scarletwritesshit

[scarletwritesshit]

Mobs of Teyvat is finally complete! You can download the zine for free here

[scarletwritesshit]

🎐 When The Wind Blows...

Tempest, a genshin RNG speedrun, is now available for free download

✧ 134 pages of illustrations and stories ✧ 43 survivors creators ✧ 3 moderators

Download at: genshinrngzine.itch.io/tempest

🖼️ @etaoira

[scarletwritesshit]

genshin impact has never been so back

✮ twitch - scarlet_nevermore

✮ bird app - @/crowdrxgon

✮ bluesky - crowdrxgon.bsky.social

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[scarletwritesshit]

a small preview of one of the works i wrote for the tempest volume of genshin rng hosted by @bycmykae!

check it out when it is released for free on the 8th

[scarletwritesshit]

🦕 Anaxa x Aglaea 🦕 Wire Monkey Theorem

Aglaea always thought that Anaxa’s obsession with the dromases was rather frivolous. In fact, it was almost comical to her. Dromas figures, dromas plushies, dromas pajamas…dromas nicknames, even.

Despite a scoff here and there from Aglaea, it never bothered her, truthfully. A love for such creatures, though common and utilitarian, inflicted no harm. There were far more pressing matters for her to pick fights with him over, such as, literally everything. Everything, they conflicted over, until the very end.

A short-lasting resolution, only for her beloved Anaxagoras to be the next to fall victim to the hands of fate. Though she was the one to set the stones in place on Anaxa’s path to the final destination, it was not done so without hesitation. So many words were left unsaid, and though they had managed to find a common ground and stand upon it together, lingering grudges cannot be settled as fast as one may wish.

Anaxa had not even a gravesite for Aglaea to visit in memoriam. Only one of many constellations in the Amphoreus sky was reminiscent of his legacy, and her only present option was to speak to these very stars and pray that he could hear.

“Anaxa, my dear Anaxa, your silence pains me so. Your sharp tongue has grown dull; humor me with one final witty remark, won’t you please?”

No response.

It was to be expected, as stars don’t have a voice of their own. Nevertheless, Aglaea felt uneasy with the lack of retribution. Never would her threads tremor at the jab of an insult under his breath, or catch a glimpse of him walking amongst the streets of Okhema.

The illuminated constellation would still be there to gaze upon her from the sky.

Aglaea wouldn’t be able to see his guiding light.

Remnants of his studies still lay scattered about the Grove of Epiphany.

Aglaea could not read the calligraphy for how it was written by him.

All she had left to cling onto were the memories of his voice slowly fading from what remained of her mind and the sensation of when their hands would accidentally brush amidst their scuffles. The one man who had managed to make her feel almost human again would be there to prod her no longer. If she claimed to have felt empty before, then at the present moment, she was nothing more than a shell of a former human being.

Anaxa was the only person Aglaea felt as if she could cling onto, regardless of her willingness to admit such. What little that was left of him was just enough to patch up the void within her heart. She forced herself to turn away from the stars that she could neither see nor embrace in her arms.

What living love of Anaxa’s that did remain, however, were the dromases. The creatures very much served their purpose of transportation, and thus Aglaea thought positively of them alone, but she had never bothered to interact with them much for herself.

On the contrary, Anaxa was obsessed with them. She had seen his obsession as childish, and a complete waste of time, though now the dromases were perhaps her only way of connecting with him at least one final time.

The dromases were not an uncommon occurrence within the city walls, a partial factor as to why she could not understand his fascination with them. Or perhaps, their commonness was indeed a factor as to why he was so obsessed with them.

Aglaea wished that she had asked him why. Just once.

Too late.

She had nothing left.

Just what he had left.

⋆｡°✩

She ran the palm of her hand down the side of the dromas's thick leg. Its scales were smooth and radiated a warmth existent only due to the ever-present sun.

In a way, it reminded her of Anaxa.

Everything was reminding her of Anaxa.

The massive creature kept its leg still, careful as to not accidentally crush her. Aglaea was prepared to duck out of the way in the event of a sudden movement, but the beast was surprisingly mindful of her smaller size. As she was gently stroking its leg, she felt the creature sniff her gently, then groaned out of curiosity.

"You still smell remnants of your beloved Anaxagoras on me, don’t you?"

The dromas growled gently and quietly. She had never bothered to communicate with them so closely, but already she could feel the sense of a mutual understanding. It nudged her very gently with its nose, as if to say yes to her question.

"You’re such an adorable thing. I would almost hate to say these words to you myself, though it’s not like you can understand me."

The dromas shook its head as if to say, Of course I can understand you, my lady! Aglaea smiled, then rested her head against its leg.

"Oh, you poor beast. Anaxa has regretfully departed from this world. He couldn’t even say his final farewell to any of you.”

The dromas growled, lifted up its head, and shook it no in disbelief. Aglaea could feel through her golden threads that the dromas was quite upset. It clearly did not want to believe her, but it was hard to dispute the integrity of her words when her body held such strong traces of his scent. She hadn’t enough experience with the dromases to be able to personally comfort them, let alone the single one she was leaned against.

The ones in the pen cried out once the realizations had struck them. Those who were strolling by stalled their travels in equal disbelief. Aglaea was being deafened by their grief vibrating throughout her strings. And she had no way of knowing how to silence it, thanks to her negligence.

It really seemed as if the dromases were more than just a strange fascination to Anaxa. The creatures viewed him as one of their own, and the love he held for them was all the equal.

Aglaea felt alive, but only alive with guilt.

Though unable to communicate in the same tongue, the dromas that Aglaea had clung onto had offered its condolences.

"I should be offering you my apologizes," she said, "for I was ignorant of just how much he cared for your kind."

The dromas seemed to understand that there was no harm nor foul intended by her actions. It nudged her as if to say it accepted and understood her apology. The threads that bound their communication together remained motionless. Could they even serve as a reliable indicator of a creature’s thoughts? She hadn’t bothered to question such prior. Aglaea would have to hope that the treads that bound the city were as reliable as always, upholding the same values of truth between Chrysos Heir and dromas alike.

It seemed to have accepted her rather quickly. Perhaps knowing of Anaxa’s scent helped her gain its trust. Aglaea let go of the dromas, and it protested by nudging its leg towards her. It seemed to be wanting her to act as a stand in for Anaxa.

She couldn’t do it. She didn’t even have a fraction of the knowledge as he did.

She had nothing left.

Not even her own humanity left.

Aglaea wasn’t even sure how much longer she was going to be physically around herself.

"I must leave now," she said, gently nudging the dromas away with the palm of her hand, "my duty calls, and the prophecy waits for no one.”

Unable to look back, Aglaea left the dromas pen. The dromas stomped its foot and bellowed for her return, but ultimately gave up and turned away.

During a rare moment of downtime, Aglaea once more paid a visit to the dromases. The gentle roar from the creature signified that it was delighted for her return.

"I know nothing, yet you are still delighted to see me?"

The dromas groaned in agreement.

"You are most aware that I cannot substitute as him, correct?" she said, lifting her hand up.

The dromas nudged her hand gently with its nose. It had grown quite fond of her touch rather quickly. A most curious behavior as her hands hardly felt the same as his, her body hardly had the same chill as his, and her body would no longer carry remnants of that scent of his.

It must be terribly lonely, Aglaea thought.

The others were eyeing her up with longing as well, and she could sense a void within their hearts that felt all too familiar. Sliding her hand off of the dromas’s nose, she walked over to the other ones within the enclosure, who looked at her with immense curiosity. They took turns investigating her, and all it took was a single sniff for them to accept her.

Anaxa’s presence must have provided them with a man and beast friendship that only he could bring, and they must have been under the assumption that Aglaea was capable of doing the same.

They were quiet.

They were gentle.

It wouldn’t wear away at her to spend even just a little extra time with the dromases.

"...I can at least come and visit you, should time allot to it."

The dromases stared at her in anticipation.

"Though, do be aware that I cannot serve as a true replacement for our beloved Anaxagoras."

Despite the dromases not being satisfied with her answer, they still retained a mellow tone. No true protests, nothing. Aglaea was starting to understand why he was so greatly fond of those creatures.

Though there was a mutual respect between Chrysos Heir and creature, something still felt...missing from their bond. The scales of the dromases naturally felt cool and smooth like Anaxa’s shell of a body, but they didn’t quite feel like him. Remnants of Anaxa were still present on Aglaea, but even the dromases weren’t blind to the fact that she wasn’t him.

All in all, it was a temporary solution. A bandaid laid upon shattered pottery. Even when such a realization fell upon Aglaea, she still continued to selfishly dedicate her time to the dromases, as a stand in for the comfort of Anaxa’s presence. As time carried on, despite Aglaea and the dromases having each other, it only seemed as if they all grew lonelier and emptier. She didn’t allow herself consciously to acknowledge that.

"It’s just as how Anaxa would have carried on," Aglaea claimed.

The strings in Okhema vibrated.

[scarletwritesshit]

thank you @ahllohehn for doing my new model art and @/rafmgd for the rigging!

both of them did a beyond fantastic job, so please show them some support as well!

[scarletwritesshit]

i do be back streaming

and i do be back with both a new pc AND a new model

✮ twitch - scarlet_nevermore

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[scarletwritesshit]

🌸 Introducing writer @scarletwritesshit !🌸

[scarletwritesshit]

looks like i have the gift of prophecy because....

AO3 got fucking scraped again for gen AI purposes!

AO3 got scraped for gen AI purposes again, a ton of works were included.

There's been DMCA requests and it looks like some/most? of it has been taken down, thankfully. Still. I highly highly recommend that everyone lock all their works to the archive right now. I can't force you to, but I strongly suggest that you do. Don't let them scrape your work in the future. It sucks losing guest interaction but. Would you rather feed the AI slop?

For people who guest comment: Make an AO3 account! You have to wait a bit for an invite but it's worth it i promise!!

For artists specifically: I recommend that you look into Glaze and/or Nightshade. There's also these disruption filters, it's not clear how well these actually work, but you're welcome to try them. Glaze is supposed to work best, though.

It looks like you can see the status of the datasets here

And how to submit DMCA or copyright violation

I'll say it again: FUCK AI THAT STEALS PEOPLE'S ART AND WRITING!!!!

[scarletwritesshit]

alien stage fanfic masterlist

Hyuna x Luka🌅the sun that would never rise

🌅Cross posted on AO3🌅

Luka's life flashed before his eyes. But this life looked a little…different. He had never experienced being this happy and carefree alongside Hyuna. Is this how things could've been? Was this the life he was robbed of by the cruel hand of fate?

-

Hyuna x Luka🩸Rule Of Beasts

🩸Cross posted on AO3🩸

Violence for violence. It's only fair. Kill Hyuna, and Luka will kill in return. Cause him pain, and he will strike back.

[scarletwritesshit]

🐉🐉 Introducing Scarlet Nevermore, one of our amazing writers! A handsome man enjoyer, Scarlet Nevermore enjoys characters such as Mortefi, Jiyan, and Brant! Follow them her on her socials @scarletwritesshit !

[scarletwritesshit]

what do you think of Brant from Wuthering Waves. he is just soooo your type!!!! i mean:

Insufferably charming.

A man.

gay

[scarletwritesshit]

🌼 Castorice x Mydei 🌼 The River Styx Blooms

Mydei strolled through the seemingly endless sea of purple flowers. He had one goal within this realm; to return to the living world before his body faltered and fell into Death’s cold embrace. No looking back, he promised himself, but he imposed no restraints upon himself in regards to gazing upon the flowers. As he kept moving forward, he noticed that despite his immense body weight crushing each blossom beneath his footsteps, never once did a singular petal crumble from his wrath.

He stopped and bent his knees down to get a closer look at these seemingly immortal flowers. In between his armored claws, he gently held a light-purple blossom. Those same hands of his that tore apart his foes with nothing but his brute strength now held a small, blooming flower most gently. Though, if he couldn’t even destroy them with the weight of his metal-clad boots, then perhaps his touch wasn’t all that special.

The glistening violet petals reminded him fondly of someone who had once walked closely by his side. Just as he held the petals in his hand, he held that young, violet-clad lady in his arms. In fact, he was the only one who could do so without surrendering his life.

The field of flowers reminded him of her. Same beautiful violet hues, same refusal to succumb to strife, same gentle embrace. In fact, he wondered if she was walking amongst him somewhere right at that moment. But he had no time to look back.

He must keep walking towards the living that still needed him.

Mydei stood himself up, or at least forced himself to. He wanted to take a flower as a sort of memento, but alas, he made the decision to leave them be. The living and the dead should not cross in such ways, and although he was a death-defying immortal, he wanted to respect that fact.

He kept walking forward, resisting the urge to turn back and see if she was watching from afar. Each and every one of Mydei’s footsteps were full of hesitation, as he didn’t particularly enjoy trudging upon those flowers that reminded him of a dear lover now-long lost. In fact, he didn’t feel as if he should even be permitted to gaze upon the beautiful sea of blossoms. His fear was that if his eyes became lost amongst the flowers, he would stray too far from the living with the memories of her still lingering strong. So, he looked down as he walked on.

Against his lower shoulder, he felt the tap of a hand too familiar. He stopped in his tracks, but did not look around to face her, despite it being who he had been secretly longing to seek out.

"I know it’s you," Mydei said.

"So stubborn to keep fighting, even in death," Castorice said.

"The living need me still. It isn’t my time yet."

Knowing that he was unwilling to turn around, Castorice walked around in front of him. She took ahold of his hand with two of hers, causing Mydei to look up from the flowers and meet her gaze. Upon the two of them making eye contact, the sorrow that they had been carrying had become clear to one another. No number of fake smiles or forced scowls could cover up the despair that weighed heavy in their hearts.

"Tch. Don’t tell me. I know you can’t come back to the world of the living," Mydei said.

"I have no desire to hinder your duties, my dearest Mydeimos, for I too, cannot depart from the path I have chosen. I just have...one request from you, albeit it is a very selfish one."

"Whatever it may be, I will fight for you, even in death."

Castorice giggled a little. "You refuse to let even death cause you to change, I see. Don’t worry, you don’t have to fight anything for me. I just...want you to stay with me, a little while longer."

Mydei looked away, not knowing how to respond.

"...At least until we further cross through the sea of flowers. But please, don’t look back. Not even once."

"As you wish," Mydei said, holding her hand tightly. Mydei still wanted to make his way across the nether realm with haste. Thankfully, his will had yet to falter, but now he felt as if he was anchored by something else.

Or rather, someone else.

He looked down at Castorice, who even as Death, looked as beautiful and radiant as he always knew her to be. She spoke not a single word to him and kept her eyes focused on the path ahead as they walked side by side. How he wished that he could stroll through the flowers with his fingers intertwined with Castorice’s forever

If he really wanted to, he could. By allowing his iron will to falter, and staying in the nether realm, he could stay with her. Forever.

No. He mustn’t. Not yet.

Allowing himself to stay in the nether realm would not only fail Amphoreus, but his friends, and perhaps Castorice worst of all.

"Lord Mydeimos. Your footsteps weigh heavy. Why do you hesitate so?" Castorice asked, still focused ahead.

"Why so formal with me, all of a sudden? Should I start calling you Thanatos from now on?"

"No need. It hardly matters what name you refer to me as, as I’ll always be your Lady Castorice."

"…My lady Castorice," Mydei said under a growl.

"Hm?"

"Truthfully, I don’t want to leave you. I know that duty calls for me in the land of the living, but leaving your side is difficult. Especially not knowing when I will be able to see you again, if at all."

"Mydei, I will always be waiting for you in this very field of flowers to guide your hand back to the living. And when Amphoreus no longer needs its heroes, I will welcome you to the nether world with open arms to rest in peace."

"Won’t you get lonely? Doesn’t this go against every vow I’ve made for you?"

"It’s not a divergence of paths. It’s more of like a... see you tomorrow."

"We’ll be lucky if there even is a tomorrow."

"Which is why I need you to return to the realm of the living and continue to fight on," Castroice said. "And… you promised to not look back."

"I never did. Not once."

"I can see you looking at me out of the corner of my eye."

So that was what she meant by to not look back. Mydei, clenching his jaw, took a deep breath and forced himself to peel his eyes off of her.

"You can do all of that, correct?" Castorice asked.

"For the sake of Amphoreus, and for the sake of you, I promise to not falter."

"That is what I like to hear," Castorice said with a smile.

A few more heavy steps later, she suddenly stopped behind Mydei. He saw the shadow of Castorice waving her scythe to call upon Pollux. But he did not turn back to look at her. He simply distracted himself watching the dragon as it descended before him, the petals of the flowers unbothered by the flap of its wings. Mydei waited for her to climb on, but she did not step forward.

"Aren’t you getting on?" he asked.

"You promised to not look back."

He wouldn’t even be permitted one final look at her as she guided Pollux to the living realm. Mydei reluctantly climbed onto Pollux, before the inevitable temptation to look back at Castorice lead to him faltering when he was so close to rising from the ashes. She climbed on after he did, and Pollux took off towards the sky of the nether realm.

Their trip skywards felt like nothing more than a blur to Mydei, as when he opened his eyes, he was laying on the ground somewhere in Styxia. He sat up and looked down at his hands. He wiggled his fingers, then pressed against his flesh to assure himself that he was indeed alive.

Rising from death always felt like stirring from an unpleasant dream. This time around, however, he felt as if he could lay down and rest for just a tad bit longer.

The embrace of Thanatos was far more pleasant than he had recalled. He almost felt guilty for denying the Titan the opportunity for eternal rest.

Alas, Amphoreus still needed its Lord Mydeimos. He stood up and dusted his robes off before beginning his trek back to the restless battlefield. As he passed by the flooded streets, he glanced down at his reflection in the water. That’s when he noticed something, and stopped in his tracks.

Intertwined with his braid was a flower of a soft purple color.

[scarletwritesshit]

🔫Aventurine x Caelus🔫One Life Or Nothing

A close friend of Caelus summoned him to the rails that overlooked the vast cityscape below. There he was, Aventurine resting by the guard rails spinning a revolver in his hand. Some sort of invitation to play a game, the gambler claimed. The purpose of it was left unknown to Caelus. With his luck blessed by the eyes of the Aeons themselves, Aventurine was sure to win, no matter how hard Caelus focused himself.

It could have been a blatantly obvious attempt at tricking Caelus into doing his bidding.

Yet, he accepted the invite anyways.

"I want to play a game, darling," Aventurine said.

That much, Caelus knew.

"Why do you have a revolver?" Caelus asked.

That much, he didn’t know.

"Because," Aventurine continued, "we’re going to need it."

"What kind of game could possibly entail a gun?

Still calmly spinning the gun in his hand, he continued, "For a friendly little game of roulette, that’s all. You can thank a little faraway nation known as Snezhnaya for the idea."

He flicked his wrist to the side and loaded in a bullet. One, singular bullet.

"The rules are simple. Give the revolver a little spin, and point it at your head. Pull the trigger if you’re feeling lucky."

"Lucky? I can’t possibly be lucky in your presence."

"And what makes you so sure that you know how my luck works?"

"It’s the only thing that makes sense. I lose the game, and you win whatever it is you want out of me."

"Being lucky doesn’t mean being a winner by default. What if the gun misfired, for example?" Aventurine said, spinning the barrel around. "What if we keep spinning and firing at ourselves for all of eternity, never once crowning the winner?"

"Then what is the point of the game?" Caelus asked, genuinely baffled by Aventurine’s logic.

"To test your faith in lady luck, that is all."

Testing his faith in luck with his life on the line was a tad bit extreme, Caelus thought. Surely, this man had some form of ulterior motive for resorting to such measures, but it was difficult to deviate what exactly his endgame goal was. An elaborate suicide, perhaps, to give the gambler a fitting final death? Or a most cruel way of taking Caelus out of the equation, permanently?

Aventurine was a dear friend of Caelus, that much was true, and he simultaneously told him everything and nothing about himself. Caelus knew many things that Aventurine would otherwise not share with his fellow Stonehearts, but without further elaboration as the topic would quickly shift. At the same time, common knowledge amongst the Stonehearts was unknown to Caelus, yet he knew just enough from his vague implications to formulate an idea on their operatives.

But this did not feel like a plan from the entirety of the Ten Stonehearts themselves.

And Aventurine refused to let on about his real intentions.

"Fortune favors you regardless," Caelus said.

"You don’t know that," Aventurine said. "Say, why don’t you go ahead and pick your reward? I’m feeling a little generous today."

Caelus might as well pick something pointless and unobtainable. Regardless if he won or lost, the other half of the party wouldn’t be present to carry through with the promise.

"Anything?"

"Anything."

"Then how about a date, or something," Caelus asked, half-jokingly.

"Very well," Aventurine said with a smirk, "and if I win, that means your life will be mine."

Caelus wasn’t sure if the implications of his own deal genuinely slipped his mind, or if it was all part of the act to remind him of the stakes at play. Certainly, one of them wasn’t living to see the end of the night. Unfortunately, tangling with a gambling addicted maniac putting his life on the line was not the dumbest decision Caelus had ever made. He looked down at Aventurine’s outstretched arm to see him offering the pistol.

"It’s only basic etiquette to let the guest take the first shot, is it not?" Aventurine said.

The two of them had different ideas of what kindness meant, clearly. Nevertheless, Caelus accepted the gun from his hand, and spun the cylinder. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and put it to his head.

He could feel Aventurine’s gaze pierce through him as he wrapped his fingers around the trigger and pulled it.

Nothing.

"See? You do have some semblance of luck after all."

Caelus wearily looked at Aventurine as he passed him the revolver. He spun it around without hesitation, as if he was enjoying such a morbid practice. Caelus wanted to seal his eyes shut, but it was just like watching a train wreck, and he couldn’t force his eyes off of him.

"See?" Aventurine said, pulling the trigger bringing nothing but silence. "A little bit of faith in fate goes a long way."

Caelus took the gun back and reluctantly took yet another failed shot at himself. Though they had hardly been playing, it had been enough to make him believe that perhaps, this man’s luck was stranger than he initially thought. Perhaps it was nothing more than a mere trick, and the gun had nothing to it.

As far as Caelus could tell, though, that bullet was most genuine.

He passed it over to Aventurine again.

Another silent pull of the trigger.

Back to Caelus.

There was no trace of hesitation when he pulled the trigger; so little reluctance leading Caelus to think that his finger slipped. The fact that the two of them had gone back and forth this long felt like a miracle in itself.

Back to Aventurine and another spin. He seemed to be getting a little too cocky for Aventurine’s comfort, but Caelus hardly had a reason to doubt him at this rate. He held the gun to his head, but didn’t pull the trigger quite yet, as if he was waiting for Caelus to say something.

"Nervous all of a sudden?" Caelus prodded.

"I have no reason to be," Aventurine said, "as I have yet to lay down my final hand in my biggest gamble."

His eyes were devoid of light and his smile was deprived of soul as he leaned over the railing.

Aventurine pulled the trigger.

Boom.

It was quirk burst, a brief flash, and happened too fast before Caelus could process the rapid happenings taking place before him. Aventurine's body tumbled off of the edge past the railing, and all that remained was a smoking revolver and a splattered stain on the ground.

Caelus had technically won. But what did he win? There was nobody left to fulfill his promise. There was...no more Aventurine.

Caelus had zero reaction out of utter shock and terror. He had witnessed it with his own eyes, yet refused to believe what he had seen. Had Aventurine’s luck chosen now of all times to ultimately turn on him? Was getting the death he craved his twisted idea of a jackpot?

He didn’t even have it in him to cry out in a panic. There was no one to cry out for. He would be wailing for a man whose life was taken in less than a fraction of a second.

So he just stood there.

Frozen.

Until a tap on the shoulder startled him.

Caelus whipped around to see Aventurine standing before him. No blood on his body, his head still in one piece, and looking surprisingly normal for a man of his nature.

"Surprised, darling?" Aventurine said with a sly smile.

Caelus looked back and forth between the railing and the living and breathing Aventurine.

"But I saw you fall off of Dream’s Edge!" he spat out.

"Say that again, but slowly."

"...I saw you fall off of...Dream’s Edge...oh."

Caelus had forgotten one rather crucial factor. They were in Penacony’s Dreamscape. Nobody can die in a dream.

"Would I have made such a deal at the cost of a friend’s life?" Aventurine said, walking over and leisurely kicking aside the puddle of light blue blood-like liquid.

"I wouldn’t put it behind you."

"You’re a cruel little darling," Aventurine said with a laugh. "But a promise’s a promise, no? You still technically won."

"You losing. Now that’s something seriously unheard of."

"Oh, I see that you still haven’t learned a thing about luck."

[scarletwritesshit]

new hsr patch means amphoreus's greatest shill is back in action

✮ twitch - scarlet_nevermore

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✮ bluesky - crowdrxgon.bsky.social

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[scarletwritesshit]

Louis Guiabern x Will🐍One Last Dance

🐍X. Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.

If Will swore on his life to decline, then at that very moment, he would’ve found himself six feet under. His resolve quickly faltered, as the chill from forcing himself towards the edge of the bed did a number on his small body. As the night dragged on, Will slowly gave in to inching closer and closer to the middle of the bed.

Louis seemed to have other ideas in his presumably half-asleep state. Will eventually nudged himself a bit too close to Louis, and that man wasn’t willing to let such an opportunity slip away from him that easily. As soon as his touch grazed upon the count's body, it was like he was caught in a mousetrap. Still in a sleepy daze, it took a moment for Will to realize the position he found himself in. Light enough to not cause harm to his body, yet still securely holding him in place, was Louis's arms wrapped around him. The least of his worries, being a bit too cold for his liking, was resolved, but a far greater concern arose at the same moment. He had to worry about being wrapped in the arms of the man he had been aiming to kill the entire time, who also just so happened to be a ruthless maniac beneath the mask he donned.

But at least Will wasn’t cold anymore.

It was not something that Will would dare to admit, but he felt it to be sort of nice wrapped in a warm embrace. He just wished that such comfort would’ve come from literally anyone but Louis. His body seemed to disagree with the argument in his mind, however. While his thoughts were disorderly, his body felt strangely at ease. To be comforted in the arms of a murderer, Will seemed to be hitting new lows every day for as long as he had been a part of that damned bastard’s ranks.

Perhaps the next morning, logic and reason will finally reach him. One would assume that to be the case, with him waking up strangely refreshed. Logically, wouldn’t it be most unusual to wake up feeling refreshed after resting in such close proximity to your sworn enemy? This thought had crossed Will’s mind for a fleeting moment, but was discarded upon him refocusing his attention on sacrificing his dignity to win Louis’s favor.

Every passing moment of time was invaluable, but one lost day of progress would not spell the end of the world. Tomorrow morning was always another day, permitted that Will made wise decisions the night before.

A wise decision being, once again choosing to climb into the bed with Louis. Surely, just one more night wouldn’t hurt. Will still remained exhausted from the days prior, and yet to fully adjust himself to the environment and the schedule.

Still not a word of Gallica’s whereabouts or her return, either, and loneliness was not something that he was accustomed to. Even if it meant being in the arms of his enemy, at least it was something.

The presence of Louis wasn’t the same, for more reasons than one. No late-night chatter spawned between the two of them. No deriving plans to save the world, or whatever it was that heroes talked about. Not even a peep of friendly banter until one or the other passed out. Just pure silence, with the exceptions of Louis’s soft breathing and Will’s eventual gentle snores.

In the strangest way possible, it was a pleasant change of pace. But it was also incredibly eerie. At least, when his mind was awake enough to consider the circumstances, it was eerie. Contrarily, the environment was most ideal to the average person about to fall asleep. Pure silence, nothing to distract him, and no possibilities of losing an hour or two to his fairy friend keeping him up.

And thus, he slept through another night, in the arms of Count Louis.

Slipping twice was rather unlike him, but it took longer than two nights to cover from days’ worth of exhaustion. Rather than spend the day searching every nook and cranny for even a trace of fairy dust, Will made the decision to spend his time rather leisurely. Perhaps then he wouldn’t be intoxicated by the super comfortable bed that just so happened to have a devilish tyrant resting upon it.

Another day passed as he awaited Gallica’s return. As Will was free from the eyes of Louis for the majority of the day, not a single thought of him crossed his mind. Come that evening, his mind should be free of any such intrusive thoughts.

Until he faltered yet again.

Will was running out of ‘there’s-always-tomorrows.” One morning after the next, he had woken up, wondering what he had allowed himself to do, and why. Most surprisingly, he had survived every night so far. Why not just, kill your competition while his neck was exposed right in your arms?

Maybe Louis did have some sort of dastardly motive.

Maybe Louis was truly adamant about not using foul play.

Or maybe, though the least probably out of all possibilities, Will was destined to become king one way or another, though he wasn’t likely to be pleased with the answer as to how and why.

Turning over to his side to see Louis still resting, Will wondered just how Louis actually perceived their nights together. Questions upon questions shuffled through his mind, and he wished that there was some sort of logical way for him to inquire without giving away too much of his intentions. It seemed unlikely for Louis to overthink, at least out of anxiety.

Theres no doubt that he had considered every possible outcome from every possible move of Will’s. Behind those cold blue eyes, he was analyzing every single minuscule action, planning his moves to counter Will’s should the need arise. Even in the mornings, when Louis was still waking from his rest, there was a stern aura of unflinching preparedness about him.

Will wondered how he did it. Well, when you’re one to get away with the murder of a king (probably), you’d know how to look out for yourself and cover your tracks.

He continued to bite his tongue. Just a few more days of toughing this out. And there was still no Gallica in sight.

Will had no real major reason to be concerned, at least not until it got closer to departure time without any real sign of her or his friends.

His plan of action for the time being would be to continue toughing it out with keeping his sworn enemy at arm’s length.

The bastard of a snake that he couldn’t stand.

The Count that he found himself falling asleep with yet again.

It was as if Will was making no effort to distance himself. Stupid, stupid, he thought. On one hand, their “bond” would deepen, and Will would be closer to discovering his rotten secrets for himself.

On the other, he really did not want to be close to that rotten snake in any way.

Will had grown deeply frustrated with himself, as he had a whole day away from him yet comfortably passed out by Louis as if they were long-familiar friends. Was his body trying to draw him physically closer? Well, he did need to be close. To kill him. But he couldn’t do that yet. Didn’t his subconscious know that?

Stupid stupid, he once again thought to himself. He was moving too fast, yet too slow, all in the worst and wrong ways. Granted, he still had some time. Hopefully. It was not like Louis was going to overthrow the kingdom after his first and last dance. Hopefully.

Another day passed, another night that Will had faltered.

More and more days of promising to be better tomorrow, meant less and less days cushioned in between then and the soirée.

Less than a few days were left, and lost past time Will seriously considered his course of action. He had hoped that by “valued guest,” it held the implication of Will having free run of the place, rather than being glued to the count’s side the entire time.

By the gods, that was one factor that Will had completely neglected to consider. What if Louis used this as an opportunity to lure him closer and closer into the trap of his embrace? Just the thought of being trapped in Louis’s hold…it was…embarrassing, to say the least. Embarrassing to let himself fail in such a manner, that was.

He wasn’t necessarily a fan of the thoughts accumulating in his mind. Will found himself getting worked up, for a most awkward reason of all things. Being near Louis physically, if anything, should prove to be a rather advantageous position for him. But he was flustering at the mere thought. So very badly. If only those thoughts and nothing more of such were causing him to slip, then he foresaw greater problems down the line than just his nerves forged in the poorest metal.

Will just had to keep telling himself that it was all for the sake of his plan…whatever it was. No shame in doing something a little…unconventional if it allowed for him stay to one step ahead.

But what if Louis was actually planning for such, and by manipulating Will into thinking this, he was the one who was one truly step ahead?

Damn it all to hell and back. Will was running for King of Euchronia. Not president of the chess club.  He should’ve really thought this plan through before going: Oh. Yeah. Sure. I’ll tear apart Louis’s forces from the inside out. You know. The genius military general turned ruthless count. Easy.

It wasn’t easy in the slightest. Louis managed to back him into a corner without truly laying a finger on him. And if he was losing the match before it could truly begin, then, well, he certainly had a major problem at hand, to say the least.

Will was truly at a loss on how to even begin to approach the situation. Or even what to do at that present moment. And the deadlines for his preparations, if one could even call them that, were fast approaching. Unfortunately, anything that Will could think to plan for, he knew that Louis would have a method up his sleeves to counter him, quickly and effortlessly.

As Will scratched his mind for answers, the wildest solution came to him. If he didn’t know what he was doing, then how could Louis possibly have the slightest idea himself? Take playing it by ear to the next level. Baffle him with his bullshit. If Will couldn’t even predict his own next move, then there was no way Louis would be able to.

Thar was also just a very elaborate way of saying that he completely gave up formulating a plan in time. Going with no plan, in a roundabout way, was a plan in itself. It was rather difficult to actually form a plan of attack with Louis looming over him at all time. At least, by going that route, it seemed like a relatively simple plan to uphold.

Just be on his best behavior.

Or at least look like it.

Will had been managing to do so this long. Why stop now?

Because I want to be a trustworthy king for my people, he thought. Kings don’t play it by ear. They have plans. They have ways to assure their people that everything will be fine.

He wasn’t king right now, at least.

But he was aiming to become one.

That is, if he could figure out how to take that snake out of the equation.

Which circled back to his initial problem of not having a plan.

Forget it. He wasn’t going to get anywhere frantically pacing around the inn trying to think of something. He just had to survive a soiree; granted he didn’t have Gallica’s help at the present moment, but Louis seemed to favor Will enough to spare his head, despite his questions that remained between them. No Gallica to help him, also meant no Gallica to hold him back from his ridiculous thoughts and fantasies.

And it would all cycle back to his curiosity in regards to the count’s fondness for him. A concept apparently too embarrassing and humiliating for Will to think about.

What a way for the savior of Euchronia to act.

And before he would know it, Will would be awoken earlier than usual by Louis nudging him in the bed with a smile on his face. The day of the festivities would arrive. And Will had completely wasted his time for preparations with his frivolous thoughts.

Stupid, stupid, he thought to himself.

[scarletwritesshit]

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Introducing our writer, Scarlet Nevermore!