#like with the gens im trying to figure out: how are they formed how are they placed in the world stuff like that

[waywardsalt]

def going to at least take notes for the gems (thought abt doing the sands, but with that i think its generally easier to figure out how theyre created/why they’re where they are, like yknow the bosses are made of the sands and i could see extra bits either being deliberately scattered or maybe just appearing around the seas as a result of monsters being killed, not too fancy since we’re kinda directly given the rundown on the sands) but with the heart containers since theyre such a game-mechanicy bit and ofc a staple of the series i wont give them as much (or possibly any) attention since im trying to piece things together in terms of world building and character details.

now that ive remembered it, i might make my current ph playthrough a 100% playthrough (of as close as i end up with getting what i am interested in) because i am interested in the locations of all of the power/wisdom/courage gems to see if there’s any kind of pattern beyond just collectables being placed around

[the-moon-files]

I’m not sure if I’ve said this one already or not, but I wanted to tell you anyways! It’s about the humans-are-not-hylians AU!

You know the uncanny valley evolution? That thing where when you look at something that resembles a living being too closely and some part of your mind is screaming that it’s not whatever it looks like and to get away from it? Imagine that with the reader! They can spot shapeshifters easily because of this, but it instills the same extreme primal fear we’d experience, so it might be hard for the reader to confront them at first and they’ll instead just tell the Chain for a while.

This might be a double edged sword, though, because when Twilight is in his wolf form, the reader still gets that same feeling when “Wolfie” is looking at them, whether or not they know it’s Twilight. In this case, the first time the reader spots Wolfie approaching the camp, they probably freak out and try to avoid him, even if the Links are okay with him or if he seems familiar to them.

The bottom line is that wolf isn’t a wolf, so what is he?

“It’s okay, he’s a really friendly wolf!”

“...That’s not a wolf...”

Sorry i took forever to respond!! im slow as always, life is too busy for even my hobbies lately sobs 😭

bro this is especially true bc someone looked back at TP games and how he looks in his “wolf” form, and apparently he is actually a dog lol - like at most a wolf-hybrid, i added this in to support this Hyrule-is-hella-Uncanny AU lol

Moon: Guide! - Gender Neutral/Masc!Reader (”you”/he/him)

Orbit: Short headcanons

Stars: mentions of most of our Links <3

Comets & Meteors: CWs: typical LU/Loz violence, mild swearing, etc & TWs: mild possible derealization trigger, talk of Link’s Awakening and Koholint.

Please comment if I missed any. /gen

The Yiga clan members have never fooled you, not Once in person, unlike back when hyrule was still a video game

it was the constant smell of bananas, the way their eyes were always a little unfocused or they moved their head to move around their eyes, rather than their actual pupils moving, the facial muscles all stiff, usually stuck in an uncomfortable smile-

it makes more sense once u realize that they technically have a mask under that glamour hylian face, but its never not hilarious to see Wild look over his shoulder at you before approaching a lone traveler on the roads and watch him get increasingly frantic to get ur attention to see if theyre yiga lmao

u bet ur ass every link was relying on you on their adventures to know shapeshifters/illusions/glamours/etc. on sight and tell them to better prep them/warn them

tbh they all got at least a little better at being able to tell the difference the longer they heard you point out stuff/talk abt exactly why it was off-putting

(that said some of ur heroes are better at it than others, both in general, and certain aspects of it: like Twilight isn’t able to pick up illusions/glamours for the life of him, literally, sometimes, but he is more likely to figure out shapeshifters by scent after you Guided him)

(no, your heart didnt crack a little after learning that the boys had a harder time with deceit after you stopped playing the game = “were forced to leave after their adventure” bc while they were better at detecting it, they werent on ur human level yet..)

(…the only deception you ever really fell for was Koholint. It was so painful too, because Legend quietly disclosed to you one late night that you would constantly get strange feelings/uncanny disturbances, but were never able to put a name to it for him, which both made you jumpy/paranoid on the island, but made him regret ever letting his guard down all the more or feel guilty for what felt like dismissing ur instincts the more he relaxed… Legend never doubted your sense for the uncanny ever again. He takes it seriously every time now.

When you feel as if you should apologize, he tells u not to, that these days he takes comfort in it actually, it makes him feel safer. Legend looks to your face for confirmation that something isn’t a dream, and if you look at ease, so is he.)

its the way you casually laugh at Twi being called “Wolfie” when he’s obviously a wolf-dog hybrid or just a big dog

and when everyones confused u just explain smth smth, wolf heads are larger in comparison to their body, their legs are narrow, their paws are big, dogs are like the oppposite, or way more proportional like “Wolfie” is, dogs bob around when they run like “wolfie”, and have shorter legs,

smth smth wolves cant have eye colors like blue, only dogs/wolf-dog hybrids can silly-

and Wolfie is just like, 😐 😑 😐

turning around and walking away, bc hylias knotted fucking braid- he really cant escape the dog accusations now, you literally used ur freaky truth-seeing instinct and read his shapeshifter ass from head to literal toe/paw-

Wild/Hyrule look fascinated, Wind and Legend cant breath theyre laughing so hard, Time is coughing suspiciously into his fist and pops back up smirking, Four is laughing but also encouraging you to keep going, Sky is desperately trying to keep it together while also trying to get Twi to come back lmao, Wars is literally pointing and laughing ashkljdl-

ok but Twi gets his revenge later by tricking you into yapping abt how Hyrule/Four/Time all kind of look “off” sometimes too

like how u swear Rulie is glowing subtly when the moon is full, or how the world distorts behind his back sometimes,

or how Four’s eyes change colors all the time, his fighting style looks like its rotating between 4 diff ppl’s techniques,

or how Time’s face wrinkles like smile lines/crows feet at the corner of his eyes will randomly appear and disappear, how he’ll have some stubble one day then 3 days later despite having not shaven (u literally saw him wake up and do his morning routine) it’ll disappear like it was never there in the first place-

and when Twi has stopped asking you abt the others as they all reel over the knowledge of what all u can tell abt them,

(ur quietly relieved no one asked abt Wild.

You resolve urself to just lie if anyone asks, even to Wild himself.)

☆

hey im alive!! im slow yknow how it is,

ive been doing too much, and i cant wait to be done with this class so i can have free time guilt free again 🥲

god thats one good thing abt getting out of academia i dont miss and would only wish on my worst enemy,

the anxiety of doing smth, even necessary stuff like eating/sleeping/showering, and feeling liek you should be doing homework instead, god its so awful

cant wait to feel like an adult with my own life again lmao

that certification better work and get me a white collar job goddamit 🤞

anyway, hope ur all having a good weekend,

and just to let u know, im so happy acc that im alive to see the first zelda game that actually follows what i originally thought the plot of zelda games was when i was a kid lmao

(zelda as the protag, saving link!!)

Peace out,

🌙

[hatsukeii]

i think i’m gonna pick up a 🎸 with a few 🎵 decorations including a ‘rivals to lovers’ guitar pick and a ‘cooking class au’ strap. and lately i’ve heard that osamu is my biggest fan ;)

got it! the band you’ve joined is…

hell’s kitchen / timeskip!osamu miya x reader

genre(s): fluff, slight crack, rivals to possible? lovers, culinary class au! food!

warning(s): nothing!! im worried that osamu might be ooc here or it's not rivalry enough but i hope it works out!>!!>!

wc: ~1.7k

your first gig is at…a culinary class?!

setlist:

🎵girlfriend, hemlocke springs

🎵comedy, gen hoshino

🎵get him back!,olivia rodrigo

How many things can someone possibly put in a rice ball? To slurp, or not to slurp? Better yet, is slapping somebody with a whole head of pickled cabbage a viable course of action?

It's humiliating, almost, paired with Osamu Miya in every culinary class. Not because of his lack of skill- he's good, too good even. But he smacks his tongue audibly against the roof of his mouth every time he digs into your cooking, slurps until showers of broth come spitting from the bowl, wipes his hands on his apron, slathering emulsifications of aioli and hollandaise onto rough canvas fabric, then grabs your waist to walk behind you. Every quirk of his is incomplete without his signature, shit-eating smirk. Every class has you considering swinging whatever tool you have in hand into his face.

Unfortunately, that day is not today. Onigiri only requires hands, and seeing that Osamu has formed six seemingly perfect balls of seaweed wrapped rice, he is clearly much better at using them than you are. Handiwork training is what today's chef called this atrocity. To move beyond being a cook to a chef, you must learn the first tool of cooking- your hands, he said. From the corner of your eye, you catch Osamu's amused glances towards the two funky looking shapes on your plate, and the panicked pulses of your palms against a handful of slippery, seasoned rice. He picks up one of the six onigiri of his own, the rounded tip of the triangle disappearing into his mouth as he chews, agonisingly slowly, smacking his tongue the way he knows you hate. A grumble elicits from your throat, your hands squeezing tighter against the sticky grains in your grasp, only for more chunks to fall apart.

"Let me help."

"No."

"Whatever you say."

He walks over now, biting a second corner off his onigiri as his hips lean against your side of the counter. His lips smack together obnoxiously, teeth squelching and grinding at rice and salmon. You irk your brows when the rice in your grasp seems to stop sticking to each other. It takes one look at your now opaque bowl of water for you to realise that you've washed all the starch off in your attempts to release the grains from your palms. Osamu figured it out when you dipped your hand into the bowl for the seventh time.

"Mix it into the rest of the rice that you have. That helps."

You hate that he's right, because when you do what he's told you to, the rest of the rice comes around the wet grains and sticks to them like they're supposed to. He pops the rest of his onigiri into his mouth, swiping his hands together before rubbing them over the sides of his rice-decorated apron. You try again, scooping up a lukewarm ball of rice. Flattening it against your palm, you search for the bowl of salmon, eyes landing on an empty bowl adorned with sad, pink flakes of salt-grilled fish. Osamu's already sliding the rest of his salmon over the counter.

"Need extra?" His mouth is still stuffed, a single piece of rice sticks to the corner of his mouth.

"Thanks."

You dump a spoonful of salmon into the centre of your rice pattie, before sticking your free hand into the water and folding your palms into each other. The rice sticks to your fingers when you pull away, and you groan, pushing harder. At that, grains begin to crack away from the ball, bits of salmon beginning to stick out from the bottom. Osamu swallows half of the contents in his mouth, his cheek jutting out like a hamster hoarding sunflower seeds. He watches your inexperienced hands, clawing at and tossing the rice to shape it, and he reaches over to rinse his hands over the sink.

"Just let me help you out."

Grains of jasmine rice stick to his wet palms that come around your hands, squeezing and pushing at a ball of rice that falls apart at each movement. The fuzz of his rolled up sweater sleeves rubs against your forearms as his fingers work their way onto yours. Starchy water trickles down the back of your hand when he forces them to loosen around the mess of grilled salmon and rice, and you sigh in defeat, letting him move you as he pleases.

"Look, I'm not sure why you dislike me so much."

"I don't."

He chuckles, pushing your hands into the rice now. You study the pressure he applies to the ball of rice, learn the shape of his fingers around yours, memorise the cup of his palms around the back of your own.

"Yes, you do. You always look at me like-"

You snap your head around to meet his eyes, and he's so close that for the first time, you have to angle your head to look up at him. He's not smirking anymore, moreso observing. You aren't sure what there is to observe on your face, but it's welcome nevertheless.

"Like what?"

He purses his lips, huffing out a dejected sigh.

"Like that."

He lets go of your hands, stepping backwards, and you hold the perfectly moulded onigiri up to eye level. The rice is glossy in a sheen of vinegar and water, yet pertains its fluffiness in the tack of starch against your fingers. The handiwork of a true chef.

"You're so good at this class that I can't even get annoyed at you openly. It's infuriating."

"What did I ever do to you?"

You laugh sarcastically, waving the newly formed onigiri in Osamu’s face, before taking a bite. He laughs, mouth forming a taunting oh when you smack your lips against each other the way that he does, the flakiness of salmon spreading char and salt across your tastebuds. Then, you place the onigiri aside, rubbing your hands up and down your pristine apron, before grabbing his waist to move him to the side so you can walk past, making sure bits of rice and fish stick to his apron. He chuckles, clapping tantalisingly slowly at your imitation of his habits. You give him a fake bow, and he drops his hands to his hips, shrugging.

"That's it?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Petty rivalry and kitchen hygiene."

"Mind you, I am very hygienic. My shop hasn't been shut down for a reason."

You watch Osamu's hands dig into the remaining portion of your rice, his tongue sticking out as he moulds and shapes it into another perfectly rounded triangle. You scoff at his defensiveness, arms crossed in front of you. He wraps a rectangle of seaweed across the centre of the rice ball, and holds it up to your face. It is swiped from his fingers by your own, and you stuff half of it into your mouth, chewing without a sound and swallowing the mouthful.

"You do not have a shop."

"Where'd you think I learned how to do all this?" His hands shoot out to wave at his perfect collection of hand-made onigiri, and you sigh, rolling your head to the side.

"Okay, sure. You have a shop. It's a surprise you can be this annoying and keep it running."

"Loosen up, I just wipe my hands on my apron and eat loud. It's not like I'm spitting in my food. Besides, being that uptight ends up with your onigiri coming out more like...that." His head nods towards the funky ones on your plate, bits of fish sticking from the crevices between individual grains of rice. You shrug in acceptance, taking another bite from his onigiri. Osamu clicks his tongue, grabbing your wrist to bring the rice ball to his mouth instead, consuming the final corner of the triangle in its entirety. He swallows it with a hum, his fingers still around your wrist. He's not letting go. Now, you're interested.

"Should I pay you a visit? Need to see for myself that you're running it to safety standards."

"Are you flirting with me? Because you should keep going."

You roll your eyes when you see him wink at you from above your hand, but an toothy grin creeps its way onto your face, and Osamu smiles at his tactics.

"Whatever you say, Miya." His last name finally makes it out of your mouth for the first time since the two of you have been put together for this course, and he drops your wrist.

"You know, I could teach you how to make those onigiris properly if you show up to Onigiri Miya. You'd be almost as good as me by the end of it."

You flick a grain of rice at him, and it sticks to his apron unceremoniously. He's even named the shop after his family name. How cute. Despicable.

"Don't try your luck, chef."

"Chef? High praise."

The supervising chef sounds a bell, harsh waves of high pitched ringing echoing throughout the room. And as Osamu scrubs at bowls and lathers soapy water onto plates, he watches you tap at your phone with clean hands. Your sink is already empty, the two bowls and one plate that you used in total sitting on the drying rack already. Your onigiris sit in a takeout container, lined up neatly in two rows. His own are still on their plate, and he reminds himself to grab a takeout box for himself. You look up to Osamu, and he looks back at his wet hands and soapy dishes.

"Found you online. I'll be checking your place out soon." You remark at him, and the corners of his mouth curl up into a grin.

"You sure you're not there to check me out instead?" You snicker at his blatant flirtations, and pretend that he's completely incorrect.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves now, Miya."

You shove your phone back into your pocket, swipe an onigiri off his plate, and wave at him as you turn your back to leave.

Osamu watches your silhouette push open the door as he slots his dishes into the drying rack. He hopes that you'll become his favourite regular at Onigiri Miya.

author's note:

i just KNOW im gonna have so much fun writing for this event ngl i hope i get more so i can see what people come up with but I HOPE U LIKE THIS!!! rivalry is more like friendly banter here and lovers is more like he's into you and you're slowly getting into the grroove of it but hopefully you enjoyed it regardless my bbs<333 i'd frequent onigiri miya ngl i love onigiri sm also hell's kitchen needs to be the name of a band icl

anyways tags!!

@chuuya-brainrot @staraxiaa @wyrcan @4ngelfries @catsoupki @bailey-reeds @fiannee @kuroppiii @akaakeis @hiraethwa @zzwon

interested in joining a band? come on over to the build-a-band 900 !!

[xaviers-home-for-wayward-pokemon]

Hi there :) Is there a reason this blog died? is it harder to get shinies in scarvio? or just busy irl? no worries ofc! im truly just curious! i miss you guys! i miss the gen 7 era lol :'3

Hi there, Nonny. There is not an easy answer to this question, and unfortunately it involves breaking my biggest rule with this blog and steering away from pure positivity. I'm happy to share the story if you want to read on, though.

TW for family member death, therapy trauma, and friendship ending.

I always had a tradition of doing a big giveaway around the December holidays and then taking some time off for the new years. Generally I'd try to get back into giveaways no later than February since that's Mewtwos "birthday" and it would be a yearly tradition to give away versions of this blogs mascot.

In December 2019, my mom passed away.

There is no good time to lose your mom, but there is most definitely a worst time. Five days before Christmas, one year after the death of your father, two weeks after the birth of her one and only grandchild (following years of fertility issues between myself and both of my siblings), one month after her retirement, and one month before a massive family vacation that was meant as a Christmas gift she never opened ... Well that's pretty much the worst time. She was in near perfect health but her death was the result of a car accident, and she did not leave any form of will. I don't know if it's possible to explain how much work it is to deal with probate, burial, and associated lawsuits on top of mourning the death of one's own mother. Needless to say, it's a lot.

My sister lived in another state at the time and was busy with her newborn, and my brothers disabilities prevented him from contributing much to the situation, meaning the only one who was able to handle things was me.

Which unfortunately meant pokemon giveaways had to be put off for longer, and as expected, it's pretty hard to write pep talks in that state of mind.

For obvious reasons, I started going to therapy. While there I expressed interest in wanting to do giveaways again, and my therapist encouraged it. I even purchased a hackable switch with the intention of finding a way to hack the newer gen mons, but figured I could use the old action replay for the old gens until I got that figured out. A small handful of you may recall this is when I started streaming; in part, it was too reach a wider audience, and in part to encourage more engagement. Unfortunately, engagement in the giveaways only decreased, and that's on top of the hacking taking twice as long with the need to mass transfer between the 3DS and Switch.

During this time I actually quit my job, because being executor of my mother's estate became a full time focus and I was fortunate enough to have a supportive partner to encourage me. Not to mention, well, we all know what happened in 2020 to make working more difficult for everyone.

Before long, I realized that doing giveaways had become a chore. No longer was it work that brought joy to myself and others, it felt like an obligatory burden. It was no longer fair to put so much pressure on myself over something that was meant to be fun, and with everything else I was dealing with, it was time to be fair to myself.

However, I did not originally intend to abandon this blog indefinitely, and thought at least I would keep up the daily pep talks.

Now I want to be clear: I am not anti therapy. In fact I encourage anyone who can to seek professional help whenever the situation calls for it. I will not go into any further details besides this: I actually have some trauma regarding therapy. It makes seeking out and opening up to therapists very difficult, and it's something I've struggled with since childhood. So when the therapist I had (who I felt was working well) left the practice and I was assigned a new one, it was not a good mix. Especially when the new therapist wanted to focus on things I felt were irrelevant and/or non-issues.

One of the unforseen "advantages" to having barriers between yourself and professional help is that you get pretty good at helping yourself. The reason why I enjoyed writing this blogs pep talks is because they were often words I used to encourage myself, and it brought me joy seeing them encourage others. At this point in my journey, I had to focus exclusively on helping myself, and that carried the consequence of no longer being able to help others. After all, if I do not care for myself, then eventually, there will be nobody to care for anybody.

Another factor came into play at this time. Many of you noticed this blog changed names from Vales Home to Xaviers Home. At first I said this was because the new mod team shifted focus away from the original "lore" of the blog and that a focus on our mascot as opposed to one member of the mod team made more sense (keep in mind, when it started, the blog was equal parts giveaways and fanfiction/RP). While this is true, it is only part of the truth. The fact of the matter is, Vale and I had a falling out. Vale was legitimately one of my dearest, closest friends who I felt I could turn to for anything, and the decision to end the friendship was one of the hardest choices I've ever had to make. While I do not regret the decision, it does make looking back on this blog a little bittersweet.

At the end of the day, there is not one reason why this blog died. My own personal turmoil, trauma, Nintendo's decisions, and a general shift in the community combined to make running this blog a burden too great for me to bear. While I have no intention to start it up again, I also cannot bring myself to delete the blog. The happy memories and positivity it generated during its time is worthy of preseveing, in my opinion.

I also do not want you to think my life has been pure turmoil over the past five years. On the contrary, I think I am in a better place now than I was in 2019. I went back to school and started a new career. I now work in a hospital helping people in real life instead of online. I overcame a lifelong phobia of driving and bought a car. I rediscovered a love for crafting, and have taken up new hobbies in driving to craft fairs, camping, and nature photography. I ended 2019 miserable working a dead-end sales job and mourning the death of my mother. I am ending 2024 with a thriving career, a joyous hobby, and a big group of supportive friends both old and new.

While I am not active on this blog, my main is still very much alive and you're welcome to follow me if you don't mind largely video game shit posting interspersed with occasional writing or photography. Also, even though the discord server associated with this blog is inactive, I am still on and using discord should you ever wish to chat.

I am beyond glad if this blog ever sparked joy for you. If you read all of this, thank you for staying by my side. If you didn't, that's okay too.

And remember: Xavier loves you. ♥️

-Typhon ( @typhonserpent )

[lordamaranthus]

I’m trying to reign in my excitement for the Pokemon legends Z-A game since it’s coming out next year

So INSTEAD

I made a bingo prediction sheet. A large chunk of these are just things people have been speculating/hoping for, some are things I want, a few are things I do not want, and a few of them purposefully contradict each other

With some long winded, too detailed explanations for most of them under the read more :]

[These are just for fun, and purely speculation/hopes]

Mega Charizard Z: [/hj] For the love of fucking god GF I do not want to see this lizard anymore. I know you’re obsessed with him. I wish to be free.

Kalos Starters/Random Mix of Starters: I feel like even though we had a random mix in the first Legends game, it’s not a guarantee that they’ll be doing the same for this one; I think it’d be cooler to finally give the main three Megas instead, but I wouldn’t complain if it did end up being a random selection

Tera Raids of the box legendaries in SV: They were skipped over when they brought the older legendaries in the dlc; please, I would like to see my children again

[Fade to Black, SFX, Fade back in]: Since you’re giving the game an extra year and not forcing the Devs to spew out the game as fast as possible, that means we’re getting a little bit better animations, right?

…Right?

Set in the Future/Past: I’ve seen a lot of people go back and forth over this because of the crumbs we were given, so I figured I’d put both on here so I could win either way 💅💅

Megas are the next Nobles: I’m just going on a whim since this is only our second Legends game, so who actually knows what the plot points are going to be

Slightly Cleaner Art Style/Exact Same Art Style: This is another one I’m personally hoping for, I did really like the way the last one looked, but some things were a bit weird to me, like the light purple shadows on everything. When the trailer comes out I’ll be changing this card once I have my answer

AZ. In general.: I just wanna know more about him. Crumbs, even. Gimme info on that weird ass tall fucker.

New Megas: This is gonna be a free space, and immmm really hoping it is a guaranteed free space

Ultimate Weapon Plot Point: The emotions I felt coursing through my pre-teen body when the weapon fucking rose from the ground and knocked over several houses? Gimme that but multiply it.

More Lore of the War: Kind of a filler space, but also I thought it sounded funny when I typed it out

Emmet in Paris/Ingo: A lot of people immediately jumped to the conclusion that it would be Emmet becoming French for this game, but I’ve seen a few arguments[jokingly] for Ingo, so I’m covering my bases and putting both on here. I’m not getting my own hopes up, I’m going to assume neither are in the game juuust in case

New forms for the legendaries: I am a Gen 6-er who’s starving for crumbs. I never see my legendaries anywhere. I think Megas would be fuckin badass but honestly I’ll take a singular grain of anything

Xerneas and Yveltal fighting: God of Peace vs God of Destruction, fighting? Unheard of. Revolutionary story idea. I’d eat it up.

Diantha’s Ancestor: We got to see one champions ancestor, let’s see another’s :D However. They must be fashionable. This is non-negotiable.

Mega Mewtwo Z: Exact same as Charizard, I feel like if you give one a mega you’re obligated to give the other one as well, or else people will complain or question it too much. I put them in the same column because I feel confident that you can’t have one without the other

Volo: A lot of people are speculating this because he says some stuff after you fight him, and while I would definitely prefer to have a different antagonist for this game I wouldn’t really complain about it either

New Legendary/Returning Mythicals: Maybe a new one kinda like how we got Enamorous, but im mostly hoping that the mythicals come back for this game because I’m trying to have a living Dex in Pokemon Home and I have NONE of the mythicals. Like at all. I am not selling my soul to get them

[buggbuzz]

So, you'd say i have to study a whole bunch of stuff into how things realisticaly work, or is it more of a "just enough to be believable"? also what if the world itself is something more way out there than the average fantasy world (im goin' for something more adventure time or Undertale/Deltarune inspired when i say "way out there"), is it still worth it at least a bit? /gen

hmm okay so i see what you mean with it being way more out there. okay so here's what im thinking:

go on a huge wikipedia binge of anything related to your setting. take being underground like in undertale for example: what kind of different caverns form in giant mountains? are there any examples with documented layouts? what structures form?

i guess you don't have to go crazy-accurate with it, but its an interesting challenge to have. personally i like to figure out how to design a fantasy creature in a way that's the most biologically feasable. like a dragon in the arctic: how does it stay warm? how does it hunt? how does it camouflage?

i've found that the more you try and figure out how something should function, the more interesting ideas you get, resulting in more unique and clever designs in the long run. most medias that're highly regarded for their interesting designs got those designs from really digging into the meat of how their worlds would actually function.

also, honestly, the real world is already super insane. between giant crystals, beautiful forests, and alien-looking trees and animals, there's already so much to take inspiration from! you can get a lot of ideas from trying to investigate the weirdest naturally-occuring stuff you can find.

here's some examples plucked from my zoology brain: scale-eating chichilids (which have left- and right-leaning mouths!!!!!!!!), velvet worms, bat flies, bird lungs, the four-chambered hearts crocodilians and birds, whelks, sponge anatomy, cnidocytes, poison dart frogs, siphonophores, horn eating moths, flying fish, radiolarian shells (not animals but close enough), cephalopod nerve nets, tongue-eating louses, remoras, hemiptera wings, freshwater and saltwater spineless sticklebacks, birds of paridise, scale-foot snails, and tunicates! (thats all i can think of for now.)

if you're shying away from the anatomy stuff, maybe just come up with some diverse designs and then think about the ways their unique attributes would get in the way, or be helpful, or cause issues with other people, or make them very appealing, etc. real slice-of-life stuff! studying interspecies relationships AND the way real people with different attributes go about life differently would help with that.

hope that was helpful! i kinda just rambled lmao 😭

[mama-qwerty]

https://www.tumblr.com/mama-qwerty/746868988369387520/hi-ill-be-graduating-from-college-in-may-and-im?source=share

Hello. Same anon here. I appreciate your guidance. I'm shedding actual tears while typing this.

Yes, I am scared. 110%. I'm not expecting some sort of "attention", or making people feel sorry for me or that case.

My parents, more specifically my mother, have always compared me to others my age. Especially as I got older. I'm 22, turning 23 this year, my mom has always told me that I, as a woman, I had to do certain things because, guess what? I'm a woman.

My parents, again mostly my mother, has always forced to do things that I do not want to do, then blame it on me.

Anyway. My mom has always told me that you have to have everything lined up for you when you graduate college and/or high school. I do have a boyfriend, I've known him since we were in high school together. Due to how unreasonable housing is right now, as soon as it becomes affordable, I'm planning on moving in with him.

I feel like I blame myself all the time. To not have everything figured out, while my parents think that I should have everything figured out. Besides my boyfriend and my grandma.. I have no one else to tell my worries to. My family constantly emotionally draining me, so I'm always emotionally tired.

Your family is lucky to have someone like you. I, for one, would have loved to have a mother like you in my life. Anyway sorry for this being a bit long.

Thank you again,

A random follower

Ps. For those who wonder, the date is May 4th. Yep, the Star Wars day, "May the force be with you"

Oh hon, I'm so sorry. 💕💕

It sounds like your mother may be trying to get you to conform to possibly the same gender roles she herself was forced into. It was what was expected of her, so she maybe thinks that's just the way things are. Maybe she herself didn't like it either, but just grinned and beared it, so she thinks that's what you need to do, too. (Obviously I'm purely speculating, here.)

That's not to say it's right or fair of her for expecting that of you. She should not force you to do things you don't want to, simply because of your gender. Full stop.

I don't know how old your mother is, but the problem I see with the older generation (mostly Boomers but I've encountered a few Gen Xers like this, too) is that they don't seem to realize that the world is so much different than it was when they were younger. (I say 'they' but I am a Gen Xer myself. Shh, I'm still cool and hip, though. 😎😆 )

Anyway, I know the job market is so hard right now. Back in the day, you could simply walk into a business and practically get hired on the spot. Not so today--you're competing with dozens, if not hundreds of other applicants. Businesses don't want you to call or walk in now, instead funneling you through an online application process that could take the better part of an hour, and boils down to answering sometimes a hundred questions in a pre-made form that doesn't really do anything except waste time. And you get to do this for every job you want. It's frustrating and downright disheartening.

So having that job 'lined up' isn't as easy as it once was.

And this isn't even touching on how much more expensive everything is. The housing market, as you yourself know, is NUTS right now--rent is skyrocketing, and house prices have gone through the roof so much it's pushed out any first-time buyers. There is absolutely no way a kid fresh outta school could afford to move out without help.

I'm just gonna say it - your parents are being unreasonable. The world is so different now than when they were your age. It's more complicated, a hellovalot more expensive, and a lot less stable. To expect you to have everything all figured out and planned to perfection is delusional. Up to now, your biggest worry was keeping up with your studies. Now they expect you to just jump out into the real world, with everything all sorted?

It's very frustrating when parents pull the "When I was your age" stuff. "When I was your age, I was living on my own/working full time/married with a kid on the way." Yeah? Good for them. You're not a clone of them, and the world isn't the same as it was then.

When I was your age, I was still living at home, working as a cashier in a grocery store. That's it. I had no relationship, and no plans or ideas about what I wanted to do with my life. And to be perfectly honest, I can't think about the future. It's just a blurry speck on the horizon. I can't think in terms of "In 5 years I want to [blank]." Because it's just all so abstract to me. That's a long time in the future, and there is so much that can change between then and now. I can't plan to [blank] if I don't know what next week will hold.

It's something that drives my husband batty, because he's a big picture guy. Always asking me what I want to do with my life, what I want to accomplish. And when he does, I just get overwhelmed and feel tired. Because I'm not a big picture person. I'm a detail gal. I focus on the minutiae. The here and now. The things that matter in the immediate future, not the far off abstract future. (Probably why I'm a pantser, honestly.)

I totally get being emotionally drained by someone. It's exhausting and leaves you feeling so low, so down. You wonder if they're right, if there really is something wrong with you because you don't think like them, because you don't see the world the way they do. And especially if others around you seem to know who they are and what they want. What's wrong with you that you don't?

Here's the truth, hon. There's nothing wrong with you. There's nothing wrong with being scared of the future, or not being able to really figure out where you're going. This is a big step in your life, and it's completely and totally normal to be scared shitless at it. Your parents should be encouraging you, helping you navigate it so you succeed, not brow-beating you because you don't automatically have all the answers.

I'm glad you have your boyfriend and grandmother to help you stay sane. Don't freak out that you don't have everything all lined up nice and neat the way your parents want. They seem to want to know what the layout of your new house is when you haven't even found land to start building on! One step at a time!

Don't worry about the length. Write as much as you need.

And I can be your internet mom if you like. Because I'm so proud of you for finishing school, and reaching out to talk about something that's a heavy burden on you.

Sending you more hugs. Take care of yourself. 💕💕💕💕💕

[comicalcarnival]

ignore that i am (checks date) a month late to the wip ask game. am i allowed to ask about the "idk what to call this but hayatos gonna be a bro" and "Daichi is horny but like. for science." fics?

Both of them are NSFW so i'm putting this under a cut. tldr; I have a lot of wip smut

I don't rlly post nsfw much anymore bc I had a bad experience a year or two ago involving someone who only wanted to beta for my NSFW. when they complained the X tag hadn't been updated in a whole ~week~, I mentioned I was writing out of passion and they shouldn't be complaining abt something they're getting for free. (its why HX was archive locked at first, I was testing the waters to see if they had an Ao3 account/if I would be good posting my nsfw under lock so they wouldn't see it & be weird abt it. they complained my bed sharing fic didn't end in 'a bucket of lube' and were gushing abt other nsfw fics in the gen chat of a family friendly server.) (also they might have been a minor? im not sure. either way. tangent. let me get to the real stuff ur asking abt.)

hayato's gonna be a bro is basically magic sex pollen? basically Daichi messes around with some ancient artifact from baraji and gets Mega Horny and hayato's a bro about it.

daichi is horny for science is the 'locked in a room and u gotta fuck to get out' trope, but with more him geeking out abt X's reproductive system. tldr i figure since Ultras evolved suddenly when the plasma spark happened, their whole biology changed so rapidly they could have evolved into a biological endpoint. Daichi's trying so hard to figure out how X works and X's is like "uuuuh Ultraman scientists are still trying to figure out how to have kids, actually!" its why there's been so few ultra children, a mix of the great war + most ultras conceiving while in a humanoid form. its p nonsensical honsetly (tho its a step above the egg fic LMFAO. that ones plot makes no sense tbh)

[thekaijudude]

You know how you described how each Ultra Brother can take on an entire army of Kaiju? Well, define what ya mean by ARMY of Kaiju if you don’t mind. And maybe how each of them could handle an army of Kaiju perhaps?

Im basically just gonna bust out the lookup list as a refresher here:

iirc this was done 1-2 years ago where I spent about 2 hours or so to work out the scaling based on official statements/numbers as well as canon feats (I also had to make a number of assumptions to at least make the scaling linear)

I am always referring to this list for any form of powerscaling asks for those that miss it, it covers all canon ultras from 1 NG all the way up to Noa.

And of course theres also my postulated extension of canon here:

But I rarely ever need to use that one since its beyond the usual scaling that canon vibes at rn

So back to the standard list, where a standard New Gen Base form can be considered as 1 NG and 1 NG can one shot a standard mid tier 2 kaiju using his finisher

In that same lookup table, I also calculated that the UB are anywhere from 1000 - 10 000 NG (may be stronger, will justify later)

Also when I say UB level Ultras, I generally classify Ultras that are at least as old as Taro or can be scaled to the UB, such as of course the 6 UB, Leo Brothers, Great Eight, Regulus, Toregia, Great, Powered etc, the logic that undergirds this differentiation is M78 Proportionality Constant/Scaling which I derived based on calculation as shown in the standard list

Thus far, my calculations seems largely consistent with canon feats as covered before in detail

Using all of the above, a way to answer your first question is that a UB can probably take on either 1000 to 10 000 mid Tier 2 kaiju (Taro can definitely take on at least 10 000 since I rmb i specifically calculated this number based on him, I think i include the calculation in the first link). An example of a mid tier kaiju would be something like Gomora/Red King, which means no Tier 2 kaiju with some form of hax abilities like Zetton or specs in a certain stat like Skydon with his durability.

So I suppose just the UBs' finishers alone could do the job (not even gonna bring in their reality-warping abilities) since theres really nothing an army of Tier 2 kaiju can actually even do to a UB level Ultra's durability in the first place. So, is how each UB can handle an army of mid-tier 2 kaiju really that important at that point tho?

Heck they mostly likely could no diff the same army without using their finishers, we have seen normal attacks from UB level Ultras being able to one shot New Gen Base forms (Possessed Taro, Toregia etc), which scales higher than mid-Tier 2 kaiju anyways, which is why I say UB Level Ultras could potentially scale higher than 10 000 NG

Thanks for the question!

[thedarkmistress16]

please gush about your passions and pastimes!!! I would love to hear about them

ack- im happy you want to hear about them!

Passions:

obvs as y'all know recently and just in gen., i guess, writing- i love crafting worlds and stories where anything can happen and just creating scenes above all else, like getting lost in the details of everything. I love getting lost in my own world and making myself happy as most self-indulgent writers do (and showing off my legitimate skill in a proper form of writing after doing shitpost-y things for so long is pretty rejuvenating, XD). And upon going back to some of my older, posted works and wips, I still laugh at the dumb shit I thought was the best stuff ever and now find myself giving those ideas a refresher like my last writing update, because it's still a legitimately enjoyable read.

i love sketching for similar reasons, but more so to visualize a fuzzy, almost-there idea, usually about fashion. Like recently I re-drafted some outfits for a fic idea I had, in order to make the world and designs make sense in my head. And I redesigned an existing outfit, running with certain themes and embellishments in design. I'm so happy I can churn out simple sketches like that when i really put my mind to it and feel content with the finished product nowadays. I feel accomplished as a hobby artist now and it's all thanks to heavy online research, a few how-to books, and putting effort into one art class. It's the second hobby of mine that I want to be good at, almost as much as my writing. Speaking of, I sometimes draw what I write or dream about because it's that prominent in my head.

Wow i love music guys- ha, but you already knew that *lenny face*

Past times:

I really like playing the simpler games in life- not as much in the vein of it being less difficult or busy, but more so with fewer controls, interesting mechanics, and a captivating style that I can easily fuck around in or beat some levels for a few hours. Bring on the (spider) solitare (only 4 suit sucks ass why do i do this to myself), jewel quest (FUCK YOU CROWS), barbie's fashion show (SINGLE DREAM-), zoo tycoon (fuck guest happiness), and sonic adventure or x-men of course.

MMD vids are v neat, like I know a handful of choreos that are fun as past midnight exercises to get my blood pumping and i get to discover new songs and learn more about other languages at the same time! Also the aph as mmd crack vids are the best whether its them making 'i hate this' or 'yeah im hot shit' faces or being completely into it as they're forced to dance or simply copying a vine. Like, they give me brainrot and serotonin at the same time its so fun. I love seeing all the different outfits for mmd vids in general, too, on top of new covers i never would've known about.

I really love analyzing things in general, actually. It's how I learn most of the things I do and know now, even though it technically causes me to lose large chunks of time because all i'm doing is staring at the damn thing, XD. Sometimes (all the time) I'll look at a gif or vid of a character changing their facial expression as they do/say something and I'll be completely enthralled by it. Something similar happens when I stare at REALLY GOOD artwork. I think it's the technical part of my brain trying to figure out the individual elements which make up whatever that thing is, like what facial muscles are being used to convey that emotion or mix of them, what the character is feeling, how the lighting or shading of the environment or extra details in editing affects said expression, etc. And for art, I'm thinking of the lines, posture, composition, object placement, color palette, negative space, tone, and all that jazz you learn from studying art.

Scrapbooking is a fun pastime for me that's extended from celebratory cards to actual gifts to my personal sketchbooks. It's part of the "creating something out of nothing/seeing what you can create with some basic templates and decorations" kind of mindset. And it makes me happy because I get to be creative and my family members and friends (even my employer) love them as part of their gifts every time and come to expect it from me each holiday, so I'm constantly encouraged to do it in the best way. I've recently kinda gone overboard on using ribbons and charms for the spiral and stickers and washi tape for the actual book itself on my sketchbooks, but I find myself wanting to draw in it more because I did that, lol.

I love rewatching the things I love. I usually have the same commentary about it, but its nonetheless enjoyable. And I never know what new thing I'll discover about it next, even if i've seen it over 50 times and only have it on as background noise and don't actually watch it. And yes, I will easily let something play on repeat at least that many times in my lifespan as well (like, a full day of it, at least).

wow i love staring at characters im attracted to for hours on end can i get a HUYEA-

[btch3sluvme]

Hey! So I saw that you wanted info about ocs???

So now you got info about ocs- >:)

Okay, first of all my Oc is from the Hazbin Hotel fandom!

Her name is Paola Willson Davidson, she was Spanish when alive so that's why she has 2 surnames. She is 13 years old and is very proud to say she is AroAce (like Bro- she wears those pride pins everyday of her afterlife 👌). She got send to hell because of summoning potentially dangerous demons (not Alastor or Vox, but- ya know where this is going), she didn't do anything "wrong" apart of that and that's what leads us to her physical form.

She died in the early 2000's and/or late 90's by natural cause (heart attack) so her physical form does not differ much from a human body. Her skin is grey, and has chain tattoos (tattued in poison green ink) around her neck and wrists. She has cat-like eyes wich are completely white, she does not have pupils or iris, it can seem like she is blind but she is far from that, having a very good vision. She has black hair that fades to poison green in the ends. She likes it very much because of her hairstyle wich consists in a long kinda disheveled mane (it ends on her waist) that is practically straight from top to medium but starts to get wavy/curly in the ends. Also, since she isn't that of a sinner and was supposed to go to heaven she has a halo herself although it's not like an angel halo, hers Is more like a crown of thorns because she "betrayed" god and all the "pure" beings in heaven by summoning a demon. Her clothes are a short black T-shirt with red sleeves wich end near the elbow accompained with a black punk necklace (those that seem like theese bulldog collars from the cartoons). She wears dark green baggy pants wich are held by a black leather belt. She wears red converses and biker gloves (those who don't have fingers) as an accesory.

She is a kind and caring girl who lives to make everyone happy. She flinches over every fast moment but not because of tr4um4 or abus3 more because of her mf fucking fast reflexs. She laughs at almost everything that seems a little bit funny to her and has this Gen-Z humor wich is centered on self depricating and/or su1cid4l jokes. She is a very physical person and tends to hug everyone of the crew almost once a day, surprisingly Alastor does not hate this and lets the girl hug him everytime she wants (she kinda reminds him of himself when he was her age except for the Gen-Z humor), Husk just rolls his eyes everytime she hugs him and doesn't hug back (he doesn't hate her but she finds her clinginess quite annoying sometimes), Nifty and Vaggie are neutral about that fact, Charlie and Angel enjoy hugging her very much, they find adorable how Paola can just enter the room and tackle them into a hug, they really need to feel love and she is willing to make them realise that she does love them!

She respects everyone boundaries as they respect hers so there isn't a problem with that. The problem was when Angel told her to cook spaghetti- Well, she burned the spaghetti ._. DON'T ASK ME HOW TF SHE DID IT BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW IT EITHER 👀💦

She is like the little sister and/or adoptive daughter of everyone in the crew and Angel even introduced her to Cherri so they could get along! Angel was scolded by Vaggie not even 3 hours later for bringing Paola to a territorial war 😐

And that's all! I created her not even 2 weeks ago so I'm still trying to figure out wich demon she summoned when alive xd

(You don't have to do this if you don't wanna or if you're busy but, could you draw her please? you don't have to draw her in HH style anyways, but, don't feel presured 'cause you really don't have to, it was just a suggestion for you if you were bored or something)

have a nice day/night!! ^^

FIRST OF ALLL

IM SO FLATTERED, AND SHE REMENBERS ME OF MYSELF FRRRRRR, literally im as old as her 😩

LIKE OMG IM LITERALLY SO FUCKING FLATTERED, NOBODY EVER ASKED ME TO DRAW THEIR OC, BE SURE I WILL!!#?!#;$:$+$+#:# it may take a while tho, since im a bit busy

Also ... Would it bother you if she's a scene kid?? I just read this and I thought about this

Will try to draw her with Angel too!

[zgvlt]

sending your crush a survey form hcs first years (and idia shroud) x reader (separate) *ortho's is platonic, with reader having a crush on idia instead

author's note: insp. by that youtube trend! i haven't seen another writer do this for twst, but regardless this will be my own rendition and take on the trope! even though the gen concept is the same, each character has a different twist with theirs

general tags: gender neutral reader, fluff + attempt at humor, sfw, time skip after NRC graduation, not beta read, mix of text and images (for images, image desc/text version available for screen readers and those who prefer to read text over image)

wc: approx. 6k+ total (around 1k per character)

character: ACE TRAPPOLA premise/trope: sending the survey form to Ace, who's already your signfinicant other

HOW HE REACTS WHEN YOU SEND THE FORM LINK

The initial reaction is nothing out of the norm for Ace. Sure he doesn't seenzone or ghost you, but his quick replies consist of him typing variations of "LMAO" and "ARE YOU FRFR", as well as laugh reacting the message itself.

He also asks you if you're planning on becoming an influencer or streamer or something along those lines, why else would you want to make and send him a form like that?

After a few minutes, though, he'll start trying to call you, mentioning/pinging you to make sure you answer. If you're able to ignore his calls, he's going to make sure your phone is unusable with the amount of notifications he sends your way. Hey, maybe you'll even click on it and answer the call on accident!

Ace, as your significant other, probably knows your schedule so he's fairly confident that you have nothing else better to do than to answer him (he wouldn't be spamming you otherwise), so he's smug and not surprised that you eventually answer him. The first thing he tells you on call is,

"You're so lame, we're literally dating?! By the way... did you actually send this to other people?"

Makes fun of you if you say he's the only one but he also thinks it's sweet, and he says as much in a tone that sort of comes off as mocking at first, but it's clear after the first few seconds that he does think it's cute.

He's mature enough if you say you've sent it to other people. Rather than jealous, he's smug at the fact that he's the last crush, he's the end game.

Tells you to stay on the call as he answers the form. You'll notice that even as he's making fun of you with each question, the things he says versus the things he types differ from one another.

(And even if it didn't, you've become an expert at figuring out how to read Ace Trappola)

HOW HE ANSWERS THE QUESTIONS

Q: did you know that i liked you (don't lie) A: wtf did you downgrade me?? did i go from L O V E to L I K E...? damn 💔💔

Q: if yes, how did you find out A: because you were ALWAYS clinging onto me in our NRC days 🙄 like come on could you not leave me alone for a little bit damn you really had to spend every minute with me and then after graduation ur still all over me tsk tsk also you were all heart eyes whenever you looked at me I'm not dense!

Q: okay so did you ever like ME A: the way i know you’re asking this so you can get some new material to make fun of me with. who did you get that bad attitude from huh 🤔 anyway unfortunately i did, and because i know you’re going to try to punt me for that i’m jOKING we’re literally together of course i did and do

Q: what do you like about me A: [ticks the boxes: everything, about, me, other] wowww maybe i do hype you up too much what is this behavior

Q: how did we meet A: you were in trouble and i saved your butt no this is not historical revisionism

Q: most memorable moment(s) w/ me A: to get the sap out, every moment with you is memorable awwww im so sweet, anyway now that i said that - everytime we got in trouble w/ trein or crewel bc we kept passing notes - group bonding activity by making fun with deuce (with love!) - the time we got caught sneaking out by riddle, trey, AND cater like triple kill?? - i guessss our first date (see point three) (theyve NEVER let me forget it bruh)

Q: is there something you dont like abt me A: well if were being serious there are just like there are things you find annoying about me but weve talked about it before and were working through it anyway serious talk over!! if there are other replies to this let me know if i have to fight someone lol (or you can do it yourself and i can watch) (or just prank them or smth i support your rights AND your wrongs)

Q: answer this only if ur my s/o: ily A: why are you being so cute today should i be worried? KIDDING i love you too

Q: ty for answering any last words? A: its been a while since weve gone out, we should go on a date again tonight

AFTER HE ANSWERS THE FORM

Once Ace submits the form, he tells you to read his answers already, almost as if he's expecting you to speedrun through them.

You're totally free to make fun of him back for the things he typed out—he can try to complain or whine, even retaliate whatever you say, but the banter and playful arguing makes things more fun for him. He likes any and all of your attention, you know it as well as he does.

If you sent the form to anyone else, he asks if he can read their answers as well. He won't budge if you'd rather keep it private because the knowledge of him being the final choice bloats his head just fine, but wouldn't it be more fun to laugh at those who, to quote, "fumbled the bag" when it came to you?

(And, well, you can listen to him agree with the nice things they wrote about you, because he knows first hand just how lovable you really are and how lucky he really is to be with you)

When you get to the last question, he's grinning to himself—even without the camera turned on, you can just hear him smiling, like he knows that you're rolling your eyes.

Whatever, you can both share your sweet nothings in person, when the both of you get somewhere more comfortable to be more vulnerable with each other.

"So, you up for a date some time tonight? My treat!"

character: DEUCE SPADE premise/trope: Deuce getting the form from someone he's highly admired for years

HOW HE REACTS WHEN YOU SEND THE FORM LINK

He doesn't answer you for a few minutes, even though it's considered rude to just view your message. You can see that he's viewed your message, for sevens' sake! Still, you send one final message telling him to take his time with answering—Deuce was probably panicking or overreacting behind the screens.

He was. He gets the message while he's at work, and he has to try very hard to swallow his shout—it would be bad if he alarmed his co-workers, after all!

Tries to answer—both your message and your form—during his break, but decides that he needs far more time than his work break would allow, so he tries to focus on his job until he can go home.

His hands hover over the keyboard, and he reads the things he types out over and over again just to make sure he doesn't have any typos. If he's made you wait this long, he'll at least try to have good spelling!

DEUCE : are you sure you sent this to the right person?

Deuce has a bit of a hard time grasping that you could even have a crush on him—he's harbored a huge crush on you for YEARS, an admiration turned romantic affection that he's been, unfortunately, made fun of for his whole NRC career.

(His friends made fun of him for being such a coward, but confessing seemed so out of the question years ago! He had to focus on becoming an honor student, and you were just so...???)

When you reassure him that, yes, you did mean to send it to him, he replies that he'll answer it A.S.A.P! The sudden vigor gives you whiplash, and out of fear of formality you have to tell him that he can be as honest as possible.

It takes Deuce an hour at least to send in his answers, but when you look them over later you'll find that although he's trying to be polite and is clearly holding back (it's alright, you can have a proper talk about this some other time), his answers are genuine and his sweetness shines through.

HOW HE ANSWERS THE QUESTIONS

Q: How do we know each other? A: We both went to NRC and we shared a few classes, then we became friends

Q: Before this, did you know I liked you? A: No?! Not at all?! I mean I knew you liked me as a friend, because we were friends, but like-like? Like as a crush? I mean Ace and a few other people teased me about you liking me back then but I always thought it was a joke because you know? You’re you???

Q: Did you ever like me back? A: I didn’t think I would say it this way but yes?! Of course? I would be blind not to!

Q: If yes, how long did the crush last? A: [ticks the boxes: 3+ years, other] Um am I supposed to answer 3+ if it's ongoing...?

Q: If you liked me, why didn't you tell me? A: There were two main reasons… first I never thought I could have a chance with you, I didn’t want to ruin anything, second is just that I wanted to grow first into a better student and person, so I didn’t think I was ready to date either.

Q: What do you like most about me? A: Do I say just one thing…? It’s kinda hard to choose, and this is super embarrassing, you know. I guess I like that you never look down on me for my past and the fact that I’m still… not very cool. Even though you tell me I am. I like that you try to help me in whatever way you can, and I like that you’re always one of the first people to defend me when a bunch of jerks feel like causing trouble. And when you ran into my mom that one time, you told her really nice things about me (she told me even though you told her not to, sorry!) and I ended up liking you even more… I just find you reliable and respectable and I’ve always wanted to catch up to you since you were (are?) so out of my league?

Q: Could you imagine yourself dating me? A: Absolutely

Q: Thank you for answering! Sorry if this is awkward. Anything else to add? A: Wait can you tell me how long you liked me for? And a few other things I kind of want an explanation :’) Should I send a form too or do I just DM you?

AFTER HE ANSWERS THE FORM

Aside from wanting some explanations (as much as you're willing to give), honestly, Deuce is a little distraught (okay, more than a little—the crush had never really disappeared even after graduation). He genuinely thinks he lost his chance with you. After all, the title was in the past tense!

No he didn't lose his chance, but he's gearing himself up to just accept that you saw something good in him to the point that you once liked him—that, in a way, gives him a sense of happiness.

Maybe you're a mind reader, or maybe you're just good at detecting Deuce's tone from his answers and later messages, because you let him know that you're very much still into him, and if he still is then maybe he's willing to give the both of you a shot...?

At that point Deuce is very much glad to be at home because he's grinning ear to ear, face flushed like the color of his alma mater dorm. He feels like those teenage girls from those movies he watched with his mom on occasion—the ones who got butterflies in their stomach.

It's the fastest he texts back yet, sending you a stream of messages that all form the answer of a resounding YES.

Yes, he does call his mom later that night and tells her that he has a date coming soon. His mom always did wonder if he'd ever find a significant other amidst his busy career.

(His mother teases him a bit, but as embarrassing as it is to be teased like he was still a high schooler, his happiness overthrows it)

DEUCE : HUH?? OF COURSE I WANT TO GO ON A DTEA WITH YOU?? DEUCE : *DATE sorry I got excited. obviously, duh.., wow i'm seriously still not very cool, huh DEUCE : so... no pressure but when are you free to meet up?

character: JACK HOWL premise/trope: two best friends with very obvious mutual pining but have never said a word about their feelings, and now they live far apart. you send the form to Jack for closure (or resolution)

HOW HE REACTS WHEN YOU SEND THE FORM LINK

He wants to ask if this is a joke (even though the form title said it was not a prank), but refrains from sending in what he initially typed out. If you were serious, and he thinks you are, then it wouldn't be right for him to doubt or question your feelings.

It's going to take him a while to actually fully process the form title and form description alone, but he lets you know that he's not ignoring you or anything, he just needs a hot minute

JACK : Don't worry, I'm not ignoring you, but I need a moment. By the way, do you really want me to answer the form? Or do you want to just... call.

For one reason or another, perhaps you wanting to gauge his own interest in you, or perhaps you needing some time before properly having that conversation with him, you request he answer the form first.

Jack doesn't exactly like it when people beat around the bush, but he knows it must have taken a lot of courage out of you to confess to him. Braver than him, really, who never had the strength to let you know what he felt for you, feelings that were apparently required all this time.

Later, Jack would laugh to himself (or with you) at how silly the both of you were, wallowing in angst over unrequited love that was never actually unrequited.

A part of Jack does wish he knew earlier, maybe the both of you could have been dating all this time, but perhaps this was the timing that was meant for him and you... not that Jack knew anything about destiny or fate.

His answers are serious, but not cold, not completely. Warmth lingers, mostly from you imagining him reading the words to you, imagining his expressions as he does so.

His answers are also quite honest, although you can picture him getting somewhat embarrassed over how vulnerable he's being. Maybe typing things out instead of immediately saying them verbally helps him be less shy and awkward about this, too.

And when you read them, you can easily identify his fondness and affection for you, the one he's always possessed. Really, it's a wonder that it took him spelling out his feelings for you to realize how much he adores you.

HOW HE ANSWERS THE QUESTIONS

Q: did u ever realize i more than liked you? A: There were a few times where I really thought you might have liked me back, mostly by watching your body language, or the things my seniors (Leona and Ruggie) pointed out, but the “signs” felt so natural that I just pushed it aside.

Q: did u ever have feelings for me too? A: Let me say something first: why are you immediately assuming that I don’t have the same feelings for you? Like you’re expecting me to reject you? Really, you’re so… anyway. For the record, it’s not “did”, it’s “do”, I do have feelings for you, since we were students in NRC. That hasn’t changed even after we left and went our separate ways. And I don’t want to assume, and since I checked the other questions and you didn’t ask… I’ve probably liked you for just as long. Look, I know I’m actually a lot more dense than I thought I would be, but I didn’t think you would be, too.

Q: did you ever want to date me? A: I did, and I still do.

Q: if i said i still have feelings for you, and that i miss you, how would you feel? A: I would say I’m the same, and that I wish we lived nearer each other so I could see you right now, and tell you these things in person instead of a form.

Q: jack when’s ur next vacation/free day :( A: No vacation until next month, but I can free up my Sat-Sun if you want?

Q: what things do you like about me A: Everything? Is that bad to say? Even though I tried to push you aw[a]y at first, you still tried to be my friend, and then we got closer and closer. You appreciate my space, but you also keep me company. I’m used to being alone, but I’m glad that I wasn’t because you were always around. I think it would be easier to say what I don’t like about you, it’ll take less time.

Q: umm ive been asking so much, do u have any questions for me? A: A few, though I can ask the rest later 1) Is there a certain type of place you would want to visit any time soon? 2) Is there anything you want from my hometown? 3) Just making sure, you’re still single, right? 4) Do you really want to stop liking me?

Q: jackkk i really miss you :((( huhuhu A: i miss you too, more than i let you know. im sorry i rarely tell you that

Q: sorry im a mess, do u wanna add smth A: please call me when you’re done reading this (or when you can)

AFTER HE ANSWERS THE FORM

It's difficult for Jack to proceed with the rest of his day, especially when you tell him you're going to read his response, when you haven't called him yet.

Thankfully you don't make him wait for too long, although Jack was willing to wait if you had other urgent matters to attend to, or if you just needed more time to compose your thoughts.

Once in call, Jack takes the initiative to steer the conversation to the topic at hand—your feelings for him, his feelings for you, and what that meant for your relationship going forward.

The both of you lived quite a ways apart, and while that wasn't necessarily ideal (Jack desperately wanted to see you and hold you in his arms right now), he was sure he had the ability to make it work with you, as long as you were willing to do the same.

Weekend trips to see each other, perhaps moving closer to each other and moving in together in the future, those weren't out of the question.

There were certain topics that could always be decided on later, and he lets you know as much; he just needed to call you now so he could tell you what he's always wanted to for years.

"Hey, don't get over me just yet, not when I've been wanting to see you again."

character: EPEL FELMIER premise/trope: you have been flirting with Epel for years, even though the two of you are merely (unfortunately for you AND him) best friends. you send the form for fun, and get the retaliation you very well deserve

HOW HE REACTS WHEN YOU SEND THE FORM LINK

Seconds after sending the form, you're immediately laughing it off, launching excuses and reasons as to why you sent one (and made a form to begin with). In fact, even before you sent the link, you were already building it up to be "just another one of your flirtations" instead of what it really is

Epel loves you, really (and wow did it take him a while... and a whole bunch of people pointing out his feelings to actually realize it wasn't just the friendly kind of love), but he's very tired of... whatever was going on with the both of you

It's cute when you flirt with him to be honest, even though it's embarrassing and downright flustering more than half the time (probably the thing stopping him from ever trying to do the same unto you), but it always felt... nice. Even if he did lose his shit one too many times.

It'd feel even better if the both of you were actually dating, though

He doesn't think you've been flirting with him as a joke or anything, he'd definitely would've put a stop to it otherwise, but he still wants his feelings to be taken more seriously, and for you to consider that he is very capable of liking you back, and for you to actually give him a say

Well, this form would be a good chance for that, right?

His voice message is enough to make you nervous, the incoherent keyboard smash you sent right after is proof of it

"Hehe, just give me a few minutes, I'mma answer it properly!"

Epel tries to be smooth but his answers have some awkwardness to them, clearly attempting to emulate you and how you enjoy talking to him, but the attempts at flirting are not lost on you.

Still, you can just tell that it isn't just payback—he's very serious about the things he's writing, even with the quips and joking responses to your questions here and there.

It's his sheer honesty though, the way he writes like he just spills his feelings for you all over the keyboard without regard for any proper form, that ends up the most romantic and impactful.

HOW HE ANSWERS THE QUESTIONS

Q: hypotheticallyyyy, would u like me back A: Why would you need hypotheticals when I DO like you back? (Also, didn't you say you "hypothetically" loved me? Why is it "like" now?)

Q: *shakes 8ball* would u date me if ever A: The following is ticked: - signs point to yes - it is decidedly so - without a doubt - yes - definitely - outlook good - most likely - other: My sources (my heart) says yes

Q: so, did u know ur the apple of my eye A: You're so silly why am I even into vou..? Right, it's because l'm apple-solutely a fool for you.

Q: epel why are u still here TT A: WellI, if you want me to answer this seriously, it's because I'm getting impatient. I like/love you, you feel the same, we kind of act like we're dating half the time… actually a lot of people already think we're meant to be, so why aren't we dating yet? it's driving me crazy honestly, sometimes i think i'll just kiss you to shut you up whenever you think up some lame pickup line or when you want to hold my hand

Q: when'd ya realize u LOVED me <3- delulu A: Vil pointed out that I didn't bite your head off when you called me cute

Q: whats ur favorite moment with me <3 A: When we went to my hometown w/ the rest of our schoolmates, and then we separated from our group so I could give you a personal tour of my home. You joked that you would get lost and that we were on a date so you needed me to hold your hand, maybe u did want to hold hands but I also knew your hands were cold be SOMEONE forgot their gloves. We held hands the whole tour, and be people recognize me everyone assumed we were dating… but you didn't care if people thought (realized) you loved me, as long I never found out.. and because I was dense, I didn't until I recalled that day again

Q: not to fish for compliments BUT i will. list EVERTHING you like about me <3 A: 1) everything ;) INCLUDING your flirting, believe it or not 2) the way you can tease me and poke fun at me w/o belittling me 3) when you call me "cute" it makes me feel the same as when u call me "cool" 4) the way u enable+join me in, as our friends would say, ; "being chaotic good"

Q: what do you hate about me hehehe A: i hate that ur single and not dating me yet

Q: why did you finish this form epel A: because i want to raise apple trees and make jam with you in the future

AFTER HE ANSWERS THE FORM

The both of you have always been the type to joke with one another. It's not that neither of you take to having serious conversations, but it's always been about things you wanted to vent about, or Epel's thoughts on his appearance and femininity, or a few other things the both of you felt like bringing up. Never a love life.

(You have asked him if he was in a relationship a few times since graduation, likely to see if you had to steer clear and fully give up on him. He's guilty to asking the same questions.)

For someone who flirted with him a lot, you never brought it up seriously before. Not since the incident with the ghost bride.

Of course, he knows he could have stepped up much earlier, that the both of you could have been dating even back in NRC, but perhaps he wanted to wait (until he eventually became impatient), or he needed reassurance or a sign.

Epel's not very sure, and he doesn't think there's one definite reason, but that's besides the point. He finally got to tell you his feelings, and even though you've more than hinted that you feel the same, he wants to hear it from you this time, without you taking it back or pushing it as a joke it never was.

He has his moments of insecurity, too many to count especially in the past, but when he rings you on the phone and you pick up immediately, he's full of confidence, grinning in anticipation of what's to come.

"So, if I said I loved you, too, what would'ya think about it?"

character: SEBEK ZIGVOLT premise/trope: pretending the form you're making him answer is a regular survey you need participants for

HOW HE REACTS WHEN YOU SEND THE FORM LINK

If asked, you pretended it was a requisite you desperately needed participants for because Sebek would definitely take some time off his ever busy schedule to help a friend out. He gets it, getting participants is difficult! And because he's such a good friend, obviously he'll take some time out of his day to answer your survey!

Asks if he should send the form to Malleus and Lilia too but you absolutely refuse. You cite that they've exceeded the maximum age range, an answer Sebek readily accepts. An age range, how diligent of you to put that into consideration!

You can expect him to answer your form as soon as he's able to, and he tells you as much!

SEBEK : What an odd research topic. I never knew this was one of your interests! Still, I applaud you for your dedication and for your interest in studying fae; I shall aid you in your study! And if you have anything more to ask, feel free to call me any time!

He is... more than confused when he goes over the questions. It's always important to read all the questions before answering a test, so he employs the same tactic when he looks at the survey. He's not sure if he regrets it, but his throat certainly hates him for it—choking on nothing but his own spit.

His instincts tell him to message you IMMEDIATELY, face flushed at the idea of you playing a joke, making a fool out of him, but then... he stops himself from doing so.

You're clearly teasing him, yes, but all the same he's curious about your motives, about how you would react to his answers, about the answers you want to get out of him... or anyone else. Did you send the form to anyone else? What if you were getting answers from other people?

Oddly enough, what motivates him to answer instead of interrogating you about the form is the idea of someone else sending in the form before him. He can't have that! He had to show that he was your most reliable friend, the one you could count on if you really needed help.

Most of his answers are predictably... Sebek, loud even in text, honest in his confusion and feelings. Well, in the ones you allow him to type anyway. Probably your fault with your choice of questions. Still, it's enough to reassure you of his feelings, that you weren't just delusional and seeing things.

HOW HE ANSWERS THE QUESTIONS

Q: When you see a picture of me, what emotions are you likely to feel? A: The following is ticked: - Happy, Glad, Pleased - Shy, Nervous, Hesitant - Ecstatic, Excited, Motivated - Delighted, Charmed, Exhilarated - other: You don’t have a study at ALL, do you? How brave to fool me like this!

Q: What traits do you associate with me? A: The following is ticked: - charming - bewitching - endearing - lovable - good-looking - fascinating - other: If you’re going to list everything, why even give the option for other?

Q: With this vague scale, how would you rate your feelings for me? A: [Sebek selects the choice with the highest rank]

Q: How compatible do you think you are with me on a scale of… on a scale? A: [Sebek selects the choice with the highest rank]

Q: If I asked you on a date, how likely are you to say yes A: [Sebek selects the choice with the highest rank]

Q: How sure are you of the extent of your feelings for me A: [Sebek selects the choice with the highest rank]

[ SECTION BREAK / NOT A QUESTION ] Not a question but based on my pre-existing research, it seems our feelings are quite similar! Just sharing!

Q: Hi, I will finally allow you to rant away now :) Thanks for answering this! A: This was not only the most ridiculous test/survey I have taken in my LIFE, but also the most DIFFICULT. The way I’m not allowed to explain myself, well, expect that I will most CERTAINLY be explaining myself at a later date. It has to be on a later date because WHY DID YOU PUT A CHRACTER LIMIT ON THI

AFTER HE ANSWERS THE FORM

Are all humans so... odd and creative when it comes to expressing their feelings? Was this an expression of your feelings? Was this you wanting to court him, or perhaps asking him to court you?!

Sebek's thoughts are all over the place, but they bring out the feelings he thought had died down after graduation. Whatever charm you had placed on him had never worn off, remaining even when you weren't in his presence.

Before typing out his (very lengthy) paragraph of a text message, a paragraph more suited for an email, really, Sebek thinks of two things.

First, that Briar Valley needs better cell reception—a bunch of your text messages just came in, asking if he was answering the form, or if he was busy and got called on to do something, or if he was plain ignoring you.

(Well, by your texts, he at least knows he's the only one you've sent the form to. That gives him far too much pride than it should)

Second, that he wasn't in Briar Valley right now (the younger him never would have thought of thinking such a thing), or that you were in Briar Valley right now, so he could go up to see you and express his feelings most appropriately.

He supposes a text will do for now. A nicely worded text, if he can't send a letter (he could, but it would take too long). He can just... do something more romantic later.

SEBEK : DEAREST HUMAN! Even with our time apart, you are still as confounding and befuddling and CONFUSING as ever, you and your unusual ways of showing what I presume to be your affections for me, or at the very least signaling your interest, gathering information to analyze my own interest levels! Admittedly your attempt was, for the lack of a better way to phrase it, lacking good prose, unpoetic, and extremely weird, but nevertheless your feelings have reached me. Somehow, you have managed to render me speechless (for a few minutes), and you, in spite of your general lack of romanticism, continue to set my heart ablaze. With that said, even though I find your methods cowardly, I accept your advances, but I ask we hold off from pursuing anything until I can tell you in person. That is to say, I want for us to meet again.

[ BONUS ! ]

character: ORTHO SHROUD (& IDIA SHROUD) premise/trope: sending a form to your crush's younger brother, Ortho, mostly because you don't want to commit to confessing to Idia yet

HOW HE REACTS WHEN YOU SEND THE FORM LINK

He already knew you had feelings for his brother, but there's a different type of happiness in knowing you're willing to admit it (at least to him, if not yet Idia)

It's one thing to like his brother, and it's another thing to be able to say it. From his observations (of you, of others, and the games his brother played) and research (on online forums... and also the games his brother played), there was that probability that you would be ashamed of yourself for liking Idia, his wonderful but flawed brother. He's glad you don't seem to think that way.

That aside, he thinks you sending him the form is fun! He's more than willing to answer anything you want to know (whether it's just about him or if it's something to help you get closer to his brother)

Plus, he got called your BFF! :D

ORTHO : Your secret is safe with me! Don't worry q(≧▽≦q) My metaphorical lips are sealed!

When it comes to answering, he's straight to the point but cute, even when he says things that could come off as burns towards you or his brother. Most of all, it's very clear that he not only adores his brother, but that he cares for you, too.

HOW HE ANSWERS THE QUESTIONS

Q: hi ortho! first of all, i missed youuu 💙 A: I missed you too! I haven’t seen you since graduation ＞︿＜

Q: so since i’m sure you know i like idia, when/how did you realize? A: I was walking with you to class one day when your heart rate increased! I was really scared that something had happened to you ::>_<:: I ran a few tests out of concern, even though you were confused about why I wanted to do that. Everything was normal when I checked it, but when I suggested my brother help investigate the anomaly your heart rate rose again!

Q: just making sure, do you think idia has a clue that i like him A: Oh, absolutely! He… just kidding! Not at all! I never told him, even though I wanted to sometimes, but even if I did I don’t think he would belive me! My brother is not dense, he gets flustered by you a lot, but I think he’s too in denial that it’s possible you like him!

Q: do you think idia likes me too A: That’s a secret! Please confess to my brother first, or wait for him to confess!

Q: its okay with u if i dated him, right? A: I approve! I like you very much o(^.^)o Me and Idia always have fun with you!

Q: serious question do you think idia would open to dating right now? A: Hmmm I think it’s better that you talk to him about it! I know the both of you can come to an agreement that you’ll both be happy with ( ˇ v ˇ )

Q: aside from the fact that you love your brother and that you like me, why do you think we’re good for one another? A: I have prepared multiple answers for this question! [ 1 ] Because you like him! [ 2 ] Because you like me, too! ヾ(•ω•`)o [ 3 ] Because you understand and accept Idia without forcing him to change. [ 4 ] Because you know when Idia wants space and when he wants to hang out with you. [ 5 ] Because you smile brightly around him and he smiles brightly around you. Idia is happier seeing you than seeing Gakemo live, or getting an SSR!

Q: do u have any tips for meee A: Just be yourself! ヾ(≧ ▽ ≦)ゝ

Q: if i get rejected by idia, are you still down to be my little brother? hihi A: I don’t want to tell you the probabilities of anything, but you should have more faith in yourself! And of course! o((>ω< ))o

AFTER HE ANSWERS THE FORM

The chances are, either he gives you enough assurance to confess to Idia in the coming days/weeks, or he convinces you to wait it out when the time is right—dating sims usually had confession scenes at very specific and special locations, right? Maybe you had to wait for a sign.

Either way, it's hard not to believe you have a chance when Ortho tells you—not because of his godly skills (seriously, what kind of genius is Idia?) in analyzing data and making predictions based on probabilities, but because Ortho's the one who knows him best, who's always going to be there when he needs it.

How can you not trust him when he implies (implies, only so he won't take the chance from his brother to confess to you properly) that his brother might just have a crush on you, too?

After a while, the conversation divulges from Idia to simply catching up with Ortho, asking him how he's been doing, setting up a day where the both of you could play a few online games together (with and without Idia), but his sweet messages remain in your head all day.

ORTHO : Even though I want you to date my brother as soon as possible (please I promise the probability of him liking you back is much higher than you think!), I promise I won't interfere, so take your time! ORTHO : Even without dating him, I already see you as my other big sibling anyway \^o^/

masterlist | end notes

[ 1 ] made this in 2 days because i was just really tired from school and wanted a break, but wanted something a little less taxing brain power wise than a one-shot. i've had this idea in my head for a few months now so i thought i would finally write it out!

[ 2 ] figuring out how someone would type is a struggle, so i had to make guesses based on how they write the valentine letters + voice lines, then take some liberties based on their relationship dynamic with the reader + the tone of the premise

[ 3 ] epel: "because I want to raise apple trees and make jam with you in the future", referencing one his suitor suit (the groom outfit, i forgot what it's called in EN) voice lines

[ 4 ] speaking of epel, i asked for ideas basically on what dynamics people liked with him. unfortunately i couldn't employ EVERY idea, i mostly went with @ / syl-lithy 's with a dash of everyone elses. ig ill just have to use the other dynamics in some other work for epel 😌

[xyaehir]

LIP GLOSS — DCKZ ft. Liyue Girls

Pairing(s) : Diluc x Reader - Childe x Reader - Kaeya x Reader - Zhongli x Reader - Keqing x Reader - Ganyu x Reader - Yanfei x Reader - Hu Tao x Reader

Gen. : Fluff — aw how cute *vomits*

W.C. : im not counting that today.

Personal favs : Zhongli, Diluc

[ Mast. List. ] -> [Part 2: Liyue Girls]

DILUC didn’t expect to find himself in this situation. Sitting together at a secluded area in a library, he caught a glimpse of your shiny lips, glossy and pushed into a subtle pout. Ever since that moment, he found himself staring at your lips every chance he gets. Unable to resist himself, he hastily leans in and places a quick kiss on your lips before returning to his homework. You freeze, a blush coating your cheeks. He licks his lips and hums, “Hm, cherry.” He nods approvingly as you try your best to cool down the entire zoo in your stomach.

A groan is heard from beside DILUC. Right, Kaeya was with you both. “Can you guys like get a room? Gross,” he gags. DILUC deadpans and stares his brother down. Kaeya rolls his eyes at his brother and the shushing that accompanied the glare he received.

Now, how was CHILDE supposed to know that his darling partner would decide to apply lip gloss in the middle of a meeting? Most importantly, its the expensive cherry flavoured one he’d purchased for you. He stared at Pierro, trying his best to stay focused. However, he couldn’t stop his eyes from darting to your glossy, kissable lips. The way you puckered them had him mesmerised. CHILDE reluctantly tears his eyes away from your smirking figure upon hearing his name being called.

He makes up a witty excuse of not paying attention before smiling smugly. Amusement flashes in his eyes when he sees you snickering quietly through his peripheral vision. ‘You’re laughing now, but just you wait until after this meeting’s over.’ He smirks, imagining just how cute you’d look with your lip gloss smudged.

“Stay still,” KAEYA grunts, hands flying to your hips to stabilise you. You squirm under his grip, whining. His eyebrows knit together in frustration. Knowing that his grip wouldn’t get you to stop, he sighs and dips the applicator in the container. He applies the lip gloss to his lips as you watch, confused. He leans in and presses a sweet kiss on your lips, leaving traces of the shiny liquid. You tense on his lap, processing what your teasing boyfriend had just done. KAEYA shrugs and smiles, taking this opportunity to lather some lip gloss on your slightly shiny lips.

He chuckles as he watches a scarlet blush dust your cheeks and the tips of your ears. “Come to me when you need help getting ready. That way, we’d both get a benefit,” he winks.

ZHONGLI carefully dips the tip of the brush in the red pigment. He leans against the desk, looking at his reflection in the mirror intensely as he gently brings the coated brush to the edge of his eye. The brush comes into contact with his skin. He smoothly moves the brush from one point to the other, leaving a trail of the red pigment. Things were turning out well until a loud notification on his phone rings loudly. Surprised, the handsome man accidentally messes up, a small streak of red covers his eyelid. He grunts as your giggles ring through the air.

“Need some help, mister ZHONGLI?” You snicker. He sighs, looking at you hopefully. He nods and you head over to his slightly hunched form. He faces you after wiping the streak and his attempt at getting his eyeliner perfect. As you apply the red pigment with care, he can’t help but stare at your slightly parted, glistening lips. “Cherry?” He inquires, a small smile adorning his attractive features. You grin and nod before continuing. “Perfect,” he licks his lips slightly.

oh god this is really late 😭 part 2 will be posted as soon as my overdue projects are settled. imsorrypleasedontflopivelearned.

@mykuro’s original content. Reposting and/or copying is strictly forbidden.

[chaotic-queer-disaster]

do you have any idea on how to know the difference between meltdowns, anxiety attacks and panic attacks? i get them all and sometimes i really struggle to know which I've experienced.

obligatory "im just an autistic teen with some form of anxiety, not a doctor" warning here. anyway

according to verywellmind, panic attacks are sudden and revolve around depersonalization, derealization, and the fear of dying/losing control, and physical symptoms like sweating, racing heart, trouble breathing, and lightheadedness. They don't usually last very long. A lot of people who say they have anxiety attacks actually have panic attacks.

Anxiety attacks.... technically don't exist, in the sense of being an official medical term. But usually, they describe a phenomenon similar to panic attacks, except they last longer and the feelings are less severe. Like, you'll feel restless, anxious, have trouble concentrating, feel irritable, etc, but you probably won't be crying on the bench in PE like you would in a panic attack.

But imo, the difference between the two doesn't really matter. They both are signals of bigger problems with anxiety if they keep happening, and need to be handled with anxiety management techniques like keeping a journal of your emotions, physical activity, socializing with people who comfort you, stimming if you're the type of ND that helps, therapy, a well-balanced diet, and getting the right amount of sleep. (more obligatory im not a doctor, just trying to help out, here). Some more resources for that: this, this, this.

So, what you should really be looking for is telling the difference between anxiety/panic attacks and meltdowns; anxiety/panic attacks can generally be handled in similar ways.

Meltdowns are autism-specific reactions to being overwhelmed in some way. They are commonly caused by stress, anger, frustration, and sensory overload. That's key there; once you're in the right headspace to examine it, if you can figure out whether your reaction was from being anxious, overwhelmed, or both, you can figure out how to help yourself.

IME, meltdowns may have aspects like agitation/irritability/anger, sensory overload, and screaming, which make them more obviously anxiety-induced meltdowns as opposed to panic attacks. They can also last longer and be extremely exhausting (not to say panic attacks can't be, tho).

I think the key thing among it is that panic attacks are thoroughly about panic. It's in the name for a reason; you're panicking and anxious the whole time. If there are other elements or that's not the main element, you may be experiencing a meltdown instead (esp. if it's sensory-induced).

But honestly, again, knowing the difference may not matter. If you get panic attacks and meltdowns, they probably merge at least somewhat or sometimes, and what matters is finding things that calm you down. Searching the related terms into tumblr's search bar is honestly a pretty good way to start.

sorry i couldn't be more helpful (/gen), but I'm not an expert at figuring out where distress comes from, so I wanted to mostly focus on alleviating the distress.

[starry-skies-116]

Genshin Writing Blurb: The Morning Star

((**DISCLAIMER IM SUPER DUPER SORRY IF MY LATIN IS INCORRECT also this is in no way me worshipping The literal Devil I’m agnostic living in a Hindu family /lh but ya’ know…**))

______________________________________________________________

The blonde traveler sighs deeper yet again, curled hair cascading and spiraling over his shoulders like golden waterfalls as his clothes faintly shift audibly with every movement he makes. Silk rustles beneath him upon his bed as he rolls his eyes to the stars out the window peering back at him- Teyvat’s skies.

Memories roiled beneath his mind as he sighs, tears pricking the back of his eyes as they slowly played out in his mind like a fuzzy reel of pictures.

My beloved child, the voice whispers. My little morning star.

Aether remembers- he remembers the stars glistening across the twilight yawn of heaven’s black, the boundless scent of night, the entire cosmos consolidated in two pupils as the pupils were two moons that crested the universe, gazing so lovingly into him. Snow white hair cascaded down the figure’s shoulders, and feathery wings shining with a golden brilliance enveloped the traveler’s miniscule figure in a tight, snug embrace, accompanying each other in multitudes of three. And oh, the crown sitting atop that deity’s head… it was adorned with countless jewels and carved out of the gold that spilled from the earth.

You will ascend above the clouds and stars of God. You will be like the Most High.

How her tears glistened as though she were crying diamonds, as though her skin were softer than even the most luxurious of fabric to which no earthly pleasure or delight could compare in the slightest. How her smile glistened like the pearl of seafoam, and how marvelous the sight was of gold sitting upon a lap of pure brilliance clothed in form.

Was it real, or was it all fake?

Was he who Nahida said he was?

“Mama…?” he whispered, turning back to Paimon, the kid fast asleep on the couch.

***

Nolite arbitrari quia venerim mittere pacem- in terram non veni pacem, mittere sed gladium.

Consurget enim gens in gentem et regnum in regnum, et erunt pestilentiae et fames et terraemotus per loca.

Bonum est sal quod si sal insulsum, fuerit in quo illud condietis habete in vobis, sal et pacem habete inter vos.

***

Aether fervently shook his head, letting out a shuddered gasp as memories once again return to him: 

“Ego sum stella matituna…” he utters, and only now does he realize his throat aches with a strange pain- though he feels unusually weak, and he feels his power sealed, he can feel it faintly coo and thrum from within with a phantasmal groan as if it were a baby in it’s crib stirring in slumber. His eyes widen in inexplicable dread. “Morning star… M-Morningstar,” he stutters out once again, this time in Teyvat’s common language instead of the more ancient tongue he had uttered from his lips that worded akin to a curse- only now did he realize he uttered the whole verse instead of merely the concluding line.

You always had the personality of thinking out loud, did you not?

They knew… Nahida had told him that the Fatui had marked him as the Fourth Descender that had come to Teyvat. And he remembered from that painful encounter with his sister, now the Abyss Princess… that her journey had begun a long time ago, hence her ‘war with destiny’ now.

So this wasn’t their first time dealing with extraterrestrial entities? Although- no, he knew there was something odd about him, he’s journeyed across the celestial atlas by his sister’s side for the longest time. Even now, the memories hid behind a thick fog, and trying to reach for the descriptive events of the past only left him with a headache.

Of course, he knew of some things- how he and his sister arrived in a meteorite streaking across the sky with brilliant light igniting it from inside and out- how he once carried wings of pure brilliance and sublimity on his back in multitudes of six, and wielded a sword forged of stardust that were stripped from him so cruelly, how the pressure weighed on him and suffocated him, anything but divine as those chains bound him with a red hot glow of agony as a woman’s voice whispered to him repeatedly.

“How you have fallen from heaven, o’ morning star.”

The blonde once again shook his head, feeling a cold sweat down his back. What did it all mean?

“T…Traveler…?” Paimon stirs from slumber, cooing and nestling against Aether’s arms like how a child would try to squeeze into their mother’s arms for an embrace. “You’re awake… you doing alright?”

“Mm…” Aether hums in response, for speaking was a tad too difficult for him in the moment- his throat would tighten every time he opened his mouth to form even a syllable of a word, as if the curse had temporarily disabled his ability to speak.

The moons yield to the brilliant primeval blade of light, the true image and children of when the branches cradled doves and bore fruit of both knowledge and life.

Ego primus et novissimus, principium et finis.

He remembers a time when the abyss and the heavens had yielded to him, bowed so considerately, so devoutly…

And the title lingers on his lips and is emblazoned within his mind, permanently now: We are the beginning and the end, the upper heavens above the cosmos. We are the celestial atlas, the all-encompassing lumineferous ether. 

𝐖𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫.

[klixxy]

Genshin Fic Recs

so... i ventured into the vast world of Google looking for some good GI fic recs... only to find such a pitiful amount that i was promptly devastated. therefore, the solution is to make my own! :D

keep in mind most of these will be ChiLi or XingYun, and yes, i will try not to include smut unless it was one i really really liked. if anyone wants a separate list for just smut (though that will most likely be shorter) i can try to make one later.`

ft. my bookmark comments :)

CHILI

wrapped up in pure gold by beyondwinter

(chili; accidental marriage; chili/childe-centric; 22k words; ongoing)

"Do you understand its meaning, Childe?" He finally asks. There's a hard glint in his eyes, like he's trying to steel himself for his answer.

"Yeah." Loyalty and devotion, right? Between business partners? "I do. It's traditional, isn't it?"

Zhongli's eyes glow a warm amber in the near darkness, reflecting the soft shine of the lanterns. He studies his face with a strange intensity, as though Childe were a piece of high quality Nocticulous Jade being sold for suspiciously small sum and he's trying to find the blemishes that would explain the price. The weight of his gaze should be uncomfortable, boring into him like he can see into the very depths of his abyss-tainted soul, but Childe finds himself preening under the attention instead.

Childe accidentally proposes to Zhongli. Zhongli accepts.

The World is Water by Millereflets

(chili; smut; hurt/comfort; chili-centric; 7k words; oneshot)

Childe doesn't visit Zhongli until it's almost too late.

(my bookmarks: HOW DO YOU MAKE A SMUT SCENE SO POETIC HOLY SHITTTTT)

Set in Stone by seredemia

(chili; fake dating au; angst; some smut?; chili/chiilde-centric; 55k words; ongoing)

What do you do when you write about a certain six thousand year old consultant so much in your letters that it somehow convinces your entire family you're not only dating each other, but that you're also engaged?

In Childe's case, the answer is plain and simple: he goes along with it, of course. Absolutely nothing can go wrong if he makes a contract with the God of Contracts, vowing that the two of them will pretend to be lovers for the duration of his family's stay in Liyue. Afterwards, they'll return as normal and speak no more of this mess. No feelings or complications involved whatsoever.

Contract accepted. A fool-proof plan set in stone. Right?

Private Ledger of the Eleventh Harbinger by JuHuaTai

(chili; humor; getting together; chili/ekaterina-centric; 5k words; oneshot)

“So guess what I did next?”

Ekaterina contemplated not answering, but Harbinger Tartaglia was just… grinning and waiting. It’s honestly rather creepy the longer time passed.

In the end, she gave a long suffering sigh that seems lost on him, “You bought him the Erhu—“

“I bought him the antique, cor lapis based Erhu,”

-

When she first left her homeland for the unknown nation of Liyue, Ekaterina was ready to be many things: To be a soldier, to fell Tsaritsa’s enemies in her name, to bring glory to Snezhnaya and her leader.

Being a receptionist in a cozy bank wasn’t so bad in comparison, but she absolutely can do without the front row seat to Harbinger Tartaglia’s (expensive) love life.

i know i'm where i'm meant to go by paperclips (pastel_paperclips)

(chili; humor; fluff; chili-centric; 12k words; ongoing)

"Childe," Zhongli says suddenly. "I am enjoying myself greatly." Childe’s face breaks into a grin. "Then-" Zhongli gasps, grabbing his wrist and tugging him over to an unsuspecting peddler with a cart full of rocks. "Is that an intrusive igneous pegmatite formed in the Inazuma regions?" Childe’s grin smooths into a small, adoring smile. He has all the time in the world to figure the other man out.

OR: Finding the Geo Archon is on Childe's to-do list but hanging out with Zhongli is significantly more fun.

CHILIVEN

Crumbling Stone by avtorSola

(chiliven; ANGST; PAIN; mind control; zhongli-centric; 74k words; ongoing)

When Morax unleashes his plan to test the Liyue Qixing and his adepti, he does not take into account the stirring of the Abyss Order in the north and the corruption of Dvalin - for why would he fear an organization that works in such shadows? He is secure in his power, after all, unlike his flighty ex, the absentee archon of Mondstadt who rises only when his people are in danger.

But, somehow, the Abyss Order discovers his plan. Somehow, they capitalize on it. And he, the God of Stone who cannot sicken, is struck down - taken by an order bent on destroying all of humanity as Liyue crumbles around him. For even Archons aren't immune to Durin's blood, and Morax is no exception. But then the question becomes - if even Archons may fall to the agony of this corrupting burn - how is their traveling friend Aether immune?

The answer comes from beyond the stars - an ancient malice that knows no kindness or mercy. A malice whose legacy the Abyss Order now bears, seeking to topple all the Archons and their people into the void of utter destruction. And they have begun in Liyue.

Fortunately, it takes a long time to erode stone.

(my bookmarks: IM SCREAMING AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA)

PLATONIC ZHONGVEN

left-behind city by trixstar

(platonic zhongven; angst; ANGST; venti-centric; 1k words; oneshot)

"An associate of mine has just informed me that Rex Lapis, the Geo Archon has been assassinated."

Venti blinks.

Or: Venti and how he copes with finding out he is all that remains.

i circle ten thousand years long; and i still do not know if i am a falcon, a storm, or an unfinished song by birdsofpassage

(platonic zhongven; angst; hurt/comfort; zhongven-centric; 4k words; oneshot)

Venti and Zhongli, and the vignettes of a much-needed vacation around Mondstadt.

(my bookmarks: ; - ;      ;  -  ; )

oh ye with little faith by air_fried_air

(platonic zhongven; angst; hurt/comfort; zhongven-centric; 2k words; oneshot)

Two former archons do a little tour around Mondstadt.

(my bookmarks: why are all genshin angst fics so melancholy.... i feel so empty)

the wind through the mountain tops by glassdrachma

(platonic zhongven; humor; hurt/comfort; zhongven-centric; 21k words; finished)

Boredom brings Barbatos of Mondstadt to bother a certain ex-Archon of the Earth.

(my bookmarks: venti zhongli friendship venti zhongli friendship venti zhongli friendship venti zhongli friendship venti zhongli friendship venti zhongli friendship venti zhongli friendship venti zhongli friendship venti zhongli friendship venti zhongli friendship venti zhongli friendship venti zhongli friendship venti zhongli friendship venti zhongli friendship venti zhongli friendship venti zhongli friendship venti zhongli friendship-)

XINGYUN

the art of exorcism by Agried

(xingyun; ghost au; hurt/comfort; chongyun-centric; 9k words; oneshot)

On the road back from one of his jobs, Chongyun runs into Xingqiu, the wandering swordsman. And then they keep meeting, over and over again. or, alternately; how a ghost and an exorcist learn how to love, one step at a time.

Bane of All Evil by tzitzimeme

(xingyun; humor; romance; chongyun-centric; 24k words; hiatus)

When Chongyun unintentionally offends Liyue's second most powerful adepti, he vows to mend the thorny relationship between Adeptus Xiao and human exorcists-- even though no one has succeeded in currying Xiao's favor for over a thousand years.

His best friend Xingqiu offers to come alone, mainly because he's worried about what kind of trouble Chongyun will run into. Along the way, they receive help from others: Xiangling packs them meals for their journeys, while Zhongli gives them advice on what demons to track.

Childe is just there because he thinks the whole thing is hilarious.

[On indefinite hiatus due to burnout; sorry!]

kiss me slowly (so i don't forget) by xiwangmu

(xingyun; humor; romance; light angst; xingqiu-centric; 8k words; oneshot)

Wangshu Inn Bulletin Board

Guest Message: My best friend whom I harbor affections for kissed me last night, but due to his special condition he does not recall a single moment of it. I am quite conflicted about whether to disclose these events to him or not, because that would most certainly require me to confess my feelings as well. If anyone has experience in romancing boys with excessive positive energy, this one humbly asks you to share some advice.

Reply: Our greatest apologies—although we would like to offer some words in response, we simply cannot decipher your handwriting. Perhaps you may return with a neater message next time?

time trials by idlestars

(xingyun/many ships; humor; modern au; xingyun-centric; 2k words; oneshot)

A modern social media AU.

Xingqiu Teases Demons. Chongyun Almost Cries. [The clip shows Xingqiu, lit by the sickly green of night vision, as he stares bored into a dark room. He’s alone - Chongyun left to see if Xingqiu could lure out the ghosts. Xingqiu glances at the camera, smirks, and then opens his mouth.

“Hey demons, it’s me, yah boy.”]

OTHER/GEN

woe be the wallet of the god of wealth by glassdrachma

(gen; humor; identity reveal; keqing/zhongli-centric; 12k words; finished)

Or, the story of how the Yuheng of the Qixing came to idolize, befriend, and discover the identity of the God of Geo, in that order.

(personal comments: hilarious, made me burst out into laughter multiple times, and was just a masterful piece of writing)

to dream of dust by miao_x

(guili/gen; ANGST; hurt/no comfort; zhongli-centric; 5k words; oneshot)

Some nights, Zhongli dreams.

He dreams of soft light, golden song, and a gentle breeze whispering tales of millennia past. It is warm, familiar, and comforting.

It feels like home.

And then he opens his eyes, and awakes to reality.

(my bookmarks: oh zhongli... made me cry)

To drown in your own tears by C_rin_nyan

(guili/gen; ANGST; TEARS; PAIN; zhongli-centric; 2k words; oneshot)

As Rex Lapis, he had never shed a tear, even as he slaughtered hundreds, destruction following his every step. As Zhongli, he had shed much more than he would like to admit, however.

Or, “Zhongli’s soul gave its last scream long ago, yet even now, the echo of said sound was still strong enough to reach Rex Lapis.”