lovelycrimsonredsnow - Tumblr blog

lovelycrimsonredsnow · 44 minutes ago

Text

Happy End

Note: Yandere themes, disturbing images, depiction of violence and mental health, if you're familiar with Doki Doki literature club you should know what to expect. Be aware and take caution.

Characters: Xiao, Venti, Kazuha & Kunikuzushi.

Venti as Monika - As the President of the Literature Club, he functions as the game's motivator, encouraging club members to produce poems up until the club festival. Venti previously belonged to the debate club but left as a result of the internal politics and turmoil, expressing his desire for harmony, freedom of discussion, and goodwill.

"To be honest, I can't stand all of the politics around the major clubs. It feels like nothing but arguing about the budget and publicity and how to prepare for events... I'd much rather take something I personally enjoy and make something special out of it. And if it encourages others to get into literature, then I'm fulfilling that dream!"

The first thing you noticed about Venti was that he was a charming and intelligent young man who seemed to be brilliant at whatever he did, whether it was writing poetry or playing the piano (he offered to teach the piano after school, isn't that sweet of him?). To have someone with such potential in the school is truly great, don't you agree?

"As president of the Literature Club, it's my duty to make the club fun and exciting for everyone!"

Everything appears to be operating smoothly. Everyone was cheerful, and they were all getting ready for the club festival, which was coming up soon.

But something about Venti began to change.

He remains fairly friendly, but his remarks and encouragement appear to take on a more passive aggressive tone. He appeared irritated with the other members, acting sarcastic when asked for advice or even going as far to ignore them. The fact that Venti had an epiphany before the game began and was given the authority to modify the game's variables also isn't revealed until much later. As a direct consequence, his sentiment toward the other boys was altered because he realised they weren't "real" boys.

When the other boys make it impossible for the player and him to spend time together, he starts acting in a drastic manner.

Drastic.

Perhaps the word drastic truly undermines his behaviour towards the other members.

I wouldn't say it's just drastic.

"Don't say I didn't warn you, (First Name)."

Venti only had the capability to modify parameters within the play and did not wish to immediately delete or eliminate the other boys owing her lingering attachment to them, so he starts attempting to render the other boys unlikeable by changing their attributes out of desperation. He starts with Xiao since he was the childhood friend of the protagonist and he was seen as the biggest threat. Then he would gradually shift between each character, making sure they were all as horrible as possible, in the hopes that you would be sufficiently terrified to reject the others.

Yet you remain unmoving.

Therefore, it wasn't his fault that he had to choose a worse alternative; you can't really hold him responsible for having to get rid of Xiao when you're the one being demanding.

"Yay, you picked me! We can meet at your house this weekend. I promise it'll be fun. Is Sunday okay with you?"

He grows increasingly bitter over not playing a love component in the game as a happy ending wasn't envisioned for him. He also makes it clear that he is in love with the player and begs them to invest additional time with him. The fact that all of his poems are about the player or his epiphany emphasises how consumed he became with achieving this goal as a result of his ambition and determination. As a result of them not being "real," he also begins to ignore and exaggerate the features of the other characters.

Why should he possibly care about these manufactured beings who can't even truly appreciate their freedom? His morals abruptly changed and his sympathies for the other members grew colder.

"Sometimes it feels like you and I are the only real people here. You know what I mean? But it's weird, because in all the time you've been here, we've hardly gotten to spend any time together. Ah...I mean... I guess it's technically only been a couple days…"

Venti may seem optimistic in the Literature Club, but it becomes increasingly clear that he is essentially depressed and lonely as a result of comprehending that everything in his life is just a simulation.

However, can you really hold him responsible for his actions?

Would you be so happy to learn that you didn't even live as a character that was relevant?

Would you be satisfied with yourself?

The worst thing is that he will never be able to experience what is referred to as "happiness" since his route will never be finished. He is obsessed with winning the player's love because they are the only thing that is "real" in his life.

"...Oh...Oh... ... Ahahaha! Well, that's a shame. Wait, were you here the entire weekend, [First Name]? Oh, jeez... I didn't realise the script was broken that badly. I'm super sorry! It must have been pretty boring... I'll make it up to you, okay? Just gimme a sec…"

"..."

An error has occurred. If you continually get the same error, try loading a different save file, submit a bug report, and/or check the Support Forums for assistance.

Would you like to continue?

[Yes] or [No]

➤[Yes]

A̯̠͔͍̬̪ͅṉ̝͉͚̯̦̩ e̮̘̖r͍̰͚̩̥̯r̪͕̤̺o͇̺̺̺̼͙r̩ ̮̝̗͓̤͔ͅh̦̹̠̤a̯̭̜͔͚̘͚s̟͉̰̗̯ ̗̙͇͙̺̥̞o͔͍̩c̱̰̺͉̟͕c͈̳u̬r̼̼͓͙r͍͉̦̜ed͈̣͉̺.̗̤̹̦̥̟ ̤̥͙̣͚I͔̳̰͇f̗͇̠ ̟̬̙̟͇̼͈y̬o̦̪͎u̫ ̜̻̭̞̻͚͚c͍ͅo͍͕̞͓ͅn͙̘̞̗̥t̯̣͇̝ͅi̙̙��͇͔̙͕nual̞l̥y̭̻̗̠ ̠̺̣̺̟ge̗̠͎̪t̥̥̟̰͍ ̘̭̟th̗̳̞̗e͎̹̻̪͉̤ ̦̮̙sa̞͎̙̯̺m̜̩̟͓̭e̻ ̩̮͓͓e̞̹͈r̖̭̳̥͖r͚̼̤o̜͍̪̰̥͇̻r͓̲̰͖,̪̼̮̖̲̲̻ ͉tr͖̭̼̘y̱͚̹ ̲͕̥̥l̤̱͍̖o̟̻̻̝̗a̙͎̲̤d̖̜i̞̳̼͍̱͎͕n̜̠͚g̩̟̞̪͓ ̫a͓ d̝i̪̭̱̰̹̰͙ff͎e̹r̹̞̜͍ͅẹ̫͔nt̟ ͕s͕̝͇͕̹͕̰a̞̖͚v̟̯̪͈͍e̗̮̪͔ ̰̯f̝̭̞̝̭i͔̞͙̥͎͚̟l̘͉̙̫̳͎̘e͓͈,̱͕͓̭ ̙̝ͅs̗u̠b̮��̟m̰̩͎̠̲̼i̞̟̲͈͕̦t̖̠̖̱̞͉ ̯͔͎a̤͙̱̮͕ͅ ͖ḇ̝̳̱ͅu̲̖g̘̪̫ ͍͇̰̤r̮͉̗̠̣e͙p͍o̯̞r̻̮̗̬̝͇t̖̰,͚̞͚͔͕͕͔ a̪̯̥̩̥n̖d̳̦̥̺/͇̘̳̘̘̱o̞̯r̥̗͖̬͓͕̘ ̬̠̭cͅh̙̥̝e̠͓͖͔͎͕͇c̬̦̩ͅḵ̗̯͇̪̯̬ ͉t̼h͙̰̪͈̜e̻̠̜ S̱̱̺̬u̬̪͇p̘̟͉̳̼ͅp̖o̖̩͙̲̫̹̫rt̙̳̘̜͚͍ ͎͇̹F̻͈or̗̪͓͎̰ͅum̹̭̝͔̗s̹ ͉ͅf͙̲o̙͇̥̞r͇͚̠̰̘ ̼̹̮̗a͖̺̻̳̥s̥͓͓̺̪͚͈si͍̩̖̰̞̮ͅs͇̺t͍̼̰̺͓̳a͔̹̘͙nc̝̯͓̜̪̤̱e͖̱̹͕̝.̩͈̘̤̘̦

Would you like to continue?

[Yes] or [No]?

➤ [Yes]

Are you sure?

➤[Yes]

"..."

Let's continue on.

Xiao as Sayori - As the vice president of the literature club, he likewise wishes that more individuals would join in order to increase their interest in poetry. Now, I know Xiao is an odd pick for Sayori considering their contrasting personality and you would probably assume Kazuha to be a better match. But there are similarities and I thought he would be better for the childhood friend role.

Since you and Xiao have known one another since you were young, it is difficult for you to recall your initial impression of him. Along with thinking of him as your sweet but reserved friend, you were relieved to learn that he took an interest in writing and that he enjoyed studying literature and writing poetry because these activities allow him to express his emotions.

"Hey, [First Name]....Since we're already here, do you want to walk home together?"

Regardless of the fact that the two of you had known each other since you were children, his question concerning walking home nevertheless came out as rather tentative and scared. Even though you've known each other for a long time, you would tease him about his timidity by marveling at how silly a question it was for him to ask. Later on, it is discovered that he battles severe depression and puts a lot of effort into making everyone around him happy in order to deal with, among other things, his own lack of self-love.

So you shouldn't be teasing him too much.

"Even if it's just a bit…I..I wanted to spend more time with you. I know it seems stupid but.."

He seems to feel unworthy of love because of his depression, but he still desires to be loved, particularly by the protagonist, who he has a crush on.

He only wants your affection, nothing else.

Xiao seems to suffer when the player choose to follow one of the other boys since he subconsciously wishes that the protagonist fall in love with him while also feeling terrible for initially feeling that way.

Xiao will commit suicide the day before the festival regardless of the player's decision.

Don't cry.

Isn't it just a matter of fate?

He feels that if he makes everyone else happy, he won't have any reason to be miserable at all, therefore his relationship with the protagonist and other people's happiness are his main coping mechanisms. Although he tries, he is unable to make you happy.

He's not enough.

He will never be enough.

"You know, [First Name]... It's nice that I get to spend time with you in the club. But I think seeing you get along with everyone is what makes me the happiest."

"..."

An error has occurred. If you continually get the same error, try loading a different save file, submit a bug report, and/or check the Support Forums for assistance.

Would you like to continue?

[Yes] or [No]

➤ [Yes]

Are you completely sure?

➤ [Yes]

Even after witnessing Xiao's death?

➤ [Yes]

I'm not responsible for anything, [First Name]. You know that, right? Should you go to bed? It's quite late.

Would you like to continue?

➤ [Yes]

"..."

As you wish.

Kunikuzushi as Natsuki - The third member of the Literature Club, an enthusiastic manga fan who occasionally feels self-conscious about it (particularly in light of Kazuha's frequent taunting).

Just be careful not to tease him too much. He might die from humiliation.

Just kidding.

Your first conception of Kunikuzushi seems to be one of a cocky, outspoken, irritable, and even conceited young man. Venti, though, categorises him as the true tsundere given his rather charming, softer interior. Due to his diminutive stature and sour disposition, it's a little difficult to hold back from gushing about him since he's just so cute.

"Well everyone has their own opinion. But my opinion is the best opinion. I'm sure you've figured that out already."

While impetuous and prone to speaking without thinking, Kunikuzushi genuinely cares about his friends and, despite having clear anger management issues, dislikes getting into fights or confrontations with other people (at least ones he can't win). Despite his persistent bullying tendencies, Kunikuzushi had displayed some gentleness by asking you to his house to bake despite his concern about being discovered by his mother.

He would not, however, elaborate on his reasons for being so wary of her.

"Take your stupid poem. If you wrote it for someone else, just don't show it to me!"

Together, the two of you frequently bake, and at one point, you teasedly nibbled on some frosting that was apparently his finger. He gets angry right away and starts ranting about how you shouldn't do that with other men because they might perceive it differently.

Such a cute little thing isn't he?

"Why didn't you come read with me today? I was waiting for you. I was waiting for a long time. It was the only thing I had to look forward to today. Why did you ruin it?"

Selecting Kazuha would irritate him, and when you try to read Kunikuzushi your poem, He would chase you out right away. Xiao will congratulate Kazuha and Kunikuzushi on their writing and capabilities if the player asks him to diffuse the tension. After that, the argument will end, and Xiao's answer will satisfy Kazuha and Kunikuzushi. He also makes a comparison between his and Kazuha's physique, which leads the main character to claim that some individuals are attracted to someone with a little frame.

By now, you should be aware that Kunikuzushi detests being referred to as cute.

"Do you like Kazuha more?"

Even though he acts cute and does cute things, Kunikuzushi despises the label "cute" and will fight any accusations made in this regard by others. However, once he is confident that no one will make fun of him for it, he feels much more at ease showing off his sweet side. Whether it's in regards to his work, his interests, or simply his general demeanour, Kunikuzushi detests it when he isn't treated seriously. He probably developed a sense of guilt about himself and his interests as a result of how his peers treated him and because his mother was allegedly abusive, making his brusque demeanour a coping mechanism.

He liked you so much because you were compassionate and capable of comprehending him for this reason.

Not Xiao.

Not Kazuha.

Not Venti.

But just you.

"I think you're better off not associating with HIM. Are you listening to me? KAZUHA IS A SICK FREAK. That should be obvious by now. So just play with me instead. Okay? You don't hate me, do you? Do you hate me? Do you want to make me go home crying? The club is the only place I feel safe. Don't ruin that for me. Don't ruin it. Please. Just stop talking to Kazuha. Play with me instead. It's all I have... Play with me. PLAY WITH ME."

"PLAY WITH ME [FIRST NAME]."

"PLAY WITH ME"

An error has occurred. If you continually get the same error, try loading a different save file, submit a bug report, and/or check the Support Forums for assistance.

Would you like to continue?

[Yes] or [No]

I'm sorry you had to witness everything like that. Kuni was a miserable kid who couldn't even feel safe at home in his own house, what an unfortunate person.

Would you like to continue?

[Yes] or [No]

Come on, [First Name], stop playing this little game. You should put your phone away and go to bed.

Would you like to continue?

[Yes] or [No]

How annoying—no matter what I do, I can't manage to get rid of this text box. Especially irritating when it keeps interrupting our chat. But aside from that, you appear to be really worn out in front of that phone camera.

Would you like to continue?

[Yes] or [No]

➤ [Yes]

I see.... In spite of all the terrible things you had to witness tonight, I think you would want to keep going. I guess there isn't much I can do to stop you...

Kazuha as Yuri - The fourth member of the Literature Club, and is widely regarded to be one of the most brilliant writers. Capable of authoring the most exquisite poem and crafting the most magnificent statements which may well render your heart to skip a beat as if wildflowers were continuously overflowing from his tongue.

He's quite the charmer, isn't he?

"Thanks for keeping your promise, [First Name]. I hope this isn't too overwhelming of a commitment for you. Making you dive headfirst into literature when you're not accustomed to it…"

When you first encountered Kaedehara Kazuha, you considered he was a very gracious young man with manners above and beyond those of a high school student. His voice was as soothing and pleasant to hear as his poetry, sweet and delicate and able to move one's heart. Kazuha, despite having a gift for words, was relatively quiet in comparison to the other members. A quality which you liked considering the amount of noise you had to constantly put up with.

But just because he remained silent doesn't mean his affinity for literature has become less profound or anything. One can even contend that Venti's passion for literature and the arts was akin to his own, particularly in those instances where he would get irate about seemingly inconsequential remarks made by Kunikuzushi.

You somewhat fear that their banter may turn physical one day.

"W-Wait! There’s a reason why we have such deep and expressive words in our language! It’s the only way to convey complex feelings and meaning the most effectively. Avoiding them is not only unnecessarily limiting yourself...it’s also a waste! You understand that, right, [First Name]?"

However, as the game progresses. Kazuha's seemingly timid personality took a rather strange tone. As if some sort of glitch had overridened his personality, bringing out the most negative aspects of his personality.

"I-I don't know... I'm kind of indifferent, I guess... WHO CARES ABOUT THAT OBNOXIOUS BRAT?"

Venti intensifies Kazuha's undesirable personality qualities in Act 2, which causes his devotion for you to turn somewhat unhealthy, bordering on an infatuation.

Your pens started to disappear, as if someone had deliberately broken through your desktop and backpack. Alternatively, if the thief returns the stolen materials, they would leave behind a trail of evidence in the form of persistent bite marks on the pencil, suggesting that they have a penchant for chewing them.

Naturally, you would toss them away, just to have someone eventually pick something out of the trash and put it back into your backpack with a little note, always written with most obscure messages.

The culprit behind the theft wouldn't be revealed to you until the very end of the game, when Venti would snicker and explain Kazuha's peculiar behaviours, mentioning how Kazuha had a propensity of looking through your possessions and touching himself with the collection of pens he gathered from you, even going so far as to injure himself with the jagged corners.

Which would explain the constant amount of bandages wrapped around his flesh.

"I mean, I like how nice and quiet the club is right now... And I'm just... happy with you here... But still! I'm the Vice President... It's not right for me to ignore my responsibilities like that... NOBODY WOULD CRY IF HE KILLED HERSELF. I should do my best to consider everyone's perspective and make the decision that's right for the club."

He started using far harsher language than the typical Kazuha, interfering with and beinglittleful to the other club members, and tormenting Kunikuzushi nonstop. In spite of his enjoyment, Kazuha feels horrible since he knows that something is wrong with him and that his statements and behaviour are inappropriate.

Yet he can't bring himself to stop.

Regardless of how hard he struggles, he eventually is unable to regulate his obsessive outbursts. It gets to the point where, regardless of whether the player embraces or refuses his love, he ultimately stabs himself to death, leaving a bloody mess on the classroom floor, with a distressed smile on his face as he begins to fade out of existence.

Nothing could be done but watch helplessly as his body rotted away in the school for three days until Kunikuzushi eventually discovered it.

“Why is this happening to me? I feel like I’m losing my mind... I can’t make it stop. It even makes me not want to read... I just want... ...to look... ...at YOU.”

“...Haah...”

.̵̢̟͎̂̋̈̈́̓.̶̞̬̤̀̋̓̓̕.̵̧̮͒ͅḨ̶̡̩̼͎̒̄̓́́a̸̬̣̣͐̋̃͛̈́ä̷̢͎̦́͜h̸͔̱͋̍̉̚͠.̵͕̳͎̩͚͂̀.̶̡̩͎̦̠͗̆̓.̵̼͉͐̆̈́͌”̷͚̦̾̄̆͂̊͜

̵͚̹̝̓̚͝

“̶̛̩̠͕̰̻̮͓̠̦̥͍̪̗̝͓̰̆̈͘.̵͉̮͚̆̋̈́̽.̸̢̨͔̬̖͙͈̥̘̞͕̖͎͎̟̎̏͂̏̽͐͋̈̑́͋̑͌̎.̵̬͉͕̈̈́̏̔̉͗́̈́̑̊̂Ḧ̷̢̙̩͈̰̰͈́̎̄͛̑͝͠ã̵͖̤̞̜͙̥̈́̈a̸̼̺̭͖͓̣̪͙̪̗̖͍̞̍͗̿́̔̊̚͝h̸̢̛̻̪̯̰̠̭̲͎̰̩̾͑̋̒̀̿̀̈̎̀͊̂͝ͅͅ…̵̡̰̟̞͎̹̙̺͉͓̜͖̗͉̂̓ͅ”̸̣̤̘̜̱̳̥̖̹͙͉̼͕̫̌͆ͅ

A̯̠͔͍̬̪ͅṉ̝͉͚̯̦̩ e̮̘̖r͍̰͚̩̥̯r̪͕̤̺o͇̺̺̺̼͙r̩ ̮̝̗͓̤͔ͅh̦̹̠̤a̯̭̜͔͚̘͚s̟͉̰̗̯ ̗̙͇͙̺̥̞o͔͍̩c̱̰̺͉̟͕c͈̳u̬r̼̼͓͙r͍͉̦̜ed͈̣͉̺.̗̤̹̦̥̟ ̤̥͙̣͚I͔̳̰͇f̗͇̠ ̟̬̙̟͇̼͈y̬o̦̪͎u̫ ̜̻̭̞̻͚͚c͍ͅo͍͕̞͓ͅn͙̘̞̗̥t̯̣͇̝ͅi̙̙̦͇͔̙͕nual̞l̥y̭̻̗̠ ̠̺̣̺̟ge̗̠͎̪t̥̥̟̰͍ ̘̭̟th̗̳̞̗e͎̹̻̪͉̤ ̦̮̙sa̞͎̙̯̺m̜̩̟͓̭e̻ ̩̮͓͓e̞̹͈r̖̭̳̥͖r͚̼̤o̜͍̪̰̥͇̻r͓̲̰͖,̪̼̮̖̲̲̻ ͉tr͖̭̼̘y̱͚̹ ̲͕̥̥l̤̱͍̖o̟̻̻̝̗a̙͎̲̤d̖̜i̞̳̼͍̱͎͕n̜̠͚g̩̟̞̪͓ ̫a͓ d̝i̪̭̱̰̹̰͙ff͎e̹r̹̞̜͍ͅẹ̫͔nt̟ ͕s͕̝͇͕̹͕̰a̞̖͚v̟̯̪͈͍e̗̮̪͔ ̰̯f̝̭̞̝̭i͔̞͙̥͎͚̟l̘͉̙̫̳͎̘e͓͈,̱͕͓̭ ̙̝ͅs̗u̠b̮͎̟m̰̩͎̠̲̼i̞̟̲͈͕̦t̖̠̖̱̞͉ ̯͔͎a̤͙̱̮͕ͅ ͖ḇ̝̳̱ͅu̲̖g̘̪̫ ͍͇̰̤r̮͉̗̠̣e͙p͍o̯̞r̻̮̗̬̝͇t̖̰,͚̞͚͔͕͕͔ a̪̯̥̩̥n̖d̳̦̥̺/͇̘̳̘̘̱o̞̯r̥̗͖̬͓͕̘ ̬̠̭cͅh̙̥̝e̠͓͖͔͎͕͇c̬̦̩ͅḵ̗̯͇̪̯̬ ͉t̼h͙̰̪͈̜e̻̠̜ S̱̱̺̬u̬̪͇p̘̟͉̳̼ͅp̖o̖̩͙̲̫̹̫rt̙̳̘̜͚͍ ͎͇̹F̻͈or̗̪͓͎̰ͅum̹̭̝͔̗s̹ ͉ͅf͙̲o̙͇̥̞r͇͚̠̰̘ ̼̹̮̗a͖̺̻̳̥s̥͓͓̺̪͚͈si͍̩̖̰̞̮ͅs͇̺t͍̼̰̺͓̳a͔̹̘͙nc̝̯͓̜̪̤̱e͖̱̹͕̝.̩͈̘̤̘̦

Would you like to continue?

[Yes] or [No]

➤ [No]

Would you like to continue?

[Yes] or [No]

➤ [No]

Would you like to continue?

[Yes] or [No]

➤ [Yes]

"...."

"..."

ᗷEᕼIᑎᗪ YOᑌ.

751 notes · View notes

lovelycrimsonredsnow · 2 days ago

Text

Honkai Star Rail McDonald's Icons Part 2~

I was bored, again.

436 notes · View notes

lovelycrimsonredsnow · 2 days ago

Text

Dan Heng, facing the camera: Introverts don’t "make friends".

Dan Heng: Extroverts often claim them against their will, and drag them along for the ride.

[Trailblazer, March 7th, Jing Yuan, Sushang and Boothill fighting in the background]

Dan Heng: Sometimes multiple extroverts claim the same introvert at once. This species is highly territorial, and thus they fight for dominance.

Luocha, passing Dan Heng a bag of popcorn: Introverts, as a species, find this highly amusing.

532 notes · View notes

lovelycrimsonredsnow · 2 days ago

Text

I WILL GIVE YOU ALL MY EARTHLY POSSESSIONS IF SOMEONE WRITES THIS

To all my fellow Honkai: Star Rail players also obsessed with Sunday, I think we’ve neglected the potential connections that can be made between Sunday and The Phantom of The Opera. Let’s review:

1. Angel motifs due to him being a Halovian

2. Compelling voice

3. CONTROL ISSUES

4. Overprotectiveness towards a talented female singer (though obviously this is platonic compared to the Phantom and we shouldn’t assume Sunday is only interested in female and femme-identifying individuals)

5. The fact that his whole boss fight involves a HOLY CHOIR AND CONDUCTING

Like, think of the AU/fanfic/fanart possibilities here. This is a goldmine. Hell, you don’t even need to go the traditional route here considering that it’s heavily implied Sunday will be joining the Stellaron Hunters. What if Sunday is assigned as a sort of “guardian angel” to the trailblazer and becomes sort of like the Phantom mentoring Christine behind the mirror? What if he has a hidden hideout under the grand theater? Like, IT WRITES ITSELF.

90 notes · View notes

lovelycrimsonredsnow · 2 days ago

Photo

I HAVE WAITED ALL YEAR TO POST THIS

2M notes · View notes

lovelycrimsonredsnow · 2 days ago

Photo

I’m 35 now. Also here’s the original doodle

340K notes · View notes

lovelycrimsonredsnow · 2 days ago

Text

warning: controlling behaviour, manipulation, toxic relationship, could be read as yandere tendencies

pairing: sunday x reader, a little dan heng at the end

author’s note: this was written before i played the 2.2 update, I’m sorry if it’s ooc requests are coming soon when i get back in the groove of writing i promise :3

☆ support me on ko-fi if you like what you’ve read ☆

people had various reasons to join the astral express, some had nowhere else to go, others wanted to see the cosmos. you however were running away from something, well more like someone.

once upon a time penacony was your home, your favourite place on earth. the people were always smiling and the party never stopped, but it was only recently that you’ve realised that this self proclaimed dream was a nightmare in disguise.

“why can’t i go outside?” you asked softly, sitting on your grand queen sized bed, surrounded by pillows and hugging your knees to your chest.

the tall man standing in front of your window, that was overlooking a small part of the golden hour, chuckled. it was out of amusement from your question, but you only found it to be demeaning. he turned to face you and sat down at the edge of the bed.

“you know why. you could get hurt,” he said, his voice stern, contrasting greatly with the gentle look on his face. it confused you greatly.

“you go outside,” you said with furrowed eyebrows, slightly lowering your knees.

“that’s different.”

“why?”

his eyes narrowed slightly, it was a telltale sign that he didn’t like that you questioned him.

“because i say so.” he took a deep breath and reached out to touch your cheek, caressing it slowly. it was meant to bring you comfort, but in this situation it felt like anything but. “oh, reader. i know what’s best for you. and it’s not loitering on the streets.”

“you don’t know that,” you replied, you saw his eyes narrow further. “you can’t keep me in here with you for the rest of my life.”

he chuckled once more, this time it was fair more sinister, he tightened the grip on your face and gave you a soft slap on your cheek, before standing up and walking towards the door.

“you’d be surprised about what’s all possible inside a dream,” he said, then taking a small pause and taking in your small fragil form in the bed. “now, i have some business to attend to. stay here until i get back or else.”

you felt a shiver run down your spine, and nodded. “yes, sunday.”

with a satisfied smile he left the room, making sure to lock the door behind himself.

“reader? are you alright?”

you snapped out of your thoughts and suddenly you were back in the warm parlor of the astral express, the smell of coffee tainting the air. pom pom was sweeping the floor near the jukebox and dan heng stood in front of you, surprising you greatly. “huh? yes, sorry.”

“is something wrong?” he asked further, a hint of genuine concern in his voice. he carefully sat down next to you, keeping a respectful distance. “himiko said you were originally from penacony. it wasn’t easy for me when we stopped at the xianzhou, do you have similar feelings?”

“compared to your struggles mine are nothing…” you replied, thinking back to dan heng and his history before he boarded the express. you turned to look at him, his expression was unreadable as usual, but you could feel your words worried him a little. you took a deep breath and put on a brave face.

“what i mean is, thank you for your concern, but i’ll be fine as long as i don’t set a foot in the reverie.”

223 notes · View notes

lovelycrimsonredsnow · 2 days ago

Text

Where the Lamb does not Belong.

You're isekai'd into the world of Honkai Star Rail. Thankfully, you're taken into the Astral Express and continue your journey peacefully, until you reach Penacony. Something, or someone, seems to be causing your system to continually crash. Perhaps it's because you did not belong here at all.

Warnings: yandere, obviously. Uh, mentioned fracture(?)

A/n; reader is a tad forgetful and can brush off a few things, and get distracted slightly easily. But for the most part, i think it won't ruin the immersion. Its my first time writing something "self aware" related, and something like a character breaking the 4th wall. I really love these tropes but rarely write them. I hope i did it well. Its roughly 4.5k long. Enjoy.

----

“Ace!”

“It's not ace.”

“Uno!”

“March, you're supposed to say it after you put down your second card.”

“Oh, sure.”

…

“March, it's not your turn.”

“Huh?!”

You giggle, listening in on their banter. You're leaned up comfortably on Dan Heng's back, messing around with a level on Stelle's phone she hasn't been able to beat.

You hear a loud groan, a fwop as March drops on her back onto the bed,

“This is so confusing!”

“The rules are simple, you're just trying to rush things.”

Dan Heng takes the cards and settles them, tapping them vertically to level and gather them onto the little table. You stretch your neck to look back and catch a glimpse of March sulking. Stelle gently pries the phone out of your hands as you do so.

“Hey let's go through our photo album again!”

“It's the 6th time this month.”

You chuckle, getting up from Dan Heng's back as you feel him shift, moving over to situate yourself around the table aswell, the the bed dipping under your weight.

“I knew you were into photography but wow, this is something, March.”

You say, leaning over on the table, your elbow resting on it as your chin rests on your palm,

“Well, you better be grateful ‘cause I just finished up your entry!”

“My entry?”

You blink, confused,

“She's been dutifully taking pictures of your progress as a new member of the Astral express. I've.. learnt from experience It's better that you don't try to stop her.”

You laugh awkwardly, staring down as March excitedly flips through the photo book. It's a bit embarrassing now that you recall.

“Here! Look, look, look! I caught [name] in all their glory!”

“March..”

You awkwardly laugh, as Dan Heng looks over at the photo March points to in her photobook,

You cringe as you see your own expression, dull and groggy, a stark contrast to the bright letters and stickers decorating the edge of the photo that's glued tightly onto the page. You're drooling, to top it off.

“Hehe, [name] looks cute here don't they?!”

March points down to another photo right below, blurry in the midst of action. Your hazy figure is sitting up on a bed, Stelle draped over your lap while in charge of watching over you when you first appeared.

“I should have stayed to watch over, instead.”

Dan Heng comments under his breath, glancing back momentarily at Stelle, her chin hooked over his shoulder after having abandoned the game, seemingly more interested in the collection.

You chuckle softly,

Where did it begin exactly?

You boarded as an official member of the Astral Express about a few months ago, a gold brooch handed over to you, and many new faces who welcomed you onboard. You remember being home one day, going to sleep and hoping, just hoping that all of your worries and stress would just.. disappear. Your head hit the pillow and then-

You woke up. Here.

Suddenly you woke up in the very game you played to relieve your stress. Ironically, that moment you woke up was one of your most stressful memories, panicking at the situation you were in–

“Aw, dang it. I got defeated.”

All of you look over to Stelle, and to the red screen on her phone. You chuckle, as March sighs and shifts the topic.

You yawn and settle back onto the bed, leaning on a pile of pillows as March and Dan Heng continue their banter, taking this time to go through your stats, swiping and tinkering on your phone.

You've reached a higher level now. Having unlocked many items and even levelled up some basic features which allowed you to at the very least, defend yourself.

You read through the archived stories, gazing over all the past dialogue you've shared with this trio from the “main quest” ever since you boarded. Your friendship level with many had increased gradually over time, and shot up with the trio, as expected.

“[Name]..”

Stelle whines, pushing her phone back to you. You giggle, taking the device from her hands,

“Alright, I won't get distracted this time.”

This was your first expedition as a new member of the Astral Express. Which didn't help considering you were going into Penacony of all places.

You were nervous – how was your presence going to alter the timeline? Maybe a less “on screen” role like Himeko's? Or maybe you should have just stayed back with Dan Heng? But the experience, materials and all sorts of gizmos Penacony was going to offer.. It was too tempting.

And here you are, in the lobby. Himeko and Welt continue negotiating with the young woman at the reception. You were already on edge, but it seemed things just had to go wrong as well.

To distract yourself, you fidgeted and anxiously viewed the prologue to Penacony the system had just offered to you, repeatedly scrolling up and down on your phone, tapping your foot, pacing around the hotel a bit when–

A hand came up to your shoulder.

“It seems you're quite worried.”

You looked back.

It's Robin.

“Sorry, uh, we're.. having difficulty with the check-in and..”

You momentarily trail off, almost lost as you look at Robin. Her in game model was beautiful, but now that you're standing in front of her, it's almost.. mesmerising. Her eyes are beautiful – deep and ethereal. Pretty pink lips and softly dusted cheeks, her hair wispy and framing her face just the right way. You're awestruck for a moment, before panicking and snapping out of your daze.

You're at a hotel lobby for aeons’ sake!

“O-Oh, uh, my family is–”

You turn over to see Himeko and Welt continuing to go back and forth with the young woman at the reception, and turn again to see March and Stelle slightly off in the corner talking anxiously.

“They seem lovely.”

Robin smiles at you. And suddenly, your eyebrows and shoulders relax. Your jaw slightly slacks. Something about Robin seems to soothe you more than you ever thought.

Your eyes trail over to the bar in the corner;

Friendship level: 0

Right. She's still a stranger, in this timeline of events.

You're snapped out of your thoughts momentarily as another, unfamiliar voice speaks up from the crowd – a blonde man, addressing your fellow trailblazers.

This can't be good.

You walk up, regrouping with March and Stelle as they watch it all happen.

–

The golden hour was a familiar map to you, particularly because you'd loved exploring the place back when you used to play.

But actually being there is stunning.

The yellow lights brighten up the night-like atmosphere in a beautiful, classy way. It's almost as though you're in an old film, the way everything around you is hazy and glowing. There's laughter in the background and shimmering lights somewhere in the distance, drinks and the smell of food occasionally wafting in the air from corner cafés or so. You wander, awestruck at the sight of the landscape when–

You bump into someone, a small sound leaving you at the impact.

You look back to take a look at the stranger - more to try and ground yourself into this “dream” and your current reality. You were in Penacony. And all of this was physically interacting with you, regardless of how miniscule you must be. Whether you would have been reincarnated as a Cafe owner, or an NPC, or anyone else. As long as you were on Penacony, you were going to be a part of Sunday's grand plan.

You zone out, the hazy cacophony of ecstasy in the background blurring in the crowded space of your mind, thoughts overarching and bubbling up.

Beep!

You look at your phone, buzzing as quests pop up. You take a moment to look around the various shops, before your eyes land on a cozy cafe.

It won’t hurt to rest for a moment.

–

“Shit, shit, shit..”

You curse to yourself, frantically tapping on the screen and trying to fix this mess.

“Just– cooperate damn it..!”

Your teeth gnaw at your lip, biting and peeling off bits of the skin. It stings, but in your anxious state, you barely pay mind,

Why was the system not cooperating with you?!

None of your teleportation points worked, you weren't levelling up, barely any of the trinkets given by completion of quests were being used up! It was rudimentary junk in your inventory and now for some god awful reason, your entire system was going haywire!

System error: freespace is occupied!

System error: unavailable tab

System error: unable to access tab

System error: unable to complete..

“Yeah, yeah I got it you little-”

“Is something the matter?”

You gasped under your breath, a chill shooting up your spine as you turn around,

“No, no! Nothing, haha just.. uh..”

You awkwardly shuffle, pretending to look into your bag,

“You seem to be having trouble.”

Sunday's poised figure contrasts your sweaty, nervous, fidgeting one, as you only panic more at his words.

“Oh, just.. well.. it’s my first time visiting another world, so..”

“Ah, first time jitters? I’m faintly familiar.”

You chuckle awkwardly, but your humour doesn't seem to be exactly matched. Sunday’s smile doesn't widen or lessen, and neither does he chuckle. You realise how uncanny he looks in the dim lights of the Golden Hour barely illuminating his face in the alley.

“You seem to have been separated from your group. Would you like me to accompany you on your way back?”

“Sure–”

Warning: you are currently interacting with an influential figure. Proceed with caution.

“..you seem hesitant.”

You look at the glaring notification on your screen - akin to when an amber alert pops up, or when an earthquake warning resounds.

“..uh, I think.. I’ll be able to find them on my own. I should be fine.”

“I insist. As the representative and Spokesperson of The Family it is my duty to ensure the safety and relaxation of guests in the Dreamscape.”

Shit. This guy isn’t giving in.

You hesitate, a bead of sweat forming on your forehead and grazing the top of your eyebrow,

Beep!

Optional: would you like dialogue suggestions to be displayed?

[Yes]

[No]

[No – do not ask again]

You sigh internally. At least this system knows how to assist you when you need it.

“Shall we?”

Sunday beckons you to follow, as the pop-up blinks away, before you get the chance to select.

There’s no getting out of this. You’re just gonna have to suck it up and be careful.

“..sure.”

Sunday doesn’t remember when it exactly began.

Strange patterns, predictable dialogues, and the anomalies that occured..

Right after Sunday discovered your name.

He watched as the cup from the trash pile slipped and fell onto the pavement. Your name was written on it – messily and hurried. The cup rolls down a bit before hitting the side of his shoe. Sunday watched it with indifference, opting to simply move it aside before he spotted it. Your name. But it wasn’t supposed to be.

An alias? Maybe. It was different than the name administered in your profile.

He opted to push it back for later; but it was an interrupted thought as he walked ahead and watched you fiddle around with your phone, buzzing constantly as you cursed at it.

He breathes out, before deciding to approach you.

–

“Alone?”

“Alone.”

You respond, your eyes embarrassed and watching the various shuffling of feet in front of you, the crowd forming in front of the Rollercoaster you were too scared to go on.

Well, it's rather you haven't been able to go onto them.

Stelle and March offered you to join, and usually you'd be able to accept the invitation pop up, but as of recent, your system has been going haywire. The system probably narrowed down the scenarios you'd be allowed to participate in,in order to control the situation.

So you stood there, your mood dampened as you accepted that the system would not allow you to partake in the ride with your friends, shaking your head and telling them to go on instead, leaving you behind.

And Sunday saw all of it.

Or rather, just that you haven't gone onto the ride.

“Are you afraid of heights?”

“No, nothing like that.”

You chuckle softly, shaking your head. Even if you were.. he's not exactly the person you'd tell it to, anyway. You ignore the buzzing of your phone as it displays the same warning, jaded and moody as you'd been denied a great opportunity to have fun.

“..there is a new bakery that's opened up in the corner. Would you like to visit?”

You blink, and look at him, confused. He seems to have understood your confusion, and follows up,

“Until your companions have had their fill. Just for a cup of coffee.”

You hesitate, humming in contemplation. You look at the options displayed;

Options:

□ “Sure. Let's go.”

□ “sorry, my husband's waiting for me on the express.

□ “No thank y–

System Error: no options available

You sigh. You really need to do something about these errors. You nod,

“Sure. Let's go.”

…

The bakery was warm, and lively. As soon as you entered, the faintly sweet smell of pastries and the waft of coffee enveloped you two. You gawked at the mesmerising scenery, while Sunday asked for an available booth that's more hidden from the public eye.

The seats were soft, and pliable as you took your seat, still taking in the view of the bakery. You hear Sunday clearing his throat and tapping the table, your gaze shifting to him. He points to the menu. You understand his cue and take to reading it, your eyes scanning the plethora of options as Sunday does the same.

“Have you.. been here before?”

“I have visited once in the past. With my sister.”

“Ah, how is Robin?”

Your eyes settle on a particular option, as the silence between you two fills with comfortable conversation,

“She has been well. Are you looking forward to her performance at the coming Festival?”

You blink as you realise. How could you forget? The entire reason you and the rest of the crew even came to Penacony! This was the guy who was gonna put everyone into a coma!

“O-Oh, uh, yes! March has been talking non-stop about it, so..”

You chuckle awkwardly, flustered as he caught you a bit off guard. He hums, his face indifferent and neutral as your words process in his mind.

“I suppose I shall expect you in the audience, then?”

“March will drag me to the front, so you'll probably get a clear view of me in my uncomfortable glory.”

That seems to elicit a small, soft chuckle from him, as his eyes land on a specific item on the menu, seeming to have decided his own liking.

“Very well. I'll look forward to it.”

Soon enough, a waitress comes up to the table, and begins taking your orders.

–

“It does seem a tad scary, but the view is always beautiful in the Astral express.”

“I'm sure of it. It sounds wonderful.”

Sunday listens to you dutifully, as you continue talking. Somewhere along the way, your discomfort at the awkward silence between you two led to you talking and filling in the silence, your coffee cup hanging idly in your hands. One thing led to another, as both of you started talking about your childhood memories, tea flavours, desserts, and so on. You find Sunday has been easy to converse with. You'd been ignoring the constant buzzing of your phone – most likely achievements or quests that popped up constantly wherever you went.

You take another sip from your coffee as Sunday takes his initiative to talk, listening to him well, and chuckling slightly at one or the other thing.

“I came to know tea is supposed to be made with hot water, but by then I'd gotten accustomed.”

You giggle, slightly in disbelief,

“Well, do you like iced tea now?”

Sunday shakes his head,

“I prefer coffee, more than that. Perhaps due to needing it more than a preference..”

His eyes trail to your cup, as you hold it in your hands. You follow his gaze,

Is something wrong? He'd been glancing at your cup a few times now, but you didn't comment on it before.

“Is.. something wro–”

Your words are cut off as your phone loudly rings, making you almost fumble and drop your coffee as you hurriedly take your phone.

It's March!

Crap, you forgot.

“Sorry, I uh..”

You scroll through the plethora of notifications, almost all of them missed calls and various texts.

“It seems your companions were searching for you.”

You look up, as Sunday looks into the distance, Stelle and March running towards you.

–

It was strange how things progressed since you came to Penacony.

Some of your equipment took ages to level up, the others taking barely anything before they hit their maximum level. Your friendship level progressed pretty highly on some days, and barely moved an inch on other days.

Your friendship level with Sunday, on the other hand, shot up to a 5. Not even anyone on the Astral Express had that level.

You only noticed it a fraction before you cleared all your notifications at once, swiped away before your finger had the chance to tap on it.

Regardless, that wasn’t your exact concern as of late. The story of Penacony had been well under way now, and things were starting to pick up.

As of recent, you haven't been able to remember the quest contents as much as you used to, only remembering enough in the last moment to avert an extremely bad decision – at least for yourself. Your own personal missions left you alive by a hair's breadth.

But if that didn't upset you – your crew did. The pressure of everything happening on Penacony seemed to have started to weigh down on your team, as they barely regard you anymore. You could technically blame it on the system – it's been trying desperately to revive and fix itself as the game progresses. You might be interfering with the inner workings, so you suppose it's only natural the game tries to limit your interactions with the world.

So for the most part, you've resigned yourself to be an NPC; walking around all of the tourist attractions, getting who knows how many cups of coffee, trying on various clothing items, and occasionally running into Sunday. The first few times, you awkwardly fiddled with your phone for optional dialogues, but as time went on, you felt more comfortable. Regardless, it's not like anything you say can technically avert him from his current plan. It's been in the schemes for who knows how long? As of now, it's less complicating to remain ignorant and act unknowing, and enjoying another walk with him as he surveys the Dreamscape. Considering how close you two might be getting, you'll probably end up telling him a few secrets from your past.

“The Grand theatre is Penacony’s main attraction.”

Sunday’s face is illuminated by it in the distance, as he stands, staring at it. His voice is barely audible, seemingly as if he speaks to himself. But that idea is swept under the rug the moment he turns slightly to you.

When was this cutscene? You curse your memory, the fog of your mind still not cleared from when you first came to this world,

“Have you decided to attend?”

Truthfully, you didn’t want to. Considering the story, you actually knew the event wasn’t going to happen. But in the case it did..

Options:

□ “Ill be there first in line to enter.”

□ “Im thinking about it.”

□ “probably not..”

“..I have.”

You hesitantly answer.

“You haven’t made up your mind.”

Sunday states, more as a fact than a question. You can’t blame him, considering the hesitance apparent in your voice.

“..out of everyone, I’d hoped you would have attended.”

The options flicker and appear, but before you can press and respond, he continues,

“I understand. How has your family been?”

He turns to face you, you stay silent for a moment, before humming and clicking on an option,

□ “They’re alright.”

□ “I hope they’re all okay.”

□ “I wouldn’t really know..”

“Ah, uh.. we’re all kind of in our separate ways right now, so.. I wouldn’t really know.”

“I see.”

Both of you stand in silence, as you follow his gaze to the glowing theatre. After a moment, Sunday breaks his silence,

“When I was a child, I was particularly soft-spoken. Back then, Robin used to stand up for me frequently.”

Your ears perk up slightly. Is he talking about a childhood memory right now?

“One day, she wasn’t around, taking a few extra music lessons. The other kids were simply curious enough to take me in.”

You hum, listening to him intently. Your eyes gaze over his features – softly shaded by the cold light of the theatre, and illuminated by the yellow lights of the path.

“We were all kids. One of them pulled and broke my wing that day.”

You gasp, involuntarily. Ouch.

But sunday only chuckles at your reaction, his eyes downwards and distant. You don't think he finds it funny.

“But do you know? Right after that - they visited me. Day after day. Every step of recovery. Every recess when I had to sit back, they accompanied me. I thought about it recently. Humanity is worth saving.”

You stay silent, before smiling. The silence seems pleasant over you two, as you stare at the Grand Theatre in the distance.

“That, is when human spirit and strife first piqued my interest.”

You blink, and turn to look at him, the smile on your face faltering,

“What must the weak, the misfortunate, and the falsely accused do to gain balance within this world?”

You’re left speechless for a moment. It seems even the system cannot exactly provide you any dialogue options, as you glance over to your phone.

“..balance in the world isn’t achievable, which is why the human spirit strives to fix it.”

You stay silent, listening to him.

“Would a bird that cannot fly be allowed to, simply because it yearns to? Would it be righteous of you, or of the bird, to allow the freedom and death of the vast sky? Is it still righteous, if you withhold its freedom?”

He inhales, slowly, speaking in a low voice, wavering.

“Is death the only comprehensible freedom life offers, beside slumber, to the weak? Is that truly freedom?”

Sunday turns to look at you – his golden eyes almost searing into your soul.

You break out into a sweat, panicking as you check your phone, desperately trying to find an option when–

System Error: options not available

Shit, shit, shit. Holy crap. Can you even speak right now?

You're left silently staring at Sunday. He stares back before resigning to quietly look away.

You should leave.

—

Your memory seems to be strangely affected – either because you haven't been able to adjust to the new world, or you just haven't been able to adapt to Penacony.

You groan and slump into the couch of your room, in the real world. You keep forgetting to charge your phone – which isn't technically a hassle; you can access the same menu options, it's just more.. time-consuming. Not to mention you lose your only source of dialogue option pop ups.

How long has this been going on? You knew Penacony had a vast and complicated storyline, but living it feels entirely different. Feeling it is entirely bizarre. No wonder your head's spinning.

But thankfully, it should end soon. Your last quest is to face off Sunday in his boss form. You and your members have decided to meet up at the Grand Theatre, where the event will take place.

You place your phone into charging, and right on cue, March pops up into your room. She stumbles around your room a bit the moment you turn your back, even hear her drop and accidentally knock over some items on her way, simply laughing at the girl, as you continue packing up and preparing for the final “showdown”. You disregard her words, when she tells you she felt something push her.

You're not sure when the next cutscene plays.

You're in the grand theatre; just having defeated Sunday, and collectively waiting to return to the Astral Express. This is when you meet Boothill and Black Swan, where she wakes you up using Misha as a fallacy within Ena's dream.

But you aren't waking up.

You've just been stranded in the empty grand theatre after the darkness lifted.

You try to turn your phone on – but its busted. March must have disconnected the plug when she stumbled across a few things.

You sigh, irritated and antsy, choosing to walk ahead and look warily at the mechanical statues. The quest description is empty; devoid of any explanation. The title is vague and doesn't indicate much. Are you stuck in the loading screen? What the hell is going on?

And just as you are about to shout out for help – Sunday appears. There he is, on the stage. But this time, there's no spotlight. He stares down at you, emptily. You're creeped out for the lack of a better word, feeling your skin crawl with every second he stares. The silence is paper thin and thickly dense at the same time; electrified with tension and the unknown.

He makes the first step, slowly descending down and towards you.

“You are an outsider.”

System error: cannot process dialogue

“You do not belong here.”

System error: cannot proceed further

“I do not belong here.”

System warning: further interaction in this context may lead to irreversible da–

Sunday's hand rips through the warning, causing it to glitch violently, and disappear. You're scared, your throat constricting and your heart almost lurching out of your chest as he continues walking towards you, eyes searing into your soul,

“We do not belong here.”

Beep!

Options:

□ We do not belong here

□ I do not belong here

□ You do not belong here

□ We belong together

■ There is nothing else left for you here. You cannot turn back. There is no other option.

The screen glitches out, as Sunday stands before you, his hand reaching out,

“Tell me. What is your name?”

You can't access anything – the menu, the quests, your inventory, nothing. You stare almost endlessly in horror, as Sunday speaks of your real name.

You shouldn't have used it on that coffee cup.

1K notes · View notes

lovelycrimsonredsnow · 2 days ago

Text

Self Aware! AU [MONDSTADT EDITION]

warnings! yandere content, obsessive, possessive and unhealthy behavior, implied / mentioned kidnapping, drugging, stalking, gaslighting, manipulation, non-consensual touch, toxic relationships, slightly religious themes/practices (?). Please do not interact/read if said themes bother you!

✦ series! genshin impact ✦ characters! Albedo, Diluc, Kaeya, Venti ✦ pairings! Separate per character ✦ category! yandere

✦ ALBEDO KREIDEPRINZ ✦

self-aware! albedo, who realizes quickly that he's in a game, finding it curious as to how he was created within such a vast game without his initial knowledge/awareness. self-aware! albedo, who finds it more intriguing when he hears your voice for the first time, realizing that there is another, external being watching him, observing what he does. self-aware! albedo, who finally realizes who controls the traveler, understanding now more what is going on the world in Tevyat. self-aware! albedo, who believes that you are the rightful god, the only one watching everything, the one whom he should worship and adore. self-aware! albedo, who becomes more and more enraptured by the concept of your existence, not caring if you are human or not in your physical constitution. self-aware! albedo, who slowly begins to fall for you, despite not having ever met you, praying to you the archons and heavens that one day he may be able to catch a glimpse of you. self-aware! albedo, who is convinced and determined that you are the only true perfection that must be pursued in this hopeless world destined to rot. self-aware! albedo, who slowly breaks his way out of the game, absolutely enamored at the sight of the real world - the only world he should've ever cared for - the one he was forbidden from entering. self-aware! albedo, who is determined to find you, you whom possessed that lovely voice that soothed and eased his mind. He will not rest until he finds you. self-aware! albedo, who when he finally finds you, only then believes that he's truly ever seen an angel. He won't allow you to leave, no matter how hard you try, for you are his beloved, his god. You are an enigmatic existence to him, and he must study you further. Surely, you understand?

✦ DILUC RAGNVINDR ✦

self-aware! diluc, who takes time before he finally grasps the concept and truth that he's merely a character encoded within a game. self-aware! diluc, who starts to hear your voice on occasion, now curious as to who you are, and why he can hear but not see you. self-aware! diluc, who becomes determined to find out who you are, and why he hears you so often yet can't find you. It irritates him. self-aware! diluc, who figures out that you must be an external presence, one outside of the game. He becomes obsessed in trying to get out. self-aware! diluc, who succeeds in escaping the game, even feeling unnerved at his own feelings that grow rapidly for every day that passes by. self-aware! diluc, who manages to find you, rather angry that you've concealed yourself from him, but satisfied that he's found you. self-aware! diluc, who ties you down to your own bed, arguing that you're safer where he can keep an eye on you, but also pondering if he should take you away to somewhere else where you won't be found. self-aware! diluc, who decides to act on such thoughts, one day bringing you to an unfamiliar place where he believes you'll be safe, tying you to the mattress located inside, trusting you'll be fine. self-aware! diluc, who holds you when he's tired, whispering sweet nothings to you, acting as if everything is just perfect, a fantasy, except that this time, it's real. This isn't a fanfiction scenario you read online somewhere - this time it's real, and the horror is sinking in. self-aware! diluc, who swears and vows to protect you with his life, regardless of what costs it may bring to him. You are his one and only, his newfound purpose, and he won't let you go so easily.

✦ KAEYA ALBERICH ✦

self-aware! kaeya, who is genuinely surprised when he finds out that he's just a set of codes, and well... he starts to find it almost funny how everything around him is really just not real. self-aware! kaeya, who realizes and accepts this reality. His joy, his life, what he felt, all that pain it was all just a sad joke, eh? To him, it almost feels like the world's been mocking him, yet he laughs at it, willing to entertain this sick reality. self-aware! kaeya, who makes indirect comments that insinuate the breaking of the fourth wall, to which grasp your attention, and quick. No characters had done this before, this is certainly something ... new. self-aware! kaeya, who comes home a bit more often than you thought he would, just showering you in some good luck and fortune that others won't be granted. You're happy, right? You should be. self-aware! kaeya, who doesn't let you take him off your party. Seriously? Who do you need other than him? Allow him to show you just what he can do - there's no reason for him to leave. self-aware! kaeya, who finds his way to the real world with ease, and (un)surprisingly enough, his first stop is the bar. Ah ... the money? Don't stress about that, sweetheart. self-aware! kaeya, who one day finds you at a bar, and offers you a drugged glass of wine. Oh, feeling a little tipsy, darling? Dizzy? Lightheaded? Nauseous? You look a little pale, what's with that look of shock on your face? Oh, worry not, Kaeya's here to help you out, so don't go making that face. self-aware! kaeya, who takes the liberty of kidnapping taking you to where he resides, bringing you to his basement as he ties you up to a chair. You'll be up and going right by his side soon enough, won't you? self-aware! kaeya, who will tease and make playful remarks of how unfortunate and terrible it is that you're all locked up with no one to help you. But oh! Don't worry! He'll be right by your side. Every. Waking. Moment. self-aware! kaeya, who delights as you plead him to let you go. He laughs. Free you? I'm afraid that request is out of the question. He wipes your tears with an eldritch smile, promising you that you'll learn to love this in time too.

✦ VENTI, BARBATOS ✦

self-aware! venti, who finds it amusing as he realizes that he's in a game. If anything, he thinks it's a new opportunity to mess with everything for his own entertainment. self-aware! venti, who'll send random letters to you, varying from good morning messages all the way to comments relating to what're your thoughts on your travels in Mondstadt, or if you like other nations more. self-aware! venti, who deliberately makes eye contact with you. Not the traveler. You. He knows that you're the one controlling the traveler. He wants to make you aware of that. self-aware! venti, who makes you aware that he's aware of the fact he's in a game. He'll tell you that he wants to see the outside world, craving to be free. self-aware! venti, who one day appears in your room, playing the lyre, and you're not sure if you're hallucinating or not. You exit, and come back, and he's gone. Are you seeing things? self-aware! venti, who sings to you lullabies while you sleep, the tune a sweet one with words even sweeter, just like the poison that is his love for you. self-aware! venti, who makes appearances every now and then in your life. Not too many, but sufficient to question what you're seeing. No one believes you when you tell them it's him. What're you talking about? Venti doesn't exist. Wake up. self-aware! venti, who makes anyone who bothers you vanish with ease. Did someone hurt you? Are they pissing you off? Do you not want them around? He hears a word and he's off already. self-aware! venti, who starts leaving you gifts with short letters, each written note more disturbing than the last. self-aware! venti, who at last kidnaps you, dragging you far and far away, stripping you of the very thing he symbolizes: freedom. He claims and sings to you how free and liberated your presence makes him feel, yet you cannot help but ponder as you silently weep: what does freedom truly mean, if demanded of you by a god?

641 notes · View notes