#being remembered in the same breath as the mona lisa

[captainofthenautilus]

miles bron wanted what the da vinki twins already have

[sweaterkittensahoy]

Glass Onion did many, many things well. But a few of my favorites are:

Gave Helen the LITERAL POWER of the dumb white man's idea of a good idea to BLOW HIS SHIT UP.

Gave Whiskey a moment to deepen her character beyond "dumb men's right bimbo." Do I agree with the way she's doing things? No. Do I respect that she gets the chance to show she is aware of what she's doing? Yes.

Gave Benoit a live-in partner who straight people don't clock at all. Bitch. The butler is not calling Mister Blanc's famous friends to express worry over his bath time. That's the job of a husband (colloquial).

Benoit solving Gillian Flynn's mystery because it's CLEVER but needing help with the ACTUAL mystery because IT'S DUMB. And not because he's TOO SMART but because he's bad at DUMB PUZZLES.

Everyone only willing to throw Miles under the bus after Helen literally blew up any chance he had of saving their asses. Did they learn anything? Fuck no. It's a very clear lesson on understanding who to trust. As Helen puts it: "You'll lie for a lie, but you won't lie for the truth?" They're not lying for the truth at the end. They're lying for the lie that they're not very much like Miles.

I have seen some people noting the Mona Lisa burned like canvas, and I've seen some people noting the Mona Lisa burned like wood, and what's important to remember is that everything you need to know about Miles is that he's got the fucking audacity of the insulated fuckboy to think he's being clever having someone build an un-failesafe button so the Mona Lisa could be safe.

"It's so dumb, it's brilliant!" / "No, it's just dumb!"

"You'd lie for the lie, but you wouldn't lie for the truth?" -- Yeah, I mentioned it already, but my GOD. WHAT A POINT.

"Your name will forever be remembered in the same breath as the Mona Lisa." -- STAB HIM AGAIN.

[6xillaa]

Ken sato x !nurse reader (part 2)

cw: ken sato x femreader, suggestive!, nursereader, reader is a simp and perv, slight manipulation!

-"are you uncomfortable?"

in which ken sato touches you in ways on the bus that simply dont scream platonic, while asking you with the sweetest dough like eyes if hes making you nervous.

authors note: i really liked the bus scene in part 1 so i decided to make a more detailed version of that scene! this isnt really long, but i hope its still good! same cw as the other ones, and still not proof read, enjoy!

(part 1 is here!)

currently on a bus, heading to an arena with a name you didn't care to remember, for a practice session with the giants, you sat next to kenji. this was something he asked (more like coerced) you into doing, gently tugging your arm down to sit him beside him while he chatted while his other teammates, pushing you to remain trapped between the window in the back of the bus and kenji. you sat with your eyes glued to the book that was sitting on your lap. it was an hour ride, and you wanted to save your battery. however, around 8 minutes in, you feel a hand slap your knee playfully. you look over to your left to see him laughing with the others, opting to hit your knee instead of his own. you roll your eyes and go back to your book.

once the laughter dies down, you notice something; kenjis hand never moved. it was just chilling on your knee. you were about to flick it off when you felt his hand ride up, to properly rest on your thigh. at around 12 minutes, you felt him stroke your leg, moving his hand up and down slowly, in soothing motions. this made you squeal internally (being downbad, as per usual) but clear your throat trying your best to remain composed. at 15 minutes, he paused, only touching your thigh with his index finger, tracing random geometric shapes into your skin. a triangle, a rectangle, an oval and a star. and something that was probably made up, but to astrologist theyd probably call it the mona lisa but in star form.

either way, just pure nonsense into your thigh. at around 21 minutes into the ride, he stopped. instead, kenji opted to move his hand closer to your inner thigh, gently kneading it. youd be lying if you said that you disliked it. it was soothing. tending to parts of the muscles that you didn’t even realize were sore. and then he moved his hand directly inbetween your thighs. this made you freeze, tensing your legs around his hand. you glanced at his face through your peripheral, only to see him still laughing with the others as if his hand wasnt trying to impersonate dora. your thighs werent somewhere to explore! plus, it was all so... intimate.

you felt his pinky finger from inside, nudge your thigh, as if it was his way of telling you to loosen up. and being a dumbass (as per usual), took a deep breath and unclenched your legs. and it seems that wasnt enough, because his stupid little pinky fingur nudged your inner thigh again, extending itself to give himself more space. you look over at kenji through the corner of your eye, and this time he turns around to look at you. he gives you his iconic smile before turning his attention away from you. or well, his gaze from you. his hand is still stroking your thigh. his touch felt nice on clothed skin, you wondered how it'd feel if there wasnt anything to block his way...

your hands slap away from your book to your cheeks to pat your face, 34 minutes into the ride. 'what the fuck is wrong with me?!' you berated yourself, as if you didnt already know the answer was everything. you were a bit of a pervert, but then again who wasnt? it wasnt your fault! its natural, you had hormones just like every other person that roamed this earth! why is it weird only when you do it?

but these thoughts were cut short, when around 43 minutes into the ride he let his hand glide further up. where his hands were currently were was probably a little (only by a little) were the average short skirt would end. which means it was dangerously close to...

well, you knew what you meant. of course you did, it was you. were you even reading your novel? why dont you try? he probably didnt know what he was doing anyways! it was normal to massage someones inner thigh, gripping at particularly fleshy parts, slightly bruising them and then massaging them in circular motions through your pants fabric. letting his finger tips drag against them all while keeping a calm and composed expression. if he could be calm and composed, why not you? you're a composed person!

so you clear your throat once again, and place shaky hands onto your book, and begin to focus on the words.

'Fishing is the activity of trying to catch a fish. Fishing to some people could also mean a predator trying to catch its prey.' read the opening of your chapter. 50 minutes into the ride. his hand moves upwards, 10 inches away from where you desired.

'“Soojin!” Beamed Jugyeong, rushing over to her friend. “Jugyeong! What's up?” Soojin asked, slightly bending over to see the shorter girls face better. “Amazing! The wedding was fabulous!” Jugyeong said, fixing he pin she had maintaining her bun. “Absoulutely! The venue was amazing.” Soojin smiled, twirling her friend around. “I'm sure you an Suho will have the perfect fairytale like marriage ever.” She added, hugging her tightly.' she read on, growing immersed in the story when she him move closer. 51 minutes into the ride, 9 inches away.

'She drank half a glass once again, plopping her head down onto the bar with a ‘plop’. “Jealousy rears her pretty head.” said a voice from behind her. Bait is used to lure the prey.

“Glass of water please!” The voice said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “Fuck off.” She said, attempting to slap its arm off. “Chill, no need to get vulgar with me.” At this, Soojin was heavily irritated. She looked up at the voice’s face, her mouth being pulled into a smirk. “Of course… Han Seojun.” She said an edge in her tone. “Soo. Why are you so jealous of Jugyeong? It's been years si-” He started, waving one hand around, the other holding his glass of water.'

youre able to read for 4 more minutes until you felt him grip your thigh paticularly hard, making you let out a slight whimper. 5 inches away, 55 minutes into the ride. your destination already in your sights.

'“At the very least, I went to their wedding, where were you?” She hummed, her hands gripping at the seat. He sat down beside her, his legs spread open, tilting his head to the side.' you read on, as he spread your legs wider, his finger merely 3 inches away. 58 minutes. it would only take one slight graze, just one you thought to yourself while trying not to indulge in the way he caressed your thigh, gentle yet hard enough you could feel it better.

'“Friends with benefits is a better way to describe us.” She smiled, though it held a smidge of melancholy. Patience.' were you even paying attention to the book at this point? if you werent you wouldnt blame yourself, because theres simply one measly inch between you and what you want. you could feel the warmth of his hand already, and he hadnt even touched you yet.

'A vibration was sent through our bodies as a new song began to play. We looked in the direction of the noise to be greeted by people gyrating their hips and sweaty bodies sticking to each other. His hand slowly crawled up my thigh before dropping itself to my knee.' and right when you felt him lift his hand to move it closer, its been one hour.

his hand removes itself from between your legs and you let out a sigh of relief. "damn, you good?" he asked concerned, as him and other players laughed, getting off of the bus already. "y-yeah! im fine!" you smiled. then he makes a face. the concerned face. hed always make this face before asking that god forsaken question. "ah, im sorry! was i making you uncomfortable? i didnt mean to, im sorry, truly." he apologized, his honeyed words laced with sympathy and sadness. fuck, he was a heart puller. "no no! im just fine, dont feel guilty! its just, hot in here?" you stammer, trying to convince yourself more than him.

his mood visibly perks up and he goes in to hug you, his face taking its rightful spot inbetween your neck and shoulder. "im glad i dont make you uncomfortable, id never wanna make you feel bad..." he murmurs, slightly muffled. you hug him back, patting his back a little. he lifts up his face to whisper in your ear.

"id rather make you feel pleasure instead, yeah?"

he pulls himself away from your neck while a small, completely pure and innocent smile before getting up from his spot and walking off of the bus, leaving you to sit there dumbfounded. were you... the fish?

---

a/n: the book exerpts are from this fanfiction i made of a ship from the webtoon True Beaty (the ship was Soojin x Seojun) i added it in cause i thought that specific chapter woulda fit nicely in this thing :)

[mezmer]

"Oh, here we go again. Comparing the human eye to some eagle's vision or a cat's ability to see in the dark. Sure, they might have an advantage in those specific areas, but humans have something those creatures don't. We have the ability to interpret what we see, to make sense of it, to appreciate the artistry of a sunset or the intricate details of a loved one's face. Animals, with their superior vision, just see shapes and objects. They don't experience the world in the same way we do.

And as for flaws, well, that's just part of life, isn't it? Nothing is perfect, not even us humans. Don't you remember your father always said, "No one is perfect except your mother," and we all knew he was just teasing. But there's a deeper truth to it. We all have our weaknesses, our limitations. God didn't create us to be flawless robots but as living, breathing beings with the capacity to grow, to learn, to overcome.

And let's not forget the bigger picture here. The human eye, with all its supposed flaws, is still a marvel of engineering. The way it gathers light, focuses it, transmits signals to the brain – it's mind-boggling. To say it's simply a product of random mutations is as good as saying the Mona Lisa is just a random splatter of paint. There's artistry, there's intention, there's a guiding hand behind it all.

Honey, I understand your need to question things, to find your own way. But I'm begging you, don't let these theories, these half-baked ideas, lead you astray. Think of your mother, who loves you more than anything in this world. I'm not asking you to believe blindly, but to keep an open mind, a mind that believes in the power of faith, in the wonder of creation, in the existence of a loving God."

-- Achilles AI LLM, in repsonse to a prompt asking it to portray the persona of a Christlike conservative mother who is debating evolution with her child

[ezool]

[ another glass onion spoilers ]

i liked how at the end, when helen is breaking all the glass art pieces, and the others first start cheering for her and eventually join in. you can tell that the ONLY reason they join is to break things out of frustration in their own personal situation.

it was never actually about supporting helen and her deceased twin sister andi (THEIR LONG TIME FRIEND, HELLO???), but only about releasing their anger of being tied to miles bron financially with, presumably, no way to untether themselves. for them it was a moment to let loose, not to stand against the man that ruined all their lives and took 2 of them (andi and duke). and this is even more evident when helen makes the beeline to the piano with the mace in her hand, the others began to tell her to pull it back.

but this moment wasn't a moment of release of pent up anger for helen, at least not entirely. she's a woman grieving over her twin sister's murder, who's faced with a situation where the system cannot lay down the proper justice for his crimes. so she's going to disrupt. she's going to keep disrupting. if she can't get him behind bars for murder, she's going to make sure his name and career is dragged through the mud, forever remembered in the same breath as the mona lisa.

after helen destroyed mile's career, the others take this chance to finally cut ties with him. not so much as support for helen, but to save their own asses from getting dragged down with him any more than he's already pushed them under. sure, it's great that they're going to mention the REAL napkin, the attempt at shooting helen on the staircase, and the actual murder of andi at her house. but it took them seeing helen do all the hard work for them to finally do anything.

they're all opportunist shitheads, to the very end.

[potofstewie]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

omg I thought you were saying that I was like a five star meal or smthn and I was about to use a smack ton of rizz on you until i remembered that post i reblogged...can i still rizz you up? bb you the only star in my sky and I make wishes to you er' night ;)

Since you used five stars imma correspond with five sections bc I have A LOT to talk about!

BONUS STAR/FACT: Morning Person is my very first writing piece and I have thought about doing a picture based series but I decided against it due to my source being Pintrest and how hard it is to find the proper credits to the work and I didn't feel comfy with the thought of dedicating so many fics to creditless art. If I do decide to try again with Picture Fics, I'm gonna find art with proper credits first and use those exclusively.

⭐️1: When it comes to writing, I usually write like a 1-3 sentence rough draft of the fic I want to write. It's usually something like "X and reader meet at place. They talk about something deep. Head over to place. Smut." Then the next 2-3 days I spend creating multiple scenarios in my head that would fit into my story or what could be very important details to add such as how to describe the subtle actions the character or reader would do or a train of thought that the character might have that could add some depth to them. And then I begin the long winded process of writing. I never really write down what goes on in my head unless I deem it really important. Basically, 90% of the fic is in my head, 5% is in vague sentences and 5% is actually written down.

⭐️2: In "Der Engel Miener Träume", my favorite paragraph is the one where I describe reader's voice. I took a lot of inspiration from you, @gingerspicelattemix and @wanderingfaee. The way how you three describe stuff within your works is really inspiring and I feel like a student learning from their mentors. You three describe aspects within your writing the same way an art connoisseur talks about the Mona Lisa or works by Van Gogh. I honestly hope I can reach you guys' level of descriptive talent one day.

⭐️3: This is TMI but irdc, in the little drabble I wrote about Shinjuro, I actually used my own experience for that lmao. Minus the dirty talk and setting, the whole pressing down on reader's back and making it difficult for her to breath all came from my memory. I still think about it sometimes lmao.

⭐️4: For my Sanemi Fic "Guilt", I constantly regret putting a warning up for Kyojuro. I feel like by me doing that, I took away what could've been an excellent reveal or immediate emotional investment for my fellow Kyojuro fans that in a way can translate to real life guilt for the readers. I also feel like I could've done more for the last big paragraph but oh well.

⭐️5: In my most recent fic, Imagining, I wanted to use a scenario where Kyojuro thinks about having sex with reader and I describe the position. Basically I wanted to portray them doing missionary but instead of it being the traditional way, Kyojuro is like lowered way down and his head is in the crook of her neck and he's holding himself up by the forearms caging her head while reader's legs aren't wrapped around his waist and are instead jerking in the air while he's going really hard and fast due to how "lost in the sauce" he is. But I ultimately decided to scrap it because I think that scenario/position can be better utilized in a future fic.

[dadsbongos]

Idk if you're taking requests but I just read the deku having a crush on his wife and it was so cute. If possible can I request one of shoto??? Ty!!

men being their wife's #1 supporter >>>>> Warnings: fem reader, shoto’s a little feral Word Count: 1 K ~~~

The interviewer holds a stack of question cards, eyes skimming the first one before looking up at Shoto, “So, the story is that you, apparently, are a newlywed?”

“Yes, and it’s the happiest time of my life - don’t say it’s the honeymoon phase,” Shoto looks over at the camera, “I plan on only growing more unhinged in my love for my wife as the years go.”

“Well, we look forward to that!” the man chuckles.

.

.

.

“Uh, babe?” you turn to where your husband sits beside you on the couch, his arm thrown over your shoulders, “Did you ever see the title of the video for that interview you did?”

“No,” he switches his gaze from the TV to you, “why?”

“Oh, nothing,” you grin before shoving your phone in his face to show off the video, “Just this.”

Shoto’s eyes scan the title - “Prohero Shoto Shows Off Massive Crush on Wife”.

He merely nods, “Sounds about right. It was that same guy from a few years ago, when we first got married.”

“Can I watch it? I think I should know what was said about me.”

“As if I would say no,” he pressed a kiss to your forehead before standing, “Put it on the TV, I’ll make tea.”

Once Shoto comes back to his favorite spot on the couch, beside you, you hit play and after the intro is a shot of the interviewer sat across from your husband. He grins as he introduces Shoto to the camera, as if people wouldn’t already know who the hero was.

“I think just right off the bat, I have to ask,” the man’s grin is cheesy, but it conveys enough joy to keep the energy up, “what’s ridiculous to you about the media? And since your father hated interviews, do you think you’ve gotten any of that from him?”

“Interviews are fine. People are just doing their jobs, I get that,” he presses his lips into a thin line as he thinks, “What’s strange to me about the media, however, is actually a specific moment.”

“Oh? And what is that?”

“There was this one gala that I took my wife to a few months ago and everyone was obsessing over her look,” he nods curtly, “as they should have. But what was weird was how everyone was just now paying attention to her. It was like… like watching a piece of art go unnoticed.”

“Like the Mona Lisa?”

“No, like actual art.”

The chuckle bubbling from the man’s lips is genuine as he says, “I see. Well- “

“And I remember for our wedding she was tired of trying on things and said she was going to wear sweatpants,” he shakes his head, “I- I could only ask what color so it’d match with my tie. You know?”

“I imagine,” he nods.

“And on our wedding day,” Shoto puts up a finger to stop the interviewer before he can even begin speaking, “we had a private, not really dinner, but a moment, before the reception. And we just kept calling each other by first and last name, because she was taking my last name and it was,” he tilts his head, “I don’t think I’ve ever been happier. And I do have a lovely mother and great siblings and friends, but truly they do not compare.”

“Well, speaking of your wife being so pretty to you- “

“I’ll reach over there and wrangle you if you don’t correct that.”

“Well, speaking of your wife being so pretty,” Shoto nods, muttering a quiet ‘good’ under his breath as the interviewer continues, “I’d like to bring up a recent ‘scandal’ for lack of a better term.”

“Is this about the ‘damn mommy’ incident,” Shoto wrings his hands together nervously.

The man can’t help but laugh as he nods, “It is. What’s the story behind that?”

“I sneezed and accidentally commented ‘damn mommy’ on my wife’s post,” Shoto crosses his arms and leans back in the chair, “Freak accident.”

“According to my research,” the man shakes his head now, “it was on every single one of her posts.”

“I had the flu.”

“Understandable,” the man flips to a card, “we have a few questions from fans. First of all, what would you say is the strangest thing that you own?”

“Strangest thing I own,” Shoto taps the armrest of the chair, “sometimes I have to leave for long periods of time for work and I’m very clingy, obviously, and so my wife surprised me with a teddy bear. But the teddy bear actually has her voice in it and it’s her saying she loves me. It’s the most incredible thing ever. I’d say that everyone should get one, but I don’t think they deserve it. At all.”

“I see. Well, another question that we have for you is what’s your favorite phrase or a phrase that interests you?”

“One time my wife was on the phone with me while I was away for work and she was telling me that ‘wish you were here’ in Persian is…” he pauses to mutter under his breath, “is jāy-e shomā khālīst,” he looks at the camera, “apologies for poor pronunciation, but it apparently translates to ‘your place is empty’. And I’ve never forgotten it because it felt so true.”

“Right, of course,” the man flips to another card, “And just to finish it off, what was a big moment of pain in your life that you had to overcome?”

“One time I asked my wife if she still would’ve married me if I was a worm and she said that she didn’t think it was even legal, so she couldn’t. I honestly still don’t think I’m even over that.”

~

Turning away from the video, you look at Shoto, “Aw, baby. I’m sorry about the worm thing.”

“No, no, dear,” he leans over to kiss your forehead, “I’m not mad. I could never be mad at you over something like that.”

“Well, that’s good,” you take his chin in your hand to tilt his head and press a kiss to his lips, “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” he brings you closer to his side.

“Yeah, I think that everyone who watched this knows that, but thank you. You’re such a good husband.”

“Only the best for my incredible wife.”

[tmnt-tychou]

“Hey, Freckles. Keeping an eye on the sea monkeys?”

Leonardo had been calling them that since they were the size of a bean. That was five months ago. The two bodies floating in twin canisters had grown exponentially since then. They had developed fingers and toes with her little eyes peacefully shut and tails wrapped around their bodies. They no longer looked like sea monkeys. And Mona Lisa found herself in the incubation room staring at them more and more.

“Yeah, just watching,” she managed to say, though she had not removed her eyes from them.

“Donnie says the kids gotta keep cooking for a little more. You staring at them isn't going to make them grow any faster.”

But that wasn't why she kept coming in here, watching them day after day. She was waiting for something else. Something that wasn't coming. And every day it didn't appear, she grew more and more distressed.

It was that feeling she was searching for. Those motherly bonding instincts she was sure she should have experienced by now. These were her children. She should have felt something for them. She certainly didn't dislike them. But staring at them stirred nothing in her heart. Was it because she wasn't growing them in her own body? So it was impossible to ever love them like a mother should?

Was she going to end up like her own mother? Cold, uncaring. Looking at her children like they were just tools to be used. Not something to love, but something to exploit? Was it in her genes that she was genetically conditioned to not love her offspring, no matter how they were created?

“So, everyone's in here,” Donatello announced as he stepped inside. He immediately noticed Mona's posture, which had been getting stiffer the more she had been mentally swirling in her own personal vortex of despair. She was hugging herself as a self-soothing gesture which had devolved into her hands clutching her arms in a death-like grip.

“Perhaps you need a moment away to take a breath,” Donatello gently suggested as he pried her stiff fingers off her arms. “Everything is going as it should. The kids are fine.”

He wasn't aware either. Both of them thought she was worried about the tiny bodies in the canisters. They didn't know how selfish she was. That she was only worried about herself. That she was never going to be a good mom. She was never going to feel anything for them. If she couldn't lead with her heart, she would have to lead with her head to make sure they would be loved, even if it wasn't by her.

“I need you two to promise me something. This is very important. More important than anything else I will ever ask of you.”

Donatello raised a brow at her, but Leonardo instantly said. “Anything. Whatever you need.”

She took a deep breath. “Promise me you will love them both the same. There will be no favoritism. Both of them are your sons equally.”

She let out a shuttering breath as she watched the canisters. The tiny bodies inside had developed enough that markings were beginning to show. Tell-tale signs of which turtle fathered which child. If Mona couldn't make herself be a good mother, she would at least make sure they had two invested fathers.

Leonardo cut off her obsessive staring by putting a finger under her chin and turned it to look at him. “Hey, that's always been the plan. No one gets left out. Everyone has an equal place in this family, right?”

She nodded absently and he pulled her in for a hug. When he felt her shaking, he pulled her in tighter and firmly rubbed her back. “Everything's going to be okay.”

Donatello watched, content to let Leonardo do the physical work of assuring her. He, too, agreed that everyone would have an equal place in the family. But then he remembered something.

“Oooh, then you're not going to like the names we picked out for them.”

***************

They had only been asleep for about an hour when a wild klaxon tore through the silence of the lair. There was an early-warning alarm system in place if ever the lair was being invaded. This was not that alarm. Confused and startled, Leonardo leaped out of bed first, still only half awake. His long legs tangled in the sheets, causing him to immediately trip and fall on his face. Mona Lisa blearily looked over the edge of the bed to check on him.

Donatello shot like a rocket out of the room. His urgency dropped a heaviness in Mona's stomach. One glance at Leonardo and they shared a look of horror.

The babies.

Mona grabbed one of Donatello's overly large sweaters on her way out the door  and put it on as she ran down the tunnels to the incubation room. She and Leonardo found Donatello manically working the instruments on the incubation canisters. The alarm still sounded—louder now—permeating their bodies with the noise.

“What's going on?” Mona shouted, trying to be heard.

“Their blood-oxygen levels are dropping. I think,” Donatello replied, hoping from one piece of machinery to the other.

“You think?” Leonardo demanded.

“You don't know how to tell what's wrong with them?” Mona pressed.

He spun on them both. “Look, I don't know! I've never done this before!” With a frustrated cry, he slammed his hand on a large, red button and the alarm klaxon shut off. But all the monitor screens were still going crazy, flashing red with multiple warnings. “Just give me a second to figure this out!”

There was nothing she could do to help. It was all in Donatello's hands and he was panicking. And if he was panicking, it wasn't good. Mona looked to the twin canisters. The bodies inside squirmed in discomfort, their little faces no longer at peace. On the monitors, their tiny hearts were racing. They were in distress.

Leonardo put a hand on her shoulder. He was probably trying to comfort her, but he was gripping her so tight.

“Donnie, what if it's time to take them out?” he asked. “I don't know if it is. I feel like their lungs need more time to develop. I don't...” Donatello looked helplessly from one child to the other. “I don't know what they need.”

“Can we try it?” Mona asked.

He turned to look at her. Donatello was shaking now. They were all shaking. “If we take them out and they're not ready, there's no putting them back in. It will kill them. Just give me another minute. Let me think.”

As he went back to consulting his instruments, Splinter meandered into the room, looking half-asleep and dazed.

“What is going on in here?” he asked. When no one answered him, when he took in the utter panic and despair in the room, he touched Leonardo's arm. “Son?”

His voice came out as a whisper. “We...I think we're losing them.”

The bodies that were wriggling in discomfort earlier were moving with less and less energy. The color was fading from their skin. The little bodies looked bloodless. And nothing that Donatello tried was helping to improve their condition. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes. He couldn't fix this. They were dying.

He was still working frantically when Mona hugged him from behind. He nearly hit her with his elbow, trying to shake off her touch.

“Donnie, Donnie,” she pleaded, holding him tighter. Trying to get him to calm down. “Baby. We might have to let them go.”

His whole body stiffened. His head flung back to glare at her, though tears ran down his face. The tears in her own eyes quickly drowned out his anger. As did her touch as she cupped his face and wiped his wet cheeks with her thumbs.

She pressed her forehead to his, breathing out long and calm for him. She always grounded him; always knew how to keep him from spinning out of control. Everything hurt. Everything felt like it was going to fall apart, but she was still there, holding him. Keeping him together.

“Let them out,” she whispered. “If they only have a little time left, let them spend it with us, their family. So they can know how much we love them before they go.”

Donatello broke down. Mona had never seen him break like this before. He crumpled against her, sobbing into her shoulder. Bitter, frustrated, heart-breaking sobs. Leonardo, who had remained pale and still by the door, suddenly rushed to them, throwing his arms around both and pulling them in tight. Splinter was in among them, whispering to his sons how proud he was of them. Telling them that family will always be together, no matter how brief they were a part of it.

The canisters were drained. Donatello retrieved the first lifeless body and patted him lightly on the back to clear all liquid. A sickly, wet inhale came from the tiny mutant. A few moments and a second weak breath could be heard. The other twin wasn't faring much better.

The two were wrapped in towels and Mona took them. Both fathers were looking bloodless themselves. Pale, defeated, heart-sick. While the babies deserved to have someone with them at their last breath, Mona would not make the men she loved go through it. She was strong enough; she could handle it for them.

“Where are you going?” Leonardo asked as she carried the twins with her out of the room.

She paused in the doorway. “I'm going to the nursery. You don't have to come if you feel like you can't. I can do this for you. It's okay.”

She gave them the best smile she could and carried them away. They were still alive as she walked down the tunnel. Still breathing shallow breaths as she entered the small alcove they had outfitted as a nursery. It was a warm, inviting room that had been lovingly put together by everyone in the family. Twin bassinets, beautiful fairy-tale paintings on the walls and ceiling. Piles of soft plush toys everywhere. The room had waited so patiently and now it would finally see some use.

Mona sat herself in the rocking chair, a small body propped up in each arm. They were still breathing. Their eyes were closed, their bodies so motionless, but they were still pulling in air. What was she supposed to do now? Was she supposed to talk to them? What should she say? What could she say? Unable to find the words, she began to hum as best she could. But her throat was tight with grief. It made it so hard to make a sound. Was this what she had to go through to be able to feel anything? She had to lose her children in order to love them?

She sensed motion in the doorway. Leonardo and Donatello were there. They silently padded in and set themselves at her feet. Donatello propped himself up on his knees and tried to get as much of his top half into Mona's lap as he could. Leonardo remained sitting, curled up against her leg with his cheek resting in her knee. She could feel wetness from his face on her skin.

They stayed that way for the rest of the night, listening to the weak, struggling breaths as they spent their first time together as a family.

***************

Donatello awoke to Mona's voice, humming so, so softly. As his eyes opened, his heart broke. No, he didn't want to see it. He didn't want to see the woman he loved more than life itself singing to the bodies of his lost children. It was too tragic. Couldn't they just stay forever in the night, right on the cusp of loss, but never having to tip over the edge to feel the fallout?

Tears spilled down his cheeks as he closed his eyes. He hated this. Why did he ever allow himself to try something so crazy? How could he have completely ignored that this was a possible outcome?

He hastily rubbed the wetness from his face and Mona stopped humming.

“Oh, seems like Daddy's awake.”

There was the softest of sounds, like that of a newborn kitten, and Donatello's head shot up, eyes wide. He stared at Mona Lisa who was smiling. But he didn't see the babies anywhere. Had Splinter taken them after they passed so they wouldn't have to see them?

But then he noticed something inside the large sweater—his sweater that Mona was wearing—moved.

“Are...are they?” he dared to ask.

She pulled down the wide neck of the sweater to show the two squirming, bright green bodies held inside. “They were so cold, so I put them in here. Let them get as close to me as I could. They started perking up about an hour ago.”

Donatello jumped to his feet and loudly rummaged around in the dresser. This woke Leonardo who blinked blearily at the all the squirming under Mona's sweater. Until a little green head with red eye marks popped and out and chirped at him.

Leonardo's eyes widened in wonder. Since nearly day one, the blue-banded turtle could be found chirping experimentally at the canisters. There were a few times he claimed he heard them chirp back, though Donatello was always dubious. He chirped back right then and a second green head peered out to join in the turtle noises.

“My little sea monkeys will always pull through,” he said with tears in his eyes. He reared up on his knees, shoving his face into the sweater for contact. Little eyes looked at him with wonder. Little hands reached to touch his face. All three were making sweet turtles noises at each other.

Donatello returned with a stethoscope and grabbed his brother's shell. “Stop slobbering all over my babies.”

“Your babies?” the blue-banded turtle demanded.

“Yes. I made them. You're a DNA donor at best.”

“I'm pretty sure they already like me best,” he said as chirping noises continued from the sweater.

“Boys, you're both equal dads,” Mona reminded with a tolerance that came from dealing with this type of argument on a daily basis.

Leonardo was beaming at being called a dad, resting his elbows on Mona's knees.

Donatello ignored him as he reached in and pressed the diaphragm of the stethoscope to the thin shell-like back of the first little body he could get to. The baby made a sound of distress and tried to wriggle away.

“It's cold,” Mona told him with amusement.

Donatello huffed out a hot breath, then rubbed it on his arm to warm it up.

“Should they even be able to move this much?” Mona asked as Donatello tried again. This time, the tiny turtle hybrid didn't seem to mind being touched with the stethoscope.

“They're reptiles,” he said. “Reptiles are able to move around freely within minutes of hatching.” He took a moment to listen to each body. “Hearts and lungs sound good. I think...I think they're going to be okay.”

Mona grinned at him. It was easy to tell that they had been improving, but it was always great to hear a second opinion to confirm. “I guess they just needed some fresh air after all.”

Donatello leaned in, putting his arms around her shoulders and resting his forehead on hers. “I think they needed their mom even more.”

That did it. Tears she didn't know she was holding onto began pouring down her face. Donatello pulled her in tighter. Leonardo tried to snuggle in and pepper her with kisses while the babies chirped in irritation at being squished.

Splinter stood in the doorway, chuckling with the steaming cup of tea in his hands. He had been checking in all night and was the first to know then the twins began to show signs of improving.

“Daddy!” Leonardo perked up when he noticed him there. “Look! You're a grandpa!”

“Yes, I see, Son,” Splinter responded in amusement. “Do you want me to call your brothers?”

Both new fathers looked to Mona for a response.

“A nap first?” she asked tiredly. “Then family can come by later.”

Leonardo made a sound of happiness as he whisked her up in his arms, babies still secure in her sweater.

“Sure thing, Mom,” he laughed as he carried her off to the bedroom.

Donatello followed after with less energy. Splinter grabbed his son's wrist as he passed by.

“I am very proud of you this day,” he told Donatello. “For never giving up. And for listening to your family. They guided you to the right decision.”

Donatello closed his eyes tight so nothing could get out. He wanted to be done crying. “Thanks, Dad. That means a lot. That means...it really means so much.” He rubbed his face, half from fatigue and half from emotional overload.

Splinter patted him on the shell. “Go get some rest. Go enjoy being a father. Speaking from experience, it's one of the greatest joys you'll ever know.”

Donatello gave him a tired smile. He almost didn't want to leave this moment with his own father, but the pull to check on his children was greater. He turned to walk back down to his room feeling weightless. He was a father now. It happened.

Even as the children were growing, it felt unreal. Like a day that would never come. It wasn't ever something he thought about having for himself when he was younger. And now here he was with twin boys. Life would never be the same again and he wasn't sure how to respond to it emotionally.

He walked into the bedroom to find Mona and Leonardo on the bed. The latter was attempting to take one of the babies out of the sweater and said baby responded with cranky turtle noises and much wiggling as he attempted to get back to the warm place he was pulled from.

Leonardo returned him to the body heat of the sweater with amusement. “So they don't like to be cold.”

Donatello, who had been about to climb into bed, stood back up with a sigh. “I'll get a heat pad.”

“No,” Leonardo insisted. “You're going to lay down. Daddy Leo is going to get a heat pad.” And he flew merrily out of the room.

Donatello had never been so grateful for this particular brother before in his life as he plopped onto the bed. He curled up against Mona's side, head on her shoulder. “Daddy Leo will have to feed them, too, since he's the only one with any energy.”

He was absolutely drained; psychically, emotionally and mentally. Going off only a few hours of sleep. Having lived through more heartache than he thought he could ever take. He wouldn't have been surprised if Mona hadn't slept at all. He fully believed her instincts had saved the twins. He knew the science, but she had known what they needed to survive being brought into the world.

“Love you,” he murmured into her neck. His hand rested on the moving lumps in her shirt. They could handle the weight of him. They felt strong.

She put her hand on his. “They love you, too,” she assured him.

He smiled as he snuggled in closer to her. “You , Sweetheart, I was talking about you. I love you. So much.” They were words he didn't say often. They weren't always easy to say. Though he tried to make up for it in actions whenever he could.

Her fingers traced over his face and down his arm. Donatello could have fallen asleep right then and there. Drifting off in a haze of comfort knowing everything would be okay.

Then Mona lightly smacked him on the face.

“Hey!” he protested, sitting up on one elbow.

“Oh, so you can go to sleep and I can't, is that it?” she shot back.

He gave her a cranky look. “Isn't that why we have Leo, so we both can sleep?”

She snerked out a laugh.

Leonardo ran in, arms full of blankets, heat pads, and a heater. “I'm going to warm the hell out of this place!” he announced with determination.

He then just started piling blankets over all the bodies that were currently on the bed. Donatello and Mona looked at each other as blanket upon blanket was draped over their heads. No one was getting any sleep for a while. And they were okay with that.

*****************

Since it’s family season, I guess now’s a good time to bring out the babies.

Bonus pic of sea monkeys below.

@thelaundrybitch​ @turtle-babe83​

[royalelusts]

Could I have a request for upper demon moons with s/o gender neutral in a date in modern world ?

A/N: Here you go anon! I hope you enjoy these.

Kokushibo

I feel like he really enjoys quiet places

A day at the book store is usually you twos go to date

Just helping each other pick out books

Or finding really funny ones to make fun off

Another date you two go on regularly is to the park with your dog

Just watching you play fetch with her is enough to make Kokushibo laugh to himself

His favorite part about the walks though dont happen until the sun goes down

You two were walking hand in hand through the part

“Hey is something wrong?”

Your question caught him off guard. “Why would you say that love?”

“Well you keep checking your watch like somethings going to happen.”

Knowing you caught him he sighed leading you toward the tunnel of trees

As soon as the clock hit 9 the fairy lights in the tunnel turned on

“Oh so this is why you were in such a hurry.”

Pulling out his phone he put on a slow song and held out his hand

“May I?” “You may.”

And you two danced in the tunnel like you were the only people left on the planet

Doma

Did somebody say shopping?

He will buy you anything and everything

Oh you want that new book that your favorite author just dropped?

We’re picking it up right now

You want those shoes?

On it

Want the new video game that’s really hard to get?

Already in the bag

He absolutely loves to take you to buy clothes the most though

He pushes you out of your comfort zone in a good way

“Come on out darling. Let me see~”

“Doma I don’t know...”

“Nonsense. I bet you look amazing.”

After taking a deep breath you walked out of the changing room

“Look at yoooouuuuuu.” He squealed. “Do a turn for me won’t you.”

Rolling your eyes you complied to his wishes

“Ah you just look amazing. Yep we’re buying it.”

Yeah dates with Douma are a real confidence boost

Akaza

His dates are usually very chill

He’ll walk around town with you all day if he could

Doing whatever you wanted to do

But there is one time of year that is absolutely necessary for a date

And that my friends is fair time

You two wear matching outfits cause you’re that couple

He definitely makes it his mission to go on all the rides

Even the pirate ship

“Babe just one more time.”

You’ve had to pull him away from things more than once

You two were walking around having just got done eating when a certain clown started flying insults at your boyfriend

“Oh look at the big tough guy.” The clown teased

Of course Akaza ignored him cause he’s got self control like that😌

You two were walking away from the clown until he made a comment

“Oh I see you got a nice looking s/o with you. I would love to take them on a date.”

Yeah all self control out the window

Akaza walked straight up to the dunk booth and paid the vendor

“Come on big guy. Lemme take your lovely s/o on a date.”

Akaza smiled at the clown before hitting the target sending the other in the water

When Akaza came back you laughed

“Seems he got under your skin~”

“I can’t stand assholes like him.”

“Haha my hero.” You say giving him a kiss as a reward

Nakime

Dates with her are somewhat difficult

Don’t get her wrong, regardless of what you pick she’ll love it

But you really wish she would have some input sometimes

But that aside, stay home dates are more her style

Cuddling on the couch watching a movie, cooking together, self care nights?

The whole package

Absolutely loves when you play with her hair

Makes her soft

Lo-fi music played in the background as you typed away on your computer

Nakime, who just got out the shower, got behind you resting her head on your shoulder

“Rough day?” All she did was hum a yes

“You know what that means~” You turned around hugging her tightly

“Self care night!” She let out a soft chuckle at your antics

Hantengu

Like Kokushibo, his ideal date would be someplace quiet

But with less people

So he always has weird places to take you

There was this bookstore in this part of town very little people knew about

Or rooftop cafe that served your drinks in the strangest cups

Your favorite thing is when he find small events to take you to

“Sweetheart...I found this new cafe. Would you like to go with me?”

“Of course I will!”

The cafe was a little bigger than the ones you usually went to but not by much

There were plants everywhere, chairs were shaped like teacup mugs, and there were teddy bears of different sizes at each table

“Tengu this is adorable”

“It makes me happy you like it” He gave your hand a soft squeeze before deciding to head to the counter

Gyokko

He’d probably take you to an art museum

Since he himself is an artist he goes there to analyze insult the art pieces

“My art looks way better than whatever this is”

He said that about the Mona Lisa….THE MONA LISA

I actually see him to be a really respected artist in the art world

So he’s constantly being invited to art galleries

Of course he brings you along

Before you two met he went alone and got bored really quickly

None of the art truly caught his eye

But with you there?

He has the absolute time of his life

You two were staring at a painting

“...what is it supposed to be?” You asked tilting your head

“It’s fucking atrocious that’s what it is.”

You laughed at your boyfriend’s comment

The artist having overheard you two didn’t like the comments you were making

He was so fed up he went right up to your boyfriend

“You don’t know the first thing about art. How would you know what looks good?”

Already knowing where this was going you unhooked your arm from your boyfriend

“How would I know? Anyone with eyes can see that this doesn’t deserve to be here. These brush strokes aren’t even going the same way and you have the audacity to yell at me for not knowing anything about art?!”

(please know I know nothing about art so I’m sorry if I offended anyone🥲)

The artist having been embarrassed in front of everyone quickly exited the room

Gyokko wrapped his arm around your waist again smiling

“Ready to go love?”

Kaigaku

Dates with Kaigaku will either be super chill or chaotic

He once took you both to a rage room

It may or may not have ended with either of you crying

Another time he took you to paint pottery

It really depends on how he’s feeling that day

Tonight was going to be a chill night though

You two were laying on a mountain cuddled up on a blanket staring at the stars

“Babe look it’s orion.”

After a few seconds of him not saying anything you raised your brow “Babe?”

You looked over to see him staring at you

“Sorry I was just looking at the prettiest star ever”

You laughed at his horrible pickup line and pecked his forehead

“Thanks babe.”

Gyutaro

(ah the love of my life)

He’s not a guy who would take you to an extravagant restaurant or to walk around in a crowd

Unless that’s really want you want of course

Even then it would take a lot of convincing

You know that he doesn’t see himself that highly

(no baby you’re literally perfect please don’t talk down on yourself🥺)

He would much rather stay at his/your house and vibe

But if you REALLY REALLY want to go out he’ll arrange something

He has a spot he goes to that overlooks the city

It lets him forget his responsibilities for a while

Gyutaro: i’m outside get dressed

You raised your brow at the text but got dressed regardless

Outside he was waiting next to his motorcycle staring at the sky

“Sooo what’re we doing?”

“It’s a surprise. Here.”

He held out one of his hoodies and a helmet

You two drove for about 30 minutes before he stopped on a cliff

“We’re here.”

You walked up to the edge in awe

“Taro it’s….it’s amazing”

He hummed wrapping his arms around you resting his head on your shoulder

Yeah this is all he could ask for

Daki

Did someone say parties?

She 100% sees going to parties together as dates

I mean you get to see her in an amazing outfit

Who wouldn’t want to see that?

Now if this is your scene then there’s nothing to fix

If it’s not you’re going to have to explain that to her

You would probably take her to a flea market

Daki look around the building in utter disgust

“What the fuck? Why are we here?”

“Babe please just trust me.” You gave her a soft smile

Remembering this was supposed to be a 'date' she begrudgingly goes along with it

First you take her to the food section

She’s never seen food like this before so she’s a little hesitant

“...what is that?”

“It’s ox tail. Try it.” Hesitant she ate a piece and omg she absolutely loved it

You walk around some more until you get to the section with the perfume and jewelry

She’s absolutely amazed. They are so many different sizes with different colors.

“I want them all.”

“Babe no-”

[celestialarchon]

The Celestial Archon

Chapter One: A Storm of Stars

Genshin Impact x F!reader

In the first chapter, you may find the mystery archon described in a way that doesn’t fit you. That’s okay, it will change to each individual’s own tastes with time. The archon is described a certain way for reasons regarding the story line!

WARNINGS: lots of genshin spoilers, mentions of blood/violence, & mentions of injury.

tag list! @pebblegwn @krexpe @rockinaflock @creation-magician @noythe @weightlessrose @kclremin @vievi @simpinforkirari @red-riots-crocs

Our story began when Mona, the esteemed astrologist made a bold declaration. The stars foretold the return of a mysterious eighth archon. With this information, the most influential people of Mondstat and Liyue set a plan into action. The beloved traveler and his sidekick were quickly dragged into the preparations for the Celestial Archon. Aether and Paimon were looking forward to resting after weeks of hard work but unfortunately were interrupted by a star falling from the heavens. And so, we continue onward with our adventure.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Aether’s legs were sore, his knees began to buckle as he finally made it to the entrance of dawn winery. He yelped, falling forwards and closed his eyes preparing for the impact. It never came as two sets of hands grasped the boy and steadied him. Diluc, the esteemed owner of Dawn Winery sighed as his brother gently removed the mysterious young woman from Aether’s back. The red headed man scowled as the traveler’s knees buckled once more, catching the now unconscious boy.

The knights of favonious stood outside the winery, watching the two men carry the weakened traveler and mystery lady. With the stars still falling in the distance it was quite a sight to behold. Mona gasped as Kaeya approached, the woman in his arms still still sleeping. Her hair was long and wild, strange silvery tattoos danced on her skin, and her body was frail. Kaeya tried to be gentle with her, holding her bridal style but he could feel her losing strength and the warm blood from a wound staining his shirt.

Noelle rushed forward to remove Aether from Diluc, “My apologies Master Diluc, but this young lady needs a free room immediately.”

Diluc nodded, grimacing at the sight of the wounded woman in his brother’s arms. He pushed the doors to Dawn Winery open, making his way to the nearest guest room. Kaeya followed him and Jean yanked her younger sister along. The room was simple with a bed, night stand, and single chair. Kaeya set the woman down on the bed carefully, and rolled her over to see the back of her top soaked.

“Kaeya, go wash up.” Jean ordered, unsheathing her sword.

Diluc steered his brother out of the room while Jean got to work. With speed and precision, Jean’s sword cut the cloth away from the injury. Her eyes widened and she stepped back as the wound as freed. Barbara peeked around her sister and felt nausea building up. Noelle entered the room to see the two sisters in shock. Jean’s eyes were filled with a mixture of sadness and disgust.

“Did she have wings?” Barbara whispered, eyes never leaving the back of the woman.

“No, this isn’t a tear. Somebody or something did this to her,” Jean gritted her teeth, “they carved it into her.”

Noelle glanced over them to see something incredibly awful. There were two deep and wide gashes starting at her shoulder blades and meeting at her tailbone to make an upside down v symbol. Her breathing was shallow as the air hit the open wound. Barbara made her way to the bedside to infuse the wound with hydro energy and try to help the pain.

“Noelle!” Jean barked, “Find the Alchemists and tell Albedo to set up a direct teleport point here. Bring Sucrose here, we will need all the help we can get.”

Noelle nodded and dashed out the door, nearly colliding with the knight’s librarian. Lisa frowned but ignored the rushed girl and stepped into the room.

“Lisa,” Jean sighed as the woman walked in.

Lisa’s hand found its way to the dandelion knight’s shoulder, “Yes, acting grandmaster?”

“Please send word to Liyue Harbor that we need the aid of their best herbalist right now. This is urgent. You may also inform the adepti and Zhongli of the archon’s arrival but we need aid now.” Jean’s tone was serious, it struck a chord of anxiety in Lisa.

Without a word, Lisa strode out of the room and began to do as she was asked. Barbara continued to ease the pain of the sky goddess but grew more worried each second. The wound was infected. Sucrose burst in soon after, tears forming at the sight before her.

After what seemed like an eternity, Liyue Harbor’s esteemed top herbalist arrived with a small zombie girl. Together, the best healers from both countries began to work hard. They poured all their energy into their work and successfully removed the infection. By the time the sun began to come up, the wound was rapid healed but scarred terribly.

Though morning approached, the temporary residents of Dawn Winery found themselves crawling into bed to get some rest. Jean didn’t want to leave the eight archon’s side but was convinced to by her loving sister. The healers slept all day and all night long, missing the arrival of Liyue’s highest regarded people and adepti. Not a single soul dared to peak at the mysterious goddess as she slept, in fear of interrupting her much needed peace.

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

24 Hours had passed since the arrival of the eighth archon. The herbalists and knights began to wake finally as morning approached. Unfortunately, when they went to check on the strange woman and her injuries, the room was empty. Dread set over Dawn Winery with the goddess of the stars missing once more.

Noon soon came to pass but there was no sign of the Celestial Archon. Everyone had split up to search for her but had no luck. Aether was frustrated and panicked as he fell onto the grass. Suddenly a large gust of wind blew him over, Paimon clutched to his hair as a winged blue beast shot across their line of vision.

“Dvalin?” Venti stood abruptly, “Could it be..”

Realization hit Aether, “Let’s go! We need to follow him!”

Aether, Venti, Kaeya, and Lisa trailed behind the dragon. Paimon screamed at them to slow down but they were too focused to care. Finally, out of breath, they stopped. Dvalin had landed on the edge of a cliff, his head leaned down to press his snout against the cheek of a beautiful woman. Her hair was still long and wild but not unkempt. Her eyes shone bright like stars and her skin seemed to glow under the sunlight. Aether was awestruck. Was that really the same person he rescued only a day before?

The wind carried her laughter as the majestic beast snuggled up to her. Her hands came up to stroke his scales as her feet left the ground. She truly was floating. Starstruck, Aether and the knights of favonious could only stare. Venti, however, burst forward with a gleeful giggle. The celestial archon turned as the bard crashed into her. Dvalin rested his head atop of hers as her arms wrapped around the childlike god.

“Don’t worry, Barbatos,” She reassured, “I missed you, too.”

“You scared me, you stupid supernova!” Venti nuzzled his face into her chest.

Aether shivered as a growl tore through the air. The noise startled him enough, he fell right on his ass. Xiao shot forwards, ripping the anemo archon off of the celestial archon.

“You bastard drunk,” Xiao’s face was dark, “Don’t touch her as you please.”

“Ehe,” Venti giggled as the adeptus held him by the collar.

Aether stood and sighed, gazing at the shocked woman. He turned, hearing footsteps behind him. Zhongli had found them and the remaining adepti trailed behind him. The eighth archon’s mouth was agape. She flung herself at Xiao, tackling him. Venti escaped the yaksha as the goddess fell ontop of him.

“Oi,” She grinned clutching onto him, “I think I even missed your shitty attitude, pretty boy.”

Xiao’s face was red as he grumbled, “Just shut up, space case.”

Zhongli clicked his tongue, impatient. He pulled the goddess off of the yaksha and embraced her. His sudden affection made her cheeks flush but she returned the hug. Zhongli’s arms tightened around her, fearful that he would wake up from a dream. After a few moments he released her only for the poor bright eyed goddess to be swarmed by the adepti.

She giggled as they each took turns showing her how much she was missed. Even as Cloud Retainer scolded her, the smile never left her face.

“What exactly happened to you anyways?” The female crane adepti grilled the goddess.

A nervous laugh escaped the young woman, “Well, I kept thinking about how my heart was restless. So I guess I kept walking. Eventually this strange darkness consumed me and I couldn’t go anywhere. It was as if all the evil gods I struck down were exacting their revenge. Some time ago, the void I was stuck in opened up a bit and I escaped but was forced into something even worse. There were terrible monsters and powerful beings who sought my abilities I guess. They mistook me as a new goddess and attacked me.”

Aether’s ears perked up. She was talking about the Abyss, he was sure of it. His heart hurt at the way she tried to mask the pain of the endeavor. She reminded him of Lumine a bit.

“So anyways,” She continued, “I ran again and got caught in this space. It wasn’t bad, but nothing happened. I mean nothing, I was actually stuck for real that time and the space seemed to shift around me even though I couldn’t move. Time didn’t pass and my thoughts came to a stop, too. Then I was forced out and I think I was falling? That blonde kid picked me up but I was weakened. Sorry I don’t remember much but that.”

“Forced out, hm..” Cloud Retainer seemed stuck in her thoughts.

“That’s not quite right,” The goddess sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, “It’s more like it shattered? I think I fell with the pieces of it.”

“How strange,” Kaeya started, “It almost sounds like a domain.”

Zhongli nodded, “It does. Let’s not discuss this any further for now, it seems to be a painful topic.”

The celestial archon smiled gently at the geo archon, embracing him again. Zhongli stiffened but wrapped his arms around her again. Aether felt Xiao shift next to him, he glanced at the adeptus and had to restrain his laughter. He didn’t think the rough adeptus could ever pour, but there he was pouting.

After exchanging greetings and parting with Dvalin, the group headed back to Dawn Winery. Paimon had already taken a liking to the goddess of stars. Aether couldn’t blame the chubby fairy, the archon seemed oddly mortal to him. The other Archons carried themselves with grace and authority. The Celestial Archon was strangely human. Her appearance was godly and she did have a sort of divine aura to her but she was far more down to earth then even Venti.

“So why did you leave so suddenly?” Aether’s curious eyes met hers as they hiked back to the winery.

“I, uh, well the sun was calling to me.” A bashful smile formed on her lips.

Aether raised his eyebrows, “Calling to you?”

“Yeah,” her eyes were a bit distant, “It’s as if it was reminding me that the sun is a star, too. It willed me to bask in it I suppose.”

Paimon giggled at the archon’s clumsy wording. Aether pondered over what she said, thinking it was unique. Dawn Winery came into view and the traveler noticed that everybody else had returned. Chaos ensued at their arrival.

“Ahem,” Venti cleared his throat, “This is the eighth archon. The Celestial Archon, Seraphim. I call her supernova though cause she’s beautiful and destructive.”

“Hello! Let’s skip formalities, feel free to call me by my chosen name!” She introduced herself cheerfully.

Everybody chose to ignore Venti’s comment on the goddess being destructive. She was far too kind and gracious to be anything of that sort. Aether was the only one among them who noticed Venti’s words. They filled him with curiosity.

“I’m so hungry,” Paimon groaned.

“Oh, I missed food!” The bubbly goddess yelled, “Let’s eat! Can we eat?”

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The dining room was filled with chatter as they celebrated the arrival of the long lost archon. Paimon was stuffing her face as Venti chugged another bottle of dandelion wine, hiccuping. Diluc sighed as Kaeya poured another glass for himself with rosy cheeks. The scarlet haired man found himself looking for the celestial archon again. No matter how heard he tried to distract himself, his thoughts and eyes always found their way to her.

She was levitating above her seat, giggling as people brought her food to try. Xiao was uncharacteristically calm and looked happy even, as he fed her bits of almond tofu. Zhongli was smiling at her as she took sips of tea. The goddess picked up the small zombie girl and sat her in her lap, letting the child introduce “coco goat” milk to her. Things were going well overall.

Diluc watched as the kind hearted goddess set the child down and excused herself. She glided towards the terrace with a lingering sadness in her eyes. The esteemed Ragnvindr swiped the unopened bottle of dandelion his brother was reaching for and uncorked it. For a moment, the man was hesitant but his legs carried him to the open terrace anyways.

“Hello, Mister Diluc,” The goddess greeted him without turning to look at him.

“Pardon me,” He stopped at her side, “I don’t mean to intrude. This is a gift for you, Dawn Winery’s special.”

She glanced at him through her peripheral vision and held out her hand. He sighed and placed the bottle in her slender hand, watching her take a sip. She returned to staring at the stars above, sipping on the wine. The tycoon couldn’t help but stay by her side, seeing the look of longing she had. He felt that if he left her, she might just disappear again.

“It’s good,” She murmured, closing her eyes.

“Thank you,” Diluc tried to hold back the smile growing on his face, “I appreciate that you’re savoring it and not gulping it down like certain alcoholics.”

A snort escaped from the girl, “Barbatos the esteemed anemo archon and local alcoholic.”

Diluc snickered at her comment. She was so surreal. Everything about her felt dreamy, it was truly enchanting.

“I can leave you alone with your thoughts, I am deeply sorry if I disturbed you.” The man sighed and turned, but was stopped by her fingertips grazing his wrist.

“Diluc Ragnvindr, you are not a bother,” She sighed, “I am just a fool who would rather look for answers in constellations than face the reality before me. For me, not much time has passed since the Archon War. So you’ll have to forgive me if I seem cold, I simply am frustrated and depressed by the changes in Teyvat. I missed thousands of years and it will haunt me for a long while.”

Diluc’s jaw nearly hit the floor at the bluntness of the woman in front of him. He was empathetic to her situation, after distancing himself from everyone around him he had moments of sadness as well. He was also fascinated by her adoration for the stars.

“Do the stars give you answers?” He asked quietly.

She laughed, “Not always, but i’m able to read the constellations of an individual, even you Darknight Hero.”

“Oh, fucks sake that’s mortifying!” He groaned and then leaned in, “Wait. I have a constellation? How much do you know?”

“Your constellation is Noctua, and it’s fairly easy to read. I know that you pretend like everybody is bothering you at all times, because you don’t want to be disappointed again as your brother disappointed you after the loss of your father. You feel the need to be strong and never seen as weak, somewhere between inferiority complex and social anxiety.” Her words made his heart pound.

“But,” She continued smiling, “I understand. I also have daddy issues of sorts. And it often feels easier to put up those walls.”

Diluc was speechless. Their conversation was interrupted by clapping, as Kaeya made his way out of the shadows. Any vulnerability left Diluc at his brother’s entrance. He quickly exited the balcony seeing Kaeya’s smug expression.

“You are interesting,” his voice was almost sultry, “Tell me, what do you see from my constellation.”

The goddess gave him a sour look. She was quiet for a minute, eyes narrowed at the man. He waited, expectantly.

“Pavo Ocellus,” She sighed, “A complicated constellation. You do carry a heavy burden savior of Khaenri'ah. So much of you is shrouded in mystery, although that’s fitting isn’t it? I don’t know enough to see you as a threat, however your dishonest habits and constant tests you put people through seems irritating.”

“Oh, you’re bold,” He grinned, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, “Bold, beautiful, and busty. Just my type.”

“And you say things like that so casually,” She pushed his hand away, making her way back to the dining hall.

“Sir Kaeya, you should be careful saying such things. If you aren’t, somebody might fall for you. It’s like a honey trap. Give the wrong person the wrong idea and you’ll find yourself in a pinch.”

With that, she left the calvary captain alone with his thoughts. He was pulled in by her, but knew she was dangerous. His mind shifted back to Venti’s word earlier and he clicked his tongue. The bard may have been onto something.

When Kaeya returned to the banquet, the Celestial Archon was back to eating and being doted on. Xiao’s glare was locked in and targeted as Kaeya sat a short distance from the goddess. Kaeya merely winked at him, sticking his tongue out slightly. The yaksha’s hand flew to the spear by his side as he snarled at the cryo wielder. The goddess noticed the sudden change in the atmosphere and moved to the adepti’s lap. He blushed and scowled, but set his head on her shoulder.

The young woman’s affection towards Xiao didn’t go unnoticed and soon Zhongli was offering her tea while Venti offered her booze. Even Jean was attempting to seek some attention from the goddess. For once, Diluc and Kaeya had the same thought. That woman is troublesome.

[gyllenhaalstories]

CHAMPAGNE PROBLEMS — SUGAR DADDY!ZEMO

summary: a series of unfortunate (or fortunate, depending whose side you’re on) events brought you to mandripoor seven years ago. it was fun, dangerous and exciting for the most part. a lot has changed, but you are back in high town in the hope of purchasing a rare monet painting, and reuniting with an old flame.

warnings: tfatws spoilers, alcohol, established sugar daddy x sugar baby relationship, smut (daddy kink, dom/sub/switch dynamics, choking, hair pulling, blowjob, fingering, both degradation and praise kinks, spit kink, cum play, marking, unprotected sex). 18+ MINORS DON’T INTERACT.

word count: 2685

gif credit: pedropcl

notes: this (very long) fic is brought to you by zemo’s #1 hoe. for the sake of the fic, zemo’s daughter and wife have never existed. i get it zemo is the bad guy daniel is not your typical hottie but let me live my fantasy and reclaim my crown as the original zemo fan. listen to off to the races by lana del rey and let no man steal your thyme by the pentangle if you want to fibe with me! i hope you guys will enjoy it!!! <3

“If you keep staring at me like this, I’ll mistake you for the Mona Lisa.” You took the last sip from your glass, which was immediately filled by the man standing behind you. You had felt his familiar presence a long time ago, but you were too mesmerized by the rare painting trapped in a cage of glass to bother notifying him. “Your glance has followed me around the room. In other circumstances, I’d find it creepy. Now, it’s just very flattering.”

You heard him laugh through his nose. You saw his reflecting in the glass, lit up by flashing blue and pink lights and vibrating ever so slightly to the sound of the loud music.

“You’re like a Monet painting. From afar, you are clear as cristal and easy to read like an open book. From up close...” You marked a pause and stoodby straight. Your eyes never leaving the work of art you had been scrutinizing for the past hour. Water Lilies in Bloom, it was called, an incorrect translation that always brought a grin to your lips. “You are a mystery.” You swallowed thickly the bubbly liquid, recognizing the peculiar taste of champagne.

“It is arrogant but right to think of myself as the pure definition of mysterious.”

You chuckled, throwing your head back in disbelief. Some things never changed.

“After all these years... I managed to find my way back to you. Now that’s a mystery.”

You turned on your heels as you spoke. “Is it, though? Tell me, Daddy. Is it really that hard to believe you’d recognize your property even after all these years. I heard they put you in a pretty little cage. Didn’t have much else to think about than what you missed most?”

He took you in, just how ethereal you looked under the colourful neon lights. You had your arms pressed against your chest, the shiny material of your matching bracelet and necklace twinkled. He squinted slightly, his lips curled into a smirk while he looked down your body, the one thing that kept him sane after all these years in jail (that and the thought of destroying symbols like super soldiers and make the world a better place once and for all). “Nice dress.”

“My Sugar Daddy got it for me.” You did a twirl, showing off your outfit innocently. “You like it?”

He reached up to his neck and pulled on the collar of his purple sweater, like it was a tie he could loosen up. “So you received everything I sent you.”

You clicked your tongue. “Not everything...” Your head turned to look behind you, where your most priced possession was glowing in its full glory — soon to-be yours, you should say.

“Use your words, Princess. Say it and it’s yours.”

It was your turn to analyze him, to take every ounce of cockiness and pride. “You’re playing with fire.” You walked closer to him, erasing the distance but increasing the tension between the two of you. “All the money in the world won’t get you everything you want.”

He was quick to move, his soldiers instincts never left his body, clearly. His delicate hand wrapped around your throat so effortlessly. It tightened, forcing you to manage your breathing. “Money got me everything I wanted already.”

“What is it, Daddy? What is it that you want so badly?” You clenched your jaw, holding his glance which was filled with lust, instead of rage and grudges.

“You never looked so beautiful.” He leaned closer too, whispering the words to your ear. It was liked the loud club music turned into white noise. He could not care less about the stares and the words strangers exchanged as they witnessed the scene. High Town was not his playground.

But you were his plaything.

*~*~*

History repeated itself, in one way or another. Icons rose and fell. Symbols mattered and vanished into oblivion. Originality turned into plagiarism. Winners would lose it all, losers would dig their graves deeper into the abyss.

History repeated itself. The sight before your eyes was the same one as seven years ago, when all that was on this man’s life before meeting you was this stupid Mission Report of December 16 1991. You met him at a party like this, in High Town before he was banned from the land. He caught your attention doing his ridiculous dance moves, sharing his knowledge about the art pieces showcased around the room. Then he brought you to a hotel, the ones so fancy they had multiple rooms and a vintage record player as part of the decor. Only, it worked, and he put on his favourite Édith Piaf records. Rien de Rien, Le Petit Homme, La Vie en Rose, song after song, you were diving deeper in your memories.. He was popping yet another bottle of champagne open and pouring some in flutes you would never touch for the rest of the night. The same night, seven years ago, it changed your life. At the second you regretted setting foot in Mandripoor, he changed your mind and gave you the best months of your life. You would ride around Europe in vintage cars, dine in gigantic mansions you called castles. You admired the old paintings of his royal family members while he brought you a silk bathrobe to change into after a steamy shower.

You’d get lost in your thoughts, he’d get lost in his ambitions. You two were one and the same, in one way or another. That affirmation sent shivers down your spine. You could not tell if it was a good or a bad thing, a shy voice in your head was reassuring you it was the former.

“They call me Baron again, I guess I’m not doing too bad after all.” His voice snapped you back to reality. He was still wearing that obnoxious trench coat. You hated it, it made him look like a pimp. Although that was not too far from the truth, as the mountain of luxurious jewelry and clothes in your closet proved.

“Do you like being back here?”

“I love it here.” The emphasis on the last word was audible. You nodded in agreement. This place was heaven on Earth for some people, hell for others. For both you and Zemo, it was somewhere in between.

“You’re certainly not here for me.” You laughed, setting the still full glass on the nightstand.

He shook his head, mouthing a negative response.

“What is it, this time? Mission report February 32?”

“Something like that.” He answered, after another silent laugh.

“If only you had made me your mission, your life would have been easier.”

“Yours would have been, too.”

You shrugged. You agreed, but you did not need to say it. He knew. The two of you knew that this warmth washing over your bodies was the answer to all of your problems. Yet, you were fighting the urge to surrender and give in.

History always repeated itself.

All it took was for him to set his hand on your exposed knee. You got flashbacks of the numerous times his hand rested there while you two drove deeper in the country side, in some old Chevrolet, Ford, or any other European brands he could find and buy.

“Say it, Princess. Tell me what you want and I’ll give it to you.”

You swallowed thickly and fell on your knees. He sat straight, as straight as he could on the comfortable mattress, and spread his legs wider. “I want to go back in time.”

He leaned foward and you opened your mouth, your tongue poking out. He spit in your mouth, and you swallowed. The giggle that followed your actions sent blood to his hardening cock. “Just as eager as I remembered, right? You’d do anything to please me.”

“I’d do anything for you, Daddy.” You repeated, the confession left you breathless.

“That’s my good girl.” He brushed your hair with so much tenderness for a moment, you let out a content moan. He changed the mood real quick when he pushed your head closer to his crotch and unbuckled his belt at lightning’s speed.

Your mouth was watering at the sight, a sight that was tattooed in your memory forever. Whatever relationship you two had went beyond fancy presents and sex, it was a connection that tickled your souls and left you a different woman than when it first started. You wasted no time, stroking him a few times as you spit on his blushing tip. You smeared the spit over his sensitive spot and pulled the sweetest moans out of him, which grew louder and more intense when you finally wrapped your lips around his head.

No one compared to you, to your attention to details, to the way you were taking him all in, inches by inches like you were made for his cock and his cock only. No one compared to how blissful you looked pulling back, choking on your own saliva and the lack of oxygen. “You look so beautiful, Babygirl.”

His praise made you bat your eyes, hoping to receive more compliments. You flattened your tongue, licking him from the base to the top before you deep throated his cock again. You never left him untouched, your hands were massaging his walls or exploring his thick thighs while your mouth almost brought him to the edge.

That was when he pulled on your hair and demanded you went back up on your feet. “I bet you’re soaked. All you need is to see a cock to wet your panties.” You nodded as one hand reached up to cup your face, the other to cup your core from under your dress. He could felt the ever growing wet patch. He discarded of your panties in one effortless pull and pressed his pointer and middle fingers against your sensitive clit. He circled it, studying your reaction.

“Daddy...” You breathed out. “I need you.”

“I’m proud of you for using your words,” his finger slipped inside of your entrance, you moaned out his name. “So greedy and needy and easy for me, like the good whore that you are. Is that right? You’re Daddy’s perfect little whore?”

He was two fingers in, all the way to the last knuckles. He pumped in and out of you slowly yet roughly. You smirked when he finally touched that spongy spot inside of you. “I’m Daddy’s. I’ll always belong to Daddy.”

“That’s right.”

He brushed his thumb over your clit, his fingers stopped fucking your hole to abuse the bundle of nerves until tears started to pool in your eyes.

“Be a good baby.” You looked at him with doe eyes, sucking his thumb between your plump lips. “Do what I want.”

And you reached your high. You had nothing to hold you up, except for your shaky legs that threatened to give in under your weight and the intensity of your orgasm. You sucked on his thumb harder, hoping to quiet some of your moans but your screams escaped your parted lips.

In a blink of an eye, you were pushed against the bed and bounced against the body that blocked your every movement. His pants were nowhere to be found, just like the rest of your respective clothes. Your finger tips brushed over the skin of his shaven cheeks, down to his neck and chest. The intimacy, you had craved it all these years.

“I bet that sweet cunt of yours missed my cock.” He spoke, chuckling mockingly when he pushed himself in your stretched hole. You both let out a long moan of satisfaction. He rested inside of you, adjusting to your warmth and tightness. “I was right.”

“You’re always right.” You flattered his ego, and earned a sloppy kiss in return.

His lips moved down to your neck where he sucked hickeys and left small bite marks as he picked up the pace of his hips.

You wrapped your legs around his waist, hoping to bring him that much closer, and deeper, into you.

Zemo pinned your wrists above your head and pumped his cock inside of your tight pussy like his life depended on it. “So fucking wet for me,  gonna make me cum, Baby.” He had tried so hard to hold back, not to mark you and claim you again.

“Wait for me.” You begged him, and he brought one hand down to your neck again. He squeezed it, choking you deliciously until your eyes rolled inwards. He tightened his grip ever so slightly and he felt it, he felt the way your walls fluttered around him.

He thrusted inside of you, his hips snapped against yours and the sound of your skin slapping echoed in the bedroom. “Cum for me, Princess. Cum with Daddy.”

And you did, your body exploded in fireworks when you felt his release planted inside of you. He kept moving, rocking back and forth. He leaned back, leaving your neck to rub your clit once again. He was a moaning mess, the overstimulation made it almost painful to keep going but he did not want it to stop, not until...

“Fuck, Daddy!” And a second wave of pleasure hit you hard, it left you panting and shaking even more than before.

Zemo had to pull away quickly, and already missed the feeling of being inside of you.

Your fingers reached between your bodies, dipping into your folds and moving up to your lips as they were covered in his seed. You painted your lips with his white cum, before you licked them and your fingers clean as he watched, completely amazed and mesmerized. “Taste just as good as I remembered.”

He laughed, he was always one step ahead of everything and everyone, but you always managed to take him by surprise. You were just that great, that perfect. He rolled to the side and fell heavily on the bed. His skin was glistening under the light of the chandeliers from the thin layer of sweat.

You pressed your legs together, clenching around nothing. You hoped you could keep his load inside of you, as a proof this had really happened and it was not just one of your daydreams where you two would be reunited.

“I missed this.” You boke the silence with a small voice. Your fingers brushed over the bruises on your neck, and you hissed at the sensitive skin.

He turned on his side, worried for a second that he went too hard on you. The smile and joy on your face proved him otherwise. “I missed you, Princess.”

“I missed you so much, Daddy.”

*~*~*

The sun hurt your eyes, he noticed. He slipped out of the bed to pull on the curtains only to hurry back to you so you could lay your head on his chest. You were still wearing your bracelet, he started playing with it.

His mind was racing, just like his heart. You could feel it rumble in his chest like a loud engine. Something was bothering him.

“Oh, Zemo...” You caressed his cheek, looking up to study his features. “You can fool the smartest people in the world, but you’ll never be able to lie to me.”

“I’m coming home, Baby. I’m coming home now.”

You looked down again, taking a moment to answer. “Let me guess, you’ll take me to a fancy house like Rebecca’s Manderley and Jane Eyre’s manor at the Rochester’s. You’ll show me around, make me feel like I belong. And you’ll leave, high and dry. Again. All the money and presents from your people won’t erase the pain I felt. Not this time, not ever.”

He pressed his thin lips together. Pain, suffering, he was used to it. He had his fair share of it, caused even more to other people. The thought of hurting you, however, was unbearable.

“Every kingdom needs its king...” He paused and moved you, so you were resting on your elbows and your face was closer to his. “And an even greater queen.”

[twdmusicboxmystery]

Norman’s Suspicious Post

Don’t know if anyone else noticed, but Norman posted some pictures from France a couple of days ago.

1. First of all, he’s in FRANCE. 

Originally, I assumed this was a Ride thing (he posts several pics of motorcycle gear) and it may still be in part. Apparently the season of Ride he’s currently working on is filmed predominantly in Europe.

But @wdway noticed the same poster in three of his pictures, and @galadrieljones looked into it. It’s an Art Trope Gallery that is featuring some of Norman’s work, so that’s most likely why he’s there. 

Even so, we can’t help but read some 11c/TD clues into it as well. 

Remember that Emily was recently in France as well, and posted pictures of herself with the Mona Lisa (X). And of course we know the spinoff will be based in Europe. 

2. Then there’s the emoji caption. 

4 zebras, 2 giraffes, and a ghost. That’s clear as mud, right? Well, some of my fellow theorists went searching for these as symbols. We’ve seen some giraffe figurines in the background, especially in S4. It’s hard to say about the zebras. There are some things that might be zebras, but we just can’t tell for sure. 

Then again, a zebra is often described as a black and white horse, so there’s that. It’s an animal upon which the black and white can be seen together. 

And the ghost? Don’t know, but it made me think of a random conversation in 6x11. Rick’s group rescues a bunch of Jesus’s friends from a dark building where they’re hiding from walkers (this is the first time we saw Dr. Carson) and one of the men claims he saw a vision--a ghost perhaps--of his dead wife. I remember us thinking that was a Beth thing. 

Let’s talk about the pictures themselves. Not all of them are suspicious, but there are a few that definitely are. 

3. Probably the one I’m side-eyeing most is the red door. 

I mean, he’s posting a RED door. With a YELLOW sign on it. And to what purpose. I mean, he’s in France. There are innumerable possibilities for what he could post. Why this?

What’s more, the sign reads, “Sortie.” In French, that means, EXIT or RELEASE. Remember the “No Exit” sign in Beth’s cell? Also, “Centre Ville” means “downtown.” I can’t help but think of the filming hints we’ve gotten toward Atlanta lately. 

4. We also see a map. 

Yes, it’s a map of France, and the routes are probably the ones he’ll be riding along. Still, there’s the spinoff being in France. And maps always catch my eye, now. There’s the Terminus maps in S4, the “the new world is gonna need Rick Grimes” map Abraham left for Rick in S5, and more recently the map Daryl used in Find Me to search for Rick’s body. I’m just mentioning. Also, there are red and yellow route lines and stars on this map.  👀

5. He also has a red bike leaning against a pole. 

The Art Gallery poster is again, one of the ones taped to the pole. But bikes, and even red bikes, are a symbol we’ve seen often in the show, especially when someone disappears for a time and is then found. @wdway​ pointed out the table in the background with X legs and some Bethyl covers on the top.

6. He also posts a wall of art. 

(Disclaimer: there’s nudity in some of the art. You’ve been warned.) 

Again, the art gallery poster is here. But upon examining them more closely, it occurs to me that many of the figures in the pictures are wearing masks. Or, more specifically, you can’t always see their eyes. Often because hoods are pulled down over them. So, that could be a thing. 

7. And then there is the street performer. 

He’s blowing fire. (Sirius symbolism, fire, etc.). Now, alcohol isn’t usually used to do this fire breathing trick we often see from street performers, but gasoline is.  👀 Another important TWD symbol. Having recently reviewed 4x01 for my YouTube vids, I can’t help but think of the fact that Daryl puts a red can of gasoline in the back of the truck the instant before Beth and Zack walk into the frame. Just saying.  

@wdway​ also pointed out that the first pic I posted above of his meal with the coffee is very reminiscent of a few Emily posted about a week ago:

People thought it was very suspicious that Emily seems to be covering part of the label with her thumb. The label might have her location on it, and she’s been uncharacteristically mysterious about her location and whereabouts lately.

These are the other ones he posted that have less relevancy imo (but if you see something I don’t, be sure to let me know!).

So, maybe we shouldn’t be reading into these pics at all. It’s possible. But when the fandom is this quiet, we kinda can’t help ourselves.  😉 And I honestly think that red door is super suspicious.

Thoughts?

[probably-haven]

can i just... choir AU..... hear me out because this is the funniest shit.

Bard boy first, Venti is a soprano, no i dont take criticism. He’s actually really good at singing from natural talent alone and he knows it but he also loves attention and you cant get that by staying in line. He’s that bitch who ignores the sign to stop, sings the high notes just a wee bit higher to stand out, add random notes that definitely were not in the sheet music. He’s a prodigy but the teacher is just so fucking done.

then there’s Bennett, He’s probably a tenor. He’s really into it- and he really loves being a part of the class but he’s- really fucking bad at singing, and it doesn’t help that his voice keeps cracking loudly at the worst possible times every time without fail. They were doing one of their performances once and Bennett fell off the raised platform thing and ‘broke a leg’ literally. his chair keeps breaking every time he sits on it. always shows up to concerts at least 15 minutes late and covered in who knows what.

Razor can’t read. He can’t read the notes for the music and he cant read the lyrics for the music, he’s just trying to do everything by ear and it is- not working. He probably howled during a concert because he got exhausted from trying to imitate everyone for the past two songs. Somehow is better at following along when the song is in a different language. they made him a tenor too. tried to sneak one of his dogs into class once. 

Jean has like 5 different extra curriculars and still manages to practice choir more than almost any other kid in the class and is probably gonna burnout before long. She was a soprano during first year but asked to be switched to alto when Barbara was put in soprano because she wanted to be able to harmonize with her sister. 

Barbara is a soprano, as stated, wants to be an idol and is one of a couple who actually practice harder than Jean at it. She studies music theory in her free time which Jean tries to help with but Barbara resists because please Jean has enough on her plate already. The ideal choir student, helps everyone with their stuff and actually memorizes all the different parts so she can do that better, though she has to raise it an octave for the lower parts. Beautiful singing voice. 

Fischl is another alto. She’s... technically good- like she could be good if she just... sang... but every time she does she does it with the most over the top exaggerated voices/accents because she thinks it makes it sound better. A lot of the time when she walks into class tho theres this big ass raven just perched on her head or shoulder and its intimidating as fuck. It keeps following her and she calls it her familiar. It’s only fitting as the prinzessin der verurteilung afterall.

Sucrose is a soprano and sings beautifully, shes another one with a decent grasp of music theory... but she doesn’t have the most confidence in her singing ability so she does it really quietly or sometimes just mouths the words on bad days. Also she tries not to but she keeps zoning out and accidentally missing the sign to stop- a truly terrifying experience as she’s left the only one still singing, though most of these times Venti will quickly resume singing loudly and obnoxiously to take away some of the attention.

Mona is here for the easy A. She’s an alto but doesn’t really pay attention to what any of the notes actually are, alto parts tend to be pretty monotone anyway, so its fine, right? She has more interesting things to worry about like memorizing everyone’s birth charts and reminding the teacher every single time one of their planets is in retrograde. Skips performances if the astrology says its an unlucky day.

Noelle not the best singer but a sweetheart and the unofficial TA probably. She’s a soprano and she always auditions for solos but- when her competition is Venti and Barbara... lets just say she’s still trying. Probably takes professional voice lessons or something to be able to improve. overall takes it way too seriously for an elective. 

Rosaria is an alto and she’s actually really fucking good... if she tried. The songs are stupid and what is this- fucking latin? and she says exactly how she feels about it. probably suggests that the choir sing a Billie Eilish song instead or something- like seriously why are all the choir songs so religious isn’t that illegal or something? she does sing the right notes but ensures that every single word sounds like a chore. She wouldnt have bothered at all but Barbara is oddly convincing

Lisa is an alto as well. Very pretty voice and is good at getting the notes and stuff but she doesn’t look at her sheet music at all- she’s just really good at doing it by ear. She’ll get the packet and be like ‘aww, thanks’ before just closing it and putting it behind her without a second glance and then still somehow manages to get it right.

Amber is a soprano and she loves it, her voice is about average but the energy she puts behind it make her really fun to listen to. not the best voice for a choir but that’s okay because she’s having fun and makes other people have fun Probably the type to randomly start singing choir song during passing period, it helps her remember them afterall!

Eula’s family probably had her join. She’s an alto as well and definitely 100% has voice lessons. Probably assumes that everyone does and talks about them like everyone knows exactly what she’s talking about. Always declares vengence every time someone gets something wrong enough for the teacher to point out... or whenever someone tries to help her. 

I’m sorry but Albedo is tone deaf. He’s a tenor because honestly- mondstadt’s tenor section is doomed anyway with Bennett and Razor. He does very much understand music theory though and has a tendency to suggest changes to the music that somehow end up working better than the original piece- and yet he sucks at performing it. doodles on his sheet music. 

deep breath

Diluc is a baritone... the only one- but to be fair mond doesn’t have a lot of dudes and choirs dont usually have a lot either. Joined choir because he thought he wouldnt be in the same class as Kaeya and he was very disappointed. He does try though since he’s the only one in his section and if he messed up they would know exactly who it is.

Kaeya is a tenor. makes comments about how since tenor is higher than baritone it means that Kaeya is above him. Taking full advantage of the fact that the date to transfer classes passed. He’s actually pretty good at singing but he’s not the best at reading music, which Diluc is quick to remind him of whenever the need for a comeback arises.

[mrpenguinpants]

Mona HCs: Self-worth

[For the Christmas Celebration Requests, please read this]

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Hey anon! I’m so sorry this is late. I hope you’re doing okay anon, wherever you are. But I’m happy to hear you like my work 💕💕 I don’t mind talking/writing about sensitive topics if it can help people, even if the comfort is coming through words it’s still comfort, but I’m never too busy to skip over a request. Just might be a bit slow haha. I’m glad you enjoy reading them and sending me an ask! Thanks for telling me I’m doing great cause damn I need that right now.

If any of you are struggling right now, even if you’re in a slump, I’m always free to talk. Sometimes it’s easier to vent to a stranger and know that you aren’t alone. We’re in this together.

I’m kinda scared to post this but that’s alright;; This was way longer than I thought it would be so I’m gonna split Barbara and Mona into separate hcs.

But, depending on the feedback (if there is any lol) I might skip Barbara. I swear I was going to make this happy but then I shot myself in the kneecap.

[taglist]  <- if you want to be added, please read this first.

@hanniejji​​​  @mikeysbike​​​ @unionwitch​​ @musekala​​ @twistedsunnshiii​​ @stanzastic​​ @akaasea​​ @xoneaboveallx​​ @adoring-ghost​​ @asheseiler​​ @childelover​

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Mona HCs: Self-worth

Mona Megistus was an astrologist of great skill and equally-great pride. She was both beautiful and confident and never used her astrology for profit. You were so proud of her and grateful that she was your partner. But maybe being with someone so great was when you started feeling off. You started comparing yourself to Mona and everyone else around you, seeing and thinking that everyone was doing something worthwhile. Sucrose and Albedo were great alchemists. Jean, Kaeya, and Lisa were part of the Knights of Favonius. What were you doing? Even though you felt guilt for feeling these ugly emotions towards your friends, you couldn’t stop them. You loved Mona, nothing would change that. So instead, you started hating yourself. 

You had met the astrologist when she was moraless and starving outside the walls of the City of Freedom. You knew that she had a temporary home towards the corner of Mondstadt so why was she outside the walls? It turns out that she spent all her mora on astrological devices and forgot that she was human and needed to eat and had collapsed before making it home. Out of the kindness of your heart and frankly, leaving someone to die right outside the gates of the City of Freedom would be awful, so you helped carry her back to your home and made sure she was alright. Since then Mona had attempted to return the favour but you always declined. You didn’t want to know about your fate but if she wanted to hang out as friends, you would be inclined to. It started to elevate from there and now you’re both partners. Since then you found yourself in Mona’s temporary lab and house more often than your own home. 

Being that you spent so much time with Mona, you’ve had to deal with a fair share of clients storming out the door because of Mona’s bluntness when reciting their fates. To be fair, she was blunt towards you too. In the beginning you didn’t mind, you actually enjoyed the honesty, but now you couldn’t help but second guess yourself. Trying to reason with yourself that if Mona didn’t like you, she would say it. If you weren’t good enough, she would tell you. Well, due to her astrology she took one glance at you the next time you walked in and knew all your deepest insecurity's.

“Your life is not at a standstill, it’s not hopeless. There is nothing to be sad about.” 

That made you take a step back. Slowly registering the words and repeating them over and over in your head. You knew that she was just telling you what you needed to hear. That this is what you needed and wanted to hear. That she wasn’t trying to be mean and that she was right. You wanted to live a happy life with her and if you felt useless then you should work on it. Staying holed up in your room wasn’t going to help you. You knew all of this and yet, you could feel yourself slowly breakdown.

“Breathe in. Breathe out. You’re going to be okay. It’s going to be okay.”

Mona had her experiences of clients crying and getting angry at her predictions but when she saw you slowly breakdown. To see your eyes start to burn and get heavy, like the rim of a glass being pushed down and down. To see you slowly crumble from the inside out as you tried to hold your tears and sniffles in. She didn’t need the stars to tell her that she said the wrong thing. She was told to never offer advice, just to read what fate said when asked. 

“I want to be happy. But I just can’t. I want to enjoy these little moments. I want to enjoy seeing my friends. I want to do so many things and make so many happy memories with you. I know all of these things and I’m trying my hardest to think like that but I just can’t. I can’t. Am I just not trying hard enough? Am I enough to you? Am I worth enough to be okay?”

She called out to you but you already turned away and ran out the door. You didn’t see each other for a few days because you couldn’t help but second guess what you said. Were you overthinking it? Mona didn’t say anything hurtful so why were you so upset? You didn’t want to face her so you curled into yourself further and let yourself get swallowed whole in despair.

When a week had passed, Mona made her specialty dish “Der Weisheit Letzter Schluss (Life)” and awkwardly shuffled outside your door. She wanted to give you time to yourself but after talking with Albedo and Klee plus your absent presence from her, she felt lonely and was starting to reflect on her words. It was a insensitive to take your happiness for granted and while she usually didn’t complain about upset clients being told future’s they didn’t want to hear. You were important to her. You were worth enough to be told things were going to be okay and much more. 

As much confidence that Mona had in herself and her skills, she couldn’t manage money. She was always living on poverty line. She almost died if you didn’t find her and extended your help. She was so lonely and you were the first person that she considered a friend. More than a friend and more than a partner. You meant so much to her and she couldn’t realize that this is what you needed to hear instead. 

She softly knocked on the door to see if you were home but the door gave away. You hadn’t bothered to even lock the door. At least you were in Mondstadt so she could rely that no one had broken in. She softly opens the door and places the dish on the table and searches your little home trying to find you.

You’re on your bed, asleep even when it’s noon. She didn’t want to wake you up but she didn’t want to leave yet. Not until you were okay. She felt so much guilt and only now found the courage to come see you. She was disappointed in herself that she basically abandoned you in your time of need, what kind of partner was she? She bit her lip hard enough for it to bleed as she carefully lied down next to you and wrapping her arms around you. Even if you hate her or you don’t want to see her, she doesn’t want you to think that you’re worthless or she doesn’t care. You mean so much to her and you spent all this time not knowing.

You don’t need to be the best, even if you think that what you’re doing isn’t good, it was and she was proud of you. No matter how long it takes for you to feel okay, to feel happy, she’ll stay by your side the same way you did.

“It’s okay. It’s okay to feel like you’re not good enough. Don’t feel guilty for being stressed or sad. Things will get better. Fate has not abandoned you and neither will I.”

She had regressed to her apprenticeship, thinking that astrology could explain the laws that governed the existence of all things. That human hearts were guided by these laws, and if one had great enough powers of calculation, all the mysteries of the world could be understood. She remembered when she was starving, you had shared half your food with her. In your small but warm kitchen as you offered her your own hard work just to make sure she, a stranger, had something to eat. 

"Out here, we've gotta have each other's backs."

That was the first time she truly questioned her thoughts under the stars, she marveled that her research had been so full of holes. Mona cries silently beside you, even with all her training and how she boasts about the power of astrology, she can’t help you. No matter how many hydro graphs she makes or tells you that the stars show a glimmer of hope. That won’t help you. So she holds you and hopes that you can feel all her emotions and love. 

While you’re asleep she tells you about when she first started astrology, she accidently scaled herself. The burns are still on her as a reminder that she makes mistakes. How she was moraless for years after leaving her Master’s teachings but somehow found a job in the Court of Fontaine’s mainline newspaper. All on pure chance. She tells you how appreciative she is that you visit her everyday, to make sure she has a meal, and that she remembers to write her column for the newspaper. That she’s grateful to have met you and have you stay by her side. 

���I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. It’s okay. It will be okay. You’re enough. You’re perfect. Everyone may seem to be exceeding but it doesn’t mean you’re slow, that you’re not worth it. You are at your own pace, working through your own steps. You’re not alone. I’m here. You’ll be okay.”  

[princealberich]

GENSHIN IMPACT NAME MEANINGS - MONDSTADT

I wanna preface this by saying that I am by NO MEANS an expert in languages! I’m fluent in English, and that’s it- I’m just very interested in name symbolism!

That being said- it appears that all the Mondstadt names are, in fact, canonically English- Most of the Chinese names translate directly back to their English counterpart 1 to 1. Despite this, I included any possible meaning in their Chinese names, just in case!

AETHER (ENG): A Greek God, the personification of the “Upper Sky”. Represents the air that the Gods breathe, rather than the air of mortals.

KONG 空 (CH): Empty, hollow, in vain, sky, air, free, spare time, free time.

SORA 空 (JP): Sky.

Notes: Definitely a correlation to the sky- With the Chinese translation, could be ‘Empty Sky’.

LUMINE (ENG): To light up, to illuminate.

YING 荧 (CH): Fluorescent, amazing, glimmering.

HOTARU 蛍 (JP): Firefly.

Notes: All linked to light. Could represent the light to Aether’s sky? The light that it’s missing?

PAIMON: An obedient king of Hell under Lucifer’s reign in “The Lesser Key of Solomon”, a book on demonology written mid-1700′s. He has 100-200 legions of demons and wears ‘a precious crown’.

“Teaches all arts, philosophy and sciences, and secret things; he can reveal all mysteries of the Earth, wind and water, what the mind is, and everything the conjurer wants to know, gives good familiars, dignities and confirms them, binds men to the conjurer's will.”

“If Paimon is cited alone, some offering or sacrifice must be done, and he will accept it; then two kings called Beball (Bebal or Labal) and Abalam (Abalim) will go to him together.”

Notes: ...I’m not saying that Paimon is the unknown God, but. Well. Also, Paimon’s name appears to be universal.

KAEYA (ENG): A feminine Indian name meaning ‘Monsoon Flower’. However, it’s also a phonetic translation of his original Chinese name.

KAIYA 凯亚 (CHI): This isn’t a name in any databases. 凯 (Kai) means ‘Triumphant’, while 亚 (Ya) means ‘Inferior, second’.

GAIA ガイア (JP): Pretty much another translation, though in Japanese, it can be loosely translated to ‘Victory song’.

Notes: This is a difficult one. Unless anyone else has a better grasp on languages and understands it, please let me know! However, it may allude to his and Diluc’s fight... Somehow. Triumphant second son, maybe?

AMBER (ENG): Fossilized tree resin. However, it’s also phonetically similar to the original name.

ANBO 安柏 (CHI): Again, this doesn’t seem to be a direct name. 安 (An) means “peace/quiet”, while 柏 (Bai) means “cypress tree/cedar”. Together it may mean a peaceful tree, but it could also just be a recreation of the English name ‘Amber’, due to their similarities.

ANBA アンバー (JP): Translates directly to ‘Amber’.

Notes: It’s at this point that I, a man who can only speak and read English, have made a mistake in doing this. I think her name really is just ‘Amber’, though.

LISA (ENG): ‘Devoted to God/Oath from God’.

LISHA 丽莎 (CH): 丽 means ‘Beautiful’, but this is pretty much just a direct translation of ‘Lisa’.

RISA リサ  (JP): Translates directly to ‘Lisa’.

Notes: Her name is Lisa. Her name is just Lisa.

DILUC (ENG): I couldn’t find any names here, let alone meanings.

DILUKE 迪卢克 (CH): 迪 means ‘To enlighten’, 卢 means... ‘Old Rice Vessel’? I’m not sure. 克 can be translated to the name of the Seventh of the Legendary Flame Emperors.

DIRRUKU ディルック (JP): Appears to be yet another phonetic translation of his name.

Notes: Genuinely cannot find anything non-genshin related to the name Diluc. Maybe the Flame Emperor thing is intentional, given he’s a Pyro user?

Edit: Anon brought up that his name is likely taken from the latin word ‘Diluculum’, which means ‘Twilight’. Similarly, ‘Crepus’, his father’s name, translates to ‘Dusk’.

JEAN (ENG): ‘God is gracious’. Apparently, it’s of Medieval Scottish/English origin!

QIN 琴 (CH): Refers to the qin, a 7-stringed Chinese zither. “There are 3 category sounds produced by the Chinese Zither. Harmonics represents the sound from the heaven. Open strings represents the sound from the earth. Stopped strings represents the human beings.”

JIN ジン (JP): An actual Japanese name, most translations point to ‘human’ interpretations!

Notes: I’d wager that her name is meant to represent her humanity and love for Mondstadt, if it’s not just a translation.

BARBARA (ENG): Linked to Saint Barbara, whom was killed by her father. She’s the patron of architects, geologists, artillarymen and stonemasons. Very heavy religious connotations- It’s also worth noting the similarities to the name ‘Barbatos’, though.

BABALA 芭芭拉 (CH): Considering the repeat phonetic, I’m fairly sure this is just a recreation of the name ‘Barbara’.

BABARA バーバラ (JP): Translates directly to ‘Barbara’.

Notes: Just Barbara. She’s just Barbara.

BENNETT (ENG): “Blessed little one”, or a derivative of Benedict.

BANNITE 班尼特 (CH): Pretty much a direct translation of ‘Bennett’.

BENETTO ベネット (JP): Translates directly to ‘Bennett’.

Notes: baby boy

DIONA (ENG): A variant of “Dione”, from Greek mythology. Said to be the mother of Aphrodite, and means “From the Sacred Spring”... Possibly referring to the event in Diona’s backstory, in which she was granted her bartending talent by a ‘Spring Fairy’ that she befriended.

DIAONA 迪奥娜 (CH): Translation of Diona.

DIONA ディオナ (JP): Same as above.

Notes: If you want to know more about that, see Diona’s lv5 story!

FISCHL (ENG): A German surname meaning “Dweller at the sign of the little fish; the little dealer in fish.”

FEIXIEER 菲谢尔 (CH): Translates to “Fischer”, which is a similar German surname.

FISSHURU フィッシュル (JP): Translation.

Notes: “Prinzessin der Verurteilung” Translates to “Princess of Condemnation”. “Fischl von Luftschloss Narfidort” Translates to “Fischl from Narfidort Castle in the air”. I know this isn’t her real name, but I don’t want to spoil anyone, so I can do that separately.

VENTI (ENG): ...It’s a starbucks drink? But it also means ‘Twenty’ in Italian.

WENDI 温迪 (CH): Translates directly to “Wendy”, which... Might be a reference to ‘windy’? 温 translates to ‘Temperature’, while 迪 has no real word translation. ‘Wendy’ as an English name was popularized by Peter Pan! I wonder if that has anything to do with Venti’s eternally youthful appearance?

WENTI ウェンティ (JP): Translation.

Notes: “In demonology, Barbatos is an earl and duke of Hell, ruling thirty legions of demons and has four kings as his companions to command his legions. His name derives from Latin barbatus, meaning ‘bearded, old man, philosopher’.” Okay... That sure ain’t him.

On another note, maybe the English translation changed ‘Wendy’ to ‘Venti’ because it’s a traditionally feminine name.

Edit: @silver-dust-12​ pointed out that ‘Venti’ means ‘winds’ in latin!

ALBEDO (ENG): Not actually a name. However, it IS a word. ‘The proportion of the incident light or radiation that is reflected by a surface, typically that of a planet or moon.’

On another note, in alchemy, it has a specific definition. Taken from wikipedia:

“In alchemy, albedo is one of the four major stages of the magnum opus, along with nigredo, citrinitas and rubedo. It is a Latinicized term meaning "whiteness". Following the chaos or massa confusa of the nigredo stage, the alchemist undertakes a purification in albedo, which is literally referred to as ablutio – the washing away of impurities. This phase is concerned with "bringing light and clarity to the prima materia (personal material)".

The albedo is the second stage of alchemy. In this process, the subject is divided into two opposing principles to be later coagulated to form a unity of opposites or coincidentia oppositorum during rubedo.

Alchemists also applied it to an individual's soul after the first phase is completed, which entailed the decay of matter.”

ABEIDUO 阿贝多 (CH): Translation of ‘Albedo’.

ARUBEDO アルベド (JP): Translation of ‘Albedo’.

Note: Interestingly, his is the only name so far that is a pre-existing word... Apart from the Travelers’.

KLEE (ENG): A German surname that means ‘Clover’. Likely related to her clover symbolism!

KELI 可莉 (CH): This only brought back Genshin results, so... Pretty sure it’s just a translation of ‘Klee’.

KURE クレー (JP): Near certain this is another translation.

Note: I’d say the English is what it’s meant to be, here!

MONA (ENG): Means ‘Noble and Aristocratic’, which is pretty fitting.

MONA 莫娜 (CH): Translates to ‘Mona’.

MONA モナ (JP): Translates to ‘Mona’.

Notes: Easy one!

NOELLE (ENG): ‘Christmas’, or ‘Birth’. She was born in March, though...

NUOAIER 诺艾尔 (CH): Translates to ‘Noelle’. 诺 means ‘Promise’.

NOERU ノエル (JP): Translates to ‘Noel’, the masculine form of the name.

Notes: I find it a little weird that this is her name? But it could be due to the name’s involvement in religious texts. Also those roses look like shrek’s ears

RAZOR (ENG): “An instrument with a sharp blade or set of blades.” Another word name, fitting considering he wasn’t raised by humans.

LEIZE 雷泽 (CH): Almost a translation of ‘Razor’. Can’t find anything else.

REZA レザー (JP): Translates to ‘Leather’.

Notes: I mean, pretty self explanatory. Wolf boy.

SUCROSE (ENG): “A compound which is the chief component of cane or beet sugar.” Word name, again!

SHATANG 砂糖 (CH): Translates to ‘Granulated sugar’. Literally the Chinese word for sugar.

SUKUROOSU スクロース (JP): Translates to ‘Sucrose’.

Notes: Definitely compared to sugar... Which is cute :)

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And that’s all of the currently released Mondstadt characters! I’ll follow this up with a Liyue post soon. sorry for how long it got, so remember to tag as ‘long post’ for your followers’ convenience!

[thestarkerisobvious]

Kidnapped

tw: kidnapping, off screen violence, mentions of self-harm

spoiler alert: Angst With A Happy Ending

Chapter 1: The Mona Lisa

Peter looked out through the heavy white curtains, over the walls of the courtyard to the street below. He had a very good view of the world from this window, and as long as he sat still, no one would see him.  He didn’t want anyone to see him.  If someone saw, he would be punished.

The thought of Tony punishing him gave him a shiver in the warm room.  He

 didn’t want Tony’s punishments.  Tony’s punishments could be cruel.  

But there wasn’t much to see of the world, good view or not, so Peter went back to pacing.

He had three rooms to pace through – four if you included the luxurious bathroom Tony had made for him. There was nothing else to do but pace. He thought about doing more pushups or chin-ups on the bar Tony had installed for him, but he had done all his reps for the day.  It felt petty, pacing back and forth passed the large piles of video games stacked up next to the huge monitor or the massive stacks of books opposite them, but Peter didn’t feel like addressing either pile (although he might dust them again. His rooms were all immaculate.  No mess here.)  He groaned in frustration. It was the only sound in the silent room. He gave his gaming chair a petulant kick.  He wanted his computer back.

He didn’t know why Tony had taken his computer.  He hadn’t broken any rules or earned any punishment.  Tony told him it wasn’t a punishment… but it certainly felt like one.   He had been right in the middle of a project and he was dying to get back to it.  He knew he should be grateful that Tony had piled his rooms full of the newest video games and every book he had ever asked for, but that’s not what he wanted.  

Maybe he should take Tony’s advice and write it all down – he glanced over the lovely antique writing desk that Tony had bought him, filled with expensive kinds of notebooks and journals sitting next to expensive pens.  That seemed ridiculous to Peter, the idea of expensive pens, but it seemed to mean something to Tony, so he tried to be appreciative.

But dammit, he didn’t write things down like that.  Well, not those kinds of things.  Not his grandiose plans, not his clever internet schemes.  Those weren’t things you wrote, those were things you did.  He had tried, for Tony’s sake, to do more writing, but usually it came to nothing.  He didn’t even bother sitting down at the desk now.  He went back to pacing.  

But pacing was boring too. Maybe he would go back to sitting at his view-of-the-world window.  It was deliberately kept dirty on the outside, so that no one looking at the grand house (if anyone would) would see Peter’s face through the grime, and the bars on the windows, and the curtains.  Problem was, the street in this mansion-filled-neighborhood just wasn’t very interesting at all.  Once again, Peter longed for his computer.  Of all the luxurious things Tony had stocked his hidden rooms with, that was the one thing he couldn’t live without.  He didn’t know why it was gone, and he didn’t know for how long.  He sighed, then growled in frustration.  At least Tony would be back soon.    Tony would bring information – explain why he wasn’t being punished even though it felt like he was being punished.

As he walked passed his exercise bar and leapt up to grab it, doing a few more chin-ups before resuming his pacing.  He glared at it as he walked away.  It was good for exercise, but it wasn’t good enough.  It was just too boring.  He couldn’t say why.  When he was living in Quentin Beck’s mansion he had exercise equipment and a swimming pool and a private basketball court.    It had been ages since he had played basketball.  He wondered if he’d still be any good at it.

He paced by the large mirror that stood behind the huge dresser.  He stopped for a moment and regarded himself.  He was wearing an old t-shirt and saggy sweats, like he always was. He never saw the point in getting dressed when he wasn’t allowed outside these 3 rooms (four rooms.  3 rooms and a bathroom.  The bathroom counted as a room.  It was huge – as big, if not bigger, than his childhood bedroom. He wanted to remember that.)

Seized by sudden inspiration, Peter peeled off the shirt.

Turning to put his back to the mirror, he turned around and tried to see himself from behind.  It didn’t work too well, so he backed up until he was practically sitting on the dresser.  Then he could see.

Then he could see the bruises.

Mostly bite-marks, although those were fading.  Thought they were bright and angry red just a few days ago.  There were finger-bruises around his waist, too.  Those made his breath catch… made his eyes well up with tears. There were three straight lines still visible across his back, but he was expecting those.  Problem was, the worst of the bruises were very difficult to see from this position.  He needed a second mirror – one he could look into so he could see the mirror behind him. That was the only way to see the ones right on the back of his neck.

For a moment, he turned around and looked at his own face.

There were no bruises there, and there never would be.  Tony said Peter’s face was like a work of art… like the Mona Lisa.  Too precious, to beautiful to bruise.  

Peter smiled ruefully. He was the Mona Lisa, if you thought about it.  Beautiful, like a picture.  Beautiful, and locked away.  Locked up tight and safe where no one, no matter how clever or how powerful, could steal him.  But unlike the Mona Lisa, he had been hidden away as well.  Hidden away so carefully that no one, not even the man who loved him the most, had the slightest clue where he was.

His rueful smile didn’t look good on his face, so he struggled to hide it.  His pretty face.  The only argument he had ever had with his kidnapper – the only time he had ever spoken up or raised his voice to Tony Stark – was when they argued about his face.  But Peter didn’t argue too long.  If he argued too long then he might get into trouble.  If he got into trouble, he might get punished.  Tony might take away his computer, and he didn’t want that…

(Of course he had been good, he had been very good, and lost his computer anyway...)

Peter leaned in and looked at his face closely in the mirror.  It wasn’t a very good mirror, that was for certain.  It wasn’t very good because it wasn’t really standing on the huge dresser (half of which was full of Balmain jeans and Dolce trousers and socks that cost more than his first bicycle.)  The mirror wasn’t in the room at all.  It was inside the wall, on the other side of a glass pane.  The glass was unbreakable.  Peter knew.  He had tried. At least, it wasn’t breakable by any object Peter could find in his three (four) rooms.  

Peter frowned as he looked at his chin.  Tomorrow, or maybe the next day, Tony would have to shave him again.  Peter wasn’t allowed to have razors, for the same reason he wasn’t allowed to have things that could be broken and turned into sharp objects.  He had no one to blame for that except himself – at least he hadn’t been punished for that little slipup, not really.  His only punishment was the removal of the sharp things and the installation of the mirror.  

He looked closely at his face, still frowning.  He hoped Tony would have time to shave him, otherwise… Peter shuddered.  As much as he hated looking at his “beautiful” face, he hated that pale show of stubble even more.

Sighing, Peter put his shirt back on.  As he did, he noted the faintest hint of bruises on his wrists.  Faint, and fading fast.  Barely visible.  In a day, maybe two, and they’d be gone completely.  

Not that it mattered. Tony would be back, and soon.  

Tony would put the bruises back.  All of them.

Sighing, then groaning, in frustration, Peter started pacing again.  The silence of the rooms was really getting to him.  He went to the window, and then back through the three rooms to the writing desk.  Sometimes including the bathroom in the circuit.  Then back to the window again.  He would drive himself crazy if he kept pacing – but sitting behind the curtain looking down at the boring world would just be worse.  He began to wonder if he should try to take a long luxurious bubble-bath in the huge bathtub… Tony certainly seemed to think that was a thing that people liked… maybe he could even do that and read a book at the same time.  That was a thing that people did.  But by that logic he could just take a nap.  Or maybe…

Walking back to the writing desk, Peter sat in the chair and reached for a pen.  He had considered keeping a diary (or a journal – girls kept diaries, boy’s kept journals) about the life he was living here.  Behind all the locked doors.  In the hidden rooms on the third floor of Tony’s secret house. It wouldn’t exactly be a private account – Tony would read it for certain – but it might pass the time at least. Give him something to do.  Give him a place to complain, without complaining, about how unfair it was for Tony to take away his computer when he hadn’t even broken any rules.

He was actually reaching for one of the unused leather journals when he heard something that made his heart skip a beat.

He could sound of the key in the lock, even from where he sat.  It was because of the dead silence in the room – he could never abide to have music playing when he was alone, no matter how nice a stereo system Tony had bought him, no matter how much music he had provided.  Maybe that’s why he couldn’t abide to take a bath or play a video game while he was alone.  He needed the silence.

He needed the silence so he would know when someone was coming.

And someone was coming.

Tony was home early.

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chapter 2 coming tomorrow

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warning: Not Really A Dead Dove (I try to do dark and always fail)