#soupp writes

[hrng-soupp]

i just had the most bangin idea for an idia x cater vtuber au and i WILL be posting more when i can get my thoughts to a point where they make sense (it's 2am)

[hrng-soupp]

Welcome to Teyvat,

Traveler and Companion.

Strangers from afar…

[hrng-soupp]

Alrighty! With the Golden Apple Archipelago event coming to a close yet again, Paimon thinks it’s time for a survey!

I had a lot to say this time, so I thought I’d share my thoughts here!

My questions were regarding the overall event as well as Mona’s section.

I personally really enjoyed Mona’s section considering I don’t know all that much about her because Mihoyo won’t let me pull her (come home Monaaaa). It was interesting to hear more about her point of view on astrology, especially considering I missed the initial event with her and Fischl (and Scaramouche). I had no idea that she saw it as such a burden and it genuinely moved me to hear what she had to say. It also helped that her domain was absolutely stunning! The night skies in Genshin have always been so beautiful. The first time I stopped to really look at them, I was absolutely starstruck (no pun intended)!

However, when it came to the open ended portion, I had a bit more to stay:

“I really enjoyed the event! However, I don’t think it was as memorable/enjoyable as the original golden apple archipelago event. The story felt a lot more disjointed and while it was interesting hearing more about the character’s history, I feel like the overall story was a bit of an afterthought. It didn’t feel as satisfying as the original story of searching for dodo king and hearing about the different letters that Alice sent to get all of them there. I will say, I really did appreciate each character’s personal journey and growth. However, as I said, it just didn’t feel as connected. The conch shells were a lot less interesting this time. The story with the Fatui was, in all honesty, super boring. It really did feel like an afterthought. Perhaps if they threw in some more information about the upcoming harbingers that will be appearing in Sumeru. As far as I know, Il Dottore will be there, so it would be interesting to learn more about him. Especially since he isn’t going to be playable considering he doesn’t have a vision and has no want for one. A lot of people find him incredibly fascinating and I’m sure they would love to know more. Also, it would be super interesting to hear more about him considering that up until the harbinger design release, he was the only one who had a design that wasn’t in the game yet, even if the design changed.”

I know that I went on a bit of a tangent, but I’m still glad I brought it up. I know that with the previous Golden Apple Archipelago event, we got some interesting teasers of Inazuma. It wasn’t too much, but it was enough to get us extra excited for the updates to come. I know that that wasn’t the intention this time, but it still DID have a Sumeru teaser at the end. I assume it was our newest archon reaching out to us (I also assume that’s who intercepted our call to Venti) given the higher voice paired with her leaked design (Nahida) as well as the Dendro symbol that showed up after she finished speaking. However, like I said before, everything really felt disjointed from one another and Nahida’s cameo really felt like it was just thrown in there at the end.

If anything, I really do mean what I said regarding the release of all the Harbinger designs. Their teaser also featured Collei having a dream/vision of Sumeru on fire with Il Dottore laughing maniacally. I think with the Fatui influence in this current event, they could have talked more about the potential harbingers in Sumeru or even get more info about Il Dottore. Maybe that would’ve been out of nowhere, but I feel like it would help tie together the Sumeru cameos and references. It would also help build up the excitement for the next big update.

Also, I’m well aware of the complaints about the leaked designs, and I completely agree for the most part. There are only two I wanna talk about.

I wanna talk about Collei really quick. I haven’t seen anything about her design yet, which is perfectly fine with me, because I actually really like Collei. She was one of the few characters featured in the webtoon who havent shown up in the game yet, the other big one being Il Dottore.

Here’s how she appeared there for those who haven’t seen:

She originally appeared like this. Sickly, and covered with bandages.

She eventually left Mondstadt with Cyno looking like this.

Here is her most recent design!

They stuck close to her original design, which I really appreciate. She still has the dark power Cyno sealed away still inside her, and I have a feeling it will come to play in the upcoming story quest. I also wanted to point out the way Collei wears her vision. It is basically identical to how Amber wears hers. It makes me excited to see that her influence on Collei still exists! Especially considering she is also an archer! Based on that trailer, it also seems as though her and Tighnari run regular patrols, similar to what Amber does as outrider. I can’t wait to see if she has any voice lines about Amber!

Okay, ignore my excitement over Collei and on to what I wanted to talk about!

I wanted to talk about Nahida’s design.

It’s not a design people are happy about. I understand why, don’t worry. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not too fond of the design either, but I’m going to try to explain WHY I think Hoyoverse designed her the way they did. In the Archon cameo at the end of the event, she says, “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. I’m just a little bird that sometimes flies by these islands, and am now watching you from far, far away.”

Now I did a tiny bit of research and discovered a bird called the Oriental White Eye.

As you can see it’s a small, white and green bird that just so happens to be native to India. If you compare it to Nahida’s design, you’ll notice the white and the green. It’s obviously not perfect, but it’s possible that they got inspiration from a bird like this one for Nahida’s design. Not to mention, the one time she’s really shown in the trailer, she’s sat on a branch. Perched just like a bird.

I’m not trying to excuse any of the Sumeru designs, but I just thought I’d give my thoughts on them.

Sorry for the long post! If you read this far, thank you so much! I’d love to hear y’alls thoughts and opinions on this, if you have any.

[hrng-soupp]

From the Stars: A Friendly Chat (part 2)

Platonic Zoro x OC comfort

Part 1

Continued self insert drabble. Still really short and barely proofread. I can only really write in short bursts tbh.

CW: SH (skin picking a single mention of blood), description of autistic meltdown, a lot ugly crying with snot 😔, slightly ooc Zoro

It’s not the first time I’ve joined Zoro in the crows nest. He usually just trains and sometimes, if I’m up to it, I’ll join him. Tonight is not one of those times.

Zoro doesn’t say anything as he sits down. I sat down next to him, not saying anything either. A lot of people say Zoro isn’t a good person to talk to when you need to open up about something. They definitely have a point. The silence is so awkward.

I glance in his direction. He’s not saying anything. He’s not even looking at me. I take a deep breath before speaking.

“Can I ask you something?”

Zoro lets out a grunt in response, waiting for me to continue.

”Do you think… Do you think I made the right choice? Becoming a pirate?”

Zoro turns towards me, eyebrow raised, “huh? where the hell did that come from?”

I sigh, “I don’t know. I’ve just been thinking about it a lot. When I first got here, Luffy gave me a choice; I could either stay on that island or come with him and become a pirate.”

Zoro just stares at me.

”There’s a part of me that is scared I made the wrong choice. For a long time I just got in the way. I didn’t know anything about sailing or fighting. I literally ran away and hid during every single fight.” I keep my gaze down on my hands. “Even after training for two years, I’m still so behind. All of you are so strong, and yet I’m so..” I let out a strained chuckle, “I’m honestly shocked I haven’t died or something.”

“Why do you always do that?”

I looked over at him, confused, “Do what?”

“You talk like you aren’t one of us. Like you’re a stranger or something.”

My eyes widen, before I relax and look down at my hands again.

”You’ve been a part of the crew since before we went to Skypeia. It’s been three years.”

I start to pick at the skin on my fingers. “That’s not really a long time.”

”It’s long enough.”

”I’m not really.. from here, Zoro.”

“So?”

My finger is bleeding now. “No matter what I do or how long I’ve been here, I’m an outsider, Zoro. I never know what anyone is talking about, and no one ever knows what I’m talking about, either. I don’t belong here… OW!” I bring my hands up to where Zoro hit me on the head. “What the hell was that for?!”

”You’re being an idiot.”

”hah???”

”You’re one of us. You’re not some kind of outsider. You’re our friend.”

”Yeah, but-“

”Do you seriously think any of us care about that? Who cares where you come from? You’re here now. Anyone who says otherwise is an idiot.” He reaches over and grabs one of my hands.

I bite my lip, trying to stifle the sob threatening to slip out. ”You’re our crewmate and we want you here. Yeah, maybe we don’t know what you’re talking about sometimes, but we care about what you have to say.”

The tears are falling freely now and I bring my knees up to hide my face. My body shakes with silent cries. Zoro doesn’t say anything else, he just places a hand on my head and moves me to lean on him.

Time seems to slow down as I cry. I apologize in between sobs, digging my face into his shoulder. My body shakes and flails from how hard I scream. My nails dig into his back from how hard I hug him. It’s uncontrollable now. I’m screaming bloody murder, my face covered in snot, tears, and saliva. Through all of it, I still apologize to him. Zoro sits perfectly still in silence, not judging, just acting as something to hold on to. I rock back and forth, throwing my head back before quickly bringing it back to hit him on the shoulder. I am filled with shame but I can’t seem to stop. The world feels like too much. I feel too much. Yet Zoro continues to sit there in silence, looking straight ahead. I bite down on his shoulder to stifle more of my sobs. He’s covered in the mess I’ve made, but he doesn’t say a word.

It feels like I cry for hours, and before I know it, I’ve completely exhausted myself. I let out mumbled apologies as my eyes grow heavy.

Zoro lets out a quiet sigh as he looks at me, asleep on his shoulder.

[hrng-soupp]

From the Stars: A Friendly Chat (part 1)

Part 2

ermmm so I've been working out one piece self-insert OC plot in my brain and just felt like typing some stuff out. I might make a proper post talking about them later, but it's late and I'm tired, so you get the chunk of drabble I wrote today.

I will say that I am currently on thriller bark, but this writing takes place post timeskip. Jinbei is there, but other than that there's no specific time this takes place. Sorry if anything seems ooc.

(this is only kind of proofread and it's short sorry :p )

It was a late night. I had no reason to be awake, but I found myself wandering out of the girl’s quarters anyhow. Making my way onto the deck of the Sunny, I took in a deep breath of fresh air. The sea was calm, and the sky was clear, a rare sight on the Grand Line. I much preferred when things were uneventful. Our captain is rather excitable, though, so moments like these were rare. 

I made my way onto the lawn and flopped down onto my back. I always forgot how many stars there were here. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, like an endless sea of blues and purples speckled with tiny white spots. I couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. The past week has been exhausting. On the sea, we had nothing but storms. We got through them just fine thanks to Nami and Jinbei, but it’s still so stressful. The logpose had pointed us to an uninhabited island. Of course, Luffy had sped off the ship the moment we were close enough. Nami managed to convince Sanji to carry her equipment so she could map it out. I say convince but he was ready to follow her the moment she looked at him. Zoro wandered off to who knows where (it took Sanji over an hour to find him). Franky and Usopp have been working on a project for a while, but they took some time to get off the ship and explore. Robin and Chopper had gone off talking about some local plants, and, if I’m being honest, I didn’t even notice Jinbei and Brook leave. Part of me wanted to go looking for critters to doodle. It’s been a while since I’ve done any proper life drawing, but I ended up staying on the ship. Someone has to keep Sunny company, after all. It’s not that I mind or anything. Staying on the ship to relax is nice sometimes, but I guess I was just bored. Everyone always seems to have things they want to do and people they want to do them with. It’s been almost three years now, and yet I still feel so isolated from everyone. It feels like no matter how much time we spend together, no matter how much they talk to me, no matter what we go through together, I’m still just an outsider. 

Taking a deep breath, I started to focus on the stars again. I try to see if I can spot any constellations, but it’s a lot harder when you can see more stars. It makes me wonder how people a long time ago came up with the constellations in the first place. Despite being lost in thought, I still take note of the other person on the deck.

“You’re not usually up this late.”

“You’re not usually out of the crows nest.”

“I was just checking some stuff.”

I hum in acknowledgement as I roll on my side to face Zoro. “Checking the liquor cabinet, you mean.”

He rolls his eyes, but he doesn’t deny it. I sat up to look at him properly. “I couldn’t sleep.”

“Clearly.”

I glare at him. I know he means well but, man, he sucks at showing it. “Would you be mad if I joined you in the crows nest?”

“Do what you want.” Zoro turns and makes his way over to the ladder. I groan as I stand up, stretching before I follow him.

[hrng-soupp]

So I was trying to find some old writing of mine (that is posted on another blog lol) and in the process I found this lowkey banger I wrote in google docs.

Erm.. warning for old writing i guess? also not proofread, literally just a copy paste from google docs lolol

Buttercup

My sweet darling.

My buttercup.

It always was your favorite flower.

You loved them

I know you still do.

You don’t love me.

You never did.

That’s okay

I have our memories

My feelings

Our bond.

Why is it all my relationships end the same

It’s always me and never you.

You left as soon as you came.

And left me a mess on the floor.

Lost within my own emotions

Sweet buttercup,

Can you say the same?

I’m drowning in my own self loathing

How come you can swim?

It’s not fair.

Why is it always my fault?

Why am I always better as a friend?

What happened to our highschool romance?

Sweet buttercup,

Am I truly the one to blame?

Or perhaps both of us are at fault.

Always rushing in only to be heartbroken.

Is it so wrong that I want my partner to be happy?

When did we become me?

I give

And I give

And get nothing in return.

All I do is yearn for someone.

Someone who gives back.

Sweet buttercup,

Do I not deserve love?

To love?

To be loved?

Perhaps not.

But that’s okay.

I always knew.

I just wish it hadn’t been you.

For one week.

Seven days.

You were everything to me.

But you weren’t really mine,

Were you?

You were the one who made me crack.

My last chance.

My final hope.

Yet it was taken from me.

And crushed to dust.

Yes, we’re still friends.

You’re still so dear to me.

Yet, Sweet buttercup,

It is because of you that I fear

My love will never return to me.

The buttercup.

It represents humility and neatness.

But also childishness.

Perhaps I should have minded my business.

You asked me.

Yet you left so quickly.

And you don’t even know the effect you’ve had on me.

I cannot love.

My inner wall is too thick.

I know that it’s me.

It wouldn’t have happened more than once if that weren’t the case.

Then again,

Maybe I am the buttercup.

So childish.

Am I to blame for that?

I’ll never know.