#(she'll be back to her nefarious ways)

[whispereons]

Oracle!Reader Part 3

Masterlist - Part 1, Part 2, Part 4

The Kamisato Estate was truly more beautiful in person. That little courtyard in the game was a joke compared to the real thing.

The few servants still awake at this time pass by as Thoma leads you into the estate. Almost all of them give Thoma some sort of greeting as they pass by. A smile, a wave or even a 'hey Thoma!'. They give you curious looks but no one comments on your presence.

At least you don't realize how they raise their eyebrows at Thoma holding your hand. It's not completely unusual for Thoma to be extra friendly in this way but bringing someone to the estate was a whole new thing.

"If you don't mind, you can wait here for my lord and my lady." Thoma opens the door to the room as he speaks. Its a drawing room with a window to the outside. The moonlight seeps in as the curtain blows.

You take a seat on the cushion as best as you remember the formal way. Inazuma style was inspired by Japan and you didn't know a lot of Japan customs.

The door closes softly and you're left to your thoughts. It's not long before the soft pitter patter of footsteps are heard coming from the hallway.

The door opens and Ayaka in comfortable clothes steps in with a smile. Her hair is loose and it's a good look on her. You stand up and bow politely.

"Its an honor to meet the Shirasagi Himegimi. My name is Y/N."

Ayaka smiles gracefully and gives a polite bow back. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Y/N. Thoma has explained a few things about you, most specifically your position as the creator's oracle."

It's clear by the gleam in her eyes that she doesn't believe you at all. You keep a peaceful expression on your face as Ayaka continues.

"My brother was in a meeting for most of the day and would like to address your situation tomorrow at a more convenient time. We'll have arrangements made for you to sleep here tonight."

That's fair, the moon is high in the sky. You don't need a clock to know that. But she could have easily asked Thoma to rely this to you. Meaning she wants to talk to you about something privately.

You purposely wring your hands in fake nerves to test her alertness to your actions. Her eyes immediately notice it. Either the game downplayed her attentiveness or she's just super relaxed around the traveler.

"No need to be nervous. I just wanted to speak with you for a while before tomorrow. After all, maybe my brother doesn't need to speak to you for us to know the truth about you."

It's a threat your mind supplies. A threat that if Ayaka herself could see past your lies and deceit, that she'll kick you out immediately. In fact you bet the Shuumatsuban are already looking into you as Ayaka takes the seat across from you.

There's a soft knock on the door before Ayaka says a quiet "Come in." A young servant comes in with a tea set and placed it on the table between Ayaka and you.

There's only the clinking of China and the pouring of tea as the servant brews tea. After pouring a cup for both of you the servant bows and leaves.

"Then I'll bite your bait. What do you want to know? How do you want me to prove myself?"

You know that's not what she's actually after at this moment. She's probably well aware that Ayato is better suited to figuring out any lies or schemes you might have to sell your oracle position.

"No, that's not what I came to talk about at all. I'm more interested in hearing your opinion on the creator and other topics."

She wants to know if you're truly a fake believer using the creator's name for nefarious acts. Or a crazy fanatic worshipper who convinced themselves that they are a oracle.

You feel a little happy seeing Ayaka stay up this late to help Ayato with his work. Even if it means being cross-examined by her.

You bring the teacup to your lips and take your time to savor the taste. At least you would be able to taste it if you weren't nervous to hell and back.

"Well due to my memory loss I don't know much about the creators past. So I'll need you to be more specific on what you want my opinion on."

"The Electro Archon started the vision hunt decree as a way to get closer to the creator and achieve eternity. The creator helped the traveler get the decree repealed. But many citizens that suffered due to the decree can't help but feel hurt that the creator wasn't more open on their opposition."

This was a hard subject but it's exactly what you need.

"It's understandable that they feel that way. I can't speak on my personal experience since I don't remember anything at that time but the effects have permanently altered Inazuma."

You take a breath as you prepare your words that may or may not damn you.

"The creator shouldn't be blamed for not being more open as they are stuck in a different world with who knows what kind of restrictions. At the same time, the people of Inazuma shouldn't be so reliant on the gods, both the Shogun and the creator."

Ayaka's stare is cold and unnerving. She stays as silent as snowfall as you speak. Was it just you or did the room get colder?

"The creator has lived in a different world all this time. I believe they want everyone and every being to flourish on their own with their own power. That's what visions help with. This blind reliance and trust in the Shogun is what led to so many Inazuma residents to suffer. Not necessarily because they caused it but they enabled it because the majority didn't question the decree and simply accepted the reasoning without a fight. While vision holders are a minority, they still exist. And their decisions and actions have ripple effects that do effect the majority of Inazuma."

A visible steam breath leaves your mouth as ice begins to crawl from the floor where Ayaka sits. Her bangs cast a shadow that leaves her expression unreadable. Goosebumps cover your exposed skin as you continue.

"Would the creator really be happy with overly dependent subjects? Is a parent happy when they see their child refuse to use their gifts and hard work to achieve their dreams? The creator loves Teyvat and everything in it. The good and bad has shaped the world they created. And I believe they love it all. Not that they wish harm but nothing can live without harming something. That's a hard truth people try to deny."

Frostbite strikes your fingers as they start turning a pale blue. The ice is about to touch the cushion you're sitting on.

Then it all stops. The temperature goes back to normal and the ice shatters leaving the shards broken on the floor. Your heart rate goes back to normal.

Ayaka stands and holds out her hand to you. You don't move and merely stare at the smile that's basically frozen on her face.

"I can't say that I agree with you but I find your viewpoint fascinating. It's fresh and bold. I'll leave brother to make the final decision about how trustworthy you are."

It seems your gamble payed off as you place your hand in hers. Her skin is chilly as she pulls you up before releasing you. She seems lost in her head as she leads you out the room.

You follow her down the empty halls as her hair gracefully flows behind her. Truly the title Shirasagi Himegimi suits her.

She stops at a door and opens it. The room is small but cozy. It has a neat bed, small bedside drawer, coffee table and a window showing the courtyard.

"You can sleep here for tonight. Breakfast will be delivered to you here as well. Brother's schedule is a bit unpredictable so he'll visit sometime before the afternoon."

"Thank you for your hospitality." Is your reply as you step into the room. Ayaka hasn't dropped that polite smile even as she closes the door.

You stand in your spot in the middle of the room as you hear Ayaka's soft footsteps gradually get quieter. It's only when nothing can be heard that your body loosens the tension and slumps.

Your back softly hits the door and you let your body slide down into a fetal position. The cold that ate away at your body earlier was still lingering.

Was your body still cold or was it just a phantom feeling after that display of power?

You still didn't consider Ayaka a threat. At least not mentally as she doesn't even need her vision to murder you. The Kamisato Clan is known for their sword techniques after all.

It's was Ayato. You could have pulled the same act you did to Sara. Acting meek and shy while gushing about the creator. And you know full well that Ayaka would have fallen for it before handing you off to Ayato.

But that plan only worked under the premise that you would be meeting them both in the same day. By Ayaka meeting you today and Ayato tomorrow, Ayato gets information about you from Ayaka and can look into you through the Shuumatsuban.

That would let Ayato think up a counter or even use your act against you. You can already imagine him using your oracle act as a way to bring you to Ei. She would recogize you by your voice and that would mean the end for you. No fried egg would save you from that fate.

The only way to avoid that was by playing a whole new viewpoint that would leave Ayaka feeling confused. Ayaka would report to Ayato and Ayato would feel a stronger need to meet you himself. The more unpredictable you were, the less cards Ayato had.

Your hand reach up to your mask and you're about to take it off. You slam your hand into your lap, away from the mask as you remember the Shuumatsuban.

There's no way that the Ayato, would let a suspicious person in the estate and let them stay the night without supervision.

Your suspicions made everything around you look shady. Like Sayu was hiding in plain sight at this very moment. But acting so skeptical would only make them in turn more suspicious.

Your stomach growling was what snapped you out of your thoughts. The last thing you ate was those roasted lavender melon with the Arataki gang. You missed them dearly.

You hold your stomach as the familiar hunger pains started. Getting off the floor and lazily draping your bag on the bedside drawer, you flop onto the bed.

God did it feel great.

After walking, running, lying, stealing and bullshitting your way through the whole day, you were utterly exhausted. Plus this mattress was wonderful. Nothing like the beat up and dirty mattresses you were used to sleeping on in Earth.

As you shimmied onto your back to stare up at the ceiling, another pang of hunger hit you.

Didn't they have etiquette for this? Maybe something like late night guests would be offered a snack and a place to rest?

Your bitter chuckle rings throughout the room. You may be in the guest room but you highly doubt they see you as a guest. There was no way you were waking someone up for food. You've spent nights starving before, you could do it again.

Your eyelids drift shut every so often as nerves pricked at you. Knowing that a Shuumatsuban is watching over you has kept you awake despite your exhaustion. Your mask is still on your face adding to the uncomfortable feeling of being watched.

But everyone has a limit and you've reached yours. The mental stress, lack of food, and injuries took their toll on you. It's impossible to remember when you fell asleep.

Hands. The feeling of hands on you makes your heart drop. It's just a dream you try to tell yourself as the hands continue touching.

It's taking something. Money? Food? Clothes? Those were the only things you had left after leaving.

It's only when the hands are touching your face and reaching for something hard and cold on your face that you sit up in a flash.

You weren't on the streets, you haven't been on the run for a while. Not yet at least. You were in Genshin Impact you remind yourself.

A shadowy blur moves away from you as you keep your hand over your mask that was almost pulled off.

The little mujina ears on the assailant gives away their identity.

Sayu uses her Yoohoo to disappear before you could react. But you still feel on edge, as if at any moment more Shuumatsuban will come out and hold you down. Ripping off your mask, exposing-

You let out a breath. Deep breaths are the only thing you focus on to calm the rising panic. To keep away the hands reaching out for you from the shadows.

You don't sleep after that.

The sun rises and the estate slowly gets louder as servants bustle about. Your eyes tirelessly read a book in the archive on the screen. The eyebags that you usually have are darker than normal.

You decided to read through the Genshin archive in the Paimon menu to stay awake. It was a good refresher on the events of the game and the characters. You needed to use all the resources you had.

You also noticed a difference. All the books were either slightly changed or had a overhaul to fit someone in. The creator. All the books from each of the nations have some sort of mention, indication or even a chapter dedicated to you.

Did the books change once you entered Teyvat? Did everyone and everything change to acknowledge a creator when you entered Teyvat? Or was it always there and only by entering Teyvat were you able to view that specific information?

Two knocks on the door snap you out of your head and you open the door. The servant bows and hands you a tray of food. You thank them and are sure to be extra gentle as you hold it.

The moment the door is closed, you shove a piece of bread into your mouth. You close your eyes in relief and savor the taste of freshly baked bread.

With the tray on the table you eat in a hurry. You don't recognize half the dishes or the ingredients but you don't care. It's tasty, filling and hot.

With the tray picked clean, you lean against the window and try to sense if the Shuumatsuban were still watching you. After a beat of no sense of danger or unease, you guess that they have more important things to do with the sun up.

You get comfortable on the window sill as you look out the window. Many people pass by as you watch. People watching was fun in times like these where there was nothing else to do.

A flash of blue and red enter your vision making you more alert. It's Ayaka and Thoma.

You unlock the window and raise it halfway. At the same time you reach for the book you were pretending to read during the night.

With the book comfortably on your lap and your eyes on it, you focus on the faint sound of their voices.

Damn, they're too far away. If you lean out any farther you'll draw eyes. Just as you're about to give up, the wind starts to blow in your direction.

You're suddenly able to hear their voices clearly while the voices closer to you are drowned out. Strange but you aren't going to take it for granted.

"You spoke with Y/N last night right? How was it my lady?"

"Different." You can basically taste the resentment and confusion.

"I'm sorry it didn't go so well. I thought you would feel a instant connection like I had."

Oh? This immediate liking to you seems to be a pattern rather than a coincidence at this point.

"I didn't feel anything. Not a instant dislike, although I admit I am biased hearing them be referred to as the creator's oracle. I just felt blank. The conversation was strange, their answers were like no other."

Was there no connection because you haven't pulled for her?

"I'm going to need a bit more than that to tell you any advice my lady."

"I asked for their opinion on the creator regarding the Vision Hunt Decree. Their answers were so contradictory that I was becoming frustrated."

Ayaka's voice grew a little louder as she started to rant about you.

"On one hand they downplay the creators existence and power. On the other they're sympathetic to the creators feelings and any restrictions the creator might have wherever they may be. If anything they seem to blame the residents and the Shogun more than anything else. Which would be good if they didn't discredit the creator in the same breath!"

Thoma nervously laughs at Ayaka getting so worked up over you. It seems you have a natural knack for bringing out some of her hidden sides.

"I can't say that I'm not ashamed of how I lost control of my vision and temper for a bit. It's so unlike me and I'm quite embarrassed. I have an image to uphold as the Shirasagi Himegimi after all."

Her words are so sad and disappointed that you almost feel bad for messing with her like that. Almost.

"Honestly my lady, I'm not totally surprised that Y/N said something like that. In fact they implied something similar in my last conversation with them as we walked here. You see-"

Thoma's voice fades away as the wind stops blowing. You frown and are about to look up from the book you've had your eyes on when things start to shake.

Every moment or so you feel yourself vibrate as if an earthquake is happening. You look around and see everyone acting normally. Perhaps this shaking is connected to the wind that help you eavesdrop.

The shaking stops and the wind blows from under the door of your room. What would have been silent footsteps become deafening sounds as you realize that someone is heading for your room.

It's probably Ayato you think as you put away the book.

Most likely Ayato you think as you fix your clothes and reposition your mask.

It's Ayato you confirm as the man himself opens the door to see you sitting at the coffee table with a smile. His suit is crisp and clean, not a single speck of dirt can be seen.

Rude, it's rude to open the door without at least knocking. You bow politely in your seat and speak without letting your thoughts and feeling slip out at all.

"It's an honor to meet you Lord Kamisato."

Rude, it's rude to not stand up as you greet someone new. Ayato speaks in a smooth voice. You almost hate how good it sounds in person.

"It's lovely to meet you too Y/N."

His words make your eyes fall to the mole below his lip. You try to ignore his absolutely horrendous amount of layers he's wearing as he sits down. The long sleeves fold perfectly without creasing. There's no doubt that he's familiar with information digging.

"I apologize for not being able to see you yesterday. You arrived quite late at night and I saw no reason to rush to meet a scammer."

Ah, that familiar title. You never accepted it with pride but you couldn't deny it. Even now the title 'scammer' suited you.

"The Kamisato Clan much like many others are heavily involved with the creator. We have access to both government records and oversea records of the creator. Yet not a single one of them ever talks about a oracle or the possibility of one."

"Did any of the text deny the ability for a oracle to exist?"

A shot in the dark but it seemed to work as Ayato diverted to a different topic.

"That little loophole won't work forever. What I'm more curious about is how you managed to get Thoma to bring you here."

"I just wanted a boat to Liyue to continue my work. Itto, your 'bro', brought me to Thoma and I divulged some private information to Thoma. I'm sure he already told you so I don't see the point in asking me. I will admit that I wasn't expecting to be brought here."

Ayato is good, he didn't even react when you mentioned Itto's 'bro' thing with him. A conversation with him is just as nerve wracking as you thought it would be.

"Yes, that little piece of information you told him was something. You could be the creators oracle but that's the least likely option. Wouldn't be more logical to assume that you got it from one of the Kamisato's many enemies?"

A threat drenched in the sweetest honey is all you hear. Anyone else would either get mad and fall for Ayato's little bait. Or get nervous and give him more reason to suspect that possibility.

You do neither and double down on your stance.

"Least likely doesn't mean impossible. It's not like you can drag me to all your enemies and ask them if I belong to them. I'm a oracle and able to prove it."

"Or I could just have the Shuumatsuban get the information from you. Whether you're an enemy spy or not, you don't have anyone looking for you. And if anyone does come asking for you then that's just another lead for me."

He pulled no punches with that one. He flat out said he could just torture you and anyone that comes asking for you. If you really were from this world and was faking the oracle stuff then Ayato would definitely go through on this threat.

"I don't understand what you think I'm trying to do with a oracle job that I don't flaunt. If I really was a fake, wouldn't I be spreading it like fire?"

"As true as that might be, that doesn't remove you from suspicions. I mean, even though you're trying to stay low, here you are trying to convince me that you're the real deal. Doesn't seem very low profile to me."

Twisting words and intentions was a tricky but useful tool. Something you both were skilled in using it seems. It seems being a scammer and a politician aren't that different.

You could try to explain from the beginning but it would only be seen as a excuse. Ayato would probably find it amusing, his voice lines spoke about him finding enjoyment in people squirming come to mind.

Instead you shrug and stay silent letting him win this round. He sighs seeming disappointed before placing some papers from who knows where onto the table.

"So I was right to assume you took your sweet time to investigate me. Judging from how there's only a few pages, you didn't find much."

Ayato lets you read through the papers. That's probably a sign that if you can't prove yourself then he'll kill you. You try not to think too hard about it as you put the papers back down.

"You claimed to have woken up at a shrine somewhere near Ritou and strangely enough, anyone that should have been there at that time can't seem to remember."

"Remember me or remember in general?"

"In general." He leans closer with a calm facade keeping his curiosity at bay. "I wonder why that is."

"Don't expect me to remember anyone there at that time. I was too busy reorienting myself to notice much."

"I don't expect much from you anyway." Ouch. "But I'd say I've given you more than enough time to come clean. Are you ready to prove yourself Y/N?"

"I-"

"Oh and I won't be asking for the same proof the others accepted. I require something more concrete than a switched weapon and old information."

Well it wasn't like you could tell the future, well maybe you could if you played your cards right but you had something else planned for Ayato.

"No need to worry Lord Kamisato, I have something you'll be forced to believe."

"No disappearing acts either."

"Even if I show proof of where I disappeared to?"

"That all depends on what sort of proof you provide. I have strict requirements."

"Tell me about it."

"Pardon?"

"What?"

You don't give Ayato a moment to process your sass as you stand up and walk over to his side of the table. You hold out your hand to him with a purposefully cunning smile. There's no need to hide that sort of thing from him.

"I hope you won't die of heatstroke in those clothes since we'll have to go outside for this. Get ready to get your clothes dirty, rich boy."

A huff of amusement leaves him as he gets up on his own ignoring your hand. You drop it with a uncaring shrug and begin walking out the door.

It's only when you stop at the doorway that you turn to face him. He's smirking at you knowing exactly what you're going to say next.

"So where's the exit?"

You stand in front of the blue teleport waypoint outside the Kamisato estate. You glance behind you to make sure Thoma, Ayaka, and Ayato were all still there.

You clap your hands to grab their attention. Which was unnecessary for Ayato as he hasn't stopped staring at you. Seems he was taking the 'no disappearing' thing seriously.

"Just to make sure, only those being controlled by the creator can use the teleport waypoint. Meaning normal people, vision holders, acolytes and even awakened acolytes cannot use it correct?"

They all nod and Ayato seems to catch on to what you're about to do. Jokes on him because he's wrong.

"Then watch and try not to burn your eyes."

With that as your only warning, you touch the teleport waypoint. It glows brightly as gold starts to takeover the blue color. Turning back around with a smile you look to see their reactions.

With different degrees of shock, Thoma seems the most impressed. Ayaka composes herself quickly as expected of her considering her title. Ayato does seem surprised but his smile seems more excited rather than trusting.

"Was that enough proof?" Your question has no clear reciprocate but it's clearly directed to Ayato.

He shakes his head no and explains more for Ayaka and Thoma who gave him questioning glances.

"As good as this seems, I still have my suspicions. And something tells me you have more up your sleeve."

"Yeah, cause something told me this wouldn't be enough to convince you. Which is also why I asked that Thoma and Lady Kamisato accompany us."

You walk the few steps back to them and look towards the Grand Narukami Shrine. You point up there with a smile as you think about what you're about to put Ayato through.

"You know how there's a teleport waypoint all the way at the Grand Narukami Shrine? Well I have to get up there to make that one gold too. And since Lord Kamisato doesn't want me disappearing, it seems he'll have to come with me."

The color in Ayaka's face drains with every word you say. She's quickly realizing just how long it'll take and how much Ayato will have to work overtime to catch up.

"Can't you go down to the teleport waypoint in Chinju Forest instead? It's around the same distance but will be faster since it's not up a mountain." Thoma asks trying to lessen Ayato's workload.

You smile with a little too much joy but you could afford to slip up a little every now and then.

"That would be far too dangerous! I mean Lord Kamisato with an untrustworthy individual like me, alone in a forest like that? The Grand Narukami Shrine has many visitors and shrine maidens so he'll be safe on the journey there."

"Brother is strong and has a vision. Surely there's no need for you both to travel to the shrine. No offense but my brother could deal with you just fine."

"Oh I wholeheartedly agree with you there but! It seems Lord Kamisato thinks differently seeing as he had the Shuumatsuban watch over me while I was sleeping last night."

Ayaka and Thoma freeze at the information and give a Ayato a questioning look. Ayato who was content with watching this debate gives them both a serene smile.

He doesn't apologize but you never expected him too. This was your way of revenge for leaving you hungry rather than the spying.

"It seems Y/N is right about the shrine being the best option. The hike to there is at least 30 minutes. Please let any visitors know that I'll be back in around an hour or so."

You don't feel as satisfied seeing Ayato take the punishment with such grace but you don't let that show.

"Thoma, Lady Kamisato please make sure to be at the teleport waypoint at least 10 minutes before the first 30 minutes. It's necessary for me to prove myself."

Thoma and Ayaka give a confused nod but avoid questioning it. They go back inside and you see Ayato walking towards the stairs to Chinju Forest instead of the stairs up that lead to the electrograna.

"Lord Kamisato, the electrograna is at the other staircase, why are you going down this way?"

He stops and smiles at you knowing something you apparently didn't.

"The electrograna only work for those being controlled by the creator and electro vision holders. Since we are neither, we'll have to take the extra long civilian route."

Unexpected but not impossible to work with.

"Then let me at least try to activate it. I'm not the traveler or a acolyte but I was able to get the teleport waypoint to respond to me. The electrograna may be similar."

"Respond doesn't always equal work. I know you want to teleport using the structure, which won't work, but alright lets try the electrograna."

His arrogance and confidence in his words are both understandable and annoying. You'll show him. You seem to begin doing this not for your oracle identity but to take him down a peg.

You walk side by side as you guys climb the stairs and walk under the red gate. The Thunder Sakura Boughs come into view before you both stop in front of it.

Before you could even give yourself a mental pat on the back for remembering the name of the Sakura Bough, Ayato speaks with an annoyed tone.

"Well? While you may have all day to admire it, I do not."

"Aren't opportunities like this hard to come by? Shouldn't you at least try to enjoy such a sunny day to bask in?" You say with a sigh making it your mission to kill as much time as possible.

"Even so, I would hate to cut your little show short for things that actually matter."

You know he doesn't mean it completely since the whole 'blue turns to gold' definitely showed something. But you still feel annoyed. With a roll of your eyes, you reach into the Sakura Bough and grab the electrograna.

With a smug smile you pull it out and show it to Ayato. "Seems my deduction was correct. We get to take the shortcuUUTT"

You scream as the electrograna connects to a thundersphere above the next boulder and yanks you towards it. You release the electrograna and your back hits the boulder with a thud.

You groan as you lie on your back and try to deal with the growing pain in your back. Your eyes snap open as you hear laughter coming from the boulder below.

You crawl to the edge and look down to see Ayato trying and failing to contain his laughter. Your face burns in embarrassment as you yell.

"I get thrown into a boulder and you're here laughing at me?! Not even asking if I'm okay? Is this how you react to everyone that gets yanked by an electrograna?!"

He only laughs harder at your words.

"I swear the moment I get down there I'm gonna smother you with those stupid long sleeves." You bite out as you climb down.

Ayato still has a smile as you look at the Sakura Bough with caution.

"So since only I'm able to touch it, you'll have to be touching me for you to be taken with me. There's no way I can carry you so it seems you'll be stuck carrying me. Maybe the world is fair after all." You finish as you direct a smile at him so sure that he'll hate the idea of carrying you.

But Ayato doesn't look mad at all, he looks more amused than anything else. With a disappointed pout you look back at the Sakura Bough as you finish speaking.

"It's better that way too since you have a glider so we wont crash land. I'll grab the electrograna but as you clearly saw, I can't control it very well."

"It's not that hard, you just have to angle your body correctly." Ayato speaks with infuriating smile that looks kind. You wanna punch that smile off his face.

"Then since you'll be doing the carrying, you'll also be controlling which way we go. Do you know the way by heart?"

"Admittedly I don't, do you?"

"In fact, I do. Before I take each electrograna, I'll point out which way you'll need to go with each thundersphere. Sound good?"

"That works with me, now up you go." You turn to him confused as you hold the electrograna.

You yelp as Ayato bends and swiftly grabs your knees and throws you over his shoulder. Thankfully he didn't put you on the shoulder that had the armor but it still hurt.

"What the fuck?! A little warning would be nIC-"

Your words are cut off as the electrograna pulls you both up to the first thundersphere. Your stomach lurches and you feel nauseous as it pulls you guys to the second thundersphere.

Ayato lands on the ground as the next set of electro transportation is on the other side of the broken bridge. There's a twisting root that serves as the middle part of the bridge.

As much as you would like for Ayato to put you down and jump across the gaps on your own. You know full well that you don't have the power nor energy to do that.

Ayato is aware of it too as he keeps you on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and walks towards the bridge. But before he can start parkouring, you wrap your legs around his torso and beat his back.

"Wait, wait, wait. You absolutely cannot carry me like this the rest of the way."

"That position isn't all that bad. It'll take some getting-"

Your breath is hot on the shell of his ear, your voice low and soft. Your mouth so close to his ear makes him shiver.

"Ayato Kamisato I will throw up all over your expansive ass clothes if you do not carry me differently."

Hearing his name fall from his lips makes him freeze but you honestly couldn't be bothered to upkeep etiquette when you feel like your breakfast is about to escape you.

Almost gently Ayato moves you off his shoulder and carries you bridal style. He smiles down at you with fondness?

"Is this position better for you?"

"Yeah, way better. Congratulations your clothes are saved."

He chuckles at your dry wit and starts parkouring across the broken bridge. To steady yourself, you wrap your arms around his neck. It's a little embarrassing to do especially with how his hair brushes against your hands every so often.

He makes it across without stumbling or falling. There's a cliff with the next Sakura Bough. You take a moment to point and give directions.

"You see the floating island right across us? That should be the next one."

"Hmm, isn't it strange how someone who should have almost no memory knows the way to the shrine by heart?"

"Isn't is also strange someone who lives right near it, not know the way by heart? Plus you have probably have used the electrograna way at least once due to the creator."

"Is that knowledge from the creator or your own guess?"

"Does that really matter when I'm right?"

He laughs a little and you grab the electrograna hoping to catch him off guard. Not enough to drop you but just to wipe that smile off his face.

As you expected he easily adapted with no problem and arrived at the floating platform.

"Alright it's about to get really messy since the path becomes super scattered in the middle of Mt. Yougou."

After explaining the next set of directions you grab the electrograna and Ayato seems to be smiling a little wider. Suspicious.

You are proven correct when halfway through the thunderspheres he starts fumbling with your weight. You cling onto him tighter in fear of being dropped.

"Holy shit, Kamisato why are you repositioning me when we're thousands of feet in the air?!"

"Aw no Ayato this time? Seems like my hands are starting to slip." Ayato continues, this fucker is enjoying your panic.

"Ayato, you drop me and I'll rip those pretty blue locks with me!" You scream as he starts fucking dangling you. You make good on your threat by holding his neck with a fistful of his hair.

Yes, he will kill you the moment you guys aren't in the middle of the air. But it's always safer to fear the closest threat than the one in the future.

Ayato goes back to holding you properly as he chuckles. But you keep holding his hair in case he gets any funny ideas. Finally you get to the landing where the next Sakura Bough is and you release his hair.

You get out of his arms to kneel on the ground and take deep breaths. You were used to high speed chases on foot and car. You even had to run atop rooftops in come cities. But flying through the air was definitely a new one.

"Surely you can't be tired already? I'm the one who's been carrying you this whole time."

"You call that carrying??? I saw my life flash before my eyes at least 3 times!"

You stand up and glare at him. He seems to find all your reactions incredibly amusing. Honestly if you truly felt your life was in danger, you would lie and just go to the Chinju forest teleport waypoint.

But you could tell he was having too much fun to actually drop you. Yes you were still terrified but letting your emotions show was making him put his guard down.

With every series of thunderspheres Ayato and you bickered and fought. At least until you had gotten to what should be the last electrograna needed.

"This should be the last one. Soon enough I'll no longer need to ride the Ayato Express." You say with a teasing tone.

"Until we have to go back you mean."

"Crap, I completely forgot. I was just thinking of teleporting back but I'm not even sure if I can teleport people with me."

"You mean if you can teleport at all."

"You'll see I'm not lying about this."

"So you lied about the other stuff instead?"

This makes you laugh in shock as you turn to face him with a annoyed smile. Except unlike his other jabs that were told with a cold smile, this one was different.

His smile was small but true and his naturally downturned eyes didn't look as muddled as usual. For a second it seemed like he was as clear and readable as water.

It's gone just as quickly as it was there but you turn your head away to hide your own smile.

"You know what I mean. Now don't drop me or pretend to drop me!" You grab the electrograna as you speak.

His maneuvering is just as graceful as he was the first time. "What an absurd thing to accuse me of. I mean it's not my fault you keep squirming and looking down. It's like you want to jump off and escape me."

"Ha! Nice try Ayato but if you're aren't strong enough to carry me the whole way then just say so."

You aren't exactly sure when you started calling him by his first name but Ayato hasn't corrected you so far.

"I am but the humble Yashiro Commission leader. Maybe I should let you down and watch the electrograna make you smack into another boulder."

That gets a laugh out of you. The pain in your back from that incident has already disappeared but you doubt Ayato will let you live it down.

As you laugh Ayato listens to the sweet sound quietly. The way your lips stretch into a smile and cheeks get a little flushed is distracting to say the least.

Distracting enough that he stumbles on the landing on the stairs to the shrine. Trying to correct his mistake he holds you tighter against him and turns so that his back hits the mountain instead of you.

You look up at him in worry as he grunts from the pain. He's still gentle as he sets you down onto your feet.

"Shit, that looked rough. You okay Ayato?" Distracted by his pain you don't think about any sort of etiquette rules as your hands trail up his arms and lightly rub his shoulders.

His breath shudders and he lifts your hands off him, softly he pushes them back to you.

"I'm okay Y/N, it looked worse than it felt." Ayato could feel your concerned stare through the mask. Usually he wouldn't mind it since the enemy underestimating him would only make his job easier. But he feels more embarrassed than anything else since you saw him like that despite your shady identity.

"If you say so. The journey is almost over so don't die on me yet."

Saving him anymore embarrassment you turn and begin walking up the stairs case to the shrine. You hear the clacking from his way too expensive shoes following you.

You can't stand the awkwardness and clear your throat. You've always wondered about some things.

"So you know how visions affect their holders? Like pyro visions make them naturally hotter and cryo visions make them colder?"

Ayato catches up to you to walk by your side. "Yes, it happens without activating it. Why do you ask?"

"Well what happens to hydro vision holders like you? Do you sweat more or have more fluid in your body?"

Ayato stares at you with the most incredulous look on his face. "I truly wonder what goes on in your head to make you have such questions."

"That's not an answer."

"I don't have a answer for such a absurd question."

"Well water makes skin clearer right? And your skin is pretty clear but that may be due to a skin care routine since Lady Ayaka also has clear skin."

"I know Ayaka has a skin care routine but I only wash my face in the morning."

"Oh that is so unfair. But I guess I was right in assuming that the hydro vision affects your inner body more. But still super unfair."

"Between the answer you gave Ayaka last night and the questions you ask me now, I almost feel like you're from another world."

You know he's just joking but for a second your heart dropped. He didn't seem to notice as you arrive at the Grand Narukami Shrine. God you hoped Yae would be at the publishing house.

The Narukami Shrine is empty. No people, no noise, not even visitors. You look around a little confused as you both approach the blue teleport waypoint.

Seemingly picking up on your confusion Ayato answers your unspoken question.

"It's noon meaning everyone is inside for the prayer, it'll last for another 30 minute."

Internally you're relieved beyond measure that you won't have to deal with Yae and Ayato at the same time. Then again Yae and Ayato naturally repel each other.

You touch the teleport waypoint and watch it turn gold. Ayato still looks a little awed but you've grown used to it at this point.

"Well it's finally time for you to teleport. I have very little expectations."

Your mouth sets into a firm line. "You'll be blown away even more then."

Despite everything you've gone through with him, Ayato still seems skeptical of you. The plan you have will make you seem crazy but it's your only shot.

You planned on touching the teleport and then using your other hand to bring up the screen. Yet you only got to touching it and remembering where the Kamisato Estate teleport waypoint is on the map when your vision goes white.

The feeling of being teleported is still unfamiliar but you manage to fix yourself as you open your eyes to see the Kamisato Estate. You lock eyes with surprised green and blue eyes.

To think you can teleport to gold waypoints by simply remembering where it is on the map. It couldn't have come at a more convenient time. You smile charmingly and step closer to the duo.

Ayaka becomes embarrassed as she remembers how she acted around you. She leans back with a red face. She uses her fan to hide most of her face.

You're unperturbed and simply lean closer till your face is nearly touching the mask. "Ayato requires strong evidence that my teleportation wasn't staged or shady. So I'll be taking your fan as proof."

You can tell she's about to back away. To stop her you place one hand on her back and she leans back making the position look like you're dipping her.

You easily slide the fan out of her loose grip and lean back to help her stand straight. After removing your hand from her back you turn around to walk to the teleport waypoint.

Ayaka keeps her head down as the lingering feeling of your breath on her face stays. The spot where you held her is still warm. Her mind can only remember that confident grin on your face as you slid her fan from her shaky hands.

Thoma watched the scene with a tight grip on his spear. He took it out in surprise when you appeared but he's using it more as a stress tool at the moment. He can't help but feel a flash of envy when you got so close to Ayaka and held her.

Even as you walk back to the teleport waypoint both of them want to call out. They want to ask you to stop, to come back. But neither of them let out a sound as you touch the structure and leave in a flash of white.

You open your eyes and see Ayato standing in front of you with a rare troubled expression. He sighs in relief seeing you in front of him again.

Your smile is victorious as you stand in front of him before pulling Ayaka's out from behind your back.

"Care to believe me now?" You ask as you hold the fan over your lower face. Ayato takes a few steps towards you with a smiling facade. Your heart stutters as you recall how he threatened to torture and kill you.

You blink in surprise as Ayato plucks Ayaka's fan out of your hands.

"I believe you Y/N. You've truly proven my suspicions wrong. While you may still have secrets you'll not divulge, I'll place my trust in you as the creator's oracle."

Holy shit, you actually managed to make the Ayato Kamisato believe your scam. You can't stop the beaming smile that overtakes your face.

Ayato watches you with clear blue eyes. That smile on your face makes him want to see it even closer but he refrains himself from doing anything inappropriate. Yes, even the sight of your happy smile makes him as excited as your mischievous one does.

Ayato places something in your hands and cups your hands around it. The item is a fan, specifically Ayato's fan judging by the pattern. Both sides of it has his signature theme but one side also has the Kamisato crest clear as day.

You look up at him and tilt your head in confusion. He taps your nose and gives a simple answer.

"I believe my fan suits you better."

Your jaw drops at his blatant flirting. Never ever has someone tried to use flirtatious tactics to make you lose your composure.

But instead of questioning you he smiles wider at your shock and turns around. He starts walking down the stairs and calls out to you.

"Are you going to stand there catching crystalflies all day or are you coming?"

You snap your mouth shut with a blush and follow after him. Was he really flirting? Was it just a compliment? You decide to shake it off for now.

"With you fully proven as a oracle, I must apologize Y/N. I lacked certain courtesy while you were staying in the estate. I do hope you understand why I gave you such a strict test."

The Sakura petals gently sway in the wind as you walk down together. He takes your silence as permission to continue.

"Once we get back I'll arrange for the best ship to take you to Liyue. The ship I have in mind will be in Ritou tomorrow so I would like you to stay at the estate tonight as well. Of course you'll get lunch as soon as we get back and you'll be served dinner tonight. Feel free to ask any of the servants for whatever you need."

Your mind begins to be flooded with the types of food you can eat. The breakfast you ate was delicious and the bed was like sleeping on a cloud-

Oh. You are not going through that again.

"I'm not so sure I would like to sleep at the estate again. I don't want to be woken up in the middle of the night again by Sayu spying on me. The last thing I want to be is sleep deprived on a boat."

"You're completely right about that Y/N, I'm sorry. That was more than not performing certain platitudes, I crossed a boundary that you did not deserved to be breeched. I understand if you would rather have me pay a hotel for you in Ritou but I would be grateful if you could give the Kamisato estate another chance."

Ayato isn't smiling as he says this. He's serious and looks a little ashamed of himself too. A small part of you wants to keep jabbing the opening Ayato revealed and accept the offer to sleep in Ritou. But the sight of him looking down at you with unsure eyes makes your heart ache.

A familiar desire rises in you. The same one that has always ate away your heart for all the lying, cheating, and deceit you pulled on innocent people.

Besides, you were really expecting him to hit back with something like 'If you didn't hide your face then I would never have felt the need to send Sayu.' Yet what you got was a sincere apology instead.

Your silence unnerves him and he turns his face away with the faintest hint of pink on his ears. That's all it takes for you to give in.

You stop at the Sakura Bough and stop Ayato by tugging his long sleeve.

Perhaps you were dumb or foolish for giving in like this. Maybe this was all a trick of his to get more information on you tonight. Or even another chance for Sayu to remove your mask.

Even so, you didn't want to relive your old life again. Your old life where all you had was your wit, quick thinking, and a cold corpse of the only one dear to you. You wanted to trust again and that could only be done by taking a leap of faith.

If this really is a trap then you'll deal with the fall out one way or another, you've always had.

"Thank you for the apology Ayato. To a certain extent I can understand why you had the Shuumatsuban watch over me. But waking up to being touched without my consent is still troubling."

You clench his fan closed as you stare directly at him. Deep blue eyes that seem as vast as the ocean pull you in.

"But just as you're taking a risk in trusting me despite my obvious secrecy, I want to extend that same trust to you. I'll sleep in the estate again tonight."

If you hadn't been paying attention to his body language, you would have missed how tension left him in a very subtle way.

"Now, enough with the mind games we should go to the estate quickly. I'm sure your workload is almost as heavy as me at this point."

Ayato chuckles at how you dismiss the heavy conversation with ease. Swiftly he carries you again and with your hair so close to him, he can smell the sakura petals that linger on you.

The journey back to the estate is filled with more banter after you asked him the age old question on whether water is wet. Spoiler alert he threatened to let the electrograna drag you into the air if you didn't stop asking stupid questions.

Finally landing on the boulder that you hit the first time. Ayato puts you down and tells you. "Careful there Y/N, I don't want you falling again."

"Ayato, I swear to Celestia. If you don't stop bugging me about that I will steal your boba."

"I'd like to see you try."

You're tempted to flip him off but decide against it as the estate comes into view. Thoma is standing outside waiting for you both. Surprisingly enough Ayaka is there too.

You know Ayato is still capable of torturing and killing you but you still feel sad that the journey is over. Realistically you know that even if you trusted Ayato fully, adventures like this would probably never happen again. He's the head of the Yashiro Commission after all.

Thoma smiles when he spots you both, Ayaka and him meet you halfway. Ayato gives Ayaka her fan back and gives a simple summary of how it went.

"The journey to the shrine went smoothly and I'm sure you saw them teleport. I will be arranging a boat for them to leave tomorrow. They've graciously agreed to stay here another night despite our previous hostility."

"I understand. Y/N, thank you for giving the Kamisato Clan another chance. Especially considering how I treated you last night. I am truly sorry for my behavior."

Ayaka hides part of her face with her fan as she speaks. You aren't sure if you should apologize for purposefully riling Ayaka up or not but you nod anyway.

Thoma claps his hands with a smile to disperse the oncoming awkwardness. "With everything cleared up, why don't we all head inside now? Y/N hasn't ate anything since breakfast and my lady has a meeting with other parties. My lord as you're no doubt aware, many things require your attention."

Ayaka and Ayato sigh in unison. You feel a little bad that while you'll be enjoy lunch they'll be working. Giving them both a pat on the back, you speak encouragingly.

"Don't look so glum Lady Kamisato. The faster you finish work, the sooner you can enjoy things you like. And Ayato while your workload isn't something I envy, I do hope you enjoyed our little adventure as a break from your usual work."

They both seem to perk up at your words. You aren't completely sure why since you said pretty normal words of encouragement. Maybe since it felt like the creator was speaking through you?

You weren't completely wrong but you weren't right either. Ayaka was looking forward to finishing her work to speak more to you. She wanted to make sure you and the creator didn't have a bad view of her. Ayato on the other hand was more happy that you seemed to have enjoyed the journey as much as he did.

Thoma is quick to grab your hand and pull you towards the estate. He smiles and begins chatting with you as people swarm Ayaka and Ayato.

"You must be hungry after that hike. I made some lunch, my signature miso soup."

"That sounds delicious Thoma, thank you so much!" Your excitement is clear in your voice as you follow him inside.

Inside the room he led you to is two bowls of his signature dish. You begin eating making sure to imprint the taste into your brain. You didn't know when you would be eating like this in Liyue.

Probably never but you would rather do that then have Ei a constant threat.

Thoma eats across from you as he talks with you. The conversation is light and entertaining as you ask him strange questions like:

"So what's the deal with Taroumaru? Like he's a badass Shiba Inu who worked for the Shuumatsuban before retiring as the owner of the Komore Teahouse. How did he become a member of the Shuumatsuban? Who sold him the Teahouse? Who even wrote up the contracts that he used for his employees?"

Thoma stops eating as he thinks. "I can't really tell you much about that. I guess the only 'safe' information I can tell you is that my lord was the one who helped Taroumaru with all that."

"What makes that information 'safe'?"

"If I tell you anymore information there is a very large chance that you may get assassinated."

You nod in understanding, and decide to drop that particular subject. Lunch is soon over and Thoma leaves to fulfill his duties, leaving you alone in your room. But that's fine, you have your own things to test.

Taking the book you were pretending to read that morning, you open it up as you sit on the bed. The cover is in a language you can't understand.

Genshin has it's own language and you've always headcanoned that Paimon was the one who translated it for the traveler. A lot of the stuff in Genshin was in ineligible scribbles if they weren't important.

Now that you were here in the flesh, you can see the letters clearer. But it was useless since you didn't recognize the language at all. You never got to finish your schooling in your world either.

Thankfully Genshin was set in a time where most transactions are done by talking. But that doesn't mean reading wouldn't be useful either.

It is strange how when using the screen it automatically translates it while you in real life cannot. You stare at the cover of the book harder hoping that a new screen will open and automatically translate the cover. That of course doesn't happen.

Could you even learn a whole new language while traveling? How would you even learn if nobody knew what language you read in? Plus you can't ask anyone in the Kamisato estate since you were fake reading this book for a good portion of the morning while eavesdropping.

As you continue brainstorming you let your fingers trace the words on the cover. You feel it start to move and watch in fascination as the characters twist and move to spell the book cover in your language.

"Treasured Tales of the Chouken Shinkageuchi" is the name of the book. You remember reading it in the archive. To think that you were using a book about the Electro Archon to help you get away from said Electro Archon.

You open the book and touch the letters on the first page. Just like the cover, all the letters changed into your native language. What a useful feature, even if you have to touch every sign and book from now on, it was well worth it.

In fact this reminded you of how the wind blew Thoma and Ayaka's conversation to you while blocking out the other sounds. And how the ground seemed to shake only you when Ayato was coming closer to your room. Perhaps this was powers you got from being the creator? Or could it be Teyvat itself helping you?

You don't get much more time to stew the possibilities as someone knocks on your door. You open it expecting it to be a worker tasked with giving you dinner. Instead it's Ayaka with a small smile.

"I hope I didn't come at a bad time Y/N. I wanted to ask if you would like to have dinner with me. Brother and Thoma unfortunately can't join due to work. If my offer is uncomfortable for you then you can reject it with no problem."

You're starting understand why Ayaka seemed to have changed her tune. Not that you blame or think less of her due to it. This 'worship the creator' thing is deeply imbedded in Teyvat as a whole.

"That sounds great Lady Kamisato, I would love to eat with you." Ayaka relaxes at your answer, you can already tell what she'll be asking you at dinner.

"Please call me Ayaka." She says with a smile as she leads you down the hallway. You enter a clean dining room that already has food set down on the table. You let Ayaka take a seat first before choosing the spot across from her.

It's quiet at first with workers putting portions of the food on each of the plates. It's a weird feeling to be served outside of a restaurant. Many of the dishes that you saw in the game were on the table looking just as delicious as before.

They also tasted amazing as you and Ayaka ate in silence. Soba, unagi meat, sushi, and other soups left you eager for more. Ayaka sets down her chopsticks and speaks quietly.

"I understand that this may be presumptuous of me to ask but I have to. Why am I the only one in the Kamisato clan to not be awakened?"

You finish chewing the food in your mouth before responding in a neutral voice. "What kind of answer are you looking for? A emotional answer with me telling you the creators thoughts and reasons on why they haven't awakened you? Or a factual reason that is out of everyone's control, including the creator's?"

You continue eating as Ayaka looks down while thinking about what you said. As her silence stretches on you audibly sigh and speak.

"Look Ayaka, if you want me to give you a real answer you'll need to tell me why you want to know. Are you feeling insecure as the only Kamisato left out? Are you envious of everyone else who was awakened? I mean even the Electro Archon and the head of the Narukami Shrine haven't been awakened yet. What are you hoping to see happen or feel, when or if you are awakened?"

You give Ayaka a moment to think before going back to eating. It was a shame really, you had hoped to bond in some way with the Shirasagi Himegimi while you were still here. But it seemed that no matter what kind of setting you were in with her, you two seemed to be on opposite sides of each other.

The sound of twinkling ice falling onto the table startle you. You stop eating and look up to see what ice was falling. For a second you even though that Ayaka was going to use her cryo to threaten you again.

Yet instead of seeing a raging snowstorm, you saw small tears leave Ayaka's eyes and freeze before hitting the table. She was crying, shit you made her cry. You were crap, complete and utter crap.

Leaving your spot in a hurry you move to her side and sit next to her. You don't touch her in case that's too personal as she tries to wipe away the tears. The tears only fall faster and faster while you are helplessly watching.

"I'm *hick* sorry. You sh-shouldn't have to s-see me like this."

Ayaka's whole problem was struggling with speaking her mind and having to keep up a perfect appearance in front of everyone. You feel like a fool for not realizing how your words only aggravated her insecurities.

"Don't apologize for something like that. I'm sorry for pushing you so hard with all my questions. Not my best words, I'll be the first to admit that."

It's true. In trying to fight back against Ayato and defend yourself, you've used Ayaka without care. You wouldn't change your decisions since your life was on the line but you can't help but feel the need to make her feel better too.

Slowly you place your hands on hers that are covering her eyes. You keep them there for a moment giving Ayaka more than enough time to reject you. With no movement from her, you slowly pull her hands off her face to see her clearly.

Her eyes are red-rimmed and tears are slowly sliding down her face before becoming ice once they fall off. She's looking away from you before glancing at you quickly.

"Ayaka, I never meant to make you feel bad or ashamed for any feelings you might have. Envy, jealousy, isolation, or any other emotion are completely normal to feel in your situation."

Your sincere words and apologetic smile seem to comfort Ayaka as the tears slow to a stop. She doesn't move her hands out of your grasp as she replies with a hoarse voice.

"You are right though. I do feel insecure and envious of my brother and Thoma. I had hope after Ayato was awakened that I would soon be too. Yet it never came and I watched more and more acolytes awaken too. People spoke more and rumors spread."

She bites back a sniffle as her feelings and words flow out with a frosty tone.

"Things like 'She isn't a good enough worshipper' or 'poor Ayaka is the only exception'. It was only when brother stepped in and stopped the rumors from festering or growing that it stopped but that doesn't make them stop thinking about it. The pitying looks, side eyes, and even mocking stares were destroying my life's work in keeping a good image of the Kamisato Clan. The image of perfection that I worked towards was crumbling beneath my feet."

She breaths heavily as she speaks with despair filled love and adoration.

"I could never blame the creator for that. I never needed to know why they couldn't or even refused to awaken me. They are perfect and if I wasn't the problem then people would think the creator is. I would never allow that sort of perception of them. That's why I have never fought against the rumors, this is the only way I can show my love for them without being awakened outside of normal worship."

Her words blow you away. You never considered how being awakened could have this much effect. Nor did you understand how high Ayaka herself placed you as the creator. To think that she would rather her image of perfection and title of Shirasagi Himegimi be tarnished than let your own perfection be questioned. You aren't perfect nor will you ever call yourself perfect but the devotion she shows touches your heart.

"Ayaka, know that I speak as both myself and the creator right now. That image of perfection you feel the need to upkeep is due to your upbringing from wanting to help Ayato right? Just as your brother was recognized, not for his title or deeds but for the love and care he showed for you. You too will be recognized, perhaps in a way that neither you nor anyone else will realize. But know that you are loved and appreciated for the sacrifices you have made."

You smile and hug her tightly. Ayaka hugs back as she grips the back of your clothes. She's crying harder than before and it leaves cold wet spots on you but it goes ignored.

You never had the income to pull and whale for all the characters. Ayaka wasn't very high on your list of desired characters and her banners came at the moments where you had little to no primogems. But you wanted to now, you probably would never build her but if simply awakening her would stop her problems then you'll happily do so.

Ayaka seems to calm down in your arms and after a while she pulls away with a flushed face. The embarrassment of how she acted around you seems to finally dawn on her. All she could fully remember was the sweet words that left your mouth and the warmth of your arms around her.

On the other hand, you were too busy despairing over the now cold food to truly notice the dazed look on her face. She stands up in a hurry making your head snap up to watch as she hurriedly leaves the room.

You sit there confused by her sudden exit before moving back to your spot. Determinedly you begin eating your cold food. Cold or not, delicious food was delicious food. If you could eat expired, dumpster and even raw food then some cold food would be fine.

The moment you finished eating, Ayaka came back holding a small tray with a single plate on it. She's completely composed again but she still avoids your curious eyes as she sits down.

"My performance just then wasn't what I should have showed you considering that you are a guest. I apologize for that. Please have some Sakura Mochi I made as a apology."

She sets the plate down and uses her fan to hide her face. You chuckle and bring the plate closer to you. It's her signature dish and you had never tried mochi before.

"Thank you Ayaka and like I said, don't apologize for expressing normal emotions."

She smiles quietly and watches you cut a big piece of it. She gives you a worried look as you put the whole piece in your mouth. It's sweet and tasty but it's also very sticky. She tries to suppress her giggles as she watches you struggle to chew and swallow it.

"Have you ever eaten mochi before?"

You can't even open your mouth to answer and simply shake your head no. You were choking on a delicious piece of mochi while Ayaka laughs at you. A death like this wouldn't be all that bad.

Thankfully you manage to swallow it and sigh in relief.

"Even though I nearly died choking on this mochi, I absolutely love it. If you were expecting to have a piece of your own creation then I have bad news for you."

You say with a teasing tone before cutting a smaller piece and eating it. This time with no choking in between. She only smiles wider behind her fan.

You finish the mochi and the servants come in and take the dishes back to the kitchen. You get up and Ayaka beckons you to follow her to lead you back to your room.

"I know that you don't really need to know, but I think closure is important." Ayaka gives you a questioning glance and you take that as a sign to continue.

"While in the other world, the creator has limited power to awaken acolytes. Some acolytes are able to be awakened at any time, while others only have a certain time frame. In fact even luck has a huge factor in this too. The creator hasn't awakened you, not because they dislike you or something. But rather because your constellation for awakening happens to come at the worst moments."

You give her a soft smile. "You're just really unlucky but I have a feeling your luck will turn around soon."

Ayaka doesn't answer and you don't expect her to. When you get to your room, you open the door and are about to step inside. She places her hand on your shoulder making you look back at her.

"You're right, that does make me feel better." Her answer is quiet and soft just like her smile. Yet it's beautiful all the same.

She releases you and walks away. You go back inside your room and hope that the next one-on-one conversation you have with her won't have dramatic emotional moments. But you have a feeling that those moments were needed for both of you.

The sunset makes your room bathe in a soft glow as you read some books from the shelf that weren't in the game archive. It's been a few hours since dinner and you were trying to enjoy the last hours you have until tomorrow where you'll stuck on a boat for who knows how long.

A knock the door surprises you and it's Thoma who stands outside smiling at you. Most of his armor and accessories he usually wears are gone which makes him look good, just a bit unfamiliar.

"Y/N! Glad to see you're still awake. My lord and I have finished up work and he wanted to invite you to hotpot with us. My lady will also be there. Are you up for it?"

Your social battery was completely drained at this point but the way Thoma was staring at you with such excitement made you nod. He beams and grabs your hand.

"Have you ever played hotpot before? It's really fun and we have the dishes already you just need to choose which one you want to put in."

"I know the premise of it but I've never done it myself. If I put something disgusting in it, can you help me make sure Ayato is the one who eats it? I wanna see his reaction to it."

Thoma laughs at your mischievous smile. He pulls you down another hallway past one of the few rooms that has lights on.

"Sounds great to me, I'll think of it as payback for all the strange stuff he's made me eat in the past."

"Didn't he try to make you eat some strange flavored Boba before?"

"Ah, don't remind me. I drank it all trying not to waste food. I was sick for the rest of the day."

"Or maybe you're just competitive. I mean you did eat all the weird stuff in the hotpot you played with Ayaka and the traveler."

Thoma's hand tightens around yours for a moment before his grip goes back to normal. You take note at how you passed that same lit up room again.

"Did the creator show you that? You aren't completely wrong but I'm not that competitive."

"Oh, so you just like eating strange stuff? Never guessed you were the type Thoma."

Your teasing words made him shush you playfully. You've been walking for at least 10 minutes, more than enough time to arrive at the room. You stop walking making Thoma stop and look back at you. Just as you're opening your mouth to speak, the door to that room you had your eye on opens.

"How many times were you going to walk past the room Thoma. Did you get lost or something?" Ayato says with a smile. He's wearing a dark blue yukata or was it a kimono? That had a white obi and gold engraved patterns.

A really good look on him and you can see Ayaka peaking out behind him. She has her hair loose again and she's wearing a white kimono and a steel blue obi. The winding gold sakuras that decorate her kimono suits her.

"Sorry my lord, I was so caught up in the conversation that I kept walking." Thoma speaks with a sheepish smile. Ayato slides the door open wider letting you and Thoma in.

Ayato and Ayaka go back to their seats across each other. Thoma is busy bringing the ingredients to the wide table to sit yet leaving you with the decision.

Do you sit next to Ayaka or Ayato?

To kill time you close the door and walk slowly to the table. The decision is made for you as Ayato pats the spot next to him and tells you.

"Sit here Y/N, you probably haven't played hotpot before, right? We'll be playing a hotpot game too so I'll explain it."

Just as you are about to sit down, Ayaka pipes up.

"Then shouldn't Y/N sit next to me instead? Me and Thoma are the only ones who played it before with the traveler. So it would better for me to explain."

"That may be true but I was hoping to add something new to the game that would require Y/N to be in the spot next to me."

You sit down before they can go on any longer. Ayato smiles at you while Ayaka looks away with what you think is a pout. Thoma comes back with a box of ingredients. He sets it down before siting down across from you and next to Ayaka.

Ayato begins explaining as the broth is finishes heating up.

"The game goes like this. We all put some ingredients into it and we all take turns tasting it and guessing who put it in. The ingredients in the box are up for everyone to pick but if one of us already have a ingredient then they can use that instead. Every time someone is right they get a point. I was hoping we could play in teams since Ayaka and Thoma have already played before."

"Wouldn't it be better for Y/N to pair up with me and you with my lady so that it's more fair?" Thoma says which makes Ayaka speak up.

"Then Y/N can also choose to pair up with me instead of either of you."

"Then Y/N, who do you choose to be your partner?" Ayato asks you with a smile that makes you feel a bit nervous. You look at all their expectant faces as you contemplate your choice.

Yeah, you'll just leave it up to chance.

Pointing at Thoma you start rhyming as you point at them all with each word.

"Eeny, meeny, miny, moe."

They look at you confused by your strange words and actions.

"Catch a tiger by the toe."

Ayato seems to understand and sits back with a smile. This prompts Thoma and Ayaka to relax as they continue watching you.

"If he yells, let him go."

"Eeny, meeny, miny, moe!"

Your fingers stops and it's pointing at Thoma.

"Luck and probably math has chosen. Thoma is my partner, I hope ya'll are ready to lose."

Ayato and Ayaka take the decision with no hard feelings just like you hoped. Instead they send each other a firm glance before turning back to you and Thoma.

"We'll just have to see Y/N. Thoma may be up for eating strange things but you may not be able to." Ayaka says as she smiles at you.

"I'll be fine, I mean how bad can it be?" It wouldn't be a good decision to let them know just what kind of food you used to eat to not starve.

"You'd be surprised how things can change taste in hotpot. Just make sure not to almost choke this time." She finishes with a giggle. Ayato smiles at you in amusement as Thoma laughs.

"I don't know if I'm just a fun target or if you and Ayato are that similar. I made one mistake using the electrograna and he never let me live it down the whole journey."

You pick your ingredients; sea ganoderma, matsutake, eel meat, and fluorescent fungus. Hopefully you won't make anyone sick with this and you hide them in your box under the table.

"I believe it's your inability to behave normally that makes us pick on you so much. Who even asks if a vision can make you sweat more?"

Thoma and Ayaka laugh while you stick your tongue out at Ayato. You all turn around for one of the late night servants to put all the chosen ingredients in. With no body able to witness him, he sticks his tongue out at you back.

You give a mock shocked gasp and pay very close attention to the boba the servant hands to Ayato before they leave. You all turn back to the table and take turns cooking the pot full of strange choices.

"I'm starting to think this hotpot is a danger hazard."

"It probably taste better than it looks Y/N." Thoma says comfortingly.

"Are you lying to make me feel better?"

"Yes." You laugh at his honest reply before Ayaka uses her chopsticks to check the hotpot.

"Y/N, tell me how does your back feel?" Ayato asks innocently. You smile at him before responding.

"It's perfectly fine, never been better. Why do you ask Ayato?" You know exactly why but you're just waiting for him to say it. Your hand twitches in anticipation.

"I just wanted to check since you hit the boulder so harshly when that electrograna dragged you."

Ayaka and Thoma give you concerned looks and you're quick to reassure them.

"I'm fine, really, no bruises or cuts. But Ayato is about to be one boba short!" You say before reaching over quickly to snatch the boba out of his hand.

Ayato is a step ahead of you and keeps his boba in his other hand farther from you. At this point you're leaning on him trying to reach the damn boba as he smirks at you.

"What's wrong Y/N? Can't reach?"

"You are so lucky you changed your clothes or else I would have used those long ass sleeves to drag your hand down."

You give up and sit properly in your seat as you glare at his boba. Ayato simply sips it loudly to further annoy you.

"The hotpot is done, so who'll go first?" Thoma asks as he looks up from the pot. You immediately raise your hand, you did not want to get stuck eating something bad.

"I'll taste the pot of doom first." Ayaka hands the chopsticks to you with a amused smile. You hold the chopsticks with a sense of resignation.

You don't know how to use them. All this time, they had given you a choice between chopsticks and other utensils.

"Sorry but I can't use these. I can barely handle a fork and knife." One of the guys snorts as you hand it back to Ayaka. Giving a glare at both of them who look away innocently, you use a different utensil and scoop out a piece that doesn't look poisonous.

The whitish soft food is put into your mouth. It taste sweet and only a little soggy. You chew it a bit before realizing what it could be.

"This kind of taste like tofu. I'm gonna guess Thoma put this in because we ate miso soup for lunch."

"Looks like my partner knows me well. That's right Y/N, I put it there." Thoma high-fives you as you swallow the tofu.

"That's one point for you two but now it's my turn." Ayaka grabs a piece of food and eats it. Her face scrunches up in surprise. You laugh at her expression and the game goes on.

Points were gained and Thoma almost always guessed each weird ingredient as Ayato's. He was at least 80% right. It's on one of Ayato's turn that he ate something green.

As Ayato continued trying to swallow it as Thoma laughed at him, you slipped your arm behind his back. You blindly groped the floor next to him for the boba before the plastic bottle was in your hand.

You pulled it back victorious and drank from it. It tasted like strawberry milk boba, refreshing and sweet. You kept the straw in your mouth as Ayato spoke.

"Who put sea ganoderma into the hotpot? It didn't taste bad but the texture is awful."

You only smile as you keep slowly sipping the Boba. For some reason Thoma and Ayaka are giving you a look. Ayato finally looks you and covers his mouth with his sleeve.

"You do know I already drank from that, right?"

No, no you didn't but damn it you weren't losing.

"And you do know I threatened your boba right? It's pretty good so I think I'm keeping this now."

He only laughs at your childishness and looks away. You can't see how his face becomes a soft pink at your actions.

"I'm gonna guess Ayaka put it in. It's too tame to be Thoma's and Y/N can only choose from the box." Ayaka shakes her head no and you raise your hand.

"It was actually me this time. I found it all the way at the bottom of the box. The look on your face was funny but I'm glad it wasn't poisonous."

"C'mon Y/N I wouldn't give you a box with potential poisonous ingredients. But I am glad you found all the hidden gems I snuck in." Thoma cheerfully adds. Something about the way he's speaking is off, the same could be said for Ayaka with how she's refusing to look at Ayato.

You shrug it off and the game continues on. That weird tension slowly goes away leaving the atmosphere pleasant and fun. At the end of it, you and Thoma won the game. You felt bad that he was the one who ate some of the strangest ones.

Thoma was sprawled out on your lap as you rubbed his back. Ayaka was dozing off on your shoulder while Ayato cleaned up the remaining mess. You weren't sure how you got into this position but it was nice.

Ayato smiled softly as he saw you trying to keep Thoma awake. He shakes Thoma and brings him to sit up.

"Thoma, Ayaka fell asleep, please bring her to bed while I lead Y/N back to their room."

Thoma is about to say something but the look Ayato gives him backs him hold his tongue and nod his head. You aren't able to understand but it seems Ayato wants to talk to you in private.

Thoma stands up and pats your head as a 'thank you'. He carefully carries Ayaka and leaves the room. Ayato offers you his hand and you accept the help.

He doesn't let go of your hand as he leads you out of the room and down the halls. It's quiet with the moon as your only light source. Ayato keeps glancing at you while smiling a little sadly.

You get to your room and before either of you can say a goodbye you fumble with something in your pocket before taking it out. It's Ayato's fan, you hold it out to him.

"I almost forgot to give this back to you. I don't want to forget and accidentally take it with me. It's very pretty so it must be just as expansive."

Ayato shakes his head and pushes it back to you.

"Keep it. This isn't just a gift, this is a symbol of my trust in you as a oracle. The Kamisato crest will serve as proof that the Kamisato clan backs you up."

You accept it with mixed emotions. Out of everything that you've lied about, your status as a oracle was definitely the most profound one. Yes, you kept up and made it more believable to save your life but what would happen if they found out? Believing and trusting were different and accepting this fan would mean accepting whatever punishment they would subject you to for breaking their trust.

"Thank you Ayato. It's a beautiful fan, I'll be sure to utilize it to solidify my oracle position. You accept the intricate beautiful fan with a graceful smile.

He turns to leave before stopping and turning back to you. "And Sayu will be paying you a visit soon. So please don't sleep just yet."

A little confused you nod and wave goodbye to Ayato who returns it with a soft smile. When you close the door, his eyes dull a bit as he remembers how far away you'll be tomorrow. Not for the first time he curses the vast ocean that will separate you both.

You flop on the bed and sigh. The bed seems to envelope you as the smell of sakura seeps in through the window. For a few seconds you doze off before the sound of something on the window sill startles you awake.

Mujina ears are the first thing you notice as Sayu sits on the window sill with a bag next to her. You sit up and watch as she moves to kneel in front of you.

"I hope I'm not interrupting you Y/N. Wait should I address you formally?" Sayu's signature sleepy voice is quiet as the wind blows gently.

"Nah just call me Y/N and speak to ne normally. I'm not a noble or someone important."

"The creator is important and by extension you are too Y/N. Please forgive my rudeness and suspicion I treated you last night. Even though I was under Lord Kamisato's orders, I was still wrong."

You can basically see how the mujina ears and tail drop as she speaks. You feel very tempted to reach out and pet her, but you really don't want to be bitten.

"I also wanted to thank you for not mentioning how I tried to take off your mask. My lord never requested it and if he found out I would be stuck with even more work as punishment."

So Ayato never ordered Sayu to take off your mask. Then that leaves the question.

"Then why did you try to remove it?"

Sayu gets up from her kneeling position to look up at you. Her eyes though tired are firm as she speaks.

"The creator is one of the few people that I have left in my life. When you came in and Thoma claimed you were a oracle, I was pretty mad. Someone claiming to be the creator's oracle is really arrogant. You were even more dubious with that mask. When I was sent to get information on you and couldn't find anything I just felt worse. That's why I decided to use the opportunity I had to see your true identity."

That's right, it's implied that her master left her in some way and since people worshipped you so much, she ended up relying on you to fill the hole her master left. It's hard to lose the only parental figure in someone's life, you've gone through it too. But it wasn't healthy to fixate on you or growing taller.

"Thank you for apologizing Sayu, I don't hold it against you. But even if I was someone suspicious please don't do that again, to anyone really. I'm keeping this mask on for a reason and for anyone not preapproved to see my face would mean drastic events would occur."

Sayu's eyes widen when you mention drastic events. It wasn't the best move to imply that but you needed to scare her. You didn't have the time to try and ease her off the devoted worshipper train.

Instead you change the topic to something else. Pointing at the bag on the window sill you ask what it is. Sayu grabs it and carries it to you. It's a cute sight seeing the small ninja carry a bag that's as big as her.

"This is a gift from my lord and myself. I hope you like them. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm actually gonna sleep tonight instead of wasting time watching you." Her words come out as a sleepy mumble before she uses her Yoohoo art to leave.

You open the bag to find a ton of clothes inside. Formal, pajamas, casual, and even some tougher clothes that seem to be built with resistance. All high quality and expansive.

You change into the pajamas to find it fitting you perfectly. You remember how Sayu was touching you, she must have been measuring you. Maybe the original reason she was doing that was to get a body bag for you since they were so sure you were a fake.

As you put the other clothes inside your bag, you continue thinking on the topic. They wouldn't need a body bag for you since Thoma is more than capable of burning dead bodies. But maybe they were worried that Thoma would refuse to since he was the one who brought you.

You lay down on the bed and wonder how in the world did you get so comfortable imagining your death. Thinking yourself as the creator with acolytes willing to die for you, still feels unreal. But the way the bed cradles your tired body is too tempting to continue debating the morality or logistics of your situation. Your eyes close and you fall into a deep slumber.

Finally done with this monster of a chapter. Was it too long? If you thought it was then just let me know and next time I'll cut it in half. It was really fun to write. In my outline I wrote that Ayaka and reader would get along well. But by the time I got to the scene, everything changed. None of those dramatic emotional burst were supposed to happen. And Thoma? His yandereness showing every so often was completely unplanned. I really enjoy this kinda characterization for Ayato. I hated him as I wrote him in the beginning and loved him by the end of the chapter. I hope you all liked how the teleport waypoints were used! Taglist: @vvyeislazzy, @nikqi, @the-dumber-scaramouche, @etherisy, @yourlocalstranger123, @ra404, @iruiji, @goldenglow149, @haru-tofuu, @lsleepysimpl, @bebobeboben, @yuyuzi-ling, @amidst-the-tempest, @resident-cryptid, @mxd1zzy, @mochicurls21, @nervouseaglelover, @thedevioussmirk, @yumuramma, @kwqsla, @undecidingfate, @ehjane, @game-savvy, @akiramirae, @sielt If you are in italics that means I couldn't tag you! Usually you'll need to check your settings to fix that.

[cerastes]

FNAF but you are a Rhodes Island canteen staff on a night shift trying to prevent Ceobe from raiding the kitchen .

It's a late night at the Rhodes Island canteen, the Elite Operators have an early deployment, and supplies are looking adequate... That is, as long as no incident occurs. Unfortunately for whoever is on shift, Rhodes Island is well known for its late night incidents, incarnated in nefarious individuals whose gluttony eclipses even the most furious of Catastrophes... And the Elite OPs are not going to be happy campers if they can't get their calories for their arduous missions...

--Five Nights At Rhodes!--

Your objective is to protect the delicious ingredients in the pantry from morally bankrupt evildoers that would greedily consume all they can get their hungry little pizza fingers on! Play as one of four culinary heroes to keep those fiends away from the Elite's caloric intake, or face the crushing guilt of seeing Rosmontis go hungry with a rumbling tummy!

The Centurions of Flavor:

Gummy

"The sign clearly says 'Ceobe not allowed', why are you still coming in!"

Known for world-class fried eggs and a healing enthusiasm, this Ursine Defender isn't just a soothing smile to have around, and can use her very own Reinforced Door to fully restore and strengthen one of the doors to the pantry! No means no!

Matterhorn

"Ethan, seriously, you can just ask for a sandwich... You're messing our inventory of available ingredients if you take them on the down low!"

Bodyguard, enforcer, butler, and renowned chef, Matterhorn works with the finest Kjerag ingredients, and knows a thing or two about keeping unwanted company out with his Sublime Sandwich, which can temporarily distract would-be interlopers with its peerless taste and aroma!

Kal'tsit

"If you want something done right, sometimes you have to do it yourself... Especially when the would-be crisis jeopardizes the stock of instant noodles in such dire and relentless a fashion."

The boss always has your back in Rhodes Island, and this emergency deployment is no exception! Any logistic is an important logistic! With her Spinal Assistant, Kal'tsit can order Mon3tr to hold one door while she holds the other one! There's no getting a fast one in on this Feline!

Just A Canteen Staffer

"I literally just work here."

With no special abilities to speak of, well... It's going to be a long, long night.

Crooked Adversaries:

Ravenous Hellhound

The nefarious nibler, infamous for her indignant disregard for signaling, reviled for her Indomitable March: What she lacks in tricks, she makes up for in pure perseverance, relentlessly trying to force her way in no matter how many times she's repelled. The countless signals that say "Ceobe Not Allowed" are said to be a ward against the Hellhound. A useless ward, that is.

Renegade Interloper

He moves like the shadow of a ghost, a feared culinary assassin that will make your ingredients and food vanish into the misty night, leaving behind no trace. This Persistence Predator will oftentimes camp outside a door almost completely invisible, waiting for your guard to grow lax. If one pays close attention, however, one might discern small ripples in space where there should be none, or hear a faint music from the Interloper's treasured earbuds...

Prowling Miscreant

The hunter's creed is that a mighty beast is only as strong as its weakest point, and her eye is already trained on the canteen... And the habits of its handlers. You'll be Drawing Dead the moment you think you have a leg up on the Miscreant, as she'll first observe your habits, and then continuously attempt entry from the routes you neglect the most, usually by syncing up with the advance of other Adversaries.

The Ghost of Babel

Feared for their truly wild consumption habits and seemingly unmatched ability to find their way into the pantry, this hooded enigma's wiry, fragile frame betrays their supernatural wiles. This unique Adversary doesn't move in the same way as the others, instead wandering the Area seemingly randomly, concocting their Magnum Opus by collecting all sorts of information and intel that we can't even begin to comprehend. If this is completed, then the Ravenous Hellhound will turn into a creature only known as "Golden Ceobe" and become completely unstoppable. Due to their timid nature, however, they can only work towards the Opus by being in a calm state of mind, achieved by not being observed for a period of time.

The full game COMING SOON to all stores in Columbia, Victoria, Great Yan, not Gaul, and Leithanien! Don't miss out on all these Centurions and Adversaries! Preorder now and get a code to an early download of the DLC Centurions [Fiammetta Who Aggressively Doesn't Want To Be Here] and [Just A Canteen Staffer the Holungday], as well as early access to the challenging DLC Adversaries [Scary Guy] and [D.I.D.I.]!

[anthroposeen]

tmagp 19 relisten notes!

tma/tmagp spoilers under the cut as always, and im so sorry i keep posting these late, ive been a very busy bee!

celia:

- she's been collecting evidence about alchemy, with some of the examples including: transference, the spiritual substitution of elements, but an 'incomplete' version (pointed out by sam)

- she almost encourages sam to continue his research into the institute, telling him he was handling it well and teasing him with having information about it. i dont think she means it in any nefarious way, i think its most likely she wants to have another person to confide in and trust her findings to as she goes, and she finds having a second pair of eyes useful for research.

sam:

- he knows about alchemy from researching the institute, as they were very interested in the field. i think its important to note that he specifies he started learning about alchemy during his research, not during his time at the study. this doesnt mean alchemy played no part in the study with children, it could be that sam was too young to understand or they didnt involve the kids directly in that process, but the distinction feels important

- sam reveals he wants to try and let go of the magnus institute research (not followed by a glitch) because alice has been warning him

- sam has realized hes receiving incidents related to his conversations and interests, "are the computers listening to us?" he poses the question to alice, though, knowing shes unlikely to take it seriously or agree. i think he'll likely bring it up to celia next, but i do think its important he continues to involve alice in his questions despite her seeming indifference

alice:

- as usual, she doesnt believe theres anything supernatural about fr3-d1 and thinks the system is too buggy to do anything that advanced

- shes continuously getting jmj errors throughout her interaction with sam, and seems to be the only one experiencing the issue (no one else is complaining about them or getting them on-screen at least). i think its because she refuses to interact with the bait; the one time she received a targeted incident she chose to ignore it, so it seems that jmj have abandoned trying to reason with her

- this conversation with sam drives her to go visit colin at his house, and she still doesnt believe him ("idiots, idiots all the way down") though i do think she'll notice the connections between her conversations with sam and colin

gwen:

- shes very angry at lena for not giving her any protection or back up during assignments, clearly still shaken up by her encounter with bonzo (and that was with someone there as well)

- shes aware that starkwall have offered security to the oiar before, assumedly from her family and their connections since this seemed to be very hush/hush when sam and alice were discussing it

lena:

- she refuses to give gwen any back up because as she sees it, gwen volunteered for the job, blackmailed her, and is a bit entitled to safety she doesnt grant to others (she demands a body guard on assignments but has no problem with endangering celia)

- she rebuffs the starkwall idea, saying they escalate situations (and are likely not trained to delegate with externals, but to enact the protocol upon them when necessary)

- its revealed she used to be in gwen's position, and has completed many assignments alone before (getting a hint at her journey climbing the corporate ladder)

- she tells gwen to resign if she refuses to do her assignments (an offer she made to colin as well. and we see how distance and unemployment are suiting him and teddy respectively)

- she muses that gwen can have her family find her a new, better position if she does quit

COLIN:

- he's correct in assuming alice's phone is listening in, and refuses to let her enter with it on

- it sounds like hes boarded himself into his house (you can practically see the 4 different locks in the door gap) as he speaks to alice, and he sounds weak and ragged

- "you should be worried for yourselves"

- "what i need is to not be seen. he sees too much already" i dont think this is directed at chester/jon or augustus/jonah, rather i think the man whos been managing colin (the one requesting he make an app) is facilitating the surveillance of the office, but i still dont know the level of sentience jmj may have

- "not that anyone cares as long as it balances out", hes put together that the oiar is trying to establish a balance between the forces relating to alchemy, but wont go so far as to stop all suffering by them. he specifically references mercury and sulfur as elements in the equation

incident:

narrated by chester, directed at sam.

- this incident somewhat follows chester's normal themes: mentions of the magnus institute as well as using an incident relating to their recent conversation *(note on this in the extra comments)

- letter to robert boyle, from the bureau of robert hook (speaker), dated 1684 (before the tma!magnus institute was founded)

- the letter calls for help on the matter of isaac newton, who has been working in alchemy and treading upon 'mad scientist' territory, inciting use of "the protocol". its referred to in this way several times, never mentioning magnus in any way, making me suspect that the name could be a monicker claimed by the institute (or tmagp!jonah) as its own interpretation of the protocol. this also goes to show how old the protocol is, drawing into question if it has always remained the same or if it needs to undergo changes

- its revealed that the protocol was enacted over the entirety of london, potentially explaining why the magnus institute is based in manchester instead

- newton is working on the vegetative propagation of metals

- newton kept a mangy dog around the lab, important potentially for a connection to the corruption as we knew it in tma

- within the lab, there was a large, glowing element, the perfected work of wilhelm holmberg, an early chymist (bridge between the disciplines of alchemy and chemistry) who was working on transmutations of metalic elements

- the element was actually a small tree enveloped in a solution unfamiliar to the speaker.

- newton refers to the tree as a living work (a living organism) rather than a mineral

- the tree bore fruit that newton wanted hook to taste -> clear parallels here to the story of adam and eve, the lesson to not eat the forbidden fruit, when newton quotes a latin bible verse directed to adam

- isaac fed the fruit to the dog, which began to transform very similarly to the tree-hybrid man we heard from in episode 3 (flesh falling from the body, as tendrils root into the ground and it sprouts branches) and with an outside perspective, we can see the dog open one eye to look upon hook.

- this also draws another parallel to the bible (though this could be entirely coincidental), but newton feeding the element to his dog makes me think of abraham attempting to sacrifice isaac to god

- hook was horrified by the knowledge and consciousness within the dog's gaze, "it knew me not as a beast knows its master, but as a man knows another" / "it saw me and it knew me"

- newton 'cured' the dog by pouring the glowing solution over the dog, returning it to its normal form

- hook wants to enact the protocol to stop newton from spreading this to a human, fearing what evil a person could accomplish if given omniscience (another theme common to a chester-narration but equally well suited to an augustus one*)

- he specifies that the protocol should be enacted to destroy newton's lab and experiments, but not to harm newton himself, demonstrating that the protocol is a violent method of achieving balance

glitches/lies:

"just curious", said by celia in response to sam asking why shes looking into alchemy

extra comments:

- *i think that there was a scheduling conflict with the voice actors resulting in a switch between augustus and chester's incidents (since they read incidents back to back that seem to match each other's style and it seems odd that augustus would read a modern incident only for the next episode to match his usual flavor. im unsure if thats been confirmed by ajn or any other member of the crew, but if thats not the case it raises some very interesting questions about the nature of what each voice reads (do they have any control over it? is it driven by preference? by code? by the man colin is referencing?)

- any time gwen's family is brought up (usually as a gotcha) she steps down from the confrontation and deflects. i think she may have a rocky relationship with them, explaining why shes desperate to move up in the oiar, why she doesnt want to quit, and why she seems to cling to fragments of her posh life when she can

- this episode confirms the alchemy theory, and we now have a pretty solid base to start researching from. there seems to be a heavy emphasis placed on transformation between elements (with the trinity of alchemy being the mind, body, and soul) and keeping a balance of all the elements. though, sam observed the model/evidence that celia had wasnt complete. i think that the oiar classification book is a list of potential transformations of the trinity, and documents the different elements used to enact the transformation. i dont know much about alchemy, so ill need to do a deeper dive when i get the chance!

- the dog's transformation struck me as a very clear example of what makes a person a person, the question of tmagp (tma asked what made a person a monster). this poses that people have a level of consciousness that allows for evil and good, for complex recognition and knowledge, and potential. this is also playing on questions of free will (hook is concerned about what choices a person would make if given a higher level of sentience by newton's element. in tma, annabelle cain mused that Tolstoy cpuld be correct in his estimation of free will, that if a person was fully omniscient it would be revealed they have no free will, that by knowing every variable a person's actions predictable and set.)

- it was great to hear colin, even if hes clearly losing it in the physical manifestation of a VPN that he calls a house. i dont believe that the old fears still exist, but that seems to be the only explanation for how hes behaving. hes demonstrating every symptom of a victim of the eye, and i cant think of another element or force that could be triggering this exact reaction

[waytooinvested]

Kara suddenly deciding to come out to the world bothered me so much, despite the fact that in many ways it IS a logical conclusion for her. She spends her life wrestling with the conflict of trying to balance these two sides of herself, never being allowed to just be honest about who she is, and also with the fear of what the world at large finding out will do to the people she loves. That is a massive weight on her shoulders, so of course it makes sense that laying that down and moving forwards as her full self could be part of her happy ending.

HOWEVER.

We have seen repeatedly that her fears around coming out are NOT unfounded. We get shown timelines in which she reveals herself and the people she loves pay for it. And that never really gets resolved before they leap straight to 'and now she comes out and it's all good and happy, weeeee!' while we (I) get left with the uncomfortable niggle of 'okay... and then what?'

Not to mention the fact that while she isn't the only one anymore, Supergirl is still THE big hero of National City, and coming out will thrust Kara into a spotlight that I really don't think she's prepared for. As soon as she's out she won't be able to just take off the cape and relax at the end of the day. She'll be a celebrity. A MASSIVE one. Constantly watched, observed, critiqued, plastered all over the tabloids at every turn. Everyone will want a piece of her. That's a lot even for people like Lena who have basically been raised to it, but Kara? Kara has been raised to hide. And I know hiding is not serving her anymore, but that is a HELL of cliff to jump over, and once it's done, there's no going back.

But all of that could have had a softer, more comfortable landing if they had kind of… laid the groundwork a bit more first?

There are inklings of it already in place - growing up for Esme and her peers is going to be a very different experience to the one Kara had with no need for power dampeners. The world is becoming a kinder place to aliens. If they had taken a bit more time to weave in more of that in the run up to the finale (yes I know, they were kind of busy with the totems and the imps and the, ah... giant cats), it might have changed the reception to Kara coming out.

What if other superheroes started popping up all over the city (the country, the world) so that powered people using their skills for good became just... part of the fabric of society? If there were Super training schools where you could go to learn to harness your gifts and join fire fighters or paramedics or search and rescue teams, and work with humans and make their shared home a better, safer place instead of being held apart from them? Where there are Superhero accreditations and ethical codes and a clear directive for how it's dealt with for when a Super goes rogue that minimizes harm to them and others (because that IS a consideration, and needs to be) without the answer being to lock them away without trial in a secret DEO prison forever.

If they wait for (and work for, and BUILD) that world, Supergirl is no longer particularly remarkable. She's (almost) the first, but she's no longer the only. She is much less in demand. No longer held in such awe and/or terror. She'd still be famous sure, but watered way the hell down, as the danger would be too, because it wouldn't just be her and her little ragtag bunch of vigilantes anymore. She'd still have people with a personal grudge against her (or her family) to deal with, but for the most part it would hardly be worth targeting her specifically, because there's this whole collective of Supers now, and taking down Supergirl isn't going to help your nefarious plan that much in the long run.

AND it would mean she might actually have time to make a go of being editor in chief, because the pressure would be off. She can still do her superhero thing, but she doesn't have to answer every call. There is a citywide network to fall back on, and chances are pretty good that if she is in an important meeting (or y'know, an important makeout session with a beautiful dark haired witch/scientist, because yes I WILL make every post about Supercorp. Every post IS about supercorp. There is no version of a happy ending that does not involve these two admitting they are hopelessly in love and flying off into the sunset together), then someone else will be there. She can't always be their saviour. She doesn't have to be. She gets to live her own life now.

[korvidian]

your failgirl vampire sounds amazing I love her already!!

lmao thank you-- i've been picking away slowly at her story for a while and enjoy rotating her around in my brain a lot

she was on the fringe of the popular girl group in high school and was mean in that 'repressive home life misdirected aggression and tongue too sharp for her own good' kind of way, and then all her friends moved interstate, she didn't quite make the cut for any scholarships since she spent her senior year doing drama and music while recovering from a bad fall during cheerleading practice so her grades suffered, but her parents figured she would just work for one of them (and wouldn't pay for her to go to an arts school) and she'd get married soon enough, so she just went to her local community college since that was a more acceptable indulgence

I wanted to use her vampirism as a way to explore those kind of liminal stages of life and transitions from familiar to unfamiliar situations, and the mix of both freedom and fear/instability that follows, as well as themes around how reductive and narrow and conventional/confined/repressive life was with her parents and following what was 'expected' of her, and how fake all of that pretense they keep up is, and then contrasting with how loud and vibrant and authentic (if frequently scary) her life is now as a vampire when she slowly opens up and figures out who she wants to be and lets herself be more of a Person with Feelings and Needs, and getting to see the true reality of life with its monsters and mysteries and horrors and raw beauty

Her parents think she dropped out and had an abortion and flip flop between basically disowning her and trying to pull her back onto the 'right path', and figure she must now be addicted to something if she's so determined to stay living in a shithole apartment on the edge of town and working in a run down 24/7 diner, and she'll be lucky if she's not killed or disappears next (only a few of which are Cami's fault)

I'm always a sucker for found family and weirdo solidarity, so the diner she works in has staff who are also on the fringe of society for one reason or another, and of course it ends up being the local weirdness magnet for other late night and nefarious ne'er-do-wells and creatures of the general nocturnal hours. They care about her and she starts to care about them too, and so help you if you're mean to or harass any of the other servers while she's there lmao

[seriouslysam8]

Say Lucius slips Maia the diary when she's fairly young. She mistakes it for a sketchbook and when it starts writing back to her she thinks she has super powers in her drawing skills. The diary tells her to keep it a secret or she'll lose her powers. The diary manipulates her into thinking Walburga is a wonderful grandmother and she tells Sirius Tom Riddle is her grandpa and to refer to her as Maia Riddle (this is how he finds out about his biological father), and she needs to help her Aunt Bellatrix. Tom tells her about the chamber and shes drawn to it and trying to summon the basilisk through the pipes at home (the pipes at hogwarts have to lead to scotland and eventually england, right?). How long do you think it would take Sirius to catch on? Do you think Harry would notice first?

That’s a very intriguing concept. Especially with Walburga trying to manipulate her way back into Sirius’ life for… nefarious reasons?

I definitely think Harry would notice first. Or I think Maia would come out and tell him about it. I think Harry would go to Sirius immediately.

But, I dunno. I’d have to think more on it. Very interesting indeed.

[hestzhyen]

A Dubiously Useful Character Investment Advisory

Hello internet void... I present this "should I invest in [KB character name]" ramble to you because writing a bunch of gibberish is the only way I know how to understand what I'm thinking about and why.

Seriously though. I usually don't get invested in characters outside of the MC and the folks with him at the start and I'm in uncharted territory here. In an attempt to understand my own deranged thoughts, this will be like that "stock report" that floats around on the subreddit (albeit with far less entertainment value). Starting in order of appearance, skipping dead fodder and obvious bit characters. Note: spoilers for Chapter 40 came out while I was writing this but I'm not going to include them. I am pleasantly surprised by a few things I guessed at though.

More under the cut! But maybe spare yourself instead.

Chapter 1 Kunishige: safe (major). He's dead as a door nail and that won't be changing corpse/spirit reanimation via sorcery to make Chihiro suffer not withstanding. Safe if you like dead goofy dads. His presence has been felt quite strongly despite his absence, which makes sense since his murder is why Chihiro is out kagurabachi'ing all over the place. Every flashback to him is another gut-punch contrast between Chihiro's happier days and his current self, used mostly to help us understand Chihiro's current mindset (and get us emotional because of course). He will keep showing up so we can learn more Chihiro's past self compared to his present, and later on, he'll be a key figure in whatever arc gets into the history of the Seitei war. I'm not ready for whatever Hokazono-sensei has planned but I await it with baited breath.

Chihiro: safe (major). Duh. He has suffered, is suffering, and will continue to suffer, since the story is all about him. Shiba: safe (major). Introduced in Ch. 1 first as an old friend of Kunishige's, then more formally in Ch. 2 as Chihiro's guardian, main support system, and a suspiciously strong fighter. He's our first foil for Chihiro and provides some much-needed levity early on. Shiba's also our main insight into the wider world so far and has connections to the Kamunabi that will keep paying dividends based on how the story's been going. Also Chihiro's strongest (living) connection to his dad and the person who understands him best. There's a lot more to discover about him too (his sorcery power and his past; especially his connection to Azami, Kunishige, and the Seitei war). Only risk is him dying to motivate/further traumatize Chihiro at some point once his plot-relevant PoV is no longer needed. But that's probably a long way off if it even happens at all.

Hishaku sorcerer: risky (minor). The first Hishaku guy we meet is still unnamed and has not been seen since he appeared in a foreboding panel hinting at some nefarious behind-the-scenes plotting. He'll probably come back up as an antagonist in a future arc but he's got henchman vibes since we've met the leader and it's not him. He's the only murderer whose face we've seen so far too.

Chapter 3

Hinao: safe (minor). Our informant and coordinator! The convenient logistical miracle lady! She might be in mortal peril from time to time due to her association with Chihiro and Shiba (RIP Cafe Haru Haru) but she'll stick around to provide exposition and babysit Char and such.

Char: safe (minor). Ultimate woobie and the convenient method for Chihiro et. al. to cheat death when they're inevitably on the run. Her arc was a great way for us to see Chihiro's deeply empathetic and protective nature, and she herself deserves ALL OF IT. She's also our introduction into the underworld that features very prominently going forward, as well as a primer on sorcery and how the enchanted blades (especially Enten) work. Outside of in-universe utility, Char exists to be a permanent way to to soften some of Chihiro's hard edges, and a narrative device to have things explained to the audience (kids are GREAT for that). She's likely to be a background character like Hinao now that her arc is done but we've checked in on her as recently as Ch. 39 so she's not going away for good. Just staying out of the action, very reasonably. She will probably be used as someone for Chihiro to protect and nurture when she's not being cute comedic relief/emergency healing.

Chapter 5

Sojo: inadvisable (minor). The first named villain; the guy who clashed with Chihiro to show us what the rest of the world thinks of his father's work. Gave us a really good idea of what Chihiro was up against not just in the action sense but also in terms of mindset, at least when it comes to the goons that are after the enchanted blades. He died via the same type of explosion that killed Tenri and a report stated his body was accounted for, not to mention the Big Bad separately confirmed he's dead on top of that, but don't let that stop you from believing he can come back. (Basically, bank on the fact that Sojo's past was teased but never elaborated on.)

Chapter 7

Oni mask sorcerer: inadvisable (minor). Made it to the top 10 in the fan popularity poll despite being absolute fodder. At least he lived so he could show up again in the Rakuzaichi arc, for some reason. A hidden villain? I do love it when authors have a unique but seemingly unimportant background character show up a few times until they're revealed to be connected to the plot somehow. That said, probably don't invest.

Azami: safe (minor): Shows up to help Chihiro out of a pinch and to demonstrate the caliber of sorcerer that the government has on hand. He's mostly just delivered exposition and info leaks so far but he'll absolutely be a key player. Not only is he another old friend of Kunishige and Shiba's, he's how we learn about the Kamunabi. There's a ton more to unpack with him in a later arc; he's likely going to be our window into how the Kamunabi, Japanese government, and Seitei war intersected with the Rokuhira's lives (in tandem with Shiba). He's safe for now but once he's done his narrative purpose he could easily die for any number of reasons. Especially if that theory of him being the traitor is true. He's set up for a collision with Chihiro's group just by having allegiance to the Kamunabi in the first place so I'm very excited to see where that goes.

Chapter 10

Ikuto: risky (minor). He's probably going to come back when the story focuses on the Kamunabi, but it's hard to say if he'll have a prominent role or not, much less if he'll be an enemy or an ally with both of his legs missing. He'll probably live but by virtue of being sidelined by his injuries.

Kazane: safe (minor). HEAR ME OUT- Kazane is primed to be another antagonist and foil to Chihiro. He's experienced similar trauma, but he's probably going to have a very different takeaway from it compared to Chihiro if his most recent appearance is any indication. When the Kamunabi get focus he'll probably be core part of the arc and face off against our protagonist to have another clash of ideals.

This wasn't said for nothing, after all. Can't wait to see what comes of it.

Chapter 18

Kamunabi HQ roundtable guys: risky (minor). We don't know their names yet and given KB's penchant for murderizing people with unique designs, it's not advisable to invest too much right now. Wait for a proper Kamunabi arc to see who's worth it. That said, the leader guy (long hair and beard) has shown up twice now so he might be better off than the rest.

Hiyuki: safe (major). She's gonna be the main rival through the series, I can feel it. Similar morality to Chihiro but on a different team to ensure they won't always see eye to eye, and a completely different personality to ensure that even if they do they will still clash in some way. She'll definitely have personal beef with him after the Rakuzaichi arc too. So far she's mostly been a vague threat that could be convinced to ally with Chihiro against orders, so it will be heckin' awesome to see what she does next. MORE HIYUKI PLEASE. I need this violent chaos goblin in my life. She will probably be the character that influences and pushes Chihiro the most through the story, which could make her a compelling love interest if Hokazono-sensei is interested in writing a romantic subplot. I prefer my shounen to be as light on romance as possible but I guess I won't hate it if he gives Hiyuki and Chihiro's relationship the same level of development that rivalxprotagonists usually get. Still want her to be the romantically unattached destruction demon of my dreams first and foremost though.

Chapter 19

Hakuri: safe (minor). OK. Looking at Hakuri compared to the other characters so far, he's most like Char. He gets an arc exploring his circumstances, is saved by Chihiro before paying it back in turn, and is given ties to by the narrative to stick around. (Char: orphan kid with nowhere to go and has a useful ability. Hakuri: disowned guy who can easily choose to stay with Chihiro and has a useful ability.) Labeling as safe but investment levels should be cautious until we know which path he chooses: reforming his family, or helping Chihiro full-time. So far he was Team Goldfish's "in" to the Sazanamis and the auction, fortified Chihiro's resolve multiple times, and proved Chihiro's outlook on fatherhood is the correct one to have. We also learned a bit more about the workings of spirit energy through him, which can be used again if he sticks around and trains his storehouse abilities. After all, after this he'll definitely be the storehouse for the enchanted blades. I rambled at length (>5.5k words worth combined please help I have a problem) about the importance of his emotional support so that's also an option for him. Isou might make him the Cafe Defender instead of a front line fighter, now that I think about it... as cool as it would be to see Chihiro working in "perfect harmony" with a battle partner he could easily stay a mostly solo fighter. Will be interesting to see! In essence, no more doomer for Hakuri. Even if he's not as prominent as I want him to be, he'll be sticking around. The Rakuzaichi was more his arc than Chihiro's in some ways, so I really can't complain about this feast anyway. How many hours of angst putting together this post alone just to conclude the obvious...? Don't worry about it! Don't even think about it! Don't! Fucking! AAAAAH Chapter 20

Tafuku: safe (minor). Hiyuki's main foil at the moment, the Blue Oni to her Red Oni. Her co-worker that grounds her before she ravages everything with Flame Bone and picks her up once she's exhausted herself. Will continue to show up as long as she does. (Hakuri and Chihiro would make a great Red Oni/Blue Oni pair, just sayin'...) Actually, speaking of Oni duos:

Look at this composition! Copium reactivated LET'S GOOOOOOOOO

Chapter 21

Kyoura: inadvisable (minor). He dead af bro, said it himself. But boy howdy did he have an amazing run as an arc villain. Forced Chihiro to take a look at how other prestigious, talented families do things and appreciate the gift of love his father gave him. I also rambled about him at length elsewhere but suffice to say, he's dying as punishment for being the world's worst dad. MFer chose to perpetuate a cycle of abuse instead of breaking it. Yeah, he's a victim too, but he's gotta lose his head as penance for the atrocities he's committed.

Shinuchi's wielder: risky (minor). No name, just a few shots of him sitting in some kind of temple/prison while the Shinuchi is being auctioned off. I assume we'll see more of him soon but can't say in what context or for what purpose yet. Doesn't seem like it will be a positive encounter given how he's portrayed.

Chapter 23

Tenri: inadvisable (minor). Total goner, RIP. Existed to show the ruthlessness of the Sazanami's ideals and the cruelty that their clan has perpetuated on their own flesh and blood for centuries. Also, in my mind, a very clear Bad End preview for Chihiro if he doesn't keep his dad's words in mind:

This came up in Char's arc but I'm not sure we're done with Chihiro's steadfast determination to rampage in his father's memory. He's kept his father's words close to his heart but I feel like Tenri is a warning for him to be ready to change his priorities... or else. Oh and Tenri also helps reinforce the lethality of the datenseki shards too (STAY DEAD SOJO I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU COME BACK-)

Souya: risky (minor). Won't call him a jobber but he definitely existed to make us feel bad for Hakuri first and foremost. Yeah, yeah, he was a symbol of the pain and internalized feelings of worthlessness Hakuri had to overcome in order to realize his latent potential too. Mission accomplished, enjoy getting dominated by Shiba in your crackship. He may or may not be dead after getting his comeuppance; if he lives, I bet we're not done with Hakuri's past quite yet (and the Sazanamis in general since he was going to be the heir). If he's dead, then Hakuri has nothing left to fear within or without himself. And listen, if you can make someone try to jump to their death on reflex as soon as they see you...

... it's OK if you come back to get beaten down even harder the next time. I'll allow it. Especially if it's in the context of revisiting Hakuri and Chihiro's trauma to show how much they've helped each other. Also, it's not lost on my terminally rotten brain that Soya switches from blaming the Ice Lady and Hinao for "tempting Hakuri away" to Chihiro.

(I know he's yelling about Chihiro using and abandoning him here, but I still find it funny.)

Speaking of... Ice Lady: inadvisable (minor). 100% dead for maximum emotional damage to Hakuri. She awakened him to the prison he was living in so that Chihiro could "light his helpless existence on fire" a short time later (oh my GOD Hakuri please).

Chapter 27

Mr. Inazuma (Yuu): inadvisable (minor). Kid's there to tie us to his sister, thus giving some extra stakes to the storehouse fight. Chihiro can't unleash wanton destruction in there and the entire situation can't be resolved until they're reunited. And I guess he's a cute little contrast: kid playing at being a hero vs. Chihiro being That Guy. He could conceivably show up now and again as a playmate for Char but I doubt it.

Chapter 30

Hishaku leader: safe (major). In all ways the major villain until he's defeated or we learn otherwise. He's the guy who's goading Chihiro along for his own reasons. Had his goons kill his dad and steal the swords. Clearly working some kind of machinations behind the scenes that we've only seen a few glimpses of so far. John Hishaku, big bad and mystery man (for now). OK maybe I'm underselling him a little bit because this guy is the one who ripped Chihiro's stoic determinator mask off without breaking a sweat. Other villains had him think and reconsider his priorities and some of his ethos, but Hishaku Leader Guy showed us Chihiro's raw desperation. If there was any doubt left that Chihiro's some emotionless killbot, he erased it completely. Dump everything you have into this guy and wait to reap the profits.

And those are the reasonably noteworthy characters. Why did I write all this? What the FUCK is wrong with me? Well I got to re-read the series for the third time so that's fine. I notice something new each time I do it... Like how cute and boyish Hakuri's posture is compared to Chihiro's more reserved and upright one. So many little details... bless you if you read this.

[professorspork]

fanfic director’s commentary ask: forever my favorite. so I can be for you what you want to see.

Fighting with Nora is easy.

(—er. Alongside. Fighting alongside Nora is easy. Emerald’s done fighting with these people. Very done.)

It’s weird, because Emerald’s finding working with a full team to be a real adjustment. When battles get big enough to merit it, she’s used to keeping to the sidelines to use her Semblance for nefarious purposes, or, in a jam, used to having Mercury’s six—literally, because all the forward momentum from his feet-first style always left his back wide open. Figuring out where to put herself so that Oscar can use her shoulder as a fulcrum as he dodges, or trying to aim for the Grimm Ren isn’t already shooting (ugh)—it’s taking work.

But somehow, it’s not work for Nora. Nora seems to anticipate with perfect ease how Emerald will move or what she’ll be doing; Nora bobs and weaves around their ragtag little band with her war hammer like it’s breathing.

It doesn’t bother Emerald until it does, and she means to bring it up casually but there’s never a good time. So it just… stews, and stews, until she can’t keep it bottled up anymore.

well first of all writing Emerald POV is always a joy so jot that down. the ways that she'll just... contradict or judge herself for her own thoughts, because she doesn't have the filter to keep them from coming out in the first place but doesn't have the grace or self-possession to move on from them when she misspeaks is one I find massively entertaining, and enjoy deploying in narrative instead of just dialogue to give the whole thing a more Emerald flavor.

as far as this particular moment goes, something that RWBY has always done well is show characterization through combat. that's something I rarely cover in my fics because it's not really my wheelhouse, but I wanted to try and take a stab at it here because I was doing something canon-compliant.

so like. the meat of this story is about how Emerald and Nora are both very codependent people, who came at it from different directions and are trying to grow past it in different ways. I needed an entry-point that would eventually get them talking about this, and how they'd fight Grimm together seemed the most useful way. because we know nothing about how Vacuo's going to go down, it made sense to me to assume the most interaction our survivors would have would be protecting other people on patrols. Emerald isn't a social butterfly; she'll need to be forced into Nora's company, and this was the most reasonable excuse.

and of course Emerald would be hyper-aware of everyone else, because she's still not sure of her role in the group or if she'll be accepted. even if she weren't nervous about that stuff, Emerald is now without Cinder, her lodestar, and Mercury, her constant companion... so how does she function? all of her habits and assumptions have been turned on their head, and it makes her feel clumsy and lonely and awful.

and then she looks over at Nora, who's lost Jaune and all of RWBY and always seemed like kind of a pushover mess who was all about her friends, and she's like... fine? or at least to Emerald it seems that way? and of course Em would obsess over that.

but meanwhile on Nora's end, she's just doing the same thing she's always done: coping and making the best of it, because she doesn't have time to break down or do something else.

[sunlightandsuffering]

I KNOW MIKA WANTS A BIG FAMILY WITH MANY JAEGERLINGS! Like Eren has four years to live, that's about three kids, counting conservatively!!

JAEGERLINGS!! HELP ANON THAT'S SO FUNNY BLESS U OMG ! But no literally, like don't tell me that's not what MIkasa wants, she needs company after he's gone, and Mikasa has always wanted a family!!! Why wouldn't she make one with Eren!!!

Mikasa doesn't know how to broach it.

Rarely in their relationship has she had trouble speaking her mind to Eren, trusting him implicitly with every facet of her heart and soul, but not this, no this he's made himself very clear on. He hasn't verbally told her, but it's obvious. Obvious in the way he pulls out to spill all over her stomach, on her breasts, in her mouth, anywhere but inside her, wasting his spend in tissues.

And really, to Mikasa, that's what it is, an absolute waste and she can't help the ache in her heart every time she watches him wipe it away from her skin, mourning the children he wont let her have even a chance at.

But she doesn't know what to say, doesn't know why he won't even consider cumming inside her, she'd tried once, and he'd looked utterly shocked, shaking his head, "Don't want to get you pregnant." She'd wanted to scream, why not!

She loves Eren, more than life itself, more than anything, and yet she knows, knows his time is limited, the days numbered, and her heart aches so badly at just the thought, the idea of being without him. She tries not to think about it, her breath coming quickly, the anxiety taking over whenever she does.

She'll be alone.

Unless...

It's not that she wants children for the sole purpose of solving her loneliness, she doesn't. She wants children because she always has, wants them so desperately she dreams of it, of holding a sweet green eyed, dark haired little boy or girl, of seeing Eren as a father, a loving dad.

In all the chaos of their world, is it so wrong to want to bring a little happiness into it, a little more love? To have something to hold onto once Eren is gone.

Evidently, Eren thinks so, because tonight he won't even allow himself inside her, claiming he's too keyed up, will cum almost immediately.

She's never been so nefarious in her life, but she wants this, needs it, wants him to spill himself inside her, get her pregnant so she can feel what it's like, her tummy swollen with his child, Eren doting upon her, she needs it like she needs air to breathe. So, before she can stop herself she's encouraging him, "Please Eren, I need it, please," she begs desperately, her voice breathy, high, begging him with her eyes. And like she knows he will, he acquiesces, promising himself just a moment and then he'll pull out, but Mikasa has other plans. He slips inside her so easily, her cunt molded to the shape of him, made to take his cock, and it's almost a relief when he taps against her cervix. Mikasa is safe, so close to him, closer than anyone else has ever been, ever will be, his one, his only.

Eren groans as he bottoms out, grunting softly against her neck and Mikasa revels in it, her walls squeezing at him desperately, and before he can really protest she's wrapping her legs around his waist, arms locking around his neck, that Ackerman strength coming in handy.

"Fuck Mika," Eren groans, beginning a quick steady rhythm he knows will get them both off and Mikasa revels in it, her cunt pulsing with his every thrust, never letting him stray to far from her aching hole.

Eren is right, it doesn't take long for him at all to reach his climax, she can feel it in how he tenses his body, knows he's going to cum soon, so she takes his lips in a bruising kiss, keeping her legs knotted around his waist, and just as he looks like he's about to say something she whispers naughty words in his ear, trying her best to look her most lewd, most ravishing.

"Oh Eren," She cries out desperately, hands raking down his back, and it's too late, he can't stop himself, and finally she feels it, how his dick pulses inside her, painting her inside white with his seed. And it's everything, the warmth, the knowledge that she is completely and totally his. Mikasa follows him right over the ledge, soft cries of his name, desperate kisses following. After, Eren is white as a sheet, his hand on her thigh desperately, "Oh no." Mikasa says nothing, refusing to admit the part she had to play in this, just hoping to god she'll get pregnant, she needs this.

"Baby I have to get it out, lie back, i'm going to-" Mikasa scampers up to the head of the bead, her legs crossed tight, her voice harsh as she responds, "No." "What?" Eren looks at her, his eyes flashing dark green, surprised.

"No, you can't. I want it," she admits quietly. "You want to get pregnant." She shrugs, "Yes." Eren's eyes almost bug out of his head, "No, no way, I'm not leaving you with that, come here." "No!" She smarts back, defiant. "Mikasa," his tone is final, brokering no argument but she won't let him take this from her. Carefully, she steps off the bed, heading towards the door to the living room.

"No," she tells him again, and she feels like a naughty child who's taken candy she shouldn't.

And then she's running, sprinting down the hall, Eren quick to give chase, Eren yelling behind her, "Mikasa I'm not letting you have my kid!"

"Then we're never having sex again," she calls back, thinking of places to hide, "Because I want at least three of them!" "Three!?" Eren wheezes out and Mikasa lets out a genuine laugh as she sees his facial expression. "Three," she repeats back, a soft smile blooming on her face as she finally tells him, "Please Eren, I want it, I've always wanted this with you. Let me bear your children." "Oh my god," he groans and Mikasa beams as he begins to come around, the harsh lines of his face softening, "You really want that?"

Mikasa melts, her voice breathy just thinking about it, "So much Eren, so much." He rakes a hand over his face and back through his hair, sighing, "Fuck, okay, get back in the bedroom then we have work to do." She gets pregnant almost immediately, Eren's sperm more potent than she thought, but that doesn't stop Eren from telling her they have to 'make sure' of it, and dragging her back to their room every chance he gets.

[mooniety]

sometimes when i see how a lot of people interpret susie being a girlboss & still a big bad, i worry that my own interpretations may be a bit too out of character, so here's my interpretation!

i want to make her conflicted, feel constantly ostracized, naive, overly defensive, anxiety ridden, lack an understanding of modern social cues, have a witty sort of awkwardness, & waste literal days doing heavy research on how to make friends only to later realize that said research was wildly incorrect & unnecessary to a humorous degree

she's definitely intelligent, but getting 100s on all of your exams doesn't exactly equate to being the most street smart, i'd say she's the equivalent of an overly sheltered stem kid, perhaps even a madonna of some sorts - work is the only thing & friend she knows

even if she's lived in a pseudo hell for what i imagine was a majority of her life, despite the largely popular idea that she fought back with the hopes to just live another day, what if she instead hid like a coward the entire time & ate whatever scraps she could find after the persecutors finally left? after all, she didn't come back home with many physical scars, if any at all

& despite being disgustingly rich, her wealth is just a shield - classism as a form of confidence she aggressively douses herself in like gasoline to hide all of the mental trauma she's obtained over the past years, shown through an immature mindset of how wealth is spent: ugly items she purchases because it has easily recognizable luxury branding displayed all across it, stupidly big gold diamond jewelry you'll never see her wear because it goes against work policy, & expensive food & drink that is specifically popular on social media platforms when it barely fills her nor really fit her tastes

yet, she manages to hide this all, gatekeeping her true emotions with a ridiculously arrogant, nefarious crackle she's been taught through multiple encounters with others will basically guarantee her a 100% chance of escaping her current situation, fancy yet crude teases & remarks built from words she doesn't understand the true impact of, & a simple venomous smile. she's on the verge of breaking, but you wouldn't even know it.

everything about her is running away. hiding. fearing. cowering. crying. begging. rinse & repeat.

she's a liar to herself & everyone around her-- & she knows it.

she's definitely still morally ambiguous, don't get me wrong - good, heartfelt, maybe even heroic intentions, disgustingly horrible & overly grandiose ways of carrying them out, but no matter what, she's still a coward at the end of the day

she's a young girl stuck in an adult woman's body - forever stuck in the past yet forced to live in the present

she's no black swan. she's the purest, most innocent, white swan you've ever laid your eyes on. & if you've seen the swan lake, you know how it ends - a tragedy.

maybe someday she'll gain the confidence she needs to get over her fears, but for now, she's nothing but a coward that desperately clings onto her wealth as if it were a white knight in shining armor. maybe that's why a lot of people like to headcanon that she has a massive crush on meta knight. but hey, i'm guilty of that too.

anyways she's still best girl of 2024-beyond because i have a thing for villainesses, please don't ask me further about that part... ^^;

tl;dr: my headcanon for susie is not very girlboss but instead a wimpy rich chick, & i REVEL in that.

[anoray]

Ahsoka Episode 7

My off the top of my head comments at the moment:

Hera's green make up looks so much better in this court martial scene. Is it the outfit change? Love the new outfit, so much nicer than the orange flight pants and bulky headphones. Ear cones, yes!

Hello, my beloved C3PO to the rescue. So lovely to see your golden face. And Mon Mothma, I like you soooo much better in Rebels and Ahsoka than in Andor.

Thrawn, you are as slick as ever. I still don't understand how or why you and Morgan Elsbeth got so connected or why she wants you in power. I'm pretty sure you will dispose of her and the Great Mothers once you no longer need them for your nefarious purposes.

Wow, how nice of you to just dump your apprentice, Baylan Skoll. You are definitely no Jedi. I think you are about to meet some sort of Zeffo and your doom. As for Shin Hati, maybe when she figures out Thrawn plans to abandon her and her master, she'll switch sides. Who knows? Not holding my breath on that one.

Eman Ezfandi as Ezra = perfect casting. Not quite in love with the way they did the Force kung fu, though. It could have benefited from a bit more Ezra-ish pizazz. His initial scoffing about Sabine being Ahsoka's padawan was spot on, but how could they not mention Kanan when her "earlier training" is brought up? My inner grump is grumping.

Speaking of what seems like ongoing Kanan erasure, it appears Sabine told Ezra nothing about Hera having his son. On top of that, she's still hiding the cold hard truth of how she found Ezra. Rebels Sabine would be smart enough to know Thrawn is using her to track down Ezra and she'd warn him about the precarious situation they are in even though this means she has to reveal his chances of getting home are slim at best. Sadly, this live action version of Sabine with her non-stop evasive maneuvers and lies is not endearing herself to me.

Huyang, on the other hand, has been added to my droid blorbo collection. If only Ahsoka and Sabine would listen to him more often considering he's been around Jedi for thousands of years and has a huge archive of experience and knowledge...

So I guess the race is on to see if our heroes can get back to their own galaxy. There is no way that Thrawn won't return in the hyperring, but how the others get back is something to ponder between now and the finale :)

[wastemanjohn]

happy dff!!! i’ve been meaning to ask this question for a few weeks but i always lose track of the days :/

anyway the question is: do you think john would have a madonna whore complex about deanna? or hell even dean? 👀

Haiii happy DFF and sorry it's taken me so long to respond to this! And oh my gosh this question is gorgeous.

I don't know if what I feel about johndeanna quite falls into the madonna/whore complex box, although maybe it's adjacent. In my iterations of johndeanna, I tend to lean in towards John being pretty gross about her. Kinda controlling. That 8 Simple Rules, creepy, overly possessive father of a teenage girl. Every man, at least every man that's not John, naturally has nefarious intentions towards Deanna. John will break noses and quite possibly legs. Get your fuckin' eyes off my daughter. Deanna, boys your age are all the same; no, I can't let you go out with that guy, even if you're home by 10. Sorry, sweetheart, but you know as well as I do that it's not safe out there.

I see John wanting to keep Deanna pretty sheltered from that side of things. He's got no problem teaching her how to behead a ghoul, but god forbid she should so much as kiss a boy. John wants to protect her from all that; keep her his sweet and innocent daughter, because he loves her that way, and god knows she's not innocent about much else. What father wouldn't want to protect his little girl, huh? Especially a single father who lost said little girl's mother so horrifically.

But... Christ, John can see why Deanna has so many boys chasing after her. Her mother did too; and from the back, out of the corner of his eye, sometimes she just... and John's been the best father, the best protector, that he possibly can. He's always done what he's needed to do to make sure some zitty horndog doesn't sully her with his dirty hands. But - John's hands aren't dirty. And he may be a good father; but he's not a saint. His girl is more beautiful every day. And if Deanna wants to get up close and personal with the birds and bees so badly - well, John can show her some things. She's safer with John; her body is safer with John. And if he can sate that curiosity of hers, make her feel good... maybe she'll stop trying to stray from him. He's already lost one of his girls. He can't lose another.

Dean, though? No madonna here... that boy's down to fuck pretty much whenever. Happy days for John.

[professionallydeadinside]

Tech Store - Luso’s General Needs

Luso’s General Needs doesn’t even have a Luso. It isn’t even a general needs store, it’s a technology store. Regardless of the extremely misleading name, Luso’s sells all kinds of high end technologies, from the latest phones to spare robotic limbs, and their catalog goes back quite a while. If you want a very specific old phone model then by golly Luso’s WILL have it. Their staff mostly consists of extremely human-like AIs. In fact, it’s almost like they’re humans downloaded into robots… Oh, but that’s just a conspiracy! Doing that would be highly illegal!

Host (They/Them)

Luso’s owner is a very… odd sort. Host, as they call themself, dresses and acts like the entire circus, and loves getting on their most annoying customers' nerves on purpose. Their face is hidden behind a permanently smiling mask with both eye holes on the same side, and their black hair seems almost gelatinous. Most of their employees fear them, and Marax from across the hall absolutely despises them, but they really don’t mind. They’re doing what’s best for everyone!

Amara Quinn (She/Her)

Amara Quinn is one of the robots on staff and very open about how she was one of the only employees to WANT this. It was part of her transition after all! What she does tends to shift with what her best friend Perri’s doing that day - a lot of people joke how her job is essentially to keep the guy on task. Despite her caring and gentle way of dealing with Perri, she’s a whole bitch when it comes to everyone else. She'll snark anyone who even looks at her weird.

Perri Elsher (They/Them)

Perri isn’t really sure what's happening most of the time. They mostly just seem really tired and out of it, and their memory is certainly a testament to this. It’s so bad that occasionally you’ll have to remind them what they were talking about mid-conversation. Whatever happened certainly correlates with the mushrooms growing in and on their skin. Amara is extremely protective of this little guy due to his condition, and often helps them with their tasks whether it be stocking shelves or customer service. They love her in their own special way; a promise not to forget her.

Strange and concerning host I'm sure they aren't up to anything nefarious wasdhgfdsd

[burning-sol]

Briefly mentioned in the tags of my exandroth dress drawing, this is my oc Elizabeth Lydon. I've decided I'll put more stuff under the cut if you wanna read a bit more abt her. But I think what's most important to note is that she is a doctor, and generally a very good hearted, compassionate and determined person.

She's caring, but not typically in a spoken way or by using physical affection. Sometimes she seems dismissive because of that, but actually it's just because she's caring in a practical way - if that's how you'd best describe it. When someone vents to her, she might not immediately go to comfort them because she gets caught up in thinking about what to do about that problem. Elizabeth files it away in the back of her mind and puzzles over it, organises everything she needs and then gets back to you with solutions. When it comes to neighbours, she has more than once rocked up to houses with a bunch of tools and supplies to fix that ONE step that you said was annoying you a fortnight ago. And she'll quietly work away at it until she's done before heading home. It may seem a bit strange at first, but it's just her way of doing things.

Anyways. She was conceived all the way back in 2017 (god it's been half a decade) and she's remained essentially the same in concept the entire time. I've made minor adjustments to her story and personality, but that's about it aside from jumping universes! To try and keep the 'jumping universes' bit brief: I had all my OCs together in one universe; they were all wacky and had unique things happening because I was a little lad having fun with characters; the primary group of OCs developed overtime to become more 'realistic' (for lack of a better term) with a more 'realistic' universe; this year I've decided to take certain characters and concepts that were more magical and shove them into a new universe with a fantasy setting where they wouldn't conflict with the 'realistic' setting of the previous universe. Hopefully that makes sense.

Her character concept in question was that she was a doctor! But not just that, she's a time travelling doctor. Originally her time in the past was going to be more involved, but I've changed that now because I don't want to think about time travel too much. As it is, she goes back in time and studies older forms of medicine and disease to create remedies for her clinic in current time. Nobody quite understands HOW she got so prolific in medicine, but she is incredibly well known in the world for both the effectiveness of her medicine and its incredibly humble pricing.

The pocket watch is the secret to her time travelling capabilities. It's a magical mechanism that's been passed down through her family for generations now. In exchange for the family's good deeds, the entity that bestowed the watch permits they continue to use it. The only item that matches it is a bell that is kept in the cottage her family uses for business. When the bells is rung it will ring through the watch and basically serve as a beckoning home. This is VERY useful for obvious reasons. If Elizabeth is asked for in person, the bell can be rung and she'll be sure to come back home.

Maybe that doesn't quite make sense. I guess the way I imagine it is that the bell and the watch are both running in the same linear time. The bell is like an anchor. You can go to any point in the past- But when you have to come home you're brought back to the same point in time as the bell. So if the bell is rung on a Thursday and the watch is back in time on a Monday, you can't just wait a day and then go back to Thursday. When the watch is experiencing Tuesday, for the bell it's now Friday. Sorry if my explanation is messy. I hope that makes sense.

"But Sol, couldn't this easily fall into the wrong hands and be used for nefarious purposes?" Well yeah! Probably! If someone was REALLY desperate to have it they could find a way! But it would be difficult to acquire. And overall this fantasy world is a pretty optimistic, fun one? Like sure. I could make a plot around this. But that's for a DnD campaign or something. When it comes to me writing for myself? Naw. I like things being nice and warm and friendly! People are good, they act in good faith! ^ ^

And that's all I have to say on that.

[finalslay]

he  has  not  yet  noticed  her.  silent  and  stalking,  creeping  along  through  the  trees  behind  him  with  eerie  stillness.  amanda  is  careful,  doing  her  best  to  avoid  rustling  the  underbrush  beneath  her.  the  last  thing  she  wants  is  a  stick  to  crack  beneath  her  boot,  for  her  prey  to  be  alerted  to  her  presence.  does  he  always  wander  this  far  away  from  the  safety  of  the  campfire?  the  rest  of  the  survivors  like  to  remain  huddled  around  it,  keeping  them  in  the  warm  glow  and  away  from  the  things  that  lurk  in  the  entity's  woods.  the  killers  that  creep  close,  that  like  to  watch.  amanda  doesn't  necessarily  have  nefarious  intentions  when  she  does  it  —  it  is  usually  envy  that  drives  her  there,  envy  at  the  sense  of  camaraderie  and  loyalty  some  of  them  exhibit.  it  makes  her  sick.  right  now  though,  she  follows  this  one  :  jake.  the  one  who  sabotages the  hooks,  who  fucks  around  with  her  boxes  and  traps  to  try  and  do  the  same  to  them.  it  infuritates  her.  he  doesn't  play  by  the  fucking  rules.  good  boys  obey  ;  good  boys  do  what  they're  supposed  to. 

it's  only  when  jake  stops  that  amanda  does.  he  sits  down,  leaning  against  one  of  the  trees,  and  once  again,  amanda  marvels  at  how  far  away  from  the  fire  he  is.  the  shadows  are  deep,  the  entity's  darkness  surrounding  the  both  of  them.  it  is  quiet,  and  as  she  creeps  forward  with  purpose,  she  wonders  if  he  actually  likes  it  out  here  in  the  forest,  despite  its  horrors  and  the  monsters  waiting  to  strike.  ones  just  like  her.  behind  him  she  creeps,  and  once  she's  close  enough,  the  blade  upon  her  wrist  is  pressed  up  against  his  neck.  one  wrong  move,  and  she'll  slit  his  throat.  the  entity  would  bring  him  right  back,  of  course,  but  the  threat  is  still  present.

“  what  are  you  doing  all  the  way  out  here,  jakey?  ”    the  words  are  whispered,  amanda's  lips  brushing  against  jake's  ear.    “  don't  you  know  what  lurks  in  these  woods?  ”

horror prompts / @solitarysurvival & 17. lost in the woods.

[moconut]

Whatever It Takes: A Degrassi Season 10 Retrospective (You Don't Know My Name, Pt. 1)

When I first started this review series, I talked about the Degrassi reboot and how I wasn't excited. Not because I don't love the show, but because to me it was an inevitability. Now that we've heard the reboot is off, my feelings are largely the same. No real outrage--just a certainty that it'll be back.

So in the spirit of things that die off and eventually drag themselves back out of the grave, here's the next episode: You Don't Know My Name (Part 1).

We open with Alli needling Drew with the "what are we" conversation, suggesting that people might think they're a couple since they walk around holding each other, pin each other against lockers, and play awkwardly charged games of Never Have I Ever. Drew says labels just cause problems; the problem in this case is Drew is a dog who wants all the fun parts of making out with girls and none of the boring stuff, such as conversations that don't revolve around his abs.

Meanwhile, Holly J's been sleeping off her break-up with Declan at school. Fiona finds her on the student council couch and asks whether Holly J and Declan truly broke up or were just "on a break." Holly J feels like crap either way, but luckily Fiona has a solution to her new pimple: the Zeno. If you didn't watch TeenNick in the 2010's, you probably have no idea what this is. It's some dubious acne removal thing that was advertised during every single commercial break, and I'm forever convinced there's some nefarious product placement at work here.

Alli tries to convince KC and Jenna that Drew is basically her boyfriend because he makes out with her, walks her to class, and calls her cute. I like that those are Alli's sole standards. Jenna and KC gush over each other, much to Alli's disgust. Careful, you two! You might get pregnant!

Remember that plot about Dave being terrible at singing and even worse at not having a huge ego about it? Well, that whole thing was pointless because the band slam the Three Tenners entered has been cancelled to make room for other plots. Sav forcefully ejects Dave into the C plot before commiserating with Holly J. She suggests holding a dance instead, because nothing ever goes wrong at Degrassi dances.

The Three Tenners are in Media Immersion class, where Connor is struggling to wake up from his late night of gaming. Wesley and Dave express their concerns, which is weird to me because isn't staying up all night to game like the most normal thing a teen boy could do?

Because no major character is allowed to be single on this show, Sav shows up to flirt with Holly J while Fiona looks on in relatable distaste. Remember a few episodes ago when Holly J made Sav think Anya was pregnant with his baby in order to sabotage his bid for presidency? Apparently he doesn't.

Alli gets crowned Queen of Worst Taste in Guys when she interrupts history class to ask Drew to the Harvest Hoedown (haha!). Drew brushes her off, saying he needs to study and getting a little nasty with her when she doesn't get the hint. Strange, you'd think Drew would jump at the chance to attend something with "hoe" in the title.

We're introduced to Realm of Doom, the totally-not-World-of-Warcraft game Connor's been spending all his time in lately. He even has a waifu: LoveQueen16, who says their game is nothing like the reality of her life. I would hope so, because they literally just exploded a building.

Alli continues to willfully misinterpret Drew's shitty signals by saying she understands he's under a lot of pressure and presenting a solution: she'll write his essay for him. Drew is understandably insulted and presumably astounded at how clueless Alli is being, brushing off her offer.

Holly J and Sav happily continue to plan their Hoedown (haha!). Holly J's zit is even gone! "Fiona's never getting her Zeno back," she vows, which probably earned the show another several thousand dollars in product placement cash. Also Sav asks Holly J on a date. This pairing came out of nowhere and is dumb.

Later that evening, Sav comes to Holly J's job to steal pretzels and stare at her as she serves tables. Her boss mistakes them as a couple as he serves them disappointing-looking nachos, and the two awkwardly giggle about how crazy that would be. Them, dating? No way that's where this plot is going!

Alli defies Drew and also common sense by submitting a flawless paper for him. Mr. Perino questions the essay's legitimacy, guilting Alli into confessing what she did. She's sent to the office and Drew is docked a letter grade, which is actually fair because I doubt he would have actually submitted his real paper on time anyway. Meanwhile, an NPC looks off impassively in the background.

Sav and Holly J are having inflation issues: they need to manually fill each helium balloon before the dance. They have fun inhaling chemicals (from the same balloon, no less! Scandalous) and it's actually pretty charming. Until, that is, Sav suddenly kisses her. Holly J immediately makes an excuse about needing to go see Fiona while Sav's balloon, metaphorically and literally, deflates in his hands.

Alli approaches Drew in the hallway, STILL not getting how badly she fucked up by joking about getting off with very little consequence. Drew rounds on her, saying Alli failed his "trial period" for being his girlfriend. After basically calling Alli dumb, he stalks off. These two make each other worse in every way.

That's it for now. We'll see whether it takes one day or six months for me to do the next one. Thanks!