#I forgot how to render but lets just ignore that

[vennw]

Fuck it, here's Viv giving Vex top surgery

[livelaughlovesubs]

I have a small request which you can totally ignore if yous wants but-

Imagine Poe (bsd) feeling he isn't good enough and making a self-deprecating comment and reader fucking him while making him say (or until he says) he's worth it 💖

Ohhhh, that’s kinda sweet~ I like it heh

Dom!reader x sub!poe

Warning: pegging (can be read as a dick), praise kink, overstimulation, marking, fucked dumb

“Who’s my good boy? Who’s doing such a good job right now?”

There was only one right answer. It was him. Of course it was your dear partner. He’s been obeying you so nicely, bouncing up and down on top of you without taking a break. His back was facing you, giving you a nice view of his ass, as well as how your dick gets hurried inside him each time he slumps back into your lap. These shaking hands grabbed yours, making you hold onto his waist harder and leaving bruises behind.

You leaned against him, lips hovering above his neck as your hot breath tickled his skin. A shiver ran down his spine when you whispered something again, “answer me, pretty boy.” That’s what you said, but you wouldn’t give him time to speak and think! Relentlessly pounding him while kissing and sucking on his back, painting his body with marks and hickeys. Who would under such circumstances be able to speak properly? All he could let out were soft sobs paired with high-pitched whimpers. Back arched away from you, hands bawled into fists as he slams himself against your crotch.

His hair was a messy nest, flying around and obstructing his view, not that he could have registered anything anyway since he was only focused on the stretching feeling inside him. Every time he slows down for what reason ever, you’d run your hip upwards to meet his, hitting his prostate with such pinpoint accuracy that it makes him see stars. Electricity would course through his body like huge waves of pleasure, rendering him unable to even form a single coherent word. One of poe’s hands was wrapped around his dick to jerk himself off. But poor baby has been too distracted by the feeling of getting fucked dumb, so much that he forgot to move his hand. Now only holding it like it’s some kind of broken decoration that’s leaking its filth everywhere.

Really, everywhere. His precum spread to the sheets, his thighs, and even his belly. Now everything became sticky because of him. What a naughty boy he was, creating such a chaos. When Poe still didn’t muster enough energy to answer your questions, you squeezed down on his hips, getting a better grip before forcing him up and down your cock in a rough pace. “Hu- ah..aAAHHhHNHgG wait- y/n..!! Too much oh <3 too much!” He’d complain, but due to the moans it doesn’t sound very convincing. Watching his muscles tighten as more tears roll down his body, along with droplets of sweat. His rosy cheeks were so adorable, his body too, so perfect for you. A perfect little toy for you to adore.

Once again you groaned into his ear, “tell me, Poe, who’s my good boy?” After you finished your sentence, you noticed how his rim clenched down on you, holding onto you without wanting to let go. “Mhmm..! I- I…” he tried to answer you, he really did, yet whenever he opens his mouth only more whines would spill out. “Go on baby, take your time.” You smirked at him, a comforting smile that told him everything will be alright. Poe closed his eyes in an attempt to collect his thoughts, but it backfired and made him focus only on the way you stretched his walls. God it was heavenly, it was ecstasy he never experienced before. Whenever you just meekly brushed against his sweet spot, he’d mewl and squeak like a little slut.

This is no good, he was close, he had to answer you or else he might receive a punishment. Why do you want him to praise himself anyway? It’s so embarrassing! When you once again drove your dick deep inside him, hitting spots he never knew existed, he lost all energy and slumped back against your chest. A melting expression on his face as drool dripped down his chin, body sore from all the overstimulation already. His legs twitched around as a poor attempt to balance out the pleasure he received. He was exhausted, he couldn’t keep going anymore, all he did in that moment was giving himself to you completely, letting you use him like a toy.

“This won’t do, you have to speak, pretty boy.” You reminded him, while clasping one hand over his, the one pathetically trying to play with his own member. “Uhh.. it feels ah, hNng too good.” He gave out, barely able to register the meaning of your words. “Hmm, but you can speak right? Need me to repeat my question?” Even now you didn’t give up, fucking his brains out while giving him orders. “Hic, hmm… m-me… ah, I’m your go- uhHnn good boy..<3” Poe answered eventually, after that his tongue stuck out and his eyes rolled back. As if you milking his prostate wasn’t enough, you were forcing his hand to pump his length up and down now as well! He was going to break at this point!

“Good job, that’s right, you are my loveliest good boy, so be proud of it alright?” You said, before pointing into him faster and harder as a reward. “AhhHHHHh!! OohhH! Too much- too deep!!! Y/n HngHh, too fasttt!!” Aww, he’s crying about how he can’t handle this again, such an adorable thing. Since he’s encouraging you so feverishly, you had to respond to his pleads, right? Grinning from ear as to ear as you mumbled, “Shh, don’t worry, you won’t break that quick, I want to make this moment last.”

[roughdaysandart]

Rough Day Comic 0-1 "Other Talents"

💗PLEASE REBLOG TO SUPPORT!💗

SERIES MASTERLIST

Based on Rough Day by @no-droids

SERIES GEN WARNINGS: non-canon typical gore/blood, violence, light language, implied nudity, implied trauma (Blood, depression, anxiety, bullying, sexual), typos and general lore errors possible (plz lmk if you find any I enjoy accuracy)

See end for bonus content and credits.

LISTEN TO THE ACCOMPANYING MUSIC FOR A CINEMATIC EXPERIENCE! (LINKED AS YOU GO)

TRACK 1: REPROGRAM (only track til end credits)

END CREDITS TRACK: A FRIEND -GUITAR COVER

Up Next: CH 0-2: "Rules and Habits"

"And yet, only when she was absolutely certain he wouldn't see ...shed let that nagging curiosity get the better of her, make an exception...and-"

AUTHORS NOTE:

Well, this is the moment we've all been waiting for, sickos! I'm so proud of what Ive learned and been to accomplish these past few weeks (digital-art and writing in general), and have so much gratitude for all of the wonderful people who have followed along and encouraged me thus far. Most of all, thank you to the wonderful @no-droids for creating the fic in the first place. I cant wait to continue posting what's in store these next few (probably) years.

Thanks so much for reading! I hope you'll consider checking out my homepage for updates, sneek peeks, more depravity, the star wars mega-pinterest boards, and the unofficial soundtrack! 💗

Next chapter coming.....whenever its ready...in-person school is aboutta start and im going to pace myself and figure out how to balance going in person for the first time in a year...workin' and well...life, which includes this depravity and you all 💗!!!

Cheers, Sweet Girls. 💗

-M (@roughdaysandart)

CREATOR CREDITS

Credit to @saradika-graphics for the amazing dividers!

Credit to all of the talented artists making covers of the songs I link!

Credit to Brittany Broski for introducing me to RD/Ao3 this late in my life

Credit to...anyone else my mushy brain forgot (lmk ya'll)

credit to my drug-induced psychosis?

ERRORS/DISCREPENCIES/INNACURACIES (feel free to add)

Sweet Girl was drawn on the cover before her design was finalized, and so her clothing as well as her body are not exactly the same as how she appears in the series.

On page 5, Din is supposed to be laying in the cockpit's main compartment listening to the closed door, not in the mini hall where the ladder resides.

on page 9, there is a spelling error (talens--> talents)

On page 12, the rendering of the Crest's hull is a bit too wide (most dramatically apparent by the fresher door's length), the hull should be a tad more narrow. In addition, the flooring coloring is somewhat inaccurate, needing to appear more metallic instead of similar to the roofing textures and colorings

On page 12, the handle of the fresher door is supposed to be on the left side, not the right.

Speaking of the handle: I understand that manual doors are somewhat uncommon in the SWU, and it would be inconsistent for the Crest to have one when the cockpit and cot doors are auto, but I wanted to stay consistent with the descriptions in the original fic. In chapter 2, SG is described to slide open the door with her hand as she sees Mando standing outside. But I didint want to just purley stick to the fic's details and ignore in-universe discrepancies, so i thought of how this somewhat odd/niche detail could still make sense in this setting. I figured that with the inclusion of a control panel within the fresher (seen in later chapters) in addition to the one bewteen it and the cot, the option of an automatic function would presumably still be available aside from the manual one (which could be there for the purpose of giving the user a speed or distance preference or to avoid pinching etc.)

on the page beginning with "to say the least", the mini-halls' roof is suppposed to have a window. Therefore, the lighting of the space is somewhat innacurate.

[milkywaydrabbles]

12 and 10 fluff with Alucard 🥺 he is feeling insecure about his scars, and about his own being, considering himself to be a monster, and then reader calms him down

A/N: Me pouting the entire time I wrote this bc I love alucard sm and I hate thinking of him sad lmao. I hope this one is okay and that you like it, I'm not sure if it's my best work ): mwuah

"Hold me" "I wish you could see how I see you" x Alucard

Some days are easy. Some days are nice walks in the park, getting free loaves of freshly baked bread because the village people are so grateful for everything he’s done. Some days are sweet, simple, enjoying the day with the love of his life. Other days?

Other days are hard. Terribly so. 

Today was a hard day. A mental rain cloud had been brewing over Alucard for the last few hours, starting when he saw himself fresh out of the bath, scars seared into his skin from what could be one of the most terrible nights of his life. The traumatic events flashed in his mind, rendering him still with fear. Fear that it’d happen again, with you, fear that he’d be useless in the face of danger if someone came for you, fear that he even had the capacity of thinking you capable of such wickedness. His hands trembled, staring at himself in the mirror, a tear escaping from his eye before turning away from the mirror, dressing quickly and getting on with his duties for the day. He didn’t want to think about it anymore.

But the fear had latched onto him, growing and festering into an ugly cycle of feeling self conscious and not good enough, hating the way the scars look, hating the way the scar his father left behind looked. His body marred with imperfect skin, showing the world his weaknesses. The rain cloud had split open and a thunderstorm loomed over him, retiring much earlier from his chores than intended. He threw himself into his studies in hopes that he would forget the sick feeling in his stomach. 

“Adrian, honey?” Your sweet voice called out to him, and it broke him out of his stupor. He forgot about dinner. A dinner that he insisted on helping you with. And he left you there to finish it all by yourself. Alucard felt miserable. He’d been brewing in his own misery; he had been ignoring not only his duties to the village but to you. You must hate him, you must think he’s so selfish, and lazy, and no good, and-- “Ah, there you are!” You smiled, skipping over to him before noticing how rotten he looked. “Adrian? Are you okay?” You worried, bringing a hand up to his forehead. He tried his best to put on a brave face, shaking his head. “I’m fine, love, don’t worry about me. I’m sorry I lost track of him, I left you to prepare dinner alone.” He stood, ready to put on a facade for the rest of the night, lest you think something awful of him. 

But you knew him better than anyone. 

“Dinner can wait, why don’t we just go to the room for a bit?” He wanted more than anything to stay distracted and not think of the burning his skin felt today. But he knew you wouldn’t let him continue to wallow. Alucard sighed, saying nothing and heading into your shared room. You gave him space, sitting across from him. You didn’t ask any specifics, not needing them. All you needed to know is that Alucard wasn’t feeling his best, and that you would do anything for him. “Adrian, sweet boy...what can I do to help?” Your soft voice nearly ruined him, a broken sob escaping without his consent. The palms of his hands pressed into his eyes, hating more than anything in the world this was happening. Now was not the time to look weak. But he needed you, needed to feel grounded. So he broke. “Can you...can you hold me? Please?” He let out a shaky breath, and silently you moved to him, cradling his head in your hands and bringing him closer to your chest, Your legs wrapped around his torso, trying to cover as much of him as possible with yourself, hoping that whatever was tormenting him would slip away with your presence. 

“I’m sorry--I’m sorry love, I fucked up and I missed dinner. I didn’t mean to, I lost track of time and--” You hushed him mid sentence, rocking him gently back and forth in your arms. “Tell me what’s really going on, this isn’t about dinner.” Alucard steadied himself, releasing a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding. “I can’t stand looking at myself. Not with these disgusting scars.” Your heart shattered hearing how awful he talked about himself. You cursed the world for ever hurting your sweet boy like this. “Adrian, light of my life, fire in my veins, my handsome man--you’re perfect.” You kissed his temple, running a hand over his hair. “The scars are a reminder that you persevered. That you survived.” You gently reminded him, and another kiss. “I wish you could see how I see you. I love every detail about you, I’m so sorry you’ve endured the life you have, but I am so grateful that it has brought you to me.” Slowly, you untangled yourself from him and sat on your knees before him. You took his hands that had loosened from his eyes, kissing each wrist. You pushed the sleeve of his shirt up, kissing the patches of scar tissue that showed through. You moved to his chest, kissing the scarring that showed through the shirt, and mirrored your actions to his other arm. You let go of his arms, wiping away the remaining tears that stained his cheeks and kissed his eyelids, before pressing your forehead to his. 

“You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever met in my life, inside and out. And that includes the scars. Never doubt yourself, or my love for you. I’ll be here with you, until the ends of the Earth.”

[courtingchaos]

Life Is Good Blues

Professor Munson x Fem Reader

@carolmunson So the old man finally had something to say to me and I think you might find it a little cathartic too maybe?

Life is Good Blues

“There she is.”

You don’t even have the door all the way open before you hear his voice. Normally it’s a welcome surprise when he gets home before you but today you’re talked out. A deep breath and a millisecond pep talk to get yourself through the door without snapping at him when he’s just happy to see you.

“Did you get out early today?” You can’t hide the strain in your voice and you hope you can pass it off on full hands. Ed is already rounding the corner and reaching out for at least one fistful of bags.

“We lost power like six times today so they told us to vacate.” He loops the handles over his forearm and takes the others off you too, turning to head back into the kitchen. He hasn’t caught on yet to your sour mood or the fact that your teeth have been clenched for six solid hours. All you can muster is a little hum and a terse nod, the strain along your neck not easing up like you thought it would when you finally made it back home.

He picks out the bags with groceries in them and peers at you over his glasses when you come into the kitchen behind him. Head bowed and eyes following the wood grain of the flooring you can barely even thinking about making eye contact.

“You okay?” He doesn’t fly into worry mode like everyone else in your life would upon seeing you turn into an automaton.

Are you okay? There’s just…so much to go over. There’s the humming of your brain in the background of every thought process and the god damn job search that rolls through your every waking thought and there’s just the thought of what you need to make for dinner because you’ve just remembered you haven’t eaten a thing today. A grimace accompanied by a short, sharp tap to your forehead. “Just uh, bad brain day.” You suddenly remember you forgot to rinse off the shower after you started cleaning it this morning and those tears that have been hovering in your lash line all day are that much closer to spilling.

“You wanna talk about it?” A simple question asked simply. Ed gets the cold stuff put away and stacks all the dry on the corner of the island so he can turn to look at you, all of you, in your overstimulated glory.

“N-not really.” The tears burn and you really can’t look up at him now.

He slides along the countertop slowly and holds out his hand to you. “You want me to shut up?” He doesn’t touch, finally catching on to where you’re currently teetering. He holds his hand out like an olive branch, a peace offering for you to take so you can ask for help.

“No.” You don’t want him to, you just don’t want to talk anymore. It took you four hours to get out of bed and another four to get any kind of clothes on your body and then two more to finally drag yourself out of the house to run your errands. Food shopping and a quick run to the pharmacy and you’re effectively rendered useless by your brain trying to outsmart itself.

“How’s this sound.” He keeps his hand open but moves in closer, close enough you can feel the heat radiate off of him and suddenly nothing sounds better than letting him prop you up and guide you around. “You let me take care of you and you get to reboot your brain for the evening.” Your hand slides into his seamlessly just like your face that presses into the crook of his neck. If there’s a sob hidden there he ignores it, arms wrapping around your shoulders when you sag into his chest.

“Have you eaten today?”

“No.” You peel off your clothes that you haven’t been able to stand all day and he runs his hand under the spray of the shower head. “I just forgot.”

He doesn’t reprimand you or scoff or laugh, just hums and leans out from the glass partition. “It’s a lobster shower, I hope that’s what you wanted.” The steam rolls up to the ceiling and you can almost feel your neck starting to relax before the water has even hit it. He holds the door open for you with a flourish and a little bow and it makes you smile.

“You want me to leave you alone?”

“No.” The silence would be deafening.

“Okay.” The door clicks shut behind you and his hand pops over the top to hand you one of the rose shower melts he bought you. “I’ll be right back.”

The drone and the heat of the water lull you into something akin to peace and when Ed turns back up it only startles you a little.

“I know you should eat first but I’ll make sure you don’t drown.” The smile is evident in his voice when his hand appears over the door again, this time a wineglass half full being handed down to you. “Go easy, tiger.”

“Thank you Ed.”

“I also brought you a snack.” Another hand, this time holding a few grapes.

“Did you bring me a shower lunchable?”

“Maybe.”

You giggle at him periodically handing you fistfuls of cheese and fruit, making sure to keep your distance from the shower head. He starts talking softly about a new D&D thing he found on Kickstarter, something he thinks you might find interesting.

“It’s Halloween themed, but like D&D Halloween. I backed it, and I got the biggest tier of course, so more dice for you to find around here.”

“At least they’re pretty.”

“And Halloween themed.”

“You’ve mentioned.” You grin at him through the frosted glass and finish off your wine. He takes the glass from you and when the water cuts off he’s ready with a towel held up for you to walk into.

“You feel better?”

“A little bit.” Still quiet when you lean on him, droplets soaking into his grey t-shirt while he dries you off softly. He rubs the towel along your back and finally up to the ends of your hair to scrunch lightly and wring out any extra water.

“Look at me.”

Chin tilted up so he can see your faint smile and tired eyes. He looks so soft in the bathroom lighting, the streaks of grey in his hair glittering warmly. He didn’t put it up and the ends of his curls tickle your cheek where they begin drying, plastered to your skin.

“God you’re pretty.” He pinches your chin between his fingers when you roll your eyes and try to scoff.

“You don’t have to butter me up, Ed. I feel better.”

“I’m doing no such thing.” A finger runs down your temple and pushes back a few strands of wet hair behind your ear. That same finger glides down under the corner of your jaw and he cradles the back of your neck so he can give you kiss. Nothing hurried or tinted with anything other than his simple intent. “I just don’t think I tell you enough.”

“You tell me all the time.” It comes out in a whisper that ghosts over his lips.

“Well it’s still not enough.” Another soft press against your mouth. “You’re gorgeous.”

“Mm.”

“My pretty baby.”

God those tears burn a trail down your freshly washed face. Hotter than the steam that beat against your back, like they’ve been trapped in the tumultuous core of you all day. You didn’t want to have this breakdown but it seems it’s going to have you no matter what you wish. Ed’s voice soothes in your ear when he feels that first shudder rumble through you and he pulls you in closer.

“I’m sorry baby.”

Nothing but half formed sobs answer him while you finally let the pressure valve of the past however many weeks or months release.

“I know, I know.”

He gathers you up so you’re fully covered in the extra long towel, angling you towards the bedroom so he can sit you down on the edge of the bed. You cling to his shirt and to his arms and babble against his chest about ruining the night. You try to explain to him what the chaos in your head feels like when you slide into these moods. A blank slate for the world to see so you can have your whitecaps to yourself, the churning grey waters that try to pull you all the way down.

“Eddie I’m tired.” You hiccup when the tears finally slow. “I’m tired and I don’t know why.” You can hear the whine in your voice and it makes your skin crawl. “I don’t know if there’s enough sleep for this.”

He’s silent now when you want him to fill the void so desperately. You need him to talk about his job or his music or one of his hobbies, anything to keep you from thinking-

His slippers hit the ground with a smack that jolts you out of the dread spiral, his hands under your arms pulling you up the bed also pull you out of those crashing waves.

“I see you.” He says while he pulls the duvet up over the two of you.

“The bathroom light is still on.”

He shushes you. “I see you struggling all the time and I try so hard to let you do stuff on your own.”

“Eddie I need to do my face stuff-”

He cuts you off when he drops the bedding over your heads and yanks you in close. “And I think I’m pretty good at that.” He settles on his side of the bed and makes sure you’re anchored to him. “But you really need to understand something.”

“What.” Muffled into his chest and you can feel the short laugh rumble under your lips.

“I’m gonna help you when I can because I want to, not because I have to. I see you trying and I see you trying hard and you’re gonna have days like this.”

You huff to try and fight back against the new onslaught of tears.

“And I’m gonna hold out my hand and you’re gonna take the damn thing and let me feed you in the shower.”

“Ed, I can’t-“

“I know you can’t and that’s okay.” He hooks his leg over one of yours to tuck you even closer. “It’s okay.” His hands run over your back and calm you down so your tears only trickle instead of stream. “It’s okay.”

It’s dark under the covers, warm and a little damp only because of your hair and towel. He doesn’t mind so you don’t mind, especially when he tucks you up under his jaw like this.

“You mean it?” Still quiet when you ask. He means it like he always does but still you have to ask, have to make sure.

And he knows, of course he does. Another kiss to your hair and a whisper only for you.

“Of course I do.”

[akiology]

In the Dead of the Night || Part 1

You are married to two of the most infamous information brokers in Tokyo.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Word Count: 910

Pairing: Akira Kurusu x Reader x Goro Akechi

Note:  i currently dont know how many parts this is gonna have, all characters are aged up! and an alternate universe with no personas

The only sound that could be heard throughout the whole dark alley are the sound of wet footsteps. It had just stopped raining, and it was a strong one. Followed by two other pair of footsteps, they walked down until they encountered a rundown warehouse. Two armed men guarded the entrance, when they recognized who was approaching they bowed down to him.

"Goro, sir. Akira is inside." One of the armed men stated, the aforementioned Goro nodded. 

Looking around to see if there were any potential witnesses and when none were found, they entered. The inside of the warehouse was just as rundown as the outside. There were exactly three lightbulbs inside, and thus it gave the area an eerie feel. In the middle of the warehouse was a guy tied to a chair, along with his hands and feet rendering him unable to move. His mouth was taped shut, and it seems he has fainted where he sat. Standing beside him was a man in a black suit, which look out of place as he looks like a normal salaryman. The devious smile he gave made him look like he knows more than he let on. He does.

"Akira."

"Hey there, what took you so long?" he asked, with a playful lilt to his voice. 

 "Work." Goro answered. Smart ass.

"Then what do you call this?"

"Dirty work. Literally. Out of all the places to do this, you chose a rundown warehouse with moths flying around? Why can't we do it in a nice basement, or maybe in a laundry room?"

Akira rolled his eyes at him, choosing to ignore his complaints. "I've gotten out all that I can from him. He seems like he really has nothing to do with what's happening."

"I see. Well, we cannot have him running around as who knows what he might say when he realizes what happened."

"We'll let the others take care of him. I have called for back-up."

"Good."

"Goro."

"Yes?"

"Do you have the time?"

"It is," Goro pulls up his sleeve in his right arm to check the time on his watch, "8:13 pm. What is the time check fo— fuck."

"Yes. Fuck."

"You two," Goro turned his head and motioned to the two men behind him, "Guard him until Ryuji and the others arrive, got it?" The two men nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Akira, I'm assuming you have your car?"

"Yes." Akira fished his keys from his pockets, and dangled it in front of him. "Let us go. They are waiting for us."

/./

You were sitting patiently at the dinner table. Today was supposedly your anniversary with your husbands, but it seems like they are running late. Or maybe they forgot. No, they didn't, work was just demanding. Right? Right.

You were used to this, and plus, they always made it up to you. You sighed. As much as you love them, you oftentimes wish that you could cuddle them all day long without a care in the world. Looking back at the dinner table, a variety of dishes you lovingly prepared were on it. You really wanted this to be a magical night, but it seems like that will have to be for another night. Sighing once again, you stand up from your seat and started mentally preparing yourself to put away all the dishes.

That is until, the door burst open. Looking at the direction of the door, Akira's disheveled hair and loud panting was evident as he entered the dining area. "My princess! I'm sorry it took us so long." He opened his arms out to you as he approached you, holding a bouquet on his right hand. 

You smiled, face warming up with the term of endearment used. No matter how long and how used the nickname is, it still makes you happy when he calls you that. You came closer to him and found yourself locked up in his embrace. Akira pulled out just enough to come face-to-face with you. He gave your nose a little kiss and directed your attention to the bouquet in his hands. "These flowers are for you, my princess. I hope it will make up for the fact that I am late. If not, the night is still young and I can make it up to you in other ways if you wish." 

Goro came in the dining room a few seconds later, with a bunny plush in his right arm. "Bunny, I am home. I apologize for being late. I am all yours tonight, and I am willing to do anything. Just ask." Goro stole you away from Akira, which earned a growl from the other man. Goro planted a loving kiss on your forehead, and offered you the bunny plush. "A bunny for my bunny?"

You giggled at him, and accepted his present. Akira also gave you his. Taking a step back, you noticed how they both look apologetic and a little sweaty. They must've hurried over here while stopping by for some presents. Your husbands never want to make you feel like you're nothing to them, because it is actually quite the opposite. You are very important to them, and they are quite protective of you. They hope you know that, and do not ever forget that even if they are late sometimes. But they are trying, and that's what makes it so hard to stay mad at them. "Welcome home, Akira and Goro."

[orionsstory]

that kind of devotion can't be ignored | Anarcia (5)

A/N: did not intend to drop this today but !! surprise! also happy birthday to my dog :) don't forget to check it out on ao3!

-

"So, long story short she broke up with me because I forgot to text her for like, 26 hours! That's not even that long!"

"Amethyst, that's like a whole ass day. It was also the 3rd time that week."

Amethyst rolled her eyes, sticking her tongue out at Robin. "So what! I said I was a bad texter! Everyone knows that!" She retorted, gathering the four mugs from the kitchen and carefully balancing them in her arms. She made her way to the living room, setting the mugs in front of the other three girls gathered in the living room.

"I don't know, I think I'm on Robin's side. If a girl didn't text me for 26 hours, I'd think she's ghosting me." Luxx added in, Amethyst rolling her eyes at the other girl dramatically.

"That's because you're on your phone all the time! Come on Marcia, you get what I'm saying, right?"

Marcia gave her a pity smile, sending the other two girls into a fit of laughter, Amethyst faked hurt as she dramatically collapsed onto the chair. "No one understands me!" She whined, "She still has my glitter pen...I miss it."

"You know, for someone whose job is to answer phones all day, you kind of suck at answering yours." Robin hummed, sipping on her drink. "But that was a month ago, you gotta move on girl. What about that bass player from Peacock's? Didn't you say she was hot?"

Robin worked as a designer alongside Luxx, the two first meeting when they interned for the brand together back in college. Her black curly hair was tied into a ponytail with two thin braids framing her face, dressed in a white, long-sleeve crop top and baggy cargo pants. Robin was the most put-together of the friend group, she was ambitious and knew what she wanted, something Marcia found very admirable about her.

"Yeah, she was hot, but she's fucking my ex, so like..." Amethyst shrugged in response.

Amethyst was another one of Luxx's coworkers, an aspiring popstar who worked as a secretary for the brand in the meantime. She and Robin had been friends since high school, so when Luxx and Robin bonded on their internships, the group of four seemed to naturally come together and have been inseparable since. Her curly blonde hair fell just past her shoulder, and her bright and eccentric Y2K style was evident from the apartment decor and her clothes- today, a bright orange sweater and a pair of cow print pants.

"That hasn't stopped you before." Luxx cut in, causing Amethyst to groan. "Seriously girl, you need to get laid."

"Oh please, you're one to talk." Amethyst retorted back, Luxx raising her eyebrow in confusion. "Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about! Robin and I agree you and Irene need to get it over with and just hate fuck already! Like oh my god!"

Marcia watched as Luxx's face changed from one of confusion to one of disgust in a near instant. She almost choked on her drink from surprise. "WHAT? You can't be serious. Irene?" She looked between the two girls, her tone dripping with disgust. "Robin, you can't be serious. I'd expect this from Amy, but not you!"

Robin shrugged as Luxx's eyes bore into her, "I think it would help your relationship. You two argue all the time, and I, for one, would like some peace and quiet around the office." She turned away from Luxx, who was rendered speechless from shock, to address Marcia, "Marsh, how much have you heard about Irene?"

Marcia paused for a moment, recounting all the times she'd heard of Irene. "Well, now that you mention it, Luxx you do talk about her almost every day-"

"MARSHALL!" Luxx interrupted, "I'm hurt! We argue all the time because she's insufferable, she's always making these little comments to rile me up!" Luxx briefly paused before she continued, "Let me be clear. I would not fuck her if she were the last person on this Earth. If she offered me a million dollars I wouldn't." Luxx flipped her hair behind her, crossing her arms as she huffed. Marcia giggled, ignoring the glare Luxx sent her.

"She told me she teases you because she likes to get a rise out of you," Amethyst chimed in, "I told her the same thing I told you, and she might have rolled her eyes at me, but she didn't say no!"

Luxx rolled her eyes and sighed, "Whatever, it's not happening in ten million years. Why are we so focused on me all of a sudden? What about you Robin? You have any exciting escapades lately?"

"Well," Robin hummed, sipping her drink, "I've met a very nice woman. But we're taking it slow, some nice classy dates, I wanna give it some time before we make it official."

Amethyst rolled her eyes, "She's lying. She's fucking whipped for Aura."

Luxx and Marcia both ooohed at the name drop, looking back towards Robin.

"How do you know her name? And I am not whipped, that's such a lie."

"Well, I met her when I was in the kitchen having a snack, it was midnight and you kicked the poor girl out. The second time it happened, I thought I should at least know her name if this was going to be a regular occurrence. Plus, you were baking her cupcakes a few days ago- you're down bad for her, you can't lie to me!"

Robin blushed, "Oh. Well, maybe we weren't as sneaky as I thought..."

"Aura's great though," Amethyst continued, "super strong, by the way. Like I think she's a bodybuilder or something. I made her move my giant mirror, you guys know the one, so she gets a pass in my book."

Marcia smiled, "Well that's great Robin! I'm happy for you, she sounds super sweet! We'll have to meet her sometime, preferably when Amy isn't using her for manual labor."

"Yeah, she sounds great, but..." Luxx smirked, "I have to ask...is she better than Amethyst?"

Amethyst and Robin both groaned, drowning out Luxx's cackling. "Oh my god, we dated for like two weeks when we were 14!" Amethyst huffed, playfully swatting at Luxx. "You'll never let us live that down, are you? I should have never told you." Robin rolled her eyes, sighing.

"Oh, come on Luxx- we've all had questionable crushes before!" Marcia laughed, growing a bit more nervous when Luxx shot her a mischievous smile.

"Oh, like the one you have on your 'one true soulmate', Lotus?"

Marcia's face burned bright red as Amy and Robin whipped their attention towards her. There was only a moment of silence before the other girls began to bombard her with questions, Luxx laughing the entire time. The girls continued to bombard her with questions, which caused her to blush more, which only amped up their energy.

"Guys, guys! Give her a chance to speak! She can't tell you about this mystery woman if you guys keep bombarding her."

Marcia sighed with relief as the two backed off, looking at her expectantly. She composed herself before she spoke, "Well, Luxx is being dramatic...I didn't say she was my 'one true soulmate', but-"

"Marshall that is such bullshit, you literally burst through the apartment telling me you had found the love of your life."

Marcia's face grew red, followed by laughter from Amethyst and Robin. "Okay, maybe I did. In my defense, I had a lot of adrenaline! But anyways, Lotus is this local superhero, she's super strong and sweet...she's also really hot."

"So how'd you guys meet? Come on, spill!" Amethyst prompted, bouncing her leg in excitement.

Marcia recounted the story to the two girls in front of her, from her attempted kidnapping to Lotus (literally) sweeping her off of her feet. Robin leaned back in her chair, "So you don't know her identity?" Marcia shook her head, "No...not yet at least. But we didn't meet that long ago, so it doesn't feel too important right now." Robin nodded.

"So how do you even talk to her? Do you send up, like, the bat signal when you want to talk to her?" Amethyst asked, Marcia rolled her eyes and laughed. "No, no, it's nothing like that. I have to message her friend whenever I want to see her. And yes, I already stalked through her entire social media and haven't seen anyone that looks like her."

Amethyst hummed, "I don't know, I need to see her. Getting involved with a superhero can be dangerous, if you're putting your life on the line she better be smoking hot." Robin nodded along, "I agree, especially if she's the "love of your life"." Marcia groaned but obliged, scrolling through her phone to find the one decent picture she had of Lotus.

She passed it over to the girls, "So, this is from a few years ago, she looks a bit different...maybe I can take a photo with her." She suggested, watching in anticipation as Robin and Amethyst scanned the photo. Amethyst slowly nodded, "Alright...she's hot, I mean look at those muscles." Marcia blushed, "Well, I'm glad I have your approval. I think you guys would really like her."

"Just try not to get caught up in too much trouble, promise?"

"I promise, Robin."

-

A few days later, Marcia trudged into the apartment much like she had the past few days. Exhausted, she collapsed onto the couch. Luxx leaned over the couch, "Rough rehearsal?" Marcia groaned in reply, "Yeah...it was a really choreography-heavy rehearsal...my legs are so sore." Luxx hummed in understanding, "Well lucky for you, your best friend in the whole entire world made you pasta. So come on, get up!" She patted Marcia's shoulder, the blonde slowly rising.

Once they had sat down at the counter, Marcia recounted the trials and tribulations of her day to Luxx, who in turn did the same. "Have you seen Lotus recently?" Luxx casually threw in, making Marcia stop mid-pasta bite. She paused, her brain groggily trying to remember the last time she spoke to Lotus. "Oh god...no, I haven't spoken to her in like...a week. I've been so busy with rehearsal." Her mind raced- does Lotus think she doesn't like her anymore? She chided herself for her ignorance, burying her face in her hands.

"Why don't you just ask to meet her and explain what happened?" Luxx suggested, "I'm sure she'd understand. I mean, Broadway is a big deal after all." Marcia nodded, temporarily reassured. After she had cleared the dishes, she shot Sasha a text asking to meet with Lotus. By the time she was about to go to sleep, she still hadn't gotten a text back.

She lay surrounded by the darkness, staring up at the ceiling. What if Lotus hated her? Didn't want to see her anymore? She tossed and turned, trying to rid her mind of these thoughts. She huffed, trying to push the thoughts to the back of her mind. She knew she was worrying too much, Luxx would tell her as much- but she couldn't stop overthinking. Soon enough though, exhaustion took over and whisked her off to sleep.

-

The blaring of her alarm jolted Marcia out of her sleep, fumbling with her phone to turn it off. She tried to stifle a yawn as she looked at her notifications, one in particular sticking out to her.

'Sasha Colby: Lotus said she'll be there ;)'

She felt relief instantly flood through her body, a sigh of relief escaping her lips. With that, she could go about her day a little easier. She found her day seemed to pass by faster as she waited for that evening. Even rehearsal seemed to be a bit easier- although she still found herself exhausted after.

She soon found herself back at her apartment, fussing over her hair as she put the finishing touches on her outfit. She glanced at the clock, quickly shrugging on her jacket and lacing up her shoes as she headed for the door. She gave a quick goodbye to Luxx before heading out onto the bustling street.

Marcia arrived at their meeting spot, the building beside the alleyway she was almost kind of kidnapped in. She had mixed feelings about it, to say the least- they should probably meet somewhere else, but she pushed those thoughts to the side. She fiddled with her headband as she eagerly waited and watched for the girl.

"Hi, doll."

Marcia jumped as Lotus' voice appeared behind her, "Why do you always do that?! Gosh, you're going to give me a heart attack one of these days!" Lotus laughed as Marcia pouted at her, "I'm serious!"

"Oh c'mon, don't make that face! I think it's only fair considering you've been ignoring me." Lotus teased, leaning against the wall. 

Marcia flushed, "I'm sorry about that- I've been so busy with rehearsals, I just lost track of time. I swear I meant to talk to you earlier."

"Don't apologize, I figured it was something like that. I just wanted to tease you, you're cute when you're flustered."

Marcia felt her face go red as she struggled to form a reply, all while Lotus giggled at her reaction. Lotus spoke up instead, "Why don't you tell me all about rehearsals? You're doing that one show, the one about the blonde girl, right? Is it Mean Girls?"

"Legally Blonde, but you were close! Are you sure you don't mind? I can go kind of," Marcia paused, "well, kind of overboard when it comes to theatre."

"No, I don't mind at all! I want to hear about the things you're passionate about."

Marcia couldn't hide the smile creeping onto her face as she launched into the show's details- how rehearsal was going, trying on costumes, and the dreaded upcoming tech week. Lotus sat intently listening the whole time, nodding her head along and smiling at Marcia's grand gestures. She was talking about the new blocking they had received for the next number when Lotus interrupted.

"Wait, why do you have to learn two versions?"

"Because I'm Elle's, the lead, understudy. I basically have to learn her choreography and the ensembles just in case our Elle can't go on."

Lotus was silent for a moment, processing what Marcia had just told her.

"So you have to like...learn double of everything?"

Marcia nodded.

"That's fucking impressive. Seriously, I mean...wow."

Marcia beamed brightly at the compliment, "Thanks! You should come see the show, uh, if you want to that is."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, doll."

The butterflies in her stomach erupted, leaving her speechless and her face bright red. Lotus smirked at her state, which Marcia rolled her eyes at.

"Oh!" Lotus gasped as if she just remembered something, "I want to show you something. Um, if you want to. You don't have to, I get it-"

"Are you kidding? I'd love to!"

Lotus grinned and lifted Marcia into her arms before taking off into the sky. She wrapped her arms around Lotus' neck, cheering as they took off through the sky. They weren't in the sky for long, as they touched down on top of the Manhattan bridge. Lotus held Marcia steady as she set her feet down, laughing nervously at the height.

The wind whipped her hair as she looked down, the cars looking like tiny dots passing below them. She clutched onto Lotus without even thinking about it, who wrapped her arm around her waist.

"This...this is pretty cool." Marcia exhaled, laughing again in disbelief.

"That's not even the best part- look."

Lotus guided Marcia's face with her hand to look towards the sky- a beautiful pink and orange as the sun began to set. Marcia's eyes shone as she took it all in, gasping at its beauty. She couldn't remember how long it had been since she had seen a sunset, or at least one with such a beautiful view like this.

They stood there, together, until the sun had set and the sky was purple.

"Pretty cool, right?"

Marcia nodded, "You know how to impress a girl."

Lotus smirked, very proud of herself. "I used to hang out here and watch the sunset all the time before my shifts. Gave me time to clear my head and focus on the positive. I'm glad I got to share it with you."

Marcia softened, leaning closer into Lotus. "I'm glad you did too."

Lotus rested her head on top of Marcia's, staying like that for a minute before she spoke again.

"I should get you back, I have to go on patrol soon..."

"Do you have to?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Quit pouting, you're gonna make me feel worse!" She laughed, playfully squeezing Marcia who giggled in return.

"Wait! We should take a photo to remember this!" She suggested, eagerly pulling out her phone.

"You're just trying to rope me into spending more time with you!" Lotus teased, yet she still leaned into Marcia and posed for the photo, throwing up a pair of bunny ears behind Marcia's hair.

The camera flashed, capturing this small moment in time. Marcia sighed as she took in the tranquility of it all. She wished the moment could last forever, just the two of them. But it couldn't, not for the moment anyway.

"Will you bring me back sometime?"

"I will. I promise."

-

Marcia drifted off to sleep that night thinking of the bridge, the sunset, and Lotus. She felt like she was on cloud nine, the photo they had taken now set as her home screen. Luxx teased her for it and called her a sap, and maybe she was, but it made her heart flutter every time she looked at it. She felt on top of the world as she fell asleep that night.

[midnightstarshadow]

Hey, hey, guess what?

BPFT!Crescent's reference sheet is done!

(BPFT is my God au, btw!!)

I've never done a reference sheet before so idk if I did this right but I do like how it turned out

You can ask questions about him if you want, my ask box is always open ^^

Okay, now I'm gonna ramble about him so if you don't want spoilers for the fic, you may instead focus intensely on the rendered bit on the left and ignore the rest as well as the stuff under the read more :3

So the lantern glows blue because it's fueled by his magic rather than oil or something like that

Anyone who goes to the mortal realm gets one and it basically lights the path to the task they need to complete down there (Crescent doesn't have a real task tho so it's just a funny light)

Yes, he is wearing cloud pajamas, people tend to headcanon Nightmare's realm as eternally nighttime so that means you get to wear pajamas all the time when you're a demi-god living in his realm like Crescent

This is a medieval fantasy world, but the gates to the mortal realm are partially controlled by the God of Time and so the Gods get stuff from all periods because I fucked up when making Crescent's sheet and forgot to do research Fresh exists to be a menace

The outside of the cloak is fairly plain because the God of Fear is ironically paranoid and stealth is a must, however the galaxies on the inside of the cloak are real stars from Nightmare's realm and they move like a real night sky does (or they would, if I could animate that well)

Nightmare just kinda went "Lemme just pull some stars out of the sky for you" and turned it into a cloak for his son when he was sad one time and now it's Crescent's favourite :)

I spent like.... an hour trying to figure out how to make the stars before giving up and using this image from unsplash, which lets you use images for free. IbisPaint doesn't have many star brushes, unfortunately :(

Cross is there too, though I don't got his design fully fleshed out yet so take the silly little sketch of him

Even though the text is the same for their thoughts, they don't speak the same language

(It's only English for you guys)

Crescent only knows how to speak the Gods' language (which I'm gonna say is now Minecraft Enchantment Table lol) cuz that's what he was raised to speak (and to fuck with you guys <3) and Cross would be using Wingdings

Of course, when it's their perspective, it'll be regular letters for them and those fonts for the other so you get the full experience of a language barrier >:)

Cross wants to pay back Crescent by serving him after he saved his life but Crescent just wants a friend so he never asks for anything and that makes Cross a bit upset lol

He likes helping and can't convey that

Crescent wouldn't mind help tho but he kind of thinks Cross needs to rest after almost dying but he can't convey that either

They want to communicate but they can't lol

Oh! Oh! Oh!

I almost forgot!

Crescent can't travel during the day because his father's realm is the night and Dream unintentionally sends his aura across miles during the day

He wants to be the cool uncle but his aura is very overbearing, especially for a small demi-god :(

Crescent just pulls up his hood and pretends to sleep instead

Cross keeps guard :)

He does think Crescent is a God and that he's probably capable of watching his own back but he likes doing it anyway

[seravphs]

ੈ♡˳·˖✶ — ZHONGLI X FEM READER

The Qixing - namely, Keqing - have decided to pay Zhongli for services rendered to Liyue by giving him the honor of your company. You’re not amused. 

wc — 3.1k

tags — reader is best friends with Ganyu and Keqing, still dealing with the aftermath of Rex Lapis’ death, reader helps Zhongli narrowly avoid getting scammed, Zhongli deals with the consequences of abandoning godhood in more ways than one, Liyue lore 

glossary | chapter 3 of This Is How We Mourn The Living

Seeing the Yuheng at Yuhai Pavilion outside of weekly meetings is rare under normal circumstances, but especially strange in the turmoil Liyue currently faces. More often than not, she spends every waking moment at the Chasm or elsewhere in Liyue.

Well, perhaps that was the reason why - Keqing was not awake, after all. Gently, you rouse the sleeping girl, painfully aware of how young she looked in her dreamless slumber. You even feel generous enough to let it slide when she shoots upwards and knocks you in the chin as she wakes up.

“Oh! Sorry, did I fall asleep? Thank you for waking me,” she says, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. “That would be embarrassing if anyone else found me.”

“No need to be embarrassed,” you smile, “but do me a favor? Let me walk you home.”

Graciously, she accepts, and the two of you fall into a steady stream of conversation. Out of all the Qixing besides Ganyu, Keqing is the one you feel closest to. Ningguang is something of a savior for you, always slightly out of reach, and too extraordinary to call a friend, but Keqing and Ganyu had brought you into their circle almost as soon as you met them.

You and Keqing were the youngest of the Qixing, both with a chip on your shoulder and something to prove. She channeled her desire to forge Liyue’s path forward with critiques of Rex Lapis that sometimes antagonized the elders. You, on the other hand, have always admired Rex Lapis. 

It was one commonality brought the two of you together - painstaking effort in the name of Liyue’s future. In the end, though the Qixing squabble amongst themselves, it is all for the city they serve, so you can forgive her almost anything.

Sometimes, she tends to take advantage of that fact.

Like now. Your friendship is why she, like Ganyu, can tease you about Zhongli so easily, and she never passes up an opportunity. “How is working with Rex Lapis?”

“I know what you’re doing,” you warn, but she pushes on.

“Come on, you can’t blame me for being curious. I wonder how he reacts to your dedication. I can’t imagine him being flustered.”

“First of all, he doesn’t know, and you aren’t going to tell him. Second of all, I am being professional, thank you very much.”

“Are you?” She hums, and then backtracks as she can feel you actually start to become irritated. You turn to face her with an intent to pinch her on the cheek, and she throws her hands up defensively. “I’m just teasing, don’t be angry with me! You’re doing important work, and we’re all grateful for it.”

“I’ve had enough of you and Ganyu,” you huff and change the subject. “Tell me about how Liyue is reconstructing. Is it going well?”

Predictably, she ignores you. “Isn’t that the man of the hour? Hey, Zhongli!”

“I’m not falling for that.”

“Yuheng, jiyao mishu.” Keqing, for once, wasn’t joking - Zhongli is actually here.

“What are you doing?” Keqing asks.

“I wanted to mingle among the people of Liyue a little more,” he says. “I thought that the markets would be a good place to start.”

A thought occurs to you. “Zhongli-xiansheng, did you forget to bring mora again?”

He pauses in his scrutiny of the goods laid out on the cloth in front of you, his fingers twitching as he tries, and fails, to conjure mora out of thin air. Giving up the status of a god comes with it’s pitfalls. “Ah. I forgot.”

Keqing has her scheming face on, which never bodes well for you. “Zhongli, why don’t I offer the company of this lovely lady as compensation for all of your hard work today? The Qixing would never deign to dishonor Rex Lapis by leaving his vessel without funds. Consider this all covered by your stipend for your new position.”

“Keqing, you can’t just trade me off like I’m some object,” you argue.

“So you’re not going to accompany him? That’s shameful, my lady. Shouldn’t our god receive the utmost respect from us?”

“You are so annoying. ”

“I’ll translate for you,” she tells Zhongli. “That’s a yes. Well, I’m off now! I haven’t slept in hours - but you two have fun.” She throws a wink at you as she leaves that you pointedly ignore.

“What were you looking at?” You ask Zhongli, giving in since you know things won’t be going your way.  

“This starconch reminds me of a friend I’m expecting soon.”

“You have a great eye, sir!” The merchant, sensing weakness, hurries over. “Do you see that orange hue? Most starconches are blue, so this is a very rare find. For that, I must mark up the price, but observe how it shifts in the light - is it not worth it? For your discerning eye, I’ll give you a discount. Only 40,000 mora!”

Zhongli makes a passive noise of agreement, just as you feared. “Fascinating. I’ve never seen this before - I must study it further. It seems like a fair price for such a gem-”

Gently, you pull his arm back. “Wait a minute. May I see that, please?”

The merchant pales as he recognizes you, originally too focused on making a sale to notice who accompanied Zhongli. “Jiyao mishu,” he bows. “A-as you can see, it’s truly a remarkable piece.”

“Spare me. Zhongli-xiansheng-“

“Zhongli,” he cuts you off.

“Zhongli, this doesn’t look right. It was probably originally blue, but he probably soaked it in a mixture of Jueyun Chilis, Berries, and Qingxin dye to get this orange color.”

“Jiyao mishu,” the merchant cries. “How could you accuse me of such a thing!”

“Are you saying I’m a liar? Look - right here, you can see a mark where the pigment has left a residue. 40,000 is not a fair price at all.” You frown at him. “What’s your name? The Qixing do not look kindly upon falsehoods.”

“Please, my lady, I meant no disrespect! I never lied - it is a starconch, and it is orange.”

“You want me to overlook your lie by omission,” you say. “Well, in that case - shall we make a deal?”

You walk away from that merchant’s stall with a promise not to attempt to scam any more buyers and the orange starconch - free of charge, for your mercy. Impressed, and in need of your practicality, Zhongli asks you to accompany him as he makes the rest of his purchases. He’s a strange mix of overly wise and completely vulnerable. Though he delights you with his opinion on Silk Flowers and Cor Lapis, more knowledgeable than the merchants themselves, he fails to recognize simple market tricks and the wily words of the vendors.

“This,” he says, “is a rare beauty. It’s been a long time since I saw such a remarkable specimen. The veins of gold must mean it was harvested from the peaks of Mt. Tianheng.” 

He held it up to the light in amazement.

“Fascinating. In ancient Liyue, noble ladies believed that glasses carved out of this material could make the most powerful love potions. In fact, there is a pool in Yujing Terrace named after a concubine who, after failing to seduce the emperor with an aphrodisiac brewed in a Cor Lapis chalice, threw herself in and drowned.”

Not everyone appreciates his commentary. Two young ladies from House Yu nearly trip over themselves in their haste to get away from you, even ignoring Zhongli’s outstretched hand. But to you, these small snippets of the past are fascinating. 

Even with your frankly unmatched memory for Liyue’s history, you had never heard of such a connection between the lakes and the royal consorts. You couldn’t help yourself from indulging him, even as you found yourself at the most expensive florist in all of the city.

“These Glaze Lilies,” he sighed and lifted them to his face, inhaling the delicate fragrance. “I had a friend who cherished these.”

The look on his face was so melancholy you couldn’t help yourself - you bought him the store’s entire inventory. It was, you argued to yourself, a justifiable purchase for a god.

As a thank you, he bought you a delicate sprig of Violetgrass (though you’re not sure how it could be counted as a gift if it was also paid for out of your pocket). “Here,” he said, holding the flower just under your nose. “It is said that the scent of Violetgrass flowers can be quite fortifying, just like the flower itself - clinging to the mountainside even in the harshest conditions. I hope you’re not overworking yourself.”

Without further explanation, he continues his appraisal of the hothouse of flowers, ignorant to the startled, but pleased smile that made its way across your face as he tucked the flower behind your ear.

“Jiejie,” a small blur practically flies across the street and into your arms. It’s one of the children of the merchants. You bring her candy whenever you see her, though she has to promise to keep it a secret from her mother.

“Who is this?” The inquisitive child looks curiously at Zhongli.

“Be polite,” you scold. “This is Zhongli-xiansheng,” but you've already lost her attention.

“Yanfei-jie was looking for you!” She holds her hands out hopefully.

“Thank you,” says the woman in question, popping up behind you with no warning, as she tends to do. “Here, have a Lotus Head for your trouble. You!” She directs the latter part at you.

“Me,” you say, amused.

“Thank you for finding that book for me! I checked every single bookstore and library I could find, and none of them carried it. If you hadn’t had it in your private collection, I think it might just have disappeared forever. What a waste of knowledge.”

“I’m glad to have been able to be of help. If you’re finished with it, you can return it to Ganyu - she’ll know what to do with it.”

“Please, let me treat you to dinner sometime,” she insisted. “Thank Rex Lapis-“ the man next to you flinches, though it’s barely noticeable- “for your contribution to the city. If you ever need some pro-bono legal advice, come to me! I’ll be more than happy to help after all you’ve done.”

As Yanfei walks off, Zhongli looks introspective. “I’ve said this before, but you really are beloved among the city, aren’t you?”

“No more than Ningguang,” you reply breezily, “and almost certainly less than you.”

“Hm.” He leaves it at that.

Another three hours into his exploration of the markets, and an agonizing three hours on your heels, he finally pauses with a furrow on his brow. He’s noticed your limp. “Please excuse me. It’s been so long since I’ve walked the streets of Liyue like this, now I find that I’ve been inconsiderate. You should’ve stopped me if you were in pain.”

“Not at all! I quite enjoyed your history lesson,” you say, and it is not at all just an attempt at appeasing him. “It was my honor to be able to hear you speak. In fact, since it is getting late, let me invite you to dinner to repay you. No, don’t protest, or you’ll wound my pride. You know the Liyue way is to uphold reciprocity above all else.”

“You’re hardly indebted to me for a few words,” he points out, “but I’ll be glad to accompany you, if you’ll have me. In fact, I know of this delightful little restaurant I’m sure will please you. Third-Round Knockout has never disappointed me.”

Third-Round Knockout lives up to it’s name - as soon as you bite into their Jueyun Guboa, it’s like your mouth is on fire. It feels like there’s smoke in your nostrils just from the heat you feel on your tongue. You’re in the fight of your life against the war being waged on your tastebuds, and yet, it’s simply sublime. You can’t get enough of it, even as tears well up in your eyes and you reach for your third glass of water.

At the man who recommended it to you, you accuse, “Zhongli, I think you’re a sadist.”

“Does that make you a masochist? After all, it looks like you’re quite enjoying it.” Still, he smiles and offers you his wine to soothe your tongue. As always, he’s picked well. It’s a light and fragrant flavor, the perfect complement to the biting spice of the Jueyun Chilis.

“Can I ask you something?” He waits for you to nod before he continues. “Do you hate me for giving up Liyue? Sometimes, watching you, I feel like I haven’t quite abdicated as much as forced you to take on my responsibilities. You are a child of this city - tell me honestly, do you hate me for abandoning you?”

How could you ever hate him? You mean to tell him, but he makes another attempt to speak first. A woman at a nearby table makes an annoyed shushing noise at him. You’re forever amazed by how people treat him now, compared to if they knew his true identity, but you know Zhongli prefers it this way, if the light smile playing at his lips is any indication. You try to speak to him again, but he shakes his head. It’s alright, he mouths. It was just a thought.

Silence descends on the small restaurant - the bards have arrived. One is from Mondstadt, but most are from Liyue. On a dimly lit stage, they set up their instruments, and among them is a zither. Your fingers twitch, a fact that does not go unnoticed by Zhongli. “Can you play?”

“A little,” you say, and leave it at that, because the bards are speaking. It’s impolite to talk over them, and besides, you love their stories. As a child, you had preferred the aftertaste of folklore on your tongue to an actual dinner. Ningguang liked to joke that you were raised on starlight and fairy tales.

All of that respect for their carefully honed craft goes out the window as they begin their story - about you , and the monster you had brought down in the service of Liyue, the first act that had garnered you the attention of Ningguang, all the way above in her Jade Chamber.

Back then, Ningguang had just been in the process of building her home, and it was much further below the skyline than it had been when it was used in the battle against Osial. It was a stroke of luck that she was close enough to witness you crush a yao guai that had gotten too close to the city. Stonehide lawachurls were, though infrequent sights, easily dealt with by the Millelith.

This, a huli jing, was a completely different matter. A fox spirit looking for another life to take in order to complete it’s nine tails, it had prowled the city limits in order to find fresh prey, preferably young and pretty. They were vain creatures like that. 

Ningguang, a new recruit of the Qixing at the time, had not realized how close the creature had gotten to the gates, but did not have time to act before you struck. In front of nearly half the city and the Tianquan, you took down the monster in the name of Rex Lapis.

At that, you see Zhongli lean forward, interested in the mention of his name, and you can bear it no longer. Your chair screeches as you shove it back. Zhongli looks confused and concerned as he reaches for you, but you’re too busy trying to do damage control.

“Jiyao mishu,” the bard cries out as he sees you, not expecting the subject of his song to be present. The people around you go down on one knee, all excluding Zhongli, once again earning him the ire of the woman at the neighboring table, who whispers loudly of the disrespect, and how if he was her son, she would cuff him around the ears.  

“Thank you, for such a wonderful tale,” you say, fighting back your embarrassment, “but may I borrow the stage now?”

“Of course,” he stammers out, already making room for you.

“The moon is bright tonight,” you muse. “I’d like to tell the story of Chang-Er, the girl on the moon, and her Jade Rabbit. Does that please everyone?”

“You know your stories are incomparable, my lady,” shouts an encouraging voice from the back, and you laugh.

When you’re finished, the entire restaurant is silent, still basking in the glow of the tale you’ve woven for them. If they blink, the moon still hangs bright and full behind their eyelids, and the sad-faced girl who occupies it smiles at them. They break into stilted, then roaring applause - a standing ovation.

“I can’t believe it,” whispers the woman who had shushed Zhongli. “Who would have thought we would be so lucky? It cost Ms. Bai 200,000 mora to hear one of the jiyao mishu’s legends at a concert hall.

“I heard that she’s always invited to speak at Lady Ningguang’s exclusive dinner parties.”

“What a night!”

All around you, the whispers abound. Zhongli sits as still as a statue as you make your way back to him, accepting thanks and compliments as you go. He looks like a mystical being carved out of moonlight himself, as if the goddess you had spoken of had been so moved by your retelling, she had sent you a gift. He’s always beautiful, but under this full moon, his eyelashes tipped in silver and white, he’s heartbreakingly beautiful.

“An interesting tale,” he muses, “though I hope you still prefer Rex Lapis to the lunar goddess.”

“You know I do, my lord,” you laugh. “I’m not sitting with her at the moment, am I?”

“I wasn’t aware you had such talents. It was a wonderful performance.”

“Well, I am Ningguang’s jiyao mishu. As the enforcer of the law, she needs Liyue’s past available to her at all times.” You incline your head. “That is my role. I am Liyue’s living history, guardian of the memory of the land.”

“Memories,” he says softly. “I see why Ningguang sent you to me.”

“If I may, Zhongli-xiansh-“ and, at his frown, correct yourself, “Zhongli. I’ve been thinking about what you said last time. Rex Lapis may only exist as a memory now, but if you just watch your people, you’ll see. Their eyes are shaded with grief, but all around us, the city of rock endures. When even stone crumbles to nothing, memory outlasts all. Your people will survive, even when you are just the whispers of a great-great-grandmother’s bedtime story.”

Zhongli looks at you as if he is seeing you for the first time.

“I’m glad,” he says softly. Though not drunk off the wine you’ve been served, it’s loosened his tongue somewhat, mellowed him out. He’s always carried himself with a sweet sort of sadness, an ever present ache, but it seems to leave him for moments at a time, like now. “I’m glad that my people have someone like you to watch over them.”

[chowaya]

Some really cool powers I adore that could be used for OC's in the my hero universe. ( when really this is just my opinion and take on some powers. booyah! fooled ya! Now you gotta listen to me rant! )

1) Any kind of elemental power :

— alright, TO ME, elemental powers can be a bit boring or very boring because it's very repetitive from what I've seen. So far, to like an elemental in my taste, it's gotta be a singular quirk like fire only or earth only.

And write in a way to make it stand out or make it a bit different? I guess that's what I'm trying to say. I can't handle it when someone shows up as the fckin avatar, to me I can't take it seriously. Like sorry but I can't.

To make it stand out like change the colour or usage of the elemental quirk. Like water is mostly known for healing and defense so try to make it more of an offensive quirk- does that make sense? Oh! And I absolutely love when fire is a different colour. Blue is cool but turquoise, white, PINK— or make fire have healing properties? I eat that sht up.

2) Plant manipulation :

— I forgot what's the name of it, so ignore me. By plant manipulation I don't mean like sprouting vines from the ground and capture your absolute enemies. That's amateurish to me, I want trees uprooting themselves and those roots become LEGS, AND THOSE BRANCHES BECOME ARMS AND THEY BECOME YOUR LITTLE SOLDIER TO VICTORY IN BATTLES!!

Very much like maleficent, if you have seen it. Like sprouting trees is a bit too eh for me— for people with plant quirks I want them to be menaces to society. I want them to unleash hell, all is said.

3) Magnetism :

— brother walking in with the Magneto hairline. I WANT MAGNETS IN STORIES. it's so cool and bloody amazing and so goddamn powerful. You want an OC that's absolutely overpowered? Get yourself a magnetism quirk, enough with Avatar bullshit let it rest in peace.

Any OC with a metal quirk gives traumatized daddy energy. You can't convince me otherwise. That OC could be 5'1 and it would scream babygirl wearing black turtlenecks.

Also, I kinda came up with a really cool move that anyone could use which is like using your metal quirk. You could float a tiny coin and control it right? And then make it slice deep enough behind the knees to render your enemies useless. It's brutal but it's cool.

4) type of wings :

— I would kill for someone to have wings that aren't bird inspired. The fck why you wanna be a bird? Do you sht eggs? What are you, a pigeon? A goose? A duck? A bald eagle? What are you, American? USA RARRRR—

The wings I would love for OC's or shifters, maybe bat wings? Butterfly wings? Dragonfly wings? And maybe have your OC with coloured skin? Ombre skin? Love that.

Or maybe fish inspired wings? And how would that work? I don't know. But the idea seems like legitness. I also discovered like um Chinese moon moths? Oh My GOD you have to look it up their wings are beautiful with their fckin tails??? Hello???

Embodiment of beauty.

5) hemokinesis ( but in a certain way) :

— do y'all watch demon Slayer?? It's something like that. Have your blood create fire or explode, thin but crazy strong strings that you can slice or attach to people, blood that becomes a fragrance or smoke. Not that turning to weapon things cuz I have a better idea of quirk to go with that.

6) energy-technology construction.

— even the name sounds hella cool. With like rings around your fingers as you construct something. Chef's kisses.

7) teleportation

— I really like this quirk with the combination with the one before cuz it's badass. Do I really need to explain myself. Teleportation like- humph! I'm gone. Like quick teleportation not portals they're boring. Ew.

Like nightcrawler teleportation. If I wanted a power I would choose this. By far the most useful thing to come in life.

8) emotional manipulation or empathy

— enough is said. People be like mental manipulation is scary but BITCH LOOK AT EMOTIONAL MANIPULATION. like mantis you know? To feel and to give emotions. To put people to sleep. This isn't really such a bad power I love it.

Anyways thanks for coming to my tedtalk

[episodeoftv]

Round 1 of 6, Group 2 of 4

propaganda is under the cut (607 words) - may contain spoilers

summaries (pulled from imdb or wikis)

propaganda

Dancing with the Stars - 31.11 Finale

The four finalists perform their final two routines in hopes of winning the mirrorball trophy.

The winner had been pre-decided before the season even began which rendered the entire season pointless. I also watched on the West coast so I went into the episode knowing just how rigged it actually was because the results were already posted online. I don’t expect these shows to be 100% authentic but I at least expect the finale to use actual votes instead of having the winner put it in her contract that she wins.

Lost - 6.17/6.18 The End

The Man in Black searches for Desmond to achieve his goal of destroying the island. Jack, the newly-appointed "protector" of the island, sets out to stop him. In Los Angeles, the survivors reunite and recall their island experiences. / Locke puts his plan into action, which could liberate him from the island.

Locke puts his plan into action, which could liberate him from the island.

1) Worst payoff of all time. What the fuck does any of it mean and not in a fun twin peaks kind of way in a this had so much potential and such high expectations attached to it way. I haven't seen GOT but i really think Lost rivals it for cultural impact and widespread enraging of the audience. This final is proof that a TV show should never be greenlit without a complete story outline. I rewatch every so often though when it's good it's great it's a real tragedy

2) So many loose threads either messily explained or ignored completely. Extremely unsatisfying explanation of what the island was.

3) Legendary L, never been one like it, the king is on the top and we can see him, just fell on their fucking faces I can't explain I won't explain

4) They were just so unsatisfying. None of the build-up (and there was a TON of build up) paid off.

5) ok look. the Lost finale has been criticised a lot, and a lot of that criticism has been dumb (they weren't all dead the whole time and people need to stop saying that you guys are just misunderstanding the episode) HOWEVER. I maintain that even if a lot of the criticism of it historically has been unfair, it's still an awful finale. Its first and biggest crime is the main plot of the episode (and season as a whole) is really boring. It does away with the interesting character drama and moral dilemmas the show always excelled at and turns everything into a boring black and white good vs evil battle between two characters we don't care about. Just generally it feels super dumbed down compared to the rest of the show, especially when the stupid afterlife plot swoops in and starts explicitly telling the audience which characters were good, which were bad, and which characters were meant to end up together. It's frankly baffling, it feels like the writers suddenly decided they were sick of letting the audience interpret things for themselves. and again, one of the main strong points of the show had always been its moral ambiguity and openness to different interpretations. And the worst part is that we don't even really get a cute "everyone reunites in the afterlife" ending, because the writers FUCKING FORGOT ABOUT HALF THE CHARACTERS. WHERE WERE MILES, DANIEL AND CHARLOTTE? WHERE WAS WALT? WHERE WAS MICHAEL (actually I know exactly where Michael is he's stuck on the island as a ghost forever because his crimes were too bad to ever redeem himself) (his crimes were not that bad) (he had a very sympathetic motivation of wanting to protect his son) (this wasn't in the finale but I think is emblematic of the same problem of the writers really really dumbing down the morality of the show) (also it sucked and was racist). However at the end of the day this episode's true crime is being boring. I would forgive so many problems if only I cared even a tiny bit about the main conflict going on, which I don't. because no one cares about jacob and the man in black.

[trianarocks]

 I started crying into his chest “Don’t leave me Harry. I need you” I said well crying “Leave you? I would never because here’s a secret’ he paused and looked around before continuing ‘I need you as much as you need me. If not more babe” he said “ how? How do you need me babe?” I said “ your the only one who lets me be mad” he says I hug him tighter crying harder and he hugs me back. I know he loves me but sometimes I get scared like I feel like he doesn't and that scares me. It shocked me to my core though when I found out that he liked me. I remember it so well "Harry stop it" I said laughing so hard "nope never not doing that no no no!" He replied laughing even harder. He took my hat again and put it on top of his "Harry!" I shouted well laughing a couple minutes later we were walking through the forest with a beautiful sunset shining across the snow "Hey y/n what if I told you I loved you?" Harry asked "Um wow uh I don't know" I said "mhm. Well' he said and then paused 'I love you" he continued "do you love me to becau-" All of a sudden I interrupted him with a kiss on the lips "I agree" I said "I love you too" I said "would you like to be my girlfr-" I interrupted him with a kiss on the lips again "yep" I said. I remember that day like it was yesterday it was so romantic well until I ruined the romance but me and Harry still go on walks in the woods especially in the winter and those are our dates because it's nice and quiet. I all of a sudden remembered how I forgot to give Harry his kiss after our fly on the broom! I always give Harry a kiss after he takes me flying! So I take my head out of his chest and he started laughing "why are you laughing?" I asked "because you hahahahaha have shirt marks on hahaha your face" he said laughing "ok well ignore that" I said and then I gave him his kiss "ah so you just remembered" he said "mhm" I said "well then I just remembered this!" He said getting his book I just gave him out "I need to read this book so why don't we read it together I mean after all we both are amazed by creatures" he said "sounds good" I replied "Chapter 1 Unicorns: page 1: Ability's "The unicorn has magical powers, heals sickness, has the power to render poisoned water potable. Page 2: they have big appetites and eat grass, plants, flowers and berries" he said. After that we walked outside in the forest. Leaves all over the ground with beautiful colours on them and a cool breeze hit my face and my y/h/c hair was blowing everywhere "it's so beautiful the forest" Harry said "yes espeacially the sunset" I replied "yeah" he said "I love you babe" I said "I love you too" he replied. Me and him got down and laid in the leaves watching the sunset sky turn into night sky. Once it was night we walked back inside to his dorm and cuddled up some more well he was reading his favourite book. I was bored so I decided to take his glasses and run off with them and he chased me through the common room until I ran into my best friend Hermoine's room and jumped on her bed and me and her were having best friend cuddles waiting for Harry to find me and then I fell asleep.

(Harry's side of the story (switch over))

I was looking everywhere for y/n and then I found her with Hermoine. I looked around for my glasses and noticed them in her hand. I was about to snatch my glasses when all of a sudden I hear "Harry don't! She's sleeping." Hermoine whispered, I looked over to see that indeed she was sleeping and I then carried her in bridal style to my bed and cuddled with her and not long after I feel asleep. (To be continued)

[leidensygdom]

16 and 24 for the artist ask!!

I forgot I had these asks lefts on the inbox ohmygod let me get around them!

16. What’s the most daunting part of your process? Ex, planning, sketching, lineart, rendering etc

I think I had replied this one, but it's been the bit of linearting-then-rendering! I keep making fully clean linearts (and I do make my linearts really polished no matter what), only to overpaint them. I don't feel confident enough to paint from a sketch with full precision, but it makes me feel I'm losing a lot of time! There's the example with Aella. Ignore the layer mess in the first lineart, that was a working file!

24. How do you deal with artblock?

So, I've been dealing badly with it. I normally would take a break and give myself a bit of time to get back to it, maybe go reference hunting or something since that's always inspiring. Use the time to do some hobbies, too, that would be great.

Lately though, I feel guilty about not drawing, so I haven't really played any videogame (which was my usual hobby) in a long while. I mostly just procrastinate up until I can drag myself to draw, even if badly. Bad bad bad all around!

[felikatze]

it's time for Feli's Chaos Head Route Review Time, yeehaw.

This time, Sena's route! It was... fun? I like any route that gets silly with the canon divergence, and Sena just waltzing into Nozomi Corp HQ made a great one. There def could've been more horror potential in Sena and Takumi being trapped in a locked dark room for 28 hours (and probably also more fanservice potential, glad they saved that for the two being trapped under rubble together! /sarcasm), but the story just skips right over it to get to the lore and character stuff.

As that aspect stands, 'Yua' route is for sure better. HOWEVER..... this route does a great job of laying bare the hypocrisy at the core for Sena's character - that she prides herself so much on logic, yet is entirely driven by emotion.

It's an interesting dualism, as she is the character to first introduce "science" as an explanation for the seemingly supernatural occurences, introducing us to 'Gigalomaniacs', in direct contrast to Ayase's 'Black Knights'. But unlike Ayase, Sena denies the 'wicked heart' at the core of Gigalomaniacs, that all of them are broken in some way that leads them to perceive the world differently... She spells it out explicitly toward the end of the route, that she had to convince herself the world is simply an electronic device, so she could persue her goal without constantly grieving.

Yet denying herself the chance to grieve her family in favor of chasing conspiracy is what leads to her downfall on common route as well, as a single attack at her emotional weakness renders her null and void. Elaborating on character aspects that may be underdeveloped in the rest of the story yippieee

as for the actual plot. hm. hm. the tldr is: i don't get it. there's contradictory things going on. so, in this route, we "meet" the committee of 300, the lame as hell conspiracy explanation for nozomi's shenanigans, and they're.... not actual people? god? takumi's explanation of "gamemasters for the video game of life" makes the most sense just from an understanding level + from a meta perspective of "this is literally a video game i'm playing rn" [sorry takumi, it's not an rpg! you don't have stats, you scrublord!]

i was kind of relieved that this was a more supernatural explanation above "yeah conspiracies are real" but then the post-credits scene confirms the conspiracy was real anyways....? and also that the detective lady (momose...? i forgot) is in cahoots with them??? whuhe. well shucks. i guess everything was all according to plan anyways (ignoring that the "plan" only works in one of Nine Fucking Endings)

and. the baby. the cheat code baby. i think the cheat code is interesting conceptually because it's just tricking takumi into believing in himself? it's just a delusion. (but everything is a delusion, and takumi believes others more than himself.) it manages to skip having takumi self-actualize by like. letting him fill in the blanks of what the cheat code even is so his power just does all the work.

like we can ASSUME it's the di-sword but he can get the di-sword himself in other routes, so the "cheat" would be a) getting the sword without putting in the actual work for it, thus being like the ESO shortcuts takumi talked about letting you level your character without effort or b) nothin.

it's fun! it works.

but. the baby....?

obviously this is meant to provoke Sena's emotional weakness. It's a callback to her little sister Mana, and how Sena's greatest regret involves Mana's death. Here she has a baby, a do-over, something to protect where she had failed Mana before, thus making sense of Sena's utter refusual to kill it even at the risk of the world and her own life. That tracks.

But having Sena refer to it as "our" baby w Takumi, and having the two of them die to give it life (probably realbooted that thang shogun-style) adds some layer of parenthood symbolism that i'm struggling to make sense of...? there's not particularly a theme of motherhood outside of how much of Sena's character is tangled up with her father, but none of that ever applies to her as any sort of parental figure so i'm just scratching my head going "huh?" especially when dragging takumi into it. there's probably some freudian reading of this or whatever.

overall. exquisite character writing for the route, really lays bare the core of Sena's character and puts all her actions (including common route) into perspective, raises MANY many confusing lore questions and the symbolism's kinda wack.

all around. it was decent! structurally i liked it more than Ayase's but that one IS shaping up to be my least favorite. Outside the ending, in which i think Ayase's is stronger. Just as Ayase stands for Fantasy, and Sena stands for Sci-Fi.... so too are the quality of their routes inversions of one another.

[steadybelieverpersona]

Ch.60: A Forest of Change

Paimon: Now that we've made it to Sumeru, our next objective should be to head to Sumeru City and find a way to meet with Lesser Lord Kusanali. And speaking of Lesser Lord Kusanali, even though we haven't heard too much about her, she doesn't seem to be the same deity who abducted your sister... But even so, people call Sumeru the "Nation of Wisdom," you know. If we can get a chance to meet the God of Wisdom, maybe she can give us some useful information.

Aether: Alright, sounds like a plan.

Paimon: But, uh... Paimon doesn't know the way to Sumeru City... Maybe we can climb up to that spot with the Statue of The Seven on it? That'll give us a way better view of things! Even if we can't see exactly where the city is, at least we'll be able to check for some smaller settlements nearby. Wait a second, look! There's someone up ahead! Perfect timing! Now we can just ask for directions rather than wander around like lost adventurers.

They walked up to the person

Paimon: Hey there. Uh... we're not from around here and seem to have gotten a little lost... We'd like to ask for some directions! Huh? Did they not hear Paimon? HEY! You over there! Could you give us some directions?

Sumeru Local: Huh? *leaves*

Paimon: What's going on here? There's no way she could've missed that... Wait! Could she be ignoring us!? How dare she?

Y/n: Calm down, it's probably nothing to get worked up about... Or maybe there's a reason she ignored us?

Paimon: Hmph! Well, even so, she might be heading someplace where we could find other people to ask. Let's keep our distance and follow her! When we get the chance, we'll just ask someone else for directions. C'mon, let's follow her. Just keep quiet and make sure she doesn't notice us.

After approaching the waterfall

Paimon: Huh!? She just walked near that small waterfall and then suddenly vanished! Let's go take a closer look.

They walk into the cave

Paimon: Paimon thought this cave would lead to a village or something, but uh, it looks like that's not the case. Look, she's sitting over there. Wait, she couldn't possibly be living here, could she? Uh, what should we do now? Do we try asking her for directions again?

Y/n: Maybe we shouldn't bother her.

Paimon: Hmm, it looks like she's meditating or something. If we bother her now, she probably wouldn't let us off very lightly... Oh? Mmm! What a lovely smell! It's coming from that censer over there. This is definitely not your typical place to call home, but at least it smells nice! Hmm, maybe living here wouldn't be too bad after all...

Aether/Y/n: Ugh! Uh oh...

Paimon: Huh, what's the matter? You both don't look too good.

Aether: This smell, it's... Something's... not right!

Paimon: What? Is the smell making you feel sick? Strange, Paimon doesn't feel anything...

Aether/Y/n: "I've got to get out of here!"

Aether and Y/n turn around, but another headache stops them

Aether/Y/n: "I think I'm gonna pass... out..."

Paimon: What's happening? Aether? Y/n? This is no time for a nap! C'mon, wake up...

Paimon's voice fades out

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Aether and Y/n's vision blurs... as they walk under the eerie sky, their vision blurred.

They see a giant tree standing in the center of the world. When they get close to it, they hear some incoherent utterances: "World... forget me." As a searing pain in their head renders you unconscious...

...World... Forget me...

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Paimon: ...Are you sure it's not serious? They've been out for a long time now...

???: Yes, you can relax... Believe me, Master is extremely knowledgeable. If he says that they're going to be alright, then there's absolutely nothing to worry about. Oh, are you both awake now?

Paimon: Oh, thank goodness! Aether, Y/n, you're both finally awake!

Y/n: Where are we? "Collei?"

Paimon: Well, we're at... uh... Good question, where are we!? Paimon was in such a panic when you both passed out that she even forgot to ask what place this is.

???: This is Gandharva Ville. It was originally built by scholars from Sumeru as a place to rest in the rainforest. Now, it's mainly used by the Forest Rangers as a base of operations. My name is Collei. I'm a Trainee Forest Ranger. My master and I found you passed out during our patrol, so we brought you both here.

Aether: Thank you for the help.

Collei: Oh n—no, no thanks are necessary! I didn't do anything, really. By the way, how are you both feeling now? Any discomfort?

Aether: No, I seem to be fine, I'm not sure about Y/n, except... This taste in my mouth... It's so bitter!

Y/n: I don't like it.

Collei: Oh, haha... That's Master's herbal medicine you're tasting. He gave you some while you both were unconscious. Before I forget, Master mentioned you both should take more medicine once you guys wake up.

Collei walks to a nearby desk, picks something up, and turns back around, only to drop the item

Collei: Ah, whoops!

Tighnari: Collei, what's the matter? Were you trying to retrieve the medicine? As I've already told you, you must be careful with these... I'll get it for you once I'm finished here.

Collei: Ah, sorry, Master...

Tighnari: *sigh* Now, the "Guide to Avidya Forest's Edible Fungi" is clearly posted on our bulletin board. But, if Farbod forgets which mushrooms to avoid one more time, I'll have no choice but to leave the guide somewhere a little more visible — like right smack on his forehead so others can remind him to be careful.

Nasrin: Right, this is the second time he's come down with food poisoning this month. I'll be sure to give him a good talking-to!

Tighnari: Yes, please do. If, on the off-chance, Farbod simply enjoys having little imaginary fairies dance before his eyes, then we'll just let him be. But the next time he requires any of our medicine, be sure to charge him accordingly.

Nasrin nods, then leaves, and Tighnari enters the room

Tighnari: So, how are you both doing? Feeling better?

Collei: Oh, this is my master, Forest Watcher Tighnari. He is chief officer over all the rangers here in Gandharva Ville.

Tighnari: I already informed Paimon about the reason you both fell unconscious earlier, but now that you're awake, let me explain it for you as well. It is common practice for Sumeru scholars of certain Darshans to dedicate themselves to training and meditation in isolated areas, particularly the nearby forests. While meditating, they use a certain incense known as Spirit Borneol to help calm their minds as they enter a state of deep rumination. In hopes of asking directions, you three followed a scholar named Haypasia into her cave. The incense you smelled inside was the Spirit Borneol I just mentioned. That incense typically has no effect on most people. But, for a very select few, it can have profound effects on one's cognition, as you experienced firsthand. Does that make sense?

Aether: Yes, that all makes sense.

Tighnari: Very good. Now, answer me this: Did you feel anything after passing out? Say, any out-of-body experiences, or did you see anything while unconscious?

They describe what they saw while unconscious... while Y/n also mentioned how she got an even worse headache when she smelled the Spirit Borneol

Tighnari: Hmm... Collei, let the others know to stop bringing their patrol logs here for now.

Collei: Huh? W—Why?

Tighnari: Because these three will be staying here for the next few days. They can have my room, and I'll bunk with Amir. Now get a move on and be sure to do as I've said.

Collei: Uh, yes, Master Tighnari!

Collei leaves

Paimon: Wait, hold on a second! Can you tell us what's going on?

Tighnari: Sure, let me fill you in. I originally planned to send you on your way once you finished your medicine. However, it appears now that you should stay a while longer in Gandharva Ville for further observation while you recuperate.

Paimon: Further observation?

Y/n: But we need to get to Sumeru City...

Tighnari: No need to be hasty. As long as either or both of you have the capacity to judge between right and wrong, I promise that you'll understand the gravity of the situation once I explain everything to you. Based on what you saw after smelling the incense and losing consciousness, we can conclude that you experienced a powerful hallucination, which suggests your mental state is not in the best of shape. If you're skeptical, have a whiff of this. *holding a small ball with mist coming out*

Aether: Wha—! *holding his head*

Y/n: Ow *holding her head*

Paimon: Whoa, are you guys okay?

Tighnari: You're experiencing a similar sensation as when you passed out, aren't you? So even though your condition is stable as of now, if I were to haphazardly let you leave, it's highly likely that you'd suddenly pass out again somewhere else. The rainforest is home to many fierce animals and hazardous areas. If something were to happen to you again, I'm afraid you might not be so lucky. Especially you *points at Y/n* the reason you felt more pain is because you don't eat, you look like you rarely eat, a lack of nutrients is bad for both the body and health, For now, I suggest you both continue taking your medicine, eat well each day and avoid wandering off on your own, at least until you stop having adverse reactions to this kind of smell, okay?

Y/n: Alright...

Tighnari: Mmm, good. Now continue resting while I fire up another bowl of medicine for you guys.

Tighnari leaves

Paimon: *sigh* Seriously, we just arrived in Sumeru. We're already having problems left and right... Paimon knows we were set on meeting Lesser Lord Kusanali as soon as possible, but neither of you really doesn't look too good... It'd probably be best to let you recover first. Uh, hey! Are you even listening to Paimon? Paimon's over here worrying about you, ya know!

Y/n: I feel it's a little weird...

Paimon: What's weird? You mean how you're feeling now?

Y/n: Yeah, my body does feel a little weird, but what I mean is... I don't think what I saw were hallucinations.

Paimon: You mean the vision of tree roots and red skies you both saw? But if those weren't hallucinations, what could they be?

Y/n: I'm not sure.

Aether: "When we saw the vision, it felt as if I was standing deep underground. But the red sky... Could it have been Khaenri'ah?"

Paimon: Well, considering how unique you are, Paimon trusts your judgment here. But why didn't you say anything about it to Tighnari? If he misjudged your guys's condition, then there's a chance you, especially Y/n, could get worse, right? See Y/n, you worry both Paimon and Aether so much!!! *stomps her foot* You rarely eat, even if the most delicious food is in front of you, you only eat a small portion!!!

Y/n: Sorry *has both her hands on her stomach* but my appetite is slowly getting better, and I'm still trying to get used to eating three meals a day.

Aether: I don't think that's the case, but for Y/n, I could understand since her condition makes her extremely fragile. But still, he probably wasn't telling us the truth.

Paimon: Huh? You mean that Tighnari already knows that what you saw weren't hallucinations? But if that's the case, why would he try to hide that from us?

Aether: Exactly. We need to get to the bottom of this.

Paimon: Paimon gets it now... That explains why you were so quiet earlier. Well, that settles it, then. We'll stay here to rest up and figure out what's going on with your hallucinations. But it seems like asking Tighnari might not be an option anymore... What do you think we should do?

Y/n: Let's start by having a chat with Collei.

Paimon: Good idea. Collei's pretty friendly... We can ask her tomorrow about what she knows regarding the Dendro Archon and customs in Sumeru.

They get a night of rest...

Skit(Warning: Gore):

During the night, Y/n ended up getting her usual nightmares, and she couldn't go back to sleep after that, no matter how many times she twisted and turned in bed. She soon gave up and decided to go out and see if by looking at the stars, she could fall asleep. She was quietly sitting on the porch of the room her and her companions were staying in, looking at the stars while hugging her legs close to her until she heard a voice behind her.

Tighnari: Having trouble sleeping?

Y/n: *looks behind her* Yeah, sorry, you said me and Aether shouldn't wander off, but I couldn't get sleep after getting a nightmare so I came out here, hoping I could relax and get some sleep after looking at the stars.

Tighnari: Alright, I understand. Mind if I sit next to you?

Y/n: I don't mind.

Tighnari: *sits next to her* Mind telling me about your nightmare?

Y/n: ...torture and blood

Tighnari: Tortue and blood?

Y/n: My arms were getting cut so blood could be drawn out, getting injected by unknown liquids... *let's some tears slip out* Seeing dead bodies around me with dismembered limbs, being locked up in a small dark and cramped room *crying* and it all changed to me being in a dark void with the voices of others blaming me for their deaths while their blood covered hands grabbed onto me dragging me down and it changed again to me being in the same dark void only this time vines covered in thorns tied themselves all around me and the thorns pierced me drawing blood out and it hurt when I moved, only my screams were heard but no one heard me. *crying*

Tighnari: *pats her head* It's just a nightmare. Nightmares are caused by either figments of our imagination, past experiences, or lack of sleep.

Y/n: *hugs him* It still scares me, even if I'm not a kid anymore.

Tighnari: You can cry all you want, it's fine to cry.

Y/n: *crying*

Y/n soon remembered how when she was with the Fatui their voices comforted her whenever she cried and their words stayed in her memories to this day: "Neither of us will rest easily tonight if you keep crying, cry all you need tonight so tomorrow, you can be strong and hope for a better future where you could be free, that we'll always promise you." And Y/n did as they said she cried all she wanted until she finally fell asleep once more once she felt that she had enough time to cry. She did all this while Tighnari stayed with her.

Skit end

Voice line Unlocked:

About ideals: Wisdom:

The path of wisdom is a never-ending journey, and the journey will only end when you've compiled enough wisdom. Though wisdom comes at a great cost, forbidden wisdom will be discovered, enemies will become allies, traitors will be known, and most importantly, the truth will finally be discovered. What is the cost of curing the important tree of Teyvat? Memories or history itself?

[cyarskaren52]

The 10 Best Sexy Christmas Songs, Ranked

Kayla Kibbe

Friends, it’s that time of year again, by which I of course mean time for me and my former-Catholic-school irreverence to ruin the holiest of holy days by making it a sex thing. As we here at Cosmo have so generously demonstrated over the years, there are plenty of ways one can go about doing this, like giving the internet a veryintimately detailed description of how much you want to fuck the Grinch, or ranking his fellow Christmas movie villains on their comparative bangability. 

But, as Taylor Swift might say, don’t blame me. In case you haven’t noticed, Christmas was weirdly horny well before I got here. There’s Santa’s obvious sugar daddy thing, literally so, somuch more yuletide pornography than anyone could possibly want, plus whatever’s going on with The Rockettes, which, as far as I can tell, is a supposedly family-friendly spectacle that seems to center on sexy dancing ladies with legs for days, just saying. (Christmas is a horny and confusing time, isn’t it? Don’t worry, it’ll all be over soon.) And then, of course, there’s the sexy Christmas songs. 

Horny holiday music tends to represent a particularly unhinged subgenre of this seasonal catalog, anchored by kind-of-cringe classics like “Santa Baby” and the one where the kid catches his parents making out—which, literally why? I hate absolutely every aspect of that song and have never met a single person who feels differently. If you are that person, please let me know what I’m missing. JK, please never attempt to contact me—we are not the same and I want nothing TF to do with you and your rancid taste in Christmas music.

More From Cosmopolitan

 

Anywayyy, I’m happy to report that in more recent years, unnecessarily sexy Christmas songs have gone through a pretty substantial glow up. I’m not saying many of them are really any more hinged, per se, than their predecessors. But they’re definitely better. And so, I, your resident chief of sexually-charged Christmas content, present to you my official ranking of the best, not-cringe sexy Christmas songs. May this soundtrack bring you peace as we all navigate this horny and confusing time together.

10. Santa Tell Me (Naughty Version) — Ariana Grande

Look, I’m just gonna say it: Ariana fully phoned it the fuck in on this one. When I first heard she was releasing a sexed-up version of this 2014 instant classic nine years after its OG release, I was like, “Wow, maybe a horny ‘Santa Tell Me’ is what my life has been missing for the past near-decade. Save me, horny ‘Santa Tell Me.’” And then she gave us two lines. TWO. LINES. That’s it. The entire rest of the song is exactly the same. She didn’t even throw in a fun and flirty outro. Nothing. Listen, ordinarily I respect Ariana’s quiet-quitting-coded choice to blissfully ignore her fans’ increasingly thirsty pleas for new music while she’s busy banging SpongeBob and being blonde. But this time, frankly, I expected more. The only reason this half-assed cash-grab even made this list is because I still respect Ariana’s reign as the rightful Queen of Christmas Pop (sorry, Mariah), but honestly, I fear her throne may be in danger after this travesty. I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed.

9. Santa Baby — Ariana Grande, Liz Gillies

Okay I know I just called ”Santa Baby” cringe, which it is. But as far as renditions of this immortal ode to wanting to fuck Santa go, the Ariana and Liz Gillies version is superior. (Obviously Eartha Kitt’s reigns supreme, but I’m talking modern-day covers.) On a semi-unrelated note, I would also like to take a moment here to shout out baby Taylor Swift’s version, which is rendered remarkably sexless thanks to Debut Era Tay’s faux twang. Trust me, nothing sucks the sex out of things quite like a fake-ass country accent, which ends up making this song more cute than horny and thus...actually kind of better?

8. Glittery — Kacey Musgraves

This 2019 banger isn’t suuuper horny, sure, but it is at least a little bit sexually suggestive. I mean, getting shaken up and turned upside down by a lover doesn’t not sound kinky.

7. Cozy Little Christmas — Katy Perry 

“A little whisky, we’re getting frisky,” and by “we,” Katy Perry apparently means she and Santa, with whom she enjoys a nude couple’s massage in the predictably over-the-top music video for this playfully flirty little number. TBH, I’m kind of surprised Katy Perry, queen of campy horn, hasn’t blessed us with anything more explicit in the holiday music department, but this will have suffice until she sees fit to drop a festive version of ”Peacock.” (“I wanna see your...yule log?” Just a suggestion!)

6. ’Tis the Damn Season — Taylor Swift

Okay, so this isn’t really a Christmas song in the traditional sense, nor is it really horny in the typical tongue-in-cheek kinda way that defines this subgenre. What it is, however, is a song about banging your high school ex when you go home for the holidays and also yearning, which I think definitely qualifies it for this list. If you feel differently, kindly submit a formal complaint to Kayla @ JK, don’t contact me dot com.

5. Buy Me Presents — Sabrina Carpenter

In which this rising Queen of Horny Christmas (Ariana, watch your back), implores her lover to drink her like a glass of warm milk and keep her “stocking” filled, because if he doesn’t deliver she’ll just fuck Santa instead. Ladies, it never hurts to remind your man that you have Other! Options!

4. December — Ariana Grande

Ah, yes, Christmas & Chill, the EP of exclusively horny Christmas bangers that cemented Ariana’s (ahem, now wavering!) status as the true Queen of Christmas Pop. Merry Christmas, here I am boy, indeed.

3. Wit It This Christmas — Ariana Grande 

In which Ariana dares to ask the question on all of our horny, confused minds this time of year: “Are you down for some of these milk and cookies?”

2. Christmas Tree — Lady Gaga ft. Space Cowboy

My elder Gen Z is showing with this one, but listen—if you, like me, were in sixth grade when this song came out, it was a whole damn thing. Like, your crush Tyler probably played it for you on his iPod Shuffle at recess and you smiled knowingly at the lyrics even though you weren’t really quite sure how to decipher all this horny holiday innuendo because you were 11 and hadn’t 100 percent figured out how sex works yet, but also because it turns out sexual innuendo in Christmas music is pretty much borderline nonsensical as a rule. Which brings us to….

1. A Nonsense Christmas — Sabrina Carpenter

Ariana, take notes. This is how you sex up a re-release of an existing song, okay? Sabrina committed to the damn bit on this one and she nailed it. She did not have to go this hard, but she did. And, that, friends, is the true spirit of horny Christmas.

Kayla Kibbe (she/her) is the Associate Sex and Relationships Editor at Cosmopolitan US, where she covers all things sex, love, dating and relationships. She lives in Astoria, Queens and probably won’t stop talking about how great it is if you bring it up. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram. 

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