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#(also general weapon use I guess)
blumineck · 2 years
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"Go for the eyes," they said.
"It'll be fun," they said.
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fiapple · 4 months
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i'm getting towards the end of the skypeia arc, & i'd like to say just how much i adore the way the female strawhats have been treated.
just... every aspect of how the way their characters have been previously contextualized influences the story-line is treated with a masterful amount of consideration. we're given so many layers to both of them that enrich not only their characters specifically, but the arc, and the one piece world as a whole. without nami & robin having their specific skills, and their specific values, without those being built upon, the story would have come to a halt.
you could not have skypeia without nami & robin being who they are as individuals. not just because they never would've gotten there without nami, but also because the way these women think is itself foundational to the machinations of the arc as a whole.
to be totally upfront, if you think any other strawhats were more central to the skypeia arc than nami & robin were you are full-on fucking lying to yourself.
#obligatory disclaimer that i’m aware luffy is the protagonist & a lot of interesting stuff is explored w him. this isn’t abt him though.#part of me wonders if this is an aspect of why people will write off this arc sometimes tbh... like that & the political themes.#but yeah anyway i get why people say that for all there are 100% misogynistic tendencies in oda's writing & character design#it is very very hard to say that he as an individual is an ideological misogynist. like the level of care he puts into his female cast mem#-ers generally speaking & how he approaches what existing as a multi-dimensional individual would look like in their specific contexts is#like... in a lot of ways still something that is unprecedented across all forms of media.#but also not the point but anyone who says nami in particular doesnt get real fights/is unskilled um... no you're wrong read her fight in#alabasta & then all of skypeia.#like in alabasta she takes on arguably a stronger opponent than sanji when considering the structuring of BW. not only that but she does s#with a weapon she has never used before while actively reading the instruction manual. and she WINS. she wins based on sheer intellect &#the ability to utilize skills the audience already knows she has. the pre-existing basic fighting skills she's introduced with are elabora#-ed upon by incorporating her skill w navigation. same with the way her cunning is used in skypeia to cover her lack of sheer brute. &#the best part about it is she's fucking tough in a way that makes sense! she isn't strong/weak just for the sake of positioning her as such#it is thoughtful & it strengthens her as a character rather than just like giving the power-scaler types smth to mindlessly chew on.#like do i wish nami got to fight more & take a more active role in that regard even if i don't think she needs to be a fighter in the same#sense as the monster trio? yes absolutely. i'm guessing this is going to be smth that bothers me potentially even more with robin.#but that does not mean her fights are not masterfully written when she gets them or that she isn't tough as a bag of nails.#respect my darling woman or die.#skypeia#nico robin#nami#grey's one piece tag
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toriliashine · 3 months
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Multiclassed wyll into a warlock/ranger. Best decision I've ever made, live your Disney princess with a gun truth man
#he gains heavy armour proficieny and can handle martial weapons greatly increasing the damage he can do while still keeping the magic from#his pact#he finally has a chance of fully becoming rhe blade of frontiers#him and my tav can both be magical living weapons together qwq#wyll ravengard#but seriously the ranger knight tirle was made for him#theres also a mage breaker ranger title if yall knew i CHOKED#my tav is a sorcerer and i thought picking that would make for one too many jokess and coughs jsbdnsbdvdhej#too obvious too easily funny skbsdjbd#then i think my second option was ro make him beast master i think to summon scratch?#i thought of giving him sleight of hand but we hsve astarion for that and#he need to put his back into working and stealung for the team to make up for his anti gnoming and general evil doings#pet peeve i hate calling being anti orc anti goblin etc racism thwy are NOT different races they are different beings entirely!#each being has their own races within them im sick! everyones using the incorrect term!!#and i have to use the blasted inaccurate terms with them to get my points across! hate it!#lmao guess which background my tav has from this spiel sondkdjkdm#back to wyll take your gun your crossbow you4 axe your l9ngsword whatever you want#now youve multiclassed#you truly can have it all#yES he got his ass beat right after (we had just solved racism and hadnt healed then being nice to glut backfired)#ge got knocked out for a bit from an opportunity attack i didnt see whoop#s#glut got big hands#he coulda used them for something else if he wasnt such a bitch#burnt his corpse jic#back to wyll again truly a defender of the people now and not solely relying on mizsnoreahs magic#maybe hell stop missing so much!#still i actually remenbered to play wyll as a warlock in the ending slavery fight and it paid off#him killing off 2 people with a bolt spell was so cool i got draw him finger gun blasting people
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sysig · 11 months
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Only the cutest prettiest sparkliest aliens (Patreon)
Bonus comparison | 2023 | 2021
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Oh no he’s been yasssified
#Doodles#SCII#Arilou#ZEX#YIK#Leftover SCII doodles! Remember how I left off on SCII at the end of September? That feels so long ago!#I had a few ancillary doodles left over ♪ A bit of Pirate Fic a bit of just general silliness :) Fun!#Outfit designing for the guest Arilou at the Captain's defense-planning table :D Cute!#I went looking for references of maritime naval uniforms for them as well but nothing in particular stood out to me :P A shame#So I mostly went with something comfortable and easy to move in :D And cute of course! The Arilou's shoes in their actual outfits are ♪ cute#They also give me Knifecat vibes lol - I guess I'll have to see how that holds up once I meet one for real#Looking forward to it for sure!#A couple of ZEXes - thinking around flintlock pistols! Again while I was rewatching Muppet Treasure Island lol#Gosh that feels like years ago now haha - but the scene where Silver leaves in the boat with the stolen treasure#I just like ZEX with weapons ♪ Doesn't intend to use them just puffing up to appear more deadly than he wants to have to act on#Always always paired with the knowledge of his history and where he stands with other humans - the blood on his hands! (Arms? Tentacles?)#But he wouldn't really want to hurt him <3 Would he even be able to? I guess it's mostly a matter of aim and fire#One arm around the barrel - ouch - and one squeezing the trigger#These weapons are not made with VUX in mind!#A Very pretty ZEX - there was an animation meme going around and my brain was Fighting me for who it would better suit#Between Scriabin and ZEX actually lol - normally it'd be an easy choice (which way??) but I was So in on SCII at that moment#It was the GOD meme - first of all so many gorgeous entries hhhh <3 <3 But they are honestly both kinda perfect for it??#ZEX wins this time ♪ Good for him#And rounding off with a YIK <3 <3 <3#I don't remember if there was any inspiration for drawing her in a veil other than just - she pretty ♥ No thought just YIK 💖#She did end up super pretty :) I think veils would work well for VUX! Especially like jewel or gold embroidered ♪ All the decoration!#Oh and technically sort of one more - I had forgotten I'd made a similarly-posed doodle of ZEX a bit back lol#Interesting style evolution and Totally Nothing Else lol
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get-more-bald · 24 days
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the thing about X6 is that he's essentially a slave given to the Sole Survivor by the Institute. and I think that the fandom's treatment of him would be different if the game addressed it or even just said it
#forever crying cause x6 has no companion quest#i mean like. would be cool if fallout fans could read implications but also i think im one of the very few who actually think about x6#like. what the hell.........#also obv the institute synth slavery plotline was incredibly mishandled and also bad but like. everyone knows that#fallout 4 would be SO good if it was good#one thing i think about the synths. is that there are different divisioms of gen 3s#the common one: normal artificial human-cyborg basically. BUT has a short life expectancy (like... 10-15 years? short in general)#for the coursers i cant decide whether theyre upgraded commons (which would make them 'a class above' with some 'gifted' individuality)#or if theyre just. made to kill. superior physically and mentally. proficient with weapons. uncommon. even shorter life expectancy tho#and the impersonators made specifically to inflitrate the outside world. who have a life expectancy much closer to a real human#but theyre uncommon (usually community leaders) and theyre hard to make. so the commons are also sent up a lot of the time#and the institute goal in all this is to secretly control the commonwealth societies AND to use the synths (with 'a shorter life anyways')#to clean the commonwealth of radiation and create safe spaces and generally make it good and safe. and also perform eugenics on the humans#so that after the commonwealth is safe and non irradiated etc. the institute humans can actually come out and have the world ready for them#and they'd be provided for etc etc. which would make a convincing goal for a vault-like society AND have the ss actually consider joining#but with obvious flaws in their plan (maybe not even their grandchildren would see the outside. the synth slavery obv (with disregard for#their lives). the basically slow genocide of the outside humans and ghouls and all mutated life. like itd be so good#also the short life cycle of a synth (especially a courser) would make an x6 story so tasty. like. hes probably what? 6 or 8? not a lot#is he a child? not really. an adult? i dont think so. hes just here and hes going to die soon and theres nothing you can do#could be a nice ground for a companion quest where hes free and learns how to live to the fullest for his remaining years or smth#also the short lifespan (finally remembered thw word) could actually be a reason for synths to be considered less than human#cause in the base game its just like. theyre just some guys with metal in their heads and i guess they were made in a lab (noone could tell)#coming back to the institute. they would be so full of themselves and scared of the outside and pretty pathetic that thered be no way#to talk them into changing their plans and working with the outside world. but youd have to think about it a bit cause their supplies#WILL run out. its a matter of time. and they will NOT work with the other factions no matter what. so if work against them youll doom them#which is why we could use some innocent institute npcs too. or like... show some children there or whatever. make them human too#but you also see how much destruction theyre causing in the outside world (insert quest about synths like... the mcdonough quest or smth)#damn and i thought i wouldnt go on a tirade in the tags again.... alas#well here are my almost 2am thoughts about the institute and that its stupid in base game#fallout 4 would be so good if it was good
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hardware-sparks · 1 year
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Some silly doodles + a cropping of one because I think it's actually good.
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savrenim · 2 years
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gods nov 5th is the gift that keeps giving
#I recently have been dragged into I guess sort of the boku no hero academia fandom in the funniest of ways#which is to say I read a crossover fic went 'huh that's good' and decided to read more fic while also deciding to never watch the show#which I've only done for one fandom before and tbh it might legit be a more fun fanfiction reading experience than the normal one#it is WILD trying to reverse-engineer what is simply well-accepted fan theory and what is actual canon#I've definitely gotten a few guesses wrong but the osmosis process is really fun#(esp bc if you want to be a good detective you have to check dates; even people writing very carefully close to canon#might have written a fic before canon came out)#BUT ANYWAYS I guess I read BNHA fic now it's actually pretty good#probably bc there are multiple characters that fit my standard..... not even 'blorbo' preferences#my 'you have a backstory and/or situation that means fanfic written about you is most likely going to hit the spot' preferences#1 defs being Eraserhead bc let's be real 'I am a very tired gruff teacher working two jobs at once who does not get any sleep and has#against my own will adopted all of you why is this happening to me I'm so tired' is The Most Relatable#Hawks bc Crafted Into A Weapon From Childhood is The Weapons Feels^TM#and then Dabi bc that was the crossover that I read that was fun ok it was a silly jjk crossover of 'what if Gojo is reincarnated as Dabi'#that just transferred all my 'HELLO FAVORITE CHARACTER' emotions onto Dabi who then I go and look up and has also the sort of backstory#that makes him fave character material#SO here I am sitting here just generally happy with all of this watching my annual Nov 5th meme compilation#and LO AND BEHOLD there is strong arm 'trending during the us election: destiel/ BNHA' meme#and I'm going 'what the fuuuuuuuck my new favorite fandom aLSO TRENDED IN THE NOV 5TH CHAOS????'#so obviously I had to look up why#WELL THE WHY WAS DABI BACKSTORY REVEAL#anyways my housemate had to check on me as to why I was screaming and it turns out that indeed nov 5th#is the gift that keeps on giving#if you have read this far down in my tags I feel like you now know uncomfortably personal things about me#esp if you know enough about BNHA to understand all of that#so if you have any fic recs About My Favs I'm taking them I esp enjoy canon retellings bc it's REALLY fun to try to figure out#which bits of those are actually canon
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sombrerokiwi · 1 year
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I'm too tired for this stupid game, taking a big ass nap then I'm attempting the stupid Wolfort + Ende vs Avlora battle again
That’s fair. Sleep tight.
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savanir · 3 months
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DP x DC prompt [6]
Weapon design always came easy to Jack Fenton. He grew up with it, all the way back in Atlantis, when he was just a little guppy.
What he wasn’t aware of at the time was that his parents were from a long and prestigious line of scientists and weapon manufacturers in Atlantean society. But things had been getting dangerous. 
The King at the time cast them out when they refused his demands of greater, stronger, deadlier weapons. The kind of weapons they knew would not only destroy their enemies, but themselves as well.
They fled and went where they thought they would never be found, the surface.
Jack had the easiest time adapting, being as young as he was getting used to breathing air was a lot less of a struggle. 
He adopted one of the most generic male names he could, and adapted the family name of Fenestratus into Fenton. And then it was just living as a human, as humanly as possible, nothing to see here.
By now Jack basically doesn’t know any better. but this piece of heritage is coming back now all these years later, when his son is looking to him for help from the government.
But first he holds his boy close and apologizes, because he sees the fear, and he understands a little too well, and he doesn’t like the picture he’s seeing now that all the puzzle pieces are falling into place.
“I almost became the thing I hate the most. I’m so sorry Danny, I’m sorry I made you feel unsafe in your own home”
The hug is long and warm and tight and Danny isn’t ashamed to admit he might have clung a little bit.
Then Jack holds Danny tightly by his shoulders and gives him a big grin, “Good news though, you’re only half ghost, the other half is not only human but also Atlantean, and there are laws protecting us now” Jack mutters to himself, “I wonder if the whole ghost stuff would actually be put under the meta protection thing… hmm”
Danny blinks for a moment, Jazz gapes, Maddie is suddenly no longer spiraling about how her baby boy got in a terrible accident in their lab and she didn’t know.
“I’m also what?”
“Dad!?”
“oh did I forget to mention that? I thought I did, I know for certain that I had been meaning to”
“Jack sweetie, are you-”
“oh yes, and I remember now, I decided to tell you after our big breakthrough because I didn’t want to distract you, and-” Jack looks sheepish, “I hope you aren’t too mad at me Maddiecakes”
“mad? oh I would never be mad at you about this but we could have- I don’t know, accommodated- Atlanteans are aquatic, well I guess that explains how you could always put away so much water, and when you gave me your umbrella and I thought you were just making an excuse when you told me you didn’t mind and in fact loved getting pelted by the rain-”
Maddie goes on, and Jack thinks to himself that this is exactly the reason why he kept it to himself at the time, Maddie never half asses anything, he’s sure a lot of things are going to change in the house now, it honestly only makes him fall in love with her even more.
Meanwhile Jazz had filled up a bucket of water and then dunked her head in, then came back out not even slightly gasping for breath, just saying “oh my god” over and over.
Danny timed it, “yeah okay, I guess that proves it. now I’m starting to wonder if my weird relationship with air is ghost related at all”
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rubys-domain · 1 year
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*tags again*
#⇢₊˚⊹ 🩷∥ruby∥yo,ide yo !!#maybe i should just suck it and farm for artifacts. ignoring the fact that i blew all my fragiles on lvling xiangling. i don't even like he#my first priority is definitely getting a better noblesse set for bennett. his er is abysmal#so i can finally give him my aquila favonia and profit. hes been languishing with favonius sword this whole time cuz his er is just that ba#i also would like to get more refinements on qiu's sac sword. but getting gacha weapons isn't really something within my control#maybe i should just suck it and uss my second sac sword to refine qiu's. it's not like i'm actually using it on anyone except him atm anywa#i'm also obviously gonna be farming the vindagnyr domain a lot for both blizzard strayer and heart of depth#hopefully i get some good er substats for qiu. and obviously good artifacts in general for my son the man the myth the legend#and then gilded dreams for cyno. and 4pc deepwood for baizhu. and 2pc gilded 2pc deepwood for nahida who will take fischl's place sometime#bit of a shame since i don't really use fischl anywhere else and i literally just got the stringless by chance from the gacha#oh well. ig yelan can have it whenever i get her#i also have a barely passable 4pc vv on sucrose#(and by barely passable i mean the stats are all over the place cuz i really just wanted her to have the 4pc) so that's another set to farm#OR OR OR#4PC SHIM FOR CHONG#IM GONNA COMPLETELY RIP OFF THAT ONE GUY WHO SHOWED DORO HIS CHONG BUILD#and then i could give qiu 4pc emblem while i'm at it#guess i'll whale for redhorn whenever that reruns again cuz jesus christ the crit dmg#but hmm... i do plan on getting bp so r5 serpent spine is definitely in my future... and i heard that it's really good for melt comps#but i dont have zhongli but i dont wanna use diona but layla would steal chong's melts and theres no point in using a dendro shield is ther#so ig noelle gets to be on the chong team again. that or just get zhongli idk#so ig the team comp then is chongyun-bennett-xiangling-zhongli? or chongyun-xiangling-zhongli-sucrose for grouping?#cuz i also hear it's hard to melt with bennett#welp. might as well get both claymores i guess#man i really want an excuse to use layla tho :( maybe if i let her replace mika in the chongqiunett team. or bennett for pure melt#*freeze#but in the former i'd lose the atk speed buff and in the latter i'd lose bennet's buff but it would be full freeze/shatter#am i srsly gonna have multiple builds for chong? cuz that's gonna a headache since hoyo hasn't added an artifact set saver thing in the game#which they really should; the amount of artifacts there are in the game is just ridiculous to keep track of#anyway i'll shut up and go now lol
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tossawary · 6 months
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At the end of "Fullmetal Alchemist", Ed Elric quits the military, has given up his ability to "play god", and is (as he has been since he burned his fucking house down as a tweenager) homeless, disabled, and crashing at the Rockbell place to help his very sick brother recover.
And it's easy and funny to imagine Edward Elric essentially becoming the house husband of successful and innovative automail mechanic Winry Rockbell (and later a stay-at-home dad). Small family businesses are pretty much always a mess of needing an extra hand just to answer phones and the mail, to schedule appointments, to deliver and pick up parts, to organize stock, to "just hold this for a second for me", and so on. Pinako is not getting any younger and could use someone to cook dinner and fix the roof while she rests her back!!! Winry is busy!!!
There is also always a lot to do in a rural community, so I'm sure that Ed would find another hobby in the absence of alchemy and could turn it into a gig if necessary, if he really doesn't like automail. He has a lot of skills that he could potentially turn towards an income. I've also generally assumed that Ed made a pretty decent amount of money as a State Alchemist and still has some generous savings on that front.
But I was also thinking that it would be kind of funny if being a State Alchemist came with incredible retirement benefits. Like, the military wants to lure people in with wealth and power and resources - and then make alchemists desperate enough to keep these things that they become walking weapons of war, commit horrible crimes against humanity in the name of "research", and/or resort to human transmutation and become viable sacrifices. Ed never had to worry about getting kicked out (and presumably losing his benefits) because he was a perfect human sacrifice from the get-go (although he didn't know this). I'm guessing a lot of State Alchemists were never actually able to retire between dying in wars, failing out of the program (the brass finding excuses to save money! Bosses are always cheap!), getting arrested for speaking out or actually getting caught publicly doing bad shit, and being murdered for their crimes against humanity.
But, in theory, maybe the State Alchemist retirement benefits were absolutely incredible if you could somehow survive long enough or get permission for an early, "honorable" retirement, because King Bradley (who let's say set up this financial bait) somewhat reasonably assumed that Father would completely destroy the country before he'd ever have to pay out a pension. Which means that Ed could be out of the military for years and somehow still costing Roy Mustang a lot of money.
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pomefioredove · 1 month
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Can I pretty please have The housewardens (Plus Ruggie and Rook) with a kawaii metal singer? Like soft feminine voice and cutesy outfits and then on stage is just death screaming and gets embarrassed because apparently "Guys find it embarrassing when fem people metal scream."
interesting... I'll see what I can do!
*ੈ✩‧₊˚ kawaii metal singer
type of post: headcanons characters: riddle, leona, ruggie, azul, kalim, vil, rook, idia, malleus additional info: romantic or platonic, reader is gender neutral but implied feminine in the way they dress, reader is not specified to be yuu
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imagine having a conversation about music with Riddle
he's pleasantly surprised!
he thought he had nothing in common with you
but you're a musician!
to him, mastering an instrument is akin to mastering a subject or acing an exam
and he'll talk your ear off about his favorite composers and concertos
of course, he's curious about what you play
so, you show him a song
and he's...
...well...
it's... music, he supposes
it takes the same skill to play (perhaps even more?) so he's still impressed. just... surprised!
*ੈ✩‧₊˚
Leona's reaction? yawn
a musician is just like a theater kid with a weapon
based on the way you dress, he can already guess
piano? pop? wannabe indie?
undoubtedly something upbeat and fast
that he has no interest in
it's not until he starts hearing the whispers that he gives it a second thought
funny enough, it's the other boy's dislike that draws him in
and, oh, was he wrong
the first time Leona hears you screaming, he's smitten
you've got some voice on you, that's for sure
*ੈ✩‧₊˚
Ruggie already associates femininity with strength
(whether you're girl or not, mind you)
so, he's not really taken aback or 'nothin
you show him a clip of one of your performances, and his reaction is more like:
"Cool. Nice chords. What's for dinner?"
he knows that not everyone is gonna see it that way
but to him, it's nothing to write home about
...unless he thinks you're gonna be a good provider for him
then he might tell his grandma he's bringing you home for break
"How much do you singers make, anyway?"
*ੈ✩‧₊˚
now, Azul was captivated from the start
when Jade came back to him with intel on you, he wasn't expecting you to be a singer
how intriguing...
Azul is a musical person himself, so, of course he was curious
but it's not until he tries to strike a deal with you that he realizes he was very, very wrong
your voice in exchange for anything you desire...
...and you start laughing at him
"my voice? do you know what I sing?"
Azul is a little taken aback by your reaction
now, what's so funny?
eventually, you share a little of your work, and he...
...well, he's impressed, that's for sure
it takes a lot of vocal training to be able to do that
but unless Floyd takes up a new hobby, he has no use for a metal singer's voice
so, for now, he'll simply admire your talent from afar
*ੈ✩‧₊˚
People tend to see Kalim as this witless little flower who can't be exposed to anything "scary"
and, sure, he can be naive at times
but it actually takes a lot to freak him out
he's also been hanging out with Lilia Vanrouge for two years, so, you know
he'd just be impressed, if anything
"Wow, that's so cool! I wish I could do that, but my voice can't go that high, and Jamil doesn't want me to hurt my throat..."
I mean, really impressed
he'll beg you to show him all of your songs
and he might try to get you to one of his club meetings, too
*ੈ✩‧₊˚
Vil is more like,
"Well, I hope you're taking adequate care of your throat. You'll overexert yourself if not,"
...so, no
he's not even phased by it
Vil is a performer himself, after all
he's more concerned with your physical and mental wellbeing than you being "embarrassing"
the next day, he'll show up at your door with an armful
this is for your throat, this will keep your skin from drying out under the lights, this foundation is designed for stage...
he's always been generous, after all
and he certainly won't accept no for an answer
*ੈ✩‧₊˚
similarly, Rook doesn't think anything of it
he's simply taken by you
...your devotion, your energy, your heart!
sometimes he, too, feels like screaming for his passions!
you can expect him to be your number one fan
and be at each of your performances, whether small or big, on stage or just in your room
(whether you know he's there or not)
he always seems to know just what to get you, though. tea with honey? salt water for your throat?
he's thought of it before you even have to ask
*ੈ✩‧₊˚
Idia is fangirling over it before he even meets you
listen, in his defense-
one of his favorite animes is about a kawaii metal singer!
and he was already familiar with the genre, anyway
so... no, it's not weird to him
if anything, he feels weird for never being able to talk to you about it
it's basically like talking to one of his idols IRL
whether you're a well-known performer or just make videos online is irrelevant to him
you'll be receiving a lot of anonymous donations from someone named gloomurai
*ੈ✩‧₊˚
when Lilia makes an offhand comment about your music, Malleus is intrigued
you'd never mentioned being a musician, after all
the next time you see each other, he asks
but, much to his confusion, you seem... embarrassed?
he quickly explains he only heard it from Lilia, and didn't mean to offend you, and-
ah...
that's why you're embarrassed?
you think he won't like you because others have said it's unbecoming?
humans are so strange, he thinks
it's only music, after all. it'd take much more to make him dislike you
besides, this is Lilia's foster son we're talking about. he's been exposed to every genre at least once
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qqueenofhades · 4 months
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Is it foolish of me to sympathize with how marginalized people on the far-left are incredibly frustrated that the Democratic establishment isn't as scared of/desperate to please them as the Republican establishment are toward the MAGA fringe? I guess from their perspective, voting feels like begging - most of the people who hear you won't even glance at you, let alone drop you a coin. But you still have to do it, or else you (or worse, your family) are *guaranteed* to starve.
Okay, a few thoughts here. Note: for you and the other people who have recently sent politics asks, I have been very deliberately NOT talking about it for the last few months. I had to break it yesterday because of the Orange Menace finally getting fucking convicted, but I do want to go back to not doing that (at least for the next few weeks/months/until whatever else stupid happens). So while I will answer this, I am generally not going to answer others and my apologies for that, but yeah. It's just so much and I have GOT to keep myself sane until November somehow. (Or God forbid, afterward, but you know.)
First off, most members of the American far left aren't actually marginalized people, or at least not marginalized enough that their personal well-being seems in any way likely to be affected by their loud and ceaseless campaign to tell other people not to vote. Actual marginalized people who have lived in America for any length of time are *well* aware of how the government and the state can be weaponized against them; witness how black community organizers will voice well-deserved criticisms of the Democratic establishment or other aspects of American party politics that are frustrating for everyone, but they will still always tell people to vote. Black people are also extremely aware that earning the right to vote was an incredibly long, difficult, and bloody battle that they were never given it for free, and the white power establishment fought them having it at every turn. They are thus far more aware than your average white online leftist that voting matters, because they had to work so hard to get it (and still to defend it as various red states launch openly racist assaults on voting rights, especially aimed at disenfranchising people of color). Witness how Bernie also got literally zero traction with African American voters, despite being the darling of the (white) online left.
Hispanic people are also (rightfully) frustrated at how both American parties can use Latino immigrants as a political football, but they're still backing Biden by 30-point margins. We hear a lot of chatter about Trump supposedly gaining ground with voters of color -- maybe he has, though I doubt it, but that's still incremental gains from the massive holes he was in before, and where he generally remains. Arab Americans are (rightfully) angry with Biden over Gaza, but even in the much-hyped Michigan primary, he got roughly the same amount of "uncommitted" voters as Obama did as an uncontested incumbent in 2012, and most of them have said they'll grit their teeth and vote for him in the general election anyway. Yes, a few of them have decided not to, but they are not the size of the Black and Latino populations in America insofar as electoral power, and many of them have grudgingly decided that as bad as Biden might be on this particular issue (though far less so than the social media groupthink would paint him) the alternative (i.e. Trump openly promising to deport everybody who's not white and crack down on pro-Palestinian protests and anything else) is much, much worse.
And yet, white leftists seem utterly incapable of making these same calculations. Frankly, I'm not sure they actually care about Gaza, let alone anything else they say, because if so, they wouldn't be slavering at the mouth to let Trump back in there to "teach a lesson" to Biden, Democrats, and everyone else who was not Smart And Clever Enough to sanctimoniously sit on their hands and let the fascists take over. I know this because they spent all their time lying about Biden and distorting his record and insisting people not vote even before October of last year, and then it only got ten thousand times worse. I'm not saying that all leftist or leftist-identified people are white, but they are disproportionately predominant in leftist spaces and in pushing the idea that there's "no difference" between the parties and somehow Trump and Biden are morally equivalent or will have the same amount of impact on what will happen after one of them is elected. That is, yes, because they are white and they have the privilege of assuming that a weaponized fascist government will not go after them for that reason (even though Trump and his surrogates are now claiming that "everyone" who opposes Trump has to be "dealt with.") As such, when you say that marginalized far-left people are frustrated with the Democrats, I'm... not entirely sure that's true. Marginalized people AND the far left are both frustrated with the Democrats, but one of those groups has generally still decided not to voluntarily disenfranchise themselves, and the other is pumping out Vladimir Putin-wet-dream anti-voting propaganda at every chance they get.
There is also the fact that America is not a left-wing country in any sense of the word, and that while it's easy for the MAGA Republicans to go ever further far-right and promise to be even more outrageously cruel and stupid and fascist than ever before, but that's not an actual policy or a plan. It is also a strategy of diminishing returns; witness the fact that for all the cruelty and stupidity Republicans have pumped into the public arena since 2016, they haven't actually been that good at winning elections, and most of their major successes have come from Trump winning in 2016 and thus being able to stack SCOTUS and the district and circuit courts with hand-picked right-wing nut jobs, who are functioning exactly as they were designed to do. (Which Hillary Clinton warned about, along with everyone else, and yet she was taken out by the exact same dirtbag leftist disinformation moral purity machine that is working overtime to handicap Biden for the exact same reasons.) Mainstream Democrats warned about this before the 2016 election and were scorned and laughed off. Indeed, the entire Online Left continues to resolutely deny that the extremist SCOTUS is responsible for anything (It's Biden's Fault) and thus are likewise identical to Trumpies. And since they also want Trump to get back in there and teach a lesson to the Democrats, they're just as anti-democratic, dangerous, stupid, and deliberately short-sighted as actual MAGATs, and can by no means be considered allies to the singular movement of keeping fascists out of power. That is our only present goal.
If Democrats bent over to everything the far left asks for (which is often a combination of tankie gobbledygook, various vague ideas about Communism utopia where capitalism magically vanishes with no consequences, half-baked revolution cosplays, and other stuff that is functionally equivalent to the wildest lunacies of MAGA) they would never win an election again, and that would be exactly what the fascists want. Witness how they struggled when they were branded "defunders of the police" and "socialists" and other effective responses to the mildest milquetoast efforts for reform or accountability. And the political climate right now is just far too dangerous to throw everything to the wind and prance out some pipe-dream perfect-utopia plan. I'm sure you've heard about Project 2025 and how the far-right Heritage Foundation is planning to systematically implement fascism at all levels of the country, the instant they have a compliant Republican president and congress. I would take all these people crying about Biden even a fraction more seriously if they weren't openly jonesing for something that is so unbelievably, incredibly worse.
For example: I currently have major beefs with literally the entire foreign policy of the Biden administration right now. I think they're being too hard on Ukraine (forbidding them to strike targets on Russian soil with American weapons, which would end the war faster) and, despite some promising signs and open displeasure, still far too easy on Israel. They looked foolish after insisting that Rafah was a red line and then essentially making up an excuse that what's going on now is not a "major operation." Secretary of State Blinken floating the idea of helping Congress censure or neuter the International Criminal Court arrest warrants issued for Netanyahu and co. was also one of the fucking stupidest things I've heard from a serious (i.e. non-Trumpist) American diplomat in a long time. So we respect the ICC when it issues warrants for tyrants we don't like (Putin), but when it issues one for tyrants we still do, apparently (Netanyahu), then bingo, it's back to the bad old habit of ignoring international law like we're special and it doesn't apply to us, and allows all the other bad actors around the world to do the same by pointing at America and correctly pointing out that we ignore it when it doesn't suit our purposes. I think this is wrong and I don't agree. So? What am I going to do?
Well, you see. I'm going to vote for Biden and I am going to give him money and I am going to remind everyone I know that they have no moral option but to do the same. I do this because I am aware that despite my disagreements, Biden is acting from a cautious anti-interventionist standpoint and does not want to throw American military might around recklessly or dangerously like good ol' George Dubya or Trump or even Obama and the drones. He is listening to sober mainstream advisors who have (however incorrect and useless) ideas about "avoiding escalation" and trying to bring conflict to a managed end. He is doing this with a realistic appraisal of the power of the office of American presidency and he's not going to capriciously end democracy and become a full-blown fascist dictator on day one, as Trump has openly and repeatedly promised to do. Yes, if there was a viable option apart from Biden, maybe I would think about voting for them, but there is not, and literally everyone who does not actively vote for him is helping Trump. I do not care about any other contrived and disingenuous online squealing. I know that Biden does not want the war in Gaza to go on for no reason and for maximum carnage; Netanyahu and Trump both do. That is just to name one thing.
So: yes. I absolutely understand being frustrated with the Democrats and wishing they would push harder and etc. But I am also aware that they can be pushed, that they are the only option right now, and the people who huff and puff and whine and groan about how it's such a moral imposition to vote for them are literally doing the fascists' work for them, and that is not acceptable. If they want a better system or a better world that isn't just useless internet fantasies about magical end-of-days Raptures fixing everything, also a la the crazy fundamentalists, they will have to get off their ass, do the work, and create that change. I will be happy to vote for that candidate when or if they arrive. In the meantime, I will continue to do my damndest to ensure that we even have a chance to get there. So yeah.
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dawns-beauty · 8 months
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Okay, to counteract all my complaining, here are some (lore friendly) mods that I just like a lot (no animals, people, weapons/armors, mesh/texture replacers, etc. because there's too many and it gets boring.)
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Ghosts of the Deathbells: adds a really rare, somber event to picking a deathbell flower.
Falmeroon: adds Snow Elf ruins to some remote edges of the map. I've made an unofficial SE port here.
Snow Whale Bones: adds the remains of Snow Whales in some mountainous areas (iffy canon but sorry they are Cool.)
Windmills of Skyrim: adds windmills with unique, custom-painted sails to farms.
Scarecrows of Skyrim: adds scarecrows to farms.
Scribes of Skyrim: makes books and notes use a variety of typefaces (any fellow Pentiment fans out there?)
The Old Ways-Nordic Religion: adds totems representing the Nordic pantheon around Skyrim. Has patches for the next recommendation.
The Great Towns/Villages series: overhauls the smaller, worldspace towns in a really cool way, includes voice-acted NPCs. Personally, I like Kynesgrove the best because it actually adds to the lore about the Nordic pantheon. For Shor's Stone, I recommend this mod as well.
Redbag's Rorikstead: I like this mod over Great Village's version because the houses have sod roofs and I'm a sucker for sod roofs.
Capital Windhelm Expansion: adds some really thoughtful lore touches (Dunmer refugees outside the walls, an Arena, and a cool vampire quest)
Relic of Dawnstar: adds a Gehenoth skull to the White Hall (requires Cities of the North), inspired by the lore of the Travels game
Environs series: thoughtful additions that makes certain places change over time.
WiZKid's mods: especially Lund's Hut, Lively Farms, Icy Windhelm, Pinewatch, Hall of the Dead Stained Glass Windows, and Pavo's House. Sepolcri is also pretty good but loses immersion points for using celtic cross gravestones. You can pry Lanterns of Skyrim II from my cold, dead hands, though. Lux? Idk her, LoSII is my bestie.
Fancy Sleeping Tree Replacer: the Sleeping Tree is supposed to be a remnant of the sentient trees of the flying city of Umbriel (from the novels.) It should be weird, is what I'm saying, and this mod makes it alien and beautiful.
Unique Culture Riverwood: a mod that gives Riverwood its own style of farmhouse and a little more personality. The author has also made a mod for Falkreath.
Immersive World Encounters: adds more and edits World Encounters, including encountering faction NPCs out and about (ex. the Companions outside of Whiterun doing Companion-y things in the wilderness).
Glorious Doors of Skyrim: adds some really cool doors. 'nuff said.
Redbag's Dragonreach: adds some unique flair to Jarl Ballin's crib.
Cultured Orc Furniture: replaces generic furniture in Orc Strongholds with custom furniture.
Lavinia's Memorial: adds some gifts from her grieving parents to the little girl's grave in Falkreath. Ouch.
Nocturnal Moths: adds moths that spawn around lanterns at night.
Moons and Stars: fixes the positions of the stars and moons, as well as making moon phases consistent.
DK's Realistic Nord Ships: replaces Skyrim's ships with some gorgeous new models.
Morgenstern's Mushroom Circles: adds more fairy rings in the wilderness. Delightful!
Bloodmoon Brodir Grove: makes the grove in Solstheim a little more like it was in the Morrowind DLC. The mod author also has more mods that bring Bloodmoon details and locations to Solstheim.
Ships of the Horizon: does what it says on the tin.
EVG Animation Variance: the whole animation series by Everglaid is nice (haven't tried Traversal yet, but that is some incredible technology) but I especially like this one for the old people animations
jasperthegnome's houses: these are SO cozy and comfy.
Arctic- Frost Effects Redux: makes frost spells have cooler effects (including 3D ice spikes)
Northern Roads- Let Me Guess Someone Stole Your Sweetroads: a plugin that cuts down on Northern Roads, removing all the landscape changes and bridges and just keeping the clutter. Way more compatible than the original mod.
Skyrim Bridges: this is my favorite bridge mod. There are many, but I like this one best.
Edit: forgot two tiny mods in my original post:
Nightcaller Temple Unique Shrine of Mara: replaces the generic shrine with a wooden shrine Erandur carved
Broken Tower Redoubt Unique Shrine of Dibella: similar to the above mod, but Reachmen carved this one.
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The Soldier Of Death (2)- Encounter
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Natasha Romanoff X Super Soldier Reader 18+
Summary: Soldat Smerti. The Soldier of Death. You were the perfect weapon: loyal, obedient, and merciless, or so Hydra thought. What happens when these traits are put to the test? Your captivity in the Avenger's tower and the presence of a redhead makes you realise you didn't have to be a monster. The question was though; Did Hydra make you the monster or were you always one?
This fic will contains dark themes. Please read these warnings before starting any of these chapters: graphic descriptions of murder, violence, gore and torture, heavy angst, mental issues.
Please consider these warnings before reading
Word Count: 2.8k
General Masterlist | The Soldier Of Death Masterlist
Encounter
Chapter warning- Brief Violence (nothing graphic), Dark/unstable thoughts
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A metal baton was vigorously smashed against the steel door, a loud, unpleasant noise ringing around your head painfully at the guards action. Unwillingly, you tore your gaze away from your blurred reflection in the metal door, looking up through the small gap between bars at the smirking man.
"Come on Soldat, give us a smile," he sneers mockingly, hitting the stick even more violently against the door, your sensitive hearing causing you to clench your jaw at the agony in your ears and head. You remained silent, eyes staring into his with an empty look while his dark eyes contained a sinister glint, revelling in the power and dominance he had over you.
You ignore his taunting remark, face stoic as you waited to see why he was here, his lips stretching into a menacing smile as he revealed his rotting teeth, a smug expression on his face as he moved out of sight before returning.
"I guess you don't want this then," his tone sly as he showed you the tray with your food on it, a small glint of life glossing over in your eyes. You weren't sure how long it had been since you had eaten, the guards punishing you for no apparent reason and wanting to make you suffer. You could feel your body slowly desire the unappetising slop served in a bowl, your stomach yearning for something to fill it up. The Russian man knew how hungry you would have been, slowly taking the tray out of view again and showing his face through the small window of the door, "If you want it Soldat, give your favourite guard a smile."
The act of smiling was so unfamiliar to you, you had to remember how to do it, reluctantly moving the muscles in your face to show him the wanted expression, eyes remaining cold as your lips tugged upwards. His comment also didn't go unnoticed by you, but you ignored it for the time being, not wanting him to take the dish away as you spat back at him about the cruel actions he has delivered to you.
He says no more, merely chuckling in a low tone to himself at your obedience before opening the small hatch in the door. With no care, he shoves the tray through, letting it clatter to the concrete ground in front of you, part of the beige coloured paste spilling out of the metal dish, the water in the matching metallic cup sloshing around but just about remaining in it.
"Thank you," your voice rough as you show your appreciation for the man, the response ingrained into you, the consequences of not showing your gratitude not worth the pain and torment. You don't hear a response from him, the sound of boots becoming fainter and fainter as you're left all alone in your isolated cell, eyes flickering back up to your reflection in the door.
You watched attentively as your reflection moved, the figure moving to stand and inspect the tray of food that was still on the floor before looking up at you with a disappointed stare.
We're better than this.
Their voice matches their gaze, hand reaching down to the tray, lifting the spoon immersed in the paste and dropping it back in with a grimace at the consistency.
We need to fight back.
Show them that we are in control
You look back down at the concrete floor, counting all the small indents and scratches in the stone made by you, a defeated sigh leaving you as you listen to them.
You don't know what caused the sight before you, too far gone to bother trying to figure out whether it was the lack of food, tiredness, loneliness or your own broken mind that caused the hallucinations of yourself, the version a fragmented part of your personality.
"I can't," you mutter, voice cracking from how rare you use it. You hear the reflection scoff, snapping your head up at the frustrated tone.
You can.
We can.
Look at them, they are nothing compared to us. Nothing. We could kill them all without thinking about it. Just let me take control. I'll set us free.
"No," you croak out into the empty room, the reflection turning their back to you in annoyance, a sense of fear running through you at being left alone. "I don't want you to kill them," at your words they spin back around, rage and confusion evident despite their blurriness.
Why? They deserve to die after what they've done to us.
You can't disagree with their statement but you just can't kill anymore people. You're haunted enough by the actions you've done, nevermind the one's your other side have brutally carried out when taking control.
"I can't hurt anymore people-"
You can. You will. No matter how hard you try to redeem us, it's impossible. Accept the fact that we're-
"No," you grit out, a look of surprise but also amusement flickering across their face as they move to mirror your position on the concrete, crossing their legs and placing their hands on their thighs. "I'm not," the tone of your voice is significantly quieter, your reflection returning to normal as the sound of approaching steps can be heard.
You can tell their close and scurry over to the tray, trying to get as much of the tasteless food into your body to provide some sort of energy, chugging the water in one to keep you hydrated as your general appears in the small gap, shaking his head at your pathetic form on the floor.
"Soldat," his tone is deep and laced with a thick accent, your body moving to kneel, posture straight as he addresses you. "Are you ready to comply?"
"Da, Sare," you can feel your darker side trying to take control, knowing a mission was about to present itself. You internally fought against them, their sicking desire for bloodshed too much for your fragile and splintered mind to take anymore.
"We need you to stall the Avengers as we evacuate the base in Siberia," he says, the metal door creaking open as he carelessly throws you your suit, motioning for you to put it on as he briefs you on your part of the mission. He didn't care about telling you the ins and outs of the reasoning, your only use being their weapon. "Do whatever you must Soldat to keep your presence unknown," you nod in understanding while pulling the black fabric onto your body, the knowledge of the blades near your fingertips exciting the darkness within you. "And listen carefully Soldat, do not kill any of the Avengers. If you kill them, it declares war and we are not ready for war yet." His hand motions for you to follow him, his heavy boots pounding in your ear drums as he leads you to the jet. "Do you understand Soldat?"
"Da, Sare."
He remains quiet at your answer, watching the other Hydra agents boarding the jet with you, his gaze drifting back over to your stoic form as you take your seat.
"Remember the consequences Soldat," he warns as the door of the jet slowly closes, your jaw clenching at his words. "Hail Hydra."
***
The snow that softly crunched under the weight of your boots quickly turned into gentle footsteps as you quietly entered the base, the Avengers already swarming through the base in search of whatever they could find. Your ears picked up the frantic heartbeats of the Hydra agents trying to cover up their tracks, the faint sound of steps on the east side of the building indicating that some were already trying to escape.
Your eyes fluttered shut to help you focus, ears trying to pick up on the heartbeats of the enemy as they slowly made their way through the endless amount of corridors. The closest one you could pick up was only a few turns away, their heart beating slow and steady, the sound of a bow string being pulled indicating who it was.
Agent Barton, also known as Hawkeye, relaxed the taut string of his weapon, his footsteps careful and light to avoid the unnecessary noise as he crept through the base. His steps indicated he was heading closer to you, your hands slipping into your pocket to retrieve the small bottle one of the agents handed to you, the chloroform being absorbed by the cloth you were also given as you doused it in the chemical.
Naturally, you retreated to the shadows of the hallways, the flickering lights not much use to the Avengers but perfect for you as you edged your way closer to the unknowing man. Your body remained still as he rounded the corner, your suit in the dark allowing you to be practically invisible as you camouflaged into the darkness, his hand pulling on the string of his bow momentarily before deeming it safe, turning to look the other way as he thought he heard or saw something.
As the opportunity presented itself, you stalked your way over to him, one hand roughly pressing the damp cloth against his mouth while your other wrapped around his eyes, blocking his view. His bow clattered to the ground while his hands were thrown back against your body, his punches futile. Due to the concentration of the sedative substance, it didn't take long for his body to become limp in your arms, slowly lowering him to the ground and slipping the comms out of his ear and into your own.
The chat was pretty quiet as everyone searched their respective areas, your hearing still picking up your fellow teammates, the sound of ruckus quietening indicating they were almost done.
"It doesn't seem like anyone is here Cap," a man says into the coms, your ears picking up the sound nearby without the need of the technology.
"Just keep searching, there must be something here," the man, who you supposed was Captain America by the nickname he was called, speaking up.
Pressing your body against the wall, you waited as the sound of steps became closer, the sound of some sort of metallic object also being able to be heard. Once the metal of his wings were visible, you gripped the edge of them and pulled him towards you, hand clamping over his mouth with the still damp cloth to muffle his surprised noise. He tries to kick at your leg pointlessly, his efforts having no impact while the wings become awkward in your face making you snap them off with your other hand. You can see his eyes widen at the sudden show of strength, them quickly fluttering close due to pressure of the laced cloth.
Laying his body down like you did with the last Avenger, you stood tall when the sounds of steps approaching caused you to tense, unable to remove yourself from their line of sight.
"Sam.." their voice died out once seeing the menacing figure looming over his still body, the voice clearly a woman as you turned around to face her, your mask and googles hiding the fear that ran across your face at failing part of your mission.
Keep your presence unknown.
Fear and terror also flooded through the redhead, her face remaining stoic despite her recognition of you. Her mind flashbacked to the video of your hands forcing the skull apart, not a single hint of emotion or humanity in your almost robotic form.
"Who are you?" she asks, your gaze still remaining on her as you take a step forward. When your boot met the floor, hers moved one back, an usual amount of horror consuming the spy.
Your lack of response wasn't a surprise to Natasha, but your sudden attack was as you forcefully threw your leg at her. Her body missed your violent swing by a mere inch, her heart beating wildly in her chest as you prowled towards her. Her instincts kicked in when you threw another at her, her agile body sliding out of the way before she spun on the heel of her foot, propelling the movement of her body as her foot collided with your leg.
Due to the unexpected swiftness, you were knocked slightly at her attack, jaw clenching as this wasn't supposed to be happening. You could feel the darkness inside you clawing at you, wanting to mercilessly make her pay for her actions but you held your ground, mirroring her action and spinning fast on your feet to swipe at her feet, knocking her onto the ground.
A sharp intake of breath sounded from her lips when her back collided with the concrete floors, a pained groan escaping her before she tried to make it back to her feet, your enhanced speed beating her.
Your fingers abruptly threaded through the red locks at the back of her head, forcing her to look up at you. Your free hand went to her throat, fingers pressing into the side of it causing her to cough at the force of your grip. The fight was unmatched from there, your abilities easily overpowering her as her body tried to fight you, hands prying at yours to make you stop. When her emerald eyes bore into your own, a strange emotion stirred inside you at the desperate glint that glossed over in them before her arm raised at your distracted state.
An agonising pain ripped through your body at the electrical shock being passed through you, one of her signature widow bites attaching itself to your neck as your grip falters, body convulsing with the high current coursing through you. You dropped to your knees in front of the woman opposite you who coughed and harshly gasped for breath, her chest rising and falling with each ragged breath she took, your fingers trying to pry the device off.
Your fingers dug roughly under it, a low and pained groan escaping you, the disgruntled noise muffled by your mask as you pried it off your skin, the metal catching you and irritating the skin as you pulled it free. The throbbing pain ceased in your body, head raising to look at your enemy when the heel of her boot brutally strook your face.
A loud crack rang around the corridor, mixing with the heavy breaths from both of you as you turned to face her, part of the tinted glass in your goggles shattered.
Natasha slowed her body once catching your gaze, her arm moving to retrieve the small hand gun at her side when she hesitated. Rage and anger was what she expected to see swirling in your eyes, not the emotionless stare that soon morphed into despondency. Her brows furrowed at the raw glint in them, her hand still raising the weapon at you as you remained on your knees. There was a desperation in your eyes as the look lingered, your body begging her to take your life rather than sparing it, her finger hovering over the trigger, her mind racing to make a decision on whether she should spare your life or not.
You made the decision for her when you lost control, letting the darkness overtake for a split second as they lashed your arm out at hers, knocking the gun out of her hand, a bullet bouncing off the ceiling as your body was forced to its feet.
Kill her.
The thought repeated, and repeated, and repeated, inside your mind as you threw your fist at her, her arm blocking it before her arm launched at you, the action being easily anticipated as you caught her hand. Her body staggered back as you pushed her against the wall, pinning it above her head while your knee was roughly lodged into her lower abdomen, winding her. Your grip was tight, her face turning into a grimace as you pushed your knee even harder into her, her free hand trying to activate another widow bite when you caught it, pinning it with the other.
Let me kill her.
The darkness gnawed at your composure, begging you relentlessly to just give in. Flashes of violent deaths blurred your vision, a pained expression taking over your face at the bloodshed making you grab the cloth that was hidden in your pocket, forcing it against her nose and mouth and making her breath in the chemical.
Natasha's eyes noticed the conflict behind your eyes, her mind not able to process it as her vision went black, body temporarily shutting down at the drug she breathed in.
Her body slumped to the ground after sliding down the wall, your body lingering above hers while your mind screamed at you to leave, your body unable to. You only started to move at the sound of approaching people, slinking back into the darkness and deciding to leave, the sound of Hydra agents in the far distance indicating your success in helping them evacuate.
Despite the mission being completed successfully in that sense, dread took over your body while the snow crunched under your foot on the journey back to the jet, your general's words ringing around inside your mind.
Keep your presence unknown.
Remember the consequences Soldat.
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idkfitememate · 8 months
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Mora is a God’s Best Friend Pt. 1
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♡︎ « Next Part ⋙
૮꒰˶ᵔ ᗜ ᵔ˶꒱ა Pairings : GN! Mora Reader x Liyue
૮꒰ྀི∩´ ᵕ `∩꒱ྀིა W.K. : 4.6k
໒꒰ྀིᵔ ᵕ ᵔ ꒱ྀི১ Tags/CW&TW : Fluff, crack, reader is slightly angry, only slightly tho I promise :)
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Now, you wouldn’t say you were a greedy person… which would be a huge lie because holy shit you were compared to a dragon by your friends more times than your own mother said she loved you-
When you got your paycheck - which was a very handsome paycheck mind you - you hoarded that to the best of your abilities, but when you saw something you had to have? Bought. Spent all your cash on it.
… You have to many plushies-
You weren’t exactly an avid believer in the whole “money makes the world go around!” thing, but it certainly helped. Like, have you seen how happy Elon Musk is? That bitch living the life and you want that too.
But despite your adoration to money…
THAT DID NOT MEAN YOU WANTED TO BE IT!!
૮꒰づ˶• ༝ •˶꒱づ ˚ʚ ꒰⁐⁐⁐⁐୨🎂🍩🍰୧⁐⁐⁐⁐꒱ ɞ˚
When you woke up from a nice nap after a long day of hard labor- I mean work, you couldn’t see. You also couldn’t feel your arms or legs or… well anything in general that one would say when describing their body.
You did have your five core senses though, which is nice. Well… minus sight-
You couldn’t move, and whenever you would scream the people you heard around you - their voices were muffled… were you in a pouch?? - did nothing to help.
You continued for what you assumed to be hours, never once paying mind to the fact that you never got hungry or thirsty or ran out of breath. Then you felt warmth.
Something large and warm wrapped around your form which scared the shit out of you because as far as you were concerned, you were still very human sized. You continued to scream into the darkness as you listened to the… transaction (???) going on above you and-
Wait a minute. You recognized that voice.
A lot of your money went to Genshin Impact in your day, you were what was known in the fandom as a “whale”, did I mention you got payed handsomely?
Yeah it was enough the basically be a sugar parent for all your friends.
So you heavily related to a certain character who was constantly characterized as helping another with his money problems.
Can you guess who it is?
I’ll give you five seconds to guess!
5…
4…
3…
2… fuck it I hate the suspense-
It was Childe!
And hearing his voice above you shattered what you may have thought was happening to you. Yes you may or may not have thought you were being kidnapped-
You then felt yourself get placed on another warm surface and oh god-
“All repairs will be made in a timely manner! Thank you for the patronage!”
You flipped through the air with a small ‘whoosh’ and landed back in the hand.
… WERE YOU FUCKING MORA?????
૮꒰づ˶• ༝ •˶꒱づ ˚ʚ ꒰⁐⁐⁐⁐୨🍭🍫🍪୧⁐⁐⁐⁐꒱ ɞ˚
Being merged to a weapon wasn’t fun.
Well at the very least you weren’t “merged” with a weapon. For some reason the blacksmith couldn’t find a way to use your specific mora body to upgrade Childe’s bow.
So there you sat as a glorified decoration. Right on the front of the bow.
But you did find something out, the second you felt yourself attach to the bow, you could suddenly see! And you could very tell that you were in Liyue, which made sense. And when you coughed on accident, the blacksmith jumped and looked around, before shrugging and turning back to her work, which meant you could now be heard as well!
All five senses back baby!
Only shitty thing was that you couldn’t move on your own, and you now noticed you were no longer hungry nor need to breathe, as well as sleep.
So you were stuck.
For four days.
Unable to speak or move.
I mean, you were still figuring out your existence yourself, no need to get anyone else involved with the process since you were beyond confused.
You’ve read the Isekai stories - and fanfics - but you had never read one personally about being isekaied as money. Yes, you have seen the vending machine one. And the one where he gets turned into a dummy ASMR head mic-
Not the point!
You were just trying to figure out how to… exist (?) like this. Which was pretty hard when coming to terms with the fact that you’d never eat your favorite foods again.
Never again…
“Thank you so much for choosing our services sir! Have a nice day!”
You were suddenly picked up and placed in the gentle care of Childe - ironic sentence I know - and off you both went.
You want to know what a weird sensation is?
Being a bow and feeling someone pluck your string.
Now yeah, that sounds super sensual but it felt more like someone… pulling your hair?? You couldn’t really place it but that was honestly the closest equivalent. Feeling him rub his hands all up and down your… body (?????) was a new experience to. Again, not sensual, just ticklish? And it sucked trying not to giggle-
God this was weird and confusing.
“Well I’m free for some time… I’m sure a little practice won’t hurt…”
Oh good god you could not catch a break.
૮꒰づ˶• ༝ •˶꒱づ ˚ʚ ꒰⁐⁐⁐⁐୨🍧🍮🍬୧⁐⁐⁐⁐꒱ ɞ˚
A new fear had been unlocked within you.
You, a piece of mora crudely attached to a psychopathic killers bow, had just been de-summoned.
And it hurt.
BAD.
No one will ever know what that was like, the feel yourself fading, every atom slowly falling away into nothingness, and then the silence. That cursed silence. Deep dark blackness was what you felt for what appeared to be thousands of years to your still human brain.
Never again would allow yourself to feel that pain.
As you were summoned, you continued to stare off into the distance, coming to terms with what you had just witnessed while ignoring every word that came out of Childe’s mouth.
Something or other about practicing you couldn’t give a shit.
You only watched the changing scenery around you as you and Childe wandered aimlessly through a forest.
Then he dropped to his knees suddenly, which cause you to silently curse and sputter in shock.
Did you mention you got good at that? Being silent? Because you did.
Being that you were placed on the front of the bow, you could see perfectly where he was aiming, that being a small bird that you had to squint - how you squinted? You don’t know - to see.
It was ridiculously far away, covered in leaves. You were also slightly scared because Childe was being silent.
Childe. Silent.
Not two words you ever expected to put into the same sentence - again - but here you were.
You felt the bow string being pulled back, and him lining up the shot.
Then, you felt something course through you.
Obviously it was the Hydro infused arrow he knocked onto the string, but something else flowed through you.
You could feel yourself reaching, trying to connect with something to better control this sudden power flow, and then you found a great source.
His Hydro Vision.
૮꒰づ˶• ༝ •˶꒱づ ˚ʚ ꒰⁐⁐⁐⁐୨🍰🍡🍪୧⁐⁐⁐⁐꒱ ɞ˚
Childe was a seasoned soldier and fighter, literally anyone who met him could tell you that.
He kept that fact near and dear to his heart, that fact being why he fought so hard, to become stronger and finally find that fight that would be the end of him.
He longed for the day where he would be strong enough to fight his mentor, and weak enough to die at someone who he saw worthy enough to end his stories and legacy.
… Legacy was such a funny word to the man as all he could think of when it was spoken was his second, stronger form, Foul Legacy. Ironically, that’s what he though historians would call his stories in the far future - he would never admit how close it was due to the Electro Delusion that sapped away at his life, slower due to his strength but sucking away his soul nonetheless - would call it, a Foul Legacy.
He was self-aware enough to understand that people hated him, yet oblivious enough to leave his family in the hands of The Rooster, a man known for leveling cites before they even had the chance to riot against himself and the Tsaritsa.
He was complex in the same way he was so easy to understand.
Just as how he allowed the world to see his Vision but kept his Delusion hidden.
Just recently he had gotten his bow repaired after a… well not a hard mission more so than it was annoying.
And by the Archons it was beautiful! Any and all scratches and marks had been repaired, a new layer of pain was an added, a stronger string was restrung into it and just… mmm she was beautiful.~
The finishing touch was the little golden emblem stuck directly on the front. So shiny and pretty…
He just had to take it for a test run!
Nothing too big or anything, just a little hunting as he hadn’t indulged himself recently. Just a couple small birds or mammals nothing anyone would notice.
… No that isn’t a human corpse nu uh ya stupid-
Besides that wasn’t with his bow! That was with his blades it doesn’t count!
But anyway, he quickly spotted his first target of the day, a little finch, and aimed.
He noted that his bow, while still heavy, felt much more sturdy and the current string was stronger than his last, most likely due to the whole “new string” thing rather than being better because that old string had weathered a lot.
He quickly knocked his first arrow and took a silent breath in, calming his shaking hands and the butterflies in his stomach. Of course neither were from fear or nervousness rather than they were from excitement and dare I say ecstasy. A smile forceably carved itself into him skin as he watched how easily Hydro infused itself with his arrow.
Though almost immediately after, he felt a sudden surge of power coming from not him nor the arrow, but the bow itself.
Specifically the small golden piece sitting front and center.
This was either an unknown or well known fact depending on who you asked, but the bow was Childe’s worst used weapon. He was much more skilled with a blade - like his duel Hydro blades or the duel-bladed polearm he wielded as Foul Legacy - and he even had some experience with a catalyst, but bows just seemed so.. cowardly. Even with his catalyst he was near to his opponents as its attacks were based on his fighting style, but he personally believed that bows were for the cowardly.
Those who wanted to fight but were too weak to even dare step foot onto a battlefield.
At least that’s what he thought before Capitano shoved a bow into his arms as he complained about needing something more to do. A new challenge.
And it opened his eyes.
Bows were not for the weak rather that they were for the stealthy. Something Childe was not the best at.
He was honestly more of a ‘punch more and talk later’ kind of guy. But the bow was forcing him to learn and grow, which was more than welcome in his book.
But this power was not something he had accessed yet. Hell, he’s barely felt anything like it with any other of his weapons. Closest he has ever gotten to this kind of power would be with Foul Legacy, and even then it’d be a stretch.
He’d even have the gall to say he could never feel this kind of power from his Master.
He watched as the area he sat in was bathed in a blue glow was his Vision and the arrow he still held grew brighter and brighter. With that, a gold shined through as the small golden piece on his bow - which now that he looked closer looked almost exactly like a piece of mora, just with the details buffered out - also glowed.
He couldn’t remember picking up any kind of ‘enchanted’ mora, just one random one he found on the roads right outside of Liyue.
It didn’t seem off in anyway-
His thoughts were cut off as Hydro swirled faster and stronger around him, knocking him off his knees and onto his ass, his grip on the arrow and bow tightening.
All the animals ran - of course including the small finch he was aiming for - from the sounds and lights, and something deep and primal inside of him wanted to run as well.
Something screamed that he wasn’t supposed to see this, to feel this.
Something was wrong.
Soon enough he couldn’t keep his grip on the arrow.
He let go.
૮꒰づ˶• ༝ •˶꒱づ ˚ʚ ꒰⁐⁐⁐⁐୨🍪🍫🍩୧⁐⁐⁐⁐꒱ ɞ˚
Everything was a blur to you.
All you knew was that you had to let go of this build up of power.
You had to.
Something bad would happen if you didn’t and god damn it you weren’t about to find out.
You truly, desperately, just wanted to go home.
The songs of narwhals and whales comforted you.
‘You will be okay’ they sang.
You would be okay.
Just let go.
૮꒰づ˶• ༝ •˶꒱づ ˚ʚ ꒰⁐⁐⁐⁐୨🍡🍪🍬୧⁐⁐⁐⁐꒱ ɞ˚
People in the city watched in shock as a forest not too far from the harbor became a light show of Hydro and golden light.
Small animals and creatures ran towards the city, this including monsters, but nothing stopped to attack. In fact, it seemed like everything was too scared to even consider attacking.
Ningguang and her guards quickly ran outside to asses the situation, meeting up with fellow Vision Holders on the edge of the city.
However, Xingqiu and Yelan seemed… out of it. And on top of that, Childe - though he wasn’t her favorite he was strong and could be of help - was no where to be found.
“Does anyone have a grasp on the situation?” Nigguang asked, only to receive shaken heads and no’s.
“I tried to get close,” started Xiao, “But something knocked me back. I was able to hear the Harbinger’s screams from inside, and from what I could gather, he doesn’t seem to be the… direct cause.” Despite what he said, Xiao seemed a bit upset at the fact that Childe wasn’t the true cause, likely just wanting an excuse to beat him up a little.
The Geo ridden Lady huffed befit finally turning her attention to the two Hydro users who seemed entranced by the lights.
“What are you-“
“They call to us.” Xingqiu cut her off.
“They sing for us.” Yelan finished.
Nigguang looked back to everyone else who simply shrugged, before noticing Zhongli also looked out of it, though before she could get a word out, he also spoke.
“It’s so calming… I have not felt true peace like this in…”
He didn’t even finish his sentence. His eyes, unlike the two Hydro users, were entranced by the golden lights that highlighted the light show.
Nigguang’s face was filled with confusion. Though she shook it off.
And again, before she could give out any orders, she was interrupted.
Though not by anyone, but by the lights themselves.
A flash of blue light blinded the group.
Then, the song of a group of narwhals and whales filled the sky.
૮꒰づ˶• ༝ •˶꒱づ ˚ʚ ꒰⁐⁐⁐⁐୨🍩🍮🍧୧⁐⁐⁐⁐꒱ ɞ˚
Blue and gold light enveloped near all of Liyue, the show being noticeable by all surrounding nations, Mondstadt especially.
And the air filled with the song of Narwhal and Whale alike.
A miracle of All-Devouring Narwhals and All-Encompassing Whales swam into the sky, dancing through the clouds.
They flew gently over Liyue, the nation having been stunned into shock and stillness over the whole situation.
Nigguang watched with bated breath as they sailed by the Jade Palace, only exhaling when they passed with not problem.
Keqing watched from beside Nigguang, mesmerized at the trail of celestial power flowing behind them.
Xiao rushed up buildings in order to get closer, but was knocked back by the sheer force of their power, though he was caught by a worried Ganyu. Both landed by an armed-and-ready Shenhe, who was more than ready to attack if need be.
Xingqiu and Yelan simply stared up at the miracle, their Visions resonating with Hydro energy they released. They felt empowered, and could feel the pure raw and unfiltered strength rolling off them in waves. They wanted to be close to that power. Wanted to feel that power.
Something deep inside them wanted that power.
Everyone in the city watched as the miracle flew just above their homes and businesses, making their presence all the more apparent as they bathed the golden city in royal blue.
This continued until a small bird was dumb enough to try and take flight to get away.
This bird being the one Childe had targeted- not that anyone knew.
The Whales and Narwhals corralled the bird, forcing it to fly higher and higher into the clouds, and it wasn’t long before all ginormous creatures followed behind it.
Then an even brighter flash of blue echoed across the skyline, small star-like glitters falling to Teyvat then fading from existence before they could touch its surface. A small amount of feathers followed after.
Nigguang could feel her jaw drop.
All that… to kill a bird?????
… She was going to need a week off just to comprehend what had just happened.
Keqing pat the woman on the back, sighing in tiredness as well.
She had a sneaking suspicion that Childe may have had something to do with this… event. Gods the paperwork she was about to be loaded with…
૮꒰づ˶• ༝ •˶꒱づ ˚ʚ ꒰⁐⁐⁐⁐୨🍬🍯🍩୧⁐⁐⁐⁐꒱ ɞ˚
Childe had figured out what primal instinct had led him to hide in the cave he was currently tucked in.
Foul Legacy.
He had yet to really tell anyone, but due to his time in the Abyss and its creation, it was safe to say it pretty much had a mind of its own. Which wasn’t bad as it would help him to doge attacks or alert him of presences he may not have noticed himself, but the shrieking and crying he heard from it deep in his soul was enough to tell him that this whole situation was wrong.
Nothing about what just happened should have been… well it shouldn’t have happened to say anything.
He could still hear it, resonating deep inside his soul, Electro cracking out whenever he heard a noise he couldn’t identify.
It was protecting him.
As he would for it.
He didn’t dare draw another arrow from the bow in his grasp, not until he learned what the fuck just happened. Including the fact that for some odd reason, he desperately wanted to just… stare(?) at the Narwhals and Whales until they disappeared, luckily Foul Legacy snapped him right out of that and told him to find shelter.
He did have his Hydro blades out, however, patiently waiting till he - and Foul Legacy - felt safe enough to exit.
A sudden loud caw of a bird made him flinch - not his proudest moment - and kick the bow to the side. What he wasn’t expecting was the loud string of curses that came from… the… bow..?
So now it was pinned to the wall by one blade and a foot, the other blade pointed directly at… it? There were no weak points on a bow..?
…Were there..?
૮꒰づ˶• ༝ •˶꒱づ ˚ʚ ꒰⁐⁐⁐⁐୨🍮🍨🍪୧⁐⁐⁐⁐꒱ ɞ˚
This is not what you wanted.
First, you get isekaied against your will; you didn’t even remember how you supposedly DIED… if you DID die anyway…
Two, you were reincarnated as MONEY. FUCKING MONEY. How does that… who comes up with that??? A fucking high schooler who has nothing better to do than write shitty fanfiction????
And finally, three… HE KICKED YOU!!! WHO GAVE HIM THE RIGHT TO THREATEN YOU?!?
You didn’t understand your powers, what the FUCK just happened, why Hydro just… became?? you??? And why on gods green earth you had to be MORA. You’re never gonna get over that you became MORA???? Like??? Really??????? Money????? You mean, you love the stuff but COME ON-
Jesus fuckin’-
Huffing at the man before you, you finally decided speak to this bitch before you because how dare he.
“Listen here-“
You were cut off by the blade moving closer to your body(??????) and Childe growling - yes. Growling - at you.
“No you listen. I don’t know what you are but what in the name of the Tsaritsa was that?”
If only this man could see your eye twitch.
“No how about YOU listen? I don’t know what the fuck that was, but I plan on figuring it out now could you PLEASE MOVE YOUR DAMN BLADES FROM MY FACE?!?!? God…”
The Hydro blades slowly removed themselves from your face, as did the boot. But you were then picked up by the man, held shockingly gently in his grip.
“What… are you?” He asked hesitantly.
“I… I honestly don’t know how to answer that question. But I’m pretty sure I’m that little Mora piece on the front.” You answered. You forced yourself to calm down. This wasn’t his fault, just so happened to be the guy who picked you up… this was going to be a mantra for a while…
“Oh… so your this little thing right here?” You felt his fingers wrap around you - and you mean your real body - and pull. Fear immediately filled your being.
“Wait! WAIT!-“ He tugged you right out, rendering you silent.
When he pulled you out, your body glowed and you reverted back to looking like a regular piece of mora. Engravings and all.
You, meanwhile, were screaming your head off, as you now knew that if removed from a weapon, you’d just be a regular ass piece of money again. Immediately you mind started racing, wondering as to way, and the only thing you could come up with was the Elemental Energy, but lore wasn’t really your strong suit… you just liked the pretty women and men…
You felt yourself gently being pressed into the slot carved for you in his bow, and started talking again.
“NEVER! Do that again, please. Unless absolutely necessary, don’t do that. You know how terrifying it is to be able to see and speak then move a couple inches and no longer be able to see or have others hear you? Fucking horrifying I’ll tell you that…” you watched the man shiver before sighing.
“Noted. Um… anything else I should be made aware of before I ask anymore questions?”
You jumped on the opportunity.
“Whenever I am apart of your weapons. Don’t. De. Summon. Them. Hurts like hell. Ever felt your molecules beings torn apart bit by bit? Not fun, don’t recommend it.” Again, Childe shivered.
“Now… you really don’t know what that was out there?” He asked again, and you sighed.
“I wish I did. I’ll admit, I was thinking of that one move you use as Foul Legacy where you summon a Whale… and a bit of your master…”
You watched as Childe’s eyes lit up.
“You know of Foul Legacy? And of my Master?” Then his eyes darkened.
“How do you know of them..?” You shivered… as well as money can shiver anyway.
“Uhm… magic?” You asked, a noticeable tilt in your voice.
His glare then lightened up.
“Oh! Like… when you attach to a weapon, you suddenly gain a bunch of knowledge on that person?” Holy shit he just gave you a way out!
“Uh… yeah! Yeah that’s exactly what it is! You figured it out! Sorry I was uh… hesitant. Just didn’t want to reveal all my secrets, you know?” Holy shit. Holy fuck. Please work please work-
“That’s really amazing! A magical piece of mora… with the ability to make your attacks beyond that of a God’s… heheheh…”
Oop. Shit. That was not good.
“Listen. I’m not going to do anything for you without my consent, you got that? I’m not even here of my own free will mind you. Just gained sentience in your bag and all of a sudden I’m a bow. This is going to be a symbiotic relationship or I’m finding someone else, alright?” You spoke up, not even hiding the fact that you were… well a little more than concerned with what he just said.
“… What are you going to do if I don’t respect your wishes?” Shit fuck shit fuck-
“… I will scream next time you use me.”
And into a standstill you both sat.
He stared at you and he could feel you glaring into him. It was probably weird feeling a bow glare into him. New feeling he never thought he’d feel before.
“… Alright. Taking someone’s free will isn’t really something I do anyway. So don’t be fearful… comrade?” Was he asking your name..?.. Eh. Comrade is nice and you don’t feel like giving it out so meh.
“Comrade works. And uhm… yeah.” Welp that was awkward. Good job 👍🏾!
The two of you continued to stare at each other in silence for a few moments.
“So… what’s your favorite dish?”
“I can’t eat asshole-“
“Childe!”
The mentioned man whipped his head in the direction of the call, honestly scaring you with how fast it moved - you are a hundred percent sure you heard a crack.
By the covered entrance of the cave stood Nigguang, Keqing, Zhongli and both Hydro Vision users. Nigguang was the one to call him.
“What are enough doing out here? Do you have any idea was caused… whatever that was?? And - as much as I hate to ask - are you alright?” She was firing questions out at an extreme speed, making both you and Childe dizzy.
“Uhm… I was hunting, I… haven’t the foggiest idea what you’re talking about! And yes , I am okay. Thank you for asking?” You knew he sucked ass a lying but like… how did that sound convincing in anyway?? The hesitation just made it worse!-
“You haven’t the foggiest clue, you say…” Keqing asked while glaring at the ginger. Ed She Ran lookin’ headass-
“Yep! No idea, not the slightest idea, definitely wasn’t my bow or the enchanted mora on it! Nope not at all.”
The group looked at him, and he looked at them.
They looked at him, and he looked at them.
They looked at him, and he looked at them.
And this went on for several minutes before this super smart man said:
“Yep, not me at all.”
And before anyone coup ask questions you groaned, forcing all attention into yourself before tearing him a new one.
“You dumb motherfucker! “I haven’t the foggiest idea😢” my ass!”
“How did you say that?-“
“Shut your bitchass up before I sew it shut. I should beat your ass for that. How they fuck you gonna say some shit like that and expect them to just go “Oh okay!😚” like some dumbass?”
“No really how-“
“I will slap the stupid outta you don’t fucking test me ginger bitch. Fatherless. That’s why your father sold you ass off it’s cause you so DAMN stupid, Jesus.”
“Mora?”
“What do you fucking want you cunt.”
“… We’re still in front of people.”
“… I will not hesitate to shoot all of you-“
… Nigguang was going to have so much paperwork tonight.
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໒꒰ྀི˶˙Ⱉ˙˶꒱ྀིა Author’s note : MORA!READER MORA!READER MORA!READER MORA!READER MORA!READER LETS GIVE IT UP FOR MORA!READER!!!!! ૮꒰˶ᵔ ᗜ ᵔ˶꒱ა˖⁺‧₊˚
They’re here you guys!!!! Get happy get wild!!!! Holy shit that ending was mild!!! I hate it!!! Anyway-
This is gonna SAGAU because… meh. But that doesn’t matter! Their here! But I’m not done yet, next thing on my checklist is humanizing the animals (Main ones) so I’ll be be radio silent for a bit again lmao (unless I choose to post shit which is very likely-) ໒꒰ྀི´ ˘ ` ꒱ྀིა
Hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Mora!Reader! More is, of course, on the way! ૮꒰ྀི∩´ ᵕ `∩꒱ྀིა
Have a magnificent day/night my dears!~
/)/)
( . .)
c( づ♡ Loves you guys!! <3
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