#lapis lane

[bread-squid-uwu]

Rewrite Map

Completed 🌟

Some information -

Gal'Ruk was once much bigger, with more islands scattered behind their main one. Over time, those have vanished.

Tu'La is filled with peach, yellow, and orange sands and deserts on one side, and vibrant red orange forests and thick areas of flowers on the other, alongside gorgeous beaches compared to paradise. The large stone Kings castle has sadly killed off an area of the forestry.

Starlight is an area of land not belonging to any of the regions, despite being associated with Irene of Ru'aun.

O'Khasis has been separated from the Ru'aun region since the war against Tu'la and many places within Ru'aun, this makes O'Khasis the only separated village, and technically labeling itself as it's own region entirely.

The Lycan Islands and the surrounding dead land have a shared ownership between Ru'aun and Gal'Ruk, as the Divine and mythologies associated with the land have strong connections to the Warlocks Forest, and the lesser known Falcon Claw.

Sun Beach in Tu'la is more commonly known as the very popular Love~Love Paradise resort, and has over time become more accommodating to tourists and visitors than its own people and culture.

Feel free to send asks about any locations!

[ feedback is very appreciated, I tried to lay this out like a real minecraft world, so I can recreate it in minecraft in the future, but I'm not entirely sure on that decision!! ]

[butterlaneantiques]

LAPIS LAZULI

For centuries, Afghanistan has been an important source for top-quality lapis. Historians beleive the link between humans and lapis lazuli stretches back more than 6,500 years. The gem was treasured by the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, Greece, and Rome.

Lapis lazuli is a powerful stone for thinking and spirituality, and it has a very high vibration. It’s believed to increase self-knowledge and awareness of one’s own thoughts and can help you to trust your inner wisdom.

[ixiot-ghostrebel]

Another sagau reader hearing someone insulting characters and going apeshit but when someone insults reader are like "......hmm shodul I drink hot chocolate or tea today?" This time ganyu( becose I still pissed at one guy who insulted her i her own story quest) bennet and nilou (another chance to make azar feel terror)

COMING RIGHT UP, ANON. THANK YOU FOR REQUESTING OMG 💀 I have been too dead without these requests, fr.

Click Me For Part 1!

When Someone Insults Ganyu, Bennett, and Nilou vs When Someone Insults Reader...

(Disclaimers: Might Be OOC, Mentions of Violence, & Quest/Genshin Impact Lore Spoilers!)

Ganyu

Okay, first of all: Yes, I am adding that stupid idiot cough Xin Cheng cough into this.

You were just following the Traveler and Paimon, joining Ganyu's Story Quest which, for some reason, was not completed yet. So, you decided to tag along to see Ganyu!

You weren't hyped when that beggar came out of nowhere and started to do all that fairytale stuff even you don't approve of—and you were someone that sticks themselves into your own head, thank you very much.

So when this man started to gain the audacity to insult Ganyu, you knew you had to step up and do something. No one, and you quite mean it, was going to insult her and get away with it.

"Hey!" You came out from your hiding spot (you're the Almighty Creator, you know it'll make the situation worse). "Just what the hell do you think you're doing, huh?"

Xin Cheng pales at the sight of your enraged figure. He stutters to make an excuse, but you cut him off. You're having none of it.

"Get your useless self out of here, before I decide to kick it down the mountains myself!"

To say that Ganyu was shocked that you were getting angry over a mortal was an understatement. She was beyond surprised that you even stood up for her.

But she did have to intervene with your threatening—after all, she is still an Adeptus. Protecting the people of Liyue was still her duty.

"Your Grace...Please let him go. I'm sure he already understands his mistake." Ganyu's soft voice only made your anger increase—she sounded so upset!

"Y-yes, please, Your Grace! I understand what I've done wrong, I—"

"Silence." You glare down at the mortal. Your turn back to Ganyu, and considered your choices. While you wanted to wreck absolute vengeance on this man, you also didn't want to hurt Ganyu's feelings more.

Guess you were going down Trauma Lane, then. You sigh, and stomp your feet as you turn around to glare at Xin Cheng, catching his petite form by surprise.

"If I ever see you do this again..." Your eyes narrow. "Believe me when I say it—you will be granted no mercy by any adeptus nor Rex Lapis himself. Now SCRAM!" With that, he was running for the hills. You weren't entirely satisfied, but you'll take it. For now.

What would Happen if Ganyu heard you get insulted? Well, first of all, she would gasp quietly to herself. What was this blasphemy? She's utterly horrified.

Ganyu thinks she might faint once she realizes you were nearby, checking out vendor goods next to where the gossipers were spilling terrible insults of your image.

"Y-Your Grace! Please accept my apology on behalf of the people of Liyue." Will literally run up to you and apologize for them. While she may not be the one who did it, she's still cares about the People of Liyue—and thus her reasoning as to why she's askign for the mercy of the Almighty Creator.

Your puzzled look turns to Ganyu. "Who are you apologizing for?" Ganyu blinks.

"The, uhm—the gossipers..?" You're still confused, until your eyes shine once recognition hits you like Truck-Kun.

"Ohhh, those dudes! Yeah, don't worry about them—they're pretty boring, saying the same thing like a broken record. Say—wanna shop with me? I'm paying, of course."

And that's how you got Ganyu to be more comfortable around you! :D

Bennett

Ah, our unlucky yet optimistic adventurer! This boy—he is good. He's cool, and he's rather awed by most of the kids in Mondstadt.

He was hanging out with Razor and Fischl when someone decides to insult him. this genuinely upsets him—after all, they were insulting his ability and his position in the Adventurer's Guild...

Already, Razor and Fischl were already up to defend him, but what they didn't expect is for the Almighty Creator (aka you) got to it first.

"I beg your pardon," you say through gritted teeth. "How exactly is having a bad luck aura got to do with ANYTHING related to being an adventurer?" You're glaring so many daggers you could practically say you were breaking all the walls. "Perhaps we'll see just how lucky you are when I send you to Dragon Spine and watch your dead corpses FREEZE TO DEATH?"

The insulters were paling the more you went on. Razor and Fischl aren't sure what to do—you're already there, dealing with the situation.

But Bennett? Well uh, like usual, his bad luck got the best of him, and he accidentally stumbles towards you (miraculously). He bumps into you, and you shift your gaze onto him.

"Uh—Sorry, Your Grace! I really didn't mean to bump into you, I swear!" Poor guy is scared because his bad luck affected him at the worst time of all. He thinks he might get killed.

You though? Oh, hell nah. Your gaze already soften, and you decided to show favoritism! You pull the boy into a hug, glaring at the insulters one more time as a warning to scram, before you go back to enjoying giving the boy affection!

But when Bennett hears you get insulted? Well, first of all, screw his bad luck because the insulters were quite literally telling him how bad of a Creator you were!

He immediately tries to avoid getting too deep into the discussion, trying to sway the topic elsewhere to no avail, and he pales when he realizes you were literally a few steps away from them!

And it seems his bad luck gets in the way again, because you just turned right as he was staring at you with shocked eyes!

However, instead of being mad, you were actually beaming when you see him. You wave at Bennett, smiling.

"Bennett! Help me choose some flowers, yeah?"

"Uhm—uh, Sure, Your Grace!"

And that's how the insulters were hiding in their homes for the rest of their lives as you merrily dragged Bennett out of that horrendous conversation.

Nilou

Honestly, do I need to say who decided to insult this amazing dancer?

Yes, it was fricking Azar again. What is up with this crazy old man, nobody knows. Perhaps you should put him in prison for a while until he's gained a sense of appreciation for the Arts. ALL of the Arts.

Apparently, when you had drilled fear into this man, he thought it only applied to flipping Nahida. As much as you love Nahida, you are not going to have Azar twists your words and make it seem like you grant him permission to snark down other people—especially the people of Zubayr Theater.

So when Azar finally decides to have scholars gain the nerve to insult Nilou on behalf of his stupid brain, you (of course) just had to get yourself involved with this.

"Excuse me, but since when did you have the audacity to judge someone else's profession of art, simply because it isn't 'academic' in any way?" You spat. "Where I come from, Art courses are necessary in order to move on in your academic life." When Nilou hears you, she, first of all, is grateful of you stepping up for her, and, second of all, very scared of what might be happening next.

The scholars pale, but they seem to have taken your comment as a debate.

"With all due respect, Your Grace, the Arts are anything but educational—"

"Was I looking for a second opinion, dimwit?" You narrow your eyes. "Besides, have you yourself ever tried the Art of Dancing or the Art of Music before?"

"Well—uhm, no, but—"

"Then shut up, then." The scholars begin to panic as your voice becomes low and dangerous. "You don't have an excuse to be judgmental if you haven't even tried this stuff yourself."

"Ex-Sage Azar told us to say this!" They blurt out, and that only increases your rage. Seeing that things might escalate, Nilou steps in.

"Your Grace, let's not be too harsh!" She exclaims, waving her hands frantically. "I'm sure they understand what they did wrong. There's no need to have them punished." You narrowed your eyes in disagreement, for a half second, Nilou thought she made the situation worse.

But when you sigh heavily, she knew you relented. You glare at the scholars again.

"Tell Azar if he does this again, to ANYONE, I'll cut his head off, and there's no more excuses there. In fact—bring me to him. I'll have a talk with him myself."

Yeah, Azar got traumatized again :)

But when Nilou hears you be insulted? Quite literally behind your back? She thought she was going to faint from the gossiper's comments alone! You being there to listen it to it all only made her feel worse.

She was about to confront them, until she saw other people nearby dealing with the situation. So, Nilou decides to check up and see if you were okay...After all, those comments weren't nice.

She was pretty shocked when she realized you were contemplating over wares instead, completely unbothered by the drama going on behind your back. Nevertheless, she was still going to apologize in case you were just hiding your emotions.

"Uhm, Your Grace—I would like to apologize on behalf of all of Zubayr Theater. We should've done something earlier." You look at her, confused.

"What are you apologizing for, Nilou?" You ask. She blinks.

"Uhm, the gossipers, Your Grace..?" Your eyes widen, before you bark a laugh.

"Oh, those dudes! Yeah—don't worry about them, honestly. Say—help me pick: should I get hot chocolate or tea from this lovely store?"

Let's just say you had a fun time hanging out with Nilou for the rest of the afternoon :)

AND THAT'S IT! WE ARE DONE! I AM SO SORRY FOR BEING INACTIVE AND TAKING 30+ YEARS TO FINISH THIS, BUT IT'S HERE! :D I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED IT!

Ghost Rebel Side Notes: To anyone who's waiting for The Lost Shining God of Celestia, yes I have been writing on it. However, due to personal life problems and other IRL circumstances, it's taking a little longer than expected. I am sorry, everyone!

✦ Check out The Ghost Rebel’s Blog Description & Info Page to See if Their Mailbox is Open! ✦

[kamisatomay018]

My devotion and my love is all for you, Rex Lapis

A Zhongli version of the legend of the Red String of fate cuz why not! Very fluff with lots of love!

Zhongli x female reader

Please note that for this fanfic, your powers will be like Ningguang so there won’t be any confusion as you read ahead, and the artwork is not mine. Enjoy!

The chirping of birds, the sweet scent of your favourite Qingxin flowers, distant chatter of the people of liyue along with the sounds of carts moving through the lanes was what you could observe as you sat atop the mountain near the Lisha region. You were seated besides the Statue of the Seven, which was of your beloved Archon, Rex Lapis. While liyue kept moving ahead, you were forever stuck in time, perhaps right beside the statue of your Archon. For reasons that you yourself could not explain, you always felt a connection to Rex Lapis, an undeniable sense of devotion, admiration and love was filled in your heart for the God of Contracts. Perhaps it was because you were a citizen of Liyue, or perhaps because you were half adepti, or maybe because you held a vision of his element, a very minute part of his own powers that he had felt you were worthy of.

Due to the presence of adepti blood in your being, your life was way longer than an average human’s. You were almost a hundred years old now, yet you looked as young as a woman in her mid 20s, beautiful and graceful, with golden eyes and brown hair just like your Archon. You were a very famous painter, your paintings were demanded all across teyvat, though you made sure your identity was kept hidden. You liked to live in seclusion, away from mortals, especially the people of Liyue whom you had started to now despise deep down. Why? Because in your eyes, they were nothing but ungrateful. Months had passed since the news of Rex Lapis’ death was announced, and yet you saw not a single sign of remorse on the faces of these people. When Rex Lapis had died, people did not mourn truly, for merchants were worried about their businesses, the predictions of trade, the formation of mora. All they cared about was their own selfish desires, and not the fact that the great Archon who had built this city, protected it for over 6000 years had passed away. Only a single Right of Parting and everyone forgot him?

But you certainly did not. The day you heard that Rex Lapis was gone, you had felt your heart shatter into a million pieces, and you had cried bitterly for days, leaving the city and hiding away in the mountains. It took a week for Madam Ping to find you, and she was full of pity at your state. You seemed inconsolable, refusing to believe that the strongest Archon had passed away, that too assassinated. That was the day you decided to stop living in Liyue Harbour, and madam ping respected your wishes, gifting you a teapot made out of adeptal magic. You were so grateful for her, after all she was the one who had raised you after your father abandoned you when you were just a small child. Since then, you had refused to go to liyue harbour except for the days you visited madam ping and Yanfei, who was like a little sister to you. You spent most of your time in your teapot, painting endlessly for hours, and when you would come out, you would sit right here, besides the statue of the seven.

People barely hiked up this mountain, which gave you the peace and tranquility of spending time with the Archon. And no, although it may seem like it, you weren’t obsessed with Rex Lapis, you just felt an overwhelming sense of love and devotion towards him. Deep down in your heart, something in you told you that he was still alive, and you prayed that wherever he was today, he was at peace. He deserved it after all. And just like every other day, you now sat with your back against the statue, using your elemental powers to summon some glittering rocks, which floated above your palms. You loved your vision dearly, it was the best gift you had ever received. You were a strong fighter, not even needing any weapon for you could conjure rocks according to your wish.

You felt truly at peace when you sat near the statue of the seven, and you would occasionally rant about all your worries and feelings, as if Rex Lapis was there, listening to you. Maybe, maybe not, but what mattered to you was that you felt calm after doing so, getting some sort of reassurance that everything would one day be alright. You had never seen Rex Lapis, and despite how devoted you were, you never attended the Rite of Descention, because you absolutely hated being among greedy merchants and rich businessmen who did not care for their Archon but only for his divine predictions. Sitting alone in the peaceful silence, you unknowingly fell asleep, completely unaware of how much your life was going to change when you would wake up.

“Rise!”

You frowned, waking up to hear the sound of someone fighting. you opened your eyes, spotting a tall man with long hair fighting against two Stonehide lawachurls. You gasped, immediately standing up wishing to help him out, but were stopped by a geo barrier all around you. Even more perplexing was the fact that he immediately defeated the monsters, seeming unfazed and simply dusting off his elegant suit. Who was this man? Sensing that you were awake, he turned around to face you, and that’s when your entire world stopped. As both your eyes interlocked, gold meeting gold, a beautiful Red String of Fate revealed itself, tied around your pinky finger and his. He was your soulmate, your partner for life. The geo barrier around you faded away, as the unknown man walked towards you, seeming rather calm and unfazed by this revelation, as if he already knew.

“Are you alright?” The words seemed to slip past your lips without your consent, making the man in front of you chuckle softly. Oh gosh, his smile was so pretty. “Indeed I am, you needn’t worry about me. I am glad I reached here on time, otherwise the situation would’ve been worse.” His words were so gentle, his voice as deep as an ocean that you could listen to him talk endlessly for hours. “Who are you..?” He smiles once more, his golden eyes scanning your surroundings as he walks towards the statue, placing his hand on it. You gasped, your eyes widening as you saw his clothes transform into something similar to what the statue wore, his white and black clothing seeming so majestic, his arms now being the shade of the geo element itself. You couldn’t believe your eyes. Rex Lapis himself was standing in front of you, in all his glory and might. You bowed onto the ground in respect “Rex Lapis..” you then felt a gentle hand holding yours, making you stand up and look into his eyes. “You needn’t bow in front of me, you needn’t bow in front of anyone. You are my mate, you are my equal.”

You had so many questions, so many thoughts and so many emotions that you could not process anything. Tears fell from your eyes, as you looked at your soulmate, your Archon standing in front of you. How lucky you were, to be fated as the soulmate of Rex Lapis himself. As he moved away from the statue, his mighty form dissipated, making him turn back to his more human form, with the same suit he wore when you first saw him. He gently wiped your tears away, letting you take your time. He knew all of this was way too overwhelming for you, but he could not keep his identity from you a secret. “I…how…My Lord..please, I cannot understand what’s going on..” Zhongli now chuckled, embracing you protectively, and in an instant you calmed down, just the way you would when you sat beside his statue. You closed your eyes, cherishing his warmth, listening to his heart beating.

“Forgive me for taking so many months- no, years..to find you, many things stood in my path of finding you, a lot of which would’ve caused harm to you. I had to be away to protect you..as for my death, as you can see, it was all a lie. I have always been able to sense your presence, your voice, your thoughts and emotions. But I did not know who you were, and where you could be..It is thanks to my old friend Madam Ping that I was able to finally find you today.”

You listened to him carefully, nodding against his chest, making him chuckle softly at how endearing you seemed right now. He had been searching for you for so long, but he would be stuck at work at the Wangsheng funeral parlour, and then he wouldn’t feel your presence near the statue, nor could he find anyone with your voice in liyue harbour. Whenever you were near his statue, Zhongli would be able to hear your thoughts, your sweet honeyed voice filling the empty void in his heart. For so long, he had been alone and suffering. But now he had found you, his better half, his companion forever. “I know that all of this is very overwhelming for you, and I would be completely fine with giving you all the time and space you may need.” You immediately shook your head, acting on impulse as you hugged him tight. His warmth was too soothing, the eternal bond of the red string between you both making you crave his presence even more. “Please don’t go..”

He smiles at those words, hugging you ever so protectively, one hand on your head while the other wrapped around your waist. “I will never leave you, my beloved.” You smiled so much, still being in such disbelief that Rex Lapis himself was embracing you and calling you his beloved. “In my heart, I always knew you weren’t gone..but..if I may ask..why did you choose to do this?” A very expected question, and a justified one. Zhongli knew he couldn’t reveal the entire reason as to why he gave up his gnosis for he was bound by a contract, but he told you what he could. “One day, I was walking among the streets of Liyue, and I heard a conversation between two men. The first man told the second, “you have done your job, now you can rest” this made me wonder, have I finished my duties as the Rex Lapis? I realised that the people of Liyue no longer needed an archon, and that it was about time that I too, chose to rest.”

You understood the depth of his words, and knew that he deserved this. He had protected liyue for countless millennia, and now he was tired, now he wished for some normalcy in his life. “I understand…and even if the people have forgotten, I will never forget how much you have given to this land, to this city, to its people..I’m so thankful for everything that you’ve done Rex Lapis..” Oh, what a rare gem you are. No one had ever said these words to him, no one had ever been as devoted towards him as you were, no one had loved him as much as you had. He placed a gentle kiss on your forehead. “You are a rare gem indeed my beloved..but you need not address me as Rex Lapis, you can call me Zhongli, which is the name I’ve taken since I adopted the life of a mortal. Or if you wish to call me by any names of endearment, I would not be opposed to those either.”

You giggled at that, hugging him so close. You had found your happiness, the answer to all your prayers, the fruit of your endless devotion and the one who owns your heart and your love. Now you had a new reason to look forward to each day, but this time, there would be no need of going to the Statue of the Seven.

[gaydogmarriage]

i think it would be so funny if before ganyu and keqing reached some kind of understanding, in the pre rex lapis retirement era, ganyu had just a bit of a "i could fix her" attitude towards keqing. not a whole lot, just an occasional moment of insanity. like she can see this woman who is in her eyes arrogant, self assured, overconfident, and blatantly ignorant, someone who doesn't appreciate what their god has done for liyue. but at the same time she clearly cares about the nation and works hard to maintain and improve it. her heart is in the right place and that has got to be more frustrating than if she was irredeemable. more complicated. and ganyu seems to be the type of person who wants to see the good in the world and in people

like she'd have moments of thinking maybe she's ok. maybe she just needs to grow a little as a person and she'll come to her senses. but then keqing gives a banger passionate speech abt her beliefs n ganyu's like nope what was i thinking that's a lost cause right there. and the cycle continues. keqing in her lane flourishing while ganyu is having a Time with this funny politician living in her head rent free

ironically in the end ganyu ends up growing a lot herself as they reconcile their differences and become closer. tho keqing's had her own growing to do. without anyone needing to fix her lol. learned her own lessons. something something the kind of person liyue needs right now also being the kind of person ganyu needs

[rosaramaryllis]

'ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜ ᴍᴇ ᴅɪᴇ' ; a xiao x reader

synopsis ; alatus was a strong adeptus, having been one of the two yakshas to have survived karmic debt, along with the endless wars that came with time. however, even the one next to the strongest is not invincible.

summary ; basically y/n is the dendro yaksha and xiao has only opened up to them because they've gone through the same thing, losing all their comrades. y/n was his stone, but even a stone is not invincible.

word count: 1.5k

"alatus! come and celebrate the lantern rite with us!"

"no."

"come on, you do this every year!"

"still no."

"i'll bring almond tofu..?"

xiao begrudgingly sat at the table at mount hulao, eating his own plate of almond tofu whilst all his other fellow yakshas talked about nothing in particular, bosacius would sometimes brag about the monsters he had wrangled, indarias would help hand out food, bonanus chugged osmanthus wine (a benevolent gift from none other than rex lapis himself), menogias still refused to stop sewing. he was working on a suit familiar to his, the rest of them were in awe when he admitted it was for rex lapis himself.

"it certainly looks regal enough!"

then there was y/n, the dendro yaksha, general (name). while bosacius was official leader of the yakshas, appointed by rex lapis himself, y/n was the de-facto leader. they were basically the deputy, and loved for their motherly nature towards the other adepti. xiao often turned his nose up at them, why would anyone trust and treat others so nicely if they didn't even know each other?

"alatus, are you doing okay?"

the bustling atmosphere vanished in front of xiao's eyes, instead replaced by the tranquility of the wangshu inn, he stared into the starry night before turning to whoever had spoken.

"y/n."

he paused.

"thinking about bosacius and the others again?"

y/n asked, a sad smile on their face. it was always a pleasure to temporarily escape the reality of loneliness just to think of their fellow comrades.

however, every trip down memory lane wasn't always going to be a good one.

"y/n, alatus, i-i don't want to fight."

"indarias, stay strong, i don't want to either but-"

indarias screamed, letting out a bloodcurdling scream as hot tears ran down her face, her expression of pure agony and fear visible. she ran, far away from where alatus and y/n stood, they attempted to pursue her, but even more chaos would catch their attention before they could. alatus watched as y/n launched themselves up towards bonanus and menogias. he knew that the karmic debt had possessed them, and though his heart tightened, he knew that it was hopeless.

he never wanted to admit it though, and let y/n try.

"your worthless existence will be forgotten."

"as if a drunken insect like you wouldn't suffer the same fate as me."

their voices were now nothing but animalistic, they weren't yakshas anymore, but only monsters that plagued the battlefield. at the geo monster's comment, the hydro one let out a shrill screech of anger, launching herself forward and impaling the other. the geo monster wouldn't go down without a fight, and crystallized the other former yaksha, shattering her to pieces as he himself succumbed to his wounds and karmic debt.

a tear rolled down y/n's cheek, xiao standing atop bloodied corpses of monsters, his face holding a sombre expression. both of them prayed that bosacius would be alright.

and that prayer would go unanswered. years after that battle, bosacius had disappeared without a trace.

they had only discovered the truth recently, their now former deity filling y/n in after xiao's near-death experience.

in front of the traveler, the strange oni, yanfei, the ninja(?) and paimon, y/n put on a calm, composed face. they thanked the group for their assistance and providing closure for both them and xiao. however, the anemo user knew the truth, the tears that they shed, the vase that was broken as y/n yelled at xiao, who could do nothing but avert their gaze.

"what- you were just going to leave me here? without anyone? without you?"

y/n had started to pull on their hair, threatening to rip it out. xiao watched, he stumbled forward. he was never good with feelings, that was y/n's department. they were there when he had his karmic debt episodes, they were there to make almond tofu and help to soothe his pain.

xiao wrapped his arms around the other, it was awkward for him, but as y/n sank to the floor, he did so with them. they sobbed while rare tears came from his eyes, as he whispered apologies.

they spent their days at dihua marsh, walking together and reminiscing. they fought side-by-side, always having each others' back. they collected what they could of their late yaksha friends. indarias' mask, that y/n found after the bloody war. the both of them weren't there to watch her life cease, but the mask was indication enough.

menogias' mask was intact, albeit chipped. bosacius' was retrieved in the chasm by xiao, though it threatened to crumble as time wore it down. bonanus' mask was.. shattered. it was almost impossible to piece it back together, but xiao remembered the nights that him and y/n stayed up, using the strongest glue they could find, provided by cloud retainer. guizhong had usually been the one they went to for contraptions, but alas, the archon war not only stole friends like the yaksha, but also gods alike. the goddess of dust was among one of the casualties.

the traveler was also a prominent figure in their lives, who helped convince xiao to go to the lantern rite. they had led him to a clearing in the forest, feigning a story about a danger they had uncovered. as the vine curtain was thrown aside, instead of a huge monster, there was a stone table, just like the one back then in that lantern rite, there were 6 seats, but only one yaksha was there. y/n sat patiently, smiling at xiao.

xiao glared back at the traveler and paimon, who whistled innocently and scampered away.

in front of the seats were items.

a pot of soup, wine, a token from the primordial geovishap, and a needle and a piece of golden cloth. xiao didn't even have to look twice to know who they belonged to. he assumed the seat with almond tofu in front of it was his seat.

he sat down awkwardly, the both of them sitting in silence for a bit before y/n spoke up.

"let's just pretend, for now."

pretending was hard, though. the silence that engulfed the table was palpable. never will the cheerful banter ever fill the sky again. never will bosacius boast, the wine will remain untouched, the food never distributed, none of menogias' creations ever be made from his skillful hands.

y/n doubled over, a sudden pain piercing through their senses. they clutched the table as xiao bent down next to them, helpless to try and aid his companion.

their vision went black.

xiao looked over to liyue harbour, at bubu pharmacy. he didn't believe in human medicine, but what option did he have at the moment? he hoped that that.. baizhong.. or baili person could help them.

xiao hoped that this was just a passing sickness, a lack of sleep, anything. it can't be.. karmic debt. it can't be. for his sake, y/n had to live, at least long enough to watch him die.

alatus clutched y/n's hand, staying by their side the whole night. zhongli had come to visit, and the grim silence was there. silence, damn it. damn the silence. though he insisted on being better working on his own, in the silence the night provided, y/n always provided just enough banter.

"alatus."

xiao didn't reply.

"spend your time well with them."

and with that, zhongli left. xiao couldn't handle being so weak in his presence anyways.

your end was coming.

and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

then it happened.

an awful scream rang out throughout dihua marsh, as a band of hilichurls fell at xiao and y/n's feet.

y/n clutched their head, collapsing to their knees. xiao stood opposite them, turning away. he knew what was happening. he naively wished it would never happen, but he was just refusing to acknowledge reality.

y/n morphed into a monster, their gentle hands becoming large claws, their eyes with a crazed rage in it, and their face. oh, their face. it was nowhere to be seen. xiao was strong, it would be no issue to execute his former companion.

but his arms trembled, a warm liquid making its presence known as it streamed down his cheeks.

with a skilled slash by his hands, the monster fell to the ground. xiao ran over, desperate. the karmic debt that morphed their body receded into the night. xiao slowly reached out, touching their cheek.

another legend was added into liyue's books for years to come, they say that once every two years, on a random night, you can hear the despairing melody of a bird as it mourned its beloved, as well as the cries of a man that accompanies the song.

[zhongrin]

J - for... Research purposes...

selfship a-z ask game ->

........... *squints* i'm watching you

cw. yandere blurbs (i couldn't help it i'm sorry), possibly ooc behavior

well, personally if we're going to take into account my crippling lack of belief that i can be loved romantically, then to make it even i would say that they're all incredibly jealous husbands who would size up and at the very minimum would give a death glare to any men who manage to make me genuinely laugh.... but i suppose that would be too ooc for them 😔

henceforth are my answers as a barely decent writer:

𝔃𝓱𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓵𝓲 ᡣ𐭩 does not get jealous. why should he when we've become lovers in all the many lifetimes i've had? and if i ever stray off the right path, he's confident he knows the most efficient ways to pull me back into the right lane. in his dragon form, though, he gets jealous at the strangest thing. i've found chonkli hissing at the lizards roaming around the house, caught him wrestling with the rex lapis plushies that i cuddled the night before, and observed him getting sulky if i don't choose to wear any cor lapis accessories for a little too long, as if that in itself is some kind of capital offense.

ⲇⳑ ⲏⲇⳕτⲏⲇϻ ᡣ𐭩 does not get jealous. or maybe he knows how to hide it and 'cleans up' really well. if anything, he knows that i get awkwardly uncomfortable when people flirt or act too buddy-buddy with me, and he would always flawlessly pull me out of such situations within less than a minute. green. red. green. red. red. red.

𝔴𝔯𝔦𝔬𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔰𝔩𝔢𝔶 ᡣ𐭩 is more prone to jealously when i don't give him enough attention for too long. man channels his nonexistent siberian husky heritage and plays the awoooaoooaoaooaooo card (translation: "i will not shut up until you give me the attention i deserve pay attention to meeeeeeee")..... it's kinda cute, actually.

[cdfreak]

@jstorboy yayy thanks for the tag :)

Are you named after anyone? nuh uh but i consider bobby hill to be my honorary namesake

When was the last time you cried? like 2 hours ago LOL i cry so easily

Do you have kids? i am my own single mother

What sports do you play/have you played? used cd hunting is a grueling career

Do you use sarcasm? probably too often

What is the first thing you notice about people? their clothes probably i avoid eye contact a lot ..

What’s your eye colour? i have lapis orbs

Scary movies or happy endings? scary movies... i like happy endings a lot but im scared this questions version of hjappy ending movies is boring

Any talents? tweaking

Where were you born? 308 negra arroyo lane

What are your hobbies? gaming.. pinterest..

Do you have any pets? naur

How tall are you? 5'1 1/2

Favourite subject in school? artttttttttttttt

Dream job? stone age livestock herder

umm im high and scared of tagging people <3 LOLLL

[purplesigebert]

Happy Birthday Erica!

I hope your day is full of good food, friends, Willow and Pen snuggles and the Sims @bellemorte180!

I've been working on something for you!

like you’d get your knuckles bloody for me

Title is from Taylor Swift, obvi, and can be applied to both Bonnie and Klaus from Caroline's perspective.

Outsider pov, gold rush elements, and dark elements thrown in for you. Hope you like it!

San Francisco, 1852

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, making her glance around the dank alley. This night was truly going from bad to worse. Fog was rolling in and the heels of her boots squelched in the mud. Between one thought and the next, a downpour blinked into existence, turning the already slick mud road into a treacherous path. The witch grimaced as her dark hair came loose from her up do and hung around her face.  She muttered a spell under her breath to keep herself from being soaked.

She was not looking forward to cleaning the debris from her hem, and there was an appointment on the other side of town that she could not be late for. The agreement between the species was only being held together by a thread.  The wolves were getting testy and the vampires were breaking the fragile treaty more recklessly than ever. The locals could not be harmed, though with the sudden influx of migrants, hoping to become rich from gold, the line of who was and was not an acceptable meal was becoming blurred.

The Original Family was not being helpful.  Her coven had been hopeful that Elijah would have a plan to rein in Klaus, but Bonnie had doubts on his capability, given past events. There was a reason that the dark-haired Original’s was known to sacrifice everything for his Machiavellian younger brother. Not to mention that Kol had recently arrived from New Orleans, and where he went, trouble and chaos followed.  She didn’t know how to feel about how his eyes would trace her figure as they sat in the same coven meeting.

The coven Elders thought that vampires were abominations and aberrations in nature, but even they could not refuse the vast resources of grimoires and magical knowledge that Kol Mikaelson had amassed over his long life. 

She stumbled to a stop in the middle of the alleyway, or she would have if she wasn’t trying to stop her boots from sinking further into the muck. There sitting in a perfect circle of moonlight was the lapis lazuli engagement ring that Caroline had found while panning for gold in the river last week.  Her blonde friend had told her of a mysterious figure in the fog that kept watching her, waiting, in case she needed help; if she fell in and was carried downriver, unable to fight the strong current, her legs caught in the long length of her voluminous skirts.

The ring that Bonnie had watched her friend send back to Klaus; multiple times, each with a fond eye roll and a reminder that she was being courted by Mr. Donovan.  Bonnie did not know who her blonde friend was trying to convince more, Klaus Mikaelson or herself.  The actions and words that she spoke to and of him were more teasing than rebuking. The looks exchanged across the market square and the drawings he left for her showed that he was courting Caroline as well, even if she was not verbally acknowledging his suit.

Bonnie followed the drops of blood that littered the ground, that began at the ring, then melding into a trail, to find that they led to the massacred body of Matthew Donovan.

In truth, massacred was a…. kind word for the scene that she was currently gaping at.  The Mikaelsons knew the importance of being discreet; so why was Mr. Donovan’s entrails spread across the dirty lane, his heart in a corner, and his throat torn out?

The smell of dead leaves and blood in the air intensified as a vampire whooshed in front of her.  His sandy blond hair was curling in the front, and there were a few drops of blood dotting his collar. Not for the first Bonnie mused on how vampires were truly unassuming creatures, their prey didn’t know how truly in over their heads they were, right until their last moments.  The Mikealson were prime examples of this.

Her heart thumped at the shock of his sudden appearance before she glared at the man in front of her.

“Why am I not surprised that this,” she gestured to the eviscerated body lying between them, “was your fault?”

“Come now Miss Bennett, I thought that with your acquaintance with Kol, you would be willing to give me the benefit of the doubt.”

She scoffed at him, “Kol and I’s relationship is none of your business. Your time would be better managed concerning yourself with Caroline's reaction to this.”

She motioned to the bloody mass of flesh.

He smirked, “I am not worried about sweet Caroline’s response; besides, she has never quite hid her blushes around me well enough. In time you will learn, that I always get what I want, little witch, and that something as minuscule as a milquetoast suitor, is not an obstacle that bores thinking of.”

Bonnie hadn’t a high opinion of Matthew Donovan but still he hadn’t deserved to die; she would have settled for sending him on a permanent mission to Europe. It was clear now, why Rebekah had been spending so much time with the human, when it was rumoured that she had a lover named Marcel back in New Orleans.  It likely hadn’t taken too much of an effort from the blonde vampire to convince Donovan to cease ingesting his daily dose of vervain. 

The foolish man likely hadn’t even realized that his ring was missing.

His death was inevitable, but perhaps it wouldn’t have been so gruesome if he had been faithful to Caroline.

“Perhaps Caroline will say that she needs time to process the sudden death of her beau, or more likely, she will use the mourning period as an excuse to turn me away from her door.  Regardless, I have all the time in the world to wait for her; she has expressed an interest in turning.”

He glanced down at the bloody, beautiful ring. “Quite an interesting coincidence that that ring found its way to Caroline.“

In the distant Californian hills, a wolf howled. The rain was slowing, the wind stilling.

“It was a pleasure speaking with you Miss Bennett, I will see you at the meeting, we must do everything we can to protect the town, I have heard that there is a crazed murderer on the loose!”

There was a manic smile on his face as he sketched a shallow bow before walking over, placing a kiss on her knuckles, and speeding away. Bonnie shivered when she saw the remnants of Matthew’s blood on her hands. 

She found it difficult to pry her heels from the mud, evidence of how long she had been standing there talking to Caroline’s terrifyingly resolute admirer.

[helena-and-helena-meta]

Welcome, welcome!

I'm Helena, Decay, or Phantomato which ever one ya'll prefer to call me! Sometimes I write and ramble, and my blog is based around the characters Helena and Helena META! Though my current obsession is all versions of ANY Yautjas from Predator/AvP(Especially Wolf) except AP, batfamily, Justice League, and Lapis Lazuli from Houseki no Kuni. LGBTQ blinkies by Shortcakeem0ji :3

The things I write can be taken as platonic or romantic unless explicitly stated that they're platonic! I won't write smut though.

So I thought I'd put this here, but here is my Twst acc!

Also, here is my Azur Lane account the server I'm in is Amagi

Here is my Fate/Grand Order friend code!

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

Helena's interests

I like games such as Azur Lane(obv), Destiny and Destiny 2, YuGiOh duel links, Minecraft, Terraria, Stardew Valley, Fate/Grand Order, and Twisted Wonderland

My current anime list consists of That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime, Slime Diaries, Land of the Lustrous, YuGiOh, Azur Lane: Slow Ahead!, Umamusume: Pretty Derby, Takt Op. Destiny, Wonder Egg Priority, The Fate series, and Bofuri

My favorite shows are Helluva Boss, Hazbin Hotel, Steven Universe, FBI, SWAT, 911, 911: Lone Star, Kitchen Nightmares, Master Chef, and the first few seasons of Red vs Blue

My favorite movies are Twister, Patriots Day, both TMNT bayverse movies, Dunkirk, Unstoppable, and many more, can't name them all :3

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

Helena's writing. Most of my stuff will now also be posted to my Ao3, DecayingHelena, though it's mainly just going to be the James Ironwood stuff

For That He Is Thankful (Rewritten)

Do you fear me? (Rewritten)

Memories of Tempesta(AL x TWST)

Floral Fever(OM)

Floral Fever 2(OM)

Ice cream (Rewritten)

"They called me what?"

"I love you."

Kiss(James Ironwood x reader)(Rewritten)

"Shall we dance?"(Ironwitch)(Rewritten)

A strange craft(RWBY AU)

New hopes(RWBY AU)

James Ironwood headcanons

Unwind with me(RWBY au) (James Ironwood x reader)

James Ironwood headcanons 2

Love and Bad Luck(Ironqrow)

The world of yesterday(Ironwitch)

New Light(RWBY au)

James Ironwood headcanons 3

Valentine's Day(James Ironwood x reader)

The one thing he wished for(James Ironwood x reader)

Ironwitch headcanons

Ironwitch headcanons part 2

Project Personality: Penny Polendina post

Ironwitch headcanons part 3

"Pillows don't talk."(Leona Kingscholar x reader)

Fry Thief

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

Helena's rambling

Yuu protecting Malleus(What made me write For That He Is Thankful.)

Aggressive love towards Malleus

Helena's thoughts on Self aware TWST

Helena's thoughts on Self aware TWST 2

Rollo, the twink baguette

Chaotic Yugi Mutou

Helena watches Land of the Lustrous

Silly little twst idea

Silly little twst idea pt2

Silly space idea :3

Aggressive love towards James Ironwood

James Ironwood with a new outfit

Recoil

Helena's obsession with Ironwood

Helena's idea on HnK! James Ironwood

Helena's RWBY tier list

James Ironwood but with Destiny 2 weapons

Helena's back problems

Helena's Hunter

Helena's favorite James Ironwood moments

Helena making fun of their favorite boi

Helena speaks in memes

No sleep Tumblr

Multiships my beloved

Helena's RWDE rant

Helena's nicknames

Helena finding a new obsession

"You brought this upon me."

Cú Chulainns as out of context Discord convos

Cú Chulainns as out of context Discord convos

Cú: Either always kissing death or always going overkill

Nero has no chill

Helena's screentime

Helena condones murder

Clowning on both Europe and America

Helena gets reminded of Malleus

Outta context Discord continues

Outta context Discord: Crime edition

Weather sickness

Outta context Discord: Darkside of the internet

Outta context Discord: We're fucking dumb

Pissing off my bestie on Discord

Helena's thoughts on a Ironwood scene

Helena

Out of context Discord: AvP edition

Out of context Discord: AvP edition part 2

Helena's thoughts on Arthur Curry

Fried Fish

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

My rants are tagged under "Helena Rants", it's mainly some personal issues so if you don't wanna see that then feel free to block that tag

[bread-squid-uwu]

I TRIED 2 ASK A VAGUE ONE CUZ MYS!APH MOVES TO PHEONIX DROP WHEN SHES IN HIGH SCHOOL !! I JUST ASKED ONE RANDOMLY !! I’LL ASK ANOTHER ONE THO SINGE I REALIZE THAT ONE DOES COME OFF MORE MCD FOCUSED SORRRUY!! UHMUHMUHM WHATS APHMAUS JOB???? OR ANY OF THE MYSTREET CHARACTERS JOBS IN UR REWRITE

LMFAO OOPS, SORRY ANON. 🩵🩵

Aphmau works as a night guard for a local restaurant place, one with a focus on entertainment and fun... [ fnaf joke is STAYING in my rewrite!! ]

Katelyn does not have a job, but does volunteer at multiple community places. She's still in college, and her dad helps her out when needed.

Nana, "Angel", is a twitch streamer!!

Garroth does not have a job either, but he is rich as hell so really it.. doesn't matter.

Laurance works in a coffee shop, primarily. But he has a second job at a tattoo and piercing shop.

Dante and Travis work at the same grocery store, but Travis does volunteer work at an animal hospital, and Dante makes music on the side - he has since high school.

Zane is a security guard at the local mall, and also works at the tattoo/piercing shop with Laurance (hates both jobs)

Lucinda runs her own shop, just like in canon!!

Aaron is a night guard for the local mall, which Zane hates for some reason. Typical Zane stuff

AND THATS LIKE. ALL I HAVE ACTUALLY THOUGHT OUT, FEEL FREE TO ASK LITERALLY ANYTHING!! 🩵

[sunshine-zenith]

Actually, I’m honor of SU turning ten years old (several months ago) here’s a trip down memory lane — all the assumptions I made about SU before I actually watched it. It took about a year or so into SU’s run before I gave it a chance, and every time it came across my dash I usually only skimmed the post

Bonus points if you can pinpoint the SU episodes whose gif sets contributed to these assumptions

The Crystal Gems were a traveling band made up of semi-retired superheroes. Steven, meanwhile, was a normal powerless human who tagged along to help with equipment. His goal was to either become a superhero like them, a professional rockstar, or both

Lars was a dog-like nature spirit or something. He was kinda a troll, but overall neutral and he was one of the few beings who could piss Steven off. Also he had something to do with Steven’s mom’s death

Peedee was Steven’s best friend. There was a running gag that every time he showed up he was complaining about something adult related (having to take a mortgage out on his house, his boss making him work overtime to finish a project, alimony). Sadie was also a close friend/possible relative of Steven’s

Lapis was much more of a reoccurring character and was Steven’s secret friend. She was directly hurt/cursed by the Crystal Gems and had something to do with them retiring

[iamheadphones]

June 10, 3027

The leave came almost too soon. It was around evening when she had to leave. The drive home felt a little too long. Making her wish she had just stayed was Lapis. As she hit the highway to her house a song Lapis had recommended to her started playing. It was, as far as she was aware, a very old song. At first she didn’t really like it, but now it had grown on her. She began to hum it before eventually she unintentionally sang out a lyric. “And if a double decker bus crashes into us, to die by your side, such a heavenly way to die.” Then suddenly she recalled the exit she needed to take was quickly coming up, and she was in the wrong lane. She quickly moved over just barely making it onto the exit ramp, safely. The roads winding back to her house until she finally hit her block. She sighed as she locked her car and went straight inside only to be hit with the smell of something wonderful. Alongside a bit of a chaotic scene. Elliot was rapidly looking around at everything on the stove while also checking on whatever Ella, and Julia were bothering him about. While Maya was calmly mixing something in a bowl, and Emily was just sitting on the couch. “What on Earth is going on here?” Marina asked as Maya looked up. “Evan was originally supposed to be helping Elliot with dinner.” Maya shouted upward before looking back down at the bowl. “Until his prank team couldn’t wait for a meeting, and since Elliot knows how long the food is cooking he is monitoring everything else.” Maya answered as she grabbed a spice before stirring it in. “And you are just…?” She began as Emily looked up at her. Looking at plants I might want.” Emily replied as she pointed towards her phone. “You know you can help by entertaining these two.” Elliot shouted as she looked back to see Julia and Ella starting to jump and try to grab his tail whilst he was in his form. “Sorry, but the doctor said to take it easy.” Emily replied as she rolled her eyes, but before any response came a voice quickly shouted. “Marina!” Her head snapped over to the stairs where Laura was standing. “Sube tu trasero aquí, estamos discutiendo planes de broma. Además, ¿dónde has estado todo este tiempo? Se suponía que solo saldrías a almorzar y, sin embargo, han pasado varias horas.” Laura went on as she dragged her up the stairs. “Can you speak English my Spanish no more than Hola, adios, and joder.” She said as the two entered Rain’s cramped room. “Right we were having a prank meeting.” She said as she leaned against the door. “Where were you?” Jesica asked. “I was out having lunch with my mom then I took a visit to Lapis’s.” She explained as the others nodded. “So what do y’all think we should do for the prank?” Rain asked. “We could purposefully glue one of his lego sets together.” Robin suggested. “Oh yeah that will be painful. Especially if he wants to build something new out of them.” Chase replied pointing at Robin. “Or we could switch the labels on his paint?” Addie suggested. “That’s another good one. He would mindlessly pick one up since he has the color coded.” Laura said. As Rain looked over at her. “How did you know that?” They asked. “I borrowed some of his paints once.” Laura replied back as eyes turned towards her. “You have some good false pranks to lie to them about? Or to disguise the actual target?” I could probably lie and say they will mess around with the paints in Evan’s shed. They might even set up a prank in the shed to catch one of us off guard.” She suggested as everyone nodded in agreement. Then her phone let out a ping.

[zombienoodles13]

Prologue of My Book

I've decided to revive an old project I worked on when I was a few years younger, and I've decided to post my drafts to see what you all think. This is the second draft of the prologue, let me know your thoughts!

Prologue: The March of the Legion

An ocean of warriors harshly marches across the crackled field, their boots crashing onto the ground with a loud thunk. The land they stomp on is as white, with a pinch of violet, as their skin. The sporadic black gleaming from a silken sun and heavy greys of the ash of their home like the sprinkles of charcoal hair among the blonde and their hefty suits of armor. The jagged mountains as sharp and foreboding as their ears. The rivers share a lapis lazuli blue and a relentless rage with the eyes of the warriors. The features of the region toss the wind just as the soldiers toss around a sense of tension, an aura of the wind’s ethereal screams encircle the warriors, who shelter their fear and anxiety with their own shield, displaying a sense of.

The various soldiers move in a formation. At the back, teams of technicians and operators steer large vehicles. The vast crystal a colossus to the meager crystals of their Autowands, with a smaller conduit at the upper platform of the machine. The massive machine’s metallic cylinders contrast with the light armor of the technicians, an intricate inscription, engraved with the regalness of their insignias, adorns the side. The wide wood wheels are slow and heavy, unlike the deft boots of the technicians, with a stitched sigil of their own giving them the swiftness to manage the vehicle. Their head operators command around the blitzing group, twisting, turning, and hammering their feet to keep pace with the broader Corp.

            At the front, armored amalgamations trudge forward, with crudely connected scraps of sharp, dark, drilled mismatched metal attached to the awkwardly and overly sized limbs they slam into the earth. Many containers, boxes, barrels, arm shelves and more are shackled to the ankles of the abominations, they are filled with food, containers of water, crystals and autowands of various sizes, and other miscellaneous goods. A large crystal bulges from their center, latched in place with a metallic conduit, exhibiting the same engineering of the artillery, unlike the rest of the brutish beings. The beasts lug large barrows, latched to the necks of the aberrations, suited for their gargantuan frames, empty, save for whatever could not be tied onto the legs of the monstrosities, that drag behind them as the wheels bump across the ground in response to the heaves of the horrors. Armored riders sit upon installed seats on the latches of their necks and guide them, and unarmored mage officers follows behind the beasts, handling them when they shake and stop.

            Behind the amalgamations and mages, rows of footsoldiers of rudimentary rank, carrying their autowands, the length of the wooden pole about as long as their arm, on their backs, and push their own empty barrows. The soldiers trudge forward, exerting themselves to exhaustion. Sergeants attend ahead the sides of the toilers, switching around soldiers as they begin to collapse. Most of the soldiers return to the lanes, with barely enough strength to continue marching, other, more exhausted soldiers lunge into the barrows of newly assigned soldiers, and as the barrows of the soldiers begin filling up, others even limp into the barrows of the amalgamations, too weary to notice the brash crashes of the wheels of the barrows on the ground. Behind the working soldiers are a length of soldiers with more glamorous symbols adorned to them, with small variations among them. They carry differing equipment and weapons, larger soldiers carry long, heavy autowands, with a tiny, lever-like mechanism at the bottom. They wear heavy plating and many smaller attachments of immediate crystals and mechanized curios. Certain specialist officers skip around the army, much like the technicians of the large machines, wielding a strange mechanical wand and a basic autowand, engraved with the same symbol of the large soldiers, technicians and both footsoldiers, checking the equipment of the regimens and amalgamations, and occasionally tweaking and repairing as needed. Behind the heavy-set soldiers land the general base of the army, equipped with modified but similar autowands to the working soldiers, they brag larger crystals, refined handles, smoother wood, and a small wood sight, offering some capacity of certainty for their aim.

            At the edges of both sides of the army lie scouts, they wear light armor and swift boots, like the technicians, but they have cloaks stitched with their own insignias that shroud them, and carry complex autowands, the crystal conduit is installed to the side of the weapon, a large, precise wood sight is put atop the weapon, and a lengthy metal core holds it together. The metal is inscribed with a different symbol than the other autowands. They stalk along the very edges of the soldiers, some jokingly surveying their homeland.

At the very head of the group, ahead the artillery, the footsoldiers, the mages, the amalagamations and their riders, and even the scouts, strut two officers, one wears the outfits of the unarmored mages, and wear a fancier rank. The other rides upon a horse.

The army approaches a small checkpoint, the humble checkpoint, merely a tiny kiosk operated by a simple officer, displays two banners, one banner on the left of the kiosk adorns an open skull, pointed opposite of the cresent surrounding it, the remainder of the circle blackened out, and sits at the center of an otherwise purple banner, the right side banner is green and white, a raven holding a bag spreads its wings across the banner. The officer on the horse takes notice of the right banner, halts the regimens behind him, and brings the other officer along as they approach the kiosk. The officer managing the kiosk notices the approaching officers, and leaves his workstation, looking in awe at the vast group passing through.

He hurriedly bows towards the much more decorated officers as they stop. Excitedly asking, “I am honored to be in your presence, but what could you ever want from me?”. The officer on the horse points towards the banner on the right side of the kiosk and says “Take that worthless cloth down.”

The kiosk officer, puzzled, replies “But… That’s the banner of Lyrissa! This is a border checkpoint, a symbol of peace and agreement between our countries, why would we destroy it?”

The officer riding the horse rolls their eyes during the kiosk officer’s quizzing, retrieving their personal autowand. The autowand has a lengthy wood pole, centered in a metallic core, at it’s bottom lies a mechanical trigger, a small metal sight, as thin as tinfoil and hard as steel, sits at the top, a sigil sits at the center of the metal core, but it has a crudely carved modification, with the rest resembling the same symbols on the autowands of the footsoldiers, and a curved, wooden hook-like attachment at the back end of the autowand. The riding officer lazily aims towards the right banner, quickly shooting 3 consecutive shots of his autowand, the autowand spews a swarm of projectiles of energy, shredding the lower left side of the banner, the next splinters off some of the wooden pole holding the banner, along with the rest of it’s right side. The mangled remnants of the banner barely cling to the left side of the pole, and the remains of the banner finally fall, like a hiker holding onto the ledge of a cliff, as the third and final shot drags it to the ground, this time leaving the pole untouched.

The kiosk officer dives as they see the riding officer aiming and firing, the mage officer at his side simply steps back, sighing. Once the riding officer ceases, the shocked kiosk officer stares at the destroyed banner and snaps back their head to the riding officer in confusion.

“Because peace and agreement are no longer.”, the riding officer responds, signaling to his legion of subordinates to continue and, with the mage officer following, realigns to the front. The kiosk officer, still at the ground, stares at the marching soldiers, a look of worry encompassing his face. He then looks towards a distant citadel, so far it’s a vague faint speck, the opposite direction the soldiers stomp in.

A stronghold is pinned at the peak of a large cathedral. The stronghold’s design holds a style familiar to the sharpness of webs, the pillars are leaned, to hold it in place, the slopes have small horns on their sides. The material is like obsidian, the road is like black stone, the windows are like smoky quartz. There are shades and accents of purple and neon green in the parts of the city that are wood and cloth, mostly painted and dyed. They are the only real vibrancy within the entirety of the city, the rest is monochrome and dark. The people, like the soldiers, are grey and pale, aside from their blue and blonde from their main facial features, along with the ears and the rarer black. Like their city, the magic and lighting they wield is colored as lime green and purple. A fire here, some conjuring there, the portals. All colored as such, familiar to their style. These people seem to be hurrying, most of them expressly excited. Despite their seemingly dead environment, the people are alive. Bustling, like a city, they are gunning towards an area, they noticeably are coming for something. “I can’t wait for it!”, a woman proclaims in a language unlike our own, it has a harsh, guttural sound to it. “This is the day!”, an aging man follows, in the same language. They are talking amongst their fellows about what is to happen. They run towards the top area, a spire that shrinks. A ledge leans out of the walls of the cathedral.

A man stands at a small window, his brown eyes watching as the army stampedes into the Lyrissan territory. A narrow gaze from a narrow face, with ears just as sharp. He would almost blend in with the architecture if not for the rare, fanciful greyed blue garments that silhouette him. He adorns the laboriously tailored clothes that surely signify an established man. Pockets line his torso horizontally, as the buttons follow at his center and a purple, curved collar encircles his neck. His pants are slim, but still loose on his thin frame. His long shoes, so clean that light ripples off the dark surface, span the length of his feet. He displays a sense of calm apathy about him. Almost as if he is desperately attempting to dismiss the thought of the crowd below

A new face approaches, dressed in similar garbs to the man in the window, speaking to him in the tongue of their people. “My Lord, the crowds are gathering for your speech, the entire city has come around, ecstatic! I never-“,

“I know”, the man interrupts, “I am simply preparing myself. Our next course of action will need careful consideration.”

“Course of action, sir?”, the assistant questioned.

“This invasion of Lyrissa will not be tolerated, unlike our other “transgressions.”, he sneers in disgust, “Once word is caught of this, those lessers won’t hesitate to declare war.”

“Fair, what will we do?”, the assistant questions.

“I have not decided. Bah! We shall come to an arrangement later, for now, I have a speech to rouse my people.”, he declares.

“Great news sir! Shall I tell them?”, the assistant inquires.

“With pleasure”, the man grants.

The assistant strides for the door, blazing down the stairs that trail to the hallway, and sailing to the entrance room, there, he immediately stops, borrowing a moment to double check that the guards are set in place, the Speaking Stone is prepared, and does a last-minute groom of himself before the presentation. Conveniently, this gives the comparably slow and relaxed man enough time to catch up to the assistant, the assistant peers at his superior, who returns a nod of approval, and then:

“Welcome, my citizens. Today grants us a new dawn, both metaphorically and literally! Your Lord has called you here to give an announcement, so now, I shall present, ladies and gentlemen, Alsmier, the Dark Lord!

[bbiwon]

today, jaewon is armed with heavy artillery: a caramel cream cold coffee in one hand, a white chocolate mocha frappuccino in other, all courtesy of lapis roasters' baristas and their skilled handiwork. he carries a smile on top of his lips, too, so wide that his cheeks begin to hurt; a smile born out of nothing but self-conviction, as well as self-assurance. of course, he carries a hidden weapon, too. his determination in the plan he's forged, his confidence that it would play out exactly like he's imagined in his mind.

it's reflected in his strut, too. quick on his feet, they take him down a path he's very accustomed to; down the tiled hallways, past the many stores, straight down the lane to xpixel.

jaewon walks inside, his eyes immediately drawn to the front desk.

"heeeey, nari," he slides almost literally, the cups laced against the same counter he leans against. he's grinning still, head tilted to side. fingers tap against the lid of coffee cup closer to him. "you look so lovely today, you need to tell me your skin care routine and, oh, you can take whichever, by the way. no extra sugar regardless of the order, right?"

@naridotcom