sandboxscenes

[sandboxscenes]

A/N: Reblogging late because I was inspired by the Day 6 prompt and couldn't help myself. It's a fun writing warm-up and something to think about.

When I think Cyperpunk AU, I think post-apocalyptic landscape littered with technology, and the inevitable conflict between technological advancements vs. humanity.

The ruins of the buildings littered the landscape. Skies of grey have all become a common occurrence. If one looks hard enough, in the shadowed alleyways, they may come across the flickering yellow neon sign with a few words: Bubu Pharmacy.

Inside the rustic building is a quaint little set-up chairs outside the doors, and a humble receptionist desk where the bright eyed Dresvi sat to deal with patients. Of course, those in the know know this building as the place where miracles happen. Where, if the doctor sees you, ailments h gets cured, regardless of when it may have started. Rumors have circulated around the place, saying that the doctor in charge, Baizhu, made a deal with the devil and is in possession of some dark magic.

A sentiment, that is of course, false. Black Magic doesn't exist.

Or does it?

If you get a chance to see the elusively green haired doctor, one of the first things you'd notice is his unnatural eye color, Yellow. The color of the eyes of cyborgs and other A.I. robots that seem to roam the ruined cityscape. Around his neck, you'd catch a synthetic white thing draped around his neck. His diagnostic tool, he claims. Changsheng is her name, he says. But the synthetic tool is eerie. It moves like an animal, like a snake. Also, unlike other robots, it has a very distinct voice. There's less of a robotic accent to their words. It sounds familiar and human. But those piercing red eyes is what patients remember when they talk about Changsheng. Lifelike. Realistic. Almost human.

—————

Gods are nothing but capricious beings. Managing the world below like a dollhouse, and human beings mere dolls in their planned playtime. In this era of playtime, natural evolution and man made revolution run up against each other like oil and water. They don’t mix, and they never will.

Nowhere can this struggle play out better than in the walls of Bubu Pharmacy. It was a brick building illuminated only by the old weathered sign hanging above the door, ‘Bubu Pharmacy’.

Baizhu’s ears perked up as he heard footsteps splash in the waterlogged streets followed by a frantic nod at the wooden door. “I need Dr. Baizhu!”

Baizhu was greeted by the sight of an orange haired man in red attire, clutching a kimono clad woman in his arms. He opened the door and gestured for the man to come in. He pointed to one of the empty hospital beds. The orange haired man slowly lay the woman down on the bed; the woman unaffected by the change in posture. The orange haired man lingered near the edge of the bedside, like a dog unwilling to leave its master.

Baizhu approached the orange haired man, his eyebrows raised. “Thoma, right? And she’s the patient, I presume.”

Thoma nodded. “She’s been like this for a few days. The head of the Kamisato Clan found her collapsed in a field, surrounded by automatons. We found out later that she was distracting the automatons from a cave where other survivors were being held. By the time we arrived, we were able to rescue all of the survivors and escort them to safety. But, she’s the only casualty. We’ve healed her injuries, but she’s continued to be like this.”

Thoma’s gaze swept over the woman’s body, before lingering on her face. Thoma’s voice dropped low, “When the family doctor examined her in Inazuma, her eyes had the image of a seven pointed star in them. The doctor referred us to you after that.”

“I see.”

The white object curled on Baizhu’s shoulder started to move. The synthetic white skin unfurled to reveal a tale and ruby red eyes. There seemed to be a twinkle in their eyes. “So, Baizhu-“

“Changsheng.” Baizhu’s tone was stern.

Changsheng sighed. “Yes, I’ll do a scan.”

Though the woman on the bed didn’t respond, Baizhu still believed the woman deserved to be told what was going on. His eyes drifted to the side, where Thoma was sitting down in a nearby chair. “I’m Doctor Baizhu. I’m going to examine your eyes, and my assistant Changsheng will be doing a scan on you.”

Baizhu took out his pen light. He used his fingers to delicately lift up the woman’s cold eyelids, and shined the penlight in them. The woman’s eyes held two different colors in them, the top half of her eyes were a bright yellow, and the bottom half was a dark brown. When he peered closer into her eye, he could make out the dark outline of a seven pointed star in the middle. He repeated this process on her other eye and saw the exact same thing.

“The seven pointed star,” Baizhu muttered to himself, “That’s- Hm. Changsheng, are you done with the scan?”

Baizhu spotted the artificial snake nodding up and down in the corner of his eye. He turned towards Thoma. “Please give me a minute to check the result of the scan.”

“Sure.” Thoma nodded.

Baizhu stepped out of the hospital clinic area and into a sparse office space. There were two desks in there. There were scrolls and papers on the side of a wooden desk, and a bed near the far corner. There was also a powered on computer on another desk. He closed the office door and took a seat at the computer.

“Baizhu, you know exactly what this is, don’t you?” Said Changsheng.

Baizhu stayed silent.

The computer cursor flew across the screen as Baizhu accessed the woman’s scan results. After a flurry of clicking, his eyes came across her report. His heart dropped. The woman’s vital signs were normal. He clicked more, and spotted an odd color on the scan near the woman’s eyes.

“Changsheng, this is part of your scan, right?” Baizhu pointed to the yellow circle that seemed to be outlining the woman’s eyes. “You didn’t add this?”

“Now why would I have added that? You already know that’s not in my settings.” Changsheng’s retort was nothing new to Baizhu, but his ears picked up on the way she emphasizes the last sentence.

The seeds of dread seemed to spread from Baizhu’s stomach into his body. His muscles stiffened. His blood ran cold. He grimaced. “Celestia’s mark.”

Changsheng’s tail seemed to curl tighter around his arms. “It’s been a while since we’ve seen one. You’re probably the only doctor alive that would know of this. Considering…”

“Considering what you and I have?” Baizhu finished.

“I’m not as forceful as Celestia, but you also know very well what happens to people with this mark.”

Baizhu exhaled sharply. The frown on his brow deepens. He recalled the last time he came across someone else with that same mark on their eyes years ago. How tragically, despite his best attempts to remove the mark, it never got removed. The last he saw of them, they had bolted out of his pharmacy and left a human sized hole in the wall. The last he heard of them, they had been executed at gunpoint by humanity’s resistance forces.

Due to the person’s crimes against humanity, there was no autopsy report released. At least, there was no autopsy report released publicly. Privately, it was a different story. Baizhu had his ways to get information. In the un-redacted autopsy report he got ahold of, he saw that Celestia’s Mark was found within numerous parts of brain. From his point of view, the mark seemed to have multiplied and physically infected the brain. He studied the brain scans, past and present, over and over. There were many sleepless nights where he poured over research to find anything related to Celestia’s mark. Fact, myth, legend - it didn’t matter to him. Any information was better than nothing at all.

Baizhu’s gaze traveled to the full length mirror on the far side of the wall. His eyes lingered on his and Changsheng’s reflection. He remembered the deal he made with her all those years ago, as if it was yesterday.

Surrounded by burning fields and bodies, the sky and the ground were red. Red with the blood of enemies. Red with the light of the burning fires the automatons caused. Thick smoke filled the air. Though everyone in his village survived, it was short lived. Despite he and his mentor’s best attempts, one by one, each person he knew passed. The friendly traveling merchant. The village chief. His neighbor. Then finally, his mentor. The red eyed, green haired boy stood near his mentor’s bedside, talking with the white snake slowly making its way up his body. He shuddered at the unfamiliar sensation of the unnaturally synthetic scaly being twisting and twirling up his body. “Is there no way to save them?” Asked the boy. “Who knows,” replied the snake. “It’s not my business anymore.” “Then, what happens to you?” The snake leaned her head onto the boy’s shoulder and fell silent. Her golden eyes observed the boy carefully. Her eyes seemingly scrutinized his every move. After a moment, came the boy’s reply. “… I see. Then, would you make a deal with me?” The snake’s eyes narrowed on the boy. She moved herself closer to him. Her forked tongue grazing his ear. “Baizhu. Do you know what that means?” Baizhu’s heart pounded. He recalled the time in the latter half of his mentor’s illness where he found the contract between the snake and his mentor and stole it away. When his mentor and the snake were asleep, he read it by candle light. The contract detailed everything, and explained how his mentor was able to diagnose and treat preventable illnesses to keep everyone alive. It also detailed the contract’s cost - his humanity and his health. In his medicinal studies with his mentor, his mentor drilled in one important lesson. One that Baizhu took to heart. Everything comes at a cost. Death expects everyone. Rich, poor, old, and young. It didn’t matter. Death never discriminates. It will always have the last laugh. As his mentor put it, “to be cured is to rebel against death. To live again is to taunt it. Over and over, with medicines and treatment, we tease and we taunt it, until it finally takes us too. But that’s alright. Because when it does come for us, the life we give will outweigh the lives death takes.” At the time, Baizhu didn’t understand what that meant. But with his mentor gone, he found himself repeating his mentor’s words again. “To be cured is to rebel against death,” repeated Baizhu. “Changsheng, I understand and I accept. ” The snake’s eyes flashed as its body slowly wrapped itself around Baizhu’s arms. When Baizhu opened his eyes next, he was greeted with a red eyed snake.

“Baizhu. Baizhu.”

Changsheng’s calls snapped Baizhu out of his recollections. Baizhu found himself facing Changsheng’s piercing red eyes. Changsheng’s eyes narrowed at him.

“I know that look,” said Changshang warily. “You’re considering it, aren’t you?”

Baizhu looked towards the closed door. He said nothing.

“You do realize that what we have is nothing compared to what Celestia’s mark will do?” Changsheng wrapped her form tighter around Baizhu’s arm and squeezed. “Baizhu!”

Baizhu let out a long breath. “I know. I know. I’ll give them the option to keep them here for observation, but…”

Baizhu’s voice trailed off into silence. He knew that Changsheng knew exactly what he was referring to. But also, he himself knew that he would have to prepare his words carefully for the conversation ahead. He would have to tell them the grim reality of the diagnosis: Celestia already made its way into her head and as she is now, Celestia is rewriting her.

In the referral he received, it stated that the woman Thoma brought, was none other than the wife of the Kamisato clan, Ayato. While Inazuma and Liuye did not have the best relations, Baizhu knew that revealing this information could cause the tide of war between humanity and Gods of Celestia to tilt in favor of Celestia.

In the name of capricious gods who view humans as their playthings, Baizhu was not a fan of their antics. They, the gods who force their will onto them without rhyme or reason, who have no compassion for the race of beings called humanity. If this is a chessboard for the gods, Baizhu reasoned, then everything is fair game. Even a rebellion against death.

Day SIX of the Baizhu Baivi week!! -> 🌱

Today's prompts: Shape shifting & Cyberpunk AU

About Baivi: Shape shifting

Funfact! When I used to selfship Baizhu with my self insert (not my real self per se), she was a shapeshifter and always shifted to an appearance where she didn't had her scars and such !! 🥺 But Baizhu made her feel confident in her real appearance too hence why she stopped it when she was alone with him <33💕❤️🫶💕💕❤️

I love shapeshifters. They're cool!! 🫶💕 But I wouldn't ship him with my self insert again cuz I selfship with myself!!<33

It makes me think about a possible soulmate au where you always have a different appearance but only your soulmate can see your real appearance.... 👁️👁️💕💕 Hmmm!!.. :3

Anyway I just feel very comfortable with Baizhu idk !! It heals me >w< I don't want any shapeshifitng or such there cuz we love each other unconditionally!!❤️❤️

About Baivi: Cyberpunk AU

Honestly I have 0 idea .. my brain is empty too XDD

[sandboxscenes]

Shadows in the Night

A/N: An entry for @softxsuki's contest. This idea has been ruminating in my head for a while, but I've been unable to type it out till now.

Genre: Comfort

Summary: Despite being in a relationship, when work and unexpected circumstances causes you and Artem to constantly miss each other like two ships passing each other in the night, the fact that you haven't been able to meet starts to weigh heavily on your mind.

Word Count: 1,789

In an everlasting night, your sight is useless. The only thing that you can count on, is the person whose hand is in yours.

It's been a tough holiday season. Artem has been buried in casework, as cases continue to fly into the Themis. You have been overwhelmed with work, especially now. Your usual job has cut your hours, and you've taken a seasonal job at another place to make up for the loss in your income. You found out about the cut in hours that happened in the middle of Artem's busy season, and while you wanted to talk to him about it, you've been unable to. So you did what you had to do.

Your schedules haven't coincided for months. Artem leaves for the office in the early morning while it's still dark outside and you're sleeping, while you leave after he does, but don't arrive back till long after he's been asleep. The most either of you have talked lately have been through the little post-it notes on the kitchen counter about what's been in the fridge for leftovers, and in brief text messages about the times both of you would be coming home. Other than that, you haven't been able to talk in person face-to-face.

One day, it hits you. For the past months as you've hopped from one job to the next, you've had to walk through a strip mall. The strip ball blasts the sound of Christmas music through its outdoor speakers, the bright festive garlands are wrap around light posts, and you see the Christmas tree displays in shop windows. Behind the shop window glass, you can see families and couples shopping together, smiling, and laughing together.

It broke you.

You realized that you were alone this holiday season. Sure, you and Artem still a couple, but to what extent? Both of you haven't been intimate for months. The last time you went on an actual date was six months ago. Both of you still care for the other, as evidenced by the fact that you often cooked for each other and left it in the fridge for the other. But that was it. After work, both of you would end up in bed.

Given how exhausted both of you are after work, you felt it would be selfish to ask for more from Artem. You wanted to him to hug you on rough work days, to cuddle with him during cold nights, and to watch a movie to escape from life. But you knew that Artem had an important job to do, and that was more important than the trivial favors you wanted to ask him for, especially during this busy season. You felt it would be selfish to monopolize his time, especially as he has his own life, outside of you.

His own life outside of you.

The thought swirls in your head and lands like a ton of bricks. Before you knew it, you felt something wet fall from your cheeks. Your vision starts blurring. You use the palm of your hand to quickly wipe away the tears and restore your vision as you continue to make your way to your second job.

As the overwhelming anxiety, stress, and hopelessness consume you, you have no idea how you got to your second job. Before your shift, you attempt to freshen up by going into the bathroom. When you look at yourself in the mirror, you see a sorry sight. Your hair is messy. Your eyes are puffy and red. You can see the glint of tear tracks on your cheeks under the glow of the fluorescent lights. You let out a self-derisive single laugh.

"If I looked like this, I wouldn't want to date me either."

You grabbed a paper towel, wet it, and began to gently wipe away the tear stains and reduce the puffiness in your eyes. Then, you smoothed out your hair and finished preparing for your shift. When you looked back at yourself, you looked presentable enough. But it didn't help the gnawing emptiness and hopelessness that continued to settle into your chest.

To shake off those dark thoughts, you shook your head.

"I'll deal with this later."

By the time you finished work and left, you looked at your phone. It was nearly midnight. In a few hours, you'd have to get up again. You sighed. Yet another day where you both missed each other again. Going home was uneventful. As always, you opened the door and expecting silence to greet you.

But when you got home, you saw a familiar light. You quietly tiptoed into the house and slowly looked over at the couch. You saw Artem lying on the couch, his papers strewn all over the coffee table. The flickering glow of the movie theater screen illuminated his closed eyes and his innocent expression. You looked up at the screen, which faded to black. You spotted the untouched blanket on the arm of the couch. You shook your head, and realized he probably forgot to put it on before he fell asleep.

With practiced precision, you shut off the screen and turn off the screen. Then you opened and gently laid the blanket on top of him. Artem shifted slightly. Moonlight streamed in behind you and illuminated Artem's face. Then, you had a selfish thought. You changed out of your work clothes, grabbed a blanket, and then sat on the ground besides Artem.

As soon as you took your seat by him, sleepiness hit you immediately. It was as if his presence had unraveled all of the stress in you. You brought your knees to your chest, as you savored this quiet moment. It was just you and him. You closed your eyes. Though you didn't say anything audibly so as not to wake him up, in your heart, you imagined pouring out all of your feelings to him.

In this imagining, you told him how much you worried about him, if he was taking care of himself, and if he was eating well and not drinking too much coffee. Your eyes watered. As you continued, you imagined that you told Artem how your hours got cut at your job and how you're currently working as a seasonal hire at another job for the time being and how much you missed him. You couldn't help yourself when your lips silently mouthed the words you wanted to tell him most: I miss you and I love you.

Once you finished mouthing those words, it was like the dam from today's earlier cry session broke. Your hands wrapped around your legs and brought them closer to you. You leaned on your head onto your thighs, and tightened the blanket around you. The tears began to fall, and this time, there was no stopping them. You let the tears flow and flow as you stifled your cries.

When you awoke the next morning, it was still dark outside. You could hear the slight breathing of the person besides you. Artem. Slowly, you pushed yourself up, and checked your phone. You couldn't help the surprise on your face when you checked the time. It was early, and this was the first time in a long while that you had gotten up without your phone alarm. So as not to disturb Artem, you turned off the phone alarm and got ready for work once again.

While you were still tired, you still mused over the sleeping Artem. While last night helped to alleviate some of the emptiness in your heart, you wanted more. But you also knew that it wouldn't be possible. Not right now. Artem's case is ongoing and you still had back to back work for a while yet.

Your eyes settled onto the post it note on the counter: Artem wrote that he brought home some takeout for you from place he went to with his client, and he left in the fridge. Artem's note is brief, succinct, and straightforward like him. You took a post it note and drew a little happy face on the corner. You scribbled some words on the note, grabbed the takeout for lunch, and then quietly left the apartment.

You finished your two back to back shifts at the same time you did yesterday, around midnight. But once you changed, you saw a familiar looking silhouette waiting in front of your workplace with an umbrella. You blinked. As you got closer and saw his comforting smile, you knew that he saw your note.

"Artem, have you ever taken a night walk before?" you asked.

Artem shook his head. "No, but I'm willing to do one with you."

You reached your hand out to grasp his hand, and intertwine your fingers with his. "You probably see it from the road, but it's different walking home at night."

You pointed to the pitch black shadows of trees, and the grayscale sidewalk. "It's like walking in one of those silent black and white movies. You know what the objects are, but they look different. And they feel different too."

Using your intertwined hands, Artem slowly brought you closer to him. "Really? You don't feel any different."

You laughed. "That's true. But if I did something like this," For a moment, you let go of his hand and then grab it. "It feels different, right? Or maybe that's just me. I can't see much in this darkness, so the only thing I can rely on, is you."

You squeezed his hand to confirm that he's still there with you. "See?"

Thought it was too dark to make out Artem's expression, you swore that you could see the wheels turning in his head.

"The inverse is also true. I can only rely on you." He paused. "It's strange not being able to see you clearly," admitted Artem.

"Same for me too, but at least it's only for a little while until we get home." You snuggled into Artem and leaned your head onto his arm.

"And it's easier to say this too: I missed you." Though your voice was barely audible, in the quiet night, these words sounded like a rooftop scream.

"So did I," came Artem's response.

The walk home from your second job that night felt a little warmer with Artem by your side. With him around, it seemed to last forever. You got to talk to him about everything going on with you, and he also talked about the case he was working on. While the next couple weeks will continue to make it so that you and Artem will not be able to see each other for a while, for this brief night walk, you have each other.

[sandboxscenes]

EBG May 2024 Masterlist

EBG Announcement and General Information Post

EBG Scenes: May 2024 - Collection of Lyney and other miscellaneous posts for EBG

Starter Post

Floraldresvi asks: [1], [2], [3], [4]

❄️ anon ask: [1]

EBG Works:

Familiar in the Unfamiliar: (Part 1), (Part 2)

You Can Do Magic!

You've been challenged! (Pokemon AU)

Impasse

Betrayal (Pokemon AU) - Scene Continuation

Unguarded

[sandboxscenes]

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐁𝐆

ying's message

thank you so much for playing ;w; this week has been super hectic for me but it's been so easy to coordinate because of you all !!! thank you for playing to the fullest and enjoying and interacting with people you know and don't know. i've seen so many intricate storylines and character building for playable characters and NPCs and it's really amazing how some of you turned such bland NPCs into fully fleshed out characters . . . thank you for playing ! i appreciate you guys so much and i hope that you had just as much fun as i did.

@naraven @scribetry @kzuhae @abyssmal-skies @dailypenpen

@stellar-skyy @cerberuscaeli @catcze @frosts-intuition @mikacynth

@the-white-void @i-probably-sleep-too-much @thestarswhisper @floraldresvi @staarri

@lychniis @navxry @ceneid @iceunhie @wheredreamsareforged

@xcyphoz0a @relianascara @plant-new-seeds-in-the-melody @sandboxscenes @pursuedbyamemoryy

@haliyamori @sleepypengwin @alexisomnias

to the komaniya express

@komaniyaaexpress .

@his-grapejuice @ryuryuryuyurboat @so2uv @soleillunne @yvkasha

@mochinon-yah @femivi @wonuyun @opalthea @yaminohimeyume

@stardust-for-your-soul @auroratumbles @dumbificat @meimeimeirin

@mx-kamisato @theloveshrine @chaoffee @kaiserkisser @wystiix

@rinneverse @beloved-brynn @nordicbananas @milk-violet

thank you so much for being my secret helper squad !!! komaniya express has been happy to have your help. i appreciate all of you so much for being able to play a bit and help out here and there. maybe i'll see you in the next game ? ;)

[sandboxscenes]

AND EBG IS OVER !

[sandboxscenes]

lyney ♢ backstage encounter

[sandboxscenes]

✧ As Light Rain Falls Without Reason ✧

[sandboxscenes]

Unguarded

A/N: I did want to do at least one more fluff piece for him. This was done in conjunction with @xianyoon for their Extreme Bias Game.

Genre: Fluff

Summary: You know better than anyone that your boyfriend is incredibly busy. When you find him asleep on the couch, you want to make sure he's comfortable.

Word Count: 864

Lyney always had a hat on.

While Lyney's top hat was an essential part of his physical image as a magician, metaphorically, he held the hat of leader, fatui member, and big brother. Furthermore, while "Father" was in charge of the House of Hearth, Lyney does take care of it from time to time as well. Sometimes he'll provide something nice for the kids, and other times, he'll do some free magic for them when he has the time. Even for you, Lyney has the hat of boyfriend.

So it is rare to see Lyney without a hat.

But for you, who knows him well, you know that the only time you see it is when he's asleep. Asleep, Lyney has no obligations, stresses, or roles he must play. You see it in the peaceful expression on his face. You also see it in the way his body relaxes in your private space.

But this time, you caught Lyney asleep on the couch, his face covered by his magician's hat, and surrounded by papers. The papers were on the floor, in his hands, and partly underneath him. You picked up the papers and neatly left them on a pile on the coffee table.

While you couldn't quite decipher everything from the papers lying around, you could see Lyney's written remarks on the margins of a paper that depicted a complicated looking machine. You could also make out some songs on one of the corners of the paper along with a small little heart drawn by one of them. You smiled. That was a newer song you and Lyney both liked.

Gently, you took the hat away from his face. You set it on top of the papers you picked up. Under the lamplight, you observed Lyney. You watched his chest rise and fall, and listened to how even his breathing was. A warm feeling settled into your chest.

You knew that Lyney was hard at work the past couple of days trying to finish the preparations for his magic show. For the past two weeks, he was out of the house for almost the whole day, and continued to look over work later than usual at night. While you both did your best to talk to each other about your days, there were days at a time neither of you could talk to each other due to how your schedules lined up.

You didn't tell Lyney about it, but you were worried that due to his busy schedule, he wasn't taking care of himself. When you woke up for work and saw him already gone, you were worried he wasn't getting enough sleep. On the rare occasions you talked, you saw the circles under his eyes getting darker and darker. When you would come home and see him, he would greet you and you noticed that he left his beverages alone for longer - long enough that they were cold.

But now that Lyney was sleeping on the couch, you could see for yourself whether he took care of himself. The dark circles under his eyes were there, but you hoped that would be temporary. He was still in his magician's attire, which meant that he went immediately back to work when he came home. Instinctively, you gently brushed the hair out of his eyes.

You looked at the clock: 7pm. He had fallen asleep early.

You looked at the edge of the couch and saw some blankets. Without disturbing Lyney, you lightly laid the blanket on him as best as you can. You didn't want him to catch a cold. He moved slightly when the blanket was placed on him, which made you worried that he got up, but you didn't need to worry. He fell back asleep soon enough. While you were tempted to leave a light kiss on his cheek, you were worried that he would get up.

After you took Lyney's cold teacup on the coffee table away and washed it, your eyes wandered back to take in Lyney's quiet and peaceful sleeping form for a little bit longer. You noticed there was an childlike innocence to him like this. He was taking on so much, but even with how much was on his plate, he still made time to treat you well. Of course, you knew he could handle the pressure, but still, your heart couldn't help but ache for him.

The only sound that could be heard was Lyney's breathing. As the only one awake at the moment, you made two wishes in your heart. The first wish you made, was that you hoped Lyney's magic show went well. The second wish you made in your heart was that you hoped Lyney would have a restful sleep tonight.

You clicked off the lamp, then quietly shut the door behind you as you left. You knew that you would go and join him in dreamland soon after he did. You covered your mouth as you yawned. After your yawn, there was a small smile on your lips and warmth in your heart that seemed to spread to the rest of your body.

"Good night, Lyney," you whispered, "Sweet dreams."

[sandboxscenes]

Character Demo ✩ Lyney: Secret Inside the Hat

[sandboxscenes]

lyney ✧ ignis purgatorius chapter: act 1 (arlecchino's story quest)

[sandboxscenes]

Betrayal (Pokemon AU)

A/N: This piece in particular is based on my Pokemon AU idea here. This is a different take on a Genshin Impact Pokemon AU and done in conjunction with @xianyoon for their Extreme Bias Game. This piece is darker. It is still safe for work, but the darker items are alluded to. There will be warnings on this particular piece.

Genre: Angst

Cw: Captured and handcuffed, implications of illegal activity, implications of torture.

Summary: As part of the Fontaine Police Force, you were required to go infiltrate the House of Hearth, undercover, in order to get evidence regarding the House's wrongdoings. When you receive word about an illegal transaction that may be occurring at the House of Hearth, you decide to investigate. However, an unexpected person catches you.

Word Count: 1073

"I will protect my family. No matter what."

Lyney's words echo in your head as you notice him stride down the hallway. Quickly, you crouch down and attempt to hide a cabinet. You don't move. You don't breathe. Time seems to stand still for a moment before Lyney's footsteps seem to fade.

Once you could no longer hear Lyney's footsteps, you slowly get out from your hiding spot. That was a mistake. You see Lyney looking straight at you.

You see him slide his hand underneath the brim of his top hat. With an upward flourish, he tosses it in the air. As the hat rotates in the air, Lyney sticks his hand out. A Pokeball comes out of the hat and drops exactly in Lyney's palm.

"Delphox, let's give them a show to remember!"

Lyney hurls the Pokeball towards you. Out of the Pokeball pops out a humanoid-like yellow and orange fox. A Delphox. It lets out a battle cry, and goes into a battle stance. The Delphox's wand is at the ready.

You grip the Pokeball in your hand. A large emperor penguin erupts from the red and white ball. Your Empoleon is the final Pokemon in your party, but the rest of your Pokemon has been able to take care of most of the other House of Hearth members thus far. With this match-up, you reason, you should be able to get past Lyney with no issues. Delphox is fire, and your Empoleon is a water type. Easy.

You catch sight of Lyney's self-satisfied smirk. It irritated you to no end. However, you were wary. His job relies on reading people successfully, and now he was turning that skill on you. His violet eyes were piercing. It's like he knows he knows exactly what you'll do.

There's a sharp gleam in his eyes. "Delphox, let's close the curtain on this battle! Solar Beam!"

A bright beam of light erupts from Delphox's wand and goes in your direction. It was incredibly bright, as if Delphox fired the sun at you. It was bright enough to force you to look away.

When your vision finally comes to, you notice your perspective is lower. You see the large body of your Empoleon lying lifeless on the floor. You attempt to get up, but you notice that you can't move your hands. Your wrists rub against something hard and metallic. You hear the telltale 'click' of handcuffs, tightening around your wrists.

You struggle against the handcuffs in an attempt to free yourself.

"What? How?!" You stare angrily at the magician. "Lyney! Let me go!"

You lay on the ground, bound and helpless, as Lyney makes his way towards you. He leans over. You can see a placid smile on his face that doesn't reach his eyes. But you can also see the deep pools of sadness lying just underneath the surface of his violet eyes.

"I can't. You betrayed us." Lyney's voice held a tinge of sadness in it. "I didn't- I didn't want to believe it either, but Delphox checked your pockets and found handcuffs."

Immediately, your eyes go wide. You attempt to kick your feet and look down at your pants. Now that he mentioned it, you notice how empty your pocket feels. It was sliding over the floor with no issues. If Lyney used his own handcuffs to bind you, you should have been able to feel the weight of the metal in your pocket. You don't.

You hear the Delphox next to you let out a sound. From the Delphox, you turn to look at Lyney, and see him nod.

"You came here," Lyney says slowly, "in order to arrest my family and I, isn't that right?"

You stay silent. Lyney's accusation lingers in the air. You tear your eyes away from him to focus on something else, on anything else. You are unable to look him in the eyes. It hurt too much.

When you started this undercover mission at the direction of your supervisors in the Fontanian police force, they briefed you that they believed the House of Hearth was a criminal organization and you acted accordingly. You thought you were heading into a hardened criminal enterprise. But the day came that you were introduced to the House of Hearth as a recent hire, that wasn't what you found.

The orphanage itself wasn't anything impressive. But due to your mission, you were wary of getting close to anyone. You didn't expect how large of an impact Lyney, Lynette, and Freminet would have on you. They welcomed into the orphanage with open arms. You helped take care of the children alongside them and their Pokemon. They were nothing but nice to you.

So when the message came from your superiors to intercept a suspected illegal transaction occurring tonight, you were conflicted. You didn't know if you could really do this. From what you experienced, they seemed nice enough. You had a hard time believing anything illegal could take place here.

But after thinking on it, you complied. One by one, the children and their Pokemon fell. So too, did Freminet and Lynette. Now, as you stared up at the magician, it dawned on you. You should've been immediately disposed of, but you weren't. A feeling of dread crept up your spine. You did not like where this was going.

"Lyney!" You screamed, "Don't do this! Lyney!"

Over and over, you begged and pleaded. You looked up at Lyney, trying to see if any of your pleas reached him. But all you saw in his eyes was sadness and emptiness.

"Lyney," you said weakly. One last try. One last plea. "Don't do this, please."

Your voice cracked. "Please."

Lyney didn't move. He looked away from you. Then, he got up and turned his back on you.

You heard the loud sound of clacking heels echoing on the floors. Each step caused your heart rate to spike. Whoever was coming towards you, was getting closer and closer.

When the heels stopped, you heard Lyney speak again. This time, his voice was unlike anything you've heard from him before. His voice wasn't as bouncy, lively, or warm. His voice sounded flat, serious, and cold. Hearing Lyney speak like this felt foreign and unnatural.

As you heard Lyney's footsteps fade away in the distance away from you, all you could focus on was the single sentence he uttered.

"They are all yours, 'Father'."

[sandboxscenes]

Genshin Impact KR | Mini Illustrations | Lyney and Arlecchino

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[sandboxscenes]

Impasse

A/N: This piece was done in conjunction with @xianyoon for their Extreme Bias Game.

Genre: Angst

Summary: You and Lyney have been inseparable for years. But when an acceptance letter arrives for you from the Sumeru Akademiya, both of you need to have a talk.

Word Count: 1,282

"Lyney," you call out.

Lyney finished talking to his assistant and turned towards you with a bright smile. "Hm?"

"We need to talk."

Lyney's eyes widened. His bright smile faded. His face fixes itself into a serious expression. Lyney nods, and waves his hand towards the nearby backstage door.

Both of you exit the venue. You spot a small clearing in the distance and decide to walk there for your talk. It was far enough away from the backdoor of the stage that you wouldn't be overheard.

You had to do this today. You had no choice. If you didn't do it now, you might not ever get the chance to.

You take a deep breath and face him. "Lyney, I'm leaving."

Lyney freezes. "What?"

You ball up your hands into fists. The tops of your nails into the palm of your hand. Using the pain of the nails, you force the words out.

"I received an offer to study at the Akademiya. I submitted one of the mechanisms I made for your show. The trip I told you about, remember?"

"I remember." Lyney sighed. "You said you had an interview with someone from the Ksharewar Darshan. After you came home from the interview, you were so nervous. You didn't know if you did well enough to be accepted."

Lyney grabbed your hand and kissed it. "Congratulations. I knew you could do it."

You blushed at his actions. "I just got my acceptance letter in the mail. But they want me to move to Sumeru City soon."

"How soon?" said Lyney.

"Like next week soon."

"Next week?!" Lyney's jaw dropped.

You quickly answered him.

"Don't worry," you say, reassuringly. "I scheduled the move right after you finish your show next week."

For the next few moments, neither you nor Lyney spoke a word. The seriousness of the situation and its implications dawned on the two of you. You could see exactly where this conversation had to go, and you didn't like it.

You whispered, "But we… have to talk about us."

Lyney stayed silent. He looked down away from your gaze. You knew he was listening, but it made your heart hurt.

You looked in the direction you came from. You saw the tiny white door far away in the distance. You thought of all the people behind that door like Lynette and the assistants for his troupe. Prior to the Akademiya's acceptance letter, you had already thought about what you would say to Lyney if you got in. But you didn't think it would be this hard.

You saw the storm brewing in Lyney's eyes. "Lyney, I know what you're going to do. And I want you to stop right there."

Lyney's head snapped up to look at you. "What?! Why?!"

"Because I know what you're going to propose. You're going to say, 'I can move with you.'"

Lyney fired back. "I can!"

You raised your voice and stared him straight in the eyes. "No, you can't!"

It was rare for you to talk back to Lyney like this. Rarely did you and Lyney fight. But when you did, you hated it. But this was different. You knew this was a conversation you both needed to have. It was important. You couldn't back down. Not here. Not now.

You needed to stop him before he did something he would regret.

Lyney's life was in Fontaine. His family. His sister. The orphanage. They were all in Fontaine.

Dating Lyney, you knew family came first for him. He often spoke to you about how family was all he had when he was growing up - how Lynette was the only one he had. He talked about how he owed everything he had now to his family: to "Father", to Lynette, and to Freminet. You understood that despite the two of you dating, you are second to his family. It wasn't something you took offense to - it was the truth, after all.

"Lyney!" you shout.

You look at him straight in the eyes. There's a burning sensation in your chest. You narrow your eyes at him as you continue.

"Do you hear yourself?!" Your voice gets louder. "I thought you were smarter than this! You can't uproot your life in Fontaine for me! Are you going to leave your troupe behind? Freminet? Lynette? The children in the orphanage? If you leave, what happens to them?"

"That's-" Lyney recoils and steps back from you.

You walk towards him to close the distance between you two. You speak slowly, evenly, and choose your next words deliberately. "Listen to me, Lyney. If you move with me to Sumeru City, I'll never forgive you."

You watch as Lyney flinches at your rebuke. He seems to crumble before your eyes. You watched the hurt etch itself into his face. It was jarring for you to see Lyney like this - silent, sad, and hurt.

Whenever you saw Lyney, he always seemed larger than life. Even when people would try to heckle him at his shows, Lyney always had a witty comeback. He could navigate most situation with practiced ease and grace.

But not this situation.

You knew Lyney got protective over his family. You saw it play out over and over again. You saw it in he interacted with Lynette and Freminet, and how he did his best to provide for the children in the orphanage. There was even a point where Lyney started getting protective over you, jumping in to correct the record from the Fontanian Aristocrats that would spread unfounded rumors about the two of you.

You knew that by telling him about your acceptance, you were essentially making him choose between you and his family in Fontaine. You knew that if Lyney was left to his own devices, he would try to make it so he could do both, even if he had to spread himself so thin, that he would break.

You couldn't bear to watch him do that to himself.

Your voice is soft when you start speaking again.

"Lyney, I won't ask you to move to Sumeru City for me. I care about you too much to have you do that. Your family is here. Your career is here. I can't have you give that up."

Lyney's face fell. His response to you was equally as soft. "So what would you have me do? You're part of my family too."

You felt the tears pricking at the corners of your eyes. You lower your head to avoid his gaze. You had the feeling that if you saw those violet eyes, you would start crying. You couldn't cry. Not yet.

"Write to me. Visit me. But I don't want you to stop living after I leave. I want Lyney and Lynette's magic show to be so famous, I hear about it all the way from Sumeru."

You didn't know your body was shaking until you felt arms wrap around your waist. You looked down and saw the familiar black and white color pattern you were familiar with. You were scared to look up. If you saw Lyney's violet eyes, you wouldn't be able to keep it together.

You saw Lyney's face enter your field of vision. You turned away. Lyney turned you around so that your face was buried in his shoulders. Lyney placed a hand on the back of your head, and started to stroke your hair. You felt him burying his face into your shoulders.

Love is all about sacrifice. For it to work, both parties need to sacrifice something. But in this case, neither of you want the other to sacrifice their dreams.

Both of you are at an impasse.

[sandboxscenes]

✩ Lyney: Gloves of Wonder ✩

[sandboxscenes]

Genshin Impact Version 4.0 Drip Marketing ft. Lyney, Lynette, & Freminet

[sandboxscenes]

[sandboxscenes]

2024 White Day and Maslenitsa Artworks | Watermark-Free Version

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