weird sagau brainrot here also fontaine spoilers here, i hope i make sense ToT
You know how like lynette got her vision first and that caused lyney to almost get a delusion, now imagine sagau and lynette is chosen as an acolyte (because she was guaranteed) i have neither lyney or childe making her the ONLY fatui who got chosen as an acolyte. Can you imagine the eyes on her, while it is an honor now people will be looking at her and some might be not so nice about it, imagine if the tsaritsa started to take an interest in lynette considering the yandere tendencies in sagau it might go bad.
rip my girl lynette i am so sorry orz and rip lyney now he has to protect lynette from the fatui and or maybe the rest of the harbingers and the tsaritsa
OH MY GOD HOW DID I NOT SEE THIS BEFORE THIS IS AMAZING. poor lynette just standing there and she looks so confused and terrified ToT, also she is so tiny compared to everyone else ToT, this looks amazing!
Hey btw, if you're doing worldbuilding on something, and you're scared of writing ~unrealistic~ things into it out of fear that it'll sound lazy and ripped-out-of-your-ass, but you also don't want to do all the back-breaking research on coming up with depressingly boring, but practical and ~realistic~ solutions, have a rule:
Just give the thing two layers of explanation. One to explain the specific problem, and another one explaining the explanation. Have an example:
Plot hole 1: If the vampires can't stand daylight, why couldn't they just move around underground?
Solution 1: They can't go underground, the sewer system of the city is full of giant alligators who would eat them.
Well, that's a very quick and simple explanation, which sure opens up additional questions.
Plot hole 2: How and why the fuck are there alligators in the sewers? How do they survive, what do they eat down there when there's no vampires?
Solution 2: The nuns of the Underground Monastery feed and take care of them as a part of their sacred duties.
It takes exactly two layers to create an illusion that every question has an answer - that it's just turtles all the way down. And if you're lucky, you might even find that the second question's answer loops right back into the first one, filling up the plot hole entirely:
Plot hole 3: Who the fuck are the sewer nuns and what's their point and purpose?
Solution 3: The sewer nuns live underground in order to feed the alligators, in order to make sure that the vampires don't try to move around via the sewer system.
When you're just making things up, you don't need to have an answer for everything - just two layers is enough to create the illusion of infinite depth. Answer the question that looms behind the answer of the first question, and a normal reader won't bother to dig around for a 3rd question.
Hey btw, if you're doing worldbuilding on something, and you're scared of writing ~unrealistic~ things into it out of fear that it'll sound lazy and ripped-out-of-your-ass, but you also don't want to do all the back-breaking research on coming up with depressingly boring, but practical and ~realistic~ solutions, have a rule:
Just give the thing two layers of explanation. One to explain the specific problem, and another one explaining the explanation. Have an example:
Plot hole 1: If the vampires can't stand daylight, why couldn't they just move around underground?
Solution 1: They can't go underground, the sewer system of the city is full of giant alligators who would eat them.
Well, that's a very quick and simple explanation, which sure opens up additional questions.
Plot hole 2: How and why the fuck are there alligators in the sewers? How do they survive, what do they eat down there when there's no vampires?
Solution 2: The nuns of the Underground Monastery feed and take care of them as a part of their sacred duties.
It takes exactly two layers to create an illusion that every question has an answer - that it's just turtles all the way down. And if you're lucky, you might even find that the second question's answer loops right back into the first one, filling up the plot hole entirely:
Plot hole 3: Who the fuck are the sewer nuns and what's their point and purpose?
Solution 3: The sewer nuns live underground in order to feed the alligators, in order to make sure that the vampires don't try to move around via the sewer system.
When you're just making things up, you don't need to have an answer for everything - just two layers is enough to create the illusion of infinite depth. Answer the question that looms behind the answer of the first question, and a normal reader won't bother to dig around for a 3rd question.
No you guys this post helped me find my cat. He was missing for almost a month and Iâve had him for over 12 years. After seeing this I put his favorite blanket he always slept on outside hoping he would smell mine or his scent and he was back the next fucking day asleep on it.
When my cat got out, we called and called for him, and then, later that night, I remembered similar advice to this, and so put his little scratching pad, which he adores, on the front porch. Not even half an hour later, I heard a thump, opened the door, and there was his big butt, meowing at me.
Here are all the new kitty emojis on discord. They are all animated so users without nitro won't be able to use them, but thanks to baniknik on discord, I was able to grab them and share them here
10 Non-Lethal Injuries to Add Pain to Your Writing
If you need a simple way to make your characters feel pain, here are some ideas:Â
1. Sprained Ankle
A common injury that can severely limit mobility. This is useful because your characters will have to experience a mild struggle and adapt their plans to their new lack of mobiliy. Perfect to add tension to a chase scene.
2. Rib Contusion
A painful bruise on the ribs can make breathing difficult, helping you sneak in those ragged wheezes during a fight scene. Could also be used for something sport-related! It's impactful enough to leave a lingering pain but not enough to hinder their overall movement.
3. Concussions
This common brain injury can lead to confusion, dizziness, and mood swings, affecting a characterâs judgment heavily. It can also cause mild amnesia.
I enjoy using concussions when you need another character to subtly take over the fight/scene, it's an easy way to switch POVs. You could also use it if you need a 'cute' recovery moment with A and B.
4. Fractured Finger
A broken finger can complicate tasks that require fine motor skills. This would be perfect for characters like artists, writers, etc. Or, a fighter who brushes it off as nothing till they try to throw a punch and are hit with pain.
5. Road Rash
Road rash is an abrasion caused by friction. Aka scraping skin. The raw, painful sting resulting from a fall can be a quick but effective way to add pain to your writing. Tip: it's great if you need a mild injury for a child.
6. Shoulder Dislocation
This injury can be excruciating and often leads to an inability to use one arm, forcing characters to confront their limitations while adding urgency to their situation. Good for torture scenes.
7. Deep Laceration
A deep laceration is a cut that requires stitches. As someone who got stitches as a kid, they really aren't that bad! A 2-3 inch wound (in length) provides just enough pain and blood to add that dramatic flair to your writing while not severely deterring your character.
This is also a great wound to look back on since it often scars. Note: the deeper and wider the cut the worse your character's condition. Don't give them a 5 inch deep gash and call that mild.
8. Burns
Whether from fire, chemicals, or hot surfaces, burns can cause intense suffering and lingering trauma. Like the previous injury, the lasting physical and emotional trauma of a burn is a great wound for characters to look back on.
If you want to explore writing burns, read here.
9. Pulled Muscle
This can create ongoing pain and restrict movement, offering a window to force your character to lean on another. Note: I personally use muscle related injuries when I want to focus more on the pain and sprains to focus on a lack of mobility.
10. Tendonitis
Inflammation of a tendon can cause chronic pain and limit a character's ability to perform tasks they usually take for granted. When exploring tendonitis make sure you research well as this can easily turn into a more severe injury.
This is a quick, brief list of ideas to provide writers inspiration. Since it is a shorter blog, I have not covered the injuries in detail. This is inspiration, not a thorough guide. Happy writing! :)
Looking For More Writing Tips And Tricks?Â
Check out the rest of Quillology with Haya; a blog dedicated to writing and publishing tips for authors!
One HSR theory I don't really vibe with is that Ruan Mei will become an Aeon and my main reason is that it would antithetical to her character.
Ruan Mei is first and foremost a scientist, she wants to understand the nature of life and she purues this aggressively. Sure, on the surface, it does seem she would become an Aeon. She literally is trying to create an artificial Emanator. However, as a scientist, her entire character is built on change. Life thrives on because species evolve to suit their environment. Science itself it constantly changing as we grow and broaden/sharpen our understanding of things.
Aeons are inherently stagnant beings. Tail confirms as much in the 2.5 event, "Even the Aeons must walk their paths". To be an Aeon is to become the embodiment of a single concept, to pursue a concept so aggressively and to devote so much of yourself to it that it consumes you and removes your humanity to make total room for it. Lan can never kill Yaoshi because Lan's entire ascension can be simplified to wanting to kill Yaoshi. If Lan kills Yaoshi, Lan's path of The Hunt crumbles with the conclusion of that hunt. Nanook is so devoted to destruction they welcome the destruction of themself.
This is why Sunday becoming an Aeon would've been a tragedy, it was a cage he'd never escape from and us defeating him before he reached that point was supposed to parallel the charmony dove of his childhood crashing to its death after being set free.
Ruan Mei couldn't be an Aeon because it would make her a stagnant being and a stagnant being cannot understand life, life changes too much and too rapidly for a stagnant being to understand. This is literally why Yaoshi is the way they are. Ruan Mei would just become Yaoshi.
If any member of the Godslayer Protocol were to become a new Aeon of Life it would be Luocha. This isn't just my Luocha bias talking, the man is possibly an Emanator of Yaoshi.
Emanators, as beings who can access an Aeon's power and be seen as a vessel of an Aeon, are half stagnant. Acheron must remain stagnant because if she doesn't, she'll be devoured by IX. Self-Annihilators aren't in battle to escape IX, they're in a battle to stay as far as possible so IX doesn't consume them, trying not to be dragged even inches closer. Phantylia is a very flexible entity but her stagnation is only being able to invoke destruction from the inside, she always fails in approaches of direct destruction.
If Luocha is an Emanator, part of his stagnation would be his emotion. Mara is based in emotion, with extreme emotion causing major flare ups. Blade and Jingliu manage their emotions and the memories related to control the Mara. Luocha rarely shows extreme emotion, he's perpetually calm and unbothered. The few times we do see extreme emotion, like in his voice line about Yukong, it's abruptly cut off and the tone becomes comical or confusing because he reigns it in so violently.
If anyone were to replace Yaoshi in a bid to reduce their harm, it would have to be Luocha, who harbors a love for life but a hate for Yaoshi's approach to it. Luocha would become stagnant in a way that deviates from Yaoshi's path. He has a ton of Jesus parallels, it would fit if he martyred himself to his god in this way to save those suffering.
Ruan Mei loves life and the study of it too much to ever sacrifice that for Aeonhood. Her Emanators will always be artificial.
II ⡠đđĄđđ'đŹ đŚđ˛ đđ˛đŠđ â l&ds
0:01 âââ|ââââââââââââââââââââ
âł there's no way they're getting jealous over pixelated men.. right? it's not your fault you've got a very particular type.
âł scenarios in which they witness you fangirling over fictional men (ironic i know) that's actually quite similar to them in personality/vibes
á´á´É˘ęą: mdni; fem!mc (but ur welcome to hc urself as whatvever you want); mostly crack; zayne suggestive (implied smut), fluff, xavier fluff, rafayel angst, hurt/comfort, sylus fluff; references to l&ds myths lore, a lot of anime references and possible spoilers for shows/game (jjk, apothecary diaries, ghibli movies, ff), established relationships; a lot of thirsting, jealousy, mc is emotional and assertive, periods, ovulation mention, mc and sylus have playful banter dynamic; unedited
⼠a/n: these are silly ideas that's been in my head for a while now and its most self indulgent. its been plaguing my head now about how i would let nanami and zayne hit at the same time and dingdingding! ideaaa. i do appreciate some feedback and reblogs!! this is my first time posting about l&ds, and my own interpretation for them may vary from yours. english isn't my first language so pls pardon my grammatical errors. minors and ageless blogs will be BLOCKED.
Now ever since you were both kids, he already knew your absolute fascination for anime, sometimes even joining you as you watch the latest Sailor Moon and Detective Conan episodes. He also remembers vaguely how you had an absolutely massive crush on Roy Mustang from FMA. He was sure you didn't even understand the plot you were just ogling at him as he silently judged you.
So it shouldn't be a surprise that you still are, in fact, a massive weeb.
And it shouldn't be surprising you would still have fictional crushes, even with your established relationship. It's not that Zayne feels threatened in anywayâthey're not real for heaven's sake.
But after a long 36-hour shift and a major surgery, exhaustion seeping into his taut muscles, bones aching, skin longing for yoursâsomething just slightly irks him when he sees wayyy too close to the TV, kicking your feet like a silly little girl on the floor, gripping your biggest plushie.
You were giggling and grinning like a mad woman as you were just practically drooling over the latest episode of Jujutsu Kaisen.
You were replaying the part of Nanami Kento pulling some blonde dude's hair roughly, pulling him to his shadowed face.
"What's the number and location of your allies?" Nanami growled through the screen, and you were giggling again, rewinding for the nth time. Damn his wide ass shoulders seems so nice to rest (your legs) on.
He was the perfect balance of serious and dry humor. His suits were always on point, paired with leather shoes and luxury silver watch. The way he would carry himself; his presence bringing in the level-headed maturity needed by the mostly teenage cast, truly the reliable adult they all need. Nanami Kento was truly husband material.
You go over the scene again when Nanami tugs the dude again by his ponytail, a good shot of Nanami's packed pants in side view.
And god, you would have pulled those pants down and showed Shibuya a real incidentâ
After a while, you were getting uncomfortable, so you stood up from your spot, deciding to get something to drink when you stop dead on your tracks.
There was Zayne, sitting on the couch still dressed from the hospital minus the white coat. He had his arms folded against his chest, watching you with tired eyes.
"OhâZayne! Welcome back, love." You greeted as you made your way to him to give him a kiss.
He didn't kiss you back.
You give him a concerned look. Although you were already used to his stressed demeanor though after work, you can sense this was slightly different.
"Love?" You called out to him again, hand travelling to his chest. You see his gaze faltering into a fondness familiar to you, and he looks away.
Ah..
You bit your lip to suppress a snort, grabbing the tie to make him face you again.
"Is Doctor.. sulking?" You quirked an eyebrow at him.
Zayne grabs your wrist, pulling you into his lap and you oblige, effectively straddling him.. You put your arms around his neck as he nudges his nose at the crook of your neck, placing butterfly kisses.
"I don't know... maybe my woman saying she's about to pull down another man's pants is a justifiable reason?" he murmurs into your skin, hugging your waist closer.
Oh fuck, you said that out loud?
He felt you shake with laughter. Unraveling from the embrace, you cup his face with both hands.
"My love, we both know the only man I can and will ever that to is you." You reassure him, still giggling as you feel him sigh a shaky breath.. and a familiar tent poking you down there.
You loved when Zayne gets like this, being extra clingy after long work daysâsoft, yearning, needy.
The renowned Doctor Zayne, always so frigid when it comes to other matters, is melting under your touch, almost pouty because of a fictional blonde man on TV. You could almost coo.
"Hm.. maybe I'd like a demonstration?" Zayne drawls out in request, almost plea. Polite as always, you would think,
If not for the sudden tug at back of your hair, exposing the column of your neck.
A silent moan breathes out of your lips, feeling him nip down to your collarbones.
You huff out a laugh, feeling Zayne hum on your skin.
"Seems like someone's got inspired."
Xavier is a jealous man. Whether or not he acknowledges this, everyone and their mother knows this is an established fact.
Another man breathes your direction and something immediately itches under his skin to pull out his sword. This may or may not be an exaggeration.. I mean the man is literally jealous of himself.
So what do you expect when, unbeknownst to you, he catches you giggling to yourself at your phone during lunchbreak? He's on his way to spend it with you at your usual place, take out of your favorite food in hand.
"Did your boyfriend text you or something, girl?" He hears someone tease youâTara, he figuresâand he stops at the corner where he's about to turn. Xavier peeks his head a little and he sees her nudging your arm as you look up at her, eyebrow quirked and a goofy smile on your lips. You were both turned away from him waiting at a table.
He remains hidden at the corner, confused.
He didn't text you though? Did he?
"Nooooâit's nothing.. just a new episode." You tuck your phone away from her prying eyes.
"Ohhh, so it's your other boyfriend-" Tara teases, and you hit her playfully. "Who is it now? Gojo? Himmel?"
There's a ringing in Xavier's ears.
"Ssshhhh!âyou're so loud!" You whisper yelled, pulling Tara beside you to show her your screen.
It was Apothecary Diaries. Jinshi spotted Maomao at work as a servant after being laid off the palace, and of course, went to bother her.
Jinshi brushes his finger over Maomao's lips, staining it with pink rouge, before bringing it up to his own lips and kissing it. He smiles at her after and she looks away, flustered.
You and Tara start squealing as discretely as possible to avoid looking like total idiots in public to no avail, as you were shaking Tara in giddiness.
"If Maomao ain't gonna kiss him soon enough, I will!" You say through your gritted teeth in frustration.
The way he looks at her, like she's so far out of his reach whenever they do touch, sadness and longing in his gaze. You eat it up every time he's getting starstruck by her hidden beauty. It was so obvious he was the supposedly sickly prince of the kingdom, masking his own identity for the sake of his mission (ahem), yet it cracks sometimes just to let this supposedly common clever peasant girl to seep through, leading to his silly misunderstandings and petty jealousy-
Behind, you both hear someone clear their throat, and you slowly pan over your gazes.
There was Xavier, arms crossed, an unamused look in his eyes as he looks down on you both. Tara stands up way too fast.
"Hey there! I just remembered I have something to doâSee you later, girl!" She quickly takes off, leaving you high and dry.. and awkward as fuck.
Yeah, he's seen the scene himself too while you two were too busy fangirling amongst yourselves. Yes, he knows who Jinshi is, as you two were also watching the show together every new episode. And yes, he was aware about your love for shoujo and how you absolutely going crazy over Jinshi and Maomao's moments way before this. He did find it cute whenever you get giddy about them, telling him they should just get together already.
"H-Hey, Xavier!" You stammer, also quickly standing to greet him. Shit, you think to yourself. You were holding those other thoughts to yourself as you watch together because once again..
Xavier is a jealous man.
Maybe you can still get off the hook because its a fictional man for heaven's sake. You internally sigh, remembering the one time you were hitting the sofa too many times with a hushed scream the moment Yuta Okkotsu popped out on screen in season 2 of JJK.. Xavier had his eyebrows knitted the entire evening after that.
But alas, Xavier is your jealous man.
There's a pout on his lips with the familiar frown, and you could almost laugh.
"You watched it without me.." He complained, yet still letting you pull him beside you this time, and sat down.
"We can watch the whole thing later again, bunny." You hook your arm around him, and you feel him loosen up a bit of his tension. But now he won't look at you.
"Maybe, I don't want to anymore.. It's been spoiled now." Xavier pouted.
You can't help snickering, squeezing your embrace on his arm, tugging him to catch his gaze again. He just continued to look away pettily, sulking.
An idea pops in your mind.
You brush your finger over his lips ever so slowly, finally catching his attention.
He watches as you bring them to your own lips, kissing intently just as Jinshi did for Maomao.
A blush creeps into his cheeks, ears tinting red as you smile at him. He's so adorable, and all yours.
"Kiss me?" You ask, eyes lingering on his lips, and Xavier's breath hitches.
"You're no fair.." He huffs, closing the distance between the two of you.
Who was he to refuse?
We've all got our childhood cartoon crushes, in more 'hear-me-out' ways or tame ones. There's ones we grow out of and ones that's like.. forever ingrained into your mind because it changed your brain chemistry.
You were rewatching your ultimate comfort Ghibli movie for the millionth time: Howl's Moving Castle.
Yeah, yeahâit could be considered overrated nowadays but that doesn't matter as it never truly gets old for you. You always find new ways to appreciate the film, from the enchanting music, the vibrant distinct art style and animation, the beautiful characterization of the cast, and the overall themes and plot is just absolutely perfect.
And yes, you do cry every time. You stopped wondering when you would grow out of that phase because it just hits so good.
It also doesn't help that it's your period, so the hormones are wack as hell and your uterus was killing you and stabbing out your fucking ass. You were contorted in an uncomfortable curled position as you downed the left over ice cream on Rafayel's couch in his studio. The night sky through the windows was a nice ambience as the TV illuminated the rest of the living space. You were wearing his favorite cream diamond patterned cardigan, the one with the red and blue hems. It still smelled like him, perfect for maximum comfort.
Rafayel wasn't actually in the studio when you got there. Ever since you got together, he gave you a spare key, insisting you were welcome anytime even when he wasn't around. His home was your home now too, he said. You texted him several times beforehand you were coming over, yet no replyânot even a seen. Moody as hell, you still crashed the place anyways, even more disappointed he wasn't anywhere in his property.
So now, you were just waiting for him to finish whatever business he has you have no idea about. You decided to stop pestering poor Thomas over him either as he too was didn't seem to know where in god's green earth Rafayel wasâyou were too tired and moody and in fucking pain to give a shit. If he doesn't wanna show up, fuck that guy.
Whatever, at least you've got Howl.
It was nearing the climax of the movie. Sophie was wandering through what was seemingly Howl's dream, finding herself in a familiar stone house in the middle of valleys of flowers. The meteor shower drifted against the night sky.
A young Howl stood in the middle, jet black hair flowing with the wind as he catches a falling star.
"I know where I am! I'm in Howl's childhood!" Sophie realizes, as the wind starts to lift her off her feet.
Howl swallows the star, keeling over at a pain in his chest, and in his hands was his heartâCalcifer.
"Howl! Calcifer!" Sophie yells desperately, and they both look over to her. "I know how to help you now! Find me in the future!"
Aaand you were bawling. It wasn't even that dramatic yet but you were bawling. It goes on for god knows how long as your attention wanders off.
Howl, despite his eccentric and seemingly vain nature, is deeply caring. Howl did not care for the war, only that it would end for everyone's sake. He sees the beauty within Sophie when she could not. The symbolism of Calcifer being able to be tamed by Sophie, the implied longing for her all those years, so much so even if the only thing seemingly linking them is an unsaid promise.
To be honest, you might just be projecting right now.
Maybe you actually miss him badâhis familiar low V-neck white shirts and black slacks hugging his waist, his pouty lips, and stupid charming smile. The studio was in the familiar mess, meaning everything was reminder of a touch of your own gorgeous annoying ass lover who's somewhere out thereâ
"Baby..?" A concerned voice calls out, and despite being here the entire time already, you finally felt like home.
You didn't even notice he was already there cause of your tear-blurred vision, relief making you cry a little harder as Rafayel wipes your tears away. All your irritation and the mental angry scolding you were gonna give him melts away as you lean into his hands.
"Heyâwhat happened? Are youâ" Rafayel stammers, as this was kind of the first time he encountered you this seemingly distraught the entire time you were together. He knew he kind of fucked up by not answering soon enough because of his dead batteryâfuck all that actually why are you even bawling your eyes out over the TV?!
He knew you can get emotional in films and shows but not this much. It made his chest ache seeing you like this even if it's just a movie.
"Let's run! Don't fight them, Howl!" Sophie cries out, drawing Rafayel's attention for a moment to the screen at the familiar dialogue.
"Sorry, I've had enough of running away, Sophie. Now I've got something I want to protect. It's you."
He remembers you saying Ghibli movies were your comfort movies and you both had plans for a marathon together at some point. Seems like you started on your own. Rafayel knew a bit of this story.
Alright, perhaps more than just a bit.
"A-at the beginning, he greeted her saying he wasâ" you hiccupped, stammering your words out, placing your own hands over his, "He said he was looking everywhere for her."
"Yeah?" Rafayel whispered, hushing your cries.
"Mhm.. And he did wait for her, looking everywhere for his heart even when it was actually with him the entire time."
There's a pang in Rafayel's chest, squishing your face gently.
"And yet, it wasn't with him, even if his heart was in his chestânot unless she was with him." Rafayel whispered with an aching softness in his tone that's hard to miss.
Because Rafayel was holding his own heart in his hands right now, drying her tears.
You finally get a better look at him, the purple hues in his eyes twinkling like twilight seas against the dark. It was there againâa look into the familiar murky depths he doesn't let you dive into, lest you drown.
Yet you wouldn't mind if it was Rafayel. You wish he could trust you a little more.
Rafayel leans in for a kiss, but you stop him with a hand over his mouth.
"WaitâI'm literally snotty and ugly right now-" You quickly wipe the rest of the wetness from your face away, but then Rafayel's hands directed you back to his now growingly intense gaze.
"You're beautiful." He states, true with conviction.
"Are you trying to make me cry more?" You whine.
"Of course not, cutie. I-"
"You made me wait an eternity here.." You sobbed out, pain twisting in your gut again.
Rafayel's gritted his teeth, a flare of something unwanted momentarily rises but quickly gets doused again. No, this situation was all his fault and it's not fair on you. You were in pain and he wasn't there.
"I.." He manages, "I'm sorry.. But I would wait an eternity for you, my bride. I really will, Iâ"
I did.
The words immediately die in his mouth, drying his throat.
You notice Rafayel's own eyes glistening, tears threatening to fall and his breath beginning to shorten.
"Fyel? I'm not mad anymore, please don't cry too.." This time it's your turn to cup his face.
"I just really really missed you." You confess, caressing his cheek as you rested your forehead against his own.
"Well, I'm hear now, sweetheart.. Sorry I'm late." He breathes, finally pressing his lips against yours.
A heavy burden beats in his chest, one he knows you will unknowingly carry evermore.
Maybe you really had a type.
You admit you're always quite drawn to the questionable, morally ambiguous characters. Bonus points if the said character is insane to some degree. You tell yourself it's not like you would actually date people that crazy in your actual life. It's just all fun and games, right?
Sure.
Well, now you're dating The Leader of Onychinus, Sylus, the unofficial uncrowned emperor of the N109 Zone himself.
It isn't really as bad as regular people would think really. Sylus is a sweet and genuinely caring man in contrast of his public image. He has a reputation to uphold after all. He always spoiling you in whatever you wish, always open to whatever you want to say, and always present for you to call or visit. His tall imposing figure was more of a sign of comfort. He was basically a walking hearth, free to cling to whenever, wherever as you walk through the frigid streets of the N109 Zone.
Like look just at the man.. You literally fucking won at life.
To be honest, you have no idea how the hell you even got at this point. And who are you to complain? You were living your best life with someone who can match your freak, so to speak.
But, for now..
"Damn, why is he so.." You mutter to yourself, caressing the large tablet at your lap like an idiot.
"Don't deny me." Sephiroth says, doing some mental fuckery with Cloud for the hundredth time. It got you biting your nail. "Embrace me."
You definitely had a fucking type, you giggle to yourself.
You were just killing time since it's your vacation, and you were spending it in the ideal environment: your boyfriend's dark luxurious base, in the comfort of his king sized silk sheeted velvety bed, sleeping your troubles away. Sylus is out as usual, going on about his own business, so you had the whole place to yourself.. and Mephisto.
Upon your doom scrolling, you stumble upon this hauntingly beautiful man, Sephiroth, and you were pulled in like a moth to a flame.
It's not your first time seeing himâheck, everybody who's at least half as chronically online as you are has at least seen him onceâbut more of the first time to appreciate him more closely, especially that goddamn faceâdamn, are you ovulating or something what the hell?!
And now you've been going on for hours just ogling at the dude with no idea how long it's been. You already ordered all the games with the help of your so ever generous boyfriend's card, but your ass cannot wait for it anymore and just spoiled yourself silly watching other streamers and silent walkthroughs of every Final Fantasy content you could get your hands on.
One hundred percent no regrets.
You then wonder about how Sylus would look like with longer hair.. it might not be good for your health, you conclude, for both the sake of your heart and uterus.
Luckily for you at least, Sylus doesn't seem like he's hellbent to destroy the planet in an existential downward spiral of insanity. But it makes you think about how far you'd be willing to actually follow him in his path.
(Something dark stirs within you, but you pay it no mind. You don't wanna be hearing those voices again anytime soon.)
The camera pans to Sephiroth's lips for what seems like half of his screentime, and your biting your own goddamn lip. The curve of that upper lip was killing you.
They didn't have to make him literally so damn ethereal, although it fits his fallen angel motifs. His uncanny green eyes literally stares into your soul, pulling you in and in and in, until you you're all snug under his thumb. Sure, the dude is a manipulative murderous bastard with a literal God-complex, because fuck his ugly ass father you refuse to acknowledge has any relation to him..
But now that's just a part of his charm now, isn't it?
"Good, Cloud.. very good.." Sephiroth whispers as he embraces the blond with such eerie intimacy that shouldn't be possible while being fucking stabbed.
You swear you can already feel the hot breath fanning your ear as he said those lines.
"Damn itâCloud, let me be the trusted adult to save you right now and switch!" You shake the screen with frustration. "That should have been me..!"
"What should be you, sweetie?"
A familiar deep voice calls out from the dark entrance of your shared bedroom, reverberating from your toes and up your spine.
"Sylus!" You throw your tablet so fast you weren't sure if it landed on the mattress as you stood up, sliding your feet towards him.
No one beats your real white haired, ruby-eyed, impossibly handsome, ridiculously tall powerful man for you..
But you would never say that out loud because the man needs to be kept knocked down a peg or you will never hear the end of it.
"A little birdie has been bugging me all night about how.. unfaithful you were being," Sylus tucks a strand behind your ear, finger trailing down your jaw. "Care to tell me what's that all about?"
You gape at him, snapping your head towards Mephisto who was still as a statue at your bedside. From your view, it seemed like that accursed bird is avoiding your gaze in shame.
"You little..!â"
Sylus grabs your attention back by your chin, making you lock eyes with him. There it wasâthat intense gaze, his crimson eyes pouring into yours, making you come undone. He can pick you apart and mold you back piece by piece, and the scary part of it all was that you would most likely let him.
Again, not that he needed to know that.
"Now, now, kitten. Don't blame him." He chuckles and you swear it's the sexiest sound you've ever heard, your heart pacing faster.
"IâHe's literally exaggerating! I was just watching a game here the entire time!" You huffed, crossing your arms and looking away like a petty child. He laughs a little more.
"What were you watching so intently that I catch you still awake at the break of dawn, hm?"
You glance at the clock. 5:02 AM. You were up all night? Damn.. not the first time but you haven't lost track of time that badly since binging House of the Dragon a couple months ago.
"Oh, I thought that little traitorâ" You give Mephisto a pointed look, still looking away with guilt, "âtold you everything at this point."
Sylus pulls you closer by your waist, until your chests bump each other. "Well.. maybe I want to hear it from you, since you somehow purchased a whole game series with the card I lent you."
Okay, fair enough.
"It's just a game, love. I saw a character I liked, so I decided why not get it myself? But then I couldn't sit around waiting so I just.. watched some videos." You scratch you head in frustration. "Like how did that turn into unfaithfulness!" You whine.
Maybe it's the sleep deprivation drooping your eyelids that's got you more irritated as you hit his chest with some considerable force.
He huffs mockingly. He was obviously messing with you, yet you were oddly taking this more serious than he anticipated. Makes him wanna tease you more.
In a blink, your tablet was in his hands, grabbed by his Evol. It's still open.
"Hey!" You jump up into your tippy toes, trying to pry your gadget back from him, but he's literal fucking giant.
Seeing an opportunity, Sylus hooks his arm under your thighs and hoists you up easily as many times as before. You quickly bring your arms around his neck, trying to remain in balance.
"Put me down!" You struggle in his hold whilst still reaching for your tablet to no avail. It made Sylus laugh even more.
"What's the matter, sweetie? I simply want to watch it together."
Sylus walks the two of you to the edge of the bed, sitting down with you on his lap. Before you could protest more, the video compilation starts playing,
And you wanted the ground to open up and swallow you whole.
"You're practically panting." Sephiroth says, walking up behind Cloud.
"I'm excited." Cloud admits, claymore in hand.
Amused, Sephiroth tilts his head with a hum. "Such a puppy."
You find yourself your face Sylus' shoulder in embarrassment, pursing your lips to suppress a scream.
Cloud, can you not enable this motherfucker I swearâ
"Okay, that's enough of thatâSephi, shut the fuck up right now." You finally get a hold of the tablet with a burst of speed, throwing it in the furthest part of the bed.
Sylus just looks at you with a knowing smug grin, and you wanna smack the it off his stupidly handsome face.
"I am in no obligation to elaborate nor divulge into whatever the fuck that was." You quickly state like an automated message, and Sylus is just laughing at you. "I know that my agony brings you amusement but please just shut up right now."
"I haven't even said anything yet." He says between his chuckling.
"I can feel the judgement brewing in your brain, Sy." You glare at him half-heartedly.
"Could you at least tell me why are you so attached to.. Sephi?" He repeats the nickname you gave him mockingly, and so you smack his chest again.
"I'm going to kill you." You hissed at him. Sylus wants to kiss the scrunch on your nose. You wiggle out of his grasp, but his hand catches your fingers in time, holding you in place. You attempt to tug out of his grasp.
"Where are you going now, sweetie?" He quirks his eyebrow at you, tone amused. Sylus was enjoying this way too much for your sake.
"Out, far away, in another universe so I don't have to deal with you making fun of me." You sneered at him pettily, still tugging your arm away.
Deciding to ride along your silly threat, Sylus asks. "And how do you plan to do that? You can't go anywhere around here without me, kitten."
"I'm flying away with my half winged, crazy, silk-pressed white haired man to help him attain godhood since I am apparently disloyal to you." You spat out pettily, lacking any real venom. Apparently the wrong answer, since Sylus just pulled you back closer, trapping you between his thighs while gripping yours.
He had his eyebrow quirked, crimson gaze laced with something you can't discern maybe because sleepiness was slowly creeping up on you now. Honestly, you're like half aware of what you're saying at this point.
"Don't deny me.." Sylus whispers, almost like a plea instead of a command, breath fanning your skin, raising goosebumps. "Embrace me."
Your eye twitches, reference registering in your mind. "YouâHow long have you been standing there?!"
You raise your hand to smack him again, but he catches it and keeps it in place over his heart.
"Even if you do leave, sweetie, I'll still be here." He says, the sudden softness slightly catching you off guard. Sylus smiles up at you, not the usual smug one, but pure adoration.
His blood-red eyes were blooming roses as the first dew of sunrise greets its petalsâit's pure, unadulterated, naturalâlike how his heart beats with so much fervor you could feel the thrumming of it under your fingertips like a rushing river. It was overwhelmingly powerful, tempting you to pluck it yourself, thorns digging in your palms. It was almost like you had your hand already buried deep in his chest, his heart pulsing in your grasp, blood pouring out and merging with yours, because you would carve out your own for him too.
"After all, my love, I know you will come back to me." He says with an assurance that shouldn't be possible without sounding pretentious, and yet it got your heartbeat racing, matching his.
Because you were his as much as he was all yours.
"You seem so sure of yourself, huh?" You say instead, feeble way of trying to remain composed after all that, scratching the back of his head lightly the way you know he loves. A relieved sigh leaves his lips. "You're lucky I love you."
"Perhaps I truly am." Sylus draws you closer, placing kisses on your neck, just above an artery. The blood flowing underneath hums against his lips, deciding to gently nip the skin. It made you melt, letting out a shaky sleepy sigh. Your eyelids droop dangerously heavier.
"Seems like your joining me in my sleep, sweetie." Sylus kisses your jaw.
You hum in response, and before you know it, you're curling on his lap again, relishing the welcoming warmth like a kitten and their favorite spot. Sylus swears you're purring.
You smile up at him. "Maybe that was the plan all along."
"Oh? How naughty, ruining your sleep just to blame it on me?"
You yawn, snuggling closer. "I would do anything for you."
He didn't need to know that, but you said so anyways.
He stills for a moment, bated breath, carrying the weight of your words in his embrace. Maybe it was just your groggy murmurings of the moment, but the declaration already sowed itself in his heartstrings, making it skip a beat. The kind that lingers physically for a moment. You were too dangerous, all cutely cuddled up against him to be saying that.
Despite your fading consciousness, you gave him a longing look. Your eyes flickered down where you were mindlessly tracing over his bottom lip, lingering for a moment, then back at his gaze again. It's all he needed to know you were being genuine.
He leaned in for a kiss, savoring the softness of your lips pushing back against his, until it didn't. As soon as Sylus pulled away, you were already softly snoring.
⼠a/n: i definitely got too carried away with sy and raf.. don't blame me i love me howl and raf parallels istg and im a sucker for sylus fluff. zayne got me feeling something all week istg and xavi is my forever baby. let me know what you think but pls be nice c: i'm working on the dads lnds one i swearrrr this just took longer than expected.
i dont consider myself a 'fashion guru' by any means but one thing i will say is guys you dont need to know the specific brand an item you like is - you need to know what the item is called. very rarely does a brand matter, but knowing that pair of pants is called 'cargo' vs 'boot cut' or the names of dress styles is going to help you find clothes you like WAAAYYYY faster than brand shopping
this also goes for aesthetic or -core titles. 'y2k tank top' is going to get you resellers and fast fashion brands advertising to people looking to meet a current trend. 'thin strap crop tank top' is going to get you a diverse group of results and not upcharge you to hell and back
additionally, shop second hand when you can, second hand and thrift sites typically organize clothes by the cut and color. theyll be more affordable than a depop seller curating you a style to sell you
Chapter three: A shitshow and a happy ending (alternatively, Delia goes out and buys milk)
Chapter warnings: Attempted genocide, thereâs murder, and heavy implications of violent events.
You hoped your skittishness had gotten the message through. If not, the Avgin were fucked big time.
And they were.
You had made a mistake, and it cost you the life of a young boyâs mother.
It was a miscalculation on your part, because how could you not have realized that Kakavashaâs mother was alive in the date you assumed she wouldnât be?
You shouldnât have let her go out there to get food as you entertained her children.
It was too late to regret things, youâd have to think now.
It was rather awkward to tell stories of hope to the children who knew another one of their people had just gotten murdered, but you tried anyways, to give them hope that they can be free from living a life they didnât deserve. Looking at their innocent little faces made you want to cry almostâ you refrained from doing so.
Hundred of hours passed by, and all itâs for is a dreaded countdown to a festival and a boyâs birthday.
You had heard a discussion outside, something about the IPC again. You scowled, snorting as you knew those cowards wouldnât do jack shit for the Avgins.
Because why would they? Your feelings towards them continued to grow sour, and you had half the mind to ask Qlipoth if you could eat some of their peopleâ surely, by the amount of planets that corporation have consumed they wouldnât mind losing a few of their own.
The violent thoughts were shoved to the back burner as you instead focused on the upcoming days. Thereâs the telltale sign of rain, the heavy smell of it lingering in the air as you knew something bad was going to happen.
âGood lord help me.â
You sighed, big and heavy as you prepared yourself for the shitshow about to unfold.
âââââââââ
And you were right.
Thankfully youâve managed to warn enough people that theyâd run before the Katicans got to them. If you had been a human now, this experience would possibly traumatize you forever.
This event was no joke and you were close to just taking out your disguise but realized itâd be dangerous for everyone if you outed yourself. So you opted for gathering enough people in your groupâ some of them held into the hope of the call for help they made to the IPC, but you resorted to shouting that the IPC wonât be coming for them.
The others, those that werenât in your group, had made it a point to scatter out into their own groups as well.
It had been particularly messy, but no one really fully objected to you once they came to the realization that there was no help coming for them at all. If you had been human, your head would have been utterly overwhelmed.
But you were an Aeon, and you were hell bent on saving at least a portion of these people if you couldnât make do for all of them.
It would have been easier if your true physical form could interact without causing accidental harm or even death, but you have to settle for your projection, and hopefully it would be enough.
Your hope came in the form of the same rangers youâve painstakingly summoned for weeks on end, Kakavasha being in the arms of Boothill himself. They made it just in time.
Things were taking a turn for the better.
There were casualties and quite plenty of them, but not in the numbers you remembered a lifetime ago.
There were more survivors than there were people killed, and while you knew their life wouldnât be very easy as you wished it would be, they were alive.
Kakavasha isnât alone anymore with his sister being alive.
It had taken some time for the news to cause an uproar; the discrimination wouldnât be easy to erase still, but the Avgin were at least free.
Kakavasha woke up to a new dawn of the day and found a small piece of aventurine in his fingers. There were small, wooden beads strung together that accompanied it and he squinted his eyes to read what was intricately carved on them.
There, it simply said âHappy birthdayâ.
You were there when he had read it, and even if you wanted to stay, you had other things to do.
You pressed a kiss to his forehead, and wished him a long, happy life.
âWhy does it feel like youâre saying goodbye?â He asked, his grip on the beads tightening as his brows furrowed in confusion.
âIâŚ.â You hesitantly began. âI have some things to do.â You said carefully. âYou remember Vertin, right?â
âOf course!â He nodded rapidly. âWait⌠will you.. be going out there on a journey like her too?â
âYes.â
âCan I come with you then?â
âNo, you canât.â
âBut why?â
âItâs dangerous to stick around me.â You told him. âYou donât want to be out there yet, youâre not ready.â
ââŚ..â Kakavashaâs lips trembled. âYouâll come back, right? The katicans wouldnât be around to kill us anymore⌠youâre safe like me! Y-you donât have to leave.â
âI know, but donât let your guard down okay?â You ruffled his hair. âWeâre safe, but we never know when thisâll last.â
âSo youâre really leaving?â Kakavasha sulked, his little body leaning on to you as if a plea for you to stay. âWhoâs going to tell me stories? Whoâs going to play games with me and lose all over again?â
You flicked him in the forehead for his last words. âHey, just because I constantly lose to you doesnât mean you can rub it all over me.â You teasingly scolded him, the young boy only laughed.
âDelia.â He called out to you, shifting so he could properly see you.
âYes?â
âSister said you were raised by the katicans.â He said. âAt least she said you were, I donât believe it though. You look like me, and youâre nice.â
âWell, donât let looks fool you.â You pinched his cheek affectionately and he let out a little giggle. âOh yeah, also you know that gentleman with sharp teeth who carried you yesterday?â
âMr. Boothill? Yeah I do, he speaks funny though.â You were tempted to tell this boy the poor cyborg just worked on a censor. âHe said something about a âmuddle fudger who scared everyone in my group shirtlessââŚ.. I think he was trying to say mother fuckeââ you coughed loudly as you covered his mouth.
âWhere did you learn that word?â You asked, Kakavasha blinked as you removed your hand from his mouth, before looking at you straight in the eye with a certainty only a child would have.
âFrom you.â
You sat there and stared at him awkwardly. âOh.â You let out not so gracefully.
He must have listened whenever you cursed under your breath.
âDonât say any of those curse words until youâre at least as old as your sister, okay? If you want to really curse out someone, then follow after Boothillâs example until youâre old enough, got it?â
âGot it.â
âGood, now go to your sister, she has something for you.â He did as you said, however, before leaving the little tent, he looked back at you.
âYouâll come back, right?â
âI will.â
And you never did.
âââââââââââ
While dipping like a cheating father on Christmas Eve was an asshole move, you knew some things were better off without you. You stirred Aventurine from a life he will never know, and for that you gave yourself a pat on the back all the while looking at the unfortunate rangers youâve accidentally terrorized.
Youâd have to apologize to them in some way, you thought to yourself as you saw the ever fading eye bags and the look of familiar terror in their eyes.
You couldnât offer these guys therapy, but you could offer them bounty money.
You pointedly ignore the spooked look on their faces as the intercom on them kept repeating the words âbounty completeâ as several notifications popped out of their phones.
Money was flooding into their account. Where thatâs coming from? Best you donât think of it much.
âI have a feeling itâs the shirtbag who sent us the SOS message that got us this.â Boothill grumbled. âWell Iâll be darned I guess. At least it was smart enough to get us to gather around that planet to stop some stupid shirt from going too far.â
âYou think it could be a follower of Lan too?â One of the rangers asked.
âNah, theyâd fire a shot if they were. That one straight up went for your mental healthâ but I can forgive that I think, we managed to protect folks and answer their cry for help.â One of them answered.
And with that, you were satisfied, turning your gaze away from them to come back to the express.
ââââââââââ
âBruh.â You grimaced as you were subjected to the weirdest taste of coffee youâve ever had in your entire life. It tasted like desolation brewed into an innocent little coffee cup.
Welt paid no attention to your suffering as you entertained Himekoâs whims, choosing to read a book instead with the broadcast as white noise.
One of Himekoâs coffees did taste good, but the majority of them tasted like they came out of Satanâs liver.
âOh, thereâs something new in the map.â Himeko said all of a sudden. âAn unclaimed territoryâŚâ She glanced at you, and you innocently ignored her pointed stare as the broadcast rang through the parlor.
Hearing the words of the news and looking at the new planetâ specifically Sigonia IV registered in the map of the star rail, she stared at you in semi disbelief.
âSo thatâs where youâve been.â She whispered, eyes wide in surprise.
âThe place didnât have an anchor, so I couldnât take you guys for an adventure with me.â Not that it was optimal for you to be taking them there anyway, it was better for the galaxy rangers to take over that role instead of the express.
Not because you didnât trust the two people here, but because you simply lacked manpower.
âBesides, it wasnât even fun.â You said. âThereâs no weird monsters that looked like they came out of godâs recycling bin in there. There were just⌠people.â You all left it at that.
It had taken you moments to speak again.
âAnyways, where to next?â
âââââââââââ
Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV (HERE), Part VâŚâŚ.
Jesus Christ this took a bit to cook. The jokes will properly return since the more serious end of the chapters is finished (there are going to be serious moments in the future).
I am on a roll and taking advantage of the creative juices before they run the fuck out.
Obligatory chapter warning: Violence (thereâs a gunfight), description of blood, reader being a liiiitle dubious.
Maybe you shouldnât have wondered how the crew even knew.
You had asked in the âacktuallyâď¸â type of wayâ in laymanâs terms, rather awkwardly.
Who could blame you? You were stuck in space with no human interaction for god knows how long with only your fellow eldritch horror looking gods that occasionally passed by for company.
Your brain may be incredibly big and fast now, but it didnât mean you werenât any less awkward. (Though youâre pretty sure you speak better than most of the Aeonsâ however, thatâs just your opinion.)
âWe could feel your energy.â Thatâs what Himeko said. âWellâ our system did.â
âOkay?â You blinked, but then went cold when you realized having your energy levels out as Himeko told you meant that you were basically walking out with your fly open.
âThe influx of energy isnât allowing us to jump.â She added, and you understood now, it was like coming across a stellaron infested planet, except itâs worse because itâs Godâ one of them anyways, and not just some random piece of space cancer.
âSorry.â You blurted out, then had an idea, wondering if that one bit in the show you watched in your world would help. âCan I get out of the train and excuse me for a bit? Iâll be right back, Iâll just uhhh⌠suck the energy in, if you know what I mean.â You pointed to the open door, and the stop that thankfully no one is occupying.
âGo ahead.â Himeko nodded, and you made your way out.
You took a deep breath and exhaled, then looked side to side to see if anyone is going to see what youâre pretty sure is going to be an embarrassing looking spectacle. Seeing as the coast was clear, you took a deep breath again and scrunched your face in concentration, adapting a kamekameha pose like Veldora had.
You then grasped at your energy that you now saw around you and crumpled it, until it became smaller and smaller to just enough to thankfully pass like a normal Joe.
A Joe that can fight, but a normal Joe regardless.
What you did was just basically return some of the energy youâve poured into this projection back to your main body, not exactly holding it in. Youâve managed to succeed, thankfully without having to accidentally explode a planet.
You werenât Nanook, and you werenât going to plan becoming a 2.0 very soon. And now that you thought about it, youâre pretty sure they hate youâ but when do they not hate anything enough to not destroy it?
Brushing your thoughts away, you returned to the parlor car, and Himeko blinked in surprise. âThat was quick.â She told you.
âI know.â You said. âIt was surprisingly easy.â
If she had seen what the hell you just did outside, she wasnât going to say anything about it.
(Youâre pretty sure she saw that, much to you wanting to shrivel on the inside like a raisin.)
âSo uhh⌠anything else?â
Himself shook her head, then the parlor car door closed.
It was only the start of your journey.
ââââââââ
Seeing the stars through the window of the express had been a surreal experience. Itâs strange, to be inside of a roomâ you almost forgot how it felt like to step on the ground or not smelling the radioactive scent of space. The parlor car smelled nice, nostalgic almost.
It was funny that you only took notice of that now when you were left to your thoughts in your projected body.
âI canât believe Iâm missing the smell of air freshener of all things.â You mumbled as you watched Pompom sweep the floors of the parlor.
Welt and Himeko were talking about something behind closed doorsâ probably about you. Honestly you canât fault them for that, because even though youâd like to deny it, you were in fact a big deal.
A very big deal. An elephant, an obnoxious colored elephant, in the room.
You just hoped theyâd come to a conclusion to give you time just enough to prove you mean well. And you really do mean well.
In the next 168 hours (god, that was such a weird way to call an entire week), you were assigned a room of your own.
In the game, you recalled there were only four rooms, but in this one, in reality, there were more. It would make sense, you thought as you observed your own room thatâs still rather barren of decoration.
You could just think of what to place into it later.
Another 168 hours go by and youâre entertained by either the little music player in the parlor, or helping Pompom. You spoke to Himeko and Welt from time to time, but it felt Ike you were a bit⌠out of place. Now that you thought about it you realized they were far more mature than you were, and it wouldnât be lie either.
While it was nice to have something close to a parental figure, you knew they couldnât entertain whatever it was that you craved. You realized youâre surprisingly a bit more childish than you thought, especially for a cosmic entity.
You were starting to feel a little antsy though, and decided youâd go back to your main body for a while to fuck aroundâ yeah, you should do that, you thought as you nodded to yourself.
You stood from your bed and made your way out of your room to find either Himeko or Welt so you could tell them youâd be leaving for a while.
Pompom seemed to pout a little at the thought of your absence when you spoke to them about it, but their emotions were quelled when you had mentioned promising them trinkets.
You bid the three farewell, and your body eventually dissipated.
âââââââ
âWhat the fork are you looking at me for, darlinâ?â
Oh wow. You thought as you blinked. âNothing, I just thought you look rather⌠interesting, thatâs all.â You said. You meant to say handsome, but you didnât want to be creepy to the cyborg as much as you loved him. It was a little embarrassing to admit now, considering that he was just as real as you were, that you were probably his biggest fan.
âWhat brings someone like you in a place like this? You donât fudging look like youâd be into the shady business, unlessâŚâ He doesnât finish the sentence, taking a swing of the strong smelling shot of whiskey handed over to him by the bartender.
How did you even end up here? Simple, you got bored in the parlor car.
You left the express, went to your body, chose a random planet and saw Boothill and decided to make an appearance because why not? It wasnât exactly everyday you would get to interact with a cool cowboy (probably the coolest space cowboy), so you made the spontaneous decision to simply appear as you were in this little.. town and entered the tavern.
âI got bored.â You said, swirling the drink on your hand that would undoubtedly send you to a hospital for alcohol poisoning had you been an actual human. You took an entire gulp and made a face afterwards. Boothill laughed.
âHow do you even enjoy this? It tastes like battery acid and fire.â You grimaced, but you took more sips of the drink despite your own comment. âAnyways, I was bored, and I saw this place and thought: hmmm why not? It feels weirdly liberating in a way.â You confessed.
âNot that much of a stickler for rules despite being dressed like a goody two shoes huh? Thatâs fudging funny.â The glass clinked, and Boothillâs attention still remained on you funnily enough.
âIâm not nice.â You frowned. âI just dress like this because itâs nice to pretend to be a pretentious bastard sometimes. Plus, itâs cute.â You bristle, and he only smiled at you.
You found that Boothillâs surprisingly way too easy to speak to.
âSure, sure.â He waved a hand. He doesnât believe you, and in the far corners of your mind you heard Ahaâs laughter. Great, you inwardly groaned, but at least it was just Aha. Then you realized they might just fuck around with you AND have people know youâre an Aeon so they could look at youâ maybe not today, but at some point in time.
You felt your lips thin at the thought.
Your attention snapped back to Boothill when you saw him glance at a few people, probably lackeys, in a way that you could describe as nasty. Then you suddenly remembered the posters outside in passing.
âHey darlin, you might wanna hide your pretty face under the table right now. Thereâs about to be fork load of bullets, donât want any one of them grazing your face.â Boothill muttered over to you. And you realizing what was happening and what he was going to do, you played along, slowly sliding under the table as he took out a gun. ââBout time these motherfudgers showed up.â
It didnât take two seconds and hell broke loose.
You felt bad for the bartender.
Patrons screamed and some women ran out as you heard gunshots, and suddenly you felt the urge to poke your head out of the table to see the action. It wasnât like youâd die if a bullet hit you, it would be embarrassing for an Aeon to die by a mere bullet.
You whistled, then gaped as you witnessed this absolute unit of a man literally moonwalk his way out of the bullets. You felt like a little kid watching an action movie, except you had front seats, and this was very much reality.
âBehind you!â You warned Boothill, and he made a show of shooting the lackey (that you now recognized was an IPC grunt) in a way that got you clapping with joy. âBeat their ass mister! Fuck âem up!â You cheered, and one of the grunts tried coming for you instead. You werenât a coward though, and instead grabbed a chair and threw it as hard as you could.
You heard a grunt and a really ugly crack that you know that definitely wasnât the wooden chair. âEugh.â You cringed, feeling a little bad about co-signing the manâs obituary but coming for you with a weapon in hand was just natural selection waiting to happen.
Now that you were out of the bag, you grabbed another heavy chair and decided youâd give Boothill an easier time by helping. âI donât know whatâs going on, but damn I feel bad for the owner of the establishment.â You said loudly through the sound of gunshots, Boothill laughed again as another man had been shot down.
âYap later darlin! You should worry about the side of your fudging head first!â Just as he said that, you threw the chair at one of the final three lackeys. And like the other one who you took out, this one too went out to board his one way ticket to god.
The establishment had gone completely quiet aside from your breathing and the sound of Boothillâs engine quietly whirring.
âIs it over?â You asked, hopeful.
âYep.â The cyborg drawled.
You released a sympathetic âoofâ at the state of the tavern though. âThis place is a wreck.â You said flatly.
âDonât worry too much about that, theyâll take care of it.â
âOkayâŚ.â You exhaled. âWow.. that was.. a lot.â You eyed the bodies, frowning as you prayed your default appearance wonât end up in a wanted poster. Scratch that, it probably would.
âDidnât know youâre darn crazy like that though.â Boothill spoke, patting off the nonexistent dust off of his pistol.
âYeah sorry.â You muttered, then clearing your throat. âI felt bad for them but I realized theyâre capitalists for a certain corporate office. They can go die in a ditch.â You shrugged, you donât grieve this time, maybe you would at some point in the future when youâre wiser.
âAlso, it wouldnât hurt to help a friend out I think.â You said, though youâre uncertain as to how Boothill would react to such a sentence.
âOh fudge me sideways, care to shake my hand? The nameâs Boothill.â He grinned, teeth sharp like a sharkâs as he held out his metal hand for you to grasp.
Oh I know very well who you are, you thought, not that he would ever know that. You grasp his hand and introduced yourself, happy that he actually likes you.
You eventually had to part ways with him for the day, having each other as contacts through the phone (Welt was kind enough to give you one of your own) so you could keep in touch.
You ended up spending the remainder of your time in that little town looking around for souvenirs to pocket just for Pompom. Now where did you get your money? Itâs a little mean, but you looted them off of the IPC bodies.
Itâs blood money, but itâs money regardless. And if the people who initially owned it were rich and dead? Then you donât have to feel bad about pocketing it, you were free to do as you wanted.
Getting back to the parlor car was easy, making your presence known to the beloved little conductor who very much anticipated your presents.
â[Name], whereâd you get the money to buy all this?â Welt asked as he inspected the personalized mug you gave him. (It was a neat wooden mug with his name carved on it, Himeko had one of her own too.)
You merely smiled innocently.
Welt sighed, he shouldnât have asked.
âââââââ-
Part I, Part II (HERE), Part IIIâŚâŚ..
AAAND THATS A WRAP UP FOR THE CHAPTER FOLKS! And yes, reader is a litttle unhinged (curse being a cosmic entity, theyâre a little dubious as a treat). And YES theyâre a big Boothill fan (like me), like come on who doesnât wanna hang around a cool space cowboy who has a censored vocabulary of a COD lobby?
Folks, I would like to introduce you to a story that quite reminded me of Rafayel.
Nicholas Pipe
It is based on a folktale called Cola Pesce that originates from Sicily. Cola Pesce has many different versions but I read the picture book by Robert D. San Souci where a half-man and a half-merman Nicholas, and a human girl Margaret fall in love.
So here is how it begins. Our fishman helping people as a laborer and weather forecaster and our girl watching from afar. Then, they finally talk and...
THIS!!!! THIS IS THE MOST RAFAYEL AND MC-CODED INTERACTION I HAVE EVER SEEN. I don't even know how to comment on the first sentence without giving the strange screeching sounds. And then comes the second blow: WONDER AND BEAUTY, DANGER AND CRUELTY
HE SAID MISERABLY. ANGST. ANGST EVERYWHERE.
*ahem*
Then some unfortunate events occur and Nicholas comes close to death.
Save this, everyone. It's the kind of crème de la crème quote you'd come across in Tumblr's books and literature tags.
Of course, it has a happily-ever-after ending.
But, let me digress a little bit and remind you that some otome games have epilogues or event stories where you and your LI have children. I WANT MARVELOUS LITTLE FISH BABIES.
So... That's it. Thanks for coming to my TED talk and bearing with my ramblings.
CW: 5.0 spoilers below this line!!! 5.0 spoilers below this line! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!
Summary: After his battle with Mavuika, Capitano was left injured. He retreats wanting to replan his strategy when he runs into you, the Creator, who had just descended to Teyvat.
Note: So how are you all liking Natlan? As of right now I think itâs okay only because I want to return to Fontaine đ
Capitano wasnât used to the taste of defeat.
As number one in the Fatui harbingers and the strongest amongst them no doubt, he is used to winning every match he partakes in. Or for his opponents to concede before the battle even begins.
Yet he doesnât take it to heart, he knows the outcomes of every battle can differ in many different ways and he isnât arrogant about his strength.
Mavuika was a God after all. Even though his power rivals hers, he knew he would have to best her with a foolproof strategy and it seemed barging in wasnât the right one. She was a worthy opponent.
Capitano returns to his camp, the pain in his chest still burning from the small wound Mavuika left on him. He can wait, once his wound heals then he will strike her again, only this time he wonât miss. At least he has an ally in his pocket keeping him up to date on all the politics within Natlan.
âMy lord,â Capitanoâs right hand, Rezanov begins while bowing. âWe found footprints nearby. We believe someone might stumble into camp soonâŚâ
Capitano lets out a sigh underneath his mask, âhow many people?â
âWe believe only one, thereâs only one track of footprints.â
Only one person? Nothing really to worry about. Unless this person is returning to tell the Archon his location.
âFind them and bring them here.â He orders and Rezanov nods and quickly takes off.
âââ
Okay⌠donât freak out. Donât freak outâŚ
You just woke up in Genshin Impact.
You remember waiting impatiently by your PC for the newest update to the game, but you mustâve fallen asleep while waiting. Now you were dreaming about the it? Jeez, even in your own dreams you thought about the game. You really needed to touch grass. (lol jk jk luv you all)ďżź
You were dreaming about Natlan⌠a nation that you havenât even played yet. You couldnât have had a dream about your favorite nation? Or meeting all your favorite characters?
But everything felt so real. Even after watching the trailer and the leaks youâve seen online, thereâs no way you could know such detail about the nation. Maybe it was just your mind filling in the gapsâŚ
âStop right there!â
You turn around and your blood runs immediately cold. It was two fatui skirmishers and one fatui agent. You donât even know the amount of times youâve killed these enemies for their drops or just for the fun of it.
So this is how you die⌠at least this is better than falling into the claws of Childe, who youâd beat up anytime you built a new character.
âOur lord the Captain will deal with you, come with us with no fight.â
Scratch that. This was much, much worseâŚ
âWait⌠isnât thatâŚ?â One of them whispered.
They put down their weapons, looks of remorse on their faces.
âYour Grace⌠please for give our imprudence we had no idea it was youâŚâ Rezanov. âPlease come with us, the Captain would be delighted to see you.â
Right⌠youâve read fanfics like this before. Believing youâre their Creator⌠you wonder if your blood was gold. Perhaps you could check later. For now, you were going to follow them, itâs not like Capitano has appeared in the game you can get a first time look at him.
You follow the trio deeper into the forest, a small fireplace in the distance, you could only assume the Captain would be there.
âMy lord, we found who was trailing around camp. Their Grace has decided to bless us with their presence on Teyvat once more.â
Capitano turns around and say nothing for what felt like forever. Even with the helmet, you knew he was staring intently at you.
âYour Grace.â He finally says, his voice much softer than you ever expected. âI am honored to be in your presence.â
He approached, towering over you.
âYou three. Fetch Their Grace some foodââ he looks down at you once more. âAnd a change of clothes.â
You feel embarrassment creep up your neck. Whatâs wrong with your pajamas? Could he tell they werenât from this word?
He holds out his hand, and you take it being able to feel the warmth underneath the glove. This dream was much realer than you thoughtâŚ
Capitano leads you to his large tent holding the flaps open so you could enter. âWe werenât expecting your arrival so I apologize for the lack of preparationsâŚâ
You shake your head, âeverything is fine.â Not like youâd be here foreverâŚ
âYou can have my tent You Grace, I will camp outside.â He adds.
You furrow your eyebrows, âthis tent is big enough for two people, canât we just share it?â
Capitano doesnât say nothing for a moment, you fear youâve mightâve offended him with your offer but it was the complete opposite. Capitano felt as if he was on top of the world, to share a camp with the Creator? To be able to protect you? To see your sleeping faceâŚ
He feels his cheeks grow crimson and he is eternally grateful for his helmet. âOf course, if thatâs what you wish Your GraceâŚâ
The flaps to the tent open and Rezanov enters the tent. âMy lord, we've received word that the Pyro Archon has lost much of her power.â
âAlthough your injury complicates things, this is most certainly the opportune time to seize the Gnosis...â
Capitano was slightly irritated with his subordinateâs unwarranted entry but he wouldnât do anything yet, not while you were right in front of him.
âThe Gnosis can wait, we have more important mattersâŚâ he replies, his focus never leaving you.
Š avocad1s 2024
Note: Capitano was the highlight of Natlan for me. Sorry but iâm a Fatui Harbinger glazer đ whyâd they make them so fine? Itâs not fair⌠Now hereâs to hoping my man is playable, saving all my primos for him so he better not disappoint.
