#Including the lore of his own adventure

[primofate]

Genshin Angst Headcanons - Why the two of you broke up

Note: Had an unexpected free day! I haven't written in a while, please excuse the mistakes, if any.

Disclaimer at the end of the post

Warning: Some are pretty predictable. Each of them have their own issues, lore wise, so some are lore heavy. You might not agree with some of them, but its how I see it, so to each their own. Let me know what you think! Some are quite angsty. Some scenes it's you breaking up with him and some are vice versa. Didn't feel like writing Razor, Venti and Xingqiu.

Characters: Aether, Albedo, Alhaitham, Ayato, Baizhu, Bennett, Chongyun, Cyno, Dainsleif, Diluc, Gorou, Heizou, Itto, Kaeya, Kaveh, Kazuha, Lyney, Neuvillette, Scaramouche, Tartaglia, Thoma, Tighnari, Xiao, Zhongli, gn!reader

Personal Favourites in this work: Lyney, Itto, Kazuha

Aether

Sister issues. Enough said.

He realized he didn't have enough time to spare romancing with someone.

Somewhere along the way he felt guilt that he was enjoying his time with you while his sister went through some sort of villain origin story that seemingly turned her bad.

Top off all the adventuring, searching, solving problems for other people that he did...Where did that leave you, exactly?

"...I'm sorry, Y/N... I just... I don't think this is the right time for me to be together with you,"

Albedo

Contrary to popular belief it wouldn't be his lack of time or extreme focus on his alchemical experiments that would break the two of you up. He knows how to manage his time.

It was the RESULTS of experiments and his research that would put him away from you.

The possibility that HE or his world, was way too dangerous for you.

How many "Albedos" did Rhinedottir really create? Was there more than three? Perhaps four, five? And what happens when you come face to face with another Albedo?

"I'm afraid...There are far too many dangers surrounding myself... There are answers that I can't find...and perhaps that's the reason why my answer is to part ways with you,"

Alhaitham

Too much of a nonchalant attitude.

He expressed some kind of interest in you...but it's like... once in a blue moon. 95% of the time you're not sure if he's really into you. It almost seems like he's more into that book he reads all the time.

Simply just not good at expressing himself. Like, at all. Hides behind a "whatever works" and "I don't care about what other people think of me" attitude, unfortunately that seems to include you.

Is so straightforward that sometimes it hurts, but he's really just telling the truth through logical analysis.

will act like the breakup didn't hurt nor affect him at all. In turn it hurts you instead.

"I see. So you've had enough of me... And you only spoke up now? Pointing it out earlier could've diverted us from this path...If that's how you feel already I suggest that we stop seeing each other,"

"That's it? You're not even going to try and work it out with me?"

"What's there to work out? You've made yourself clear. You're not satisfied with the way I treat you, and I'm afraid I'm not going to change the way I act just for your pleasure... It'd be more meaningful for you to find someone who fits your criterias,"

Ayato

entering a relationship with a noble was not as easy as one thought.

It's not just about being together forever and feeling lucky because Ayato is rich and your whole life is set, it's also the not fitting in, the etiquette, the whispers from townfolk that you were too ordinary for him, the work that you needed to do if you were to become his wife.

All that was not really a big problem for you, but Ayato seemed not to know of your struggles, he was extremely busy, and when he wasn't, he seemed to think that everything was well and fine, since you were getting all your basic needs met and even more.

"...So I'm sorry, Ayato. This is just... All too much for me. I'm sorry,"

"...I understand. Forgive me, it seems that I've overlooked a lot of things...Perhaps it is as you say, that it'd be better for us to grow apart rather than grow together,"

Baizhu

because he is a ticking time bomb, no matter which way he looked it's not going to end well for both of you.

He either dies early or lives forever. In both scenarios he anticipates that the two of you are just going to be in a world of hurt.

Besides, he didn't mean to get so attached to someone in the first place, he knew his quest for immortality was long and arduous. You didn't deserve to walk that difficult road too.

While breaking up, will conceal the fact that he's only thinking of you and will possibly hurt you in the process.

"I'm sorry, but it's for the best. I ask that you continue going forward without me, there's no space for you in my... ideal future,"

Bennett

We all know it...it's his bad luck. However, it wasn't YOU who had a problem with it, it was HIM.

You understood that his bad luck was just some extended part of him, plus it's not like it was always bad, there were a lot of good times too. Plenty!

But the guilt ate him up whenever the two of you were stuck in a seemingly impossible scenario and predicament, brought on by his luck. He just had enough of it one day.

"I...I can't keep doing this to you every day! It's not fair..."

will be on the brink of tears before he even starts.

"Maybe it's better if you find someone else to adventure with, Y/N, sorry...!"

runs away before you can even get a word in.

Chongyun

Thinks he's not good enough in every aspect. It's really, seriously not about you. He thinks he's lacking in everything. Strength, maturity, experience, confidence.

So badly wants to stay with you but feels like he's not good enough and thinks that you're better off with someone else.

"D-Don't misunderstand... It's not because I don't like you anymore... I just...Please find someone else!"

Cyno

his bad jokes and TCG addiction. just kidding, you're not that shallow.

A lot of people are intimidated by him being the General Mahamatra because he gives importance to justice. While you, who had seen a bit more of him than other people had, it seemed more of an obsession to uphold the Akademiya's law and integrity.

This was not a big problem to you, you liked how he was serious at work.

Until one day when you were accused of plagiarising one of your papers and Cyno was the one sent to give you a first offense warning. The Akademiya knew of your relationship, that's probably why they sent him, to make it harder on the two of you.

Cyno didn't listen to your explanations on how it was an honest mistake, he still gave you the warning that you "deserved"

From then on it had just been different between the two of you, so it was really a mutual breakup. Or so you thought.

"...After that, I just realized that maybe this isn't the right time for us... We're both working for the Akademiya, we both take our jobs seriously...Unfortunately that seems to just be getting in the way of us...I think it's best if we stop seeing each other,"

"...I see." he pauses for a minute, as if tossing your words in his mind. "I...agree. Parting ways would certainly make work easier for both of us...it's the professional thing to do,"

Dainsleif

Has not moved on from his past.

Sure, everyone has their own baggage to carry, their own history to live through...but Dainsleif has heavier things than that. He seemed to wake up every day thinking of Khaenri'ah and the days long past. Was it regret? Nostalgia? Loneliness? You didn't know. You just knew that he wasn't really completely THERE with you in the present. Part of him still lived in the past.

When you explained that you felt like the two of you were not moving forward together and that it seemed like he wanted to go back to the past instead, he got offended.

"...My past is something that I carry forever, you'd claimed that you understood that," he starts.

"I do! But carrying it with you and letting it drag you backwards are two different things!"

He falters for a moment, only to leave you with his last words before turning away from you forever: "You will never understand, the weight that I carry,"

Diluc

is too guarded. You'd been friends for a long, long, long, long time before he decided he could let you in enough and be more intimate with you.

Even then everything was going at a snail's pace, though you were extremely patient with him.

The biggest problem with Diluc was that the two of you would progress one day, take a step forward, and then the next day it was like the two of you took two steps back.

Example: The two of you went out for a simple stargazing excursion late one night, it was nice and he had been incredibly affectionate. The next day he had trouble even meeting your gaze, and disappeared to do his work. It was also a little awkward during dinnertime. This scenario had happened more than once.

Hint: the closer he got to you the more afraid he became, thinking that he would one day lose you too.

"I...I can't. I love you but I...I've waited far too long. I'm sorry. I'm tired of this endless chase for you!"

He couldn't even say a thing. He'd wanted to ask you to stay, to wait for him a little longer, but he already knew how incredibly selfish that would have been. Instead, he grimaced, and looked away from your gaze, trying to find something worthwhile to say. There was only silence for a few moments.

"Goodbye Diluc," that's when you turned away.

Gorou

worships Kokomi too much and your insecurities just kept circling around in your head.

You know its his job. You know he isn't like that but the problem was YOU and not him.

Simply said you let your insecurity eat up the relationship between the two of you.

You couldn't bring yourself to say that you were jealous of the way he admired Kokomi so you broke up with him with another reason in tow.

Unfortunately, you're not a very good liar face to face so you did a butthole move and actually broke up with him through a letter. You just couldn't face him and tell him why.

All you mentioned in the letter was that you needed time to think and be away from him, and told him not to worry because it was your problem, not his.

Poor Gorou reread that letter over and over, trying to understand what went wrong.

Heizou

is just a natural flirt. You're not sure if he's doing it on purpose or not and you're not sure if he's even aware he's like that.

Anyway you'd seen him getting overly friendly (just another word for flirting) with a few other people a couple of times. You didn't let it get to you the first, fourth or even eighth time but you realized that he KNOWS that you're watching him do that.

So you confront him about it, but he claims that it's just his way of gathering information from others. People like to hear good things and some people are more susceptible to flirtatious comments so he resorts to that for his investigation sometimes.

You didn't really completely buy it and even if you did, it's not like this was healthy for your relationship. You just couldn't make yourself comfortable with it.

*You just chalked it up to the two of you being incompatible.

"I'm just not comfortable with that...I don't think I have to say sorry for how I feel but...I'm sorry anyway because I know you're just doing your job... It's probably best if we part ways here..."

"Is there any way to change your mind?" he genuinely asks.

You only give a lopsided smile. "You're a detective, I think you already know the answer to that,"

Yet he didn't stop you from walking away.

Itto

Kept breaking promises because he was too airheaded or too occupied doing something "stupid" with the kids or with his gang.

Pretty soon it just felt like you were an afterthought while everyone else in his life took precedent.

Got a ramen date? Oops, sorry! Got caught up looking for a strong onikabuto in the forest!

Needed his help to move some things? Gah, he was vandalising the bulletin boards, so he's running a bit late!

What's more you didn't actually mind that carefree, airheaded side of him...but it really got to you when he couldn't even seem to make you a priority. Not once.

He only realized that when he came running, late again, and stood face to face with a crying you.

"Hey sorry Y/N, I was just--...Why are you crying?!" is completely dumbfounded and clueless, mostly because when he came late, you had always shrugged it off with a smile on your face, or so he thought. This time you had a completely different reaction.

"I hate you...*hic* I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!"

Shocked beyond belief. It wasn't like you to just blow up like that, but he couldn't do anything except watch you turn and run away from him after that exclamation.

Kaeya

Sometimes you're not sure if he takes you seriously.

Recently, he's not where he says he is, you don't know why he doesn't just tell you where he is.

He said he'd be working late, but then you find out he's at Angel's Share.

He said he'll be at Angel's Share, but then you catch word from Jean that he's out on a late mission.

He said he's escorting a caravan to Mondstadt but he's actually on assignment in Liyue.

It came to the point where you altogether just stopped looking for him cause half of the time you couldn't find him. It's like he's avoiding you or something, which, actually, seems just about right since he's been so busy with "work"

It reached a breaking point when, for a week, you were unable to bring him the lunch you prepared...because he was not where he said he was going to be. It was starting to get annoying.

"I don't understand why you're lying to me! Why do you have to tell me you'll be at Angel's Share this afternoon when you're not? Do you realize you make me walk all the way there only to come all the way back with nothing achieved?"

"I'm sorry snowflake, that wasn't my intention," though he still chuckles despite knowing full well that you were about to turn away.

"You know what, let me know when you're ready to stop making jokes. Until then, don't bother contacting me,"

He just didn't expect you to actually walk away from him.

Kaveh

Entertains everyone and anyone. Naturally kind at heart, will stop for anyone in trouble...even that flirtatious man/woman who is clearly just pining for his attention.

No he doesn't quite realize this.

The same person had asked for his help at least 4 times now and all 4 times he had been happy to offer a helping hand.

The last straw was when he was invited into the stranger's house, they had apparently needed someone to help them move and re-arrange furniture and he did, working till almost dinner time.

You'd caught him right by the person's door, because Kaveh was actually honest and told you he'd be helping them today, but the person was clearly eyeing Kaveh rather flirtatiously.

"Come again next time," you heard the person say rather happily. Kaveh only replies with "If I have nothing else to do, I suppose,"

"Kaveh, they're coming onto you and you keep letting it happen!"

"I'm not certain what you're talking about...They just needed some help around their house, nothing suspicious happened at all. Even if there was, I won't let anything happen between me and a stranger!"

"Then STOP helping them!"

"There isn't anything wrong with lending a hand...It was a quick move of things, that's all,"

"How would YOU feel if I just went into someone's house and kept helping them "move" things?"

"...I would think that's nice of you,"

You actually threw your hands up. "Oh, forget it! You know what, for someone who LOVES helping others, you're not doing such a great job of helping ME," then walked away and never came back. "Good riddance,"

Kazuha

He's a wandering samurai. You knew what you were getting into but you didn't expect dating him to be so hard.

He was gone for weeks on end, and you were not getting on that boat with him. In essence the two of you were just not ready to follow each other to the end's of the Earth, and that was fair. The two of you were young.

Kazuha kind of saw it coming, whenever he visited you, you seemed less spirited and he had an inkling as to why. The time apart was just too much for you.

It was a rather clean break actually. A real mutual breakup that the two of you agreed on.

"...You could say it's just not the right time for us," you even managed to laugh under your breath and he did the same, though it was barely audible.

"...Mm. There are matters that you need to attend to here...and there are things that I need to do out there," he slowly stood up from his sitting position next to you and still gazed at you rather lovingly. "...Perhaps, in another world, you and I are bound together,"

You gazed back forlornly, "...Just not in this one, it looks like,"

Lyney

because he will always choose his siblings over you. Always.

Though that's not a bad thing because you also think that family is important...somewhere along the way you realized that family is the ONLY thing he had and saw.

Example: Lynette and you had gotten ill at the same time one winter morning. Perhaps it was the cold that was passing around Fontaine. Lyney had been so worried about Lynette, that he seemed to have forgotten about you for the next few days. In fact, Lyney didn't even realize that you caught the cold too. You had only heard from Freminet, who you happened to cross paths with, that Lynette was also ill.

You thought that incident was the end of it, but really it seemed that whenever Lyney wanted to hang out with you, Lynette had to be there too. You tried to understand...after all there's still that mystery of disappearing women in Fontaine.

The breakup was induced when Lyney completely forgot about your birthday, because Freminet's was around the same time as yours. You helped Lyney prepare everything for Freminet, and said nothing about your own.

You realized that there was nothing wrong with choosing family over everything else...but the problem here was that Lyney didn't even have space for you in the first place.

So you left without saying anything. You figured he'd get over it quick. You had even gone so far as to move away from the main city of Fontaine and out into another island, because what would you say if he found you? That you were jealous of his siblings? You weren't going to ruin a family like that and it wasn't right to make him choose...so you just left without a word.

Neuvillette

Had a whole brainrot for this man:

Part 1

Part 2

Scaramouche

surprisingly it's not his anger issues.

It's the way he wouldn't acknowledge your relationship. You wonder how you even got into one with him.

There's no public show of affection, but even behind closed doors it rarely happened.

You knew that he was going to be like that, and so you didn't mind it all that much.

It was getting a bit much though when, out in public, he would walk further in front of you and refused to walk next to you. When he pretended like he didn't even know you. When he didn't stop to help you even when another man had shown interest in you, bordering on uncomfortable.

The more time passed the more you simply felt unloved...but for some reason you still blamed yourself.

"...I...don't know. Maybe you find me undesirable, or just...unappealing. Maybe you're embarrassed of me or...or..." maybe you just didn't care in the first place, you thought to yourself.

There was a long silence. Of you turning your gaze away, of him still piercing into yours. And then...

"Tsk...don't waste my time...Leave if you want to leave, door's open,"

Tartaglia

This one is simple. It's his obsession for fighting plus his complete disregard for himself. It's a constant heart attack for you. At some point the anxiety is just too much for you to handle.

Imagine living every day just wondering if he's safe at the same time knowing that he just loves to look for trouble.

The foul legacy that you know of, he uses it with disregard as well, despite knowing that it wasn't good for him.

And there are even days where you know he was heavily wounded but didn't go to you, in an attempt to shield you from worry.

It's a constant battle trying to stay sane and unworried, until one day it all just becomes too much.

"...Nothing I say will change anything, Tartaglia. This is who you are...This is who you need to be..." you whisper while bandaging his knuckles. He lets out a short hum.

It was silent all up until you finished with his hand, you squeeze it gently. "...I love you but...I can't keep doing this to myself, I'm tired...more so than I have ever been before,"

He lets your hand slip away from his knuckles, and that was the last he saw of you.

Thoma

This one is also simple. He was always taking care of others and running errands for others that he sometimes just couldn't catch a break.

Just a classic case of not enough time for you since he had a job to do for the Kamisato Clan.

He knows it, and feels awful about it. So he's the one who makes the move.

"It hurts that I can't give you what you deserve, Y/N. This isn't it... You deserve more than this but I can't give you that and I'm sorry. Please look for the love that you deserve,"

Tighnari

Remembers everything. Can be critical of things you've done, specially if he thinks there's a better way to do it.

Simply said you just feel stupid in front of him sometimes.

He doesn't mean to, but he sometimes forgets to appreciate or give praise to the things that you do well and even if he does, it tends to be short lived compared to his constructive criticisms.

Pretty soon you felt like he only looks at the bad things you do, and never the good. Though he was really only trying to teach and guide you as an equal.

He in fact feels that you are one of the few people who can keep up educational conversations with him.

The problem is he kind of forgets that you're his lover, and that you would enjoy his praise and affection from time to time.

"Do you... Do you ever have anything nice to say other than 'good work' or 'great observation'?" the words were out of your mouth before you could hold yourself back. Sometimes it was tiring to feel like you weren't good enough.

There's a flash of surprise that crosses Tighnari's expression for a split second, before he recovers. "...Had I not been praising your work enough lately? My apologies... It has a lot of merits, I just thought that you wanted my opinion on how to make it better,"

You opened your mouth to say something, but closed it again right after to ponder on his words. Somehow even that had managed to make you feel embarrassed. It was here you knew that the problem also lied within yourself.

"...Sorry, Tighnari...I think I'll need some time alone,"

He obliges quickly and asks. "That's reasonable. When would you like me to come back?"

"...Let me rephrase that... I need some time away. From us."

Xiao

Unfortunately there's a lot of things wrong here... his lack of affection. His aloof personality. His dedication to his yaksha duties. Despite that he does actually try to be gentlemanly or respectful of you.

The worst of it is that he didn't know how to be in a relationship, in other words he just wasn't ready for one, or perhaps he would never be ready for one.

He didn't understand that humans craved companionship and sometimes touch. He didn't understand that meant having to favour you over others, sometimes even putting you first over his yaksha duties.

Worst of it all was when he shut himself off from you, sometimes for days on end, when his karmic debt was too high. He only really did it to protect you, but never realized how isolated that made you feel.

When you confronted him about it, he felt attacked. Hiding away was the only way he knew how to cope...why couldn't you understand that?

"Let me help you, Xiao,"

"I don't need your help!" his tone would make you wince and just like that he disappears into a billow of smoke.

You never returned to Wangshu Inn after that. If he couldn't let you in, there was no use trying to knock on his heart. Xiao being Xiao, never sought you ought again either.

Zhongli

He had experienced so many things and you had listened to many a tales from him.

This is what caused you to realize that you hadn't even experienced life at all, and yet here you were willing to tie yourself down to him.

It just didn't feel like it added up. Here he was with all this knowledge of the world and here you were who had never even stepped outside of Liyue. By no means were you stupid, but you felt that you could be better not only for him, but for yourself if you learned more.

There was just such a huge gap in life experiences, and though you never expected to get to his level (he was a God who had lived for a long time, you would never catch up to him) you at least wanted to see what was out there with your own eyes instead of through his stories.

He understood that wholeheartedly, and had no qualms in letting you go.

"You will always have a place with me, Y/N. No amount of lifetimes will change that,"

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Disclaimer: Relationships will always have some sort of problem along the way, maybe big, maybe small but I just want to reiterate that breaking up is not always the solution. Communicating is very important. So to those of you who like taking fanfiction too seriously, let it be known that this is just a work of fiction. I don't actually suggest breaking up with someone as soon as there is the slight indication of a problem (Just saw someone commenting on a similar themed post for Haikyuu that this wouldn't happen in the real world if both parties were mature... I mean, sure, but, idk, you must be fun in parties... it's called fiction for a reason...)

[ymechi]

The hidden creator

I had a plot bunny idea

TW: usual cult stuff, hints of yandere

-gn reader (I tried making it gender-neutral if there is a comment that is off please tell me and I will fix it)

EDIT: 14/11/2023 (changed some wording and other stuff nothing major)

Creator Reader Pov:

-You were just a regular person who one day woke up in Teyvat out of all places

-You realized you still had all your game features and figured it was one of the perks of being isekaied like in other isekai stories

-The whole thing is weird and why you were here, you had no idea

-After the novelty wears off you take some time mourning the loss of your previous life and the people you knew

-After that you try to get a semblance of a normal life like getting a job and trying to be independent

-Despite having a game system you do not want to be an adventurer or learn how to fight it's not for you

-You were previously an average civilian and raised as one it would be hard to become a fighter now

-Instead you gravitated towards creating things, you found an apprentice position in a clockwork shop in Fontaine

-It is fun and you get to tinker with gears and clocks, learning how various machines work and how to create your own items

-overall you are content

-Except weird people occasionally come by the shop you work at including the Iudex of Fontaine which had both you and the shopkeeper sweating the first few times

-Yet the man who insisted you call him by his name Neuvilette is really polite and nice to talk to, soon you warmed up to him

-You could not help the feeling as if you knew him from before, as if you forgot something, you were unusually fond of him.

-Your other "clients" if you could call them that were more intimidating, you had no idea what they were doing in this shop and it scared you

-The Fatui Harbringers occasionally stopped by the shop to buy a trinket or two before leaving, it honestly scared you and the thaught of running away to another nation had crossed your mind once or twice yet you liked your job and your boss and you made some good friends here so it was hard to leave

-Overall you were doing okay

-Except it seems the people here almost in a cult-like manner worship a creator that was never in the game lore

-It is said they resided in Celestia and not many people actually got to see them, not that it mattered for a nobody like you

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tsaritsa Pov:

-The Tsaritsa knew their so called creator was fake

-She knew she had to get rid of the fake creator as they and Celestia had caused irreparable damage

-Even if she had to stain her hands

-One day it happened something shifted in the earth, air, water- no the whole of Teyvat

-It happened so softly like a small snowflake landing on the ground

-She was hypnotized as if a siren was beckoning her she found you.

-You were their true creator

-You were wearing apprenticeship clothes tinkering with something in your hands and deeply concentrated

-She wondered if that is how you created the universe with careful and steady hands guiding and shaping it to your will.

-She wanted to take you away from this. . . small shop, yet she knew begrudgingly you were safe here, if anyone were to find out a sliver of your existence. . .

-You were safer hidden among mortals

-It left a bitter taste in her mouth

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Neuvilette Pov

-It just happened one day, out of the blue, he could feel it in the shift of the waters

-The way Furina shifted and turned her head unable to sit still confirmed he was not the only one feeling this

-Something happened and he had no idea what exactly happened

-There was this familiar presence this comforting feeling, ancient old instincts waking up

-He followed it without thought until he came upon an in inconspicuous clockwork shop

-He was confused but did not hesitate to step inside

-Then he saw you and everything clicked

-It was you his creator his universe his everything

-You were back

-It seems in this incarnation you were just a human

-That was fine he was oaky with that as long as you were here

-His heart ached seeing you

-He wanted to hug and ask you to never leave again to always stay by his side, for you to comfort him after what had happened and console him

-He should take you way somewhere safer somewhere better not here-

-But weren't you safer hiding among mortals, a part of his mind whispered, no one would suspect you being here even the fake (he cursed them) would not think of finding you here, if he brought you back with him it would create more attention on you

-Attention that would cause you trouble

-He left with defeat on his steps

-It was later he would met the Tsaritsa and a deal was struck

-All for your sake

[bloodcursecycle-if]

When a person commits a rather horrendous act against others, a karmic-like phenomenon called a Blood Curse is placed upon them and their bloodline. Terrible events occur every generation until someone is able to right the wrong committed. Your twin sister was the most recent victim of the Curse, being poisoned at her own coronation celebration ball. Now it's up to you to figure out how to break this curse before it claims you as well.

The Blood Curse Cycle is a WIP and new interactive CYOA novel. The focus will mostly be on the plotline, characters, and relationships. It's inspired by many JRPGs/RPGs. It's being written in ChoiceScript. While it will have a more story-based focus, there will be stat-based mechanics as well.

This is the revamped version of my first interactive fiction project, Under the Eyes of Themis. The premise is similar, but a few changes have been made.

You play as the youngest member of the Grasslands' royal family. Your family suffers from something called a Blood Curse, a supernatural karmic-like phenomenon placed onto people and their bloodlines for committing horrendous crimes against others. Sufferers from the curse will experience tragedy after tragedy until the Curse is broken or the bloodline ceases to exist.

Your sister is the most recent victim of the curse, dying from poisoning at her coronation celebration ball. Deciding you would like to not die a tragic and/or painful death, you set out on a journey to figure out exactly what your family did and how to break the curse.

Note: Because this is still a WIP, some names of characters or places may change during development.

Genre: Fantasy Adventure, Romance, Mystery

Rating: 18+

Tracked Tag: #blood curse cycle

Status: On Hiatus

Demo || Romance Options || Side Characters || FAQ || Ask Guidelines || Tag Navigation || World Lore || Dev's Main Blog ||

Create and customize your main character. Select their gender, pronouns, appearance, and personality.

Explore the continent of Runnet and its 8 nations, each with different views, cultures, and hidden secrets.

Join and lead a group of other Blood Curse sufferers to find out how to break your curses.

Romance any of your 5 companions: the Prince from the Woodlands, the Knight from the Dustlands, the Scholar from the Palmlands, the Healer from the Fieldlands, or the Assassin from the Floelands.

Choose to help or hinder your companions in their own quests to break their Curses.

Discover leads, find clues, and dig deep to figure out why your bloodline was cursed and how to break it before time runs out.

Alceste Claudius d'Emeraude (he/him) - The Prince of the Woodlands Kingdom. Flirty and laid-back, he tends to not take anything too seriously... including his Curse.

Larisilla Cornaline (she/her) - The Knight from the Dustlands. Serious and blunt, it takes a bit for her to warm up to people. She is the most vocal about getting rid of her Curse.

Dionys Topaze (he/him) - The Scholar from the Palmlands. Kind and intelligent, his main area of study are Blood Curses, the types and how to break them. He is the closest to breaking his Curse.

Somnia Disthene (she/her) - The Healer from the Fieldlands. Shy and helpful, she specializes in treatments that neutralize a Curse's affects. Just don't ask about her Curse.

Enyo Perle (he/him) OR (she/her) - The Assassin from the Floelands. Loud and outgoing, they are eager to help out the group. Although, it's a bit strange that they've never brought up their Curse.

[the-offside-rule]

The Leclerc Sister {Headcanons}

Idk I'm just bored and wanna do some headcanons but if you wanna ask for more headcanons for drivers just lmk

(GIF IS NOT MINE: @brasiliangp

Role of each brother

♡ Lorenzo: Being the eldest, Lorenzo would be the responsible and wise older brother, offering guidance and a calm presence. Lorenzo, being the eldest, would naturally assume a guiding role. He'd often help you with important life decisions and be someone you can always turn to for serious advice. He would emphasize the importance of education and career planning. He’d help you with homework, discuss future plans, and encourage you to pursue your goals with diligence. While he might not be as overtly protective as Charles or Arthur, Lorenzo’s calm and steady presence would make you feel safe and secure. He'd quietly ensure everything in your life is running smoothly.

♡ You'd likely share some intellectual hobbies with Lorenzo, such as reading, discussing current events, or exploring cultural activities like museum visits or music concerts. Not to mention that whenever there’s a disagreement between siblings, Lorenzo would step in as the mediator, helping to resolve conflicts with a balanced and fair approach.

♡ Charles: Charles would be your confidant and biggest supporter, always making time for you despite his busy schedule. Charles’s dedication to his racing career would be a source of inspiration for you. He’d teach you the importance of following your passions with commitment and hard work. Despite his busy schedule, Charles would make time for adventurous outings with you, like spontaneous road trips, go-karting sessions, or even just exploring new hobbies together. If you have any interest in motorsports, Charles would be thrilled to share his knowledge and experience, perhaps even mentoring you if you decide to try racing yourself.

♡ He would be there for you during tough times, offering emotional support and a listening ear. His experiences in a high-pressure environment would provide valuable perspectives. Being Charles’s sister would bring some media attention. He’d help you navigate this with grace, teaching you how to handle public scrutiny and maintain your privacy.

♡ Arthur: Arthur, closer to your age, would be your partner in crime, sharing secrets, jokes, and adventures. However, there are often times that the two of you would bicker, leading to the pair of you to try outdo eachother on pranks as a form of Revenge. Arthur’s youthful energy and playful nature would make him a fun and lively sibling. He’d always have new activities or games to share, keeping life exciting. With Arthur, there’d be a sense of friendly rivalry. Whether it’s sports, video games, or academic achievements, he’d push you to be your best, always in a supportive way.

♡ Arthur would introduce you to his wide circle of friends, helping you expand your social network and feel included in various social activities. Arthur would encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and try new things, helping you build confidence in your abilities and interests. If you have any creative interests, like music, art, or writing, Arthur would be eager to collaborate and share ideas, fostering a creative partnership between you two.

♡ You'd have a close relationship with Pascale, your mother, who would be a strong support system and a source of wisdom and comfort. She would help you navigate the complexities of life in the spotlight, as well as a fair bit of telling off when needed. She's had three boys before you and knows how to handle bad moods and outbursts. She tries her best to keep you out of the spotlight and away from trouble, but Lorenzo often reminds her it's only a matter of time before people begin to try and look into her.

♡ Family dinners would be lively events, filled with laughter, storytelling, and delicious food. Each brother would bring their own stories and experiences, making these moments cherished and memorable.

♡ The dynamic between Lorenzo, Charles, and Arthur would create a balanced household. Lorenzo's maturity, Charles’s passion, and Arthur’s energy would provide a well-rounded environment for you.

♡ Growing up with each of them would expose you to a variety of interests and activities, from intellectual pursuits with Lorenzo, motorsport adventures with Charles, to fun and creative endeavors with Arthur.

♡ Despite their different personalities and approaches, all three brothers would be united in their love and support for you, creating a strong family bond that you can always rely on.

[lowkeyrobin]

can i ask for qsmp reacting to new member reader who is russian??

yes of course!! I love this request sm, hopefully I got everyone you're looking for! sorry if these are a little ooc, I'm learning a lot and watching a lot about the qsmp still so hopefully this is good lol. kind of a mix of q! selves and cc! selves so 💀

QSMP ; meeting a russian creator

includes ; tubbo, quackity, cellbit, jaiden, roier, wilbur, foolish, slimecicle, tina, and nihachu

warnings ; language, probably ooc 💀💀

masterlist

TUBBO

"oh, hi! are you the new member???"

he's really nice, helps you build a house and stuff to get started and whatnot

you, him & sunny spend a lot of time together, especially because quackity gave you your own child too

sunny & your egg absolutely love each other, and perfectly balance one another out

tubbo teaches you all about his machines and factories and whatnot

welcomes you with open arms to the town of fobo

talks to you about the federation and whatnot, how they're basically the government and to just avoid them at all costs

even with a language barrier (if you don't speak English as well) you guys are so tight

always fucking around together somehow

he adds you into his lore as well

QUACKITY

welcomes you with kindness and open arms

introduces you to your own egg 😭🫶

he's got a lot of energy and is very chaotic, literally sprints around the whole smp showing you everything and catching you up into lore stuff

if he fucks up a first impression, he repeatedly tries to make it up and corrects himself and whatnot

doing dumb shit with him and richarlyson is a must

you guys become really good friends and make some great lore ideas together

if you speak a little/lot of English, you guys will just have chitter-chatter streams together and build a little tree house for the eggs

CELLBIT

"hello!!"

you teach him a little Russian and he teaches you a little French

even if you have a language barrier he's really nice to you

very selfless, if you need something, hes got you

if you get kidnapped, good lord is he holding a grudge

has a protective type of personality, makes sure to keep you and your egg safe if you two come across some federation funny business together

starts to learn Russian because he thinks it's a cool language

surprises you one day with a phrase in Russian and you're just like "???? hello cellbit?"

"was that a good pronunciation? I'm still learning"

puzzles >>>>

used to be a rlly good pvper so he teaches you some outdated tricks lol

JAIDEN

"Oh my God, hi!!"

teaches you all about how the smp works and tells you all about her adventures

also takes you on adventures with her when you stream together

through the language barrier, you still get along really well and enjoy each other's humor and company

building together >>>

such great inputs from each side

in lore, she's kind of just off to herself, and alone

she can't really trust other people whatsoever now

but when you come around, she's a bit more open but obviously wants to be left alone

teaches you all about her pets

she rubbed off her love for vocaloid on you

ROIER

welcomes you with a smile

teaches you all about lore and whatnot

mentions his and cellbits wedding at least 3 times

gives you a little referral to therapy

he's currently a rat in lore so uh

he kinda just uses you as a pedestal for now

"y/n, tell them that im the superior rat, please"

you repeat the phrase in russian to any other russian creators you joined the server with

becomes a co-parent to your egg

very level-headed, somehow always has a plan

"Oh, yeah, the federation kidnaps people, just stay away from them"

"Dude what"

everyday is his birthday

you play into the bit by singing happy birthday in russian and giving him some sort of food

WILBUR SOOT

very formal first impression

introduces you to tallulah

tallulah is kinda iffy about you and your egg at first but she warms up to you guys

if you're the building type, he'll do the dirty work to get you the stuff you need to make a house, or anything you wanna build

on top of learning french, dutch, and spanish, you get him invested in russian as well

in lore, he believes that most problems can be solved by love, and you just kinda go with it because he's nice enough and whatnot

teaches you some stuff about music

you guys do a lot of yap streams while grinding up some resources on the island to make some new locations and whatnot

"the pattern you're doing looks like upside down dicks"

"wh- wilbur, why would you say that?"

if you're still learning English, and it's kinda broken when you speak or you say something wrong, he kindly corrects you and teaches you correct pronunciations

becomes a co-parent to your egg as well

you teach the eggs the "scary fight like a badass" stuff and he's the "be nice, children" parent

FOOLISH GAMERS

you're immediately introduced to his laugh

kind of reckless, but pretty laid back

pretty playful as well, likes to joke around with you

he doesn't have a reason to not trust you yk

you're very overprotective of your egg and anxious that you'll let something bad happen, but if he becomes a co-parent, he releases your egg from the little plastic box you have them in when you aren't around

does the whole Batman bit with you on your first stream on the qsmp

holy shit the amount of laughter

he wants to leave a good impression on you, thinks you're really cool lol

you've mutually decided that he builds exteriors, you design interiors

SLIMECICLE

probably wasn't even aware new people were joining

"who the hell is that???"

like you're trying to let quackity teach you the basics and he's staring from a distance like he's gonna plot to kill you

tries to joke around and say hello in russian but ends up saying some random phrase that didn't make sense

"You just said your toes taste like cheese"

"Wait, what?"

makes you a bitch wife/husband asap

makes you curse people out in russian when he gets slightly offended

definition of the uwu cat boy and tall angry bully gay stereotype

in lore he's got some serious psychological problems but it's okay!! you can deal with it

quackity tells you about the whole gegg think and you sit there like "okay wtf"

TINA KITTEN

you guys just kinda run into each other one day and you ask her for help on something

something clicked man, yall are such an iconic duo

you guys build a whole mansion near the sea together for the eggs

in lore, she's pretty reserved and isolates herself, and you become one of the many tk worry about her and try and give her advice

secrets are safe with her 💳💥💥💥

you guys own a little farm together too

Em and your egg get along so well

she has a little proud mom moment

tetris competitions.

she likes to draw and she loves drawing you and your egg together it's so cute

NIKI NIHACHU

she's kind of shy but your personalities balance each other out

she's sworn to protect everyone, and you and your egg are quickly added to that list

baking with her>>

you work with her at empanadas bakery

she talks to you all about psychology and how it fascinates her and stuff

you learn a lot from her

lots of compliments whether it be builds or even outfits you're showing off to you're stream

she easily becomes a co-parent of your egg lol

[y-rhywbeth2]

Gods & Clergy: Bhaal #2

Link: Disclaimer regarding D&D "canon" & Index [tldr: D&D lore is a giant conflicting mess. Larian's lore is also a conflicting mess. You learn to take what you want and leave the rest]

Religion | Gods | Shar | Selûne | Bhaal #1 | Bhaal #2 | Mystra | Jergal | Bane #1 | Bane #2 | Bane #3 | Myrkul | Lathander | Kelemvor | Tyr | Helm | Ilmater | Mielikki | Oghma | Gond | Tempus | Silvanus | Talos | Umberlee | Corellon | Moradin | Yondalla | Garl Glittergold | Eilistraee | Lolth | Laduguer | Gruumsh | Bahamut | Tiamat | Amodeus | The rest of the Faerûnian Pantheon --WIP

Because I found some extra stuff on Bhaalists.

Briefly featuring; secret identities, how to consecrate an altar, acceptable targets for sacrifice, red rooms, mummification, do not steal a Bhaalist's knife, and maybe some other stuff.

-

"Murder is natural. Slaying is what all creatures in Faerûn do, daily if they can. At least daily, slay something living—and the Lord of Murder is most pleased if the victim is one of your own kind and as formidable as, or more powerful than, you. Kill with swift skill, not by torture, forced suicide, falls, or collisions. Do it personally, with ever-greater deftness and elegance, and teach others the skills and the delights of slaying. "Deathbringers are to slay with enough skill that witnesses are impressed. They are always to challenge those more powerful than themselves, the clergy of other deities being prize targets. Slay with pleasure, but never with anger. Be in exquisite control of yourself. Utter the name of Bhaal so the victim can hear it. Ideally, it should be the last word a victim hears." - more Bhaalist dogma

Deathbringer appears to be a generic term for a Bhaalist who is part of the church. Or it's an alternative term for Deathstalker, it's hard to tell. Going on context, I assume it means the former.

In the time between his death and his resurrection, Bhaal no longer spoke directly to his followers even though he seemed to be answering prayers. He contacted them only rarely, and only in the form of nightmares.

Worshipping Bhaal is legal and persecuting his followers is considered... risky. Nobody wants to offend the gods. Murder, on the other hand, is very much illegal. Due to the fact that Bhaal is worshipped by committing very illegal murders, this gets complicated.

As with all evil and disruptive faiths, Bhaalists are permitted to worship so long as they don't disrupt functioning society and follow various stipulations: keeping their religious practices out of public view; not getting caught red handed doing murder; not rocking the boat and causing the public to panic; and performing agreed upon services for the government for example. If they keep their end of the agreement, the law politely turns to look away.

Bhaalists protect their ability to worship the Lord of Murder by courting the halls of power, making themselves indispensable to the local government and nobility, and infiltrating law enforcement to cover their tracks. Many of them cut out the middleman and take positions of power themselves.

To make life easier for themselves, most Bhaalists have a "daytime identity" as a regular citizen, and keep their personal shrines out of sight (part of the restriction violent and evil faiths must follow in order to be permitted to operate in the Realms). The public should not be able to identify random Bhaalists walking amongst them.

Incidentally, Bhaalist shrines are kept holy by being anointed with the followers' own blood.

Bhaalists use their daily life to observe the city and consider their target. Preferred targets include:

Adventurers and travellers nobody knows. -

Criminals and troublemakers people will be glad to be rid of. -

People who are rising in power who might cause trouble for Bhaalists with that power -

The clergy of Bhaal's enemies: (Chauntea, goddess of agriculture; Helm, god of guards and law; Lathander, god of birth and renewal; Torm, protector of the common folk; Ilmater, god of martyrs; and Lliira, goddess of joy)

Favourite hunting grounds for Bhaalists tend to be either the main streets and markets (if they're looking to draw attention to the sacrifice, perhaps to make a statement) or the slums and poorer areas.

A daily murder is preferred by Bhaal, but only once a tenday is the murder of a person mandated. When the time comes, the Bhaalist will don their religious clothing and head out on their hunt.

Once the target is dead, they will take some trophy from them (and likely strip them of their wealth and possibly ransack their house, if possible). This trophy could be a personal possession, or a body part (for example; a finger, or their heart). The "trophy" is offered up to Bhaal on the altar, with a prayer, and Bhaal permits his followers to keep whatever wealth they acquire to fund their daily life and "continue their holy work." Many Bhaalists aim for a wealthy life, both for the comfort and for the fact that power and money are great ways to avoid anybody arresting you if you fuck up.

If in a city with a larger temple, then the worshipper is to tithe 50% of all coins taken this way to the temple.

If there is no temple in the area, then every member will be assigned a higher ranking priest as a handler of sorts, and they will give that 50% to them instead.

The church couldn't care less about non-monetary gains and land deeds, you can keep those.

Temples are not open to the public and may not be placed in view of the public, hence why they are built beneath the streets. There are also remote monasteries and monastic orders beyond the reach of the cities, which presumably hunt travellers on the roads at night and put the fear of their god into the hearts of nearby villages and farmers.

Bhaalists recruit by essentially running red rooms and snuff shows in secret locations at night; often cellars, basements and also private rooms in the upper floors of more well-to-do buildings. Guests wear masks to protect their privacy (the Bhaalists will presumably be wearing their full religious veils instead of masks).

The targets chosen for the spectacle will typically be those public opinion deems deserving of death. Violent criminals, for example. These slayings will not be considered a crime by viewers, and with a reputation for vigilantism, the cult may even come to be viewed favourably by some. Joining the cult means you get to "volunteer" the next guest star.

-

While I don't know how widely practiced this is, Bhaalists do mummify their dead. Invading a Bhaalist tomb may backfire when the long-dead priests take issue with their visitors.

Bhaalists blades may be cursed, in case they're stolen (particularly those they bury with their dead). Once unsheathed, the blades can't be returned to their scabbard until they've been used to take a life. Attempts to remove the curse with counter-magic will cause them to explode violently in a burst of metal shrapnel and fatal poison (which will be absorbed into the body on skin contact).

[toobbolive]

Hear me out: Pac is just as afraid of intimacy as Fit is. Pac has a specific idea of what being close to other people will entail, and that's why he situates himself by the violent, unstable men.

They'll be exactly what he expects them to be, they're familiar.

That's why he still seeks out Cell during purgatory, and how he's decided to stay with him and try to walk him back to being Cellbit regardless of what Cell's done to him and his friends (including those who did not end up respawning or escaping.) Cell is already close to him, to his body and mind and Pac is afraid to lose that closeness no matter how ugly or unhealthy it is.

Any attention, any intimacy is still intimacy. A hand reaching out to harm you still has to touch your skin.

Meanwhile, Fit is from an environment that paradoxically prevents and ensures closeness, the bond between warriors, the conditional loyalties of where you lay your head.

Fit is aware that getting closer, getting what he wants will hurt him, and he still wants it anyways. I think he's prepared for the pain waiting for them both if he'll just reach out for it. As well, Fit has Ramón, a job, a mission, people who need him, other connections to the people around him. Pac doesn't.

And we see Pac keep people at an arm's length so that he won't have to risk the pain of being left behind by the people he cares about.

Considering old Fuga Impossivel 2 lore (which could be canon! they've been using parts of it) Pac and Mike are orphans, only fully having each other. The single constant between their adventures. Pulling capers, spending a long time in prison and then on a boat with other dangerous escapees, with whom they're now a twisted kind of family, but Richas has other dads, and people like Forever and Cellbit both have their own partners and demons right now.

So Pac during the Happy Pills arc? Walter Bob could be dead. Mike is in deep sleep, and Pac doesn't turn to anyone else for help. He doesn't reach out to the morning crew. He's self-sacrifically on his own, he goes on the drugs alone, and he begins to develop the antidote alone and what he says is that he doesn’t want to be sad again but he isolates himself in fear of it.

Let's think about the Pac who's openly affectionate to cover up the Pac who knows that no one needs him around and who's intelligent enough to know that challenging that understanding could destroy him.

That's why Pac won't confess either.

Pac avoids every concrete escalation because changing a relationship means risking losing it.

[froggibus]

Would They Wear A Friendship Bracelet? - Scaramouche, Xiao, Kazuha, Childe, Diluc & Itto

Includes: Scaramouche/Wanderer, Xiao, Kazuha, Childe, Diluc and Itto

Genre: fluff, could be considered crack

Summary: how they would react to receiving a friendship bracelet + would they wear it

CW: Scara is a brat, Xiao is a trog, general fluff and cuteness all around, some characters may be a lil OOC, (spoiler) of course they’re gonna wear it forever

i thought this was a cute idea and given ive been on a bit of a bracelet making kick, this happened lol. my first time writing any of these characters so im sorry if the lore is messy or they're ooc <3

————

Scaramouche/Wanderer:

looks at the bundle of navy, gold and red string in disgust

“you expect me to wear this? tsk, another one of your menial childish crafts.”

lowkey hurts your feelings

like you know he’s the most tsundere mf on the entire planet but sometimes he just goes too far 

you avoid him for the rest of the day after that

of course the minute you leave he’s tying it to his wrist 

he will never take it off either. it’s now his most prized possession 

next time you see him, you’re still a little upset about how he reacted

until he’s talking about something completely unrelated and you notice him fidgeting with something on his wrist

he’s running his fingers across it, an action that brings him comfort (and reminds him that no matter what he’s done, you still care about him)

never mention it to him tho or else he’ll pretend like he’s doing it just to appease you

Xiao:

his cheeks are instantly red

“you—you’re gifting this to me? to do what?”

looks at you in utter fascination while you explain what it is 

he adores the idea of carrying a physical object to commemorate your relationship 

his hand is probably shaking when you gently grab him to tie the bracelet around his wrist 

and of course his face erupts into an inferno

he’s never been handled with so much care before, and the sight of you tying a symbol of your affection into him is enough to make his heart race

you pull away with a smile, “there you go. you can always take it off if it bugs you or you don’t like it.”

he shakes his head

he’s never taking it off

he’ll probably find some sort of adepti magic to bind it to him so he’ll never lose or break it 

on long night when he misses you, he finds himself playing with the strings and thinking of you

Kazuha:

his eyes are practically sparkling when you present it to him 

“it’s wonderful, my love. like falling leaves in the autumn sunlight”

a little hesitant to put it on at first 

he’s just worried he’ll lose it during all of the adventuring he does

you’re a little sad when you see he’s not wearing it tho

and of course he loves you so much and all he wants is for you to be happy 

he offers you a gentle smile and asks if you’ll help him put it on since he totally can’t do it himself 

obviously you happily oblige and tie it to his wrist with the biggest smile

he spends a solid five minutes admiring it

kinda weird but also feel like he would kiss it?? 

whenever he’s away on long journeys, he always has you close 

and whenever he misses you, he stares at that symbol of your love and remembers that you’re out there waiting for him

Childe:

definitely not the first one he’s received 

teucer has almost definitely made him some before 

of course, yours is a little different 

“I love it, babe”

wears it EVERYWHERE

like this Fatui harbinger is always wearing this adorable little string bracelet 

you’d think it would take away from his reputation but people are equally as afraid of him 

he can’t just let you give him such a thoughtful gift without giving anything in return 

 so he sets out to make you your own bracelet 

honestly it’s really rough

his hands aren’t made for arts and crafts 

but even if it is slightly misshapen and filled with holes, you accept it happily 

the thought that he sat down and spent time trying to make it for you is enough to make you tear up

he ties it to your wrist and plants a kiss over the bracelet 

“there, now we match”

Diluc:

honestly you’re a little worried giving it to him

it feels stupid and dorky and he’s always dressed to the nines 

but as soon as he sees it, his face lights up

“you made this for me?”

you shift from side to side and awkwardly look at the floor. “yes…”

“thank you, darling. care to help me put it on?”

all of your worries melt away though

this man loves you to the point he would practically do anything to you

and seeing how cute and nervous you were giving him something you handmade just for him?

it’s enough to make him melt 

he examines the bracelet in the light, nodding at your handiwork 

he’ll always have it on him one way or another

whether it’s on his wrist, or in his hair, or attached to his keys or hidden somewhere when he’s the Darknight Hero

but it’s with him no matter what, just like you <3

Itto:

he cries 

like actually cries when you give it to him

he’s seen other people exchanging them, especially as a kid, and always wanted one

but of course as an oni, resigned himself to a friendship bracelet-less life

“f-for me?”

he has that cute pouty look on his face and full on sobs when you nod at him with that big smile on your face 

stops crying long enough to attempt to put it on

struggles tho cause his big ass hands aren’t meant for delicate things like that

so he sheepishly asks for your help

he is never going to take the bracelet off

like ever

probably cuddles with his wrist at night just to have it close 

(also probably loses it a million times without even realizing it—but don’t worry, Shinobu is there every time to pick it back up and sneak it into his pocket)

[hermitcraftheadcanons]

Skizzekai Community AU

Welcome to the land of Hermiton, a world saturated with magic in the very ground and air itself. In this AU, the hermits are adventurers, rulers of kingdoms, merchants, and more, all in the setting of a medieval-ish fantasy world. As with past community AUs, the contributions of all you headcanoners will be the driving force. But as a framework to build off, here's a summary of the key points in play at the start of our story.

THE MAGIC

Magic flows through everything in this world, with different types of it being most prevalent in different regions. The most dominant type of magic tends to be absorbed by native plants and animals, changing them to fit, so an area saturated in fire magic would be populated by fiery creatures. This includes sapient species- there are no humans in this world, but there is a staggering variety of fantastical races. Most creatures simply channel their magic through inherent traits, like enhanced speed or a breath weapon, but sapient species can additionally shape and direct their own magic for use as spells, learning and growing their skill with practice. Magical crafting and alchemy is also possible, by using the magical properties inherent in everything from a dragon's scales to the smallest of plants.

THE WORLD

Although independent towns and unclaimed land do exist, most of the world is split up into kingdoms, each one with a different magical specialty from the most dominant type of magic within their borders. One example is the kingdom ruled by Joel Smallishbeans, a king recently ascended to semi-godhood from the belief of his people and the application of his own powerful magic. The magic of this kingdom is that of fate and stories, prophecy and lore, and a recent prophecy has been particularly interesting. They say a hero must be summoned from another world, and that they will be needed to defeat a great evil.

THE SKIZZ

And here comes the titular character. Skizz Leman, a completely normal human from Earth, is brand new to this world. He's just been summoned by a man who calls himself a god, told he's the chosen one, and sent out to save the world. He has no idea how to do that.

As for the roles of other Hermits, the magic they might specialize in and the species they may be- that is all up to you! Assuming you've read the guidelines (under the cut), the fate of this AU lies in the hands of the inbox. Happy headcanoning!

Rules and guidelines:

- The end date will be announced later, when the AU feels like it has hit a natural stopping point. A post announcing the end will be made a day in advance of the inbox closing.

- After the AU closes, any remaining asks will still be posted, and discussion on the discord is still encouraged!

- Canonicity of submissions will be taken on a first come, first serve basis. If a later submission contradicts an earlier one, it will be considered an alternate and not part of the "main" AU canon.

- Alternates will be posted with [ALTERNATE] text. They will all still be posted, every idea should be seen, and discussion of alternates is encouraged on their own posts and on the discord.

- Au-related art and writing is strongly encouraged! Please tag hermitcraftheadcanons in your posts if you would like us to see and reblog it.

- Non-AU-related headcanons are still accepted, but will not be posted until all the Skizzekai asks are cleared out once the AU is over.

Thank you all for being understanding and patient about these rules. If you need clarification, feel free to ask.

[zalia]

Truth to Power, Chiasmus, and the Final Shape (or, has anyone else noticed we're playing the story backwards?)

Through a set of circumstances, I ended up getting onto an unhinged rambling session at 3am so thanks to my friend who let me (one time when different time zones was actually useful).

Some of this may be a little bit of a reach, but I think it bears out, and i've put the truly out there thoughts at the end.

Contains spoilers for Season of the Wish finale, and basically of Destiny, including the Final Shape trailers and ViDocs.

Okay, lets talk about Truth to Power and Ikora and Arach Jalaal's discussion of it in the Witch Queen CE.

Truth to Power is a lore book from Forsaken and it is... odd to say the least. It starts out as a message from 'Eris' and then cycles through other characters Eris > Medusa > Quria > Dul Incaru > Savathun, and then back again. It includes a 'choose your own adventure' section, a hidden challenge to defeat Shattered Throne solo at light level 999, a hidden note to data miners, and talks a lot about Ahamkara, the Distributary and the Dreaming City, black holes, and Savathun's (potential) plans regarding it. Especially the idea of moving through worlds contained within worlds via black holes.

In the Hidden Dossier decoded from the Witch Queen CE, Ikora and Arach Jalaal discuss this book, it's many readings, and what it might mean.

One thing that comes up is that the story uses a literary device called 'chiasmus'

REY >> JALAAL Look at the structure of the text. At first, Eris is real. Then we learn Eris's voice is a deception by Medusa. Then we learn Medusa is nested inside Quria. Then we learn Quria is a fiction of Dûl Incaru. And at the center, Savathûn reveals herself to be the parent of it all. We are headed inward, as if moving from parent to child universe. Then we proceed in reverse. Savathûn is revealed to be a fiction of Dûl Incaru. Dûl Incaru a simulation by Quria, and so on. So in the end, Truth to Power moves outwards. Just as Savathûn plans to move. In from our universe and out to the Distributary— Or out from our universe to its parent. JALAAL >> REY Oh. I see. I see! A literary structure like that is called a chiasmus, and chiasmus means "crossing point"! Like a wormhole or a portal! It was hidden in plain sight.

They can also be thought of as ring structures. We end at the beginning.

Which incidentally is the tag line for the Akashic Revelation lore from Season of the Deep about a Guardian trying to enter the portal in the Traveller and getting visions of his original human life!

Which will become relevant i swear.

Lots of people have commented about the finale cutscene from Season of the Wish, and how it mirrors Forsaken - with Crow at Cayde's mercy, vs Cayde at Uldren's mercy. And you can kind of look at Crow's story in general as a reflection of Uldren's. Crow resurrected > Imprisoned by Spider > Manipulated by Savathun > Growing into himself and his freedom as a guardian > Reconciliation with Mara > Jumping through a portal to another facet of reality

vs

Uldren following Mara out of the Distributary > the growing distance between him and Mara > Prince of the Awoken, tricking Guardians, visiting the Black Garden > his growing madness leading to his imprisonment in the Prison of Elders and manipulation by Riven (who was controlled by Savathun) > Death

There's another cycle (there are many cycles) I noticed with Saint and Osiris.

Vanguard Commanders > Separation+Exile > Saint's loss of the Light + death > [Sundial Incident] > Osiris' loss of the Light and imprisonment > [Nezarec Tea Incident] > Recovery+being reunited > Vanguard Commanders

We've also had in the ViDoc the mention of receiving the Khvostov because it's the first weapon we ever use in D1, returning to the freeway we were resurrected at, returning to the beginning.

With me so far?

We've ended Season of the Wish with a redux version of the final fight of D1 Vanilla - the destruction of the Black Heart. Symbolically bringing us back to the start of our journey. But if you look at a lot of the themes of recent seasons... we've been travelling backwards loosely through a reflection of D1's storylines.

Season of the Wish/D1 Vanilla

In D1, we are guided to enter the Black Garden and destroy the Black Heart created by the Vex. This is the story where we first encounter Mara and Uldren who send us to get the eye of a Vex Gate Lord to enter the Garden. Which involves us going to the Ishtar Academy on Venus to find out more about the Vex (incidentally this is also where the Vex Citadel is located - something which has been very prominently visible in the Starcrossed Mission).

In Season of the Wish, we are following up work done by Maya Sundaresh and Chioma Esi of the Ishtar Collective on the Veil which was revealed to be what the Black Heart was trying to recreate. We're working with Mara and Crow (and Crow even lampshades the original story in a joke about the eye of a Vex Gate Lord!). Eventually we end up confronting the Vex and destroying a new copy of the Black Heart.

Season of the Witch/The Dark Below

In the Dark Below, we are guided by Eris to stop the resurrection of Crota by disrupting a ritual, and eventually kill him in his Throne World in the Crota's End raid.

In Season of thr Witch, we take part in a ritual to tithe to Eris to help her ascend into becoming the Hive god of vengeance so that she can cut Xivu Arath off from her Throne World

Eris: Crota's soul is banished. You have given me the gift of vengeance. I thank you… - D1

Season of the Deep/The Taken King

I admit that this is out of order and a little more of a stretch, but chiasmus is not necessarily an exact thing and I think the parallels are there.

In The Taken King, we are confronted with Oryx's fleet arriving in the system to get revenge for the killing of Crota. He destroys a large portion of the Awoken Fleet who were there to buy us time, including killing Mara Sov (she had a plan and got better!). We have to pretend to be Ascendant Hive to face him on the Dreadnaught (which is created from the body of one of the Worm Gods) and we take shards of his sword to create our own. Eventually we face him in King's Fall, use his hoarded stolen Light and free it to defeat him.

In Season of the Deep, we have the sudden reappearance of Titan in the system sent by Xivu Arath. We have Sloane who has willingly become half Taken to learn about Xivu's plans and undermine them, and she is supported by Ahsa, one of the proto-worms who is seemingly akin to the Worm Gods (Eris uses her name and the name of her slaughtered family in her ritual in Season of the Witch, alongside the names of the Worm Gods). We save Ahsa, Sloane is possessed briefly by Xivu but recovers. We also enter a pyramid and take a gift of Darkness (Wicked Implement) left to us by Xivu.

Also we have a whole dungeon about the Lucent Hive trying to resurrect Oryx and Xivu's voice memories regarding him and everything about the Hive.

Season of Defiance/House of Wolves

In House of Wolves, Skolas, Kell of Wolves, is freed from his imprisonment by one of the Nine. he declares himself Kell of Kells, frees his followers from the Prison of Elders, attempts to assassinate Mara Sov. Mara, angered by this, gives Guardians the freedom of the Reef to hunt Skolas down as he tries to unite the various houses. He eventually breaks into the Vault of Glass to bring Wolves from the past to aid him. We stop him, capture him, and eventually kill him in the Prison of Elders. This leads to a very slight improvement of relations between the Reef and the City, although the Awoken, barring Petra, are still mainly ambivalent and Mara is absolutely only interested in us as a means to an end.

In Season of Defiance, the Shadow Legion are capturing humans and Eliksni and imprisoning them on the pyramid ships. We are aided in their rescue by Misraaks, once of the House of Wolves (as was his mother) now Kell of Light (and potentially Kell of Kells eventually???), and Mara Sov, who comes to aid us, willingly using her power to let us walk the Ascendant plane in order to rescue our people. It very much solidifies the alliance between the City and the Reef.

So essentially, House of Wolves is former allies of the Reef turning on them to destroy them. Season of Defiance is former enemies banding together to save their people.

Also Taniks is in House of Wolves, and conspicuously mentioned in Season of Defiance.

Lightfall/The Red War

Again, out of order slightly, but the more I think about it, the more I see the parallels.

In the Red War, the Last City is attacked by the Red Legion led by Dominus Ghaul who is obsessed with claiming the Light, and captures the Speaker. The Guardians lose the Light and are driven out of the City. We have to regain our Light abilities from the Shard of the Traveller that we are guided to. The Speaker is killed after admitting the Traveller doesn't speak to him. We go to gather our allies once more, assault the City, fight Ghaul who is then destroyed by the Light when the Traveller awakens. The Black Fleet is shown to activate at the edge of the System.

In Lightfall, we follow Osiris who has had a vision of Neptune. We arrive in Neomuna which is a City under assault from the Shadow Legion led by Calus (who was exiled and deposed by Ghaul). Our Light abilities are suppressed so we have to master Strand which is seemingly a product of the Veil. We gather our allies, including Caiatl who had taken over command after Ghaul's death, and combat the Shadow Legion's assault on Neomuna. We fight and defeat Calus who has been granted Darkness abilities. But the Witness communes with the Veil, damages the Traveller, and most of the Black Fleet leaves the system to enter the Traveller.

Season of the Seraph/Rise of Iron

In Rise of Iron, we're called by Saladin Forge, the last of the Iron Lords, to stop the Eliksni House of Devils from taking control of SIVA, the nanomachine plague which killed the other Iron Lords when they went to seek it to save humanity, because Rasputin got mad that the Traveller resurrected his son as Felwinter. We fight the SIVA animated corpses of some of the Iron Lords and destroy the replication chamber. We fight the Devil Splicers who have been augmented by SIVA.

In Season of the Seraph, we are working to recover a damaged Rasputin and stop Xivu Arath from taking control of Rasputin's Warsat network and weapons. We enter bunkers to recover his data, including returning to Felwinter Peak to recover Felwinter's memories which leads to Rasputin sacrificing himself to save humanity, where before he had sacrificed the Iron Lords for his own selfishness. We also fight Witness animated corpses of Eliksni (the Scorn) and Eliksni Wrathborn infected by Xivu Arath's cryptoliths (which can also infect computer systems). Eramis, once a Baron of the House of Devils has to see and grieve her friends and comrades turned into mindless puppets, as Saladin once had to see the Iron Lords turned into puppets by SIVA.

I think there's also a note to be had about how we're doing these repeats. In D1 the vast majority of the time, we are alone. We are not yet the Young Wolf, the Godslayer, the hero. We are just one random Guardian.

In D1 vanilla, there's no real mission control. You have Elsie Bray tell you to follow a signal and give you some info, but then you are on your own. Mara and Uldren are quite relaxed about potentially getting you killed. In Season of the Wish, we are guided by Osiris and Mara, aided by Crow. We have people with us every step of the way. At this point in D1, Petra was more or less exiled from the Reef. In Season of the Wish, she is one of Mara's greatest supports, and you can hear how much Mara cares about her.

The Dark Below has you guided by an Eris who is alone, untrusted and seen as crazy at best, or a genuine threat to the City at worst. She has nothing in her life but vengeance. In Season of the Witch, we have an Eris who has Ikora and Drifter and Mara there to support her and who trust her. The worry is mostly for her rather than about her.

We have gone from the Last City being a last bastion of humanity with the whole universe against us, to one of two cities, filled with those we had once called enemies.

Conclusion

So yeah, a theory that we're travelling back through our story, a chiasmus (there may well be other parallels in previous seasons too) which is taking us right back to the start of our story.

Except here's the thing... Elsie Bray is the one who starts things off by having us destroy the Black Heart. It's implied to be the major event that changed things. But Elsie's timeloops are stated to always take her back way before our resurrection, to the moment when Cayde becomes Hunter Vanguard.

Well, we're just about to get Cayde back.

So what happens when you reach the beginning/end of the story and yet it continues? We're outside the boundaries of this story now! Off the path we've been following!

But unlike when we were resurrected, alone save for Ghost, when we go into the Pale Heart, we will not be going alone. We've come through the chiasmus and we've done things better, built alliances, made friends, united the Light and the Darkness.

So when we step beyond the boundaries of the storyI would suggest one thing – Guardians make their own fates.

The actual unhinged theorising

So, there was one connection my mind made at like 7am when I briefly woke up after going to bed at 4am. A Chismus is kind of like a labyrinth.

In English, Labyrinth is often synonymous to maze, and it can be! However maze and labyrinth are also used as specialised terms - a maze is a multicursal puzzle with many branching paths, while a labyrinth is unicursal, and has only one winding path to the centre and out again.

You can see them in lots of places, including places of worship where they can represent symbols of pilgrimage, or a path to enlightment/salvation. Walking them can be used as a form of meditation. And historically they've also had sometimes been used as a way to trap evil spirits, or turn away evil.

So a Chiasmus is a ring structure, and you follow it from start to finish then back to start, and a labyrinth is a unicursal winding path that takes you to the centre and then back out again, and the story of Destiny is (loosely) following that structure.

There is one specific labyrinth I think it's worth looking at.

This is a labyrinth carved into the portico of Lucca Cathedral in Italy. The inscription is Latin and translated reads "This is the labyrinth built by Dedalus of Crete; all who entered therein were lost, save Theseus, thanks to Ariadne's thread"

This is the seal for Season of Arrivals... oh hey that... that looks familiar.

This is from the Live Action Witch Queen trailer showing the Cradle on Mars with... oh wait... is that... the same fucking labyrinth?

It crops up in a lot of places in Destiny. You will see it everywhere.

Where am I going with this?

Look at the inscription for the Lucca Cathedral labyrinth: "This is the labyrinth built by Dedalus of Crete; all who entered therein were lost, save Theseus, thanks to Ariadne's thread"

We know the story of Thesus and the Minotaur. He was able to find his way through thanks to a spool of thread given to him by Ariadne (oh hey, guess what subclass we just got in the last expansion...).

Well, Ariadne's Thread is the name for a method of solving puzzles by an exhaustive application of logic to all available routes. Wikipedia says about this method:

At any moment that there is a choice to be made, make one arbitrarily from those not already marked as failures, and follow it logically as far as possible.

If a contradiction results, back up to the last decision made, mark it as a failure, and try another decision at the same point. If no other options exist there, back up to the last place in the record that does have options, mark the failure at that level, and proceed onward.

That sounds kind of Vex-like huh? Or even more specifically... sounds almost like what Elsie Bray has been doing. She is reset each time to the last set point (Cayde becoming Hunter Vanguard), and in each loop she tests paths up until destruction. It's how she comes to realise that she has to be the person who finds stasis first.

Each loop cuts off a branch of the maze, a set of possibilities that do not lead to the right outcome. And cutting off each branch until there is only one path turns it into a labyrinth.

I've thought for a while that it feels like something is iterating, working through every option until all the pieces align and there is only one path. Making sure the chiasmus works.

Piecing together a perfectly constructed bomb to take on the sword, which will detonate into the exact kind of chaos that Guardians are good at.

I apologise for the extreme longness of this post. I really hope it is semi-coherent at least?

[james-is-here]

I have a different idea that’s not hunger games themed

The idea is a pirate captain hongjoong x male siren reader

Hongjoong is a pirate captain who captures the reader and steals his siren song so now the reader is mute. Years later the reader is cast out by his brothers and sisters and forced to live as a mute human. He works in a tavern as a waiter and hongjoong and his crew walk into the bar. Reader recognizes him and doesn’t wanna serve him but his boss makes him so he does

He brings the crew the drinks and hongjoong starts flirting with him and realizes he’s mute. I don’t have many ideas from here sorry but I think it’s a good story. I want them to have a happy ending but I also want some angst in there if that’s alright? I hope you like it :3

-🖤

(Notes at the end)

On the edge of Eldoria sea is a cove known by all as Siren's Lament.

In the annals of maritime lore, tales echo of gallant fleets embarking on perilous quests in search of the elusive cove, a whispered secret among sailors and adventurers alike. From bustling ports, ships set sail, their journey fraught with danger. Yet, upon their return, only a scant few brave the tumultuous seas back, bearing witness to the trials endured.

Their ships, battered and worn, tell stories of unseen perils lurking beneath the waves, of storms that rage with vengeful fury, and of whispers beckoning towards oblivion. Each voyage to this treacherous cove is a gamble, a dance with destiny where discovery may exact a price steeped in sacrifice and blood.

On of these many fleets was that of Captain Kim many years ago, his ship on the brink of sinking with temporary repairs in place, the hold of his ship partially flooded. The crew was battered and bruised, disheartened at the failed journey and their losses, including that of Captain Kim. His second hand returned to his family with his Captain's hat in his hand, a locket, and a sullen expression. The wife cried as the son gently took the hat and locket the second hand passed to him, saying that his dad passed with honor and dignity and he wouldn't want anyone else as his captain.

Before leaving, the second hand left with one more word. "Kid, when ye older, if you avenge yeh father 'e said to find the one whid black scales. That the one that lured 'im to 'is death." He points at the locket in the boys hand. "That is the Locket of Luring Silence."

The locket is a delicate item adorned with intricate carvings and inset with a shimmering gemstones and pearls that pulses with inner light. When opened, it emits a soft, hypnotic glow that lures the Siren's song into its heart, sealing it away from the world.

"What does it do?" The boy asks. "Can steal a song strai't from a Sirens throat." "Why would I do that?" Kneeling down, the second hand places a hand on the boys shoulder. "Kid, Sirens are heartless, selfish beasts, luring unsuspectin' souls to their wa'ery graves whid beguiling songs. They haunt their cursed coves, carin' not for gold nor glory, only for the mis'ry they sow with each hauntin' note." He takes the hat and places it on the boys head.

"Do yeh father proud, Hongjoong, yeah?" The boy nods, determination on his face.

"I will."

Years later, the young Captain Kim now had his own crew and his father's ship was repaired, he even had some of his father's crewmates on board.

At the Sirens Lament, within the ring of rocks, a few Sirens swim around in the sunlight, a few older guppies laughing and splashing their friends and a few parents float about with their younger guppies.

Other Sirens sit on rocks that breech the waters surface, on one of them lays an older male Siren with a younger girl. The girls scales travel up the sides of her waist and she wears the remnants of what use to be the sails of a ship covering her chest as her scales have yet cover her chest.

"Come on, has anybody ever been curious on what's out there? I bet it's fascinating." The male next to her groans as the girl pushes on his chest with enthusiasm, flicker her with his tail before rolling onto his front. "I bet it's terrible. Callista, You know the type of people that come from out there." "I know but am I the only one that can't help but wonder?" "Yes. The rest of us rather not think about what's out there and enjoy our life here." The girl groans and flops on the males back, her tail flipping up out of the water and splashing them.

"Mn, you're not a very fun brother." "Go to Nereus, see what nonsense he's getting into." "But you're the fun brother." Pushing up and tilting to the left he shoves the girl off, she yelps when he falls into the water. "You just said I was no fun, how does that make sense." She was going to retort when your mother called out. "Callista! Stop bothering your brother and help me corral the guppies!" "Mn is older, why can't he do it!" "Because I called for you, not Mn." "Aw, Mom."

Diving into the water with a whine and swimming away, Mn laughs as he settles on his rock, kicking up his tail and dropping it into the water, listening to it splash in the water and the others swimming around. He had all his developments, his scales were up his sides, over his collar bones and to the back of his neck. From there they travel over his shoulders and down his arms to his hands which are webbed. He had extra fins above his hips and wrapped around his waist were strings with different trinkets attached. His scales colored black with sprinkles of white and silver grey.

Laying his head down on his arms, he looks out past the rocks near him before sitting up and noticing something that is way too closer for comfort. How had nobody noticed sooner. "Pirates!" Everyone turns at his yell, watching him dive off his rock and the ship behind him.

Everyone stops what they're doing and dives off their rock or starting to head towards the depths of the cove. Mn and a couple other older Sirens got into place to trick the pirates should they enter the actual cove.

That's just what these pirates do.

Mn's mother looks to her son with a worried gaze and Mn catches it heading to his spot. "Mama, what's wrong?" "Just be careful." Her silver hand cups her son's face and brings his head down to kiss his forehead. "I will, Mama. I promise." He kisses her forehead in return before giving her a smile and swimming off. She watched him swim off, she knows he'll be safe but protecting the cove was how her husband was taken from them.

Three men in a row boat enter the cove and stop in the center, they were the firsts to enter with a boat instead of their whole ship. "Are you sure this is the right cove?" The one rowing asks as he stops and looks around, catching a few odd shapes lurking just under the waters surface.

"What other cove is known to be at the edge of Eldoria?" The other one asks. "Would both of you be quiet?" Finally the last one scolds both of them. "Sorry, Captain." They both say, lowering their heads when he stands up carefully and looks around.

Wearing thick black boots, white pants, a belt with his sword attached, a baggy red shirt and a long black coat was the younger Captain Kim, hat snug on his head and the Locket of Luring Silence hanging off his belt.

"Hey, what's that?" The one rowing says, turning towards a few lurking Sirens behind a rock that have started their song. "It's so...pretty." The Siren, salmon colored scales, bravely swims up the boat, her song being the most alluring to the male and she smiles up at him, reaching out to the dazed male and he takes her hand. "Thomas, No!" Captain Kim yelled out but the Siren smirks and pulls Thomas overboard and into the water.

"Shit, they're already hunting." "Captain?" "Just ignore them, they're just stupid fish, okay?" He grabs the net at the bottom of the boat. "Now, help me get this ready." When the other didn't respond or help him, he looked up. His other crew was over the edge, a blue Siren male was under the water and he was reaching out. "Charles-!" He reached out to him when he stopped, one voice among the song catching his attention.

Looking towards the voice, he saw a Siren behind a rock who slowly made his way to the boat like the others. "Captain-" The other crew yelled out and Hongjoong turns to see the blue Siren take him away and into the depths.

He turns around, the Siren still there and Mn has no time to react before the net Hongjoong was untangling was suddenly thrown over him. He tried to swim away but that just made the net wrap around his body more and Hongjoong held the net closed, hoisting him up onto the boat with a little struggle.

Mn squirmed trying to get out of the net but the other stepped on his neck, the Captain holding him still as he pulled out his sword and held it to the Sirens face and Mn stops struggling.

Hongjoong breaths heavily from the struggle, eyes scanning over the scales and scowls down at him when Mn's black scales shine back at him in the sunlight. "It's you. You're the Siren with black scales that lured my dad to his death." "W-What? W-Wait, n-no, please!" "Oh, it speaks." "I-I'm not who k-killed your dad." "I was told a Siren with black scales lured my dad to his death." "I-I have m-my dads s-scales, p-please d-don't h-hurt me, please."

"What if I do, huh?" "I-I c-can't leave my mom alone. I-I t-took my fathers p-place in the family, I-I can't leave them." "Fine." He pulls back his sword and steps off his throat. "Can I hear your song one last time?" He asks as he untangles the net and Mn dives back into the water.

"Why would I do that, pirate?" He shrugs. "It was nice." Mn opened his mouth, his song meeting Hongjoong's ears and Mn misses him reaching to his belt and pulling the locket from it.

Hongjoong smirks, opening the locket and holding it near Mn. His eyes widen and he wanted to stop and swim away but its as if the locket kept him frozen. Mn winces, his throat burning as it felt like his voice was physically being torn from his larynx.

The locket closed by itself when it had his voice and Mn's hand shoots up to his neck, jaw dropped partially as he stares up at the Captain in shock and worry.

"I'll let you live but," He then holds up the locket and waves it tauntingly. "I'm take this." Mn reaches out for it but Hongjoong pulls it back, laughing at Mn as he took the oars and started rowing back to his ship.

When out of the cove, Mn still remained where his was and his mother swam up to him and looked him over. "Mn, are you okay?" She cradles his face, making him look at her worried gaze. He went to answer but nothing came out. His eyes widen, hand wrapped around his neck and scratching at it as if to bring his voice back. "Did...Did that pirate steal your voice?"

Mn nods, scratching at his neck and his mother takes his hands away so he doesn't hurt himself. "It's okay. It'll be alright, Mn, okay?" Mn starts crying, his arms moving to wrap around his mother and she does the same. "Oh, Mn..." "Mom, will Mn be okay?" She removes an arm from Mn and wraps it around Callista. "I hope..." She whispers into the girls hair and kisses the tops of their heads as her other kids join them.

The power of a Siren resides wholly within their voice, a symphony of enchantment that binds them to the depths of the ocean. Without the melodic gift, they are but a shadow of their former self, bereft of the captivating allure that defines their existence. Stripped of thier voice, a Siren becomes vulnerable, their once-potent magic reduced to whispers on the wind. No longer able to command the currents or entrance the hearts of mortals, they drifts aimlessly, a solitary figure adrift in a sea of silence, longing for the song that once defined her.

For a Siren, to lose their voice is to lose their very essence and they begin a gradual transformation into a mortal being. As their abilities wane, they become vulnerable to the dangers of the human realm, disconnected from the ocean's depths that once sustained them, gave them life. It falls upon the cove's inhabitants, fellow Sirens, to decide their fate. They must choose between aiding them in their transition to mortality, offering guidance and protection as they adapt to their new reality, or casting them out to fend for themself among humanity. The Siren, stripped of their allure and defenseless, also holds the option to depart voluntarily, seeking solitude to safeguard themself from the perils that now threaten their existence.

Only a few months later, you sat at the shore deep within the cave of the cove. You still had your tail, glimmering with grey scales and only a grey black ones spotted around.

You've been silently watching the tied roll over your tail, tears falling down your face as you've come to terms with your fate. You've heard every murmur from other families and your siblings have started to avoid you. 'Why be around someone that can't speak?' Callista, who was once your best friend, now avoids you and goes elsewhere.

You're no longer seen as the family leader, that's been given to Nereus and you didn't even get to decide that. Nereus has even started to ignore you and boasts about being the family leader and making dad proud unlike 'the mermaid who couldn't take down a pirate.' You were even called a mermaid. 'You don't have a voice so why should you be called a siren.' some of the other sirens said either to your mother or to your face.

"Mn? Son?" You look up when your mother joined you on the shore, placing a hand on the side of your face and you lean into her touch. She then picks up your hand, looking over your arm which started showing more skin as the scales disappear.

Picking a loose scale off your arm, she rubs it between her fingers, sighing deeply as she leaned onto your shoulder. "Mn, You..." She holds your hand tighter. "I don't want to...but the others are talking about...sending you away." Your hand briefly tightens in her hold. "I know, Mn, I know. I'm sorry...but you know it's your choice. If you stay, I will help you no matter what but you are such a bright spirit and I'm so proud you're my son and I'm simply suggesting that you'll be better on land."

She lifts her head off your shoulder to see your reaction before reaching up with a gasp and wiping your tears. "Oh, My son, I know. I'm sorry this has happened to you but know that I'm so proud of you and your father would be so proud of you as well. You're so brave, so strong, so perfect and I wish I never had to do this to you, that this didn't happen to you."

Your shoulders jolt with a silent sob and your mother takes you into her arms. "The choice is yours, but while you still have your gills and tail you should leave now..." She pulls away and cradles your face. "Just to get as far as possible before it's too late..."

Hesitantly, you nod your head, kissing your mother forehead before moving your hand to your arm and pulling out a few more scales, a mix of black white a grey and place them in her hand before pointing towards the hand made necklace your mom made for all her children, a few of her scales attached to one another in a small diamond surrounded by one scale from each of her children. Your siblings ripped your scale off their necklaces the moment Nereus was made the family leader.

"Oh, Mn..." You tap your temple then point to yourself and your mother smiles. "My dearest eldest son, I'll always remember you." Pointing to your heart then to her, you hug her one last time. "Oh...I love you, too, Mn. Be safe, okay? Don't worry about us, just..."

She pulls back one final time and cups your cheek, kissing your forehead and smiling weakly. "Just be yourself." Nodding, you lean into her touch one last time and go to swim away when you heard splashing and quiet yelling.

"Kids, come here." Your mother calls out and your brothers and sister come closer to the shore. "I understand you have all resented Mn but at least say goodbye?" Callista was the first to come up next to you, followed by Nereus, Luna, and a very hesitant Lirian.

You open your mouth, no sound coming out as you mouth to them that you're sorry. "I guess...we've been unreasonable. You didn't loose your voice on purpose, that pirate took it." Nereus spoke up first.

"Mn doesn't want to leave...but he's doing it for his own safety." You nod at your mother's words. Your siblings look at each other before your sisters are at your sides and Nereus is moving behind you to hug you all at once, causing you to let out a silent sob as you hug them back the best you could.

They let go and you look at them all one last time with a small smile then to your mother before moving further off the shore and into the water. "Be safe, Mn!" Luna calls out and you turn, waving goodbye one last time before they watch you dive under water and swim away.

"Get up!" I gruff, raspy voice calls as a hand slaps the back of your head and you jolt up. "Customers are arriving, get out there." You glare at the back of the tavern owner as you rub the back of your head and get up.

It's been three years now since all your powers were gone. You were found floating in the ocean by a fisherman who took you in and helped you, he was really nice when he realized you couldn't speak or walk, super patient with you and caring.

His brother on the other hand...

He own a tavern, the most popular one on shore and if it wasn't for the fisherman and the care he has for you as if your his son, you wouldn't have your job.

The fisherman had to go on his yearly outing to get more fish so you were stuck with his brother, a big oaf with a snaggle tooth, half his hair, and if you didn't know any better, you'd think he was apart of some pirate crew. (I was picturing a member of crew from Pirates of the Caribbean XD )

Exhaling sharply, you shift to the edge of your makeshift bed, still rubbing the spot the tavern owner, Samuel, smacked before standing up and getting dressed.

You buckle a belt over your oversized shirt, slip on a pair of worn, brown pants, and a pair of black boots.

You trudge out of the back room and behind the bar, leaning on the top for a moment while you yawn, eyes closed before a hand slaps on the surface. "Oi, get to it!" Samuel bellows, glaring at you.

You yawn again before walking over to your first table of the day while Samuel wonders over to a table of woman who you can tell are way out of his league but he buys them mead and they keep coming back.

A little while later, five tables into your shift, loud, boisterous laughter and yelling fill the room and you look up from the tap you're at only to scowl and look away, back to the mug in your hand.

Placing the mug on the counter with the other two, you easily, albeit still a little shaky, grab the mugs with one hand and two bottles of mead in the other before going over to the table that ordered all the drinks.

You go back behind the bar, beginning to clean the cups there as you glance at the group that just walked in and has sat down. You really wish you weren't the only server in the particular moment.

"Oi, Sam! Can we get drinks over here!" Samuel looks up from the whor- lovely woman he's talking to, his smile falling as he looks at who yelled then scowled at you. "Boy, go get their order." You heavily drop your hands, the glass in your hand making a small thud on the countertop as you glare at Samuel, shaking your head. Samuel stands up, one hand on the table and the other pointing at you. "Er lucky my brother is attached to ye' or I'd kick ye' out. Go do yeh job!" He points at the crew and you huff, removing your towel glad hand from the mug and placing both down before stomping over to the table.

They all keep talking as you lean on a chair, waiting for someone to order. "He can't speak, by the way!" Samuel yells and they finally turn towards you, you're lucky there's only a few crew members here. Last you knew it had about twenty members.

With a tight lipped smile and an eye roll, you push off the chair your were leaning on and walk back to the bar. You had to make six beers and grab six meads, not the hardest task but you just really didn't want to serve them. "Oi, make that seven beers."

You look up and your annoyance and reluctance couldn't have gotten any higher. You were initially annoyed because you hated this group cause they were always loud and obnoxious, but with the new face in the group, the hat and the outfit he wore, and a familiar looking locket around his neck, now all you wanted to do was put down the mug in your hand and go punch him.

If looks could actually kill, Hongjoong's head would've been gone. With each fill, you're glaring at the side of his head. When you have six mugs, you carefully picked up the three mugs in each hand, taking them to the table. "You're missing a few things." His voice called out as you walked away and you turned back, showing your hands to indicate that you only have two hands.

You fill the last mug needed for the table then just grabbed a whole box of mead. You heavily place the mug down in front of Hongjoong then take six bottles out of the box before walking away and taking care of the box. As you attend to a patron at the bar, you hear a whistle and look over to see the captain flick two fingers for you to come over to the table.

You get the man at the bar his drink then go over to the table, offering a sarcastic smile to the male and cross your arms. "Oh, what's with the sour look, darling?" You scowl at the nickname and gesture with your hand for him to hurry up with what he wanted. "What? Don't want to talk to me? How can a cutie like you not want to talk with me?" Your eyes twitch as your glare hardens and you go to walk away, dropping your arms and wanting to get away from him but he grabs you wrist and pulls you into his lap, his right hand clasped around your right wrist and his left planting itself on your waist and squeezing, grip tight and fingers digging into you as you squirm to get off.

You didn't expect Hongjoong to be the type to flirt with guys but all you knew about him was the interaction from three years ago and the mutters you hear from other patrons. "Why you so quiet, handsome?" You turn to glare at him, leaning away from his tight hold on your waist. Your eyes flicker to the locket around his neck and your first instinct is to yank it off his neck, punch his face, then run away.

"Too stunned by my looks?" You look back up and glare, struggling in his hold but he just pulls you closer. "Come on, stop playing hard to get, just relax." You couldn't take it anymore, you reach out, yanking the locket and when Hongjoong let go of your wrist and his grip on your waist loosened, you stood up and punched him.

His crew stood up, pulling their swords out but Hongjoong recovered quickly, standing and grabbing your wrists. You struggle in his hold as he moves both your hands to one of his as he takes the locket back. You thrash in his hold, wanting the locket back but he smirks darkly and pockets it. "You're a feisty fella." Your mouth opens to complain but nothing comes out. "Oh, you really can't say anything."

Looking around, you see his crew still standing guard and Samuel's harsh stare is directed to you. You know you shouldn't have lashed out like that but you can't stand Hongjoong, you hate him for taking your voice, you hate him for ruining your life and the locket was right there, you couldn't stop yourself.

"Sammy, Mate, mind if I take him for a moment?" "Wha'ev'a. Just bring 'im back, yeh? He's the only server I got." "Will do. Boys, stay here."

Dragging you out of the building, you fight against his hold. "Stop moving." He yanks on your wrists, dragging you further and further from the tavern and over to a ramp. You stop walking, not really wanting to get on his ship but he yanks you up onto the ramp.

Once on the boat, you let's go of your wrists, throwing you onto the deck and you turn over, propping yourself up on your elbows as you glare at him angrily. "Put the pout away, fish." Your scowl falters as you look away then back up at him.

"Yeah, I recognize you. How are you here?" You glance to the pocket he put the locket in then back up to him. He takes it out, holding it up. "This? This turned you human?" You push yourself up, standing to be face to face, tapping your throat. "So taking your voice took away your tail? That's dumb." You slapped him, his head turning with the impacted and he holds the locket away when you try to grab it. "You are starting to get on my nerves."

Your eyes widen as you point to yourself. "Yes, You are annoying me." You throw your arms up. "How?" You nod. "You're very physical." Your hands rest on your hips as your glare returns. You really wish you could tell him all the words on your mind but even if he did give your voice back, you haven't used it in three years, how would you sound? Could you even speak if you did have it?

You point at the locket then at your neck. "Give it back?" You nod. "Mmm...no." You physically deflate and open your mouth to speak again but end up huffing when nothing comes out. You grew to enjoy not talking but in this particular moment that's all you want to do. How would he feel if he had to leave his family because his means of survival were taken away? How would he feel if he couldn't communicate like normal? How would he feel if he was in your position?

You went to slap him again but he caught your wrist again. "Stop that." You tilt your head towards the locket and stare at him with a desperate look. "I'm not falling for this look, you aren't getting it back. You took my father, I took your voice." You wanted to say you didn't, you were practically a guppy when his dad attacked your cove. You tap your neck again, giving up and pleading to the pirate to give your voice back. You need to actually talk to him, you need to speak, you need your voice.

"Y'know, without a voice, you're cute." Your desperate look turns into confusion as you back away and he finally lets go of your wrist. "What? Without your voice I can focus on your face." You hold up three fingers, point at your throat, then tap your temple.

"What?" You hold up three fingers, point at the locket, then tap his temple. "How would I remember your voice?" You nod. "I-" He finally went silent and looked away from you, causing you to look at him confused. "You can't tell my crew." You roll your eyes and gesture for him to continue. He takes the locket between his fingers and taps it on his palm. "Well, I- Uh...I listen to it..." He presses a button on the side and opens it slightly, your own voice meeting your ears. "And since I'm telling the truth, the reason I said what I said is because without your voice, I'm now focused on your looks and not just the pull of your voice."

Inhaling then exhaling, you place a hand on top of his and he looks up, he doesn't flinch the locket away, just letting you hold his hand. You tilt your head, moving your hand from his to tap the locket gently, then tap your throat again. "But I promised to avenge my father." You tilt your head, raising a brow. "What?" Nodding towards his hands you look back up at him.

"You'll just take your voice and swim back home." You shake your head. "How do I know you're telling the truth?" You point to yourself, your lips, then at him. He may have ruined your life but damn, you couldn't deny he was good looking.

"Why would you want to kiss me? You literally punched me when I was flirting with you earlier." You shrugged before raising your free hand to the lapel of his coat and pull him in until his lips connected to yours. You never thought your first kiss would be with a pirate, his lips were chapped but you two fit together so smoothly.

He leaned in closer and you felt his hand move and open the locket completely, lifting it until it was closer to your throat. The feeling was overwhelming, causing you to pull away and gasp, eyes opening wide as your hand leaves his and flys up to your throat while you look down at the now dark locket that once glowed with your voice.

Even with your voice now returned to you, you didn't know how to speak, didn't know what to say. You genuinely got comfortable with not speaking after so long. "Where's..." He starts and you look back up to realize he hadn't pulled back from you completely. "M-My..." Your voice is raspy and it kind of hurt as you rub your throat and attempt to clear your throat.

"Weird..." You mutter with a look of disgust and Hongjoong laughs softly. "W-What?" "The look on your face." "I-It...Is. Been...th-three...y-years." You rasp out quietly. "I thought if you got your voice back, you got everything back too.." You shake your head. "Been too...long...no more...magic." "Oh..."

"My D-Dad...t-took yours...i-isn't it e-enough...that you m-made...me...an o-outcast...of...my...f-family..." He hums with a sigh. "I guess." You go to slap his chest but once again, he catches your wrist. "Slapping isn't very nice, y'know?" "S-so i-is...t-taking my...voice..." "I regret what I did, you're too talkative now." You hum, tilting your head. "Th-Thought y-you l-liked my v-voice?" "I'm thinking about shutting you up again." "Th-Then do it."

He presses his lips to yours again, pulling a squeak out of you as you weren't expecting him to kiss you again. He pulled back with a laugh and you figured it was because of the noise you made so you take your hand away from his and slap his shoulder. "I-It's n-not f-funny." "Exactly, it was cute." You playfully shove him away and walk away, heading to the ramp when he stops you, his right hand grabbing your left and pulling you back over to him, his left hand placing itself on your waist as laughter kept spilling from him.

"I-I'm sorry, okay. For everything." "Y-You j-just wanted...t-to make...y-your dad p-proud." "Yeah, but taking your voice took you away from your family." You shrug. "A-At least...now I-I c-can yell b-back...at r-rude p-patrons." "What? You're not going back there." "I-I h-have t-to..." "Instead...I'm going to take you back to your cove...to see your family."

You stare at him wide eyed. "Th-That's...That's a d-death w-wish." "We've done it once...we can do it again." "W-why?" He shrugged. "I ruined a cute boys life, I want to make it up to him." "I-I'm s-stuck...w-with the f-flirting...a-aren't I?" "Yes."

When his crew returns, you were waiting in his quarters and he was in front of the door, waiting for his crew to settle down. He gave you new clothes and one of his extra coats. "Oi, Capti'n, Sammy boy is upset. Where's his server boy?" "He's not his server boy anymore." You heard a knock and you open the door, stepping out and next to Hongjoong. "He's now my right hand." "Yeh addin' a mute boy to our crew? How's he gonna be useful on a ship?"

"M-More th-than...y-you f-from wh-what...I-I've been t-told." They all look at you with wide eyes. "He can talk?" "He can and it's best if you treat him with respect." "Why should we?" Another crew guy asked, stepping forward in an attempt to intimidate you. "He's my partner now, you disrespect him, you're disrespecting me." "I don't buy it." Hongjoong scowls softly before snapping and two loyal crew members take the guy by his arms and drag him to the ramp but instead of throwing him down the ramp they throw him overboard into the water.

"Anyone else?" They all stayed silent and he smirked. "Good. Ramp up, we're heading out." "Where are we going sir?" "Don't worry about it." He looks over at you and you meet his eye. "You'll know soon enough." He says still speaking to the crew member as he shrugs and walks away.

"W-Why c-can't...they kn-know?" He wraps his arm around your waist and pulls you closer. "Don't feel like telling them yet." He shrugs with a smirk and you chuckle, going to walk away to go up to the wheel but his arm pulls you back, both hands now on your waist as he leans in to kiss you. Another squeak leaves you as you're not use to kissing him yet and he laughs against your lips. "J-Joong!" You scold as he keeps laughing, hands squeezing your sides gently. "I'm sorry, it cute." He leaves another peck to your lips. "And keep calling me that. I like it." "Wh-What if I c-call you m-my captain?" "Careful. It sounds way too good coming from you." "I-I'll k-keep that i-in mind for l-later."

He smiles, kissing you again before pulling away and taking your hand to pull you up to the wheel. Behind it is a chair and he sits in it, pulling you with him to sit on his lap and wrap his arms around you. Feeling bold, you reach up and take his hat, placing it on your own head, making him laugh.

"You're lucky, fish boy."

"That I am, Captain."

Oh my lord I think this is the longest thing I've written. Feels like it is anyway.

I'm way behind on requests and just posting in general so I gave myself a goal: Write and finish 5 requests. My reward for myself is writing something inspired by that one Felix concept photo.

Boys skin just needs marked and bitten

Anyway, this is the first request of my goal that I've finished. For the other four, my plan is Agere Seung, HyunHo angst/smut, SeungIn w/ Innie in a skirt, then Corruption with Felix but it might change depending what I end up getting in the mood to finish but either way they will get done.

thanks to @succubus-hansol who is like amazing and motivates me but also reminds me to not overwork. Literally the best online friend I've ever made. 🥰

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this, I loved making the lore, I guess, and coming up with all the details.

[catslilypad]

We're Cats on a Lilypad Studios. A solo run indie studio based in regional Australia and we make visual novels!

We aim to bring you rich and vibrant worlds, characters and narratives with a focus on fantasy, romance, and adventure.

(and cats)

See what we're working on!

GAMES

The Inn Between

Steam || Itch.io

Lead Artist: XianJin Publisher - Two and a Half Studios

A modern fantasy BL visual novel following Myka Riley, a young barista with a mystery on his hands.

He has no memory of his past, a sketch book full of creatures only he can see and a nightmare he can't shake.

A phone call from a stranger changes the course of his life as he's directed to a mystical inn on the outskirts of town.

A story of gods, demons and a world beyond anything Myka could have imagined as he seeks his past.

🏮Three love interests 🏮Incredible soundtrack + art 🏮Catboy, goatman, roommate! 🏮Free NSFW patch

Our full common route is now available in beta on our Patreon!

Heart Agency

Steam || Itch.io

Lead Artist: 6nii9

A model, an actor and an idol get assigned to a reluctant composer and brother of the agency head.

There's no punchline, there IS Heart Agency however, our BL idol visual novel in development.

A modern day BL visual novel about a composer from a famous family who isn't so keen on fame himself.

Not only are his parents world renown performers, they also own their own talent agency, which Adrian Heart is now compelled to work at.

Becoming the reluctant manager to one of three elite talents Adrian has his work cut out for him. All while maintaining his anonymity.

🎬 Three Love Interests 🎬 Original Soundtrack 🎬 Gorgeous art 🎬 All your favourite Idol themes

Heart Agency is getting a completely revamped demo via our Patreon!

Moonflower

Steam || Itch.io

Lead Artist: Tomomochi

The Moonflower...is dying...

Play as Nika Skylar, a royal alchemist with an aversion to nobility as he uncovers a century long plot, investigates a murder AND rescues a sacred and rare fae flower.

When a once a century festival is attacked, High Alchemist Nika Skylar is forced to take matters into his own hands. Accompanied by a mysterious stranger who ignites his very soul, he has one night to save not only the kingdom but the rarest and most powerful entity in the world.

The fabled Moonflower.

🌸 56 thousand words with multiple endings 🌸 Gorgeous CG 🌸 Bonus Chibi 🌸 Alchemy Minigame 🌸 Catboy

Moonflower

Steam || Itch.io

Lead Artist: Tomomochi Key Art: Fuyuure

One year after the disastrous Moonfaire all seems well in Ashmire.

But what of our fated fae?

While memories of the event are hazy to all others Captain Thane has remained vigilant, waiting for the promised return of their felinis alchemist.

With the arrival of a voiceless fox perhaps his wait is at an end?

🌘 Continue the love story of Skylar and Ender 🌘 New locations 🌘 New characters 🌘 Gorgeous art and breathtaking backgrounds

🍑Additional Patreon exclusive NSFW ending

ARTBOOKS and BUNDLES

The Art Collection Volume 1

Every month our patrons vote to decide our monthly illustrations themes and characters Illustrated by Mizu Yukiiro.

These votes include theme, SFW character and NSFW character.

A collection of select past patreon illustration and promotional artworks can be purchased in the Artbook Volume 1 on itch.io.

The Art and Lore of Moonflower

Steam || Itch.io

Delver into deeper into the world of Moonflower with the art and lore of Moonflower!

This book covers all the details of the game, from character concepts, to extended lore and even a comprehensive endings guide.

BL LOVERS BUNDLE

Steam

Three games, two developers!

Immerse yourself in three captivating stories: The Divine Speaker, an 18+ fantasy visual novel; Moonflower, a mystery fantasy visual novel; and start;again, a hilarious (yet somewhat heartbreaking) mystery visual novel.

And the best part? You can get all three games at a discounted price! Already own one or two of the games? No problem! Pay only for the games you don't have yet and still receive the bundle discount. Don't miss out on this fantastic deal!

If you'd like to follow along in real time and see other things from us as well our discord and twitter are the best places to find the studio, chat, and also see what other devs are working on as we collaborate or share.

You can find all of our links and socials on our Linktree

Find Us:

Twitter

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Discord

TikTok

Instagram

BlueSky

Support us on our Patreon for multigame updates, exclusive illustration and more:

Patreon

Buy our merch, such a Keychains, prints and Dakimakura on Ko-Fi:

Ko-f

As well as making games, I also sometimes get to play them!

Catch me on Youtube playing games and sometimes singing!

Exclusive dev streams sometime? (づ￣ 3￣)づ

Youtube Twitch Ko-Fi Twitter Tumblr Discord

[sunmoonjune]

masterlist

an updated collection of the works of sunmoonjune. all works belong to sunmoonjune. do not copy, translate, or repost any of my works. I will no longer be updating the previous masterlist! I just needed a chance of pace to get back on track :))

*please regard the warnings at the beginning of each fic! they are very important - please remember that you curate your own internet experience, so take heed to any and all warnings*

previous masterlist

petrichor

a stray kids and ateez supernatural universe! 

choose your own adventure masterlist

in this masterlist, you’ll be guided to pick your first adventure: through the door of rising suns and rays of light or the door of starry skies and a midnight moon? 

once you pick your door, there will be links to the fics in each universe in the masterpost of the specific kingdom: the kingdom of dawn (ateez) and the kingdom of night (stray kids) 

there is lots of lore for each universe in these pieces! 

stray kids

oneshots

primordial: poly!ot8 stray kids x fem!reader [sea gods au, soulmate au]

[preview]

synopsis: “Oh no,” the deep voice spoke hushedly, “we cannot destroy something that has loved us so beautifully.” 

warnings: suggestive content! minors dni!! mentions of death, drowning injury, blood, poly relationships including member x member, swearing

rating: mature [due to suggestive content]

word count: 12.3k 

storm clouds at midnight: poly!ot8 stray kids x fem! reader [werewolf au, soulmate au]

synopsis: moving to a little woodside town, you discover a deep bond that connects you to eight wolves who reside in the forest aside your cottage. soon after your first meeting, you give into the enchanting magical connection and accept the pack leader’s challenge: if any of the wolves can catch you, you'll accept the mating bond (a silly proposal, considering you have long since accepted the connection)

warnings: intense suggestive content (not explicit smut, but damn well close) [minors dni!!], predator/prey, chasing, blood, injury, vulgar language, cursing, biting, choking 

rating: extremely mature! [minors pls do not interact!]

word count: 26.3k

↳ untitled drabble: poly!ot8 stray kids x fem!reader [storm clouds! universe] 

hyunjin, minho, chan, felix based 

synopsis: musings about hyunjin and his hair-tie stealing tendencies 

warnings: gets a little raunchy -- minors please dni! suggestive content and cursing 

↳ moonlit inferno: poly! ot8 stray kids x fem!reader [storm clouds! universe] 

synopsis: the wolf pack muses upon the mating chases that have occurred since your courting process finished. one resulted in your favor, the other in their own. while planning their tactic to win the next, they’re interrupted by your call with someone they had not expected. 

warnings: suggestive content!! predator/prey, chasing, cursing, vulgar language, choking, teasing, biting, minors please do not interact with this piece (you will get blocked!)

rating: mature! [minors dni]

word count: 10k 

ateez

series

like the moon: poly!ot8 ateez x fem! oc!reader

*disclaimer: I tag the reader as an /oc/ just in case, but the reader here isn’t really an oc - she has a nickname and a backstory (as well as family figures), but she does not have any distinguishing features besides her scars and enough hair to tie rings into -- anything else is not mentioned so it’s still a reader insert, I just wanted to clarify for anyone who is confused! * 

one: the trial

two: a familiar face

three: puncture

four: honey

five: hatred

six: an anchor in storming seas

seven: angel

eight: reconciliation

nine: common ground

ten: new start

eleven: too slow

twelve: gone

thirteen: flames relit

fourteen: home 

fifteen: safe

sixteen: my hongjoong

seventeen: magpies

synopsis: it’s finally the day of your trial. you’ve been waiting for this day for years. will you succeed and become a warrior your clan can finally be proud of? or will you fail, and be banished from the village forever? 

warnings: graphic depictions of past torture, past abuse, gore, injury, death, threats, fighting, reader is nonverbal for much of this fic, previous familial abuse [this fic can be considered triggering in many aspects, pls be cautious and heed the warnings at the beginning of each chapter!]

rating: mature

word count: 160k 

status: in progress

↳ extra lore! some extra detail on her mask 

↳ extra lore! the semiotics of a long bow: a glimpse into the symbols seonghwa carves into his longbow

↳ spring tides: a like the moon oneshot

synopsis: the ateez clan celebrate your birthday <3 

warnings: vague mentions of eating disorder, death and torture, scars, ptsd, very fluffy! a lot of comfort! not so dark this time xD I did not proofread this :D 

rating: teen 

word count: 14.1k 

oneshots

dewdrops at dawn: poly!ot8 ateez x fem! reader [demon au, soulmate au] [petrichor! universe]

synopsis: you’ve never really believed in angels, or anything of the sort, but in a last ditch effort to escape a grave situation – you find yourself to praying for someone - anyone - to come help you. 

“wow, you would not believe how fast angels are! I had to fight like six of them to answer your call!” 

warnings: creepy men, implied chubby!reader, social anxiety, implied neurodivergency, cursing, being followed, drunk assholes, blood, death, minor gore, intense sexual themes [minors dni!!], heavy suggestive content 

rating: mature [minors dni!]

word count: 17.2k

mist at daybreak: poly!ot8 ateez x fem! reader [demon au, soulmate au] [petrichor! universe]

[preview]

synopsis: a one shot to continue dewdrops at dawn. 

as you officially settle into life in Hell, a few problems arise. the first comes in the form of nightmares - or memories, you suppose - memories of your death. images of blood and tears, the sight of your grieving mates, and the weak plea of a promise are all you can see. 

“forever, angel.” he promises, voice weak as tears muddle his vision. “forever. I promise.” 

warnings: blood, death, cursing, mourning, suggestive content, mentions of vomit

rating: mature [minors dni]

word count: 5.7k [preview] 

jujutsu kaisen

series

house-elves & moondew: poly!satosugu x fem!reader [hogwarts au] 

chapter one

synopsis: “you must be some wizard,” Suguru huffs softly, a warm smile gracing his features as his dark eyes drift over you. his chest sings with a giddy lightness, feeling the butterflies in his stomach turn when a little grin pulls at your features. 

when you tilt your head in confusion, Satoru continues for his partner. “You’ve bewitched us,” he murmurs softly, voice warm and husky as he leans close, “body and soul - without even uttering a single spell.” 

warnings: social anxiety, reader has implied trauma, violence, injury, blood, death, death eaters, heavy suggestive content [minors dni!!], cursing

rating: mature [minors dni!]

word count: 15k

status: ongoing

oneshots

in their loving hands: poly!satosugu x fem!reader [mafia au, kindergarten teacher au]

synopsis: you’re a hard working kindergarten teacher, just trying to earn enough money to move out of your run-down apartment. everything is normal, or as much as it can be, until two men drop their daughters off in your kindergarten classroom. Nanako and Mimiko quickly become two of your favorite students, and their unreasonably attractive fathers have nothing to do with it - you promise! 

warnings: blood, death, cursing, mentions of cheating, insecurity, being followed/chased, being attacked, mentions of sexual content! 

rating: mature 

word count: 18.8k

gods and monsters: poly!satosugu x fem!reader [pacific rim au]

synopsis: six years after you lose your jaeger co-pilot, the Marshall finds you working on the coastal wall; he’s adamant you return to your station, but you can’t imagine piloting a jaeger with anyone who isn’t your brother. when you’re talked into returning to base, you’re met with the world’s two best jaeger pilots. 

warnings: blood, death, gore, cursing, mounters, past trauma, reader has a brother, fighting, angst, heavy suggestive content [minors dni!] 

rating: mature [minors dni!]

word count: 27.6k

raspberry leaves: poly!satosugu x fem!reader [jjk au] [family!au]

synopsis: reader has severe period cramps in the middle of the night and hides in the bathroom to try to deal with her agony. geto wakes to your figure missing in bed and worries. how can he help your pain? 

warnings: periods, severe cramp, painkillers, fainting, mentions of vomiting, cursing, fathers!gojo and geto, megumi tsumiki nanako and mimiko are your kids :D 

rating: teen 

word count: 12.5k 

works in progress 

*these are works that are currently being drafted - fics will only be added to this list if they have portions written!* 

kpop groups

mist at daybreak: poly!ot8 ateez x fem!reader [dewdrops at dawn universe]

thunder at twilight: poly!ot8 stray kids x fem!reader [stormclouds at midnight universe]

planned

all of my stars: poly!satosugu x fem!reader [jujutsu universe, geto doesn’t defect, happy!au lol] 

our own constellations: poly!ot8 stray kids x fem!reader [primordial universe] 

[vintagerpg]

Return to White Plume Mountain (1999) is the fourth of TSR’s modules that return to classic adventure locations, and the third in in silver anniversary trade dress. Also the last of the both those things. Of the silver modules, it is my favorite (Return to the Tomb of Horrors is still my pick for the best of the lot though, probably).

Like Keep, this doesn’t include the original module, but reminagines the original space with twenty years of changes. It also takes pains to make a little more sense of the original module, which was a silly funhouse kind of dungeon that, while classic, is sort of a sore thumb in terms of Greyhawk lore. In fixing that, the designer actually strikes upon a surprisingly satisfying frame for the adventure.

Basically, the mountain was home to a mage named Keraptis, who left for parts unknown. Another mage took his name and home and, through a magical accident, an imprint of the original’s personality — this is the one who was heard but never seen in the original module. He’s dead now, but four others have been imprinted by artifacts the original mage left laying around. There are now four false kerapti — an efreet, an ogre mage, a mold wyrm (?) and a gnome — all with their own turf and control of one of the now four weapon artifacts housed in the volcano (Blackrazor, Whelm and Wave are joined by Frostrazor, an ice sword). Basically, four gangs loosed in a bizarro dungeon. What more can you really ask for? This dynamic really pushes White Plume Mountain into territory staked out in Jennell Jaquays’ Dark Tower, and I like it a LOT. And there is something far worse than the gangs under it all, to boot.

Cover by Arnie Swekel, redoing Erol Otus’ fairly iconic overland map. Interiors by Wayne Reynolds, settling into what will be the prime art seat for the imminent 3E.

[talonabraxas]

Dionysos Nicholas Kalmakoff (Russian-French, 1873–1955)

A Brief History of the Dionysos Cult

The original Rite of Dionysos is almost universally held to have been a "wine cult", concerned with the cultivation of the grapevine, and a practical, understanding of its life cycle - embodying the living god - the creation and fermentation of wine - the dead god in the underworld - and the intoxicating and disinhibiting effects of the drink itself, believed to be a possession by the god’s spirit. In the first instance the cult was not only concerned with the lore of the vine alone, but equally with all the other components of wine. It should not be forgotten that wine once more commonly included many other ingredients, herbal, floral and resinous, adding to the quality, flavour and medicinal properties of the drink. The cultivation of all these also originally came under the lore of Dionysos, making it a general vegetation cult and herbal school. Honey and bees wax were also often added to early wine, bringing with them the associations of the even older mead lore and Neolythic bee cults (whose swarms were often associated with Dionysos as pure "life-force"). Later beer, plus grain/corn, cults were also incorporated into the domain of Dionysos, particularly via his partial assimilation of the Thracian deity Sabazius. Other plants believed to be viniculturally significant were also included in the cults retinue. Thus were added ivy, once thought to negate the effects of drunkenness, and to be the opposite of the grapevine, blooming in winter rather than summer, the vine of death as opposed to the vine of life; the fig, thought to be a purgative of toxins, and the pine, a wine preservative, taken from the evergreen. Similarly the bull, from whose hollowed horns wine was once drunk, and the goat, who provided wineskins and was the natural pruner of the vine, were also included as cult animals and manifestations of Dionysos. The predators or enemies of these were equally sacred, idealised as the panther and the poisonous snake (but see also Sabazius for serpents). Naturally the mythos already associated with these elements would also accrue to Dionysos, if not already there from the start. An understanding of both the practical realities of these processes, and their wider metaphorical significance, is crucial to any attempted understanding of the later primarily symbolic Mysteries of Dionysos, with their atavistic, life-death cycles.

The place of origin of the Hellenic Dionysian Mysteries is unknown, but they almost certainly first came to Greece with the importation of wine, which is widely believed to have originated, in the West, around 6000 BC in one of two places, either in the Zagros Mountains (the borderlands of Mesopotamia and Persia, both with their own rich wine culture since then) or from the ancient wild vines on the mountain slopes of Libya / North Africa (the source of early Egyptian wine from around 2500 BC, and home of many ecstatic rites), quite probably from both. Whatever the case it appears Minoan Crete was the next link in the chain, taking wine from both the Egyptians and Phoenicians and passing it on to the Greeks by 1600 BC, who would spread it throughout their colonies. Wine probably also entered Greece over land from Asia Minor. But it was most likely in Minoan Crete that the eclectic ‘wine cult’, that would become the Dionysian Mysteries, first emerged. Gradually evolving over the centuries, absorbing more mythic material wherever it was adopted. The Dionysos Mysteries would remain powerfully syncretic, absorbing the suppressed primeval cults of all the lands they touched. It would be the Greeks who were left with the task of making sense of the eclectic mix that reached them, and of integrating it into their own mythos with their inventive tales of the journeys and adventures of Dionysos.

The basic principle beneath the original initiations, other than the seasonal death-rebirth theme supposedly common to all vegetation cults (such as the Osirian, which closely parallels the Dionysian), was one of spirit possession and atavism. This in turn was closely associated with the effects of the wine. The spirit possession involved the invocation of spirits by means of the bull roarer, followed by communal dancing to drum and pipe, with characteristic movements (such as the backward head flick) found in all trance inducing cults (represented most famously today by African Voodoo and its relatives). As in Vodoun rites, certain drum rhythms were associated with the trance state, and these rhythms are allegedly found preserved in Greek prose, particularly the Bacchae of Euripides. One classical source describes what had become of these ancient rites in the Greek countryside, where they were held high in the mountains to which ritual processions were made on certain feast days:

"Following the torches as they dipped and swayed in the darkness, they climbed mountain paths with head thrown back and eyes glazed, dancing to the beat of the drum which stirred their blood…. In the state of ekstasis or enqousiasmos, they abandoned themselves, dancing wildly…. and calling 'Euoi!' At that moment of intense rapture they became identified with the god himself…. They became filled with his spirit and acquired divine powers". Peter Hoyle, Delphi (London: 1967), p. 76.

Unlike many trance cults however, the Dionysian rites were primarily atavistic, that is the participant was possessed by animal spirits and bestial entities, rather than intelligible divinities, and may even "transform into animals". A practise preserved by the rite of the "goat and panther men" of the "heretical" Aissaoua Sufi cult of North Africa, and remembered in the satyrs and sileni of the Dionysian procession, and perhaps even the "bull man", or Minotaur, of the chthonic Minoan labyrinth. But the most desired possession was that by Dionysos himself, or his consort Ariadne, though given the primal nature of these deities this is hardly discernable beyond the degree of power manifest. This practise is represented in Greek culture by the famous Bacchanals of the Maenads, Thyiades and Bacchoi. Dionysos in this bestial manifestation is believed to preserve the archaic archetype of the "Lord of the Animals" or the "Horned Hunter", and to a certain extent also the ambiguous "Trickster" archetype. In fact his ‘religion’ tended to absorb the remnants of these archetypes from the local culture wherever it was adopted (usually into Dionysos himself, or else, if still strongly established, as a mythic accomplice, such as his favoured companion the Arcadian Pan, or the ancient Silenus). Likewise the primeval and chthonic goddesses would become associated with Ariadne, or his mother Persephone / Semele. This ritualised atavism was also associated with a ‘descent into the underworld’ of which Dionysos was lord (‘Hades and Dionysos are one and the same’, declared Heraclitus).

The purpose of this atavism is controversial, some see it simply as a Greek saturnalian catharsis, a ritualised release of repressed elements of civilised psychology, and temporary inversion, in order to preserve it, others see it as a return to the "chaotic" sources of being and essentially a reaction against civilisation, while yet others regard it as a magical connection with chthonic powers. It is likely all of these applied in different manifestations of the cult. Like wine, Dionysos had a different flavour in different regions, reflecting their mythical and cultural soil, or "Terroir", and appeared under different names in neighbouring countries (or so claimed the Greeks).

The fact that these effects were attributed in part to Greek wines, that were barely 15% proof, has led many, including Robert Graves, to conclude some of its additives were of an hallucinogenic nature. This is certainly supported by suggestions of a "magic potion" associated with the Dionysos rites, said to include poison ivy, and by the known use of datura, henbane and belladona by shamans in this region, as well as the alleged use of "kykeon" (probably ergot ale), and possibly fly agaric mushrooms, within the Greek Eleusinian Mysteries. Dionysos was most probably regarded as the patron of all consciousness altering substances in Roman times, and potion making paraphenalia have been found in the ruins of Bacchic temples (with the potions, and "poisons", of the Bacchants also featuring in Roman smear campaigns against them). The sacraments used probably varied with the intentions of the Mysteries at any one time, but remained central to all but the most domesticated of the Bacchic sects, as did the associated shamanic idea of stepping outside of an ordered world into something more fundamental.

This primitive Dionysianism survived well into late classical times times on remote Greek islands, and in the wilds of Thrace and Macedonia, but elsewhere was soon adapted to a more "civilised" culture. A spectrum of such sects was to be found across the Greek world, but the height of domesticated kind was to be found at Athens, where atavistic possession became dramatic masked ritual within the Bacchic Thiasos (Greek coven or lodge), seeding the emergence of acting and theatre in the West (crafts also sacred to Dionysos, particularly at the great tragedy and comedy competitions in ancient Athens. From Tragedos, 'Goat Song', Death? And from Komos, 'Revelry'). The ethos of the rites also seems to have become slightly less atavistic and more liberative and sensual in Classical Greece, and a place where the repressions and inequalities of civilised culture could be evaded, albeit temporarily. Thus many of its initiates tended to be women or slaves, the most repressed classes in Greek society, from whom its "leadership" was often drawn, in a typical inversion of normal society. This inversion in fact became a theme of the Dionysian Mysteries, and the Thiasos a place where even kings and rulers could throw off the pressures of rule and convention, and live in carefree, natural equality with commoners for a while. Thus the Mysteries of Dionysos would be adopted by figures as diverse as Alexander the Great, popular monarchs such as Mark Anthony, and rebellious slaves such as Spartacus, all of whom were initiated, and all of whom considered themselves embodiments of Dionysos, interpreting his "liberation" in different ways. But perhaps the most famous of all initiates were the anonymous Maenads, or "wild women", who led the orgiastic rites of Dionysos and became possessed by his frenzy, or the more sensual Thyiades, who raved in the hills. While relatively tamed on the mainland by late Classical times, there still seem to have been outbreaks (or rumours of outbreaks) of primal Dionysianism in Greece, often associated with "foreign influences", the cult itself being seen as originating outside Greek civilisation. These outbreaks were both feared as potentially socially disruptive and envied with great fascination, one such incident inspiring the Euripides' play, the Bacchae.

The Hellenic world, after Alexander’s conquest, spread the cult of Dionysos internationally, to Egyptian Alexandria, where he was associated with Osiris (eventually merging with him as Serapis); to Palestine, where he was associated with the Baals, and even the Adonai of the Jews (who had Dionysos imposed on them by the Hellenes); and most far flung of all, to India, where he became associated with Shiva. These various connections all fed back to the Aegean, where the cult became increasingly complex and cosmopolitan. This would also led to a breakaway mystical form of Dionysianism that would become part of the more philosophical Orphic and Pythagorean Mysteries (where Dionysos was effectively seen as the creative Primal Chaos before creation, beyond all manifest duality, as well as the paradoxical, dynamic balancing force still active within it, the ‘King of the World’, whose final liberation included not only that from orderly civilisation but from the natural world itself!), a move in sharp contrast with the earthy and irrational primitive rite of Dionysos, that in some places still existed alongside it (reflecting a similar pattern to the evolution of Shivaic cults). A complex evolution still not fully understood.

The evolution of the Dionysian Cult continued in the Roman Empire, where the Bacchic Mysteries, as they were known here after their arrival in 200 BC, were banned for a time in Rome and forced underground, following rumours of their "corrupt" and "subversive" behaviour (In 186 B.C. the Roman senate had sought to ban the Dionysian rites throughout the Empire, and restricted their gatherings to no more than 13 people, but was never fully successful. They were revived under Julius Caesar around 50 BC, and remained in existence, along with the Bacchanalian street procession, at least until the time of Augustine (A.D. 354-430)) Those Bacchic cults that survived into late Roman times are often considered degenerate forms, tending to be either rites of empty public theatre, or private excuses for orgies and drunkenness, but it now appears a few low profile Thiasoi did remain, particularly in Southern Italy. It is not surprising that early Christians should thus equate Bacchus and his company with the Devil (despite adopting quite a few of his cult trappings themselves, most obviously the wine communion). The purest survival of the Bacchic cult is perhaps the Lent Carnival which survives in Latin countries even today.

Today people often claim the precursors of Christianity, Devil Worship and Witch Covens in the Rites of Dionysos, with probably both a little justification and much imagination.

[mister-eve]

things i wish the sonic franchise brought back or implement.

.

Dark Sonic

seriously, i love imagining a fight between Dark Sonic and Eggman inspired by Korra vs. Zaheer ( when she was poisoned ). where he loses the cool attitude, the smile, everything, and goes in with full power, charging himself left and right at Eggman. it'd be even more fascinating to still have Dark Sonic lose. not because of his lack of power, not because of lack of skill, even when blinded by rage, but because of Eggman's ingenuity.

a lot of people, to this day, misinterpret Dark Sonic as a murderous, rampaging monster, but that completely misses the purpose of why he exists to begin with. i believe this is a case of people not exactly knowing where he comes from, or just a lot of fans drawing a murderous Sonic and it took the internet by storm one day, but just in case you don't know:

Dark Sonic is from Sonic X, a TV show that is sort of an expansion on Sonic Adventure 2, adding more lore, character arcs, and overall meaning to the game's original plot. Dark Sonic was revealed in the episode "Teasing Time" in s3, and the reason he appeared is because he discovered his friends ( Cosmo and Chris ) were injured and that one of them ( Chris ) was unconscious.

the whole reason this form exists is Sonic's love for his friends essentially fueling his rage. it's like Darkspine Sonic from SATSR, or has similar formula. Dark Sonic isn't inspired by any bloodlust or desire to kill, but rather by burning anger at seeing his friends be put in harm's way.

Dark Sonic is made from the strong desire to protect his friends.

2. An Actual Arc For Shadow

you guys might be confused, especially if you consider some of my previous posts, but lemme explain.

for a long time, it's never felt like Shadow has actually recovered from his trauma, atone for his actions ( yes, i understand he saved Earth ), or live life really at all. it doesn't help that, to this day, SEGA continues to make Shadow relive the past.

i don't consider the movies to be a part of the problem, as Shadow being introduced to the plot was basically a given, and you can't introduce him in your own take without his general backstory ( unless you're Boom or Prime, i guess ). i believe the movie will be doing taking some creative liberties to his story, as they did so with Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, and i see no reason that they should stop.

the reason why i have an issue with this is because it's an ongoing issue within the games, specifically. Shadow the Hedgehog ( 2005 ) was a disservice to his setup and the 'first arc' ( considering he's still alive after the fans demanded his return ) to his story.

aside from it just giving 'early 2010s deviantart edge', it's just so...

childishly handled.

for one, you're immediately given a Hero or Dark route, like in SA2, which i feel completely misses the point of SA2's true ending. Shadow has redeemed himself ( or began to ), so to give him complete reign to just become an antagonist all over again defeats the whole purpose of a redemption.

it's like what Prime did with Dread, giving him an already established redemption arc ( sort of ), but then corrupting him again for no real reason other than just because.

another issue i have is Shadow's amnesia and attitude in general within the game. technically speaking, yes, it does make sense for him to suffer memory and // or physical issues from his fall from space, but to completely wipe out every single thing he did just to give him the opportunity to relearn his past, do some fucked up shit, do some less fucked up shit, then throw away everything in the past, Maria and her wish included, is...

amazingly obtuse, for lack of a better word.

again, while it's technically not out of bounds, i feel like giving Shadow complete and total amnesia just disrespects SA2's vision and execution of the story. it's redundant, it's lazy, and overall just really damn frustrating to watch.

Shadow deserves to have a story that allows him to heal from his trauma, discover who he is, and respecting Maria's wish along the way. a lot of people seem to think it's either he forgets about his past ( or buries it ) or full-on dedicates his entire life and doesn't bother picking up a life lesson or two, but it doesn't have to be that way.

Shadow can heal, grow, and change. SEGA just won't let him.

3. The Echidna Tribe & Knuckles' Story

Knuckles is one of my favorite characters in the entire franchise as a whole, but his character and story is sorely dismissed. while Shadow has the issue of repetition, Knuckles suffers from being dropped on the head multiple times and played for a joke ( i think Frontiers is one of the more recent games that didn't do this, but i might be wrong ).

one of the reasons why i love Knuckles is how straightforward, yet reluctant he was about finding out his past. at the end of Sonic Adventure 1, he says something to the extent of:

"maybe i'm better off not knowing the meaning behind all of this. because i feel something terrible will happen if i do."

he is content being ignorant for the sake of his own peace of mind.

but in SA2, he's more or less forced to start facing his fear and learn more about the past. unfortunately, though, we don't actually get to see much after this game, because the tribe is almost entirely forgotten. instead, it's brought up in comics that are more or less canon ( i think ), but not fully aligning with the games. i think it's safe to say the comics are their own canon?

like with Shadow, i would've loved to see an actual conclusion on this arc of Knuckles' story. to see more of the tribe in the past, of their wrongdoings, character moments, more of Tikal or Chaos or the little Chao, and how it all ties together.

but instead, we have lots of media repeatedly insulting Knuckles' intelligence, ignoring his tribe and // or his job entirely ( i guess they forget the Master Emerald is portable? ), and just generally dumbing him down to be a hotheaded moron that apparently doesn't care about being the Guardian!

Knuckles is one of the most relatable characters in this series for me, as there's a lot of things i would rather not know and stay ignorant to, but have to face head on in order to fully move past it and grow to be better.

he was completely isolated on Angel Island for so long, yet people still make fun of him to this day for being manipulated by Eggman in SA1 ( even though he didn't even fully believe Eggman, it was just a precaution, but who cares about the details- ). he's not just a hothead, he's strong, he's kind, he's pretty blunt and, honestly, really fucking adorable, i love this echidna.

look at him, just standing there. i love him.

anyway, Knuckles deserves a proper story surrounding his tribe, his identity as the Guardian of Angel Island, his relationships, and to have a satisfying conclusion. or, at the very least, more games or media in general not dumbing him down to an angry hothead with nothing better to do but to yell and ignore his responsibilities.

3. Sonic

"what're you talking about, ashe? sonic's meant to be a flat character! what could be wrong with him?"

yeah, but after frontiers, i want more mentally ill sonic that needs to be concerned for by his friends, okay, that's all i want-

4. Storybook Era

now, now, i know a lot of people don't like the storybook games because of their shoddy gameplay and all that, but i genuinely love these games, their flaws included.

i do believe satbk has a better story than satsr, but i still have an attachment to the latter game, so suck it.

it'd be really nice to see a storybook game with switch, xbox, ps, or similar controls. as the era has Sonic diving into different worlds, maybe a world like Alice and Wonderland could be an interesting game. several elements to work with, locations turning into creative levels or even hub worlds. this is sort of a long shot dream that will probably never exist, but i wanna see an adventure-style storybook game one day.

i'll probably die before that idea is even considered, but it's a fun thought and that's all that matters at the end of the day.

there's no real big reason as to why these matter or anything, as i don't believe you need a storybook in order to send off the messages these games try to give, but they're just really charming to me and i love to see how this type of game could be implemented into video games today, with all the new engines and whatnot.

5. Teams

oof, okay, um-

there's a few games that have teams in them, and i guess you can count sonic forces as one of those games, so i should be more specific here.

i like SA1's flexibility with the roulette-like system, where you could play as any character you wished, but i also like SA2's team system, where they all had a close-knit role within the story from a similar perspective ( hero vs. dark ).

SA1 served multiple perspectives, all giving you pieces of the same puzzle that you have to figure out as you go. by the final story, all of the characters ( except Big, but idc, i love him ) have their character arcs and it's with their changes that the story is fully complete.

SA2 served the entirety of two perspectives and merged them together for the final story, heroes and villains having to work together to fight off the greater evil at hand.

overall, i want more games having the characters work together, having different details // information or even moral differences ( it depends on which system they go with, though ) on the situation at large, but maybe still having to come together.

whether or not they use official teams, i want the sonic franchise to bring back using other characters as necessary plot points with their own individual arcs.

it may not be needed, per say, as there's still a few games that work and don't have either of these systems, but i really miss the adventure games and wish for more of their elements to be implemented in future games.

6. CHAO!!!

BRING THESE LITTLE CREATURES BACK, GODDAMN, WHY ONLY TWO GAMES?!

.

anyway, that's all i can currently think of. i think these would serve either character or charm to the franchise, but maybe you have some other ideas of what the games could give! maybe proper returns of characters, other forgotten stories, or even new ideas!

lemme know what you think.