#i haven’t posted about either of those issues in two years

[stardust-sunset]

Bro is ur grandpa still groping u or smth? Is ur bro still putting his face in ur bras?

shut the fuck up anon. i can tell you’re not fucking being sincere. so shut the fuck up. least you could’ve done was put some sort of tw. and i can tell from your tone that you’re not taking me seriously. but fine. whatever.

for context so that nobody is like concerned or whatever. my grandpa is dead now. he has been for three years. and he only did that towards the end. he had alzheimer’s. he only slapped my ass a lot and grabbed my chest a few times. but he was demented so it’s okay i guess. and my brothers done a lot of weird stuff. but it’s whatever.

anyway anon. you also came back and asked about my quotev or whatever. i’m not responding to that since i don’t wanna talk about who was hurt by me. it’s not fair to them. so don’t ask about them. please. i’m not exposing them like that because it isn’t fair. shit on me all you want. hate on me all you want. i deserve that. but do not ty to get me to tell you who it was. i’m not telling. say all the rude shit to me you want but you leave them out of this. i’m not fucking doing that.

i haven’t posted about either issues in two years, nor about my quotev. so why do you know about that? this whole ask is just fucked up. the very least you could’ve done was put a tw. i deleted your other ask though because it’s not your business. and i’m not giving any information about the person because it’s not your business and they don’t deserve that. i don’t even know you. you can shit in me all you want. hate me, harass me, say whatever you want, make whatever threat you want. i don’t care. but don’t bring them up. i just made a vent not even twelve hours ago and you pull this. fuck. you.

[babybatss-blog]

WHEN STARS ALIGN

sirius black x f!reader, 950 words

cw: Sirius has familial issues, crying, mostly just angst.

summary: fate has brought both you and Sirius to the astronomy tower after a rough night. Lucky for you two, you know just the way to comfort each other.

Letting out a deep sigh, you walk promptly towards your dorm. Merlin, you just need a break from all the stress. Between school, friends, and hobbies, you haven’t even had a moment to rest the last couple of days. It feels as if your head is underwater, and just when you break the surface a rough hand pushes you down. And right now is no exception. Bursting through the door, you see your dorm mates chatting on the floor.

“Oh hey hun! Want to join us?” One of the lively girls ask. You politely refuse, then shuffle over to your bed, pulling the curtains around it’s four posts and putting on your headphones to have a moment to yourself. Now that the music is on you close your eyes, letting yourself get pulled away by the rhythmic instruments and soothing vocals. It’s such a comforting thing, music. No matter how soft or loud, it’s there through thick and thin. Unlike your friends, who you can still hear squealing and giggling at jokes despite the volume of your music. You attempt to continue focusing on the music, but the incessant squawks from your friends completely draws you away from it.

With a huff, you get out of bed and march to the door. “Are you okay?” One asks, but you just throw a “yes” over your shoulder to her. All you need right now is some peace and quiet, high above every issue and noise. And you know exactly where to go.

Flights of stairs take you higher and higher and higher, up to the top of the colossal castle. It’s sunset now, so no one would be where your planning to go as it’s only really a night occasion. Therefore, the sight of the extroverted Sirius Black, sitting on the stone is a surprise for your weary eyes.

“Sirius?” You tentatively ask, unsure if he is just a vision from your delirious mind. The boy turns around to face you with those grey eyes that cause you to know certainly this is real. But they don’t glimmer like they usually do, instead they are misty and red behind wet eyelashes.

“Oh… Hey.”

Could he be crying? Surely not, you’ve always known him as such a enigmatic man, coated in an air of mystic and confidence that is unattainable to anyone else. “Hey Sirius. I didn’t expect to see anyone here.” He huffs a chuckle. “Me either.”

“Can I sit with you?” Ignoring your past timidness you poise the question. Why? You don’t know. But the sight of your friend whom doesn’t care about your issues seems like a welcome one, something that could ease your current tension. He nods, so you sit next to him. Against your better judgment, you ask the question weighing heavily in the air. “Are you alright…?” He thinks. Like really thinks. His brows crease and his bottom lip curls inwards at the question, as if he is a toddler asked about quantum physics. “No, not really.” He confesses, looking down at a crumpled piece of paper in his clenched hand. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Without a second to think, he sighs and hands you the piece of paper. It contains a long, written note, in dark blue ink and swirly cursive writing. It’s from a woman of the name Walburga, who seems to be his mother. But you wouldn’t guess she was if it wasn’t written in the piece, due to the long list of profanities and harsh words she berates him with. It outlines her disappointment in the boy for not appearing at his cousins birthday, and therefore he is a “regret” and “scorn” on the family name.

“Merlin Sirius…” You knew his family were pureblood purists who he doesn’t associate with, but not to this extent. Looking at the boy next to you, who now has tears streaming down his face you cannot believe his strength to put up with this for so many years.

“I don’t want to go back. I can’t go back and see them again I can’t take it” He admits, voice shaking and weak. You envelop him in a hug, his trembling shoulders dissolving in your touch. The two of you sit there for at least half an hour, him crying into your skin and you whispering words of affirmation as you rub his back.

“I’m here for you.” “Your safe.” “I’ve got you.”

After a bit, he calms down. You stroke his hair as he rereads the letter, before ripping it to shreds! “Sirius what are you-?” You start to laugh after realizing what he is doing, before picking up the remnants from the stone floor and throwing them off the balcony, watching them float down to the grass far below. Sirius does the same, before throwing an arm around you and smiling at your face watching the wisps of paper disappearing below.

“Thank you.” He says, more sincere than you have ever heard him before. You look up to his piercing eye contact, smiling at his gorgeous face. “Of course. I wouldn’t want my favourite friend to sit here sulking! “Favourite hey?” He wiggles his eye brows in response. You of course roll your eyes, because there is no way you would let him have the satisfaction of your softness any longer.

“Hey, want to go and steal some cake from the kitchen?” He asks.

“Hell yeah.” You respond.

[lovelytsunoda]

proud mary // han lue

summary: now living a quiet life with their daughter, han and y/n reflect on how they got there, and all the good moments that are still yet to come.

pairing: han lue x wife! reader

warnings: this is a big one so listen up: mentions of post pregnancy mental illness, mentions of pregnancy and starting a a family, weddings, ignoring tokyo drift canon because I fucking can, (actually I ignored a lot of canon) han is about to activate a shit ton of daddy issues

I left a good job in the city, working for the man every night and day and I never lost one minute of sleeping, I was worrying 'bout the way the things might've been.

big wheel keeps on turning, proud mary keeps on burning. and we’re rolling, rolling, rolling down the river

2009, tokyo, japan.

the garage was dark, lit only by the moonlight and the small lamps atop the workstations. han lue had closed up hours ago, and everyone was gone save for him and his lover.

“han, what are you doing?” y/n laughed, sitting at a table scattered with nail polish bottles and a shellac brisa light. “it looks like a smudge.”

“it’s a drifting car!” han laughed, staring through the large magnifying glass that was allowing him to see the design he was attempting to paint on his lovers thumbnail. “see, there’s the spoiler and those are the headlights!”

friday night manicures had become somewhat of a tradition. y/n hated painting her nails with her non dominant hand, but she also didn’t speak enough japanese to venture out and get her nails professionally done. when she and han started dating, he offered to do it for her, easing the aggravation that sometimes came with doing mail designs yourself.

“well, now that you’ve pointed it out.” she laughed, kissing him on the cheek. “I love you.”

they had been together coming up on two years. two long, wonderful years. she was a mechanic and he was drifter, it was almost meant to be. she stopped him from getting himself killed, and in return, he loved her unconditionally.

they were sympatico like that. she loved his sense of humour, his protectiveness. he loved her smarts and the excited way she talked, animatedly and with hand gestures.

“what do you say we get out of japan for a bit?”

han should have known this question was coming. y/n was a restless spirit, never meant to stay in one place for too long. in a way, han was as well. he could tell that his lover had been more restless than usual, either from missing home or needing a change of scenery.

“a friend of mine, his name is dominic torretto, he’s got this place down in the dominican republic.” han started slowly, unsure of how much he wanted to involved her in. y/n was his whole world, and what dom and mia would be running was far bigger than street racing in shibuya.“he called me the other day wondering if I would run a job with him. but it’s not entirely legal and I don’t blame you if you don’t want any part in it.”

“baby,” she frowned, placing her hand inside the blue light machine. “of course I’ll go with you. I never pass up a chance to go somewhere sunny, and you know that I’d go anywhere with you. what we’re running here with twinkie and sean isn’t exactly legal either, you know. I’m a big girl, seoul-oh. I can handle myself.”

“I know. I just want you to know what you’re getting into. you’re important to me, y/n.”

“I know.” she said softly, running her hand up his arm as she rested her head on his shoulder, gently kissing his neck. “so when does our flight leave?”

“whenever you want it to. I haven’t even bought the tickets yet. are you ready for an adventure?”

“fuck yeah.” y/n smiled, pressing her lips to his. “but you have to paint my other nails first.”

han laughed, the kind of laugh that would always set loose the butterflies in y/n’s chest, the kind that reminded her why she fell in love with him in the first place.

“I don’t think I have it in me to paint another drifting car.”

“then what are you going to paint on my thumbnail?” y/n laughed back, looking down at her nails and realizing that her lover had actually done a very good job painting a drifting car manicure.

“I don’t know,” han shrugged. he would deny it if asked, but he actually loved painting y/n’s nails. he thought it brought them closer together, built up intimacy in their relationship.

they were moments he wouldn’t trade for the world.

“I’ll just do like a checkered flag or something.”

“but you did that on my index finger!”

laughing, y/n turned her head to kiss him. “come on, you big dork. the sooner we get my nails done, she sooner I can model that new lingerie set I bought last weekend.”

“sold!” han laughed, knocking over bottles of gel polish as he searched for the bright pink he had used to paint the car on his girlfriends other hand. “drifting car? f1 car? whatever my gorgeous gorgeous girl wants.”

“I love you, han lue.”

“love you more, pretty girl.”

2010, monte carlo, monaco.

it was set up to be another sleepless night without her lover by her side, and y/n was having none of that as she wandered the deck of the comfortable yacht, looking around at the decorations that the crew had spent the day putting up.

she was just praying that it wasn’t going to rain.

nothing was about to spoil her big day.

she scurried below deck, past a half open door through which she could hear roman pearce’s guttural snores. fingers curled around the door knob, she tried not to make any noise as she eased the door open, slipping into the cabin.

“you couldn’t sleep either?” she laughed, looking at the king size bed where her fiancé lay, phone in his hands as he texted his mother, who the crew was picking up in the harbour in the morning before the ceremony began.

“got a lot on my mind.” han shrugged. “fucking tej won’t shut up about the reception and the playlist and I’ve told him a million times that it’s not going to be some crazy rave kinda thing.” the man sat up, gesturing for his soon-to-be wife to come closer. "it's doing my head in. seriously, he wants to do a club mix of 'i would do anything for love'."

y/n snorted. han thought she looked like an angel in the low cabin light, a halo glowing around her head and shining off her white silk pajamas, the ones with the tiny shorts and 'bride' embroidered on the butt. "how the fuck do you turn the best meat loaf song in existence into a club rave song?"

"the fuck if i know." han shook his head, hands sliding up her thighs as she came to stand in between his legs. "jagi, sarang-hae."

honey, i love you.

"mhm." she hummed, a smile on her lips as she leaned down to kiss him sweetly. "i love it when you speak korean. it's so fucking sexy."

the last year had been stressful. the dominican job had been way more complex than y/n had expected, and it took a while for han's old crew to warm up to her. it took a while, but eventually she managed to crack dom toretto, and two weeks later, han got down on one knee and asked y/n to marry him.

hence why they were on a yacht off the coast of monaco, the entire thing decked out in fairly lights and tulle.

"if you think tej is bad, you try getting in between letty and those large plastic ribbons on the back of the deck chairs." y/n laughed. "who knew letty ortiz was so serious about weddings?"

she was practically sitting on his lap now, head resting comfortably on his shoulder as the boat rocked back and forth.

han seoul-oh was her home. her safe harbour. she always felt safe in his arms, at his side, even when they were plunging into almost certain danger like they had in the dominican.

"i brought you something." y/n hummed, reaching into the pockets of her shorts and withdrawing the small cardboard packet.

"fake nails?"

"help me put them on? for old time's sake." she passed him the glittery white french tips, no doubt chosen to match her dress for the ceremony tomorrow.

"i can't wait to spend my life with you. and believe me, there will be plenty more manicure mondays."

2014, monterrey, california.

"daddy, where's mommy?"

"i don't think she's feeling well, poppy." han lue frowned, looking over at his daughter, who was perched in her little kiddie chair at the kitchen table. "i'm going to go check on her, okay? stay right here."

how do you explain depression to an infant? poppy jae-i han had been one of the best things to have ever happened to han seoul-oh. but in the almost twenty-four months since their bundle of joy had been born, something had felt off about his wife.

everyone hears about the mental health complications that can come with childbirth, but no mother ever thinks it would be her.

every husband fears it, too.

"y/n, jagi?" han tried to keep his voice level as he eased open the bedroom door. the couple had bought a ranch house in monterrey when they learned they were expecting. it was one of the few things they used their ill-gotten gains as a part of dom's crew for. "poppy's asking for you."

it broke his heart to see his wife like this, hair messed and greasy, red splotches under her eyes from where she had been crying.

"am i a bad mother, seoul-oh?" she asked, voice small. she seemed so tiny and fragile underneath the layers of blankets on the queen bed. "she always seems to cry when i'm around, but never with you. poppy loves you more than she loves me."

"what?" it was all han could do to stop himself from crying as he sat on the bed, gently running his fingers through y/n's hair. "sweetheart, what's brought this on? poppy loves you. you're her mom. she needs you."

"mia makes it look so easy." y/n sniffled, pulling herself up to a sitting position. she's lost weight. not a noticeable amount, or even an unhealthy one, but enough that her husband knows. there are many things that you can hide from the man you share your bed with, but han knows. he knows she's not doing well. "and i'm fucking shit at it, han."

"look at me, pretty girl." han encouraged, reaching for her hands. "you are such a good mother. i know you're struggling right now, and i know you're hurting but you need to know that poppy loves you so much. she was asking about you over breakfast, you know."

"i don't know who i am any more. i've lost my sense of self."

han frowned, brushing a few strands of greasy hair away from her forehead before leaning down and gently kissing her hairline.

"listen, i was talking to brian last night-"

"of course you were fucking talking to brian."

"-and he thinks you should talk to mia. they're passing through town today on their way back from dom and letty's, brian and i are going to take the kids out to the zoo or whatever, and you and mia should do something." he suggested, running his hand comfortingly up and down his lover's back. "go to the mall, get a coffee. i think she could really help you. she's been through this before."

y/n inhaled shakily, pulling away from han. "what if something happens to poppy and i'm not there?"

"y/n, everything is going to be okay. i promise. brian will be there, the kids will be in great hands. go do something with mia, darling. find yourself again, yeah?"

"okay." y/n nodded, still clutching his hand like it was her lifeline. "i can do that."

"mommy?" a small voice called. poppy had managed to get herself all the way from the kitchen to the master bedroom, where han had left the door ajar just in case poppy needed them. "are you okay?"

"oh, sweetheart, come here." y/n said, tears beginning to fall.

because how could she ever think that her little bundle of joy didn't love her as much as she did? poppy waddled over to the bed, and han hefted the toddler onto the mattress so that y/n could pull her close.

"you know that mummy loves you, right?"

"yes. i love you too, mommy."

"see." han smiled. "you're going to be okay. we're going to get through this."

2017, monterrey, california.

"i genuinely can't comprehend that roman pearce is getting married."

the family of three was walking down the nail care aisle at walmart, a welcome addition to their weekly shopping trip as y/n scanned the packages on the rack for a set of acrylic nails.

han laughed, one hand around his wife's waist and his chin on her shoulder as he leaned against the shopping cart. "it's not going to last. they may be getting married on saturday but i bet that by christmas roman is going to call and tell us she asked for a divorce."

"don't be so cynical." y/n laughed, kissing her husband softly before holding up a small white box. "do these go with my dress?"

"they'll go with anything, babe." han said, moving to whisper in her ear “they'd look even better wrapped around my c-"

"i want nails like mom's!" poppy han's shout cut him off, the little girl looking at the array of disney princess nails on the lower shelves.

laughing, han knelt down next his daughter, one hand on her shoulder. "which one do you want, princess? do you want frozen, tinker bell? mulan?"

"i want the ariel ones." poppy smiled, reaching for the pack of little mermaid nails. han helped her get them off the hook before lifting her up, carrying the six year old securely against his chest.

"seoul-oh, she's like six, you're spoiling her by carrying her all the time." y/n laughed, dropping both packs of nails in the cart.

"what, she's not heavy, sweetheart." han grins. "besides, i have to stay in shape somehow."

y/n rolls her eyes. "sweetie, it's bold of you to assume that you were ever in shape. but i loved you anyways, didn't i?"

back at home, they settled in the living room, near the large bay window. y/n watched contentedly from the kitchen as han sat at the coffee table across from poppy, delicately brushing nail glue across his daughter's tiny nails, dropping the glittery little mermaid nails on top.

it had taken a while to get to this peaceful, quiet part of their life, but y/n han was so glad that they had made it. that she had seoul-oh and that she had little poppy.

"be careful with your nails, they might come off. now, go get your homework done before we make the pizza, okay?"

poppy scurried off down the hall to her room, and y/n padded across the shag carpet, looping her arms around her husbands neck as she gave him a kiss.

"i'm so lucky, you know that. i'm happy and healthy again, and i have you and poppy. that's everything i could ever ask for." she said softly, resting her head against han's chest as the man tilted his head down, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head.

of course they both missed the good old days. the days of adrenaline and adventure. but brian and mia had left, and then y/n and han, and soon after was letty and dom. they were moving on with their lives, a chapter of glitz and glamour coming to a close.

"i want another one."

y/n froze, pulling back from her husband. "what?"

"i want another baby. and i know what we went through last time, and i fully understand if you're not willing to take that chance again, but god, y/n, i want a big family with you." han explained, holding his wife's hands. "poppy is growing up. soon she's going to be too cool for dear old dad. and then there will be boys-"

"or she'll be like you," y/n cuts him off with a laugh. "in which case there will be lots and lots of girls."

"god help us all. my little girl is going to break a lot of hearts one day."

"and you want another one?"

"honestly? yeah, i do."

"then i guess we'd better start trying. multiplication isn't that hard, so poppy's gonna be looking for us within the next hour." y/n hummed, kissing her lover softly.

han smiled against her lips, hands slipping into her jeans pockets to cop a feel of his wife's ass. "i only need half that."

TAGS:

@libraryofloveletters @magnummagnussen @mignonricciardo @sidcrosbyspuck @cartierre @monzabee @scuderiamh @daydreamingleclerc @diorleclerc @oconso @cl16version

[mint-yooxgi]

{5} - To Tempt Fate - Yandere!Trickster Deities!Ateez X Reader

Yandere AU & Trickster AU

Genre: Mature, Horror, Angst, Suspense

Pairing: Ateez X Reader (Focus on Mingi)

Words: 3,496

Warnings: Depictions of anxiety (not the reader). This is a Yandere story, it will contain themes such as stalking, violence, obsession, possessive natures, and just general overall creepiness and swearing. You have been warned.

A/n: I have an appointment soon, so I just wanted to post this before I had to leave! Anyways, I'm very excited for the threads to begin unravelling now as more time progresses!! I really hope you all look forward to everything I have in store! As always, feedback is greatly appreciated! Enjoy!

Also, gentle reminder that I do not do tag lists.

Mini Masterlist - Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four

You don’t know how many times you had circled the maze yesterday. For hours, you traversed your way through specific paths, familiarizing yourself with its twists and turns. The last thing you need is to be running away from either another contestant, or one of the eight tricksters, only to reach a dead end. Your only hope is that the maze hasn’t shifted.

Surprisingly, you have no issues sleeping a few hours afterwards. The exhaustion settling into your bones had you passing out almost instantly, that small knife clutched securely in your hand.

The bed is more comfortable than you thought it would be. Given the way that trickster, of whom you’ve nicknamed ‘Ghost’ due to the colour of his eyes, was acting, you’re starting to believe more in the fact that they view you as ‘special’.

A chill runs down your spine.

Turning onto your back once more, you stare up at the ceiling. Based off of the way you’ve been keeping track of time ever since the other male, of whom you’ve nicknamed ‘Drakon’ due to the deep purple of his eyes, you reckon you have about one hour before the games are meant to truly begin. You still haven’t found a small bag to carry supplies in, but you can always make one out of your pillowcase if necessary.

Sitting up in bed, you rest the knife beside you on the mattress. Lifting your head, you glance at your reflection in the full length mirror.

Giving yourself a once over, you let out a sigh. You have some decisions to make.

One: you could barricade yourself inside of your room for the next twenty-four hours and see if someone happens to stumble across your little shack here. There seems to have been a box of food dropped off at the foot of your bed while you had gone out exploring, so you’re not worried about going hungry. Everything is nonperishable, and still in it’s original container, so you shouldn’t have to worry about someone having tampered with it. Still, you are dealing with tricksters, so it could be poisoned.

At least you have water.

Two: you could go out and explore the maze again to see if there have been any changes to the layout. This would allow you to get a better sense of the games going forward, but you’d have to be on the constant lookout for other contestants. Some might be too eager to start the bloodbath they have been enticed to partake in, while others might start screaming and drawing those types of competitors to your area. Both of which you’d rather avoid for as long as you can.

Three: you could go out and purposely look for other competitors. Not everyone is going to immediately go hunting for their trophy out of the gate, and you’re sure there are probably a few reasonable people around. Besides, if someone got dropped in, and they don’t immediately understand what the hell is going on, they’ll be completely scared out of their wits. Best to make yourself seem trustworthy to gain as many allies as you can.

If you can stop them from killing each other, the tricksters won’t have a game this year, and the blood will not be on your own hands. Besides, you can check out the maze this way for any changes; two birds with one stone.

Pushing yourself onto your feet, you steel your resolve. Looks like you have your answer. If you can align yourself with potential allies, then great! However, if you woke up in an unfamiliar place, were scared out of your wits and deathly confused, you would want at least one person to extend that same kindness to you.

Nothing is worse than being kicked when you’re down.

Twirling the knife in your hand, you move toward the bathroom to freshen up slightly. Like hell you’ll change into any of the clothes they got for you. After the encounter yesterday with Ghost, you know that that’s exactly what they’re hoping for, too.

Washing them might become an issue, but you’ve survived in the wilderness by yourself with only a knife to help you before. If you can do it once, you can do it again. You father didn’t teach you everything he knew about hunting for nothing.

The water feels cool against your skin as you wash up as much as you can. You’re a little hesitant about showering, or even stripping yourself completely naked for the moment. If you really have to, you’ll bathe in your underwear. Who knows what could be watching.

Adjusting your clothes, you manage to tuck the little notebook with your newly drawn map into the back of the waistband of your jeans. A pencil gets slid into your front pocket, along with a few pins, careful not to break the lead tip all the while. The small knife is held securely in your dominant hand, that string with your two keys and paperclip around your neck once more.

Turning towards the front, you take a deep breath once more.

Slowly, you move to unlock the door. It’s about time for the games to start, and from the way you hear a breeze rustling the leaves of the maze, you know it’s begun.

Swallowing the sudden dryness in your throat, you step outside.

The first difference you notice is how the area is now suddenly alive with sounds. The leaves rustle continuously, a soft breeze brushing through. There even appears to be bugs and small animals now in the area, of which were never there before.

Still, it remains as dark as night.

Taking a deep breath, you allow the smell of earth and nature to fill your lungs. The scents are stronger than yesterday, but that won’t be a hindrance to you at all.

Lifting your gaze, your brow furrows. 

There, in the distance, appears almost a small protrusion above the one edge of the maze. An object that hadn’t been apparent before, even in your search of the area yesterday. Almost as if a building has appeared out of thin air.

The only things you did manage to come across yesterday were more of those little clearings with shacks in them. There are eight to be exact, four on opposite ends of the maze, designating where each survivor must first appear in the games. 

Perhaps the first challenge is being able to escape these huts.

Yours seems to be the second closest to the one edge. The one in which you ran into Ghost yesterday is the furthest to the left, yours directly beside it with two more following in succession after that. If you get lucky, and move quick enough, you might be able to slip passed the hut before the person inside manages to escape.

You grit your teeth.

Sick bastards probably intend to let some of them starve, or suffocate to death inside those shacks.

You shake your head, you need to worry about yourself right now. If they can’t get out on their own, then they’re no use to you in fighting off anything or anyone.

A grimace crosses your features. The whole reason you stepped foot outside your own place once the games began was to help others if they needed it. Now, you’re thinking about just letting them die?

You’re not that much like that bitch. You’re not that heartless. At least, not yet.

Too many conflicting emotions begin flitting through your mind. Enough so, that you manage to shake your head again in hopes to clear them. Only, it’s in vain, your thoughts beginning to consume you.

Taking a step forward, you begin to enter the maze. Hopefully, focussing down on the task at hand will help to clear your mind.

Again, just like yesterday, you turn left to start. The familiar path of the maze greets you, and you find yourself almost breathing a sigh of relief the longer you traverse the grounds. At least the maze hasn’t seemed to have shifted in the slightest. Yet.

Reaching that first opening where that other shack rests, you spare a glance into the clearing. Of course, just like yesterday, you’re cautious. The last thing you need is a surprise attack by another contestant, or another trickster.

However, what you do not expect, is for a loud bang to sound from the inside of the shack as you begin to creep closer.

“Please,” the voice is desperate, strained from yelling, “is there anyone out there?”

You freeze right in your tracks.

“Please,” a broken plea as you hear a sniffle coming from behind the closed door. “Someone, help me…”

You blink, unsure if what you’re hearing is correct. Yet, at the sound of the sobs becoming louder the closer you get, you know that whoever is inside of that shack must be desperate. Faintly, you swear you can even make out the sound of scratching coming from within, as if whoever is trapped inside is attempting to claw their way out in vain.

Pausing right in front of the door, you take a low breath in.

“Are you alright?” Your voice comes out softer than normal, but still loud enough for the other person to hear through their sobs.

Immediately, it’s like they go still. “Is someone there?”

“Yes, I’m here,” you gently reassure them. “I’m not going to leave you.”

“Oh, thank you,” a shuddering inhale. “Please, let me out of here. I- I- I swear I’ll be good and do whatever you want. Just please,” he sniffles once more, “let me out.”

“Do you know where you are?” You ask, crouching down in front of the door to examine the lock.

“No! It’s dark, and all I was told was that the games have begun.” He replies, a wail to his words. “What the fuck does that mean? Are you hear to kill me? Am I going to die? I don’t want to be a victim to someone pretending to play Jigsaw.”

You snort a bit at that. Yeah, that’s certainly one way to put it.

“I’m not going to hurt you, as long as you don’t hurt me. Okay?” You say, pulling out some of those pins from your pocket. “I know it might be hard to trust the words of a stranger right now, given the circumstances, but we’re going to have to believe in each other right now. I’ll tell you everything I can once I know I can trust you. Do you understand?”

A small pause where you can just tell that the male stuck inside of the shack is wiping at his eyes. “Yes.”

“Good,” you nod. “Now, I have a few questions for you before hand. They are meant to help you, and I know they might be frustrating at first, but we both need to understand your situation fully. Tell me everything you can see inside the room with you.”

A moment passes by in silence. Then another, and another.

“I can’t make out anything, it’s too dark.” Comes his reply, voice small as if scared that’s not the answer you want to hear from him. “It’s cramped, and I can’t move my legs.”

You blink. “Are you hurt?”

“No!” Immediately, he responds before clearing his throat slightly. “No, I’m not. I promise. It’s just really cramped in here.”

“Alright. Do you have anything of value on your person?” You ask. “Like a phone, or a watch?”

“I have my watch, but no phone.” He tells you, and from the sounds of things, is calming down the more you talk with him.

“Is it analog or digital?” You ask, beginning to pick the lock holding him hostage in the shack.

“Analog.”

You smile faintly. “Describe it to me.”

“Well, my one brother got it for me for my birthday last year, and it has a brown strap,” he starts prattling off. “The face is white, and the numbers are gold…” he trails off. “Hey, why are you so interested in my watch?”

The lock clicks, and you stand back to your feet.

“I’m not.” Comes your blunt reply. “But you’ve stopped crying, haven’t you?”

The male goes silent, contemplating your words.

“It’s unlocked.” You say, turning the handle to crack the door open just an inch.

However, what you don’t expect is for the door to fling itself open almost instantly. Reflexively, you jump back, now eyeing the man that lays on his back on the ground as the door rests wide open.

He groans, eyes closed in pain. “Ow.”

“My bad, I forgot you were probably sitting against it.” You chuckle, dusting off your knees casually.

His eyes open, and you notice how sharp his features are. Though, that’s not what stands out to you the most.

The bright pink hair cropped short to his head draws your immediate gaze, and you can only quirk a brow in response. From the length of his torso, he also appears quite tall, too.

“Thank you,” he shifts his face towards you, eyes still shining with unshed tears.

“Don’t mention it.” You shrug him off. “Can you stand?”

Slowly, the male nods, pushing himself to his feet in the next second.

You’re right, he is tall. Nothing you can’t handle, though.

“What’s you name?” Your eyes trail over his figure from top to bottom, and he has to suppress the pleasant shiver than wants to caress his spine as you do so.

“Mingi.” He breathes, heart pounding inside of his chest.

“Nice to meet you, Mingi,” you nod once. “Though, I wish it were under better circumstances.”

You move around him, inspecting what little you can see inside the now unlocked shack. Looks like there really is nothing of importance inside. All that greets you is a tiny enclosed space with four wooden walls. Not even enough room to lay down on the ground comfortably.

Turning back to him, you see him standing a little ways to the side, wiping at the dried tears on his face.

“Hey, it’ll be okay.” You smile assuringly at him before introducing yourself. “I know it’s terrifying, but we’ll get through this. Okay?”

He nods, almost vigorously. “Okay.”

“Leaving you by yourself is more dangerous right now than exploring with me, but I won’t force you to come with me if you don’t want to.” You begin to explain. “I-“

“I’ll come with you.” His response is immediate, almost eager, as he cuts you off before you can even continue.

“I won’t lie, you could die either way. These games are not meant to be easy.” You meet his gaze.

“What even are these games?” He asks, swallowing a bit thickly as he watches you pull out that small knife of yours.

“Death games. Insanity games. Whatever you want to call them.” You say, taking one final look around the clearing you’re in. “They’re a type of survival game, if you will. Either you hunt or be hunted while you attempt to find a way out. Only one is allowed to survive in the end, but not this time.” You meet his gaze once more from over your shoulder, smiling reassuringly at him. “Not if I have anything to say about it.”

“Who, in their right mind, would do this to somebody? Why hasn’t anyone caught the people behind this?” He asks, frown tugging at his features.

You let out a sigh, motioning for him to lead on with your head as you reenter the maze. He’s a bit hesitant at first, but with a small quirk of your brow, he doesn’t argue.

“I’ll guide you, don’t worry. This is more of a precaution for me, than you,” you tell him.

“You’re the one with a knife.” He mutters.

“Exactly,” you hum. “So just follow my lead.” He shoots you a pointed look from in front of you. “You know what I mean.”

“Well, you freed me from my chains,” he turns back to face front, turning right on your command. “Least I can do is listen to you.”

You find his wording a bit odd, but relevant nonetheless. Either way, you’re just glad he’s being compliant for now.

“To answer your question, Mingi,” the male nearly shudders when you say his name, though it’s not in the context he would prefer. “The people behind these games are not regular people. In fact, they’re not even human at all. They haven’t been caught because they don’t want to be caught.”

“What do you mean?” There’s a certain tone of wariness to his voice which you have no problem picking up on.

“When is a door not a door?” You quirk a brow knowingly.

“When it’s ajar.” Comes his immediate answer.

“Exactly.” You respond.

“I don’t get it.” He shakes his head, pausing mid-step and causing you to almost run into his back due to how closely you had been following him. “What’s a riddle have to do with anything?”

“Sorry, long shot for me to think you would have understood that reference.” You chuckle. “No, just that there was a show I used to watch that had a particular season which dealt with the sort of inhuman creature these eight devils are.”

“There’s eight of them?” The surprise can only mask the fear so much.

“Yes.” You blink. “There are eight of them.”

“But what are they?” He presses.

You take a deep breath, exhaling slowly as your spine straightens. “They’re tricksters. Powerful ones at that, too. Demons who love causing misery, and tormenting those that are unfortunate enough to get caught up in their games.”

“Tricksters? You mean like Loki?” His brow furrows.

“Worse than that.” You shake your head. “From what I understand, the only way to tell them apart from other contestants is their eyes. Each of them has a specific eye colour unique to their powers and personalities. The colours designate age order, too.”

“Do you know what each of them are?” He asks, beginning to continue through the maze at the sudden jerk of your chin forward.

“If you’re asking me if I know what they look like, I do not. Except for two.” You reply honestly. “I only know a few of their names, too.”

“They have names?” His inquiry is so genuinely curious, the corner of your lips twitch upwards slightly.

It’s been a long time since you’ve remembered what that has felt like.

“Yes.” You confirm. “Everything in this world does, even those forgotten by time.”

“Then how does anyone remember them if they are forgotten?” His brow furrows once more in thought.

“You just need to know where to look.” You share a look with him, something sparking behind your eyes that he and his brothers have not seen in a long time.

“How do you know so much about them, anyways?” He asks, casually glancing at you out of the corner of his eyes.

“There was a time where I was curious about the myths surrounding these games of theirs, and why the supposed victor always came back changed in some way.” You reply, shrugging him off. “It didn’t lead me anywhere.”

The way you curl in on yourself, even the slightest bit, has him backing off for now.

Little do you know of the anger bubbling just beneath the surface of his skin for you. He knows what happened. He knows what that bitch did to you to make you stop researching so excitedly about them. Research which you have never bothered to touch again.

“Well, whatever knowledge you still possess, I’m certainly glad to be on your team with it.” He grins, eyes crinkling at the sides.

His response catches you by surprise. So much so, that you end up freezing in your tracks, blinking at him in shock. No one has ever reacted positively to knowing you’ve spent time dedicated to learning about these tricksters. No one.

“You are?” Your voice is so much more tender, the uncertainty bleeding through in the way you suddenly feel so small standing next to him.

Mingi takes a moment to look you over, a sort of softness shining within his eyes that you don’t quite understand.

“Of course I am!” His grin widens. “Any knowledge is good knowledge, especially when I don’t have the slightest clue of what’s going on. I’m counting on you.”

You smile faintly, the radiance of his own expression managing to lift your spirits the slightest bit, even given the situation you currently find yourselves in.

“Knowledge is it’s own weapon, too.” He continues. “I think a lot of people forget that sometimes. That, or they fear what someone with knowledge can become.”

Your lips twitch slightly, shoulders relaxing even just the faintest bit. “You’re right.”

“Now, come on,” he shoots you a reassuring smile before he begins trudging forwards through the maze once more. “I think I see an opening up ahead.”

[tsukiyouyuis]

Snow Light

Hi everyone:) I finally decided to post the one and only writing I did for Genshin! This was an old work I did back in January 2022 to commemorate one of my most valuable game experiences. (I started Genshin in December 2021)

Character: Diluc Ragnvindr

Pov: You = The traveler/Player self-inserted

Synopsis: You have always wanted to explore Dragonspine ever since you first arrived in Mondstadt, but the cold was too much for you to handle, unless you can go with someone who is warm enough…

Premise: Both you and Diluc are secretly having a crush on each other.

Timeline: Liyue archon quest. Post-Mondstadt archon quest + Diluc’s story quest.

Tags: SFW, fluff, confession, adventure, Diluc is sweet and caring

Please note:

This is a translated work. Please note that English is not my first language and I’ve never written a fic in English before. I tried my best for the translation and please bear with me if you find any mistakes.

No gender specific pronouns were used. However, “you” was implied to be a female at some point since it was written on my POV based on my true game experience.

The title of this work came from the song “Snow Light” by Kensho Ono (Diluc’s JP VA). For me, those lyrics are Diluc's words of confession. I put the translations at the end and you are very welcome to check out how I think Diluc confesses his love specifically in this context :)

I hope you enjoy reading this long story ^_^

After destroying another hilichurl’s camp, you suddenly feel tired of everything.

You silently put those materials into your bag and walk to the highest spot of the mountain. The sun at noon is quite dazzling and it is hurting your eyes a bit, but it does not prevent you from having a great view of the entire Liyue Harbor. No matter what happens, those bustling streets and crowds will always be there.

It has been a while since you left the city of freedom and came to this land of geo. You are having a lot of fun admiring the beautiful yet different scenery and cultural heritage. Meanwhile, you have also met a lot of weird people, which…did not really surprise you right after leaving Mondstadt. The most typical example would be the man who is accompanying you in your journey -- Zhongli, the consultant of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, who is extremely knowledgeable on almost everything, yet being totally clueless about money. Thanks to him, you always have to keep an eye on your mora to ensure that you and Paimon can still pay for your meals…

But this did not prevent you from growing interests for Liyue. In order to get to know this nation better, you have decided to do your daily commissions only here.  

You haven’t been active in Mondstadt for quite a while.  

Even so, you can easily to go back thanks to the teleport waypoints. Mondstadt is like a home for you. You know you can never actually leave there, especially after you have already crossed paths with too many people.

But there is only one main reason for you to keep going back and forth in two nations.

Every day, you would teleport back to Dawn Winery after finishing your activities. You would stroll around the statue of the seven, pick up a few windwheel asters, and look at the windmills of the city in distance. You would then go sit on the bench, enjoy the scent of grapes and wine. At the end, you would go inside the manor, and wait for the next day to begin.

The winery is open to the public all year round, but the maids and Elzer have basically acquiesced in you being there. Adelinde remembered all the books you like to read, and she would even prepare them for you beforehand. Almost every day, you would leave in the morning and come back in the evening, which made you feel like you are treating this place as a home more than the owner does.

However, you haven't seen Diluc since you worked together to resolve the stormterror issue. He seems rarely comes home. Sometimes he did come back, but you either happened to be away or have already fallen asleep in one of the guest rooms. You heard that he would occasionally work at the Angel’s Share as a bartender, so whenever you completed your commissions quickly enough, allowing you to come back earlier, you would always drop by. But only archons would know why you were unlucky enough to miss the redhead every single time. Instead, you did encounter that cavalry captain quite often. It always turned out that you were teased by him and had to ran away from the tavern with flushed cheeks.

Well known by everyone in Mondstadt, Diluc Ragnvindr is a handsome and wealthy gentleman, the highly respected young master of Dawn Winery. However, only a few know that he is also the “Darknight Hero” who protects the city every night. No matter using which identity, he will not be distracted by anything and always gets everything done perfectly. As far as you can remember, Diluc's expression has never changed dramatically, and coupled with his calm demeanor, it is not surprising if people say that he is grumpy or lacking emotion.

But that is not the case, you know it. When Paimon called him "Captain Pyro", he let out a disapproval grunt, but then acquiesced in this more nonsensical name after the tasteless title of "Darknight Hero". You spent quite a lot of time working with him during the stormterror attacks. Every night when you left the winery and said good night to him, he would look straight into your eyes and say "Alright, see you next time, I’ll make sure you get home safely." His soothing voice, his gentle tones, the tint of smile in his eyes…How can you ever forget those moments?

Yes, unknowingly, like many girls in Mondstadt, you have secretly fell in love with this prince of the dark night. Every day, you would spend quite a long time in Dawn Winery, scanning through the rows of books on the bookshelf with your fingertips, and then randomly pick one, sit down and read it carefully. Diluc is in charge of basically the entire alcohol industry in Mondstadt and probably half of Teyvat, the contents of his book collections are naturally about alcohol. You have heard from Conner saying that “Master Diluc has never read books in the winery, not even once…” But even so, your day-to-day habits have not changed, despite you don’t really understand the content by heart.

After all, this is the only way you can get close to Diluc without being able to meet him.

The dazzling sunshine pulls you out of your memories. You blink, and your eyes drift involuntarily to another direction – the direction of Dragonspine, which is the only place you haven’t explored in Mondstadt. Of course, it's not that you haven't tried, but the sheer cold was really beyond your ability to bear. Probably you will try again after you become stronger, or being able to master the pyro element, just like Diluc…

You can’t help but think of him again. Being a wielder of a pyro vision, he surely won’t be bothered by such coldness. He himself is as warm and bright as the morning sun, otherwise how can he dispel the shadow covering Mondstadt?

You sigh and open the map, trying to figure out how to kill the rest of the afternoon and hopefully, this will pull you out from all those fantasies about the redhead…

But a second later, you hear something behind you. Fear builds up in your chest instantly and you almost fall down. Thanks to the person who made the sound grabbed your arm, you did not fall off the cliff.

"I see…It seems like you are more easily to get nervous after gaining more experience."

That familiar voice makes you turn your head swiftly, and you see the face you have been thinking about all day and night. You can see the reflection of your flustered self in those ruby-like eyes.

"Oh! D-Diluc—uh, sir," you dodge his gaze, feeling the scorching heat spread from the back of your ears, "Ah...why you happen to be here?"

Diluc frowns slightly after hearing the honorific you deliberately added, but his tone is as calm as usual, "It doesn't matter where I am, right? This is nothing to be surprised about."

"But…we are in Liyue?" And on the top of a mountain with nothing but monsters and trees.

Anyone would find it strange that Master Diluc, who is dedicated to protecting Mondstadt day and night, appears in a place other than Mondstadt for no obvious reasons.

"..." Diluc freezes for a short moment, he then lets go of your arm, "This is not something you should worry about." Under your curious yet confused gaze, he slowly looks away and clears his throat, "…Please don't look at me like that."

"Ah, yes, I'm sorry!" You apologize in a panic, quickly adjusting your facial expression. But you accidentally see the blush of his ears. Before you had time to think about it, Diluc speaks again.

"There's no need to apologize.” He said, the slight embarrassment that was previously on his face is gone as if you were hallucinating, “How are you doing recently?"

"Eh? Um, well…" you are a little caught off guard, but still answer him with a smile, "I'm doing good, and I haven't been too busy with commissions recently. Thank you, Master Diluc, for your concern."

Diluc does not respond immediately, but his eyes soften, which is captured by you. A faint happiness fills your heart. You know that he is not simply being polite, but is genuinely caring about you.

"It's been a while since you and I have seen each other." After a short pause, he continued, "I heard from Adelinde that you would visit the winery every day. Did you encounter any difficulties?"

"Well...um...not really." You keep your gaze down, attempting to hide your embarrassment by fiddling with your own fingers. What are you supposed to tell him? Of course you can't just say that you want to stay at the house of your crush for… a little longer.

Diluc sighs, "It's alright if you don't want to tell me, but if you encounter any problems or have any needs, you can always come to me."

Ah, yes…He had said the same to you after the darknight hero incident. You did encounter a lot of problems when you first started your adventure, but you didn’t want to bother Diluc for such personal matters. After all, he is known as a busy person. So in the end you would always find a way to solve everything by yourself, even if you ended up getting yourself into more troubles, failing everything, or getting injured. After all, you dare not rely on others easily after parting from your sibling.

But these are actually excuses, you know that. After realizing that you had fell for Diluc, you didn’t know how to deal with your feeling, because you know it will never work out. You are an outlander, a traveler. After you find your sibling and reach the end of the journey, you will leave Teyvat, and you will leave him, probably forever.

You had tried to avoid him, thinking that in this way, your feelings would fade away as the time goes by.

But unfortunately, the effects were completely opposite. Your feelings towards him grew day by day until you couldn’t suppress them in any possible way. You couldn’t help but wanting to meet him. You want to stay with him, to talk with him, to travel with him, to rely on him…

You feel your face starts to burn as you are thinking about it, and you are so flustered that you don't know where to look. Diluc is standing right in front of you, and as you keep avoiding making eye contacts with him, your attention is caught by the vision attached to his belt. The pyro element glimmers in the glass bead, and that beautiful crimson color resembles the wielder’s eyes and hairs.

"Traveler?"

Diluc's puzzled voice is heard overhead, and you finally decide to look up and meet his eyes. At that moment, you suddenly accept the fact that no matter how hard you try to supress your feelings, it is useless, so there is no point to torture yourself like this. You already knew that it will never work out, so now you might as well follow your own inner thoughts.

"A-Actually, I have a matter that you could probably help me, Master Diluc." You try to calm yourself down, but you seem have lost your voice, "If it's possible..."

Diluc didn’t respond, and his expression stays the same, but obviously he is waiting for your next words.

"Could you…um, accompany me to Dragonspine...?"

You can’t help but to start panicking right after saying it. What if he rejects you? Once again, you find it is too hard to look him into the eyes, but it will be strange to lower your head suddenly. So you lock your eyes on the red gem on his bow tie and meanwhile, clasping your hands tightly behind your back, feeling that your palms are starting to sweat.

"Yes," Diluc agrees immediately, without even a hesitation. You look at him again in surprise, but you can see that he is confused. "But what are you going to do in Dragonspine? If you need any materials, I can find them for you directly."

"Ah, it has nothing to do with materials! It's just because I haven't really been there yet." Your respond excitedly, temporarily forgetting the shyness and embarrassment when facing Diluc. "I can’t master the pyro element at the moment, and it's just too cold there..."

Diluc looks into your shining eyes, the corners of his mouth are slightly raised, "I see, you are right. After all, you are an adventurer, and the joy of adventure always comes first."

His smile makes you lose your mind once again. Those feelings that have just been left behind came back to you in the blink of an eye.

A gentle gust of wind blows, Diluc looks at the blue sky, and you look at him. His crimson hairs is so beautiful under the sunshine, just as dazzling as the dawn.

“Let’s go.”

​

Dragonspine is still as beautiful as in your memory. The white snow covers every inch of the land, yet that’s not the only colour. The most conspicuous one is undoubtedly the red beam of the statue of the seven, which will be your destination today.

You follow Diluc silently. The sound of your boots stepping on the snow seems to be amplified many times. Even though you two had left the teleport waypoint for not even a minute, you already start to feel the sheer cold is devouring you.

"Here, take this," Diluc, who had been silent all this time, suddenly speaks. You are startled, while he hands over a red ore, "This is called the scarlet quartz, which can keep you warm temporarily."

The moment you take the scarlet quartz, it disappears as if melted by your body temperature.  You suddenly feel a nice and warm aura surrounding you.

"Wow, this is amazing!" You look at your hands in surprise, "Thank you, Master Diluc!"

"No need. The effect of the quartz can only last for a while. So if you are still cold, just let me know any time." He responds, followed by a hesitant expression.

"... Diluc,” he speaks after a brief pause, “just...call me Diluc is fine."

His words make you stop everything you were doing and thinking but only to look at him. At your first glance, Diluc's face is still as unamazed as usual, but obviously he is trying you avoid your eyes. And probably your vision is not too well due to the snow, but you are pretty sure that you see a suspicious faint blush on his cheeks. Could it be because he was just too cold as well……?

"B-But..." You stammer, feeling the heat gradually creeping up your entire face. But before you can say anything else, a group of hilichuirls, those who have ice shields in their hands, appears out of nowhere.

Immediately, Diluc gushes forward. Crimson flames burst out along with his movements. Even you, who is a distance away from the battle, can feel that extreme heat mediating from him. The moment when you come back to your senses and get ready to help, the battle is over, leaving only the melted snow and fallen materials.

You stand there awkwardly. Of course, the main reason that you invited Diluc, who masters the pyro element, to accompany you to Dragonspine was because you wanted to rely on him a little. Something like this shouldn’t be surprising, but when it actually happens, you still feel really bad about your incapability.

Diluc puts away his claymore and turns to you. And as if he had seen through your mind, his expression softens, "It’s nothing."

Seeing that you are still standing in a daze, he hesitates for a moment, and then comes closer to you. He lightly pokes your forehead with his gloved fingertips, "Come on, just take the materials, and we'll move on, okay?"

"……Thank you." You whisper your gratitude, blushing, and trying your best to let your heart calm down from his touch and his words. Diluc's voice is still as gentle and soothing as ever, making you feel like you are floating on top of the cloud. His flames seem to have lingered onto the skin touched by him, It’s not a burning heat, but a warmth that flows into your heart.

Fortunately, there are not too many enemies popping out as you two are getting closer and closer to the statue. Or maybe, all kinds of hilichuirls are buried under Diluc's flames when you are too busy enjoying the scenery or collecting materials.

You have never stayed this close to him for such a long time. His flying red hairs, flames brought out by his claymore, all perfectly complement with the whiteness of the snow. You always stare at him subconsciously and have to spend at least few seconds to bring your mind back.

He is just like a tint of fire that keeps you warm in the snow, makes you feel incredibly safe, makes you can’t feel the cold seeping into your body.

And it isn't until you hadn't been close to any fire or the minerals of the scarlet quartz for quite a while that you realized that you were already freezing.

Unfortunately, this is a bad timing. Diluc is not by your side now. He asked you to wait for him a bit and then left. You look at the surroundings, the beautiful snow you were seeing before is now somehow shrouded in a layer of dark mist.

An inexplicable fear surges into your heart like a tide. The wind is freezing cold, whistling in your ears. You tightly wrap all of your clothes around your body, but still can’t stop the biting chill from pouring into your collar. It is not that you have never felt cold before, but you still get scared after seeing your breath condensed into visible white particles floating around you.

Your vision has started to blur, and your legs seem to have lost all the strength…You are about to fall down—

The wet and cold feeling of the snow does not come as you expected. Instead, you feel soft fabrics, surrounded by a faint aroma of grapes and firewood. It is so familiar and reassuring, it is your favorite smell...

"Careful!"

You are still cold, but the fear in your heart fades away instantly, just like ice being melted by fire. And as you gradually catch your breath, you slowly open your eyes, and find yourself leaning on Diluc's chest, with him gently encircling your waist.

Oh archons, this is way too close, and he is holding you in his arms. Normally, you surely would immediately jump away, flustering like a mass and wanting to die. But now you can’t even stand properly, and your brain is just not functioning. Diluc's clothes are as cold as the surrounding environment, but strangely, his embrace is so warm, warm enough to make you, a person who is cold and longing for warmth instinctively, want to stay like this forever.

But after you recover a little bit and feeling able to stand still, the unbelievable idea of "being held by Diluc in his arms" brings you back to reality again. Diluc obviously notices the change in you. He lets go of his hand, but then immediately takes off his coat and wraps it around you, almost covering your whole body.

"I’m sorry," he looks at you, obviously worried, "I shouldn't have left you alone."

"I was just looking for a place where we can rest. I should’ve taken you with me."

You shake your head, "No…no, please don’t apologize, Master Diluc. I know you will come back." But to be honest, you almost let your fear won after realizing that you couldn’t feel any other human being but yourself in this cold, empty, and completely silent place.

"..." Diluc does not answer directly but looks at you deeply. Something is in his eyes, but you can’t really tell what it is. He then holds your hand, "...Come with me."

He takes you to a spot with cooking ware and fire, which seems to be lightened just now. The whole area is surrounded by tall rocks that block most of the wind. Almost immediately, you start to feel your hand and face again as the warmth seeping into your frozen bones. Diluc makes sure you sit down near the fire, then he started to set up the cooking pot.

You stand up again as a reflex. You’ve already done this on your own so many times, even when you were injured badly enough that you could barely move. And besides, no matter what is happening, it is still hard to let the master of Dawn Winery to cook for you.

"Sit down and rest."

His slightly commanding tone makes you unable to disobey. You can only sit down again, obediently.

While fixing your gaze on Diluc, you let yourself completely immersed into his coat. The smell of firewood mixed with the faint aroma of grapes and wine is now surrounding you once again. You take a deep breath, recalling this smell from Dawn Winery, from the vineyard, from the books he read, pages he touched… At that moment, you feel like you are at home.

You observe Diluc once again. This is the first time you see clearly what are under his coat. A black shirt with a white vest, the belt that goes from his shoulder and connected to his waist… He has such a nice shape…If you look further downwards-

You are startled by what you are doing and immediately turn your head aside, squeezing your eyes shut.

Now you are really warmed up……

After having some warm soup, you feel much better. The snow seems to be lighter than before as you two set out on the road again. You can see that red beam of light is getting closer and closer to you.

Snow falls on Diluc's hairs and shoulders. His shirt is slightly disheveled by the wind. You suddenly remember his coat is still on you.

"Master Diluc, " You speak hesitantly, about to take it off, "Um… you must be cold, I'll give this back to-"

"You can wear it." He replies, "The pyro vision can minimize the impact of the coldness on my body." He puts the coat back on you, carefully feeling your body temperature, "You need to keep warm more than I do. If you fall down again, I will be very troubled."

Thus you get the following: A redhead wearing only a shirt and vest, walking in the heavy snow, followed by a small figure wrapped in a big black coat, which does not seem too inappropriate considered you are in Dragonspine, one of the most mysterious regions in Teyvat.

Fortunately, you two successfully end up arriving in front of the statue of the seven, and the last obstacle is a layer of ancient rime piled up at the bottom. You are just about to clear it with your normal attack as usual, but before you can do it, Diluc stops you, "Wait."

"You need to have the scarlet quartz to clear them." He explains, "The subzero climate here in Dragonspine makes normal attacks useless, even with pyro elemental infusion."

"I see…" You look around, trying to find the redness in the surrounding, "There it is!"

A minute later, you come back with the effect of scarlet quartz. The rime was successfully cleared away by your charged attack. The red glowing statue makes the surroundings extremely warm. You look up at the anemo archon, memories flooding back into your mind. Venti, Dvalin, the Holy Lyre, Stormterror’s Lair, Jean, and Diluc, who is standing right behind you at this moment…

You close your eyes and stretch out your hand, the last statue of the seven in the Mondstadt area will be lightened up soon—

...

Nothing happened?

You open your eyes, confused. Normally the statue should have been lit by your touch, yet it is still glowing red at this time. You also can't feel the anemo element at all...

"As what I expected…" Diluc sighs, and you turn to face him, "It’s probably because I am here. I think that our humble anemo archon can't tolerate other people disturbing you."

"What? No, it shouldn’t, it can’t be…" You stand there helplessly, with your hand still on the statue. After months, you are finally here, and the journey to here with the accompany of Diluc is an absolute treasure to you. And now everything will go wasted?

You feel like your tears are about to fall, "…I need to go back to square one and do everything all over again…?"

"No." Diluc says, "You have already reached this point successfully, there is no need to start over."

Through the flying snowflakes, you can still clearly see him. His eyes are soft, he is smiling at you…

The snow seems to become heavy again. Diluc’s red hairs are flying in the cold wind. You are trembling slightly, but your feet can’t move as if they have rooted in the ground. You can only stand there, letting a thin layer of wind and snow separate you and him.

"I believe you can do well on your own from now on." Diluc continues, his crimson eyes met yours, and he smiles again, obvious enough for you to see it clearly, "Today's journey was quite delightful, traveler."

"Wait, Di—" You shout his name, but is blinded by the sudden strong wind. However, after only a few seconds, the wind stops, and you are facing an empty space, just like nobody was there before.

You look around anxiously, but you can’t feel any other human being. At the same time, the statue emits a dazzling blue light. The anemo element pours into your palm. You look up at this last statue in Mondstadt, but without any excitement and joy as you have imagined.

You sit down leaning against the statue and letting the wind whistling in your ears. Diluc's sudden departure gave you a feeling of waking up from a dream. However, the aroma lingering around reminds you that what happened today was not a dream. You look down at the black coat you are still wearing, those luxurious golden patterns are slightly deformed in your hands.

You didn’t even get a chance to say thank you...

Suddenly, you no longer have any interest in staying in Dragonspine, at least for today. You open the map, and in the next second you are standing under the identical statue, but at Dawn Winery.

Night has fallen. The wind gently blows your hair. Unlike the ones in Dragonspine, it feels warm.

You take off the coat and hold it in your hand, start walking towards the winery. You mind hasn’t come back yet, but your legs just automatically bring you right to the front of the manor.

"Welcome back, Miss." As soon as you enter the main entrance, you are greeted by Adelinde. Her eyes then fall on the thing in your hand, and she smiles, "Looks like you finally met Master Diluc today."

"Well, that’s true..." You reply in a low voice. You are embarrassed. During all this time, Adelinde has not only allowed you to live here, but she would even prepare the breakfast for you, send you out every morning, and welcome you back in the evening. Obviously, her attitude towards you is no longer as simple as a "guest".

You want to give the coat to the head housemaid, but she says that you can put it directly in Diluc's room.

Your eyes widen in surprise. Although you two have already known each other very well, and you have lived here for so long, you are still, well, a guest, after all. It is definitely not appropriate to go directly into the room of the master.

"Master ordered a long time ago that you, Miss, is allowed to enter any room in the winery."

Well then in that case…

Diluc's room is next to his study on the second floor. You have passed by countless times, but now you are a little nervous about going in. After a moment of hesitation, you carefully open the door.

The lights in the room have already been turned on. In addition to that comfortable king-size bed, there is also a desk that is similar to his study but without many things on top, surrounded by tall bookshelves. The curtains are half drawn, and the night outside could be seen. The luxurious furnishing of the room resembles the entire manor, but you can see the owner reserved a style exclusive for himself. A few wax-sealed letters are sitting on the desk, waiting to be mailed. You stare at Diluc's beautiful handwriting, an image of him sitting there and signing his name appears in front of you. Gosh, he must be as elegant as usual…

After looking around the room, you realize that there is only one place to leave his coat without opening the closet. You approach the bed, hands resting on those soft sheets. You don’t know if you are just tired or still too excited from having a trip with Diluc, but ever since you entered his room, there has been a warmth surrounding you, which is the same feeling he gave you when you were in Dragonspine today. It feels like he is still with you…

And he would sleep on this bed…by himself, after calling a day.

You swiftly cover your burning cheeks, "Stop! What the hell am I thinking?"

However……

Looking at those neat beddings, a sadness comes into you. On top of running a huge business that brings so much work and responsibilities, Diluc is only a young man who is not even older than you. How many nights can he sleep on this bed without being exhausted or stressed out…?

It is already very late, and he hasn't come back yet. Seems like the darknight hero is working hard again. Your feel like your eyelids are becoming heavier and heavier, and your mind is full of the redhead when your eyes are shut completely…

You don’t know how long it has passed, but you smell the aroma of grapes and firewood again. It is so close to you, and you can’t help but want to get closer, and closer... You feel like you have returned to Dragonspine, with Diluc is standing in front of you. Snowflakes are flying around, but it is not cold at all, it is warm, as if you two are the only light in the snow.

"Just…call me Diluc is fine."

You know you are dreaming, but his voice, and his eyes looking at you, are still so realistic and gentle. Your feelings flood out of your heart like a tide, and you can’t hold them back anymore—

It is very late.

Right after the clock strikes the third time, the door of the manor is opened and closed silently. The darknight hero rests wearily against the wall for a while, and then he slowly goes upstairs.

When Diluc enters the room, the first thing he sees is you, who is sleeping soundly against the bed while still holding the coat for dear life. He is startled, but then quietly comes to your side.

The redhead chuckles silently, observing your sleeping face lovingly. If ever you are awake, you would definitely suspect that the Diluc in front of you is a counterfeit as he would never make a face like this.

Diluc takes off his gloves, carefully pulls out the crumpled coat in your arms, then gently carries you and puts you into his own bed. You are asleep during the whole process, completely unaware of what is happening.

The moonlight shines through the gap in the curtains and falls on the two of you. Diluc, who is now supposed to take a shower and rest, sits down on the edge of the bed and looks at you without a word.

The Honorary Knight of the Knights of Favonius is now active in Liyue. Such a well-known fact can no longer be a part of his “intelligence network”.

He knows, as a traveler, you will never stop your journey until you reach the final destination and find your sibling. You will not stay in one place because of a person, an event, or a difficult task. Diluc himself had the same type of goal as you, and had traveled all over the seven nations alone, so he naturally understands your convictions and perseverance better than anyone else.

But it is precisely this kind of him, who has always been walking alone in the darkness, that he has unknowingly gotten used to and fell in love with the feeling of having you by his side. Only after you left Mondstadt, Diluc realized that even the most ordinary things, like seeing you around or saying goodbye to you, could make him miss you. Before being totally aware of the reason behind it, he had already started to take the initiative to obtain your information and your daily commissions.

Of course, that was very easy for him to do. But over time, this feeling of him, so called "missing you", gradually became a little more different than what he expected, and he couldn’t really tell what it is.

But it feels just like those few sporadic fire lights in the cold and heavy snow, which look so insignificant considering those random fire sources in the entire Dragonspine. However, the scorching heat those fire brought could not be ignored.

Because it is the heat that can make people alive. It is the warmth that he would love to approach and embrace. It is the light that he has been fighting to reach.

He wants to see you. He is going to see you.

Clouds are covering the moon. Diluc continues fixing his gaze on your face. His eyes are flickering slightly in the darkness. He can’t help but to get closer to you—

"…hm……"

Your suddenly let out a light hum. Diluc’s hand stops in mid-air instantly, fingertips are only half an inch away from your face, but you don’t seem to be bothered by anything and just move your body a bit, still asleep. Some vague syllables are coming out from your parted lips, but for some reason, it seemed like you are really trying to speak properly.

Diluc leans down to you, trying to hear your little sleep talks—

"...Diluc..."

Your voice is like a whisper, yet the pronunciation is so clear and accurate that it doesn't seem to be any kind of sleep talks.

Diluc’s eyes widen slightly, obviously in shock. He stares at you as if he is going to drill a hole on your face. He was not expecting you would say his name, and finally, without the title.

Meanwhile, clouds fades away in the exact right timing. Your cheeks are pink under the moonlight, but there is still no sign of you waking up.

......

"Yes."

Although Diluc knows you can’t hear him, he still responds in his most soft voice ever.

"Diluc..."

"Yes, I'm here."

His hand moves again. He strokes your cheek, eyes full of affection for you.

"......"

You unconsciously rub your chin against his skin, pressing your lips against his wrist.

"I…love you."

"......!"

Diluc looks at you in disbelief, feeling his whole body starts to tremble. Your warm breath sprayed on his skin reminds him that you did actually say that.

At this moment, all of his feelings in his heart are transformed into the same feeling that you have towards him. How silly of him kept telling himself that he was “missing you”, but it has been completely different since archon knows how long ago. The throbbing emotions in his chest seemed to have thawed the ice surrounds his heart, and that heat and love is spread all over his body.

"I love...Diluc..."

Your voice fades, and you fall into a deep sleep again after a while, but the redhead in front of you is surely not able to fall asleep today, in any case.

While attempting to control the heart that is about to jump out of his chest, Diluc kisses your forehead, this time, without any hesitation.

"Me too."

The moon is once again covered by clouds, but the light that can penetrate the coldness and illuminate the night will never disappear again.

The end.

——————————❄️———————————

「Snow Light」

—— Diluc Ragnvindr (CV: Kensho Ono)

Disclaimer: This translation is credited to this blog. I made adjustments based on my own understanding of the Japanese language, and I tried to make the lyrics sound more colloquial and complete.

The townscape of where you live is on the other side of the blurry window. It is flickering in seven colors. It is sparkling hazily.

Every time when I run in a hurry, chilled to the bone, I always want to hug you tightly.

Snow light, snow breath, snow flakes...

Right now, like that snow, my feelings towards you cannot be hidden.

They are falling and piling up for you, in a sparkling white.

It is only to you whom I want to give warmth. I want to hold you more than anything else.

Imagine us sitting close together, smiling, and I'm taking you by the hand…

I won’t let you go, I want to protect you. This brand new feeling is gradually growing upon me.

You are purely white. You are just my Snow Light.

Where you are you right now? What are the scenery in your eyes?

I wish to know more. This is the first time I’m having this thought.

My monochrome world is being repainted by you. That is like a miracle.

Snow shade, snow drop, snow dome...

Even if like that snow being melted away right now, this feeling of me will never disappear.

I just want to tell you, I’m always missing you.

Imagine us sitting close together, bashfully, I'm ascertaining your existence with my hand, while we staring at each other with sincere eyes.

I won’t let you go, my heart won’t change. My feelings toward you are never enough.

It is falling and piling up non stop, you’re just my Snow Light.

Although I can’t shine as beautifully as you, if I could become your light, that alone would make me able to overcome everything.

No matter how long the night is, I will never let you feel cold.

Surely tomorrow there will be a silvery morning light. It will be dazzling, it will be lovely...

It is only to you whom I want to give warmth. I want to hold you more than anything else.

Imagine, us sitting close together, smiling, and I'm taking you by the hand…

I won’t let you go, I want to protect you. This brand new feeling gradually growing upon me.

You are purely white. You are my Snow Light

Forever, you are just my Snow Light.

Thank you for reading.

[bookishtheaterlover7]

Random anon here, we’ll to those who are mad at Chris, let me ask you all, what should he have done?

It’s easy to say not gotten into This mess, duh, but he’s in it and deep in it.

It’s easy on the outside looking in to say just leave but umm like the marketing anon stated….it’s a business and one thing you don’t fuck with is people’s money especially those with more power and influence than you.

See I’m not making any excuses for Chris but I see people ragging on him but never stopping to realize we don’t have the full scope of this, huge missing pieces are left out and many are inserting their opinions and speculation as facts.

Be mad sure, but had Chris said no who’s to say this man wouldn’t have ended up blacklisted, lost everything he’s worked for etc. also he’s human and the pandemic scared at lot of people, even Scott stated Chris was worried about money during a podcast in 2020, Scott laughed but I never forgot that. Pr is easy money I’m sure. Things start out looking simple and then go left, again it’s easy to say well he would have said no, at least he’d had his integrity and morals, okay…..but if he ends up on a where are they now and homeless, severe drug addiction or mental issues due to losing everything then what.

My point is we don’t know shit and it’s easy to act like we do. Chris isn’t an idiot so I assume there’s more to this and he’s stuck because no way in hell things would be playing out the way they have nor would he be looking like a shell of his former self if he had power to end this or if this were real.

He’s human, be mad but don’t act like you haven’t ever fucked up in life either. I hate the high and mighty bullshit posts from people over shit you have no knowledge of.

Hollywood is a fucked up place and let me drop a bomb on you all, majority of the shit people sit online discussing is purposely created to keep people engaged from random headlines to bs from tv shows, news stories, movies, celeb drama, we’re all entangled in the web.

Example: Marketing is creating a story about two celebs fighting or dating and in reality the celebs never met but the rumor is now out there and they test to see the reactions.

Many feel Chris image is fake due to this mess but was it? I’m sure he would have revealed himself years before this mess if this was who he truly is.

Use your brains people, don’t fall for bullshit and don’t waste time fussing and cursing Chris everyday because you think this is some simple PR stunt he chose to do or that he’s actually with her.

Truth always come to light so don’t take anything personal and sit back and just watch until it all explodes. Lies can only last so long. 💅

An🫶n, you make an excellent point. And I wholeheartedly agree with you.

Chris may be a celebrity, but he's also a guy who needs to keep money flowing in order to live.

A big possibility, purely speculation, but the PR contract must have been tied to a lot of money. Money that post pandemic, he definitely needs. So, he's selling this, failing, but selling to get the check. And as shallow as that is, he definitely needs the money like any other grown up with bills.

So, let's cut Chris a little slack. And let's not wish him harm, because I heard from the grapevine that someone in the Fandom has wished him harm.

Not naming names. But that's fucked up, and you're no better than the people on the other side, whoever you are.

As for the fans that only want the best for Chris, let's ride the waves, hang in there, and continue to call 'em out! Or ignore certain tantrum-like antics. Whatever the occasion calls for 😌

[candyriku]

Working on my ice skating AU, here's a lil preview (this is like the start of chapter 2). I know it's sacrilege to have Sora and Riku be estranged in any way, but in this AU they ARE, okay. I felt like writing about them being messy and emotionally damaged people so here is Riku being messy (and plenty of Sora being messy will follow) :-)

“Are you serious?” Riku demands, his voice coming across more aggressively than he means it. “Skate with him?”

Aqua looks from Riku to Sora and frowns. “Do you know him? Is there some kind of issue?”

Does he know Sora? Of course he does. They were childhood friends, then something more, then nothing at all. But he can’t tell Aqua that, nor does he want to relive the last time he saw Sora, his trembling hands in his hair, their lips brushing together before Sora made a hasty retreat and disappeared from his life entirely. 

Sora’s eyes haven’t left his shoes. “It’s okay if you don’t want to…” he ventures, and somehow this makes Riku feel even worse. Sora is giving him an out, and he can't stand it. He wants to hate Sora for it, but it feels more and more like he hates himself. He should have never kissed Sora in the first place. He deserves the two years of silence he’s endured ever since.

“Look, Riku, I’ll say it one last time in case it’s not getting through that thick skull of yours. Either skate pairs, ice dance - which also requires a partner, or drop the sport entirely. If you want to do anything outside of those three options, I won’t coach you. And although it’s your decision, if you keep skating solo, I hope you know you're digging your own grave.”

“Fine,” Riku snaps, looking away from Sora. “I’ll try skating with him. But we both know he’ll only slow me down. This will end my career and yours.” He’s being unfair and he knows it, but the idea of Aqua deciding his future for him feels unbearable. Shouldn’t it be up to him? Yes, he’s injured, but injuries heal. He shouldn’t have to adjust his entire life because of one tiny stress fracture. 

“Sora won’t slow you down. He’s just as skilled as you are.” Aqua says firmly, crossing her arms.

Riku wants to argue, but he’s spent most of his life in the same rink as Sora and knows it’s true. Still, skating solo is something Riku doesn’t want taken from him. It’s his escape, his time for himself, his form of self-expression. Having another person - even if it’s Sora - encroach on that feels wrong. Figure skating is a sport about the performer and the performer alone. It’s his own personal artform. To share it is to lose his identity as a skater altogether. 

“I don’t skate with social media showboats” he spits. This, too, is unfair, and he only knows of Sora’s popularity online because he’s pathetically kept up with him after Sora moved away, forever watching videos of him skate with a mixture of longing and nausea. Sora skates expressively, beautifully, in a way Riku himself can’t quite replicate, because Sora has always been the better of the two of them when it comes to self-expression. Riku is just a miserable person pretending to be something he’s not. At least Sora is authentically himself all the time, even online. 

Everything in Riku’s brain tells him to stop making such a scene and just accept this new paradigm. But his heart aches with loss - loss of his solo career, loss of his dignity, loss of his autonomy, loss of this world he’s built for himself where he can pretend he never fell disastrously in love with his childhood best friend. He freezes when he sees the expression on Sora’s face. 

“I just post for fun,” Sora says softly, biting his lip. “I’ll stop posting while we're training, if that'll make you feel-”

“It’s fine,” Riku says. “Do what you want. It doesn’t concern me.”

[lovemesomechenford]

Starting Forever Now

Summary: Tim and Lucy got married. This is the story of how Mid Wilshire finds out they were dating in the first place. 

Author’s note: This is the first fic I’ve ever written in my life. I got introduced and then addicted to exclusively reading Chenford AO3 and Tumblr blogs a year ago, and haven’t stopped reading since. I’ve had so many ideas and definitely offered up some prompts from time to time for other writers, but this is my firstborn. I thought of her (I guess it’s a her lol) in the shower early today and haven’t been able to put the idea down. I really hope y’all love reading the fic as much as I loved writing her. I decided not to beta her, so any advice on my writing is greatly appreciated. Kudos and comments are always welcomed as well. 

Also posted on AO3: here!

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

Lucy goes into Adam Watch Commander Sergeant Grey’s office to request for a bunch of forms, including change of address, notification of a inter-departmental relationship, update on dependents, and change of badge name. Sgt Grey is hesitant and downright confused because last he heard, Lucy had broken up with ADA Sanford. Not sure why she would need any of these forms, especially since she’s single? Just then, a knock on his glass office door breaks him away from his thoughts. Looking up, he sees that it’s his Roaming Field Sergeant and longtime friend, Tim Bradford. Waving him in, Wade asks Tim if he knows anything about Lucy’s name change. 

“Sergeant Bradford, Officer Chen was just telling me about needing a name change. Know anything about that?” Grey asks with a raised brow.

Tim and Lucy turn their heads to look at each other and smile softly before turning back to the Watch Commander. “Yes, sir.” 

“And???” The older man waits.

“We got married—” “It’s Bradford—” They offer simultaneously. “Sir.” 

“Oh. ” Before Grey can continue, he is interrupted by Lucy who is eager to explain. 

“Sir, I can assure you nothing happened while Tim, Sergeant Bradford, was training me. Or when I was his aide. This change in our relationship is… recent.” The younger officer offers with a blush on her face. 

“Oh?” His intrigue is peaked. “How recent?”

“I asked Lucy out on a date while you were in New York with Luna two weeks ago.” Tim pauses before saying, “and we had our first date the night after her first shift as a Detective Trainee.” 

“And the name change and address change is for… ?” 

“We got married on Monday.” Tim declares as he turns to look at Lucy with a marshmallow smile on his face. 

Sergeant Grey can’t help but look a little stunned. 

“Wow.” Sergeant Grey clasps his hands and walks towards the newlyweds to shake their hands, “Congratulations are in order! Although I have to say, that is a very fast turnaround. You’ll both definitely need to fill out a bunch of disclosure forms. HR and IA will both be in contact to ensure nothing improper occurred, but it shouldn’t be too much of an issue seeing as how Detective Trainee Bradford is no longer under your command Sergeant Bradford.”

“Thank you, sir.” Both beam. Once Tim and Lucy have shaken Sgt Grey’s hand, their hands hands drop to their sides and find each other to intertwine.  

“Lucy, you need to update your dependents?”

“Yes sir, I do.” Lucy replied.

“Me too, please.” Tim added.

“If I can ask, who are you both adding?” 

“Tamara, sir.” Lucy says before continuing, “We legally adopted her on Monday. We want to add our daughter as a beneficiary and emergency contact. Just in case. That way she is protected should anything happen to either or both of us on the job.” 

“I understand. Luna and I love her - she is such a smart bright young lady. Congrats you two on your first addition to the family.” 

“Thank you, Wade.” Tim says bashfully. “We love her very much.”

Sergeant Grey pulls out a file from his top drawer and grabs a few other forms from his filing cabinet. 

“Okay, just complete those forms and get them back to me by next shift. HR and IA will probably reach out by end of week.”

Tim takes the pile of papers from the Watch Commander and opens the file jacket to find that the disclosure form is nearly complete, only missing their signatures and some dates. “Sir?”

Grey chuckles and crosses his arms. “I’ve been waiting for two years now for you and Ch- Bradford to start dating and disclose. I saw it coming from miles away. The two of you seemed to have that spark from the get-go and Tim here has been smiling a lot since Lucy joined Mid-Wilshire. Never thought you would go get hitched so quickly though.”

Lucy bashfully tilts her head downward in slight embarrassment. Her left hand, however, remains grasping Tim’s right. 

“When you know your forever is staring right at you, why wait another day?” Tim says, looking down at his blushing wife. Lucy raises her head to gaze lovingly at her husband. 

“Alright then. Congrats again. Dismissed.” 

~~ MEANWHILE ~~

“Hey Angela! Have you seen Momford?” Tamara asks cheerfully as she walks towards Detective Angela Lopez in the bull pen at Mid Wilshire. 

“Momford?”

“Yeah, Lucy? She texted saying she’s working in the precinct today and asked if we wanted to grab lunch at the food trucks. Have you seen her around?”

Lucy Chen was offered the Detective Trainee post by Detective Sergeant Caradine last week after providing valuable input on a bunch of open cases. She was stunned at first but eagerly accepted. It was a huge boost for her career. To no one’s surprise, she was thriving in the position. She brought a fresh air to the D’s Desk, and everyone loved and respected her - even veteran detectives listened when she spoke. 

“Uhh I think she just went to see Sgt Grey.”

“Okay! Do you mind if I wait with you?”

“Not at all, kiddo” Angela responded, wrapping her in a side hug. “I do have a question though…” 

Angela is so confused. Momford? Since when did Tamara call Lucy “mom”? She starts to ask the younger woman about it. 

Tamara’s been calling Lucy “mom” to her friends for a long time now but only recently said it directly to Lucy herself. Lucy’s been someone she looked up to and felt protected and loved, especially after her so-called former friend killed their other friend. As Tamara continues to explain, it suddenly strikes Angela that the second half of the name is “-ford”. As in Brad-ford? TIM BRADFORD?!?!?! WHAT THE HECK?! 

Angela’s clearly been in her head for a bit longer than she realizes because Tamara is looking at her like she’s suddenly grown two heads. 

“Wait hold up, Tamara. The “mom” makes sense and is super sweet but why do you call her Momford? Why not Momchen or something? Lucy’s last name is Chen after all.” Angela inquired as she sipped her coffee. 

“Um no it’s not.” Tamara answers exasperated.

Angela chokes on her drink and it comes sputtering out of her mouth. Tamara hands her the box of Kleenex on her desk.

“What?! What do you mean? Since when? What the hell is it?”

“Like two days ago? What’s the big deal? Did they not tell you guys?” 

Two days ago… so Monday. Chen was off the last couple days and decided to change her last name. Huh weird. Angela thought. 

“… they? Who’s they? And you didn’t answer my other question.”

“Yeah, Tim and Lucy.” 

“Tim and Lucy.” Angela repeated. Tamara hesitantly nods her head a few times. “Why would Tim and Lucy need to tell me about Lucy’s name change?”

“Because they changed mine too?”

“To what?”

“Bradford!” Tamara says matter-of-factly. She’s beaming. 

“Did they seriously not tell anyone yet? I honestly thought dad would’ve at least told you about it by now.” 

“Dad.”

“Yeah, dad. Tim and Lucy finalized my adoption on Monday at the courthouse. It was super easy since I’m already 18 years old and they’re married.” 

Angela blinks her eyes in rapid succession. Adoption. Married. It’s all a lot to process. 

“Married?” Angela’s jaws are on the ground and Tamara just snickers.

Angela knew Tim had feelings for Lucy ever since the Vegas undercover operation. He danced around the question then but his behaviour told her all she needed to know. She’s not blind! She’s a detective and his best friend! Angela always knew there was something different with Tim and his former rookie Lucy. She had known it ever since Lucy was kidnapped and Tim had called for her help. "I need you." The grave tone in which he had said that sentence stuck with her. Angela suspected the frantic way Tim needed Lucy alive was not only due to guilt. Maybe he hadn’t realized it yet, and maybe it wasn’t romantically, but Lucy was important for him. She had watched them throughout the two last years and logged each little interaction but never approached either of them to address it. Angela had witnessed the faint brush of hands, the soft smiles and the general lack of personal space. She figured they just hadn’t pulled their heads out of their asses yet. Her best friend never told her they started dating, let alone got MARRIED? NO FREAKING WAY. HE IS SO DEAD.

Angela’s inner monologue is interrupted when Tamara spots her Momford and Dadford.

“Oh! Looks like they’re coming out of Grey’s office! I’ll see you later Angela, bye!” Tamara runs off towards the Watch Commander’s office.

Angela turns around and sure enough, Tim is opening the door for Lucy and following her out of it. Once they do, Tamara bulldozes the two into a hug. Tim and Lucy are laughing as they greet the girl. Sergeant Grey is in his office shaking his head and smiling.

Neither Tim or Lucy have noticed her so Angela continues to watch them as they slowly make their way towards the front doors. Tamara’s walking half-backwards and going off about something enthusiastically. Her hands are waving about the same way Lucy does when she gets excited. Tim’s grinning like Angela’s never seen him do and wraps his right arm around Lucy’s shoulder as they pass the stairs. It’s unexpected for Angela because Tim has never been the type to show physical affection at work. He’s always been very church and state about it. No personal talk in the shop or during work hours. Lucy gazes up at him, flashes her blinding smile and leans in as much as her duty belt will allow.

“YO BRADFORDS!” Angela yells across the bull pen, attracting the attention of the few cops around her and walking past.

Lucy and Tamara respond a little slower than Tim, but all three of them stop in their step to look towards the beckoning voice. Tim has one eyebrow raised with a knowing smirk, Lucy is blushing pink and Tamara is still beaming. 

“Congrats on finally becoming a family! You idiots are coming over for dinner!” 

Their audience bursts into hollers and applause as the newly appointed Bradfords simply nod their heads and continue towards the front doors.

[0verc00ked-simp]

So I just finished the third season for the first time last night (I know, I know, I have no excuse for holding off this long) and I have. Some thoughts. Spoilers, obviously.

First of all, it really wasn’t as bad as I was expecting from the way people talk about it, but I have my issues I wanna talk about.

Allison. They took all the parts of Victor I hated in season one and shoved them onto her in this season. Now don’t get me wrong, at first I was excited to see her get her much-deserved snap after all the trauma she’s endured but… They did it so wrong. I see no point mentioning the Luther scene as I’m sure we all share the same opinion on how that was a terrible mishandling of her but the thing that gets me is the fact that she made a deal with Reggie, and when that deal led to the death of Luther and Klaus, she still didn’t back out until she herself was injured. What??? Like, no, as soon as Luther died, that should have been the point that the Allison I know would have been like “ok, nvm, losing more people isn’t worth this”. But whatever,,,

Also, the romance with Luther and Sloane was so rushed and forced, Don’t get me wrong, I honestly thought they were cute together and Luther deserves to move on from the incest… even though this isn’t much better… but jesus. Also, did it have to be another alternate sibling of his? Really??? They couldn’t have given him a love interest that didn’t share a father with him? Its better than Allison who he literally grew up with and refers to as his sister, but this woman is also basically his sister. And they got married after like five-ish days of knowing each other, chill.

I haven’t decided how I feel about Lila and Diego’s kid yet. I don’t like pregnancy arcs but I wouldn’t mind seeing those two happy and settled for once in their damn lives. I dunno. I am neutral so far.

Five was deffo chiller in this season, people are right about that one. He had his moments of course, but I was sort of surprised by how much of a back burner they put him on this season. He’s typically they’re main blorbo. I didn’t really have any issues with him or anything, just wished he had more to do.

Well…

There is one issue.

The last episode ended with them all losing their powers, which included Luther no longer being part ape. This is fine and I think it will lead to some interesting plot next season, but why is Five still a child? I think they could justify it in some senses, but if you ask me, he should have either reverted back to being in his fifties, or he should have finally been in his thirties with the rest of his siblings. I’m sure they just didn’t want anyone but Aidan to play him (rightfully so) but Aidan is 20 now, they could have pulled something off. It’s not like they’re trying to make an actual 13 year old appear to be in his 30 or something.

If they’re keeping him as a kid, though, I want to see that have an effect. I want to see him regress and slowly start becoming more and more of an actual teenager. (In all honesty, could just be me, but it kinda feels like that’s been happening a little bit anyhow.) Also I saw another post talking about him being in school dealing with people who are actually teenagers and I really think that would be so funny, please make the state force him to attend public high school.

This has been my random thoughts after finishing the season, if you disagree with me, that’s totally fine, they’re more just the thoughts I had late at night after being sick kept me up. Looking forward to the new season. It got confirmed to come out next year, although we still have no idea when.

Hang in there people, it will be here soon.

[thisaintascenereviews]

The Record Exchange: Episode 1

One of my favorite things to do, especially with friends, is talk about music. We all have them, right? Well, friends, or friends that love music. You’re either that friend, or you know someone that is that friend. I’m that friend, for sure. I love music, and have for the last couple decades, and throughout that time, my knowledge within music has grown considerably, but so has my curiosity about new music. I love discovering new music, regardless of what it is, and one of the best things is when you find another person who’s also a huge music fan, let alone someone that enjoys a lot of the same stuff you do. It’s even better when you have something to work off of, versus just agreeing or disagreeing. What good would conversation about music be if you didn’t have anything to talk about, or you just agreed with each other. There’s also something to be said about enjoying the same kind of music as someone, but also being able to debate and have a conversation, and not completely agree or fanboy about everything. Hell, it’s great when you can recommend music to someone that may or may not be out of their comfort zone, and they check it out. Whether they like it or not is a different story (and it’s okay if they don’t), but a lot of people don’t listen to or care about stuff that’s recommended to them. That’s where my buddy @jakeh2987 comes in, however; we’ve been friends for over a decade now, and in that time, we’ve introduced each other to a lot of music. Some of it we’ve liked, and some of it we haven’t, but that’s okay. In that time, we have talked about a lot of the music we’ve recommended to each other, and I had the idea recently to make that into a series. At least a periodic show, anyway, so welcome to The Record Exchange, in which we pick an album, regardless of genre or artist, and we have each other listen to them and then we talk about it.

For the inaugural episode, we’re going to talk about metalcore, well, sort of. Metalcore is a genre that I know very well, as I’ve been a fan for years, but the genre has been doing a lot of cool stuff lately (at least within the last few years). For every band that wants to stay the same, and wants to make the same generic albums, there are bands who are moving the genre forward, and today we wanted to talk about a couple of those. It all started because we were talking about the band Issues, and how they released a new song before their final shows, and we talked about how Issues was a band that was very ahead of their time, and in some degree, they helped to usher in the new wave of bands who bring new perspectives and ideas to the genre. In their case, they brought funk, R&B, and pop music to metalcore. Because of that, we talked about other bands that have been doing similar things, at least bringing new kinds of music into metalcore, as well as hard-rock, because some of these bands can qualify as both metalcore and hard-rock, depending on who you talk to. Rock music, as a whole, is in a state of flux, because it doesn’t know what it wants to do or what it wants to do, but there are a few bands moving the genre forward, and two of those bands we’ll be talking about today, as well as what they mean for the genre and what the future of the genre could be. Since Jake is the guest here, let’s start with the album that I recommended he listen to.

Bring Me The Horizon- Post-Human: Survival Horror

Ever since I first heard Linkin Park’s Hybrid Theory at some point in middle school, I’ve been a pretty big fan of the hard-rock/alternative metal scene. Bands such as Three Days Grace (at least, before Adam Gontier left the band), Breaking Benjamin, and Chevelle, to name a few examples, shaped what I like to call the first “phase” of my music tastes, and I still enjoy a lot of that music today. But, if I’m being honest, while a lot of them are still kicking around, it’s been a really long time since I listened to something from those bands and came away really blown away or impacted in a way beyond “Hey, that was pretty good!” As I was writing this, I decided to sit down and revisit some of the most recent releases from the bands of that era, and the main recurring theme I kept running into was that they sounded exactly the same way they did 20 years ago when this sound was in its prime. To put this into perspective, put Three Days Grace’s One-X from 2006, an album that I still love a lot, next to Saint Asonia (Adam Gontier’s current band) and their most recent album from 2019, and Gontier’s basically doing the same thing he’s been doing for his entire career. For a lot of artists, that’s totally okay! You can get away with sticking to what you do best, and even in Gontier’s case, I’m not expecting him to be an especially progressive artist in terms of sound, but I feel like this case is a perfect microcosm of the whole genre; it’s just gotten safe and predictable, and I haven’t truly fell in love with an album from that scene in going on 10 years now.

In comes Bring Me The Horizon, undoubtedly one of the biggest bands in the world right now, and arguably one of the most important. When Bradley recommended their most recent album/EP (it’s not entirely clear what it’s officially classified as, nor does it ultimately matter), Post-Human: Survival Horror, for our first “episode” of this new recurring series we’re trying out, I was really excited. BMTH was a band I was always fascinated by from afar, but ultimately kinda brushed off. However, I have been taking a little more notice of them recently as they’ve dropped singles for their upcoming second part of this Post-Human project, called Next Gen. Bring Me started out as a primarily deathcore band, but other the years, they’ve shifted into more of a metalcore band, and then starting with 2013’s Sempiternal, but really going all in on it with 2015’s That’s The Spirit, they really embraced a more accessible and catchy alt metal/hard-rock sound. This was an interesting evolution for them, because while it might seem predictable for a metalcore band to venture into more of a standard rock sound now, they were one of the first in the scene to do it and have any real success with it. After that came Amo, which is a bit more of a divisive album, but one that really solidified Bring Me as a band who were willing to throw genre conventions out the window and incorporate whatever other genres they wanted into their sound, while also still sounding like them. And that’s what Post-Human: Survival Horror does really well; it’s an album that both feels all over the place in terms of sounds and influences, but is still very rooted in the band’s hard-rock/alternative metal style they’ve been perfecting over the decade since Sempiternal released. And for me, coming up in the hard-rock scene but feeling rather disillusioned with it as of late, Bring Me The Horizon has been such a breath of fresh air. I love that this album can have these rather heavier moments followed by parts that wouldn’t feel out of place in a modern pop song, sometimes within the same song. The song “Ludens” I think is a perfect showcase of this album and what Bring Me is all about, it’s a blend of pop and hard-rock and even has a really cool breakdown, but it all works. And it’s just exciting me as a fan of the genre to see a band really experiment and do new things and not really care about sounding exactly like radio rock did in 2006. Not to mention, where else are you gonna get Babymetal and Yungblud on the same album as guest features?

I’m so happy Bradley recommended this album to me, especially as we’re on the heels of the next step in this journey for the band. All the singles they’ve been dropping over the last year have been really cool, so Next Gen has the potential to be even better.

If there is one band that’s really moving rock and metal forward, it’s Bring Me The Horizon. As Jake said, they’re a breath of fresh air, because of how they’re taking multiple sounds from multiple genres and putting them into rock and metalcore. A lot of bands in this vein today want to sound like they have for the past 20 years, and while nostalgia sells, progression is also important. I’ve been a fan of BMTH for years, even in their earliest incarnation as a deathcore band, but their change as a band has given me mixed reactions; I used to not be crazy about their change in sound, but I’ve really grown to love it, especially 2019’s Amo, where they took electronic and pop music and made it their own. Other bands have been popping up, too, and it’s very refreshing to see a lot of these bands coming out of the woodwork.

The Home Team - Slow Bloom

One such band is The Home Team, and their second album, Slow Bloom. This is the record that Jake recommended to me, and I’ve surprisingly heard of this band before. I listened to Slow Bloom a couple of years ago after hearing about them through seeing their videos on TikTok, and I got really excited about them, because they were a really unique band. This band takes pop-punk, djent, and R&B but makes it their own. Slow Bloom is an album with an ironic title, because this album isn’t slow with how much time it takes to bloom. Hell, these guys have one of the most fresh and unique sounds I’ve heard in awhile; they take the best parts of each of these genres and combine them together. The impressive vocals of R&B in the form of Brian Butcher, the catchy melodies of pop-punk, and the groovy guitar tones of djent / metalcore are all here, and they’re perfect ingredients. In fact, the first song I ever heard from them, “Watching All Your Friends Get Rich,” is a great example of this. Songs like “Right Through Me,” “Who Do You Know Here,” or “Sail” are great examples, too, but Brian Butcher is one of the best vocalists of the alternative scene right now. He’s been filling in for Issues on their farewell run of shows, and for good reason. Not too many vocalists can match that, or have the same talent that he does, but this band is going to be one to watch. This band isn’t only so talented because of their vocalist, but the rest of the band is talented, too, and it’s the musicianship that makes this band for me. I love the combination of the djenty guitars with the pop-punk melodies, because it gives me the best of both worlds — catchy hooks and heavy guitarwork. This is a cool band for people that want something a little heavier, but also don’t want screaming or breakdowns. These guys aren’t “heavy” in the sense that they’re brutal, or whatever, but they have that heavier tone, and it works for them. That also works for them, too, because what it means to be a metalcore band is being vastly rewritten by bands like Issues, Bad Omens, Beartooth, Bring Me The Horizon, and The Home Team who are utilizing more outside influence.

Talking about these albums made me think a lot about metalcore as a whole, and hard-rock, too, because rock music is in a weird state right now. You have people one side of the fence saying the genre is dead, and that there are no popular rock bands (at least ones worth caring about), and those are the most vocal people of the bunch, but on the other side of the fence, there are bands like BMTH and Issues that are redefining what rock can be. A lot of bands, especially ones that Jake mentioned, are fine with staying stagnant, and I guess there’s nothing wrong with it if that’s what you’re looking for, but there’s also nothing wrong with progression and moving forward. A lot of these bands mean something for the future of the genre, whether it’s for rock or metalcore. Both Bring Me The Horizon and The Home Team give me hope for the genre moving forward, because they have a lot to offer, and there are plenty of other bands out there that offer something new or interesting for the genre, so rock and metal are in a very exciting place at the moment.

That’ll do it for the first episode of The Record Exchange! We plan on doing this periodically, or at least whenever we have something to recommend each other, but I had this idea to start a conversation about two different albums, or at least in this case, two albums that are different yet oddly similar, especially for being in the same scene. Metalcore is a genre that I have a lot of love for, considering it’s one of the first genres I got into, and I like seeing the genre finally evolve, so I’m glad we were able to talk about a lot of albums and bands in that scene that are doing some cool things.

[parkerflix]

-ANNOUNCEMENT PLEASE READ!

Hello! I know that this post is a long time coming, i keep hinting towards it but have yet to actually make it. (yes i am currently writing this at work- anyways). I kinda wanted to be transparent with everyone about everything and have a few things to address. I’ll mkae them bullet points so feel free to ignore the parts you really don’t care about. Okay enough of me rambling.

The layout of the blog

As you can see, the blog looks a little different ? why is that? Well, i’ve kinda decided i was tired of how things looked and i wanted to do something different. I’ve been active on this blog for going onto 3 years, and i’ve changed the layout very little. It’s time to try something new & also try different writing!

Kpop content

With you trying different writing, what does this mean for your kpop content? I will continue to write for kpop and the fandoms i currently write for, but i will not be branching out from those two fandoms. Quite honestly. Kpop writing just doesn’t bring me joy as much as it used to and the engagement i get varies as to what member i post which honestly just doesn’t motivate me. I also don’t get a lot of feedback or engagement currently, and its unmotivating. With this being said, my current fics as of this time ( starstruck & about love) are currently on two different routes. Starstruck is currently in it’s final chapters and im hoping and aiming for a release of all the chapters all at once. I’ll be able to distinguish that at a later date.

About love

About love has been my work for almost 2 years now. I’ve learned a lot about my writing since then, and how to manage plot lines. That being said, about love will be on a permanent hiatus for the foreseeable future. Why is this? Well once again engagement comes into play, along with the fact that where i wanted the story to go and where it was going just wasn’t happening. I am planning on revamping it, making the story more clearer & what i want it to say, and really sticking to it. Hopefully it’ll still be a smau, but for now, until i can plan it all out and really focus on it, it’s going to be on hiatus. I’ll be unlinking it from my nav fairly soon after this post goes up.

Other writing

I want to venture into other fandoms that aren’t kpop and make my side blogs more for reblogs & fic recs, and to be able to write what i want and enjoy my writing. There are fics that i’ve posted within the last year, that have been published for kpop, but when writing them i envisioned with either a different person or a different character. It’s something that i’ve been thinking about for a while, so i’m hoping that it’ll be interesting to those who are only here for kpop writing!

Posting

If you haven’t noticed, my posting schedule has gotten a bit… lacking for a while. I started a new job in june of last year, and it’s been a little hectic at my job. I work anywhere from 30-36 hours a week, and my days currently consist of (mostly) 3 12 hour shifts. I’m also responsible for a lot of things at work, so I keep busy most of the time. When i’m not busy, i’m supposed to be working on work stuff (this is being written with timings in consideration of not getting caught) and so most of my day goes there. My normal schedule i work 5 out of the 6 days we are open, and i’m here 6 hours each day ( there go my nights). Why am i explaining all of this? Well i typically write during the night and with my hectic work schedule also comes my school schedule. Recently i’ve been having trouble even working on school just because work takes up so much of my time. I’ve also had a LOT of personal issues within my life, outside of tumblr & work that has taken up mentally space & my time. I’m trying to get back into the rhythm of things and have a normal posting schedule for the fics that i am tying up, but for the foreseeable future, that will also be a compromise.

TDLR:

the blog will change but i won’t stop writing kpop it’s just not going to be kpop writing on here though, i will be changing my user & updating my links but that takes time so please bare w/ me while i do. about love is on permanent hiatus & updates are slow for everything else. I know this post is long and redundant, and you probably don’t care, but i felt it was better to explain & be honest about my writings. I’m grateful for those who follow me, keep up with my fics, and just support me. Thank you! Okay this was long & i need to do my closing tasks for the night! xxx

[ninjago-bingo]

Final Recap!

Welcome, everyone, to the final recap of Ninbingo Round Two!  It’s been awesome having you all this year, and I hope you’ve all had a good time :D

There may or may not be another ninbingo next year; I’m planning on maybe hosting a different event in the first half and so I might be event-ed out :D  However, if you enjoyed (or not! all feedback is good feedback!) would you consider dropping your thoughts either in the askbox or this form?  It would really be appreciated.

Our bingo achievers for this round were @21st-century-ninja @ace-of-spaces @emisnt2; you can view all their works (and everyone else’s) here!  Super epic congrats to everyone, but them specifically for their dedication!

Lastly, if there’s any late straggler submissions over the weekend, then just tag me in them and I’ll update this post :D Thank you again, everybody, and have a great rest of the year!

Art (low res, click the link to go to the original post):

Change and fate by @sebilini

cw: blood

“DAD!”

Lloyd, the Green Ninja.

Lloyd, the one chosen by Fate.

Lloyd, the one who has to see his beloved father undergo a painful, tragic transformation.

His father is being possessed by the Overlord.

His father is in pain, in agony, he is screaming in anguish.

And Lloyd, the Green Ninja, is destined to defeat this father of his.

It hurts. His stomach feels sick, he wants to run to his dad and hug him, tell him it’s okay, that he’s there for him. But he can’t.

It’s Lloyd destiny to defeat his dad. Perhaps it means killing him.

Tears are streaming both of their faces.

Ghost and regret by @/sebilini

cw: death

In a dark cave Morro, the master of wind, has died. He looks down on his dead body and feels nauseating, burning, choking regret. He could have had family. He could have been loved. His regret turns into anger and hatred. He will have revenge on those who caused this.

Rough-housing by @kaiyc-arts

so basically Kai and Lloyd consistently fight over snickerdoodles (its a sibling thing)

Small and never by @ninjago4life

Fic:

_IN_A_O_ by @ninjago-happens-here.  tumblr || ao3 || prompt: games

Ninjago Singapore

Awfully similar names, wouldn't you agree?

This is a slice of life fic set in a less American Ninjago, where walmarts and targets are instead fair price and cold storage.

"don't age just yet" "I'm not!" by @master-of-fluff.  tumblr || ao3 || prompts: secret and smile

The ninja throw Lloyd a surprise birthday ft. Waffles, a scavenger hunt, and siblings being siblings

got a crown on my head by @21st-century-ninja.  tumblr || ao3 || prompt: hugs

The ritual was to bring back the evil part of his father, the oni part, and so Harumi drew on the darkness that lay latent in his bloodline and dragged it into the open.

Lloyd grips the edge of the bathroom counter, trying to calm his heartbeat. The ritual is over. They stopped the ritual in time, and Harumi’s being carted off to prison, and the ritual is over so why haven’t the horns gone away?

or:

Lloyd looks like a monster. At one point, Cole did too.

Reference Letters by @/21st-century-ninja.  tumblr || ao3 || prompts: reveal and confrontation

Kai thinks about what Lloyd said at the beginning of their conversation. How many people have pretended to be this kid’s friend, only to stab him in the back? He doesn’t have anyone.

And, well, Kai happens to have a friend group dedicated to hating Garmadon anyway, so there’s only one natural conclusion to be drawn here.

Lloyd needs to join the Secret Ninja team.

or:

tasked by Green to find new recruits for the team, Kai finds his eye drawn back over and over again to one particular person. Now if only Green would get over whatever issue he has with Lloyd Garmadon joining.

The Act of Giving by @unknownuncut.  tumblr || ao3 || prompt: hugs

Jay really needs to think before he acts.

The Candlestick and the Electric Bat by @frozensoapbubble.  tumblr || ao3 || prompt: laughter

Kai and Jay are fooling around with their newly discovered elemental powers: a pre-season 1 ficlet.

What It Means To Come Home by @/unknownuncut.  tumblr || ao3 || prompt: bonds

Just like Alice, Zane falls down the rabbit hole.

@weekend-whip @k1ngtok1 @crappy-coffee @morro-owo @grollow @master-of-cosmos @the9thghost @roantheboat @art-i-sticks @viioletpixels @miserable-flamango @ninjas-that-go @the9thghost @thepenguisalive7 @marsipain @destinymanticor @redefine-your-identity @obsessedbee @legonerd @pangolinsandnewts17 @apprentice-s @vampireautism @the-inky-isles @highfiveu-withaknife @peachyninjago @applecranberryjuice @abunnsburrow @mitzle @ice-emperor-zane @strangermask @curious-corvius @kumamoo-hq @demigod-of-the-agni​ @kaiyc-arts @noisyrex​

[bedlamgames]

Q&A #115

If you’ve not been following the unfortunate saga of the broken eyes then please see the patreon for all the details to save me needing to over it all again here. All of the fun can be found in posts going back to November in the Fortnightlies that you don’t need to be a patron to view. 

Now onto the answering of the questions that have come in over the months while things have been not ideal to put it lightly

[ Anonymous asked : ] Will you continue the rough landing series ever?

- - I don’t think Rough Landing 3 is ever going to happen. My ambitions for it grew so impossibly large that I don’t think I could ever realise them. There was like 4-5 games worth of content split into different locations to explore. Looking back there was some very weird sci-fi wonkiness which I’m not sure I ever solved how I wanted to do it. Does suck though. I had notes, a LOT of notes. Hell I had the final confrontation where Jenny get to resolve her character in a way that I’m still really pleased with. 

What might happen though is I really have learned a lot doing WR and now NH in Twine. I think what I could do with not much trouble is do RL 1 and 2 as one combined Twine game and it wouldn’t take anywhere near as long as those other conversions have taken as the two RL games were a hell of a lot more simple in terms of how they were put together. If I do that I’m sure I’d be tempted to flesh out RL2 a bit when I was doing the conversion. Especially as there was a whole alternate way to win involving the guy in the prison that never got into the game. I’d also think about including some of the RL3 notes in there to at least give the series a better resolution than the To be Continued style cliffhanger that RL2 had.

Not going to happen though until NH is in Twine to the point I’ve entirely retired my reliance on RAGS, and I’ve also come back to WR so at least it’s got all the content that the RAGS version had. There’s also another project I came up with a good while back now and I’ve been holding off on it until I have enough experience with Twine to get it working like I want it to. 

[ Anonymous asked : ] How the Twine conversion doing? I haven't checked out game again for 3-4 years now in wait for a engine that doesn't take 2 minutes per save/load. It's a slight struggle to find information.

- - Good news! I update the patreon, and include links to it on the twitter, every two weeks (not counting recently when my eyes broke), and they always include details on the conversion progress so no struggle is needed. You don’t need to be a patron either to be able to read them.  Currently I got it to the point where I was able to start assignments so it’s come along way. 

[ crendoff asked : ] I'm sure this question has been asked before by someone else but is it possible to be able to make your own custom slavers with custom name/race and etc rather than using what's there already when making a 2nd Commander or Recuiter??

- - You can do that by signing up to the patreon at the required tier to get your own Second-in-Command or Unique from Recruiter. 

[ jiffy333 asked : ] Hi, I'm really impressed by your game No Haven. And I wanted to help with a bug report.Here is a link to a zipped folder with the bug report itself (open office document) and 8 save files of 60 MB each, so c.480 MB in total: (this link will be dead in 7 days). However, you can contact me (I'll check within a week) and I put it up again if necessary.Content:-The bug report is mostly about the memory issue, the problems it causes and my experiences with it.-A bug that wipes parties on their way to an auction.-A Ponygirl training bug-An issue with the critical success result of "Mistress of Torments".-And some minor stuff (typos etc.).That's it.The document is already six pages and the save files are rather chunky, so I thought I'd better put an end here.I may do a follow up with more minor stuff (mostly typos etc.) but all the main problems I've discovered are included in the above.I do hope this helps to improve the game, and hopefully the stability of the engine, which I found to be the biggest issue.All the best.

- - I’m so sorry I missed this for so long. Firstly thank you so much for saying that as it’s most appreciated. I’d definitely appreciate seeing that document to investigate if they’re an issue with what I’ve coded myself or RAGS falling over. If it is indeed a memory issue the most I can reccomend is the usual advice to save when it is safe to do so, close down rags entirely, then re-open it up and load say every couple of weeks of ingame time. Thankfully there’s more I can do about that in Twine and so I’m hoping that once I move onto that those issues will no longer be a concern. 

[ From the discord asked : ] something to consider for the twine port: a tab for lore you've unlocked in that save...  like instead of a glossary it's an.... almanac or somesuch

- - I'm not saying it's not doable, will note though that the lore you get told (and is tracked in the stats) is effected somewhat by who is having the conversation with you. What I was thinking of doing is a bestiary with each race you examine so you can see who you've seen in each playthrough out of all of them.

[ From the discord asked : ] How do you feel about shorks having crazy long lifespans? You know, what with Greenland sharks quite possibly living for over five centuries!

- - hat's about the same as the very upper end of quintari who are the current winners of the living longest by (probably) natural means contest so doable. to make them different I'd probably throw in a mention that the older ones aren't able to go on land anymore

[ From the discord asked : ]  What is the tallest playable race atm?

- -  amusingly, to me anyway, it's actually the shortest races like the goblins and harpies who can get the tallest. Not something they can get naturally. the special 10 height ones on checking are gobs, dwarves, harpies, fae, neko and kitsune . otherwise it's centaurs, lizzies, and driders who can naturally get the bigger than most ogres result

[ From the discord asked : ]  Bigger lore question that may have already been answered, but are their like opposing factions in the fell hierarchy, or an evil rival? Like in DnD, how demons and devils are 2 completely different factions (infernal vs abyssal) so much so that they're constantly fighting each other on top of everyone else

- -   many, uncountably many

[amor-immortalem]

Meli the Runaway part 2

A/N: This has been rotting in my drafts for three months and I don’t have anything better to post. So I figured it was time to post this…

It’s one of the last quiet mornings Lucifer will get until the end of the next school year. He starts his morning off with a nice cup of tea while Cerberus naps just outside the window. His only child is tucked away safely in his room and sleeping soundly. Nothing could ruin this morning- nothing at all. So why is Diavolo’s good name is Lucifer’s cell phone blaring loudly from its place on the table in front of him at seven in the morning? Better yet, why is it Satan’s name on the caller id?

“Good Morning, Satan. Why are you calling at seven in the morning?”

“Is Melissa with you? She snuck out of the house at some point during the night.” The fourth-born is quick and to the point with it.

“Not even a good morning in return?” The first-born mumbles under his breath, “No, Melissa isn’t here- at least not to my knowledge, anyway. Why? Did you two have another disagreement?”

“I’d say disagreement is an understatement…” Satan sighs, “She threw Hivetes’ laptop out the window yesterday and when I confronted her about it, it turned into a fight.”

“It’s always something between those two, isn’t it?” The blacked-haired demon lets out a sigh through his nose, “Did Melissa actually admit to throwing the laptop out or is this one of those situations where you’re getting two different sides to the story again?”

“Oh no, she admitted it. I grounded her for it but I just want her to apologize to her step-mother.”

“Just let the issue die then- move on and forget making her apologize,” the older demon suggests, “if her apologizing is causing this much of an issue then I have a feeling there’s more to it than you know.”

“She claims Hivites is a totally different demon when I’m not present.”

“Well maybe it’s not that far off from the truth,” Lucifer takes a long sip of his tea, “I know it’s not what you want to hear Satan but what if Melissa is telling the truth about her? Back when we all first fell and I would sporadically try to find a partner, I met plenty of demons and demonesses that have been two-faced when it comes to the six of you. It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that she’s that kind of person.”

“Still, we’ve been together in one form or another since Melissa was two- thirteen years is quite a while to put up a ruse like that.”

“Weirder things have happened… anyway, circling back around to the reason you called, I would recommend giving either Asmo or Mammon a ring and see if either of them has her. Melissa usually goes to Azalea or Zulima if she’s having issues with you, doesn’t she?”

“Usually, but I’ve asked them to make sure they at least text me if Meli stops by after our fights just so I know she’s safe… and I haven’t heard anything from either of them so it’s safe to assume she’s not there…”

“I would still cover my bases if I were you.” Lucifer sets his tea cup down as he spies the time, “I’d love to sit here and chat with you all morning but unfortunately I have to get moving. Solaris and I have a busy day ahead of us. Good luck with Melissa- hopefully you find her soon.”

The line clicks off before Satan has a chance to reply, leaving the fourth-born to glare at the device in his hands. “That wasn’t helpful at all.” The blonde dials Asmo next as he heads downstairs to the kitchen where his wife is currently making a pot of coffee for them. She shoots him a curious look when he sets his mobile on the table a little too harshly.

“Meli’s not up in her room so I’m calling my brothers to see if she dropped in on them. Lucifer was no help and Asmo didn’t pick up their phone.” He explains, running a hand through his hair.

Hivites nods slightly before letting out a sigh. “That child of yours- what are we going to do with her?”

“I don’t know,” Satan frowns, “I just wish she wouldn’t sneak out in the middle of the night like this. It’s dangerous for her to be out unattended at that hour… she saw what happened to her cousin when she was out roaming the streets in the middle of the night. I don’t get what would be going through her mind…”

“The one with the missing eye, right? Maybe she’s the one causing this little rebellious phase Meli’s going through.” Hivites sets a mug of coffee on the table for Satan before going back to fix herself one.

“Azalea? No, I don’t think so. What makes you say that?”

“Well, for one, they’re always spending time together along with your other niece as well and it seems like Azalea would be the master of knowing how to spite a parent considering how spiteful the girl can be with her own parents. I just think perhaps some of her more… problematic behaviours are starting to rub off on our dear Melissa, you know? It worries me that she’ll turn into a delinquent the more time she spends with her cousin.”

“That’s a little unfair to blame that on Azalea alone though, don’t you think? We’re the parents, if Meli were to become a delinquent ultimately it wouldn’t be anyone’s fault but ours for improper parenting.”

“I’m just saying that I think her cousin’s a bad influence on her is all.” She gives him a smile as she takes a sip from her coffee. “Whether or not you feel the same is up to you…”

A silence falls over them as the blonde contemplates his wife’s words. He picks his phone back up and dial’s Mammon’s number, hoping he’d at least have the decency to answer unlike Asmo.

And he does, answering with a very out of breath “Yo.” Satan is a little taken aback by the greeting.

“Umm, Morning, Mammon. Did I call at a bad time?”

“No… no, not really,” the second-born answers still out of breath, “I was just out chasing down some runaway souls in Hell. I’m just really… out of shape from what I used to be. Why?”

“I was looking for Meli. We had a fight last night and when I went to wake her up this morning, she wasn’t in her room but I guess since you’re down in Hell, it’s safe to assume you don’t know if she decided to drop in on you and Arella.”

“Yeah, no. You’d be better off just callin’ ‘Rella to see if she’s there.”

“Alright, thanks. Keep an eye out for her once you get back please.”

“Will do.”

The line clicks off on Mammon’s end and the wrath demon moves on to his next contact.

・・・〆・・・

As the morning goes on and each call to his brothers and eventually the parents of his daughter’s friends turns up empty handed, Satan can’t help but feel worried. If she wasn’t with any of their family or any of her friends, where could Melissa have gone? Part of the demon wants to contact authorities and open a missing person’s case but another part of him wants to wait the day out, see if she just comes back on her own.

What if something happens to her? is the nagging thought in the back of the Avatar of Wrath’s mind. He just hopes she turns up soon.

・・・〆・・・

Two weeks later

“That had to be the single worst experience of my life,” Melissa groans out as she lays on the ground. “I can see why everyone prefers to leave the Devildom via portal. That trek through the layers of hell fucking sucks.”

As she sits up, the teen brushes some of the debris from her hair. She’s never felt so tired in her whole life. Her brown eyes drift to the bright blue sky of the human world as she lets her body soak in the sunlight.

Where in the human world even am I, anyway…?

・・・〆・・・

To be continued (eventually)

[yanet0121]

As I began looking at my posts on my blog, a lot of what I saw was about familial ties. It’s funny because my family is probably one of the most discombobulated dysfunctional families anyone could ever come from. My sisters don’t speak to each other, nor do they speak to my mom unless it’s insults. I haven’t spoken to my dad in years and I’m the only one who speaks to my sisters and mom separately. You can see through my work that I yearn for unity and love. In my first post I analyzed The Lunatic of Etretat in which I spoke about a woman who lost her mind either because of a death of her child or because she couldn’t conceive. I was able to feel the pain she felt because I am in constant fear about not being able to have children, I have irregular periods where I don’t get them for years and have fertility issues in my family. Not being to have a child might literally destroy me as a woman. I genuinely understand why women put themselves through IVF because you feel like such a failure not being able to start your own family. I practically don’t have a family other than my husband’s side. I literally must plan two separate parties just for my side of the family in order to get my sisters to attend and that’s without my mom coming. It’s sad to me and while I’ve been coming more and more at peace with it, I don’t want my children to live a life like mine. To feel like they’re so unwanted by family, that their own family can’t even suck it up for a couple of hours to spend time together during the holidays. Which moves me onto my next piece, Gong by Pierre Alechinsky. This piece gave me a feeling of movement, I always remind myself that if you stay still then you’ll get sad. You must move yourself, your thoughts, your emotions. You must process what’s going on and come to terms with it. You cannot let it build it inside you. The saturation of blues and whites peeking through made me see movement, even with the gong which seemed to radiate sound helped me feel peace. The background of the gong is of East Asian culture and Buddhists which are about acceptance and letting things be. I’ve come to accept that I cannot change people, nor can I expect others to change for me. If someone is a piece of shit then that’s them but that isn’t the type of energy I want in my life. I guess the theme of my manifesto is regeneration, within myself and the family I am creating. I cannot keep fighting to check those who step out of line with me. If you cannot respect my boundaries, my needs and wants then that is you and I will need to reevaluate if you are the type of person I deserve in my life. The last peace I will include in my manifesto is A Mother’s Love, A New Generation. Straight photography. Photos by my sister and I which include our dogs, also known as our fur babies. In this piece I speak on the amount of time, love, energy and money we invest in our dogs and how we just don’t see them as animals we own but as part of our families. Even in the title I tie in regeneration, where I speak on how my sister and I are creating our own families with our significant others and pets. I believe the reason why we provide so much love and effort to our pets is because we are making up for the neglect and abuse we faced as children and we both have spoken on breaking generational curses. Overall, I will not be the trauma I faced as a child, I will overcome everything ive been through and I will not allow it to affect the way I raise my children. I will become a newer better person, the person I deserved as a child and the person my husband deserve. I refuse to allow my trauma define me, I will regenerate into a better person because I am not my past. My pieces through this semester all stem from change and movement, the ability not only see the pain and struggles but feel it allows me to be sympathetic but understanding in a sense that shit happens, but you have to keep going. (A poke at another piece in my blog, It Happens, artist Jim Rennert. Located in the corner of Park and 5Th Avenue in downtown Naples)

[chaosssinabottle]

i follow you for your art, but i haven’t been able to stop thinking about the “expose” you posted a while back.

i’m not gonna pretend to know the full story, but using your identity as an excuse to write off “alleged” past negative comments about that same community is gross and wrong. if, for example, a member of the queer community was saying negative, harmful things about the trans community, then i would want them out of our spaces despite their identity placing them in the lgbtq+ community with trans folk. your identity as a demisexual woman doesn’t make you immune to consequences. if the lack of your presence makes a place safer for others, then maybe consider your actions and words. if your stances on queer issues are detrimental to the community as a whole, then absolutely you should not be in spaces where your opinions are a danger to the people in it, regardless of whether you actually state those sentiments or not.

as for the “i don’t care who you vote for”? you really should. ESPECIALLY given the current options. and if it’s because you support the republican party that you say this, then i wouldn’t want you in a space i was in, either - especially when we’re talking about the 2024 republican party.

I’m going to respond to this, even though I maybe shouldn’t.

I was told I was “anti-queer” based on my response to a post in an education forum. I will summarize the post, and my answer to it. Please note that my response in that forum was a couple of sentences. I was not asked to expound on my reasons why I found it inappropriate, but I will do so here. If you would like a screenshot of the post, feel free to message me and I will provide. I will reiterate that the grand total of what I wrote there was five sentences.

In the post, a parent was unhappy because, during the Covid lockdowns, her third grader’s teacher, who was lesbian, had according to the parent, been working their sexual identity continuously into class discussions. I agreed that this was in fact inappropriate. And I stand by that. She mentioned there was an LGBT week, but did not specify if that was school-wide or only this class, so I didn’t address that.

Nowhere did I say it was inappropriate because the teacher was gay. In fact, what I said in an earlier comment was that a teacher’s sexual orientation, religious values, relationship status, or politics didn’t belong in a classroom. ANY TEACHER. This applies to straight, gay, ace, every single person. Especially in a classroom of very young children, because remember we were talking about a classroom of 8 year olds, but it was a standard I held myself to in classes of older students.

The school having LGBT organizations? Cool. The school having a week to draw attention to issues in an AGE APPROPRIATE way? No problem. The teacher continuously working their own sexuality into class discussions, especially with 8 year olds? I’m sorry but that strikes me as highly inappropriate.

Am I suggesting we hide our identities? Absolutely not. “Are you married? Yes, I have a husband/wife. Let’s open our math books to page 123.” That’s exactly how my co-teacher handled it; simply said he had a husband and moved on. That’s how I handled the question as well. Students knew he had a husband, a child, and a cat. Those facts didn’t need to be constantly discussed. They knew I had a husband, two kids, and pets. Those facts did not need to be constantly discussed.

There was also the fact that, in that online classroom situation, a child had come out as trans, and the teacher made a big discussion about it. That bothered me as well - because there they were, doing home education, with that child possibly cut off from counselors and other resources and now they are put in a spotlight with a possibly reduced support network to help them deal with any issues. That struck me as being a very precarious situation for a vulnerable child who was just beginning a huge life change. Do I think it should be ignored? No - but I think a safer method would have been “X would now like to be called Z, and we are going to do that, and refer to them as he instead of she. Everybody got it? Cool.” If there were questions, then asking the child and their family how THEY wanted to deal with them would have been the most compassionate and ethical move. It did not appear that that is what happened, and I found that very worrying for the safety and mental health of the trans child.

So no. My stance had nothing to do with any particular sexual orientation, and everything to do with appropriate boundaries between adults in positions of authority and children. Those boundaries don’t change because of the community the adult is a member of; they apply across the board. I said nothing against the queer community, the trans community, or any other community. I said someone’s personal sexual orientation, no matter what that orientation is, is not an appropriate topic for continual discussion in a classroom setting, in particular with very young children. Again, if you want screenshots of those comments, message me and I will provide them.

I hope that sheds a little light on where I stand. If you find this is not a stance you agree with, then I wish you well, and hope life is good to you.