#kin's cheat sheet

[sillovn]

Cheat Sheet: Hybrid Sorcery

So you want to play a hybrid sorcerer? Here is a quick overview. (X) - more Cheat Sheets

This series started as a reference for planning my ER characters, and also as notes for spell types. Ive tried to keep this info dense and not just list things you can pull from a wiki/build tool.

As always, I recommend the following for detailed math and specifics...

Build and Inventory Planner by sovietspaceship

Glintstone Staff math by Chrightt

Magic Schools Overview

Death

Stat: INT+ FTH min - Rancorcall (16 int, 14 fth) max - Explosive Ghostflame (42 int, 30 fth)

The most stat intensive magic school with few practical uses. Main strength is throwing out persistent homing projectiles (ie. being annoying in PvP). Besides this, Death spells are slow acting and deal very little damage.

Fia's Mist is a source of Deathblight. Only 1 other spell (Death Lightning) also has this.

Tibia Summons can be blocked by obstacles (the skeletons spawn where an invisible projectile lands).

Lava

Stat: high INT + low FTH min - Magma Shot (19 int, 10 fth) max - Rykard's Rancor (40 int, 18 fth)

The only fire damage sorceries, spells are slow acting and leave lingering damage effects. This school is very weak, if you need fire damage projectiles - consider using throwing pots instead.

Magma Shot, Roiling Magma are "magic grenades", manual aim works better than locking on.

Gelmir's Fury, Rykard's Rancor focus on flooding areas with damage hazards. They are also (arguably) less useful.

Claymen/Bubble

Stat: INT + ARC min - Oracle Bubbles (19 int, 15 arc) max - Great Oracular Bubble (25 int, 18 arc)

Only 2 spells, send out bubbles that drift slowly and explode on contact. Very efficient damage per FP but very slow acting; treat these less like ranged missiles and more like environmental hazards that you can prepare a fight with.

Oracle Bubbles are very weak, leaving Great Oracular Bubble as the 1 real spell in this school.

Great Oracular Bubble has similar damage to Comet, and works somewhat like a slow-motion version of it.

Both spells are found early, with no boss kills needed.

Aberrant

Stat: FTH min - Briars of Punishment (21 fth) max - Briars of Sin (24 fth)

Has many strange properties; FTH-only requirement, inflicts bleed and costs life to use.

very low fp cost, also surprisingly fast cast speed.

damage improved by many sources. Staff of the Guilty (+20%), Alberich's Armour (+6% per piece).

despite appearance, deals magic *not* physical damage.

Glintstone Staff Breakdown

Spell scaling comparison is vs. 60 INT on Academy Glintstone Staff (~304). In short, +50 points in damage stat given most classes stat with ~10 stat base.

Prince of Death

INT/FTH staff, has the most damage given infinite levels (80 INT/FTH). However, stat scaling is low up until ~60 INT/FTH. Consider for NG+, poor choice otherwise.

226 scaling at 35/35 or 40/30

Gelmir

INT/FTH staff, more usable than the above, but still very weak. This staff is drop-only and *very hard* to farm.

248 scaling at 40/30 or 35/35

Albinauric

The only hybrid staff with reasonable damage, scales Arc>Int. However! you still need INT for spell requirements; take note, even if high ARC + low INT looks good on paper.

293 scaling at 40/30 or 45/25

Guilty

Pure FTH staff, drop-only. Large school bonus (+20% damage for Aberrant spells).

271 scaling at 60 fth

Closing Thoughts

Hybrid sorcery is difficult to work with. And with good reason.

Sorcery is *very focused* on 'long range + magic damage'. The hybrid schools don't improve/widen your strategic options. Additionally, the most usable hybrid spells also tend to be the low req. ones.

Sorcery requirements overwhelmingly ask for INT and lots of it. Even if damage seems good, having less INT limits your arsenal.

Hybrid staves tend to have low damage

All this to say; 'INT+ splash stat' is the most reasonable build for (most) hybrid sorceries.

For example: 15 Fth lets you use 3 of 4 Gelmir spells. For most characters, that is ~5 levels. Additionally, school bonuses only need the staff *equipped*. In this case, you could Off-Hand a Gelmir Staff and cast with an Academy Glintstone for much more damage.

The 1 noteworthy exception? Aberrant spells. The staff damage is pretty decent with a *very large* school bonus. At reasonable levels, dual-wield Guilty Staves is the most damage (for Aberrant spells specifically and nothing else).

[chaos-creature-on-the-roof]

Hello! New Intro b/c I deleted the old one on accident oops

my sideblogs are in the replies btw so if i follow you suddenly it might be because you follow one of my sideblogs!

-- Name: Cree -- Pronouns: Ask. (He/they/xey.) -- Gender: Transmasc -- Age: What are you a cop? -- From: America (sadly) -- Religion: Practicing Eclectic Pagan -- Anxiety fueled insomniac -- Notes: Im a solarpunk leftist! -- Typologies: (MTBI) ISTP [TiSe, NiFe], (Ennegram) 8w7, (Tempermants) CholSang, (hogwarts but fuck pottermore) Slytherin, (Tricenter) 8-3-6, (Socionics) LII-2Ti, Chaotic Neutral, sp/so (instinct variant), (Attitude Psyche) VLEF, (SLOAN/Big 5) 66d1275e9069e86c55cf034f, (Jungian) IT(S), Soldier (soldier, poet, king)

Interests/Likes

-- HISTORY -- Cooking/Baking -- Music! -- Reading/books -- Gardening -- Bone Hunting -- Collecting (vinyl, cassettes, bones, shiny things, buttons, shells, coins, stamps, cds, stuffed animals, etc.) -- Rain/Storms -- Nature (Hiking, Walking, playing in mud) -- Oc making! i have a 37 slide google presentation with 2-3 slides per oc! -- Winter and Fall are my favorite seasons! -- characters!!: miguel o'hara, hobie brown, himiko toga, shinsou hitoshi, sun+moondrop

Dislikes/DNI

-- Israel Supporters -- Trump supporters -- Radfems/transmeds/terfs -- transphobes, queerphobes, homophobes -- anti-therians/anti-kins -- 'men dni'/'women dni' -- transandrophobes/transmisogynists -- maps/pedos - heavy nsfw blogs (nothing wrong just make me kinda uncomfy) -- anon haters -- yelling, fighting

Tag System!

-- screams: posts by me -- sticky note: posts I add to -- stolen treasure: silent reblogs -- stolen stories: folk tales, writing prompts, etc. any tumblr writing i like basically -- cheat sheet: any helpful tips, tricks, resources, etc. -- calls: tags/mentions -- cries: vents -- scratches: art

all dividers are by @steddiecameraroll-graphics

ALL DONATION ASKS WILL BE DELETED AND THE ASKER WILL BE BLOCKED!

^ my mixes. i play both at once

[bear-man74]

Creating a sys cheat sheet. Don't mind me.

Huh. I'm labeled as potato.

Travel.. isn't that what i do? Out of body experiences whenever I want and controlling my vision like a drone? Sure I'm linked to this body and can't escape but i can see in any angle any direction from any height. I can phase through walls. Shit. Maybe i am in the same bote..

Soulbond.. so partly realistic but not fully.. cool.

Headmates? Ohh partners who met inside the head.. that took a bit to figure out.. so that's just sys members..

Facet? I should come back to this one. It just sounds like kin again

Amnesiac barriers.. that just sounds like slero.. or sif..

Comm b. Just sounds like a worse version.. all emotions gone? Yikes..

TG? Like endo? Oh wait. Endo isn't always?!

Sisa.. oh. Wow that's so simple.. just subsystems..

Same as cluster.. so simple.. wow.

That's a funny looking symbol.. trebelsand..

Quoi is dont care, crypto is do care. Got it.

Con is just hard to follow

Para and tulpa are going over my head. I must be eepy..

Oh hey! Multigenic! That's the one that I kept accidentally making when trying to make a dendrophiliac flag.

Pangenic.. so.. just religion. Okay..

Polygenic is the everything bagel

Icosce is hurting my brain.. I'll come back to it

Dawn and twilum.. uhhh.. idk

Oh. It's 11. Time is up. Time to post page 1.

[brooklynislandgirl]

borrowed with grace from new friend Vee over @reyestr

FIRST MEETINGS MEME

A meme for first meetings and introduction threads, aka a ‘What you will notice about my muse first’ cheat sheet.

Repost, don’t reblog. Bold what applies. Fill in details.

(Please do not remove the credit + blank meme link)

blank meme: x

GENERAL APPEARANCE

Sex: Masculine. Feminine. Non-Binary. Notes: Beth was born a cis-gender female and most of the time she's comfortable in that shape/body.

Race: Polynesian/Caucasian {Hawai'ian and Irish, respectively, or as she'd say it, hapa-haole}

Complexion: Beth's natural skin tone is a tawny/dusky shade that might be compared to sand or toast. Most public photos taken of her tend to lighten her skin as much as possible per the Admiral's request. When she spends her time out-doors she tans easily and resembles more her Island kin than the Irish side of the family. Beth tends to wear minimal make up, and when she's doing a dramatic look she usually sticks to eye make up and bold lipsticks, highlighting what she considers her best features. Upon closer inspection one might notice a small constellation of tiny freckles that hover around the right side of her mouth and chin, and another sweep of fainter freckles across the bridge of her nose. Her skin tone leans towards the autumn spectrum, and it is incredibly fine, soft.

Height: Beth is just barely five feet tall.

Body Type: Endomorph. Mesomorph. Ectomorph. Other / More Details: Beth is actually somewhat underweight for her size, ranging between 90-96 lbs. Most of her curves tend to remain in her hips and backside, and her chest is narrow, sporting a very modest b-cup.

Body Build: Small. Medium. Athletic. Muscular. Soft. Curvy. Voluptuous. Other / More Details: Beth has been called small, delicate, bird-boned. From behind or at a minor distance, she has been mistaken for a young teen or larger child. It is hard for her to put on or maintain muscle tone.

Body Hair: None. Shaves/Waxes. Trims/Grooms. Untamed. Color: The colour on her arms and legs matches that of her hair, a dark to medium dark brown. Notes: Beth's body hair tends to be incredibly fine, almost non-existent, and thus she doesn't feel the need to wax or shave very often.

Head Hair: None. Buzzed. Short. Medium. Long. Very Long. Asymmetrical Cut. Color: Naturally Beth has dark brown almost black hair with natural red highlights. Occasionally she might do a subtle colour, either deep auburn or honey-brown. Style: Beth tends to style her hair to within an inch of its life, keeping it sleek and straight so that the Admiral has nothing to complain about. Naturally it tends to be incredibly wavy/curly {3b hair}, with a tendency to become a touch frizzy in moist/damp air. Most of the time Beth keeps her hair long and loose. For work it's in a ponytail or bun, and when her mental health is at its absolutely lowest, she hacks it pretty much down to a bob.

Eye color: Beth has green/brown central heterochromia,which is what most people call hazel. Her noticible colour is green, with an almost honey brow mixed in. It is a far softer colour than her brother's.They tend to shift colour via lighting or dilation of the pupil. Details: Wide, upturned eyes tend to give her a Disney-Princess look. Her lashes are naturally long and thick.

Scars: Beth's left leg has a large shark-bite scar from the bottom of her knee to the top of her ankle. Within the borders of the scar the muscle is visibly atrophied and has the texture of something close to a burn scar. The tendons are shortened, making her left leg a fraction shorter than her right.

FASHION

Fashion Style: Vintage. Traditional. Casual. Artsy. Vibrant. Geeky/Nerdy. Tomboy. Sporty. Trendy. Preppy. Girly. Bohemian. Elegant. Formal. Grunge. Punk. Rocker. Gothic. Other:

Color Palette: Beth tends to wear seasonal colours {lighter pastels in the spring and summer, darker secondary colours in the fall and winter}.

Typical Clothing: Beth tends to wear as little clothing as she can manage without making a scene. During warm weather she tends toward camisole tops or bikinis. She tends to wear ankle/floor length skirts. For work, she wears scrubs. Beth does. not. wear. pants. unless she's out jogging, doing yoga, or wearing a wet-suit. And while she has a walk-in closet full of designer and custom gowns and other clothing, the kinds of which would make Paris Fashion Week drool in their dreams, she tends to prefer vintage clothing.

Piercings: Beth's ears are pierced in multiple places which differ from ear to ear. She has a sub-dermal piercing at her hip.

Tattoos: Beth has a tattoo of a honu {sea turtle} on the back of her left hip, whose shell contains the Hawai'ian archipelago and a hibiscus flower. Other tattoos vary verse to verse.

Other Information: Beth tends to hate shoes and will wear 'slippahs' whenever she can get away with it. At home she tends to be barefoot, or during cold snaps, she might tolerate socks. She likes to wear rings, bracelets, earrings when not at work. She keeps her nails manicured.

EXPRESSION

General Facial Expression: Beth's features tend to be open, friendly, and at worst, neutral.

Default Body Language: As stated above, she tends to have open, inviting body language that changes only when/if she has disengaged with someone, or it's the Admiral. Around the Admiral her body language is closed, defensive, on the verge of flight/fight.

General Movements: Beth's incredibly graceful from a lifetime of surfing, swimming, dance. She tends to flow through the room, slow and cautious. The longer she has been awake, or the longer she's been on her feet, it becomes apparent that she does have a faint limp, due to shortened tendons and ligaments, atrophied muscle in her shark-scarred leg.

NOTABLE FOR RP

Presence: Beth's entire presence rests on the fact that she is warm and gracious, curious until she's given reason not to. Everyone is treated like a friend. As such, she tends to be a soothing comfort, and someone a person can open up to easily.

Appearance: Beth is always perfectly dressed for every situation, impeccably garbed in public, perfect but often subtle make up. This does not carry through to being at home where she feels comfortable.

Scent: She makes her own essential oils/lotions and people tend to describe her as tropical; lightly floral, a touch of sea salt, coconut, macadamia, something very faintly herbal. Too soon after work, she tends to carry the smell of hospital antiseptics {and/or blood}.

Voice Description: Her voice tends to surprise people. Being so short and slight, most people expect her to have a high/thin/child-like voice. She speaks so softly that she rarely speaks above an audible whisper, and her tones tend to be a little husky/smokey, warm, layered. When she does have to raise her voice, it is the kind that doesn't brook arguments and carries the tone of command of a queen or a soldier, though she is neither.

Accent: yes / no More information: Beth has always had problems with certain digraphs {th in particular} and is most comfortable speaking her native pidgin with a slight speech impediment. She can, however, speak perfectly serviceable "Haole" {American English}. She also understands a host of other languages, and takes a small measure of pride in being able to pick local idioms/slang easily, despite her audio processing disorder.

Speech Mannerisms: Beth tends to be a touchy person; conveying meaning or clarity with minor touching of other people's hands, knees, shoulders when speaking closely. She also tends to gesticulating while she's talking. When she speaks "Haole" it is far slower, measured, careful than when speaking pidgin, with slight pauses occasionally as she struggles with a phrase or sounding out words in her head. When conversing with someone, she tends to watch the person's mouth and eye area to pick up contextual clues and mouth-shapes to help bolster her understanding.

Anything else to add? Beth tends to sometimes come across as the most real person in the room, is magnetic despite her best efforts. However, if she doesn't want to engage with someone, she tends to slowly slip away from their thoughts/memories, until she is absolutely forgotten. Perhaps the eeriest noticible trait is that she never fully blinks. Her eyes tend to only half close, three quarters at best. {It almost feels like she's missing a nictitating membrane}. The second most noticible trait is that she has small, sharp teeth, almost preternaturally so, and slightly crooked. {{Certain kinds of hunters and others like her recognise these as 'primal markings' and might speak to her slightly less than human dna}} {{Beth's main face claim is Kristin Kreuk, and her secondary face claim is Smiley Arianne}}

[yuga2000]

Hi, I’m Yuga . ݁₊ Nice to meet you !

₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵ ˚₊

. ݁₊ ABOUT ME . ݁₊

. ݁₊ Name: Yuga

. ݁₊ Age: Adult

. ݁₊ Gender: Demigirl, but I also claim multiple (…maybe a little more than multiple) xenogenders! Catgender is one of my most prominent ones

. ݁₊ (Main) pronouns:

She/her

They/them

Mew/mews

Nyah/nyahs

Cute/cutest

Fae/faer

Glitter/shine

:3/:3s

✨/✨s

. ݁₊ But you can find more here: https://en.pronouns.page/@Yuga2000 or here

No masc pronouns please

. ݁₊ Sexuality: Bisexual, polyromantic, grey asexual, and polyamorous

. ݁₊ Likes: Cartoons, naps, video games, plushies, coloring sheets, art, cryptids, stim toys, Anteaters, liminal spaces, and anime

. ݁₊ Dislikes: Trolls, loud noises, people who act out for attention, lying about mental diagnoses, gaslighting, cheating, and rude people

. ݁₊ Other:

I’m a SFW age regressor and an age dreamer. My little age is 1-3. 

I'm a padded regressor, but it's 100% SFW

I have social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, PTSD, and clinical depression. I suspect that I have ADHD, but that's not confirmed yet.

I’m a college student

I do art as a hobby, although I probably won’t post it here

My favorite aesthetic is medicalcore

₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵ ˚₊

. ݁₊ WARNINGS/IMPORTANT INFO . ݁₊ 

. ݁₊ This is not a character account, so please don’t role-play (RP) with me, as it makes me uncomfortable

. ݁₊ I’m an adult and I may have adult topics on my page (Such as cursing & alcohol). This is your warning to leave now if you’re uncomfortable with that, but I'll try to put TW/CW whenever I post stuff of that nature.

. ݁₊ Anyone can used the terms I coined and flags as long as they’re not used in a hateful/rude/derogatory manor. If they are reposted elsewhere please credit me. 

₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵ ˚₊

. ݁₊ QUESTIONS . ݁₊ 

. ݁₊ So, if this isn’t a character account, then what is it?

It’s just my personal Tumblr account! Aoyama is more than a comfort character to me than anything, so that’s why that’s my name/why he’s all over my page. Hope that clears things up!

. ݁₊ Is this an Agere blog?

I post agere stuff, but that doesn’t mean this is a agere blog. I post lots of things, but always try to keep it SFW. If there’s anything that requires a CW or TW I always try to add it.

. ݁₊ Why isn’t your exact age on your profile?

I don’t feel comfortable putting my exact age because I’ve had some weird and unwelcome interactions because of it.

₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵ ˚₊

. ݁₊  DNI  . ݁₊  

I don’t have a do not interact (DNI), per say, but I try to keep my blog a SFW environment. There will be cursing however, so please be mindful of that. All curses will have warnings beforehand. Thank you!

Stimboard Request: OPEN

. ݁₊ D͟I͟R͟E͟C͟T͟O͟R͟Y. ݁₊

Stimboards | Moodboards | Photography | Playlist | Pride flags | Agere flag headcanons | Headcanons | Paci edits

. ݁₊ A͟B͟O͟U͟T͟ ͟M͟E͟ . ݁₊

Sexualities | Pronouns | Genders | Kins | Comfort characters | Fandoms

Divider credits ♡*

I don't support them anymore*

[ghostlypawn]

someones kin list is a cheat sheet into knowing how insufferable they are fr

[zakiark7911]

I want to apologize in advance to Christians for coming off very angry! I have attended so many Christian churches &, since I am not cishet (among other reasons), I have been burned in so many ways by each one. The anger is coming from a place of hurt.

When I think of American “Christians” or “The Church” (as in the people) regardless of denomination, there are 3 pictures that immediately come to mind.

The first is a white person foaming at the mouth, eyes popping out of their skulls, veins bulging, face red, holding signs up with the gay F word & how everyone is going to hell.

The second is basically every insane government representative that is obscenely racist & wants everyone with a uterus to have white babies or die.

The third is a charismatic pastor who lives in a mansion, hops on his private jet to get lunch with government representatives, buys every car or fancy suit he can, is sexually abusing every other child in the church, & abuses his wife on the regular when he isn’t cheating on her.

Whenever I see a post on any social media expressing why people ultimately left their church or stopped being Christian, there are SO many posts below by Christians like “I’m so sorry that happened to you! That isn’t how it is at my church!” “I mean, maybe don’t let people shape how you view Jesus?” “Find a new church! Don’t give up!” “We are all sinners! Church is exactly where those sinners are supposed to be! Jesus heals!” “Those aren’t real Christians! Find some real ones like me!” “This can’t be real, no pastor would ever do that!” “What denomination was that? I’ve heard bad things about…”

If #NotAllChristians, then I am really gonna need all the “real” or “good” or “Christ like” Christians to step the fuck up! I need them to match the absolute FREAK of the insane ones holding transphobic/homophobic signs! I need them foaming at the mouth in rainbow! Rainbow crosses! “Jesus was Ace/Aro” & “Jesus loves The Gays” signs! I need them to be counter protesting the crazies with bullhorns! I need the church go-getter, Debbie, to post a sign up sheet in the fellowship hall for counter protests, driving & protecting abortion patients, making meals for houseless people, ETC!! When a pastor is caught being a pedo, the church needs to come together & give their tithe to the affected families &/or services that help victims of sexual abuse! If the pastor doesn’t go to jail, then they need to tell him to get out & everyone at the church should be emailing him, texting, mail, flyers on his door, etc to get him to go to a place where they help pedos from hurting people! The congregation should never let that ex-pastor sleep or go outside until he checks himself into some sort of hospital or intervention program! Since Christians believe they are “stewards of the Earth”, they should be leading the charge on reversing climate change before we destroy “God’s gift to us” the earth!

If these evil freaks are not truly practicing “real Christianity” then PROVE IT. Let me SEE an example of “WWJD”! If The Church is a reflection of the Christian God then I don’t find that god worthy of praise, worship, love, or respect at all. If “real” Christians really “love” Jesus, then why are they letting evil bastards use his name in vain to champion their bigotry & hate?! If someone lies about your loved one spreading terrible ideas about them to everyone, don’t you want to shout from the rooftops about how that isn’t true?! Are you not upset that people are trying to push as many people away from what you believe is the only way to be spiritually saved by spreading lies?! Christians aren’t in a battle against “non-believers”, they are in a battle against their own kind who is actively trying to feel special by gatekeeping “salvation”! But they either don’t understand this, aren’t willing to fight for their god or his children, or are just quietly agreeing with the evil cruelty that their freak Christian kin are doing but don’t wanna be too loud about it!

What IS a Christian? What is “Christ like”? Don’t tell me to read the Bible! I’ve read it & I don’t care. I need Christians to SHOW ME!

[makers-muse]

Coding for Youngsters: Make It Fun and Locking in!

1. Gamify the Growing experience:

Kids blossom with intuitiveness. Instructive coding games like Scratch or CodeCombat present center coding ideas through a gamified approach. By building games and settling difficulties, kids learn without acknowledging it!

2. Make it Individual:

Allow your kid’s advantages to be the aide. Do they cherish activity? Investigate coding stages like Tynker that permit them to make their own kid’s shows. Is it safe to say that they are captivated by robots? Coding robots like Sphero or Lego Mindstorms allows them to rejuvenate mechanical technology through code.

3. Embrace Narrating:

Coding can be a strong narrating instrument. Present block-based coding applications like Blockly Games where children can code intelligent stories. This touches off their imagination as well as supports sensible reasoning and critical thinking abilities.

4. Observe Little Wins:

The coding venture is loaded up with little triumphs. Praise each achievement, regardless of how large or little. This uplifting feedback keeps your kid spurred and encourages an affection for learning.

5. Turn off and Code:

Coding isn’t just about screens! Turned off coding exercises like utilizing directional orders to explore a labyrinth or making calculations with cheat sheets can be a pleasant method for presenting central coding ideas.

6. Track down a Coding Pal:

Advancing close by a companion or kin can make coding considerably more charming. Energize cooperation and coordinated effort on coding projects. This cultivates correspondence and critical thinking abilities.

7. Make it Social:

Search for internet coding networks or coding clubs where children can interface with other yearning coders. Sharing their manifestations and gaining from one another can help their certainty and keep them propelled.

8. Show others how its done:

Show your youngster that coding is significant and fun! In the event that you’re agreeable, have a go at coding close by your youngster. Allow them to see the reasonable utilizations of coding in daily existence.

9. Energize Investigation:

Go ahead and let your youngster try and commit errors. Coding is a ceaseless educational experience. Embrace the moves and use them as any open doors to learn and develop.

10. Center around the Good times:

By consolidating these tips, you can change coding from a task into a thrilling experience for your kid. As they leave on this excursion, they’ll foster significant coding abilities as well as gain critical abilities to think, imagination, and decisive reasoning — all fundamental devices for progress in the advanced age.

[button-kin-games]

Button Kin Times - December 2023

Airecon NW and Jude's World cover art reveal

Greetings festive friends! Are we merry and bright yet? No? Okay, I feel that. I was tempted to start this newsletter off by griping about what a bastard of a month December is, but I don’t think anyone needs that right now. So I won’t. I have a handful of good news nuggets that I’m determined to focus on instead. They’re not much, but they’re what we have until the return of the sun.The author herself smiling behind the Button Kin stall at Airecon NW.

Airecon NW was lovely! If only a moderate success financially speaking. The organisers themselves admitted that attendance wasn’t what they’d hoped for (1k heads instead of 2k). There are a lot of potential reasons: train strikes, terrible weather, a clash with a Dungeons and Flagons weekender. The December of it all. But “the vibes” were good and I had many lovely, educational, and inspiring conversations. Welcome new subscribers! I hope your dinosaurs are doing well.

Thanks for reading Button Kin Games! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

My main take away is this: for a small-time solo creator it’s worth doing a local convention or two for the experience, for the contacts, and for the morale boost of talking about your art face to face with people. All of which are much more better for the soul than shouting into the dank, stagnant social media well, praying you don’t wake the trolls sleeping within.

Drama Llamas accessories are now free! I realised while selling physical copies of Drama Llamas at the con that I had my digital cheat sheets and character sheets trapped behind a paywall. I can only apologise. If you’d like copies of those they’re now available to download for free on the Button Kin website.

Jude’s World has a cover! My in-development solo TTRPG in which a plucky preteen protagonist struggles to reunite their feuding parents now has cover art by the supremely talented Mega Asellia. Layout by myself. Really going for that 90s teen novella aesthetic. Speaking of which…

Development Diary: Jude’s World

This month I wanted to crack a couple of core mechanics that were notably missing from my first play test: the resolution for Jude’s parent traps an

d the tracking of their parents’ relationship over the course of the game, leading ultimately to an ending where they either get back together or… something else. I wanted two things from these mechanics, which I’ll talk through a bit.

Thing One: It should be difficult to get Jude’s parents back together

While it is possible to succeed, in most play throughs of this game players will have to accept that no amount of trapping and manipulating will reunite these two. People are complicated, relationships are hard, and mostly people break up for good and valid reasons. I have a related concern that it should be clear that this game aims to critique and deconstruct “parent trap” media rather than replicating it wholesale. The genesis of this project was, after all, my uncomfortable reaction to a piece in this genre. I want to make something messier, kinder, and a bit more true to life. A story that’s as much about the kid doing the trapping as it is about the parents being trapped.

Thing Two: If Jude’s parents don’t get back together that shouldn’t necessarily feel like a failure

Maybe they’re not back together but they are on better terms than when they started out? Maybe they’re still on bad terms but Jude has a better perspective on why that is? Maybe it’s not all “fixed”, just easier to process and navigate? It’s trite, but I’ll say it anyway: part of growing up is coming to see your parents as fallible, uniquely flawed human beings and then deciding what to do with that information. This is a coming of age story strongly themed on that common experience.

So, what mechanics did I go with? For the resolution of traps I wanted something simple with multiple, clearly bounded levels of success, failure, or a mixture of the two. So why not use 2d6 and a PbtA move-style resolution? Here’s a first draft:

6 or lower is a failure. Mark a Scar. 7-9 is a partial success. Choose an outcome: 10+ is a full success. Mark 1 Heart 12+ is an outstanding success. Mark 1 Heart and choose an additional outcome:

And what are Hearts and Scars? Those are the measures I came up with for tracking the status of Jude’s parents’ relationship. Which I may rename at some point as I’m not 100% happy with them yet. They feel a bit obvious? Maybe that’s not such a bad thing? I continue to mull.

Hearts, unsurprisingly, represent the exes’ affection for each other, which can be platonic in nature, or romantic, or both. Scars represent the pain they’ve caused each other or the problems in their relationship; their anti-compatibility. I felt strongly that these needed to be two separate metrics. It feels important to acknowledge that you can care deeply for someone and still find that you can’t get along, or know that they’ve caused you too much pain for your romantic relationship to continue. Too many Scars gained will result in a big blow up, which then reduces both Hearts and Scars back to zero.

At the end of the game to get Jude’s parents back together you need to have maxed out their Hearts. Otherwise players are advised to look at the balance of Hearts and Scars to decide how things stand between them, coming up with their own nuanced take from Jude’s perspective. Because the end of the story you’re telling should ideally be about Jude, a young protagonist with their whole life ahead of them. What did they learn? How have they grown?

I’m keen to get around to play test 2 before I write to you all again. I have a week off over Christmas and no plans to go gallivanting (gone are the days…) so that should hopefully come to pass. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions you’d like answered in the next edition of the development diary?

Thanks for reading Button Kin Games! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

[orbch]

ep28 came out yesterday im seriosuly fucking crazy. u know what time it is...

okay i should probably go in order. umm rainbowflash ummm uhh umm oh i hated her so mf bad this ep. warning im literally such a hater to a lot of the characters this episode. the only bitches that didnt flop were scar and plumsweet. like srsly

um friend and i made an ep28 bingo sheet that included both rainbow villainization and rainbow comforting. and it was UNFORTUNATELY the latter. like im sooooo sorry babe that u cheated but also im lying idGAF!!! what r u crying on abt u literally CHEATED. ON UR BF. and then i was like surely... surely starswirl, friend of lightning speed (guy who just found out he was cheated on.) would defend him and berate rainbow for CHEATING. but she did NOT. she was like “this isnt u i know there must’ve been a reason” like BITCH UR GLAZING SO HARD. OH MY GOD. WTFFF. and the way she was like “i do think u and lightning make a good couple” only after she found out she cheated on him. i know ur fucking lying rn. u cant possibly be serious. tldr is idk. this whole scene fucking pissed me off bad. starswirl and rainbow r like an echo chamber of shitty ass opinions and decisions.

after that is the meat and potatoes. the fight scene w scar lightning and sandbar? its sickening how crazy this was. like fuck my whole life. fuck bro. LIGHTNING SWINGING AT SANDBAR WAS ALREADY CRAZY (rip sandspeeders... praying for smooth recovery) BUT ALSO. scar defending lightning. i feel sick. scarspeeders won. him saying “hey back off” to sandbar while pushing lightning to the side. actually nauseating. scarspeeders won... fuck its so crazy... god .. scar and lightning fighting together. actually so sickening. scarspeed.... sighh... also it went from a 2v1 (scar and lightning vs sandbar) to a 3v1 (all of them vs cadence) and yall all lost... embarrassing.

nightbeam scene (rolls eyes) um... starbeam ate down. funfact i kin starbeam. i actually kin her harder after both ep27 and 28. i love her . shes crazy and pathetic. nightlight however. i said this before so ill just copy and paste the take. ep28 renewed a feeling of hatred for nightlight that i havent felt since ep13-19. i rlly do think its his crush on helia that pisses me off cuz he is such a little bitch about it. i also think i like scelia and nightbeam too much to listen to him fucking bitch and moan abt his unrequited crush. STARBEAMS CRUSH IS UNREQUITED AND SHES TAKING IT LIKE A MAN. fucking get overrrr urself man... and the way he directly tells star that he likes helia and ALSO says “who wouldnt like you” to her. oh my god. clearly you wouldn’t. if i were star id kill him. and then helia comes in just to flop. being like hey nightlight we r still FRIENDS. ur such a good FRIEND. lets go to class FRIEND. like fuck! hes already being a little bitch!! dont make it worse! but it was too late his fuckass punched a locker (which btw ep16 ending is historically my least fave scene ever. where he punches the locker? so this part 2 was awful)

oh but then the ending w scar and lightning. TEEHEE. i love scarspeed so much. the way scar doesnt want them to fight anymore, I JUST THINK HIM DEFENDING LIGHTNING WAS SERIOUSLY THE MOST INSANE PART OF THIS EPISODE. god im crazy. like seriously this episode was for the scar and lightning shippers. fml. but then rainbow comes in still actively holding the image of her and sandbar like BIIITTTCCCHH PUT THAT AWAY RNNNN 😭 WTF IS UR PROBLEMMM!!!!

anyways... crazy episode. i also manifested it so hard i seriously wasn’t expecting it. i found the episode 8 seconds after it was posted. no thumbnail yet even... and that bingo chart i mentioned was pretty spot on...

i cant think of one reason why i shouldnt start mlpstopmotion posting on main

[sillovn]

Cheat Sheet: Hybrid Incantations

So you want to play hybrid incantations? (X) - more Cheat Sheets

This series started as a reference for planning my ER characters, and also as notes for spells types. Ive tried to the info dense and not just list things you can pull from a wiki/build tool.

As always, I recommend the following for specific with math and details

Build and Inventory Planner by sovietspaceship

Sacred Seal math by Chrightt

Magic Schools Overview

Golden Order Fundamentalist

Stat: INT=FTH or INT only min - Order Healing (11 int, 11 fth) max - Radagon's Rings of Light (31 int, 31 fth) or Law of Regression (37 fth)

Normal requirement is equal Int+Fth. However, the 2 "Law" spells that only require Int. Contains most of the game's offensive holy spells - if you want to sling holy magic, this is it. Besides that, the school contains a grab-bag of very unique support spells of variable quality.

Discus of Light is cheapest 'magic missile' type attack in the game (3 FP cost).

Law of Regression is the only way to remove enemy buffs.

The 'anti-undead' spells (Order's Blade etc.) are worse than just using throwing pots/weapon arts.

Dragon Communion

Stat: FTH>ARC min - Magma Breath (14 fth, 10 arc) max - Greyoll's Roar (28 fth, 17 arc)

Infamously flashy, every spell is big and costly. Power level ranges from 'game-breaking' to 'above average', there are no real bad choices here. DC Spells come in 2 types; up-close physical strikes and long-range elemental breath.

Rot Breath(s) give the easiest access Scarlet Rot status. Being long range + low stat requirement.

Glintstone/Ice Breath(s) are the only magic damage incantations. Ice Breath(s) also apply Frost status, which is rare for incants.

Dragonmaw is single largest hit in the game (600+ at base)

Greyoll's Roar applies the rare debuff of reducing enemy damage/defense. Only 2 other sources of this effect exist (Sword of Milos, Winged Greathorn).

Blood Oath

Stat: FTH + ARC min - Bloodflame Blade (12 fth, 10 arc) max - Bloodboon (14 fth, 17 arc)

Focused on applying the 'Bloodflame' effect - a bleed status that gradually fill-ups after the hit. Low stat requirements + poor direct damage make them good support spells for a variety of other builds.

Bloodflame does not scale with Arcane, the bleed amount is fixed (~20 buildup over 2 seconds).

Bloodflame Talons is the only spell with notable direct damage

Sacred Seal Breakdown

The 'real meat' of hybrid incantations. Compared to sorcery staves, the choices here are both good and diverse. Every item here is a guaranteed treasure - there is no need to farm. Additionally 2 of 4 can be found very early in the game.

For spell scaling comparison, assume 60 Faith on Godslayer Seal (~291).

Golden Order

Stats: INT + FTH, ~296 scaling at 40/30 or 35/35

Scales INT+FTH equally, solid choice if Int>Fth or Int=Fth. At 'post-meta' levels (80/80), this seal has the most damage.

has 0 weight, can be found without killing any bosses.

Dragon Communion

Stats: FTH + ARC, ~304 scaling at 45/25

Scales better to ARC than FTH, more damage that most pure-FTH seals at 'reasonable NG levels'.

has 0 weight, can be found at the start of the game.

scaling is 'front loaded', the 15-30 ARC range will give the bulk of it's damage.

Frenzied Flame

Stats: STR + DEX + INT + FTH

Has 0 stat requirements and 0 weight. Damage is *very low* unless you have 40+ in all stats, its main use is casting utility spells on any build.

Clawmark

Stats: STR+FTH, ~248 scaling at 40/30 or 35/35

Scales STR + FTH, can be used 2H for extra STR scaling. Thanks to weapon arts, projectile weapons and consumables - there is no shortage in range or utility for non-caster builds. Is Clawmark better than keeping a bow and some weapon grease on hand? debatable - but if you want to cast on a Str build, it does the job.

Closing Thoughts

While hybrid Incantations have fewer magic schools than their Sorcery counterpart, they have 3 major advantages.

Spell Quality

Incantations as a whole have distinct niches - the hybrid schools are no exception. In terms of function, there's nothing like Bloodflame or Dragon Breaths among the regular pure-Faith incants.

2. Equipment

All hybrid seals are good - either having solid numbers or a specific niche.

3. Diverse Strategy

Incantations have good variety even at low Faith - you lose out less options when spreading between FTH and a hybrid stat.

Put simply, hybrid incants are *very* open ended in how you build. How much are you going to use a regular weapon? what level range do you need the build to work at? Is this a PvP or PVE focused build? Unlike hybrid sorcery, the combinations are endless.

[k-indie]

I Ain’t Sorry

First | Current 

This has gone on for so long, Ran is bound to find out. What will you do when he does?

NSFW, detailed this time | Profanity | Reminiscence | Angst | Angry!Ran | Betrayal...

“He didn’t deserve you...”

The lolling of his hips to one side elicited a small whimper from you, throat slightly hoarse from the panting and screams that echoed on the walls. He pressed into the sweet spot you knew Ran knew nothing about and left you wondering how Rin knew of such an angle.

Your back arched downwards, fingers digging into the sheets beneath you as you stuttered, “I kn-know...”

Thick tip kissing into your new sweet spot, Rin rolled his hips upwards in a scooping motion, slowly, teasingly as he held your hips, one arm crossed over the other. How could he learn so much about your body after only three sessions thus far? Who was he beyond what he had shown you in all the years you’d known him?

“I don’t think you do. You still haven’t left him like I told you to.”

He pulled his hips back, leaving only the tip in your slick and he gathered your hair in one hand, eyes trained on the dimples forming just above your ass, he thumbed one dimple, pressing into it and rubbing against it, a small massage to keep you grounded for his next move.

“I want you to leave him and I won’t say it again.”

Before you could respond, his dick pressed against the new spot from his slightly sideways position behind you, angled just at the back of your left ass cheek, drilling you into the bed roughly.

Your pretty cunt fluttered around his cock, sucking him and pushing him out as you began to twitch under him, incoherent babbling fleeing your lips as you moaned for him to go easier on you. But who were you to make any demands when you couldn’t even obey his?

You both knew it was for the best. Ran couldn’t treat you right anymore and Rindo was all too happy to take care of the crumbs left by his brother. How could he not when you were all he wanted during these years? How could he not when the woman of his dreams, the love of his life was being done so dirty by his own kin? You needed to know what it was like to be loved, not treated like you were expendable.

How could he resist you when your tight pussy clenched him this hard when he made you squirt all over his fat dick? How could he resist the gentle caresses you placed so freely over his head, heart, and soul? 

How could he resist the woman who ran her fingers over the index of his soul and finished all of his sentences? Why couldn’t you just let go of Ran already? Did he really break you that bad? Did he ruin you so unmistakably horrid that you couldn’t breathe without him? Couldn’t exist without Ran Haitani?

But you could be independent enough to fuck his brother.

Rindo wanted more. How dare you allow him only your body and not your heart. 

Soon, you will see that I was the one who would never have taken you for granted, that I was the one that could provide for you--everything you need, everything you want-- and you will see that I am the one who can love you like this, the one that can hit the angles Ran wouldn’t dare to reach for. Did he know about this spot? Perhaps this one? Or that spot?

Soon...very soon, pretty girl.

There was nothing else to explain the way you felt betwixt the Haitanis. One was ruthless while the other had shown you an entirely different world, yet both so loving in their own ways and you couldn’t decide which you liked best. 

Was it Ran who was supposed to be your husband but couldn’t even set the date even after all these months of ignoring his infidelity and still treating him like a God while fucking his brother behind his back as he’d done to you for two months straight? Was he still cheating on you?

Probably.

Or was it Rin, the gentle lover who liked to take it slow with you every time you were with him? The one who would listen to you and actually respond in a way Ran never could, never would instead of just brushing it off as something you shouldn’t feed into? Rin took life seriously and was so very grounded that it felt like he could suffocate you in his world of meticulous planning and constant preparation and opportunity. It was something you liked about him. Ran was a major planner, but he was too careless at times. 

Sure, Ran fucked you good, he gave you pretty things and occasionally would say that thing you loved to hear that made you fall in love all over again, but Rin made you rise in love, he made you want to be better than you already are and you still felt stuck. 

The right answer was too obvious. It was clear as day: leave Ran and marry Rin. It’s what Rin wanted anyway and how could you deny his undying love for you any longer?

But what was it that held you back? Were you afraid of Ran’s wrath? Were you afraid of what he might do if he found out you were doing to him what he did to you? Were you not ready to leave him, hoping he could change and become someone better after you treated him so well?

You were only rewarding him in a twisted manner for his adulterous indulgences. Surely, you had to see that. He definitely saw it that way even if he didn’t know you knew of his actions, but he had a hunch that he purposely ignored because he loved that you brushed up against his ego in such a way that made him feel even more like a God, invincible no Mikey. 

He got lost in the feeling of your love shining even brighter after his mistake, the teasing you started instead of getting him off, leaving him wanting more from you instead of what’s-her-name. He got lost in the feel of your walls against him, hugging him tighter than anything he’s ever felt. He got lost trying to find his way back to you when you stopped giving it to him, the sweet, seducing sighs of his name when he woke you up to him lapping at your slit so happily, so hungry. The slow mornings with the right amount of sun peeking over your face when he drove his cock harder into you in a slow, love-making manner that drove both you wild with every flutter of your lips around his cock, it was beautiful.

He was beautiful.

And looking at him now, seated across from you at the dining table with a stressed demeanor and lazy smile peeking at you as you rubbed one foot against his calf-- it was too much for you, such a small moment shared between two broken lovers, it wasn’t enough at the same time.

“I want to go away for a while, Ran.”

His grin slowly disappeared, eyes trailing over your face, foot retracting to its original spot crossed over the other one. “Where? Why?”

He honestly missed you, hadn’t seen enough of you lately and he needed confirmation that you were going to come back to him, he could feel the distance you placed between you and him emotionally. He didn’t want you to check out of the love hotel even if he was cheating on you, even if he did know you knew.

“I’m tired of not going out as much anymore and I need a change of scenery. My boss is promoting me and I want to go somewhere to celebrate. Alone.”

He didn’t like that. Alone, he repeated to himself in his mind, wondering if that was where you’d leave him. He needed to take you out himself, treat you how you were treating him but with pure intentions this time.

“Where?”

You didn’t want to tell him where so he wouldn’t be able to follow you or send someone after you. You just needed to be completely alone to sort out your thoughts and collect the last bits of dignity you had left dealing with an intrusion of this nature.

Freedom, self-sufficiency, and independence was what you needed most at this point. “To a place where I can relax and be alone.”

“That doesn’t tell me where, (Name).”

He was becoming irritated with the lack of information he was receiving and he was growing impatient with your beating around the bush to tell him what he knew you wanted to say.

“Just say it.”

“Say what?”

“You want to leave me, don’t you? You think I haven’t noticed how you’ve been emotionally unavailable lately? You think I haven’t noticed the sudden change in the way you act around me now? You think I failed to see how you’ve been ignoring my advances to get you in bed with me after that night? You’ve been acting different ever since that day your car broke down and you think I haven’t noticed the emotions you’ve been feeling in regards to me.”

You were on the edge of blurting out all the information you learned about him and that woman, what you saw, what you’ve done. But you had to remain grounded, keep him from finding out about your plan, your actions towards him, and what his brother told you to do.

“What’s been going on, (Name)? Have you been with someone else? Have you been filling in my place in your life with another?”

He couldn’t bear the thought of you laying down with another man, another male that wasn’t Ran. There was nothing on your face that could give anything away, no emotion whatsoever and he hated that even more, he wanted to know what was going through that pretty head of yours behind those eyes that were once full of life.

“How can you ask me that, Ran? I would never do that to you.”

The same words he tossed your way about a month ago when you confronted him about a small smudge of red on his collar that wasn’t blood. He claimed it was though and because you already knew the truth at this point, you let it go. He would never admit his mistakes to you and he wouldn’t let you live without him anyway, so why bother? He was still fucking that other woman and giving her new gifts, a fact you found from watching her Instagram fill with new pictures of her gifts--the same gifts he’d showered you with when you first got together with him.

He couldn’t even respond, that was sure confirmation that you knew he was being a fuckboy on the side. When you didn’t speak, just passed him a soft glare and rose from your seat slowly, he spoke, “How long have you known?”

“Not very long.”

“How’d you find out?”

“I walked in on you that night my car broke down. I walked over five miles in the dark, in uncomfortable shoes, to my shared penthouse to find my fiancé-- who can’t even commit after it was his idea to even go this far-- balls deep in some girl who has the same gifts he gave to me when we first got together and he’d been balls deep in her for over two months now--behind my back and lying to me about it. And I needed him that night,” a half-hearted smile formed with a small chuckle, “and he was too busy fucking her to answer his calls, his texts, and to realize that I was standing there watching him for a good minute before I left. And I called your name like three times when I first got in and... nothing. But what disappoints me the most... is that she wasn’t even that pretty. Ran, you could do so much better. You played yourself. How does it feel?”

There were no words he could offer you, just a soft, shocked expression crossing his features, brows risen to his hairline and eyes falling to the floor with lips slightly parted. “When I get back from my vacation, I expect to be showered in gifts that you will never give to any other woman but me. I expect you to rub my feet every night, bathe my body for me, and a date set for our wedding. If you cannot do something as simple as treating me like the woman you want to marry--a fucking Queen-- then this is where I leave you.”

His tragedy stricken pride wasn’t the only thing that had his mind spinning, it was your daunting glare that kept him on his knees in front of you, his pained expression finding its way to your line of sight. It was the never-ending camouflaging of your own pain, sadness, disappointment that made him realize just how in trouble he was with you.

He could lose you forever and settle for less, or, he could treat you better, get his shit together, and marry you immediately because who better to unite with in holy matrimony than you? What other woman was willing to take your place? Deal with the blood on his face and clothes almost every night? The toxins of his life that he so carelessly injected into yours? Who would be able to console him in his times of need the way you do? 

No one. Because you knew him better than he knew himself and what woman in their right, non-lusting mind could do for him what you do best? Love him. Accept him. Allow his world to tear yours apart if that’s what it came to. For him.

And perhaps he’d already lost you, he thinks to himself as he watches you board that private jet to the still-unknown destination he wished that he could attend with you. 

Would she come back to me? Or will she really leave me?

@saltymariaisactuallyacat @ayhashi @no-signal @jelly1ce69 @puff-nut @c4ndle3 @whoyoucallinpinhead24 @fl4mepillar @mor-pheus @jhohannamae @q-the-rockaholic @evylina @dumbbicc

[justalonelybitch]

hey, may i request an enemies-to-lovers one-shot or scenario about seokkyung? in which the reader has the same personality as hers, since she's one of my top kins? reader can be gender neutral, and i'd like if it started as a little suggestive and angst and ends as fluff.

thanks :]

I hope you enjoy it! Sorry I have't updated in the past few days, I've just gotten a bit busy lately. I'm not sure if this makes sense, my mind was kinda elsewhere while writing this.

Not Now

Seokkyung x F!Reader

Genre: Angst, Enemies to Lovers AU

Warnings: Domestic Abuse, Swearing, Violence, 

Word Count: 2.18k

Buy me a coffee :)

Your fingers flowed effortlessly along the black and white keys, neck muscles tightening as you tried desperately to reach the notes. “Fuck!” You yelled angrily as your voice cracked, slamming your fists down on the piano. Reaching for the sheet of music, you aggressively crumpled it in your fist, throwing it behind you with much force.

A slow clap echo’s around the room, your head snapping around to meet Joo Seokkyung’s teasing gaze. “Wow, that was really something” she breathed out, giggling following shortly after. “At this rate you might not even make it into Cheong Ah Arts,” Seokkyung said, head tilted as she smirked smugly. Glaring at her, you stood from your seat, walking closer to her menacingly.

“Watch your mouth Joo, wouldn’t want anything to interfere with your chances now would we?” You asked innocently, mischievous glint in your eyes. “If only they knew about your little cheating scheme,” you said, feigning faux sympathy. “If you even think about it,” she inched closer to you, faces only mere inches apart. “I’ll make sure that there will be consequences,” she said pointedly.

Leaning impossibly closer without touching, you smirked. “Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me,” you whispered, breath fanning her lips. Scooting back victoriously, you blew her a kiss before exiting the room. Seokkyung’s eyes lingered on your figure as you walked away, jaw clenched in anger. However, her stomach was doing somersaults inside her, but she refused to acknowledge it for now.

~~

“Y/n! Eunbyul! Get ready, the guests will be arriving soon,” your mothers voice resounded throughout the house. “Need help?” You asked, entering your sister's room. When she shook her head, you made yourself comfortable on her bed, shoulders slouching in exhaustion. “I can’t believe we have to go to these dinners, let alone host them,” you complained.

Eunbyul looked at you with an amused smile, used to your antics. “You should get ready before Eomma sees you,” she said, adding some final touches to her outfit. “What do you mean? I am ready!” You exclaimed, looking at your sister in disbelief. “You’re hopeless,” she mumbled, fixing your hair, then chucking a blazer at you.

“That’s much better,” she mumbled, handing you one of her many fancy watches as an accessory. “I don’t understand what was wrong before,” you mumbled, wandering out to the kitchen. Eunbyul followed closely behind you, chuckling lightly at your comment.

“Good you’re ready,” your mother said, eyeing both of you. You tried to sneak a snack from the bench, but your hand was quickly smacked away by your mother’s. “Just go greet the guests,” she sighed in annoyance, pushing you towards the entrance. While your sister stayed back to help, not that Seojin let her do much.

Minhyeok's family was first to come, his father babbling on about some nonsense that went in one ear and out the other. You rolled your eyes at his nonsense, his mother pulling him off to the dining room, smiling at you on her way. Minhyeok gave you a sympathetic pat on the shoulder, before leaving you alone in the doorway once more.

Next to arrive was Jenny and her mother, who both greeted you with fake smiles. Exchanging pleasantries before hurrying off, Mari dragged her daughter along with her. You sighed, relieved to have them gone. This was by far the worst thing you could’ve been assigned with, you felt like one of the workers rather than a member of the family.

Finally, the awaited family arrived, all dressed in formal attire, gracefully stepping out of the elevator one by one. “Welcome,” you bowed respectfully, then doing the same in return. “How are you, Y/n?” Suryeon asked, always displaying the warmth you longed for. “I’m doing well Miss Shim, how are you?” You asked back, however your eyes wandered past the woman before you.

Anything Suryeon said went deaf in your ears, for the only thing you could focus on was the girl behind her. She looked stunning, dressed in a simple outfit, yet on her it looked like the best thing in the room. You wondered how someone could possibly be so beautiful, her striking visuals her god-like. You snapped back to reality when your mothers voice came from behind you, saving you from further embarrassment.

“You’re just in time,” she said smiling in faux excitement, gesturing for them to head to the lavishly decorated dining room. She gave you a stern glance, turning on her heel and leaving you to stumble helplessly after her. Everyone now seated, ready to dig in, talking about all sorts of nonsense gossip you paid no mind to.

~~

While the adults conversed over things you were uninterested in, the kids made themselves comfortable in the lounge. You leaned against the arm of the couch, sipping on your drink while Jenny and Minhyeok bickered. Huffing, you stood from your seat, wanting to escape from the chaos for a shirt while.

In a rush to exit the room, you failed to see the Seokkyung who was walking in your direction, a smirk etched on her face. Crashing into her, you watched in what seemed like slow motion as the drink spilled down her chest. Eyes widening in shock, as the rest of your drink splashed onto the white fur rug.

“Do you know how expensive this is?!” Seokkyung screeched, gaining the attention of anyone in the room. “It’s not my fault you can’t watch where you’re going,” you yelled back at her. “What’s going on here?” Mr Joo’s voice boomed through the room, making everyone go silent. “Appa, she purposely spilled her drink on me. Now my clothes are ruined!” Seokkyung whined, though you could see the faint smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.

Dantae’s gaze flickered to you, eyes squinting as he turned to your father. “You should learn to control your child,” he spoke in an arrogant tone. “I’m sure it was an accident,” Suryeon attempted to defuse the situation, but no one paid her much mind. “We’re leaving,” her husband announced, Seokkyung eyeing you up and down, a smug smile on her face as she followed her father.

“You’re coming with me,” you hear a harsh voice whisper in your ear, nails digging into your forearm. Lowering your head, you had no choice but to follow your mother’s orders, not daring to look at any of the people in the room. “Fucking embarrassment!” Seojin screamed once in the confines of her office, pushing you into her desk with all her strength.

You cried out in pain as your back hit the corner, it was sure to leave a bruise. “How dare you make a scene with people around,” she raised her hand. The sound that came from the slap rang in your ears, head whipped to the side. “Such a disappointment,” she clicked her tongue, gripping your hair in her hand.

“It wasn’t my fault,” you whispered, feeling her nails dig into your scalp. She chuckled menacingly at your words, merciless with her actions. “You even stained my rug,” she tutted, gripping your jaw with such force that you were made to look her in the eye. “I don’t even want to see your face,” she mumbled, pushing you down to the ground.

Smiling cynically when she noticed a burning candle on her desk, she held it up to you. “Such a disgrace to our name,” she taunted, pulling your arm to hover over the wick. Your eyes brimmed with tears as you felt the flame come into contact with your skin, searing hot pain making your whimper.

“Don’t embarrass me again,” she warned, leaving you to lay on the floor pathetically. “Sorry, Y/n’s not feeling very well so they won’t be joining us for the rest of the evening,” you heard her announce to the group. Everyone seemed to continue as usual after that, while you were left to drown in your thoughts, pain lingering on your body.

~~ You found yourself curled up in the familiar studio the next day, letting the rhythm guide you. Bones aching as you played the piano, trying once more to sing the unreachable note. You cursed as you failed once more, eyes fluttering shut in an attempt to calm yourself. However, it proved unsuccessful, when the irritating voice filled your ears once more.

“You know, I think you’re getting better,” Seokkyung said, an obviously fake smile on her lips. “Not today,” you mumbled tiredly, for once not in the mood to fight back. “I never thought I’d see the day when you gave up so easily,” she taunted further. Though you could only manage a weak huff in response, gathering your stuff and readying yourself to leave.

Just to your luck, the bell rang before Seokkyung could say anymore. Much to your disliking, you and her would be sharing the next class. Strolling out of the door, you walked at a slow pace, trying to disguise your back pain. The girl behind you, eyeing you with curiosity, wondering what on earth had made you so quiet.

“You’re no fun Y/n,” Seokkyung complained, giving you a look of annoyance. You kept your head down, choosing to ignore her. Thankfully, she finally left you alone when you entered the class. Instead she opted to go and talk to her brother, giving you some momentary peace and quiet.

The teacher soon entered the room, babbling about something you didn’t care to listen to. You focused your gaze on your desk, head resting in your hands. Not even trying to hide the fact that you weren’t listening, you let your eyes flutter shut. The noise around you faded, exhaustion setting in as you fell into unconsciousness.

~~

“Y/n~” A voice sang, pulling you from your slumber. Groaning, you looked up to the perpetrator, rolling your eyes when you saw the familiar face. “Wouldn’t want you to get a sore neck, would we?” Seokkyung asked rhetorically, something unfamiliar in her tone. Grumbling you stood, pushing your chair in, taking note of the fact everyone else had left.

“What time is it?” You yawned, stretching your limbs out. When you didn’t get a response, you looked to Seokkyung, noticing the way her eyes lingered on you. Following her stare, you saw that your sleeve had ridden up, revealing the faint burn marks. Rushing to cover yourself, you cleared your throat awkwardly.

“Y/n,” Seokkyung tried to talk, but before she could say anything more, you rushed for the exit. “Wait!” She called after you, to which you abruptly stopped. However, it was not because of the girl behind you, but the one in front of you. There stood your mother, fierce gaze burning into your skull.

“I heard that you were sleeping during classes,” Seojin said, scowling on her face. “Office now,” she demanded. Your head dropped, feet moving helplessly to follow your mother. “Excuse me, Mrs Cheon.” Seokkyung spoke from behind you. Your mothers head snapping in her direction, raising her brow in question.

“If you don’t mind, I have to borrow Y/n for a while. We have a project to work on,” Seokkyung said quickly, not giving Seojin much time to react before she was pulling you out the door. Looking at you, she smiled slightly, giving your arm a comforting squeeze, dragging you to her car.

You had barely registered what had even happened, but before you knew it, you were seated in Seokkyung’s room. “Here,” she said, handing you a snack. “You should eat,” she grabbed your hand, forcefully placing the snack in your grasp. “Thank you,” you mumbled, unsure of her actions. “Don’t worry Y/n, it’s not poisoned,” she chuckled.

Feeling at ease, you took a hesitant bite of the snack, humming at the taste that filled your mouth. The mood was still slightly tense, uncertainty about your current predicament lingering on her mind. As if sensing your emotions, Seokkyung placed a comforting hand on your shoulder.

“You know, you might not be so bad after all Y/n,” she said. It was her way of comforting you, which you couldn’t help but laugh at. Seeing you more relaxed made her smile, happy to have made you feel better. After that talking became easier, conversation flowing endlessly between the two of you.

“Thank you,” you muttered shyly, making Seokkyung look at you in confusion. “What for?” She asked, baffled by your sudden words. “For bringing me here, making me laugh, helping me to forget, I guess everything really.” You spoke sincerely, feeling as if a weight had been lifted from your chest thanks to the girl before you.

“I guess you’re not too bad either Joo Seokkyung,” you smiled at her. Your final statement brings a bright grin to her face, eyes shining with mirth. And from that day on, there was an unspoken understanding between the two of you. A feeling of comfort washed over you when in the other's presence. You both had something in common, and it was nice to be able to rely on someone for once.

But that was only the beginning of your story.

Part Two coming soon!!

[archived-kin]

a lawyer and a historian walk into a café...

note from kin: it’s modern au time!! in this one you’re a lawyer with yanfei as your prodigy protege (essentially she’s the phoenix wright to your mia fey; you’re like her mentor as she trains to get her law degree), and zhongli’s her history professor dad (+ xiao as her big brother who’s doing some fancy uni degree (and yes, this piece was absolutely an excuse to write about a family dynamic between them))

basically one time she brought her dad and big bro over to your attorney office and zhongli looked at you and fell in love immediately and now yanfei’s playing matchmaker for her dad

(xiao probably feels ooc but that’s mostly because there’s not nearly as much trauma for the poor guy in this au. zhongli took xiao and yanfei in when they were 11 and 7 respectively and he was about 24 so let’s say by this point he’s in his mid thirties, and xiao and yanfei are now 23 and 19. also their family name is zhao!!)

quick edit: i've made a cheat sheet for this au in case you want to know more about it!!

fandom: genshin impact

character(s): gn!reader, zhongli, xiao, yanfei, diluc

pairing(s): zhongli/reader

warning(s): none

genre: fluff!

“Okay, so the grocery store plan didn’t work, and neither did the library plan, or the museum plan…” Yanfei writes something in her notebook in her usual impossibly-perfect cursive and taps her pen restlessly against the table. “What else...?”

“The cat shelter plan didn’t work either,” Xiao puts in absent-mindedly, still mostly occupied by the essay he’s writing. Wasn’t he meant to submit that yesterday? “Or the park plan.”

“Oh, right.” Yanfei adds another two lines to her notes. “Is that all?”

Her brother considers for a moment, pausing in his work to take a bite of his cereal bar. “I think so.”

They fall into silence. Zhongli rounds the kitchen counter and sets two steaming mugs of coffee beside his two children, then takes a seat opposite them on the table with his own cup of tea. “...A-Fei, what’s this about?”

“Your love life,” She responds as if it’s obvious, bending over her notes and scribbling something with extra vigour.

“My love life?” He repeats.

Yanfei nods. “You need to get out of the house more. All you do is read books and drink tea.”

He frowns softly. “I do have a job, you know.”

“She means that you don’t have any friends,” Xiao says flatly, eyes still focused on his screen. “Or hobbies, really. When you’re not working, you’re sitting about reading books and drinking tea - like Fei said.”

“Besides, you really like [Name], don't you?” Yanfei points out. “It’s the perfect opportunity to get out a bit!”

Zhongli’s cheeks go a little pink, and he clears his throat, turning away and bringing his cup to his lips. “A-Fei…”

“What?” Yanfei cocks her head to the side. “[Name] thinks you’re cute, you know. I bet they’d say yes if you asked them on a date.”

He chokes on his tea and sets his cup down. After a moment, tapping his fingers agitatedly on the tabletop, he asks, “...where did you get that impression from?”

“I asked them,” Yanfei says plainly, and Zhongli just about dies of embarrassment on the spot. “Just yesterday. I went ‘So what do you think of my dad?’, and they were all like ‘Yanfei, you didn’t tell me your dad was so pretty!’ I think they’ve been dying to talk about you ever since you visited.”

Zhongli opens his mouth to say something, struggling for words, then abruptly snaps it shut again. Xiao watches him clap his hands to his face over the top of his monitor, then turns to Yanfei with a raised eyebrow. “...was that really a good idea?”

“Why wouldn’t it have been?” She replies innocently, tilting her head to the side. “If [Name] likes Dad and Dad likes [Name], there isn’t a problem, is there?”

Her brother shakes his head and reaches over to tug playfully on a lock of her hair. “Well, first of all, do you really want Dad to be dating your teacher?”

“...hmm.” Yanfei pauses to think about it. “...I’m not sure, actually.”

“And I think you’ve just given him an stroke,” He points out, gesturing over the table at their father, who still has yet to remove his hands from his face. “I don’t think he wanted [Name] to know he likes them.”

“I didn’t tell them he likes them, though,” Yanfei says with a small pout. “I just asked them what they thought about him. How would they know?”

“...A-Fei, shouldn’t you be leaving soon?” Zhongli asks finally, removing his hand from his eyes and looking at his daughter with his usual gentle eyes. Yanfei doesn’t miss the way his ears remain a little pink, though. “I believe you’re due to meet [Name] in thirty minutes.”

“Huh?” She raises her wrist to check her watch, then hops off her chair. “Oh, yeah! Can you drop me off?”

“Of course,” He replies with a soft smile, watching as she drains her coffee to dregs and hurries off to change out of her loungewear. The kitchen descends into silence for a moment or two.

“...Fei means well,” Xiao says suddenly. Zhongli turns to see his son giving him a meaningful look over the rim of his own coffee mug. “She just wants you to be happy.”

Zhongli looks at him for a moment, then inclines his head with another, fonder smile. “I know that.”

Xiao nods, and goes back to his essay.

Yanfei comes down in some suitable outdoor clothes about ten minutes later and, with Xiao waving them off with his usual brand of fond dismissiveness, Zhongli and Yanfei head out to the car to set off for the location that Yanfei inputs into the GPS. Zhongli doesn’t miss the way that his daughter keeps sending him almost conspirational looks as he drives.

“...your hair’s kinda messed up.” She says after five minutes or so.

Zhongli keeps his eyes focused on the road as they come to a roundabout. “Does it matter?”

“[Name]’s gonna see you,” She says matter-of-factly. “Don’t you want to look your best?”

“...I hardly think that’s necessary.” He replies after a moment. Yanfei shrugs and goes quiet, but she notes with glee that her father pauses to have a good look at himself in the rear view mirror when they come to a stoplight.

Zhongli surveys himself with a great deal of thoughtfulness, lifting his hand from the wheel to sweep his fringe to the side a little, then changing his mind and pushing it back to where it was. Was Yanfei just teasing him? His hair looks just as it always does - neatly brushed, but a little tousled, and fastened carefully at the back.

He tries to pat down the stubborn little sprigs at the top of his head, but, as usual, they refuse to lay flat. He sighs and, just as he’s deciding to leave it, he spots something odd in the corner of the mirror.

That motorbike - the greenish-blue patterns on its bumper, the red helmet attached to the back, and the demonic-looking mask-like helmet that the rider is wearing… is that Xiao? Is he following them? And why’s he brought Yanfei’s helmet with him?

Zhongli had already begun to have his suspicions when Yanfei asked him to drive her to the meeting place - normally, when she needs to go somewhere, she either skateboards there herself or asks her brother to take her on his bike if it’s too far away - and this only solidifies them. His daughter is most certainly up to something.

Then the lights turn green, and he has to turn back to the wheel. By the time they’re back on a straight enough road with little enough traffic for him to check again, Xiao’s motorbike has disappeared.

“Was that your brother back there?” He asks Yanfei absent-mindedly. She starts and - rather suspiciously - slaps her phone face-down in her lap so that he can’t see the screen.

“Don’t know,” She says. “I wasn’t looking.”

He raises an eyebrow. “...are you texting someone?”

“Um…” She taps her fingers against her leg restlessly. “Yeah.”

A pause. “Is it someone I know?”

She laughs under her breath, poorly disguising it with a cough. “You could say that.”

Her phone goes off, and she hurriedly picks it up to answer the message she’s just received. Zhongli sends her a rather wary side-glance as she starts typing furiously - that text alert is the one that Yanfei has specifically assigned to Xiao. Why would she feel the need to hide the fact that she’s texting her brother?

Yanfei keeps her mouth firmly shut about whatever plan that Zhongli is now certain she has for the rest of the car ride, no matter how much he tries to gently coax the answer out of her. He’s still none the wiser to her intentions as he pulls up to the café marked on the GPS, and he’s beginning to get rather worried - he has a feeling he knows what this is about.

The first thing he notices is that Xiao’s motorbike appears to be parked a little ways down the street, though his son himself is nowhere to be seen. The second thing he notices is you standing outside the café.

You’re dressed far more casually than you’ve been on any of the other occasions that Zhongli’s had the pleasure of seeing you - he’s only ever seen you in your full formal lawyer get-up, perfectly primped and polished for the courtroom, and while that’s a beauteous sight in and of itself, he has to say that he definitely prefers this more comfortable look. It gives you cosy, domestic sort of air; quite the opposite of the strict and business-like way you present yourself while on the job.

Yanfei hops out of the car excitedly and runs to say hello. You greet her with a warm hug, and Zhongli can’t help but feel all fuzzy on the inside at the sight. In the event that he’d ever want a partner, he’s always silently promised himself that whoever he chooses must love his children as much as him - and you’ve always taken good care of his daughter. It’s just another point added to his metaphorical ‘like’ tally.

The two of you exchange words briefly, and Zhongli’s about to start pulling away when Yanfei suddenly turns to point at him. He freezes in his seat as your eyes turn to him, and Yanfei starts gesturing aggressively for him to come over.

Under both of your expectant gazes, he doesn’t really have any choice but to comply. Locking the car doors behind him, he takes a moment to make sure that his shirt is tucked in neatly and that his tie is knotted just-so, then approaches carefully.

Zhongli is usually very much the elegant gentleman, but here’s the thing: whenever one tries to do something a specific way, they’ll almost certainly end up inevitably doing it the complete opposite way. Such is the case for Zhongli; so focused is he on appearing as unbothered and ‘cool’ (as Yanfei would put it) as possible, he forgets to watch his feet, and trips on the edge of the curb.

Yanfei lets out a great laugh as her poor father stumbles and nearly crashes face-first into the pavement, while you hurriedly leap forward to catch him by the arm as he totters. “Goodness! Careful, Mr Zhao.”

“Thank you…” He steadies himself, clearing his throat in embarrassment. A split second later, he realises that you’re touching him. “Ah…!”

He jerks back involuntarily, feeling his face grow even warmer. You look surprised for a moment, then quickly school your expression back into a hospitable smile. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have grabbed you like that.”

“No, it’s fine,” Zhongli quickly shakes his head, busying his restless hands by readjusting his tie. “You simply… startled me, is all.”

“Startled his heart, more like,” Yanfei teases, grinning widely. “Some entrance that was, Dad!”

He shoots his daughter a reproachful look, to which she replies with a conspirational wink. “...is there something you two need?”

“Oh, not really, it’s just…” Yanfei sticks her hand in one of her pockets and rummages about. “...you need two people to get the couple’s discount, don’t you?”

Zhongli freezes on the spot, while you simply raise an intrigued eyebrow and take the voucher Yanfei holds out. “...Yanfei, don’t tell me you planned this?”

“Well, Xiao helped,” She says brightly, and, as if on cue, her brother’s motorbike roars up to the curb.

“A-Xiao,” Zhongli says in greeting, though he can’t help but sound a little betrayed. His son lifts the visor of his helmet and offers a small wave.

“Nice to see you again,” You say with a smile, and Xiao nods curtly at you in reply. “So, was this your idea?”

He shrugs and smirks a little, tossing Yanfei her helmet, which she catches deftly. “She wouldn’t stop pestering me until I helped her. Anyway, Fei, you ready to go?”

“Yup!” She pulls her helmet on and fastens her jacket more securely, hopping up onto the bike behind him. “Have fun with your date, Dad! You can thank us later!”

She waves goodbye as Xiao revs up the bike, and the two have disappeared down the street before Zhongli can raise any complaint. He stares after them, trying desperately not to meet your eyes.

“...well,” You begin after a long moment, “We wouldn’t want to waste this voucher. What do you say, Mr Zhao?”

He swallows and slowly turns to look at you. “...just Zhongli is fine.”

“Zhongli, then,” You say with a smile that makes him go soft in the knees. Goodness, how much more juvenile can he get? He’s a fully grown man, and has been years - and yet here he is getting all hot around the collar like a schoolboy. “Shall we?”

It takes him a moment to realise what you mean, but you don’t seem to notice the way he stumbles over his words - or, at least, you’re gracious enough not to comment on it. “Of— of course.”

He follows as you lead the way into the café as pauses briefly before to door to take in the atmosphere - it’s cosy, with tasteful dark mahogany-dominated furniture. An enormous mural is painted pride of place behind the counter, where a menu usually would be - a sun rising from a sea of pale orange-tinted clouds. What was it this place was called again - Dawn Coffee? The painting certainly lives up to the café’s name.

You seem to have been here before - you weave through the many tables with the sort of familiarity that only comes with experience, while Zhongli has to keep his eyes trained on his surroundings in order to avoid another incident like the one outside. The café is mostly full already, with all manner of people taking up the various seats - mostly students with about seven empty cups littered about in front of them, some typing furiously and others simply slumped over in exhausted repose.

“Diluc,” You greet as you approach the counter. “Fancy seeing you here.”

The red-haired barista shoots you a deadpan look. “I’m here every day. You should know that by now.”

“And you should know that I’m joking,” You shake your head, then slap the voucher Yanfei had given you down on the countertop. “Anyway - here.”

The barista (Diluc, right?) picks the voucher up and skims briefly over its contents, then looks up and right into Zhongli’s face. Zhongli stares back silently, almost daring him to say something derisive. He may be reduced to putty in your hands, but that’s a power that only you possess. Anyone else remains unable to faze him.

“...right,” Diluc says finally, now looking almost a little uncomfortable under Zhongli’s intense gaze. He wonders if he should tone it down a little. “That’s a twenty five percent discount on any two drink and cake combinations, then. What’s your order?”

“I’ll just have the usual,” You say brightly, “With, ooh, let’s say… a piece of Battenberg. And what’ll you have, Zhongli?”

Zhongli looks around. “Is there a menu…?”

“Over there.” Diluc gestures dispassionately over at two large blackboards on the other wall. Zhongli almost slaps himself - how hadn’t he noticed it?

“Ah...” He skims briefly through it. None of the teas offered are ones that he particularly enjoys, which is a little disappointing, but he supposes beggars can’t be choosers. “A matcha tea, please.”

Diluc taps something into his register. “Just the plain tea, or would you prefer a latte?”

“A latte…?” Zhongli repeats, a little lost. Tea rooms are much more his forté than cafès, and he’s not entirely sure how things work.

“Lattes are milk based,” You explain helpfully, “Usually sweeter, too.”

“Oh.” Zhongli shakes his head. He’s always been lactose intolerant - it’s why he prefers herbal teas over any other hot drink. No milk required. “Just plain tea, thank you.”

“Alright,” Diluc types something. “And what kind of cake do you want with that?”

“...how about a slice of Madeira?” You suggest as Zhongli goes silent, looking bewildered. “Nice and simple.”

He nods, still a little confused, and Diluc puts one last thing into his register, prints out a receipt, and hands it to you. You turn to Zhongli as Diluc moves away to start making your drinks.

“Haven’t been to many cafés before, have you?” Your eyes twinkle teasingly, and Zhongli can’t help but flush a little.

“No,” He says slowly. “I’ve never particularly liked them…”

You chuckle, and Zhongli has to fight back a lovestruck smile of his own. “You’d better not let Diluc hear that. His dad owns this place.”

“Are the two of you… familiar?” He asks. He’s not entirely sure that he wants to hear the answer - especially considering the way you laugh after he’s finished speaking.

“I had to defend him once,” You reply, “Nearly a year to the day, actually. Poor guy got himself accused of murdering a homeless man just around the block.”

“I still don’t know how you managed to get a not guilty verdict so quickly,” Diluc comments, coming up to the counter and setting down a tray with two steaming mugs on it. He moves to the side and opens the cabinet of pastries to retrieve the slices cake you’ve ordered.

“Evidence, my dear Ragnvindr,” You say playfully. “Surprisingly enough, it’s easy to get a not guilty verdict when you have rock-hard evidence that your client isn’t guilty.”

Diluc shakes his head in apparent disapproval, but Zhongli catches the way his lip quirks up as he sets down two colourful (and, honestly, very delicious-looking) slices of cake, each on their own dainty little place, on the tray. “Well, here’s your order. Who’ll be paying?”

Zhongli quickly reaches into his pocket, opening his mouth to offer to foot the bill, then suddenly shuts it again when he feels nothing but crumpled-up paper. He sighs mentally. He’s gone and left his wallet behind again. That’s, what, the third time this week? And it’s only Tuesday...

Luckily, he doesn’t need to confess his forgetfulness, because you immediately pull your own wallet out of your pocket and slap a crisp bill on the counter. “Here. Keep the change.”

“How generous,” Diluc says dryly as you laugh. “I believe your usual spot is free for now, so you should hurry.”

You nod, reaching forward to take the tray. “Right. Thanks!”

Zhongli hovers for a moment as you start masterfully working your way back through the maze of tables to an unoccupied corner. As he turns to follow, however, Diluc calls out to him.

“Wait.”

Zhongli pauses. He contemplates ignoring the barista for a moment, then decides that it’s not worth the pettiness, and turns back around.

“Do you need something?” He asks.

Diluc gives him a searching look. Zhongli gets the feeling that he’s trying very hard to read something from his expression.

“...your daughter wants to let you know that she’s cancelling afternoon tea for two weeks if you don’t make a move,” He says finally.

“...what?” Zhongli’s so surprised that he’s unable to prevent his eyebrows from flying up. So much for his stoic act. “You know A-Fei?”

“Is that her name?” Diluc picks up the piece of paper he’d been reading when you and Zhongli had first entered and holds it out. Zhongli takes it carefully. “She stopped by this morning and gave me this.”

Zhongli reads over the note. It’s Yanfei’s penmanship, alright. How long has she been planning this for? “...right. Thank you.”

“One more thing,” Diluc adds as Zhongli turns to join you at your table. “[Name] seems to like you a lot. Don’t mess this up.”

Zhongli pauses. He glances over at you, and you wave with a grin. For a moment, the café seems to fall away - and there is nothing but the distance between the two of you, and the warmth of your smile.

Heart resolved, he turns back to Diluc, and nods firmly. “I won’t.”

[avaritia-apotheosis]

The Future Is Carved with a No.2 Pencil

Summary: A retelling of Dan's timeline in TUE in an unconventional format.

Read on Ao3 Here

Question 1. (1 Point) True or False: Your Name is Danny Fenton

A. True

B. False

Question 2. (1 Point) Teenagers need on average 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night. How many hours do you sleep?

A. More than 8

B. Less than 8

C. …

D. You don’t remember the last time you slept in your bed

Question 3. (4 points) Jazz bought you a CAT Study Guide at the beginning of the school year because it was important to start preparing early. It’s been gathering dust for months now; you’ve been meaning to work on it but you just never found the time. You crack open the book to the math section.

The question is, as follows:

Two trains are driving toward one another. The first train leaves Town A at 6 am traveling at 60 miles per hour. The second train leaves Town B at 8 am traveling at 70 miles per hour. The distance between Town A and Town B is 455 miles. What is the EXACT time that the collision will occur?

A. Jazz lifts a finger in warning

B. Jazz winces

C. Drop your pencil; this is useless, there’s no point, because Jazz is brilliant and you are not and you are going to fail—

D. Maybe start looking for job openings at the Nasty Burger

Question 4. (6 points) You hold in your hands the answer sheet to the CAT test. What do you do?

A. give it back; you are good and honest and cheating is wrong

B. you look inside; no one has to know but you

C. you look inside; you haven't had time to study. you haven't had time to do anything at all except protect this town from ghosts. Don't you deserve a little compensation? Something to make life easier for you?

Question 5. (2 points) There are 42 secret herbs and spices in the Nasty Sauce that, if overheated, will combust. In the unlikely event that this happens, what is the estimated blast radius?

D. You look inside; if you fail your future is over. NASA is already slipping out of your reach but if you fail this test then you could kiss your dreams goodbye. This is for your future. This is for your future

A. An entire city block

B. 200-300 ft

C. Both A and B

Question 6. (2 points) Jazz once taught you that there are five stages of grief. Which one are you feeling right now?

D. Enough to take away everything you cared about

A. Denial; no this can’t— this isn’t happening… how could—

B. Denial; You, Sam, and Tucker were supposed to hang out in the park tomorrow

C. Denial; Your parents said they were going to be working on the Boomerang

Question 7. (4 points) True or False: This is all your fault

D. Denial; Jazz said she had something to tell you

A. True

Question 8. (2 points) You are 14 years old and recently orphaned. The court has decided to appoint you a guardian. Who do they pick and why is it Vlad?

B. False

A. Vlad because he is his parents’ old friend and you guess that he counts as fictive kin now

B. Vlad because he is rich and powerful and has all the influence in the world

C. Vlad because Aunt Alicia was too isolated and too far and she said no—

Question 9. (10 points) Grief clings to your flesh and sinks deep within your bones. Who do you blame for this hurt?

D. Vlad because he was the only one who wanted you

A. The heart; it squeezes and aches and it won’t stop hurting. If the heart is where love resides then surely that must be where grief is too?

B. The amygdala; the heart is a pump, it feels nothing, but the amygdala is the part of the brain that deals with emotions like happiness and fear, and sadness.

C. The Ghost Portal; if it wasn’t for that stupid portal then the accident would have never happened and the ghosts wouldn’t have escaped. You would have lived a normal and boring life, playing video games, hanging out with friends, and studying for important, life-changing tests. The portal is the catalyst. The portal is at fault.

Question 10. (2 points) Vlad straps you down onto an operating table and places an anesthesia mask over your face. What do you do?

D. Phantom; you see, the framework of a ghost’s core lies in feeling. Tie in a strong enough will, the raging emotions that come with a violent death, and enough ectoplasm, and ta-da! A ghost! They’re such emotive creatures, you know? Almost cartoonish in their desires because feelings and emotions and want is all that they have to anchor them to this world. It’s almost like Tinkerbell, but instead of size being a factor, it’s their permanence that makes them so unstable that they can only feel one emotion at a time. You are half-ghost and half of you is hurting so, so much and it refuses to feel anything but hurt.

A. Count backward from 100, 99, 98, 97—

B. Close your eyes because when you open them this will all be over

C. 93, 92, 91, 90—

Question 11. (2 points) Who or what are you?

D. Scream because oh god oh god this hurts you feel like you’re being ripped in two and—

A. Da…nny?

B. Phantom

C. …. not whole…

Question 12. (2 points) A half cannot exist by itself. You have never existed by yourself. You are fading fast. What do you do to make yourself whole again?

D. Betrayed

A. Rip the gauntlets off from your chest

B. Bury yourself in your human skin. Carve a place deep enough so that your human self can never rip you out again.

C. Don the gauntlets and take Vlad’s ghost half from him as well. If you cannot be whole then so can’t he.

D. Possess Plasmius. Sink your teeth into his core and eat away at every bit of energy he has. If you cannot exist as a half then you will make yourself whole

Question 13. (2 points) True or False: Danny is a variant of the name Daniel which means “God is My Judge.” A hero and a child and a traitor. Is this you?

[Addendum: An error in the test has been found. Please cross out Answer Choice B as it is not a viable answer.]

A. True

B.False

A. True

Question 14. (2 points) True or False: Vlad is a variant of the name Vladimir, composed of the Slavic for “to rule” and “great.” A lonely man, a powerful man, he will carve his place into the world through hell or high water. Is this you?

B. False

A. Danny; You have been Danny longer than you have been anyone else and you do not know how to be anyone else but him.

Question 15. (8 points) Two halves can make a whole, but two minds cannot coexist as one. Who do you pick?

B. Vlad; You hate him. He is you. Half of you.

C. Both; people are but reflections of the world around them, a patchwork of other people’s influence on their lives. You are Danny but you are also Vlad.

D. Both; you hate them both and they are both you. You will take the worst facets of themselves and turn it on the world because it stood still and watched as it let you become this abomination.

A. Vlad, who tore you from yourself

Question 16. (2 points) Daniel comes from the word “Dan” meaning “Judgment” and “el” which refers to “God.” Even if it was an accident, you were created in Danny’s image. Now that you and he are split in two, all you are left with is “Judgment.” Circle all who are guilty.

B. Danny, who discarded you like you were nothing

C. Everyone, because there is no such thing as innocence

D. …Yourself

Fire and Ice

Read the following poem and answer the next question:

By Robert Frost

Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.

From what I’ve tasted of desire

I hold with those who favor fire.

But if it had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice.

Question 17. (1 point) You no longer have any humanity to tie you down. How do you want the world to end?

A. Fire

B. Ice

C. It doesn’t matter

D. As long as it goes down screaming

[ruki--mukami]

#Kuruki Scenario(?) 👀

where Ruki caught Kuron 'cheating on him' face to face on their bed?

“…What is this meaning of this, Kuron?”

One swift tear at the sheets revealed his lover with some unknown woman, both completely void of clothing from head to toe, much to the Vampire’s erupting anger. When he snatched her by the arm, crushing of ligament and bone resounded throughout the bedroom with an eager snap, dislocating multiple joints in one round. Nails digging so deep across her flesh it left five trails of crimson in their wake, the woman collapsed onto the floor, drowning in her own crimson flood.

Then he directed his maelstrom blues to who he once deemed as his partner, not only glaring daggers but also Arondights of the sharpest edge deep into the windows of his soul, or whatever was left of it.

“You must not know me as well as I thought you did if you think you can bring some poor whelp into our space to carry out your sick fantasies. And here I really believed you, of all people, would understand me… Oh, how wrong I was.”

Without hesitation, he snatched the Werecat by the jugular and pinned him to the concrete wall, exerting all the vampiric strength he could muster despite his impure blood coursing through. Nevertheless, he still commanded a great deal of power, fueled by the exponentially growing rage. 

“In what corner of that dysfunctional brain of yours did you really think the Mukami last name can save you from my wrath? First, my mother… now you… all of you are a sorry lot of lust-crazed mongrels and you shall live to regret it.”

A panorama of flashbacks from the day his mother left behind a mere letter filled with insincere words and false promises plagued the Vampire’s mind like an all-consuming inferno for all he could see was red, a blinding carmine that clouded his usually calm and composed judgment and reminded him of the vengeance he wished to exact on the cruel world that wrong him. Not just Kuron, but also those who would dare to oppose and reject his will. Remnants of sanguine liquid from the girl still remained under his fingertips, further skyrocketing the demonic tendency to tear through him fiber by fiber of adipose with those pointed, bloodthirsty fangs.

“Kiss your days as an idol and your career as a teacher goodbye, Kuron, for I will make sure every person who draws breath will know of the atrocities you committed. Not in the way that I’d like, but the scandals will follow you with each dirty step you soil the ground with. The Mukami Kuron name shall be no more for you. Can you imagine how that feels? Having everyone look at you the way I am in this moment? I am beyond mortified, and the world will suffer that same sentiment alongside me.”

Ruki lunged forward and scythed the sharpened appendages deep into the flesh of the man’s shoulder, then scraped himself across the chest until ragged paths and zigzags of blood cascaded forth from the wounds, fangs seesawing across porcelain to repaint it all the same color as his spiraling conscience.

“Mmnh… Haah… Say farewell to your kin, too. And no, I’m not talking about Kou and the others. I’m talking about everyone else you hold dear in your life. Oh, to heartheir screams as I extract their very souls the same way I did to that poor woman rotting in our sheets… What athrill that will be. We’ll see who has the last laugh when your reputation is in shambles, your loved ones no longer draw breath, and you’re finally begging me to grant you the sweet release of death. You will wish you were ten feet below the ground, crawling and decaying like the most insignificant of bacteria would.”