#on top of that she found her faith BECAUSE of his disappearance

[dumbstupidfandomblog]

GENUINE QUESTION, has anyone had the thought before or made a Tav based on the question "What if Astarion had a sibling?"

[mulders-too-large-shirt]

my favorite mulder moments from s2

him having no faith in episode 1 after the x files are terminated, not even believing what he knows to be true regarding his sister’s disappearance

(and then being the moodiest motherfucker for the foreseeable future)

the fact that he got a fish in between s1 and s2. this brought me so much joy, you don’t even know

his monologue in episode 1, addressed to scully, who was not present: “before I could only trust myself, now I can only trust you, and they’ve taken you away from me… my life up until this point has been about seeing her again, but what would I do if they really come?” <- dear goddddddd. sometimes you get some lines that cut right to the heart of a character and this is one such example.

seeing his horrific workspace where he listened to audio recordings, a job he loathed- it was covered in sunflower seeds, pages with doodles, him stabbing an empty cup. truly a man with no fucks to give.

very very very fluffy hair in the early episodes

when episode 5 opens on him swimming in a big pool. there really was no narrative reason for that except we now know he swims recreationally and that is exactly the kind of thing i’m interested in knowing.

in episode 6, when he meets scully’s mom after her kidnapping, he listens to her say she dreamt of her being taken away, and hugs her

(and all throughout that episode, how he was told to go home because he was too close to the case, but instead got more and more involved. he even drove out to try and find her while falling asleep behind the wheel. dangerous behavior)

((and when he thinks scully is at the top of the mountain, he pulls his gun on the man who runs the ski lift to MAKE SURE he can get to the top as quick as possible. this one was WILD to me. pulling a gun on someone, just to get to her as fast as he can!!!!! he did not care about proper protocol! job be damned he was getting her HOME))

(and when they finally DO get duane barry, he sees scully's blood and hair on his wristband, and starts CHOKING him. you do NOT want to mess around with this man. he tells krychek that NO ONE is to interrogate the suspect but him. NO ONE. he is in what i affectionately refer to as bloodhound mode; there shall be no rest until an answer is sleuthed out)

trying to return scully’s necklace to her mother, who refuses to take it, so he can give it back to her

he has a lot of really emotional moments with scully’s mom, such as telling her she can’t give up hope even as they are picking up her gravestone in episode 8, which he cannot bear to look at

when scully is found, he bursts into the hospital, screaming at the doctor and saying he’ll do anything to figure out what they did to her, to the point where he had to be escorted from the room

(also love when he’s waiting to hear news on how she is doing, and he’s pacing his apartment, bouncing a ball, entirely unable to sit still, he’s so terrified)

after she is found, x tells him to walk away and never look back, and he immediately disregards this information to go chase down whoever knew anything about scully’s disappearance

when her family decides its time to remove her life support, he refuses to go in with them, looking the saddest and wettest a man has ever been

“you could spend the rest of your life finding every person that’s responsible, and it’s still not gonna bring her back”, says melissa. “including myself?” he asks. always taking the blame.

breaking into CIGARETTE MAN’S HOUSE. gun to his head. why her, he asks.

his confrontation scene with skinner, who refuses to accept his one-sentence resignation letter, and who tells him of his own demons. allowing for some skinner lore and deep connections to be made.

again in episode 8, he’s waiting in his apartment for the folks who took scully to arrive so he can kill them, but melissa puts him into his place- “why is it so much easier for you to run around trying to get even than just expressing to her how you feel? i expect more from you. dana expects more from you”

so he leaves his apartment and the one chance he’ll ever have to know who did this to her, and instead goes to sit by her bedside, holds her hand, and talks to her comatose body

(then, we he returns to his apartment, which has been ransacked by those involved with the crime, he falls to the ground, sobbing)

but how BIG he smiled when he heard that her eyes were open!!

in episode 9, when he finally has her back, how he helps her out of the helicopter when they fly to a distant volcano research base <3

also, in episode 10, when they’re being driven to a farm, and he lets her take shotgun so he can lounge about in the back

when he drops this banger line while sitting at a picnic table in episode 12: “i’ve often felt that dreams are the answers to questions we haven’t yet figured out how to ask” (and then does not elaborate)

at the aforementioned picnic table, the detective vaguely describes seeing some sort of symbol, and he immediately realizes it was the logo for the 1939 world’s fair, which is SO funny to me. because WHY does he know that!

when he lifts the caution tape over scully so she can bring her umbrella to the rainy crime scene in episode 13 <3

talking to a random guy in a town they’re visiting for an investigation: “you know andy” “no, I don’t” “well, andy knows you” <- another instance of him being famous in the nerd community

all the times he starts rambling about different belief systems, like the idea of obtaining a new soul in the ep 13, or the concept of wicca in episode 14

when they go to the refugee camp in episode 15, and a child tries to sell them a good luck charm, which he pays a nice $5 bill for

getting hit by a car in episode 16, and then making some dumbass quip about how he should have used the crosswalk

going back home when his "sister" is found, tucking his mom into bed with a kiss

then his dad confronting him, blaming him for losing his sister in episode 17,  leaving him crying as he tries to process the grief of getting her back just to feel guilty for her death

(don’t worry though- it wasn’t really her. but damn, he thought it was, and this scene was devastating)

finding his faith again with scully at his bedside after almost dying of alien poison

when he goes for a jog in florida (episode 20), arguably the hottest and most miserable of all continental US states, in a sweatshirt and sweatpants. and i cannot explain this behavior. he is deeply peculiar.

on the investigation of the sideshow performers, he flirts with the man fixing scully’s pipes to get him to leave. or as i call it: “weaponized bisexuality”

when he slides through a tiny trap door in a haunted house to come and find scully. great visual gag. i chuckled.

feeling sick at home, taking advil in his slutty little tanktop in episode 25. then proceeding to go wild because he was being drugged. don’t worry, he ends up okay. thanks only to scully.

[gyllenhaalstories]

WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND — BARBARA & RUSTY SABICH

summary: with the help of a sweet neighbour, barbara takes a leap of faith. it is time for her to stop enduring and to start indulging instead, because... when she wakes up next to him in the middle of the night, with her head in her hands, she's nothing more than his wife.

warnings: presumed innocent spoilers, food & alcohol, cheating, implied age gap, fluff, angst & smut (teasing, masturbation, voyeurism & exhibitionism, mild mommy kink, praise kink, finger sucking, dry humping). 18+ NO MINORS.

word count: 4575

gifs credits: me @/gyllenhaalstories / divider credits: @/firefly-graphics

notes: READ PART 2 HERE. barbara is finally getting what she deserves!!! thank you @sizzlingcloudmentality for encouraging me to write this. the timeline of this fic is a little strange, just don't think about it too much. the fact that i wrote all of this before episode 3 and they just served me the plot of this fic on a silver platter after i was done. wow. well it's good to know i guessed some things right! thank you for reading & REMEMBER TO REBLOG!

The doorbell rang. The noise was so loud that it startled Barbara.

You had been nervous all day. Good nervous, for the most part. While your hands were busy baking, your mind travelled elsewhere. In a place where butterflies roamed free in your stomach. You glued your prettiest smile to your face when the door opened before your eyes.

"Hello?" Barbara's eyes wandered from your eyes to what you presented her. A present, wrapped in a kitchen towel. She caught a waft of the delicious aroma, she mirrored your smile. "May I help you with something?"

"No, I mean, yeah, I mean..." You cleared your throat. Oh, she had the prettiest voice you had ever heard. "I live next door... I thought I'd stop by and say hello."

B's head tilted to the side, she squinted.

"This is a pie, I baked it. For you." The words lingered one moment too long, the older woman raised a curious brow at you. You shook your head and rectified yourself. "For your family. You must be going through a really hard time right now... I thought it would help."

She grabbed the enveloppe that was placed on top of the baked good. She opened it and pulled out a card. "Get well soon?" She read, incredulous.

"Yeah, they didn't have a card at the store that said It sucks that everyone in town is talking about what's happening with your husband." You shrugged. To your surprise, Barbara laughed. "I figured this was the closest I could get."

"The pie smells delicious. I'm sure it will help me... Get well soon." You both spoke the last three words together. "I don't think we've met before. What's your name, sweetheart?"

You introduced yourself, she did the same although it was unnecessary. The Sabich's names were on everybody's lips for all the wrong reasons.

"Let me help you with this. Is it strawberry?" You nodded when she took the plate of pie off your hands. She took a moment to smell it.

"Strawberry rhubarb pie. I thought I'd do something special."

"Is this a special occasion?" Barbara smirked and disappeared into her house. She turned around, swallowed by the darkness of the hallway, when she did not hear your footsteps behind her. "You're being a good neighbour. The least I can do is share a slice with you."

You scrambled your way through empty excuses. The more you struggled, the more she found it endearing.

"Come on in. It'd be rude not to share." She spoke the next sentence, almost in a commanding tone. "You don't have to be shy."

You took a deep breath and you stepped inside the house. It was lovely, a lovely home. You closed the door behind you and tried not to let your eyes wander around too much. Now that would be rude.

The sound of plates and utensils guided you to the heart of the home. Barbara reached up on the tip of her toes to grab a plate. A fancy one, at that. "A special plate for a special pie." She explained, sensing your confusion from across the room.

To be fair, you were not paying much attention to the dishes. Your eyes were glued to the beautiful green shirt that hugged her figure. "Uh, yeah. Of course!"

One plate. One slice. Two forks. She placed the dessert on the counter, inviting you to come closer if you wanted a taste.

And you did. Your fingers brushed against hers when you reached for the fork. You let her take the first bite and your heart skipped a beat at her expression.

Her eyes rolled, she immediately went in for a second bite. "This is delicious! What took you so long to cook for me?" Another teasing smirk followed her words.

"I don't know... It took me a long time to unpack." You took a small bite.

"Right, you moved in not too long ago." She nodded slowly, feigning nonchalance.

"Your children were so nice, they offered to help. I'd still be carrying boxes in the house if they did not step in."

Barbara's smile beamed with pride, she loved her children so much. "My husband," the word carried more tartness in her mouth than the rhubarb in the pie. "helped too."

"Oh, totally! He helped a lot." You shoved a bite of pie in your mouth to stop you from saying something you could regret. You could not remember whether he even lifted a finger or not.

"My kids have always been like that, just happy to help. Don't be shy if you need extra pairs of hands." Again with the shy comment, she poked your timidity with a stick. "They're with a family member right now. It was getting too much for them. I hate to bring them into this."

You nodded slowly and your eyes fell down on the plate. There was only one piece of dessert left.

Barbara pushed the plate in your direction, but you tried to do the same thing. It resulted in your hands touching again. Accidentally.

You could swear that you felt sparks fly between you. Or maybe it was static electricity. The look on Barbara's face made you believe it was the former.

She chuckled and finished the plate. She admired the remaining pie, how the red syrup of the fruits leaked in the emptiness left by the missing slice. She dipped a finger in the liquid and brought it to her lips to suck clean. "Do you mind if I keep the rest to myself?"

What happened to being rude for not sharing?

*~*~*

You pushed the curtain to the side, just enough to glance outside. Your bedroom window faced directly to the neighbours'. You were surprised to see light shine from their window at this hour. It seemed unusual.

Barbara had the house all to herself for most of the time. The kids were at school, Rusty was at work. She liked to keep to her routine, but sometimes she also liked to get away from the ordinary. It could be a quiet smoking session in the backyard or, like today, a long candlelit bath.

You tilted your head and glanced at a silhouette passing by. It took a few blinks for you to register what you had just witnessed. You moved out of the way, in the fear of getting caught.

Barbara noticed a shadow from the opposite window. She shrugged it off and pulled her hair out of the short ponytail, disregarding of the towel that was wrapped around her body. She ruffled her dark locks and propped a leg up on the edge of the bed. Then, she squirted a few pumps of lotion in her hands before lathering her skin with it.

You decided to take a peek again and your eyes widened at the sight.

Slowly, Barbara applied lotion all over her body and rubbed her hands together to finish it off. A strange shadow cast over the upholstered headboard. She turned her head to the window again and caught the curtains flowing in the wind which was caused by you running away from your hiding spot for the last time that day.

It happened again. In fact, this dragged over a couple of weeks.

Barbara started to take baths at the same time, every day. Repeating the same steps of dropping her towel and lathering her body in a shimmery lotion.

Your schedules started to sync up (on purpose). You woke up just in time to watch her. You were still convinced that she had not seen you, that she was unaware of your shenanigan. It fuelled your curiosity. The more it happened, the less careful you were getting. You enjoyed the view, paying less and less attention to the voice of reason at the back of your head that told you it was wrong. Just so wrong.

B faced a similar struggle. What started as accidental quickly became intentional. She liked to go a step further every time, trying to distract you just long enough so you let her admire your reactions from afar. She was trying hard, she was dedicated to keep you staring for as long as you could handle it, but she selfishly revelled in the feeling of being admired. No, better yet: desired. The attention felt so good. She had not experienced anything like this in years.

Even though you stood there by your window day after day, with your jaw dropped and your eyes darkening with ever growing lust, you did not do much to fuel Barbara's newfound hobby. You gave her enough yet not enough at all.

She was left wanting more. She was left thinking more, as well. Was it what Rusty liked so much, this game of cat and mouse? Was it what drew him towards another woman? Did he experience so much turmoil too, caught between giving in and resisting? After countless conversations with their therapist, B concluded that she would never even try to understand her husband's actions. Maybe... She could revisit her categorical opinion on this. Maybe she could try to understand him for her own benefit.

Things evolved rather quickly. You would catch the older woman putting on lingerie with a mirror angled towards your windows so she could watch that tiny reflection of you cover your mouth when you gasped.

You would also catch her doing the most boring tasks completely naked. Barbara made the bed without a piece of clothing in sight. She would fold laundry on the bed too, again, while wearing nothing.

However, there was always something that ruined this perfect fantasy. Or more so, someone. Her husband. They would have long and serious conversations at night. Almost every night. You could not hear them, but you still figured out they were fighting. It would end with the man leaving bed and walking out of the room. Almost every time. On rare occasions, they would kiss each other good night. You thought he was the luckiest man alive. He got to do what you dreamed of night after night.

After numerous overthinking sessions, Barbara judged it was harmless to let you watch. You were not even touching, not even talking. Just... looking. This could become a valid deal breaker, in a normal marriage. Rusty had ripped the concept of normalcy out of her hands the day he decided to cheat on her. It was harmless to feed into your voyeuristic fantasy. She knew you were getting off on it, she had seen you with your hand in your panties, but knowing there was someone out there who desired her so explicitly felt more gratifying than anything.

You were a stranger who thought she was beautiful and sexy. It was an exciting exchange: she enjoyed putting on a show for you and you enjoyed the show she was giving you almost on a daily basis. Barbara did not know that she occupied your thoughts, day and night.

All she knew was that she wanted to feel your hands on all the places she touched herself while thinking about this thrilling adventure with her neighbour.

*~*~*

"Do you like it around here?" Barbara snapped you out of your reverie.

"Sure, it's a nice house." Your eyes wandered around the kitchen, pretending to appreciate the decor. Pretending not think about Barbara sitting on one of these counters.

She chuckled at your response. "I meant the neighbourhood." She stood in front of the sink to run her hands under water, washing away the sticky syrup. Her wedding ring sparkled under the water. "But it's good to know you like it here."

You laughed nervously.

"Let me give you a tour, I've got a few art pieces on the walls, but no one new to show them to." Barbara walked past you, her pinky finger brushed against the skin of your hand as she exited the kitchen.

Goosebumps immediately started to spread all over your body at this innocent touch. You followed her closely behind. Everywhere you looked, there were family portraits framed on the wall. You watched her children grow up through various photographs, it was heartwarming. Your heart grew cold when your eyes met with the pictures of the man who sent this gorgeous woman to bed sad and bitter every night. You would treat her so much better.

B instructed you to look at a painting on the wall while she told you all about this local artist who was very secretive about their creations.

You could not comprehend a single thing about the painting in front of you, for all you knew, it looked like something a child could have scribbled while bored out of its mind during a rainy afternoon. Ah, abstract art. You shrugged.

Barbara told you an anecdote behind the purchase of the large piece on the living room wall, a gradient of colours that was supposed to inspire a series of renovations in the house. Rusty was too busy to attend meetings with the contractors, they never renovated anything in the end.

The couch looked spacious and comfortable.

Barbara guided you upstairs. More family photos, more paintings. A lot of clutter piled here and there on the second floor, it did not look too intentional. It looked more like a tornado had blown everything down on the floor. You did not ask further questions.

You froze in place when you walked in front of the last room, the master bedroom. Your heart started to race when you recognized the duvet, the headboard, the mirror that stood at an odd angle... You blinked away the flashbacks of what you witnessed from your window.

"You already know this room, don't you?"

Before you could mumble a reply, an excuse, Barbara was headed downstairs with a smirk on her face.

You followed her. On your way down, you held the stair railing so tight that your knuckles turned white.

The timing seemed too good to be true. The front door opened to the sound of an unenthusiastic "Honey, I'm home".

Out of habit, Barbara kissed her husband's clean shaven cheek. The kiss lacked just about as much enthusiasm as the man's greeting.

You suddenly felt out of place. You started to question if this was a good idea. Of course it was not. You brought a pie to your married neighbour who had been showing up in each and every wet dream you had for weeks. You felt like the most horrible person in the world. You stared at the tall man in front of you who had wet hair and marks on the sides of his face left by his swim goggles... Okay, maybe you were the second most horrible person. Barbara's beautiful voice brought you back in the moment once again, as she introduced you to Rusty.

The man furrowed his brows for a quick second, confused about your presence in his house.

"She's our next door neighbour. You know, the one who moved in recently? She told me how thankful she was for your help that day."

Rusty and you shared the same confused expression. You both switched it for something else, you glued on a fake smile and agreed to everything Barbara said.

Rusty, instead, shrugged. He had no recollection of helping you. To him, you were just one more forgettable face. He was used to seeing tons of those through his work, and other activities.

Barbara swallowed thickly. You had been so easy to talk to, but the dynamic changed for the worse now that Rusty was in the room with you.

You came to her rescue. "I'm so sorry... I better get going! I have plans tonight." Barbara's head turned rapidly towards you, a supportive grin on her beautiful lips. "Thank you for having me, Ms Sabich." You hurried towards the door that Rusty opened for you. "Mister Sabich." You nodded at him, avoiding to look him in the eyes again. You took a step outside.

Rusty smiled faintly at the sudden formality. He had the vague impression that he disturbed something, but, with another nonchalant shrug, he did not give any more time or importance to that feeling.

"What a sweet girl." Barbara praised you, speaking loudly on purpose. She wanted you to hear. "We just happened to talk about art so I showed her some of the pieces we got. This was her favourite." She pointed at the abstract painting that you saw at the beginning.

You speed-walked down the driveway and across the grass. You glanced quickly at the large window that looked into the living room. Your eyes locked with Barbara's for a split second before you fell out of hew view. Like the first time she caught you drinking her in through your bedroom window.

Rusty closed the door and his eyes followed where Barbara pointed. "That?" He squinted, as if it would help him see better. It could not have been more different from a professional work of art in the sense Barbara had described it earlier with you. "Didn't Kyle make this in kindergarten?"

What happened to feeling bad for lying?

*~*~*

The week following your proper introduction to the Sabiches was filled with a series of very fortunate events.

Conveniently checking the mail box at the same time as Barbara to spark some small talk speckled with flirtatious comments. Excitedly running to your favourite window to catch a glimpse of her while she got ready before disappearing into the en suite bathroom. Shyly smiling at Barbara while she stood in her towel, presenting two options of lingerie for you to choose.

You assumed she was headed out with her husband, all dressed up for him. Your lip curled up with disdain at the thought of Rusty being ungrateful for the time and effort his wife put into looking pretty for him only to be ignored.

The doorbell rang. The noise was so loud that it started Barbara who could hear it from outside.

You opened the door to find the most beautiful woman you had ever laid eyes on standing before you.

She squeezed the brown paper bag tightly against her chest. You did not even notice it at first, your eyes immediately fell on her shoulder. The collar of her shirt was misplaced and exposed her bra strap. She wore the lingerie you chose. She wore it for you. "I'm returning the favour." Barbara smiled warmly at you and entered your home as soon as you stepped out of the way.

You both talked about everything and nothing while having lunch together. It amazed you how she made you feel so comfortable, so at ease. The conversation flowed nicely.

Barbara learned quickly that the more she praised you, the more relaxed you were getting in her presence. She made sure to add endearing nicknames every now and then. She called you her beautiful darling and her sweet girl enough times to make you forget your actual name.

You had barely dipped your lips in the glass of wine, expensive wine, that Barbara poured for you. You did not need the alcohol to relax, Barbara worked her magic.

B, however, needed it. She needed the burst of confidence it provided to test her own limits, to see how far she was willing to go to chase a bit of the happiness Rusty had depraved her of ever since the beginning of his affair. She downed the last sip of her glass, poured a second one immediately after. She left it untouched, she kept it as a lifeline. An emergency supply of courage and audacity in case she ran out of both. "Come here."

You had been standing in your kitchen the entire time. It was like the tables had turned from last time when you visited Barbara. You switched places. You obliged and sat on the chair next to her. Your finger traced the rim of the glass, trying to distract you from your increasing nervousness.

"How do you feel about what we're doing?" The question, while vague, packed a punch. It had never been directly addressed before.

Your finger froze, immobile, when she placed her hand on your arm. Her touch was soft, warm. Inviting. "You have a lot more at risk than I do and I feel bad about it." She had a marriage, a beautiful family... And you had this wild fantasy about your attractive neighbour.

Your honesty appeased her. She stroked your arm gently, encouraging you to speak your mind if you wanted to.

You did. You told her how you felt bad at the thought of getting caught, she reassured you that you both had been very careful to have fun when she was alone. You were being reckless in a careful way, an antithesis that somehow made sense. Nobody else knew about it, nobody else suspected it. "I feel bad about all of that. But I don't feel bad about the way it makes me feel."

"Go on." She raised a brow at you. "How do I make you feel, sweetheart?"

You searched through your brain for respectful words to assemble into a sentence that would communicate just how much you loved to admire her, to desire her...

"Tell me. Tell me how good I make you feel." B held your hand in hers, her thumb soothed your skin. She tilted her head, insisting that you looked at her while you spoke.

You threw your bullshit respectful words out the window. Barbara's gaze was as intoxicating as the wine she drank. "You're always on my mind. I can't stop thinking about you. I want to touch you, I want to kiss you, I want to..." You leaned in closer, murmuring at her ear how you wanted to eat her out until she could not take it anymore. How you wanted her to collapse under the feeling of your tongue. How you wanted to lift her up and to sit her on every surface of the house just to worship her while she moaned your name out loud.

The switch of dynamic left her breathless. She pulled away, leaning her elbow on the dining table while she admired your face in search of a sign that you were lying to her. Lies. Lies ruined lives. It ruined her life.

You held her gaze, giving her time to process. She had been so sweet to you, the least you could do is return the favour. Barbara licked her lips, her teeth sinking on the bottom one. "I want to do the things your husband doesn't do."

Her self-control shattered like the wine glass she accidentally pushed off the table when she stood up and leaned over the furniture to crash her lips against yours. This was the most passion Barbara had experienced in years. Perhaps decades. She submerged her entire being into the feeling.

You reciprocated the intensity of the kiss until you broke away to catch a breath. You stood up, stood in front of her. She held your face in her hands, lovingly, and waited for you to speak again. "I want to do whatever you tell me to."

The two of you nodded, a silent acknowledgement that you were crossing the point of no return. Together.

The week was filled with stolen moments and forbidden touches. You explored each other's limits, not without being in awe at how easy it was to push all of those boundaries. More lustful kisses. More lingering hands on thighs and hips. More fingers tracing curves. More. There was always more, more, more.

A week ago, Barbara did not even know your name. Now, she was moaning it out loud while your hand rubbed her over her panties, sitting on the couch of her living room.

A week ago, all you knew about this woman was her name. Now, she had you calling her Mommy when you could not wait any longer and needed to feel her lips on your neck to mark you with pale hickeys only the two of you knew about.

Her fingers explored your mouth while you sucked and moaned around her digits.

Your tongue explored her mouth while she panted for air, overwhelmed by the dizzying desire between the two of you. The tension rose high and fast. Yes, this was about all-consuming passion. Rusty would relate. But it was also about liberation. Rusty could never imagine what it felt like to be trapped the way he trapped her with his lies.

Rusty would be lying if he said he did not grow suspicious. Something just felt off. Small details. Small details that painted a bigger picture, a painting that left him confused. Barbara cooked dinner, always saving a plate in the fridge for leftovers. Barbara cleaned often, always focusing on tidying up the couch with the messy blankets and pillows. She looked different. She looked light as a feather, like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders meanwhile Rusty was crushing under the burdens of his shameful past.

Evidences piled up before his eyes, some pieces of proof stuck out more than the others. There was one example in particular. He could not stop thinking about what he found in the laundry room while he searched for a specific piece of clothing he needed to discard of for reasons. He found several mesh bags containing bras, panties and thongs he had never even seen before. More lingerie was hung to dry on a rack. Delicate fabrics, luxurious colours... He stood there, admiring the lacy patterns of a deep purple bra unlike anything Barbara had ever worn around him. It reminded him of the multiple charges to his credit card, recently. The first two dots connected.

His stomach dropped when he received a text from his wife, parked in Raymond's driveway. His phone had been buzzing relentlessly for the past few seconds. Rusty's heart raced in his chest. He opened the messages right away, without providing an answer. Barbara was left on read for several moments. He waited for the typing bubbles to appear, to explain what he had just seen. A picture, multiple in fact, of his wife wearing that unknown purple bra he laid his eyes on for the first time in the laundry room. Matching barely opaque panties. Panties pushed to the side, hand covering the rest. Wet fingers brushing over her dark, hard nipples. Smeared lipstick over the lips that sucked those same fingers. Rusty fell back against the car seat. He was submerged with confusion. He blinked over and over again, as if these photos would disappear. Maybe he made it up. Maybe he was beginning to be tormented by the guilt Raymond kept talking about. No. No, the pictures were real. This was unlike anything Barbara had ever done before. The pictures were very much so real. A quick message followed the nudes: "Sorry. I didn't mean to send that to you XO".

The evidence board reached its completion when, on the very same day he received the lewd photos from his wife, he drove on your street and saw something he was certain he hallucinated. Rusty slowed down until the car no longer moved. He rolled down the window, removed his glasses for a second to rub his eyes before putting them on again. While letting out a pained sigh, he processed the sight before him. Barbara was kissing you.

What goes around comes around, right?

[asimplearchivist]

𝓒𝓸𝓶𝓹𝓪𝓻𝓲𝓼𝓸𝓷 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓒𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓻𝓪𝓼𝓽

𝐂𝐇. 𝐕 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐍, 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐂𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍. 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐕 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓.

[𝓪𝓼𝓲𝓶𝓹𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓬𝓱𝓲𝓿𝓲𝓼𝓽'𝓼 𝓶𝓪𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓽] [ 𝐏𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐘𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐘 𝐃𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓] [ AO3 | SPOTIFY | PINTEREST ] summary ✨ ⤏ in which lucario and grovyle attempt to assuage eliana's concerns. pairing(s) ✨ [tba] word count ✨ 2.3k a/n ✨ [header credit] | [divider credit] ⤏ this is a shorter chapter, but be patient—there's more to come! :) ✨ MASTERPOST ✨ ✨ PREVIOUS CHAPTER ⤎ ✨ ⤏ NEXT CHAPTER ✨

Eliana found the entire idea incredibly difficult to believe.

“Grovyle…” she began incredulously, “…you’re openly admitting that Dusknoir deceived you when you brought him back to the future..even if he, supposedly, had a sincere change of heart at the last second, after trying to murder you—to steal and possess your body in order to trick us again, no less…you still trust him?”

“He helped Celebi and I to stop Primal Dialga from destroying the Passage of Time on top of Vast Ice Mountain, which would have destabilized the paralyzed future all over again and would have completely undone your work in restoring Temporal Tower with the Time Gears,” Grovyle confirmed. “I don’t claim to truly know what ultimately caused him to change his mind, as he’s yet to share that information with me, but he rescued me and was almost killed as a result for revolting against Primal Dialga. Although grievously wounded, he battled with us to the very end, and he disappeared alongside us until we were restored.”

Eliana frowned at him, chewing on the inside of her cheek. Grovyle was being truthful, of that she hadn’t even the foggiest of doubts—he was virtually incapable of lying to her. Mental manipulation was out of the question, because Lu would have long since solved any issues with that since he was able to read Pokémon’s auras…her eyes narrowed as she looked at him. “And you’re vouching for him, too?”

“He hasn’t had a malicious thought since he’s lived here with Grovyle and Celebi,” Lu confirmed, sharing a brief glance with the wood gecko Pokémon. “Believe me, Eliana, I was just as suspicious and as skeptical as you are. It took a long time for Grovyle and Celebi to talk me down from chasing him right on out of Treasure Town. It took even longer for Dusknoir to rebuild my trust and faith in him, and longer still for me to even allow him to make reparations for what he’d done, but…we’ve made peace, and I’ve forgiven him.”

Eliana scowled. “Even though he’s tried to kill all of us on multiple occasions to save his own skin.”

“You recall how he treated us when he first arrived to Treasure Town?” Lu pressed, brow rising. “With kindness and generosity and compassion? How he rescued us expecting nothing in return? All the time he spent teaching us and allowing us to pester him?”

The painful memories that surfaced in the back of her mind caused Eliana’s throat to tighten—she remembered all too clearly her untainted and wholehearted conviction that Dusknoir had truly been great, and more than worthy of the title. She swallowed and cleared her throat, shaking the frissons from her pelt. “While he was leading us on so we wouldn’t expect him to drag us to execution posts?”

“That was before he realized who you really were, Eliana.” Lu tilted his head forward to peer deeply into her eyes. “Every second of that devotion was real. He sincerely cared about us. He had—and still has—a good heart. His fear drove him to do terrible things, yes—he’ll be the first to admit how much of a coward he was, and will just as quickly assume that responsibility as well as the guilt that overwhelms him in retrospect—but, for what it’s worth, that true side of him has emerged, and he’s a completely different Pokémon now.”

Lu was also a terrible liar—it had been a dead giveaway, the very few times he’d ever tried to fib to her, when he’d fail to meet her eyes as he spoke in a demure and shaky voice. Now he met her gaze head-on, completely assured of what he said. (Eliana almost wanted to pinch herself just to make sure she wasn’t trapped in another illusory nightmare.)

“You can’t honestly expect me to just drop everything and let bygones be bygones after he spent so long being the most rotten Pokémon alive,” she told them flatly. “There’s no telling everything he did under Primal Dialga’s orders.”

“Eliana,” Grovyle said gently, “we understand. I couldn’t sleep in the same room as him for months. Even now I’ll wake and startle when I see him, strictly on instinct. He knows, and he’s doing his best to make amends—almost to a fault, in my opinion. I can’t tell you all the good he’s done since we’ve returned to the mainland. We can’t walk through Treasure Town without running into someone he’s helped personally who wants to stop and thank him.”

“You don’t think he’s playing the long game this time?” she growled. “Waiting for all of you to truly relax so he can come in and betray you all over again with the lowest chances of failure? Why wouldn’t he want to finish the job?”

“No one can ever know things like that for certain,” Lu acknowledged, “but based on the last few years, he’s given no indication of reverting back to his old ways. You don’t have to forgive him, and you don’t have to trust him—but please believe us that he’s earnest, at least.”

Eliana sighed, glared out of the window to her right—the sun had long since slipped under the horizon, plunging the sky into pitch darkness save the full moon spilling mercurial light upon the landscape and the stars sprinkling the farthest reaches—and tried to resolve the tumult in her mind. Her time running from him in the future as a human combined with her time as an Eevee once he’d revealed his true colors could not be ignored. But, for the sakes of Lu, Grovyle, and Celebi (who she had no doubts would have eradicated Dusknoir on the spot had he shown any further signs of ill intent and wouldn’t have hesitated to do so given the prolific bounds of her abilities), she—reluctantly—decided to tolerate the ghost-type’s presence…for the time being.

“…All right,” she acquiesced, “if you’re both certain, I’ll…be patient. But I will take care of him if he takes one step out of line.”

“We know. We would do the same.” Grovyle, too, glanced outside, as though to assess the time. “…I should probably head back to the bluff. We’ve an early start tomorrow since we took some jobs to the north of here a good ways.”

“Go get some rest, old friend,” bade Lu, “and take that basket with you. I had Chimecho provide extra for all three of you.”

“You needn’t keep feeding us, you know,” said the wood gecko Pokémon wryly, although his eyes shone with gratitude. “We are perfectly capable of keeping our own larder stocked.”

“Just bring the basket back for a refill,” Lu dismissed with a toothy grin. “Best of luck to you.”

Eliana’s heart rose to her throat as Grovyle stood. He stopped to give her another tight and long hug, which she returned wholeheartedly. She blinked away the burning in her eyes as he pulled away.

“I will see you once we return,” he promised her softly, lithe form lingering close—he didn’t want to leave, either. “We can discuss your situation going forward then. Rest well.”

“You, too. Be careful,” she murmured. “Don’t get lost.”

“I won’t.” His eyes crinkled in a smile. Then he grasped the basket, hefted the handle over his lithe shoulder, and slipped out of Lu’s office. The door shut with a punctual thud in his wake and the silence that followed was hollow.

Lu set his basket, emptied by himself and Eliana once he and Grovyle had convinced her to eat, to the side and rose to his feet. “You can stay in the Guild’s guest wing for now,” he said, “until you decide what to do. We’ve refurbished it a bit, so it should be more comfortable.”

Eliana nodded and followed him silently through the dimmed, sleepy Guild. The somewhat hidden stairwell that led to the basement containing the larder and the aforementioned accommodations for privileged guests within the sentry tunnel was cool and damp, as it always was after a recent rain, but once Lu stopped at the end of the tunnel and opened the door leading into the extra room, a flush of warm, dry air swept over her.

True to Lu’s word, the room had indeed been altered. Updated furniture kept the place from feeling too sparse, but the same hearth merrily crackling in the end of the room illuminated the floors and walls enough that it didn’t quite feel like the buried burrow it was. A new, vivid, plush, woven mat covered the packed dirt floor, and a fresh straw bed had been fashioned in the furthest corner in the warmest spot. The narrow bracket of shelves next to the respective spring-fed wash and drinking basins nearest the door had been fully stocked not only with food, but also basic items and more personal ones that Eliana quickly recognized—her Treasure Bag and Wonder Map, a hefty sack of her own money, as well as a small locked chest within which she had kept her belongings while they’d lived at Sharpedo Bluff. Lu had obviously anticipated her arrival well in advance to go to such lengths to have the place prepared thusly.

“You’re spoiling me,” Eliana whispered, smiling shakily. She’d about had it with the tears that day, as exhausting as it had been.

“I’m making sure you have everything you need,” he told her, shaking his head fondly and slipping an arm over her shoulder to tug her into his flank. “This room could be yours, if you wanted. I’d considered taking you on as an official consultant and assistant, if you wanted to. Chatot handles the administration, but it would be helpful to have someone with more hands-on experience. The apprentices can be quite a handful sometimes.” He huffed softly. “But don’t make a decision right now. I really shouldn’t have even brought it up, but I’m just so excited that you’re finally home, I…”

“It’s all right,” Eliana told him, tilting her head up to gaze at him warmly. “I’m glad you considered me for the position. I’ll start thinking about it.”

“That’s all I ask—there’s no pressure, of course.” He chuckled. “You may want to retire from all this nonsense, after all.”

“We’ll see.” Eliana hesitated, then dropped her chin and scuffed her foot along the weave of the rug. “I’m…sorry, you know…about getting carried away earlier. I didn’t mean to cause a scene and embarrass you.”

“I almost attacked him on first sight, too,” he said mildly, “and you didn’t embarrass me. I had hoped to warn you before he got there, since I thought Magnezone would keep him occupied for longer, but…I don’t think the others will hold it against you. It was a big adjustment for them, too. You reacted in a way for which no one could possibly fault you—including Dusknoir himself.”

Eliana frowned with a flat, low hum at that and slipped away from Lu’s grasp, stepping over to the drinking fountain to relieve her thirst.

“That’s why he didn’t fight back, you know.”

She glanced at her partner from out of the corner of her eye while she lapped from the cold, fresh water.

Lu’s face was creased with empathy as he grasped the silver bow tied around his neck with both paws, his blunted claws wringing the thinned fabric—the first indication of his old anxiety she’d seen all evening. “He didn’t try to stop you, I hope you realize that. He just acted in self-defense to keep you from hurting yourself.”

The recent impression of his unnaturally cool and massive hand coiling around her middle and nearly engulfing her whole torso all the way to her spine made her stiffen. Her entire body didn’t quite fit into his palm anymore, but he could still crush her if he wanted to.

…Yet he hadn’t. She’d bitten him before he could have, but…

“Don’t entirely reject the idea that he’s capable of redeeming himself just yet, Eliana,” Lu murmured pleadingly. “Please.”

“…I won’t,” she caved, turning and watching the flicker of amber firelight play over the lines in Lu’s face. He looked simultaneously younger and older than she remembered. “For you. And for Grovyle.”

Some of the fretful tension drained from his rigid form at her admission. “Thank you. I can’t demand that you give him a second chance, but…I’d ask that you at least try.”

Unable to give him any further verbal confirmation, she nodded instead.

He returned the gesture, smiled, and stepped back into the doorway. “Don’t hesitate to come get me if you need anything,” he said, “anything at all.”

“I will,” she replied.

He stopped, the edge of his mouth tightening.

“I won’t hesitate,” she amended with an irresistible chuckle, “and I will come get you.”

“All right,” he accepted, curling his paw around the door latch. “Good night, Eliana.”

“Good night,” she returned with a smile.

He replicated the gesture, then the door shut with a soft click as the latch lurched into place and secured her inside. The earth muffled any noises Lu would have made climbing back up into the next level, and the only company Eliana now had was the fire rasping at her back and the gentle trickle of water passing through its natural course towards the town’s reservoir.

It struck her suddenly, then, that this would be the first night she would spend alone in nearly a half a decade.

Eliana swallowed roughly, walked over to curl up onto the warm, soft bed that still smelled as though it had been bathed in sunshine, and squeezed her eyes shut to avoid their stinging.

She dreamed of perpetual darkness so dense it could be felt, and of pale, outstretched hands.

[nessihow]

Heartbeat (Logan Howlett x Reader)

Prologue.

Jessica befriended Wade looking for new emotions, looking for something to break her out of her receptionist routine and make her feel alive again. What she did not expect was to find a man who would completely unsettle her. Not even to discover that the feelings of her closest friend were much stronger than a friendship.

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Wade was looking forward to seeing her, it had been a long time since he had last been with her. They had been friends for almost a year. . Since then, they got together from time to time to watch a movie, get drunk, have sex...

Jessica was not doing very well at work, you know that kind of office where the boss is a bastard? Yeah, she worked in that kind of company. There was never much money, she couldn't afford a decent career. But by making eyes she had landed a job as an administrative clerk, or as they called her to make her feel bad, the receptionist. 

He didn't like his job, he didn't like his city, he didn't like his life, for years he had wanted to disappear from that reality.Until she met Wade Wilson.She met Wade after he broke up with Vanessa, from the first day he found in Jessica a shoulder to cry on and a faithful companion.

It was completely obvious that at first Wade just wanted to sleep with her. Jessica had tried to resist at first, her willpower didn't hold out for long. One night, he drunkenly promised her that he was going to make it work, swore to her that he loved her and would devote his life to her if he had to. Jessica's heart was squeezed, but not with tenderness, but with pain, knowing that all this was false. The next day, Wade was not so drunk, and all his promises were gone that morning when he called Vanessa crying because he missed her. There were things that didn't work, they had both understood that. But neither was willing to give up the presence of the other. It had become daily, it had become necessary. In the end, instead of lovers, they had become friends. Wade had been gone for a few weeks, and when he returned, he didn't hesitate to plan a movie night with his favourite buddy. Only this sleepover was going to be a little different from the others. "Who are you?" said a man much older than Wade and much better looking than him, as he opened the door for him."AL! JESSY HAS ARRIVED. Come in, honey," Wade said as he opened the door wide and hugged her warmly. "It's been forever, where have you been, Wilson?" Jessica smiled as she walked away from him. "Saving the world so that beautiful things like you can continue to exist," the girl rolled her eyes when she heard her friend's compliments. He was a flattering bastard.

"Who is your friend?" The man was still at the entrance of the house, he had closed the door and was leaning against it with his arms crossed and raising an eyebrow at the whole scene. The girl scanned the guy from top to bottom, drinking in that bad boy pose that he imposed on her so much."GOD, IT'S TRUE, I was so looking forward to introducing him to you," Wade put his hands to his head, as if he had ruined a birthday party. "Remember that man with the animal complex I told you I fought with a few years ago?" the woman wrinkled her face as she felt the mutant's saliva on her face, he was talking so excited that he was spitting non-stop. "Spiderman?" she asked, very confused."NO! WITH MUCH MORE TESTOSTERONE. Just look at that hairstyle, he's a wolf, he's a dirty dog," at this last nickname, the man at the door stood up, uncrossing his arms and clenching his fists, ready to kill the loud-mouthed mercenary at any moment. " IT'S WOLVERINE" he extended his arms as he pointed at him, the man exhaled through his nose. His nostrils flaring as he frowned. "Wolverine? I don't know, I'm sure I've seen him on TV, but I don't know..." the woman wasn't lying, she couldn't really say she knew him. 

"Ignore this asshole, Bub, the name is Logan."

 "Nice to meet you, I guess, I'm Jessica, I'm a friend of Wade's." he approached her and the girl looked up to meet his eyes, but stood still and uncomfortably pondering whether she should shake his hand, or give him two kisses, or a polite hug....

"She's my fuck buddy" the younger man said, completely sure of himself as he nodded his head.

"Oh my god, that's completely untrue!" she exclaimed, not expecting such barbarity from him. Well, if she imagined it, it was something Wade would say. She just wasn't used to those moments yet.

"He's still in the denial stage, just like you, you'll both go down eventually." he pointed at them both making pistol signs with his fingers before hearing a beep and running off to the kitchen. Probably the popcorn.

"Why do you put up with this character, why would you willingly hang out with him?" Logan had plopped down on one of the couches, stretching his legs out and leaving a small space in the corner for her to sit, all gentlemanly. She was lucky that Wade's couch was huge, and that man wasn't very tall either. 

"Maybe I'm looking for the abnormal brother I never had" She leaned back against the back of the couch in that cramped spot her companion had given her.

 "What about you? If according to Wade, you're some kind of superhero, what are you doing here with him?" the brunette asked genuinely.

The sound of Logan's laughter flooded the room, the girl didn't quite understand his reaction, but shuddered as she heard his chest rumble. It was husky, it was hard, it was fucking sexy. "Kid, I'm absolutely everything but a superhero, but hey, I guess between living with him and living badly waiting for my death. I chose the hard option."  It sounded like he was talking about something really serious, but he wanted to take the heat off the matter.

"I'd choose dying over living completely with him, if I'm being honest."  It was of course a lie, she loved Wade like a brother, and he made her life so much more exciting.

"He's not that bad, sometimes he steals pizzas from the shop downstairs." Jessica smiled at her friend's confession of crimes, it wasn't the first time they had eaten free fast food.

After laughing at the situation, there was an awkward silence in the room. What the fuck was Wade doing with the popcorn? The answer came quickly when a burning smell came through the doorway connecting to the kitchen, they wrinkled their noses at the smoke. It would take even longer to make others, and Logan was still silent, unwilling or unable to say anything. An introvert's fight? Not really, neither of them were shy, but when they opened their mouths to say something, the words wouldn't come out, and they would close them again, grimacing with their lips. In one of these attempts their gazes connected, the girl saw how the man scratched behind his ear, and decided she had to break the silence before the silence broke her and started reciting biblical passages.

"So... How did you meet Wade?" she asked, changing the position she was sitting in on the couch. Her whole body itched strangely, it could be nerves, but it could also be the dirty couch.

"I met him at a gay bar." at that very moment, Wade walked in with a giant bowl of popcorn in his hands. Logan swung his legs off the couch to make room for the mercenary, but he whined quickly, like a child.

"Yeah, you're crazy if you think I'm going to give you the comfy spot on the couch, I'm sitting next to the armrest, I want to rest my head there. "The older man decided not to fight him and give him the spot, now he was next to her, and she could feel even more the smell of cigarettes permeating her, well, it was something much stronger than cigarettes, but it wasn't entirely unpleasant. 

"This fucker came into my dimension, manipulated me and made me help him save this reality" Logan popped a handful of popcorn into his mouth.

"What do you mean your dimension?" Jessica furrowed her eyebrows, Wade had told her mind-blowing things in all that time and even more to the point, he had shown them to her. On one occasion she had even visualized him breaking the laws of physics and other sciences when confronted by mercenaries who were out to kill him.

"Yeah, you remember everything I told you about Cable? Well apparently it's not only possible to time travel, you can also travel between universes. BUT THAT'S NOT THE IMPORTANT THING, THE IMPORTANT THING IS THAT I DIDN'T LIE, I MADE UP REALITY." She sighed heavily, assimilating a little badly everything they were telling her. Would there be another version of her that was living a better life? Could she undo all her mistakes and go live in another reality? What had pushed Logan to leave his reality and live in this one? What had happened to the Logan of that dimension? His eyes remained fixed on the television, still unlit. And something in his memory clicked.

-WAIT, I KNOW WHO YOU ARE," the woman shouted, suddenly standing up and startling the two men who were arguing over a Honda Odyssey. - YOU WERE IN THE X-MEN, THE GUY WITH THE CLAWS, I SAW YOU IN ACTION WHEN I WAS LITTLE. - after her outburst, she felt as if she had remembered something essential on an exam.

Like when you're thinking all day about the name of a song, and it comes to mind just before you go to sleep.

Although Jessica was expected to be happy, Logan clenched his jaw and looked away. He didn't like being associated with the Wolverine from that dimension, when Laura confronted him at camp, he was annoyed by it. It seemed everyone expected him to be a person he wasn't in reality.

"Well, that one you saw on TV is dead, but here our friend is just as cool as he is." Wade was conveying a kinder tone, he already knew how his partner felt about the comparison, he was trying to calm the waters before Logan responded rudely and Jessica freaked out.

"I... sorry, I know you’re not him, I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable."

Now the atmosphere was uncomfortable again, Logan looked at her and told her not to worry

But instead of taking his eyes away from her, he spent a few minutes examining her features. She seemed really sorry, as if she really cared about hurting her. Not something that Logan was used to, most of the people he dealt with in his previous dimension were insulting and booing him. Wade and the other mutants also seemed to use him as a weapon rather than a person.

But Jessica stood there with those green eyes and while she gave her a look of pity made Logan feel after half his life that someone really respected him. 

"Do you want to watch the movie with us? Otherwise I’m not gonna put up with Wade making jokes about actors."

She spoke with her renewed enthusiasm, the younger man thought it was an apology rather than a proposal. To look good.

But the older mutant, blinded by the sympathy he had longed for centuries, nodded without thinking.

"I don’t have anything better to do either, but we’re not watching a drama."

[devieuls]

Hello can I plz request Inazuma boys (if you can) react (separately) to their s/o wearing this outfit? Spicy reaction plz! It's ok if no tho! :)

Inazuma boys x ¡ FEM reader !

Synopsis: On a sultry day in the middle of summer, you decided to dress in opaque clothes that left a lot of skin to the eye, presenting yourself to your boyfriend as if you were not leaving the house naked (in their eyes, ofc).

Characters: Itto, Kazuha, Thoma, Scaramouche, Gorou, Ayato, Heizou

Note: I didn’t really know how to play this choice of clothes, but I tried in every way to stay in the personality of the characters, forgive me if you won’t read exactly what you wanted. I don’t know, some have inspired me more than others. I remember that they are not native English speakers, so forgive my mistakes and feel free to correct me. Also the requests are open to all, maybe it takes a while to answer but I do it without problems!

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Itto:

The hot summer day was slowly killing your energetic boyfriend, finding him lying on the floor with his faithful pet Ushi, as he waves energetically with one of your fans, complaining through some of them about the heat that made him sweat.

< Honey, would you like to go to the beach? I know that you suffer the heat and I’m sorry to make you stay at home agonizing > You said bending down to him, to better look at his agonizing face and his eyes closed.

You had to take a few steps back because of the guy who had jumped up from happiness, mentally preparing for long swims in cold water.

< Love! you don't know how much I love you- > His smile froze once seen with what clothes you were going to leave the house. His heart accelerated rapidly as he pumped blood throughout his still-euphoric body. < Is the temperature that’s so hot or is it you? > he growled gently before approaching you, taking you from the hips and leaving a gentle kiss on your lips.

You blushed as you kissed the boy back, feeling his hands wandering over your body, touching him with extreme delicacy and devotion.

< How stupid are you! Do you like it? is great for very hot seasons > You said laughing as you wrapped your arms around her neck, putting yourself on tiptoe because of the height difference.

< Oh, you’re the "very hot season" now. I mean… > he coughed and cleared his voice < honey… you’re so… wonderful. > He said looking you in the eye, holding you close to him. Her hands ended up on your ass and she picked you up and headed for the room. < But. I can’t let you just walk out. You created a big problem in my pants and now the heat is not the only thing that makes me agonize. > He ended by lying on the bed, then tying his hair in a tail and looking at your body practically exposed to him. < God, I’d eat you for hours. >

You blushed as the boy only stayed with the leather body harness and choker, perfectly displaying his red tattoos, before getting on the bed and taking off your clothes.

Glad to see you didn’t wear a bra and take off your panties with his teeth. < We’re going to the beach tomorrow. We've better things to do. > He would say giving you a smile before disappearing between your legs.

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Kazuha :

You could say you loved living on a pirate ship, traveling all the time, discovering new things and always being in good company, but above all you loved having your boyfriend on the crew.

You found your boyfriend sitting in front of his desk, writing something while humming something low, wearing a light crumpled kimono that leaving his collarbones and shoulder bare.

You approached him carefully, placing your arms on his shoulders and leaving a kiss on his neck, peering at what he was writing.

< Love, what do you write? > You moaned against her soft skin.

< Nothing important. Where have you been all morning? I looked for you but no one saw you, I was worried. > He said to then turn to you, closing the notebook he was writing on, and then swallowing to see the top you were wearing.

< Oh, Captain Beidou kidnapped me for the morning. She said she had clothes to withstand the heat of inazuma, as my usual clothes are " a bit heavy and covering". Do you… do you like me? am I okay? > You asked away from him to take a ride on yourself to see the boy.

Kazuha’s eyes followed your entire body, biting his lip and then getting up and grabbing your hand for a twirl.

< You are a blessing to the eyes. Whatever you wear can only feel good > He said gently, and then kiss the palm of your hand. You smiled and then looked at the boy’s bare chest and shoulder, blushing because of some sinful thoughts that were going through your mind.

Kazuha noticed it and stroked your cheek with slightly reddened knuckles.

< I’m thinking the same things about you, princess. > He said to then drop his hand on your neck, then on your breasts and end up on the crotch of your shorts. He sighed before making you back to the bed and take off his kimono completely, immediately going to touch your breasts and squeeze a nipple already hard. < Maybe, today the captain will do without our presence. > he said smiling and then start biting and sucking your neck.

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Thoma :

He wouldn’t even give you time to leave the room to be seen with the new dress, as he would rush into the bedroom to watch you try on the outfit, excited to see you with new and "strange" clothes.

He swallowed seeing your thighs exposed like that, feeling already tight in his pants and cursing himself for not having enough self-control to collapse like this, unfortunately you were his weakest point and some points, like your thighs, they drove him crazy.

< Love, are you all red in your face… are you.. are you all right? > You asked approaching him worried, while you laid a hand on his burning cheeks.

< No, I’m not okay. You’re so hot you made me hard in seconds. I would like to be more cavalier not to say certain things directly but… dressed so, my head does nothing but think about how satisfying it would be to fuck you right now > he said everything in a frustrated tone.

You sat on his lap, raising his face and grinning maliciously.

< And that’s exactly what I wanted > You answered and then kissed him and made him smile as he put his hands under your top behind your back, raising it slowly.

< You really like to tease me > he said by biting his lip, then passing a finger on your column, making you pant slightly, seizing the moment to overturn the positions and put yourself under him. < Then you’ll get what you want. >

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

Scaramouche :

The boy looked at you with a bored face, rolling his eyes as you wandered around the house looking for various things to go out. He stood silently against the wall, his arms crossed against his chest and clearly crushed. Even though he wasn’t showing it, seeing you dressed like that had the blood pumping towards his cock, making it hard.

< You’re really a stupid brat. How long do you take to prepare? > He said grumbling loudly, bringing his eyes to the ceiling, clearly shattered by the time you were wasting him.

< I can’t find my fan. It was the only one I had. I’ll die under the sun of inazuma without that! > You said almost whining, looking for him everywhere and hoping that your boyfriend had a little more patience.

Meanwhile, Scaramouche was thinking about how naive you were not to have yet realized that he had your fan and this to keep you from leaving the house dressed like this. He would never admit he was jealous, so he preferred to play dirty with you.

The boy walked up to you and took you like a sack of potatoes, taking you to the bedroom with a puff. < I’ve had enough. we stay home. > He said to then get between your legs and hold your body with one hand, making you blush. < Plus, dressed like that, you made my dick hard, so you gotta fix it, baby girl. > He concluded by smirking maliciously as he took off your black shorts, sticking two fingers inside you, making you grab behind him and pant. < You’re so naive you didn’t realize right away that I had the fucking fan. Don’t worry baby, you won’t need it for a long time >

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

Gorou :

You knew your boyfriend couldn’t stand the summer heat, having dog blood in his veins he also shared this unpleasant trait with them, not to mention the fact that he went into heat at that time; which made him frustrated and stressed.

You watched your boyfriend as he stood on the ground in front of the fan, with some wet rags that were attached to his body to cool him down and lower the temperature on his body. < Baby, would you bring me some water with ice? I feel I’m going to die… > He said exasperated, placing a new cold patch on his forehead. Sweat continued to sweat down his bare chest, while his trousers were slightly lowered under his hips.

You nodded and quickly brought water to your boyfriend, it made you sad to see him in those conditions, you were used to his strong and determined personality.

< Can I do something else for you? maybe a swim on the beach could help… don’t you think? > You said looking at him gently, as you removed a warm patch from his belly, touching his burning skin.

The boy opened his eyes to answer you and remained speechless to see you dressed like that, beginning to wag his tail flapping on the wooden floor, embarrassing himself at once for his tail that could not hide his excitement.

< Oh, fuck, kitten… I’m fighting so hard against my heat and you come dressed like that… You don't help this way > He said passing a hand three white strands of his hair, slightly moist because of sweat and wet rag.

He stood up promptly to go towards you and take you to the bed, beginning to kiss your neck with fury, leaving various hickeys and bites. < Forgive me for being more rude than usual, but I need you out of those clothes… > he whisped on your neck.

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

Ayato :

Ayato was definitely the type of boyfriend who even during the hot summer days, preferred to dress with a certain decorum. Being the heir of the Kamisato family, appearances mattered and showing themselves in public in inappropriate clothing would have created ill news about him. In fact, when he saw you leaving the room you used as a wardrobe dressed in shorts and tops he froze you with his eyes, you knew very well how much clothing mattered to him and seeing you so "naked" to go out, he had destabilized.

You immediately heard the servants' looks at you and some of the maids mumbling something, while in the distance you could see the amused look of Ayaka and the distraught one of Thoma taking tea with miss Kamisato.

Your look was later kidnapped by Ayato’s, intense and angry, his hand squeezed the bubble tea as if to relieve the anger he had accumulated in those few seconds, trying to disguise everything with a smile as he headed towards you. He pushed you into the room and closed the door behind him, towering over your person, placed the drink on a shelf and then took your face from your chin.

< Baby, I don’t understand. I thought I told you to get dressed to go out, not be a slut in the bedroom with me. > He said by making you back up to the wall, slamming your palm against the hard surface, gritting his teeth. < Now everyone will be talking about you in indecent clothing. The future Mrs Kamisato who shows up inadequately dressed outside her rooms. Not to mention the men who saw what belongs to me. > he continued, his free hand ripping your top off, leaving your breasts uncovered.

You had to admit, you wanted to tease him slightly dressed like that, on the advice of his sister, but you wouldn’t have expected this.

< This is all mine. I can’t let others admire it. > He said and then stooped over you and kissed your breasts. < You already know where I want to end up with you. You embarrassed me by showing you dressed like that. Now I’ll make sure you scream until the whole building hears your voice and understands what we’re doing. Didn’t you want this? > he said smirking maliciously.

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

Heizou :

The dark red-haired had already noticed those garments in your closet a few days before, but he had not listened to that littleness, thinking that they were simply clothes to stay at home and face the heat. Being a detective, he was often in a position to have no time to focus on small things in his house and let it go, attaching plausible and simple reasons to such events.

.

After a busy morning because of work, he was particularly surprised to find you bent over a piece of furniture while you were dusting it, especially for the shorts that left your b side in plain sight. You had just returned from a morning commission and had decided not to change to clean the house, waiting for your boyfriend towards the late afternoon.

You gasped to feel a familiar touch on your hips, followed by some kisses on your shoulder and neck. < Mh, there is nothing more divine than to enter the house and see you bent to ninety and dressed like this > said the boy and then let you stand, red on your face.

< W-why are you home so early? > you asked and then turned to him, hiding your face on his chest, slightly embarrassed by the position in which he found you.

< I finished early. But I haven’t finished work yet after this, who knows what you’re hiding under your clothes. I wouldn’t be a good detective if I didn’t investigate thoroughly. I wonder what color panties I’m going to rip off today. > he said taking you in his arms, leaving a small spanking on your ass, walking towards the bedroom. < You don’t wear a bra, I can feel it. What a naughty girl, I’ll have to cuff you for that. >

[a-sad-mage]

Circling back to the whole Will Shane possibly having murdered Tom Por thing-

It's like, never brought up again, other than the mental connection we the audience make during 'The New Kid pt 2' when Twist is telling Eli his backstory.

Like did Will actually kill Tom?

Or was it a misunderstanding???

Because it's very well implied that Will actually did do it.

The gang kinda confirmed Tom Por just... Vanished, and no one knew exactly what happened to him?

Sure, Dana says Will Shane murdered her father. But she has no solid proof other than what her father told her.

And we know when she says 'he found out Will Shane was working for the enemy'[not a direct quote] it was about the Shadow Clan. And that Tom was attributing the time Will spent away as time collaborating with them.

In reality, Will was just going top side to spend time with his family. And a small portion was actually spent with the Shadow Clan as they were collaborating in protecting Slugterra and it's secrets. To the point Will was given the Shadow Talker, and the recorded messages Will left for Eli that were curtesy of Shadow Clan.

So they were friendly.

circling back, Dana claimed her father found out about it. But it's clear he didn't know the full truth at that moment.

We know there was a possible confrontation between the two men.

And in that possible confrontation, Dana claims Will murder Tom.

Key point, Dana claims. She doesn't know for serten. She says she knows it's the truth- but here's the thing, no one knows for serten.

Eli rebuffs the idea, and again, the gang is not entirely convinced themselves.

In short, Dana is an unreliable source of information because she doesn't know the whole truth(no one but Will dose) and she's also blinded by her emotions.

Another thing that orb Dana is now using after having taken it, a thing I've taken to calling the Shadow Walker. The thing that let's her walk in the Shadows like she's Shadow Clan.

That to me, didn't belong to Will. Because when Dana makes off with it, none of that Shadow Clan chase her down, nor make an effort to track her down to get it back. (I think, I could be wrong, been a while since I saw the EP)

Key point, they let Eli keep the Shadow Talker. Like they show up, just to tell him that he can keep it. That it once belonged to his dad, and now belongs to him.

They make no real fuss about the Shadow Walker orb.

What if the Shadow Walker was Tom Por's?

What of when Tom confronted Will, and Will told him the truth about his partnership with the Shadow Clan?

It was established that Will and Tom were friends. Good friends, after all, Tom was Wills navigator, and you have to trust the person navigating you.

So what if, when Tom confronted Will, Will told Tom the truth about his dealings with the Shadow Clan?

What if Will took Tom to see the Shadow Clan, and as a show of good faith, and a favor to Will Shane, they gave Tom the Shadow Walker?

But something happened, something bad, that was out of everyone's control, and Tom unexpectedly died, just moments after getting it?

[Mabye even suddenly disappeared? Spirited away by some unknown force, leaving behind the Shadow Walker]

Will, devastated, takes the Shadow Walker and the Shadow Talker and put them in the box, cover it in a metal only a Lavalynx could melt and hid it.

Will for whatever reason, can't bring himself to tell Dana the truth, and he knows his emotions might get the better of him as a dad to a son around her age at the time.

So he makes one more request of the Shadow Clan in regards to the Shadow Walker.

Should Dana Por ever get her hands on it, let her keep it for better or worse.

Again all of this is speculation, the rambling of a mad person who is in desperate need of sleep. I could be wrong. This is mostly crap I thought up while making my OC lore for Slugterra. There is no real evidence.

So take this with a grain of salt.

Anyway, I'm going to bed, I have a Flan to cook tomorrow.

[klbwriting]

Adventures In Atlantean-Sitting

Chapter 12

Fandom: Aquaman

Pairing: Ormxfemale!Reader

Warnings: some violence

Summary: things start to fall apart

Arthur waited for three weeks before going to Xebel himself. What he found was Nareus investigating the disappearance of one of his top scientists. He invited Arthur and Mera to his sitting rooms for a conference. Now this treason involved Xebel and Nareus was not going to let it stand.

“We have no proof Orlan was involved, nor Leo,” Mera said, clearly just as annoyed as her father. Arthur sighed.

“What about Orvex? Orlan’s other son and the general?” Arthur asked Mera. She sighed.

“I checked on him before we left Atlantis, he states that his father asked him to send search parties to find Orm, but he is a faithful servant of his king and wouldn’t do it without your say so,” she said. Arthur nodded, glad at least someone in that family seemed to be sane. “Was there any evidence of the scientist’s work?” she turned to her father who shook his head.

“The lab was cleaned out, the samples you sent, any reports, were all missing. I assume they were either stolen or destroyed,” he said. Arthur clenched his fists.

“I need to go back to Orm, find out if Leo has been back there,” he said. Mera looked confused.

“Has he not been in contact with you?” she asked. He shook his head. “What did you do now?”

“Who says I did anything? Its YN, she was injured, and she’s been recovering, I’m guessing as soon as she got well enough to leave bed, he rolled her right back into it and hasn’t come up for air yet,” Arthur said. Mera crinkled her nose at the thought but sighed. “I’ll head up there right after we’re done here, maybe we can get something from him.” They agreed and Nareus asked if they found anything to let him know, if Orlan thought he was going to get out of punishment because he was on the council in Atlantis he had messed with the wrong king.

Orm had finally finished fixing the door while YN lounged on the couch. Orm grabbed his shirt that he had tossed and wiped his face of the sweat, leaning against the door frame. It was hot, the summer really setting in now, and at this point Orm wanted nothing more than to feel the ocean on his skin. He wanted to go to the beach with YN, get into the waves and just float there with her as the day passed them by.

“Want to go for a swim in the lake?” he heard YN say, breaking him out of his fantasy. He smiled and nodded. She got up and headed to the bedroom, getting into her bathing suit. Orm waited at the door, he would just swim in his shorts, when he heard footsteps nearby. He jumped up, getting into attack position, ready to tackle anyone who wasn’t welcome. He relaxed when Arthur emerged from the nearby trees. Orm relaxed a little bit. Arthur charged at him, attacking him into the house, slamming the door behind him. YN stood in the bedroom doorway, staring as Arthur punched Orm twice before he could recover and shove him off. By that time several soldiers and Orlan walked into the cottage. Orm snarled.

“What are you doing here?” he demanded, looking around. They were surrounded, weapons on them, there was no way he could escape and keep YN safe. One of the soldiers grabbed her roughly and held her hostage, the pulsar ray pointed at her back.

“That’s funny I was going to ask you the same thing,” Arthur said, sounding livid. “What is this YN? I told you find him, not fuck him.” YN’s lip was shaking, her voice sounded so small when she spoke it broke Orm’s heart.

“I’m sorry Arthur,” she said. Orm turned to her, realizing he needed to think of something. He rounded on YN.

“What is he talking about?” he demanded. YN shrank at the anger in his voice, but he could see her eyes, she wasn’t afraid, she was thinking, planning. She wasn’t going to tolerate this, but she could see they were outmatched. She was thinking of what to do next. She had noted that Leo wasn’t there, this was Orlan, Leo was still in the background, probably planning the attack that would happen once they left and headed back for Atlantis. Orm had to make sure they left the cottage, left YN there, and that he caused problems before they reached the shore, give YN time to do her work.

“She was hired to find you, to keep you here until I was able to come get you,” Arthur said. “Seems like she did more than find you. I’ve been stripped of my power because you were keeping him here, to what? Sleep with him? How many others are you messing around with? Does Batman know?” He was fast approaching the woman, causing the soldier guarding her to back off. YN let out a sob and fell back on her ass, pushing back to the wall. Orm feigned anger and betrayal.

“You were just waiting it out for Arthur to come back?” he asked.

“You wouldn’t come here and stay, I needed you to stay here so I could get in touch, I didn’t mean for it to take so long, and I was just pretending Arthur, please don’t tell Batman, I found him, I got him here, I just sent the message…” she said. Arthur snarled and she quieted down. Orm looked down, pretending to be defeated.

“So, what now?” he asked, eyeing Orlan who was positively gleeful at this turn of events.

“You will be returned to Atlantis, where you will face trial and most likely be executed,” he said. Orm could feel the air leave the room. Arthur’s shoulders tightened and YN let out a soft gasp. Orm growled, hoping that Orlan wouldn’t notice the shift in the room. This had just gotten more complicated. “You didn’t think we would let you live, did you? You already escaped once; we can’t risk such a thing to happen again. Restrain them both.”

“No,” Arthur said. “I may be king in name only, but I am the ambassador to the surface, and this is a surface dweller, she must be tried under surface law. I will stay with her until Batman arrives, he will have her convicted.” Arthur knew most Atlanteans looked at the Justice League as the law of the surface and he hoped that Orlan hadn’t been doing any research into the truth. Orlan glared for a moment, clearly thinking. He finally nodded. Their act was enough to convince him that Arthur and Orm were not friendly, that YN was a traitor, and that Arthur was truly angry and not just scrambling, trying to hide his worry.

“Very well your majesty, come, bring the prisoner,” Orlan instructed. Orm flashed one more look back at YN and she stared after him, trying to keep calm until they left the cottage and were a few hundred feet away. Then she stood and looked to Arthur, motioning for him to follow her. She opened the shed and then the large storage cabinet inside. All kinds of weapons gleaned back at them. She started grabbing things, detonators, bracelets, a full scale inhibitor shield to contain metas and superhumans up to 50 feet away, anything that she thought would help.

“Fuck YN, have you been waiting for the metapocolypse?” he asked. She looked at him as she closed her bag and put an Atlantean steel knife and pulsar gun on her hips.

“Batman was my mentor when I was learning my powers, do you think he isn’t passing his paranoia onto the next generation?” she asked. “Now, enough talk, I know where Leo is, he and his team are waiting at the beach for them. Orm isn’t getting back to Atlantis alive. We need to go now.”

[ironwoman18]

What If... Nezuko wasn't a demon? - Part 3

Chapter 3: The Final Selection

The three kids arrived at the place of the final selection to be part of the demon slayer corp, during their travel there Kanao barely talked and Tanjiro noticed her using a coin every time she wanted to talk or do something.

Nezuko told him that she did it when she was at the butterfly mansion but never asked her why she did it. When Tanjiro was about to ask her, two little girls approached them.

Just then Tanjiro noticed that there were lots of kids wanting to join the corp.

“Thank you for coming to the final selection” said a girl with black hair then she added “Inside that forest there are demons that were captured by other demon slayers you must reach the mountaintop shire. The surrounding of the forest we have wisteria that is poisonous for demons”

“You must go from the mountain’s foot to the slope in seven nights. Whoever reach the slope alive will be part of the Demon Slayers Corps” this time the girl with white hair spoke “We wish the best for all of you” both of them took a bow and she added “We will see you in seven days”

All the kids ran in the forest, Tanjiro and Nezuko worked as a team killing demons, both of them saved several kids they found on their way to the slope of the mountain. Thanks to Giyuu’s training in real combat with him and Kanao, both of them became stronger than other candidates who only learned the forms of their breathings and got body strength.

By the fifth night they were almost at the top of the mountains when they found a huge green demon, with lots of arms around his head and body.

“Nezuko, there’s a strong blood smell... The other demons didn’t have that strong smell. This demon had been eating a lot of humans” said Tanjiro in a whisper to his sister as they unsheathed their sword, ready to fight.

Meanwhile, away from Mount Fujikasane, Giyuu went to where Urokodaki’s house was and headed to that clearance where he and Sabito used to take a nap after practice and where they shared their tragic stories.

There was a little Buddah statue “Master... You put this here to pray for his soul, didn’t you?” thought Giyuu, smiling slightly.

He put his knees on the ground and prayed, even when he lost faith in that when he lost his loved ones but now he wanted to pray for his students, he became attached to them and wanted them to be protected by someone up there.

“I never thought I would see this...” that voice, Giyuu’s muscles freeze in place, how was this happening “...Giyuu Tomioka praying. If only the master and Murata could see this”

“S...Sabito?” said him with tears in his eyes.

“Giyuu” said his voice and Giyuu turned, afraid that he had gone crazy but there was the figure of his best friend, Sabito, he looked like the last time he saw him... alive.

“Wh...what does this mean?”

“I’m here to remind you of that promise we made here. That you will honor your sister’s wish and now my wish for you to be alive and help others. I died doing what I wanted to do... Help others survive. Right now your students are fighting that same demon that killed me and other Urokodaki’s students” his eyes showed terror so Sabito added “You trained them, you did it amazing and those two will do it. I can tell that Tanjiro's kid will kill it because he’s strong. He mastered those wicked traps Urokodaki loves to put down this damn mountain” Sabito was wearing his mask but Giyuu could bet he was smirking “Forgive yourself. You are alive and became a Hashira. Don’t you dare feel sorry for you”

Giyuu smiled and nodded “Fine... I will keep my promise and survive” Sabito’s mask was cut in half at that moment and Giyuu could see his eyes again and that big smile then Sabito disappeared. Giyuu had some tears in his eyes then he cleaned them and went to Urokodaki’s house and drank a cup of tea.

Back in Mount Fujikasane, Tanjiro and Nezuko held hands with tears in their eyes as the demon's body disappeared and he shared his sad story before turning into a demon.

Tanjiro told his sister about Urokodaki and how much he learned from him when he was with him.

After the death of that demon their way to the top went smoothly. Neither of them had deep wounds and by the last day, they could see that only four other kids survived, a blonde one, a kid with a boar mask, one with a mohawk and Kanao.

“Congratulations to all of you who survived. You will receive a kasugai crow who will tell you where to go and you can use them to send letters to other members and they will send letters back to you” five crows landed on each of them except for the blonde kid who got a small sparrow “Now you have to pick on of these metals so we can send them to the swordsmiths so they can build your swords”

The mohawk kid became irritated and attacked one of the girls asking for a sword, Tanjiro held his wrist and asked him to release the girl or he would break his arm. The boy, feeling his strength, released the girl but looked angry at Tanjiro. 

Then Tanjiro looked at the rocks in front of him but didn’t understand what to do, then he focused on his smell and picked the one that smelled good for him. Nezuko felt an attraction to another rock as well as the other kids picked theirs.

Later that day they left with the promise of receiving their swords soon. They left to Giyuu’s house, they were all dirty and tired but glad to survive.

When they arrived there was Giyuu waiting and when he saw them he hugged them, it was a surprise for both since their master wasn’t like this but it was welcome, considering the situation. There was also Shinobu hugging Kanao.

They took a bath, put on new clothes and ate together and they shared how the selection was. Giyuu took notes of their clothing size and ordered their uniforms. Then they spend their following days training and getting stronger until two swordsmiths arrive.

They wore weird masks which at first scared them but they explained it was for their protection. 

“I’m Kanamori and this is Haganezuka and we were assigned as your swordsmiths. I will be Nezuko’s and Haganezuka will be Tanjiro’s” They nodded, then he handed Nezuko her sword “Ladies first” she held it and unsheathed her sword which turned into a beautiful deep blue just like Giyuu’s.

“You have red eyes and hair and those hanafuda earrings, you must come from coil burners and those features indicate the gods blessing” he handed the sword to Tanjiro and when he unsheathed his sword it color changed into a deep black color. Haganezuka looked disappointed.

“Umm... black?” Giyuu looked a little disappointed as well and nodded “It means bad luck” Tajiro looked worried “But it’s the color you resonate with so... We can’t do anything” said Kanamori with a calm voice “Nezuko, on the other hand, is more intune with the water breathing” then he looked at Giyuu “Well, it was nice to see you again Mister Tomioka. Let’s go, Haganezuka” they left.

Giyuu handed them their uniform and went to their first mission.

“Maybe Tanjiro should talk with Rengoku” said Shinobu as she saw them leaving with there crows leading the way “I heard they have the books from the flame hashira from the Sengoku Era, there was a man who owned a black sword”

“I will tell them once they are back but I bet their crows will give them more missions in the same area. But can you ask him while they return” he said, turning to her. She could tell something was different. His eyes still looked the same but she could see a little more of life in them.

“As you wish Tomioka,” she said with a genuine smile. He gave her a smile as well “ok...I felt something was different but now I’m sure something changed... tell me”

He looked at her and sighed, of course she could noticed, she was the only one who took her time to be around the grumpy Giyuu Tomioka “I had a... umm... spiritual experience with someone who meant a lot to me when I was about Nezuko’s age. And he helped me move on from... things from my past”

“I’m glad Tomioka. I hope something like it happens to me... but I’m too much of a scientist that I might have doubted it” he smiled.

“Kanae could make sure you, you won’t doubt it” 

They laughed “Sure she will” she laughed more “but with a smile on her lips and her eyes shining with kindness, just like Tanjiro’s” Giyuu nodded and looked at her.

“Yes, that sounds like Kanae Kocho” they continued to talk until midnight. Then the Insect Hashira left with a mission in her mind and feeling happy to see her friend Giyuu healing himself, even when she didn’t believe in spiritual experiences, but if that worked then she was for sure be thankful for that development from him.

OOooOOooOO

What did you guys think? I wanted to give Giyuu this development early also, as most of you might be aware of, the Sun Breathing (SB) was natural to Tanjiro as well as Sumiyoshi, Tanjuro and of course the man, the legend, Yoriichi Tsugikuni and what does all of them had in common? Red hair and eyes, which could be a coincidence or a condition to develop that breathing technique.

Which means neither Nezuko nor the other Kamado siblings would perform the SB so Nezuko will be able to use the Water Breathing with ease.

Next chapter will be their missions and I’m not sure if I made them meet with Tamayo and Yushiro after meeting Muzan. Let me know what you think.

[thelibraryiscool]

(some of) my top books of 2022: prose edition

Last year I made a post with some of my favorite books, using first lines and bullet points. This year I read about twice as many books, so this certainly won’t cover all of them, but it’s a selection -- and I’ll make a separate post for the poetry.

1. Almond by Won-Pyung Sohn (trans. Sandy Joosun Lee)

I won’t tell you whether it has a happy ending or a tragic ending. Because, first of all, every story becomes boring once the ending is spoiled. Second of all, not telling you will make you more engaged in this one.

you should read it if you like:

coming of age novels

thinking about what makes humans human

delicate character development

2. The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon

One grim winter evening, when it had a kind of unrealness about London, with a fog sleeping restlessly over the city and the lights showing in the blur as if is not London at all but some strange place on another planet, Moses Aloetta hop on a number 46 bus at the corner of Chepstow Road and Westbourne Grove to go to Waterloo to meet a fellar who was coming from Trinidad on the boat-train.

you should read it if you like:

novels about city life

vibrant prose

thinking about the immigrant experience

3. The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa (trans. Stephen Snyder)

I sometimes wonder what was disappeared first -- among all the things that have vanished from the island.

you should read it if you like:

stories of loss and memory

elegant allegory

books that leave you with a haunted, desolate feeling

[note: this was my first book of the year, and i kind of worry that’s why 2022 went the way it did...]

4. The Stone Face by William Gardner Smith

He leaned forward on the edge of his seat, his chin in his palms and his elbows on his knees, rocking imperceptibly to the movement of the train. It was evening, and in the fading light beyond the window the flat green-and-brown French farmland hurried by. He found his lips almost forming a prayer; not in words, not to a God, but in an emotion reaching out to the earth, the sky, to the world in general.

you should read it if you like:

books that face head on the question of our duty and responsibility to fight for a more just world

nuanced, empathetic explorations of people and relationships

powerful, vivid prose

5. The True Deceiver by Tove Jansson (trans. Thomas Teal)

It was an ordinary dark winter morning, and snow was still falling. No window in the village showed a light. Katri screened the lamp so she wouldn't wake her brother while she made coffee and put the Thermos beside his bed.

you should read it if you like:

quiet, understated books

seeing unexpected human connection

books that inhabit nature and the seasons

6. Faithful Place by Tana French

In all your life, only a few moments matter. Mostly you never get a good look at them except in hindsight, long after they've zipped past you: the moment when you decided whether to talk to that girl, slow down on that blind bend, stop and find that condom. I was lucky, I guess you could call it. I got to see one of mine face-to-face, and recognize it for what it was.

you should read it if you like:

long-buried secrets

characters haunted by the past

some really messy families

7. The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh

There was only one person in the food-stall who knew exactly what that sound was that was rolling in across the plain, along the silver curve of the Irrawaddy, to the western wall of Mandalay's fort. 

you should read it if you like:

sprawling multi-generational tales

intricate, atmospheric historical novels

thinking about the complex entanglements of people and events within history

8. I Wonder as I Wander by Langston Hughes

When I was twenty-seven the stock-market crash came. When I was twenty-eight, my personal crash came. Then I guess I woke up. So. when I was almost thirty, I began to make my living from writing. This is the story of a Negro who wanted to make his living from poems and stories.

you should read it if you like:

literary memoirs

a way of approaching things with humor

seeing the 1930s across europe, asia, and the US brought vividly to life

9. Night and Day by Virginia Woolf

It was a Sunday evening in October, and in common with many other young ladies of her class, Katharine Hilbery was pouring out tea. Perhaps a fifth part of her mind was thus occupied, and the remaining parts leapt over the little barrier of day which interposed between Monday morning and this rather subdued moment, and played with the things one does voluntarily and normally in the daylight. 

you should read it if you like:

careful psychological studies

stories of 20-somethings figuring out their feelings

prose that flows like butter

10. Noon, 22nd Century by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky

Когда рыжий песок под гусеницами краулера вдруг осел, Петр Алексеевич Новаго дал задний ход и крикнул Манделю: «Соскакивай!» Краулер задергался, разбрасывая тучи песка и пыли, и стал переворачиваться кормой кверху. [When the orange sand under the crawler’s tracks suddenly subsided, Pyotr Alekseevich Novago backed up and shouted to Mandel: “Hop off!” The crawler shuddered, tossing up clouds of sand and dust, and began to turn stern-up.]

you should read this if you like:

hopeful sci-fi

stories about friendship

thinking about humanity’s first steps towards alien encounter

[note: this is available in english as a pdf online, i’ve checked]

looking back, are there any running themes? perhaps whether humans are by and large good, or when they are capable of goodness. finding connection, sometimes against great odds. an even mix of stories about leaving home and stories about staying there. covers that have people on them?

stayed tuned for pt. 2: poetry edition!

[cassynite]

💋: favourite romance?, ⚡️: favourite (or current) mythic path?, ❤️: any npcs you liked, or even wished you could romance?

Aaaah thank you so much for asking!

💋: favourite romance?

Daeran's romance isn't just my favorite WOTR romance it's probably the best romance I've ever played, period. Daeran is such a complicated and intriguing character and his romance really enhances that by allowing him to open up to a player character when he normally never would. So many of my favorite interactions come from his romance, from his over-the-top courting gestures to the commentary he makes on quests to his deeply romantic and heartfelt final romance scene on a true romance path, he just makes my heart warm. I genuinely find it hard to romance literally any other character--I've only really done it once with Arue and I only managed that by cutting off Daeran's romance early act 2 and avoided him trying to romance my character in the first place.

⚡️: favourite (or current) mythic path?

I'm a big fan of angel and azata paths but for different reasons. I really liked the introduction of the azata path and its thematic tones of accepting all kinds of friends in the fight against the Worldwound and being effective because it's so different than what the crusades have been. However, narratively I found azata super lacking, its quests are very silly and don't really feel like they're impacting the main story for the most part, and the act 5 azata quests feel so insignificant I genuinely don't remember them. I do love the fact that you can completely destroy the Fleshmarkets, peacefully resolve things with Minagho, and the Desnan acolytes as azata companions though.

Angel's general thematic tones are pretty boring to me (I'm Good and Demons are Bad, I Kill Demons), and the lack of real friction from anyone for being an angel is something I kind of missed from being an azata, but I loved the angel quests a whole lot more and found how they intertwined and bolstered the main quests to be way more narratively fulfilling. I also liked the supporting characters in angel path more and had been delighted to find out that random passerby characters who show up and disappear (Targona, Yaniel) end up being integral parts of the angel path. When I realized I was able to save Lariel I was genuinely so excited. You feel like a real power in general as an angel and it made the main quest much more satisfying.

As a whole I'd say for RPing purposes azata tends to be draw me more, but for narrative purposes angel is my fave! I'm not a huge fan of playing evil characters so I haven't done much with Lich, Demon, or Devil paths, I tried trickster for a hot second but didn't find its humor very funny or its characters very interesting and abandoned the playthrough, and I always meant to try Gold Dragon but then Owlcat borked the fixes they said they were going to do so now I'm probably never going to bother because I know it's a hollow shell of a mythic path. I still haven't tried Aeon or gone Legend yet but I plan to!

❤️: any npcs you liked, or even wished you could romance?

I'm such a Targona and Lariel fan. I love both of them and how they represent the two different paths you can walk on as an angel, I love their relationship and wish there was more of it, and I don't necessarily want a romance with either of them but if there had been one I definitely would have tried it. I'm also just so sweet on Aranka, she can sing to me any day of the week <3

In terms of day to day NPCs, I'm also a huge fan of Irabeth. There's just something endearing about this hardworking woman who's been doing the best she can with what she has and it's not totally enough; I think her crisis of faith in her abilities in Act 2 makes total sense and I wish there was a more in depth way to help her with it than a Crusade management task lol. I always bend over backwards to make sure she survives the game.

Also, not an NPC, but I am in the camp that it is a literal crime that Owlcat did not make Woljif a canon romance. His character was what made me pick up the game in the first place! I can't play with mods because I'm on a Mac but whoever made that Woljif romance mod deserves a medal.

[kitty-box-101]

I don’t tend to do Post where I’m just talking but today I think I needed to talk about something The phenomena of guilt some people have over shipping

TLDR: Komamiki enjoy yours are the strongest soldiers of the fandom

In a server it seemed that a few people share this common feeling because God forbid you like something different than what’s popular

Then I mention a rare pair that I know a few people like had it as a discomfort to the point where I censored the word (using the Discord spoiler thing and btw it’s komamiki so ajshhs) especially for a friend who is in the server who I know it’s his discomfort

Despite that my friend notice and joined in the conversation, at first, it was joking around like haha your my enemy haha “you’re the reason I don’t talk about this ship” I said that jokingly but looking back this came off more like I had a grudge against him 😭lol

Then my friend explained I quote “ it’s problematic so not too surprising” (in a fandom like dr throwing that word around is not good at this point it’s lost its meaning and has so much nuance that it simply is a black-and-white)

Probably the fact that it was my friends discomfort clouded his judgment, so it makes sense that he was gonna be sort of bias, he explained why to him it was problematic and a lot of it was up to personal preference. The only moment I can see being a problem was when in one of the manga mikan is on top of Nagito (my friend says that she s/a him and I heavily disappeared. It did not seem like she was doing anything to him other than pointing needle at him, which you know now that’s just a different thing)

It also had to do with her habit of making her patient sick so they stay longer, as far as I remember in the game, it was definitely the opposite, and wanted to make sure that he was alive more than anything before she got infected with the disease. This goes with all the other patient characters, I think a pretty good example would be fuyuhiko who stayed at the hospital and came back and it’s not like he stayed for so long so it’s not like she was planning that.

Would Mikan normally go that extreme just for a classmate to stay sick and with her? No i don’t think so

I didn’t exactly bring up my opinions and points exactly I just kinda nodded, but didn’t necessarily agree with anything, there was another person involved in the conversation mainly asking a lot of questions like why they think it’s problematic ect. I guess it was hard for my friend to explain since he was in school and couldn’t write out his thoughts properly ( he explained it to me later that he has a hard time detecting tone on text, but like still wondering what made him think I wasn’t listening to what he was saying

(and I was starting to think he was getting uncomfortable since it seemed like he was made up to be the bully cuz I ship them) and he said at least twice that he wanted the conversation to stop, but it kept going ??? Hell people were even backing me up, saying what I was doing was harmless and just letting me be a silly goobre and hell I even found someone who ships it that as well  eventually he genuinely said “I give up 💔” which I found funny in a kind of “could you not be the dense!?” Way 

After a while, I decided to check up on friends since In his insta note it said he wasn’t feeling well. I decided to check up on him and he said he was fine and explained more of why he doesn’t like it. Just like I thought it had a lot to do with projection, which I completely understand. You’re going to project to your favorites a lot and seeing a contradiction of your personal hc we’re gonna hurt just a little if you do take them personally.

Now here’s something. I’m definitely going to ask him about; and his Twitter he had a post that was just “Komaeda is gay” over and over again and sure I drew him a little drawing to show good faith, but I wonder if it was done out of spite? not because of me, but because of hc(and in his own words the bi hc for Nagito makes him vomit)

I very much have an issue with that kind of language because obviously someone who hc him that is going to feel like shit and that’s literally not what you wanna do ever

There’s definitely a lot to sort out ? I’m in good terms and everything Hell love the guy/p but it’s those little things that I gotta get out of my system and the only way I know how is My talking about it in a social media he doesn’t have ajhsgsgs don’t wanna feel like I’m shit talking yk?

But ye that’s all just remember to respect other peoples ships and if you don’t like them, just say they’re not your cup of tea and go drink your cup of coffee ☕️

(if somehow you’ve made it this far in reading, you’re insane and that’s awesome)



[arniehgabriellelauzon]

A Message from the Future

Jollibee has ranked as the top family-friendly fast food business in the Philippines for several decades and has grown to become a second home for many Filipino families who share simple yet memorable moments and the significance of family. The advertisement entitled "A Message from the Future" was about a young boy asking his grandfather about how things were in earlier times. The grandfather then fills the youngster in on the COVID-19 pandemic's beginnings and the difficulties that everyone must contend with. The causes of the pandemic virus are displayed, including losing a job, having to close businesses, losing something, or, worse yet, losing a loved one. The storyline depicts a family—a woman who was infected by the virus and their two children. It also shows how the father's struggles to care for his ill wife and their two children as well as his loss of faith due to the worry that their family will no longer be as they were when they were happy.  Hence, the target audiences for this particular advertisement are the people, which focuses on a family's struggles to overcome challenges brought on by the pandemic and how everyone should value the importance of family.  The product advertisement is unquestionably beneficial for the intended audience because it indicates, "We learned to save each other, and we found joy," and shows a delighted family enjoying a family chicken bucket meal from Jollibee. This then demonstrates that people may still find happiness despite a pandemic, change, and difficulties, especially in Family, where the target audience should be able to relate on an emotional level since the advertisement was also broadcast during the month of Thanksgiving, and it successfully captured the attention of the viewers. The advertising taught everyone to be grateful for the blessings we have or have received from God. Furthermore, the advertisement accurately portrays a family's struggle to overcome the challenges that they have encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic. With this, there is no evidence of media manipulation in it. Because the advertisement by Jollibee Studios' purpose was to convey a crucial lesson to the people that they should take anything for granted because we can never predict what will happen in the future. Your loved one could be standing right in front of you one moment before disappearing the next.

Care from Afar

For many years, parents in the Philippines have used Vicks products because they perceive it as an essential tool for parenting and a way to help themselves when their children are ill with conditions like the common cold, influenza, headaches, fever, and more. The plot demonstrates how the daughter and the mother spend their time together through video call as the mother plays a song on her piano while the tearful daughter listens and longs to embrace and be with her mom but cannot do so because of the pandemic. Vicks Philippines' "Care from Afar" advertising highlights the unrivaled love that a mother has for her child. It is not limited or subject to rules, and it has the audacity to disregard everything that stands in its way to care for its child. Thus, a mother’s concern and affection for her children find them whenever and wherever they are, even throughout this period of separation, especially during the outbreak of the epidemic. Moreover, given that the actresses in the advertising are women, its target audiences are moms and those who have stepped up to be mother figures to their younger siblings. It also aims to convey to moms how appreciative and glad we are as children to receive a mother's unconditional love, regardless of the distance or proximity that we are from them. The products advertised for the targeted audience were undoubtedly great for them since it shows that even in the midst of a pandemic, a mother would still find ways to show how much she cares for her child or children, and because of the narrative of the advertisement, the target audience ought to be able emotionally connect to it. Subsequently, the advertisement simply depicts a mother and her daughter being separated during the pandemic, and considering moms have used Vicks to treat their children's illnesses for millennia, there is no evidence of media manipulation in the video. And with that, the Vicks Philippines advertisement has captivated the interest of viewers in the Philippines as the commercial was broadcast on Mother's Day and mainly because its story revolves around how a mother would find methods to spend her moments with her children even through simple things.

Jollibee Studios. (2021, May 15). A Message from the Future [Youtube Video] In Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-N8K0xRaeY&ab_channel=JollibeeStudios

VicksPhilippines. (2020, May 11). Care from Afar. [Youtube Video] In Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yBlS3nseZk&ab_channel=VicksPhilippines

[otakusparkle]

Also

Since last time, I was doing a trend in Twitter about "asked your mutual which of your yumeship/self-ship had the most vote, you must make infodump, fanart, fict, etc" so I'm just gonna put it here

50 trivia for EliOs, 20 trivia for ChiaOs

>Eli Os<

- Eli Os (In-manor) doesn't have any feeling at first but then Eli's god told him that the god really loves if Eli is being with Os, so yeah

Eli was trying to get Os attention

- In In-Manor AU, Os was 18 (almost 19) while Eli is 20

- Os (In-manor) actually can speak to Eli's god but the god doesn't want to speak to her (because the god was afraid of her)

- In-Manor Os's spirituality are very, very strong because she is the descendants of Abe no Seimei

That's why, it's either the god feared her or the god was served under her

- Eli died and turned to water then Hastur got his soul

Os was complained about that and asked Hastur to take her soul too but Hastur refuse because yes, Hastur thought that Os and him are the same that's why he doesn't want to fight Os

- Os decided to use the drugs that provided by the Manor and overdoses, but that's not enough because Os's body tolerance was very strong

She then stab herself, she really wanted to be with Eli

Then, the Manor's staff found her death body and decided to put it in the laboratory

But, the next few days, her body disappear and same like Eli, she turned into a water

Hastur understand her loyalty for Eli and decided to help her being one because they're a true soulmate that bound by 5he faith and destiny

- Eli Os (In-game) have identical ability and skills and both are the top 1 to be banned

- They have matching costume for valentine

- Brooke Rose can't inspect Os during game, so Eli needs to recorded her by himself, just like Aesop

- Eli Os (Eternal Purgatory) are living together in the same room after Eli decided to take Os as his wife

- Eli Os (Eternal Purgatory) have matching ring that Eli 'buy' from Norton and Luchino

- Eli Os (Eternal Purgatory) favorite date place is either the Manor's garden or Moonlight River Park

But sometimes they just like to cuddle in their room

- In Isekai AU, Eli was very mesmerizing and intrigued by Os's ability, as well as her knowledge about Eli

- In Isekai AU, Eli confessed his feeling to Os when Os was crying under the cherry blossom tree that she plant in the Manor's garden, in In-Manor AU, Eli confessed to Os before he died and that moment Os also realized that Eli feeling towards her are pure, in Eternal Purgatory AU, Eli doesn't confess but he immediately proposed to her in Red Church

- Eli is very clingy towards Os and easy to get jealous but he never showed it, but Os know something was up from Eli's aura

- Eli can be a yandere :)

- In Modern AU, Eli is a nerdy Riajuu

He's quite popular because he's friendly but he also likes to immersed himself in the library and that's how he meet Os

- In any types of AU, Eli Os favorite date are reading date

- Eli always told to the other that Os is just like a cat but human version

- In modern AU, ever since he know Os, he started to play games too because he wants to be more closer to his beloved

- In college AU, Os is Art and Literature major while Eli is Philosophy major

- Eli Os always thought that Brooke Rose are their baby and Brooke loves to get pampered and spoiled

- Eli despised his pet version because yes, he's jealous

- Eli isn't blind, he just a little bit of myopic that's why he wears glasses,but ofc Os loves it so much because she always thought that her man was so seegsy no matter what

- Both of Eli Os are simp, but Eli simping are very very clear while Os hiding her simping for Eli (Os pride is so huge)

- Os loves to borrowed Eli's clothes and Eli really loves when his lover wearing his things

- The only version of Os that showing very clearly her disgust towards Eli (and other living being except their master and family) are Informant (COA) and Theresia (Truth & Inference)

- The only version of Eli Os that are full of fluffy romance are Detective AU

Recluse is Eli while Lover Letter is Os

- In modern AU, Eli Os meet each other in library

And that's how everything begin

- In school AU, Os is 1st year, Eli is 3rd year

- In modern AU, Eli Os living in the same apartment

- Love Letter are the only version of Os that is motherly and loving figure, especially towards her husband, Recluse

- In Detective AU, Recluse always visit Love Letter EVERYDAY in her cafe even though they already living in their shared house

- Eli Os in COA AU have 2 version, the canon one (where they died) and 'Happy End' (the story is similar to Lycoris Recoil)

- Eli Os in Truth & Inference AU have many version :

> Canon

> Twins White & Saphir

> Osananajimi (Siegfried alter + yandere)

> Twins but Modern life version

> 'Good life'

- Informant (Os) despised Surveyor because he always disturb her even though he isn't

Informant just like to be alone 😂

- Informant are the one who makes Surveyor's robot owl

Surveyor knows this and he want to thanked her but Informant thought that Surveyor was only annoyed her

- Informant reciprocate Surveyor's feeling a moment before they died and succumb to the abyss together forever

- In COA happy end ver, the story is similar to Lycoris Recoil where Informant had robotic lungs (made by the Netherwalker company) and Surveyor wanted to helped her having a good life Instead of overthinking about having a robotic lungs

- In Truth & Inference AU, Theresia (Os) was adopted by Bella while Noir/Saphir was adopted by Melodies family and White was adopted by Orpheus Detective Agency

- After the dead of her mother (Bella) Theresia always wearing black clothing

White is white, Noir/Saphir is grey, and Theresia is black

- Theresia likes to read book, that's why White secretly buying many books then covered it in dirt and coffee liquid to make the book looks old

Inference always wondering why his coffee is always empty, Truth always wondering why the garden had many mysterious holes, and Paranormal always wondering why the library had increased its books

- In T&I twins version (both victorian and modern time), White and Noir always fighting over Theresia

But in the end they're married each other

- T&I AU are the only Eli Os version that has OT3 (Noir/Theresia/White)

- In T&I good life version, instead of being forced to do anything, the Melodies really taking care of Noir/Saphir, making him a good gentleman

And this is the only version where Bella didn't died

- In T&I good life and Osananajimi version, Theresia meet Siegfried (his name before changed to be Noir/Saphir) and she's the one who can restraining his ability, that's why Melodies trying to make engagement for Saphir and Theresia and also Saphir loves Theresia too much because she's the one who is always taking care of him and being kind to him but of course Theresia didn't want it and despised Saphir so much

- In T&I modern version, Theresia is in highschool while White and Noir are in college

- Every time Theresia go, there will be White or Noir there, making her can't do anything without being seen

- Os in any version had birthmark that resembles succubus tattoo on her belly and at first, Eli was surprised to see that but soon he always thought that Os looking more delightful with that

- Eli Os are married and having 3 children, a twin sons (Victor and Arjuna (Jun)) and a daughter (Sena (Nana))

>Chiaki Os<

- Chiaki always admire Os while Os only want to be best diva in the entire galaxy (Macross reference)

- Os is 1st year, Chiaki is 3rd year

- Os is willing to be with Chiaki because she was guilty over him (from event Baton pass)

- Os relationship with Chiaki is one-sided love but Os is trying to love him unconditionally

- Chiaki Os favorite date is study date, game date, and otaku date

- Both Chiaki and Os are otaku

- Chiaki love to collect anything about Tokusatsu while Os love to collect anything about Mahou Shoujo

- Since Os are with Chiaki, she sometimes watch Tokusatsu and somehow she likes it too

- Same with Chiaki, he sometimes watch Mahou Shoujo and he somehow likes it too

- Chiaki and Os have matching things, especially T-shirt and pajamas

- Chiaki Os secretly has ring

It's only a plastic ring from gacha toy but thoughts are still count anyway

- Chiaki is the only who has seen Os without her "android" softlens and her headphone, showing her pointy ears

- Even though Os is Gyaru, she loves to read books and considered as nerd, just like Chiaki

Both of them like to read so sometimes they do Library date

- Os lives in the same 'island' just like the other idols but Eichi and Ibara gave her a personal home, and Chiaki secretly always sleep there with Os

- Back in Yumenosaki, Chiaki's parents likes Os so much because she basically can do anything like cooking and such

And his parents also can't wait until both of them married

- Ryuseitai is the only one who knows that Os is an orphan and only lives with her big sister

- Back in Yumenosaki, Chiaki sometimes having a sleepover at Os's apartment

- Chiaki actually are very clingy but he only shows that to Os behind the stage

- Everyone already know that Chiaki is dating Os

- Chiaki's dream already fulfilled because Os always cooking him lunch everyday since they've been dating

[rubygreys]

Eldritch academy halls

ELDRITCH ACADEMY HALLS MOVIE

Eighteen months of production and a cast of more than 50 actors went into making this film a period spectacle that must seen to be believed. From the cultists of the Louisana bayous to the man-eating non-euclidean geometry of R’lyeh, the HPLHS brings Cthulhu to the screen as it was meant to be seen. Using the “Mythoscope” process – a mix of modern and vintage techniques, the HPLHS has worked to create the most authentic and faithful screen adaptation of a Lovecraft story yet attempted. Now the story is brought richly to life in the style of a classic 1920s silent movie, with a haunting original symphonic score. THE CALL OF CTHULHU  Written in 1926, just before the advent of “talking” pictures, The Call of Cthulhu is one of the most famous and influential tales of H.P. As she begins to link it to other mysterious disappearances, she comes to the realization that his presumed death might be anything but ‘natural.’ Soon it becomes clear that the ghostly force at work in the tunnel might have set its sights on Callie and Tricia too. Her younger sister Callie comes to live with her as the pressure mounts to finally declare him ‘dead in absentia.’ As Tricia sifts through the wreckage and tries to move on with her life, Callie finds herself drawn to an ominous tunnel near the house. So grab the popcorn and turn down the lights - here’s the list!ĪBSENTIA Tricia’s husband has been missing for seven years. Long story short: If you enjoy reading new stories of Lovecraftian horror like the ones found in The Lovecraft eZine, then you will probably enjoy the movies below. To stay in the loop, sign up for email notifications at the top right side of this page. I’ll be adding to this list from time to time.

ELDRITCH ACADEMY HALLS MOVIE

If you think I’ve forgotten a movie that should be here, please let me know. If you disagree, fair enough your comments are welcome. What does make a movie Lovecraftian, in my opinion? Wikipedia writes that “the hallmark of Lovecraft’s work was the sense that ordinary life was a thin shell over a reality which was so alien and abstract in comparison that merely contemplating it would damage the sanity of the ordinary person.” I agree wholeheartedly with that definition, and I put together this movie list with that in mind.Īlso, this is a personal list it’s movies that I think are very good to great and that use Lovecraftian themes. Why? Because tentacles and adaptations don’t make movies Lovecraftian. What is important is that the movie makes good use of Lovecraftian themes, whether it’s an adaptation or not.įor example, you won’t find The Dunwich Horror on this list, but you will find Dagon (a Lovecraft adaptation) and Absentia (not a Lovecraft adaptation). Some movies on this list are adaptations of Lovecraft’s work, to be sure but there are plenty that are not. Note that I did not say that this is a list of movies based on Lovecraft’s stories. And be sure to check out our weekly podcast, where we talk about Lovecraftian and horror movies, books, and much more!)īelow is a list of Lovecraftian-themed movies that I recommend - what I consider to be the best of the best. (Follow Lovecraft eZine on: Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube. MIKE DAVIS’ LIST OF RECOMMENDED LOVECRAFTIAN MOVIES

[ventisehe]

crying on their wedding day, or not / genshin impact / part two

this is the second part of crying on their wedding day. i didn’t add dainsleif and baizhu because i don’t have enough creative juice to squeeze them in. 

requested by: @bakuhoe-is-my-bakubro

includes: venti, kaeya, xingqiu, scaramouche, razor, albedo, chongyun, xiao, kazuha

warning: unedited, not proofread, different variation of not seeing the bride before the wedding ceremony, written before kazuha was released

part one

THOSE WHO WILL NOT CRY

     VENTI

            Although his wings that have soared through the vast open azure skies was as ancient as the winds that swept ever so delicately through the lands that made up Teyvat, although his curious viridescent hues have become quiet witnesses to numbers of renowned and untold tales of mortals across nations, no matter the countless years he devoted trying to cognize the mortals and their atypical behaviors, Barbatos – or Venti, as he refers to himself now – can never truly understand how so many human beings can stay in one place with one person.

                            Before he had even come to be the Anemo Archon, all that Venti knew was how to heed the call of the wind. To him, it was confounding how mortals do not have the similar urgency as he to follow the winds. Even when he had taken the form of his dearest friend, Himmel, and has elapsed through myriad of seasons and centuries, still he soared gently in the air, lyre in his possession as he sung melodies of his own composition and strummed symphonies for those who yearn to hear his voice, and with his braids billowing in his travel to a destination even he cannot tell yet.

            One has made an attempt - and unfortunately, a fruitless one - to make sense to him why some has gone against the heed of the wind, a very peculiar decision in the eyes of someone like him. His form nothing but a mere wisp at that time, nothing but a small creature with little understanding, and he remembered he was seated on the shoulder of his companion as they perched by the edge of a mountain, legs dangling and kicking gently back and forth. They basked in the caress of the wilting warmth as the sun bid its farewell.

                      Himmel was humming a tune with the corners of his mouth curving up and his eyes closed, and Venti's small frame thrummed with delight at the euphony he made.

                And in the serene quiet, his dear friend spoke, "Someday, you'll find yourself wanting to stay somewhere. For something, or for someone. You don't understand now, but when you come to love one thing, you'll always want to be close to their side." Himmel turned to him, a subdued smile etched across his features, and upon catching sight of the sincerity and fervor Himmel in his bright eyes, Venti cannot help but mirror his sentiments and reciprocate his smile the best he can with the body he manifested in.

     "When that day comes, you'll understand why many choose to . . . stay." Venti tilted his head to the side, and Himmel let out a small chuckle once he catches on the puzzlement that he displayed in his actions. "Don't look at me like that. I know you're curious about the whole marriage thing. Who knows, maybe someday you'll find yourself a nice fellow wisp and - "

            All it took for Himmel to cut his statement short and burst out in laughter was how Venti prodded against his neck as a feeble attempt to make him quiet down.

               And as Himmel has predicted, Venti - in time - did understood.

                        Venti was able to perceive the reasonings of mortals to turn their heads away from the beckon of the wind, to live a peaceful and quaint life, some alone, and some with their spouses. Himmel had done his absolute best to explain to him the wanders which are humans, and gleefully watched as Venti attentively listened to every word he spoke.

      However, at the end of the day, Venti was still a free spirit. He can never be tied down to one place, much more to another living being. He will always find himself favoring the whisper of the winds in Teyvat, adrift and letting himself go adrift.

            It was after he had witnessed the life in Himmel's eyes leave, heard his last breath, the whisper of the triumph of Mondstadt in achieving freedom, and his final request as he stroked Venti's quivering figure - A sad smile has been painted upon Himmel's brims as he gazed at the smaller entity weeping under his touch, "I ask only for one last favor from you, my dearest friend. Look after Mondstadt, after our people, for me, and never let everything we've sacrificed go for naught."

                          Venti was still a free spirit, but with what happened to Himmel, he longed to understand how he saw the world. It seemed he understood it differently than he did. And thus, he took the form of his beloved friend, and ventured closer than he had before to mortals.

      The day he found a place in The Seven, the fateful he became the Anemo Archon, Venti has not once missed an event with his people. He celebrated with them in festivities, cried with them in their sorrows, aided them in battles against transgressors or wars within their own mind. He laughed with them, ate with them, drank with them, and his love for his people grew everyday.

          But still, he can never stay for too long.

                      Venti tried to, he really did, for his friends, as his last gift before he lets go of the pain of losing him. But cannot force himself to remain in one place if his heart kept searching for places to explore, people to meet, discover the secrets of Teyvat.

    Hopelessness was beginning to gnaw inside him as hundred of years has passed, and he has already traveled through long distances and saw generation after generation of his people in Mondstadt, and yet nothing he has yet to fulfill his own promise to hos friend.

           Perhaps this was the way it was supposed to be. Maybe only mortals are giving the ability to be content and stay, but the Anemo Archon was forever to be appearing and disappearing - always, always stringing along with the wind.

                      And Venti believed that thought of his, and it stuck to him throughout many more years in Teyvat.

       Not even a dust of faith was left in the ruins of what he now thought of as a vanquished promise, marring Venti with a wound in his heart, and a doubt in his standing as an Archon. However, it was through this belief that took him by surprise when he met a rather strange woman at the last day of the Windblume Festival, and in Stormterror’s Lair, no less.

                    The Honorary Knight, and their odd traveling companion have long been gone after they bid him farewell and a safe travel in his return to his abode – or whatever dwelling was the closest he could denote as home – leaving Venti by himself to reminisce in the ruins of where Old Mondstadt once stood.

                                        The heavens were a color of black dotted with stars and the moon. The wind has grown softer, as though to accompany him in this lonesome hour, leaving chaste kisses against his pallid skin. From afar, the City of Mondstadt remains lit with lanterns and plethora of flowers. Even in this distance, he can oversee the joy that exuded from the people as they celebrated the remaining hours of the festival and take in the fragrance of the flowers friends and partners exchanged with one another. It was a beautiful sight to behold if one sits in such a desolate and dark place, in the very tower that he had confronted Stormterror – no, it was Dvalin now, Stormterror has perished along with the danger of the past.

                                        But a presence – curious, sorrowful – has intervened in the quiet evening Venti thought he had saved for himself. He stood up from the platform where he has previously perched upon and took off to take a gander in the Lair, and it did not take a moment longer for him to spot a figure nearby. There, standing on top of a boulder clad in a crestfallen expression was a lone woman. She was casting her gaze around Old Mondstadt, and the breeze blew her tears away,

            Venti had never seen her before. He had met every family, every person, in Old Mondstadt, and the same was to be said to the generation that followed after them. He knew them well, recalled their quirks and appearances, and this woman has no resemblance to any of them. Has she come from another nation?

                                   Venti made it his point to glide down and noiselessly land behind her, but it seems his efforts have failed him for this stranger spoke the second his feet made contact with the ground.

        "I wonder how this place used to be." You stated, and Venti was unsure whether you have felt his presence or you were speaking to yourself.

   “So, this is Old Mondstadt.” She stated in a murmur. Her voice was laced with awe, but with evidence of forlornity. “I heard rumors about what happened here, and-and the thing with Stormterror too. Archon, I wish someone would tell me the real story of the City of Freedom. Back in my home, we’re not even allowed to learn much about the Archons of other nations. It’d be foolish to just trust rumors.”

                                  There was something about her that piqued his interest. He did not know what it was. Maybe it was the way she talked about Mondstadt, her interest in the history of his city and his people, the sincere sorrow she felt for what the fallen tyrant of Mondstadt had had done to his former subjects, and how he had forced their hands to rebellion to protect their nation.

                            Venti spoke before he can stop to think. “If you’d like, I can retell the story of how Old Mondstadt came to be. I’m well versed in the history of this city, so rest assured everything you’ll hear is the truth.” He carved a smile to his lips. “And I am a Bard, so you have no need to worry about me chatting your ear off. All it takes is an audience and my lyre to get me started. Of course, a private performance will cost you, but since you’re new in the city, I suppose I can – ”

                                  His breath was taken away when the stranger turned to face him, and his words withered from his tongue. Ever seen a speechless bard? It was a sight people will scarcely see.

                Could he ever compose a song to even come close to the lovely view that was before his eyes? Gleaming curious pair of eyes, a smile so eager to listen, hair flitting with the wind as his heartbeat raced –

             Venti was used to captivating his audience with his songs and stories. However, this time, it was he who was captivated, and when he took out his lyre and played a sweet tune to sing the story of his beloved city, with this gorgeous woman listening to him with bright and shining eyes, Venti knew then that he wanted to play for her every song he knew, every story he saw and heard, to the end of time.

                            You told him your name after his song, and you came all the way from the isolated nation of Inazuma. It took him by surprise how you have confidence in him to reveal to him your identity and place of birth. Surely, not everyone will trust a stranger who has appeared out of nowhere who offered to sing them a song. But then again, Venti trusted you as quickly as you trusted him, and now it was his turn to listen as you confide in him.

  You have escaped from your home nation and survived out in the seas under the heat of the sun and threat of starvation for days until a compassionate Captain from Liyue, and her crew found you and delivered you to safety. And it was after your recovery that you fled to Mondstadt, the opposite of the nation you were born in.

                     Venti found himself sitting down in front of you as you told him your story, sight never leaving your frame as he did so. You were no Bard, and you were no storyteller, but he cannot tell the time or noticed the sun has set as you regaled him with story of Inazuma and your life after and before your escape. He was enchanted with the way you spoke, how you looked about Old Mondstadt with saddened awe, the fervidness in your voice – Have I found myself a rival? Thought Venti, eyes softening as you went on about your admiration for the affability and generosity his people have shown you.

                                                          When you left that day, you promised to come back and when you do, you shall ask him to sing to you more of his songs. At first, Venti was hesitant to believe your promise, but to his relief and happiness, when he saw you in the same place in the ruins undoubtedly waiting for him with your eyes closed and relishing in the wind that rushed past you. Venti always came to Stormterror’s Lair to oversee what remained of his old home, but for once, his sights were held torn and you have all his attention.

                   Seeing you keep your promise of return made his day, but when you whipped your head to face him with a smile, waving a hand as you asked him to sit with you, Venti knew that his heart desired yours. Was it a wise decision to fall for someone you've only just met? Certainly not, but he was an Archon who had too much time but too little for those who he holds dear. He cannot afford to be unsure when his time with you was limited.

     So, he decided – when the day is right and the wind is quiet, he shall make his feelings for you known.

            It became a routine for the two of you to meet in Stormterror’s Lair and share your stories with one another, Venti always telling his in songs, as a Bard would. There was never a dull moment between the two of you, and every story told in the ruins were to be fascinated of. And soon, it wasn't just stories. Soon, he was finding out more about you, knowing you better until he couldn't get you out of his head.

                  It became a routine for the two of you to meet in Stormterror’s Lair and share your stories with one another. Venti always told his in the form of songs, as a Bard would, you will always applaud him after, to which he would respond with a melodramatic bow. There was never a dull moment between the two of you, and every story spoke in the ruins and the silence of the night was to be fascinated of.  He was learning more about you, knowing you better, until he couldn’t get you out of his mind when his head falls against his pillow.

    Venti cherished these times he had with you. He knew it won't be long until you were gone. He knew his fate as an Archon – seeing loved ones perish and more to come, and the cycle continued.

                                           He hasn't even told you about his identity.

                          Venti was grateful for the Traveler for pushing him to tell you about his feelings and his standing in Teyvat, but he was still uncertain. What would you say if he confessed to you? What will you say if he admits to being the Anemo Archon? Will things change between the two of you? Will you leave? Venti can’t think about that.

                                                                       Venti grew worried when you didn’t come to Stormterror’s Lair one day, and then another, and his concern grew as days turned to weeks. Everyday he found himself visiting Stormterror’s Lair in hopes of seeing you waiting for him again, but he was always left disappointed. You did not mention going on an adventure or a commission, so his worry was warranted. Were you safe or were you simply sick of him?

                 When the day you finally appeared in the Lair, relief washed over Venti and he practically jumped off the broken tower he frequently resided and made haste towards you. But his footsteps faltered when he found no traces of a smile on your face. He can see the relief and joy, but the smile was absent. From that, Venti’s own beam wilted as he walked over to you with reluctant steps.

      When he came close to you, he opened his mouth to ask how you have faired for the past weeks and question your abrupt disappearance when you said something that took him by surprise.

                                    “I know who you are.”

          It felt like his entire world has stopped for a moment as he stared at you with disbelief smearing his countenance. How ever did you discover the truth? Certainly, he had similarities with his statues, but none of his people nor visitors from outside ever pieced the puzzle together.

                            He averted his gaze, ashamed. Why was he wallowing in shame? Or perhaps was this regret of not telling you sooner? Did you feel betrayed? Will you cast him away?

                      “But how . . . ”

                                            “The man at the Tavern told me, Master Diluc.” You answered. “I was telling him about you, and I guess he thought I already knew of you being the . . . Anemo Archon.”

           “Is that why you were gone for weeks?” Venti questioned, and when you nodded in response, he winced. He can’t help but think of the worse – She’ll leave me.

                          Venti looked away. “Ah, I shouldn’t be surprised. I mean, it is hard to believe someone like me is an Archon.” He laughed out, but the humor was nonexistent in his statement. “So, how do you feel about that?”

                      Venti let out a gasp when you threw yourself to him and enveloped him in a tight hug. Venti froze at your actions and waited for you to withdraw, but when you did not, he slowly accepted your embrace with gratefulness. He didn’t know what you do this, but he was more than happy to reciprocate your actions before he lets you go.

        It won’t matter, anyway. He’ll hear the winds calling for him somewhere soon. Maybe letting you go now would hurt less in the long run.

                    “Are you not . . . angry?” Venti asked as he closed his eyes and rested his chin on your shoulder.

                                    “Oh Archons, no, Venti. I could never hate you.” You assured him in a whisper and from the brokenness on your voice, Venti knew you were crying. “Those times you told me about Barbatos . . . all the stories about his past . . . everything he had gone through . . . ” You murmured, tone lowering. “ . . . you must have been so hurt and lonely.”

                                              He didn’t know why your words shot through him. He can feel tears streaming down his cheeks as memories of his past and the continuous pain of loss and regret caught up with him. Finally, after thousands of years, his false smile was shattered.

          How pathetic. He thought. An Archon weeping in front of a mortal that he is in love with. Could things get any worse?

                  Your hand stroked his hair, comforting him as he cried against your shoulder and in your arms.

                          “I was . . . ” He breathed out, choking as he tightened his grip around you. “ . . . it never stops hurting . . . I keep seeing Himmel, and everyone, and – ”

                He couldn’t finish what he was saying and just relished in the comfort of your arms, breathing in your scent.

                                    “I don’t understand what you’ve been going through these thousands of years, and I never will, but it’s okay now, Venti.” You whispered in his ear, and he can detect the compassion and love lacing your voice. His heart hammered against his chest. “You have me. You don’t have to pretend everything is okay. I’m here for you. I want you to be Venti and Barbatos with me, I want all of you.”

             He couldn’t believe his ears. Did he hear you correctly? You want him?

                    Venti gently retracted himself from you, but his arms remained at your sides. “You still want me, even after I kept this from you?”

         “I want you, Venti.” You clasped your hands over his shoulders, firmly looking into his eyes. “I’m not going anywhere anymore. I’m staying here, with you.”

                 And so, you stayed, and so did he – it was the first time he stayed, and he will never regret it.

One would think that as a renowned Bard in Mondstadt, Venti would push for a grand wedding where all people of Mondstadt are invited to wine and dine together as bards banded together to regale everyone with their music, and as the Archon who values freedom above everything else, a big part of him wanted to. But he thought of you and what you wanted. It took some time for him to deliberate over how selfish it would be for him to make you uncomfortable in your wedding day and agree a small wedding would be a much better option considering how sacred and intimate marriage is.

However, knowing you cannot simply have the Anemo Archon go against his belief, and of course because of your love for him, you have secretly devised a plan with Jean and Kaeya to invite all the citizens of Mondstadt to your reception to celebrate this joyous occasion for the two of you. There was more than enough food and drinks to feast, courtesy of Master Diluc, and you’re sure Venti will be over the moon with this surprise. 

Venti had no family, and those he did consider as family were long gone, just a memory from the past. Even though it is unusual for a groom not to have a best man in his wedding day, Venti claimed he was fine without a best man. He had no doubts in marrying you. When he proposed to you, there was no touch of regret or doubt. Albeit reluctantly, you were in a mutual agreement in that matter, as well. Until, of course, an unexpected tribute arrived offering his services.

Venti was not the least nervous when the day of your wedding came. He did not waste time when he woke up and immediately got to work on his appearance. Jean was kind enough to have his wedding suit tailored for him, an early wedding gift, as she says.

Venti knew of the rule that a groom mustn’t see his bride in her wedding gown until the time she walks on the aisle. But he was just so thrilled for this day that he forgot all about it. And even if he did remember it, who in the world would stop him from seeing you? He has no best man to stop him anyway -

Venti almost choked to death when a hand came to grasp him by his the back of his collar, and he blubbered pathetically as he was thrown off balance and was dragged back to the altar.

“Who are - Master Diluc? What are you doing?”

Diluc let out a huff as he continued dragging Venti away from your house. “Stopping you from upsetting your bride. I’m sure you know that you shouldn’t see your bride in her gown before the wedding?”

“But Master Diluc, as much as I appreciate what you’re doing, you’re not in any position to - ”

“Actually, I am in a position where I’m allowed to stop you from making a mess of your wedding.” Said Diluc. “I’m your best man, after all.”

Venti couldn’t put to words how touched he was, and more so when you revealed to him after the wedding that Diluc has offered to be his best man by his own volition. As thanks, the next time Venti visited the tavern to drink, he paid for a single bottle of wine once. It wasn’t exactly ideal but considering how he had no original plan to pay Diluc for any of the drinks he will consume, this was as good as it gets.

When the doors opened to reveal you in your pretty white wedding dress, Venti swooned, and a large joyous smile stretched across his lips.

A gentle breeze swept in the altar and Venti felt his feet leave the ground briefly, floating in the air as he excitedly watched you walk down the aisle, and it took Diluc’s hand pulling him down by the back of his suit to stop him from floating up above the cathedral.

“My, my, if I knew any better, I would have thought the Archons have taken favor on me and blessed me with a beautiful bride.” Venti said once you join him in the altar and took your hands in his own. “You look beautiful, darling. I might just write another song about you.”

You shook your head, pink tinting your cheeks. “Haven’t you written enough songs about me?”

Venti inched his face close to you, his large smile altering to a soft smile. “There aren’t enough songs to tell you how much I adore you.”

The wedding went on, and when the two of you kissed, only one thing entered in Venti’s mind - I found my reason to stay, Himmel. I just hope you can see this.

The wind blew gently.

     KAEYA

                      Kaeya did not know what to feel when his brother has made it clear once and for all that he wanted nothing to do with him. His dismissive remarks, his heated glares, his cold and aloof treatment – he had known Diluc for so long, and his memories with him in their childhood never grew old in his mind, so it pained him to have his once bright-eyed sibling who aspired to be part of the Knight acting as though they were strangers. No, strangers would have been merciful. He acted as if the bond they had never meant anything to him, and casting him aside and seeing him under the light of contempt was the easiest decision he has ever made.

                                               Even you were not spared from the same fate. The three of you become inseparable the day you and Kaeya were introduced to each other. You’ve done everything together, and it would be a strange sight to see one missing from the group.

                When Diluc has cut ties with Kaeya, you suffered the same fate as he. You poor, poor thing – you tried your best to patch the friendship he no longer wanted to be part of, and Kaeya did not waste time running to your side and picking up the pieces Diluc shattered. It was not an easy feat for both of you to lose Diluc – he lost a brother, and you lost a good friend.

                                 But it was because of your fall out with him that you and he become closer than ever, closer than before, if that could even be possible. The two of you support one another and you go to each other when things get difficult.

             Kaeya will never admit it, and he would rather die than do, but he has loved you for many years. The moment Diluc pulled him into an unknown house, claiming that he wanted to meet someone important to him, and his eyes landed on your form with the sunrays kissing your skin, a wide smile stretching across your face, and a fake sword in your hand, his heart was taken.

                            You were one of the reasons he wanted to become a Knight. Diluc admitted his want to become a Knight, and you expressed the same sentiment, and of course, hearing his friend and brother say so, he became inclined of joining the Knights. I’ll get good training. He thought back then as stared at you, blushing as you braided Diluc’s hair. Then, I’ll be able to protect ( Your Name ).

        Now that Diluc no longer wanted to be in contact with you than more than is necessary, Kaeya grew to be more protective over you. He knew you can handle yourself as you were a Knight yourself and wields a Vision, too, but his heart clenches at the thought of you getting hurt when he could have easily had your back, like he always did.

                                                 Kaeya didn’t knowif you had feelings for him, or for anyone, for that matter. Many times he thought of confessing to you just to rip the band aid off, but he couldn’t. He’ll keep his feelings to himself and continue being the Cavalry Captain that everyone adored, and your own personal protector.

   But it was getting harder and harder to hide his feeling. Everyday he was always under the threat of falling deeper in love with you. Everyday, you always give him more reasons to love you. Waiting for him to come home after taking too long in his work, taking care of him after a nasty battle or when he’s drunk, always checking up on him even if your schedule was hectic, offering him help if you deem the responsibility given to him is too much. How much longer can he pretend that he wasn’t thinking of you everyday and every night?

                                He was pulled back from his train of thoughts when he felt a soft material doused in alcohol perch on the wound blemishing his skin. “Ah, be gentle, ( Your Name ),” Whined Kaeya, stilling himself to refrain from moving and delaying your nurse on his cuts.

                          “We wouldn’t be in this situation if you had only been careful fighting those Abyss Mages.” You reprimanded with a stern glare. “Think of this as your punishment from me. Now, hold still.”

                      “I was fighting Abyss Mages and came back with small wounds. How am I not careful?”

       “You can be more careful.” Quipped you, and finding your chance, you pressed the cotton again his skin, causing the Cavalry Captain to hiss in pain.

                      “Ow, ow, ow – I said be gentle!”

                                         “Oh, you can fight Abyss Mages but can’t handle getting your wounds treated? What a baby.”

                        Kaeya pouted while you pulled away from him. “My dearest ( Your Name ) doesn’t love me anymore.” He cooed. “Tell me, what can I do to make it up to you, hmm?”

                                      You shook your head and placed your hand over his head, beaming. His heart leaped in his chest. “Stop being reckless.” You responded. “You’re the most important person to me, Kaeya. I don’t want to lose you too.”

             Days and days he spent thinking of what you said. He never truly knew how he important he was to you. The thought of that had him sleeping and dreaming of you and your smiles, how the days will be if you loved him the same way he loved you, and the fateful day you owned his heart.

   He had to thank Diluc for introducing him to you. He couldn’t imagine being in a world where he has no one to lean on when he lost the only family he had. You became his rock, someone he could lean on and trust. His friend who he loved more than he should have, the woman he wished to see in his arms someday.

                     But it will never be. He has to protect you. He is always in danger and he doesn’t want to hurt you more if he died and you two are in a relationship. And he had seen firsthand how affected you were when Diluc no longer wanted to be friends with you. He won’t let you go through the same pain if your relationship didn’t work. He loved you too much to let you suffer again.

                                  Kaeya didn’t think he would be able to thank Diluc again after their fall out but he was mistaken.

                            He didn’t know the full story of what had happened the night he got shitfaced drunk in the tavern but woke up the next day to learn he has revealed his feelings for you in front of his brother, and the latter had casually mentioned it to you when you dropped by the tavern to escort him back home.

                      Regret and frustration welled up inside of him and he spent ten minutes walking back in you guest room, trying to explain himself and perhaps even jest about having feels for you but his preparation was all futile when you opened the door just as he was about to.

               Before he can speak, you beat him to it.

        “The next time you get drunk like that, you’re sleeping on the couch.” You chastised, shaking your head and proceeding to turn your back to him to return downstairs. “Freshen up, and head down. I already cooked you breakfast, so hurry up before it gets cold.”

                                              Kaeya stared blankly at the spot you previously stood before smiling. He rushed over to the staircase and looked down to watch you descend the steps. “I won’t keep you long, love.”

                            His smile broadened when he saw redness rush to your cheeks.

Kaeya proposed to you in a way you expected him to propose to you. A fancy dinner at a fancy restaurant where he ordered a fancy bottle of wine and placed the fancy ring he bought into your glass. It was only because you knew him well that you have no accidentally imbibed the accessory. 

Upon receiving your answer to his proposal, the first thing Kaeya did the day after is hunt down for a best man. As a popular and charming Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius, he thought it would be an easy task finding himself a best man but that notion gradually wilted as the date for your wedding approaches, he has yet to find someone to take the position.

In his pursuit for a best man, Kaeya came to realize something. His relationships with others aren’t exactly intimate. They drink and laugh together, but none of them really knew him. Kaeya couldn’t go to them with his personal problems or have their shoulders ready for him to cry on. They were good friends, but not people he would let inside his heart and vulnerability.

There were only two people who knew him behind the title of Cavalry Captain - you, and of course, his estranged brother, Diluc.

The very thought of Diluc sent a shiver down his spine. Diluc hated him and ( Your Name ). He pushed them away, treated them horridly, like they had been nothing to him but strangers with bad memories. Why would he want him to be his best man?

He remembered one day in Angel’s Share, he asked Venti if he could stand as his best man in the wedding and he swore he heard a glass dropping from behind the counter but when he turned, he saw Diluc wiping a wine glass with a blank expression. When Kaeya faced Venti once again, the excitement of being asked of such honorable position has withered and the Bard kindly declined before telling him to ask Diluc to be his best man. He did not.

Who cares about best man? The only thing important to me right now is marrying ( Your Name ).

But when the day of his wedding dawned, Kaeya was in a panic. Behind his charm was a man with a dark past, dark memories, and dark thoughts. He began doubting his ability to give you the life you deserve, began feeling insecurities he thought he had set aside.

He tried his best to remain calm, and for the most part, it worked. Everyone did not find something amiss when Kaeya was interacting with them before the wedding, but someone did, and that someone took him by his arm and dragged him a far and secluded corner after excusing him from who he was conversing with.

“Stop fidgeting with your tie, it’s beginning to bother me.”

Kaeya let out a huff. “Master Diluc, what a . . . surprise that you’re here.”

“You sent me an invitation.” The red head retaliated.

Kaeya had indeed sent him an invitation but he had no recollection of this or whatsoever. He was too wasted to remember.

“The Cavalry Captain losing his cool. Now this is a wedding just waiting to be ruined.”

It was almost like magic how the anxiety that has been eating him up vanished at his brother’s taunt. Kaeya glared at Diluc, opening his mouth to retaliate but before he can even let a single word move past his lips, Diluc turned his back to him and returned to the cathedral, leaving Kaeya in disbelief.

He let out a huff as he stared at his brother’s retreating form. “Bastard still knows me best.”

Kaeya has taken the reins over his emotions again, and he was sure he can keep his composure when you enter through the doors. But he was thoroughly mistaken as he swallowed the lump in his throat when his sight landed on you.

It felt like a dream. How can someone like you love him? In all his flaws, mistakes, and faults, how did you see him as someone you can lean on? Someone you want to spend the rest of your life with?

Surely, he must be dreaming. He’ll wake up in his bed any moment now and realize that everything had been the foolishness of his mind -

Except you continued making your way down aisle, and then you were in front of him with a veil covering your flushed face, and then he was slipping his hands in yours. This was real. You love him.

You leaned forward to him, nose brushing against his. “You look very dashing today, Kaeya.”

Kaeya chuckled. “And you look splendid today, Mrs. Alberich - oh, don’t go shy on me now.”

His smile broadened at the sight of your reddening cheeks. If it wasn’t for the priest speaking right now, he would have flipped over your veil and kiss you.

But there is plenty of time to do that. Kaeya will make sure of that.

     XINGQIU

          The youngest of the Guhua Clan will rarely be seen without a novel in hand. Everyday, Xingqiu will be seen with his friends with a book near him, always different from yesterday. He had read many novels and heard stories from storytellers, but one story he will never get tired of was his story with you.

       Although it may not seem like it, Xingqiu was a hopeless romantic, and he has always imagined seeking a woman to make his bride. However, it will always be something he can only imagine. As a heir of the Guhua Clan, he has responsibilities to keep and adhere, and he has willingly accepted this. Being given the freedom to choose his bride is something he cannot afford. When his father has informed him about offering him to a daughter of another prestigious clan, he has voiced his discontentment and disinclination to the arrangement but has nonetheless followed.

                  What a horror it would have been if he had followed through with the tiny voice inside his head saying to run away because if he did, he would have missed the chance of laying eyes on you and experiencing what many romance novels he read called – a heart skipping a beat.

           It was a tiring charade of formalities and display of pristine etiquette. All Xingqiu wanted was to retreat to a secluded area and continue immersing himself in the book he has picked up from the local library. With how often he reads, the novels in his own house he has already read, twice.

                                And so, he did. He kindly excused himself from the dinner between the families, making up a lie about feeling unwell and needing rest, and hurried over in the fields near his place. It is not exactly rude for him to skip dinner. It is not exactly ideal for his bride-to-be to be late in an important occasion like this so why shouldn’t he exhibit the same treatment as they did to him?

                    When he came to the spot be frequented, he caught sight of an unfamiliar figure from afar. A girl around his age sat on the bench under the tree, in the same spot he always occupied. She wore clothes similar to the families of the clan his family are negotiating with, so it didn’t take long for Xingqiu to learn this girl was related to them. He just didn’t know what her standing was with them.

 She was beautiful, he will admit, but it was the book in her hand that caught his attention. Thus, he approached her, adorning a friendly mask as to not scare her away. It is rather uncomfortable meeting strangers in the dark of the night and somewhere far from civilization.

           “Her hair billowed as she stood by the precipice, golden hues dimming in the dying light as she was left disappointed for yet another century. Her tears stung her skin and her throat tightened, but another century is simply common for someone like her. She will wait for his return, even if every mountain has eroded and all that was left of her was hope.” He recited a line from the novel as he took even ambles towards the girl, and he did not falter as she turned to face him. He offered her a smile and bowed with the elegance that his family taught. “Apologies for my disruption, my liege, but I can’t help but be thrilled to see someone with such incredible taste for literature. Not many are fond of historical fiction. Well, in my case, not many are into literature.”

                                        Her eyes appraised him with wonder as she perfected her posture. “That’s one of the lines in the book. My, even I haven’t memorized a single phrase from any of the books in my collections.” She remarked.

                                “I like to memorize a line or two from all the books I’ve read. It feels like a part of them will always be with me even if my memories fade in time.” Xingqiu gestured to the vacant spot beside her. “May I sit next to you?”

     She let out a laugh, to which sent shivers down Xingqiu’s spine. “You may. It’s not everyday I get to speak with someone with the same interests as me.”

                      He gladly seated himself beside her and immediately, he was greeted with the fragrance of flowers.

                    The girl extended her hand to him, smilingly softly at him. “My name is ( Your Name ),” She introduced herself. “You’re probably thinking you haven’t seen me around in Liyue, and you’re right. My family is here to meet with the Guhua Clan.”

                                                      Xingqiu took her hand and pressed a chaste kiss on the back. “Glad to make your acquaintance, my lady. My name is Xingqiu from the Guhua Clan.”

      Her eyebrows raised in acknowledgment. “Is that so?” She mused. “Then, I must show my sincerest gratitude for letting my family into – ”

               “Ah, there’s no need for that,” Dismissed Xingqiu as he shook his head. “We’re far from the dinner they’re sharing together. No need to be so formal with me.”

          Her smile brightened. “I have a feeling we’re going to get along splendidly, Xingqiu.”

                        Upon returning together to his house and finding an excuse as to why Xingqiu had been outside did he and ( Your Name ) learn that it was them who were destined to be married when they are of age. The disappointment of meeting his soon-to-be bride has dissipated at the revelation, leaving him filled with utmost joy and pride as to having you as his, and from the shy and gleeful smile that wandered to your lips, Xingqiu can tell you think the same with him.

It was to be expected that the two of you will have a luxurious and grand wedding. With the two of you coming from wealthy families, it was no surprise. If you have insisted for a small wedding consisting only of close relatives and friends, your parents will fear some other elite clans will perceive this as them losing power and money and will take advantage of them or simply cut ties with them. You and Xingqiu had no other choice but to respect their requests. Although Xingqiu was secretly relieved you agreed to a big wedding. For him, you deserved only the best of the best, and in this case, larger is better.

Both families came to an agreement that it would be for the best if the two of you are not to see each other for the week before your wedding day. You found nothing wrong with this arrangement. Xingqiu, however, was the opposite of you.

Many times he tried to sneak out of his house to visit you in secret but Chongyun has thwarted this attempts many times. When he goes to adventures with the Traveler, he find himself missing you in mere hours. How can he survive a whole week without communicating with you?

Oh, how foolish of him. He was now allowed to visit you but he can, however, write letters to you.

For the whole week, Xingqiu will be writing to you without ceasing. You’ll have a difficult time keeping up with his letters but you’ll always find time to respond to him. After all, you missed him just as much as he missed you.

Xingqiu woke up before the sun can call for him. He walked around in his room, breathing in and out as he tried to soothe his joy. Chongyun, who was tasked to look after Xingqiu for the whole week, woke up from the sound of his footsteps. When he stepped inside his best friend’s room, Xingqiu held Chongyun’s hands and twirled him around, startling the half-asleep Cryo user.

“I’m getting married to ( Your Name ) today!”

“I know, Xingqiu. I’ve been stopping you from visiting her the whole week.”

Your wedding was held in a beautiful garden where cherry blossoms flutter and the wind was gentle and cool.

Xingqiu always held his composure in any situations and circumstances he encountered. But he was going to admit that seeing you in your wedding dress with the cherry blossoms kissing your skin and tresses every now and then had him malfunctioning.

It took a worse turn when you finally stood before him, expectantly looking at him. A compliment, a playful jest, a seductive remark - but there was none of that.

Xingqiu stared at you, eyes shining with admiration and his lips parted in pleasant surprise.

“Xingqiu, earth to Xingqiu,” You whispered. “You there?”

It was only after you spoke that Xingqiu snapped out of his stupor.

“Get yourself together, Xingqiu.” Stated Chongyun beside him in a whisper.

It took him a while to find him bearings but when he did, Xingqiu smiled at you and pressed a kiss on your forehead.

“Beautiful, just like the first time I saw you.”

     SCARAMOUCHE

            Scaramouche has dedicated his entire life to seeing through what his majesty, the Tsaritsa, desired. His life shall be nothing but a pawn for her to use in her schemes and may her will be done through him and her subjects. If she must dispose of him to make success of her endeavor, Scaramouche will gladly surrender before her eyes and bare his neck for her to cut. He will do anything she commands without a second thought, and anyone who dares get in his way will face the wrath of an incensed Harbinger.                

         It was all about the Tsaritsa. His entire his existence is for his majesty. It was all he ever believed in when the honor of being the sixth Harbingers was crowned over him. With that said, Scaramouche can never bring himself to admit his resolve has been altered upon his discreet visitation to the City of Freedom to conduct a more intimate investigation over the meteorites and the impact it had on the people of Mondstadt.

                      His skull was throbbing, his thoughts scattered, and frustration was beginning to settle inside of him. Scaramouche has just dispatched his soldiers to continue their research on the meteors after his failed attempt to eliminate the traveler. He was left alone in the tranquility of the night, with the remnants of the astrologist’s escape glittering beneath his eyes, mocking him.

     “I should have acted quicker. The Traveler will continue foiling The Tsaritsa’s plans.” Mumbled Scaramouche to himself. “No matter. There will be another chance in the future to finish off the hero of Mondstadt, and I’m sure it’ll come sooner than I expect. I must prepare for that time. I can’t make this mistake again.”

                  A curious hum that echoed behind him had him stiffening in his place and drawing out his weapon from thin air. “Are you interested about the meteors too?” A voice asked.

          Scaramouche turned around, and he found a woman standing behind him a few meters away. She has a beauty that he favors, a smile so gentle that it thawed a bit of ice in his heart, but a scowl made its way to his countenance. She’s taller than me.

  She didn’t look particularly like anyone he would have any interest in knowing, and when she has introduced herself to him after he supplied her with no answer, Scaramouche predicted correctly. She was merely an ordinary folk in any ordinary city with no Vision or any skillset that could benefit him in anything.

                                                    “I must get going.” Curtly stated Scaramouche and he turned around without even bidding goodbye to the woman.

                          “So soon?” You asked. “I thought we could at least talk what’s been happening – about the meteors, the stars.”

              Scaramouche frowned at the mention of the latter and he spun back around to meet your gaze. “The stars? What about the stars?”

                                        You smiled a secret smile. “The stars . . . they’re fake.”

         Scaramouche stared at you with wonder and amusement in his dark hues. He has always believed in that notion, and only a handful came to agree with him. Now, here a lady stands before him, with nothing in particular to offer him, speaking of the truth many has rejected.

                      He examined you from head to toe, evaluating your form before beckoning you to come over to him, saying, “Perhaps I can spare some time to talk.”

                  What was supposed to be a conversation within an hour or so has extended for a day, and when you requested to accompany him back to ship docked in Liyue Harbor to continue your conversation (it surprised him but has nonetheless allowed you to tag along) about the meteors and the stars, it dragged on for weeks.

     But Scaramouche would be lying if he said that was all you discussed about. There was only so much information they can relate to the subject that has intertwined their fates that it did not take long for the two of you to stray from it to favor a more civil conversation. He learned of your mundane life back in Mondstadt where you were merely another dot in the bustle of the city and he managed to extract from you valuable material regarding the Honorary Knight (in truth, you have willingly told him everything you knew about the Hero of Mondstadt and this he was very pleased with). He learned about your family, your work, your past, and your ambition to adventure throughout the lands of Teyvat even without a Vision.

                He thought it was foolish of you to believe you can ever get out of your city without a Vision. There were too many enemies that a simple adventurer like you could easily be overwhelmed with. Not to mention the Fatuis that he and his fellow Harbingers has placed all throughout Teyvat. The thought of you getting hurt, especially by his own soldiers . . . it did not sit right with him.

                                 Arriving at Liyue Harbor, Scaramouche proposed that you come with him. It is no secret that anyone who do not possess a Vision cannot survive if they were ever to embark on a journey. Hearing your desire for an adventure, Scaramouche has come to decide that as gratitude for your pleasant company and for your compliance in giving him information about the renowned traveler, he shall take you along in his voyage, showing you the grandest landscapes, granting your every need and desires, all the while keeping you at his side where he was certain you were safe.

    It was all to thank you, nothing else. It wasn’t because Scaramouche knew he would find himself missing you and the comfort you bring when you leave, nor was it because he was fond of you. Yes, yes, all just to show his gratitude.

              As his soldiers watched as Scaramouche led you aboard in ship with his hand interlocked with yours, they thought the same thing – Scaramouche is never the one to show gratitude to anyone. You had him smitten.

How you were able to fall in love with Scaramouche in such a short period of time is fascinating. Especially with his horrid personality.

But he was different with you. He was gentle, caring, and never raised his voice. The insults remained but there was no venom behind them. It took you quite some time to get used to his belittling remarks but it didn’t evade your perception how Scaramouche begun lessening his insults, opting for a more playful jab instead.

He proposed to you over at dinner. He had just come back from an expedition and came home to a table filled with your cooking. As the two of you are exchanging your stories of what went with your lives when you two were separated, Scaramouche placed his chopsticks away, looked at you straight in the eyes and said, “Marry me.”

How can you say no to such a romantic proposal?

Actually, you made him redo his proposal before you accepted but nobody else has to know about that.

There was no best man for Scaramouche in your wedding. The man was feared by everyone, and his fellow Harbingers hated him. Childe did insist on being his best man at one point but he almost ended up being fried by a lightning bolt. Apparently, the 11th Harbinger pestered him for a whole week trying to convince him to let him be the best man so his actions were justified - just a little bit.

You have to give it to Scaramouche. Regardless of his busy schedule and the current predicament in Inazuma, he managed to find time and opportunity to plan your wedding and marry you without having to worry about the Electro Archon and her subjects.

Scaramouche scoffed at the tradition of not being able to see you on the very day of your wedding. What good would it be? You were going to be his wife, and he wanted to see his wife. He saw himself above tradition, and visited you first thing in the morning at the day of the wedding.

It was no question Scaramouche was an authoritative man but he was more so as he prepared himself for the wedding.

His maids ran about in the room, providing everything he needed and wanted. Scaramouche was not known for being compassionate, but this was the first time they’ve been on the receiving end of his wrath. Normally, he would ignore their existence and not even bother to call them by their names but today, he was different. He acted worse than when he comes home after a failed mission.

The maids knew he was beyond frustrated with the wedding. So, they called to ask for your help.

“Scaramouche, you’re scaring the maids.” You cooed as you came up behind him and placed your hands on his shoulders.

Scaramouche let out a scoff, but you felt his frame soften. He sat before a mirror, and he gazed at your reflection as he placed a hand over one of yours. “Even they weren’t so terrible with their jobs . . . ”

“You’re making things so hard for them. And for yourself too.” You stated. “Marrying me shouldn’t be hard, should it?”

That statement set Scaramouche right, and when you left to carry on with your own preparation and the maids returned to their duties, he was more civil with them. If that’s what you want, then he can endure it.

The hour has finally arrived. Scaramouche has faced many dangers in his life, but it was only now he felt restless. What is taking you so long? He thought you wanted to marry him. Then what’s warranting your late arrival?

At that thought, you finally appeared by the end of the aisle, holding a bouquet in your hands. Everyone in the venue gaped at your beauty, and Scaramouche was thankful you had everyone gazing at you. He didn’t want them to see the dumbfounded and poorly hidden lovestruck expression that crossed his mien for a moment.

But a sense of pride also touched him. 

That’s my bride.

When the ceremony begins, you and Scaramouche were seated side by side. You smiled brightly at him when you sat, but he didn’t any indication that he saw your smile and continued giving his undivided attention on the person conducting your wedding. You pouted heavily at this but said nothing and followed his actions. However, your smile returned when you felt his fingers hooking with yours. It was a small improvement, but it was intimate and loving.

Scaramouche didn’t cry in your wedding but when his arms held you tightly to his chest when evening came and two of you lied down on your shared bed, it was enough for you to know he loved you as much as you loved him.

Maybe more so.

     RAZOR

   Razor rarely experience human interaction, and if he did, it would be abrupt and depending on how the communication was being dealt by both parties, it would either be Razor who parts from them first out of wariness or lacking knowledge of being social or the other would, most of the time for the reason they find it disturbing a human could act so much like a wolf. The humans Razor constantly encounter are the hunters from Springvale and due to their bellowing voices and violence against his Lupicals, he has limited his ventures to Mondstadt unless something calls for an emergency.

        Other than the man who gave him his name, Razor only knew a handful of people – six of them being the Traveler, Traveler’s companion, Bennett, Klee, her big brother Albedo, and the woman he sees as his mentor, Lisa. He can only ever let his guard down when around them, though he was still a wee bit cautious of Albedo whenever Klee drags him to his camp.

                          He didn’t think he could meet anyone else who can consider a Lupical. That was until he met you. You were taking a peaceful stroll around Wolvendom – Archons know why you chose the most avoided place in Mondstadt to walk through – at the same time he was hunting down boars for his Lupicals.

  There was no rescuing or danger involved when he met you. It was a simple encounter, to which Razor was pleasantly surprised with. In almost all occasions, when he is meeting a fellow human being, it would be under rather unusual circumstances. He met the Traveler and her floating friend when they were being attacked by slimes. He met Lisa when she has painted the skies dark as she was singlehandedly fending herself off from a mob of Hilichurls. He met Klee when she was using her bombs to fish. He met Albedo in the middle of a chaotic experiment to which resulted in an evacuation. He met Bennett when he was hanging upside down from a tree when he tried to take an apple from a high branch, and the tree was up in flames.

                   To say, meeting you normally was a breath of fresh air.

      The two of you hit it off almost immediately, or so that is what it seems to you. Although you consider Razor a good friend even in just the few days you have met, he was still very careful of you. He had been deceived by humans before and it may be a little unfair to you since he trusted the Traveler and Bennett almost in an instant, he must first know you are trustworthy.

  And indeed, you’ve proven yourself as such. Perhaps, more so than the Traveler. You have done everything to show him you have no ill intentions against him and his Lupicals – helped him in hunting for sustenance for his family even if you have to knowledge in hunting, helping him broaden his vocabulary, helping him read and write – but it was your sacrifice to protect them that made him truly open himself up to you.

             An Abyss Mage has appeared out of nowhere and has wreaked havoc in their residence. Razor can feel his heart thundering as he raced through Wolvendom along with a few of his Lupicals who he had gone out with to hunt. Upon arriving at their home, Razor has anticipated to see the grass painted with red and wounded wolves whimpering in pain as others try to battle against the Abyss Mage. But to his relief, such image was not implemented into reality. Instead, he found his Lupicals sleeping soundly in their den, and the remains of the Abyss Mage has slowly evaporated in thin air. As the particles gradually disappeared, they made way for your presence to be revealed.

           Razor let out a gasp when he laid eyes on you. Bruised, bleeding, exhausted, but smiling as you happily waved at him with the hand clutching your weapon.

                              You happily advanced towards him, tittering. Razor reached out to take your hand, and reluctantly asked of your welfare. Now he understood why humans ask how one is fairing when they are clearly unwell – they do not know what else to say.

                      “Why would you do that?” Razor questioned as he brought you far from his den to tend to your wounds without waking his family. “You are hurt now.”

    “I can’t let an Abyss Mage hurt your Lupical.” You answered firmly, the smile you wore dissipating as you gazed into his eyes. “I might not be as strong as the Honorary Knight or Acting Grand Master Jean, but I fought well.”

               What was this odd sensation he was feeling? This strong urge to protect you, to take you in his arms and never let you go – what was this? He has never felt like this before. So light, so . . . flustered. He thought this feeling would be gone after a few days, but months has passed and since then, the feeling became more prominent, stronger. All the time he could never get enough of you and there will always be that lingering trickle of pain in his chest when you have to leave for the day. Razor knew you would come back the day after when the night has gone, but it never stopped that little ache.

                          Razor understood that he lacked understanding of feelings, so he confided to Bennett about it. Bennett was almost as clueless as Razor about feelings – almost – but he did know when someone was taking a liking of someone in a more amorous manner. He has filled Razor about exactly what he was feeling for you, and not the kind of feeling that he has for him and the Traveler, but the kind of liking he would have towards a . . . girlfriend? (Bennett had to explain to him the meaning behind girlfriend and it was no easy task).

            “Liking someone like a girlfriend . . . ” Razor muttered, scrunching his face in puzzlement. “ . . . like a mate?”

                                 Bennett flushed at the word but nodded. “Yes, like a mate.”

                                                Bennett tried his best to help Razor confess to you, and this is where disaster happened. Since Razor is mostly uneducated in terms of romantic feelings, he did not feel any anxiety crawling up to him when he decided to admit his feelings to you. The problem is that he has decided to confess in a wrong time and in a difficult situation.

       “You should confess to her after you’ve saved her from danger!” Exclaimed Bennett, beaming at Razor.

                   The latter tilted his head to the side. “Razor doesn’t . . . get it.”

    “Well, in the books I’ve read, the guys confess to the girls they like in a dangerous time. I don’t know how that’s safe, but it works. But since we don’t want to hurt ( Your Name ), you’ll save her before confessing!”

                    Bless his innocent heart, Razor trusted Bennett’s word without a smidge of doubt. His opportunity to admit his feelings came when the two of you saw Reckless Pallad being surrounded by Hilichurls getting ready to pounce on him. The thing is you too knew your way around a battlefield and have efficiently begun fighting off the Hilichurls. Razor watched as you made quick work of rescuing Reckless Pallad and he didn’t even notice himself beginning to pout in disappointment until you were right in front of him again, worriedly gazing at him.

             “Razor, what’s wrong?” You questioned, appraising him. “You’re not injured, are you?”

                                     He shook his head. “Razor not injured.” He confirmed.

        “Well, that’s good, but why aren’t you moving? We need to save that man.”

                            “Razor wanted to confess to ( Your Name ) by saving her.”

       Razor explained the plan of his confession he conspired with Bennett, how he would save you from danger and tell you his everlasting love that he didn’t notice the redness tinting your cheeks and the wide smile stretching across your face.

           Razor only took note of the phenomenon occurring on your features when he has finished elaborating his scheme. He narrowed his eyes curiously. “Your face is all . . . red. Sick?” He asked.

                                                                         Razor didn’t have a chance to further speculate just exactly was ailing you before you took hold of his face and softly placed your lips against him, catching him off guard.

                                      There was a blossom in his chest when you kissed him – this is love, right? Razor decided there and then he liked this feeling of love.

                      Needless to say, Reckless Pallad was left alone for the Traveler to save. Again.

Razor had no idea what weddings were. He has never heard of such thing before. The first time he did learn about it was when he was hanging out with you and the Traveler. The latter mentioned that you and him are invited in a wedding. Razor tilted his head in confusion but when he turned to ask you what it was, he froze. Your eyes were shimmering with joy and excitement. Razor liked seeing you like that.

So when you were preoccupied, Razor asked the Traveler what a wedding was. Perhaps a wedding was some sort of food that he can find in the wild?

After Traveler has explained what weddings are and the concept of marriage as well, Razor did not waste time trying to propose to you. Since he had no money to buy a very expensive ring, he asked Bennett for help to find materials so he can make one of his own. In the end, they had Wagner help them form a ring. It wasn’t exactly the best looking but when Razor showed it to you and asked for your hand in marriage (Traveler helped him with his proposal speech and had to explain that asking for your hand doesn’t mean literal), and he saw the pure joy on your face, he thought it was pretty enough for you.

Razor didn’t know you were happy mostly because he proposed to you but you didn’t tell him. He looked so proud with the ring.

Your wedding was small and only a very few people were invited. Klee insisted on being one of the flower girls and Razor almost agreed until she began spouting about bombs which will detonate in the air and will explode with flowers. Albedo advised Razor not to make her one of the flower girls because Klee, for sure, will bring flower bombs (it will explode with flowers, but the explosion is still there).

Razor chose Bennett as his best man. That was supposed to be a good thing but when the two of those pair up together, they can tend to cause a lot of chaos, unintentionally.

At the day of the wedding, nearly all the invitees refuse to enter the cathedral as they claim there was danger inside. When Kaeya and Jean came to inspect this danger they speak of, both wielded their weapons once seeing a pack of wolves huddled at the front, just before the altar, with Bennett and Razor telling them to behave.

You had to explain to Razor why it was dangerous and made people uncomfortable when there are wolves present in the cathedral. Although Razor was understandably disappointed by this, he conceded and brought his Lupicals back to Wolvendom. To make it up to him, you promised a private celebration will be held in Wolvendom with nobody else but you, him, Bennett, and of course, his Lupicals.

Razor didn’t know why Bennett seemed more nervous than him when the two of them were standing by the altar. 

“I’m going to ruin your wedding, Razor! Aren’t you worried?”

“ . . . but you not ruining anything . . . ?”

When you finally arrived in the cathedral, Razor felt excitement surge in his body and he can hardly stop himself from squirming on his seat. 

But he wasn’t smiling. These emotions . . . he was having a hard time comprehending them. It was good, it was nice, but it was overwhelmingly so.

He could have cried, and he almost did but when you were before him, smiling at him, he couldn’t help but smile back.

His beautiful wife, his Lupical.

Bennett was the one who cried in your wedding.

     ALBEDO

                It was always a fascinating sight to see a traveler meandering through Dragonspine without minding the sheer cold or flawlessly fending themselves off from the enemies lurking around. Even Albedo has some degree of difficult in navigating his way back to his camp without the Fatui spotting him or tailing him. But it was more fascinating to see a young woman standing in the middle of a freezing lake with nothing but her trousers and her brassiere.

                            It was a peculiar meeting, yes, but out of the ordinary people and matters has always endeared him.

    Albedo brought you to his camp as quickly as he can and asked Timaeus to hand you a cup of warm tea and a blanket. After thanking him for his kindness and consuming half of the beverage generously given to you, you introduced yourself.

             You were an adventurer who came all the way from Liyue to embark on a journey to discover the harshness and secrets that laid within Dragonspine, a mountain many do not dare set foot further in. Other than the mentioned reasons, training was a top priority of yours. You claim one cannot go further in their adventure while being comfortable in their current, and he completely agrees with your statement. When Albedo questioned why you had been in the middle of a lake in Dragonspine, you answered that being able to withstand the cold was just part of your training and seeing as he had caught you shivering to close to death, it was not going well.

                            Albedo didn’t think he would see you again after you parted from him, but he was surprised when the next day he found you waiting for him in his camp, a smile on your face as you stand proudly and wave at him.

   Something about you piqued his interest, if his interest was somehow related to how his heart accelerated whenever you come close to him to offer help with his experiment, or when his face grows hot if you offer him a compliment. He thought it was your way of showing him your gratefulness for taking care of you yesterday, so he allowed your presence in his camp, around him. Albedo didn’t expect you to visit again the next day, and the day after that, and so on and so forth. But he can’t say he disliked your frequent visitations, or your presence that always seem to be following him everywhere he went. He very much liked your company and thoroughly enjoyed listening about your adventures and everything you came across in your adventure. They were a good distraction from his experiments. Everything about you set his mind in ease.

             It wasn’t long until the two of you are spending more time together alone. No experiments, no work in mind. It just the two of you keeping one another company and sharing stories about your days, and making banters here and there – whether it be in a walk under the moon, or sharing a meal in Good Hunter, or while he paints somewhere in Dragonspine.

                 Although Albedo was not well versed in the complexity of romance and has deemed relationships to be rather tedious to uphold, but he was knowledgeable enough to know that in the process of his growing friendship with you, he has caught feelings for you.

  This has certainly brought difficulty in his relationship with you. Albedo, although never verbally admitting so, has always thought of feelings as a nuisance. In a relationship, in his own observation, disadvantages trump over advantages. He had seen the irrationality that love has caused, the stupidity. His observation led him to one conclusion – other than being friends with people, relationships is not for him.

           You have put him in a challenging situation. It would have been easy to cut ties with you if you haven’t successfully infiltrated his walls and snaked your way in his heart. The very thought of pushing you away was repulsive to him. Seeing the hurt cross your features – it will haunt him for the rest of his life.

                      The interest he had for you was not interest at all. It was the beginning of love. He should have been more alert, and this wouldn’t have happened.

                                 What if you returned his feelings and your relationship did not work? There was no way your friendship could be salvaged. Isn’t it much better to remain as friends than risk ruining any chance of keeping you in his life?

  No, no, that would be insanely idiotic. It will eat him up. Thus, he treated his feelings for you like an experiment. Dipping carefully, testing the waters – confessing to you.

        He can construct a confession that will perfectly enunciate his feelings for you while emphasizing your freedom to reject him and his desire to remain good friends with you. Surely, you didn’t reciprocate his feelings. All he needed is for you to let him down, and he will hope you can still see him the same way after.

            All his preparations, however, were thrown out of the window when you beat him to confessing.

   Albedo had no idea how struck his expression must have been with puzzlement, anxiety and flatter as he attentively listens to every word that leaves your lips. His heart pounded at everything you were saying – everything he adored about you, you adored about him. Being unable to speak his mind felt foreign to him. After you finished your confession, a beautiful red hue coloring your cheeks as you looked into his eyes with hopefully eyes, all he can do his open his mouth a smidge, and close, and then open again. He must have resembled a goldfish at that time.

                      Albedo couldn’t believe it. You loved him, and here he was expecting to be rejected and thinking relationships were a waste of time.

                                          He was in a dilemma now. Accept your feelings as his heart desired to, or gently reject you for practicality? Having a lover would complicate his life and he will risk so many things that he were used to just to be able to keep his relationship with you fruitful. Was he ready for something like that?

           This was the first time Albedo has listened to his heart. He still remembered how he cupped your face in his hands and pressed his lips against yours, muffling the gasp that tumbled out of you.

                                Albedo might be a stranger to romance but he is an Alchemist and risks are part of his job, and risking coming out of his comfort to be with you was something you deserve, and maybe something he deserved as well.

You knew Albedo was going to propose to you. He was always immersed in his experiments and research that you took the responsibility of tidying up his lab. It did not take long for you to find a small black box nestled in the back inside a drawer filled with haphazardly thrown papers and used pens.

Albedo knew that you knew he was going to propose to you. The two of you were taking a peaceful stroll around Dragonspine and after a heartfelt speech, he knelt down to one knee, he curiously watched as you malfunctioned right in front of him, trying to elect which route of surprise should you take before displaying a less then satisfactory theatrics of surprise.

Nonetheless, the two of you are still happy.

You and Albedo agreed that the two of you will have a small and private wedding. Klee, however, did not. She was less than thrilled to hear about that and went on a whole spiel of the reasons why you should have the biggest and most fun wedding ever, as she said.

“ - then where will a really, really tall wedding cake and Klee is going to make a bomb that will explode in the skies where it will burst out many pretty flower petals - ”

Jean promised the two of you that she will keep an eye on her at the day of the wedding.

Albedo is adamant on two things - a small wedding, and having no best man, and the latter had two reasons. Although he is highly respected in Mondstadt, there was no one he could ask to be best man, and the second reason is that he loves you and is certain that marrying you is something he wants. No doubts. He didn’t need a best man helping him in something he didn’t need help with.

Albedo was also not someone to conform to the ritual of not seeing the bride on the day of the wedding until the very ceremony, but for you, he begrudgingly followed.

On the day of the wedding, Albedo prepared himself without the help of anyone. He prepared his own clothes and had Klee braid his hair (it was a wee bit sloppy and Albedo fixed them when she had her back turned to him and gave her all the credit).

The man reached for the door to visit you but he let out a sigh when he realized that he cannot. He made a promise that today, the first time he’ll see you is when you walk down the aisle. He has to keep his promise. Not to mention Klee blocked his way and reminded him of that (tried to block).

Albedo was a patient man. Patience was nothing new to him. His research and experiments needed patience or they will ultimately fail. It came to the point where being impatient made him uncomfortable. That’s exactly what was happening when he was standing at the altar. Nobody, not even the observant Kaeya himself, can tell Albedo was beginning to lose his patience.

The day had been a little too long. He wanted to see you already. It didn’t matter if the ceremony would take a while before he can kiss you and call you his wife. He just wanted to see you again.

Albedo turned away the moment you stepped inside the cathedral. You were far from repulsive or ugly (and he can never think of you like that), but he had to cast his gaze somewhere but on you. He knew you’ll be beautiful in your wedding dress, but seeing you now with your adorable and shy smile, with Cecilia flowers in your hands, and your eyes fixated on him and only him - Albedo nearly lost his composure.

This time he was sure Kaeya saw it.

“Waah, big sister ( Your Name ) looks soooo pretty!” Klee cooed loudly, causing the guests to let out a few chuckles of amusement.

His impatience was beginning to pierce through him. The moment you faced him, Albedo did not waste time grabbing your hands, and once he did, you saw him visibly soften, as though a huge burden was lifted from his shoulders.

“What happened to you?” You asked, giggling.

Albedo returned your smile. “I’m just very happy to see you.”

The fervor that he exuded when he kissed you certainly supported his statement.

THOSE WHO WILL HIDE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RECEPTION TO CRY SOMEWHERE NO ONE CAN SEE THEM

     CHONGYUN

    Chongyun was known for two things – being an exorcist and having a type of condition that needed his keen observation and awareness.

       He has always disliked his condition. Whenever his Yang energy overwhelms, he must immediately consume an icy treat to be able to soothe his nerves. But it seems he can be thankful for it for this one time. If it wasn’t for his congenital positivity, he wouldn’t have stumbled across you, and your hundred homemade ice cream you smuggled out of your own home.

                      Chongyun had been hurrying to meet his friend at that day. He had just finished an exorcism somewhere in Qingce Village and was rushing to where he and Xingqiu usually meet in Liyue. He was already running late, and who knows what Xingqiu will do if he was late again. He let out a pained yelp when he crashed against your form when he made a sharp turn, and his Yang energy has never been in a more unstable state than when he saw you seated on the ground, groaning in pain, with peculiar looking containers littering the floor around you.

                   Chongyun had profusely apologized for his actions and assisted you in gathering all the belongings he had knocked off your possession. He felt the coldness in the small containers you once held and wondered what was inside. He hasn’t seen anything like this before. He knew his Yang energy was starting to ooze out of him but he underestimated its manifestation until you placed your hand over his forehead. He pulled back away instantly, startled by your actions, to which you immediately apologized.

        “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” He repeated, light blue hair bobbing with his movements as he bowed his head over to you again and again, mortification palpable on his features. “I-I didn’t mean to run – ”

                        “No, no, I should be the one apologizing! I wasn’t looking where I was going and I put my hand on you all of a sudden – ” You were about to continue spewing apologies and explanations when you froze, concern etching across his face. “ - oh, hey, you’re really, really red. Are you okay?”

                  Even when it had been years since his encounter with you, he still gets embarrassed when he remembered that, and you and Xingqiu tease him about it.

                                           He explained to you then about his condition and when you offered him a container you owned containing ice cream you made, that’s when your friendship begun. When the two of you snuck out to a secluded area in Liyue Harbor to gorge on the tons of ice cream you have once again brought out of your house despite your mother’s warnings did he know it would be a friendship that will last long. His only regret was that he introduced you to Xingqiu, and now he must endure double the teasing.

                       One thing he appreciated about you was how ready you were whenever you were with him. You made it your point to know what can cause his condition to act up and soothe him by your words, and always having ice cream with you. And the best part was that the ice cream you give him is always homemade, made by you. His popsicles could never compete to your masterpiece.

    He never really thought of you as someone he would be romantically interested in. Sure, there were instances when his Yang energy would flare up because of having you by his side, when your smile brought upon his own, when his heart raced when you held his hand as the two of you were returning from a commission, when he gazed at you with adoration when you took care of him and fed him cold noodles when he was having a fever (he refused to eat hot noodles even in his illness). Surely, all friends do that with one another, right? And feeling this odd sensation in his chest was normal, right?

                      When he confided in Xingqiu with this, the boy laughed at his cluelessness. It wasn’t surprising. Chongyun did not have a lot of friends so distinguishing friendship and romance was not easy for him. The Hydro Vision holder filled him in with everything he has to know about relationships, and he used some pretty unconventional ways like giving him a too descriptive image of how a man and woman would kiss, and other explicit doings of adults.

         But it did bring light one thing – Chongyun liked you, and of course how he handled such revelation was, simply put, disastrous.

                                      His entire body felt hot, and he was stammering to the point even the ever so eloquent Xingqiu cannot understand him. Normally, when things get like this, he’ll rush over to your place and request for some of your delicious ice cream but seeing as you were somehow part of the reason for this, he had to rely on Xingqiu to take care of him.

                      After learning about his feelings for you, Chongyun have never been more uneasy around you, which was odd, and he was sure you’ve noticed, and yet has never dropped any comment about it.

                     He was always nervous around you. Blushing whenever you come close to him, jumping when you take his hand in his, stammering whenever you praise him for anything, feeling the need to run away if you ask him about how he was fairing – he has lost count just how many popsicles he has eaten just to keep his cool. He has stopped asking ice cream from you and declined any offer from you because he thought accepting your homemade ice creams could lead him to falling deeper in love with you until he couldn’t move on anymore.

             Chongyun didn’t notice your growing impatience. He was so immersed in his own feelings that he didn’t take into consideration how you felt whenever he flinched away from your touch and rejected your treats.

   It took Xingqiu for the growing tension between the two of you to alleviate. He made an elaborate plan to get the two of you together in an isolated place (a broom closet) and has made a claim not to let any of you go until the two of you have confessed your feelings with each other.

                      “Just tell me what’s wrong with you, Chongyun! Why are you acting so weird around me?” You asked him but he refused to answer you just as he refused to look at you.

      You let out a sigh as you reached out to take his hand but when he pulled away from your touch, that was the last straw.

               “If you don’t want to be friends with me anymore, just say so.”

          Alarmed, Chongyun faced you, stuttering. “No! Of course, I want to be friends with you - I mean, I don’t want to be friends - wait, that sounded wrong, and so bad - ”

   Your brows burrowed together in question. “You want to be friends but you don’t want to be friends?”

   Chongyun groaned as he buried his face on his hands. It’s now or never.

                “I like you, ( Your Name ).”

           The silence that followed was deafening for Chongyun. He removed his hands from his face and prepared himself to apologize and beg to continue being friends when he felt hands cup his face, and your lips pressing against his. It was a good thing you had ice cream on you even after he avoided you for weeks. He almost fainted in your arms if it wasn’t for you shoving a finger in his mouth with a scoop of ice cream. 

                                   It was one of the few times Chongyun was grateful for Xingqiu’s interest in romantic tropes because if it wasn’t for him, he wouldn’t have left that room with a blushing but happy face with you.

      Xingqiu smirked as the two of you exited the room, hand in hand and redness coating your cheeks. “Well, well, well, look who - ”

                    “Shut up, Xingqiu,” You and Chongyun chorused. The two of you looked at each other out of surprise and then burst out laughing, all the while the Hydro Vision user stood by the side, sighing.

         “Now, I have to deal with these two’s teasing.”

When Chongyun realized he was ready to propose to you after years of being together, he asked Xingqiu to propose to you on his behalf.

His best friend nearly destroyed his book from whacking the Cryo user for thinking such an inane idea could work. Not only was it not romantic, it was also inappropriate. Xingqiu had to reprimand him for an entire hour proposing that idea but being a good best friend that he is despite his mischievous streak, he vowed to help the man propose to you.

It was no easy task and there were times where Chongyun held himself back and risking yet another proposal plan. He was thankful Xingqiu was well versed with romance and everything entailed with it and knew more ways to help him. After a countless of delays, Chongyun managed to get down on one knee one fine evening by the trails leading to Liyue Harbor, spew out affirmation of his love for you in stammers, and asked for your hand in marriage.

When you accepted his proposal and adorned your finger with the ring, Chongyun discreetly showed a thumbs up to a nearby bush. About three hands popped out from the leaves, offering the same action.

Xingqiu let out a sigh as Xiangling and Xinyan giggled. “Finally.” He breathed out. “Now, time for me to be his best man.”

Of course, Chongyun chose him as his best man. Who else would be a better choice than him? 

Chongyun is firm about Xingqiu being his best man but sometimes he can be a little bit . . . pushy, especially when it comes to something he believes in.

There was a tradition where he cannot see you for a whole week until the ceremony. Chongyun was mildly bothered by this arrangement but nonetheless, since you agree with it, he will respect your wishes and do the same. Xingqiu has over and over again tried to persuade him to visit you at home, and he made some interesting points why he should. He almost convinced him a few times but in the end, he refused to be lured in his trap and stopped the temptation of breaking his promise.

He missed you dearly, yes, and his patience will surely be rewarded soon.

Chongyun, as expected, was freaking out at the day of wedding. Marriage is a huge step for the both of you. You’re not going to regret marrying him, will you? What if this marriage didn’t work? He’ll lose you for you.

Xingqiu had to guide him away from the altar and to a corner for privacy. Other than you, Xingqiu was a person who had been when his condition start acting up and how it worked.

After successfully cooling him down with a popsicle, Xingqiu consoled Chongyun. “I don’t know what you’re thinking about back there but you have nothing to worry about. ( Your Name ) loves you.”

“What if it doesn’t work between us?”

“It will. I’ve seen how you two are. You’re perfect for each other. I think you already know that, and ( Your Name ) does too. Why would she accept your proposal if she didn’t think the two of you wouldn’t prosper together?”

Chongyun murmured. “Pity?”

If Xingqiu had a book with at that moment, he would have smacked Chongyun again.

Once his condition has subsided, Chongyun returned to the altar and Xingqiu stood behind him, waiting.

The moment you arrived, Chongyun can feel himself heating up and his heart pounding against his chest. It felt like his condition was acting up but he wasn’t feeling nauseous or at the edge of fainting. It was a pleasant sort of warmth, the warmth he felt when he first met you.

No. It was the same warmth that travels through his body whenever he sees you, but this time, it was stronger to the point he it almost felt like his condition.

Your smile immediately disappeared when you saw Chongyun flushed red and his eyes averting from yours.

Worry encapsulated you. “Is your condition acting up?” You asked in a whisper.

Chongyun blinked, puzzled. “What?”

Discreetly taking a gander at the audience completely unaware of your interaction, you slipped your hand under your dress and showed Chongyun was a small ice cream container.

“I brought this with me just in case.”

Chongyun decided he made the best decision of his life to marry you.

He took your hands in his and pressed a small kiss on top of one.

“Thank you, love.”

After the wedding, Chongyun immediately visited the comfort room. You tried to follow him but Xingqiu told you there was nothing to worry about, and he was right.

When he entered the comfort room, Chongyun locked the door behind him and headed straight to the sink to splash some water on his face.

One won’t be able to tell Chongyun was crying from the water streaming down his face.

He looked up at the mirror, staring at his reflection as he let out a small, and content sigh.

“I’m married. I’m married to her.” Chongyun tried to hold back his smile, but he failed. “She’s my . . . wife.”

And did it sound nice to call you his wife.

     XIAO

              It was his duties to Rex Lapis, to the thriving land of Liyue, that kept Xiao grounded and his mind temporarily fleeting away from the karmic debts that weighed on his shoulders. If it had not been for the responsibilities laid down on him, he was sure to have succumb to the consequences of his bloodshed from the past long ago. It was the reason behind his creation, to serve the people of Liyue and protect them from any transgressors or anything that could potentially lead to their destruction, and it was all he knew. His existence was all for Liyue, and to seek out the desires of Rex Lapis and accomplish them no matter how difficult and by what means.

    Day and night he oversees every part of Liyue and hears every call of his name and seeks refuge in Wangshu Inn. It was a cycle that has never changed ever since the gruesome war between gods has taken place in Teyvat, and all was same until that night when he heard a cry for help from a distant place, and rescued a strange maiden from the peril she found herself in.

                          Love at first sight disgusted him the most. He can understand, to some degree, that mortals can fall in love with people they have built a caring and trusting relationship with but falling in love with someone who one has no dust of knowledge of their identity was simply unwise and incomprehensible. And yet there he was, leaping from the precipice of a soaring mountain and securing the mortal in the middle of her fall.

               Xiao had no clue why it felt like time has stopped and they have gently floated in the air as he took a gander at the woman in his arms. Scratches littered her features, and twigs adorned her mop of hair, but she still shone brighter than the stars and moon behind her.

   He did not let her speak to him after he has placed her safely on solid ground and he quickly took his leave without even a glance back.

                          When he had painted the lands of Teyvat red with the other Yakshas, he did not blink an eye or feel a bead of sweat trail on the side of his face. But that woman has caused his chest to flutter, and he always find himself thinking back to the day he had saved her. If he had been like any other mortal which has sleep as a necessity, he would find himself thinking of you every morning and every night, longing for another chance to meet you again. What has she done to him? He already has to carry the burden of his sins, and now he must endure this painful curse she casted on him?

              But it didn’t matter now. She was already long gone, for all he knows, and he doesn’t even know her name.

    Xiao already came to accept that she was merely going to fleet away from his mind, a distant memory that his heart will ache every time he remembers her. He had many regrets in his lifetime, and this leaving her behind without knowing her name is one of them.

                                    But it seems to him that Rex Lapis has taken favor of him and has graced his undeserving existence. Xiao had just exterminated a Hilichurl camp getting increasingly close to Wangshu Inn when his ears preened and his pupils dilated – that voice, the same voice that he never thought he’d hear again, was calling out for him again. He did not find the time to dispose of the monsters in a more appropriate location where they will no longer continue their venture towards the inn, and quickly made his way to where he heard her.

           When he arrived, it did not take long for him to spot her standing perfectly still in front of him, hands behind her back. His eyes dilated as he took in her familiar form. Her tresses were no longer matted with twigs and mud, the scratches that once marred her skin no longer present, and a smile has replaced the cowering fear that adorned her visage before.

                   Xiao ignored the increasing heartbeat that drummed against his chest and surveyed the area with a flick of his spear. “There’s no danger.” He remarked after assessing the parameter, his mask dissipating into the night as he returned his gaze back at her.

       She rubbed her arm as she averted her eyes from him. “I spent months trying to find you again.” The mortal woman murmured. “When all has failed, I thought back to that night you saved me, and I called – and you came.”

                                         Xiao did not speak another word, but he was afraid that you can hear how loud his heart was racing. He needed to ignore his selfishness, he needed to leave. “If you’re not in any danger, then I’ll be leaving.”

  He turned around to do as he said, but his eyes widened when he felt your hand around his wrist.

                “Wait, please,” She pleaded, and when he looked over his shoulder, any resolve of leaving her again vanished. She was looking at him with hopeful and vibrant orbs. How can he ever let her down when she’s looking at him like that?

      Xiao let out a sigh and turned back around to meet her properly, but her hand never left him. Were you afraid he might disappear as quickly as he did like last time?

                                    “Don’t go.”

                   “Why not?” Xiao questioned. “If you know anything about an Adeptus, then you understand my duties.”

              She bit her lip as he withdrew her hold. Xiao missed the warmth she gave him already. “I know that but . . . ” She trailed off. “ . . . can I . . . at least know your name?”

                                                Xiao did not give her an answer.

            “Even if we never meet again, I want to at least know the name of man who saved me.” She mumbled softly. “But I’m afraid if I ever know your name, I’ll never get to think of any other man but you.”

                                                    Xiao appraised you, taking in her apprehensive frame. A mortal has fallen in love with an Adeptus? This was preposterous. He saved her months ago, and back then they shared little time together. Too little to gain feelings for him.

    But still, he found himself relenting to your wishes.

                                     “Xiao,” He answered. “My name is Xiao.”

            Don’t look for another man. I’m here. I’m staying.

                   That’s how he met his first and last love, ( Your Name ).

Xiao has lived in Teyvat for thousands of years and is knowledgeable of the culture of mortals, one of them being marriage. He had witnessed humans bounding themselves to another, promising to cherish them, protect them, to love them. For Xiao, marriage is something far from disgusting. Although he cannot understand the need for them to be together under an oath, it was undeniable that many great things and opportunities birthed from them.

However, no matter how beautiful it is for them, it will never stop perplexing Xiao. How is it that one can look at another and know that they’re the one? Are they not afraid to be betrayed? Are humans so willing to have themselves get hurt and offer forgiveness for the sake of love? It’s confusing for him.

Not until you came along that it made sense. Every argument, every disagreement, sleepless nights, every sincere apology, every countless forgiveness, every embrace, every kiss - is this what mortals feel? If so, he’ll endure all the hardships of love if it means staying by your side, and he knew that you feel the same.

Unfortunately, Xiao is not one for marriage.

Not that he does not love you - oh Archons, because he did, deeply so - but the consequences of your relationship always hang in front of him.

 It’s already a risk to let you in his heart and love someone as sinful as him, but the thought of you bearing his karmic debt terrified him.

What happens if the two of you are bound together, and under a contract that Rex Lapis will surely oversee? Will the demons that torment him sink their teeth on your pure and innocent soul? Will he see the life in your eyes wither as you strive to remain with him? And what if you try to break the contract to escape karma? Will the both of you suffer in karma and the wrath of the rock?

Xiao can’t do that to you. This is one way he can guarantee your safety. It hurts him to know he cannot marry you, and it hurt more when he saw the disappointment and pain in your eyes when he explained himself. But keeping you safe is his top priority. He deserved this punishment, he can’t put it over your shoulders too.

But that didn’t stop Xiao from imagining how your wedding could have been if things we’re a little different.

A small wedding in a place of your choice with only a handful of close friends and families. You’ll wear a gorgeous dress and walk up to where he is with the same smile you wore when he met you for the second time.

As you stand before him, Xiao could only imagine the happiness and contentment he would feel at that time. 

He’ll hold you close, hear you laugh, and then he’ll press his lips against yours, sealing you to a promise that everything that he is, and everything that he has, is yours.

He’ll find himself retreating somewhere private. He didn’t want you to see him vulnerable, weak, as he cried for the first time in his life, and for the greatest reason.

He could have a chance of happiness, but he can’t.

It was all a dream.

A dream he will never achieve, a dream of yours that he can never grant.

“Xiao, you’re still awake?”

The man looked away from the moon and looked over his shoulder to see you standing by the threshold leading to the terrace. You were tired, and yet you woke up to tend to him. 

“You know I don’t need sleep.”

“But you always lie next to me. What’s wrong? Something bothering you?”

Xiao did not respond, and you didn’t push any further. He adored it how you know when to prod to a subject or not. You know him so well.

After a moment of silence, you walked over to him and sat  beside him on the railing. You looked up at the moon, and Xiao slowly placed his head over your shoulder.

He felt at peace.

Xiao closed his eyes, dreaming of a day that will never come when he can marry you without anything holding him back.

     KAZUHA

                        Kazuha can no longer remember how long it has been since he was on the run from the shogunate. The Electro Archon and her subjects are on the hunt for Visions of every single person residing in the walls of Inazuma, and he was one of the few who refused to have their Visions confiscated from them. It seems exiling him from his homeland was no longer sufficient and the said Archon has ordered for every so-called transgressor that they banished to be apprehended and have their Visions forcefully taken from them. It was only his luck that Beidou, and the crew she captained, has taken him under their wing and he has been sailing the seas with them since then.

            Has it been months? Days? Or perhaps weeks? Being away from land with nothing but the ocean to take in and his mind seemingly always preoccupied with his doubts and worries has him losing track of time.

   In all honesty, he doesn’t remember the last time he stepped on dry land. Perhaps they did, but it was not a memory that has fleeted a long time ago. All he can think about was Inazuma, the threat of being having his Vision taken, and his past he buried deep within the back of his mind.

            Beidou must have taken notice of his continuous lackluster attitude and has set sail for Liyue for him to take a break from the seas. This, of course, he appreciated though he insisted Beidou that she did not have to dock just for him to clear his mind.

          Back at that time Beidou claimed she knew what is best for him and she should put his trust on him, and with the lack of reasons to refute her statement, Kazuha merely let out a sigh and agreed to land in Liyue.

                         He has never been to Liyue, or to put it more accurately, he has never stepped foot in in the few times the Crux made their return on Liyue. It wasn’t because he hated it there, but he felt more comfortable and more at home inside the ship. The furthest he has gone was on the docks to help the crew load supplies in their next sail. But now Beidou has encouraged him to leave the ship and explore, and implied being forbidden to come aboard if he refused to do as she says.

       When Beidou said she knows what is best for him, maybe she was right. He must admit, even if he was still longing to return to his homeland, Liyue had many sights and delicacies to offer. But the best and most beautiful sight he saw was up on a rooftop when he was resting from hours of mindless meandering in the streets.

                                                              He played with a green leaf that fluttered over to him after it has been carried away by the wind from its tree, and he pressed his lips against it to whistle a melody. The tune was buried under the bustle of the city night but it seems that one picked it up from the terrace just below him.

                    Kazuha saw a girl around his age walk out to the terrace, head moving left and right, as though looking for something. Kazuha did not think much of this behavior assuming she was searching for something else, and he tore his eyes away from her and nonchalantly continued to whistle against the leaf.

                                           “So, that was you who was making that beautiful sound.”

                Kazuha casted his gaze down to see the girl on the terrace looking up at him as she leaned against the railing with her arms crossed, a gleeful smile present on her brims. He pulled the leaf from his lips as he regarded her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to – ”          

          She shook her head, chuckling. “No, no, it’s fine. You can stay there.” She assured, and Kazuha eased on his spot. She stared at the leaf in his hand. “I didn’t know you can make a tune using a leaf.”

                      Kazuha flashed her a small smile. “It’s something only a few can do. It’s pretty hard to master.”

                     “And you’re one of those few.” She remarked. Silence prevailed between the two until she spoke again. “Can you play something for me?”

      Kazuha was bewildered by her request. It wasn’t common to find a foreigner sitting on the rooftop of her household. One would think that their first reaction should be an accusation of trespassing and a demand for identification, but no. This girl was different, you were different.

                    Kazuha did not question your request, just as you have not questioned him of his place on your rooftop. Instead, he granted your wish. He pressed the leaf against his lips and blew, a tune of his own composition sounding in the air.

      He watched in awe as you raised both your hands to your chest and white particles formed above your palm, creating a shape until it formed and bloomed into an elegant wooden lyre. Without saying anything else, you strum the strings along with his tune, and the people of Liyue beneath their feet are unaware of the small haven the two of them created together.

               Kazuha is more than grateful for Beidou for pushing him to go to Liyue. Ever since that night, he has made constant visits to your house. Early in the morning – that’s when Beidou would barge into the barracks and force them out of their beds – he would always be the one out of the door to finish his tasks and leave immediately to visit you, a prominent smile over his face. The crew, of course, has pestered him to tell him of the reason for his constant leaving and he could only let out a sigh of relief when Beidou shooed them away from him and asked them to return to their work. She winked at him right after and whispered, “Go and hurry to your girlfriend.” To which he denied with a shy grumble before making haste to Liyue.

                               Liyue was brighter than the isolationist Inazuma has become, and one of the reasons Kazuha thought this was you. The Crux was like a family to him, and Beidou was like an older sister to him, but you – he has never felt more soothed than in your presence. You felt like home, and it has been so long since he had felt like he was at home. Seeing you smile, hearing you laugh, seeing how you nod attentively as he talked, your arms embracing him when he opened up to you about his past, the music you played together in perfect harmony even without practice – it was all so surreal.

        Kazuha didn’t have to tell you about his growing feelings for you. He knew that you knew.

  It started with a shy kiss, and then a longer one, and the two of you found solace in each other’s arms. There was no music playing, and there were no stories shared – just him with his arms around your figure and lips connected with yours. None of you dare say it but your days together were slowly coming to an end, and it won’t be long until the day comes when he has to set sail to visit neighboring nations.

                  But Kazuha will always come back to you, that he promises.

After a few years of frequent visiting and writing letters to one another, Kazuha has finally decided that it was time for him to propose to you. Beidou - being the supportive big sister she is to him - upon hearing of his plan, gathered her crew to help Kazuha in his objective. Everything from food, drinks, location (they chose the ship), and atmosphere, they provided. As thanks for their dedication and help, they only ask an invitation to his wedding, to which Kazuha replied will surely come even if they did not help.

The crew claimed that they shall be far away as possible from the ship so that the two of you can have your privacy, but Kazuha, and definitely you, as well, heard loud cheering from a short distance followed by a shushing Beidou when you accepted his proposal.

“I thought they said they’d be at Wanmin Restaurant - ”

“To be honest, I didn’t really believe them.”

Unlike the other boys who were hesitant of not seeing the bride for a week until the wedding, Kazuha was actually the one to push this tradition. He disliked it as much as the other boys, but Kazuha loved being able to give you his all. Not being able to see you for a week is a sure way for him to crave for your presence, and once the two of you see each other again, he’ll pour out every love and care for you then.

You were dismayed by this whole arrangement but since it is important to Kazuha, you respected it.

The crew fought for the spot of best man, but in the end, all of them got to be best man. Kazuha did not have the heart to choose one from the crew, so he had to explain to you beforehand that the almost the entire male crew of The Crux are going to be standing with him at the ceremony.

It wasn’t a common occurrence in a wedding but you allowed it. The crew was like his family to him, and if it’s going to make him happy to have them as his best men, who are you to go against it?

At the day of the wedding, Beidou was the one to fret over Kazuha’s appearance. The Anemo user tried to calm her down but after she continually tried to fix his hair for the wedding, he just sighed and allowed her.

“I can’t believe you’re going to be married in just a few hours.” Beidou remarked in the quiet after a while. “To think you were just a teenager when we met you, and our little teenager is a big man now.”

“Nothing’s going to change. I’ll just be married.” Kazuha tried to ease her worries but he knew as well there are going to be major changes. One of being concerning his frequent endeavors with the crew. Once he gets married with you, he’d want to be with you always, to settle with you. But he was so used to the sea, to be living with the crew in a ship. Can he really get used to this coming change?

Beidou let out a sigh. She placed a hand over his head, patting him gently. She would have ruffled his hair but that would waste her effort on making it as presentable as she can.

“Things are going to change, Kazuha.” Stated Beidou, beaming. “And it’s not all bad. Trust me.”

Kazuha nodded, but he was still uneasy. He was ready to give himself to you, but at the same time, he wasn’t ready to leave the crew. 

This thought haunted him even in the time of the ceremony. He should be focusing on the wedding but he couldn’t. 

He needed to talk to you about this. You need to know what’s bothering him.

Was it possible to feel dread for the future while also looking forward to it?

Because it felt like a gust of wind billowed his direction when his eyes landed on you. Beautiful, you’re beautiful. What else can he say? 

Was he really going to marry you? Whatever did you see in him? He was a banished Ronin from Inazuma. There must be some other man more worthy of you.

But you loved him, nobody else.

“Stop gawking at me like that. You’re making me embarrassed.” You murmured, cheeks flushed. He didn’t even notice you standing before him until you spoke.

Kazuha closed his parted lips as he turned away from you. “I . . . uh . . . ” He swallowed. “You look beautiful, ( Your Name ).”

“At least look at me when you say that, Kazu-kun.”

 He looked at you, breathing in before speaking. “You look very, very . . . uh, pretty.”

You laughed a little. “You look very, very handsome, Kazuha.”

You took his hands in yours and gazed into his eyes, smiling. “Things are going to change once we get married.”

A pang of uneasiness struck Kazuha.

But what you said next shocked him.

“After this, I can finally be part of the crew and join you on your adventures in the sea!”

Kazuha gawked at you again, blinking.

Everyone invited to his wedding gasped when Kazuha suddenly kissed you out of nowhere in the middle of the ceremony.

Beidou, and the rest of the crew, however, cheered loudly for the two of you.

After the wedding, Kazuha snuck away from the reception for a while. He found a tree from a short distance and sat on the branch, breathing in the cool evening air.

He caught a fluttering leaf and smiled as he gazed at it and recalled how the two of you met.

Things will change, and soon, he’ll be adventuring with his wife in the vast ocean. Oh, he has so many things to show you.