#mwah mwah i love you good night

[microwave-core]

Lifeline

Cynthia x Fem! Reader

You’ve had a crush on your dear childhood friend Cynthia for as long as you can remember. Facing against each other as champions reminds you of that fact.

SO, I know the Masters 8 thing from the anime was a part of gen 8, but I’ve decided to make reader a champion in Paldea, kind of representing the region on Geeta’s behalf, in place of Alain. Lumiose Conference or whatever my ass. 

Looking back, you were always meek as a child. A little shy, a little nervous when talking or the center of attention, a little shaky when issuing your pokemon commands. Not that it mattered, not when you always had your dear Cynthia to rely on. The young girl you had met in your mutual, sleepy home of Celestic Town. 

Maybe she wasn’t as good as you remember her being at the time, not with her current level of strength, but as kids she always seemed so, so… confident. Unstoppable. And maybe that really is just your nostalgic, crush-induced rose-tinted glasses talking, but that’s how you saw her.

You always believed she could be champion. More than that. Perhaps even the best in the world. Something other’s didn’t believe at the time. Who would have thought that some spunky ten year old from a backwater town and nothing but a bumbling Gible at her side would become such an unbelievable powerhouse?

But you knew, even way back when. Even before either of you had your first pokemon, you knew she was destined for something great. Not just because of some implicit skill or natural born talent, but because of her unrelenting determination and resolve. A feeling that only solidified in the depths of your heart the day she ran up to you, announcing the hatching of the egg she was entrusted with. 

You had begun your journeys side by side, vowing to journey across the region, collecting gym badges, and becoming champions together. And yeah, maybe there can only be one champion of the region, but neither of you cared about that. You were young, full of joy and excitement and energy. Gible by her side, Swablu by your own.

It was apparent to everyone that she was stronger than you. Her team and battle prowess were higher, her confidence soaring high above your own. Not that you cared. Well, okay, that’s a lie. It did bother you a little, admittedly, but in the way that spurred you on to be stronger. Be better. The kind that made you work towards her in the race to the finish line. You weren’t a sore loser, she wasn’t a sore winner, you both worked to make the other stronger.

But by the time you both managed to collect each and every one of Sinnoh’s gym badges, your interest in becoming the region’s champion waned. Not that you didn’t want to try, but because you knew that, even if you did try you would surely lose to Cynthia. Her radiant confidence, her cool and collected nature, her dazzling smile… 

Yes, you had feelings for her. Major ones at that. Ones that obviously stemmed all the way back to your childhood. It was apparent to everyone in your old hometown. The way you followed behind her like a lost Shinx, the way that you were hooked on her every word, the way heat crawled up your face and traveled through every inch of your body whenever she smiled or laughed or did… much of anything, honestly. 

As kids, though, neither of you cared all that much. Romance and kissing were icky to you both, things that adults did that you would stick your tongues out at. That didn’t stop your parents from teasing you about getting married to her one day, or her grandmother from jokingly calling you her granddaughter-in-law.

When you went on a journey together, those feelings only grew stronger. You wanted so desperately to hold her hand, to huddle together for warmth when camping out under the stars, to kiss her softly and all of that other mushy stuff you once found gross. If kissing her would give you cooties, you would embrace them with open arms.

You knew it was obvious, or maybe it wasn’t. Maybe it felt like it was due to everyone at home knowing. Regardless, you felt hopeless. Did Cynthia feel the same? Did she catch on to the feelings you’ve harbored since you were kids and was just too nice to say anything about it? Was she too dense to notice? Did she even care about romance? You didn’t know. You didn’t want to find out. You’d rather keep her as a friend than ruin things when confessing.

Pinning for her was enough for you. 

Unfortunately, some time after your journey for badges concluded, you had to deliver to her awful news. Your family was moving to another region, to Paldea, to a place where she wouldn’t be with you. You stewed on telling her for a few days. Even if she didn’t share your feelings, you were still her friend, her best friend. Losing you was going to hurt. Your Altaria, who had long since evolved from the small, clumsy Swablu you once knew, was there for comfort, at least. 

Cynthia quickly noticed something was up, you told each other everything (most things, anyways), and she could tell something was weighing on your mind. And, as expected, she was devastated upon learning the news.

The last day in Sinnoh, the two of you spent together. Going on a trip down memory lane, visiting your favorite spots, returning the places you caught each of your pokemon… She hugged you tightly at the end of the day, whispering softly into your hair about how much she would miss you. You wanted desperately for her to confess some feelings, to reveal that she too was so desperately in love, but it never came. You left early the next morning, sharing one last hug, her vowing to get even stronger and become champion, just for you.

Letters were sent back and forth, turning into texts and calls as you got older. Even if it wasn’t in person, you still talked and chatted and told each other as much as you could. It wasn’t the same, but it was something, enough to keep her in your life. Enough to keep the flame in your heart alive. 

That’s why you went out on another journey, determined to collect another set of badges, to become the champion, and to stand on even footing with her. Your resolve was only bolded when you watched her become the new champion of Sinnoh. From behind the TV screen, of course. Her and that Garchomp, the sweet yet mighty dragon you watched grow stronger and stronger each day alongside her beautiful and capable trainer…

Unlike other regions, there was no tournament for the top spot, instead having a title, a class, just for people capable of defeating Paldea’s strongest. La Primera gave you lots of trouble, but your team was strong, much stronger than when you first arrived in the region, and you couldn’t back down from the challenge. If you lost to her, how could you ever beat your Cynthia?

The phone call you had after the fight with her was one of the most exciting calls you’ve ever had, loudly and happily proclaiming your victory, and she couldn’t be more happy for you. Even if you weren’t on her level at the time, Cynthia knew you were strong as well, and she believed in you just as much as you did in her. If being champion didn’t keep her so busy, she would have been here with you, to celebrate your accomplishment in person..

So when she heard you would be in the Masters 8 tournament to represent your new home, she knew she had to be there. To see you in person for the first time in years. To see just how strong you had become. And, right now, staring at you from across the field, tension high and adrenaline higher, the wait to see you was worth it.

“You’ve changed so much since we’ve last seen each other… but I have no intention of losing here.”

God, even her voice alone was enough to make your heart want to explode.

For you, the current moment was exciting and also terrifying. You had longed for this kind of moment for years, For over a decade at this point, and it was finally happening. A chance to show the woman you’ve pinned for for years just how strong you could be. Your fights with Steven and Iris before were incredible challenges of strength and skill, but neither had such intense feelings on the line.

“I, uh. I don’t intend on losing either!”

Not your finest moment. Not very cool sounding. You couldn’t care less about the hundreds of thousands of people watching, the idea of looking uncool in front of Cynthia made your nerves spike, but the angelic, albeit small laugh that fell from her lips as a result of your words might have made it worth it-

No. no time to think like that. You couldn’t be distracted by her marvelous presence when so much was on the line.

And so, you both exchanged words as your pokemon began exchanging blows, praising each other’s strategies and throwing in bits and pieces of trash talk to please the crowd every now and then. Not that pleasing the crowd was even on your mind, not much was, honestly. You were so focused on the battle and Cynthia that your mind circled around to being filled with white noise.

In the end, it was mutual destruction. You were both left with your last pokemon, both left with your starters, with no gimmicks at your disposal. Her Garchomp and your Altaria clashed against one another, each move kicking up dust and debris from the battlefield, until the two rammed into each other with the remainder of their energy.

Both of them were done for, but Altaria fell before Garchomp, who followed almost immediately after. A photo finish, a battle that came right down to the wire. A battle that proved you were evenly matched. Coming this far only to lose hurt, sure, but knowing that you were as strong as Cynthia filled that wound and more.

The blaring noise of the commentators and crowd were a blur for you, and likely Cynthia, too. You had knelt down next to your fallen companion, thanking her for all of her work, praising her for pushing it to the limit, and returning her to her ball for a well deserved rest. Cynthia was right in front of you when you looked up, smiling and extending a hand.

Your breath hitches as she pulls you back up on your feet, the feeling of her lovely soft hand making your tired mind nearly short circuit. Unfortunately, she retracts her hand, only to place it on the back of your shoulder, leading you both off of the battlefield into the privacy of the hall between the public eye and back rooms.

“You were incredible out there.”

Her tone is gentle, and probably would have been quieter if it weren’t for the echoes of the roaring crowd from outside.

“Me? Oh, you were the real star! You… you won, after all!”

“You’ve always been too modest. You drove me against the wall back there, not to mention the other trainers you championed over before me.”

You scratch the back of your neck, stumbling through your words, mumbling out a quick thanks. Embarrassed, but oh so warm on the inside. A silence came over you both, not an uncomfortable one, per say, but one underlined with tension, as if neither of you knew what to say. Unsure of where to start.

“You know, it’s been so long since we’ve seen each other. There’s a cafe around here that we could go to-”

“I’m in love with you.”

The words barrel out of your mouth before you could stop them. The pounding in your chest was too intense to ignore. Years of built up feelings finally boiling up to the surface.

“I’m… come again?”

Her cheeks were painted an adorable baby pink, for once in her life unsure of what to say. 

“I… I love you. I think I always have, and I just… I don’t think I can stand it anymore. Knowing that I’ve finally caught up to you, that I could almost beat you back there, it… I just can’t hold back anymore”

You shut your eyes tightly. Even if her expression was so lovely and perfect and one you wanted to burn into your eyes to cherish for forever and ever, you couldn’t bear to see it potentially distort into rejection. The constant thump thump thump of your heart was deafening, filling your ears, overtaking the sounds of the cheering crowd, of the outside world. Her hand on your shoulder tightens slightly as she utters out your name, the syllables falling off her slips sounding like the sweetest song in your mind.

“I’m… I’m flattered.”

“You don’t have to soften the b-blow. Just say you don’t feel the same if you have toI… we can still be friends.”

Your shoulders slump ever so slightly, trying your absolute hardest to keep yourself together.

“That’s not it.”

“It… it’s not?”

Opening your eyes, you see the sickeningly sweet smile on her face, eyes pooling with warmth and crinkling. So sweet and genuine.

“You’ve worked so hard to get here today, I don’t need you to tell me to know. I’ve always known you were strong, seeing you so full of confidence was so wonderful, so…”

“So..?”

“Attractive.”

“Oh! Um, haha… That means a lot. From you.”

Your string of babbling is cute off by her laugh, soft hand leaving your shoulder and instead landing on your cheek, caressing it softly.

“How about we just take things slow for now, alright? Go out once all of the celebration ends and see how things go?”

“That… I’d love that. A lot.”

“Perfect. Oh, I just know you’ll love the place I have in mind. It has some of the best ice cream I’ve had in my whole life. You can get as much as you want, my treat.”

“It’s a date then! A.. a date.”

You can’t help the giddy smile on your face, or the fit of giggles bubbling in your chest, or the way your mind runs in circles because you’re getting the chance to be with the woman who’s been on your mind since you were a child. Her own smile brightens even further, patting your cheek before once again taking your hand in hers, walking through the rest of the hall.

“My heart has been desperate to claw its way out of my chest to engrave itself next to your own for years.”

“Hmm? I didn’t quite catch that.” “Oh, it’s, uh… nothing. Nothing at all.”

You can take it slow for now. Keep all of the feelings and thoughts in your heart contained for just  a little bit longer, knowing that you could bare your soul for her to see in full one day. For now, a simple date was all you could ever ask for.

[aeb-art]

i thought it'd be cute 🥺💕

[ahollowgrave]

-- all saints' wake.

[chevalperd]

ish intimacy levels because i did not in fact go to sleep at the time i was supposed to yesterday night!!

note: all of these are most likely going to be super high because of the way ish perceives people in general so uh. the extreme lore consideration i put into tiny number differences/tiny wording choices is between me and god!! sorry if i didn’t add your sona, i was so eepy these were just the ones i could remember off the top of my head at 1am + that i had the energy to finish before i conked out...might come back and do more sometime!! for now, though, feel free to just lmk if you're curious as to ish's intimacy score for your sona and i'll think it over :D

DAIAN ( @apple8ees ) - 96%

Talking to you is like taking a nap under a big, shady tree, when it's around the middle of the day and the sun is all cheerful and glowing. I don't know if I can say I'm your biggest fan, but that's only because there are so so so many people that love you, and I’m not sure if I’m important enough to you to compete. But please do wonderfully on the stage, hehe :)

STAR ( @starry-skiez ) - 93%

Honestly, I think you’re so insanely cool…I don’t know if you consider me very close, but I like you a lot and I’m so so happy to have met you!!! Good luck out there!

KAY ( @imperfectnothing ) - 93%

When I think about it, I don’t really know all that much about you, but talking to you makes me happy! You’re really cool. Sometimes you seem a little sad, but maybe I’m overthinking it.

AOKI ( @lookatmysillies ) - 93%

You’re really cool and I like you!! I don’t think I know that much about you either...but I wish I did. And...I really hope everything goes well for you!

PLIP ( @awaggaa ) - 92%

I really like your vibes, although I'm not sure you like me very much? Question mark? I don't know what's going on with you and Nad but it's kind of funny!! Good luck up on the stage!

ZEN ( @verdantlights ) - 94%

Hehe, I like your style!! Seriously, I admire you a lot, more than you know, and not just for your voice, although you're very talented! Good luck out there and with everything!

NADOHAN ( @alien-til-i-stage ) - 98%

Whether you like it or not, you're my family now!! Hehe. I wanna thank you for trying so hard to keep me safe…I hope you know that just your presence was always enough to make me feel a little better. And I hope I haven't made things too hard for you—you know I wish we could be somewhere else, but that's okay! You're someone I can't lose, so please blow us all away, okay?

MESNE ( ISH's guardian ) - 1%

So long, sucker!! One way or another, I'm never seeing your slimy face again. I hope your company goes bankrupt. Kisses!

[teddybeartoji]

RUBS MY LITTLE HANDS TOGETHER ….. you are never safe from me >:3333

☕️ with misu !!!! ☀️ with ming !!!!!! 🌤️ with mirin !!!!!!! 🧇 with michuu !!!!!! aaaaand 📖 with miji …. :3c pretty please. (i put much thought into all of these btw) (also v v v optional but. if you have any thoughts about you and … a certain softie redhead . pyro user. 👁️👁️ i would love to hear ….. maybe 📖 ???)(ONLY IF U WANT TO THOUGH …..) (i love you. in my mindpalace i am serving you breakfast in bed and the sun is shining through the blinds and i am content to simply watch you from the doorway)

ARIARIARIARIARIARARIARIARIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

☕️: do y’all make coffee or tea? what do they put in their coffee/tea?

OKOK SO TECHNICALLY WE DID ALREADY TALK ABT THIS BUT BUT BUT he gets either a cup of black coffee or earl gray aaand i have a cappuccino of some kind:333333333 and i say 'some kind' because now that i think about it.... currently i have this machine that takes those coffee pods right? but he wouldn't.. really like that now would he.................... so we probably have some kind of a fancy machine that he's very proud of lmao

i'm not very picky about my coffees or my teas but since he IS very serious about them i let him pamper me with whatever he thinks is best for me (he knows . what's best for me) and most of the time he's the one making the drinks anyway you know how he is in the kitchen............................

he definitely uses way less sugar than i do and he does find me trying to test his drinks every once in a while very amusing . i don't know why i keep doing it when i already know i won't like it....................... i never said i was smart alright............................ it is sickening how he knows exactly how much sugar/honey i want though bc sometimes even i myself don't know and i put too much or too little.....................

☀️: if they wake you up, how do they do it? with a kiss? or pushing you off the bed?

MY SLEEPY CAT HUSBANDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!! oh he's definitely just straight up staring at me while i sleep huh... well GAZING at me very fondly is a better way to put it i think. laughs to himself when i scrunch my nose in my sleep when he ghosts his fingers over the apples of my cheeks and then swoons a little when i try to curl further into him mmmmmmmmmm

when it's finally time to wake me up he goes in for the head kiss while whispering in his raspy raspy voice (as if this won't make me want to sleep even more?????????) i am quite hard to wake up though,, like i will stay half-asleep for at least another thirty minutes i can't just WAKE UP and start doing things and unfortunately for me he finds this very cute too hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh he'll tease me about being a sleepyhead while making absolutely zero effort to get me out of the bed lmao

🌤: are either of you morning people? if not, what’s your pick me up?

I THINK WE'RE BOTH MORNING PEOPLE . ok i am some fake half assed morning person i think.... ANYWAY he definitely always wakes up first bc he wants to go on a run and do his stretches this is what he's used to but he does spend a good few minutes just O . O staring at me before getting out lmao most likely he'll come and try to coax me out of bed when he's finally done with his excercises and his shower and it's a very sweet thing bc he doesn't know how to do itashgdghsaghdgahsh i make him work for it a bit and that's my pick me up:333333333

and by that yes i mean that i will pretend to be asleep so he'll have to try different ways, he'll just whisper at first but then after some time he decides to go for the sleeping beauty kiss and it's soooashgdhgsadghashg do his ears go red every single time? yes. does he continue to do it even though by now he knows i'm messing with him? yes. #true love

🧇: do they cook breakfast? or do you? what breakfast?

ARI CHUU IS SO GRUMPY IN THE MORNINGS IT'S SO FUCKING CUTEEEEE😭😭😭😭😭 he's literally just glued to my back and i think this is like the only . selfship where i'm the one cooking the breakfasthgsadhgsadghghsa I LOVE IT THOUGH DON'T GET ME WRONG it's very endearing to see him like this i love feeding him toast over the shoulder hehehehee

OH AND the breakfast varies a lot sometimes it's smth like french toast sometimes it's an omlette i try to think abt our schedules before making anything so i can be sure that he won't get hungry when he's running errands or anything yk?

📖: do you have a routine? what is it?

WITH TOJI . WE DO EVERYTHING TOGETHER IN THE MORNINGS. we just kind of developed this routine without ever putting any thought into it but we usually get up at the same time, then we go to the bathroom at the same time, we brush our teeth, he takes a shower while i give shrimpy his morning pets and pats aaand then we're off to the kitchen. we're kind of stuck together in the morning part of the day i really don't know how it happened but i do really love it!!!!!!!!!!!!

he will make the food while i make us both coffee and then i usually either sit on the windowsill or behind him at the table aaand then we eat together!!!!!!!!!!!! it's very very sweet and we try to take the mornings as slow as possible this is how we like it:333333333

NOWWWWWWWWWWWW with mr diluc.. hgsadhsagdhsagdas okok so you know that this is still very very new and i was just thinking abt how i need to come to you bc you know him a bit better than i do so you can help me figure US out buuuuuuuuuuut i do think we'd have a bit of a routine going on...... not quite like with toji though bc i feel like diluc would start his day a bit earlier and he'd rather take a shower and then . come and wake me up and theen he'd go to the kitchen to make us something already hmmmmm i feel like he would try to let me sleep in more.......... which is fine I GUESSS bc then i get to do that good old back hug thing while he's cooking:33333333 i will be nuzzling into his back i might even crawl under his shirt nyehehhee

morning selfship asks<3333333

[moth-tv420]

idk if anyone even wanted to know but this is my clip studio setup :) my best friend bildad watches over me painting for luck <3

[banfiyunna]

Ik your awake, it's bedtime love. Sleepy time.

Fine

[a-mongooose]

Something something favorite character something something scrimblo<3 Idk i wanted to draw lard nar holding a comically large gun. i think he likes comically large guns. was just supposed to be a sketch but it did not stay that way . :]

[hailsatanacab]

oof owie hello it’s chapter 17!

[aeb-art]

note: the following is three (almost four) years post-game

okay fine i'll just draw comics for my au since writing is so dang hard smh

anyways welcome to two coins! where loop shows up again but siffrin only got the one hat ending

edit: part two

[hopeinthebox]

tagged by the lovely natalia <33 @jiminsproof a bit ago to reveal some "lasts" so, without further ado:

last song: american teenager, ethel cain - song of the year for the second year running, i fear. preacher's daughter you will always be famous

last movie: freaky friday - jamie lee curtis AND lindsay lohan milf performances???? five stars. put pink slip's take me away on spotify immediately

currently watching: house m.d. - binged my way through six seasons already and i'm showing no signs of slowing down. at this point i'm one more character playlist curation away from being institutionalised

currently reading: coded messages that kim taehyung leaves for me in his promotions and mvs. oh and high fidelity

current obsession: jungle's music videos. back on 74 was obviously the catalyst here but they're all phenomenal. additionally i have a pretty serious below deck problem

and there you have it. tagging a handful of favs if you feel so inclined: @cordiallyfuturedwight @aprylynn @pauls-mccharmly @somebodydoeslove @banghwa @monismochi @eoieopda @btscontentenjoyer @letmelovekoo @spicyclematis

[phoenixiancrystallist]

Month 12, day 2 Changing up the format a little for reasons you'll see in a second

I have two images for y'all tonight! And a challenge! It's a spot the difference challenge and no, believe it or not they are not actually the same picture lol

So I'm back on CG Fast Track because I spent a lot of good money on that website for full, unfettered, forever access to their courses and by golly I'm gonna use it! We're still learning how to optimize Cycles for rendering, but I did some ~*experimenting*~ because I'm me like that. Anyway, onto the pictures!

First, we have an image rendered at 2048 samples, as recommended by the course, which took approximately 22 minutes to render. It's very pretty but we can do way, way better than almost half an hour for a still image.

Next, we have the same thing, rendered at 256 samples, as recommended by me doing trial and error and being so freaking bored all night while the tests rendered. This one took 3.39 minutes to cook.

Spot the difference! I can, largely because I've been staring at these things all night lol ...although depending on how Tumblr compresses the images when they upload they might not have any noticeable difference even to my eye. Hmm, didn't consider that. Oh well, too late now! And anyway it's a super ridiculously negligible difference in image quality for such a drastic reduction in render times, but I genuinely learned a whole bunch so yay! Art! :D

[archivedolon]

the ult combo of my dreams.....

[flowercrowngods]

good night ao3 good night tumblr good night funky lil people in my phone who let me scream into the void 🫶

[moth-tv420]

ok i finally got off minecraft and made some progress today! not to spoil my own art but this is going to be a falling crowley thing if it wasn’t already very obvious

shout out and many thanks to the amazing @fellshish for helping me find some reference material :D ur my fav gomens blog <3

[akaakeis]

OKAY GOODNIGHT EVERYONE!!