#my apologies pyro but it's for your own good

[ownpyr0]

Still!! Don't call them that again, it's rude!! >:[

Meow

Get back into your cage.

[primofate]

Scara who has been taken cared of by Nahida, meets girl who he falls in love with. You know the whole "I don't need anyone" turning into "Yeah maybe I deserve this" but slowly.

"It'll be fun!" is what Nahida always told Hat Guy, whenever Holi came around.

It's that festival where people threw coloured powder at each other, if you were unfortunate enough, you might get coloured water thrown on you instead.

Scaramouche hated it.

Every year, he disappeared on the colourful day.

"Oh, there you are, I thought I might find you here," Scaramouche holds back a sigh at your voice coming from behind him. Somehow you had the knack of knowing where he was hiding.

The Aranara hovering around him scattered.

In some ways Scaramouche had found a sort of peace in Sumeru.

Something that he once didn't have.

In the few years that he had stayed here, under Nahida's care, his thoughts about "eternity"--thoughts that things should remain the same, should remain constant, that people should remain as they are--had shifted and turned into an understanding that change...is most definitely inevitable. Especially when knowledge was so abundant everywhere.

"What is it now?" He drawled, head lazily lolling sideways to look at you, all smiles and looking as if you had found a secret hiding amongst the trees and vines.

"Just thought you might need some company," but you don't approach him, and only peer at his face with the same smile.

He doesn't make any move to wave you away or wave you over and just huffs, prying his eyes away from your form. "I had some until you scared the little critters away,"

You guessed he was pertaining to the Aranara. "My apologies then," you humored him and finally sat next to him, the bark of the tree a little rough on your back. "You really hate Holi, huh?"

"I hate the colours,"

"So you don't particularly hate the tradition?"

"I don't have any reason to hate the tradition," Scaramouche is suddenly conscious of your shoulder bumping into his. His eyes briefly darts towards where they meet, and almost immediately darts away to look at the tree leaves swaying in the breeze.

Wordlessly, you lean over to reach the patch of grass in front of the two of you. There are some stray leaves and sticks right around the place that you gather in the middle. Your fingers snap, and quite quickly the flames of pyro lick the small pile alive.

Scaramouche raises an eyebrow in bafflement at what you were doing, but realizes what the purpose was when you sprinkle some sort of magical powder onto the tiny bonfire.

There's a quick burst of strong flame, then it simmers down. The orange turns into a medley of blue, red, pink, green, and many other colours that take turns appearing in the fire. For a second he was mesmerized at the sudden vibrancy of it, but he scoffs and closes his eyes, leaning backwards on the tree when the novelty of it wore off.

"Holi celebrates the triumph of good over evil," you explain, even though you were certain he knew of this already. Your eyes reflect the different coloured flames, dancing around beautifully.

He's silent.

Good and evil.

What really are they? Was he more evil than good? Or was it the other way around? Did it matter?

Scaramouche never pretended to be a saint. Never pretended that he was without sin. He never claimed that he was a good person. Never, and he never thought that he would be a "good" person. None of that was him. None of the word "good" was an inch of him.

"You're most likely celebrating it with the wrong person then," he peeks an eye open to watch you, but also fully opens his eyes to finally watch the flames with you. It's nothing remarkable really. Just a fire that wasn't orange.

"Because you're evil more than good?" You ask and voice his own thoughts aloud, but you follow with a laugh. "Get over yourself, Scaramouche. It's not just about you," The flames start to dwindle in size, the pile of leaves and sticks were scant to begin with. "It's about celebrating the good things in life,"

The good things in life?

He started to think.

Life itself was already so complicated to him.

Adding "good things" was almost something he didn't want to bother with.

What exactly were the "good things" in life?

He was surprised--even shocked--to come to the conclusion that he was able to think about a few things.

Being of use to someone. Being in a place where peace of mind was available. Having quiet nights as opposed to restless nightmares. Having someone go out of their way to look for him and--

The flames disappeared. He blinked back to reality and turned his head to look at you, who was clapping in small delight at the end of the little fire show you made.

"...I suppose I could celebrate that," he mumbled, almost too hard for you to hear.

"Of course you can!" You piped up, now standing and dusting your clothes in preparation to leave. You weren't actually going to bother him for the whole day, just this small celebration was enough for you. "Surely there must be at least one good thing to happen to you here in Sumeru," you shrug and point at the way you came. "I'll be off then. Careful on your way back, red is really hard to wash off,"

He watches as you casually turn to start heading back. "I'll come," he moves up, purposely not meeting your eyes, picking imaginary fluff off of his shoulder. He then crosses his arms over his chest, melding his expression into a grin. "I need a shield anyway,"

You roll your eyes, and walk ahead of him.

He watches your back, for a moment.

Watches, as he starts to accept that you are one of those good things, despite how annoying and persistent you are in trying to get him to celebrate those dumb traditions.

Excuse any mistakes, written in quite a hurry.

[professional-spectator]

Hey there, this is my try at a Reader x Character story, so I hope you enjoy it!

It's inspired by my Crackpot Theory Kaveh is Hine Mavuika's sister but reincarnated.

Just a heads-up, this will be a platonic story, so no romantic stuff here.

Kaveh, Reader, and Mavuika

The light of the Blazing Sun or that time the Pyro Archon Kid Sister got reincarnated as a architect in sumeru 500 years in the future.

You are an architecture student from Natlan, a proud Natlanese hailing from the Children of Echoes in Tequemecan Valley. You lost your parents at a young age during a battle with the Abyss, after which the Pyro Archon took you in.

Mavuika became like the older sister you never had, caring for you and teaching you many things. She was even there the day you received your Geo Vision.

She also gave you a worn architect book, made by someone special.

Now that the Abyss is gone, you've decided to leave Natlan to study abroad.

Mavuika inhaled deeply, determined to never hinder [Name]'s aspirations. A sense of losing another sibling washed over her, and she fought back tears as she studied [Name]'s face.

"Go," she urged, "explore the world. We struggled so much, your parents sacrificed everything for this opportunity for you..."

[Name] embraced Mavuika in a close hug.

Mavuika exuded a warmth and gentleness, like a serene sunset.

Several weeks later, you arrived in Sumeru's Port Ormos. Despite the quality of your designs, you struggled to find an architectural mentor. While mercenary and adventurer work was readily available, your ambition was to become an architect.

Devastated, you were determined to avoid returning home without achieving your goal. One fateful day, weary and disheartened from yet another unsuccessful interview, details you naturally omitted from your letters to Mavuika. Destiny took an unexpected turn. You stumbled and tumbled down the steps of the Port Ormos bridge, landing heavily on the cobblestone street.

"Oh my..." a voice exclaimed, as someone reached out to assist you.

"Hey... can you hear me?" The voice was gentle, but you were already slipping into unconsciousness.

"Don't worry..."

Kaveh, the renowned architect of the Palace of Alcazarzaray, a former student of the Kshahrewar Darshan at the Sumeru Akademiya, graduating with honors and earning the title "Light of Kshahrewar."

Even amidst his own challenges, Kaveh remains a compassionate and generous individual, consistently seeking opportunities to assist others. One instance of his kindness occurred when he witnessed a person stumble and fall down the stairs leading to the bridge in Port Ormos, their face impacting the cobblestones below.

Acting as any good person would, Kaveh promptly took them to a healer, carrying the injured individual and gathering their belongings. Demonstrating his selfless nature, he waited for them to regain consciousness. It was never Kaveh's intention to examine their folder, but while stretching, he inadvertently tripped, scattering the papers. As he gathered them, he couldn't help but notice the drawings contained within. They were remarkably well-executed.

You awoke to the sight of a man with sun-kissed, medium-length blond hair and piercing red eyes. This marked the second time in your life you'd been rescued by someone who seemed touched by the sun—first Mavuika, and now this stranger.

If Mavuika embodied the serenity of a sunset, this man radiated the intensity of the midday sun.

"Thank the Archons, you're awake," Kaveh exclaimed. Of course, you had no idea who Kaveh was.

"I apologize for intruding. These are quite remarkable..." Kaveh said, setting down a folder. "It's a pleasure to meet you; I'm Kaveh. How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright..." you responded with a nod. "Thank you. I'm sorry for the inconvenience..."

"It's no trouble at all. Are you a student? Or where do you hail from?" Kaveh inquired.

"Natlan... I came here in search of a mentor. My aspiration is to become an architect. I received training in Natlan, but I desired to broaden my horizons by studying in another nation, you know." You hadn't intended to elaborate, but you found yourself doing so. "The majority of Natlan's designers adhere to the principles of Hine, a master architect from five centuries ago, yet the techniques have remained the same. I'm eager to discover alternative approaches..."

Despite his own financial struggles, Kaveh felt a surge of empathy. Like himself, you seemed to be facing hardship. Acting on impulse, Kaveh proposed:

"I am an architect. If you're interested, I could assist you. In fact, I could use an assistant..."

His words felt like a godsend.

"Thank you, thank you so much, sir!" You enthusiastically shook his hand repeatedly.

Your apprenticeship under Kaveh stretched from weeks into months. He proved to be a patient, if somewhat theatrical, mentor. He displayed a particular fascination with Natlan's architecture, possessing an almost intuitive understanding that surpassed your own. You attributed this to his greater age and experience; even when consulting your Natlan architecture textbook, he readily grasped the core principles.

You corresponded with Mavuika, who expressed immense joy at your pursuit of your aspirations.

"[Name], could you retrieve the blueprints for Sir Talim's residence? And also, the botany textbook, please...?" Kaveh requested one afternoon as you assisted him with a house renovation.

"They're in my bag, all set. Here you go," you replied.

Another peculiar detail you observed was his use of origami frogs as bookmarks, a habit identical to Mavuika's. It was an unsettling coincidence.

"Master Kaveh, sir?" you inquired. "Where did you learn to create these?"

"Oh, I can't quite recall. I've been making them for as long as I can remember..." Kaveh responded, waving his hand dismissively.

"Mavuika my family, essentially my older sister makes these as well..." you informed him.

"Mavuika's name comes up often when you speak. She must be very important to you," Kaveh observed.

"She is," you replied, before launching into the story of how you first met Mavuika.

Years ago, [Name]'s artistic abilities were practically nonexistent; they could barely manage a stick figure. [Name]'s parents, however, were renowned warriors in the fight against the Abyss. But the conflict was relentless. One fateful day, the Abyss launched an assault on the mining village where [Name] and their family resided. In a desperate attempt to protect [Name], their parents were killed, their blood staining [Name]'s clothes as they were discovered.

Mavuika, recently reinstated as Archon, discovered [Name] in a cave, a sobbing child wielding a knife against an Abyssal monster. Without hesitation, Mavuika rescued the child. Like any child who had lost their parents, [Name] was consumed by a desire for revenge, and so they began to study combat. Sadly, they were not naturally gifted in martial arts. After one particularly strenuous training session, the tribe doctor warned that continuing to fight could lead to permanent damage, potentially causing them to lose the use of their limbs.

[Name] was devastated. Then, one day, Mavuika encouraged the child to try painting, and the result was surprisingly good.

"Being a warrior isn't the only way to contribute," Mavuika gently told the young [Name]. Hesitantly, the red-haired produced their only mementos of Hine, Mavuika sister: a book on architecture. Hine's life was shrouded in mystery, but records indicated she was a master builder and architect. Her architectural techniques were taught throughout Natlan.

"Hine, the Master Architect, designed and built the tools we still use today... She wasn't a warrior, but that didn't diminish her impact. You are a fighter, [Name]. You must discover your unique gift to fight, even if it lies outside of combat." In that moment, Mavuika saved [Name] in more ways than one. During the war against the Abyss, [Name]'s improvements to the air balloons proved invaluable, saving countless lives.

"Mavuika has always been there for me," you stated. "That's precisely why I'm driven to enhance our construction techniques. While the abyss is no longer a threat, we suffered significant losses... My goal is to safeguard Natlan's historical legacy and integrate it into the present day."

"That's a noble aspiration..." Kaveh concurred.

Months later, a letter arrives from Iansan.

A wave of concern washes over you as you read it. Iansan explains that Mavuika is feeling dispirited, though, knowing her, she's probably concealing the extent of it.

Mavuika's selfless nature is reminiscent of Kaveh, or perhaps it's more accurate to say Kaveh reminds you of Mavuika.

Promptly, you reply to both Iansan and Mavuika, suggesting a vacation for Mavuika. Enlisting the aid of your Natlan friends, you coordinate the arrangements. After taking some time off work, you finalize the preparations for Mavuika's arrival.

Several weeks pass before you collect Mavuika in a stumper beast-drawn cart. You journey back to Sumeru City, eager to show her the sights of the market. Unexpectedly, you encounter Kaveh.

Mavuika's heart fluttered with excitement. This trip marked her first real journey beyond the borders of Natlan, and she eagerly anticipated exploring the Grand Bazaar alongside [Name]. But then, a sudden stillness washed over her as the Pyro Archon froze in her tracks. She knew Hine's essence, her very being, like she knew her own.

The man conversing with [Name] possessed striking features blond hair, its ends tinged with a dusty hue, and piercing eyes of crimson. Those eyes… they were unmistakable. In Natlan, reincarnation was a fundamental truth, and Mavuika was certain her sister had been reborn. Yet, she had never encountered Hine's soul within Natlan's lands. Could it be possible that her sister had been reincarnated as a man of Sumeru?

"Yes, I apologize, Master Kaveh, this is Mavuika," [Name] said, introducing them.

"Ah, Mavuika, [Name] has spoken of you often. It's a pleasure to finally meet you," Kaveh replied, unaware that [Name] had omitted the detail of Mavuika's identity as the Pyro Archon.

You extended an invitation to Kaveh to have lunch with you and Mavuika. You observe that Kaveh and Mavuika are getting along surprisingly well, not in a romantic sense, but rather in a manner reminiscent of family. Interestingly, they both choose similar meals, opting for soup and stew. Furthermore, they share similar habits when it comes to enjoying their bread and wine.

Once Kaveh had departed, you couldn't help but notice a melancholic smile gracing Mavuika's face.

"Are you alright?" you inquired.

"[Name], you're aware of our belief in the reincarnation of souls... I truly believe, no, I know that Kaveh is Hine..."

You stared at Mavuika, a mixture of confusion and shock washing over you.

"I'm not sure how it's possible, but in a previous life, he was Hine, my hine. It brings me joy to see her—no, him—living a tranquil life in Sumeru..." Mavuika expressed, as if a weight had been lifted from their shoulders.

The bond between Mavuika and Kaveh deepened with each passing day. For Kaveh, there was an inexplicable connection to her, a sense of familiarity, family. It was as if he had known her his entire life, yet the specifics remained tantalizingly out of reach.

He remembered a childhood yearning, a silent wish for an older sister. In his dreams, she always had striking red hair and was accompanied by two peculiar green creatures. As an only child, he had dismissed these visions as mere figments of his imagination, born from the quiet loneliness of his youth. But now, standing beside Mavuika, he felt echoes of those dreams resonating within him, a strange and comforting familiarity.

One sun-drenched afternoon, as they relaxed in the cool shade of a sprawling tree, their conversation meandered, drifting lazily toward their passions.

"Music, architecture, sculpting, painting..." Kaveh began, a hint of self-deprecation coloring his voice. "I suppose I find them all worthy of admiration. I wouldn't call myself an expert in any of them, but as long as I remain interested, perhaps I can eventually master them all. I mean, I'm already quite skilled with an instrument..."

Mavuika chuckled softly, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "Growing stronger, completing a challenging task, solving a complex problem, or defeating a formidable enemy..." she replied, a thoughtful expression on her face. "I don't have one particular hobby either—the feeling of accomplishment is what I enjoy most of out."

Their discussion then turned to the intricate dance of love and friendship. Mavuika couldn't help but observe that they seemed to share a similar taste in men: individuals who were, in many ways, their opposites, yet also reflections of their deepest ideals—Mavuika with the enigmatic Capitano, and Kaveh with his uniquely complex relationship with the ever-logical Alhaitham.

Mavuika sought closure. Even though Kaveh was no longer Hine, she felt compelled to do one last thing for him. She couldn't help but see Kaveh as her sibling, now her brother.

It wasn't difficult for Mavuika to discover Kaveh's debt to Dori. She discussed it with [name].

"Yes, Master Kaveh is in debt. He built the Palace of Alcazarzaray using his own funds..."

"I see, and this Dori has him in debt?" Mavuika adjusted her sunglasses.

"Wait, Mavuika, what are you planning to do?!" you asked. Mavuika smiled contentedly.

"I'm going to take care of Kaveh's debt," she said, summoning her Claymore. "Even though it was in a past life, Kaveh is still my family. I'm going to help him as a big sister should..."

The following day, Kaveh went to find Dori, but noticed she was acting strangely. She insisted that his debts were already paid and promptly sent him away. Being a man of strong principles, Kaveh investigated further and learned from one of Dori's guards that Mavuika had settled his debt.

Now, back in your apartment, you confront Mavuika about her actions regarding Dori.

"You did what?!" you demand, just as a knock reverberates through the room.

"Master Kaveh?"

"I need to talk to Mavuika..."

You grant them privacy, yet you listen from the other side of the door.

Kaveh's voice, thick with confusion, broke the silence. "I appreciate what you did," he began, "but I still don't understand why."

A puzzled expression clouded his features as he continued, "It's as if I know you, yet I have no memory of meeting you prior to [Name]'s introduction." Of course, he had no recollection of his previous existence, a life now lost to the mists of time.

Mavuika's response resonated with a solemn vow, her voice a gentle echo of a promise made long ago. "I apologize if I've overstepped," she said, her gaze unwavering. "We were once close, like siblings in another life. Even if you can't remember, I will continue to protect you... as I did then."

Bewilderment washed over Kaveh as a sudden rush of tears threatened to spill. He felt a fleeting sensation, a glimpse into another era, another life that felt both familiar and utterly foreign.

"I may not comprehend it... but I believe you, despite my lack of memory," Kaveh finally managed, his voice heavy with emotion. "It feels as though we're family..." The words hung in the air, a fragile bridge across the chasm of forgotten years.

Several days later, the time came to bid farewell to Mavuika.

You, Kaveh, and Mavuika shared one last cup of coffee at his home. Kaveh's roommate was also there, observing Mavuika with a silent grin.

With a warm smile, Mavuika said to Kaveh, "When you visit Natlan next, I'd be delighted to show you the hot springs. I also know of some places I think you'd really enjoy..."

"I'm already looking forward to it; I can't wait," Kaveh responded. "Perhaps it will even spark some inspiration..." After [Name] bid Mavuika farewell, Mavuika embraced Kaveh. Kaveh was struck by a strange sense of kinship, as if, in a different life and time, he had been Hine.

Once Mavuika had departed, Alhaitham, who had been observing the exchange, finally spoke, opening a book. "I wasn't aware you were acquainted with the Pyro Archon..."

"What?" Kaveh turned to [Name], bewildered.

"Oh, did I neglect to mention that...?" you said with a laugh.

The end

[candyhartes]

insecurity

s: dating the general mahamatra comes with insecurities.

cw: none

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

you’d like to think you’re a resilient person. teyvat is filled with mysteries and anomalies something you’ve learned to coexist with. you’ve been chased by electro slimes, got rocks thrown from hilichurls, and even punched by those infuriating fungi that hop around sumeru’s forest. you’ve prevailed and proudly call yourself an adventurer, it was even enough to be invited by the traveller herself to investigate some of her own journeys. that was proof enough that you’re confident in your own abilities. you were even able to grab the general mahamatra’s attention (albeit some help from lumine but you don’t need to know that).

even so, why is it, as you sit at a wooden table not far from the chief’s home, do you feel completely defeated? climbing the cliffs of sumeru’s deserts seemed much more interesting than having to sit by and wait for your partner to finish discussing some matters with aaru village’s protector.

your fingers tap the table in an impatient manner as your elbow is probed up with your chin sitting comfortably on your palm. that resilient personality you were so confident in seemed to dissipate the second cyno walked up to candace. she’s an amazing women with everyone in the village trusting her and she does everything in her power to make sure things go smoothly.

this wasn’t your first meeting with candace but this time around you couldn’t help but compare the two. their color schemes from their outfits matched beautifully, their positions of power would be enough to scare someone straight, their strength, their auras, their —

“if you keep staring at him like that you won’t need a pyro vision to set him on fire,” a voice from behind cause your movements to pause. with wide eyes and mouth agape you turn to find dehya smirking knowingly at you.

you groan and bury your face into your palms, “this is so embarrassing.”

“and why’s that?” dehya questions opting to seat herself right next to you. she was around to visit candace as usual and she couldn’t help but notice the way you longingly stared at the general mahamatra. “it’s not like you guys aren’t already together, what’s the harm in staring?”

“i’m just—“ you pause unable to figure out the right choice of words to describe your current predicament. you sigh defeated and turn to look at the two again, “i don’t feel good enough to stand next to him.”

“oh?” dehya hums suddenly engrossed at the topic at hand. her eyebrow raises in a way that says ‘are-you-serious-right-now’, “listen, i don’t know much about the adventure’s guild but they’ve always spoken highly of you, especially the traveller. what’s up with this attitude?”

“i don’t know. i don’t have any fancy moves or a title to my name, if it hadn’t been for the traveller, i don’t even think i would’ve gotten to chance to befriend the people i know now,” you rant feeling embarrassed at the location you’re spilling your heart out. you continue, unable to stop, “am i really the right choice for cyno? wouldn’t he better off with someone like candace? or even the traveller.”

a second goes by of silence before dehya is suddenly giggling softly to herself. your face heats up, a warm red glow radiating from your face, “dehya! i’m being serious.”

“i’m sorry! i didn’t mean it like that!” dehya apologizes, waving herself off. she clears her throat and speaks softly to you, “if the general mahamatra didn’t think you were good enough to be around, he wouldn’t be glued to your side 24/7. he doesn’t hesitate to beat guys up for the akademiya, i doubt he would go out with just anyone.”

her words seemed to struck a nerve in your heart and you smiled thankfully at dehya, but she continues, “also, i don’t think candace wants someone intimidating as him around her village.”

you open your mouth to defend cyno but another voice stops you, “candace is grateful for my methods.”

the hairs on your neck stand turning to find cyno with his arms crossed staring blanking at a smirking dehya. his gaze shifts to you it instantly softens causing you to blush with a small smile, he speaks up, “i’m finished discussing matters with candace, if you’re ready we can depart now.”

“oh! yeah, i’m ready!” you quickly stand hitting your knee on the table but you don’t give yourself time to react before you turn to dehya, “thank you for keeping me company. we’ll be leaving now!”

as you start to leave, a hand on your wrist stops your movements and you turn around curiously. cyno points to the book you had long abandoned on the table. you had brought it with you to keep yourself distracted when cyno was busy, it was a book you had borrowed from tighnari and you both knew if you left it, he would have both of your heads.

“oh!” you gasp but cyno is quick enough to grab it for you. you smile toothy at him and squeeze his hand that traveled down to your palm, “thank you! now, let’s go! i wanna see nilou’s performance before it’s too late!”

he hums and bids dehya goodbye. the two of you leave hand in hand out of the desert and you couldn’t help but smile to yourself, all of your previous worries and insecurities disappearing at the mere feeling of cyno’s warm hand intertwined with your own. dehya couldn’t have been any more right, no one in a million years would have imagined the general mahamatra being completely docile and soft with someone else and only you. anyone who’s eyes wandered off towards the two would immediately get shone with the terrifying and infamous hard glare from him.

as the two of you continue your way back to the city with no one around he speaks up, “you know i wouldn’t pick anyone but you.”

“what?” your heart drops knowing that his creepy but impressive hearing didn’t let your conversation go unnoticed.

“you were the first person to laugh at my jokes,” cyno shrugs nonchalantly. he pauses his movements and turns to you and the softest smile you’ve seen grace his face. “it will always and only ever be you. never doubt my judgement.”

note: i’m so in love with cyno y��all do not understand. i need him.

[dawnbrst]

time to sit down and talk about my feelings regarding natlan. an extremely long ramble under cut, my adhd will take over and i will go off on tangents. I am apologizing now for it gjsndjs

honestly... i'm always going to think about how someone theorized that natlan was rewritten at the last second, and while i'm not one to easily pull the trigger on something being a retcon, I see it.

natlan is not at all what anyone expected and to be frank, i'm pretty disappointed. this nation has been teased and hyped up, especially since venti's story quest when the mare jivari gets mentioned.

my main issue is the plot. don't get me wrong, the archon quest and the world quests are amazing, however, the main story is only good on its own. a nation is at war with forces so destructive that the future seems bleak, even if people are fighting for their lives. it's interesting, it's good, it has you on your toes and has you stop and think. but it stops and ends there. you can take natlan out and isolate its story and it reads well by itself, but tying it back into the rest of teyvat doesn't really work. the only thing even connecting this nation to everyone else is the abyss, khaenri'ah, and the fatui. without these elements, natlan is just... off.

so far, every nation up until now has followed various themes that all tie into the bigger plot. everyone has been fighting gods and defying the heavens, in one way or another. not only that, but all of these nations had to learn the lesson of not staying in the past. all of the archon quests and interludes and even world quests have been hinting and gearing our characters up for the bigger war at the end.

natlan has done nothing to really fight back against the heavens, nor has it shown the people / the archon learning to shed the past and embrace the future. what else is off is the abyssal war. something this grand scale I feel should have been left for khaenri'ah's arc, given that khaenri'ah is heavily affiliated with the abyss in some way. having one of the seven nations get this drastically ruined feels so odd to me. like, I know fontaine was also on the brink of destruction, but that's where natlan feels like a fail. i said to my wife and to a couple friends that natlan feels like an attempt to parallel fontaine but the execution was just a bust: our nation is on the verge of collapse (the abyss/the prophecy), our archon is actually a human, we have a sovereign (technically), we have a khaenri'ahn harbinger helping out a nation they're not native to. it feels like they wanted the players to notice and draw connections, but it just feels like a "sure, copy my homework but don't make it obvious"

another issue i have is that natlan just feels like it doesn't belong, and this isn't just about designs, but about the worldbuilding. inazuma was isolated and closed off, but it still feels like a part of teyvat. but natlan doesn't. you can cut natlan out of teyvat and the storyline (like I said above) and make it its own thing, and it'll work. but in terms of genshin and the overall lore and world? it just sticks out.

also, design wise, I do agree that natlan characters feel like they belong in hsr instead of genshin. and the saurians, for as much as I love them, they're dinosaurs 😭 they're not really dragons

also for a land of dragons, I was expecting more.. dragons, like och-kan and the pyro sovereign. neuvillette himself even said that he wouldn't be welcome in natlan despite it being a nation filled with dragons, so I wonder why that would even be, considering all these saurians are just vibing. I don't think they'd really hate to see the hydro sovereign show up. it's just something that didn't make sense to me.

I don't know. there's just something strange about natlan and I'm inclined to believe that it was rewritten from what the devs originally had. everyone was expecting a civil war, especially with the way some npcs talked about natlanese people.

sidenote, one minor grievance I have is this sudden revelation that "murata" was a mistranslation from the manga. it's dumb, but to me, it doesn't make much sense because of the timing. why wait until natlan's release to tell us her name was "mistranslated" this whole time. why wasn't this caught early on like other mistranslations (which is why I do follow the "rewritten" theory).

anyway, there's also this mechanical issue. it truly feels like the devs wanted to try new things but it just fell off quickly because it was so abrupt. the new character play styles (that are mostly made for natlan. you can use them outside of the nation but not as long or as great), this change in demos + trailers like others have mentioned, the trial character domains, even the change of events. we were supposed to get a fall mondstadt event as we tend to get two mondstadt events every year, but it was skipped over. I can only assume it's due to the upcoming mondstadt expansion but even then, these schedule changes and just overall shifts in everything has been kind of annoying? but this is just a personal slight for me fjsjfjs

all in all, natlan is a mess in many, many ways, and I'm not trying to toot my horn and be "as a writer," but like... as a writer, natlan feels retconned and I don't understand why. it's just a hot mess and i'm tired 😭 i've been fighting canon with a sledgehammer

[isabeauwolf]

Mary and Isabeau sat down in the garden of The Shie Hassaikai compound, underneath the cherry blossom tree.

They pair of yakuza woman were discussing what happened yesterday.

"Can you believe what Hawks told me what happened yesterday?" Mary pouted, then growing angrier and angrier as her violet and gold gaze focused on her big slice of raspberry cheesecake, digging her fork into the treat and shoving it into her mouth. "Stupid flamed bastard Endeavor tried to break down our door while I was dealing with Kamui Woods, Mount Lady and Death Arms."

"Thank god, Dabi didn't see Endeavor or the whole building could have caught on fire." Isabeau replies, nibbling on her own slice. "At least they are gone." The brunette turns toward the silver-white haired she wolf, "You did give the little creep back didn't you?"

"Yes." Mary huffed after swallowing her mouthful. "I fed him, tracked tree man's scent and gave him back." She clicked her tongue. "Ungrateful little beast."

"Do you think the boss will be angry?" Isabeau asks, setting down her spoon to sip her tea.

Mary sighs, calming down. "He will be disappointed that his experiment has been put on hold, but we can always find a new test subject for him."

"It's hard to forget that underneath all your politeness and giving nature that you are as ruthless as Overhaul and Dabi." Isabeau comments.

"Naturally." Mary smirks, beaming with pride. "I'm not my clans heiress and assassin for nothing, sweetie." Her tail swishing back and forth as she takes more bites of her cheesecake, happily humming. "Cheesecake always makes things better." She stares at the huge cherry blossom tree she loved so much, her favorite spot on the grounds.

"It is delicious." Isabeau agrees. "I'm sure The Boss, Dabi, Chrono and Eri will be happy to have some when they return."

Mary's mood improved. "Oh, why don't we make it into a picnic! I know it's way too early before the cherry blossom viewing season, but everyone could use the fresh air." Excitement shinning in her eyes.

Isabeau laughs, giving her Mistress a knowing smile. "You know The Boss or pyro can't refuse you, my lady."

"They know I can't say no to them either." Mary snickers. "It's a curse, I swear."

Both women smile.

"Do you think we should invite Hawks?" Isabeau asks. "He did behave himself during the New Years eve party as he promised. Him and The Boss didn't kill each other which is good."

The she wolf rests her chin in her hand. "Only if he apologizes." Her tail bristles.

"What did he do?" The brunette raises a brow.

"What the hell didn't he do?" Mary growls, stabbing her cheesecake and nearly breaking the plate. "Big feathered players been chasing tail with other woman, which I understand." Shoving the forkful into her mouth, covering her mouth with her hand and swallowed. "Shifters are allowed to have five mates... but he could have been honest with me and told me about his ex-fiancee he had been looking for the night we met."

"Would you really have help it?" Isabeau asks.

"Of course, I would." Mary lowers her hand and sighs, claiming down and frowns. "Once I have someones scent they are in my memory banks forever." She taps her nose.

"Have you talked to him about it?" Isabeau prys.

"I did and then he ghosted me." Mary huffs, clicking her tongue and cutting off another slice of cheesecake for herself. "Men."

"Would it make you feel any better than Hawks has been flirting with me too?" Isabeau grows flustered, nibbling on her piece.

Mary's violet and gold eyes widen. "What?! And you didn't tell me?" She smirks. "You little minx."

Isabeau grew more embarrassed. "No, it came out of nowhere, my lady I swear!" Waving her hands in front of her face.

Mary's shock goes away as she continues her teasing. "Do you like like him?" Sharp canines poking past her lips.

"Maybe." Isabeau's eyes glance away.

Mary's face soften, reaching over and taking her friends hand. "You know I want you to be happy. It doesn't matter as long as they aren't a danger to our clans." She smiles.

"I'm more worried about what Overhaul and Dabi will think about it." Isabeau admits. "Overhaul is my boss, you are my Mistress and Dabi is my friend."

Mary giggles. "So are you claiming the feathered idiot?"

Before Isabeau can answer someone appears.

@wtf-ask-baddie-overhaul @angelblueflame @number-2-hero-hawks

[azalen-draws]

Eztli's Voice lines! Yaaaay

I just know this one will be ignored too, and honestly idgaf

Hello: Ah, we finally meet… you are the famed traveler, a human that rivals the definition of Exceptionality. I am Eztli Dzata, Pyro Dragon Sovereign of Natlan and the Pyro Archon's warrior, whatever you need aid with or any inquiries you may possess, please do inform me at any time. Worry not, I don't bite.

Chat - Wariness: We must trek carefully, and do not get lost, that is what a map is for, young blood.

Chat - Rest time: A short rest and something nice to snack on is always good for the body and soul…

Chat - Saurians: Saurians are the pride and joy of Natlan… Perhaps I should prepare them something once we're done. Oh, yes, I will make something for you too, Traveler.

When it rains: Hmm… oh, no, I'm fine, you however… *sighs* Would you like my cloak?

When thunder strikes: *Grunts* Drat! We must seek shelter, better to be safe rather than sorry.

When the sun is out: *chuckles* oh? Is it too hot? Apologies, perhaps I became too excited… hm? Why are you so red? Sunburn? O-Oh…

When the wind is blowing: *Sigh* During these times, I'd rather have my hair short… hm? Will I cut it soon? Absolutely not.

When it snows: My, this is so pretty… huh? Why are you trembling? Oh, you're cold? Here, allow me to warm you up…

Good morning: Good morning, have you rested well? Oh, have you had anything to eat? I have prepared breakfast already for myself and some friends, please do serve yourself, as they say, food tastes better with company.

Good afternoon: Oh, there you are, no injuries? Good, care to join me and the warriors? I believe they need some… demonstrations... hah.

Good evening: Ah, the sea of dusk covers the sky and the sun begins to set… At this time, I enjoy going to the hot springs, have a snack or two, and bathe in the hottest waters, care to join me? I'll make it a little less… hot for you though.

Good night: Hm? Not tired yet? Travel worries you, right? Come sit with me, just take a breather, you have all the time in the world, even if it doesn't seem like it, just close your eyes and breathe. I'll remain here with you until you're ready to rest.

About Eztli Dzata - stories: Oh, you want to know more? Well, it is understandable, humans create many fascinating… stories about things they have no knowledge about, however, all you need to know now, is I am on your side because you saved my life.

About Eztli Dzata - stories (misinformation): It is intriguing how many stories are created with no basis nor information, of course, I understand if they are to entertain or for the purpose of escapism… but some stories are also influenced by the real world and if one claims it was, they have the responsibility to make it justice. Which in my humble opinion means you cannot change the essence of characters or environments, their essence and identifying attributes are the key factor of what ties fiction and reality.

About us - cooperation: Whatever it is you want me to do, sure, I'll do it, as long as it is possible, I cannot make any miracles… *sigh* I suppose I cannot refuse to join you in your shenanigans… stop using those eyes…

About us - protection: I have been acting like a… A “worrywart”? Ah, you must forgive me, I suppose… I have gotten quite protective of you, I have no excuse, I see you as a close friend, which makes me want to protect and… nurture you— Why are you making that face? “Okay mom”...? What is that supposed to mean?!

About us - Promise: Hmph, you've heard how promises are important to my kin? Yes, that is correct, as immortal beings, promises are undying and of utmost importance, breaking such a thing is simply betrayal so know that whenever I promise you something, I'll never break it, got it?

About Vision: Visions? Ah, those tools… Before, I did not have such a positive view on them, I believed Celestia was robbing of the people's ability to be able to possess their own achievements without being immediately reminded of their Vision and how it “facilitates” the hardships… But I suppose it can also be a… reward of sorts, a reminder of their capabilities. Perhaps even I have much more to learn.

About Visions - Crafted: Those Archons made counterfeit Visions and mingle with their people as humans? HAHAHAHAH— *Cough* Apologies, that was an incredible joke… wait, you're being serious… *snicker* oh my…

Something to share: From the short time span I have possessed this humanoid form, I have learned a few things: I do quite enjoy cooking. It is simply fascinating being able to create something without the need of sacrifice, magic, or anything else, just… create with your bare hands. I mean… I do also enjoy filling the bellies of those I love… but that is beside the point.

Something interesting: This body has several limitations, I do not have access to most of my power, and my own flames also seem to… harm me, this body is too human for my liking… Regardless, I made a promise, and I would never dare to break it.

About Hydro Sovereign: Oh, you met the Hydro dragon? Hah… he's quite the interesting one, isn't he? I mean, he's also wise, powerful… pretty… *clears throat* Again, why are you looking at me like that?

About Hydro Sovereign - Deeper interest: Tch, this again… Fine, this is all you need to know: I am interested in visiting him because he's interesting, nothing more, pardon my tone, but you are becoming too nosey, young one!

About Kachina: Oh, the child of the Children of Ecoes tribe! She's an absolute sweetheart, I haven't met her yet though. Every time I visit the tribe to greet her, she freezes and runs off with an excuse… I know I am quite… intimidating, so I tend to cover my scars and scales with makeup to make myself more… digestible… it seems it hasn't worked yet. It's fine, I understand humans still need time to forget… that.

About Ororon: Him? Tch, he's a blockhead that is what he is, who in their right mind would cause such a ruckus, worry everyone and when they try to help him, he claims it's for the greater good? I say, if I had the permission and opportunity, I'd slap some sense into him… *sigh* However, I must admit he did a good job… and his crops are delightful too, I suppose.

About Mavuika: oh, you ask why I call her Señorita? It is a form of respect, of course, there is no way I would call her Archon, I consider her my friend and I also work for her as her warrior so there must be a nice balance… I do hope she is happy with her position, she is just a human in the end, the human mind isn't ready for such a heavy weight and all these responsibilities.

About Iansan: Such a delightful young lady! And she knows well of the human body and nutritional needs, I must congratulate her for the hard work. Do you believe she'd like my Tres leches cake? Nevermind, I'll ask her, it's better to be safe than sorry… oh? Hah… I see that little face… and Paimon's, you both aren't good at hiding anything, I'll make one just for you two.

About Chasca: she is an interesting one, I can just feel the Abyssal energy radiating off of her, I had never imagined a human could contain so much of it either…

About Xilonen: she is such a talented woman, the sheer skill and determination to create everything she's made… even to fathom them is unimaginable even for me. She deserves the utmost praise… I-I’d prefer if she did not scale walls with those “skates” of hers though… I feel as if she'd fall off.

About Kinich and Ajaw: they are an interesting duo, they simply fascinate me… I often come across their scent whenever I take a stroll through the mountains east to the Scions of Canopy tribe, and whenever I come close, I see them… arguing quite loudly, well not even, it's mostly that little dragon yelling at the young boy and saying such rude and terrible things… Hmph, I'd give my whole hoard just to kick that little pest all across Teyvat.

About Ajaw - Dragon Lord: Hmm? He claims such a title? Interesting… I'd like to hear it by myself, as he looks me directly in the eyes. Huh? Oh, no, no, I'd never harm him, as long as he doesn't cause any real trouble or harm, of course… I don't think I could remove the contract he and Kinich have though… Tch…

About Maulani: Such an energetic young lady, and a powerful one at that, she's one of the few that doesn't outright fear me or refuse to come into contact with me. I have noticed she does… avoid me at times… *sigh* it's alright, don't be concerned about me.

About Citlali: Every human is interesting in their own right, but Señorita Citlali? She is… astounding, and I never call anyone as such without any reason, her abilities and skills are exceptional. She is also quite endearing… I would prefer if she didn't throw sandals at me whenever I am too close to her or Ororon though… don't get me wrong, any physical damage doesn't have any lasting effects on my physical body in the long term, but it doesn't mean I do not feel pain.

More about Eztli Dzata I: You'd like to know more about my duties? Well they're rather simple, I patrol around the tribes and Natlan's border with Sumeru's desert and train any new warriors that would like to participate the Pilgrimage of the Sacred Flame, Mavuika decided it would be safer to use me as a “final test” to make sure any warrior is fit to fight down in the Night Kingdom. It is the least I can do to minimize Mavuika's worries and duties, but of course, there's much that is needed to get done so I do not hesitate to take any weight off her shoulders.

More about Eztli Dzata II: I have no knowledge of wherever you might've gotten that ridiculous idea… but no, I would never eat a human that is… simply disgusting and wrong. Alright, I understand you are curious, humans have almost become my family so to say, they have been so welcoming and kind… even the thought of harming them seems so… wrong.

More about Eztli Dzata III: These scars? I've always had them, I am uncertain from where though… perhaps it is some sort of “residue” of the previous Pyro Sovereign… Perhaps a punishment? Hah, who knows, if being alive is one, then that is enough of a punishment, but if I was put here on this earth to live, then I will do so and nobody will stop me from making the most of it.

More about Eztli Dzata IV: Those ruins you found… intriguing… oh, how do I interpret them? Well, I am not like the previous Pyro Sovereign so I can assure you my words are not from a “based” place, I believe the Pyro Archon viewed the dragon as a threat, whether he was a tyrant or not, he was a danger to them and their people, so they killed them… of course, this is all just from what I see on the murals… hm? There’s more? Tell me about it later, please.

More about Eztli Dzata V: Whatever “I” have done in my previous… incarnation or however you would prefer to call it, it does not define me now, we have different views and opinions, all that matters is how we react in certain circumstances today, the Pyro Archon had the perfect opportunity to kill me off or to seal me deeper into that volcano, but she didn't. That is why I am so loyal to her, she earned my respect.

Eztli Dzata’s Hobbies: let's see… I have not had enough time to experience as many as I'd like, but I suppose I enjoy cooking, especially baking, singing - not that you'd ever hear me do it - and forging.

Eztli Dzata's Troubles: Don't tell Mavuika… but sometimes I'd like to travel outside of Natlan more often, there's many things and… someone…I'd like to see, but I understand it is not possible. I only hope I am doing well enough to support her.

Favorite food: Favorites? Well, if I may be honest, my diet consists mostly of meat, so I don't mind eating anything, as long as it's edible, fine by me... Hah… huh? Sweets? I… I suppose I would enjoy them…

Least Favorite food: I'd genuinely eat anything as long as it doesn't have a… extraneous texture… or if it gets stuck between my teeth, I can crush anything with them, sure, but I do have to maintain them.

Receiving gift: *Purrs* O-oh my, this is… delicious! May I know the recipe?

Receiving gift: Ooh~ I had never tasted such a thing but the flavor is delightful, I would not mind trying it again sometime.

Receiving gift: (male Traveler)…you know, if you had wanted to kill me, you could've stabbed me instead, there was no need to involve food in this.

(Fem traveler) "Oh... Thank you very much traveler, but I don't think it's to my taste, my child... W-wait, don't make that face, *sighs* No-no, I'm going to finish it, thanks for the food”

Birthday: Do not even dare open your eyes, alright… good! Open them, surprise! I cooked all of your and Paimon's favorite dishes, a big cake and a special little gift… ta-da! Is that how it is said? Bah, doesn't matter, what do you think? I made these two daggers for you and your twin. I may not be much help in finding them… and I might not have much knowledge… but I do wish for these blades to remind you I care about the three of you. All of us here in Teyvat love you, your help has been monumental for everyone and you deserve everything in the world… hah… come on, no tears, Starlight, you must be starving.

Feelings about ascension - intro: Hahaha… interesting, so this is what you were collecting all of that for… I must thank you.

Feelings about ascension - building up: Once again, thank you, it is an honor to receive such gifts, human… no, friend.

Feelings about ascension - climax: *Grunts* this feels familiar… Are you certain you know what you're doing? Oh, I know… This is all your plan.

Feelings about ascension - conclusion: How curious, I have thought my power would have been completely restricted after taking this form… Now thanks to you, I have full access to my dragonhood… haha… I could not thank you enough. Now then, where should we test them out, dear friend?

[anadorablekiwi]

So as some of you know, I finally got Diluc after a long 2+ years of simping for him

And as i was chatting with Tellie about it, inspo struck

So here, have a half crack drabble about it ��

[while I obviously simp for Diluc, this isn’t intended as Diluc /Traveler ship lol. Moreso just me inserting myself in Lumine’s place 😂]

Drabble under cut~ (and a bonus scene that is somehow longer)

Kaeya smirked. “Took you long enough.”

“Diluc!!! Hang on, let me go get your stuff! I’ll be right back!” The Traveler ran off excitedly, greeting Gaming with caution.

Diluc huffed.

“Oh? Someone is jealous~” Kaeya said in a singsong tone.

“I am not.” Diluc frowned, eyes not leaving the Traveler. She collected various artifacts and materials, placing them in a box and happily chatting with Gaming, who was helping her.

“Here,” Kaeya offered. He held out a plate of mint jelly.

Diluc scowled. “What is this?”

“Mint Jelly of course! It’s your new signature dish~”

Diluc glared daggers at his brother.

Kaeya just laughed. “I cannot believe you. Jealous of a child? I would have thought the head of Dawn Winery to be above that sort of thing.”

“I am Not jealous.��

“Oh? Then why is it that you arrive the day after she gives your prefarmed artifacts and planned weapon to another Pyro user, with whom she is having fun?”

Diluc huffed. “Merely a coincidence.”

The Traveler came running back, box loaded with items.

“Here Diluc!! Your artifacts, and I prefarmed your ascension materials! I had originally prefarmed some talent books, but Mona needed them and you weren’t here yet so I used them, sorry about that. Oh! But today is the right day for the domain! So I’ll do a few runs of that right away! Here!”

She shoved the box into his arms, then retrieved two claymores.

“You have a couple weapons to choose from, both would be really good I think! I’ll be back again!”

Diluc smiled slightly. “Thank you. It is good to see you again, my friend. Don’t work yourself too hard for me.”

Traveler grinned. “It’s good to see you too! Don’t worry, I’m taking care of myself! Be right back!” And with that she ran off again.

Kaeya chuckled. “You know, she only sees Gaming as a little brother at most.”

Diluc’s usual grumpy expression returned instantly. “I’m aware.”

“Couldn’t handle another pyro claymore user in her heart, huh? Even if it’s familial?”

“Kaeya…” he growled.

The Cavalry Captain laughed. “Alright, I’ll stop. But only because someone is all geared up now.”

The two men stood in silence for an awkward moment.

Kaeya coughed, eyes studying the sky and pointedly away from his brother. “You know, Diluc, the Traveler isn’t the only one who missed you.”

Diluc froze, then the slightest curve of a smile graced his lips. “I’ve missed you, too, brother.”

~

Bonus Scene

“Sorry about that Gaming, I didn’t mean to take what I had only just given you yesterday.”

The boy flashed a bright smile. “Hey, no problem! From what you told me you’d been waiting for him for a while right? And it was intended for him anyways! I don’t mind.”

Traveler smiled. “Thanks for being so understanding. As an apology, i got something for you!”

The Traveler brought out a large box, labeled ‘For Gaming’ on the front in big red letters.

“Whoa, is this all for me?”

“Yup! Its all yours. And not just to borrow. Open it up!”

He opened the box, and his face lit up immediately. “Dang, how much did this put you out? You shouldn’t have! I promise to put it to good use!”

The Traveler smiled. “Turns out I had enough good quality artifacts to give you your own set already! I was planning on farming a set for you at some point anyways, and when I get the chance I’ll definitely see if I can get both of you even better ones.”

She retrieved a glowing blue and gold claymore from thin air, grinning. “This is also for you! Diluc liked the other claymore option better, so he said you can keep the five star!”

Gaming accepted the claymore, smiling from ear to ear. “Oh man, you’re trusting me with a lot of power here. But I promise you, its in good hands! I’m gonna ramp up my kung fu training and hustle hard, watch me!”

The Traveler giggled. “Don’t work yourself too hard now. We all need to make sure we’re taking good care of ourselves, or Kokomi will lecture us about it.”

“Right! You can count on me! Oh, and tell Master Diluc thanks for me! This is Dope!!”

“You can thank him yourself, I think he’s just right over there.” Traveler pointed off to the side, where Diluc was examining his new greatsword and pretending to not be eavesdropping.

He glanced up as they approached. “Hm? Did you need something?”

“Thanks for letting me keep the five star sword Master Diluc, sir! The sword is totally dope!”

“You’re welcome.” He then paused, a look of confusion on his face. “…’dope’?”

“Yeah! It means very good, or cool!”

“Ah, I see. Well, it was no trouble to me. This other sword Traveler offered me is just as good, so I decided to let you keep the one you had been using. Even if it is a little… less cool looking.”

“What do you mean, that sword looks epic! Is it magic or something?? How does it hold up so well?”

“Its a magic sword from the melusines over in Fontaine,” Traveler answered. It was a thank you gift for helping them out so much, and they poured all their love into it!”

She glanced at the sword, then giggled. “As did someone else I know it seems. I see Kayea has been babysitting Klee today?”

Diluc grunted. “Yes he has. She wanted to see this ‘super cool magic sword’ Kaeya told her about, and add some stickers of her own.”

“Aww, how cute! Are you good with kids then Master Diluc?” Gaming asked.

Traveler giggled, avoiding Diluc’s questioning gaze.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say that I am, but Klee seems to have grown fond of me regardless for some reason.”

Traveler grinned. Hanging out with Jean and Kaeya will certainly help with that I’m sure.

“At any rate, now that you two have officially been introduced there doesn’t have to be any jealousy anymore!”

“Huh? Jealousy? What do you mean Traveler?” Gaming tilted his head in confusion.

Diluc glared at Traveler, although there was no heat to it. “No one was ever jealous that I know of.”

Traveler clapped once. “Good! Now come on Gaming, I want to introduce you to some of the others. I think you and Razor would get along great! You and Bennett would definitely need some supervision though. Oh! And Fishl, it takes a bit to get used to her but she’s fantastic!”

Diluc watched the pair go, ignoring the warm feeling welling up inside him.

He has enough children he has grown fond of already, there is no need for another (as if his heart would ever pay his wants any heed).

~

[pysoch]

I've HAD IT up to HERE with MISCHARACTERIZATION OF MY BOOKIES in terms of RELATIONSHIPS.

What set me over the edge was JACQUES BONNEFOY.

So for tonight and tonight ONLY I'm setting aside my pride to tell MY headcanons of the mercs and what'd they do in relationships.

Mentions of nsfw because yes, I'm tired of that shit too.

===========================

Scout:

- Wants to drive hot wheels over you

- Would not boast about you as a person. He'd tell everybody else that he's dating someone hot but you're not a name-drop. His ass would not say "Oh yeah? Well I'm dating Kinsleigh!"

- Doesn't understand women. He's accidentally extremely disrespectful on occasion and doesn't understand everything immediately

- He'd take a long fucking time to apologize, too. Constantly denies he's wrong

- it's the 1950s. He expects you to do that kind of stuff, like cooking n whatever, but he's definitely more lax about it

- Would go after hard-to-get girls, not ones that instantly fall for him.

- Constantly tries to upshow other dudes and gets insecure and jealous often due to both his own self esteem and being the runt of the mercs.

- Finishes fast and isn't keen on aftercare. This sentence means exactly what you think.

Soldier:

- Goes after assertive and strong women (not even headcanon; y'all all know Zhanna).

- Would prioritize America over you, and at the very MOST would put you and the country at equal importance.

- Likes his own space when he sleeps, no he would not cuddle or anything unless you incited it

- Same thing in bed. NEVER makes the first move. He's aight though. Good enough pace ig.

- Public displays of affection are is endgame. He expects and wishes you to be just as hyped about the borderline voyeurism too. (Don't look that up. Iykyk)

- Instant lovedove. No slow burn with this fella. Sorry!

- His stuff is disorganized and he prefers if you DON'T touch it

- appreciates if you cook but no cleaning

- very very very loud and expects you to tolerate it. If you can, great for you I think

Pyro:

- idek where to begin with this guy.

- No he would not take off his mask for you after like a week of dating are you out of your mind.

- Probably wouldn't EVER take off the mask for you. Being real here.

- If you try to take anything off of him he immediately goes guns ablaze, no remorse no shits given.

- wtf do I even say about sex???? I do not see him ever taking off that flame suit, yet I will say I do counter the usual fandom belief that he's childlike and consider him in his widely headcanoned age of being 40/50. I think he's had his fair share of sexual thoughts and fantasies.

- Love language is words of affirmation. He'll mumble shit to you constantly and expect you to positively react. For you to please him I think it's best to go with gift giving.

- Absolutely mammoths level rich but doesn't use the money and doesn't give a fuck what you do with it, either.

- Wants you to be as hype about fire as he is. He would not date someone afraid of it. Sorry :3

- Extremely loud somehow. Shows you everything he likes.

Demoman:

- If his mom doesn't approve of you he'll be wary

- Expects you to respect and uphold to her standards

- If you don't like alcohol or cleaning other people's messes he isn't for you.

- Extremely intelligent and will often tell you stuff in the rare, RARE moments he's sober. If you like smart people that's an option maybe idk

- Horndog and I absolutely mean it. Bro put a sticky note on his dick. Mediocre pace but somewhat has aftercare

- snores so fucking loud you die

- Talks to eyelander and expects you to say hello, too

- Tells you stories often and you guys visit Ms. DeGroot from time to time

Heavy:

- This man can TREAT. YOU. RIGHT.

- His sisters keep him in check for you and love your company, but would also split your neck open with a spoon if you hurt Misha.

- His mom loves you if you treat family as your priority

- Would rather you know Russian, or he'd give the best lessons he could. He wants to be able to fluently speak to you like that so he comes across more clear

- no I cannot stress enough how sweet this guy would be.

- Still likes Sasha more :3

- Cleaning is meh but he hopes you're a good cook. Food is big in his family and I'm positive that's their psuedo-love-language.

- You get fur stuff a lot.

- His sisters and mom tell you embarrassing stories a lot about him

- He'd definitely at some point realllyyyy late in your relationship (perhaps waiting until marriage, even) would sit you down and talk about his dad. Extremely sensitive topic, and if you ask before or after that convo he says "For another time."

- I think he's mid at sex and real sensitive about it. Doesn't like to talk much about such stuff, more of a "if it happens" thing.

Engineer:

- lord

- Treats you right if you do the same

- still likes a lil attitude ifyk

- absolute GENTLEMAN when he needs or wants to be

- doesn't talk to you about the mercs n shit, but will definitely yap about his machines

- huge factor in if he likes you is a test on how you treat/react to Pyro

- uses southern innuendos often and will explain them if you're confused

- family is big for him, too, and he often talks to you about having a son who could take the Connagher(??) last name

- pretty good in bed but loud. Very loud. And says corny stuff. One of the best when it comes to aftercare though

- works hard, and often overworks until he's exhausted and needs to be told to stop

- doesn't like being told to stop but will never raise his voice at a lady

- likes reading and wants you to read with him too so y'all have a tiny book club

- very sentimental

- better be a good cook. Cleaning is also appreciated but eh

Medic:

- I cannot explain to y'all how BADLY this man is mischaracterized in EVERYTHING.

- Massive dork. He is not a smooth talker, he is not a sultry and mysterious man. He yaps often, and it lasts long.

- No inside voice most of the time

- His doves over you ANY day.

- I mean this sincerely and as someone who is an avid Medic-lover; he would be a terrible partner.

- Work is prioritized over you, but he's not the type to stay up super duper late unless it's extremely important. He at one point (supposedly) had a degree, I think he'd know how to take care of himself

- blind as a bat without those tiny ass glasses

- no fr why are they so small?

- FOR THE LOVE OF GOD STOP MAKING HIM UNBEARABLY HORNY. IT DRIVES ME MAD. IT DRIVES ME INSANE. I WANT TO RIP OUT MY HAIR. MY LONG, LUSCIOUS, LIGHT BROWN HAIR.

- he is NOT constantly horny. He is NOT good in bed. He is fifty, he is aging, he is tired, the most you'll get out of this fucker is missionary or riding. That's IT. STOP. STOP MAKING HIM A VIAGRA-INDUCED SEX DEMON. STOP IT. PLEASE.

- HE DOESN'T EVEN MAKE MUCH NOISE EITHER AND HIS AFTERCARE IS PASSING OUT ON TOP OF YOU. THAT'S IT. THATS. IT.

- NOT A POWER BOTTOM, NOT A SADISTIC TOP, HE'S LITERALLY JUST THERE. HE'LL TRY BUT ITS NOT ANYTHING CLOSE TO YOUR SICKENING MINDS.

- ok

- doesn't care if you know German or not and whenever you ask for the definition of words he's saying he'll just brush it off

- often shushes you.

- don't touch his stuff

- heavily appreciates you doing laundry, helping with work, getting food, and straightening up, but again doesn't like you touching his stuff without permission

- during operations you are OUT of the ward. No questions asked.

- travelholic.

Sniper:

- you're getting nothing from this man

- I am so sorry but it's true

- lone guy.

- for the sake of this let's say by some gold given chance he wants you or whatever;

- better like piss being around

- contrary to popular belief, I think he'd be a talker. Voice lines, comics, etc show he's quiet when he's sniping n such or whatnot, but he still talks a fair amount and throws a lot of slang around whether you know it or not.

- don't bother him while he's working at all.

- where the hell did the belief come from that he'd like fuck you in an outpost or whatever have y'all given your brain to Satan he'd never fucking do that

- insomniac

- not a cuddler. Sleeps fetal.

- in fact I don't think he'd be a guy for sex at all. Sure maybe he'd get in the mood or whatever but it'd be kinda gross I don't think he's a frequent showerer or anything like that

- two pairs of clothes don't touch them

- cooking is mid he likes doing his own stuff

- van smells. It's uncomfortable.

Spy:

- not named something stupid

- firmly believe you would also have absolutely no shot with him whatsoever but for the sake of whatever sure let's imagine you're scouts mom or something

- doesn't take of that goddamned balaclava like ever

- maybe to sleep or to shower but that's all you're getting

- sentimental, love language is gift giving but he likes being told words of affirmation

- speaks with sprinkled French and metaphors all the time and that's bound to get annoying real fast

- not keen on telling you personal details or stories but will somewhat eagerly listen to yours

- he goes for insane chicks. Definitely.

- better like nicotine and cigar smoke

- doesn't listen if you tell him the health costs (again, 1950s)

- loves receiving your cooking and cleaning is very very appreciated

- very much likes spending time with you but also with that border of professionalism vs personal life

- I can't believe I have to say this but he would abandon you in an instant if you were pregnant or whatever. This is a squared situation.

- mediocre in bed definitely doesn't like to admit he's not in control but let's be real he'd rather someone else do the heavy work

- not anything to do with what I just said but his legs are so skinny it's hilarious he's built like a preschool project

==================

SIGH.

This was somewhat mid to write because I'm an extreme asexual and dislike sex but its gotten so bad I can't read any fanfic anymore without immediately wanting to twist my nose into my skull.

Love y'all! And again this is my personal opinions n shit. Do whatever the hell you want.

[lookingviewer]

TMF(Dromies) X Genshin Impact

This is up to what you may have been waiting for, or not.

And yes, I wanted to say something, in case anyone has questions, don't worry:

Firstly - This is just a fan work, so 50/50 there is a headcanon to make it easier to understand the character (without this I could not give the Visions with elements)

Secondly - If you don't like something, it's okay! Not everyone needs to like what I draw, and if you have your own vision on this topic, write your own post or art post. People will also be interested in why you think that way. ❤️

Third - I may be wrong, especially in understanding Genshin Impact(because I stopped playing TmT), but there are basic things that explain "why this character has such an element." If you are from TMF and Genshin Impact, I apologize if I made a mistake somewhere. Everyone makes mistakes.

Sorry about that, just so you know if you weren't too worried or upset, okay? Everything is fine, thank you for your understanding ❤️

So, here is the composition itself 👀

I'm not a fashion designer, so I was looking at something like before, as I see it in my head, so, sorry about that, hehehe

And now, let's go to the description of why these elements:

Let's start with Henry:

Why Dendro and Pyro?

These are the two elements that came to mind because Henry also reminded me of Bennett:

“No matter how many times he falls, he still gets up and moves on.”

It’s like about Henry: “No matter how many times Lia rejected Henry, he will still stay."

Ahem... Well, because Pyro - as far as I know and studied, means aspiration, passion in one’s goal or favorite activity. And considering that Henry has a bright personality, it suits him.

But Dendro, I just found that this is “cognition” or “stretches to study”, and for some reason it suits Henry too ( And yes, because Henry has a green palette, and with Dendro, he could raise an army of Lettuces to make his Lettuce kingdom, where he is the Lettuce king >:D) Ahem...

Now to Drew:

Why Electro and Cryo?

Firstly - because of the color combination.

But secondly - Electro, when you adhere to your conservatives\your own views or when they are confused in yourself... Honestly, I'll watch it again. He reminded me of Ei Raiden, for Drew essentially remained in his opinion about the Music Club, and found it difficult to change.

But Krio reveals his coldness, hehehe. And he reminds me of Eula, (and the fighting style suits him🤔), but still, Cryo would suit Jake, because he was at that moment that he could not understand who he was in the end. What is more valuable to him? So about Jake - this is Cryo; even if he likes music, he is not as passionate about it as others (for example, Xinyan).

Liam:

Why Hydro, Geo, Pyro (and possibly Cryo)

Hydro - from what I've learned, these are people who want to be better at what they do, and they're good at what they do. And they... "Calm"? Although it also said that they were the leader in the group, this is what I found out. And I thought Liam was the right fit. Because he is such a confident character who knows what he is bad and good at, and there are no problems with that. (at least for some reason I remember that he was reserved/calm, and not bright and emotional like Henry, heheh. Fire and Water) And he reminds me of Tartaglia, yea.

Geo - I want to understand how they differ from Electro, because it’s also about “they stick to their convictions.”, but rather how to achieve this? It’s like, it seems necessary, and you go and do something for it? That is, when you have a goal - and you go towards it. And for some reason, on reflection, this also suits Liam, that he fulfills his goals (I wonder what goals, hehehe. Stacey's mom? Ahem, just kidding)

But Cryo is with Liam’s inner experiences, and he reminded me of Kaeya in character (Although, if Liam was Pyro, then it’s Cryo and Pyro. Liam and Drew, hehehe, there were even dialogues about this.)

And me:

Why , Electro, Geo, and Pyro?

Well, so far the test tells me that I'm Pyro, hehehe. But yes, my passion is what I almost burn with - drawing, music, creativity.

But here are the last two, because of this:

Heheheh, this is when I didn’t know much about the elements, that is, how they are obtained. I like Electro, Pyro and Geo. Electro - Yae Miko, current, lightning. Pyro is fire itself, although in Avatar you can even make lightning out of fire, hehehe. And I have a view of the world - which I adhere to like a stubborn sheep, hehe

[faecaribou]

Chapter 2

ehhh i put chapter 1 on here (actually wrote it here instead of on a google doc) so might as well slap chapter 2 down here too

The woman takes them straight to her home, and they follow her on weary feet, given a small burst of energy knowing that they'll be able to rest soon.

The Not-Grand Ma doesn’t stop asking questions, even as she holds onto Tanya in one hand and Tommy’s hand in another.

“Tell me about your father?”

“His name is Jeremy an’ he’s the best! He’s super strong and super fast and the best Daddy ever!” Tanya informs him fiercely, and the other kids nod in agreement.

“We’re all strong,” Tristan argues. “We’re Willises, we can do anything!”

Not-Grand Ma startles, and Tanya yelps.

“Too tight!” Not-Grand Ma lets go and starts apologizing.

“Oh, I’m sorry sweetie.” She pauses. “Oh dear, I don’t think I got everyone’s names?”

“I’m Tanya,” Tanya puffs her chest out, and holds her hand out to be gripped again.

“Tristan,” Tristan mutters at the ground. “An’ I’m tired of walking.”

“We’ll be there soon,” Not-Grand Ma assures.

“I’m Tabby,” Tabitha says, and then adds, “An’ that’s Tommy.”

“I can say my own name!” Tommy complains. “That’s not fair!” He yanks on Not-Grand Ma’s hand. “I’m Tommy, named after Tom Jones, because Daddy likes Tom Jones and says he’s the best singer ever an’ he has a billion posters of him!”

“Except Daddy’s really sad that Tom Jones is dead now, because Uncle Solly killed him,” Tabby adds, matter-of-fact.

“Tom Jones died?” Not-Grand Ma frowns. “I would’ve thought my own son would tell me that.” She frowns down at them and mutters something that sounds an awful lot like ‘If they’re his, then clearly he’s not telling me much at all.’

“He died while Daddy and Uncle Spy were in jail,” Tanya explains.

“What? What for?”

“I dunno.”

Not-Grand Ma sighs and shakes her head. “Well, sounds about right.” She frowns. “Say, who is this ‘Uncle Spy’ and ‘Uncle Solly’?”

“They’re not our real uncles,” Tristan says in his whiny tone. “We have plenty of real uncles but Daddy has Uncle Spy an’ Uncle Solly an’ Uncle Engie an’ Uncle Demo an’ Uncle Snipes an’-”

“And Pyro!” Tanya interjects.

“-an’ Uncle Medic an’ Uncle Heavy,” Tristan continues without missing a beat, too used to his younger sister interrupting. “And they’ve been around for forever and ever and they’re all much older than Daddy, so he’s the youngest in that group too-”

“-because Daddy’s the youngest of his real brothers,” Tommy explains quietly.

“An’ technically they’re his old coworkers from the 70s,” Tristan continues, and Tabby knows he would’ve talked more, except Not-Grand Ma misses a step and stumbles over her feet before catching herself.

“The seventies, honey?” She pauses in walking to turn to face Tristan fully. “You don’t mean the sixties, or fifties?”

“I know what I said,” Tristan crosses his arms.

Not-Grand Ma makes a strange noise in the back of her throat, but says nothing. Tabitha, bored with the conversation, starts looking around, but pauses.

“Hey, I know this place!” She exclaims as she recognizes the houses. “Our grandma lives on this street!”

“I live on this street,” Not-Grand Ma says, voice quieter. Then; “Have you… met your grandmother before?”

“Duh,” Tanya replies, before Tabby can. “She’s the best but she’s busy, because Daddy has seven older brothers and because Grand Ma is dating Uncle Spy, so really he should be called Grandpa Spy but Daddy says he doesn’t deserve to be called that because he’s a no-good Frenchie fancypants!”

Grand Ma looks down, eyes wide. “I’m dating a Frenchman?”

“What?” Tanya looks up. “Why are you being weird, Grand Ma?”

“It’s not our Grand Ma,” Tabby mutters. “She just looks like a younger version of Grand Ma.”

“I think she’s Grand Ma. She’s nice like her.” Tristan argues.

“Well, is this your grandmother’s house?” Not-Grand Ma points at a house they’ve been approaching, and Tabby follows the finger as it points toward a familiar second-story house with a faded green door.

“Hey!” Tabby protests. “That’s our Grand Ma’s house!” She stares at Maybe-Grand Ma in dismay. “Are you actually…?”

“I think so,” Maybe-Grand Ma laughs, but it sounds a bit hysterical. “I haven’t got a clue what you’re doing here, or what’s going on, though.”

“What’s that mean?” Tommy asks quietly, worry lacing his tone, and Maybe-Grand Ma squeezes his hand reassuringly.

“Don’t worry about it. Let’s get inside. You guys can sleep in Jeremy’s bed. I had the sheets changed after he left the other day.”

“Daddy’s not here?” Tanya’s lip trembles, and Maybe-Grand Ma lets go of Tommy’s hand to soothe her.

“Oh, sweetie, it’s alright. I’ll take you to him as soon as I can, alright?”

“Okay,” Tanya warbles.

Tabitha watches with wide eyes as Maybe-Grand Ma digs a hand around in her pocket before producing a key, before unlocking the front door of the house.

“Hurry, come inside where it’s nice and warm,” Grand Ma says, and Tabitha darts inside. She kicks off her shoes right away, even though with eight boys she knows Grand Ma long since gave up on the no shoes in the house rule, and her siblings follow her.

“How nice,” Grand Ma smiles, before taking her own shoes off. “Do you know where Jeremy’s room is?”

“Yeah, it’s our room when you and Uncle Spy babysit us,” Tanya says, and runs upstairs without waiting for confirmation.

Tabitha doesn’t try to stop her sister; she’s too busy spinning in a slow circle, looking at everything. It looks like her Grand Ma’s house, but things are slightly different. There are no photos of Uncle Spy, mask on or mask off. His ashtray is missing. There are a ton of photos of Daddy’s actual brothers, but no photos of her cousins.

“Where is Daddy?” She asks unhappily.

“He’s- um, well, he’s at work,” Grand Ma replies, flustered, and Tabby frowns.

“Daddy doesn’t work,” She mimics her brother and crosses her arms. “Daddy sued the whole city of Teufort and now he doesn’t work which is great because he has all the time in the world for us.”

Grand Ma pauses. “Really? That’s so sweet. He must’ve made a lot of money then.” She keeps her hands busy, taking her jacket off and lining up their discarded shoes by the door.

“A bunch,” Tristan agrees. “Uncle Spy was um- was battled.”

“Baffled,” Tommy corrects. “But Daddy says that’s because Uncle Spy didn’t think Daddy could be his own lawyer.”

Grand Ma’s eyebrows shoot up. “My Jeremy is a lawyer?”

“No,” Tristan says. “Uncle Solly’s a lawyer, but Daddy says he’s the worst ever and that he got Daddy in jail twice , so Daddy reper-represents himself in court.”

Grand Ma doesn’t look like she knows what to make of that, so she doesn’t reply.

“Who wants hot chocolate?” She asks instead, and all the kids shriek.

“Me! Me!”

“Well, lets get you out of your pyjamas first,” She says, hands on her hips just like Daddy does when he’s issuing them chores. “You can just use some of Jeremy’s old clothing.”

“Okay,” Tommy says, and the rest of the kids scramble upstairs to find Tanya already under the covers of the bed.

“It’s morning!” Tommy exclaims. “How are you tired?”

“My legs are tired,” Tanya whines. “And I’m already in pyjamas.”

No one else can argue with that logic.

“My legs are tired too,” Tristan says, and he jumps on the bed.

“Um, but, uh, Grand Ma will make hot chocolate when we’re ready,” Tommy counters.

“She hasn’t started yet,” Tristan counters. “She’ll make it later then.”

“But-” Tommy protests, but the youngest two ignore him.

Tanya opens up the closet. It’s full of all the clothes that she’s seen her Daddy wear in pictures, all baseball shirts and plain tshirts or shirts with those quarter sleeves and grungy pants and sports shorts. If Tanya had to wear any of these, she’d throw a fit, Tabitha thinks. Even as it stands, none of the clothes really appeal to her. She glances over to her siblings on the bed.

…Her legs are tired too.

She flops on the bed on top of Tristan, who just grunts and rolls over to make room for her. The bed is thankfully big, and they’re small enough that they all fit when they dogpile together. She yanks a decorate blanket from the top of the bed out from under Tristan to throw on top of them as Tommy watches.

“But…” Tommy’s voice fades away. He eyes the bed enviously.

“We deserve a nap,” Tabitha mutters into the pillow on the bed.

“...Scooch over.” Tommy joins them, and pretty soon all of them fall asleep.

au of my own time travel fic, where Scout's kids are also in the past with him EXCEPT:

A) the kids are in Boston.

B) they have no idea what's going on

C) Jeremy doesn't know they time traveled with him because he's in New Mexico

so Jeremy is just doing his thing as according to my fic but meanwhile his four kids are just wandering around Boston like "Where am I :( where is dad :(" and eventually bump into Scout's Ma. Tanya looks so much like Spy and Tristan looks so much like Jeremy at that age that Scout's Ma double-takes, and even though she's younger they recognize her and are like "grandma!! grandma where is dad. where is uncle spy. grandma im lost :(" she gets their names and when she hears the oldest's name is Tom after Tom Jones she's like "I don't know how it would be possible. but I know exactly which one of my sons these kids belong to. They are so obviously Willises." and now Scout's Ma is on a cross-country roadtrip to New Mexico with four kids. meanwhile Jeremy is still doing this drinking and crying and medigun fluid thing

Spy calls the Willis home phone after Scout gets drunk but no one answers. This does not help him feel any better.

They're arguing about whether Scout is lying or not when a car shows up in the distance.

Engineer frowns. "No one's supposed to know where we are-"

Scout's Ma parks and steps out.

Spy: Ma Cherie?

Scout: MA?

the rest of the team: .... -_- what is wrong with this family

Scout's Ma: JEREMY WILLIS, SINCE WHEN DO YOU HAVE KIDS

Spy: WHAT ITS REAL?

Scout: how does she know how does she know. how does she-

The kids exit from the back of the car

Kids: DADDY!!!!!

SCOUT: OH MY GOD MY BABIES

rest of the team: i thought he said they were dead

Scout, grabbing his kids and sobbing loudly: i thought i lost you forever !!!!!!!

Kids, also crying: we missed you

the team: aww hell

Mick Daddy issues Mundy, sniffing: we're professionals but we ain't heartless. Ma'am, would you and the kids like to come inside?

YES OR NO SHOULD I MAKE A ONESHOT OF THIS JUST AS A FUN LITTLE WHAT IF NOT CANON TO THE FIC

[claudemblems]

Wake Me With a Kiss | Diluc Ragnvindr

Soft, fleeting kisses against your neck slowly roused you from your deep sleep, eyes blinking open to Diluc Ragnvindr hovering above you.

"Good morning, dearest," he spoke, voice still hoarse from just waking up. He smiled a bit, remembering you telling him how much you loved hearing him in the mornings. After giving you a proper greeting, he resumed his task.

His fingers traced shapes on your skin as he kissed you. The brush of his lips was almost ticklish, but Diluc worked slowly, meticulously, blessing each area of bare skin he could find. Your eyelids fluttered shut as you sighed, sinking deep into Diluc's touch. His lips traveled from the hollow of your neck down to your collarbone, kissing along its grooves. He made sure to be gentle, not wanting to hurt you.

You would have replied to Diluc's affectionate greeting if you weren't left feeling so dizzy and hot from his touch. Was it his Pyro vision or just the way he'd mastered leaving hot kisses all over your body?

"Don't you have work to do today?" you asked through half-lidded eyes, head falling back onto the pillow when Diluc kissed a tender spot.

"Mhm. Not worried about it right now, though."

You laughed. Diluc was never one to shove his work to the side for later. But ever since he married you, he'd found plenty of reasons to lose himself in your love instead.

Diluc pulled away for a moment to catch his breath before hastily returning his lips against your skin. He traveled from your collarbone to your shoulders, softly chuckling when he caught the sight of goosebumps along them.

"Do I really have such an effect on you?" he asked, raising a brow. "If I'd known you liked being covered in kisses so much, I'd have done this more often."

You didn't have a chance to reply before his lips met your skin once more. He lowered his head to kiss further and further down your arm before turning to kiss down the other shoulder. You'd almost considered going back to sleep when you felt Diluc's mouth meet the skin just above your chest. A pleasant sound escaped you, despite the hand that flew to your mouth to cover it.

"Don't hold yourself back," Diluc spoke, gently prying your hand from your face and intertwining his fingers with your own. "I want to hear. It's how I know I'm doing my job right."

"B-But it's embarrassing..."

"It shouldn't be. My favorite sound is your pleasure."

Your cheeks flushed a deep red as Diluc broke into laughter. "Ah, I wasn't trying to sound so risqué," he remarked, his own face flushing red. "But my point still stands."

And still, he kept kissing you, though now laughing accompanied each small kiss. You darted your attention away in the process, hoping he couldn't see just how flustered he'd made you.

"I apologize, darling. Can I make it up to you?"

He looked at you with those gorgeous dark eyes that shone with his love for you. The sight made your heart skip a beat, something only your beloved Diluc could do to you.

"Stay with me in bed for a while longer?"

"Do you even need to ask?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Diluc fell into place beside you, wrapping his arms around your waist.

"I love you," he whispered, pressing a kiss against your shoulder.

You smiled, snuggling into his embrace. "I love you, too."

[cluelessatthispoint]

Hello hello, im aware that you made a platonic Yandere!engie recently and probably don't want to make another but I can't stop thinking about this idea.

Recently I managed to convince my friend to play TF2 with me and it was...something?? They quite literally spent half an hour trying to "deactivate the smoking" while they played as Spy for some reason and kept shooting at me while they played Engie bc they were trying to get my Spy to stop smoking. It was fun, they got disappointed at the realization but played with me anyways haha.

I was wondering if you could write some platonic yandere!engie with a spy!reader, I just think is a very funny idea for Engie to constantly to try and make them stop smoking is all, specially with Pyro who is nothing but delighted to light reader's cigarettes.

(once again I apologize for bad English from my part and for making an ask about a fairly recent character, hope you have a great day!)

AAAAAHHHH! Yes! YES! platonic yandere Engie gives me serotonin and a reason to live! He is such a weird yandere because of his kindly disposition. THANK YOU! I really like this ask. :)

Warning: Platonic yandere, smoking.

~~~~~~~~

Taking a deep breath, you sigh as you walk through the base. Having won a particularly grueling battle today you could feel some pride well up in your chest as well as a creaking in your bones. It was going to be a rough day tomorrow. Thank goodness it was the last battle of the week. Tomorrow you could rest easy and relax. Thinking about all the plans for tomorrow you smiled to yourself and hummed a happy little tune. The way that the battle was won today was incredible. The soldier did his part phenomenally and you think about how you backstabbed the enemy medic so many times he ended up paranoid around his own teammates. It was a sight to behold. Just thinking about it made you smirk and chuckle slightly.

Just one thing was off....during battle the Engineer on your team kept looking at you. It was weird. It wasn't a mean look or anything...but it gave you the chills. You didn't think he was mad at you. You didn't even do anything to him. As far as you can tell, you both are on pretty good terms with each other. Just the way he acted; it was off putting. Sighing softly, you round the corner and almost bumped into Pyro. The smell of burning and something sweet fills your nostrils. Looking into the gasmask you see your own reflection being reflected back at you.

"Ah, hello Pyro....good job out there today."

He doesn't say a word but holds his hand out with a lighter in it. Flicking the lighter on and off you look at it and let out a small sigh of relief.

"Oh...thank you."

Taking out a cigarette you light the end of it and bring it to your lips. Taking a long slow drag of it you let out a pleased sigh as you feel your body relax. Pyro seemed just as pleased. Clapping his hands together and practically hopping on his toes his happy mumbles break the silence.

Leaning against the wall you and Pyro relax for a while. Pyro looks more to your left and then takes off without a word. You roll your eyes at his antics and continue smoking. Leaning back and closing your eyes you don't notice the sound of someone walking closer until a hand is on your shoulder. Opening an eye you look to your left to see the Engineer.

"Hello Engie...how are you?"

He sighs heavily and reaches a hand to your mouth and plucks the cigarette from in between your lips and drops it on the floor and stomps on it with a huff.

"I hate seein you smoke those things."

You feel your eye twitch, a swell of anger rises within you and you give him a piece of your mind.

"Engie...don't you dare do that again!"

Your words coming out harsher than you liked. The look in his eyes looks dark and hurt...it scares you. Swallowing nervously, you lower your head and apologize softly.

"I-I'm sorry Engineer...I...I didn't mean to-"

He sighs and crosses his arms.

"I hate seeing you hurt yourself this way...If you keep this up, I'm gonna have to hurt you."

His thick Texan drawl mixed with uncharacteristically unkind words made you laugh hard. You look up at him through tears of laughter and stop cold. A pit of dread settles in your stomach...He wasn't laughing....he wasn't even smiling...You looked him in the eyes and freeze. His cold eyes pin you in your spot. Hearing your name being called from down the hallway you took this as a sign and took your chance to escape. You walked away slowly. Leaving Engineer staring after you in the hallway and a feeling of fear in your stomach.

~~~~~

I hope that you enjoy this! I finished my finals and I'm so happy! :)

[angelwheat]

How would the RED team members, react to a BLU team reader giving them a health kit when there like down/injured

TF2

RED Team; Reaction To BLU Team Member Helping Them During Battle

my goodness it's been a while since i wrote anything for tf2. this was a fun prompt to work with. apologies for the wait

Scout: "Uhh... ain't we supposed to be shootin' each other...?" He brushes them off like he totally isn't bleeding to death, but he accepts the health kit nonetheless, and then awkwardly asks the question of why the enemy is helping him. Scout probably assumes you've got a crush on him, and that's why you helped. He thanks you, and after that, he goes about the battle as usual, and he keeps the encounter to himself.

Solider: *Stunned silence* *Confused* *Angry...?* He doesn't know what to think. One moment he's injured and seconds away from certain death. Next, he's face-to-face with an enemy that just saved his life. The voice in his head is screaming enemy, but he's sceptical of shooting them. He's prepared to defend himself if they attack, but when they turn to head back into battle, he calls out a thanks to them before they disappear. He's still confused about it after every battle for the next week or so...

Pyro: "They never help. Why would they help this time? Unless it's a trap!" Despite being offered a medkit, he's cowering in fear. They're the enemy, Pyro knows he's not supposed to trust them. He's panicked. Pyro keeps trying to push them away until he can't take the injury anymore. He heals himself quickly and gets a fair distance from the enemy as fast as possible. When he sees that they've never made a move to attack, Pyro meekly mumbles a thanks under his mask and gives a little thumbs up. He never tells anyone about this.

Demoman: "This secret stays between you and me, alright?" He's willing to give anyone a chance, but when it comes to the enemy, he knows that he can't always trust them, if at all. He doesn't want to accept the help from an enemy, no matter how good their intentions are, but his injuries are becoming unbearable. Demo accepts the help begrudgingly but grumbles about the situation. Despite how grateful he is and a little confused as to why the enemy helped him, he gives a lecture about how this can never happen again, to save getting into trouble.

Heavy: "You are enemy. I can't accept your help." He accepts his fate the minute he's weakened. When he sees the enemy approaching him, Heavy is ready to be sent through respawn. But then, there's a health kit being held out to him. He doesn't move. Heavy rejects the offer immediately. He knows his job would be compromised if he accepted help from the enemy. When he sees the health kit being left by his side and his enemy then runs off into battle, Heavy begrudgingly heals himself, making sure no one witnessed him accepting help from someone he's supposed to be fighting against.

Engineer: "You know, you and I could get into trouble for this, don't cha?" Engineer is usually reliant on his dispencers to heal him, but in some cases, the enemy gets the better of him and his machines. He doesn't react when he sees the enemy coming towards him, merely ready to accept fate. When he sees them drop a medkit by him and back away, he's sceptical, but Engie will heal himself once they've backed a fair distance from him. Albeit, they were just doing a good deed, but he scolded them from putting both of their jobs at risk. He's grateful for the help, but he doesn't want it to happen again.

Medic: "This is wrong. You can not jeopardize our jobs like this." Much like Engineer, he can rely on his own resources, but things can take a turn on him before he has the chance to save himself. When he sees a medkit being handed to him by someone clad in his rival team's colour, Medic turns their help away immediately. If they're persistent, he begrudgingly accepts the offer so that he's not out of battle but a minute longer than he needs to be. He scolds them like a father telling off his child, stressing that if anyone is to know, they could both lose their job. Medic certainly doesn't want that to happen.

Sniper: *stress stress stress* He's usually situated somewhere on the sidelines, but with a direct view of the centre battlefield. He ended up in a bit of a scrap with the enemy Spy, but came out with the upper hand. Unfortunately, he ended up severely injured... Sniper isn't surprised to see the enemy approaching him, but he doesn't have the strength to fight. A medkit is dropped beside him, but he doesn't attempt to move. He's weary of the enemy. What's their intention? How did they get here conveniently at this time? Sniper will only accept the help, once they disappear. He now stresses that someone will find out, or perhaps someone even saw it happen.

Spy: "I'm not accepting your help." What a lie that is. It rare to find Spy injured on the battlefield somewhere, if it ever happens at all. He hopes the enemy just finishes him instead of leaving him to lie in misery. But then a medkit is handed to him by a member of the opposing team. His guard is up immediately. Spy has no trust in the enemy in the slightest. They'll need to be on the opposite side of the battlefield before he comes desperately crawling to the health kit. The moment is not spoken of. Ever. He won't even make eye contact with who saved him on the battlefield. But inside he feels so guilty. He knows he sheouldn't have acepted it.

[blisschi]

Zhongli, Diluc, Kaeya, and Xiao x GN! Reader where the boys have a really bad nightmare and they wake up and panic/cry when the reader isn’t there next to them? (They’re really just in another room) comfort fluff always gets me :D

I'm not sure if that's exactly what you wanted,, but I really hope you like it! For some reason.. this work actually took a while to write.. (つω`｡)

🌷Next to you🌷

Pairings: Zhongli/Diluc/Kaeya/Xiao x GN! Reader

Warnings: None.. I think? Just slight angst!

Notes: I'm sorry! This turned to be a lot angstier than I wanted it to be.. Have a good read though! (*´▽`*)

•Zhongli•

You were just about to finish your work and join your sleeping partner in another room when you heard someone opening the door.

You turned your head towards the sound, noticing your lover standing in the doorframe, his eyes widened, hand a little shaky.

"Zhongli? Give me a minute, I was just about to finish this and-" You started only to be cut off by him wrapping his arms around you into safe and warm embrace. "Is everything okay..?"

You returned the hug, embracing your partner while he pushed his face into the crook of your neck.

He kept silent for a while, enjoying the feeling of your warmth, your arms wrapped around him. The feeling that you're still there, in front of him.

"Please.. Excuse me.." Zhongli whispered, his voice slightly raspy. "I'm relieved you're still here, dearest.."

You pulled back a little, only to look at his face - Eyes full of worries, looking right into yours curious pupils. Zhongli always looked at you as if he was about to see you for the last time. You smiled softly, lifting one of your hands up to caress his cheek.

"I'm not going anywhere, love.." You whispered, watching as your partner leaned into your touch, his eyes closing as a relieved sigh left his mouth. "And I never will, Zhongli."

He returned the smile as you placed a quick kiss on top of his nose.

"I love you.."

•Diluc•

It's been a pretty rough week for Diluc and today was finally the day he could get some rest. Unfortunately, he doesn't find peace even in the dream world.

You were downstairs at the moment, sitting near the fireplace and enjoying the warmth that wrapped around you in the pleasing embrace. Lately the weather seemed to be a little too cold for your liking. - That's why you often decided to just sit in front of the flames before going to bed.

Diluc, on the other side, missed the warmth of your body right next to his. Perhaps that was the reason of his nightmares? Even though he owns a pyro vision, his heart doesn't feel any heat when not around you.

You sighed quietly, closing your eyes as you got up from the couch, ready to join your lover upstairs in the bedroom.

As fast as you entered the room though, you noticed your partner sitting on the bed, head lowered and face burried into his hands.

"Diluc..?" You whispered, not expecting your lover to be awake by the time you joined him in the bedroom. "Is everything okay? Are you feeling sick?"

You walked up to him quickly, sitting down next to him and putting a hand on his shoulder. You watched as he turns his head towards you slowly, your gaze meeting his. You could see the fear in his eyes, but what could that he's so scared of be?

"I can't lose you too.." He stated, his voice shaky as his mind went back to the painful memories from the past. You wrapped you arms around him instantly and sighed quietly, feeling how cold his body against yours is.

"Luc.." You whispered into his ear, your voice quiet and comforting as you rubbed his back softly, trying to help him relax. "I promise.. You're not going to lose anything anymore.."

He sighed at the nickname you used, even though it reminded him of not so pleasant childhood memories, from your lips it sounded unusually angelic. As any word you've ever spoken to him.

"Don't make promises you can't uphold."

You smiled softly, placing a kiss against his forehead.

"I'm only making promises I'm sure to keep.."

Diluc returned the smile, lifting one of his hands up to push some stubborn strands of hair behind your ear. He caressed your cheek gently, pressing his forehead against yours.

"I'll protect you then, along with this promise."

•Kaeya•

Kaeya has been overworking himself lately. Taking naps in his office became something normal, along with not taking breaks at all. He'd often stay in his office for night, only coming back home early in the morning to instantly plop down on the couch and pass out.

You wanted to help your partner with all you had, that's why sometimes you decided to visit him in his office, bringing something to eat. It's been a while since you started dating the cavalry captain, that's why guards had no doubt if to let you into the quarters or not.

You opened the door to Kaeya's office, a smile on your face as you entered the room.

"Sorry for such late visit, I hope you don't mi-" You instantly covered your mouth as you noticed that your lover was currently 'busy' taking a nap. You smiled lightly and walked up to his desk, putting a bag with fresh buns down next to the paperwork. Your hand wandered to the top of his head, wanting to stroke his hair, but as fast as you touched him, Kaeya jolted up, his eyes widened.

You took your hand away quickly, your body frozen.

"O-oh my.. I'm s-so sorry Kaeya! I didn't want to wake you up!" You apologized quickly, lifting your hands up in defense as he looked at you, his gaze following your even movement.

He took a shaky breath and closed his eyes after a while, putting a hand to his forehead. Perhaps overworking himself started affecting his dreams.. Kaeya didn't even think that was possible.

Cavalry captain wrapped one of his arms around your waist and pulled you onto his lap, embracing you quickly. Kaeya pushed his face into the crook of your neck, taking a deep breath of your calming scent as he whispered.

"For getting me out of there.. ..thank you.."

The sentence left you quite confused, but you didn't bother to ask about anything. You gently wrapped your arms around the male, returning the warmth to the other.

"Thank you.." He repeated quietly, painting a smile on your face as you brushed his cheek with your lips, placing a kiss onto his skin. His grip around you tightened, as if that was the last physical contact you're going to share.

"For getting me out of this nightmare.."

•Xiao•

It wasn't rare for Xiao to have nightmares. In fact, it was pretty common. His past didn't seem to let go of him so soon, his karma visiting him everyday in the dream world.

But he could bear with it, because you were next to him. You were there to calm him down, to cheer him up and understand his overwhelming fear. He was scared of losing everything he loves. He was scared of losing you.

One night he woke up from the nightmare, the same he dreamt about every night. You were just about to go to sleep, changing clothes in the room next door.

Xiao jolted up, turning his head to the side, only to notice that you're not laying next to him. He knew that it was nightmare, that you were safe and sound, yet something inside him kept telling him to check on you.

What if something happened? You're not going to make the same mistakes, are you?

He shoot out of the bed, lifting one of his hands up to his face to wipe a single tear rolling down his cheek. Xiao rushed to the other room, sighing in relief as fast as he noticed you.

"Xiao? I was just about to join you-" You turned towards him, taking a step back as he started walking towards you. - His expression hurt, steps fast. You widened your eyes when your partner hugged you, pushing his face into your shoulder. You could feel his tears against your skin."X-xiao?"

"Don't you dare leave me.." He whispered, his embrace tightening at the thought of having to let you go. You smiled softly, wrapping your arms around him as well. You closed your eyes, one of your hands rubbing small circles onto his back, as the other hand stroked his hair calmingly.

"I love you.. I'm sorry.."

For not being there when you woke up.

I'm sorry..

For having to leave one day.

[cloudenthusiast2]

To be a human - Scaramouche x reader - Part 7 (Final)

You knew committing to a relationship with Scaramouche would be no easy task but you loved him dearly and unlike others, you believed he wasn't evil. But as a mortal and the devoted protector of your village you were too much of a good person, too much of a human compared to him and your differences slowly start to show.

Previous: Part 6

Length: 4000 words

Trigger warnings: blood, mentions of loss

A. note: Scaramouche is my favourite character in the game and I really love him. But I couldn't help and feel awful when he said those words in Inazuma. Look, I don't think that Mihoyo is gonna let the huge opportunity slip and not make him playable (for which we need to have at least a tiny bit of friendship with him and well, right now mc straight up hates him) but in case that does happen, in case he doesn't get a redemption arc, I made one myself. I wrote this to redeem him in my own, and hopefully your eyes as well. I hope you enjoyed reading this story of that little bastard as much as I enjoyed writing it.

It was fair to say that Scaramouche was stunned by the sight of the local people.

Certainly not because he suddenly grew fond of them. It was rather because the way they appeared out of blue when little Yu gave them a sign. She let out three short whistles and the forest came to life in front of the harbinger.

Old men and woman, little children and whole families walked towards them. It was clear even for Scaramouche that they looked uneasy and hostile. They surely wouldn’t have appeared in front of the fatui if it wasn’t for Yu.

The sixth harbinger was astonished.

Because they would trust someone, especially a child so much.

Because there were so many of them.

He counted the people walking towards Yu. Way more than he’d thought there would be.

These people were injured, dirty and exhausted. But they were alive. And all because of one person.

‘Impressive’ he thought to himself.

Yu talked to them, explaining why the fatui was there and promising that they’re not in danger any more. The people seemed less at ease in his presence now but the harbinger still felt the piercing gazes. If looks could’ve killed he would have been dead in an instant.

He knew they all blamed him for the things that had happened. Maybe they even thought he was the one who made the abbys attack their village.

But Scaramouche got used to these types of glances during the years and he did not care about them any more. All that mattered was that they were able to help.

He stood behind little Yu who was still clinging onto her doll. Scaramouche stared at the bloodstains on the toy as she asked the people of Qingce to help find you.

The thought to promise them money crossed his mind but the instantly threw it away. He just somehow felt that it would be very wrong.

These people won’t help him because he can pay them. They won’t help because Yu asked them to either. They will help because you had been guarding them for years.

Mentioning your name caused them to stir up, to get loud and the all of a sudden the whole crowd was ready to go and search in the mountains.

It was obvious how much they loved and respected you. Maybe even more than Scaramouche used to, he realized.

Yu turned to him and nodded.

‘I think we can go now.’

‘How are you going to search everything?’ the harbinger asked as he crouched down to the child. It wasn’t needed since he wasn’t much taller than her but it felt like the right thing to do.

Yu’s eyes wandered to the hat. She reached out and gently touched it.

Scaramouche normally would’ve ended the person who messed with his hat but when the child did it, he somehow felt no urge to do so.

‘It’s because so many people are watching’ he explained to himself. But it still felt a bit weird not being annoyed.

He cleared his throat so Yu would focus on him again.

‘We know this place well’ she answered, letting her arms fall back to her side. ‘We will split up and warn each other if we find something.’

‘My people are out too.’

‘Then call them back.’

The harbinger glared at the child. She really was fearless, wasn’t she, huh. First touching his hat and now disrespecting the fatui.

‘You know…’ he crossed his brows as he began to speak but Yu quickly cut him off.

‘Everyone is afraid of them. And they’ll just be in the way. They don’t know the mountains, do they?’

Scaramouche clenched his teeth together. But he had to admit that the girl was right.

He stood up and walked towards the agents standing by a nearby bridge. They were there since the people appeared to make sure they don’t try to do anything to their harbinger.

He gestured to bring them closer then stood and crossed his arms.

‘First, I want to know how a big group of fatui agents were unable to find anyone when there was a whole village hiding in the forest’ he questioned them with a glare.

The agents were bowing already but now they bowed even deeper.

‘F-forgive us, our lord!’ a pyro agent answered. ‘They’re locals and we…’

‘Spare your apologies, I don’t care.’

Scaramouche closed his eyes for a moment and let out a sigh. He really didn’t care, he only snapped at them to let out a little frustration.

‘Call back everyone from the mountains. And let these people do what they want. Anyone who disturbs them in any way shall be punished.’

‘But my lord…’

‘Do as I say!’

Scaramouche turned his back to them and the agents hurried away. He watched as the people of Qingce split up and began their search in the forest, around the destroyed village.

He looked up to the mountains. Clouds hid the most of them, they were so huge, so high. And there were so many places you could be.

Was is it even possible that you were alive?

Scaramouche never lied to himself and this was the first time he wanted to. He simply just didn’t want to accept the small chances of finding you. He wanted to feel hope.

‘You better be alive, Y/n’ he muttered to himself. ‘For your own sake.’

For his sake.

*

‘Have you taken a look around in that cave too?’

‘I haven’t but I can go if…’

‘Stay.’

Scaramouche climbed to the cave and looked into the hole. It was smaller than it seemed from below and inside it there was absolutely nothing.

He quietly let himself down. He jumped on a bigger stone on the path under him, the bells violently jingling on his hat.

Little Yu asked nothing. It was obvious from the harbinger’s expression that he found nothing.

The air began to feel a little chilly in the mountains. The sun was getting ready to go down and let the moon take its place.

They’ve spent their whole day with searching. They’ve found absolutely nothing so far.

There were a lot of traces left behind the abbys order and the monsters. It was also clear that the fight continued outside of the village as well. Corpses of dead monsters bordered the narrow paths.

But your body was nowhere to be find.

Scaramouche looked up to the sky. The first star had already appeared. And with that, their last piece of hope started to slip away.

‘We haven’t looked there yet.’

The harbinger snapped out of his dark thoughts and glanced at the child in front of him. She pointed at a smaller mountain nearby.

‘That’s very far away from the village’ Scaramouche claimed. ‘We’d be just wasting our time.’

‘Then where do you want me to go?’ Yu asked.

The man let out a sigh. She was right, they’ve already looked through every bush and searched every rock on this mountain.

He started walking towards the other one without saying anything, and Yu silently followed him.

In the valley below them, lots of figures were moving and changing places. The locals still haven’t given up even though it was getting colder and darker with every passing moment.

A red dot appeared. Then another. They started lighting torches.

Scaramouche felt like choking. He touched his throat and fastened his steps.

He tried to banish the horrifying thoughts from his head but his desperate tries were unsuccessful.

You’re dead. They’re only going to find a cold body and not you. You’re dead and it is his fault.

He shook his head to quiet the voices and to get back into focusing on his search.

This made him realize that he hadn’t seen little Yu in a while. Scaramouche stopped and turned his head to check on the girl.

She was behind him a few meters away. Her movements were too slow to keep up with the harbinger’s.

‘Are you coming or not?’ The man growled at her. ‘Hurry up.’

‘Sorry…’ She was out of breath, quietly panting. ‘You can leave me behind. I know I’m just slowing you down.’

Scaramouche rose his brows at the young child who was not even tall enough to reach the ground from a bigger rock. Was she really that aware? What should he do now? Just leave her here? He was willing to do that, to be honest. The sun was about to completely disappear.

Yu grabbed the side of the rock. She let her feet down, trying to get down safely but she was too tired – the little girl stumbled and fell.

Scaramouche didn’t even realize he was reaching out – but a moment later he found himself holding the child in his own arms.

They stared at each other, the sixth Fatui Harbinger and the kid from Liyue. It was impossible to tell who was more surprised, the one holding or the one being held.

But it was the man who found his voice first.

‘Don’t think I’m gonna carry you like this to the other mountain.’

‘I didn’t think that’ she answered quietly.

Scaramouche cleared his throat and opened his lips. But before any other words could’ve come out of his mouth, a sharp whistle cut through the air.

They both jerked their heads up.

The sound was coming from below, south to the village.

The whistle was repeated – two short, two long ones.

‘They’ve found her’ Yu said.

*

Scaramouche had no memories of how he got down from the top of the mountain.

All he remembered was the crazy pace of his heartbeat. The darkness invading his head. That terrific feeling clenching his heart, incredible, deep fear he’s never experienced before.

There were many people standing in his way in front of a big cave. He pushed them away as he rushed to get closer.

It was dark. Everyone stood with a torch in their hands. He heard the whispers but the words were incomprehensiblenext to the loud beating of his own heart. There were figures but they were blurry, everything was blurry…

Until he saw you.

You were laying on the ground. Your body completely still, your chest not rising nor sinking. Your clothes torn, bloody.

There was so much blood.

He stumbled and fell on his knees in front of you. A local turned to him and spoke but he understood nothing. His hand was shaking as he reached out to touch you.

You were… cold.

He forgot how to breathe and just stared down at your body. Your messy hair hid your face and that just didn’t feel right.

Why was this happening?!

Everything was supposed to become alright after they’ve found you!

How dare you be dead, how dare you not wake up to his touch, to his wishes, to all wishes around you…!

‘Balladeer!’

He snapped out of the blurriness when someone grabbed his arm. An old lady with a serious look tried to pull him back.

‘Let go of me!’ he hissed, pushing her away. He groaned when the grip became stronger instead on his arm. Pain in his heart and body blinded him as he shouted. ‘I said, let go of me or else…’

‘Please stay out of the way of my people’ the lady asked in a calm tone. ‘She needs serious help.’

‘What help can you provide when she’s dead?!’ he screamed at her in a hoarse voice. ‘You stay away from her!’

‘Please calm down. Y/n is not dead… yet.’

Scaramouche slowly closed his eyes. The words echoed in his head.

She’s not dead. She’s not dead. She’s not dead. Yet.

He took a deep, shaking breath. The cold air in his lungs cooled him off a little.

You were alive. But also, only barely. He finally understood what that meant. But he couldn’t let himself feel any relief nor fear…

He was a harbinger, he was part of the Fatui under the rule of the almighty Tsaritsa. He was Scaramouche, the Balladeer who simply could not allow himself to show any vulnerability in front of mere mortals.

Even if it was about you.

Even if he wasn’t the same person any more.

‘Bring a healer’ he said in a lower tone.

‘We don’t have any vision bearers among us’ the lady answered. ‘But we’ll do everything to keep her alive.’

Scaramouche nodded and stood up. It took a lot of strength to tear his eyes from you but he forced himself to do it and turned around.

‘Alert my people and tell them to give you all that you need’ he told the locals as he fixed his hat. ‘Tents, medicine, food, everything.’

The people stood there in silence for a few seconds, not knowing whether to obey him. They only moved when the old lady from before thanked him. Then they finally set off towards the village.

Scaramouche wanted to turn back and take a glance at you one more time to make sure you’re really there and not just a hallucination. But suddenly little Yu appeared in his sight and that made him stay.

‘She’s alive’ the girl whispered. The mask she had worn so far finally broke and her expression was an expression of a little child. She seemed tired, sad and a little happy. ‘I’m so glad… Scara.’

The harbinger nodded and closed his eyes for a moment. His heart was still beating fast with fear but those heavy weights on his shoulders finally started getting lighter.

He felt something touching his hand and he opened his eyes to the sight of Yu holding onto him.

This type of physical connection was very far away from what Scaramouche would tolerate coming from a human but he felt way too tired to resist. He just let the little girl clench his pinkie and they both watched silently as some helpers grabbed your body and moved it to a safer place.

*

You felt like something that had been sitting on your chest for a while finally moved. Something even bigger, a huge, scary type of darkness slowly left your body.

It left you with the first breath you were aware of taking in a long time.

You let out a small sigh. And opened your eyes.

There was a fabric cover above you.

You were in a tent, safe and sound. Alive.

The first thing you noticed was the temperature. It was warm, welcoming and comforting. Lot of soft blankets covered your body which hurt badly but the pain was dim.

You tried to look around but your head was too heavy. You could barely tip your head to the side.

But the sight was worth it.

Your breath was taken away one more time. You just stared in silence and you could feel your eyes widen in shock.

‘You’re awake.’

Scaramouche closed the book he was reading and looked at you with a straight face.

‘Finally.’

He put the book down with a slow movement.

Mixed emotions invaded you. You fell from relief to happiness to fright in a span of a few seconds. You were alive and Scaramouche was here with you, but – why did he seem so distant? Was he still angry at you even after everything that had happened?

You almost let fear overrun you. Almost.

But your gaze fell on his hands and he couldn’t hide his true feelings from you any more. His hands were visibly trembling as he still held onto his book.

Little did you know he could have not read a single word written in the last couple of hours. He just sat there and watched over your sleep, not dozing off for even a second himself.

The shaking of his hands became even more obvious and he couldn’t hold himself back any more.

He moved closer and placed his trembling palms next to the sides of your body. He looked down on you from above and as you stared back at him, you could clearly see something that wasn’t there before.

The usual cold, emotionless blur was nowhere to be found in his dark eyes. Instead, there was pain. And a lot of it.

‘How dare you do this to me?’

During the years of your relationship, he’s grown to be comfortable in your presence but he never ever showed any signs of vulnerability in front of you and you just accepted that it’s probably never going to happen.

It was shocking, almost scary seeing him like this.

The desperate expression on his face softened and he let his head plop on your shoulders.

‘Scara’ you whispered. Your voice was hoarse and dry but it was your voice. You were able to speak.

The realization of how unlikely your survival was suddenly hit you and your eyes teared up.

‘Scara, I… I really thought I was gonna die…’

‘Then you’re stupid’ he answered, speaking into the blankets covering your shoulder. ‘You should know that you can’t die without my permission.’

You laughed through your tears. They streamed down on your face, straight into your ears. But even that felt so good. Crying was a sign of being alive from the very beginning of life and you never understood that so much than at that time.

‘Don’t… leave me ever again.’

You didn’t event think, the words just left your mouth.

‘Don’t worry.’ Scaramouche finally got himself together enough to sit up and at least pretend that he was alright. ‘You have successfully proved you’re not capable of taking after yourself so now I’m definitely stuck babysitting you till the rest of our lives.’

His movements said otherwise though. The way he caressed your cheek to dry the tears up showed that he’s not just stuck. He wantsto stay.

Just what kind of thinks did he go through in the past days? – the question occurred to you.

To think about it… why did he even come back? How did he hear what happened? And your people?! Were they safe?

So many questions echoed in your head and you couldn’t even put most of them into words that made sense. So opened your mouth and quietly asked:

‘What happened?’

‘I want to know the same’ he said. ‘What happened? How did you get so far away from the village? How are you alive in the first place?’

You thought back to the night. Pain stabbed you instantly and you had to close your eyes for a moment to calm it.

‘I don’t remember much. But I think the abbys wanted to take me with them. Is that… possible?’

‘I heard all kinds of things about them’ Scaramouche nodded. ‘It is very possible. Continue.’

‘There isn’t much to say… Obviously I tried to resist but there were too many of them. They probably realized I would be just a burden. I remember a mage knocking me out. But they didn’t kill me…’

‘Well, given your injuries, they must’ve thought there’s not a lot of time left for you. It really is a miracle that you’re alive.’ Scara stated. ‘And you were in that wet cave for an entire day too. You were nearly dead when we found you.’

‘We?’

You stared at him and your heartbeat dropped.

‘You mean…’

‘Yes’ he sighed. ‘That people of yours.’

He went silent for a moment then rolled his eyes.

‘They helped me out… I guess.’

‘So they’re all alive and safe?’ you asked and couldn’t help but laugh in relief. ‘That is so amazing! Thank you, Scara!’

‘Thank yourself, idiot’ he snorted. ‘You were the one who kept a whole abbys army away from them after all.’

The harbinger shook his head.

‘I hate that you were so reckless to do that… but I have to say I’m impressed. We should spar again sometimes.’

‘Aren’t you afraid you’re getting your ass kicked?’ you grinned.

‘I compliment you one time and you get this cocky?’ he crossed his eyebrows. ‘I have to put you back into your place, I see.’

You laughed and as you were finally strong enough to move a little, you grabbed his hand. He had to oppress his smile with force.

‘And how did you know… we were going to be attacked?’

The question made his task much easier. The harbinger’s face turned back to being serious once again.

‘I have my connections’ he answered briefly. ‘But you don’t have to worry, the fatui had nothing to do with the attack.’

‘I would never think that’ you rushed to make your words clear. ‘I just… hope that my people feel the same.’

Scara shrugged. Then averted his eyes as he thought of someone.

‘I don’t know about the others but there’s one person who clearly does.’

‘Who?’

‘That girl… Yu or whatever her name is.’

You stared at him in surprise. You’d never thought the day would come where he mentions a child and doesn’t frown. And to think that it’s Yu as well! Yu who was normally wary of strangers and such a gentle child…

Just what happened to him? – you asked yourself again.

You searched for answers in his eyes but it seemed like there were things that even this new type of Scaramouche, this more vulnerable and open one wouldn’t tell.

But it was alright. Maybe you didn’t need to know. You were just happy to be there and experience it yourself.

‘How is Yu?’ you asked.

‘Alright’ Scara muttered.

‘Her mother?’

‘Oh, her… Well…’

He hesitated for a moment and that was enough. Every good and warm feeling was instantly replaced by cold ones and you found yourself sitting up in dread.

‘Please tell me… She’s not…’

‘Hey, don’t sit up! Lie back right now!’

When you didn’t obey, Scaramouche pushed you back with his own hands. He was right, your body started aching terribly from moving and the physical pain almost outgrew the pain in your heart.

‘Is she…’

‘Yu’s fine. Don’t worry.’

‘No! I need to talk to her!’

‘You won’t.’

You clenched your teeth together in despair and Scara flinched. He saw himself in you when you did that. Earlier this day his expression was still this full of pain.

‘Scaramouche!’ you said, calling him by his first name which he suddenly realized, he hated more than that stupid nickname. ‘I will go and talk to her and you can’t stop me!’

‘I…’

‘Just think about everything you felt while I was missing! I know you don’t want me to go away again but you need to understand.’

‘All I’m trying…’

‘Maybe I really am cocky to think that it was painful to you but if I’m not and it really was, then just imagine that Yu feels like that too right now. And on top of that, she has no hope whatsoever. She knows that her mother is dead and there’s no…’

‘Oh, to Celestia, can you shut up for a moment?’ Scara interrupted you harshly. Then he frowned and quickly continued. ‘What I was about to say is that under no circumstances should you get up with these injuries. But you can talk to Yu.’

‘I can…?’

‘Yes, idiot. I’ll call her over.’

You stared at him in silence.

‘You’d… do that?’

‘Yes.’

‘So… you won’t mind if she stays with us?’

‘I guess not?’

‘Not even for a long time?’

‘I said no, stop asking these stupid questions.’

You were speechless and just gazed at him without saying anything for a long time.

You had mixed feelings about the Scara you woke up to so far. But this had finally convinced you that he really has changed into something better.

A slow smile formed on your lips. It grew bigger and bigger and it completely lit your face up.

‘You’re grinning like an idiot’ Scara claimed but nothing, not even his salty remarks could take away your happiness any more.

‘Scara, I really love you.’

‘You better do.’

He stood up and turned away as quickly as he could to try and hide the blush on his face. He knew if you saw that, you’d be teasing him about it till the rest of your lives together.

You were still grinning “like an idiot” as he was rushing to leave the tent. But even though he was in hurry, before he’d stepped out, he made sure to turn back and say:

‘I’ll be back.’