#BECAUSE FUN FACT THE RED IS LITERALLY JUST FOOD COLORING

[that-foul-legacy-lover]

GUYS I BAKED A CAKE

[techs-ass]

Shark Sundays: Epaulette Shark

Hello, hello! Welcome to my Shark Sundays post where every week I let people pick a shark that I then just kind of info dump about on Sundays. This week's shark winner is the Epaulette shark!

Now, please remain seated for the whole ride and try not to throw popcorn at the narrator, they're very sensitive.

Conservation Status: Least Concerned

This adorable little sea pup is the Epaulette shark or Hemiscyllium ocellatum! Their base body color is a creamy or slightly brownish hue and marked with widely spaced dark brown spots. The Epaulette shark gets its name from the very large, white-margined black spot behind each pectoral fin, which kinda looks like decorative military epaulettes. These little guys are one of the smaller species of sharks growing at a maximum of 27 to 35 inches long (70-90 cm) and living for around 20 to 25 years. They can be found in shallow tropical water at around the depth of 131 ft. (40 m) in the western Pacific Ocean usually near New Guinea and Australia.

The Epaulette shark feeds at low tide and is most active during dusk and dawn. They hunt for food by pushing their snout into the sand and shuffling around, once the prey is located they will thrash their body around to catch it. The way they chew their food is actually kinda cute as they'll chew it with little bits sticking out of their mouth. Speaking of prey and eating, these guys eat things that are somehow tinier than they are, mostly feeding on crustaceans, small fish, and polychaete worms. The adults will usually eat shrimp and crabs while the juveniles will mostly eat worms and fish. Though both of them use suction feeding!

Now because these little cuties are usually found in warm, shallow waters they regularly interact with humans. If you happen to see one in the water, don't panic! The most these guys might do is nip at your toes if you wiggle 'em too much but otherwise, they're completely harmless and have no recorded attacks on humans.

Fun Fact: Some Epaulettes are actually kept as pets. They thrive pretty well in smaller environments and are relatively docile besides the occasional little bite to their caretakers.

Now that we've gotten past the basics now I can tell you about the most fascinating thing about Epaulettes. Are you ready? Cause you gotta be ready for this fact. It's a really cool fact. Are you sitting down? Not drinking anything? Ok, ok here it is:

Epaulette sharks can walk on dry land for up to 98 ft. (30 m) and survive hypoxia - a deficiency of oxygen- for two. whole. hours.

Yeah, you read that correctly. The Epaulette SHARK can walk!!! on land!!! Look at this gif and tell me it's not the coolest shit you've ever seen.

Look at him go!! AHH!! *shakes you aggressively* WE ARE LITERALLY WATCHING A MARINE ANIMAL GO THROUGH THE EVOLUTION OF LEARNING TO WALK ON LAND!!! IT COULD POSSIBLY EVOLVE TO BE A FULL LAND ANIMAL WITHIN 30 TO 40 YEARS!!!!

*ahem* Now you may be asking, "But Mal, why are they walking on land?" Well, there are multiple answers to this question. The main one is that they do this to get from tide pool to tide pool allowing them to access new pools to forage for food, or tidepools with better-oxygenated water. They also use this little talent to evade predators! As y'know, other sharks and large fish can't walk on land like this absolute Chad. Scientists believe that with the effects of climate change, this ability will help them to survive drastic changes to their environments.

Speaking of survival, let's talk about the Epaulette's conservation status. Thankfully for these little guys, the IUCN Red List has them as a species under "least concern" This means that there's nothing that really poses any major risk to their species and they're relatively abundant. They do, of course, have natural predators but because it has no value as a commercial food fish and is not considered a sport fish, the Epaulette isn't really targeted by humans except for the aquarium trade. So if you're favorite shark is the Epaulette then you've got pretty much nothing to worry about as the Epaulette's are happy and thriving!

This doesn't mean that humans pose no threat to the Epaulette. Our actions still have a huge impact on their lives! From overfishing to reef destruction, and how toxic the exotic trade can be, we still have to be careful. It's important that we recognize our actions have consequences and not just on us. It's our job to spread awareness and hold each other accountable (especially big corporations who cause most of the damage.)

Aaaand this concludes this week, Shark Sundays! I do hope you enjoyed reading about this cute shark and I hope you learned something new! Thank you so much for stopping by <3 If you want to be put on the tag list for Shark Sundays (including the polls to vote for which shark you want to read about next!) then just let me know in the comments or reblogs!

Tgalist:

[scrufflesksunnide]

MISC/OC BIOS:

"Jam" (Class Unknown)

Age: 11 Likes: Their Younger Brother, Spears, Bombs... uhhhh, has a bit of an odd liking to weapons... and oh of course Berries Dislikes: Snails... that's it? that's literally it? nothing else just snails?? "Given the fortune to be more stable enough to be in the normal world, they are taken in by the likes of Enot and Survivor as their child along with their Sibling, They are still young and pure... okay maybe not "pure"." "Jam is quite the little troublemaker! They will do anything to fight the next mean red lizard they see, it has helped Survivor a few times actually! But under all of that trouble is a goofy sibling who just wants to have fun, they may not know what's going on yet, but something tells me that they can be something great when they grow up. Oddly enough, they can grow fruit from their body, no body knows how or why but they can be pretty good at keeping the food count just a bit more higher, even if them spawning fruit is at random. Jam is passion and shares the same amount of stubbor- I mean, determination as Enot." "Popcorn" (Class Unknown)

Age: 7 Likes: Popcorn, Popcorn, and finally, Popcorn... Oh and they also like flowers and their family :DDD Dislikes: Cyan Lizards, Water, the color Green. (We had to change the color of the Likes text because they wouldn't stop crying, Green scares them... Saint has to change color in order to even step foot in Survivor's Home.) "After being in a normal world for once, They... do not seem to be super interested as long as they get popcorn plants. They do enjoy the change of pace though, and despite their simple minded nature, they just like their sibling, are a ticking time bomb of chaos waiting to happen." "Popcorn can produce popcorn directly from their tail! They usually don't eat it as the taste of their own popcorn is more buttery, while everyone else likes it, Popcorn does not, therefore they ask to get normal popcorn instead whenever there's the chance. They are not as fight focused as their sibling, they are a little more relaxed but still just as goofy as their sibling, they often to not react to pain at all. They also are a bit clumsy and overall just not focused at all at what's happening around them but are still curious about it all, they are a lil air-headed. They share much of the same child-like wonders as Monk and Survivor in their childhood years." "Hunter JR"/"JR"

Age: For as long as Hunter has had their Rot. Likes: Red Lizard meat, rocks, warmth. Dislikes: Other Rot, Vultures, Spiders... yeah I don't blame you on that one. "After being split from Hunter's body, a new life takes form... At first Hunter was not sure on what to make of their rot being more... lively, more child-like. But after sometime, Hunter got attached. And with their abilities and cooperation, Hunter JR became more than just a rot that day, they became the only rot that could." "Their characteristics are almost of that of Hunter's but more child-like and curious. Almost like ALL of hunter's childhood memories were just put into JR completely! Pure but still willing to kick ass! They are not infectious like most rot are, a lot more expressive than rot are, and are huggable and squishy! If Hunter is the Hero, then JR is the sidekick! They cannot see color like Hunter, HOWEVER, they can see heat! and in a weird way, can tell whos a friend and who's an enemy just by that heat alone! They usually like to cling onto people they like, usually Spearmaster... Fun fact: How Spearmaster even knew Hunter had a crush on them was because of how affectionate JR is to Spearmaster specifically, JR reflects off of Hunter's emotions too so... yeaaaah to say the least, Hunter was a bit embarrassed okay not even a bit, VERY embarrassed. Despite that, JR means well and their only instinct is to help Hunter in need."

More MISC/OCS to come soon!

[phoenix-manga]

Cerule Oceana

CV: Tadakoro Azusa

Biographical Information

Gender: Female

Age: 17

Birthday: October 8

Starsign: Libra

Height: 178 cm

Eye Color: Cerise Red

Hair Color: White Rock & Coral Red

Professional Status

Dorm: Coquille

School Year: 2nd Year

Class: 2-A | Student no. 7

Occupation: Student | Dorm Leader

Club: Roleplay Game Club

Best Subject: Music

Fun Facts

Favorite Food: Ocean candy & milk

Least Favorite Food: Caviar & meat

Dislikes: Being kept limited

Hobby: Exciting dares

Talents: Quick crafting

Idol Stats

Performance: Able to sing really high notes with a chance of accidentally summoning a whirlpool.

Choreography: Able to memorize footwork despite being a mermaid. Cannot copy if done too fast.

Styling Jewel Outfits: Cute | Cool | Quirky

She a free-spirited mermaid who likes to learn more about people and worlds that are unknown to her. She won’t be afraid to ask questions and show her curiosity, in fact, she’s more daring and would not care about her surroundings which can be bad when she’s in an unsafe place in the ocean.

Cerule is unable to do well in mundane things that bore her, prompting her to run off and go do something fun. Even if it means she’d be scolded by her father.

Though she is classified as an herbivore serpent, closer to her mother’s side, she is still raised on the behavior of a carnivore serpent like her father. Which makes her a wildcard but unlike a certain eel that looks menacing from the starts, Cerule looks almost harmless. Though her feral behavior is reserved for those who truly test her patience. Not a lot of students know but her close friends have seen her literally growl at people who push her limits.

Despite being able to fight well as a serpent, she is quite clumsy with her long tail which makes her flustered often than she would like. The twins wouldn’t let her live it down if they ever see her bump into things.

Cerule would always try to understand new slangs in the human world though she mixes them up a lot, she still tries to keep up with the trends.

She absolutely adores cute things, she would drop what she was doing to just squish what she deemed “cute”. You would have to bargain hard to get her to let go.

She has the habit of humming when she’s transfixed on something, it would unintentionally put someone in a daze due to her powers as a serpent. Though as beautiful her singing voice is, she can’t stand to perform all by herself.

Cerule has a stubborn personality like her father which tends to clash as the two would argue about certain perspectives while her mother has to play peacemaker between the two.

Hometown: Serpent Sea

Family Life

Cerule’s home is known as the “Serpent Sea”, it is located in a deep trench where the light doesn’t reach. Going past the trench leads to a cave system that is difficult to maneuver around if one isn’t familiar with the area.

Many merfolk who have heard of the Serpent Sea know rumors and even legends about how the serpent merfolk were beings of power, and this leads to many being intimidated whenever there was a meeting that needed the leaders to meet up for discussions.

She was the only egg to be born between the royal serpent couple which was unusual as there should be multiple eggs. Hence why her father became overprotective to the point of it becoming overbearing. Her mother was thankfully not too overprotective unlike the father.

But life in the Serpent Sea was dangerous because of the rogue serpents who don’t ally themselves with the royals. There would be violent battles to either prove one’s strength or claim territory.

Cerule grew up mostly restricted to explore the sea outside her home which made her fussy and bored. So, she developed a habit of sneaking out without anyone noticing most of the time. It was only until she was at middle school age that her mother finally convinced her father to at least take her to see the area outside.

That decision was how she met and became friends with a certain octopus and the twin eels. She continued to visit them now that she has her first friends that aren’t hesitant to hang out with her because of her father’s reputation. She can’t recall how many times her father has accidentally or purposely intimidated other serpent children who tried to befriend her.

Childhood Memories

Cerule’s mother can remember that she almost lost her precious baby when a rogue serpent snuck in and tried to take the egg. Thankfully her husband was able to fend off the thief and retrieve the egg that suffered only a mere crack on the surface. But this was enough to put the two on high alert even after she was born. Hence why her father is always looming over Cerule even if he was being too much.

The first time she went out was to escort her father to see a different area of the sea which she marveled so much that she got carried away in doing something exciting before she goes back home. This led her to the event where she became friends with Azul and the Leech twins. She would willingly get him the ingredients that can only be found in her home or in dangerous waters. Thanks to her serpent heritage, she is strong enough to hold her own against plenty of aggressive sea creatures.

When Cerule was summoned to attend DCA, she had to beg her mother to try her best to convince her father to let her attend. Not like he could say no to the queen, this was a good opportunity for Cerule to be able to perform her duties as the next ruler better. Although her father was adamant on not having his precious daughter outside of the sea, he had no choice but to begrudgingly agree with his wife’s argument.

Thus she was given a special necklace that allowed her to transform from human to mermaid. This is a national treasure, much like Kalim’s magic carpet. Her father always spams her with letters to make sure she’s okay whenever she’s at school.

Cerule can recall the first time she brought over potential friends in the Serpent Sea, to her place only to flee at the sight of her father’s “grin”. Those sharp teeth don’t really look welcoming and it scared off any young serpent that Cerule wanted to be friends with.

There was one time when Azul saw Cerule’s feral side, it was when he was confronted by his middle school bullies when he was in his octopus pot. They tugged at his tentacles roughly that he can’t help but cry out. The bullies were then smacked a few feet away when Cerule slammed her tail onto them. She drops her joyful attitude as she snarled at them.

Azul thought that she was easy to manipulate during their first meeting but it was this event that made him think that he should consider her to be on the same level of respect as the Leech twins. The sight of her glowing red eyes as she squeezed his tormentors until they fled, was a constant reminder of her status as the serpent’s daughter.

He was smart enough not to incur the wrath of the serpent king as well.

Cerule is a 2nd Year Coquille student and is the current dorm leader.

She got way too excited when she was chosen to attend DCA that she had to be knocked out with a sleeping spell because she wriggled around so much that the carriage shook on the way.

Cerule was quite clumsy at first since she had to get used to legs, but as she practiced using her newly transformed libs it felt like she was more nimble on land than in water. Though she doesn’t want to give up her strong tail entirely, she still would choose to live in the sea.

Not to mention that she has no knowledge of the education that humans often go through on a daily basis. She felt stress for the first time in her life when she had no idea about math or human history. She struggled a lot back then but thankfully the staff were able to sort out her problem to get accustomed to human culture and subjects.

She was always dazed due to how many things were so new to her everywhere she went, she was almost as bad as Allison when it comes to being curious. Though after a year studying in DCA she’s toned down a bit though she still gets excited over new trends.

Though the fuzzy and feathery land animals are interesting, Cerule still prefers the sea creatures in the school. Mainly because she’s discovered the magical method of “Searching the Internet” that she found out about the dark biology behind those cute faces.

But when told that sea creatures are the same, Cerule argues that the sea creatures that have dangerous biology is clear as day unlike the platypus and ducks.

Cerule is very active in PE, while she has decent grades on other subjects that don’t involve using magic. She found them mundane and therefore lacking a bit of motivation to give it her all. Asking her to take notes for tests feels taxing as she’d rather look for sunken treasure instead.

School Relationships

Cerule was curious about humans and would want to be included in these strange human activities to experience something new. She’s made a new friends that can show her exciting things and always include her in their fun. These friends are, Allison, Perrine, Ella, Jinlong, and Vidya.

Allison and Perrine have opened her eyes to human cuisine which she became addicted to, they just tasted so delicious and the way the girls decorated the food reminded her of the colorful shells back in the sea. Though when they tried to get her to cook, she failed miserably, Cerule stuck to microwaves which sparked the argument between the three how microwaving food is not a form of cooking.

Jinlong and Cerule were at odds at first, mainly because Jinlong thought she wasn’t taking things seriously. But it took a match between their dorms for her to realize that Cerule just found fun in what she does but can also be serious. From then on the two became friendly rivals.

Ella looked like a seal to Cerule with how big and sparkly her eyes were. Not to mention she has a lot of pretty, shiny objects that pique her intrigue. They remind her of sea glass but they were shinier and quite heavy. She didn’t mind being Ella’s model from time to time but she preferred loose, flowing dresses as opposed to those dreadful “corsets” and “crinolines” that she tried out one time. It felt like she put herself in a net.

Vidya was very interesting because Cerule felt as if her gaze was like an alpha on guard. Which would make sense considering Vidya’s circumstance. Many thought that Vidya won’t let her guard down around Cerule so easily but surprisingly, the two got along well. Maybe because of Cerule’s happy-go-lucky personality reminded her of Kalim.

Cerule was also impressed when Vidya showed her a variety of plants that grew on land, they were more colorful than the corals and smelled nice. Her favorite plants were the fruits.

Marina’s form is from Cerule’s desire to seek out the unknown and discover new wonders. Hence why Marina is so open to exploration and always sings such interesting stories from time to time. Cerule also enjoys Marina’s company, she doesn’t keep her still for long.

Though Marina does warn Cerule in case of any danger, she still has to protect her charge after all. Cerule takes heed every time the fairy sings in a low tune.

Bobble

Cerule has a pet ringed seal named, “Bobble”, because of how he tends to bounce while trying to maneuver on land. She encountered a poor baby seal trapped on a floating iceberg, clearly it was separated from his mama. But what was worse was that orcas were waiting to pounce on the poor thing.

Cerule fought against the orcas valiantly and though she got injured, she managed to chase them away. The seal was starving and she offered to take care of him until he can find his mama. But it would seem that the seal prefers to stick with her instead.

Due to her home being too deep even for a seal, she kept Bobble at a grotto that happened to house several treasures she managed to find.

Bobble is just as curious as Cerule and would follow her orders without question. He has a keen eye for anything shiny, which means more treasures to hoard. Though he is a bit of a coward, he would hide behind Cerule and quiver.

Her unique magic is called, “Tears of the Sea”. She can willingly turn her tears into pearls that can be crushed into powder. Applying it to the injury or ailment would heal it instantly, the more pearls are used the better the effect. Cerule often keeps a bottle of it or makes them into bracelets for emergencies.

Cerule’s lineage as a serpent gave her the ability to serenade people into a trance-like state, though she can’t control this yet.

She can also manipulate water but doing so would exhaust her a lot. And she doesn’t exactly have complete control over it unless she’s singing. If she loses focus during a song, the water would burst and create a splash zone.

Charbyss Oceana

Cerule’s father and the serpent king. He is a 50 ft long serpent classified as carnivore with an intimidating appearance. His jaw resembles an anglerfish and he possess large horns that vaguely resemble a crown.

His body is very wide with scales that are dark blue with bioluminescent patterns on his back that begins to glow if he feels aggressive.

He is able to command storms and summon whirlpools with a mighty roar. Though he rarely causes trouble in the surface because they now live peacefully in the depths.

In his more human-looking merform, his size is the same as an adult orca. He has a buff build and the bioluminescent markings appear on his arms and chest as tattoos.

Despite his intimidating appearance, he is a noble and loyal ruler who looks after his people and his family well. His people have nothing to fear when he’s guarding their territory, because he would violently fight off any intruders and leave them for dead.

Such is the rule of the Serpent Sea. In fact, fights among serpents are said to cause underwater quakes from time to time.

He still has his fears of Cerule getting injured and no matter what his daughter or his wife says, he can’t let go of that memory which haunts him. This is also why he was against Cerule attending DCA.

Caeta Oceana

Cerule’s mother and the serpent queen. She is a 30 ft long serpent classified as an herbivore with a more elegant appearance. Her head resembles a porpoise and she has fins that flow behind her like a veil, with spines that vaguely form a tiara. These fins and spines glow with bioluminescence.

Her body is slender than her husband’s and her scales shine like silver in contrast to Charbyss. She also has bioluminescent patterns.

She has the ability to sing songs that can lure ships to her, it was once rumored that the legend of the siren began when serpents like her sunk a thousand ships.

As an herbivore, one would think twice about messing with her, though she doesn’t possess the feral instinct like her husband does, she still has abilities that render opponents unable to fight.

Such as being able to use her glowing fins to make anyone dizzy if they gaze for too long before paralyzing them with a venomous sting from her spines.

In her more human-looking merform, her size is slightly shorter than her husband’s. She has a slender build with long flowing hair, the markings also become tattoos on her body.

She is gentle and the voice of reason between her husband and her daughter. Understanding of what Cerule needs to grow up to be proper ruler as well as possess the right morals to rule. She had been sick when she was carrying eggs that led to her only being able to lay one healthy egg while the rest were not able to be born.

The character’s name, “Cerule” is derived from the color Cerulean, while her last name, “Oceana” is just the word ocean with a few more letters.

Her fist concept was the typical mermaid with the usual fish tail until it was changed to be an oarfish. To make it more unique, the serpent sea was created as Cerule’s character was built.

Instead of the Disney mermaid, Cerule’s mermaid concept is based on the siren mixed with the legends of sea serpents. This was also because the artist wants Cerule to be represented as the lair that served as the shelter of the Sea Witch (which happens to be a large sea monster).

In a sense, Cerule has closer ties with the Octavinelle Trio rather than be considered adversaries to one another like in the Disney film.

Cerule dislikes tight spaces for too long due to how suffocating it feels.

Cerule is a vegetarian, she is alright with dairy products such as milk, cheese and yoghurt. But eggs are not included in her diet on the surface. In the sea, she eats mostly seaweed and kelp among other underwater vegetation.

[i-ate-your-dog-srry]

Fun facts about me!! :3 (nobody asked)

I have a scar on the bottom of my lip, and it kinda looks like this! I'm always worried someone is going to mistake it for food or sm, tho !

My brother tells me I stand like sanji from one piece! I have horrible posture ToT

My favorite color is red!

Half of my closet is oversized black T-shirts

I wear a brown hoodie that looks exactly like this almost everywhere because it's really comfy :3

And I have 7 of these clown dolls in different colors. I named each one and gave them little personalities, and now I talk with them and share my daily experience every time I get home! :D

Even though I'm broke, I have a bad habit of trying to pay for my friends things (ﾟдﾟ)

I like making dolls and such because I can :3

When I get really happy, I have a habit of putting my hands behind my back or holding them up in front of me like some sort of deranged rabbit!

I say sorry way too much even when it isn't necessary, and when I'm stressed, it gets really hard to speak, and I start zoning out Σ(´□｀;)

I also have a burn scar on my arm and another scar on my finger! Actually I have about 5 scars in total!

I'm also double jointed!! Just like Jack stauber!! (He is literally so cool, and he inspires me a lot of my all-time favorite artists <33)

I'm really bored..

[highkeyweeb]

Here’s why I think each Buddy Daddies episode has the title it does!

Fun Fact: Did you know that the color of the title card gives you an indication who the episode will be about?

Of 13, there were 5 Kazuki episodes, 3 Rei episodes, 3 Miri episodes, and 2 neutral episodes!

Episode 1: Piece of Cake (red) ❤️

Embarrassingly self explanatory, it’s the cake that Kazuki baked that drew Miri’s attention to him when he was entering the elevator.

But I also think it’s used ironically, since the plan that Kazuki had for the assassination goes completely haywire. Especially considering it was supposed to be an easy mission.

Episode 2: The Kiss of Death (blue) 💙

The ‘kiss of death’ is a mafia term that signifies a member of a crime group or organization is soon to die. Kazuki and Rei’s job this episode was to assassinate a man who was a part of some type of gang.

This one is a ‘Rei’ episode because he’s typically the one to take out their targets and would be doing the killing, so the mark on the targets head falls on Rei to deal with.

Episode 3: The Spice of Life (red) ❤️

This one probably has to do with the fact that when Kazuki confronts Miri’s mother he tells her that children are a gift despite being a lot of work. That they make your life exciting, worthwhile, and worth living; they make it ‘spicy.’ In this episode Miri officially becomes the spice to his and Rei’s life when he definitively decided they’ll be taking her in!

Episode 4: What Will Be, Will Be (pink) 💖

The phrase itself means that you can’t stray away from your predetermined fate and that everything that’s supposed to happen will happen. With that in mind, I think it has to do with Miri making friends at daycare.

Even getting her into the daycare was a hassle, but then once she got in she was an outcast. However, when letting things take their natural course (her and her dads being themselves), she was able to get into the right daycare for her (with a loving teacher like Miss Anna) and make friends in the end.

Everything played out the way it was supposed to from the beginning, because Miri only deserves to be in a loving environment (and not at that first daycare with the grumpy old lady) surrounded be people who appreciate her and want her company.

Episode 5: Crunch Time (red) ❤️

Also fairly self explanatory, it’s crunch time for Rei and Kazuki because they’re running low on funds. On top of that Miri’s daycare is closed so they’re literally on a time crunch in order to get some of Kyu’s work done.

A more implicit meaning could be that it’s time for them to confess to Kyu that they’ve been hiding Miri, and deciding whether it’s still possible or efficient to keep her a secret any longer.

A ‘Kazuki’ episode because he’s clearly very stressed throughout the entire ordeal, but I also think it becomes clear for the first time that he’s afraid of having another family be taken from him. He’s doing his all to make their arrangement work out, even to his own detriment.

Episode 6: Love is Blind (pink) 💖

Another easy one! Miri loves everyone despite their faults, and is even seen showing kindness to someone she got into a “fight” with, as well as a literal criminal. She isn’t upset at Taiga for getting them lost, and genuinely believes she’s helping the thief by telling them they had to pay for the food.

She has a kind and loving heart no matter the person or the situation!

Episode 7: After Rain Comes Fair Weather (red) ❤️

This one is actually a Japanese proverb, but it has a pretty simple interpretation: after bad things come good things.

A Kazuki-centric episode where he reflects on his tragic past while it rains, and then the sun comes out once he’s confronted with the realization that there are good things in front of him and ahead of him.

Episode 8: Nothing Seek, Nothing Find (blue) 💙

A saying that means that you won’t get results if you don’t search for them yourself.

Rei has lived his life up until this point just going through the motions and the requirements that the organization has given him. For the first time in his life (and the show) he finally stops and thinks about his life and what he wants.

He hadn’t sought out a purpose for living before, so he never had one. But then Miri fell into his lap and as he slowly started to try for her, he found his purpose.

Episode 8.5: Cherry-Pick (white) 🤍

Included it cause why not? A cherry-picking of the most important and plot influential moments from the past 8 months.

I don’t think the color of the title card has any meaning for this episode, but I do think it has meaning for episode 12~

(To be fair I only really included it in the graphic because I initially planned for there to be 13 episodes and I didn’t want to rearrange it).

Episode 9: No Sweet Without Sweat (pink) 💖

A phrase that means achieving good things takes a lot of hard work, which is why we see Miri working hard to train for the race in the beginning of the episode.

It’s also used to motivate people to preserve, so even though Miri didn’t win the race like initially intended, she kept her head up, kept trying, and her hard work resulted in her family winning in the end.

Interesting that this phrase has such a similar meaning to episode 8’s title, showing that both Rei and Miri had episodes where they achieved some type of result after a setback (less literal for Rei, since he was being ‘set back’ to step 1 in life) further increasing the number of parallels between Miri and Rei that we see throughout the show!

Episode 10: Lost at Sea (red) ❤️

A bit of a confusing one to decipher initially. I’m inclined to say they were “lost” about what to do with Miri but they come to their decision pretty quickly as most of the episode is about their day out with her.

Instead, it seems more like this episode is named this way because even though the choice in their heads about what is best for Miri is clear, their hearts are confused, and they feel lost about who they even are without her in their life as shown in the very beginning of the next episode.

A ‘Kazuki’ episode because it’s obvious that he was the one overly invested in their little family from the very beginning. He’s also the one who makes the decision to let her live with her mother.

Episode 11: Everyone Will be Hypocrites (blue) 💙

The episode where every character in the show exhibits hypocritical tendencies: Misaki for saying she will do better for Miri and take care of her from then on, and then dying.

Kazuki for believing that they could change and be a family together, and then saying that they had to send Miri away because that was what was best for her.

Kyu for calling Misaki to take Miri away because he believed that would be the only way to keep her safe, then noting that she was safest with Kazuki and Rei because they knew the threat of the organization and could actually protect her.

However, despite everyone contributing to the title in some way, this is a ‘Rei’ episode because the organization is the sole reason for all of this episodes developments. He’s faced with the reality that returning isn’t good enough, and learns about the lengths the Boss will go to.

Episode 12: Daughter Daddies (white) 🤍

There’s a line in episode 11 where Kazuki and Rei say “it won’t be fake this time” because they’re not going to be taking care of Miri out of obligation from killing her parents and having no where else to take her they’re going to be doing it because they love her and want to be a family with her, that’s why it’s going to be ‘real.’

That’s the point of this episode and this episodes title, everything they do from here on out they do for Miri. Since they left the organization, being ‘buddies’ isn’t the gimmick anymore, it’s just two daddies raising a daughter together.

Plus, the color white often symbolizes completion, so there’s no better color for the final title card of the show.

[bitwynn]

Something worth more than this

A SAGAU Impostor AU Songfic

Song used: Peace and Love on the Planet Earth

So I'm not sure if you can tell but this is the songfic request i alluded to in the Not A Fan "Author End Notes". I'm planning to make this a two-parter considering the fact that my... i guess sort of "format(?)" , calls for me to only have one song per fic lol-- also because i, as i was mulling this over in my brain during the few days i couldnt write due to Life Circumstances, got a TONNNNN of ideas and have already made a bit of a whole perfect two parter story AHAHAH-- literally, the only part i fucked up in was which song to use first because i had two versions in my head. one that used Peace and Love first and another that used Mother Tongue first. I kinda just-- gave up on figuring out which song to use first and just looked at the request for the placement of the song lollll. I am still very sick as i write this so thats gonna be. Fun.

@jjovin321 this ones for you bud (no shit you requested it AHAHA--)

Blue for Barbara, Yellow/Gold for Zhongli, Green for Wanderer, Red for Diluc, Italics is Reader/General, Bold is Xiao, Combined is Everyone. Colors and effects only used for song parts mostly. Sometimes Italics will be used for emphasis and the like. Some lines will be altered slightly to better fit the story. Please read with this in mind.

---

"Hey, uhm... Li?" The man turns to you, a questioning look in his amber eyes. "Yes?"

Sheepish, you scratch your head. "This might be a weird ask but uhm..." What were you supposed to say to him? What can you even say to him?

You and your group were deep in the stone pillars and mountains that dotted Minlin, at risk from the Adepti that take residence in the area, but safe thanks to the fear and respect the people have thanks to these Adepti. You had suggested going through Huaguang Stone Forest thanks to its treacherous terrain that even your once-Vessels have trouble navigating, but Zhongli had pointed out the Adepti problem that you'd completely forgotten about.

You had tried to find a safer, and more Adepti-less route, but you all knew that the Millelith and the other Vessels would be crawling over every spot in Liyue they could cover. With that, you were forced to go to the belly of the beast.

Meaning, that because you were in such a highly dangerous area with not only the area itself being the problem, but also the beings residing in it, you shouldn't make these such... selfish requests. Hell, you were currently figuring out a way to go through Huaguang without gliding all over the place or swimming through the lakes that the stone pillars emerge from. Cloud Retainer or Mountain Shaper could just effortlessly pluck you out of the sky, and Ganyu could just freeze you to death underwater. You couldn't waste brainpower on such frivolous things.

But fuck-- you can't just tell them that 'oh hey guys, I'm really homesick and I constantly just wanna curl up into a ball and die! I miss everyone back home so much, please help me, it hurts so much!'

You had to stay strong. For you, and for them.

No-- no, you are strong. What you're trying to do is to just look strong and, god isn't that fucking hilarious? What use would looking strong be to these people? Wanderer watched you have a breakdown the first time you met because you ate his food, Barbara has seen you half dead way too many times for anyone to see anyone be half dead, Zhongli constantly throws you over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes everytime you start getting chased, and Diluc was the one to teach you basic self defense which resulted in an ass beating everytime you spar.

These people, they've all seen you and each other at their lowest and weakest points. And they've never condemned any of you for being this way. It is, quite literally, just you and them against the world. So why feel ashamed to ask them of this one thing?

"Can you teach me how to use my powers?"

Their love and care and your complete and utter trust in them still won't stop you from trying to save at least a little bit of face though.

Zhongli takes a moment, cocking his head in thought. "Seeing as we're currently out of ideas on how to cross Huaguang without risk, or at least as little risk as we can afford... alright." He smiles a little to himself, old memories that you've never seen shining in his eyes. "Who knows, we may even find a way to cross safely as I teach you."

Your little group is currently situated in one of the hanging huts-- really, it was more of a little alcove that Zhongli carved out of one of the pillars. You still remember his pleased look as you watched him press his hand against the rock, and you gawked as the stone began to mold to his will. And now, that's what you're trying to recreate.

"Wait, wait, wait-- can you tell me that again one more time? I've been trying but, I'm not sure if I get it?"

Zhongli, as patient as a sage, nods and explains to you once again. "What I do when I mold and shape the earth is to connect with the Geo energy within it. As the earth is just Geo in a different form, I merely begin to impose my will upon it after the connection. It's--"

"Yes, yes, 'it's very similar to your own abilities to possess us as Vessels so maybe try to think of it more like that', we get it!" The Wanderer groans as he lounges at the lip of your alcove, disguised by a low hanging Sandbearer tree. His leg sways back and forth off the lip as he goes on. "At this point, I'm the one who's learning how to become the 'new Geo Archon' with how many times you ask him to repeat that."

"Bitch, the Avatar took 3 fucking seasons to learn fire bending! I have like-- 3 extra elements to learn here and I am literally just starting!"

The Wanderer merely gives you a side eye. "How long was the three seasons?"

"Like... 2 to 3 years? Maybe 4-ish?"

"How long have you been here?"

"...Couple months or so?"

He smiles.

"And how long did this 'Avatar' take to master each element?"

You feel yourself shrink. "Like... uh... couple months at most, I think."

His grin widens and he nods his head. "I rest my case."

"Hey, what the fuck is that supposed to mean?!"

"Now, calm down y/n," Zhongli starts, gripping your shoulder. "With enough time and guidance, you'll be able to handle Geo with the same ease as I do-- maybe more, considering your... special circumstances."

He brings your attention back to the rock you've been trying to bend for what feels like hours. "Maybe we should start with you. Because to me, it feels like you already understand the instructions and are capable of doing it. But, your way of going about it might be what's holding you back." He tilts his head. "What were you trying to do, y/n?"

You feel your face heat as you begin to squirm under his gaze. You take a breath, and sigh. "I... I wanted to make a guitar."

You had turned your eyes downwards to the rock, drawing spirals with your finger. "It's... It'd be nice to have something I can actually play." To have something of home. Even if its just a pale imitation of the one back there.

You feel his gaze soften as he comes closer. "Now... I think I see the problem here." Your own gaze doesn't lift, still staring at your twiddling fingers. "You sure?"

He hums. "Just a hunch, I suppose." He takes your hands and places them back on the rock. "I believe that... you were trying to meld the rock into a guitar but, were trying to do it all in one go."

You lift your head, Zhongli sounding like he had said these next few words millions of times before. "The shape you were conjuring is much too complex for someone of your skill level. But, that doesn't mean we can't make this."

He gestures back to the rock. "First off, simplify the shape of the item you're conjuring. Focus on the large main shapes. If I were trying to make a sculpture of a bird, then I would simplify it first into a small circle for the head, and then an oblong for the body."

You look back to the rock, connecting with its naturally occurring Geo energy. You take a calming breath and close your eyes to focus. "Then... if I were to simplify a guitar... it would be..."

You think back, way back to before you appeared here. Back to your normal life, with your friends and family. You think back on those afternoon jamming sessions with your friends as you'd sing and mess around and teach each other your instruments. You think back to the stories your father had told you, about wooing your mother with a serenade as he'd teach you one of the many songs he'd sing for you and for her.

You remember how you would tap, tap, tap on the guitar-- a makeshift drum as you jammed with friends. You remember the sting and the bite of the hard metal strings as your father taught you how to play a few songs. You remember playing the most basic of meme songs to troll your friends; loved ones leaving their own special marks on you and their guitars.

You smile as you think back to those happy memories way back then. "It would be... that weird sort of number 8 shape for the body..." You remember signing your name on the body of your friend's sticker covered guitar, and how you always gushed over how cool it looked. "...and the long-ass neck for the strings." You remember your father as he was stringing his guitar, how he always warned you to be careful with the E string as it was so thin and prone to snapping if tuned too tight.

You couldn't see it but Zhongli nods with a smile, watching you work. "Second, you add the larger details by redistributing the Geo around your structure. You could add more Geo by using the earth around you but, that's a lesson for another day. Now just focus on moving the Geo around. Back to my 'bird sculpture', I'd take some Geo energy from the main oblong body and move it to the head-- giving it eyes and a beak. I'd also slim the oblong body and make it more bird-like as I do so, moving the other extra Geo down to make feet."

You nod, trance-like as you dig deep in your memories.

The body would need to be hollowed of course, the extra Geo serving to fatten the neck a little and provide some detail to the head. Details like pegs, and tuners, and the little raised platform where the strings rested so they weren't completely flat on the fingerboard. And you can't forget about the frets, it wouldn't sound or feel right if you didn't have them.

You hum a little, the memories of old bringing a smile to your face. The pick guard needs to be a little below the soundhole-- afterall, that's where your hand'll hit when you start strumming. Speaking of strumming, the strings need a bridge to hold them down. Can't just have them attached to only the pegs or they'd be useless.

Zhongli chuckles, causing you to open your eyes. His smile is wide as he regards you with the softest expression, the corners of his eyes crinkling with pride. "Well... I was supposed to coach you on how to do some of the finer detail work but, it seems that I don't need to y/n." He nods at you, the rock in your hand feeling a little less like a rock.

You look down at it, and... "Oh my god. Oh, oh my god... Oh my god, Zhongli... I..."

There it was. An almost perfect copy of your friend's and family's guitar right in your hands. Actually, it would be more accurate to describe it as a fusion of the two instruments-- this guitar taking bits and pieces of the ones in your memories and bringing them to life here in Teyvat.

"Li... Li, I-- I'm so--" you take a deep, wet, shuddering breath. "I..." He merely brings you into a hug, you melting into his arms. "You did good. You did wonderfully, y/n."

You stay there together for a few moments, as you quietly fell apart in his arms. And with one final, shuddering breath, you pull away, looking up at him with a teary-eyed smile. "Thank... thank you, Li. I-- I wouldn't have done this without you." He huffs. "Only because I have an exceptional student."

You blush with praise as he inspects the guitar in your hands. You watch his eyes sparkle and widen, clearly impressed. "May I? Thank you." He lifts the guitar with your, admittedly, reluctant permission, careful fingers flitting about and checking over it. "I imagine that you want this to be a playable structure, yes? Because other than that, this is an impressive guitar structure."

He runs a finger across the strings, rock hard and immovable. "Honestly, the only thing you need to do is to change the composition of some of the material and it would be perfect! Of course, you'd most likely make adjustments to the thinness and thickness of the rock once you start hearing the sound, but overall-- this guitar is of exquisite make, y/n."

Zhongli hands you back your guitar. "I'm quite proud." You take it back, the blush slowly dying down on your face. "...Thanks."

Muscle memory overtakes your fingers as you press chords into the stone strings. The sting of your uncalloused fingers bringing bittersweet memories of your old life. "So... when will I learn to actually, ykno-- turn this into something playable?" "Oh, thats much too advanced for someone of your level, y/n."

The Wanderer bursts out laughing as you squawk in indignation. "WHAT THE FUCK?! That's directed to both of you by the way, but-- what the fuck?" "I'm merely saying that your control over Geo is impressive for someone who has, quite frankly, never done such a thing before. Even those with Visions could not have had that same sort of mastery at your level. But converting Geo into its other forms is a different beast than sculpting. You have to fundamentally change what form the Geo is currently taking-- much more different than moving it around with precision."

You hiss at Wanderer, who blows you a raspberry, as he keeps watch by the opening. Zhongli continues. "I as well, needed much time and practice to refine my control and ability over Geo and its many forms. I could adjust it for you but," He glances over to your silently fuming face, earlier so melancholic in its reminiscence. "I'm assuming you'd want to do it yourself. The next best thing if you want it now is to use the practice of alchemy to convert the sandstone into other materials. Alas, this is one of the few things I am not as knowledgeable on."

He glances to the rest of the team for help, who were peacefully just resting their tired arms and legs on a soft pile of leaves. Diluc speaks up from where he'd been using his folded coat as a pillow. "I've worked with the chief alchemist before on occasion and still remember those few moments where y/n used me to make 'character ascension' materials." He frowns in contemplation as he thinks back to those times.

"I remember that you'd be able to use the 'Dust of Azoth' to convert different kinds of pure, crystallized elemental energy into other elemental energy but, I'm not so sure if you'd be able to use it on... sandstone, you said?" Zhongli nods. "Yeah, there's a high likelihood of that not being able to happen. Dream Solvent is also a risky option, since it only works on 'boss drops' as y/n calls it."

"Well, they're dropped by bosses-- what else am I gonna call them?"

Barbara pipes up, chuckling at your remark. "The only other option I can think of is magic, but the only ones I know are mainly focused on Hydro and healing. But..." She trails off, twiddling her fingers from where she's using Diluc as a pillow. "If you're this proficient in just-- sculpting Geo, then maybe you'd also be that proficient in conversion too!" She suddenly turns sheepish as she scratches her head. "I mean... you are Overseer of Teyvat. There's no reason it wouldn't come easily to you."

"Yeah, its literally the entire reason we're wanted fugitives in every single corner of Teyvat." The entire mood of the alcove shifted as the Wanderer spoke, tone perfectly level as he sits on the edge; his back ramrod straight and legs still in the slowly blowing breeze. His voice is perfectly neutral, none of the usual snark or confidence or playful sass.

Something's wrong.

You kept your posture perfectly casual, fingers still playing with the stone strings of your guitar while in your head, you were scrolling through your weapons options to at least try and defend yourself from-- whatever it is that's alerted him. Everyone's doing something mostly the same, Barbara flipping through the pages of her Mappa Mare like it was just a regular atlas and not a weapon of mass destruction. Wanderer's fingers rapped on his bell, the movement making its clapper sway, its twinkling sounds deafeningly loud in your silence.

He kept his gaze forward, to the stones of Huaguang. Watching. Waiting.

Diluc casually laid a hand on his hip, as if it wasn't the perfect setup for a slash, and Zhongli merely poured himself a cup of tea, trusting in his power as Archon of the land.

Wanderer turns his head to the side and you see his eyes, casually taking in the beautiful scenery as if he wasn't looking for something. He begins to speak. "You know, it's rather pathetic for them to be chasing us down. Rather-- I think that its perfectly in character for them to do so. I mean," He shrugs with a scoff, cocky and insufferable. "are they that stupid as to not realize the differences between you and their 'Divine Excellency'?"

He's taunting them out.

You play along, the role of the 'Divine Deceiver' coming unnervingly easily to you. "Oh, please. They wouldn't recognize Lord Barbatos even if he descended with his godly form in their face. Oh wait--" The laugh that bursts out of your mouth is more of a cackle, the perfect lure.

And finally, the finishing blow-- "I... really didn't know, y/n. I'm sorry..."

Barbara, the perfect image of a confused girl who's lost her way.

"Oh, its alright Barbara," you coo, the whiplash from scheming cruelty to innocent dove almost certainly driving the hit home. "He was merely shirking his duties as the God of Mondstat! And for what? To get wasted every night at Angel's Share?" You scoot closer to her, Zhongli softly blowing on his steaming cup. "So, he's both a liar and an irresponsible god! But don't you worry Barbara, your Divine Overseer is here now." You let her take your hand and kiss it, the very image of reverence and worship.

Barbara nuzzles up to your hand, the tension almost palpable in the air as you all wait for the shoe to drop. Zhongli must've sensed your growing panic, speaking up into the silence. His eyes are soft as he talks. "Yes... thank you for your descent here to Teyvat, your grace." His face sombers, setting down his tea. "I've grown weak in my thousands of years of living, and have had to shirk my duties to my people just like that drunken fool."

He's done well to ease your panic, but it's only replaced by growing dread as he continues to talk. "I... I cannot thank you enough for forgiving me for my incompetence as Overseer of Liyue. I can only hope that my servitude to you will make up for that." Zhongli, whenever he plays his role, never quite lays it on this thick.

Though he's felt remorse and doubts when he stepped down from being the god of Liyue, he has never seen himself as incompetent or weak. He is, afterall, Morax the Warrior God and God of Contracts. Everything he does, he completes to absolute perfection. This self deprecation can only mean one thing.

Oh.

Oh, no.

It's Xiao.

A burst of black and green light-- Anemo energy, blinds almost everyone inside, Diluc and Wanderer still safe thanks to their positions. "Slander!" Xiao hisses. "This is slander and lies, Morax!" You claw at his arms as he grips you in a chokehold. "Do not listen to a single word that leaves this-- this charlatan's mouth!" Zhongli, if he wasn't already, sits straight up and his voice booms with a level of power and authority that none of you have ever heard before.

"Stand down, Xiao." This, this is Morax, the God of War himself speaking.

He summons his blade, the Primordial Jade Spear, and points the edge to your neck. Wanderer stands by the entrance, orbs of black Anemo in his palms and at the ready. Diluc is standing, the blinded Barbara behind him and Wolf's Gravestone at the ready. "Take it back."

You could almost feel the cool jade against your neck with how close its getting to you. "Take it all back Morax-- they're just lies that this vermin," Xiao practically spits the insult out like phlegm. "has wormed into your head." Morax's eyes narrow as he rises, his height making him tower over the Vigilant Yaksha.

"I will not repeat myself again. Stand down, General Alatus."

Xiao bristles, tightening his hold on both you and his spear. You choke as the already agitated yaksha fumes, blade and hand mere moments away from taking your life. He stands his ground against the sheer authority rolling off Morax in waves. "No. No, I will not stand down. I will not stand down, Grand Marshal!"

Morax's eyes narrow as he summons his own spear, the Vortex Vanquisher. "No. No, what I will do, Grand Marshal, is to take this impostor," he speaks the insult with such venom. "before the Divine Overseer's throne not because I want whatever reward they're offering-- no. I am doing this because this faker has clearly poisoned your mind, Morax!" He turns to the rest of the tiny cave. "They've poisoned all of your minds with their lies!"

"I am doing this for the good of Liyue, Rex. For the good of Teyvat!"

And for a moment, his rage ebbs into something like desperation. "Please, understand-- I am doing this for you, I am doing this because of my contract and my duty to protect and serve you and Liyue and the people. Please..."

His eyes soften with sorrow, Morax melting away back into Zhongli as you choke and gasp for air in Xiao's grip. "I am afraid that there are many things you do not yet understand, Alatus."

And Xiao's rage returns, climaxing into a roaring burst of Anemo energy.

"Disappear!" And he left just as he came, with a burst of black and green Anemo energy, Diluc and Wanderer stumbling as they had lunged after you to no avail.

-

You're currently high in the air above the stone pillars of Huaguang Stone Forest, Xiao having shed part of his human form to free the more beastial parts of his Adepti form-- A large and beautiful pair of dark green wings, shimmering golden in the sunlight. The sight of his wings would've been a wonder to look at as you flew through the sky, if you weren't currently hanging by his talons with his spear still pressed to your neck. The threat of death does certainly ruin the whole experience.

The pressure of the blade to your neck is light as you squirm. "Let me go, Xiao!" He tsks. "Believe me, I'd love to just let go of you and watch as you splatter against the rocks and erase your feeble mortal existence from this world. But, I'm going to present you, you impostor, to the Divine Overseer so that they may properly judge you for your blasphemy against them."

You squawk in fear and indignation. "I MEAN'T LIKE-- PUT ME DOWN SAFELY AND LEAVE ME ALONE?!" Another tsk. "Just keep your mouth shut lest I change my mind." You gasp in indignation. "You wouldn't dare!" You cling onto his talons anyways.

It seems like it was the correct decision, seeing as his grip loosened greatly. Xiao chuckles as you cling to him, fingers practically digging into his feet. "Normally, the suffering of the people is something I greatly despise. But, this does bring a smile to my face."

You squeak, the panic and fear festering in your heart finally fully showing itself. "Please-- please can't we just talk this out or something?!" He scoffs. "Like I'll listen to you and your saccharine lies and silver tongue." His grip tightens, enough to draw blood. You shout in pain as he continues. "I don't know what magicks you did or what words you said to them that-- that turned them all this way, but know this, deceiver."

It stings; the way he says your undeserved title, and the talons digging into your flesh. "It will stop now. You, and your lying, and scheming, and blaspheming-- It will all be paid for. With your life, with your blood-- with whatever the Divine Overseer sees fit. And when you are gone from this world, I will make sure that everything you've done-- everyone's minds you've poisoned, everyone that you've harmed-- I will be sure to make it all right again. Do you understand, you fake?!"

Yeah, okay-- you had to agree. The whole playing into your roles thing is really hurting all your reputations. But that's something to be worried about later, the intensity of the situation having reached its peak for you.

You're heaving-- gulping as much air into your lungs as you shake; trembling in his grip. Your heart's pounding, a rabbit-like pace, as you claw at his talons, babbling and begging. "Please-- please, let me go-- you, you don't understand Xiao, please! I can explain everything, please, god, don't kill me! Please, please, please!"

The floodgates break, tears and snot streaming down your face. "God-- fuck! I never even wanted to be here-- I never even to be like this! Fuck-- fuck! Xiao, please-- please, I just want to go home!"

Something changed inside him, with only the barest off-beat wing flap indicating the seed of doubt planted in his heart. He growls, deep and guttural and angry. "I won't listen to your lies. Not now, not ever."

But with the way you begged for your life... it didn't feel like a lie.

Unfortunately, the beginnings of his inner turmoil go unnoticed to you, the panic and fear reaching its climax. You needed to get away, you didn't want to die yet. You needed to go somewhere else-- anywhere else as long as you were safe and alive and away from him. Your mind instinctively goes to the nearest Waypoint, but the realization hits you as you were about to teleport away.

The Vessels know how the Waypoints work now. Thanks to you, those "strange, four pronged landmarks" became a source of fast-travel for the Vision-holders. The Vision-holders that were currently hunting you. Vision-holders that would be watching and waiting at those same Waypoints, waiting for you or any of your party to appear in a golden flash of light.

You would die if you teleport yourself away, the Vision-holders and the militia camping at those structures.

You would die if you resist Xiao's grip, falling to your death or slamming into one of the stone pillars that dot Huaguang.

You would die if you give up, your doppelganger most definitely looking to make you suffer as you breathe your last breaths.

All roads lead to your demise.

But-- no-- no, it cant be. You can't die just yet-- you can't just leave them behind like that. You can't just betray Wanderer, you can't hurt Barbara again, you can't let Diluc lose another loved one again, you can't let Zhongli lose the few remaining dredges of family he has left. And even though Teyvat would never, ever let you die-- not truly at least, dying hurts. Dying always hurt so much.

You have to live.

For you, your newfound family and friends, at least until you can find someway to-- to fix this. To fix everything.

You can't run away from this. Even if you wanted to.

You force yourself to calm down, slowing your breath and heart, but your mind still roiling with fear and anxiety. This is a do or die situation. What can you do? What can you do in this moment, with your feeble strength and abilities that won't end up in Xiao lobbing your head off, or falling to your death, or some other horrible ending to your fate?

You can surprise him-- Diluc and Zhongli had trained you with a sword when they could, Diluc's old Favonius Sword somehow both heavy and light in your hands in your short training sessions. But as soon as you'd bring out the blade, Xiao would probably slit your throat or drop you to force you to drop the sword.

Teleporting is out of the question, with each Waypoint practically swarming with bloodthirsty soldiers. What else, what else?!

You frantically look around Huaguang for something-- anything that could get you out of this. It's such a shame for Zhongli, he only wanted some peace and rest-- to live out the rest of his retirement in peace. But, unfortunately ever since you dropped into this world, he's not only hated and lambasted by his people, but also exposed as a god-- forever tarnishing him in their memory.

A touch of sorrow fills your heart, as Xiao flies you off. And to think-- he'd spent thousands and thousands of years protecting his people with his powers and spears, only for them to turn those same things against him. You still remember the sting as those spears and arrows rained down upon you and the group. And to think, he used to do the same to his enemies during the Archon War, just to protect Liyue and his people. You chuckle. How the tables have turned.

Wait... Spears... Archon War... Zhongli...

You have an idea.

Trusting Xiao to not let you go, you release your almost vice-like grip on his feet, looking out onto the stone pillars before you. You take a calming breath, calling onto Zhongli's teachings. The shiver that goes up your body is so much more different than the tremblings of fear you felt earlier, having connected with the pure Geo energy present within the pillars. You groan, this power filling and rushing within you overwhelming your senses. Is this what it feels like to be Zhongli?

Thinking back to earlier, when you had so effortlessly sculpted a stone guitar, you call out to the Geo energy in those pillars surrounding you-- each one of them answering in turn. You shiver, still unused to the surge of power inside you, Teyvat itself so willing and eager to answer your call. You impose your will onto the world around you, your wish deeply ingrained into each stone, each drop of water, and each blade of grass.

Save me.

Xiao, abruptly yanked out of his thoughts, stops mid-air as the pillars rumble and shake. "You dirty witch! What did you do?!" He flaps around frantically as the pillars begin to crumble and fall atop you. You gulp as you hang on to his claws, the two of you beginning to fall mid-air. "A trust exercise!"

-

Earlier...

"Dammit!" Wanderer shouts, as regains his balance. "Shit-- that damn adepti took them and just-- vanished!" He paces, grumbling as he tries toget his thoughts together. "Fuck-- Barbara, where's the nearest Waypoint? We might still be able to rush the soldiers if we get there now." "No, there's no need for that." Zhongli places a hand on Barbara's shoulder, who had frantically began paging her Mappa Mare.

"What do you mean there's no need for that-- He quite literally vanished! There's no other explanation for it than him going to a Waypoint!" He sighs, recalling his old memories. "Alatus, better known as the Adeptus Xiao, was once the mere hound of a god who had captured him. He was forced to do many horrible acts in that god's name, and was even made to eat the dreams of his victims."

The Wanderer crossed his arms. "And? What does his sob story have to do with y/n getting fucking kidnapped?" He ignored his rise, Zhongli continuing on. "Before I had freed him from his old master, before I bestowed upon him the name 'Xiao', he went by a different name. Alatus. This was because of what he was as an Illuminated Beast. Before he was Xiao, known as the Conquerer of Demons, efore he was Alatus, known as the Devourer of Dreams, he was known as Alatus, the Great Golden Winged. He was known for the beauty of his wings, and swiftness like no other."

"...Meaning that he used some sort of ancient adeptal magic to 'teleport' out of here?" Zhongli nodded at Diluc, who had regained his bearing. "Yes. There can be no other explanation." Wanderer speaks up. "And how are you so sure of that?" The once-Archon hummed as his eyes shone with Geo energy. Elemental Sight.

"There is a difference between Waypoint Teleportation and Xiao's Adeptal Teleportation. Whenever we use a Waypoint, we leave little to no elemental energy behind. On the off chance we do, the energy we leave behind is Null energy-- pure, unadulterated elemental energy that hasn't turned into one of the seven elements yet. It usually dissipates into whatever element is nearest to it, in most abundance, or most prominent. And the traces of Null energy are so miniscule that you'd miss it even if you're actively looking for it." Zhongli blinks away his elemental sight, gesturing to where Xiao and their Overseer once stood.

"This small area is condensed with Anemo energy, with trace amounts of Xiao's accumulated karma. He, therefore, cannot have used a Waypoint." Wanderer tch-ed, as everyone's eye's faded back into their regular shades. "Touché old man, touché."

"That's... fascinating but," Barbara had her Mappa Mare cracked open to the lands of Liyue, Minlin. "how are we supposed to track Xiao? We know that he's obviously taking them to the fake, and that y/n would do all they can to stop or at least delay him, but what path would he take?" She rubs her hands in worry. "Oh, we're surrounded by all sides with adepti! I'd know what paths and what distractions y/n would make but-- but what about Xiao? Would he fall for y/n's baiting and tricks? From earlier, it doesn't seem like he would and that any attempt y/n would make to slow him down wouldn't work..."

Diluc grumbles as he looks down onto the atlas. He sighs. "You know him best Li, we'll follow your lead." A nod.

"Alright. Wanderer, you have an Anemo Vision and you're the fastest out of all of us. Is there any chance you can use the residual Anemo energy to try and pin point his location? If not, do a close and general sweep of the area to try and figure out what direction he went. From there, you'll be our 'eye in the sky' as y/n would put it. You'll be the one guiding us to their location." He nods as he rushes where Xiao was, cupping his hands and filling them with Anemo.

"Barbara, seeing as you've spent the most time with y/n and have the added benefit of 'level 10 friendship', you'll be my advisor to whatever other variables and probabilities that they'd do or make for us. Like if they manage to somehow talk Xiao into putting them down, or if they shift into one of us to try to fight their way out." Another nod as she takes her place at his side.

Zhongli turns to the last of their group. "Diluc--" "Muscle?" A nod. "Apologies, old friend." He brushes it off. "It's alright. There's not much I can do here anyways." They exchange a nod as Zhongli kneels, pressing a hand into the rock. "I'll try to find them by communicating with the pillars or by the Geo signature of their stone guitar. They'd also unwittingly resonated with Geo earlier so this may be a little easier..."

Zhongli feels the Geo energy rush within him. He soaks it all in, feeling it fill up every part of him-- from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. He is positively thrumming with Geo, but no matter how much he takes in, it will never fill up the gaping hole left behind by the Gnosis. He pushes past that old ache, setting his eyes back on his objective.

When he speaks, every rock, every pebble, every boulder, every stone-- no matter how big or small or insignificant, all raise themselves in attention.

"Where is my god?"

The pebbles tumble and cry-- as the wind and waters move us to and fro, we do not know, oh, Lord of Geo.

The boulders rumble in their places-- as rain and time wear us down, we do not know, oh, Lord of Geo.

The grains of sand swirl and churn-- as the tides and the fish guide us 'round Teyvat, we do not know, oh, Lord of Geo.

The crystals gleam and shine-- as both adventurers and miners pick, pick, pick away at us, we do not know, oh, Lord of Geo.

Zhongli frowns, digging deeper and deeper within his connection with the earth. Deeper and deeper still, until he can find each speck of dust and soot by name. Until he can see his allies by the Geo energy emitted by the imperceptible dusting of earth on their bodies.

He speaks once more, urging the stones to sense their surrounding not just by the seismic sense that the natural world has on their forms but to open their eyes-- to see how their once-god saw the world around himself.

"Where is my god?"

The dirt in the breeze dances and twirls-- god, my god, rejoice! We have been graced by our Divine Overseer's touch!

The pure Geo energy shaped curiously like a person roils and churns-- god, my god, rejoice! We have been graced by our Divine Overseer's call!

The pillars shake with glee-- god, my god, rejoice! We have been graced by our Divine Overseer's will!

In the distance, Zhongli could both hear and feel the crumbling and collapsing of multiple of Huaguang's pillars. No-- rather, he himself were the crumbling pillars, stone stelai kneeling before their almighty god. He surfaces, weakening his connection and clearing his mind from the pure and unadulterated Geo that had overtaken him. Shaking away the desire to kowtow that he presumes is from the stone pillars (though he wouldn't be surprised if it came from deep buried instincts), Zhongli rouses to the image of the group waiting for him at the lip of their alcove.

Wanderer plays with a dark and karma tinted thread of Anemo. "I have a slight feeling I know exactly where y/n is."

-

You groan, having landed in a tangled feathery heap. You cough, waving away at the dust in the air as you try to take in your surroundings. Key word here being try, as you come to realize that the pillars had collapsed on top of you to perfectly form a small and yet sizable cavern. A cavern, mind you, with no light source.

You blindly grope around and wave your hands in the air. "Man, it'd sure be nice if I could see." And would you look at that? The next few random rocks you wildly flailed around at were bright, glowing ores of Cor Lapis, covered so heavily in dust and soot that you couldn't see their light. Perk of being god, you suppose.

After using the weak lights of the ores to find others to light up your tiny enclosure, you finally drink in your surroundings. It wasn't much really-- just some rocks, rocks, more rocks, Xiao laying bloody and bruised on the floor, couple more rocks...

"Oh shit-- Xiao!"

You rush to his side, cradling his head in your hands as he groaned in pain. You sucked in a breath, examining the rest of his body. It wasn't anything too major, thank goodness, but it was clear that when you landed, he took the brunt of the damage. You take a few breaths to calm down the rising panic in your chest. He might've wanted to skin you alive and turn you into a nice fur coat for that face-stealing copycat, but he doesn't have to die for it.

You dab away at the blood and dust beginning to cake his many wounds, Barbara's teachings echoing in the back of your mind.

He doesn't have to die. He doesn't know the truth.

You empty the small bottle of water into your now dirty cloth, wiping and cleaning away at the blood and grime on his body. A small frown forms as you stare at the heavily bleeding cut on his head. You know from Barbara's many lectures and the times you got really deep into Wikipedia articles at 3 am, that head wounds bleed heavily. When your head gets damaged, it bleeds much more compared to any other body part and that's normal. That's fine and okay.

But knowledge of things doesn't usually help irrational fears, as you turn his head to try and treat it. But you don't get much further than turning it to face you, as you are immediately met with the cold sting of metal on your neck. Xiao glares at you, gaze fierce but taut. "I don't know what you're playing at, but I assure you I won't fall for it."

You immediately freeze like a deer in headlights. "I wasn't trying to do anything!-- I mean I was, but it's nothing bad! I promise!" You and your hands are frozen still on the sides of his face as you watch his expression go through dozens of emotions you can't quite place. You'd love to look away, but the gentle pressure of the small dagger at your neck is quick to dissuade that idea.

After what feels like an eternity, he finally settles on a sort of neutral but piercing glare. "What were you trying to do then." Your gaze drops from his face, a red heat rising to your face. "There's a cut on your head. It's bleeding a lot and... and I got worried. I know head wounds do that, bleed a lot, but... but still. I got worried."

You could feel his gaze searching your slowly heating face. But you didn't care about that, eyes slowly drifting towards the blood and the wounds on his body. Fuck, couldn't you do anything right? If you took a different route like Nantianmen, or hadn't nagged the group for a break, or played into your rumors to tease him out or something, none of this would've ever happened. You wouldn't have gotten so close to dying multiple times, you wouldn't have almost killed Xiao when you begged Teyvat for help, you wouldn't have to complicate Zhongli's feelings with Xiao and the adepti and--

You take a breath, wet and slow.

And you wouldn't have your old guitar back. And you wouldn't have learned to at least control a tiny bit of your abilities. Wouldn't have given them the rest they so rightfully deserved and needed. Wouldn't have bantered or brought a smile to your friends faces.

In the end, there's no use to wondering and worrying about "what if"s and "could've been"s. The only thing you can do now is to make the best of what you've got.

A sharp hiss takes you out of your silent musing, Xiao attempting to sit up and failing. You barely register the lack of cold metal on your neck as you help him up, leaning him against the cavern wall. "Are, are you okay? I mean, you're obviously not-- you're fucking covered in blood, and bruises, and shit, but like-- you get what I mean yeah? Oh, speaking of!" You summon the first healing food that came to mind. Chicken Mushroom Skewers and a Sweet Madame. "I don't really have medical supplies but..."

You trail off, unsure if food having medicinal and magical healing properties is a normal thing. "...But I've found that having a full stomach helps?" Good save.

Xiao, whose mind has been roiling with confusion and contradictions and conflicting information this whole time, blinks at you in pained befuddlement. He clears his mind, or at least clears it as much as he can with a slight shake of his head. "It's... It's fine. Its just some mild bruising and minor injuries." Xiao stretches his wings in mild discomfort.

On a second thought, maybe those minor injuries weren't as minor as he thought, flinching hard at the pain that shot up his wing. Both of his wings. "Oh, shit! Are you okay?" "Don't touch me!" He slaps your hands away from where they were reaching out for his wings. Xiao scoots away from you, palming his dagger and glaring.

"Why are you suddenly acting like this?!" His Jade spear gleams in the soft light of the Cor Lapis, pointed at your neck. "Don't think your pretty words and silver tongue will worm its way into mind head and poison me like you did with Morax and the rest you've encountered!" The emotional whiplash and building conflict within him reached its breaking point. "Who-- What-- What is your plan here? Helping me and keeping me alive will only bring you more problems in the future! You have had ample opportunity to remove a potential-- not even potential, actual problem in, in whatever grand scheme or plan you have!"

He's heaving now, the roiling emotions in his chest taking over. "Unless you plan to have all of Teyvat in the palm of your hand, having us all grovel and cower like a dog at a table, begging for scraps. But-- but what was that?! Rex La-- Morax-- Zhongli would never topple the pillars of Huaguang like that! And seeing how precious you are to him, he'd never risk it at the chance of ending you."

He'd dismissed his weapon in the middle of his rant, burying his hands in his hair; the confusion and doubt clashing with the conflicting thoughts and emotions within him.

"But earlier-- no sane person would fall for the show you displayed earlier, so clearly scheming and conniving with your little group. So it was-- so it was a trap, bait for me to get in and--and... it was, it was bait-- a trap. A--A trap for me, I--"

It hurt. It hurt so much. He's so lost, so confused. Rex-- No, Zhongli. Zhongli was right. What was their goal here? What does he not understand?

He pulls at his hair, roaring in frustration.

Archons, he wants to understand. He wants to know what mysteries and truths are hidden from him yet. He wants to understand why he follows them, why those... supposedly brainwashed people were so eager to lay down their lives, why his Almighty Overseer had ordered this manhunt so easily and readily at the first rumor that this lookalike existed? Why his body aches and screams with pain as the seed of doubt begins to bloom in his chest?

It hurts. It hurts so much.

It's not supposed to hurt.

He clutches at his chest, the rising tide of emotions within him having empowered his age-old karmic debt. It claws and roils deep within his skin, the corruption reaching for his very being. He chokes, something burning, and inky, and tar-like deep in his throat, the feeling of drowning not far behind. Distantly, he hears himself screaming.

He claws at himself-- at his drowning neck, at his arms and legs bound in ancient burning rage and agony, at the many small wounds leaking both blood and a searing ancient hate. He claws at his back, at his wings-- wishing to tear them off so that their shining beauty and wonder may not be tainted by his eons of sins crawling up his spine. He can feel the karma reaching for them, a tiny and pure and clean part of himself that he had hidden from it so thoroughly until now.

"My-- My wings!--" He chokes, on air or karma or blood, he doesn't know. "Not-- not my wings!"

He feels gentle hands in his hair, pulling his head to rest on something warm and soft. Tears and spit covered his face. It had never hurt this bad before.

Your hands were shaking with panic as you brushed your fingers into his hair, having at least laid his head on a bit of folded fabric. "Sh, sh, sh," you cooed into his ear. "Just-- just breathe. Listen to my voice. Focus on my voice." Your voice cracked. "Please."

Xiao's head turns slightly to you, as he shook and writhed on the floor. He was delirious enough to listen to you. You gulp.

As you brush his hair and whisper sweet nothings into his tear and spit streaked face, you wracked your mind for-- for something-- anything that could help. You take a breath. Another. Panicking won't solve anything. But its hard not to. You feel him clutch your hand like a life line.

You remember... you remember an old voiceline-- Zhongli telling the traveler to deliver some painkillers to him. But-- no, that won't help right now. Zhongli isn't here, and you don't have the painkillers. Hell, you didn't even know how to make those painkillers. What else, what else...

Your eyes scanned the cavern, trying to find something that would spark an idea-- something that could help. Xiao whimpers in your arms. "Please... hurts... so much..." "I'm trying Xiao, just-- just hang on a little longer and you'll be okay, I promise." Come on, come on-- isn't there a character story or piece of lore that could help? Character story... lore...

You know what to do. You just weren't sure if it'd work.

You let go of him, resting his head back on the scrap of cloth you laid out for him. He whines in pain, reaching out for you but you let go of him nonetheless. "Sh, sh, sh... I'm here, I'm here, shhh... you'll be okay, it won't hurt anymore I promise."

You bring out your guitar, still more like a stone statuette than an actual guitar. You still weren't sure this was going to work, but it has to. It needs to. Its going to.

You take a breath, close your eyes, and call upon the Geo within you. Right now, this is just you and your guitar and your captive audience. No life-threatening dangers and prejudices, just you, and your music, and your avid listener.

You strum your hands across the strings.

"Do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do,"

The notes ring out inside the cavern, the Cor Lapis almost pulsing with the sound.

"Do-mi-so-do,"

Despite the grim situation, you couldn't help the smile that creeps onto your face. You brush your hands onto the strings once more.

"Isn't it pretty?"

The ores seem to shine brighter in response. Your voice changes to match the next line.

"...how exceedingly simple."

Memories of an old but beloved show fill your mind.

"Do-mi-so-ti,"

Xiao's labored breathing slows.

"We're making music!"

Another strum.

"What is the point?"

You couldn't help the sudden beaming smile on your worn and worried face at his words. His breathing is still heavy, curling up into himself in pain.

"You're not-- making anything."

You could almost see it, back on your couch watching the show as this not so exact scene plays out on screen.

"Well, if it isn't anything, then why does it sound so good?"

He breathes, long, and hard, and deep; the pain is slowly subsiding from his body.

"I suppose its just interest,"

He ignores the tiny voice in his head, reminding him of the first time a god had calmed the karma within him.

"Do-mi-so-do,"

You keep playing the simple tune, memories of acting out certain scenes and songs with friends rising from the depths of your mind.

"Devoid of substance or purpose, a hypothetical pattern,"

Xiao lays there, still curled up on the floor.

"Do-mi-so-ti,"

He lays a wing over himself.

"For the satisfaction of bringing it to completion."

Xiao blinks. The weight of the karma on his chest is gone.

"Sure."

You try to remember the rest of the chords to the song, playing a little with the fingering.

"Do-mi-so-ti."

He tightens his curled position.

"Interest without meaning?"

Even the small pains from his scratches and bruises have faded.

"Solutions without problems?"

Despite the turmoil building up once again within him, you keep strumming at your guitar.

"And then you just add words!"

The words flow from your mouth easily, having sung this song thousands of times in a different life.

"Here's what I've been working on."

Xiao watches as your fingers skillfully fly on the guitar as you take a breath to sing.

"Life and death and love and birth,"

Oddly enough...

"And peace and war on the planet Earth."

Despite all the turmoil and confusion...

"Is there anything that's worth more,"

And his Overseer's warning to not fall for this impostor's trickery...

"Than peace and love on the planet Earth? Ooh-woah,"

He feels at ease with you.

"Come on and sing it with me!"

You were genuinely offering, despite it being the actual lyrics.

"Sing?"

Xiao raises an eyebrow, choosing to sort out... everything later.

"The words relate to the key,"

You smile, both to him and to yourself. No wonder your first Vessel was the Traveler.

"Key?"

You lean back, fingers still strumming on the strings of your guitar.

"If its a pattern, if its a pattern, then just repeat after me!"

You were just so full of love and wonder for this world. Steadfast, and strong-willed, and even willing to break bread, or in this case share a song, with a sworn enemy.

-

Life and death and love and birth,

Zhongli couldn't help but break into a small grin, the rocks and stones singing to him in your voice. With a small nudge to the Geo around him, they sung louder, loud enough for the group to hear.

Life and death and love and birth,

"Is that guy... singing along?!" Diluc huffed from where he was being carried by the Wanderer. "...yeah, okay, at this point I probably shouldn't be surprised anymore."

Now you sing mi-fa-mi-mi-fa-mi-ti-la,

Barbara cradled a singing rock in her hands from where she sat upon Zhongli's dust cloud. "...I think it's selfish of me to want to hoard them all to ourselves and just travel Teyvat like this."

And peace and war on the planet Earth!

Zhongli watches as his Memory of Dust endlessly locked and unlocked itself, using it to pilot the dust cloud they're to their destination. He stares ahead as she continues her musing. "...And I think y/n feels the same way too."

-

You clap with glee as he sings along.

"Yes, yes, that's it!"

Xiao scoffs, tentatively sitting up. He shoots you a look when he sees the flash of worry on your face.

"That's so easy."

You focus back on your playing, glad that it helped. You can already tell that you're gonna have a crazy freakout session after... all of this.

"Yeah, but that's what's fun about it,"

Your fingers flowed with ease on the strings, a perfect replica of the ones you have back home where they were once just stone. You have a feeling you're gonna go ballistic about this too.

"You should write something, you should write a song!"

Just like earlier, despite the suggestion being literally lyrics the in the song, you're genuinely asking.

"About what?"

You couldn't help but giggle to yourself at the curious but eager lilt in his voice.

"Whatever your thinking!"

You watch as a look takes over his face for a moment. He steels himself and sighs. Singing always helps release some pent-up emotions in your experience, so for someone with a special relationship with them like Xiao, it must be a huge relief.

He opens his mouth to sing.

-

I guess we're already here,

Zhongli watches as the Wanderer and Diluc finally reach them, a perfectly shaped dome in the middle of all this rubble and destruction.

I guess we already know,

Backing up to gain some momentum, Wanderer suddenly zooms forward and throws Diluc at the geode they're about to crack open.

We've all got something to fear,

Speeding like a bullet, he throws back his claymore and with a mighty scream and a mighty heft, he is set alight by Dawn. "Your verdict is--!"

We've all got nowhere to go,

The geode is sliced open, Dawn dancing and rising up into the sky. Zhongli waves his hand, his Memory pulsing with light, and the cut-off lid is caught by almost spiderweb-like threads of pure Geo.

There was nothing Xiao could do as the two of them were rushed by a sudden burst of Hydro and Anemo energy, the resulting Swirl preventing him from doing anything.

I think you're all insane,

You're whisked off into the Wanderer's arms, both of you zipping up high into the sky where the rest of your ragtag team is waiting upon Zhongli's dust cloud.

But I guess I am too,

Wanderer nods at him but before anything happens, you raise your hand. "Its fine. You don't have to do anything." The four of them share a look. "I have a feeling he won't follow us outta here."

Anybody would be if they were stuck in Teyvat with you.

After a beat of silence, they relent. The dust cloud churns as Zhongli takes you and the gang far and away from here. "Your 'feelings' have never failed us before." The Wanderer groans as he tilts his head back in annoyance. "And it shouldn't fuckin' start now, asshole. Do you even have any idea the hassle we have to do just to get you every time you get kidnapped?!"

You chuckle, fluent in the Wanderer's special type of emotionally constipated way of speaking. "Thank you for caring Wanderer. And I'm sorry for worrying you." You turn to the rest of the group. "All of you. I... I really am." The Wanderer merely scoffs and looks away. Diluc nods and says, "It's alright. Just... do try to not worry us too much next time yeah?" You smile. Despite it all, you smile.

"Ahahaha, yeah!"

Barbara tackles you in a tight hug. You eagerly reciprocate.

Life and death and love and birth and,

"I hadn't realized until now-- are the rocks singing?!" Zhongli, having sat down with his legs crossed, hands you a pebble. "It was the fastest way we confirmed you're alright."

Life and death and love and birth and,

"I know I should be used to it at this point with all the wacky-ass shit we encounter, but I'm still not over you making the 'Guardian Yaksha' sing!" Wanderer exclaims. You giggle, a memory popping up as fresh as day. "Well, it didn't take me much you get you to sing. And on our first meeting too!"

Life and death and love and birth and,

The two of you bicker as Barbara tries to mediate and Zhongli focuses back on whisking you all away. Diluc looks down at the destruction they caused in Huaguang, the cut open cavern of your geode like a glittering clamshell in the afternoon sun. He could barely make out Xiao's silhouette amidst all the Cor Lapis and Crystal Ore.

Peace and war on the planet Earth.

Satisfied that he wouldn't and/or couldn't follow them, Diluc turns back to the rest of you, the bickering having turned into friendly playfighting and banter. He looks at you and notices something amiss. He chuckles, getting everyones attention. "We went through all of that for your guitar, and you didn't even manage to save it." "Oh, no no no, I have it right here!" With a flash of light, you summon your guitar. It's looking awfully like the zither you bought at Liyue. "...Goddammit."

Is there anything that's worth more?

Xiao would like to say that you'd all left him in a daze when you ambushed him, but really... He'd been caught up in your words. Your song. Too caught up in the things that happened to him during your song.

Is there anything that's worth more?

Still in disbelief of his now unblemished and uninjured form, he goes over to your... stringed instrument. A guitar, his mind supplies, having remembered watching that fiery one's "rock and roll" concert after realizing that the strange activity he saw was just her and her people setting up a small venue.

Is there anything that's worth more?

He runs his finger across the strings, simple notes coming up to greet his ears. He shouldn't be surprised, songs are merely the beautiful weavings of simple notes coming together. Not unlike his once-Grand Marshal's battle tactics coming to fruition. Not unlike your schemes that his Divine Overseer claims you have.

Xiao turns his gaze to the skies, the cloud of dust you all so quickly arrived in now long gone.

Than peace and love on the planet Earth?

He does not follow.

---

AAAAAAAAND DONE! oh my fucking god this took forever to write IKLRHeSTgHEKRGJK-- literally took me a year or so to finish AHJAHAHA Honestly the real struggle here was finding the time to write since like-- i already had the whole story in my head, i just needed to translate it into words.

Well... not really? It was more like i had a guideline for how i wanted this to go, its just that when i started writing thats when i put in the details lol

also there's some parts there that i think like... drag a little aka the part where y/n is panicking and trying to think of a solution for the problem-- i wanted it to take a while and for y/n to form a thought process that ended in the natural conclusion of figuring out a solution to their problem. Id LIKE to think i did p well at that part but like im not too sureeeeeeeee

also-- THE AMOUNT OF SET UP JUST TO GET TO THE SONG PART-- THE SONG IS BARELY EVEN PART OF THE STORY AHAHAHHAHAHAHA-- now that, im COMPLETELY UNAPOLOGETIC FOR AHAHAHHAHAHAHAH

oh yeah-- i already said this before but there is gonna be a rough-ish timeline for the Playlist so if i ever write a fic where y/n cant do this but in the other fic can do it-- just trust me theres a timeline, its probably before the event that made y/n able to do it lol

id add more a/ns but like-- my brain is mush and i can finally publish this so im gonna stop here. oh right-- i did mention this is gonna be a two parter, so the next part in this will be the immediate aftermath, exploring Xiao's POV of the situation and his thoughts. I wanna say that itll be short but uh. Considering my track record, thats not gonna happen. thanks for reading yall :))

[vaingloury]

Disparate Thoughts on Dungeon Meshi

I'm an anime-only watcher, so no spoilers beyond what's currently aired (eps 1-3) + mild map spoilers for a random 3.5e D&D module (Sunless Citadel).

- I'm not the first nor will I be the last to harp on the English localised title but Delicious in Dungeon sucks. I do, however, think going with the "DnD" naming scheme was a nugget of a good idea (let's face it, "Dungeon Food" sucks too). Maybe "Diners in Dungeon"/"Dungeons & Diners" instead (as in those who dine, not a place where one dines). Or "Dungeon Dine" (like "dungeon dive"). Regardless, I'll just be calling it Dungeon Meshi going forward.

- I don't know if this is coloured by me going into this series with the knowledge that Ryoko Kui loves Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 or a wider ripple effect of eastern dungeon-fantasy conventions being shaped by there not being an official Japanese translation of D&D between Basic and 5e, but the world-building's vibe is old-school D&D as hell. It feels like it was written by someone who maybe never got the chance to play the tabletop game much but spent hours poring over the 1e Monster Manual in hopes of getting a campaign off the ground (and ended up penning a manga instead, game scheduling be damned). There's the disarming of traps, feeling for secret doors, and even the iconic red dragon as seen on the covers of the Basic Dungeon Master's Handbook and 1e Monster Manual being the dungeon boss. Design-wise, the dungeon's layout it reminds me a bit of the map from Ruins of Castle Greyhawk or The Sunless Citadel (pictured below, right).

- The main cast is very tropey at the moment. Quite literally all the Basic classes are covered; the generic white man Fighter (Lv 1, no multi-attack yet :P) as the party face, the halfling/thief, the elf/wizard, the missing cleric, the dwarf... This works for this point in the narrative but doesn't make me particularly attached to any of them. They need another overarching obstacle.

- I generally don't like Studio Trigger's output (not the Imaishi-involved stuff anyway; Gridman fucks) but I respect how bouncy their animation usually is. So, I was excited to watch something animated by Trigger but not (originally) written by them. Dungeon Meshi, however, looks static and resorts too often to Dutch angles to maintain visual interest. There's a bit of an art shift in episode 3 where this improves; more fun "off-model" moments, the movements get a little bouncier, more color harmony. Hopefully, this stays and isn't just a guest director fluke. Form the snippets I've seen on the manga, Kui suffers a bit from "draw background killed my grandma", thus her ability to make her simple character designs emote well has to carry the page. The anime does the opposite; super detailed backgrounds but flat shading/lack of texture on the characters creates a need for them to over-emote with a "screen-shake" effect in order to stand out from their surroundings, which I could see getting old fast. The main event, the food, looks better in the anime than in the manga due to colour and animation bringing it to life.

- I don't usually laugh at Japanese comedies because they're either too slapstick for my tastes or too pun heavy for my JP comprehension level. Dungeon Meshi gets a point for making me "lol" more than once.

- Finally, a good panty shot:

- I watched episode 3 dubbed. EN Marcille > JP Marcille (I say this as a stickler for subs). The rest of the dub cast is fine but I'm probably sticking with JP because JP Laios' ability to scream > EN Laios (EN is a great generic white man, though). I'm not familiar with most of the JP voice cast. I think Chilchuck is my fave in JP.

Both languages have little breathing room between lines of dialog and I was hoping the EN dub would play around with the fact that the character speaking isn't necessarily the one on screen (thus less lip-flap matching, especially for Senshi, who has few indicators that he's actually speaking even when he's onscreen) but alas. I'll do another one of these if I have more to say later in the season 🥂

[linettefox]

NOTE: All info about my fan series is subject to change as I am writing it. More details may be added or altered in the future.

New Fan series ideas & info dump:

I made a logo for my most recent fan series Konfy Earth Precure. Here it is in Japanese and English:

The themes for this series are foxes and nature. Honestly as soon as I saw we're letting regular dogs and cats become Precure now my brain immediately went "So I can have a Precure that is literally just a fox" and so planing for this fan series began with ideas of making it fit Wonderful's vibe just with some more fights considering writing action is my favorite part of making fan series.

The Name Meaning:

Kon Kon is the Japanese fox sound. I knew I wanted the main cure's name to be punt like Wonderful and Nyammy's are so I went with Konfy which is a pun on the word comfy and kon.

I research foxes in my spare time, I just love googling random facts and trivia about them. Recently I learned what a group of foxes is called there were three names given. Skulk, leash, and earth. No one knows what a skulk is and Konfy Leash Precure sounds weird so I went with Earth which also happened to fit the environmental themes I was going for.

The Cures:

They have not been designed yet and are in very early stages of development but I will share what I got so far for this duo.

Moribe Sierra/Cure Earth - She/her - 14 - A human girl who can become a fox. Outgoing, compassionate, loves animals, friendly.

Sume/Cure Konfy - She/her - A fox kit that can become a human. Feisty, honest, protective, naive, loves food, adventurous.

The only design elements I know for a fact is that Sume is a silver fox and Sierra will have hair the color of a red one. (Note: Both silver and red foxes are variants of the common fox) In their cure forms they will be humans with fox ears and tails being in between human and fox forms.

Moribe (森部) etymology: (Origin: Japanese)

Mori (森) - "forest, woods."

Be (部) - "section, department, category."

Sierra etymology: (Origin: Spanish)

Saw or mountain range.

I named her after the Sierra Nevada fox which is the one Google says is unfortunately most endangered. I thought it fit with the environmental themes. Also I know Cure Earth is already a thing but the name was too fitting not to use.

Sume (スメ) etymology: (Origin: Unknown)

I took the word "kitsune" which is Japanese for fox and shortened it to Sune before deciding I liked Sume best.

The Location:

I am still debating which town should base mine on, all I know is I want it to be near a big forest of some kind. Maybe they'd even have a nature park to explore. Of course I don't know Japan that well but I do like loosely basing my locations off of real places since Precure is set there.

Ideas for Villains:

The generals will be based on a wolf, cougar, bear, eagle and snake respectively they will be known as the Feral Five.

The monsters will be robotic and the Feral Five may end up becoming robots when they can't fulfill their duties. The reason for this is I don't want to show any animals as true villains because even though they hunt foxes it's all just for survival.

The big bad will probably be like a scientist trying to take over the forest with his robotic army or something. Think Dr. Eggman inspired I guess although completely different design.

Allies:

Since I do not plan to have a mid season at the moment aside from the mascots I will be creating a Yui/Seiju type character from Sierra's class that will know their identities. For now here's all I have for allies though.

● Spinosa - She/her - A seed fairy that came to find the help of the Precure, Spike’s sister. Strict, worried, brave, hard worker.

● Spike - He/him - A seed fairy that came to find the help of the Precure, Spinosa’s brother. Laid back, calm, brave, lazy but well-meaning.

● Reynard (Or just Rey) - He/him - A kitsune mentor-type character, gave the cures their powers and sent Spinosa and Spike to find them. Mysterious, wise, fun, caring.

For the mascots I thought it'd be weird to have a normal fairy alongside realistic animals so I looked for other things to base them on. I looked up what were symbiotic to foxes and spiky seeds came up because they often hitch a ride in their tails. So I made mascots based on seeds. Rey isn't really a mascot more of a Rosemary type character.

Miscellaneous Ideas:

For the transformation I thought it'd be cute if they high fives to start them. No transformation device necessary they just high five while saying the phrase and the transformation starts. I imagine it being playful and upbeat with some Elegance mixed in.

That is all I have for now, will this is ever be finished and released? Idk! Anyways bye! Thoughts welcome.

[twstrhythm]

“Rain or shine, I’ll be here to help! You can count on me.”

Technical Information: Name: Hongyan Ruan Nicknames: Emperor Red Snapper (Floyd); Monsieur Rouge (Rook); A-Yan (cousins); YanYan (Xiaobai) Voice Actor: Junichi Suwabe (Diamant, Fire Emblem Engage)

Biological Information: Gender: Male Pronouns: He/Him Age: 310 Birthday: April 11 Star Sign: Aries Height: 185 cm Hair color: Dark red Eye color: Orange Homeland: Xianglong Zhigong Family: See Here

Professional Status: School: Night Raven College Dorm: Scarabia School Year: 3rd Class: 3-C Student Number: 1 Occupation: Student Club: Track and Field Best Subject: Ancient Incantations

Fun facts: Dominant hand: Right Favorite Food: Stir-fried chicken with chili and Sichuan pepper Least Favorite Food: Mayonnaise Dislikes: Failure; Failing; Disappointing others Hobbies: Reading poems Talents: Can read more than one language

Appearance: Hongyan has long dark red hair with a few lighter strands. He has amber colored eyes and a pair of golden horns. He wears the standard school uniform for Night Raven College.

Personality: Hongyan is a proud person. He is highly confident and tends to think he is able to do many things. However, he still admires those who are older than him and tries to learn from them. He is afraid of disappointing other people, so he tries not to fail at the things he does or tries to do. He works hard because he does not want people to look down on him.

Background: Hongyan hails from Xianglong Zhigong. He lives with his younger brother, Xiaobai and parents. For the longest time, he had not known who his relatives were. His parents had been secretive about them, but he never asked questions because he did not want to upset them. Only after he had been accepted into Night Raven College did he meet his relatives. Much to his surprise, they were people he had spoken to before while back home.

Skills and Abilities:

Intelligence: Hongyan is a very smart person, and he is very capable of thinking his way through different situations.

Cunning: He is a cunning individual capable of getting people to trust him with just his words. He uses this skill to get people to give him information that he could later use against them later on.

Magical Skill: He is skilled in magic, particularly water magic. He has great control over his magic, and he is able to minimize damage done to his surroundings.

Dragon Transformation: Hongyan is capable of transforming into a dragon.

Enhanced Speed: He has enhanced speed and is capable of keeping up with a fast moving car in his dragon form.

Enhanced Strength: He has enhanced strength in dragon form.

Extra Flexible: He is extra flexible in his dragon form.

Flight: He is capable of flying despite having no wings in dragon form.

Spatial Awareness: He is aware of what goes on his surroundings at all times. As such, he is a light sleeper.

Unique Magic: Hongyan’s Unique Magicis called Let There Be Rain. It allows him to create rain. Sometimes it can come in the form of a storm if he channels enough magic. However, it can only last for a short amount of time. Using it allows him to walk on water.

Chant: "There are bright days ahead, do not despair. Let There Be Rain!"

Trivia:

Hóng (红) meaning red, vermillion, blush

Yàn (彦) meaning elegant, handsome, learned

Ruǎn (阮) which refers to a type of musical instrument, similar to a lute.

Xianglong Zhigong (翔龙之宫) literally meaning Kingdom/palace of flying dragons.

[indigo-flightly-falls]

Hii!! For the ask game, 1, 4, 5, 6, and 14? Thx!!

Helloooo!!!

I'm talking about the SoD AU because I can >:}

1 Do you have a backstory for [character] without one? Is it relevant to how you write them?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure empires season 1 Joel never got much of a backstory (besides maybe some x-life stuff? idk I haven't watched empires!Joel or X-Life). Which means I'm fixing that :D

Joel's upbringing is deffiently the best out of the Bad Boys, which is saying something about the others- And it reflects in how he acts! As prince, he always had to be on the lookout, for his subjects safety and for people who would try to hurt him and/or said subjects! It results in him judging people long before he meets them, and this can greatly impact how he interacts with people! He's general unhinged-ness is also something from his backstory, as his whole island relied a lot on hunting, and often times worked with wild wolves or dragons to share food! Joel would actually spend weeks in the forest, hunting or hanging out with dragons, and it's resulted in him sometimes forgetting that people don't often act like a dragon when angry or while hunting.

4 If you could change something canon about [character], what would it be?

Does the entirety of the 3rd HTTYD movie count? If not then Stormheart. I don't know if it's ever explained why she wants to keep Lumie safe? Like it just seems to oppose her established characterization of not really caring about dragons or using them as weapons.

5 Are there any particular locations, whether from the source material or your own mind, that you enjoy writing?

The Hidden World is one, and I also quite enjoy the School or Vanaheim! In the game, I loved flying around them, especially the Hidden World Annex because it was a giant circle, so I didn't need to turn around if I didn't want! And I think that carried over to the SoD AU, because I love describing how the Hidden World looks or what it's like at the School or why Vanaheim matters to Etho specifically!

6 How do you envision [character] when writing about them?

Putting this below the cut because I went on a full ramble. And the next question has a long answer as well lol

Honestly this is a bit of a hard one. I'm not great with descriptions and character design is a bit of a weak spot for me, but I'll give it a try with Etho!

I think they literally only wear one outfit unless forced to wear something else, much to the annoyance of Skizz (who is the exact same way). Said outfit is a basic white shirt under a black jacket with green patches wherever it's been torn. They also have scales sown into the jacket, if one of their dragon friends shed, you can bet Etho will have a new scale sown onto the arms of their jacket. They often wear just plain black pants, simply because it's easier to explore new islands and have full mobility. If they weren't planning to go out flying, they might try on a skirt because fuck gender roles. I genuinely think despite the fact it would be better for traveling, they do not wear boots. They stick with sandals or something a bit like sneakers. They are doing this out of spite.

Of course, they've got their mask. It's probably been torn at least five times since they've landed on Berk, but hey, it's just some fabric and can be replaced with ease. They probably also remake their headband with the mask, because consistency is important.

I chose to let them keep the two colored eyes, because it's fun :) They've still got the red left eye, and their right is really dark green! We're keeping the white/black/green color theme :D Of course, we've got white hair. I'm saying it's natural, because if there are dragons why not let somebody have white hair? It's also established in the 4th chapter that Etho knows how to make purple dye for a strip of their hair! (also it's never mentioned but they probably had long hair before arriving on Berk, cut it around the time of joining due to getting teased, and later started growing it out again a bit)

As well as that, they are probably also tall and skinny, due to the fact that they do not eat enough. It isn't on purpose, they are just very forgetful and dragons + Skizz take first priority. They also have horrible posture and look about half a foot shorter then they are :)

14 What is something you would like to talk at length about?

Well uh. I talked a lot about Etho's appearance above but also, dragons.

Etho - Starlit'Void (sand wraith) and Lumie (luminous krayfin). I gave them Starlit'Void because he was my starting dragon and I thought it would be fun! Lumie is more of a technicality, because he's not a playable dragon in game, but with how often he appears in quests, I think I can say he's Etho's now. (also because if you've seen the second httyd movie, there's this scene when Valka is riding on Cloudjumper as the bewilderbeast rises from the ice and I am imagining that but with Etho + Lumie when he fully grown) All other dragons are part of Etho's hoard and are either from quests, their and Skizz's children, or just ones that stick around for fun!

There is another dragon Etho gets, a [redacted] named Stardust! I cannot explain much due to spoilers for a not-yet released fic, but I chose Stardust because around the time the fandom got confirmation of a 4th series, everybody started trying to decide what the winner's title could be! And someone suggest Stardust if Etho won and it lives in my head rent free (It was suggested to fit with the astrology theme + redstone!).

Skizz - Gaze (triple stryke). Personally, I feel like (both 3L and SoD!)Skizz and post-redemption!Dagur share a lot of similarities and hey, why not share the same dragon species! I'll also explain Holly here because why not. Holly is also a triple stryke that Etho and Skizz adopted during Stormheart's first attack on the edge, and the two of them raised her together!

I think to a point Pouncer and Ruffrunner could be counted, but I see them less of Etho and Skizz's dragons and more of future alpha's that the two humans are helping grow!

[theemporiumreport]

Grand Opening of The Emporium Report!

Hello and Welcome to my blog!

My name is Wayn (They/Them) and I started this blog because I just wanted a place to formally store my thoughts about certain comic issues or comic events!

A little about me, I'm:

Non-Binary

21 years old

Currently in university as a Technical Theatre Major and a Creative Writing Minor.

Filpino-American!

Although I am a Creative Writing Minor, I'm really bad at grammer and overthink a lot so if I write terrible sentences, no I did not <3 :). Other than reading and thinking about comics, I love playing video games such as League of Legends (sadly) + related games, Dark Souls, Resident Evil, Bayonetta, and so much more! (I may from time to time write about these games, but that will be in the future ;)

Little more fun facts:

Favorite Food: Sushi or my mother's sisig

Favortie Musician(s): Wolf Alice, Beyonce, Doja Cat, Rina, plus my monthy music obsession (which is Janelle Monae's The Age of Pleasure)

Favorite Color: Love a good blue, purple, or red

Favorite Movie: At this moment? Across the Spider-verse (EEAO is VERY close behind)

Favorite Show: The Magicians

Now to get into my comic journey and experience!

Comic History

My first exposure to the comics, or at least superheroes, was the Fox X-Men movies! My family had the 2000's trilogy on DVD and it was the one of the only things I liked watching alongside with Spongebob and Ben 10. I would always watch these movies on loop at my father's work on those portable DVD players. Looking back, it was such a fun and simple time!

As I grew up, I watched more Marvel related media such as Ultimate Avengers (2006), Super Hero Squad, Agents of Shield, and even played Marvel Heroes Omega for years until its sad shutdown in 2017. But enough of what I watched or played, the very first comic I read was in 2014 with All New X-Men #18!

But why this particular issue? Well I purely blame Stuart Immonen and his beautiful artwork! I remember seeing this particular cover and loving the new costumes of the O5! The futuristic unitard with each person color coded was very appealing to young me! I also liked that I knew the central characters: The Original Five X-Men. I specifically loved Jean Grey and had an unhealthy crush on Scott Summers (I even read is solo series :o). But this issue is what brought me into comics and when re-reading the run today, I get great flashbacks and memories!

Now here are some personal comic fun facts:

Favorite Character(s): Illyana Rasputin (Magik), Danielle Moonstar (Mirage), Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch), Ororo Munroe (Storm)

Honorable Mentions: Kwannon (Psylocke), Jean Grey, Rachel Summers (Askani), Jessica Drew (Spider-Woman), Gwen Stacy (Ghost-Spider), Miles Morales (Spider-Man), literally all the New Mutants (except Magma...)

Favorite Writer(s): Chris Claremont (past), Jonathan Hickman, Vita Ayala, Leah Williams, Steve Orlando

Favorite Artists: Russell Dauterman, Bill Sienkiewicz, Kevin Wada, Kris Anka, Joshua Swaby, Sara Pichelli

Favorite Limited Comic Run: House of X (2019) by Jonathan Hickman

Favorite Issue: New Mutants #41 by Chris Claremont

What is The Emporium Report?

To elaborate more on the purpose of this blog, I just wanted a place where I can write and write and store my thoughts. Out in the real world, I don't really talk about comics as the community around me are not really fond of comics (theatre people D:). So, I made a twitter (@emporium_report) that I ramble on about comics. But, I wanted to make a full report or essay about certain issues (such as the brilliance of New Mutants #41) so I made this!

Prepare to read:

Analysis on single issues or characters

Reactions/General Thoughts on Comic Runs or Events

Personal deepdives into characters

Possible video game analysis/reactions and such

and more!

Lastly, why is it called The Emporium Report?

Well, I am a really big Scarlet Witch fan (will probably go into my history with her later) and I found her new shop in Orlando's run to be quite neat! The mystical shop is called Emporium and now this page is called The Emporium Report!

Thank you for reading all the way to the end!

I am currently looking for any comic friends so apply away! :D

But in all seriousness, thank you and I hope that I stay comitted to this page!

-Wayn.

[mymelodyisme]

If I understood it right you have sdv oc's? I'd love to know a few fun facts abt them🤗

Hiiiiii :) I apologize now for the length this post will take upon your screen.

I really only have Mys and the few people in her backstory 😭 (I can come up with some fun stuff for them now though :D)

Mys is mostly a self insert because I’ve gotten really into making her one but here’s a few fun facts about her!!

1. Before she moved into the valley she was actually way less colorful and looked a bit more classy and put together. Her boyfriend was a bit of a minimalist and snob and wasn’t a huge fan of bright colors. So she wore pale clothes, lots of skirts and dresses, her hair was usually long and tied up neatly, etc. I’d argue she also dyed her hair a few times to make it look more like a natural color (it’s naturally that pink/red shade). Three days before moving she bought a pair of overalls and had a wild time just adding a bunch of details to them, even if it wasn’t super well put together ☺️ (the space halo heart is my own logo btw lol)

2. Mys came into the farm life clueless, friendless, and lonely 100%. It’s why she’s so eager to befriend the townies and comes off a little strong. It’s also why she can’t say no and so quick to overexert herself if someone asks her for help 😭 if she knew that most people in town had no faith in her based off the way she looked and acted when she first arrived, she would likely cry. She’s probably a little too nice sometimes too 🥺 if you’re mean to her she’ll take it and cry alone later on.

3. She talks A LOT. When she gets to know you well enough she’ll just start talking about something she’s really into and go on for hours always finding something new to point out (poor Shane lol). I once said if she was a real character in the game one of her heart events would be her holding the farmer hostage as she explained the entire lore of her show after she invited them in to watch it with her. (I have done this myself so many times.) 😭 She’s also a bit of thoughtless speaker sometimes. Saying things a little too quickly before her brain processes it.

4. On her slow farm days she’ll stay inside and catch up on tv. She really likes trash tv drama and novellas. Adding to that, she’s a huge romantic. She swoons and sighs and hopes that someone would love her so strongly. Especially after what she went though with her ex 🥹 Other hobbies include: gaming, journaling (she picked this one up after she moved), taking as many photos as possible of everything, reading (comics, romance novels, and mysteries) daydreaming, and collecting things (stuffed animals mostly)

5. She loves a good lemonade and pizza! She doesn’t really drink (at least not until she met Shane 😭) and will go into the saloon to chat with Emily over lemonade. To win Shane’s friendship she started buying a pizza to share with him, and she’d sit patiently at a booth until he came in (on easy days.) she also goes around and says hi to everyone at least once. If she’s just having me-time, you can find her in a booth writing + doodling in her journal with a bunch of candy around her.

6. I just think this little fun fact is really cute but when she found out Shane loved peppers she planted some in her greenhouse so she’ll always have some to give or use for food. 🥺 (I have that in game 🤭 and she only gives him high quality ones)

7. She’s magic babey! ✨ the day before she moved her mom gave her a red brooch. After her grandpa passed away, he sent it to her mom with instructions to only give it to Mys when she decided to move to the valley. She only found out about it when the wizard pulled it towards him and suggested that someone in her family must have arcane experience.

😭😭 sorry that was so long. I’ll write like two facts about the others

The ex: dark brown hair, brown eyes, suits (lol idk)

1. Has no name yet 😩 Can he even count as a character?? Literally the worst boyfriend ever. He and Mys dated in high school up until he ghosted her a month before she moved. He been sleeping with her best friend, Celia, and then proceeded to elope with her. This man kept Mys around with jewelry, promises, and guilt.

2. He was an executive for Joja. Mys worked for the company because of him, and ultimately had to leave for that same reason. She found out about the elopement at the office, and had a long cry in the bathroom stalls. (Btw he totally gets his butt kicked by Shane at some point)

Celia: Blonde, thin, very pretty and model-like, wears a lot of tight clothes and has that one fake best friend voice

1. The “best friend,” the betrayer. She clung onto Mys because Mys was really easy to manipulate. 🥺 Wasn’t very nice to her at all but made her believe she loved her like a sister. When Mys met Haley it was like meeting a younger Celia. 🥹 I guess mys still missed her because she tried to be Haley’s friend despite how mean she was. Luckily, Haley actually becomes pretty nice and apologizes for her rude behavior.

2. She would absolutely be a modern day influencer. Perhaps she is (if phones exist in this interpretation 🤔 I like to think they do but pelican town can’t host then or something 😭)

Todd: 7ft tall, thin but definitely works out, looks like he has money and works with money, very serious and classy 😭

1. Mys’s Boyfriend year 3? She and Shane are already pretty established as smitten by the town but they’re both stuck at the fork in the road of to be or not to be. (At some point Mys finally makes her move only for him to reject her out of fear 😭). Anyways!! She was asked by mayor Lewis to take an important business trip into the city to meet with an investor who wanted to open the land for expansion and more agricultural work. He figured Mys, as the local farmer, would have better input. Shane was supposed to accompany her into the city but they got into a bit so she left alone (Shane realized he was being stupid and ran to catch the bus but jsut barely missed it, his missed opportunity at love 😭). The investor turned out to be a guy named Toddrick Theodore Tapps. He was quickly taken with her because she was just so lively of a person. He could not believe she was the local farmer. He decided to head back into the valley with her to visit the land and ended up staying in one of Mys’s spare rooms at the farmhouse. He didn’t help her on the farm at all, mostly just walked around took notes, and inspected the quality of everything.

2. He’s very jealous. He and Shane are constantly at each other’s throats. Mys told him all about her best friend Shane :) and he knew immediately that Mys was in love with him. 😭 he did NOT expect Shane to be so dingy tho which is funny. He mentioned that to his face too. (It doesn’t help that Todd TOWERS over the both of them and looks like he comes from old money.) He polices mys’s friendships a bit commenting how some of the townies are rather immature, some seem like terrible people, and in particular, that Shane is a bad influence on those around him. When she gets upset at his obvious disrespect he apologizes for saying things that hurt her feelings 😭 the man literally only puts up with Shane for her. I do think he is romantic though, and definitely what Mys imagined being romanced would be like. He’s pretty rich so he spoils her, and buys the town’s approval with generous donations.

3. He’s a bit of himself. He’s not a bad guy, but he does think he’s a quality man and he loves what he does. So when he asks Mys to move to the city with him where he’ll spoil her for the rest of her life he’s surprised that she actually wants to be a farmer dealing with dirt, grime, monsters, and all the things in between. This man genuinely tries to convince her to give up the farm, and even tries to make a compromise that the farm will still be up and running but they’ll hire people to tend to it. (He probably also suggested changing the name to something more serious). He and Mys get into a fight over it, and he tells her what time his bus to the city will be leaving. She wishes him well, and a happy life with a wife who shares his values, and doesn’t show up that day.

4. I like to imagine years down the line Mys and Shane are in the city doing some work and play when they run into him. Both parties find out that the other is engaged/married. And they make up. He still can’t believe Mys chose Shane tho 😭 “I thought you would choose him, but I’m still surprised. You seemed so smitten with him, but he didn’t look like he was ever going to make anything of that.”

[serendipiadorm]

Serendipia Student Profile - Sebastián Noel

Personal Info

Name: Sebastián Noel

Gender: Male

Age: 18

Species: Reindeer Bestialhuman/Leshy

Birthday: 12/23

Zodiac: Capricorn

Height: 200cm/6ft'5in

Orientation: Pansexual

Eye Color: Festive Red

Hair Color: Forest and Mossy Greens

Homeland: Northern Shaftlands

Family: Mother

Esca Damián Delgado - Brother

School Info

School: Night Ravens College - Transferred To

Dorm: Serendipia

School Year: 3rd

Occupation: Snowboarder,Sled Racer,Casual Singer

Club: Track & Field

Best Subject: P.E. & Alchemy

Other Info

Dominant Hand: Left

Favorite Food: Fruitcake

Least Favorite Food: Coal,Meat except some Fish

Dislikes: Being Laughed At,Too Much Fog,Confusing Hallways,Too Serious People,Tense Situations,Summer's Heat,Car Headlights,His Red Area around his Nose

Likes: Red & Green things,Ribbons,Candy Canes,Singing with Others,Scrapbooking,Donating to the Less Fortunate,Reading Happy Stories,Running Around,Happy Go Lucky People,Dogs

Talents: Getting Lost in New Places,Snowboarding,Sled Racing,Chorus Singing,Making Others Feel Happy,Track Running,Being a Good friend,Flirtation,Smooth Talking

Unique Magic: Bright Scent Light - Certain smells make Sebastián terribly sick but make his nose illuminate like a red light bulb for how long he is sick. It's more powerful than most flashlights.

Personality: He is an energetic reindeer boy with always a positive attitude. Seems too good to be at NRC but was transferred with reasons unknown. Might be hiding more behind that smile.

Fun Facts: Transferred from a Northern Magic College to NRC midway into the 3rd year unexpectedly.

He has a few snowboarding & sled racing medals/trophies so is a winter sportsman. He doesn't really talk about it much unless asked now.

Art by @vivaresmala

Due to weather change is prone to getting sick with head fevers a lot and usually is in the Infirmary or in bed literally after classes.

The area around his nose is always reddish looking like it's irritated but he says it's always looked like that.

Has an awful sense of direction so often looking at map apps on phone or paper maps of places. He once got lost in a grocery store for 2hrs somehow when it had arrows pointing to exit.

Hasn't really socialized with anyone due to being the new kid. He feels lonely quite a bit but is a social butterfly just having a hard time.

Likes to sing with others a lot as did so most of his life as a kid. Feels it brings people together to do so.

Has been told he looks like the housewarden a lot but he assumes people mean because they are both deers but he hasn't really even met him just seen him a few times in the bright lights of parties.

To help him get around in the dark he has solar powered red and clear lights attached to his antlers that he charges while he sleep during day. The flower pin is from a friend who finds red looks good on him. They were clearly flirting yet he didn't notice.

[dreamwritesimagines]

It’s Chinese mafia anon-

Fun fact: the traps of the Venus flytrap (vft) are actually modified leaves. Same for the carnivorous parts of pretty much every single carnivorous plant. In fact, most (including the vft) of them have flowers with extremely long stalks. This is theorized that it is to ensure that they don’t accidentally capture their pollinators:).

Most people don’t know they flower for many reasons, namely that it takes a lot of energy and only happens under the right conditions. In vfts specifically, flowering can actually be a sign that it is dying- a last ditch effort to reproduce and save itself.

It’s because of this and the fact that it takes so much energy that could be used elsewhere (such as actually saving itself) that many vft growers actually encourage people to literally nip it in the bud, so that it doesn’t waste its energy. Many people agree though that if your vft is happy and healthy, it could just be a sign of a happy plant and won’t hurt it to let it bloom, plus you might get seeds. The other option is to let the stalk grow a few inches and then cut and propagate the stem to make new baby vfts.

It also takes a lot of energy for the traps to close (bonus fun fact: vfts can count. They will close five times before dying, but don’t worry! More traps will come using the energy from the food that that trap ate. They also wait until at least two hairs (that’s what the jagged teeth on the end are called) are triggered before closing in order to avoid mistaken closings, and the more that the prey struggles, the tighter it will close/seal!)

(double bonus: there is a new species of vft that is mutated and cannot count. I don’t know if I’m sad or fascinated by this or not) (this is also why it’s not recommended to play with the traps by touching them and making them close- it’s wasting important energy that they need! Also why it’s not recommended to feed them stuff like chocolate and hamburger, or prey that doesn’t move like dead insects. They need the nutrients and the movement of the prey to stimulate growth and stay nice and healthy!)

Triple bonus fun fact (I’m sorry I love these plants so much): there are different types of Venus fly traps but they’re all the exact same species. These different types are called cultivars and they include mutated traps (weird or twisted traps or teeth), different colors/color combinations (from all green to all red), different sized traps (from like a cm fully grown to several inches), different leaf textures (such as scales), different lengths of the leaves, and more.

Anyway somewhere in there there’s a metaphor about waiting for clover to flower while everyone else is eaten by the traps, or that what seems like an entertaining phenomenon (her “eating” people) is actually an exhausting and unsustainable approach to things. (And then there’s the innuendo about benedict getting into her flower but I’m not even going to go there) (I’m so sorry I thought of that and I couldn’t not share).

Also the idea that her flowering is a last ditch effort for survival, a cry for help that Benedict is answering, but also him caring enough to nurse her back to health and also to cherish the gift she gave him.

Okay is that too many vft metaphors? Probably. Sorry (not really, though I am sorry about the spam and long rambling blocks of text I always send u lmao) (also though your stories always hit all my niche interests and that’s part of the reason I love them so much and get so excited about them).

Love u lots❤️❤️

Ooooh I love this so much!? 😍❤ I didn't know any of these!? 😱

Anyway somewhere in there there’s a metaphor about waiting for clover to flower while everyone else is eaten by the traps, or that what seems like an entertaining phenomenon (her “eating” people) is actually an exhausting and unsustainable approach to things. (And then there’s the innuendo about benedict getting into her flower but I’m not even going to go there) (I’m so sorry I thought of that and I couldn’t not share).

This metaphor makes perfect sense!? Because like, the way Benedict approaches her and the way everyone else approaches her are so so different! 😍

"Benedict getting into her flower" LISTEN- Colin needs to make multiple jokes about this, we need to see that!? 😍❤

Darling you know I look forward to your asks, please TELL ME EVERYTHING 😍❤

LOVE YOU SO SO MUCH!❤❤❤

[fratboykate]

I’m bored home with covid…

Do you mind if I ask you a couple of questions?

Favorite:

DOP

Editor

Photographer

Composer (for movies) or non movie related

Color

Food (dish)

Piece of forniture

Part of LA

Club/bar/restaurant in LA or outside

Sport (if any)

indica/Sativa (strain)

Animal

Part of the world outside LA and you home country

Fruit

Vegetable

Sweet/candy

Toothpaste

Pen/pencil

Kitchen utensil

Soap

Perfume/essence

Herb or spice or both

Piece of clothing

Anyway have a good day!

I'm not putting much thought into these so some of these might change if you ask me any other day:

DOP: Off the top of my head because of things like Hard Candy and His House (and obviously all the Hunger Games and Red Sparrow too but I wouldn't call those his best...HC and HH are his top work in my opinion) I'd say Jo Willems

Editor: Don't really have one?

Photographer: seeing as I literally have an entire wall dedicated to him in my apartment Gregory Prescott. I own a lot of Slim Aaron's books and have quite a few of his prints hung around my apartment too. I'd say they're the two photographers I own the higest number of prints/art from.

Composer (for movies) or non movie related: Don't really have one either.

Color: Red and orange.

Food (dish): The real ones here know that I'm A SLUT for a clam chowder lol

Piece of furniture: my entire apartment is mid-century modern. That's really my aesthetic so...anything in that vibe is what I go for.

Part of LA: I'm not a west side person AT ALL. I don't fuck with the west side vibe. I also really like the valley. I lived there for five years.

Club/bar/restaurant in LA or outside: It changes but I'm REALLY into The Rooftop by Jean-Georges lately. It's on the rooftop of the Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills. Has a great view, amazing cocktails, and fantastic food. You're not going to find a bunch of 20 somethings there so it's not like POPPING VIBES but great for business meetings, covid safe because it's outdoors, and just chill for a nice hangout drinks/dinner with friends.

Sport (if any): Don't really do sports

Indica/Sativa (strain): I'll take anything you give me lmao. But I don't really smoke anymore. I'm an edibles girlie. I haven't smoked in years but i'll do any and all edibles and THC pills.

Animal: Fun fact - I've never owned a pet. I've lived with roomates that had animals but *I* have never had an animal that was mine. Favorite animal would be a sloth tho.

Part of the world outside LA and you home country: Budapest. That place is on another level for me. Magical. I can't even describe what it felt like to be there.

Fruit: Seedless green grapes have crack in them and no one can ever convince me otherwise.

Vegetable: In the last year I've become really obsessed with peas.

Sweet/candy: My favorite sweet thing in the world is cheesecake. You could get me to jump in a windowless white van if you dangle a piece of cheesecake in front of me.

Toothpaste: Lmao what...people have a favorite toothpaste? I'll use anything.

Pen/pencil: I'm really particular about pens. I'll ONLY use black pens and they have to have a certain thickness and like...the way they roll on the paper has to be very specific.

Kitchen utensil: A sharp knife? Idk lol

Soap: Aesop Geranium Leaf Body Cleanser

Perfume/essence: Eau de Cartier by Cartier. My mom has used it her whole life and then I started using it. Fucking love it.

Herb or spice or both: I season my food. Heavy. I'm Latina from the caribbean. But I also love spicy food. I have at least like 18 different hot sauce bottles in my fridge right now including Carolina Reaper and Ghost Pepper hot sauces so...both???

Piece of clothing: I love a good outer layer. Sweater, cardigan, jacket. Always have one on. I've legit been shooting in death valley...in the desert and had an outer layer on lol. It's just a part of me at this point.