#im fr doing my essay

[tulippanes]

should i reread aslfua or do my essay (i reread it anyway)

[lovesickeros]

☆ even the gods bleed [ pt 2 ]

{☆} characters furina, neuvillette {☆} notes cult au, imposter au, multi-chapter, gender neutral reader {☆} warnings none {☆} word count 1.9k {☆} previous [ 1 ]

This had to be a punishment of some sort – some kind of divine punishment.

She was bored out of her mind just watching the sleeping body – she hadn't blinked once in the past five hours, her eyes were really starting to hurt. Yet they still hadn't moved so much as an inch since she sequestered them away to the only place she had known to be safe.

But it'd been almost a week since then.

The only solace she found was that Teyvat had seemed much less hellbent on collapsing in on itself like a dying star.

That counted for something.

Not much, but something!

..Even if their position was no better then it was a week ago.

There was, after all, still the issue of what to do about the false Creator – the actual imposter – and the Archons following them like blind lambs. The other Archons wouldn't listen if she tried to reason with them, and it would only risk the life of Divine One if she spoke of their location to anyone else.

She also was pretty fond of having her head still attached to her shoulders.

So she avoided them all together. Partially because she wasn't sure she wouldn't have a breakdown at the sight of them..she'd never been a fighter, and fighting an Archon? Easy pass.

Instead she was forced to babysit the sleeping Divine until they woke up while Neuvillette handled taking care of the nation and dealing with the other Archons – and by extension the false Creator.

Really though, she would almost think them dead if not for the subtle rise and fall of their chest.

Though..this also left her with a lot of time to herself. A lot of time to think.

She really didn't like it.

There wasn't a lot to occupy her mind and what little there was only distracted her for a scant few moments before her eyes drifted back to the Divine like she was locked in their orbit, unable to escape.

She closed the same book for the twelfth time – she kept count – and returned it to it's meticulously designed place within her bookcase. A low, barely audible huff of frustration escaped her lips before she could bite it down, her stare boring a hole into the body of the Divine One with a sharp intensity she rarely showed.

She was tired, bored and constantly on edge, fearing that at any moment someone would find out about their presence here.

That, at the drop of a hat, she would be powerless to stop the greatest tragedy of her time play out before her eyes.

Neuvillette would have scolded her for being so petulant, especially around the Divine One, if he were here.

But he wasn't.

He was out running her nation, instead.

And what was she doing? Nothing!

She grit her teeth, nails digging harshly into the palm of her hands as she took a deep breath – now was not the time to think about that. She had..much more pressing matters. Sulking and letting her thoughts spiral helped no one, least of all herself.

Yet her attention was caught by a harsh inhale, the rustle of fabric – were they finally waking up? She was exhausted, but it all vanished at the sudden drop of life within the otherwise deathly still body of the Divine.

Her eyes followed the subtle twitch of their fingers, watching as their brow furrowed and their features twisted in something almost like..pain.

..She wasn't ready.

What was she supposed to say?

Should she even say anything? Would that be considered impolite? Does she wait for them to speak first? Should she kneel? Bow?

She doesn't get much time to find her own answer before their lashes flutter, chest heaving with every strangled breath. Every single thought vanishes from her mind the moment she meets their eyes.

For a long, silent moment she thinks that her heart must have stopped.

Their eyes glow like the cresting of the sun over the horizon, painting the world in hues of gold – yet it also reminded her of the dipping of the moon below the waves, casting the briefest, most gentle of lights upon the world engulfed in darkness. In the depths of their eyes was the birth and death of stars in the infinite cosmos – glittering stars in a sea of empty, blank space that left her feeling lightheaded and breathless.

Beneath the splendor is a spark of recognition in their eyes so vibrant it was like a shooting star piercing through the dark night sky, leaving nothing but the wonder in the eyes of the observer as the only proof it ever existed – brilliant in it's beauty, however brief.

It is the most beautiful thing she has ever seen.

"Focalors?"

The lilt of their voice nearly made her knees buckle beneath her – euphoria so consuming it left her feeling she was starving swallowed her whole, her mind blanking in a moment of utter bliss. It was..an indescribable feeling that she doubted she could ever hope to put into words – not in a way that could properly express it, try as she might.

She swallowed the words that threatened to spill from her lips – she couldn't make a fool of herself. Not in front of them of all people. She'd never forgive herself.

"Divine One," She rasps, clearing her throat and covering her mouth with a hand to mask both her nervousness and the small smile that creeps across her face. She quickly regains her composure, hand resting on her hip as she puffs out her chest with every bit of pride she can manage. "I am sure you must be confused, but worry not– your most loyal acolyte has seen the truth!"

The silence is deafening.

She opens one eye, peaking at the bewildered and almost distraught expression of the Divine.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

That..she was not prepared for. Surely they knew who they were! Surely they knew. They had to– she's been praying to them for as long as she's breathed, she's dedicated every hour of her life to living up to their ideals, they can't just–!

"Lady Furina?"

Neuvillette, thankfully, spares her the embarrassment of having a meltdown in front of the Divine, the gentle rap of his knuckles against the door making her and the Divine pause, the soft lull of his voice soothing her nerves and yet setting her on edge at the same time.

"Neuvillette." She clears her throat again, her steps hurried as she marches to the door and pries it open none too gently, a forced smile pulling at her lips. She wastes no time tugging the man into the room, shutting the door behind him with a short huff. The silence is, somehow, even worse then before as the three of them stare at each other in absolute exasperation.

Neuvillette, for his part, manages to get his act together with a sharp clearing of his throat, bowing so low even she looks unnerved. She steals a brief glance at the Divine, and she's taken aback by the uncomfortability twisting their features into a grimace.

Their expression is schooled back into one of empty apathy when he stands back to his full height, but she saw it – she knows she did! Did they not like their worship? Were they not respectful enough? For a moment, she feared the Divine would smite Neuvillette down on the spot..but they just stared at him like he was a ghost.

"Why aren't you killing me?"

The defeated, resigned tone combined with the way their voice cracks makes her heart ache in her chest – it feels as though her entire world is crumbling down at her feet, and she cannot explain why she feels such emotions so strongly, but it is suffocating. It is almost as if Teyvat itself is weeping, bearing down upon her shoulders like a heavy weight.

She feels the urge to weep herself, but she powers through, gritting her teeth long enough for Neuvillette to take his place at the side of her – though it feels more like their – bed, kneeling like he was going to pray.

"Divine One," He offers a hand with a quiet rumble of his voice, the words slipping off his tongue like honey. It's like trying to soothe a stray cat..though she'd never voice such comparisons of the most Divine out loud. "I..we mean you no harm. I swear on my authority as the Iudex of Fontaine and Chief Justice that you are safe with us."

The skepticism she expected, but the reverence in which Neuvillette must convince them – or perhaps they are simply so tired that they simply did not care any longer if it was all some ploy to drive a knife between their ribs. She didn't expect them to actually place their hand in Neuvillette's.

He didn't either, judging by the way he visibly brightened – not that they'd notice, but she did.

..Not that she could really blame him, her heels clicking against the floorboards as she shifted her weight to the other foot with a nervous energy that was practically bursting at the seams, more then a little jealous of the attention he was receiving. She was the one who found them, she was the one who stayed with them the entire time..but he gets all the attention?

How unfair.

"O-of course! We would never lay a hand on our creator," She adds, her voice a little higher pitched then she would have liked as she placed her hands on her hips, puffing out her chest and brushing off the sting of jealousy. "Least of all I– your most loyal, most devout acolyte!"

She felt baffled when she heard the sound of their laughter, her shoulders hunching and her cheeks flushing on mere instinct – she was expecting mockery, but the look in their eyes, still dulled by a pain she cannot even begin to imagine, made her hesitate.

..It was, perhaps, the most genuine thing she'd heard from them ever since before the hunt began.

She wasn't sure why her heart hurt at such an idea, but it was enthralling to see the beginnings of a half hearted smile on their lips.

For a moment, her mask of theatrics was forgotten as she stared at them in a mixture of awe and adoration– and though she didn't look at Neuvillette, she could imagine he must've shared such an expression.

Had she any doubts that they were her Creator, that they alone were the most Divine..they would wiped clean now. There was no mistaking the way the world itself seemed to grow clearer as they glanced up at her like she was worth something.

For a moment, she realized how cold the false Creators gaze had been now that she has felt warmth so gentle it almost made her knees buckle beneath her. It felt like a pale imitation, now.

Nothing could compare to the warmth that spread through her body at the mere semblance of a smile upon their lips. She didn't even mind if it was her they were laughing at anymore, she just wanted to hear them laugh again.

She'd make a fool of herself, if she had to.

She'd never felt so..ravenous for such a thing, but just the briefest glimpse was addictive.

She simply couldn't help herself from striding across the room and clasping their free hand in her own, her smile wide enough to unnerve as she leaned her weight onto the bed. For a moment, she considered pulling away at the way they startled, but her mind was made up by then – there was no going back.

"Again."

[rapidhighway]

^ me when i have to write something for class

[sundial-bee-scribbles]

silly software-based doodles

i've noticed i generally like putting these guys in their lower ranges, and while that's fine for the most part w/ adjustments, oliver usually ends up suffering b/c he is not built to go that low 😭😭

also related to oliver: he is not built for really fast songs 😭 i mean i suppose you can force him to sing one but even w/ adjustments he's not gonna sound all that great, definitely more suited for slower-paced songs

all the jpnloids can easily exchange a bunch of .vpr/.vsqx & whatever files w/ each other b/c duh native japanese support. rip oliver and moke in non-native jpn jail since if i want them to sing one of those i have to do SO MUCH manual phoneme correction... explodes

[ghostofsnails]

so did you guys know theres this character called tristan vik disventure camp and

[writterings]

me with my 18 year old students that i teach at a college

[cisthoughtcrime]

.

[nyxi-pixie]

why is it that every time theres an 'omg i cant believe people do this thing' post, everyone crawls out of some pit of stupidity to say 'yeah!! i only do this thing THIS way' . girl😭😭 not even in a 'im judging you for doing it' way (i am) but why are you admitting that publicly😭😭 nobody asked!! nobody knew!!

[reel-fear]

Y'know, this could just be projection, but I do think there is a genuine argument I could put together for Norman being Autistic or generally Neurodivergent Coded. There's just something about him that reeks of being the kind of person who instead of going "I'm human no matter what" decides that in the face of being dehumanized for his stranger traits says "Yeah, maybe I'm not human and that sounds awesome tbh."

I think it's also because he's constantly seen as spooky and mysterious by others; his laugh is unsettling and Buddy mentions Hating it. His sense of humor is strange and startling and Miss Rodriguez is very aware of this and feels the need to explain it to Buddy after he tells the poor kid Joey DIED. To me at least, it reads a little bit as Norman having just something about him that makes him unsettling and strange to others and instead of being shy or anxious abt it, he decided long ago to totally embrace it as part of himself.

He loves being strange, he's learned about this part of himself others don't like and has decided he likes it so it's staying. He's just such a laid-back, kind fellow despite his strangeness, I love him for it so much and one day I want to make an entire essay on his character. However…

This also ties into the sadder parts of him… Spoilers for DCTL ahead!

This is what Buddy says upon finding his body

“Norman.

Oh no.

Oh, Norman.

Of course no one would notice he was missing. Of everyone in the building. He watched everyone, but no one really saw him. Not much anyway.”

With the context of Norman maybe being autistic or neurodivergent in any way, this hits really hard for me.

Norman was a nobody; people enjoyed his company sometimes, but he was strange, an outcast. Nobody would notice he was missing, if he disappeared, nobody would search.

He watched everyone, looked out for them, but nobody did the same for him.

Except for Henry.

Henry and Norman were friends, Norman holds no grudge over Henry leaving and Dot notes the kind comments Norman makes towards the animator are unusual for him. Norman doesn't disagree with her either, those two have always been implied to have an especially close bond.

Would things have been different if Henry, mysteriously the only person who seems to have had such a bond with Norman, was there? Would Sammy have picked someone else knowing Henry would notice Norman going missing?

Maybe Henry just had something about him that made the two of them understand each other, despite their very different personalities. Maybe Henry knew what it was like to be a little "different" and "strange" to his peers, in the exact way Norman was. Maybe Henry wasn't seen as spooky or mysterious for it because it manifested in different ways, or it was just assumed he was like that because he was an artist. Maybe sometimes that made him feel bad, knowing Norman really was a sweet guy and others simply wouldn't give him the chance to prove it.

Because he was weird in the "wrong way."

Then he has to swallow seeing him further dehumanized in the cycle. Not even “Norman” anymore. Now only going by “The Projectionist”. The exact name others used when talking about how Weird and Scary he was. Now it was the only name they'd call him. Now he is a monster; the mindless, terrifying, twisted form others always saw him as, with nobody who truly understood what had been lost. Except Henry, the only one who saw humanity in him...

Y'know...

It's food for thought...

[sunspinecity]

50$ to print 10 of the same skin has always been so insane to me. you're telling me it's 50$ to print....only 10.....of a single skin....and that's normal. And not only is that normal, that's what's required for a skin shop. where ppl may not even sign up for 10 runs. and then you're left in the shitter with at minimum 1-4 skins nobody wanted (not to mention if some people decide not to pay afterward) that you have to just pray someone finds & buys on the auction house. And it's 50$. Uhuh. And then that's just the artist's issue and fault and we're gonna blame them instead of the fact that a 10 print run costs as much as groceries.

[skrunksthatwunk]

classic scenario i fear

[nyc-pizza-rat]

the welcome to night vale book is making me feel feelings

[gotta-bail-my-quails]

yknow i think ive severely overestimated how much people in college have their shit together

[mariemariemaria]

yesterday my history lecturer gave me a good grade and a really lovely comment about my assignment, and now ive just uploaded the worst essay ive ever written for her to read 😭 i feel so bad that she has to read this shit and i know im just gonna plummet in her estimation 😭

[spearxwind]

what if i made a CD ocean au for adri...

i keep considering it and then not doing it bc i i feel like itll either go really well or really bad.

I am also really indecesive with what to do for it because... its hard to decide on just one possibility (and I dont think i can handle having many sjhjkd)

I used to have a whaler au for him where the funny gimmick was that he was a regular shitty guy, and I do enjoy that but that feels like itll get boring really fast outside of a few funnies (and I REALLY dont want people to be weird about him if hes 'weak')

I also did make a pirate au for him wayyy back in the day that i never properly shared where hes a ghost haunting a ship and i did like that concept but it never rly went anywhere its just something rly swag i came up with and it also would not fit in CD (would be more of a potc type vibe)

and lastly... I could make him just a shapeshifter in CD as well. but I dont know which way to go about it because yeah hes a snake but idk which way to go about the design or vibe either. I def wont make him into an eel I have two of those already x) but like yeah I cant decide if i should go with a completely new kind of vibe or if i should try and keep him close to what he is bc theres so many ways i could approach both ideas houghhh

[thebrood1979]

i need to hear more about connections between sports and religion!! fascinating!!!

well i was partly joking but i think that given time i could very easily write an essay on this topic (i'm sure others have...?). there's this dedication, this belief, this reverence, that you find in dedicated sports communities that's not unlike the same things in religious circles. the superstitions also all tie in (real belief in curses, rituals, etc). that pic made me think of it because the stanley cup is (imo, even as a european!) the trophy that inspires that attitude the most. there's so many rules to it, and when fans get to touch it after their team wins, it's like a form of prayer. really interesting stuff