#Ore quest moment

[viaphni]

diamond is literally like 3 months old and he was gonna jump off that cliff

[silkjade]

alhaitham x mermaid!reader (5) / epilogue

⤀ warnings: fem!reader, no pronouns mentioned, reader has hair long enough to be pinned, kissing ! a/n: recommended to read the previous parts first, since this is a direct continuation. tiny reference to a sumeru hidden quest prev ﾉ series masterlist ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･𓇼

For the first time in months, Alhaitham returns to the little cove out by the waters of port ormos. He tosses a chunk of crystal ore, testing the weight—once, twice—before catching it again in the palm of his hand. It skips thrice before sinking below the surface, and internally, he's quite pleased with this exceptional display of muscle memory.

The cyan stone sinks, further and further down into the darkness of the midnight sea, until it lands softly into the palms of your hands, weightless. Despite the long pause in your correspondence, you've never forgotten how the waves shift in response to his disturbance. So when you had sensed that familiar movement rippling through the water, you swam towards the source, smiling because you knew.

“Drown anyone in my absence?”

“No, but that can change depending on what you’ve brought for me today.”

Emerging from the shallows, you sit yourself atop a nearby rock. The water droplets clinging to your skin and tail catch like crystals in the moonlight, and alhaitham has half a mind to pinch himself and confirm that you’re neither a dream, nor another desert mirage.

“Zaytun peaches. Your favorite,” he begins, “and golden roses from Aaru Village.”

You brush the tip of your finger along the flower’s velvet petals, so brilliantly gold, as if he’d stolen the sun right out of the sky.

“The desert was too harsh an environment for sumeru roses to grow, so an amurta researcher set about cultivating one that could.”

Voice softening, Alhaitham continues as his hands unfurl to reveal the hairpin he had once gifted you. “As promised…”

You can feel the lingering warmth of his touch on the metal as you wrap delicate fingers around the piece, re-admiring the florid craftsmanship. It's still as beautiful as you remember, maybe even more so, considering how you've longed for this moment to come.

You brush your thumb over the mysterious symbols carved on the centermost gem, pulsing with a soft ember's glow.

“It’s a protective rune I discovered in the desert. As long as you wear it, you won’t have to worry about needing to return to the sea.”

Perhaps that would explain why it somehow feels sturdier. Or why the nagadus emeralds appear to shine brighter, and more vibrant. You purse your lips in an attempt to quell the thrumming in your chest. He really did it. He really found a solution to something so seemingly impossible.

Alhaitham clears his throat, snapping you from your thoughts. "May I...?"

Nodding, you turn around as he takes the accessory, shifting his fingers through your hair before pinning it in place, a vast improvement from his very first attempt.

"Well, how does it look?"

"It’s beautiful on you.”

Heat blooms in your cheeks, taken aback my his forwardness. His reply hadn’t missed a single beat, answering as if he’d stated a fact rather than an opinion. Sure, you had expected some sort of witty remark tossed into his words, but rarely did he ever outright compliment you so directly.

Turning your head, you successfully avert your gaze; it's the only way you know how to deal with this sudden bout of bashfulness, but his fingers brush your chin, and you follow as he leads you back to him. Alhaitham closes a large hand over your own — his grip steady like his heartbeat, firm like his resolve.

Teal eyes bore into yours, shifting only to linger on your lips for far longer than he should've. How he longs for another taste... The faint glow of a blush dusts across his cheeks and onto the tips of his ears. He must pull himself together before his mind has the chance to stray further.

“Stay with me,” he murmurs, leaning in.

Your breaths mingle in the little space between your face and his, but you pull away at the last minute—just the slightest bit—so that his lips catch the air instead.

“Why should I?”

Alhaitham straightens, taking in your look of feigned apathy, clearly given away by that playful layer of expectancy brocaded in your expression. Of course you want to hear him say it; he's made you wait long enough.

The corners of his mouth lift into that phantom of a smile, one you’ve come to adore so much: small and sly, daring and charming in a way unique only to him.

“Because I love you.”

“And I’m yours, if you’ll still have me,” he adds, confidence unwavering.

There's no hiding the delight and relief that breaks across your features. Your heart soars, and the single breath exhaled during this time-frozen lull, lifts it to impossible heights. Finally.

You don't shy away this time when he comes in to kiss you, grinning at how right it feels. His hands grab at your waist, pulling you closer, eager to deepen the kiss. He's missed you, missed your touch, and of how you taste so sweet, like nectar from the garden of the gods... but you break away.

"Can you say it again?" Your soft laughter rings through the air, and Alhaitham rolls his eyes, indulging you nonetheless.

"I love you," he repeats, stealing another kiss in the process. And then once more, for good measure, during the quick moment of air between his barrage of kisses, interrupted only by your yelp of surprise, as he scoops you up into his arms.

“Well?” He looks at you expectantly, a brow raised and a smirk dancing on his lips. You giggle as your hand curves along the side of his face, guiding his mouth to yours once again.

“I love you too, Haitham.”

a/n2: the golden rose is actually a reference to a hidden quest in aaru village! i thought it was a cool metaphor hehe ^^ it’s a super easy quest chain + u get a pretty teapot decoration at the end :D

a/n3: and that’s a wrap ! i hope you’ve enjoyed this lil series as much as i’ve enjoyed writing it hehe tbh i was a bit nervous since the last part flopped, but in the end it doesn’t rlly matter ^^;; cus i read every single one of your comments / rb tags and i rlly appreciate them all so so much (இ﹏இ`｡) && while this is the end of this story, my ask is always open for more brainrots ‘n whatnot ! who knows i may write xtras lol ANYWAYS tysm for reading & sticking around ‘til the end ♡

© silkjade — do not steal, plagiarize, translate or repost any content onto any other platform

[carpbread0]

NPC Life is the best

(Genshin Impact x gn reader - sagau)

(second person pov)

Part 1 —> Part 2 —> Part.3

————————————————

Now that your kaeya predicament was gone, it was finally time to decide what to do for a living. to be honest, you didn’t have to worry about money since you were an accountant and had a few properties in real estate. So money just was never the problem.

but now that you’ve landed in teyvat it seems that all of your hard work has gone out into the gutter. real estate didn’t seem like a good job considering-

well

the fact that you had barely enough mora for four more meals. and accounting didn’t seem all that good either since the store managers in teyvat never seemed to need an accountant at all.

well unless if you wanted to work for the fatui and slave away while also having the chance of being hurt at any moment..

so past jobs just weren’t gonna cut it.

maybe a.. painter? You did paint as a hobby, but then again you didn’t have money for the costly supplies anymore..

oooo! Or maybe a baker? You did enjoy baking with your ex, but then again it was mostly him doing the work while you just stared at him lovesick..

mm.. maybe an adventurer? The pay seemed pretty good and you would get to explore all of teyvat at the same time. However.. the Khaenri’ah quests broke you so hurting a innocent hillichurl would probably break your heart..

who knew picking a job would be so hard?

as you grumble about what to do, a flyer from a nearby wall suddenly flys off gently and straight into your lap. A CHIBI drawing of a familiar figure prancing around piles of mora is dead center as the text above says

NEW!!!

Liben is back in town!! Those with valuable goods such as ores or whatever I’m craving- will be paid handsomely! If you wish to trade with me, please come next to the fruit stalls at the front gate if you wish to trade for a handsome amount of MORA!

teyvat has blessed you

Your holy savior is back in town!

but.. what could liben want today? Then again, his silly little flyer said it could be anything of value. Maybe you should try your luck at getting a precious ore! It shouldn’t be too hard right?

. . . . . . . . .

it was too easy

the moment you trekked out into a small cave near eagle coast was the moment you found two large emerald like ores that were easily plucked out. It was as if teyvat wanted to impress you in how it could bend to your wishes so easily.

you made your way back to mondstat and headed to the location Liben was usualy found.

weaving through the busy street you found yourself before the flamboyant looking man. He was as tall as you’d thought he be but with a very chill attitude just like his in game dialogue.

“Hi! My name is Y/n. I saw your flyer and I was wondering if you’d be interested in my ores” you show him your two ores which were as large as small watermelon.

“Hmm, these will certainly do. How about 1 million mora? These fine ores must cost a hefty price no?” Liben nods with professionalism.

“Mm.. how about 1.4 million mora?” You look up at him with a pitiful look. “I worked very hard to find these ores so it would be nice if you could raise the price a bit. Of course, if you don’t want to it’s fine.”

Liben ponders for a minute before diligently responding with “how about 1.3 million mora? Will that suffice Traveller?”

“Deal!” You look up at him happily.

“Good! Let’s set this trade then”

Liben proceeds to grab three hefty bags of mora and hands it over to you as you gently hand over your ores. As Liben hands you the bags of mora you can only ponder about how to fit the into your little pouch..

well that was until a backpack symbol popped up onto your pouch.. it seems like the bag you had stolen wasn’t any ordinary bag after all. Pressing on the symbol, the back pack screen popped up like in game. Liben didn’t react nor did anyone who was passing by. It seems like this screen was only visible to you.. how neat!

placing the mora into your inventory you see the mora bar fill up. Although you’re a little guilty about guild tripping Liben into giving you an extra 300k, times are hard and with such a good opportunity you must take it! Come on look at you now, 1.3 million mora would probably last you almost a life time in teyvat, but you can never be so sure. After all, being so stable with money in your old world sure puts you on your feet now that your hard earned fortunes are of no use. The more mora, the better!

. . . . . . . . . . .

Once you finished sharing small talk with Liben after your godly trade, you decided to explore the city of freedom.

it was about 3 pm now since you spent a few hours walking out to go find ores. Now that your stable with mora the flooding thoughts of being the creator really hit you.

Surprisingly, it hasn’t been on your mind at all. But now that you’re heading to the cathedral and the venti statue, the thoughts of being treated like a divine being throws shivers down your spine. While living in luxury would be a dream of some, being stuck in a cold and quiet throne room seems just as horrible as living on the cold streets.

now that you think about it, you haven’t heard talk about the creator at all. With how little you know about yourself you can’t help but be nervous. Is there an imposter on the throne? Do the people of teyvat sacrifice human beings in your name? these thoughts can’t help but send another shiver down your spine as you finally reach the top of the long stairs.

the venti statue stood high in scale, obviously more magnificent then it could ever be in game. The crowd that surrounded the statue was much larger as well. With nuns preaching about lord barbatos and so forth. you look at the cathedral to see another nun preaching, she seemed to be talking about the creator.. it’s best if you listen in on her words.

scurrying over you manage to find a nice spot amongst the large crowd of people.

“The divine creator has yet to descend but as diligent followers we mustn’t rush their return!” The nun says loudly as a few people cheer.

“Once they descend we will finally see their divine features, features not even the best scriptures could describe.”

“We will bathe them in gold like the color of their holy blood! And we shall never kill in their name lest we sully their robes!” The nun preaches like a zealot and the crowd yet again cheers.

well, that sure answers your question. At least the people don’t kill in your name.. you couldn’t be so sure about gods though.. well it’s better than everyone doing it, that’s for sure.

The nun also said that the creator hasn’t descended yet.. which means you’re not in the imposter au! Woo hoo! Now you surely have a better chance to live as an NPC.

walking away from the crowd you decide it’s best to go look for an inn. The gothe hotel is an obvious contender but it’s taken over by the fatui.. maybe you should walk around the city a little more and decide.

heading down the stairs to the town square you sit down on a bench, now realizing the toll of walking down the large amount of steps.. how do the locals do it *sigh*

unknown to you a certain soft spoken alchemist can’t help but be captured by the sight of you. With his interest peaked he walks over to you quietly without you noticing a thing.

“Excuse me, is it alright if I sketch you?”

——————————————————————

carp bread- wasn’t sure how I was supposed to write Liben 😔👆

[apparently-artless]

Summer Anime 2024 Watchlist

[request is now open, check the rules under the cut]

Isekai Shikkaku

2.5-jigen no Ririsa

Senpai wa Otokonoko

Isekai Suicide Squad

Delico's Nursery

Nige Jouzu no Wakagimi

Tower of God Season 2

Fairy Tail: 100-nen Quest

Katsute Mahou Shoujo to Aku wa Tekitai shiteita. (Mahoaku)

Shoushimin Series

Giji Harem

Tasogare Out Focus

Oshi no Ko Season 2

Shikanoko Nokonoko Koshitantan

Hazurewaku no "Joutai Ijou Skill" de Saikyou ni Natta Ore ga Subete wo Juurin suru made

I will also check these out:

Tokidoki Bosotto Russia-go de Dereru Tonari no Alya-san

Maougun Saikyou no Majutsushi wa Ningen datta

Atri: My Dear Moments

Tsue to Tsurugi no Wistoria

Naze Boku no Sekai wo Daremo Oboeteinai no ka?

Make Heroine ga Oosugiru!

Boku no Tsuma wa Kanjou ga Nai

Madougushi Dahliya wa Utsumukanai

Isekai Yururi Kikou: Kosodateshinagara Boukensha Shimasu

Shinmai Ossan Boukensha, Saikyou Party ni Shinu hodo

Kitaerarete Muteki ni Naru.

Request will be open for these series:

Icons (indicate circular/square)

Character gifset per episode

Specific scenes in a certain episode (with/without dialogue)

NOTE: ANYONE CAN SEND THEIR REQUEST SO LONG AS IT'S NOT ANON.

[theminecraftbee]

more seriously i'm realizing the thing that makes it hard to go back to vanilla minecraft for me is that vault hunters, and then modded as a whole, is way less... self-guided than vanilla. like, okay, no, you can play modded in a very free, self-guided way, like if you just install create and go ham the progression is very similar to vanilla. but in something like vault hunters or another modpack, there are often quest systems that give you concrete goals as you go that help like... scaffold what you're doing. it makes it easier for my brain to latch on to. but it's not just that; it's ALSO that, by the nature of certain things in modded, i have ways to set my own progression goals WELL PAST the 'endgame' of minecraft that aren't just 'build a really big thing', and give me a sense of being Better and More Efficient now.

like, okay. in my current vault hunters playthrough i am level 90. i have been playing since like, september i think? normally by now in vanilla i've hit endgame and don't really need anything else and then i quit. but in vault hunters, even though i've very reached endgame there, i have things i can do that will give me a real sense of Actual Progression. on the vault hunters end, my Actual Progression goal is to make my divine paradox vault as good as possible and unlock some of the god armor transmogs. on the modded end, i am DEEP in mekanism and can go 'well, if i make a fusion reactor i can make antimatter, which will make me REALLY post-scarcity, but also means i'll be generating power that doesn't risk exploding and is more effective than my current fission reactor is. maybe i'll quintuple ores while i'm at it.'

and yeah, those are ALSO an unnecessary self-directed goals! they're basically the equivalent of 'i should build a megabase' in terms of absurd resource grind and being unnecessary! but at the end i get something Tangible that makes me Better At Game, which makes it feel like i'm accomplishing something a little better than giant builds tend to for me. like, at the end of my god altar arbitrary goal, i get something. at the end of my mekanism arbitrary goal, i get something. but ALSO i get something at every grindy step along the way, too, and at least FOR ME, modded is better than vanilla at giving me rewards for my progress?

and this isn't me saying there SHOULD be more 'rewards' for progress in vanilla minecraft; part of the whole POINT of minecraft is that it's open-ended and self-driven. it's just that that's also the reason that the moment i make it to the end in one of my minecraft playthroughs i'm like. well i could grind for netherite but i don't like building that much so i guess it's time to pack it up and do something else instead. for someone else, having so many concrete goals would feel railroady and break the 'progression', or lack thereof, of vanilla minecraft! i get that.

they're different playstyles and it makes perfect sense why someone might prefer one to the other is what i'm saying, but like, if you've only ever tried to play modded in packs WITHOUT a quest or progression system to help guide you, let this be me saying "no i actually think that's an integral part of the first time playing modded experience in order to GET why people like modded", yeah?

[skellseerwriting]

Sober Confessions

March x GN!Reader

Part 2 to Drunken Confessions!

Word Count: 3.2k

Content & Warnings: Some immaturity on March’s part, reader manhandles him a bit, lots of flustered March, getting together, kissing, brief emotional support from Olric, it gets briefly angsty, lighthearted ending

Summary: The morning after March confessed to you while drunk, you decide to talk to him about it

You woke up; mind instantly flashing with the memory of last night.

It all came rushing back like a flood.

March, drunk to the point of near-unconsciousness.

March, kissing you on the doorstep to his home.

March, confessing to you that he loved you.

Flustering heat rushed through your face and you tried to cover it with your hands despite being alone in your cabin.

Slowly, you removed your palms from your eyes, bringing a thumb to trace over your lips; recalling the feeling of March’s mouth against yours. He was so… compassionate. He held your face with such care, despite his lack of soberness.

You needed to feel that again. One taste wasn’t enough.

Going over the decision you made last night to talk to him today, you got out of bed to get a start on all your farm chores. After the plants were fed and the cows were watered, you made your way into town.

You said good morning to a couple of villagers while walking up to the quest board.

March had requested some copper.

Your hand subconsciously reached into your pocket to clench around the orangey metal that you consistently kept there. You always made sure to have some on hand to gift to March when you passed by his forge every day.

Biting your lip in nervousness at the thought of seeing him, you tried to stop the twitch in your fingers and forced yourself to walk towards his home.

You needed answers. Or wanted them, to be more accurate. But, you knew that if you just ignored the itch to hear the truth, it would drive you up the walls with madness.

Olric had told you that anything March said while under the influence was true, but a tiny piece of doubt rooted itself in your brain about him saying he loved you.

You heard drunk March say it.

Now, you needed to hear sober March say it.

That would be enough to settle things once and for all, and to believe the wish that had set itself upon your heart.

Taking a moment and feeling your breath constraining as you stood in front of that fateful door, you opened it and stepped inside.

A little bell jingled, but you didn’t hear it. All you could focus on was the young man in front of you.

March sat at the checkout counter near the end of the room, fidgeting with a dark piece of metal in one hand. His eyes widened as they turned and saw you; the metal piece dropping from his hand with a clatter.

While looking up at you and back down in a stuttering motion, he picked the fidget thing up, propped his chin up by his palm, and pointedly looked away from you. He was trying to ignore you.

Even from here, you could see the pink adorning his face; though there was no cold weather to blame this time. It filled warmth in your stomach upon realizing it was because you were in the room. As you walked closer, you were able to take in the purple eye-bags that hung from his eyes.

Stopping in front of the counter, you couldn’t help but take a quick glance at his lips. Luckily, he didn’t turn back to look at you until after your raised your gaze higher. His mouth opened, then closed. He looked away again.

The blush gracing his features had spread outwards and risen up to the tips of his ears. He seemed absolutely embarrassed, and how could you find it anything but endearing?

“I- Uh…” you tried to find your words. “I saw your request.” You finished; setting the copper ores on the counter. His eyes looked up at you in surprise, as if to say: “that was quick”. However, the emotion quickly morphed back into one of being completely flustered.

“T-thanks…” he mumbled, grabbing the ores and storing them somewhere under the counter. Then, he took some tesserae to hand to you.

While trying not to jolt at the feeling of his hand touching yours, you loosely counted the money in your hand.

It was a good chunk more than what he had paid in the past for this kind of order.

Before you could even begin to question yourself why, March cleared his throat.

“If, um…” he began, fingers parted over his lips as he looked away. “If that’s all, then you- you can go.”

Trying not to gape, you let your arms hang awkwardly at your sides. Feeling your face go warm, you decided you weren’t going to be shooed away before you had the chance to talk to him.

“How are you?” You asked him.

“Huh?”

His surprise at the sudden question brought his gaze back to you.

“From last night.” You stuttered out. “How did you sleep?”

Finally understanding what you meant, March closed his eyes with a sigh and leaned back.

“I slept fine.” He said curtly, some of his usual stubbornness slipping through.

“Oh.” Was all you said, tone laced with disappointment.

Of course he wasn’t going to be so open with you. What were you thinking? March never wore his heart on his sleeve; he kept it caged behind silver bars.

“Well,” you said uneasily with the slightest hint of amusement. “those eye-bags look pretty brutal.”

You were hoping a little humor would diffuse the tension a bit and ease him into talking to you more. However, only silence was left in your wake. March’s hand continued to cover up more and more of his lower face as he continued to not look at you unless he absolutely had to.

As you waited for him to respond, a realization slowly dawned on you. Part of you began to think that perhaps he genuinely didn’t want to talk to you.

With what felt a lot like heartbreak wracking your body, you shifted your weight to turn around and leave. Dreams almost never came true, but you had really hoped this one was an exception. Before you could move, however, a quiet voice stopped you.

“It’s not so bad thanks to you though.”

Now it was your turn to do a double take at him. If you were holding something, you surely would have dropped it. The way he had spoken, it was so soft. The words blew out of his mouth in a calmness unseen from him before.

Your heart may have just skipped a beat.

“Yeah?” You nudged, not quite believing the words going into your ears. He nodded into his palm.

“You-“ he bent his fingers away while still refusing to meet your eyes. “I… wouldn’t have gotten as much sleep as I did if it wasn’t for you. So, thank you.” He let that last part out in a whisper.

A smile made its ways onto your face immediately upon hearing that. It told you that, underneath that bitter-to-only-you persona, he actually felt gratitude for you and your actions.

“Of course.” You responded, pouring genuinity in between each letter. You would do it every night if necessary (but you wouldn’t tell him that. At least not yet).

In the next moment, Olric walked in right behind March. He froze; seeing the two of you talking. Giving you a smile and a thumbs up, he quietly walked backwards and out of view.

Trying not to let a grin break through at the sight, you felt yourself become motivated once again through Olric’s silent encouragement.

Deep breath in. Deep breath out.

“I wanted to talk to you about last night, March.”

Alarm spiked through his face and he instantly looked away from you again; taking immediate interest in a spot on the countertop.

“There’s nothing to talk about.” He said briskly with his eyebrows furrowed, a deep red blooming on his face contrasting with his prickly attitude.

“We both know that’s not true.”

You wanted to sound gentle and reassuring, but you were positive he was too afraid to hear it as such. March gripped the edge of the counter.

“I- I was drunk out of my mind last night, okay? It was- it wasn’t really me. That wasn’t me last night.”

He sounded so tense as he said it. So frustrated, almost. It was fearful.

Stepping forward as close as you could get to him with the piece of furniture between you, a hand was delicately placed close to March’s.

He flinched nonetheless.

Feeling a sorrow fill your heart at his reaction, you tried to do your best to ease his emotions. Even if this all didn’t end as you hoped it would, you wouldn’t want him to hurt in any way.

“Olric told me last night that your behavior when drunk isn’t “deceptive”…” You began slowly, inching your fingers closer to his. “He said that… that no matter what, it was the truth; that whatever you said or did was the truth.”

You could barely see March clench his teeth from the concealing angle of his face, so you attempted to reach his hand.

He pulled away.

However, you stood your ground.

Not letting him get away with his foolish behavior of running from his feelings, you leaned forward and snatched his hand in yours anyway.

March began to let out a curse as he tried to yank away before catching himself in front of you. Standing up, his mood shifted to something slightly frustrated as he struggled to pull out of your grip. It was a tussle, and neither of you wanted to lose. You doubled down and held on with a vice; tugging him towards you with force.

“What the-“ he breathed out, before grunting a “let go!”

“No.” You said with a sturdy tone, determined to put an end to this ridiculousness. March tried to pry your fingers off with his other hand, so you took the opportunity and grabbed that one too.

A full curse slipped out of his lips as he gritted out a “how’re you so strong?”

Getting briefly distracted by the toned muscles that were now flexing in front of you (he was a blacksmith after all), you easily responded to his question, reminding him you were a farmer.

“I do menial labour everyday, Remember?”

March appeared to blush at that, and you felt his pull weaken.

Using the chance to prevent him from escaping, you anchored your feet, threw your body weight back, and wrenched his arms forward. March’s abdomen hit the counter, and you slammed his palms down far apart from each other on it.

Leaning back forward to look him in the eye, you were confronted with the sudden realization that his face was very, very close to yours all of a sudden.

Your breath caught in your throat. And you barely registered the fact that the same happened to him. Foreheads nearly touching, your eyes were for once that morning purely focused on each other. March swallowed; nervousness once again washing over his demeanor.

You felt your heart thumping in your chest as it threatened to jump out. If you nudged forward just the slightest, your noses would be touching.

March opened his mouth to speak. And you couldn’t stop yourself from glancing down at his lips. Those same lips you had felt last night.

“Are you…” he started softly, gulping again; defeated. “When will you let me go?”

It was a fair question, seeing how the tops of his hands were being crushed under your own palms.

“When you finally stop lying to me and be honest about last night.” You whispered, feeling yourself blush at the way he was looking at you.

A brief flicker of fear flashed through his eyes, but then they were just as quickly replaced.

“What do you want to know?” He mumbled, casting his gaze downwards.

“Did you mean it?” You asked, pleading with all your heart that he would say “yes”.

“I was drun-“

“But did you mean it?”

He looked up at you again, and you couldn’t tell if his eyes were teary even being this close to him.

Heavy silence filled the air.

It dragged down on your shoulders and your skin and brought you to rest your forehead against his in a way that made his eyes widen and his breath hitch.

Resisting the urge to close your eyes, you awaited his answer.

And he gave it.

“Yes.”

It was in the smallest of voices, but it pierced right through you. Exuberating joy flooded you as you went over each and every individual thing he told you last night.

“Do you really think about me everyday?” You asked softly.

Taking hold of the hands you held hostage, you slowly lifted them and rested them over your heart; allowing him to feel how fast it was beating.

Becoming enamored by the feeling underneath his fingertips, he nodded.

“Every day.” He whispered, turning red again at the confession. You smiled as you remembered the next thing he told you.

“And do you really like my smile?”

He let out a bit of a fake scoff as the usual March shined through; the one you were most familiar with and loved just as much.

“I do. It’s so annoying that you never know when to stop doing it.”

Despite the words he spoke displaying how much he disliked it, his actions indicated otherwise as he brought one of his hands up to cup the back of your head.

“And what about when I look at you?” You asked in a slight teasing tone, allowing yourself to look down at the lips that were so close yet so far.

“I get dizzy.” He admitted, trying to appear stoic as he mirrored your actions.

“Does it matter where I’m looking?” You murmured. “Or is the effect all the same?”

“It depends.” He breathed, breath fanning your lips. “Sometimes you don’t even see me, and I still get lightheaded. But right now,” He gulped. “I feel like I’m about to faint.”

“Then you better kiss me before that happens.”

And that’s exactly what he did.

March pushed his mouth against yours and almost made you faint. You couldn’t believe that it finally happened; he was finally kissing you.

Reaching a hand up into his hair, you pulled him in deeper as he did the same. With his inexperienced lips dancing against yours, a happy sigh escaped you.

March slowed down to look at you; silently asking what that was for.

Giving him a look of pure adoration, you cupped his face with your hands.

“I almost forgot to say it.” You pecked his nose. “I love you too March.”

Taking hold of one of your hands, he attained a furious blush and averted your gaze.

“Shutup…” he mumbled, although it had no bite to it.

“But I do.” You quoted him, being a little amused at his reaction.

“Everyday I think about you. Every time I approach the quest board I secretly hope you posted something so I would have an excuse to talk to you. When I pass by your home I silently hope that you’re working the forge so I can see you. And when you look my way I get so many butterflies, even when you’re cross at me. March,” you took a big inhale and let out the biggest grin. “I am hopelessly in love with you, and I can’t even begin to express how happy I am that you feel the same.”

March covered his eyes with his forearm and dropped into his chair; groaning out of romantic frustration. You giggled at the sight. Despite his attempts at hiding, nothing could conceal the red flush absolutely covering his face.

“You know you’re cute when you’re flustered.” You teased cheekily.

“Shutup.” He repeated again, but it held no real malice.

“Oh but you looove my voice, don’t you? I’m surprised you didn’t mention that last night when you told me the things you love about me.”

“That’s because you’re annoying to listen to.” He threw back with a smirk barely visible underneath his arm. “And I never said that was all the reasons.”

After saying that, his body went stiff. The gears turned in your brain.

“Tell me them.”

March lowered his forearm, revealing a blush that stilled rivaled that of his hair color.

“No.”

You took a quick step around the counter and March immediately stood up to put some distance between you.

“March…” your tone carried warning as you approached him. He attempted to wedge the chair between you two but you lunged after him anyway.

Shrieking (he’ll say later that it was a “hiccup”), he let go, turned around, and fled.

You chased after him.

“March you get back here or so help me I will feed you to my chickens!”

You both ended up running circles around the display cases for the store’s wares, with you hurling meaningless threats at March while he spat back witty remarks ranging from “I knew I shouldn’t have admitted my feelings” to “don’t do that; it’ll give your chickens indigestion”.

Exhausting yourselves from the ordeal, you somehow ended up crashing on the floor next to each other against the wall. Sitting down, your heads angled into one another and your fingers ended up intertwined as you caught your breath.

“So,” you panted lightly, grazing your thumb over his hand. “Are we together now?”

It sounded like a bit of a silly question, but you thought the distinction was important. The last thing you wanted was any confusion in this newfound relationship between you two.

“I hope so.” He mumbled, but you could hear the earnestness behind it.

Turning to look at him, you tucked a piece of hair behind his ear and leaned in to place a kiss on his cheek.

Once again, a blush bloomed on his face and he attempted to cover it with his free hand.

Resisting the urge to pry his fingers away when you know you’ll have plenty of opportunities to do so in the future, you just looked at him; drinking in his beautiful countenance.

“Then I guess we are.” You mused.

March spared you a glance. Before he could change his mind, he lowered his hand and timidly placed his lips on your cheek too.

You felt like you were glowing.

“I’m so glad you both worked it out!” A voice exclaimed.

Looking to your right, you both saw Olric peak out of a doorway, gazing at you both with such a proud look on his face.

“Olric…” March drawled, running a palm down his own face.

“Thanks for your support.” You told Olric, trying to balance out his brother’s negativity. Then, you gave your boyfriend’s (thinking of March as your “boyfriend” made you feel extremely giddy) hand a squeeze.

“I was hoping to get to the mines today.” You told him, hoping he wasn’t too disappointed.

“Alright.” He nodded, helping you stand up. “Don’t let me get in your way. How else am I suppose to get copper?” He added at the end with faux disinterest.

Making a fake offended gasp, you batted him across the chest. He grabbed your hand and -albeit nervously- pressed a kiss to your knuckles. Your fake anger dissipated, and you could barely stand the feeling as your hands pulled apart while you walked away.

“I’ll see you tonight?” March asked with baited breath.

“Tonight.” You nodded. “At the Sleeping Dragon Inn.”

“It’s a date.” He declared as you exited the store.

“I’ll be there!”

Turning around before you closed the door, you told him the words that you both wanted to hear.

“I love you.”

March managed a grin amidst his ever-present, fiery blush.

“I love you too.”

Taglist: March FoM

@itsabea @theloserqueen @moonfiresonorant @turdofanerd @mariusvonhangme

@susanatactica @anomiatartle @apric-t @thatonenewjerseychick

[beastren]

I was told that you had some info/lore on Ser Beren in relation to the escort destination, but also the hot springs? Sorry if it's vague but I love Beren so any info/observations/theories on him is good info haha

YES okay, this is gonna be a bit long! To start off, I'm assuming you're familiar with this post by u/afro_eden, and some of their other recent posts, talking about the last emperor of Battahl and them doing inquiries into mysterious ore (potentially glimmercoal) that used to fuel ancient Battahli civilization ~2000 years ago. SO!!

Based on the journals of prisoner Bekresos, there are 2 things that'll factor into a revelation regarding Beren: 1- people attempted to spread the truth about the Lambent Flame not being quite what it had been presented as under emperor Faleri, likely even longer. And 2- that this happened at least 16+ years ago... It seems Faleri was likely corrupt in general, so that + any whispers of doubt towards the Lambent Flame, I can only imagine there'd be Battahli people who'd become a little disillusioned, potentially even choosing to leave for Vermund, hint hint.... Beren would've been around for Faleri's rule for sure....

NOW for the actual bits about Beren!! At the hot springs, he gave me some very interesting idle dialogue....

WOW!!!! I think he can say this during other points, I believe since then I've seen him say it when he returns to his childhood home, BUT!! I'd been pondering this dialogue April and what it could possibly mean, and seeing that reddit post made me have a huge aha moment!! Later the same day, I just happened to do his escort quest....

As mentioned in the reddit post, there are stone monuments denoting places Faleri had sent Bekresos and his team to excavate/research. What I feel they didn't mention, however, is that all of these monuments point directly to caves. Literally pointing, with the pickaxes depicted on them lol. Some are however, placed a little further down the road, as if to section it off and permit entry. (This one is the most obvious, pointing straight at Dimdark Cave, Enoa'Battahl Cavern is another one that has a monument slightly up the road from it.)

I always wondered why Beren requested to go to a cave.... It didn't make total sense to me. But lo and behold.... ONE OF THE MONUMENTS!! Just a little ways away, pointing up the path to Beren's destination! This lead me to the conclusion that a younger Beren must've heard the rumors and began to doubt his faith in the Lambent Flame, perhaps only subconsciously, thus his comment about not being quite sure about how his faith waned. As if the rumors just unsettled him over time? Maybe moving back to Battahl reignited his questioning and made him desire to seek out answers for himself, going straight to one of the dig sites.

I also wonder if him growing Moonglow has something at all to do with this.... It's a very mysterious thing in it's own right!! Maybe it has something to do with glimmercoal as a fertilizer (i have a pet theory that glimmercoal could BE parts of the moon), or maybe it's just a little easter egg that Beren's "in the know". But yes!! That's everything I think, and I hope this makes sense!!

[insert-witty-user-name-here]

WIP Wednesday

Been tagged in various WIP games over the summer. Thank you all 💕 I haven’t been writing much but when I do write, it’s mostly still about Ravonna Renslayer and her quest to bring down the Council of Kangs and rule the Sacred Timeline herself (thanks for asking @loki-is-my-kink-awakening). So, sharing a snippet from what’s currently called Chapter 2, Forging of Empires.

No pressure tags above the cut (And hopefully goes without saying but saying anyway- no obligation to read the below. I know it’s not our usual shared love of Lokius. Tagging y’all cause I want to see what you’re up to!)

@mirilyawrites @loki-is-my-kink-awakening @kcscribbler @dewdropreader @lgwilt @wolfpup026 @blackbirdofasgard @queen-of-meows

It was dark by the time they exited the High Council chambers, the sky a deep purple fading to black. The stars blinked into existence, fighting to be seen amidst the city lights of Chronopolis that beamed as bright as the sun itself.

Beside her, Kang snapped open his TemPad, his fingers moving furiously over the touchpad. “I can book you a timedoor to whatever location you prefer. You can return your entry visa at the security hub upon your exit. As you might have gathered,” his tone was clipped, “our deal regarding the quantum ore will take longer than anticipated.”

Ravonna shrugged. “It’s alright. I can wait.”

She made her way towards a bench in the High Council Gardens that overlooked the city below. The city buzzed with energy, just as alive as had been during the daylight, if not more so. Still, the gardens remained peaceful, the noise from the city blocked by a sound barrier. Sparrows gave their final chirps before heading home to nest. Crickets began their evening symphony. The air was heavy with the scent of roses causing Ravonna to blink—long and slow, the day’s events catching up with her—before she shook herself awake. She couldn’t lose focus. Not now. Not when everything hinged on these next few moments.

She turned her attention back towards Kang. He hadn’t moved and was staring at her with a suspicious look on his face. He closed his Tempad.

“Why are you here, Ms. Renslayer?” he asked.

“I told you. I’m here for my half of the ore. We had an agreement.”

“No,” he breathed. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Lie. You are not here for the ore. Or at least that is not your main objective, not anymore. Something changed as soon as you stepped onto my ship. I’ve humored you all afternoon, but my patience is at its end. So, I will ask this question one more time and take care how you answer it. You know what I’m capable of. Why are you here?”

With each word, Kang took a step closer. The very plants seemed to wither at his approach as if they sensed danger.

Ravonna didn’t wither. She straightened her back and raised her chin high.

“You have something I want,” she answered.

“Ms. Renslayer, please, I know the ore—”

“It’s not the ore,” she interrupted.

Ravonna ran her hands over a vine sneaking its way up the bench. It was tangled. Offshoots had sprouted and turned on themselves, threatening to choke the main vine until nothing remained. Ravonna plucked at a few unruly strands before clasping her hands back on her lap. It was too late for this vine; the whole plant would need to be uprooted.

“You’re right that I’ve been keeping something from you,” she said. “I know what this place is. Chronopolis. The Council of Kangs. I’ve heard stories—myths really of an organization that manages the multiverse.”

The multiverse. The word felt bitter in her mouth.

“Where others see the multiverse as freedom, I see chaos, destruction… death. The more we allow it to expand, the more destruction will reign. It is a disease that must be cauterized. This utopia,” Ravonna gestured to the city around them, “comes at a price. Peace, contrary to what others believe, doesn’t happen on hopes and dreams. It requires sacrifices. I know the sacrifices that must be made to secure it. And I suspect you do too.

“I’ve been looking for this city for a long time. I’d hoped the Council of Kangs might be the organization to which I could pledge my allegiance. An organization that could stand against the chaos threatening to consume us all but after today… I am less sure.”

Ravonna paused. Kang still hadn’t moved. His face was an expressionless mask. His body unnaturally still like a snake about to strike. She took a breath. Her next sentence was a risk, a calculated risk but a risk nonetheless. She continued.

“The Council of Kangs is a vestige of the past, complacent with the way of the multiverse and blind to the dangers lurking on its doorstep. They are out of touch, old, and tied to bureaucracy. I don’t believe they will help me in my quest to bring order to the multiverse. But I believe there might be one Kang who can.”

Kang’s gaze snapped up to meet her own. And there it was, barely concealed, but there. Shining brighter than the city lights around them—hunger. The desire for more; the desire to conquer.

The expression was gone a millisecond later. Kang leaned against a garden wall in a practiced show of apathy, picking a rose from a nearby bush.

“Why Ms. Renslayer, are you suggesting treason?” he asked. “I thought I gave you the impression that I am nothing more than a loyal soldier to the Council of Kangs?”

Ravonna laughed. “There is no such thing as a loyal Kang. I think you know that.”

Kang shrugged. “Perhaps.”

He stepped towards her, twiddling the rose in his hands. He stopped inches away. Heat radiated from his body—hot against the evening chill. Ravonna shivered.

“Why reveal this to me?” he asked. Suspicion mixed with hope laced his tone.

Ravonna plucked the rose from his hand. The thorn pricked her skin causing a small bead of blood to stain her suit. She paid it no mind.

“Does it matter? You don’t need to trust me. You’d be a fool if you did. But you can trust this. I won’t rest until I burn the multiverse to the ground. And I will succeed. One way or another.” She paused, flashing Kang a playful smirk. “It’ll just be easier if we do it together. So, I’ll ask this question once and take care how you answer it. Will you join me?”

A slow smile spread across Kang’s face. A dangerous, predatory smile that should have frightened her. Instead, a trill of excitement shot through Ravonna’s veins.

“It appears our missions are more aligned than I’d originally anticipated,” Kang murmured, extending his hand. “Allies?”

Ravonna took his hand.

For all time. Always.

The words sprung habitually to Ravonna’s mind. She squashed them down.

Those words were the past. She was done blindly pledging her allegiance to him. She was done taking orders. Ravonna Renslayer served herself now and Kang was simply her ticket to power.

“Allies,” Ravonna agreed, giving Kang’s hand a shake. “For now.”

And that’s all for now. If you’re one of those 10 people in the world who are interested in Ravonna, you’re welcome to check out Chapter 1 of Forging of Empires here. (No promises on if I’ll ever finish though 😬 just going where the writing muses take me).

[heavy-swing]

FFXIV Write 2024 - Prompt #27 - Memory

Content Warnings: BIG HUGE WARNINGS FOR BLOOD/GORE, TORTURE, CHARACTER DEATH - Aelita is okay physically, but experience memories of these things happening

Spoiler Warnings: Minor spoilers for early Bozja quests

Summary: Aelita is charged with recovering crystallized memories of dead soldiers from the Southern Front. Even she has no idea how these memories will affect her, but… anything for the cause, right?

Check it out below or on Ao3:

Aelita knew that a return to Bozja would be a challenge, but it was one she thought she was up to. Even when Zlatan had charged her with recovering crystallized memories of those who had perished on the Southern Front, she'd thought she could handle it.

Now that she was standing on the battlefield, surrounded by smoke and rubble and the din of war, with the crystal lying before her on the ground, she wasn't so sure.

It felt almost… wrong to be collecting them like this, as if they were simply ore to be gathered for smithing. It's for the cause, she tried to remind herself. It's for the same reason these people died. For a free Bozja.

After a long moment's contemplation, she knelt down to pick up the crystal, taking it into her palm. As she did, an unnatural despair hit her like a speeding train. She instinctively reached up to her throat, grabbing at a perceived wound that wasn’t there. Choking and sputtering on the blood from a gash across her throat that felt real. Aelita fell prone, trying desperately to catch her breath as fragments of a scene played out before her eyes. A Garlean soldier loomed large over her, gunblade hovering over her neck, dripping with what must have been her blood. There was no emotion to be found on her attacker's masked face, but she had to imagine they were taking great pleasure in this, simply watching her asphyxiate on her own blood and bile. After a few moments longer, the soldier raised their weapon and rammed it down onto her throat, and– 

Aelita gasped and heaved for breath. Her senses had returned, even more luckily she’d been far enough away from any of the action that no one had taken advantage of her condition. So that’s what these are like. Memories of those who fought. She gritted her teeth and pushed herself back to her feet. Whether she liked it or not, she felt there was no choice but to press on. 

-–

Aelita had managed to collect around a third of the memories Zlatan had asked for at this point, and she’d started to grow more used to the disorienting sensation. Mercifully, these memories had been shorter, often just a handful of seconds before the inevitable end. 

She’d found herself a bit closer to the front line than she was when she’d started her quest, and the fighting had grown a bit more intense. It was also where she’d first spotted a crystal of a different hue than the ones she’d already gathered.

Aelita approached cautiously, understanding better now the power these things held. When it seemed like there was a lull in the fighting, she reached down to take it, and was rewarded with a shooting pain in her hand, like nothing she’d ever felt before. She barely managed to turn her head to try and figure out the cause, when her blood ran stone cold. Half of the fingers on her right hand were gone, blood pouring out from where they used to be. She tried to pull her arm back, but found herself in the grasp of multiple Garlean soldiers, and the man standing before her without a mask must’ve been a high ranking officer. 

“You will talk, Bozjan scum.” The officer spat at her, hitting her in the face. “Or we’ll just continue taking your fingers until you bleed out and die.”

The pain was so loud and bright in her brain that even if she’d wanted to talk, Aelita wasn’t sure she could form a coherent thought.

The officer took her silence for an answer and brandished the pair of wire cutters he’d been holding that were stained a deep, rusty red.

“Suit yourself, then.” He clamped the blades around her middle finger and began to slowly press down, clearly intent on causing as much anguish as possible. The blades pierced her skin, causing a spray of blood that stained them anew before hitting the bone with a crack. Her brain lit up, every single cell seared by the white hot burning pain she felt coming from her hand–

Aelita crumpled to the ground, on hands and knees. She took labored breaths as she once again got her bearings in reality, trying to separate the memory from her actual experience. She instinctively flexed her right hand, and was relieved to find all of her fingers where they were supposed to be. She took a few more deep breaths before standing once more and surveying the field around her. There should be more of these around here, she thought, trying to decide on a direction to start in. Everything in her brain told her to stop, that it wasn’t worth it, but a stubborn part of her insisted on trying to push through. So she picked a nearby crater and started walking, just putting one foot in front of the other. One step at a time. For Bozja.

—

Aelita was nearly finished, only a fraction of her crystalline quarry left to find. She’d crept dangerously close to the front line now, but it was where Zlatan said she was most likely to locate the specific type of crystal that remained. 

After a while searching, she reluctantly found one of the new crystallized memories she was looking for, and like the other two types, this one had a unique hue. She knelt down beside it, as far behind cover as she could manage while keeping it in arms reach. Before she grabbed it, Aelita spent a few moments just focusing on her breathing, trying to calm her mind and prepare for whatever nightmare lay inside this memory.

After a couple more minutes, Aelita closed her eyes and reached for the stone, reasoning that perhaps if she knew everything after she opened her eyes again wasn’t real, it might make the memory easier to live through. As soon as she made contact with it, she felt a tidal wave of sadness hit her; a feeling she hadn’t felt since Yugiri’s brush with death at the hands of Zenos. 

She was lying on the ground, her own shaky breaths letting her know that she didn’t have long left to live. Her body was not her own this time: she now had the thicker arms and torso of a male Hrothgar, though with a similar enough color of fur that it was hard to tell the difference at first. She was greeted by the sound of wailing sobs to her right, and when she looked in that direction, a familiar looking Hrothgar woman seemed to be the cause. Aelita started to cough reflexively, unable to control it. 

“Please… please don’t go! You can’t be gone! You can’t leave me like this!” the woman howled, clearly racked with grief.

Why does she look familiar…? Aelita thought as she continued to sputter and wheeze, trying her best to keep breathing. 

“Jaromir, please!” 

It all snapped into place. In time with her realization, words came from her lips, a voice familiar, but not her own.

“Lunya… If you see her… Tell Aelita… I’m sorry… and I love her. Both of you,” the voice of her father said, barely managing to speak between gasps for air.

The person who could only be her mother threw herself on top of Aelita, as if trying to physically hold Jaromir’s life force in, to keep him from leaving. She felt tears form in her own eyes as her mother’s face blurred into a white light that eventually faded into nothingness. Into the sweet embrace of–

Aelita’s eyes opened slowly, but she felt distinctly hollow inside. She lay hidden behind a broken half-wall, looking up at the sky through a watery lens of tears. Without another word, she rolled over onto her side, curled up into as tight a ball as she could make herself, and wept. The snot and tears mixed with the dirt beneath her, coating the side of her face in the most tragic sort of mud. Aelita cried and cried and cried, the water dissolving her down until she was practically nothing, sobbing until every onze of strength she’d had was spent. 

She knew there was a mission, she knew deep down that the front line was no place for this, but that little rational part of her had long since been drowned in the cement-like malaise of grief. The depression that comes with finally learning a truth you’d long suspected but had hoped to avoid. When all of the big emotions had subsided, she simply lay on the ground and closed her eyes.

She wasn’t sure if it was worth waking up.

—

An urgent voice split the darkness. “Aelita? Aelita, are you still with us? Aelita? Please wake up!” 

Aelita tried to open her eyes, but found them caked shut with gunk from her extended crying session. She reached her hands to her face to rub them clean, and then looked around to locate the source of the mystery voice.

“Oh, thank goodness you’re alive, we had all gotten worried when we hadn’t heard from you at all yesterday after you’d left.” It was Mikoto, concern still written all over her face. “Are you all right?”

Aelita almost opened her mouth to give an automatic ‘yes’, but she stopped herself. “No, I don’t think I am.”

“Oh.” The answer wasn’t really a surprise, given the condition Aelita had been discovered in, but it still seemed to catch Mikoto off guard. “Okay, uh… well, first things first, we need to get away from the front so neither of us gets hurt, or worse.” Aelita’s own memory flashed back to the fates of the Bozjan soldiers she’d inhabited the previous day, just for a moment. “I promise that I’ll listen to you talk about it when we get back, okay? It’s important we get back in one piece.”

Aelita sat up, shaking her head free of the memories and then nodding her agreement.

“Are you able to walk?”

Aelita nodded silently again, pushing herself to her feet and taking the moment to try to brush the dried-on mud from the side of her face.

“Okay, then let’s head back. There’s a patrol that we can tag along with so that you don’t need to worry about fighting for now,” Mikoto said, starting to head in that direction. As Aelita began to follow her, she unclenched her other hand and found the memory crystal at its core. She stopped, closed her eyes, held the crystal over her heart, and said a quick prayer under her breath. May the Navigator guide you home, papa. Home to the aetherial sea. She tucked the crystal in a pouch, separate from the rest of the ones she’d gathered, and jogged to catch up to Mikoto, not wanting to fall any further behind.

[viaphni]

Bro why is Axel so OQP!Diamondcore with that outfit

This man is a KING that crown is no longer on Diamond's head (;??????Right????Right????DID THEY EVER REVOKE HIS KINGSHIP???????)

He looks like he's about to be absolutely crushed with daddy issues (i.e. dead brother issues) and influenced by the very force of evil that he the hero was created from

[dukemeropide]

21. What kind of relationships do they tend to intentionally seek out versus actually cultivate? What kind of social contact do they prefer, and why?

Character Dev Questions | no longer accepting

One of Wriothesley's regrets is that he can't trust other people, which naturally impacts his ability to develop relationships. He understands this about himself well enough that he can articulate it in his voice lines, so I believe that he's pretty conscious of it. That is to say, his relationships are almost entirely professional and he prefers to keep them that way. There is value in networking, and you can see by the number of characters who know of him that he's prolific with his connections and reputation, but he views himself as a businessman first and foremost. Who you know can make all the difference in securing funds for a new project, or hiring some extra protection to deal with a rowdy gang of inmates, or even opening up unique avenues to limited resources, so he likes to keep a wide array of acquaintances. He isn't picky about what kinds of people he throws his lot in with though. Some wayward pickpocket could be just as useful to him one day as someone rich and socially powerful. Wriothesley is nothing if not resourceful.

While Wriothesley is amicable and easy to get along with, I do think there's a callousness to his use of relationships. In Navia's voice line about him, she says she's been told not to trust anything he says. Wriothesley implies that he has no qualms with cheating. And in in his character quest, he manipulates the Traveler to help him oust Dougier and his schemes. The game presents this trait in a, if not entirely positive, lighthearted way, but that's because the playable characters in Genshin are very rarely allowed to be anything but Good. Clorinde and Emilie's voice lines about him imply that there's likely shadier things afoot, so I do believe that Wriothesley toes the line of morality more often than not. Realistically, this is the only way someone would be able to gain power over a pseudo-meritocratic society of criminals and keep it.

Circling back to the question, I don't know if "cultivate" is really something Wriothesley does with relationships so much as "maintains." Sending gifts to business partners, for example, agreeing to favors, helping others out if it's within his power to do so, because he knows gestures like these go a long way in keeping yourself in someone else's good graces, even if you rarely speak. A few boxes of tea sent to a business partner on her daughter's birthday could become 500 tons of ore at a slashed rate. There is, however, no emotional investment in these relationships. As for social contact, Wriothesley as "the Duke" prefers very little. The mystery of his persona serves him quite well, so he avoids the spotlight and makes himself a limited commodity within the Fortress. The inmates there consider meeting with him to be on par with winning an audience with the king, after all. Without his title, although these situations are much more rare (and in fact he seems uncomfortable outside of the Fortress), he enjoys mundane pleasures. Picnicking with a friend. Enjoying the weather at a cafe. Talking over a pot of tea. It's these moments that one might find themselves likelier to pry a personal fact or two out of him, but he's still frustratingly difficult to get to know on a deeper level.

[jaakap]

Stardew Vally

Introduction

Stardew Valley, developed by ConcernedApe (Eric Barone), is a delightful farming simulation game that invites players to escape the hustle and bustle of modern life and embrace the simple pleasures of rural living. Whether you’re tending to crops, raising animals, or exploring the mines, there’s something enchanting about this pixelated world.

Gameplay and Mechanics

Farming and Community Building

At its core, Stardew Valley is about rejuvenating a neglected farm. You’ll plant seeds, water crops, and harvest your bounty. The seasons change, affecting what you can grow. As you expand your farm, you’ll build barns, coops, and other structures. The sense of progression is satisfying, and the daily routines become oddly comforting.

Social Interaction

The heart of the game lies in building relationships with the townspeople. Each character has their own backstory, likes, and dislikes. Completing quests, giving gifts, and attending festivals deepen your connections. Whether you’re romancing a fellow farmer or befriending the local blacksmith, these interactions add warmth to the game.

Exploration and Adventure

Beyond the farm, there’s a whole valley to explore. The mysterious mine beckons, filled with monsters, ores, and secrets. Combat is simple but engaging. Fishing, foraging, and spelunking provide variety. And don’t forget the seasonal events—the Egg Festival, Luau, and Stardew Valley Fair—where the community comes together.

Art Style and Music

The retro-inspired pixel art is charming. The landscapes change with the seasons, from snowy winters to vibrant springs. The soundtrack, composed by ConcernedApe himself, is soothing and memorable. Each track captures the mood perfectly, whether you’re strolling through the forest or tending to your crops.

Themes and Relaxation

Stardew Valley celebrates the joy of slowing down. It’s a game where time passes gently, and there’s no rush. The cyclical nature of seasons mirrors life’s rhythms. Amidst the chores and responsibilities, you’ll find moments of serenity—a sunrise over the ocean, a cozy evening by the fireplace.

Conclusion

In a world filled with high-octane action and complex narratives, Stardew Valley stands as a tranquil oasis. It’s a game that encourages you to breathe, connect with nature, and appreciate the little things. Whether you’re a seasoned farmer or a greenhorn, this pixelated paradise awaits.

[ya-bug-boy]

I just finished reading your self aware reader x submas and I loved it so much it made me hyperfixate on them again. Just to know it, do you plan on continuing it?

OYEAA I WAS JUST WAITING FOR AN ASK REALLY THAT WOULD MAKE ME WRITE SOME MORE

Submas x Self Aware Reader! Part 4

With your own investigations and the twins helping, you were accumulating the material rather quickly. They already grew and harvested a glassgem and provided you with all the highest quality ore you'll ever need which was great.

But when they presented the glassgem to you, you were quite surprised. "Once again I am pleasantly surprised by your work. Your efforts have not been in vain, thank you." You take the delicate fruit in your hands and take a sniff, this mystic crop smells like the ocean oddly. "With this, my goal becomes ever much closer. I thank you."

"What's our reward this time?" Emmet ponders out loud. You think to yourself in thought. What could be a worthy gift to bestow upon them this time? "Well, I've given you all of my gold," you tell them both. You gave all of your money to the twins when they presented you with all the ore. "I'm afraid the reward you seek will be at the end of this journey, when our tracks meet." "Concerning how they say that. Makes you wonder what it could be," Ingo says aloud. "But I will offer to you two my help in procuring the mystic mushrooms I require in the Forbidden Forest. Hopefully it will be in our favor that we'll come across the Killer Bees." Out of all the monsters you are required to hunt for their loot, the Killer Bees were a randomized boss. "I, Goldeneye, will join you in your quest." you say as you step outside the ticket station to reveal yourself, dawning your quiver and bow. A melodic fanfare of music plays out of seemingly nowhere and the twins holler in excitement! It seems like your very presence soothes them, makes him feel rewarded. Which was fortunate considering you had nothing else to give.

"This journey will be treacherous. Pack your belongings and meet me back here," you tell the twins. Their characters quickly run down the mountains on their horses and comes back moments later with their gear.

Ingo and Emmet both favored to attack with magic, Ingo with fire and Emmet with electricity. You decide you would pack yourself with as many healing potions as you could. As the train starts, the twins are able to go leave the passenger compartment to speak with you in the front engines. The steam powered train runs smoothly to its destination. Because it's still just a game, what would have ordinarily taken hours takes only moments. You're thrown off by how the mechanics of this world works with you aware of it now but you try to adjust to it. You step off the train and wait for the twins to disembark. "Now I'll be providing as much support as I can," You explain to the twins. "I have limited potions. We must use them sparingly." The twins seem to agree to this and you set off your journey, the three of you walking in a row. The first several monster encounters go better than you expected. The twins were great fighters! You had never seen them in combat and felt relief to be in safe hands. But at one point an enemy attacks you and you fall to the ground. It...hurt. It hurt a lot more than you remembered pain feeling. It had been many years since you were last in combat. The twins immediately finish the fight and come to your side. "What's wrong?" Emmet asks out loud. "I got hurt...." You groan as you try to stand back up. "Sorry boys, it's been a long time since I've been out on the field. I haven't done any kind of close quarters combat in a long time..." Because of the curse you inflicted onto your friends, you're theoretically immortal but there was no rule opposed to you being invulnerable. "Just feeling a bit sore. Let's make camp here for tonight." The twins then get involved in some kind of setting up camp minigame. You stand there dumbfounded as the campsite magically puts itself together with the twins just staring there. The characters then turn their heads back to face you, eager to talk? You can't help but to feel a bit offput but it's slightly humorous how comical they are as well. For the twins in the real world, they think they've entered some kind of cutscene with you. The three of your are sitting in a circle around a campfire. "You two are the only ones worth speaking to," you say. "The other villagers...they live in a peace I can no longer obtain. This quest you're helping me with, the ingredients you are gathering, I will reveal a glimmer of truth tonight." You stand up and clasp your hands together, the lights and fire go out but in the next split moment, they see you again, with the dark tome floating before you and your eyes glowing white in the dark. "Try as you might, neither of you can read this book. The former scribe that wrote this made it so only those descended from the royal family of a kingdom lost long ago can read it." "This tome possessed me and showed me an evil truth to this world. What this truth is, I cannot say." You hear Emmet whine, "Not now but soon, at the end of this year when you catch me the fish I require in winter. But the truth I will reveal is this." You then close the book and it disappears, the campfire lights again and you all bask in its warmth. "The truth can be....revealed ideally. I am making a potion that will hopefully allow me to access this truth. Though there is much work to do, we have all year." "I am not certain of what other gifts I can provide to you two, but I am more than happy to answer any questions you may have, depending on what it could be." To the twins, a textbox appeared before them and they could type in a question for you. Ingo begins to type and his character then asks, "Is this truth of yours dangerous?"

"This truth is more than just dangerous, it is hope," You answer elegantly. "This truth shook me to the core and horrified me to my bones, reigniting lost forgotten feelings of despair and courage. If I fail to seek this truth out, I'm afraid my life, all of it, will have amounted to nothing but entertainment."

Emmet then types, "What kind of boys do you like???? :D "

You stand there in shock at the question before letting out a great big belly laugh, "Well, you got it correct that I do prefer men over women, but I suppose I..." You take a moment to ponder, hand on your chin as your other hand rests on your bow. "There are the ordinary values every one would want in a partner: strong, kind, smart... but what I crave with a man is more than just tangible traits. I want a man who will yearn for me."

"I have not loved in a very long time and now reflecting on it, I do not know if that love was ever even real. So the man, or even men that I need in my next love life..."

"They must be hungry for me. They must want me in a way that transcends all meaning. I have lived a life that meant and amounted to nothing which means I have nothing to give but only myself and whatever love that amounts enough for me to confess. And yet, in the face of that, there surely must be someone out there who will be hungry for me enough for me to become..." you pause on the world "real." It was much too soon.

"I hope that whoever is out there, will be as so kind to me that they will not only stand strong with me, whether it be weapons in hands....or just hand in hand. Flowers in our hair. Perhaps." You nod thinking of that.

Emmet's next response was, "I love you! :>"

You hear the actual voices of the men bickering in person before Ingo responds as well. "Though my brother fails to elegantly profess, I admit a tender fondness for you as well."

You stare at them shocked once more before saying, "But why? All this time for years, I have only provided you with train rides. And the concessional sentence in the village holidays... You two are quite interesting as you are puzzling...Quite puzzling indeed..." You let out another belly laugh. "I admit a tender fondness of you two as well, but perhaps not quite as strong. Though that may be subject to change in the future, should you two accept me for who I am."

The night continues with you interacting with the twins, them asking questions and you returning with your answers.

[dkniade]

World Quest “Ancient Colours” Act I spoilers?

I was watching a playthrough of the Mamere quest “Ancient Colours” and of course there’s already something off about Mamere (and it’s so sad that she always collects paint alone)—

Warnings: slight horror stuff involving blood, mentions lightheadedness and hearing voices, dialogue on emotional manipulation

—but that just took a really dark turn the moment Jacob showed up.😭

I thought, huh, surely this is just a cute quest about Mamere and painting and Elynas. And for the first half of Act One it is fun for the most part.

The little sound effect that plays when Mamere is talking and gesturing is so cute…. Wiggle wiggle…

Lots of people have tried to buy her art but she doesn’t need Mora, huh. And Paimon tried to appreciate the artwork. This does feel like a sunnier and cuter version of the 2.3 Dragonspine scene with Albedo.

This is not a sunnier and cuter version of the 2.3 and the 1.2 Dragonspine events.

Still, Mamere talks about tall people but it’s really nice that the camera angles are from her eye level when she’s talking to Paimon. It feels nice to be lower to the ground.

-

The paint in the bottle is a warm and beautiful colour… It’s not blood is it

Paimon: No need to apologize! A priceless masterpiece like the one you’ll make should also need priceless paints, after all!

(If player has completed Shadows Amidst Snowstorms)

Traveler: I do recall us helping Albedo gather Starsilver back then…

-

There’s that speech pattern again of Mamere trying to understand Paimon’s intentions

Mamere: Also, there's no need to worry. I've always gone out to get paints on my own, so I'm used to it...

Paimon: Wait, so you don't have friends accompanying you most of the time?

Traveler: Ahem.

Paimon: Oh! Uh... What Paimon means is... Um, sorry...

Mamere: Huh? Why are you apologizing?

Mamere: Oh, I get it, Paimon! You feel bad for me because Seymour can't move and I might be lonely while collecting paint, right? You're so nice... Thank you.

It’s hard to describe. What is it about her that feels notable? Usually people would be sad or upset if someone points out that they don’t have friends to accompany them, but Mamere seems chill about it?

-

…Isn’t the stone mechanic kind of like how you need to get red stones to melt the special ice in Dragonspine

Mamere’s concept of making paint seem to be different from Paimon’s concept

Mamere: These ores contain a lot of impurities. If we were to make them into paint like this, the colours won���t be even—they’ll look dirty.

IMPURITIES….. Albedo… Starsilver… If Starsilver symbolize one’s worth in relation to Rhinedottir, then what do the red ores here symbolize?

Mamere: Hehe. At this time, we need to find purer ones, grind them down, and then mix the powders together.

?? Not going to discard the impurities like Albedo would? Would that really help the paint making process?

-

But, what is this.

Traveler gets dizzy multiple times from presumably toxic ores and starts hearing voices, Jakob breaks into Mamere’s home and emotionally manipulates her. How long has this been going on?

-

Mamere: That "you've never seen paintings like these before," that "you'd like to collect them"... That you could... understand them...

Mamere: You did all that... for things that have nothing to do with the paintings themselves, right?

Jakob: You misunderstand, Ms. Mamere.

Jakob: I have never intended to deceive you. Even now, I have nothing but admiration for your work.

Mamere: But you called them... "shambolic doodles"...

Jakob: And I apologize for my imprecise use of words. I was truly mesmerized by their unpredictable, chaotic nature, and I can appreciate the beauty in them, so incomprehensible to the rest of the world.

-

…

This guy… There’s a word for what he’s doing, aside from manipulation.

[midorisudachi]

It's been a while since Iast posted here, ja? I was so busy for the past month and a half finishing up my Fennec Shand cosplay (and Boba Fett for my son). We wore it to WonderCon last month! (If you want to see photos, head on over to Instagram. My user name is the same as here on Tumblr: @midorisudachi )

Alright, so this more than likely seems random, weird, and nonsensical, but to me it makes total sense because this is for my own entertainment and a slight parody of my character & her companions in Skyrim. I was unsure of sharing it at first, but then I decided "Why not?", as this actually took a while to draw (with all the detail) and to colour in, so I actually am proud of this silly piece. It's 11" x 14" in real life.

Anywa: when my OC Katarzyna (an Imperial) first entered Morthal (swamp town), she and her two companions (a Steadfast Dwarven Spider & a Solstheim Dunmer Elf by the name of Teldryn Sero) went into the Moorside Inn. The moment my character stepped into the inn, some snarky broad named Alva immediately said, "Well...aren't you the pretty one? I bet all the men chase after you!" And I thought, "Who the hell are you, bish? You don't talk to the Dragonborn that way!" Lol! 

So this random scenario entered my head & it amused me & I just had to draw it. 

If you are not familiar with the game, you can carry a lot of items & also make your companion (who helps you fight enemies) carry a lot of stuff, too. I imagine that in "real life", it would be way too much to carry. I had to make the characters look ridiculous, such as Katarzyna dragging around a bag of dragon bones & holding her huge weapon; mismatched armour; looking tired as hell after running all over the place and fighting monsters and dragons; with dirt and blood on her. She's anything but "pretty". Lol. I'm always making Teldryn carry excess loot, armour, ore, ingots, herbs, etc all the time, so I had to draw him struggling as he hauls everything that Katarzyna cannot hold. My spider can't carry anything; it just follows me around and helps me fight.

And no, the men do not chase my character. In fact, a lot of them talk scheisse, because my character is an Imperial (who are despised by most Nords, the people of Skyrim).

I first played Skyrim in 2014. I had 220 hours invested into the game until I stopped in March of 2015 (2 months before my son was born) and never finished the game. It wasn't until this past February that I wanted to play it again! So far, I'm about 72 hours into the game and maybe 1/3 done with the quests? 

Who else has drawn Skyrim fan art? Please let me know and I'll check out your work!

Drawn with Sakura Pigma Micron pens & then coloured in with a mix of Ohuhu Markers & Copic Markers. Highlights done with a gel pen. The textured background  (and steam above the spider) were done in Photoshop Elements. 

Skyrim/Characters (c) Bethesda Game Studios

[santaeofficial]

The Quest For The Orbs Continues

The sun filtering through the leaves of the Harmonic Heartwood's canopy dappled the page of the letter in Vespera's hands with speckles of light. It was a note sent from Orion up in Halo Haven -- and it let her know that three more pillars at Ascendants Shrine had begun to glow!

"Perfect timing," Vespera said to River, who was peering down at the letter from Vespera's shoulder. "Now we have a couple more places to check before we return to Halo Haven! Ready for some more adventure?"

River flapped her wings and let out an enthusiastic chirp. It was time to hit the road!

The duo's first stop was the Azure Abyss. Everything seemed quiet along the luminous shore. River flapped over head, riding a gentle breeze that cooled the air as she watched the Abyssal Monster splash and frolic with some Adventurers' pets in the crystalline waters of the Abyssal Lake below.

Eldrin saw Vespera before she noticed him. "Vespera!" The Seeker of Knowledge called out. There was an uncharacteristic note of excitement in the wise elf's usually-calm voice.

"Hello," Vespera greeted Eldrin as she approached the edge of the Lake. "What's going on here?"

"It's the Monster," Eldrin pointed toward the leaping serpent in the Lake. Vespera looked over, puzzled. Nothing looked wrong with the Monster or the Lake to her.

"What about it?" She asked, puzzled. "I was wondering if something had changed recently, since Scholar Orion wrote that even more pillars had started glowing up at Ascendants Shrine. One of the markings he described made me think there would be something to be found here, at the Abyss."

"Excellent," Eldrin sounded deeply intrigued. "I think you're exactly right. The magic at the shrine -- that must be related to this." He reached into one of his robe's deep pockets and withdrew a shining Orb.

"Yes!" Vespera cried. "Where did you get that? That must be one of the Quenaris Orbs!"

"It was given to me by the Abyssal Monster," Eldrin explained. "Ever since the discovery of the Twilight Ore we have known there are many mysterious treasures beneath the Lake's surface -- but I have never seen anything like this before. If you are seeking artifacts of this nature, you should take it with you."

"Thank you," Vespera said as she carefully took the Orb from Eldrin and stowed it in her pack. "We're getting closer to solving this mystery -- I just know it!"

Vespera and River's next stop was closer to home. They crossed the river southwest of Azure Abyss and took the narrow valley road back into Shadow Veil Pass. As they moved deeper into the mountains, the craggy stone around them began to light up with the deep scarlet glow imbued by the Nether Moon overhead. Vespera wanted to check in on her Shop, and see how the Ancient Echoes Festival was proceeding, since they were near the area anyway.

As Vespera strolled the familiar streets of Shadow Veil Pass, a low voice caught her attention. "Vespera," the voice called. "Do you have a moment to speak?"

Invoker Imara beckoned with a white-gloved hand, inviting Vespera closer.

"Imara," Vespera greeted the mysterious artifact collector. "Always a pleasure. What can I do for you?"

The ghost of a smile was visible in the shadow of Imara's wide-brimmed hat. "I believe it is I who can do something for you. Are you not seeking certain objects of magical power?" Vespera leaned closer to look as Imara withdrew a smooth white orb from a pouch for her inspection. The orb was clearly magical: Wreathed in wisps of cloud, with a surface that glimmered with subtle prismatic reflections.

"You know I have my ways of getting my hands on unconventional artifacts. But this one holds no purpose for my own invocations." Imara held it out for Vespera to take. "Something tells me you know where this belongs."

Vespera took in Imara's knowing smile, wondering as always how the mysterious Invoker held such a depth of magical insight. "You're right," Vespera replied, "and I thank you. River and I will return this to Ascendants Shrine as soon as we can!"

Thrilled with their discoveries, Vespera and River set off for Halo Haven. Draconic magic swirled around River once again, empowering her to carry Vespera back up into the skies and return to the Shine with the Orbs they had collected so far.

As they approached Halo Haven, the flock of dragon Minimals filling the skies around the floating islands swirled around them. The swarm of smaller dragons soared and dived seemingly at random, sometimes coming perilously close to River's wings as she flew.

One swift-flying Velofang swooped directly toward Vespera on River's back -- it seemed like it was about to crash! Vespera threw up an arm to protect her face, but the small pink dragon flared its wings to check its flight right in the nick of time. It hovered above River's back for a second, seeming to peer closely at Vespera's face, then dropped something from its claw and flew away.

Vespera caught the item the Velofang had dropped on pure instinct, but when she saw what it was, she gasped. The way it caught the light made it almost look like a luminous dragon's eye. It was another Quenaris Orb -- and the Minimal had dropped it for her seemingly at random!