#vanishes due to his debt

[c-nan]

i had to

[official-locke-writing]

I just want you guys to remember that Jay mentioned in his Twitter that there were no missing person or death reports about the others, meaning they vanished without a trace or anyone noticing.

They were all students with debt, jobs, bills, etc. Not a single person noticed when they weren't around to pay those things? No neighborly wellfare checks? No house payment dues? No concerned families?

This has led many people to believe that, in Marble Hornets canon, the series itself was faked. But... that doesn't add up. Doesn't feel right.

Somehow, the Operator and the things working for it erased all evidence of their existence. This meaning, not only did it make the main victims disappear/die, but it had to erase an entire network of people's memories to keep it hush-hush... or it just disappeared those people, too.

Or... it was able to manipulate space-time to get rid of them ever existing to begin with. Which is a terrifying thought.

Either way, it's confusing and scary no matter how you look at it. That's good writing.

[aemonds-sapphire]

Innocence

Summary: A debt is owed and payment is due, but it will be on Aemond’s terms.

Pairing: Aemond Targaryen x fem!reader

Warnings: NSFW. Friends to lovers. Inexperienced reader. Virgin reader. Mentions of virginity loss. Semi-public. Fingering.

A/N: Can be read as part 2 of Inexperience, but also as a stand-alone. Hope you enjoy!

Word count: 1.8k

Part III

“I don’t wish to be here.”

“Well, you must.”

“Can I leave?”

Your father’s eyes landed on you in a silent warning.

King Viserys and his feasts. They would bore you to death and, more recently, frighten you as your father was in search of a suitor for you.

Your scowl soon vanished once you spotted Aemond standing close by, hands behind his back and as observant as ever.

It didn’t take look before his eye met yours.

He had much more self-control than you as you were not able to hold back a faint smile.

A smile that your father noticed right away. “Do not spend the entire evening next to the prince.”

“Why not?”

“He scares off potential suitors.”

Good.

You feigned ignorance. “Why is that?”

He was in no mood to entertain your antics as your walked past countless rows of people in the courtyard.

“I do not wish for rumours to spread,” he whispered. “You are be presentable and approachable tonight.”

His remark left a sour taste in your mouth. “May I go and greet prince Aemond, then? It would be rude of me not to, father.”

The older man tensed up, but nodded.

You crossed the courtyard in haste, blood already boiling in your veins, and as soon as you reached Aemond he was able to realise something was off.

“What’s the matter?”

You said nothing.

“Your father.”

It wasn’t a question.

Decided not to spend the rest of your time with Aemond looking and acting miserable, you bowed your head ever so lightly.

He returned the gesture, a smile tugging at his lips.

“Let us get away from here. Please,” you added that last word in your best effort to let him know how desperate you were.

Aemond glanced around. “I think I know a place.”

You grinned widely, the thrill of defying your father rushing through your entire body.

Aemond’s feet broke into a rapid stride in front of you, but close enough not to lose you in the crowds that swarmed around you.

As you walked up the familar steps that led to a cupboard, your heart started beating faster.

“I haven’t been here in so long.”

Aemond chuckled and offered you his hand, seeing that you were already far away from prying eyes.

He pushed the wooden door open effortlessly, pulling you inside before slamming it shut once again.

Your stomach rolled in excitement as you remembered the many times you two had found refuge in this cupboard, hiding away from the angry servants that had just been robbed of delicious food.

Before you could adjust your eyes to the sudden darkness, you felt Aemond pressing your back up against the wooden panels.

“Sagon lyka.”

Be quiet.

The two words in High Valyrian that you had picked up every sinxe you were a child as the two of you sneaked around the long halls of the Red Keep.

You could hear footsteps outside with voices drawing near.

Aemond placed one finger to his lips, silencing your giggles.

Suddenly, it felt too intimate.

But then again, these last few days with Aemond had become a blur.

You craved him more than ever before, wishing you could touch him once again. Wishing you could have all of his undivided attention on you.

“You owe a debt, Aemond Targaryen,” you said in a whisper.

His eye narrowed. “Do I, now?”

“Yes,” you nodded, gazing at his beautiful lips. “I wish to know how you’d pleasure me.”

Silence.

Had you gone too far?

Had you assumed he’d be willing to touch you the same way you had touched him a few nights ago?

He clicked his tongue after a while, eye dropping to your own lips. “Are you demanding payment?”

“Yes.”

Loud voices filled your ears and you bit your lip, offering him the most innocent stare you could muster.

“I last saw her with Prince Aemond,” a man said. “They seem rather close.”

There was no malice or implication in his voice and, from the way Queen Alicent chuckled, you could tell she shared the sentiment.

“They grew up together,” she said lovingly. “A complete nightmare to the kitchen servants.”

Your father chuckled. “Ah, yes. They would disappear for hours on end, carrying pastries and food.”

And yet he was too blind to see who it was you truly craved and yearned for.

Aemond’s eye met yours and you held back a grin as his hands traveled up your arms.

The voices faded momentarily as your heart thumping louder once you realised his intentions.

Before you could fully brace yourself, Aemond bent his head and pressed his lips against yours.

Warmth filled your stomach and you were certain your heart had skipped several beats.

Unsure of what to do with your hands, you settled with wrapping one arm around his neck, deepening the tender kiss while grasping the handle of his dagger for added support, the fear of tumbling down from the sudden intimacy overwhelming your senses.

The two of you had once shared stolen food from the Red Keep’s kitchen and now shared kisses.

Aemond parted his lips first and you followed suit, welcoming his guidance. The first moan came from you as you felt his tongue on yours.

He brought both hands to frame your face, thumbs gently rubbing across your cheeks.

You could no longer make out to whom each voice belonged.

“… in need of a suitor.”

Aemond pressed your back further into the wooden panel.

Someone laughed. “She would do well with my son.”

You moaned into his kiss as one of his hands gripped your thigh through your dresse, lifting your leg to rest around his waist.

“A proper young lady, no doubts.”

Aemond snickered at such remark, parting his lips from yours.

You felt your lips swollen and moist, but above all that, you felt the throbbing between your legs. Your dress had slid back, exposing your skin to his eager touch.

“Such a proper lady, aren’t you?” he teased in a velvety voice.

A sudden gasp tore through your throat as one hand slipped inside your undergarments.

You had never had a man touch you like this before. Inexperience rendered you immobile and you had to bit the inside of your cheek to suppress a moan once his fingers delved in between your folds.

“Oh…”

Aemond pressed a kiss to the corner of your lips as he dragged the pads along your swollen clit.

“Do you hear that?” he whispered.

“Hear what?”

Your question was answered by the wet sounds erupting from the way he rubbed his fingers along your folds and entrance.

“So eager…” he praised. “Untouched and unbroken.”

Aemond would use his words like no other. His eloquence was praised across the realm and you were able to witness it firsthand.

He slipped one finger inside you without a warning.

“Do you ever touch yourself?”

The arm around his neck tightened and your hips rolled into his touch, one finger buried knuckle-deep inside you.

“Answer me.”

You pressed your face against his chest. “Yes…”

He started moving the finger out and back in again, the heel of his hand digging into your clit.

“Who do you think of when you do it?”

You squeezed around his finger. Hard.

“Me?”

You nodded, biting your lip.

Aemond groaned and you reckoned you might combust from that glorious sound alone.

“Can you take another one?”

You… didn’t know…

Pleasuring yourself was not something you’d often indulge in. You had tried one finger before, imagining it to be Aemond’s, but never quite living up to the expectation as his were much longer.

He probed the entrance with a second finger, teasing your tightness.

“I would not break your maidenhead,” he promised, pressing another kiss to the top of your head and caressing your thigh with his other hand. “Your future husband would not approve of it.”

He was taunting you… deep down, you knew he was aware of the hold he had on you.

“Aemond…” you moaned deliberately, hoping your voice would be incentive enough.

“Say it again.”

This time, you lifted your head from his chest to gaze at him, pleading eyes making his lips part.

“Aemond… please…”

A second finger stretched through your barrier, to join the other already inside. You were soaked enough to accompany him without the risk of going too far, yet you felt stuffed like never before.

Aeomond Targaryen’s uncovered eye never left yours as he struggled to go as deep as possible.

“You’re so tight… too tight…” he said, his breath already coming out erratically. “Your husband will be so fortunate.”

A sudden jab of irritation amidst the pleasure made you frown at him.

You wished he’d take you as his wife.

But he was taken.

And soon you would be, too.

He was promised to marry a Baratheon girl and you already despised her.

She would never understand Aemond like you did.

Your head dropped to his chest once more, but this time to conceal the tears that pooled in the corner of your eyes from both pain and pleasure.

“Take me…” you pleaded, even though you knew he was too honourable to succumb to such invitation.

He would never take you.

As expected, he did not reply at first, focusing on fucking you with his fingers.

Only when you repeated those words did he speak, “Do not say such things.”

“I would let you take me,” you reinforced your position, bringing your hips to a slow roll down his fingers. “You know me like no other.”

Aemond grunted, the hand holding your leg up digging into you. “You would offer me your maidenhead?”

Why was he surprised? You would do that and much more.

“Yes…” you said as seductively as your inexperience allowed you. “I would take your cock…”

This time, Aemond shoved you into the wooden wall and you nearly hit your head as you lifted your chin to stare at him.

He looked tense.

The sort of tension one shows when trying to restrain themselves. You were familiar with it. Yours stemmed from your feeling for Aemond.

Where did his come from, then?

“My cock?”

You nodded, drawing your lower lip out in a pout.

Aemond clenched his jaw.

“It would not fit…” you gasped in between moans as your walls fluttered around him.

He let out a shaky breath. “It would.”

You could tell your words had stroked his male ego effectively from the way he curled his fingers deep inside you, squelching sounds filling your ears.

“It would hurt.”

Aemond brought his face to your shoulder, letting out a groan. “It would.”

And yet you’d still offer yourself freely to him, for the line between pain and pleasure would be worth crossing if it meant you could be bound to him so intimately.

Your grasp on the handle of his dagger tightened as despair took over you.

He was proving himself to be an exceptional lover, but you still needed more and you needed him to understand it.

“Another one… Aemond…. please…” you nearly cried out in frustration, bucking into his hand. “Please…”

Aemond’s free hand came to grip your jaw, sealing your lips with his, swallowing your pleas. You had to lift your leg higher to maintain the current position and prevent him from slipping away.

By the time you managed to break the kiss, you felt the pad of a third finger circling your entrance.

He craved it.

You could feel it.

“Please…” you said, once again rolling your hils to his as his hand dropped to support your leg.

It was evident that he was struggling with himself. For the briefest moment Aemond stood still, pausing his ministrations. You tried your best to urge him on by clenching hard around the two digits, but his self-control was commendable.

“I would not take you like this,” he finally whispered, thumb pressed to your clit drawing a need moan from you. “Not with my fingers…”

Your hand dropped from his dagger to his clothed cock and when you pressed your palm against it, the most enticing and lust-filled growl made its way past his lips.

“Your father ought to know how much of a danger your are,” he whispered, breathing moans into your ear. “That you’re willing to give yourself to me.”

Truth be told, you could not bring yourself to care about whatever thoughts your father had of you should he find out prince Aemond Targaryen had his fingers buried deep within you and was toying with the prospect of deflowering you.

Just as you were about to undo his pants, the voices outside the cupboard were distinguishable once more, momentarily breaking the immersion.

“I have not see your daughter in a long while,” the lord said to your father. “My son would court her if he could only find her.”

“I am certain she would welcome his advances, my lord,” your father answered, but you could hear a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

And so could he.

“It is odd that she would vanish, considering she is in need of a suitor,” the old man said disdainfully. “Is she still intact?”

Your eyes widened slightly, meeting Aemond’s.

The young prince did not seem affected in the slightest.

In fact, the way his lips curled into a cunning smile told you he was, at the very least, thoroughly enjoying the current predicament.

He dragged both fingers out, slamming them back in with no warning.

“It seems he’s unaware that such matter is irrelevant.”

Your face was twisted in a mix of pleasure and confusion.

Aemond caught on to that and brought his lips to your ear. “His son’s cock would not be able tear your maidenhead,” Aemond mocked viciously. “But mine would,” he said, punctuating each word with a thrust.

Gods…

Your eyes fluttered shut at the promise of having the last shred of innocence being taken from you at his hands.

Before you knew it, you had allowed your moans to reach a higher pitch, earning the attention of those outside.

“What was that sound?” your father’s voice was heard.

Aemond rapidly clasped his hand over your mouth, effectively silencing your bliss.

“Must be cats. Mating season, I reckon,” another man said dismissively.

It wasn’t far for the truth at all.

If only Aemond would give into your pleas and finally take you.

He snapped you out of your thoughts by pressing a tender kiss to your forehead.

“I apologise, but I need your release now.”

Your walls immediately clenched and you groaned into the palm of his hand as more wetness spilled from you once he sped up.

Apologising for wanting your release ranked up high with the likes of apologising for crowning someone a king, or apologising for finally bringing to life the countless dreams of pleasure you had had over the years.

You were too close already. Beads of sweat dripped down your face as the effort to keep quiet began to take a toll on you.

The stimulation that came from both his fingers and heel of his hand was enough to have your legs quiver as your release build up with each thrust.

He dropped his hand from your mouth to grab his dagger.

Your eye widened as he brought it to your lips. “Bite on this. I need my hand free.”

“Why?” you asked before parting your lips and holding the handle with your teeth.

Aemond didn’t reply.

He didn’t have to.

The answer came in a tidal wave of pleasure that washed over you as he fucked you relentlessly, forcing your teeth to sink into the leather that was wrapped around the blade, strangling your cries.

Your mind went blank as your eyes snapped wide-open, the contractions from your released squeezing him rhythmically and uncontrollably.

Aemond hushed you with a kiss to your temple, waiting for you to finish riding out your high. “Good… good…”

Tears streamed down your face from the sudden release of pressure and you knew you’d collapse had it not been for the iron grip he had on your leg, holding you in place.

“Stop clenching…” he pressed another kiss. “Let go of my fingers…”

Your walls were wrapped so tightly around him, it took a while from the tension to vanish, allowing him to properly slide out of you.

Before your hazy eyes he brought his soaked fingers to his mouth, wrapping his lips around them and sucking gently.

You were about to speak when he silenced you with a kiss, allowing you to taste yourself on him.

He broke the kiss as you both gasped for air. “Now you owe me one.”

.

Part III

[dotster001]

  How to Befriend a Demon king

Summary: yan!Malleus x reader. Based on the demon au by @jackplushie, because I got brain rot. When you befriend a stranger at a coffee shop, you don't know what you're in for.

Cw: brief mentions of blood, and yandere themes.

You had met him in a coffee shop. It was your favorite shop, and you always made sure to hit it on your days off. On one of these days you were mildly saddened to see how busy it was. There were no open seats except a man who seemed to be busy reading some old texts. Wanting to take your time with your drink you approached the man.

       Upon glancing at him you couldn't help but find yourself flustered. He was the very essence of tall, dark and handsome, with an intense aura. When his striking emerald eyes had flicked up to meet yours, it felt as though he was searching your soul.

:readmore

       "Is this seat taken?" You sputtered out.

       He gave a small smile. "I was saving it for a client, but it appears he has," he hesitated. "Well it can't be helped, I shall have to send someone to search for him. You may have his seat if that is what you wish."

        You gratefully took the seat and attempted to make conversation, "who is this client of yours?"

        Without glancing up from his text he said "you could say he owes me a debt. It was meant to come due today. But no matter, he won't evade me for long." He gave a small smile, and you felt a shiver run down your spine.

         You attempted to finish your drink in silence while scrolling through your phone, but soon that aura you had found intimidating began to pull at you. You found yourself staring at this man. The longer you stated, the more alluring he seemed. 

          Eventually you couldn't help but blurt out, "You're very beautiful." Now you'd done it. Your face felt warm with embarrassment as he gave you a bewildered stare. Until he let out a boisterous laugh.

         "You're different from any one I've ever met," he said with a bright smile. He stood up from his chair, placing his book under his arm. "We shall see each other again." He left the shop and by the time you had the state of mind to look after him, it was like he had vanished, as though he was never there at all.

          He was right though, you did see him again. Every day off you had from there on out you would find him at the same table, with some ancient text you couldn't read. As time passes you began to look forward to his presence on your days off. You learned things about him here and there, like he enjoyed vanilla ice cream, but would rather get a vanilla frappuccino here than go to the ice cream shop down the street. Or that he was very fond of statues and gargoyles, and could go on about them for hours. You didn't know his name though. You'd asked him the second time you'd met him.

          "Mal…" he hesitated, then said " no I think it's best if you called me whatever you want."

        "Mal Mal it is then," you giggled, and he gazed at you with a fond smile on his lips.

        At first that had been off putting, but soon you couldn't help but think of Mal Mal as your best friend.

                                       …

        You were going to get new friends. Or at least you were if you survived whatever it was they were about to do. 

          When your college friends had come to town, you hadn't thought twice about inviting them to your house for girl's night. But now,as you found your wrists and ankles tied with a gag around your mouth, while four friends chanted and a fifth made a circle of salt around you, you decided to never do girl's night again. After the salt circle was finished, the friend who made it took a knife, and cut a line down one of your bound palms, ignoring your struggles and sounds of protest. 

           As the chanting ceased a drop of blood fell into the circle. Immediately you found yourself surrounded by an emerald green glow. A dark form materialized in front of you and solidified into….Mal Mal? No, it couldn't be him, he didn't have horns and his eyes didn't glow green. But as the glowing green eyes found your paralyzed form, they widened in shock and the glow faded.

          "Y/N?" That was definitely Mal Mal's voice. Maybe you were dreaming? That would make this all make sense. His eyes scanned the surrounding area, then narrowed in barely concealed anger. His gaze flitted back to you and he knelt down in front of you.

           You felt one of his hands gently wipe away a tear. That's funny, you couldn't help but think, I didn't know I was crying. He removed your gag, then gently untied your hands and feet. He then gently strokes your cheek with one hand while extending the other to you.

      "I need you to take my hand, dear one," he gently whispered, as though he were soothing a small child. You nodded, and placed your hand in his. Still holding your hand, he scooped you up and crossed past the emerald salt circle.

          He ducked his head to your ear and whispered, "I need you to rest while I handle them."

        Your vision began to darken and you could no longer remember who "them" was. But as you drifted off, you thought you could faintly hear the sounds of screams, and see flashes of emerald electricity.

                                   …

          Darkness. That's all you could see if you tried to remember anything before living in this isolated cabin with your beloved Malleus. As far as you knew, there was no life outside of the two of you sharing in domestic bliss. If you ever asked him about your past he would place your head in his lap and gently stroke your hair, and tell you of a future where you would rule beside him in his demon kingdom. 

          A fog would settle over your mind, and you couldn't help but lazily agree that that sounded nice. He'd gently raise your wrapped up hand and press it to his lips, while telling you of all the things he could give you once he made you his immortal spouse. And as the darkness began to consume your brain again, all you could do was smile and nod.

[m1d-45]

repentance

summary: xiao is well aware of the threat he poses to others, but fails to recognize that the one he hurts the most is himself. or, my wishes for xiao.

word count: 8.1k what-

-> warnings: massive spoilers for liyue archon quest, spoilers for xiao lore, spoilers for the lantern rite (3.4), hurt no comfort, xiao briefly speaks about himself as a tool/weapon.

-> gn reader (you/yours) and unspecified traveller (they/them). reader has yaoyao n yunjin, and isn’t a traveller main

taglist: @samarill || @thenyxsky || @valeriele3 || @shizunxie || @boba-is-a-soup || @esthelily || @turningfrogsgay

< masterlist >

xiao was happy you were enjoying the lantern rite.

it was… rather unconventional this year, with the music festival making its debut, but you didn’t seem to mind. instead, you were excited, listening to dvorak’s story with rapt attention. you were enthusiastic about helping him, even though you’d just met.

he supposed it was a testament to your kindness.

as with the other times you were in liyue, he followed you closely, ensuring no demons crossed your path. he knew of your team’s strength, and would be a fool to assume you couldn’t safely evacuate if they were outclassed, but still, his spear shattered karma-heavy mitachurls, vanishing the instant before your vessel turned the corner.

even as the karma seeped under his skin and added to his heavy debt, he cursed himself. he should never have allowed such a dangerous enemy to get that close to qingce village. following you was a worthy cause, but shirking his duties for one more than capable of defending themself… it was unwise.

still, he watched until he was certain your party was safe within the boundaries of the harbor, only allowing himself to relax once you met up with ganyu.

with a final look at the lanterns, xiao vanished.

the next time he saw you, he was at mount aocang, collecting some qingxin. though he was rather fond of the flower, they weren’t for him, and instead for verr goldet. he’d heard her complain about how no adventurer wanted to take her commission to collect them due to the rite, and most shops only sold silk flowers or glaze lilies in large amounts due to the same problem. considering the significance of the lantern rite… somebody had to do it.

still, he kept his ears pricked, listening for any calls of distress over the gentle wind. he was cautious to remove all the major threats before he began this task, but he could never be too safe. monsters tended to get more active around lantern rite, and he couldn’t risk-

“help! help!!”

xiao’s hand halted, barely an inch from the stem of a qingxin. the voice… it sounded like paimon, but surely-?

“someone’s drowning!”

in an instant, xiao teleported away, uncaring of the flowers that fluttered from his grasp and down the mountain. he went first to the source of the shout, then dashed to the figure in the water, looping his arm around their chest and taking them with him to shore.

the person coughed and he checked to make sure they weren’t choking, only to be met with the familiar face of the traveller.

he frowned. “what is going on?”

“how do you feel right now?”

xiao blinked and looked away, taking a look at his surroundings for the first time. he was atop mount aocang—what were you doing at cloud retainer’s abode?—next to paimon and ganyu, and a ways away was shenhe, chest heaving in exertion. by the looks of it, she had climbed up the mountain at the disturbance. mentally, he commended her speed.

“ah, shenhe… and the conqueror of demons…”

he stepped away from the traveller, ignoring the way his hand lingered for a moment at their side. your aura seeped from them like tea in a cup, slowly irradiating the air around you. even still, it was not wise to stand so close to them with his debt. it may seek out your light and land within them instead, and he wasn’t sure he could forgive himself if one of your most prized fell ill because of him.

“-looking for an adeptus who's good at being a lifeguard and playing music. but if the adepti aren't gonna stay at home, then how are we supposed to find them?”

even only catching the latter half of paimon’s explanation, xiao knew his time there was done.

“it wasn’t me.”

“ah, yeah, so this adeptus is most likely a woman…”

xiao bit his tongue, but noted the small hint of amusement in shenhe’s voice with a sharp look.

“I am not an adeptus; as you both already know, traveler and paimon.”

paimon nervously laughed, tucking her hands behind herself and swaying side to side. “heh... okay, so this is paimon's fault... no way paimon would've suggested this idea if she'd known how awkward this was gonna be...”

what else did she expect? calling for help after he’d pledged to answer whenever they called, after he swore to assist and ensured they both knew that, and she was still shocked?

…belatedly, xiao realized she never said his name.

“i’m fine. sorry for troubling you both,” the traveller said, giving apologetic looks to the both of them. even though xiao knew they were capable of swimming, he still felt some tense part of him relax.

he nodded, taking half a step back. “glad you’re okay.”

“you’re leaving already?”

“as far as I know, the one you seek is no yaksha. and one last thing...“ he paused, sending paimon a glare. “your actions here caused others a great deal of worry. do not repeat them again in the future.”

he barely gave himself time to see a new wave of guilt wash over her face before he turned and vanished, leaving before he could let himself be swayed into joining your part in your search.

he spoke the truth: you weren’t seeking a yaksha, and he knew the other adepti would be much more help than could be, and without the risk of proximity to his debt.

no matter how many times the traveller privately sought him out after you had left, thanking him for his actions and not-very-subtly implying he answer the stars, he turned them down. he was too much of a risk. perhaps if your team consisted of more gods and less fragile mortals, perhaps if rex lapis finally found a way to keep his karma from latching onto others, then… maybe, maybe he might look to the sky with something more than wistful longing.

finding his eyes beginning to stray higher yet again, xiao shook his head, drawing his spear. even if you did have hardier vessels, he would still be a liability. your light tended to open the soul, to expose and to heal, but with him there it would only result in your team becoming susceptible again, as much so as if they were mortal.

perhaps, he thought, scanning the land for any threats, he was lucky you hadn’t wished upon his stars. he wasn’t sure he could bring himself to deny his god.

with shenhe and cloud retainer by your side, xiao had left you to your own devices, returning to collect qingxin for verr goldet. it was a simple task, one devoid of any distractions, and he returned to the inn before dusk. grabbing a string of ribbon off the large tree encasing the inn—so many people lost their things within its branches, he wondered if it was even worth trying to retrieve them all—and tying them together, he made his way down to the stairs.

she looked up as he approached, having grown familiar with his light footsteps, and smiled at the small bouquet in his hands.

“adeptus xiao,” she greeted, dipping her head as he dropped the flowers on her desk. “what have i done to earn such a gift?”

he crossed his arms. “nothing. i overheard you complaining about not having qingxin flowers, so..” he tilted his head at them. “i collected a few.”

“a few?” the new voice made him jump and he turned towards the source, met with rex lapis’ smiling form. “if i may, i believe that’s quite a bit more than ‘a few’.”

“indeed! i only wanted qingxin as a centerpiece for a few arrangements, but with all of these, i could make twice as many with some to spare!”

xiao’s jaw tensed, but he only gave a sharp nod, turning away. he was halfway enveloped in smoke when morax called his name, forcing him to stay.

he dismissed it, looking over.

“my apologies, but i wish to speak with you. do you have the time?”

xiao nodded again, and followed him up the stairs to the balcony. as he did, he tried to scan his memory for any reason for his sudden visit. he couldn’t remember any significant lapse in his duties, nor anything may have drawn his attention… perhaps he simply wished to warn him about the increase in monsters around lantern rite? but no, the rite’s been happening for years…

a light cough drew his attention, and he blinked, quickly looking up from the floor. “rex-“

“it’s zhongli, xiao. i am a god no longer.”

the need to insist otherwise prickled across his skin, that just because he didn’t have his gnosis and took on a new name didn’t resign him of his status, but he kept that argument quiet. it was one they’d had before.

“zhongli… to what do i owe the visit?”

a satisfied smile crossed his face as he turned to the sky, twisting in search for a specific constellation. “you and i both know why.”

xiao almost wished he was there to chide him about his duties. he could take being told to focus on liyue rather than your capable party, he could take being told to allow you the experience of travel yourself, since he wouldn’t be in other nations, all of those arguments had been quietly and instantly prepared for the moment gold eyes met shimmering amber, but this…

xiao hesitated. zhongli continued.

“i understand any reservations you may have regarding the process, but i must insist any fear you feel has no place here. the first law is more than able to handle one yaksha’s debt-“ arguments sprung to his lips, pushing to be let out “-and while your hesitance would be warranted if it were any other traveling party, this is the exception. please do not show such resistance when the time comes as you do now.”

he crossed his arms, staring firmly at the fake vision of his back to keep his gaze from wandering up, above, wandering to his constellation in the night sky. alatus nemeseos, the bird turned skyward, even as it shone amongst stars.

“who would i be to resist the call of the divine?”

zhongli turned, partially, his profile cast in warm tones from lighting of the balcony. “you tell me, alatus.”

xiao felt his words as a physical hit to his chest, something sharp twisting in his soul. he wasn’t sure why, he knew his argument was reasonable, your party would only be damaged with him there, it wasn’t built for him to slot within it, everybody you travelled with was picked for a reason and who was he to try and-

“xiao.”

“zhongli.”

he turned fully, this time, crossing his arms and leaning against the balcony railing. “they have been awaiting your presence for quite some time now, you know.” he did, ever since he found out how to access his banner he’d been spending more time in it than he probably should, listening to your team travel in search of the primordial gems you cast across the stars. “i expect you to follow their call when it sounds.”

bitter emotions swirled and twisted within him, words he didn’t understand coming to mind as the ones he did know failed him. there wasn’t a word for the sharp conflict within him, no word for the push and pull between the desperate want to be by your side and the need to keep you safe. he’d existed for millennia, and yet even the most flowery of metaphors failed when faced with the overwhelming decision he had to make. how could he choose? how could he pick between disappointing you and poisoning the ones you loved? how could he handle the very real possibility of having to watch as the traveller grit their teeth, as your vessels slowly rotted and decayed, how could he live with that knowledge? that it was his fault, that he had done it, that by simply being near him they were choosing to die?

but how could he live without you?

zhongli had apparently noticed his turmoil and, evidently satisfied with having planted the vine that grappled with his conviction, gave the slightest nod of his head, allowing him to change the subject.

xiao took it in an instant, “it's almost lantern rite, yet you took all the trouble coming here.”

zhongli sighed, an old problem brought back to mind. he’d feel bad about bringing up the rite if he wasn’t horribly uncomfortable with the prior topic. “the director has a way of making it difficult to decline..”

director?

after a moment, he remembered the job he’d taken on. he hadn’t spoken much to the current director of the funeral parlor, but had heard of her eccentricity. “rex lapis-“ zhongli’s eyes sharpened, but he couldn’t bring himself to apologize for the slip when his mind was still fixated on the concept of the divine “-may I ask what troubles you?”

after a moment, he sighed again, taking the conversation towards something called sesame oil he needed to buy. xiao responded when it was appropriate, letting his answers come whenever they were needed as he continued to think.

zhongli had said you were ‘awaiting his presence,’ but… you hadn’t cast any of your stars across the sky. surely, if you were as eager as he made you out to be, you would have tried to wish on his stars? surely you wouldn’t be out and about, enjoying the rite, mastering paper plays and assisting yelan? you wouldn’t be out with the crux, skidding across the sea in your waverider, or enjoying the launching fireworks that shot your vessels high?

(he, privately, hated that last aspect of your spent time. his heart always leapt whenever you were slightly delayed on shooting yourself forward, his hand tight around his polearm as he made sure that your vessels never fell too quickly. there was only one of these… displays? attractions? set up in liyue, for which he was both grateful and resentful. as much as he hated the loud crackles and bright flashes of the gunpowder, obscuring your vessel’s figure long enough for him to draw unsavory conclusions, he would much rather you fly with sparks where he could watch)

still, xiao kept his arms crossed, forcibly tuning back into the conversation if only to hear zhongli excuse his long-winded ramble and brush by him, an expectation in his eyes. he pulled himself from his thoughts, however heavy, and made the choice to draw his polearm once more.

maybe if he protected liyue, maybe if he pulled villagers from the path of mitachurls and stabbed the jade point of his weapon into the masks of lawachurls, maybe you would recognize that he was much better suited to this sort of work. maybe you would understand the threat that was his soul, and allow him to continue assisting from the shadows, never glimpsed but always seen.

wind swept across the empty balcony, the last yaksha having returned to his duties.

the next day was as easier than the last. your party had strayed north, towards mondstat, and though he admittedly missed seeing them around, he would be lying if he said it didn’t make his job easier. he could move swiftly, acting on autopilot, barely allowing the ruin guards to collapse to the floor before he was gone in a flash of teal and black. one could argue it was dangerous to be so automatic in his movements, to not be paying attention to his surroundings, but he would simply reply with a shake of his head. it wasn’t easy to sneak up on the adepti. by the time somebody set their intent to approach him he had already felt their presence on the wind, and had vanished.

which was exactly why, when he overheard verr goldet talking with somebody in an exasperated tone, he knew the recipient would be climbing the stairs to the balcony before they touched the first step.

he moved, with heavy irritation, to the roof of the inn instead, standing in the shadows. hopefully whoever it was would be gone quickly; he couldn’t see the stars very well from under the tree.

the first thing he sees is a hat, decorated with flowers, then two spiraling twin tails of reddish-brown hair. the ornate jacket is next, familiar in a way he doesn’t recognize.

the person stops in the middle of the balcony, pausing for a moment before bringing their hands to their face-

“conqueror of demons! adeptus xiaaaaao!” he winces at the girl’s volume, at the way it amplified over his name. “guardian of wangshu inn! hero of dihua marsh!”

maybe if he just ignored her she would leave? plenty of people knew him, sought him out for one reason or another, surely she would be the same?

she turned in a slow circle, her hands on her hips. “i know you're thereeee!”

he couldn’t stop the way his tongue clicked at her lack of manners, nor the way the sound travelled down to her. one hand held her hat as she searched the shadows above the inn, and he stepped to the edge before she could climb up herself and get hurt.

“quiet! do not disturb the peace.”

she grinned, another flash of familiarity shooting through him at the sight. “sorry! but you wouldn't show up if i didn't yell your name, would you?”

xiao studied her face, searching for a detail to latch onto. her eyes, the design on her hat… her rings.

“i know you,” he said finally. “you're the 77th director of wangsheng funeral parlor…” he weighed his options. the parlor and the yakshas had worked together in the past, and if there was something wrong…

he held back a sigh. “is there something you need?”

the director—hu tao, his mind finally recalled—invited him down with a sweep of her hand, and he dropped off the ledge of the roof before he could make the conscious choice to.

“well, as you know, the funeral parlor has worked closely with the yakshas in the past-“

xiao tuned out her words. she needed a favor, clearly, and if there was one thing he disliked it was people dancing around what they wanted.

‘oh mighty yaksha, please grant us assistance,’ as if they weren’t actively wasting time by not just getting to the point. he understood the need to be respectful, and honored that respect in turn, but this?

he crossed his arms. “get to the point.”

hu tao faltered, but quickly recovered with a smile. “ah, not one for small talk? that’s fair.”

he sharpened his gaze into a glare.

“alright, i get it… in truth, im only here for one thing. just one tiny little favor, in honor of the lantern rite.”

“…which is?”

“are you free in two days? i’m hosting a dinner party with-“

“no.”

she blinked, red eyes owlishly wide. “what? but you haven’t even heard what i was asking!”

“i don’t need to. adepti have more important duties than dinner. even if that weren’t the case, you of all people should know the danger that i pose at any social gatherings.”

her face twisted. pity. “i do know! which is why-“

“i’m not going.”

her eyes hardened. determination.

hu tao crossed her own arms, her voice taking on a sharper tone. “adeptus xiao. on behalf of the wangsheng funeral parlor, i am inviting you to a dinner in two days, at seven at night, at xinyue kiosk, to celebrate the lantern rite. i have made the necessary arrangements prior, and have ensured everybody at the gathering is well acquainted with elemental power. your karma will not be a problem for the length of the dinner, of which i am certain. i must heavily insist that you come.”

her tone surprised him, the sternness with which she spoke almost reminding him of verr goldet.

maybe it was that comparison that made him revisit her words, or maybe it was the stars beginning to shine in the night as it darkened with dusk. maybe it was because he recognized his own amongst them, his unspoken duty written across the sky.

or maybe, by chance, it was her choice of phrasing. ‘acquainted with elemental power,’ not ‘vision wielders.’ functionally, they meant almost the same thing, but…

his eyes flicked to the sky. to his debt, and not the one poisoning his soul.

“in two days.”

and just like that, the stern facade was gone, a giddy smile in its place. “yep! in two days, at seven at night-“

“-at xinyue kiosk. i do not forget such things so easily.”

she nodded excitedly, one hand going to twist the rings on the other. “alright! uh- have a good night, then!”

and without another word, she brused past him, the small wave of warmth from her vision the last remnants of her presence.

xiao walked to the edge of the balcony, setting his hands on the railing. after a long moment, perhaps extending to two, he looked up.

‘acquainted with elemental energy’…

two days passed.

the clock read five past seven.

xiao was not at xinyue kiosk.

in fairness, he didn’t realize the time. immortals experienced it differently, hours slipping by before he could think to reach for them. he’d vanished from the inn at around five, intending to make a final sweep of the nation, starting at the southern edge.

for safety, he told himself, ripping his spear from the nth hilichurl. he couldn’t bear if somebody got hurt because he wished in indulge in the aura of the divine.

for the dinner, he swore, twisting the tip of his spear into the eye of a ruin guard, seeing the power through its body cut off sharply as it fell to the floor. so he could spend as much time as he dared by your side before having to go.

and for the adepti, he muttered, who had enough to mourn around this time anyway, who didn’t need to have something else to worry about.

for your world, which you had so carefully crafted, and everything within it. for you, who he had prayed to before he left, leaving the last remains of his almost tofu at the shrine for you at the inn.

for you, his god.

by the time he noted the hour and hastily returned to the inn, checking the time in his room, the wind had carried him the call of his name.

“adeptus xiaoooo? conqueror of deeemooons? you’re late for dinner!“

he recognized the voice as hu tao, and met her on the balcony. she had her arms crossed, red eyes sharp when they found him.

“there you are! what are you still doing here?”

he didn’t have much of an excuse. “i apologize. i was caught up in my duties and lost track of time.”

it seemed to appease her, her arms falling to her sides. “fine, i guess you’re excused this time. now come on!”

she took a step towards the staircase back down, but he caught her by the arm, ensuring he had a strong grip before teleporting them both just outside xinyue kiosk. the waitress startled and hu tao stumbled, but both seemed fine.

to his surprise, the director recovered quickly, walking up to the doors and pushing them open with far too much force, in xiao’s opinion.

“ta-da! we're here!”

he followed, carefully shutting the door behind him, taking a quick look around the room. it was mostly empty, likely reserved for the dinner, and though hu tao blocked most of the people from his view…

he met zhongli’s eyes, noticing the barely there widening of his eyes in shock. “i see... so the important guest is the conqueror of demons.” it was strange hearing his title on his tongue, the words that hardly meant anything to him anymore spoken by morax himself. “i’ve been looking forward to meeting you. the director didn't mention anything when she invited us. what a pleasant surprise... gathered here with us tonight are not only young and accomplished individuals, but also the protector of liyue’s peace, adeptus alatus. to convene here with all of you is indeed a great honor.”

the uncharacteristic praise was a shock, one that left him scrambling for a response. he shouldn’t have been so affected, he was thanked daily by the people he saved from hilichurls or abyss mages, but here….

he chalked it up to your presence. it made sense he would be on edge so near your vessels, right?

“i’m sure you're exaggerating, zhong-… sir.“

hu tao huffed, and he couldn’t tell if she was out off by him or zhongli. “ugh, there he goes again! enough with the pleasantries. let our guest take a seat.” despite saying this, she didn’t move to sit down. “everyone here today is well-known in their own field and has probably heard about one another to some extent. some of us are even old acquaintances, so there's no need to be this forma…. i heard that the conqueror of demons and traveler are pretty close, no?”

the traveller looked up and nodded with a smile, keeping eye contact with him despite hu tao speaking.

“great! you two sit together!”

he walked and sat besides the traveller, noting the chair between him and zhongli. was somebody else expected?

hu tao sat after asking the host to bring the food, and your aura ebbed from the traveller. they blinked, as if waking from a deep sleep, and everybody greeted them again, saying hello to them instead of you. they exchanged greetings in turn, and xiao forced out a hello when their gaze landed on him. you may have left, leaving them to eat on their own, but his soul still strained for the remnants of you that permeated the traveller. it was an expected side effect of dealing with your first vessel, but not one xiao had ever experienced so intensely. he usually kept his distance, carefully monitoring the flares and floods of his karma, never sitting directly next to them for a meal.

but it’s just a dinner, he told himself, staring down at food he had no intention of eating. just a dinner. an hour, perhaps two, and his heart rate would return to normal. an hour, and he wouldn’t be so distracted when the traveller tried to gently make conversation, perhaps two until his eyes stopped drifting their way.

below the table, his hands flexed into fists.

your presence waxed and waned during the dinner, attention ebbing and flowing as the conversation went on. it spiked when barbatos arrived, leaving xiao struggling to remember what cover story he’d chosen.

‘venti’ had picked it up smoothly, and xiao let himself lapse back into silence. it was difficult to speak at such a gathering with so many, when he had to put up front after front with your golden aura reaching to tear them down. he didn’t want to pretend, to lie, to swallow oddly-textured meals that scraped the edge of edible, but he also didn’t want to lean too far the other way and fall into the divinity at his side.

(it was so tempting. he could feel his skin prickle where the traveller got close, reaching for a plate or to pass one to another. the stain of his soul reached for your cleansing water, begging to slip under the crashing waves and drown with you in his lungs. with every gasp of air, salt soothed his sting, easing his pain breath by breath)

a sharp call of his name drew his attention, and he blinked. the traveller was looking at him, some message in their eyes. he couldn’t decipher it.

“what’s with the urgency?” his mouth said, unbidden.

“are you done eating? could you come take a walk with me?”

“….sure.”

they flashed a quick smile, placating hu tao and paimon before standing, inviting him to do the same. he walked for the door, though they lingered momentarily to speak with the others.

the room was filled with you. even as you were in the opposite corner, talking with hu tao, he could feel your amusement, your joy. you liked seeing them all together like this, and you brightened the room simply by being in it. tensions lessened, arguments ceased, even the most petty of squabbles were reduced to merely a thought on the wind as you swept by-

the traveller pushed open the door, inviting him out with a smile.

in all honesty, xiao barely paid attention to his conversation with the traveller.

he felt the emotions in his words, the intent behind them clear in his mind, but he let the pull of your command guide him to the phrases themselves. the strings of your device, gentle yet firm, twisted his body, crossed his arms, turned him away, all in a careful act of your design. to bend so easily to another’s will would be a sign of weakness if it were anybody else; yet it was you, and even gods were known to kneel.

and so he spoke, even if he did not know the words. he accepted the plate of almost tofu from xiangling, even as the shake in his hands was stilled by your careful light. he let himself sink into your presence, into the brief glimpse he would have of it before you were whisked off to another adventure. another day of commissions, another day of ley lines and ruined domains, another day where xiao sat silently in the shadows, wishing he could be closer even as he knew his place was to watch from afar.

he walked inside with xiangling, stepping into a circle he expected yet didn’t know would be there. he stood, and basked, feeling like no more than a snake curled up on a warm stone, letting itself sink sink sink into the sun. his skin was riddled with goosebumps despite the pick-up in his heart and the slightest of flushes on his skin. even in the warm room—with warm you—a chill travelled down his back, prompting his speech.

“i refuse.”

he said his lines. he passed the torch to the traveller, far more equipped than he to handle your light; perhaps that was why they should light the incense. they took their place as the spot of your attention with grace, the predetermined words slipping from their mouth with ease.

“you, of course. take a look in the mirror.”

natural, easy, their head moving a hair before the strings told them to, their body so attuned to your wishes that they saw them before you did. the light of the room painted a halo around their golden hair, an imitation of the divinity that rolled off them in waves, washing out to latch onto those near you and pull. you did not call them to harm, never, and yet it felt almost painful to resist, as if it went against their very nature.

“i trust the traveller’s judgement.”

though he meant it, he was not the one who said it. xiao was floating at sea, both wishing for an anchor and praying he could sit and bob atop the water for just a little while longer.

perhaps it was selfish to want to be so close when such a deadly force lied inside of him, but now… xiao could not find it in himself to care as much as he should. he let himself stand next to the traveller, as close as he dared, soothing himself with the knowledge that they were more resilient as an outlander. maybe he was even being safer, by being further away from the others?

(it was a fever dream. xiao didn’t want to wake up)

he followed the others outside again, stood in silence as they said their goodbyes, only ever coming out of his thoughts at the sound of zhongli’s voice.

“well then…”

the knowing look he gave immediately made him think he’d missed some important information, “rex lapis-“

“just zhongli will do.” his eyes softened to sympathy, the knowing switching to understanding. “i live as a mortal in liyue harbor now. i am just one among many who begin work at sunrise, and retire to rest at sundown. if we were to consider status and seniority, as zhongli, i should be respectfully referring to you as adeptus xiao.”

“heaven forbid,” he answered immediately, momentarily forgetting about the binds of his actions. for morax, a god, to refer to him by title? no, that was impossible, unthinkable, so many layers of wrong-

“adeptus xiao,” the traveller called, their voice shaded with a laugh. and there, just beneath it, was you, your influence curled around their words.

you chose for them to say that. you chose to address him as if he were an equal.

…it wasn’t often xiao found himself questioning the divine, but he couldn’t help but ask why you were making it so hard for him to keep his distance.

“…but whether to me, streetward rambler, cloud retainer, or younger adepti such as xiao and ganyu, those adepti and gods that may seem extraordinary to humans are something more akin to close companions. this was as true back then as it is right now. just as xiao may seem unapproachable to most, but the traveller has proved otherwise.”

xiao wondered if they ever got tired of hearing ‘the traveller’ in place of their name. he knew zhongli knew it, as did he, but your device never allowed them to say it… it was as if it was a closely kept secret, but only a secret from the traveller themselves.

“there's no need to dwell too much on certain things.”

“rex- i mean, zhongli, what you're saying is...”

he nodded. “it looks like you understood what i meant.”

he didn’t. though he understood that the traveller was closer to him than most, he didn’t know how it related to the conversation at hand. was it his lack of attention to the meal? surely none could blame him for that, for a wounded man to seek out the balm for his ailments..

“hm…” zhongli’s eyes flicked over the group, quietly assessing his options. “the director asked me to accompany you on your return, but i don't think you'll need my protection. i’ll be taking a walk around and admiring the night scenery. after that... it'll be time for me to go back and meet up with the director. goodbye, for now.”

before xiao could protest, he had walked away, leaving them standing outside xinyue kiosk.

paimon waved, “bye, zhongli!” and xiao took notice of the slight bob in zhongli’s shoulders, and the wave over his shoulders that you could not see.

“everyone's gone now... paimon always feels a little empty inside when a lively celebration ends... but at least you'll always stay by paimon's side!”

the traveller’s mouth ticked up in a smile as they crossed their arms, affection in their eyes as they waited for paimon to recognize her slip.

“no- no no, paimon got it mixed up! paimon, the best and most distinguished travel guide, will always stay by your side, traveller!”

the traveller’s eyes unfocused, your presence bleeding through even further. “it’s my honor,” they finally said, “but i’m afraid there'll be a lot to ask of you in the future too, most distinguished paimon.”

the words, though not their own, flowed so easily off their tongue. they were at perfect ease, used to the strings that puppeteered their actions and working alongside them. xiao couldn’t help but allow himself the brief illusion of imagining how it would feel to go into battle with you at the helm; he’d been controlled by you before, briefly, for a moment here or a group of enemies there, but nothing like the reported battles you’d gotten into before. the glimpses of coordination he’d seen from you as you cleared out hilichurls or treasure hoarders were fascinating, but part of him yearned to know what it was like when you battled azhdaha, or challenged childe yet again at the golden house.

“-xiao, is there anything else you wanna do? oh we could take you on a tour of liyue harbor!“

he pulled himself out of the delusion. he already knew that would be deadly for anybody else on your team, so why did he keep allowing it to creep back into his mind?

“no need. i’ve stayed here for much longer than i had expected. the city lights are a fine sight... but it's time for me to leave. the events of today occurred so abruptly.. i appreciate your kindness.”

the traveller listened, receiving orders from heaven itself. when they spoke, xiao could almost believe it was you speaking to him.

“the feeling's mutual. you don't have to thank me every time.”

he nodded, taking a step back. he hated how much he didn’t want to listen to the strings. “okay.”

what kind of vessel could he be, his mind taunted, when he couldn’t even follow the simplest of orders?

the traveller’s face twitched, worry flashing over their features, but he grit out the last few words before they could stop him.

“i’ll see you next time, then.”

he hoped he would, even as he knew he couldn’t.

xiao stood on the balcony of the inn, letting the wind wick some of the heat from his skin. it was warm, partly due to the lanterns and sparklers set up around the inn, but he couldn’t find it in himself to mind.

not when you seemed so happy.

you had loved the rite this year. you had cooed and fawned over the select vision holders that your device allowed you to see, though with careful precision to their dialogue. you walked around liyue, taking in the sights of the paper lanterns. you had appreciated the bit of history, this year, and though he wondered why, he would not question it. your device had a way of turning the most tragic of monologues into a story unfolding before your eyes, and he supposed even the same opera would be interesting with new props.

not for the first time, he looked to the sky, tracing out the twin constellations nearly directly above him. he didn’t know the name of the other one, nor who it was for, but he recognized his own with ease.

alatus nemeseos. winged nemesis. the constellation of a traitor.

he gripped the railing a bit tighter.

he didn’t choose for his constellation to rise, he knew that, but he was choosing to wish, selfishly, that he’d be the subject of your golden stars.

(it was wrong. it was awful. he was wishing death upon those you loved, he was hoping that those at your side would corrupt from his karma and fall, he wanted to chase his desires despite the lethal consequences. he wanted to break his contracts to ‘always serve, always protect,’ to go against everything he’d learned as a yaksha and an adeptus, to drop to his knees and pray that the affection you had shown to him through the traveller was from you and not them. he wanted, so desperately, for your light to shine upon him once more, ignorant of the way his darkness crept into those around you. he was wrong. he was awful. but even as the thoughts plagued his mind, he didn’t want them to stop)

the stairs creaked and he tensed, ready to disappear, but the wave of your aura kept him from leaving.

ah. he should have expected that.

you liked to come up to the inn’s balcony, sometimes, whether to climb onto the roof and view liyue from a different angle, or to inspect the strange rock formation in the pot up here. and after the dinner… it made sense you’d want a quiet place to think.

your vessel walked up besides him and he turned, eyes quickly flicking over their figure. uninjured.

the vessel flashed a smile, an instant before words were pulled from xiao’s mouth.

“yanxiao just came up here with some almond tofu, but... i haven't finished everything xiangling gave me yet... you should try some too. i’m not as experienced in tasting mortal food as you, and i couldn't tell the difference.”

amusement washed off your vessel, their own mouth twitching into a smile, and pride swelled in his chest.

“...there must be many different stories to tell of the hustle and bustle of the mortal world, too. you can tell me. i will listen.”

part of him hoped you would answer, that you’d take the moment to vent off some of your worries and let the night air take them away… but you didn’t. the conversation ended, and he turned back to the balcony, belatedly realizing his turn earlier was calculated.

your vessel walked up besides him, and though your imprint on them was lesser than the traveller, the proximity more than made up for it. the entire side of his body was warm, almost hot, the pain from his karma lessening.

his karma.

xiao’s eyes flew open—how could he forget, how could he be so risky with somebody so important—but your vessel was gone. he wasn’t standing on the inn balcony anymore, the warmth wasn’t solely to one side of his body-

clouds puffed up all around him as he crouched upon an invisible floor, the binds of your device far stronger when he tried to move.

his banner. why was he here?

he hadn’t chosen to come up, to rest amongst-… stars…

blue streaked the sky in front of him, different than the pale shade of the sky.

a wish.

xiao took in a sharp breath, his lungs filling with divine air. he could hear his heart in his ears, his thundering pulse nearly drowning out the sound of the blue stars falling in front of him.

shooting stars. you were making a wish.

upon his constellation.

why? why did you want him? your team was complete, you were doing excellently, your main was more than strong enough to handle what you needed to. you didn’t need him.

blue.

why? surely you knew of his karma, of how dangerous he could be? you had to, the traveller brought it up at dinner, and though your vessels were strictly vision holders, even they would soon succumb to his debt. he couldn’t- you knew he couldnt go, you had to, so why were you wishing on his stars?

blue, and he could have sworn he dropped a few inches.

he knew you had each of the lesser constellations circling his, he saw the excited tears from yaoyao and heard of the break that yun jin’s opera house had to take. you had no reason to cast your stars into the sky except for him, but he couldn’t go. he wanted to, and he was so selfish for yearning for your touch, but he knew he couldn’t go.

he couldn’t poison your team. he couldn’t bear to watch those around him crumble and die because of his mistakes, not again, not when you loved them enough to build them from ash.

blue.

blue.

blue.

with every star that went by, your aura grew stronger, wrapping around his entire being as if you were getting ready to pull. his mind warred with itself, the needs to obey your call and yet protect your vessels tumbling over and over in his mind, a coin flipped into the air in permanent stasis. he didn’t want it to fall, but he needed it to.

what did he do? did he even have a choice? it was impossible to say no to the divine, but he knew that at least for now he had the illusion of choice, a question posed that he didn’t have the answer to.

were you worth it?

(yes. yes. of course you were. he would put a million demons to rest if it meant a glimpse of your hand on his skin, he’d push himself to the brink of death if you would only pull him gently from the edge, whispering carefully in his ear that you were proud of him. he was yours, in all of his entirety, and were it not for your other vessels he would be fighting tooth and claw to answer your call and turn the stars gold. he wanted, so terribly, to present himself in front of you as nothing more than another tool at your disposal, but what weapon tarnished the blades it was kept beside? what were his wants compared to the lives of others, others who had already seen their god and bowed their head, others who you loved and adored and praised and apologized to? what was an adeptus to one bathed in the light of god, what was rotten, rusted steel to a razor-sharp edge, what was xiao to the ones you loved?)

a star formed, bright gold and illuminating the clouds besides it, and xiao froze.

his thoughts were an anxious mess, his normal clear head lost and discarded in the face of the divine. rationality was gone, selfishness warring with selflessness, every lesson he’d ever learned worth nothing more than dust in the face of the star shooting towards him.

the star flew by.

no.

he reached, desperately, pure instinct kicking in as he pushed against the binds of the invisible space he was trapped in. he didn’t want to be here, he wanted to be there, he wanted to be wrapped in the golden light of heaven and fall to earth in your embrace, shielded from the impact of earth on bone as you swept him into your quiet realm of stars.

the star jerked slightly, but did not turn.

xiao watched, helplessly, as it picked up another, his chest heaving. in an instant, both sides of his mind came to a swift conclusion: he had made a mistake.

what did he do? why didn’t he listen? why couldn’t he just go when he was called, why did he doubt your judgement? of course you knew, you always did, he was a fool to think he knew better than the one who knew all, a fool and a heretic to try and apply his narrow world to the keeper of thousands.

he fell from the clouds, stumbling on the wood of the balcony, his hands automatically finding the railing to stabilize him.

what had he done, and why had he chosen to do it?

he turned, seeing your vessel standing there, looking lost for a split second before you returned, their body relaxing again. they looked at him for a short moment, their eyes sad- disappointed? he couldn’t tell, his heart was racing and his thoughts were blurry, every breath one of acid.

when they vanished in a cloud of golden sparks, the first tear fell. he didn’t have the right to cry, he knew, this sadness was of his own doing, but the knowledge didn’t stop the tears. he had driven the blade into his chest and had no right to cry injustice, but his heart still wept, the severity of his actions only hitting once he could no longer repent for them.

all he could hope for was that you would be happy, even without him at your side.

[funniestbusiness]

Genshin Impact: The Magnus Archives AU

or How to Mix Media With Wildly Different Vibes Because They Have This One Thing in Common

OK SO

You wanted to know! There's an audience for my thoughts! I shall inflict them upon you!

So we have the Archons in Genshin, inflicting benevolent or neutral concepts upon the world. We have the Fears in TMA, inflicting, well, fears upon the world.

*approaches blender*

(Be warned, this is probably rather superficial, no deep character analysis here, literally just "Which Archon could be which Fear?" Also, I'll use the Archons' common names because I like them more, except for Focalors for obvious reasons)

1. Venti - The Vast

Well, first of all, it fits elementally, but that alone does not make a Fear. Venti's major topics are those of being untethered, lost, small in comparison to everything. The thing is, he's not inflicting those on anyone, unless him abandoning Mondstadt counts. For the time being, let's consider this to be enough.

2. Zhongli - The Buried

In comparison, this one is easy. There has been very literal use of stone and earth to bury his enemies (just ask Osial). The Buried's more metaphorical manifestation are obligation and debt, especially financial debt, and the God of Contracts and Mora seems tailor-made for the position.

(We also have a rather obvious pick for a devoted avatar - Ningguang)

3. Ei - The Lonely or The End

A very strong case can be made for both.

The Lonely: She closed off the country and divided its people, abandoned Kunikuzushi and eagerly isolated even herself.

The End: She started the Vision Hunt, where deaths of ambitions metaphorically or literally meant deaths of the people themselves, chased the kind of eternity that is identical to death in its stillness, and is famous for how her Musou no Hitotachi is an unavoidable strike.

I like The End more, but take your pick!

4. Nahida - The Eye

Another easy one. It's knowledge, knowledge, desire for knowledge all the way down. Additionally, through the Akasha Terminal, she was able to execute surveillance, and currently is capable of reading thoughts. And yes, we have an archon who may not want to ever execute their power maliciously - but who definitely could.

Being assigned the colour green is only a nice bonus :D

(Two avatars quickly come to mind - Alhaitham and Cyno. I want to see them and/or Nahida "ceaseless watcher"ing someone. Badly.)

5. Focalors - The Web or The Stranger (with Furina as an avatar)

See, this gets complicated because this duo leans in different directions. Focalors herself is more of The Web, masterminding a grandiose plan to deceive Celestia, for which Furina would need to deceive all of Fontaine, spinning a lie for hundreds of years. But the fact that she's specifically an imposter, together with the general theatre and performance theme, brings Furina closer to The Stranger. You could say it's now the fear of "archons, but not quite" instead of "humans, but not quite", hehe.

(For either Fear, I feel like Arlecchino is a good avatar candidate? Jury's still out on how many layers there are to her)

Murata would likely be The Slaughter or possibly The Desolation, and the Tsaritsa could of course be The Web but I have no idea at this point.

Finally, we have another divine being in Teyvat who deserves an Entity of their own. I decided to get a little edgy with it~

SPOILERS FOR MAG 134 AND BEYOND

6. Neuvillette - The Extinction

...or is he?

He could have been, that much is true. He could let the people of Fontaine be eliminated due to "their sin" (at best becoming Oceanid hiveminds and at worst vanishing entirely) and Fontaine itself be destroyed in a catastrophic flood.

Which he did not do - the only thing he wants to eliminate is Celestia.

And Celestia itself is much more realised as The Extinction. It has once laid waste to the world order, replacing the inhabitants with humans, and later, repeated this on a smaller scale, casting down environment-warping Divine Nails and destroying civilizations it deemed full of hubris.

If Neuvillete is Extinction, he only is, for lack of a more elegant way to say it, their personal Extinction.

(Also he just doesn't go with The Vast, he has no vibes of it beyond his element. Even The Eye fits better)

So, here are my thoughts on this AU! Feel fre to add (please do add). I currently have no other avatar ideas in mind other than Childe being very obviously Slaughter-coded.

People who expressed their interest (thank you SO MUCH for enabling me): @hawk-in-a-tree @smokinghotcrow @ninthfeather @paxoculi @thejoespooky

[ystrike1]

I Raised A Boy Kindly But He Returned As An Obsessive Man - By Choam (6.5/10)

There is absolutely no underage creepiness here, but the story is basic. Cookie cutter. Plain. It's like vanilla ice cream, even though it's a yandere story. It's about a fire witch who saves a slave, who happens to be the secret sole male heir of a Ducal house.

Sersinia is a woman controlled by fire. Her magic is like a curse. It is connected to her rage. When she gets a little bit angry sometimes fire comes out. Magic is very rare in this world...and witches are feared. Being a powerful one kinda sucks.

Sersinia could have been a great protagonist, but you know what's up. This is an otome isekai. Sersinia's soul gets replaced with a generic Mary Sue, who hates being powerful.

Poor May Sue doesn't want power and she doesn't care about her gorgeous face. She wants to gamble to make money, and then she wants to spend the rest of her life living quietly in a village. She knows witches like Sersinia will never be loved, so she just wants cash and a hole to hide in.

She's good at gambling...but the Viscount who owns the casino is a scammer. He doesn't actually want anybody to win. When Sersinia does he immediately tries to get rid of her.

The Viscount gives her a "valuable" slave with no name as collateral. Sersinia takes pity on the boy...who is actually a man. She names him Ben. He's painfully skinny, and cowardly due to constant beatings. He is twenty years old, and he has never had a normal life. We don't know how the Duke's son became a slave, but the Viscount is clueless.

The Viscount bought Ben because he's pretty, and the richest Count in the land loves cute men. The Viscount is in debt, so the pretty boy is a valuable chess piece.

Sersinia is in deep shit.

She's stuck with a random guy, and she really needs that money. If she ever snaps in anger the villagers will turn on her and execute the scary witch.

Ben and Sersinia get along great. They're both gentle and inexperienced in friendship and love. Ben's crush is obsessive from the start. Ben sees her as his savior, but they are also happy together.

Sersinia goes against the Viscount. Her evil side flares up, and she eventually scares him into submission.

Then we have a big problem.

Sersinia is an all powerful flame witch.....but she doesn't want to kill anybody. Not even the slave owner...which is ridiculous...The Viscount literally runs a scammy gambling house AND a slave trade ring. Sparing him isn't mercy its just plain stupid, and boring.

Sersinia doesn't want the fire curse to drive her crazy, but she can just stab the guy....

Like...why not???

Sersinia saves Ben for real this time. She decides that she wants him more than her gambling winnings. They....kinda get married. They move into a tiny house. Ben becomes a carpenter.

Then he vanishes.

It breaks her heart.

He returns years later...when she's about to be burnt at the stake. Old timey sexism is back guys. It's your favorite trope??? Don't you love it??? Sersinia was going to be executed because she refused to sleep with the village chiefs son. Sersinia doesn't kill the rapist either. She decides to pretend to die. Obviously fire can't kill her. She was going to sneak off when the ropes around her wrists burned away.

Ben's return doesn't make her happy.

She doesn't trust him, because Duke Alexdmikan is a cruel sadist. Yes, this takes place in a novel. Sersinia was the villain....yawn....

The Mary Sue moments keep coming...and coming. Ben (he takes the name she gave him as his real name) tries to kill the rapist that was going to BURN HER for refusing him...and she stops him...because she doesn't like killing.

.

.

.

.

Where is the flavor???

I'm bored.

[i-write-boop-spoops]

Dating Arven headcanons

hello friends, apologies for the wait on this one! here's some fluffy arven content, with very mild angst and spoilers! reader is gn and basically the scarvio mc

also formatting might be weird cuz i'm on mobile

Enjoy!

Arven is so SOFT towards you

You know, there’s something just so sweet and wholesome about a school romance

Awkward and flustered and abrasive and a bit overwhelmed by his feelings, yes

But undeniably devoted, passionate and just so damn happy to be with you

It’s his first romantic relationship ever

One of his first relationships of any kind really

He’s new to a lot of this stuff, new to opening up about how he feels

It helps that you were friends first

Faced all those titans, saved Mabostiff, ventured to Area Zero together

He had SUCH a big crush on you - he didn’t even realise it at first, you were just his little buddy!

Penny teased him endlessly about it

Luckily due to how bloody obvious it was, it was fairly simple for you to slide in and ask him to be your bf

Which of course, he gladly accepted!

After spending ten minutes staring at you in disbelief

Arven’s very new to affection

Apparently a fistbump is not considered romantic

But he absolutely loves it!

He is so very touch-starved

Relishes all your hugs and kisses

Has a habit of just slumping himself against you, wanting to take in all your lovely warmth and scent

Definitely loves to hug you so tight you’d vanish otherwise

Holds your hand ALL the time!

Most PDA is too much for him, but if he could, he would never let go of your hand

It fits so perfectly in his!

His favourite thing ever is when you gently brush his hair away from his face

And cup his cheek

And then he touches your hand 😳

You and Mabostiff are best friends now

Which is good, because if his doggy didn’t like you, you’d be gone

You like taking him for walks together

Brushing him (you keep finding his fur EVERYWHERE)

Bathing him was quite the experience

Somehow more water was on the floor (and the two of you) then on him!

Ah, but Mabostiff’s the bestest boy ever, so it was fine!

Study-dates!

He may be a year ahead, but he’s not the most studious of individuals

So you two like to hunker down in his dorm and study together

Sure, you spend some of it goofing off, but you’re pretty good at holding each other accountable and get work done

You like to cover his notes in love hearts and phrases of love & encouragement!!

You barely eat cafeteria food now

When you have a cute chef bf who loves to cook (for you especially) why eat anywhere else

Cooking for you, providing for you, it makes him feel so happy and needed and valued

And speaking of cooking

He’s started teaching you how to cook

He’s quite a good teacher (though sometimes he can get a little annoyed and h u f f y)

(but you’re cute so it doesn’t last lol)

One day you aim to be the best assistant chef ever!

Now you just want to be able to cook something half-decent for him

Once you do, he’ll probably cry

He’s not used to home-cooked meals!

Please play with his hair! Braid it! Style it!

He will be FOREVER in your debt!

Trips across Paldea!

Food-tastings!

Ingredient hunting!

Camping trips!

Arven is very protective of you

To the point of jealousy sometimes

Has a habit of shielding you from whatever threat, be it a scary Pokemon or just a catty peer, with his body

He’s very afraid of losing you

After all, his own parents walked out on him

Who’s to say you won’t?

You, obviously, assure him you’d NEVER do such a thing

And that he deserves all the love and care this great big world has to offer

And y’know, he’s really starting to believe you 🙂

OF COURSE you go to the academy’s prom/formal together

Your photos are so cute!

(and yes, mabostiff was there too!)

(and yes, he was wearing a collar that matched your formal outfits!)

[cinistrs]

a little piece of the night. (kavehxgn!reader)

a/n: literally don't know what got into me. i just felt like writing and things turned... hm, domestic? it's probably bc i'm tired lol.

Once, when watching him from a distance, from your expectations and your fantasy, you had expected Kaveh’s hands to be soft. You pictured the softness of flower petals against your lips as he smiled, thinking that his presence would bring a warmth that could only be compared with the sun.

Instead, the first thing you notice is that his calloused hands are cold.

Kaveh stumbles slightly in the cobblestone street, his red eyes dazed, probably due to his intoxicated state. He holds your hand firmly, and chuckles softly as he calls your name with a sing-song.

“Where are we going, my dear?” He asks.

“Home,” you say.

“Home?” he repeats, and for a second, all his drunken happiness vanishes. “Ugh, please, no. Alhaitham will say something annoying like, oh, so you have money to get wasted but not to get yourself out of debt”

(You make a note not to comment on his predicament, since it seems he doesn’t notice either.)

“He talks to me in such a condescending way, almost like he doesn’t care that I’m his senior!” His pretty lips form a pout as he closes his eyes, probably picturing the scenario. It seems that he doesn’t like the mental image, because his nose scrunches. “Oh, please spare me the headache, dearest,” he says as he pulls your hand close to his face and plants a kiss on your knuckles. “Take me somewhere else, I’m no stranger to night walks. Also, wouldn’t that be romantic?”

So you drag him to the little park that’s a couple streets from your place, which is deserted at this hour. Even inebriated, Kaveh is the genius everyone talks about, after all, and he makes sure the conversation doesn’t falter. He tells you about his latest ideas and when his rambling gets too intense to grasp it with words, he pulls out a pen from his pocket to draw diagrams in his hands. He tells you about his progress with the arts, and that’s how you end up doodling a padisarah in his palm with the best of your abilities.

Whatever you think of the result, it vanishes as you see his eyes light up with your drawing.

“Oh, you’re so adorable,” he says, “allow me to return the gift” and then he snatches the pen from you. Before you realise, there’s a floral garden blooming in your hand as he paints with confident strokes. It is only a simple pen, the cheapest mass produced kind from Fontaine, but it’s the artist before you the one that brings it to life on your skin.

“What do you think?” He asks, and it’s probably the way he shines under the moonlight, cheeks flushed from the cold and the alcohol that led you to act impulsively, out of your mind. It’s the moon, you tell yourself, as you grab his shirt and meet his lips, the garden blooming from your hands to your heart.

—

Kaveh lets out a little gasp and shivers, and you notice that the cold wind of the night played a part. You mumble an apology as you pull your hand away from the hot skin of his back. “Please, use my jacket” you tell him, already sliding the fabric off your shoulders.

“B-but…” he seems a bit taken aback by the sudden change, his lips swollen and pupils still dilated. You wrap the piece of clothing around his shoulders for good measure. “—what about you?” he says, “I can’t let you go like this while I wear your jacket”

“My place is near, and you’re seriously underdressed.” 

“But—”

“No. If you want to return the favour…” you pretend you think about it, and smile. “Please come stay at my place tonight and have a coffee with me. Or tea. Whatever you want.”

Kaveh seems ready to keep protesting even if his face burns at your words, so you shut him up with another kiss. That works. His hands are still a little cold as you drag him to your home.

Despite all the heated kisses you shared, the first thing you do as you close the door is make Kaveh put on some clothes. There's a cotton shirt that fits him, and some old pajama pants so he can rest on a more comfortable outfit. You sit next to him on the sofa as you wait for the kettle. Kaveh immediately rests his head on your shoulder, and you stay like that until the water boils. Then it’s the both of you chatting with warm drinks and lots of paper scattered over the table as you begin drawing whatever comes up with conversation.

Kaveh falls asleep the moment you touch the bed. He pretends he isn’t tired, but you can tell. He tries to keep up the facade, but you wrap him in your arms and his body relaxes in your touch. Content, you kiss his forehead and close your eyes.

 His breathing is steady, and his calloused hands finally warm.

can you believe writing this led me to learn that bic pencils are actually from france? (i just typed fontaine bc they're modern and then i got curious. bang! i made life-accurate ballpoint pens for teyvat?!)

[wastelandmoony]

Déjà Vécu: Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen : Saints

Summary: Remus makes a promise.

Characters: Remus Lupin/Reader, Sirius Black/Reader (no use of y/n), James Potter, Petter Pettigrew, Regulus Black, Marlene McKinnon, Mary MacDonald, Lily Evans

Warnings: none?

A/N: She's baaaaaaack. Wow it's been a while. Sorry for being non-existent for the past few months, I've had a lot going on (none of it good), and just did not have the time to write anything. This isn't the most exciting chapter, but I'll be posting more now that I'm back up and running. 

Déjà Vécu Masterlist

Companion Playlist

Read on AO3

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

April 18th, 1975

Lily Evans was a saint. And not just because she was sweet, and pretty, and unbelievably kind, but because after four years she had yet to punch James Potter in the face. Four years of pining, of unsolicited compliments and across-the-room drooling, and the most she had returned was an eye roll. 

After becoming closer with Mary through Marlene, it was only natural that Lily snuck her way into the fold as well, and by the end of the year, the four were inseparable. This new circle came at the perfect time, because Remus had distanced himself far from the rest of them, and she’d never felt more lost. 

After the death of his mother, Remus retreated into himself. The majority of his time was now spent tucked away in solitude in the library, or holed up in the dorm with his bed curtains closed. He didn’t ignore them, conversations were still answered if prompted, but Remus seemed to make sure to keep them all at arms length. She had tried to weasel her way into his secluded bubble a few times by sneaking to the library and posting up at his favorite table near the back. The moment he caught sight of her, he offered an apologetic half-smile and mumbled some clearly invented excuse about “just checking out a book for later”. Arms full of heavy textbooks, he’d then scurry off back towards Gryffindor Tower. James, ever the optimist, was adamant that he would come around, but as the castle warmed, she wasn’t so sure.

“—so it’s settled!” Lily clapped her hands together across the table in the Great Hall, “Girls night, tonight!” 

She sat between Peter and Marlene, moping into her breakfast while the chipper redhead gave a rundown of activities for the night. Remus had rushed down earlier, grabbing a plateful of food and ran out of the hall with a brief explanation of “an important essay due”. The look on Sirius’ face let her know that he was calling bullshit as well, shaking his head and refusing to even look at his friend as he grabbed three pieces of toast from the center of the table. 

“—and you!” Lily pointed a fork at her, “can you steal some snacks from the kitchens?”

Looking up from the plate, she met her friend’s emerald green eyes. The sincere excitement sparkling back made her smile.

“Of course Lils,” she laughed, watching the grin on her friends’ face widen. 

“If you manage to grab some treacle tart, I will forever be in your debt!” Lily fluttered her eyelashes, pouting dramatically. 

Two seats down, James leaned forward over his plate.

“I’ll bring you treacle tarts every day if you give me a shot Evans—“

The entire table groaned.

Lily’s fake pleading vanished as she rose from the table, completely ignoring James once again, “I’ll see you lot tonight!” She flashed the girls a smile, and before turning to leave, she could’ve sworn the ghost of a blush was on Lily’s cheeks. 

Glancing over at Mary, she could tell that it wasn’t missed by her either. This would undoubtedly be brought up later, the smirk she was hiding was confirmation of this. 

As the other two girls began a detailed discussion on Mary’s new Ravenclaw fling, she turned her attention across the table. 

“Have any of you tried talking to Remus?” 

Sirius shook his head, James just looked defeated.

“I don’t understand what his problem is,” Sirius said a little too forcefully, “I understand his mum died, but it’s been months!”

“Just because you have a bad relationship with your mother, doesn’t mean the rest of us do,” she shot, completely not caring about his feelings at the present moment.

His eyes narrowed, and sensing another spat, James jumped in to divert. 

“We have something that might chip away at him though!” He motioned across the table at Pete, who promptly leaned closer to her.

“We finished the map,” Peter whispered in her ear. 

Her eyes widened, “Are you serious?”

“No, just me—ow!”

Her foot made contact with Sirius’ shin. 

“We started taking turns cataloging all of the students and faculty,” James looked at her from beside his wincing friend, “but after Christmas…well, y’know what happened.” 

“So we took over his part of it, and finished it last night!” Peter added cheerily. 

“We’re going to show him tonight,” James smiled.

She was out of ideas when it came to bringing Remus back from the dead, so she hoped beyond anything that this would work.

———

“—you chose truth, Marls! You have to tell us!” Mary yelled over the blaring sound of Abba playing in the corner of the Gryffindor girls dormitory. The four of them were spread out across the floor in a circle, snacks and nail polish littered between the cushions and blankets they had dragged off the beds. Lily sat in front of her as she carefully braided the long red locks down her friends back, while Mary and Marlene tossed crisps at each other across the circle.

“Okay, okay, fine!” Marlene huffed loudly, shooting her friend an annoyed glare, “You know that really pretty Slytherin third year…”

“Ooooo, are you talking about Regulus?” Mary purred, eliciting a low groan from across the room. 

Reggie’s face popped into her head, and she scowled aggressively at the thought of any of her friends having a crush on Sirius’ bigoted little brother. 

Marlene rolled her eyes, “No! The uh…their house Chaser…”

Her eyes widened, “Marls, are you talking about Dorcas Meadowes?” 

The blonde girl across from her nodded sheepishly, eyes averting towards the floor. Marlene wasn’t exaggerating, Dorcas was really pretty, on top of being an excellent quidditch player. 

“Have you asked her out?” She grinned devilishly at Marlene, who in turn blushed deeply.

“No…” a devious smile began to creep onto Marlene’s face, “Not yet, anyway.”

Lily squealed excitedly, “Are you going to ask her to the next Hogsmeade weekend?!” 

Marlene nodded, “Yeah, I think I will.”

Mary threw a supportive arm around her friend’s shoulder, “If you need a wingwoman, you know I’m always available.”

The two began to giggle, joined in by the others quickly afterwards. For a moment, she felt light, like nothing was amiss. At that point in time, the war ceased to exist, Remus wasn’t m.i.a., the world was right. It was as short lived as a passing breeze, the reality of everything crashing back down, heavier than ever.

“Did you hear about McGonagall’s brother?” Mary whispered solemnly, beginning to brush bright blue polish onto her outstretched toes.

Lily made a soft noise of refusal, reaching over to steal some crisps from the bag in Marlenes hand.

“…murdered—“

Lily gasped audibly, the other girls gaping at Mary’s admission.

“—the Prophet’s practically confirmed that it was you-know-who’s doing…without actually saying it outright of course,” she rolled her big brown eyes. 

“My dad says the Prophet is rubbish nowadays,” Marlene shook her head, “He says it’s run by a bunch of cowards.”

Her body no longer felt like her own, suspended somewhere between realities, “James’ parents said something similar last year…”

“They work for the ministry, right?” Mary looked up at her, face pale and eyes filled with poorly veiled fear.

She nodded a response, “Yeah, they’ve been updating James as much as they can, but I think it’s worse than they’re letting on.”

“Why do you think that?” Lily’s voice was meek as she pulled her knees toward her chest. 

The inhale she took was shaky, trying to quell the uneasy feeling of dread she had pushed down the past few months, “His parents look…exhausted. When I saw them over the winter holiday, they barely looked like themselves…they were shells.”

No one spoke for a few minutes. Lily stared into space, green eyes miles away from here. The four of them didn’t know what to say, maybe there was nothing that could be said. At the end of the day, they were kids. They weren’t soldiers, they weren’t spies; the biggest problem in their lives should be finding a date to Hogsmeade, not maneuvering through a war.

A knock on the dormitory door broke them out of the fog. 

The four of them looked between each other in silent questioning.

“Who is it?” Mary called skeptically.

“It’s Remus.” 

She stared across the circle at Mary, “I thought boys couldn’t get up here?”

Her friend shrugged, “Yes, but technically you can get around it if you make a verbal invitation.” “We gave Remus a permanent one,” Lily interjected.

She stared at the red head, then back to Mary.

Mary shrugged again, “He’s the only one we trust to not be a major creep, and besides, he’s part of our study group.”

Valid point.

She got up, offering quietly to answer the door, knowing full-well he was probably there for her anyway.

The heavy wooden door creaked slightly as she opened it. Remus’ hazel eyes slid to hers.

God, she had missed him.

“What do you want?” She said cooly, trying to contain the excitement of him actually seeking her out for the first time in weeks.

Remus held up the map, eyes sparkling in the low light of the corridor, “Wanted to show you the final product.”

The corner of her mouth turned upward as she turned around to let the girls know she’d be right back. 

The coolness of the corridor was grounding as she closed the dormitory door and looked up at her best friend.

“Walk with me?” He dared a small smile, one only for her.

“To where?” 

He held up the map again, turning to walk back down the stairs, “Anywhere we want to now.”

———

They meandered through the deserted halls of the castle, Remus holding the map to keep watch for anyone in their path. By the time they climbed the Astronomy Tower, the tension between the two of them had dissipated almost entirely. 

She walked over to the open archway overlooking the grounds and stared off over the lake. The Forbidden Forest chittered and growled in the distance, a few birds scattering over the darkened tree tops. 

Remus came to her side, leaning against the opposite pillar, “Not sure about you, but I’d say the map is a success. For once, those three put their heads toward something more productive—“

“It’s getting worse, isn’t it?” She whispered, never breaking sight away from the lake.

“What is?” Remus’ voice grew concerned.

“The war…all of this…” her voice was strained.

He sighed, not in annoyance or reluctance, but grief.

“Yeah. James has told me some things privately, and it’s…not good. I take it you’ve probably heard about McGonagall’s brother?”

She nodded distantly.

Remus continued, “There’s been more attacks like that. Ones the ministry is keeping quiet about. The Death Eaters are wiping out entire families—“

“—why didn’t you tell me?” 

A tiny kernel of hurt began to burrow into her chest. She told him everything, he was her best friend.

Remus stared down at his shoes nervously, “I didn’t want you to worry, I’m sorry.”

She turned to him, eyes rimmed silver, “I’m scared, Remus.”

He closed the space between them, pulling her into his arms and hugged her against his body.

“I am too. We all are,” he rested his chin on the top of her head, “I can’t reassure that everything will be okay, but I can promise that I will do whatever is in my power to keep you safe.”

“No—“ she shook her head slowly, backing up to stare at the concerned lines of his face, “I don’t need you to protect me, I want to do something to help.”

Remus sighed, “You heard what the Potters’ said, there’s nothing we can do right now, we should just focus on school.”

“If there was a way though, would you do it?”

He narrows his eyes in confusion, “Do what?”

“Help. Get involved. Fight. Do something, I don’t know…” 

He was silent for a moment, eyes cast across the grounds towards the forest in thought. When he finally speaks, it’s quieter, but behind it lies an unusual ferocity she hadn’t heard before.

“Of course I would. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about it.”

Embracing him again, she rested her head on his chest, “Promise me that if we ever get the opportunity, you’ll fight with me.”

Remus’ arms tightened around her, “I promise.”

She inhaled him deeply, the warmth of his body seeping into her bones. Nothing was certain anymore, not within the circumstances they were living through, but she was unwaveringly sure that Remus’ promise was anything but empty.

[stealingyourbones]

Scott Free was supposed to be having just a normal day with his wife, a nice calm picnic in an isolated area so they wouldn't be bothered. They were supposed to eat together and relax and not worry about a damn thing! But that plan vanished as a stranger appeared and said, "Scott Free. I have a deal for you. How would you like to never have to worry about anything to do with Darkside ever again?"

That is how the conversation started and I ended with Scott and his wife thinking about about dangerous bargin the stranger had offered. Darkside would die, permanently. Done by the hands of someone who owed the stranger a favor. The man gave no details on the other person or how they could possibly do it, but in exchange for this he needed a debt. His exact words were, "I shall call upon you for a favor at a later time. Your task will be clear when the time and place is correct." And he refused to give any more details and told them they had 24 hours to decide.

They both agreed it was incredibly Sketchy at best. But... if this person truly knew a way to kill Darkside forever? Could they throw away that chance? This is a once in a life time opportunity but... what of the favor the stranger requested?

After exactly 24 hours the one eyed man came back and asked them their decision. Scott gave a nod and simply said, "yes. Kill Darkside and I will be in your debt." The Stanger grinned and held out his hand for a shake to make it official. Scott yelped and pulled his hand back when something pricked his palm and the stranger shows a single drop of blood on their palm as they say, "a pact sealed in blood. I will be back for you soon."

A week later Danny beats Darkside in single combat, forced to kill the Dark God in order to survive. From his perch, Clockwork gets ready to swoop in, knowing that what awaits Danny on the other side of the portal home is a large number of GIW agents and his parents. Normally it wouldn't be to big of a problem but he did just finish a fist fight with Darkside.

Time freezes as the injured Boy King is forced to retreat into his core due to his massive number of injuries. Gently plucking the core from the air, Clockwork puts on his human disguise and goes to cash in a debt he created with an escape artist one week prior.

After all, Danny needs someone to protect his core until he can reform and after that he will need new parents who can help him understand his new task of ruling both the ghost zone and a hell planet.

Danny getting crazy literal God parents. I love this sm

[sunflowercider]

im losing it im losing it the ""solution"" to the restoration of destiny is quite literally the cruelest thing you could do to lloyd and javier

"[...] you or Javier Asrahan must die or vanish from this world.]

fuck you for putting this line directly after we hear how lloyd wants them to grow old together. BK Moon didnt think shanking me was enough, he needed to twist the knife

First off, basic knowledge. Lloyd and Javier love the fiefdom. They love it. Lloyd couches his love in his pragmatism and his desire for a relaxing life, but this man now sincerely cares for his fiefdom so much. Javier, from before we even met him, we knew he loved the fiefdom, first as the place his lord was from, and then as his new home. This is not in question for either of them.

Second, macro level - either of these boys "leaving" the fiefdom, either by death or "vanishing", would be a complete loss to the fiefdom. Javier clearly notes this a few times about Lloyd, and how his knowledge is the key to the fiefdoms flourishing success. Lloyd I dont think has ever even considered Javier not being around for the fiefdom, but he HAS been likened to a weapon of mass destruction, and losing someone that would be absolutely devastating to the fiefdoms strength. Thus, on a purely practical level that boys like to pretend they work on, the loss of either person is incalculable.

Now thirdly... thirdly is the fucking juicy personal level. These two are besties. Theyve been through a lot of shit together, from insurmountable debt and obviously terrifying battles. These two, originally isolated from other people due to harsh circumstances, found a home in the Frontera fiefdom, and then each other. They are not the type of guys who can open up easily; i think Javier has 1 other friend and its Julian, another Frontera, and Lloyd literally just admitted to us that Javier is his one friend. It took them -checks notes- 220 chapters to admit they were friends at all.

So i think it's fair to say that these two are the type to be cautious with their hearts... and then cling like a bear trap to anyone who can break in. Hell, thats literally the plot of The Knight of Blood and Iron - Javier never lets go of his connection to his lord, even long after his death, and when important people ask for his loyalty instead. Now toss in the recent chapter where Javier swears that Lloyd is his true master in his heart. And then, of course, Lloyds desire to give Javier peace he didnt get in TKoBaI and have him by his side until they grow old together.

Now. Stir all that together, and present the solution that one of them must stop existing for their home continue to exist

[fantasyandromancelover]

Titanic AU

In 1996, Shiki Granbell and his team search the wreck of the RMS Titanic and they recover a safe that contains the drawing of a young nude woman The sketch is dated April 14, 1912, the same day the Titanic struck the iceberg that caused it to sink. The discovery is televised by the news and witnessed by Rebecca Bluegarden and her grandmother Lucy. Lucy recognizes the drawing and calls Shiki, revealing that she is the woman in the picture.

Now according to many rumors, countless treasures had vanished the night that the ship sank and Shiki and his team have searching the titanic remains for them. These treasures include a gold pocket watch that had belonged to the shipbuilder, a blue diamond necklace known as The Heart of the Ocean, and a 15-karat rose gold and silver bracelet with the name Wendy encrusted in diamonds.

Wanting to locate these treasures and sell them for profit, Shiki invites Rebecca and Lucy on board their vessel in hopes that the old woman knows where the missing valuables are. At first, Lucy isn’t too eager to share due to the trauma and tragedy of the event, but upon seeing Rebecca and Shiki fall in love at first sight, her happy memories of the event are rekindled and she recounts her experiences aboard the Titanic.

In 1912, young English heiress Lucy Heartfilia is boarding first class on the Titanic with her widower father Jude Heartfilia, her trusted Norwegian maid Levy, and her wealthy fiancé Dan Straight. Also boarding first class is American writer Gray Fullbuster, two newly weds, English shipbuilder Jellal Fernandes and his American bride, nouveau riche socialite Erza. And Scottish designer Mirajane Dreyar and her husband, the captain’s grandson, Laxus Dreyar.

Meanwhile Natsu Dragneel, a poor young, Italian artist wins a third class ticket in a poker game and excitedly boards it along with many other third class passengers eager for new opportunities in America. Among them are Irish siblings Juvia and Gajeel, Jewish widower Gildarts and his daughter Cana, and Wendy a French orphan girl who stowed away on board.

But despite being called the ship of dreams, many of the passengers have terrible misfortunes in their lives. Lucy’s engagement to Dan is one of connvience rather than love, arranged by her father who is in debt and is constantly pressuring her to go through with the marriage even though Dan is snobby, arrogant, and Lucy cannot stand him. Juvia is under the abusive care of her embittered and insanely jealous stepmother Selene, a former stage actress who was forced to retire because she had gotten older but blames it on her marriage to her now deceased husband and her stepchildren. Gajeel is in a secret relationship with Levy and the two both desire to elope, but he can’t bring himself to leave his sister with their stepmother. Jellal and Erza are madly in love and wish to start a family but Erza cannot get pregnant which deeply hurts her. 

On the first day, Natsu befriends Gray and Gajeel, and the three discuss their plans for when they arrive in New York. Natsu plans to become a famous artist, Gray hopes to become a self-made man through writing instead of relying on his late father’s inheritance, and Gajeel dreams of becoming a famous musician. As the three young men are goofing off around the front of the ship, Natsu spots Lucy on the first class level, looking over the horizon and it’s love at first sight. 

Later that night, Lucy goes to dinner with her father and Dan, and as the two men discuss their plans for her, she becomes distraught over nit having any control of her own life. She leaves the dining room, climbs over the stern railing, and intends to commit suicide by jumping overboard. Luckily though Natsu sees her and coaxes her back onto the deck. As he is pulling her back up, she slips, screams, and falls while pulling Natsu on top of her. Her screams alert the crew who assume that Natsu had assaulted her but she corrects them in that he saved her life and decides to reward him by inviting him to dinner in the first class dining room. He accepts and later as Lucy is getting ready for bed, Dan gives her a gaudy but expensive engagement ring to wear. 

That same night, Gray is exploring the ship, keeping a journal of everything he experiences. He is suddenly lured to the third class level by a lovely voice and observes Juvia singing an Irish folk song while her brother plays his flute. He is smitten by her beauty and song but is startled into fleeing when Gajeel spots him. However in his haste, he drops his journal which Juvia finds. She goes to the first class level to return it to him but is stopped by two crew members who harass her. Gray sees this and defends her, making her quite bashful with his chivalry. He thanks her for returning his journal and also invites her to dinner in the first class dining room to make amends for all the trouble he’s caused. 

Meanwhile Wendy who has been hiding in the boiler room becomes terribly hungry and sneaks into the first class dining hall for something to eat. She is caught stealing food and is about to be severely punished but Erza kindly pays for the stolen food and allows the child to dine with her and her husband. Both she and Jellal grow fond of Wendy and become sympathetic upon learning she is an orphan with no one to look after her. Unable to let her starve or spend the night cold, they decide to let her stay with them in their suite until they reach New York, then they’ll decide what should be done with her.

The next day both Natsu and Lucy, and Gray and Juvia stroll aboard the ship, getting to know each other. A tentative friendship develops between each couple. At the same time Erza and Jellal take Wendy on an outing, bonding almost like a real family. Jellal even gifts Wendy with a silver and golden, diamond bracelet that belonged to his late grandmother who happens to have the same name as the child. As the day ends, Natsu and Juvia are introduced to Erza who decides to loan Natsu one of Jellal’s suits and her friend Mirajane loans Juvia one of her designer gowns. 

Before the dinner, Jellal and Laxus discuss the voyage with Captain Makarov Dreyar and Owner of the White Star Line Precht Gaeblog. Precht insists that Makarov push the ship to go faster for better publicity but Jellal recommends not doing so, claiming that they still are not sure how much the ship can take. Makarov believes Jellal is right but Laxus convinces him to rule in Precht’s favor. The ship’s speed is doubled that evening.

At dinner, Natsu is dressed so handsome like and Juvia is dressed so beautifully that the first class guests are amazed while Lucy and Gray are left speechless. Gray then presents Juvia with a necklace to wear for the evening, a family heirloom, The Heart of the Ocean. They all dine together with Dan being very rude to Natsu and Juvia, much to Lucy’s disgust, but Erza eventually shuts him up by throwing a subtle insult back at him. After dinner, Gray escorts Juvia back to her cabin but she asks him to stay for the third class party which Natsu invites Lucy to as well. The night is spent laughing, dancing, singing, and drinking as Gajeel leads the band in a grand jig and later serenading Levy with an Irish love ballad. 

When the party ends, Gray and Juvia say goodbye, and having fallen in love with her, he allows her to keep the blue diamond necklace. She returns his love and accepts his gift. This is witnessed by Gajeel and Selene, but while Gajeel is pleased to see his sister truly happy for once, Selene is jealous of her stepdaughter gaining the attention of a wealthy young man. When Gray leaves, she drags Juvia into the cabin and locks Gajeel out so he can’t stop her from ruthlessly beating the girl. With each beating, she tells Juvia that she’s worthless and that she’ll never be anything but a poor wretch and that she doesn’t deserve to be loved by anyone, let alone a man like Gray. When the beating is over Gajeel furiously tries to kill Selene but she screams alerting the others and whispers a threat that she’ll tell a lie about Gajeel assaulting her which will end with him getting arrested. Juvia then pleads with her brother not do anything for his sake and he reluctantly agrees. Left alone, the siblings comfort each other.

Up above, Natsu escorts Lucy back to first class and he confesses that he loves her. She laughs and calls him crazy, he agrees with her but says he can’t help how his heart feels and calls her the most amazing girl in the world. At that moment, Lucy realizes that she has fallen in love with Natsu. This is witnessed by Dan who becomes jealous and in the morning he orders Lucy to never see Natsu again. When she argues that he has no right to say who she can and cannot associate with, he slaps her and viciously reminds her that they are to married which means (In his twisted mind) that he owns her and that she will do as he says without complaint. Adding to her fear and confusion is her father also forbidding her to have contact with Natsu and calling her selfish for not wanting to marry Dan which would pay all his debts. Scared, she tells Natsu that they can’t see each other anymore when he comes to visit her in secret.

On the other side of the ship, Gray looks for Juvia and finds her still crying over last night. He takes her to his room where he tends to her wounds (his late father was a surgeon) and gently asks what happened. She tells him the whole story of how she and her brother have been abused and mistreated by their stepmother since their father passed when they were children. She wants to leave but she has no where to go because she has no education and she doesn’t want to be a burden on her brother, whom she believes should just leave and live his own life. Unable to bear the thought of Juvia living such a life any longer, Gray asks her to come live with him and to let him take care of her. She declines his offer, saying that she appreciates his pity but cannot accept. He then tells her that it’s not out of pity and confesses his love for her. They kiss, she agrees to go with him, but insists that he ask Gajeel for his blessing first.

Meanwhile in her suite, Erza is teaching Wendy how to read and the girl stops her for a moment to thank the woman for her kindness, saying that if she had a family, she would want them to be just like Erza and Jellal. This touches Erza so much and she realizes that she and her husband have developed parental love for Wendy. She then proposes to Jellal that they adopt her. He hesitates at first but quickly agrees with the idea.

As for Lucy, she is so confused about her feelings for Natsu and is not sure what to do. She goes to Levy for advice and the maid assures her that if she follows her heart then she won’t regret it, telling her of her own love story with Gajeel. Inspired, Lucy runs to Natsu and tells him that she loves him too. She then invites him back to her room where he sketches her nude form, they have sex, and she declares that when the ship docks she’s getting off with him. They sneak off to the forward deck leaving behind her picture, the engagement ring, and an insulting note for Dan. When Dan finds these three things, he is furious and refuses to let Lucy go.

In third class, Gray and Juvia tell Gajeel their plan and he gives his blessing, glad that he’s found someone willing to love and look after her, giving her the happiness she deserves. And he can now elope with Levy without fear of leaving Juvia unloved and unprotected. They rush to tell Levy the good news but Gray is stopped by Selene who tries to seduce him. Repulsed, he rejects her. Enraged, she screams and falsely accuses Gray of raping her. Gray and Juvia flee from the crew members who pursue them and hide in the boiler room until the panic dies down. Gray pleads his innocence to Juvia but she assures him that she knows her stepmother is lying.

Suddenly the ship collides with an iceberg which Natsu and Lucy witness. They separate to warn the others but promise to meet back later. Unfortunately Natsu runs into Dan who frames him for theft by slipping the engagement ring into his coat pocket. His manservant Bloodman drags Natsu off and leaves him handcuffed in the lower decks. 

With the ship sinking, panic starts to ensue. The frightened crowds cause Wendy to be separated from Jellal and Erza as they hurry to the lifeboats. Jellal decides to go back and look for Wendy and forces Erza on to the lifeboat, giving her his beloved pocket watch as a promise that he’ll come back to her. Lucy flees Dan and her father, who has boarded a lifeboat and finds Natsu, freeing him but almost drowning in the process. In the third class level, the gates are closed off trapping everyone down there including Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Juvia, Gajeel, and Levy. Gajeel uses his strength to break down the gates so they all have a chance to live but one of the officers accidentally shoot him in his spinal cord, rendering him unable to walk. Juvia tries to pull him along but he knows he’s a goner and makes Gray promise to love and protect Juvia in his place. Gray makes the promise and has to carry a tearful Juvia away. Gajeel urges Levy to go with them but she chooses to die with him, biding a tearful farewell to Lucy. Hand in hand, the couple sings one last love song as they wait for the inevitable.

Makarov and Laxus are both wracked with guilt over what’s happened and have decided to go down with the ship while doing everything in their power to save the passengers. Mirajane begs Laxus to let her stay with him but he refuses to let her die for his mistake. Natsu, Lucy, Gray, and Juvia barely make it back to the boat deck and they urge the women to board the lifeboat. Juvia doesn’t want to go having just lost her brother and she tearfully pleads with Gray not leave her too, but he assures her that he has no intention of dying and swears to find someway to survive. Selene is among the group of women boarding and the sight of their love drives her so mad with envy that she pushes Juvia right off the boat. Selene is shot and killed, Gray immediately jumps after Juvia, and they manage to hold each other above water long enough for Erza to pull them on to her lifeboat. 

Dan convinces Lucy to board a lifeboat by falsely claiming that he can get Natsu off the ship but has actually just arranged to save himself.  As her lifeboat is lowered, Lucy, unable to abandon Natsu, jumps back on board. Furious, Dan tries to shoot the lovers, chasing them into the flooding first-class dining saloon. They get away, and he has no choice but to accept defeat. 

Jellal finally finds Wendy and gets her safely on to the lifeboat but gives up his spot for Gildarts, so he can go with Cana. Believing he won’t survive and that the sinking is his fault for not building a stronger vessel, Jellal gets drunk and chooses to go down with the ship as well. 

The lifeboats have departed and the ship's stern is rising as the flooded bow sinks. As passengers fall to their deaths, Natsu and Lucy desperately cling to the stern rail. The upended ship breaks in half and the bow section dives downward. The remaining stern slams back onto the ocean, then upends again before it, too, sinks. In the freezing water, Natsu helps Lucy onto a wooden panel buoyant, she tries to get him on too but it only has enough for one person. Natsu makes her promise to survive before tragically dying of hypothermia much to Lucy’s heartbreak.

Erza and Cana quickly take control of the lifeboats and go back for survivors. They rescue Lucy, Jellal who survived the cold due to the extreme amount of alcohol in his blood, and any other survivors. They are then picked up by the RMS Carpathia where the Fernades couple are reunited with Wendy, and Lucy hides from Dan and Jude, changing her name to Lucy Dragneel, in order to finally be free.

The elderly Lucy ends her story by revealing what happened to the other survivors. Jellal and Erza adopted Wendy, Gray published a book about the Titanic then married Juvia who made her brother’s songs famous by singing them and they later had two children, Mirajane never remarried and lived out her days with her sister, Dan committed suicide after losing his fortune, and Lucy herself later discovered that she had become pregnant by Natsu (Making him Rebecca’s grandfather), and raised their daughter alone while living a life of freedom and adventure. She then unlocks a safe in her room which contains the watch, the necklace, the bracelet and many other treasures such as photographs, letters, notes, and keepsakes. As the last living member of that group, she had been trusted to keep these treasures safe so no one would forget the stories behind them.

Touched by her story, Shiki decides not to sell the valuable items but donate everything in the safe to a museum so the memory of all those people would live on forever. Later that night, as Shiki and Rebecca get to know each other, Lucy dies peacefully in her sleep and as a young woman again, she enters an afterlife where she’s reunited with the souls of everyone she knew from her story including those who died on the ship. She is met by Natsu who kisses her and they are applauded by everyone.

[goodsirs]

@ ur tags on that excellent gifset: i got into this show for joe keery and i have every gator-related tag blacklisted because the tiktok thirst girlies are so tiring fhdvdgs. anyway if you have thoughts/theories on munch i cant stop thinking about him and wondering what the hell his deal is

hey! yeah, i really like joe and think he's doing a great job in the show, but i've also found the tags a bit overwhelming due to the influx of his fans, especially as a more longtime fargo enjoyer. i tentatively tagged gator at first on those sets and was met with just. way too many people only reblogging for him and ignoring munch, so i untagged to try and avoid some of that and added that comment as a disclaimer so ppl wouldn't think i was intentionally ignoring him/trying to be a hater lol

as for my thoughts on munch...

if you’re new to fargo, there’s always one weird supernatural element to every season (a character implied to be the devil himself in s1, ufos in s2, purgatory in s3, a family curse involving ghosts in s4), and munch is definitely that element this season. i feel like the show itself leaves it up to interpretation whether or not the audience chooses to believe munch is actually the same person/a reincarnation of the 16th century sin eater, but sam spruell takes it pretty literally and a lot of my thoughts about munch are mostly just based around what he’s said about the character. regardless of what you prefer to believe about his identity, munch is meant to represent the underclass and how they are forced to suffer because of/bear the weight of the sins of people in power, like roy

he’s presumably lived his entire life trapped in a cycle of poverty and crime, and a desire for some kind of reprieve from all of his suffering is what's led him to the old woman, irma, who sam’s described as someone who’s also experienced significant hardship and abuse throughout her life (really great insight from sam and noah hawley about that and munch in general in this article!). he said munch started staying there with the hope that the two could look after each other, but based on the next episode trailer and other big spoilers that have been shared online, that dream’s about to come crashing down big time. 😬 hopefully irma makes it out okay, but at least one minor (as of yet unintroduced) character’s dying at her house next ep and i think it’ll likely end with munch capturing gator and being the one who’s leading him around on that rope, as seen in the trailers. dot’s also heading to the tillman’s, so it’s possible their storylines will finally converge again soon

a mutual and i were just chatting about this the other day, but i would definitely love if he ends up teaming up with dot and potentially goes out with some sort of sense of peace or absolution by helping take down the tillmans. he seems really reverent whenever he refers to her as a tiger and, given the season’s theme of debt and munch’s code about honoring debt, i wouldn’t be surprised if he considers himself somewhat indebted to her for choosing to spare his life when she could have killed him at the gas station, especially with how much they lingered on her standing over him in that scene

alternatively, assuming he gets no peace/absolution, i’d also like if they at least kept the mystery around his character alive with a more ambiguous death? the show itself treats him as some sort of strange specter, implying he’s immortal with the flashback and having witt joke that the gas station cameras couldn’t have captured munch even if they had been working because he’s like a ghost. so, maybe something like him appearing to die, but upon returning to the scene later his body is missing without explanation, similar to the gas station scene, continuing to leave his true nature and his ending up to the audience’s interpretation (obvs would also love it if he vanished without being mortally wounded at all too)

that’s what I would LIKE, anyway, but you never know with fargo! my favorite character last season got sucked up into a tornado lol. there are no shots of munch in the trailers beyond the next ep, and it’s always possible he could die sooner than expected or in a much more villainous or anticlimactic way than i’m imagining! either way, he's already climbed his way to the very top of my list of fargo faves

[so-mordor-itis]

Not Long Enough

Requested by @amatxs :3c I kinda.....went overboard oops-

Word count: 2.1k

one.

Xiao realized from a very young age he could collect memories and store them away for future reference. Not exactly hide them, or block them out, but keep them in a safe place until it was time to use them. He realized his memories could be a tool--used as a bandage, perhaps whenever his karmic debt would start to crawl into his skin, gnaw at his very being until there was nothing but a husk.

It started with recollections of Rex Lapis. The way the Archon spoke, how his voice rumbled due to how deep his tone became. Xiao sketched the details in his mind, remembering to use it for later. It then became a routine for himself.

(One night atop the roof of Wangshu Inn, the blackness under his soul clawed through, and almost had become his very essence. He scrambled through each memory, desperate for one that held even a scrap of happiness.

Remember. Remember. It won't clear up unless you remember.

He was extreme with his own thoughts, he admitted.)

two.

Wangshu Inn's guests were of the prying type.

Xiao found out this piece of information one morning; he had been meditating--something Rex Lapis had suggested to relax his thoughts--when a young girl called out to him (to possibly greet him, but he wasn't too familiar with the type of greeting she had screeched). He vanished using his abilities, leaving the little girl to whine in confusion as her mother dragged her away.

He decided to find a more closed space.

--

"You would like a room?" The innkeeper's voice was startled. Xiao knew she never expected such a request; honestly found her astonishment amusing, but he kept that to himself.

"Yes." He affirmed, voice gruff. That was the only answer she received before he had disappeared, leaving a cloud of black and green dust behind.

--

It was thanks to that room he had heard your voice for the first time.

Your voice was small, almost shy. Definitely different in comparison to the inn's chef, who was more broad and outspoken.

"This is where we store our meat," he had said to you. A loud smack could be heard afterwards, "please be careful with our steak, it molds easily."

"Got it." You had replied, tone still small, but a bit more...determined? Xiao couldn't tell, nor did he truly care at the time.

He felt the blackness creep up again, so he shut the door and began to pray to Rex Lapis the pain would end sooner.

three.

You two met briefly one night, when you came to work late. You had been out of breath, clutching the bag on your hip as if your life would end right then and there once it dropped. He found himself being amused by the tendencies of humans. Xiao felt himself chuckle, which afterwards he staggered. He couldn't remember the last time he had let out a laugh like that. When did he last…

Xiao sighed, crossing his arms before glancing downwards again. You had already entered the building; the clattering of dishes and loud voices indicated as much.

Who were you? His eyebrows furrowed, eyes closing in an attempt to piece together the puzzle that was the employees at Wangshu Inn. They all seemed to know him, or at least have acknowledged he was given a task to guard the road beside it.

"Are you a customer?"

Xiao hesitated in opening his eyes. It was your voice, but he didn't feel the need to pry into human business. You weren't talking to him, so what was the use?

"Excuse me! You, on the roof!" You hollered. Your voice sounded a lot more firm.

He opened his eyes. You were talking to him.

Xiao regarded you with a harsh gaze. He watched you flinch in return, eyes peering into his as if you had just witnessed something scary. ("You were a bit frightening, you know." You told him, months later. "Your eyes reminded me of a fierce predator.")

"Uh, nevermind." You cleared your throat, excusing yourself to leave. He watched with some fascination as you shuffled inside.

—

Later on, he had heard you ask the inn's chef about him, who he was and where he had come from.

"I'm sure you've heard a bit about the Vigilant Yaksha who guards the road here?"

"A little. My mother used to tell me stories."

"That's probably who you encountered a while ago, then. His name is Xiao. Doesn't talk much."

"I see…"

Xiao wanted to know why you sounded so discouraged. It was as if, despite the sheer fear written across your face, you still wanted to know more. To give him the questions instead of someone else.

Humans were so hungry for knowledge, he noted.

four.

He encountered you four more times since that one fateful day. A couple were when you were outside, gazing upon the silk lilies the gardeners had previously planted a few days ago. Those flowers reminded him of spiders; the long, thin stem like petals protruding from the center. He recalled a moment where he swore he heard you letting out a shriek before calling for the chef because an actual spider was crawling over the kitchen counters. The chef barked out a laugh before taking care of it. ("It's a tiny thing!" The chef chuckled. You let out a huff in response.)

One time, you had tried to spark up an actual conversation with him, but Xiao left before you could even finish your sentence. The encounter had left you in a gloomy sort of state that he witnessed later in the day. Pure disappointment wrote itself on your furrowed brows, pouting lip, and your slow gait. Xiao rolled his eyes.

A tad dramatic, wouldn't you suppose?

—

"He likes Almond Tofu." Xiao overheard the innkeeper say one day. The mention of the tasty treat broke Xiao's concentration. …It did sound nice.

He shook his head with annoyance. He was not about to let himself be persuaded by the only human dish he could eat to simply talk to you. How foolish.

Xiao took a deep breath to regain his concentration, diving into his memories and forgetting the moment.

"Almond tofu?"

He swore he could feel his ears prick upwards.

Xiao scoffed. No. He was not some animal you could lure with food. This was so ridiculous.

"I can make some, I think." You affirmed.

He huffed. Why were you trying so hard to grab his attention?

Xiao finally managed to bring his concentration back after a few moments. He had to tune out the discussion of Almond Tofu and how to get it extra fluffy.

—

He escaped to the roof. The wind tickled his face, and he welcomed it with a deep breath. The air smelled oddly sweet, a familiar scent he could not pinpoint.

The sound of a door opening and closing broke him out of yet another concentration. Xiao began to feel a warm frustration feeling in his chest, and he opened his eyes rather harshly. The oddly sweet smell was closer now.

It was you.

You were carrying a plate filled with a dish he couldn't recognize from his place on the roof, and set it down on a balcony. If it was the balcony of his room, he couldn't tell. (The innkeeper did let employees in to clean the place.)

Your figure disappeared from his view, creating an ever-growing curiosity. His first immediate guess was Almond Tofu.

Teleporting from the rooftop shingles to the balcony, he gave the plate of food a deadpan stare.

Almond Tofu. The familiar scent now clear as day. He should've known.

"The innkeeper told me this was your favorite,"

His shoulders tensed a little. He sensed your presence–this was no surprise–yet, hearing your voice so close, so personal, made him feel strange.

Xiao had to admit: you were persistent. Commendable, but also stupidly ignorant.

"Did you desire something from me?" He asked, straight to the point. You shook your head.

"Not exactly. Well, maybe to ask you a few questions, but–"

Xiao picked up a delicate piece of tofu and popped it into his mouth. The square practically melted against his tongue. Decent enough.

"I suppose I can answer a few questions."

—

You asked him what he did here, who he was–though he was sure you knew the answer. Simple questionnaire.

You reminded him of the Traveler with how curious you were. While questions about yourself had remained on the tip of his tongue, he held himself back once again. Who you were wasn't important (he later learned you were hired as an assistant to the inn's chef) to his duty.

You left eventually after asking one last question.

Even though you were gone, he could still feel the presence you left behind.

Xiao began to keep an eye on you.

*

You had interesting qualities. When you were nervous, or anticipated an event, you bit your lip and tapped your right foot rapidly. Xiao witnessed this when you were holding a conversation with the manager of the inn.

Another quality: you were stubborn.

All humans were, according to him. However, you were especially stubborn. He had witnessed this more times than one, but he had to scold you a few times.

Weeks passed, and the bond between the two of you began to grow. He could feel its growth gaining strength each time you smiled at him, each time he felt the urge to smile back. He once again kept himself from doing so.

The pain was still there. It didn't want him to be happy.

Months now passed, and you still retained your job as the chef's assistant. Everything had been in working order.

Until you smiled at him again, and his chest throbbed longingly.

(four and a half

He realized he wanted to kiss you. He hated it.)

five.

You were soothing, despite the constant noise of clattering pots and pans you created whenever you were cooking something. He even grew used to that after hearing it almost daily.

He began to crave you, in more ways than one.

"Is something the matter?" You questioned. He stared blankly in your direction.

"No."

"Okay. You were staring at me."

He wanted to remember the bashful look you had. Contain it in his heart forever. Though, he wouldn't ever state that. He simply kept quiet, trying to stop himself from smiling.

—

Xiao had given you a warning to not disturb him if he had his door closed. You gave him a puzzled look, but ultimately obeyed his one rule. Whenever his karmic debt had started its painful process again, he did not want you to witness it. If anything were to happen–if you were to be in any pain because of him–he wouldn't ever recover. Knowing himself all too well, he was aware of how fast his reclusive behavior would set in.

After one particularly bad episode, he exited the room he locked himself in, only to find you asleep on a chair. You stayed near him, even after he warned you countless times.

Xiao shook his head. "You truly are a stubborn fool." He wanted to stay angry, to scold you once you awoke, but it died out after you moved around to sleep on your back instead of your side.

(The urge to kiss you almost painful.)

Approaching you, he took in the sight of your sleeping form: the drool falling from your mouth to your chin, the way you curled into yourself. It reminded him of how a child would sleep.

What happened next made his body freeze. He was so close to you now, his breath now disrupting the way the strings of hair fell against your cheek. He eyed your parted lips, and swallowed.

No.

That was the worst possible thing he could do.

Still, he couldn't part himself from your form just yet. There was an ache in his bones, he wanted something.

All he could manage was a small peck to your forehead.

**

You had awoken an hour later, yelping at the sight of him across from your laying position.

Xiao only blinked in your direction. "Why so surprised? This is technically my room."

"I…uh…"

"I told you to leave when I had that door closed."

"Ah," you fidgeted, your foot began to tap against the floor. "Sorry."

He sighed. "Just…listen to my warnings next time, yes?" He tried being gruff, but couldn't muster the energy.

You had a defeated look on your face, and he bit his tongue, but the smile found its way to his lips anyways.

At least he could have two more memories to himself.

|Tags:|

@phen0l , @mediocrityexpert , @universal-imagines , @fugufishie , @zhonglis-empty-wallet , @mengdus , @izuniias , @sierrascribbles , @dulcesiabits

[autisticlalna]

Despite his growing unease, the Champion kept pace best he could with the slugcat ahead of him. Every part of his instincts was telling him to run, but this place was enough of a maze that he wasn't sure he'd be able to find a way out on his own. As much as he hated it, the Phantom was his only guide here.

"Nearly there, Champ!" the Phantom called over his shoulder with a cheerful grin. The Champion lowered his head and was grateful his scavenger mask hid most of his anxious expression. "It's just right through here!" With the unshakable confidence of someone that knew this place by heart, the Phantom squeezed through a gap that the Champion was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to fit through himself.

"Uh, Phantom?" The Champion looked around for an alternative. "I can't do that, remem--" He jumped as a nearby hatch swung open halfway through his sentence. He gave the newly-unveiled tunnel entrance a long, doubtful look, then growled to himself and wriggled through.

The Champion tumbled out into a large, dark, empty room and hit the floor. His spear and mask clattered next to him. He laid there stunned for a few moments, then got his paws back under him and looked around. Where did the Phantom go? ...and what was with all these pearls on the floor?

Something moved in the darkness and the Champion leapt back. He bristled as the lights flickered on and he could see the large mechanical arm on the wall connected to a ragdolled shape he didn't recognize. Except, no, something about it was familiar. Its skin was a pale yellow, the heavy robes split down the middle between blue and gold, and its eyes..

The Phantom appeared from wherever he'd vanished and stepped over the cord plugged in to the whatever-it-was. He flashed the Champion an award-winning smile and reared up on his hind legs to spread his arms. Behind him, the puppet lifted up off the ground and mirrored his movement.

"WELCOME!" Vaulted Phantom announced with a manic laugh.

-

woo, more Rain World au! i was having trouble figuring out who would be an Iterator (basically a godlike supercomputer, they're.. complicated..) and was going through a bunch of different options until realizing. well. with how i have the plot set up, there really is only one option.

Vaulted Phantom / VP (aka rainworld!viking) is an iterator in a huge state of disrepair due to some sort of catastrophic failure. there's not much left of him anymore, mentally, and what is left of him is in the Phantom, a mysterious slugcat that the Champion (rainworld!legundo) encountered after an expedition below-ground went horribly wrong. VP's had interest in the Champion and the rest of the rw!dominos since they entered his superstructure's grounds, and after the Champion got split up from the rest of the group he buddied up to him as the Phantom and did his best to make himself seem trustworthy. the Champion's not really falling for it, but he's ended up in the strange slugcat's debt regardless - and VP very, very much wants the scattered pieces of himself back and will do anything to return to his former glory.