#TCG MY LOVE. ITS SO BACK!!!!!!!!

[jestroer]

TCG IS SO FUCKING BACK BABYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mimimui]

hellooo i saw your 'genshin men asking for a kiss' and i loved it sm your writing is amazing <333

can i request relationship headcanons for the genshin men. specifically alhaitham but idm who else you add

stay cool and have a good day/night :)

genshin boys as your boyfriend

includes: alhaitham, scaramouche, kazuha, diluc, kaeya, childe, xiao

tags: established relationship, endearments, fluff, not proofread, non-mortal/adeptus reader in xiao's

a/n: thank you so much ♡⸜(˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶)⸝♡ aaaah i am back after being mia..! the writers block is beating me up so hard rn + its 3am :') i wrote each part in different time frames so the writing might seem inconsistent aghuahgu i hope its still ok :( anyways, as always .. enjoy !

ALHAITHAM

he asked you to be his s/o while you were playing tcg together. you were in the middle of your turn when he asked you, and it'd be an understatement to say you were shocked.

(y/n): i'll use this support ca- alhaitham: will you be my s/o? (y/n): what? (shocked) alhaitham: what? (questioning)

while alhaitham is a bit aloof, he does loves teasing you. he would hide your things and help you look for the lost item like he doesn't know where it is.

when you're eating outside, he would step on your feet under the table. you can confront him about it all you want, but he will keep acting innocent.

if he's standing behind you, be wary because he might just throw his coat over your head as a joke, and then act like he did nothing.

alhaitham: do you want help putting on my coat? (y/n): seriously, haitham? alhaitham: yes? i'm seriously asking if you want my help.

when it comes to cooking, he'd leave you to do it. alhaitham would rather look forward to a meal you cook rather than a meal he helped make.

dinners are usually quiet, but if you want to tell him about the person that skipped in front of you in line today, then he's all ears.

the first time he told you he loved you, you were giving him a gift. you were smiling so brightly when giving it to him that he didn't know whether to be thankful for the gift or for you.

or at least you think that was the first time he said he loved you.

it was actually when you were asleep the first time you slept over. a very meaningful "i love you" was whispered softly in your ear.

SCARAMOUCHE

he brought you somewhere with a nice view. he grabbed your hand without warning, and when you asked him where he was taking you, he said, "no need to be nervous, just want you to see something."

(y/n): thank you for bringing me here, scara. scaramouche: you're my s/o, there is no need to thank me. (y/n): i'm your s/o...? scaramouche: are you not informed about that or what?

it turns out that scaramouche planned to ask you a long time ago, and from the amount of times he's rehearsed in his head, his mind convinced him that he already asked you.

you laughed at him when you witnessed the moment he realized he forgot to actually ask you. he huffed at your reaction.

he acts annoyed whenever you ask to try on his hat, but his actions contradict his words as he places it on your head.

scaramouche: there are a lot of places where you can get hats, i don't even know (places hat on your head) why you want mine. (y/n): :D scaramouche: if it falls, i'll laugh at you. (y/n): >:(

scaramouche would make you food if you ask him to. he's glad to do it, but he wouldn't want you to thank him. he thinks thanking him for things he's happy to do is a waste of effort.

it's somewhat his unspoken rule to never leave you alone at the table. even if he doesn't join you for the meal, he'd sit down just to accompany you while you eat.

he denied it when you heard him tell you he loved you. the three words escaped his lips when you were busy picking fruits together. or, rather, you were the one picking fruits while he holds them.

you asked him to repeat what he said, but he was quick to reply with "it'd be a waste of effort to repeat what i said."

but he knows. and you know. you both know he loves you.

KAZUHA

while he was out on sea, he wrote you a letter asking you to be his. along with all the other letters he wrote you, he made sure this was was sent out especially.

(y/n): welcome back, kazuha! about your letter... kazuha: yes, what about it? (y/n): my answer is yes. kazuha: i'm glad. thank you, (y/n).

he loves taking you out on adventures. even when he doesn't have a certain goal in mind for the day, kazuha will always find an excuse to bring you along with him.

you will always find him surrounding himself in nature. thanks to his extraordinary sense of hearing, he enjoys being outside even more. the world has a lot to offer.

one day, you ask him what his favorite sound of nature is. immediately, without fail, his reply is 'your voice', which you're flustered by.

(y/n): that doesn't even make any sense... i asked about your favorite sound of nature. kazuha: the world is full of nature, correct? (y/n): your point being? kazuha: you're my favorite sound of nature because you are my world, (y/n).

you both take turns cooking, always excited to try each other's new recipes. it's become sort of a competition of who can suprise the other one more.

his reaction is the cutest when you compliment his dish. if you're happily chewing the food he fed you, watch out because his hands will pinch your cheeks.

you two were hanging out one night, and you asked him to create a poem for you on the spot. he liked the idea, and immediately got to it.

without any hesitation, without thinking twice about it, he ended his poem with a very sweet "i love you."

when you stayed silent afterwards, kazuha got nervous. but his nervous expression soon washed away when you wrapped your arms around him, complimenting his impromptu-poem-writing abilities.

DILUC

he was closing up the tavern for the day, and you two were the only one there after work hours. he decided to take his chances and ask you right then and there.

diluc: can you pass me the wash cloth? (y/n): sure! diluc: can you fix the chairs? (y/n): sure! diluc: can you be mine? (y/n): sur- wait.

he's never said it outloud, but diluc actually enjoys having senseless conversations with you. just last night you told him he reminded you of an owl, which he found amusing, and he asked you to explain why.

whenever diluc takes shifts at the tavern, you'd be somewhere around helping clean tables or wash dishes. he has enough staff at angel's share, but he appreciates your assistance nonetheless.

if you know how to play chess, he would regularly ask you to play against him. he thinks it's a great game to play while also being able to converse with others. he loves talking to you.

(y/n): the main character realized—check—his feelings too late, and lost the love of his life to someone else. it's sad. diluc: what happened—oh, good move—to the main character after that? (y/n): he was never able to express his true feelings to her. he should've taken the chance. diluc: hm.. i agree. he was too coward when he had the opportunity. and checkmate, by the way. (y/n): wh- hey! i didn't see that move! diluc: better luck next time, my dear.

when you offer to cook dinner for him instead of the maids, diluc doesn't try to hide his smile. you've prohibited him from entering the kitchen, wanting to cook something for him all by yourself.

he will always stand by the archway and watch you cook. you go over to him occasionally, asking him to taste some parts of the meal you're making. these are some of his favorite moments with you.

it was when you were eating dinner that he first told you he loved you. you had just finished cooking a meal, and you were sharing details from your day with each other while eating.

halfway through the meal, he says, "i've been wanting to tell you something all day. may i?"

as you nod your head, he tells you he loves you. or, rather, he tells you he's in love with you. but what's the difference? diluc is all yours.

KAEYA

you brought klee back to the knights of favonius' headquarters after playing with her outside all day. albedo and jean thanked you, but kaeya wanted to express more than just gratitude.

kaeya: klee always returns happy whenever you're the one bringing her back. (y/n): she's precious. i'd do anything to keep her smiling. kaeya: likewise. but i also want to keep you smiling, sweetheart. (y/n): what do you mean? kaeya: be mine, (y/n), and i promise i'll always make you happy.

you, klee, and kaeya are always seen running around mondstadt. not only in the city, but also around the mountains. you'd all go find a big, empty space for klee to blow up.

rest assured he will always invite you for a drink, even if it's the morning. you've rejected about 90% of his offers, but he will always, always, make sure to invite you.

he is one call away when it comes to you. you have something urgent and needs his help? he's on it. you simply just miss him? he misses you too, he's on his way to see you.

(y/n): kaeya, aren't you supposed to be working right now? what would acting grandmaster jean say? kaeya: i missed you. that should be enough reason. (y/n): kaeya. kaeya: what? just wanted to see your face, sweetheart. i- ow! okay, okay, i'll go back now!

kaeya really enjoys when you cook for him. of course, he'll step in to help you, but the thought of you making him his favorite food is so heartwarming.

he insists on feeding you, even embarrassing you sometimes by pretending the spoon is a crystalfly and your mouth the cave it's about to fly into.

he first told you he loved you immediately after you agreed to be his. after you said 'yes' to his confession, he was quick to tell you those three words, and your heart fluttered at his boldness.

he will never forget to tell you he loves you. when he greets you good morning, when you drop by to pick up klee, when you come back to drop off klee, and so many more instances.

there was never a moment you doubted his love for you. he constantly reminds you of it, and kaeya will never let you forget it. he loves you. so much.

CHILDE

he had it all planned out when he asked you to be his s/o. he made restaurant reservations at your favorite place, and even made sure it was on a day where not much people visited.

childe: (y/n), will you be mine? (y/n): are you serious? yes! childe: you are the only one i've ever been serious about. (y/n): you're so corny.

whenever he gets back from missions, he always makes sure to bring you back a little gift or a souvernir. one time, he brought you back a ruin hunter eye because "you're the light of my life" he says. it didn't make any sense.

the first time he brought you to snezhnaya, he wrapped you in so many layers that you were better off rolling on the ground than walking.

he absolutely loves it when you play with his siblings. when he comes home tired, he'll immediately be energized if he sees you and his siblings spending time together.

(y/n): ajax, join us! we could use another person to play tag. childe: do i get a kiss if i win? (y/n): ...i was just kidding, you don't have to play with us anymore. childe: hey! okay, okay, i'll join. no kiss needed, i swear!

cooking is one of his favorite activities to do with you. doing something so loving and domestic as cooking with someone he loves is heartwarming.

no matter how much you try to keep yourself clean, childe will find a way to get you messy. he says you can't blame him if you can never catch him wiping his hands on your shirt.

he wasn't the first one to tell you he loved you. his siblings did it for him, actually. well, who was going to stop them? childe was asleep, and you weren't.

he brought you all on a camping trip outside snezhnaya, and he promptly passed out first after story-telling time. as you were cleaning up the campfire, his siblings all walked over to you.

"(y/n), our big brother loves you very much."

it was very random, but very sweet. you smiled at them as you gave them a hug each, asking them why they were suddenly telling you this.

"if you leave him, you leave us, and we don't want you to leave. he loves you a lot, we swear!"

XIAO

being uninterested in relationships, neither of you ever asked each other. but you've been together for as long as you could remember, and your memory goes back for centuries.

(centuries ago) (y/n): xiao, can you promise not to leave me by myself? xiao: that's a hard promise to keep. (y/n): but you'll try? xiao: ...yes.

xiao has never been the type to express much of what he was feeling—if he felt anything at all. unlike you, he has never bothered to fully understand mortals.

you thrive around the people of liyue harbor, and xiao will always find you casually strolling around or stopping to pet a cat you found on the sidewalk.

when xiao rests at wangshu inn, you find yourself accompanying him, staying with him on the highest balcony. this is the only time you accompany him though, as he has his duties to eliminate evil.

(y/n): need any help? xiao: you always ask, and i always say no. (y/n): well, you might need me one day. xiao: we've been together for centuries. you know i'm capable enough. (y/n): i know. you always have been. xiao: rest easy, (y/n). i'll be here. (y/n): good night, xiao.

food has never really been a problem for either of you, but if you want to treat yourself to a mortal meal, xiao will come along with you. with enough convincing, of course.

you eat at wangshu inn, and chef yanxiao prepares your meals. eating with xiao is quiet, but if you were to start a conversation, he will always reply.

he's never told you that he loves you, at least not directly. his actions will speak for him—one of them being always ridding the path you're taking of monsters.

whenever xiao has to leave you at the inn, he will never fail to tell you to "rest easy" before he leaves. he has sworn to himself to protect you, and eliminate all evil that might affect you.

his duty is to protect liyue, but it wouldn't hurt to make you his duty as well, right?

thanks for reading (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)

[bogleech]

Ok but I have seen you talk about this so many times, even referencing it in your old cartoons, so I gotta ask - when and how did you fall in love with neopets, like that?

Wait, is it that obscure now? I didn't know a single person from its inception to roughly 2010 who didn't have a neopets account. It was the single biggest gaming-esque name on the internet for years. Celebrities casually mentioned playing it, it got mainstream marketing tie-ins, it had plush toys people waited in line to buy up and a TCG made by the same company as Magic the Gathering. It's not that I especially "fell in love with neopets" like it's a niche thing but that there was a time it was almost outselling Pokemon, so it's just another huge cultural phenomenon that was a big part of everyone's lives during my teens to twenties, and hits my special interest in creature design since it has THOUSANDS (beyond the pets alone) ranging in quality from extremely creative to just plain heinous. I personally only got invested in it when they introduced the mutant pets, though, because it started out having almost like a "rule" against making any pets that were "ugly." They'd joke about it as a prank for instance, and originally only featured the mutants as part of a storyline they never intended players to actually adopt. They even had a fake alternate version of the site with fake "adoptions coming soon" and somehow didn't anticipate the userbase genuinely wanting the slime creatures.

The Chia and Aisha were my favorites but mainly the chia because that kind of "scuzzy" creature was already my own design aesthetic, polar opposite of the site's established style and reminded me of if Jeff Goldblum got fused with a tardigrade instead of a fly:

Is that just me? I feel like the tardigrade similarity jumps right out but I think it was an accident and they were possibly actually thinking of the rotting giant from Nausicaa:

The fact that they intended its design to be unlovably ugly and were surprised anyone wanted it only made it more sympathetic. Eventually they made mutants available and I got fully invested into playing, at the time having to spend hours a day on their little flash games until I could afford a mutant after months of labor. But then a couple of years later they just abruptly decided they really didn't feel like having its design around anymore and "updated" it, which back then was automatic for all pets owned by all players with no going back:

It had unfortunately been fairly common that they'd just completely, totally redo a pet like this with no warning and no user poll to make sure it's what anyone wanted. You just had to pray they never did it to your favorites.

All the other mutants in that earlier image would also get completely changed or never released at all. They still kept some of the other "gross" mutants and would make even grosser, so that wasn't even part of the reasoning. Just the random whims of mad gods I guess. I think what killed the game for a lot of people was actually when they did this to basically everyone at once, standardizing almost all the pet artwork so they could wear clothes in their new dressup system. It wasn't as drastic as replacing a sludge guy with some kind of hairy leaf guy but it did eliminate hundreds of technically unique designs from the site, and I found someone else's examples they put together so I thankfully don't have to do it myself:

If anyone's not familiar enough with neopets or didn't figure that out from the last paragraph, the ones on the right are just recolors of the same exact art as all members of their species with added accessories (now wearable items) Players used to work hard to get pets they wanted based on their unique poses and personality, but you could only keep the original art for a small number of these. The customization feature kind of attracted a different new fandom, from what people say, but it never approached a fraction the site's peak, which is probably how the brand wound up getting sold to some NFT bros who aren't even involved in the site itself and supposedly never even spoken to its remaining staff outside some business emails? This is unrelated to the brief period it was bought by scientologists and the siterunners had to fight back against their propaganda leaking into it. I really didn't expect to turn this response into a mini article, I should really just make a thing on bogleech.com about it sometime. Some of my tumblr mutuals to this day are people I met through the neopets fandom and probably have equally lengthy memories/complaints.

[otomiyaa]

Traveler's Training

Aether & Sethos

A/N: Today is also the bday of the lovely @eliankrios!!! Happy birthday Elian! This one is for you^^ I hope you have a wonderful wonderful day!

Summary: Aether and Sethos spend some quality time and end up training for, well yes, the next time Sethos will challenge Cyno. Aether knows just the way to beat him... (Also on AO3)

Word Count: 1.2K

"Wow, wow, wow!"

Aether smirked proudly. That was already the 3rd time he heard such amazed and excited cries. He watched Sethos run around, look around, explore, cheer, and come back to him with sparkling eyes.

"Amazing, huh?" Aether said.

It wasn't his intention to, well yeah, turn Sethos' attention away from Sumeru's rainforest only to brag about his beautiful Realm Within, but it kind of happened when Cyno and Tighnari left them alone for some business they had to attend to.

Introducing Sethos to the Serenitea Pot Realm was possibly the best way of entertaining him in the meantime. Without Tighnari and Cyno by his side, Aether wasn't too confident about guiding him around Sumeru after all.

"We entered that thing, and -?" Sethos admired the vast exteriors and looked around the realm inside the magical teapot.

"Yes. When I'm not out camping or staying at inns and spare rooms, this is my home," Aether said with a proud smile.

"It's amazing, woah!" Sethos ended up dropping himself in the grass, and he looked up at the sky.

"All this, in that small teapot," he sighed. Aether sat down next to him and smiled fondly.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. And also that you and Cyno have been getting along well, lately!"

Sethos glanced at him and nodded slowly. "Me too. It's a breath of fresh air to hang around him, and Tighnari. I still hope to beat Cyno sometime, though."

"Hmm?" Aether cocked his head. Sethos blushed a little when he noticed him staring.

"What? He beat me in a duel, of course I wouldn't forget that, even though we became friends."

Aether smiled fondly. He had grown pretty close to Sethos in a short time. For him to be this honest with him, it was quite sweet.

"I know," Aether said.

Sethos frowned. "Know what?"

"I know a way to beat Cyno in a duel. In a different kind of duel I mean," he explained.

Sethos gave a sigh. "I hope you don't mean that card game. I tried it once and he just completely..." Sethos kicked with his foot into the air.

"Beat my ass."

Aether laughed, poor Sethos was so new to everything! How could Cyno be so merciless with Genius Invokation TCG! Give the guy a break.

"Hehehe, yes Cyno is indeed quite the die-hard card player. But no I didn't mean that. I meant..." Aether rolled over and reached out.

"This!" He tickled Sethos' side which was perfectly exposed since he was relaxing comfortably in the grass while resting his head in his arms.

"HUUUU!" Aether jolted as well at the funny sound that left him. Sethos jumped up like a cat that had its tail stepped on.

"What, what?" Sethos cried. "Why did you tickle me? It really tickled."

Aether snickered and covered his mouth. "Did you not ever have a tickle fight? It's like a duel, but with tickling."

Sethos sighed and shook his head. "I know about tickling, yes. I'm pretty ticklish. But to use it in combat? Hmmm."

The way he talked about it made Aether laugh even more.

"It's the kind of technique I think you could use to beat Cyno. He is... rather ticklish. Even I beat him once... no, twice," Aether said, remembering that second time which actually wasn't really a tickle fight. Just Tighnari holding Cyno down, and Aether having the time of his life teasing and tickling him. Good memories.

"Really?" Sethos sounded genuinely interested. Aether nodded

"Would you like to practice? I can give you a personal training. I tickle you, you try to tickle me back. After some practice, you'll have some good chances of beating Cyno if you use this technique."

Sethos nodded. "Alright then." But without giving him a heads-up, and without getting in position first, Aether already tickled him again, this time with two hands.

Flailing his arms and legs, Sethos let out a hysterical cackle and he threw his head back.

"Hohoho hahahang ohohon I wahahasn't reheheady! Wahaaaaah!" he cried out. Aether chuckled and wiggled his fingers rapidly all over his sides and tummy.

"Then I'd get ready if I were you! Cyno may be ticklish, but he's also quite fast and strong, so I think you'd want to follow this training well," Aether said, clawing at the ticklish guy's torso without mercy.

"Buhuhut! Wahahah! Noooo!" Sethos howled, and his hysterical movements allowed him to turn himself over onto his stomach. Not that it stopped Aether. Pinning him face-down in the grass, he climbed on top of him and attacked his ribs from behind.

"Eyaaaahaha!" Sethos squealed, trying to wriggle himself free. Aether started to wonder if Sethos could ever beat Cyno in a tickle fight. The poor guy really was too ticklish!

"Alright, alright. I'll give you a chance. Tickle me back!" Aether exclaimed and he jumped up and watched Sethos pick himself up on all fours.

Breathing heavily, he stood on his legs and reached out with his hands formed into claws, But Aether simply dodged, caught both his hands and pulled him forward, then threw him back down in the grass and resumed the tickle attack on him.

"You missed!" he sang.

"Waaaahahaha that wahahasn't fahahair!" Sethos cackled. Aether gave him two or three more chances like that. But one time Sethos only tickled him once before Aether easily turned the tables. The second time, Sethos was a little too hesistant, so Aether tickled him before he could even strike.

And the third time, heh. Sethos already started laughing before he even tried, seemingly anticipating Aether's counter attack.

"I wasn't doing anything yet," Aether said as he watched Sethos flinch and giggle.

"I know - but! Waahhh!" Aether tackled him down again and decided to tickle him until he begged for mercy, just to teach him how tickle fights like this could work.

"Do you surrender?" he asked, but Sethos shook his head and laughed hysterically.

"Nohohooo! I dohohon't!"

Laughing along with him, Aether tickled him some more, wiggling his fingers under his arms, against his sides, all over his tummy and even behind his knees, finding the sweetest tickle spots to make Sethos squeal and giggle.

Before Sethos surrendered, they were already interrupted by the arrival of Tighnari and Cyno.

"What is going on here?" Tighnari asked. Aether moved off Sethos, and the latter also got surprisingly well back on his feet with ease, his cheeks a little flushed and his hair messy.

"U-uh ah... I was getting some of the, eh, Traveler's training," he explained tiredly.

"Training?" Cyno asked. Aether signaled to Sethos not to say more; he still had a long way to go before he could beat Cyno successfully in a tickle fight.

"Y-yeah you know. We were just playing around. So, shall we go on or would you like to rest here first?" he asked Tighnari and Cyno. They smiled.

"It's nice here, let's stay for a bit longer," Cyno said.

"I agree," Tighnari said. "Do you have any tea at home?"

"I do," Aether said, and they followed them into his home. Meanwhile he patted Sethos on his back.

"We can practice again next time. Until then, let's keep this training a secret," he whispered. Sethos nodded.

"U-understood. I'll do better next time." Smiling, Aether thought he actually couldn't wait. He was having that much fun!

[noellefan101]

Your First Date-Genshin

Characters: Xiao, Albedo, Venti, Cyno x gn reader (separate)

Summary: your first date(random headcanons of your first date with them)

Warnings: just fluff and small headcanons, also not proof-read

Note: i´m sry for the late(r) post, i have some family problems im trying to get rid of, but its taking a lot of my energy and motivation, hope you understand, i love you all

this is part 1, out of two(maybe three)

Xiao

I feel like he would try and make it as romantic as he can, but he doesn't really get how. but he gets an A+ for trying

he definitely has some almond tofu, and just this once he´ll share some with you(thats not going to be the last time my dude)

for the location, i´d say someplace up high in liyue, so you can look down on either the city or whatever you see really(hilichurls dancing)

he accidentally stared at you too long, and started turned (very) red when you pointed it out(bro was a tomato lets be fr)

he gave you a hairpin(or a normal peice of jewlary, if you dont have hair/dont want a hairpin) that was made to look like his mask(so cute)

Albedo

it´d be up in dragonspine, lets be honest, it doesn't even have to be his lap up there(but it would be the safest so...)

he shows you some alchemy if you want

or he paints with you/teaches you how to paint kinda like him

^^he also painted you looking out at the horizon(you pretty motherf*cker)

if you´re cold, he´ll give you his jacket/he also thought the blush on your cheeks were cute as he did so/

^^he "forgot" to take his jacket back, and you didnt realize you still had it on/you now own one of his jackets/

he gave you some artificial flowers he made, could be in front of you, and made that his little gift for you

Venti

its at windrise, you had your first date at windrise, you cannot tell me otherwise ok

he brought dandelion wine(shocker), and he actually shared it with you(he normally would never)

besides wine, he also brought some apples, and an apple pie(that he made with love and care)

he´ll definitely climb the big tree with you and sit up there

he would steal your jacket if he got cold(you´ll be fine, you´re going to have to carry him home anyway)

he was thinking abt riding davalin on your first date, but he didnt want to scare you(davalin thought it was a horrible idea)

Cyno

you would be playing cards, you cant convince me otherwise

it would either be in Puspa cafe or at his house, he lets you decide

he would also help you win over him, or basically teach you how to be good

^^you never actually won, sadly

you would either cook food together, buy some(his treat), or he would have made your favorites before you came over(yes he knew your fav beforehand)

he asked tighnari for help with a gift, because he couldn't decide of something to give you(tighnari mentally facepalmed when cyno asked, its not he would know)

^^he ended up picking either a piece of jewelry, a tcg card or a piece of clothing(depends on what you like)

thank u so much for reading, luv ya-Masterlist

You are welcome to reblog and like any of my posts, but you CAN NOT translate, copy or hate on anybody for liking my posts

[nukitan]

Okay so as much as I dislike conflating Pokémon and Digimon, (they’re two shows that just so happen to be in the same genre and I think the comparisons should stop there. The bad faith ones anyway), how great the new Pokémon anime is has made me think about something.

Basically, I feel like Horizons has a lot of elements that I would love to see in a modern season of Digimon and I think the Digimon anime could take a page from their playbook. Which is funny since up until now I’ve always said the reverse.

Full rant bellow the cut to spare your time lines if you don’t want to read my rambles.

I split them into section going into Digimon first and then Pokémon if you want to skip around and don’t care about the other franchise. BUT, I will say that the point of this essay is that Pokémon Horizons is good, the first three seasons of Digimon are good and if you like one you should watch the other.

Anyway.

First I’m going to go into my history with Digimon and what I liked about the classic seasons and what I don’t like so much about the newer ones.

Basically, I love Digimon. Been hyper fixating on it off and on for twenty+ years. I’ve seen every season, subbed and dubbed multiple times, I’ve played a good chunk of the games, I play the TCG, ect.

Something that drew me to the Digimon anime over AniPoke, was the characters and the plot. In the early seasons Digimon tackled lots of difficult issues like divorce, adoption, death, loss, depression, among other things. But still kept a light hearted, feel good air. The characters felt deep and multi-faceted (At least in the sub), and I dare say are better written than some characters from some adult oriented anime out there. And they had cute monsters that evolved into bigger monsters and fought baddie monsters, what wasn’t there to love? The first three or so seasons did a fantastic job juggling characters, plot, cool creature fights, and cute and funny moments between the members of the cast. It never really felt like a commercial compared to contemporaries. It felt like the writers were creating something with soul, it was a story first and ad second. It felt like it had love.

Adventure, 02, and Tamers are my favorites. Bellow are some characters and their arcs I really enjoyed from those seasons, skip if don’t want spoilers.

I love Taichi’s arc of being reckless, and being one track minded to the point where he put all his friends in harms way and Yamato tries to act like this calm and cool lancer type but he’s actually the group heart and sensitive the way they bounce off each other and have conflicts throughout the series is just fantastic.

Ken in 02 and his whole arc of getting over the death of his brother and accepting the consequences of his actions as the Digimon Kaiser. And the way he slowly warms up to the group is so cute. I legit cried when I watched some of his episodes post kaiser as an adult.

Tamers as a whole is an extensional horror trip. Juri’s whole thing with her depression after the death of Leomon, how it related back to her trauma after losing her mom when she was younger, and the way the D-Reaper took advantage of that- I honestly don’t know how this was slipped into a kids show from the early 2000s.

A lot of these shows that started in the 90s and early 2000s were pledged with the “Glorified 20-25 minute toy ad” problem, and Digimon didn’t really seem to have that issue to me. It felt like the creators were putting the story and characters first, and an ad second or third.

The early seasons of Digimon felt like a celebration of childhood and was something that could be enjoyable to kids of all ages and adults alike. I don’t at all get that feeling that I’m watching a baby show when I watch early Digimon. It presents things in simple terms that kids could understand without talking down to its audience. It’s great.

And then the later seasons happened and Digimon forgot what made it great and lost its soul…

Xros wars was where the ball really seemed to drop in my opinion. Sure it still had the epic Kaiju fights but… that’s about it. Gone were the intense character moments and interesting plots. All we had was the special little marry sue of a boy Taiki who could do nothing wrong besides not “TURNING HIS BACK ON SOMEONE uwu”. And there was no overcoming adversity like in the earlier seasons, Taiki would just epically throw his Xros loader into the air and scream away his problems with a “DIGi-XROS!” (Sorry Taiki fans I can’t conceal my venom for this man)

And the monsters were just disappointing too. Like they were clunky and just looked like… toys.

It felt like Digimon had lost what made it tick and started to more closely resemble what I didn’t like about AniPoke, a toy commercial with a sanitized feel.

This continued for the next couple of seasons, only really picking up again in Appmon, but while Appmon is good and had it’s moments (I love the story with Yujin. He and Haru are totally roommates, cousins even), it still doesn’t compare to the heart the first three to five seasons had, imo.

Tri felt like a soulless nostalgia cash grab. Last Kizuna was good, it gave me hope for the anime again just to crush it all away with The Beginning.

I won’t get started on Adventure 2020 or we’ll be here all day. Needless to say it spat in the face of the show it was paying homage to.

Ghost Game got my hopes up, but then the last episode just took a dump on the rest of the show. It was fun, Kiyoshiro and Jellymon specifically were the stars of the show and GulusGammamon was interesting… until he wasn’t. It was fun, had a lot of potential with its horror feel, and was the closest to classic Digimon the modern seasons had been in awhile… at first anyway. It really shat the bed. And my problem with it don’t really relate to it being episodic in nature or anything, that can be done well. The characters just didn’t feel consistent (Especially Ruli) and it didn’t deliver on any of the plot intrigue it tried to stir up.

BUT! Ghost Game at least had… a little bit of heart. It felt like the creators knew their Digimon lore and did a fantastic job incorporating it into the monster of the week. I could really feel the love there.

Also on a side note, I am not just the Digimon equivalent to Gen-Oner, hating on things that are new and fetishizing the old. In fact, before I rewatched all of the seasons around 2020, I didn’t really care for the Adventure or Tamers. But my opinions did a total flip watching everything as an adult.

So, for a quick collection of thoughts before we move on to Pokémon:

What I like in a Digimon season:

1. Good characters with arcs that tackle bigger issues in a way kids can still understand and relate to without feel like they’re being talked down to.

2. Cute moments between members of the cast and their creatures.

3. Fights that feel like they mean something and aren’t just there for cool flashy effects.

4. A feeling of love and care for the franchise that goes beyond just trying to sell me toys and games.

Things I don’t like:

-OP mcs that solve every problem with the gimmick of the given seasons

-Flat, inconsistent characters that don’t feel like they have any agency or reason for doing what they’re doing besides that fact that they do indeed have Digimon.

-Pointless fights that are just there for no other reason than just to show a cool fight

-“BUY ALL OUR GAMES AND TOYS AT YOUR LOCAL HOBBY SHOP”

Okay now Pokémon.

Just like with Digimon here’s a little background with my history with the Pokémon anime

I’ve watched the original Pokémon anime up to Diamond and Pearl as a kid and I watched some of SM and most of Journey’s as an adult, but I’ve never really been big on anipoke.

Like at best it just felt like a cute show I could turn my brain off for and just vibe.

At worst it felt like a hyper sanitized toy/game commercial (Not blaming it, that was the anime’s main purpose after all).

Out of curiosity, I watched the new series. As much as I liked Ash, I really felt like he overstayed his welcome and they should have gotten rid of him and moved on ages ago since it felt like by DP there was nothing interesting to do with the character. The Pokémon world is huge and intresting, there was so much they could have done but Ash kind of felt like he bogged it down and stunted the anime’s growth past a point.

So yeah,I got excited when they finally pulled the plug and focused on a new set of characters so I gave Horizons a watch.

And I love it! It’s got heart, characters with development, a little bit of plot, and it’s cute? Like I was dumbfounded by the fact that a Pokemon anime, that I previously wrote off as just being a glorified ad, could be so good???

And then after thinking about what I liked so much about it, that’s when the topic of this essay hit me: Horizons feels like it has everything I long for in a modern Digimon anime, almost as if they took a page out of classic Digimon’s book. Like I always heard throughout the years that “Digimon had the better anime Pokemon has the better games” But Horizons really turned that on its head.

Let’s revisit my criteria for what I liked about the classic Digimon seasons from the section above to show what I mean. (Light Spoilers for Horizons ahead, though I wont go into specifics)

1. Good characters with arcs that tackle bigger issues in a way kids can still understand and relate to without feel like they’re being talked down to.

Yep. Horizons has that. Like the early seasons of Digimon, Horizons doesn’t just use it’s human characters as a vehicle to show you all the monsters you could catch if you bought the next game from your local shop for the low low price of 60 USD, nope. There feels like theres care there.

While they aren’t fully developed yet, Liko and Dot especially show huge character growth in the first 50 episodes. They focus on their flaws and how the characters overcome them.

Liko is very indecisive at first. She’s socially awkward, she feels like shes just going with the flow, afraid to take that first step to find out what she really wants out of life. Then, she finally does, she makes the decision to follow Friede and the Rising Volttacklers to find her new horizons. It’s great. And she still has lots of growing she can do later both as a trainer and as a character. She’s fantastic for a lead.

I also like how they use Sprigatito’s evolution as stand in for Liko’s growth so far in the series. Early Digimon did that too with the Crests in Adventure and the Bio Merging in Tamers and I always really like monster partners evolving to reflect their human so much, it’s such a good narrative device!

Dot slowly being brought out of her shell by Liko and the others is just- chefs kiss. She goes from being a reclusive shut in to slowly taking interest in the things Liko and co are doing and develops meaningful relationships with them. Her care for her friends and want to be there for them makes her take the first step and is now traveling around Paldea with them! And they went about this in a very well paced way where she still isn’t just magically over all her awkwardness and shut in tendencies yet. She too still has so much room for interesting development later down the road.

The adult characters are interesting too, even though they haven’t really done much yet. They really perfected that found family group of misfits trope that I’m usually pretty sick of. I love them.

And Amethio and the other villains also feel like they’re more than just your cackling evil for evil sake type characters and I’m super excited to see what they do with them!

And as far as the tackling bigger issues point: Though its just conjecture and I might be over thinking things (Though others in the fandom have pointed this out too) there’s definitely the groundwork for it here.

Liko’s family is very hands off and distant. Liko goes away to boarding school at the start of the series, her parents work, and her grandma is a vagabond traveling the world and doesn’t often stay in one place for long.

Liko lacks solid connections and foundation in her life due to her family being so closed off emotionally, which would explains her going with the flow and being unsure of what she really wants to do. She’s lost with no guidance. And it’s not like her family doesn’t love each other, no. They just don’t want to express their feelings for fear of it bogging each other down. They want Liko to be free to do what her heart tells her, but they’re so worried about talking things out that they don’t realize how that freedom has hurt Liko and made her into an anxious mess. (They even kind of hint at this in the second opening)

But yeah, like others have said, I’m not sure if this is on purpose or if they were trying to write Liko’s family to be full of strong women and just kind of accidentally fell into making them all feel too independent and distant from one another. And it would be really cool for the show to go into Liko’s home life more… but I’m not sure it would be on brand for Pokemon to talk about something so heavy. But fingers crossed!

2. Cute moments between members of the cast and their creatures.

Yep! Horizons has got plenty of it. Right now all of the main cast has two Pokemon each and they’re really taking the time to show off each Pokemon and give them a lot of wholesome moments together and with their trainers.

The human character interactions are great too! I really like the blossoming friendship between Liko and Dot (They could be roommates guys!) and the growing rivalry between Friede and Amethio! It’s great!

3. Fights that feel like they mean something and aren’t just there for cool flashy effects.

The fights in Horizons are so cool and well choreographed, but they aren’t just there to look pretty, not at all!

A lot of the fights that take place in the first two arcs are learning experiences for Liko, Roy, and Dot. They learn new strategies, their Pokemon learn new moves, and in the arc that’s airing at the time of writing, they’re learning how to terrestialize too. The fights don’t seem to happen without purpose and always seem like they either teach the characters a lesson about proper ways to be a trainer and even sometimes help them grow as characters too.

And theres even a healthy amount of losses and wins under the character’s belts and they drive home the lesson of “You learn more from a defeat”. I like how heavily they relied on the more experienced Friede at the beginning and they got frustrated from their losses and used it as fuel to want to learn to stand on their own two feet.

The fights are great and don’t just feel like a kid mashing two toys together like some series with battle elements can.

4. A feeling of love and care for the franchise that goes beyond just trying to sell me toys and games.

This is a little harder to explain and is more like a feel than anything. But I can definitely feel an air of care in Horizons that I don’t really see from shows that feel like twenty-three minute ads. The characters and story don’t just feel like they’re trying to sell me something.

While they’re definitely leaning heavy on the Paldea setting right now, it doesn’t feel like a straight adaption of the games. They don’t really do the “creature of the day” or “character of the day” type episodes like I remember seeing in past iterations of Anipoke. Horizons doesn’t have those moments that I feel like the character is looking right at me and saying “Buy Buy Buy”

And, at least so far, there seems to be a love for Pokemon with the way the reference Pokédex entries like with Hatenna being sensitive to strong emotions or what not.

Like I said, this is really more of a personal criteria and some people can be more sensitive to this kind of thing than others. The closest thing I can compare it to is like when you’re eating a meal a loved one made for you versus something you got at a diner or fast food restaurant. You don’t know how to put your finger on it but you can just taste the love… it’s like that with Horizons to me.

So yeah!

If you’ve read this far, thanks for listening to me rant! I’ll try to wrap it up here.

Basically I just really like Horizons. It gives me that same feel as when I was rewatching the classic Digimon seasons a view years ago… And like the way Horizons fixed all of the problems I had with Anipoke as a kid and as an adult is awesome, it really feels like Pokemon Company is making an effort to listen to criticism and better the series… I just really hope the Digimon anime can do the same.

Oh and all of this is just my opinion, if I said something that you don’t agree with about Digimon or Pokémon, I meant no offense and I’m happy to hear your opinions too!

I just want to close this by saying…

Fans of early Digimon, go watch Pokemon Horizons! You wont regret it!

Fans of Horizons go watch (the sub) of the first three or so seasons of Digimon! If you like Horizons and didn’t really click with Ash era Anipoke I think you’ll really have a good time, it’s so good!

I think both series could use more love, so go out there and give them both a watch!

Okay I’ll shut up now, thanks for reading!

[linkemon]

Boysband AU headcanons (4ggravate) 2

Friendly reminder that English is not my first language. You can check my Masterlists both in English and Polish here.

For those unfamiliar with the concept, 4ggravate is the Sumeru guys who started a boyband. It comes from the same series as the widely known in the fandom 4nemo.

Working with idol groups involves trends changing like in a kaleidoscope. When 4ggravate entered the scene, it quickly became clear that they would conquer the world. Your label, after the huge success of 4nemo, decided to take another boys under their wing. You didn't know then how much work you would have to put into promoting them on the market...

Kaveh

✧ The most expressive member of the group. You'd even say it makes up for everyone else in this regard.

✧ Always there if you need to record additional video or behind-the-scenes content. This is what his fans see most often and he is the most into social media.

✧ It also has its downsides. Kaveh can be dramatic to the point where it's annoying. If he feels like it, he will walk out of the meeting with the film crew, complaining and slamming the door. Unfortunately, it will often be up to you to bring him back to finish the ad.

✧ He and Alhaitham are constantly arguing, which was a shock to you because they've known each other the longest out of the team. You usually try not to take sides or take turns so that neither of the two will take offense at you.

✧ Kaveh will dance, play, sing... He will fill any role if need be and he will be good at it. However, he feels the best while playing instruments.

✧ He studied architecture and constantly reminds that he knows art. However, this is not idle talk. He happens to come up with brilliant ideas about clothes or scenery while shooting music videos.

✧ Drinks secretly outside the studio. He almost got busted once when someone from the management decided to come to the apartment to hand over the documents but you just arrived before them and managed to put the can in your purse at the last minute.

✧ He wanted to thank you somehow and gave you the keychain. He once bought some handmade ones. He gives them only to exceptional people in his opinion.

Cyno

✧ He as an innate sense of justice. You can be sure that if anyone sees someone hurt, it will definitely be Cyno. He never stands aside. He immediately confronts who he needs to, which often put his career on the line. He would probably be willing to sacrifice it for the greater good. For example, he points it out to the older employees if they use younger ones on the set. He does it even at the cost of unpleasantness towards him. He has earned a reputation as unapproachable and stickler among industry associates.

✧ He loves to play cards. He collects entire collections of them. His favorite card game is TCG Genius Invocation. It got you interested enough to get into it. He's very happy about that because being in 4ggravate has made it a bit difficult for him to find someone he can physically play with without spreading rumors. He loves to explain the new rules to you and show you what he has hunted for his collection.

✧ There was a time when, like Kaveh, he argued with Alhaitham. Whatever happened, one day he came back changed. Since then, they've at least respected each other and making your life a little easier.

✧ He is often given rap parts to sing. Mainly because of his low voice.

✧ Fans marvel at how different he can be. The media tried to create his image as quite dark. This is how new fans often see him. Meanwhile, when they spend a little time with him, they understand that this is not the case at all.

✧ A dedicated Cyno fan site was created to collect his jokes. They are very dry. Some people even send him their suggestions for him to tell on streams.

Alhaitham

✧ Alhaitham believes in peace and quiet. You asked him once why he stayed at 4ggravate then. He replied that in this way he would earn enough to have money for his dream life for a long time. He calculated it all. He even showed you the entire spreadsheet on the computer.

✧ You don't know how he does it but he's learning all the time. Be it from books or from various types of courses. Ask him anything, about everything. He will always have an answer.

✧ He writes the lyrics of the songs. With no exception. He has a gift for words. He always knows how to put them together to use rhymes or puns. Composing is not his strong point, so the worst moment is when he has to collaborate with Kaveh, who is better in this field. Not that he would ever admit it.

✧ If he could, he would avoid interviews and meetings with fans. He doesn't like any of these activities. He goes mostly because he has to. For this reason, he does not have as many fans as Kaveh, but he is not very interested in it. The people who choose him as their favorite are usually those who are deeply interested in his words and where he draws inspiration from. And they always get accurate and in-depth answers that make him their number one forever.

✧ He does not part with the headphones. So much so that it became his sign. One time Kaveh took it for fun when he wasn't looking and broke them. You didn't want them to fight again, so you took the blame and returned it to him after it was fixed. He immediately knew it wasn't you and made you promise not to take the blame on yourself again. Despite this, the next day, there were notes on your desk regarding the marketing strategy for the next quarter. Interestingly, better than you'd ever do yourself...

Tighnari

✧ Tighnari has a very sensitive musical ear. Thanks to this, he remembers songs extremely quickly, especially new ones and perfectly matches the rhythm by dancing. He is usually praised above all for his flawless choreography.

✧ The boy is vegan. He deeply believes in unity with nature. In his opinion, there is no need to use animals in this way. Half of his social media consists of this.

✧ Helped launch an eco-friendly line of stuffed animals called Aranara. He gave you one of his first pieces as a thank you for helping with their publicity campaign.

✧ He lives in the belief that being an idol will allow him to convey certain values to his fans. He attaches great importance to the educational aspect. He often comes up with themes for new albums and is able to cleverly combine them with previous or subsequent ones.

✧ Tighnari is known for his sarcastic statements, which is why interviewers love him. He skillfully sweeps them away and hits remarks back, making them borderline controversial. Their viewership is really high.

✧ Hates the heat. You used to shoot scenes for a music video in the desert. You remember that he was perfectly prepared then. That's not to say he didn't complain about the heat but he was one of the few members on set who didn't get sunstroke. He reminded you regularly to drink plenty of water and lent you his hat.

✧ At the beginning of his career, he received a headband with rabbit ears from his younger friend Collei. When they were younger, they attended several survival camps organized by their school together. To this day, she is his biggest fan. Tighnari only pulls out these ears on special occasions.

[xiaosonlybeloved]

HI HI 'LIA BAE !! Can I request an Ayato book wrapped in a Teyvat setting, with prompts 10 + 20 and a fern bookmark with a flowery scent ? ( MWUAH CONGRATS ON 100 FOLLOWERS LOVE 1778374% DESERVED + SO MUCH MORE !! LY and take care <333 )

Librarian's note- HI HI KAZUU @fuukiyo @kxfune (sorry i didnt know which one to use since u blog-hopped again haha) and omg sureee but what's it with you and ayato huh... THANK YOU SM BAE LYT take care too <3333

Book info- 10- My my, someone's gotten jealous. 20- You are my first love dear, and I promise you'll be my last Starring:- Kamisato Ayato Bookmark:- gn!reader, Scent- hurt/comfort

home || event masterlist

"Hah. That was quite the rookie mistake you made there, [Y/N]." Your boyfriend remarked as he killed one of your cards, making you lean back in frustration. "Archons, couldn't you have spared me for once! I'm starting to think you know all my strategies by heart." "Perhaps I do." The man in front of you chuckled, making you frown. "Welp, time to make a new deck." You sighed. "I've heard that Archon cards and a Xiao card might come out soon. You can bet I'll make an amazing deck with those cards." "I've heard that a Yae Miko card is here too. That could be interesting too, you could use that." "Hmph, No thank you. I have a personal grudge against that lady." He merely chuckled again as he made his next move, winning the TCG match.

Ah yes, your boyfriend. None other than the Yashiro Commissioner, Kamisato Ayato. You two had met, when you had shown up to prevent an assasination attempt, not knowing that the target was Ayato himself. You got the opportunity to fight against him, after which you apologised for just showing up since you had received some inside intel about the attempt. After that, for some reason, you two just kept bumping into each other, and soon you both grew a liking to each other. Two years later, you were already dating.

It was beautiful. Despite the busy life of the head of the Yashiro Commission, Ayato never treated you as a burden on his busy schedule. In fact, he very clearly separated out time from his schedule on a daily basis for his lovely significant other, aka you. You both always treasured dearly the time you two spent together.

As you both were about to start another match, one of his servants stepped in politely. "Lord Kamisato, I apologise for the intrusion, but we have a guest waiting for you inside. Lady Yae has come all the way down the Narukami Shrine, and she wishes to talk to you." "Can't it wait?" Ayato frowned. "I'm afraid not, sir. She has already come from a while, and seems to be getting impatient." Ayato sighed in resignation. "Alright. Bring her in." Moments later, that goddamn kitsune walked in, arms crossed, with a plotting, mischievous smile on her face.

"My my, Kamisato, you sure know how to make a lady wait. Oh, and hello, dear [Y/N]. Pardon the intrusion, but I'd like to speak to Ayato here." "Go on, I'm not stopping you, am I?" You replied back, irked. "Ah, so could you leave? You know, I'd like to speak to him alone."

Gods, this crafty witch sure knew how to make you mad. First she barges in on your alone time with your boyfriend, then demands to speak with your boyfriend alone, kicking you out when she's the outsider here? You restrained the urge to punch her pretty face, because it would bring a bad name to Ayato, instead bitterly walking past her out of the room, giving her an exclusive death stare. She had the nerve to smirk back.

Well, she wanted to talk to Ayato alone, but she never did forbid me from eavesdropping, did she? So you closed the door behind you, leaving only a sliver open, through which you could peek in. And when she spoke what she wanted to, your blood boiled.

"Say, Kamisato, I've been thinking. We've known each other almost our entire lives. What if we were to get in an official relationship? Despite its good stature, you cannot deny that the Yashiro Commission is still in a sticky situation, also severly understaffed. The constant assassination attempts mustn't be making it any easier. If we were to date, it would affiliate the shrine with the Commission. With the backing of the Grand Narukami Shrine, no one would dare to touch the Yashiro Commission. Quite advantageous for both of us, don't you think?"

How dare she? How dare she? Propose this by kicking YOU, his s/o out, in OUR alone time? The sheer nerve and audacity! But then a thought entered your mind. What if she was right?

Your clan wasn't that well-known. You knew that many eyebrows had been raised when you two came out with your relationship. It would certainly be better for Ayato to be with Yae instead, because everyone knew the power her position, and very name itself held. With her in the picture, definitely no one would dare to even lay a finger on the Yashiro Commission. And Ayato's next words shocked you.

"What's in it for you, I wonder." He mused.

Your breath hitched. The fact that Ayato seemed to be actually considering this... You couldn't hear any more. You quickly left, choosing to go down to the nearby beach alone to sort out your thoughts. You didn't bother telling anyone. They do say that curiosity kills the cat.

Had everyone else in the Commission been thinking the same thing? Had they been secretly gossipping about you behind your back? You should talk to Ayato about this tomorrow. And then you would get yourself out of the picture, for Ayato's sake. You'd have to leave, to make way for that kitsune, for Ayato. You just....

As you walked along the beach, wrapped in your thoughts, evening changed into night. You seemed to have walked a long way. Tired, you plopped down onto a big rock, staring at the stars. The stars that people said decided someone's fate..

You would be lying if you said you weren't jealous of Yae Miko. She was literally perfect in every way. Flawless appearance, incredible power, appealing personality, everything someone could ever want in a lady. What were you even compared to her?

"Dear, dear me, Who is this 'her' you speak of?" A voice spoke behind you, scaring the living daylights out of you. Or living nightlights, whatever.

"Ayato?? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be talking to- to her..?" You asked, your voice breaking a tiny bit in the end. Of course, Ayato noticed. "That was hours ago, love?" He said simply. "I've been searching for you since. You know, since you just disappeared without any note whatsoever. You had me worried. Now, you seem to have a lot on your mind. Who is this her you speak of?" When you didn't respond, he took a guess. "Surely you're not referring to Miko, are you?" You responded in a small voice. "I.. I heard." You mumbled.

He immediately understood. "Ah, I see. My my, someone's gotten jealous." He chuckled. "No, it isn't that." You said hurriedly. "It's that... Maybe she is right. It would be better for everyone if you two were together, instead of us."

That stopped him short. "...You say you hear, but you clearly didn't hear everything. Or you would have heard that I immediately rejected her proposal. I don't want to be with someone I don't love, [Y/N]. So drive your worries away, darling. Because you?" He put a hand on his heart, showing a rare sincerity. "You're my first love, dear, and I promise you'll be my last."

[opultea]

The Daily Grind

Modern AU Otaku Cyno x GN Reader (No Pronouns)

Fluff - SFW - Drabble

Note: Hi! I know it's been a while, I hope you've been well! Although I'm not able to dedicate much time to writing, I had a lot of fun with this one, sweet and simple, so hopefully you'll enjoy it too :))

“Honey? Are you still in here?”

“Y/n, come look at this,”

Cyno had been holed up in his office for a few hours now, and you naturally began to worry about his well-being. After not seeing him for so long, despite it being his day off, searching for him seemed the best course of action.

Upon entry to the surprisingly dim room, you saw your husband sitting in front of his desk, religiously refreshing a page on his main monitor. His desk was decorated entirely with figurines and memorabilia from his various favourite games, anime and movies, proudly displayed with their positions maximised to have each turned for its best angle.

“Would you like the light on, love?”

“Oh,” Cyno turned to the window, seeing the dusk for the first time. “Yes, I didn’t realise how late it had gotten. Thank you, light of my life,”

“I don’t know whether to be happy with the cute nickname or annoyed at the pun,”

“The first one sounds good to me,”

You flicked the light switch and approached Cyno’s desk, Cyno graciously pushing the gaming chair he sat in out far enough for you to take a spot on his lap.

“What’s kept you in here all day?”

"They're about to release the newest Genius Invokation TCG card packs and there's said to be five-hundred signed copies of the newest character card mixed into the preorders. I must obtain the treasured signed copy, or I cannot call myself the legendary Cyno; Genius of Genius Invokation TCG."

You smiled lovingly at your husband's characteristic flair. It was always so charming how invested he became in his passions.

"Well, good luck to you," you sealed the wish with a kiss on Cyno's cheek.

"Thank you, with this blessing my power will only grow. The magic of your love has imbued me with the strength I require to prevail against all odds," Cyno took a brief moment away from refreshing the page. "Although, I may need another. Just in case,"

"Really?" You smiled playfully, brushing the game devotee's hair from his face to properly take in the red of his eyes. "Just in case, then."

The two of you met in a kiss, followed by another, and one more for good measure. When you parted, Cyno's hand came around to your back, keeping you close.

"Do you want something to eat?" You asked softly, twisting a lock of his silvery hair between your fingers.

"As long as it's something I don't have to look at to eat, I need to concentrate."

"Alright, as long as you don't spend all our money on buying a hundred different packs,"

Cyno's silence overtook the room, causing your eyebrow to raise.

"Honey?"

"I will do my best to honour both my commitment to you and to my quest."

[musashi]

im curious! i dont think ive seen you post much about poliwhirl, why was that mon's full art card the one you want most from 151?

oh it's just fucking gorgeous full stop

i don't play the TCG so when i am chasing sets and cards its purely for aesthetic reasons. that's why i usually try to master shiny sets, because i love shiny pokemon! i initially had no interest in 151, was just going to buy it because i know it'll be worth hundreds in the long-term, but then i saw some of the illus rares and fell in fucking love

i love illustration rares because they remind me of that trend the pokemon fandom started doing ages ago where they would paint outside the borders of base set pokemon cards and 'extend' them. this was before full art cards were a thing, really, we had a rare few but it was not common at all--

(c: @awesomepaintedcards, tons more there)

all the illus rares invoke this trend but i love this poliwhirl because:

it captures one of my favourite of the universe's little beauties: the multicolour shine of city lights on rain

the colour scheme is not cluttered despite this--the blue shines through!!

the holo effect only accentuates the city lights! it makes them look almost 3d

despite the fact that this is clearly a busy city, poliwhirl is having a moment of solitude within its depths. how did it get there? what is it doing? i love the way it looks to its reflection, just as mystified and delighted as i am.

i once took inspiration from a pokemon card for some pokemon fanfiction, and "holographic rendering of a glowing city rich with nightlife" was literally what i put in the fic.

poliwhirl is the favourite pokemon of satoshi taijiri, pokemon's creator. if you look back on super early pokemon promotional material, poliwhirl is *everywhere.* so this card reads as an intentional homage to me, and i am a nerd who knows more pokemon trivia than anyone in existence, so i love that.

its a good poliwhirl.

[joviantwelve]

okay you said you had a pokémon fanregion in your head, and now i gotta hear all about that, is the thing

OH god actually it's really funny how much shit that was in it has come to pass in canon by now, because I originally conceptualized it circa gen 4. It's usually what I think about if I think of like pokemon fancharacters or whatever. here we fuckin go

It was based on the Holon region in the TCG which has pokemon with funny types. we have Tera types now... the idea was that it would be begin further expanding and adding its own League and whatnot. I put it as above Johto/Kanto so relatively gen 1&2 selection of mons. keeping it simple.

it was more about the Weird Type Shit, which the pokemon prof of the region was studying under an organization she was a part of (the evil team, which was not branded as "Team (x)" just like Aether Foundation lmao). anomalies to track down and whatnot. but they were also inducing it themselves and studying other detected anomalies in the region. or sometimes the experiments they did created new, unintended anomalies of their own

this was mostly to make Missingno canon. which is like the only thing that hasn't still come to pass yet (BUT IT SHOULD!!!!!!). my dearest darlingest Missingno, the entire reason I love glitches today, was effectively my box legendary. the backstory of the prof was much like Lusamine in that she saw this Fucking Weird Pokemon a long time ago due to her Experiments and it fucked her up and she became a weird bad anime mom afterward. SHE EVEN HAD A DEAD HUSBAND!!!!!!! I FUCKIN INVENTED LUSAMINE FIRST

oh I should mention the "protag" analogue of the region WAS the professor's child. SO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you had to fight your mom. who is the prof. who is also the evil team leader. and corrupted by some messed up videogame code. damn that sucks

later when we started getting more AI-feeling Rotom characters, I imagined a Rotom in a more robot/android body as one of the team underlings. he was the protag's buddy back home but now he has to fight you :( sorry i dont wanna do this but my programming is telling me to (throws a pokeball out halfheartedly)

(ASIDE: I remember in the first movie when they were like flabbergasted at Mewtwo technically qualifying as a pokemon trainer. that was kinda fucked up and weird, can we go back to that? tbh when I think about it, a lot of the vibe of my fanregion is based on how Weird early pokemon gens felt. they really dont make it like this anymore. Ape Inc became Creatures, I'm certain some EarthBound talent factored in)

I think I was also imagining weird-typed versions of the legendary birds for a trio, which is funny cuz we got Galarian versions of them now too....

Hooke was originally a Pokemon OC and was my first one actually, he ran a Dark-type gym because one didn't exist in canon yet. he was ex-Team Rocket and moved up north to turn a new leaf. thought it fit Dark's vibe as like the Schemer Type. I had to wait amazingly long for an actual Dark-type gym in canon which is kinda funny. it actually felt a little sad when we finally got one because it had been 11 years since I had made Hooke in protest of this

if you remember my OC Serafine (she doesnt have a TH SORRY), she was also an evil team exec.

she doesn't have a modern analogue but another one of the fancharacters was the rival-type one and she was Lt. Surge's spoiled neice

the Ghost-type gym leader I can describe as a Super Nerd with the constitution of the Hiker. can see ghosts but is a social outcast but more in a nerd sense than a goth sense. I liked him a lot but I haven't had anywhere to put him :(

the Psychic-type leader was extremely tsundere and her mind reading helped her out with all those tsundere insecurities (now she's just paranoid and preemptively reads people's minds)

the Fire- and Steel-type leaders were a duo battle of "smoke and mirrors" themed magicians. and also married

this is largely stream of consciousness I hope this post makes SENSE

[delicatefury]

I wonder how many people realize that the best way to support the cartoons they love is to… buy the merch?

The official merch.

It really is that simple. It’s why Transformers and My Little Pony keep coming back. It’s why there are so many Barbie movies. Why Kevin Smith’s Masters of the Universe failed but the 3D animated He-Man is thriving. Why Pokemon is the biggest money making franchise of all time and will never not have an anime. Why Bluey, Cocomelon, and other little kid cartoons are having money poured into them while other studios are being cut off ruthlessly. It’s why Frozen and Cars got fucking sequels while The Owl House was reduced to 3 specials for its final season.

Because, for those IPs, people buy the official merch.

Parents aren’t going on Etsy to get a hand-crochet plush of Bluey or Bingo. They’re picking one up at Target. The Transformers collector isn’t buying small batch stickers from a fanartist on redbubble, he’s buying an official hasbro figure at the comic store and his kids a sticker sheet at Walmart. Hand painted cards are never going to replace the Pokemon TCG.

And that’s where companies make their animation budget back. Not through advertisements. Not through subscriptions. Merch.

And it doesn’t matter if the fan stuff is better made. It doesn’t matter if you can commission exactly what you want. As much as it sucks, fan merch is copyright infringement, and the animation companies don’t see a single red cent from it.

You can sign all the petitions you want. You can stream every single one of these cartoons in the background on a repeat to falsify watch numbers, you can post all the fanart and fanfiction you want in an active fandom of millions and it won’t save your show. So long as the cartoon isn’t justifying the expense of animation from official merchandise sales, the companies have no incentive to keep making them.

I’m not saying those actions never work. But the surest way to make sure these companies stay invested in your favorite cartoon, is to make sure their investment in your favorite cartoon pays off.

Edit: it’s in a reblog, but I’m adding it here too.

I’m aware that these companies aren’t making that much merchandise for some of these shows. Definitely not at the level a bunch of shows from my childhood were. In which case we need to be asking three important questions:

Why do they not think these shows are marketable?

Why are they making these shows if they don’t think they are marketable?

How do we let them know we will buy official merch in a quantity that will get their attention?

Money talks to these corporations, so why are they cutting off their ears?

[isnt-it-pretty]

I rewrote the conversation with Collei in my eleazar!cyno fic because it didn't fit, but I decided I'd post it here as an outtake!

Wow, it's 2,287 words. That's like a short one-shot in itself. Oh well, here! You can see which sections I took verbatim, which I rewrote, and which I cut entirely. It has a very different vibe than the one I eventually went with.

Let me know if you're interested in seeing more cut sections and outtakes. They're often not as long as complete ar this one, but I saved them all.

Also sorry for the spacing tumblr likes adding an additional one and I wasn't sure whether getting rid of them made it harder to read since it's so long. Let me know if it's harder this way and I'll fix it.

You can read the fic in its entirety here!

Chapter 5, last scene, Collei & Cyno's discussion:

“Master Cyno?” Collei asked. 

He looked up from his seat by the window to find her hovering in the doorway, looking unsure of herself. 

“Collei,” he greeted, uncurling himself to face her more easily. “What is it?”

He hadn’t seen a lot of Collei outside of his physical therapy, especially not without Tighnari at her side. Cyno suspected it was difficult for her to see him like this. Her memories of their time in Mondstadt had always been a challenge for their relationship, but it was probably worse now. He was frail where he used to be strong, and even weeks of recovery had barely helped that (much to his growing frustration).

Collei hesitated. “Oh, um, well, I was wondering if- no, wait,” she stopped herself and took a deep breath, straightening her back before she continued. “You and I are going to play TCG. I have a deck for you and everything. It was a gift from a matra named Nayab?” She said it like a question, even though it clearly wasn’t supposed to be. “Um. Mahamatra Taj brought it.”

That was the first Cyno had heard of such a gift. He raised an eyebrow at Collei’s forwardness and silently noted to himself to look into why Nayab was sending him TCG decks. 

She flushed beneath his gaze and looked away, fidgeting.

“Miss Lisa told me not to ask you if you wanted to do something, but just to tell you we’re doing it. She said you’d refuse if you aren’t feeling well, even if it’s something you usually like, and, um, Kaveh agreed when I mentioned it.”

Ah, so Lisa put her up to this. That wasn’t surprising—it sounded just like something she would do. Part of Cyno wanted to feel irritated at Lisa’s—and apparently Kaveh’s—intervention, but he knew she meant well, even if he didn’t want to admit that she was right. It was a lesson from their shared Akademiya years, when Cyno had avoided things because he felt too stressed to enjoy them, or hadn’t thought he deserved the break. He thought he’d moved on from that habit, but maybe Cyno wasn’t so far removed from his youth as he’d believed. 

Genius Invokation was never something he’d ignored before. It was the only hobby he really had, but as Cyno’s health had waned, so too had his desire to play. He just didn’t have the energy or time. All of his once well-loved decks were probably still sitting on a dust covered shelf in his apartment. 

He didn’t really want to play now, either. Maybe it was because he was tired, or the way his hands ached, or that he simply wanted to stew alone as he thought of his mistakes. TGC represented something from before to him, although Cyno wasn’t yet sure what that meant. 

Collei was still waiting for his response, shifting anxiously as she did, and Cyno couldn’t deny her this. He couldn’t deny her anything, really. 

“Okay,” he said, and she gave him a hesitant smile. 

Standing hurt. It was something he had taken for granted before his illness. His muscles were still weak and it would take months for him to be able to walk unsupported, if he would ever be able to again—it was something he tried not to think about, fear curling deep within his chest at the thought of his abilities changing so drastically. At least he was strong enough for crutches now. They were made from slender wood that reached his forearm, partially wrapping around it in a cuff. A leather wrapped handle at hand height allowed him to grip them comfortably. It wasn’t perfect—Cyno’s arms were weak and even more prone to fatigue than his legs—but it worked well enough for short distances and was easier to use than the alternatives. Gandharva Ville wasn’t known for its accessibility. 

Collei didn’t offer to help as he hobbled his way toward the table. He was grateful for it. Cyno wasn’t a particularly prideful individual, but he wasn’t sure he could bear that from the child he had saved. It was bad enough when he had to rely on Kaveh or Tighnari for such simple things. 

He sat at the table and leaned his crutches against a nearby chair, relieved to be off his feet. Collei watched hesitantly, likely feeling somewhat awkward, before she finally joined him. 

The deck boxes were well made from beautiful wood and leather. Collei handed him both of them to pick between, and Cyno glanced through each deck. 

They were competitive and synergistic, which was exactly the play style he enjoyed. Somebody had spent a lot of time and money on these.

“You said this was a gift from Nayab?” Cyno asked, looking up at her.

Collei bit her lip and nodded. “He gave them to Mahamatra Taj for you. I think a few of the other matra helped too?” 

Cyno’s hands were gentle, almost reverent, as he looked through the cards again. An emotion he couldn’t name welled up in his chest.

It shouldn’t have been surprising. Cyno had played hundreds of games with his matra to pass the time on long missions or after working hours. It was one of the few ways his subordinates could convince him to go out with them. Nayab, in particular, had spent months trying to convince him to play during the worst of his sickness. And yet, to know that they had paid such close attention to his favourite cards that they could imitate a deck he would create showed a level of care he hadn’t thought possible from anybody but his closest friends.

“I hope you one day realize how truly cared about you are, Cyno,” Taj had said. 

Shaking himself from his reverie, he picked the more complicated of the decks and gave the other to Collei. She always preferred the more straightforward tactics, but she had been branching out the last time they had played, several months prior.

There was a routine to TCG, and despite the time that had passed, Cyno fell into it with ease. He felt himself relaxing as they played.

Draw, roll, play cards, attack, pass turn.

He was never one to make conversation during games, but even he could feel the tension growing between them. It felt like the moment before a wave’s crash, when the water pulled back with the tide before rushing forward to slam against rocks and stone. 

Cyno cleared his throat. 

“How are you doing?” he asked, hoping to break the tension that felt like cracking ice. “Have you lessons been going well?”

“They’ve been fine,” Collei said. “The other Forest Watchers have been helping for the last few weeks, since Master Tighnari has been busy.” She kept her attention on her cards. 

Right. Tighnari had been with him, so Collei would have had to get her instruction elsewhere. 

He wondered if she’d felt hopeless for those long weeks, when her illness progressed as his did—albeit not as severely. Did she even want to continue her education knowing how little time she’d had left? Did her goals change now that there wasn’t a death sentence hanging over her head? Collei was so young. She’d never had the opportunity for dreams without the reality of her Eleazar shattering the image, no matter how carefully constructed. Cyno was lucky that way. His illness appeared in adulthood, although he wondered if he would have done anything different if his condition had been more similar to Collei’s. He suspected his decisions in life would have remained that same. 

He felt a hollow pang in his chest at the thought.

Cyno cleared his throat. “Are you planning on staying in Gandharva Ville?” he asked. 

Collei played a card. Her brows furrowed. 

“Why wouldn’t I?” she asked.

“I just thought maybe there was something else you’d want to do now that your Eleazar is cured.”

She dealt three damage to his active character. 

“Gandharva Ville is my home. I wouldn’t leave it just because of that. I want to become a Forest Watcher and a medic. Only Master Tighnari can teach me those things.” Her voice was steady, but there was a hint of something else in it. 

They both rolled for the start of the turn.

Cyno played two cards and passed to her. The tension seemed to grow with each moment. 

“Collei,” he said the next time it was his turn. He kept his gaze on his cards so that he wouldn’t have to face her. “It’s okay if you’re uncomfortable around me. You don’t have to force yourself.”

He motioned for her to take her turn, and Collei slammed a card onto the table. 

“I’m not uncomfortable around you,” she snapped with uncharacteristic anger. Or, rather, uncharacteristic of her for the last few years. It was closer to the fury she held when they’d first met. 

She took a deep breath, visibly calming herself. “I’m hurt and I’m angry.”

Oh. 

“Collei-” he began, unsure of what to say, but she cut him off. 

“How could you?” she asked, some of the fury returning to her voice. “You told me to trust people, to let them in, to trust you, and then you lied for years! I understand not telling me, but how could you keep it a secret from Master Tighnari? I thought you loved him.”

“I do-”

“I thought you were dead when I first found him crying on the floor,” she sounded choked. “He was holding one of your shirts and I thought- but no, you were just dying from an illness you hid despite knowing it’s something I had too!” 

Her words were quiet when she spoke next, as if all the fight had fled her. “I couldn’t travel to see you,” she whispered. “I had to wait here for Lisa’s letters because Tighnari was too devastated to write. You would have died and I wouldn’t have even had the chance to say goodbye.”

She tightened her hands into fists, staring down at the cards in front of her. Cyno knew she wasn’t crying—Collei refused to allow that if she could help it—but she was close to it. 

He reached across the table to lay a hand over one of her fists, a steady ache between his ribs from knowing just how much he had affected her. It was naïve to think otherwise, and yet... 

“I’m sorry,” he said. “Collei, I'm so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen.”

“Then why?” she asked in that same meek voice. It reminded Cyno of Mondstadt, of the little girl so desperate for somebody to trust, somebody to care for her. 

He squeezed her fist. 

“I can’t tell you,” he said. “I don’t really know myself. All of my thoughts were just excuses.”

Collei clenched her jaw, her shoulders trembling as she stared down at the table. “That’s cruel,” she said.

Guilt curdled in Cyno’s stomach like soured milk. “I know, and I’m sorry I can’t do better.”

Archons, how he wished he could do better; wished he could mend all of his broken relationships. This was the last thing he’d ever wanted to happen. 

“Collei, I- if you want-” he cleared his throat. “I know you’re closer with Tighnari than me, but if you want comfort…” He raised one arm, a silent signal he would hug her if she wanted. 

Perhaps Collei had grown more than he thought she did, because Cyno didn’t expect her to take him up on it. To his surprise, though, Collei pushed herself out of her chair and quickly rounded the small table. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders tightly, hiding her face in his shoulder like she would if he was Tighnari.

The chair creaked beneath their combined weight, but held. Cyno was thankful—he didn’t think he could keep himself up otherwise, let alone Collei. 

It was awkward at first. Despite his offer, Cyno still wasn’t sure what to do. Lisa had hugged him before she left, and it was common for Kaveh to, but Tighnari was too careful when touching Cyno now. 

Cyno took a deep breath and forced himself to relax. He wrapped his arms around Collei and felt her soften into him. She sniffled against his shirt and hiccuped a quiet cry, her hands twisting in the fabric at his back. Cyno held her closer and rested his cheek against her hair. It smelled of the same Sumeru rose shampoo that all the Forest Watchers used—that Tighnari used. 

His eyes burned as the fabric beneath Collei’s face dampened with her tears. He supposed this has been a long time coming for her. Maybe for both of them. 

She really had her whole life ahead of her now, and Cyno realized with an ache that he was so glad he would get to see it. 

“I’m sorry,” he said again, whispering into the wisps of her green hair. 

Collei tightened her hold on him before pulling away. Cyno already missed her warmth. 

“I forgive you,” she said, sniffling. Her eyes were red rimmed and puffy to match the damp section of his shirt. “You’re too important not to.”

Cyno breathed deeply, trying to brush away the pain in his chest from her words. It didn’t ease. 

He reached out and took her hand, squeezing it. 

“You’re important to me too,” he said. 

She wiped her eyes on a sleeve and sniffled again. Her expression almost made Cyno laugh.

“I hate crying,” she said. “It’s disgusting, and now my face hurts.”

Cyno did laugh at that, the sound barely a breath, but Collei heard it. 

She smiled at him and squeezed the hand he still held back.

For now, it was enough.

[kabukibun]

i cant believe im typing this i-

since its the tcg patch, heres this: scara teaching kabuki how to play tcg. Kabuki was honored bc usually scara only plays with wanderer (that brought the game to the house from the scholars in the academia) and anytime kabuki asked to join, scara would tell him to go away, that he doesnt know how to play and he will ruin the fun (even tho wanderer tells scara to zip it)

so when they start to play, scara will say the next few rounds will be for learning! He knows kabuki lacks alot of knowledge about humans, game logic included, so even after kabuki will catch the tcg rules, kinda, he could manipulate him.

Kabuki truly enjoys playing with his brother, even if he keeps losing, and he loves staring at the cards! Theyre so shiny and pretty! (Also wanderer made a custom mommy card in an extra art class he had, and since scara told kabuki he can have it, he should have KNOWN something is up. Red flag.)

Kabuki starts to learn, and scara explains the rules in a patient way that doesnt suit him at all. When kabuki wins, he let the pride get to his head (he made some wrong moves on purpose) and lets him relax. Then, he drops the next line:

"y'know, humans bet stuff when they play this game."

liar.

Kabuki doesnt understand gambling too well, but he believe his brother. He is quite concerned, and he tells scara he doesnt have any money. (Broke💀) scara tells him its fine, and betting isnt all about money. "For example," he says, "if i win, you stop running naked around the house, (He had enough, just like mommy) For, eh, week.." (he soften the deal)

"And if i win?"

"...you could share the milk time with me, and not have to wait for you and wanderers turn. For a week." (usually scara drinks alone)

Kabuki is excited. He plays, and he loses, and that puts a stop to mommys headaches... from him at least💀

He is ready to stop, he clearly lost, but scara keeps suggesting stuff he knows kabuki is interested in, and stuff kabuki can lose to him, before he says: "now.... if you lose, you give me 20% of your milk time with mommy." Kabuki is stunned! He tells scara thats not a good thing to bet on, because last time they somehow messed with their milk time, they got punished. But scara convince him with these words:

"If i lose, i give you mine."

Kabuki loses. And he loses again. And scara keeps making the milk time% higher and higher. And when his common sense finally sets and he wants to quit, he lost so much of his milk time and he wants to cry to mommy about it, (not snitch! Poor cutie kabuki just wants to cuddle with mommy and tell her he lost "fair and square" to scara.)

Then scara tells him - one more round. This time, he wont take his milk time, he just wants to keep kabuki from telling mommy. And if kabuki wins - he gets all his milk time back.

Of course, kabuki lost. And thats a good time to mention scara didnt explain ALL the rules to him.

Scara smirks, praising himself for this genius plan, while kabuki is sad and about to cry! Little did they both know, that when big bro wanderer came back home and saw scara and kabuki playing, he decided to spy on them and when the game was finished, he went to tell mommy.

Mommy is FURIOUS.

she already told them not to mess with the milk time, but the little stunt scara pulled truly crossed the line. While she is about to give scara the biggest punishment she can think of, AND taking his milk time, kabuki bursts into tears in the corner, begs for mercy from mommy, he truly believes hes as guilty as scara for gamblimg and falling for scaras tricks. Wanderer just rolls his eyes. Scara is now actually really really scared. Just an avarage day for them.

(Im so sorry its so long- i also never sent something to your blog before but i saw it for quite a while. Im sorry if theres any grammar errors english isnt my first language! And i hope you are okay with this stuff?)

such a cute scenario!!! 🫶

i can’t help but imagine scara having such a hard time holding back a smirk as he’s playing with kabuki.. his poker face gradually fading until he’s practically grinning at kabuki’s misery.

big bro wanderer being such a good spy for mommy, letting her know when her boys are up to no good! scara curses him for being a snitch while kabuki looks up to him for looking after them <3

wahhh kabukimono definitely would share at least half of the guilt with scara if he could. tcg match aside, if scara were to get in trouble, kabukimono would run up to mommy when she’s scolding him and tell her it’s his fault too! he should’ve told scara not to do it, or tried harder to stop him! kabuki’s puppy face has softened many punishments for scara…

(don’t worry it’s okay! i appreciate any length of asks sent to me :) thank you for seeing my blog for so long! no worries about your grammar, english isn’t my first language either!)

[pocket-luv101]

Memories

Fandom: Genshin Impact Ship: CynoNari

Summary: Lisa shows Tighnari pictures of when Cyno was a child.

“You wouldn’t believe how shy Cyno was as a child. The moment he saw a stranger, he would hide behind my skirt. This is my favourite photo of little Cyno. Don’t you think he’s adorable too, Tighnari?” Lisa beamed proudly as she showed him an album of Cyno’s childhood photos. She insisted that they should revisit the memories before they returned to Sumeru.

She thought it would be interesting to see Cyno’s reaction as she told Tighnari stories from his childhood. Lisa saw herself as his older sister and she liked to tease him sometimes. However, Cyno didn’t appear bothered because he was focused on playing Genius Invokation with Collei. While Lisa couldn’t see him flustered, his current reaction was more reassuring to her.

The Akademiya was a stifling environment, especially for a child. Lisa was relieved that Cyno found people he was comfortable with and he could show his childish side to them. Lisa turned the page and said: “Cyno has grown up a lot but he still indulges in such games. Diona is holding a TCG tournament next month. Will you three come back to visit?”

“I’m certain Cyno will find the time. He kept me up past midnight playing Genius Invokation.” Despite the small complaint, Tighnari wore a small grin. He didn’t mind staying up late into the night with Cyno, no matter if they were playing cards or simply talking. Tighnari traced his finger over a photo of young Cyno. “I want him to have fun since we’re on vacation but I was exhausted this morning.”

“Ah, young love.” Lisa said in a teasing voice. She couldn’t hold back her laughter after she saw the blush on Tighnari’s cheeks. To make Tighnari blush was a rarer sight than with Cyno. Her juniors could be too serious when it came to work and she hoped that she could make them relax enough to simply enjoy the moment. “I have a picture of little Cyno trying to dress as Sage Cyrus. You should take it with you so Collei can use it as inspiration for her academic goals.”

“Can I see it?” Collei looked up from her cards when she heard her name. Her interest was piqued after Lisa described the photograph but she glanced hesitantly at Cyno. He could read her expression and he placed his cards on the board. Cyno recognized it from when he was a child and he was mindful of upsetting the people around him.

He walked to the photo album to slip the photo from its seal. Then, he held it out to Collei. Tighnari watched Cyno and Collei interact and a smile grew over his lips. Most people were afraid of Cyno but he was able to see his kindness. Cyno was one of the few people who could bring Collei out of her shell.

A photo caught Tighnari’s attention. In the picture, a six year old Cyno was crying and holding his wrapped hand. Wisps of electricity surrounded him and Tighnari recognized Hermanubis’s power. He didn’t know why they would keep a picture of him sobbing. “When did you take this picture?”

“This is when Cyno told me about his first crush.” Lisa chuckled. “Cyno came home with a bandage wrapped around his hand. When Sage Cyrus tried to take off the bandage to check his wound, he started crying not to. He claimed that it held a magic kiss. We were both surprised by how insistent he was. Usually, he wouldn’t yell at us the way he did that night.”

“Please, don’t tell him that story, Lisa. I was just a kid and I believed what that boy told me.” Cyno quickly stopped her. He didn’t remember the boy who kissed his hand but he could imagine Lisa exaggerating the story. “I’ve only spoken with him once so I would barely call it a crush. He helped me and I was appreciative of that.”

“That bandage…” Tighnari’s brows furrowed. “I’ve seen this design before.”

“You must return to the desert. Forbidden Knowledge will spread if you don’t empower the purification towers. This is your duty.” The voice echoed in Cyno’s mind. More overwhelming than the voice was the power rushing through his body. He tried to focus and redirect the power to his arms as Sage Cyrus taught him. However, this father wasn’t there to help guide him through the ritual. He regretted that he decided to practise summoning Hermanubis alone.

“I want to go home.” He argued. He fought against the divine spirit and stumbled through the forest. Cyno needed to return to Sage Cyrus for help but he found himself lost. The Temple of Silence sent him to live in the city a few months ago and he didn’t know the path home. His purple blindfold made it more difficult for him to return to the Akademiya.

“Turn around and take the road to your left.” Hermanubis whispered directions to him but Cyno didn’t know whether to trust him. When he made a contract with the divine spirit, he believed its power would help him protect the people around him. He was uncertain now. The scholars told him stories of how the gods of the desert were cruel. Had he been tricked?

Suddenly, Cyno felt a soft hand on his cheek and the touch distracted him from the panic he felt. “Are you lost?”

“Who are you?” Cyno stiffened and backed away from the voice. He couldn’t flee far before he felt path blocked by a tree. He strained his eyes to see past the purple fabric but he was only able to make out the vague silhouette of the person. To his confusion, the person appeared to have tall ears. “Go away or else my power will hurt you.”

“This boy is a Valuka Shuna. We can trust him.” Hermanubis told him. Through their connection, Cyno could sense the spirit’s fear and desperation ebb away. He had read about Valuka Shuna and their connection to the desert. Cyno was certain that he hadn’t walked far enough to reach the desert and he didn’t feel sand beneath him.

The boy couldn’t hear his confusion with Hermanubis and assumed Cyno was ignoring him. He huffed and knelt in front of him. “Hurt me? The only one in danger is you. Why would you wear a blindfold in the forest? You could run into a tree and hurt yourself. Did someone make you wear the blindfold? I’ll untie it for you.”

While his sight was obscured, he was able to feel his fingers brush over his temple. He struggled to untie the blindfold because the ribbon was tied beneath his helmet. After a few minutes, he finally managed to tug the blindfold free and the fabric fell from his eyes. Cyno saw the boy fall backwards and he reached out to catch him.

“Are you okay?” Cyno held out his hand to help him stand. Their gaze met and he was mesmerized by the boy’s stunning eyes. He had never seen a person whose eyes reflected the rainforest’s green and brown. His tall ears twitched as he sat up. Then, Cyno looked down at his own hand that was cloaked in a violet aura. He thought that his claws would scare the boy and he started to take his hand back.

Before he could pull away, the boy placed his hand on his claw. “Thank you. My name is Tighnari.”

“Cyno.” He introduced himself and his claws retreated.

“I’ve never seen you in Avidya Forest before. Are you from the city? Did you visit the rainforest for an expedition? Why were you wearing the blindfold?” Tighnari couldn’t help but be curious about his new friend and questions flowed out of him. Then, he noticed how Cyno turned away from him and stared at the blindfold on the ground.

“I live in the Akademiya. Can you show me the path back?” He asked. He was careful not to tell him about the divine spirit inside of him. Cyno was accustomed to people distrusting him because he was from the desert so Tighnari’s friendly smile was a rare sight to him.

“My father works at the Akademiya so I know the way. The left road should take you to Sumeru City. Shall we go together?” Tighnari told him the same direction that Hermanubis did. He thought that the spirit would lie to him and trick him to go to the desert. While Cyno was still lost in thought, Tighnari took his hand and tugged him towards the path.

Tighnari looked at their joined hands and he noticed the scrapes on Cyno’s hand from when his claws had retreated. While he wasn’t bleeding, he recalled his mother’s warning to treat wounds quickly. He wasn’t trained in medicine so he imitated how his parents would help him. “Mother made this special handkerchief for me. It’ll help you feel better too.”

He tied the cloth around Cyno’s hand. The makeshift bandage was uneven and loose but Tighnari grinned proudly at his work. He leaned down and kissed his fingertips. He recited a chant. “Jungle rain. Desert sand. Ocean’s hue. May this this blessing protect you.”

As Tighnari raised his head, he saw the blush Cyno wore. He didn’t know why he suddenly felt shy as well and let go of his hand. “I’m sorry. Whenever I got hurt, Mother would kiss it better and say a spell. It makes me stronger and I thought it’ll help you too.”

Cyno stared at his bandaged hand. “I want to become stronger.”

“Let’s go back to the Akademiya then!” Tighnari took his hand again and they started walking down the road. “Why were you wearing a blindfold? Was it a part of your training to become stronger?”

“I don’t know. I am a vessel for a divine spirit.” Cyno intended to tell him that the blindfold would appear whenever he transformed. The voice of Hermanubis echoed in his mind and made Cyno pause.

“You are a child, Cyno. You shouldn’t have to see the aftermath of a battle so I give you a blindfold.” Hermanubis’s explanation surprised Cyno. He thought that the spirit would only see him as a vessel and would disregard anything else. Cyno didn’t mind the contract as long as he could protect the people around him.

“A vessel? That sounds similar to a novel I read, Genius Invokation TCG!” Tighnari interrupted them, unable to hear Hermanubis. A beaming smile lit up his face. “I think it’s cool. You two can fight together. I will lend you the first book in the series.”

“So, this is where you were hiding. I was worried when you didn’t return to our hotel room. It’s late.” Cyno found Tighnari sitting next to a grand window in the library. The moonlight filtered through the glass and illuminated Tighnari’s face. He looked up from his book and their gaze met. Despite the years that passed, he still had the most beautiful eyes he knew. He stopped next to Tighnari and noticed the book in front of him. “What are you looking at, Nari?”

“This photo Lisa gave me.” Tighnari held the picture closer to the candle so Cyno could see it as well. He immediately recognized it from when Lisa was teasing that afternoon. The slight embarrassment the photo brought him was overshadowed by Tighnari’s soft smile. “The world is full of coincidences, isn’t it? I wish that we had met again sooner. We could’ve been friends growing up.”

Cyno loved Tighnari and he wouldn’t have changed a moment of their time together. Though, a greedy part of him also wished that they could’ve become friends sooner. He gently took Tighnari’s hand and kissed his fingertips the way he did years ago. “When I was a child, it was painful for me to summon Hermanubis. I feared its power. Then, you took off the blindfold and made me realize something. I didn’t trust him. I needed to confront that and fight alongside him. Thank you.”

“You don’t wear a blindfold when you transform like when we first met.” Tighnari lightly brushed his bangs from his red eyes. Since Tighnari often treated his wounds, Cyno told him about his Divine Spirit and the toll his transformation had on his body. He knew how complicated being a vessel was before they came to an understanding. “Your claws don’t hurt you anymore. Nevertheless, when you’re injured, come to my tent and I’ll perform another spell.”

“You can trust that I’ll go to you no matter how small the wound is.” He squeezed Tighnari’s hand. “If we met again sooner, you could’ve heard more of my jokes. What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta.”

“Dear Archons, that was the third time you’ve told that joke.” Tighnari laughed and shook his head. His jokes could be painfully dry but he secretly enjoyed them. He couldn’t tell him that he liked his jokes or else it would encourage Cyno to make more. He looked down at the photo of their past and imagined their future together. “I’ll return this to Lisa and then we can go back to the hotel room.”

[rising-volteccers]

Puts on my tinfoil hat. These are just some miscellaneous thoughts on what I'd like to see happen in HZ023. Seeing that there's sparkles around this week's episode, I'm assuming that something big or significant will happen / be revealed.

I would love to see Friede and Amethio temporarily calling a truce, or briefly working together while they're trapped with Galarian Moltres. Personally I'd love to see them get affected by that stamina sapping aura (mostly cause I wanna see them both vulnerable on the ground) but generally seeing them having to work together would make me happy.

The kids alerting the rest of the RVT on what happened. I want to see them coming up with something that allowed them to head back inside the mine. I imagine the kids found a separate entrance, or Friede and Amethio busted their way out.

Friede revealing a third Pokemon. Seeing the recent release of Ceruledge and Armorouge in anime style, it would be fun if it was revealed that he had an Armorouge to be rivals with Amethio's Ceruledge. I'd prefer him to have more type diversity than another Fire-type but it'd be neat to see him have one. The last time they had the sparkles around the date was when they revealed Friede's Charizard to have Tera Dark, a week before the release of the new TCG deck + they gave us a Charizard a gift in game. I think they have the opportunity to release Armorouge as a gift too to tie it together.

Liko finding a way to calm down the Galarian Moltres. Seeing that there was a scene of Sprigatito on Charizard's head in the mines, I think those two would work together to come in close with the Moltres. Sprigatito knows how to utilize its Leafage depending on the situation (reminiscent of Agile and Strong Style from LA). We know that the scent it releases can make those around it relax or outright knocking a Pokemon to sleep. What I'm thinking is that Sprigatito would infuse its Leafage with that scent before firing it towards Moltres in the hopes of calming the Legendary down.

They have another scene with Lucius. Like how it was with Arboliva, the kids catch another glimpse of Lucius through Liko's pendant resonating with Moltres's Ancient Pokeball.

Moltres won't stay captured but it would come to their aid if needed. It'd be pretty fast paced if they already two of the six Heroes with them, even more so when one of them is a Legendary.

Sprigatito learns a new move or the kids' Pokemon evolve into either Floragato or Crocalor. We're 20+ episodes in so it won't be surprising if an evolution happens seeing that Goh's Scorbunny evolved into Raboot only after 13 episodes back in Journeys.

The other Explorers finding out about Amethio's insubordination. That, or Amethio skulks back into the shadows, considering his next move. Some kind of consequence for going against Gibeon's wishes would be interesting to see, or we get glimpses of the other Explorers again.

Getting a glimpse of Diana's look in the preview for HZ024.

Regardless of what happens, I'm just excited to see the end of this arc and see a preview of the next one. Where will they go next after coming across Diana?