#{astral express family!}— mutuals.

[rouecentric]

She is so silly 🥰

i just realised that stelle kinda looks like aponia and march 7th resembles elysia because of this picture for some reason..

[aventurineswife]

Following up from the post when the characters were sick, what if the reader got sick as well and now they're both sick?

When Weakness Brings Us Closer

Tags: Aventurine x Reader, Sunday x Reader, Dan Heng x Reader, Sampo x Reader, Sick Fic, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Caring for Each Other, Mutual Vulnerability, Slight Whump, Domestic Moments.

Warnings: Depictions of Illness, Mentions of Overworking or Stress as a Trigger for Illness, Emotional Vulnerability, Possible Light Angst (emotional moments, feelings of guilt, or unspoken tension).

The opulent room, filled with Aventurine’s usual flair for the dramatic—velvet curtains, golden ornaments, and dimmed lights—felt oddly claustrophobic. Both of you were confined to the lavish couch, a pile of tissues growing steadily on the ornate coffee table.

“You’re an amateur at this, you know,” Aventurine teased, his voice hoarse but laced with his usual wit. Despite his own flushed cheeks and drooping posture, he gestured grandly, a half-empty cup of tea in one hand. “This is why I warned you about staying too close to me when I was under the weather.”

“You were the one who wouldn’t stop bragging about your ‘impenetrable immunity,’” you shot back, sniffling.

He laughed, though it turned into a hacking cough. Aventurine’s usual flamboyance was muted by the cold, but his sharp eyes still held a spark of mischief.

“Well,” he rasped, leaning back dramatically, “if we’re both doomed to misery, we may as well make the most of it. Cards, perhaps? Or do you prefer a rousing debate about my unparalleled brilliance?”

You rolled your eyes but found yourself smiling despite your exhaustion. In this vulnerable moment, Aventurine’s charm wasn’t just an act—it was his way of making you forget the heaviness of your shared misery.

The room was unnaturally quiet, save for the occasional sound of Sunday stirring a cup of herbal tea. Both of you sat in the dimly lit chamber, his halo casting a soft glow.

“Rest,” Sunday murmured, his voice gentle but insistent as he handed you the tea. His usually immaculate appearance was slightly disheveled—his scarf hung loose, and his golden eyes seemed dimmer. Yet, even in sickness, he radiated calm.

You sipped the tea, grateful for its warmth, though your own fever made it hard to feel much else. “You’re one to talk,” you replied weakly, gesturing at his pale complexion. “You should be resting too.”

“I will,” he assured, though his actions betrayed him as he began fluffing your pillows. “Your health is more important.”

The care in his actions made your heart ache in a way no illness could. Despite his own state, Sunday couldn’t seem to stop prioritizing you.

“You’re stubborn,” you said, lying back against the pillows with a small smile.

“And you’re in no position to argue,” he countered, his lips twitching into the faintest of smiles before he settled into the chair beside you. “Let’s both rest now.”

The room was a mess—half-empty cups, discarded tissues, and an overturned bottle of cough syrup bore witness to Sampo’s less-than-stellar sickbed manner.

“See? Told you we’d be in this together,” Sampo said with a grin, his voice raspy but still filled with his signature charm. He leaned against the headboard of the bed you now shared, a blanket draped haphazardly over his lap.

“Yeah, thanks for that,” you muttered, glaring at him from your cocoon of blankets.

“Oh, come on,” he said, reaching over to nudge you lightly. “It’s not so bad. At least now you have me to keep you entertained.”

“Entertained? You’ve done nothing but complain about the soup I made!”

He chuckled, though it quickly turned into a coughing fit. “Hey, I’m just saying, next time we’re sick, I’ll make the soup. I’ve got this great recipe—secret family tradition, you know.”

You groaned, but a reluctant smile tugged at your lips. Sampo, even at his most annoying, had a way of making the worst situations bearable.

The Astral Express was unusually still, the usual hum of activity replaced by the sound of sneezes and groans. Dan Heng sat cross-legged on the floor beside the bed, his spear leaning against the wall for easy access even in his weakened state.

“You should be lying down,” you said, your voice scratchy as you shifted under the covers.

Dan Heng shook his head, his quiet determination as unyielding as ever. “You need the bed more than I do,” he replied, though his pale complexion and tired eyes betrayed his stubbornness.

“Dan Heng,” you said softly, “you’re not going to be much help to anyone if you don’t rest.”

He hesitated, his gaze flickering to yours. With a reluctant sigh, he leaned back against the wall, finally allowing himself a moment of reprieve.

“I just don’t like being… useless,” he admitted quietly, his stoicism cracking just enough to reveal a flicker of vulnerability.

“You’re not useless,” you assured him, reaching out to brush his hand lightly. “You’re here. That’s enough.”

Dan Heng’s lips curved into a faint smile, and for the first time since the sickness had struck, the weight between you both felt a little lighter.

[walpu]

I'm coming at you with the speed of thousand asteroids affectionately and hit you with a "your writing is awesome!"

Also, may I request an Aventurine x The Nameless!reader.

Thank you very much and have a nice day :D

Thank you so much for your kind words and for the request, it was so fun to write <З

Hope you'll enjoy it, have a good day as well 💛

Aventurine x The Nameless!reader

characters - Aventurine

notes - gn!reader, fluff, a bit of hurt/comfort. Once again, no beta. I'm so sorry.

Aventurine

Considering that the Astral Family and it's members are pretty well-known (everyone seems to know at least their names) he has probably heard something about you even before you first met him.

I can imagine your first meeting going like this: he casually approaches you, acting all buddy-buddy, and says something like "ah, mx , who knew I would meet you here of all places <З".

If your first meeting was during the Penacony quest get ready for him calling you "friend" in this sassy voice of his 💀 Yes Aven we all get it you don't have any actual friends calm down

Can imagine him trying to get closer to you by painting your potential partnership as something mutually beneficial. You could use a friend from the IPC, right? And he wouldn't mind having some connections with a "brave and honorable" Nameless. So why don't you join him for a glass of wine, hmmm?

When the two of you will eventually get closer this mf will get clingy af. Yeah I've mentioned it already in my previous post but you being one of the Nameless opens up so many new perspectives.

Visits you on the Express regularly. If he comes when you're not here, he'll wait for as long as he can for you to come back. Sadly, Aventurine is a busy, busy man. So he can't wait for long. Will leave small notes for you tho, to let you know that he was there but you didn't grace him with your presence

If you come back when he's waiting, Aven will play it off as if he himself just got there and didn't have to wait for you at all, saying somethin like "Oh look, here you're! And here I thought I would have to wait for you, haha. Seems like luck is on my side today~"

He doesn't want you to worry, after all. Also. He wants to save some face. Pom-Pom will rat him out anyway.

Speaking of Pom-Pom, they're probably sick of him at this point lol.

Would ask you about your adventures and listen very closely to every story you may want to tell. He can't help but smile softly while listening to you, he just loves seeing the passion in your eyes. Doesn't matter if the story is about you dragging the Trailblazer away from the trash cans in Belobog (or worse - admiring the trash cans with them), he will still look at you with the same adoring smile.

If you ask him what he's been up to during the time you where gone, Aven would simply laugh it off and say that his boring IPC stuff cannot compare with your bizarre adventures so it doesn't even worth mentioning. Reassure him that you don't care if it's boring, you just want to hear about his day regardless of how it went.

Sometimes he can't help but feel jealous. You're free to travel, to do whatever you want. You have this sparkle of excitement in your eyes every time you tell him about your travels. And he has nothing of it. Simply can't have.

He doesn't have any negative feelings towards you, of course. Mostly some bottled up bitterness toward his fate and himself.

He gets a bit lost in his own head every time he starts feeling this way. Please take his hand and invite him to join you during your next adventure. He will laugh softly and tell you "maybe next time, darling". Even if he doesn't know when this "next time" will come the thought of it, of you wanting to share your precious moment with him, fills him with hope.

Adores when you bring him small gifts from the places you've been. It doesn't have to be something big, really. Just the thought that you were thinking of him when the two of you were apart is enough.

Don't forget to send him pictures of yourself!!!! He wants to know how his dearest darling is doing even when they are freezing their ass off in Belobog.

Would sometimes surprise you by showing up on the planet/space ship you're currently staying on. Aventurine rarely can't stay for a long but he cherishes those short moments when he can just walk around and do nothing in particular with you.

Usually when he visits a planet it has something to do with the IPC's business so he only has time to do his job and. Well. Gamble. Maybe buy some new clothes too if he has enough time.

But with you he can actually explore the planet. You bring him to the local restaurants, small tea shops, seemingly small and insignificant places. But it’s places like these that reveal the real beauty of the planet. He slowly learns to appreciate it when you're by his side.

[sewersaga]

YOUR TEETH IN MY NECK- aventurine x foxian! reader

bee's masterlist

9.6k words. sorry (not)

warnings: female bodied reader with she/her pronounce, v v suggestive, mentions of past abuse (aventurine), alcohol usage, sexual cotent BUT NO SMUT, miners dni

Now that you think about it, you can hardly remember the name of that planet.

You remember the rustic hotel bar, the foreign music thrumming in your veins as you savored your drink. The setting was far different from the last planet you’d been on, but the welcome change of scene and the alcohol settled in your veins, leaving you antsy to learn everything the place had to offer. The others were off who knows where, probably sticking their noses in business that didn’t concern them, although, wasn’t it the nature of the Trailblazers to always want to play the hero?  And despite being one of them, and treasuring them like your own family, you preferred to get your kicks elsewhere. And who could blame a creature like you for craving a bit of chaos?

That night, chaos sidled up to you at the bar, ornately dressed and smooth as vermouth, gesturing for your drink to be put on his tab.

You don’t remember what you talked about initially, just that the conversation quickly devolved into one of barely veiled innuendo and mutual debauchery, although it was impossible to ignore the way he devoted his entire attention to you when you spoke. He fixed you with his stunning gaze beneath those rose tinted glasses, and you quickly began to wonder why he continued to wear them even inside the dimly lit room. The exchange felt like a masquerade of sorts, but you’d be lying if you said you didn’t find him startlingly beautiful and even more intriguing.

Although, it could be said that those with the most gorgeously deceiving outward appearances are the most dangerous. Surely, he was no different. Everything about him screamed well-dressed danger, but luckily for the both of you, your body seemed to crave it.

After a few more drinks, you decided to take proceedings upstairs to your room to avoid drawing any curious eyes. After all, a pink haired foxian and an ostentatiously outfitted blond would surely not be overlooked in a situation like this, and considering his deeply refined appearance, the man likely had a status to uphold. Namely, one that didn’t involve getting overly familiar with a petite fox eared woman out in public. Although you fit right in with the other foxes on Xianzhou, your species was rather rare on other planets, quickly allowing their residents to recognize you as an outsider. The man that kissed you hungrily against the door to your hotel room was clearly not a local either, despite sharing some common features with the native people.

Now that you think about it, he mentioned his affiliation with the IPC quite early on in the discussion, and it piqued your interest because he decidedly did not reveal his awareness of your affiliation with the Astral Express. Of course, it was only your first encounter with the man, so he had no obligation to reveal anything to you. Hell, you hadn’t even exchanged names. Still, he didn’t seem like the type to not speak carefully, and every word exchanged between the two of you that night seemed to further the gamble you weren’t yet aware you had a hand in.

Until hours later when you had thoroughly reaped the rewards of your shared win, the heartbeat of this stranger insistent beneath your cheek.  “Don’t get me wrong, I don’t regret a thing.” You craned your neck up to look at him, the shell of your ear brushing his face. “But you don’t even know my name.”

You felt him hum, amused, his arm lazily draped over your body. “Do you know who I am?”

The pieces had long since arranged themselves in your mind. You’d done your due diligence as an Express crew member to research the top brass of the IPC, and only one person fit this description. “Of course, Aventurine.” Just your luck to end up in bed with one of the Stonehearts, although his position meant nothing in the end. Not unless he wanted something more from you, which they always seemed to do. But the man seemed different somehow from all the others who ended up as blocked numbers in your phone after one breathless night spent together. You decided to chalk it up to the fact that he was by far the most attractive man you’d slept with in a while.

He laughed, a hand trailing ghostlike up your spine and you shivered. “You could’ve said that earlier.” His fingers came to rest between your shoulder blades, and if you were a stupider woman, you’d almost think he was pulling you closer to him. “Now I feel like a fool for not asking your name.” Noticing your sudden fit of chills, he pulled the thin bed sheets to cover more of your bodies, seemingly not realizing your state had nothing to do with the room’s temperature.

“Maybe you don’t know my name, but you know who I am.” You were simply bluffing, but he seemed to take you seriously. His hand drifted back down your body, landing on your hip, the warmth bleeding through to the bone.

“Wouldn’t that defeat the point of being a Nameless?” He asked coyly, and you giggled, ultimately unsurprised, adjusting your position so that you were practically laying on top of him.

“You do know.” He squeezed the ample flesh of your hip beneath his hand as you shifted, and a breathy sound escaped you, one you quickly swallowed upon seeing his smug expression.

It was his turn to shrug as he smoothed the skin with his palm in an insincere apology. “I didn’t. It was a lucky guess.”

You snorted, somewhat incredulous. Still, you’d indeed heard stories of the unbelievable luck of Aventurine, and the various schemes in which he’d lay his life on the line and still come out on top. “Some luck you have.” How bold a person would have to be to bet the ultimate chip, knowing that if they lose, it’s all over. Such recklessness, such utter disregard. What went through his head in those moments? You looked deeper into his radiant eyes, but saw nothing behind them but flagrant amusement and mild enrapturement.

“It’s sort of my thing.” He blinked, offering you a self-assured smile, and you began to wonder how much of that pretty exterior was all for show.

“Sure.” You allowed your body to relax on top of him, unable to stop your own train of thought despite what they say about curiosity and the cat. Perhaps the fox will be the one to be eaten alive this time, although the idea didn’t sound at all unfavorable. Suddenly, struck by an unpleasant notion, you sat up, catching his attention. “Was this all a part of some scheme to wager for our compliance?” You pressed a palm to his bare chest teasingly, and he chuckled lowly, the sound rumbling beneath your hand. “You’ve already gotten everything you’re going to get from me.”

“If I wanted your compliance, I would already have it.” His wandering hand found its way to your chin, tipping your head down to meet his gaze as he looked at you with those dazzling eyes, the kaleidoscopic hue like that of a rare gemstone yet to be named. “And I don’t make wagers that I’ll lose.”

You wondered if he could ever be categorized like a mineral, easily decoded by his most notable traits and studied beneath your curious gaze. They’re usually so easy to read, those lucky souls who get to share your bed. But true to his occupation, this man didn’t get to where he is by being transparent, and his eyes were as showy and incomprehensible as diamonds.

Perhaps he was about to say more, but your little exchange was rudely interrupted by the bothersome ringing of his phone, which sat face down on the bedside table. He sighed, his annoyance palpable, as he allowed you to dismount him, untangling himself from your limbs to reach for the device. Now shamelessly bare and suddenly cold, you rose from the creaky bed to grab your robe from where it lay discarded upon the chair in the corner. Funnily enough, you hadn’t noticed how noisy the bed was earlier, although you were likely far too occupied with other things to pay it any mind. You made a silent apology to the neighbors as you crossed the room, praying your crewmates were still out trying to save the world.

You didn’t bother listening to his conversation as you draped the cheap pink fabric around yourself, securing it with the thin band around the middle before making your way back to the bed, the mattress dipping beneath your weight as he hung up the call. You weren’t here for more information about the IPC after all, and you’d both gotten what you came for, literally and figuratively. You’d be the last one to care about whatever pressing business he had to attend to at this hour, although you supposed corporations like his own never really slept. Such was the nature of business, and those boring topics were of little interest to you.

It was quite hard to ignore, however, the way he began to dress, recovering his clothes from where the two of you had carelessly discarded them at the bedside. “Already tired of me?” You stood on the bed, making your way over to drape your arms coquettishly around his neck. “And here I thought it would be more fun if we went again, this time using each other’s names.”  You were only teasing, evidenced by the little sway of your tail behind you against the sheets, but if he agreed, that worn little robe of yours would be tossed back on the chair in an instant, and you’d be his for the rest of the night.

“It would be, wouldn’t it?” He laughed off your advances, but made no move to evade your loose hold on him. “But business calls, I’m afraid.” You figured this was likely routine for him, slipping out of strangers’ rooms in these ungodly hours to attend to whatever business he had to handle. Coming from any other man, it would almost certainly sound like an excuse, although you never let them stay long enough to brush you off. That wasn’t your style.

And thus, a desire to make him stay was ignited in you, an unfamiliar urge to be different from all the women he’d had before. “In the middle of the night?” Your voice was almost a purr, inching dangerously close to the shell of his ear. You were well versed in your craft, after all, and sure enough, you felt him tense momentarily beneath you, seemingly considering the idea before he relaxed, casting it away.

Unwilling to give up, your hand traveled across his chest, coming to rest in the spade shaped opening that revealed the bare skin of his chest. He sighed, seemingly reluctant to let you go, and you got the sense that this little victory was yours. “This job has its perks, but I’m on call at all hours.” He turned slightly to press a kiss to your jaw, and despite the hollowness of the gesture, you froze momentarily, coming to terms with the fact that you’d actually lost. “Where’s your phone?”

You removed your arms, sitting down on the edge of the bed, effectively defeated, and a little inexplicably shaken. “On the desk.”

He hummed in acknowledgment, picking it up and staring at the home screen for a moment. “Password?” You shot him a glance that hopefully conveyed how stupid the question was. He raised a hand in surrender, passing the device for you to unlock before pulling on his gloves with his now free hands. You handed it back to him, watching as he entered his phone number.

“Here’s my contact.” He pulled on that garish fur coat of his, throwing you a wink as he made for the door. “I look forward to our partnership.”

“Partnership?” You followed behind him, tail swishing with your movements as he lingered in the doorway. “Is that what this is?” How pathetic you probably looked then, a confused little vixen trying to convince a stranger to stay the night with her. This wasn’t how you usually operated, and the way he looked at you then made you realize that he could tell.

“It’s whatever you want it to be.” With that, he leaned down, kissing you chastely on the lips, lingering for a moment longer than a goodbye warranted. He pulled away, smiling almost fondly at your uncharacteristically stunned expression.  “I’ll be in touch.” You didn’t have anything else witty to reply with, so you watched him go, suddenly dizzy and weak in the knees despite what you’d let him do to you just hours earlier.

Yes, dangerous was certainly the first word that came to mind as he threw you a wave halfway down the hallway. Perhaps you were unable to categorize him like the rare and beautiful stone he is, but that fact was certain. That, and if he didn’t call you up again, you would find him yourself and demand answers. And you’d never felt that way before. And ever persistent, fate had its own plan for the two of you, and his good luck might rub off on you soon enough.

Sure enough, fortune weaved its fickle design, and your clandestine, if not brief, meetings continued for some time, in various hotel rooms. Of course, there were a few instances over the phone as well, ones you would coyly and unconvincingly deny if brought up by a fellow crew member who heard something they’d rather they didn’t. But you were always known for being quite shameless, and you didn’t mind the reputation. People could think whatever they wanted to think about you, for you were the only one who truly knew who you were. It was always that way, you supposed. No one brought up your past, for it was never relevant to the various smaller disasters your crew handled on a daily basis.

And if anyone noticed your occasional disappearances while docked on a random planet, or the way you’d return smelling of expensive cologne, or even the time March 7th stumbled upon an untouched pristine gold watch in your room, they never said anything. Knowing you, they probably assumed you’d spill the dirty details if prompted. And they wouldn’t be entirely wrong, although these tokens ultimately meant nothing to you, and sometimes made you feel cheap. You couldn’t stop him from buying you things, though, and if you got rid of them, he’d just send you a replacement. You supposed it was a nice problem to have, but you were certainly the wrong person to have it.

And despite your experimentation on the various other planets you stopped on, no one else made you feel that sense of vertigo he provoked when he kissed you. So until you figured out what that was all about, he wasn’t going anywhere. And if his affections towards you were anything to go by, he didn’t want to. Rather risky, indeed, but you’d always loved playing with fire, or so a certain general told you a long, long time ago.

But the past didn’t matter, nor was your future set in stone, and luckily for you, that damned gambler had found his way back into your life. Seeing him among your crewmates in the hotel lobby as you checked in rather than in a dimly lit room was a bit jarring, considering the fact he hadn’t exactly made a favorable impression upon the group. “You know this guy, [Name]?” March had asked then, confusion knitting her brow.

“We’re old friends.” He had responded immediately and naturally, and who were you to deny him? Perhaps your future was indeed preordained, for you realized that rather than wanting nothing to do with him, you wanted to see him more and more.

The day Alisa went missing was one of the worst days of your life, and in a lifetime as long as yours, there were plenty to choose from. You were docked upon the Planet of Festivities, Penacony, a stop that you were particularly excited for because of the pure indulgence that awaited you upon it. When Alisa failed to join the rest of you in the lobby that day, alarm bells quickly rang, for that committed and devoted girl would never neglect her responsibilities, much less leave you all to worry in her absence.

Delicate, white ribboned, and naively beautiful, you couldn’t stop thinking about the possibilities of what Alisa was being subjected to. You couldn’t help but feel like the sweet dream of Penacony allowed for the most depraved minds to thrive undisturbed in the shadows, and an angel like her would be swallowed whole in the dark syrupy quicksand of immorality. A self-proclaimed sinner like yourself would know these things from personal experience, understanding how easily your past can lead you down the path of an unfavorable future.

The relentless worry wrought your mind to no end. The girl went through enough in her life, and the last thing she needed was to be taken by someone who didn’t have her best interests at heart. As much as you liked to tease the girl (really, she was so easy to get a rise out of) you’d grown very fond of her, and her disappearance weighed heavily upon you.

You confessed this to Aventurine at the hotel bar, the interaction a twisted mirror of the night you first met, although this time your unrelated unease was palpable. Your fear for your friend’s life made it impossible to keep the walls up that you typically reserved for your dalliances with strangers, although the man beside you could surely no longer be considered such considering the extent of your relationship. Nevertheless, you felt like the heart you typically kept so shielded was now stitched to your sleeve. He watched you while you spoke of your concerns, his expression unreadable as usual, brilliant eyes glimmering beneath his glasses. “I can help, if you like.”

“You can help?” You were unable to stop yourself from scoffing, for what reason did he have to offer his help? Any loyalty he had toward the Express was due to some sort of yet to be revealed shared interest, and his not so covert extracurriculars with you. “I appreciate your concern, Mr. Aventurine, but what sort of command do you have over the Dreamscape that would allow you to find my colleague?”

He raised an eyebrow, adjusting his sunglasses. “Mr. Aventurine? Your friends aren’t around, so you don’t have to address me as such.”

You tilted your head, almost mockingly. The stress had seeped far into your bones, and his inability to speak directly, although alluring in the bedroom, was presently getting on your last nerve. “Why? Does it bother you?” He simply smirked handsomely, and you plucked his glasses from where they rested on the bridge of his nose, momentarily stunning him. “Answer my question, Aventurine.” You placed them on your own face, praying they conceal your true emotions like they did for him.

He raised an eyebrow at you, amused, but making no move to take them back from you. “None.” He shrugged, sipping his drink. “But I have my suspicions, and you know even my guesses are seldom incorrect.” How dare he be so cavalier when your friend’s life is on the line? You didn’t know if his reckless betting was a part of his true nature or a symptom of a far more concerning ailment, but you lacked the patience to investigate any further at the moment being. “How odd for Miss Alisa’s disappearance to coincide with the death of that man’s sister.”

“You’re awfully confident with that assumption, aren’t you, gambler?” You returned his grin with one of your own, although not without a bit of fang and venom. You tipped the sunglasses down to look at him properly, hoping he wouldn’t call your bluff. “And if you help us, what’s in it for you? I seem to recall you saying you never make deals where you’re on the losing end.”

“Your memory doesn’t fail you, sweetheart.” He spoke with a laugh, his voice dripping with something that made you squeeze your thighs together in remembrance of all the prior times you heard that sultry twinge in his tone in a far different setting. You raised an eyebrow at his audacity, ignoring the urge to take him upstairs to vent your frustrations when there are far more pressing matters at hand. “But don’t worry, I know where I’m not wanted. I’ll leave you and your friends to your own investigation, but don’t say I didn’t offer.”

Your ears lowered with mild displeasure, exposing your feelings about his statement despite your eyes being hidden behind his rose tinted shades. “The others won’t be too pleased if they found out you came to me. They don’t fully trust you as is.” The worst part of your foxian nature by far is your body’s propensity towards revealing your true emotions when it’s in your best interest to conceal them. Surely it would make you a horrible gambler, although it’s only one of many reasons why you would never try your hand at a game.

He cocked his head at you, that stupid lazy grin still at home on his face. “And you do?”

You sighed, a sound laced with self-hatred, because the way he was looking at you almost had you reeling. How weak of a woman had you become that all a man need do is look at you to get you worked up? “I didn’t say I did. But I’m far more familiar with you than they are, and I’m telling you to stay out of it.” Perhaps you could attribute your current state to the alcohol you consumed? More research was certainly needed in order to find a way to become immune to this man, for that’s all he is. He’s just a man.

“Fine, fine.” You’ve known so many men before, but this one infuriated you when he waved you off, and despite trying to maintain a calm facade, your ears lowered even further. He fixed you with a mirthful look in response reaching out to run a gloved hand through your hair, his fingers lingering at the base of your ear. You tried to remain outwardly impassive, but your body betrayed you, leaning into his touch as your ear twitched pleasantly in response. “Don’t let this put a damper on your stay. I’m sure she’ll turn up soon enough.” He raised himself from the barstool, heading off to who knows where, and leaving you sufficiently flustered. “Later.”

Your phone went off a few moments later, and of course the asshole had sent you the price of your drinks and a couple ten thousand credits more. Tip the bartender as much as you like, but I sent more than enough for you to have some extra spending money. You stared at the screen in confused distaste for a moment before another message came through. Oh, and keep the glasses. They look better on you. You didn’t need his charity, and you sent him a message letting him know in no uncertain terms, but he only sent you more money. He was impossible to reason with, and that’s why you found yourself resenting him, despite how undeniably alluring you found him.

And despite everything going on, you had half a mind to not text him back right now to meet you in your room in ten, if not just to return those stupid sunglasses. Although in all honesty, that would be the last thing on your mind were you to be alone with him.

But as sure as the prodigal son’s return, Alisa turned up, having been held gently as a dove in the bleeding palms of none other than Sunday himself. Despite her long absence, she showed no signs of physical or mental trauma, and on the contrary, she seemed just as gentle as before, draped in the finest silks Penacony had to offer. Something didn’t make sense, but of course, Aventurine’s suspicions regarding that man were entirely correct, leaving you to regret brushing off his help so readily. Perhaps if you hadn’t been so quick to cast him away, you would’ve found her quicker, although something told you she wouldn’t have been ready to leave. But despite the complicated logistics of the situation, one fact was certain in your mind: anything Sunday had been forced to let go of was left with claw marks from his controlling grip.

And perhaps control was a form of love? You wouldn’t know, but the notion was entirely ridiculous to you, that the thorns that bound Alisa to him could’ve been born of anything else but a desire to possess. Still, when you looked at Alisa, you saw no sign of claw marks, nor thorny brambles. She was just as unmarred as the day she left, and that confused you even further.

Before you left that hedonistic heaven of a planet, however, you found yourself knocking on Aventurine’s door for answers. After all that had happened, you’d learned far more about him than he was willing to tell you himself, and you became even more convinced that all of the smooth-talking and flaunting of wealth was overcompensation for a deep-seated sense of worthlessness. It upset you deeply, because as much as you told yourself you had no reason to care for this man, for this almost stranger who shared your bed, you still worried for him.

What made him different? Was it his dangerous beauty, his immense wealth, or his cavalier nature? Or perhaps, it was the way he touched you like you were worth every single treasure in the world? It didn’t matter, because that meddlesome little feeling in the pit of your chest wasn’t going away any time soon, not until you got the answers you sought.

Aventurine had really gone and done it now. Destroying a cornerstone was sure grounds to be demoted, if not fired completely, but a break wouldn’t necessarily be the worst thing to happen to him right now. Maybe he’d get lucky and they’d do away with him altogether. He could only hope as much.

Penacony was a disaster, sure, but the IPC had gotten what they wanted, and there were certain colleagues who would undeniably be on his side through this flaming pile of shit whether he wanted them to or not. And in all honesty, he hadn’t expected to be around long enough to see the aftermath. So how was he supposed to go about living when he never intended to continue in this twisted labyrinth in the first place? How was he to live in a world that took everyone he ever loved from him? If this was what it meant to be blessed, then he truly was given a shitty hand.

But then, there was you. He hadn’t seen much of you since your friend’s sudden disappearance, and he could tell the event had shaken you to your core. In fact, something told him you were even more torn up about it after her return. Of course, he made sure you were aware he’d be here to comfort you in any way you needed, but was that really what he wanted from you?

That was the tricky thing about being a gambler. You have to always know what you want out of the game, or else your efforts are pointless. And Aventurine could not remember a time that he ever knew what he truly desired. Even when he was younger, his focus was always on survival, on buying and selling, being bought and being sold.

Still, he could hardly consider whatever he exchanged with you pointless. In fact, some of the moments he spent with you were the only times he felt any semblance of meaning in a very long time. You made him feel like a person rather than a trading chip, and perhaps that was what he never knew he wanted.

He’d met up with you once more before the shit really hit the fan, sitting beside you on the couch in your hotel room as you apologized for being so harsh with him when you rejected his help. He wasn’t sure what happened to change your mind, but you seemed earnest, far more than someone like him deserved. He had certainly overstepped in your moment of vulnerability, but he really had wanted to help you for nothing in return, a fact that surprised him just as much as it did you.

Despite your shared proximity, his arm draped lazily around your waist, you hadn’t shared more than a few kisses. The situation felt far more intimate than the typical nature of your relationship, and before he left, you took his face in your palms tentatively. “Be safe, alright?” 

The tender exchange was so unbefitting of the both of you that it took him off guard. There were always moments like these between the two of you— touches that lingered for a few moments too long, shared glances amongst a group. These instances threatened to thaw something within him that froze long ago, and it was scary. He had to disregard everything, to forget you, if he wanted to bring the grand mirage that was Penacony to its end by bargaining the most significant chip he had left.

In the Dreamscape, that twisted version of himself told him to die without regrets, and he thought he made his peace. He told himself that you would be better off without him, that you were simply two planets that orbited the same sun for a time, nothing more, nothing less. Of course he knew it was a fib, but in his world, lying was a form of survival, even if the one he was fooling in the end was himself.

Despite his fortunate foresight, however, he hadn’t expected you to seek him out before the Express left Penacony, considering the way things ended. However, as he sat contemplating what the future he never thought he’d see might bring, there was an insistent knock on the door of his room.

“Why do you do it?” You questioned him the moment he opened the door, his guard still somewhat down. He blinked, surprised, as you waltzed past him into the room, visibly agitated.

“Hm?” He quickly resumed that easygoing air of nonchalance that you were used to from him, watching as you approached the Dreampool, your gaze fixed upon its bubbling surface to avoid his gaze.

“Risk your life for the possibility of zero reward.” You hesitantly turned back to face him, the pool’s aquamarine glow lighting you in a way that made you look divine.  “That’s not a very wise gamble.”

He chuckled softly, unable to conceal the fondness that crossed his face when he looked at you. “The phrase ‘wise gamble’ itself is an oxymoron, sweetheart. If we were wise, we wouldn’t be gambling.” He approached you, hoping his words would be enough to dispel the concern on your face. “In a game of chance, the one who comes out on top is the one who has the most to lose.” You really did have a horrible poker face, and as much as he would love to bring you along to a game or two, you’d probably accidentally reveal his entire game plan with a few poorly timed twitches of your ear.

And like clockwork, your ears lowered as your expression soured. He envied you for a fleeting moment, the way you couldn’t hide a single thing you felt. “That’s just stupid.” He wondered if he would ever be able to live like that, with his heart on his sleeve. But in his experience, being able to express one’s feelings was a death sentence. Better to swallow them down and gamble with his words, doing everything to hide that imperceptible twitch of his hand that threatened to betray his self doubt.

He shrugged, turning away from you so he wouldn’t have to see that expression of yours. “Maybe to you, but it’s my livelihood.” Any moment longer under your gaze and he’d ruin his game, he who never faltered. You were quiet for a moment and he took the opportunity to move to the couch, casually sitting down and patting the spot beside him for you to join him.

You did not move, remaining in front of the incandescent Dreampool like a goddess. “You have so much more to give. Information, money, power. Why resort to the ultimate sacrifice?”

“Those things are worth nothing to others. But my life?” He paused, and you raised an eyebrow. “Well, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” And despite the statement being disguised as a joke, it was probably the most honest he’d ever been with you.

He watched as you blinked at him in mild surprise, your fangs threatening to reveal themselves along with your mild annoyance. “You’re kidding me, right?” You moved purposefully towards the couch, before suddenly taking the opportunity to straddle his lap rather than sit beside him. “How can you look me in my eyes and tell me your life is worth nothing?” At his non-response, you leaned in so you were face to face, your noses almost touching. Your eyes were wide and watery, and he hesitated again, taken off guard by your sincerity. “Go on. Look at me and say it.”

And surely, it had to be you who was joking. There was no reason for you to care about him. There was no reason for him to hold any sort of value in your life, for if he did, he would have let you use him however you wanted long ago with zero question. He would do that for you, and perhaps he would even do anything for you. But he still could not, for the life of him, figure out why you were looking at him like your world would collapse if he disappeared.

He sighed, responding with a question of his own. “Why are you upset with me?”

You snarled, an expression he’d seen you direct so many times at others, but never him. “Why do you think?” You were visibly angry and hurt all at once, although he feared you hurt more for him than for yourself. And he felt it was so terribly unfair that you felt obligated to waste your time on a former slave with a raging inferiority complex despite having so much to offer yourself.

“I’m sorry, [Name].” He hadn’t expected those words to leave his mouth, and it seemed that you hadn’t either, for your eyes widened, and the tears that threatened to fall earlier began to spill down your cheeks.

Despite your tears, you scoffed bitterly. “Why are you apologizing to me? You’re only hurting yourself.”

He took your face in a gloved hand, wiping a stray tear with his thumb. “You’re the one crying.”

“I’m not—” You pulled back, looking at his finger, moistened with your teardrops. Your hand came up to touch your face, and you laughed bitterly, leaning back upon his thighs. “Maybe you’ll finally listen to me.”

“I want you to listen to me.” He spoke gently, afraid of upsetting you further, but still wanting to say his piece. If you continued to worry about him, you’d be the one ending up hurt, and didn’t he promise not to involve anyone else in his schemes, to keep them all concealed to protect the ones he loved? “What happens to me has nothing to do with you. I promise, everything will work out in the end. It always does.” He tried his best to sound jovial, reassuring, but you were a smart woman, and you weren’t buying this gamble. He sighed, thinking of the people who died because he failed to protect them, the lives he’d taken to prove his own worth. He couldn’t bear to add your name to the list.

“Is it so hard to believe that your life has value to someone?” The notion made him falter completely, and you had effectively called his bluff, beating him at his own game. Honestly, he would be kind of proud if the situation weren’t so grim. “Do you want to die, Aventurine? Do you?” You took it one step further, hitting terribly close to home.

When his future self confronted him in that dream, he essentially asked him the same question. Whenever he had to make a gamble, the thing that meant the most to others, and the least to himself, was his life. How was he supposed to think any differently when he’d always been seen as nothing more than something to buy or sell? He was free of those bloody shackles that enchained him, and he would never again be looked down upon like that. But he still wasn’t certain exactly what he planned to reap from life now that he was free.

So he told that man, the one who looked just like him, that he’d know the answer once he got to where he was going. And since that moment, he had been to death’s door and back, and you were still here waiting for him. You sat on his lap now, weeping for him. Perhaps it was a sign from the universe, an omen pointing him in the right direction. But Aventurine no longer believed in the power of the universe, the same one that had taken everything from him.

So what else was he supposed to do except leave you before he destroyed your life even further? His non-response was the only answer you needed, and your annoyed demeanor quickly deflated into one of sadness and defeat before you climbed off of him, smoothing your clothes. “Goodbye, Aventurine.”

Naturally, things didn’t end there when it came to the happenings on the Planet of Festivities. Everyone with skin in the game had their own agenda, and the Astral Express was not an exception. Luckily for you, though, the crew needed someone to stay back with Alisa as her impromptu jailkeeper to ensure she didn’t leave the Express. No one expected you to volunteer, for you had been the most excited to explore everything the planet had to offer. But you had admittedly less important matters on your mind that you had to think through.

And Alisa seemed to be taking her protective punishment quite well, for she still buzzed around the Express doing her daily tasks, and cooked all of your meals happily. She clearly sensed something was wrong, for you were unknowingly horrible at concealing your own sadness, and doted on you as a result, although you couldn’t help but think it should be the other way around. And despite her nature causing her to behave pleasantly, Alisa still wore her sadness upon her back like her own personal cross to bear.

Despite being such a typically talkative woman, you and Alisa often sat in silence those days while your crewmates wrapped up affairs on Penacony, curled into each other on the couch while she gently stroked your ears. It was the nature of a Foxian to enjoy a pet or two, and you lavished her attention, but not before explicitly warning her not to tell a soul.

And day after day, the jailbird still sang sadly, peering out between the bars of her cage with a melancholy look upon her delicate face. The girl was always prone to lovesick contemplation, but for you, this was all so very new, and every sensation was unfamiliar and raw. You found yourself deeply thankful, however, that you weren’t alone, and Alisa’s penchant toward pondering loves of the past and present began to wear off on you.

What made this situation different? You’d ended affairs before, both concisely and messily, but never had you cried over someone who you crossed paths with, and never had you walked alongside someone for so long that you’d grown to care for them. Never before had you tried to nullify someone else’s self destructive tendencies, because never before had you stuck around long enough to learn who they truly were. And despite what his actions had told you, there was still so much more you didn’t know about that man. As you sat beside Alisa, tears silently streaming down your face, you were embarrassed.

Every time you allowed your own heart to cloud your judgment, it led to your downfall. You forsook your own family back on the Yaoqing, and for what? A man who wouldn’t even look your way after he got what he wanted? And perhaps Aventurine had received what he desired from you, and was now willing to throw you to the wolves in favor of clawing his way down to hell, and that had nothing to do with you. Time heals all wounds, and soon enough, you’ll have forgotten all about him, and he will have ruined himself by his own hand. And if the notion made you sob a little harder in Alisa’s arms, it was entirely unrelated to him, nothing but a byproduct of your own stupidity.

As you let her brush through your tail with an antique jade comb, the soothing motion coaxing your deepest anxieties out into the open, a new fear came to mind. Before, maybe you were alone, but you never once felt lonely. But now that you were no longer in contact with the one person you thought you could connect with on a deeper level, you suddenly worried that you would never be able to feel that way about someone else. Once the words left your mouth, you regretted them, for Alisa’s ministrations with the comb halted. “Don’t speak as if he’s dead.”

You scoffed. “He wants to be.” You spoke bitterly through the thickness of tears lingering in your throat. Alisa hummed before continuing to brush your fur.

“He’ll be back.” She reached down to pat your head, and your ears twitched in a combination of annoyance and resigned enjoyment. You turned back to face her, your eyebrows furrowed in suspicion.

“What makes you so sure?” She offered you a small, knowing smile, the expression right at home on her face. You envied her ability to be so hopeful on your behalf despite being in a state of bereavement herself. Despite your own jealousy, it endeared her to you further.

“I know a lot about these things. He won’t stay away from you for long.” She ran a lithe hand through your now smoothed tail, passing you the jade comb. “He can’t.” You wished you agreed with her, but a small part of you prayed she was right, and that much like the quickly escalating situation on Penacony, things between you and Aventurine wouldn’t end here.

And after tensions boiled over, and the rest of the crew had sufficiently resolved the volatile situation, Alisa’s predictions came to fruition. The first thought that crossed your mind just three days later, when you opened the door to your cabin and saw Aventurine standing there, examining the antique fox statue on your nightstand, was that the Astral Express really does welcome all passengers. “What, do you have a work assignment on the Express or something?” Trespassing was certainly frowned upon, although the sight of him amongst the trinkets of your room wasn’t necessarily unpleasant. All of that to say that someone had to have invited him aboard, and it certainly wasn’t you. “Gonna gamble us out of every last credit we’ve got?” There was a hint of mirth to your tone, but it did little to mask the unease that you felt in the moment.

He’d told you that day through his actions that he wanted nothing to do with you, content to throw himself down a spiral of self-hatred and despair. If that was what he desired, it was fine by you, for you refused to stand by while he destroyed himself even further. And when you found yourself sobbing into your pillows for days on end afterwards, you told yourself you were only angry with yourself for feeling this way, not the fact that you mourned his absence or anything like that.

The man standing in your room like a ghost from the past turned to face you, his eyes murky as if snapping out of some sort of trance. He threw you a lazy smile, clearly unable to read your demeanor. “Something like that.”

You sighed as the door shut behind you, making no move to venture any further into the room lest this be another dream. “Why are you here?”

He shrugged, laughing almost nervously as he tentatively approached you. “Well, the IPC did want my head on a platter for a minute there, but everything’s resolved now.” He looked down at his shoes then, biting his lip momentarily before meeting your gaze again with those brilliant eyes of his. “I figured it was high time for me to make some personal calls.”

And how difficult it was for you not to crumble before him right then and there.

You steeled yourself, although you were subconsciously inching closer to him when you spoke. “And this is the first stop on your victory tour?” He swallowed, looking down at you as you stopped just centimeters away from him, so much so that you could smell his expensive cologne from where you stood. “Congratulations, you got your job back, what does that have to do with me?”

He smiled once more at you, although the expression was absent of the usual venomous honey that typically accompanied it. “Those friends of yours called me. They were really worried about you, you know.” He gently placed a gloved hand on the side of your face, and like clockwork, your body leaned into his touch. “I owe you quite a few explanations.” He kept it there for a moment, feeling the heat of your cheek against his clothed palm, before bringing it back to his side hesitantly.

Effectively placated, you blinked up at him. “You don’t owe me anything, Aventurine.” Your tone was missing its usual bite. How many times had you imagined this moment before cursing yourself for being so pathetically hopeful? Whatever happened between you was brief, ending because you cared far too much for a man who couldn’t care for himself. But maybe, just maybe, something within him had changed, with you as the catalyst.

“On the contrary, I think I owe you everything.” He responded sincerely, and his tone was unlike anything you’d ever heard from him before, except in those quiet moments the two of you shared when the rest of the universe was fast asleep. Those multi-colored eyes glimmered at you like a kaleidoscope, and the feel of his hand against your face lingered upon your skin like a phantom sensation.

“What are you saying?” Despite your nature, you had come to accept that you were weak before him, even though he had never asked you to be. And like himself, something beneath your exterior, far behind all the walls you put up to protect your own heart, made itself known whenever he touched you, and stirred a fire in your chest that you thought died out long ago. You decided to give him a chance, taking his hand gently in your own and leading him to sit beside you on the window seat. Once you were comfortable, he didn’t let go of it, instead resolving to intertwine his fingers with yours.

“I’ve thought a lot about our conversation that day. It seems there’s a lot more I need to come to terms with about myself.” He paused then, and you sensed that he was preparing to give you everything he had to offer, this particular gamble oddly innocent. “I’m sorry that I hurt you by involving you with me. It wasn’t my intention.” Your eyebrows furrowed at his apology, but he squeezed your hand just as you were opening your mouth to object. “But I want you by my side. Every day.” His gaze bored into your own, intense and earnest, as his characteristic smile dissolved, emphasizing his sincerity. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”

You were silent for a moment, and he took the time to bring your hand to his lips, brushing them against the soft skin. You let out a breathy laugh, and he met your eye, smiling expectantly. “You’ve really got to stop apologizing to me for things that aren’t your fault”

“And your answer?” He lowered your hand, decidedly not unlacing his fingers from yours. He laughed in a self-deprecating manner. “You can say no. I won’t be offended.”

“Yes.” You answered with zero hesitation, for it was the response that resonated in your soul. He could’ve asked you anything in that moment, and you would’ve responded affirmatively because you knew you were too far gone. There was still a long way to go in terms of communication between the two of you, but you were willing to try for him, if only to preserve the way you felt when he looked at you like that. “I’ll stay by your side, if you stay by mine.”

“Of course.” He pulled you to him until you sat atop his lap. “I’d never dream of leaving you again.”  A hand ran through your hair before he leaned in, his lips meeting yours sweetly. Despite how many times you’d been in this situation before, your entire body felt like jelly as you kissed in front of that window, his hands finding purchase at the base of your hips as yours wound around his neck.

You pulled away reluctantly, looking him in his eyes. “Do you promise?”

He leaned in, stealing one more kiss from you, ignoring your protests at his delayed response. “I promise.” He pressed his forehead to yours. “And when have I ever broken a promise?”

You giggled, a bit delirious from the way he kissed you. “You haven’t exactly made me many promises.”

“Then let this be the first. I’m not going anywhere.” He grabbed at the fat of your backside much like he did the night you first met, although this time there was a far more possessive undertone behind the action. “And neither are you.”

“I wouldn’t plan on it.” And perhaps you had a possessive nature of your own, for when you kissed him again, you had every intention of marking him as your own, of sinking your fangs into him until the only name he remembered was your own. Or, perhaps, you were getting a bit ahead of yourself, but the way he was moving beneath you told you he wasn’t at all opposed to the idea. “Shall we seal the deal?”

He nipped at your bottom lip as he reluctantly parted from you, that alluring grin of his cementing your intentions.  “What did you have in mind?”

You threw him a teasing smile of your own, although the way your tail swayed behind you in anticipation betrayed your want far more than your words did. “I have some time to spare if you do.”

“You have my complete attention, darling,” He spoke smoothly, his honeyed words ghosting your lips. “What do you want from me?” You giggled. Was he really going to make you say it? Well, no matter. You told him in no uncertain terms exactly what you wanted him to do to you, and he did it, because he would happily do anything and everything for you. And afterwards, when his deft hand pressed against your spine amidst the formerly pristine sheets of your bed, you knew he wanted you even closer to him than was humanly possible, because you wanted the exact same thing.

And wasn’t that new? Knowing just what the other wanted, and doing everything to make that happen? Perhaps that was what love was all about. You weren’t sure, you thought it might be something like the way his fingers laced through yours as you pressed your forehead to his, your tail moving insistently and pleasantly against your bedsheets.

Aventurine could not decipher the looks on your crewmates faces as you sat beside him on the couch in the parlor car, fingers interlaced with his, as if you hadn’t just told them that he would be accompanying them to the next stop on their voyage. “So? Aren’t you guys going to say anything?” You smiled at them, although not without a hint of fang, as if daring them to object to your decision.

“Of course.” Himeko spoke, that blessed, caring woman. “The more the merrier.” Her response and the warm smile that came along with it seemed to placate you sufficiently, although Aventurine still felt horribly out of place. But he got the feeling that wherever you were, he’d fit in just fine. The others responded with varying degrees of welcoming affirmation, although it was very hard to ignore the way Stelle and Alisa were elbowing each other and giggling to themselves, and even harder to ignore the threatening looks you were sending them. He turned to you, smiling fondly, and as you looked back, squeezing his hand, he realized this was the most at home he’d felt in a long, long while.

“Well, where to, then?” You diverted your attention back to Himeko and the rest of the crew, subconsciously leaning further into Aventurine’s side.

The group all shared a look, and you raised an eyebrow as if to ask what the hell is that supposed to mean? Finally, Stelle, ever the menace, opened her mouth. “Well, while the two of you were occupied, General Jing Yuan invited us back to the Luofu to attend the Wardance Ceremony.”

A sharp, sudden laugh escaped you, presently ignoring Stelle’s pointed comment about what the two of you had been up to. You didn’t seem to care what the rest of the crew knew, so neither did Aventurine. It was a rather freeing mindset to have. “The Wardance Ceremony? Been a long time since I’ve heard about that. I suppose I’ve been traveling with you all for too long.”

Himeko chuckled good naturedly. “You don’t seem to have any complaints about that.”

You offered her that pretty grin of yours in return, fangs peeking out. “Oh, believe me, I have none. Are we going?” There was that shared look again, before March 7th nodded. “No way. You guys must be itching for a fight then. It’s mostly martial arts contests.”

Alisa smiled, coming to sit down beside you. The girl seemed to have recovered well from her stint with the Family, and Aventurine found it nice to see her up and about. So much so that he even let go of your hand to allow her to take it, although you settled further into him to compensate. “Have you ever competed?”

You snorted. “Nah. Do you think I’d stand a chance there? It should be fun though.” You shrugged, your tail beating with anticipation against his leg, and he exhaled mirthfully at the fact that you didn’t seem to notice.

“Mister Aventurine?” Alisa craned her neck to see around you, making eye contact with him. He hesitated, not expecting to be addressed so directly by any member of the crew. In fact, he’d been ready to be treated as just an extension of you for a while, something he really wouldn’t have minded much at all.

As such, he shrugged in a way he hoped came off as nonchalant. “Well, seeing as I’m the newest guest, my opinion shouldn’t mean too much in the grand scheme of things.” You scoffed, elbowing him. Right. Whenever he would say something that edged too close to the line of self deprecation, you would let him know in no uncertain terms.

“As long as you’re traveling with us, your input is important.” You turned back to him, taking both of his hands this time. You shot a pointed look at the rest of the group, a warning to comply hidden in your tone.  “Right?”

The crew murmured in agreement, although they didn’t seem to harbor enough ill will towards him to ostracize him from the rest of the gang. He sighed inconspicuously, the sound edged with relief. “Well, it certainly sounds entertaining. I’m down.”

Stelle grinned deviously, and he prepared himself for the worst. “Good. Because we already decided to go while you guys were holed up in your room.” A slightly less direct reference to the hours he’d spent with you prior to making the decision to come along. He’ll take it.

You groaned, reaching out to swat at her legs, which she quickly avoided as if used to it. Knowing you, she probably was. “What was the point of asking us then?”

“Inclusivity.” She snickered, and Alisa jumped up off the couch to join her lest she too be within your radius of swatting.

Himeko smiled fondly at your antics, and Aventurine decided he could get used to being a part of this family, albeit an extended member. “Let’s set off then.” He’d made many gambles in his life, but staying by your side was by far the easiest and most advantageous decision he’d ever make.

[mothersdarling]

Your f/o loves you. She loves every inch of you. Every bump and bruise, scar and divet. She loves the things most other people love about you like your eyes and your hands. She loves the things most other people don't, like your teeth and tummy. She loves your heart and she is enamored by your soul. Your personality and your sense of humor turn her tender. There's not one inch of you or one aspect about you that she isn't completely fond of. Even on your bad days. Even on your bad weeks and months. Your f/o loves you deeply.

Tag list:

@rowenasdarling

@fo-plushie

@astral-express-family

Let me know if you want to be added to my women centric f/o post taglist, mutual or not! Don't be shy ^_^

[rouecentric]

om!nightbringer isn't done yet, but the og game is!! so good luck trying to finish those games 💀

can we finish obey me both games with little to no sleep? in like two days-

[astral-express-family]

Follow the #1 Familial Enjoyer!

Hi there, I'm Fate! I can be your unhinged lesbian mutual who's having a gender party!

I'm the #1 Familial enjoyer I love my found family teehee

My main f/os are my wife Phone Gal (FNaF), my little brother Bennett (Genshin Impact), and my brand new found family the Astral Express Crew (Honkai: Star Rail)!

[moonsoulastrology]

Key Concepts to The Twelve House's

1st House- Ascendant

○Naturally associated with Aries and Mars.

●The lens in which we perceive the world thru.

●The focus we bring into our lives.

●The kinds of functions most valuable to discovering our own unique identities.

●How we meet life in general.

●The effect we have on others.

●The atmosphere of our early environment.

●Indications of our physical vitality and appearance.

●The facet of universal being that seeks to express itself through each of us.

2nd House

●Naturally associated with Taurus and Venus.

●The attachment of our identity to the body.

●Our innate wealth.

●Giving ourselves more definition, boundary, and shape.

●Money and material world.

●What we value.

●The desire - nature.

●Resources &/or attributes that give us a sense of value or self-worth.

3rd House

●Naturally associated with Gemini and Mercury

●Mental ego

●Development of language

●The ability to distinguish subject from object.

●Left brain processes

●Mental style

●Exploring immediate environment

●Naming and classifying things

●Relativity - how we compare to what is around us; how these things compare and relate to one another.

●The context of how we view the immediate environment.

●Siblings - the bond, what we project into them.

●Relatives - aunts, uncle, cousins.

●Neighbors

●Early school experience

●Writing, speaking, information exchange.

●Short trips

●Growing up years in general( ages7-14).

4th House, Imum Coeli

●Naturally associated with Cancer and the moon

●Integrating the mind, body, and feelings

●self-reflection of consciousness and assimilation of experiences from houses 1-3.

●maintaining the individual characteristics of the self

●What we find when we retreat back into ourselves.

●our inner base of operations.

●home

●what we're like in private

●ancestral roots

●the influence on us from family and origins.

●psychic ability to tap into the past

●empathy or intuition

●early home atmosphere and conditioning.

●qualities from our ethnic and ethnic origins.

●influence of the hidden parent.

●how we end things.

●conditions surrounding the end of life.

5th house

●Naturally associated with Leo and the Sun.

●wanting to distinguish ourselves as special or unique

●wanting to excitable our area of influence

●children

●sex

●play

● creative/artistic expression

●personal flair

●romance

●hobbies, sports, recreation, gambling, pleasures

●inner child

●having something revolve around us

●what our children are like or what we project onto them

6th House

●Naturally associated Mercury and Virgo

●health issues

●relationships of inequality

●Craftmanship, attention to detail

●body mind connection

●small animals

●daily routine, daily rituals, mundane activities

●discrimination and selectivity

●reducing things to parts (left brain activity)

●relationships to the hired help &/or employees

7th House-DC

●Naturally associated Venus and Libra

●connecting with others

●mutual commitment based relationships

●marriage or significant other

●open enemies

●what we project onto our partners

●the lower courts

●what we bring into relationships

●learning how to assert individuality into relationships (platonic, love, business)

8th House

●Naturally associated with Pluto, Mars, and Scorpio

●shared finances

●that which is shared between people

●inheritance, taxes, banking, investments

●destroying old and opening new ego boundaries

●taboo, occultism, supernatural, ability to tap into psychic energy

●Transforming raw, primordial energy

●death; physical and ego- identity(transformation)

●self-regeneration

●sharing resources with the planet

●relationships as catalysts for change

●Astral plane

●divorce

9th House

●Naturally associated with Jupiter and Sagittarius

●searching for meaning, purpose, direction

●the higher mind, intuitive thought processes, and workings(right brain)

●religious or spiritual styles

●philosophy

●long journey or foreign travel

●the god image

●symbol making capacity of the psyche

●codified systems of collective thought

●teaching, publishing, preaching, promotional work

●relationship to in laws

●possible indication of career

●what pulls is forward

●our view of life's journey

●higher education and journey of the mind

●higher courts

10th House - MC

●Naturally associated with Saturn and Capricorn

●integration of the self into society

●profession, vocation, or career

●status in life

●how we approach work

●needs for achievement or recognition or praise

●ambition

●the image of the shaping parent

●authority figures and government

●what we feel the world requires of us

●structures and systems

●atmospheric condition we encounter thru career

11th House

●Naturally associated with Uranus, Saturn, and Aquarius

●social reform and causes

●group consciousness and interconnectedness with all life

●hopes and dreams; goals & objectives

●friendships, circle and type of friends- how we behave with them

●sensitivities to new trends and currents in the atmosphere

●the urge to become something greater than we already are

●identifying with something larger than the self

12th House

●Naturally associated with Jupiter, Neptune, and Pisces

●wanting to return to original state of unity

●merging with something greater than the self

●dissolution of boundaries

●meditation/ prayer

●karma

●hidden enemies - external or internal

●the umbilical effect and life in the womb

●escapism

●what we feel may redeem us

●empathy, compassion, confusion, or nebulousness

●psychic abilities, access to the collective unconscious, mythic images

●beliefs, causes- spiritual or religious

●Delusions

●influences from things we don't remember

●energies which can sustain our undo us

●mental health

#ZodiacHouses #Astrology #AstrologyCommunity

[self-ship-haven]

Random Promo (because I can!)

Hello there! My name is Lyra Starfall! I go by they/them for simplicity, but you can reach out for my neos!

My main f/os are:

Lyney from Genshin Impact (the magician and his assistant | lyney) Not comfortable sharing!

Nicole from Bistro Huddy (sarcastic service | nicole)

Haley from Stardew Valley (my beloved rich girl | haley)

and Sebastian Solace from Pressure (fishy love | sebastian solace) Not comfortable sharing!

I’m currently eagerly awaiting the date in which Sebastian and I will get married!! (09/20/24)

I’m looking for mutuals that we can gush about our f/os with! Don’t hesitate to reach out if so!

No proshippers are allowed in my blog and if you dare to interact with me, I will block on sight. Get out; you are not welcome here.

Hope you enjoy my blog!

—Lyra ✨

—

Tag list! (Reach out if you would like to be added/removed!): @cheskisser69 @childeproof @voxkisser @astral-express-family

[mcx7demonbros]

HSR OC: Klein

Made with this Picrew

Name: Klein

Species: Vidyadhara

Gender: Male

Age: 168 (around early 20s by human age)

Path

Remembrance (lore)

Erudition (gameplay)

Type/Element

Ice (from the Path of Remembrance)

Imaginary (gameplay)

Religion: isn't loyal with any Aeon but worships all of them

Titles

Evil Overlord

Emanator of Remembrance

Relationship:

Sunday (boyfriend)

Robin (sister-in-law)

Sabbath (son with Sunday)

Abilities

Cloudhymn magic (E) - knows how to use as an educated Vidyadhara but not adept at all.

Light Cone making (S) - expert at creating Light Cone as Emanator of Remembrance. Most of his powers are deprived from using Light Cones.

Story

168 years ago, Klein came out of a Vidyadhara egg and he was raised on the Xianzhou Fanghu. The fact that he couldn't perform Cloudhymn magic well disappointed a lot of Vidyadhara because his previous incarnation, was a powerful cloudhymn magic user.

Klein didn't feel any strong attachment to the teaching of the Hunt or the Xianzhou Alliance and its fight against the Abundance, he left the Xianzhou growing up, bringing with him things necessary to return for his next reincarnation.

Klein became the Evil Overlord who rules an evil faction himself after spending years to build it. He used his faction to do evil deeds across the galaxy. He had a strong desire to preserve memories of the reactions of people suffering because of his evil deeds. Fuli granted him THEIR grace and he became an Emanator of Remembrance.

Klein's faction came into conflict with the IPC and suffered a crushing defeat. His faction is dispersed. Klein and his most trusted subordinates fled to Penacony, the Planet of Festivities. To stay at Penacony without having to pay because he had lost nearly all his wealth, Klein signed a contract with Sunday, according to which, he would have to fulfill Sunday's "needs". The relationship developed into something more than that and they became real lovers.

As a Vidyadhara, Klein can't have children. However, Klein and Sunday created an Memetic Entity as their child. Their son could only exist in dream, but Klein, as Emanator of Remembrance, used his memories with his child in dream to make him a real entity that can live in reality.

Does Klein know what happened in Penacony Trailblaze Quest?

Yes. He wanted to help Sunday because he loves him, but Sunday didn't allow him. Klein spent most of his time spying and protecting his son.

What is Klein's relationship with the Garden of Recollection?

Their relationship is amicable even though Klein is not a member of the Garden of Recollection.

Klein's opinions on some Factions

The Astral Express - Klein has positive opinion on the Astral Express. If he hadn't become an Overlord, he would have joined the Astral Express and became a Nameless.

The IPC - Klein hates the IPC with a burning passion. However, that doesn't stop him from getting along with some IPC members, such as Aventurine or Topaz.

The Family - aside from Sunday and Robin, Klein is mostly indifferent with the Family. In the conflict between the the Family and the IPC over Penacony, if he absolutely had to choose, he would pick the former.

Garden of Recollection - amicable mutual relationship. The Memokeepers respect Klein because he an Emanator of Remembrance.

The Cremators - Klein despises the Cremators and considers them heretics who have deviated from the Path of Remembrance.

[rouecentric]

Roue roue roue can i request something:D ??

Go ahead!!

[aventurineswife]

Clingy vidyadhara reader x sunday like that one picture of the snake wrapped around the bird that went viral a while back lol

“Let it be for now”

Summary: In a moment of quiet solace aboard the Astral Express, Sunday and you, a newly-reborn Vidyadhara, find comfort in each other's presence. Still adjusting to your second life after a harrowing transformation, you lean into Sunday, seeking warmth and connection. As you sit together in silence, Sunday reflects on the fragility of the dream he is striving to create, while you share a quiet understanding of the need for mutual support. In the intimacy of your shared space, both of you find peace, if only for a fleeting moment.

Tags: Sunday x Vidyadhara!Reader, Emotional Comfort, Fragile Relationships, Rebirth, Intimacy, Soft Moments, Vulnerability, Connection.

Warnings: Light emotional themes, Subtle tension in personal boundaries.

A/N: I don't think I've seen it... 😭

The gentle hum of the Astral Express echoed through the hallways, the rhythm of its motion almost soothing in its predictability. Yet, in the quietest corners of the train, a different kind of stillness lingered. Sunday, the ever-dignified former leader of the Oak Family, sat on a plush seat by the window, his eyes staring out into the endless expanse of stars, a far-off look on his face. His wings were tucked neatly behind him, but there was a subtle tension in their soft, silver feathers that suggested they were not at ease.

You, a newly-reborn Vidyadhara—still adjusting to your second life after a harrowing hatching—sat beside him, watching his every move with a quiet intensity. Your newly emerged form, still tender and unsure, craved the warmth of connection. The world seemed vast and overwhelming after the transformation, your past lives slipping away like fading echoes, leaving you disoriented and fragile. But Sunday’s presence, though often aloof, was a constant comfort. There was something about the way he always seemed to be there when you needed him, as if he understood the loneliness that came with being reborn.

And so, here you were, curled up beside him, your sharp, pointed ears flicking every now and then in the silence. There was no need for words; you simply leaned into his side, seeking solace in the warmth of his presence.

Sunday blinked, his gaze softening as he glanced down at you, his ethereal halo flickering slightly in the dim light. A small, imperceptible sigh escaped his lips.

"Are you... comfortable?" he asked, his voice gentle, as if not wanting to disturb the fragile peace.

You nodded, a slight smile tugging at your lips. You were small in this form, vulnerable, and in need of comfort, a stark contrast to the powerful, graceful being you once were. But in Sunday’s presence, you felt safe, as though he was a protector of sorts—a keeper of dreams, as much as you were.

You shifted closer to him, your tail curling slightly around his waist as you sought a more secure position. Sunday’s wings twitched in response, and though he rarely showed it, you could tell that he was struggling with the pull of your proximity. His natural inclination to distance himself clashed with the undeniable softness of your touch.

Without warning, you pressed your head against his shoulder, feeling the warmth of his skin through the fabric of his clothes. His breath hitched ever so slightly, but he did not pull away. Instead, his arm instinctively wrapped around you, holding you close as if the very act of doing so brought him peace.

"You know," Sunday began, his voice low and contemplative, "the dream is fragile, isn’t it? The world we hope to create… sometimes it feels like I’m holding onto something that could slip away at any moment." His fingers gently brushed through your hair, his touch careful and deliberate. "But with you here… it feels like maybe, just maybe, there's something worth fighting for."

You nuzzled closer to him, your own thoughts spiraling in a similar direction. You too struggled with the weight of your rebirth, the dissonance between your past lives and this new existence. But in his arms, those fears seemed to dissipate, leaving only the warmth of the present moment.

"I think… I think we both need this," you murmured, your voice barely a whisper, the soft vibration of your words blending with the hum of the ship. "We need each other to keep the dream alive. Even if it's just for a little while."

Sunday's expression softened, and for once, the calm facade he wore seemed to break just a little. He leaned his head against yours, closing his eyes as the quiet intimacy wrapped around you both like a cocoon. His wings fluttered ever so slightly, brushing against your cheek as if to acknowledge the shared connection.

"Then let it be," he whispered, his voice barely audible. "Let it be for now."

In the silence that followed, you both found comfort in each other’s presence, a fragile peace settled between your hearts. The stars outside continued to dance, and within the safe confines of the Astral Express, the two of you held onto that fleeting moment—a moment of warmth, of connection, of hope.

And perhaps, just perhaps, that was enough.

[threecardtrick]

“plots please” {Likely for Boothill, but if you have any other muses in mind, you’re free to talk abt them, too!}

boothill: - something.... penacony. thomas at the very least chills in penacony in his free time so ??? encountering each other would be possible at the time of the story chapter. - alternatively boothill's ranger duties leading to some how planet/wherever that thomas is currently at as per a job for the ipc. either working against other or both having a common mutual enemy and working together? dr. ratio: - another annoying ipc person that he's forced to work with for whatever reason because of guild related stuff lol - i feel like thomas does actually end up involved with the guild more so than other ipc people because he does have a genuine interest in knowledge? like if not for his ambition (and impoverished circumstances), he very likely could have ended up in the guild luocha: - (pre-xianzhou i guess), if he's a traveller/foreign trader, then thomas perhaps helping him get passage to ... wherever, or helping him acquire something(?) gallagher: - probably wouldn't work with my normal verse but instead a total au, but like: thomas hired by the oak family/sunday upon his suspicions that gallagher is behind the murder. thomas "tagging along" as "help" with gallagher while secretly watching him? welt/astral express people in general: - ipc tag along! (the astral's new "friend" lol/liason), particularly as relating to the astral express' shares and/or the coordination/trial of sunday (since the express is all witnesses... so testimony, etc needs to be recorded... thomas is the law department lol). wise: - no plot i just love zzz lol sad man rents movies for the nostalgia

[salty-dracon]

Honkai Star Rail 2.2 Liveblog

Link to 2.0 Liveblog

Link to 2.1 Liveblog

In which I joke about something funny I want to see in the boss fight, and lo and behold my wishes are granted.

Before we begin, a quick recap of 2.1...

After Aventurine and Black Swan save us, Aventurine entices us to accept his help in dealing with the Family and reveals that his goal is to bring Penacony back to the IPC. Black Swan asks us to be careful of his intentions, as well as of Acheron, who she believes is dangerous (hmm i wonder if this has anything to do with the big gay rondo). She also gives us a playing card which we can use for something. We then contact the Astral Express family to inform them of our safety.

A pair of interlocked flashbacks reveal how Acheron's fight against Sam went, along with her fight against Duke Inferno. Acheron said she knew that her fight was not against Sam, knowing who was under that armor (Firefly), and that there was something deeper at work. Whereas Duke Inferno willingly gave his life to protect those of his children.

After meeting up with Himeko, March, and Welt, we exchange information. We come to the conclusion that Robin's murder was targeted while Firefly's was likely more impulsive. They discuss the goals of the various factions including the fact that there's no evidence that if you die in a dream, you die in real life as well as the tense political situation. We all agree that the Family is hiding something, and decide to officially ally with Aventurine of the IPC in order to get to the bottom of it all.

After the group separates, Acheron meets up with Welt and the two discuss a potential alliance with each other as well as the meeting with Black Swan.

Meanwhile, Aventurine (after a dream about his sad past) decides to follow Sparkle's advice of befriending a "mute", especially after the confirmation that something has been strange about Robin for a while. He and Dr. Ratio follow a summons/hearing to the Dewlight Pavilion, where Sunday is. While trying to recover his Cornerstone (artifact that lets him tap into the power of an Emanator), Sunday uses his Harmony powers to get into Aventurine's head and erode him from within while interrogating him about the danger that the Cornerstones pose. Once the interrogation is done, Sunday informs Aventurine that he has 17 hours to live, and says he'll consider letting Aventurine live longer if he manages to dig up some useful information about Robin's murder. A flashback reveals that Ratio seemingly betrayed Aventurine to Sunday by revealing his plan to smuggle his Cornerstone into Penacony. However (and I don't remember if Ratio was in on it) Ratio double-double-crossed Sunday and actually aided Aventurine's plan to smuggle his Cornerstone into Penacony by making Sunday think he'd already foiled Aventurine's plot to smuggle the Cornerstone in.

Welt and Acheron continue their discussion, bringing up the systemic issues baked into the dreamscape as a result of people hunting down their dreams in a place they will never be realized. Then, they spend a large amount of time discussing HI3rd lore. I don't know anything about that, but it's clear that Welt met an alternate Acheron (Raiden Mei).

Black Swan goes to Acheron's room in the Reverie to find her invitational music box, and wants to use her powers of Rememberance to find out its history. However, she realizes that the memories of the music box have been tampered with (theories say it was the Enigmata) and Constance of the Annihilation Gang (supposedly. enigmata and all) contacts her. A few minutes later, Boothill calls Acheron's phone. Black Swan asks Boothill what Acheron is, and his reply is "an emanator who should not exist"- an emanator of Nihility. The two decide to team up.

Aventurine is in dire straits after a time limit is put on his life. He bids for Sparkle's attention, and Sparkle offers him a "mutually assured destruction" button that will blow up everything.

While hunting for clues about the case (and running into Those IPC Guys From Belobog, Topaz and Aussie 'n' Friend), TB alongside Himeko and March decide to (fuck with Blue Hair's mind and) ask the security officer. After tracking down Gallagher, he takes us back to the Dreamjolt Hostelry, where we meet THE COOLEST HALOVIAN LESBIAN EVER AAAAAA!!!! (at which point i seriously began to suspect gallagher of being the murderer for really stupid reasons). Chatting with Gallagher we learn that the Watchmaker is the enemy of the Family and there is someone out there who has taken up the Watchmaker's name (Misha, the invisible bellboy).

Gallagher takes TB, March, and Himeko to the Clockie Studios Theme Park where he explains that Clockie and his friends in the Clockie animation are based on real life people who fought to free Penacony from the IPC. The Nameless were among the battle. He reveals he's one of the Watchmaker's followers, he's Thirteen (Death, the 13th tarot card), that the traitor is most likely someone in the Oak family, and then leaves.

Welt and Acheron go to Dewlight Pavilion to investigate Sunday on their suspicion of the Family being responsible for at least some of this. They find a list of victims (seemingly random) followed by a letter from Robin where she explains that there might be a traitor in the Family, followed by a letter asking for Sunday to stop misappropriating funds to track down Death, followed by a list of Family members and their physical traits and features (its significance is that Gallagher has copied some part of all of them, and Acheron realizes this). Then, Sunday shows up and explains that the IPC is not responsible for Death. He warns them away from the truth.

On the streets of the Golden Hour, Aventurine is NOT having a good time as visions of his past self and his future self follow him around and recount his horrible past - born to a tribe called Avgin on the desert planet of Sigonia, he was blessed with extraordinary luck from Giathra Triclops. After his mother, father, and older sister ended up dying from a battle with another tribe, he was enslaved and branded. He was later sold to the IPC and has worked for them since. Now, wishing for the grandest death, he begins his preparations.

Welt and Acheron reunite with TB, March, and Himeko. They are lured by Aventurine to go to the Clock Studios Theme Park stage. There, Aventurine harnesses his Cornerstone to gain the power of an Emanator and threatens to fight the Nameless to the death. However, as he unleashes his final attack, Acheron steps forward and with one instantaneous sword slash, kills him.

In a voided space, Acheron and Aventurine have a chat, where she mentions that this entire gamble by the ever-lucky Aventurine was really just to prove that death exists within the Dreamscape, by publicizing his own death in a way no one could ignore. She reveals that her blade has carved the Harmony out of him. A note from Dr. Ratio reminds him that death is not impossible in the dreamscape, but dormancy is. And with Aventurine now supposedly dead (we do not believe he is really dead), he is free from the IPC.

Trailblazer, whose consciousness was also blasted away by Acheron's attack, wakes up deep in the Dreamscape, where they find Sam wanting to talk to them. Sam reveals that he has tried to talk to the Trailblazer a few times already, and then reveals the ultimate truth- that he is Firefly.

Meanwhile, Gallagher walks into Dewlight Pavilion, where he is confronted by Sunday. Sunday reveals that he knows who the killer is, and that Gallagher is a minion of the Enigmata who stole the traits of all of the Family members (oh god is he even real LOL). Sunday demands an answer as to why his sister had to die. Gallagher's answer is "it's fate playing a cruel joke on us", before his weird dog Memory Zone Meme Something Unto Death kills Sunday too.

Theories

uuuuuuuuuuuh i got none this time. sunday threemouths at least once before he hits us with the boss fight. i guess. :3

Actually...

Sunday, Robin, Firefly, and Aventurine aren't dead. As stated before, Something Unto Death captures souls and traps them in a nightmare in its boss fight, which it probably also does to people in the Dreamscape. That's why the bodies of all four are probably comatose in the real world. That being said, the indications that each one will live are different. Firefly survived as Sam in part 1, and we fought him after seeing her death. Aventurine was told by Ratio and Acheron to not die and use his luck to get out. As for Robin, her tether is mostly marketing- it's a lot weaker.

But Sunday will still end up dying. This one's based more on vibes than anything. I know a lot of people want playable Sunday (ooooh me too i like it when the characters in your party are straight up fucking evil) but the fact that in the boss fight against Septimus, he seemingly calls on Xipe the Aeon in phase 3. He also uses Xipe's power for nefarious ends on Aventurine, leading me to believe that he's not going to be able to "survive" that power if he uses it too much. Cocolia seemingly died after using the Stellaron's power as well. In terms of story, it would be pretty poetic for him to die protecting his beloved sister especially since marketing has put so much focus on her and their relationship. But it would still suck to watch Sunday die. I like this weird angel. He's so fucked up and he does the :3 thing.

Penacony will be taken over by the IPC or there will be an attempt to take it over by force. I'm an American and I'm unfortunately well versed in the capitalistic shit that every American ACME does. And nothing screams capitalism and classism like this place based vaguely on Vegas, which Acheron already mentioned is a very capitalistic sort of world. And what's a good match for capitalism? More capitalism of course! We unfortunately can't escape capitalism! (I'm still foaming at the mouth after Microsoft closed down the studio that made one of my favorite games of all time.) Now the question is, will we, the players, still be allowed to traverse it for free after the Charmony Festival ends ingame? And if so, how?

Jade will be an outright terrible person. It would annoy me a lot if they kept trying to make these IPC executives cool and reasonable, when the moral nuance in the game does not match well with their so-called moral nuance in the real world. Luckily Jade seems to sidestep that and she is outright pretty terrible! Oh god can they please keep her terrible. It would be really funny if everyone wanted murderkillers Blade and Gallagher on their teams but not Jade because she's basically Jeff Bezos LMAO. Murder is fine but we draw the line at writing contracts made to screw over the little guy. Based on Jade's leaks, it looks like they're not trying to make her seem less bad either, or give her a personality that's anything other than "oh god here comes the worst parts of capitalism".

We'll learn that Gallagher is behind Something Unto Death close to the middle of the quest. The trailer shows that a) clearly Sunday returns somehow, b) I mean he definitely knows who killed him and why. Plus I doubt that the Trailblazer will go long without knowing what he really is, leading to maybe a rematch against Death? IDK. Either way, this isn't the kind of game that lets secrets stay hidden long for the player, so it'll happen.

------

The Liveblog begins here!

Here we go.

DAN HENG I MISSED YOU SO MUCH- BOOTHILL???

So, uh, remember my theory that someone was going to try to steal the Astral Express? I thought it was the IPC, not a space cowboy trying to do a train robbery.

Listen I know you're out here tangling with our guard (and the person who would probably choose to talk it out instead of screaming and hiding or threatening him) but. yeah no you're uh. learn some manners

MUDDLE-FUDGER

LET POM POM SAY MOTHERFUCKER!!!!

Dan Heng: If you believe I'm an impostor, here's the Jing Yuan Stamp of Approval.

The Jing Yuan Stamp of Approval: *it's just a piece of paper with a chibi Jing Yuan smiling on it that says "the astral express saved us from a stellaron crisis :D"*

Yup, he's after Acheron. We been knew.

Weird, I thought that it was established in canon that there are known emanators of IX. That's how they know that those emanators have plants growing from their bodies. And how there are those emanators who in truth want to befriend IX or help it out of its misery.

not the first creepy talking child we've had in this game. okay it's an adult pepeshi. okay.

Oh, you know what this crowd reminds me of? Remember when everyone was crowded around Misha during 2.0, but no one could see him and to everyone but the Trailblazer it looked like everyone was crowded around Acheron? Yeah.

These language patterns make me think that Sunday is speaking through the Pepeshi. Sort of in the exalted way he talks about Penacony and how the sky watches and how they're telling Acheron to get out.

Ah. "Dreammaster". So, I totally forget- is this person allied with the Watchmaker or against him? I think it's against him. I also forget if the Dreammaster is Sunday.

107,336 members of the Oak Family are now this guy's eyes, ears, and consciousness.

Yup, there it is. Someone is deliberately misusing the power of the Harmony (Sunday it's you LOL)

switching to robin's POV???? HUH?????

Well we're clearly still in the Golden Hour, so I don't think that's Robin! I think that's Sparkle!

you get a bomb! and you get a bomb! and you get a bomb! everybody gets a bomb!

AUSSIE AND FRIEND!!! ... did they change their english voices??? NOOO BUT I LIKED THEIR VOICESSSS

According to Firefly, what she did was... First, she realized that there was another dreamscape. She asked Silver Wolf to help her and the team get there by telling the crew to venture back into Death's domain again. While she intended to lead the group down into the dreamscape, the script foresaw that she would seemingly just die randomly instead of getting the chance to explain what she was doing. In truth, she'd arrived at the Land of the Exiles (probably Dreamflux Reef). She couldn't even explain it as Sam due to the script. But now, thanks to Acheron breaking up the dream, March, Welt, Himeko, and TB can now see it for themselves.

I really thought that Firefly and Trailblazer had spawned in a red car LMAO I was going to be "that's so random" but nope it was a flashback

???????????????????????? BLADE YOU DRIVE??????????????????

So I think the Jepella Brotherhood was from Kafka's trailer, it was a very metropolitan area. I don't fully remember, I actually experience all of the trailers through watching other streams... But yeah they did end up destroying it LOL

Awwwwww. I know Blade does have a personality, but it's really nice to see him outside of his revengeance arc being a kind person to Firefly.

YAY ITS DAD :'D (and there are so many games where the "YAY ITS DAD" is followed by "oh no...... it's dad.......")

ohhhh. oh. So yeah, all of those theories were right. "Death" in Penacony just means you end up here in Dreamflux Reef. ... Does that mean we're going to find Robin and Aventurine somewhere playing cards like every meme said we would? But I guess it was actually more of an intentional misdirection, not something that the Family just sidesteps for the hell of it.

oh no....... it's dad....... (gallagher is here somewhere)

"himeko and march have already made a move- er, stelle, where are you going?" "MOM AND LITTLE SISTERRRRRR IM COMINGGGG"

I swear we're going to find Robin and Aventurine sitting on a pair of crates under a flickering sign, and it'll go like...

Aventurine: I'm going all in. ... Do you have any 8s?

Robin: Go fish.

Aventurine: *draws a card, puts it in his hand of 6, throws it down on the ground to reveal three matches* I win.

TB: What are you two doing?

Robin: We're playing Poker Fish. It's like Go Fish, but we're allowed to hide any matches we have before we put them in the discard pile. The first person to 0 cards wins. I'm not very good at it.

Aventurine: I'm leading her 11-2.

TB: Sounds fun. Now, are you two like, okay?

SAM- Strategic Assault Mech.

dad is sus of other dad :) i like it when games have two dads :) and one is a little more fucked up :)

I could translate all of this graffiti if I wanted to, but I don't.

OHHHH THAT CLOCKIE'S EYES MOVE I DON'T LIKE THAT. REMINDS ME OF EPIC MICKEY OR BENDY AND THE INK MACHINE

misha jumpscare

oh my god he calls something unto death "sleepie" and he rides it from down below to the hotel that's so cute

misha loves gallagher's big weird dog :D

misha: who's a good boy! who's a good little sleebie boy!

memory zone meme something unto death: *SCREECH*

of course mr. yang would know what a black hole is. he literally fights using black holes. there are black holes in his cane

Every time I see a new Halovian I learn more about Halovians. But I still can't figure out how they get their halos. It appears some have wings (Sunday, Robin, their mom) and some don't (Siobhan, Kaimee). They can have halos that don't match Sunday's or Robin's which is something we learned from Kaimee's halo, but the halos are possibly hereditary (Robin's halo is a nonsymmetrical version of her mom's).

RAZALINA?!

Okay, we're accelerating to the end of the world then. That's not good!

Part of our assignment on Penacony was to learn what happened to the old Nameless who came here. I think Welt's a bit sad to learn that though she worked hard for this world and did lots of research on memoria, she ended up dying without leaving much of a legacy to anyone except memoria aficionados.

"why didn't I get to go to heaven" says guy who went to hell

He's dead.

Yeah, that's a good point. This feels a lot like the dreamscape that was originally built all those years ago when Penacony first broke free of the IPC. People here are happily taking care of each other without the flash of the world above.

Someone was saying "oh boy autism mention in a hyv game, i remember the tears of themis incident" and... oh boy there's gonna be discourse about this line isn't there. (For reference, ToT is largely a game about uncovering a conspiracy behind a pharmaceutical company, and at one point two characters talk about curing autism, or when it's brought up that a character might be autistic, they make it Actually Not The Case, which, uh, yeah I think it's definitely a reflection of the writers' views on autism.) I do think this line is a little bit fucked, but I think this convo is about slow starts in general since in the same breath they mention two war orphans which alludes to trauma. And in the end they never say their disabilities are cured, but rather that the dream has helped them learn to deal with it. Which in my experience is really the best way to handle autism and trauma- to just learn to live with it.

Oh yeah, and Robin's there too. Good to see you, Robin!

Interesting. So, she actually intentionally let herself get skewered by Something Unto Death so she could visit the Land of the Exiles. And she outwardly admits that the resonance of the harmony is clearer here than it was in Golden Hour.

Fun fact about me: I've hated idols in everything ever. I just don't like them! For some reason they always piss me off, or lean into traits that make me particularly angry. I think the only two games with idols I didn't completely despise were Caligula 2 (the idols are allowed to have personalities outside of being idols) and one of the games I'm currently playing, Buried Stars (it's partially a murder mystery game where several idols die horribly and there's plenty of discussion on how shitty the industry is, though honestly the plot beats lean heavily towards "tropes I hate" towards the end). I was sort of afraid I'd hate Robin, and the fact is I kind of do. Maybe it's because everything about her feels a bit cliche to me. She's the unflappable perfect idol who does everything perfectly, who can never be her "true self" but that's never discussed further in depth. Which is literally every other idol ever. Still, it's nice to see an idol that tangles with darkness willingly, going up against her own family to do so.

Robin's seen the truth and decided that the Charmony Festival doesn't stand for Harmony anymore. And she won't step on their stage! Good for her!

borb.

(stand back! i'm beginning to borb!)

that is not a "kind voice", that sounds like the goddamn dreammaster

fun fact about pigeons: pigeons are ugly as shit when they're born. they look like human babies with bird skeletons covered in yellow hair.

interesting, so robin and sunday are the two best at hearing the "great one's" will. that's probably xipe.

fucking dope, conceptually, that you can stand in front of a guy, stab him, take him to another plane of existence, and still be standing in front of him.

wh- COOPERATE? SENSE OF JUSTICE??? WHAT'S GOING ON HERE? Like, is the traitor someone else that's not Gallagher or Sunday? Is that what they're getting at here?

LOL THATS NOT ROBIN THATS FIREFLY

i already know gallagher has been the source of some truly fucking funny memes but i can't wait for people to draw him doing the "is this a pigeon?" pose but it's "is this a robin?" and pointing to a firefly.

i really thought they were gonna hit me with a puzzle

I love Micah staring up at the sky like. basically every time some hardened general is remembering something

razalina and tiernan, one a scientist and one a fighter, both died in the war for independence. ... I wonder if Tiernan has any connection to Firefly with both being wiped out by the storm, and Sam being a "glamoth cavalry unit".

the angel siblings are back together yayyyyy :D

He's behind everything? The invitations, the battle for the Watchmaker's Legacy (who knows if it's real at this point, and what does Misha have to do with it) and all the trouble?

It always comes back to the Stellaron. Of course it does.

Oof, information overload.

To summarize, when the Stellaron first entered the system, the Watchmaker's rivals sought to use its power to further refine the Dreamscape. After the three Nameless disappeared, that's exactly what they did. The Family representative that came to help the Watchmaker managed to seal it. But not completely. In truth, the Dreamscape uses the allure of grandeur and pleasure, partially exacerbated by the Watchmaker's invitation, to slowly feed on people's souls and spirits to maintain itself and the dream. That's why the people who come here are eventually taken in by the artificial pleasure, and eventually end up coming out different than when they came in... or never leave at all. But now the Family has grown too powerful, and won't let this fact be known. Gallagher himself used the Enigmata and created Something Unto Death, aka Dormancy, aka Sleepie, to take people to the truth.

And the siblings have taken our side too! (but not for long, probably). They want the Stellaron sealed too.

Yup, the Mr. Gopher Wood, aka Kind Voice, is the Dreammaster.

*bass boosted* BUT NOT FOR LONG, PROBABLY

kill you pretty angel kill

NOT THE JUJUTSU KAISEN REFERENCE- AND THE UNTITLED GOOSE GAME MEME

... I forgot about the chip. I forgot about Aventurine's fucking chip. Oh my god, he's been planning to sic the IPC on us from the start that BITCH

welt if you DIE. like i JOKED about in the 2.0 liveblog

my biggest fear when going up to the watchmaker was the fear that he would be an NPC model. nope, he's a well-modeled old man and ARE WE STEALING HIS HAT?!

nothing....

back to dan heng...

YOU BOYS ARE SO BAD AT LYING. I LOVE YOU IDIOTS. YOU ARE SO BAD AT LYING.

WELL ILL BE FORKED

we knew boothill was smart, but at least he's smart and good at working with other people.

"it's called standing up for your rights" he's so fucking american. an american king.

i love how dan heng can handle a genki girl and a feral raccoon wearing human skin, but he can't handle a cyborg cowboy superhero big shot. who is also like 4 inches taller than him

ROCKET... FUEL?

If I had a nickel for every time a character drank straight rocket fuel, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but I guess we're never getting that RWBY Seasons 1+2 remaster now.

I realize that the Memokeeper can influence memory and has no physical form and that's how she managed to leave that note for Boothill, but it's funny to imagine she managed to stealth mission behind the bartender while listening to Boothill talk about hostage taking.

Oh right!! Acheron was exiled, and we hadn't seen Black Swan all quest. Looks like she saved Acheron on her own. Despite the big gay dance.

Acheron wants to jump out of the Asdana star system and go save the Astral Express crew. Plus, she needs the help of a Galaxy Ranger to go do something important- "to return his relics to their rightful owner".

yo this CG imagery is CRAZY! black liquid pouring out of that black hole, and all of the branches that look like hands reaching up to touch it, amid the sea and the rain...

put da angel in da confessional. make him listen to the sins of others.

reminds me of how in persona 5, you could just. take your friends to the confessional to bond with them. including a certain character who hasn't done anything to hurt you.... YET.

da pretty angel in da confessional

if you put my angel ocs in confessionals, grey would actually try to play the part of the clergyman as a conduit to god like sunday is doing here. oliver would be on the other side confessing he manipulated a boy into hating his father and loving him instead... and also killed a lot of people, shocking the clergyman on the other side. lyra would know what a confessional is but all of the sins he would confess would have to do with his past life when he was a child laborer. does leander count? idk but he'd take it seriously.

YOU CAN SELL CHILDREN INTO SLAVERY IN PENACONY?!?!?!

who the fuck bought him out

I don't know too much about Catholicism (confessionals are a Catholic thing, right?) but like, yeah. chatting with priests was basically the early, accepted form of therapy for many Catholics. Now that we're working on destigmatizing mental health, things have gotten a lot better.

I was kind of hoping he wouldn't be a "good intentions" sort of guy, but I think he does agree that if the dreamscape were really built on the foundations of the strong defending the weak, it doesn't explain all of the suffering people have undergone here in Penacony.

Oh. Ohhhh. The "Harmonious Choir". Those are those monsters from the trailers that look like cages, candles, and lanterns.

So, I don't remember if I mentioned but like, yeah, I live in a big American city that is often regarded as the place where "anyone can make it". I know that this illusion is unraveling among the public, but truly, you can't just come here with three dollars in your pocket and a dream. There are many homeless here. Everyone is suffering in their own way. I'm living a "dream life" myself, and I rent is still more than 5/6ths of my expenditures every month. So I guess these bits about Penacony not really being as perfect as it is on the outside hits harder with me. I love it here, but because of my illness I haven't had the chance to experience the city yet. When it happens, I'll be sure to enjoy it before I leave for greener pastures.

oh he's twisting. HE'S TWISTING. HES TURNING EVIL. KILL PRETTY ANGEL KILL

they're DISAGREEING!!!

his voice went up an octave when they started wandering around. i seriously think he's gonna snap and try to defend the dream at all costs now.

HE'S THREEMOUTHING. I REPEAT SUNDAY IS THREEMOUTHING. HE'S GONNA GO EVIL AAAAA

... wait. the mention of the raven (that's Sunday, I thought) and the mention of the sweet tooth... is that not Sunday? Or was Sunday overtaken by the Dreammaster?

Also could just be my ears, but is Robin's voice becoming more distorted again?

and i guess the trailblazer team figured out what Mikhail's last wish was. Which is.... a musty old hat!

To expose the Stellaron, we must get close to it, and the Family won't let us in so easily now that we know they're enemies.... you know what that means! HEIST MOVIE!

I'm so excited to see the Moment of Scorchsand! I love festive atmospheres!

"I'll have to add to that data bank of yours"- you're an Enigmata guy, so make sure you don't FUCK with my data bank.

"Hi, I'm March 7th, an ordinary girl who loves adventures!" "... Hi, I'm Firefly! ... also an ordinary girl who also loves adventures!" Wonderful, now I have two girlfriends who are way too alike. Is this a harem anime?

NOT THE JUJUTSU KAISEN REFERENCE- AGAIN!!!

Wait a minute, that Pepeshi talking about Beauty, and a man with red hair who cleared instantly.... ARGENTI.

FRIEND! where's aussie.

SWEET GORILLA WHO'S BEEN FORCED TO PLAY A MONSTER-

the fake product placements are funny as shit

The NPCs really put their everything into doing these voices. Seriously, major shoutout to everyone from 2.1. And also shoutout to this Guide.

Firefly sounds so fucking DONE. I love her. Like actually fucking DONE. Let her cook- with the blaze of her flying fire kick.

firefly loves explosives. good to know.

argenti jumpscare.

argenti mid boss jumpscare good lord this man is tough

hi sunday.

oh. fuck.

yes mr. yang, hit him with the hard questions. does he really serve the harmony?

oh. fuck.

yup. there it is. the true traitor to the family was sunday. and the one he serves isn't xipe the harmony, it's ena the order long since thought absorbed by xipe.

he's evil as fuck but i can't take him seriously with his fucking threemouth. it's hilarious. i mean like i can because that is an evil ass threemouth. but it's hilarious

RESURRECT A GOD YOU PRETTY ANGEL RESURRECT A GOD

wasn't there an event about making hard decisions like this? eh. whatever. it was a while ago

ROBIN ALMOST FUCKING DIED?!-

It's pretty obvious with Sunday that he is very strongly motivated by the love he has for his sister, and while that's not entirely why he became the way he is, it's certainly one big reason. Unfortunately, he's been forced to shoulder the weight of a lot of unfairness, and he thinks that the Harmony isn't the way out.

of course the guy named "sunday" loves his long weekends

Like what do I think of his philosophy? I think that this is why we built a strong social safety net and stop putting drugs in the dream juice!!! You're in fucking capitalism! That's why you're like this!!!

Misha was the true recipient of the dream bubble that the Watchmaker handed down? I didn't expect that, but I guess it makes sense since we believe that Misha was Mikhail's grandfather.

we're back where firefloof got fucking skishkebobed....

and there's the confirmation that mikhail is misha's grandfather.

???? but.... mikhail was a nameless. why are they saying he's a seafarer?

It's cool how this place seemed so creepy and fucked up when we first wandered through it. Now that we're following Misha through it, it seems less hostile. Plus, we have a purpose for that random "safe room"- it was important to Misha.

So, the Mikhail Legwork, founder of the Dreamscape, and the Watchmaker, was not a former Astral Express crewman. He was actually just a seafarer who met them. He went on a voyage, but never came back. But he told Mikhail to await the sound of a train, and to follow them on their grand adventure.

Ohhhh. Ohhhhh, that didn't even hit me! Mr. Yang could see Clockie, but no one else even conversed with him! That means that Clockie is only visible to Misha and the Nameless. *soft gasp* we can make clockie attack sunday. he LITERALLY won't see it coming.

four stars be like, the literal key to the plot. hello, mikhail char legwork, the watchmaker himself, whose grandparents lived on that oceanic planet.

i love how this slide show looks so much like posters of old east european films from the 1910s and 1920s, particularly german film since i did study that for a semester.

wait.

wait. MISHA. DON'T DIE. DON'T DIE RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW. YOU'RE LITERALLY A KID. YOU'RE ALSO CENTURIES OLD BUT YOU'RE LITERALLY A KID

behold. THE UNIVERSE'S MOST POWERFUL HAT.

hell yes. time to stop the jokes and bust out the hype.

The story thus far has made it clear- the Watchmaker's dream is to free Penacony from the Stellaron's sweet poison, not use it to create a new world where people continue to drink it.

And there it is- Xipe's gaze. Yup, guess what happened the last time the Trailblazer had the gaze of an Aeon. That's right, the main villain fucking died. (Geez, I hope not. They're turning Sunday into Cocolia 2.0.)

he is NOT happy about Xipe glancing at us either LOL

oh he's just. gonna walk away. okay

i was joking before about how the Harmony Trailblazer better not have a splash art that shows all of the Penacony characters working together like the Preservation Trailblazer, because literally everyone in this game was at each others' throats. It was leaked a month ago and I was curious so I took a peek LOL. Luckily this one doesn't, it just has all of their pictures on a stage.

LET TRAILBLAZER SAY "FUCKED AROUND AND FOUND OUT". They are going overboard with the memes this time it's crazy.

Hmm. I'm not sure what to make of Firefly's statements. She'll suffer three "deaths". The first was when she was killed by the meme. The second will be now, if she's to battle Sunday and lose. And the third, which she wants to prevent by running away for the moment, is the plunging of all of Penacony into the throes of the Order.

I love how Firefly's transformation is so magical girl esque. Even though she turns into a big mecha.

Wait, don't tell me FIREFLY will choose to die here. But nooooo. But we had such a great time being yuri together. Nooooooo. I thought you were getting along with March too. Nooooooooooo.

A lot of people were wondering "what exactly is Gallagher, and is he even real?" The answer is, now, I guess he may not be real. He was real once, calling upon the power of Enigmata, but his power will soon cause him to fade away.

Acheron and this guy she's wandering with are like. They're the kind of thing people make whole animes about, but in those animes, there is no old man and Acheron, just two cute headpat-ifiable girls. There actually was an anime like that, but I forget its name. On Neocities there's this one person who does anime reviews, and they had a big rant about how Frieren? I think? was coomer bait solely for men who had a headpat fetish or something. Honestly? Wack. Wait, what were we talking about?

... Dan Heng it's been like a month. I know you love us but like, calling on the entire cavalry of one of the most powerful factions in the universe to take care of this dream system is like. I think that's a bit overkill. We also have the IPC to deal with. Jesus fucking christ dude be careful.

Sunday is going to die. Horribly. Protecting his sister. Because of course he is.

that candle monster has jiggle physics.

i love it when bible symbolism

keep trashing him march, i'm sure it pisses him off

i love it when video games have UI that ties into the psychological horror of it all. Like STAB from Omori or that scene from an Itch game where there's an unclickable option that says "TELL HIM WHAT YOU SAW" in bright red after you had visions of your friend being disemboweled.

oh i don't like how it jerks around too when you try to change it, that's fucked. i love it!

I think one thing I will say is that the pacing of this act is not great. I won't say it needed more time in the oven, I think the problem is that they tried to tie in way too many plot threads into this one story, and resolving them all sort of killed the pacing. I also don't think too many flashbacks are a good thing in stories. After a while you get sick of them. This one isn't as bad as another story I've read, but it teeters on the edge. Like, having one less character with one less plot thread could have improved this pacing significantly.

the church choir. oh boy.

bro.... you're not doing okay.... like I'm eating this up because I love evil angels that seek to control and manipulate and kill others..... but sunday you are NOT okay...

he actually wants to be the orchestrator of everyone here. alongside the dreammaster. oh boy.

HES T POSING. THIS IS ABOUT TO GET... oh. regular monsters.

... or a multi target boss fight.

GOOD LORD. HES HUGE.

So a lot of people have pointed out the little things next to the boss. I think that there's a theory that they're meant to look like Sunday and Robin's plushies from when they were children, but to me they also look like sea angels, which you've probably seen before- cute little slugs that look like, well, sea angels. It's appropriate IMO considering that the Halovians are obviously based on angels and that the Dreamscape has the ocean as a theme both linguistically and visually.

... Man, I sort of wish Dan Heng weren't currently calling on the Xianzhou. Can you imagine a scene where the Astral Express crashes straight into the boss, and you here three terrified voices screaming and one "YEEHAW" as they ram straight into an angel? Before Boothill walks out with the biggest fudgin' smile on his face, and Dan Heng looks like he just went through the second biggest traumatic moment of his life?

... Honestly, they rammed a DRAGON straight into the boss instead. That's like 50% as funny. Though FR I was really wishing we'd get to beat up that angel and defeat him Persona style.

DAN HENG YOU SAVED US THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU BUDDYYYY

... Acheron is gone, and with her, all of our memories of her. Sigh.

Hello Jing Yuan! Thanks for the save (totally forgot he was an Emanator). And the Astral Express family is now all back together again!

... Yeesh. Time for politics. So, Sunday's alive. He's just been treated as a traitor. The IPC is putting him on trial after the Family abandoned him (no news on Gopher Wood, who really pushed him to do all of this). Robin is going to have to deal with her beloved brother under arrest for trying to hit an entire planet with the mind control beam. Hopefully the Xianzhou can mediate a discussion between the IPC and the Family, but I don't see that going well. I think the IPC is going to try to take over the whole thing.

AVENTURINE YOU LIVED!!! Well, we knew that. But... Geez, he's back with the IPC after how badly they treated him? Poor guy.

... See, in real life this would never happen. A fucking lotus eater machine? Do you see how much money Disney World makes? Do you know how hard they've worked to circumvent labor laws? Do you know the story behind EPCOT? Any corporation would jump at the chance to take over Penacony.

Thinking more on my OC Grey, who's actually very, very similar to Sunday (a literal angel, very sweet kind and professional, knows the Bible front to back, lowkey manipulative, absolutely adores his sister over all else, has power over dreams and illusions which he can use to control people including making them fall into an endless slumber where they feel no pain, hates all suffering, is absolutely capable of killing someone) I think that if Amazon ever put him on trial, he'd just dream power his way out of everything.

So it looks like, a) The IPC will relinquish its hold and interest in Penacony completely. and b) Both the Intelligentsia Guild and the IPC will assist in the rebuilding of Penacony since it kinda got wrecked and Sunday was also twisting things. That seems, as stated before, WAY too good to be true.

We're leaving already? That's way too fast! That's way way way too fast! What's going on here?!

???? BOOTHILL AND BLACK SWAN ARE TRAVELING WITH US NOW???? Something is wrong here. Something is weird.

Hmm. Where to go next... ?

Lushaka, an oceanic planet, where Mikhail was born. Melustanin, an "alluring" planet that was the site of a past Stellaron disaster. "Edo Star", which is embroiled in a war against the Antimatter Legion, where we have heard distress calls from. And "The Glass Belt Patrevia", a belt of asteroids that houses an acting troupe.

Melustanin it is.

... the end of this was really nothing more than a deus ex machina- oh, wait, you meant the whole thing. yeah, that's a funny pun.

... Wait. WAIT. Is Black Swan saying, when "only you personally experienced the entire thing"... Is she saying what I think she's saying? That the Trailblazer did actually experience the POVs of everyone else? I thought it was a joke at the end of 2.1 , but it wasn't?!

HUH??? WDYM ??? AS MARCH HUH? HUH?????

... What. What the hell. I'm so confused. So, the thing is, we never actually defeated Sunday, it was supposedly Jing Yuan and DHIL. And then everything ended happily ever after, but this isn't that kind of story. But Black Swan knows the truth.

... Oh no. It's Firefly. She's dead. ...

Wait. WAIT. ARE WE SAYING THAT EVERYTHING- EVERYTHING FROM WHEN WE FIRST GOT SCHLORPED INTO THE ASDANA BUBBLE TO NOW, WHEN WE'RE LEAVING- WAS THAT ALL A DREAM?!

... Or everything we experienced was real, but Ena's order suffused with the Stellaron and the memoria resulted in a dream that somehow became real?

Okay. Okay I'm detangling this. Everything was real, but we were in a dream blended with reality when it happened. However, the dream of Sunday's defeat was a false truth. Currently, everyone in Penacony has become a puppet of the Order under Sunday, who yet lives and is continuing to control us all. That means there WAS another phase! I was like, oh yeah there was that animation where Septimus/Dominicus/whateverus touches Xipe's, or actually Ena's hand.

Time to use the power of Harmony or Clockwork to make everyone determined enough to wake up!

DAN HENG STOP JUMPING RIGHT TO THE JADE ABACUS OF ALLYING OATH-

Like, it's really funny actually. We thought Dan Heng was the sensible one, but his response to everything now is literally just "I will call in the army of an entire fucking nation". And everyone just shouts at him, "NO!"

Finally, FINALLY, every faction on Penacony (most of them) are now working together to save all of the people trapped in here! Boothill will rally Galaxy Rangers from across the Universe, while Robin will use the infiltrated Dreamscape and infuse it with the spirit of the Trailblaze, prompting everyone to wake up and seek new adventure. Hopefully this could save Sunday too.

WHAT. WHAT??? oh my god. there was one of the three Penaconians who died in a war on a distant world. That man Acheron was talking to the whole time. That was Tiernan. That's her connection to Penacony and why she went there. To fulfill his dying wish.

... the questions from the beginning... and this time, the trailblazer has their own, definite answers. they would feel no fear at severing these bonds with their allies. they would never wish to live in a dream. and should everything, absolutely everything, end in nihility, no matter where the journey goes, would you still embark on this journey? we would blaze a trail without hesitation.

Raiden Bosenmori Mei.

HELL YEAH! WE GOT MOM! DAD! SISTER! BROTHER! AND ME! IT'S TIME FOR A FAMILY SIZED ASS KICKING!

.... NO WAY THEY ACTUALLY HIT SEPTIMUS WITH A TRAIN AHAHAHAHAHAHA. THANKS ROBIN YOU'RE THE BEST

Random but I think it's really cool how they change the shader for Harmony TB's ult.

It's also so cool how all of the Trailblazers have different quotes for using the Trailblaze/Harmony fusion temp ultimate on Septimus.

I like that answer. Why do we choose to slumber? Because we will wake up from our dreams.

Oh. He's dead. Sunday is so dead.

Yup... he's dead.

Still question marks for March. Who is she?

... Yup he's so fucking dead. Wasn't in the "In loving memory" section, but he must be dead.

Yup! And now it's time for realistic capitalism!

OH. OH!!! That's why Argenti was here- Argenti saved Aventurine from Dreamflux Reef!

... And that's what I expected to happen, for the IPC to move into Penacony and start "harvesting". And give Aventurine a nice thumbs-up.

kill it king.

Oswaldo Schneider... I do recall the name, Aventurine brought him up during the Topaz quest and said he "won't be laughing now".

And that's the end.

---

Final thoughts.

I think overall this was the weakest out of the three Penacony main quest segments, mostly due to pacing issues. I did really like the story, I think its wrap up section was incredible, and I had a lot of fun learning about Sunday the same way we learned about Aventurine. In terms of plot, I think there are some bits that could have been communicated better, but that's what the wiki and the data bank are for. I think the ultimate resolution was fantastic, while the leadup was as I said before too much of a slowburn that tried to combine too much stuff all at once.

Most of the good writing in this segment went to Sunday and Robin TBH. The other characters had their time to shine in previous patches, and Boothill will get his time to really shine next patch combined with his appearances here. Those are my thoughts, anyway.

Animations went hard, though nothing could top Acheron cutting up the literal sky in 2.1. That scene where the Trailblazer refutes Sunday's argument and Robin saves him was wonderful. As were some of the smaller details like the Odes before Sunday's first fight and getting literal music notes dropped on your head by cute sea angels. And of course, mad props to whoever did those amazingly complicated animations of the Trailblazer and Clockie for the Harmony TB ultimate.

There are still some unanswered questions...

What do Sparkle's buttons do? Release confetti? Probably.

What exactly is the IPC going to do to Penacony? My guess is take it over Capitalism style, even though the Family is the only group of people skilled enough to manipulate the Dreamscape. Thanks Jade, hate you girl!

Seriously, is Sunday dead? The cutscene said no, Robin managed to break him out of the Embryo of Philosophy. But like, are they okay?

Are we going to get any explanation for how Gallagher, referred to as a "character", and Mikhail who is a memory zone meme, are actually able to leave Penacony and find themselves on the Express?

Also, is Misha dead? Like... is he dead? That conversation with Clockie made it sound like he was about to die.

I realized that for the characters in the credits, the names that weren't "x AS x" and were "y AS x" instead, those y's were usually the real names of the characters involved, like kakavasha as aventurine and raiden bosenmori mei as acheron. so obviously march 7th isn't march's real name, it's a name she chose for herself (though it doesn't make it any less real imo.) the question marks make me think that she will be the focus of the next arc. It's not a universal rule though, as sparkle as sparkle is still a thing.

Is the Express still going to Melustanin? I'd imagine not, since that entire segment was a dream, right? Or thinking more on it, we had a nice arc for TB and Dan Heng, so March is next. Your turn to get stabbed, sweetheart!

I realize there's a legitimate plot reason for not having Dan Heng accompanying the Astral Express to Penacony, but would it hurt to watch the guy enjoy himself a bit like TB and March were? Watching the three of them getting to act like siblings or BFFs is one of the biggest reasons I love this game. Anyway, I hope we get it on the next planet. You're coming with us to, uh, Planet Alluring Post Apocalypse, buddy.

The next patch should be around six weeks from now, so around mid to late June. While Penacony's fate WRT the IPC will definitely be a hot topic during that patch, I'm curious to see what else they have in store.

[mothersdarling]

Imagine you're chatting away about something you're passionate about, your special interest, career, life goal, something silly and you catch her just staring at you, a wide smile on her face, hearts in her eyes. She's stopped paying attention goodness knows how long ago, not because she doesn't care about what you care about, but because she can't help but to fall head over heels in love with you every time you talk so enthusiasticly about something. The way you gesticulate, emote, grin and laugh when talking, it makes her stomach quiver with butterflies and her heart beat fast. Seeing the one she loves so eager makes her knees wobble and her head go empty.

You giggle at her antics and poke her nose, returning her back to reality. She shakes her head to clear it of all those lovey dovey thoughts and blushes, having been caught. Now it's your turn to go mushy and kiss her on the lips.

You love her and she loves you so much.

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[iwasthewind]

CIPHERRRR NO FEELING DEPRESSED

FLUFFY HCS? I gotchu

I PROMISE I HAVE LOTS BUT I CAN'T THINK OF THEM RN </33

Himeko spoils March with clothes and plushies because she knows March can't always be happy and that the lack of her memories sometimes gets to her :')

When TB first got onto the astral express they obviously didn't have a change of clothes. They didn't want to sleep in the same musty outfit they battled in but were going to anyway, when March intervened- she gave them her shirts and Dan Heng's pants (hers aren't long enough wgjdshjsj)

Seele and Bronya marry (canon)

Sometimes the Trailblazer trio fall asleep in the Parlor car and wake up in the morning in a big cuddle puddle (Dan Heng is in the center. He sleeps like a board and the other two smother him)

Dan Heng is very fond of Bubbles even though they sometimes (often) mess up his room. He secretly spoils Bubbles and is delighted whenever Bubbles greets him first after a long day

Pom-Pom didn't approve of Bubbles at first but he's the most attached to them. ("You're taking Bubbles?! Er- be sure to take good care of them! It's not like I care >:(. I just don't want a sick animal on board!" All lies)

Welt tries desperately to curb Himeko's coffee addiction. He steals them and hides them away and they bicker because "you're not my father!" She gets Dan Heng to steal them back

Out of the trio, Dan Heng is the snitch. If anything goes wrong it's "I'm telling Himeko."

Yanqing loves Fu Xuan and thinks she's cool as hell. The sentiment is mutual but she pretends to be indifferent to him because she wants his dad's job

Nat and Serval meet up every few months and chat about their family and their kids (Hook, Gepard, etc)

Seele and Bronya are mar-

I PROMISE I HAVE MORE BUT I JUST CAN'T THINK OF ANY RN </333

ILY PLEASE FEEL BETTER AAH <3333

ALSO LOOK I GOT XIAO I GOT HIM

MY BELOVED

Okay I’m feeling depressed anyone have any hsr memes or fluffy headcannons to spam me with?

@trashyvanillabean @iwasthewind