#he's a sad wisp of a thing but he has more personality than 'sad'.

[ofyorkshire]

I love BJ's easy, good-natured sassing.

[mayullla]

💐 Yandere Venti 🦋 please! Thank you again!

Title: Past Memories

Character(s): Venti (Genshin impact) Summary: He lost you and his friend in the past. He would not lose you the second time. Warnings/tags: Yandere themes, Fem!reader, reincarnation au

[ - A little present~! Event - Closed - ]

Venti loved you from the moment he was born from a blow of the wind. The moment he saw you as you held down your the skirt of your dress, he fell in love with you. Your lovely voice, startled by the sudden gust of wind as you held tightly the basket of food that you were carrying.

He was barely visible back then, the wisp thought to itself soon snapping out of his thoughts when his friend called him. Flying quickly towards him, the little spirit turned his head just one time more toward you before heading to his friend.

Unknown to him, you were going to be forever etched into his mind and heart.

He had watched from afar, the person that he loved. His feeling grew more and more the more he looked at you, the more he found out about you. The more lovely you have become to him, the more he watched you. The way you talk, how you laugh, how your eyes watched the sky as the wind curls around you, how your hair follows the wind softly as if dancing along with your clothes, every single thing made him fall more and more in love with you.

It was by chance that his friend became friends with you. The two of you had similar interests, if not that your personalities aligned just right to see each other every so often. It was around that time when Venti took his chance to meet you, to draw closer to you. He thought that this would be enough that everything was perfect.

Too bad nothing last forever.

As the war continued, he watched the world around him decay and destroy. His friend was killed by the enemy he wept in bitter sadness, but soon after you too had left this world with an arrow struck to your chest. Your last moments were with the little wind spirit you called him.

With your remained strength, you raised your hand as he pushed himself towards it like how a person would hold their dying loved one's hand. It made you smile as you told him how adorable he really was, something that he had heard many times from your lips. You told him to take care, you told him your regrets to leave so soon but you also told him that you were so thankful to have been given this life. It was hard for him to leave you even as your hand fell to the floor and your skin cold.

You never felt his heart even after years have passed. As Venti took the appearance of his dead friend for you, he cherished your deep inside his heart. And even after so long, his heart still has a painful thorn on its side.

It didn't happen every day maybe once or twice a year he would drink a little more than usual, a certain date that Diluc had noticed now as he watched the bard just drink, drink, and drink.

He used to try stopping the bard before when he thought that this was just too much, but he stopped at one point letting Venti drink by himself only walking up to him when Venti had called him for another bottle.

Diluc had heard Venti mumbling many times in the past when he got like this. He wanted to forget, yet when the bard passed out, Diluc could hear the name of a woman that the bard loved.

Diluc thought Venti was a heartbroken man, having lost the love of his life in death, something that even archons could not prevent. He thought that Venti would heal at one point, no matter how long it would be. He was right in some ways, but he was also so wrong....

After all this would be the last time that Venti becomes this broken, this shattered like this.

Because... because he found you.

As Venti looked at you, his eyes wide as he wondered why, why has he never noticed you before till now. As you looked at him surprised, your laughter dying out as you played under the sun. He wondered how and why you were here. He knew you had died long ago.

Yet as the wind blew and you touched his skin, wondering if he was okay or not, Venti could not help but gasped. It wasn't relief, nor was it gladness. He was breathless seeing you, but something twisted tangled in his heart too. Somthing far more twisted were hidden within those tears as he held your hand while you looked alarmed at the stranger who was crying.

The fear and loneliness for so long felt like it was finally going to suffocate him as he looked at your worried eyes. Many told him to let go of the past and look forward, yet he was unable to, clinging to the past where you were. He wondered every day if he would ever see you as he sang and rhyme tunes of love when he was alone.

To the sharp mind tho those lyrics had something darker to them, if Venti could continue on without any interruptions, the songs only get darker and darker. But he always stops because he knows that the world does not need to know these feelings they were, in some ways, a desperate fantasy.

This was the last day he would mourn for your death, for you were here now. Now with him. He will be the one to protect you and love you... the things he wanted to do in the past. He will keep you safe, and he will keep you under his watchful eyes.

After all, he lost two people he cherished much. He would never allow you to slip away from his sight again.

[scribbledghost]

The Visitor

Pairing: Vessel x Fem!Reader (Vessel the character, not the real man behind the mask)

Rating: T

Word count: 2,005

Summary: A visitor arrives in the realm of Sleep. Vessel is tasked with acclimating them, but things do not quite go according to Sleep's plan in the process.

Notes: 3rd person POV, use of she/her pronouns for reader. Includes references to the TMBTE creatures and the tree from The Love You Want video. Depending on the reception for this, I may make a part 2. EDIT: Part 2 can be found here.

There is something wrong.

Rot has seeped into his domain.

A thin wisp, incense smoke curling to and fro across the inky black ether. Barely visible, its scent barely noticed. But there nonetheless.

The realm of Sleep has often been infiltrated with sour notes, but this is the first time Vessel cannot discern the source. In previous iterations, it has always come from either himself or from another vessel that Sleep was gracious enough to inform him of prior to their arrival.

This rot - this pain - is not his, nor does it belong to any of the other vessels. It belongs to another. Someone he was not warned of.

"Please, show me."

It is a request to his deity. Sleep rewards Vessel's politeness by making the thin line of smoke more pronounced in the dark. Slight shimmers lead him through the void until he spots it:

A person. Curled up on the ground, curved in on themselves and unmoving.

Vessel is cautious in his approach, knowing the world of Sleep can be disorienting and upsetting upon one's first arrival.

The acrid smoke billows off of them now, still shining ever so slightly away from their body. If Vessel weren't acutely used to the scent of fear and pain by now, it would make him nauseous.

He approaches their back, kneeling down behind them and placing a gentle hand on their head.

The first connection is always rough. This is no exception.

Vessel's mind explodes to life with racing thoughts, far too many to parse individually. There is only a general sense of panic. Sadness. Frustration. A deep desire to be okay again repeating over and over, as if saying it enough will make it so.

When Vessel removes his hand and flashes back to the present, the body in front of him moves.

She quickly pushes herself from him, hands and legs scrambling backward. Her eyes are wide and her breaths are heavy as she stares.

"There is no need to be afraid," Vessel soothes, still crouched low. "I will not harm you."

"What are you?" she blurts. "Where am I? What's happening?"

"You are safe here," Vessel begins, extending a hand in a gentle "stop" motion. The initial meeting can be difficult; the last thing he needs is to add to her panic.

"This is the domain of the deity known as Sleep. I am Sleep's vessel. You have been brought here, though I cannot tell you why. That is something for you to discover on your own. But I will aid you in any way I can."

He instantly feels a connection with the woman, just as he had with II, III, and IV upon their first arrivals. He wonders if Sleep intends to take her as a fifth vessel. Part of him wishes it to be so; he wants to know more of her. He wants to see if the jagged, broken edges of her soul will fit into his own.

But he, better than anyone, knows how dangerous Sleep can be. How volatile, angry, and toxic the ancient thing is when its will is not strictly adhered to. He wishes such experiences on no one, much less someone so damaged and innocent.

"...I still don't understand," she says in a small voice.

He doesn't expect her to - not yet. Not this soon.

In lieu of an answer, Vessel stands, offering a hand down to her.

"Would you like to walk with me?"

She hesitates but eventually reaches for him with a shaking hand of her own. He helps her to her feet, and just when he begins to pull away, he feels the microscopic tightening of her grip.

He allows her to keep the connection. It is the least he can do. In fact, he deepens the hold, shifting her hand into the crook of his elbow as he walks with her.

There is little scenery in Sleep's domain, just various shades of shadow among a void. But Vessel knows the paths, and knows there is more structure than what meets the eye.

"How long have you been here?"

Truthfully, he cannot remember. Not accurately. But he has a vague idea.

"Not as long as vessels before me," he says. "But long enough."

She doesn't ask him to elaborate.

"So... are you... human? Under the mask?"

"I once was," he answers truthfully. "Now, I am simply a vessel."

He doesn't mention how he's changed since entering Sleep's dominion. How his skin has turned pitch black, how he now has six eyes instead of two, how his canines have become sharper. He hopes that if she thinks he still looks mostly human beneath the mask, then perhaps she won't be quite so afraid of him.

"Are there others here like you?"

"There are three other vessels here. But we are each different."

"Where are they?"

"Elsewhere. We gather together frequently, but I do not know their whereabouts at the moment."

This seems to sate her curiosity, though Vessel wishes she would ask more. He finds himself enjoying her voice.

He has no doubt the others are watching but giving Vessel and the newcomer their space. Just as Vessel himself does whenever it is one of the others to welcome guests.

Which vessel is chosen to appear to new arrivals depends on the person's needs. II arrives when they need someone steady, when they need a solid foundation to cling to in the dark like a strong, droning heartbeat. III arrives when someone is feeling particularly discordant and in need of a gentle rhythm to return them to harmony, or when the monotonous shades of grey in the realm would be too overwhelming. IV arrives when someone needs someone more lighthearted, something that strongly commands their attention away from the racing thoughts.

Vessel himself appears when the visitor needs... softness. A gentle melody to guide them through the void.

"How long do I have to stay here?"

The idea that she is so eager to leave pains him, and the reaction he has surprises him. It seems he has already become attached to the new visitor.

"I'm afraid I do not know," he says. "Each experience is different. You must uncover your pain and overcome it before Sleep will release you."

He wants to warn her - wants to tell her to be wary of the coming days when things older than her comprehension will offer saccharine deals that shift to decay as soon as they are made. But Sleep punishes those who interfere in such ways. He learned as much with the other three vessels.

Vessel can only hope she is smarter than he was. He hopes she has more to live for than he did.

If she stays, she will be yours.

Sleep's voice interjects, telepathically alerting Vessel of its presence.

And suddenly, he has a choice. He can aid his new visitor in absolving her pain and help her return home... or he can aid in Sleep's sabotage.

Vessel has done worse things in the name of Sleep - he is acutely aware of this. But those sins were committed long ago. He is different now. Bolder. Wiser. Stronger.

Perhaps that's why Sleep brought her here - to try to regain its control over Vessel. To bring him to heel, to remind him of his true allegiance. By showing him how easily he can be given what he desires, perhaps Sleep aims to sway him back to his rightful place.

But it won't work. Not this time.

She deserves more, Vessel responds.

Suddenly, the domain rumbles, and the woman next to him yelps and clings tighter to his arm.

Once the shaking stops, she speaks, her voice trembling in equal measure.

"What was that?"

"Nothing to be concerned of," Vessel soothes, running a gentle hand over one of her own. "Such quakes happen sometimes here."

He neglects to tell her they only happen when Vessel goes against Sleep's wishes.

The two continue to meander through the realm, only occasionally coming upon something other than shades of grey. Every so often, one of Sleep's creatures wanders past and Vessel must reassure his visitor that they mean her no harm, though he understands her apprehension. Particularly around some of the more... unconventional beings, like Chokehold or Vore.

After some time, they come upon a great tree, spattered with red leaves and moss and nearly covered in white ribbons.

Vessel leads the woman to the trunk, reaching up to where one of the ribbons is tied to the low-hanging branches. He grabs one, pulling it loose before turning back to her.

The realm around him rumbles again; another warning of what he is about to do.

He ignores it.

"I would like for you to consider this a promise," Vessel says as he reaches for the visitor's hand. "An... oath, if you will."

As he ties the ribbon around her wrist, he continues.

"With this, you have my word that I will help guide you through your trials. I will aid you in any way I am able. There will be much I cannot do for you, for there will be much you must do for yourself. But I would like for you to consider this as a token of my loyalty while you are here."

Do not forget where your true loyalty lies, my Vessel, Sleep's cloying voice sounds in his mind, only barely concealing condescending anger.

He has not forgotten. He is well aware of the potential punishment for going against his Deity in favor of another, let alone another human. To turn his devotion from Sleep to the visitor would result in levels of pain Vessel would wish on no one, much less the woman who has so quickly captured his affections.

Vessel cannot explain why he has become so enamored so quickly. He has welcomed visitors to the domain before, has helped several on their journey. But this is the first time he has experienced such a strong protective desire.

The visitor stares at the ribbon around her wrist for a moment, then looks back at him. Vessel can't quite place the expression in her eyes - it isn't until he gently taps into the connection he established upon her arrival that he realizes it's a mix of hope and apprehension.

"You won't leave?"

Her voice is small, and it breaks his heart.

"No," he says. "I will not leave."

She smiles at him, and he feels something shift. Somehow, somewhere, a cycle has broken.

Sleep feels it too, for the realm trembles as a mighty, eldritch roar emanates from nowhere and everywhere all at once.

The woman stumbles as the ground shakes, and Vessel reaches forward to help steady her. As the quake stops, he hears her heartbeat in his ears as if it were his own, racing and uncertain. She pulls away, and Vessel finds himself resisting the urge to chase her.

"Sorry," she says quickly, a slightly nervous smile playing on her lips.

"There is no need to apologize," Vessel returns.

I will be more than happy to catch you if you fall.

He will pay for his transgression. He is not sure when, but he knows it will happen.

Vessel will atone for his sin as best as he can in the interim, if only to ensure the visitor's safety. As far as Vessel is concerned, Sleep can do with him as it sees fit, but he would have difficulty living with himself should harm come to the woman before him purely because of his own feelings towards her.

If his own pain is what he must trade for a moment in her presence, then Vessel will sign the contract as many times as he needs to. He has already damned himself a thousand times over, what's a few more?

In the meantime, Vessel offers his arm to her once more, and she hooks a hand around his elbow. He walks with her away from the red tree, towards a dimly-lit sun among the dark fog of Sleep's domain.

[chizups]

Enough of that boring realism for now! Behold, sinner, an angel!

Spent too much on this one just because I tried to figure out what tool works best for me as a liner. More than less I am pleased with this piece.

I also was fighting with myself over that hell of a neckline that became a boob window in the end, even though I tried to avoid it through several redesigns there's always next one. Not sure who lost in this situation lol.

In the mood to write some info about this fantasy. I understand that a ship like that is not everyone's cup of tea, BUT it's not for everyone, it's for ME :D

Behold once again: the info dump✨

***

How character came to be in the first place?

I was gifted Far Cry 6 with Collapse DLC and after playing through it, I had some things to say to Joseph. So I needed an avatar to channel my thoughts. Self insert is always an option, but at the moment I was tired of drawing myself and was not in the mood to make another sona. Besides an unusual looking interpretation of Joseph's mind called for some ethereal entity, not a sad bitch like me lol

I also at the moment was obsessed with playing Warframe (still is), design of my character is based on a frame with the same name - Wisp. Her whole theme is being ethereal and wispy, ghostly character, moving between the fabrics of reality, which works nice with The Bliss, I think. And she has no feet. I'm not sure why it became such a thing for me in this case, I just like this artistic choice, that's all.

Is this character a self insert?

Well, in the end not at all😂 Whatever I wanted to tell through her was taken by the wind it seems. When I started thinking about Blissed Wisp, her biography and their interactions with Joseph, I came to realization that she would be just as easily manipulated by him as so many other characters in the plot, therefore will not say a single word from what was intended to be said in the first place.

If character has to fight, what's their weapon of choice?

Blissed Wisp is a skilled fighter (was created to be) and can use any fire weapon available. However her angelic image in the Project of Eden's Gate limits her choices of weapon to hand to hand combat, which would really be a problem only for her opponents since she is much stronger that an average human being and can injure a person without putting effort into it. She has an option to display her divine power (which are based on warframe abilities as well) but burning people alive is not exactly her cup of tea, so she is restraining herself from using it as well. Blissed Wisp leans more into scaring her opponents - her unusual appearance is just enough to do that - or confuse them by pretending to be a ghostly apparition in the woods.

What song describes character and their partner/love interest?

Who is she? - I Monster

Wisp was a mute witness to Joseph's reflections for years, carefully looking through his thoughts and memories without him noticing. He wasn't the only one she was able to reach, but somehow became most fascinating one to her. For many years after she first spoke to him, Joseph wasn't able to even imagine her face, most probably because she was not allowing him to do that: unsure of how long their connection would last, she figured her appearance was unnecessary information for Joseph to know.

However after some time their established relationship and Seed's religiously charged attitude lead to him become strengthened in faith that he in his mind was talking to an angel or a deity, wishing to get closer to her someday and meet in person if possible, since he was aware that Wisp wasn't just a incorporeal entity (despite her name).

With that desire there were many times Joseph "called" her name in his prayers to engage in conversations.

Where does character live?

Many years was spent in the science facility. I already said before that Far Cry 5 and New Dawn with it's Bliss are two steps away from Outlast and SCP, so I figured making a lab rat of a character that got turned basically into cyborg wasn't really that long of a stretch, but you don't need to agree.

If Wisp arrives in Hope County in time closer to Far Cry 5 dates, her place of residence would be a run down church somewhere in Henbane River region. When she's not there, she is rolling across the bliss fields just genuinely enjoying her freedom under the sun.

She doesn't really hide and is no stranger to cultists in other regions, but in general avoids being seen by people that are not following Joseph's word.

If Wisp arrives in what's left of Hope County by the time of New Dawn, she sticks to New Eden's region, mostly by Joseph's side, helping him with whatever and protecting his people.

How does character handle their mental health? Do they take care of themselves?

Frankly has no idea what mental health is, when it comes to her, trauma is not a word Wisp would use to describe her struggles, yet she is not just traumatized, but was trained for decades to believe that all the suffering she endured - mental and physical - is for the greater purpose that she might not even understand, but pain is inescapable.

However in case of other people, Blissed Wisp mostly understands the needlessness of their suffering, therefore when being a witness to people mental or physical struggles, she feels compassion and expresses it without doubts.

How do Seeds feel about the character?

As was said, obviously Joseph is a big fan. They have a long lasting connection that in some scenarios grows into kind of a romance between a mere man and a deity. Besides the fact that Joseph cherishes his relationship with Blissed Wisp, his Pride cannot help but make somewhat subtle advances towards her now and again in an attempt to strengthen his feeling of uniqueness and chosenness: a unique partner for The Chosen Son of God and Savior of Humanity sounds just right in his mind.

Jacob keeps his distance and is a bit afraid of the entity that Blissed Wisp appears to be in his eyes. Despite the fact that of all people her and Jacob could've find quite a few themes to talk about, he has a hard time to accept her existence, since none of his beliefs really implied the possibility of meeting something like Wisp at all. Of all heralds he is the one who is closed away from Wisp's influence and does not appreciate her in the mountains.

Faith is almost as big of a fan as Joseph, though she is not aware of Blissed Wisp's real nature and believes in her angelic origin, which is not surprising since girl is probably high most of the time. But then again, Wisp was able to insert herself into The Bliss, and that made girls grow closer to each other at least on that topic.

John Seed takes very little of this angelic bullshit, but keeps his mouth shut to appease Joseph first and foremost. He does not believe in Blissed Wisp being an angel, and in his eyes, if paranormal exists, she is a demon at best. However he is not nearly as closed as his older brother and is able to open his mind to Wisp in some cases.

Why this name?

Wisp is not the name of this woman, but the name of the entity she was designed to be. The purposes she was created for did not imply her having a name at all.

Blissed she became under Joseph's influence at Eden's Gate.

What people say about the character?

Though Blissed Wisp is not exactly hiding from people, the influence of Eden's Gate has spread so much, barely any person outside the project would be able to catch a glance of this unusual looking gal. But some did, and that made her into some sort of a local cryptid. Obviously not too many people believe that there is an actual angel roaming Hope County, but people talk there is some... thing.

Sharky was able not only see Blissed Wisp, but have a small chat with her as well and after that just calls her "Joseph's chick" absolutely ignoring her name.

[galaxyshine24-7]

Just thought of something angsty, so how would the NRC staff + the overblot crew react to MC overblotting themself? Now they didnt use any of the drugs (why would they? They’re already strong themself without it) it’s more like they were forced to overblot. Like a sniper shotting the drug to them, but the drug isnt any normal drug. The drug instantly cause the user to overblot and become monster like, something akin to mara struck from HSR. And correct me if im wrong but when someone overblotted they’re aware on what they are doing right? Let’s have the MC be mindless :) again something similar to mara struck.

Since we have already establish that MC is honestly much stronger than all of the mafia, their teachers are going to have to fight them because with the overblot making them much stronger, they’re a damn powerhouse. Wonder how that would turn out..

Also you can decide if MC dies or simply just in a brink of death ;)

Hope you like the idea ^_^

(I honestly think that at the end of the Twisted Wonderland game, Yuu overblots some way somehow.)

Silver Bullet Yuu would overblot in a self-sacrificing sort of way. Things are going down in Grim Court and Yuu takes the most drastic measure to get everyone out alive. Someone shooting Yuu with a gun would be very interesting maybe they jump in front of it to stop the big bad from powering up and Yuu overblots instead.

Also, I wouldn't say Yuu is more powerful than the other mafia leaders, but they do know how to give people a run for their money.

Thank you for this ask it's going to be so much fun.💖💖💖💖

Overblot Silver Bullet Yuu

Ash falls from the sky as the gangs raise their weapons at the threat. Everyone has undergone a beating, but nothing like the wounds the threat has pouring down their body. The ruins of NRC have become a battleground, small fights break out over the campus, but the main one is soon to come to an end.

The threat backs away as the current gang leaders and leaders of old old close in. Yuu stands to the side clutching their wounded arm as Grim hisses beside them. Sweat rolls down their brow looking back and forth from the two forces. It's finally coming to an end all the bloodshed and pain is finally over. What was this all for? Power? Fame? Is the cost of lives this insignificant? Yuu's stomach twists in knots anger and sadness fill their being. One thing is for sure this life can never be for them, but seeing the eyes of their friends fill with determination to protect this broken home is something they can't turn away from.

That is when the notice a glim in the distance.

A sniper.

The threat smiles wickedly as wisps of magic surround them. They open up their arms like an embrace, proclaiming the end of all those who stand in their path. Yuu's body moves before they can think, jumping in front of the line of fire as they feel something pierce their chest.

"Y/N!" Crowley cries, It's been years since he has called them by their real name but before they can take it in the world turns black.

Overblot Crew Reaction

Riddle Rosehearts🌹

It happened so fast that the Heartslaybul leader didn't even get time to blink as he watched Yuu's form get covered in black ooze. For once the dorm leader was speechless. He takes a step back feeling fear creep up inside him. Yuu's cries of pain ring through his mind. Ace and Deuce yell for the bartender, but Riddle orders Trey and Cater to hold them back. Yuu's form grows as he watches it towering over the threat. There is no rule on how to handle this situation, but Riddle is determined to do anything to get Yuu back.

Leona Kingscholar🦁

Leona sees Yuu race across his field of vision already knowing what will happen. Jack yells over the noise trying to tell Yuu to hold on.

"Herbivore!" he cries knowing a person who has never interacted with the magic drug can't handle an overblot. By that point, Leona is sweating trying to figure out what to do. It will only take seconds for Yuu to lose control and he doesn't know what will become of them after. Leona readies himself and his members for anything. He can tell the real fight is about to start.

Azul Ashengrotto🐙

Azul is always one step ahead of his opponents, but to think the threat would try to cause themselves to overblot is something he never would have imagined, and Yuu jumping in front of the bullet is something he can't even fathom as he stands in terror. Azul doesn't even care that he heard the bartender's real name. At this point he could learn all about Yuu, but he could lose them altogether, and that is something he won't allow.

Jamil Viper🐍

Jamil raises his weapon jaw clenched. Kalim stands by his side eyes full of tears as Yuu starts to overblot. He can't let it end this way, he still hasn't thanked them for all they did for him. He won't let it end this way, he will use every power he has to see Yuu alive at the end of the day. He owes them that much.

Vil Schoenheit👑

It takes Vil so much strength to hold Epel back watching his friend forced to overblot. His experience with it is the worst he could ever feel, and he can't imagine what it must be like for Yuu. The potato he has watched and grown with writhing in pain and anguish does something to Vil. He knows Yuu will lose control and he won't stand watching his precious potato become rotten.

Idia Shroud🎮

Idia will not let another person he cares about fall to an overblot. He gets his weapons ready telling everyone to prepare themselves for what's to come. Ortho stands next to him holding his hand tightly. Back then he had no power, but now he knows what he can do. Whatever it takes he will cure Yuu once this is all over.

Malleus Draconia🐉

He wasn't fast enough. He should've seen through the threats plan. How can he lose one of his only friends? His anger is unimaginable, a lighting strike hits the sniper burning them to a crisp. Nothing will stop Malleus from destroying all those that hurt Yuu. They have given him nothing, but kindness, and he can't imagine losing them ever. For once in his life they treated him like a regular person even after finding out who he is. He owes Yuu a life debt as he steps forward in front of Yuu's overblot form as he hears the sound of Sebek screaming behind him. Till the very end, he will never turn his back on his friend.

NRC Staff Reactions

Dire Crowley🎩

He falls to his knees. He has failed again to protect those he cares about. His poor friends and now their dear child. Tears stream down his cheeks watching Yuu succumb to the overblot. How dare he call himself a headmaster when he can't even protect his dear students. It takes Crewel to get him to snap out of it. He at least needs to see this all through. He owes his friends and he owes Yuu that much.

Divus Crewel🩸

No, this can't be happening, not his puppy. That he helped raise, it was like yesterday when Crowley introduced them and how small they were. He will not lose them! He almost kicks Crowley for falling to his knees. Right now they need to snap Yuu out of this overblot whatever it takes. It is time for these stray pups to prove themselves worthy.

Mozus Trein📚

It pains Mozus to see the small child he taught how to play piano, and to dance, and sing become a beast from overblot. He stands his ground trembling, he sees Yuu just like he did his daughters. He helps Crowley off the ground encouraging him to continue fighting. He knows they are the only people Yuu can call family and it is their responsibility to help their child in times of trouble.

Ashton Vargas🧤

He isn't one to dwell on emotions, but seeing Yuu sacrifice themselves stirs something unimaginable in him. He cracks his knuckles clutching his fist as he steps up to overblot Yuu.

"You better give me a challenge kiddo. Otherwise, we are going to have some serious training after this."

Vargas was always a man of action not words.

Sam💀

He always knew his little imp was full of surprises. Now it is time for him to get serious. He supplies the group with his arsenal of gadgets. Even getting help from his friends on the other side. He made a deal with his little imp long ago and he plans to keep his end of the bargain.

[aerodaltonimperial]

"I want to fall asleep wrapped in your arms" prompt with sweet soft looking Jack. Pleae don't let it end sad, my soul can't take that rn.

(i got you, girl 💚🧡 cause i know you like it)

Hook is... not an expert in this. He is probably, in fact, the worst person that could be here for this. And yet here he is, staring up at the ceiling in the shared hotel room, listening to Jack straight up have a panic attack in the opposite bed. What the fuck is he supposed to be doing here? They just teamed up, like three weeks ago, and he doesn't have a handle on this, and he's starting to realize now, listening to Jack's breathing get thin and wheezing but muffled, because Jack's trying his best to disguise it, that all those times Jack sort of went silent halfway through a text conversation were probably this. Like, exactly this.

Shit. Hook can't lie here and listen to the guy have a complete breakdown, but he also doesn't know what he should do. He freezes, because he's shit in emergency situations, and after a few moments, he manages to get out a choked sort of, "Jack."

Jack, on the other bed, makes a noise that's caught somewhere between a sob and a terrified whine, and holy fuck, this is bad. This is, like, Christopher's ankle bone just snapped mid-way across the lacrosse pitch bad. Finally, Hook's limbs obey his commands as he climbs out of the bed and crosses the space separating them.

"Jack," he tries again. Jack's curled up, miserable and shaking, and Hook's pretty sure his breathing is coming so fast he's gonna hyperventilate and pass out in about five seconds. Hook reaches forward, fingers against Jack's bicep. "Jack, it's just me."

Is that the right thing to say? The wrong thing? Fuck, Hook doesn't know, but it seems not to really do anything, and he just can't listen to this. He pulls the blankets up and slides in next to Jack's rattling form, and when he loops his arms around Jack, he gets a startled inhale for his efforts.

"Hey, it's just me," Hook whispers. He's close enough to press his cheek against Jack's ear, feel the wisps of the man's curls against his skin. "It's okay, it's just me."

"I'm sorry," Jack says, warped. It sounds like a battle on the way out, and you know what, Hook's more pissed than upset now. He's fucking pissed that Jack's been put alone in hotel rooms for weeks and weeks after being betrayed by the very people he'd once believed in. He's absolutely furious that so many people allowed Jack to simply... slip out of focus, out of mind.

His arms tighten. God, he's mad. He hauls Jack in closer to his chest and curls his knees behind Jack's, and they lay there like twin commas as Jack struggles to get his breathing back to normal. And when Jack's chest is rising and falling beneath Hook's arms at a more measured pace, when he's no longer wheezing in frantic chestfuls of air, Hook shifts so that he's got his fingers wrapped around Jack's wrist.

"I'm sorry," Jack says again. He's more collected now, and yet the repetition is even worse, filled with self-loathing.

"Don't be. You don't have to be."

"I'm not..." Jack trails off. Hook thinks maybe he'll bolt right outta the bed or something, but he doesn't. He turns over until they're face to face, and there isn't much light in the room, but Hook catches moisture glistening on his cheeks. Fuck. Hook's gonna fucking kill somebody for this. "I'm not like this, usually."

"What, human?" Hook returns. And he doesn't really think about, probably should think about it, when he lifts a hand and swipes his thumb across Jack's face.

"Everyone has left me," Jack says, hushed, almost like he doesn't want the words to escape and can't bite them back. "Everyone leaves."

"I won't," Hook promises. "I won't leave."

"You didn't want this when you came out to help me. You don't need this."

"Bullshit," Hook snorts. "We're a team now, Jack. We're friends."

Jack goes quiet. And then, "We're friends?"

Maybe they aren't. Hook's not really an expert in that, either; all his past friendships seem to have imploded at his feet. But he chose this one, didn't he? He didn't have to do anything, and he had anyway, because he'd wanted to. Jack had needed help, and Hook had wanted to help him.

The same thing is true for tonight.

"We can be," he says, almost a whisper. His hand is still on Jack's face, and he thinks that's probably something he should change. Because this... isn't what friends do, he doesn't think. He'd jumped in without really thinking about it, and now he's having to level with himself as to why.

Jack's eyes are big and bright and reflecting the bit of the street lamp that's filtering in through the curtains. He's impossibly soft here, against the hotel pillow, exhaling against Hook's chin. "Do you want to be?"

"I don't know," Hook says, and it's more honest than he meant it to be.

It's not the answer Jack wanted, it seems, because he wilts a little bit, nodding. "Okay."

"No," Hook says, instinctive. The last thing he wants is for Jack to turn inwards and disappear. "I don't..." Jack's chin falls, and Hook pulls it back up, thumb dipping beneath Jack's jaw. "Jack."

He gets a single moment of wide, startled eyes before he moves. He doesn't really think about it, he just does. He pushes forward to get their mouths aligned, and Jack gasps. And yeah, this is probably why Hook went out that night, offered his hand. But Jack's kissing him back, so they have to be on the same page. Jack's fingers are threading through Hook's hair and he's parting his lips, and at least this time, when he loses his breath, it's for a much better reason than having a panic attack.

"Hook," Jack exhales, light and hot, and he's still grasping at Hook's head, still angling their mouths together.

"I won't leave," Hook says again. Jack fits here, somehow. They fit together on this hotel bed. They fit together in the ring, and they fit together as Hook swallows back all of Jack's aborted little gasps as they end up thoroughly dizzied, kissed dumb.

It isn't until they've broken apart, as their chests are flush together and heaving, that Jack whispers, "Stay here? Please?" His hands slide to the back of Hook's head. "I just. I want to fall asleep like this. With you."

"Okay," Hook says, like that's not exactly what he wanted, too.

Jack turns over again, so they're spooning. God, he's warm. He's warm, and he's soft, and Hook presses one last kiss against Jack's shoulder, into the cotton.

"I'll be here when you wake up." It comes out softer than he anticipated, but Jack must hear it anyway, because he tangles their fingers together, and his palm is warm, too.

"Okay," Jack says.

When they wake up the next morning, they're still entwined. The sunlight streams in onto the pillow and illuminates Jack's errant curls that escaped during the night, and Hook just thinks not friends. They're not friends.

Jack opens his eyes, finds Hook, and smiles, soft and wide.

[intertexts]

GOODMORNING ITS TRIVA TIIIIME

EPISODE 29 TRIVIA:

- they actually rerecorded this episode. bizly wanted dakotas lesson to be strategy so ORIGINALLY they were fucking. playing chess. for two hours. according to charlie "they had chess dot com open. I don't know where condi was but I was physically prone on the other side of my room like hiding behind something" SO THEY HATED IT. AND THEN RERECORDED IT AND ENDED UP WITH THIS.

- DAKOTA IS OFFICIALLY 18. HAPPY FUCKING BIRTHDAY. really funny that this happens in the hyperbolic time chamber where time in the real world doesn't actually move.

- THERES ART FOR THE BOULDER THING !!!! ITS AWESOME I LOVE THEM

- grizzly: "in the beginning were you guys told to tell me that you were quitting the Prime defenders?"

condi: "no, not at all. that just came out naturally I think"

charlie: "I was so sad to see how heartbroken dakota got at that"

EXPLANATIONS:

condi: "I mean vyncent doesn't really... get it. a lot of hardship has come from being the prime defenders I don't think he sees it as worth all that. dont worry i dont think this is a permanent state of mind for vyncent, hes a malleable little boy, but its where hes at right now. itll change with time but right now hes a little jaded"

charlie: "williams whole plan was, now that he's basically wisp-free and given a new lease on life (< side note. phrase that causes me harm specifically) his plan was to find a way to return this smoke soul and help save ashe and then after that.. who knows"

- dakota ended that scene with "I never wanted to do it alone" and that's what gave him the idea to have them help him with the boulder. he didn't want to do it alone

- the only reason william is still here at all is because of dakota and vyncent. if they weren't here he would've been gone ages ago

- YIPPEE. YOU GET TO SEE JASON ORIGAMI FINALLY. 3/3 OF THE PRIME FORCE COLLECTED. HI JASON <3

- THEY KEEP QUOTING ANGEL WITH A SHOTGUN IN REFERRNCE TO WILLIAM. DO THEY WANT ME DEAD.

- chaos beano :]

- cue anime talk for like 10 minutes. prime defenders the weeb podcast ever <3

- OK AWESOME. BIZLY TALKING ABOUT THE CHAOS DEMON: "the way it kinda works is like... the chaos demon lost all sense of personality. yknow it was a soul at one point, but the longer you're in a place like where he was, you just lose what makes you you. imagine you're in a place where people are screaming all the time and you don't even know if the screams are coming out of your own mouth and it's just eternal nothing and everything (< horrifying!). and then when he latched onto you, dakota, it became like feeding off of your negative emotions"

- "What is dakotas worst fear personified? Who is dakota afraid of the most?"

grizzly DOES NOT ANSWER THIS >:| however he does say "it was a really good choice to show him the fall right away. had he not turned into le frog I think I would've played dakota a lot more serious. but because it went from the fall to doug to le frog *then* to ashe, I think it just pissed him off more than it scared him"

- "people try to scare us by looking like ashe a lot"

"okay, no, its only been TWO people and one of them IS ASHE."

- charlie: "yeah I was nervous about that encounter considering I looked at my sheet and all I have is a chainsaw and a shotgun in the middle of an active volcano"

- charlie slime has put together a william playlist it's it's my life mission to find it now. I found the ashe playlist I can do this. I need to judge his music taste.

- theyre talking about jason dying in one of the big darkstar battles and everything and grizzly goes "wow it's crazy how dakota was there and saw all of that"

HELP THAT'S SO FUNNY. frankly i would love to see the two hour chess hell session that's so funny to me oh my god. ALSO DAKOTA 18 WHOOOO he can get shot now!!! great!!

literally took so much psychic damage over the quitting the prime defenders talk. head in hands. im so ill over them... oh boy can't wait to see william stay wisp free and enjoy his new lease on life and be a normal uneventful teenager again !! im sure thats what the next few episodes are about!! ^__^;;

but mac he's literally an angel with a shotgun fighting til the wars done!! he wants to live not just survive!!!

prime defenders weeb podcast of all time... were they talking about one piece. thats my guess. one piece & dragon ball. also the more they talk about chaos demons the worse it is!!! fucked up!!! especially with the new knowledge from the oneshot etc! can't wait for someone to get tossed in there!!

all he has is a chainsaw and a shotgun in the middle of an active volcano.... i love u william wisp. god. also PLAYLIST... good luck finding it....

[lumilasi]

I decided he deserves his own ref post. Currently his ref is included together with my birb siblings, when he kinda has nothing to do with them lol

He has that swirly pattern on his knees as well, where the two skin colors meet. I was too lazy to showcase it in this ref tho, given usually his outfit covers his knees anyway.

Bio below:

Name: Konjou Nakano (first name means willpower)

Nicknames: Kon/Kon-chan (his bf) Thorn boy/thorn demon (people when they don't know his name) Forest spirit/forest god (Jinchou & Homura, before they knew who/what he was exactly)

Age: 31, but his human body is stuck in the state it was when he was 19, mainly meaning he's shorter than he should/has no facial hair, and is generally somewhat immature for someone that age.

Height: 164 cm (human) roughly 50 cm as Bikou

Son of the witch Belladonna with chimeric, unstable magic powers

Role: Initially Belladonna's familiar (as Bikou) later a wild card character, once he returns into human form and runs away. Mostly he attempts to fight his half-brother.

Family: Mother Belladonna/Saori Nakano, unknown father, cousin Kiyoi, half brother Yaguro/Asahi Hino. Nephew Kousai & niece Chiyuri (in the future), Foster father figure Angus, Grandfather figure Hanzoku/Ryoushi

Love Interest: Amnesiac Soul eater Jinchou & his bodysharing Soul-born-spirit Homura. (Long story short; Homura was born from a piece of Jin's soul, and is his own person, acting as sort of a familiar for Jinchou)

Friends: Yume, Chouma, Murasaki siblings & their bathhouse staff (post-main story)

Powers:

Konjou has 3 types of powers, none of which are technically natural to him, and only one that could've been:

Forest witch magic - specifically his vines. He can summon vines from his body and form them into any shape, size and length he wants, use them as offensive weapon, form them into defensive shield, and even use them as transportation for climbing/swinging himself around. He can also grow flowers on them, mostly roses whose color indicates his mood. (black - angry, blue - sad, red - in love, white - happy/content, gray - scared). Konjou can also inject his vine seeds inside things and damage them from within - including living things.

Shadow elemental magic - Allows him to shapeshift between human and a shadow wisp, though mainly this is done against his will by Belladonna. Can traverse through shadows, and even form vines from shadows instead of using his forest witch magic. These vines are weaker though. They are more useful for the internal attacks as they can slip into things easier than the more solid vines.

Reverence - The primary power of the antagonists and main villain of this oc group. Konjou can spread decaying/rotting energy of "Reverence" from his vines.

WEAKNESSES:

Due to the unstable nature of Konjou's powers, using them tends to cause him pain, especially since the vines come from within his own body and are attached to him. Tearing them doesn't harm him per say, but it really hurts. Sometimes he even starts bleeding from the seams of his two skin colors. (which is where the vines are emitted)

He's very mentally and emotionally volatile due to his abusive/neglectful parenting, and might lash out and hurt people even when he doesn't mean to. He's also socially awkward, and even after his life and condition improves, he tends to struggle forming connections with new people.

PERSONALITY:

Konjou is very temperamental and easily angered person, who has very conflicted and bitter feelings towards most people in his life due to his neglectful and traumatizing childhood. This causes him to often be at odds with them, whether warranted (Belladonna) or not (Kiyoi).

Despite his easily flaring temper and aggressive nature, Konjou does crave genuine connections with people, and is extremely protective and easily scared over the well being of those he does love.(Jinchou/Homura)

He is very curious about the world due to being confined for most of his childhood, and very eager to try new things, even take stupid risks because he is somewhat naive/has a poor sense of self-preservation.

Overall, he is bit of an angry, anxious mess who's somewhat mentally immature due to his past, but deep down has a good heart and really just wants people to care about him.

FUN FACTS:

Konjou tends to feel envious over his cousin Kiyoi, feeling his mother is using him to replace him. This causes him to lash out at his cousin, even when he knows none of this is Kiyoi's fault. (He tends to feel bad afterwards)

Konjou LOVES spicy food. The spicier the better.

Despite supposedly being the older brother, Yaguro often acts like the mature older sibling between the two, understandably so.

Konjou's slightly weird, malnourished looking waist is a birth defect.

Out of all the adults in his life that essentially failed him (his mum, Hanzoku, Angus), the only one whose death made him genuinely sad was Angus. (it was still complicated, because Konjou knows how much of a bad person he was/he did play a part in his awful childhood, namely for not doing more to help him when he could have)

Once freed from his mother's control, Konjou's eyes turn into more normal looking human eyes (still yellow) and he loses the ashy skin patches. The vine pattern stays.

Between the two, Konjou is closer with his niece as he feels awkward around shy Kousai.

He does start aging properly eventually, though mainly he just grows facial hair and calms down a bit; he's still stuck being short

BG STORY:

Konjou was born as sickly and weak child with no powers, pretty much opposite of what his mother had wanted. She chooses to keep him still, working to improve his health and give him the magic powers she wanted. The issue is, she never asked him if he wanted them & the process has been very painful and long.

Most of his childhood was spent in pain, his body slowly trying to adapt to the changes the magic infusion was doing. She had some medicinal help for his pains from a man working with his mother, a foreigner called Angus Belmont. Konjou developed a parental bond of sorts with the man, often even preferring to stay near him rather than his mother.

The infusion and experiments eventually became too much to him, causing Konjou to lash out at his mother more and more, until one day he almost killed her, "forcing" Belladonna to transform into a shadow wisp spirit, to protect herself. Instead of bringing him back like she'd initially meant to, Belladonna chooses to keep him in this friendlier form for years, making him forget who he was. '

Konjou lived most of his following years as the shadow wisp familiar "Bikou," until the talk about the other son of his father trying to hunt Belladonna down triggered his memories, causing her spell to reverse. Before he could be subdued, Konjou escapes, his initial intention being to go and kill this other child for threatening his mother, given his life did depend on her (and some complicated psychological stuff).

After his escape, he meets an amnesiac artifical soul eater Jinchou (and his Soul-born spirit companion Homura) who nurtures him back to health as he'd passed out due to exhaustion and not having eaten for days. The trio become close, and the pair help Konjou to locate this dangerous moth spirit he was after. Howeever, during the fight against him, Konjou is taken aback by the genuine concern Yaguro shows him upon hearing him ramble out pieces about his past, causing him distress.

Homura & Jinchou step in to help with the fight, but it gets fully interrupted by Angus, who was sent to ho and find him. After subtly threatening Konjou about Jin, the boy begrudgingly agrees to go back, as long as Angus promises not to tell Belladonna about Jinchou and Homura, and she wouldn't turn him back into a spirit. Angus agrees to the former, but is unable to really promise the latter, as it depended on how he behaved towards her.

Jinchou & Homura are left heartbroken by him leaving, and also determined to get him back. Yaguro and his witch companion Yume suggest to the pair that they could join them in trying to find the headquarters of the group Konjou was staying with. They refuse however, wanting to find him on their own, not trusting the pair after their fight.

Konjou begrudgingly chooses to behave, no longer lashing out to his mother while still plotting on running again as soon as he can, to go find Jinchou. In the end though, Jinchou and Homura find him, never having forgotten Konjou despite their tendency for memory loss due to their condition.

[tchaikovskym]

Wangxian fic recs pt3

(Part 1 here, part 2 here)

Was the Alcohol Sweet, or Was it Your Mouth? by weiyus

Wei Ying believes Lan Zhan should get to experience alcohol, but sadly Lan Zhan has a low alcohol tolerance. His solution to the problem? Simply have Lan Zhan kiss Wei Ying after Wei Ying drinks alcohol. It's fool proof! What could go wrong?

Honestly a bit silly concept, but you know, it's still good

your love is sunlight by doodlebutt

So we gave Wei Wuxian a new golden core. We got Wangxian together over a decade earlier than canon. We rescued the Wens without causing a political nightmare.

Job done, right?

Nope :D

No quote excerpt on this one -- we don't reach the problems until after quite a few chapters of fluff, so I'm not going to give them away just yet!

This diverges from MDZS canon rather than CQL (so no yin iron, etc)

This is a part of larger series, but overall, just cute fluff

Far Away You Are by cqlorphan

Suddenly, it snaps into place. The weary way Lan Zhan has been holding himself is suddenly cast in a new, much more distressing light. Somebody is responsible for it, a real live, horrible, blind, stupid person. The combination of guilt, sadness, and anger that sets in all at once is hard to contain. Lingering wisps of resentment that remain from the night-hunt flock to him, like calling to like.

All four boys stare at him with wide eyes.

“Wei-qianbei,” Sizhui says. “You look...um…”

“Scary,” Zizhen breathes, beaming.

“Who has rejected Lan Zhan?” Wei Wuxian asks.

Or; during one of his visits to the Cloud Recesses, the juniors strike a blow to Wei Wuxian's certainty that his feelings for Lan Wangji are one-sided.

Oh the oblivious guys mhhhmmm yeah that's the thing.

Imbalance by blueingaround

In hindsight, Wei Wuxian should probably have known something like this would happen. But he was the first person to really invest so much in demonic cultivation and the only way to find out more about how things worked was to simply try them out. The thing about having to deal with ghosts and often harvesting their anger for power is that you can’t really choose which ones are the best fit, especially when you’re desperate and need all the help you can get.

aka Wei Wuxian has an imbalance of yin energy and can't deal with it on his own bc he doesn't have a golden core anymore, he needs to dual cultivate with someone, but in the middle of a war, he has no time and trusts no one, things escalate from there

I usually do not enjoy fuck or die tropes, but when I'm desperate I get to places I get and I am glad I ended up here! It was a really engaging read

All Caught Up by brooklinegirl

"Betrothed," Wei Ying says indignantly.

Lan Wangji can't stop his gaze from darting up to him. Wei Ying understands. Wei Ying is looking at him, wide-eyed and upset on his behalf.

"And you don't even like her," Wei Ying says.

"I don't even know her," Lan Wangji says quietly.

"But even if you did—" Wei Ying starts.

"I wouldn't want this," Lan Wangji finishes.

You know when you're traumatized enough you volunteer to marry your crush so he wouldn't have to go through with potential arranged marriage and you think that's like a completely sane thing to do? Yeah. Me too. The good stuff.

it's always open by ScarlettStorm

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“I dunno,” Wei Ying says, offering up a smile that’s small but genuine. “Can you rewire my brain so I don’t panic when people want to kiss me?”

“I do not believe so,” Lan Zhan says with exaggerated mournfulness. (Most people would not be able to tell he was doing so, but most people are not Wei Ying.) It would normally get him a laugh, or a snort, or his favorite, a snort laugh, but Wei Ying doesn’t respond. He just sits there and stares at Lan Zhan like he’s doing extremely complicated math in his head and choreographing a nine-person dance number at the same time.

“Lan Zhan,” he starts, a light sparking in his eyes and his voice coming out rushed, “Lan Zhan, could you—would you be okay with—”

“Breathe,” Lan Zhan orders gently, squeezing Wei Ying’s hand again.

Wei Ying rolls his eyes but obeys, inhaling deeply and re-centering himself before he looks Lan Zhan full in the face, shoulders square and chin up. “Will you kiss me?” he asks, like that’s a reasonable thing to ask and not the culmination of over a decade of Lan Zhan’s specific, secret, fervent dreams.

Or: A journey of self discovery… and the inevitable emotional fallout.

Man I loved this because demisexual Wei Ying yeehaw!!!! I was so excited to read this! And it was good!!!!

solstice: 那夏天的我们 by auberjing

Lan Zhan, have you, ah… have you ever…”

Lan Wangji blinks up at him, bewildered. “Have I ever…?”

“You know,” Wei Ying says, waggling his eyebrows. He makes a vague gesture around his own crotch. It’s halfhearted, but there’s no mistaking its vulgarity.

Lan Wangji flushes, suddenly and violently. “Of course not!"

See also: Wei Ying takes it upon himself to teach his good friend Lan Wangji how to masturbate.

Them boys are little stupid, but what can you do about it ya' know

30 Days of Secret Marriage at Cloud Recesses by starandrea

Lan Zhan literally ties their wrists together in Lan Yi’s cave and then says they’re not married. Because it’s true, or because he doesn’t want to be? Wei Ying doesn’t want to ask until he knows everything being a secret family member will let him do.

(Eventually he'll realize he got distracted from his mission of mischief by falling in love. Worth it.)

This!! Was!!! So cute!!!!! Ahhhh. A part of bigger series though!

The Way of the Golden Lotus by DizziDreams

Wei Ying would never forget the day he first met Wheatgrass Guy. He had been rotating the stock of bananas, cleaning out the over-ripe ones to move to the bargain bin, when it had happened. “Excuse me. Where can I find the wheatgrass?” “End cap, row four -- ” Wei Ying started to answer. And then he saw him. Standing there in his flowy white tunic and his pale blue linen pants, as if that was a thing that people did. Who did that? Was it legal to do that? Wei Ying thought not.  “Thank you,” Wheatgrass Guy had said, his startlingly light eyes boring into him. “No problem,” Wei Ying had managed. “Let me know if you need help with bananas.” Wei Ying should not be allowed to speak. Who had entrusted him with words? “I will let you know if I need any help,” Wheatgrass Guy had said graciously, and Wei Ying thought that this guy was too good, too amazing, too kind, letting it slide like that -- “with bananas.” Oh. Oh no, that was worse. Wheatgrass Guy was kind of a bitch.

OR:

The Martial Arts AU, wherein JC/WWX co-parent, Jin Ling suffers through being raised by his uncles, and WWX/LWJ fight their way through some mutual attraction toward a happy ending.

Oh man oh dudes I loved this fic!!! Kudos to author for actually writing children as children!!!! Did I already say I loved it?

[1hoblet]

Thieving this thing from @wisp-of-chaos

I will do both Tagor and Twixandur because I can

Tagor first, because he is a good boy and deserves it.

Tagor does not sleep with stuffed animals but he has two old ones. They are the two holy animals of his father; a lion and a bearded vulture. They sit on the high shelf of his room safe from his wings

Tagor could easily take care of an animal or plant, but he probably lacks the emotional depth necessary to raise a child. He would still do his best though and would be a rather good parent.

„Twixandur is a very cute, little creature and a deeply troubled soul. His intellect is only surpassed by his lack of self control. A pity, as someone with his capabilities could be a great asset to the hobgoblin cause. But I can fix him.“

Yes, he can wear most colours

Yes, religion, duty, honour, taxes, there are many possibilities

He will always do as his god says and never do what any enemy (or slight critic) of his cause says

I: Demigod, fanatic, patient; He himself: religious, dutiful, honourable

Tagor doesn’t find puzzles fun,at the same time he is the most patient person to ever existed, he would be fine

He is physically unable to feel empathy

Tagor is perfectly content with his age

As a responsible adult, Tagor will save half, invest the other

He likes the Idea of love and romance and is very fascinated by descriptions how it feels like

Nothing in person, he doesn’t really know his parents. He was taught fighting in the name of his father though

He has no opinions on the term. Musicals fit the definition in his mind. He hates having fun

Anything but work is a waste of time. Except spending time with Twix, that’s chaos prevention care.

More priest robes, or not, not shredding them is more a respect thing

He likes older children a lot and sees them as the future of the cause, he is scarred he will accidentally hurt small ones.

Strictly no tongue

He will learn all of the books word for word. He as no need fora different job and wouldn’t practice.

The smell of gore and bloodshed, it gets something in him going

Heavy crimes against his religion, dragging down his reputation too much or hurting him seriously

He does not like being called pet names and doesn’t call anyone by anything other than their full names. (Twix is the absolute exception)

Stability

Honesty

Safety

Effort

Justice (by the standard of his religion, that is most of the time pretty close to vengeance)

He already does

Dreams where he communicates with his father

He already does all things he sees as necessary

Twixandur:

1. If Tagors lion half doesn’t count, then no. It would probably help his nightmares though

2. Twix can take care of things as long as they interest him. His interest is ever changing. So sooner of later he would starting to ignore all three

3. „Tagor is not very fun, but he is warm and safe. I do really love him, that’s why I will eventually have to kill him.“

4. Yes, but he doesn’t like the colour

5. Maybe he will, maybe he won’t. In any case the speech will be totally of topic

6. Twix doesn’t like following advice from anyone, he may think about it as he does the exact opposite

7. I: small, chaotic, Muppet; He himself: Free, fun, survivor

8. Twixandur loves puzzles, especially complex ones

9. He tries not to

10. He wants to be younger and less broken

11. He will spend it on very irresponsible things

12. Twixandur does not believe in romance or love. He thinks the romance genre is a crime against all beings and not the fun kind

13. He is a sad little orphan, but his grandmother taught him to be a backstabbing, manipulative problem child

14. There is no guilt in pleasure

15. Anything that isn’t fun

16. He would still mostly wear simple clothes most of the time

17. He doesn’t like most children at first, but could warm up

18. Any kiss is good, the man is a freak, he will do a lot more than kiss with tongue

19. Twix never studies of practices when it’s not things he enjoys, still aces the tests and interviews though

20. Napalm

21. He can do abuse, he can do hate relationships, he can do any kind of toxicity. He can’t do a real emotional connection.

22. Twixandur gives everyone and everything pet names and doesn’t like to be called his full names

23. novelty

24. neither

25. possibly

26. both are important

27. vengeance; he never forgives and never forgets

28. He would get bored fast

29. Nightmares where he’s drowning

30. Twixandur doesn’t give a single fuck what others are willing to forgive

oc asks that reveal more than you think

Do they sleep with a stuffed animal? If they have multiple, who’s the favorite?

Can they take care of a plant? What about a pet? What about a child?

Ask them to describe their love interest.

Do they look good in red?

Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Will they give one, and what about?

Who will they take advice from, no matter what it is? Who won’t they take advice from, no matter what it is?

Describe them in three words. Now let them describe themself in three words.

Do complex puzzles intrigue or frustrate them?

Do they empathize with non-sentient things (dolls, plants, books…)?

What age do they most want to be right now?

They’ve won the lottery. Spend, or save?

Do they like romance in the books they read (or in the book they’re in)?

Name one thing their parents taught them.

Would they agree with the term ‘guilty pleasure’? Do they have any?

What would they consider a waste of time– other than school or work?

If money wasn’t a limit, what would they wear?

Do they like children?

Kissing: tongue or no tongue?

Do they study before tests? Practice before job interviews?

What do they like that nobody else does?

What would it take for them to break up with someone? What would be the last straw?

Do they like being called pet names? Do they call other people pet names? What’s their go-to?

Stability or novelty?

Honesty or charity?

Safety or possibility?

Talent or effort?

Forgiveness or vengeance (or…)?

Would they date a fixer-upper?

What recurring dreams do they have?

What would they do if they knew it would be forgiven?

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[thebonerpit]

Name: Tara Lavellan Nicknames: Tara is a nickname, her full name is Tarasylanin (“child of the storm”) but no one calls her that except her Keeper Age (at the start of DAI): 30 Age (current in 9:54 Dragon): 43 Gender: Female Pronouns: She/her/they Sexual Orientation: Pansexual Race/Background: Dalish elf Class: Rogue, twin blades Specialization(s): Tempest Alignment: True neutral MBTI: ISTP – The Virtuoso Strengths: Quick wit, curious, insightful, playful, inventive, creative Weaknesses: Has little interest in leadership, can be judgemental, private to a fault, often doesn’t take things seriously Body Type: Very slim, average height, long willowy limbs Eyes: Green and gold Hair color/texture: Strawberry blonde, wavy, shaved on one side Complexion: Olive and very freckled Lookalike (if any): A mix of Cara Delevingne and Dichen Lachmann (I could only do so much to recreate this in cc)

Romance: Solas, was curious about Bull but it didn’t go further than flirting Usual Party: Solas, Dorian, Bull Friends: Dorian, Sera, Cole Neutral: Cullen, Josephine, Cassandra, Varric, Bull Distrust/Dislike: Vivienne, Blackwall

Mages vs. Templars: Allied with mages Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts: Celene and Briala reconcile and rule together, Gaspard executed Here Lies the Abyss: Grey Wardens exiled, Stroud stayed in the Fade What Pride Had Wrought: Morrigan drank from the Well Divine: Leliana (hardened) Trespasser: Disbanded Inquisition, attempt to redeem Solas

More about Tara's companions below...

Solas: Tara was intrigued by him from the beginning but also found him a bit stuffy. Once they got to know each other more and his flirtatious/cheeky side came out she fell for him pretty quickly. She had always loved to draw and paint when she was with her clan, so she often went to sit with him while he painted the frescoes in the Rotunda. My headcanon is that she even helped him paint sometimes. She allowed him to remove her vallaslin and she was absolutely crushed when he broke things off, but she could never bring herself to be angry with him. It's foolish, and she knows it, but she wants to save him from himself. Cassandra: She can’t deny that she thought Cass was super attractive right from the beginning but all her Maker talk and serious demeanour kind of turned her off. In the end, she does have a good amount of respect for her even if they don’t agree on everything. Varric: She found his lack of conviction a bit annoying, but he does have a good heart, and she loved listening to his stories. Dorian: Immediate BFFs. His personality just enchanted her and they flirted constantly. As someone who is really interested in magic she was very impressed with Dorian’s skills. He sometimes created little wisps in the form of forest animals for her, to help her feel less homesick. Bull: A very reasonable mix of fear and arousal tbh. She liked Bull, especially after meeting the Chargers and side mission, but knew it would be hard to ever fully trust him. Dorian and Bull do flirt and maybe hook up but she worried about Dorian with him. She knew he needed someone who is completely dedicated to him and didn’t think Bull could provide that. Sera: Her second BFF. She liked Sera instantly, how fun and silly she was, even if she didn’t understand her dislike of the Dalish at first. After she got to know her more, she started to understand why Sera felt the way she did. They argued about it sometimes but came to an understanding eventually. Sera kept her grounded, and was a welcome relief from nobles and responsibilities. Cole: Whenever Tara was overwhelmed she’d go up to the attic of the tavern and just sit in silence with Cole. He was comforting, if a little strange. She followed Solas’s advice and made him more spirit and while it was a bit sad to see him drift away, she knew he was at peace doing what is in his nature: helping people. Cullen: Cute, but too serious for Tara. She appreciated his military and tactical knowledge since she barely had any herself. Secretly wants him to pull his head out of his ass and realize he’s got feelings for Dorian. Leliana: Kind of unintentionally hardened her. Tara very much felt like she didn't have the authority to interfere with how Leliana did things, so she let her be more cold and calculating. She supported Leliana as Divine because she agreed that the whole lot needed to be thrown out and changed and she knew Leliana was capable of doing something good with it. Josephine: As someone who is really not into human politics and court intrigue and nonsense, Tara and Josie don’t have a lot of common ground. But Josie was so sweet and helped the Inquisition immeasurably, so Tara really respected her. Vivienne: Similar to Josephine but magnified x10 plus her support of circles means she did not get along with Tara whatsoever. They maintained an icy distance as Tara knew she needed Vivienne’s skills and connections. Blackwall: He was almost a father figure to her at first, and she loved to hear stories about the famous Wardens, but after his reveal she couldn’t look at him the same way. She couldn't leave him in prison but she felt it was only right to turn him over to the Wardens, even if that potentially meant his death. Luckily he survived his Joining and Tara is glad he'll have a chance to make up for his lies, but their relationship was never the same.

[poupeesdecirque]

Another OC batch here. This time truly only OCs/Doll Characters.

We have Odelios, Samu, Juniper, Willow, Eisblume, Keks, Oisín (Clown and real form), Trauma and Maniquí.

Some are easy to draw for me and some are not I really notice the ones I haven't been drawing much/who are more doll than they were character before the doll.

Just like before if you would like to know more, read further:

Odelios - Was created from another creature Pierre had found and turned into something new as they were destroyed. He only (kinda) kept the Name, the former creature was Odelia, now it's Odelios. He's a fortune teller, but mainly tells the bitter harsh truth.

Samu - Samu is my "what if Samuel's Step Mother cared about him"-AU variant of Samuel. Aka Katheryne decided to raise him herself and made him her vice ringleader but as he gets more popular than she is she gets furious and attacks him, which leaves parts of his face with ugly marks. He becomes quite cruel after that but rumors say he's plotting things...

Juniper - Juniper grew from a seed of the original Jack O' Lantern and is one of the oldest from the Pumpkin crew. She's my OG Pumpkin doll, the one that started the whole patch.

Willow - Willow is a will o wisp, their queen. She was once a lost soul who drowned in a swamp, her husband tried to revive her by searching for her, he eventually got a part of her flame and created a new human. But that human turned out very different than intended. That's how Muse was created. Willow gathered consciousness again and traveled to find her 'child'. She picked up a lot of different (lost) beings during her travel and created a whole family.

Eisblume - Little Winter spirit. I got the doll back in the day as I was super sad about missing Anson/Moment from DollZone. They got rereleased not too long ago but I have to say I was not very tempted by them now. Tastes change.

Oisín (Clown) - Oisín as a character disguises himself als little clown who just tries to help, he has other intentions though.

Trauma - A very personal doll and character. He's based on a LP from my favorite band's side project (LP is called "Trauma 7" that's where the name cames from), therefore his fate is based on songs. He drowned while running away, as he was blamed of murdering his former GF. He woke up and got offered a contract by Pierre, he did not remember much and agreed. He later on meets Keith and wishes to be free again but... a contract is a contract.

Oisín (Real Form) - Oisín's true form as Ringmaster who pulls all the strings. He is full of hate but for power he sold his soul to Pierre, he's bound to the contract to gather souls for him. Some of his former plans were ruined by Delilah and he plans on a revenge that will finally make her fall...

[medicus-mortem]

@afailedkingsheart​ asked: // Cora broke his arm. That's the plot. //

Innate curiosity was always his downfall, but falling out of a building could be marked as his most unflattering of klutsy behaviors. Left arm bound tightly in a cast and held in a sling, he could feel himself wriggle with the impatience of healing. A deep pull of unenthusiastic sighs wisped from the smoke of his cigarette as he laid helpless on the sand of the beach waiting to ride out his boredom. Truly, this sucked.

Unprompted

   Law strides onto the beach, leaving his personal tent for but a moment. He could be on the Tang, working away as he so often does, but he’d rather be closer to his patient and the rest of the crew. Besides, his ship is anchored much farther out than normal, the reefs here making it hard to approach the shore. Better to be here instead of out there where he can’t help anyone.

   Sand crunches under his boots and soon enough he sees his most recent patient moping on the beach. Just laying there bored and staring. Law sighs, rolling his eyes and Cora’s pathetic visage. If he hates being out of commission so much then he should be more careful. This whole injury thing is his own damn fault, after all. The Surgeon of Death has little sympathy for his saviour in this moment. No sympathy for him and his accident prone traits.

   “Stop moping,” he says, once he is standing beside Corazon. “Read a fucking book or somethin’.”

   Law is even kind enough to drop a book beside the tall man’s head. It’s just one he had on hand. Not sure Cora will be interested in it, but it’s better than watching him lay around and huff, like a sad dog.

[roseharpermaxwell]

Dramione Eighth Year Recommendations - Part Three

Eighth year is one of my most favorite tropes. I just love the idea of these characters in a familiar setting post-battle. I’ve shared many of my favorite eighth-year recommendations in three posts. I hope you find some favorites!

Part Three includes 40+ fics over 10k words.

In Search of Sunrise by @indreamsink. T, 10.4k. Unable and unwilling to walk away from a dare, Hermione is forced to stay up all night with Draco Malfoy. Sometimes, one night is enough to begin to understand a person.

Alternative Medicine by @drpearlgatsby. T, 10.4k. Post-traumatic Hermione and Draco share a common room at Hogwarts. What could go wrong?

us alive, right here, feeling lucky by @malfxys, aster_notz. T, 11.4k. Hermione Granger returns to Hogwarts after a year away in Australia. Draco Malfoy returns to Hogwarts after a year away in Azkaban. And then Hermione starts receiving anonymous packages in the mail.

Alternatively: the one in which they share chocolate, and fall in love.

The Mona Lisa Conundrum by @aetherioswrites. M, 12.5k. Draco is certain Hermione Granger would keep her room the same way she keeps herself. Prim and proper, like the perfect poster prefect she is. She even has the alliteration down. But when he walks into the Head Girl's dorm to find crumpled parchment and empty gin bottles littering the place rather than colour-coded studying schedules, he thinks he might be wrong.

Open Doors by @kyonomiko. T, 13.1k. Hermione starts her holidays off right, a surprise from her parents rekindling one of her old traditions. It's just a shame she has no one to share it with. 

A Wager (of sorts) by @ladykenz347. T, 13.8k. Head Boy, Draco Malfoy, and Head Girl, Hermione Granger, decide to settle their endless bickering in a wager... of sorts. 

Educating Draco Malfoy by Padfoot the Marauder. E, 14k. After accidentally hearing Hermione getting herself off in the shower, Draco realises that he isn’t the only one pretending to be something he isn’t.   

Nothing I Deserve by rubykrishna. E, 15k. “Are you going to keep your head down and ignore me if I kiss you again?” Wisps of her breath fanned up into his face. He released a shaky breath and clenched his fists at his side, aching to touch her.

“You shouldn’t want to kiss me again, Granger.” He tried to sway her, but his argument sounded like a whimper. A slow smile spread to her lips and she quickly dipped her tongue out to wet them.

“But I do.” She said. “And if you’re not going to stop me, who is?”

Splash of Color by Kyonomiko. T, 15.1k. A little bit of fate, a little messed up magic, and Hermione Granger is stuck with a curse pointing her somewhere she never thought to look, bright as a neon sign.

The First Rule of Fight Club... by ladykenz347. M, 15.9k. No one returned for eighth year unphased by the war. The students, it seems, have found a way to heal themselves but it comes with a specific set of rules. The first one is the most important: Hermione Granger is not permitted in Fight Club.

Right Way Down by uselessenglishmajor. E, 16.6k. Draco has a plan. Hermione has a problem.

Hogwarts’ first post-war Head Boy and Head Girl are going to have to work all their issues out. 

Learning to Breathe by @frumpologist. M, 17k. Immediately post-war, Hermione realizes that the wizarding world still thinks she’s less than. They may have defeated Voldemort, but his elitist beliefs still plague Britain. She’s returned to Hogwarts for her eighth year, but memories of the war still haunt her. So, when Draco Malfoy approaches her to apologize for the horrible things he’s done to her since first year, despite not believing his sincerity, Hermione accepts his apology. She never expected it to turn into something more.

Sad Eyes by @caitybellfics. E, 17.5k It's their 8th year and Draco had planned to make the most of it. He hadn't expected to be the only person that noticed Hermione Granger was falling apart.

Under the Wings of the Shadow by @acciomjolnir. T, 17.7k. It's after the war, and Hermione finds herself retreating to Hogwarts for eighth year, detached and downtrodden after the events of the war. Few from her year have returned, but due to the terms of his Ministry probation, Draco Malfoy must return. Much to Hermione's chagrin, his terms turn out to have an effect on her living arrangement...

The Seeker by @canttouchthis87. T, 18k. After a life-altering Quidditch accident during his Eighth Year at Hogwarts, Draco Malfoy is forced to reconsider what it means to be alive. As he reluctantly embarks on the journey to recovery, he’s surprised to find he’s not alone.

Wait for Me by @sweetestsorrows. E, 18.1k. As Draco and Hermione struggle to cope in the months after the war, they find comfort in one another. Of course, it's entirely unexpected. The challenging history they share is still so fresh in their memory and there are wounds from the traumas they've endured that have yet to heal. Naturally, there's some anxiety as the two former enemies shift from being partners and friends to discovering that they both harbour feelings for the other. And yet, they learn that only by finding the strength to be vulnerable can they move forward—together.

More than One Way To Win by @scullymurphy. M, 18.3k. “That’s damn near impossible, even for me.” Blaise shook his head. “I think we’ve hit the bar. Is there anyone who would be more difficult to shag?”

His words were hanging in the air when Draco felt a magnificent plan spring fully formed into his mind. Could it work? He thought it could. A grin split his face and he said, “I know someone.”

Stained Glass and Library Stacks by @one-equaltemper. E, 18.4k. Hogwarts students who had their seventh year disrupted were ordered back for an eighth after it's discovered that the toll of the War has begun to change their biologies. Hermione soon realizes that she's drawn to someone she never anticipated being friends with, let alone more.

The Rivalry by @floorcoaster. T, 19.2k. Hermione wants the top spot at Hogwarts. Draco tells her he's going to win it easily. Only one of them can be right.

From your head to your toes by slytheringheights. E, 19.4k. It's the last night at Hogwarts before Hermione, Draco, and the gang have to enter the real world. A party in the Hufflepuff common room is exactly what's needed to break down old rivalries.

The Christmas Admirer by TheMourningMadam. T,  20k. Hermione receives a 'coupling journal' as part of a Hogwarts gift exchange. She finds herself quite taken with the person writing her notes through these journals. What will she do when she discovers the flirty man from the journals' pages is the same shy Slytherin she avoided?

All It Has To Be by @lithelies. E, 22k. Leave it to Hermione Granger to ruin their mutual silence with a (not-very-drunk and very questionable) confession about the Library.

Breaking the Barrier by floorcoaster. T, 22k. The teachers at Hogwarts have instructed the student leaders to plan and coordinate events throughout the year to encourage "Interhouse Unity and Cooperation." Hermione thinks the Valentine's Day scheme is a little ridiculous--but also possibly their best idea yet. There's no telling who she might end up meeting.

Best Shot by AccioMjolnir. M, 23k. It's eighth year and Hermione is trying to navigate her post-war friendship with Draco Malfoy and a relationship with Ron Weasley when she gets an unexpected visit from someone who knows her better than anyone: herself. Thrown back from the future, an older Hermione drops a bombshell on her: she has only three days to set things right, or Draco dies.

Still Frame by in_dreams. M, 25k. While assisting with the rebuilding efforts at Hogwarts, Hermione stumbles across an old book of photographs - and one of them looks exactly like her. In an effort to understand, she recruits Draco Malfoy, but the truth goes deeper than either of them could have realised.

Operation Get Draco Laid by in_dreams. M, 33k. The war is over, and Draco Malfoy is tired of being the perfect, obedient pureblood heir. Now he wants to lose his virginity, stat. And since Draco is back at Hogwarts for his eighth year, there should be plenty of opportunities... right? Dramione.  

Head Games by MissFantastic. E, 37k. Inspired by the cliché challenge, Draco Malfoy is made Head Boy and is horrified to find that Hermione Granger is Head Girl. Draco decides the only thing that would make the situation bearable is to seduce the little know-it-all. He comes up with a foolproof plan - but does he really know the Gryffindor Princesses as well as he thinks? At least Draco can control every detail of the seduction - or can he?

Rule number one by mismatchedsockz. E, 39k. Hermione knew about sex.

She wasn’t a clueless, naive girl. She knew the process and the purposes, to get pleasure or to make children. However, she had never experienced anything of that sort. Too busy with a war on her shoulders, she never got the time to even think about the intricate feelings of maturity.

Until one day, she found a Professor who was willing to teach her everything she didn’t know. 

Tea and Necromancy by @saveourskinship. M, 40k. “I’m dead,” she said.

It seemed a simple thing. Her friends laughed.

But Draco watched her and only her. She blinked. Her friends carried on but she didn’t. Her lips didn’t twitch in response to the morbid, gallowed joke, her eyes didn’t crinkle in nightmare’d amusement.

He realised he’d transitioned from observant to staring and looked away. But it prickled at him.

Something wasn’t right with Granger.

Innocent Monsters by @itscometothis. T, 50k. Draco Malfoy thought he had reasonable expectations for his mandatory Eighth Year at Hogwarts, where he would be confined to the grounds as part of his probation. Isolation, hatred, and passing his NEWTs were really all he had in mind.

What he wasn't anticipating:

1) Having a small firstie latch onto him like a bloody koala

2) Said firstie adopting an erkling as if they didn’t feed on children.

To protect his little nuisance, he’ll have to seek help from uncomfortable places, including the Swottiest Witch of Her Age. Joy of all joys.

Kiss, With Tongue by @sportivetricks. E, 59k. Frustrated with the male propensity to 'shag and run,' the girls engage in a contest to see who can go the farthest by Valentine's Day without going all the way. But perhaps they should have chosen their partners more carefully…

Jealousy by @rainsrabble. M, 59k. "Oh come on Granger, don't be such a stick in the mud. Your precious Gryffindor ex isn't hesitating to string your heart out for everyone to see. He doesn't care that you are being humiliated. He doesn't care that everyone is spreading horrible rumors about you. All I'm suggesting is to give him a bit of his own back," he paused then, his voice going softer, suggestive. "I know you have it in you, I've seen you in action. Rita Skeeter, Umbridge, Me…you don't hesitate to serve it up when someone's got it coming. And he's got it coming Granger."

5 am, waking up by mysterious_intentions. T, 68k. He didn’t want this. Never did. Hermione Granger isn’t some stranger— she is his classmate, someone he spoke to regularly before, someone he saw every day, someone he wasn’t remotely friends with, but someone who wasn’t nothing either.

But now, faced with the opportunity to lord his superiority, he finds himself wondering what the fuss is all about. Pureblood and mudblood is just…blood. Blood is blood, and blood is red.

What You Call Sin by into_the_midst. T, 71k. The war is over, the trials completed, and the castle rebuilt. In hopes of a quiet, conflict-free year, Hermione, Ron, and Harry return to Hogwarts to finish their NEWTs. But at the welcome feast, a new plan for unity is unveiled, and all students are resorted. Despite the calls for forgiveness, resorting the students brings back old prejudices and sheds light on new.

Hermione can't imagine Ravenclaw Tower ever feeling like home, especially not when it means living with Draco Malfoy.

Atonement by @lunamionny. M, 108k. 'We are all broken. That's how the light gets in.'

When Hermione and Draco return to Hogwarts for their eighth year, they’re both broken and both changed in irrevocable, albeit different, ways. But when the school’s new mind healer implements an innovative new treatment, it ignites the possibility that, maybe, Hermione and Draco can help each other piece together the scattered fragments of themselves that the war has left behind.

Initially Yours by @hufflepuffmommy. M, 112k. Upon waking up on his 18th birthday, Draco Malfoy noticed three small letters on his wrist: HJG.

That same day, Hermione Granger also woke up with letters on hers: DLM.

"What does it mean?" she asked quietly.

"It means… we're soulmates."

And We All Fall Down by rumaan. M, 122k. The spring term at Hogwarts starts with a bang with the return of Draco Malfoy, back for his eighth year after a stint in Azkaban. But all is not right with Draco, and Head Girl Hermione Granger can't help but get involved.

The Fixer-Upper Club by @charlipetidei. M, 140k. Since the war, Hogwarts castle has been left in a state of disrepair, not unlike some of the students within its crumbling walls. When Hermione decides to return for an eighth year of studies, she finds herself setting out on a restorative journey that might just fix more than a few broken windows.

The one where Hermione and Draco rebuild the castle, themselves, and each other.

Breath Mints / Battle Scars by @onyx-and-elm. E, 148k. For a moment, she's almost giddy. Because Draco Malfoy's been ruined by this war and he's as out of place as she is and — yes, he has scars too. He's got an even bigger one. She wonders whether one day they'll compare sizes.

Sugar and Spice by @inlovewithforever. E, 156k. (Hermione/Draco/Theo) Contrary to what she claimed, it wasn’t grass and new parchment and spearmint toothpaste she smelled.

A mind-boggling amalgamation of confusion followed by a peripheral realization, and then instantaneous fear made her flush so severely that the room went fuzzy around the edges of her vision as she choked out the lie.

It was old parchment housed in the restricted section, tart green apples, and something spicy—not cinnamon, cloves?—that lingered inside her nostrils. She was woozy, her lids drooping heavily, even as a small part of her brain screamed at how wrong this was. A larger, louder part of her shoved the shame down in favor of baser instincts. Those instincts dampened and dissipated and the shame crowded in the further removed she was from the delicate, unmistakable scent wafting from the cauldron.

Falling Dark by ScullyMurphy. E, 250k. Sequel to Bending Light. It's a year since Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy parted in Italy with promises of love and fidelity. The Battle of Hogwarts is over and Voldemort is dead. And although the price paid was high, Hermione is ready to start the rest of her life, and her eighth year studies, with Draco by her side. No hiding and no shame.

But when Draco finally arrives at Hogwarts, it's obvious that things are very wrong. Why is he acting so strangely? And what happened during the long months he lived as a double agent, passing secrets from the Death Eaters to the Order?

No one is talking, but Hermione will get to the truth, even if it means breaking her own heart in the process.

If Bending Light was the warm, lazy Italian summer, this is the dark, brooding Scottish winter. Dress warmly.

Pop on over to Part One or Two (and feel free to check the Master List of Recommendations if you’re seeing this as a reblog, because I’ll keep my lists updated there as I have new recs to add).

[thescarletwitchsapprentice]

Yandere!Wanda Maximoff Headcanons (Corpse Bride AU)

*Not my GIF.

So....why not? 

(YES. I KNOW that “What If?” did her as a zombie. But this is completely different. Also it’s been AGES since I’ve seen Corpse Bride, so just....just bear with me. I’m gonna put my own twist on it.)

Warnings: Kidnapping, arranged marriage, sad times, reader death, (you get better though) entire town hates you basically, parents disowning their own child due to societal embarrassment.

Well.....lookie here; you’ve found yourself in an arranged marriage to someone you hardly know. And you’re an absolute nervous wreck.

Like honey, you seriously need to take some deep breaths. 

You don’t mind this person, and they don’t mind you, but you are a mess.

You overthink everything during the rehearsal and something most likely breaks, much to the dismay of BOTH families.

Yeah, it’s safe to say that your personality doesn’t exactly fit in this society. In fact you’re kind of the outcast of the entire town because of who you are, but that’s why you need to have this marriage; to up your family’s social status. (You’ve never really understood that concept; why can’t marriage just be about love?)

One night you sneak out into the nearby forest to practice your vows. And soon you need to place the ring on the “finger.”

You decide to just pick any old root and place it. 

But, uh, why can’t you get up? Well, shit. It looks like that root was a finger on a hand.

*double take.* A FINGER ON A HAND?!

Soon she arises; Wanda Maximoff, the Corpse Bride. And honestly, even in death, her beauty is untouched, both inside and out.

It’s love at first sight to her and also to her, you belong together even in death. 

And don’t get it twisted. She may be a corpse, but she still has her magic.

So the next thing you know, there’s a flash of red, you black out, and then you wake up at her place in the realm of the dead, which is surprisingly lively. 

Wanda tells you who she is and what happened. She was to marry a synthezoid and he wanted to meet her in the forest. But it turned out to be a ruse by a man named Hayward who caught her off-guard and murdered her. For a long time, she’s been waiting for someone to marry her, and now here you are. 

You try to explain what happened, but she’s stuck on this idea that you two are soulmates. 

And escape is futile; tricking her is especially not an option. If you’re trying to use her as a way to get out, she’ll know. And a little spell will fix that right up.

As a wedding gift, Wanda gives you a beautiful silver ring set with a ruby in the middle. It’s really nothing fancy, but she treasures it so much, almost as much as she treasures you.

Wanda does whatever she can to make sure you’re happy with her. Cooking for you is one of her favorite ways of showing affection and she’s over the moon whenever you enjoy what she cooks for you, even if she’s cooked it for you a thousand times over.

She’s also a serious cuddlebug. She wants nothing more than to cuddle up with you in bed in a nice fluffy blanket, your face right where she can pepper you with sweet little kisses, watching The Dick Van Dyke Show or Bewitched or The Brady Bunch or whatever you want.

She also loves to sing Sokovian lullabies to you as you drift off to sleep in her embrace. And you do admit; her voice is beautiful.

She also loves to make little balls and wisps of scarlet magic and make a sort of light show for you. Sometimes she’ll even have them nuzzle you, as if indicating that even her magic itself adores you.

Wanda also introduces you to her skeleton dog named Sparky, and he is just the sweetest thing. 

One night, likely several months after you were brought there, you wonder why Wanda even wants you around; is it only because of the ring?

Almost instantly she answers.

“Originally.....but then I got to know you better. And now I truly love you for who you are.....but I know that if you love someone, set them free.”

She takes you back to the surface. 

“I’m sorry if I’ve caused you any pain.”

She tries to give you back the ring, but you insist on her keeping it. And then you leave.

For the next few months, you try to reintegrate yourself back into society, but with little success.

The one you were supposed to marry is now with someone else, someone they actually love. 

The town essentially shuns you completely.

But what’s worst of all? Your own parents announce that they’ve disowned you. They’ve kicked you out.

You’ve been living in the streets in the dead of winter. And you’re close to your breaking point. 

You can’t go on like this. And so you return to the forest.

You find the spot where you placed the ring, but the root is gone. 

Immediately you cry out in absolute sorrow, now believing that you’re truly alone. All you want is Wanda’s comforting embrace, seemingly the only person who truly accepts you, flaws and all.

You lay in the spot in the snow, crying yourself to sleep.

When you next wake up, you realize that you’re no longer in the snow. You’re in a warm place, wrapped in warm fluffy blankets, the smell of chicken paprikash wafting into your nose.

You look up to find the woman you come to fall for peeking into the bedroom. She walks over to you and tears fill your eyes. 

For the first time in months, you feel loved as the two of you embrace. 

It’s then you notice that your fingertips are discolored; a sign of severe frostbite. 

Wanda sadly tells you that you passed away while you were asleep in the snow. She wanted to save you, but when she realized you were there, it was too late. 

But to her surprise, you don’t mind, and she wonders why.

She reads your mind and sees all that you’ve gone through since you two last spoke; of course she is devastated.

“Wanda, you’re the only person in my life--er, well death now, I suppose--who loves me for who I am...no strings attached. I want nothing more than to be with you forever and ever.”

Of course she agrees. For all eternity.

The two of you cuddle up close and cry for a bit before eating some paprikash and then cuddling up together again.

That night before bed, you cuddle closer to her than ever before, almost entranced by just how beautiful her lullaby is, before you drift off to sleep. 

Both of you may not have a pulse anymore, but your hearts beat even stronger together.

[ventisehe]

crying on their wedding day, or not / genshin impact / part two

this is the second part of crying on their wedding day. i didn’t add dainsleif and baizhu because i don’t have enough creative juice to squeeze them in. 

requested by: @bakuhoe-is-my-bakubro

includes: venti, kaeya, xingqiu, scaramouche, razor, albedo, chongyun, xiao, kazuha

warning: unedited, not proofread, different variation of not seeing the bride before the wedding ceremony, written before kazuha was released

part one

THOSE WHO WILL NOT CRY

     VENTI

            Although his wings that have soared through the vast open azure skies was as ancient as the winds that swept ever so delicately through the lands that made up Teyvat, although his curious viridescent hues have become quiet witnesses to numbers of renowned and untold tales of mortals across nations, no matter the countless years he devoted trying to cognize the mortals and their atypical behaviors, Barbatos – or Venti, as he refers to himself now – can never truly understand how so many human beings can stay in one place with one person.

                            Before he had even come to be the Anemo Archon, all that Venti knew was how to heed the call of the wind. To him, it was confounding how mortals do not have the similar urgency as he to follow the winds. Even when he had taken the form of his dearest friend, Himmel, and has elapsed through myriad of seasons and centuries, still he soared gently in the air, lyre in his possession as he sung melodies of his own composition and strummed symphonies for those who yearn to hear his voice, and with his braids billowing in his travel to a destination even he cannot tell yet.

            One has made an attempt - and unfortunately, a fruitless one - to make sense to him why some has gone against the heed of the wind, a very peculiar decision in the eyes of someone like him. His form nothing but a mere wisp at that time, nothing but a small creature with little understanding, and he remembered he was seated on the shoulder of his companion as they perched by the edge of a mountain, legs dangling and kicking gently back and forth. They basked in the caress of the wilting warmth as the sun bid its farewell.

                      Himmel was humming a tune with the corners of his mouth curving up and his eyes closed, and Venti's small frame thrummed with delight at the euphony he made.

                And in the serene quiet, his dear friend spoke, "Someday, you'll find yourself wanting to stay somewhere. For something, or for someone. You don't understand now, but when you come to love one thing, you'll always want to be close to their side." Himmel turned to him, a subdued smile etched across his features, and upon catching sight of the sincerity and fervor Himmel in his bright eyes, Venti cannot help but mirror his sentiments and reciprocate his smile the best he can with the body he manifested in.

     "When that day comes, you'll understand why many choose to . . . stay." Venti tilted his head to the side, and Himmel let out a small chuckle once he catches on the puzzlement that he displayed in his actions. "Don't look at me like that. I know you're curious about the whole marriage thing. Who knows, maybe someday you'll find yourself a nice fellow wisp and - "

            All it took for Himmel to cut his statement short and burst out in laughter was how Venti prodded against his neck as a feeble attempt to make him quiet down.

               And as Himmel has predicted, Venti - in time - did understood.

                        Venti was able to perceive the reasonings of mortals to turn their heads away from the beckon of the wind, to live a peaceful and quaint life, some alone, and some with their spouses. Himmel had done his absolute best to explain to him the wanders which are humans, and gleefully watched as Venti attentively listened to every word he spoke.

      However, at the end of the day, Venti was still a free spirit. He can never be tied down to one place, much more to another living being. He will always find himself favoring the whisper of the winds in Teyvat, adrift and letting himself go adrift.

            It was after he had witnessed the life in Himmel's eyes leave, heard his last breath, the whisper of the triumph of Mondstadt in achieving freedom, and his final request as he stroked Venti's quivering figure - A sad smile has been painted upon Himmel's brims as he gazed at the smaller entity weeping under his touch, "I ask only for one last favor from you, my dearest friend. Look after Mondstadt, after our people, for me, and never let everything we've sacrificed go for naught."

                          Venti was still a free spirit, but with what happened to Himmel, he longed to understand how he saw the world. It seemed he understood it differently than he did. And thus, he took the form of his beloved friend, and ventured closer than he had before to mortals.

      The day he found a place in The Seven, the fateful he became the Anemo Archon, Venti has not once missed an event with his people. He celebrated with them in festivities, cried with them in their sorrows, aided them in battles against transgressors or wars within their own mind. He laughed with them, ate with them, drank with them, and his love for his people grew everyday.

          But still, he can never stay for too long.

                      Venti tried to, he really did, for his friends, as his last gift before he lets go of the pain of losing him. But cannot force himself to remain in one place if his heart kept searching for places to explore, people to meet, discover the secrets of Teyvat.

    Hopelessness was beginning to gnaw inside him as hundred of years has passed, and he has already traveled through long distances and saw generation after generation of his people in Mondstadt, and yet nothing he has yet to fulfill his own promise to hos friend.

           Perhaps this was the way it was supposed to be. Maybe only mortals are giving the ability to be content and stay, but the Anemo Archon was forever to be appearing and disappearing - always, always stringing along with the wind.

                      And Venti believed that thought of his, and it stuck to him throughout many more years in Teyvat.

       Not even a dust of faith was left in the ruins of what he now thought of as a vanquished promise, marring Venti with a wound in his heart, and a doubt in his standing as an Archon. However, it was through this belief that took him by surprise when he met a rather strange woman at the last day of the Windblume Festival, and in Stormterror’s Lair, no less.

                    The Honorary Knight, and their odd traveling companion have long been gone after they bid him farewell and a safe travel in his return to his abode – or whatever dwelling was the closest he could denote as home – leaving Venti by himself to reminisce in the ruins of where Old Mondstadt once stood.

                                        The heavens were a color of black dotted with stars and the moon. The wind has grown softer, as though to accompany him in this lonesome hour, leaving chaste kisses against his pallid skin. From afar, the City of Mondstadt remains lit with lanterns and plethora of flowers. Even in this distance, he can oversee the joy that exuded from the people as they celebrated the remaining hours of the festival and take in the fragrance of the flowers friends and partners exchanged with one another. It was a beautiful sight to behold if one sits in such a desolate and dark place, in the very tower that he had confronted Stormterror – no, it was Dvalin now, Stormterror has perished along with the danger of the past.

                                        But a presence – curious, sorrowful – has intervened in the quiet evening Venti thought he had saved for himself. He stood up from the platform where he has previously perched upon and took off to take a gander in the Lair, and it did not take a moment longer for him to spot a figure nearby. There, standing on top of a boulder clad in a crestfallen expression was a lone woman. She was casting her gaze around Old Mondstadt, and the breeze blew her tears away,

            Venti had never seen her before. He had met every family, every person, in Old Mondstadt, and the same was to be said to the generation that followed after them. He knew them well, recalled their quirks and appearances, and this woman has no resemblance to any of them. Has she come from another nation?

                                   Venti made it his point to glide down and noiselessly land behind her, but it seems his efforts have failed him for this stranger spoke the second his feet made contact with the ground.

        "I wonder how this place used to be." You stated, and Venti was unsure whether you have felt his presence or you were speaking to yourself.

   “So, this is Old Mondstadt.” She stated in a murmur. Her voice was laced with awe, but with evidence of forlornity. “I heard rumors about what happened here, and-and the thing with Stormterror too. Archon, I wish someone would tell me the real story of the City of Freedom. Back in my home, we’re not even allowed to learn much about the Archons of other nations. It’d be foolish to just trust rumors.”

                                  There was something about her that piqued his interest. He did not know what it was. Maybe it was the way she talked about Mondstadt, her interest in the history of his city and his people, the sincere sorrow she felt for what the fallen tyrant of Mondstadt had had done to his former subjects, and how he had forced their hands to rebellion to protect their nation.

                            Venti spoke before he can stop to think. “If you’d like, I can retell the story of how Old Mondstadt came to be. I’m well versed in the history of this city, so rest assured everything you’ll hear is the truth.” He carved a smile to his lips. “And I am a Bard, so you have no need to worry about me chatting your ear off. All it takes is an audience and my lyre to get me started. Of course, a private performance will cost you, but since you’re new in the city, I suppose I can – ”

                                  His breath was taken away when the stranger turned to face him, and his words withered from his tongue. Ever seen a speechless bard? It was a sight people will scarcely see.

                Could he ever compose a song to even come close to the lovely view that was before his eyes? Gleaming curious pair of eyes, a smile so eager to listen, hair flitting with the wind as his heartbeat raced –

             Venti was used to captivating his audience with his songs and stories. However, this time, it was he who was captivated, and when he took out his lyre and played a sweet tune to sing the story of his beloved city, with this gorgeous woman listening to him with bright and shining eyes, Venti knew then that he wanted to play for her every song he knew, every story he saw and heard, to the end of time.

                            You told him your name after his song, and you came all the way from the isolated nation of Inazuma. It took him by surprise how you have confidence in him to reveal to him your identity and place of birth. Surely, not everyone will trust a stranger who has appeared out of nowhere who offered to sing them a song. But then again, Venti trusted you as quickly as you trusted him, and now it was his turn to listen as you confide in him.

  You have escaped from your home nation and survived out in the seas under the heat of the sun and threat of starvation for days until a compassionate Captain from Liyue, and her crew found you and delivered you to safety. And it was after your recovery that you fled to Mondstadt, the opposite of the nation you were born in.

                     Venti found himself sitting down in front of you as you told him your story, sight never leaving your frame as he did so. You were no Bard, and you were no storyteller, but he cannot tell the time or noticed the sun has set as you regaled him with story of Inazuma and your life after and before your escape. He was enchanted with the way you spoke, how you looked about Old Mondstadt with saddened awe, the fervidness in your voice – Have I found myself a rival? Thought Venti, eyes softening as you went on about your admiration for the affability and generosity his people have shown you.

                                                          When you left that day, you promised to come back and when you do, you shall ask him to sing to you more of his songs. At first, Venti was hesitant to believe your promise, but to his relief and happiness, when he saw you in the same place in the ruins undoubtedly waiting for him with your eyes closed and relishing in the wind that rushed past you. Venti always came to Stormterror’s Lair to oversee what remained of his old home, but for once, his sights were held torn and you have all his attention.

                   Seeing you keep your promise of return made his day, but when you whipped your head to face him with a smile, waving a hand as you asked him to sit with you, Venti knew that his heart desired yours. Was it a wise decision to fall for someone you've only just met? Certainly not, but he was an Archon who had too much time but too little for those who he holds dear. He cannot afford to be unsure when his time with you was limited.

     So, he decided – when the day is right and the wind is quiet, he shall make his feelings for you known.

            It became a routine for the two of you to meet in Stormterror’s Lair and share your stories with one another, Venti always telling his in songs, as a Bard would. There was never a dull moment between the two of you, and every story told in the ruins were to be fascinated of. And soon, it wasn't just stories. Soon, he was finding out more about you, knowing you better until he couldn't get you out of his head.

                  It became a routine for the two of you to meet in Stormterror’s Lair and share your stories with one another. Venti always told his in the form of songs, as a Bard would, you will always applaud him after, to which he would respond with a melodramatic bow. There was never a dull moment between the two of you, and every story spoke in the ruins and the silence of the night was to be fascinated of.  He was learning more about you, knowing you better, until he couldn’t get you out of his mind when his head falls against his pillow.

    Venti cherished these times he had with you. He knew it won't be long until you were gone. He knew his fate as an Archon – seeing loved ones perish and more to come, and the cycle continued.

                                           He hasn't even told you about his identity.

                          Venti was grateful for the Traveler for pushing him to tell you about his feelings and his standing in Teyvat, but he was still uncertain. What would you say if he confessed to you? What will you say if he admits to being the Anemo Archon? Will things change between the two of you? Will you leave? Venti can’t think about that.

                                                                       Venti grew worried when you didn’t come to Stormterror’s Lair one day, and then another, and his concern grew as days turned to weeks. Everyday he found himself visiting Stormterror’s Lair in hopes of seeing you waiting for him again, but he was always left disappointed. You did not mention going on an adventure or a commission, so his worry was warranted. Were you safe or were you simply sick of him?

                 When the day you finally appeared in the Lair, relief washed over Venti and he practically jumped off the broken tower he frequently resided and made haste towards you. But his footsteps faltered when he found no traces of a smile on your face. He can see the relief and joy, but the smile was absent. From that, Venti’s own beam wilted as he walked over to you with reluctant steps.

      When he came close to you, he opened his mouth to ask how you have faired for the past weeks and question your abrupt disappearance when you said something that took him by surprise.

                                    “I know who you are.”

          It felt like his entire world has stopped for a moment as he stared at you with disbelief smearing his countenance. How ever did you discover the truth? Certainly, he had similarities with his statues, but none of his people nor visitors from outside ever pieced the puzzle together.

                            He averted his gaze, ashamed. Why was he wallowing in shame? Or perhaps was this regret of not telling you sooner? Did you feel betrayed? Will you cast him away?

                      “But how . . . ”

                                            “The man at the Tavern told me, Master Diluc.” You answered. “I was telling him about you, and I guess he thought I already knew of you being the . . . Anemo Archon.”

           “Is that why you were gone for weeks?” Venti questioned, and when you nodded in response, he winced. He can’t help but think of the worse – She’ll leave me.

                          Venti looked away. “Ah, I shouldn’t be surprised. I mean, it is hard to believe someone like me is an Archon.” He laughed out, but the humor was nonexistent in his statement. “So, how do you feel about that?”

                      Venti let out a gasp when you threw yourself to him and enveloped him in a tight hug. Venti froze at your actions and waited for you to withdraw, but when you did not, he slowly accepted your embrace with gratefulness. He didn’t know what you do this, but he was more than happy to reciprocate your actions before he lets you go.

        It won’t matter, anyway. He’ll hear the winds calling for him somewhere soon. Maybe letting you go now would hurt less in the long run.

                    “Are you not . . . angry?” Venti asked as he closed his eyes and rested his chin on your shoulder.

                                    “Oh Archons, no, Venti. I could never hate you.” You assured him in a whisper and from the brokenness on your voice, Venti knew you were crying. “Those times you told me about Barbatos . . . all the stories about his past . . . everything he had gone through . . . ” You murmured, tone lowering. “ . . . you must have been so hurt and lonely.”

                                              He didn’t know why your words shot through him. He can feel tears streaming down his cheeks as memories of his past and the continuous pain of loss and regret caught up with him. Finally, after thousands of years, his false smile was shattered.

          How pathetic. He thought. An Archon weeping in front of a mortal that he is in love with. Could things get any worse?

                  Your hand stroked his hair, comforting him as he cried against your shoulder and in your arms.

                          “I was . . . ” He breathed out, choking as he tightened his grip around you. “ . . . it never stops hurting . . . I keep seeing Himmel, and everyone, and – ”

                He couldn’t finish what he was saying and just relished in the comfort of your arms, breathing in your scent.

                                    “I don’t understand what you’ve been going through these thousands of years, and I never will, but it’s okay now, Venti.” You whispered in his ear, and he can detect the compassion and love lacing your voice. His heart hammered against his chest. “You have me. You don’t have to pretend everything is okay. I’m here for you. I want you to be Venti and Barbatos with me, I want all of you.”

             He couldn’t believe his ears. Did he hear you correctly? You want him?

                    Venti gently retracted himself from you, but his arms remained at your sides. “You still want me, even after I kept this from you?”

         “I want you, Venti.” You clasped your hands over his shoulders, firmly looking into his eyes. “I’m not going anywhere anymore. I’m staying here, with you.”

                 And so, you stayed, and so did he – it was the first time he stayed, and he will never regret it.

One would think that as a renowned Bard in Mondstadt, Venti would push for a grand wedding where all people of Mondstadt are invited to wine and dine together as bards banded together to regale everyone with their music, and as the Archon who values freedom above everything else, a big part of him wanted to. But he thought of you and what you wanted. It took some time for him to deliberate over how selfish it would be for him to make you uncomfortable in your wedding day and agree a small wedding would be a much better option considering how sacred and intimate marriage is.

However, knowing you cannot simply have the Anemo Archon go against his belief, and of course because of your love for him, you have secretly devised a plan with Jean and Kaeya to invite all the citizens of Mondstadt to your reception to celebrate this joyous occasion for the two of you. There was more than enough food and drinks to feast, courtesy of Master Diluc, and you’re sure Venti will be over the moon with this surprise. 

Venti had no family, and those he did consider as family were long gone, just a memory from the past. Even though it is unusual for a groom not to have a best man in his wedding day, Venti claimed he was fine without a best man. He had no doubts in marrying you. When he proposed to you, there was no touch of regret or doubt. Albeit reluctantly, you were in a mutual agreement in that matter, as well. Until, of course, an unexpected tribute arrived offering his services.

Venti was not the least nervous when the day of your wedding came. He did not waste time when he woke up and immediately got to work on his appearance. Jean was kind enough to have his wedding suit tailored for him, an early wedding gift, as she says.

Venti knew of the rule that a groom mustn’t see his bride in her wedding gown until the time she walks on the aisle. But he was just so thrilled for this day that he forgot all about it. And even if he did remember it, who in the world would stop him from seeing you? He has no best man to stop him anyway -

Venti almost choked to death when a hand came to grasp him by his the back of his collar, and he blubbered pathetically as he was thrown off balance and was dragged back to the altar.

“Who are - Master Diluc? What are you doing?”

Diluc let out a huff as he continued dragging Venti away from your house. “Stopping you from upsetting your bride. I’m sure you know that you shouldn’t see your bride in her gown before the wedding?”

“But Master Diluc, as much as I appreciate what you’re doing, you’re not in any position to - ”

“Actually, I am in a position where I’m allowed to stop you from making a mess of your wedding.” Said Diluc. “I’m your best man, after all.”

Venti couldn’t put to words how touched he was, and more so when you revealed to him after the wedding that Diluc has offered to be his best man by his own volition. As thanks, the next time Venti visited the tavern to drink, he paid for a single bottle of wine once. It wasn’t exactly ideal but considering how he had no original plan to pay Diluc for any of the drinks he will consume, this was as good as it gets.

When the doors opened to reveal you in your pretty white wedding dress, Venti swooned, and a large joyous smile stretched across his lips.

A gentle breeze swept in the altar and Venti felt his feet leave the ground briefly, floating in the air as he excitedly watched you walk down the aisle, and it took Diluc’s hand pulling him down by the back of his suit to stop him from floating up above the cathedral.

“My, my, if I knew any better, I would have thought the Archons have taken favor on me and blessed me with a beautiful bride.” Venti said once you join him in the altar and took your hands in his own. “You look beautiful, darling. I might just write another song about you.”

You shook your head, pink tinting your cheeks. “Haven’t you written enough songs about me?”

Venti inched his face close to you, his large smile altering to a soft smile. “There aren’t enough songs to tell you how much I adore you.”

The wedding went on, and when the two of you kissed, only one thing entered in Venti’s mind - I found my reason to stay, Himmel. I just hope you can see this.

The wind blew gently.

     KAEYA

                      Kaeya did not know what to feel when his brother has made it clear once and for all that he wanted nothing to do with him. His dismissive remarks, his heated glares, his cold and aloof treatment – he had known Diluc for so long, and his memories with him in their childhood never grew old in his mind, so it pained him to have his once bright-eyed sibling who aspired to be part of the Knight acting as though they were strangers. No, strangers would have been merciful. He acted as if the bond they had never meant anything to him, and casting him aside and seeing him under the light of contempt was the easiest decision he has ever made.

                                               Even you were not spared from the same fate. The three of you become inseparable the day you and Kaeya were introduced to each other. You’ve done everything together, and it would be a strange sight to see one missing from the group.

                When Diluc has cut ties with Kaeya, you suffered the same fate as he. You poor, poor thing – you tried your best to patch the friendship he no longer wanted to be part of, and Kaeya did not waste time running to your side and picking up the pieces Diluc shattered. It was not an easy feat for both of you to lose Diluc – he lost a brother, and you lost a good friend.

                                 But it was because of your fall out with him that you and he become closer than ever, closer than before, if that could even be possible. The two of you support one another and you go to each other when things get difficult.

             Kaeya will never admit it, and he would rather die than do, but he has loved you for many years. The moment Diluc pulled him into an unknown house, claiming that he wanted to meet someone important to him, and his eyes landed on your form with the sunrays kissing your skin, a wide smile stretching across your face, and a fake sword in your hand, his heart was taken.

                            You were one of the reasons he wanted to become a Knight. Diluc admitted his want to become a Knight, and you expressed the same sentiment, and of course, hearing his friend and brother say so, he became inclined of joining the Knights. I’ll get good training. He thought back then as stared at you, blushing as you braided Diluc’s hair. Then, I’ll be able to protect ( Your Name ).

        Now that Diluc no longer wanted to be in contact with you than more than is necessary, Kaeya grew to be more protective over you. He knew you can handle yourself as you were a Knight yourself and wields a Vision, too, but his heart clenches at the thought of you getting hurt when he could have easily had your back, like he always did.

                                                 Kaeya didn’t knowif you had feelings for him, or for anyone, for that matter. Many times he thought of confessing to you just to rip the band aid off, but he couldn’t. He’ll keep his feelings to himself and continue being the Cavalry Captain that everyone adored, and your own personal protector.

   But it was getting harder and harder to hide his feeling. Everyday he was always under the threat of falling deeper in love with you. Everyday, you always give him more reasons to love you. Waiting for him to come home after taking too long in his work, taking care of him after a nasty battle or when he’s drunk, always checking up on him even if your schedule was hectic, offering him help if you deem the responsibility given to him is too much. How much longer can he pretend that he wasn’t thinking of you everyday and every night?

                                He was pulled back from his train of thoughts when he felt a soft material doused in alcohol perch on the wound blemishing his skin. “Ah, be gentle, ( Your Name ),” Whined Kaeya, stilling himself to refrain from moving and delaying your nurse on his cuts.

                          “We wouldn’t be in this situation if you had only been careful fighting those Abyss Mages.” You reprimanded with a stern glare. “Think of this as your punishment from me. Now, hold still.”

                      “I was fighting Abyss Mages and came back with small wounds. How am I not careful?”

       “You can be more careful.” Quipped you, and finding your chance, you pressed the cotton again his skin, causing the Cavalry Captain to hiss in pain.

                      “Ow, ow, ow – I said be gentle!”

                                         “Oh, you can fight Abyss Mages but can’t handle getting your wounds treated? What a baby.”

                        Kaeya pouted while you pulled away from him. “My dearest ( Your Name ) doesn’t love me anymore.” He cooed. “Tell me, what can I do to make it up to you, hmm?”

                                      You shook your head and placed your hand over his head, beaming. His heart leaped in his chest. “Stop being reckless.” You responded. “You’re the most important person to me, Kaeya. I don’t want to lose you too.”

             Days and days he spent thinking of what you said. He never truly knew how he important he was to you. The thought of that had him sleeping and dreaming of you and your smiles, how the days will be if you loved him the same way he loved you, and the fateful day you owned his heart.

   He had to thank Diluc for introducing him to you. He couldn’t imagine being in a world where he has no one to lean on when he lost the only family he had. You became his rock, someone he could lean on and trust. His friend who he loved more than he should have, the woman he wished to see in his arms someday.

                     But it will never be. He has to protect you. He is always in danger and he doesn’t want to hurt you more if he died and you two are in a relationship. And he had seen firsthand how affected you were when Diluc no longer wanted to be friends with you. He won’t let you go through the same pain if your relationship didn’t work. He loved you too much to let you suffer again.

                                  Kaeya didn’t think he would be able to thank Diluc again after their fall out but he was mistaken.

                            He didn’t know the full story of what had happened the night he got shitfaced drunk in the tavern but woke up the next day to learn he has revealed his feelings for you in front of his brother, and the latter had casually mentioned it to you when you dropped by the tavern to escort him back home.

                      Regret and frustration welled up inside of him and he spent ten minutes walking back in you guest room, trying to explain himself and perhaps even jest about having feels for you but his preparation was all futile when you opened the door just as he was about to.

               Before he can speak, you beat him to it.

        “The next time you get drunk like that, you’re sleeping on the couch.” You chastised, shaking your head and proceeding to turn your back to him to return downstairs. “Freshen up, and head down. I already cooked you breakfast, so hurry up before it gets cold.”

                                              Kaeya stared blankly at the spot you previously stood before smiling. He rushed over to the staircase and looked down to watch you descend the steps. “I won’t keep you long, love.”

                            His smile broadened when he saw redness rush to your cheeks.

Kaeya proposed to you in a way you expected him to propose to you. A fancy dinner at a fancy restaurant where he ordered a fancy bottle of wine and placed the fancy ring he bought into your glass. It was only because you knew him well that you have no accidentally imbibed the accessory. 

Upon receiving your answer to his proposal, the first thing Kaeya did the day after is hunt down for a best man. As a popular and charming Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius, he thought it would be an easy task finding himself a best man but that notion gradually wilted as the date for your wedding approaches, he has yet to find someone to take the position.

In his pursuit for a best man, Kaeya came to realize something. His relationships with others aren’t exactly intimate. They drink and laugh together, but none of them really knew him. Kaeya couldn’t go to them with his personal problems or have their shoulders ready for him to cry on. They were good friends, but not people he would let inside his heart and vulnerability.

There were only two people who knew him behind the title of Cavalry Captain - you, and of course, his estranged brother, Diluc.

The very thought of Diluc sent a shiver down his spine. Diluc hated him and ( Your Name ). He pushed them away, treated them horridly, like they had been nothing to him but strangers with bad memories. Why would he want him to be his best man?

He remembered one day in Angel’s Share, he asked Venti if he could stand as his best man in the wedding and he swore he heard a glass dropping from behind the counter but when he turned, he saw Diluc wiping a wine glass with a blank expression. When Kaeya faced Venti once again, the excitement of being asked of such honorable position has withered and the Bard kindly declined before telling him to ask Diluc to be his best man. He did not.

Who cares about best man? The only thing important to me right now is marrying ( Your Name ).

But when the day of his wedding dawned, Kaeya was in a panic. Behind his charm was a man with a dark past, dark memories, and dark thoughts. He began doubting his ability to give you the life you deserve, began feeling insecurities he thought he had set aside.

He tried his best to remain calm, and for the most part, it worked. Everyone did not find something amiss when Kaeya was interacting with them before the wedding, but someone did, and that someone took him by his arm and dragged him a far and secluded corner after excusing him from who he was conversing with.

“Stop fidgeting with your tie, it’s beginning to bother me.”

Kaeya let out a huff. “Master Diluc, what a . . . surprise that you’re here.”

“You sent me an invitation.” The red head retaliated.

Kaeya had indeed sent him an invitation but he had no recollection of this or whatsoever. He was too wasted to remember.

“The Cavalry Captain losing his cool. Now this is a wedding just waiting to be ruined.”

It was almost like magic how the anxiety that has been eating him up vanished at his brother’s taunt. Kaeya glared at Diluc, opening his mouth to retaliate but before he can even let a single word move past his lips, Diluc turned his back to him and returned to the cathedral, leaving Kaeya in disbelief.

He let out a huff as he stared at his brother’s retreating form. “Bastard still knows me best.”

Kaeya has taken the reins over his emotions again, and he was sure he can keep his composure when you enter through the doors. But he was thoroughly mistaken as he swallowed the lump in his throat when his sight landed on you.

It felt like a dream. How can someone like you love him? In all his flaws, mistakes, and faults, how did you see him as someone you can lean on? Someone you want to spend the rest of your life with?

Surely, he must be dreaming. He’ll wake up in his bed any moment now and realize that everything had been the foolishness of his mind -

Except you continued making your way down aisle, and then you were in front of him with a veil covering your flushed face, and then he was slipping his hands in yours. This was real. You love him.

You leaned forward to him, nose brushing against his. “You look very dashing today, Kaeya.”

Kaeya chuckled. “And you look splendid today, Mrs. Alberich - oh, don’t go shy on me now.”

His smile broadened at the sight of your reddening cheeks. If it wasn’t for the priest speaking right now, he would have flipped over your veil and kiss you.

But there is plenty of time to do that. Kaeya will make sure of that.

     XINGQIU

          The youngest of the Guhua Clan will rarely be seen without a novel in hand. Everyday, Xingqiu will be seen with his friends with a book near him, always different from yesterday. He had read many novels and heard stories from storytellers, but one story he will never get tired of was his story with you.

       Although it may not seem like it, Xingqiu was a hopeless romantic, and he has always imagined seeking a woman to make his bride. However, it will always be something he can only imagine. As a heir of the Guhua Clan, he has responsibilities to keep and adhere, and he has willingly accepted this. Being given the freedom to choose his bride is something he cannot afford. When his father has informed him about offering him to a daughter of another prestigious clan, he has voiced his discontentment and disinclination to the arrangement but has nonetheless followed.

                  What a horror it would have been if he had followed through with the tiny voice inside his head saying to run away because if he did, he would have missed the chance of laying eyes on you and experiencing what many romance novels he read called – a heart skipping a beat.

           It was a tiring charade of formalities and display of pristine etiquette. All Xingqiu wanted was to retreat to a secluded area and continue immersing himself in the book he has picked up from the local library. With how often he reads, the novels in his own house he has already read, twice.

                                And so, he did. He kindly excused himself from the dinner between the families, making up a lie about feeling unwell and needing rest, and hurried over in the fields near his place. It is not exactly rude for him to skip dinner. It is not exactly ideal for his bride-to-be to be late in an important occasion like this so why shouldn’t he exhibit the same treatment as they did to him?

                    When he came to the spot be frequented, he caught sight of an unfamiliar figure from afar. A girl around his age sat on the bench under the tree, in the same spot he always occupied. She wore clothes similar to the families of the clan his family are negotiating with, so it didn’t take long for Xingqiu to learn this girl was related to them. He just didn’t know what her standing was with them.

 She was beautiful, he will admit, but it was the book in her hand that caught his attention. Thus, he approached her, adorning a friendly mask as to not scare her away. It is rather uncomfortable meeting strangers in the dark of the night and somewhere far from civilization.

           “Her hair billowed as she stood by the precipice, golden hues dimming in the dying light as she was left disappointed for yet another century. Her tears stung her skin and her throat tightened, but another century is simply common for someone like her. She will wait for his return, even if every mountain has eroded and all that was left of her was hope.” He recited a line from the novel as he took even ambles towards the girl, and he did not falter as she turned to face him. He offered her a smile and bowed with the elegance that his family taught. “Apologies for my disruption, my liege, but I can’t help but be thrilled to see someone with such incredible taste for literature. Not many are fond of historical fiction. Well, in my case, not many are into literature.”

                                        Her eyes appraised him with wonder as she perfected her posture. “That’s one of the lines in the book. My, even I haven’t memorized a single phrase from any of the books in my collections.” She remarked.

                                “I like to memorize a line or two from all the books I’ve read. It feels like a part of them will always be with me even if my memories fade in time.” Xingqiu gestured to the vacant spot beside her. “May I sit next to you?”

     She let out a laugh, to which sent shivers down Xingqiu’s spine. “You may. It’s not everyday I get to speak with someone with the same interests as me.”

                      He gladly seated himself beside her and immediately, he was greeted with the fragrance of flowers.

                    The girl extended her hand to him, smilingly softly at him. “My name is ( Your Name ),” She introduced herself. “You’re probably thinking you haven’t seen me around in Liyue, and you’re right. My family is here to meet with the Guhua Clan.”

                                                      Xingqiu took her hand and pressed a chaste kiss on the back. “Glad to make your acquaintance, my lady. My name is Xingqiu from the Guhua Clan.”

      Her eyebrows raised in acknowledgment. “Is that so?” She mused. “Then, I must show my sincerest gratitude for letting my family into – ”

               “Ah, there’s no need for that,” Dismissed Xingqiu as he shook his head. “We’re far from the dinner they’re sharing together. No need to be so formal with me.”

          Her smile brightened. “I have a feeling we’re going to get along splendidly, Xingqiu.”

                        Upon returning together to his house and finding an excuse as to why Xingqiu had been outside did he and ( Your Name ) learn that it was them who were destined to be married when they are of age. The disappointment of meeting his soon-to-be bride has dissipated at the revelation, leaving him filled with utmost joy and pride as to having you as his, and from the shy and gleeful smile that wandered to your lips, Xingqiu can tell you think the same with him.

It was to be expected that the two of you will have a luxurious and grand wedding. With the two of you coming from wealthy families, it was no surprise. If you have insisted for a small wedding consisting only of close relatives and friends, your parents will fear some other elite clans will perceive this as them losing power and money and will take advantage of them or simply cut ties with them. You and Xingqiu had no other choice but to respect their requests. Although Xingqiu was secretly relieved you agreed to a big wedding. For him, you deserved only the best of the best, and in this case, larger is better.

Both families came to an agreement that it would be for the best if the two of you are not to see each other for the week before your wedding day. You found nothing wrong with this arrangement. Xingqiu, however, was the opposite of you.

Many times he tried to sneak out of his house to visit you in secret but Chongyun has thwarted this attempts many times. When he goes to adventures with the Traveler, he find himself missing you in mere hours. How can he survive a whole week without communicating with you?

Oh, how foolish of him. He was now allowed to visit you but he can, however, write letters to you.

For the whole week, Xingqiu will be writing to you without ceasing. You’ll have a difficult time keeping up with his letters but you’ll always find time to respond to him. After all, you missed him just as much as he missed you.

Xingqiu woke up before the sun can call for him. He walked around in his room, breathing in and out as he tried to soothe his joy. Chongyun, who was tasked to look after Xingqiu for the whole week, woke up from the sound of his footsteps. When he stepped inside his best friend’s room, Xingqiu held Chongyun’s hands and twirled him around, startling the half-asleep Cryo user.

“I’m getting married to ( Your Name ) today!”

“I know, Xingqiu. I’ve been stopping you from visiting her the whole week.”

Your wedding was held in a beautiful garden where cherry blossoms flutter and the wind was gentle and cool.

Xingqiu always held his composure in any situations and circumstances he encountered. But he was going to admit that seeing you in your wedding dress with the cherry blossoms kissing your skin and tresses every now and then had him malfunctioning.

It took a worse turn when you finally stood before him, expectantly looking at him. A compliment, a playful jest, a seductive remark - but there was none of that.

Xingqiu stared at you, eyes shining with admiration and his lips parted in pleasant surprise.

“Xingqiu, earth to Xingqiu,” You whispered. “You there?”

It was only after you spoke that Xingqiu snapped out of his stupor.

“Get yourself together, Xingqiu.” Stated Chongyun beside him in a whisper.

It took him a while to find him bearings but when he did, Xingqiu smiled at you and pressed a kiss on your forehead.

“Beautiful, just like the first time I saw you.”

     SCARAMOUCHE

            Scaramouche has dedicated his entire life to seeing through what his majesty, the Tsaritsa, desired. His life shall be nothing but a pawn for her to use in her schemes and may her will be done through him and her subjects. If she must dispose of him to make success of her endeavor, Scaramouche will gladly surrender before her eyes and bare his neck for her to cut. He will do anything she commands without a second thought, and anyone who dares get in his way will face the wrath of an incensed Harbinger.                

         It was all about the Tsaritsa. His entire his existence is for his majesty. It was all he ever believed in when the honor of being the sixth Harbingers was crowned over him. With that said, Scaramouche can never bring himself to admit his resolve has been altered upon his discreet visitation to the City of Freedom to conduct a more intimate investigation over the meteorites and the impact it had on the people of Mondstadt.

                      His skull was throbbing, his thoughts scattered, and frustration was beginning to settle inside of him. Scaramouche has just dispatched his soldiers to continue their research on the meteors after his failed attempt to eliminate the traveler. He was left alone in the tranquility of the night, with the remnants of the astrologist’s escape glittering beneath his eyes, mocking him.

     “I should have acted quicker. The Traveler will continue foiling The Tsaritsa’s plans.” Mumbled Scaramouche to himself. “No matter. There will be another chance in the future to finish off the hero of Mondstadt, and I’m sure it’ll come sooner than I expect. I must prepare for that time. I can’t make this mistake again.”

                  A curious hum that echoed behind him had him stiffening in his place and drawing out his weapon from thin air. “Are you interested about the meteors too?” A voice asked.

          Scaramouche turned around, and he found a woman standing behind him a few meters away. She has a beauty that he favors, a smile so gentle that it thawed a bit of ice in his heart, but a scowl made its way to his countenance. She’s taller than me.

  She didn’t look particularly like anyone he would have any interest in knowing, and when she has introduced herself to him after he supplied her with no answer, Scaramouche predicted correctly. She was merely an ordinary folk in any ordinary city with no Vision or any skillset that could benefit him in anything.

                                                    “I must get going.” Curtly stated Scaramouche and he turned around without even bidding goodbye to the woman.

                          “So soon?” You asked. “I thought we could at least talk what’s been happening – about the meteors, the stars.”

              Scaramouche frowned at the mention of the latter and he spun back around to meet your gaze. “The stars? What about the stars?”

                                        You smiled a secret smile. “The stars . . . they’re fake.”

         Scaramouche stared at you with wonder and amusement in his dark hues. He has always believed in that notion, and only a handful came to agree with him. Now, here a lady stands before him, with nothing in particular to offer him, speaking of the truth many has rejected.

                      He examined you from head to toe, evaluating your form before beckoning you to come over to him, saying, “Perhaps I can spare some time to talk.”

                  What was supposed to be a conversation within an hour or so has extended for a day, and when you requested to accompany him back to ship docked in Liyue Harbor to continue your conversation (it surprised him but has nonetheless allowed you to tag along) about the meteors and the stars, it dragged on for weeks.

     But Scaramouche would be lying if he said that was all you discussed about. There was only so much information they can relate to the subject that has intertwined their fates that it did not take long for the two of you to stray from it to favor a more civil conversation. He learned of your mundane life back in Mondstadt where you were merely another dot in the bustle of the city and he managed to extract from you valuable material regarding the Honorary Knight (in truth, you have willingly told him everything you knew about the Hero of Mondstadt and this he was very pleased with). He learned about your family, your work, your past, and your ambition to adventure throughout the lands of Teyvat even without a Vision.

                He thought it was foolish of you to believe you can ever get out of your city without a Vision. There were too many enemies that a simple adventurer like you could easily be overwhelmed with. Not to mention the Fatuis that he and his fellow Harbingers has placed all throughout Teyvat. The thought of you getting hurt, especially by his own soldiers . . . it did not sit right with him.

                                 Arriving at Liyue Harbor, Scaramouche proposed that you come with him. It is no secret that anyone who do not possess a Vision cannot survive if they were ever to embark on a journey. Hearing your desire for an adventure, Scaramouche has come to decide that as gratitude for your pleasant company and for your compliance in giving him information about the renowned traveler, he shall take you along in his voyage, showing you the grandest landscapes, granting your every need and desires, all the while keeping you at his side where he was certain you were safe.

    It was all to thank you, nothing else. It wasn’t because Scaramouche knew he would find himself missing you and the comfort you bring when you leave, nor was it because he was fond of you. Yes, yes, all just to show his gratitude.

              As his soldiers watched as Scaramouche led you aboard in ship with his hand interlocked with yours, they thought the same thing – Scaramouche is never the one to show gratitude to anyone. You had him smitten.

How you were able to fall in love with Scaramouche in such a short period of time is fascinating. Especially with his horrid personality.

But he was different with you. He was gentle, caring, and never raised his voice. The insults remained but there was no venom behind them. It took you quite some time to get used to his belittling remarks but it didn’t evade your perception how Scaramouche begun lessening his insults, opting for a more playful jab instead.

He proposed to you over at dinner. He had just come back from an expedition and came home to a table filled with your cooking. As the two of you are exchanging your stories of what went with your lives when you two were separated, Scaramouche placed his chopsticks away, looked at you straight in the eyes and said, “Marry me.”

How can you say no to such a romantic proposal?

Actually, you made him redo his proposal before you accepted but nobody else has to know about that.

There was no best man for Scaramouche in your wedding. The man was feared by everyone, and his fellow Harbingers hated him. Childe did insist on being his best man at one point but he almost ended up being fried by a lightning bolt. Apparently, the 11th Harbinger pestered him for a whole week trying to convince him to let him be the best man so his actions were justified - just a little bit.

You have to give it to Scaramouche. Regardless of his busy schedule and the current predicament in Inazuma, he managed to find time and opportunity to plan your wedding and marry you without having to worry about the Electro Archon and her subjects.

Scaramouche scoffed at the tradition of not being able to see you on the very day of your wedding. What good would it be? You were going to be his wife, and he wanted to see his wife. He saw himself above tradition, and visited you first thing in the morning at the day of the wedding.

It was no question Scaramouche was an authoritative man but he was more so as he prepared himself for the wedding.

His maids ran about in the room, providing everything he needed and wanted. Scaramouche was not known for being compassionate, but this was the first time they’ve been on the receiving end of his wrath. Normally, he would ignore their existence and not even bother to call them by their names but today, he was different. He acted worse than when he comes home after a failed mission.

The maids knew he was beyond frustrated with the wedding. So, they called to ask for your help.

“Scaramouche, you’re scaring the maids.” You cooed as you came up behind him and placed your hands on his shoulders.

Scaramouche let out a scoff, but you felt his frame soften. He sat before a mirror, and he gazed at your reflection as he placed a hand over one of yours. “Even they weren’t so terrible with their jobs . . . ”

“You’re making things so hard for them. And for yourself too.” You stated. “Marrying me shouldn’t be hard, should it?”

That statement set Scaramouche right, and when you left to carry on with your own preparation and the maids returned to their duties, he was more civil with them. If that’s what you want, then he can endure it.

The hour has finally arrived. Scaramouche has faced many dangers in his life, but it was only now he felt restless. What is taking you so long? He thought you wanted to marry him. Then what’s warranting your late arrival?

At that thought, you finally appeared by the end of the aisle, holding a bouquet in your hands. Everyone in the venue gaped at your beauty, and Scaramouche was thankful you had everyone gazing at you. He didn’t want them to see the dumbfounded and poorly hidden lovestruck expression that crossed his mien for a moment.

But a sense of pride also touched him. 

That’s my bride.

When the ceremony begins, you and Scaramouche were seated side by side. You smiled brightly at him when you sat, but he didn’t any indication that he saw your smile and continued giving his undivided attention on the person conducting your wedding. You pouted heavily at this but said nothing and followed his actions. However, your smile returned when you felt his fingers hooking with yours. It was a small improvement, but it was intimate and loving.

Scaramouche didn’t cry in your wedding but when his arms held you tightly to his chest when evening came and two of you lied down on your shared bed, it was enough for you to know he loved you as much as you loved him.

Maybe more so.

     RAZOR

   Razor rarely experience human interaction, and if he did, it would be abrupt and depending on how the communication was being dealt by both parties, it would either be Razor who parts from them first out of wariness or lacking knowledge of being social or the other would, most of the time for the reason they find it disturbing a human could act so much like a wolf. The humans Razor constantly encounter are the hunters from Springvale and due to their bellowing voices and violence against his Lupicals, he has limited his ventures to Mondstadt unless something calls for an emergency.

        Other than the man who gave him his name, Razor only knew a handful of people – six of them being the Traveler, Traveler’s companion, Bennett, Klee, her big brother Albedo, and the woman he sees as his mentor, Lisa. He can only ever let his guard down when around them, though he was still a wee bit cautious of Albedo whenever Klee drags him to his camp.

                          He didn’t think he could meet anyone else who can consider a Lupical. That was until he met you. You were taking a peaceful stroll around Wolvendom – Archons know why you chose the most avoided place in Mondstadt to walk through – at the same time he was hunting down boars for his Lupicals.

  There was no rescuing or danger involved when he met you. It was a simple encounter, to which Razor was pleasantly surprised with. In almost all occasions, when he is meeting a fellow human being, it would be under rather unusual circumstances. He met the Traveler and her floating friend when they were being attacked by slimes. He met Lisa when she has painted the skies dark as she was singlehandedly fending herself off from a mob of Hilichurls. He met Klee when she was using her bombs to fish. He met Albedo in the middle of a chaotic experiment to which resulted in an evacuation. He met Bennett when he was hanging upside down from a tree when he tried to take an apple from a high branch, and the tree was up in flames.

                   To say, meeting you normally was a breath of fresh air.

      The two of you hit it off almost immediately, or so that is what it seems to you. Although you consider Razor a good friend even in just the few days you have met, he was still very careful of you. He had been deceived by humans before and it may be a little unfair to you since he trusted the Traveler and Bennett almost in an instant, he must first know you are trustworthy.

  And indeed, you’ve proven yourself as such. Perhaps, more so than the Traveler. You have done everything to show him you have no ill intentions against him and his Lupicals – helped him in hunting for sustenance for his family even if you have to knowledge in hunting, helping him broaden his vocabulary, helping him read and write – but it was your sacrifice to protect them that made him truly open himself up to you.

             An Abyss Mage has appeared out of nowhere and has wreaked havoc in their residence. Razor can feel his heart thundering as he raced through Wolvendom along with a few of his Lupicals who he had gone out with to hunt. Upon arriving at their home, Razor has anticipated to see the grass painted with red and wounded wolves whimpering in pain as others try to battle against the Abyss Mage. But to his relief, such image was not implemented into reality. Instead, he found his Lupicals sleeping soundly in their den, and the remains of the Abyss Mage has slowly evaporated in thin air. As the particles gradually disappeared, they made way for your presence to be revealed.

           Razor let out a gasp when he laid eyes on you. Bruised, bleeding, exhausted, but smiling as you happily waved at him with the hand clutching your weapon.

                              You happily advanced towards him, tittering. Razor reached out to take your hand, and reluctantly asked of your welfare. Now he understood why humans ask how one is fairing when they are clearly unwell – they do not know what else to say.

                      “Why would you do that?” Razor questioned as he brought you far from his den to tend to your wounds without waking his family. “You are hurt now.”

    “I can’t let an Abyss Mage hurt your Lupical.” You answered firmly, the smile you wore dissipating as you gazed into his eyes. “I might not be as strong as the Honorary Knight or Acting Grand Master Jean, but I fought well.”

               What was this odd sensation he was feeling? This strong urge to protect you, to take you in his arms and never let you go – what was this? He has never felt like this before. So light, so . . . flustered. He thought this feeling would be gone after a few days, but months has passed and since then, the feeling became more prominent, stronger. All the time he could never get enough of you and there will always be that lingering trickle of pain in his chest when you have to leave for the day. Razor knew you would come back the day after when the night has gone, but it never stopped that little ache.

                          Razor understood that he lacked understanding of feelings, so he confided to Bennett about it. Bennett was almost as clueless as Razor about feelings – almost – but he did know when someone was taking a liking of someone in a more amorous manner. He has filled Razor about exactly what he was feeling for you, and not the kind of feeling that he has for him and the Traveler, but the kind of liking he would have towards a . . . girlfriend? (Bennett had to explain to him the meaning behind girlfriend and it was no easy task).

            “Liking someone like a girlfriend . . . ” Razor muttered, scrunching his face in puzzlement. “ . . . like a mate?”

                                 Bennett flushed at the word but nodded. “Yes, like a mate.”

                                                Bennett tried his best to help Razor confess to you, and this is where disaster happened. Since Razor is mostly uneducated in terms of romantic feelings, he did not feel any anxiety crawling up to him when he decided to admit his feelings to you. The problem is that he has decided to confess in a wrong time and in a difficult situation.

       “You should confess to her after you’ve saved her from danger!” Exclaimed Bennett, beaming at Razor.

                   The latter tilted his head to the side. “Razor doesn’t . . . get it.”

    “Well, in the books I’ve read, the guys confess to the girls they like in a dangerous time. I don’t know how that’s safe, but it works. But since we don’t want to hurt ( Your Name ), you’ll save her before confessing!”

                    Bless his innocent heart, Razor trusted Bennett’s word without a smidge of doubt. His opportunity to admit his feelings came when the two of you saw Reckless Pallad being surrounded by Hilichurls getting ready to pounce on him. The thing is you too knew your way around a battlefield and have efficiently begun fighting off the Hilichurls. Razor watched as you made quick work of rescuing Reckless Pallad and he didn’t even notice himself beginning to pout in disappointment until you were right in front of him again, worriedly gazing at him.

             “Razor, what’s wrong?” You questioned, appraising him. “You’re not injured, are you?”

                                     He shook his head. “Razor not injured.” He confirmed.

        “Well, that’s good, but why aren’t you moving? We need to save that man.”

                            “Razor wanted to confess to ( Your Name ) by saving her.”

       Razor explained the plan of his confession he conspired with Bennett, how he would save you from danger and tell you his everlasting love that he didn’t notice the redness tinting your cheeks and the wide smile stretching across your face.

           Razor only took note of the phenomenon occurring on your features when he has finished elaborating his scheme. He narrowed his eyes curiously. “Your face is all . . . red. Sick?” He asked.

                                                                         Razor didn’t have a chance to further speculate just exactly was ailing you before you took hold of his face and softly placed your lips against him, catching him off guard.

                                      There was a blossom in his chest when you kissed him – this is love, right? Razor decided there and then he liked this feeling of love.

                      Needless to say, Reckless Pallad was left alone for the Traveler to save. Again.

Razor had no idea what weddings were. He has never heard of such thing before. The first time he did learn about it was when he was hanging out with you and the Traveler. The latter mentioned that you and him are invited in a wedding. Razor tilted his head in confusion but when he turned to ask you what it was, he froze. Your eyes were shimmering with joy and excitement. Razor liked seeing you like that.

So when you were preoccupied, Razor asked the Traveler what a wedding was. Perhaps a wedding was some sort of food that he can find in the wild?

After Traveler has explained what weddings are and the concept of marriage as well, Razor did not waste time trying to propose to you. Since he had no money to buy a very expensive ring, he asked Bennett for help to find materials so he can make one of his own. In the end, they had Wagner help them form a ring. It wasn’t exactly the best looking but when Razor showed it to you and asked for your hand in marriage (Traveler helped him with his proposal speech and had to explain that asking for your hand doesn’t mean literal), and he saw the pure joy on your face, he thought it was pretty enough for you.

Razor didn’t know you were happy mostly because he proposed to you but you didn’t tell him. He looked so proud with the ring.

Your wedding was small and only a very few people were invited. Klee insisted on being one of the flower girls and Razor almost agreed until she began spouting about bombs which will detonate in the air and will explode with flowers. Albedo advised Razor not to make her one of the flower girls because Klee, for sure, will bring flower bombs (it will explode with flowers, but the explosion is still there).

Razor chose Bennett as his best man. That was supposed to be a good thing but when the two of those pair up together, they can tend to cause a lot of chaos, unintentionally.

At the day of the wedding, nearly all the invitees refuse to enter the cathedral as they claim there was danger inside. When Kaeya and Jean came to inspect this danger they speak of, both wielded their weapons once seeing a pack of wolves huddled at the front, just before the altar, with Bennett and Razor telling them to behave.

You had to explain to Razor why it was dangerous and made people uncomfortable when there are wolves present in the cathedral. Although Razor was understandably disappointed by this, he conceded and brought his Lupicals back to Wolvendom. To make it up to him, you promised a private celebration will be held in Wolvendom with nobody else but you, him, Bennett, and of course, his Lupicals.

Razor didn’t know why Bennett seemed more nervous than him when the two of them were standing by the altar. 

“I’m going to ruin your wedding, Razor! Aren’t you worried?”

“ . . . but you not ruining anything . . . ?”

When you finally arrived in the cathedral, Razor felt excitement surge in his body and he can hardly stop himself from squirming on his seat. 

But he wasn’t smiling. These emotions . . . he was having a hard time comprehending them. It was good, it was nice, but it was overwhelmingly so.

He could have cried, and he almost did but when you were before him, smiling at him, he couldn’t help but smile back.

His beautiful wife, his Lupical.

Bennett was the one who cried in your wedding.

     ALBEDO

                It was always a fascinating sight to see a traveler meandering through Dragonspine without minding the sheer cold or flawlessly fending themselves off from the enemies lurking around. Even Albedo has some degree of difficult in navigating his way back to his camp without the Fatui spotting him or tailing him. But it was more fascinating to see a young woman standing in the middle of a freezing lake with nothing but her trousers and her brassiere.

                            It was a peculiar meeting, yes, but out of the ordinary people and matters has always endeared him.

    Albedo brought you to his camp as quickly as he can and asked Timaeus to hand you a cup of warm tea and a blanket. After thanking him for his kindness and consuming half of the beverage generously given to you, you introduced yourself.

             You were an adventurer who came all the way from Liyue to embark on a journey to discover the harshness and secrets that laid within Dragonspine, a mountain many do not dare set foot further in. Other than the mentioned reasons, training was a top priority of yours. You claim one cannot go further in their adventure while being comfortable in their current, and he completely agrees with your statement. When Albedo questioned why you had been in the middle of a lake in Dragonspine, you answered that being able to withstand the cold was just part of your training and seeing as he had caught you shivering to close to death, it was not going well.

                            Albedo didn’t think he would see you again after you parted from him, but he was surprised when the next day he found you waiting for him in his camp, a smile on your face as you stand proudly and wave at him.

   Something about you piqued his interest, if his interest was somehow related to how his heart accelerated whenever you come close to him to offer help with his experiment, or when his face grows hot if you offer him a compliment. He thought it was your way of showing him your gratefulness for taking care of you yesterday, so he allowed your presence in his camp, around him. Albedo didn’t expect you to visit again the next day, and the day after that, and so on and so forth. But he can’t say he disliked your frequent visitations, or your presence that always seem to be following him everywhere he went. He very much liked your company and thoroughly enjoyed listening about your adventures and everything you came across in your adventure. They were a good distraction from his experiments. Everything about you set his mind in ease.

             It wasn’t long until the two of you are spending more time together alone. No experiments, no work in mind. It just the two of you keeping one another company and sharing stories about your days, and making banters here and there – whether it be in a walk under the moon, or sharing a meal in Good Hunter, or while he paints somewhere in Dragonspine.

                 Although Albedo was not well versed in the complexity of romance and has deemed relationships to be rather tedious to uphold, but he was knowledgeable enough to know that in the process of his growing friendship with you, he has caught feelings for you.

  This has certainly brought difficulty in his relationship with you. Albedo, although never verbally admitting so, has always thought of feelings as a nuisance. In a relationship, in his own observation, disadvantages trump over advantages. He had seen the irrationality that love has caused, the stupidity. His observation led him to one conclusion – other than being friends with people, relationships is not for him.

           You have put him in a challenging situation. It would have been easy to cut ties with you if you haven’t successfully infiltrated his walls and snaked your way in his heart. The very thought of pushing you away was repulsive to him. Seeing the hurt cross your features – it will haunt him for the rest of his life.

                      The interest he had for you was not interest at all. It was the beginning of love. He should have been more alert, and this wouldn’t have happened.

                                 What if you returned his feelings and your relationship did not work? There was no way your friendship could be salvaged. Isn’t it much better to remain as friends than risk ruining any chance of keeping you in his life?

  No, no, that would be insanely idiotic. It will eat him up. Thus, he treated his feelings for you like an experiment. Dipping carefully, testing the waters – confessing to you.

        He can construct a confession that will perfectly enunciate his feelings for you while emphasizing your freedom to reject him and his desire to remain good friends with you. Surely, you didn’t reciprocate his feelings. All he needed is for you to let him down, and he will hope you can still see him the same way after.

            All his preparations, however, were thrown out of the window when you beat him to confessing.

   Albedo had no idea how struck his expression must have been with puzzlement, anxiety and flatter as he attentively listens to every word that leaves your lips. His heart pounded at everything you were saying – everything he adored about you, you adored about him. Being unable to speak his mind felt foreign to him. After you finished your confession, a beautiful red hue coloring your cheeks as you looked into his eyes with hopefully eyes, all he can do his open his mouth a smidge, and close, and then open again. He must have resembled a goldfish at that time.

                      Albedo couldn’t believe it. You loved him, and here he was expecting to be rejected and thinking relationships were a waste of time.

                                          He was in a dilemma now. Accept your feelings as his heart desired to, or gently reject you for practicality? Having a lover would complicate his life and he will risk so many things that he were used to just to be able to keep his relationship with you fruitful. Was he ready for something like that?

           This was the first time Albedo has listened to his heart. He still remembered how he cupped your face in his hands and pressed his lips against yours, muffling the gasp that tumbled out of you.

                                Albedo might be a stranger to romance but he is an Alchemist and risks are part of his job, and risking coming out of his comfort to be with you was something you deserve, and maybe something he deserved as well.

You knew Albedo was going to propose to you. He was always immersed in his experiments and research that you took the responsibility of tidying up his lab. It did not take long for you to find a small black box nestled in the back inside a drawer filled with haphazardly thrown papers and used pens.

Albedo knew that you knew he was going to propose to you. The two of you were taking a peaceful stroll around Dragonspine and after a heartfelt speech, he knelt down to one knee, he curiously watched as you malfunctioned right in front of him, trying to elect which route of surprise should you take before displaying a less then satisfactory theatrics of surprise.

Nonetheless, the two of you are still happy.

You and Albedo agreed that the two of you will have a small and private wedding. Klee, however, did not. She was less than thrilled to hear about that and went on a whole spiel of the reasons why you should have the biggest and most fun wedding ever, as she said.

“ - then where will a really, really tall wedding cake and Klee is going to make a bomb that will explode in the skies where it will burst out many pretty flower petals - ”

Jean promised the two of you that she will keep an eye on her at the day of the wedding.

Albedo is adamant on two things - a small wedding, and having no best man, and the latter had two reasons. Although he is highly respected in Mondstadt, there was no one he could ask to be best man, and the second reason is that he loves you and is certain that marrying you is something he wants. No doubts. He didn’t need a best man helping him in something he didn’t need help with.

Albedo was also not someone to conform to the ritual of not seeing the bride on the day of the wedding until the very ceremony, but for you, he begrudgingly followed.

On the day of the wedding, Albedo prepared himself without the help of anyone. He prepared his own clothes and had Klee braid his hair (it was a wee bit sloppy and Albedo fixed them when she had her back turned to him and gave her all the credit).

The man reached for the door to visit you but he let out a sigh when he realized that he cannot. He made a promise that today, the first time he’ll see you is when you walk down the aisle. He has to keep his promise. Not to mention Klee blocked his way and reminded him of that (tried to block).

Albedo was a patient man. Patience was nothing new to him. His research and experiments needed patience or they will ultimately fail. It came to the point where being impatient made him uncomfortable. That’s exactly what was happening when he was standing at the altar. Nobody, not even the observant Kaeya himself, can tell Albedo was beginning to lose his patience.

The day had been a little too long. He wanted to see you already. It didn’t matter if the ceremony would take a while before he can kiss you and call you his wife. He just wanted to see you again.

Albedo turned away the moment you stepped inside the cathedral. You were far from repulsive or ugly (and he can never think of you like that), but he had to cast his gaze somewhere but on you. He knew you’ll be beautiful in your wedding dress, but seeing you now with your adorable and shy smile, with Cecilia flowers in your hands, and your eyes fixated on him and only him - Albedo nearly lost his composure.

This time he was sure Kaeya saw it.

“Waah, big sister ( Your Name ) looks soooo pretty!” Klee cooed loudly, causing the guests to let out a few chuckles of amusement.

His impatience was beginning to pierce through him. The moment you faced him, Albedo did not waste time grabbing your hands, and once he did, you saw him visibly soften, as though a huge burden was lifted from his shoulders.

“What happened to you?” You asked, giggling.

Albedo returned your smile. “I’m just very happy to see you.”

The fervor that he exuded when he kissed you certainly supported his statement.

THOSE WHO WILL HIDE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RECEPTION TO CRY SOMEWHERE NO ONE CAN SEE THEM

     CHONGYUN

    Chongyun was known for two things – being an exorcist and having a type of condition that needed his keen observation and awareness.

       He has always disliked his condition. Whenever his Yang energy overwhelms, he must immediately consume an icy treat to be able to soothe his nerves. But it seems he can be thankful for it for this one time. If it wasn’t for his congenital positivity, he wouldn’t have stumbled across you, and your hundred homemade ice cream you smuggled out of your own home.

                      Chongyun had been hurrying to meet his friend at that day. He had just finished an exorcism somewhere in Qingce Village and was rushing to where he and Xingqiu usually meet in Liyue. He was already running late, and who knows what Xingqiu will do if he was late again. He let out a pained yelp when he crashed against your form when he made a sharp turn, and his Yang energy has never been in a more unstable state than when he saw you seated on the ground, groaning in pain, with peculiar looking containers littering the floor around you.

                   Chongyun had profusely apologized for his actions and assisted you in gathering all the belongings he had knocked off your possession. He felt the coldness in the small containers you once held and wondered what was inside. He hasn’t seen anything like this before. He knew his Yang energy was starting to ooze out of him but he underestimated its manifestation until you placed your hand over his forehead. He pulled back away instantly, startled by your actions, to which you immediately apologized.

        “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” He repeated, light blue hair bobbing with his movements as he bowed his head over to you again and again, mortification palpable on his features. “I-I didn’t mean to run – ”

                        “No, no, I should be the one apologizing! I wasn’t looking where I was going and I put my hand on you all of a sudden – ” You were about to continue spewing apologies and explanations when you froze, concern etching across his face. “ - oh, hey, you’re really, really red. Are you okay?”

                  Even when it had been years since his encounter with you, he still gets embarrassed when he remembered that, and you and Xingqiu tease him about it.

                                           He explained to you then about his condition and when you offered him a container you owned containing ice cream you made, that’s when your friendship begun. When the two of you snuck out to a secluded area in Liyue Harbor to gorge on the tons of ice cream you have once again brought out of your house despite your mother’s warnings did he know it would be a friendship that will last long. His only regret was that he introduced you to Xingqiu, and now he must endure double the teasing.

                       One thing he appreciated about you was how ready you were whenever you were with him. You made it your point to know what can cause his condition to act up and soothe him by your words, and always having ice cream with you. And the best part was that the ice cream you give him is always homemade, made by you. His popsicles could never compete to your masterpiece.

    He never really thought of you as someone he would be romantically interested in. Sure, there were instances when his Yang energy would flare up because of having you by his side, when your smile brought upon his own, when his heart raced when you held his hand as the two of you were returning from a commission, when he gazed at you with adoration when you took care of him and fed him cold noodles when he was having a fever (he refused to eat hot noodles even in his illness). Surely, all friends do that with one another, right? And feeling this odd sensation in his chest was normal, right?

                      When he confided in Xingqiu with this, the boy laughed at his cluelessness. It wasn’t surprising. Chongyun did not have a lot of friends so distinguishing friendship and romance was not easy for him. The Hydro Vision holder filled him in with everything he has to know about relationships, and he used some pretty unconventional ways like giving him a too descriptive image of how a man and woman would kiss, and other explicit doings of adults.

         But it did bring light one thing – Chongyun liked you, and of course how he handled such revelation was, simply put, disastrous.

                                      His entire body felt hot, and he was stammering to the point even the ever so eloquent Xingqiu cannot understand him. Normally, when things get like this, he’ll rush over to your place and request for some of your delicious ice cream but seeing as you were somehow part of the reason for this, he had to rely on Xingqiu to take care of him.

                      After learning about his feelings for you, Chongyun have never been more uneasy around you, which was odd, and he was sure you’ve noticed, and yet has never dropped any comment about it.

                     He was always nervous around you. Blushing whenever you come close to him, jumping when you take his hand in his, stammering whenever you praise him for anything, feeling the need to run away if you ask him about how he was fairing – he has lost count just how many popsicles he has eaten just to keep his cool. He has stopped asking ice cream from you and declined any offer from you because he thought accepting your homemade ice creams could lead him to falling deeper in love with you until he couldn’t move on anymore.

             Chongyun didn’t notice your growing impatience. He was so immersed in his own feelings that he didn’t take into consideration how you felt whenever he flinched away from your touch and rejected your treats.

   It took Xingqiu for the growing tension between the two of you to alleviate. He made an elaborate plan to get the two of you together in an isolated place (a broom closet) and has made a claim not to let any of you go until the two of you have confessed your feelings with each other.

                      “Just tell me what’s wrong with you, Chongyun! Why are you acting so weird around me?” You asked him but he refused to answer you just as he refused to look at you.

      You let out a sigh as you reached out to take his hand but when he pulled away from your touch, that was the last straw.

               “If you don’t want to be friends with me anymore, just say so.”

          Alarmed, Chongyun faced you, stuttering. “No! Of course, I want to be friends with you - I mean, I don’t want to be friends - wait, that sounded wrong, and so bad - ”

   Your brows burrowed together in question. “You want to be friends but you don’t want to be friends?”

   Chongyun groaned as he buried his face on his hands. It’s now or never.

                “I like you, ( Your Name ).”

           The silence that followed was deafening for Chongyun. He removed his hands from his face and prepared himself to apologize and beg to continue being friends when he felt hands cup his face, and your lips pressing against his. It was a good thing you had ice cream on you even after he avoided you for weeks. He almost fainted in your arms if it wasn’t for you shoving a finger in his mouth with a scoop of ice cream. 

                                   It was one of the few times Chongyun was grateful for Xingqiu’s interest in romantic tropes because if it wasn’t for him, he wouldn’t have left that room with a blushing but happy face with you.

      Xingqiu smirked as the two of you exited the room, hand in hand and redness coating your cheeks. “Well, well, well, look who - ”

                    “Shut up, Xingqiu,” You and Chongyun chorused. The two of you looked at each other out of surprise and then burst out laughing, all the while the Hydro Vision user stood by the side, sighing.

         “Now, I have to deal with these two’s teasing.”

When Chongyun realized he was ready to propose to you after years of being together, he asked Xingqiu to propose to you on his behalf.

His best friend nearly destroyed his book from whacking the Cryo user for thinking such an inane idea could work. Not only was it not romantic, it was also inappropriate. Xingqiu had to reprimand him for an entire hour proposing that idea but being a good best friend that he is despite his mischievous streak, he vowed to help the man propose to you.

It was no easy task and there were times where Chongyun held himself back and risking yet another proposal plan. He was thankful Xingqiu was well versed with romance and everything entailed with it and knew more ways to help him. After a countless of delays, Chongyun managed to get down on one knee one fine evening by the trails leading to Liyue Harbor, spew out affirmation of his love for you in stammers, and asked for your hand in marriage.

When you accepted his proposal and adorned your finger with the ring, Chongyun discreetly showed a thumbs up to a nearby bush. About three hands popped out from the leaves, offering the same action.

Xingqiu let out a sigh as Xiangling and Xinyan giggled. “Finally.” He breathed out. “Now, time for me to be his best man.”

Of course, Chongyun chose him as his best man. Who else would be a better choice than him? 

Chongyun is firm about Xingqiu being his best man but sometimes he can be a little bit . . . pushy, especially when it comes to something he believes in.

There was a tradition where he cannot see you for a whole week until the ceremony. Chongyun was mildly bothered by this arrangement but nonetheless, since you agree with it, he will respect your wishes and do the same. Xingqiu has over and over again tried to persuade him to visit you at home, and he made some interesting points why he should. He almost convinced him a few times but in the end, he refused to be lured in his trap and stopped the temptation of breaking his promise.

He missed you dearly, yes, and his patience will surely be rewarded soon.

Chongyun, as expected, was freaking out at the day of wedding. Marriage is a huge step for the both of you. You’re not going to regret marrying him, will you? What if this marriage didn’t work? He’ll lose you for you.

Xingqiu had to guide him away from the altar and to a corner for privacy. Other than you, Xingqiu was a person who had been when his condition start acting up and how it worked.

After successfully cooling him down with a popsicle, Xingqiu consoled Chongyun. “I don’t know what you’re thinking about back there but you have nothing to worry about. ( Your Name ) loves you.”

“What if it doesn’t work between us?”

“It will. I’ve seen how you two are. You’re perfect for each other. I think you already know that, and ( Your Name ) does too. Why would she accept your proposal if she didn’t think the two of you wouldn’t prosper together?”

Chongyun murmured. “Pity?”

If Xingqiu had a book with at that moment, he would have smacked Chongyun again.

Once his condition has subsided, Chongyun returned to the altar and Xingqiu stood behind him, waiting.

The moment you arrived, Chongyun can feel himself heating up and his heart pounding against his chest. It felt like his condition was acting up but he wasn’t feeling nauseous or at the edge of fainting. It was a pleasant sort of warmth, the warmth he felt when he first met you.

No. It was the same warmth that travels through his body whenever he sees you, but this time, it was stronger to the point he it almost felt like his condition.

Your smile immediately disappeared when you saw Chongyun flushed red and his eyes averting from yours.

Worry encapsulated you. “Is your condition acting up?” You asked in a whisper.

Chongyun blinked, puzzled. “What?”

Discreetly taking a gander at the audience completely unaware of your interaction, you slipped your hand under your dress and showed Chongyun was a small ice cream container.

“I brought this with me just in case.”

Chongyun decided he made the best decision of his life to marry you.

He took your hands in his and pressed a small kiss on top of one.

“Thank you, love.”

After the wedding, Chongyun immediately visited the comfort room. You tried to follow him but Xingqiu told you there was nothing to worry about, and he was right.

When he entered the comfort room, Chongyun locked the door behind him and headed straight to the sink to splash some water on his face.

One won’t be able to tell Chongyun was crying from the water streaming down his face.

He looked up at the mirror, staring at his reflection as he let out a small, and content sigh.

“I’m married. I’m married to her.” Chongyun tried to hold back his smile, but he failed. “She’s my . . . wife.”

And did it sound nice to call you his wife.

     XIAO

              It was his duties to Rex Lapis, to the thriving land of Liyue, that kept Xiao grounded and his mind temporarily fleeting away from the karmic debts that weighed on his shoulders. If it had not been for the responsibilities laid down on him, he was sure to have succumb to the consequences of his bloodshed from the past long ago. It was the reason behind his creation, to serve the people of Liyue and protect them from any transgressors or anything that could potentially lead to their destruction, and it was all he knew. His existence was all for Liyue, and to seek out the desires of Rex Lapis and accomplish them no matter how difficult and by what means.

    Day and night he oversees every part of Liyue and hears every call of his name and seeks refuge in Wangshu Inn. It was a cycle that has never changed ever since the gruesome war between gods has taken place in Teyvat, and all was same until that night when he heard a cry for help from a distant place, and rescued a strange maiden from the peril she found herself in.

                          Love at first sight disgusted him the most. He can understand, to some degree, that mortals can fall in love with people they have built a caring and trusting relationship with but falling in love with someone who one has no dust of knowledge of their identity was simply unwise and incomprehensible. And yet there he was, leaping from the precipice of a soaring mountain and securing the mortal in the middle of her fall.

               Xiao had no clue why it felt like time has stopped and they have gently floated in the air as he took a gander at the woman in his arms. Scratches littered her features, and twigs adorned her mop of hair, but she still shone brighter than the stars and moon behind her.

   He did not let her speak to him after he has placed her safely on solid ground and he quickly took his leave without even a glance back.

                          When he had painted the lands of Teyvat red with the other Yakshas, he did not blink an eye or feel a bead of sweat trail on the side of his face. But that woman has caused his chest to flutter, and he always find himself thinking back to the day he had saved her. If he had been like any other mortal which has sleep as a necessity, he would find himself thinking of you every morning and every night, longing for another chance to meet you again. What has she done to him? He already has to carry the burden of his sins, and now he must endure this painful curse she casted on him?

              But it didn’t matter now. She was already long gone, for all he knows, and he doesn’t even know her name.

    Xiao already came to accept that she was merely going to fleet away from his mind, a distant memory that his heart will ache every time he remembers her. He had many regrets in his lifetime, and this leaving her behind without knowing her name is one of them.

                                    But it seems to him that Rex Lapis has taken favor of him and has graced his undeserving existence. Xiao had just exterminated a Hilichurl camp getting increasingly close to Wangshu Inn when his ears preened and his pupils dilated – that voice, the same voice that he never thought he’d hear again, was calling out for him again. He did not find the time to dispose of the monsters in a more appropriate location where they will no longer continue their venture towards the inn, and quickly made his way to where he heard her.

           When he arrived, it did not take long for him to spot her standing perfectly still in front of him, hands behind her back. His eyes dilated as he took in her familiar form. Her tresses were no longer matted with twigs and mud, the scratches that once marred her skin no longer present, and a smile has replaced the cowering fear that adorned her visage before.

                   Xiao ignored the increasing heartbeat that drummed against his chest and surveyed the area with a flick of his spear. “There’s no danger.” He remarked after assessing the parameter, his mask dissipating into the night as he returned his gaze back at her.

       She rubbed her arm as she averted her eyes from him. “I spent months trying to find you again.” The mortal woman murmured. “When all has failed, I thought back to that night you saved me, and I called – and you came.”

                                         Xiao did not speak another word, but he was afraid that you can hear how loud his heart was racing. He needed to ignore his selfishness, he needed to leave. “If you’re not in any danger, then I’ll be leaving.”

  He turned around to do as he said, but his eyes widened when he felt your hand around his wrist.

                “Wait, please,” She pleaded, and when he looked over his shoulder, any resolve of leaving her again vanished. She was looking at him with hopeful and vibrant orbs. How can he ever let her down when she’s looking at him like that?

      Xiao let out a sigh and turned back around to meet her properly, but her hand never left him. Were you afraid he might disappear as quickly as he did like last time?

                                    “Don’t go.”

                   “Why not?” Xiao questioned. “If you know anything about an Adeptus, then you understand my duties.”

              She bit her lip as he withdrew her hold. Xiao missed the warmth she gave him already. “I know that but . . . ” She trailed off. “ . . . can I . . . at least know your name?”

                                                Xiao did not give her an answer.

            “Even if we never meet again, I want to at least know the name of man who saved me.” She mumbled softly. “But I’m afraid if I ever know your name, I’ll never get to think of any other man but you.”

                                                    Xiao appraised you, taking in her apprehensive frame. A mortal has fallen in love with an Adeptus? This was preposterous. He saved her months ago, and back then they shared little time together. Too little to gain feelings for him.

    But still, he found himself relenting to your wishes.

                                     “Xiao,” He answered. “My name is Xiao.”

            Don’t look for another man. I’m here. I’m staying.

                   That’s how he met his first and last love, ( Your Name ).

Xiao has lived in Teyvat for thousands of years and is knowledgeable of the culture of mortals, one of them being marriage. He had witnessed humans bounding themselves to another, promising to cherish them, protect them, to love them. For Xiao, marriage is something far from disgusting. Although he cannot understand the need for them to be together under an oath, it was undeniable that many great things and opportunities birthed from them.

However, no matter how beautiful it is for them, it will never stop perplexing Xiao. How is it that one can look at another and know that they’re the one? Are they not afraid to be betrayed? Are humans so willing to have themselves get hurt and offer forgiveness for the sake of love? It’s confusing for him.

Not until you came along that it made sense. Every argument, every disagreement, sleepless nights, every sincere apology, every countless forgiveness, every embrace, every kiss - is this what mortals feel? If so, he’ll endure all the hardships of love if it means staying by your side, and he knew that you feel the same.

Unfortunately, Xiao is not one for marriage.

Not that he does not love you - oh Archons, because he did, deeply so - but the consequences of your relationship always hang in front of him.

 It’s already a risk to let you in his heart and love someone as sinful as him, but the thought of you bearing his karmic debt terrified him.

What happens if the two of you are bound together, and under a contract that Rex Lapis will surely oversee? Will the demons that torment him sink their teeth on your pure and innocent soul? Will he see the life in your eyes wither as you strive to remain with him? And what if you try to break the contract to escape karma? Will the both of you suffer in karma and the wrath of the rock?

Xiao can’t do that to you. This is one way he can guarantee your safety. It hurts him to know he cannot marry you, and it hurt more when he saw the disappointment and pain in your eyes when he explained himself. But keeping you safe is his top priority. He deserved this punishment, he can’t put it over your shoulders too.

But that didn’t stop Xiao from imagining how your wedding could have been if things we’re a little different.

A small wedding in a place of your choice with only a handful of close friends and families. You’ll wear a gorgeous dress and walk up to where he is with the same smile you wore when he met you for the second time.

As you stand before him, Xiao could only imagine the happiness and contentment he would feel at that time. 

He’ll hold you close, hear you laugh, and then he’ll press his lips against yours, sealing you to a promise that everything that he is, and everything that he has, is yours.

He’ll find himself retreating somewhere private. He didn’t want you to see him vulnerable, weak, as he cried for the first time in his life, and for the greatest reason.

He could have a chance of happiness, but he can’t.

It was all a dream.

A dream he will never achieve, a dream of yours that he can never grant.

“Xiao, you’re still awake?”

The man looked away from the moon and looked over his shoulder to see you standing by the threshold leading to the terrace. You were tired, and yet you woke up to tend to him. 

“You know I don’t need sleep.”

“But you always lie next to me. What’s wrong? Something bothering you?”

Xiao did not respond, and you didn’t push any further. He adored it how you know when to prod to a subject or not. You know him so well.

After a moment of silence, you walked over to him and sat  beside him on the railing. You looked up at the moon, and Xiao slowly placed his head over your shoulder.

He felt at peace.

Xiao closed his eyes, dreaming of a day that will never come when he can marry you without anything holding him back.

     KAZUHA

                        Kazuha can no longer remember how long it has been since he was on the run from the shogunate. The Electro Archon and her subjects are on the hunt for Visions of every single person residing in the walls of Inazuma, and he was one of the few who refused to have their Visions confiscated from them. It seems exiling him from his homeland was no longer sufficient and the said Archon has ordered for every so-called transgressor that they banished to be apprehended and have their Visions forcefully taken from them. It was only his luck that Beidou, and the crew she captained, has taken him under their wing and he has been sailing the seas with them since then.

            Has it been months? Days? Or perhaps weeks? Being away from land with nothing but the ocean to take in and his mind seemingly always preoccupied with his doubts and worries has him losing track of time.

   In all honesty, he doesn’t remember the last time he stepped on dry land. Perhaps they did, but it was not a memory that has fleeted a long time ago. All he can think about was Inazuma, the threat of being having his Vision taken, and his past he buried deep within the back of his mind.

            Beidou must have taken notice of his continuous lackluster attitude and has set sail for Liyue for him to take a break from the seas. This, of course, he appreciated though he insisted Beidou that she did not have to dock just for him to clear his mind.

          Back at that time Beidou claimed she knew what is best for him and she should put his trust on him, and with the lack of reasons to refute her statement, Kazuha merely let out a sigh and agreed to land in Liyue.

                         He has never been to Liyue, or to put it more accurately, he has never stepped foot in in the few times the Crux made their return on Liyue. It wasn’t because he hated it there, but he felt more comfortable and more at home inside the ship. The furthest he has gone was on the docks to help the crew load supplies in their next sail. But now Beidou has encouraged him to leave the ship and explore, and implied being forbidden to come aboard if he refused to do as she says.

       When Beidou said she knows what is best for him, maybe she was right. He must admit, even if he was still longing to return to his homeland, Liyue had many sights and delicacies to offer. But the best and most beautiful sight he saw was up on a rooftop when he was resting from hours of mindless meandering in the streets.

                                                              He played with a green leaf that fluttered over to him after it has been carried away by the wind from its tree, and he pressed his lips against it to whistle a melody. The tune was buried under the bustle of the city night but it seems that one picked it up from the terrace just below him.

                    Kazuha saw a girl around his age walk out to the terrace, head moving left and right, as though looking for something. Kazuha did not think much of this behavior assuming she was searching for something else, and he tore his eyes away from her and nonchalantly continued to whistle against the leaf.

                                           “So, that was you who was making that beautiful sound.”

                Kazuha casted his gaze down to see the girl on the terrace looking up at him as she leaned against the railing with her arms crossed, a gleeful smile present on her brims. He pulled the leaf from his lips as he regarded her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to – ”          

          She shook her head, chuckling. “No, no, it’s fine. You can stay there.” She assured, and Kazuha eased on his spot. She stared at the leaf in his hand. “I didn’t know you can make a tune using a leaf.”

                      Kazuha flashed her a small smile. “It’s something only a few can do. It’s pretty hard to master.”

                     “And you’re one of those few.” She remarked. Silence prevailed between the two until she spoke again. “Can you play something for me?”

      Kazuha was bewildered by her request. It wasn’t common to find a foreigner sitting on the rooftop of her household. One would think that their first reaction should be an accusation of trespassing and a demand for identification, but no. This girl was different, you were different.

                    Kazuha did not question your request, just as you have not questioned him of his place on your rooftop. Instead, he granted your wish. He pressed the leaf against his lips and blew, a tune of his own composition sounding in the air.

      He watched in awe as you raised both your hands to your chest and white particles formed above your palm, creating a shape until it formed and bloomed into an elegant wooden lyre. Without saying anything else, you strum the strings along with his tune, and the people of Liyue beneath their feet are unaware of the small haven the two of them created together.

               Kazuha is more than grateful for Beidou for pushing him to go to Liyue. Ever since that night, he has made constant visits to your house. Early in the morning – that’s when Beidou would barge into the barracks and force them out of their beds – he would always be the one out of the door to finish his tasks and leave immediately to visit you, a prominent smile over his face. The crew, of course, has pestered him to tell him of the reason for his constant leaving and he could only let out a sigh of relief when Beidou shooed them away from him and asked them to return to their work. She winked at him right after and whispered, “Go and hurry to your girlfriend.” To which he denied with a shy grumble before making haste to Liyue.

                               Liyue was brighter than the isolationist Inazuma has become, and one of the reasons Kazuha thought this was you. The Crux was like a family to him, and Beidou was like an older sister to him, but you – he has never felt more soothed than in your presence. You felt like home, and it has been so long since he had felt like he was at home. Seeing you smile, hearing you laugh, seeing how you nod attentively as he talked, your arms embracing him when he opened up to you about his past, the music you played together in perfect harmony even without practice – it was all so surreal.

        Kazuha didn’t have to tell you about his growing feelings for you. He knew that you knew.

  It started with a shy kiss, and then a longer one, and the two of you found solace in each other’s arms. There was no music playing, and there were no stories shared – just him with his arms around your figure and lips connected with yours. None of you dare say it but your days together were slowly coming to an end, and it won’t be long until the day comes when he has to set sail to visit neighboring nations.

                  But Kazuha will always come back to you, that he promises.

After a few years of frequent visiting and writing letters to one another, Kazuha has finally decided that it was time for him to propose to you. Beidou - being the supportive big sister she is to him - upon hearing of his plan, gathered her crew to help Kazuha in his objective. Everything from food, drinks, location (they chose the ship), and atmosphere, they provided. As thanks for their dedication and help, they only ask an invitation to his wedding, to which Kazuha replied will surely come even if they did not help.

The crew claimed that they shall be far away as possible from the ship so that the two of you can have your privacy, but Kazuha, and definitely you, as well, heard loud cheering from a short distance followed by a shushing Beidou when you accepted his proposal.

“I thought they said they’d be at Wanmin Restaurant - ”

“To be honest, I didn’t really believe them.”

Unlike the other boys who were hesitant of not seeing the bride for a week until the wedding, Kazuha was actually the one to push this tradition. He disliked it as much as the other boys, but Kazuha loved being able to give you his all. Not being able to see you for a week is a sure way for him to crave for your presence, and once the two of you see each other again, he’ll pour out every love and care for you then.

You were dismayed by this whole arrangement but since it is important to Kazuha, you respected it.

The crew fought for the spot of best man, but in the end, all of them got to be best man. Kazuha did not have the heart to choose one from the crew, so he had to explain to you beforehand that the almost the entire male crew of The Crux are going to be standing with him at the ceremony.

It wasn’t a common occurrence in a wedding but you allowed it. The crew was like his family to him, and if it’s going to make him happy to have them as his best men, who are you to go against it?

At the day of the wedding, Beidou was the one to fret over Kazuha’s appearance. The Anemo user tried to calm her down but after she continually tried to fix his hair for the wedding, he just sighed and allowed her.

“I can’t believe you’re going to be married in just a few hours.” Beidou remarked in the quiet after a while. “To think you were just a teenager when we met you, and our little teenager is a big man now.”

“Nothing’s going to change. I’ll just be married.” Kazuha tried to ease her worries but he knew as well there are going to be major changes. One of being concerning his frequent endeavors with the crew. Once he gets married with you, he’d want to be with you always, to settle with you. But he was so used to the sea, to be living with the crew in a ship. Can he really get used to this coming change?

Beidou let out a sigh. She placed a hand over his head, patting him gently. She would have ruffled his hair but that would waste her effort on making it as presentable as she can.

“Things are going to change, Kazuha.” Stated Beidou, beaming. “And it’s not all bad. Trust me.”

Kazuha nodded, but he was still uneasy. He was ready to give himself to you, but at the same time, he wasn’t ready to leave the crew. 

This thought haunted him even in the time of the ceremony. He should be focusing on the wedding but he couldn’t. 

He needed to talk to you about this. You need to know what’s bothering him.

Was it possible to feel dread for the future while also looking forward to it?

Because it felt like a gust of wind billowed his direction when his eyes landed on you. Beautiful, you’re beautiful. What else can he say? 

Was he really going to marry you? Whatever did you see in him? He was a banished Ronin from Inazuma. There must be some other man more worthy of you.

But you loved him, nobody else.

“Stop gawking at me like that. You’re making me embarrassed.” You murmured, cheeks flushed. He didn’t even notice you standing before him until you spoke.

Kazuha closed his parted lips as he turned away from you. “I . . . uh . . . ” He swallowed. “You look beautiful, ( Your Name ).”

“At least look at me when you say that, Kazu-kun.”

 He looked at you, breathing in before speaking. “You look very, very . . . uh, pretty.”

You laughed a little. “You look very, very handsome, Kazuha.”

You took his hands in yours and gazed into his eyes, smiling. “Things are going to change once we get married.”

A pang of uneasiness struck Kazuha.

But what you said next shocked him.

“After this, I can finally be part of the crew and join you on your adventures in the sea!”

Kazuha gawked at you again, blinking.

Everyone invited to his wedding gasped when Kazuha suddenly kissed you out of nowhere in the middle of the ceremony.

Beidou, and the rest of the crew, however, cheered loudly for the two of you.

After the wedding, Kazuha snuck away from the reception for a while. He found a tree from a short distance and sat on the branch, breathing in the cool evening air.

He caught a fluttering leaf and smiled as he gazed at it and recalled how the two of you met.

Things will change, and soon, he’ll be adventuring with his wife in the vast ocean. Oh, he has so many things to show you.