#shit man i dunno

[jcryptid]

Currently in a state of 'stumbled across an old fic idea' that has me, for some indescernable reason, seized by the motivation gremlin late at night on what is technically monday morning

[dell2-dio]

Why yes, I remember Homestuck completely. It went like this.

[monkeybebop]

Jesse Pinkman come home the kids miss u…

[phoe-ix]

Ok so like. Anonymous friendo came up with a silly idea so i made it real

[jellazticious]

Personal pet peeve is when I see animators I follow post storyboard shots of a scene and the final product got rid of everything that made the board pop

[m1d-45]

the eye of the beholder

summary: shields were a vital part of any combat. you knew, of course, that your lover was capable of summoning one with his vision, but you’ve never been on the receiving end of it…

word count: 1.5k

-> warnings: nope :] petname "my dear" is used towards reader once

-> gn reader (you/yours)

taglist: @samarill || @arienic || @valeriele3 || @shizunxie || @boba-is-a-soup || @yuus3n || @esthelily || @turningfrogsgay || @cupandtea24 || @genshin-impacts-me || @chaoticfivesworld || @raaawwwr || @ryuryuryuyurboat || @undrxtxd || @rainswept || @wanderersqt || @rozz-eokkk

< masterlist >

liyue was well guarded. millelith studded the streets of the harbor like jewels across rings, well averting most thieves or would be criminals. it was hard not to feel safe when walking along any street, with the rare exception of some of the further-out docks. even then, you’ve never really had reason to worry; in part, of course, due to the company you kept close.

zhongli was… eccentric, to put it kindly. he dressed in thick, heavy suits even through the most unbearable summers, he bought any manner of strange stones or old strains of tea just to take pride in spending fatui money (how he got away with this, you didn’t know), and he made a habit of seeking out every historian in the harbor just to prod at them with his knowledge of history. he gave no clear reason for any of these things, chalking it up to “personal preference,” “it’s not like they’d miss the money,” and “simply seeking knowledge” respectively.

you knew this, and you loved him for it. every time you went to his house, he had some new trinket or teacup lining his shelves. he was a collector, mainly of amusement and knowledge, and often brought you along on his adventures. he brought you everywhere: to the higher end of feiyun slope, where just a single stone cost more than your house, to the deep edges of the lower harbor, the air thick with humidity as he pointed out the various streaks of wear on the cliffsides. to dunyu ruins, because he heard a rumor not of ancient treasure or unimaginable glory, but of a geoculus.

geoculi were as common as the birds in the sky, with very few adventurers having the time or skill to move them. deceptively heavy, rooted in place by binds of geo energy, and those that did manage to haul them to a statue of the seven were rewarded with barely a glimmer in the wind. despite their legends, oculi were common across every nation, and were only about as interesting as a strange bird to most of the public.

naturally, your partner had reportedly been trying to acquire one for months now. why? for fun, it seemed. and so you set out beside him, past bubu pharmacy and out into the plains.

aside from settlements, liyue was mostly wild land. tianqiu valley was overrun with treasure hoarders, cuijue slope covered in geo elementals and ruin machines. and yet, despite going out on similar trips with zhongli several dozen times before, the worst injury you’ve had is a minor scrape from tripping over a tree root when he wasn’t looking. he was quick with his spear and fine with his words, not to mention that most of the various gangs and thieves knew his name well by now. if you didn’t know better, he’d almost look like an easy mark: a well-dressed man with a slow tone and silk gloves, like he wasn’t in the think of jueyun karste searching for ore.

they learned quick. you’ve fully seen a fatui member stop and walk the other way mid-patrol when he walked by, which while strange was perfectly fine by you. no conflict, no need for worry, just him and whatever sight he felt like showing you that day.

today, you approached a wide, open basin set into the earth. one half was covered in ruined stone and overgrown vegetation, only broken by pins of red torchlight. within, two massive statues guarded the entrance to yet more ruined buildings, the half-crumbled body of another laying not too far away. in the center of it all was a pool of water with a stone pedestal in the center, holding a rusted chest. far above that, however, was your beloved’s target: a shimmering geoculus, spinning lazily in the air.

how were you going to get it? no idea. how were you going to get down there in the first place? not a clue. what was the pale dome around it and the pond? you had to stop asking questions you didn’t have the answer to.

zhongli hummed, satisfied, his shoulders shifting back a bit in pride. he took your hand in his, leading you closer with a whisper to “watch your step, my dear.”

he found a path like it had personally called his name, the one corner of the sheer stone that had walkable ground. tucked between the cliff face and a wall of the ruin, he went down first, leading you down after, never letting you fall. he never once slipped, as if his boots had spikes that drilled into the earth and weren’t high end dress shoes. the perks of a geo vision, you supposed…

the path was steep and your hands were admittedly unsteady by the end of it, but before you knew it you were standing on solid ground. his arm wrapped around your waist and pulled you toward him, a soft kiss pressed to your cheek as a quiet reward for your tenacity.

the geoculus was hidden within a strange dome of anemo, three oddly-carved pillars spaced around it. near one of them was a floating wisp over a mossy stone, which flew to the pillar with the sound of faint bells when touched.

“an unfinished seelie court,” zhongli mused, looking around the basin. one half was overgrown with vines hanging down from the upper level, and the other was blocked by a gate with some sort of puzzle waiting to be solved.

naturally, he turned to the mess of vines, holding out his hand for you again.

“stay close. we don’t know what might be inside.”

you do, following as he cut down the foliage, listening over the sound of your breath for the seelie’s chimes. the walls were covered in greenery, but where they parted were intricate geometric patterns, sharp spirals cut into the stone. the air was cool, the stone quiet, moss cushioning your steps. if you were being honest, you thought zhongli was being a bit overcautious; but liyuen ruins were more challenging on the mind than the body. you were more likely to find a seelie than an arrow in your shoulder… though you’d be lying if it wasn’t endearing every time. who wouldn’t feel special, with such a pretty man so concerned for their safety?

you didn’t think much of your surroundings when the room opened up, still searching for the seelie that seemed to be nowhere. but you heard no bells, no chimes, just your shoes on the floor and the clank of heavy gears from high above.

fine. so maybe he had a point about danger this time. broken clocks and all that.

your eyes tracked the sound to the ceiling, not minding the arm the stretched in front of you. whatever was moving, it sounded heavy, old, rusted metal falling through the gaps in the stone beams. the heap pushed itself up only unsteady feet, studded with gears in indecipherable script. it was easily twice as tall as you were, if not taller, and you suddenly understood every precaution he’d given you about the dangers faced in the plains.

your fear didn’t get the chance to set. the floor glowed as geo condensed, the sharp snap of zhongli’s arms pulling a stele from the earth, directly between you and the machine. in an instant, pure geo energy coalesced around you, a paper-thin layer of shining gold that you felt more than saw.

you were not one for combat. you were not a vision wielder, not an adventurer, not a pirate or guard or anything of the sort. you had never once been with zhongli in a fight, and though you were grateful for that…

time had slowed to nothing. all you could see was the gentle shield wrapped around you, an almost physical pressure that settled into your mind like water soaking into sand. assuredness, confidence, security kept tight around you as the shield shined. you felt safe, a bone-deep sanctuary that made it a little hard to breathe, if only from surprise.

it made sense, somewhat, that shields would protect the mind as well as the body. you lifted a hand, pressing it against the delicate film, resonance buzzing where you touched.

the earth shook beneath your feet, pulling you from your thoughts. just as you moved to step out from behind the stele, zhongli returned, eyes scanning over you for harm before sweeping you close to his chest. he held you tight, warm and protective and between him and the shield you felt as if you could cry. indemnity flowed in your veins, the world falling away, the weighted air keeping you grounded.

“let’s go home, darling.”

you blinked, pulling yourself out of the deep warmth of the jade shield. “what about your oculus?”

“i can fetch it another time.” he pulled away just enough to kiss your temple, keeping his arm around your waist as he led you out of the ruins. “your safety matters more to me than any gem.”

the shield didn’t last you saw the sun, but the sense of shelter long persisted.

[bixels]

I'm not getting into The Giving Tree discourse...

[blobee]

Explodes (me)

[moongothic]

Madoka is the promise you won't turn from a child, full of hopes and dreams and the wish to save the world, into a bitter adult who just wants to hurt others and ruin people's lives

Madoka promised to be there for you to remind you of the person you wanted to be and to stop you from becoming what you sought to destroy

Madoka made that promise and became the very embodiment of it

[luna-loveboop]

Ok, so I know the update came out literal seconds ago so it’s probably a liiiittle weird to already post about it but hear me out

I already know my favourite panel in this update because look

Hyrule’s like the little guy wants to talk to you! Which is great but I look at wild and he just looks so scared

I’m just imagining he’s thinking “but I’m terrified of the little guy now”

[kohhomaru]

Portrait practice

[kingmaxstatic]

[Holding back autism] Yeah man I dunno the squid sisters are pretty cool.

[Do not tag as ship!]

[chilfucked]

[to-much-3n3rgy]

GUYS doing the challenge but for followers cuz thats what my challenge with friends is about

5 followers: share a few of my poems

check my feed for them if you wanna see!

10 followers, voice recording of me laughing like dolphin (tw: scary)

15 followers: ill start reading Percy jackson (i havent im sorry i was so confusing about the centaur dude i stopped reading)

20 followers ill draw (badly) anything followers want me to draw

25: followers: big Q & A

30 followers: ill tell my extended family that i use they/them pronouns

40 followers: Start doing my chores

50 followers voice recording of a bit of a song (tw: im bad at singing)

if i win against my friends the follower challenge: ill shout out everyone following this blog on this and my main blog

ILL ADD MORE IF I GET THERE

[butchtateandtackle]

tate mcgucket and the pines twins post weirdmaggedon

[buttercup-barf]

Okay, look. I am unbearably exhausted right now. I don't care if I posted this before. I don't care if not everyone has seen this "canon" Peppina. Look at them.

Look at the only T4T rep that matters.

These are, once again, old and janky, but I am too tired to care. Travel safely, gamers.