#I became even more aware of the shared themes

[writingforatwistedworld]

Self-aware au

Written before the English release!

I do not take any responsibility for you reading this no matter which age group you are from!

WARNINGS: Yandere themes, Jp-version spoiler(!!!), death, description of war, unhealthy mindset, religion, obsessive themes, unhealthy family dynamics

General! Lilia Vanrouge/(Platonic) Maleanor Draconia/(Platonic) Knight of Dawn-Yandere headcanons

Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce? Lilia Vanrouge 1.0. The more cold, hard and ready to behead the next human version of the usual Lilia (also known as the Lilia Vanrouge 2.0 model)

Lilia back then was “rough” and I am being nice calling him that

Back then, Lilia was surrounded by loss and a lot of Faes getting everything they ever owned ripped away from them

Of course this impacts him (I mean he is strolling through battlefield after battlefield so of course it does)

Lilia wasn't always such a devoted follower

Yes, he did believe in the Overseer, aka you, but only after witnessing the brutality that came with him being a general did he turn into a follower with such drastic views

After all, if there was no higher meaning to all this violence, to all this loss and despair, what was even the point of it all?

You became his moral, mental and also a bit of a physical crutch for him

Whenever he felt like he was this close to just giving up, he thought about you and that this was part of your greater plan (totally not part of some valley church propaganda)

After witnessing that human hiding behind the Knight of Dawn in all his haughtiness and cruelty, he finally set out on his quest not only to make the humans leave his beloved home but also to make them into loyal believers of the Overseer

But sadly, everything was for nought and Lilia had to go into hiding

The only thing keeping him going was his believe in you having a greater plan

A few hundred years later and Lilia finally found out what that supposed plan of yours was

Laying in that cold, lonely crib was the child of his old, now deceased enemy

Taking the child, now called Silver, in he learned the joy of a family, the boy giving him more joy than anything ever before in his life

Finally, he had found peace. Of course he did. This was your plan all along, right? You must have ordered those three fairies to make his beloved son survive until now, right?

You were, after all, a kind deity. There was no way this was all just a war happening because of greed. Because if this truly was just events happening after events then...

Lilia never finished that thought

The great ruler of the night fae, mighty and powerful sorceress who could fell an entire nation in one swoop if she wanted to was despite her cruel and aloof outside appearance a pretty devoted follower since the beginning

Despite being a Fae, she was feared just like her unborn son due to her powers (and being more or less being on the same level as a nuclear bomb but hey, I doubt that anyone of us would stand next to one of those, right?)

So it is no surprise that she turned to something, someone, to feel less alone

Especially after her husband disappeared did she wish for some sort of sign that she was not alone

And oh boy, did religious propaganda from the high church take that loneliness away

When her beloved son, although in an egg, was born, she visited your altar daily, thanking you for her child being healthy

(This could also be the reason why Malleus is the way he is but I am just a writer and not some all-knowing God so idk, just a theory)

She definitely has "taken care" *cough*totallynotproblematicforarulertobeinfluencedbyreligion*cough* of Fae that were non-believers

How dare their sinful ways dirty your holy image?

See? Totally not problematic

At first she only tried to protect her subjects after the humans attacked and took over parts of her kingdom

But after a while she started to have another goal

What if she shared your splendor with those little useless invaders?

Humans were most definitely vile but you were able to unite so many different kinds of Fae in your name under the Draconia name

So why not also unite those humans in your name in a peace treaty?

Such a kind God you were! Allowing for peace in your name!

And, well, if violence and destruction was needed to make those beings understand and surrender, then that shall be what they get

Besides, she was only honoring her husbands wish to get closer to the humans so who was she to selfishly aim for another goal?

The Knight of Dawn (long name, I know) did not always believe in you

Heck, the poor guy probably never heard of you until he fought the Fae

But if the humans from back then didn't really know about you, then how did he find out about and why did he start to see you as his God?

On this part, I would say, he and Lilia were eerily similair

Both were pushed into a war neither liked, so of course he was also in a very unstable situation which made him, like Lilia, search for something to hold on to

The three Fairies had mentioned before when he was still training to become as strong as he was now, mentioning a kind deity who accepted all, who loved unconditionally

Back then he only thought of you as one of the many deities that were prayed to back then

But once the war started and he saw your churches and cathedrals for the first time, his opinion slowly started to shift until he saw you as the highest being possible

I mean, all of us would if we lost all stability over night, having only destroyed buildings and a half-standing church in front of us

He hated the plundering of your sacred placed even before he became a believer, having the opinion that it was just a cultural difference between the two kinds

This led to him kneeling at the cracked altars of many of your churches, asking for forgiveness, hoping that you would understand that he didn't have another choice

What he would do to witness one of your sermons…

And when he was lonely enough, he imagined you watching down on him from up above

Just like a... a parent

You see where I am going with this?

So when he was facing the Queen he only hoped for your forgiveness, hoping that his loving family member would forgive his gravest sin, him killing a mother

And he found salvation, in letting that child and the retainer escape

Perhaps you could forgive him now

[poorly-written-fiction]

talking in your sleep || logan howlett x reader

part 2 for anyone interested

A/N: hello i threw something together very quickly inspired by "talking in your sleep" by the romantics! also reader is gender neutral (i'm pretty sure i was good to not use any gendered language??? one mention of they/them pronouns) no use of Y/N or any specific descriptions of you, the reader, aside from logan being taller than you. unrelated to this fic, but "replay" is continuing and i am already working on my next long fic after it is done! next chapter of "replay" goes live tomorrow.

summary: you make it a point to not interact with logan, but he finds an interesting excuse to talk to you.

notes: somewhat suggestive themes, proceed with caution

No one could understand what your problem was with Logan. He’d walk into a room, and if you weren’t immediately turning on your heels and leaving, you suddenly became a brick wall. You would watch him, tracking his every move. He’d notice you watching him, and you’d roll your eyes and turn away. Everyone knew he wasn’t easy to get along with, but the way that you would change the moment he was in the same vicinity, it seemed like he had murdered your family. Your friends would ask “have you talked to him?” and you’d reply with a very short, sharp “no.” Everyone at the mansion was stumped, what was it about Logan that bugged you? Scott had asked Jean if she would get into your head and check, to which she’d reply, “And risk them treating me the same way? Absolutely not.” They didn’t dare to ask Charles if he would do the same. He wouldn’t, simply out of respect for your privacy. It was a mystery to everyone, but it didn’t bother anyone more than Logan himself. He would never admit it, but he was genuinely concerned that he had hurt you in some way and wasn’t aware of it. He even knew he was a dick, even on a good day, but he had no real reason to dislike you directly. You iced him out first, and he gave up trying to fix anything after you would constantly shut him down. The closest he could get to you was that his bedroom was right next to yours.

Your sleep schedules were drastically different, you often fell asleep before he did. Based on how closely he could hear your breathing when you slept, he could only imagine that your bed and his shared a wall. He didn’t actively listen to you, but he couldn’t help that he had heightened senses. He could hear you turning over in your sleep, occasionally groaning or mumbling. He had learned pretty early that you tended to talk in your sleep. Never anything super coherent or interesting. Usually only a few words, or a sentence that didn’t make any sense. Occasionally he’d hear you say something funny and he’d chuckle to himself. He silently wished he could have a real conversation with you. He had heard that you were easy to talk to. What had he done to make you push him away? 

One night, Logan was sitting in his bed, reading a book and sipping on some whiskey. He didn’t always spend his evenings like this, but occasionally he would indulge himself in some peace. Stop thinking about the world and all of its problems, and let himself enjoy life’s simple pleasures. He was working his way through “And Then There Were None” by Agatha Christie when he heard you stirring in your sleep. He paid the sound no mind until he heard something familiar.

“Logan…”

He perked up immediately, setting his book and glass down on his bedside table. He sat in complete silence, his breathing slow and quiet waiting to see if he could hear it again.

“I want you, Logan…”

He practically jumped out of his bed. What were you dreaming about? Him, obviously, but what was going through that head of yours? He was dying to know. He hoped that you thought better of him in your sleep. There was the sound of shifting and rolling over in your bed, and then the stillness and quiet again. Your breathing still sounded like you were asleep, otherwise, he would have gone and knocked on your door. He thought about it for a moment, confronting you at your bedroom door tomorrow morning.

The idea became reality. Logan could hear you going about your morning routine, and he did the same, taking extra care to make himself look a little nicer than usual. He wanted answers out of you, and he wanted to look good doing it. He heard you walking towards your bedroom door, and he practically ran into the hallway, leaning over your doorway as you were walking out. You gasped immediately when you saw him towering over you.

“Good morning, how did you sleep?” You were at a loss for words, completely taken aback by the situation. Logan smiled, “Did you have any nice dreams?” With those words, heat was rushing from your chest and rising into your neck and face. He had you caught.

[ellabsprincess]

Vi love your boobas! She will kiss them, lick them, suck them, sleep on them, everything!

When she’s come home from a long day, she just wants your boobs in her mouth! And you’ll be laying on the couch just talking to her about your day while she sucks<3

anon yes omfg get out of my brain!! <3 vi definitely has an oral fixation and loves to keep herself occupied with your tits in her mouth.

𝐕𝐈 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐀𝐍 𝐎𝐑𝐀𝐋 𝐅𝐈𝐗𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: 18+, mdni, cute little smutty drabble, tit sucking, nipple play, sexual themes, vi being needy

𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐬: @dropsofs4turn @hehatesmati @zethd @im-jinxs-trinket

𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭? 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞

the tune of your favorite song blasts through your ears, your headphones blocking out the sound of any other unimportant disturbances. you move your head to the beat subconsciously, not even aware that you were moving and dancing while seated on your couch. you were scrolling through some app on your phone, nothing better to do than to burn time while you waited for your girlfriend to get home from work.

little did you know, she had just entered your shared apartment, and was standing back in the doorway, just admiring you so perfectly lost in your own little world. vi lived for little domestic moments like this, and she loved to come home to you blissful and upbeat.

not wanting to scare you, she slowly walks in front of the couch to be in your field of vision in your field of vision. the second you see her, your eyes light up in excitement and you fling yourself from the couch, not caring that your phone falls to the floor with a distinct clunk.

"vi! you're home! i didn't even hear you come in!" you squeal excitedly, running into her open arms.

"yeah cupcake, i'm home. missed you baby," it was a rough day for her at work, but she didn't want to think about that. not when she had her favorite person in her arms.

"c'mon, lets relax on the couch cupcake, didn't mean to interrupt you,"

...

your headphones and phone sat abandoned on the coffee table, your top and bra tossed aimlessly and recklessly to the floor.

your bottoms were left on, but nothing adorned your chest besides your necklaces and a series of wet hickeys across your neck and breasts.

your chest rose and fell with each breath and word expelled from your mouth, blabbering on about your day. you were detailed, wanting this moment to last as long as possible. as you described your eventful grocery spree or that morning, slurping and sucking sounds echo in the room, sourced from vi's lips enclosed around your tit, her hand pinching and teasing your other nipple. her spit and drool was all over your chest, but you couldn't care less. not when she looked so perfectly angelic and ethereal, her puppy dog eyes looking up at you ever so often to assure you she was listening while she lazily sucked and worshiped your tits.

the activity wasn't even foreplay for the both of you anymore, it became more of a peaceful daily ritual. sure, it was sexual, but it was more calming. it grounded vi after a tough day, and gave you time to rant to her and expel all your pent-up negative emotions from the day. it was beautiful and domestic more than anything.

vi lets out an occasional mhm, or quiet moan around your nipples as you recount the adventures of just that day, showing her agreement to your arguments with others, and getting lost in a hazy fog as she relaxes more than she's even been able to before.

eventually your fingers find their way to her hair, playing with the spiky ends and massaging her scalp. your nails scratch into her head, causing goosebumps to run down her body like insects crawling across her skin. she shivers a bit, but relishes in the pleasure of your hands.

she may come across as intimidating, overly dominant and even stubborn, but really, she just needs to be babied. she loves when she can be vulnerable with you, worship your body and play out all her desires while you pat her head and praise her for how good she makes you feel.

after at least an hour of vi curing her oral fixation with your beautiful chest in her mouth, you eat a quick dinner, haphazardly get ready for bed, and climb under the covers together, her head making it back to your chest once more. as you breathe softly, drifting off into the depths of your own mind, vi can only smile, as she herself falls asleep, close to your heart, the place she wishes to live forever.

[avocad1s]

Bring Back What Once Was Mine

Chapter Summary: At last The Creator has returned from Celestia with a new view on how to protect Teyvat. However, the greatest mystery is shrouded behind cracked facades. The fragments will be uncovered at last.

Characters Mentioned: A ton of characters mentioned and included

Content Warning: Cult and Religious themes ahead! You've been warned.

Reader is the true creator of Teyvat. GN! Reader

Part Seven Part Eight (You are here) THE END

It took only a few weeks for the word to spread all throughout Teyvat that the one they had been worshiping for decades wasn’t the real Creator. Many were distraught and confused by the news and rightfully so, that imposter had been the only “Creator” they’ve known their entire lives. All everyone wanted to do know is meet their true Creator or have the chance to simply rest their gaze upon them.

Unfortunately for the Traveler, as more and more people became aware of her involvement, the more letters and gifts she was given addressed to the Creator. It only took a week until she had to keep the gifts in her Serenitea Pot, since she had too many to carry now. But letters weren’t just sent to her for the Creator, many of her powerful friends like the Kamisato siblings, Ningguang, and the Acting Grand Master would invite her to dinner and ask how the Creator was like so they can prepare for their return.

However Lumine couldn’t lie, she was just as anxious for their return like everyone else. Even though she should just move on to the next nation to complete her quest of meeting the Seven, she finds herself stalling hoping that once the Creator comes back to Teyvat she’d be the first person they’ll greet. Yet maybe that’s just her being delusional, surely the Creator wouldn’t come see an Outlander before anyone else, before the Archons.

Lumine lets out a frustrated sigh as strikes down the final hilichurl in the camp before putting her sword away. Thinking about her brother that she missed dearly was the main thing keeping her mind off the Creator, but she couldn’t help but wonder what Aether would’ve thought of them. During her journeys with Dainsleif, she knew that her brother hated the Archons and he chosen the Abyss over humanity, but would that include the Creator too? She completely understands why he would have reservations about the Archons, but the feeling she got just being near the Creator felt like she could trust them with her life.

“Hey Lumine?”

The Traveler wipes the sweat off her brow noticing that Paimon was back next to her, “what is it? Don’t tell me you’re hungry again.”

Paimon scoffs crossing her arms, “firstly, Paimon is always hungry. Secondly, Paimon was worried about you. You are taking more commissions than usual. Are you alright?”

Paimon was right, even though the Traveler was known for her hardworking and selfless nature, she was definitely overdoing it.

Lumine breathes out feeling fatigue growing through her body, “I feel completely fine.”

Paimon frowns, “will you take a break, please?”

The Traveler wanted to ignore her friend’s worries but she lets out a sigh nodding, “alright. Should we head to the City and order some food?”

The fairy’s eyes light up but she shakes her head, “you know Paimon enjoys your cooking much more!” Lumine knows that Paimon only said that so she wouldn’t be bombarded with letters and gifts for the Creator, but she decides not to say anything.

Lumine and Paimon work together to construct a campfire, once finished, Lumine begins preparing something random for the two of them to share.

“So are you going to ask the Creator about your brother?” Paimon asks breaking the silence that was once between them.

Lumine tears her gaze of the flame looking at Paimon, “they haven’t been on Teyvat in hundreds of years. I doubt they know anything about him.”

“Yeah but they are the Creator. They have a connection to Teyvat that no one else has.”

Lumine shrugs, “well that’s if we ever see them again.”

Paimon tilts her head confusion laced in her voice, “why wouldn’t we see them again. They are our friend after all.”

The Creator is the most important person in this world, and know that everyone knows they’ll be back soon, they may not have any time for Lumine to ask them anything.

“Paimon’s right, we’re friends!”

Lumine snaps her head in the direction of the voice a feeling of hope in her chest.

Just a meter away, the Creator stood giving them a small smile and a wave before approaching their makeshift campsite. They sit in the soft grass next to Lumine crossing their legs comfortably. “Why wouldn’t I make time for you?”

The Traveler stares at them with wide eyes, “you’re back?”

They nod, “sorry for keeping you waiting. Being in Celestia took longer than I expected.”

“Oh right! Paimon forgot about that. How did that go?”

They sigh, “I think Celestia and I came to an understanding, but I’ll tell you about it later. How’s Teyvat been?”

“The Fatui and I managed to spread the word of the imposter. Now everyone knows you’re the real deal.”

The Creator smiles at the Outlander causing the girl to feel a warmth spread throughout her chest.

“I will never forget everything you did for me Lumine, and if you ever need anything at all. Please do not hesitate to ask.”

Paimon nudges the girls shoulder.

“Actually there is one thing I’d like to ask.” Lumine says sheepishly.

“Oh you do? What is it?”

Lumine lets out a sigh before telling the Creator everything that lead up to her getting to this world. The Unknown God, her brother, Khaenri’ah, everything. She tells them about her quest of meeting the Seven to see if any of them was this God that separated her and her brother.

The Creator gives her a sympathetic smile, “I am sorry about all of the things you had went through I had no idea, but regarding your brother, I have met him.”

Paimon and Lumine both look shocked at their confession. “When? What did he say?”

“It was before I confronted the Imposter, I didn’t know he was your brother. He didn’t mention anything, and when I met him I couldn’t see his face clearly to see any resemblance to you.” The Creator explains. “We didn’t talk about much, we were interrupted before he could tell me anything important.”

Lumine looks down disappointedly as the Creator reaches over patting her shoulder, “don’t look so down. You’re still looking for him right? I am here to help you no matter what. Siblings should never be separated.”

Lumine smiles hearing their sweet words, they were actually offering to help them anytime she needed. Even though her other friends throughout Teyvat helped the best they could, she knew she could depend on the Creator to keep her word. She felt that she would see her brother sooner than she expects.

“So what are you going to do now?” Paimon asks.

“I’m going to visit all of the nations. I think my presence has been missed dearly.”

“Missed dearly would be an understatement…” Paimon retorts.

“Where will you go first?”

The Creator brings their finger to their chin pondering for a moment, “I think I’ll go to…”

-

The choice is now yours Your Grace, every nation will be written as if you chose them first. Read one, read them all!

However reading the last one is vital ;)

-

MONDSTADT

Jean was busier than ever.

As the Acting Grand Master, Jean is constantly dealing with the well-being of Mondstadt and leading the Knights of Favonius. Even though her friends always try to persuade her to take a break, she couldn’t afford to rest now.

It was only a few weeks ago when the Traveler had came to Mondstadt and told them the devastating news about the Creator, or rather who they thought was the Creator. Although everyone took the news hard, especially a certain bard, there was no time to grieve. The real Creator could walk through the gates any second and Jean wants to be prepared for the moment.

A knock on the door breaks her concentration as Lisa enter a frown on her lips. “You’ve been in here all day,” she says softly, “aren’t you going to take a break?”

Jean yawns rubbing her eyes, “I can’t take a break now Lisa.”

The librarian puts her hands on her hips, “yeah, yeah I know. Their Grace could arrive any minute now and you want to be prepared.”

Jean nods as Lisa sighs.

“But do you really want to meet Their Grace like this? You look tired and overworked.”

Jean opens her mouth to rebuttal her friends words when the door shoots open again. It was Amber, her hands were on her knees as she was breathing heavily.

“Their Grace is here.”

-

Once you entered Mondstadt, all eyes were on you. The knights who were patrolling around the city stopped to stare before they began bowing greeting you. Shop owners and other patrons eyes were as big as saucers as they bow to you in respect.

“T-their Grace has returned!”

“And they came to Mondstadt first! This surely means that this is their favorite nation, no?”

Excited murmurs filled the streets but the first to approach you was a man with red hair, it was tied into a low ponytail and the hair that fell in front of his face blew in the wind as his bowed before you.

“Your Grace,” he says his gaze on the ground, “my name is Diluc, welcome to Mondstadt.”

You smile using your hand to gesture for him to stand up straight. He follows your orders quickly, fixing his posture as his gaze meets yours.

“Mondstadt is as beautiful as ever.” You praise.

A smile grows on Dilucs face his cheek turning red as he clears his throat, “thank you for complimenting my homeland. Praise from you is the greatest blessing.”

“Oh there you are Master Diluc!” A voice calls out, “how about I sing in your tavern for a free bottle of Dandelion win-“

A man, or a bard based on how he dressed approached the two of you. The large smile that was once on his face is replaced with a look of shock as he looks at you.

“Y-your Grace…?”

The bard is frozen in place as he continues to stare, even after Diluc began to whisper-yell at him for not bowing to you.

He fixes his face as he smiles warmly at you, “Y-your Grace, Welcome to Mondstadt! My name is Venti! Venti the Bard!”

You raise your brow. “Venti the bard?”

You wouldn’t be the Creator if you couldn’t immediately tell who was an Archon or not, and looking at this supposed bard…

You knew that it was Barbatos and you knew he knew that as well.

“Ehe! Yep that’s me! The traveler told us all about your triumphs in Sumeru City. I believe something that great is worthy of a song, don’t you?”

You laugh at his words, even after all this time the Anemo Archon was as lively as ever.

“Your Grace welcome to Mondstadt, I apologize for our rude welcoming.” A group of four were approaching you, the blonde woman leading.

“I am Jean, the Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius.” She looks over at the three standing near her, “This is our head librarian Lisa, our outrider Amber, and our chief alchemist Albedo.”

All of them greet you but you couldn’t help but notice that the one named Albedo never tore his intense gaze off your body.

“I see that you already met Master Diluc and Venti.”

You nod, “yes and you have no reason to apologize for the welcoming. My visit was out of the blue anyway.”

She raises a hand shaking her head, “you are always welcome in Mondstadt Your Grace, please allow me to show you around.” Jean smiles holding out her hand that you gladly take, Albedo and Lisa follow closely behind you two.

Once you had made it to the KoF headquarters, there were more knights waiting to greet you. The calvary captain named Kaeya left an everlasting impression with his sweet words, he was also the only one to kiss the back of your hand when he greeted you. Klee, the youngest in the knights immediately ran up to you hugging you tightly, the other knights try to tell her not to do that since it was rude but you said it was okay.

She asked if you wanted to go fish blasting with her, whatever that was.

Noelle was also so sweet, the maid had offered to do anything you needed even if it sounded like an inconvenience. ‘Nothing is an inconvenience for me, especially when it comes to you.’ She would say. While the sheepish Sucrose couldn’t even meet your gaze without her face turning completely red, she only managed to get the greeting past her lips since Albedo was there to guide her.

Like Keaya, Lisa was a natural flirt, she was constantly complimenting your looks saying how the imposter could never match the true beauty that you possess.

Then there was Rosaria, one of the nuns from the Chruch of Favonius. You had encountered her when you saw Barbara begging her to join in the festivities for your arrival. Once you had approached the two girls the shorter one immediately bows babbling about how happy she is to have you here. Rosaria on the other hand, asks if you are enjoying your time in Mondstadt. She also states that if you’re ever in trouble, she’ll help you. It seems that she shows her devotion to you in a more casual way than others.

Once you had met everyone, Diluc invited you to come to Angels Share, a tavern that he owned within the city. The tavern was what you expected, but what was surprising was seeing Diluc behind the bar his hair pulled into a high ponytail.

“Your Grace,” he smiles, sitting down the glass he was drying before you walked in. You sit down on the barstool across from him.

“Would you like some wine?”

You nod and Diluc turns around looking at the varieties of wine he had before reach of a particular one, he opens it pouring it in a glass.

“Here you are your Grace.”

The tavern door open again.

“Make that three glasses actually!”

Kaeya and Venti approach the bar sitting in the empty barstools next to you. Venti sits on your left, Kaeya on your right.

Diluc sighs, “do you have any mora?”

Venti pouts and Kaeya laughs a bit. “Aww c’mon don’t be like that, the Creator is here and we are celebrating.”

The redhead rolls his eyes, “we are celebrating but only Their Grace is drinking on the house.”

You smile bringing the glass to your lips as they continue their banter.

“Oh? You must be trying to win their favor by allowing them to drink for free? And everyone thought it was going to be me trying to win their attention.”

Diluc’s face grows red at Kaeya’s words, “t-that’s not it! I’m just showing them proper hospitality.”

You chuckle setting down the glass wiping your face a bit, “your wine is absolutely lovely Diluc, I see why everyone loves it.”

His face gets even darker as he nods, “I’m glad you like it your Grace. If you ever want any more, please let me know.” He ignores the two sitting near you as they continue to tease.

LIYUE

The second you had stepped into Liyue, Xiao was by your side, you weren’t sure how he knew when you’d be arriving but you decided not to question it.

“Your Grace,” the Adepti is kneeling by your feet keeping his gaze on the ground, “you’ve returned.”

“Please stand for me Xiao.”

He immediately raises to his feet meeting your gaze, “are you heading to Liyue Harbor?”

You nod, you never got to step in Liyue Harbor the last time you were in the nation of contracts, being abruptly interrupted by the Fatui had thrown you off your original plan.

“Is it alright if I walk with you?” He asks softly.

It was clear he didn’t want to be a burden on you but you had a feeling that even if you said no he would follow just to make sure nothing bad happened to you while traveling.

“Sure I don’t mind the company.” Xiao’s face brightens at your words as he moves to walk by your side.

The walk with the Yaksha was peaceful, he wasn’t much of a conversationalist but you could tell that he enjoyed being at your side. Once you had gotten to the path leading to the bridge of the harbor, Xiao’s steps faltered.

“Is something wrong?” You turn to face him noticing a conflicted look on his face.

“Thank you for allowing me to walk with you Your Grace but I should return to my duties.”

You furrow you brows, “you’re not coming in with me?”

He lets out a breath closing his eyes as he shakes his head, “I shouldn’t….”

You weren’t sure why he wouldn’t enter the city with you but you didn’t want to force him to do anything he didn’t want. You give him a small smile bidding farewell, before he disappeared into the air he repeats what he said to you last time.

‘If you ever need anything or ever find yourself in trouble, just call out my name.’

-

Zhongli was at the funeral parlor when word hit that you had entered the city, he could feel his heart ache. All he wanted to do was greet you but he had to go about it strategically, if he doesn’t, he could easily reveal himself as the Geo or rather the former Geo Archon.

He gives his eccentric boss some random excuse to leave for a moment and she tells him to hurry back so they can think of new deals in honor of the Creators arrival.

After roaming the city for a moment, you had finally came into view talking to Ganyu. He fixes his tailcoat before walking over his hands laced behind his back.

“Your Grace, I see you have made it to the Harbor.”

Your eyes leave Ganyu to stare up at the man.

“Morax?”

He feels his heart swell, of course his God would recognize him no matter what form he takes.

“Actually it’s Zhongli now.”

Your eyes widen, so Morax had stepped down from his duties as an Archon? You expect something like that from Barbatos but from Morax? Never. You give him a smile, “I see, so Zhongli… it’s nice to see you again.”

Zhongli wanted to keep talking to you, to express just how much he missed you while you were gone. To apologize for worshiping another, he is your oldest devotee if anyone should’ve recognized something was wrong, it should’ve been him.

But all he does is smile as he bows to you, .”your presence has been missed Your Grace.”

Ganyu who was watching you interact with the man, suddenly excuses herself saying that she is needed back in the Jade Chamber to finish the preparations for your arrival. Even though you express that nothing extravagant needs to be done, she explains that Ningguang had been preparing this since the Traveler announced the news of the imposter.

“I wish that I could’ve shown you around the Harbor your Grace but I know that Rex Lap- er Zhongli will do a wonderful job as well.”

Once Ganyu was gone Zhongli offers you his hand, he guides you around the Harbor showing you all of the shops that truly makes Liyue what it is. He also points out all the statues and offerings people had left you, there were many stacks of letters, expensive items, and even books left around all your statues. You made a mental note that you would come back for them all later.

Zhongli also introduced you to Madame Ping who also seemed really happy to see you even offering if you’d like to drink tea with her once you’re free that you happily agreed to. She also mentioned about inviting some old friends, you have a feeling on who that may be.

Speaking of old friends, the other Adepti had made the trip down to the Harbor to meet you. They haven’t been in the Harbor since Osial was released by a Harbinger. Liyue Harbor is where mortals resided and while they will protect it with their life, they rather not spend their time here. Unless you were there then they don’t mind bending their own boundaries a bit.

After spending most of your day with Zhongli, night soon came and Ganyu came back. She escorts you to the Jade Chamber to meet Ningguang and to see what they have planned for you. Zhongli goes back to the funeral parlor expecting to be chewed out by Hu Tao for being gone longer than he expected.

Once in the Jade Chamber Ningguang immediately begins showering you with gifts, many of them jewls and clothing. She even had and array of Liyue specialties made just for you.

Yelan was also at the Jade Chamber, she asked you about your time in Snezhnaya but you decided to keep it vague. Whether that was to keep her in ignorance or because you didn’t want to relive it is unclear.

“Your Grace, would you come outside with me?” Ningguang speaks to you in a soft voice as she leads you to the front of the Chamber. The stars in the sky were shining brightly, you could even see Celestia more clearer from this height.

“It’s very beautiful up here but I actually brought you out here for another reason.”

Soon enough l fireworks began going off in the sky with many different shapes and bright colors. You could see many adults in children in Liyue stare at the sky in amazement which only warmed your heart even more.

“I apologize Your Grace this is all I could do last minute, but I have some more thing planned for you tomorrow.”

You give Ningguang a small grin, “this is already wonderful, I can only imagine what you have planned for tomorrow.”

Ningguang feels her face grow hot as she looks back up at the sky. Ganyu, Keqing, and Yelan could only smile knowing that this surely had a lasting impact on you. If you decide to take permanent residence in one of the nations, they hope that it’s theirs.

INAZUMA

You had managed to get aboard a ship named the Crux lead by captain Beidou with the help of the Traveler. She had welcomed you enthusiastically exclaiming how she was honored that the Creator wanted to board her ship.

Beidou and her crew weren’t the only ones excited to have you on board. Kazuha, who had introduced himself as a wandering samurai and a poet, also expressed his gratitude that he could meet you face to face.

Beidou cuts him off by ruffling his hair saying how he was just being humble. She tells you how Kazuha had managed to stop a killing blow from the Raiden Shogun and also managed to activate two visions at once. Normally Kazuha would brush off any form of praise with a small smile and a thank you, but seeing your surprised face and hearing you praise his talents made his face grow unbelievably red. Beidou laughs at her friends uncharacteristic behavior patting his shoulder.

The trip was unexpectedly calm, Lumine had told you of the constant storm that had surrounded Inazuma but it seemed to have finally dissipated. Once Beidou had anchored the ship in Ritou, there was only one person waiting on the dock who immediately jumped off one of the crates walking towards the ship.

“Kazuha? Beidou? I wasn’t expecting you two to return so soon!”

Kazuha laughs lightly, “Hello Thoma, we weren’t expecting to be back so early either but we had an unexpected guest.”

Thomas eyes perk up at the mention of the guest, “oh! Is it the Traveler? I’ve been wondering when they would return.”

Beidou chuckles, “no we got someone way more renowned than Lumine.”

Once you are on the dock, Thomas face immediately brightens. “Your Grace! I had no idea you were coming to Inazuma!”

“My arrival is unexpected, you’re the first person to know besides these two.”

His face brightens even more.

“Your Grace if you allow me I would love to escort you to Inazuma City. I know that everyone is dying to see you!”

Thomas personality felt like a breath of fresh air as you agree to let him guide you out of Ritou to Inazuma city. Beidou and Kazuha bid their farewell saying that if you need a ride to any of the other nations they’ll come back to get you, the two board the ship and it sails off.

The guards who were preventing outsiders from entering the City quickly move out of the way once they see your face not bothering to ask for any type of paperwork. If they did, they knew that the Shogun would have them dealt with.

It was about an hour after you arrived to Inazuma City when Ei had finally got the news. Kujou Sara came rushing and the Raiden Shogun, the puppet, asked her to state her business. As soon as she mentioned that you were in the City, Ei immediately left the Plane Of Euthymia.

She feels horrible that she wasn’t the first to greet you once you had entered the city but there’s nothing she can do about it now. All she can do is find you now and ask for forgiveness.

Would you forgive her? She wonders.

She wasn’t there to greet you and there’s no doubt that someone had told you what she had done to her nation. She feels a bitter taste enter in her mouth which she despises. She doesn’t want you to be angry at her, she’ll do anything to earn your forgiveness. Her sister Makoto always told her how amazing and forgiving you were so hopefully that hasn’t changed.

When Ei finally found you, you were at the Komore Teahouse, she burst through the doors trying her best to keep her composure as she follows the sound of noose coming from room one.

And there you are, in all your glory.

Ayaka and Ayato who sat next to you quickly stop talking as they stare at their Archon who stood at the threshold. Thoma, who sat across from the three of you, quickly look down at the table.

You sit down your teacup clearing your throat as you look at her.

“Ei? Is that you?”

She immediately falls onto her knees looking down at the floor, “yes it’s me Your Grace. Please forgive me.”

You glance at the siblings before standing walking towards Ei, her long braid spilled onto the floor as she kneeled before you.

“Forgive you? For what?”

She looks up her watery eyes meeting yours, “for everything…”

You decided it would be best to leave with the Electro Archon, it was already awkward the second she entered the room but you doubt that she’ll leave this teahouse without you.

Ei was quiet as she followed behind you in Inazuma city, everyone you past mouth are agape as they mutter that the Raiden Shogun has showed her face in the city again but this time with the Creator.

You notice how Ei’s face lights up once you near a dango stand, you stop asking the shopkeeper for two and he hands them to you with a large grin on his face saying they’re on the house. (luckily cuz its not like you have mora, where’s Diluc, Ningguang, and Pantalone when you need them?)

At first Ei declines the sweet treat saying that she shouldn’t indulge herself but with a few reassuring words from you, she quickly takes the sweet treat eating it.

Ei enjoyed the time she had spent with you and if you were to stay in Inazuma for good, she would never return into her puppet again. Being here with you felt like the eternity she was striving for, maybe if she begged you to stay here with her, you would consider it?

She decides against it as she watches you leave to see her other islands. She wants to go with you but she knows she must think of a way to properly apologize to you, she had to go talk to her dear friend at the Grand Narukami Shrine.

-

You decided to take some time to yourself on the outskirts of the city resting in the warm sand. Word of your arrival spread quickly and there was no doubt that everyone would be making their way here to see you soon so you just wanted to relax for a bit. You could hear children screaming in the distance as they played, you weren’t sure what they were playing but it sounded like they were having fun.

However your alone time didn’t last long. Many footsteps could be heard approaching from behind you , it sound like three maybe four people? But what really caught your attention was the loud voice that followed.

“Pfft… I might’ve lost this time but next time I’ll definitely win!”

You hear the others agreeing with the statement which causes you to turn around.

It was an Oni, you didn’t even know they were still around anymore.

The Oni notices you staring and his face brightens as he approaches you. “Hello stranger! I’ve never seen you around here before, my name is Arataki "The One and Oni" Itto! Leader of the Arataki Gang!”

He was definitely more lively than anyone else you’ve meet recently and that made you giggle a bit. You stand up from the warm sand a grin one your face, did he even recognize you? He approached you so casually as if you were just another Inazuma citizen.

“The Arataki Gang?” You say in between giggles.

Once Itto confirms that you’re not going to throw any beans at him he gets even closer, “You haven’t heard of the Arataki Gang before? No problem, from today on, we are now acquainted. We are the Arataki Gang of Hanamizaka! Who might you be?”

You introduce yourself by name not mentioning anything about your status, what could you say? You want to see how far this will go.

Talking with Itto was like a breath a fresh air, after everything you’ve been through, this was the exact break you needed. You couldn’t even remember the last time you’ve laughed this much.

What you learned quickly is the Itto was very competitive when he challenged you to a Onikabuto battle, the rules were simple. Find a beetle and the two will battle until one of them flips. Itto warns you that the he’s been training his Onikabuto for days but that doesn’t stop him from helping you find a worthy opponent.

With the help of his gang that battle commences. You watch the two bugs battle quietly while Itto begins chanting for his to win.

After a few moments his beetle is flipped onto his back.

“I win!” You exclaim.

Itto runs his comb through his hair, “pssh… good job new friend! But that was definitely beginners luck! How about another round?”

“There you are Boss, I’ve been searching everywhere for you.” A woman with green hair and a mask begins walking towards the group.

“Shinobu!” Itto says boisterously, “I was just having a Onikabuto Battle with my new friend here!”

Shinobu sighs, “I’m sorry if my boss had caused you any troubl-“

Suddenly she stops talking as she stares at your face, if her mouth wasn’t covered her jaw might’ve hit the floor with his wide her eyes were.

“Erm Shinobu?” Itto snaps his fingers.

“Why didn’t you say you were with the Creator!” The girl practically screams as she gets closer, “Your Grace I am honored to meet you! I’m sorry for any trouble Itto might’ve caused you.”

You grin, “he hasn’t caused any trouble at all! I’ve had so much fun!”

Itto watches the two of you a puzzled look on his face. “Wait wait wait…. What do you mean Creator?”

Shinobu looks over at her Boss, “don’t you remember me telling you that the Creator was in Inazuma?”

He laughs, “Of course I remember! Why wouldn’t I remember something like that?”

She lets out a sigh face palming, “are you telling me that you’ve been hanging with Their Grace this whole time and didn’t recognize them?”

Itto laughs again but it comes out more awkwardly as he looks to the side.

“None of you recognized them?”

The rest of the gang also look off to the side.

You laugh causing everyone to look over at you, “thank you for teaching me this game Itto! I’ve had lots of fun with you today.”

Now knowing who you are, your words makes Itto grow a bit sheepish as he brushes his comb through his hair once more, “Pfft, of course Your Grace I’ll teach you all other games I know and trust me it’s a lot! Haha! Although I should apologize how the Arataki Gang approached you,that was rude of us!” The rest of the gang murmur in agreement.

“Now how ‘bout that round two? Though I should let you know that I won’t be going easy on you! I’m going to win this time!”

You grin, “well bring it on!”

SUMERU

Nahida was the first to greet you once you had entered Sumeru City, she was surrounded by many scholars and sages from the Akademiya who bowed as they watched you interact with their Archon.

Nahida hold her small hand out to you, “welcome back to Sumeru Your Grace.”

You take the girls hand as she leads you throughout Sumeru City. “I’m glad to back under better circumstances.”

She chuckles, “I’m glad too.”

The city was more decorated than the last time you were here, even though last time you had Dottore knock out all of the citizens so you could confront the imposter. You had a feeling the Nahida might’ve predicted that you were going to show up today, you don’t expect anything less from the God of Wisdom.

As Nahida leads you to the entrance of the Akademiya, you notice two men bickering, or rather one of them getting riled up while the other responds calmly. Once the calmer one notices your presence he turns his attention to you as the other grows more annoyed at his actions.

“Seriously? Now you’re ignoring me?”

The other nudges the man harshly cussing him to stumble a bit but then he quickly takes notice of your presence as well.

“Your Grace, it’s an honor to meet you.”

You soon learn that the calmer one was named Alhaitham, and that the more expressive one was Kaveh. You also learned that the two of them were roommates, although knowing that information was unintentional since Kaveh kept rambling nervously as he tried to apologize for his behavior that you no doubt witnessed.

However the next three you met really solidified that Sumeru had some interesting people that really changed your perspective of how the nation once was. Nahida bad introduced you to the General Mahamatra who was talking to a young girl named Collei and her master Tighnari.

Just like everyone else they were extremely respectful as they introduced themselves to you and welcomed you to their city. Cyno also offered to show you around the desert if you ever desired to go. Collei and Tighnari expressed the same to you about the forest. However after pleasantries were over, Cyno asked you a question that made everyone around you facepalm.

“Your Grace, have you ever played Genius Invokation TCG?”

Tighnari sighs loudly, “are you seriously asking Their Grace about this?”

Collei also sighs as she mutters multiple apologies under her breath.

“I-I’m sorry?” You tilt your head, “Genius Invokation TCG?”

Cyno ignores his friends telling him to be quiet as he begins to explain the premise of the game to you, explaining how people around Teyvat have their own cards within the game and that even you have your own card in the game. (However he doesn’t mention how many cards of you he owns)

“If you ever wish to learn to play, I will teach you. Then we can duel.” His voice was monotonous but his body language gave off just how excited he was about teaching you about this game.

As Nahida leads you away from the trio you could hear Tighnari ask Cyno why he would ask you a question like that. Collei was only happy that he didn’t make any puns in your presence.

Later that night Nahida leaves you alone in a bedroom she had designed specifically for you but you doubt that you were going to get any sleep that night.

A few moments after Nahida left there was a knock at your door, at first you figured it was the God of Wisdom who might’ve forgotten to say something but once you opened the door you were greeted by a new face.

He had purple hair and wore a large hat, if he wasn’t looking directly at you, his hat would’ve obscured his face.

“The Creator of Teyvat.” He drawls out smirking. “I’ve been waiting to speak to you.”

He lets himself into your room as you furrow your brows closing the door turning to face him.

“I want to hate you, you know. I want to hate you because of how much she loved you.” He speaks softly. “All this time I’ve forced myself to hate you but now that I’m right in front of you?” He lets out a laugh, you weren’t even sure if he was talking to you.

“I thought that joining the Fatui would’ve made me hate you but those idiots are just as loyal to you as everyone else.”

So he was previously in the Fatui? That’s odd, no one ever mentioned him.

“What’s your name?” Your words snaps him out of his trance as he looks back at you.

He tells you that he has no name but if you must call him by something you can call him what the Traveler picked.

He calls out your name, your true name. “You’re supposed to be all knowing. What am I supposed to do?”

You let out a breath, as he looks at you expectantly a glimmer hopefulness in his eyes.

The Wanderer holds his breath as he waits for you to respond, after all of the evil deeds he’s done Lumine and Nahida says that he can change but he has no idea where to go about that. All his life his wanted to be of use to someone and every single time he was thrown to the side and betrayed. He wants to know your answer, no he needs it. Ever since he joined the Fatui and learned that the only being he wanted to talk to was a fake, he knew that he would wait. He will wait for you.

“I cannot tell you what to do with your life,” you begin, “following your heart is what everyone does and eventually you find something that feels right.”

He wants to roll his eyes and retort but you quickly interrupt him.

“Even though you do not have a heart like other humans, you left the Fatui and are now repenting for the sins you committed. Doesn’t that feel good?”

He crosses his arms, “what’s that got to do with anything?”

“What I’m trying to say is you should do what feels right. You don’t have a heart but you feel hurt and angry when betrayed so surely you must feel good when you do certain things.”

“And what if I don’t know what that is…?” He says breath barely above a whisper.

“Well you have friends right? They are there to help you, and I am also willing to help you.”

His eyes widen as he turns away from you, “so that’s the way you think? I’m surprised that you can be so optimistic after everything you’ve been through Your Grace.”

For once he didn’t refer to you by your name.

“I’ll let you get some sleep, I will see you tomorrow with Buer.”

He walks past you opening the door, giving you one last glance the door clicks shut behind him. You let out a breath crashing onto your mattress, you doubt that sleep would take you tonight.

The Wanderer on the other hand, was thinking of anyway he could prove himself useful to you then maybe he could stay by your side instead.

SNEZHNAYA

The Tsaritsa never attended any celebrations that the Harbingers threw when they managed to obtain a Gnosis, but since this celebration was for you, she’d be a fool to not make an appearance.

The Fatui had an abundance of money, and once it was revealed you were on your way to Snezhnaya, they had quickly prepared everything for you. The Zapolyarny Palace was decorated in the finest decorations money could buy. Clothing suited for warm weather was designed with you in mind, and chefs prepared the most exquisite dishes in Snezhnaya for you to enjoy.

As the Harbingers were in the middle of preparations for the grand banquet. Spirits ran high and good will was abundant. All of them felt triumphant. The Creator was due to arrive soon , and they were proud to welcome them back to Snezhnaya. The air was only ever this lively after a successful mission in one of the other nations. They ordered their subordinates to set up the hall so that it was polished and pristine, fit their God.

The Damselette, who was sitting at a decorated table with her head down she called, “It is a shame that the Fair Lady couldn’t join us for such an momentous occasion.”

“La Signora’s zealot ambition caused her downfall. She overestimated her own strength and that got her killed in the end.” Pulcinella states.

“Her methods tarnished her honor, she doesn’t have the right to meet Their Grace.” Capitano chimes in.

Arlecchino was always quick to lose her temper, her voice was filled with venom as she glares at her comrades, “Rosalyne died in a foreign land for our cause, she has more right to meet Their Grace unlike you businessmen.”

Pantalone smiles curtly at her, “if you keep acting like that, Their Grace will be able to witness your true self and not the facade that you put on.”

Arlecchino opens her mouth to snap at the Regrator but is cut off by Childe, who stood nearby. “You all can’t help but fight even on the day the Creator is coming?”

It grows silent as they all return to what they were doing, the youngest Harbinger was right. To argue on the day you would be arriving was ludicrous, even more so to bicker once you arrive. The Tsaritsa herself would kill them for doing that.

It wasn’t much longer until you entered the Zapolyarny palace with the Tsaritsa and Pierro at your side. You were wearing the coat that was gifted to you when you first came here which caused Pantalone to smile smugly.

The Harbingers stare at you for a moment, last time you were here they were all still searching the other nations for any presence of you. When they joined you on the boat to confront the imposter, Childe hogged all your attention but now they had the opportunity to talk to you themselves.

But just like last time, Childe was the first to approach you, eyes brighter than ever. “Your Grace, You’ve arrived! How was the trip?”

You smile at the ginger, it was alway hard to see the Fatui as ruthless beings when Childe approaches and talks to you like this. “It was… calm. Just like last time.”

You cross your arms, even with all of the fireplaces around it was still very cold within the palace.

“Oh, are you cold Your Grace?” A voice says sweetly, “I have other coats suited for the cold if you’d prefer those instead.” The Regrator is the next to approach a small smile on his lips as he adjusts his glasses.

You open your mouth to accept his offer when another voice speaks up.

“If none of his coats are to your liking I would be more than happy to escort you to the City and buy you whatever coat you’d like.” Arlecchino says gracefully, although her glare at the two near you contradicted the sweetness in her voice.

“Or I can give you my coat, Your Grace.” Everyone turns to glare at Dottore for his bold suggestion.

You chuckle awkwardly feeling the tension in the room build up, you knew that no matter what choice you made, the others would be angry. (not at you ofc but at each other)

“Thank you for your generosity, but I think I’d rather just go to my room for a while, if that’s alright.”

“Of course that’s alright Your Grace! Would it be alright if I escort you to your room?” Sandrone pipes up still sitting on her Automaton.

Now all eyes are on her and you sigh softly, all you want is to quell the subtle fighting between them but no matter what you say one of them will jump at the opportunity to spend some alone time with you.

A cold hand touches your shoulder and the Tsaritsa finally speaks up. “I’ll take you to your room your Grace, you must be tired.”

You smile at her as she moves her hand onto your lower back, “We have prepared a banquet for you later tonight, I will have one of the Harbingers bring you some clothes if you wish to change.”

The Harbingers all share glances indicating that it was going to be them to bring you the clothes. The Archon leads you down the hall toward your room.

Once they were alone, Pierro let’s out a sigh, “these childish theatrics must cease. Their Grace will be spending the next few days here and they don’t need to see you all fighting all the time. Have some decorum.

The Harbingers roll their eyes dispersing back to their own room, all of them thinking of ways they could steal your attention tonight.

It’s going to be a long night Your Grace.

NOWHERE…? (ABYSS)

You told Lumine that you wanted to reconnect with Teyvat before you showed your face in any nation. The girl seemed surprised at first but understood, her gaze lingered on you as you left her campsite. However, you weren’t alone for long. Once you were out of the Travelers sight, you had felt a strong presence behind you. Last time you didn’t notice it, but this time it was as clear as day, as if they were making no effort to conceal it at all.

“Your Grace.” Just as you expected, it was Aether.

You stop walking turning to gaze at him, “how come you always appear when I’m alone?”

Now that you could see his face more clearly, he did look exactly like Lumine, they both had signature golden hair and eyes. While it seemed that both of them had a friendly nature, he was definitely hiding something beneath the surface.

“Because I don’t want no one to ruin the time I have talking to you.” He says nonchalantly.

“Even your sister?”

Aether’s eyes widened at your response but he quickly fixes his expression as he approached you, “so, she told you.”

“I told her I’d help her find you but that’s not all I know. I’ve heard lots of things about the Abyss, none of them good.”

“Your Grace anything anyone has told you is complete slander, the only goal I have in mind is rebuilding Khaenri’ah back to it’s former glory!”

“So the Abyss doesn’t hate humanity?”

He lets out a defeated sigh, confirming the truth behind your question without even saying anything. Aether reaches out grasping your hand with both of his gloved ones, “I would never do anything to disgrace your world… I promise.”

You had to give him the benefit of the doubt, it’s not like he lied to you up till this point, so why would he lie now? “What did you want to talk about?”

“The first step was defeating the counterfeit that held the throne, but this world still hasn’t been healed completely. Corruption still lurks in every corner.”

A large purple portal opens behind the Prince and a faceless being walks out getting down on one knee bringing a clawed hand to his chest.

“Your Grace…. Your Majesty…” it’s voice croaks.

“Come to the Abyss, Your Grace.” He pleads, “no interruptions this time. Come with me and I will show you everything…”

He stares expectantly at your face as you look at the creature and portal behind him. So this was the Abyss, Yelan had told you all about the danger it possessed and now it was right in front of you. A group that hates humanity, even Aether couldn’t deny that fact. The impropriety vexed you, how could a place exist that devalued the life you had created. You cared for this world immensely, and built it for humanity, but for some reason it felt as if the Abyss was calling out to you.

The void of the portal looks endless. Your eyes focus to catch a glimpse of something more, darker and obscure. The weight of the Princes hands were heavier now... more adamant. Your search was cut short when he gripped your hands, pulling you out of the trance. His gaze never wavered as you opened your pursed lips to respond to his lingering question.

“I’ll go with you.”

He looks satisfied with your answer as he pulls you forward leading you towards the portal.

There was no turning back now, once you walk through this with, you will be within the Abyss. You couldn’t imagine what would be waiting for you once you stepped through, all you had was the word of an outlier who guaranteed your safety.

Aether who seemed to notice your hesitancy laces his fingers with yours giving you a smile. “Don’t worry, I won’t let go.”

You let out a breath closing your eyes tightly as the two of you walk through the portal.

-

-

-

It wasn’t painful. Not that you expected it to be.

You open your eyes and the Prince is staring at you.

“We have arrived, Your Grace.”

The Abyss lurked in the darkest part of Teyvat so it was no surprise that once you took in your surroundings you noticed you were at some unknown place in the Chasm. It wasn’t just the two of you either, there were many creatures just like the one who was bowing to the two of you before. Some of them looked more human-like while others truly resembled monsters. None of them dared to speak though, you could only wonder what the Prince had threatened said to them if you chose to come with him.

“Your Grace I’m so happy you’ve decided to come with me.” Aether breathes out still holding your hand, not like he had any intention of letting go. “Your comfort means everything to me, and I know it looks unsettling right now but I can assure that your comfort has been taken into account.”

He leads you down a path so that the two of you were alone once more.

It was in a secluded spot that was much darker than the area you appeared in, the only thing giving light was the multiple torches stuck into the wall.

“Your Grace, what I’m about to tell you is going to be hard to hear…”

You let out a breath, would it be as hard to hear when you found out Celestia had betrayed you? The look on his face you could tell that he didn’t want to place this burden on you but it had to be done.

“Are you aware of what happened to Khaenri’ah?” He asks.

During your time in Celestia, you learned everything, all catastrophic events that happened on Teyvat was their doing. The Archon War and the destruction of Khaenri’ah were just the tip of the iceberg.

You nod, “Celestia told me it was their doing.”

“But did they tell you how?”

You shake your head, “how they did it? I don’t understand.”

“Celestia might’ve had a hand in getting rid of the nation, but it wasn’t the one who did it.”

You tilt your head curiously at the blonde, “who did it then?”

He sighs holding your hand a bit tighter to ease you into the bomb he was about to drop on you.

“You weren’t here and Celestia wasn’t the only one who missed you. So the Archons and Celestia concocted a plan to bring you back, and since Khaenri’ah was more quiet about their worship outsiders believed they weren’t devoted to you.”

You felt your heart sink as a bitter taste enters your mouth, “are you saying that the Archons had a hand in this as well?”

Aether continues, “the people of Khaenri’ah were deemed sinners, especially pure blooded ones. People believed it was their sins that made you not want to return, so under Celestia, the Archons attack Khaenri’ah destroying almost everything and killing everyone.”

You felt sick, you didn’t want to hear this, this ache in your chest was unbearable. Were you betrayed again? Something you poured your whole heart into stabbed you in the back for their own selfish desires? This was too much to bear.

You pull your hand out of his stumbling away to sit on a nearby rock, Aether followed kneeling next to you placing a hand on your back.

“I know this is hard for you,” he rubs your back frowning, “should I continue?”

You nod not trusting your voice to answer him, a lump in your throat was forming and it felt that if you were to try and speak, you would burst into tears.

“The remaining survivors of the attack turned into monsters… the monsters you see roaming around Teyvat are what remains of the nation. However for the pure blooded Khaenrians, they were cursed with immortality. Now they roam Teyvat forever…”

You bring your hands up running them through the roots of your hair, Aether had to be lying, there is no way something that terrible would happen without your knowledge. How could you be so ignorant to the suffering of your own people?

Aether keeps rubbing your back, “the plan didn’t work, you never returned so Celestia went for more drastic measures and made an Imposter to trick the Archons into thinking it worked, but at the same time, it was their last ditch effort to get you to return.”

You finally manage to speak, the words came out soft and raspy but still clear enough for him to understand.

“How do you know all this?”

The Prince says nothing, maybe he was ignoring you or maybe he was too concerned about your comfort to respond.

Khaenri’ah wasn’t just forced to watch their home burn by the hands of the Archons and Celestia but they were forced to stay and watch as their home became lost to history. You didn’t want to believe it, the monsters were once people and others were cursed with immortality it felt like something out of a fantasy novel.

But… those eyes…

You couldn’t help but recall your time in Snezhnaya. Pierro… his eyes. You knew they seemed familiar but it didn’t click to you then.

Now it was painfully clear.

He was from Khaenri’ah and he was one of the cursed ones. Why didn’t he tell you? Was it because you were focused on the Imposter? Did he not want to burden you with more problems?

You could remember the way his eyes had lingered on the flower you had. He must’ve recognized it.

You reach into your pocket pulling the flower out, it didn’t look as beautiful as it did when Aether first gave it to you, it was starting to wilt.

“You kept it.” You hear the Prince murmur next to you.

You turn to face him and he immediately pulls his hand off you. “Your Grace I know there is a way we can bring Khaenri’ah back. I’ve even seen these monsters gain back their consciousness, the only missing piece is you.”

Suddenly you bring your hand up to his cheek causing him to stiffen for a moment before leaning into your touch his face turning pink.

Your touch was better than he could ever describe, it was warm and comforting he hadn’t felt this warm since his days in the forgotten nation or maybe even when he still traveled with his sister. He wanted to keep this feeling forever and never let it go.

“Aether…” you breathe out. “It feels as if you’re the only one I can trust.”

He smiles, hearing you say his name was exhilarating.

“You can always trust me Your Grace. I will never deceive you.”

The hand that you had on his cheek is now trapped by his own, he didn’t want you to pull away. Not yet.

“I will help you, Khaenri’ah will be restored and Celestia will pay for it’s sins.”

His smile turns into a full blown grin, “Your Grace I am honored that I am able to work with you.”

-

-

Note: I am so sorry for the looonnnngggg wait for this part but I am super happy how the ending came out. Now I will focus on the asks in my inbox so if you were on of the lovely anons that left a request, trust me, I didn’t forget about you! Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this I luv you!

Taglist: @esthelily @the-dumber-scaramouche @grimreapersscythe @seawater-aurelia-writing @probablynoposts @genshin-impacts-me @itsredactedlove @chidouna @thedevioussmirk @hoo-hoo @chaoticfivesworld @akemiixx01 @lunarapple @nowords-onlybreathing @fangirlinindia @veyu002 @blackcoffex @kaveh-is-pretty @ariasdream @averycuriousperson @bloopthebat @chuuya-brainrot @crazydreamcat @sparklyphantom @multistanbee @bluebelony @mokakoto @mega-trash-cringe CLOSED

[honeycreammilkshake]

as both a sukuita and sukuna fan, chapter 268 killed me. at first i thought it was because we finally got another really intimate and highly emotional scene between sukuna and yuuji, and that sukuna chose to die over accepting yuuji's kindness, but now i can't stop thinking about how this entire chapter was such a good character study and a metaphor for one of the most important themes in the story.

in chapter 21, there's a really interesting conversation between junpei and mahito, where junpei disagrees with the quote "the opposite of love isn't hate, it's indifference." he knows how evil people can be so he chooses to feel indifferent about human suffering instead. mahito's view on this is also really intriguing, especially considering how he is a curse born from the hate people share for each other.

i could be wrong but it sounds like the basic message here is that deadening yourself to such intense feelings — love or hate — is a type of retaliation for being hurt or consumed by them. which makes me wonder if sukuna had a similar story to junpei, and if that explains how he became what he is.

we know that sukuna wasn't wanted as a child. he was more than likely rejected by both normal society and the jujutsu world. like junpei he was probably treated cruelly or strongly made aware of the many people who hated him. sukuna claimed to know what love is, but i think what he actually understood was the absence of love. he understood maybe what it means to others, but he had never felt or experienced it himself.

which brings me back to junpei's idea that indifference should be the solution. this is kind of the same philosophy sukuna has: he believes in this unshakable hierarchy of strength where the weak should have no right to lament their suffering. his idea was that the strongest were indifferent to suffering, that it's greedy to be lonely because of this. he calls it his "nature" to live in this self-indulgent way that is completely uncaring and selfish.

but then there's yuuji.

yuuji has been alone for a lot of his life. at the beginning, he doesn't have any really close friends, since even the other occult club members don't know him all that well. his only family was wasuke, who was difficult and pushed people away, including yuuji.

after his grandfather's death, he wanted to do right and fulfill wasuke's request of helping people, to be able to die surrounded by those he cares about. he pretty much gave his life to help other people by accepting responsibility as sukuna's vessel, and shows concern and kindness even to strangers.

he seems the exact opposite of sukuna and he stands for all the things that the king of curses hates... so why is it that someone sukuna considers so weak has so much power over him?

the only one who's really managed to make sukuna rethink his ideas of the world has been yuuji. even sukuna acknowledged that he was affected more by yuuji than anyone else.

to him, those who challenged him 1000 years ago were "other people." his relationship with yuuji was and always has been so special that even he admits it.

sukuna mostly strived for indifference his entire life. consuming so many humans was merely a way for him to pass the time until death, as he said, and those tastes were passing and unmemorable for the most part. everything was so unfeeling about the way he made his philosophy sound during his conversation with kashimo, and he couldn't answer as to why he would decide to cross the ages into modern life if his life before had been truly satisfactory. it's like he wasn't even moved to support his own ideals.

but here yuuji is... an annoying brat he called weak and boring, yet every time they fought sukuna looked thrilled and even impressed, though he resented it. and every time yuuji challenged him, sukuna was bothered enough to challenge him right back.

"the opposite of love is indifference." if this is true, sukuna was most likely forced into his indifference due to the fact he was never wanted or loved. but yuuji awakened so many feelings inside of him, too many. living as sukuna's vessel, they shared such a close connection while still opposing each other in every single way. yuuji represented the intense feelings of both love and hate in the way he fought so hard for others while sukuna's own indifference started to break the longer he spent inside of yuuji. he was far more reactive to yuuji than with others, and had even given him special treatment. there were many times he could have killed yuuji or his friends, but he didn't.

yuuji has made it clear that he hates sukuna's indifference to the value of people's lives.

sukuna's indifference towards life is against everything yuuji believes in but strangely enough, yuuji was still willing to accept sukuna. to not only pity him, but to have genuine empathy and compassion for such a monster as well.

he even says to sukuna that they are the same, despite seeming to be complete opposites of each other.

to me, yuuji saying that the monster sukuna became was a matter of chance, shows that he understands how indifference cut sukuna off from having a different fate.

there is a vast area of shades between love and hate, unlike the overwhelmingly static state of indifference. yuuji was showing those shades of love and hate to sukuna, telling him that they could live in the mixed shades of both.

and i really wished sukuna chose to coexist with both that love and hate and remain with yuuji. but he was too used to being indifferent and rejected that offer.

i'm really hoping we get to see yuuji's thoughts on this in the next few chapters, because he looked truly disappointed by sukuna's rejection.

[yandere-romanticaa]

I need some Yandere Bokuto and Yandere Akaashi! Maybe together because of the friendship bokuto and akaashi have if thats alright (If not then do it seperate)

This would be one of the most functional pairs to have, even despite their stark and clashing personalities.

You most likely met them in highschool and it was a blast to be around them. Albeit, a bit intense at times. Bokuto was incredibly difficult to keep up with, especially if you're on the more introverted side. He wants you to attend absolutely every single game he and Akaashi are in, he's not even against you coming to practice either! Please do just that, it boosts him so much!

Even if he does get distracted by your smile sometimes but who cares! He certainly does not!

Bokuto is like a whirlwind storm - you never know when to expect him but you know that once he steps close there will be nothing but chaos. He's fun, kind. Gentle even. He tries to be, for you. He can be oblivious towards your feelings sometimes but he always has your best interests at heart.

He would never forgive himself if something happened to you.

Bokuto is needy, incredibly so. If he's not holding or kissing you 24/7 then what's even the point? You give him energy, your mere presence gives him drive and confidence like nothing else. Soon enough his presence starts to become suffocating. He is so deeply intertwined in your life, like sticky glue which you can't shake off no matter how hard you try. He managed to force his way into every possible crevice inside your life and he is always aware of what he's doing. His perfectionist nature commands him to do so.

However, if Bokuto is the powerful storm itself, Akaashi is the calm before the storm.

He lurks. Constantly.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depends who you're asking) there are times when Bokuto can't be with you no matter how badly he wants to be. Akaashi becomes something of a second shadow of yours, constantly tailing after you, taking care of you in the most subtle yet gentle ways. He offers you water regularly, he has you wear his warm jacket on warm days and he regularly chastises you if you think of doing something stupid. He's not completely sweet to you though, his dry personality does not allow for that.

Akaashi throws all sorts of remarks your way but they're never hurtful. Bokuto is usually the victim for his quick witted jabs, but, when he says them to you they're just. Different. They're laced with affection and playfulness but his stoic face masks the true meaning behind his words. He keeps tabs on you in any way he can and Bokuto quickly catches on to this.

They don't have a proper discussion about the situation they're in. The two just come to a silent agreement that they will share you. They already know each other well and their trust cannot be shaken. Neither one is against sharing you with the other.

There are times when you are a fun trio of idiots, simply living life. You have dinner and goof off. Bokuto makes you laugh and Akaashi feeds you fresh food from the table. Bokuto has an iron clad grip on your waist while Akaashi blocks your exit. Despite the lighthearted atmosphere, there's a thick layer of tension in the air. They smile, but it's not reaching their eyes.

Could they be hiding something?

You are paranoid, you rationalize. What could these two clowns have something to hide?

Time passes, you're all still as thick as thieves. Bokuto has become a professional volleyball player and Akaashi became a manga editor. Due to his strict schedule, Bokuto can't see you as often as he'd like... Which is all day, every day. At least in highschool he had the excuse of classes but now?

He's got nothing!

That's where his good old pal Akaashi comes in.

He sends Bokuto photos daily. The duo have countless folders dedicated to you, all of which have different themes and aesthetics. Akasshi sneaks in as many as he can and you won't ever catch him in the act.

He has years of experience snapping photos of you in every way imaginable. If you ever had the misfortune of looking into his computer files, he'd go to jail for life.

Despite their hectic schedules, both of them manage to keep a tight leash on you. Bokuto is quick to make work of anyone who has any sort of romantic inkling towards you, unless Akaashi tears into them first with his sharp tongue.

Neither option is safe. If you're on the receiving end of either, you will be left in a puddle of your own tears. Perhaps even blood.

You cry and complain to them - why have all your friends left you? Was there something wrong with you? Why was no one looking at you, what sort of defect did you have?

Akaashi's shirt is soaked in your bitter tears as he has his hands on your shoulders while Bokuto sits behind you, his chest pressed straight against your back. He is doing everything he can to not pounce on you right there and then but he knows better - patience is key. Pity he lacks that quality.

Luckily for him though, Akaashi has it in spades.

And they sit there with you on the sofa, the soft pitter patter of the rain hitting the window as you sob your heart out towards your two closest friends, oblivious to all of the things that they have done. You don't know how many people Bokuto had to beat up in order to get you where you are. You don't know how many people Akaashi had to scare the living crap out of in order to have you in his arms.

Bokuto gently blows in your ear, most likely in a teasing manner. You look up and in your shaky gaze are met with Akaashi's hungry stare, his dark eyes boring so deep into your own that you feel as though he could swallow you whole. A pair of powerful arms wrap themselves around your waist, securing you in place as Bokuto places his lips on your neck. He nibbles on the soft flesh as Akaashi leans in and steals the kiss he had dreamed about all those years ago.

Finally, they have you. No one is coming for you, they made sure of it. You don't need anyone anymore. They are your world from this point onwards.

[alicentofficial]

re: my last post about jaime and alicent being parallels, i got an anon claiming they couldn't be similar because jaime as a man is privileged in ways alicent isn't since westeros is a patriarchy. this fact is correct! however! characters can have shared experiences, internal conflicts and dare i say, even themes, despite the fact that they are in different situations. let me explain why jaime and (show)alicent are similar characters.

rape/sa mentions below the cut

(1) okay so fundamentally jaime's thing is that he views himself as being sworn to so many conflicting ideals that he will never be able to uphold all of them. he is essentially in debt to so many people that anything he does will make him an oathbreaker. i think alicent views herself in a kind of similar way, only its through loyalty rather than oaths. hence that "i have endeavoured to serve both my house and my country etc" line because alicent basically FEELS like she has sworn conflicting oaths to everyone and everything around her - her father, her children, viserys, rhaenyra, the gods, the ideals of house targaryen, the abstract concept of what it means to be a "good woman" in society, and the list goes on, they don't call her Alicent "Where is Duty Where is Sacrifice" Hightower for nothing! both alicent and jaime see themselves trapped in moral paralysis because they are so concerned with what they are or should be loyal to, and as a result they are both constantly being eaten alive by guilt and self-loathing.

(2) both became deeply entrenched with the royal family at young ages whilst simultaneously living under their extremely ambitious hand of the king fathers. both fathers basically do not care who their children turn out to be and are only concerned with them as far as they can aid in his own ambitions. in jaime's case this was lessened by the fact that it was essentially divided between him and cersei, but tywin aggressively only gives a fuck about jaime as being the heir to casterly rock (hence his underlying insistence that jaime will do this despite the fact that he has sworn an eternal oath preventing it) - jaime does everything else to become tywin's lion-of-lannister golden boy but he will still never truly have tywin's love or affection or approval because tywin is incapable of that. otto basically pimped out his teenage daughter to viserys, and then after she spent 20+ years doing whatever he wanted he STILL doesn't respect about her, firstly because shes a woman, and secondly because he doesn't view her as a person, he views her as a political tool. and both of them are intensely loyal to said fathers and compulsively seek the approval which they know (on some level) is never coming.

(3) both of them have extremely complicated relationships with parenthood - alicent because her children are all products of her sexually abusive marriage, because she essentially grew up alongside them, and because they too are viewed as political tools more so than as people. as a result she's pretty emotionally cut off from them (struggling to connect with helaena, the unhealthy dynamic with aemond etc) meanwhile jaime can't ever openly acknowledge his children or act like a father to them and sees them as an extension of his relationship with cersei. alicent's feelings about aegon (and to a lesser extent aemond) are this weird dynamic where she loves him a lot and wants to protect him but is also aware that he's an abusive monster. in asos there's a jaime chapter after joffrey dies where he has this moment of awareness that joffrey is his firstborn son, and he kind of wonders if he should feel anything, but he can't bring himself to, basically because joffrey is also an abusive monster. he kind of awkwardly tried to bond with tommen at one point and seems vaguely fond of myrcella but can't really get himself to properly contemplate his feelings towards them either. for both of them parenthood is so wrapped up in all these other layers of pain and guilt that they struggle to have healthy, loving relationships with any of their kids.

(4) they both use copes - alicent with religion and jaime with dissociation - to essentially avoid engaging with their inner conflicts. jaime started dissociating to avoid having to deal with any of the injustices he saw around him i.e. listening to aerys raping rhaella and deciding he could absolve himself of his bystander guilt by "going away inside". meanwhile alicent uses religion as an outlet for her rage because when she throws herself fully into religion and convinces herself that she hates things because they're sacrilegious she doesn't have to confront her own trauma and anger. like a big part of why she hates rhaenyra's children is because they're physical manifestations of the freedoms rhaenyra has which alicent doesn't, but she's not emotionally equipped to deal with that, so the only option is to really really REALLY convinces herself that they're abominations cursed by the gods and thus she is justified in how she feels.

(5) okay here's where you have to hear me out. i think, narratively, jaime sees cersei's role towards him in a similar way to how alicent views criston. cersei and jaime's relationship is obviously built on the recurring themes of lannister exceptionalism and pseudo-incest within their house, but i also think jaime holds on to cersei as this symbol of pre-kingslayer him. she is his other half so when he knows that he's failed and become a terrible person, he can just hardcore project all his hopes of what he could have been onto her and see her as this paragon of beauty and love and nobility. and because of this he spends a lot of the series wilfully blind to the fact that their codependent relationship has turned them both into extremely violent and unstable people. to a certain extent alicent also projects a lot of her own childhood idealism onto both criston and rhaenyra - rhaenyra is literally her childhood girlfriend companion and i think because she's so emotionally stunted she's still obsessed with their relationship as like, the simplicity and tenderness of childhood before her marriage. hence why she seems so in denial about the fact that the war is about more than just their their relationship - but more so i think her relationship with criston is similar to that of jaime and cersei. (up until recently lol) i think she also saw criston as this white knight tragic courtly love figure because theyre BOTH still obsessed with the ideals of chivalry and knighthood and can reflect it back onto one another, whilst at the same time continuing to practice their own hypocrisy. she is basically (in a very jaime fashion) sticking her fingers in her ears to the fact that criston is deeply unstable and and punches people to death when he gets angry. both cersei and jaime's relationship and alicent and criston's relationship are essentially echo chambers that make them both worse while allowing them to view themselves and each other as idealised figures of the white knight and the noblewoman.

[echantedtoon]

Good evening Grande Starbucks Frappe!! ✨✨

This is oddly specific so feel free to not take all the details into account and creative freedom and all that but perhaps Genya x Reader where Sanemi terrified our ass at the beginning of the year and now reader is scared of both Shinazugawa brothers despite Genya harbouring a crush? Just thought it'd be funny to see him despairing and demanding why Sanemi had to ruin his chances so badly-

ANYWAYS CONGRATS AGAIN ON YOUR 500 IM SORRY IT'S SO SPECIFIC HAVE A NICE NIGHT

Firstly THANK YOU IM SO HAPPY! 😭 Secondly sure. @six-eyed-samurai

This is written as a female s/o since it's easier for me to write I hope that's ok. For this Genya and reader are both 18 in their senior year so slightly aged up Genya and Co.

-You were the newest student in Kimetsu Academy, just transferred over from another school when your parents moved you closer to your father's workplace. You weren't too nervous. Some of your friends went to the school so it's not like you wouldn't go in not knowing anyone. However your first day was anything but a good start.

-First you were really late because your mom's car got a flat tire on the way to driving you there. Then you dropped your coin purse containing your lunch money outside while you were rushing into the school. A teacher happened to have noticed that you dropped it but you didn't hear him calling out to you. Then you got laughed at when you busted into the chemistry class (which was the first class you had) and got both laughed at by a lot of the other students and chewed out by Professor Obanai for being late to his class. Then when lunch came around you had to sit down and go hungry except for some spare things given by your friends because you didn't have money or brought your own lunch. Just when you think it couldn't get any worse too-

-Sanemi, the scariest teacher in the entire School even more than Professor Obanai, had just roughly pushed the door to the cafeteria open and his narrowed eyes scanning the area until they lasered focused on you. "HEY YOU!" The entire place silences immediately terrified at the sounds of the scary man's voice. "NEW GIRL!!" You feel yourself freeze up on the spot as the heavily scarred man comes marching up towards you looming over your terrified form before a cute teddy bear themed coin purse is roughly pushed into your shaking hands. "I've been trying to fucking track you down all day! Don't forget your purse outside again!"

-Its cannon in Kimetsu Gauken that Sanemi likes kids and respects women but most are scared by his appearance and honestly sometimes he comes off as scary without meaning too. Sanemi honestly wasn't trying to scare you, he was genuinely just trying to return your purse to you but he wasn't socially aware enough to realize that calling out a trembling girl in the middle of everyone and looming over her scared you so much that you became very scared of your new math teacher.

-It was around the second week you were there that you learnt one of your fellow students was the younger brother of the scary teacher. From the first day forward whenever you had math class you kept your head down and very quiet to avoid him singling you out but today was study day before a big test so everyone was partnered up. "Kanao get with Inosuke! Kamado's with the blonde kid!  New girl go get with my brother! All of you take turns asking questions with these flashcards! All of this will be on the test tomorrow so PAY THE HELL ATTENTION AND STUDY!"

-Your pupils shrank in fear and a rock fell in your stomach. Brother? Mr. Sanemi had a BROTHER?! As soon as Genya sat down in front of you holding the flashcards for your shared study session, you knew without a doubt they were related. Their faces were similar shaped especially their eyes, and like a brother he also had scars on his body although a lot less than Sanemi did. As soon as Genya saw your big doe eyes all shiny and pretty looking up at him, the baby boy was smitten.

-He's had crushes before. He's had fleeting crushes on both his friends Aoi and Kanao before they gotten into relationships with his other guy friends and when he was younger he always thought Ms. Kanao was the prettiest girl ever, but after seeing you he gained the biggest crush in his life that it felt like Cupid smashed his head with a mallet of love.

-It then started a cycle between you two. He started to try and approach you. "Hey! New girl!" You freaked out by the sudden repeating appearance from him. It was bad enough the teacher seemed to be annoyed with you but did his brother have to harass you too?! You kept running away from him or had your friends block his way to you until he left or you escaped. He was hurt you seemed to be so scared of him and for the longest time didn't have the foggiest idea why. He tried getting Tanjiro's help in convincing you to hang out with him in a group setting to see if maybe he could ease your worries by having other people around but you always asked if Genya would be there and Tanjiro...Well he's an awful liar so even if he said no you knew otherwise and declined. 

-Then one day while reading it hits him. Your very first day the week prior to meeting Genya. Sanemi returned your purse and you seemed terrified of him. I'm turn it must've made you genuinely afraid of him as well. That day when Genya gets home he literally kicks down the doorway startling his mother, Sanemi, and their younger siblings with his anger. "SANEMI WHAT THE FUCK?!"

[whimsiwitchy]

I hear the secrets that you keep (series)

chapter five: i missed you

Pedro Pascal x Plus size F!reader 

series masterlist

series summary: 24 year old y/n is an insecure and struggling actress in Los Angeles until she finally books a leading role in a big Hollywood movie next to her leading male, Pedro Pascal. A spark of friendship flickers between the two and slowly begins to blossom into something more. As y/n is navigating a new found fame and a new found romance, she fears that a lie she has been sitting on might ruin everything.

Warnings: plus size reader (no specific description of reader, slight descriptions of weight: stomach fat, stretch marks, etc.), hefty age gap (24 years/14 years), female anatomy description, she/her pronouns, use of gendered terms (girl, girly, etc.), y/n used, descriptions of nudity, swearing,  use of the word fat, daddy kink (not really, but it’s kinda mentioned), sexual themes. warnings may change as the story progresses. 

authors note: Hi everyone. I’ve been spending more time trying to add more detail in my writing, so I hope there’s a small improvement in this chapter. I also want to make the chapters lengthier in the future but we’ll see lol. There’s a tag list to the series now, any information about it is at the bottom of the chapter! 

chapter summary: Pedro misses y/n and comes to bother her at work. 

╔══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╗

Life moved on so quickly and there was never enough time to savor your favorite moments. Everything around you changed within a blink of an eye and you hadn't had a single second to just sit and think. You wanted nothing more than to be able to stop time for just a few minutes, just to process how dramatically your life had changed within such a short span of time.

The kiss you had shared with Pedro was nothing short of perfect, but after the high seemed to wear off, you became hyper aware of just how fucked this entire situation was. Whatever was brewing between the two of you was exciting, thrilling, and you wanted nothing more than to dive in head first- but  you’d be lying if you said it didn’t scare the absolute shit out of you at the same time. Being around Pedro has felt so easy. You were still getting to know him and vice versa, but the attraction was there. He so clearly told you that he thought you were beautiful and enjoyed spending time with you. It kind of freaked you out at first, how fast everything was moving between you, but he was a man. He wasn’t some boy that was just using you to pass time, he was a real man who knew what he wanted and went for it. It ignited a flame in you that you wouldn’t be able to put out even if you tried. 

As much as you were enjoying whatever was happening with Pedro, you couldn’t help shake the fact that you were technically lying to him. You tried to tell him the truth, you really had, but you got interrupted, and everything else happened so fast. You knew you would have to tell him the truth at some point, but you were terrified of how he would react to the news. You could only imagine what would happen when he finds out that the woman he had been flirting with and even kissed wasn’t actually 14 years younger but instead a whopping 24 years younger.. It wasn’t like you lied to him on purpose. It wasn’t even a lie you had started in the first place, it was a lie Angie constructed to get your career up and moving. People in the industry lie about their age all time, right? 

It’s been an entire week since the kiss. The day after the kiss, Pedro had texted you, and the two of you had been texting consistently ever since. Three days after the kiss, you saw Pedro in person again. You had filmed the roller skating scene and went to get tacos after in celebration of filming your first ever professional movie scene. Neither of you had mentioned the kiss at all. Everything was normal between you guys. He was flirty, you were awkward, and life moved on. 

You were pulled out of your thoughts when a makeup artist came to do some touch ups. Today you were on set to film a few solo shots, meaning Pedro wasn’t here. It was kind of weird, him not being here, everything you had done in this process had involved him somehow and you missed his presence. The makeup artist, Elizabeth, removed your previous eyeshadow and replaced it with a light orange color with a dramatic wing set in white eyeliner that matched your current costume perfectly. You were called to the studio at four in the morning and it was creeping up on five in the afternoon. You were exhausted. You didn’t have a lot to film, with most of the time being taken by costume and makeup changes between yourself and any extras in the scenes. Once Elizabeth was done, you made your way from the makeshift vanity over to the next set to film your final shots of the day.

You were released from set almost two hours later. You practically ran to the small trailer that sat just outside on the studio lot with your name plastered across the door. If you weren’t so tired, you probably would have shed a few tears at the sight of it. As soon as you walk in, you plop down in the ‘directors’ style chair that sits in front of a lighted mirror. 

“Hey there hot stuff”

You almost jump out of the chair and let out a startled scream. You looked over to the right to see Pedro lounging on a small sofa that was connected to the wall of the trailer. He was wearing a pair of black lounge shorts, paired with a Los Angeles Lakers shirt that was their signature gold color. He wore a small smirk and you noticed that he was sporting a funky looking mustache instead of the full facial hair you had become accustomed to.

“Oh my fucking god P, you scared the shit out of me.” Both of your hands were gripping either side of the chair and you tried to slow your heart rate down. “How’d you even get in here dude, jesus christ.” 

He lets out a small laugh. “I have my ways sweetheart. How did filming go?” 

“It was fine. I’m fucking drained though.” Your hands finally relax and you lean back into the chair in a casual manner.  

“Yea it can be that way sometimes. Just wait until you're back on set with me. I’ll make sure you aren’t bored.” He winks. Your mind wanders for a moment before changing the subject. 

“When did you get the porn stache?” You laugh and point to his upper lip. 

“Oh this old thing? They shaved it a few days ago when I started filming more.”  He runs one hand across his slightly stubbled jaw. 

“It suits you.” You say with a hum. 

He stays quiet for a moment and you look at him. He sits up straight on the couch, spreading his legs apart slightly. “Come here sweetheart.” He says while reaching out for you. You take a few steps towards him and he's grabbing your hands. 

“I missed you.” He whispers while pulling you to stand in between the gap of his thighs. You weren’t entirely sure what he meant by that. Did he miss being around you? Did he miss kissing you? It really didn’t matter, because you missed him too, so you told him. 

“I missed you too.” you admit outloud. 

His hands let go of yours and instead make their way to your waist. He pulls you forward gently. 

“I want you to sit on my lap, can you do that for me baby?” 

Baby.

What you had with Pedro was unique. There wasn’t any discussion on what either of you had felt, but the night he kissed you, it created an unspoken agreement of sorts- there was a spark and you both weren’t afraid to explore it. 

“P, I can’t. I’ll crush you.” He gives you a look of disapprovement. You were always too aware of your weight in intimacy. Knowing that you were heavier than what most guys were used to, made you avoid any situation that involved any weight being placed on another person. 

“Just come straddle me baby, use your knees for support if you’re that worried about it okay? I just wanna feel you sweetheart, we can stop if you ever feel uncomfortable. Does that sound okay?” He’s rubbing from your waist, down to your haps, and back up again. It’s comforting and you know that you can trust him- you know that he isn’t going to make fun of you. 

You give him a nod and slowly lower yourself to straddle him, knees touching the couch on either side of his legs, holding yourself up slightly.. He places one hand on each of your thighs, slightly digging into them. 

“Atta girl.” he says, his voice slightly deeper. A shiver runs down your spine and the gravel of his voice gives you the confidence to slide yourself down further and apply more weight onto his lap. 

“You know, I've been aching to kiss you again.” He looks up and trains his eyes to yours. 

“Then do it.” You say, your voice small. 

He puts his hands around your waist, positioning his hands right above your ass and pulls you forward. He leans up towards you and you lean down meeting his lips halfway. Your lips start moving against him in a comfortable rhythm. The kiss starts off slow and innocent, both of you savoring the feeling that you both had been craving. His grunts and his hands fall lower fully cupping each ass cheek, giving them both a tight squeeze. You let out a small gasp to which he takes as an invitation to sneak his tongue into your mouth. This snaps you into reality and you pull back for a moment.

“Taylor, my uh hairstylist, is coming by soon to take the wig off.” You said in a breathy voice. 

“She’ll knock.” He says pulling you back into him, his tongue immediately darting into your mouth. 

Your tongues are dancing together, neither one of you trying to control the other. Pedro uses his grip on your ass to roll your hips forward and you can feel that he’s hard underneath his criminally thin shorts. You could feel his full length graze across your pussy, causing you to break the kiss and jolt your head back in a surprised moan. He keeps rolling your hips onto him and reaches forward to attach his lips to your neck, leaving sloppy wet kisses. 

A knock on the door makes both of you freeze. You jump out of Pedro’s lap and rush back to the makeup chair. You fix the wig slightly and look over at Pedro as he adjusts himself before going back into the same lounging position he held when you had first noticed him. The door opens slightly and Taylor announces herself before entering. “Sorry it took so long. There was a change in how they want your hair for your sex scene coming up.” You face flushes and she begins to take the wig off. Ignoring Pedro’s presence, the two of you hold a small conversation until she finishes up and excuses herself. 

─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──

“I need to get this costume off. Can you turn around or something while I change real quick?” You say as you grab the black and white plaid pajama pants and black hoodie you showed up in. He turns around and you get dressed quickly, letting him know when he could look again. You walk across the trailer and bend over to search your tote bag for your micellar water and cotton pads to remove your makeup. 

“You look so good in these pants baby.” Pedro grabs both sides of your hips and presses himself against your ass. You stand up and he’s leaning to whisper in your ear, “You wanna come over to my place?” You can’t help but laugh.

“Are you always this fuckboyish when you’re horny?” You say, finally being able to be the one who teased him and not the other way around. 

“Only for you baby.” He winks and lets out a laugh. 

The car ride to his place was quiet. When you agreed to come over, he insisted that he could drive you to his place and would drive you home. You didn’t fight back much, not even thinking about your car that still sat in the studio parking lot. You had your arm propped up on the center console with your hand supporting your chin, staring at Pedro. His hand was placed on your thigh, his thumb moving up and down slightly tickling you. 

You couldn’t help but admire him. Pedro was truly one of the most handsome men you had ever come across. He was so…beefy. His legs looks so good in those shorts and the way his shirt stretched around the top of his arm was torture. You were so fucking horny it was crazy. You wanted nothing more than to feel the warmth of Pedro and feel his length graze against you again. You weren’t sure exactly what Pedro had planned when he asked you to come over but you were hoping it involved more kissing. You really liked kissing him. 

The car comes to a stop and you notice that he’s pulling into a garage. When you asked him where he lived before, he had mentioned that he had a small place but this house was far from small. It wasn’t a huge mansion but it was a respectable size, way bigger than your own apartment. When you open your car door, Pedro is already walking over to your side and offering his hand, which you take happily. He closes the garage door, locks the car, and leads you into a small mudroom. He removes his shoes, you follow, and the two of you walk down a small hallway into a living room.

The room was pretty normal. There was a brown ‘L’ shaped couch along the back wall accompanied by a matching brown recliner to the right of the room. On the opposite wall of the couch, there was a giant flat screen attached to the wall with a dark wooden entertainment stand underneath that was littered with random items. He had a few pictures scattered across the walls and a small display case of awards he had won. 

He sits on the couch and he pulls you down to straddle his lap again. This time it was much more innocent than the first. He has his arms lazily wrapped around you and you have your arms around his neck, resting your head on the right one. 

“Your house is so nice P. It’s so you.” You say into his cheek. 

He lets out a light chuckle and you feel the vibration from his chest on yours. “Thank you sweetheart.” You hum in response. 

“Are you ready for our intimacy coaching?” He asks genuinely.

“Uh, yea I think so. I’m a little nervous though.” You take a moment to think about just how much sex Pedro’s character is having in this movie. He has to have intimacy training and intimacy scenes with eleven other women. You know it’s just his job, but you can’t help the tinge of jealousy that you feel in your chest. “Have you started any of your other ones yet?” You're hoping he couldn’t hear the slight irritation in your voice. 

“Yea. I finished all the training and started filming with some of the girls already.” He says nonchalantly. 

“Oh…that’s cool.” You know for sure he could hear the staggering in your voice this time. You’re trying really hard to keep a professional, but what both of you have done behind closed doors is far from professional. He turns his head to look down at you. 

“What’s wrong baby?” He asks with concern and you realize from the tension in your lips that you have a very noticeable pout on your face. 

“It’s nothing.. ‘s stupid.” You lower your head to hide your face. 

“‘s not stupid if it’s got you all pouty like that sweet girl.” He’s rubbing the back of your head so gently, it could put you right to sleep.

“It’s really stupid P…” You raise your head to look at him. “.. just the thought of you being that close and intimate with other women makes me feel a little jealous . Like I know it’s your job and all but I’m starting to really like you and I don’t-” 

“You like me?” He’s smiling from ear to ear and you could feel the heat rising to your face, not realizing you had said it outloud. 

“I mean yea P. You’re a total catch, what’s not to like…” You trail off, trying your best not to shy away from this moment, from him. 

“I like you too Y/n.” His smile is still big. You can feel your tummy erupt. 

“I need you to really promise me that you like me, okay? I really don’t want to get hurt by you.” You’re holding your pinky up, just like the day you had met him. 

“I promise baby.” He locks his pinky with yours and gives your hand a tender kiss. 

You lay your head back down and you both accept the silence around you, living in the moment of the confessions made. Last time you checked the clock, it was ten at night. It was late and Pedro’s lap was far too comfy for you to care about going home tonight. Your head was feeling heavy and you were slipping into a delirious state due to your lack of sleep after a long day of working.

“You know, when my agent first told me that you were the lead when I auditioned, I had no idea who you were.” Your voice comes out barely above a whisper.

“Thanks baby, that really knocks a few notches off my ego.” He laughs and that slight rumble from his chest is intoxicating. You could see the rise of his left cheek from where your head still laid on your arm that was still draped over his shoulders. You liked making him smile. He had such a nice smile.

“Hm, maybe that’s why the universe brought me to you, to humble you.” Another soft chuckle leaves his mouth. You also loved making him laugh- it was a sound you were glad to have the pleasure of hearing. 

“Anyways, that’s not the point. After I met you at the audition, I may or may not have looked you up.” You don’t know why you’re telling him this. 

“Did you find anything interesting?” He turns his head to look down at you, his eyebrow slightly raised, a cocky smirk present. His right hand starts to caress your back slowly. 

“Eh not really… I did watch your vanity fair lie detector test though.” You purposely leave out how many times you rewatched the first 20 seconds of the video, just to hear his laugh. 

“Oh yea? What did you think?” He’s still looking at you but there's a different look on his face this time, one you haven’t seen before. 

“You look really good in pink.” Your lips turn up to give him a small smile as you think about your next words. “So, uh, daddy’s a state of mind huh?” His hand stops rubbing your back and he turns his head abruptly, looking in the other direction. You burst into laughter at his reaction. “I’m just teasing, come here.” You tug on his right shoulder trying to get him to look at you again but he doesn’t budge. Setting your hands on his shoulders for support, you move yourself to sit straight up, still straddling his lap. Pedro turns his head to look at you and your hands grab his face- you can feel a slight warmth from the blush that was there just moments before. 

“I forgot all about that, it’s so embarrassing…” He leans his head down slightly causing his cheeks to squish in your hands. 

“‘s not embarrassing, it was really fucking funny, but not embarrassing.” He doesn’t budge. “You can be my daddy.” You say in a teasing matter. His head jolts up causing you to drop your hands back down to his shoulder. His eyes were wide and you could’ve sworn you felt movement near the inner corner of your thigh that just so happens to be right next to his- 

“Do you want me to drive you home baby, it’s..” He trails off to grab his phone to check the time. “Shit.. it’s almost 3am.” He sits his phone back down 

“Why’d you change the subject? You don’t wanna be my daddy?” You really wanted to get a reaction out of him. You’re staring deep into his eyes and you feel that slight press against your thigh again. 

“You can’t just say stuff like that sweet girl…” His hands trail down your back, past your ass, and he wiggles them just under your thighs. Before you even realize what’s happening, Pedro is standing up, arms hooked under your legs. You throw your arms around his neck. 

“Pedro put me down please.” You were starting to panic. You’d never had someone even attempt to pick you up and the thought of how heavy you might be in his arms right now is stressing you the fuck out. He starts walking but you can’t see where, nothing but the fading living room in your sight. “P, please. I’m too heavy, please just put me down.” He ignores your pleas. Pedro stops walking for a moment and you hear what you assume is a door clicking open before he continues to walk again. 

“Here sweet girl.” He’s setting you down on the edge of a king sized bed. “I’m not really up to date on any of the new dating rules or anything but um if you wanted, you could stay here tonight.” He’s rubbing the back of his neck and he seems nervous. Your heart burst into flames. 

Dating

“We’re dating?” You’re looking at him with a big smile. 

“Uh yea, I mean uh, only if you want to. I’d love to take you out sometime, on a proper date and everything.” He’s looking at the floor. 

You hop off the bed and wrap your arms around him in a big hug, to which he returns, leaving light kisses on your head. 

“I’d love to stay tonight.” 

╚══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╝ 

Thank you for reading <3

next chapter

series tag list: @nuetralcolorsenthusiast @kungfucapslock

*If you wish to be added to the tag list, leave a comment on this post letting me know! <3

[cozymoko]

Wow I just have to say your work is truly muah😚chefs kiss💗.and so I had a question from reading’s team Taka works, so it seems they have a place so stay at so I was wondering how does housing work since there are times where sasuke doesn’t taken darling with him said in one of the post unless he trust them enough.

P.s hope your doing well 💗

RULES AND HOUSING FOR TEAM TAKA — ( FT. YAN. SASUKE AND HIS S/O)

Note: Hi! I'm glad you were able to send me a follow-up message. I summarized this and the other message you sent. Please enjoy.

PPS. — I hope you're doing even better. (ㅅ˙³˙)♡

Synopsis: What domestic life, housing, and rules Sasukes' darling and Team Taka would have to follow.

Format: Headcanons

WARNING(S): Yandere themes

🍙 Rooms are placed as followed: Yours and Sasukes' the furthest down the h all for privacy. Then Karins' a but away from yours, her closeness isn't ideal but he fears that if you (unless you're bisexual) Therefore, Suigetsu and Jugo share a room a great distance from your own as there's no need to be any closer.

🍙 Bathroom schedules are strict but necessary in Sasuke's mind. Only when he is present can they stray from it if they choose. Sasuke had morals, shockingly, and he doesn't let his childish needs deviate him from their tasks for the day. He's not all that bad as long as you're by his side.

“[Name] can you pass me the shampoo? Jugo won't get out of my way.” Suigestu cried out.

You watched him with a deadpan expression, still cradling a very exhausted Sasuke in your arms. Even if you wanted to there was no way you could help him in a situation like this.

“Hah? Just move him out of the way—!”

“Shut up.”

🍙 As stated, whoever proves themself capable of watching you will be by your side when he cannot. You are to stay within the walls of your tiny cabin which you all shared, guarded closely by your "friends" (not Karin she's even an option).

🍙 Despite being utterly infatuated with you, Sasuke does not lack common sense. He's more than aware that the average person wouldn't dare go against him if they didn't want to face the consequences. Not only that but he does have quite a bit of trust for Suigestu and Jugo and expects them to treat you properly in his absence.

🍙 To ensure that his expectations are met, expect a thorough examination upon his return. The Uchiha will strip you bare, slowly tracing his fingers along the smooth skin that covered you. His scent is still strong on your being, luckily, and so are his bruises (hickeys). For a man so rough, this time he was not. Carefully inspecting you as though you were a fine piece of cloth, picked and sewn to perfection. And in his eyes, you were.

🍙 Rule #1: “Looking you dead in the eye for more than a minute is strictly forbidden.” Your eyes, dare he say, are one of his favorite things about you. No matter how hard you try to conceal your emotions, your eyes are always so honest. However, he's not one to let others share such experiences with him. This is Sasuke, he's a possessive man!

🍙 Rule #2 “Disrespect or harm to [Name] will not be tolerated.” If not for Jugo, Karin would have violated this rule a long time ago, in front of Sasuke at that. She hardly liked you most days and she made sure to show you. Perhaps it was just his conscious but he couldn't bare to hear the pained screams of Karin as he knew her punishment wouldn't be a mere slap on the wrist.

🍙 Rule #3: “Any extreme intimacy results in death.” Things like hugs and hast pats on the heads were scarce for you as they would happen when Sasuke was out. Even so, you were often by Sasuke's side, joining him on his Endeavors set by Orochimaru himself. It pained you as you barely got any intimacy from your partner himself. You craved it more and more as the days went on. But if intercourse with anyone but himself crosses your mind, kiss them goodbye!

🍙 These are a merely few of the excessive rules he's set in place, the major ones at least. After some time these became second nature. Nonetheless, those are practically the only rules they roughly follow. You live together for fucks sake so there's no reason to act like strangers. Unless they happened to piss Sasuke off.

[eddiemunsons-missingnipple]

Dad!Eddie x Mom!Reader

Summary: it's your daughter's first day of school and Eddie isn't taking it too well.

Warnings: none some suggestive themes. just a small little fic. This is complete and utter fluff. Dad!Eddie has been on my brain all weekend.

Not proofread

Walking through your home with a clothes hamper on your hip. Hunting down various articles of clothing thrown about from your hectic morning. The first day of school is always stressful, but it wasn't too bad with just your son attending now it's your daughter too.

Getting them all up and ready was more than enough stress for you to begin the day with. Your daughter, who is like her father in so many ways, is NOT a morning person. While your son is a very bright, early, and chipper in the morning. After getting them ready for school, allowing Eddie to be the one to send Lily off this time around. You had the pleasure of sending your son James off to his first day of school last year.

Making your way to your kids' shared bedroom, you hear small sniffles emerging from the cracked door. These weren't sniffles of two sad little kids who didn't get their way. These were sniffles of their sad father who is having a tough time letting go. Eddie was the soft parent in your household. Anytime his little ones so much as poked out their little bottom lip, he was putty in their hands. Now, here he was sitting against your daughters bed, hugging her bat squishmallow to his chest.

"Hey Ed, everything okay?" You asked, sitting the laundry basket down on the floor.

"She's not ready yet. she's too small." His voice muffled in her favorite plush toy. Eddie had a very close bond with both of his children. But when Lily was born, it was like this whole other side of him came out. He became more aware of the world around him. Knowing it was going to treat her differently than it would your son. He became way more sensitive and understanding of her feelings, even if it was a small inconvenience.

"Eddie, she's five. I think she's ready." You said, taking a seat next to him on the floor.

He looks up from the plush bat that had stains of various glitter nail polishes. His eyes were red and puffy. His lips chapped and nose slightly runny. He wasn't taking this milestone well at all. His partners in crime were not making a mess in the living room like they usually did. They weren't running around screaming for Daddy to come and play. The house was quiet, and it hasn't been like this in six years.

"Tell me why you think she's not ready. This isn't just because she's small."

His chin wobbles just a bit, and he shakes his head. Clearing his throat, and you can tell he's struggling to get himself together. Now that you think of it, he's probably been a mess since watching her walk off with her kindergarten teacher. You'd never think this intimidating looking metal head you'd met years would be weeping in a stuffed animal.

"B-because no one is gonna protect her, how I can."

"Whose gonna spray the toilet for monsters?" He said, and you couldn't help but smile a little.

"You know how much the sound of a toilet flushing scares her. Who is gonna help her?" His voice sounding more and more frustrated as he spoke. Your daughter did have a hard time going to the bathroom. Anytime she went, either you or Eddie had to be on standby at the door while she went. She hated loud noises. If those noises weren't from your husband's guitar, she hated them.

"She's gonna have a total meltdown."

"Well, if she has a meltdown, I'm sure the school will call us." You reassured him.

He's not listening at this point hes just coming up with excuses to keep them home. Eddie wasn't good with change at all. When your son started school, he called them every fifteen minutes to check on him. Every day, during their nap time, he would call and ask the teachers to check and see if he was still breathing. That's just how he was with them. If they were not in his care hes freaking out. Like he said, no one can protect them the way he can. You couldn't help but fall in love with him more after seeing the way he is with your kids. He's attentive, playful, and a little too overprotective. You can tell the relationship he has with them is something he longed for growing up.

"You should have seen her. She looked so cute." He spoke up, interrupting your train of thought.

"Her backpack is way too big for her it looks like a little turtleshell." He smiled fondly and rested his head on your shoulder. You move your hand up and rub the side of his face. He moves the plush toy away from his chest to hug you close.

"She's growing up, Ed."

He groans when you tell him that. You can tell he's been battling with that realization for a while now. Today is just a reminder and confirmation of that. She's growing up, and soon, she'll be on her own. "My little Lily pad is gonna be all grown up one day."

He hugs you tighter, and you can hear him choke up again. Pulling away to look at him, you kiss the tears that have escaped the corners of his eyes. He's a mess and probably won't be over it until she walks through that front door again.

"That won't be for a while. Ed, don't rush it." You said as you peppered kisses to his face.

"I'm just not ready for that day yet, baby."

"This house is so lonely already without them here." He says as he begins to stand up and pulls you up with him. He tosses his daughters toy on her bed and pulls you in for a tight hug. The way he's holding you feels like if he lets go, you'll be gone, too. Eddie has always been a clingy man. That's something you always found endearingly beautiful about him. Eddie is a wonderful man and an even more wonderful husband. Sometimes, you see him play with your children and think about how lucky you all are to have him in your lives. People are too quick to judge him based on his hobbies and aesthetics. Those people have no idea what kind of person they are missing out on knowing. He's always been a very kind and generous person. Now add two little squealing children yelling for him 24/7, and those qualities are amplified to one hundred.

"Come on, we have two hours left before they are home."

"Ooh, what exactly are we gonna do in these two hours?" He said, wiggling his eyebrows at you suggestively. You laugh at him and pull away, trying to pick up the clothes basket. He grabs you from behind and pulls you tight against him. "We gonna make another one?"

"Oh no no no we're not." You said giggling as he buried his face in your neck.

"Oh, come on, it's too quiet around here, and I'm sad." He said as he playfully pouts.

Wiggling around, you finally break free of his grasp. Both of you are running around the house, giggling. Eddie finally grabs a hold of you and throws you over his should heading to your shared bedroom. What was supposed to be an intimate afternoon with one another ended up being an afternoon nap for you both. Wrapped in eachothers arms, getting some much needed rest until your kids burst through the front door.

[midnights-song]

A Fight Not Yet Won

Ghost x Reader x Soap

A/N: MDNI!!!!!!

Warning: This may contain potentially triggering depictions of wounds, course language, mention of potentially traumatic themes, read at your own risk!

Some days, it was easy being in the medical field, small injuries, minor sickness, things that could be treated and sent home with a thorough treatment plan. Other days, it was an absolute hell, never-ending traumas, domestic cases, multiple codes, those days that felt like you were actively fighting an opposing force determined to make you lose all hope. How you wanted to on those days, wondering why you had even bothered to work in this field after you had to call time of death on a toddler that drowned due to parental neglect. This job had sucked the life out of you, wrung you out and left you to rot.

That is, until you met your boys. 

You met Simon first, not through a harsh twist of fate as one might think, but rather through an old friend from work that had suggested getting together at the local bar for drinks. You were hesitant, not much for drinking but had decided what the hell, a night out couldn’t hurt.

Truly, it didn’t hurt, you had a fantastic time, laughing it up while you shared an appetizer after a few drinks. You had noticed a tall, burly man in the corner of the bar, lowering a surgical mask to take a few sips of a beer that he had grasped in his left hand. You tried not to stare, sneaking glances his way as two rowdy men approached him. Soon after, a third man approached, his calm demeanor leveling out the other two from earlier. The four of them all had beers, yet as the night went on, the drinks got stronger and conversation louder. 

Bringing your attention back to your friend, you focused on catching up, whispering the juiciest gossip you could give them without it being a violation of someone’s privacy. Drinks began getting stronger for the two of you as well, slow cautious sips became almost gulps as the warm fuzzy feeling took over. Your friend kept glancing over your shoulder at something, seemingly concerned but unsure of what to do. Once you noticed, you took a look back yourself and noticed the curly haired blonde making his way to you.

You thought he was big in the corner, but he was even bigger up close. At least twice the size of your original estimate. And his eyes, ohh his eyes, soft caramel underneath the dim lighting of the bar met yours and all at once you became aware of two things; one, you were properly buzzed, and two, he held a slip of a torn napkin in his hand towards you. 

 “The name’s Simon,” He began, you took the napkin from him almost hesitantly, glancing between it and him, “I saw you from over there, I’m not very good at this but I would like to get to know you better.”

You caught movement out of the corner of your eye, looking towards it you noticed that all three of the men with him were looking at him in shock. You were still holding the napkin, glancing between him and it as you made your decision. You introduced yourself softly, quietly even. You became stone cold sober as you wrote your information out for him, aware that this could very well be one of the worst decisions of your life, but you shook it off with a smile. After all, you only live once, right?

Then came Johnny, sweet, stubborn, Johnny. After meeting Simon at the bar, you two began to have weekly meetups. You learned he was in the military, he learned you were in the medical field, simple conversations got deeper as more time went on. Before you knew it, weekly turned into every few days, turned into almost every single day. There was very little you two didn’t know about each other.

One day, you stopped in to visit Simon without giving him a heads up. Walking up to his door, you could hear muffled speech, two deep accented voices almost battling as they rose together passionately. It had seemed like a disagreement, one that you were about to get drug into whether you intended to or not as the door flew open. 

Bright blue eyes locked in on you, the dark haired man with a mohawk focused on your appearance, eyes dragging downwards until they reached the ground your shoes rested on.

“Ah'm in.” He muttered back towards Simon, reaching a hand out to you.

“Ah'm John, call me Johnny.” He cooed, his accent sending shivers down your spine. A grin overtook his features, dimples showing through a light dusting of scruff. He ran a hand through his unruly hair before moving to the side and gesturing you in.

Once you walked in, the rest was history. One drink led to another, those drinks led to clothes thrown all over in desperation as the three of you made way to the bedroom. The rest was history, you became attached at the hips, that was until it was time for their next deployment.

It was supposed to be a simple mission, the main focus being to collect the intel and get out of dodge before the enemy discovered their presence among them. Simon and Johnny both kept reassuring you that it would be alright, they’ve done this hundreds of times before and they would be home before you knew it. You couldn’t shake the feeling of dread you had, small whispers of doubt creeping along your mind.

You had picked up a civilian contract in a military hospital after several conversations with your boys, deciding that it would be a good opportunity for you to be closer just in case the unthinkable happened. 

By god, did it.  

It was your run of the mill Tuesday, you began your shift by getting into the morning huddle, getting reports from the staff member before you. After you got the information you needed, you had just sat down to open your charts to verify information when you got an overhead alert.

“CODE BLUE, ETA 5 MINUTES, TRAUMA TEAM STANDBY, BAY 5”

A shiver went up your spine, a sense of doom overtaking you as the alert repeated a few times. It wasn’t your team called, but it was unusual to get a hotshot straight in like this.  

“Let me go!” The screams reached your ears before the trauma crew had even gotten the stretcher in the doorway, “Fucking let me go! I need to see him!” 

You didn’t even think twice, Simon's screams would be forever etched into your brain, but the sight that you came upon made you fall to your knees and wail. You could see the laryngoscope being forced into Johnny’s mouth, intubation following as they desperately worked to regain a pulse. CPR ongoing, meds being slammed, clothing being cut away quickly, bagging in progress, you could hear commands being thrown around but you couldn’t focus on anything said as the blood stains burned into your retinas. You couldn’t peel your eyes away from the laceration exposing his skull, grayish bone exposed to air as blood congealed around the rough edges of the wound. 

Simon’s eyes whipped over once he heard you, tears racing down his face through his broken mask as he began fighting even harder against Gaz’s hold. He needed to get to you, God he needed to touch you. Pure fear controlled him, pupils dilating as he broke free from Gaz. His own IV dangling from his arm, halfway removed from his struggle as his blood began dripping onto both of you.

 “Oh, god! I couldn’t-I didn’t!” His voice was breaking, cracking under the shock of everything. He couldn’t save him, the most he could do was watch as his lover was shot in the head by their enemy. It was only by pure chance they were already near exfil, Johnny was kept alive just long enough to get on the flight and be shoved over to medical. Simon forced his way onto the flight, trying to swat away the nurses that flocked to him to treat his injuries.

He watched as Johnny flatlined several times, only to be brought back and to die again and again, the vicious cycle never ending.  He tried to cover your face, your own screams melding with his as his eyes refused to leave Johnny’s prone form being surrounded. 

“We got a pulse!” A declaration that might’ve well have been directly from the mouth of a god Simon didn’t believe in, had him curling into you and sobbing. 

A single, glistening tear ran down Johnny’s cheek, a fight not yet won.  

A/N: Whoo! What a way to get back into it! I haven't written in years, so please be kind! This lovely little number was inspired by the wonderful @mindie-arts, namely this specific piece! An absolute treasure, I'm telling you! This was also written quickly so I apologize for any errors in structure or grammar/spelling!

Also, yes, they are out of character, I did that for the sake of the situation! I think it worked well :)

Wordcount: 1.4k

[byemambo]

4Minutes EP. 8 - My Takeaways + Final Thoughts

Man, it still really hasn't hit me that the series is officially over. What a ride we were on for the past two months, and I can't wait to see what's next for everyone involved in this production. In terms of this last post, I think I'm just going to let my train of thought ride out without giving too much focus on the meta within the series, but focusing more on the themes and morals we learned from this series.

Maladaptive Daydreaming: Tyme's Wake Up Call

According to Jes and Bible's thoughts leading up to the final release of the episode, both of then alluded that this episode would wrap up most loose ends in each character and their challenges leading up to each of their own conclusions. What I found very significant in Tyme's NDE (which I highlighted my own interpretation of TymeGreat's respective timelines in my episode 6 takeaways), is this warmth and comfort we were able to visually experience in majority of his interactions and projected scenarios going on in his own head. Although he had moments of awareness in the limbo he's experiencing from the standard visual representation of the 4 minutes of consciousness through the clocks/watches, it seemed like Tyme's deluded life was more straightforward and not prone to time jumps like Great was experiencing, possibly due to Tyme walking down the path by not opening his mother's diary.

In comparison to Great's NDE, there weren't as many violent redirects or jumps by making a poor decision, seemingly showing us that Tyme is making better decisions and achieving their respective results, majority of them sharing the same values of communication, intentionality, optimism, and a natural desire for love and adoration. For someone who grew up with no ties to his parents and only having his grandmother become the primary person to express love and affection for (excluding Nutcha since they ended their relationship on good terms and remain connected through their professionalism and a true desire for them to achieve better outcomes on their own paths), Great becomes evidently another person he carries a a deep and meaningful connection with outside of his family and Den.

In comparison to the person he is in the actual timeline, this Tyme is soft, understanding, high achieving and personal to those around him, naturally translating to a soft and tender love and desire he has for Great. We see this by the natural warm lighting in comparison to the more dim and gritty lighting in the previous episodes when we're observing Great and Tyme's actual timelines. The juxtaposition between the person his subconscious wishes to be versus the person he became from a crossroad as simple and out of the blue as discovering the diary, the characteristics are drastically different. The real Tyme is impersonal, quick to judgment, conniving, which leads him to his demise after endangering the life of Nan by involving her in his scheme, to sacrificing Great's reputation in order to harm his family, which were not the original people who drove his parents to their death and were mistakenly targeted because he misinterpreted the details left behind in his mother's diary. This hate driven act ultimately kills his grandmother as well, the only person he truly wishes to keep out of danger and harm's way.

The moment of realization when he hears Den's voice making attempts to resurrect Tyme was incredibly heart wrenching for me as someone who (although it was not even close to being as violent as what Den went through in that moment of crisis) experienced that pain of a loved one withering away right in front of your eyes at the hands of death. The small detail of Den relaying his research to Tyme after he expressed his guilt for (indirectly/directly) contributing to the Great's critical state seemingly remained in the back of Tyme's mind, but as most people would, his emotions overcome his ability to rationalize the next steps to take while he's basking in his purgatory disgusted as paradise. I know many people were off put by the potential (depending on how deeply you'd want to consider the logistics of the themes in this series) plot hole where Tyme is able to transcend and awaken Great from his 4 minutes as we didn't physically see Great awaken from his comatose state. Personally, it doesn't bother me since I had really analyzed this series from more of its psychological thriller elements rather than fixating on the sci fi alone: I interpreted this moment where the reality of fear in regret kicks in for Tyme and that the inevitable of death is nearing, Den becoming the voice of reason and empowering Tyme to fight for his life.

However along with his own battle, his desire for Great to escape the hands of death is just as strong, especially when you consider all that he knows about the truth behind the death of his parents and the role Great played in the grand scheme of things. For all we know, the only person who knows about Great's involvement in Dome's death at this point in the story is Tonkla, Title and his father who tries to wipe the evidence from the dashcam recording. For all we know: Great became someone who was targeted due to his relations with his family and was harmed due to his involvement with helping Tyme escape after Nan's death at the hands of his father's people, being shot later that same evening without any idea of who was responsible. For all Tyme knows: if Great's family was more than willing to take the lives of his parents, Nan and her friend, as well as countless other families involved in their crimes, would it really be out of the question if Great were to be targeted by his own? Just as Great were willing to show up in attempts to save Tyme from his own demise, Tyme shortly realizes he is more than willing to do the same, even if that means sacrificing the outcome of saving his own life in the process.

The Tale of Two Lovers: Korn's Tragedy

If y'all read my episode 4 and 5 takeaways, I talked in depth which is truly an understatement about Korn as a character within this series and honestly from an overall view: he became one of my favorite interpretations amongst all the morally gray characters within this series. I think inherently, it comes from my understanding in Korn as an individual and how in a matter of nature versus nurture, the nature of his life easily consumed him and forbid his nature to take center stage.

In many of the details about Korn's personality and how his unbringing played a significant role in his downfall, we're revealed many circumstances that contributed to his spiral. Given that the earliest flashback we were able to see on screen was of TymeGreat as children, I found it interesting how we did not see Korn at all, reminding me about the detail that Great and his mother grew up separately from the main household as the mistress with her son (I briefly discuss this in my episode 5 takeaways). There was already a barrier between the two sons, and I'm sure this division only grew further apart once Korn's mother commits suicide and Great's mother is taken in as the new wife and face of the family. Judging from how Korn maintained this level of emotional distance between him and his loved ones, he begins to take on much of the labor his father expected of him as the heir to the family company: which included becoming the head of the "investment" division, appeasing the shareholders and other powerful key players involved in the scheme, and ultimately sacrificing his only outlet of happiness and grounds to a more desirable reality which was Tonkla and his relationship with him.

In my previous takeaways, my impressions of Korn were rather hypercritical and I'm sure for some, coming across as "anti Korn" LOL, however, the way I view Korn as a person is like that one Japanese traditional practice of kintsugi–the repairing of pottery and its cracks and imperfections with precious metals, serving as a reminder of viewing one's past with beauty rather than disgust. Korn is definitely far from perfect, we witnessed this all throughout the entire series leading up to the final episode. However, out of all the characters: Korn's willingness and quick to action when it came to protecting the person who mattered most to him gave me a slight change of heart towards him, especially when I was jumping fences about whether or not Korn was truly in love with Tonkla or was using Tonkla for accessibility to an immediate power dynamic given that as time went on and more damage was done to the company, it felt as though Korn's power was fading and seconds away from escaping his grasp the moment he was given it.

I still feel like many of the fucked up things Korn did in terms of his absence, his anger, his impulsivity, his entitlement to power and strength: I truly believe this is a case of "a person capable of doing bad things" than simply being a "bad" person. This becomes most evident when Korn reunites with Tonkla, the one person who truly is the love of his life and he is willing to do anything to protect him and help make his escape. This sentiment doesn't change the moment Tonkla confesses to harming Korn's own brother, which that exchange between the two while Win holds them at gunpoint was honestly a different level of devastation and distraught that I felt when watching TymeGreat's ending unfold.

Not only are you dealing with ushering your family from being discovered by the authorities, coordinating the disappearance of any physical footprint of the "investment" division, your brother in critical condition in the hospital, your boyfriend's face plastered all over the news after escaping arrest for murder, who confesses himself that he not only cheated on him while dealing with the grieving of his younger brother, but he was also responsible for the same injury your own younger brother is enduring because he was involved with the death of your boyfriend's younger brother. I don't know about y'all per se: but Bas did such an amazing job depicting the level of distraught and complex blends (only naming a few in this instance) of grievance, betrayal, defeat, and overall sadness with a hint of madness that the only thing really able to describe the headspace is he currently occupying is the flames from the man made fire by the homeless in the area. To simply put it in a few words for the conclusion of KornKla's story: mistakes, melancholy, and madness.

Continuity vs Stagnation: The Duty of Accountability

I think we all knew from this finale that we shouldn't anticipate many rainbows and butterflies: there were many feuds and many losses throughout this journey. If we had to sit and name a few of our losses in the span of eight episodes: Manee, Dome, Nan, Title, Tonkla, Korn, Grandma, etc (which doesn't even account for people like Tyme's parents, the investor killed by Warit's people, Manee's son, Nan's friend, etc), I think the most powerful moral of this series is grief and loss. Not simply the experience of grief and loss: but what's expected of us once we accept grief and loss as a part of the human experience.

Honestly, I was shocked to see Great and Tyme reuniting as quickly as they did while paying respects to the loved ones they lose along the way, but it brought me a lot of comfort and relief. In this moment, Great and Tyme become individuals who had a taste of what death has waiting for all of us, an experience one cannot easily shake off, majority probably never do. However, with their own volition and ability to seek out forgiveness for not only each other, but for themselves, I think what's most important is intentionality: the true dividend between individuals like Korn and Tyme versus those like Title and Chanin. Those who have a desire for change and willingness to stretch themselves thin for those they love, versus those who have little to no remorse for their sins, which leads them to having to accept the consequences of their own actions.

I don't think it's out of the question that Great becomes a more morally righteous person, even becoming someone who will choose his morals over the protection of his corrupted family members, something that we witnessed was of hesitation when confronted by Tyme in Great's NDE timeline. After witnessing and enduring the trials and tribulations of his own life, the sacrifices, the lengths of harm and manipulation, the physical experience of bodily pain and suffering, the psychological torture of grappling between what he could have become versus who he became, the physical loss of his older brother and potential brother-in-law, the emotional loss of his own parents: anyone with a strong mind and strong heart has the ability to change the trajectory of their own lives. We are the creators of them after all.

As for Tyme grappling with his own ending: I think it was pretty cool to witness both him and Great having these candid conversations about their very real challenges post NDE. "What would you do?" becomes a question all of us ask ourselves every single day: however, many of us lack the confidence, the motivation, the desire, the goal, whatever it may be that holds us back from taking on whatever it is that life throws at us.

The scene between Tyme and Warit was very powerful to me: not only from the physical condition Warit is enduring from Korn revealing the culprit of the earlier investor's death to the right individual, the literal sounds of the monitor vocalizing the increase of his heart rate at the sight and realization of Tyme in his presence playing angel or devil, life or death, savior or undertaker, the stripping of his power and resource and the sinking in of becoming the powerless individual that was once like Tyme and his own family in his eyes. Witnessing Fasai arriving and mourning for the condition of her father alongside Tyme, it made me wonder if Tyme was facing his own moral dilemma of either avenging his family right then and there, or to let the universe take the reins. It makes me wonder if who he saw in Fasai was himself to his own family and Great, Nan to her friend, all the other individuals who lose their loved ones at the hands of corruption and evil. However, seeing that last cut of the disconnected equipment felt appropriate to Tyme's character in that specific moment: that he has elevated beyond his extremities and cutthroat approaches, but still having the moral obligation to avenge the lives of his family members that were stolen from this singular man.

Concluding Thoughts

If you have been keeping up with my weekly (that's a generous way of putting it but it's ok caus ya girl got ADHD fr but got done, right?) updates on this series, I would like to express my utmost gratitude and appreciation, especially to those who I became mutuals with or have the opportunity to converse alongside you during the release of the airing episodes. I have a genuine passion for things like writing and discussion, along with creating content that gives all of us gentle reminders that the amount of dedication, craft, attention to detail, and pure passion for such productions is loved and respected by so many. I didn't think that so many series this year was going to become such a hyperfixation for me, and honestly, I'm so glad to be a part of it and contribute to the discussion and craze that is all deserving.

To think that since the conclusion of KP and iykyk, it made me so happy to finally see the light of day for Bible to have his moment that we've all been anticipating. Knowing how many iterations, changes, back and forth, waiting games, and other challenges that came our way, I'm very pleased with how the production came out and all who had a hand in its existence. To be introduced to new faces like Jes, to be reacquainted to familiar ones like Job and Bas, to recognizing rising talent such as Fuaiz and Jjay, to becoming invested in the overall message and the goals in mind for those involved with the production of 4MINUTES, I hope this series and the success (and continuing) success of this series will give everyone a chance to bring new ideas to the table, to come together without fear of breaking the formula that is slowly becoming more monotonous due to the intimidation that the fruits of their labor will have little to no return, I think we're starting to return back to our roots as creatives: the power of our own artistic voice and allowing those passions and raw desires to overpower the capital and financial gains that run the industry right now. I can't wait to see more to come, and I hope y'all will continue to support everyone (as least here on tumblr) that will push out more content from 4MINUTES cast, or even other current productions that deserve all the love and praise.

Thank you again and my prediction for myself is the next upcoming hyperfixation will be The Heart Killers or Goddess Bless You from Death...I'm just desperate for FirstKhao and MichaelTopten please don't mind me. I'm also looking forward to GMMTV's 2025 Lineup but we shall see hehehe.

Lots of XOXOXO! :D

[sneakyboymerlin]

Can I ask for you to talk more about what you said in the tags of this post? Morgana went evil because she was classist and not because she was hurt? Can you go more into depth on that? I feel like Morgana's arc and her motivations are really hard to decipher because of the way she was written. Like one episode it seems like she just wants Uther dead, and then the next she wants Arthur dead too and she wants the crown and she's going after Emrys and that shift always confused me a little.

I always thought the interpretation that Merlin could have helped her more was valid. Like, yes I am completely in agreement that the entire point of 2x03 is that Merlin helped her when no one else would. But he also took back that help as the season went on, and betrayed her when he poisoned her. There WAS more he could have done, I think. He could have been honest about himself, but he wasn't. He could have simply told her that he suspected that maybe she was the center of the sleeping spell in the Fires of Idirsholas, but he didn't. He could have tried convincing Gauis to help her on his own, without bringing Merlin into it, but he didn't. (Even Katie McGrath said that she blamed Merlin for what became of Morgana.)

And yes, I know why these things didn't happen. Because the dragon told him not to and Gauis told him not to. But in the end these WERE Merlin's choices. And maybe if he had chosen differently, so would have Morgana.

Like, yes I agree that Morgana's choices were her own. But I don't think she made those choices in a vacuum.

As to the bit of her being classist, I think I understand what you mean? But I'm still confused because I wouldn't exactly call Morgana from season 1-2 or even season 3 a classist person. She was good back then, shared values with Arthur about what a better world would look like.

I'm just so intrigued by what you might mean, and I'm always looking for new ways to look at this story. It's lovely that after all this time there's still more to discuss.

Lot to unpack here.

For one thing, Morgana feeling hurt didn’t encourage her to kill or allow the killing of random uninvolved people, but especially the Druids + their sympathizers who were arrested in 2x03. She ignored her kin’s plight in favor of her own comfort, even though she is granted protections that those people couldn’t dream of. She’s very much a class traitor from the start, because she tends to be thinking more about how she feels than how others do. She’s more blatant in her self-loyalty later on, but it’s always been a theme with her.

As for Merlin, 2x12 was a mutual betrayal between him and Morgana. Morgana betrays him first in this episode by endorsing the fever spell that Morgause casts on Camelot. While she’s not fully informed at first, 1) Merlin has no way of knowing that (especially since she has formed similar alliances in 1x12 and 2x11), and 2) Morgana embraces Morgause’s plan after the fact (explicitly so in 3x01/2). Merlin then poisons Morgana in order to end the fever spell on Camelot, choosing the greater good over her as an individual. To clarify point 2 here, Morgana is aware long before 3x01 that Merlin poisoned her because everyone in Camelot was slowly dying, but she makes it clear that she understands this in 3x01.

I also fail to see how Merlin revealing his own magic would have changed anything. Morgana already knows that Merlin is pro-magic (also discussed in 3x01), they simply have different methods by which they aim to achieve that goal. Both are flawed, as Merlin’s relies on tyrants like Uther changing their minds, and he places blame on the oppressed group (even if he’s a part of it) for not demonstrating that magic can be good, when it doesn’t matter how well this is demonstrated, since magic is not banned for any logical reason.

Morgana’s plan is also flawed because she prioritizes herself over anyone else, meeting Uther’s tyranny with more tyranny. This is where the classism comes in. Morgana’s sense of entitlement is rooted in her status as a noblewoman. As 2x03 demonstrates, she values her own safety above the safety of her people, and when her descent is portrayed more openly, the first changes we see are in her mistreatment of Gwen, her maidservant. In 3x01/2, she also finds the townspeople to be disposable (including the Druids & sympathizers she knows live among them) and blackmails Merlin using her status as a noble. She also tries to kill Gwen because she can’t stand the thought of a “mere servant” taking the throne. She’s good to Gwen as long as Gwen functions as her underling, but as soon as Gwen is set to outrank her, everything that makes her appear distinctly better than other nobles disappears.

But ultimately, it’s Morgana’s actions that tell us this. These actions aren’t bad because she was hurt, or because she has magic. Every bad thing she does is bad because she is classist. The harm she does comes from a place of entitlement and inflated self-importance. While she may justify these actions with the hurt she’s suffered, being hurt did not make her do those things. Classism is the reason she becomes a tyrant, and it’s the reason she mistreats the “commoner” class. Again, her dismissing random civilians, especially the Druids & sympathizers, as disposable to preserve her own comfort? Comes from a place of classism. Her getting Gwen arrested on false charges and blackmailing Merlin using her power as a noble? Acts that are motivated by classism.

But back to what Merlin could or didn’t do. Morgana knew that Merlin was pro-magic, but she would never have agreed to his methods, as we see in 3x02, because she did not have faith in Uther or Arthur changing for the better (understandably so, and she’s proven correct). Whether Merlin is just pro-magic or has magic himself does not change this outcome, because it is about methods, not identity. Even when she finds out that Merlin is a sorcerer in 5x12, this does not change her mind.

And again, as far as Merlin knew in 2x12, Morgana was very much in on the plan with Morgause. He even tests this by asking Morgana why she reacted the way she did about Morgause and catches her in a lie. If he tells Morgana that he suspects her involvement, with the information he has (that she is allied with Morgause), then what? It makes no sense to bring it up. He never tells Agravaine that he suspects the man’s involvement with Morgana, either, because he doesn’t suspect that Agravaine could somehow be innocently/unwittingly doing these things. One could argue that Morgana could have confided in Merlin about her earlier interaction with Morgause (when the curse was cast) since she trusted him so much, but alas, she did not. And that’s understandable, too. Also, if you’ll recall, Merlin did try to get Gaius to help Morgana. They had a whole argument about it. Gaius concluded that gaslighting her about her powers was helping her. Merlin had to give up and go to Kilgharrah, and then when Kilgharrah wouldn’t help, either, he searched out the location of the Druids on his own and sent Morgana to their encampment. What Katie McGrath thinks about it means very little since she is just one (1) opinion against the visible canon facts. Merlin too blames himself for what Morgana became, but that doesn’t make him right.

The fact is that Morgana is her own person and her mind isn’t going to be passively changed. She’s always been fiercely independent, opinionated, and actionable. The desire to blame everyone but Morgana for her own actions also has a lot to do with her being a rich white woman. People assign a ~delicate, passive~ demeanor onto her, even when she shows her ruthlessness (whether that is simply standing up for her beliefs or torturing people). Morgana did not just get passed around and manipulated by everyone. If anything, 2x12 seeks to establish that it is Morgana herself who can make these decisions and change the future, rather than sitting around passively watching it happen. And by choosing to join with Morgause, she changes everything. The rest of the series is a chain reaction to this one crucial moment when she makes up her mind.

[misc-obeyme]

Hi! I hope you're well. I'm sending you a request for Headcaons for Simeon, if it's still possible, rather Hurt/Comfort on the theme that Simeon's become human. I loved the text you wrote for him for the 500 followers event with the word Fear. I really wanted to get into the fic to give him a hug and reassure him. Take care of yourself and have a nice day!

Hi there, anon!

Oh wow, I kinda forgot all about that little scene I wrote! It's right here in case anybody would like to read it. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

So okay, I really tried to do this theme justice. I have a lot of feelings about Simeon and him becoming human. I hope it turned out okay! I think I could write quite a bit on this theme and never tire of it. There's just so much potential.

Thank you for participating!

COZY COMFORTS EVENT

GN!MC x Simeon on becoming human

Warnings: spoilers for season four of OG

Simeon will never forget how it felt when he became human. The reassuring warmth of his angelic power dissipated, leaving him feeling empty and incomplete. Throughout the many years of his existence, that power was always within him. It defined him, heralding him as an angel, giving him the means to survive in all three worlds - places where magic and demons also thrived. The second that power left him, it was replaced by an endless barrage of questions. Who was he without it? Who was he without his wings? What did it even mean to be human? Would he ever feel like he knew himself again?

He can't tell you. Whenever he looks into your eyes, he thinks about sharing this new truth with you. And yet every time, he holds back. He's too full of the need to protect you from the burden of it. It's the only way he has to protect you. Once he could watch over you, he could be your guardian angel. Now all he could do was keep his secrets.

He can tell that you're aware that something has changed. He wants to confide in you, but just thinking about speaking to you about it makes his gut twist. He's sure some of the others already know. He's noticed how Solomon and Lucifer seem to be watching out for him more than usual. Will you catch on? Will you guess what has happened without him having to say it? Is that better or worse?

Simeon had given up so much to stay in the Celestial Realm when Lucifer and his brothers fell. Deliberately standing on the sidelines so he wouldn't be ousted himself, but unable to join the fight on the side of the angels he cared so deeply about. A demotion to archangel was only a small sting in comparison to the guilt of knowing he had left Lucifer and the others to fall without him. This time he couldn't stay out of it. This time he had made the choice to help Lucifer. This time it had cost him more than just his angelic rank. Without his wings, he could never go back to the Celestial Realm. He had lost more than just his understanding of himself. He had lost his home, too.

Simeon thinks perhaps he should feel guilty. Perhaps he should be ashamed. But though he maintains his calm and collected exterior, inside he knows that he would make the same choice a million times over. And beneath that there boils a secret rage. His choice saved the worlds, his choice kept you safe. Despite everything, Simeon knows he did the right thing. He did it for you, but he did it for the state of the three worlds, too. Maybe he deserves this punishment, but he can't bring himself to regret his decision. Every time he sees your smile, his conviction strengthens.

You learn the truth eventually, of course. And when you do, Simeon is blown away when he sees your eyes fill with the deepest love. He's baffled by your reaction. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting. Disappointment? Confusion? Outrage? And yet, you're all softness and warmth. You encompass him, a light he didn't realize he was missing until that very moment.

It takes some time. Simeon has to learn what it means for him to be human now. He has to find his purpose again, find himself. You stay by his side, a steady presence, a gentle comfort, and a reminder of what a human can be. You're stronger than him now, protecting him where he can longer protect you. And yet, he finds he doesn't mind. You're an inspiration to him, MC. You are something special, something he can never become, but perhaps he can learn to be something new, too.

A day comes when Simeon looks at you and realizes that you have filled the empty hole where his angelic self once was. Your smile, your patience, your endless love, how you accept him no matter what. And he sees that he would rather have you than all the angelic power in the Celestial Realm. He had been confused and frightened for so long, not knowing his place in the world any longer. It was an ache so wide within him he didn't think he could ever move past it. Now he sees he hasn't lost his home. It's always been right here, with you.

cozy comforts | masterlist | Thank you for reading!

[forever-rogue]

Kiss prompt maybe a holiday theme too? 27. brushing lips together, lingering for a moment, catching your breath and/or 60. mistletoe kisses? With Eddie or Bucky if you can.

AN | No, but this is the softest and sweetest thing🥺🥰

Warnings | Mild Language 

Pairing | Eddie x Fem!Reader

Word Count | 2.3k

Masterlist | Main, Eddie 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“Ugh,” the two of you groaned in unison at the television. Eddie got some popcorn out of the bowl and tossed it at the screen, causing you to almost lose it as you dissolved into a fit of giggles.

“Eddie,” you were practically beaming at him, at the silly face he made while he watched the main characters on screen finally share their first kiss after almost two hours of vapid plot, “you’re making a mess!”

“It’s worth it,” he insisted as he shoved a few pieces in his mouth before doing the same to you. Your little admonishment held nothing but affection, a fact you were both well aware of, “this is insanely bad!”

“The worst,” you agreed, a bad rendition of some old holiday song playing as the credits started to roll, “why do we do this to ourselves?”

“Because,” he scoffed as though you had just gravely offended him. You playfully rolled your eyes at the boy, but he did his best to keep the serious look on his face, “it’s tradition now. And we can’t break tradition. We must watch cheesy Christmas movies and make fun of them. It’s the law.”

“The law?” you repeated as he answered with a fervent little nod, “and what would happen if  we didn’t watch any of said movies?”

“I’d be forced to arrest you and put you in jail.”

“And just what does this jail consist of?” you snorted in amusement as he rubbed at his jaw thoughtfully.

“It’s more of a metaphorical jail,” he mused, “the punishment being that you have to spend every waking  - and sleeping - moment with me.”

“That doesn't sound like much of a punishment,” you gently nudged his arm, a delicate warmth settling in your bones at the soft look on his face. You already spent a lot of time with your best friend…if you had it your way, you would have gladly spent every single moment with him, “we’re already together a lot. Although sleeping might be the real punishment. You snore a lot-”

“I do not!” His reply was indignant as he crossed his arms over his chest, which only made you laugh harder, “I do not snore.”

“You do!” you insisted firmly, “and you fart!”

“That’s it,” but you were laughing as he leaned across the couch, hands going to your sides as he tickled you mercilessly. You shrieked in amusement, immediately squirming from how ticklish you were. He pulled you into his lap, an action that he didn’t even think about, but that seemed so effortless and natural. You were still trying to get him to show mercy as you wiggled in his grasp, “I do not snore and do not fart!”

“You do! Mercy - please!”

“Take it back,” his warm, large hands settled on the supple, plump flesh of your hips and waist, fingers ghosting along your bare skin, “do it and I’ll show mercy!”

“Never!” tears were running down your face and Eddie had to admit that he was impressed with your ability to keep going.

“No mercy then,” there was a wicked little smile on his face as he went for the sweet spot that he knew always pushed you over the edge.

“Fine, fine, fine,” eventually you gave in, breathless and crying from all the tickles as you looked at your ridiculously pretty best friend, “you don’t snore or fart in your sleep!”

“There,” a satisfied little smile settled on his features as he stopped his assault of tickles, and settled his hands on your waist, “was that so hard?”

“A little bit,” your pretty, soft lips formed a pout that he couldn’t help but laugh at, “it did hurt my pride a little though.”

“Ahh, well I’m sure you’ll get it back somehow,” it was now that you became aware of just how close the two of you were. Your hands were on his shoulders and he still held you in his lap. It was far from the first time that you’d been this close, but something felt different today.  You swallowed the lump in your throat as you studied his pretty honey brown eyes, “and I guess we’ll just have to watch more bad holiday movies so I don’t get subjected to any punishment.”

“Smart girl,” you couldn’t help but notice the way his eyes flicked from yours down to your lips, even if it was just for a moment. A comfortable, warm silence fell over the two of you as he reached up and put his hand on your face, brushing his thumb over the apple of your cheek, You couldn’t help the way you preened into his touch, silently urging him for more, more, more. The corners of his mouth ticked up in a small smile, “you’re really pretty.”

“Eddie,” you both subconsciously leaned in, the tips of your noses brushing against one another. This was it, your entire body screamed at you, this was the moment that your best friend that you’d been in love with for years and years finally kissed you. You could feel his warmth breath fanning across your face, the gentle brush of his soft lips against yours when -

“Eddie!” The door to the trailer slammed open as Dustin and Steve made their miraculous appearance. The two of you pulled apart so fast, sitting on the opposite ends of the couch, that it almost gave you whiplash. Your heart was pounding in your chest with nerves as you refused to look at Eddie, quietly trying to catch your breath and pretend that this moment had never happened, “we’ve decided to grace you with our presence for bad Christmas movie time!”

“Fantastic,” Eddie groaned lightly, “simply fantastic.”

You could feel the boy looking at you, but couldn’t bring yourself to look at him. Instead you made yourself small and used the barrier of Steve and Dustin to keep a distance from Eddie. 

So close, so far away.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

It seemed like both of you had silently decided that the other night hadn’t happened. At least not the part where you were in his lap and about to properly kiss. Like there was some mutual understanding that neither of you would mention it again. It was a moment of weakness, you decided, a moment of two people that craved physical contact, nothing or nothing less. 

But you weren’t about to let that stop you from hanging out with your best friend. He’d been your best friend before, and he would continue to be. You weren’t going to let a momentary lapse of judgment ruin almost a decade of friendship. 

Which is how you found yourself at the biggest tree lot in Hawkins, tracking around with Eddie, an ax, and the noticeable distance you kept between yourselves. You were on the hunt of the perfect tree, a tradition that the two of you had started years ago. You were often left home alone to your devices, and Eddie only had Wayne, and you’d basically become each other’s family over the years. Which included picking out a huge tree and putting it up in your house and spending the afternoon decorating it while baking cookies, drinking hot chocolate and watching more bad movies. You weren’t sure if heaven was real or some mystical made up concept, but if it was, you were sure that this was your version of it - with Eddie, all warm and cozy, and in love. 

Well - you were in love, smitten in fact, but you’d never tell him that. Why scare him away when you could just keep him as your best friend for the rest of your life? 

“Umm, princess?” it was the waving of his hand in front of your face that snapped you back into reality. You looked at him, warmth rising in your cheeks as you offered up an apologetic smile, “you alright there, space cadet?”

“Y-yeah,” no, I was just daydreaming about you again, “totally. Just zoned out for a moment.”

“Hmm,” he mused, but decided not to push the issue. He pointed to the tree to his left, “whaddaya think?”

“It’s perfect,” and perfect, at least when it came to the two of you, meant perfectly imperfect. It was tall, some sections more fluffy than others, and a few odd branches out of place, “I think this is the one we’re adopting. Good eye, bub.”

“I have a way for finding the best treasures,” his eyes locked onto yours as you shied away, “I’ll start chopping if you wanna go paid and then we can get it wrapped up.”

“Sure,” you started to walk towards the entrance of the tree farm when you felt him gently grab your wrist, “what?”

“Here,” he pulled a wad of cash out of his pocket and pressed it into your hand. You shook your head and tried to argue but he wasn’t having it, “just take it. I insist…business has been very good lately. Just listen to me for once without arguing, stubborn little thing.”

“Fine,” you couldn’t fight back the smile as you accepted the money and pressed a kiss to his cheek without thinking about it, “hurry back, yeah?”

“Yeah,” he promised, watching you almost skip away. He pulled off his glove and touched his cheek where his skin had been blessed by your lips. A wistful little sigh escaped his lips before turning back to the tree. You didn’t know it just yet, but he had a plan. A plan that would hopefully finally push the two of you in the right direction.

He could only hope you truly felt the same.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The whole house felt cozy and warm. There was a merrily crackling fire that Eddie had started to stave off the chill of the snow that had started to gently fall. The house seemed like the freshly baked gingerbread cookies you’d spent the early part of the afternoon backing. The living room was taken over by the large Christmas tree and decorations placed through the room. It was your own version of a winter wonderland and it felt so utterly perfect. 

You were in the kitchen, popping some corn the old fashioned way, to make things more festive Eddie had insisted, and putting together a platter with random snacks for your movie marathon. You’d been left home alone again, this time all week, and had planned on asking Eddie to stay the night. You didn’t want to make things uncomfortable or weird, so you hoped the opportunity would come up organically. And it wasn’t like it would have been a rare thing for him to spend the night or vice versa, but things just felt…different since the barely there kiss you’d exchanged the week before. And you didn’t want to mess anything up with him. 

“Princess?” you heard Eddie’s voice call from the living room, perking up at the soft and affectionate tone he always seemed to have for you, “can you give me a hand real quick?”

“Be right there,” you pumped the popcorn into a bowl, quickly buttering and salting it before turning off the stove and heading over to him, “I hope nothing’s on fire or broken!”

“Not yet,” came his cheeky response. You laughed as you walked over to him, failing to see what exactly he needed assistance with. You stopped in front of him and raised an eyebrow.

“Just what exactly did you need help with, bub? It looks like everything's been handled,” you spied the little glint in his eye as he shook his head. It was then that you noticed that he was hiding something behind his back. Color you curious, “Eddie?”

“I was wondering,” his voice dropped to a whisper as he moved ever so slightly closer to you, “if you could hold this while I secure it.”

And from behind his back he revealed just what he had been hiding from you. Mistletoe. Your heart almost stopped when you looked at it, all pretty and wrapped up with a neat little red bow. A small gasp escaped your lips despite your best efforts as you looked between the mistletoe and Eddie. There was a nervous little look on his face as he anxiously waited for you to say or do something.

“Eddie?” your question was almost inaudible but he nodded sweetly as you took the mistletoe from him and clutched it tightly in your hand, “me?”

“You,” he promised. You. It had always been you. Just like it had always been him. You exhaled with nervous anticipation as you stood on your tippy-toes and held the mistletoe to the top of the doorframe. Eddie pulled out some string, along with a nail and hammer, and quickly secured to the top, letting it hang down over your heads, “merry Christmas, sweetheart.”

“Merry Christmas, Eddie,” you whispered back just as softly as you both leaned in, your entire body feeling like a live wire. He reached up and touched your face, searching your eyes to make sure you wanted this much as he did. And oh. You desperately did.

He closed the little bit of distance between your bodies, one hand cupping the back of your head and the other holding onto your waist as he kissed. Finally, actually, truly kissed you. It was everything you had ever dreamed of and then some more. 

Both of you refused to pull apart until you were dizzied and breathless, grinning at each other like the lovesick fools you both were. 

“I’m in love with you, you know,” he whispered, his hold on you still strong as though he was afraid to let you go, “have been for a long time.”

“I know,” you beamed brighter than the summer sun as you leaned in to kiss him again. Now that you had a taste of him, you never wanted to go without again, “I’m in love with you too.”

“I know,” he smiled before kissing you softly, “best Christmas ever.”

“Best Christmas ever.”