#became long but hopefully it answered your questions haha

[perhaps-in-anotherdream]

Hello Anika! I want to ask about your HC if that's okay with you?

In the other boys' Halloween Dates, we get glimpses of what would happen to the MLs if MC died (Gavin being in denial of her death and revenge MC's death, Lucien k*lled himself, and Kiro wishes to meet again with her in their next life as he died together with her). However, on Victor's route, MC survives thanks to his Messiah theme. Now, I'm curious too! What do you think would happen to Victor if, hypothetically, MC did not survive in his Halloween story (or any story)?

Thank you for answering dear♥️

hello~ (⁠・⁠∀⁠・⁠) jumping into answering your question straight away: what do you get when you blend absolute denial with pragmatic optimism that has reached the extremity and is only stubbornness at this point? sounds like the recipe for insanity^∞, does it not? that’s what’d happen to Victor :’>

to be as analytical as possible, i’ll elaborate the answer in two sections—

firstly, in regards to the Halloween dates, the statement “we get a glimpse of what would happen to the MLs if MC died” does not hold water, actually, haha.

b/c unfortunately, the elements needed in order for a comparison to be done here are absent in the way Love and Producer does their AU events— which i was talking about on Twitter right after the PV release. that i really wish L&P would do an AU event like the way Light and Night does— where the even story gives you the world building needed for the individual date stories, and the MC gets one singular background shared across all men’s stories. and now, when the men enter this world with their different roles, motives, variables and mesh with the MC’s entity, a unique story is created (you can compare this to Lovebrush Chronicles/ For All Time's main story too). your inquiry stands for a scenario like this, where the before and after comparisons can be done. but L&P’s halloween dates, like all prev. AUs, had different backgrounds for the heroine as well as the plot itself. also, in one story she was already dead, in one already widowed for years, in one not yet married, and in one you get the full story from wedding night to the widowhood day. the driving factors in each of these stories, for both the men and the heroine, were also very different~ :>

before i get on with the next section, just a reminder of clarity— if the MC were to die a normal death b/c of old-age and all, and not due to rivalry, conspiracy, external force, or the ML’s ambition paving the path— all of the men would resolve to a natural acceptance with time~ :’>

now, to quench your curiosity, we need not look any further. just look at the main story haha. and here, bringing back the halloween dates, the fact that despite different backgrounds and stories, the heroine was alive ONLY in Victor’s story and he was the one who got d-worded alone, in and of itself tells us the pivotal role Victor has in the main story AND in MC’s survival DESPITE the ABSOLUTE MAYHEM.

b/c the god and divine imagery, the Messiah archetype is in Li Zeyan’s core, we always see him holding the most crucial batons. and it’s b/c of this archetype he has, it’s basically written in the stars that Li Zeyan would always, always, ALWAYS make sure YOU and EVERYONE else is safe before answering to the higher calling. and what sets him apart from all other similar archetypes is, yes, he yields to walking alone in the end but not before honoring the opportunity to walk together with you. the dilemma here of whether he should save you the heartbreak and stay away or submit to “it is better to have loved and lost to never have loved at all”, again, is portrayed masterfully in his halloween date.

but in the main story, despite all the cards he has, the main character is you/ the heroine. so, Li Zeyan doesn’t exactly get the last call here. so, what happens then?

we saw that post S1 CH 18, post S1 CH 27 and onwards, we’ve been seeing it on a constant roll since S2 CH 25. this is a man who has been told time and again that the world’s ending cannot be changed, that the MC’s death is inevitable. this is a man who has witnessed the world’s ending and the MC’s death repeatedly, countless times, across two seasons. this is a man, who despite all inevitable presented before him, denies that ending. this is a man, who has sacrificed more than anyone, been through the excruciating door of life and death more timesvthan anyone in the story (including the heroine herself), just b/c he refuses to accept the ending and her death and changes the course EVERY FCKING TIME. he drains himself physically, mentally, emotionally, materialistically, spiritually in every sense of the way b/c of that. but luckily for him, thus far, the heroine has to be alive in some way for the story to run LOL, so he has succeeded each time.

in an alternate world, however, where that safety net is no longer present— he can only lose himself in the gaps of time b/c here, this is a man who’s never known how to give up but is fated to meet a dead end each and every freakin’ time. :’>

—

[altraviolet]

How do you find a character's 'voice'? I have no problem writing OCs, but when it comes to existing characters I get so anxious that I'm mischaracterizing them!

This is a great question! This is definitely something I struggle with sometimes. Here are some of the things I've done to try to keep characterization consistent:

watched a bunch of videos about characterization and the craft of writing

gone back to the canon and reread parts that featured the character you're trying to write

reduced the character to like, ONE descriptor, ONE "essence," if you will. JRO did a great job making very identifiable characters for us. although many of the initial characterizations are modified by the end of the comic, you can still use that "essence". I'll give an ex in a minute but after you identify that "essence," keep it in mind for your character when you write them

when writing from their POV, or from a close third narration (or heck second person talking to them), remember what the character knows. how did they get to the place they are now? what kinds of details in a room would they notice?

This is not all I've done but it would take me SO LONG to put together more points so we'll move on~!

Okay so for more details on the above:

The Essence Thing

I think Ultra Magnus is a really good example of this. We're introduced to him having a very specific outlook on life (we literally see through his eyes in one early panel, it's great). We understand him to be a VERY strict mech who adheres to the Autobot Law to the letter (semi-colon, actually, lol). We see him meticulously arrange and rearrange objects, we see him point out screws that are misaligned by 0.001% (paraphrase, I don't remember the exact wordage). All in all, it's really easy to understand in just a couple of words who he is. Meticulous to a fault. Rodimus distracts him by using bad grammar on purpose.

By the end of the comics, he's loosened up a little. And (SPOILERS for the end of the comics), Megatron telling him to abandon his armor and be true to himself is something he's receptive to. Whereas in the beginning he wore it as somewhat literal armor. And refused to smile.

So what have I done with my fic? Well, it's important to keep in mind that UM isn't going to change all his ways. He won't be as much of a stickler as before, because he's learned to have friends in some capacity, and that's loosened him up a little tiny bit. But he's going to retain that core trait of being really into keeping things neat and tidy. And, the UM that Megatron told to abandon his armor isn't the one that made the jump. So I assumed they had that convo later in their friendship. The TEG UM still has those organized traits (cuz it's funny), but he's not as bad as he used to be.

So hopefully that makes sense. Boil your character down to a trait or two and keep it in mind for everything.

Oh boy the asks are piling up so I'm gonna try to go a bit faster now.

What The Character Knows

Let's do a little thought experiment. Tailgate and Drift walk into a random Autobot bar. What does each mech notice?

If I said one of them quickly identifies friendly mechs and the other one identifies unfriendly mechs, can you tell which did which? Who notices the energon specials and who takes note of the weapons behind the bar? Which one will remember a time he went with his conjunx to a bar and didn't get in a fight? haha

Okay so you can probably guess the answers that I intended for the above! Drift had a hard past, then became a violent Decepticon. Tailgate was asleep for 6 million years and then woke up and befriended a ton of people and had Movie Nights and also some trauma but he never had to fight for his life like Drift did.

So, as you can see, what the character knows (which is informed by their past, their education, their belief systems, the friends they have, the enemies they have, etc) really impacts how they see the world. And you can use that to your advantage by trying to look through their eyes keeping in mind what they know.

Sorry I'm gonna have to end this here, but this is a great topic. I'll try to write more about character voice and POV in the future. If you want to poke me later about it here or on twitter, please do. I will get my thoughts together and also find the links to the videos I've watched :)

[asksmg4hollowau]

Garth from @ask-marios-apprentice asks

I decided to ask each of you a question

SMG3: How is your loan to get your coffee business currently coming along. I know it's a bit hard considering your job as a meme guardian gets in the way a bit.

SMG4: How is your family, what was their reaction to you becoming a meme guardian.

Meggy: Were you born a sort of demon inkling hybrid but then became a full demon? How did that work?

Melony: what was your relationship with Axol like in this universe.

Karen: as a werecat. Would have been possible that you were born this way or did you get infected by another were creature. Like a were human or were wolf, or a were cat, or a were gearmo, or a were Koopa.

Tari: is there an esports league in the Mushroom Kingdom. If so who is currently part of it.

Kaizo: how true is your name are you. Do you have any involvement with obstacle courses that are insanely hard for no other reason other than satisfaction for completing set obstacle courses.

Bob: are you still friends with Boopkins and Whimpu.

Mario: what is your favorite platforming technique.

Saiko: Do you remember playing in the 2019 summer Spicy Man cross Splatfest. I think my dad got tickets since AC/DC or Metallica os going to be playing at the event.

Belle: How is the efforts to educate the prejudiced individual. Assuming you didn't beat them up.

Hopefully you're able to answer these questions. But if you can't, i understand.

"Oh that... I got that already... it's doing..."

"Fine I guess..."

2. "I don't have one... haha... ha..."

3. "Uhhh... not hybrid... I think my parents are both sinners... and I'm a hell born I believe... because I was never human... for the inkling part it's due to my parents both being inklings, people kind of just call them squid demon... blunt but not wrong. Now I'm kind of just more hominoid and stuff... not too bad... as for how it works... I don't actually know... it's confusing as hell..."

4. "I think he's wonderful... such a sweetheart... and a good drawer... we had a great relationship... but..."

"He's uh... no longer alive sadly..."

5. "Well I did use to be human... what turned me... I'm unsure... it was so long ago... even then I wasn't sure... my mind was just... fuzzy..."

6. "Yeah there is! The only person I know the name of though is this girl named Evylen."

[Meta runner ref hehehe]

7. "I have no clue what you are talking about."

8. "YeAH lOL... It'S prETTy chILl..."

9. "Any one that does make Mario see his own stuffing on the floor!"

10. "Yeah I did play in one... don't think it was the 2019 one though..."

11. "It's going fine... not as hard as I thought..."

[nova-friends]

Authors Update

Hey everyone. E here. It’s been.....a long while hasn’t it? haha time flies and it feels like yesterday I was hurriedly trying my best to answer all the questions to filled my inbox in character. haha good times. 

I’m not going to lie. Coming back to this project is hard. Conflicting. On the one hand this was really the first work I poured everything into and made me feel like an author. A real life author and kinda reignited my love for writing which had been on and off for a time before that. The Star vs show came at a pretty hard point in my life and gave me...purpose for lack of a better word. and you were all so wonderful and supportive and loving of my work that may have not been my finest hour haha. I still have most if not all your lovely art work btw. Saved right on a sd card on my phone. It mean a lot to me and I met my best friend and so many other wonderful people because of this fandom!

But, on the other hand, let’s not pretend what ended up happening. The fandom grew toxic, bitter, Angry. and what was once a fun awesome place became. Bad. And honestly the show for me got really bad halfway through season 3 and onto 4. But that’s me if you enjoyed it awesome! I’m happy for you! honest.

I’m modest to a fault. I never really wanna sing my praises. I’m not a fan of the spotlight. I am just a man who loves to write who got really lucky and I will treasure that forever. I didn’t think people still remembered little old E and his story all these years later. But a good friend of mine (thank you staryu) reminded me that for all my modesty, my little silly story did mean something to some people even now. And I realized that’s a writer’s dream. to have a story touch so many people’s hearts even if you don’t read my stuff nowadays *it’s good i promise haha sorry I promised mae I’d promote myself more* 

I don’t think I will ever finish Nova vs. there’s a lot of baggage here and honestly I’ve moved on to other stuff, keeping my love of writing burning strong! :) 

but I don’t want to leave you fans who still remember this humble little story in the dark. It doesn’t seem fair. 

So I will be making a post, maybe a few, on how the story was going to go, to conclude, what I had planned. Basically the story as i envisioned it. I think that is a good way to put this chapter of my life to a close. 

I don’t know when I’m gonna post it. It is a lot after all haha kinda. but hopefully soon. 

So thank you from the bottom of my heart. You reminded me how much I love writing and how much i missed it. You showed me a rare gift of being a writer and I will never forget it. and i will always appreciate it. I hope after all these years later you’re all doing good. and, as a special treat, here’s a secret I’ve been hiding for a long time. Enjoy and have a great week! You got this.

Nova’s hearts aren’t her magical mark. Shocking I know haha. I always planned for Nova to love and look up to star so much, to put her up on this pedestal so high that there was no way Nova could escape its shadow. All my stories have a central theme to it and Nova’s was being who you are. True to yourself. I think that’s why so many of you well resonated with it. Everyone wants to know who they are. 

And believe it or not a few people actually knew this. My good friend mangos i mentioned a few times, mae of course and the lovely @hipster-rapunzel

she actually drew some awesome concept art for Nova’s real magic mark. 

When I first did the 50th chapter yay milestone, I hadn’t put a lot of thought into the full story cuz i wasn’t expecting it to blow up like it did. When you all wanted more i sat down and really started fleshing out the story itself. What was the big theme of Nova? what was the story about.  I really did not want to retell star vs. 

So i took my whole I can’t complete with this show and gave it to Nova. 

That’s why Nova couldn’t dip down. I believe that to dip down you have to be true to yourself, who you were. Eclispa was powerful because she never denied who she was. Why Star grew stronger and stronger. and why nova couldn’t. and why Glossy says “you’re not nova butterfly.” because she was trying to be Star not herself. 

Halfway through the story Nova would be force to dip down but it goes pretty badly and she loses one of her hearts. Eventually it gets replaced by a single line that does not form in the story (that way you can come up with your own ideas) but it ends up being a treble clef (it’s a music thing. Shocking coming from me) haha 

Also I didn’t know when I would finish the story if ever and i knew by the time i did possibly finish someone might’ve claimed the treble clef mark cuz everyone was doing fankids at the time. 

So that’s the first fun fact of nova. Seriously I hope you are all doing good and thank you for everything

[void-kissed]

21 for the kiss meme w/clio (for darkling aria au, perchance? :3)

Hehehehehe, I can certainly do that for you, friend! Thank you very, very much for this ^-^

(question source: "F/O Kiss Meme" by self-shipper-snowdrop)

21. "Hello"/"Welcome Home" kiss (1293 words)

..I was actually able to repurpose a piece of writing I'd already been working on for this one, haha! So, this one is pretty long as far as ask answers go. However, I hope it's still alright! ^-^

The late morning sun had filled Clio's bedroom with light and warmth in the time since she had left it, but her first act upon getting back was to go over and pull the navy curtains closed, letting soothing shade settle over the space instead. Aria had kept close behind her the whole time, not only to hopefully be safer if she happened to be spotted on the way back, but also to simply appreciate the feeling of finally having someone else close by again.

"You can just sit down on my bed if you want." Clio was saying. "You look exhausted."

"Oh.. Thank you.." Aria quickly came over to perch on the end of the bed, watching as the room became darker and subsequently much easier to see in. This was her first time being invited into Clio's bedroom, so she was taking time to examine her surroundings - it was an open and spacious room with ample wardrobe space built into the wall near the doorway. A jewellery stand adorned with a number of pretty accessories stood on the dresser, and a many-flowered jasmine plant was growing in a terracotta pot sat next to it. It was this that she was staring at when Clio finished closing the curtains.

"I picked that one up from a shop not too far from here, back when I was out with some of the others." she explained, speaking up to fill the silence once she saw where Aria was looking. "I read that they don't like too much sunlight all at once, so I put it on the dresser in case today's mission took a while, and.. I mean, I don't want to jinx it, but it seems to be doing pretty well where I've left it!"

"Yes." Aria stated. "Constant light can be damaging in excess."

"Say, you wouldn't happen to know what this flower means, would you?" Clio asked casually, knowing the affinity she had always had for flower language.

There was then a long pause.

"..I can't remember." she admitted, and looked awfully downtrodden at the fact.

"Oh, that's alright!" Clio smiled to try and ease tension again. "It might say in the book I got, actually, so- don't worry!"

This did little to reassure her partner. "..I should be able to remember. No- I should be able to know. It's.. not good that I can't.."

In return, Clio couldn't help but be confused by her wording. "You should be able to? Did the.. do you think the darkness affected your memory?"

"Less memory, more.. instinct." Aria stated. Then she stopped. A lump caught in her throat, and Clio could see tears starting to form in her eyes again.

"Ari.."

"I have already lost so much.." she began to mumble, voice wavering now as she brought a clawed hand to where her heart would be. "I don't want- I refuse to let anything else of what I am be taken away. Whether by darkness, light, or any other aspect."

Clio opened her mouth to speak, but found she could not find the right words, so she settled for coming over and sitting on her bed next to Aria instead.

"..It'll be okay." she tried again. "You're back in Daybreak Town now."

"..A world of Dandelions, now." she muttered back. "The darkness was not safe for you, and it took something from me. But now, I fear the light here is not safe for me, for how much of it's present here."

Clio couldn't help but feel sad again at that, and reached out to take Aria's hand again, gently running her thumb over the hard parts of her claws, painfully aware of how cold she now was to the touch. In return, Aria simply leaned over to rest her head on Clio's shoulder, away from the spikes of her armour, tilting her wing to embrace her, trying to sense what warmth she still could.

There was a long, but not uncomfortable, silence as the two sat there together side-by-side.

It was Clio who spoke up again to break the silence, as a soft thought settled in her mind.

"Hey, um- There's something I've been meaning to give back to you."

"Mm..?"

Aria tilted her head in confusion as she watched Clio get off of the bed again, this time moving to the table right beside it. On it lay many items one would expect to find in such a spot - an alarm clock, a glass of water, a small pile of scrunchies and hairbands - but also a crown of clovers, woven together in a delicate yet strong wreath that Clio could gladly put back on her head now that she no longer needed to wear her helmet. However, before she did that, she set about dismantling her regalia, removing pieces of it one at a time and carefully setting them down on the floor away from Aria. Finally, her upper half was free of it, showing off her arms as all she was wearing underneath was a black short-sleeved shirt.

Even so, as she turned around, it could be seen that something was still fastened to her chest, right over her heart.

The flower still held the same softness and health as it had when it was gifted, all that time ago before the war - that much could be clearly discerned from the soft shine of its five pale pink petals. Two green leaves curled out from underneath the petals, one sitting just on top of the other, both pointing downwards like overlapping clock hands.

It was not just any cherry blossom, though that was clearly evident from its size - but above any other ways it stood out, it was her flower, a part of her still wholly untainted and free of the weight that the realm of darkness had worn the rest of her down with. A part of her willingly given up to someone who did not even know its true meaning, yet accepted it and treasured it for what it still was - who yet accepted her and treasured her for who she still was - nevertheless.

"You kept it.." was all that Aria could say, taking in the meaning of what she saw with an aura of what seemed like disbelief. She tentatively stood up from the bed to try and get a closer look.

"Of course I did." Clio said reassuringly, lifting the flower from her chest so that it could be put in its rightful place. "It was all I had left of you, and it was a promise that you would come back - so, how could I have not?"

"You really- I- I don't know what to say-" Aria's voice was now shaking with emotion, but she was interrupted when Clio reached out and pulled her cold body into an embrace, carefully placing the flower back where it belonged in the process with her other hand.

There was a moment of pause, as the flower settled back and found the rest - and then all Clio felt was a veritable glow of warmth and love as she held Aria close. She gently eased out of the hug, but only to get to be able to look down and see those catlike eyes of bright amber staring up at her - those eyes that held a visceral, and powerful, and yet no less adoring sense of life behind them now. Despite what the realm of darkness had done to her, and turned her into how she now appeared, no part of her seemed monstrous, anymore.

With a relieved and loving smile, all she could do was lean down and give her girlfriend a kiss on the lips.

"Welcome back, Aria."

Thank you very much again for sending this in, friend!!

[itsstraykids]

hello june!! nice to meet u too! ur name is actually so close to the name i use too lmao. hope ur doing well! u dont have to answer all the questions! just whatever u think might be relevant or helpful(that can let me know abt what u like!!) and hopefully the questions are not overwhelming! im just a tad bit nervous as its my first time participating in a secret santa event of any kind! with that said!-

when did u get into skz? and! if there was a particular moment/reason han became ur bias? (apart from him being amazing lmao)

what genre or era of hannie might be your fave, if u do have one?

do u have any beloved moments that u really like? of either han or skz?

if u could choose, would u want a gift only of han, or would you like to include other members or even the whole group as well?

do u have any favorite mvs? !! or any other content video or solo stuff?

hope u have a good day!!!! stay warm if its cold wherever u are!!

I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG i was really overthinking it hahaha 😅 Don't be nervous! Though i'm a little nervous too, this is only my second time participating in a fandom secret santa. I'm sure whatever we make will turn out nice!

when did u get into skz? and! if there was a particular moment/reason han became ur bias? (apart from him being amazing lmao)

I got into stray kids shortly before Maniac comeback, originally because i was curious about Felix haha, but over time Han won me over with his talent and hilarious sense of humor. His personality is just so great, he’s super talented and silly and knowledgeable and ridiculous all at the same time. I was really blown away by his episode of the Lee Mujin show, he is such an incredible vocalist but it isn’t even his main focus in the group. And don’t get me started on his rapping! 😤 Not to mention I love his songwriting, i’m always so impressed by him. Chill, Collision, Miserable, etc. have all been songs I end up with on repeat.

what genre or era of hannie might be your fave, if u do have one?

that silent cry fancam hmm the outfits from maniac and (more recently) rockstar era were top tier. The rockstar musiccore outfit from 11/11 is legendary to me 😳 Orange-hair han also has a special place in my heart.

do u have any beloved moments that u really like? of either han or skz?

I recently re-watched skz code episodes 25/26, the christmassy ones, and han was so funny and adorable the whole time! They all were actually. It’s hilarious how they bicker with each other.

if u could choose, would u want a gift only of han, or would you like to include other members or even the whole group as well?

Hmmm I’ll leave that up to you! All combos of the members have their own charm and I love them all, but especially Hannie’s vibe with Chan or Changbin. Can you tell I’m 3racha biased

do u have any favorite mvs? !! or any other content video or solo stuff?

Ahhhh there’s too many to choose from 🥺 Chill has SUCH an amazing sophisticated vibe that I love from them. Super Board, Cheese, and Gone Days are so fun, while Venom was sick, Ex is beautiful, and hello stranger has a simple concept but it’s so gripping (i love that song)…the range is truly amazing. But I think my all time favorite is Easy. And my favorite skz content is definitely Code 😬 they’re just too funny i love them sm

Wow that was way too much info haha. Anon, who is your skz bias?? When did you join the fandom? I’m curious about you as well! Hope you had a good weekend!

[sunnyville36]

Hellooooo!!! I apologise for taking so long but this time of the year with work and finals is hell for me 😭 hopefully next week is all over for a while. To answer your question nope I do not travel during the holidays; I still live in my hometown and since we're a pretty small family ─ just my grandmother, mother and me, excluding my godparents ─ we all stay here! Only once, when we spend Christmas in Paraguay and New Years in Brasil. That was quite memorable, with the fireworks and everyone at the beach.

That being said! It makes me really happy that such a small thing like sharing a playlist led you to discover an artist you now love so much! I'm glad and I'm sure Liana Flores is as well ♡

A Christmas pajama party sounds really fun! With my friends we do something similar but during Halloween; for Christmas these last three years we've been doing Secret Santa (my boyfriend suggested it since we are both obssesed with that chapter/scene from The Perks of Being a Wallflower) and it became such a dear tradition to me. The most personal and treasurable presents for me are handwritten letters or anything handmade, that really goes straight to my heart haha I'd give you a pair of "porcelana fría" (polymer clay I think it's in English?) earrings inspired in rises the moon maybe.

Also the fact that all of you got BTS Christmas sweaters is so cute. ALSO Also, when is your birthday? We might be both Capricorns!

ahhh Bri I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to respond!!

That Christmas in Paraguay and New Years in Brazil sound like an amazing time! It would be so cool to be at the beach over the holidays some time! My friend (who also has a December birthday) and I have always wanted to spend our birthdays in London since she lives in Germany and I’m in the US and it’s one of our favorite cities 🤗 maybe one day!

My birthday is actually tomorrow (Dec 21)! The first day of winter and shortest day of the year ❄️ so I’m the last day of Sagittarius, but usually feel like I identify more with Capricorn traits haha 😅 what day is your birthday? are you also a December baby?

Secret Santa is always so fun! I love giving people gifts, and handmaking gifts (and getting handmade gifts!) is so personal and memorable! Clay earrings - Rises the Moon inspired no less - sound beautiful! I’ve been into making signs with my friends’ favorite quotes on them this year, so I’d ask you what your favorite quote is and make you that!

[golbrocklovely]

meeting colby's parents headcannon

requested by anon: Can you do a headcannon for Colby please where introduces the reader to his parents for the first time? Thank you!

A/N: this one is so wholesome compared to the last one i wrote lol hopefully you guys like it <3

~~~~~

colby has never introduced anyone to his parents before. besides old girlfriends from when he was kid (which to him don’t count), he hasn’t introduced any girl to them

and not because there weren’t some valid candidates, it’s just he wasn't ready to introduce anyone to his family yet

he loves his family dearly and wants the first girl he introduces them to to be amazing

plus a step like that... means this man is way more than serious about you

so when he met you, and had that gut feeling that you and his family would get along well, he knew he was in trouble

because that was the moment he knew he was gonna love you the rest of his life

it took a long time for him to finally introduce you to his family regardless of this gut feeling

because he needed to be sure you were gonna stay, be with him, and love him the same way he loves you

jokes on him, you love him more so :P

when he finally brings up the question of meeting his family, he’s almost hoped that you say no, just so he can wait a bit longer

but you say yes, knowing you need to meet his mom at the very least

this man goes on about his mom being the best and being just like him, so you need to see how true that is

plus you want to meet the woman he loves so much :)

let’s fast forward to the day:

both of you would be crazy nervous

colby literally became a recluse the week before taking you on this trip

he just wants his mom to like you, and you are in the same boat as him

you get to their house in arizona, and his mom answers the door; bright eyed and smiling

she ushered you guys into the living room, giving colby a sweet hug as koki and foxy run up to you, sniffing you like crazy

they are both so sweet and are just the cutest

his mom made dinner, and during that dinner is when you would meet his dad and brother

gage is literally so cool and dorky. basically like colby haha

and his dad is a lot more reserved, keeping mostly to himself and watching you interact with everyone

so... does his mom like you?

of course she does :)

she was obviously hesitant about you at first, because after all this is her baby and she wouldn’t want him to be with just anyone

but she knew you were perfect for him the moment she asked how you guys met

your face lit up talking about him and how much you were infatuated with him the moment you met

the way you talked about your guys’ love was instant approval in her book. she knew you loved him (not as much as her, of course) but she knew how deeply you cared for him too

and that’s all she could want for her cole-baby :,)

his dad liked you to. you seemed good enough for his son, and colby was happy to have you in his life. so, he couldn’t have asked for more

gage liked you too. actually, he thought you were way cooler than his brother but if you were okay with settling, then he was happy you were with him lol

before you guys left, his mom gave you a big hug, and that’s when you knew she approved of you

after dinner you guys went back to your hotel room and just immediately collapsed

colby later talked to his mom on the phone, got all the details of how she felt about you

he couldn’t stop smiling knowing everyone loved you

cuddling with you in bed later that night, he truly felt content for the first time in a long time

he knew this could last, and that he finally found someone he could be with for the rest of his life

[husbandohunter]

Your Stardew Impact has given me a serious brainrot and I couldn’t sleep on it so here

Imagine the boys getting Isekai to Stardew and meeting their (soon-to-be) s/o a.k.a the farmer who found them in the mines and dragged them out.

It’s basically the same as the original but the reader lives in Stardew universe from the beginning.

The Outlanders who trespassed the Stars [Stardew Valley + Genshin Impact]

Synopsis: You were a simple farmer who lived a simple life before crossing paths with these outlanders. A tale of greetings and farewells tells a story that loving someone was like looking at the stars in the sky; a sense of warmth amidst darkness, where the dots connect no matter what distance it was. But just like stars, they were meant to be unobtainable.

(Basically what happens if the boys get Isekai'd)

Genre: fluff, angst (faceapalm didn't mean to)

Characters: Childe, Xiao, Zhongli

(A/n): Hi anon, haha I didn't think the Stardew Impact series would be this enjoyable. Allow me to serve your brainrot. But just for future references there is a character limit! Also it long, a pro tip to use ctrl+F and type in the name :>

======================

~Childe's Story~

The day you met Childe was perhaps during the most fortunate yet unfortunate hour of your life.

Winter comes by, your fields were left dry, what else was there to do other than mining? You were aiming to build a new Barnhouse before summer comes, fishing only made average income thus you decided to take your pickaxe and hope to run into some diamonds, gold or even better: prismatic shards. However, expensive items could only be found in the deepest parts of the mountains, where dangerous monsters lurk by.

When peeking over the abandoned minecart you so carefully shielded yourself with, you began contemplating whether you've just dug yourself a grave instead. The whole area became infested, you weren't in the best condition and on top of all that, you were out of food.

You decided to make a run for it, with the treasures and goodies at hand, you couldn't give up. However, things only got worse when purple mist began taking over your vision, signaling a lava bat wave drawing nigh. It was thanks to your greed that you ended in such a predicament but it was also your greed that brought you to him.

"W-Woah!!"

You tripped with your toe pointing downwards into a pile of wooden crates. The bats swarmed in shortly after, daunting around the area above but you couldn't afford to look. Your face was down to the ground and you could only rely on your ears regarding their whereabouts. As if Yoba heard your prayers, the lava bats could not seem to find you, confusing them to think you've escaped. And so, they flew away.

"I'm never doing that again," The sudden impact was excruciating, you were sure that your lip bled due to biting too hard. At least the floor felt somewhat soft, cotton-like and warm enough to be comforting. Yet, for some reason it was also a little…bony?

"…Mn…."

Your body jerks up like a springboard when you felt something shifting. A man, no older than his twenties, no older than you, lays sprawled out under your form. He was beginning to stir and you panicked when a pair of blue cerulean eyes pointed into your seemingly shocked ones within the close parameter.

Too close.

The man gives a cheerfully wry chuckle, you could practically feel his breath almost, "Well this is quite unexpected, didn't think I'd end up in this position," he jests, soon his expression began to tighten into a grimace, "Mind getting off me though? With all due respect miss, you're a little-…heavy."

You scrambled to the side while still kneeling, "What the hell, who are you?!"

"Hm," The man didn't answer, instead he pushed himself upright and turned his attention to examine the surroundings, "Where are we?" He paused when he noticed how the ceiling was made of rocks, "Wait, is this a cave?"

"Ninety two floors deep and surrounded by monsters," you sighed in frustration while rubbing your head with your palm, "Seriously, whoever you are you shouldn't be here, especially if you're not even carrying the necessary supplies."

"Hey, I just got here. I'm just as confused as you," he puts his hands up in a defensive gesture, "But how strange," he mutters to himself, lowering his arms ever so slightly before pinching his chin in deep thought, "I swear it was the right portal…or maybe it was the other one? Hmmm, could it be the effect of the hidden seal?"

I have so many questions. You sweatdropped nervously. Here you were, hours spent to get to the deepest parts of the earth and looking like a cavewoman while his clothes were practically untouched, nor did they seem to be a recognizable fashion. You've seen many odd events within Stardew Valley but not to this extent, "Alright you know what, let's forget about it for now. We need to get out of here before those lava bats come back for us again. Otherwise we're toast," you gestured to the lava pool, "Literally."

He gave another one of his gleeful smiles, you wondered if he was afraid at all, "Sounds like a solid plan to me. Judging by the equipment you're wearing, you seem to have been here for a while. You know your way around?"

Figures that he doesn't know, you thought, "I'll lead."

"Glad we're on the same page. Though, we've only just met and yet you're still willing to help a stranger like me," he mentions in an off-handed manner, perhaps he wasn't used to generosity ever since being recruited as a harbinger, "But not that I'm complaining. You have my thanks, comrade."

"(Y/n)," you tell him, "That's my name. I'm a farmer that resides in this town."

"I see. A town it is then," he inquires, "Call me Childe, as where I'm from, not sure how to answer that anymore."

"What do you-"

But before you were able to question him further, a hoard of lava crabs were spotted crawling it's way towards where Childe sat. He shot you a confused look and turned to the direction, amusement sparks in his eyes,

"Lava crabs? You've got to be kidding me," your arms have already grown tired long ago, at this rate, you figured it may be best to pay a visit to Harvey's doctor office and check up for any muscle strains that have occured during the process. You most likely have considered how heavy your items felt now. Partaking in another battle would only make it worse.

"Ah an opponent, to think this place wouldn't have a set of new monsters to fight. I was growing tired of beating up hilichurls all the time."

His casual reaction caused you to scrunch up your nose in disbelief, "We're being ganged up on and your first response was that???"

Childe paid no mind, instead he propelled himself back to his feet using his trained reflexes and swaggered towards the crowd, "Relax girlie," Stopping just after a few steps, he turns his head ajar over his shoulder with a floppy smirk spreading his lips, "I've got this."

You held in your breath, wondering if you could trust this man. For now all you could do was sit back and hopefully regain some of your strength while observing by the stacks of crates that were abandoned years ago. The lava crabs formed a straight line in front of him, they were smart creatures, cornering their prey in a very well strategized form so that trespassing was out of the question. Childe wasn't intimidated in the slightest, he merely looked down at them with hooded eyes, flexing his fingers for preparation.

"Lava crab…in other words you're of the pyro element," the harbinger holds out his hand in front of him, trying to cultivate the shape of his bow, "A shame. This fight would end much shorter than I anticipated."

However, when he expected his element to manifest, nothing came out. Childe was left dumbfounded.

"Don't just stand there," you screeched, "Do something!!!"

"Wait," he halts you and tries to summon his bow again. Once, twice, as the crabs grew closer still there was nothing, "My powers…they're gone?!"

"Take this," left without a choice, you pushed yourself towards him and shoved Neptune's glaive into his grasp. He examines it with curiosity, but you knew this was also your own well-being you were entrusting him, "It's really easy to use, just-"

When a crab leapt forward, you ran back to create some manageable space for Childe to move in. He delivers a powerful slice using one arm, hitting the crab's weak spot while tossing it toward the side until a dent was formed in the wall. Your mouth parts, fast, he was fast, you didn't even have the time to blink. It was as if he knew the glaive more than you did. Though, the assumption wasn't that far from the truth. Childe was well adept with swordsmanship as he was an expert with many other melee weapons. Which is precisely the reason why he chose the bow as his main, a ranged device, the challenge to keep him on his toes. Just like he was now.

"He wasn't lying when he said he could fight," you watched in mesmerization, each single blow he delivered deemed equivalent to three hits on your part. Childe was both powerful and swift. He was formidable. The way he effortlessly deflected his opponents despite not having an enchantment ring made you forget how much of an idiot he was earlier before. Soon, the lava crabs began to lessen, leaving what remained of their dusted corpse while some retreated back into the depths of the cave.

"Not bad, it was kind of fun!" Childe laughs exasperatedly, glancing at his blue reflection upon the marred blade, "It's been a while since I last used a sword, and still haven't gone rusty either," he hands you the hilt, "Thanks for letting me use it by the way. You seriously got yourself a sick weapon."

"Keep using it for now, I think I'm a little too worn out to handle it," you say regretfully and pointed your nose towards the ceiling, "The mist hasn't disappeared so there's probably gonna be more monsters we'll encounter soon."

Childe looks up as well, "Huh I was wondering what that meant."

"By the way I've never seen anyone fight like that. Exactly what kind of place are you from?" You finally ask, "You somehow ended up in a cave, without anything to defend yourself with and it's not like you know your way out either. Are you...from another world?"

"Huh didn't think you'd draw that conclusion so quick," he comments jokingly, "Guess there's no reason to hide it anymore. Indeed I am from another world, at least, that's what I can tell so far. I've never encountered these types of monsters either."

You couldn't help but be taken aback by his honesty, "That was strangely easier than I thought...."

After escaping the cave, you introduced Childe to the wizard who lived in Cindersap forest, M. Rasmodius. He was extremely intrigued by the concept of an outlander and seemed happy to be of assistance. Since helping others was the culture of Pelican Town, you commissioned Robin to build a small cabin for him to live in temporarily. In return, Childe must accompany you back to the caves and make up for your losses. It was a mutual benefit since he had the opportunity to fight as well.

Childe befriended the townsfolk rather easily. On friday nights where everyone goes to the Saloon to enjoy their time, he would be found in the other room playing pool with the gang (Sam, Abigail and Sebastian)-- you as well when he managed to drag you along with him.

Crashes at your place when you were busy with the farm. You can bet that he would pop up suddenly midday through your window, “Can you use the door like a normal person???” But despite how much you get irritated by this habit, all bygones are bygones the moment he starts a conversation.

He sticks around as you carry your hay batches, sharing his stories. How the organization he worked in was a powerful militaristic force that had authority over many countries. But you didn't see him as a brute since he only joined for the sake of his parents, for the sake of his siblings and their dreams.

You thought of your grandfather who also once told you to pursue your dreams: live a peaceful life away from urban society. However, as long as the harbinger was with you, there wasn't much option for 'peace'.

"Tell me again why you dragged me out here? You know thatI still have a lot of work to finish back in the farm," you trekked your feet through the thick icy sheets with one hand clutching the zipper near your collarbone. It was incredibly windy in Cindersap forest and Childe happened to have convinced you to leave the comfort of your home for 'a surprise favour'. He purposely made a vague statement to draw in your curiosity but if you had refused-- well, that would have led to constant nagging on his part.

"You'll see," is what he said, it was what he told you through this whole ordeal. He lifted his chin to feel the frosty air against his face, "There's this one activity I wanted to try out. Back in Snezhnaya, I used to bring my brother to go skating out on the lakes. It's deadly freezing there so the ice is pretty thick to work on. Haven't done any of that since I joined the Fatui."

You shot him a deadpan glare, "That's why you brought me out here? Why didn't you just go by yourself?"

"Now that's cold (Y/n),” you rolled your eyes at the pun, “Can't you loosen up instead of throwing yourself in a pile of work all day?"

"It's not that I don't want to...I'm just very busy with the farm since it's the last day of the month. At least I want to do as much as I can before Spring comes."

"Haha you're right but you only live once y'know?" Childe noted happily despite your protest, "And like I said before, seize the opportunity when you see it. You never know when it will be your last."

You cocked your head to the side, "What do you mean?"

"Now let's get started shall we?" As you both reach the edge of the frozen lake, Childe takes a step forward ahead of you, "Have you ever gone ice skating before?"

"Yeah but..." You glanced at the glassy surface with skepticism, suddenly struck by hesitance. The thought of drowning made you retreat your steps right away, "I don't know Childe, it doesn't seem that safe."

"That's true if you're not careful enough," he pointed out, "Luckily you have me to help you with that."

"How does that work?"

He placed one foot onto the hardened lake and parts his mouth into a grin, "Watch."

In contrast to your cautious personality, Childe was considered to be more of a wildcard if anything. He loved adventure, just like you except his side often included bloodshed and the thrill that danger carries. You weren't sure if it was worth putting up with his antics or entertaining his idea of skating on thin ice, but you complied regardless. He had a way of delivering his words through that cheery voice you couldn't deny.

Prior to meeting him, life was boring. The corporate world was boring. You moved into your grandfather's farm in order to search for some form of fulfillment that Zuzu city couldn't give and you thought you did now that you had your very own farm, but slowly you began to pile more responsibilities than you could even count.

Everything you did, you did alone.

If it weren't for Childe, you wouldn't have learned the art of surfing on ocean waters. You never would have known the taste of mixing three different ice-cream flavours together despite what strange names they all had. Or what it felt like to mingle with the townspeople rather than mingling for the sake of business. Suddenly, everything became...fun.

Childe wanted to go far and wide. He was always running, so far ahead, somewhere beyond the stars as he could conquer the world to the point you might no longer reach him.

No longer reach him, huh. Curling your fingers into your palm, you renewed your courage and took a step onto the ice.

At the sound of boots tapping behind him, Childe spins around to see you wobble in your stance, nearly tipping over. He slid across to where you were and grasped your arm before you fell.

"Gotcha."

"Thanks," You sighed in relief, "Jeez, this is harder than I thought."

"Guess this is your first time then," he commented with a bit of jest, "Don't stress yourself over it too much, you'll be okay. I got you."

He carefully led you to the center, staying close in case you were to fall sideways again. You awkwardly tried to keep your legs straight, balancing on your own yet the fact that there was still water underneath struck fear into your nerve. It caused you to tremble and eventually skittered backwards.

"Haha ice skating isn't your forte isn't it?"

"I'm just getting started!"

He takes your hand in his before you could even protest, it was one of his many aspects that you found endearing-- the fact his impulse stems from genuine intentions, feelings, not giving them a second thought. The two of you glide using the soles of your shoes, he speeds up ever so slightly and the adrenaline begins to increase until there comes a rush of excitement, freedom. The stress you once had already forgotten once taking flight upon the ice.

"Look Childe! I'm actually doing it!" You couldn't help mentioning with a bit of youthful playfulness in your voice, "It's so smooth and fast! Almost like I'm flying!"

He smiles quietly from a distance, “See? I told you that you'll be fine.”

It was clear to many that the two of you were much closer than what meets the eye.

Childe began to notice the change in your aura. You were happier and much more soulful. Before you were always on the edge, cautious in contrast to his sanguine approach, he couldn't help but be caught off guard whenever you teased him. Or the sudden honesty that causes him to be flustered. By your side, he was no longer a Fatui Harbinger rather more of a puppy, adorable almost.

But when he saw that the reason you changed was because of him, it brought fear into his bones. Why? How did things get to this point? You were lost in a wonderland, ignorant to the blossom that had sprung inside of your chest.

Maybe it was better to be ignorant. Just live in the moment while it can still last.

"You're leaving?"

Standing at the gateway between the mountain cliffside and the starry sky, you call out to the man you've known in a way that carries more than what words could say. Because he left a mark in your years that could never be erased and here he was, trying to erase his existence completely.

Childe lets out a bitter chuckle, he didn't dare to face you, "I didn't expect you to catch up so quickly. You're quick-witted, comrade."

"It's (Y/n)," you corrected, trying to steady your voice so that he couldn't tell the expression you were making, "Why didn't you say anything? What makes you think that I'll just stay silent and let you go on your own way? This isn't a joke Childe! Don't act as if none of it matters to you because it sure as hell did to me."

His lips that held his usual smirk flattens into a straight line, "Even if I did, would it make a difference?"

The world stills. You knew the answer, he knew the answer, you just refused to admit it. One by one, the stars begin to collect themselves until a bridge was formed in front of him, on another day he would be enjoying the scenery alongside you. But today they would be for you alone to witness. The man who you spent your time with had slowly, regretfully, inevitably became a stranger. He was right. It wouldn't make a difference. You were already aware since the day you met him that he belonged to another world and you willingly offered to help him find a way home.

"You know, you could come with me."

Your eyes jolt open. His voice was so free of care. As if he was commenting on something so minor on a casual Sunday afternoon while accompanying you to the beach. But when you came face to face with the harbinger, his expression lackluster, you knew that he meant every word.

"Just you and me, we can travel across the world to our heart's content. I always thought you were an adventurer just like me and you know what, the farm life just doesn't suit you," Childe slowly extends his hand as an offer, for you it was a temptation, "So what do you think? Care to join me?

Your lip quivers. What he said sounded like a sweet dream that you so desperately wanted to take a bite out of. But even so, you thought about the townsfolk, your farm, your grandfather. Their images flashed in as if holding you back, chaining you to the ground, "I can't."

The answer pained you more than it did to him.

"Figures, this is your home after all," he huffs out, " Now do you understand? I can't leave my home either. If I did, heh, I think my siblings would despise me until the very end and I just don't want that. So no hard feelings, okay?"

You didn't reply.

"Don't worry. I won't pressure you if you don't want to," Childe turns back to the bridge, it was almost time, "Do what you have to do (Y/n), hate me if it makes you feel any better. You can even forget about me," he paused, renewing his resolve, "But I know I won't."

"Childe-"

You ran to grab his scarf only to have it ghost through your hands. He was relieved that he couldn't hear your voice, as he returned to Teyvat, Childe wonders what kind of expression did you have before he left? He'll never know.

---

~Xiao's Story~

The day you met Xiao...well, you weren't in the best of the best positions.

This was probably your sixth attempt trying to make it through all levels of the cave and reach the last floor. The quest had been sitting in your drawer for months.

Of course you didn't expect things to be easy, the fortune teller channel you watched every morning had yet to inform you with any good fortune and you would often bump into obstacles that would halt your progress.

But to be fair, sometimes the colourful ore would attract your attention and before you knew it, it was time to go.

So close yet so far. You dragged your feet tiredly against the ground. What time was it? Who knows. Judging by your state, you assumed it had already struck past 12 a.m.

However, today luck seems to have taken pity on you, just...slightly.

You puffed air into your cupped hands for the nth time, huddling deeper into the touch of your coat while trudging into the cave's cold climate. A little longer, any time soon, you kept telling yourself over and over but as if time was frozen, the wait felt like an eternity. Ah how much you wish to be in the comfort of your soft, fluffy bed right now. Though, merely visualizing the image only reminded how achingly freezing it was so you decided it was best to spare yourself from the details.

"I can't do this anymore..." leaning your head against the ice covered cavern, you whimpered, "I should have stayed home."

As you were about to shut your eyelids, something flashed by your peripheral vision. You darted towards the direction it came from, the light was a bright green hue against blue, could it be, "Warmth!"

It seems you jumped to conclusions too quickly. With impatience, you swung around the corner, expecting to find a heat source, only to meet something much more horrifying.

"KYAH!"

They stared straight into your eyes, those demonic eyes tainted by black and fangs that stuck out of the mouth like tusks on an elephant.

However, when the light evaporated you were able to have a better sense of sight, slowly revealing the monster's true form and the body of a human boy. He fell onto his back with a thud and you used this chance to calm yourself from the frightful encounter.

"He's...unconscious?"

You meekly crawled to where he lay and examined closely. Aside from the mask, there were various distinct features that stood out in his attire, his tattoo being one of them, imprinted in what looked like an eagle. You then realized how unsuitable his clothes were in this current situation. At least there were no injuries so far. But was that a good thing? This man practically came out of thin air as if some sorcery had been committed. Witches never left a good impression ever since they cursed your chicken coop. You were hesitant whether to help a stranger who could potentially be one of them or a creation they cultivated. What other explanation could there be?

"I can't leave him here, it's too cold."

Your gaze suddenly falls upon his covered face. The design, although intimidating at first, upon closer look was very alluring in it’s own way. You haven't stumbled upon anything like what the merchants had to offer in Pelican Town and the mask almost looked too foreign. Was he from the east? Curiosity eventually takes over and you gingerly reach for the mask, sliding it off his face.

"Eh...?" You gasp, taken aback by his striking appearance. A part of it made you feel this was no ordinary boy but that didn't mean he should be abandoned in this environment. It would be immoral to let him die in a place like this.

Before you could even make a noise, his eyes bursted awake, grabbing your wrist in a harsh grip. He used his other hand to push against your shoulder until you were instantly pinned on your back with no opening to escape. You choked a sharp sound as you stared with wide eyes. The man was akin to a beast, he had the expression to match it, like the glaring sharp gaze of wolves that roam at the mountain cliffside near Zuzu city and the ferocity of the demonic mask he once wore. You were breath taken but in a more fearful way as he continued to grip onto you tighter with the possible intent to harm.

"Speak!” He demanded, “What have you done to my powers and where have you brought me?"

In Xiao’s case, he was thrown into another world under the circumstances of fighting against one of Liyue’s unknown beasts. He was on high alert, thinking the fight was still ongoing.

You may look human but you could still be a threat. Xiao is the type to act upon instinct in the moment when something feels out of place. Like the spear he wields, he was trained to behave like one: to strike, strike down his foes without hesitation. Don't leave an opening for them to take the advantage. Xiao is a weapon and violence was what he knew best. He couldn't afford to lower his guard even for a minute.

You could say he left a pretty strong first impression to the point you were paralyzed. As he looked at your face, petrified and tense, he wavered and began to reevaluate things. Large doe-like eyes stare into his feline ones. They didn't seem to hold any sort of malice, was it possible for you to be the one who cursed him?

"Eeeeeek! I-I have no idea what you're talking about, let me go let me go!" you cried, "Please don't hurt me!"

Perhaps he shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.

Xiao feels your struggle and eventually gets off to give you some space. Your reaction was understandable, he was used to it anyways. Xiao scoffed to himself, why are mortals so weak? Their strength, if compared to the adepti, was separated by a large gap (Like it always should be). Xiao kept his gaze averted to the side as you rubbed your wrist, focusing his attention elsewhere. He glanced at the vastness of the cave in front of him.

Why was he sent here? For what reason did it serve? Ever since he sealed the contract with Rex Lapis, the guardian Yaksha had never entertained the thought of leaving his country nor did he act upon it; he was far too loyal to his god to do so. But here he was, against his own will yet free from his karmic binds, stripped of his divine powers in the return of endless questions about this new found mortal-like form.

What should I do now?

Choosing not to dwell in any longer, Xiao rises to his feet and proceeds to walk the other way.

"Ah u-uhm sir, where are you going?"

If the universe wanted to test him then he'll find his own answers.

"Wait! Please wait up!"

"Tch."

Although he intended to keep going, Xiao heard you running to his direction and slowed to a halt, some mortals surely do not know their boundaries, "Hmph there's nothing timid about you. Leave me be," he demands without turning around, "Don't forget what I'm capable of."

Stay away.

"I-I know that," you retaliate weakly. Just by hearing his tone made you want to melt away and become one with the ice. He was a scary man indeed, the same one who attacked you earlier. But even so, "That doesn't mean I want you dead! If you go that way, you might freeze to death. Aren't you cold? You don't even have a coat on."

"..." Upon the mention of his predicament, his senses started to kick in. As a yaksha, Xiao wasn't able to be affected by temperature but now he felt his hands beginning to sting, trembling from it’s impact. Ah, so this is what it feels like to be cold. Still Xiao was stubborn and continued to push you away, "What happens to me has nothing to do with you. Now leave, or else."

"I-I can't do that!"

Xiao clicks his tongue in frustration. How annoying. This is why he dislikes meddling with meddlesome humans. But quite frankly, he wasn't sure how to handle your type of forwardness since most tend to back away. And so, Xiao does what he usually does, he ignores you and continues walking, eventually you'll give up on him anyway. However he hears a loud thump and whips around to see your body laying in the snow. The hours of travelling in the cave have seemed to caught up that you inevitably collapsed from exhaustion.

Knitting his evergreen brows together, Xiao lets out an irritable sigh.

...

You wake up to find the sky above your head and your coat draped over your shoulders like a blanket. Dawn was slowly rising above the distance valley, you figured it was around 4a.m in the morning. Rubbing your eyes, you eventually noticed a figure sitting across, admiring the sunrise.

"Ah it's you!"

Xiao jolts ever so slightly, peeking over his bare shoulders until you could see the sun's light casted against his golden irises. Did he stay here while you were asleep? Then, that would also mean he was also the one who carried you all the way up from sixty floors below.

“You're awake,” he noted flatly, “If that's the case, then I have no reason to stay here."

Of course, that wouldn't be the last time you saw him.

You were a tenacious human being, always so insistent in dragging him away from his lonesome personality. He resides in the forest and camps there for the time being (similar to Linus since they’re both homeless lol). But you’d always run in, DAILY and sometimes for the most stupid and mundane reasons. It could either be giving him the snacks you snatched off the table since Xiao refused to participate in parties, or fancy seashells you found on the beach. You didn’t want him to miss out on all those things of course! Although he responds with irritation, it was as if his words went through your ear and then out the other. His efforts were futile (however, he was slowly warming up without realizing).

He learns how easily his body reacts in the presence of food purely because he was hungry. You bring an extra set of blankets and pillows to his campsite when the ones you gave him wore out (he didn’t ask by the way). Xiao needed help whether he liked it or not since he no longer has his powers, hence he couldn't run away. He somehow ends up moving in to live on the small islands near your farm.

Xiao doesn't understand humans very much. Just as he was unable to understand how human emotions work. He was the almighty yaksha, Adeptus Xiao and a formidable beast that killed thousands in thousands of years, at least that's what he used to be. Even now he still has yet to figure out what he was or who he was exactly without a weapon to define his existence. He was made for battle but nowadays, he found himself watering plants, chopping down trees and throwing seeds to the chickens living in your coop. How did everything escalate to this? It baffles him, how much his life changed so drastically.

Haha, you’re Xiao of course! The greatest farming assistant I could ever have.

But above all else, the one thing Xiao couldn't understand among those universal questions, is you.

"Why are you doing all this?" Finally he asked. The urging thought had been persisting at the back of his mind ever since.

You stopped on your tracks and turned to look at him, tilting your head with a complexion made curious, "What do you mean? Ah, did I do something to bother you?"

"I didn't say that," Xiao interrupts abruptly, he folded his arms across his chest and shot you a deep contemplating gaze, " You're...incomprehensible. All I did was drag you out of that cave yet why are you so kind to me? Don't you think you're extending yourself too much just because of one little deed?"

Because to him, saving a life was the norm. He does it unconditionally just like you helped him with those same intentions. Except, Xiao had been pursuing corrupted souls behind the scenes all this time and expected nothing in return. Experiencing someone's gratitude was rather new.

You shook your head, "It wasn't small to me," a satisfactory smile melting onto your face, "I'm here at this very moment, feeling the wind against my skin and smelling the scent that nature carries, these are just the few things I cherish. It's thanks to you that I can still watch over grandpa's farm, that's why I don't feel like I'm overextending myself in any way," suddenly you beam at him, "At first I thought you were a scary person. Haha. Time flies so fast, it's amazing how much can happen in between."

"Hn, you're a simpleton. But that's not a bad thing..." he points out curtly yet softly, "Do as you wish, I won't stop you so feel free to call my name whenever you need my help. I'll be there."

Xiao also finds you to be very clumsy. He couldn't leave your side even for a minute. But that was a lie. He just grew very attached to you.

When you tell him that you've been going into the mines for a quest, he tells you that you're far from capable. So he teaches you how to wield a weapon properly. Xiao was a strict teacher and he intends to keep it that way, he wouldn’t even allow you to set foot in the mines until he finds you capable enough.

You were a meek yet optimistic person, yet you were also strong-willed.

For a place that wasn't his home, he felt it was. And he found that it was all in your presence. Those peaceful hours hiding inside the barn while a storm rages outside, you sit beside him while hugging a sheep close to your chest. Xiao learns how to feed some of them, he even brings seeds for your hen house too. If you were ever short on materials, Xiao would travel to the enchanted forest behind the wizard's tower and get them for you, no matter how late it was. Though if you went by yourself, he'd deliberately go with you despite your protest.

The minute Xiao realized how much he was attached to you, it was devastating. As if the claws of his karmic debt had come back, pulling him into the shadows once more. He was an adeptus with a contract and bound by his duty, he must choose between his god who saved him from a nightmare and you, the girl he fell for, showed him that the world was indeed a beautiful place, he was stuck in an equilibrium and he felt that the binds may even tear him apart if he kept resisting.

But when did he ever have a choice?

"Where are you going Xiao?"

When he heard your voice calling his name, the yaksha willingly pulled himself to a halt. His sunset eyes narrowing from guilt before it shuts with a trembling sigh out of his mouth. Why is it that you always appear during the moments where he desperately needs to get away from you? He planned to sneak out the door, making sure his footsteps were unheard while you slept. And by the time you woke up, he didn't have to face you, he wouldn't have to say goodbye. He won't. Even if what he was currently doing said otherwise. He will never hear himself say those words.

"Xiao?"

Yet, he cannot refuse you. Not now, not ever. You were breathtaken to see a type of expression that you never thought was possible for him to make. The creases that once formed between his slender brows, the heaviness he always carried in his expression was replaced by a sense of sentimentality. Before you could register what was happening, Xiao took his step towards the porch of your house, not once did he tear away from your attention. He slides his hand beneath your jaw and affectionately against your cheek, the fondness evident in his gaze that you almost felt imprisoned by it.

"You never fail to appear in the most inconvenient of times," He gives a weak smile, a smile that makes your heart swell. Despite how much you could drown in his honesty, you couldn’t help but feel there was something wrong, “No matter how many times I’ve tried to push you away.”

You don't know him. You don't know his history and what things he committed in the past. But as if you've known this whole time, Xiao couldn't picture you leaving him for those reasons.

“You’re gentle but you don’t let others put you down. You’re kind but you don’t allow it to be your weakness. I sometimes wonder how it is possible for anyone to be so forgiving?”

"I-I don’t understand why you’re this Xiao. Is something happening?”

He won’t tell you. He doesn’t see the reason why you need to know.

You wince when something poked the side of your neck and you realized it was a tranquilizer. You looked at Xiao with dismay, his face becoming hazier until your vision darkened and could no longer hold your own weight. Xiao caught you around the waist with one arm as you fell unconscious.

"How can you be so stupid...?"

But he speaks as if those words were meant for him.

Pulling your body closer to him, Xiao chains you down into a desperate embrace. A silent scream of desperation. His forehead pressed against the bent of your shoulder and the other arm rested his hand at the center of your back. He will relish in the shape of your body, memorizing every curve both perfections and flaws. The way you fit into his arms and the pleasant smell of nature that you taught him to love, this was the only remnant he was allowed to take. Every detail, he will remember it as if clinging to the last moments of his whole world.

If he was allowed to have a desire, let him meet you again. He prayed to a god, any god-- even if it meant damaging his oath, he will accept his punishment. He prayed to each star in the sky and if he must he'll pray to the devil himself, whatever it is, he will do it for you.

As he painfully lets go, Xiao lets his hand slide off your body until the last thing he felt was the very tips of your fingers. He settles you down gently into your bed. You belong here in this peaceful world, not the one riddled with monsters.

---

~Zhongli's Story~

The Skull Cavern was considered to be the most dangerous mine of Stardew Valley. It wasn't your intention to run into any trouble, all you wanted was to test your cool new galaxy sword on some easy monsters and then be on your merry way. At first.

Just one more floor. You say, before catching an arm sticking out a pile of rocks.

"I-Is that a person?!!!"

You dug as fast as you could, any time soon the mummies would wake up and start attacking. Quick quick! Moving the last rock, you saw the face of a young man, he was asleep but alive! and undeniably attractive oh wow *lip bite*. But despite your attempts of shaking him awake, it was fruitless and the monsters weren't waiting.

Taking out two warp totems, you raised it to the ceiling and chanted a teleportation spell.

It wasn't everyday that you brought a man to your house.

But when you did, he wouldn't be from a cave, six floors down and buried in a place filled with monsters.

"And this small black device you say is some form of communicator? That certainly is intriguing, never in my years have I heard of something so advanced."

However you were beginning to think otherwise. That this man would have been from the prehistoric ages who you managed to unbury after his thousand year slumber. Zhongli sits on the couch across from you while examining your smartphone, a term he claimed had been completely foreign. You were contemplating whether you should bother Harvey despite being past his work hour and book an emergency appointment to see if this man had a special case of amnesia.

You brushed the idea away. There was so much going on and nothing made sense, for now, you decided to settle this on your own.

"Uhm Zhongli is it?" you asked nervously, "Maybe you can try giving the name of a relative or someone you know. I can use the phonebook to see if I can find their number."

“Number?” He parroted.

You blinked a few times, making sure if you heard him correctly, “Yes, number. You know? To communicate?”

"I appreciate your kind gesture," Zhongli acknowledges in a polite manner, "But that won't be necessary. This device doesn’t seem to be at a level where it can communicate with the people from my homeland."

If he was travelling then how the hell did he end up in THE Skull Cavern is what I wanna know!

“T-Then if you don't mind me asking, where are you from?"

Zhongli takes this moment to think of an answer, aware that if he blurted something out it would not have translated in the way he wanted. But you so kindly invited him to your humble household that he felt it would only be proper to owe you an explanation, "I suppose a land from afar."

You sweatdropped, "Suppose?"

"Yes. Although I won't spare you the details since this is not your burden to bear, it’s quite difficult for me to try and remember exactly what happened," Zhongli took his chin into his hand, fingers almost covering his mouth, "Perhaps I would need search for clues in order to refresh my memory."

Oh no he really does have amnesia!!

"A-Actually why don't I just call the local doctor, I'm sure he wouldn't mind giving you a hand," you say while taking your iPhone.

"A doctor? There's no need," dismissed Zhongli, "My condition is only a minor one and I do not think I'm in a position to afford medical assistance. Besides, you have done more than enough. May you find great fortune in your years Miss (Y/n), I shall be on my way."

He pushes himself up from the couch and you watch him cross towards the door. But just when he was about to reach the space of your carpet, Zhongli pulled to an abrupt stop.

"Ah yes,” He began as if remembering something, “ Do you happen to know where the nearest Inn is located? I would need to find a place to shelter for the time being."

"..."

This was how the former god ended up being your roommate. Like Xiao, Zhongli also takes upon a human form. He needed to eat, drink and a place to sleep. He insisted that he would take the couch as well as help you with any tasks that needed to be completed during the day.

You question if Zhongli was even aware of what situation he was currently in. Answer: HE WASN'T because Zhongli is an extremely dense man. To feel embarrassed was not part of his dictionary when living with a woman.

The type to take long showers. You always find the bathroom steaming because he doesn't turn on the fan to get rid of it (but maybe you should've taught him). So when it was your turn to use the shower, the water was either lukewarm or worst case scenario, cold.

Also he somehow finds your old kettle (that your grandfather used) to brew tea even though you told him you already had a water boiler. He stated that he liked doing things the old-fashioned way, it brings him a sense of nostalgia. You couldn't understand what he meant (unless you considered that he was older than he seemed....no that can’t be it!)

Despite it all, Zhongli was incredibly polite and considerate. Tending the farm was not an easy job and you often came home with sore muscles, fatigued from running so many errands. He's knowledgeable in terms of making the best herbal mix for a soothing remedy.

You would see a warm cup, every morning before going to work and every time you come home, it was sitting on the kitchen table (if his drink had potion effects, they would be regeneration).

Gentle he was but it wasn't good for your heart.

Ever since Zhongli moved in, it became difficult to live in your own house.

There were many situations where he caused trouble despite not intending to cause disruption to your daily routine. And when he did, the repairs came out of your own pocket. One time you opened your microwave to find thick ash and burnt cinders stuck upon the walls.The entire space was a hazard and needed to be dispensed immediately since Zhongli thought that plastic-wrapped items were allowed to be microwaved. Another incident, as bizarre as it sounded, was when your vacuum cleaner zoomed out of your house...and never came back. You remembered the awkward cough he gave when you shot him a deathly glare, hence why Zhongli was not allowed to touch your high-tech devices (if you considered them high-tech) without your permission.

Even so, you couldn’t bring yourself to hate him. It was the opposite in fact. One day, all the flaws you counted suddenly became his charms. You came to find them endearing almost.

Zhongli was a handsome man. He carried himself with a distinct aura that could only be found in the rarest geodes; revealing orestones mined from the depths of a forgotten cave, sometimes in the shape of exquisite artifacts-- a type of ancient charm. Perhaps that was why people were willing to obey his every command without hesitation. Whenever Zhongli spoke, it was full of firmness and authority yet somehow deprived of arrogance. He was polite to all and does not indulge in conflict despite how tempting gossip can be in modern society. Always patient during your temperamental moments and considerate to the point you wonder if he even had any desires. He was so kind that soon enough, you couldn't help but be flustered by his presence. Forget about having a conversation, maintaining his leveled gaze was already enough of a challenge. Like staring into the sun after the morning dew. So gentle and so very comforting. But the more you linger onto the sun, it's rays will continue to set ablaze, eventually bringing you pain.

And you feared that you have grown addicted to those feelings.

Why can't he understand?

Stopping at the center of the bridge, you kept your head low while letting the anger take form into your tightened fists. The town was empty with only the sound of water flowing beneath your feet, filling the heavy air. They rippled and swayed, peaceful amongst your inner turmoil. The fact that such a miniscule attribute was able to make your blood rise was hilariously pitiful. How did you stoop to a point that even nature, the very being you've tended for a living, could bring you bitterness? Were your feelings this uncontrollable? The answer was obvious. It spiraled, violently and mercilessly as if commanded by another. There was a wave of emotions filling your heart and you could almost feel yourself drowning from the inside. If only they were as tranquil as the ones you stood upon.

"I thought I would find you here."

The voice you dreaded calls from across and you fight to keep yourself from gasping. Oblivious to it all, Zhongli proceeds to close the distance until he towered over you, looking down to your bowed head, "When you hadn't returned home without a notice, I was getting worried if something had happened. But I'm glad that wasn't the case."

Your whole face clenches.

"Is something bothering you? If you would like, we can discuss it after eating dinner. Come, I have already prepared our meal while you were gone as well as turning off the rice cooker once finished. I hope it can ease your stress since I know it can be difficult maintaining a farm like this."

"Zhongli."

He blinks hard when the sound of his name falls out of your lips. Zhongli was an experienced observer and listener, he was able to catch the glimpse of frustration that dripped from the tone you used. Relaxing his poised shoulders, Zhongli carefully asked in a reserved manner, "Have I...done something to make you upset?"

A trembled breath escaped when you breathed out. Dense. He was so dense that sometimes it made you want to crack him open.

"Tell me..." you began, "Are you also like this with other women?"

The former god sets a brief sharp pause, "I beg your pardon?"

"I'm talking about the way you act, they're...giving me all these mixed signals. We've been living together for months, we even share meals together! And sometimes you would help me with the farm and when I didn't ask, you still insisted on tending to my needs when I felt sick. I just…” you trailed off, trembling ever so slightly, "It's all perfectly normal. You’re nice to everyone. I know that. I know that!"

"(Y/n)," Zhongli whispered. They sounded like a thousand needles to your heart.

"I doubt you have the intention to put me in this situation. You're a really great person Zhongli but I sometimes can't help feeling this isn't just some roommate thing you know?" closing your eyes, you thought of your past relationships, how they started and ended, "Do any of your actions mean anything to you? Do you know how it makes me feel? Or am I just overthinking this, that it was all one-sided this whole time?"

Alas the truth spills and the air stills, bringing the waves to a halt. Peace, tranquility, nothingness. That was all you wanted. That was all you heard. It was deafening.

"I see, so that's why," Zhongli mutters to himself with eyes narrowed, "There's...something I need to confess."

After several months, he tells you everything. How his memories returned, some of them were already intact. He told you about his homeland and his true identity, that he was a god that once ruled over Liyue for six centuries before giving away the gnosis.

The reason why he hadn't said anything until now was because there will be a day where Zhongli must depart and return to Teyvat. He was a god with a contract, the circumstance didn't matter, he must stay with it until the very end of time.

Through his years, Zhongli learned to cherish his finite moments. He didn't want to taint them with troubles to come. Thinking too far ahead into the future would only bring strain.

But what he didn't tell you was his true feelings. You were a sweet woman, tender and enthusiastic about agriculture, the way your feelings extend to the earth with grace whereas many others chose to trample over without hesitation, he fell deeply in love with that side of yours. You taught him many things and showed him many sides of humanity that he had never seen before. He even discovered an aspect of himself. Like breaking a geode, revealing the beauties held inside.

Zhongli couldn't look you in the eye when your expression was covered in disbelief. He thought he hid his feelings well but it seemed that he was expressing his love in subtle and subconscious ways that eventually drove you to fall for him as well. You didn't stop him when he left the bridge. He wasn't even in your house. He chose this, he chose to set you free from his heavy presence.

And as the weight started to lift from your shoulder, you sank to your knees and wept. It was cruel of him. To give you these emotions yet he could not bring himself to stay by your side. But your heart would not allow you to hate the man you love.

Things couldn't end this way. You had to say goodbye to him, see him one last time because if you didn't, these burdens will haunt you forever.

When Zhongli looked up to the sky he saw his ending drawing near.

Three days had passed since he last spoke with you and he had no plans in seeing you again. Soon, the former god will return to his rightful place. Even though he had already given his gnosis to the Cryo Archon as Liyue already began to enter a new era, it seems that his decisions weren't his to make as he was born in a world where stars ruled above the archons. Fate-- they won't allow it. He does not belong here. If there was one thing Zhongli regretted during his time in your world, it was that he couldn't leave you a good memory before taking his departure. The sight of your large glassy eyes and quivering lips when he crushed you with the truth, he sincerely believed that they would haunt him much more than it probably did to you. But perhaps things would be easier if you despised him. Because if he had stayed and you came to forgive him, he would no longer have the strength to let go.

Despite it all love was indeed a selfish creature. He couldn't help but feel resentment towards the stars for bringing you into his life in such a mockingly sweet manner. They tied him with a contract, made him vow to his own beliefs and tested them by using you-- a bystander struck between the crossfire, eventually bringing you down into the depths of his battlefield and he thought that maybe...maybe there was hope that he could bring you with him as well.

How disgraceful for a god to let the devil tempt him so.

Zhongli was thankful that you weren't beside him. Otherwise he would dance with the ugly hope of a slim chance for you to come along. This was the best choice. It was for his-- your own good.

"Zhongli!"

The arch of his lined eyes shot upwards. As if fate had decided to give him one final test, he felt your small figure crash into him from behind and your arms coming to hug around his waist, tightly and fearfully that he felt like you would be the one who would slip away instead.

"I...I made it time," you panted, burying your nose into his clothed back, "I’m so glad...I'm so glad you're still here…!"

Your cry of relief was a thunder to his ears, a reminder that he was the main cause. Zhongli, casted by solemn smile, lifts his hand to cover over yours and grasped onto them, I'm here, he wishes to say. Yet he knew they were only temporary promises, "To come all this way despite everything that has happened. You foolish girl..."

"It's your fault Zhongli, I'm a fool because I love you! It's all your fault that I have to say goodbye," You grit your teeth as the tears fell down your face until it blended into his clothes, "Take me with you. Please. Don't leave me all alone…!"

The words he wanted to say melted into a silent gasp through parted lips. Zhongli merely clenched them back together and his hand on your hand, even tighter. He won't lie to you. At the very least, let his actions speak for him where he himself could not.

Take me with you.

Don't leave me alone.

Goodbye.

If it is fated Morax...we will meet again.

"I see," letting his thoughts echo in his mind from the distant memories, the former god begins to take a new perspective upon his wisdom, "For many years, I have experienced countless farewells from the people I've come to known," Zhongli reminisced, tilting his head back with his golden eyes against night, as if searching for some sort of answer, "And yet I never thought what it must have felt like being in their position."

"Zhongli…" you trailed off, "Then don't! I may not know everything about you but it doesn't have to be this way. At least, just answer me this, will I ever see you again?"

"I'm sorry (Y/n)," he apologized and you knew the answer. He gently pries your arms off him, turning around so he could swipe the corner of your eyes dry. There was a glowing reverence in his countenance, one that he reserved for you and only you, it was the only way for him to express the feelings that run deep in his heart, "I cannot thank you enough for coming into my life. If there will be a day when I erode from your memories, I truly hope that you will find someone more suitable than I."

"That's ridiculous," defiantly, refusedly, you protest, "No one can replace you."

Zhongli laughs sadly as the white halo outlines his whole figure, signaling that there wasn't much time left. He wonders if there was anything he could do in his last moments, a small token, something, it could even be as small as a single star in the sky, "If it is fated...we will meet again."

You watch him turn transparent until he slipped from your grasp. No longer was the man, only the dust being one with the sky. They shone brilliantly but you were left in the darkness.

[cdroloisms]

I really love when people write about c!wilbur manipulating c!dream so I was wondering if you could write on about the smp realizing that c!wilbur manipulated c!dream into being a lap dog for him but a hell lot of trouble for then and if you could add c!wilbur taking advantage of the fact that dream is a god during a fight that would make my day. Hope you have a great day.thank you. Love your work.

ooh yeah - c!wilbur is back and GGG-ing as good as ever, , which Really makes you think abt what it’s gonna be like when he interacts with c!dream again. this ended up being a little more c!sapnap centric than i intended, hope that’s alright haha. (and thank you so much for the kind words!) 

tw: implied abuse, torture, drowning, dismemberment, manipulation, unhealthy relationships, emotional distress, dark content, prison arc/pandora’s vault, c!sapnap critical? not really?, dark portrayal of c!wilbur (typical MAD duo shenanigans)

Sapnap isn’t expecting to find anyone when he storms out in the middle of the night - he’s tense, they all are after the fiasco at the prison, but really his thoughts are filled with Karl once again going inexplicably radio silent for days on end and Quackity ignoring all of his questions with a simple “i’m busy” that he’d failed to follow up even twelve hours later, so Dream and Wilbur and whatever the hell happened that left Pandora’s Vault - obsidian, indestructible, tall and dark and proud - half-crumbled and sunken into the sea are just about the last things on his mind.  

Even so, he’s not an idiot, so he had enough foresight to pack a few potions and gather his armor and weapons before stepping into the summer night - it’s cool under the moonlight, a soft breeze cutting through the otherwise stifling weight of the humid air, and the comfortable night is enough to make his anger die down, just a little. Kinoko Kingdom glows soft and warm from the lanterns Foolish had scattered all over the place, thick with the earthy smell of fungus and flowers, and he takes a deep breath before walking to the city outskirts to hopefully clear his mind.

He’s no stranger to late-night walks; his temper had always been fiery, even as a child, and he’d figured out pretty early on that the easiest way to deal with it was to walk or run until his brain was too tired to think anymore. Walking at night also meant he could take out some of his frustration on mobs as well as the satisfaction of setting a random patch of forest on fire without worrying about burning down someone else’s property, and once he got good enough with a sword and shield to come and go relatively unscathed, Bad had stopped his worrying enough to let him do whatever as long as he came back in time in the morning. Sapnap frowns as he hacks at a random branch in his way with an axe, watching as it falls in a spray of leaves and crashes to the ground; he hasn’t seen Bad in a while, not since he became obsessed with the whole Egg thing. Quackity had mentioned some cryptic things, and Karl was adamant that they avoid the Egg as much as possible, but he probably should’ve at least visited, or something. Bad always knew what to say when it came to messy things like this.

Though - Sapnap laughs wryly - it’d never been this bad, before. Karl distant and absent, Q somehow even more so with a new glint to his gaze that sent a shiver down his spine. George, usually asleep, never around, expression perpetually foggy like he doesn’t know where he was. Dream- evil, insane, awful, somehow so familiar it hurt and too much of a stranger to recognize. He wonders when it all got this bad. He wonders what it says about himself, that he didn’t notice until it was far too late.

“Fancy seeing you out here.”

Sapnap whirls around, sword drawn; the figure staring back at him doesn’t even flinch. His eyes narrow at the sight, stance widening, shoulders tense.

“Wilbur?” He keeps his voice wary, guarded, trying his best to keep surprise from coloring his tone. Wilbur grins at him, tight-lipped, the planes of his face faintly lit by the moon shining over them, facial features only barely visible in the dim light. Without really meaning to, Sapnap cranes his head to look around at the surrounding forest, but nothing moves or makes itself known outside of the figure still staring at him, smirking. “What- what are you doing here?”

And where’s Dream?

Because Sapnap might not know much about what went down at the prison and what Dream’s plans are and the whole mess that he’d been so desperate to put behind him and utterly failed at doing so, but what he does know is that the two of them - Dream and Wilbur, Wilbur and Dream - had been all but inseparable, strangely attached to each other in a way that spelled out nothing but trouble for the rest of them. The rest of the server had been compiling sightings of the two in the hopes of being able to stop whatever it was that they had planned, but Sapnap knows his former friend, brother, and even if he doesn’t know Wilbur, his reputation more than precedes him: the two of them are smart, not to mention paranoid as fuck, and the rest of them have a better shot shooting targets in the dark than figuring out whatever the hell was going on in their heads with the two of them working together. Either way, he knows that they’d never been sighted apart - it was always Wilbur standing on a hill with Dream sitting next to him, or Dream hacking through mobs as Wilbur followed, or the two of them stepping into a fortress and leaving minutes after - until now.

“Could ask the same of you,” Wilbur laughs, just a shade to the left of friendly, and the moonlight scatters through the leaves and glints off his glasses. “Don’t be so tense, man! I’m just going on a walk, thought I’d enjoy the night. Didn’t see anything like this in Limbo, you know.”

Sapnap winces at the reminder, that Wilbur is here and alive in defiance of law and reason and the universe itself, but Wilbur barrels on, seeming unaware of his unease.

“Anyway - how are you doing, man? Haven’t seen you around in a while.” He leans back, hands shoved deep in his jacket pockets, stance loose, relaxed. “I’d ask Dream, but he’s been in prison for a bit, you know? Most of what he knows is pretty - ah, outdated, not that I tell him that.”

“What are you planning?” Sapnap snaps, grip tightening around the handle of his sword. “You and Dream. What do you want?”

“Who’s to say we want anything?” Wilbur seems to grin wider, and the expression on his face is unsettling, makes something cold slither up his spine. He shakes his head to rid himself of the feeling, half-wishing it was brighter so he could better see the other’s eyes.

“I mean-” he stutters. Because Dream always wants, he almost says, bitter and angry, that all-too-familar swell of betrayal rising in his chest at Dream, forever insatiated, forever wanting, forever looking for more more more. Because if he were to escape, and if he were to want nothing, then what did that mean for the rest of them? Because if he didn’t want, if he wasn’t left wanting, then did Sapnap ever mean anything at all? The thoughts stick to his skull like tar, words clinging to the roof of his mouth as it goes dry. Wilbur seems to stare at him, unimpressed, and he feels his face go hot.

“He’s not- he’s dangerous, you know,” Sapnap says instead of answering, because untangling the awful, knotted feelings that make up his remaining ties with Dream, half-frayed and neglected and forgotten, is more work than he can handle and more emotions than he has the energy to bear. It doesn’t matter, in the end, because Dream is still dangerous; he knows that, resolutely, and maybe it’s lucky, that he found Wilbur without Dream whispering plans and manipulations and meaningless words by his side. It’ll give him a chance to warn Wilbur, bring him back to their side instead of risking his life (again) in the company of his friend-turned-tyrant. Dream is dangerous, whether he wants or not, because Dream is Dream and he’s been in too many manhunts to face him with anything less than one hundred percent confidence. “You don’t want to be with him, Wilbur. He’s hurt- so many people.”

Wilbur’s expression doesn’t change, seeming as indifferent to the words as ever; if anything, he looks a little amused. “Really,” he hums, almost to himself. “Dangerous, you say?”

“He’s Dream,” Sapnap insists, because it’s the truth, and it’s the simplicity of it, really. It’s Dream, and Dream is dangerous whether he’s on your side or not, forever ruthless and unheeding as long as he gets what he wants. He’d been in Wilbur’s place, once, convinced that Dream’s strategies and planning and infallible logic had meant they had no way of losing. He knows better, now. “You’ve fought him before! He doesn’t care about you. He doesn’t care about anything.”

And if the words are a little more bitter than they should be when he says that, who but he is going to notice?

Wilbur’s eyes stay on his, completely silent, expression unreadable. The quiet gets awkward quickly, Wilbur’s expression seeming unchanging, nothing but the faint rustling of the leaves around them to break the stillness of the air, and Sapnap feels his gut roll uncomfortably as he looks off to the ground, waiting for Wilbur to react in some way, any way. It’s hard, he knows, to realize that someone you thought was on your side had been using you the entire time, he’s been there before and he gets it, but- it’s still strange, how still Wilbur has become. How he still hasn’t reacted - is his expression going to change?

And suddenly, starting quiet and then swelling in volume, Wilbur begins to laugh.

“Goodness,” Wilbur drawls through his chuckles, voice low and dark and sending chills down his back. “I thought he was exaggerating, man - you really do hate him, don’t you?”

“What- what’s so funny?”

Wilbur smiles, teeth flashing white as the faint light from the moon bounces off of them, “I have to give you my thanks, truly. I’d thought that Quackity did the most of it, or Sam, but you- I really couldn’t have guessed.”

Sapnap’s head is spinning. Wilbur’s expression is positively gleeful, eyes dancing, smile wide and brilliant, bouncing from one name to another with little explanation to how any of them tie together. Sam? Quackity? Nothing is making sense. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Oh Sapnap,” Wilbur croons. “You really don’t know, do you?”

He twists his hand in a flippant gesture, eyes directed into the forest surrounding them.

“Let’s just say that his, ah- stay, in Pandora, wasn’t exactly what I’d call a five-star experience. But you know that, don’t you?” Wilbur directs a flat smile his way, and Sapnap swallows, throat dry. Briefly, images flash behind his eyes - walls, dripping with crying obsidian, the lava’s heat hard to bear at his back, even for him, mining fatigue pulling at his limbs and making them heavy. How startlingly bare the cell had been, even through the haze of his anger, Dream, slumped in a corner of the cell, barely moving, barely even breathing as it seemed sometimes, sunken-in cheeks and sagging shoulders speaking of nothing but a bone-deep exhaustion. “Apparently, being psychologically and physically tortured for months on end has an interesting effect on the human psyche. Even more so when, say, your best friend comes once in the entire time to tell you that he’ll kill you if you ever try to escape.”

“How-” he trips on his own words, lungs seizing, “how do you know that?”

“He tells me things. A lot of things, really. Did you know it takes one and a half regen potions to reattach an arm after it’s been cut off? It takes three and a half for a leg, he thinks, but the blood loss made it rather hard to remember.” Wilbur steps forward. “Did you know that scars created by healing potions tend to be much thicker and more prominent than those made by regens? Or that he can hold his breath for a little more than two minutes before passing out?” Wilbur smirks, jagged, threatening. “Did you know that I can tell him just about everything, and he’ll believe me because there’s no one else to tell him otherwise?”

“Wh- what?”

“I’ll be sure to tell him what you said; I’m sure he’ll love to hear how his brother is doing.” Wilbur waves. “And when you see Quackity, be sure to give him my thanks, will you?”

“Wilbur, what- come back-”

And with a flash of purple particles, Wilbur disappears, leaving Sapnap alone in the middle of the forest. Stasis chamber. His heart pounds in his ears, breathing all-too-loud, and he stares desperately at the empty space where Wilbur had stood like it’ll bring him back again.

Fuck, he swipes his hand across his face, startled when it comes back wet. What does he do now?

[alucardownsmyass]

Hi! I'm new to the Hellsing fandom and want to start fanfics for Alucard! I really love the way you write him and you seem to have so much understanding of him so I was wondering if you could help please? So say his bride is a virgin and they are about to bed each other. Would he make sure to turn her into a vampire first? What would he be like and what would their lives possibly be after? If you have any hc's or opinions, I'd love to hear! It's probably very self explanatory but I'm new and he's difficult to write haha! It is okay if you don't want to answer!

WELCOME AND THANK YOUUU! i've been waiting for someone to ask me something like this for so long!! i've never posted them, but i have a bunch of notes written down regarding his lover being untouched. most are from years ago though and need to be edited lmao. i'll type up something new for you that hopefully helps you understand his character a bit more! if not, PLEASE tell my dumbass to redo it.

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just to set you in on some background! being a virgin had so much more meaning back during the times when he was human. the real, historical vlad drăculea literally used to demand that women who lost theirs before marriage suffer impalement, so it's pretty precise how significant one's virginity was to him! 😭 bram stoker of course based his dracula novel on some of the history of vlad iii, so this is probably why the whole 'vampires loving virgins' became a thing. hirano based his version of dracula on both the real vlad and the novel, so this also explains why maintaining your virginity in the hellsing universe is important, and why deflowered humans turn into ghouls. it's a very clever reference imo!

not to mention, it's all just a bunch of religious nature—like where the bible says that you can only participate in sex after marriage, and ancient christianity put virgins on such high pedestals because it was viewed as being pure. of course, vampires are seen as demonic beasts, so that is also where their obsession with virgins stem from—they want to taint their innocence; your typical demon vs. god / good vs. evil trope. but you'll find that alucard is quite far from demonic or evil despite the things he's done. you have to look deep, but there is a layer to him that doesn't make him so much the monster that he thinks he is. he cries, has nightmares, cares for people even if only a few and harbors regrets. monsters don't have, feel or do any of those things.

he'd want his partner's first time to be extremely beautiful and eventful. keep in mind that he was sexually assaulted once; he wouldn't wish what he went through on anyone, so he'd want them to also enjoy their first time because he himself did not get the chance to. if they want him to be gentle, he will. if they request he roughen it up, you bet he will. it's their virginity. he's not going to put himself first during a moment in one's life where he was taught had value. he adores them and wants to show them just how much he does. i have always viewed him as an 'actions speak louder than words' kind of man. perhaps it is rare that he'll say "i love you" but he will damn sure show it.

you also requested headcanons and questioned if he'd turn his lover, so i'll put a few examples below! god, writing them is probably gonna make me tear up lmao. i hope these end up helping you, and thank you for coming to me for the question!

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he'll give you a choice if you want to become a creature of the night or not before he begins, hovering his lips over your fluttering pulse. he'll leave a few kisses against it, just for you to know where his bite shall implant lest you desire vampirism. immortality, in his eyes, is only to be given to those who are deserving—and to him, you deserved his kingdom and more.

say yes, and he will ask if you are sure in your decision one final time. have confidence in your answer and look him in the eyes so he knows for certain that you're willing to place your hand in his for the rest of your life. for eternity. say yes again, and you will feel his hand gently craning your chin to the side for the exposure of your neck. "it's going to hurt at first, my queen, but you wouldn't have come this far if you were unfit of bearing the brunt of a little pain, now, would you?"

if you choose no and wish to remain within the womb of humanity, he will most definitely respect your decision; not only out of love, but because you chose to stay the same. that's something he didn't do in his past, so he admires that. he will be more protective of you, though, since you did not choose to be a vampire and are more vulnerable in comparison.

he appreciates humanity and it's ongoing cycle of ages, and would adore witnessing you grow as the years begin to mold your skin into wrinkles and your hair to grays. even when you become too old that you can barely stand, he will vow to be the reason that you continue to walk. of course, the most difficult part will be having to witness you in your deathbed, but he will always remember you as the light that casted upon his darkness, the one that gave motive for him wanting to walk the dreadful earth for a bit longer. your grave will remain the very first thing he visits every moonrise, a reminder that perhaps, for the first time in his existence, he isn't truly alone.

[iliumheightnights]

Him [2] | Tony Stark x Male Reader

Fandom: Marvel Pairing: Tony Stark x Male Reader Summary: How exactly did (M/N) become Tony’s husband? The avengers find out.

Fist Part

…

A long time ago,

Tony walked down the hall of the student dorms. All around him he heard gawks and whispers, students and parents alike looking at him in shock. His own parents weren’t there with him since they were away on business. Arriving at his room he used his key to unlock the door, he was greeted to a rather large room...and another person.

In the room, another boy was already setting his stuff up on one side. Tony wasn’t sure what was going on, he thought he was getting a room by himself. He coughed to get the boy’s attention. The boy set down his things and smiled as he saw Tony. He moved over to him and raised his hand. “Hi. I’m (M/N). You must be my roommate.” Tony didn’t move to take his hand, only looking at him questionably. Why wasn’t he freaking out like anyone else would? “Sorry, I just thought I was getting my own room. So this is confusing for me.”

(M/N) dropped his hand but didn’t let his smile falter. “Well you’ve got yourself a roommate now. Don’t worry I’m not too bad.” (M/N) turned back to his own things but Tony wasn’t done yet. “Sorry. I just like my own space...want my own space. What do I have to pay you to find another room?” That got (M/N)’s attention again. “I’m sorry. WHO exactly do you think you are? I’m not going anywhere. If you want your own room, YOU can leave.” (M/N) fired back, now instead of a genuine smile there was a fake grin.

Tony hadn’t expected such a passive-aggressive response, especially from someone being offered money to get a different room. “I’m sorry, but I’M not leaving,” Tony said, dropping his bags. (M/N) smiled before sitting on his bed. “Well, then I suggest you get used to the idea of having a roommate. (M/N) pulled up a book and began reading it, Tony could tell he wasn’t actually reading it though. With a sigh, Tony spoke again. “I’m sorry. Look I don’t know if you know who I am, but I’m Tony Stark and I can get you whatever you want if you just leave.” (M/N) smirked and looked at him.

“No.”

“W-what?”

“No. I like this room, I was here first, I unpacked all my shit. I’m staying. So I suggest if you want to be alone YOU go somewhere else.” With that (M/n) lifted up his phone and began scrolling through it.

“Unbelievable. I will literally give you anything you want just go somewhere else.” Tony said once more. M/n took a quick glance at Tony. “Hhmm? Sorry didn’t hear you.” Tony rolled his eyes and threw his bags on the floor before jumping onto his bed. “You’re going to be a pain in my ass aren’t you?”

“Whatever could you mean Anthony?”

Tony heard M/n chuckled and let out a groan before pulling out his own phone.

…

Months passed and M/n and Tony had become rather good friends. While Tony was his playboy self, M/n made sure to let him know he wouldn’t put up with it. M/n also got to know Tony’s friend Rhodey and quickly became friends with him as well. Both boys were very similar, especially when it came to keeping Tony out of trouble.

Tonight seemed like one of those nights.

M/n was sitting at his desk working on a book report when his phone went off. Answering it he heard loud music and talking in the background. He could tell it was some kind of party. “M/n! I need your help.” Rhodey.

“Why? Are you at a party?”

“Not important. It’s Tony, I need your help with him. He got a little drunk-”

M/n snorted. “What’s new. How large is the little tonight?”

He could practically hear Rhodey roll his eyes through the phone. “Not funny M/n.”

“Fine, sorry. What’s wrong with him?”

“He’s drunk and I mean DRUNK drunk. I’m trying to keep him grounded and out of trouble but he’s just...he’s just Tony!”

M/n sighed and stood up after saving his work. “I’m on my way. Make sure he doesn’t get into any tro- into any MORE trouble.”

“I’ll try my best.” M/n could hear some crashing in the background of the call. “Please hurry.”

It didn’t take long for M/n to get to the party. All he had to do was follow the sound of Loud music and shouting students. Entering the house, he pushed through the crowd of people. Some people shouted at him to watch where he was going but he didn’t care, he just wanted to get back to the dorm.

Upon finally pushing through the crowd he found Rhodey. The boy smiled and let out a sigh of relief upon seeing his friend finally arrived. “Thank god. I’ve been trying to keep him out of trouble and clean but…” Both turned to see Tony taking another drink before grabbing another out of a guy’s hand. The guy looked pissed but Tony didn’t seem to care. “That’s my drink dick!” The guy grabbed Tony, glaring at him.

M/n sighed and gave Rhodey a look. “Gotta go save his ass again.” Rhodey nodded as M/n walked over to Tony and the guy. He tapped the guy’s shoulder. “Hey!” When the guy turned his head he was greeted with M/n’s fist, knocking him out.

“M/n! That was so hot! Here lemme- OW!” M/n pinched Tony’s ear, dragging him out of the house and away from the party. “OW! Let me go!” M/n did as Tony asked before wrapping his arm around Tony’s shoulder, still leading him back toward their dorm. However instead of Tony still struggle against him, he was surprised to feel Tony give up and follow his lead.

Once both of them returned to their dorm, M/n helped get Tony back to bed. He didn’t say anything to the other boy before turning back to his desk and returning back to his Essay. “I’m sorry-” He heard Tony say rather quietly from his bed. “Do we have to make this a habit Tony? Because I’d rather not fail my classes because I have to bail you out.” M/n said with a sigh.

“You don’t need to you know? I can handle it.” 

Tony almost didn’t hear it because M/n had said it so quietly. “No. But I will for you.” With a smile, Tony closed his eyes and fell asleep.

…

M/n opened the door to the dorm and let out a sigh. “UGH! Today sucked!”

Throwing his backpack onto his bed, he went to sit down but stopped as he took in the dorm. It was...clean. The dorm was actually, spotlessly, clean. It was normally never clean, at least not from Tony’s side. Speaking of Tony, there was a note. Picking up the note M/n gave it a read.

“Put on something nice and meet me on the roof.” M/n just stared at the note for a bit more. “What?” 

Doing as the note had instructed, he had put on something ‘nice’ as the note said and went up to the roof to meet Tony. “Tony? You up here? I swear if you try to kill me I’m going to get you first.”

He stopped speaking as he took in the sight in front of him. There Tony was in a nice dress shirt next to a table for two which was...very finely decorated with fancy lights around them. “M/n table for two now ready.” Tony said pulling out a chair.

“What is this?”

“What’s what?” Tony said with a smirk.

M/n sat down in the chair, Tony pushing him in. “This.” M/n motioned at the table. “All of this. What are you up to?”

Tony sat across from him at the table. “Well…You see-” It was then that M/n saw just how nervous Tony actually looked. It was strange he never acted like this. “You’re acting strange. Are you okay?”

Tony chuckled at that and smiled at M/n. “Do you always have to read me so well?”

“It’s one of my many talents,” M/n said with a smile before leaning in closer and taking Tony’s hand. “Seriously though Tony, are you okay?”

“Yeah, it’s just...nerves.”

“Nerves? What could you be so-”

“Would you be my boyfriend M/n?” Tony blurted out, squeezing his eyes shut.

M/n was shocked at the confession and question, to say the least. Just when Tony was about to let go out of embarrassment he felt M/n’s hand squeeze back and heard him giggle. “And here I was thinking you were going to talk me into doing your end-of-term essay.” Tony opened his eyes and saw M/n smiling at him, a genuine smile. “Yes, Tony. I’d love to be your boyfriend.”

“Wait- really!?”

“Oh well, I can always say no if you wanted that answer?”

“No! I-I mean. I’m glad you said yes.”

“Me too.”

…

“So you two met in college?”

M/n and Tony nodded as they finished up the story of how they met to the avengers. “Yup. It all started when he tried to kick me out.”

“Hey! I OFFERED to pay you to leave. You just declined.”

“And aren’t you glad I did now?”

Tony blushed but everyone could see the little smile growing on his face.

“So how come we haven’t heard about you before?” Clint asked.

“Well I prefer my privacy, plus I’m rather busy running the different charities and organizations I’ve started.”

That seemed to gain their attention.

“What kind of charities do you run?” Steve asked.

Tony just watched as his husband talked with his team. He smiled realizing just how proud he was of his husband and couldn’t believe how lucky he was.

…

A/N: PHEW! Oh man, that took FOREVER for me to write. I literally started this in November. If that doesn’t show how out of writing I’ve been idk what does haha. But hopefully, this will help me get past that block!

[aminiatureworld]

Interest

Characters: Albedo, gn!reader

Word Count: 1,508

Warnings: None

Premise: Sometimes emotions can be confusing. In those times it can be easier to shut down. After all, wouldn’t finding the truth out be scarier?

In which the reader assumes their character is disinterested, and pulls away.

Author’s Note: It’s only been a week but it feels like ages! Too bad I only had time for one character tonight. I can’t wait to write for multiple characters again (hopefully tomorrow haha).

Anyways Albedo, you’re such a comfort character it was so wonderful to write you again!

Albedo

You didn’t become friends with Albedo in the “traditional” way. There was no moment when you two sat down and had a chat, neither one of you offered to go to the other’s house, and certainly there was no “want to be friends?” It was more that you had stayed and Albedo, in return, hadn’t chased you away. Eventually the idea of friendship just sort of became an implication. After all, if you hadn’t gotten kicked out already, safe to say Albedo didn’t dislike you, right?

No, you were quite sure Albedo didn’t dislike you. But did he like you? That question was a completely different one. And you were well aware of that fact.

At first you tried to find out the answer to the question. Observation: Albedo appeared neither to hold any particular affection for you, or any particular disdain. Hypothesis: Albedo doesn’t like being particularly affectionate towards anyone, so the fact that he’s let you stay on this long means he probably likes you at least as a friend, and might be open to more. Experiment: Try your best.

And you did try your best, looking back you really couldn’t say that you didn’t. Whether it was bringing flowers for him to study – then mash into paints – or making your way painstakingly through the papers he let you read – which usually flew half over your head – so that you could ask him questions about it the next day. You really did try. You were early to every meeting the two of you had, something Albedo seemed to copy after a while, and you were quick to offer your help in any way possible. Making yourself useful and always being there, surely Albedo would notice that. You even snuck in the occasional compliment, the occasional comment about how you were so happy to have someone like him in your life. Still, your experiment didn’t seem too successful.

Shouldn’t you just stop at this point? I mean, you probably could come to some conclusions after the weeks of “experimenting” you’d done. Albedo didn’t dislike you, he definitely didn’t. He thanked you when you brought him stuff and made sure to show up as early as you did to your rendezvous. He sometimes let you keep the flowers you brought him to sketch you instead of using them in his experiments, he even let you bring one of his paintings home. But how much of this really signified anything beyond friendship? It was hard to tell. Albedo certainly never dropped hints that he preferred your company especially. It was simply that you were there and that he didn’t have the want or the energy to send you away. Surely there were many other people who could say the same. Maybe it was time to move on.

Though your emotions certainly weren’t on board with this suggestion – the torch that you held for Albedo was not ready to burn out anytime soon – you did at least manage to rein in your actions a little bit. First it was no longer bringing this and that with you. The particularly small buds of lamp grass remained on their stalks, or pressed into books in your house, the fireflies that you had managed to awkwardly sketch on a piece of cardboard never made their likeness towards the alchemist. Then it was meeting a little less often, not that you didn’t retain the habit of going early when those meetings did happen. It was just, surely you didn’t want to annoy Albedo too much. He might end up kicking you out after a while. Then it was asking him less and less questions while you were there, when you were there.

The affect was more depressing than you cared to admit, before you knew it the idea of going off to find Albedo became almost painful, something that would involve crossing a gulf that somehow grew wider every day. Days turned into a week, turned into two, turned into three. Every day you’d wake up, the idea of going to see Albedo at the forefront of your mind, and every night you lay in bed, scolding yourself for avoiding the person you most wanted to see. And every day the gulf widened a little more.

Perhaps things would’ve continued on like that indefinitely, a never ending circle of guilt and dissonance and going to bed feeling like you’d somehow failed something, like now certainly Albedo wouldn’t want to talk to you. Yet somehow fate had a different idea. Whether or not you were grateful for its interference, you couldn’t tell over the apprehension at the beginning, the relief after the fact.

There was a commission on your list: Pick up salve from alchemist’s lab and deliver it to Sonja before the end of the day. At first you had considered trying to pawn it off onto someone else. After all, this was a rather easy commission, and surely some of the less experience Guild members would be grateful for easy legwork. Still as you were rationalizing all this away in your head, wondering what sort of commission you might get in return, you found that your legs were already moving onto the familiar route you had walked so recently before unsurety and dejection had clouded your actions.

Standing in front of the alchemy lab you felt your legs still as Albedo appeared in front of you. At first you wondered if you might be able to duck somewhere else, to evade detection. Yet your legs which had been so happy to move before suddenly felt leaden and incredibly useless, and all you could do was stare as Albedo glanced up from his papers, his eyes landing on you, the placing blue of his irises widening slightly.

“I hadn’t expected to see you here.”

“I’m here to pick something up.”

It was a bit lame in terms of opening lines, but it was a start.

“Ah, I see,” Albedo replied, looking down at his papers. Stepping towards you slightly he tilted his head. “I thought you might want to see me again.”

“I do! I mean, well, yes,” you coughed awkwardly, feeling as if you had just verbally fallen flat on your face. Still Albedo did nothing but smile, something which eased your nerves slightly.

“I’m glad. I thought I might have done something, and that you no longer wished to talk to me.”

“You didn’t! It was my fault, I’m really sorry I went so long without contacting you. Really, really sorry.”

“There’s no reason to apologize. But are you sure that it’s only you? Are you sure I didn’t do something to make this happen?”

“Well,” you paused. What was the correct answer? Yes didn’t seem right, but no also stuck in your throat. “I, I don’t know.”

“Oh?”

“It’s just, I don’t, I sometimes, I have a hard time knowing what you think of me Albedo.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, am I a friend? Do you like me? I know that you don’t dislike me, or at least I hope you don’t since you let me trail along so often. But still… I don’t know, I don’t know if it’s because you like me, or because I’m not enough of a bother to send home.” It was close enough to the truth.

“I’m sorry if I ever made you confused,” Albedo’s voice was warm, but there was an urgency to it that broke the usual calm. Looking up into Albedo’s face, having been examining the ground previously, you watched as flashes of emotions crossed the alchemist’s face. “I didn’t realize that I didn’t make my feelings clear. I don’t dislike you. I very much like when you’re around me. I, I think you’re my friend.”

“You think?” How come everything was so confusing?

“In truth, I find classifying relationships difficult. It’s not like alchemy, it’s too messy. So, sometimes I don’t even know how to classify my own relationships. But if there are people in this world who would consider me a friend, who I would consider a friend, you are certainly one of them.”

It was all you could’ve asked for in the moment. Letting a smile erupt across your face, you closed the space left between the two of you. “Thank you for telling me! I’m sorry I was being so selfish by hiding away.

“You weren’t being selfish,” Albedo replied. “You were completely within your rights.”

“Thank you,” you murmured. Gazing up at Albedo you found the words coming out of your mouth before you could stop them. “May I say something that might be selfish?”

“What is it?”

“I’ve fallen in love with you, a little bit.”

You watched as Albedo’s eyes widened in surprise. At first you thought you might’ve made a mistake, leapt and fallen into the gulf. However before you could continue that train of thought a smile bloomed on the alchemist’s face in front of you. Taking your hand Albedo leaned over and whispered into your ear.

“Und ich auch.”

[dream-a-little-bigger-x]

Quarantine Lovers | Charlie Gillespie

Requested by anon: Can we have a Charlie x reader where she is his secret quarantine partner and the cast keeps guessing who it is until Maddie names a famous writer and gets it right? Thanks!

Pairing: Charlie Gillespie x Female!Reader

Warnings: fluff

A/N: I’m not sure if this is what you wanted but i kinda like it haha

Charlie has always been secretive about his private life. It’s always been his one thing he promised himself. Work life and private life needs to be separate. Especially in the industry he’s in now. You and Charlie have been together for a couple of months now and nobody knows. It all started when he’d finished filming Julie and The Phantoms and came back to Dieppe from Vancouver. He went for a hike with one of his brothers when they found you sitting on a rock, clutching your ankle. 

“Hey, are you okay?” his voice made you look up. You offered him a polite smile, trying not to show your pain or the fact you were thinking ‘Holy crap, attractive”. “Yeah, just threw my ankle a little bit on the rocks over there,” you pointed to a few feet behind the boys. “Was waiting for it to blow over and I could go on, but I’ve been sat here for…” you checked your watch, “About half an hour.” You chuckled at your own pathetic behavior. “I used to be really good at these hikes, you know?” Charlie then chuckled too, mostly at how endearing you were. 

“Can you stand on it a little bit if we support you?” Patrick, Charlie’s brother, asked then. 

“I’m not sure…” The two guys walked up to you, each taking a hand of yours to pull you up, and then wrapping one arm around your waist. You could go like that for about a kilometer until your foot began to throb again. “Can we take a break?” you squeak. Charlie and Patrick placed you onto a tree trunk very gingerly and took a seat next to you. 

“Are you from around here?” Charlie then asked.

“Yeah, I live in Moncton with my best friend,” you replied with a smile, glad he’s distracting you from the pain in your ankle. 

“No way! We live in Dieppe!” The excitement on his face was the most adorable thing you’d ever seen.  Your eyes and smile widen at this, not necessarily at the fact he lives kind of close, but at the excitement on his face. 

“Cool! I have family in Dieppe, so I know my way around there,” you told them. Charlie and Patrick nodded their heads at this, not entirely sure what else to say to this stranger they just picked up from a rock in the middle of nowhere. 

“So, what’s your name?” Charlie then asked upon reminding himself of this fact. “Y/N Y/L/N,” you replied. 

“Charlie Gillespie, and this is my brother, Patrick,” he introduced himself and his brother, who gave you a little wave. The wind suddenly picked up, and you knew exactly what that meant. 

“It’s going to rain soon. We better get going.” Charlie and Patrick nodded their heads agreeingly and helped you up from the trunk. 

“Get on my back,” Charlie then suggested. “It’s going to go quicker than you hopping along with us.” You hesitated for a few seconds, but then decided you agreed with him. Patrick helped you jump on Charlie’s back, and the three of you continued your walk down the trail, chatting about your lives the whole way down. 

You found out Charlie was an actor and had just finished filming about a month ago, and you told him you were a screenwriter. Your most recent work was on Outer Banks and Season two of Umbrella Academy. You talked about your hopes and dreams and agreed the industry you both were in was a tough one.

From that day on, the two of you have been pretty inseparable. You became really close friends and spent a lot of time together before he finally asked you out on a first date. Then came more and more dates, and then came March 2020. Quarantine. And since Charlie had been spending most of his nights at your place since your best friend was with their parents, you both decided to quarantine together. 

No one knew about your relationship. Not even his friends from the cast of Julie and The Phantoms. Only his family knew, and that’s all that mattered right now. No one knew you two were spending lockdown together at your place, and you could keep it a secret for a very long time. Charlie liked it this way, though the cast had been texting and calling non-stop because they knew he wasn’t home in Dieppe. 

When September 10th hit, and he could finally show you the work he’d done on Julie and The Phantoms. 

“What do you think, Baby?” he asked every five minutes when you were cuddled up on the couch watching it together. 

“Stop asking me that question, Char,” you giggled and pressed a kiss to his cheek. You were fine for most of the show, chuckling at the ghost jokes or pretty much anything Reggie did, bopping your head along to the catchy songs. And then Unsaid Emily hit. “Oh, no…” you whined as the music started to play and on-screen-Charlie started to sing the sad song. The Charlie next to you chuckled, endeared by your investment in the show, and wrapped his arms tighter around you whilst kissing your head multiple times. “HOW DARE THEY END THIS LIKE THAT?!” You screamed at the very end, making Charlie love you even more. Afterwards, he listened to all of your theories and your predictions for season 2. 

Thus far, quarantine is going really well at the Y/L/N-Gillespie Quarantine Residence.

The couple of weeks after the release of Julie and The Phantoms, Charlie had to do a lot of zoom calls for interviews. Sometimes even multiple a day. You made sure you were never in sight during those interviews, sometimes even leaving the house for a walk, but today, you decided to stay home and work on a script for an episode of season 2 of

Outer Banks.

You were sat on the sofa with your laptop and all your notes while Charlie was doing his interview in the bedroom. You could hear him talk to his castmates and the interviewer, and you often had to pause your writing because you wanted to hear what he was talking about.

“Where have you been spending quarantine?” the interviewer asked. Most of them said home with their families, and even Charlie said ‘home’. This answer melted your heart just a tiny bit.

“That’s a lie, Charlie,” Madison said with a giggle. “Charlie has a secret quarantine partner and doesn’t want to say who!”

“I am spending time with family, exploring Dieppe. I don’t know where you get your information from, Mads.” Though Charlie was a good actor, he couldn’t hide the fact he was lying to his own friends. Even you could hear how flustered he was.

“OK, I wanted to start with a couple of the fans’ questions that they sent in,” the interviewer continued, either ignoring the banter and the big piece of gossip they could get out of this, or not having heard it. “Someone asked who you’d love to work with on a next season.”

“Actor wise, I want to do scenes with Cheyenne Jackson,” Madison replies, “I didn’t get to do any scenes with him this season, but he’s really talented and I’d love to work with him. And I also have a writer that would be really great to work with on our show and that’s Y/N Y/L/N. She worked on Outer Banks and Umbrella Academy, and I loved the episodes she wrote.” Charlie’s face at the mention of your name is priceless. His eyes widen first before his mouth curled up into a smile, though he tried to hide it from his castmates and the interviewer. 

Madison and Owen glanced into the camera knowingly but decided not to say anything and continue with the interview. It’s when that interview was done, Madi, Owen and Jeremy called Charlie in a group FaceTime.

“It’s Y/N, isn’t it?!” You heard Madison scream from Charlie’s phone as he walked into the living room where you were working. He gave you a questioning look, as if asking for permission to tell them. You simply nodded encouragingly.

“Yes, okay, fine! You figured it out!” The three on the other side of the line cheered loudly, making you chuckle slightly. “You want to meet the cast, Babe?” he asked you whilst making his way over. You patted the spot next to you for him to sit down, and he obeyed, showing you the screen of his phone.

“Hey, guys!” you greeted with a wave. A chorus of ‘hi’ and ‘hey’ meets your ears. “How’d you figure it out?” You asked them, placing your laptop on the coffee table to get more comfortable. You tucked your feet underneath you, placing your elbow on the back of the couch and gliding your fingers into Charlie’s long, lockdown-hair.

“First of all, I follow you on Instagram, Y/N, and I saw the two of you tagged the same location on the same day once, and your last pictures kind of look similar. So, I had a bit of a hunch, but I wasn’t sure, and when I mentioned you in the interview, he got all flustery and happy and I just knew!” You gave the girl an impressed nod.

“We literally just hung up on the interviewer when Madi texted us ‘IT’S Y/N!!’ in all caps,” Jeremy added with a smile. Defeated, and a little embarrassed, Charlie groaned and hid his face in the crook of your neck, seeking comfort.

“We won’t tell anyone, Char. We’re just happy for you,” says Owen with a smile, “And us, because now Madi won’t be texting us non-stop with all her theories on who your quarantine partner is.” All of you chuckled a that, except for Madison, she glared at her blonde-haired friend through the screen.

“You all wanted to know!” she snarled.

All of you chatted for a couple hours until Charlie and you got hungry and decided to prepare dinner.

“It was nice to meet you, Y/N! Hopefully we’ll see each other soon IRL!” Madison said with the biggest smile on her face.

“It was nice to meet you too, guys! Ooh, by the way! I loved the show!” you complimented.

“Of course you did,” said Owen with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows.

“Bye guys!” you waved at them, completely ignoring Owen’s statement. Charlie hung up the phone and put his phone on the coffee table before turning to you. “Madison would be a good detective,” you pointed out with a grin. Charlie glared at you, which just made you giggle and kiss his lips. At least now you didn’t need to keep it a secret from his friends. Almost like a weight off your shoulders.

Taglist: @hannahhistorian92​ @marinettepotterandplagg​ @thequirkybookaholic​ @parkeret​​ @lukeys-giggle​ @gingerxarmy​ @lovesanimals​

[itsgoldleaf]

Hello, my friend!!! I'd love to hear about 🎢, 💖, and 🤩 for the writer ask meme! <3<3<3

Thank you so much for these my friend! (Oooh the formatting went a bit weird because I wrote these in notepad then pasted, hopefully it posts alright!)

🎢 Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

Oh this is a hard one, because I don’t feel like I have a lot of wildness in my stories - no huge twists, big stakes (okay the fate of the galaxy is a general theme in a couple of the fandoms I’ve written for) or anything quite so exciting, eek! Also I always say Once More Unto The Breach (Stargate Atlantis/Pacific Rim mashup) for these sorts of questions and I’ve talked about it a lot so I don’t want to keep banging that drum BUT I still maintain that it’s the coolest thing I’ve ever written, haha. It was a story (and a structure) that just beamed itself out of my brain and I wish writing everything was so easy. Anyway, Once More… covered a lot more ground than what I normally write, both in time and space, I guess, and in emotional space too. There’s a lot going on, but the battle isn’t with inter-dimensional creatures but between two people who had a very weird breakup in the face of a small apocalypse and I just really liked seeing how that went down and how and why they re-enter each other’s orbit while telling two stories at once, past and present. (I am so doing a Codywan/Pacific Rim thing btw, can’t wait.)

💖 What made you start writing?

These are all so hard to answer! I started writing fic back in about 2011 I think for Lord of the Rings (and my fic is alllll still out there in the ether). I go back and look at it sometimes and while I’ve gotten a bit better at actually writing I’ve not changed at all in what I like writing about. I love writing love stories! I love the lead up to getting together, I love slow burn, I love pining and there only being one bed!!! I love there being a reason they can’t be together and working out how to get around that. I think that’s why I started writing, because I just wanted more of the characters doing that over and over and I wish I had a more exciting answer but I just wanted to create my own canon and get inside the heads of these different people and point them in the direction of the one who is going to make them the most happy, not that it’s necessarily a straight (ho ho) road to get there.

🤩 Who is your favorite character to write?

I am very bad at articulating why I like certain characters so do forgive me! I’m not writing for the fandom at the moment but I had an absolute TIME with Stargate Atlantis and writing John Sheppard because his head is such a weird place to hang out in that I became obsessed with working out why that is. The dude is so repressed and wears a lot of different versions of himself on the outside depending who’s looking and it’s very fun to unstitch that, especially as he’s not doing any of this for any particularly nefarious reason, he’s just had to fit a mold for so long and letting him break out of it despite his own self-sabotaging tendencies is a joy to play around with.

Right now, and this may be a shocking revelation, my favourite is Cody 😍 I adore exploring his sense of duty and identity and the reality of his existence, I suppose. How he feels about how he feels, particularly toward Obi-Wan, and the various ways in which he feels pulled and obligated (to Obi-Wan, to the Republic, to the vode etc.) I’m explaining this poorly, but there is a lot of ground to explore with Cody in what he thinks he deserves and what he can and cannot do about it within his limited remit. I feel like I’m only just starting with him really; there’s a reason most of my fics are from his pov! (Plus his relationship with Obi-Wan, platonic or otherwise, is so much fun (and has such angst-potential as well oh lord.) The banter! The dry wit! The unending two-way devotion and longing gimme gimme gimme.) I definitely haven’t even scratched the surface on why I love writing Cody but I really do have a total blindspot when it comes to articulating why characters appeal to me so this’ll have to do 😂

[marinesocks]

Hi Helena!!! Here's me trying to bully you into telling me about your WIPs >:) Not really, but I want to ask you if there's any parts your really excited to write (or have written) for your WIPs? You don't have to go into detail to avoid spoilers but I'd love to hear about it <3

AWW ELIJAHHH YOU'RE TOO SWEET!!!

i always have like. That Scene. you know? generally it's what motivated me to start writing the darn thing but sometimes it's not?? i'm gonna put a cutoff here so no one has to see this incredibly long ramble clogging their dash haha

like eh. for The Owl's Wish, there's like this um. turning point scene. where the """"twist""""" happens, if you will. and at first i thought that would be the part i was most excited to write, you know? well, spoiler alert, the more i thought about it and how important it was i just. felt a lot of pressure to get it RIGHT, you know? so that took a lot of the fun out of it. it was a really important scene and i was so worried about like. messing it up and the readers getting bored and it feeling cheesy or whatever.

BUT! i dont know if i said this before but when i was outlining TOW i had to replot the ending like. three separate times. because i'm ridiculous and overthink everything. but! as i was doing that!!! i made this ONE scene purely because i WANTED it. it was like a little gift for me. some silly comfort and stupid boys navigating healing. and like. it's so dumb and frivolous but i ended shoving so much information into that part that pretty soon it became what i wanted to write the most. like. even more than the actual plot-relevant stuff LOL?? i'm writing those now (and to no-one's surprise they are ridiculously chonky chapters) but they are so. beloved. i mean, they're very tricky to write, in lots of ways. and i've gotten so tired of rereading them that i think they have lost a lot of their charm for me, but the concept behind them still makes me smile!!

as for ouroboros paradox......... oh god haha i have so many scenes im so excited to write. i literally spilled everything i have so far to the wonderful @my-writblr (who took my rambles like a champ btw, shoutout to them for being just the best), and like. as i was telling the whole(???) story to them i realized like. yeah. im gonna love working with some of these scenes, even if they are a little overdramatic. :)

HOPEFULLY THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION!!