuna had spent the afternoon talking with you about the wedding and receiving pampering from you, he still couldn't forget the savage act Kenjaku had committed during the meeting. Even though he was annoyed with him, he couldn't deny seeing Kenjaku's frightened face when he realized what he was about to do. He needed answers. If they didn't satisfy him, he would kill him immediately. I could always get you another teacher and doctor.

Sukuna entered his room, catching him off guard. Kenjaku got up from his office chair and knelt in front of him, hiding his embarrassed face in his hands. That wouldn't be enough to save his life.

"I'm so s-" Kenjaku's sentence was cut off by a kick from Sukuna that pierced his face.

Kenjaku's head began to wobble, dizziness blurring his vision. But the true horror came when relentless fingers sank into the roots of his hair. Sukuna lifted him with insulting ease, as if he weighed no more than a rag doll.

Kenjaku's feet were suspended in the air, kicking in vain. The pressure was unbearable, a searing pain running from his scalp to the base of his skull. His nose began to bleed in thick crimson trickles, blood trickling from his lips as the King of Curses held him at eye level, staring down with cold, utter cruelty. There was no escape. No plea. Only the abyss reflected in Sukuna's eyes.

"Who the fuck gave you permission to speak, lapdog? From now on, you will only speak when I give you permission, do you understand?" Sukuna growled. Kenjaku raised his hand to indicate "yes" with his finger. "Good doggy." Now, why the fuck did you dare lay a finger on my beloved? Speak up.”

“It wasn’t me, my king. It was King Geto,” Kenjaku replied. Sukuna frowned at that explanation. “I have no reason to hit my favorite student, but it seems King Geto didn’t like Y/n kissing his lover.”

“Was King Geto King Gojo’s lover?” Sukuna asked angrily, but quickly dismissed the question when he realized there was an even bigger problem. “You mean King Geto can control you whenever he wants?!”

“More than control, it seems your body gained a second of consciousness. It won’t happen again, I swear.” Kenjaku sobbed for his life, tried to grab the king’s kimono in a desperate act, but ended up backing down.

“Lucky you’re useful to me.” Sukuna pulled him up close to his face so he could look directly into his eyes. "If you dare touch a single hair on my wife's head, I'll cut you into pieces and feed you to the pigs, do you hear me?" Sukuna threatened.

"Yes, my king," Kenjaku replied in a shaky voice. Sukuna slammed him against the nearest wall before retreating.

"Starting tomorrow, you'll only be allowed to leave this room for Y/n's lessons and medical appointments. I'll kill you if I see you slinking away like the rats I detest so much," Sukuna threatened before leaving his room.

Kenjaku remained on the floor, defeated, weak... humiliated. Every throb in his head was a reminder of his powerlessness, every gasp of air, an insult to his pride. With a trembling hand, he wiped the blood from his nose with the sleeve of his robe, as if with that gesture he could erase the shame of his disloyalty.

His teeth ground together. No. This was just an obstacle, a passing shadow on the path he had carved for centuries. He could bear it. He must bear it. His fingers balled into fists over the bloody cloth. This was temporary. One more stone on the path to his destiny. Soon, very soon, he would rise again.

And when he did, there would be no one to stop his plans.

Next →

Masterlist.

taglist:

Tag list: @bbnbhm @pxnellian @kbirdieee2540 @konigswifeyforlifey @kyo-kyo1 @calico-cheriies @imas1mpp @alone-the-honored-one @vlads-dracula3 @bigraga-sk @neeke-lilac02 @shaazd @airandyeah @energiepie @awkward-walking-potato @delightfully-studying @danniwerner @paradisestarfishh @missroro

(let me know if you want to be tagged in next chapters!)

[catscidr]

I think we have all seen the "Argenti thinks the Reader is Idrila" stuff on here. But what if the reader actually is Idrila? So I wanted to request Argenti/Idrila!Reader (gn or afab reader) headcanons or a oneshot where Idrila, who has taken on a mortal identity after [Insert tragic event here], and meets Argenti. They develop feelings for each other, Argenti finds out she is Idrila, they end up dating. (Maybe or maybe not in that specific order) I thought maybe after protecting her followers from Nanook she disappeared to ensure Nanook doesn't target them anymore? That part isn't as important so feel free to add whatever backstory you think fits^^ Thank you in advance, I really like your writing!

NONNIE omg im booting up star rail rn to stare at him lovingly. also i changed the scenario a smidge so reader is her own person while also being idrila? if that makes sense......?? yeah. also bc otherwise id be writing ten thousand words n i didnt want ur ask to grow dusty in my inbox d(;∀;d) but tysm for the prompt i couldn’t stop thinking about it ueue. also hey gang peep me trying to make my blog look more coherent n nicer looking. am i doin it ⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝⸝ cw: a smidge of amnesia and soulmate trope (it’s not that bad, trust), fluff, love at first sight (does that even count in this scenario....), argenti and reader are dancing around the topic a lot bc argenti is a gentleman and doesn’t want to pressure her to talk. blurbs to set up the plot + a fic after them hehe. not proofread, writer’s block is killing me  includes: fem reader (he refers to reader as "my lady"), argenti, natasha, luocha is kinda there wc: 2,3k

-ˋˏ You’d go to Natasha’s clinic at least once every other day because you always had the worst migraines. To the point where you almost got beat up by a Flamespawn one time when you were clearing out calyxes (thankfully there was a Silvermane guard patrolling the area, otherwise you would’ve been charred). The doctor always says the same thing; “Stop looking for fights so often”, “Let your body rest”, “I can’t prescribe you antibiotics”, and your favorite, “Stop slamming my door open I can’t do anything about your headaches”. She was a good friend, but whenever she repeated how she couldn’t be of any help to your predicament, you’d wish you could just take that glass vial hanging from her outfit and chuck it far, far away out of spite. 

-ˋˏ Obviously it wasn’t her fault- she'd done everything she could. Natasha even had you undergo the Underworld’s equivalent of an MRI scan because of how frequently you would visit her, insisting that something was wrong. The symptoms consisted of forgetting important things too often, feeling a foreign buzz in your limbs and brain, having a sudden burst of elemental energy come out of your attacks and a myriad of benign but annoying, irritating signs that something was up with you. 

-ˋˏ It became more of a chore than anything to leave your room. Some days you felt fine, but then when you’d go out again and beat up wave after wave of enemies in Caverns of Corrosion you would keel over, clutching your head while vague images of what could only be described as a fever dream ran through your mind. 

-ˋˏ You decided to leave the Underworld for some time- considering your absence like some sort of “vacation”. You heard of a wandering doctor (and merchant, apparently) by the name of Luocha and, from the people that crossed paths with him, it seemed like he was extraordinary at his job. A trek to the Xianzhou Luofu would be a long one, but after weighing your options you thought you’d give it a try (it was worth it if it meant you’d stop waking up at ungodly hours, holding your head in your hands while hoping, praying that the pain stops.) 

-ˋˏ You (somehow) made your way to the Xianzhou Luofu from Jarilo-VI. As competent as you were however, being stranded on a foreign planet with no map nor local to guide you was... a challenge. In retrospect, maybe you should’ve gotten in contact with that Luocha doctor and had him come to Belobog instead of you going to him since, well, he was a traveling merchant. Going from planet to planet is what he does (you assume). 

✧✧✧ 

If you had read up more on general information about the Luofu you would have been aware of how many enemies were roaming around the docking area. But you didn’t. So, unbeknownst to you, a rogue mara-struck soldier was on your tail, trying to sneak up to you to snag the goods you hid in your bag (which were basically just different types of painkillers and sustenance that bodes well on an upset stomach. He doesn’t know that though.) 

Your head was throbbing; ever since you set foot on the planet, your physical health had slowly dropped down to levels you wouldn’t be enduring if it wasn’t for the promise of a competent doctor once you get to the main city. Painkillers weren’t working, your feet hurt and to make matters worse, you felt the familiar lack of something in your head. It was so bad to the point where you had to have a tangible mark somewhere to remind you that you did, in fact, just take something for your headache and if you took two more painkillers, your body wouldn’t agree with your decision. It was a struggle even remembering what you did five minutes ago, no way were you going to be in top shape, beating up every enemy crossing your way. 

Clouds began covering the bright sun, casting shadows over the desolate, geometric area. You huff, irritated that, from the looks of it, you won’t be able to find a cozy place to set up camp. Though sleeping on a ground made of primarily iron and steel was considerably less nerve-wracking than sleeping on the mushy, cold, dirty ground of Jarilo-VI. So, with a pout aimed at no one in particular, you find some place that you deemed decent enough to set your humble tent. It wasn’t often that adventurers slept outside of safe zones, however with your condition you couldn’t afford to miss out on some rest and possibly get even more lost than you already are. 

You set your heavy backpack down, rolling your shoulders to soothe the ache in your muscles from carrying something so bulky. As you ruffle through your belongings, you open a bottled soda and take a swift gulp, sighing contentedly at the pleasant taste on your tongue. Now that you were sat and could rest your bones (until you started setting up your tent, at least), your ears were able to pick up on some not-so-distant footsteps. 

There’s no time for you to react; the mara-struck soldier that had been following you lunges at you, aiming for your bag. Your eyes widen and you open your mouth to yell, but before any sound can leave your mouth, a long, red and gold spear pierces the ground between you and the rabid man, making you yelp in surprise. You scurry as far back as you can in your current state; however, the soldier doesn’t have time to take advantage of your weakened stature. The owner of the spear lodges himself before your shaking figure and the mara-struck, yanking his spear out of the ground with impressive elegance, and summons an array of thorny vines to catch your assailant. 

It takes little to no effort for the seasoned fighter to take down the mara-struck as he swings his weapon, swiftly knocking the blunt end on the soldier’s plexus, knocking the wind out of him. A strangled scream leaves his throat as he scampers away, leaving your belongings safe with you and the strange red-haired man. He lowers his spear, careful to keep the sharp edge far from you, and turns around to face you properly. His brows raise a smidge for a split second before he composes himself and bows before you, the action short and curt.  

“It would have been a shame to lose a beauty such as yourself,” he says smoothly, straightening his back to look down at you with a warm smile. He stretches his hand out, a polite offer to help you stand up, as he continues speaking. “My name is Argenti, I belong to the Knights of Beauty. What might you be doing so far away from civilization, dear...?” he trails off, waiting for you to introduce yourself. 

You were in a state of shock, your mind still processing what had happened in such a short amount of time, that you failed to notice the lack of pain at the back of your head. As you meekly tell him your name, you hold onto his hand to help yourself up- as soon as his armored glove comes in contact with your hand something flashes in your mind; too quick to allow you to think about it too much, or to recognize what you saw for a millisecond. 

“So far away from civilization... do you know how to get to the city?” you ask as you feel a glimmer of hope spark in you. His words were refreshing, probably the best thing someone has ever said to you in the past month. He nods, reaching into his pocket to fish out a blue handkerchief embroidered with a delicate gold trim. Argenti hands it over to you and you gratefully take it, blotting the sweat and... dust off of your face. 

“I have made my way around the Luofu for long enough to show someone the way,” he says kindly. “Besides, even if I didn’t, I would still offer to accompany you through your trek. It is my duty as a Knight of Beauty, for I must uphold chivalry and distinguished manners, in the name of the Goddess guiding me.” His words resonate within you, making you beam, nodding in understanding. 

Your reaction doesn’t go unnoticed by the knight. As you hand his handkerchief back, he smiles at you and gestures to your bag. “What brings you so far from your homeworld, my lady?” Argenti asks gently, though a glimmer of doubt swirls in his sparkling, verdant eyes. The question makes you pause, a memory flashing in your mind too suddenly for you to know what it meant. Although, from what you could tell, you knew you could trust him with what troubled you somehow. 

“Ah, it’s a long story,” you start sheepishly, “I’ve been having these incredibly painful migraines recently. And sometimes I feel like my memory is fading too quickly for what would be considered normal,” you say, trailing off slightly at the end. “I’m looking for a healer, a doctor by the name of Luocha...?” 

Somehow, the doctor was currently the least of your worries. You’d never felt so refreshed before, at least not that you could remember; simply being in Argenti’s presence seemed to be enough to make your aches disappear like a starskiff smoothly gliding through a cloudless sky. 

“I’ve seen the man only a handful of times,” Argenti mutters aloud, pulling you out of your thoughts. “I can do my best to guide you to him, but if I may... you don’t seem to be injured?” the knight says, his voice trailing off into a questioning tone despite the observation. You shake your head, wondering how you should explain your predicament to the man. 

“Like I said, it’s a long story,” you say again, shrugging sheepishly. You wondered if you should even go into the nitty gritty- he could always just be making small talk to help you get comfortable or something. Sensing your unease, he changes the spotlight to him instead. 

“There’s no need to delve into details if you wish to keep them secret,” he says with a kind smile, bending down to take ahold of your hand- gently pressing a chaste kiss on the back of your hand. Red flushes your ears immediately, words caught in your throat at the sight of his hair cascading over his shoulders, a beautiful contrast from the gold and silver armor glittering in what was left of the sunlight. 

“As for myself, like I mentioned earlier, I am a Knight of Beauty. I’m on a quest to find my dear Goddess Idrila once more, for I need to pay my respects to them after they saved me from a particularly grim fate.” His words echoed in your mind, your brows knitting together as you felt what could only be described as a cold bucket of water being dunked on your head. “I-Idrila?” you parrot, your voice coming out as a choked noise. Argenti perks up, the hand that had been softly holding onto yours now holding it with a firmer grip, his other hand joining it. 

“Yes, Idrila. Have you ever heard of them? Or...” he trails off, looking deep into your eyes expectantly, almost as if he knew something you didn’t. His eyes seemed to suck you in, bringing a comfortable wave of warmth over you, making you yearn for something. 

“I...” you begin, your gaze falling down to look at your feet. As you thought long and hard about what you wanted to say, what you tried to remember, you slowly look over to his spear, lying flat on the ground- long forgotten since the fight earlier. As if a lightbulb went off above your head, you perk up just as he did, and look at him, beaming. The words were caught in your throat; there was so much you wanted to say, to declare, to do in this moment of clarity, but with how fast your mind was running to catch you up on the current events of your life it was a struggle. 

“Argenti,” you murmur, the name rolling off your tongue smoothly, as you realized seeing the traveling merchant was no longer required. Though the road might have been arduous, and you may have almost lost your mind in the process, being with Argenti suddenly made everything make sense. That’s why your migraines mysteriously disappeared as soon as you were in the knight’s presence, that’s why you had gaps in your memory, that’s why you were freakishly powerful... at convenient times.  

Everything clicked into place. 

The both of you share a pregnant pause, eyes locked together as the world seemed to come to a stop around you. If it were possible, you’re sure there would be delicate, silky rose petals floating around your figures, suspended in the air. You glance down at his lips, and for the first time, make a decision with a clear head. 

His lips felt smooth against yours, the faint taste of vanilla mixed with roses transferring to your own lips. The kiss almost felt like it could be the result of a symbiotic relationship; now that you had Argenti, or at least had him by your side once again, you didn’t think you’d be able to continue on without him. 

[alicesadventuresinffxiv]

Thoughts on 7.2 

I am happy but also a bit sad?

In almost every way, this patch was exactly what I wanted and predicted!

In particular, Endless Sphene being a passive, idealized version of the more opinionated and driven original person was something I’d been thinking about since ffxivwrite. So basically all the Sphene stuff this patch was me pointing at the screen and going I KNEW IT! 😂

It’s unclear if the changes were deliberate doctoring by Preservation to remove any problematic or rebellious aspects to her personality, or if it’s just the result of Endless Sphene being based on memories of how others saw Sphene, not her own. Either way, Endless Sphene coming across as uncanny and inhumanly idealized seems very intentional in hindsight. And it plays very well into a lot of the analysis I’ve seen about Sphene’s character. (I should really do a Sphene-centric queue sometime… there’s so much good stuff that’s been written on her.)

Also on a related note…

the lesbians are winning! 👀

After 7.0, the main thing my silly little shipper heart wanted was some way, AU or not, for Wuk Lamat to have been able to meet the original Sphene. She tried so hard to reach out to the Endless version, but that was inevitably going to end in conflict and tragedy. But what if they’d met earlier, before Sphene had put herself on that path? Maybe they really could have been allies, friends, or even something more…? :3

Anyway long story short I was very tempted to screenshot every time these two looked at each other during the patch. They don’t quite know what to make of each other yet but I can’t wait to see where their dynamic goes from here! 

Although…the writing around Wuk Lamat this patch actually made me a little sad too. Sure, Lamaty’i was always going to take a backseat this patch with the focus on OG Sphene and Calyx wanting the Azem Crystal and/or Key. But the way that every other scene had her go off to silently talk to someone else or make other excuses just to get her out of the picture was jarring. At least in post-StB, Lyse gets her big goodbye in 4.0 and her responsibilities in a official military position justify why she can’t come adventuring any more. With Wuk, she’s literally right there on screen, just shoved in a corner and put on mute. 

I’m just really worried this will be Lyse/Fordola all over again, where the writers set up an interesting dynamic (even despite some base expansion writing flaws), but then one character gets blamed and hated for being the face of a less popular expansion, and now any further development of the aspects that were good about that character gets canned. :(

Incidentally, 7.2 fixed one of my actual complaints with the 7.0 (maybe even as far back as 6.x) writing, which was the use of side characters. The characters that had character-unique things to do (like Alisaie’s determination to find cures!) got their own subplots and characters that weren’t immediately relevant (like Alphinaud) got to take a break until they were needed.

And maybe it’s just because I went into 7.2 having seen praise of it, but I felt like the pacing was better too? Like there were less moments of characters standing around summarizing the cutscene we just saw, and instead more of them each having their own different priorities and takes on it. Hard to really prove that, though!

That being said, Krile and G’raha currently still feel a bit superfluous, a la Myths of the Realm (which I did not love). Unlike MotR where it felt like neither of them had an emotional connection to the plot, I’m hopeful the Preservation thread will allow Krile to have something to contribute and of course G’raha will have strong feelings about Shards and their civilizations. 

(I do wish G’raha got to talk to Sphene more about the whole “wake up in the dystopian future” thing they have in common. Given that Sphene now has the crown with Endless Sphene’s memories, though, I wouldn’t be surprised if she ends up doing the exact same thing as Source!G’raha, choosing to take on the memories of her other self to become a continuation of both versions. Now that sure would be an interesting conversation to hear if they ever discussed it!)

What else…

I’m not really a fan of having the WoL shrug off a giant lightning strike. Even in EW, it felt goofy that the WoL’s combat prowess somehow made them immune to a shock collar. I get that this is a world where bullets and fireballs can somehow be nonlethal, but it’s one thing to see fantasy combat in gameplay and another to have blunt narrative confirmation that your character is apparently Superman.

Like, if Fordola did enough push ups, would the death collar have stopped working on her too? XD

As for our new villains...

Viktor Arcane, is that you?

More seriously, Simulant Sphene chewing the scenery was delightful, but I’m not quite sold on Calyx yet as an interesting villain. We already have plenty of tropey evil scientists mumbling about their calculations in FFXIV, so he needs something to set himself apart. I suspect that will come down to what his endgame is besides the “evolution of mankind” stuff. 

At the very least, though, I’m curious how long he (and/or Preservation) will stick around. The unique music during his introduction and noticeable Preservation logos all over his stuff makes me think we’ll be seeing a lot more of them. On the other hand, the fact that we’re immediately meeting the head/founder of Preservation and he’s also immediately laying out his goals doesn’t bode well for their longevity or mystery… but who knows?

Overall 

This feels like one of the stronger x.2 patches. In terms of structure, it’s very similar to 4.2 - we have an antagonist “returned” who both is and isn’t the same person as before, plus some dweeb with a bad haircut clearly setting up a bunch of traps for the WoL to walk into for x.3. 😛

Still, I’m quite invested now, and if the Stormblood comparisons keep holding, 7.3 is going to be a hell of a patch to look forward to!

[stormycs15]

⸻ Topside, Male Oc x Reader ⸻

chapter one: (Everywhere the light touches)

characters: female reader, Vi, Powder, Mylo, Claggor, enforcers

genre: fanfiction, Arcane season 1

summary: Life has been hard for you're friends and family in the Lanes. Doing odd jobs to get by is second nature for you, but will one job topside really change your lives?

word count: 2496

Previous / Next

Your POV

I held onto the pipe I was climbing, my hands sweaty as I tried with all my strength to pull myself up. The pipe groaned under the weight I was placing on it. I swallowed, rethinking this idea. Once I reached a good position, I turned and looked around with hesitant eyes. I had to squint to see the extravagant town in front of us, since it was a bright and sunny day. Looking down, I noticed it seemed higher than I thought it would. Vi was taking us so high, and I was newer to this, so I felt like my actions were very clumsy and slow. But that didn't stop me. I looked up slightly, meeting Violet's eyes. She nodded down at me. I pursed my lips and hoisted myself up some more, gaining some confidence.

“We are almost there, come on.” She grunted at everyone, trying to encourage them, and I followed her gaze, looking down at the three underneath me: Powder, Mylo, and Claggor. They all seemed to be struggling to climb the vertical building. I just returned my thoughts to climbing up the pipe with ease.

“Aw, man!” I could hear Mylo groan, not the happiest about this situation. I quickly ignored his complaining and followed Violet up the rest of the wall. I reached the ledge, pulling myself up with strained lungs. I got to my feet, looking in awe at Piltover. My breaths were heavy from the climb.

“Woah.” I could hear Powder say from next to me, making me look over and give her a small smile as she returned it. We barely got to see the top side.

“It’s nice to get above it all, huh,” Violet says as my attention turns back to the clean trees and buildings that lay in front of us like an entirely different world. As everyone got up onto the roof, a large blimp flew past us. I looked at the view in complete awe.

“One day I am going to ride one of those things,” Powder says under her breath in a determined tone. I looked at her with a smile, I knew how much she was infatuated with seeing the new world, as much as I was. I probably fed her fantasy a bit since I told her the stories my father told me. I placed my hand in her hair, ruffling her blue locks.

“And one day I’m going to shoot one down,” Mylo says, pointing a finger gun at it as if to shoot it down. But I just roll my eyes, pushing his arm down silently. My attention was brought to Claggor as he looked over Piltover nervously. We weren’t supposed to be topside… Vandor made that very clear. Calyx wouldn’t be happy either, more because we didn’t invite him.

“Vi, you sure about this? If we get caught…” Claggor starts to say, and I turn to her with a hesitant nod, not liking the plan, because it would be more than just Vandor mad at me.

“We aren’t going to get caught. We will be in and out before anyone even notices. We have [y/n] after all.” She says, going to the edge of the building, looking for the town square, trying to figure out where we were in terms of finding out our jobs location. I gave a nervous sigh, letting it get lost in the strong winds that were flowing over the buildings. Violet looks to me with a nod, and I step forward, eyeing all of the possible paths on the way to our destination.

"How long is this going to take? I'm hungry," I hear Mylo say from behind me. After another second passes, I point in the direction of the town square, already having a path in mind. I turn to Violet for her approval, and she nods at me.

"Alright then, everyone, follow [y/n]... and just don't look down," she says as I jump into action, sliding down the roof onto an apartment balcony. I stand on the poles of the balcony railing and motion for them to come one at a time. Violet comes down first, leaping over the gap with no problem. I turn, seeing Claggor about to slide down, but Mylo brushes past him with a smirk, making Claggor roll his eyes and follow right behind. By the time Mylo lands on one side, Claggor lands right next to him, cupcake in mouth.

"Couldn't we have just walked?" I hear Claggor ask from the other side of the gap.

"Gotta stay out of sight for this one," Violet says, looking back over at us. I am trying to get Powder to go next in case she falls; maybe I could save her. But she is just looking down and taking deep breaths.

"Called it! This is on you, Vi," Mylo says, referring to Powder, and I glare over at the male.

"[y/n] can carry her over," Claggor says, motioning to me, but Violet holds up her hand.

"No. Powder, look at me! What did I tell you... you're ready. So you got this." she says, looking at me, and I nod at her as Powder starts to get ready to jump off the roof. Keeping herself up with a small gasp, jumping over with ease, she gets to the other side, only to come up shorter than the rest. I could see Violet's eyes go wide, reaching her hand out, but I sprang into action and leaped over, catching Powder before she could fall backward. She looks up at my taller self, giving me a thankful smile. Us three girls sigh in relief.

"Thanks," I hear her say, regaining her balance as we turn to the others. I just nod. As we walk, I could see Mylo rolling his eyes at Powder and me. I reach my hand out, shoving him back, making it so he was walking behind Claggor. He was starting to get on my nerves. I start to lead them by shimmying along the edge of the rooftop. I focus on keeping my back glued to the wall, leading the others.

"What if Vandor finds out we are all the way up here?" Claggor asks, earning a few looks from the rest of us silently agreeing with his concern. I just keep moving, knowing if I stopped now, I would definitely turn back. I hear Violet sigh, annoyed, so I keep my mouth shut.

"Look around! Do you think anyone topside is going hungry? Besides, this is exactly the kind of job Vandor would have pulled at our age. He is probably sending Cal on missions like these. I'm going. Are you with me or not?" she asks, stopping and turning to look at them. I look down, not wanting to look at the others. I could hear no protests, so I stood my ground from the front as she took up the back.

"Vandor's going to kill us," Claggor says behind me. I nod at his comment. Even if this mission goes well, we're bound to get a good lecture from the man himself.

"Only if we screw up… So don't screw up," she says with a stern look before turning to me and nodding. I return the gesture and lean forward, catching myself as I land on the balcony below us. I peer through the doors and listen… it seems no one's been home.

"All clear," I signal to the others, indicating it's safe to hop down. They descend one by one. Mylo, eager to get to work, tries the door but finds the handle won't budge.

"Who locks their balcony?" he asks, pulling out a lockpick and getting to work. I turn to help Vi with the rest of our team. Claggor and I glance over the railing, exchanging frowns.

"There are a lot of enforcers down there," he says. I nod, scanning for possible escape routes.

"That means we're in the right place," Violet remarks. She turns to Mylo, "You going to get that door open anytime soon?"

"Working on it," Mylo says, aggravated. I remain quiet, not wanting to add pressure. "Seeing as I'm the only one who knows how to pick locks, I suggest—" But before Mylo can finish, Violet strides forward and kicks the door open. Mylo flinches, startled by her sudden action. Claggor brushes past him as he follows Violet into the apartment, with Powder close behind.

"Animals…" Mylo grumbles, turning to me. Seeing my outstretched hand, he reluctantly takes it. I help pull him up before we enter ourselves. I glance around, furrowing my brows—this place seems fancy, but everything's arranged in a chaotic order. Everyone soon disperses, exploring the room.

"You know, Claggor, for once you're right. We are definitely not supposed to be here," Mylo says with a mischievous grin. He admires the place, greedily rubbing his hands together before examining some gadgets. I scan the bookshelves but find nothing interesting. Spotting a few gadgets on a small table, I examine them briefly before tossing them into the bag in the middle of the room.

"Must be an inventor," Vi muses. I turn to see a huge chalkboard covered in equations and blueprints. Squinting, I try to make sense of it all. On the desk beside the chalkboard, I notice a book and pick it up, flipping through its pages.

"This man is either crazy or a genius," I mutter, struggling to decipher the scribbled hypotheses and outcomes.

"Whoa, I think this is a real Valdiani," Powder exclaims excitedly. I look over to see her holding a small object that opens and plays a delicate jingle. Gently closing the book in my hands—but not letting go—I approach her to admire the intricate invention.

"Oh yeah? What about this?" Mylo asks with a smirk, brandishing another gadget he clearly thinks is valuable.

"That's a nose hair trimmer," I say with a giggle as Mylo's face falls at my words.

"Keep an eye out for anything valuable, Powder. Before the boys fill the bag with junk," Violet says, making me chuckle. I reopen the book, reading it and wondering if I should bring it with us.

"Uh... guys?" Claggor comments, drawing my attention to a mechanism on the desk covered in papers. I blink, staring at the blue stone placed in its center. As I approach it with the others, my hand moves of its own accord.

"Wait, Vi... How the hell did we find this place?" Claggor asks, looking at the pink-haired girl. As my finger nears the stone, I feel a zap and wince, pulling back my hand. The tingling shock courses through my body, but I can't tear my eyes away from the blue stone.

"It was a tip from Little Man," I hear her say, and I roll my eyes.

"Little Man?" Mylo asks in disbelief, questioning our decision to trust the small boy's information.

"Just leave it. C'mon," Vi says harshly, finally breaking me out of my trance—though my eyes still linger on the small blue orb. I shake my head and return to searching the room. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Powder start to walk down a hallway.

"How can anyone have so much stuff?" I hear Claggor ask as I follow Powder, overhearing their conversation.

"Simple, just get born lucky," Mylo says, making me huff in amusement and roll my eyes. As I reach the hallway, I notice papers pinned to the wall. Examining them, I begin to understand what this person might be creating. Approaching the room, I see Powder opening a chest filled with the same blue stones as the one I just encountered. As I'm about to move closer, I hear footsteps. I freeze, then quickly retreat to the others.

"Psst," I hiss quietly. Vi turns to me, eyebrows furrowed. I nod urgently, and she frowns.

"Mylo," she says quickly. He springs into action as I dash back down the hallway. Mylo wedges a chair against the door handle.

"Powder, we've got to go!" I hiss. She flinches, grabs the stones, and follows me as I hastily tidy up. I help Vi gather our loot, but as I'm lifting the bag, an explosion rips through the apartment. We're thrown across the room. I slam into the bookshelf and crumple to the floor, groaning and clutching my stomach. I push myself up to see Violet already at my side, ready to help.

We've definitely been discovered. The balcony starts to give way, and I help Vi ensure the others are secure before we hear screams from below. I swear silently, staring at the spot where Violet and I had just been standing—now a gaping hole in the floor stories above the street.

We spring into action, running. If we don't move now, we'll certainly be caught. Violet motions for me to take the lead, and I don't hesitate. I guide us out of Piltover, Enforcers' shouts echoing behind us. I dart around a corner, gesturing for the others to follow. The pursuers close in as I round another corner, feeling more confident as we near the underground. I wrench off a sewer lid and motion for them to enter.

"Oh man, not again! I just got this shirt!" Mylo yells as Violet kicks him down the putrid shaft. Claggor follows, then Powder. I dive in after them, with Violet close behind. I land hard on my side at the bottom, hissing through clenched teeth.

"I thought last time was the last time we were gonna do this," Mylo complains. I roll my eyes, shifting into a sitting position.

"Well, this time's the last time," Vi says harshly, her annoyance with the boy's complaints growing.

"Guys, what was that? What the hell happened back there?" Claggor asks. Everyone turns to Powder and me. I furrow my eyebrows.

"I don't know… I didn't do anything," Powder says defensively.

"Yeah, come on. We all didn't expect the owners to return so quickly," I say, earning an eye roll from Mylo. My face falls and I clench my fists.

"You could fill a damn library with all the things you didn't do," he mumbles. I stand up, ready to knock some sense into him.

"Guys, we just emptied a Piltover penthouse right under the enforcers' noses," Vi says, gathering everyone's attention. Everyone smiles but me. We might have done that, but we got caught in the process. There's no doubt trouble will come for us—or be waiting when we get back to the Lanes. I sigh, shaking my head as I walk out of the trash chute into the underground.

[mktournament]

Round 3: Jing Yuan vs Dan Heng (both normal and Imbibtor Lunae)

(Propaganda under the cut)

Jing Yuan:

my mans helped me clear 1000000000 calyxes

Dan Heng:

dan heng deserves this. he's been through so much. everything he stands for and everything his character is about has to do with choosing your own path in life, choosing the loved ones you spend your time with, and choosing the future you want for yourself. it's all about choice and decision and how destiny doesn't have to shape your life if you refuse to let it. dan heng at his core is a reminder and a promise that your past does not define you and you have the power to affect your own fate moving forward no matter what anyone else tells you

[gemini-magic17]

Entanglement Chapter Nineteen

It may have been only a week before Ser Easton arrived, but those were some of my life's loneliest days. Even though I had Calyx and the others I still longed for any kind of human interaction. The sound of the waves crashing amongst the rocks by the shore was soothing. It was so soothing that it put Calyx into a relaxed state as he laid his head on my lap.

From the stories I have heard and read about dragons on would think that they are just ferocious as well as destructive. Though from what I've seen they are just misunderstood and don't want to hurt anyone. Dragons may breathe fire and with that people see the harm and damage they could do. Yet, those rulers bound themselves to dragons by blood using magic. A dragon is not a tool or some kind of weapon that should be used for mass destruction against their will. Breaking me out of the rabbit hole my mind was going down I heard Ser Easton's footsteps approaching.

"If someone told me a couple of weeks ago that I would come face to face with a real-life dragon I wouldn't believe them", he said and I turned my head around to face him with a smile.

"I would have said the same thing", at that statement Calyx moved his head off my lap and started to ascend toward the skies. I got up from my current position and walked to him.

"How are you doing today", he asked.

"As good as one can be doing. Am I going to continue to feel like absolute shit about what I did", I asked.

"Don't worry about that. The feeling that you have right now is going to go away with time", he reassured me. I nodded my head and we made our way to the castle.

As we walked that way we stumbled across the golden-colored dragon I had met the day I arrived. The rest of the dragons that take up residence in Dristarya were all used in the Great War. Yet, when it comes to her she wasn't in any of the books. I mean there was no mention of her or a dragon with the same characteristics.

"Still haven't figured out where she came from have you", he questioned.

"No, and I'm starting to wonder if she was even used in the war. There is no mention of her in the books that I have read so far and nothing believes me to think that she was ever involved", I stated.

"Well if that's the case, where did she come from", he asked.

"I have no idea but if I had to guess I would say right here. She must have been hiding in those caves under the castle during that time. Thats the only logical thing I can think of", I said as I turned to look at her.

"That so then she doesn't have a name."

"Your right", I said and looked closely at her sleeping form.

"What are you going to name her then", he asked and it took me a minute before I could come up with the perfect name for her.

"Kylora. Her name will be Kylora."

"Kylora, it is a beautiful name. A beautiful name for a gorgeous dragon", he said with a smile. I returned his smile and we continued our path. We almost reached the castle doors when I stopped in my tracks and along with Ser Easton.

"Princess, what's wrong", he asked looking at me.

"I wanted to know if you would train me again", as I said those words his face of worry turned into one happiness.

"I thought you never ask. I have been waiting for this day to come but I have to ask are you sure you want to get back into this", he asked.

"I'm sure. What happened between my brother and I was a long time ago. My mother is not here to stop me from stopping me from doing something that I love. I know she just wanted to make sure this would never happen again but stopping this together was something she shouldn't have done", I said, and with that Ser Easton made his way inside to grab the swords while I waited outside.

**Ser Easton's POV

Grabbing the swords and making my way back to Y/n mulling over what she had asked of me brought joy. To know that she was ready to train again and that the fear she harbored about this had dissipated. As soon as I reached her I handed her a sword and we then made our descent to the clearing close to the beach.

"I want to ask you one more time before we continue. Are you sure you want to do this", I questioned and at that, she answered with a sly smile. Instead of answering the question she swung her sword at me almost making a slash on my chest as I stepped back.

"You were supposed to wait before I announced the beginning of training."

"You said so yourself when I was growing up that attacks come out of anywhere and your opponent won't wait until you are ready to do so", she said and ducked as my sword came close to the top of her head.

Y/n all of my attacks up until now as I tripped her and she landed on her side dropping her weapon. From what I can recall she still fights the same as she did growing up. However, something small has changed and it was the fire she held in her eyes as she delivered blow by blow.

"Not bad for someone who hasn't trained in over four years would you say", she laughed out of breathe as she laid on the ground.

"You are still somewhat rusty but you fight with such drive it is remarkable from what I have seen then as what I see now", I said extending my hand to her. She took my hand and as I helped her up the smile that came on her face was genuine.

"I guess you could say that recent developments have brought out that drive in me."

"No, it has always been there. It was just now that it decided to be relinquished."

**Kit's POV

The past few days have been hell! A storm had come the fourth day we were on the ship which almost caused it to sink. Boorman has been seasick this whole time which pisses me off. The constant sounds of him heaving and throwing up make me want to throw him overboard. Then of course there is Amara and the bitchness that she throws my way this entire time has been nonstop since we left Tir Asleen. Speak of the devil here she comes with the loud thuds of her boots across the deck.

"What do you want Amara", I said not looking at her.

"I just wanted to let you know what the captain has informed that in less than two days we will be in Dristarya", she said.

"Alright. If that's all go away your giving me a migraine", I said annoyed.

"You know what Kit I hope we do find Y/n not only to bring her home safe and sound. Bringing her home means that we will find out the reason she ran and I'm betting you are that reason. If so then I can't wait to see what her family is going to do to you, especially King Aiden", she said smirking then proceeded to walk towards the ships compartments.

What she had said rang in my head over and over again. I knew deep down that she was right about the fact I was the reason that Y/n left. I just don't understand why she did it after the wedding and not before. It would have made things easier for her she could have gone without any attachment to me. Instead, she waited and part of me couldn't help but think that she saw Jade and I in the armor. I'm just overthinking things she couldn't have seen the kiss that happened between Jade and I, right?

[tjemegames]

HSR: Character Build Archive - Hunt

Lan

The Cruising Aeon known as the Reignbow Arbiter by the Xianzhou, presiding over the Path of The Hunt. THEY roam endlessly between worlds to eradicate the abominations created by the Aeon of Abundance.

Archer

unreleased (3.4)

Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works] collab character. not familiar with him because I don't know anything about Fate at all, but he'll be a free unit so I'll gladly take him. while I'm definitely more than covered on the hunt front, I'm curious to know more about his kit and what will make him stand out among all the other units on this path

Boothill (e2s1)

desperately need to roll more break; I used to roll nothing but break before I started farming for this cyborg. once I hit 300% I'll be satisfied with my min-maxing

I'd also like more spd but that's easier said than done. honestly, rolling for a character who only really cares about two stats is a pain in the ass. if I felt like it was taking a million years to farm better pieces for jing yuan, then it is taking ten million years to get better pieces for boothill

don't mention his crate; it doesn't matter enough for me to stop using this absolutely bonkers cdmg body, and I couldn't care less about the 1-3% damage difference that I'd get with a proper crit ratio

latest update - 6.18.25 | fribbels score - 472 S+

Dan Heng (e6)

A cold and reserved young man who is reticent about his past. To avoid his kin, he decided to travel with the Astral Express.

hello to my favorite character! it is I, your number one fan

his build is beyond solid—I'd love to hit a character score of 500 someday—but I'm still tweaking it because he deserves the best

ideally, in a perfect world, he wouldn't be sharing pieces with anaxa and dhil. unfortunately, while my relic luck has been on the upswing lately, rutilant hates me and I cannot roll another decent atk sphere to save my life

latest update - 6.18.25 | fribbels score - 489 SS+

Dr. Ratio (e0)

An eccentric, self-centered, slightly gloomy, and yet elegant Intelligentsia Guild member. He often wears a bizarre plaster head sculpture over his head despite his handsome features.

unleveled

didn't get his cone when he reran, but I've recently come around to the idea of building and leveling him. this is totally not because I'm running low on units to trace max and I have way too many credits and level mats to waste my weekly 20 calyx runs for the battle pass xp on those. totally not the reason at all

Feixiao (e0s1)

The Arbiter-General of the Xianzhou Yaoqing. Referred to as the Merlin's Claw. Decisive like lightning and always doing what is right, she has demonstrated outstanding military success through her martial prowess.

this is the sunday support build: it gives me the perfect amount of crate when paired with him. however, I'm currently working towards a second set of valorous for a moze sub dps build because so many of my teams use sunday for the crit boosts

completely folded on myself when I pulled for her. she quite literally cost me everything (227 warps) to get during her debut. she's definitely been worth the cost and effort though

latest update - 6.18.25 | fribbels score - 493 SS+

March 7th - The Hunt (e6)

A girl who once slumbered in eternal ice and knows nothing about her past. To find out the truth about her origins, she decided to travel with the Astral Express. As of right now, she has prepared about 67 different versions of her life story for herself.

I love this version of march so much. cute outfit, unlimited team combinations, fun animations, what's not to like?

haven't made any tweaks to her build in a while. I'd like to get her on a set of rutilant but my luck there has been abysmal (and I've been farming it consistently since launch)

latest update - 6.18.25 | fribbels score - 479 SS

Moze (e6)

An aide under Feixiao. He is in charge of intelligence and security. As a hidden blade, his presence is rarely perceived, appearing only when he is needed.

finally got him leveled up and useable! still have quite a ways to go towards the stats I'd like him to have. while his pieces aren't terrible, they could be so much better and I really want to get him to a place where he truly shines

the continuous loop of "darkness, charge!" and "crowfeather's stealth" during battle make it so hard for me to take him seriously sometimes

probably the most conspicuous assassin I've ever seen because of all the things going on with his design. don't get it twisted, I like the design, but it would absolutely attract attention if he weren't able to blend into the shadows. just saying ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

latest update - 6.18.25 | fribbels score - 445 S

Seele (e0)

A resident of the Underworld and the backbone of Wildfire. She goes by the alias "Babochka." She has a frank personality, but there is a delicate and sensitive hidden side to her deep in her heart.

another case of relic sharing with anaxa and dhil, but it doesn't matter nearly as much because I don't use seele all that much

don't really see myself putting time aside to get her a true set of her own until they (hopefully) buff her kit. although, this could change if I lose 50/50s and get some of her eidolons

latest update - 6.18.25 | fribbels score - 480 SS

Sushang (e6)

Born on the Xianzhou Yaoqing, sent to the Cloud Knights of the Luofu for military training. She wields her family sword, a gift from her mother, and longs for the future she will go on to write.

stripped and benched: I have no need to use sushang anymore because of boothill. -1 big chicken ult

could potentially see myself working on a build for her at some point down the line (when I need a break from min-maxing other units) just to be able to use the big chicken ult again, tbh

Topaz & Numby

Senior Manager of the Strategic Investment Department in the Interastral Peace Corporation, and leader of the Special Debts Picket Team. Already a member of the "Ten Stonehearts" at a young age, Topaz's Cornerstone is the "topaz of debt retrieval." She and Numby— her partner —are traversing the cosmos together, chasing down various debts and liabilities that negatively influence the IPC's commercial ventures.

[Numby is] a Warp Trotter who is capable of acutely perceiving where "riches" are located, and Topaz's family and business partner. It can even perform jobs involving security, debt collection, and actuarial sciences.

unowned: not interested in pulling. I thought this might change when more synergistic follow-up units were released, but it hasn't. no shade to her or numby, they're just not needed on my account

Yanqing (e3)

General Jing Yuan's retainer. A gifted swordsman who hasn't even come of age. No one can best Yanqing when he holds a sword in hand.

unleveled: I was originally planning to play with him back in 1.4 when I first got him as an early off the standard banner, but the next day I unintentionally pulled an early jingliu, so I never got around to it

not necessarily interested in playing with him these days—he also desperately needs a buff—so I don't foresee myself working on him until I've run out of more appealing units to work on

Return to Navigation

[randomwriteronline]

The port was bustling with beings of all sorts. If the noise hadn't already been enough to make him as sick as a De-Matoran exposed to the faintest buzzing of a far away Rama, the bodies shoving him around like an empty sack and squashing him between them would have gotten the job done.

If somebody apostrophed him he either did not notice or did not aknowledge it; frankly, in a place like this, it was better that way.

Masks, teeth and snouts melted in his vision as he passed through them, struggling to breathe as the tremors that had started rattling him half to death hours ago still refused to give him any respite. Within the swirling typhoon of his own thoughts he realized numbly he had nothing on himself - no currency of any kind, no object to trade, no means to survive beside his own tool.

Then, like a dream, an unusual Kanohi flew past him.

His yellow eyes fixed on it.

He managed to move only as it was disappearing off towards the docks, devoured within the shifting mound of bodies: he bolted off after it with newfound energy as he shoved his way through the much larger beings blocking his path.

"Whexie!" he cried out: "Whexie!"

The white-armored Toa stopped in his tracks and looked around, a puzzled expression beneath his mask.

Relief swept over him as he recognized the Calyx.

"Whexie!"

The Toa's gaze fell onto the golden Hau, and lit up.

"Lhi!" Whexie shouted back at him, arms raised and already hurrying over to him: "Lhi! Brother of mine!"

They joined fists in a quick salute before Lhikan was pulled into a tight hug: "Great Spirit," he wheezed as he grabbed onto the cold armor like his life depended on it, "It's been so long."

"It has! Ah, it really has - how many years? A thousand, two, three?"

"What are- you," the Ta-Toa struggled to speak "What, what are you doing here?"

His friend pointed to a ship docked not too far away, all abuzz with Toa of Ice: "Just stopped to restock - we're off to get some brothers and sisters for a team or two. What about you?" a laugh snaked into his voice: "Don't tell me they're still sending you off on errands!"

Lhikan would have laughed about it too, because he'd always hated running errands, and maybe he would have groaned before confirming his punishment, or playfully shoved him off for assuming he was still being treated like a freshly turned novice after all these centuries of hard training.

But the Toa of Fire only managed the momentary ghost of a chuckle, and though he tried, and tried, and tried, his words failed him.

His grip onto Whexie tightened, shivers wrecking him once more; his brother's smile dropped quickly as his friend's condition visibly worsened in the span of only a few seconds.

Before he could press on, Lhikan spat out a single word: "Frostelus..."

The Ko-Toa stiffened: "An attack?"

"The," Lhikan stuttered, "The fortress..."

Whexie's hold on his arms turned steadier, his eyes resolute - they'd known each other for so little, all things considered, back when he'd come along to a visit to his cold brother's own fortress, but his readiness to action was the first thing that had stuck out to him and that he had so terribly envied even after the two had become fast friends: "How far is it from here?" he asked quickly. "If it's close enough it'll take us nothing to--"

But Lhikan shook his head, and his voice sputtered out of him like dirty water from a faulty faucet: "N- n- Whe- Whexie, no, it's - gone, it's gone, it's gone, the for- fortress is, it's... It's..."

He stopped only as kind arms wrapped around him again.

"Oh, Lhikan," he heard breathed into his audio receptor. He clung again to the white armor while a hand pressed comfortingly on his back. "How many of you escaped?"

The tremors turned harsher. "Me," the Ta-Toa started as if making a list; but no names followed his.

The hug enveloping him squeezed him a little tighter.

A kind chill seeping into his muscles offered a welcome respite.

The hold on him shifted suddenly, slipping around his shoulders to press him against his friend and sustain him, as though he was going to fall to the ground at any moment.

In all fairness, with how hard he'd started shaking again, it wasn't that silly of an assumption.

"Come," Whexie said with such a tone that it almost sounded like an order while beginning to drag him away from the spot he'd seemed to root himself in: "Come, brother of mine, come with us. We'll take care of you."

Lhikan struggled to stand his ground, to halfheartedly pull away from the kind grip: "No, no - Whexie, there's- I'll, I won't--"

"It is no good to walk alone in a universe as vast as this, even with masks as powerful as yours and mine," the Toa of Ice cut him off. His frigid tone melted a little as he tugged his poor brother closer, so much that their heartlights could have been mistaken for a single one from a distance: "You'll always be welcome among my kin. And I told you, didn't I? We're setting off to assemble a team or two. I know there is no one beside whom I'd want to fight more than you."

The lone Fire Toa's yellow eyes wavered briefly.

His head laid hard against Whexie; stiff shoulders at last sinking with a long sigh which was equal parts grateful, relieved, and still so awfully guilty, he allowed himself to be taken to the ship without offering any more resistance.

"Mata Nui sent you here, brother," he whispered before one of the more seasoned Toa could stop his work to holler down at them, demanding to know who he was.

He felt a cold hand squeeze him comfortingly: "I'm glad he did."

[fluffalpenguin]

Better late than never right (looks directly at the camera)

⬅[Prev] Day 7: Free Day

@ygoc-week Day 7.2: The F in Free Day stands for Flower Language (Final)

i'm very normal about flowers and symbolism okay

Originally I picked the Hibiscus for Fuschia because it has a loud appearance just like him, but then I found out it represents fame, glory and riches?? Perfect for mr get that bread (he also likes the edible kind)

also apparently you can use it to denote if you're married or not in Hawaii well he sure is a househusband thumbs up emoji

With their dignified and noble appearance, I immediately looked towards white Chrysanthemums for Viol! They require lots of water, and this boy can pack so much ocean-related imagery

White chrysanthemums in particular also symbolise mourning and are used in many parts of the world at funerals, and he's had to deal with two major losses in his life (one before and one during the war).

According to this one Japanese blog I found, the name (kiku) comes from the word for dead end because it's the "last flower to bloom in the year" and that's very funny so apt to me because it symbolises the fate of those from the Fusion Dimension that crossed his path during the war (except for one little guy)

Jackie was another character where I assigned a flower to her out of vibes and then when I checked its symbolism it was a match made in heaven yippee

Camellias are bold, beautiful, and being winter bloomers, tough and resilient. As an orphan that climbed her way up the social ladder in the Synchro Dimension through years of shady side-jobs, that alone would have cinched the assignation, but on top of that, camellias also represent eternal love and long-lasting devotion as the petals and calyx fall together when the flower withers.

Jackie is a very social creature, and here, she's holding (slowly letting go of) yellow camellias, which represent friendship, highlighting what's most important to her...

The Ghost Orchid has no cool symbolism or flower language associated with it (yet, anyway) but it has plenty of characteristics to derive meaning from!

Inhabiting swamps and forests and blooming once a year or sometimes even none at all, it's an extremely rare specimen.

It's largely leafless, and relies on its roots rather than photosynthesis for nutrients. Likewise, instead of relying on others like how plants require sunlight, Fleur sets up her spider web throughout the Synchro Dimension to accomplish her goals.

Also, both she and the plant have the same little scarf!! (Another happy coincidence)

Bonus lore!! (since its related) Jackie also has a habit of assigning flowers and animals to all the women she meet (Viol is the odd exception) and keeps track of them in a little notebook she carries around (and me with a handy dandy excel sheet).

[astrxlfinale]

HC; Concept of Destruction. The Connection.

Outside of the more physical sightings of how Destruction is exercised and exerted as a concept through battle, I'd actually like to explore it deeper in a way I'm glad to see Star Rail taking it. How these forces are in their own ways Laws that either conflict or unify with their opposing. Caelus's situation of being a Stellaron's host gives him an uncanny valley of being a Pathstride involving Destruction.

That golden potential courses through body and soul, it's a force that intends to dismantle above all else, and this can go for high potentials from other Paths as well. My best example to look at would be the scenario where you could consume Dan Shu's 'medication' which served as a one stop shop for becoming Mara struck. For anyone that should've been it, for the conflicting biological laws via the Abundance intended to overwrite your current structure.

You can see firsthand how it's actively working to make you the soil and seed, and how your will plays a potential variable if you can be the sentience amidst this rapid vitality that intends to use you. It's through the Destruction and in kind, the encounter with the Cloud Knights as the Seat of Foresight that a key ingredient to wade off the worst comes into play. Conflict.

Conflict from the conceptual scale is one of the guiding fuels for Destruction. Elimination, collision, dismantling in ways that create the nurturing grounds for the new to rise. Through a combination of being upon this path, and sporting one of Nanook's Stellarons, that said valley was tapped into in order to make this dangerous overgrowth of life pause in it's tracks.

You come to see it during the check up.

Similar to how the Stellaron's influence eroded the death of the Ambrosial Arbor to allow it's functions to reactivate, from how I see it, it also held that same quality to directly erase that same influence that selfishly takes to live on, as the essence of life always tends to do.

In the end, I believe that one of Destruction's biggest boons despite it's highly volatile potential is breaking. If it cannot be overcome, it can actively devour the current reality, it's physical/spiritual structures to it's conceptual laws if it's force cannot be triumphed over. In return, this is what gives me the idea in how it can make these miracles take place. The sacrifice of resolve/will, of literal grounds, these all provide sustenance that can enact a recreation function as well. Despite how it ends all, we can also see through the Fragmentum it does a similar angle to the Remembrance.

It rememebers, even if it provides more bastardized and at time even stronger variants. Considering how much of a universal menace the Stellaron network is, the wealth of knowledge kept in Destruction's hand would be a vast quantity.

That said, this is starter post I intend to return to. There's other mysteries such as the Trailblaze Path's relationship with the Destruction I want to dig deeper into. The formatting of powerful memories and giving opportunities for Trailblazes to recover these methods of empowerment from the Calyx earns it's own study, the sort I'd love to see more in!

Routing this all back to Caelus, being the host of a stabilized Stellaron thus puts him in this really weird angle. While abilities like this can be utilized (and I'm pretty sure that reach will grow with the game), it's also hosting it's fine share of mystery due to being a Stellaron that managed a peaceful stabilization. Exactly what can that entail outside of a more intimate connection with Nanook's Path?

[jkenvs3000w25]

Blog Five: How has your ability to interpret nature evolved through science?

After reading through this week’s content pertaining to nature interpretation through science, I am inspired to blog about how my personal ability to interpret nature has been influenced by science.  

Science has always been an integral part of my life. I have always been fascinated with biology, especially plant biology. The earliest memory I have of being fascinated with plants is when I chose to bake a cake and decorate it as a plant cell for a school project in the eighth grade.  

Although I am currently a biological science major, I have shaped most of my university career around taking plant biology courses. This includes botany, ecology and horticulture courses.  

Science allows for a much clearer understanding of nature and serves as an explanation for some of the observations we make as interpreters. For instance, you might be observing a thunderstorm through the window of your house and notice that lightning is only striking the tallest trees in the area. This observation, although enough on its own, can be explained scientifically.  

Typically, the tallest trees are stricken by lightning because they are the tallest objects in the sky. These trees act as lightning rods and enable the lightning to become grounded with the path of least resistance. This is why you might not observe lightning striking smaller trees. This is because there would be greater resistance as the lightning would need to travel further in order to access the smaller tree, thus creating a greater path of resistance.  

In my personal experience, I have found myself looking at the flowers of different plant species and noting the differences. I can use my plant knowledge to understand these observations and the differences I have noted. For instance, the flowers which are long and slender, have an inferior ovary while the flowers that are shorter and wider have a superior ovary. Through my education in science, I know that the purpose for these differences in ovary location is relative to pollination success. 

I have also found myself dissecting bisexual flowers to determine the floral parts. This includes the corolla, calyx, androecium and gynoecium. The corolla is the collection of sepals while the calyx is the collection of petals. The androecium refers to the collection of stamens which are the male reproductive organs within the flower. Each stamen includes an anther and filament. Whereas the gynoecium refers to the collection of carpels which are the female reproductive organs within the flower. Each carpel includes the stigma, style and ovary.  

Prior to having the scientific knowledge that I now have, I would still be able to make observations but would lack the scientific understanding to conceptualize these observations. Science has enabled me to better interpret the observations I make about nature to the point where I can understand what I am seeing, feeling, hearing, touching or smelling. Additionally, science has enabled me to be a better teacher to my audience whom I may be trying to educate about nature.  

[radioactiveradley]

join me in pell (piss hell)

Let's talk kidneys!

Your kidneys are situated:

Inferior to the liver and the suprarenal glands

Superior to the ureters

Anterior to the posterior wall of abdomen and diaphragm

Posterior to the peritoneum (sack with yer guts in it)

Their job is to:

Regulate blood ions (like sodium) and control blood pH

Maintain blood volume (by extracting or conserving water)

Secrete hormones

Excrete toxic waste (urea, ammonia, creatinine…)

Guess what shape they are. Go on, guess.

YEAH THAT’s RIGHt – IT’S BEAN TIME, BITCHEs

[CW: beneath the cut you will find CT images of kidney trauma]

(and here is some very basic anatomy, sketched on… that same bean)

The renal cortex + renal pyramids together form the PARENCHYMA, aka the functional bit of the kidneys (aka where your peepee is made)

But HOW is that peepee made, I hear you cry?

Lemme introduce you to my good friend

The Nephron

The afferent arteriole carries blood to the Glomerulus (which isn’t actually some weird DnD spell – just a knot of arteries surrounded by the Glomerular Capsule!) This arteriole then slims down considerably to form the efferent arteriole. This pressure increase forces loads of waste products and water out of the bloodstream into the glomerular capsule – but the holes in the arteriole wall are too small to release blood cells, plasma proteins, and other large molecules. This part of the nephron is called the ‘corpuscle’ (again, not a DnD spell). It’s where your blood plasma gets filtered!

The arteriole then follows the nephron around its windy path, wrapping around it at several points – notably the proximal/distal convoluted tubules, and the Vasa Recta that runs parallel to the Loop of Henle. To horrifically simplify a complex process, this provides lots of opportunities for secretion (Bad Stuff to be squeezed out of the blood – those dangerous ions and waste products we talked about earlier!) and selective reabsorption (Good Stuff (water) gets squeezed back in). It’s a careful balancing act, orchestrated in part by hormones! The end result (theoretically) is that all the stuff you DON’T want is shlorped into the nephron as urine, and all the water you need is shlorped back into the blood.

Once your kidneys have produced your peepee, it takes a fun rollercoaster ride through a series of ducts and tubes! Collecting duct -> papillary duct -> minor calyx -> major calyx -> renal pelvis -> ureter -> urinary bladder -> urethra -> you know the rest.

Your kidneys produce 180 litres of fluid a day (aka, a hell of a lot) but most of this is reabsorbed in these little nephrons, with water & useful solutes going back into the bloodstream! As a result, you only pee about 1-2 litres a day (though I swear I feel closer to the 180 litres some days)

Because kidneys are SOOOO important (your body does NOT like to be full of urea/ammonia/sodium, or acid!) they’re really, really vascular (lots of blood supply). They receive up to 25% of your resting cardiac output! So, when you’re just chilling, literally 25% of your blood is being gobbled by those hungry, hungry kidneys!

This means the kidney is VULNERABLE TO TRAUMA.

Although kidney trauma can be picked up on Ultrasound, we will take anyone who has suffered abdominal trauma through to CT, as you get better pictures there! We usually use a multiphase protocol – a longer scan, basically – to show us the extent of the injury, with a non-contrast phase (shows calculi clearly), an arterial phase (evaluates any injury to the renal arteries), a nephographic phase (shows renal lesions clearly), and a delayed phase (shows bleeding and injuries to the urinary collection system). Basically, contrast quickly moves to your kidneys from your blood stream, and filters through the collection system – so if we give a bolus of contrast and watch it flood through the renal arteries, then wait a little while, we can see how the kidneys are processing it or if it’s spilling into the surrounding space.

Kidney trauma is graded from 1 (no laceration but a haematoma (bruise) within the kidney capsule) to 5 (kidney torn away from renal vascular system and dying as a result, actively bleeding, structure of kidney shattered). Here’s a grade 5 (Left (looks like the right side of the image)) in comparison to the normal healthy kidney (Right (looks like the left side of the image)). Note the massive visible laceration + huge haematoma!

Loooooads of other stuff can go wrong with your kidneys too – but that’s a whole other post! Which I will make, one day soon, because it's super fascinating!

(Have you ever heard of a stag horn calculus? It will put you off holding onto your pee FOR LIFE. If you're sitting there kinda needing the loo but not going... GO NOW. PLEASE.)l

[krawlernyannyan]

HSR 3-15-24

2x Cavern runs. Nothing but Watchmaker relics today, and only Relics with DEF main stats too.

8x Erudition Calyx. Today's haul got Herta a boost to her Basic Attack (4+1 -> 5+1) and her Skill/Ultimate (6+2 -> 7+2 each).

8x Nihility Calyx.

Did a run of Gold and Gears at D5C10 today! Path of Elation, highlight reel from that:

Accidentally had to fight one of the IPC tanks without a healer but thankfully March was still on the team for sustain so nobody wound up dying.

Huohuo got to add another Searing Prowler onto her kill list. Also a Bronya! (Albeit just the one Cocolia summons.)

Ran into Ruan Mei again! Unfortunately she was offering Elation blessings so I had to take the 2k credits again.

Fought the Swarm as the final boss and things were going alright until one of the Outrage beetles blew up and killed both of my DPS at once, leaving it to Huohuo and March to finish off the fight. I had enough sustain at that point to tank most of it and let Remembrance do most of the work. I actually killed one of the True Stings but then another round of Outrage took out my ability to ult and the Swarm Onslaught finished me off. It was really close too!

March and Huohuo wound up fighting the final boss for so long I got an achievement for getting hit by Nous' Resonances over and over.

Five-Star Fund: 184/180 (50 Character Pity; 35 LC Pity) Days to v2.1: 11

[stormycs15]

⸻ Topside, Male Oc x Reader ⸻

Chapter Two: (Nice Haul?)

Characters: female reader, Vi, Powder, Mylo, Claggor, Vander, Oc, Vander, Goons

genre: fanfiction, Arcane season 1

summary: Life has been hard for you're friends and family in the Lanes. Doing odd jobs to get by is second nature for you, but will one job topside really change your lives?

word count: 2366

Previous / Next

We entered the underground as the setting sun cast a warm glow over the nearly deserted streets. I savored each moment we passed an alleyway that let the sunlight through. The comforting warmth made me slow my pace, embracing the sensation—it was unbeatable, the best feeling in the world. We walked in silence through the empty streets. Nobody lingered this close to Piltover; it was a death sentence. No one wanted to tangle with the enforcers.

As we walked, I sensed eyes on us and shifted my weight, alerting the others. They understood the meaning of that action. Footsteps approached from behind, and I clenched my jaw, knowing trouble was brewing.

"Nice haul?" I heard from behind. I didn't dare look at the blonde kid we'd passed. I wasn't in the mood to deal with these guys.

"You could say that," Mylo replied, trying to shake them off. Vi shot him a look—if anything, his comment would only pique their interest. We needed to get home before causing more problems.

"I heard there was some action across the river... Someone really stirred up the nest, huh?" the blonde said. I finally turned to glare at him. Couldn't he just leave us alone? He smirked at me, and my eyes narrowed further. I remembered this guy from before the incident on the bridge years ago. Even if I recalled him, it didn't mean I liked him.

"Is that so?" Vi asked, turning to resume our long walk back, only to find a few kids blocking our path. I turned back to the blonde and watched him carefully as he stalked towards us. I lowered my stance, preparing for a fight. His eyes gleamed with amusement as he saw me, itching for confrontation.

"But now you're tracking this mess of yours through my streets," he said, making me blink and crack my knuckles.

"Your streets? What makes you think—" I began lowly, stepping forward, only to be interrupted by Claggor. I briefly glared at him before refocusing my anger on the blonde.

"Listen, we don't want any trouble, okay?" Claggor said, trying to defuse the situation. I wanted out of this as much as he did. We didn't need a fight after what we'd just done. No doubt word had already spread to Calyx and Vander. We were so screwed…

"Hear that, Deckard? They don't want any trouble," I heard from my left, my eyes shifting to the speaker.

"You know, in my experience, trouble finds you. There's no reason this has to get ugly. How about you share a little taste of your treasure, and we'll call it even?" Deckard said. I rolled my shoulders and stretched my neck, bracing myself.

"No, no, no. We worked too hard for this," Mylo protested. I placed a hand on his shoulder, earning a confused look from him before Vi stepped forward.

"Just a taste?" she asked. I could see an evil glint in Deckard's eyes. I clenched my jaw, letting my hand fall, and watched closely as Vi took the bag and swung it up, hitting him under the chin. I raised my head, chin held high. Just like that, Vi tossed our loot to Powder, and the fight broke loose.

I stayed in front of Powder, keeping her safe as much as possible. That was until I saw a second guy go after Vi from behind. Jumping into action, I slid forward, kicking his feet out from under him. As he hit the ground, he glared up at me. I just smirked, letting him get back to his feet. He snarled and threw himself at me, and it was like my body moved on its own.

I dodged every hit he tried to land. I couldn't help but smile as I grabbed his outstretched arm and swiftly pinned it against his back. Chuckling, I slammed him harshly against the wall as he struggled to get free. But as I went to do more damage, an arm slid around my throat and pulled me off him. Losing air quickly, I raised my arm, trying to create space between his arm and my neck. With my other hand, I felt around for the perfect spot and swiftly jabbed my hand into his Adam's apple. He quickly let go, and I blocked the hits from the guy in front of me. As I threw an attack at him, I felt my feet swept out from under me, and my arm collided harshly with the ground.

I let out an uncomfortable grunt, feeling the now obvious twist in my arm. I was being dragged by my foot through the dry dirt, kicking up dust. Growling, I pulled my knee towards me, causing my body to drag closer to the guy before I kicked him over. I saw him hit his head and fall unconscious. As I helped myself up, I saw the others had finished dealing with their opponents.

"This day is turning out alright after all," Mylo exclaimed, looking at the bodies on the floor before turning to the rest of us. I rolled my eyes, grabbing a roll of fabric from a crate nearby. I started to wrap my wrist, which was already beginning to swell.

"Wait!" We all turn to see Deckard pointing a knife at us. I raise my eyebrows. The guy looks terrible—there's no way he'd win just because he has a knife. Rolling my eyes, I continue wrapping my wrist uncomfortably. I watch as Vi walks up to him, getting closer to his blade.

"You wanna see how that ends?" she asks, unfazed. Deckard slumps away into the darkness. Vi quickly looks around, noticing Powder's absence. "Where's Powder?" she asks, and I frown, scanning the area. I figure she's just hiding, but when she doesn't come out, I start to worry. We head to the meeting place and find her waiting for us. I sigh with relief, patting her blue hair. Everyone seems relieved she's safe... until we find out she lost the loot.

"You did what?" Mylo yells. I roll my eyes. Suddenly, the uneven stone under my feet seems more interesting than watching Mylo berate Powder.

"I'm sorry. I tried to fight him off with Mouser, but... she didn't work," Powder explains timidly. I frown, letting my shoulders droop. I can sense everyone's annoyance.

"Who saw that coming?" Mylo asks, raising his hand. I lean forward from my spot against the wall.

"Lay off, Mylo," I warn, earning an eye roll from him. I know he isn't happy with me either, but he needs to calm down.

"We never should have gone over there," Claggor groans, banging his head on a wall in shame as I stare down Mylo, who glares back.

"Doesn't matter. The stuff's gone. It's all right, Powder. At least you're okay," Vi says to Powder as we enter the building. The dusty place makes me want to sneeze.

"Okay? What about us? I get my face bashed in, and she just gets a pass?" Mylo asks, walking up next to Vi. I keep glaring at him.

"Yup," Vi replies simply. A throb draws my attention, and I look down at my wrist. I notice the others didn't get hurt as badly. While a twist is better than a sprain, I won't be at peak performance until it heals. We all walk to the elevator as Vi turns it on. The entire elevator room sways unsafely as we start to descend.

"Every time... Every time she comes, something goes wrong. She jinxes every job," Mylo says, giving me the same frustrated look he gave Powder.

"Just drop it, Mylo," Vi says before gazing over the underground as we descend into its hazy glory. I watch with a dull expression as the green glow from the lights illuminates the shadows through the haze.

"Vander and Calyx aren't going to be happy with us... are they?" Powder comments as we survey the city. I huff—I hate this place so much. Being topside all day only intensifies my dislike.

"Definitely," I say, shoving my hands in my pockets. We exit the elevator and start walking towards the lanes. I ignore Mylo as he snags a fruit from a stand we pass. I keep my eyes peeled for anything interesting—and to make sure I don't see my parents. As we near the Last Drop, I avert my eyes and slow my pace, heading for the alley next to the establishment. Not wanting to risk running into my parents, I glance around before ducking into the alley.

With a few nimble jumps, I make it to the roof. I traverse the unsteady surface until I reach the hatch Vander let me install. Opening it, I silently slide onto the ceiling beams. I skillfully walk across them to a board I'd placed between two beams. A piece of fabric stretched between the boards serves as a hammock. Sighing, I flop down into the fabric, swaying slightly. I don't move as the door opens, knowing it's the four of them.

"Did he see you?" I ask from my perch, making Mylo and Claggor flinch.

"Holy shit," Mylo swears. My successful startle brings a smirk to my face.

"You need to learn how to make your presence known. It's so creepy," Claggor comments. I roll my eyes.

"That's the point. Did he see you?" I grumble, crossing my arms with a frown. They all flop into chairs.

"Yes, freak..." I hear Mylo mumble. I clench my jaw, feeling emotions threatening to surface.

"Vander learns nothing, alright," Vi says, looking around. I just stare at the open hatch. We really messed up today.

"No worries there... Powder took care of the evidence for us," Mylo sneers at her. I close my eyes, fed up with his whining. He messes up too; he needs to learn how to work with us.

"I tried, okay? You don't get it. You're older, you're bigger. It's not fair," Powder argues. I don't have to look at her to know she's already beating herself up over what happened.

"So stick with us! Take a punch or two!" Mylo shouts angrily. I run a hand over my face. That's when Vander enters the room, causing everyone to fall silent. He looks around and raises his eyebrows.

"Everyone all right?" I hear Vander ask. I purse my lips, staying silent.

"Never better. Good," Mylo mutters unhappily. I don't dare move, unsure if Calyx is with him. Part of me wishes he was... and another dreads seeing his disappointed face.

"I don't suppose you can explain why I'm hearing about an explosion and a foot chase topside? Five children fleeing the scene... What the hell were you thinking?" Vander asks. I gaze out of the hatch above me, longing to see the stars. They must be so clear in Piltover... I can't even see them from here.

"That we can handle a real job," Vi's voice reminds me that we're in big trouble.

"A real job?" Vander asks in disbelief. I sense Vi getting defensive. I shift my leg to push myself from the beam.

"We got our own tip, planned a route. Nobody even saw us," Vi starts, only to be interrupted. I sway gently, calming myself down.

"You blew up a building," Vander says, unamused. I trace the buildings above with my eyes. He's right.

"That wasn't—"

"Did you even stop to think about what could have happened to you? To them?" Vander asks, sighing. After a moment's silence, he continues, "Where did you even get this tip?" I wince silently, not wanting Ekko to be thrown under the bus.

"We just heard it at Benzo's shop," Powder says quietly. I know it's too late.

"From?" Vander presses, waiting for the bad news.

"Little Man..." Powder finally admits. I hear Vander's deep sigh. My eyes fall from the opening above to a spider crawling nearby. I place my hand next to it, letting it crawl over my fingers as I listen to the argument.

"I took us there. If you want to be mad, be mad at me. But you're the one who always says we have to earn our place in this world," Vi counters, defending our actions.

"I also told you time and time again, the Northside's off-limits. We stay out of Piltover's business," Vander argues back. I feel like a coward up here... I should be down there with everyone else getting lectured. But I know if my mother walks in, there'll be hell to pay. So staying up here is my best bet.

"Why? They've got plenty, while we're down here scraping together coins. When did you get so comfortable living in someone else's shadow?" Vi yells. Her words make me freeze. That was a low blow, Vi...

"Everyone out," Vander orders, waiting for them to leave.

"[y/n]... you up there? I didn't see you walk in with everyone else," he asks tiredly. I shift silently, figuring he knew I was here the whole time.

"Yeah..." I reply simply, not wanting to make him angrier. I know how people can get when they're mad, and I never want to see Vander truly angry.

"Calyx is taking care of the bar. Go and help him, would you?" he asks. I sigh, closing the hatch. As I start to hang, I remember my hurt wrist. Putting pressure on it, I hiss in pain and lose my grip, falling onto the couch.

"You okay, kid?" Vander asks, noticing my slip. I keep my eyes on the ground as I walk towards the door.

"I've had worse," I say before opening the door. I see Mylo and Claggor, but I slam the door, ignoring them as I head up the stairs.

[yhwhrulz]

Streams in the Desert Devotional for September 20

"Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?" (John 11:40).

Mary and Martha could not understand what their Lord was doing. Both of them said to Him, "Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died." Back of it all, we seem to read their thought: "Lord, we do not understand why you have stayed away so long. We do not understand how you could let death come to the man whom you loved. We do not understand how you could let sorrow and suffering ravage our lives when your presence might have stayed it all. Why did you not come? It is too late now, for already he has been dead four days!"

And to it all Jesus had but one great truth: "You may not understand; but I tell you if you believe, you will see."

Abraham could not understand why God should ask the sacrifice of the boy; but he trusted. And he saw the glory of God in his restoration to his love. Moses could not understand why God should keep him forty years in the wilderness, but he trusted; and he saw when God called him to lead forth Israel from bondage.

Joseph could not understand the cruelty of his brethren, the false witness of a perfidious woman, and the long years of an unjust imprisonment; but he trusted, and he saw at last the glory of God in it all.

Jacob could not understand the strange providence which permitted the same Joseph to be torn from his father’s love, but he saw the glory of God when he looked into the face of that same Joseph as the viceroy of a great king, and the preserver of his own life and the lives of a great nation.

And so, perhaps in your life. You say, "I do not understand why God let my dear one be taken. I do not understand why affliction has been permitted to smite me. I do not understand the devious paths by which the Lord is leading me. I do not understand why plans and purposes that seemed good to my eyes should be baffled. I do not understand why blessings I so much need are so long delayed.

Friend, you do not have to understand all God’s ways with you. God does not expect you to understand them. You do not expect your child to understand, only believe. Some day you will see the glory of God in the things which you do not understand.-- J. H. McC

"If we could push ajar the gates of life,

And stand within, and all God’s working see,

We might interpret all this doubt and strife,

And for each mystery could find a key.

"But not today. Then be content, poor heart;

God’s plans, like lilies pure and white, unfold.

We must not tear the close-shut leaves apart--

Time will reveal the calyxes of gold.

"And if, through patient toil, we reach the land

Where tired feet, with sandals loosed, may rest,

When we shall clearly know and understand,

I think that we shall say, ’’God knew best."’’

Copyright Statement This material is considered in the public domain.

[thingswhatareawesome]

1.6 thoughts, spoilery

i liked the trl continuation, it was a fun little mystery, and i like how spooky and creepy the abandoned space station areas were. kind of did that ambiance even better than the heliobi event areas. the critter stuff was v cute, and i liked it didn't take long to do, just a couple evenings for me. fairly simple but still fun.

rm is a fucking mad scientist. just fascinating how helpful and nice she's seemed, and how she's so calm, serene, graceful--but also obsessed and really WEIRD. not just wanting to create life, but an eminator of the swarm jfc what NO. good lord. also, the whole not giving a shit about her creations if they're not geniuses is uh, a tiny bit on the eugenics side so yeah.

constrasting her with ratio is interesting. he's arrogant, smarmy, cheesy, but is sort of an opposite in not wanting genius to be deified. yeah he hates dealing with stupid people, but it seems more like his attitude about it is to educate and spread knowledge, and so a non-genius can just do for themselves without needing geniuses. i wasn't expecting to like him super much esp with potential connections to ipc, but honestly he amuses me and rm scares the hell out of me now. so much for the so helpful person from the sim u.

have tried and cleared gold and gears I and II, attempted III twice only to fail on last boss both times (once messing with prop path, then using guide recommended remembrance). close the first time, super close the second time but a small mistake avalanched. went back to II, figure i need to do get clears using certain dice at that rank anyway, and i obv need to get more points for the track that buffs stats and such. have tried a mix of teams with fire mc and luocha--with combos of argenti, dhil, and jing yuan, then today with a recommended team of the first two and jl and dhil. when i'm ready to try III again i'll do that team then with abundance path instead, per the same guide.

idk this makes a little more sense than how swarm was presented? but once i get the erudition path i think i'll be able to go back and make sense of swarm better. i think it might feel easier in comparison maybe too. but yeah once i get clears on III idk if i'll go on to IV. definitely won't ever be bothering with V. my goal is really just the erudition path, not to be completionist, even with the rewards

(doesn't help i'm already v tired of this new sim u anyway, i don't like *having* to grind normal sim u every week as it is, at least it's not got 'finish in x turns' stuff like fh, but it still stresses me out a lot. and my brain does NOT do well with do x grind thing over and over and over and over x1000 when it takes a long time. grind calyxes? fine, takes minutes i'm done. sim u grinding taking what like 45m to an hour is like...god that sucks. esp if i try to do multiples. it's SO goddamned much time. i need to be able to do things in short bursts, or to have a long grind be like on you do it a couple times a week. not over and over every evening for who knows how long. ugh. gonna be hard to keep myself doing it but i want to actually get the path this time.)

put some work in on building blade, but it might go slower bc esp with g and g i need to finish caelus' main fire trace at the least if not all, maybe alternate him and blade main and stats for at least some variety on crimson calyx farming. hopefully i get done with that by the time ratio shows up @__@ looks like hanya and xueyi will be waiting a bit.