#no world-building post today since I was busy but here have this

[reallyromealone]

Can you do (whatever characters you like) x male omega reader?

I don’t care what character(s) get put x reader.

Plot: Toman was in a meeting talking about god knows what when reader begins to enter pre-heat. Chaos insues

Title: atypical courting

Fandom: Tokyo revengers

Characters: Toman + others

Fic type: smut

Pairings: all x reader

Warnings: male reader, reader insert, omegaverse, nsfw, smut, Omega male reader, group sex, double penetration

Notes: I just added everyone in here, it's all post story version's but crime ✨

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

He's known them most of his life, Mikey coming to his dad's bakery almost daily and witnessing (name) beat the crap out of a thief trying to rob them, immediately asking him to join Toman even if he was an Omega.

That was ten years ago, and here he was.

On top of the world.

Being a Toman executive wasn't easy, especially as (name) secondary gender but he made it work as he kept a constant supply of suppressants to keep his heat at bay, refusing to be seen in a moment of weakness by the other Toman executives.

(Name) And the others always had... Tension between them, not hostile not but more so sexual, they had for a very long time and neither parties actually handed it from the occasional light pass to a grope, a game of cat and mouse.

Mikey, hanma and Kisaki were one of the worst ones with their infatuation, obsessed with him without ever doing anything.

(Name) Was annoyed as he sat in the meeting, he called in sick for a reason and nooo! He had to be here to hear about god damn taxable buildings they needed to check up on! (Name) Was prepping for his upcoming heat, his preheat would hit any day now and he just didn't want to be here when it happened.

He couldn't afford to be vulnerable with people present.

"(Name), you good? Yer' sweatin' fucking buckets" Baji barked out as everyone turned to look at (name) who was barely present as a sweet smell filtered through the room, the smell of preheat.

"Why did you come if you were in preheat?!" Kisaki yelled and (name) hissed back at him "I TRIED AND YOU WERE LIKE NO EXCUSES! THIS IS IMPORTANT!" he did not care that he was yelling at a Toman vp, his stomach cramping and headache forming as he shakily stood "I'll bring you home" chifuyu and mitsuya said in a synchronized tone before glaring at one another "I'm fine, I'll just go home" (name) grunted as he stood, shaking slightly as he walked out of the room but he didn't get too far as the Toman executives be worked with daily flanked his side's, the Haitani brothers just behind him as hanma wrapped his arm around his waist.

"Back off!" (Name) Hissed at them "I'm a grown man, I can handle myself" he glared and removed Hanmas hand and the specticalled man smiled at the other as if he were an angry kitten "you have an alpha to care for you?" Draken said seriously and (name) looked cross "that's none of any of your business" (name) moved faster down the hall and towards the elevator, pushing them back with little effect as they towered over and got in, (name)s headache and cramp being particularly hard and a pained whine escaped his lips "you haven't had a heat in a while, what has it been a year? Since you had one?" Kisaki said to the other while pulling him closer from behind "we all know you don't have friends outside of Toman"

"And we know you want us as much as we want you" Muto finally pipped up as Mikey pulled him closer, hips touching each other and the smell of pharamones made (name) hazy "let us treat you good... Be our pack Omega" Mikey commanded softly, watching (name) sway slightly before the short blond lifted him effortlessly "just... Just don't claim me..." He whispered, thankful he was wearing his collar today as they all grinned.

(Name) Didn't know whose cock was where as he was double penetrated, when one cock thrusted in the other thrusted out as someone's cock was in his mouth, jerking off others as he was surrounded by alphas and cocks as he was touched and most of all filled to he brim.

"Alphaaa~" if (name) were even slightly coherent he would be horrified at the fact he was pulling his boss closer with his ankles around the blonds neck as he jerked off smileys cock that was right by his lips, moving to take it in his mouth with a soft hum.

"God, we should have made you ours forever ago.." pah said drained, having had the soul sucked from him via (name)s tight ass "you think he would be a house Omega? Bare foot?" Angry asked curiously as he too recovered and Draken snorted "he would rip out our eyes for even suggesting that"

It was true, despite being cock drunk and needy now, they knew he was too work driven to even think of that, he wasn't a house Omega who would sit all docile for them.

They literally saw him beat the shit out of a lower employee for losing a cargo box of drugs.

So that said enough.

"I'm just happy we don't have to dance around each other... I wanted so many times to take him in my office" Koko said and Sanzu grunted in agreement "I once saw him climb the lounge kitchen counter and his ass was at face level, took everything not to shove my face in his plush ass" Sanzu was almost hard thinking about it but (name) fucked him out of commission for at least a day.

It had only been five hours and the Omega is just getting exhausted as he let the there's do as they pleased to him, eyes barely staying open as he took what was given.

(Name) Woke up sore, real sore as he sat up to see bodies all over the room, chatting or sleeping as the Omega processed what happened "you need another knot baby?" Baji asked as he chugged a water bottle as Angry looked at (name) curiously as poor (name) processed what took place, cum leaking from his ass as he shakily got out of Draken and Kakuchos hold "what... Fuck... Ow" (name)s hips and ass hurt as he nearly fell over, caught by smiley who snickered at the other man's pain "what did you all go to town on me?!"

"Yuuup" the pink haired twin said kissing his cheek with a cackle "I need a shower..." (Name) Grumbled as he stumbled to the washroom with a hard limp, kicking out any horny alphas that tried to join him.

(Name) Soaked in the bath as he thought about what transpired... He just fucked all his co-workers.

And his bosses!

Oh god he got railed by Mikey and Draken at once.

Memories flooded back as he remembered everything they said to him, everything he did!

He practically attacked Kisaki for his dick!

He didn't hear the washroom door open as mitsuya walked in dressed in nice clothes, a to go bag in one hand and clothes in the other "you haven't eaten since last night" mitsuya chuckled as he crouched before (name) "we got you some breakfast" he said as (name) looked confused "why?"

"You're the pack Omega, gotta keep you taken care of"

"I'm no--""-- we aren't asking you to quit, we just want you and we know you wanted in our pack... To stubborn to admit it"

(Name) Flushed as he didn't deny it and looked at the food they got him, his favorites all present as the Alpha tried to feed him "you have wet hands, you might drop a chopstick"

After the bath, Mikey tried to demand (name) live with one of them preferably him but (name) shut that shit down "I am not going to be your back and call fuck toy " he grumbled and Mikey glared but the pout proved his harmlessness at that moment.

"Next time, in not letting you all rail me back to back"

"No promises"

[majestyeverlasting]

A Little Less Restless

Pairing: Bucky x Reader (friends to lovers)

Summary: As Bucky finds himself within the still familiarity of Brooklyn, he comes to realize that he deserves nice things. And, most of all, that he deserves you.

Word Count: 2k

A/N: I haven't posted any new writing in a bit, and it feels good to be resolving that (yay me). Please enjoy this piece I wrote today. Lot's of fluff and very obvious feelings. It's been a while since I wrote something for him. <3

Three knocks sound on Bucky’s front door as his reflection stares back at him in the bathroom. He's leaning close to the mirror in careful criticism. Enough to see the green flecks in his irises. The freckles on his cheeks from being in the sun. The pricks of hair making up his scruff. Then he eases back and squares his shoulders. They fall after he releases a breath. 

He prays he doesn’t look as restless as he feels. 

The smile you give him when he answers the door carries a warmth he isn’t sure he deserves. But he takes it because that’s all he can do. Enjoy it like a man who’s been cold his whole life. By some miracle, he feels himself smiling back in that small, weighted way of his. It was a trade off of sorts, and now you’re even. No outstanding debts. 

He motions you inside with a soft please, and you study him once you’re in the foyer. In the few seconds that you’re silently observing, Bucky wishes he knew exactly why. As tender as your gaze is, heat was already rising to his cheeks. But like everything else when it comes to you, he takes it. Looks right back at you shyly, pushes his hands into his pockets, and waits. 

“Your hair’s shorter,” you finally say, smile growing wider. “Did you cut it?” 

“Cut it,” he repeats like a question, hands moving to run through it. The previous night creeps back to the forefront of his mind. 

When he’d gone for a walk to get some air and inadvertently found himself being drawn in by the red, white, and blue barber’s pole spiraling on the next block. It’d been ages since he’d gone to a professional, but walking inside to the faint scent of tobacco and aftershave made him feel as though he’d never stopped. 

“Mhm,” you hum, certain. 

The stumped look on his face vanishes like it was never supposed to be there. “I went and got it trimmed at a place called Ricky’s last night.” 

“And you forgot that quickly?” Next thing he knows, you’re wrapping him in an embrace, peeking up at him after a few seconds, “I’m teasing.” 

He squeezes you back tighter. 

It’s you who eventually pulls away, and he finds himself trailing you as you venture deeper into his apartment, eyes roving thoughtfully. A coffee table now complements the couch in the living room. The walls are no longer bare. At long last, the space was beginning to look more like a home. 

For the longest time, Bucky had only seen it as a place to rest his head after countless assignments that took him miles away. It didn’t need to be anything special, or so he thought. One of the first things you told him upon coming into his life was that he needed a constant. A place to come back to that he could make his own. That was his. He’d spent so much of his life serving other people and belonging to other people that he was finally learning what it meant to be his own. 

It was exhausting not being halfway across the world with a task to busy his mind. Brooklyn was still in comparison. A place where he could recognize street names, faces, point out buildings that used to be something else when he was a kid. And now there was you, who made being stateside worthwhile in a way he didn’t think was possible. He realized then, how much he’d deprived himself of meaningful connections outside of work. 

“It looks great in here, Buck. What’d I tell you?” Your earnesty is genuine. Makes him, as old and borderline cynical as he is, feel special. “You’re gonna have to start inviting me over more.” You shoot him a wink, and he freezes because of the weight of the implication. If you notice, you don’t say anything. 

A few months ago you’d been strangers crossing paths. Then acquaintances. Now friends who cared about each other a whole awful lot. Only, it was more obvious on your end. He kept most of his sentiments guarded, not yet ready for them to bleed out like an open wound. It didn’t help that you were always wielding a knife, coming closer and closer to cut through the wall he built around himself. 

“You can come over whenever you want,” he says. “I’m always here.” 

“When you’re not on assignment,” you add. “And I know. I just don’t want to scare you away.” 

Bucky frowns at the suggestion, but his lips eventually turn up. “Good thing you’re not a scary person,” he says, counting on earning a laugh. Something. 

And you do, right before shaking your head. “I’m serious.” 

“You couldn’t scare me away,” he assures. 

You nod slowly. “So how’ve you been?” There’s something else lingering on the tip of your tongue, so he waits it out. It ends up punching him right in the gut. “You look…I don’t know.” 

It hadn’t been all too long since he’d come back from Morocco. Only a week. And it would be a while before he was sent out anywhere else. His mind was in the constant process of drifting to the type of thoughts all men sifted through when they have nothing but time. Those regarding purpose, belonging, and meaning. Not to a deep, crippling degree, but enough to make him want to spring into some sort of action. Find something to indulge in that wasn’t saving the world. 

Bucky swallows and shifts his weight. “Restless,” he offers. “Didn’t think you’d notice.” 

“I’ll always notice.” Silence stretches between the two of you and a siren wails in the distance. “Maybe we can go out tonight, just you and me. Is that something you’d wanna do?” The question sounds shy. 

What you didn’t know quite yet is that he’d probably do just about anything if it was with you. 

***

At the end of the night, it’s Bucky who pulls out his card and pays for dinner. Not even giving you the chance to think about digging into your purse. As an old tune continues playing overhead, your grateful eyes sparkle at him from across the table. 

Neither of you had dined here before. It’s one of the places Bucky said used to go by a different name and was run by a different family, Italians. You liked listening to him talk about what once was because it made you realize just how much he knew. Just how thoughtful and reverent he was when it came to the good memories he had. 

Being listened to so intently was new for him. But he enjoyed it. Especially when you’d ask questions or bring up a point he made further back in the conversation. By the time the waiter comes back around with his card and his copy of the receipt, the two of you are basking in the memory of the evening and thinking about what the rest of the night may hold. 

“This was really nice,” he says, folding his napkin and setting it aside on the table. Then his expression becomes consumed by a certain solemness. “I don’t know how well it comes across, but I need you to know that I appreciate you. A lot.”

Your heart nearly bursts. “I know, Bucky,” you promise. He still looks unconvinced, so you extend your hand face up on the table for him to take. “I know.” 

The cab ride back to his place is quiet. You hold onto his hand the whole way, relishing the feeling of his thumb tracing back and forth over your skin. It’s a gesture that says I’m here with, I’ll be here as long as you’ll have me. Brooklyn passes by in rushes of darkness peppered with light. Pedestrians walk alongside the streets, some holding hands just like the two of you. It isn’t long before the driver pulls up alongside the curb of the complex. 

It isn’t until you’re in the elevator that you’re sure that you want to stay. 

The two of you get off at the fifth floor. 

“Is it okay if I spend the night? If not, I completely understand. I know it’s such short notice,” you ramble as he’s turning his key into the door. He hopes you don’t notice the way he falters. But part of him knows you do. You don’t miss anything. Luckily for him, you’re just as fazed by your own question, holding your breath. 

It’s not until you’re inside that he graces you with an answer, “‘Course you can.”

Your shoulders drop in relief. What you’re not expecting is the laugh he tries to bite back. Maybe it was mean of him, but he liked knowing he could make you sweat. Sometimes it seemed like it was only ever you who made him openly anxious. 

“You’re terrible,” you accuse, failing at restraining a smile. “Absolutely horrible.” You’d forgotten to throw away an empty water bottle before you left, and it’s the closest thing you’re able to throw his way in retaliation. He catches it and tosses it in the trash himself. 

Mischief written all along his smile when he starts towards you. 

Partly scared and partly excited, you think to flee at the last second. After a few measly steps, you’re being pulled back into the firmness of his chest. He’s sure enough laughing now, the vibration rushing straight into your back right along with the warmth of his body. So are you. He only has one arm secured around your waist and, despite the fact that he’s not even trying, it's enough to hold you. 

“Wait, wait, wait—hold on a second!” your words come out giggly both because you’re anticipating some sort of attack, and because he’s never held you quite like this before. Unlike a normal hug, this feels like he has you rather than you having each other. It’s vulnerable. Dizzying. 

“You win, you win!” 

“What?” he laughs in surprise. His mouth is so close to your ear that you shiver. “Thought you had more fight in you than that,” there’s a playful warmth to his words. 

You shake your head in denial and relax back into him. You didn’t stand a chance of winning unless he let you, and you were more than willing to tap out early. Because even so, you were still in his arms at his mercy, and somehow that felt like the safest place to be. By the time you realize both of your laughter has faded to a thoughtful silence, he’s pressing a featherlight kiss to the shell of your ear. 

When he lowers his arm from around your waist, you turn around to face him. 

There’s a ghost of a smile on his face. He suddenly looks boyish, younger. Having crawled out of whatever shell of crushing expectation and responsibility he usually resided within. 

When he cups your face and presses his lips to yours, his shoulders relax and his breaths slow. And for once, he indulges. In you. In the prospect of having someone to lean on and being leaned on in return. It’s a reminder that he’s allowed to experience nice things. To have a life to look forward to outside of lending himself to cause after cause. 

You’re soft, and warm, and everything good a person could be. He pulls away slowly after a while, blinking down at you with heavy eyelids. You’re looking right back at him like he’s the world itself. 

“Maybe you’re not so terrible,” you whisper, smiling. 

Of everything he was feeling now, restless wasn’t one of them. 

_

Thank you so much for reading! I promise I see every like, comment, and reblog and appreciate them all very much. 

To join my “taglist,” follow @taleseverlasting

[ayeforscotland]

What is Dataflow? Part 2: Diagrams

This is the second part of a couple of posts about Dataflow, particularly why it's important for the world going forward and relating to the Crowd Strike IT disaster.

Read the first part here.

Before I get into this one today, I wanted to address a couple of things.

Firstly, Dataflow is something that nearly every single person can understand. You do NOT:

Need to have a degree in Computing Science

Need to work in IT

Need to be a data analyst / Spreadsheet master

If any of you see the word 'Data' and feel your eyes glazing over, try and snap out of it because, if you're anything like me, Dataflow is much more approachable as a concept.

Secondly, what do I mean by IT?

Traditionally in most of our media the all-encompassing 'IT department' handles everything to do with technology. But every business works differently and there are many job titles with lots of crossover.

For example, you can be an infrastructure engineer where your focus is on building and maintaining the IT infrastructure that connects your organisation internally and externally. This is a completely different role from an Application Portfolio Manager who is tasked with looking after the Applications used in business processes.

Both are technical people and come under the banner of 'IT' - but their roles are focused in different areas. So just bear that in mind!

Now that's out of the way, let's begin! This one will be a little bit deeper, and questions welcome!

An Intro to Diagrams

You probably do not need a history of why pictures are important to the human race but to cover our bases, ever since we put traced our hands on a cave wall we have been using pictures to communicate.

Jump forward in time and you have engineers like Leonardo Da Vinci drafting engineering schematics.

You get the idea, humans have been creating diagrams (Pictures) for thousands of years. Centuries of refinement and we have much more modern variations.

And there's one main reason why diagrams are important: They are a Common Language.

In this context, a Common Language helps bridge a language gap between disciplines as well as a linguistic gap. A Spanish electrician and a German electrician should be able to refer to the same diagram and understand each other, even if they don't know each other's language.

The reason they can do this is because they're are international standards which govern how electrical diagrams are created.

A Common Language for Digital?

Here's an image I've shown to clients from governments and institutions to global organisations.

Everything around us, from the products we use to the bridges we drive over and the buildings we live, work, enjoy and shop in had diagrams backing them.

You would not build a skyscraper without a structural engineering diagram, you would not build an extension on your house if an architect couldn't produce a blueprint.

Why is there not an equivalent for the Digital World and for Dataflow?

Where is the Digital Common Language?

This is the bit where the lightbulb goes on in a lot of people's heads. Because, as I mentioned in Part 1, the flow of data is the flow of information and knowledge. And the common mistake is that people think of dataflow, and only ever think about the technology.

Dataflow is the flow of information between People, Business Processes *and* Technology Assets.

It is not reserved to Technology specialists. When you look at the flow of data, you need to understand the People (Stakeholders) at the top, the processes that they perform (and the processes which use the data) and the technology assets that support that data.

The reason why this is important is because it puts the entire organisation in context.

It is something that modern businesses fail to do. They might have flow charts and network diagrams, and these are 'alright' in specific contexts, but they fall to pieces when they lack the context of the full organisation.

For example, here is a Network Diagram. It is probably of *some* value to technical personnel who work in infrastructure. Worth bearing in mind, some organisations don't even have something like this.

To be absolutely clear, this diagram will hold some value for some people within the organisation. I'm not saying it's completely useless. But for almost everyone else, it is entirely out of context, especially for any non-technical people.

So it doesn't help non-technical people understand why all of these assets are important, and it doesn't help infrastructure teams articulate the importance of any of these assets.

What happens if one of those switches or routers fails? What's the impact on the organisation? Who is affected? The diagram above does not answer those questions.

On the other side of the business we have process diagrams (aka workflow diagrams) which look like this.

Again we run into the same problem - This is maybe useful for some people working up at the process layer, but even then it doesn't provide context for the stakeholders involved (Are there multiple people/departments involved throughout) and it doesn't provide any context for technical personnel who are responsible for maintaining the technology that supports this process.

In short, nobody has the big picture because there is not a common language between Business & IT.

Conclusion

So what do we do? Well we need to have a Common Language between Business & IT. While we need people with cross-functional knowledge, we also need a common language (or common framework) for both sides of the organisation to actually understand each other.

Otherwise you get massively siloed departments completely winging their disaster recovery strategies when things like Crowd Strike goes down.

Senior Management will be asked questions about what needs to be prioritised and they won't have answers because they aren't thinking in terms of Dataflow.

It's not just 'We need to turn on everything again' - It's a question of priorities.

Thing is, there's a relatively simple way to do it, in a way that looking at any engineering diagram feels simple but actually has had decades/centuries of thought behind it. It almost feels like complete common sense.

I'll save it for Part 3 if you're interested in me continuing and I'll make a diagram of my blog.

The important thing is mapping out all the connections and dependencies, and there's not some magic button you press that does it all.

But rigorous engineering work is exactly that, you can't fudge it with a half-arsed attempt. You need to be proactive, instead of reacting whenever disaster strikes.

[floef-likes-minecraft]

Work

“Good moring~!” Pearl started as she crossed the DHP parking lot with a pep in her step. It was a beautiful day, she had been up since the crack of dawn riding around the Server on Donkey (who is a mule) to deliver all sorts of letters and parcels. While Tango and Etho were still busy getting the entire mailing system online, she was happy to deliver more by hand.

Recently, the DHP had gotten an influx in mail having to be delivered to them and Pearl had made friends with the somewhat grumpy clerk that was sometimes maybe around. Today he was, for which Pearl was happy because that meant she could give him the mail personally instead of trying to get it into the building by shoving it under the broken door. The office was still under construction, so Pearl could forgive them for not even having a small mailbox.

“We’re closed,” Grian said. He was lounging outside, sitting against the white wall of the building and taking in the sun that crested just over the trees. He looked like he could use a bit more of that sun, but not everybody was as blessed as Pearl to have the best job in the world as a Postmaster and be outside all the time.

“Oh, I’m just delivering the mail,” Pearl answered cheerfully as she dug into her postbag. Everything was perfectly organized so it didn’t take long for her to grab out a stack with at least ten letters bundled together. “There you go, mister Grian, it’s always such a pleasure coming out here!”

When Grian didn’t take the bundle Pearl handed out to him, she just but the them carefully on the pavement next to him. He looked at them like they had said something foul to him, which he wouldn’t know until he actually opened them. Then, Grian looked up again to Pearl and a frown appeared on his face.

“Why are you still here?” he asked, rather rudely.

“It’s just that we barely have the chance to properly have a chat,” Pearl simply explained. “I’m not actually sure if the mailing system will be operational this far out, so I might have to keep coming here myself. Isn’t that great?”

“You really don’t have to,” Grian argued weakly, as he grabbed a paper cup with a steaming liquid from his side and set it to his lips to take a little sip. He pulled a face as if he didn’t much like the beverage, but didn’t say anything about it.

“Oh, don’t worry about it, it’s my job and I do it with pleasure,” Pearl assured him with a smile. “Isn’t it just great how a job can be a calling?”

“Can’t say I share that sentiment,” Grian sighed. He had to squint against the light of the sun to look at Pearl. “Look, if there is anything you want from me you’re going to have to come back when we’re opened.”

“Oh, no, don’t you worry your little cotton socks,” Pearl answered, waving her hand. “That is the beauty of mail, you can tend to it whenever you have the time! You can do it first thing when you open again, some work to look forward to!”

Grian opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something but ended up just shaking his head slowly. He must’ve had a rather bad night of sleep to be in such a mellow mood, Pearl assumed. She couldn’t imagine moping around at her job like this, it was way to wonderful to waste a day with a bad mood.

“So… do you have any mail to send?” she continued when Grian wasn’t pushing his conversation forward. “Any replies you need to send out from the letters I’ve brought you last week?”

“Haven’t gotten to them yet,” Grian answered dryly. “We were closed.”

“Oh,” Pearl was caught of guard by that but regrouped quickly. “Well, just know that you can count on the Hermit Post & Co to deliver anything you need. I can even deliver important documents if you want, with signed handover and everything. I’ll give it my extra secure, personal attention.”

“Great,” Grian answered with a sigh. “Don’t you have more mail to deliver? I was kind of in the middle of something.”

He took another sip from his drink, which seemed to be the ‘something’ he was in the middle of doing.

“Nope,” Pearl answered cheerful, shifting to sit next to Grian with her face turned towards the sun. “But I can enjoy this wonderful sunlight together with you. Isn’t that great?”

“… I don’t get paid enough for this.”   

[sanctum-of-ramshackle]

🔪🪓 GIVE IT UP FOR I.N.K.!🩸🎤

[TWST AU]: This MC/Yuu/[Reader] may have more than just fairytale magic.

[Synopsis]: In this timeline, MC/Yuu/[Reader] returns back from the “dead” and is ready to unleash their horror-based magic. Also to understand that they were resting for about 30 years.

[Gender Neutral!MC/Yuu/[Reader]]

[TW]: Mentions of murder, blood and horror movie depictions of violence.

[(A/N)]: Hi everyone. It’s been a while since I last posted any content here. Things got busy IRL and also put up some content on my main blog. I’m sorry I didn’t warn anyone about my sudden break. Anywho, I wrote another MC/Yuu variant twisted from Ice Nine Kills (the vibe of the band).

To begin this journey, there is a hidden grave deep in the forest behind Night Raven College. Nobody has visited that very spot as their families have either passed or moved far away.

The etchings of the tombstone reads…

“Here Lies [Y/N]/MC/Yuu [L/N]”

“You Left Too Soon”

“Therefore If A Miracle Happens, Doom Will Be In Tune”

Then one night as the Dorm Sorting Ceremony, a storm occurs with lightning striking down.

Then, a strike hits the unbothered grave, electrocuting the fencing that protected the grave from trespasser and the ground shakes as a resurrection happens.

[The ground cracks open as a coffin unveils its lid and reveals a well-preserved corpse.]

I.N.K.!MC/Yuu/[Reader]: *Yawns from their supposed eternal slumber* That was a long nap…Why am I in a coffin?

[The living corpse leaves their disturbed burial and walks aimlessly out of the forest, unintentionally leading themselves to the NRC building.]

I.N.K.!MC/Yuu/[Reader]: I don’t remember much, but this place…

[Then a voice boomed across the hall to grab MC/Yuu’s attention.]

Crowley: *From afar* You! Why are not at the ceremony?

I.N.K.!MC/Yuu/[Reader]: I beg your pardon.

Crowley: *Closing the distance between him and MC/Yuu* I asked what…are…you… *Stops dead at his tracks* You…How?

I.N.K.!MC/Yuu: Old man, I don’t know what kind of ceremony is happening but I remember now. I’m already an NRC student.

[And so, after the ceremony ended, Crowley gathered the Staff members and explained they have a student returned from the dead. They weren’t pleased by this sudden information. In the meantime, MC/Yuu will have to start NRC again as a first year student and they were transferred to the infamous Ramshackle Dormitory.]

🪓🎶🔪🎵🩸🎼🪓🎶🔪🎵🩸🎼🪓🎶🔪🎵🩸🎼🪓🎶🔪🎵🩸🎼🪓🎶🔪🎵🩸🎼🪓🎶🔪🎵🩸🎼

[At the Heartslabyul]

[MC/Yuu was invited by Cater as they joined back the Music Club and the MagiCam influencer thought they were cool.]

Cater: You got a new phone? Need help with anything?

I.N.K.!MC/Yuu/[Reader]: I still need help with the apps. How do you find movies on this thing?

Cater: I can teach you.

[Few Minutes Later]

I.N.K.!MC/Yuu: Whoa! You guys released new horror films? It’s been years since I watched one. The last one I seen was some hockey-masked killer.

Cater: *Little concerned* MC/Yuu, when did you stop attending NRC?

I.N.K.!MC/Yuu: Oh. Well…I guess around 30 years ago? Why asking, suddenly?

Cater: That explains why you asked what MagiCam is.

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[During a Dorm Leader meeting]

Riddle: You’re explaining you used to attend Night Raven College 30 years ago?

I.N.K.!MC/Yuu: Yeah, I used to be the president of the Music Club and still well versed in the darker side of magic.

Azul: What kind of magic you possess?

I.N.K.!MC/Yuu: The kind if you can stomach the macabre world. The goriest parts of that field.

Vil: Necromancy, I presumed?

I.N.K.!MC/Yuu: Sort of. It’s hard to explain about my magic, but all I know is it gets stronger when I perform music.

Kalim: Like it’s your Unique Magic.

I.N.K.!MC/Yuu: Yeah, like that. Crazy how today’s people are using that term.

Leona: Still odd how you came back to life. You remember your old life?

I.N.K.!MC/Yuu: I remember my family used to live on this island and the accident that happened in this school…

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[Chapter 5: During the VDC event and Vil’s Overblot]

[Ice Nine Kills - Welcome To Horrorwood]

Epel: We need to distract Vil-Senpai.

I.N.K.!MC/Yuu: Allow me. I know the perfect song.

[Then the stage is set for MC/Yuu’s performance. They magically summoned a dark dome to cover the entire stadium for the light effects and manifest some pseudo band mates to play the appropriate instruments. Finally, they summoned their cursed electric guitar to fend off the latest Blot battle.]

I.N.K.!MC/Yuu: *Starts singing*

Ink fills the page

A classic killer completes the cast

If evil's all the rage

Cut to the close up, then fade to black

Sit back for the sequel of your dreams

All psychos crave more shocking scenes

Who cares if it bleeds beyond the screen?

Are you misunderstood?

Are you more bad than good?

Welcome to Horrorwood

Where anyone would kill for a call back!

[They casted some powerful spells to weaken Overblot!Vil. The rest of the gang starts throwing their spells at the corrupted Head of Pomefiore.]

'Cause everyone is just so fucking…

Desperate for fame

Can't blame the savages this town attracts

I guess we're all insane (Insane!)

So silence the critics, 'cause this is not an act

(But here's the soundtrack!)

Sit back for the sequel of your dreams

All psychos crave more shocking scenes

Who cares if it bleeds beyond the screen?

Are you misunderstood? (YEAH!)

Are you more bad than good?

Welcome to Horrorwood

Where anyone would kill for a call back

The tabloids say

"There goes the neighborhood"

But long live Horrorwood

The only place it pays to be a hack!

(But will you make the cut if you know?)

Stardom's just an afterthought

For all those stabbed in the backlot

Piled up and left to rot

“So how's this for an establishing shot?”

[MC/Yuu shoots another fire spell at Overblot!Vil.]

Are you misunderstood? (YEAH!)

Are you more bad than good?

Welcome to Horrorwood

Where anyone would kill for a call back

The tabloids say

"There goes the neighborhood"

But long live Horrorwood

The only place where everyone should

Fear the premiere

There's always a target out on the red carpet

Between 'Silver Screams' something's awakened

And you'll never make it

But enjoy the show!

[They perform an impressive solo-guitar play as they summoned restraints to trap the weakened Overblot!Vil in one place.]

Are you misunderstood? (YEAH!)

Are you more bad than good?

Welcome to Horrorwood

Where anyone would kill for a call back

The tabloids say

"There goes the neighborhood"

But long live Horrorwood

The only place it pays to be a hack

Be a hack!

Welcome back!

[After the song finishes, MC/Yuu holds up their guitar and brutally swings it at Overblot!Vil to dislodge the Blot stone.]

Vil: *Turns back to normal and groans* What happened?

I.N.K.!MC/Yuu: You kind of went berserk and we had stop you from almost killing everyone.

Vil: I see. My head is aching, however.

I.N.K.!MC/Yuu: Uhhh…You probably hit your head during VDC.

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[Back in Crowley’s Office]

Crowley: *Shaken up by day one* I couldn’t believe they’re back…

“Dire, you wanna hang out today?”

“Dire, you forgot the assignment? Fine, just copy mine but change it up a bit.”

“Dire…You’ll regret the day I resurrect from my slumber. Heed my warning!”

???: CROWLEY!

Crowley: *Spooked by the outburst* IT’S NOT MY FAULT!!!

Crewel: Great Seven, you seemed out of your mind lately.

Crowley: Oh, I’m extremely busy, especially since their return.

Crewel: Oh yeah. They seem to be doing well with academics despite having to teach them newer materials. Their magic is what I fear about them.

Crowley: Yes, yes. Their magic hasn’t changed much.

Crewel: Dire, I heard that.

Crowley: It’s nothing. I’m just worried about the students.

Crewel: Uh huh. I’ll leave my reports here. *Leaves the office*

Crowley: *Suddenly scared* What if they remember that day?

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[Cafeteria]

Ace: You murdered someone?!

I.N.K.!MC/Yuu: I didn’t murder anyone.

Sebek: Then what is this?! *Points at the crimson stain on their shirt*

I.N.K.!MC/Yuu: *Wipes it off and taste the content* Oh, ground beef. I was helping Jade and Floyd with some hamburger orders.

Jack: And you just licked it? Won’t you get sick?

I.N.K.!MC/Yuu: I’m undead. Nothing’s gonna harm me, again. *Bites into their extremely rare steak as some myoglobin leaks down from their lips*

[The First Year group felt fear of their new friend.]

✨[Reblogs helps creators and creates for more content]💫

[innies-goth-gf]

Things aren’t what they seem.

Things aren’t always what they seem - Prologue

Pairing : Ot8🗝️ x Reader Genre : Supernatural 🦇, Romance 💌, Angst 🌧️, Fluff 🪽, Smut 🥀, Crack 🪿 Summary : You get a strange letter in the mail one day from your long lost friend asking you to meet up. What happens when you meet him and his friends and they aren't exactly what they seem? Or. You find out ur friend and his friends are mythical creatures and you live in a world amongst creatures like them and so much more. W/C : 1.1k Warnings : This story will contain a lot of dark/mature themes such as the following; Graphic depictions of violence, Drugs and Alcohol, and much more. Smut warnings : This story will eventually have smut scenes, some which may not be suited for most people. | Minors DNI | Notes : So I’m fairly new to posting on here and tbh I haven’t seen many people post multiple chapter fics so idk if this’ll do well or anything but I decided to post this here anyways. I actually started this like beginning of June but had to stop writing by mid July because of medical issues and couldn’t pick up writing again till last week. I’ve only recently gotten back into writing since then so I hope that I’m still ok at it and that you guys will enjoy. I also uploaded this a while ago on Ao3/Wattpad if you’d prefer to read this one there. (Ao3 : Seungmins_goth_ff) (Wattpad : hansgothgirlfriend) [Master list] [Things aren’t what they seem - Series]

You had one goal, get home, and get in bed.

You’d woken up today with a plan in mind, relax and lounge around. Of course though, life has other plans. Your boss has called you at the crack of dawn, asking you to come in since they’d be short staffed. Obviously you agreed, you always had a hard time saying no.

So now you were walking back home after a long shift, wanting no more than to get into bed and stay there.

Without even realizing it, you were already walking inside your building. Inside you grabbed your mail, not even bothering to check it before making your way towards the elevators.

Once you neared them, you spotted a familiar figure. “Oh hi Alex!” You exclaimed, greeting the man who stood by the elevators. “Oh hey what's up?” He asked.

The elevator doors opened just then, letting you both inside. “Not much, just haven’t seen you around lately so I wanted to say hi,” You replied. “Ah, I’ve been busy with work you know? Thankfully I’m going on a vacation soon!” he replied enthusiastically.

“Ah sounds nice!” you reply. “Yeah, what about you? Isn't summer break for you soon? Got any plans for that?’

You pondered for a bit. You didn't have much planned, you didn't have any friends to hang out with. “I dunno, maybe just chill at home?”

“Ah well hope you can enjoy your summer break, see you around!” He said, stepping off the elevator. You thanked him and wished him the same, stepping off yourself and walking towards your unit.

‘Man, what AM I gonna do all summer?’ You thought, walking into your apartment. Well, that’d be something you’d figure out later. Right now, you are going to chill in bed and order some food. You hadn’t realized how hungry you were, tiredness taking over you.

You set your things down on your coffee table and slumped on your couch, stretching a bit. You reach for your purse to grab your phone when something else catches your attention. A letter in between all your other mail.

‘Huh, what's this..?’ You grabbed the envelope and checked to see who it was from.

“From: Channie ;)”

“What the fuck no way…” You whispered to yourself as you tore the envelope open. Taking out the paper inside you began reading it.

“Dear Y/N,

It’s been a while hasn’t it? How have you been? I hope you've alright.

I know this letter probably comes to you as a big surprise. You probably have a lot of questions for me and I know I have a lot of explaining to do. For that reason I am writing to you. I would like to explain everything to you properly, in person.

I know this might be a lot to process but please think about it. Please think about it. And stay safe out there Y/N, I miss you.

Love, Channie ᡣ𐭩”

Behind the note there was a plane ticket and another little note simply saying “Don't worry about a hotel either. Just come from the airport to this Address.” with an address written down.

Speechless couldn’t even begin to explain how you felt right now, you didn’t know how to even begin to process what you had just read.

Before you’d even realized tears started spilling out of your eyes, you couldn’t hold it in anymore. You began to sob, your living room filled with ugly crying and hiccups here and there.

You really couldn’t believe it, you couldn’t believe he was still alive out there. You felt a mix of emotions, you were happy to know he was alive and fine but part of you was angry. You were angry at him for leaving you by yourself, leaving you suddenly with no explanation.

You’d known Chan all your life, you grew up with him.

Meeting him was one of the best things that had ever happened to you, he was your closest and only friend growing up, he was always there for you and cared for you. You loved him to death.

But your friendship had only lasted till your second year of high school.

You remember it so clearly, almost as if it had happened yesterday.

You’d woken up that morning and done your usual routine, brushed your teeth, washed your face, did your hair, picked out an outfit, and did your makeup. Just like every other day.

Usually, on your way to school, you’d meet up with Chan for a quick stop at the convenience store, just for some snacks.

You were almost at the front of the store, yet you didn’t see a sign of him in sight. Still you waited and waited till for him, the seconds turning into minutes and the minutes into an hour. You couldn’t wait any longer than that, you’d be late.

That day during school he didn’t turn up, nor did he the next, nor the weeks that followed. It’d been ages now, not having heard a peep from him. You were super worried about him, it wasn’t like him to miss school this many days in a row, much less not tell you about it. None of your texts seemed to go through, you were growing more and more worried by the day.

You have tried everything. You called, texted, and asked everyone you knew if they had seen him or his family. You even turned up to his house a few times to try to find out what had happened but every time you went there was no answer, no signs of anyone inside, not even a car in the driveway.

Soon you had come to find out that one day he and his whole family had just disappeared with no explanation. No one knew how or when. They probably left sometime during the night so no one would notice.

Ever since that day you never stopped thinking about him, wondering what happened to him, if he was ok or not, why he left.

That was, until today.

You sat there and thought long and hard about it. You were starting to have doubts as to if this letter was even real or if any of this was legit. It's not like you were just going to blindly follow what this letter says without much questioning. But in the back of your head, something told you that this was real. You felt it, and you trusted your intuition.

Jumping up from your couch you started heading towards your room. You had made up your mind. And so, you started packing.

[honeybewrites]

Writeblr Intro!!

Figured I should do an introduction for my little crevice of the internet! 

I go by HoneyBe, or just Honey, or just Be, or really any other name you feel like! I mostly use she/her, they/them pronouns, but feel free to use whatever. I’m in my 20s and on the AroAce spectrum. I’ve been writing on and off since middle school and I’m hoping to get better at improving my skills, because 12 year old me didn’t care about that but 20 year old me does. I’m hoping to find (or build) a little community to support and help each other with all the writing things. Mostly though, this is just me gaslighting and guilt tripping myself into thinking that by not writing and posting, I will disappoint a nonexistent audience on the internet and not just myself, because apparently that’s the only way my brain will cooperate with me. 

Couple other little tidbits about me:

Big fan of the found family trope. Literally will make me squeal at a highly obnoxious volume.

LOVE extensive world building. I want to know every detail of a magic system and how a planet operates. I will listen to you rant about lore for hours, just please let me do the same every once in a while. I am begging, please, I want to tell you all the things.

I’m a little funky photographer trying to start her own little funky photography business, mostly to give myself more time to travel and write and also to get out of my full-time retail job (it’s pure hell and I hate it with an unholy, unmatchable heat of a thousand suns).

I love flowers. They’re just so pretty and as a little honeybee myself, it’s part of my job.

If you mention dragons, you will summon me. I have an obsession with the magical creatures and it knows no bounds.

My Main WIP, or I guess world, is what got me into writing in the first place, and I’ve been messing with it for years. You’d think that would mean I have it decently fleshed out, right? Nope. Unfortunately, The Plot keeps escaping my basement and causing a train wreck. If anyone has better restraint suggestions, let me know. My neighbors are starting to get concerned.

Anywho! The whole world is called The Seven Realms, or as my docs are titled, 7R. I know, so original. She wants to grow up and be a series with little series siblings, all connected in one Big Family. Seriously, I have OCs all over this world’s history and very vague vibes, aka, The Plot, to go along with them. Here are my two main ones.

Eclipse of War Chronicles (EoWC)

Colliding Stars (supposedly book 1)

The Realms are in chaos. A war started nearly a hundred years ago, still raging today, has wrecked both sides. The original intent of the war has long left everyone’s mind; it’s now a fight over territory and unification. The Realms border on complete and totally collapse from the strain of this ongoing blood bath and neither side refuses to admit defeat.

Project Viall, created during the hight of the war, was set on creating superior fighters. After many failed attempts, two successful subjects were created from the genetic experiments.Trained side by side to be flawless and merciless loyal weapons of death, they end up on opposite sides of this vicious war. Both intent on destroying the other, while their partner and closest friend hides behind the mask. Bonds are tested. Secrets revealed. Loyalties made and destroyed as two partners threaten to destroy the entirety of the Realms in their hunt for blood.

Legend of the Ancients (LotA)

The Fallen Dragons (supposedly book 1 of another series)

A brutal war has left the dragons all but extinct. To preserve the species, the remaining dragons have gone into hiding, leaving behind a subspecies borne through the war to fend for themselves: the Tanimoriem. Generations later, no one has seen or heard of a dragon, leaving the Tanimoriem as their only remains to once was. Knowing little of their history and being hunted simply for being kin to dragons, the Tanimoriem learned how to fight viciously and keep to themselves, earning a reputation as vile, unfeeling demons.

Accepting a bounty mission, Ryuk, a seasoned Tanimoriem, gets more than he bargained for. He had been told this was another monster that needed killing. A dangerous beast. Instead he’s met with a child who finds his horns and wings fascinating. Ryuk is forced to look after the child until he can figure out what secretive plot is brewing, because it might just involved the Tanimoriem.

Of course, my goblin brain has given me plenty more snippets and random characters in different times in this world that I have yet to do much with. The world of the Seven Realms has consumed me for years and I have been shown no mercy. I’m planning to do a proper intro post to each WIP and their characters at some point… *puts twenty reminders in phone to write intro posts*

Also!! I will take all asks, tags, and DMs you can throw at me. Literally. Ask me about anything. Books, WIPs, OCs, hell, even ask about my least favorite color or my favorite bread. I do not care. I will answer. I want to be friends will all of you!! I don’t sting! I promise!!

[arent-i-the-fairest]

Can I request Rollo going on a Valentine's Day "date" with MC and having fun like an old married couple all the while the boys, and maybe even the staff, are screaming in denial?

𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫

author’s note : aaaa ok so, i wanted to make one of those big posts i do sometimes (where i include every nrc boy with hcs for each one) y’know, for a valentines special— but that didn’t work so we’re spending valentines with rollo instead (with a small mention of the nrc boys being jealous. probably punching walls and crying) (plus the staff being concerned dads)

—takes place in that one theory au thingy where rollo lives with you in ramshackle :) happy valentines day!

the week before valentines day has been.. suffocating.

gifts and requests to be your valentine have been coming in like crazy. the desk in your room has become a mess, crowded with flowers, letters, and all sorts of sweets that all pile on top of each other.

all of them, you’re flattered to have received, but unfortunately don’t really want. you already have your eyes on someone, and it’s not anyone that’s already asked you out.

“you have quite the amount of admirers, prefect.” rollo acknowledges the large mound of items, sifting through it with your permission. he grimaces at all the love letters you’ve gotten. “do you reciprocate any of their feelings?”

you shake your head, and he lets out a small sigh of relief, glad to know he hasn’t lost you to anyone.

as rollo turns his attention back to looking through the pile, you’re hyping yourself up, trying to channel the confidence of everyone who confessed to you combined. with just one day before valentines, you’ve gotta shoot your shot now.

there’s nothing to lose, right?

“i’ve been thinking,” you start. you almost consider chickening out when you meet eyes with rollo. he’s so unintentionally intimidating with his soulless (but pretty) eyes. “since neither of us have a valentine.. we should be each others. i-if you wanna be! totallyokayifyoudon’twantto—”

“i’d like that.” he interjects. he covers up his quickly reddening face, but you can still spot some blush on the tips of his ears. you hardly pay attention to it though since you’re too busy silently celebrating.

“it’s decided then.” you giggle. rollo nods, lowering his handkerchief to reveal a soft smile, looking uncharacteristically adorable.

you’d just have to try and keep this a secret from the other boys. they’d probably hate him even more if they found out about this, and you’d die if all the forced getting-along you made them do went to waste.

you actually thought you’d be able to keep your “date” hidden, but then you told grim about it— a terrible mistake.

the biggest rule in the book : never trust grim to keep his mouth closed.

the first people he blabbed to was ace and deuce, who spread the word to the rest of the first years, who spread it to their dorm leaders— and not before long, the rest knew. even the staff managed to get word of it too.

the boys were, as you’d expected, sulky. you chose rollo over him? did rollo go against what he constantly preaches and cast a spell on you?

they all go about their days valentine-less and ill tempered thinking about you and rollo being all lovey-dovey.

meanwhile, the staff are somewhat worried. rollo has no intentions of harming you, they’re aware. but the thought of (what might as well be) their child becoming romantically involved with someone who tried to strip the world of magic has them feeling troubled.

you and rollo are completely oblivious to any of this, though. at least until you get back from your date out at the town.

“so this is the town,” rollo says. “i’ve never had a chance to come down here until today.”

“hehe. what do you think? isn’t it nice down here?”

he nods, eyes scanning all the different buildings until they stop and linger on a bakery. a patisserie, to be exact. through the window, there are several sweets and baked goods on display, and he’s got his eye right on the croissants. you follow where he’s looking and giggle.

“wanna go to that patisserie?” you ask.

“if you don’t mind.”

after purchasing a croissant per rollo’s silent request, you two sit on a bench. he rips the good, giving you the bigger half and you thank him.

“this reminds me of that time at the trip!” you hum. “you were showing me around and we stopped by that bakery to buy a croissant, we even split it and ate it on a bench exactly like we are right now.”

“i remember. it’s perhaps the only moment of the symposium i look back fondly on.”

of course, that’s a lie. every moment at the symposium he shared with you is a moment he looks back fondly on. he’d feel far too embarrassed to say it out loud though.

“it’s such a simple, but sweet memory.”

“the way you’re reminiscing it almost makes it feel as though this was ages ago.”

“i know i know, this was just a little over a month ago. but it’s kind of crazy to me.” you smile. rollo tilts his head, nonverbally asking you to explain. “what i meant by that was.. it feels like we’ve known each other for much longer than a measly little month and a half. don’t you think?”

for what feels like the millionth time to rollo, he gets flustered. even more so when you put your hand on top of his.

but he ponders your question. it really does feel like you’ve known each other for far longer. it’s odd to him how quickly he warmed up to you— rollo’s never been one to get along easily with others. and with that, he’s never been one to open up easily either. but you were able to crack his shell.

“i agree.” he slowly smiles. “happy valentines day, prefect.”

[via-the-cryptid]

one of you, I don’t remember who but if it was you then here you go, mentioned Ellie befriending Ace. it took me a minute to realise that you probably meant the psychic little girl and not the pirate, but… now that I think about it, that’s actually a really good idea.

first off, I’m going to start by saying that I barely remember anything about Ace except hat she was super psychic, scared the Joker shitless once (good for her), and I think ended up dying as a result of her powers overloading her brain. I also remember Batman stayed with her until she died, but past that, nothing! so if my interpretation of her is off, well, that ain’t Via’s problem.

picture this: Ellie, approximately 14 in physical terms, only been alive for like a year or two. it’s post-Portal Incident II: The Reckoning, so her body is stabilized but her powers are going bat-crazy. she’s alone in an unfamiliar city with far too many restless spirits, being chased by actual supervillains, and she’s scared. maybe she ducks into an alley or hides in an abandoned building, and maybe one of those spirits was watching.

it’s been a long time since anything has caught Ace’s attention in the mortal realm. she likes to check in from time to time, see what’s happening as the world moves on without her, but it’s useless to linger over what she can’t affect. in the end, it only ever makes her miserable.

but sometimes, she can’t help but watch. sometimes, like today, she sees another little girl in trouble. she thinks, ‘she’s like me’, and she needs to know that this girl makes it through the night. even if she doesn’t, Ace still has enough power in death to show her a good dream before another ghost is added to Gotham’s countless number of lost souls. she follows the girl into the building, watches as she curls up in the corner, out of sight and barely there.

and then she looks straight at Ace.

“Did you want something?” Ellie asks, and she doesn’t break eye contact with the spirit floating in the doorway, even as her eyes go wide. “If you have unfinished business, I might be able to help, y’know, so long as you’re not trying to cause trouble.”

“You can see me.”

“Sure can. Kinda hard not to, your outfit’s pretty distinct.”

It’s the outfit she died in. Ace doesn’t really want to wear it anymore, not when she’s so far removed from that era of her life, but it isn’t like she knows how to.

“So,” Ellie says, “what’s your deal? Are you just here to watch it are you picking a fight? ‘Cause I’ll warn you, I don’t know how to play poker and everyone else so far has refused to reach me.”

Ace blinks. “I’m not here to fight with you.”

“Okay, cool. Are you… here to fight someone else?”

“No. I was watching you.”

“Well, that’s a bit unsettling.”

“You were alone, and you looked cold. I had to make sure you weren’t going to die in here.”

“Again?” Mutters Ellie, and Ace’s expression snaps from intrigued to guarded in less than a second.

“What does that mean?” She asks, glaring right at Ellie, and the other girl grimaces.

“Did not mean to say that one out loud. Okay, so hi, I’m Ellie, and basically I’m dead—”

“What? No, you’re not. I would be able to tell if you were dead.”

“Half-dead, then. I was a clone OFA guy who was half human and half ghost, ‘cept I was falling apart, so I decided to fix it by doing the same thing he did to become half-ghost, and I ended up standing inside a portal to the Ghost Zone while it was opening. Make sense so far?”

Ace’s jaw is dropping, but she can’t seem to find it in herself to care. “Half-dead.”

“Oh, we’re still stuck on that, then. Basically, if you— actually never mind, I don’t really know how it works. I can turn from ghost to human, if that helps.”

“How?” Ace whispers. “You said you were… falling apart. And a clone. And half-dead.”

“Well, now I’ve got two out of those three, since I fixed the first problem. Do you want to maybe sit down or something? This is gonna be a long story if you want the whole thing.”

Yes, she absolutely does. Ace float across the room and settles in next to Ellie, folding her knees up to copy the other girl’s pose. “My name is Ace.”

“Nice to meet you, Ace. I’m Ellie. Wait, I think I said that already.”

Somewhere on the other side of Crime Alley, unknowing of the two girls hidden away in a long-forgotten corner, Edward Nygma slams his head down on the desk as he once again fails to pinpoint the location of the mysterious white-haired girl.

[errorryx]

unraveling — part one, season eight

read on ao3 | hermitcraft, 2.2k words

This fic was written for the MCYTblr AUfest (@mcytblraufest)! My artist was @ghastspidergwen, who made this beautiful doll for the AU! please go give that post lots of love, it would mean the world to me <3

—

There are two new server members this season, and for most of the hermits, this is their first look at either of them. It’s probably a little intimidating for Pearl and Gem to be stared at from above by everyone else, but it’s difficult for most of them to remember to be courteous about it, because they're too busy staring at Pearl.

Players on Hermitcraft have always come in all different shapes and sizes, but none of them have ever been anything like Pearl. She’s a player like the rest of them, that much is obvious, but her body appears to be made out of wool, rather than any sort of organic material. Her eyes are buttons, and she has soft fuzzy antennae protruding from her hat that look like feathers.

Pearl stares back up at them, a slight grin on her face. She has yet to do much in the way of moving. Finally, when it comes time to introduce herself, she hops up to join the rest of them, moving around as easily as any other player.

Eventually, one by one, the hermits come to the conclusion that everything must be in order after all. They graduate from staring to sneaking occasional looks, and they do their collective best to treat her like any other player.

Because if there’s one thing Hermitcraft is known for, it’s things that defy logic with their very existence. And in that respect, Pearl fits right in.

—

Shortly after the Boatem Pole incident wraps up, it occurs to Mumbo that he’s gone and joined another club for the season—and that one of the other club members is a newcomer that he’d really like to know more about.

He figures Grian is his best bet for information about Pearl, seeing as he’s the one who invited her to the server in the first place. Mumbo finds him offloading his inventory into the start of what’s sure to be a formidable chest monster, and asks, “You know Pearl pretty well, right?”

“Of course!” Grian says. “We’ve been friends for years.”

“Has she always been…you know.” Mumbo carefully considers his choice of words. “Did she use to look any different?”

Grian shrugs. “Maybe.”

“You don’t know?”

“A lot of people have looked a lot of different ways over the years.” Grian closes the lid of the chest. “You can’t expect me to remember everything.”

He has a point, unfortunately. “What about since the last time you saw her?”

“You mean ten minutes ago? I doubt she’s changed much since then.”

Mumbo rolls his eyes. “Before today.”

“That was…a couple months ago, I think. Or a couple years. One of those.”

Sometimes, Grian is an extremely frustrating person to hold a conversation with. “I just want to know why she’s made out of yarn and stuffing!”

“Oh! Why didn’t you just say so?”

“Because—” Mumbo stops, realizing he might be equally at fault here. “I thought it would be rude.”

“Well, to answer your question,” Grian says, “I haven’t the slightest idea why she’s like that.”

“You never asked her?”

“I thought it would be rude.”

“That’s never stopped you before,” Mumbo points out.

“Excuse you! I don’t go around asking why you’ve got that mustache.”

Mumbo strokes the mustache in question, feeling a little self-conscious. “I think it’s a nice mustache.”

“Me too,” Grian says. “I also think Pearl looks nice the way she is.”

“So do I,” Mumbo agrees quickly. “Really, I do.”

“Glad we agree!” Grian pats him on the back, and Mumbo leaves even more confused than before.

—

Grian’s still thinking about his conversation with Mumbo when he goes to ask Pearl for help with a build.

The build in question is actually a prank on Mumbo, but that’s not why it’s on his mind. In the few weeks since they spoke about Pearl, it’s occurred to him that there is something a little different about her��he just can’t quite put his finger on it.

“Have you gotten a haircut recently?” he asks her. “It looks nice.”

“Don’t be silly,” Pearl says. “You can just tell me you like my new wings!”

Right, of course. The wings. Grian feels a little embarrassed that he didn’t realize. “I do quite like them,” he says. He knows that Pearl’s wings have been there since the beginning of the season, it just hadn’t occurred to him that they were new. Like he said to Mumbo, he doesn’t keep track of these things.

“I appreciate it.” Pearl pokes him in the shoulder. “I like yours too, you know.”

“Yeah, well—” He rolls his eyes, his feathers instinctively fluffing up at the acknowledgement. “They aren’t exactly new.”

“I still like them!”

“Thanks.” Grian takes a closer look at her wings. They’re grey moth wings with a similar texture to the fabric that makes up the rest of her body, though they have more detail than any of her clothes. With such a small wingspan, they shouldn’t be aerodynamic enough to get Pearl off the ground, no matter how little she weighs. “You can’t fly with these, surely.”

“Not with that attitude I can’t.”

“I’ll be very impressed if you manage to prove me wrong.”

“Oh, yeah?” Pearl walks outside through the left-side door, and Grian follows through the trapdoors in the center. “Watch this!”

The way she rises is odd, to say the least. Grian is intimately familiar with the process of taking flight, and he’s pretty sure Pearl’s method violates the laws of physics. It’s not so much that she’s flying as it is that she’s being lifted, like an invisible hand is pulling her up by the feelers and holding her there, letting her dangle inelegantly in midair.

“Ta-da,” Pearl says, spreading her arms open.

Grian squints up at her. “When did ‘Suma give you access to creative mode?”

“I’m not cheating,” Pearl says, offended. She turns her back in midair, displaying her wings, which are slowly flapping back and forth. She begins to bob around in the air, sort of like a slow-motion hummingbird. It’s only marginally more convincing than her initial ascent.

“Fine,” Grian agrees, if only to get her to stop. “You can fly. I’m impressed.” 

Mostly, he’s disturbed. His wings itch just looking at her.

“Thank you,” Pearl says, and much to Grian’s relief, lands beside him. “So what’s this about a tree war?”

The vague plans that have been taking place in Grian’s head will require flight for them both, but he really, really doesn’t want to watch Pearl hover like that ever again. “First things first,” he says. “Let’s get you an elytra.”

—

Keralis is no stranger to the unusual. He knows he’s a little unusual; people tell him so all the time! And unusual things are constantly happening around him, only some of which are his fault. But Pearl is really something special.

The first time she comes to visit, Keralis ropes her into a scheme he’s just come up with, which is to get a clock from Bdubs so he can do some interior decorating. This is only part of his motivation—he takes to the extraordinary like a moth to a flame, and there are many extraordinary things about Pearl. He wants to discover them all.

Like her player head, for instance. Normal player heads, dropped in the event of a player's death, have a very simple effect: when equipped, they give someone the physical appearance of that player from the neck up. Usually they don't feel like anything, but Pearl’s head behaves a little differently. The first time Keralis tries it on is a very disorienting experience.

He and Pearl continue to meet up over the course of the season, hatching various schemes to try and swindle Bdubs out of even more clocks. Tango joins them for their third meeting, and Keralis wears his Pearl head again. It still feels very funny, and he decides that sharing is caring. “Here, put on a Pearl head!” Keralis says, throwing Tango his spare.

Tango puts it on, and now two Pearls are looking back at him. “Is it supposed to feel like my head is full of cotton?”

“Yes, that is perfectly normal,” Keralis assures him. “You get used to it!”

“He’s right,” Pearl agrees. “I’m very used to it.”

Keralis squints at her in suspicion, but he currently has buttons for eyes, so he’s not sure if anything actually  happens. “Was there a time when your head was not full of cotton?”

“I wouldn’t know,” Pearl says, “what with the cotton in my head and all. Makes it hard to remember these things.”

Keralis respects and admires that Pearl wants to maintain an air of mystery, so he laughs along. But he does not quite believe her.

—

On the day they decide to tear down an entire castle and rebuild it on Bdubs’ mountain, Keralis and Pearl wind up killing each other for fun midway through the project. Mumbo arrives with his end crystals to further complicate things, and after several rounds of recreational murder, Keralis puts on Pearl’s head again.

He knows what to expect by now, so the strangeness of it doesn't catch him off-guard. The interesting part comes when Pearl retaliates by putting on one of his heads. Keralis isn’t sure what he expected, but it’s not a knitted version of his own face staring back at him, complete with oversized black-and-white buttons for eyes.

“You've got a lovely head on your shoulders, Pearl,” he says. “Not terrifying at all.”

Mumbo turns to look at her too, and jumps about a foot in the air. “Good heavens!”

“What?” Pearl says, the picture of innocence. “Have I got something on my face?”

She blinks—and, come to think of it, Keralis can’t remember whether or not he’s ever seen Pearl blink before. Maybe he has, and he never noticed, but it’s hard not to notice when her eyes are so much larger. Mumbo seems to notice the same thing, because he asks, flabbergasted, “How on earth did you just blink with button eyes?”

Pearl does it again, twice in a row. Keralis is no closer to understanding how she does it, but he’s all the more invested in watching her to find out. “How do you blink with your goopy eyes?” Pearl asks.

“Oh, very easy. We use our eye muscles!” Keralis tries to demonstrate, but finds himself unable to do so. “Sorry, one second.” He pops off the Pearl head that he’s wearing and bats his eyelashes. “See?”

“Muscles, right. I’ve heard of those.” Pearl stretches her arms up to her head. “You used to have some, right, Mumbo? Do you still have ‘em?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“Because you’re a potato? Last I checked, potatoes don’t have muscles.”

“Yes, but surely…” Mumbo looks down at his arm, poking the skin—the peel?—around his wrist. “Oh, dear. Do I have muscles? How am I meant to tell?”

“I know!” Keralis draws his axe. “We can slice off a little piece of you and look inside!”

Mumbo goes faintly green, resembling a poisonous potato. “I would really rather you didn’t.”

“No, I like this idea,” Pearl agrees. “Aren’t you curious, Mumbo? I know I am.”

“And we could also find out what your head looks like on Pearl’s head,” Keralis suggests.

Mumbo sighs. “Fine,” he says. “But only because I strongly suspect you’re going to do it anyway.”

“I promise I will be careful,” Keralis says, crossing his arms behind his back. “Just a teeny tiny slice.” 

“I don’t want to watch.” Mumbo holds out his arm and looks in the opposite direction.

Keralis cuts into Mumbo’s arm. Unfortunately, he misjudges the amount of strength needed to cut through a potato with a large axe, and ends up slicing off Mumbo’s entire hand. “Oopsy-daisy.”

“Ow,” Mumbo says, as Pearl picks up the hand from the ground. He sounds more annoyed than agonized.  “Really?”

“It’s okay, it’s okay! Five minute rule, remember? You will be good as new after a nice respawn.”

“He’s potato all the way through,” Pearl reports, showing the hand to Keralis. “You don’t even have bones, Mumbo, see?”

“Can I get that respawn now?” Mumbo asks, still refusing to turn his head.

“Of course!” Keralis slices him through with the axe, then does it again. The hand that Pearl’s holding disappears, as does the rest of Mumbo, who pops up at the nearby respawn bed while Pearl picks up his player head from the ground and plops it on.

Similarly to Keralis’s head, Mumbo’s head on Pearl’s body is made out of interwoven material with button eyes. This time, however, the yarn has been replaced by what appears to be little strips of potato peels.

“Well, that’s distressing,” Mumbo says, summing up what they’re all thinking.

“I can’t see what this looks like,” Pearl says, “but it smells like raw potatoes in here.”

Her specification of raw gives Keralis an idea. “I wonder if we could put Potato Boy through a furnace?”

“I think I’ve had enough scientific experimentation for the day,” Mumbo says, gathering up his things from the chest. “I need to put an end to this whole potato business as soon as possible.”

After he leaves, Pearl walks over to the crafting table. “We could put his head through the furnace.” She crafts a furnace and sets it down, taking off the Mumbo head. “Aw, it won’t go in.”

“Too weird for normal Minecraft,” Keralis says, shaking his head.

Pearl laughs. “Story of my life.”

—

Next part >

if you read this all the way through and enjoyed, please consider reblogging!

[betterthanburrow]

Miss CEO - Instagram AU

(Bengals Quarterback! Joe Burrow x Beauty Influencer OC)

liked by yourinstagram, and 270,155 more users

MISHTIMAKEUP: introducing “Mishti Makeup” a new make-up brand created by @.yourinstagram.

after many years of hard work through cosmetology school, collaborating with other make-up brands, and building up the social media platforms, the day that our Chief Executive Officer has dreaming about since she was a little girl is finally here 🤎✨

it’s important to click the website in our bio to subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated on our upcoming make-up collection launches and sales!

view all 95,420 comments

yourinstagram: i’m very excited for this new journey!

↳ MISHTIMAKEUP: we love you! - social media intern.

nikkietutorials: i can’t wait to try out all of the new make-up products!

mamaburrow: i’m so excited to support you!

varijstylez: this was one of the hardest secrets that i have had to keep in my life… i’m so happy that the news of your company is finally out in the world!

joeyb_9: i’m so proud of you princess 💗

↳ yourinstagram: thank you 😽 i’m proud of me too!

liked by joeyb_9, and 300,851 more users

yourinstagram: Miss CEO Of Mishti Makeup.

view all 119,663 comments

yourlittlesister: so… since the CEO of Mishti Makeup is a my big sister, does this mean i get free products?!

↳ yourinstagram: hmm… i don’t know if you deserve those privileges 🤔

↳ yourlittlesister: i’m your little sister that was your makeup model for many years… that means i have automatically earned those privileges of free products.

joeyb_9: it’s more like… Miss CEO Of My Heart.

↳ yourinstagram: stop flirting with me on instagram…

like by 66,925 more users

DailyJLBurrow: Instagram Stories from (12/5/22)

view all 9,616 comments

username1: Joe posting about his girlfriend and Spongebob Squarepants on his IG stories… now all he needs to do is post something related to football and then Joe would’ve posted his holy trinity in one day!

username2: the Bengals beat the Kanas Chiefs yesterday but Joe is making it a priority to post about his girlfriend’s business over the football game win.

↳ username3: Chiefs fans really wanted to get a reaction out of Joe but it’s clear that he’s so unbothered even with the game win!

liked by joeyb_9, and 333,799 more users

yourinstagram: just the two of us @.joeyb_9 🤎

view all 150,001 comments

mamaburrow: the two of you are so cute!

joeyb_9: roses are red, violets are blue… you’ll be the 6 and i’ll be the 9.

↳ yourinstagram: JOSEPH LEE BURROW… THIS IS A PUBLIC COMMENT SECTION!

liked by 99,725 users

BeautyGuru_Updates: Y/N’s instagram story of her and NFL Bengals Quarterback Joe Burrow.

view all 15,019 comments

username1: we really are getting spoiled with Y/N and Joe content today… this is a rare occasion!

↳ username2: and when we do get spoiled of content, it’s just their shadows or blurry photos… it’s never clear pictures, we get spoiled while living off crumbs.

username3: i still can’t believe my favorite beauty guru and my dad’s favorite NFL Quarterback are DATING?!

liked by yourinstagram and 509,917 more users

joeyb_9: Unbothered.

view all 4,183 comments

Bengals: 🔥🔥🔥

yourlittlesister: i have the coolest future brother in law!

yourinstagram: are you a parking ticket… because you’ve got ‘fine’ written all over you 😽

↳ joeyb_9: so you don’t like when i flirt with you in your instagram comments… but here you are, flirting with me in my instagram comments?!

Author’s Note:

if you have a request for an IG AU, please send the Instagram AU request in my inbox and i’ll try to get the IG AU requested published as soon as possible.

thank you all for the love and support! 🤍

[c-c-cherry]

Teru fic??

EDIT?** I've actually posted the full fic that this snippet is from. You'll probably have a more fulfilling time just reading it lol --> Click!

This is a response to the little wip "challenge" I posted a little while ago. Askbox is still open for those! (there's a few I still need to answer too) :)

Sorry this took so long! I wanna say…good choice? Probably because I’m almost done writing this one and then I can move onto editing. Assuming the Area Hysteria people reading this have also read Tenacious Terrain (building on one of the memory flashes involving Ritsu but also works as a standalone fic), this one follows a similar format.

I’ve been treating it as my warm-up to get back into Mob after awhile while simultaneously trying to write for the main AH storyline. But I also think publishing this story first might help with what I want to do later between Reigen and Teru if that makes sense? I think it fills a lot of unspoken gaps that I've really wanted to explore in the hysteriaverse so I've been having a lot of fun getting into it.

I’ll shut up now — here’s a snippy!

***

The pair walked down the street just as the sun started dipping below the trees. Reigen didn’t ask if Teru's parents were waiting for him at home, and he was grateful for it.

Teru usually found himself talking endlessly when going out with Kageyama or even Ritsu, just to fill up the fact that both usually didn’t say much at all. There was no need to do that with someone like Reigen. His energy could silence a room. Teru had seen it with Claw, the way everyone turned and gave him total control back when they first got captured. 

Reigen was evidently powerful in both the psychic world and the business world, but his words alone still poked through the sharpest of swords, more than Teru’s power ever could.

“Mob and I come here if we end up working past dinner,” Reigen held the door open for him, and Teru watched as the man greeted the host as if he knew her. He took off his jacket and gestured for Teru to follow. “This booth has the best view. It’s great while it's raining, but sunny weather will do just fine.”

The man rolled up his white sleeves and sighed in content. Teru attempted to relax his shoulders and calm his heart, pretending he wasn’t having dinner with Reigen Arataka, 21st century’s greatest psychic and Teru’s new temporary boss. Thoughts about what to do with that daunting guardianship form still plagued the back of his mind but he forced himself to push it back further and look up at the approaching waiter.

“No bowl-cut today?” she asked curiously, passing out the menus, “I haven’t seen the two of you come around here in a bit.” 

“Who, Mob?” Reigen chuckled, “The kid’s got a marathon at school to run. I’ve got a few of his friends helping me out.”

Teru melted into the foam booth, letting it press up against his back as the two conversed. It had been awhile since he’d felt this cozy. He wondered if it was the ambience of this place, or Reigen’s mere presence putting him at ease.

“Before I forget,” Reigen rummaged through his briefcase once they had both ordered and pulled out his phone. “I’ll give you my number so we can keep in touch. I might need you earlier or later depending on exorcism appointments. It’ll be nice to have you filed away for when I need you this week.”

Reigen wanted his phone number? Teru stared down at his food piping hot in front of him. He wondered if Reigen would pay for this, too. Based on what Kageyama had said about him, the man would no doubt slip a few bills on the table regardless of whether Teru pulled out his card to cover his half of the bill. Reigen would probably walk him home too while he was at it. 

“Sure, I-” he stuttered, trying to find his voice. This wasn’t like him. Reigen must have known that too, despite barely knowing him at all. The man leaned over and placed his hands up defensively, his rolled sleeves slipping back down and grey jacket discarded beside him.

“Unless you think that’s overstepping. I just like to have everyone’s names on hand. If you aren’t comfortable with it, don’t worry about it. I don’t have to have you on-call all the time like I do with Mob…though it would be pretty helpful for emergency exorcisms…” 

Teru didn’t wait around to hear what else the man was saying. Reigen was so confident, so powerful, so cool, and all Teru wanted to do was impress him. 

Be reliable. He could be reliable. 

Teru pulled out his phone, flipped through his contacts and tried to find the phone number that he still hadn’t memorized after getting a new number a few months back. His father had paid for it, of course. He hadn’t seen his father’s face in years, but the man still paid for everything so long as Teru could forge his signature.

His head went back to those stupid forms in his bag. To think the school had waited this long before asking him to prove his parents’ existence outside of a signature.

“Here,” he pushed his phone over to him, pulling a grin over his face. “I’d be happy to help you out in Kageyama’s stead as much as you need.” He’d even be willing to skip school, maybe never show up at school again if it meant no one would interrogate him about his familial situation. But perhaps that was a different kind of commitment. 

Reigen smiled back, his eyes glowing with satisfaction. “That was quick. Thanks a bunch, Hanaza—"

“—Teruki,” he corrected, before realizing that he’d interrupted Reigen Arataka, 21st Century’s Greatest Psychic and the only adult who had ever asked him for his number to make sure he was around and alright. “Teruki’s fine. Or Teru.”

Reigen snorted, taking his chopsticks and dipping them into his bowl. “Teruki for now. But don’t think you can just go around calling me Arataka…at least, not in front of Ritsu. Sometimes it feels like that kid is just trying to find his footing before pouncing on someone like me.” Reigen’s eyes locked onto him, suddenly serious. “You wouldn’t want to be responsible for a dead man…would you, kid?” 

“Oh,” Teru’s face surely looked stupid, the way it glowed. “No, I would never—”

“Kids these days are so dense! I’m just messing around,” the man snickered back, followed by the slurping of noodles. “Mmmh..this place never fails to amaze my taste buds after such a long day.” He banged on the table softly with his fist. “Well, eat up! Here’s to a very productive first day.”

A thought grazed Teru’s head as he tipped the bowl up to his lips. 

It was a very selfish, self-serving thought. One that accompanied a methodical plan that slowly began to form in the back of his mind. Reigen was a responsible, giving person. He was mystical, busy, a very busy man. He lived here in Seasoning City. If Teru could guess, he was almost at the age of 30—a very responsible age for a very responsible, reliable, busy man. He was a model citizen, really. He even went above and beyond to inspire others around him.

As of this moment, Teru worked alongside Reigen. He had access to his files, which probably contained most of his information if he looked around hard enough for it. Maybe this would finally get the school off his back. 

And who says the man even has to know?

[minecraftbookshelf]

Lore? Lore? Lore for the poor?

Could you perhaps spare some marriage au lore for a poor soul?

Lore about Mezalia? Lore about Pixandria? Random culture lore?

Hello and welcome to World-Building Central! where the feral brain rabbits never stop running!

I did just post my Joel Character Design post, so if you haven't seen that yet it's here and is honestly as much about Mezalean style in general as it is about Joel in particular.

I'll ramble for a bit now and we'll see what we get XD it'll probably be more character based than general world-building, since that's where my head is at today, but we shall see!

Mezalea has two primary exports: Fish and terracotta. They also make some of the most beautiful pottery, but that is less of a significant trade resource.

Fishing in Mezalea has been the main livelihood of approximately half the population for a very long time. Fishing and sea-travel (mostly for merchant-ing reasons) are the primary focus of the coastal towns and villages, while inland it is mirrored by the terracotta quarries. This caused a brief tension when they first encountered the Ocean Empire, not because the Seafolk have an objection to eating fish, but figuring out who had rights to the waters and where Pixandrian and Mezalean territory ended and Oceanic territory began. (Was Joel basically traded for fishing rights? Well it wasn't not a factor :) )

Mezalea and Pixandria have a long history as allied nations, though that alliance has become a lot closer over the past handful of centuries due to Joel and Pix's friendship. There are some cultural similarities, both being desert nations with some seafaring tendencies, though there are plenty of differences too.

Pixandria has a somewhat interesting relationship with the other empires at large, due in large part to Pix's tendency to randomly show up in other empires, regardless of treaty or alliance status. No one in the Pixandrian government admits to this, but they are pretty sure that their Emperor sometimes forgets where they are in time and who they are currently having more tension-ridden interactions with. If this is actually the case or if it's just Pix being a troll, no one knows.

The WRA starting to call the Ocean Alliance the Cod Alliance is a source of amusement for Pix. He doesn't mind at all, Jimmy has very much been stepping up as a leader of the alliance recently (and they are all very proud of him) It's that kind of mostly fond amusement that older people get when they see younger people "reinventing the wheel" for lack of a better term. It's new to them but it's not new. A mixture of vicarious joy in the discovery of life and the world and "ah, the youth"

Pix is very fond of this generation of rulers in general. He thinks that, if the world is kind, they will all be able to accomplish great things, due in no small part to their much closer bonds to each other than their predecessors. While the Ocean Alliance has stood as a wonky little family for centuries, most of the more land-based empires were much more business-like with each other. So while politically and personally, his relationship with the Wither Rose Alliance is not the friendliest, he is very proud of them for what they have done.

One of Pix's titles is "Bringer of Storms" and is the other main reason, beside his absolute obliteration of war as a cause of death among the common folk, that he remains as Pixandria's ruler. If your priest-king can summon rain in the desert, you keep him. (This is not a standard ability of their priests or their kings and, along with the immortality, is a distinguishing feature of his.) He is usually very responsible with this power, and maintains an awareness of its impact on all surrounding ecosystems. Occasionally the urge for mischief does override good sense, but its mostly fine.

Pix is the only person outside the Ocean/Swamp and its Royal family who wields a trident, and the only one outside the Oceanic Royal Family who's trident is imbued with the level of enchantments it has. The landlocked empires consider this an odd quirk of his. The Ocean Alliance empires are more aware of the cultural significance of this and the indication of adjacency to divinity and treat him accordingly.

This is why Pix was the first person to make peaceful contact with the Ocean when they first emerged and were basically greeting everyone with murder. The ability to wield an enchanted trident guaranteed him safe passage and respect.

The Anthill and The Oasis are the two centers of Pixandria. The majority of the population actually lives in The Anthill, which, much like its name suggests, has been hollowed out into a series of tunnel-roads and cave homes. Most actual houses have at least one wall built into the outside of the mountain, but some people do choose (and it is usually a choice) to go full cave-dweller in the interior.

The Oasis is primarily a trade center and space for growing crops and tending to bees. Embassies and guest houses are also here, to host travelers and representatives from other nations without allowing them access to many of the more vulnerable citizens.

Pix developed the Oasis town himself over the course of the reign, but The Anthill was already ancient when he was born.

-

AU Masterpost

[writingescapades]

The First Adventure

A/N: This is very long... I'm not too happy with the ending but it's already 6k+ words... I also had to play around with cannon, so work with me here.

Behind Inazuma’s closed gates the Archon watched. Behind her were the Tenryou and Kanjou clans made up numerous nobles all allying to her command while daggers flew around. Behind them sat Ayato of the Yashiro clan who watched the region with his thousand eyes. Yet you managed to slip past all three. The archon was busy with her vision hunt, so a visionless individual was of no immediate concern to her. The nobles were too preoccupied with each other’s backs to bother looking elsewhere. And Ayato had to reconcile himself to the fact that one of his eyes was either lazy, negligent, or allured away from their duties.

You didn’t bother to hide your foreign identity. You couldn’t anyway, your features gave you away. Yet you walked around Inazuma with confidence, curiosity laced in your every move. People stared at you, but with the civic chaos and lack of resources resulting from the vision hunt, they could not be bothered by one more anomaly. And since you were the only merchant willing to barter, they quickly learned to keep mum and look away. Ayato would probably have never met you, if he didn’t choose to go out into the cool night on that particular day. Tied up in handling the persecutions and helping his sister build resistance, he too would have dismissed you from his mind if you hadn’t been doing the most oddest of actions. It was past midnight, a brief tranquility between the chaos of yesterday and the chaos to emerge today. No one dared roamed the streets, no one except Ayato that is. And what odd sight did he witness? There you were, laid out under your wagon, tinkering with the pipes, careless to the world.

Propelled more by curiosity than concern, Ayato approached you and called out to you. You emerged out from under you wagon, face smeared with mechanical oil and looked at him expectantly.

“What are you doing here,” Ayato asked, cutting out any greetings. It was hardly the situation for formalities anyway.

“Fixing my wagon,” came your equally curt reply.

“Why?”

“Because it’s broken”.

Your voice was laced with a matter of fact amusement. He probably deserved it given the stupidity of his question. Still, he brought out his sword and pressed it against your side.

“Explain yourself”.

The sensation of metal poking into your skin forced you to seriously look at your tormentor. A young man, no older than you yourself were. Where did he get the audacity to pull such a stunt?

“Are you going to kill me because I’m fixing my wagon?”

“The region of Inazuma is closed to outsiders, how did you get here?”

“By boat”.

“Impossible”.

You gestured to your wagon and yourself and shrugged. Ayato could not pick up any lies in your voice, and it was true that you would need a boat to get your wagon into Inazuma, but to slip in so easily, something nefarious had to be in the works. He reached for your arm and picked you up.

“I think you’d better come with me,” he said and started dragging you away, ignoring your protests about your wagon. As he walked away with you, two pairs of eyes watched from within the wagon.

...

If you had known that a crazy man would suddenly drag you into a prison cell in the middle of the night, you would have had second thoughts about coming into Inazuma. You had an order to deliver. Yet, here you were, three days later, stuck in a prison cell. The cell was cold and empty save for a pile of straws. A guard was posted outside the door to your cell, the key most likely in his possession. You eyed the prison door for the hundredth time. You could probably break out of there easily, but then what? Run straight into the guard’s arms?

You leaned against the prison bars and sang another song. The guard groaned as he resigned to listen to your terrible voice. He had tried to threaten you to stop, but you merely observed him and asked if his master, who arrested you for further questioning, would appreciate it if you suddenly became silent. So the guard endured your voice, praying that his master would exact a satisfying retribution upon you and your sly behaviour. Unbeknownst to the guard, sly personalities were a mark of those who were blessed by lady luck, and tonight she took the form of two creatures who slipped into the prison. They padded unnoticed through the prison and once they picked up your scent, they launched a full out attack on the guard. Biting ankles, hissing, scratching, and dodging attacks, the creatures managed to irritate the guard into bellowing curses and chasing after them. The guard would forever wonder whether he did the right thing in chasing those night creatures, but he learned to always treat cats with a terrified awe.

Picking the cell door with ease, you slipped out of the prison and ran into the night. You didn’t know where your wagon was. You didn’t know where your cats were. You didn’t even know your delivery address. But you had a clue and you chased it through Inazuma’s dark alleys and out into the wasteland. A grey boulder with a thick black stripe running throughout was your sign and you ran toward it and bent down. Neatly hidden between the rock and dirt was a piece of paper. Opening the paper, you found a crudely drawn map, a few symbols and an ‘x’. A garbage guide for a foreigner.

You tucked the map into your clothes and started to walk back to Inazuma when a sight stopped you. Littered on the ground where numerous bodies. Some unconscious, some dead. In the middle of the bodies was a man. The moonlight made his hair take silver-blue hue, but it was unmistakably the man who chucked you into the prison cell. His back was initially to you, but at the sound of your foot steps, he turned, sword out. His eyes widened upon seeing your figure then hardened as he prepared himself for an attack.

You quickly turned around and sped away from the situation, but it wasn’t long before your arm was jerked back and once again a dagger was placed under your chin.

“Who are you?” the man asked sternly.

You gave your name.

“How did you escape the prison?”

“Luck,” was your honest reply.

The man pressed the dagger deeper into your chin and peered hard into your eyes.

“Let me explain your situation,” he spoke calmly now. “Inzauma’s in a state of civil unrest. I am its guard dog, and you are an unaccounted for individual who behaves suspiciously. Now what would you do in my position?”

“Probably let the individual explain themselves and not chuck them into prison,” you replied.

Truthfully, Ayato had wanted to interrogate you and find out whether you were a threat. But as usual, work took precedence and he had to leave the conversation for the battlefield.

“I see three days in prison did not quell your tongue. Should I cut it off?” The man spoke sweetly but gave you a short sadistic smile. The dagger now moved to your lips.

“Would you let me go after that?” you asked.

The question surprised the man. He had expected anger, fear, even a confession, but to barter your tongue for your life, how was he to respond to that? Curiosity replaced aggression, though he still held you in a strong grip.

“Alright, explain yourself”.

“I’m here to sight see!” you chirped.

The two of you stared at each other in silence. Ayato’s face showed utter disbelief while yours displayed a quiet fortitude as you waited for him to make a decision. You both knew he could kill you this very moment. No one would notice, no one would question him. No one would ask about you. Yet, Ayato hesitated to make that decision. It wasn’t just because of the possibility that you were telling the truth, but the fear he had of what such an action would make of him. Would he really be any different than the nobles he stood apart from? He found himself wanting his sister’s advice. So he dragged you off to an unknown destination and you sighed, resigning yourself to a repeated performance.

...

“Where is her wagon?” Ayaka asked.

Ayato stared at his sister, perplexed by her question. He had brought you back to the Kamisato estate. You were currently in the stables being watched by Thoma. Any attempt to escape, and he had orders to kill you. Meanwhile, Ayato had explained the situation to his sister. She always knew how to handle people better than Ayato did. Ayaka listened to the story patiently, but her only concern seemed to be about the wagon.

“I asked Thoma to take care of it,” Ayato replied.

“If she’s just here to sight see, I can escort her. No one would mess with us and she would also be protected,” Ayaka offered.

“And if that was her ploy? What if she leads you to an ambush?” Ayato shook his head. He didn’t want to take that risk.

Ayaka sighed. “We’re both busy Ayato. Either we work with her or let her go. If she causes problems, we can only handle them when they arise”. She laughed at the grimace on Ayato’s face when he saw what options he had. Only around her such a face would openly reveal itself.

The following morning, Ayaka greeted you with your wagon and let you leave the estate. You checked your wagon and saw your cats made it back safely. Not wanting to waste any more time, you moved quickly through the streets, avoiding the crowds, only stopping when someone asked you for a barter. Eventually, you reached one of the symbols in your map. It was a tree with a single lantern hanging from one branch. A beautiful spot as it overlooked a rather large town engulfed by a wall. There were gates that lowered, indicating that the only way in and out was through the watchful gaze of the sentinels. Somewhere within there was a house that desperately awaited you. You only hoped you were not too late.

You left your wagon hidden on the outskirts of the town and took only your tools and cats. Then you looked at your map. After the lantern tree, there was a wall with an arrow drawn on it. Walking carefully around the town walls, you looked for the arrow. Once you found it, you looked in its direction and saw a metal pipe sticking out from the top of the wall. You weren’t sure what would greet you on the other side of the pipe, but it was your only way into the town. You undid one sash you wore around your waist and looped it through the pipe. Then you undid another sash and tied your cats to your body. Ready now, you hoisted yourself up, using your feet to walk up the wall. Reaching the top, you saw on outlook posted directly underneath. You quickly crossed over and ducked down into the dark. There was no telling who might have been altered. Minutes passed, but only the wind greeted you. Taking the chance, you quietly crouched down the steps, taking care to not move to suddenly and avoid making any sound. Once you reached the ground, you scampered into a dark alley and took out your map to see the final symbol.

The map showed a house with woodcutting block near a small well. You started to walk away from the clusters of houses. If the house had a woodcutting block and well, it was likely the house was away from the bustle of a town. You soon came across farmlands with small hut-like houses spaced out between vast fields. You neared a set of trees where a small old temple to the archon rested. You released your cats and they began to stretch. As you rested and thought, you noticed a house way off in the distance. In front of the house was a woodcutting block and well. At last! But before you could move towards the house, a sharp object pressed against your back.

“I knew not to trust you,” a familiar voice called out.

You turned around and saw, once again, a young man with silver-blue hair under the moonlight. Had circumstances been different, you would have laughed at meeting the man for the third time in the night. But now you were so close to your objective and time was so short, if there was even any time left. You knew if you ran, the man would run you through. But you could not afford a moment’s delay. You decided to take a risk.

“Can I trust you?” you asked.

Again, Ayato was surprised by your question. Here he was with a sword pointed towards you, questioning your intentions, yet you dared to ask him if he was to be trusted.

Growing annoyed by his silence you rephrased your question.

“Do you care about your people?”

Now the man’s reply came fast, confirming his devotion with utmost serenity.

“Then help me.” You pointed to the house in the distance. “I need to get there now!”

Ayato lowered his sword. The anger and determination on your face confirmed your honesty, but he had no idea why a foreigner would need to reach a poor farmer in the remotest part of Inazuma. But, seeing no other alternative, he nodded his head and led you to his horse. You tied your cats back to you, leapt onto the horse, grabbed hold of the reigns, and held out to Ayato. Surprised once again by your daring to guide his horse and by the fact that you had not galloped away, Ayato only leapt on behind you. You told him to hold on and clicked at the horse to speed off. It flew at speeds Ayato never knew it could run at and he found himself holding tightly to your waist and leaning into the wind as it rushed at him. Not once did you slap the reigns or kick the beast, yet it still obeyed you.

Soon enough you reached the house and the horse came to a halt. You leapt off the horse, ran towards the door, and knocked. A light came on in the house and the door cracked open a sliver. You waved, smiled, and took out a small pouch from your clothes. Understanding flashed from the man who greeted you, and they opened the door, welcoming you in. You dashed in, failing to notice the fear that spread across the man’s face as they saw the Yashiro commissioner standing outside his house.

You mixed the contents from the small pouch into a water bowl and moved carefully on your knees to the figure lying on the bed, a small girl, red faced and barely able to breathe. You gently lifted the child up and urged her to drink the tincture, but the girl could barely swallow. You reached into your clothes and pulled out your clean undershirt and a small pear knife. Then you cut the shirt into strips. Taking a strip, you rolled it, dipped it into the tincture and pressed it onto the girl’s lips. Slowly the girl sucked on the cloth and swallowed the medicine. You repeated this process again and again throughout the night taking no notice of the two men who watched you. Only when the bowl was empty did you look up. The man who greeted you, most likely the girl’s father, looked at you expectantly.

“If she wakes up, she should recover,” was all you could promise. It wasn’t much, but the heat from the girl’s face had reduced. You relinquished the girl to her father and sat in the corner, petting your cats. Silence entered the house as everyone waited for the girl to wake up. Sometimes you or the father would enter into some conversation. You asked about the town, how the father lived, what he ate for dinner, and so on. Generosity for his daughter’s life made the farmer reply to your questions, but his answers were stilted, never saying more than necessary. His eyes would continuously dart towards Ayato, an action you observed but chose not to comment on.

It was midday by the time the girl woke up. She coughed out a handful of phlegm, which you caught in one of the strips, then cried to her father that she was hungry. The complaint brought tears to her father’s eyes and he hugged his daughter. Once her belly was full, the girl fell back asleep, breathing easily and sleeping peacefully. It was then that you and Ayato decided to take your leave. You mission was done.

“Thank you, Lord Kamisato,” the father bowed deeply towards Ayato at the door. Ayato shook his head and pointed to you.

“You should thank her, you don’t know what lengths she went to bring you the medicine”.

The father profusely bowed towards you. You bowed back, and laughed, telling the father to think nothing of it, the danger had passed.

...

Ayato led you towards the horse and got on, then he held out a hand to you. He looked at you, invitingly, almost challenging you to take his hand, but there was a small smile on his lips. A reconciliation. He gently led the horse back to the deity temple, and then got down. You looked at him confused.

“Whether you realize it or not, your face shows that you are about to collapse”.

His words brought you down to your body and you were suddenly aware of a the exhaustion that laced through you. You realized the man tacitly chose not to push the horse in case you happened fall asleep and slip off. The man took off his coat and bundled it into a pillow on the ground.

“It’s not much, but you should get some sleep”.

“Is it permissible for a Lord to let his clothes touch the ground?” you teased as you got off the horse and stumbled to the make-shift pillow. “Or will such a remark cost me my tongue again?”

Ayato flinched, remembering his previous words and actions. He turned to look at you, but you had fallen sleep. Your cats crawled out of their bundle and slept, protectively, on top of you.

...

You slept until the dawn of the next day, and woke up to the warmth of a camp fire on your back and the orange sky greeting your face. You got up and cleaned yourself into a presentable state. Then you shook out the coat and walked over to the Lord Kamisato. He had been watching the town centre the entire time, eyes focused on the activity and noise. As you handed back the coat, you recognized the clang of metal and screams of anger and fear. You looked at the Lord’s face. His face was without emotions, except for the tension in his eyebrows and his tight lips.

“I can’t do much with a sword, but I’m a crafty planner,” you spoke.

The Lord Kamisato shook his head, understanding your offer. “You do not owe me”.

“I know, and I’m sure you’d like nothing more than for me to leave Inazuma. But the only way out is through that fight,” you reminded him.

The problem was that Ayato did not want to be seen anywhere near that fight. He knew what was happening. A rebellion. But neither could he stay at the shrine. If he went to the rebellion, he could be accused of supporting, even instigating the fight. If he stayed at the shrine, he could be accused of negligence to keep order. Either situation would put him in the limelight.

“At this moment, where do you need to be?” you asked.

“At my desk”.

You whistled, stretched, walked to the campfire, and began to put it out.

“There’s no point in spending all day watching the fight. We’ll escape at night”.

Ayato turned and saw that you had done a good job in making the ground look like it had been long abandoned. You let the horse go a distance away from the temple, removing the harness to make it look like nothing more than a grazing creature. Then you beckoned Ayato to follow you to the temple. Although small, the temple had many hidden crevices and you squeezed Ayato and the harness into one, instructing him to stay there. You then stood at the entrance of the temple, one cat on each side of you, and kept an eye out. It was hilarious really. The swordsman was tucked away into hiding, while the civilian stood on guard. Yet, Ayato found himself trusting your ability to keep him hidden.

Boredom quickly set in and Ayato slipped between talking with you and nodding off. The first question he asked was for you to explain what you were doing in Inazuma”.

“You mean you didn’t figure it out yet, my lord?” you asked sarcastically. “I’m a merchant. I made a delivery”.

“What did the girl have that required medicine from far away?”

Now you hesitated. “Inazuma is dealing with a lot right now, but it’s about to get worse”.

“How so?”

“The illness the girl had is not an unusual case. It’s just one in a rising number of cases. Inazuma is about to have an epidemic in the midst of their civil unrest”.

“So why did you treat just the girl?”

“I was asked to,” you said softly.

“From who?”

You shrugged. You had your suspicions, but no evidence. Not that you would blurt out the name to anyone.

“What about the other people?” Ayato asked sharply. Truly he was upset with himself for being so in the dark about this issue. Why had no one told him?

“I have more medicine in my wagon and a connection in Liyue for more”. You turned around to see the worry on the lord’s face.

“It’s mostly the poor who are affected. I doubt you would have heard about it. The civil unrest takes precedence for nobles”.

You spoke calmly, but Ayato couldn’t help feeling your words strike like a blade, and fell asleep bearing the emotions he felt.

...

“Why are you here?” You asked, when he woke up. It was midday now and he could still hear the shouts and clanging of metal.

“Sight seeing,” he muttered out. You laughed and turned to look at him, interest in your eyes.

“Hey, I wasn’t lying. There was a specific sight, I wanted to see”.

“A sick, dying girl?” Ayato retorted.

“Exactly, not what most cities want to show travellers”.

Ayato accepted your explanation, then said “I got informed that a group of soldiers from the Tenryou commission decided to hit this town for their vision hunt. We have close ties with the town as they are the most loyal supporter of the Kamisato clan, even during our toughest times. It is the last stronghold left for vision bearers and most ran here for the docks, their only way out. I decided to come here and make sure the civilians are alright”.

“Well you failed at that,” You retorted, nodding your head at the current unrest.

“I know,” Ayato whispered and looked down at his hands.

You looked back at him but said nothing.

The girl’s father had spoken to both of you. With a closed nation, Inazuma was dependent on whatever food it harvested. So the archon decreed that anyone caught tampering with the crops would be severely punished. That threat lingered even during the unrest, so farmers in the field were usually left alone. Anyone outside of the field was another story. Of course, an exception was made for vision bearers. They were persecuted wherever they stood. That meant fields still burned and got destroyed. The father knew it was only time before someone attacked his farm, but he could not leave with the other farmers while his daughter was so ill.

Ayato didn’t know when he slept again, but he awoke to you shaking his shoulder. It was night, time to move. You readied the horse and waited for Ayato to join you. He was surprised that the horse did not linger away, but stayed loyal to the two of you. You rode the horse into the centre square, where the fight took place. Blood greeted you. Bodies littered around the ground, some still groaning into their painful deaths. Ayato saw both armed and unarmed corpses. Young and old, it didn’t matter. He closed his eyes and sighed. Upon reaching the centre of the town, you paused.

“Do you need to do anything here or should we go on?”

Ayato shook his head. There was nothing for him to do here. This would have to be Ayaka’s job. You nudged the horse through an open gate. They were all open as the invading warriors came in from all directions. Outside the town, you led the horse towards your wagon and hopped off.

“Well Lord Kamisato, this is where we part”.

Ayato understood. He would be returning to his world and you to yours. You shared a momentary stalemate, but now returned to your respective positions in this calamity.

“Perhaps in another life we would get along better,” you prompted.

“I think we got along fine as it is,” Ayato smiled genuinely. He had thought a lot, hidden in the crevice, and had made a decision. “Be careful,” he cautioned. “I cannot promise to let you go should we meet again”.

You gave a deep nod of acknowledgement.

“One more question”.

You stared at him, amusement apparent on your face.

“Was it my sister who asked you to come?”

You said nothing. Your face revealed nothing.

“You needn’t worry,” he spoke softly. “I support my sister in everything”.

“I have no idea what you are talking about”.

A safe answer, Ayato thought. One can never be sure of anything when one’s own people are fighting each other.

“Now I have a question,” you said.

Ayato looked at you expectantly. You crossed your arms, thinking how to phrase your question to get exactly the answer you want from the clever man.

“When you meet up with your soldiers, you’ll make sure they are alright and that they didn’t hurt the innocent?”

Ayato grinned. “You have my word of honour,” he promised.

“Then as long as you stay true to your word, you have my protection,” you said, returning the promise.

“The Kamisato house is indebted to you. Should you require it, just take the name of Ayato Kamisato”.

You peered into Ayato’s face hard as you took in his words, then gave a curt nod.

“I hope to see you again when Inazuma opens its borders again. I’m sure we can find many interesting topics of discussion”.

Now you chuckled and reached into your wagon. You pulled out a box and handed it to Ayato. He didn’t need to ask what it was. Then you waved, sat on your wagon, and ignited it into motion. Ayato watched as the wagon sped away. An odd device really, but he supposed it became the owner. Holding onto the box, he led his horse away, and became one with the shadows.

...

Ayato looked up from his work and saw Thoma’s scowling face enter the room. He didn’t need to ask what brought out such a face on his friend, he heard the voice. A man entered the room after Thoma. A senior from the Tanryou commission, Mashiro Tetsu, was a man of shady deals and underhanded plans. He presented him in a most formal manner, so no one could catch him in the act. Ayato frequently had to deal with the results of Mashiro’s plans as they often affected social events and projects. Yet, this was the first time, the man had the gaul to visit the Yashiro head.

Ayato nodded once to Thoma who left the room and looked at Mashiro expectantly. Mashiro lounged in the seat and looked haughtily at Ayato.

“Whispers in the wind linger in my garden, leaving traces of themselves in my flowers” Mashiro began and Ayato had to suppress the urge to roll his eyes at the elder’s ridiculously formal and poetic speech. “When I stroll in the garden, taking the time to feel all around me, essences of those secrets stimulate my mind”.

Mashiro looked at Ayato, a faint smile on his lips. “Would you like to learn what nature has to say, young Kamisato”. Ayato reflected the smile and waited.

“The chrysanthemums murmur. They say that a young cherry blossom tree is threatening to stretch her roots a little too far into their territory. They worry that the soil of the chrysanthemums would not be appropriate for the cherry blossom tree”.

Ayato stared at Mashiro, saying nothing. The man continued. “You see young Kamisato, gardens are wonderful and harmonious to everyone only when every plant prospers where they are placed. When they try to overreach their space, they are cut, and that makes everyone unhappy”.

“What proof do you have that this, cherry blossom, is overstepping her boundaries?” Ayato asked.

“An army was seen moving towards a certain town under the cherry blossom’s jurisdiction. An army that was known to be loyal to the cherry blossom moving in an area where purification hunts were scheduled to occur by the chrysanthemums.”

Cold fear crept through Ayato but he maintained his smile. “But the cherry blossom had nothing to do with any army”.

“Doesn’t matter to the Archon,” Mashiro smiled viciously. “All she will see is an unauthorized army in an area under the cherry blossom’s jurisdiction”.

“And why have you come to tell me this?” Ayato asked.

“Why young Kamisato,” Mashiro pleaded innocently. “I just wanted to alert you! I’m sure this is just a misunderstanding. Perhaps you could find an explanation and prevent any unnecessary violence! The chrysanthemums are sure that this is all an intentional ploy against the cherry blossom, for a weed was also seen in the area”.

Mashiro looked at Ayato. “If you can find that weed and bring it to us, all this would be cleared up!”

Ah, so that was Mashiro’s game. The Tenryou commission would have to explain how an outsider got into Inazuma and how they wound up in the last vision bearer stronghold. Their negligence was now Ayato’s problem. He stood up and thanked the nobleman for the guidance.

“Just looking out for you, young one” Mashiro tutted as he walked out. “Remember not to trust weeds, young Kamisato. You never know what they might do in a garden”.

Ayato thanked the man once more and began to plan.

...

Thoma ran hard through the crowded streets. He and Ayato had long agreed that whenever Ayato received an unexpected visitor, Thoma would hide in the alcove near Ayato’s work room. It allowed him to hear what was happening in case he needed to run and send a warning. Panting hard, Thoma kept pushing his feet until he neared the docks. He knew you would be there.

Back when he was ordered to keep an eye on you, you started to talk with Thoma to pass the time. At first Thoma refused to answer, but you kept talking to him about mundane things and soon the man found himself chatting a little. He couldn’t help it and deep down, he felt that you were not a bad person. Later, Ayaka explained the situation to him and he was glad he trusted his instincts. He learned that you had bribed a boat man to take you here and his instinct now told him that you planned to leave in a similar manner.

Spotting you in a secluded area, Thoma ran up to you and blurted out the story. He then looked into your face and deplored what to do. You pondered through your options, and then sighed. You reached into your wagon and took out your cats. Giving them each a strong hug, you gave the cats to Thoma and asked him to deliver a message to Ayato.

...

Ayato and Thoma gazed at the sight in front of them. After Thoma got back to the estate and Ayato saw the cats, he asked Thoma to take him to the docks. You were not there and in your place laid the wreckage of your wagon. Thoma had explained that when he urged you to provide the message to Lord Ayato himself, you agreed to accompany him back to the Kamisato estate. However, the moment Thoma took his eyes off of you, you disappeared into the crowd.

“What was the message Thoma,” Ayato asked quietly, peering down at the broken pipes and smashed goods.

“She said she’s sorry for the situation she’s about to put you in, but she’s got enough charm to make it interesting in the long run”.

Thoma frowned, not quite understanding the message. But Ayato smiled and asked Thoma to bring Ayaka and come to the Tetsu estate.

When all three members arrived at the entrance to the Tetsu estate, Ayato turned and nodded once to Ayaka and Thoma. They understood that no matter what was said in the meeting, they were not to be surprised and to play along.

Upon entering the estate and greeting Mashiro Tetsu, the elder man sighed and looked at Ayato with annoyance.

“Did I not warn you about weeds in the garden, young Kamisato?”

“Ah,” Ayato smiled lightly and tittered. “You see, your advice came too late”.

“Quite,” Mashiro grumbled and looked with disgust at you. You smiled back at the man.

“So this, this, person,” he spat, “is really Lady Kamisato. Your wife?”

“Yes,” Ayato confirmed. “I knew she was the one for me, but I told her she could take my name when she pleased, and I am a man of my word”.

“So you see sir,” you interjected. “It’s all just a misunderstanding. There was never any army, just an escort”.

“And the chaos that ensued in the town?”

“You can hardly expect me to let my fiance go unprotected during an infiltration? And my army did not harm anyone in the town, you can ask the people yourself,” Ayato replied, though he looked at you when he spoke.

“And I supposed you, young Kamisato, arranged for her to arrive to Inazuma”

“Love triumphs all,” Ayato murmured

“And why should I believe this rubbish?” Mashiro snapped.

“Because you do not have a choice, sir,” Ayaka’s voice rang out. Everyone’s attention turned to her.

“We have been investigating a series of illnesses which all trace back to a rice infestation which a certain group in the Kanjou commission allowed to be bypassed. Most of our rice contains this infestation and instead of stopping trade and controlling the infestation, the head of the group allowed it to be sold and consumed. Turns out the head is you”.

“Are you threatening me?”

“Oh no sir,” Ayaka smiled calmly. “This information will soon be public knowledge We’re just informing you early on, because by the time you are able to say anything, no one will want to hear what you have to say”.

Mashiro sputtered and with that, the four of you got up and left the room. On his way out, Ayato heard the Tanryou man call out to him.

“Remember Ayato Kamisato, A weed takes everything for itself”.

Ayato smiled menacingly. “Sometimes a weed is a weed, and sometimes, it is essential for the garden’s survival”.

Once outside and near the Kamisato estate, Ayaka suddenly turned to look at you.

“Are you sure you are alright with this decision? It’s a lot to ask from you all of a sudden. My brother isn’t an easy person to be married to”.

“Neither am I, so I guess that balances us out,” you reply.

Thoma bursts out, “I can’t believe you two actually went in there and said your married!”

You shrugged. “He,” you pointed to Ayato, “confessed first”.

Ayato moved closer to you and looked into your eyes. “I did warn you that I would not be able to let you got should we meet again”.

“Any expectations to our marriage, my lord?” You asked cheekily.

Ayato laughed softly. “Just the one,” his eyes glimmered “You promised to charm me throughout our marriage. I look forward to what adventures you have in store for me”.

[fellow-traveller]

This is gonna be long, so if you don't have the time to read it, it's cool, I'll summarise it like this:

I think I'm back. Kinda. Expect some blasts of Hol Horse fanart that I missed sharing here since November 2023 (if you followed my Twitter/X, you might have seen them)

Okay, I know excuses can be bad but here's mine to kinda justify my absence.

I admit that I had been feeling depressed with what's happening in P@lest1ne for the past 6 months, because I had never seen it happening in real time, in videos and interviews. 20+ years ago, anything about them came in the form of stories from actual P@lest1nians whom I had the privilege to meet during my volunteer work in school, and newspaper articles from local publishers. Our local broadcasters still chant FTRTTS whenever they talk about them. But the real-time atrocities and the aftermath really got me hard. I'm not one to shy away from real-life gore - true crime is my go-to documentary whenever I'm relaxing - but what's happening there - the injustice, the brutality, the depravity - can be too much for me to bear.

I'm not saying I'm used to it by now...I still hear my heart break with every dead and hungry child I see on my screen, but at the same time, I feel a bit more hopeful. Mainly because I believe in the P@lest1nians' faith and resilience, and I believe in mine.

Apart from world events, on a personal level, my company moved to a new building in December, about an extra 30 minutes drive away from my home, so I was almost on a blackout from online stuff back then. Didn't even touch the 1 Day 1 Hol Horse challenge (but thankfully they are done now...will share them later). The move-out was done around the end of January 2024, and then I got busy again with work in February. Work had been very hectic because everything had been disorganised since the move. Even now, we don't really have internet in the new building and had to use our phone data for that.

Wanted to get back last month, but delayed it until today because my cat was sick with cancer. My cat, little Vee, whom I had for 12 years, just passed 2 days ago, 1 day before my birthday ;-;

Anyway, all that said, I think I'm ready to be back now on tumblr. I know I missed a lot of drawings that I kinda promised myself to finish (like the Halloween Hol), and also posting the 1 Day 1 Hol Horse doodles. I missed other people's Hol Horse and HolPol fanart as well. I also have a few thoughts I wanted to share of our favourite JoJo cowboy too...

So in the next few hours, I'll be doing just that. I apologise for the massive spam that's about to come beforehand. Just note that if you cannot wait for the fanart blast, you're welcomed to dig for them on my Twitter/X.

On current notes, I'm in the middle of doing The Emperor Month Challenge. Basically, Hol Horse with the other Part 3 characters. I missed 2 days now, but I'll be catching up. This will be on until the end of this month.

For now, I won't be doing requests/art trades because I wanna start drawing for my JoJo OCs. I have been neglecting them for months.

Hopefully the depression will simmer down. The world is a mess, and I'm trying to soldier on.

Oh, and to my Muslim followers, Happy Eid-ul-Fitr. ♥

[nkjemisin]

"How easy/hard is it for cities to be born, and what cities do you think will be born next?"

Got this set of questions from a reader, but I can't post the actual ask due to spoilers. I've paraphrased the questions, and here are the answers, sans spoilers. This post is long, so first a cut:

Hi there! I'm afraid I have to answer this privately because of the spoilers in your ask. But since my reply contains info that might be interesting to other readers of my books, I'm going to publicly post a redacted version of my answer, paraphrasing your q without the spoilers. I'll leave your name out of it, unless you prefer otherwise.

Re cities being born -- it's not an "easy/hard" thing, it's a "critical mass" thing. Basically as more and more minds focus on that city and imbue it with their beliefs and imaginings, these become the metaphysical building blocks of city life, which build up and interact. Let's call them, uh, "citimino acids," lol. Many things can disrupt this buildup -- the city's character changing drastically and quickly, natural or societal disasters, a hit TV show a la "Miami Vice" from back in the day. These changes introduce fresh citimino acids, and some of the new ones are incompatible with some of the old ones, so the primordial soup stops churning for a while as the city develops a new character or reputation. But if the soup is allowed to churn up again, for a period that varies per city, then the acids eventually spark into life. At this point, the process changes to something more like human pregnancy, because humans are driving it. The physical city starts to "gestate" a metaphysical self: a mind, free will, whatever you want to call it. (I'll call it a soul.) At this point city avatars start being able to sense the developing meta-city; that's how the Summit knows to send someone when the "due date" draws close. Proto-avatars of that city can sense it, too, as Neek did in the short story/prologue of TCWB.

This process eventually happens in most new cities that develop any kind of distinctive culture. It also happens in old cities that have been through a period of upheaval, like a conquest or a major disaster. Complete destruction of a city (see: Pompeii) would obviously kill its soul. But for cities that only get partially destroyed, the city's soul (and avatar) survives on the sufferance of belief. If a city gets conquered or its population killed by a disaster or something equally horrific, every human being who hears about it is going to have a thought about that city. If enough of those people think, "Well, that's just life in [City], its citizens ought to be used to this kind of thing," then the city retains its character, stays alive, and the avatar lives. (See: Istanbul.) But if enough people think, "Oh no, the [City] that I knew is gone! It's never going to be the same, what a shame, we went there on our honeymoon," then the physical city might be rebuilt, but the city's soul (and avatar) wil die. A new soul might eventually be reborn, but it will be a different soul. Roman Empire-era Rome is very different from the Rome of today. That city has had several avatars down the ages.

Anyway, tl;dr, colonialism is why there's so much city birth happening in the Western Hemisphere. And all the technological and cultural revolutions the world has had in the past few centuries have created other clusters; consider all the new "planned cities" in Africa and Asia, for example. So because of all this global upheaval, the Summit is going to be very busy for a while.

(This is stuff I sketched out a few years back, when I was figuring out how "city magic" worked. I tried not to put too much of it in the books, however. Just because I suffer for my art doesn't mean everybody else has to.)

Off the top of my head, US cities that will definitely (eventually) get born include, in addition to the ones mentioned in the books: Los Angeles (per the original short story), New Orleans again, the Bay Area, and Boston. But feel free to imagine more, because I haven't exactly visited every city in America so my impressions of them are naturally going to be biased.

Outside the US, I honestly don't know enough about other countries to tell. I would guess most of the 10 largest cities in Central and South America, but it won't be in order of size, it'll be in order of culture/renown/public opinion.

Whew, long answer. Hope that answers your questions. And thanks!