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the-real-fandom-person · 1 year ago

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SAGAU-related brainrot knocking around my skull lately: Lady Maria!Creator.

Noble, graceful, remorseful, powerful, melancholy, otherworldly Lady Maria. The Creator isn’t a pure and untouched soul, she’s a scarred and battle-hardened warrior, ridden with guilt. Trauma has made her cold, yet paradoxically gentle.

Teyvat makes lumenflowers blossom everywhere to herald Maria!Creator’s arrival. Big ones, small ones, towering ones, blooming after sundown alongside the glaze lilies. Even in extreme temperatures, the cold, pale flowers make themselves at home. Slotting peacefully into the local ecosystems without becoming invasive.

The Pari and the Aranara wake up to find lumenwood groves just outside their respective homes. The Melusines become enamored with these new ‘moon blossoms’ sprouting throughout their village, even the parts that are completely underwater. Amurta students and Fontaine researchers scramble over each other to study this new species. Nilou makes M!C a lumenflower crown, and it replaces her hunter’s cap for the day. Nilou gets the first ever hug from the Creator. Suck it, Azar.

Albedo and Sucrose experiment on these new plants immediately. Xiangling is already using it in some strange new recipe, something Chongyun will actually eat for once. Tighnari, Ganyu, and Shenhe take curious bites out of a lumenflower cutting. The taste isn’t unpleasant, just incomparable to anything else in Teyvat.

Inazuma characters, especially Kazuha, are absolutely fascinated by the Rakuyo (and maybe a little jealous). So graceful is M!C with her strange weapon, so easily she wields it on the battlefield. Every blacksmith in Teyvat hears the words ‘trick weapon’ and takes it as a challenge. Many come close, but none can truly replicate the genuine articles. May they never have a true need for beast-slaying weapons.

Imposter AU? With one of Bloodborne’s toughest bosses? Laughable. RIP anyone stupid enough to try. And if there’s a fake Creator pulling the strings? Not after a quick visceral attack, there isn’t. M!C pulls a blood blade to cut down the imposter’s guards (she notices the stars in her blood that weren’t there before) and the imposter receives the most satisfying visceral ever.

Up to this point M!C put no stock in the ‘god’ thing. All she sees is mad cult, led by a petty and jealous brat on a power trip. But then she sees the stars in her blood, hears the voice of Teyvat itself, puts two and two together and just… laughs hysterically, because this whole situation is patently ridiculous. Byrgenwerth and the Healing Church failed in their quests for ascension, their heinous crimes being all for naught. Now here she is, thrown headfirst into unwanted ‘godhood’ and getting hunted by her supposed worshipers. Oh, how the tables have turned.

Once people see the cosmos reflected in M!C’s blood, they fall over each other trying to apologize. Since she’s reached negative patience for everyone’s bullshit, she ignores them and fucks off to the Nightmare. After coming into Teyvat, M!C gained the power to enter and exit the Nightmare at will. The Nightmare doesn’t bend to her will, but it doesn’t treat her as an intruder. The Silverbeasts and Winter Lanterns don’t bat an eye at her presence. She’s a true denizen of both the waking world and the world of dreams, now.

That night, every soul in Teyvat has the same nightmare - the Celestial gods attempting to forcibly summon the Creator, only to have themselves snatched from Celestia and dragged into a hostile, eldritch world of unfamiliar mish-mashed environments. At every turn, it is full of nightmarish creatures out for their blood. One by one, all but a select portion of Celestials become beast food, with M!C protecting the final ones herself.

Celestia, responsible for planting the fake Creator, falls from the sky the next day, its grand architecture reduced to mere rubble that rains from the heavens. Found amongst these ruins are the mangled, blood-drained and half-eaten bodies of Celestial gods. Spears made of blood impale many of the bodies, spears that seem to have sprouted from inside the flesh. Those that still have intact faces bear identical looks of horror. They find The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles in literal pieces - crushed and torn apart by hands that must have been the size of a grown man.

New stars and constellations appear in the night sky, as the illusion created by Celestia slowly fades. The curse placed on the people of Khaenriah gradually dissipates as well - the hillichurl tribes withdraw from the world, content to leave it alone. Every day, the curse lifts a little more from the people of Khaenriah; one day, Dainslief, Pierro and all the rest will finally be able to die.

In Celestia’s place rises a second moon - a snow-white harvest moon, always full, large and visible even when clouds blanket the sky.

The Archons try to follow M!C into the Nightmare, but like Celestia, they get their shit wrecked by the denizens of the Frontier. The Archons don’t die for real, they’re just permanently cut off from the Nightmare. It takes Nahida, with dream powers of her own + Traveler and Wanderer in tow, to reach M!C and convince her to give the people of Teyvat a second chance. Nahida succeeds because she has the sense to treat M!C as a person, not some untouchable idol.

Sumeru is warm and welcoming, nothing like Yharnam or Cainhurst. M!C has fond memories from her time as a Byrgenwerth scholar, and the Akademiya feels like home. Sumeru becomes M!C’s preferred nation by default, to the pride of the locals and the despair of everyone else.

M!C has trouble wrapping her head around how mundane Teyvat’s supposed ‘gods’ are. Elemental powers or not, these Archons are too human to be divine; the only divinity M!C knows is eldritch, alien, far beyond mortal comprehension. The Traveler is fractionally closer to true godhood than any Archon. But then, just as the Great Ones were beyond human comprehension, so too are humans beyond the understanding of the Great Ones - perhaps it’s better for humans to have human gods.

Speaking of gods, M!C and Nahida bond over their dream-related powers. If this is before the climax of the Sumeru quest line, the Akademiya gets real quiet, especially when M!C publicly points out how asinine their logic is (she was closely associated with Byrgenwerth and Laurence, she knows their kind all too well). For all of his failures, all the disastrous consequences, Vicar Laurence at least had genuinely good intentions; these fools only care about themselves and preserving their own power. Scaramouche, Azar, the traitorous Sages - selfish, ignorant children all, meddling with forces they only pretend to understand. Crushing them herself is merciful compared to the other outcomes.

Through tactical manipulation of dream worlds, M!C busts Nahida out of baby jail long before Traveler and co. have to, and the Akademiya goes into panic mode because the Creator herself is coming for them. Traveler and co.’s plans turn instead to finding the hidden laboratory under Sumeru City - the combined power of dreams horrifically distorts the battlefield around the Shouki no Kami, even after his defeat. M!C doesn’t kill Azar after the fact, but she doesn’t let him go into exile empty-handed... because she cuts off his hands. Cyno is too unsettled to laugh.

Scaramouche resents her for her part in ruining his apotheosis (and because the Creator didn’t do shit for him in his tragically long life) but as the Wanderer, he and M!C bond over a shared disgust for the Second Fatui Harbinger.

And speaking of the Fatui... Well, they try to recruit her to the cause, and she has this to say:

“I’ll not serve your organization while any part of Dottore yet lives. For too many years, I stood by and did nothing while so-called ‘doctors’ brutalized the innocent and vulnerable for their supposed research, their dreams of godhood and divine revelation. Never again. If your leaders possess a shred of self-preservation between themselves, then perish the thought this instant.”

Fatui agent(s): ...

They don’t give up, of course. The less friendly ‘recruiters’ get sent back to Snezhnaya in pieces. The only Fatuus M!C tolerates is Tartaglia, because aside from being the Traveler’s friend, he’s a decent punching bag/sparring partner. She finds his Foul Legacy transformation cute, like a kitten baring its teeth at a lion.

Related idea: M!C meets Dottore’s remaining segment, and after everything she’s heard (let’s say from Collei and Wanderer, maybe Nahida too) she barely lets him get two words in before cutting his head clean off. Will this affect Dottore in the long run? Probably not. Does it make her feel better? Yes, actually. Collei certainly isn’t upset by the news. Wanderer is, only because he feels M!C was too merciful. She lets him dismember the segment so they can stuff it in a box and send it back to the Doctor as a warning.

If a scourge of beasts were to descend on Teyvat, probably because of Dottore M!C would lead the defense. This is not a war that mortals alone can fight, she insists. By her orders, every available god (herself included), adeptus, dragon, and most of the older allogenes are on the front lines, staving off the worst of the horde. Pyro users are in high demand, for the beasts fear them the most. In lieu of blood ministration, the various healers of Teyvat are working ‘round-the-clock. An entirely new crop of Vision-wielding healers spring up, because Teyvat’s top god herself unconsciously wills them into existence. Because M!C would never make use of the Old Blood, not after seeing and experiencing its effects firsthand. The burden of being a capital-H Hunter, the sweet, intoxicating call of blood - M!C remembers Byrgenwerth’s sacred adage, and she has learned from the mistakes of Vicar Laurence. Yharnam was merely the latest in a cycle of destruction, all because of the Old Blood. She will not doom Teyvat to suffer the same fate.

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the-albster · 2 months ago

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Open Mic Night

I thought I was going to have more time to finish this one this week, but alas, college life and extracurriculars have caught up to me. Still, I am very attached to this piece, and I have had this idea for a while. I hope you enjoy!!

Word Count: 2,468

Content Warnings: mild panic attack, self-deprecation, mention of a noose in song lyrics

Summary: Pari signed up to sing a favorite song of hers at an open mic night, and all of her friends come along to watch. It's dark and snowy, and she's getting more and more nervous. She admits she's scared when she's in the bathroom, and Kariah helps her out. Pari gets up onstage and performs, any nerves immediately fading. All of the friends applaud and compliment her, and it ends in a group hug and late-night food.

Content Used: "The Cave" by Mumford and Sons

Art By: @eventidebrine

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It was a cold, snowy Monday night. A very anxious Pari was walking briskly through the snow, holding gloved hands tightly with Kariah, wearing her guitar on her back. Behind them was the rest of the friend group; Faith, Christine, Todd, Marisol, and Tristan. They were all happily chatting amongst each other (minus Faith and Christine, who were arguing again,) and Pari had it completely tuned out.

“How are you feeling?” Kariah asked, squeezing Pari’s hand. She looked gorgeous in her champagne-colored puffy jacket. Pari wished wearing her hair down everyday didn’t bother her as much as it did; her ears were pretty cold from her hair in her signature bun.

“Fine,” Pari said, but that was not what she meant.

Tonight was the yearly open mic night. This one was different from most; you had to sign up in advance in order to be able to perform. Todd said he had heard rumors that it had gone on for almost three hours last year, so they were doing this to shorten it. This year, Pari decided on a whim that she would try to sign up for a position, not expecting for there to be one open for her.

But there was exactly one. Which meant that she was performing in front of an audience.

Pari wasn’t the type that had stage fright normally, but something about this was daunting. Maybe because of the rawness of the song she was playing, and how she would be able to see every single audience member. Also, all of her friends insisted on going along, and none of them had ever heard Pari sing. Todd had heard her tune her guitar, but he had never heard her playing a full song, and he especially had never heard her sing.

What if her voice wasn’t good? What if she was too quiet?

“Honey, you’re not fine. You forget that I can see right through you.” Kariah squeezed Pari’s hand tight. “You’re going to do amazing.”

“You got this, Pari!” Marisol squealed, skipping forward to walk next to her. She was wearing a beanie, her hair now about pixie cut length, and her jacket was so big on her that it didn’t look like she could move her arms. Pari glanced back at Todd, who was looking at Marisol fondly. She smiled softly at him, and then looked back at her.

“Thanks, Marisol.”

They arrived at the cafe moments later, and the anxiety was beginning to overtake Pari. She took a deep breath and then, as a form of comfort, made sure she had everything.

“I have my guitar… Kariah, you have my backpack?”

“Yep. And I looked at your list. Your shirt, skirt, headband, brush, makeup, and heels are all inside. I triple checked.”

Pari breathed a sigh of relief. “You’re perfect. Thank you.”

Todd stepped forward to be near Pari, and he placed a hand on her shoulder. “Pari, you’re gonna be great up there. I can’t wait to hear you sing.”

“And,” Kariah added, “I’m proud of you for trying something new, even if it’s scary. You’re going through with it even though it scares you, and that is bravery if I’ve ever seen it.”

“I don’t feel very brave,” Pari snapped, and she looked down, guilt already filling her heart. “Sorry. I’m just nervous.”

Tristan came up from behind Pari and wrapped her in a big bear hug, patting her shoulder roughly, yet it was comforting. “You’re gonna kill it, Par!”

Pari looked back at Christine, who nodded at her. “You’ll be fine.”

Faith shoved her girlfriend and leaned forward. “You’re going to, like, kill it out there! I don’t know why you didn’t want me to ask daddy to record it professionally.”

“I’d rather not feel like I’m on a news show when I’m performing,” Pari responded. “Also, thank you guys.”

Feeling supported by her friends, Pari walked inside, taking a deep breath. It was, thankfully, right between performances, so nothing was interrupted.

“Y’all go find us seats. Todd, save me one up front. I’m gonna go with Pari to get ready.” Todd nodded and grabbed a program as Pari handed him her guitar. He led everyone to their seats as they all grabbed programs. Tristan handed a couple to Pari and Kariah, and Kariah opened it immediately.

“We have four performances to get you ready, Par. Come on, let’s go find the bathroom.”

Pari took Kariah by the hand, and Kariah briskly led Pari to the restroom. It was a small, yet surprisingly clean single-stall bathroom.

“You go in the stall and change, and I’ll get your makeup and stuff out and get ready to doll you up.” Kariah reached into the bag and handed Pari her clothes. Taking a shaky breath, Pari took them, and she slipped into the stall, shutting the door behind her.

The more Pari thought about the performance, the more anxiety she began to have. She had signed up for this because… well, one, she didn’t think there would actually be a spot for her, and two, because she wanted to give back to her community by participating in a local event. And she wanted to do that, but the idea of going up on that little stage and completely letting herself go in front of all of those people sent a wave of nervousness throughout her body. She would be performing, something she didn’t normally do, and she chose a song that made her feel vulnerable. No one had heard her sing. Kariah was the performer, not her.

Soon, the thoughts came rushing back. “I’m not good enough.” “I can’t do this.” “Everyone’s going to laugh at me.”

And as soon as Pari was dressed, she crumpled to the ground, tears streaming down her face.

Kariah knocked on Pari’s stall door, and Pari moved just enough to open it for her. She sat down next to her girlfriend, brushing a hair out of her face.

“Hey, baby, what’s wrong?”

“I’m…” It was hard for her to admit it, but she did. “I’m scared.”

“Oh, honey…” Kariah wiped a tear off of her face. “Can I hug you?”

“Please… please do.”

Moments later, Pari felt Kariah’s arms around her, and she melted into them, holding onto her so tightly. She was shaking, fearing what was going to happen when she got on that stage. And now that she was crying, it was going to look like she didn’t want to be there. She did.

She was just scared.

“It’s going to be okay,” Kariah whispered, stroking her hair. “You’re going to do great. I’m so excited to hear you perform. You’re going to be the best part of that open mic night, and deep down, you know it.”

“No, you’re only saying that because you’re my girlfriend.”

“I’m saying that because it’s true. I know you’re scared. Trust me, I’m always scared before I go up onstage.” Pari looked up at her, eyes red, and Kariah smiled softly. “It’s true. The pre-show jitters exist. But once you’re up there, and you get started, it’s going to be fine.” Kariah let Pari go and then stood up, bringing her up with her. “Come on. Let’s do some warm ups.”

“In the cafe bathroom?”

“In the cafe bathroom.”

Pari wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. Kariah gave her one last hug and then twirled her around. “Follow what I do, and the pre-show jitters will be gone.”

She led her through some tongue twisters, some energy warm ups, and some stretches. By the time they were done, there were two shows left. As Kariah began to do Pari’s makeup, she looked into her eyes.

“When you get up on that stage,” Kariah said, “imagine you’re in the music practice room. Think of the song that you’re singing, and how it resonates with you. Feel the music, feel the moment, sing your heart out.”

Pari nodded, a soft smile escaping her lips, feeling much better. “Thank you.”

_________________________________________

“Ugh! I, like, love the arts, but I came here to see Pari! When does Pari get to go?” Faith flipped through her program and huffed.

“She’s next, dumbass,” Christine pointed at the program. “That was 11. Pari’s 12th.”

“I’m so excited!” Marisol exclaimed, leaning forward to rest her head on Todd’s. “Todd! Are you ready to see your sister perform?!”

Todd nodded, leaning his head back to look at Marisol. “You know it, babe.”

Kariah was sitting front and center, staring at the stage in anticipation. She was wondering how Pari was doing while she was back there waiting to go. It had only been one performance, but Kariah felt like it had been so long, and she was ready to see her girlfriend shine in the spotlight.

Then, moments later, Pari came out.

Since Kariah did her makeup, she knew how pretty Pari looked, but something about the cozy lighting in the restaurant made her look gorgeous and elegant. Her skirt flowed behind her slightly, and her hair was neatly tied into a bun on her head. Kariah was in awe of how gorgeous her girlfriend was, and the more she looked at her, the more excited she was to see Pari perform.

As they were sound-checking Pari, Faith leaned forward and tapped on Kariah’s shoulder. Kariah turned around. “Hm?”

“You did her makeup, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, you did, like, amazing. Pari looks really pretty right now.” That made Kariah smile. Faith, the expert of fashion and makeup in the friend group, gave her a makeup compliment. That made her feel special.

“Test, test.”

The crowd began to quiet down. Kariah looked up at her girlfriend, so excited. She was sensing the nervousness coming back to her by the way she was tensed up onstage and by the look in her eyes. Pari looked out at Kariah, who smiled and gave her a thumbs-up.

“Hi, I’m Pari Shepard, and I’m going to be performing one of my favorite songs. It’s called ‘The Cave.’ I hope you enjoy it.”

Pari took a deep breath, closing her eyes, and Kariah began to smile wider than she had in a while.

And then, she began to play.

As Pari’s fingers moved along the strings of the guitar, Kariah could see the nerves and the tenseness in Pari completely vanish. In fact, as she began to play, she noticed a small smile creeping onto her face. And the music itself was gorgeous. Kariah was expecting her to go up there and play some chords and sing along, but Pari played lots of little, intricate notes that formed a beautiful melody. Kariah was gazing at her, and she couldn’t stop smiling. She was so proud.

And Pari’s voice! Her Polish accent just barely shone through, making her voice sound gorgeously unique. Though her voice was soft, it was still clear, and it filled the room. Everything about Pari was ethereal. Kariah took a quick glance at Todd next to her, who had a look of pure pride on his face.

“I’m so proud of her…” he muttered. Kariah smiled wide and listened as Pari sang.

“But I will hold on hope

And I won’t let you choke

On the noose around your neck

And I’ll find strength in pain

And I will change my ways

I’ll know my name as it’s called again…”

Kariah could tell that the lyrics really meant a lot to Pari; the idea of overcoming struggles and finding strength in hard times. She didn’t want the singing to end. She was lost in Pari’s beauty, her talent, and honestly, just everything about her. The way her eyes sparkled as she sang something meaningful. The way her fingers strummed the guitar. The way she rested the guitar on her knee as she played. The way she smiled as she sang. The way it was so clear that Pari was up on that stage doing something she loved.

God, Kariah was so in love with her.

When Pari was done singing, she looked out into the audience, tears filling her eyes as she smiled. “Thank you.”

The room filled with applause. Kariah stood up, screaming, “Go Pari! You did it, honey! I love you so much!!”

Pari walked off the stage, her eyes watering and her body trembling. The adrenaline must have rushed when she went up there, and now that she was done, it was fading out.

“Pari! Oh my gosh!” Marisol was bouncing up and down. “You did so good!”

She smiled at Marisol’s compliment, and she set her guitar against a chair. “Thanks, Mari.”

Kariah took a step forward, taking Pari’s hands. “You, my Pari, were amazing up there. I’m so, so proud of you. I love you more than anything.”

“Thanks, babe. I love you too.”

Pari leaned forward and gave Kariah a tight hug, and Kariah kissed the top of her head, taking a moment to wipe the tears off of her girlfriend’s face. Those tears were likely a mix of emotions from the song and emotions from getting through that performance. They made Kariah begin to tear up as well.

Kariah felt Todd’s arms around both of them, and then Marisol joined. Tristan came up behind Todd and put his hand on Pari’s shoulder, hugging her too. Faith stepped forward and tried to drag Christine along, but Christine wouldn’t budge, so she joined the hug on both of their behalfs.

The group hug made Pari feel seen. Happy.

Loved.

Like she was lovable.

“Thank you guys for coming…” Pari said between tears, “and thank you for this. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you guys supporting me.”

“Wanna stay and get food?” Tristan exclaimed as the hug dispersed. “It’s on me!”

Everyone cheered and nodded, and as Pari was walking, Christine tapped her on the shoulder. She held out her hand, which Pari took, and they shook hands.

“I knew you had it in the bag, Par. Nice job.”

Pari grinned and nodded. “Thanks, Christine.”

Todd stepped forward and squeezed Pari. “You really did. You put yourself out there, and I didn’t know you could sing OR play like that! What other secrets are you keeping from me?”

A soft chuckle escaped Pari’s lips. “None. Thank you, Todd.”

She went and rejoined the rest of the group, sitting next to Kariah and leaning over on her shoulder. Being on that stage sent a new wave of confidence through her, and lit a fire in her that maybe, just maybe, going on a stage and singing with her guitar was going to be a new passion of hers.

Kariah looked down and brushed Pari’s bangs out of her face. “I really am proud of you.”

Pari smiled and looked down. “Thanks. For once, I’m proud of me, too.”

#albsters ocs #pari #kariah #lgbtqia #MY BESTIE DREW ART OF THIS I'M SCREAMING #i was listening to that song on repeat for a week #faith #christine #todd #marisol #tristan #open mic night #writing #guitar #the cave

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