#and the other person was like . . . no. animism suggests that rocks have souls. and they don't

[captainjonnitkessler]

There's a certain type of person who's like . . . "Well, atheists/skeptics are joyless close-minded assholes. I mean, OBVIOUSLY religion/superstition isn't LITERALLY real, only an IDIOT would think anyone was taking it LITERALLY, you only believe that people mean what they say because you're only familiar with Christianity, everyone ELSE is using religion as some kind of extended metaphor for humanity or just believing in things for funsies"

And it's like . . . a) that's frankly more insulting than anything I was probably saying and b) if you also don't believe something is literally true why are you getting so mad that I am saying that something is not literally true

[h5eavenly]

Fallen Star┃Jake Sim

PROFILES [JAKE'S SIDE] ✪

✶ Masterlist.

prev ✶ next

PARANOIA!: rock band that blew up after a clip of their lead singer jake went viral of his performance on stage, have been on hiatus ever since he left.

jake sim : 24, former lead singer of paranoia, left the band after two years and quit music have been a model ever since. control/clean freak, has ocd traits. is known to be the nation's sweetheart after clips of him being really kind on multiple occasions spread but is very hard to deal with irl.

park jongseong: 24, jake's manager and best friend. have been with him ever since his paranoia days and is the one who suggested jake should start modeling.

seo soojin: 25, worked with jake on a project and they have been besties ever since, has a clothing line called seosoon.

jennie kim: 28, ceo of hype have always been interested in business and got gifted the company as a birthday gift by her father. met ryujin in an animal shelter and they have been together for seven months.

kim sunoo: 22, been jake's makeup artist for a while now. likes to shit on him and jay for no specific reason but is sweet to everyone else , jennie's bestie.

park sunghoon: 23, is lowkey new to the industry and started recently working under hype and as jake's stylist. most of the time he's just there to be there, got caught selling jake's used stuff multiple times.

↳✶ Synopsis: after being fired and blacklisted from the entertainment industry your life is on the verge of falling apart. An opportunity arises to save you when you get a job offer to work as a personal assistant for ex lead singer of the rock band PARANOIA! and now turned model, nicknamed the nation’s sweetheart- Jake Sim. However his image crumbles quickly when you discover he’s nothing but the devil in disguise.

A story of two hurt souls finding comfort within each other in the most unexpected ways.

→ taglist : @slutforsjy , @wonwoos-wineparty , @nxzz-skz , @piripurora , @vousty

@realrintaro , @yoongi-cafeot7 , @slut4hee , @chartrucewhore , @chaeyunloveeee

, @iveivory , @hearteyesforseungsung , @jooniesbears-blog , @hee4lifer

[youling-the-ghost]

So after hearing about sfth's next D&D streams having some longform characters, I can't not create some character concepts for them.

Anyway, here's Peter Steven :D

(Also a note to @i-may-be-an-emu: I know I said in DMs that he wouldn't work well as a D&D character. I take that back, this was incredibly fun to make and druid!Peter is my new favourite headcanon now.)

Name: Peter Steven (obviously) Race: half elf Class: druid Background: prodigy Alignment: neutral good

Strength: 1 Dexterity: 2 Constitution: 1 Intelligence: 3 Wisdom: 2 Charisma: 0 (side note: this is after adding the +2 charisma from his half elf race, I originally intended for him to have a -2 charisma)

Proficiencies: survival, animal handling, nature, and medicine

Personality traits Daring and loyal, this adventurer is the ideal companion when adventuring. Between his proficiency as a healer and love for nature, Peter is a sweet and gentle soul despite his intimidating stature. While his towering height might suggest that he's more of a fighter, Peter is actually quick on his feet and prefers using hit-and-run tactics rather than fighting head-on. He contributes this, along with his strange affinity for milk, to his upbringing though the others rarely question it.

Backstory Peter was born to upper-class parents. While he wasn't quite at aristocractic status, the Steven family name was quite well-respected in the village. Peter himself was also quite well-liked by the village when he was younger, especially when he proved himself to be a studious and bright young boy. Although he had some strange hobbies and dreams, such as digging holes in his back garden and one day becoming a milkman, the Stevens showered their son with love and affection nonetheless.

However, as the days went on, Peter's height grew at an rapid—almost unnatural—rate, akin to the growth cycle of an elf. Rumours quickly spread throughout the village that Peter was an illegitimate child, and in the blink of an eye, the Steven family name was beginning to tarnish. Despite his lack of pointy ears, no villager would ever reject the opportunity for a good gossip, no matter how unrealistic it might be. After months of discreet finger points and accusatory whispers, Jemima cracked under the pressure. Peter was forced to use a wheelchair to hide his height, and he was forbidden from leaving the confines of his house. Despite her efforts, the rumours didn't cease. Soon, the Steven family name was in shambles and simply going out to the market earned the family judgemental stares and mean-spirited snickers.

Unsure of what else to do, Peter's parents sent him to boarding school to get him away from the scornful looks. Even at boarding school, the lies regarding the wheelchair persisted, and every day the guilt ate away at Peter's conscience. The boarding school was cruel and unjust, the torture chamber located in the building's basement should be enough evidence of that. Peter suffered it all in silence, believing that if he was a good little boy and behaved himself, his parents would want him back again. It was all make-belief, and some part of Peter's subconscious knew this, but every night he would whisper to a squirrel that perched on his window about the day when he would leave this tortous school and return to his life as the child of Jemima and Jim Steven.

One day after years of boarding school, a 19-year-old Peter received a letter addressed to him from his mother. He excitedly opened it, expecting an announcement that he was going home, and was met with the stark truth: the rumours were right, he was the illegitimate child between his mother and the elven milkman. In the letter, his mother explained that she and his father were divorcing, and that she planned on marrying the milkman. He was asked to join this new family as a Jeffrey, living a life that would certainly be less prestigious than before, but one that would be honest. Peter was going home.

But as he lay on his glorified rock of a bed, Peter came to the realisation that he didn't want to join this new family. It made him sick to his stomach to imagine taking family photos, with Mr Jeffrey's hand on his shoulder as if it was the most natural thing ever, all three of them smiling and acting like nothing was wrong. Then a daring thought emerged in his head: he wanted to escape.

On the day of his apparent departure, Peter sat on his wheelchair one last time and was escorted to the carriage. But just as he was about to go on, Peter jumped up and ran into the forest with nothing but his suitcase and the squirrel who hid in his scarf. That day was his 20th birthday. From that day onwards, Peter lived in the woods, foraging for food and conversing with the woodland creatures using his special druidic tongue.

[cutekittenlady]

hrng thinking about those silly soulmate au thingies with the markings and then thinking about how fucky the time-space stuff in pla is and how if ingo got baja blasted to the past and met his soulmate there his lil soul mark would probs just be blacked out cause they died years before he was born and his soulmate just wouldn’t have one cause he hasn’t been born yet and the concept of this is making me giggle more than it probably should 😂

Tbh I've always thought soulmate aus tend to be a tad limited? I mean, maybe I'm biased, but the lack of soulmate aus that delve into the potentially platonic nature of soulmates and how this could reflect in a wide variety of relationships and dynamics is kinda disappointing?

Like, reincarnating isn't limited to humans. It includes animals, plant life, I've read some stuff that suggests its possible to reincarnate into inorganic material like a rock formation or something (not sure how accurate those particularly sources were though).

I mean, what if your "soulmate" is an animal or a tree? How does that manifest? What if a parents soulmate is their child?

Sadly I dunno if this could ever possibly be delved into since the whole "soulmate" thing is so dominated by explicitly romantic and even sexual overtones in popular culture.

To that end I've kinda dislike the concept of soulmate "marks"? I mean, what appeal there is to the concept of destined soulmates feels kinda redundant when you toss on a conveniently magic mark or "sign" that you've met you're soulmate rather than having to explore you're emotions, the significance of the other person to your life, etc to realize the same conclusion.

Sorry, I know I completely derailed your ask to go off on this tangent, but I mostly wanted to explain my view so you may better understand my explanation for how I'd handle a concept like this.

I think the concept of people from different time periods who are destined to meet and be significant to one another is a fascinating one. Especially since it'd imply that Ingo ending up in Hisui wasn't just some fluke but something that was destined to appen. With or without Volo's interference.

How Ingo and this other person would handle this realization and how they might intend to move forward would depend entirely on who the second character might be.

Actually would the clans of Hisui have a concept of soulmates as well? The Sinnoh games sorta share the "equal but oppostite" theming present in the Unova games and many others. Would that relate to soulmates?

Plus with this being set in the Pokemon universe, is it possible for Pokemon to have soulmates? Could a pokemon and human be each others soulmates? What about legendaries? Would it apply to them?

How far does Time and Space actually stretch before messing with destiny, assuming its present in the universe? If it IS present in the pokemon universe, how powerful is destiny? Can it be altered? To that end, are the time and universal disruptions caused by Volo in legends arceus, Cyrus in diamond, pearl, and platinum, and Professor Sada/Turo in Scarlet and Violet DESTINED to happen and therefore part of the greater "design" of the pokemon universe or have these actions altered whole destinies?

Sorry Anon, I know you likely didn't want to see me get bogged down in the nitty gritty specifics of how something like this would actually work thematically and literally in story, but I can't really help it.

[stagefullofentertainment]

Songs for Hazbin Hotel Characters (Playlist Series) PART 1

Starting a new series which I will try to update once in a while! Isn’t this exciting? Basically, the idea was to take various songs/music from different artists and those who were used in various pieces of media. Then I shall try to match the best ones to the beloved characters. Might be off but hey, we’re having fun!

Part one is supposed to be quite special, right? Well, what can be more special than an animated movie series that shaped a lot of people? Indeed, we’re talking about Shrek. Okay, 1 and 2 were the OG’s but third had some laughs and fourth was actually nice. So, I’ll be ranking Hazbin crew based on how much they would enjoy Shrek series, plus – a song that would be up to their alley.

ANGEL

This man would love Shrek series so much! You cannot prove otherwise! It would be right up his humor type – funny, yet sometimes suggestive. Guys, can you imagine him with Fairy Godmother’s red dress? Or rocking Prince Charming’s look? Actually, give me a sexy man – boy chauffeur Kyle! Well, at least can Angel be my fairy godmother? That would be fun. You know what, he’ll get two songs!

This is his morning routine song. Or when he needs to give someone a makeover.

This just screams to me about how cool Angel really is. Turf war must song!

Favourite character – Doris. A literal icon. Also, he would kin Snow White.

CHARLIE

Upon first time viewing Shrek series, she would find it so fun! In my humble opinion, she would quote or try to incorporate its life lessons into her “How to Get to Heaven” course. Charlie would happily rewatch it time and time again.

Is this song not about her journey to save a princess, I mean, to save sinners’ souls?

Favourite character – all of them! Just one? How about Donkey? He’s funny!

VAGGIE

The only person who saw Shrek in her live life. I feel like Vaggie would be chill about Shrek. Not a huge fan but still loves it. She would feel so nostalgic while watching the series. Vaggie would enjoy seeing others’ reactions while viewing the films – jokes, twists, music, everything! The only new movie would be “Puss in Boots: The Last wish” which would be incredibly endearing to her.

This song is just silly enough to be one of her favourites. Vaggie’s and Charlie’s new song!

Favourite character – Fiona. Fighter princess who takes no shit from anyone.

NIFFTY

She would not find Shrek in top of her favourites. I think she would like it only for the romance plot lines. Also, princesses and Far Far Away parts would make her really happy. Humor would be a hit or miss, except for some jokes. She would think that all the animals are really cute, especially Puss in Boots!

She would vibe to this song, I already feel it!

Favourite character – Prince Charming. She knows that he’s a jerk and everything but she’s gotta admit, that Charming makes her hotter than July.

HUSK

He would only watch Shrek for “the sake of the kids”. Shrek wouldn’t be his cup of tea, I believe. Although! Husk would love slapstick comedy. Also, all the “Poison Apple” tavern scenes and fighting segments.

His kin song, you have to agree.

Favourite character – Shrek. You would think that it is a basic answer but his actions are the most understandable to Husk. Loneliness besties.

ALASTOR

He would not like Shrek. Like, at all. Just not his taste. He promised to watch all 4 films to Charlie but nothing more – no shorts, no “Puss in Boots”. Alastor only enjoyed the second one for a little bit, mostly for the Fairy Godmother’s scheme.

If he must choose a song, let it be this one. Least annoying.

Favourite character – Fairy Godmother. The best villain and the best musical number.

That’s my takes and the end of part 1. Hope you had fun reading it and revisited some nostalgic songs! I for sure will be holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night!

[tseneipgam]

"The women crisp and alert, in diet trim, knowing people's names. Their husbands content to measure out the time, distant but ungrudging, accomplished in parenthood, something about them suggesting massive insurance coverage."

"an elderly man named Treadwell who lives on the edge of town. He is known as Old Man Treadwell, as if he were a landmark, a rock formation or brooding swamp."

" It seemed to me that Babette and I, in the mass and variety of our purchases, in the sheer plenitude those crowded bags suggested, the weight and size and number, the familiar package designs and vivid lettering, the giant sizes, the family bargain packs with Day-Glo sale stickers, in the sense of replenishment we felt, the sense of well-being, the security and contentment these products brought to some snug home in our souls--it seemed we had achieved a fullness of being that is not known to people who need less, expect less, who plan their lives around lonely walks in the evening."

"A woman in a yellow slicker held up traffic to let some children cross. I pictured her in a soup commercial taking off her oilskin hat as she entered the cheerful kitchen where her hus- band stood over a pot of smoky lobster bisque, a smallish man with six weeks to live."

"Look at the windshield," I said. "Is that rain or isn't it?" "I'm only telling you what they said." "Just because it's on the radio doesn't mean we have to suspend belief in the evidence of our senses." "Our senses? Our senses are wrong a lot more often than they're right. This has been proved in the laboratory. Don't you know about all those theorems that say nothing is what it seems? There's no past, present or future outside our own mind. The so-called laws of motion are a big hoax. Even sound can trick the mind. Just because you don't hear a sound doesn't mean it's not out there. Dogs can hear it. Other animals. And I'm sure there are sounds even dogs can't hear. But they exist in the air, in waves. Maybe they never stop. High, high, high-pitched. Coming from somewhere." "Is it raining," I said, "or isn't it?" "I wouldn't want to have to say." "What if someone held a gun to your head?" "Who, you?" "Someone. A man in a trenchcoat and smoky glasses. He holds a gun to your head and says, 'Is it raining or isn't it? All you have to do is tell the truth and I'll put away my gun and take the next flight out of here.'" "What truth does he want? Does he want the truth of someone traveling at almost the speed of light in another galax? Does he want the truth of someone in orbit around a neutron star? "

"Heinrich's mother lives in an ashram now. She has taken the name Mother Devi and runs the business end of things. The ashram is located on the outskirts of the former copper-smelting town of Tubb, Montana, now called Dharamsalapur. The usual rumors abound of sexual freedom, sexual slavery, drugs, nudity, mind control, poor hygiene, tax evasion, monkey-worship, tor- ture, prolonged and hideous death."

"

"If it pleases you, then I like to do it." "But it has to please you too, Baba. Otherwise how would I feel?" "It pleases me that you enjoy my reading." "I get the feeling a burden is being shifted back and forth. The burden of being the one who is pleased." "I want to read, Jack. Honestly. "Are you totally and completely sure? Because if you're not, we absolutely won't." Someone turned on the TV set at the end of the hall, and a woman's voice said: "If it breaks easily into pieces, it is called shale. When wet, it smells like clay." We listened to the gently plummeting stream of nighttime traffic. I said, "Pick your century. Do you want to read about Etruscan slave girls, Georgian rakes? I think we have some literature on flagellation brothels. What about the Middle Ages? We have incubi and succubi. Nuns galore. "Whatever's best for you. "I want you to choose. It's sexier that way." "One person chooses, the other reads. Don't we want a balance, a sort of give-and-take? Isn't that what makes it sexy?" "A tautness, a suspense. First-rate. I will choose." "I will read," she said. "But I don't want you to choose anything that has men inside women, quote-quote, or men entering women. I entered her.' He entered me.' We're not lobbies or elevators. I wanted him inside me, as if he could crawl completely in, sign the register, sleep, eat, so forth. Can we agree on that? I don't care what these people do as long as they don't enter or get entered."

"They had to evacuate the grade school on Tuesday. Kids were getting headaches and eye irritations, tasting metal in their mouths. A teacher rolled on the floor and spoke foreign lan- guages. No one knew what was wrong. Investigators said it could be the ventilating system, the paint or varnish, the foam insula- tion, the electrical insulation, the cafeteria food, the rays emitted by micro-computers, the asbestos fireproofing, the adhesive on shipping containers, the fumes from the chlorinated pool, or perhaps something deeper, finer-grained, more closely woven into the basic state of things."

"

"Who knows what I want to do? Who knows what anyone wants to do? How can you be sure about something like that? Isn't it all a question of brain chemistry, signals going back and forth, electrical energy in the cortex? How do you know whether something is really what you want to do or just some kind of nerve impulse in the brain? Some minor little activity takes place somewhere in this unimportant place in one of the brain hemispheres and suddenly I want to go to Montana or I don't want to go to Montana. How do I know I really want to go and it isn't just some neurons firing or something? Maybe it's just an accidental flash in the medulla and suddenly there 1 am in Montana and I find out I really didn't want to go there in the first place. I can't control what happens in my brain, so how can I be sure what I want to do ten seconds from now, much les Montana next summer? It's all this activity in the brain and you don't know what's you as a person and what's some neuron ..."

"There were strained silences before and after each lesson. I tried to make small talk, get him to discuss his years as a chiropractor, his life before German. He would look off into the middle distance, not angry or bored or evasive-_just detached, free of the connectedness of events, it seemed. When he did speak, about the other boarders or the landlord, there was something querulous in his voice, a drawn-out note of complaint. It was important for him to believe that he'd spent his life among people who kept missing the point."

"

chair. I turned to meteorology for comfort. I read weather maps, collected books on weather. attended launchings of weather balloons. I realized weather was something I'd been looking for all my life. It brought me a sense of peace and security l'd never experienced. Dew, frost and fog. Snow flurries. The jet stream. I believe there is a grandeur in the jet stream. I began to come out of my shell, talk to people in the street. 'Nice day. Looks like rain.' Hot enough for you? Everyone notices the weather. First thing on rising, you go to the window, look at the weather. You do it, I do it. I made a list of goals I hoped to achieve in meteorology. I took a correspon- dence course, got a degree to teach the subject in buildings with a legal occupancy of less than one hundred. I've taught meteor- ology in church basements, in trailer parks, in people's dens and living rooms. They came to hear me in Millers Creek, Lumber- ville, Watertown. Factory workers, housewives, merchants, members of the police and the fire. I saw something in their eyes. A hunger, a compelling need."

"

"They go to Hawaii," Denise told Steffe, "and wait for these tidal waves to come from Japan. They're called origamis "And the movie was called The Long Hot Summer. her mother said. "The Long Hot Summer," Heinrich said, "happens to be a play by Tennessee Ernie Williams." "It doesn't matter," Babette said, ' "because you can't copy- right titles anyway." "If she's an African," Steffe said, "I wonder if she ever rode a camel " "Try an Audi Turbo." "Try a Toyota Supra." "What is it camels store in their humps?" Babette said. "Food or water? I could never get that straight." "There are one-hump camels and two-hump camels," Hein- rich told her. "So it depends which kind vou're talking about. "Are you telling me a two-hump camel stores food in one hump and water in the other?" "The important thing about camels." he said, "is that camel meat is considered a delicacy." "I thought that was alligator meat," Denise said. "Who introduced the camel to America?" Babette said. "They had them out west for a while to carry supplies to coolies who were building the great railroads that met at Ogden, Utah I remember my history exams." "Are you sure you're not talking about llamas?" Heinrich said. "The llama stayed in Peru," Denise said. "Peru has the llama, the vicuña and one other animal. Bolivia has tin. Chile has copper and iron." "T'll give anyone in this car five dollars," Heinrich said, "if they can name the population of Bolivia." "Bolivians," my daughter said. The family is the cradle of the world's misinformation. There must be something in family life that generates factual error. Over-closeness, the noise and heat of being. Perhaps something even deeper, like the need to survive. Murray says we are fragile creatures surrounded by a world of hostile facts. Facts threaten our happiness and security. The deeper we delve into the nature of things, the looser our structure may seem to become. The

"After a night of dream-lit snows the air turned clear and still. There was a taut blue quality in the January light, a hardness and confidence. The sound of boots on packed snow, the contrails streaked cleanly in the high sky. Weather was very much the point, although I didn't know it at first. I turned into our street and walked past men bent over shovels in their driveways, breathing vapor. A squirrel moved along a limb in a flowing motion, a passage so continuous it seemed to be its own physical law, different from the ones we've learned to trust. "

"These things happen to poor people who live in exposed areas. Society is set up in such a way that it's the poor and the uneducated who suffer the main impact of natural and man-made disasters. People in low-lying areas get the floods, people in shanties get the hurricanes and tornados. I'm a college professor. Did you ever see a college professor rowing a boat down his own street in one of those TV floods? We live in a neat and pleasant town near a college with a quaint name. These things don't happen in places like Blacksmith."

"

wit's like we've been flung back in time," he said. "Here we are in the Stone Age, knowing all these great things after centuries of progress but what can we do to make life easier for the Stone Agers? Can we make a refrigerator? Can we even explain how it works? What is electricity? What is lighte We experience these things every day of our lives but what good does it do if we find ourselves hurled back in time and we can't even tell people the basic principles much less actually make something that would improve conditions. Name one thing vou could make. Could you make a simple wooden match that you could strike on a rock to make a flame? We think we're so great and modern. Moon landings, artificial hearts. But what if you were hurled into a time warp and came face to face with the ancient Greeks. The Greeks invented trigonometry. They did autopsies and dissections. What could you tell an ancient Greek that he couldn't say, 'Big deal.' Could you tell him about the atom? Atom is a Greek word. The Greeks knew that the major events in the universe can't be seen by the eve of man. It's waves, it's rays, it's particles." "We're doing all right. "We're sitting in this huge moldy room. It's like we're Aung back." "We have heat, we have light." "These are Stone Age things. They had heat and light. They had fire. They rubbed flints together and made sparks. Could you rub flints together? Would you know a flint if vou saw one? If a Stoner Ager asked you what a nucleotide is, could you tell him? How do we make carbon paper? What is glass? If you came awake tomorrow in the Middle Ages and there was an epidemic raging, what could you do to stop it, knowing what you know about the progress of medicines and diseases? Here it is practi- cally the twenty-first century and you've read hundreds of books and magazines and seen a hundred TV shows about science and medicine. Could you tell those people one little crucial thing that might save a million and a half lives?" "'Boil your water,' I'd tell them." "Sure. What about 'Wash behind your ears.' That's about as good"

""Any episodes of déjà vu in your group?" "Wife and daughter," I said. "There's a theory about déjà vu." "I don't want to hear it." Why do we think these things happened before? Simple. They did happen before, in our minds, as visions of the future. Because these are precognitions, we can't fit the material into our system of consciousness as it is now structured. This is basically supernatural stuff. We're seeing into the future but haven't learned how to process the experience. So it stays hidden until the precognition comes true, until we come face to face with the event. Now we are free to remember it, to experience it as familiar material."

""This is the big new worry," he said. "Forget spills, fallouts, leakages. It's the things right around you in your own house that'll get you sooner or later. It's the electrical and magnetic fields. Who in this room would believe me if I said that the suicide rate hits an all-time record among people who live near high-voltage power lines? What makes these people so sad and depressed? Just the sight of ugly wires and utility poles? Or does something happen to their brain cells from being exposed to constant rays?"

"Grappa had a round moist worried face. There was something in it of a sweet boy betrayed. I watched him light up a cigarette, shake out the match and toss it into Murray's salad. "How much pleasure did you take as a kid," Lasher said, "in imagining yourself dead?" "Never mind as a kid," Grappa said. "I still do it all the time. Whenever I'm upset over something, I imagine all my friends, relatives and colleagues gathered at my bier. They are very, very sorry they weren't nicer to me while I lived. Self-pity is some- thing I've worked very hard to maintain. Why abandon it just because you grow up? Self-pity is something that children are very good at, which must mean it is natural and important.

Imagining yourself dead is the cheapest, sleaziest, most satisfying form of childish self-pity. How sad and remorseful and guilty all those people are, standing by your great bronze coffin. They can't even look each other in the eye because they know that the death of this decent and compassionate man is the result of a conspiracy they all took part in. The coffin is banked with flowers and lined with a napped fabric in salmon or peach. What wonderful cross-currents of self-pity and self-esteem you are able to wallow in, seeing yourself laid out in a dark suit and tie, looking tanned, fit and rested, as they say of presidents after vacations. But there is something even more childish and satis- fying than self-pity, something that explains why I try to see myself dead on a regular basis, a great fellow surrounded by sniveling mourners. It is my way of punishing people for thinking their own lives are more important than mine.'"

"

I see these car crashes as part of a long tradition of American optimism. They are positive events, full of the old 'can-do' spirit. Each car crash is meant to be better than the last. There is a constant upgrading of tools and skills, a meeting of challenges. A director says, I need this flatbed truck to do a midair double somersault that produces an orange ball of fire with a thirty-six- foot diameter, which the cinematographer will use to light the scene. I tell my students if they want to bring technology into it, they have to take this into account, this tendency toward grandiose deeds, toward pursuing a dream."

"It turned out to be a functional pale brick building, one story, with slab floors and bright lighting. Why would such a place be called Autumn Harvest Farms? Was this an attempt to balance the heartlessness of their gleaming precision equipment? Would a quaint name fool us into thinking we live in pre-cancerous times? What kind of condition might we expect to have diagnosed in a facility called Autumn Harvest Farms? Whooping cough, croup? A touch of the grippe? Familiar old farmhouse miseries calling for bed rest, a deep chest massage with soothing Vicks VapoRub Would someone read to us from David Copperfield?"

"

"How do I get around it?" I said. "You could put your faith in technology. It got you here, it can get you out. This is the whole point of technology. It creates an appetite for immortality on the one hand. It threatens uni- versal extinction on the other. Technology is lust removed from nature." "It is?" "It's what we invented to conceal the terrible secret of our decaying bodies. But it's also life, isn't it? It prolongs life, it provides new organs for those that wear out. New devices, new techniques every day. Lasers, masers, ultrasound. Give yourself up to it, Jack. Believe in it. They'll insert you in a gleaming tube, irradiate your body with the basic stuff of the universe. Light, energy, dreams. God's own goodness." "I don't think I want to see any doctors for a while, Murray, thanks."

"

"We start our lives in chaos, in babble. As we surge up into the world, we try to devise a shape, a plan. There is dignity in this. Your whole life is a plot, a scheme, a diagram. It is a failed scheme but that's not the point. To plot is to affirm life, to seek shape and control. Even after death, most particularly after death, the search continues. Burial rites are an attempt to complete the scheme, in ritual. Picture a state funeral, Jack. It is all precision, detail, order, design. The nation holds its breath. The efforts of a huge and powerful government are brought to bear on a ceremony that will shed the last trace of chaos. If all goes well, if they bring it off, some natural law of perfection is obeyed. The nation is delivered from anxiety, the deceased's life is redeemed, life itself is strengthened, reaffirmed." "Are you sure?" I said. "To plot, to take aim at something, to shape time and space. This is how we advance the art of human consciousness"

"

"That's what it all comes down to in the end," he said. "A person spends his life saying good-bye to other people. How does he say good-bye to himself?" I threw away picture-frame wire, metal book ends, cork coasters, plastic key tags, dusty bottles of Mercurochrome and Vaseline, crusted paintbrushes, caked shoe brushes, clotted cor- rection fluid. I threw away candle stubs, laminated placemats, frayed pot holders. I went after the padded clothes hangers, the magnetic memo clipboards. I was in a vengeful and near savage state. I bore a personal grudge against these things. Somehow they'd put me in this fix. They'd dragged me down, made escape impossible. The two girls followed me around, observing a respecttul silence. I threw away my battered khaki canteen, my ridiculous hip boots. I threw away diplomas, certificates, awards and citations. When the girls stopped me, I was working the bathrooms, discarding used bars of soap, damp towels, shampoo bottles with streaked labels and missing caps."

[cathey-winchester-666]

Hold Back The River

Summary: scenario with fem!reader being Mikey's rock + love confession. some hurt/comfort.

General Warnings: !! manga & anime spoilers: read at your own risk !!

TW: mentions of blood and violence, mentions of death and possible murder, the usual tokyo revengers stuff, a bit of angst

Another day. Another late night call from Draken.

These conversations with him just keep getting shorter and shorter. This time, only two sentences.

"The usual park. Bring the first aid kit."

Followed by the beeping of the phone that told me Draken had hung up.

As you began the five minute walk to the park you began to contemplate how these nightly therapy session were slowly becoming more and more frequent and that was beginning to really worry you. After all, you were no professional and you didn't even know if your suggesting were helping. For all you knew, you were just making it worse and that really scared you.

You don't snap out of your own mind until your feet stop and you find yourself staring at the small playground you remember Mikey telling you about ages ago. Your soul desperately missed the innocent joy he had when telling you that story.

He's sitting in his usual spot at the top of the jungle gym, staring up at the moon. With a sigh, you begin the climb. He doesn't acknowledge you when you finally reach him and you don't expect him to.

You want to say something, anything, to try to make him feel better. But you also feel as though nothing you say will be enough. So instead, you reach out and grab his broken and bloody hands, guiding them into your lap. You allow a mental sigh of relief when he doesn't resist.

You inspect his hands and note that, unlike usual, a lot of the blood was his. You pull your travel-sized first-aid kit from your pocket and tenderly begin cleaning his hands.

The silence between the two of you feels more strained than usual. Something was really wrong, and you didn't need him to tell you for you to know. You've always been good at reading people, especially people you've known for a while. And you've known Mikey forever.

"What are you thinking right now?" You murmur, tone as gentle as you can make it, but making sure to remove all pity from your voice.

Mikey's silence continues for a moment and you almost don't think he's going to reply at all.

"I almost killed someone today." Mikey's voice is barely above a whisper, but that doesn't stop you from noticing how dead it sounds. Almost like he's reached the end and he's staring over the edge at the bottom, but now he no longer has any reason not to jump.

"But you didn't, right?" You reply. You had heard about the incident on the news and further details from Draken, so you were expecting this to come up.

"But I would have." Mikey insists, pain lacing his voice. "If Takemichy hadn't intervened, then I really would have."

"Well, that's what he's there for. That's what we're all here for." You look up at his face, but he quickly averts his eyes to his hands. "Friends make sure other friends don't do stupid stuff that could end up being really bad."

Mikey just hummed and shrugged his shoulders.

"Like that time I had to defend that asshole teacher's car when Baji tried to set it on fire because he called him an idiot. And when Draken almost bought that entire shop's treats because Emma said she liked it in passing that one time." You try to lighten the mood.

"THIS IS DIFFERNT!" Mikey shouts, your attempt at lightening the mood drowned out by his frustrations. "THIS TIME, SOMEONE COULD HAVE GOTTEN REALLY HURT!! I ALMOST ENDED A PERSON'S LIFE!! ... It's just-... it's just not the same..."

During his burst of anger, Mikey had pulled his hands away. Slowly and calmly, you reach out to grab his hands as you consider your next words carefully.

"It doesn't matter how different the scenarios and consequences are, it doesn't change the fact that we're all here for you."

"Why the hell do you care? You're not a member of Toman and we barely talk other than when Draken decides he needs a woman to talk to me because he knows I won't hit them." Mikey grumbles, looking intently at your face, which you choose to direct back to the task you were busying your hands with. You know he's just angry, but his words still sting.

Is that really all you are? Just a shield used to calm down Mikey?

But you decide it doesn't matter right now. What does matter, is your answer to this question.

You know what the safe option is, and you know what you really want to say. And in a spur-of-the-moment feeling, you decide to throw caution to the wind and say what you've been thinking for far too long.

You realise that while you've been thinking, the air had gotten really quiet and the night seemed calmer. More intimate.

You allow yourself one more moment to collect your thoughts before finally beginning to speak.

"You know, Mikey." You whispered, your soft hands delicately continuing to clean out his bloodied knuckles. "One year ago I fell in love."

His eyes widened momentarily because this wasn't at all what he was expecting you to say, but his gaze never wavered from your concentrated expression.

"He's a member of Toman, you know? He's cute and he's funny and he's confident. He's so strong. But he's so soft and gentle as well."

Mikey gave a soft hum as his attention switched to his hand in yours, his heart unable to bear the thought of you falling for someone else. Because surely this person isn't him. Soft and gentle??? After what he's just done?? Hell no.

But a part of him, a very very small little part, feels a flicker of relief. Because if it had been him, he isn't sure how he would be able to tell you that you deserve better without breaking both your hearts.

"I love him because he's the kind of guy that is loyal to his friends. The kind of guy that enjoys midnight motorbike rides to nowhere. He's got terrible bed-head but can't even do his own hair. And when it comes to romance, he's completely lost, but it never fails to make me laugh. He's the guy who loves sweets and kids meals that come with the little flags and he can't get to sleep without his favourite worn-out towel."

He feels some kind of emotion bubbling in his chest - hope?? - as he looks up at you. He stares intensely at you, begging you to look at him and confirm what he can only pray for. But you don't acknowledge his movements, just continue to patch him up with that gorgeous small smile of yours.

"But at the moment, this incredible guy is going through something, something that's really breaking him inside. And I don't know what to do. He can get violent sometimes, and that scares him, but I know it's his loyalty that makes him like that, not blood lust. And he feels sad because he's lost someone dear to him and can't let go of them, but that's okay."

"It's his little imperfections that make me love him so much. Because I wouldn't settle for anything less than human."

You finally finish with his hands, taking one in each of your own and look up to meet his watering eyes.

"Manjiro Sano, I think I might be in love with you."

And that's all it took for the silent tears to begin rolling down his face.

"Sorry." He whispers, moving to pull a hand to cover his eyes, but you only tighten your grip so he can't move them, causing him to look at you with shock.

"Mikey. It's okay."

Finally releasing the hold on one of his hands, you carefully lace your fingers in his hair and guide his face until it's gently tucked into your collarbone, where you know he feels safe.

Sobs wrack his body as he wraps both arms around you tightly, wailing until your shirt is soaked whilst you just continued to rub circles on his back and stroke his hair.

You waited patiently while Mikey let it all out. All the grief of the people he's lost and almost lost. All the weight on his shoulders from carrying the lives and dreams of so many.

You don't know how much time passes before Mikey finally looks up, eyes puffy but lighter than they were before.

"Mikey. I can't promise this will be easy, because I know for certain that it won't be. It'll be hell. It's really going to hurt. You're going to be beaten down again and again until you don't even feel like moving anymore." You take in a deep breath and lock Mikey in your gaze. "But I can promise you that no matter how many times it happens, I'll always be there to pull you back up again."

"You'll get sick of me quickly enough." Mikey chuckled dryly.

"I know it doesn't matter what I say to you, you won't believe me. So all I'm going to ask of you is that you don't push me away so that I can prove to you that I'll always be around for you." You gave him a another big smile before shuffling closer and allowing yourself to melt into each other's arms.

The two of you didn't speak again until the sun came up, choosing to simply bask in the comfort of one another's promises of forever.

[mio-parasite]

❤️ Monsters in Latin America part 2❤️

Hello, how have you been? I hope you are well, if you did not have a good day I hope that tomorrow is much better

I want to bring you this second part of monsters from Latin America if you haven't seen the first part I invite you to take a look at it.

Part 1

None of the pictures shown belong to me.

I'm sorry if my English is terrible.

El Cadejo/Los Cadejos

(suggestion of @nikipuppeteer )

Note: there are different versions of this legend I will mention three versions from three countries.

Panamá

The legend is something known in the country; It is counted mainly on the northern border. He is described as a huge, black, red-eyed dog. In general, it smells a strong sulfur smell. According to legend it is the very manifestation of the devil or a soul reaper. He always appears at midnight. In preference, it only comes out to womanizing or drunken men who go out to party.

There are forms of attack, because this entity is usually attributed very evil powers. One version indicates that it devours them, others, that it takes away their soul or, in other more extreme versions, drags you right into hell itself. Furthermore, it is said that, despite being a demonic manifestation, he is sometimes considered a protector. I would like to thank all those who have contributed to this debate.

Honduras

In Honduras they believe in both cadejos: the white, who protects good people, and the black, who attacks bad and good people. It is said that the black dog appears at 12:00; But when he attacks, he can only kill bad people, because good people have the protection of the white cadejo.

Costa Rica

Generally speaking, in costa rica it is believed that the cadejo is a huge and ghostly black dog, with chains, bright red eyes, long tail and very full of hair and, according to some, goat's feet and jaguar teeth. But despite his appearance, this being looks after the drunkards when they return home, and scares away disobedient children or those who go out at night.

In costa rica there are different versions of this story but in this post I will only post one version. Legend has it that a long time ago there was a priest in a small community who used his moral authority and eloquence to distort the religious and moral sense of the community, leading it to sin. As punishment for his wrongdoing god condemned him for a hundred years (three hundred according to some) to have the form of a black dog, huge and with red eyes. When his torment was finally over, the man was deranged and could not stand life so he threw himself into the crater of poas volcano but did not die the way he expected but his spirit was trapped inside the volcano in the midst of magma, vapors and rocks, as if that were his own personal hell. Because of this, it is believed that it is he who causes the shaking of the volcano.

Charro Negro

(meaning of charro: the charro, in Mexico, is a rider, someone who practices charreria, considered the national sport of this country.)

According to legend, the charro Negro appears at night, in the streets of cities or on rural roads. Riding his big horse he will accompany you until dawn or until you get to a church, duarte the trip will be cortes will invite you to get on his horse or maybe offer you an hour bag but if the person agrees to ride the horse or receives COINS from it. This will be agan's last.

The character in the legend is described as an evil entity that is named after his dark attire. He always appears in his elegant black charro suit with fine details in gold and silver, with a wide-brimmed base. You can see him riding on his horse, of the same color, an animal whose eyes look like balls of fire.

Uoke el desvastador

Legend has it that the land of rapa nui many years ago was very large and extensive, as large as the lands of hiva. In those days the ancient god uoke had great power and liked to play with a kind of lever, with which he sank and lifted the continents and the lands, and with it also the ancient land where the great territory of rapa nui was.

One day when uoke was playing to lift and lower the ground of hiva, when he came to puku puhi-puhi, his lever broke; And that ends the game of the earth, leaving much of the ancient land of rapa nui sunk and submerged, since it was located on the surface of the earth that at that time was below the sea.

Curupira

Curupira is known as the guardian of the forests, inhabits the Brazilian forests and is responsible for protecting nature, whether trees, plants and animals, from all predators. Your main enemies with hunters and loggers.

Legend has it that he often takes small children to live with him in the woods to teach them to love nature and to understand the secrets of the forests. When the children are 7 years old she returns them to her family to share what she has learned.

Teyú Yaguá

A beast with the body of a lizard, several heads of dogs and terrible eyes capable of throwing flames. Although feared for his fierce look, teyu yagua moved quite slowly and his temperament was mild.

He was known as the spirit of the caves and protector of the fruits, since he kept treasures hidden in caves and fed on fruits. He was occasionally described as having a shiny appearance, and his scaly skin was said to have gleamed from rolling in gold and precious stones.

Luisón

His very name is terrifying. This spluznante being is located at the crossroads of the ways of life and death.

Their domains are the cemeteries. He lives from the flesh of the dead. It is ugly, with long and dirty hair, with a deadly paleness and foul smell, it caused disgust and terror.

As the shadows of the night begin, luison loses his human forms to transform into a horrible looking dog with sharp teeth of different sizes, his limbs are half human, half claws

At midnight, with red eyes gleaming like two burning embers, he goes out in search of human beings to turn them into other luisones, which he manages to pass under the legs of the men he finds on his evil ride. The foul smell that accompanies it and its appearance freezes the blood and drives the victims crazy who get caught.

Wekufe

Wekufe is a harmful spirit. They can be material, subtle or extracorporeal living entities that project or come from wekufes forces or energies, energies that are characterized by their tendency to disturb or destroy the existing balance in the sea and the land; Causing disease, destruction and death.

It is said that many wekufes would allow themselves to be manipulated by the calcus (mapuche sorcerers, witches), to be used by them as a mystical means of gaining power, and to "get sick" or kill other people.

The wekufe has the power to take over and enslave the pillu (the soul of the recent dead that refuses to leave its body), as long as it is not transformed into an alwe spirit (more mature spirit). The calcu would also take advantage of this quality, to use its wekufe as a means to trap the pillu. When caught, the pillu would also be used to harm other people.

Wekufes can also be sent by spirits or allowed to do harm, if the mapuche has not performed the nguillatun ceremonies; For having mocked or not believed in a machi; For eating food without having requested previous permission to hunt or collect the ngen spirit of the species, be it animal, vegetable or mineral, and mainly for not respecting the laws of the admapu.

La Descarnada

It is said that a beautiful young woman used to be seen late at night on the road leading from Santa ana to chalchuapa. She used to ask men traveling alone on the road to ride. When the vehicle stopped and the man asked where she was going, she would mention some place nearby and they did not hesitate to put her in the vehicle. But once inside the vehicle, the woman began to look at them provocatively and seduce them.

But that was not all, when men began to caress her and want to prostrate themselves with her, the beautiful lady transformed herself, the skin loosened little by little, leaving in the hands of the man remains of skin and muscles. Even once the man was paralyzed by fear and stopped his caresses the process of decay and degradation continued until the woman presented herself as a living skeleton.

[toiletwipes]

Brainrot here, Late to wish you merry Christmas, but early to wish you a New Year 👉👈?? Ok so.., creating "Au's" for oneshots is my passion -cry- , sO what if Reader actually lives in town? Like they go to the city's school/have a work there and so.

So here comes my vomit of words.,,

Lately you couldn't help but stop pining for the boy who sat in front of you in class / or work with you , something about his personality was just charming and attractive to you.

During a lunch break, Eileen suggests you to write them a letter with your feelings, knowing that in your nerves you could never tell him how you feel to his face.

So with your heart in hand you decided to follow his advice, and in one night you already had the first letter ready, you just had to deliver it, but at the moment you were about to put it in his backpack, panic invaded you and you ended up asking permission to go to the bathroom

while you left the school/ or work to take a breathe you get to observed the line of trees that were a few meters away, and unconsciously you went a little deeper, and you left your efforts (the letter) on a stone, hoping that no person would be foolish enough to go into the woods and be able to find the letter, then you decide to go back to class/ back to work feeling a little bit better. The next morning the letter was gone

Weird? Yes Rare? Also Could it have been an animal? Yeah If it was one of your classmates/coworkers they would have already mocke you then, did it just disappear? Yeah

You decided not to think about the matter and after having experienced the freedom to express your feelings in that letter, you decided to do it again and, just like the previous one, you left it on that rock a little far from the entrance to the forest.

And they kept disappearing,,, and you kept writing more letters

But what you weren't aware of was that a certain Fae was waiting to see your letters on that rock every afternoon, and although at first they seemed strangely cloying, he couldn't stop reading them, keeping them in his little hiding place, and reading them every night. Thinking about how you would look, how your voice would sound singing those words recorded on paper

And while you were pining for that boy sitting across from you, Faebur was pining for you without ever having seen you once Until he decided that due to your shyness, he would be the first to take the step and so when you were on your way to leave a new letter you met someone, or rather something? I mean, he looks like a person, but there is something strange about it. The way he smiles when he sees you and confirms that it's you when he sees the letter in your hands, he approaches you with that loving look and takes the letter in his hands, and while you're still in shock, he opens it carefully and in front of you decides to read out loud the content:

"I would like to be able to get past the diffuse line of strangers , to be the owner of your affection and heart, and I would propose a deal that ensures that my heart, my mind belong to you, as well as my whole being, and you would only need to say yes.

He smiles to himself as he holds close the letter and wraps his hands around yours, then looks straight into your eyes, as if he wanted to touch your soul with his own.

"I share the longing for your human affection, to which the answer is I accept" and as he kisses your hand, you are barely able to tell yourself how much has happened

Now you have a fae boyfriend. :D yes

Funfact: The descriptions in the cards of the person you like, resemble Faebur, type: brown hair, tall, charismatic, etc. that's why he thought they were for him :( he didn't know

I wouldn't know how to continue this so this time i didn't put 2 endings on it.

P.S. Theory anon don't be shy, share the pintboard and the playlist 😔😔 Even if I just got fed I'm always hungry for Faebur content

HhhhhhhoooOOoooooOOOOOOLY SHIT i love this sm i, and no doubt others, need more......... oh my god.......

[ezwezz]

OH MY GOD I LOVED YOUR HEADCANONS POST ON WHAT THE CHARACTERS PERSONALITIES WOULD BE LIKE IN MODERN DAY! WHAT HOBBIES DO YOU THINK THEY WOULD HAVE TOO?

wow thank you so much!! it really means a lot :)) also thanks for the suggestion!! <3

Eren:

- tbh, I can see Eren as a hardcore gamer. not just because he's an angry soul but I can see him needing something to release his angst and stress, therefore I think fast-paced, fairly simple gaming would work the trick for him.

Mikasa:

- ahh mikasa is amazing at embroidery seeing as her mum taught her at a young age.

- she uses it to escape the moment and take her mind off the day, usually getting carried away and designing an entire display of perfectly stitched artwork.

Armin:

- I feel like Armin really loves to read. not just because he's canonically a nerd, but I also think he reads to feed into his wild imagination.

- Armin definitely has bedtime scenarios he creates based off books.

Jean:

- not only is Jean good at art, I can also see him being amazing at singing- although he never does it in front of anyone.

- his voice is very gravelly- like something you'd hear in modern rock. if you're close with him, he might mumble a quiet tune whilst the two of you chill.

Connie:

- I can definitely see Connie playing the guitar.

- when there's people around he'll get nervous and just play 'wonderwall' for the jokes, but when he's alone he'll play a lot more advanced, serious songs and simply get lost in the music.

Sasha:

- we all know Sasha is great at archery, but in modern times I can't really see that being her thing. instead I reckon she's an awesome swimmer.

- she's probably won a bunch of races and entered loads of competitions but she doesn't take it too seriously therefore nobody's aware of her hobby.

Reiner:

- aside from working out, I feel like Reiner has a lot of unresolved issues in his head therefore he does a lot of meditation to wind down before bed.

- he's never told anyone except bertholdt (whether that's a romantic or platonic bond, you can decide).

Bertholdt:

- I definitely headcanon Bertholdt being into tenis like I mentioned in my last post. I can also see him doing golfing since it's a lot more chill and he likes to have a balance.

Annie:

- I think on the most part, Annie being a fighter as a hobby makes a lot of sense and I reckon she'd definitely take part in some form of martial art.

- on the other hand, I can also see her needing a calmer, more peaceful hobby on the sidelines therefore I believe she'd play the piano when she's alone.

Erwin:

- I would love to say erwin has a not-so grandpa-like hobby however I can't shake the aching truth of him being invested in collecting stamps.

- he 100% has a book just filled with stamps from various decades and different areas.

- he takes a lot of pride in his collection as hange and levi have had a full briefing on the backstory of every single stamp he owns.

Levi:

- It may sound a bit of a reach however I can totally see Levi volunteering at an animal shelter of sorts.

- I've put some thought into this one and came to the conclusion that he's an animal person. he thinks animals are so much better than humans and if he could, he would stay at the shelter all day simply venting to the animals- they never interrupt, judge or try to understand, they're simply there to listen and he appreciates that more than anything.

Hange:

- Hange would 100% love to travel and learn about different cultures.

- They love the sheer thrill of experiencing new things and seeing different sights therefore they would probably choose to backpack across countries instead of going on proper holidays. it allows them to experience everything so much more authentically and realistically.

Historia:

- I think Historia is such a poetic-minded individual since her entire childhood had been formed through literature. with that being said I think she'll love to write.

- she was completely inspired by novels at a young age and would give anything to allow others to experience the same wonder she felt at the time.

Ymir:

- Ymir would absolutely love competitive sport. I can ultimately see her playing football (or soccer...whatever floats your boat.)

- she enjoys the thrill and pressure of the match. (she also likes the cheerleaders but we won't get into that).

Hitch:

- I definitely see Hitch being a dancer, and no, not just tiktok dancing.

- I think she'll enjoy doing contemporary dance styles like ballet and slow dancing since it's her way of venting the tougher emotions she keeps bottled up.

Pieck:

- Pieck is a plant mother.

- there's no explanation for this one, she just owns an entire habitat of plants. (she has names for each and every one of them and may or may not bawl her eyes out when one of them dies).

Porco:

- Porco is definitely a rugby lad.

- ramming into people and knocking them off their feet with sheer bodily force is his form of therapy. it also gives him a lot of confidence in himself which he wouldn't have if he'd never taken up sport in general.

Onyankopon:

- Onyankopon is a pro at chess and you cannot change my mind.

- I can see him being amazing at strategy games since he loves to put his mind to work in a competitive style.

Yelena:

- eat, sleep, worship zeke.

[yourmcu]

Mesmerized (ii)

Pairings: Natasha Romanoff x fem!reader

Request:

@lostaurorax​ said:

hii!! i love ur writing i was wondering if u could write a natasha x reader fic were reader is part of the guardians of the galaxy and they come to the compound and natasha is just starstruck but reader plays kinda hard to get and then just a bunch of fluff !

Word count: 2,551

A/n: basically a day out with Natasha. you like having her around. she likes having you around. Part 2/? (more notes at the end of the fic!)

Warnings: mostly fluff, but ending’s pretty angsty (help), some thor fluff in the beginning, jealous!nat if you squint

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

gif not mine!! credits to the owner^^

After Natasha left your room she immediately goes straight to hers. She barely falls asleep.

She stares at the ceiling, absorbed in her own thoughts. She tries to shake away the heat rushing to her face whenever the moment you kissed her on the cheek replays on her mind. All it took is someone like you to get one of the toughest people in the compound turn into mush.

She never believes in the ‘love at first sight’ bullshit because, well, it is bullshit. It’s impossible to love someone you just met. But who knows, right? You might just be an exception.

No, Natasha frowns. I just like her... a lot. It’s different.

The next morning, her run consists of her planning out the date day with you, where she’d take you first and stuff. She stops by the front gate of the compound, suddenly worrying. She wants to impress you. But what if you don’t like what she had in store? What if you think she's boring?

You're the type of person that almost likes everything and you’d express it kindly if you don’t. Boring you should be the last thing on Natasha’s mind.

Natasha walks into the kitchen to hydrate herself but halts once she saw the mess you and Thor had all over the counters.

“Wait, hold on- no, that’s - oh god, Thor, that’s too much batter!” You smack him on the arm and laugh, tilting your head a bit to figure out how you’d get the large pancake out of the pan.

“Oops,” Thor says sheepishly, turning around to put the bowl back on the counter, noticing Natasha’s confusion. “Oh don’t worry, Natasha, we’ll clean up after we’re done.”

The mention of the redhead makes you turn as well. “Good morning, Nat.” You beam. Normally, Natasha would sent a glare to anyone who calls her that, someone who isn’t a close friend, but with you... instead of a glare her eyes light  up. Giving you a small smile, she greets you back.

“I thought you were going out?” She questions, passing by you to reach the fridge.

“We were, but IHOP’s closed, under maintenance they said,” Thor sighs and you hum in response. “It’s quite alright. I heard you guys are going out anyway-”

Natasha lowers the water bottle from her lips, staring at him. “You heard?”

You spin around to clean up after turning off the stove. ‘I didn’t tell him anything,’ you mouth to her, which makes her think Steve somehow knows of it already.

Thor lets out a laugh, grabbing the whole pan and twiddling his fork, “you two have fun.” He winks and walks out of the room.

-----

“They were so cute,” you look back at the newly engaged couple near the window of the restaurant. “And really, you didn’t have to pay. I can pay you back.”

Later that afternoon the both of you headed out. Natasha parked her car somewhere and since it was a nice day, not too hot or anything, you both strolled around the city to find a place to have brunch.

“Y/N, it’s fine. I’m the one who asked you out.” Natasha chuckles, remembering the way you pouted in there begging her to let you pay at least for your own food.

You huff, smiling. “Fine. But I’m getting you back.”

So far you were having a good time with her. You got to know each other more, she told you stories about some of the team’s missions from other countries which were relatively rare, her first encounters with Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, and in return you told her some about your out-of-this-world missions with the guardians.

And no you didn’t tell her about the history of moon rocks or some shit, nor did you promise to bring her back some. Who even collects those nowadays? Natasha was more interested about your early life, on Earth, which you were thankful for. You were taken away from your father (the only parent you preferred and loved) who was pure human one day by your alien-freak of a mother which you inherited your fire powers from.

You don’t like talking about it. But with her you're surprisingly comfortable.

Natasha smirks. “So we’re going out again sometime?”

“Of course we are.” After two seconds of pure confidence you wish you didn’t say that out loud. “Well, you know, I won’t force you to something you don’t want it’s - it’s your call.”

You're in the middle of telling her about your favorite bar and diner, the one your father always takes you as a child and you even paid a visit there the last time you were on Earth.

“Huh. Isn’t that the one that just closed?” She recalls

“No, really?” You drag out the ‘no’, sighing. “They’re the best. They make their own iced tea and beer and stuff... and - oh!”

You feel something rub against your ankle: a fluffy dog who's looking up at you with its tongue out and its tail was wagging wildly. Natasha raises her eyebrows, her eyes trailing to the abandoned leash behind it.

“Hey there,” you kneel down to pet it with caution just incase its intention is to bite you. But it seems to be happy and tame. “Look, Nat, s’adorable.” Natasha chuckles briefly and starts looking around for a person who looks frantic and is finding, calling a dog. 

“This fella belongs to the animal center.” You caress the dog behind its ear while you read the information on its collar.

It isn’t that far, it seems like the dog just escaped as well because the guy running the center was unaware of its absence.

“Thanks!” Said guy smiles in appreciation, reaching out to take the leash out of your hand. Natasha’s mind is focused on how the guy looks at you for the first time. It's the exact same look she gave you that night. Mesmerized, as if it was love at first sight. She doesn’t miss how his hand brushes yours, completely intentional. “I don’t know what I’d do if you hadn’t returned him. The pups here just grew out of their mom’s milk and are very hyper. It’s a lot of work.”

You're completely oblivious to this, you’re just glad the dog is back to where he belongs.

“No problem, he’s very sweet.” You smile politely. “Are they up for adoption? It would really help you out if they were, you know, and this one here is well behaved.”

At this point Natasha’s just eyeing the guy like he’d pounce on you any minute now. He’s definitely into you and she doesn’t like it.

“You’re welcome to stop by anytime,” he grins, ignoring your suggestion. “Can I have your number?”

“Oh, I don’t have a phone...” you trail off.

“That’s right, she doesn’t.” Natasha steps in and she catches the guy off guard and surprised that the Black Widow is actually with you the whole time. Natasha intertwines her hand with yours, pleased with his dumbfounded reaction. “We’ll be on our way now.”

You didn’t expect that but you weren’t complaining. Her hands were soft, and it brought this comforting feeling you couldn’t explain. But you clear your throat once the both of you are a few blocks away from the center.

“Sorry, he gave me an off vibe,” Natasha mutters and removes her hand from yours.

“Don’t be, I appreciate you looking out,” you smiles. Her car was getting into view now. “If it helps you sleep at night though, he wasn’t my type.” You joke.

Turns out you weren’t completely oblivious.

Natasha merely scoffs, getting in the driver’s seat and starting the engine.

After the dog incident you both drove around different parts of the city. You went to a different mall to stroll around, commenting on anything you both saw that would somehow lead to a stupid story that happened at some point in your lives.

A local artsy bookstore, not gonna lie Natasha liked reading a good book when she had the time. So did you. It was nice to know that she’s the type of person who liked reading. Quill always got annoyed with you whenever he saw you reading silently in the ship (but when was he not annoyed with you?). The only ones that was willing to try and read back in space were Mantis and Gamora, bless her soul.

“These are good,” you mutter to Natasha. “All my books are on the ship, I think, but if I get to them I’ll let you read my favorite one... if you want.”

Last stop of the day. Natasha claims it’s a surprise.

“I don’t do well with surprises,” you whine, holding back a smile. “Just tell me.”

“No. And besides, we’re already here.” Natasha chuckles.

Your eyes light up on how stunning the scenery was. An edge of the cliff and below is a beach that doesn’t look like it’s visited by people everyday. The beautiful sunset, the sky made up of purple, orange and almost pink magnifies the calmness of the waves crawling gently to the shore.

“I always come here whenever I need to,” she says silently and exhales, walking over to you. “It’s the perfect place to go whenever those idiots get on my nerves.” You laugh lightly at her reasoning.

Natasha pats a spot on the grass beside her. She holds her gaze on you as you sit down, sighing. “It’s beautiful.”

“Yeah,” she manages to stop staring at you and look up at the sky instead. It's getting darker by the minute, the orange and pinkness started to fade as the sun went down, all of it replaced by light purple, darker shade of blue.

You're used to different colored skies. It would always vary and depend on what planet you were on, plus you always see those stars shimmering up above, so your focus is on the water and the waves. The way they move calms you.

“Thank you for today,” you murmur. “I’m gonna be honest, I didn’t expect any of this happening.”

Natasha hums. “I hope I wasn’t too boring.”

“Of course not, I think you’re very interesting and you’re fun to be with.” You say genuinely.

Once the sun is fully down and the moon had taken over the sky, the both of you get up to head back to the compound. “Eating out here would’ve been nice but Steve’s in charge with dinner, he wouldn’t be too happy if he knew we already ate.” The car ride back is silent, but the good kind. A content, comfortable one.

Okay so, your stay took more than a few weeks. 

You grew close with the amazing group of people, plus your good relationship with Natasha just kept growing and... just got better.

Thor stayed too because he didn’t have a choice, but he didn’t mind. Rocket left one pod for both of you to use that’ll send you to wherever Quill’s ship was up there. 

You and Natasha went out when you had the chance, taking turns treating each other to stuff. You learned that Thor included your books when he packed you a bag, and now Natasha was borrowing one of them.

Sometimes you’d join them on missions. You did a great job every time, not wanting to be a burden to a team you weren’t officially in. Sometimes you’d join Steve into a sparring session at the compound’s gym.

Speaking of which, he’s treating both you and Natasha as if you’re dating.

“Would you look at that, your girl managed to give me a bruise. She’s a keeper.” Steve tells Natasha.

“You totally deserve that.”

You also started sparring with Natasha. And Tony caught on with the whole ‘dating’ thing from Steve.

“Oooh, am I interrupting something here?” Tony smirks. He's going back and forth visiting the compound and coming home to his wife and daughter at their cabin. It's working out though. “I think the mat’s unsanitary. Take this to the bedroom.”

“Oh shut up, Y/N was just working on her tackling.” Natasha grunts, leaving you sprawled  on the mat, exhausted. “It’s getting sloppy. We’ll go again in a minute.”

-----

“Y/N,” The devastating tone of Natasha’s voice makes you look up. “Quill’s calling. He’s looking for you.”

“What?” She doesn’t answer but instead motions you to follow. In her office is a hologram of your fellow half-human and he looks distraught.

You step in front of the hologram so he can see you. 

“What happened to a few weeks, L/N? It’s been almost three months!” Quill says. “Look, come back, bring Thor with you. Our distress signal goes off almost every day and we can’t keep doing this without both of you.”

“Alright, how much time do I have before you lose your cool?” You reply sarcastically, but you're also worried and didn’t want to leave. You know better than to argue with the guy.

Natasha doesn’t want you to leave so suddenly. There’s limited communication between you and her once you go back up there. She grew attached to you.

Quill gives you an obvious look. “As soon as possible! Just - just get back here, please?” Then he abruptly ends the call.

You roll your eyes and left the room to pack, barely noticing Natasha hunched over, visibly sad and anxious that you’re leaving.

She loves you, and now you’re leaving without that knowledge.

You told Thor about it when he passed by the open door of your room. He didn’t look thrilled to be leaving so suddenly. After packing everything up (on his part it wasn’t that much) he offered to carry your bag for you as you said your farewells.

“Sorry guys, duty calls,” you sigh, hugging everyone. “Seeing as Tony’s not here just tell him I’ll miss him or something.”

“Will you come visit soon?” Wanda asks as she pulls away from your hug.

“Definitely.” You turn your head when Steve nudges you, nodding his head to the direction where Natasha is shifting, pacing, avoiding any eye contact.

You walk over to her. She tries holding back tears as you did. She grew attached to you and now you’re leaving. “Hey Nat,” you cup her face, trying to get her to look at you. “I’m sorry. I don’t wanna leave either, not right now, but-”

Natasha kisses you, pulling you close to her as much as possible. Tears fully streaming down her face. She’s never felt this way before, about anybody, for a long time.

But let’s face it, you both know you loved each other. Maybe the both of you just knew that if you got together, it’ll be extremely hard for your relationship once you left. The long distance relationship thing. Even if you aren’t, it's already too painful for Natasha, like she's caught off guard or something. None of you knew that today's your last night on Earth.

“I’m gonna miss you.” Natasha whispers after pulling away.

You smile sympathetically, wiping her tears away with your thumb. “You know I’ll come back, right, pretty girl?” Natasha exhales shakily and pulls you into a hug.

“You better.”

----

I found a song for this fic-series whatever, please I’m so proud of myself the song reminds me of this story

I’M ANNOYED THAT I HAVEN’T PUT IN MUCH ABOUT THE READER’S FIRE ABILITIES IN THIS ONE BUT I HOPE YOU ENJOY ANYWAY (they’re on a date she wouldn’t need it for anything)

[lyallblacklupin]

Prompt: Wolfstar - Sirius opens up to Remus about his thoughts on dating a werewolf. Any rating you want.

I truly apologize for such a late response. Your prompt was quite the unique one and I hope you like how I wrote it. Thank you for an amazing suggestion! Happy Reading! <3

Rating: Mature (Implied Sexual Content.)

Sirius bursts into the common room with the deepest frown on his face and the biggest pout on his lips which is enough to cast everyone’s attention in the room. Marlene squints from her magazine, James sits up from Lily’s lap, and Peter sets down his chocolate (which rarely happens, that means some disaster awaits the Marauders and others around them.) However, the only person who is straining his nerves to look nonchalant—but the nostrils don’t help much but flare hopelessly—is none other than Remus Lupin.

“Can I talk to you for a second?” Sirius says curtly. James looks around to see who is he addressing with such aggression, and it is again none other than Remus Lupin sitting with a book hiding his face. The tension in the air is so thick that can only be cut with a knife.

“I am talking to you, Remus.” He speaks again, his voice is emphatic on each of his words. Remus changes the direction of the book from his face as if it is a mask, but it is still in between his index finger and thumb. His eyebrows are cocked up higher enough to disappear in his golden fringe.

“I’m sorry but I don’t have time to discuss anything as useless and pointless as your drama.” He says.

Peter gasps, Lily flinches, and Marlene snorts. Sirius shoots her a glare.

“Sorry.” She recovers and hides back her face in the magazine.

“You think I am being dramatic about this?” Sirius turns back and asks indignantly.

“I don’t think you are being dramatic,” Remus makes an innocent face suddenly, waving his hands to his sides. His facial expressions are always priceless, “but I think you are dramatic.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake, Lupin!” Sirius looks extremely mortified as he scoffs at him and the next thing everyone knows that he is climbing the dormitory stairs, and then which follows with a loud slam of the door.

The silence in the room is filled with the crackling sound of the fire before their sitting spot until James clears her throat as his eyes—in fact, everyone’s eyes land on Remus who is sitting like a terrified cat, scared but too prideful to admit his harshness.

“So…umm, you guys having a row?” James finally says.

“You think?” Marlene makes a bored face before she turns to Remus, “So tell me, darling, what is your problem?”

“My problem?” He asks as if he can’t believe he has been asked that question.

“Yes, Rem,” Lily says suddenly, looking stern and concerned at the same time, “Your problem.”

“How can you say that without knowing what’s going on between us!”

“We don’t know what’s going on between you two, but what we know is that you insulted him in front of everyone and now you don’t feel bad about it?” Lily scolds Remus, who looks like he has been slapped. He looks down at his hands. His books are still between his hands. He has been feeling bad the second he said those mean words to Sirius, and now he feels a lot worse than a few seconds ago. He is looking down at his book while his mind racing on how should apologize to his boyfriend before a shadow grows on which makes him look up to see James Potter snatching the book from his hands. He doesn’t even get a chance to protest because James is already settling his head on Lily’s lap, and acting to read that book.

“Fine, Potter!” He threw his hands up in surrender and stands up to make his way to the dormitory. He sees the smirk breaking on James’ lips but his eyes never leaving the book page which he is definitely not reading at all.

He opens the door of the dorm, and the air smells stale and something is on fire. The urgency suddenly takes place in his body as he walks around to find four perfectly tucked beds, the bathroom door is opened which means Sirius is not inside.

He sees the window opened and sees the wisps of faint smoke in his view. He comes close to lean out. His side glance catches Sirius sitting on the extremely narrow ledge with his legs dangling in nothing but a groundless view of Hogwarts beneath his feet, and for a second Remus has decided that his heart has stopped beating. He staggers back in to process the view in his head.

“Fucking shit! Fuck! Merlin!” Remus curses when his brain completely registers the terrifying idiocy of his boyfriend. He leans out again to call him, “Sirius, are you out of your fucking mind!?”

He doesn’t reply because he is smoking his cigarette in the most seductive way, or maybe he is smoking just fine but Remus can’t help but feel something funny in his lower abdomen.

“Sirius?” He says again with his clenched teeth.

“I will not listen to you unless you put your anger aside,” Sirius says with a deadpanned face which is, by the way, glimmering in the moonlight as if it is something sacred. His beauty is ethereal and yet so sharp to cut someone’s heart into two. Remus swallows because it is a mouth-watering sight. But then he remembers. This is exactly what they have been fighting about; Werewolf instincts. The moon is close, and the wolf is flowing into him.

“This is not some joke, Sirius! This is extremely dangerous! Come back in this instant!”

“See, no gentleness,” Sirius sighs and takes a drag from his cigarette, “Not coming right now.”

This is infuriating, Sirius is in fact infuriating. However, yelling at him is just like setting more fire on the raging flames. Remus inhales, and then reaches out his hand from the window for Sirius, “Please. Come inside, Sirius.”

“Nopes.” Remus clenches his mouth but then relaxes.

“Look, Sirius, I’m getting really worried for you. Please, come back? I promise I’m not angry.”

“I can see you grinding your teeth.” Remus grimaces but then eventually smiles in surrender. Sirius can be very convincing without any animalistic forms.

“Yes, because you are annoying,” His voice is utterly soft, “but I love you just like that. Will you come to me?”

Sirius narrows his eyes and cocks an eyebrow which instantly causes Remus to chuckle, along with a feeling of gushing love inside him.

“Okay, I’m coming.” He takes his hand and jumps inside to wrap his arms around Remus who immediately holds him in his embrace. Due to the height difference, Sirius stands on his tiptoes to hug him so the latter boy scoops his legs up to wrap around his waist and Sirius wastes no time to comply.

“I’m sorry, love…” Remus nuzzles his head in his hair.

“It’s okay, I know you’re not feeling good. The moon…” Sirius' voice is tired and low. It is always surprising to see his bottomless patience for Remus’ condition, considering how much edgy he can be otherwise.

“Hey…” Remus makes them sit on the nearest bed. Sirius completely sits on his lap with his legs tied around him, and his hands laced around his neck. He looks so small, and Remus doesn’t want to see his sadness. After a long drag of silence and relishing each other with feather-light touches and kisses, Sirius whispers in his skin.

“Why can’t you let me have you?”

“I’m right here. You have me.” Remus whispers back with his lips still lingering on his cheeks.

“Completely…Moony…” The voice breaks his heart, and he looks up at Sirius' hurting eyes.

“Sirius, this is not a joke.”

“Moony, I don’t take you as a joke in my life. Not even in the slightest.”

“You don’t realize how dangerous it is.”

“Then make me!” And Remus winces but doesn’t leave his grip on Sirius’ waist, “I want you all. I…I like it that way…” The last words hang awkwardly in the air with Sirius blushing like he has tomatoes beneath his cheeks.

“You are not serious, are you?” Remus lets out a hollow laugh.

“Yes, Moony, I’m serious about this.” He is frozen because Sirius’ eyes scream nothing but the truth, and most importantly he has completely missed the pun.

“You are…” He stutters but Sirius cuts him off.

“Yes. I want to be with you in every part, Remus. You lose control? I don’t care! I want you to be the most honest version of yourself. I want to love you more. I fell in love with your rawness, your scars, and your real self. I want you to lose control.” Sirius rocks him and tightens his grip on his neck, and Remus closes his eyes, “I want to have you in the most Remus way. Your way. Just you. All of you.”

Remus inhales the scent of Sirius that is beginning to saturate around him, enveloping him in the haze of his soul and body. He feels lightheaded with the softest sensation of certain lips brushing his neck and jaw. A shiver runs down his body, and a whimper comes out of his mouth.

“Sirius, you…can’t…you are…please, no…” Because Sirius cannot understand this.

“Moony, it’s okay.” Lips still roaming dangerously at the back of his ear.

“No, it’s not!” Remus snaps, causing Sirius to flinch, and instantly he feels terrible. He immediately rests in hand back on Sirius’, “Please, don’t be disappointed in me…Merlin, I can’t hurt you, Sirius.” His free hand travels up to hold the other boy’s face which looks as gloomy as death, “I just love you too much for that…you can’t ask me to ruin you! You can’t ask me to fuck you like an animal! I know I’m not enough for you—“

“No! You are more than enough, Remus!” Sirius pleads with eyes that were at the brink of spilling tears.

“Sirius…” Remus sighs, not leaving his grip on Sirius’ hand. The silence fills them up again. His eyes wander around the dimly emitted dorm, then to the opened window where an almost full moon peeks out like a thundering reminder. Sirius looks down at their hands but stays quiet…pretty much tired. He looks exhausted. Remus shakes their hands for him to look up and he forces a smile on his tightly pressed lips.

“I’m not asking you to break me,” Sirius speaks lowly after a while, “I’m asking you to be yourself. Is that too much to ask?”

“Myself is not pretty to encounter, Sirius.”

“You think I need you to be pretty? You think I would want you fancy and sparkly? I don’t expect perfection from you because I know you have millions of flaws and imperfections, and fuck I fell in love with all of those! Call me sick or downright stupid, but it is the truth. You being a werewolf is something that the Marauders know, and that makes us feel honored and so so special to know that part of you. That you allowed us to know that part of yourself. Is it a beautiful part to you? No. But is it a beautiful part to me? Yes! I cannot disgust you because this was never in your hands. You were given this! Worse or best, but it is you. And I love you. I love that part of you. I’m so sorry that you got what no one would ever even wish upon their enemy, but that doesn’t make me want to hate that part of you. I love you whole.”

He reaches forward to put both of his hands on Remus’ face to wipe away the flooding tears, which is when Remus realizes that he is crying. The realization hits him like an iceberg and sobs erupt from him. Sirius wastes no time to quickly hold him against his chest as he keeps rubbing his back.

“Listen, you are not ready, and it’s okay my love,” Sirius brings in mouth closer to Remus’ ear, “I just want you to know that you don’t have to hold back your urges. You don’t have to hold back anything. I want to let you know completely and soundly that I’d do anything for you to make you feel yourself. This is what I feel about you. I hope you understand this, truly, but tell me if you still don’t I’ll try my best to open up more to you. But at the same time, open up to me, too. Be with me, for real.” He emphasizes each of his words, and Remus nods in his chest.

He pulls himself back to look at Sirius’s face. His hands trace his perfect face with careful eyes and he realizes that he fell in love with the real Sirius Black. He knows that his boyfriend has different images for other people which mainly rules by arrogance and reserved personality. However, with Remus, he is a totally different person, the happiest and calmest he has ever seen.

“I love you, too.” It comes out in a wavering voice, and Sirius smiles genuinely, “You already opened up to me, you, perfect git.” He nudges his elbow in his ribs, making him laugh, “You wouldn’t…care…if I…you know…”

“Lose control?” Sirius suggests with tenderness in his voice which causes Remus to shudder. He nods at him tentatively.

“No, Moony. My love for you will never lessen because of that. I want you this way. I want to see you this way. Your way. Just don’t hold back. I am here. Always will be.” He turns his face just a fraction to plant a kiss on Remus’ hand that was holding his face.

“Okay…okay…” He swallows and feels damp with cold sweating. His palms are sweating too against Sirius’ face but he brushes off the thought and braces himself to take that mask off. It feels like tearing down his skins. It is like more than being naked. He leans in and kisses him hesitantly but Sirius complies with firm lips and eager hands. And Remus relaxes, deepening the kiss. His head feels fuzzy, his fingers are altering to the warmth of Sirius’ bareback, and his legs are wrapping round his waist as if they are returning to the place they belong. He is melting in his body.

It doesn’t take long when the swooning is over, and the urge to get the upper hand on their intimate connection grows on Remus. His hands slide down from their intertwined hands to hold Sirius’ wrist. He uses his weight as leverage to push him on the bed, and dive in to kiss his neck. He also realizes that Sirius is loud as he groans and moans on the tiniest touches. Remus doubts that they will get through this. He gets on all fours with a flushed Sirius beneath him. He sees his face is glowing like pearls that speak nothing but reassurance.

“It’s okay, love. It’s alright, Moony.” He whispers and gets up to reach Remus’ mouth. When they share a languid kiss, Remus decides that it is going to be okay. It is going to be alright.

[agentrouka-blog]

What do you mean by Lady doing a reverse death warg on Sansa ?

Hi anon!

Hee! You’re referring to this post, right?

What I affectionately call the death warg is the suggested last leap of a warg from his human body into that of another being.

In the case of Varamyr and Haggon these were premeditated acts with animals specifically chosen for the purpose. (ADWD, Prologue) Warging for “regular” wargs is a transgressive act that requires the subjugation of its target and dogs and wolves are only prized because of the way they take to the bond. It remains an act of force and invasion, if you look at it objectively.

With the Starks, it’s different, because their direwolves are not random animals, they are magical creatures sent to them by the old gods and not only do they share a natural and intuitive warg bond with their humans and a telepathic link to each other, but they may have magical healing powers AND the warg bond might be mutual. They are a part of each other.

If Jon and Robb both intuitively warged into their bonded wolves in the moment nearing physical death, why should the reverse not also be possible?

It’s in the text that Lady’s bones are in Winterfell, but her Shade is not.

Summer's howls were long and sad, full of grief and longing. Shaggydog's were more savage. Their voices echoed through the yards and halls until the castle rang and it seemed as though some great pack of direwolves haunted Winterfell, instead of only two . . . two where there had once been six. Do they miss their brothers and sisters too? Bran wondered. Are they calling to Grey Wind and Ghost, to Nymeria and Lady's Shade? Do they want them to come home and be a pack together? (ACOK, Bran I)

Lady is not “home”. She is elsewhere:

He could not smell them, nor hear their howls by night, yet he felt their presence at his back . . . all but the sister they had lost. His tail drooped when he remembered her. Four now, not five. Four and one more, the white who has no voice.

These woods belonged to them, the snowy slopes and stony hills, the great green pines and the golden leaf oaks, the rushing streams and blue lakes fringed with fingers of white frost. But his sister had left the wilds, to walk in the halls of man-rock where other hunters ruled, and once within those halls it was hard to find the path back out. The wolf prince remembered.

(ACOK, Bran I)

Where is Lady?

Lady is universally described as sweet, gentle, obedient. Her connection to Sansa is extremely harmonious, where we see it in AGOT, Sansa I. Where Arya battles Nymeria with a hairbrush (one of the more obvious metaphors that Arya chaves at the traditional role expected of her) and needs to use a voice “like a whip” to stop Nymeria’s defensive attack on Joffrey, Sansa can calm Lady’s growls with a gentle touch of her hand and is never ever seen in conflict with her. They are a complete unit.

We do not see the aftermath of Lady’s death, we only get a vague description by Ned.

The last fortnight of their journey had been a misery. Sansa blamed Arya and told her that it should have been Nymeria who died. And Arya was lost after she heard what had happened to her butcher's boy. Sansa cried herself to sleep, Arya brooded silently all day long, and Eddard Stark dreamed of a frozen hell reserved for the Starks of Winterfell.

(AGOT, Eddard IV)

Two weeks Sansa cried herself to sleep and became unusually verbally aggressive toward her sister. It can be explained by grief, but there could also be a bit of Lady’s own trauma in there. Lady was murdered by a Stark she trusted, there is bound to be confused anger in even the gentlest wolf.

Theoretically, gentle, soft and harmonious Lady could have leapt into Sansa and blended herself with her bonded human inside the human body the way it usually happens the other way around. This is why Sansa might still have warg-like dreams of running with Lady, why she intuitively connects her own potential death to reuniting with Lady, and why the other direwolves no longer have the telepathic connection to Lady that they still have with Grey Wind even after his death.

So, contrary to the hilarious idea that killing Lady made Sansa less of a Stark, she is actually the Stark carrying a direwolf’s soul inside of herself instead of outside, providing the shelter for her wolf that the others are offered for themselves. It’s part of what protects her spirit from all assault.

I like that image because it works so well with Sansa’s sense of self and her inner dignity. She doesn’t hate herself, she doesn’t question her self-worth, even when she feels empty. She is a whole person, in spite of Lady’s death because she carries Lady inside of herself.

[dsyche]

the mortal sun has risen and set a thousand thousand times, and the goddess psyche is yet bound to the earthly realm, the reincarnation loop continues. this time their mortal coil has taken the shape of priscilla quintana, a human born on MAY 30, 1992, a gemini and named drusilla “dru” martinez. 

tw: death, cancer

AGE: thirty, 30 may. 1992 ( gemini )

NICKNAMES: dru, cilla

GENDER IDENTITY & PRONOUNS: demigirl ; she/they

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: demisexual

BIRTHPLACE: new orleans, la, usa

NATIONALITY: american

LANGUAGES: english & french

OCCUPATION: baker ( books and crannies ) & volunteer ( the shelter )

EDUCATION: psychology degree ( undergrad ) at queensland

LIVING ARRANGEMENT: rock rose park

FAVORITE SPOTS: trojan horse ranch/agora market

PETS: jester, a brumby horse at trojan horse ranch

VICES: neurotic, passive, disjointed

VIRTUES: bubbly, compassionate, generous

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: long brown hair, golden-green eyes

DEITY: psyche, godess of the soul

POWER TRAITS: sensing people’s emotions and heal minor injuries

LOCKED POWERS: sense peoples’ emotions & control them, heal injuries, sooth the mind from thoughts, lull a person to sleep, and revive a sacred animal on a new moon

“quick” bio

so dru was born in nola and lived there with her mum. her mum was a local chef at a restaurant and bar. dru never met her father, she believes it was just a passing fling and her mother never really knew much about him anyway. so lil dru spent most of her childhood in a kitchen. she discovered fairly quickly that she didn’t like cooking as much as she liked baking. she liked the structure.

she also spent a lot of time in the bar section when her mother was working. all of the staff knew her so it wasn’t that much of a big deal. she camped out comfortably in a booth with whatever she brought and wasn’t much trouble. dru would always think that this was what helped her really nail down her gauge on human emotion, but in fact, she always just had a little bit of a sense for it.

when she was fourteen she started helping out in the kitchen more. her mother, having spent all that time being the only financial support for the family, started to suffer from all the weight of the work. dru was happy to help. occasionally they’d shuffle her out front to host or bus tables. every now and then she would make suggestions based on people’s moods for what to order. she loved her life. it felt perfect.

that was until they found out her mother was sick. it didn’t take long for the cancer to spread — not in hindsight. within months of dru finding out she was already motherless. the even bigger surprise was learning that her mother did in fact know more about her father than she led on.

it was also around the time of her mother’s passing that she really started to feel a split insider her. while she was always very empathetic, she tried to use it for the right purposes. after that, there was always a pull inside dru toward the dark. she could suddenly feel herself walking the tightrope of morality. it was also then that she started to feel at times like she wasn’t quite the same. she felt like an entity, a being, but not like a woman, not like they’d felt before. it was as if there was a whole other part of them that they couldn’t reach and that couldn’t be definitely. 

dru moved in with her aunt on her father’s side to magnetic island when she was 16. her aunt worked on the ranch and although it was rough at first, dru really came to see her aunt as family.

she briefly moved off the island to be closer to school. while she studied her undergrad she met someone and fell in love. after she graduated they proposed to dru. she accepted but not long after they separated. dru loved magnetic island and didn’t want to leave. they wanted to explore still and it drove a wedge between them. when they left dru felt that darkness pull at her stronger again, but she did what she could to fight it off.

otherwise, she likes to spend her time with animals or baking, she’s very social but still fairly innocent. she truly cannot conceptualize how to flirt and would probably just bake you a cake or a really nice bun if you don’t like sweets.

wcs

if anyone was on the island like 14-ish years ago and went to high school with dru??

people who were around in uni days

the ex-fiance?

regulars at the store

other people from the ranch/shelter

i would like her to have an opposite friend pls

if there’s anyone yunger who wants to be kind of like a sibling vibe?? id cry

[spiritshaydra]

Looks like I haven’t posted art here in months and this is my fourth time trying to add a description to this because it keeps getting purged whenever I switch tabs >:( 

Anywho, here’s some Pokémon gijinkas I finished earlier in the week ^^

Additional info stolen from my amino post down below c:

Howdy!

This took me WAY longer than I thought it would. I started this group back in December, and only now just completed it ^^

I’ll be showing them off in the order I finished them along with some info on each character c:

✨Here they are!✨

🏙 Reshiram 🏙

She’s not as complex as the rest of the batch because she started off as just a headshot test and practice for drawing humans ^^’ then everything else kinda just got more complex. Her design is more of a work in progress than the rest.

She’s a living lie detector :)

🎆 Palkia 🎆

[

She took a LONG time to draw and is probably the most complex. Sorta. She’s also probably one of the first gijinkas I’ve designed so her design is pretty solid for now. She’s based off of Roman gladiators and Valkyries. Palkia is also a total jock with a short fuse that constantly gets in fights with her brother, Dialga. She’s kinda a loud idiot but that’s okay. She’s also very rash and tends to act before thinking. Will kick down doors and attempt to put brother in a headlock. Probably chugs sport drinks and punches drywall. Will challenge poor unfortunate souls into doing arm wrestling matches. Has very strong opinions on science fiction. (Stuff with space is superior!) Curses like a sailor and likes to get creative with insults. Cannot organize things at all. Room probably looks like a bomb went off. Has the worst handwriting in her family. Middle child and the shortest out of her siblings. Is uncomfortable around Giratina but feels bad about it.

🌄 Giratina 🌄

Giratina’s another one that I’ve had designed for a while and am pretty happy about it! I tried to give her a more inhuman and unsettling appearance (gaunt features, pale skin, sunken eyes, long limbs, digitigrade legs, four arms, etc) She’s pale from the lack of sunlight and her hair is borderline uncontrollable. It’s in a constant state of poofy rat’s nest.

Believe it or not, she’s probably the friendliest out of her family despite her off putting demeanor. She completely lacks social skills and is still trying to learn how to speak normally after being locked away for eons. She’s best friends with a Shaymin and has gardening as a hobby. She just really wants friends :( She likes stupid paranormal shows and animated movies. Not violent at all unless provoked. Absolutely fascinated by car windows and toasters. She’s the second tallest and the “baby” out of her family. She wishes to have better relations with her siblings and parent but struggles :(

🌺 Shaymin 🌺

Shaymin. Oh boy Shaymin. So with her I was wanting to do something completely different from the usual Lolita and cutesy based gijinkas. So I made her a punk :) Shay acts like she eats nails for breakfast and isn’t afraid to fight god. She’s short but by god, she’s going to go for the kneecaps. She has a nasty temper and is very protective of her strange noodly demon bestie. Taught her how to garden. She’s loud, argumentative, and ‘Tina’s siblings are probably more scared of her than the Terror of The Distortion World. Does not do well in cold weather. She rides a motorbike, and is the one who generally drags ‘Tina around to get her used to the normal world. Big fan of slasher films and loud aggressive music. Loves nature and is generally enthusiastic about funky plants.

Very short. Very aggressive. Wears stud covered platform boots.

🪐 Arceus 🪐

Oh boy. Arceus.

He was VERY hard to design but I think I’m happy with the results. For now. I wanted him to look somewhat regal and nasty, and not exactly human.

He’s a major asshole, prick, and elitist, and is petty to the highest degree. Got offended whenever someone suggests that he should go to an anger management class. Probably a Karen. He’s the type to wear a fluffy bathrobe while drinking box wine on a lawn chair on the porch to look scornfully at the neighbors whenever they get too close. Not a great parent. (Loves his gaggle of goblins in his own strange way) Kinda hates everyone. Rude. VERY VERY short temper. VERY stubborn. He’s short and is going to make it everyone else’s problem. (Refuses to just... change his height himself. ‘Cause he’s some primordial creation entity. He just... doesn’t) He woke up one morning and just chose violence. takes great pride in his creations. Awful taste in music. No sense of style. Cant dance. He’s offputting and unsettling to be around because he has a very “off” feeling about him. Really really likes to get the upper hand on others. There are a f e w times when he actually acts like a decent person. Likes to put an air of regality onto him even though he’s a total train wreck. Wears three to four inch heels.

🌌 Dialga 🌌

DIALGA. I also wanted to do something different with him! So I made him a nerd. He likes to take things apart and put them back together. Especially clocks. He’s more level headed than his sisters and has a longer fuse than Palkia. But he’s also very stubborn. He’s a total workaholic and perfectionist. He doesn’t sleep much and can be a nervous wreck whenever he’s behind on whatever schedule he runs on. He gets into fights with his younger sister a LOT and will often try to use her as a lab rat. They’re sorta like Yzma and Kronk. But he’s less diabolical and Palkia’s more aggressive. Like Palkia, He also has very strong opinions on science fiction (Stuff with time travel is WAY better!) he’s also very organized if not organized chaos. He wears a heavy pair of boots that one could hear from a mile away. Think large goth boots with metal in the soles somewhere. Also a metal head. He will blast loud metal or rock music (sometimes more classic rock. Depends on the mood) as he works on whatever insane project he decided to tinker on. He has a large collection of very cursed socks. Somewhat poor eyesight. Generally easier to get along with than Palkia who’s more abrasive. He tends to think more before acting upon things. Probably runs on entirely coffee and energy drinks. B A D taste in fashion. But not worse than Palkia. Likes to read. Not very good handwriting. Tends to bump his head on doorframes. Will walk into things if lost in thought. The tallest out of his family and the oldest out of his sisters. He’s somewhat afraid of ‘Tina.

Approximate Time Taken: About 27 hours

Program Used: Procreate

[genshin-impact-updates]

Developer Insight #4: Character Stories (I) - "Vigilant Yaksha" Xiao (Part I)

Greetings, Travelers!

It's been almost five whole months since Genshin Impact went live, and the time seems to have flown by! We do hope you're all enjoying a smooth journey through Teyvat. Since the game's release, we have received a great deal of feedback and suggestions from Travelers and we've systematically recorded each one for the developers. We deeply appreciate all the time, energy, and passion everyone puts in to these suggestions.

In the midst of this, many of you have expressed an interest in learning more about how some of Genshin Impact's characters are created. As it happens, one character who has received an especially high amount of attention is Xiao, who has now entered the live game with the release of Version 1.3, "All That Glitters." So, for this issue, we've invited colleagues from the Creative Concept & Writing, Concept Art, and Animation departments to explain a bit about the thought process behind everyone's favorite Vigilant Yaksha.

1. The Vigilant Yaksha Is Born: A Character Woven From Cultural Symbolism

Hello everyone, my name is Zhongyuan from the Creative Concept & Writing department of miHoYo.

The first part of the process when designing characters for Genshin Impact is to pin down who the character is at their core. In this step, we need to establish the features that set this character apart from other characters. Besides ensuring that this character will make a strong impression on people, these features are used to evaluate what this character's position in the world of Genshin Impact will be. Characters are not just lumps of rock that we can place anywhere we want in the environment; they are autonomous individuals, each one with a complex set of past, present, and future interactions with the world of Teyvat. Their core features, then, represent their initial points of contact with the world. They are the guiding principles behind all the character's actions and how they live their life.

Xiao was one of the first Liyue characters we came up with. He began with our colleague CiCi's proposal for a young warrior character, which everyone involved in the character evaluation process approved of. The Art team envisaged him as a young man of great beauty, while colleagues in Creative Concept & Writing hoped to position him as a beautiful adeptus. Both sides were on the same page, and thus Xiao became our very first character planned with the identity of "mighty and illuminated adeptus."

Although this is somewhat tangential, I'd like to take a moment here to give a little more detail on the adepti in the Genshin Impact universe, given that so many players have expressed an interest in this topic. The adepti are based on the idea of demigod-like "immortals" (仙人 xianren) in Daoism, and are referred to by the honorific title "sanyan wuxian" (三眼五显), literally "three eyes and five manifestations" (but localized in English as "mighty and illuminated"). The adepti are classed as non-human, based on the notion that "All who have nine orifices can achieve immortality through self-discipline," a line uttered by the "Monkey King" Sun Wukong in the Ming-dynasty novel Journey to the West. This means that animals are also capable of achieving adeptus status. However, humans have a higher purpose than adepti in the world of Teyvat, so for this reason, only those of non-human status can be referred to as "adepti" in Liyue. The "three eyes" part of the adepti's title refers to the "third eye" possessed by those with the ability to manipulate elemental energy, which for humans takes the form of a Vision. For adepti such as Cloud Retainer and Mountain Shaper, the human understanding is that they must have an "inner eye" that serves the same purpose as a Vision. Xiao, however, typically appears in a human form, so he dutifully wears a Vision to comply with the expected norm.

After the character's fundamentals are established, the next step is to design their Constellation and refine their cultural background.

Outside of Genshin Impact, the term "sanyan wuxian" can be traced back to ancient Chinese texts and also appears in supernatural fiction from the Late Imperial period (c. 1368–1911 CE). In both cases, it typically describes the Daoist deity Huaguang Tianwang (华光天王, "Heavenly King of Radiant Light"), also known as Ma Lingguan (马灵官, "Numinous Official Ma"). Huaguang Tianwang is a well-known guardian deity, who appears in the Ming-dynasty novel Journey to the South, in which he has an altercation with Sun Wukong. Research into folk culture also shows there is precedent to connect deities known as Wuxian (五显, "Five manifestations" or "Five Named Xian") with a group of malevolent deities known as Wutong (五通, "Five Powers" or "Five Named Tong"), which includes the one-legged, people-eating, mountain-dwelling demons known as Shanxiao (山魈, "mountain demon").

So, at the most hidden but fundamental level of this character's core, we decided on the name Xiao (魈) and the identity of a guardian-adeptus. The name Xiao is used to hide his past, but also embodies this character at the innermost part of his soul. It is the starting point for all further character development and cultural embellishments.

Another dimension of Xiao's design was that he wields an Anemo Vision and has a fleet-footed and agile combat style that includes the unique ability to propel himself through the air. To stay true to this, we decided to design his Constellation and skills around the idea of the yaksha in Buddhism. This meant we were conflating ideas from different sources; nevertheless, the yaksha had become a well-established figure in Chinese folk legends by at least the end of the Tang dynasty (618–907 CE). The yaksha element ended up being a crucial part of Xiao's design that really helped us flesh him out in terms of his image.

The two archetypal stories of "guardian yaksha" and "numinous official's redemption" both involve a malevolent spirit on a path towards goodness, which was consistent with the general direction of Xiao's character core. Furthermore, his physical agility matched very well with another term for yaksha in Chinese, "Swift and nimble spirit" (捷疾鬼 jieji gui). Through further development of the yaksha concept, we arrived at the decision that the other fundamental aspect of Xiao's identity would be his role as a guardian yaksha in service of a monarch, or in this case, an archon.

One detail is particularly worth mentioning here. There is a well-known group of guardian yakshas in some Buddhist denominations known as the Twelve Heavenly Generals. All but one of them correspond to different animals in the Chinese zodiac, while Mekhila, who would otherwise correspond to the rooster, is instead associated with a bird deity, the golden-winged Garuda, a figure from various Indian religions. The story goes that this golden-winged bird deity was a fearsome predator who ate only evil dragons, until one day the dragon poison he had consumed became too much for him to bear, and he burned to death, leaving only a crystal heart behind. This story seemed to resonate with aspects of Xiao's character. Furthermore, the Chinese name Jinchi Peng Wang Niao (金翅鹏王鸟, "Golden Winged Great Peng") embodies a history of evolution — it represents a convergence between Garuda and the Peng, a Chinese mythological bird, showing that some adaptation occurred in the process of his adoption into Chinese religion. After much consideration, we decided to use the Golden Winged Great Peng as the basis for Xiao's Constellation. In English, Xiao's Constellation has been localized as "Alatus Nemeseos," in reference to the bird deity and Xiao's role as the nemesis of evil.

Finally, we conducted an overall review of Xiao's character profile. During this process, we noticed that Xiao's origins were very complex: Some aspects of his identity were based on folk legends while others drew on religious stories. From mountain demon, to Daoist deity, to guardian yaksha, to mythological bird, this was a uniquely rich character formed from the convergence and refashioning of many ideas in one place. More importantly, all these elements were consistent with each other at the narrative layer, creating a strong and cohesive impression of who this character is and adding clear, nuanced substance to his story. This degree of complexity gave Xiao just the depth and appeal that we were hoping for with this character: we hoped to create something entirely new through the convergence and fusion of various cultural elements, and we hope that the end result, Xiao, possesses the power, aesthetic value, and maturity to become a true cultural icon.

The next step was shaping the character's personality and behavior.

After close consultation with Concept Art colleagues, Creative Concept & Writing further fine-tuned the details of this character's content. To pick one example, we all felt that the distinctive image of a young warrior was an important one that we wanted to keep. This begged the question: if Xiao is a warrior, who or what is he waging war against? We quickly got to thinking about a war between the gods. (See section 2 of this article for how Concept Art developed the mask design based on this idea.) One of the basic rules of the Genshin Impact world is that gods cannot be completely destroyed — even if a god's physical form is destroyed, its will and power live on. The remnants and the wrath of the defeated god will remain in the world, waiting for opportunities to cause chaos. To keep Liyue safe from this threat, somebody has to go and keep them at bay.

The decision to release Xiao at Lantern Rite was to tie in with the Chinese custom of driving away evil spirits at the new year, since Xiao's role in Liyue is that of a protector in precisely this capacity.

During festivals, people offer up incense and pray to the adepti for their protection.

But they do not pray to Xiao.

For Xiao is no lucky star that promises fame and fortune — he is a demon-hunting yaksha.

After the lantern lights of Liyue have faded, the thankless battle to protect the city goes on unseen. It is an endless battle, and there can be no victor.

The Traveler's first impression of Xiao is most likely to be of a silent and brooding individual, a courageous and competent fighter, and someone who harbors great suffering. This suffering comes from within Xiao himself. One aspect is that the years of intense, never-ending battle against the remnants of defeated gods have led to him resigning himself to the fact that fighting is all he is good at. The other aspect is that the remnants have a negative effect on him, while the constant killing places a karmic burden on him, causing him mental and spiritual anguish.

This inner suffering is present in the design of his skills: when Xiao uses "Bane of All Evil," he dons his mask, which continually enhances his combat abilities but also continually drains his health. This demonstrates the great suffering he must endure as a consequence of using this power.

After the Traveler has spent some time with Xiao, perhaps they can sense that deep down, Xiao has a gentler side. Xiao is by no means a cruel and callous individual, he is simply reticent to show his emotions to others.

Xiao always keeps his distance from the hustle and bustle of human society. This is not because he doesn't care about humanity, but is due to his role as a protector. He must wage war against dark forces out of sight of humans, and endure a suffering that is incomprehensible to them. Despite this, he does not despise humanity. Humans are the foundation of his millennia-old contract with Rex Lapis, and the reason he silently fights to protect every living soul in Liyue.

The player's first offer to Xiao is to go to the Lantern Rite together to experience the atmosphere. Xiao instinctively refuses requests of this nature— not because he dislikes the idea, but out of avoidance. For Xiao, who has lived for millennia, the human world is a brilliant but fleeting flash of light; a wisp of cloud floating by; a firework on the horizon. And as the one tasked with defending this flurry of activity, he is like a caged beast circling the fire of a stove: fearful, but also full of curiosity. Having watched from a distance for so long, he would not know how to join in with the crowd even if he tried.

The lanterns rise up into the night sky, as if to shine along with the stars. Xiao watches this beautiful sight alone from a mountaintop, and just like anyone else, he senses the sentiment behind them, and he understands that the reason people craft these beautiful things is to remember those who fought alongside him in the past. As one who lived through the events of the past and remembers it all, he is, of course, able to appreciate the well-wishes that the lanterns represent. He understands kindness and gratitude, but doesn't know how to interact with ordinary people, nor does he know what his place is among all the excitement and noise. This lonely state of existence is the source of his melancholy. It has caused time to stand still, leading to him still having a very young mentality even to this day.

During the main Liyue questline, Xiao came to the Traveler's rescue in their moment of peril. In Version 1.3 "All That Glitters," we invite Travelers once again to experience a story that provides a glimpse into Xiao's seldom-shown gentle nature, as well as the trust, hidden deep within his heart, that he places in you.

2. A Young Adeptus: Detail-Based Design

Hello everyone, this is D and SS from the Genshin Impact Art team. We worked on the concept art for Xiao.

After the initial brief, we produced a first draft of Xiao's design based on the young warrior concept. As you can see, Xiao's expression in this version is far from the stern one he wears today. He has a gentler temperament and he is smiling. In this sense, he captures a more traditional notion of what a Daoist immortal (or in Genshin Impact terms, an adeptus) might look like. After more discussion with Creative Concept & Writing colleagues and taking more of his back story into account, we decided on the green version.

Xiao is an adeptus who protects Liyue, and in the course of his long battle against the remnants of defeated gods all over Liyue, he has become poisoned by their nefarious energy. Based on this background, Xiao's upper body uses white and green, which represent the adepti and correlate to his Anemo Vision. For his lower body, we used darker colors to represent the dark, malevolent power that exists inside him.

Based on these same principles, we gave him dark hair with highlights, and also created some interplay between light and dark in his attack animations. The darkness represents the destructive power of fierce battle, while the fragments and orbs of light that he gives off come from the fact that he is an adeptus.

Xiao may have the appearance of a young man, but his true age is something over two thousand years.

Fortunately, people do not tend to underestimate him on the basis of his appearance — one only needs to spend a short time with Xiao to recognize that he is not someone to be trifled with.

Xiao is a man of few words. He is highly dangerous, and has the most piercing gaze you've ever seen.

Given Xiao's true age and his identity as an adeptus, we decided to give him some jade jewelry to bring a sense of longevity and mystery. Accordingly, his legs, wrists, and shoulders feature decorative jade as well as various other objects bearing simple motifs. Meanwhile, to match his young appearance with striking good looks, we tailored his clothing (especially on the upper body) using a more modern design, displaying his vibrancy and agility.

On the one hand, Xiao is an immortal adeptus, while on the other hand, he is a young warrior. This is a great variance in image, and it posed a significant challenge for us from an art perspective. Traditionally, an immortal is imagined as a scholarly figure dressed in long, flowing robes with wide sleeves, who is fairly reserved in the movements of their hands and feet. But Xiao, as a master of the dance-like art of polearm combat and a fleet-footed yaksha, required clothing that offers both protection and freedom of movement. Furthermore, we also knew that there were strict limits on any flowing parts of his outfit due to the risk of clipping they would create after 3D modeling.

So we made Xiao's garments close-fitting and short-sleeved, put some light gauntlets on his wrists, and added some religious paraphernalia such as a censer and a vajra. Meanwhile, his streamers and the breechcloths around his waist are decorated with a cloud motif to add a sense of antiquity. In this way, we achieved a union between practicality and ethereality.

"Bane of All Evil" — the four words that sum up what Xiao has experienced over the past millennia, according to Liyue's rulers who know the truth about him.

In the design of Xiao's mask, we referenced aspects of the masks traditionally used in exorcism rituals as part of Nuo (傩) folk religion.

The main colors used in these masks are black, blue, and gold, the eyes are bright but not flamboyant, and in general the masks look solemn but also mysterious. The sinister-looking bulging eyes, fangs, and horns instill fear in the viewer. The eye in the center of the forehead represents omniscience and the flame motifs make it all the more imposing, the intent being to cause all onlookers to cower in fear.

Xiao's release coincides with the ancient festival of Lantern Rite. We would like to use this historic occasion as a chance to send our best wishes to everyone — here's to deliverance from the ills that plague the real world as well as those that face us in the world of Teyvat. To fans of Xiao reading this, we hope you feel that learning a little about the design ethos gave you the chance to better understand and connect with this character.

(Continued in Part 2)