#btw give me sky pls

[1bibypersecond]

I created this Viktor bingo, but I’m struggling to come up with ideas to fill it in.

ny headcanons for the new season are more than welcome!

[jackshiccup]

[ci3n]

can i request sort of airhead mc with mammon and luci !! tysm love uuu :))

lucifer + mammon with an oblivious mc

➺ i haven’t written in so long i hope this is okay and i did like an oblivious mc cause i think that’s what u meant idk 😭 hope this is what u wanted :)) (also not proofread btw)

obey me masterlist !

lucifer

you’re taking years off this demon’s immortal life

you seriously can’t tell he’s in love with you like he has made it so obvious.

he could just straight up tell you, but his pride won’t let him, of course, so he sticks with romantic gestures.

takes you out on fancy dinners, showers you with expensive gifts, compliments you all the time, gives you his coats to wear, let’s you in his room/office and touch his stuff, makes an effort to spend time with you, remembers every tiny little detail about you, doesn’t hang you upside down when you get in trouble

and you think he’s just being nice to you for diavolo and the exchange program

old man is so tired pls notice him

his brothers feel so bad for him, like it’s so painfully obvious to everyone but you (satan and belphie do get a kick out of it, but at some point they also feel kinda bad)

tries dropping subtle hints, asks you questions like, “have you thought of whom you want to spend the rest of your days with?”

“uhm, i’m obviously gonna spend it with you guys; i mean it’s not like i know anybody else here, lucifer.”

“no, i didn’t mean the rest of the program i- nevermind mc”

solomon watched the entire thing happen and was losing his shit at the back until lucifer yelled at him

probably gets angry one day and just ends up telling you

“listen, mc, i’m in love with you. i have feelings for you. romantic feelings, so please get that through your thick skull”

“okay, i love you too, but you don’t have to be so mean about it”

mammon

just like his brother, he also won’t tell you because this man’s ego is bigger than the sky

he tries his best to do cute things for you, but he’s so bad at it

he got you flowers one time, but they were some sort of wild devildom flowers and you almost died when you sniffed them, tried to get close to you while watching a movie by trying to put his arm around you but hit you in the face really hard and almost broke your nose.

by now, you probably think he’s trying to kill you

asmo tries to help his brother by telling you for him much to his dismay “mc, you know mammon really likes you.”

“thank you, mammon; i appreciate it.”

what do you have against him pls

after a lot of convincing from his brothers, he finally decides to put the ego aside and come clean about his feelings, and this sweet idiot is so very happy when you say you feel the same, like you have no idea how relieved this demon is.

[layraket]

Day 8 - Sleep Deprivation

Character(s): Four (LU)

Words: 1258

Summary: He doesn’t know what a normal sleep schedule is pls someone knock him out

Whump scale: 1 (see the full scale here)

Warning: Sleep disorders

This is kind of related with this post btw

Part 2 in Day 13

-

Not sleeping was a normal thing for him at this point. Since his first adventure staying up to keep going was almost daily, with only a small break when he couldn’t any more.

His grandpa has scolded him more than once for staying up too late at the forge, forcing him to stay at his room. At least the windows were never locked.

When his second adventure happened, sleeping become something optional.

His curiosity kept him awake during whole nights to continue an interesting book, his energy pleading him to practice with his sword, his heart aching for past memories, and his gut telling him to check if there weren’t any monster attacks around.

It was tiring after a certain point.

Since he joined the chain it was getting easier to sleep, the constant exercise being a big help for him to fall asleep during a full night. When it wasn’t enough, he would always ask to take a shift to keep guard and try to burn all the extra energy.

It worked, the first months.

After a while it suddenly became more and more difficult to sleep. It was after a fight with some weird wizzrobes that everything went down.

Four was hit by one of their spells, gladly it didn’t show any effects during the fight. They won and made camp as usual.

He took first shift, after all he didn’t feel like he could sleep easily tonight.

He called for Legend to take the second shift and went to his bedroll to try and fall asleep. He really tried, and failed.

When he realized it was already morning, the sun coming up in the horizon and light falling on the small clearing they were resting in.

Time was on last shift, and to not worry him he pretended to wake up from a really deep sleep. A whole night restless, it wasn’t new.

The next time he decided to not take any shifts, maybe that made his brain more alert than usual.

‘As usual’ do you mean us or your own mind? Both.

It wasn’t surprise that it didn’t work, another night without getting any sleep. He could keep the act up, it wasn’t hard to pretend being completely alert and no tired at all.

Yeah, the first three days.

When at first it didn’t matter a lot to him, now he was starting to feel the side effects of no resting. His body was feeling more and more heavy, his thoughts were less well-structured and an hour felt like a whole day.

He made a good job hiding it though, nobody has asked him about his tired face or the bags under his eyes yet.

“Hey Four, have a moment?”

Great.

“Yeah vet?” If he was lucky it was just to give some maintenance to his sword and shield, then he could go and try to take a nap without everyone looking.

It looks like that wasn’t the answer Legend wanted to hear, looking him up and down. “Just wanted to ask, how are you doing in your training?” This felt like a trick question, a very hard one.

“Ah, good, Sky is teaching me some movements and to react quick, very good teacher.” The last time he trained with the skyloftian he fell on his face, but Legend didn’t need to know that.

“Uh-huh” Maybe he squinted, maybe he blinked very slowly, he doesn’t know. “What about a friendly match of sparring then? Let’s see how much have you improved.” There was the characteristic smile from their vet, playful and challenging.

It was lacking something, huh. Weird.

“Sure, why not?” I’ll give five reasons why not, first of all– A friendly match could wake him up enough for the rest of the day.

They asked Wild for a borrowed sword for Legend and went to their places. They made camp in a big clearing, giving them enough space to not interfere with anyone doing their own thing.  

They both charged to each other, Four’s legs feeling heavier than they should be with each step he gave. With a clank their swords clashed, coming with fast swings trying to hit their opponent.

Slowly the smith’s movements started to get slower and clumsier, now with him just hitting anywhere he could and the vet blocking it without problem.

This game kept going a while, until Legend throwed his sword away and got a clean hit on Four’s neck.

He fell to the floor, his body collapsing and the impact being mitigated by the soft grass.

“That-That wasn’t fair!” How dare him call for a friendly match and suddenly use his bare hands?! But you had done it a lot of times before– The injustice!

Again, he felt like this answer didn’t make the vet content. Or better, him talking didn’t made him happy.

“You should be knocked out by now. How are you even awake.” The look in his eyes was of pure confusion, or Four thinks, its hard to tell when his vision was blurry.

“What do you mean he’s still awake?!” That was Wild, sweet chaotic Wild. What were they talking about. “It was a clean hit! We’ve tried everything!”

“Can someone explain?” The smith asked, slowly moving to get up, but his body didn’t have the strength to do so. Well, the grass wasn’t that uncomfortable at the end.

The two heroes looked at each other in a silent conversation, nobody can have any context in this group apparently.

Wild was the first one to talk “Legend noticed how you sometimes took longer shifts and haven’t been sleeping, so we’ve been trying to get you to have some more rest.”

“It didn’t work anymore, though” There was a hint of frustration in his voice, how long have been they doing this? “Since that battle with the wizzrobes nothing seemed to make effect anymore.” 

“We tried tea, making you work a little more with weapons so you get more tired to sleep, and knocking you out.” Wild scratched the back of his head, now thinking about why that last one wasn’t a very good idea. “Now I don’t even know what else to do.”

Huh, that was sweet from them. “Thanks guys, but I’m good, don’t worry.”

“We worry.” Legend dead-paned. “I’ve seen you, fully awake when the sun is still coming out. That was away from okay.”

“Is not that bad– “

“Four. It’s been a week like that. A whole week.”

“You’re gonna get killed for that” The champion was searching for something on his slate “Sleep deprivation isn’t a game, and you shouldn’t threat it like that.”

He couldn’t argue at that, but it was easier said than done. He also tried ways to sleep during this whole time; counting minish, reading a really boring book, making himself a cocoon with his blankets. Nothing worked!

Wild tapped his arm to gain his attention, had he zoned out? “When I don’t get to sleep, I hold this as a nightlight.”

He was passed a small crystal, it looked interesting, its light was soft and with a soft hint of yellow.

“It’s a Star Fragment, they fall from the sky in my Hyrule and are a little rare. You can have this one, maybe it helps you with getting some sleep…���

When touching the crystal, its light seemed to be brighter, making some weight fall from him that he wasn’t aware he had.

The last thing he saw before falling unconscious was his brothers calling for him, and some weird dark smoke.

[yayll]

Hiii i hope you're feeling better soon :(( I was wondering if I could request a Dazai x reader fic where the reader has PTSD? Specifically, the beginning of autumn kind of triggers her (sorry if it's a confusing i dunno how to word it lol) Could it be fluff/comfort? Btw I love your writing style so badly so pls tweak the idea if you think it would work better! And no worries if you'd rather pass :33

hii angel i genuinely am sorry that this took me a while! (work and life happened a little more than usual, GOT SICK and barely had time to sit down and write.) it was so ivover but i am fine now thank u so much bub!

i REALLY hope you like this and that it's what u wanted, i've never written someone w PTSD before and i was just rlly hoping i didn't mess this characterization up for ur request ahhh. i had such a nice time writing it and i rlly wanted to explore the impact it could have around reader and dazai and him going out of his way even if it could be a little goofy and sappy to make u feel at least a little better even if u can't talk abt it.

i love uuuu thank u again! <3

~ a little something about Dazai noticing harmful patterns and loving you through them ~

He's been watching you sit by the window for the past half hour as you stare at what seems like the beginning of the new season outside. You were quieter than usual, more withdrawn and jumpy, which could only mean that you weren't sharing something with him- or rather having trouble processing something to the point where you didn't realize he could tell something inside you was on high alert.

Dazai would rather die than see you in such a state, especially during what's supposed to be such an exciting time of the year that's full of the things you usually love to do. Whatever is impeding you from enjoying the leaves falling has to be dealt with the most delicate of methods, but especially with love. If you taught him anything about the past haunting you to the point of mental distress, something he suffered bouts of every now and then when memories made days grow dark, it's that all you need is one person to truly witness you. Just like how you've seen the ugliest parts of him time and time again yet you still look at him with all the stars in the sky, stars he consumes like a black hole waiting to be filled.

Luckily for you, he has an arsenal of things he can try to soothe you with, because he wouldn't be a good detective AND boyfriend if he didn't keep all those context clues in his pocket for a bad day. Mainly though, he was just completely attuned to your every need. You are his happiness, and your wellness isn't up for debate: It's mandatory. He stands up from the loveseat with a deep exhale as he walks over to you, his lips curled in a lazy smile as he tests the waters to see what you could need from him without asking.

"You know, if you stay any more still I could probably paint you like one of those fancy paintings. What do you say, be my model?"

You look over at him from the window, and he can visibly tell you haven't been at ease lately. He suddenly realizes he's just fallen even more in love with you. That there is nothing in this world that could ever let him see you as anything but his heart.

You murmur, a faint smile decorating your serene face.

"Mm, I'm not sure. I don't think I could pose for that long, you know? It would probably be hard to catch my likeness, heh."

He clicks his tongue and rolls his eyes with a playful smirk. Oh how he wants to lean in and worship your likeness with his loving touch, but he decides to take it easy on the physical affection for now, not until he knows you're feeling up for it. He can be a good boy, something he usually isn't.

"Well, I wouldn't mind being the brave young knight who tries~ Shall we take this outside for better lighting?"

You instantly don't give him a good reaction to that. You shrug, seeming conflicted and unsure of yourself, but unable to really bring yourself to explain with words, something uncharacteristic of you.

No problem! Dazai thinks to himself. If you don't want to go outside, he can bring outside to you in the comfort of home. He'll enhance your safe space, and tailor it to just what you need. He hums, tapping his temple in an exaggerated manner as if he were thinking really hard and when he sees that it gets a small giggle out of you, he knows he's on the right track.

"Hm, I know what we should do instead. Wait here, angel.~"

He disappears into the hallway and you sit there as the sound of cabinets opening and rummaging around fills the air. You smile to yourself, and shake your head at the mental image of Dazai becoming a tornado to find whatever he's looking for right now, hoping he doesn't make too much of a mess. You fidget with your hair, twirling it in between your fingers as you take a deep grounding breath while you wait.

A moment later, he comes back with what seems like art supplies and a ton of mini candlesticks.

He knows you're intrigued when you tilt your head in confusion, but then again that's probably just the confusion... Dazai sets down two canvases along with the candles, flashing you a mischievous grin. If you couldn't process your feelings through words, art was always there! You look over the activities he's laid out for you both, awaiting his silver tongued explanation.

"You know when I want to be the little spoon but I don't say anything?"

You laugh softly, and nod.

"Mhm, you get all moody and weird."

He nods back, a half smile on his face as he rests his hands on his hips. He wants to tell you that the only reason he even knew such intimate luxuries is because you showed him that he's worthy of it, of being loved, but he doesn't say anything. He lets the sweet memories between you swim through his mind as fuel for the day he's trying to create for you. His voice sounds more like he's talking out loud now, lost in a thought..

"You make me moody and weird. You also make me want to grab your soft little face and just..."

He then snaps back to the moment, and his tone picks up.

"... But alas, there is no time to waste! Come, sit, I'll get the other things ready.~"

He zooms off to the kitchen, and your heart softens at how much he fusses over you, though you also hope you aren't being too much. You know he'd hate to hear that, so you simply sit down and look over the supplies you had honestly forgotten you had.

Dazai makes tea, because he knows it helps with your fidgeting and you like how the mug feels in your hands, he also begins to set the candle sticks all over the living room, lighting them one by one. You flash him a look of faint concern.

"Feels like Dracula's castle. You sure this is safe, Osamu?"

He simply grins impishly.

"It's called 'mood lighting', cutie. There is an atmosphere to be created!"

"Yeah, and possibly a wildfire."

"Boo, you're no fun. Besides, that sounds like a problem for future us. We live in the moment."

Dazai would never risk your safety and you know that, which is why you don't push the topic any further.

You two settle in, the candles illuminating you both with a warm flame that feels more comforting than you'd like to admit, you feel yourself becoming more immersed in the random little doodles and brush strokes you create as you both talk for hours about literally nothing while sipping on your tea. Nothing feels nice, for once and Dazai can see it in the way you slowly become less and less tense. So mindful, so beautiful.

After you fill your canvas, you set it down, and peer over at Dazai's.

"What'd you paint?"

He smiles sheepishly, and hides his.

"Not finished yet. No peeking!"

He stands up and in one swift motion, runs outside, while leaving you bewildered at the spontaneity of the situation. A few moments later, he runs back inside, huffing with his arms behind his back. He sits back down on the floor with you, criss crossed. He grabs his canvas, and puts something on it as he slowly unveils his work to you.

It's a single crisp leaf he must have plucked from the grass when it fell, the orange and reddish hue placed on the canvas that shows a cartoonishly painted tree as well. He murmurs, eyes trained lovingly on you but with that familiar playful tone.

"I wanted you to get a little air. It's good for one's mood, you know."

You slowly take the leaf, and twiddle it in your thumb as you begin to smile to yourself. You mutter back.

"The weather changes, moods change, it's so overwhelming sometimes..."

He slowly leans in a little closer and places a hand on the small of your back, inching you closer to him too. He wants to distract you from those thoughts affecting you, but it's getting harder when all he can think about is how much you affect him. He whispers.

"My mood never changes, you're the most precious thing I have ever seen all year round."

You look up at him, your eyes communicating what you feel, and he picks up on it with a silent confirmation. You hold each other's gaze for a long quiet moment and when you feel ready you lean into his chest, nuzzling into him. He envelops you in a hug that feels like the remedy you've been searching for this whole time, and it almost brings you to tears. You don't know it also does the same to him. He gives you a soft squeeze and leans down to your ear, his warm breath feeling like the way life is supposed to feel. You mumble, your voice slightly muffled against him.

"Thank you, Osamu. Love you."

He smiles at that. To be something so soothing to you, to be of use for once in his life, it's a feeling that he could never describe. He'll have to find the words when he covers you in kisses from head to toe later, when he makes sure you feel the full extent of his devotion to you through thick and thin. He exhales deeply.

"Change of season, change of mind... It doesn't matter to me. It's still you. It will always be you."

[biaonww]

"something about you" rin itoshi based • angst based on not-so-bf trope <3

may contain errors, similar content is coincidental.

watching rin itoshi’s match is always mesmerizing. he shines in destroying things that are close to him.

it’s complete monstrosity when he plays, which is the complete opposite of his brother sae’s gameplay. 

a completely calculated person, while rin is a monster. 

but still—

why does rin still shine so much?

why does he stand out the most in your eyes, as if he was a twinkling star in the sky you would wish on?

why is he so captivating, yet always out of your hand?

bothered by your thoughts, rin wins his match. of course, another easy win for him. 

… but its noisy. it hurts your ears. 

announcers announcing his win.. interviewers excitingly waiting for him to get out of the stadium and start asking him questions… the horn sounds and people shrieking….

but everything goes quiet when he manages to find you straight away. 

no matter how many people are in the stalls—

his eyes always seem to capture you.

those beautiful eyes that could even challenge a diamonds beauty.

but there he is again, confusing you. 

he’s looking at you pleadingly, right after he scored the last shot.

shouldn’t he be focused on the crowd, and the way they scream his name in joy?

did he maybe finally realize that he left you mesmerized every single time?

did he maybe finally realize that you were always admiring him from afar?

or will he push you away again when he gives you mixed signals?

you sigh thinking of it, so you stand up, going to the exit of the stadium.

but once you finally reach the corridor, you see rin. 

so you pause from walking, while he jogs towards you.

“you should celebrate your win, itoshi.” you remark. 

“don’t call me itoshi.” he says in a tone that sounds like he’s still trying to catch his breath, while gripping your arm tightly.

(but of course, not in a way that would hurt you. he wouldn’t want that.). 

“i think it is only proper of me to call you itoshi. considering you never let me see what’s under your disguise.”

“i said don’t call me itoshi.”

“fine then.”

“— you know what, rin? i actually think it’s better if you keep pushing me away.”

“i mean i don’t know if you’re just another unreachable dream, or a one-in-a-million person i can achieve.”

“but i also don’t know if you’ll destroy me. which i’m scared of.”

“after all, you said everything that grows close to you soon tears down.”

you look at the floor, eyes slowly but surely becoming watery. 

rin stays quiet, his gaze softening when you immediately look down. 

“… if you’re scared of me destroying you, then i’ll try and treat you like a delicate flower.”

“if you ever get scared, i’ll stay by your side to keep you safe.”

“if you hate the noise, then i’ll cover your ears for you.”

“if i don’t show my true self to you, then i’ll lower my guard for you.”

“just don’t leave like everyone does. not like nii-san.”

“but instead stay. i’m humbly asking you to stay right now.”

“i’m sorry that i give you mixed signals. but give me a chance to prove myself to you, please?”

“i’m not perfect. i’m not the best yet. love is foreign to me. we may have fights and disagreements when we’re together. but for you, i’ll try.”

you finally look up at him, the tears in your eyes spilling out already.

but he wipes them for you, and looks at you so fondly. 

“then why couldn’t you do all this in the first place, you idiot?” you mumble. 

“i’m sorry.”

“but what’s your answer? will you accept me, or not?”

he chuckles softly, slowly letting down his facade for you. and only you. 

“… you know it’s a yes, rin.”

— fin.

now that im rereading this, it actually looks so SHITTY WTF... but i hope its good enough to be posted </3 reblogs, likes and comments are highly appreciated pls !! (btw, tags kinda foreshadow the fic so hehe)

[i-am-hungry-24-7]

Hello it's me again the Sharkie anon, I hope I didn't bother you too much with my request but if you did please tell me so i can limit my portion. Your writings and story delivering are one of my favorites here and really I can't thank you enough for my previous reqs because they're just excellent and well written *happy cries*.

*Cough cough* btw this is more like an ask, mmm what do you think about TF141 reaction when they see reader wearing face jewelry like face chain https://images.app.goo.gl/7XVrRfjxWJNQrXfw6

Maybe a random soldier from other task force brought it for disguise purpose and reader tries it on, or simply reader just loves jewelries and when there's a party she choose to wear it – its up to you for the scenario. Aaaaand well, to make it better, let's combine those face jewelries with this outfit and hairdo reference (sorry for using kpop reference) https://images.app.goo.gl/7XTz3HQ8Fgg9kAGE7

Thank you, hope your April's great

Hello sharkie 🦈 ! please feel free to send me ideas/requests, although it may take a few days to finish because irl things, but I love to do them, and I’m so happy to see you coming back to my blog! and tyvm for the kind words, I’m the one who needs to thank you 🥹💖 I hope your life’s doing well too!

I’m glad you like the previous reqs!! but I’m afraid that you might be disappointed to this one, cause I never heard of face chains before omgggg, I tried my best but sorry in advance if this sucks 🥲 (and pls don’t apologize for the refs anything is okay for me!)

TF141 men seeing you wearing face chain for party ( you guys go to the party together)

Price

He hasn’t heard about face chains before. He’s too busy (and not really interested), and rarely pays attention to what is trending lately, but when you walk out of the dressing room with those dazzling chains decorating across your face, he just stands there confused and in awe.

He can’t stop staring at you, the sky-blue jewel on your face chain just suits your gown so much, and them shining under the chandelier when you sway your hips and stroll to his side makes him feel like a teenager infatuated with a girl again.

It’s inconvenient for him to kiss you though, because it might tangled with his beard. You two will laugh when he leans down to give you a peck on your lips and then the face chain entangles your long hair with his beard.

You will find his search history flooded with face chains after the party. What you don’t know is he already bought a few chains he thinks might fit you and can’t wait to let you wear them for him

Soap

This man will demand to wear a matching face chain with you, don’t forget to tell him what kind of chain you’re wearing for the party, so he’s able to get one in time

Shows you and himself off to everyone he meets at the party, forcing everyone to admit it suits you guys (well they aren’t lying)

Insist on putting the face chain on your face himself, surprisingly careful when doing it, but it’s impossible for him not to keep pressing kisses during the process, so remember to start dressing earlier than usual or you guys might be late

He will kiss your ears a lot. He loves how the face chain disappears into your hair and then hangs from your ears. He finds it sexy that the chains are merging with your outfit and whole figure like you are a divine gift. (he can’t wait for the party to end and unwrap his gift back home)

Gaz

He’s the one laying out a bunch of face chains for you to choose, and of course, he has checked what you’re going to wear when attending the party, so every face chain he fishes out is just the best one to bring out your beauty.

How is he able to stop praising you when he sees you wear the face chain he picks for you? Since the first time he learned about face chains he yearns for a chance to see you wear it.

He restrains himself from sucking a hickey just below your ears even though he knows it will look perfect beside your face chain, but he makes sure to take a mental note, reminding himself to do it after the party.

When someone asks about your face chain, he will proudly tell them he chose it for you. Your girl friends are crazy for the pretty face chain and ask if they can have a close look, they attentively touch and observe it, and that’s how you find out there’s a K.G. engraved on one of the pendants.

Ghost

He hates parties, and has been grumpy and annoyed for it the past few days, but the tantrum vanishes the second he finds you dressed up in the blue dress adorn with white silk like you’re some fallen angel, and takes out your face chain ready to put it on.

He doesn’t know about face chains either, and doesn’t own one to match with you even if he craves one right now, so he wears a pair of earrings that are similar to the design of your face chain.

He likes to show off his beautiful partner, others should know how majestic his partner is, but he stays close to you and sends death stares to those who dare to look at you with dirty thoughts inside their mind, moreover, he likes to be at your side and help you adjust the chain when it accidentally stucks with your hair (he take these chances to touch your face and soft hair)

Discover he loves chains as apparel for you, the face chain, the silver necklace made with a chain and little pendants on you opens the door to a new world for him. Don’t be too surprised when next time you open the gift box and find an exquisite pair of lingerie with chains as decorations.

[lovingdabeessss]

based on your interpretation of the military Yang ask, i find it absolutely hilarious that Yang just casually knows government secrets, due to ironwood just telling her. Does Ozpin know he tells her?? Like, during the Mistral bandit can arc, Raven is just giving her the whole 'Grimm has a master' speech and Yang's like, 'duh. I already know. Next your gonna say you can turn into a bird and the sky outside is blue or something??'.

And I love the thought of Penny and Yang being friends, it'll give Penny more *human* interactions and mean she won't act as stilted as she does in canon.

My most favorite part of that au is that she knows stuff she shouldn't. I wonder if that's why I like the time loop and MitC verse's so much....?

(btw, do you have Wattpad?? That is where I am mostly likely to upload once I'm finished writing)

As a mesh of my interpretation and the actual original askers actual AU i think ironwood eventually kinda recruits Yang and sense her whole family was part of ozpins inner circle for a while he probably sees it as fine if he tells her certain things that are definitely secrets probably not everything but enough that he would think it gained her trust and loyalty because Yang is a VERY loyal person (one of the things that would make her a good soldier) but the way Yang is loyal isn’t the way that he’d want which is individually and relationship based so she’d be loyal to ironwood if he helped her and told her this stuff but as like a friend not as a general of the army or like her boss and she’d never keep those secrets if it posed a danger to the people she cared about

And if she knew the army was doing some messed up she’d offer that information whenever it came up cause she has a very solid sense of right and wrong

I don’t know if he’d tell ozpin he told Yang these things but if it ever came up that she knew ozpin would probably assume it was any of the people related to her that told her like maybe qrow when drunk so I doubt he’d get caught

I love the idea of Yang being like “Sky’s blue, moms are birds, government is evil, nothings new, one(1) portal please”

I do not have wattpad I just use the search bar and go “ao3 pls” and that’s how I find the things I read u could always send me the link 🥺 after it’s posted

Also I’m draw’n rn so if you want me to draw doodles for ur au or this one or draw with me that’s available for a lil while

[idyllic-affections]

i know my kingdom awaits, and they've forgiven my mistakes.

summary. "Baizhu reached out to their shoulder, giving it a tender squeeze. "I just want to know why you left so abruptly. We were so close. There is nothing you could say or do that would make me resent you."" trigger & content warnings for self-hatred, severe blood, major traumatic life events, depictions of trauma, panic attacks & a fuck ton of crying, implications of suicidal ideation but it is never explicitly stated in an obvious way, overall heavy on the themes of mental health, heavy spoilers for baizhu's story quest and childe's character stories, [name] is called pretty once. tropes, pairings, fic length, & other notes. friends to strangers to friends, hurt/comfort. baizhu & childhood friend!reader, brief hints of childe & reader. 10k words. they/them pronouns for reader. author's thoughts. it is here. the fabled "friends to something significantly worse to friends again" fic is finally here (june if you're reading this, thank you for the idea lmaoo <33). btw! this post runs on the theory that skirk is associated with khaenri'ah. no idea what her personality is like so.... bear with me pls. she gives off "tired, bitter big sister" vibes in this fic. at one point, nightmare by set it off started playing while i was writing this and i think thats so fucking funny, that is so childhood friend![name]core. a LOT of ironic songs played while i was writing this actually! maybe ill make a post about it?

       "What's the last thing on our list?"

       Surely the sky had been painted by the Celestial Gods above—how else could one even hope to explain the otherworldly beauty it held? Pinks blended smoothly in with hues of golden orange and baby blue as the sun crept lower and lower towards the horizon. A few stars already dotted the evening sky, twinkling and sparkling against their background.

       In the reflection of their eyes, the light danced.

       Their friend hummed thoughtfully, brushing some of his hair away from his face, before scanning the words written in practically illegible handwriting inside the little journal the two's shared master had given them. "Violetgrass... I think."

       "You think?" they echoed, amused, peering over his shoulder into the notebook. He shrugged.

       "Master's handwriting isn't exactly... er, legible."

       They giggled at that. "No doctor's is. I think it has something to do with how many prescriptions they have to write on a daily basis. Like... they have to write fast, so they have some kind of language of their own to be as efficient as possible."

       "Is that so?"

       "...Honestly, I don't know. Something like that, I guess."

       He smiled at them, teasing, "Shouldn't you know better than anyone, [Name]?"

       "Shut up, Baizhu, I'm still learning!" they huffed with faux annoyance, snatching the book from his hands. "Yeah, that says Violetgrass. Hm... you should probably go back, then. It's getting kind of late," they mused, meeting the boy's gentle burgundy gaze. "I've got it from here."

       "Are you sure?" he asked. "I don't mind going with you."

       "I'm sure. I get Violetgrass on my own all the time. It gets cold at night, and with everything going on, it's probably better that only one of us goes out. Less of a chance of the sickness spreading further, you know?"

       "I can't really argue with that," he admitted. "Alright, but don't stay out too late."

       "Don't worry," they reassured, "I don't intend to."

                         — flower of the universe !! 🌸

       Darkness had fallen by the time they reached their normal spot for gathering Violetgrass. Specks of glittery stars dotted the night sky; it took all of their mental strength to not sit and admire it. They would never get their task done if they did.

       'The last time I did this with my bag on, I fell.'

       With that thought in mind, they hummed and carefully took the cross-body bag filled to the brim with medicinal herbs off. They set it neatly to the side. Before beginning, they stretched, hoping to somehow make themselves more flexible and limber by doing so. A series of satisfying pops were released from their bones.

       It was then that they began gingerly scaling the cliffside—it wasn't impossibly steep, and they'd done it an abundance of times in the past, so it didn't present too big of a challenge. It wasn't anything they weren't used to.

       The ground then unexpectedly trembled beneath their feet. They huffed as their foot slipped, sending them sliding down a few feet and back onto solid ground. The single piece of Violetgrass that they needed seemed to mock their failure from its place several feet above them.

       "Aw, come on..." they murmured, slightly frustrated. "Maybe I should have had Baizhu stay and help..."

       Then, again without warning, just as they were about to make another attempt, the ground split open.

       A scream was torn from their throat as they fell. It was as if Teyvat itself had swallowed them into its core. They made a a desperate attempt to reach for the surface, but as soon as they were in, the crack snapped shut once again. No matter how fast they fell, no kind of ground ever seemed to get any closer. Briefly through their terror, they wondered if this was how they'd die—falling into nothingness for eternity until they starved, mortal body eventually decaying into nothing and becoming one with the never-ending emptiness.

       This was never meant to be how they'd die. Their death was supposed to be fated through Changsheng's contract, not through... this.

       A sob ripped through their throat as their body unexpectedly slammed into the ground. Upon impact, they knew at least a handful of bones in their wrists had broken. Perhaps it was unwise to brace their fall with their wrists, but then again... it would have been far worse if they landed on their back. Breaking their back may very well have been a death sentence in the scenario they were in. Honestly, they were just thankful that their shoulders and forearms seemed to be okay, aside from a rhythmic throbbing coursing through both arms. Their body trembled pathetically like a leaf in the wind, ready to be blown away at any second. At least a leaf would see daylight or even moonlight.

       It was pitch black for them, as if the darkness actively sought out and destroyed any source of light it was capable of finding. It seemed to sap any will they might've had to resist, to find a way out. Their will was gone. It was like it was never there in the first place. The ominous dark took all that determination, all that light, and consumed it like a starved beast until there was nothing but a shell left behind.

       A deep pit settled in their gut as they whimpered, curling up into a ball. Surely, this was just a dream. An awful, terrible dream. They'd wake up and everything would be normal—they'd still be on the surface, gathering the last of their master's requested herbs before heading back and resuming their life as normal.

       Regardless of whether or not this was a horrifying nightmare, sleeping was far more appealing than staying awake.

       It was with tears rolling down their cheeks that they tucked their head into their arms, wincing at the shooting pain that ascended the length of their arms when too much pressure was applied to their wrists, and succumbed to the boundless darkness.

                         — flower of the universe !! 🌸

       Time was an illusion.

       That's how they felt, at least, because they had no idea how long they had been underneath Teyvat for. It could've been hours or it could've been days—they wouldn't know the difference either way. Everything was fuzzy. Their sleep was restless and interrupted; no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't truly sleep. Even if they managed to fall asleep, they'd wake up again after a few minutes with a jolt and a wave of paranoia. What frustrated them so deeply about it was that they knew very well that their body would never heal if they didn't sleep well. They'd never have the strength to escape if that were the case. It was infuriating.

       The distant echo of footsteps made their muscles tense. The sound ceased a few feet away from where they laid.

       "You'll never survive down here like this."

       A nervous whine threatened to leave their throat. They swallowed it down, hands trembling slightly.

       "Get up. I can tell that you're awake."

       Fuck.

       With what minimal strength they did still have, they pushed themselves up using their elbows. Using their hands would only hurt them more. It was difficult to see, but nonetheless, they could see her eyes clearly. Empty, star-shaped irises stared down at them, piercing the very depths of their soul, picking them apart like some kind of subject of a dissection. The utter bite of her gaze caused them to suck in a sharp breath, posture straightening slightly.

       "I've no idea why the Abyss would want someone so... pathetic," she scoffed. "Look at you, resigning to your fate like some kind of lost puppy with its tail between its legs."

       "No, I... That's not..." they stammered, trailing off, hoarse voice quick to die out in the face of her frigid sternness. "I'm not..."

       "Oh? Am I wrong?"

       "No— Yes, I mean, yes, I was... My wrists, they broke when I fell, so... They broke and I don't have anything to fix them with, so I thought resting would be a better idea than running or fighting, and—"

       "Alright, alright, stop. Get up. Follow me."

       She began to walk away.

       "H— huh?"

       "You want to survive, don't you?"

       They scurried after her before they could have any kind of second doubts.

                         — flower of the universe !! 🌸

       The woman introduced herself as Skirk, a seasoned swodswoman with extensive knowledge about the Abyss and how to survive in it. She had been kind enough (well... it was debatable whether her gesture was out of kindness or due to ulterior motives, but they had no other choice but to trust her) to treat their injuries, stiffly wrapping their wrists so that they could heal properly.

       It took about six weeks for them to heal adequately. Within that time, they were surprised to find that they had begun to be able to see through the darkness, as though their eyes had finally adjusted.

       They had hoped she would help them get out when they were fully healed, but...

       No.

       When she asked if they wanted to survive, she sure as hell intended to teach them how to do just that.

       "Slow, uncoordinated, weak," she criticized venomously, swinging her blade down at them with great force. She would undoubtedly kill them if they gave her any chance to. If they made one mistake... "Just how do you think you'll get by in this realm when you can hardly defend yourself?"

       "I— I didn't have to in Teyvat!" they sobbed, tears streaking down their cheeks from both the pain of the several open cuts and bruises blooming on their skin and the pain of being away from home for so long. How long had it been? They had no clue. Their wrists throbbed as they parried her blade with one of their own. "I was the apprentice of a doctor! I was safe there!"

       "Well, you're not safe here. Get used to it," she sneered. "It's kill or be killed down here."

       "I don't want to kill!"

       "Then you'll be killed."

                         — flower of the universe !! 🌸

       "Stop hesitating. Kill it."

       The Abyssal creature at their feet seemed to whimper, trying its best to crawl away from them. It's body was already terribly mangled, limbs broken and twisted in ways they never should have been. Archons know what the eldritch creature even was—they sure as hell had no clue. All they knew was that they felt sorry for it. It looked so small and weak beneath them. 'Pathetic,' a malevolent whisper drifted through their mind, 'it looks pathetic.' With a shake of their head, perhaps in an attempt to rid their mind of such cruel thoughts, cries escaped their throat. Their chest rose and fell in sobbing, labored breaths. All they could hear in their ears was the distinct sound of blood rushing. Their chest ached. Their body ached.

       They wanted to go home.

       "I can't, Skirk, I can't..."

       "You can," she hissed, "and you will."

       "No," they cried harder, "look at it! I can't..."

       "You can," she repeated, though this time with strange serenity, as she stepped behind them; with her hands, she forced their dagger down into the creature's chest, "and you will."

       Blood splattered across their figure as they let out an utterly visceral wail.

                         — flower of the universe !! 🌸

       Soft sobs wracked their figure. The more they tried to suppress their cries, the worse they got.

       Many nights were spent in this manner. It wouldn't be the first night they spent crying themselves to sleep, and it was unlikely to be the last. Was it from the pain? The stress, perhaps? They truly didn't know. The only thing they knew was that they could only fall asleep if they exhausted themselves by crying first.

       They just wanted to go home.

       Then again...

       Would they be accepted back? There was blood on their hands now. Fresh blood of a life that had value just like any other before they so cruelly took it away because in Skirk's words, it was 'kill or be killed.'

       Would they still be viable for Changsheng's contract?

       What if their master was dead by the time they returned?

       What if they never returned?

       Maybe that would be for the better.

       But they wanted to go home regardless.

       Then, the first light they saw in what seemed to be ages graced their empty irises. The light was treasured. Without thinking, they trapped it between their palms like one would to a firefly in the night so that it could not escape them.

       A cool, smooth stone that most definitely wasn't there before now sat between their cupped hands. The rush of cold against their feverish skin prompted them to peer inside the little cage created by their rough hands.

       Inside sat a Cryo vision, still-wet blood smearing over its chilling surface.

       That night, they cried harder than they ever had before, clutching the Cryo Archon's blessing like it was some kind of lifeline.

       Contrary to what they may have believed at the time, the night they got their vision marked the final night they would ever spend crying themselves to sleep in the Abyss.

       That "morning," Skirk would note an evident change in their demeanor.

       That "morning" would mark the point at which the Abyss officially reached the depths of their soul, sucking the last of the light from them and changing them fundamentally.

       That "morning" would mark the point at which they were no longer Changsheng's next contractee.

                         — flower of the universe !! 🌸

       Skirk taught them much in the first seven months of their time in the Abyss.

       The longer they stayed, the warmer she became in her behavior towards them. She vaguely reminded them of their medicinal Master, though she was certainly much tougher than he was. She was not unkind, they had concluded. She was simply hardened. Archons know what she must have been through to be so cold.

       Despite all that, she even did them the kindness of celebrating their birthday.

       "When you do finally get out," she had said to them that day, "you will find that very little time has passed in Teyvat. Don't be surprised. You'll be a year older mentally, but your bodily age will be about the same as it was when you fell."

       "How long has it been since I fell, then?"

       Her reply sent chills up their spine, stomach twisting in sheer disbelief:

       "Seven days."

       Of course, "celebrating" just meant that they got to sleep the day off rather than be relentlessly beat up by the swordswoman. Nonetheless, they appreciated the break.

       Ultimately, they had come to the conclusion that she was much different than what they'd initially assumed.

       They'd taken it upon themselves to patrol around what Skirk considered to be her "territory." They'd chuckled a bit to themselves when she described it in such a way, but said nothing, only offering to patrol in her place for the day as a favor. Allegedly, that was how she encountered them all those months ago.

       They were surprised to find that they, too, encountered a poor victim of the Abyss. It was a boy; if they had to guess, they would say he was somewhere around their age, maybe slightly younger.

       'Is this what Skirk saw when she looked at me? Archons, no wonder she looked like she was going to tear my throat out,' they mused absently, unblinking void eyes staring down at the ginger boy on the floor in front of them. He looked like he wanted to say something but simply couldn't force the words out. 'He really does look like a lost puppy... is that what I looked like?'

       His blue eyes were wide with shock and terror, glossed over with unshed tears. The Abyss was slowly beginning to dim the light in those eyes of his, but hadn't gotten very far yet—they still shone with an innocence they hadn't seen in quite a while, an innocence that didn't belong in a place such as the Abyss. His shaking hands clasped weakly at his foot; that's when they noticed that it was broken.

       Some kind of forgotten instinct suddenly sparked again in their chest at the sight of his wounded ankle. Life... it was a thing they were supposed to protect. That was something they had been taught for as long as they could recall. It was only after falling into the Abyss that they began to stray from those teachings.

       They needed to protect him. He was so fragile, the poor thing.

       Briefly, they wondered what Baizhu, Jiangli, and their Master were doing right about now. Were they worried? They had no way of knowing. They did their best to brush those thoughts off before the homesickness could set in.

       "You're hurt..." they observed, breaking the uneasy silence. "Broke it when you fell, huh? Can you walk, or will I have to carry you?"

       "H— huh? Um..."

       "Right. Got it. Hurry up and get on my back," they instructed, kneeling down with their back facing him so he could climb on with ease.

       "How—" he gasped, withdrawing from them. "How can I trust you?"

       "You'll die if you don't," they stated plainly, glaring back at him. Their gaze sent chills up his spine. It was so... empty. He was sure that not even the most seasoned warrior in his home nation looked so blank. It seemed as if all the light had been sucked from their soul, leaving a hardened shell of what they once were. Even Fatui officials had some kind of light in their face, but they simply did not. It unsettled him. "Get on. Now. You wouldn't last a day out here."

       Though hesitant and utterly terrified, he yielded, reaching up to wrap his arms securely around their neck. They hooked their arms under his thighs and hoisted him up. Then, with a huff, they stood up.

       The silence weighed a little too heavy for the boy's liking. Once the initial terror had worn off, he felt something much warmer bloom in his chest—awe. Absolute, unfettered awe.

       Surely someone as tough as them could help him become more courageous.

       "What's your name?"

       "What, you trying to make conversation? Build rapport? I'm not planning on killing you. Relax," they scoffed. Then, after a brief, awkward silence, they went on, "...It's [Name]."

       "I'm Ajax," he greeted with surprising grit for someone who just fell into the Abyss. "Hey, you're brave, right?"

       "I... I guess?"

       They dared to peek back at him. His eyes shone with light and determination foreign to anything or anyone in the Abyss. It did not belong here. He did not belong here.

       "Teach me how to be brave like that."

       Little did he know that light would disappear soon enough. They simply chose to look away, rather than mourn the loss that was inevitably going to occur.

       "...You'll want to meet my teacher, then. She'll toughen you up."

                         — flower of the universe !! 🌸

       "What is that?"

       Ajax squeaked slightly, to which their lips twitched upwards into the ghost of a vaguely amused smile. Skirk must have unsettled him even more than they did.

       "A boy."

       Skirk's cold eyes narrowed at them. "No shit, [Name]."

       "He fell and broke his ankle, so I brought him here," they elaborated, kneeling down again so he could easily get off their back without hurting himself even more. He gingerly slid off of them. Once he was off, they stood back up, walking over to her. "Anyway, I see why you wanted to rip my head off when you met me. You're totally right. He looked fucking pathetic."

       "Oh, you get it now, hm?" She smirked, placing a firm hand on their shoulder. "Never thought I'd see the day you called someone pathetic."

       They shrugged. "This place changes you, but I suppose I don't have to tell you of all people that." Then, they beckoned her to lean down slightly. When she obliged them, they whispered something inaudible into her ear, occasionally glancing over at Ajax. They eventually withdrew, turning to face him.

       "If it's courage you seek," Skirk said, scrutinizing the boy; he seemed to shrink under her gaze, "you'll indeed find it down here."

                         — flower of the universe !! 🌸

       Ajax’s time in the Abyss was short. They had briefly wondered if they would ever one day run into him on the surface when they did eventually get out. The thought was oddly nice.

       He changed very fast, they recalled. What was once a timid and easily frightened boy had become a hardened weapon of war that sought out bloodshed just for the thrill of it. It fascinated them, really. Why weren’t they like that? They were but a fraction of the beast that he had become. The sensation of being alive certainly gave them a rush, but they hardly reveled in it the way he did.

       Then again, maybe that’s why they could at least hold their own against Skirk.

       That was something he could never truly manage to achieve. Once in a blue moon, the Snezhnayan boy could hold his own against them, but never Skirk. She was on a different level entirely. Now that they really thought about it, however, it seemed very likely that it was because he just wasn’t level-headed in the way they were.

       That brought another question to mind, however: why wasn’t he level-headed like them? Why did he relish in the bloodshed more than they did?

       The only possible explanation was their origins. Being from Chenyu Vale, it was hardly any surprise that one particular ideology was stamped irremovably into their brain.

       Even so…

       It would be unrealistic to expect that they wouldn’t change during their stay in the Abyss. Their exposure to Abyssal energy was insanely long—the fact that they still cared at all about saving lives was shocking.

       Fourteen months into their time in the Abyss, something in their mind snapped.

       They could recall nothing about their episode. All they remembered was that Skirk had them training, as usual, against hordes of Abyssal monsters. It wasn’t something all too challenging for them; they were quite used to her highly demanding training sessions. Just when they started getting slightly overwhelmed, an unfamiliar rage boiled in their chest, and they blacked out.

       When they came to, all they could see was death.

       Blood soaked their clothes and fingertips. They were quick to come to the horrifying realization that it was not theirs. None of the blood was theirs. Not a single drop was theirs. The shallow scratch on their cheek wasn't even deep enough to bleed. They dared not turn around. Their gaze remained locked into the darkness ahead of them, hands trembling and eyes watering.

       Before they could say or do anything, before Skirk could say or do anything, the Abyss spit them out. It simply... decided it was done. As if it had grown bored, or as if it were finally satisfied with the level of corruption in their mind and soul. They lost consciousness briefly, only to awaken exactly where they had gone missing over a year ago.

       …

       Well, over two weeks ago, they guessed. Time dilation was a difficult thing to get used to.

        “Bright… Archons above…” they groaned, pressing their hands over their eyes in an attempt to gradually adjust to the sheer brightness of the surface. It made them a little sick, if they were to be quite honest; they had grown used to the pitch blackness of the other realm. “Gods, it’s bright…”

        “…[Name]?”

       They peeked through their fingers, squinting in the hopes of being able to make out the figure standing a few feet from them. When it finally hit them just who it was, their heart throbbed. The soft green hair they had grown so accustomed to braiding throughout their childhood, now wild and untamed as a terrible consequence of stress and panic, the tender eyes filled with perhaps a little too much wisdom for a child that age…

       They were really back on the surface. It wasn’t just some sick trick of the mind, no.

       They were home.

        “Bai— Baizhu?”

                         — flower of the universe !! 🌸

       He was quick to call for help, leading them back to their shared Master. Jiangli seemed to almost cry when she saw them again—tears of relief or tears of worry, they didn't know. She reminded them of a concerned mother.

       However, something they dreaded terribly had come to pass.

       Their Master discovered that they were in no need of his healing. They were uninjured. All that blood was not theirs. It was never theirs. They were completely unharmed.

       "There isn't a single scratch on you."

       They intentionally avoided his gaze, instead focusing on their hands rested in their lap. Absentmindedly, they noted how calloused and scarred their hands were compared to how soft they had once been. The hands of a healer had become something far more sinister. Changsheng was eerily quiet.

       "...[Name]?"

       "No"—they sniffled, finally meeting their Master’s golden irises filled with tender concern, concern they did not deserve after what they had done—"there isn't."

       The conversation died right then and there.

                         — flower of the universe !! 🌸

       Their departure from Chenyu Vale was sudden and unexpected. Many did not know why they left. All they left behind that could explain why they left was a small envelope for Baizhu, but they honestly didn't know if he would even open it. Leaving him without a single word... it made them want to cry every time they thought about it.

       The goodbyes they said to Jiangli and their Master were tearful, but neither of the two could stop them from leaving after learning that they had suffered so much. After all, what place did a killer have in Chenyu Vale?

        ‘You’re not a killer,’ Jiangli had insisted. ‘You’re not. You belong here, with us.’

       They disagreed with her sentiment. How could she still look at them with such kindness, even after knowing what awful things they had done? Maybe that’s why they left without speaking to Baizhu. Maybe they knew he would have pleaded with them to stay. Maybe they knew they would have stayed if it were he who asked.

       Many of their years were spent wandering Teyvat, but every now and then...

       They'd settle in Snezhnaya to catch up with an old acquaintance of theirs after tracking down his whereabouts.

       "The Fatui, hm? Looks like you really aren't some scared little kid anymore. Shame. You were quite a cute scared little kid."

       They hopped from nation to nation on a whim, picking up knowledge and still studying medicine on the side, though they wouldn't dare call themselves a doctor of any kind. It was Liyue that they often avoided, and if they really couldn't help it, they'd sneak along the border like some kind of internationally wanted criminal. The idea of running into Baizhu would always send their stomach into knots. What would they even say to him? He owed them nothing. He owed them no kind of forgiveness.

       'And yet, despite all that...' they mused, staring vacantly at the sleeping Jiangli at their side, 'here I am. I won't let anything hurt you, even if it means putting myself at risk.'

       Their fingers gently ran through her tangled locks.

       The constant pulsating glow of their Cryo vision was indication enough that, through their own means, they were keeping those terrible god remains at bay. Between the gorgeous icy energy that generated from them, a magenta glow was woven in like some kind of skilled artist's tapestry. It was as beautiful as it was unsettling.

       The Abyss would always be a part of them. They might as well put Skirk's teachings to use.

       "Why do you do such insane things?" they wondered aloud, head tilting back to shift their empty gaze towards the roof of the cavern. "You know that if I destroy those remains, your husband will die, and yet... I followed you nonetheless, knowing I would be at an impasse until someone came to rescue us, knowing I would inevitably cross paths with the one I have fought so hard to avoid. Why are you like this? So irresponsible, but then again... I am no better. I wouldn't be here if I was."

       "Jiangli!"

       "Well... it doesn't matter now," they murmured quietly, gently shaking her shoulder. "Jiangli, wake up. Baizhu and your husband are here. Some others too… I don’t know them though."

       "We found her!... but who's that beside her?"

       Baizhu was oddly silent, watching how they treated her with such tenderness, helping her sit up when she groggily rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Jialiang did not so much as flinch, however—he rushed up to them.

       "[Name]! How is she?! Is she okay?!"

       "Gods, Jialiang—" they hissed, pinching his arm in a soft attempt at scolding him. They vaguely resembled a parent chiding their child, despite the fact that he was older than them. "Don't run like that. You'll keel over dead if you keep that up. She's fine. She was just sleeping, I promise. I ensured her safety."

       "Your ability to stave off the effects of the god remains is rather impressive, [Name]."

       "...It's really not, Baizhu," they opposed quietly, rising to their feet. They dared not meet his eyes, looking anywhere but at him—they would feel an overwhelming sense of guilt if they were to see the evidence of his and Changsheng's contract, the contract that was always meant to be theirs. On top of that… they were certain he could see right through them, see the way they huffed out their breaths in a labored attempt at getting enough oxygen. "Don't try to make conversation. I'm not planning on running away this time. Jiangli probably did this on purpose... she forced my hand. It— look, it doesn’t matter. We'll talk about this, about everything, later."

       He seemed content with that answer—for the time being, at least.

       "Well, that's a first," Changsheng hissed from around the doctor's neck, "now isn't it?"

       "You're getting sassy in your old age, Changsheng," they commented. "Haven't changed a single bit since the last time I saw you, hmm? Sassy old lady~"

       "Hey!"

       "Sorry, wait— Paimon's confused," the floating fairy interrupted. ‘Oh,’ they thought, ‘so that’s who Ajax was talking about.’ "Knowing Baizhu is one thing, but knowing Changsheng is waaaay different! Who are you?"

       "My name is [Name]," they introduced with deceptive calmness that masked the pure, unadulterated panic they were experiencing on the inside. "You may have heard of me through a certain Fatui Harbinger. ‘Codename Childe, but I also go by Tartaglia,’ you know. The ginger with a bunch of cute siblings. Have you met them? They’re the cutest. Anyway, the harbinger has quite the collection of good things to say about you, traveler."

       Aether tensed slightly, shooting Baizhu an odd look, almost as if to ask who he was associating with in his spare time.

       "Relax. I'm not a part of the Fatui," they dismissed with a wave of their hand. "Those people are a bit insane, if you ask me, supporting a deity who hardly seems to care for them or the general population of her nation... Erm. Anyway. I only happen to know Ajax because we were both victims of the same circumstance a while back."

       "What..." Aether trailed off, blinking. Something in the way he looked at them, looked at the blankness in their eyes, said that he already understood. "...What does that mean?"

       "Ask him yourself. Do me a favor, though, and tell me what he says. I'm genuinely curious."

       "Hey!" Paimon cut in with an annoyed huff, stomping her foot like an aggravated toddler. The thought made them smile slightly. "Stop ignoring Paimon! You still didn't answer her question!"

       "[Name] was another one of my Master's disciples, like Jiangli," Baizhu explained on their behalf, briefly glancing in their direction. "Although... I haven't seen them in several years. Like Jiangli, they too ran away."

       "Oh, Gods, Baizhu," they groaned, turning to face him properly for the first time in years. Their breath almost dared to hitch at the golden irises that stared back at them. "Don't be dramatic. Are you telling people I ran away? I didn't run away. I told our Master why I was leaving and when I planned on doing so. It's Jiangli who really didn't tell anyone why she left. I wasn't that secretive about why I left, you know."

       "Nuance."

       They then softened up slightly, running their hand through their hair. A deep sigh left through their nose. "...You really haven't changed at all."

       He seemed to smile a bit at their exasperation. It was only fair, they supposed. They had left him in the dark for years. He deserved to find some amusement in the uncomfortable situation they were both forced into.

       "Well... whatever. We have bigger issues than my past friendships right now," they said, crossing their arms over their chest. "What are we doing about these remains? I have protected Jiangli's body and mind, but only to an extent. She is infected and it will continue to worsen if we do nothing. However, if we destroy these remains..."

       "Indeed..." Baizhu murmured, turning to the man in question. "If we destroy these remains, your life will come to an end."

       "If you knew what she was doing," Aether cut in, "why didn't you stop her?"

       "You cannot stop a woman like that once she has her heart set on something. All I could do was watch from the background until she put herself in too much danger, to the point where I'd have to defend her," they sighed, "such as what she did here."

       Jialiang looked between them and Baizhu. "...I had wondered when this day might come."

       Jiangli was silent.

       "We've been working our butts off to save Jialiang's life!" Paimon shouted. "We can't just give up on him now! Baizhu, you're a great doctor. Surely you've gotta know of some other way we can save him, right? Or— [Name]! If you studied with Baizhu, you should know a few things too, right?"

       "Sure. I still remember some things from that time," they replied, tilting their head back a bit so they could gaze at Jiangli's husband. "Jialiang could continue taking the poison. Jiangli is... in decent condition overall, so it wouldn't be the end of the world to delay the destruction of the remains, but she will fall more ill as time goes on. Either way, someone will die if we don't do something."

       "[Name], you've been watching Jiangli," Jialiang stated, standing up to meet their eyes. "How long does she have?"

       "If she completely stopped coming here..." they mused thoughtfully, "a few weeks at most would be my guess. You'd probably get a more precise answer from Baizhu, though."

       "I would say that is accurate," Baizhu agreed, nodding. "I could... extend that time, however, if I were to treat her using a secret art."

       "You..." They wanted to scold him, chide him for even suggesting such a thing, but in the end, they did not. It would make them a hypocrite. They simply bit their tongue. Jiangli watched closely with a gentle gaze comparable to that of an aunt or a mother as the various emotions flickered across their expression.

       "...But what would be the point of that?" Jialiang lamented. "Dr. Baizhu, I am all too aware of the dangers of god remains. You are not the first to mention it to me. [Name] often warned me, but... I did not listen. If I continue to sustain my own life using this wretched substance, then not only would Jiangli have to keep risking her life to make my medicine for me, but I would have to live with the looming threat of these remains breaking out and wreaking havoc not just upon me, but my entire family. I know for a fact that I should have died over a decade ago. The fact that I've been around to see Ayu grow up is already a great blessing from Rex Lapis. If my choice can keep Jiangli alive, then... even if I die..."

       "Jialiang..." Paimon trailed off.

       The man chuckled sadly. "After cheating death for so long, it seems I've grown somewhat addicted to life."

       "Life is a terrible drug for those of us who often come face-to-face with death," they admitted, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Take a minute to talk with Jiangli. We'll wait."

       "Thank you..." he said, kneeling down at his tired wife's side, "I'm sorry that I won't be able to repay your kindness in this life."

       "Jialiang...” Paimon cried, wiping her face with her little balled up hands. “Baizhu, Changsheng, [Name], is there really nothing else any of you can do?"

       "Cheating death is beyond my ability," they answered apologetically. "I know much of arts that are... beyond this world, but they are not used for preserving nor extending life. I wish I could do more, but I can’t. My apologies."

       "I am sure that over the years, Jiangli will have tried all the conventional methods known to humankind. As for the less conventional methods, I have little expertise besides Changsheng's secret art..."

       Aether's gaze flickered between them and Baizhu as he said that, before settling back on the Liyuean doctor. "...They're aware of it?"

       "Try to avoid treating me like an outsider," they half-scolded. "Believe it or not, I was meant to be bound to Changsheng. Fate had different plans, however, so yes. I am very much aware. Even through the medium, that being Changsheng, none of Baizhu's predecessors could manage to cheat death."

       "Mortals are fated to grow old and pass on when their natural lifespan runs out," the snake mused. "If it were so easy to combat the natural processes of aging and death, Jiangli would not have had to resort to unnatural methods."

       Paimon sniffled. "What a crazy situation... Jiangli risked it all to save Jialiang's life, and now, Jialiang has to sacrifice himself to save Jiangli. What's the point of it all..?"

       "Love, I have heard, tends to make people do insane things," they stated. "It's quite tragic, really."

       The traveler nodded. "All we can do now is honor Jialiang's decision and bear witness."

       "...I've seen many final farewells in my time," Baizhu commented softly, quietly, "but I can never get used to it."

       "In the human realm, all things must come to an end. Is it not a fitting end to die for a worthy cause? At least... that's what generations of Masters before you always believed."

       They wondered if Changsheng was somehow trying to be reassuring.

       "The path they chose was indeed a heroic one," Baizhu agreed, "but when I think of those who would willingly sacrifice themselves for others... I cannot help but think that theirs are the lives least deserving of death."

       The quiet whispers shared between the couple gradually died down. It was then that Jialiang stood up.

       "I've said my goodbyes. My time has come. Do what you must."

       "As you wish."

       "We have not been in contact for years," they spoke up, stepping forward and raising their hand, "but I know you well enough to know that a man dying indirectly by your own hand will weigh on your mind. I will take care of this. Stand down, Baizhu."

       The doctor seemed momentarily stunned, but he nodded nonetheless, backing off. "...Very well, [Name]."

       With a chilling wind and a flick of their wrist, the god remains dissipated with a hiss.

       It wasn't very long until Jialiang collapsed.

                         — flower of the universe !! 🌸

       "Jialiang..! Jialiang!"

       The man shot up with a gasp, instinctively clutching at his chest.

       "Dad! Are you awake?!"

       "Jiangli..? Ayu? Didn't I..." Jialiang trailed off, gaze drifting to the seals stuck on his skin. "Huh? What are these?"

       Changsheng’s voice drew his attention. "How does it feel to come back to life?"

       "Do you feel strange or different in any way?" Baizhu questioned, walking to his bediside. "If so, could you describe it to me in detail?"

       "Dr. Baizhu! I thought I was going to..."

       "Die? You did, actually," they stated, gently holding his arm, carefully inspecting the sigils as to not disrupt the delicate imitation of immortality that the doctor had created. "To think this is what Baizhu's been doing in my absence... absolutely fascinating. Sorry, Jialiang, do you mind? I'll back off if it's uncomfortable. Don’t be afraid to tell me.”

       Jiangli giggled at her husband's look of sheer confusion.

       "Uh... no, you're— you're okay..? Go ahead."

       Baizhu's lips quirked up at the sight of their enthusiasm. He said nothing of it, though. "As things stand now, you're more akin to a zombie than a human."

       "...I'm a zombie?!"

       "That's right. Before we set off, I asked Qiqi to prepare and Elixir of Immortality. With its help, you have been suspended in the space between life and death. Of course, this is but a crude imitation of an adeptus art. I don't expect it to extend your life indefinitely. Whether it will keep you alive for a few days, a few months, or a few years...” Baizhu mused, “I am as interested as you to find out, but however long you have left, I believe it should be more than sufficient time for you to say your final goodbyes before departing the world in peace. ...I hope Director Hu finds this arrangement to be a satisfactory one?"

       "An Elixir of Immortality? How'd you cook that up? Ugh," the girl in question groaned, "leave it to you to work on something like that behind my back..."

       "It's a work in progress that hardly lives up to its name, and it would've had no effect if not for Jialiang's iron will." Baizhu shifted, crossing his arms over his chest. "In the end, I am merely a doctor. I understand very little about the great principles governing life and death, and the perpetual cycle of yin and yang. All I know is that if I am presented with a life that deserves to be saved, I will do everything within my power to save it. Even this would have counted for nothing if not for Director Hu's assistance... after all, did you not tell Jialiang to show us the way before we set off for Qingce Village?"

       "Oops! Aaaand, I'm busted..."

       "Without Director Hu nudging things in the right direction, we may not have found Jiangli and [Name] in time. They could only hold those remains off for so long."

       "It wouldn't have meant anything if not for your friend over there," she pointed out. "They nudged me first."

       "I did," they conceded, finally backing away from Jialiang after finishing their investigation of his sigils. "What of it? I was worried about Jialiang and Jiangli. I told Director Hu who I was and where I was headed after eavesdropping, and then she nudged Jialiang in that direction. It's not that serious."

       "Eavesdropping is kind of serious!" Paimon exclaimed, shooting them an odd look.

       "Fair point, but it's not like I was eavesdropping on someone I've never met. What could Baizhu have said to you that I wouldn't have already known? Absolutely nothing.”

       "I knew there were people listening in on our conversation back then," Aether murmured. "To think it was you two..."

       "No wonder he didn't mention the Elixir back then," Director Hu muttered to herself. "I thought he was being frank and transparent with me for once, but apparently not."

       Jialiang cleared his throat, laughing a bit. "Director Hu told me to keep her suggestion a secret, and [Name] had told Jiangli and I a while ago to keep it a secret that they were in Liyue, but it seems nothing escapes Dr. Baizhu's attention..."

       "Never underestimate a serpent's sense of smell!" Changsheng hissed, almost seeming to be proud.

       "All I wanted was to help Jialiang find his missing wife as soon as possible, so that he could be on his way to the afterlife without any unfulfilled wishes making the journey more difficult than it needs to be..." Hu Tao sighed. "Leave it to Bubu Pharmacy to snatch the perfect opportunity right outta my hands at the last hurdle! Never mind, I'll just have to put it down in the books as a deferred consideration... one Qiqi was enough of a conundrum; the last thing I need's another one. If I'd known this was coming, I would have whisked him off to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor the moment I found him."

       "Y— you stay away from my dad! When I grow up, I'm gonna become a better doctor than Mom and Baizhu, and cure Dad for good!" Ayu declared, making them chuckle into their hand. They ruffled his brown hair fondly. "A— and [Name]! Better than [Name] too!"

       "I don't really practice medicine anymore, honey. I definitely don't count as a doctor. You'd outdo me within a week."

       Jiangli grinned at them, teasing, "I don't know, [Name]. For someone who 'doesn't practice medicine anymore,' you still act as if you do. You seem very fascinated with Baizhu's imitation of immortality on a very deep level.”

       "Old habits die hard," they simply answered. "What can I say?”

       "Oh? Is that so?" Hu Tao chimed, turning to Ayu. "Well, you wouldn't be the first person who's tried to put Wangsheng Funeral Parlor out of business. If you're serious about it, you'll have your work cut out for you."

       Just like that, she turned on her heel and left.

       "Phew... is she finally gone?" Qiqi peeked out from her hiding spot. Upon seeing them, and noting that Hu Tao was gone, she ran over to them, presenting them with a silk flower. "I meant to give it to you earlier... because it's pretty, like you... but I forgot..."

       Their face turned serious as they faced the Liyuean doctor. "Baizhu."

       "Hm?"

       "I'm keeping her. She's mine now. This is my child now."

       Both Baizhu and Jiangli chuckled at how purely enamored they were with her, kneeling down so Qiqi could tuck the flower behind their ear. They cooed over her sweetness, patting her head lovingly. Ayu almost seemed a little jealous of the attention they showered her in.

       "All's well that ends well!" Paimon chimed, turning to Aether. "If you ask Paimon, we should probably go do something to celebrate this heard-earned family reunion..."

       "Paimon's idea of a celebration can only mean one thing..."

       "Hehe! At times like this, a grand celebratory feast is in order!"

       Jialiang chuckled, "It feels like it was a whole lifetime ago when I last talked with Jiangli and Ayu around the dinner table."

       "Rightfully so," they said, "you've been through a lot."

       Aether nodded. "This was a hard-earned meal."

       "Yaaay~! Paimon can't wait! Alright, first thing's first—off to the market for some fresh ingredients! Let's go~!"

       "Wait up!" Ayu shouted, running after them. "I'll come too!"

       "Baizhu, thank you so, so much for everything you've done for us..." Jiangli thanked, then turning to place a hand on their shoulder as many had done before her. "And [Name], I would not be as well as I am now if not for you. You've been standoffish for the past decade, but I know you still care. For all of us."

       "Ah... I wasn't trying to come off as cold. Things just got tough for me after that incident. I never want you guys to feel like I don't care, you know..."

       "Don't mention it, Jiangli," Baizhu reassured. "I was just doing my duty."

       "Just your duty, huh..." she mused wistfully. "Baizhu, Changsheng, [Name], would you mind if we took this conversation outside?"

                         — flower of the universe !! 🌸

       "Time flies. It's been so long since we've been together like this... Changsheng, you're the same as ever," Jiangli laughed. "You haven't changed one bit!"

       "That's literally what I said to her, too," they exclaimed. "See, I knew I was right! Some things just don't change, hm?"

       "...You two, on the other hand, have changed a lot," Changsheng replied, a thoughtful lilt to her tone. She certainly knew more than what she was letting on.

       "You're right," Jiangli admitted. "My younger self would have never imagined that things would one day turn out this way."

       "I doubt that any of us imagined our lives would turn out this way," they added. "I mean, really... our time in Chenyu Vale seems so far gone now, doesn’t it?”

       “It really does,” the woman agreed.

       The evening light bathed their face in yellow-orange light; it wasn't quite late enough yet for the light to take on a more golden hue, but it was beautiful nonetheless. Even after all the horrors they had witnessed, they still had the capacity to recognize beauty.

       "Liyue's so pretty at this time, isn't it?" they wondered aloud.

       "You always did think so," Baizhu replied. "That much hasn't changed."

       An oddly comfortable silence settled for but a few short moments as the small group descended the last of the stairs that led to Bubu Pharmacy. Jiangli was the first to break it:

        “I’ve taken a look at your Elixir of Immortality, Baizhu, as has [Name]. It isn’t altogether dissimilar from the poison I concocted in terms of the way it functions.”

        “I have to say, Jiangli, it was a stroke of genius to use poison to maintain life. I hope you’re not too upset at me for… copying your methods?”

        “No, not at all. With your intellect, even if you’d never seen my poison, I believe you would have eventually arrived at the same approach, but I’m still impressed by how quickly you gained such a thorough understanding of it. Jialiang’s still only been in your care for a few days. Not just that—you even managed to improve upon the original formula. That cannot be explained by intellect alone…”

        “Ten mora says he tried it out on himself.”

        “Ha!” Changsheng laughed. “Told you the truth would come out sooner or later.”

        “Knew it,” they hummed. “Life force has never been the only thing Changsheng’s contract allows her contractees to transfer. I know simply because I used to catch our master doing things like that all the time.”

        “Baizhu…” Jiangli trailed off.

        “…Nothing gets past you two. Yes, Changsheng’s secret art also allows for the transfer of toxins and diseases. When I treated Jialiang for the second time, I transferred some of the poison from his body onto my own. Not only did this allow me to alleviate the burden on him, but it also gave me an opportunity to study its properties. There is no need to worry about any long-term consequences to my health, however. Now that the source has been destroyed, any remaining poison in me will have already dissipated.”

        “But you took such a huge risk,” Jiangli opposed. “If we hadn’t destroyed the gods’ remains back there, then even you might have…” She then sighed. “What am I saying? I’m in no position to criticize you for this, and if [Name] knew… it’s no wonder why they were adamant on destroying the remains themselves.”

       They nodded. “I had to be sure they would be gone. Believe me, whatever was there before… it is not there now and will never be there again.”

        “Leave it to you to see through us all, even from such a distance,” she said with a fond, wistful smile. She turned back to Baizhu. “The reason I left our Master and went into hiding all those years ago was that he was getting old, and I didn’t want him using up any more of his own life force to treat my husband, but in the end… how were my methods any different than his? I risked one life to save another, and then you tried the poison on yourself, too… It looks like both of us have ended up going the same way as out master before us. As for [Name]… heh, they’re hardly any better.”

       Baizhu seemed intrigued by her statement. “How so?”

        “[Name], why don’t you tell Baizhu how you absorbed the majority of that gods’ remains to keep them from getting to me?”

        “It’s different,” they insisted, gaze shifting towards the golden sky. "I mean, I did do that, yes—that’s not what I’m denying. You two do it because if there is a life in front of you deserving of being saved, you save it, and… ten years ago, I would have done it solely for the same reasons. Now, though… It’s different. That incident changed me, Jiangli. I do it because I get a rush from surviving things like that.”

        “Nonetheless, your intentions towards others are still good,” Jiangli said, gently squeezing their upper arm. “Would you have done it if you didn’t care? If you weren’t scared for my life? You said it yourself. You were worried about my husband and I. You put yourself in a situation you knew would inevitably lead to you and Baizhu meeting again. You put yourself at risk, and that is what really makes me wonder: are all disciples of Chenyu Vale destined to turn out this way? To live a short life, having given away our own for the sake of others? To fight relentlessly against the natural course of life and death, whatever the cost? …Maybe our fate is sealed the moment we decide to study medicine.”

        “We are doctors, Jiangli. We ought never say that anyone’s fate is sealed.”

        “Baizhu, I can tell that over the years, you’ve used the contract with Changsheng to transfer many diseases and toxins onto yourself. There are so many, that some of them I don’t even recognize… can you still stop it before it’s too late?”

        “Don’t fool yourself. We all know the answer to that question, Jiangli,” they interrupted, “and we all know it’s a very honest no. All disciples of Chneyu Vale believe in the same core principle. Don’t be a hypocrite.”

        “Heey~!” Paimon shouted, waving the group over. “Food’s ready!”

        “Mom!” Ayu exclaimed excitedly, running up to the woman. “Come and join us! Aether taught me a load of new recipes and said even Dad’ll be able to taste them! Come and try them out!”

        “Yes, darling, mom’ll be there in just a minute… Hey, slow down!” she exclaimed, chasing after her child. She stopped briefly, turning back to face them and Baizhu. “Baizhu, I know I won’t be able to convince you, but… please don’t forget that, if one day, you’re not around anymore… Qiqi, Gui, and all the friends that have grown fond of you, they will all miss you dearly.”

        “There’s no need to worry, Jiangli. I know what I’m doing.”

        “…I can only hope so,” she sighed, “and [Name]? I believe you know where this conversation needs to go. I was honest about why I left. It’s your turn now.”

       She walked off after her son.

       A silence settled in her absence. This time, however, it was tense.

       Then, Baizhu seemed to search his pockets for something. His face brightened slightly when he found it: a small envelope yellowed with age. He handed it over to them.

       "You... never opened it?" they wondered softly, holding the letter they'd written all those years ago with such delicacy that they weren't even aware they were capable of anymore.

       "I wanted to hear the explanation from you."

       "This was from me," they tried to counter.

       "[Name]."

       "Yeah, yeah... I get it. You wanted to hear it from me directly. I know," they sighed, leaning back against the railing, fidgeting with the paper envelope help in their hands. "It really isn't a pretty story, but if anyone deserves to know... I suppose it's you. I’m surprised Changsheng didn’t tell you already, given how inclined she is to gossiping—”

        “Hey!”

        “—Just... please. Do me a favor and try not to look at me too differently after you hear it."

       Baizhu reached out to their shoulder, giving it a tender squeeze. "I just want to know why you left so abruptly. We were so close. There is nothing you could say or do that would make me resent you."

       They smiled bitterly. "We'll see about that."

                         — flower of the universe !! 🌸

       For the first time in a very long time, they spoke to Baizhu.

       Not superficially, not as distant professionals, but as friends. It was a moment of honest vulnerability that truly frightened them. They hadn't been that vulnerable since before their fall.

       The silence weighed heavily on their chest as they gazed anywhere but at their former friend. Somehow, the anticipation for his response was far more suffocating than any other in the past—even the anticipation for their Master's response was never this heavy.

       Then, the Liyuean doctor reached out, gingerly tugging them towards his figure. His arms settled comfortably around their waist.

       The weak beating of his heart and the wheezing breaths he took prompted them to sob. The sound they let out was overwhelmingly heartbreaking; it was somehow even worse than the cry they had let out upon taking that first life all those years ago in the Abyss. All the pain they suppressed for all the years they hid from their home, their friends... it all came flooding out at once.

       "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."

       "You went through all of that," Baizhu whispered, his voice meant only for them (and Changsheng by default…) to hear as a hand ran soothingly through their hair, "and you truly believed we would hold that against you?"

       "Yes!" they wept. Archons... they hadn't felt this pathetic since their initial descent into the Abyss. "Gods, Baizhu, of course I thought you all would hold it against me! I was supposed to be Changsheng's next contractee! It was never supposed to be you! I didn't want it to be you!"

       "I know."

       "It's not fair! You— you're here giving away your life force, and you're going to die young, and it's going to be my fault! I should have done something differently! Maybe then we wouldn't be in this situation!"

       "It's not your fault."

       "It is!"

       "It's not."

       "You're suffering because of me!"

       "[Name]."

       "I only ever do bad things to you," they sobbed. "Why do you still want to forgive me? Why are you wasting your time comforting me? You should just move on. You're better off without me."

       "Stay in Liyue."

       "H— huh?" they sniffled. "What? No, I... No!”

        “Stay, [Name]. Please.”

        “No! Why do you even want me to stay here?! You should hate me! You should—”

        “You’re reckless with your own life. Do you really think I don’t see it? You claim to get a rush from being alive, but… I do not believe that is the only thing you seek out by putting yourself at risk. Mentally well people don’t behave this way. Let me help you. Please."

        ‘No shit,’ they wanted to say, ‘I haven’t been well since that day.’

        “Are you saying you don’t trust me to be on my own?”

        “I am.”

       Their throat closed. They squeezed their eyes shut.

       He was right, much as they hated it.

        “…Fucking hypocrite.”

       "That may be so.” He smiled ruefully. “If that isn’t good enough of a reason, then… I’m asking you to stay because I want you to stay, [Name]. Stay with me for a little while." His eyes were filled with a gentleness that they wholeheartedly believed should not have been directed at them. "We still get along, don't we? Though you may have changed, I genuinely find it hard to believe anything about us has changed, so stay. Let's get to know each other again, hm?"

       They blinked. Once, twice. Tears pricked at their eyelashes.

       "...Okay."

       They still failed to part from Baizhu, but he didn't seem to mind, only resuming his motions of brushing his fingers through their hair.

       "Qiqi quite likes your company, too."

       "Yes..." they murmured. "Um, a lot of kids seem to, you know... Ayu, my other friend's siblings... I don't really get it, but they, um, they all seem to like me."

       For what was the first time in decades, they felt truly at peace. They'd often engage in meaningless conversation under the sunset's light with Baizhu in their youth, gathering herbs and the like for their shared Master. To do something so similar once again...

       It soothed the beast their soul had become. 

       The sunset's light, however, did not dance in their eyes as it once had.

please consider reblogging, it helps me out quite a lot! taglist: @zeldadou, @ophelium-flowers, @aikitsuki.

[chasing-that-jackson]

Look, I didn't want to be praetor. Or be responsible for people, but here I am!

Hey, before you ask. Yes, my dad's the famous Percy Jackson, yes, my mother is Annabeth Chase. But I'm not going to live in their shadow! I'm making my own path! But before all the epic monologues, I'm Charlotte Sally Jackson, but you can just call me Charlie. Or anything other than "Da Big C" (I WILL fight you, Cassie). I'm the praetor of New Rome, along with Ambrose Asher! Now here's some stuff about me !

Name: Charlotte Sally Chase - Jackson.

Alias: Charlie, Char-char , Goldfish (come on, dad.), Praetor Jackson, Jackson, Lottie.

Age: 16 Sexuality: Bisexual :D

Weapons: a trident named "Thalassa" (the sea) given to her by Poseidon. It can change shape at will, as it is made of pure water, her mother's Yankees cap.

Relations: Perseus Jackson (father) , Annabeth Chase-Jackson (mother), Cassandra Hestia Chase (sister), Sally Jackson (Grandmother) , Poseidon, Athena.

Personality: changeable like the sea" and hard to predict — with the important exception that she is extremely loyal to her friends and family. Sarcastic and goody at most times, but works great under pressure. Doubtful in her own skills but she believes a hell of a lot in others. The occasional temper is present, of course, but she wouldn't be a Jackson without it, amirite?

Fatal flaw: Overly giving/overly dedicated. She gives every part of her to a task, to a person. Even if she doesn't have anymore to give. She'll die trying.

Relationship with family: HUGE daddy's girl, but they always just roast each other. Loves her mom too, of course, but sometimes she's just too..overbearing. Too strict. Gets along great with her sister, who is 1 year younger than her. Her relationship with her grandma and grandpa (Sally and Paul) is also pretty good, they spoil her rotten (in a good way!). Vibes with Poseidon, kind of vibes with Athena until..a certain event. Now she's steely towards her. She's fond of Hestia and Apollo as they resonate with her.

Fears: small spaces, loss of loved ones/family, tests, drowning.

Sexuality : Bisexual, demiromantic

Hobbies: playing the guitar, occasional drawing, surfing, listening to audiobooks, joking around and learning new things. My sister, Cassandra is 15!

"You are too giving. You will give yourself to save others, to make others better, to make others feel better, even if you are great danger. In pain, you smile at those around you because you know they'll hurt if you dont. And in the end, legacy of Poseidon, it will be your downfall."

Songs that play constantly on my battered headphones (dad, buy me new ones , please :()

Seven nation army - The white stripes

Teenagers - MCR

Run, boy Run - Woodkid

What's up danger? - Blackway and Black Caviar

And many, many more! Feel free to come ask for song recs, because my music taste is as amazing as my fighting skills, haha.

People I know!:

@percy-jackson-xxx - My super amazing cool dad whose kinda stupid .... (I love you please don't throw me into the pool 😔)

@ineedtoescapefromreality - Echo and Rosalyn Mclean! (Rosalyn, teach me how to be as cool as you :[ and Echo just like. High five, dude ✌️), Auntie Piper and Shel's kids!

@daffy-not-a-duck - Daphne (I am not writing your complete name dude it's so long???) Uncle Nico and Will's daughter! (I like your parents, but you?? ew..........)

@iggy-mini-miny-moe - IGGGGGGYYYYY AYYYY (adhd bestie frfr, let's go commit arson) Uncle Leo and Jason's son! (Uncle Leo's tacos are amazing btw) @violent-cinnamonroll - Aria!( i appreciate chu bestie <333) Auntie Clarisse and Silena's kid! (Auntie clarisse scares me. pls dont pummel me to ground :()

@olivernotfound - Ollieeee! (Better than his sister :D) Uncle Nico and Wills second kid! (Who I like a lot more. High five, bro)

@notwillingtobefound - Will Valdez!! (Bros music taste is top tier?? How??) Uncle Leo and Jason's kid! @the-poison-and-the-sky - Belldonna Jackson-Chase! My older sister! (she hears everything/j) @daredevil-larue - Lucine La Rue ! Auntie Clarisse and Auntie Silena's other daughter! (super cool blue hair hehe <33) @praetor-ambrose-asher - Ambrose Asher, My fellow praetor! (muscles. end sentence. thats it. MUSCLE-)

Ooc notes:

Occasionally, other characters will appear on this blog as I imagine them. This will include Percy , Annabeth, and Cassie! (Any post by them will have their name at the end)

Tags:

praetor charlie on the chase - Charlotte ic

cassie snoops around - notes from cassie

parents are parenting - notes from Annabeth or Percy

the jackson two - both Cassie and charlie together!

In the praetors- ooc

Duck tales- with the idiotic (and pretty) Daffy Duck

Fireboy and watergirl - w/mah bro Iggy!!! We besties fr (stop burning down my freaking kitchen??)

Deathboy and Skatergirl - w/mah other bro ollie!! (Stop being so oblivious because Iggy clearly l- *gets slapped*) the ultimate cool girls - w/super cool girl, Rosalyn! awkward silence - w/ echo (quiet, but awesome)

Please remember, this is not a multi character blog, but just appearances by others! Thanks for reading. No nsfw . I'm a minor 😎.

So, that's me! Ever need anything, I'm always up in the praetors office, or around the stables. Till we meet again, this is Charlie signing off!

That was so cheesy, Char. - Cassie

[slythereen]

I agree, if Charles went to RBR it would actually be the best, PR-wise, for RB and him.

If anyone starts talking about Charles betraying Ferrari? The absolute shade Christian would throw out into the media about how Ferrari didn't treat him right.

People hating on him once he starts winning? Red Bull would bask in the media attention for being the villain team and having two drivers destroy the competition. They would post videos of getting booed and see it as a sign of superiority. You're right, they would definitely eat that shit up and throw it in everyone's faces.

And Charles in Ferrari media always gives PR-media-trained-perfect-angel-boy, but we all know Charles is actually unhinged and insane and can be snarky as hell. RB would allow him to not be a robotic PR boy for once in his life.

Honestly, it would be best for everyone, and most importantly, entertaining for us.

you know, i actually am not sure how demonic charles would be on main about it all. on one hand, yes, ferrari absolutely has a hand in how buttoned up his media persona is — but, he's been with them for so long (is ferrari the team that sent him to media training with sky? or was that earlier?) that it's definitely influenced his natural approach, i think. careful and deliberate is ingrained in him.

don't get me wrong: he has his moments. he's not afraid to get a little sassy, he will toss shade, but significantly less than other drivers (and half the time he gets kidnapped by silvia and returns suddenly happy with ferrari again). i can see the sudden shift in pr management from transitioning from ferrari to rbr going two ways.

first, charles doesn't really shift much. his personal brand is very polished and serene. it may have originated with ferrari, but it's part of the image that he has also helped to craft for himself. he may just me more relaxed and freer with his cheeky commentary, less likely to get scolded behind closed doors (but everyone knows so it may as well be in the paddock), generally be a slightly spicier form of charles... but he'd still be gentle about it. playful about it. not abandon his main persona very much, because a) i think a lot of it is genuine but b) a switch up would make it look not genuine. so non-robotic but not the fullblown rbr villainy that would entertain me greatly.

or: rbr as a brand encourages it. they will tell him he can do it, likely (within reason/without it blowing back on the team, naturally). they may even craft scenarios where he can be "real" on main. red bull gives you wings, after all, and charles' have been clipped for years. and charles, if he moves to rbr, knows what he is signing up for. if he wants to cohesively integrate into the rbr image and marketing (which he would want/need to) he would need to embrace a shift in his pr approach. that's something he would need to be committed to in advance. he might full-send it, or at least send it harder than expected. it might be part of the new marketing angle he's taking.

a combination thereof may be closer to the how the brand book would be put together. a happy middle ground, maybe. if you think about it, charles' shift in messaging supports it, too: "i don't care for pole, i want to win" "max may have the best car but that doesnt excuse his talent. the driver winning is still extremely talented even with the best car, btw. (pls remember that when i have the best car and suddenly am winning again)". it's little but it's noticeable; he's repeated it a lot.

[crazylittlejester]

I return with a short list of headcannons

Twilight has anemia. He is so pale despite being a farm boy and the only farm boy I knew who was as pale as him also had anemia. Give this boy some iron supplements pls.

You may think Wild and Hyrule are the problem children when together, but if you added Four it's as if you sent three overly hyper children into a candy store. Zero brain cells are to be found.

Every bird loves Sky. Every. Single. One. He has Disney princess vibes.

Warriors cannot sing for the life of him. You know Scuttle from the Little Mermaid? Thats what he sounds like.

Fairies love Hyrule and Time so much that it isn't uncommon to see the small balls of light attempt to "kidnap" them. (Which in reality is just them repeatedly hitting themselves against the two since they can't push them, and it's adorable.)

Time, in his youth, would starve himself since he was so used to eating very little. Malon threatened to throw a cow at him if he didn't start eating. Time hasn't starved himself since.

Wind believes babies come from storks and I will die on that hill.

Legend, despite what many others headcannon for him, is religious. I like to think that he doesn't worship Hylia, but Farore.

Twilight is also religious, but for the light spirits. I like to think that Ordon's religion is simular to our paganism.

All the Links (minus Legend and Wind) experienced horrible sea sickness when they first got on Tetra's boat.

Twilight has a prosthetic arm after his arm was cut off during his adventure. You know the "need a hand" joke? That's how he revealed his prosthetic to the chain. He threw his arm to Sky, causing the man to pass out out of shock and horror (since Skyloft hasn't made the medical advancements for prosthetics!)

Cats love the Links, even if Four is deathly afraid of them. It's because the remlets loved Sky back when they existed.

Thanks for sharing these I had fun reading them!! I’m sorry it took me so long to respond to ur ask, I wanted to make sure I had enough time to read through all of them and respond :)

- Oooh Twilight with anemia is interesting. I personally headcanon that Twilight has one of the darkest skin tones of the bunch, along with Sky and Hyrule, while Legend and Time are the two palest

- Four to me gives off incredibly responsible energy, but when you pair him with someone else, he goes nuts and gets real silly real quick

- SKY DISNEY PRINCESS REAL. That boy has sung and held out his hand and a bird has landed in it, I just know it.

- I actually have a fic series I wrote where Wars was just completely tone deaf but did not let that stop him from screaming along to the radio. I think normal Wars would secretly be a decent singer but be bad on purpose because its a skill he’s anxious about

- I headcanon that fairies will just it in Time’s hair and let him walk around and carry them, and that they also do this to Hyrule and Wild as well

- I have a similar headcanon that Time used to only live off of nuts and fruits and cried the first time he saw Malon kill a cow for food. He’s over it now, but he’s still upset if he has to see it happen and will not kill an animal himself

- WIND ABSOLUTELY BELIEVES THAT AND I THINK HE’D CRY IF SOMEONE TOLD HIM OTHERWISE

- As far as the Links and religion go, I don’t think any of the hate Hylia, I think some are a bit bitter but I think at the end of the day they all know its not her fault. And yes to Legend worshipping Farore and Twilight the light spirits!

- I would like to add that I don’t think Wild would get sea sick. But all the others? Dead. Gone actually. One boat ride and they’re on the floor. Sky’s been in boats before but he hates them

- Twilight with a prosthetic arm would be an absolute menace to society oh good god 😭😭😭 (I’m obsessed with this headcanon btw, i love it)

- CATS LOVING LINKS BECAUSE REMLITS LOVED SKY IS SO CUTE. TEARS IN MY EYES RN THAT’S ADORABLE.

[daenysthedreamer101]

HOTD S1 Rewatch

Ep 6 - The Princess and the Queen

Omg I love my Queen so much! Look at her smile 😔

First of all... How TF did Alicent find out so quickly that Nyra gave birth?

Mere seconds after pushing Joffrey out Nyra is told that Alicent wants to see him

At 2:38 she pushes him out. At 3:20 she's told by a maid that A wants to see the baby... Like.... How??

You can see only from a couple of minutes that Nyra already loves her baby boy! 😭😭😭

A is sooo evil for doing that to Nyra! Oh you're going to the Seven Hells for that!

Laenor is so confused but he's got good intentions lol

When he says 'I thought we were past this' it implies A did this with Jace and Luke as well...

The way Nyra is struggling to get up those stairs...Alicent I am in your walls!

Also I don't understand her saying 'you may get one who looks like you' like this baby isn't three minutes old!

I mean I know why she said it but damn, let him develop some features!

HARWIN THE MAN YOU ARE! 😫

Baby Vermax is so cute!

DRACARYS! Poor goat though

It's so obvious that Aegon was the one behind the Pink Dread. Alicent blames Nyra's boys but like Luke is like 5 maybe and Jace 7/8. Your son is the oldest one so shouldn't he know better than to bully his own brother.. Oh that's right he doesn't because you let him bully his brother.. And you call yourself a mother 🙄

DREAMFYRE! THE OG MOTHER OF DRAGONS!

Helaena my little cutie pie... You deserve a better mother btw

'Your obsession with those beasts goes beyond understanding'

He's a Targaryen and his brother bullies him for the fact that he doesn't have one, ofc he wants a dragon, Alicent, pls just say you dont understand anything about the House you married into and leave

'It's a wonder to me their eggs ever hatched' Why? Their mother is a Targaryen....? So what is your point exactly? Oh she's such a bitch I can't stand her!

Like. Your kids are half Targaryen. Nyra's kids are half Targaryen. Also all of Nyra'a kids had their dragons hatch to them.

None of Alicent's did. They all had to claim dragons. Which there's nothing wrong with that it's just why are you talking such bs?

God I wish they kept Rhaenys's hair black. That way you could have plausible deniability for why Nyra's kids have dark hair, smh.

'I have to believe that in the end honor and decency will prevail'. Literally three seconds ago you were talking shit about her out in the open halls... Right, decency, sure...

Alicent yelling at her son and getting in his face - someone give her mother of the year award...

Caraxes and Vhagar having a cute little dance in the sky, oh the foreshadowing 🙃

CRISTON COLE YOU PETTY IDIOT! HARWIN SHOULD'VE SMASHED YOUR FACE THE WAY YOU DID TO JOFFREY!

Harwin, you're so sexy, if only you lived longer 😔😔

Omg Jace's little face, he's so cute little baby 😭

Why is Criston soo agressive? He's manhandling a litteral child? Like bsffr 🙄

The way Harwin holds Jace's face and encourages him - I'm fine.. I'm fine 🙂🙂

'You forget yourself Ser that is the Prince' as if you weren't encouraging Aegon to attack and harm Jace, who's also a Prince and in line for the throne... Right

I know Harwin punching Clumbo in the face was not a good move politically but he was sooo hot doing that ughh😫 I need to stop

Nyra has such a sweet relationship with her maids. You can see they genuinely care for her😭

We stan Elinda Massey in this house!

The way Nyra was looking up at Laenor as he drunkenly talks about the Triarchy, bye! 💀

The way Daemon smiled at Laena when she walked to sit beside him ughh he loved her I know he did!

Alicent pointing out Nyra's milk leaking was such a bitchy move! 🙄

Viserys I need you to grow a spine, you are the King not Alicent. If he said so Helaena would've married Jace and Alicent couldn't do shit about it.

Larys is such a slimy shady rat I hate just seeing him on my screen!

Laena, bestie, you truly died a dragonrider's death! RIP you were a true girlboss 😔

Vhagar hesitating to burn Laena ughhh my feels!

Harwin saying goodbye to the boys and Nyra holding back tears.... Ughh my heart!

I don't even wanna talk about Harwin dying... You're telling me a man called Breakbones couldn't break a door. I call bs on that.

He's alive and well he's alive and well he's-

I'm fine fine fine fine I'm fine 🙃🙃

[jesters-constantly-writing]

A/N: ALR JOY AND ALASTOR SILLINESS‼️‼️‼️THIS REQUEST IS FROM MY LOVELY GIRLFRIEND BTW SHOUTOUT TO HER, I LOVE YOU SM DEAR <33 I HOPE YOU LIKE THISSSSS!!! :33

CW: Smoking, insomnia, pregnancy mention, addiction coping, hinting to family abuse, things along those lines. Let me know what else to add in terms of content warnings :3

Genre: Hurt/Comfort

Synopsis: A girl sits late at night, trying not to give into a habit that haunts her…. She can’t resist it forever though. Good thing she has her partner there, right?

FAIR WARNING THESE ARE ME AND MY GIRLFRIENDS OCS AND AU FOR BSD SO ITS NOT ALLLLL GONNA LINE UP WITH THE PLOT OR ANYTHING BUT SYSKSHSJS I LIKE SHARING A LOT OF MY OC STUFF SO PLS I HOPE YOU ENJOY!! :33 (Also Alastor started off as a self insert but he’s not anymoreeeeee bc he became TOO EMO LOVE HIM THOUGH)

This was made with picrew but I’m unsure of which one :(( pls lmk if you can give me the link so I can add it here!! :3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A soft exhale of frustration was all that was heard in the room. A girl sat in the room, staring out the window as she looked down. She knew she shouldn’t… She was pregnant, and she promised not to… But she couldn’t sleep. And that was the only way she knew how to.

She grabbed a pack of cigarettes and stared at them, inching for the lighter in the drawer next to her. Grabbing it, mindlessly walked away from the bed, and found herself outside on the balcony.

She looked up at the starry sky as she lit the cigarette. She almost took a drag, her lips parting slightly until she heard the door slide open behind her. She looked over and saw one of her partners rubbing his eye as he looked at her. She flinched slightly at his presence from surprise, quickly turning around to face him.

“Oh… Hi, Star.” She waved as he walked over. “What’re you doing up…?” Alastor crossed his arms and looked up at her, his sight slightly blurred without his monocle. He could still make her out… barely.

“Joy…. I thought you were going to stop…” He softly said as she sighed, looking down. She felt him take the cigarette from her and watched as he dropped it over the balcony. He looked at her, waiting for her answer… He knew why. He wasn’t stupid. He just wasn’t sure how to help her. 

“I just… Can’t sleep…” She muttered as she looked away. Alastor sighed and got next to her, leaning against the railing slightly. She looked at him and then looked away.

“I’m gonna be a horrible—“

“Don’t say that… you’re not….” Alastor looked at her, his eye softening on her. “Joy…. You’re gonna do great…. You have us and the agency to help….”

“I know…. It’s still scary though, Star…”

“I can’t imagine.” He got closer to her and gently brushed some hair out of her face to look at her heterochromatic eyes. His one eye softened at her gentle stare, making him smile a bit.

“Joy…. You’re gonna do great….. I’m sorry it’s so scary but…. We’re here to help…. Just know that…. Okay?” He smiles softly at her. Joy got closer and hugged him tightly.

“Thanks, Star…… you mean the world to me…..” she whispered softly into his ear, hugging him close. “…You sure I won’t mess up….? I don’t wanna…. Be like my mom… or prove Cohen right…. I don’t…. Wanna be like them….. I won’t…. Right…?”

“Let me ask you this….. do you think I’m like my parents?” He asked, tilting his head. She shook her head immediately. “Do you think Dazai is anything like the man who he grew up around? Or anyone we know for that matter?”

“No….. of course not…. but—“

“Just because you’re your parents child it doesn’t mean that you will end up like them…. Parenting isn’t gonna be easy—and I know damn well with Dazai and Chuuya it won’t be, or even myself…. but….. I promise…. We’ll pull through….”

Joy nodded and looked at him. “…Can you help me throw away all my cigarettes?”

“I thought Oda and Chuuya watched you throw them all away? Didn’t they ensure you did?” Alastor crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. Joy sheepishly looked away and shook her head, avoiding his gaze.

“Not all of them….. clearly.” She gestured to the pack in her hand. Alastor sighed but nodded.

They both walked back inside together, Joy leading him to the couch. She picked up a pillow and grabbed a pack from under it. She sighed and gave both the packages to Alastor, watching as he nodded. He went over to the trash and threw them away.

A black cat walked over, watching the two. She jumped on the couch cushion next to the border collie dog next to them. She glanced at the cat for a moment, then closing her eyes again to go back to sleep. The cat joined her, curling up next to her.

With a soft sigh, Joy walked over and hugged onto Alastor’s arm slightly, looking down. “Uhm… thank you… I… I really did try…” her voice cracked a bit, causing Alastor to look over. He wrapped an arm around her waist and looked at her, a slight frown on her face.

“Of course…. And I know… sometimes stuff like that is hard to let go.” Alastor mumbled as he hugged her close. She hugged him tightly, burying herself in the crook of his neck.

“What if…. I can’t stop ever….? I don’t…. Want her to grow up around that….” Joy muttered as she looked down.

“…We all took vows to stop things that wouldn’t be good for her…. I know for a fact we won’t let each other fall….” Alastor smiled softly at Joy. She smiled a bit at him, nodding.

“Yeah….” She whispered, taking her hand into his and walking back to the bedroom with her. Her eyes laid on the other two men on the bed with her, smiling gently as Alastor squeezed her hand.

They both got back on the bed gently, as to not disturb the other two. Alastor pulled her close and hummed, running a hand through her hair. She hugged him tightly, taking deep breaths and remembering what Chuuya and Oda both often told her when she couldn’t sleep. She hugged him tightly, closing her eyes and slowly letting go.

Alastor looked down at her, noticing she fell asleep much faster than normal. He smiled and held her close. He glanced at the other two for a moment, then looking back at her. He kissed her head and nuzzled into her head, letting himself lose consciousness as well…..

They both fell asleep together in the other’s embrace… for once, calmly and willingly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: I’m sorry this is so short but I hope you liked it!! Pls request me if you have anything in mind you want written!! Remember:

You’re needed

You’re loved

And you’re amazing <3

Have a lovely day/night!!! :3

@jesters-constantly-writing

[sleeplesssmoll]

So I've been reading the traces recently and came across a line that seems like it should be important to well at least something but I haven't seen anyone talk about it? Here's the line btw:

It's specifically the "you're imitating the Messiah" Part that's like making me think. So uhh yeah I just wanted to share it.

Sorry if it's a strange thing to send I wanted to see someone else's opinion on it.

Reverse1999 loves to put Vertin in the position of Jesus. We saw this at the end of Chapter 2 where she was sitting in Judas's position and Schneider was in Judas's spot. Arcana calls her "the savior" and describes Vertin in an almost biblical manner whenever she's interacting with her. Even her little Suitcase is called an "ark". However, this instance is a bit different.

Disclaimer, Idk much about religion but I did try to look this bit up because it reminded me of something too. If anyone has more experience in the matter pls feel free to correct me or add on. I will do my best but I might get stuff wrong.

Note: Vertin was placed in a coma because the Foundation wanted her out of the way. This is relevant to the theory.

Here is what I found:

Source

The Jewish high priests were apparently looking for a reason to get rid of Jesus. As the revolutionary leader of a new movement that challenged the religious status quo, he posed a threat to their power. But they couldn’t just take action themselves. Ultimately, sentencing was up to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor at the time. And they needed to provide him with a legal justification for Jesus to be crucified. The trial of Jesus A number of witnesses testified against Jesus before the Sanhedrin, a Jewish court. Although the Gospel of Mark says many of them gave false testimony, Jesus didn’t confirm or deny their accusations. In fact, Jesus remained quiet through most of his trial, refusing to respond to the charges leveled against him. But he did respond to one question. Asked, “Are you the Messiah?” he seemed to admit that he was. Caiaphas, the chief priest, called this blasphemy. And then the others agreed that Jesus should be put to death. 

This trial parallels Vertin's story.

Moving on, this trail is in the chapter where Madam Z is playing ping-pong while trying to convince her friend to vote for her decision. The whole thing is an analogy to referring to how Vertin started off as the simple Timekeeper who kept records of the end of eras and now she plays this pivotal role that is rocking Foundation's core. She is the real ping-ping ball being batted between two factions of the Foundation. She has no say in the matter because she is now an object in a bigger game. Her fate relies on the people around her. Poor little Vertin is always a pawn in someone else's game. I highlighted some bits in red from the trail posted below that helped me put it together in my head. You can see it if you click "Keep reading." I hope this helps!

Also, thanks for giving me a chance to really look at this. I glossed over it the first time but the scene is even more intense now and I have a deeper appreciation for it. Any corrections or additions are welcome cause I'm out of my depth here.

Source: Chapter 4-16 Ball Game

Ping, pong. Ping, pong. Ping pong ping pong ping, pong. Ping. Pong.

An imitation show?

Yes, an imitation show. A ball imitation show, little thing.

You're imitating the Messiah, while I'm imitating an orange ball made of plastic.

Being pushed back and forth by two rackets, I have nowhere else to go. Once they apply a force on me, I can't help bouncing to the sky. 

You can see how the air flows across my dry, wrinkled skin ...

Oh, what a coincidence! Aren't you in the same situation as mine now!

Ha! Look at your frowning face-

Your face wrinkles from the eyebrows to the nose tip, but people can barely see those light furrows. We know what that means. You have a poker face, and it's never your fault.

But for now, your face is not the thing that matters. Well, maybe for someone it is, but still, it's not. You know what really matters?

The game! Yes, it's the game, of course the game matters!

Everyone loves the game. They gather at the stadium, yelling or roaring vehemently. They choose one team to become its fan and spend good money on a team uniform or an autographed ball.

Yet, it's just a ball. You see where I'm coming from?

Just a ball. Its outline, a circle, could be found in any geometry textbook and anywhere in this world. When the first hominid picked up a coconut and threw it to the sky-and caught it—and threw it—and caught it-and threw it again, when she felt joy and yelped, had she ever thought of the future?

The future where a simple ball has become so complicated and enchanting, now we call it the present.

Complicated and enchanting?

Hahahahahaha! Yes, sure! Complicated and enchanting!

Use your silly and smart head to think about this ball game carefully.

The complex scoring rules, the harsh requirements for reactive agility, the countless possible foul points ... Your fingers, your wrists, and arms, a correct way of using them will lead to victory!

What matters more is, like every ball game, it focuses on how you serve the ball and hitting it back.

It's not an easy job as it sounds. When you are in the game, you need to concentrate. Where will the ball come from, and how will you return it to your opponent-you need to figure that out within half a second.

Use your power in a proper way, move your feet in a stable pace, inhale and exhale at the right timings.

Ping. Pong. Ping. Pong. Ping. Pong. Ping. Pong...

The sound will last forever and ever until that bouncing little thing falls to either side of the court.

[reanbowful]

hi Rean! can i have a request for reader appears with a wound on her body every day, not because she participated in a fight but because of her bad luck. i wonder how weak hero boys will react 😔

pls ignore if you don't like it. have a good day btw!

Yes you can! And noo I would never ignore you bb 🤍 Good day to you too! So basically reader is bennett right? 😭

*also I finished this faster than I expected yayy

“it’s just bad luck”

if you keep getting injured due to your bad luck

(gray, ben, alex, donald, jake, wolf)

gray yeon / yeon sieun

You show up to class with a skinned elbow today. Yesterday it was a bruise on your nose bridge. The day before that you had a busted lip.

Gray frowned, watching as you hiss when the sleeves of your uniform ride down your elbow.

You don’t seem like the type to be getting yourself into fights.

But then again, looks can be deceiving. Gray himself is well aware of that fact.

His first thoughts was that you were getting beat up. You really can’t be too careful in the streets of Yeongdeungpo.

So he does what he has to do.

“Hey, do you want to walk home together?”

Surprisingly, you agreed. And Gray noted with relief that you’re simply way too relaxed to be in fear of someone jumping you. So, assholes beating you up was definitely off his list-

“Look out!”

Gray’s eyes widened as he pulled you aside when broken window glasses suddenly came free falling from the sky.

“Shit! Are you okay?! I’m so so sorry! You got dragged into my bad luck.”

“Your what?”

So then you began to explain that you just have chronic bad luck that’s gotten you injured for the past few days.

So that’s what it was.

“Uh, Gray? You’re not mad are you?”

The boy would just simply shake his head and continue walking down the street. He took a passing glance at you, a small smile on his lips.

Perhaps with his presence, your bad luck could finally nullify.

ben park / park humin

I think we can collectively agree that Ben doesn’t have that great of a luck himself.

You and Ben were supposed to go to an arcade today testing out the new machine that they have.

Ben was bouncing on his feet the entire day, anticipating the date.

But as he was walking to your house, a text message popped up in his phone.

I can’t go out today, let’s go some other time.

He stared at his phone for like 5 seconds. You were not the type of person to bail out on plans at d-day unless something really urgent came up.

Did something happen?

No replies.

Ben decided not to push it since he doesn’t want to make you uncomfortable if it was a private matter and walked back home a bit down that day.

When you stopped replying to his texts for the next couple of days was when he began to get really worried that something real bad had happened.

Did you get bored of him? Were you angry? But what did he do? Oh this last one really brought tears to his eyes- What if you breaking up with him?

Alex and Gerard watched him with shared concerns. They suggested he just go visit you at your house and ask for himself what exactly happened.

So here he is, right at your door.

‘Hello?’

“Babe? You weren’t responding to my texts, so I was getting kinda worried-”

He was caught by surprise when you rushed to the door and beamed to hug him.

“Ben! God I missed you so much!”

But his attention was caught on something else. The cast on your arm. Then it went up. Your neck was covered in small scratches and there was bruises on your cheek.

His first thought, the Union.

Holding you by your shoulders, he leaned down.

“Who did this to you?”

“Uh.. babe?”

Before Ben explodes and goes on a killing rampage, you quickly explained that you had gotten into an accident while taking your dog to the doctor. Your phone broke and your last text to him was literally moments before disaster. (the dog is okay guys don’t come for me)

“So, yeah. It’s just my bad luck.”

“I- I thought you were breaking up with me..”

You better give him his hugs and kisses afterwards.

alex go / go hyuntak

Alex is a hot blooded person, so proceed with caution here.

You guys were on a date together, at a small cafe your friend had recommended to you the other day.

“This place is actually really nice, don’t you think?”

“Hm..”

Something about you has been really distracting Alex. He narrowed his eyes at you, trying to find the peculiarity.

“Alex..? Is everything ok- OW!”

Yep. It was your shoulder. He noticed that you haven’t really been raising your left arm. Only moving them moderately, and even suppressing a wince once in a while.

“You’re injured.”

You pouted, looking away to the side.

“What happened? Tell me. Is it the Union? Is it them?!”

it’s your turn to look incredulously at him.

“What is the Union? And wha- no I got hit by a fire extinguisher.”

“You got hit by a what?”

Explaining what happened in short, basically a girl at your home economics class set her station on fire. And this one prick who thinks he’s the main character ran and pour water over the pan making the fire reach up to the ceiling of the classroom. (this happened to my class irl. never do that guys)

So then HE fucked up, which makes another guy with actual brains go and get the fire extinguisher.

And apparently universe decides they want you to have a bad week. The fire extinguisher exploded once he took the seal of, and flew over. Hitting you on the back of your shoulder.

“And that’s the whole story. It’s really just some bad luck going on there.”

Alex would just sit there, flabbergasted.

“Babe.. who did you anger to receive all this bad karma?”

donald na / na baekjin

You did not exactly covered the injuries you sustained on your body. It wasn’t like it was some secret of yours.

Donald also did not pay much attention to it. He does took notice of it, just never really commented much on it.

But then the bruises grew, from one to three, and then to six.

Donald would narrow his eyes at the growing number of injuries you have. How did you even get them? In the first place, you weren’t even an actively physical member of the Union.

So one day after you came to submit your report, Donald would pull you aside and ask for a confirmation.

“Y/N, you know I care about the wellbeing of every members of the Union, don’t you?”

His eyes darted down, yet another growing bruise on your leg above the knee.

He pursed his lips when you tilt your head in confusion.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“You don’t pass me as one, but have you been fighting outside my supervision?”

“Huh? No, I haven’t.”

“Then, is there anyone bothering you?”

“I’m not sure where this is coming from..”

Donald would take your arm and slide the sleeves of your uniform up to reveal trails of bruises.

“Hm?”

“Oh, these! No, they’re not from fighting. I swear.”

“Then?”

Sheepishly rubbing your neck, you’re not too sure you wanted to reveal this not to cool part of your life towards him.

“Well.. it’s just. It’s really nothing, I just have bad luck? I guess?”

“Bad luck..?”

“Yeah, you know. I can’t really explain it, it’s just something I experienced for like all my life really. Plus I have a pretty weak skin! So it’s easy for me to retain bruises.”

Bad luck, huh.

“Stay here for a minute will you, Love. We’ll walk together from now on to minimise that bad luck of yours.”

jake ji / ji hakho

If you guys don’t know each other, or just not very close in general, I honestly don’t think Jake would care that much.

If he’s interested in you, he will try to make a passing comment like, “Ouch, that could leave a scar.”

If you two are already close, depending on the scale of your injury, he will get super worried.

You came to school that day with a bandaged arm. You had accidentally burned yourself while ironing your brother’s clothes. But it was nothing too serious, you cleaned the wound and bandaged it up.

Even so, a fresh wound is still a fresh wound.

“Y/N!”

You hissed when Jake accidentally brushed over your injured arm as he ran over to hug you.

“Hm? Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”

“You didn’t hurt me, Jake. It’s fine.”

Jake would be left stunned as you left him in front of the school yard.

You’ve never avoided him like this before. Except for the next few days, whenever he initiated any big physical contact, you would push him off like the plague.

“Alright, this is not fun anymore. What’s going on?”

It was a huge problem for him not being able to hug you. So, he needs to get to the core of the problem.

“My arm. I burned it on an iron, and you kept accidentally touching them. So- WAIT JAKE!”

Rolling up your sleeves with little considerations for you, he noticed the white gauze peeking through.

You watched as your boyfriend lowered the sleeves of your blazer back down, a hard look on his face.

“WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME?! And all this time I thought I did something to upset you or something!”

“H-huh?! No, you didn’t! It was just my bad luck..”

“Bad luck or whatever, I want you to tell me the reason I can’t get your hugs next time!”

wolf keum / keum seongje

Wolf Keum is a lot. And out of all those things that he is, he is perceptive.

And really, he notices everything about you. If you changed your shampoo, or when you get a new perfume. He KNOWS.

So you can have my words that he would notice even the smallest imperfection on your skin.

The two of you were at your house after the teacher assigned you for voluntary summer tutoring for extra marks to add onto your uni application later on.

You brought it up to Wolf one day and he shrugged, filing his name in.

So that brings him here, in front of your house. With a box of roll cake his mother made him bring.

They’re giving you tutoring for free! Bring this over and say thank you! Don’t let me hear complaints from their parents about any bad behaviour, Wolf Keum. You hear?!

(I can just imagine mama wolf being a total tiger mom ngl)

“Noona, it’s Wolf.”

Alright back to present time.

It was in the middle of summer. You wore shorts, just like everyone else to spare your body from any possible heat stroke.

It wasn’t visible while you were standing up. But once you sat down and crossed your legs, Wolf noticed a slight discolouration on the inner of your thigh.

Absentmindedly, he slid his hand down to raise up your shorts.

“Wolf! Are you out of your-“

Your older sister who was passing by the living room to get some water averted her eyes awkwardly and murmured something about getting a room.

“Seriously, Wolf..”

“Why do you have bruises here?”

“What?”

Wolf looked at you, and you looked down to where his hand is.

You sighed, about to lose your mind with this kid.

“I fell off a bike a few days ago. It wasn’t anything serious, just got a bit unlucky.”

You replied, pulling down the hem of your shorts back.

“You should be more careful, Noona. Even I don’t fall off of bikes since grade school anymore.”

“-!”