#at least the thoughts should be sufficiently out of my brain now

[iwanttorundirectlyintothesun]

okay i need to know if anyone else has been devastated by a creature having different defining features in dungeon meshi than like childhood stories

bc i adore this series (i am showing So Much restraint not reading the manga and watching it with my family as it comes out) but the kelpie my beloved

her hooves were not backwards and its killing me (kelpies were the closest i got to being a horse girl as a kid)

the seaweed is very nice and accurate (i say this as if ive seen a kelpie (not the dog) in real life) relating to the stories where the kelpie is made of seaweed or the shifter stories where it becomes a handsome young man with an unsettling amount of seaweed or sand in his hair

and the tail is a very cool nod towards it being a sea (limnistic? is that a word? relating to rivers and lakes) creature but the defining traits are that shes got backwards hooves and shes probably sticky when you pat her

like ik itd probably be hard to animate backwards hooves but aaaaa (expression of misapplied and disproportionate injustice and disappointment)

look at how fancy they are (((right picture from ben-the-hyena here on tumblr they did a whole series of drawings of mythological horses as carousels and its so pretty))) (image on the left is described as a nykur which to my knowledge is a similar icelandic water spirit )

((also vaguely disappointed she didnt try to get the others on her back to show off her cool elongation abilities for maximum snack collection but thats not the point i was trying to focus on here))

[thesymphonytrue]

Trick or Treat 🎃

Okay here is a draft of first part of my White Coller X Sherlock fic! Lol I really like this scene and wanted to share! I hope to work more on this fic over the holidays as I’ve been working on it over a year now 😂😅

White Collar FBI Office, New York City, U.S

Peter scanned the email again, then glanced down at his CI, Neal Caffrey, in the bullpen. Neal was (or at least appeared to be) diligently working on case files, brows furrowed and leg bouncing up and down with unreleased energy.

Neal did need some excitement. The past few weeks of mortgage fraud cases that required sitting still at a desk was beginning to wear on both Neal and Peter, the former just needing to run around like a puppy and the latter needing some new scenery to keep him from dropping his head on the desk and taking a well-deserved snooze.

But was this newest request too much new scenery?

He read the email yet again:

Agent Burke,

It has come to my attention that you possess one of the best art forgers in the world and I am in need of that kind of expert (I admit my brain does not make room for artistic work other than my daily violin practice, which I feel is sufficient for my line of work).

Would you kindly meet me and my partner at 221B Baker St, London next Tuesday at 1 pm? I have a rather exciting case that I feel your team would be interested in. I have attached the case file for your viewing pleasure. Please respond promptly.

Cheers,

Sherlock Holmes

PS. This is John typing this out and while I begged Sherlock to not use the word “possessed” in regard to your Criminal Informant, he insisted that particular word be used and therefore, I apologize. We (well, I) realize that Neal Caffrey is a human being and not a tool being used by the FBI for its advantage.

PPS. Yes, I realize how passive aggressive this sounds.

PPPS. We really do need your help with this case, as much as Sherlock would hate to admit it. -John

London. Peter thought.

The last time he was in London, he was chasing Neal. To return to that city on the same side as him would be exhilarating.

But can I trust Neal in a foreign country?

Peter wanted to trust Neal, he wanted to take the road trip across the pond but—

“Hey Peter!”

Peter jerked up from the computer, closed the email, and turned to see Neal casually leaning against his office door, eyes sparkling like he knew something Peter didn’t.

“How long have you been standing there?” Peter asked, already exasperated.

“Off to London, are we?,” Neal said in an impeccable British accent.

Peter groaned, “Neal, knock before you come into my office–”

“Peter,” Neal smiled brightly and stuffed his hands into his pockets, “We’ve been working together long enough that you should know better.”

Peter humphed. Neal had a point. He begrudgingly opened the email and let Neal read it.

“So have you worked with Holmes before?” Neal asked, still bent over Peter’s desk, invading Peter’s personal space.

“No,” Peter said flatly, “And I don’t care to. He seems cartoonish to me. Not real.”

Neal raised an eyebrow, “You do realize you told me I looked like a cartoon on our first day working together?”

“And that hasn’t changed!” Peter said, a humorous smile tickling his lips, “If I hadn’t met you outside that bank, I would have thought you weren’t real either with all the crime you’ve accomplished in such a short amount of time.”

Peter meant this as an insult, but Neal, of course, smiled proudly and batted his eyelashes.

“Peter, you flatter me!”

Peter waved him off and returned to the email.

“What do you think of the postscript?”

“Oh John Watson? The writer scrambling to make Sherlock Holmes appear more human? He’s his blogger. And er…partner?”

“Blogger?” Peter’s brows furrowed in confusion. “Partner? As in partner?”

“God, Peter, I don’t know their personal relationship!” Neal’s eyes lit up, “You know a lot of people would think that we are partners…”

“Shut it, Neal!” Peter flushed, cheeks warming, “But on a serious note, what is a blogger and why does a detective like Sherlock Holmes need one?”

Neal sighed, it was a sigh of a younger generation trying to explain something to an older one.

“Watson writes about Sherlock’s cases. It’s quite interesting. I’m not into murder mysteries, so I don’t read them often, but sometimes they deal with high priced art and antiquities and they are quite the dynamic duo,” Neal looked Peter up and down as if examining him, “Perhaps as well matched as you and me.”

Peter met Neal’s eyes, “No one is better matched than you and me.”

For a moment, the mask that Neal wore dropped and Peter could see all the way into his thumping heart. Peter’s heart softened at Neal’s vulnerability, the way he lapped up Peter’s compliment, drank it into his soul, and now it shone through his blue eyes staring at Peter in disbelief.

Peter chuckled softly and gave Neal a pat on the shoulder.

“Well,” he said quietly, “It’s true.”

[tossawary]

Hey! You've mentioned female!SQH in passing a while ago and that concept has been living rent-free in my brain ever since. I'd love to read your thoughts on it if you have more/are interested in sharing. Hope you're having a nice trip! :)

Thank you! I don't have many concrete thoughts on Fem!SQH (or Fem!MBJ or F/F!Moshang for that matter) besides the fact that I would try my best to make it a hot fucking mess. I would probably write it as a cracky one shot and I would want Fem!SQH to cause constant secondhand embarrassment on multiple levels. Not that Airplane Bro as Fem!SQH would be especially oblivious, no, she knows what she's doing and it's hugging thighs, committing crimes, and making other sect leaders walk out of conferences asking themselves if women should really be allowed to cultivate.

I'm exaggerating a little, but also not really. Airplane Bro is wily and genre-savvy and an apathetic bastard, at the same time that he's a clingy idiot who needs to pay more attention to what he's saying, and I resent assumptions that a female character is automatically the one "carrying the braincell". I would want to write something outrageously funny in which Airplane Bro transmigrating into Fem!SQH causes some chaos and gives MBJ even more issues than MBJ already had.

(I'm talking about a Male Airplane Bro transmigrating into a Fem!SQH here because I think a Female Airplane Bro transmigrating into a Fem!SQH sounds a little too OC for me to write that, though a woman writing an incredibly successful stallion novel like PIDW is very fun to think about. Even Airplane Bro growing up as Fem!SQH would inherently shift his character at least slightly, but that would be a firmer base for me to start on and I'm growing more comfortable with the idea. There's lots of room to explore Airplane Bro's relationship to gender and women by having him transmigrate into a female character in his stallion novel world.)

As for the idea of a Fem!SQH in PIDW... the details all depend on what kind of story you want to write. Only changing SQH's gender inherently has very different vibes to doing a full genderbend on the entire cast of PIDW/SVSSS. In a full cast genderbend, I personally don't really see the plot beats of the original SQH changing much. In a SQH-only genderbend, things could stay the same still, but if you wanted to switch it up, I suppose that in PIDW, the premise could instead have been an ambitious Fem!SQH trying to (maybe successfully?) blackmail MBJ into marrying her, but also resenting the necessity of having to marry for power, especially to a demon, and so hating MBJ's guts. Which would be mutual.

Lots of potential themes for a Fem!SQH's storyline in PIDW about how power can be given and taken away, the pros and cons of the legal situation of marriage, the intersection of sex/gender and class, and all sorts of interesting things.

Okay, now that I'm thinking about it, I kind of like the concept of PIDW Fem!SQH blackmailing MBJ into marrying her or something and then PIDW MBJ later on murdering his own wife. That seems sufficiently dark for PIDW. It would also be a stark contrast for PIDW MBJ to be a murderous widower when Luo Bing-Ge has so many wives. Putting Airplane Bro into that particular Fem!SQH situation for the SVSSS version of those events has strong Bluebeard fairy tale vibes. But that's also probably a slightly more serious story than the cracky vibe I was originally envisioning.

Mmm, I don't have any specific thoughts besides that at the moment. It's all fun to think about, though. ❤

[heraadora]

You're the epitome of a bitter lesbian LMAO. Let me guess, male figure in your life hurt you and now anything male adjacent makes you repulsed? Trauma reeks out of your posts and trying to make heterosexual women detach from men because of YOUR personal issues is so funny. It really does read as a 16 year old girl who never truly grew out of that black-white mentality. Seeing a whole rant about how PIV sex is "evil actually" and "needs lube" when sufficient foreplay and a gentle hand is all that's needed as the fluids that come out with arousal is PLENTY. You disconnect the inherent emotional weight sex comes with.

There's a reason why women and men who get raped have a stronger psychological reaction than if they were beat. Sex comes with a million barriers that directly wire to your brain that drastically alters when it's taken without consent. You can easily delve into research that doesn't abide by your inherent biases by saying "it hurts!" When it easily can NOT hurt. Or adjust with, again, the gentle hands of a partner.

Let me guess, you advocate for women and men to whore themselves out with no clear direction? Having meaningless one night stands that leave them devoid and hungry for more, an ACTUAL relationship? Humans are social creatures. Much of the real pleasure is found in that connection, and sex is like a physical manifestation of a love between two; callously removing that makes you no better than a wild hedonistic dog with no grasp of conscience. Mindless pleasure that just brings a brief, superficial boost in dopamine that subsides in an instant when you're just using "a self warming toy" 💀

(Also, telling women not to have PIV sex while suggesting toys that serve to directly mimic PIV sex is genuinely so fucking stupid and defeats the entire purpose??? were you ACTUALLY thinking a thought or was past trauma that you can't glam up for Tumblr hitting your face again sweaty?)

Statistically, 75% Woman experience pain in PIV:

And I am not at all triggered. Foreplay and natural bodily fluids still won't help with the fact that PIV will start to hurt right after the threshold of 5 minutes in and you will need additional lube to take care of that or else you will end in serious Vaginal wall injury.

If you penetrate with mere bodily fluid it will start to hurt while inserting as you will be able to feel the rough skin texture and inside of Vaginal wall is sensitive and can cause irritation. Depending on your hymen size it will hurt from a little bit to downright bleeding and excruciating kind of pain. If you have a naturally big opening at birth it might slip easily or else you will have to do manual exercise for at least a couple months before actually pursuing it.

Also, You are the one writing coke rant on my month old Tumblr Post where I am showing people the reality of PIV Sex. If anyone is showing signs of clear trauma it's frankly you. And I am not traumatized by any man. I never fucked them. I am a Lesbian. I just know about how sex actually works and the people I fuck manage to get me off without making my vagina Bleed out in a insufferable level of pain in order to jerk their pee pee inside my hole and treat me as a broodmare rag doll.

Maybe you are a trad wife straight woman with insurmountable and parasitic level of attachment to the phallaus even though you never knew how it feels to have your mind going high at the moment of your 20th orgasm and that makes you bitter at lesbians who simply tell you to grow a spine and try alternatives like rose toys and vibrators. In that case you should get over your personal past trauma of being called a cock sucker whore for being such a ardent defender of PIV by some random terf tumblr account so that you can make peace with the fact that majority of woman and their body isn't accommodated enough to deal with PIV sex and there are plenty of sexual activities that are objectively much more erotically and physically pleasurable than PIV, and much more safer, healthier, better, and things that actually make you come, if you are a Female.

Either this or the last portion of your writing sort of gives off this weird impression that you are a straight man. So in case you are a straight man, umm..... your ex gf or gf or wife or whatever woman that bothered sleeping with you- lied about loving it and having a orgasm. She probably just wanted to be nice. You probably saw her releasing body fluids and then basically thought that is the marker of orgasm. When that's not even how orgasm works. The physical marker of orgasm is something only the woman who experienced it can tell. Majority of straight woman don't even know how a orgasm is supposed to feel because they never experienced it in the first place. You seriously think you made her climax? Really? LOL.

And about that sex toys comment,,,,,, I think you should know how sex toys actually look like. Since you are illiterate and that's probably because you are a man , here are a couple pictures of female accommodated sex toys. They range from vibrators to rose toys to Vagina Shaped Flesh Light for the purpose of Vaginal Scissoring and sensation of oral sex.

Anyways, It was a very sudden message. Putting radtwt tags on my post so that Our Radfem Ladies, Lesbian Girls, Femmes, Dykes and Knight in Armor and Prince Charming Butches can read it and have a good laugh out of it.

[wssvshittymlpcomiclmao]

Humble Slice of Death Pie (Valenshy POV)- short story #1

The loud whirring of her laptop caused her eyes to flutter open.

what time was it?

She didn't even remember going to bed.

Valenshy opened her eyes to see her game still running, barely at least. The time? 1.15am. Better than last time, she figured. She felt almost pinned under her laptop, it wasn't that heavy, it realistically should just slide off of her. But she couldn't move it, or rather, she couldn't bring herself to move it. The game was still on, the computer still whirred, and yet, all those alarm bells were just lulling her back to sleep.

Whirring of the fans means it's hot, right? She thought as her eyes began to close. Right, having a device suffocated by the sheets wasn't a good idea. That could cause a fire, right? A fire that could ignite said sheets, right? A fire that could then burn through her, right? Through her skin, through her flesh, right? A fire that could burn down the house, right?

Would today be the day she died? Would she really be okay with that?...

No seriously, girl, would you really be okay with that? Seriously? For the love of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, are you really that selfish? HOLY FUCK!! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU BITCH?? I MEAN SERIOUSLY?? THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE WHO LOVE YOU!! WHO CARE ABOUT YOU, BUT NOOOOO, LITTLE BITCH BOY VALENSHY GOT ART BLOCK AND SHE'S GONNA THROW HER SORRY LITTLE LIFE DOWN THE DRAIN. WELL GUESS WHAT, YOU PINK FUCK, THERE ARE PONIES OUT THERE WHO WOULD KILL TO HAVE THE MISERABLE LIFE THAT YOU HAVE, SO QUIT BEING SO FUCKING SELFISH AND MOVE YOUR DAMN LAPTOP.

Valenshy's eyes opened wide. She shut down her laptop and mustered the last of her energy to float the laptop over to her shelves on the other side of the room, vents up, so that it could sufficiently cool down.

No death for me today, she thought, or night rather.

She laid her head on her pillow properly, and yet sleep wouldn't take her. Her breath was too heavy, her eyelids not heavy enough. She felt a pricking sensation in her eyes, which turned into a choking feeling in her throat, which eventually lead to tears streaming down her face. Not even down her cheeks, like in the pretty movie kinda way, just into her mouth and onto her pillow. Her head became thick with sinuses. Why was she crying? Over what?

Like seriously, over what? Seriously, what the fuck girl, grow up, can't handle a couple of mean thoughts? Seriously? Oh! Boohoo!! My brain is being mean to me! Oh shut up!! Maybe you were right in wanting to die, lazy freak. Do us all a favour and KILL YOUSEL-

Before she knew it, she was being hit over the head with a pillow.

"Valieeeee," Comet Tail groaned, her voice muffled due to the pillow between her teeth.

Valenshy's alarm was going off, seemed like it was doing so for the past few minutes.

"You have work today right?" Comet Tail asked, slobbery pillow now on the floor, "Is Masquerade picking you up?" Valenshy was about to asked why, but Comet Tail was a few steps ahead of her, "I wanna go to the mall."

Valenshy just stared at Comet Tail, or rather, past her, right as that upside down laptop, hoping, praying, it would suddenly burst into flames.

OOC: SOOOOOO, HOW WAS IT?? :3 (if there's grammar errors, shhhhhh no there's not! /j)

It's actually super fun to write, i've been meaning to get back into it, but usually it just feels like too much pressure, so doing small stories like this is really cathartic!! If you have any other characters you would love to hear the pov of, imk!!

[crossdressingdeath]

Lord Enver Gortash: You and I initiated this plot. We discussed in depth the failures of our predecessors and how to avoid them. Lord Enver Gortash: We understood that if we were to unite, no one could stand in the way of the Dead Three. Lord Enver Gortash: So unite we did. First we obtained the crown; then we enslaved the brain. From there, it was but a small step to the most successful religious hoax ever perpetrated. Kyvir: What was my role in this plan? Lord Enver Gortash: In Bhaal's name, you set your bloody daggers to cause panic in the streets, killing in the Absolute's name. Lord Enver Gortash: You would have carried out that part of the plan, at least, had Orin not ruined your hard work. Lord Enver Gortash: Next, the threat of the Absolute's monstrous armies formed by Myrkul's general, Ketheric Thorm. Lord Enver Gortash: In such circumstances, people crave strong leaders. Leaders that bring law, order, and protection. Leaders like me, Bane's unyielding hand, author of justice. Lord Enver Gortash: You are soon to witness the people of Baldur's Gate granting me complete power over them. All out of fear of the Absolute. Lord Enver Gortash: The faithful will do anything in the name of their god.

Once again: we are having this conversation in front of all the most powerful nobles in Baldur's Gate. Gortash, I really think this discussion should be had in your office? Later? Maybe over tea? Not in front of everyone who's anyone in the city? Maybe don't blurt out the whole plan right here and now? I'm sure this'll be fine. I would've liked it if he'd put literally any thought into keeping his Top Secret Evil Villain Plan a secret, but I'll just work on the assumption he was so excited to tell Durge all about how clever the two of them were he couldn't wait.

That aside! I honestly didn't expect Durge to have been one of the architects of the whole plan. I knew they were Gortash's favourite assassin and held a position of sufficient respect and authority that they were free to do whatever they wanted around Moonrise, but I didn't think they were seriously involved in the planning phase; I figured that Gortash kind of just... pointed them at people as his assassin. Also, very curious how the two of them started working together. I figured Gortash planned the whole thing out and then went to ally with them once he realized he'd need them, but if they were part of the whole thing from the start that clearly isn't what happened. Did Bhaal and Bane point them at each other to get things started, did they just happen to run into each other for reasons other than divine intervention, did one of them learn of the other's presence in the city and seek them out? I have questions about this partnership! Also about General Ketheric "Third Wheel" Thorm; it seems like he wasn't there at the start, but no word as of yet on when exactly they brought him into the group.

I also love the Chosen of Bane talking to the former Chosen of Bhaal, his former partner in this little scheme to take over the world in the name of the Dead Three, about how the faithful will do anything in the name of their god. Especially with the irony of Gortash not knowing about what Durge's original plan actually was. Like... yeah, if anyone knows how far someone will go for their god it's these two!

[fizzyfizu]

Accursed in the Lake’s Depths

Chapter 2.1 : The Taste of Freedom

Harry J. Potter / reader

MASTERLIST : The Archives.. ⊲ previous ༄.˚₊ 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟 ₊˚.༄ next ⊳

      It was sweet: freedom.  You were finally free.  Conscious from the moment Bagman was busy hyping up the audience, you were free.  Potter was it? Was that your saviour's name?  Well, at least that's what the gruff voice owned by Potter’s professor told you.  It doesn't take much to visualise what he looked like though, not when you could hear the voices of students constantly murmuring about a person who defeated Voldemort as a mere baby…and the occasional voice gushing over his looks; their shrill voice still haunts you to this day, you can feel your ears ring at the thought of it.  

     You heard of only two Potters during your time in the lake, but you guessed this one to be Harry Potter–the boy who lived, youngest seeker in a century, the boy who speaks parseltongue, the boy who saved a 1st year girl while in his 2nd year, the boy who passed out due to a dementor, among other things.  If you were to list all the things you've heard about the boy you'd be talking for 40 minutes minimum.  But now, you know him as the boy who freed you from your temporary prison. 

      As much as Professor Dumbledore reasoned to Dippet that they should keep you here for the safety of your well being instead of as a punishment, they could not deny how this was nothing short of a prison.  But between the choice of being sent to Azkaban and being branded as a 14 year old criminal, and being temporarily held prisoner in the Black Lake, this might’ve been the better option...just by a bit (if you squint). 

      You knew fully well that you had regained control over your body ever since Harry had pulled your body out of the water, but for some reason your brain told you that playing dead was the way to go.  To be frank, you could feel the obvious feeling of sorry for the boy as he carried you around princess style (also known as bridal style*). 

      It wasn't clear if he was struggling to carry you but regardless if he struggled or not you still felt bad.  He is sufficient in magic, you know that, but for some reason he doesn't think to use it–or maybe he didn't feel like it.  Whatever the case is, you don't know.

     You wanted, no, needed to move.  Needed to stretch your muscles, to move again, to recall how to walk again, to wave your wand like you used to, to run around freely.  For once you missed your lessons.  You were shy, and if you started an act, you struggled to stop playing the part.  But right now?  All you yearned for right now was to feel the feeling of movement once again. 

      And so you shoved that part of you, the part of you who couldn't break an act, away for now, and opened your eyes wide.  This..Wow; the sky was so blue and vibrant..after all those years being stuck there in the Black Lake, you started to forget the common sights you used to take for granted.  Opening your eyes has never felt so good.  

      You shifted your eyes to stare at the boy who is currently carrying you, your eyes were also no longer wide open, instead they were relaxed.  You don't think he noticed how you were now awake; his eyes looked unfocused, he's probably just in deep thought. 

      Your arms were crossed and laid neatly on your stomach, your legs dangled freely; to catch his attention, you reached your hand out to poke his neck–no one likes being poked in the neck right?  Regardless of your reasonings it worked as he jumped a bit at the feeling and whipped his head in your direction.

A/N: Finally able to write 2nd POV for reader, also is the spacing weird? During the editing phase I split my paragraphs into two, but I dont know if it looks better or worse, thoughts?

[madamemachikonew]

Tuesday - Baizhu x reader (3k, romantic fluff, Baizhu's birthday)

A bit of birthday fluff for my favourite dendro man.

An excerpt from my Baizhu x fem reader fic, A Flower Without A Seed. I wrote this a while ago and had called the chapter 'Tuesday' to avoid having to commit to guessing an actual birth date, but coincidentally it did fall on a Tuesday this year.

The fic is fem reader, but there are no pronouns used in this chapter, so anyone can enjoy it (which is why I've used gn reader in the tags). Also, while this chapter is fluffy, the main fic contains some smutty chapters, so proceed with caution if clicking the link through to the main fic.

Enjoy.

---

Having surprised you with the sudden revelation of his birthday, you wracked your brain for ideas about how best to celebrate it at such short notice. You only had a few more days in which to come up with something. Should you take him out for a date in Liyue Harbour? If so, a fancy meal and some opera, or would he prefer something simpler and more relaxed like a meal at a storytelling restaurant in Chihu Rock. Or maybe he just wanted a cosy night in? What about inviting other people? While Qiqi and Gui would probably like to be part of it, what if Baizhu preferred something just the two of you?

You laid your head on Baizhu’s chest as he sat in bed reading a book. He held his book in one hand while his other arm was wrapped around you, holding you close. You took a break from your own book, folding it closed around your finger to hold the page.

“Darling?” you began.

“Hmm?” He looked up from his reading.

“Anything in particular you’d like to do for your birthday?”

“Ohh, you don’t have to go to any trouble on my account, little finch.” he replied.

“I know I don’t have to. But I want you have a special day.”

“Every day with you is special, my love.” He smiled and kissed your head lightly. You could see right through his ruse; he was trying to charm you into abandoning the idea or not make a fuss over him. And yet from Baizhu’s perspective, he meant every word.

“But Baizhu~” you whined, frustratedly. You felt his warm chest vibrate against your cheek as he laughed.

“But I mean it. Just having you with me will be quite sufficient.” He gave you a squeeze. You sighed with exasperation.

“Alright.” You said dejectedly. “Well at least tell me this much; is there anything that you don’t want.”

“Ah, now that’s very easy. No parties. Especially not surprise ones. Pure anathema.” he said, resolutely.

“Got it. And can I tell Gui and Qiqi your birthday?”

He cocked his head in thought. “Hmmm, alright then.” Baizhu yawned. “Shall we call it a night, my dear?”

“Yes, I think so.” you agreed. You put your book away on the nightstand, marking the page with a bookmark. Baizhu blew the lantern out. He held your face, then laid a sensual kiss on your lips. Slipping his tongue into your mouth, he took his time to properly indulge his senses. He released your lips and, stroking your cheek with the pad of his thumb, he gazed at you with a tender smile.

“Goodnight, my love.” he said softly. “See you in the morning.”

He waited expectantly for you to roll over, so that he could spoon you as he did most nights you spent the night together.

“Actually,” you said, “can I be the big spoon tonight?”

Baizhu laughed gently. “I would like that very much.” With a contented smile, he rolled over with his back to you. You snuggled close, wrapping your arm around him, with your face nestled in his abundant, fragrant hair. You sighed happily and gave him an affectionate squeeze, then closed your eyes to sleep.

---

When the day itself came, you greeted Baizhu with a gentle kiss when he woke.

“Happy Birthday, my love.” you whispered. Baizhu smiled, his eyes fluttering dreamily.

“Thank you, my little finch. Waking up to you certainly does make it a happy one.”

You presented Baizhu with his gift. You had bought a pair of intricately carved antique brushpots. They were made from tortoiseshell, the tortoise being a symbol of longevity. You knew how fond Baizhu was of doing calligraphy so figured they would make a fine addition to his stationery implements.

Baizhu sat up in bed and unwrapped the gift. He gracefully pulled them from the box with slender fingers.

“Oh my love, these are exquisite!” Baizhu was genuinely impressed and looked at each one closely, turning them in his hands to inspect the detail of the fine craftsmanship. “Thank you so very much. I shall use them right away.” He leaned across the bed, reaching to you and pulling you to him for a kiss.

You both got up and got ready for the day. You left Baizhu to finish his preparations and headed into the kitchen. When Baizhu found you, Qiqi and Gui were sitting at the kitchen table for the occasion. Gui leapt from his seat reverently and bowed deeply to Baizhu.

“Many happy returns Xiansheng!”

Baizhu chuckled, “Thank you, you’re most kind.”

Qiqi monotonously said “Happy birthday Baizhu.”

Then she presented him with a handmade card that you had helped her make. He took it carefully from her and seemed genuinely touched.

“Why thank you, my dear Qiqi. What a precious sentiment. I shall treasure it.”

He gave her gentle hug and a light kiss on the head. Then he put the card on display in full view on the kitchen dresser.

“Ok, breakfast is ready!” you called, setting down a portion of pancakes and fresh fruit at each place.

You had researched recipes and found one from Mondstadt which looked perfect for the occasion. Baizhu looked slightly abashed at all the fuss, but nevertheless quietly enjoyed himself in the midst of the happy chaos of his quasi-family.

---

Gui cautiously knocked on the door of Baizhu’s study and entered when he was called. He gently closed the door behind him and stood before Baizhu’s desk.

“Gui!” He said cheerfully, “Is everything alright?”

Gui took a deep breath. “Xiansheng! May I humbly offer you my wishes for your longevity on this auspicious day!” He bowed formally and held his arms out stiffly, presenting a small package, wrapped in tissue paper decorated with turtles. “May you live as long as Mount Aocang and may the adepti protect you!”

Baizhu went wide-eyed and tentatively accepted the package and set it down on his desk. He carefully unwrapped it and his mouth fell open in surprise when he saw the book. He let out a soft gasp involuntarily. It was a rare first edition of a medical treatise that Baizhu had tried on many occasions to track down, unsuccessfully.

Shaking his head, Baizhu whispered, “Gui…I can’t accept such generosity. This is too much.” He was genuinely moved.

Gui shook his head firmly. “Think of it as the equivalent of what I would have spent on all the birthdays since I’ve known you.”

Baizhu looked troubled and almost embarrassed. Unlike Baizhu, Gui was not wealthy, though he received a proper wage for his work. The gift would have been expensive. Baizhu made a mental note to give Gui a larger bonus for his Lantern Rite and birthday gifts; he resolved to repay the cost in a way that would not seem obvious or injure Gui’s pride.

Baizhu stood up and bowed deeply to Gui.

“Gui, thank you, from the bottom of my heart. It means so very much. I promise to cherish it always.”

“Xiansheng…” Gui was almost embarrassed at the sight of his mentor bowing so formally to him.

Baizhu sat back down and picked up the book to admire it. He gestured for Gui to sit.

“You know, I recently just missed a copy of this at the Wanwen Bookstore.”

Gui smiled mischievously and scratched his head bashfully.

“Ahhh, yes, that would have been me. I had been planning on giving it to you to commemorate the anniversary of me starting my apprenticeship under you, but I thought this would be a nice occasion instead.”

“Gui! You don’t need to give me anything for that! It has been a pleasure working with you all of these years. I can rest easy knowing that the pharmacy will be in good hands in the future. That’s the best gift I could possibly wish for.”

“Don’t say that as though you’re planning to retire soon!”

Baizhu smiled and shook his head.

“Not if I can help it. But it would be irresponsible to not plan ahead, don’t you think?”

The bell rang at the front counter. Gui bowed to excuse himself and left to attend to the customer. Baizhu sat, enthralled, looking at the book. He smiled softly as he reflected on the fact that Gui had used a birthday formulation for an elderly person. It was a subtle act of kindness and respect, for though while Baizhu was not old, they both knew he was closer to the end of his life than most. It was strange and bizarre to Baizhu’s ears to hear someone else call his birthday auspicious; the day had ultimately led to a path of tragedy after all. But without such misfortune, perhaps he never would have found himself surrounded by wonderful people.

---

You had decided to treat Baizhu to a romantic meal at the Liuli Pavilion, as a throwback to your first proper date together. While the waiting list was normally very long, it seemed that Baizhu’s name was enough to move your booking to the top of the list. Both of you dressed up for the occasion in formal Liyue style outfits. However, no sooner had the first course arrived when the manager of the restaurant approached the table, a grave look on his face.

“Doctor Baizhu, I must apologise for disturbing your meal but…”

As the manager bowed and talked discreetly into Baizhu’s ear you knew what was coming and your heart sank. Baizhu dabbed the corners of his mouth delicately with his napkin as he listened and nodded. As he got up from his chair he gave you an apologetic look.

“I’m so very sorry my love.”

You shook your head and forced yourself to smile for him. He pressed his hand to your head to comfort you as he passed your seat and went to fetch his overcoat.

As Baizhu prepared to leave, you called the manager over and asked him to box the meal to take away. He nodded compliantly. You gathered your things and made your way to the exit. The manager returned, laden with boxes in a paper bag. You accepted them and paid the bill. The manager then draped your long overcoat over your shoulders. When you got outside, Baizhu was already deep in a conversation with a frantic woman. It hit you that your inconvenience was very trivial compared to whatever emergency was going on in her life, not to mention the patient. Herbalist Gui stood aside, holding Baizhu’s kit bag, having sprinted from the pharmacy to fetch him here. You took it from him.

“It’s alright, I’ll carry it.”

You smiled. Gui looked at you, his face a frame of pity.

“You had such a lovely evening planned.” he said sympathetically.

He gently squeezed your upper arm to comfort you. You shook your head and bit your lip, forcing a smile. For some reason, hearing someone else be sad on your account made you want to cry.

“It’s alright, we can do it another day.” you said.

Baizhu turned to you, ready to leave, and observed the kit bag in your hand.

“Oh, you’re coming too?” he asked with surprise.

“Yes!”

“Oh! Alright then, if you’re sure. It won’t be much fun for you though. There won’t be anything for you to do except wait around.”

“That’s alright.”

“Very well.”

To save time, Baizhu hailed a rickshaw. The woman gave the address and directions to the driver and followed in a second one. The two of you sat silently, squeezed together. You held the bag of food and Baizhu had his kit bag on his knee. He opened his mouth as if he was about to say something, but then didn’t speak. Instead, he put his hand on your knee and gave it a gentle squeeze. You put your hand on his and interlaced your fingers with his own.

The rickshaw arrived at a small house in the outskirts of town outside Chihu Rock and the two of you got out. Baizhu gave you his mora pouch to pay the driver and hurried into the house, where another member of the family was already waiting with the door open. After you had paid the driver, you went inside and heard the chaos. Someone was very obviously in pain. The head of the family had been out hunting and had been gored by a wild boar, leaving a serious wound that needed patching up urgently. One of the other family members led you through to wait in the kitchen and made you some tea. It was an awkward moment; you didn’t know what you could say to reassure them. After all, you weren’t the doctor. All you could say with sincerity was “He’s in the best possible hands. I know Baizhu will do everything he can.”

Baizhu eventually emerged into the kitchen, his sleeves rolled up and his hands covered in blood. He washed them at the sink and one of the family ran to hold a towel ceremoniously for him to use. He wiped his hands methodically and then accepted the cup of hot tea that was offered to him. He took a tentative sip before sitting down at the kitchen table opposite you. He smiled and reached his hand across the table to grasp yours. His pale skin was now spotless. It never failed to blow your mind how these lithe and gentle fingers had the power to manipulate life and death.

“How did it go?” you asked.

“All stitched up now, thankfully. But he lost a lot of blood. He should pull through though.”

“That’s a relief.”

Baizhu nodded. The woman who had found him at the restaurant tentatively hovered with a mora pouch in her hands.

“Doctor, how much do we…?”

Baizhu waived his hand dismissively. “Gui will deal with that in the morning when you collect the prescription. Everybody should get some rest for now. And besides, we need to be heading home.”

“Oh, of course. I’m very sorry we disturbed your evening.”

“There’s no extra charge if that’s what you mean.”

“Well, not just that. It’s just that it seemed like a special occasion.”

Baizhu smiled and shook his head.

“Please don’t worry. Every day with my sweetheart is special.”

You blushed at his words and he gave your hand a gentle squeeze. Normally he was very private about his personal life, yet tonight he was unashamedly flaunting you as his.

“Now, we really should be going.” He stood up to leave and they fetched his coat and kit bag.

The two of you left the house and started to walk back towards Chihu Rock. As you walked, hand in hand, you saw all the stars out. It was a clear night and the moon was up. The perfect night for stargazing.

“What an absolute disaster!” you sighed, half laughing. Baizhu playfully swung your clasped hands back and forth as you walked.

“It wasn’t all bad, my love. At least the fee covered the cost of the meal.”

“Speaking of which, I expect it’s gone cold by now.”

As you walked, Baizhu tugged your hand to pull you off the main path towards a small elevated patch of grass overlooking the harbour. The giant moon was reflected on the waves below. Baizhu set down his bag and laid his coat on the grass. He sat down, cross-legged, and patted the spot next to him for you to sit. Then he opened the bag of food and started pulling out the containers, inspecting the contents. You smiled and felt warm inside at his considerate attempt to rescue the evening. The two of you ate the food together, enjoying the view of the Harbour below and laughing between you.

When you had finished eating, Baizhu lay back on the grass. He drew you to him so that your head was resting on his chest, looking up at the stars.

“Do you know anything about astronomy?” he asked.

“Only the basics. Enough to get me home if I get lost.”

“That’s already an impressive amount.” He elegantly pointed at the sky with one hand, caressing your head with the other. You felt his warm chest gently rise and fall under your head.

“See that arrangement there? That’s your constellation. And that one there…that’s my star. The one I was born under.”

He singled out a dim twinkling star. It was not as bright as the others, but it shone with all its might.

“It’s beautiful.” You whispered, trying to memorise its location in the sky.

“It’s funny, Gui called my day auspicious this morning. But truth be told I was born under a very unfortunate configuration. It grants success but always at a terrible price. That said, life is full of surprises. Things have a tendency of working out.”

You both silently admired the heavens for a while until Baizhu said with a sigh, “Well, I suppose we ought to get back, or Gui will come looking for us. And as nostalgic as that would be, I’d prefer to save him the trouble.”

He stood up and shook the grass off his coat before putting it on. He fastened the buttons on your coat and fixed your collar. Then he held you by your upper arms and said sympathetically,

“I’m sorry things didn’t go the way you planned tonight, my love. I know you’d been so looking forward to it.”

You shook your head and smiled. “It’s alright, it wasn’t your fault. I just wanted the day to be perfect for you.”

“But it was perfect, my little finch. I had a very happy birthday indeed.”

“You did?”

“I did. I got to spend it with you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

“I had a happy birthday today too.”

“You? How so?”

You wrapped your arms around him and held him tightly, clinging to him so that your fingers almost dug into him.

“I’m happy that you were born. I’m happy that you’re alive.” You whispered. He smiled.

“I’m happy to be here, my love.” He said softly, caressing your head.

[aita-blorbos]

(oc thing)

AITA for abandoning my world for 103 years?

Ok I know this sounds bad but let me explain.

I (NB, don't really have an age) am the creator of two worlds but only one is important to this story. The one that isn't relevant is more like a world-sized computer, but the relevant one is just your average world with life and stuff, and was the first one I made.

Before you mention it, I know there are guides and templates for life created by the God community. I know the best way to make stable life is to put a simple organism on the world and let it evolve to fit the environment. I know. Believe me, I know. But I certainly didn't know or care back when I made this world because I wanted to make everything from scratch. That was foolish of me. I know. I should have at least read a guide or something.

All this to say I made a bit of a mistake with my initial thought algorithm. Because thoughts work quite fast and I wanted to see everything so I could troubleshoot, I introduced an intentional "throttle" into the algorithm; it would wait for me to acknowledge the thought before it progressed. It's all fun and games until you forget to remove that throttle and create countless creatures all using that flawed algorithm. Yeah.

I didn't want to wipe everything out and start over because that seemed needlessly cruel. Applying patches to anything, especially something like brains, live is a difficult and risky process for the person with the brain. So I just kinda set up a "server room" of power that would just auto-acknowledge anything coming through. That was a temporary solution.

I spent a good couple centuries working out a method to patch the throttle out of my beings. The expansion of life was beginning to overwhelm my temporary measure. I was tired. So tired. I finished it and found blissful silence awaiting me. Wonderful.

In fact I was so tired I wanted to take a bit of a break. I'd also use the time I would be out to test and workshop a self-sufficient, hands-free (for me at least) way to keep my world safe from any existential threats. They're not common, but it's always a good thing to look out for.

So I decided that I would randomly give out my power to people, disappear completely (except for a couple recording devices that were hidden ofc), and come back in a year and see how things went. Then I'd adjust things accordingly. Simple right? What could possibly go wrong?

I think you probably get what happened, but I'll explain it anyways. I essentially had NO IDEA the flow of time was usually different between universes. I didn't know I was supposed to chrono-lock my universe and the universe I was in together to preserve the flow of time between them. And I just so happened to take my year-long vacation to a universe that was REALLY slow compared to mine.

So I come back, 103 years later. There was a war, and this lady somehow consolidated everyone's power and is now acting as the goddess of my world (which I'm honestly fine with, I was never one to take an active role in my world). There's a cult worshiping me, using the hijacked power of one of my observation devices to shield themselves from the lady who made herself the goddess and doing terrible things in my name. Things kinda sucked.

And I'm sort of thinking things would be a lot better if I didn't accidentally spend 103 years of my world's time on vacation. So, AITA?

[yomiurinikei]

rei mekaru (shocker i know)

we r ginger liker solidarity.... yuuki/yuki likers and rei likers need to come together and be allied...

~*~

My identity hc for them

oh shit tumblr is auto formatting in bullet points thats fun. uhhh w/rei i pretty much like any combination of ace/aro spec + lesbian. 100% lesbian rei? aro lesbian rei? aroace rei? all epic all amazing. i started hc'ing this back in like.. vv early sdra days. and i think its just part of who i am now... i think she doesnt really experience much attraction in general and has a bit of a hard time labeling how she feels because. of her general emotional trauma. so tbh i can see her kinda rotating through labels? i think she keeps it very to her self tho. she doesn't like people assuming she's cishet but she also doesn't want to come out as straightn't, so she just snaps at people who try and drag her into convos about identity.

similarly i think she struggles with really.. going "wow this is so me this is exactly what i am" when it comes to gender identity. i think she's very.. "well im Definitely not a guy, and i dont think im anything else, so..." ie, she's more prone to defining herself by what she isn't than what she is. which is perfectly okay!!! i don't think she'd consider herself trans, but she may occasionally like the label genderqueer. (yes i know that trans people r anyone who's gender deviates from what they were told they should be, but while it is an umbrella term, people can decide if they like it for themselves a lot! and i don't think rei would really like any label other than "idk man its weird", which she likes to use on/off) again tho i dont think she's very into sharing that with people, at least as a teen.

Thoughts on their home life/family

im so curious what her time was like when she was all alone??? i think that's something thats fairly unexplored, is her time between her parents not being able to care for her, and her becoming self-sufficient. ultimately i dont have much to say here, i like how linuj handled her backstory, i just think it wouldve been cool to see more of it, not that there was any good place to write it in, but i love bonus modes and would like to see maybe how the dra survivors coped w/what they learned in the sixth trial in a bonus mode about how the kisa foundation became what it is now.

How i feel about their canonical writing/handling

mmm... tbh. i like rei, i think her growth from dra to sdra2 was handled well- she still feels like rei, while also serving her narrative role- ie. there's not much you can do when shawty gets exploded in the prologue and then has to play second fiddle to tsurugis viola of fucking evil. sadly, we can't do much with the kisa foundation and showing how rei and tsurugi have changed and have the pacing of the chapter still be intact, when we see rei, its mostly just her being voice of reason because someone has to give exposition on what the foundation knows while tsurugi has a meltdown. i think her development feels authentic and natural, if she maybe feels a biiit.. i dont know how to word it, but she almost feels a bit too calm? less snarky at points than i'd think she'd be, and than what i'd like to see. but again, we can explain that as being due to the role she has to play for the story.

ultimately, while not necessarily my cup of tea, i'm just not prone to latching onto characters like rei a whole lot! i def think she's handled well, oddly well for linuj in general, and v oddly well for a female character written by linuj. i like her, im just not brain rotted about her

The one thing i’d want to make canon about them

hmmmmm... im not gonna lie i can't really think of anything? after thinking about it while i typed up. essentially the whole rest of this post, i think it'd be cool if she and kabuya were friends after sdra2. yuuki is... .... ..........lets not talk about what hes up to, syobai and iroha are just a whole fucking mess. theyre a bit busy dealing with heads in boxes. and tsurugi is just sooo normal he's too normal really.

so i think they could meet and chat about how Fucking Insane the games were, in a way that other kg survivors wouldnt get, since they didnt have to deal with divine luck and what it does to people. also seeing as akane saved rei in dra and then. ya know. Soruko. i think that'd be a interesting convo for them to have, both kinda understanding more about akane taira. i think that'd be really neat!

My number one favorite ship for them

hm.... reikako by default of i dont think much about rei ships, and they have a significant amount of canon material. i do wonder though what their relationship was like pre-despair, it feels like a lot of the school life info we have is on utsuro or tsurugi? buuut yeah. also as kinda established i think rei is uncertain where she stands on attraction/her thoughts change a lot and. yeah. so this is less a romantic thing and moreso i want inside linujs brain so i can know what he thinks except he like. officially has stated he doesnt know shit abt sdra anymore which is SO UPSETTING

…Now everyone else i ship with them

i think rei/kizuna/kiyoka could be cute!!! also i kinda just like giving akane gfs, and i don't really think they'd be that compatible, but i think if they had a weird little queercoded friendship for like. the duration of one year during their stay at hpa, and it leaves akane feeling more confident and comfortable with herself as her own person, and leaves rei with a LOT of questions, while they also never really cross the line between friends and something more, that'd be cool and fun. just normal gals being pals things.

The thing i will NEVER ship

im so sorry. 2020 sdrainsta has made me incapable of terurei propaganda. i support people who ship it as a matter of fact im so glad we r now in a place where people can ship it or not ship it and everyone can just be fine and happy. but i dont think ill ever be able to see the vision.

a dynamic/relationship i wish was explored more (in canon, or in fandom)

i wish in sdra2 we saw more on the dynamic that grew between rei and mikako in dra. i think it'd be cool to see that discussed a bit more seeing how it was. mikakos in game memories that formed the basis for sora iirc.

thoughts on their design (appearance-wise)

mmm...... why the fuck did linuj use so much blue in the dra cast color palettes... i remember i had this dentist appointment that was really evil and like. literal hours longer than it was supposed to be, and to try and distract myself i went through the cast and counted who had blue in their design and who didnt. it took a long time because i was in so so so much pain but like. iirc its just mikako akane and yuki. and also mikako wears blue in ch4. so. THATS NOT RELEVANT THOUGH.

uhhhh. im not a huge fan of her outfit just because i dont like the skirt. her og design was a school uniform and i think it kinda shows and im not a huge fan of it? my brain keeps getting mixed up on the length of her skirt but yeah. its just so vibrant and pigmented and so is her hair and its like. the lower half of her fit just feels so high school uniform and i dont really like it. i think her hair is super cute in the bonus sketch (the just-woke-up one) on her character sheet tho.

i also don't really like her fit in sdra2. i think the labcoat is super nice (i like the ombre effect it looks good) and while its not too practical i dont hate the vest short skirt tights combo. but im not a fan of the color palette, its just so dark, so u have her bright hair and the bright coat, but the dark grey and black, in vertical stripes just kinda dominates it in my brain. and i don't really like it? i really dont like the grey with her hair.

she is very pretty. but im not a fan of the fits linuj puts her into

A music-related thought- a song that reminds me of them, or what their music taste is, etc

hmmm.. this is a very foreign concept to me but i dont think reis huge on music. i think for the most part she listens to songs she has memories associated with- she doesn't seem huge on the arts or. ya know. emotional connection? so i think while she wouldn't really vibe with anything particular of her own accord, listening to music which was playing when something emotional happened to her both improves the music, and also. helps her with being in touch with her emotions and letting herself feel. if that makes sense?

[quoththemaiden]

I saw your tags in the poll comments and I had to jump into your ask box. If you want to reply to comments, don't be afraid to do it! People love nothing more than to interact with the author. People comment to express their love for your work, and I can promise nothing make them more happy than to have a reply from the author!!! It's a "my comment had been seen and made them happy, yeah!" feeling.

My tags, for context:

This poll is wild to me. Tumblr's interpretation of fanfic etiquette seems completely backwards from my internet upbringing.

Back on ff.net, where the number of reviews wasn't even a sortable field, it was still uncool for authors to respond to the reviews. Every fic would end with "Please R&R!!!" but actually interacting with reviewers was the kind of thing you were supposed to grow out of as you went from a socially clueless young teen to a socially competent older teen. Saying "That's exactly what I was going for!" or "Oooh just wait, you'll love it!" or "I'm so glad you liked it!" was really just patting yourself on the back for being awesome, and saying "No, you don't get it--" was too defensive. (Putting "I've been blown away by the response to this fic" in an A/N is sufficiently self-effacing if used sparingly, though.)

On AO3, looking at the comment section of a fic and seeing that an author has responded to every comment with "Thanks!!" or "❤️" feels similarly desperate to me--

--and not just cringey, but also vaguely unethical because it's artificially doubling the number of comments on a site that does allow sorting by comments. Like, let your fic stand on its own merits instead of trying to game the system with fake reviews.

But on Tumblr, there's those AO3 etiquette posts going around saying "kudos are for if you finish reading a fic; comments are for if you enjoyed it." And that just feels backwards. Shouldn't kudos be for if you enjoyed the fic enough that you think it should be boosted in the rankings so more people read it? Comments, on the other hand, are mandatory on every fic you read unless you can't find even a single good thing to say about it. (And you're still obligated to rack your brain a bit to see if you can at least pull out a "Wow, that was an interesting premise!" or "I really love this trope so thanks for writing this!" or "This was such a fun line!" and just try not to be too obvious about damning with faint praise.)

I've had authors respond to say, "Hey, sorry I haven't responded to your comments yet, but I've been reading them" and I'm always like... my dude, that's not how this economy works. You write fics and I leave comments. You don't have to write fics and respond to comments. Take a load off.

Obviously if I say something particularly insightful it's nice to hear the author's thoughts back, and I've had some cool conversations about their inspirations... and the friend I talk to literally every single day is someone where we both loved each other's fics 20 years ago and we got started talking because of it... so it's not like I think it's never okay to respond to a reviewer.

(And, frankly, a lot of my comments are a couple paragraphs long or I'm leaving a dozen comments in a short timespan, so it hasn't usually felt weird when authors do respond to me to comment on some highlights.)

It's just absolutely baffling to look at that poll and see that 88% of authors do or think they should respond to comments, so I'm clearly in the vast, vast minority.

It's absolutely, mind-bogglingly wild. And since it's purely a cultural thing, being in the minority means I'm wrong, and I need to come to grips with that. Like, I'm going to need to actively, consciously work on flipping my judgement-o-meter from "responding to comments is inappropriately clingy and must be actively avoided" to "responding to comments is good and expected" because the former is a social norm I internalized decades ago and now I need to go through the active work of completely flipping what's rude and what's polite -- which is a thing that happens all the time as we get older, of course, but it was a shock to encounter it here.

[dweetwise]

[Ace X Zarina] Bad behavior

I love them your honor. Rated Mature | 1.1k words | ao3 link

“I can’t believe you!” Zarina exclaimed. "How the hell did you think that was a good idea!?"

She stalked toward Ace while ranting, and he did an awkward half-dance, half-skip backward.

"Hey, now." Ace grinned and held his hands up. "I thought Dwight said we shouldn't put blame on a single person for—"

"We should if they fucking hide in the basement when people are dying on hook!" Zarina argued. “What's the point of even having rules if you're just going to break them every trial!?"

“Oh, you're one to talk," Ace shot back. "You really want to lecture me about rules, Ms. trespassing and illegal recordings?"

“That’s different!” Zarina argued. “It was in the real world and for a good cause!”

“Well—fuck!" 

Ace yelped as the back of his knee hit something solid, sending him flailing for balance while he tried not to fall on his ass.

Zarina's hand shot out to grab a fistful of his jacket and pull him upright. She was surprisingly strong considering her size, and at least now Ace knew she wasn't angry enough to want him to injure himself.

Ace glanced around—they'd reached the campfire and he'd tripped on his own damn overflowing hoard of items—but none of the people hanging around seemed to be paying them any mind.

To be fair, it wasn't like Zarina yelling and Ace making an ass out of himself was anything out of the ordinary.

Ace winked and gave Zarina his most charming smile. "Thanks for the save, sugar."

"Uh-huh," Zarina said, utterly unphased by his sweet-talking. "And?"

"And, as I was saying…" Ace cleared his throat to feebly try to restore some of his wounded pride. "My basement excursion was also for a good cause."

Surprisingly, Zarina crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow instead of telling him where to shove the bullshit. “Oh?” she asked. “Let’s hear it, then.”

Ace's brain frantically scrambled for anything that would make a good excuse.

“Adding a toolbox to the collection?” he suggested.

“Ace!”

“—For the starving children!” Ace added, pointing to Renato and Meg sitting nearby.

Renato looked up at them and offered a confused, “Huh?” while Meg just sighed.

“Can’t you guys take this somewhere else?” Meg asked.

“Fantastic idea!” Ace said. “I was just about to go ask Jonah—”

“You.” Zarina gripped Ace's arm firmly before he could slink away from the conversation. “With me. We’re not done yet.”

Ace wagged his eyebrows at Renato and Meg as Zarina dragged him into the woods, earning a snort from Renato and the middle finger from Meg.

"The children are surprisingly ungrateful," Ace told Zarina.

"Shut. Up," she grit out.

Ace held his tongue and tried not to smile too much.

Zarina was somehow even more attractive when she was angry, but Ace doubted she'd appreciate hearing that right now. They'd butted heads ever since meeting—and somehow even more after Zarina succumbed to his charms and they became an item—but at the end of the day, she still always curled up in his arms and kissed him goodnight, so Ace usually tried not to push his luck too much.

Sometimes he just couldn't help himself.

Once they were sufficiently far away from the campfire, Zarina released Ace and turned to face him. 

“So? Are you going to apologize?” she asked.

Ace tilted his head and blinked innocently. “For what?”

“Oh, for the love of—!”

Zarina threw her hands up and made a sound of pure frustration, before yanking Ace down into a kiss.

Ace smirked against warm lips and wrapped his arms around Zarina, caressing down her lithe back and toying with the hem of her shirt. Zarina’s response, nowhere near as gentle, was to push him against a tree and bite his bottom lip hard enough to make him feel it.

Ace groaned and wrapped his hands around her tiny waist to pull her closer. If this was supposed to be his punishment, was it really any wonder that he kept misbehaving?

Zarina released his mouth and stepped back. “On the ground,” she ordered. “Now.”

Ace scrambled to obey with such haste he probably should’ve been embarrassed. What could he say? She pushed his buttons just as much as he did hers.

Ace lied down on the filthy forest floor—he's a gentleman, after all, and it wouldn't do to get the lady dirty. 

He watched as Zarina undressed, shimmying out of her tight jeans and pulling her shirt over her head to reveal mouth-watering smooth skin. Ace’s pants were already feeling several sizes too small and he figured he might as well try to speed things along. He reached for the button of his slacks, and… 

“What do you think you're doing?” Zarina snapped.

"Uh," Ace said, his hands freezing. 

Zarina's expression was cold and unimpressed as she walked over and stared him down, completely unbothered by the fact that she was now fully nude in front of him.

“You think you deserve to come after the shit you just pulled?” Zarina demanded.

An involuntary shiver ran through Ace and his dick throbbed even harder in his pants. Damn, she was in that kind of mood, huh?

If Ace knew what was good for him, he'd probably apologize right about now.

Instead, he propped himself up on his elbows and gave her a challenging smirk. “Well, considering my noble cause to save the children—oof!”

The air left Ace's lungs as Zarina planted her foot on his chest and firmly pushed him back down on the ground.

"Rude," Ace croaked out, because the alternative was to moan and ask her to do it again.

Zarina wordlessly sank down on her knees, straddling Ace’s chest and putting her full weight on him: an equally pleasant and efficient way to get him to stay still.

He opened his mouth to make a quip but Zarina clearly anticipated it, and the only sound that escaped Ace’s throat was a breathless whine as she grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked it.

“F-fuck,” he breathed, eyes stinging from the pleasure-pain.

“Shut up,” Zarina said, her hand twisting in his hair one more time before she let go. “Don’t you have something better to do with your mouth?”

Despite her harsh words and rough treatment, Ace could see the way her breath was coming in pants and felt the heat radiating from between her legs. It was always an ego boost to know that no matter how far he pushed, she'd always pull him right back in.

He eagerly settled his head more comfortably into the dirt, ignoring his own throbbing arousal in favor of the task at hand.

Ace licked his lips and winked, motioning for Zarina to straddle his face. “All yours, darling."

[bleachbleachbleach]

11/6 - 11/12/2023

Everything is so much, all the time ToT and I feel entirely emotionally unraveled while I nevertheless continue to attempt to Meet All the Needs with increasingly diminished capacity. I want to walk into the woods and never return! Or maybe a lake. And I miss my friends on TUMBLR DOT COM and also my blorbos. I want to sink myself into something entirely and not come out, be that a fic, or a book, or a TV show, or Fire Emblem. (I mention Fire Emblem specifically because I have found that if I play Fire Emblem I do not eat or sleep much less work or idk, vacuum, so I am only allowed to play it if I have planned this well ahead of time lol. But the extremity of that is what I really want rn.)

Anyway, I still wanted to write this post because I had two thoughts I wanted to capture for posterity. Well, three: The first being that haphazardly collapsing into this doc for weird blitz sessions of writing fragments of conversation is functioning as my confirmation of life rn and it does something in my brain that makes me feel capable of maintaining corporeal form thank u R U K I A

#2: I've waffled about whether I want Kaien to appear in full flashbacks in this fic, which I've decided I do not. (He is technically in one, but it's narrated by Soujun, which feels sufficiently 'well, how much of Kaien is really being captured by this POV.') I think he should appear in summary--mentions of him, stories about him. There are some scenes from Rukia that are a bit more extended, but remain more summary/vignette than scene, which feels abstract enough to me, at least right now.

#3: This Renji/Rukia conversation I am writing right now is probably really five conversations in a trenchcoat. Part of it is probably the nature of the circumstances under which it was written, but I think more of it is actually intentional on my part. Like, I think they could have five different conversations at the same time and probably not blink twice at it. More accurately, probably, Renji and Rukia are carrying on four different simultaneous conversations with each other and Rukia is carrying on a separate one with herself. Whether I think it works, prose-wise, is a different story. I think it would work really well in a play! Like, I know how it could be staged effectively. Unfortunately, I am not writing A PLAY. So idk.

[crystalelemental]

Unit Teambuilding - Petrel

All of Team Rocket is bad, by virtue of being Kanto. But if I had to pick one of them that gets a free pass, it's Petrel. He's such a failure, it's kind of endearing.

General Overview If you're looking at the free ticket and wondering hey, I don't really want to invest into these Rocket dweebs, I just wanted a neat tool that gets a fairly unique job done at 1/5, Petrel's your man.

Petrel comes in as a Poison type Striker with Weezing. Main DPS is Sludge Bomb, but he carries the coveted Clear Smog to remove buffs from a target. I adore that move. X Sp Atk is...meh. Trainer Move, which is just a longer Ghetsis, gives +2 Def/+3 crit/SEUN/Enduring. It's...okay, if a bit awkward. But maxing crit rate means Roxanne privileges, so that's nice. Adding to the Petrel Comedy Hour, his main passive gives a 30% chance to debuff special defense each hit, anda 30% chance to flinch. He also gets Piercing Blows, which is fantastic for Gauntlet purposes, and Last Word, which is just broadly funny. With a special attack stat that breaks 500, Furious Brain for move damage, and four sync damage nodes, he's in a good position.

Except for the sync multiplier. Unbuffed Foe Sync-Up 5. Only 50% on a fairly difficult conditional. He does get Unbuffed Foe Freebie 4, for a 50% chance at Free Moves Next, but it's not really solving the issue. Petrel needs to be using Clear Smog, which is 2MP. In 3v3 when buffs are common, he has to give up a lot to access Clear Smog MPR, and still get lucky to maintain that pressure. In essence, two sync damage nodes, or Furious Brain. He has the option for Virulent Toxin 3, but now needs Poison support instead, since his own Hostile Environment isn't a guarantee, and is too expensive to pick up. His kit is a bit janky, is what I'm saying. But this jank also means there's little reason to invest in him. Petrel is a striker that oddly lives for his utilities. Clear Smog that can also debuff special defense and flinch is quite potent, and his baseline DPS isn't atrocious. I think if any of the rockets are an easy 1/5 acquisition, Petrel's the best you're gonna get.

EX, Role, and Move Level His DPS is decisively okay, but not great, so I think EX is a good idea. Move Level also wants 3/5, although notably 2/5 allows MPR on Clear Smog and Virulent Toxin 3 with two sync nodes, which might be sufficient. Petrel's Role is support. This is...an interesting choice. It takes away the need for a Support EX, and allows him to always take his big AoE damage sync. It's an alright choice.

Team 1: Petrel, Roxanne, H!Iris Is...is Petrel the first competent partner to H!Iris? Oh my god. Well, here it is, I guess. Poison Zone into a Poison Strike nuke that's halfway competent. Roxanne boosts special attack for Petrel, and speed for the team to have its dual strike.

Team 2: Petrel, BP Janine, Brycen Okay before you start yelling, listen to me. Brycen is actually a good partner. Haze. Petrel needs the foe to be unbuffed, and Brycen's Haze completely wipes stat buffs from all opponents. Considering the AoE nature of it, this allows you to take the Five Stats +3 condition, and the No Field Changes condition, really lowering offensive pressure and letting BP Janine thrive.

Team 3: Petrel, Liza, Lucian Lucian is a solid partner, given the debuffs and speed. I went with Liza here because I couldn't think of other primarily special attack boosters who didn't also do crit rate, potentially wasting some of their talents.

Final Thoughts Petrel is fine, if conditional. The damage he can throw out should at least be competent, if not fantastic. I just think he's neat. And also the only Rocket Executive not screaming for 3/5 EX. He's low maintenance, and just gets a job done. Well...okay, he doesn't. But he's at least working.

[talldarkandroguesome]

4th of Morning Star, Middas

I do not know what happen. It did not work this time. Why did it not work?

I keep racking my brain to think of why it would not summon Leythen. I used all the same components, recited the same words, had the same intent. So why should it not have succeeded?

I keep thinking of the process. Did I do something different? Was I standing slightly in a different angle in the cardinal direction? Did I miscalculate north?

Honestly, how do wizards keep up with so many factors? I know I did it right. I checked everything at least three times, most closer to seven or eight times. There is no way I did that wrong. I used instruments to ensure I marked everything correctly.

The only possibility might be that it is something to do with the ingredients themselves? Could there be something about the strain of nirnroot or one of the other ingredients? Something in the way it was grown or the soil it drew nutrients from? Is the focus losing its strength? Was the offered libation not of sufficient fortification?

I will try again once we return to Morrowind. I am out of the proper incense anyhow. And perhaps with all the components the kind I know are used for such summonings, I will have greater success. Or any success.

I can also look at the literature on such rituals that is kept in the Temple library. Perhaps there are other ways, forgotten ancient methods, which will work better. I have the perfect excuse, as the keeper of the family crypt, to have an interest in such things. There is much I still have to learn about such magicka. I am new to it and if my attempts in other schools of magicka are any indication, I do not find particular ease in learning from traditional methods. Perhaps older types of magicka will be easier for me to learn.

If only I could ask Luayl for assistance. I cannot, of course, he is beholden to the House and might well have to share my interest, if nothing more substantial, with them. If only uncle Urnel were to learn about it, I should not care, but it is likely that other members of the Council might be far too interested in such knowledge.

There is the Farseer or other wisewomen of the Velothi I might ask if I cannot succeed on my own using the knowledge I find. It is an option.

For now, we continue to make the journey back to Morrowind. We have a large box of salted and dried fish for our cooks to make use of. And there are gifts for all the staff. There are also some for Mother, Father, and uncle Urnel. We have a few for those we wish to foster a good relationship with in the New Life, mostly political, but also friends. I sent off Fennorian’s package while still in The Reach. A few things for all of House Ravenwatch, but in particular, some of the alchemy reagents that the Reachmen so prize. I am sure that he will find ample use in them. For the Count, I found a particularly handsome broach, a sort of talisman, that I thought he might find interesting. It seemed to fit his aesthetic as I know it. If nothing else, its construction is of rather unusual materials and it is said to have some interesting properties.

Sildras picked out the gift for Gwendis, he was very insistent upon that. And he wrapped it up with a letter and would not allow me to see it. When I started to look for something for Adusa-Daro, he told me that he knew better what to get and insisted on doing the same as he had for Gwendis. I only hope the gifts are appropriate. If not, then that they were selected by a child will go a long way in insuring that it will not be of any offense.

Tel’s gift, as usual, had to be selected with much care. I gathered a set of painting pigments from western Skyrim, from The Reach, and from Black Marsh. I also found a small bound book of watercolors from Hissmir, mostly of the scenery, which I know Tel likes to paint. I hope it will be something that they will enjoy. I do not know if they have ever been to Black Marsh before, so perhaps it will be something new and exciting to inspire them.

We are back on the river boat now so at least I can try and get some rest. Avon tells met that I look as though I have put one foot in the grave with how little sleep I am getting. Leave it to your closest friend to know how best to insult you.

[the-modern-typewriter]

could u please do a snippet about a new detective x a thief thats always one step ahead?

"Man," the thief said. "Someone at head office must really hate you."

The detective whirled, grocery bag still clenched in one hand, but saw no one in the shadows behind them. Their gaze darted this way and that - searching for a clue, a scrap, a speck of dust out of place.

It could almost be as if they had imagined the words entirely.

"Giving you me," the voice continued, behind them again, "as a first proper assignment? Tch. That's harsh."

The detective had already whirled around again, but once again, there was nothing. They swallowed.

"Magpie," they greeted.

"Detective." It was, unmistakably, a purr. It should not have slid molten into the pit of the detective's stomach.

It did.

"Why must they hate me?" the detective asked, rotating slowly in a circle. They looked up at the empty rooftops. They even looked down.

The thief chuckled. "I'm the kind of job that breaks a career."

"You're the kind of makes a career."

"If you're sweet to me, maybe."

The detective's jaw clenched, even as they felt that same absurd spark in their every nerve ending. If humans only used 10% of their brains, then it felt like the detective's had shot up to at least 75%, by mere virtue of the Magpie's presence.

The thieving, invisible, magpie. "If sweet means letting you get away with it, I'm not sweet."

"Oh, detective." That time, when the detective turned, the thief was standing right there, impossibly close. Their eyes were very bright in the moonlight. "You're the sweetest."

The detective's breath caught. They should have stepped back, but they felt their attention roam over every inch of the notorious thief instead - the one that no one had ever apparently seen, or got a look at. It had to be be a copycat, right? Some kind of trick. It couldn't actually be -

"Giving you me," the thief mused, "or is it that they're giving me you?" Their head tilted. "You know, I've grown so used to taking that I'm not entirely sure."

The detective's mouth felt very dry.

"It's reckless to show yourself to me."

The Magpie shrugged. "You won't remember me. You won't remember my face, anyway."

The detective raised a brow. Given how good a head they had for details they were certain that, for all the flaws of eye-witness testimonies and human memory, they most certainly would remember them. And it didn't hurt that the thief was - well. Something lovely enough to be worth stealing, perhaps. The detective might have committed that face to memory even if it wasn't a matter of work.

"Would you like to remember that we kissed?" The Magpie asked.

"What exactly," the detective bit out, "is it that you are doing right now?" Sense hit them suddenly - to reach in their pocket, get their camera, get their phone to record. Something. Anything.

A conversation in a back alley, alone, with someone who implied that they were the Magpie was no proof of a crime and it certainly wasn't sufficient evidence to build a case. Maybe this was distraction. Maybe the Magpie, however much they were thought to be only one person, was actually a team and -

The Magpie smiled, and touched the detective's cheek, examining them like they were a mystery to be solved. The detective let them. They felt...strange.

"I wanted to see who my new detective was, gorgeous," the thief said. "I stole your records and files, but...you know. Seeing something second hand or at a distance is never quite the same. The best art is experienced."

"I suppose that's just as well," the detective managed. "Because I wanted to see who my thief was."

"My thief." The Magpie smiled again, a quick fluttering thing. "I like that."

They dropped their hand, and dropped a quick kiss to the detective's cheek.

"I'll be seeing you."

When the thief was gone, as swiftly and inexplicably as they had appeared, the detective blinked.

They tried to recall the Magpie's face, and came up with something fading. They tried to pinpoint the Magpie's voice, but all they could summon was the molten heat in the pit of their belly, the memory of something that made their toes curl.

Shiny. Catching the light. Impossible to get a good look at.

By the time they were home, all they had was the memory of a soft kiss on their cheek, and the lilting tail of an old nursery rhyme.

Five for silver, Six for gold

Seven for a secret never to be told

Eight for a wish, Nine for a Kiss

and Ten for a bird you must not miss.

The Magpie was always one step ahead after that.