#Luna the apprentice

[cagedcats]

Temptation of the Sun

-

New Sol design is really fun for me

Still trying to figure out a Moonpaw I do like. Yoinked colors from her parents wiki sprites for here.

Since I kind of yoinked colors from a solar eclipse for Sol maybe a lunar eclipse could work for Moonpaw.

Also random rant under readmore

Also I’m still a little miffed of all cats they made her the kid of two cats that are cousins three times at least. When there is… oh idk… five to six cats that have little to no blood connection to anyone else. Two of which that are mates.

Daisy and Mousewhisker which yeah mother and son, but the only kin they have is other then each other is Cherryfall and Molewhisker. Stormcloud who has done nothing. Twigbranch and Finleap who are the mated pair. And now Sunbeam.

tho tbf to TwigFin I think Twig may be Childfree but idk! Just! Anyone else but the family wreath! Make her the kid of one of them. Or even do something with the implied StormCherry. Or NightSun, anyone please.

So you can have…

Daisy X Someone

Mouse x Someone (Minnow? It was a cute crush)

StormXCherry since it was implied

TwigFin but maybe not if you want to keep em child free

NightSun it would be expected and I can see not doing it, but it would be the easiest.

Or just have her as a random kid that stumbles upon the Clans. Could be fun.

May make Moon designs based on each. But if The Five Clans AU (which I still need a name) ever came to fruition she’d probably be one of these couples kids instead of… ThriftBay.

[fox-daddy]

Was thinking about writing a full headcannon. In case I never do write it, enjoy this post.

To be loved is to

Kyle: To be loved is to be accepted. Both for all your flaws and quirks, and for what makes you, you.

Hunter: To be loved is to be understood. Not necessarily to be agreed with everything, but to be understand regardless.

Bluebell: To be loved is to be seen.

Bonus:

Sora: To be loved is to be changed according to the story the little prince. A French story showing the adventure of a little bo-

Fauna: To be loved is to be loved.

Luna: To be loved is to tolerate the gross parts of the day. Farting in bed, picking your teeth, kissing despite you having onion breath. Love is acceptance of the good, the bad, and the gross.

[malkmadness]

VAMPIRE SLEEPOVER PARTY !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Roscoe and Seer belong to @otagen :D

Luna (middle) belongs to meeeeee!!!

[charmfamily]

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕿𝖍𝖗𝖊𝖊 𝕱𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝕾𝖆𝖌𝖊𝖘 𝖔𝖋 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕾𝖈𝖍𝖔𝖔𝖑𝖘 𝖔𝖋 𝕸𝖆𝖌𝖎𝖈

Thackery Wyrmwood, the Sage of Alchemy. Lumiona Grimsbane, the Sage of Untamed Magic. Leopold Barkridge, the Sage of Practical Magic. Arabella Mellor, the Sage of Mischief Magic.

[fragmentedblade]

Insane that Blade during Todd's quest did basically the same thing Dan Heng was doing during this last video

[countessofravenclaw]

Me: I will never write or even think about the Roller Crew's kids. I know they will have some, but I can't really imagine it enough to care Also me: So, Gastón and Nina so took their children on multiple Disney trips, and also many Disney Cruises. I know it would be expensive given that they don't even live in the USA, but this is my imagination and they will have money. Gastón will end up as the CEO of German Castillo's engineering company after he retires.

[beansprean]

Support me on Patreon or send a tip on Kofi!

One day in January I thought, "wouldn't it be hilarious if there was an episode where the camera crew changes places with a crew filming a documentary on werewolves in california. and everyone is playing a werewolf counterpart version of their character?" And it all devolved from there. Ty to @vampireshmampire and @memosminifridge for riffing with me and coming up with hilarious ideas <3

(ID in alt and under cut)

ID: 1. Title card, close up on a full moon glowing blue, surrounded by swirls of fog and bands of purple, blue, and green light. Overlaid is tht title "What We Do Under The Moon" in the What We Do In The Shadows font, letters dark blue with a brighter blue to purple gradient at the bottom, backlit in white.

2. Wide shot of the werewolf character played by Kayvan Novak doing a talking head. He is wearing medium wash jeans, a grey tee shirt over a millennial pink vest, a small gold medallion around his neck with a matching crescent moon earring, and has his long wavy hair half up in a messy bun. He is sitting on a light cream L-shaped couch adjacent to a glass patio door letting in the sunlight and below a wall hanging that says 'live, laugh, lick'. The lower third identifies him as "Navid - beta werewolf". Navid leans back casually against the cushions and props one elbow up on the back of the couch, leaning his head into that hand, and says, "If I am to establish myself as the Alpha of the pack over Lionel and Niki, I must find a mate. Someone strong, powerful, and...nearby. In the same house even, if possible." As he speaks, he glances meaningfully to his left, where the character played by Harvey Guillen is standing behind the couch, his back to Navid as he fusses with a vacuum. He is wearing square retro glasses, airpods in both ears, brown chinos, and a short sleeved green button up unbuttoned to the sternum with a dog silhouette pattern and sleeves rolled up his biceps. His beard is well-kept stubble and hair is buzzed short on the sides, curls pushed to the side in artful disarray and sun-bleached a lighter brown.

3a. Close up on Harvey's character as he walks down the hall away from Navid's talking head. In the background, Navid whips around to lean over the back of the couch with an expectant grin, howling, "Gerardo!! Eavesdropping again? Do you have anything to add to this topic?" Gerardo barely pays him mind, tossing his reply over his shoulder: "No, sir. Seems like a werewolf-only interview. I'm going to go vacuum the alpha den, they've been shedding." 3b. Waist-up of Gerardo standing with his arms crossed, doing a talking head. The lower third reads "Gerardo Cordero de Luna, werewolf familiar (familiar is crossed out) apprentice." Gerardo says haughtily, "I am not a familiar! Only witches and vampires pull that nonsense. I'm an apprentice, and I'm part of the pack." 3c. Repeat. Offscreen, one of the crew asks, "And what does a werewolf apprentice do?" Gerardo goes a bit red, embarrassed, and glares off to the side, hesitating to answer.

The following are all cropped close ups on a mottled orange and yellow background from a colored doodle dump. 4. Waist up of Gerardo and Navid as Navid begs, hands laced together, "Gerardo, won't you let me bite you?" Gerardo avoids his gaze with a nervous grin, flapping his hand dismissively, and replies, "Ehh...not yet! There's still plenty for me to learn about being a werewolf! I've only been apprenticed what, 3 years?" "Almost 15!" Navid shoots back.

5a. Knees up of Navid and Natasia Demetriou's werewolf character, Niki. She is wearing dark red gradient high waisted leggings, a dark red low cut bralette with crossed straps in front, a fluffy cropped brown fur coat, a gold medallion matching Navid's, and multiple golden piercings in her ears with two large oval discs dangling from the lobes. Her lipstick and square cut nails are dark red, and her long hair is permed in tight fluffy curls half up in twin buns. Navid grabs his left wrist with his right hand and thrusts it at Niki's face with an anxious expression, asking, "I smell like I love him, right??" Niki curls her lip and cringes away from him, hands up to swat his arm away as she spits back, "Ugh, yes!! You stink up the whole house with your pining! There's no way he can't smell it." 5b. Knees up of Gerardo sitting on a light cream couch, reading from a book titled "Care for the Lonely Werewolf" help up in his right hand. Navid is laying across the couch, sans vest and hair loose, with his head resting on Gerardo's left thigh. His right hand is trapped beneath him, fingers hooked at the back of Gerardo's knee, and his left rests on top beneath his cheek. Gerardo's left hand his idly petting his hair. Navid stares intently into the middle distance, thinking, 'Perhaps I should be less aloof with him...'

6a. Bust of Gerardo, who is holding up an iPad in his left hand with a drawing stylus poised in his right. Navid, large and hairy in werewolf form but still sporting his dangly earring and little hair bun, is hugging him from behind, clawed hands on his shoulders and wet nose nuzzling into the side of his face. Navid's eyes are closed and his mouth is hanging open, tongue lolling out happily. Gerardo looks up at him with a fond, if confused, smile. 6b. Knees up of Navid raising a triumphant fist with a grin and confidently declaring, "He is playing hard to get, but he underestimates how hard I am to get rid of!"

7a. Waist up of Matt Berry's werewolf character, Lionel, who looks much the same but is casual in a light cream linen shirt unbuttoned well below his sternum tucked into matching linen pants, his only accessory the gold medallion matching the others'. He is standing in front of a countertop hosting a box of Thin Mints and cringes away with a drawn-out whine as Gerardo pops into frame to spray him with water, scolding, "No, bad Lionel!" 7b. Waist up of Mark Proksch's character, who appears to just be Colin Robinson dressed like Indiana Jones, as he walks into frame with a rolling suitcase. He smiles and waves, shouting, "Howdy, guys!!" Lionel stands in the background, hands on hips with an easy smile, and says. "Oh, look, it's our landlord Arthur Simon Santiago who lives such an interesting life in New York City and uses this condo as a vacation home!"

8. Group shot, knees up, of Lionel, Niki, Gerardo, and Navid smiling for the camera. Lionel has one hand on his hip and the other around his wife's waist, leaning into her. Niki has one arm thrown around Lionel's shoulders, flashing a peace sign, and the other held up behind Navid's head to give him bunny ears. Gerardo is standing slightly in front of her, one hand clutching a pamphlet for Tisch School of the Arts and looking a bit uncomfortable as if he had been dragged into the photo last minute. Still, he offers the camera a hesitant smile and allows his left arm to be crushed to Navid's chest as the werewolf pulls him close with an arm around his shoulders. Navid leans his entire body into Gerardo with a huge grin, flashing a peace sign with his free hand.

9. Uncropped version of the entire doodle dump, repeating images 4 through 8. /end ID

[yanderes-galore]

Can you do a headcanon for platonic yandere Princess celestia where the reader is rebellious and tries to escape from her at any chance

Thank you!! <33

I can write down my ideas for this, yeah :)

Yandere! Platonic! Princess Celestia with Rebellious! Darling

Pairing: Platonic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Isolation, Manipulation, Abuse of power, Implied kidnapping, Punishment, Forced companionship.

I personally can imagine this scenario happening when Celestia picks another student after Twilight.

She keeps you in the castle to study and rarely lets you out.

You are her new apprentice and student... she's just keeping an eye on you.

Understandably, you don't take well to her new lessons and orders.

She's essentially manipulated you into staying in her castle for "studying".

Kidnapping you without any force.

When you come to your senses, you want out.

These leads to you and your escape attempts.

Such attempts amuse Celestia at first, in a way you remind her of Luna's rebellious behavior.

However, Celestia always manages to have guards find you again or Celestia herself hunts you down.

To her, this is like disciplining a filly/foal.

You're being silly... you should know you're better off in the castle.

Celestia will entertain your escape attempts for a little bit.

She herself has been mischievous, so she understands.

However... the more frequent your attempts, the more Celestia grows annoyed.

At some point I imagine she'd cast a spell on you to restrict your magic and lock you in your room as punishment.

It really does feel like she's a mother disciplining her filly/foal.

Celestia would scold her rebellious darling eventually.

You can't expect her to tolerate this forever, can you?

She'll have to reprimand and punish you at some point.

Perhaps you can get your magic back and be let out of your room once you learn where you belong.

No pony's going to help you... they know Celestia has your best interests at heart.

You have no pony to turn to but Celestia.

So how about you be a good student and listen to your Princess...

She grows tired of your games the longer they go on.

[lets-try-some-writing]

Hi! Longtime lurker here, I adore your writing and all the oneshots you publish. Do you have any cute headcanons about Optimus and Elita’s relationship (for instance, how they met, deciding to become Conjuxed, and other miscellaneous stuff)?

That I do! I love them very much your honor, so let me specify based on continuity. For now, lets stick to G1. I've had longer to think about them.

G1

Orion and Ariel met in a barfight. Orion decked someone for making nasty comments about Ariel and she in turn decked Orion thinking he was the one being gross.

They made up afterwards with a drink and proceeded to dance the night away, promptly exchanging communication lines.

Once Orion figured out where Ariel worked and after they had been talking for a while, he marched across Iacon in order to sign on at her depot.

Dion thought he was nuts but came along because he enjoyed the drama.

Orion made it a point to be a gentlemech even while working at the docks. He would carry anything heavier than a cat for Ariel's and would go out of his way to get her energon for her so she didn't have to stand in line for rations.

They began courting after Orion got into yet another fist fight in Ariel's defense. He got his face busted in, and while Ariel helped him get patched up, Orion blurted out that he couldn't just let other mechs touch her.

Ariel took that personally and proceeded to become just as devoted as Orion. This earned the duo many gags and amusing reactions from their fellows who referred to them as the "lovebirds".

Ariel and Orion never actually managed to be Conjunxed as dock workers. That came later when they met under the light of Luna 1 before the Exodus late into the war. Optimus brought Elita-One the last crystal rose he could find and asked her to be his Conjunx right there.

She agreed and they spent a mere three cycles together before having to go their separate ways. But Elita wore a simple pendant with contained a petal of that single rose. Optimus for his part carried the piece of Elita's antennae that had been torn off in combat.

During the war, when they were able, Optimus and Elita would call each other by their old names and dance under the stars, singing wild songs from the docks while playing music that didn't match the mood in the slightest.

When the war ended, Elita wept for Optimus during his many moments of death. But after each miraculous return, they would always reaffirm their oaths to each other. Usually with a few soft touches.

Post war, Elita and Optimus are the most sappy couple to have ever become a thing. They are constantly calling each other nicknames like "honey", "Sweetspark", "pooch" (that one is elita's and only for when she's feeling mischievous), "My forever", and Optimus's favorite, "My rose." (For obvious reasons).

They openly wear very obvious marks of their conjunxing now that they aren't being attacked left, right, and center. Elita keeps her pendant but also loves to have a little engraving of Optimus's pet name for her on her neck guard. Slightly scandalous, but she enjoys it, especially because Optimus has "pooch" written on his inner thigh where only she and the very observant can see.

They are also very good at being quiet about their activities as a couple. But when they feel like shooing mecha away, they love to get sappy and gross everyone out of the room.

They are also notoriously dramatic when the situation isn't serious. Put them in a war room and neither will so much as smile. But give them a minor issue, and they can and will make fun of those who are enduring some slight embarrassment.

Whenever Optimus takes on a new apprentice (adopts a child-), Elita has been known to mother them relentlessly in her own way. Some get beat around in training, others get homemade goodies. Others still may end up getting actually adopted.

Rodimus still has no idea that technically he's Optimus and Elita's on paper. Only Kup and Ultra Magnus know. Both think its hilarious and have no intention of telling poor Rodimus anytime soon.

[bundoesnotcompete]

Reader is a Vidyadhara and Dan Feng's apprentice. This is wayy to long at an amazing 7250 ish words. Slight lore inaccuracies and maybe oocness. Childhood friends to lovers. Reader is dubbed 'Baofu' as a name but it isn't mentioned often. See end for more notes. Enjoy!

You were floating in something warm. Whatever you were contained in was very warm and so wonderfully comfortable. You had to wonder where you were and why you felt so calm. Fragments of a previous life, of a game and wondering the cosmos, filled your mind. You startled and kicked around, it was too much for your young mind to handle. Your mind gently drifted off.

The next time you woke, you were much smaller. Your tail felt around your small chamber, that too was smaller. There were voices yelling outside, but they were muffled. Your chamber was dark, so seeing outside was not an option. They were horribly loud too your sensitive ears, and you shifted away from them, accidently flipping your prison around. They stopped yelling.

This was fine, you could handle being in a diffrent position if it meant you got your peace and quiet. You felt movement around you before your room righted itself. You floated to the bottom, happily sleeping again.

It was beginning to get cramped in your home. This was what you had decided the next time you woke. Quiet voices could be heard outside. The voices were familiar to you since you heard them often.

When you stretched out your limbs to relieve their sleepiness, your feet broke your container. Water was quickly filling your home and you panicked. The egg you were in was fragile and you easily broke free of it. Kicking and clawing your way to freedom and safety.

Well, it would've been safe if your toddler body could swim. Even the fragmented memories and instincts weren't enough to remember the motions to swim. You had yet to open your eyes, too busy flailing to think about opening them. Panic set in and you began to cry and scream, an internal part of you getting embarrassed. Water splashed around you before a set of hands grabbed your naked and screaming form. As you were lifted out of the water, you were decided to open your eyes.

Blurrily, you could see the face of a man with a set of blue ish horns and brown hair. Dan Heng? A fragment of your original self echoed. Who was Dan Heng? Blinking and settling yourself, you stopped screaming.

"I shall inform and retrieve the others, Imbibitor Lunae!" A panicked voice entered your ears. Even though fat tears were still streaming down your face, you could make out the man in front of you better. Blue eyes, dark brown to black hair, and long ears are what you could make out as he cradled you to his chest. You tail swoshed gently behind you as he shifted to hold you.

You watched from where your head laid on his shoulders as he left the waters. The dark cobbled room greeted your eyes. The place where you had slept was filled with green seawees and sand. Your former home laid in ruins from your panicked escape. Pieces of the egg shell floated in the clear water. You had eased up in your crying as you studied the room.

More people hurried into the room, these ones did not look lile the one who held you. They had long ears but lacked the horns and tail you and you handler had.

"Imbibitor Lunae, here is some blankets to wrap them in." A woman took you from you handler's arms and wrapped you in a warm blanket. You shifted, the blanket felt like it was crunching your tail. You began to cry again at the feeling, your toddler body not having much emotional control.

You made grabby hands toward the one known as Dan Feng, crying louder. You wanted to go back to safety and not being uncomfortable.

"Give them here. I will take them to the next room." Dan Feng commanded the room and you were quickly given back to him. He adjusted the blanket for your tail and held you to his chest.

What followed next was something you could not remember, your drowsiness taking over. What you did learn was that you were not something that was supposed to be alive.

Your egg had appeared from nowhere. An elderly Vidyadhara caretaker had found your egg. No records of you were found and that had caused an uproar. Scans confirmed that you were a Vidyadhara. Your egg was quickly isolated. An arugement had broken out about you when the entirity of the Vidyadhara Preceptors council had gotten together.

It was only when you were roughly seven in human years did you fully regain yourself.

--------

Being reincarnated sucked. Your reincarnation into the Vidyadhara called Baofu wouldn't have been so bad if the others hadn't looked at you strange. The new name and body hadn't taken long to get used to, but the looks did.

"Its not normal to show your tail and horns. Why are they doing that?" Many had murmured behind your back.

"I heard that the Council thinks they are a reincarnation of Long." Others would gossip. Many expectations were placed on you. Any wrong doing was punished twice as much then anyone else and any achievement belittled. The council members from all ships sucked.

You were in a small pool out in a green area, currently working on water techniques like your shifu taught you. The artifical sun of the Xianzhou Loufu was bright in the water. Your shifu sat behind you.

Dang Feng watched you as you struggled and got frustrated. His knees tucked underneath him and tail resting behind him. His face was passive at your growing frustration. He crossed his arms.

"Do not think of water as a shape right now. Think of it as a flowing river, do not fight against it, but go with it." His stern voice hit your ears just as your control faltered and water plooped back down into its source. You let out a frustrated cry and your tail hit the water hard. You turned around to face the dark-haired man, ignoring the fact he was gently wiping water from his face.

"Can we go home? I've been doing this forever. I wanna go play." Your voice was a hair below shouting. Frustration was thick in your voice and your mentor merely sighed.

"Give it another shot. You are closer to doing it then you think you are." He encouraged. You groaned before turning around. You held your hands out and focused. Let the water flow freely, but encourage it to keep its shape.

A small, clear blob gently floated in front of you. You imagined a ring in your mind and attempted to mould to water to that shape. The water shakily formed a ring and you held it in the air. A large smile broke out on your face and you turned to you mentor who gave a small smile. Turning your head back to the ring of water., you felt your control slip and watched the water flop pathetically back to its source.

You sagged slightly at the sight, but turned around as you heard your mentor stand. He dusted off his white pants and beckoned you toward him. You walked to him and got out of the water. Your sandals were covered in sand and the edges of your shorts were slightly wet.

"I will permit you to have extra time to play today. You will not get the opportunity tomorrow." He held out his hand for you to take. You took it, his large hand encompassing yours. "You did well today. So not let the others bring you down. You are still quite young." You both walked back to your shared home.

Once you changed, you fled the house. Your master watching as you left. There was a park you could go to that had many children there often. It was a wonderful place to go to when you just wanted to be a child. As you arrived, you scanned the area. The park was rather empty today. The only people in it were a white haired man and a young boy. His son, you guessed by the looks of it.

You darted to the sand box the boy was in, you tail gently swaying as you ran. The boy heard you and looked up from where he was playing. You stopped in front of him and looked down at him. Gold eyes watched you carefully. You had this. You could do this without being socially awkward.

"I am Baofu and I think we are going to play together." Shit, that was too demanding. Plan B, Plan B. "If you wanna. If not I can go play somewhere else." You back tracked, trying to fix your tone to something lighter. Heavens did you even sound like a child?

Nice going, you messed it up and now he's not going to play with you. You thought.

The boy merely smiled and shuffled over to make space for you. He patted the sand beside him. You stepped in the box and sat next to him. He turned to you, white hair messily framing his face.

"I'm Jing Yuan." He said, scooping some sand into a his pale blue bucket. He made no comments on your more dragon like appearance. Instead, you two played like any other children would. Being a child again was a wonderful experience at times, this being one of them. Even as his father came to take Jing Yuan home, you two promised to meet again.

You often met with Jing Yuan at the park after that. In between your forced duties and schooling, you would try to catch him at the park. You only truly made friends with him and no other child at the park. Between your social awkwardness and appearance, no child wanted to be friends with the odd one out. Except for Jing Yuan, that is.

"I'm going to be a Cloud Knight!" He proclaimed to you one day as you both played Knights. You had been friends with him for nearly three years at this point. "Dad even enrolled me in training courses to help me get started earlier. Though we just stick to book stuff."

He swung at you with his stick and you dodged and tried to get him back with yours. This was training disgused as play time. You had to give his dad credit, disgusing this exercise as a game was clever. It also left you ego and shins bruised. Jing yuan was too good at attacking.

"I think you'll be a good knight!" You had merrily chimed back as you hit him with the back of the leg with a stick. You heard him yelp and fall. Aa you approached him he glared up at you from his spot on the ground. He couldn't keep the grumpy face for long though, and he eventually broke out into laughter after you helped him up.

Unbeknownst to the both of you, this was the last time you would see one another for years to come. Training took up the majority of your time and then eventually Jing Yuan's. When you had gotten your first phone you had gotten his number, but you both ended up being so busy that you didn't talk much.

You had progressed wonderfully in your training, the water eventually succumbing to your will. Of course, you weren't on the level of someone like Dan Feng, but if he couldn't be there you often took his place.

It was exhausting. The other high elders expected so much of you. Dang Feng did his best to control the influence the other elders had over you, but he could only do so much. Then, while you were working on the Yuque, it came under siege from the Denizens of Abundance. What was supposed to be simple help with injuries from a band of roaming mara-struck turned into a battlefield.

The injuries only multiplied from there. If you weren't being ran ragged by the injured then you were out on the defense lines. The Denizions did not take well to boiling, high pressured water shooting at them at high speeds. The tiredness from earlier only worsened when you fought.

The Yuque was quickly turning into a mess. While the defensive lines did hold, everything else was falling apart. The medics were quickly being overwhelmed and the soldiers were running out of weapons. Denizions were tough to kill, even the weapon shifu had made for you eventually cracked from battle. In a way, you were cracking just like your weapon.

"Please, you have to help her instead of me. My children deserve to have their mother more." The solider laying in front of you begged, how wife laying next to him. An attack on the district had left them both injured. The man more so then his wife.

"She will be fine. Stop moving." Your patience was wearing thin. Another Vidyadhara was coming towards you. The man in front of you jerked again and you finally gave into your frustration and hit him on his leg wound. It was cruel, but he needed to follow orders. You whipped you head to him as he cried out.

"Shut up and lay still or i will do more then just hit you." You hissed to him. You never got violent with your patients, but he would not stop moving and your patience was thin.

"That is enough, I will deal with him Baofu." There was a hand on your shoulder. "You are needed in the command tent. The main tent. Go get some rest after that. You look horrific." The woman's voice was authoritive. You looked up at her dipleased face before finally standing from your seat and storming out the tent, the frustration obivous on your face.

The main command tent was in the center of camp. More people shuffled around then before, new faces coming in with the old. Supplies were quickly feeding into camp. It appears help from the Loufu has finally arrived. Sliding past the busy people had taken a bit of time, but you made it to the tent. You felt tired just looking at the Major in charge.

Throwing open the cloth door, you could see four familiar people standing around the table. You knew them as Dan Feng's friends, but you never had the time to truly meet them.

"Ah, Baofu. It appears our prayers have been heard. Help has finally arrived." The major in charge of this camp gave a relieved sounding sigh. She continued, "I will give a short summary of who is who just in case you don't know. I know you know your shifu. The woman to my left is Baiheng, she will be helping with starskifts." She waved towards a Foxian Woman. She pointed to a white haired woman next. "This is Jingliu and her appreantice, Jing Yuan."

You merely nodded in response to her introductions. You gave a small wave to them before turning back to the Major, not fully comprehending the fact that your childhood best friend was standing across from you. Scooting closer to the table, you took a look at the map. The lines hadn't moved on the Alliance's part, but the Denizions appeared to have grown in number.

"I want you to give a debriefing to your shifu after this. He needs to know what mess he is walking into." The major continued. She turned her attention to the map in front of everyone and began her debriefing. If there was one thing you did not like about the major, it was the fact that she was boring. She had a monotone voice that could put anyone to sleep. You got drowsy as she continued on, the debriefing not keeping your attention. This was the first time in a while you had been in such a still place. You blinked awake.

Dan Feng had moved beside you, as if sensing you were about to fall asleep. You looked up to see his disapproving, but worried look. Well, as worried as his neutral face got. You played with your hands, distracting yourself. You ignored the fact that you felt yourself shaking. You blinked awake again. She was still rambling. A hand was on your back this time. Dan Feng leaned down to your ear.

"Stay awake for a few more minutes. You do not need to debrief me, so you can just go to your room." He whispered quietly. You nodded. Heavens, you were so tired. When was the last time you ate? Your eyes drooped again. Fighting against sleep was difficult. You entire body was so exhauasted from constant use. It was not used to war.

You did not blink awake like you did last time. Instead, you woke with an intense grogginess. The bed you were in was warm and soft. The wonderful feeling of the bed did not change the fact that your bones ached. Everything ached, actually. Muffled voices came through the door to your room.

"We both know Baofu cares too much. I've only known them for a bit, but even i could recognize the signs. Hitting a patient was the final straw." It was the voice of the Vidyadhara Woman from before. Lady Wu was what many called her. The voice of your mentor came closer.

"Why didn't you pull them from active duty earlier…." You zoned out from the conversation as they got closer. Your brain felt like it was frying itself.

You cracked open your eyes, trying to gather information about your sorroundings. Sitting up proved to be difficult, but you maaged an upright position before the door to your room opened. Dan Feng entered the room quietly.

Seeing that you were awake, he spoke. "You gave us quite to scare, collasping like that." He approached and sat in the chair next to your bed. The room lit only by the small, dull lamp in front on your bed. "You are in a state of absolute exhuastion. Do you even realize how in bad of shape you are?"

You looked to him and huffed. The look on his face warned you of an an incoming scolding and lecture. He got a cup of water from the small side table beside him and handed to you.

What proceeded was the most intense scolding of your life. You had been out for nearly three days and Dan Feng had been worried. He listed facts after facts about your poor health and how you needed to take care of yourself more. You were no use if you were overworking yourself. Now here you were, in a state of weakness caused by your own doing.

"Jing Yuan will need assistance in helping train the soldiers more. Jingliu can only do so much and she is furious at the poor state of the soldiers training. Light duty only." He gave you a sharp look at those final words. "I will send for Jing Yuan and he will update you shortly. For now you will have three days of rest before light duty." You licked you dry lips nervously. You hadn't seen your friend in so long, you were basically strangers.

Dan Feng stood and sighed. "I do not have much time to spend with you here. So, I am going to say this now. You did a wonderful job healing the injured." You could tell he wanted to say something else. "Please, do not be hard on yourself when you lose a patient, you cannot save everyone." He turned as began to walk to the door. You were unsure what to say to that, so you only watched as he left.

You cleaned yourself in the next few hours. Brushing your hair, taking a shower, and taking care of your tail were the beginning steps. The door opened and a white haired teen waltzed in. You held a tight grip on your tail to prevent it from wagging. A smile broke out on your face, however.

"Jing yuan!" You called to him as he approached. He was quick to snatch you in a hug. Your hands letting go of your tail to hug him back. You tail thumped against the floor happily.

"I was a bit worried about you. You just suddenly collaspsed in the meeting." He start as he set you back on the bed he had snatched you from. He sat on the chair that Dan Feng originally sat in. "I'm glad your okay. Things really are a mess here. How about I give you an idea of what your going to help me with and then we catch up."

Appreantly, the Denizens of Abundance where being helped by an emanator named ShuShu. Upon finding this out, Jingliu wanted every soldier trained harder in order to be more ready for battle. The higher ups did not want more to become mara-struck. With better training, they could achieve that.

Jing Yuan mainly needed someone to help him show his trainees how to patch wounds. Since a majority of the soldiers did not have formal training, they often did not know how to patch wounds. Many were civilians who took up arms to help the overwhelmed knights.

Thus began your days of recovery. You would attend the training, show some basic medic skills, like stitching up wounds, and then spend your day with Jing Yuan. Of course, you could only spend time with him if Jingliu hadn't taken him or if he wasn't busy.

After your recovery, both yours a Jing Yuan's training intensified. Neither of your Mentors wanted you two to fall in battle. Your original training did not revolve around combat, so Dan Feng largely trained you in how to fight better. Your ability to heal at fast rates, whether that be on yourself or others, was a gift that Dan Feng used. Your fast healing made others and yourself more durable in battle, leading to people being in battle longer.

You did not particularly enjoy combat, oftentimes staying farther back and using the cloudhymm to heal your soldiers en masse. It was an ability others appraciated. Eventually, the High Cloud Quintet was formed. Though you often visited them when they had their meetings, you never formally joined them.

Your duties often kept you on other lines apart from them. Instead you unintentionally formed a healing group with other Vidyadhara that often kept your soldiers in battle for far longer then normal. In fact, those who often where in your small group branched off to other divisions to help there. Years drew on, and you fame only grew with how many battles you dragged out and how many frontlines were moved under you and your people.

After the western front was secured, you were asked to go to the eastern front, where your mentor was. The Denizens of Abundance were far stronger on the eastern front since they were pushed back. So, you and several divisions of soldiers went east to support them. A massive attack at ShuShu and his forces was about to be underway. Any relief that you're soldiers could give would be helpful.

The relief your soldiers brought was immense. Many of the overworked were able to take a small break now that help had arrived.

Arriving to the main command center, you entered the building to see where you would be placed. Large arms encased you in a hug from behind before you could find the commanders. Only one person would do that.

"Hello Jing Yuan." You sighed. He dropped you and you turned to him. He had gotten far prettier over the years and you decided that it wasn't fair. Who let this man be so pretty? He was also far too kind to you. He always listened to you and often times tried to distract you from the war. He would be a good boy- wait, no. You did not have a crush on him. You couldn't do that, not with your best friend. Those weren't the words of you loving him, they were just words of appreciation. Yeah, appreciation.

"Why, I'm here to take you to the others." He guided you to a room in the opposite direction. "They figured you wouldn't know where to find them, so they sent me to wait for you." He looked to you as you walked. You had grown to be quite beautiful, in his opinion. Your empathy drew him to you even if you pretended too not care so deeply. He enjoyed many other traits about you too.

Entering a large room, the other High Cloud Quintet members were there. Baiheng gave you a beaming smile and waved to you as you approached the war table. You took a spot next to your mentor. Jingliu stood at the front, Baiheng to her right, and Jing Yuan was next to Baiheng. Yingxing stood to Jingliu's left, Dan Feng next to him, and then you at the end of the table.

"Shushu's forces are making a desperate attempt to stop us." Jingliu began. "An attack must be happening soon. If we can strike first, it could cripple their defenses." Jingliu looked up from the table. "So here is the plan."

The plan never happened, Shushu's forces had far greater power than anyone had anticipated and had attacked first. The Sanguinary Abyss that shushu had set up was dangerous, and any who passed through it were often trapped on the other side. Your mentor was on the other side and suffering from Dragon's Delirium.

Even as both you and Jing Yuan cut through countless enemies, their defenses would not break. Your healing was keeping the soldiers alive longer, but they were still falling rapidly. At this rate, you were merely stalling. Purple hair was quick to rush by you and run into the enemies' defensive line.

Baiheng was rushing and bulldozing her way through both the Sanguinary Abyss and enemy lines. Her recklessness carving a way through the enemies defensive line. Yingxing was quick on her tail.

"Everyone," Jing Yuan managed to shout out to enough soldiers, "Follow us through the lines, we have a way past them! Inform everyone around you!" He looked your way as he parried and killed one the denizens. Hearing his command you repeated what was said to nearby soldiers, shouting as loud as you could.

Rallying to Jing Yuan, you kept the soldiers you had alive as you stormed the enemies crumbling defensive line. Following behind Baiheng by a few short minutes. The following battle raged on for longer as the forces around you unknowingly made a defensive line to Baiheng and the others.

Shushu's defeat was quickly realized as the Denizens of Abundance fled in large numbers and the battle was quickly ended. You told Jing Yuan to find the others as you went for the wounded. You could worry about them later, your soldiers were more important since they did not have the same power as the others.

As the battle slowed and ended, You created patches of misty haze that healed your wounded soldiers and helped keep those with major wounds alive for longer. Hours bled together as you helped settle the remaining skirmishes and healed the wounded. In some cases, even killing them after they had been mara-struck.

You did not hear news of Baiheng's sacrifice until you returned to camp to rest. You saw your master and Jingliu speaking and had decided to approached.

"Shifu." You spoke from behind Dan Feng. He looked horribly pale. "Are you alright?" You looked to Jingliu who was no better. Assuming the worse you quickly approached to look for wounds.

"Your not injured are you? Where is Baihe-" you were quickly cut off by Dan Feng.

"Baiheng is dead. She gave herself to defeat ShuShu." Dan Feng's voice shook as he spoke. Shock colored your face. You had quickly forced him and Jingliu into a hug, your arms barely reaching around them both. Neither cried, but neither resisted your hug like they normally would've.

"I'm sorry you two. Is Yingxing alright? He ran up with her to meet with you two." You let go of them both.

"Yingxing is alright. He is helping bring the injured back to camp." Jingliu spoke, voice hollow. "Jing Yuan is still on the battlefield cleaning up the remaining Denizens of Abundance."

"Would you mind helping heal the injured? I need to rest from the battle with ShuShu, but I do not wish to leave the injured unattended." Your mentor spoke. You knew he just wanted an excuse for you to leave. You didn't push him and instead nodded.

"Yeah, Both of you get some rest. I-" Pausing, you gave yourself a moment to think, "I am here for you both if you need me. I don't know what to say, but I can always listen." You reassured them and left.

The next weeks were solemn. Your Mentor was not taking Baiheng's death well. Her funeral had been large and many from all ships came to mourn her loss and celebrate her life. Yingxing and Jingliu were no better in their grief, but Jingliu was coping better than the other two, but not much. Jing Yuan had taken up the offer of comfort when you gave it to him.

Baiehng's death had hurt him too, but he leaned on you for help and was healing better than the others from it. He was quickly flying through the ranks of the Cloud Knights and there were even rumors of Teng Xiao chosing him to be his successor, which were later proven true. You had both celebrated his promotion with glee. Cherishing the nigh as you both knew his time would be limited. Even with his limited time, he tried to make time for you and you tried to make time for him.

The romance between you two was steadily beginning to grow, but you wouldn't get together with him until after the Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae.

You had noticed your master acting suspiciously a few days before his crime. He and Yingxing often together and planning something. When you had confronted him about his behavior, he had blown up. The fight between you two leaving feelings hurt and opening a wound between you two.

You had cried to Jing Yuan when he came to see you that day. Your mentor's words hurting more than any true wound could. He had comforted you, and the bond between you two only grew deeper.

In order to avoid your mentor, you went to Scalegorge Waterscape to help with tending to Vidyadhara eggs. Tending to the eggs was not one of your major duties, but it was peaceful. The other caretakers had allowed you to join them, sensing you needed to break from everything. In the early morning hours, your mentor and Yingxing would commit a crime that would be told for centuries.

You had sensed something was going to happen at the Watercape, so you left early for what you called "Egg Duty". When you had arrived, the sight of having the Ambrosial Arbor exposed had you running for it. You had quickly texted Jingliu that something was up and asked for reinforcements. You had told her you had a feeling your mentor was doing something stupid and she had relayed it to Jing Yuan.

Finding your master, you discovered that he had tampered with the Ambrosial Arbor. Not only that, he had invoked Transmutation Arcanum and was commiting a unforgivable sin. Things were quick to dissolve after Yingxing had recieved backlash and you cronfronted your mentor.

You couldn't do anything to him though once the Draconic Abomination had been born. The thing quickly formed after your mentor lost control over the Arbor. You had quickly shifted your attention to the massive rampaging dragon thing that was quickly ruining the waterscape.

You fought the beast for hours once you shifted into your true draconic form. You used the water around you to stall the beast and cause a stalemate. The healing factor from you both was causing a stalemate and that in turn was destroying the Waterscape. You had fought for a long while until the beast struck a nearly unhealable blow to you.

The thick claws of the beast had caught the side of your face and caught your eye. It was quick to use your disorientation to pin you. While you had managed to injury the beast greatly while pinned, it was going to kill you of you could not shake it off. You mentor was nowhere in sight. Dredging up the last of your waning strength, you summoned the nearby water to knock the beast off of you. While it had been successful, you did not get up in time before it pinned you again.

It had tackled you and broke more bones in the process, the blood from both you staining the waters. Your savior came in the form of Jingliu. Her ice strikes were decisive against the beast and caused it to turn its attention to her. You did not join the resulting battle, not even to heal.

Even as Jingliu killed the beast and became mara-struck, you merely laid there and continued to try to heal yourself. It was hard when you were in so much pain and taking wheezing breaths. You closed your eyes and focused inward.

A hand was on your muzzle and you felt another Vidyadhara's cloudhymm help you heal. You cracked open your good eye to see who it was. Weakness caused your vision to be blurry, but you could recognize one of the preceptors. There were shouts and voices around you, but you felt yourself fading.

"Baofu, you must rest. We will handle your master and this beast." Their voice was muffled. The Cloudhymm throughout your body intensified. You closed your eye as you heard the voice speak, "That's right, rest." You allowed the all-encompassing darkness to take you.

You awoke again in a darker place and in deep water. You managed to get your head above water and on shore. You did not recognize this place. This large of a healing room was not used. Since so few Vidyadhara can truly return to their draconic form, rooms like these were useless in this day and age.

The door in the room opened and you recognized the preceptor that came in. They were the one that saved you.

"Finally awake, I see. You took quite the beating from that abomination." They came close to your snout and examined you. "Holding off that beast was impressive considering how long you lasted." They examined the eye that was slashed. "Thank you for fighting it and defying your master." They walked in front of you as you lazyly stared.

"You have been unconscious for nearly a week now. Healing such intense damage to bones takes time. Much has happened in your sleep. The high elders will arrive shortly once I give the word. I will go inform them of your state. I will be back after your meeting." They quickly left the room without giving you a chance ro say anything. You drifted between dreamland and reality until the door had reopened for the high elders.

You shifted to get more comfortable and to face the High Elders, Dan Feng's teachings instilled into you even in dragon form. All four had approached you and formed and semi cricle around your snout.

"High Elders, to what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you for." You hoarsely spoke. The elder from Zhuming was the first to speak, his voice echoing across the empty chamber.

"Your master had chosen you to be the successor. You are to become the next Imbibitor Lunae, even if we do not fully agree." The elder from Yuque was next to speak.

"What he means to say is that even with the circumstances sorrounding your birth, your loyalty to the safety of the Xianzhou Alliance has convinced is to allow your ascension. Your display of power and defiance to your mentor's plan has proved to us that you are worthy of his title." Her tone was impassive. The elderly Vidyadhara next to her spoke.

"Your mentor's sin has caused him to be punished and his title stripped from him. The only reason he lives is to give you his power before rebirthing." The elder from Fanghu spoke.

"We will explain in more detail your duties later. For now, rest. In three days time you will recieve the power of Imbibitor Lunae. More will be discussed later. We will leave you to rest." The elder from Yuque softly said to you. They departed from the room as you laid there. Trying to comprehend what was happening.

You pushed yourself deeper into the massive pool and sunk to the bottom. You emotional state quickly becoming depressed.

The next days passed fast and before you knew it, the time for your Ascension had come. You had the strength to revert to human form for the ritual, so that was the form you chose for it. Getting dressed and ready had been easy.

Entering the room you had been guided to down the hall had not been easy. Seeing you mentor sorrounded by preceptors and high ranking officals was stressing you.

"All who are present in this room are to witness the birth of the next Imbibitor Lunae. Baofu has been chosen and approved to be Dan Feng's successor." The loud voice of the Yaoqing's elder sounded throughout the room.

You approached Dan Feng and ignored the happenings around you. When you approached and stopped in front of him, he gave you a sorrow look.

"I do not regret it. Just know that I know you will do well and I'm proud of you." Dan Feng had spoken softly to you as he began the process of transfering power to you. However, the process was never fully completed and you only got splinters lf his power. This was the last time you saw Dan Feng before his rebirth and those words were the last he spoke to you.

After the ceremony, you returned to your estate you had shared with you mentor. The emptiness of the estate felt like thousands of stones were weighing on you. You were robotic in your movements as you went about you nightly routine. The only thing that stopped you was the knock at your door.

Opening to the door to Jing Yuan was something that you felt should've surprised you, but the day was still trying to process. He gave a soft look to you before he gently asked if he could come in. Of course, you let him in and when you closed the door and turned back to him, he crushed you in a hug.

The hug broke something in you. The weight of the day was hitting you hard. You could hear him apologizing, but the ringing in your ears was quick to drown him out. The feeling of helplessness and grief hitting you like a tsunami. You hugged him back as sobs ripped from your throat.

You were never going to see your father figure again. He would be reborn and you would not get the chance to see him again until the new him was born. Jing Yuan merely hummed as you sobbed into him. He cried with you, but not much. He had few tears left to give.

When you managed to calm yourself, you asked if he wanted to stay the night. He said yes, joking that it could be like old times when he had snuck in to see you as children. He managed to get a smile out of you with that joke. Waking up in Jing Yuan's arms that next morning had almost caused your heart to stop. You swore you had died for a few moments when you finally realized who was with you.

He was warm from where he was spooning you. Although you felt your heart was about to stop beating, you did not move. Instead,you laid there drifting in and out of sleep until he finally stirred. Neither of you mentioned your sleeping arrangement until you had made a comment later.

"I do appreciate company. Prehaps if you aren't opposed to it, you could stay the night again?" You quietly suggested, asking it as a question. His smile told you his answer before he even spoke.

"Of course." Jing Yuan turned for the door. "I am here for you. I hope you understand that." As you let him out you replied to him.

"Of course. I am here for you too."

Thus, time moved on. You took up the duties of Imbibitor Lunae and eventually took the young Vidyadhara Bailu as an apprentice. Jing Yuan had his duties as general and came to visit often, even after he expelled a young Dan Heng from the Laofu in order to free him. After a long while of unoffically dating you finally confessed and both of you made it offical. Even though you both tried to be quiet about it, word eventually spread.

Roughly four decades before Jing Yuan would bring Yanqing home to be his retainer, you offically got married. The entirety of the Xianzhou Loufu partied rather hard in celebration. Though, you believe that they were just looking for an excuse to party. The wedding had been private with photos released at a later date.

When Jing Yuan brought a young blond child home, you questioned him. He explained that the boy had lost his parents and needed a caretaker. Jing Yuan was in need of a student and retainer so he decided to bring the boy in. You were miffed by his actions, even if you would come to care for the boy later. He still could have informed you.

Bailu at least enjoyed Yanqing's company. The boy was going to turn you grey at the rate he was going. He was a good swordsman, but he was young. He tended to get in over his head when choosing opponents. He did not seem to understand that while he was good, he needed experience and wisdom before he recklessly charged into battle.

In the current time, you watched Bailu practice in the same pond you had trained in when you were young. She seemed to be picking up the water techniques better then you though. When she met her goal for the day, she always turned to you in excitement with a smile on her face. You smiled back and praised her. If she failed at something, you merely used it as a lesson for her.

"Come, Bailu. I think we should practice the healing technique you wanted to work on." You said to her. The beaming smile she showed reminded you of Baiheng's. She was quick to depart the water and run infront of where you had stood up and began to walk.

Yes, this is perfect. You had thought, ignoring the massive ball of dread in your gut.

The sun was shining and the day was wonderful. You unknowingly had time to savor this moment before the crisis with the stellaron was to occur. If you had known what was to happen, you would've savored it longer. But as it stood now, you were to train your little apprentice more before going home to Jing Yuan.

The day was going to continue to be good, you just knew it.

-----------

End notes.

I rushed the ending i just wanted to end it and i didn't even do everything i wanted. It was just getting so long. The original idea i had was supposed to be for Zhongli but here is Jing Yuan instead. I am not proof reading that so i hope it makes sense because it was written over several days. See you next time!

Edited some errors on 9/8/24

[kaorisun]

𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪 immortality is an abundant curse (3)

pairing : blade x reader

tags : hurt no comfort, angst, canon divergence

word count : 4.88k

chapters : one • two • three

crossposted to : AO3

Summary : “Everything changed the day Imbibitor Lunae committed a grave sin in the eyes of the Xianzhou. Upon Ren, he bestowed the most abundant curse known to man.

“Immortality.”

or

The full story.

Yanqing wears his heart on his sleeve.

Given this fact, you truly should’ve figured that Jing Yuan would know exactly who had taken his diary upon discovering it missing.

However, this thought doesn’t cross your mind, so when Jing Yuan arrives at the clinic that night to search for his young apprentice, you’re terribly startled.

Yanqing, who’d been carefully showing you the fruits of his training inside the clinic, drops his sword with a clatter, gasping upon seeing the General appear at the door.

“It wasn’t me!” he yelps indignantly. Jing Yuan gives the boy an amused look.

“Oh? I haven’t even mentioned what I’m here for. How did you know I’d accuse you?” the General questions. Yanqing deflates, having exposed himself and his guilt without the man having to do so much as lift a finger. You reach out towards Yanqing, wanting to defend the boy from any potential ire or anger.

All things considered, he’d done it for your sake. You wouldn’t let him take the blame for such a kindhearted action.

Bailu beats you to it first. Grabbing the journal from her desk, she tosses it to the General. The man catches it with one hand before looking at her curiously.

“Take it. I already read through all of it. I have a good memory. I’ll tell them the stories myself, whether you agree with it or not,” Bailu insists, turning away in annoyance. Unexpectedly, instead of disagreement or disdain, Jing Yuan chuckles and shakes his head.

“I think you’re mistaken. I didn’t come here to scold anyone or take this back. Actually, I commend Yanqing for taking a stand against me and remaining firm in his belief that you had the right to know,” Jing Yuan says with a small smile. Yanqing lets out a relieved sigh before picking up his sword, migrating to the edge of your bed to seat himself.

You tilt your head in confusion. “Why aren’t you upset?”

Jing Yuan suddenly looks sheepish, reaching back to rub his neck. “Actually, I went to the Divination Commission to inquire about this situation. Needless to say, the Master Diviner did not agree with how I handled everything.”

You hum softly, the thought bringing you some comfort. “Did she use the Matrix of Prescience to arrive at that answer?” you ask.

“Actually….” Jing Yuan trails off as he averts his gaze. Bailu pipes up with an amused huff.

“Fu Xuan scolded you, didn’t she?” she interrogates. The General sighs softly before confirming the healer’s suspicions with a small nod.

“Well, what she said, and I quote, ‘despite having the title Divine Foresight, you spend no time thinking about the consequences of your decisions. I don't even need a third eye to see why that’s wrong. Your apprentice has more of a head than you do,’ or something along those lines,” Jing Yuan recounts with a guilty expression.

“I’m glad someone got it through that thick skull of yours, General. The memories are a precious thing to the Vidyadhara race. I can hardly believe you hid so much myself,” Bailu chastises, crossing her arms.

“I know, I know. I realize my mistake,” he starts, walking over to you and sitting beside Yanqing on the edge of the bed. “I'm glad my nosy apprentice told you everything. I thought I was protecting you by keeping everything a secret, but I only caused you more stress in the end.”

You offer a gentle smile. “I went along with it without a fuss because I trusted you. It hurt, but I figured you wouldn’t hide things without reason.”

“And even knowing that I’ve been shielding you from something painful, you still want the truth?” the man asks, the worry clear in his expression. You meet his gaze and nod.

“Yes. Learning the truth is allowing me to feel more and more complete. Even if it’s upsetting, I need to know,” you insist. Jing Yuan chuckles.

“Even without your memories, you’re just as headstrong as you were back then,” he muses. “In that case, I’ll take responsibility, and I’ll be the one to deliver the truth to you.”

“At a later date,” Bailu interjects before Jing Yuan can flip open his diary to the relevant pages. “Save any new stories for tomorrow. I don’t want to strain them further.”

“Strain..?” the General mumbles. You quickly pipe in to clarify.

“Ren… I remembered my first meeting with him. I remembered loving him. But… everything else is still foggy,” you explain.

“But that was enough to make you faint! Lady Bailu is right. We should wait,” Yanqing adds. Jing Yuan looks at you and ruffles your hair affectionately.

“In that case, tomorrow. After our duties, I’ll sit down with you and tell you more. Every single day that Bailu allows it, I’ll tell you something new,” he promises. You feel your heart warm, a weight lifted off your chest.

“I’ll hold you to it. I’m sure Yanqing will, as well. Every day…” you murmur, a small grin making its way onto your face at the thought of finally securing a way to retrieve all of what you’d lost.

Soon, you’ll have all of the pieces of your past life. Once you do, you’ll finally know everything that transpired that led you to where you are now.

As excited as you are, you can’t help but feel a sense of dread.

There’s bound to be many joyous tales from your past, but the story of heartache and loss looms over you. It reminds you that, as happy as things may be, you have to prepare yourself to accept the pain and suffering of your previous life.

You can only hope that it’s something you’ll be able to handle when the time comes.

Dusk turns to dawn, and the sun rises on a new day.

True to his word, Jing Yuan begins visiting you in the evenings at the clinic to tell you new anecdotes from your past. Filling your head with stories that feel familiar— nostalgic, he tells tales each night until your head aches, a sign that you’ve taken in enough for the day.

The General helps you recall your first meeting with him— introduced as mutual friends of Imbibitor Lunae. You slowly remember the way you would watch the two spar, happy to clean up any wounds that came as a result.

Beyond that, Jing Yuan even shares how he’d been the one to push Lunae to introduce Ren to you, having always thought that you’d be a good influence on the man. Lunae agreed, and the General had considered it a personal victory.

However, he speaks of the way you fought alongside him in battle. This fact has you curious, having always assumed you were nothing but a healer.

Jing Yuan clarifies that you were a healer, and you once took up a sword to fight against the Denizens of Abundance precisely because of that reason. Each battle he recounts has your hands ghosting over areas where you swear you feel a slight pin prick of pain.

The General mentions that each place you touch is a place where your skin had once scarred over with wounds from each fight. It makes you smile— it seems the body truly never forgets.

Days continue to pass, and with time, your mind becomes less and less fractured. With each new tale, you grow more and more sure of who you are now and who you once were. Skills you once forgot become second nature once more. Memories return to you sometimes with the assistance of Jing Yuan and Bailu. Others enter your mind naturally, a byproduct of the newfound exposure to your past life.

Bailu notes your increased skill and confidence in healing, recognizing the way you improve as you remember the techniques of your profession. Your heart fills with warmth. You start to feel like yourself again— no longer a wanderer with nothing but shards of the past to their name.

Yet, as elated as you are to make such progress, it’s bittersweet.

You know they’re still deliberately avoiding how it all ended— how your Ren became Blade, the nature of your relationship, anything to do with him. Given that they’ve yet to broach the topic, all of those memories remain locked behind a wall. Unlike other moments, you’re unable to recollect it on your own— likely too heavy a topic to be triggered without help.

A frown appears on your face. You haven’t felt more sound of yourself in ages. Are you still unprepared? Is everyone coddling you once more?

How tragic a topic is the reality of your disappearance to cause them to hold off for this long?

Either way, it fills you with uncertainty and unease. You resolve to ask about it that evening, but it seems you don’t have to, for fate aligns itself at the perfect time.

As the sun begins to fall beneath the horizon, Jing Yuan, Yanqing, and Bailu all approach you, seating you on the bed as they surround you. Their expressions are all terse— hesitant.

You’re about to ask about what’s occurred— unsettled by the tension, but Jing Yuan is the first to speak up, interrupting any thoughts you have.

“You’ve made significant progress with your memory recovery. Bailu has deemed you mentally sound enough to learn of the truth. I’ll tell you everything. Who he was in regards to you, what happened to him… and how it all ended,” the General explains. Your heart flutters in nervousness and anticipation alike.

“Everything…?” you echo. Bailu nods.

“You’ve retained everything else well. I can’t promise that this won’t cause some sort of physical reaction. Much like the first time, it’s likely you’ll experience some pain, but… if we’re right, this should be the last time,” the healer promises with a determined gaze. You smile, feeling comfort in the resolve of those around you.

“Alright. I trust you,” you say. Bailu nods to Jing Yuan, who seats himself beside you as he begins to recount his experience from his memories.

He starts. “There’s one thing I’m certain about. The way you could never tell how Ren felt towards you seems to have stuck. You were the same back then, but I knew— everyone knew that Ren loved you more than anything in this world.”

“For a while, you didn’t realize just how hard Ren had fallen for you. It was incredibly obvious to the rest of us, though. Perhaps… it was because you were always looking away. When he regarded you with nothing but pure adoration, you were inevitably turned in the other direction.”

Ren lets out an affectionate sigh as he looks at you, head propped on his hand as he watches you stare down at your work table in pure concentration. The soft grind of pestle against mortar resounds through the building. Jing Yuan chuckles softly, looking at Ren with a smirk.

“Do you plan on saying anything to them? Or are you determined to long in secrecy for the rest of your life?” he questions, teases slipping off his tongue. Ren narrows his eyes at the man.

“Watch yourself, General,” he retorts. Jing Yuan lets the empty threat slide off him with ease, refusing to back down.

“All you do is sigh and stare in every moment you spend in their presence. Why are you so hesitant?” he asks. Ren glances away towards the herbs and medicines lining the walls— all fruits of your labor.

“They’re dedicated to their craft. They wouldn’t have the time for such frivolity,” he laments. Jing Yuan hums and gives a dismissive wave of his hand.

“Nonsense. They have plenty of time to spare. I often hear them complaining that they have too much time to Lunae,” Jing Yuan counters. Ren tenses, his lips pressing into a thin line.

“I doubt they feel the same affection for me as I do for them,” he mumbles. The General has to hold back from barking out a laugh.

“Please! That’s absolutely absurd. All I hear from you are excuses,” he insists. Before Ren has a chance to retaliate, another voice speaks up.

“The General is right about this, as boastful as he’s acting currently,” Imbibitor Lunae adds in, seating himself at the table with the two. “Both of you have a limited amount of time, Ren. It’d be unwise to waste it wondering if they feel the same.”

“Exactly. Besides, if you hold back on making a move, maybe I will,” Jing Yuan jests with a smirk. Ren shoots up in his seat.

“You will not!” he seethes before rolling his eyes, practically stomping off to retreat to your side. Jing Yuan watches in amusement.

“Do you think he’ll say anything or just sulk as per usual?” he asks. The dragon beside him hums.

“Have more faith in him. You pushed him right where he needed to be pushed. Just observe for now,” Lunae says, and Jing Yuan does so.

“I guess Ren really was at his wits end at that point, and Lunae was able to pick up on it. We watched, and you leapt into his arms after he professed his love. All of us knew it was a matter of time before you ended up together, but seeing it… it was a weight lifted for all of us.

“You two were finally happy.

“For a while after that, things were calm and comforting. Ren came to terms with his short life since you’d be there to spend it with him. I’d never seen anything make him happier than the day you became his, and he, yours.

“Truthfully, I think, that day, he found something worth living for in his relationship with you. Of course, he had the rest of us, but we were all long-life species. In you, he came to understand why life was so precious— why he had to treasure his existence, no matter the length of it.

“Alas, he was still… reckless, but just in the normal, stubborn, and headfast way that he always was. You were always there to scold him for it, but we all could tell it was different. Ren was fighting for his beliefs— no longer careless about his life. He was, in lack of better terms, himself.

“As I’m sure you’re aware by now, such tranquility couldn’t last forever.

“Everything changed the day Imbibitor Lunae committed a grave sin in the eyes of the Xianzhou. Upon Ren, he bestowed the most abundant curse known to man.

“Immortality.

“It was supposed to be another battle, but the two of them had been taking far longer than usual. Both of us were worried— aware that something was amiss, but afraid to speak it aloud lest we manifest it into reality…”

Jing Yuan watches you pace nervously outside of the hall. From where he leans against the wall, he can see the frenzied fear in your eyes as you look out in the distance every few minutes, hoping to see Lunae and Ren in the horizon.

The General is equally as concerned, but he knows that he must remain grounded to keep you sane.

“Imbibitor Lunae and Ren are both capable warriors. I’m sure that they’re fine. They’re probably just falling behind,” Jing Yuan reasons. You shake your head in disagreement.

“It’s been weeks. That’s not normal. The last time it took this long, someone—” you cut yourself off, flinching. The man’s expression becomes grim. He knows you’re right— that your worry is not unwarranted.

Neither of you wanted to be “too late” again.

Walking up beside you, Jing Yuan nudges you gently.

“Let’s head out. We’ll find them ourselves,” the General assures. You offer a wry smile and nod, but before either of you can make a move, another voice interjects.

“No need. We’ve returned,” Lunae says as he approaches with Ren by his side. Jing Yuan can see your excitement, but then watches as you freeze, expression falling as you look at Ren. The General notices what you do, too.

It isn’t uncommon to return from prolonged battles covered in blood, tattered with memories of the ongoing war. However, Ren seems far too pristine to have just returned from a battlefield. He’s glowing in a way that seems… unnatural.

Your eyes shift to Imbibitor Lunae, and suddenly your eyes are cold— distant.

“I think you caught something in his mannerisms that I couldn’t. You saw something that I couldn’t see, quickly catching on that something was inherently wrong— that they were hiding something.”

“What happened?” you ask, a seriousness in your tone that felt incredibly off-putting, given that you were referring to your lover and close friend. Instead of a response, Ren reaches towards you, pulling you into a tight embrace as if his life depended on it.

You pause, carefully wrapping your arms around Ren, running fingers through his hair as you repeat your earlier question.

“What happened?” you inquire, almost pleading now. Ren stills in your arms, silently burying his face in your neck. You frown, looking to Lunae once more for answers. Jing Yuan doesn’t move from his spot, either, trying to make sense of what it is you’re picking up on.

Eventually, beneath your persistent gaze, Lunae cracks.

“Ren nearly died on the battlefield,” he admits. You tighten your grip on your lover, eyes wide with a shock that Jing Yuan mirrors.

“He looks perfectly fine… he’s walking on his own two feet, and there isn’t a trace of blood on him…” you note in disbelief. Imbibitor Lunae looks away, seeming guilty in the way his eyes fall.

“I know. That’s because I…” Imbibitor Lunae goes quiet, unable to bring himself to finish his thought. Jing Yuan narrows his eyes, arms crossing over his chest as he looks at the other.

“You what?” the General interrogates. However, the dragon doesn’t spare him a glance, instead looking to you with something that makes your eyes fill with fury. Before he can raise questions, you’re quick to clarify.

“You made him immortal? Why would you do such a grievous thing?!” you snap, forcefully separating yourself from your lover. Ren reaches for you desperately, but you take a step back. Jing Yuan easily recognizes the look of betrayal on your face.

“I can explain—” Ren starts, but you cut him off harshly.

“What is there to explain here?! I’ve treated the Mara-Struck— victims of the Sanctus Medicus, and you want to explain? I’m a healer and even I’m aware that immortality isn’t a remedy of any sort! It’s a venom! A curse!” you yell, eyes brimming with tears. Jing Yuan remains mute, unable to understand why anyone would resort to such a taboo method for any reason, especially given all that they’d witnessed together.

“Please, calm yourself and allow us to talk this o—” Before Lunae can finish his thought, you interrupt.

“Calm myself? Imbibitor Lunae, have you forgotten that I’m dying? In a few decades, I’ll be gone! Ren no longer has the mercy of dying by my side! He’ll have to witness everything!” you cry out, voice cracking as tears slip down your cheeks.

“He’ll endure so much suffering, and he’ll never be able to die…” you whisper, finally gathering enough strength to meet Ren’s gaze. “You promised.”

Ren is quick to scoop you into his arms, wiping your tears away with his thumb.

“I also promised to return to you. We’re both here now. That must count for something. Without immortality, I wouldn’t have returned to greet you again— to hold you again. And immortality doesn’t change a thing. I still plan to remain by your side for eternity,” he promises softly. You look up at him, an unfathomable sadness in your eyes.

Briefly, Jing Yuan catches you glancing at Lunae. There’s a wordless exchange in the expression you share with the Vidyadhara. The General has no idea what it is that you both say, but it’s enough because soon you’re releasing a defeated sigh.

“I’m glad you’re alright, Ren,” you say softly. Ren smiles, leaning down to kiss you gently. You reciprocate for a moment before pulling away, allowing yourself to enjoy the warmth of his presence.

Despite everything, Jing Yuan can tell that it isn’t something you’d ever move on from.

“You never brought up Ren’s immortality of your own accord ever again after that day. If it came up in conversation, you always excused yourself to be alone for a while.

“There was a time that I confronted you about it, though. I knew it was forbidden, but I needed to know what was going through your head. Honestly, I don’t think I could ever forget what you said to me that day.”

“Why wouldn’t I be upset, Jing Yuan?” you start, head in hands as you shut your eyes tight.

“There will come a time where Ren suffers unimaginable pain, and I won’t be there to help him. There will come a day where myself, Imbibitor Lunae, and even you aren’t there to support him through his suffering,” you explain. The General pauses, not having thought that far into the future.

You continue in his silence. “My death is just the start. I don’t think Ren understands how much of a tragedy that is. Soon, we will all leave him, and he’ll come to understand that death is far more merciful than being the last person left alive of all those you’ve grown to love.”

You frown and walk off, your words weighing heavily in Jing Yuan’s heart.

“I grew to understand exactly how right you were in your assumption as the years passed. When you faded away and crumbled— I witnessed firsthand how cruel his affliction was.

“Ren knew he couldn’t live without seeing you once more, I don’t think he ever thought about the inevitable day where he’d have to learn to live without you entirely.

“The day you disappeared… I could tell everything weighed heavily on your mind. In the face of your inevitable demise, you still worried for Ren.”

Jing Yuan lets out a soft sigh, watching Lunae and Ren leave for their duties. Glancing back to you on the bed, he tilts his head.

“You looked like you had more to say back then. Something else on your mind?” he asks as he seats himself on the edge of your bed. You look at him, a serious look in your eyes.

“I promise that, one day, I will find my way back to you all. One day, I’ll return, so Ren won’t have to suffer on his own,” you swear. Jing Yuan offers a sympathetic smile.

“Unless you’re a Vidyadhara, reincarnation is just a legend,” he mentions. You don’t respond, instead humming in acknowledgement to the General’s statement.

“Of course, I didn’t know you were one back then, but what I did know is that you were incredibly firm in your desire. Either way, I’d brushed it off.

“I left the room to make your medicine, but you had disappeared when I returned. Only then did I realize… that promise was your last wish— your final resolve.”

Jing Yuan continues his explanation, telling you the results of your disappearance.

Ren was never the same. He spent countless hours looking for you— searching for a body, but you’d vanished completely, much like the Mara-Struck who faded into nothingness. From that day forth, Ren’s mind fractured and he grew resentful of his curse.

As you predicted, the rest of your group slowly began to die out, your lover forced to suffer through each and every one knowing he’d never be granted the same reprieve.

Then came time for Imbibitor Lunae to pass and reincarnate.

“After Lunae died, Ren disappeared entirely, his mind shattered beyond repair— a shell of who he once was. Losing his bosom friend was the final straw.

“I tried to search for him, but he’d vanished from the Xianzhou Alliance entirely. I figured he didn’t want to be found, so I was forced to move on lest I suffered the same fate:

“Lost in our past without direction or will to live.”

Jing Yuan sighs as he finishes the story, shaking his head. “I thought it all a distant memory, then I saw you again on the Luofu as Bailu’s assistant. You looked the same way you did back then.”

“At first, I thought you just looked similar, but then I saw the horns and tail and I knew— you’d found your way back as promised, and you were a Vidyadhara. I’m sure I acted strange when we first met, but I was trying to confirm that it was really you,” he admits.

The memory of that day rushes to the forefront of your mind. The Arbitor-General had followed you and Bailu back to the clinic. His eyes were trained on your tail, watching the way it swayed as you worked before his gaze settled on your horns.

Jing Yuan had carefully observed you as you made medicine at Bailu’s work table, humming a tune that you’d heard from earlier in the day. It startled you how attentive he was being, but now it made sense.

“I confirmed it through your mannerisms and habits. I saw the way you carefully healed others. Then, you expressed familiarity towards me and that sealed it. Unfortunately, I knew you were without your memories.

“I had been keeping tabs on Blade since he appeared on the IPC’s most wanted list, and I vowed to protect you from him. If he saw you and you didn’t remember him, I had a feeling it wouldn’t go well,” Jing Yuan says, frowning.

“I thought protecting you meant guarding you from the truth so you never had to learn of the tragedy that became of your past lover, but I know now that you have to make this choice yourself. By deliberately concealing this, I’ve already hurt you enough,” he finishes softly, resting a comforting hand on your shoulder.

You remain silent and still, staring blankly ahead. From the corner of your eye, Bailu frowns.

“Are you alright?” she asks, preparing for any sort of pain that might occur as a result of everything.

Instead, tears begin to slip down your cheeks, dripping down onto your hands as you grip your robes tightly in your lap. Smiling sadly, you blink rapidly in an attempt to clear your vision of the glistening drops.

Jing Yuan is the first to react, cupping your face in his hands and wiping away your tears gently as you sniffle softly.

“What’s the matter?” the General questions, concern etched into his features. You shake your head, words caught in your throat.

Everything in your mind is clicking into place, pieces falling and fitting together.

Ah, of course. I promised this so long ago, your mind echoes. I said that I’d return— that I’d remember— so I could make it back to you and protect you from the curse you fell into.

Your shoulders shake as you begin to sob. The General pulls you into a tight embrace, Yanqing leaning against your side in an attempt to provide comfort as well.

You usually never remember any last reincarnations as a Vidyadhara. Memory is a spectrum for your kind, and you always ebbed on the side of starting with an entirely clean slate. It’s why you were so certain you’d die when you left to be born again.

You wouldn’t take any memories of your past with you, and you wouldn’t recall them.

Except, this time you did.

Dying and rebirthing with such a strong resolve meant that, since you awoke in this new life, you’ve always felt that something was missing.

Now, you know what it is.

But it’s too late, isn’t it?

You bury your face in Jing Yuan’s shoulder as you cry, mourning the past you lost, and the lover you abandoned in this world.

If Blade’s mind fractured so long ago, do you even hold a place in his memories anymore?

Is there anything you could do in your current state to help him?

Or was all of this remembrance for naught?

For this, you had no answer.

Hidden away somewhere in the Luofu, a woman observes a man from afar.

Kafka recognizes the distant expression Blade wears as he stares out at the scenery and passing Starskriffs. It’s vulnerable— longing— one that he only wears when he thinks no one is watching.

However, her attention is diverted elsewhere when her phone vibrates with an incoming text. Glancing down at the device, she smirks as she reads the message.

Kafka. Plans have changed. Blade’s initial wish will be granted.

The woman raises a brow in amusement, typing and replying to his message with a teasing response.

Even we aren’t capable of necromancy, Elio.

Instead of commenting on her witty remarks, he merely sends back a simple text which serves as enough of an explanation for Kafka.

The Vidyadhara has remembered themself, thus returning to who they once were.

Await new instructions.

The woman looks back up at Blade, smirking as she pockets her phone.

What new side of him will she be able to witness? What sort of expression will he have when Elio surprises him with this?

Kafka can’t wait to see how this story plays out.

tag rqs : @ceylestia - @thetwinkims - @astralsity - @kaminari-no-ritsusha - @jotaro-souped

[fox-daddy]

Looking over my Oc's, I realized I was playing into a small = cute bias, so to fix it, I immediately updated heights.

Kyle is going to stay small and adorable since it's baked into how he acts and why he's okay dressed up childish. Aka wearing his drsgon cape in public 99% of the time.

Sora doesn't have this, and being small because small = cute is just insulting. So I changed her height to 6'9, since she doesn't need to be small. If anything, it takes away from her actual nature;

Kyle loves magic for magic, and Sora loves magic to tear it apart bit by bit and learn exactly how it each bit works so she can mutilate it into new ideas. Basically if magic was a human body, then Sora would be Valdemar, and Kyle would be Julian.

Also, to balance it, I made Luna small since Luna is the type to take no shit. Pick her up without permission and get punched and berated. (As you should don't pick up random short people.) But if you pick up Kyle he'll mostly just act confused and analyze the shit out of you while doing a cute head tilt trying to figure out why you picked him up.

I.E., if Julian picked Luna up while running, Luna would yell at him but not attack because she knows Julian, and he probably has a reason. While if Julian were to pick up Kyle while running, Kyle would go ragdoll limp in his arms while trying to figure out why Julian is running while carrying him.

This is to break out of the small = cute problem I just noticed while daydreaming.

[mahoutoons]

magic witch school franchises to support instead of h*rry p*tter

so with the hbo h*rry p*tter reboot being announced, here's some magic school/witch shows to give your attention to instead of giving the queen terf your time and money

little witch academia

atsuko "akko" kagari attended a show by the witch shiny chariot when she was a child and being enamoured with her magic, decides she wants to be a witch herself. she enrolls at the magic school, luna nova. things are hard for her at first being the only student from a non magic lineage while everyone else are witches. and she does badly at school. however she grows throughout the show, both in her magic and in character.

the first half is mostly lighthearted and focuses on akko and her friends' shenanigans. the second half introduces an antagonist and is where the story starts picking up. there are some really emotional beats it hits. but of course akko triumphs through it all and picks herself back up - with some help from her friends of course.

mahoutsukai precure

the thirteenth entry in the ongoing precure franchise. it follows a young girl named mirai asahina who spots a girl flying on a broom. on following the broom, she meets riko, a witch who's from the magic world and has come to her world (called the non magic world) in search of the linkle stone emerald. but when they're attacked by a minion of the big bad, they're able to transform into legendary witches known as precure.

this is more of a magical girl show and it doesn't completely focus on the magic school..there's also episodes that take place in the non magic world. but if there's one thing that's worth watching the show for, its the tight friendship between the main charcaters. they really feel like a found family. also the ending is one of the most emotional endings in the entire franchise.

this show is part of the ongoing magical girl franchise, precure. however you don't need to have watched the previous seasons to understand this season as all the precure seasons (excluding futari wa precure max heart and yes precure 5 gogo which ars sequels to previous seasons) are standalone stories

also a sequel for mahoutsukai is coming out in 2024 which will focus on the main characters as adults

witch hat atelier

coco has loved magic ever since the day a mysterious witch at a festival sold her a picture book about its wonders. however, witches are born with magic, not taught, so coco is forced to give up that dream. one day, she sees a witch named qifrey work his magic by drawing glyphs. coco decides to try it out and discovers she can do magic by just drawing glyphs. however, when she accidentally turns her mother into stone. so qifrey takes her up as his apprentice so that she could learn magic, and hopefully reverse the spell on her mother.

coco is swept up into a world of magic snd everything she knows before is called into question. she also meets three other witches, tetia, richeh, and agott, who are also qifrey's apprentices.

one thing i adore about this series is its art. it is beautiful and gives off the magical fairy tale feel. all the characters are also really fleshed out. richeh's arc especially stuck with me as someone who has major beef with the education system in my country. it also addresses topics like ableism and systemic violence. there's also poc rep and lgbt rep (both canon and implied slow burn)

i will say if you're planning to go into this manga, trigger warning for chapter 49 because it discusses sexual assault (in a respectful way of course). if you're triggered by it you can skip that chapter and you won't really miss out on the plot.

also an anime adaptation has been announced and is currently in production.

ojamajo doremi

this is technically not a magic school franchise but it is a witch franchise so i'm gonna go ahead and recommend it anyways.

doremi harukaze, the self proclaimed "unluckiest pretty girl in the world", dreams of becoming a witch. one day, she stumbles across a mysterious shop run by a strange old woman. taking a cue from what she's read in her stories, doremi recognizes the old woman as a witch. this turns her into a witch frog, as witches who are recognized by humans become witch frogs. with this doremi has to become a witch apprentice and learn magic in order to reverse the spell. she's later joined by some of her friends.

this is a kids show but its very fun to watch. it addresses some heavy topics in a way that's understandable for kids while still mantaining its lighthearted atmosphere. it also gets really emotional at times, especially towards the end of each season.

i will say that episode 12 of ojamajo doremi naisho has a character die of cancer (its never outright called cancer but its heavily implied). so if that stuff upsets you, you can skip that episode and you won't really miss anything in the grand scheme of things.

so these are some of my favourites. feel free to add more.

[yuesya]

With a gasp, awareness floods into his body once more.

Open cuts knit themselves back together, broken bones realign with no regard for his own will. A dead heart that was just run through by a sword of ice and moonlight begins beating once more, forcing blood to pump through the veins of an abomination that has no desire to be tethered to life.

A frustrated hiss escapes his throat, and Blade hauls himself upright, slowly rising from a pool of his own blood.

… The Mara is quiet, for once. It’s quiet for the very first time since his return to the Xianzhou Luofu; the past several days in this agonizingly familiar land have served as a special hell all of its own. But he knows that the current respite in his head is only an illusionary peace, merely one that follows the aftermath of every temporary ‘death.’ Soon, the Mara will rear its head once more, flooding his mind with madness and bloodlust that isn’t entirely his own–

But that’s nothing new.

Staggering to his feet as his body continues healing in complete disregard of his own wishes, Blade casts a glance around his surroundings. The young Cloud Knight child, Jing Yuan’s apprentice, is speaking quietly with his master. A slight distance away from them, closer to the lapping waves of the Scalegorge Waterscape, stand Imbibitor Lunae’s incarnation and Jingliu.

Jingliu.

The one who’d carved her swordplay into Blade’s immortal body, every cut and slice and ice-cold utterance, Of five, there are three who must pay a price. Who’d been the one to kill him just now, at Blade’s own behest.

Who’d failed to kill him.

Again.

…

Elio had informed him beforehand that this was not the stage where he would find his final death. Once more, his scripts are accurate to a fault.

It’s not yet time, Blade.

Yes. He knows.

His end… will not come at the hands of Jingliu, who’d already killed him thousands upon thousands of times before. Nor will it occur in an altercation against a powerful opponent who far outstrips him in combat ability, nor from any enemy that he encounters when playing out his role in Elio’s scripts.

“As expected,” he murmurs quietly, “In the end, my death… can only be wrought by your hands, Shiki.”

White hair, blue eyes. Quiet, and expressionless. A calmness that remains unchanged even as she stands upon a mountain of corpses, and the ground beneath her feet runs red with blood.

‘The swords of mortals cannot kill the flesh of Emanators, who are blessed by Aeons.’ Jingliu’s words do not lie, but Shiki is an exception. She’s also more curse than mortal.

One day, eventually…

“Who’s ‘Shiki,’ if I might ask?”

There’s a guileless smile on Jing Yuan’s face when Blade lifts his gaze towards the other man. Guileless, but lined by something sharp.

“As an Arbiter-General of the Xianzhou Alliance, it’s only natural that I’m a little curious,” he says, “About someone who has the capability to kill a being created from the flesh of an Emanator of Abundance.”

“Not yet.”

Jing Yuan arches an eyebrow. “But they will in the future?”

Yes. That much, Elio has confirmed.

“… Interesting. What’s your relationship? Ah, don’t tell me it’s another Stellaron Hunter–”

White hair splaying out everywhere. Blue eyes looking up towards him from the ground. Silver Wolf holding out a phone with a colorful glowing screen, “Hurry up, I need you two for co-op rewards!”

Falling asleep, using Firefly’s shoulder as a pillow. The air in the corridor is cold, and both of them are wearing too little. They need a blanket. Firefly glances up and smiles when one is draped over them, “Thank you, Blade.”

Sitting beside a coffee machine, three steaming cups arranged atop the counter. Kafka shaking her head, bemused, “Why do you always make your coffee so sweet? Even Bladie is going to get cavities at this rate.”

A single girl, surrounded by a sea of dismembered corpses. Every step leaves a bloodstained footprint as she approaches.

“There you are, Blade. Let’s go back.”

…

Shiki. His relationship with her would be…

“One who seeks death,” he answers, “And one who brings it.”

[solkatt-arts]

We got more from what I'm calling the Intertwine-verse!

Quick facts about this verse of G4(/G5) that is unlike the canon:

- Alicorns cannot be made in this universe, therefore Celestial, Luna, Cadence, Twilight, Flurry and Luster never become full alicorns. However, by being crowned a royal by Sterling and Gold (alicorn's blessing), the pony in question will gain potent magic that amongst other things gives the pony a longer lifespan (up to 300 years extra). The magic is likely to manifest like how Sunny Starscout’s alicorn powers do.

- The lifespans of royals goes back to normal once the magic is taken away between G4 and G5. When the magic returns later on only Sunny gain the alicorn's blessing since she is the one to bring Luster's crystals back together. She is likely to be the last pony to gain the alicorn's blessing for a long time.

—————

Here's some Intertwineverse history

Gold Lily and Sterling were alicorns born long before Equestria’s beginnings. Similar in age but never acquainted in childhood, both were chosen to save the pony tribes from freezing to death.

Gold Lily chosen for her calm empathic and kind nature. She knew the unease of new unknowns, about being forced to face the dread but come out on top. The young alicorn had a way of easing the anxiety of change for others. How to welcome progress in a way that could only compared to the hope of a new dawn.

Sterling chosen for her reassuring but stern nature. She always put emphasis on the inevitability of a setting sun, nothing could ever last forever. That did not mean the past was no longer epochal in how it teaches us our most valuable lessons. Sterling had a way with closure and letting the past go that could only compare to the sun’s last light fading behind the horizon.

The two young alicorn first met only days before their departure to what would later become Equestria. Without yet knowing each other, they both knew their destinies were intertwined. They both felt it the moment their eyes met.

Gold and Sterling earned their god-like powers after restoring balance to the world by defeating Discord with the Elements of Harmony early in Equestria’s history. The god of chaos had made a rift so prominent that the two princesses had to learn how to manually raise the moon and sun. No longer could the day nor night make it through its natural cycle without them moving the celestial bodies.

After about 700 years of royal duties, Gold and Sterling began looking for apprentices. Someponies to take over the hardships of ruling Equestria, all this in hopes that the two of them could focus on finding a way to restore or undo what Discord’s magic had caused. Two young and promising unicorns named Celestia and Luna are chosen to train under the princesses until they are ready to take on the princesses' roles.

The unicorn sisters rule over Equestria for almost 300 years before taking on their own apprentices, Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle. Sunset Shimmer mysteriously disappears and leaves Twilight to train under Celestial and Luna on her own.

A jealous Opaline Arcana has watched Gold Lily and Sterling be the most powerful beings in Equestria for almost a thousand years. She decides she is more worthy of all that power and goes to take it all for herself. On the day Twilight Sparkle is about to meet her future friends Opaline makes her way to Ponyville where not only Celestia and Luna are, but Gold Lily and Sterling too.

With the help from the Elements of Harmony, Twilight and her friends defeat Opaline and banish her to the sun. Before being blasted away Opaline swears revenge on Twilight and her friends.

Gold Lily and Sterling leaves Equestria to search for the cure to Discord's chaos magic once again, feeling that Equestria will be safe in Twilight and her friends' hooves.

Twilight rules for a little more than 300 years before passing the throne onto Luster Dawn. (Cadence passes the throne onto Flurry Heart)

Gold Lily and Sterling manages to find an ancient draconequus artifact that restores balance to nature to the point that ponies no longer need to change the seasons, weather or day to night. Unfortunately they have to pay their immortality for the artifact. They retire to live out their last days back in their homeland.

When Opaline returns a thousand years after her banishment, she finds out that not only is Twilight long dead, but magic has disappeared too. Luster Dawn had had a moment of weakness not long before passing away in which she feared that once Opaline returns, she’ll have no one to stop her from taking everyone’s magic (and taking over Equestria). So if no one has any magic, there’s none to take. Luster separates the magic into one crystal for each of the three pony tribes. She orders her apprentices (one from each tribe) to hide the crystals away where they won’t be connected nor found.

Generations of misinformation and mistrust later, Sunny Starscout brings magic back together with her friends and Opaline is free to finally collect it. She is later defeated by Sunny and her friends.

[tildeathiwillwrite]

Tag Game: How Cuddleable Are Your OCs?

Thanks to @willtheweaver for the tag here and @fourwingedwriter for the tag here!

Rules: Answer the above question using a scale from 1-10 and include context!

For the main cast of The Watcher and the Thief:

Hector: 3.5/10 Not a touchy-feely sort of person, the closest he'd get is a surprise hug from his apprentice.

Luc: 7/10 Depends on the person he's cuddling with, usually family like his siblings or close friends.

Octavian: 2/10 Avoids unnecessary physical touch if he can help it.

Rift: 8/10 He'd give a hug so he could pickpocket the person he's hugging.

Kaira: 6.5/10 No concept of personal space, but usually backs off if she senses discomfort. Usually.

Tagging @chronicallydragons @spitefulbull @gummybugg @thethistlegirlwrites @stargazer-luna

@theeccentricraven @elizaellwrites and anyone else who wants to rate their ocs' cuddleability! :D