#Lapis was there to babysit? | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

endursent · 2 months ago

Text

- God Shattering Star

【 content; morax | rex lapis x reader , slow burn , mutual pining , multi-chapter , archon war period , afab!reader 】

【 note; i also want to ask you to keep in mind english isn't my first language and i tend to mix my "it's" and "its"-es in the flurry of writing. i go through it and run it through a spell-checker but if you spot any errors please let me know. this one is also a little longer. tumblr is all caught up now as well, so expect some days between updates. i might also post a sunday one-shot before the 6th chapter, cant get this stupid bird outta my brain, we'll see. | read on ao3 】

【 word count; 6.204 | previous chapter - next chapter | masterlist 】

- Chapter 5 - Putrefaction

You scratch your cheek awkwardly, avoiding Guizhong’s gaze and smile. You were supposed to head back home soon, with the infected now fine and healthy…

Tossing your stuff together back in the basket you brought with you, a knock had come to your door and an attendant had given you summons to Guizhong’s palace, a short walk through a few hallways. It was decorated in a subtle manner, no big wall scrolls or long hanging silks, but the wood along walls and ceilings was all carved and the floors centred with decorated carpets.

What you assumed would be a formal goodbye, as it had been a greeting when you came first into the palace… had turned into a proposition.

A god had fallen near the western border, and the already crumbled settlement from the heavy earthquake yesterday, was now drenched in miasma from the quickly rotting essence scattered by their death. A report had been sent to the capital with request of a cleanser, the worst of the injuries have been patched and thus they decided not to allocate more hands to the west, but with the scarcity of skilled cleansers, there is never one on-site at the borders, hence why such–usually rare–cases were brought to you when you were down south.

“I know you must be looking forward to returning home,” Guizhong’s voice is gentle, she stands in front of a low table in the… workshop? Office? There’s clutter everywhere. “But only you are suitable for this task… of course, you will be compensated for the trouble–oh! Speaking of.” She reaches behind her to a box that sits on her desk, she turns back to you and sets it in your hand. “For you.”

“Me?” you look down at the box, it’s a golden colour, decorated with dark streaks that represent gushes of wind. Should you open it now? Save it for later?

Before you can look up to try and gauge whether Guizhong is waiting for you to open it, she takes your shoulders, spins you around, and practically walks you out of her office. “You can thank me later, off you go!”

It’s a four day’s journey by cart, so there’s no time to waste, and your sense of duty and compassion prevent you from saying no to the request, so you obediently hurry off after she practically shoo’s you away. There are people hurting that need your help, perhaps the days of sitting in small villages and cleansing rotting wood are coming to an end. “I suppose I’m packed already,” you say and give her a wave as you retreat down the hallway, and the God of Dust smiles, the mere raise of her lips comparable to a beam of sunlight.

Standing by the gates at the peak of the high steps leading to the places, you read over a copy of the report that was sent in the aftermath of the heavy earthquake. The outpost Morax went to had collapsed almost entirely, with only a single building with a roof able to shield them for the night. The outpost is southwest of the capital, and you wonder if the quake was connected to the death of the god beyond the Guili Assembly, it would be quite the coincidence if it wasn’t…

You hear footsteps behind you and turn to see a familiar face that almost makes you laugh.

“Babysitting duty again?” your mouth twitches, barely able to hold back a grin from the frankly stinky look Moon Carver is giving you.

“Hmph,” he walks past you, and despite not confirming that he was the one to escort you, it was an educated guess. He didn’t object when you followed him down the steps. “This one has other duties to tend to far from the capital but keeps getting called back to walk you around.”

You fold your arms over your chest, ensuring the basket on your back doesn’t slip as you bounce down the stairs. “Like what? What do adepti normally do on the job?” you touch your chin. “Babysit… other humans? On a wider scale?”

“It will take too long to walk,” he grumbles something else under his breath as well, ignoring your pondering entirely and you wonder what other option there is to get there. You suppose a cart tugged along by a horse or ox will speed it significantly, but no one mentioned anything about it. “We are short on time.”

The next moment brought you both momentary awe and prolonged terror, a gust of wind nearly tosses your balance on the steep steps as a glow of green and brown, the warm hues of autumn leaves and a setting sun, nearly blind you. You barely manage to squint and make out a form next to you where Moon Carver had been standing when you feel a sudden tug on your basket.

He hooked an antler under the strap on your shoulder and tossed you onto his back, you clumsily adjusted yourself, blinking in confusion and surprise, you look down to see his legs lift and take a step down the stairs… quite a high step for–

You almost lose your balance again as he suddenly trots into the air, you wrap your arms around his neck as wind flies past your head. “N-no flying!” your pleas are useless as roofs become the size of cubed tofu below you, and you squeeze your eyes shut. One would think there would be a sense of weightlessness when taking flight–but all you could feel and focus on was the demanding law of gravity trying to pull you down back to earth. “Slow down!!”

“Stop whining, this is much faster.”

Of course, you’re aware that adepti can fly, countless tales and paintings depict them above the clouds or mountains… but not usually with passengers!

You were sure you were choking him with how tight your arms were wrapped around his neck and likely hurting him by digging your feet into his sides, but he didn’t complain. A ride on an adeptus bird might be smoother, because Moon Carver hops and trots in the air, as if he were jumping between rocks to cross a river, or clouds to pass between mountains causing your body to lift off his back (making you think you’re about to be tossed off) before hurting your poor hip bone when you hit his spine again. You didn’t dare look down, keeping your eyes closed tightly and face buried in the softer fur of his head and neck, the hairs along his body being shorter and stiffer.

“How high up are we?” you dare ask, but refuse to peek your eyes open just yet.

Moon Carver is silent for a few seconds. “High. Do not look if it scares you.”

With that useless information, you finally squint your eyes open despite his advice and thankfully you don’t see the ground below you, a dooming invitation. Clouds cover your view of the ground as the adeptus leaps between puffed peaks, the sun feels significantly warming so high above the ground and feels so close you feel like reaching out to try and grab it like a rare gem–but that means letting go of your iron grip around the poor stag’s neck, and your body doesn’t let you consider it for more than a second and a half.

The ride was, frankly, terrifying. But leaping several kilometres in one hop means you got to your destination before the sun’s top half had sunk beneath the mountains. The air had gotten colder quickly once the sun sank, and you were thankful for reaching your destination before you began to feel the cold on your nose. The descent was possibly more terrifying than the ascent, Moon Carver didn’t give you a warning before he suddenly dove down and you lost your grip for a moment. You really did think you were about to fly off and meet the earth in a flattening embrace.

Moon Carver didn’t change back once you got off his back, he did let you lean against him as you readjusted to standing on the ground, only inclining his head–and almost knocking his large antlers into your forehead. You pat his back. “Hahh… I never want to do that again, let’s go by ground next time,” you nod to yourself, as if it had been decided with your words alone. “I thought I was going to die four times through that.”

“You were never in any danger,” Moon Carver makes a snorting sound, shaking his snout slightly–you aren’t sure if he’s actually scoffing at your (in your opinion) very rational fear of death up there, or just making a normal huffing noise animals make sometimes. “In any case, the outpost that stood despite the tremors is just up ahead.”

The area is thick with trees, they’re far taller than you’ve seen before, stretching high above your head as you follow a road wheel-marked by the Millelith taking supplies and soldiers back and forth between outposts and the main road. It’s almost eerily quiet, as if all animals and bugs have left the surrounding area behind, leaving only your shoes and Moon Carver’s hooves hitting the ground with every step.

You arrive at a clearing sitting at the foot of a high hill with a watchtower stretching into the sky, the sky has darkened and the stars sit high in the sky, distant dots you must squint to make out whether they flicker or are static. The outpost is livelier than the empty forest, but the air is distinctively tense, a Millelith soldier stops as he’s carrying a bundle of firewood when he sees the two of you approach and Moon Carver side-eyes you. “Looks like it can be taken from here, I’ll be going now.”

“Oh, uh–fly safe,” you turn as he does, he makes the huffing sound again but says nothing more and leaves into the forest again. You look back as the Millelith soldier approaches you. “Hello, I’m–”

“The cleanser that was sent for. I remember you,” he says. “I had mild symptoms and only stayed for a few nights, but I saw you in the ward.”

Damn, this guy must be unlucky to have been in two situations like this within a month. Hopefully that doesn’t rub off on you. You give him a small, polite smile. “I’m glad you got better.”

“Come, I’ll show you where the affected are,” he sets his bag down by the side of a cracked wall as he brings you to the–barely–standing building. You see lights inside and can practically smell the miasma coming from inside, you pull the left collar of your robe up over your nose as you follow the soldier inside… and the sight is far worse than the smell.

Twenty-four soldiers are either lying down on the floor or sitting up against the surrounding walls, tables have been stacked on one side and space made for them to fit in one part of the three story building. Only two healers are present to tend to them, rushing between patients to either check wounds, help them adjust their position or administer treatment. Among the two is a familiar silhouette, Morax’s hood is pulled down as he holds the leg of an injured man between his hands, a golden glow emanating from his clothed hands. His eyebrows are furrowed in concentration as dark, gooey blood leaking from the pores of the man’s skin and onto the cloth laid on the floor under him.

You don’t want to break his concentration, so you busy yourself by setting your basket down and fetching your tools, bundling them up in a cloth and slinging across your torso and shoulder. You kneel beside a man by the door, his breaths are raspy and desperate, as if every inhale requires immense effort to make–he barely seems lucid, eyes fixed on the ceiling and making no indication he even notices you.

Alongside the terrible stench of blood, rotted flesh and bodily fluids, is the air in the room that was terribly thick. It’s difficult to breathe it in, like when you were young and hid from old Lin trying to drag you back to the archives by lying under four layers of fur for too long.

His stomach is wide open beneath the bandages, it’s as if all blood had dried up from his body, the bare flesh is dry and quivers under your touch. The man doesn’t move or react even as you prod at open muscle, it’s all stiffened up and firm… and peeking between torn tendons are pulsing and writhing organs. Your nose scrunches up as the dark mass twitches when your hand touches the flesh close to it–as if it were trying to shrink back. You would’ve expected an organ to have a sheen to it, to be moist and slippery, but its texture looked like a steamed bun.

As soon as you poked at the sensitive, open flesh, your finger nearly sank into it. You quickly retracted your hand, the amount of foul energies in his body was almost disgusting. Your finger felt as if it had just stuck itself into wet mud–somehow without the moisture–and very cold to the touch mud at that.

You slap a talisman on the floor next to you and scribble on it, the energies are spread throughout his whole body, which requires a more lengthy process than if it were just condensed in his arm or leg… even just in the skin or one organ. You look up to find any open windows, the air is already heavy, if you light incense it’ll make the air so stuffy not even you will be able to breathe without sneezing.

All of the windows are already open, so the heavy air you have is the best you’re going to get for now. You take out a few sticks… how many do you even have? You didn’t exactly shop before you set off… you’ve made them yourself a few times–but they don’t work as well as ones crafted by temples. One will have to do for now, cleansing the man will likely take its time, and you want to properly assess–

As you stick the incense into the small portable pot, long fingers wrap around your wrist.

You almost jump from the sudden touch, head whipping up and almost knocking foreheads with Morax behind you. Thankfully he tilts his head back in time, but his fingers remain around your wrist. “Don’t start yet,” he speaks strangely quietly, as if he doesn’t want anyone to hear your conversation. “Put your hand to it and hold it.”

He guides your hand to the man’s belly, to the open muscle below torn skin and lets you press your fingers to it… it’s gross, but you keep focused. Squinting at the tissue, you try to feel for whatever Morax is trying to bring to your attention. It takes a few seconds of consideration before you feel it.

A squirming, warm mass beneath the cold muscle. It brushes against your finger and you yank your hand back again–Morax lets go and doesn’t hold your fingers to it. “U-urgh, what was that?” you make a face. It had been under the muscle, so you wouldn’t feel it properly–but it was like it touched you through the barrier of flesh, touched your brain. It felt like a sharp stone being ground quickly across the surface of another stone, like it was trying to slip into your spine.

“I am not sure,” Morax mumbles, you feel his warm breath fan over the skin beneath your ear and you turn your head. His conspicuous eyes had the same soft glow to them as usual, and you briefly wonder if they glow in the dark when he goes to sleep. “Not all of them have this… passenger, it’s possible the spirit has not departed yet, the remains are yet fresh.”

You don’t usually deal in ghosts and spirits, but extracting the miasma left behind, as well as the soul, uses the same method… just a lot more practice, focus and energy.

Wait.

You give him a slightly startled look. “If it’s the spirit… it’s not good to keep the afflicted all in the same room, the soul grows stronger if the shards of it are close together. They should be moved apart, even just three together could be dangerous.”

“The deceased’s soul was scattered halfway over Teyvat, the dust settled on twenty bodies won’t produce much danger,” Morax shakes his head. It is less than a fraction of the dead god’s soul, it won’t be able to do much damage even if it were to combine.

“Not to you, no,” you blurt out, then immediately regret it when he raises his brows. You stutter a few times. “W-well, I mean–we’re just human, even a small fraction of a god can kick us around like a cuju ball!” you accidentally raised your voice slightly in your hurry to explain what you meant and caught the attention of one of the two healers, giving you a confused look–as if judging you for talking about cuju now of all times. You just gave them a crooked smile before turning back to Morax.

He considers you for a moment. He would put a stop to any foreign power if he felt it, and with his presence in the room, it wouldn’t do much damage before he notices–and they don’t have much in terms of whole buildings, building tents for every individual injured would consume more resources than he wants to allocate. “We will have to work with what we have, if anything comes up then I will handle it.”

You nod and can’t help but feel a bit silly, of course they didn’t cram them all into this space because they had an abundance of other options…

You feel like you’ve been sitting in a hot spring for too long, the thick air feels like warm steam coming from the water and your body feels the need to stretch out. You’ve barely been in here for half an hour and it’s already so stuffy and uncomfortable.

Morax’s eyes watch you as you look down to the silent man next to the two of you, his iris flicker from your face down to your hands and the way you clench and then stretch your fingers unconsciously. His voice catches you off guard as you are trying to adjust to the environment. “Let us speak outside.”

You blink up at him as he stands and leaves, you stuff your incense back into the cloth bag across your torso and follow him. The cooler air is immediately a relief, it’s clean and flows right to your lungs uninterrupted. You stand and bask in it for a few seconds before looking around to see where the god went off to… where did he go?

Only the higher centre of the building still stands, the stretches of what were probably barracks have crumbled and leaves little but broken rock and wood sitting on the ground with a few ominous stains licking the bottom of one larger piece of rubble. You avert your gaze from the destruction and spot Morax’s white robe by the end of a high fence, walking to him, you slow your pace as you get closer.

He turns to you and inclines his head for you to follow, you do as asked and fall into step next to him as he rounds the fence. Your hand immediately moves to your nose again–almost as if the simple barrier of wooden fencing had been protecting you from a fouler scent than even the one inside the building, this one strikes you like a stone wall.

The corpses had been covered with sheets… but it hardly did much to cover the stench emanating from them. Coin purses had been laid on their chests already, indicated by the small bump under the sheets, but you had an inkling that there was something missing, something that required your hands.

“They passed during the quake, thankfully we did not lose many… but their bodies were exposed to the scattered ashes until the morning after,” Morax says, facing you and only regarding the dead with a turn of his head. “Both their lingering spirit and body will intertwine with the rotting essence if left to it, possibly creating corrupted beasts or ghosts.”

You’ve only had to cleanse a corpse once… and it was a relatively fresh corpse. You feel sick already and you’re a good three metres away. “I see…”

He turns his head to you, a pinch to his brow. “I know this is… unpleasant. I would not ask it of you if it was not necessary…”

You quickly raise your hands, waving them about. “No, no! It’s my job–it’s what I'm here for, it’s okay!” You’ll complain about it… inwardly… but you’ll still do it.

His expression doesn’t change much, but you see a tinge of… gratefulness? Appreciation? You’re not entirely sure what it is, but the mild softening of his furrowed brow and the small movement of his bottom lip are a noticeable change when his face is so often still as a rock. “I’ll have new clothes brought to you so the smell doesn’t stick to the ones you’re wearing,” he says and walks past you. “I have a matter to attend to, come to me when you have finished.”

Looks like you’ve a task to complete before you can tend to the afflicted. You’re not entirely sure if this should take priority… but it’s likely they want the bodies to be taken back to the capital as soon as possible so they can be buried before they decompose too much. You hope the injured can hold on for a while.

Thankfully, extracting from a corpse is far less of a ‘careful’ operation. Removing miasma that has burrowed itself into a living body causes pain when extracted, but as the corpse is still and not living, you can allow yourself to be a bit rougher. Thankfully you’re not extracting the spirit out of them either, so you can make quick work of it.

After changing into the robes a soldier brought to you–though they’re clearly made for a man much larger than you, so the sleeves droop down far beyond your fingers–you prepare your equipment and get started. Your sleeve almost knocks over your trusted bell and you decide to tie them back, ignoring the chill of the night.

Removing the sheet off of the first body causes the stench to increase tenfold, and exposes you to a gruesome sight. The man had been crushed by something, his head and left shoulder torn off–likely when his body was pulled out from under whatever had crushed him–leaving only stretches of muscle, skin and bones sticking out from the unnervingly flat side where the body usually continues on, the left arm is lying next to his torso, likely severed from the shoulder and chest after they were crushed. You shake your head and look further down the torso to try and not stare at the uncomfortable sight.

The left side of his abdomen and the severed arm are completely white, and ice cold to the touch, similarly to the man from earlier–though he had been alive… you hope. Inky black veins web across the pale skin and near pulse as you poke at them, the skin ripples like water when poked, blood spurting out of the stumped ends and you have to turn your head to try and not puke at the sight. Focus… you’ve done this many times before. Just locate the source of entry and drag it out.

You prod at the squishy body and only glance at it in the corner of your eye… it almost feels like everywhere is the source of the energy! You suppose it makes sense, you had heard it was like dust, and if it scattered all over the body… you’ll have to try and bait it towards one point and drag it from there. You had been asleep as the golden essence had fallen from the sky like snow, so you missed it completely. Thankfully the capital is protected with seals and barriers, so it brushed the dust off and no one in the city was afflicted, most people were asleep anyway.

You don’t like to bait this type of miasma, but it has to be done.

Lighting a single stick of incense should be enough, you’ll have to ask for more to be brought with the next supply cart. It’s not necessary for a cleanse, but it prevents jumpy energy from simply hopping around and possibly entering a new host or vessel to burrow in, or just fleeing out a window–and since you’re out in the open, it can go in any direction. Thankfully the soldier still has his weapon, and it’s clean of the energy. You unsheathe it a bit and press the back of your index finger to it–a place that won’t be used much or be an annoyance when you’ll definitely need to use your hands in the coming days. A thin drop of blood–as well as a burning sting–indicates you’ve cut through the top of your skin and you withdraw your hand. Even a small cut like this is enough.

You take your bell and hold it as you press the wound to the man’s cold skin, your eyes slip closed… and you think hard. The miasma left by dead gods are usually heavy in negative energies and emotions, defeated in an attempt to protect their land, killed by those they trust in a struggle for influence and power, struck down at the end of a long and exhausting battle… it seeks out more negative energy to feed on and grow.

Negative emotions, you dig for what the energy seeks.

It’s always the same sight. Your mind’s eye turns to the same event when you imagine what has brought you distress in the past.

A clap of thunder, rain so heavy it brings you to your knees, dust and grime settle between your fingernails as you dig and push away stone and mud. Your heart thunders in your chest, so loudly you’re not sure whether it beats twice in place of one, or if it’s the constant rhythmic thunder flashing across the sky when you find a hand between the crumbled walls.

The absolute despair and agony it brought once it didn’t move when you wrapped your fingers around hers. How cold the skin was, you tugged and pulled, but the rubble was too heavy, you weren’t strong enough to lift it, nor to pull her out. Your hands shake as you close them around hers and try warm it up, it’s just because of the rain, it’s cold because winter is coming, it’s not because–

You feel a prick of warmth and your eyes snap open, you were too caught up in your head. The dark miasma has gathered around your finger and latched onto the small cut so tightly it raises goosebumps on your entire arm. You shake your hand with the bell in it, and it chimes quietly–but the inky dark tendrils quiver and twitch as if it had been struck, their grasp loosening on the host body.

You close your fist, a streak of black stretching from your finger to the corpse, and pull harshly.

In your haste–and being distracted by the foul stench–you realise you forgot to prepare a jar to trap the miasma inside. You pull your hand further and higher away from the body, but it stubbornly clings to it, a thread connecting your hand to the torso. You pull more, jaw clenching as you cling to the energy and refuse to let it snap back into the corpse. Why is it so stubborn?! You’ve never seen energy like this cling to the body it’s tainting with such stubbornness, your arm trembles with strain, until with a snap; like a tight rope breaking apart that topples your balance as the ‘rope’ snaps back into your raised fist.

Your ass is saved from a harsh blow against the ground as a warm hand grabs your bicep and holds you up, at the same time as six glowing stone pieces lock around the dark energy swirling around your hand. You blink, momentarily disoriented from almost falling and look up to see Morax’s chest barely a cup’s distance away from your face.

You quickly right yourself and nearly hop away, startled by his sudden appearance–weren’t you supposed to go to him later? What a fortunate time for him to appear. “M-my lord…?!” you blurt out, still unsure how to address him.

The cubed rock and ore which strangely resembles a burr puzzle you saw kids try and put together at a festival a few years ago, hovers in the air for a few seconds before drifting into Morax’s open hand, settling there. “Please be more careful, you could have hurt yourself.”

Your neck warms up with embarrassment, this is how you show your cleansing abilities to him? By forgetting–you never forget!–a part of the process and almost falling over like an idiot?? “Ah… I’m sorry–I’m usually far more careful than this, I swear,” you bow your head, as if asking for forgiveness before raising it again. “I… thought you were occupied, did you need something…?”

He’s silent for a moment, as if contemplating how to answer your question. You miss the way his eyes glance down to your hand and then back to your face. “No. I merely… sensed something amiss, so I came to ensure everything was alright.”

“Oh… ah, thank you,” you clasp your hands together and look at the floating cube in his hand. “I can… purify that for you.”

“No need,” he says and the cube lifts into the air, the golden ore in the centre of the edges lights up and it twitches a few times, before it lowers again, now dim. “It’s vanquished. Do you need assistance? I can call for someone to stay close by.”

You shake your head fiercely. “No! Not at all! That was an accident, I promise you–I’m perfectly capable of handling this, please don’t worry about me!”

He seems hesitant to just leave, but doesn’t want to seem like distrusts you either. Morax looks down to the cube in his hand and extends it towards you. The ore lights up again to a dim hue as it floats to your open hands. “Keep it with you. It will react if the energies get out of hand.”

You bow at the waist, still terribly embarrassed and hoping it might hide the heat of your cheeks as he finally turns and leaves. “Thank you! I’ll take good care of it!”

You sigh in relief when you’re finally alone again. You look down at the stone cube in your hands and frown. “... I’ll never get over this,” you mumble to yourself. This definitely will keep you up at night…

Thankfully, the other corpses didn’t give you any trouble–not now that you were expecting this weird, sticky miasma that clung to all of them. Usually, it’s misty and easier to manipulate with your hands, it doesn’t resist and follows gestures easier, but this seems like it’s trying to wrestle you at every turn, and when you finally get hold of it, it decides to stick to you instead with fierce stubbornness.

When the final jar was sealed, you sighed with relief and didn’t linger for long. You put the sheets back over their bodies as they had been before and made sure the mora was touching them and not on top of the large cloth.

Now, to find Morax… this outpost isn’t very large, especially now that there’s really only one ‘place’ to be in.

Finding him was relatively easy, but your energy had been thoroughly drained from tugging back and forth and you were hardly in the state to start extracting from living beings that might thrash or try to kick you away from them… you still feel a phantom sting from that one guy at the ward some time ago that had been very deeply afflicted and kicked you right in the bottom of the sternum.

The room is just as stuffy and uncomfortable as it was when you entered it first, you were starting to become accustomed to the smell… kind of. The smell of the corpses was worse, but this isn’t much of an improvement.

You squat down next to Morax as he’s examining a man with a darkened forehead, it bulges and looks almost soft–as if it would burst if you poked it too harshly. “Any progress?” you say quietly.

“Hm,” he makes a noise of acknowledgement, but doesn’t give you a proper answer. After a while, he lowers his glowing hands and shakes his head. “It’s difficult to say… I must have you perform an extraction, with a specimen outside of the body it will be far easier to examine.”

Hah… you can feel the tug of your tired body, but ignore it the best you can–you’ve been able to do mostly idle work for many days now since the last of the ward patients left, some hard work won’t do you in for once.

One injured person was taken out of the room and placed outside where you would do the cleansing in the case that it will act strangely or lash out when extracted, you prepare everything… and prepare yourself mentally as well, not only are you tired, but you’ll have to do it directly in front of Rex Lapis. You just hope you won’t look like an idiot for the second time today, or third.

It had been the man with the bulging forehead that was brought outside, and you can’t help but wonder if the one with the open stomach was even still alive… you dip your brush into ink and draw a half-moon on each side of the dark bulge on his face, between the gaps, you neatly write down the appropriate characters to seal the energy inside the space of his forehead it inhabits, so it won’t try to escape your grasp.

You clean your hands and get to work.

Thankfully, there’s no need to poke around and try to locate the source… it’s very obvious. You just hope the mass won’t explode and spew pus, blood and other gross liquids on your face after the extraction is done.

Morax stands opposite of you, on the other side of the table that was brought out to lay the man on, he watches your every move like a hawk–he’s probably just curious… or has nothing else to really look at, but it’s making you nervous.

As soon as you finish preparation and place your hand on the bulging mass, you shiver. There’s something swimming inside. You steel yourself and concentrate, then close your fist and pull gently.

It’s like a wet eel, it slips between your fingers thrice before you get a good hold of it, your eyebrows furrowing in both frustration and concentration. “Be calm,” Morax’s voice sounds gently into your ears, he notices your frustration, born both from the slippery energy as well as your tired body aching for rest in this prolonged wrestle. “It’s almost done.”

The simple reassurance was surprisingly effective. You raised your hand slowly and poured every mental and physical energy into pulling the corruption from the man’s head–with a final tug of defiance, the energy is separated from him far earlier than you expected, but you were ready this time and shoved it into a jar before it could wrap its weird, slimy tendrils around your hand…

Just in time for you to hear a strange pop.

And an absolutely foul stench invading your nose as the mass on the man’s forehead opens, the sound of the skin tearing violently and spewing out the liquid inside in a burst akin to a flask that had been sealed and gathered pressure. It wets your robe and lands on your cheek and neck, the white and red fatty liquid drips down and makes you cringe when it touches your collar as you try to swipe it away, but you’re too late.

Quickly hunching down next to the table, you retch and return the early lunch that had mostly digested by now, splattering on the grass and dirtying your shoes. Your knees tremble slightly from the strain the extraction brought and you have to hold onto the table to not fall over.

A hand softly touches your back, the warmth radiating from the palm both welcome and not as you cough with nothing left to puke out. “Did any of it get in your eyes or mouth?” You shake your head. “Good… I apologise, I should have known it would tear with the pressure of the corruption gone… I’ll have your clothes returned to you and you can rest for the night. I will examine what you extracted in the meantime.”

… you’ve definitely earned a good sleep, and a wash. Or three.

#⭒ - gss #genshin impact x reader #morax x reader #rex lapis x reader #zhongli x reader #genshin x reader #morax x you #rex lapis x you #zhongli x you #multi-chapter #fics #my writing #afab reader #genshin impact

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asideoftrashplease · 1 month ago

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Do you have any plans for more Genshin fanfics after you finish "Venti can do what he wants"? (amazing work btw, can't wait for another chapter) And if you do, would you mind sharing what they'll be about? 👀👀👀👀👀👀

MY FRIEND, I have SO MANY genshin fics half written or at the very least outlined, are you sure you want to ask me this question? Do you really want to be stuck here for the next 10 mins? HAHA anyways, not all of them will be Venti-centric or even have Venti in it, despite my Venti-obsession, but now that Venti Can Do What He Wants is complete, these are the fics on my priority list:

Xiao-centric + Chongyun + Xingqiu: an adeptal guide to gardening

First chapter is already on Ao3. Basically, Xiao ends up investigating a strange domain that lures people in with illusions of their loved ones with the help of Chongyun and Xingqiu. The short summary is: Xiao's Very Bad, No Good Babysitting Adventure, only it turns out that being around mortal children is very good for one's soul.

Venti crack (one-shot): Congratulations! You've Been Excavated!

Venti being friends with the adepti and they often grumble about how their domains keep getting broken into and excavated by humans like "they took my favorite tea set and now its in a museum!!" And Venti doesn't have a palace to excavate so he always thinks it's SO HILARIOUS. Then, one day, he settles down in a sealed domain for a nap-- and wakes up, wings and all, in this Sleeping Beauty-esque glass case in the church, because humans stumbled into his domain and lovingly excavated HIM. (The adepti have been waiting 50 years for him to wake up so they can laugh in his face about it.)

Keqing grieving the death of Rex Lapis (one-shot)

Fic takes place during the Liyue AQ after the Rite of Descension and Rex Lapis' "death" but before he tells the Qixing that he's still alive at the end of the AQ. Basically, Keqing coming to realize that she's actually a bit traumatized from seeing her god's "dead body" falling from the sky, and also realizing that she's grieving him. She wanted Liyue to be governed by humans, but she didn't want him DEAD, and now she feels guilty and paranoid that other people must be thinking "are you happy? you got what you wanted!" But in the end, she finds solidarity with other people and realizes no one will judge her for grieving.

Scara-centric 3 part series: dealing with his relationship with gods

Basically it deals with Scara having to find a purpose that isn't the gnosis, and also dealing with like... I think "making amends", like in Simulanka he talks briefly with Mini-Durin about Mini-Durin being like "but what if they don't accept my apology." And I was thinking a lot about wiping himself from existence makes it impossible to seek forgiveness from those he has hurt (including Nahida), and impossible to demand explanations from people who have hurt him (Ei), so he can also never find closure. But this fic has him meeting three different gods, and finding closure through the realizations that kinda incites in him. The first part deals with Scara's relationship with Nahida. The second has him leaving Nahida's side to wander the wilderness after she bids him to find a purpose and soul search, where he gets PLAGUED RELENTLESSLY BY A WEIRD GREEN BARD WHO KEEPS TRYING TO GIVE HIM BAD ADVICE, then the last part has him finally travelling to Inazuma where he meets Ei, has a heart to heart with her after having the mother of all Ei-induced breakdowns, and finally finds closure.

Kavetham / Haikaveh: Kaveh builds Nahida a home

After being invited to see the Sanctuary of Surasthana, and being asked what he thinks about it, Kaveh absent-mindedly says that it's grand, but there's nothing in it that makes it a home. He's super mortified and apologizes for it, but some days later, Nahida calls him back, and commissions him to renovate the Sanctuary and make it into a home. In the process of building her a home, he has to reflect on "what makes a house a home", which slowly leads him towards the realization that home is with Alhaitham (and that he's been in love with Alhaitham for years.) In the backdrop: Nahida, upon completion of renovations, invites Kaveh (who is now a dear friend) to move into her second guest room. And Kaveh is like ha, oh yeah, I've been wanting to move out for awhile, yes, I should move out. And Nahida is like "I feel I've made a terrible mistake" and then "if I can make him realize he's in love with Alhaitham, I can fix this" and then "he realized his feelings!" ... "he thinks its unrequited" "I NEED TO CONVINCE HIM ITS REQUITED" ... "I am unable to convince him its requited" and she keeps trying to get Scara (who is living in the other guest room) to HELP her, but he only gives bad advice!! Basically, mutual pining with a Scara & Nahida CIRCUS in the background.

NSFW: Zhongvenxiao fuck or die (short title: "Rock Paper Scissors")

Xiao has narrowly survives a serious karmic debt episode, but is left completely drained in the aftermath. To aid in his recovery, Cloud Retainer in her capacity as a healer recommends an infusion of energy through dual cultivation (FUCKING) and divine energy would be most efficacious but if any of you are unwilling, an adeptus could also suffice-- ZHONGVEN: WE ARE WILLING. And then they argue fiercely over who gets to fuck Xiao which leads to Xiao walking out to check if they've murdered each other and they're playing ROCK PAPER SCISSORS OVER IT. Anyway its crack and porn and a threesome eventually happens, but Zhongven bicker the WHOLE time and Xiao is slowly losing his sanity because of it.

And then there are three that aren't outlined like the others are and are kinda still floating in my head, but I'm interested in writing them:

Jean & Venti fic: Venti age-regresses and Jean takes care of him

Venti exhausts himself trying to take care of a "resentful god remnants" problem in Stormterror's Lair and regresses to the age right after he first took the Bard's form and ascended, with only Jean around. Largely, I was very AHHH about the idea of Venti having to deal with a body he doesn't even know how to move in, and the humans are afraid of him, and Gunnhildr being the only one who believed in him, who carried him from Decarabian's tower when he didn't know how to walk in a human form yet. And now Jean taking her place, carrying him from that same tower, and living this almost reverent sense of "what my ancestor did for him, I do for him now" while also dealing with this shift in her head of "being the protected" to "being the protector."

Scara & Cyno: Scara sucks at pretending to be Just Some Guy

So I feel I have this "Outsider POV & Identity Shenanigans" thing going on. I have another fic, Mr Zhongli Is Very Strange which is Xiangling finding out Zhongli's identity because he sucks at pretending to be human. Venti Can Do What He Wants is about Kaeya finding out Venti's identity because Venti doesn't care about pretending to be human. Now, I want to have "Cyno finds out Scara is an ex-Fatui Harbinger because Scara is can't and doesn't care to stop BITCHING about the other harbingers every time they are brought up in front of him."

Venti crack: The Great Adventure of The 137 Lies In 12 Hours

Basically, a "Concerned About Venti's Living Situation" network begins to form in Mondstadt where a bunch of adults basically suspect Venti is a homeless orphan kid and are trying to figure out if Venti even has a home, is he okay, does he need help? Eventually, they stage An Intervention and 3 NPCs are appointed to confront Venti about it. And it's not supposed to be an interrogation but its effectively an interrogation, except Venti just keeps giving out all these really wild answers like "Yes I was born in Mondstadt and err as for the reason why I've not been seen in the city before... it's because I was raised by wolves. No really, just ask Andrius, he'll vouch for me." Which eventually begins the wildest roadtrip in the history of roadtrips, with Venti dragging them all over Mondstadt and then Liyue to meet the people who will vouch for his lies, except all of them are SUCH bad liars that he has to keep coming up with more lies like "I WAS RAISED BY WOLVES, JUST ASK ANDRIUS" "okay, so the truth is that I was raised by Dvalin" "I WAS RAISED BY AN ADEPTUS WHO LIVES ON MT AOCANG" "actually the adeptus lives in wangshu inn sorry I got it wrong" "it looks like I can't hide it anymore... the truth is... I am Morax" "my dad is Mr Zhongli at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor" "I AM MORAX WHY WON'T YOU BELIEVE ME???"

#my fic #fanfiction #genshin #genshin impact

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fandom-nursery · 9 months ago

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Steven agere headcanons

Regresses between ages 0-8

Starts regressing pretty frequently during the events of steven Universe future

It was very confusing and scary when it started happening because it was just another thing happening to his body that he didn't understand. Once he knows what is going on

His regression was mostly involuntary for a long time but Steven is slowly learning methods to manage his age regression and does have times when he voluntarily regresses now as well

Steven can physically regress his form to that of a child fitting whatever age headspace he is in

Depending on if he’s regressed to an age where he can speak he is very talkative

When regressed Steven really lets himself cut loose and relax and be the child he didn’t really get to be growing up. His personality is still the same but he’s more relaxed and able to focus more on his own needs rather than other peoples

Even in older headspaces he will nap as its one of the times he can usually sleep without nightmares

He loves to be picked up. Being around the gems made him pretty used to being lifted and tossed around and he finds it comforting and fun to be in someone else’s arms

He loves creative activities like art projects or baking or building sand castles on the beach. He also really loves getting to do the things he didn't get to do as a child.

Going to Connies house and having her take care of him all day like he was any normal human child is really nice for him

Steven has always eaten a lot of junk food and pre-prepared meals like pizza and he does still crave those foods on occasion while regressed however he as well as his therapist have decided that having more consistent homemade and healthy meals would be good for him. He does in fact really enjoy meatloaf.

He is very good at trying new things while regressed and has discovered a lot of new favorite foods that he continues to enjoy while out of headspace

He pretty much always needs his face and hands wiped down after eating even is someone else is feeding him

Steven is spoiled rotten for toys while regressed. His dad, connie, and the gems all love bringing him new plushies and games and figurines in audition to the ones he still has

His favorite are his army of stuffed animals that he has created complex family structures for and displayed carefully around and in his bed

He always packs his cheeseburger backpack with possible items he might need for any age. He brings it with him whenever he regresses voluntarily and keeps it handy just in case he regresses involuntarily. Having it helps him feel prepared

He’s not particularly picky about clothing when small however since he does physically change sizes when regressed he does have several sizes of clothing on hand

He does use a paci especially in his younger headspaces

On the occasion that Steven regresses to under the age of two he does usually need diapers. He maintains a little more control over himself than a regular baby would due to having all his memories but physically he is a baby

The gems (including lapis, peridot, and bismuth) know about his regression. His dad and Connie also do and, by extension, so do Connie's parents. They are all very supportive

Steven did not want the diamonds to know about his regression at all unfortunately they found out by accident when they visited while he was regressed. They continuously bothered him about wanting to be there to take care of him until he had a breakdown and Connie and the gems stepped up to get them to back off. It’s still a bit of a strained topic with them though

Steven honestly could almost do with less caregivers. Connie is who watches him the most followed by Greg. If he is in an older headspace then the gems are allowed to watch him since they helped raise him and know a bit about what to do. Lapis, peridot, and bismuth are only allowed to babysit and only if at least one other caregiver is present because they do not know how human children work at all

Steven calls Connie by her name and calls Greg dad. He uses the gems names (or as close to their names as he’s able to say) most of the time however there have been one or two times when he’s slipped up and called both pearl and garnet some version of mom. They had a really long talk when he was out of headspace and he also discussed it with his therapist. He confided that he does see the gems as mothers in some ways but feels like fully calling them mom usually brings up too many complicated feelings about Rose for him and everyone else.

Discipline was something he requested since it wasn't something he really had before. Connie modeled to the gems and Greg what an effective time out should be and that's what happens now when he breaks a rule. He rarely does but the structure is good for him and he likes knowing exactly what's going to happen if he does mess up

#fandom agere #age regression #steven universe #su #steven steven universe #little!steven universe #steven age regression #regressor steven universe #steven universe agere

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real-fire-emblem-takes · 19 days ago

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How Brodians and Hesburger

Diamant: he is very steady. He would think ots easier than being the crown prince of brodia and having to babysit. Exclusively in the kitchen, and his chicken burgers are so gooood. However his little chickenburgers somehow taste like nothing. His size would be a disadvantage in such a tiny kitchen

Alcryst: i think he would be rather good. He apologizes to every other coworker but the second one says "im scared to talk to this customer" he is walking there. He specializes in customer service/meal bagging, but does do kitchen sometimes. His ice creams are beautiful

Jade: she is even more steady than Diamant. Her streak of humor and straight face makes her a customer favorite. Long hair is once again somewhat a disadvantage, but at least her haor wont be dragging on the ground. She is a jack of all hesburger. Would not complain about cleaning the playground, even tho her knees hurt too. Her soytortilla tastes amazing

Amber: he is disasturous. Slips on one fry on the ground and dies. Diamant will miss him and I will too (the real answer is that he does survive and I do think he would do good in the kitchen, but sadly he burns himself on everything so he doesnt really like it. Get the bonus ice cream)

Citrinne: I think she would do great in the customer service/meal bagging. She does wonder why she cant buy everything for the nice family while on duty tho. In the kitchen I think shed do. Ok but would use too much ingredients. Her cheeseburgers taste like nostalgia

Lapis: I think she would struggle at first but as the training period comes to an end she has learned so much that shes suddenly the fastest. Somehow the morning cleans are done so well that the floor has dried by the time of opening. Specializes in the kitchen, and her normal burger is the kids favorite

Saphir: I think she would do suoer well in the kitchen, cleaning and meal bagging but not so well on the customer service. She does dishes like an old pro and somehow gets every dirty thing clean. Her coworkers love her. If a campaign with a fish patty ever happens, she is so good at it everybody else doesnt wven try and just invites her back to the kitchen

Yunaka: I think her past wouldnt let her work. Im sorry Yunaka. She gets the nuggets with paprikamayonnaise whenever possibne

Once again surface level memories of these characters

#fe #fire emblem #fe17 #fire emblem engage

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berriblossom · 1 year ago

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Ad astra abyssoque! stumbled across your blog just a couple of days ago, and I really enjoyed your writings, especially the last couple of Papa Zhongli things. They were super wholesome, especially the second part with with the reader being an Illuminated beast, and I was hoping to make a request relating to that little series actually.

Basically, Zhongli has to go out and assist the Traveler on a quest. And because no self-respecting father would take his into such a potentially dangerous situation, he elects to enlist big sis Ganyu or big bro Xiao to babysit the reader while he's away. Imagine Xiao teaching the reader to fly in their swan-form? Aaaah, it'd be so cute!

Zhongli x Gn Child! Reader | Zhongli is an anxious parent + Xiao and Ganyu bonding moments and Zhongli story quest spoilers.

[ Ahhhh!!! Another request!! Thank you so much for the greeting! Please keep these coming. I love Papa Zhongli!]

✄---------------------------------

It was a relaxing morning, as it began. Zhongli made a fresh cup of tea, and he made you breakfast. You ate your porridge at the dining room table, humming to a little song you heard in the harbor. Today was going to be peaceful and relaxing. Today was Zhongli's day off from the funeral parlor. He sat down beside you, humming your tune too, while drinking his tea.

Ah yes, a splendid day indeed. Maybe you two could go to the park? Or maybe go for a nice walk around Liyue Harbor for a stroll. However, Zhongli was happy he had a day to spend with you, his sweet adorable child-

That was until the traveler and Paimon practically broke down his door about needing him for a hidden and old domain they needed him for. Zhongli spat out his tea once he heard something about missing miners from the chasm. Although Zhongli was going to tell the traveler to speak with the Millelith around the chasm, however seeing them beg him for his aid like last time, he couldn't really argue. Especially about situations as weird as such.

As Zhongli was thinking about his options, your little hand tugged on his pinkie finger. Zhongli glanced down and met your gaze. You have grains of sticky rice stuck to your face, and held your little rubber ducky plush. But your eyes looked a little sad. "I thought today we would spend it together Papa...are you going to be busy again?" You looked down in your chair, Zhongli felt his heart crack. You'd been waiting for a day to spend with him. A whole day with your Papa, he had been busy with the parlor and the recent events of the Rite of Descension for Rex Lapis. Zhongli didn't notice how busy he was now that he was a full-time parent.

Zhongli gestured at the traveler for a moment alone with you. Dragging Paimon off and away for his privacy while Paimon was talking about your rice porridge. Zhongli brought you into his lap as he apologized to you, your little tears and sniffles broke his heart. He kissed them away while hugging you close. "Papa is so sorry my sweet swan. I didn't want to ruin our day, Papa will make it up to you, he promises." You nodded and wiped your tears saying you were a big kid and shouldn't cry. Zhongli could see right through the statement but didn't say anything. When he agreed to help the traveler, Paimon suggested something.

"Why not get someone to watch them? Paimon thinks you could as Hu Tao?" Zhongli almost had a heart attack at the statement. "I respect Ms. Hu Tao a lot but not enough to let her handle my child for a day."

"What about Baizhu?"

"He has QiQi I believe to take care of and it would be too sudden to ask him."

"Madam Ping?"

"She had YaoYao and Xiangling along with Yanfei, plus Ping isn't as lively as she wants to be for [name]."

"What about Childe?"

"No."

The sound of the word could shake anyone to the core. The amount of rage and fury within a single word was enough to convince Paimon to stop suggesting people. Finally, the traveler spoke for a good person.

"What about Xiao and Ganyu? You mention before [name] has met them, plus they are Adepti. Who better to watch them?" At the mere mention of Ganyu's name, you started kicking your feet in Zhongli's arms. He could tell you wanted to see her more. It had been a while since you two saw each other. Plus Xiao was a yakasha, he was agile enough to watch you and protect you. Cloud Retainer did mention you needed more time with your Adepti counterparts. Who better than those two?

Zhongli continued thinking before coming to a point.

"Fine, Ganyu and Xiao will work."

Traveler and Paimon cheered at finally they could get Zhongli to help them in their little mystery mission. But Zhongli continued. "But, let me take [Name] to Jueyun Karst and speak with those two first. If they are busy then I must decline the offer and stay home with [name]." The pair nodded.

Zhongli placed you down as you asked if Paimon was a rubber ducky too or a pretty birdy like your aunt Cloud Retainer as Zhongli went to get you a little baggie for your hangout with Ganyu and Xiao. After a few more minutes he packed your little bag.

It had a change of clothes, some snacks, water, and juice. A bedtime book, in case he can't get home in time. And a little Geo pin. The Geo symbol was an idea made by my Cloud Retainer, she gave you and Zhongli the pin after your last visit. A little item similar to Cor Lapis, that doubled as jewelry to security. It was able to find your location easily since it was pure Geo energy embedded into it from Zhongli's fingertips. He approved of such in case you got hurt while he was at work.

He placed the pin onto your shirt gently, with a little snap! It was done. You held your bag while you and your Papa walked out the door to head to Liyue's mountains in search of the two Adepti. The traveler waited back at the harbor for Zhongli to return back instead. By late morning, Zhongli was able to pinpoint Ganyu and Xiao. Luckily, they weren't too far away.

Getting into the circle of Jueyun Karst, Ganyu felt the ex-Geo archon within a few feet. Zhongli held your hand all the way up the mountains before you ran off to hug Ganyu. She accepted your hug happily while laughing with you about the sudden surprise.

"WoW! What a surprise, hello little swan! How are you [name]?"

"Papa said I get to spend the day with you! He said he needed to do something super empor....important!" You smiled as you tried to pronounce it correctly, Zhongli held your bag as he apologized to ganyu about the surprise visit.

"Sorry, something came up, and I was out of options around the harbor. Could you and Xiao watch [Name] for a day? Hopefully, this won't last all day. They have a set of clothes, snacks, juice, and water inside the bag." He handed the bag off to Ganyu as she took a peak inside. Your blanket was inside it, too.

"It's alright, Mr. Zhongli! Me and Xiao can watch them, matter of fact, he was just here... Oh! I know, [name] why don't you call big brother Xiao, huh?" Ganyu leaned down with you to cup your hands around your mouth to help you be louder. Of course, Xiao wasn't that far away. He dashed as soon as he knew Zhongli was around Minlin.

You cupped your hands and started shouting.

Within seconds, the Yakasha stood before you, his menacing aura disappearing as you clung onto his leg while rambling about duck racing, shopping, and story time. Xiao confused as he saw Ganyu smirk at him, Zhongli greeted and wished them luck as he walked down the path toward the rope bridges waving goodbye to them. You said goodbye to your Papa, not crying because strong big kids don't cry. Ganyu laughed as you clung to Xiao. Rather than a scowl of scuff, he just patted your head while mumbling something under his breath.

"XIAO! BIG BROTHER XIAO! XIAO, BIG BROTHER WHERE ARE YOU! DO YOU WANT TO PLAY? YOU CAN HAVE MY RUBBER DUCKY BLANKIE!"

"We should get heading to the harbor first, I need to drop off some documents and some deliveries before taking a day off. Is that okay? [name]? Xiao?" As much as Xiao hated the idea of walking into the harbor, he saw your eyes light up about exploring. Without a second thought, he agreed.

The journey to the harbor was fun enough. You held hands with both Ganyu and Xiao while singing little nursery rhymes. You told me about how your Papa had to fish out your rubber ducky out of the jaws of oblivion(the toilet). For the walk down towards the bustling harbor, Xiao became worried if you were fighting demons along with your father. If so, he needs to drop by your house on his patrols more often. When you reached the harbor, Ganyu let go of your hand to go off with a purple lady.

"Hold onto Big Brother Xiao's hand, okay? Don't let go, and don't run off, okay? We'd hate for you to get lost." She smiled and pinched your cheeks while hurrying off with the purple lady quickly. Xiao felt tense as he held your hand.

Looking around, you saw familiar faces, like YaoYao, Madam Ping, Ms. Yanfei, and big sister Xiangling. You wanted to run and call for them, but Xiao's strength beat you to it. He held your hand tightly.

"No running off.." He repeated Ganyu's statement. You felt a little sad as his tone seemed angry but stayed silent. Xiao stuck near the railing of the wooden ramp, when entering the harbor like glue.

His eyes kept scanning the area. Luckily, not too many mortals were around the both of you. Quietly, Xiao lifted you up and started swaying you, mainly to keep you quiet and also to make sure you weren't bored with him. He wasn't naturally good with kids, unlike Ganyu, who could just find ways to keep you entertained like it was normal. He had to really think. Xiao knew you liked ducks... maybe he could capture one and give it to you?

By the time Ganyu got back, she had brought some little ice cream cones for everyone. [Favorite Flavor] for you, some almond vanilla for Xiao, and a regular vanilla and strawberry swirl for herself. You all sat near the commerce guild before going back to Mount. Hulao.

The walk back was quick, Gabyu helped you climb the peaks, and Xiao made sure you both didn't fall.

"Wow, I'm on top of the world!" You shouted, Xiao couldn't help but pat your head and offer a small smile. The peaks of Liyue mountains were one of a kind.

While enjoying the serenity of the moment, you turn and look at Ganyu.

"Big sister Ganyu?"

"Hm? Yes? What is it [name]?"

"I wanna fly like Aunty Cloudy!" You puffed out your cheeks while demanding to learn to fly.

"HUH??? Who is Aunty Cloudy??" Ganyu leaned down while trying to keep her composure. Flying??? At your age?? You can't even pronounce certain names yet or even certain regions of Liyue.

"They mean Cloud Retainer. They want to fly like an Adeptus." Xiao stated blanky. You were jumping all around repeating, and you wanted to learn how to fly.

However, Xiao kept your hand tight in his, his grip strong but not too tight. After a while, you tired yourself out and were promised to be taught how to fly another day. Ganyu helped you back to Jueyun Karst and set the picnic blanket up along with some simple snacks from your bag Papa Zhongli gave you and some little tea cups she picked up in Liyue Harbor.

Xiao is holding his cup by your orders, with the pinkie finger out too! You all enjoyed your tea party and then played knights and dragons. Ganyu is running after you while Xiao was trying to catch you.

You also did some painting, you painted a flower, Ganyu a mountain, Xiao some rice fields of Qingce.

By the time Zhongli came to get you, you weren't holding your ducky plushie. You were holding onto the hands of your Adepti siblings. While you all were napping away the time. He saw Cloud Retainer in the distance and decided to sit at the table with her and enjoy some tea.

He'll take you home when you want to wake up, for now he had to catch up with anither old friend too. This time, his life and the traveler's isn't in immediate danger.

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lunar1an · 8 months ago

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Ghost as Phos: An Analysis

Now that HnK is done it's fascinating to go back and comb through the story beats and try to tie them together. In particular there's a really interesting pattern to notice in all of Phos's partners, or rather, a pattern break.

For the purpose of this post I'm considering Antarc, Ghost Quartz, Cairngorm, Padparadscha, and on a symbolic level Cinnabar* as partners. For the most part, they fill the following functions: they tutor or discipline Phos in some aspect, they're stabilizing forces that rein them in, and they all have some degree of care and love for Phos. Cinnabar repeatedly gives Phos advice, urging them to think through things more. Antarc genuinely believes in Phos's ability to do better, urging them to rise above their defeatist nature. Cairngorm, despite what Cairngorm says, seems to have genuinely wanted to protect the idiot who lost Ghost but gave them their first non-Ghost name. Padpa regards Phos like a little sibling they have to babysit, but still goes to great lengths to help them.

And then there's Ghost Quartz. Ghost is in a weird, kind of liminal place in the narrative. Ghost comes about at a time when Phos is arguably at their second lowest point -- without knowledge or a way forward, breaking down under the weight of isolation and their conspiracy. Ghost doesn't last long. In fact, they partner up with Phos for less than a day before sacrificing themself for them, leaving Cairngorm behind. But hey, a lot of these other partnerships don't last long either. Padpa only had one raid and then one rescue mission, and wasn't even an "official" partner so much as the one who took on the Phos babysitting responsibility.

But either way, Ghost was still a partner. I'd probably put the start of Ghost trying to fill that role after they thought Phos was trying to reach out to help them, up until their sacrifice. So. What do they do, as Phos's partner? How do they stabilize them?

Pictured: Ghost and Phos soon to start the worst mutual rebound in gem history

They try to get Phos to allow them to help, immediately, almost forcing the partnership onto them. They latch onto a false idea that Phos was trying to save them and say Phos reminds them of Lapis. They commiserate over feeling stupid and express a desire to change.

If anything, Ghost was a more passive, enabling personality. When Phos says they're researching Lunarian communication, Ghost tries to help, and later on doesn't stop them from investigating a large group of Lunarians.

In Ghost's mind, Phos seems to be placed as the competent, smart figure, who reached out to them and showed the bare minimum care for them.

Sounds a bit familiar, doesn't it?

The context is different, but there's more parallels elsewhere.

Ghost is a gem who hadn't appeared at all in the story, up until a mention in volume 4. They're seemingly absent from the daily social life of most gems. They aren't even present around Euclase or Lex when they deal with paperwork. The library, when we visit it, is a lonely, dark space. The convalescent chamber just has a bunch of inactive gems sitting in boxes. They confess to Phos that both of their jobs -- the library and the convalescent chamber -- are barely jobs at all.

There are two other gems we see with similar roles. The first is Phos themself at the beginning, who didn't have any job. The second is Cinnabar, who runs a pointless night patrol. Both of these gems are outcasts, and unsuited for gem society -- Phos is too brittle and weak, and Cinnabar is overflowing with mercury that forces them to isolate themself. Antarc is pushed to the sidelines as well, being liquid outside of winter, but they at least found a useful role and place in the world.

We know what makes Ghost "unusual", of course. There's a Gorm in there.

As Ghost's inner layer, they're troublesome and said to do surprising things, such as climbing on top of the concealed Lunarian to check for Lapis. Even before going to the moon Cairngorm had a notably rougher, bolder personality than Ghost.

So imagine how that plays out for every other gem, before Lapis. Imagine if Ghost is out on patrol, and they see a Lunarian. Cairngorm rushes in when they aren't supposed to, and someone gets hurt or taken because of it. You could draw parallels to how Phos, even after getting powerful legs, froze up when the Amethyst twins were captured instead of going to get Sensei.

Their nature makes them unsuited to fighting. It makes them troublesome to their fellow gems. Is it any surprise they were given the convalescent chamber job, which has little to no chance of Ghost's inner layer acting out and causing serious harm or inconvenience?

Lapis was the exception -- someone who didn't see their nature as a burden, who their inner layer actually listened to. And then Lapis was taken, leaving Ghost blaming their own nature for their incompetence.

Similarly, Antarc refused to let Phos blame their hardness for all of their woes, having a low hardness themself, and they did have a successful Winter partnership for a while. When Antarc gets taken away, Phos blames their own body and uncooperative arms for their inability to rescue them.

As an aside, this is all rough for Cairngorm too. Being stuck inside another gem, with that gem being the only one everyone else sees? Wanting different things and only really being able to express that through acting out? Only being known as something 'troublesome inside Ghost'?

It's fucked. Sensei and every other gem could have done better, to make sure Cairngorm's personhood was recognized. Instead, Ghost is left feeling shame and hate towards their inner layer, and Cairngorm ends up with an identity complex and feels haunted in a way that Aechmea later exploits.

Anyway. If you could say that Phos's partners parallel Antarc in role and behavior, Ghost turns it around. Ghost parallels Phos. They want Phos to be an Antarc/Lapis for them, because now that Phos is useful and strong, they're someone who can give Ghost a sense of being loved.

And at this time, Phos is very much trying to be an Antarc and not a Phos. Phos has a shorter haircut to better resemble Antarc, they take their lessons to heart and farther, overworking themself in an effort to be disciplined and useful.

This inversion is unsustainable. Phos isn't an Antarc or a Lapis. Antarc did all of that because of their love for Sensei and Phos. Well, not exactly love in Phos's case but there's a definite care and desire to protect them.

Phos acts like Antarc out of grief and suspicion. They go after the Lunarians relentlessly to get Antarc back. They continue acting "courageous" and overworking themself so they can find out what the connection between Sensei and the Lunarians is. They're given multiple warning signs that this search could harm those around them -- Padparadscha warns them about the truth, and Cinnabar practically goes "hey phos this sensei thing isn't fun i just want to spend time with you". Hell, Phos stops helping Ghost in order to see what Sensei will do.

(boy i sure hope phos learns from this experience and does not continue to neglect the gems around them while furthering the lunarians' goals)

It all comes to a head when Phos gets distracted and gets shot. Ghost has to jump in and save them, sacrificing themself in the process.

When Phos lost Antarc, there was some level of...lack of agency, I suppose? Phos was in the role of the mentee or younger sibling. They did something reckless, with their arms being lost as a result, but a lot of what happened was out of control. They couldn't have predicted the Lunarians emerging that day or trapping Sensei. They couldn't have predicted the metal would attach to them, and furthermore imprison them while Antarc was being taken. They were still "the useless one".

But now Phos is the Antarc. Ghost is supposed to be a gem they protect, like they protected the Amethyst twins by easily dispatching a Lunarian. They had every possible red flag telling them that messing with these Lunarians was a bad idea. But they didn't. They couldn't have predicted their alloy would stop working, but their negligence did lead to them being shot in the first place, and Ghost getting taken.

It's interesting in that while losing Ghost is a breaking point that leads to Phos's complete mental break shortly after (forcing Cairngorm into the Alloy Box), followed by them mellowing out at least a little bit (up until they lose their head protecting Cairngorm in a much more suitably 'Antarc' move), the harm Phos does to the gems only escalates.

As the useless child, a gem who chose to look after them gets lost. As the competent fighter, a gem they had a responsibility to look out for gets lost. As a wiser, older figure with Lapis's head (no longer the youngest gem, deliberately framed as a mentor for the younger Morga and Goshe), they have Cairngorm attack and send them to the moon, reigniting god knows how many traumas in Cairngorm, and making all the gems believe they're dead. As an important figurehead in the community, who's the only gem they know who came back from the moon, they shatter that community. And eventually, as the savior of gems dusted and alive from the Lunarians, their actions lead to the ultimate extinction of gems as a species.

So maybe Ghost was the first warning sign, on a lot of levels. A stand-in for Phos themself, or someone a lot like them. Like the story was practically screaming at Phos "hi, there's someone who understands your loss, another outcast who you can confide in, two of them even"!

But Phos let them be harmed in pursuit of their goals, goals they eventually lose sight of until it was too late.

Or alternatively Ichikawa just killed Ghost off because if they got attached to Actual Phos and not the Lapis 2 they projected onto them god knows where this series would have gone. This is the fucker who spends 10,000 years on the moon preserving every trace of the past/Lapis's legacy and Not Letting Go Of Their Attachment, from what Party at the End implies. If I were Aechmea I'd be terrified.

* = never officially a partner, but had the same function and role in Phos's life in the background, and is grouped with Phos's partners in the narrative (hangs with Antarc and Cairngorm on the moon, later seen on the same side of Sensei as Ghost and Antarc when being prayed away). I suppose in that regard Padpa isn't an official partner either really but they definitely acted as one.

#houseki no kuni #this ended up longer than expected #in truth i wanted my first analysis post in the tag to be abt more general themes but no. ghost time

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trashcanwithsprinkles · 1 year ago

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Now that CN is over I need more fics to read (I say as if I'm not in the middle of rereading CN and plan to reread ITYSG(AINLY) again because I'm literally obsessed with your fics). Do you have an recs? Also what's your favorite fics/comfort fics (you can include your own)? I always find it interesting to know what the authors of my favorite fics like to read when they aren't writing.

other than my other fics (babysitting in the apocalypse is my other zhongchi fic), i do have a some zhongchi recomendations! sadly i cannot actually go to my bookmarks atm nor provide direct links. i also don't really remember the authors' names of most of them? and you'd have to like.... save them for later, what with ao3 being down and all;; but here are some off the top of my head if you want to get planning:

(once ao3 gets back up i'll update this list with proper links and the authors' names and maybe more recomendations since i do have many more i just can't remember,,)

○ entirely out of spite by Bgtea - i generally assume everyone's already reading this one given how big it is (and how it was kind of my inspiration for cyanide even tho i never said it), but if you're not, holy shit are you in for a good one. literally anything bgtea makes is wonderful. this one is an au based on the premise of a different story, but you don't need any knowledge whatsoever of it to enjoy and understand eoos (tho consider it if you like the premise, bc it's also really good). the rundown is- a mondern ajax dies and wakes up in the body of tartaglia, the antagonist of genshin impact, a game he'd been playing before kicking the bucket. he is tasked by a weird isekai-anime looking menu to fill in the shoes of the antagonist or else, but he's not technically stopped from altering the story just a tiny bit or being ooc, so he goes about trying to play the tartaglia role without meeting the same end as tartaglia (who dies ingame). it's such a good fic i cannot recommend it enough - it's not complete yet, but the wait for each chapter is more than worth it, and bgtea always does an insane amount of research for everything they post.

○ literally any other zhongchi fic by Bgtea. there's this short one about pulcinella or capitano (i can't remember, it might've been pantalone) selling pictures of childe to increase morale in the fatui (something something pr strategies), that one is hilarious. there's another one about zhongli getting stuck as a dragon and childe taking care of him as the world slowly goes to shit from rex lapis being missing (a comment pointed out it might be called "ajax' adventure with dog-lizard" and it sounds about right for me). another one they have is the autumn winds are sighing i think. that one was posted WAY back, some of the info is a bit outdated, but it's still so, so good. i can't remember what it was all about, but i do remember it involves zhongli going to snezhnaya to meet childe's siblings. the pining and tension on that one is off the roof. i should read it again,,,

○ after everything by Amanveth (i think that's how their username is written,,) - literally palate cleansing fluff. there's really good angst as well but it's overall just very sweet and soft, very much a feel-good fic. it's about zhongli and childe going back to being friends after the events of the archon quest and slowly realizing they're in love. it's still ongoing but it updates shockingly fast, and it's a nice little thing to read before going to sleep.

○ the white cicada society by clementinesgulag. still ongoing i think, but i have paused reading it for reasons unrelated to the fic itself, so i can only really atest to the frist arc of it? but holy fuck is the first arc good. the angst is godly in this one, and i'm always a sucker for a good horror mystery. this one is about the gritty and slow reconciliation of post-archon quest zhongli and childe as they investigate a series of awful murders and terrifying paranormal shit (i'm pretty sure) going on in the city. (it might be revealed to not be paranromal later in the fic as that partiuclar plotpoint hadn't yet resolved when i paused it at the end of the first arc, but i wouldn't know. wouldn't make it any less good if it wasn't tho)

○ death became him by Merianon. also still ongoing i think, but part of the many fics i have paused reading for reasons unrelated to them (i have... way too many saved,,,). this one is about childe going back in time after dying and waking up as a god, and the fic starts there, so it's about how the events of the game go with childe as a god and not in the fatui. i can't remember all that much about it tbh, but i remember i really liked it, the concept was so interesting. i'm waiting for it to end.

○ a sight for sore eyes by ToumeiKyoudai. still ongoing afaik, but i paused reading it as of very recently (again for reasons outside of the fic). this one is the events of the game except childe is legally blind. you have no idea how interesting and hilarious this fic is, the premise is so simple but it's so nicely executed. i can't really say all that much more about it since it's basically just that- it's a retelling but childe's blind. and he's so fucking funny. it's all so fucking funny, and the worldbuilding is stellar, and i just really really like it i can't explain why exactly. it's not a comedy! but fuck it's so entertaining.

i have so many more that i wish i could put here but i'm not 100% confident in their titles nor which fic was which (happens when you have a ton bookmarked but have paused reading a lot of them), so i don't want to risk saying this fic is one thing when in reality it's something else completely different,,,

these last two i put below for reasons i'll explain in each of their blurbs, but they're still as recomended as those above!

○ lungs full of roses, by SecretlyACatLady. if this is the title (and i'm 99% certain it is, but i can't check), then this is hands down the BEST hanahaki angst i've ever read. i'm not kidding. this one is very specific in its angst tho, and i gather likely not what everyone is looking for in a hanahaki fic, but holy fuck. basically childe gets hanahaki here but knows he cannot afford to have anyone find out he has it (bc fatui) and also not that he died from it, i think? might be mistaking that particular plotpoint for another fic. anyway- he leaves liyue but zhongli goes to look for him bc he's confused and just wants to apologize for the whole tsaritsa's contract and all. it gets out of hand real quick when the ppl of mondstadt try to help by acting as pushy wingmen and it's so GOOD holy fuck. i've never liked when other characters try to push the main pair together and act all 'just kiss already we all know!' around them, and seeing it backfire as horribly as it could if it were a realistic scenario (tho enhanced bc childe) is so incredibly satisfying. the reason why i put it down here is 1) i'm not 100% sure that's the title and 2) if it hasn't been abandoned, it's been in hiatus for a while now. which is hearbreaking, but it's also such a good fic that i'd honestly recommend it regardless if only for the angst at the start. but i understand not everyone is in for something like that if it doesn't resolve/likely won't resolve (idk if it's abandoned tho but i understand that if a fic takes too long to update, people will fear the worst). so yeah,,

○ non-playable character, by Jouicifer. this one is here exclusively because i'm a sucker for horror mystery - it doesn't mean the zhongchi isn't good, but it's not as prevalent in the plot as in white cicada (another horror mystery), so i can't exactly put it with the other more zhongchi-centric fics? not that the zhongchi isn't here, but. hard to explain. this one is also hard to explain in general, i'm not sure if it's based on the premise of another story or if this is a highly-secific trope/sub-genre in china (i think?), but the author refers to it as 'unlimited flow', so look it up if you want to be sure. either way, much like with eoos, it doesn't matter if you know anything about whatever that might be to enjoy and understand the story. the rundown is childe and a bunch of other people are players in this sort of virtual-reality scenario hopper, where they get put in 'games' with other players where they can die (tho idk if die die irl as well). basically, in the newest scenario they get thrown into, it's a horror murder mystery about a haunted mansion, and their guiding npc is zhongli, whom childe has met in another scenario and whom he is an absolute simp for. god idk how to explain it, it's just so good; but you need to be there for the plot first and the ship second. the ship is there! it's just the plot takes presedence. but holy fuck is the plot good. the reason why it's down here, like lungs full of roses, isn't bc of the plot or the ship being secondary, but... well, it's also been in hiatus for a long while now. to this fic's credit in particular, it was in a long hiatus before, but updated! out of nowhere! and then it went into its current hiatus, so. again, i understand people don't like that, but i'm a patient person so i'm willing to keep it in my bookmarks for as long as it takes (and forever if it gets abandoned). it's just THAT good. and since there's not much horror murder mystery in this fandom (or in fics in general), i'll take whatever i can get. the mystery is good in this one, so it helps.

(edit: added some authors and a fic title, thank you archon-of-chaos and redwormonastring!)

#as soon as ao3 is up i'll look thru my bookmarks and correct anything i got wrong #and also add some more fics #i have a ton more that i really really like #i just can't remember their names with as much clarity as these ones #idk why it's not like i like these particularly more than some of those #i enjoy all equally #except non-playable character that one's probably my favorite #and eoos #anyway #thank you!#always happy to recomend fics

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yuki-boshi · 3 months ago

Text

Kai no Kiseki - Act 2 Kevin Route 1 English Summary

Table of Contents

Super Ultimate Hell Onion Head Coming In Hot

Kevin rides in Rufus's car as they share information about Creil, Dingo, and how they all know each other. Rufus explains why he couldn't be involved in the events of Kuro 1, while Lapis is relieved to be back in control of her body. Kevin asks about the "new body" Lapis mentioned, and she explains that it was Rosenberg’s suggestion, incorporating Marduk technology. Rufus adds that the new body is an faithful replica of her old one but capable of growth, with updated appearance options when she matures and enhanced taste sensors.

As they travel, the group almost encounters a sandstorm but manages to avoid it and make their way to Tharbad, where they meet Swin and Nadia. Nadia and Lapis embrace, and Nadia playfully comments on Lapis’s new body, teasing her by pressing her chest into Lapis’s face.

When Lapis gets annoyed, Nadia jokes that Lapis must be going through a rebellious phase. Nadia also teases Rufus, asking if Lapis's appearance was tailored to his preferences, which he doesn’t deny, remarking that it fits well for their dynamic as Master and Student. Kevin introduces himself to Swin and the group, mentioning that he’s learned a lot about everyone from the Crossbell Police and Wazy. Nadia humorously nicknames Kevin the "Negi from Hell" based on his appearance aka "Onion Head from Hell". Negi meaning Spring Onion for people.

Later at the hotel, the group relaxes by the pool. Rufus asks Kevin about his circumstances, and Kevin is vague about his partner Ries, saying she’s similar to Lapis and is too naggy for his mission. He explains that’s why he requested help from Rufus and the others. Swin and Nadia approach Rufus and Kevin, asking them to babysit Lapis, which annoys Lapis as she insists, she's a lady, not a child.

Nadia teases that Swin just wants an excuse to ogle her in a swimsuit, which makes Nadia blush when he doesn’t deny it. Swin counters Nadia with some banter and Rufus mentions that this is his Swin’s time being on the offensive, to which Swin and Nadia laugh, saying it’s unusual for Nadia to be on the receiving end. Nadia jokes that it’s just what lovers do, and while Swin denies being on the offense, he doesn’t deny that they’re lovey-dovey.

Offscreen, the group participates in a competition before enjoying some food.

While eating, Swin mentions that Van has been asking to take pictures and do food reviews for his blog, and Nadia promises to send an orb-mail later. Meanwhile, Lapis continuously requests refills on food and drinks, much to Kevin’s shock.

As the conversation shifts back to business, the group presses Kevin for his reasons for hiring them, but he remains cryptic. They find it strange that someone as high-ranking as Kevin, a Gralsritter from the same organization as Gaius and Celis, would seek them out.

Kevin asks if Nadia and Swin could stay out of the situation for a while, suggesting they go on a date, and even offers to cover their expenses. However, Swin and Nadia suspect Kevin is trying to distance them from the mission. Rufus explains that their vow not to take lives is likely the reason, and Kevin confirms that his request involves potentially killing someone.

Rufus adds that he and Lapis are not bound by the same rules, as Lapis isn’t human, and Rufus is "basically inhuman." This angers Nadia, who stops calling Kevin by his nickname "Negi" and brings up his past as a Heretic Hunter. Swin also chimes in, saying Heretic Hunters were feared even more than the Society’s enforcers back when they were in the Garden.

Lapis asks if they’ll be staying at the current hotel, and Rufus laughs, explaining that the pool fee and the fancy meal are beyond his budget. When asked about his wealth, Rufus explains that the CID froze his international accounts after declaring him dead.

(Presumably on his arrival in Calvard and trying to use assets in Calvard. It’s never outright stated how the CID just managed to do that.)

Nadia asks why he didn’t bring any money, then realizes he spent his funds on the sporty car he drove in with Kevin and Lapis. Rufus corrects her, saying it was a rental and has already been returned. Nadia is heartbroken that they’re broke.

The next day, Nadia is still upset about staying in a run-down inn and seeks attention, while Swin tells her to deal with it. Rufus jokes that if he hadn’t rented an expensive car, they could’ve stayed at the nicer hotel, making Nadia even more upset.

As the group regains control, talking to one of the NPCs reveals to Kevin that Van and his group previously stayed at the inn, piquing Kevin’s interest as he thinks he can gather some information.

Outside, the group receives a call from Altina, who comments on how much Nadia and Swin have grown since they last met. She asks for their help with the Grim Garten, which Kevin has already heard about from Celis and Rion. Nadia, feeling lazy, doesn’t want to go, but Kevin immediately agrees to help, surprising Swin with his quick decision and annoying Nadia for not discussing it first.

Later, if the players visit the Church, one of the Sister Nuns recognizes Kevin as a traveling Priest. Kevin humbly mentions that he’s just passing through and considers doing a Central Eastern church prayer. A Bishop at the Church also recognizes Kevin and offers to assist with his “mission,” which leaves Nadia wondering what Kevin is truly investigating.

At the edge of the city, Marielle is seen taking pictures of Saara and Shaheena as they perform. Marielle doesn’t recognize Lapis in her new body and doesn’t initially recognize Rufus by voice but quickly figures out who he is. Kevin introduces himself to the group, and Marielle recalls the events of Kuro 2 and how they crossed paths with Rufus.

Nadia suggests introducing their group as a "picnic group" after Saara and Shaheena ask if Rufus and Lapis are their leaders, but Swin dismisses the idea. Kevin, however, mentions he’s just a traveling priest who happens to know of Arkride. Saara mentions that Arkride has taken good care of her and Shahina, which prompts Shahina to hint at something more. Saara scolds Shahina for making implications in front of guests, while Nadia observes smugly.

Saara offers to help, mentioning that since she's familiar with the area, anyone is free to ask her or Shahina for recommendations. In response, Kevin introduces himself as Father Kevin, a priest, and humorously suggests that Shahina could come to him for guidance with any love troubles. He explains that listening to the stories of lost souls is part of a priest’s duty. Kevin also thanks the group for helping everyone get comfortable and lowering their guards, which he says helps him do the same.

The Picnic Group thinks it's a little odd how Kevin always seems to find ways to turn situations to his advantage.

After the group leaves, talking to them again reveals that Marielle is working on a scoop about the girls, and they plan to stay in town for a week.

Visiting the bathhouse reveals some interesting lore. The bathhouse was made possible thanks to Verne and Professor Hamilton's involvement 20 years ago. Nadia asks how the desert, which was once too dry for water, could support such a facility.

The owner explains that Hamilton was a lifesaver for the region and a significant benefactor to Tharbad. After taking a bath, a conversation with the manager reveals that Arkride helped resolve the town’s water issues last year (as seen in Kuro 1), which Kevin finds intriguing. The manager also praises Van’s reputation in the area and mentions that they’re expecting rain soon. (This is important.)

At the Bracer Guild, the receptionist Jibril recognizes Kevin as a church official and asks what investigation he's conducting. She also identifies Nadia and Swin as quasi-Spriggans from their previous time in the area, mentioning it’s safe to share information since they’re acquaintances with Elaine.

Kevin happily agrees, much to the others' annoyance, as they’re getting used to how Kevin takes advantage of every situation. Jibril then recognizes Rufus but second-guesses herself.

She shares that it's unusual for there to be no rain this time of year, which further supports Kevin’s growing suspicions.

----

Grim Garten Door 3: Upon arrival, Altina mention that this Kevin's first time being in the Garten, but he says it feels familiar enough to something he's been in. (Phantasma reference but not outright stated)

After clearing, because this takes place simultaneously as the other routes, it doesn't clear and Altina will state that they will need to wait for the others to clear it.

---

4SPG: Finding Sinam

Later, the group takes on a request to find Sinam, a child who’s gone missing. Fajeel, the one who issued the request, explains that despite Sinam’s troubled past, she’s a good kid. Kevin asks if there’s anything odd about her behavior, but Fajeel only notes that Sinam sometimes disappears for about an hour, though she always returns. Nadia speculates that nothing serious can happen in such a short time.

At the bazaar, a man tries to get Kevin and Rufus into a nightclub, noting it also offers some daytime entertainment. Kevin remembers that Tharbad is known for its entertainment, including more adult activities, but since Lapis and Nadia are with them, they decline. Rufus suggests they could visit later, and Kevin silently curses the complications of traveling in a group with girls.

The group also speaks with Aliya, who they know from Kuro 2. She tells them that she saw Sinam heading towards the entertainment district. In the bazaar’s parking lot, the watchman informs them that Sinam often visits another homeless person named Nasuri. However, he warns the group that human trafficking has been an issue in the area, though efforts from the Guild and the Police have cracked down on the slave trade in recent years. They then go to a fancy hotel and speak with Bashar, who provides some historical context about slave trading, noting it was more prevalent during the Middle Ages. He adds that underground slave trading rings still exist, pointing out the Kadarth Night Society as one such group. Swin and Nadia mention that Almata had a member, Viola, linked to that society. Lapis asks how kidnappings usually occur, and Bashar explains that it's often through a chain of command, with someone being used as bait to lure others into traps.

Returning to the nightclub, the man they spoke with earlier mentions seeing a large bag loaded into a car, hinting that it could be related to Sinam’s disappearance. The group investigates the sand dunes, where they find a mafia group holding both Sinam and Nasuri.

The mafia reveals that Sinam was going to be sold for a high price. Sinam is shocked to learn that Nasuri, whom she had trusted, was in on the scheme. The group intervenes and defeats the mafia, with the men threatening to sell Lapis and Nadia as well. Once the situation is resolved, Nasuri is handed over to Fajeel.

The group faces three choices on how to handle Nasuri:

Have Fajeel help him integrate back into society,

Have him turn himself in

Have him leave Tharbad.

I picked the third option which has Kevin have Fajeel handle it. Sinam leans toward helping him, suggesting Nasuri work with her. However, Fajeel notes that Nasuri’s reputation in the Bazaar complicates things and that he will figure out an alternative.

4SPG: Phantom Sweets

Filika, a vendor at a food stall, asks the group to help her find information about a sweet she ate around 15 years ago. After gathering clues from the fancy hotel, they come across a man on the street who remembers it from when he was seven. He recalls it being an ice cream wrapped in pistachios with a lemony flavor, and that it was served at the Church. When the group visits the Church, a Sister there tells them they might be looking for a treat called Kameru Kunaafa. The Bishop also remembers the recipe, explaining that it was created by a woman named Lafi, who had served it at the Church before she passed away. Unfortunately, the Bishop admits he hasn't been able to reproduce it to the same standard, which is why it has become so scarce.

The group heads back to the run-down inn and discovers that the cook there, Hala, is a relative of Lafi and had helped make the treat many times in the past. With her expertise, she is able to recreate it, reviving the recipe for the people of Tharbad. Filika is overjoyed with the result. Hala adds that the name Kameru means "moon" in their language, symbolizing something special.

---

Later, the group visits a movie theater to watch a film featuring Nina Fenly. Kevin remarks on Nina’s acting, noting how natural her ability to embody different roles is. Lapis agrees, saying Nina is a natural talent. Rufus finds it interesting that Kevin has so much insight into her work, though Kevin insists he isn’t a fan, just noting things about her and how she feels “possessed” whenever she takes on a movie role, perfectly capturing every detail about that role. (Probably Important)

Afterward, Kevin decides to visit an informant and suggests splitting up. Swin wants to join, believing he and Nadia have the right to accompany him, but after some discussion, it’s revealed that Kevin’s contact is in an adult establishment (maybe the Night Club). This leads to Nadia, being a minor, and Lapis, who is unaware of what this means, to stay behind. Kevin and Rufus say they’ll go later.

----

Connect Event: Swin and Nadia Kevin tries to slip away from the group to meet his contact, but Swin and Nadia follow him. They end up near the entrance of a night club, where Swin is about to go inside. However, Nadia, being a minor, cannot enter, and she doesn't want Swin to go in either, insisting that he should only focus on her. Kevin suddenly appears behind them, having noticed their movements from the start. He acknowledges that they probably can't trust him just yet, considering their history—Swin and Nadia as former members of Garden and Kevin from the Church, two organizations that once clashed.

To break the tension, Kevin buys them ice cream. Nadia is surprised that Kevin knew she wanted ice cream, but Kevin explains that he noticed her staring at all the ice cream stalls earlier. Swin comments on Kevin’s keen observation skills. Lapis joins the conversation, joking that she'll let Kevin off the hook this time for trying to ditch them, as long as she gets another ice cream. Swin asks if Lapis likes ice cream that much, and Kevin assures them it's fine since it's cheap. They end up getting more ice cream and even invite Lapis to join them.

Connect Event: Rufus Kevin is taken aback when Rufus invites him to a casino for a chat. Rufus explains that he hasn’t had much of a chance to talk to Kevin, so he thought this would be a good opportunity. He also admits that he wanted to make some money by betting against Kevin. Kevin is surprised, realizing Rufus had a plan all along. Nonetheless, Kevin agrees, joking that if he wins, he’ll bankrupt Rufus.

In their first round, Kevin wins. During the game, he asks Rufus if he’s returned to Erebonia recently, knowing that Rufus has a brother, Jusis. Rufus says he hasn’t, explaining that, as the older brother, his role has become less relevant now that Jusis has grown strong on his own. Rufus then uses the cards in his hand to make an analogy, telling Kevin not to underestimate the people around him—like Nadia and Swin—because Kevin seems to be doing something suspicious by keeping them out of certain things, and they remind Rufus of Ries.

Rufus makes an emotional point, saying that relationships and bonds are not just about logical strategies. They require a leap of faith, just like his decision to befriend Lapis and the others. Kevin is surprised to hear Rufus talk this way, as it contrasts with the manipulative image he had heard about. Rufus adds that Kevin shouldn't take the bonds he's forming for granted, even if his mission is pushing someone important to him, like Ries, to the side.

Kevin, taken aback, says that the Rufus he’s talking to now doesn’t match the ruthless description he’s heard about before. Rufus responds by saying that he’s found things in his life that are truly important to him. Kevin admits that he would do anything to protect what matters to him, even if it means dirtying his hands.

Their final round ends in a draw.

----

Optional: When they return to the fancy hotel that Nadia had wanted to stay in earlier, a short conversation on the side voiced in the field, ensues where Nadia expresses her wish to stay there with Swin instead of the rundown inn they’ve been using. Kevin jokes that he could arrange a room for them, but Swin declines, knowing Kevin is just trying to push them out. Nadia continues daydreaming about a romantic dinner with Swin, and he reassures her that they’ll come back someday.

At the pool, Yun Ka-Fai randomly appears as Nadia laments not being able to swim in a nice pool. Lapis suggests they could swim at Oasis Lake instead, but Nadia insists on wanting clean water. Kevin wonders what kind of sheltered life Nadia has led since escaping the Garden and how she’ll cope with the harsh realities of adulthood.

Yun Ka-Fai playfully compliments Lapis and Nadia, asking if they plan on swimming. His flirtatious comments go over Nadia’s head, and she would wear a swimsuit in a heartbeat if she could afford to be in the pool.

Yun Ka-Fai settles into a lounge chair, watching women in the distance, which disgusts Swin slightly.

Nadia, oblivious, says she hopes for such a relaxed retirement someday. Yun Ka-Fai then muses about possibly joining the women he’s watching, while Kevin reflects on how unexpected it is to find Yun Ka-Fai in a place like this. (It’s implied that both Rufus and Kevin suspect Yun Ka-Fai is no ordinary man, though they don’t state it outright.)

Finally, at the casino, the group meets Gambler Jack and Halle, who are helping a client recover her lost mira from a cheating gambler. Kevin and the group exchange information with Jack, who refers to Rufus as a “John Doe” (“Nanashi no Gonbei” in Japanese) and is curious about their earlier activities. Nadia asks Jack to teach her how to gamble, eager to multiply her money since they’re all broke. Swin is disappointed that Nadia only wants to cheat to avoid hard work.

Kevin asks Jack to look into some information about Tharbad from 20 years ago. Jack, though slightly annoyed, agrees to help. Afterward, Nadia asks Kevin why he’s interested in something from so long ago, but Kevin reassures her that Jack and Hal are skilled at finding information.

The group heads to the Oasis outskirts, where Rufus questions the significance of events from 20 years ago. Kevin explains that even with advances in waterworks and irrigation, the oasis should never have recovered as fully as it did. He reveals that he came to investigate this very anomaly. Using the "Akashic Eye," Kevin scans the memories of Dingo Brad, who was present in the area on October 25th, 1208.

At the waterway, Kevin questions Nadia and Swin about their vow to never kill again but decides to drop the subject. The group then proceeds deeper into the area, following the trail of Dingo Brad.

Nadia reveals that Van and his friends fought Olympia here. Rufus adds that this happened 20 days before Dingo's arrival. He then asks Kevin about his main objective, expressing suspicion that while the entire country is focused on the Space Program, Kevin is investigating something far removed from it.

Kevin admits that he likes Rufus and Lapis for being rational but expresses concerns about Swin and Nadia. He hints that if they continue their journey together, they may cross a line that could damage Swin and Nadia’s relationship with Arkride and his companions, further suggesting that he might be planning to kill someone.

When they reach the end of the waterway, Kevin then activates not just one stigmata, but two, surprising everyone as he prepares to fight them to test the strength of their bonds.

What starts as a serious confrontation takes an unexpected turn when Nadia calls Kevin the "Super Ultimate Hell Negi," (Super Ultimate Hell Spring Onion Head) and Lapis jokes that it might taste great when you can smell the fragrance of the Negi when it’s cooked on a charcoal grill. Kevin, momentarily losing his composure, asks if Nadia is the queen of terrible nicknames.

During the fight, Kevin tells the group that they must fight with the intent to kill since he won’t hold back with both stigmatas activated. Swin replies that he won’t hold back either, and Nadia says she'll show them the power of love. Lapis and Rufus later comment on how Kevin's skills aren't solely dependent on the stigmata. Kevin, confident, vows to keep fighting at full strength. If Swin hits Kevin with his S-Craft, Kevin will remark on how strong Swin is, and Swin will admit that he and Nadia are lucky they didn’t face Kevin while they were still in the Garden. Nadia confidently states that it doesn’t matter because they’re going to win.

After bringing Kevin to his knees, he praises Swin and Nadia for their complementary skills, recognizing that they truly wish to uphold their vow to never kill again.

Kevin starts to refer to Rufus by his Ironblood title but corrects himself, simply calling him by name. Kevin admits that he had been curious about Rufus, having heard of him, and remarks that although Rufus isn't his main target, he’s noticed that beneath Rufus’s cold exterior lies a desire to believe in others. Kevin suggests this might be why Rufus was attracted to Lapis. Rufus laughs, saying he didn’t expect to receive therapy from the Church. He confesses that, having lived a life orchestrated by others, he now wishes to become someone others can rely on.

Nadia chimes in with a playful remark, saying that Rufus is very much different when it comes to serious matters where he would be play the generic evil villain that would “Mwuahaha” and stuff like that. Kevin has little to say to Lapis, which annoys her, as she wonders why everyone else gets praised while she doesn’t.

Kevin concludes by saying that now that he’s tested them, he believes they’re ready for what lies ahead. He assures Swin and Nadia that they don’t have to continue if they don’t want to. Nadia quickly replies that they’ll keep going since they want to know the truth, adding that she might share Kevin's embarrassing nickname with Ries and others. Kevin, shocked, asks how much Nadia knows, considering he had been careful not to mention Ries to avoid involving her. He also wonders what Nadia meant by “others.” (Maybe hinting at Estelle and others)

Kevin then activates his Akashic Eye, going back too far to an earlier date, October 5th, showing the introduction of Risette saving Van and the others. He adjusts it to October 25th at 10:43, revealing that Dingo had come to the waterway with the White Genesis (From Act 1 and Van 1) in his possession. Following instructions, Dingo presses a button near a pool of water, causing the water to vanish. The voice on the phone belongs to Professor Hamilton, who confirms that the White Genesis is functioning as expected.

As Dingo proceeds, he encounters a projection of Hamilton and takes a picture of the decaying area. Hamilton explains that the site has been in this state for 20 years and assures Dingo that taking the picture won’t alter the causal chain, comparing the chances to a 50-50 gamble.

Hamilton further reveals that the area is essentially Schrodinger’s box and hints that Dingo is starting to understand the big picture because of his Van’s connection to his assistant, Agnes. Hamilton warns Dingo not to delve too deeply into the matter due to the dangers posed by Almata and cautions him against trusting her too since because of her actions.

Hamilton explains that what they see before them is the “deception” that she had planted and that what the White Genesis is showing them now, a superimposed observational result of the original waterway as how it looked in this era if not for her meddling.

Dingo tells Hamilton that he’s been under Hamilton’s care for years and while he doesn’t know her true intentions, he knows that there isn’t a single person besides Hamilton that is worried about next year (1209) more than her. Dingo also mentions that he’s been useful as an informant before, evading Almata and aiding Van and his friends.

Hamilton instructs Dingo to return the White Genesis back in Basel and to deactivate it once he's far from the affected area. When he does, the water returns, and he wonders if the device causes a resonance and shifts reality.

Back in the present, Nadia is puzzled as to how Hamilton knew about Van before even meeting him. Swin admits he doesn’t fully understand what they saw but knows it seemed impossibly bizarre. Lapis wonders what Dingo meant by reality shifting and notes how quickly the underground waterway returned back to ‘normal’ despite its earlier collapsed state. Rufus now understands why the Septian Church is involved, realizing Kevin’s true objective. Kevin acknowledges that while it’s not fully confirmed, they’re on the right track. He also reveals that the mission was issued under the Pope's orders. Kevin then adds that he has returned to his former title of “Heretic Hunter.”

#kiseki series #trails series #summary #translation #kai no kiseki

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intogenshin · 1 year ago

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Thinking further about electro

Not proper analysis yet bc. Time. But it’s been on my mind

Electro characters seem to share the theme of identity, and this of course is involved in how they gained their visions

In a very superficial way, we can say some of them work under an alternative identity or an artificial persona they put on:

Dori: lord sangemah bay

Cyno: general mahamatra

Ei: raiden shogun

There’s also fischl who has adopted an entire fictional identity as her own

Razor has adopted the identity of the wolves, he’s a human who other people struggle to define between human society and wolvendom, but he himself has chosen his own place already

Others like beidou have more of a projected identity, since her reputation and exploits are exaggerated through liyue, but more importantly the crux crew is essentially a projection of beidou herself

Then there’s keqing and kuki shinobu who fight to be authentic to themselves

Sara kujou on the other hand has shaped her identity around the object of her devotion. Also, her identity was pretty much guided by Takayuki, who only wanted to manipulate her for his own interests in the future, until she has to confront him before the climax of the archon quest

Lisa and yae miko remain pending, though there is something in there about yae carrying out kitsune saiguu’s legacy even though she doesn’t give two shits about the shrine. About Lisa all I remember is her skin description, something about the uniqueness and common nature of some flowers

Perhaps their thing is more about, like, blurring the concept of individual identity

The characters whose vision story mentions the reason they got theirs are:

Dori: when she decided to pursue her “greed” (which eventually would lead her to adopt the identity of sangemah bay)

Cyno: while reading the rule book on cardinal sins, he stopped to ruminate about something he couldn’t grasp the day before he became general mahamatra

Fischl received her vision at the same time Oz appeared

Razor: when his lupical (wolf family) were injured by an abyss mage (he was ready to protect he was ready to avenge)

Beidou: while defeating haishan, a monster she dreamed of fighting since she was a child, inspired by Rex lapis exploits, after several attempts with the aid of the crux (which would become the biggest myth about her in the nation)

Shinobu: right as she was departing from the shrine to pursue her own aspirations of, like, law certifications and babysitting itto’s gang (the vision meant nothing for her, but it would prompt her sister to stop being against her departure since it was a sign of the gods)

Sara: after surviving an accident which leads her to believe the raiden shogun saved her

Ei is the poster child of sacrificing herself as a tool for her duty. Keqing’s doesn’t mention how she got it, but similarly to shinobu the vision holds no personal value, she actually thought it diminished her own worth. I don’t remember if Lisa’s mentions how she got hers, I just know Lisa is aware there is a compromising aspect in gaining a vision she feels burdened by. Yae miko says nothing about herself, as always, just smoke and mirrors for her own amusement.

Not sure what common narrative is being built around electro, but this is what I got this far

#Genshin lore #ramblings #short post #electro visions

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prisms-writing · 7 months ago

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HAHA You thought you'd escape me? YOU THOUGHT WRONG *slides all these over* Give me some First Sound and make it strong (said in a wild western accent) 🌈 💝 ⚠️ ❗ ⚔️ 💛 🌕 📓

(In an accent that’s just as thick)

Alrighty, but you asked for it.

🌈 - do you associate any colours with them?

Cadence: lapis, Ive always associated them with darker blues but it’s also a nice nod to their original name.

Dante: mostly reds to be honest, I don’t have a specific shade but I’d say ones that fall on the warmer sides of things

Alisha: mainly jewel tones, though for the one I associate her with the most? I’d say green, emerald shades to be exact. It’s also a nice complement to her brother

💝 - how much effort do they put into their appearance? Do they have a favourite article of clothing?

Cadence: it depends honestly, if it’s for knight related work they’ll tend to just make sure their uniform is clean and that there’s no damage to the armour parts of it. Whereas for casual outings they’ll put in however much effort they want to, how well they’re put together also tends to reflect how much they actually like the person as well.

Dante: couldn’t care less about how he looks, man’s got everything from the wrinkled clothes to the bed hair that hasn’t been brushed in a week, sure he blames his lack of self care on the fact that there’s a witch running around causing problems but the rest of his team knows he’s messy regardless of the excuse, something that both Alisha and Henry reprimand him for.

Alisha: cares more about her appearance, but mostly because she’s in the public eye more than her brother. Though she still suffers from the same bed hair problem, something she has to get up an hour before she technically has to to fix, though she doesn’t really bother too much about her looks on the rare day she gets to stay in her room.

⚠️ - if this oc came with a warning sigh, what would it be?

Cadence: WARNING: self sacrificial

Dante: WARNING: overprotective of his family

Alisha: WARNING: surprisingly mean

❗️- what are the highest priorities to this oc? (At a point in their life of your choosing)

Cadence: after the fight with Elvira, they have to force themself not to slip into isolation so that they can keep an eye on everyone to make sure that happened with Elvira doesn’t happen to anyone else they know all while trying to hunt down Monarch.

Dante: making sure Stella is taken in and locked away, even going as far as constantly sending messages out to other kingdoms and towns, checking if they’ve seen or noticed anything. Though Henry does think that Dante is trying to do too much on his own from time to time and has to bring up the concern on several occasions.

Alisha: after the ambush attack that happens during the ritual, her father is hurt and is forced to step down as king, and after speaking with her brother, they both decide that Alisha is better suited to stepping up in the role. Though she’s by no means comfortable at the start, staying up late at night to double check knowledge she’s known for years all to make sure she’s doing a good enough job of ruling.

⚔️ - how does this oc handle conflict?

Cadence: tends to harbour their anger and resentment after it happens, though they also have the tendency to snap at people due to it.

Dante: can handle it pretty well, he’s used to it after spending time as both a knight and prince. Even if having to deal with it causes him to roll his eyes from time to time.

Alisha: is incredibly passive aggressive, and even if she’s the original person to cause said conflict, she’ll try and turn it so that the other person is the one to feel bad (Though she does get better at not doing it in the future, even if there are multiple reminders from her brother about it).

💛 - are they ‘good with children’, or more awkward?

Cadence: they’re pretty good with them, they use to babysit younger kids back in Phoenix so they know how to deal with nearly every type of kid from good to rowdy. Even if it’s still tiring to them even with years of it under their belt.

Dante: is ok with them, not the best though. He doesn’t know anything about that kids actually like but he’s happy to listen to them, even if he has no clue about what they’re on about.

Alisha: has no clue how to talk to them whatsoever, she’s spent all her time with either people her age or older, so while she wouldn’t say she “hates” them, she doesn’t really like being in the room with them due to not knowing what to do if they want to talk to her.

🌕 if this oc was an animal, what kind would they be?

Cadence: butterfly

Dante: horse

Alisha: snake

I know they’re kinda vague answers but I’m gonna be honest I don’t really tend to associate every character with an animal but I feel like these suit them the best.

📓 - do you associate any quotes or lyrics with this oc?

Cadence: freedom is the thing with wings

Dante: well done is better than well said

Alisha: strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value

#long post #oc asks #boops ask #ask game #first sound

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emi-writings · 1 year ago

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Burning Iron and Honey Sweet Promises: Chapter Three

The third chapter of Burning Iron. Wilbur and the Unseelie King start to learn a few things about each other. And Wilbur's mother reads his cards...

It had been a struggle to balance everything he had brought with him down the ladder and into the cellar. He had an entire meal worth of food, along with his bottle of healing water and a small healing spell bottle. So long as the Unseelie King had it concealed on his person, the fae would be able to draw on its power to heal himself. At least, he would be able to for a couple of months, until Wilbur would have to replace the bottle with a new one. But until that point, it would be very effective. Hopefully.

Q perked up immediately as soon as Wilbur entered the room, “Lapis? Why do I smell thyme and honey?”

“Because tonight is your lucky night, Q” Wilbur revealed the meal he had prepared, “I was able to prepare some thyme-roasted chicken and honey glazed potatoes. So, you actually get to eat a full meal.”

Wilbur had struggled to cook the food without getting caught. Most people might not have been able to tell what contraband ingredients had been put into the dish, but he knew his overprotective and paranoid father would’ve worked it out far too quickly. That would have left Wilbur trapped, forced to explain exactly why he wanted to prepare a meal perfect for a fae. Even if Wilbur successfully lied his way out of that situation, he’d have Technoblade babysitting for a couple of months at least. Which would have left Q on his own.

Still, a part of Wilbur felt like the effort had been completely worth it. The look on the Unseelie fae’s face when he entered the room, the look of absolute delight he gained – like a child who had gotten everything he wanted for his birthday. He wasn’t sure why, but he liked that he could catch the fae off guard like that. Maybe it was just because the fae was rather easy to please, especially when compared to the other hunters who barely acknowledged his existence unless they wanted a protection ward or blessed weapon. Wilbur just liked the change of pace.

“What’s wrong, Q? Usually you have some witty comeback prepared for me” Wilbur teased.

“You’re just full of surprises” the fae said in a tone Wilbur couldn’t place.

Wilbur tried to play it off, “It’s nothing, really. Oh, wait! Before you eat, you should probably drink this.”

“What is it? Another tonic of yours?” Q asked.

“It’s just water. But special water. Water that is good for you” Wilbur answered.

The King of the Unseelie Court eyed him with a look of pure skepticism, but relented and relaxed so Wilbur could properly give him the drink. The Healing Water Enchantment had to be consumed quickly after the spell had been casted, as after too long the magic would slowly start to fade and the enchanted water would just become regular water. Wilbur still felt plenty of magic from the bottle, but he wasn’t one who wanted to take chances. Q needed to drink it sooner rather than later, or else he might not get the full benefits from the water. Which would have rendered Wilbur exhausting himself a huge waste.

“That wasn’t just water” the fae eyed him suspiciously.

“Sure it was,” Wilbur said, “What else could it have been?”

Q leaned forward, “You’re a witch.”

It wasn’t a question.

“Me? No, I’m not a witch” Wilbur scoffed, though it sounded fake even to his ears.

“I’m not going to use it against you, Lapis. Even if I would, how could I?” the fae deliberately rattled his chains, “I’m very secured down here.”

The witch contemplated over that one for a moment. While it was true that the fae was unable to do anything with the information of Wilbur’s abilities, that still didn’t entirely negate the risks that came with a fae knowing someone was a witch. But witches had gotten a terrible reputation amongst other humans in the first place because some of them worked with the fae. So, perhaps the fae never targeted witches just for being witches. Perhaps there was something else about the witches they targeted, and it only looked like they targeted witches because no one really had all the information.

Besides, fae can’t outright lie, and Q just said he wouldn’t use his craft against him.

Wilbur sighed, “Yes, I am a witch.”

“And a talented one as well. The second the water hit my tongue I felt your power” the fae added.

“I’m not that talented. My mother is far more experienced than I am” Wilbur countered.

“Experience only carries you so far” Q continued, “And you’re powerful enough to make up that gap. If you’ve been practicing for long enough, you probably have enough experience that it doesn’t matter anyway.”

“Let’s just get you fed now. You probably don’t want to eat your food cold” Wilbur scrambled to grab the dish.

Q gave him an oddly disappointed look, “Of course.”

Wilbur chose not to think too hard into that reaction, and instead focused on getting the fae in front of him fed. A full meal would do him some good, especially after a couple of days of scarce snacks between periods of starvation. So Wilbur grabbed out his utensils and slowly fed the fae. It should have made a much better meal – shrikes liked to eat other birds, the thyme was a plant beloved by the fae, and honey glazed potatoes would serve as something a little more filling, and sweet enough to give the Unseelie King a bit more strength.

“That’s the last of it” Wilbur started to pack everything away.

“Are you leaving now?” the fae asked.

Of course, Wilbur hadn’t intended to leave right at that moment – there was still the matter of his spell bottle. But after he heard the vulnerability in the other’s voice, Wilbur couldn’t bring himself to confess that right away. Especially when there would be a lot of teasing on the other’s part once he revealed the last thing he had tonight. So, instead, Wilbur made himself comfortable on the floor in front of the Unseelie King’s cage.

“I have some time to kill. I don’t have to leave” Wilbur answered, “But I’m not entirely sure what else we can really do but talk.”

“That’s fine, I don’t mind talking. Especially not with someone so interesting” Q smiled.

“Well, do you have anything you want to talk about?” Wilbur asked.

Q rested his head against his arms, “How about a little game? I ask you a question and after you answer, you ask me a question. We can refuse to answer a question, but it does result in your turn being skipped.”

“And how many times can you skip a question?” Wilbur inquired, his eyes narrowed at the fae.

“As many times as you’d like. I know you probably don’t trust me, but I’m not looking for weaknesses or secrets. I just want to get to know you better” the fae explained.

The witch felt conflicted at that. On one hand, it was an opportunity to get information out of a Fae Monarch – something no one, no hunter, had ever accomplished before. But on the other hand, the Unseelie King would have a chance to get information out of him. Sure, he could skip a question he didn’t want to answer. But, at some point, the fae would get frustrated with the lack of answers. Still, anything he could get from Q would be worth it in the end.

Wilbur pondered it for a long time, then sighed, “I want to be able to end the game whenever I want to, regardless of whose turn it is.”

“That’s an understandable condition” Q agreed, “What’s your favorite color?”

That caught Wilbur off guard – why would a fae care to know that, “Teal, I guess. What about yours?”

“I’m rather partial to my court colors” the fae gave a relaxed smile, “Favorite season?”

“I like the cooler seasons, I suppose” Wilbur wondered if the fae was trying to lull him into a false sense of security, “What’s it like ruling the Unseelie Court?”

“I think the best way to describe it would be a headache you’re happy to have. It’s a chaotic nightmare, we are the court of the untamed, the court that gives itself over to temptation and passion. But I wouldn’t have it any other way” Q laughed a little, “What about you? What do you do when you aren’t sneaking around helping fae prisoners?”

“I – What? Why do you care about that?” the witch had asked something intentionally to get some kind of reaction from the fae, to see what the fae really wanted – why had Q just asked about hobbies?

“Because you’re literally the only person why isn’t trying to torture or taunt me whenever they visit me. Because you’re kind to me. Because I can already tell you’re talented in witchcraft, and I want to know what makes you smile even if I probably won’t ever get to see it” Q explained and then winked, “And I won’t count that as one of your questions.”

That made no sense based on what Wilbur had been taught about the fae. They were supposed to be selfish, hedonistic primordial beings that lacked empathy. They weren’t supposed to care about humans. Not about their favorite color, not about their hobbies and interests. They were supposed to subjugate humans and force their whims onto them. Humans were supposed to be just simple entertainment or convenient servants that couldn’t fight back. If they’re unlucky, possibly even just decoration – a living statue, or something worse.

Still, the fae quite literally had nothing to do. He was trapped down in a cellar designed to kill him, walls that burned his skin, and salt that broke his magic. When he was visited, it was either Phil or the other hunters attempting to strike a negotiation, no care for much pain the Unseelie King suffered through in the process. It was understandable that maybe he really wanted company.

“I practice witchcraft a lot in my spare time. I enjoy reading tarot cards, they’re a lot of fun even if I don’t have many people who want me to read their cards. I enjoy card games when I get the chance, and I read a lot of stories about traveling the world. I’m kind of a geography nerd” Wilbur thought about his interest in music and tactfully left that part out, “I do other tasks, but they’re not really things I enjoy, just jobs I have to do.”

The fae made an amused hum, “If you ever want to read someone’s cards, you can always read mine. I’m not sure how interesting they will be since I’m kind of trapped, but that can’t be helped.”

“You’d really let me read your cards?” Nobody asked Wilbur to read their cards – his brother stopped having time for it years ago, and his mother rarely had the time now.

“If you really want to. I’m interested to see how it works. And at this rate, you’re going to get too many free questions” Q teased.

Wilbur felt his face warm at that, “Right. You don’t have to give me any free questions.”

“It’s fine. Just don’t let anyone else know about it, or else they might think I’m playing favorites” Q said.

The witch had never been grateful for the mask until that moment, with the fae’s teasing comments and mischievous eyes he wouldn’t want to give him more ammunition to taunt him with. He could already tell the fae would get arrogant if he noticed the reactions he incited in Wilbur through words alone. Wilbur needed to shift the subject, and quickly.

“Anyway, what are your interests? The Unseelie King has to have some interesting way to spend his time” Wilbur asked as he shifted the subject.

“I’m sure you probably have an idea of what I get up to based on the rumors about me” Q laughed, “But honestly? It’s probably a lot different from what you’re thinking. Mostly pranks, or just getting wrapped up into whatever mess someone started. I dabble a little in music, gardening, and dancing. The Unseelie Court is always looking for an excuse to party or celebrate, we’re kind of a wild bunch.”

Q sighed wistfully, “You probably won’t get the chance, but I just know you would love the dances. And during a full moon celebration? Time flies by so quickly when you dance with someone beneath that shining silver light. A lot of fae agree that the dances are the best parts. Personally though, I've always preferred getting drunk off my ass and pranking the entire court, rather than dancing with the other fae. Not everyone can match my tempo.”

“Sounds wonderful,” Wilbur said, “Any phase of the moon is important in witchcraft, but I’ve never been given the chance to work with the full moon for… obvious reasons. It’s a great phase for any spells for divination, wealth, dreams, knowledge, love, and healing. The most I ever get to do is create full moon water. At least I get to work with the new moon.”

“That fucking sucks. I’m sorry that our shenanigans have kept you from working with the full moon the way you wished to” the fae said.

Another moment that put everything Wilbur had been taught into question – the fae actually felt bad that Wilbur’s magic practices have been impacted by his kind. It wasn’t even the fae who were at fault, it was his overprotective father and his stupid rules about when he could cast that had ruined his chances of working with the full moon. Other witches found ways to be left alone while the fae just did their own thing, why couldn’t he work it out? He needed to calm down, or he wouldn’t be able to focus.

“Your next question,” Wilbur prompted.

“Is it really safe for you to be doing this? As much as I would rather not die horribly from iron sickness or something, I don’t want you to get in trouble” Q asked.

“Yeah, it’s fine” Wilbur shrugged, “I won’t get caught as long as they keep the sleep spell jars, I made them in their room.”

Something lit up in the fae’s eyes, “Sleep spell jars?”

“They’re spell jars that aid with sleep. It’s not strong enough to force people to sleep when they don’t want to. But it can keep people asleep, even if they should’ve woken up from a noise from somewhere else in the house” Wilbur explained, and he felt himself smirk beneath his mask, “And I’ll let you have that question for free.”

That earned a laugh, “Oh you’re very clever. And so much fun. What’s your next question for me?”

“Hm” Wilbur pondered for a moment, “I guess I am curious about what the Unseelie Court is like? No human ever goes to the fae courts unless, well, they’ve been taken.”

“Okay, first of all – huge exaggeration. There was a fae in my court who dated a human pirate for years, taking her back and forth between the Unseelie Court and the human realm the entire time. So, toss out that idea” Q countered, “And the Unseelie Court is always changing, mostly because everyone causes way too much property damage on a weekly basis. It’s a lot of fun, a little hectic, and very beautiful.”

“There are sections that embody different aspects of the Unseelie Court’s nature. A district of fall, where the trees are crimson, amber, and golden. An entire winter wonderland, with vast valleys of snow and lakes of ice. And darkness and shadows are everywhere” Q smiled, as if lost in thought, “I wish you could see it, I think you’d find it beautiful. But you probably wouldn’t want to risk getting trapped there.”

Wilbur laughed a little at that, “There is also the fact that time sometimes moves differently between the two worlds, any food would either be deadly to me or trap me there, and I would be completely at the mercy of any fae I encountered there. Just a couple of minor turn offs from visiting.”

“Well, those are only problems for humans, so they’re not that big of a deal to me” Q’s smile faded for a moment, “Do… Do you know why they're keeping me here? Instead of just killing me outright?”

“They’re planning on making a deal with you, aren’t they? To get your court to stop targeting humans?” Wilbur was confused by that question – surely Phil would be actually talking with Q about the deal.

Q laughed without humor, “That’s what they told you? Of course it was.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Wilbur asked.

“Well, your village has never had the chance to study a Fae Monarch up close and personal before. Never had the opportunity to see just what their bodies can take, compared to a regular fae” Q looked away, “When you first visited me, I thought it was strange that they allowed something that would completely ruin the results of the experiment. It makes a lot more sense now.”

Anger boiled beneath Wilbur’s skin, hot and heavy. For nearly a week, he had assumed that his father and the other hunters had been working towards the goal of peace. Working towards the chance that the fae wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone ever again. For a chance that Wilbur wouldn’t be forced to hide and conceal himself anymore. But the witch had been naïve, he shouldn’t have trusted his father not to lie to him. He wondered if his brother had joined in on the torturing, or if he was just as clueless.

“I have to go,” Wilbur felt himself shaking from rage, “I’ll figure out some way to help you, but I need to go.”

“It’s fine, Lapis. You’ve done plenty already” Q gave a reassuring smile.

“I will think of something,” Wilbur steeled himself, “But… there is one last thing I have for you, before I go.”

“Well, aren’t you spoiling me tonight? I could get used to this” Q hummed.

“It’s nothing that special – it’s a healing spell jar. As long as it’s near you, it will help with your healing” Wilbur explained, “The problem is… obviously if anyone sees you with it, they will know I’ve been visiting you.”

“Yes?”

“And the only place to really hide it… would be on you” Wilbur finished.

If Phil caught sight of the spell jar, Wilbur would probably be locked in his room until the Unseelie Fae perished. That was why the witch had chosen the smallest bottle he could have gotten his hands on. Still, the cellar was empty except for the cage, which limited the amount of hiding spots Wilbur had access to. The witch really had restricted his options with the healing spell jar, but it was the best form of healing he could come up with for the Unseelie Fae – it would be the only thing that could heal him when Wilbur wasn’t able to visit.

Q gave an exaggerated sigh, “Well if it can’t be helped, I suppose my body will have to do as a hiding place.”

“Please don’t make this weird” Wilbur nearly begged.

“And what would you offer me to get me to stop?” Q asked.

Wilbur glared at him, even though the fae couldn’t actually see it. The fae smirked as Wilbur tried to find a place to conceal the jar. It wasn’t easy, the fae wasn’t exactly decked out in layers. Every pocket he tried had a noticeable bulge that made it obvious that something was hidden. So the witch had to get creative, which meant messing with the fae’s clothing.

“You do this often?” Q smirked, “Your hands feel quite practiced at this.”

Wilbur blushed and tried to ignore the warm feeling he got when his fingers brushed against the fae’s skin, “Please shut up.”

“Well, I need something to distract me from the pain, and your touch is so pleasant” the fae continued.

Wilbur refused to acknowledge him.

Q just laughed and leaned forward, “Oh, don’t be embarrassed. I know I’m gorgeous, but I’m sure you must be pretty under that mask.”

Okay, time to fight fire with fire, “You really shouldn’t tempt fate. You’re completely at my mercy, you couldn’t do anything if I decided to act on your teasing.”

The fae’s jaw visibly dropped at that, and Wilbur felt the thrill of success… until the Unseelie King’s eyes lit up.

Fuck.

“I don’t think you would know what to do with me” the fae grinned, “What do you think would happen if the situation was reversed? If you were entirely at my mercy?”

Wilbur stepped back, but Q just leaned as far forward as his chains would allow, “I know what I’d do. How I would touch you. I’d leave you burning. You’d want more, and maybe I would grant you that. Maybe I would just tease you until you begged for me. Until you were desperate enough for me.”

“I… what…?” Wilbur felt lightheaded just thinking about it.

“Maybe I would leave you covered in markings. Little tokens of my affections, just to remind you of what I had done to – nothing painful, I’d make certain you would love it” Q’s eyes glowed a vibrant red, “I’d leave you warm. You’d be warm for weeks, long after you felt my touch… Try my boots.”

Wilbur dizzily shook his head, “What?”

“The spell jar” the fae clearly wanted to laugh, “Try hiding it inside of one of my boots.”

Oh, Wilbur was going to kill him.

The night of the new moon.

Wilbur loved the nights that fell on the new moon – with fae at their weakest, Wilbur was actually allowed some freedom. Of course, most of that freedom was intended for Wilbur to properly perform a ritual to bless weapons against the fae. The witch didn’t care about that, all he cared about was the fact that he got to spend an entire day pampering himself without having to deal with any of the hunter bullshit he usually was forced to.

The first thing he had to do was prepare himself a pre-spell bath ritual – a ritual that removed negative energies and cleansed the body and spirit. It was a simple bath of honeysuckle, thyme, rosemary, and apple blossoms, with a single white candle lit at the end of the tub. The fact that this time he used plants that attracted fae was a complete coincidence if anyone asked. The bath ritual always left Wilbur relaxed and energized, so the witch always enjoyed taking his time with that part of the day. Besides, he always smelled rather pleasant afterwards, and that was always a plus when surrounded by a village of people who always smelt of iron, salt, and blood.

Wilbur shook his head at those thoughts. The witch was supposed to keep his head clear, and any thoughts about fae always filled his head with thoughts on one particular fae. He had tried to meet up with the Unseelie King every night, and he had, but he was uncertain if he would be able to that night. He was incredibly worried – if his father had been torturing him, then Wilbur knew that the new moon night would have been the worst night for him since he would have been at his weakest. But Wilbur couldn’t do much, he would be exhausted after he helped his mother bless some weapons for the hunters.

The witch sighed and decided that the best thing to do was ignore that buzzing urgency that hummed in his veins and get dressed in his ritual attire.

Every aspect of his new moon ritual attire had been chosen with careful consideration. The main outfit was made from layered robes in purple, sheer fabric. The cut allowed for maximum movement, while still being elegant and flowing. The sleeves left his shoulders exposed, and they were long, flowing angel sleeves that flowed behind Wilbur whenever he moved his arms. The bottom of the robes were slightly shorter in the front then they were in the back – the front was just above his ankles, while the bottom trailed behind him a little. The outfit came with a sheer, black cloak that he waited to drape over himself until after he finished with all of his accessories.

The colors were chosen specifically for their correspondences. The color purple corresponded to many different aspects in magic. Spiritual awakenings, divination, transformation, transition, transmutation, wisdom, abundance, and a general magic amplifier. The shade of purple for the robes were a little redder than most shades, and red tended to correspond to passion, courage, power, and… other things. Black was the best color of protection, so it made sense to wear something of that color during a ritual.

Crystals and gemstones also corresponded to different things, and Wilbur had a couple of different options at his fingertips. But his mind couldn’t move on from the Unseelie Fae. So, against his better judgment, he selected his ruby set of jewelry. The bright red stones reminded him too much of the fae, and he felt his face warm at the memory. If his mother asked, he’d just claim he had chosen the rubies because he was anxious and needed courage. He just hoped his face wouldn’t completely give him away with a blush.

Wilbur ended up completely decked out in silver jewelry. His head had a circlet crown, which had a crescent moon in front of his forehead, and dangled rubies around his head. His hand had a hand chain that had the same crescent moon theme as all his jewelry. His necklace was a choker that mimicked tree branches growing out of a moon, with multiple dangling chains with rubies. He had an anklet foot chains that matched his hand chains. He had earrings that coiled around his ears, and dangled down two large crescent moons, with several small rubies dangling down. His outfit lacked shoes, as he needed a quick way to ground himself and dismiss excess energy in case of an emergency.

The best part about the outfit was that it chimed and rang every time he moved. It was supposed to be for convenience’s sake – the sound of bells cleansed spaces, and with the way his ritual outfits were designed, all the witch had to do was walk or dance around the space, and it would cleanse the area. But Wilbur loved it because of his love for music. He rarely ever got to indulge in his passion for music. The only reason he had even gotten a chance to was because Technoblade had sneakily gotten him a guitar as a birthday gift. New moon rituals were the only time he could be brazen about his enthusiasm for music.

Once Wilbur had finished getting dressed, he tossed on his sheer cloak, and made his way through his home. His mother had asked to visit her, so he looked for her. He found her in the back garden, a purple candle lit to the side of the table, with some snacks and tea. There was also her tarot deck, with a selenite tumble stone rested atop the deck to keep them cleansed. Wilbur smiled in greeting and took a seat across from her.

“Ready for a reading?” his mother asked.

Wilbur took a deep breath, “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Do you know what kind of reading you want to do?” Kristin started shuffling the cards, “You have many options.”

“How about we start with a general reading and see where it goes?” Wilbur offered.

Kristin nodded, “Sounds like a plan. How about a Celtic Cross spread?”

“Perfect,” Wilbur agreed.

The Celtic Cross spread was considered a more advanced tarot spread, at least from a beginner’s perspective. But it was a classic, and its complexity allowed for more clarity. The Celtic Cross spread was perfect for those who wanted a more objective direction for their life. It could work with any kind of problem – relationship, health, business – if you had a problem, the Celtic Cross would be able to give you advice. You could also do a general reading if you didn’t have a specific problem in mind and just wanted advice from the universe.

Still, Wilbur had a hunch when he shuffled the deck of cards, he couldn’t help but think of the Unseelie King. It made sense that the fae would be on his mind, after all, his entire life would be destroyed if anyone discovered he helped the Unseelie King. Of course, Wilbur was concerned that his mother would work out what he had done this entire time but hopefully the cards would be vague enough that Kristin would instead mistake it for something else. That would completely miss the entire point having someone else read his cards, but Wilbur didn’t really care at this point.

After he had thoroughly shuffled the cards, Wilbur handed them back to his mother. She immediately started placing the cards into position. The Celtic Cross was a ten-card spread; each card represented the answer to a different question. The first represented the person in that moment, or the heart of the matter. The second card rested atop of the first and represented a blockage or challenge. The third card was the conscious goal. The fourth card was an unknown influence. The fifth card represented a recent negative influence. The sixth would be an approaching short-term influence. Card seven would be forthcoming resources. The eighth card shows how others will perceive the person the reading is for. And finally, the last two cards – the ninth being the long-term influence and the tenth being the long-term outcome.

His mother flipped over the first card, “Well, well, well. A reading where you’re not represented by the Eight of Swords. The Hierophant Reversed. I’m glad to see it. It’s good to see you feeling so free after so many years of feeling trapped.”

That made sense – now that he knew how easy it was to break into places he wasn’t supposed to, he also knew how easy it would be for him to completely escape the village.

“And your challenge” Kristen flipped over the second card, “Two of swords. I’m guessing you had a specific problem in mind? You have two choices in front of you, and you don’t know which one to take. You might lack important information, which could be crucial to making your decision. Or perhaps you are intentionally trying to avoid making a decision. Let’s see if the cards can help you.”

There were two obvious choices when it came to the Unseelie King. He didn’t want to think about what those choices were.

“The third card, your conscious goal – the Ace of Cups. An invitation for love in all its forms. A new friendship, renewed family connection, or perhaps a blossoming new romance. Only you can really tell at this moment” Kristin gave him a sly look.

Wilbur hoped they were at least friends in Q’s mind. He healed and visited him all the time, they had to be close.

Kristin flipped over the fourth card, “Your unknown influence is the Knight of Cups. The classic romantic of the deck. And another cups card. This general reading is starting to look an awful lot like a relationship reading.”

Wilbur blushed, “We don’t know that for certain.”

To be fair, the Knight of Cups could’ve been about Wilbur dedicating himself to altruism, creativity, or beauty. Or it could have been a sign Wilbur was making decisions based on how he felt about a situation rather than what he thought. But Wilbur couldn’t help but think about the Unseelie King, how charismatic and flirty he was. About just how he made Wilbur feel whenever they were in the same room, despite the fact that he was trapped in a cage.

“Alright, I won’t tease you” his mother moved on to the fifth card, “The Moon Reversed? Do you know what this could be referring to.”

The Moon Reversed? As his recent negative influence? Oh, Wilbur knew, his mother just wouldn’t want to hear his thoughts about it. It was all about the lies and deception of his father.

“Yeah, I get it,” Wilbur huffed.

“Okay, we can move on. Approaching short-term influences – The Devil” Kristin gave him a look, “So, based on the cards available, I think this is another one we can skip.”

Wilbur felt his face burn with embarrassment at that. The Devil represented a lot of different things, from negative things like addictions, to more positive things like powerful attachment between two people. However, his mother clearly looked at where it was placed and picked up on one particular meaning that fit very well – sexuality, desires, personal fantasies. The witch wished he could melt away in that moment, he really didn’t need either himself or his mother to speculate on what he was into or what he would discover that he was into in the future.

Kristin mercifully and swiftly moved on, “Forthcoming resources – The Wheel of Fortune. You’re getting a lot of Major Arcana this reading. But you know what this means. Changes are coming, and it’s out of your hands.”

The Wheel of Fortune. Factors outside your control are influencing your situation. It was annoying for someone like Wilbur, who already had so little control over his life. And it was paired with a reading of multiple Major Arcana cards. When a Tarot reading was primarily made up of Major Arcana cards, it meant one was experiencing life-changing events that would have long-term effects. The combination of that with The Wheel of Fortune meant that whatever was coming would be big.

“And others will perceive you… Death” Kristin made a confused hum, “There will be a significant transformation, change, or transition in how others will see you. What it could be is unknown, but it’s clearly very different.”

Wilbur wondered about it too. If Wilbur was discovered as a traitor, he’s certain that everyone would perceive him differently.

“The Hanged Man. Pause, surrender, letting go, or new perspectives. I guess your long-term influence will be related to that. We’ll just have to see, won’t we” his mother smiled.

Maybe Wilbur should have thought more about it, but he chalked it up to a message that he needs to accept The Wheel of Fortune as he sat anxiously, and he stared at the last card.

Kristin smiled as soon as she saw the last card, “Oh, The Lovers. What a beautiful card to end this reading on. I’m guessing you’ve come around to your betrothal?”

“Well, I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching lately. I guess I’ve just settled down and accepted it” Wilbur lied with a blushing smile.

Wilbur really needed to do further readings to see what the fuck was going on with him and the Unseelie King.

Or maybe he should just go pay the Unseelie King a visit?

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#tntduo #quackbur #tntduo fanfic #tntduo fic #burning iron and honey sweet promises

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