#so that a god may reside in it and speak with mortals

[bigby-billy]

ACTUALLY YES partially what led to this was an art piece with Cobigail and her doll/statue done by @corntort ! :D

What if Gods could communicate through the statues, cardboards cutouts, billboards and etc?

This was actually an idea that me and @modmad were thinking about in discord and so I drew a little thing based off that :3

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Long Snake Moan 3

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

Character: Loki

Summary: your boss gives you a task you’re not prepared for.

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging ❤️

You sit at your lonesome perch, hidden behind the large floating screen. Your job can be isolating. People only speak with you to get to Tony and even then, they’re just as often too intimidated to approach you. You only really have any sort of mutual acquaintance with your boss and he just tells you what to do.

You expect the footsteps that approach to pass you by as you always do. Instead, a shadow appears on the other side of your extended monitor arm. You look up as green eyes glare down at you from above the frame of the screen. You sit up as you stare at Loki.

“Stark. Now.” He demands.

Your eyes skitter over to your boss’ door then back to the angry man, er, god? In front of you.

“I’ll see if he’s available, sir.” You go to open your teams and he pulls your screen so it’s above you.

“I am not asking if he’s available. I mean to speak to that mewling quim and I would do so at once,” he demands, squeezing your monitor so splotches appear below his fingertips.

“Sure,

You stand and step around the desk. He moves with you, slithering like a snake. He’s too close. You go to Tony’s door and knock. He got in late last night. You know because you had to bring a burger and shake to his house. The fabulous life of Tony Stark’s assistant.

You wait but don’t get an answer. You tap again and peek back over your shoulder, “I don’t think--”

“Enough.” He presses against your lower back and reaches around you. He twists the handle and urges you inside ahead of him. Tony’s at his desk smirking at his phone. He looks up in surprised chagrin.

“Woah, what the hell--”

“There you are.” Loki greets with sinister delight. He nudges you to the side but you can’t escape the office. You just stand there dumbly as he blocks the door. “So, I am to be ejected from this rock.”

“Ah, yeah, sorry about that boss,” Tony drops his phone and leans back in his chair. “Something about a criminal record. Not exactly what I would call an invasion of a city but we don’t need to go into semantics.”

“Mm, you think you’re clever. Well, I do believe you’ve forgotten who I am.” Loki stands straight, birdlike as he glowers down his long nose. “I’ve become rather acquainted with your mortal legislation. Rather antiquated but simple enough to understand.”

“Sure, and what loophole did you find, oh, might prince?” Tony challenges.

Loki snickers. It's a noise that electrifies your scalp. You don’t like that.

“Upon my understanding, and I did consult with one of your Midgardian law practitioners, I have it that I am eligible for residence upon the grounds of marriage.”

It’s Tony turn to laugh. He cackles in glee and rolls forward, leaning his elbows on his desk with interest. “Marriage? And who the hell is deluded enough to marry you?”

Loki tilts his head and smirks. His eyes stick to Tony for just a moment then crawl around the office and land on you. You frown.

“It is rather cruel to make her tell me. I'm certain she begged you not to make her but we all know the sort of creature you are.” Loki sneers and unbuttons his jacket, reaching beneath. “The very same reason why you would be entirely unaware why she shouldn't like to hurt me.”

He unfolds the paper as he strides to Tony's desk. You watch, paralysed and perplexed. Your chest thumps. What is going on?

He spreads the document under his fingers and stands straight with a triumphant smirk. Tony slides the paper closer and clicks his tongue. His eyes skim the print and his mouth falls open. He looks at you.

“What?” You gulp.

“Married. To him. You? And him?” Tony wags his finger back and forth between you and Loki.

“Married?” You squeak.

“Oh do be certain to call city hall to confirm. You will see the signatures are legitimate, as well as the stamp and registration number,” Loki boasts. “We did expect your uncouth reaction so we did keep it under lock and key until we were certain. These dire circumstances however, have forced us into the light,” he lifts his chin, “isn't that right, darling?”

“Mr. Stark,” you cross the office and try to see the paper. It can't be real. A marriage license. With your name on it. Next to his. “I swear–”

“You know what?” Tony claps his hands then slams them on the desk. He pushes himself to his feet. “I don't have the time for all this stuff. It's weird. Look, sweetheart, call me a car. As long as you do your job, I can't be bothered. Got my own shit, you know?” He glances between the two ot you again.”Very strange.”

He struts around the desk and past Loki. The taller god steps in front of him, raising and open palm.

“Ah, one more thing. She isn't your sweetheart so lets keep that to a minimum,” he pats Tony's chest and hums.

“If you've had your snaky self near it, trust me, I'm good.” Tony knocks his arm away and continues out the door.

You stare after your boss only to find your eyes drawn by the pair watching you. You make a strangled noise and throw your hands up. “Married?!”

“A wonderful ceremony. Small. But romantic,” he purrs. “I've always been rather fond of tricks and you mortals make them so much easier.”

[liloinkoink]

Okay so what if in Lamplight Grian and Martyn somehow saw each other again to extreme confusion, like you thought that your friend was dead but turns out he was turned into a weird bird thing and also accidentally became a paladin and also your a paladin and your god who may or may not be a flame at the moment is freaking out.

Like there are two paladins facing each other one with a god behind him the other holding a staff with a lantern on it, they’re both crying and once everything calms down they recount what happened scar just starts booking it.

see, the thing about a Grian and Martyn reunion is Grian doesn’t realize Scar is a god and Martyn doesn’t realize Ren’s full identity. so Scar wouldn’t know Ren is the god he killed (who he fully believes is dead) because Martyn won’t mention Ren by name, and Grian has no idea he’s a paladin because he thinks Scar is mortal. Grian and Martyn will just be chilling. even Scar will just be chilling. this is, for the most part, a happy reunion

now. Ren however. Ren will recognize Scar, but if they reunite while his body is fire, he can’t explain what he knows at all. and what he knows is that Scar is a god with incredibly powerful charmspeak, and that Grian is probably charmed, and that Scar can’t be trusted, and that Ren can’t do anything right now to protect Martyn from Scar. he will probably look stressed and panicked, but Martyn is reuniting with his dead friend, so i’m not sure Martyn will realize. stress and panic look a lot like excitement, so Martyn might misread those signals a bit, or be so focused on Grian he doesn’t notice

as they talk and both explain what happened… Grian is going to be explaining trying to get his body back to normal and telling about this idiot Scar he’s trying to keep alive and how Scar barely even seems to know how to cook for himself or patch his own injuries but for some reason took to the road. in his mind Scar is an ineffectual traveler who is only not dead because of dumb luck. Martyn is going to think this is funny. Ren is going to think this is horribly sinister.

it’s only when Martyn explains his own deal—explains how he met his god in the ruins—that Scar is going to realize who Ren is. but why would he say anything? after all, Ren can’t speak. Martyn doesn’t even know Ren’s name! if Martyn doesn’t know, then it’s likely no one does unless they were a former Dogwarts resident. Scar looks to be about their age, so he definitely shouldn’t, and he’s rather committed to being an ineffectual traveler Grian needs to take care of (so that he can continue to travel with and take care of and watch over Grian). he won’t out himself as a god for this

but there will be a moment. when Martyn says his god is the god of Dogwarts. that he’s been waiting there since the city fell. that Scar will look just a bit surprised. and his eyes will slide over to Ren. and there will be a moment of dawning recognition. Scar finally knows exactly who he is.

and then he’ll smile, and he’ll say nothing, and Ren’s blood will run ice cold

[fire-lizard-ro]

Lil post about HSR men with religious themes for none have lead me into temptation I found the way myself-

This is for you @pix3lplays <333 (I was screaming at her about it, lol-)

I love???? Religious themed characters and the works that come out of that??? I have an Argenti smut fic in the works with heavy religious themes, but here's a mini ramble about Argenti, Sunday, and Luocha.

CW: blasphemy :))), religious themes, softcore gore almost but not really???, somewhat dark themes/dark romance

Yeah I grew up with church and stuff sorry if some of it does make sense to the general public lololol-

For Argenti (snippets from my fic I'm working on):

"He would sooner rend his mortal form to pieces than ever hurt you. Even a little. He would splay his torn shell across the canvas of stars that blanket the universe that was made for you for whatever other higher powers- whatever fate exists should there ever come a day in which his hands hurt rather than protect. So that they may judge what remains of his soul for his crime."

"At your behest he would present his heart, ripped from his chest, for you to take. You were his heart, anyways… Without you there was only a hollow cage within his chest where never again would the echo of a heartbeat reside. The fire nothing but ash where there was once a blaze of life and passion."

For Sunday:

It's either he makes you his church and his bride (talking about how the church is god's bride) or you make him your elohim your "I am". Perhaps both.

His penchant for control is perfect for this. He will be your only god for you are to have no false idols. Only he must remain in your heart for he is the owner of your soul, your life, your breath. He is the light and the truth. His word is law.

But of course, a god must tend to his flock. He will take good care of you for your devotion.

For Luocha:

The thorns. The almost rosary like item he carries, wrapped around his hand. The words he speaks. "Death is not the end. The dead will return."

Pix brought to my attention the idea that some have about Luocha carrying your body, devoid of breath and life, in his coffin.

And to that I respond:

"So devoted was he that not even the sacred soil of the earth would be allowed to have you. Even in death."

He would search until the ends of the universe to find a way to bring you back to him. Even though his god was made of flesh and blood as he, it mattered not. Only you could possibly be the divine for you were his cornerstone. Without you he would fall apart. God works in the waiting and surely this was his divine burden- His test from you to prove his devotion. He was sure he would one day complete this task for you and bring you back. You, the life beyond death. You the light in the midst of his darkness. His eloah, his elohim, his almighty.

[thetelesterion]

What is the nature of the Gods?

What are they made of? What do they look like? Questions such as these are very common in our faith, so I would like to write down my personal answers to them. Note-- these views and beliefs are my own and I do not seek to belittle those who may think differently. To put it simply, the gods are spirit. They are purely spiritual beings who exist on a higher plane of reality, but who can also interact with us in our plane of reality. They can make themselves visible and known to us at any time. This is clear from ancient sources which speak of divine manifestations, called "theophanies." The gods typically appear as human beings so that we can comprehend them, because our minds are extremely limited. The gods do not have permanent physical forms, but have been known to directly command mortals to create images for them. The reason why we have any images at all is both to direct our minds during worship, but also to have them serve as windows into the plane where the gods reside. They are material imitations of things that are immaterial, and which we cannot see.

[crazylittlejester]

Saw the post about the Chain and their god domains and my greek mythos obsessed brain got scritched so here is the Chain as Greek gods/mythos:

Time: The old man gave me such a hard time. absolutely going insane over him. He’s Hades. being one of the big three (this fucker split the timeline (almost like how the underworld is split)). Ive never finished MM or OoT but i believe the lore is that all the masks are possessed to put it simply, thus the spirits granting link his power, making Time a maestro of the dead. Many interpretations of hades also depict him as cunning, a trickster, while also being stern, much like our resident little shit (affectionate). Hermes was a big contender here for that reason.

Sky: This was a toss up but im gonna have to say Zeus honestly, mister Godslayer himself. less of a connection between their personalities honestly and more just focusing on their similar dynamics, skills, and symbolism. Obviously we have our favorite lightning motif, plus the position of leadership they both share - in the sense that zeus is more or less the leader of the gods and sky being the ‘leader’ so to speak of the timeline. Plus the parallels between demise and kronos, and zeus/sky’s respective roles there. It was between the big man or persephone.

Twilight: Artemis!! Our very literal leader of the pack. Goddess of the hunt, patron of animals, domain over the moon (cough twilight cough). Though, Demeter and hestia were fighting me here, the fursona won over the country bumpkin sadge.

Warriors: You are Athena! badass in the arena! /ref. Honestly, i feel like i should be assigning them their ‘obvious’ gods and then give them one that attaches to them more symbolically. Yes, everyone’s favorite captain is THE captain goddess. Cunning, strategist, warhead, intelligent, and alot of people forget that Athena is both charismatic and incredibly physically beautiful, in most adaptations. she was in the lineup for paris and guided the trojan war. I forget who it was on here that is a big ���wars = helen of troy” truther but theyre absolutely so correct.

Legend: Also a tricky toss up, but i ultimately landed on apollo. Apollo’s known for being a sort of jack of all trades god, between his dominion over the sun, medicine, music, archery, and more. With the vet’s all encompassing experience, with his multitude of instruments and proficiencies in different magical items it made sense. Me, personally, I loved the stories of apollos shape-shifting mortal ventures more than say zeus or any of the other gods. Also, depending on your characterization of the vet, their supposed personalities line up quite well, with apollo being charming and somewhat arrogant/snarky with others

Hyrule: This feels left-field but rulie gets to be Persephone! Adept with magic, goddess of fertility and the harvest and just general growth (of nature), with the double edge of being the queen of the underworld. Ugh im so obsessed with downfall duo rulie is so tragic. left with a desolate wasteland, yet (depending on characterization) ushering in and doing his damndest to nurture life and growth. I love the headcanons where rulie is a survivalist through and through, proficiencies in botany and herbology, respect for the land and its inhabitants. 

Wild: Demeter! Wild is of the land, they are one and the same. The way his world is absolutely teeming with life, and the way he is molded to adapt and live with the land to complete his adventure,,, ugh its too good. He is the most in tune with the wolves, the bees, the cows, the reeds, the flowers, the dragons, the spirits, they ARE him. he woke up with NOTHING, except a vast land full to bursting with life and lessons. 

Four: Hephaestus, obviously. dont get me wrong, I love four so much, but anything else felt blasphemous (The way i could write essays about it—). He is the god of blacksmithing, if i assigned him anything else i fear he may just manage to kill me. 

Wind: Notos! God of the east Wind, known for the bringing of summer, cyclones, and warmth. love that funky little whirlwind hes so fun and spunky. being a god of wind was so on the nose it was too good. I didnt ever consider poseidon, winds too squishy and fluid for that. this kid is bouncing around like a cat 5 hurricane he is the wind, he is free (to cause chaos).

Ugh i love yapping about the mythologies. i may do this again except with minor gods/demigods (i will get back to that legend-achilles parallel i swear). I hope this was amusing to you

OKAY OKAY GO OFF!!!!

(I’m a huge Wars = Helen of Troy truther, I ain’t the only one, but I’ve yapped about it a lot akdkkdk)

you absolutely ate this up on my god i agree i agree i agree i agree. LEGEND AND ACHILLES?? SIGN ME THE FUCK UP IF YOU EVER FEEL LIKE YAPPIN ABOUT THAT THE FLOOR IS YOURS AND THE ASK BOX IS OPEN ID LOVE TO HEAR IT

[elongatedtennisball]

A Beginner's Guide to the TBCU

First and foremost, what is the TBCU? The Tennis Ball Cinematic Universe is a silly little playground where we all make our tennis balls kiss and fight to the death.

While the "Tennis Ball" part of our name may be off-putting to some, we actually have a wide variety of creatures, including (but not limited to!) gods, the odd human or two, robots, and whatever the fuck this thing is:

Anyone can join, just make an OC like you would any other, slap a tennis ball label on it (i.e; husband-tennis-ball, acoustic-tennis-ball, tennis-ball-wizard), make a blog, and tag or send an ask to either myself or @i-want-tennis-ball to join!

But before you join, you might be wondering: "Are there rules? What sort of world setting is this? Can I make just ANYTHING, or should I go for a specific vibe?"-- and that's where this helpful guide comes into play!

Under the cut will be 6 things you should know before joining the TBCU*! (And if you know all of this, but aren't sure how to roleplay, #6 is the one for you.)

*Don't worry, though, if you don't want to read all of this (It is... a lot.)... We'll teach you!

Number 1: Want and Hate

@i-want-tennis-ball and @i-hate-tennis-ball are the two oldest members of the TBCU, and as I'm sure you can tell, there's a bit of tension between them... (Or, well. There was. I'm... not really sure what they're doing now.)

I Want Tennis Ball, also known as Sybil, is our leader, the owner of the House many of us live in (more on that below!), and has provided lovingly for our cult family since the very beginning.

Sybil takes in any lost or wandering tennis balls that come to them, so if you're looking for a place to stay, Sybil has your back! She's an incomprehensible entity, so if you have any sort of prejudice against non-tennis balls, this isn't the place for you. We'll defend him with our lives if we have to. (At least. Most of us will. Some of us. Probably. I will.)

And then there's I Hate Tennis Ball (or, Hate, for short), the mortal enemy of the tennis balls. He's also an incomprehensible entity, like Sybil, but unlike Sybil, he's determined to kill us all.

Just a couple of years ago, they came into our House under the name "Zion", disguised as a tennis ball. We accepted him, welcomed her into our House... and that bastard tried to burn us to the ground!

Hate lives out next to the Forest (again, more on that below), in a small cottage. If you see it... it's best to just avoid it.

Recently, however... Sybil and Hate seem to be getting along? It's been quite the stir among the House's residents.

Speaking of which...

Number 2: The House

The House is where we live! Well, most of us, anyways. It's surrounded on all sides by forests, (Like the Forest, the Fae Forest, and the Willows) and a bit further out there are a whole bunch of... other stuff. I haven't really explored beyond that, to be honest. I think there's a bunch of villages and stuff?

...

The House is owned by Sybil, but anyone can come live there. There's always room! In fact, it's practically... magical, how much room there is. Sometimes I swear the hallways change on me...

The House is taken care of by @nurse-tennis-ball, the Nurse, Maid, Gardener, and much more! She loves her job, and we're all very grateful to him. If you need anything, they almost certainly will have you covered! (Just... be warned. She's a bit... odd... at times.)

You don't have to live in the House to hang out with us, but we'd be glad to have you!

Number 3: The Forests

There's four major forests around the House, each with their own unique perks and residents!

The Fae Forest

Here lies the trickster @fae-tennis-being. If you know your fae rules, take a step instead! Otherwise...

Do not enter.

The Willows

An over grown forest, filled to the brim will all sorts of magical creatures, like @snake-tennis-ball, a huge snake woman.

...

Do not enter.

The Forest

Home to the God of Order in the East, their angels, and resting just on the edge of the ruins of a village, the Forest is also magical, and doesn't like visitors.

... ...

Do not enter.

A forest

This one is just a regular forest! Nothing interesting about it at all.

Feel free to enter!

Number 4: Gods and Religion

You might have noticed that I mentioned that the Forest is home to the God of Order in the East. In fact, there's many gods around, including the 3 other gods of order (for the South, West, and North!), and many, many others, too many to count.

The Gods are run by Creation, the force that drives the Universe, and are usually subject to the whims of Fate.

If you want to make a god OC to add to our lovely cast... Simply do! We'd be happy to have them. The only slots that are taken are the Gods of Order.

(For a more extensive look into the way the gods work, check out this post!)

Many of us worship the gods, and there's no one religion that defines us. Just... try to get along.

Number 5: Magic

Magic is abundant in our Universe, just ask our residents, like @tennisball-wizard, who dabble in the stuff. There are two kinds of magic, but most people don't know the difference, and figure out magic just fine, so don't sweat the details (unless you're into the details! In which case, this is the section for you.). Magic can do whatever you need it to do.

External Magic

External Magic is the kind of magic that fuels our very Universe. It comes from sources outside the user's body. This kind of magic is extremely safe to use, as no matter how much you use, you'll never drain your own energy reserves. You might, however, drain the reserves of the magic around you, and then you won't be able to use magic anymore. So be careful!

Internal Magic

Internal Magic is the kind of magic that comes from deep within you, and is typically a lot stronger than External Magic. Internal Magic can be extremely dangerous to use though, if you don't learn how to restrain yourself, as it draws from your very life force.

It also leaves an imprint of your magic on whatever you enchanted, sort of like a fingerprint that other people can use magic in order to see. Imprints are a little bit different for everyone, and you can be identified with them.

(Interesting note: You can gather the Internal Magic of someone else, wielding it like you would External Magic, and not only would it be safe for you to use, it would leave the imprint of them instead of you.)

Number 6: Character Creation and Some Roleplaying Tips

"This is cool and all, but what about my character? Are there things I shouldn't do? And how do I even go about roleplaying with other people? Do I just... start talking and hope someone joins?"

If you're here, you probably are asking these questions. I've got you.

Your character can do anything you want! Really, anything at all. The only limitations are: a) Your character can't dictate what other characters do. This might seem obvious, but it's always good to keep in mind. If there's something you want to happen, you'll need to communicate with whoever owns those OCs before deciding it yourself. b) Sometimes we have systems set in place (like the magic one I just explained). If you have a character that requires you to flesh out some world building, just ask! You can DM me, or join our Discord, and ask about a system, and see if anyone has got something in place*. Otherwise, it'll be yours to create! *Note: Even if a system is already in place, you can probably expand upon how it works if you need something specific. Don't sweat the details, the Universe is flexible, and we'll change it to help everyone's characters the best.

I know we're called the "Tennis Ball Cinematic Universe" but... You don't have to make a tennis ball OC! We have the Gods, of course, but we also have lots of characters pretending to be tennis balls, or tennis balls but slightly to the left, or incomprehensible entities, or creatures, or just straight up humans! Tennis balls was just a funny gimmick, and something unique to our Universe to help define us.

Now your OC just needs a name and title! We like to give our OCs a title, like I mentioned at the start. "Husband Tennis Ball", "Tripping Tennis Ball", and "Rizzler Tetanus Ball" are all some examples. These were mostly done out of needing a blog URL for our OCs, but we've worked it into the canon that most tennis balls have a title like that, even if they don't get a blog. (For example, Smoke Tennis Ball is the narrator for @assistant-tennis-ball, despite not having a blog of his own.) The title can be whatever you want, just take a glance at the Master List before picking, so you know what's already in use.

Now for some roleplaying tips! (If you already know how to roleplay on Tumblr, you can skip down to the bottom.)

How to start a roleplay - Locate the person you want to roleplay with. If you're in the Discord, go ahead and ask them if they wanna roleplay. Sometimes you guys can work out a situation to start them off together. You don't have to do this, though, because the simplest way to start a roleplay is to send an ask! Just go to their blog, type in an anonymous ask the same way you would type a roleplay normally (more on that in a second), and tag yourself, so that you get notified when they respond. - Remember that people are busy, and might not get around to answering your ask right away, or they might forget. DMs or Discord are good for asking people if they're available, or if they're still interested in roleplay. Don't be a dick, sometimes roleplays get forgotten, or life takes precedence. There will always be other people to roleplay with.

How to... you know. Roleplay! - Pick a format! For example, when I roleplay, there are three main things I do: Narration, Talking, and Thinking. Whatever format you pick, make sure you're consistent, so that people know what you're character is doing! - Example: ETB2 looks around, smiling gently when he sees you. This is what his narration looks like. He walks over to you, and then starts to talk. "Hey! You must be new here. This is what my talking looks like. And now thinking, right?" ((I like to put my thinking in bold, just to keep things different. Here's what that looks like.)) Your format doesn't have to look anything like mine. You can use different colors, symbols, and text formats to signify the differences. Feel free to get creative. Remember: The important thing is that you're consistent. - When roleplaying, try to think of how your character would react to the situation at hand. The best characters are the ones that are well defined, but don't worry about being perfect. It takes some getting used to, and every time you roleplay, you'll get a bit better at it! - You're on Tumblr, so I'm gonna guess you know how to use this website. Once you send an ask, and they respond, you'll use the reblog feature to continue the roleplay. And sometimes you wanna say something about your character, or your roleplay partner's. That's where the tags come in handy! Just type your message to your roleplay partner there. - You can also do an open roleplay, where you make your character do something, and then just wait to see who responds. Make sure you tag it as an open roleplay, so that people know you want interaction, and be mindful that this is less sure to get you a roleplay. - Finally: If you want to roleplay, but no one is reaching out? Reach out first! Trust me when I say a lot of us have anxiety about "bothering people". We're working on it ^_^;

Make an intro! - On your blog, introduce your character. Put down their Name, Pronouns, the Format you'll be using, and any Other Important Info.

Some of these narrators seems suspiciously like characters of their own... - And that's because, well, they are! Some of our narrators are sentient! There's no way to tell who has a sentient narrator and who doesn't until you get into a roleplay, and there's no obligation to have a sentient narrator of your own. But if that's your thing, go for it! - Just keep in mind, narrators are narrating. Unless your roleplay partner says otherwise, your characters can't hear the narrators*! *There are some exceptions, like @ball-ghost-tennis being able to hear her own narrator, and Narry (@ball-with-a-god-complex) being able to hear all narrators. But a good rule of thumb is, unless other wise stated, Narrators are Narrators, characters are characters. They don't interact!

Woah, that's a lot of color, Wiz. What's going on there? - Some of like to use colors to spice up our roleplay! A lot of times, if you see some extra colors, it means there's some sort of extra lore being hinted at. Most of us are normal, and didn't go quite as overboard with the colors as the Wizard did, but there are some... notable exceptions. (Looks at @tennisball-witch) - You can use colors, or you can leave it plain. It's entirely up to you, just like the formatting!

And... I think that's it for the basics!

Last but not least...

Other Resources for Learning More!

TBCU Masterlist of blogs! Note: Not a master list of characters, as there are so many more.

Our own Wiki!

TBCU Timeline!

You can join our Discord server (please ask @tennisball-wizard for the invite.)

Check out @tbcu-polls, where there's currently a tournament being held, but they also do several non-tournament polls that you yourself can submit to! (It's a great way to see some new faces and learn about the sort of characters they are.)

Check out @out-of-context-tbcu, where some of our wildest moments are put on blast.

[sigyns-drafts]

Hi, again! Luv what you did for my request with Marie Antoinette! Reader! I love how you characterised her and how she interacted with others, notably Jack!

Hope it wouldn't be too much of a bother for me to request Amphitrite! Reader with Poseidon, sort of a re-imagining of their marriage story where Amphitrite is an elegant, diplomatic queen, and yet literally the only thing keeping Poseidon from drowning humanity entirely/not having the seas in war with other gods?

I imagine Trite and him originally met during the Titanomachy, where she was sided with her dad Oceanus, and later met again in the actual marriage myth. I'd also especially love to request the part in the myth where Poseidon couldn't rizz her up himself, so he sent every sea creature to do it for him, and she goes, not because they were convincing, but because she wanted him to do it himself.

I wish you the best, take care of yourself, and keep doing what you do! 😊

A/N: Hello and thank you so much for even suggesting it in the first place! It was a blast to give her some characteristics with what you gave me and put her next to different characters. Jack was the cherry on top~ 🤭

You already know the answer~ I'd gladly write about your wonderful Amphitrite! I wish you the same back, take care of yourself and as always, love your art work and I hope you enjoy✨💕

A Love Forged in the Depths 🌊❤+💙

➩ In the shimmering depths of the vast sea, where the currents weave tales of old, resided the regal domain of Poseidon, the tempestuous god of the oceans. Yet, beneath the tumultuous waves, there awaited a woman upon Poseidons arrival home.

It was Amphitrite, the elegant queen whose grace would temper with Poseidon's wrath as it often did! Soon enough bringing back the couple back down memories lane.

➩ Reader type: Amphitrite!reader x Poseidon

⚠: A bunch of romantic fluff and teasing!

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a golden hue upon the waters, Amphitrite awaited Poseidon's return to their coral-laden palace.

Her dark skin glistened under the iridescent glow, and her red eyes held depths as unfathomable as the ocean itself. With each graceful movement of her dark mermaid tail, she exuded a sense of regality and power.

As Poseidon emerged from the depths, his trident gleaming with a fierce light, Amphitrite approached him with a gentle yet resolute demeanor.

"Welcome home, my lord," she greeted, her voice a melody that calmed even the wildest of storms.

"I trust your ventures were successful~?"

Poseidon's gaze softened as he beheld his queen, the one who held sway over his heart like no other woman.

"Indeed, they were, my darling Amphitrite." he replied, his voice filled with genuine feelings of happiness to be with his love once more, but he was hiding something behind those dark blue eyes.

"But, the affairs of the sea are ever tumultuous, and my patience wears thin on these mortals.."

Amphitrite raises an eyebrow at his words, confused on what the mortals could've possibly done now. She placed a comforting hand on Poseidon's arm, her touch soothing the storm within him.

"I understand your frustrations, my love.." she said, her words a balm to his troubled spirit.

"But please remember, it is through rational thinking and restraint from your anger that we maintain balance in the world right?"

Poseidon grunted, his gaze drifting towards the distant horizon where mortals sailed upon the waves.

"Humanity tests my patience at every turn.." he growled, his grip tightening on his trident.

"They pollute my waters, plunder my depths, and show no respect for the power I wield."

Amphitrite nodded understandingly, her eyes never leaving his.

"Yes, they may be reckless and foolish at times," she conceded. "But they are also capable of great beauty and ingenuity. We must guide them, not punish them."

Poseidon sighed, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly under Amphitrite's gentle persuasion.

"You speak wisdom, my queen. I'll think about this..." he admitted, his voice softer now.

"Perhaps I have been too quick to anger, too eager to unleash the fury of the sea.."

Amphitrite smirked, her radiant presence illuminating the darkness that threatened to consume them both.

"Exactly, together, we can achieve great things, my love~" Amphitrite said, her words a promise of unity and strength.

Poseidon took Amphitrite's hand in his own, the roughness of his touch softened by the tenderness in his eyes. He pulls her closer to himself, grabbing her waist.

"You are the anchor that holds me steady~" he confessed, chuckling under his breath. "Remember the day we first met?"

Amphitrite blushed and couldn't help but grin, biting her lip at the excitement Poseidon was expressing.

"Who do you take me for my king, of course I would remember such a embarrassing day upon your behalf, hehe~"

Once upon a time, amidst the chaos of the Titanomachy, where the Greek gods waged war against their predecessors.

Poseidon had first laid eyes upon Amphitrite here, as Oceanus's daughter and not his wife.

She fought alongside her father, her strength matched only by her elegance and diplomatic prowess.

Intrigued by her beauty and resilience, Poseidon sought to win her affections.

Yet, despite his attempts to charm her, Amphitrite remained steadfast, unmoved by his advances especially after this war.

Remaining loyal to her people and father! Unwilling to concede defeat, Poseidon devised a plan on a way to win her heart somehow.

Even if it took sending forth every sea creature under his command, from the majestic whales, to the playful dolphins.

Poseidon tasked them with persuading Amphitrite to accept his courtship. But unbeknownst to him, Amphitrite saw through his ruse, recognizing his reluctance to approach her directly.

It caused the woman great amusement that he wanted her so badly, but didn't dare set a foot before her.

One fateful day, as the ocean stirred with anticipation, Amphitrite decided to visit Poseidons domain and confronted him.

"Poseidon, god of the sea, why do you hide behind your creations?"

Poseidon, taken aback by her boldness to just enter so uncalled for caused his heart to skip a beat of panic. As he gazed upon her with newfound admiration.

"If your heart truly yearns for mine, then let your words be your own, not whispered through the mouths of creatures~"

The woman winks at him, about to turn away and leave, but Poseidon saw his chance and took it bravely!

"Amphitrite, daughter of Oceanus please wait! Your grace surpasses that of the ocean's depths, your wisdom and words are the most impressive things I've heard..!"

Amphitrite stops in her tracks, her red eyes shimmering with curiosity at what came next. A smug grin formed on her lips.

"Oh, is that so Poseidon~?"

"Yes! It is true..I have sought to win your favor through the sea's creatures, fearing rejection. But now, I stand before you vulnerable and sincere, asking for your hand in marriage.."

Finally the god of the ocean had said it, he had admitted to what had been so clear as running water, his true feelings and intentions for sending every creature in the sea to catch Amphitrite's attention.

"Poseidon," she replied, her voice soft yet resolute.

"Your sincerity brings me more enjoyment than any gesture orchestrated by you to win my heart. I accept your proposal, not because it was convincing but that you finally said it to my face, handsome~"

And so, beneath the starlit canopy of the ocean's depths, Poseidon and Amphitrite soon exchanged vows of love for each other, their union a testament to the enduring power of genuine affection and mutual respect.

As husband and wife, they were now both rulers of the sea and all its creatures, the same ones Poseidon had used to try winning Amphitrite's affection!

[serpentface]

Oh, birthing & midwiferyposting, please

Ok I will Elaborate

(Content warning because this contains discussion of infanticide)

This is speaking about midwifery and childbirth in the Imperial Wardi context (this also should not be taken as ubiquitous for every facet of the Imperial Wardi cultural sphere, but this is a broadly accurate rundown).

Infant mortality rates are high, and pregnancies and births can be very dangerous for the pregnant parent. Midwives serve a vital societal function and the best form of reproductive care available.

Midwives come in many forms. In poor families, the duties are usually performed by a family member and the skillset may be passed from parent to child. Some communities have resident midwives who perform their services for free or at low cost. Professional midwives exist for hire, and are very common in the cities. An upper echelon of midwives are a kind of physician-priestess, who will have received extensive medical training and are considered sanctified and uniquely equipped to fulfill the spiritual needs of childbirth. A few will perform services for free, but they are generally hired and their services are very expensive.

Wealthy families may have their own personal midwives, and VERY wealthy families/royalty have personal physician-priestesses.

Midwives are mostly women, though whether this is an expectation or merely an average tendency is dependent on the specific context. Cases where this is an Expectation tend to be in cultural contexts where the Gaze of a man is believed to have a sexual element that is uniquely powerful and harmful to the nude bodies of women (all Imperial Wardi cultural beliefs include a concept of the spiritually empowered Gaze and disempowered vulnerability in nudity, but exact nuances vary). Physician-priestesshood is, in theory, reserved only for people designated female, though a few throughout history have been known or suspected to be eunuchs.

Physician-Priestesses serve Anmir-Ganmache (an epithet of God as the domestic sphere, close in meaning to Ox-Face of the Hearth). This is not a priesthood specifically devoted to this face of God in the same sense that Odonii are the cult of the Lion-Face and Galenii are the cult of the Lunar-Face, they are merely seen as serving Anmir-Ganmache by performing their duties and being uniquely empowered by this Face's blessing. Most begin their training and education at puberty (though it's possible to join later in life) and are expected to serve for 25 years before retirement. Their primary function is to behave as midwives, but they receive a wide spectrum of medical training and are considered uniquely equipped to tend to the overall health of women.

A midwife is usually expected to not perform their tasks while menstruating (this may not be practical for poorer families who have to take what they can get), during which time a person is considered ritually unclean. Specially dedicated physician-priestesses are usually expected to be virgins and to remain so for the duration of their service (a method to ensure an entirely ritually pure existence). This is not expected of common midwives.

Most of any midwife’s job is typical physical assistance with the pregnancy and birthing process. Births are typically done in a sitting or squatting position, often wearing a special skirt or blanket to shield both parent and child from full view (a spiritual element to reduce unwanted metaphysical vulnerability during the birthing process). Under the best conditions, a midwife has several assistants of their own (in the case of physician priestesses, these are usually priestesses in training) who will physically support the person giving birth and attend to their needs.

The infant is shielded from direct view during its emergence, and is immediately cleaned and wrapped in cloth upon the cutting of the umbilical cord.

Part of the toolset for a physician-priestess is a pair of horns from a pregnant cow sanctified via sacrifice to Anmir-Ganmache. The cow had taken God's role in its sacrifice and its remains are holy relics, and used to put the mother and child under God's full protection. One horn will have been carved into a cup and holds a sanctified oil (usually olive), which is gently daubed over the eyes, mouth, heart, and near the genitals of the child, forming a protective barrier.

The other horn is intact (usually carved with protective imagery, notably a motif of a lioness-headed woman that has protective qualities for children, and an abstract, twisting serpent that represents and encourages the incarnation of the child's soul) and is waved over the child’s body in the form of a blessing. The same is done for the mother, with the addition of anointing the breasts to encourage healthy and clean lactation. Common midwives are unlikely to have easy access to sacred sacrificial relics, but this blessing rite is considered vital and can be accomplished (to a less ideal extent) with any cow's horns, so long as they have been properly purified.

Protecting the helpless, naked infant from the gaze and immediately exposing it to purifying agents is believed to help expel any inborn dagia or other polluting agents. This is believed to support the child's spiritual and physical health and hopes to prevent congenital or otherwise lifelong health conditions.

The midwife performs a thorough inspection of the infant, and will give a recommendation upon whether the child is healthy and fit to rear. Infants deemed at high risk of premature death may be killed, as the cost of care and emotional attachment for a child deemed unlikely to survive will often be seen as too great to warrant the risk. This act (presumably with the parent’s permission) is usually performed by the midwife themself, and is ideally accomplished with a fatal sedative dose (this death is seen as peaceful and painless, while a traumatic death would risk the infant’s soul failing to reincarnate and instead becoming a vengeful wandering ghost).

This obviously may be a difficult and traumatic choice on an emotional level, but infants are not believed to have fully incarnated souls until they begin to speak (it is believed that the soul begins to enter the body upon conception, but takes significant time to fully inhabit it), and will be reincarnated if they die before this occurs. So infanticide in this context is not usually perceived as the murder of a full person or a denial of life, as the infant’s soul will have as many other chances as it takes to become fully incarnated. (There's a variant of 'old soul' beliefs, where an especially precocious child or one that learns to speak early is believed to have had many previous reincarnations)

Intentional abortion of a fetus carries no stigma whatsoever for much the same reasons (though the MOTIVATIONS for this act on the parent’s part may carry stigma, such as to hide an illegitimate pregnancy). Natural abortifiacients are available and widely used in cases of unwanted pregnancy (though these are not by any means as safe or reliable as contemporary abortion procedures).

In all cases (whether an aborted fetus, a miscarriage, a stillbirth, infanticide, or another death before full incarnation), the infant or fetus’ remains are given the standard funeral rite of cremation to ensure their soul is freed from the body and can be properly reincarnated. Basic rites are all that is expected in this situation, but some parents will undergo extensive funerals with lavish offerings to encourage a prosperous and healthy rebirth.

There's also certain rites to encourage the same soul to return to the same parents (as it would otherwise be reincarnated into a human at random), the physical element of which is anointing the body (ideally the lips) with both parent's mingled blood before the cremation, as blood physically contains a person's spirit and the sharing of it can establish a powerful metaphysical bond. This is believed to assist in leading the child's stray soul back to the same source, and may lend a tremendous sense of comfort to parents in the face of a wanted, dead infant.

A pregnant parent who dies in childbirth is given special status and are believed to enter an esteemed afterlife (located within the Lapis Moon, a paradise where they will reside among saints and other esteemed dead). Childbirth is regarded as one of many analogues to God's self-sacrifice to bring forth creation, with the mother symbolically crossing the threshold of death and spilling her blood to bring forth life from nonexistence. To die in such a state is regarded as one of the noblest deaths typically available to women. (This sentiment is also entirely reflective of the typical place ascribed to those designated women in this society, where their chiefmost value is in bearing children). It's still (obviously) ideal for most to survive the birthing process, but this belief may contribute to some choosing to undergo an (almost always fatal) caesarean procedure in a difficult birth if the infant is assumed to be otherwise healthy.

In the case of a healthy birth in which all parties survive, the child will then be presented to its father (who in some contexts is prohibited from attending the birth), who will formally accept it as his own and bestow it with the family name (the child is not given a personal name until a month from birth, and undergoes a formalized naming ceremony at either their first birthday or when they begin to speak, tradition depending). A child born out of wedlock or to an absent father does not receive a family name, though may be formally adopted if the mother marries later on, or be given the family name of the mother's father if he chooses to accept it.

The mother should ideally undergo a full blessing to recover from the metaphysical vulnerability of the birthing state (the physician-priestess can provide this, but otherwise this is done at a temple or family/village shrine).

It's also generally expected to offer sacrifice to Anmir-Ganmache in thanks and to ensure continued protection for parent and child (the best offering is a cow, but offerings of milk or at the very least some grain is acceptable). Most who can afford a physician-priestess can also afford to offer a cow, and it's also expected that the best meat (usually the liver and flank) and the horns should be removed before the rest of the sacrifice is burnt, and gifted to the priestess as a personal thanks.

[dailydemonspotlight]

Yurlungr - Day 46

Race: Snake

Alignment: Neutral-Chaos

June 3rd, 2024

You know what the term Pride Month has if you squish it together a bit? Demon! Hell yeah, it's time to get into a serpent with all the colors of the rainbow to please our gay overlords. Please welcome the snake, the myth, one of the most famous deities in Australian mythology, and an absolute favorite demon of mine, Yurlungur! Originating from Aboriginal mythology, a criminally underrepresented mythos in several series (SMT included, unfortunately,) Yurlungur is the primary deity depicted in several breakout tales from this relatively unknown set of stories, a winding copper snake known for bringing rainfall and life in tow.

Yurlungur, better known as the Rainbow Serpent, is an incredibly important entity in Australian mythology, being an archetypical 'Mother Nature' of sorts. As its origin story goes, it was the creator of the land and sea, and could bring great prosperity- however, if one were to bother it, that prosperity would come crashing down, as it was a force of nature in more ways than one. Interestingly, Yurlungur is only one epithet of several given to the Rainbow Serpent, as several other cultures in Australia at the time gave it different names in spite of having it as one, overarching force. For instance, the Galpu clan called it 'Witij', while a similar deity typically purported to be the Rainbow Serpent in Queensland is named 'Kanmare.' Several more names make up this ranking, but given that Yurlungur is the most widespread epithet, given by the Murngin, I'll keep referring to it as that. Just keep in mind that, in further research, many sources may call it different things, so give your thanks to the fact that there were so many Aboriginal cultures out there.

According to anthropologists, the snake is heavily associated with the concept of 'The Dreaming,' an incredibly important bag of worms in Australian mythology- the idea of The Dreaming, or Dreamtime, is a romantic worldview of times before our own wherein great heroes and monsters resided, where supernatural threats were vanquished by not gods but mortal men who were simply revered as legends. During this time, it's believed, the Rainbow Serpent was most active- it gave blessings to humanity and curses to those who dared to break the law of nature, being the ultimate protector of mankind above all. Even past the time of Everywhen, however, the Serpent still lives on; a beautiful concept related to it, in my opinion, is the idea that each rainbow is simply a trail left behind in the sky as it flies from area to area.

The most prominent myth about the Serpent... isn't really one I wanna touch, frankly, given that it makes me a bit squeamish, but oh well. As the tale goes, a pair of sisters, the Wawalag sisters, to be exact, travel the land in search of civilization, as one is pregnant. Then, the one who was pregnant ends up giving birth, whereafter the blood from the agonizing process ends up trailing into the Rainbow Serpent's watering hole. Likely perturbed, the snake ends up following the scent of blood to the sisters now taking shelter in a hut, invades in the dead of night, and eats them and the newborn they were now carrying. Satisfied with its revenge, it tries to head back home... and then is bitten by an ant, the act of which makes it throw up.

This action makes the regurgitated bodies of the three turn into Arnhem Land, a term for the northern section of Australia, wherein the Serpent speaks and tries to make right for its action by helping the people who move there. Yeah. I don't know either. I think this story is meant to be a metaphor for the creation of a family, but...??? Yeah, I don't know. Sue me. That (frankly bizarre) story aside, though, the Rainbow Serpent actually does stand as a favorite in terms of Mythology for me, and it's all down to the fact that it's so unique- and almost cute.

Nature deities are no small part of any tapestry or pantheon, but something about Yurlungur just tickles me. It may be its role as an embodiment of the rainbow itself, it may be just down to my love of snakes and rainbows, it may even just be down to the fact that Aboriginal folklore is underrepresented in so many faucets, but the Rainbow Serpent is a favorite deity of mine even in the star-studded halls of gods. It has a unique purpose as a creator god, a mother god, a nature god, the lord of the rain and weather, and being a snake, all the while having a cool sheen and an interesting look. I love Yurlungur to bits. All of that aside, though, how is it represented in SMT?

I love it. Full stop. Thanks for readi- no, no, I'm joking, but this design is easily in my top 10. Not only is it rainbow, not only is it adorable, but it's accurate and unique! It brings something entirely new to the table while still being a fantastic representation of the Rainbow Serpent itself, as the etching and patterns on it give it a vibe that makes it feel uniquely spiritual, in a way. It also makes the snake stand out among its peers. This is how you do a god-snake design, Quetzalcoatl! It's a perfect rainbow to start off Pride Month, and I hope you all enjoy this demon as much as I do.

Overall, while the mythology surrounding Yurlungur is a bit... strange? It has a beautiful design, represents an incredibly romantic ideal, and is definitely deserving of being the demon of the day.

[theemissuniverse]

You are literally the goat if you make a fic about Shujinko and you make me like him

“DECEPTION ROOTED IN THE SOUL” SHUJINKO X ANTI-HERO FEM!READER

SUMMARY : Shujinko is on his quest to find all the kamidogus when he meets you, a cambion (a half human half demon) in the Netherrealm. You will decide if he is worthy for you to help (Shujinko is 18)

A/N : Okay, for context, I bet all my followers that I could write a fic about Shujinko and they would still eat it up bc I’m just THAT good so that’s why this exists

A/N : for y’all that will not understand, this plot is based on Mortal Kombat Deception

WARNINGS : none I think?? Besides descriptive making out

MASTERLIST

Time was of the essence. It was far greater than anything. He had believed that the Elder Gods trusted in him. He had to complete his task.

Hearing that his soul was tainted, Shujinko questioned some of his methods in order for him to complete his konquest because now the man was able to enter the Netherrealm.

The Netherrealm was filled with evil souls and evil people. It was a place not for the weak. Shujinko wasn’t necessarily scared just uneasy.

It was weird to say the least. The way people spoke and acted was much different than the people that resided in Earthrealm, his home.

Sometimes he could understand what people were saying but then there were others who would speak a language he was not familiar with. So, it made it hard for him to communicate.

Shujinko had already prepared himself for the worse but he was not ready for this.

As he walked through out the poor excuse of a “city” he had spotted a woman, you, arguing with a monster.

He was confused because you didn’t look like a monster. In fact, you looked very human besides some dark face paint on your face.

Actually…you were beautiful.

“I have told you for the last time, Baraka, I will not aid in Shao Kahn’s army. He offers me nothing.”

“Then you are the enemy!”

The warrior pushed you down to the ground. You hissed a little at the impact. You were about to stand up so you could fight him but somebody was already beating you to it.

Shujinko made his appearance known. Baraka, the warrior, turned to look at him. “Who are you? Speak now! Or be slaughtered!”

“I am Shujinko. The Elder God’s champion.” He stated very simply. “I think it is best that you leave now.”

Baraka laughed as if what Shujinko had said was the funniest thing in the world. “Me? Leave? Are you challenging me?”

“If you see it as a challenge then so be it but it is a warning.”

“Ha! I will feast on your bones for your insolence!”

When Shujinko saw Baraka was getting into his fighting stance, Shujinko got into his and prepared himself.

You watched as the fight happened. As he fought, Shujinko picked up on all of Baraka’s moves and started to use them against him.

It was actually very interesting.

How could someone have that much knowledge and wisdom that they were able to pick up on something so quickly?

You didn’t know if Shujinko was just that good of a fighter or Baraka was a terrible warrior but Shujinko was winning. Very easily may you add.

You should’ve took this as your opportunity to escape but you couldn’t help yourself. You were intrigued.

Even more intrigued because of the fact that Shujinko did not look like a powerful demon. And if he claimed to be the Elder God’s champion then he definitely wasn’t.

Baraka was down on the ground in pain. You were waiting for Shujinko to finish Baraka. He did not.

When Baraka recognized that Shujinko showed him mercy, Baraka took it as his chance to escape.

You watched as Baraka ran away. You turned your attention towards Shujinko. “I could’ve handled him.”

“I’m sure you could’ve.” Shujinko agreed with you. You were surprised that there was no hint of sarcasm in his voice. He held out his hand to help you off the ground.

You stared at his hand, contemplating on taking it. He did help you. (Even if you didn’t ask for it.) You took his hand and allowed him to help you up.

Curiosity took the best of you. “How did you do that? I saw you copy his fighting style and use it against him. And Baraka is the best Tarkatan warrior. He would not fall to someone as easy looking as you.”

“Easy looking?” Shujinko questioned a little amused. “I have been granted the gift to pick up on people’s fighting styles fairly quickly.”

You nodded a little at his short explanation. It made sense. “You don’t look like you belong here. You’re…very human looking.”

“I am a human. I am from Earthrealm.”

Your eyes widen at his statement. How was he able to coexist in the Netherrealm then? “Earthrealm? How is that possible? You must be filled with evil.”

Not being able to help yourself, you touched Shujinko’s shoulder slightly. He allowed you to do this. You closed your eyes and looked into Shujinko’s soul.

When you opened your eyes, they were white. Shujinko did not seem frightened by this and observed what you were doing.

You continued to try and look into his soul but you found barely anything. You closed your eyes again and your eye color went back to normal.

You removed your hand from his shoulder. “There is very light corruption. Nothing outlandish.”

Shujinko was a little happy to hear that he was not completely corrupted. “I have been informed that while doing my quest, I may have gotten my soul tainted a little.” He looked you up and down and it was his curiosity that got the better of him. “You also do not look like a demon.”

You chuckled a little at the realization. “That is because I am a Cambion. I am half human and half demon. I can either take on my human form or my demon form.”

“You are in the Netherrealm. Why would you want to look human?”

“To separate myself from these fools.” You placed your hands behind your back as you spoke. “I am a powerful sorcerer. My father is Quan Chi.”

Shujinko was stunned by your confession. “Quan Chi? He is-“

“The devil? I know. As you can see, I am not aligned with him.” You told him. “I’m (Y/N).”

“Shujinko.”

You chuckled a little at the name. “Interesting. Your name means protagonist. How fitting.” Shujinko smiled slightly. You changed the subject. “What brings you to the Netherrealm exactly? It is not the ideal place for you.”

Shujinko did not want to give you too much information but you seemed friendly enough. I mean, you haven’t tried to kill him despite everyone else in the Netherrealm trying to. “I am here on a quest from the Elder Gods. What I need resides in this realm unfortunately.”

You nodded at his vague explanation. You suppose he was in his right to not completely tell you. You were a demon of the Netherrealm. “Well, I hope you are good on your quest, Shujinko.” You started to walk away from him. “May we meet again.”

Shujinko watched as you walked away from him. He had to admit, he was slightly disappointed seeing as that you were the only one in the Netherrealm that did not give him hell.

Hopefully you would meet him again.

Later on in his quest in the Netherrealm, Shujinko had encountered you. Again, you were fighting with someone but this time you were winning.

He decided to watch you as you held the warrior in your hands. Then you began to suck the soul out of them. The warrior’s body started to desiccate,

When the warriors body turned into old brittle bones, you flung them to the ground.

Shujinko decided to walk over to you. “What did he do to you?”

You turned to Shujinko, a little startled that you had seen him again. “Exist.” You stated simply. “You know…” You began to say as you walked closer to him. “You are not as good as I figured to be. You watch me kill a man?”

Shujinko raised his hands in his defense. “I have no authority of what you do. You also seem…alright. He must’ve done something to you.”

You chuckled at the nativity that was Shujinko. “Do not be so easily fooled of who I am because I show you kindness.” You walked over to him. You grabbed him by the chin and forced him to look at you directly in the eyes. “Remember, I grant you kindness because you have earned my respect.”

Tilting your head, you examined his features. He was a very handsome man. He had long hair to the back of his neck and big brown doe eyes. His lips were actually a little plump and he had soft masculine features on his face.

“And because you are very handsome.”

Shujinko allowed you to touch his face as he was not threatened by you. If you had wanted to kill him, you would’ve by now.

He was a little taken back by your compliment, wondering where it had came from. “A demon calls me handsome?”

“Oh, dear. If I hadn’t grown to like you I would’ve fed on your soul by now.” You let go of his face and laughed slightly at his expression. He showed no reaction to what you had said. “You’re very calm for someone that could kill you in an instant.”

Shujinko watched as you began to circle around him. He kept his eyes on you the entire time. “I am not so convinced you would hurt me.”

“Oh?” You stopped behind his back. Your lips go to his ear and you began to whisper. “Maybe I showed you too much of my kindness.”

“Perhaps you have. But you are not as evil as you make yourself seem.”

You take a step back from him. In reality, it was true. I mean, it was the reason why you were not helping Shao Kahn. It was the reason why you abandoned your father.

You did not partake in their kind of evilness.

You would never admit it though. Especially to the Earthrealmer that stood before you. You decided to change the subject. “How does your quest come along?”

Shujinko noticed your change in topic but decided to play along. “It is…far more difficult than I anticipated.”

“Difficulty? For the Elder God’s champion? I figured it be not.” You teased slightly before stopping in front of him.

Shujinko recognized your teasing. “Oh? Does the great cambion sorcerer have anything to teach me?” He teased back.

“Oh, I might have a couple tricks.” You ran your hands up and down his chest. “You’re very interesting Shujinko. Let’s hope you don’t disappoint me.” You removed your hands from him and started to walk away from him.

Shujinko, again, watched you walk disappointed. “May we meet again?”

You turned around and smiled at him. “You know it.”

Throughout his journey, he was stumbled again when he was greeted by another woman that looked basically human.

Maybe she was also like you, a cambion. But that was quickly disproved because she explained herself to be a demon but she had purged her soul of evil.

Her name was Ashrah and she offered to teach him the ways of her kombat. He agreed.

Once he picked up on all her fighting styles, she congratulated him on a job well done.

Ashrah had just defeated a Tarkatan warrior in front of Shujinko to show him her abilities. “The Tarkatan was not a pure demon but a mutated hybrid of demon and mortal races.” She said.

It made Shujinko ponder to you because technically, you were a hybrid yourself but you appeared very much human like. Maybe it was because you were also a sorcerer.

Ashrah continued to speak. “There was not much to gain from his death. We’re I to defeat the powerful demon (Y/N), however, I would surely ascend from this place much sooner.”

The mention of you caught him off guard. Her? Defeat you?

Not only did he not like the idea as he had grown to like you, but he thought it was foolish. Sure, Ashrah was a powerful demon herself but he had watched you fight that warrior. Not to mention you also claimed to be a powerful sorcerer.

How could she possibly defeat you?

“(Y/N)? The Cambion sorcerer?” He questioned her.

Ashrah went wide eyed when he had known who she was talking about. “You know of her? Where is she?”

“I do not know but I don’t think it is wise to test her.”

“You underestimate me, Earthrealmer. If you shall encounter her again, lead her to me. It is here that I am most powerful.”

Shujinko did not like this but he did not want to argue with Ashrah. “If I see her, I will do as you ask.”

But if he were to do that, he would warn you of Ashrah’s true intentions.

It took Shujinko some time but he had finally found you. He located you by doing small quests for people in order to gain information about your whereabouts.

He walked to the house and knocked on the door. He waited a few moments and the door opened. When he did, he saw your true form.

You were in your demon form. Your whole body was red and and your eyes glowed white. There was something about you that was enticing to him.

Even though you were a demon you still had your feminine beauty.

When you had realized that it was Shujinko, you sighed. “By the gods..” With a snap of your fingers, a gust of green mist appeared and you were in your human form.

Shujinko blinked a little. It stunned him by the sudden transformation. He didn’t see why you would though. Did you think he would treat you differently if he saw the real you?

“How in Netherrealm’s name did you find me?”

“I did small quests in exchange for information.” Shujinko replied simply.

You grabbed Shujinko’s shirt and pulled him inside. You shut the door behind you. “Whomever they are, they will feel my wrath. Why are you standing before me?”

“The demon known as ‘Ashrah’ wants to purge her soul by slaying you.”

When Shujinko had revealed this information to you, you rolled your eyes at the name. “I cannot stand her. She’s always so…infuriating. Does she have a death wish?”

“I should’ve asked…”

“Well where is she? I will deal with her and skin her alive.”

When you went to walk out of the house, Shujinko grabbed onto your arm to stop you. “I do not think that’s a good idea.”

You gave him a look and snatched your arm from him. “You do not think I can do it?”

“Quite the opposite. I do not want you to kill her.”

When he had said that, the statement made you angry. You walked towards him in a fit of rage but Shujinko did not back away. He stood his ground. “You dare protect her?”

“It is not more so protection as it is goal oriented. Killing her as of right now invades my quest.”

Saying that, it clicked for you. You chuckled some and backed away from him. “Wow. I was really wrong about you. You are selfish.”

Shujinko was not pleased to be called such a word. Not at all. “I do what is best to complete my task.”

“Mmhm. So you say.” You told him. “I can give you something that can help you on your…quest.”

Shujinko was ready to hear anything that could help him on his journey. “Anything would help, (Y/N).”

“I can grant you some of my power. It will help you fight off the demons that try to challenge you in the Netherrealm.”

“You would do that? For me?”

“You came to warn me about Ashrah’s doing. I have never met anyone so loyal to me. I will reward you.”

Shujinko was just happy that he was being granted something to help him complete his quest. “What do I have to do to receive this power?”

That’s when you smirked. You stepped closer to him. So close you closed a lot of the distance between the two of you. You stared right into his eyes. “Kiss me.”

Shujinko stood there. He was shocked. He was not expecting that in the slightest. Though he had to admit, he didn’t really mind. “I have a feeling there is actually an other way but you are choosing this one.”

You chuckled. You wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him down towards you. “Don’t act like you don’t love it.”

Shujinko’s lips meant yours. He was a little taken back at how sweet your lips tasted. I mean, you were a demon.

He cupped the back of your neck with his left hand and continued to kiss you. You started off slow.

The kiss quickly turned heated. When Shujinko realized you weren’t going to pull away anytime soon, he placed his right hand on your waist and pulled you even closer to him.

You deepened the kiss. The kiss started to turn sloppy with your lips entangling with each others. You licked all over his bottom lip and sucked on it.

Shujinko let out a moan into the kiss. He felt your hands tangle in his hair and lightly pull at it, making him let out another moan.

You two kissed for a few more moments before you pulled away. The two of you stared in each others eyes, admiring one’s beauty.

Removing your arms from him, you held out your hand and then made Shujinko hold out his. You concentrated and soon enough, a green glowing light appeared in his hand.

Shujinko smiled a little. “It worked.”

“You doubted me?”

“I was just not convinced a kiss would give me such power.”

You closed his hand up. “You have the minimum of sorcery in you.”

“How long does this last?”

“If I die, which will never happen, the magic will go away.”

You walked away some from him. Shujinko watched as you did so. “You are so keen that you will not fall.”

“I am far too powerful to have any doubts.” You stated. You were walking close to a room but did not go into it. You turned around and smirked at him. “You know, you should stay awhile. I get bored.”

Shujinko knew what you were implying but played along into your innuendos. “And how would I be able to entertain you?”

“Oh I think you know how.” You held out your hand for him to take.

Shujinko was thinking. Even though you showed him an immense amount of kindness given your nature, he knew that deep down, you were still evil.

He did trust you to a certain extent. You giving your power to him only proved that. And he was grateful for it.

He tried to think of what could go wrong if he gave in. What were the consequences that were to come?

Off the top of his head, he couldn’t think of any. And he had to admit, you looked more than enticing as of now.

So, he walked over to you and took your hand.

You kept your smirk and brought him into the room before shutting the door.

A/N : Alr now, I ain’t gonna give y’all a heart attack so I won’t include smut in this. I lowkey wanna make a part 2. Now I’m invested

[maxbegone]

happy wednesday! not sure how we're this far into the week already. thank you @rmd-writes for the tag!

here's a little snipped from my totally-not-hades (2018)-inspried prince of the underworld/god of death au:

“Is this all a game to you, Alex?” Henry calls after him. “Do you honestly think that you can shirk the responsibilities of the Underworld like this? There are duties we must uphold, yet here you are bringing shame upon the House.” Stuck on the spot, Alex rolls his shoulders. He doesn’t turn around, doesn’t let Henry see the deep pinch that forms between his brows or the way he knows the shine in his eyes has dulled. “What if those duties change?” He asks, and he can practically feel Henry’s stare burning into his back. “Pardon?” “What if I don’t belong here? What if I’m tired of the Underworld and leaving is the only thing that will lead me to what I truly need? What if it’s the only thing that will make me happy?” There is a long pause before Henry speaks up again. “I…I don’t…This is ridiculous, Alex, and you know it. It’s impossible to leave, and if you did, you’d be risking everything the Underworld stands for. It’s been the same for aeons; no one gets out — not shades, not Gods. But if you somehow manage to leave, then that means it’s possible to begin with, and then what? Mortals will get out and all havoc will wreak upon Earth! Is that truly what you want?” “If that’s what it takes for me to find her, then yes,” Alex bites, turning around sharply, and Henry immediately stills. “Her?” He asks, his voice softer, curious. “And who would that be?” “No one you’d know,” Alex mutters. “I—I can’t tell you.” “Yes, I believe you said that before.” Alex shrugs. “Then I guess that’s all there is to say.” He turns around again, readying himself to venture further into the Land of Heroes and meet those who reside here before finding his way to the mortal realm, when he hears a soft, indignant huff. “All of this for some mortal girl.” Alex shakes his head. “That is not it.” “No? So finding a simple exit that will direct damned souls and fallen mortal war heroes back to the surface have simply no consequence to everything that is instilled down here?” “You don’t understand!” Alex starts on him, getting so dangerously close to Henry that they’re practically nose-to-nose. “And you’ll never understand. I have to do this.” He watches as Henry’s lips press into a thin, defeated line as he tilts his chin up. “Fine, then.” He rises to hover once more. “Continue this ridiculous venture, Prince Alexander. I suppose our history here means nothing compared to what mysteries await for you up there. If you get to the surface, may you find who you wish. Do not call upon me to clean up any mess you’ve made in doing so.” Alex clenches his jaw and desperately tries to ignore the half moons he’s digging into his palm of his free hand right now, or how he’s clutching his blade so tightly the hilt might break. Henry hovers away, never once taking his eye off Alex. His own jaw set tight, chiton draping around him like its own entity, he readies himself to leave. But, in what feels like a moment entirely out of this one, he gives Alex a once over. There’s something slow about it, something longing, and a mild burning in Alex’s sternum begins to grow. “Your laurels are crooked,” Henry says, then vanishes.

tagging @iboatedhere @indestructibleheart @kiwiana-writes @nontoxic-writes @orchidscript

[oletus-writer]

Hastur, Yihdra x god reader

Warnings: none

Hastur

He seems to be a serious, cold man, but when you get to know him he’s quite goofy. Have you seen mini Hastur’s animations?

There’s a chance he would have heard of you before you came to the manor, but he doesn’t interact with many other gods. He didn’t expect another god, since Ithaqua didn’t turn out to be his son, but he didn’t make any effort to talk to you.

‘I am Hastur, The Feaster from Afar, The King in Yellow, The Lord of Interstellar Spaces. You are?’

The two of you grew close by your effort, and you began to see a different, goofier side to him. Sometimes, he’d like to dance to a song in his head, or talk smack about the other residents in the manor.

‘It feels like the Baron is laughing at me - Gillman worships my father, then some mortal with my son’s name enters, not to mention the never-ending nightmare that is Yidhra… I may as well become a recluse and not speak to anyone.’

Yidhra

She’s heard of you, and you’ve heard of her before either of you came into the manor. So when the two of you found yourselves face-to-face, she was quite impressed. To risk yourself and your powers to be in a little game the seemed to fuck with time and space.

‘So, why are you here? It’s pretty interesting to watch these foolish mortals compete for something they’ll never have, but why are you here?’’

Cue annoying Hastur and screwing with chasing shadows. Yidhra needs her fun, and Hastur isn’t enough of a companion nor a friend. He’s too much of a recluse and is over with her antics.

She isn’t the kind of person to avoid talking to mortals, yet the two of you shared a connection you otherwise wouldn’t have if you weren’t a god. Sometimes, the two of you would lie together, and she’d start talking about whatever’s on her mind.

‘The manor allowed myself and Hastur to invent a game mode - he chose dodgeball, isn’t that amusing? - so I wonder if they’ll do the same with you. Pray tell, darling, what will go decide?’

[bougainvillea-and-saltwater]

So I have a Google Doc filled with The Elder Scrolls Headcanons(mostly my own headcanons but also other people's HCs that I like) and I was wondering if you had any HCs for any of the Elder Scrolls games? Feel free to ignore this ask, but I am curious! *can be about anything and everything lol. Or I guess anything specific like if you had any Miraak/Dragon Priest/Dragons HCs or something.*

Hello!!! I’m definitely not ignoring this, thank you so much for the ask!!! 💖

I’ve only played Skyrim out of the Elder Scrolls games (though I’d love to play more!), so my headcanons are mainly around Skyrim. I have many ideas concerning the Dragonborn and their power. I think that the Dragonborn has a limit on how much they can use the Voice (which makes sense game-wise, where we have a cooldown in between Shouts). If they surpass this threshold, for example, by Shouting repeatedly, the ‘simplest’ side effect they can get is to scrap or tear their vocal cords. The most serious is to have a stroke or a heart attack and die. It’s a divine power, loads of power, residing in a mortal body, after all, even if that body is the body of a Dragonborn. 

Another headcanon I’ve got is that the Dragonborn displays draconic features when they absorb dragon souls or experience intense emotions. Their eyes are blazing, their pupils turn into slits, serpent-like, their teeth may sharpen and elongate, their strength becomes inhuman (I can imagine them lifting a person twice their size in one hand), their senses become acute, their shade looks dragon-like under the sun with horns and wings and tail… They look Dangerous in a few words. 

And speaking of the sun! 

This is entirely a personal take, I don’t know if that’ll make sense, but I headcanon Akatosh to be quite connected with the sun (mostly because Auriel is, and Auriel and Akatosh are essentially the same thing). In my eyes, Akatosh is an Apollo type of God, very bright and very powerful and rather associated with divination since ‘nothing rests hidden under the sun’, as the saying goes. So, the Dragonborn, as a fragment of Akatosh, is also associated with sun/sunfire and/or divination powers. My LDB and Miraak are both seers of some sort! 

And speaking of Miraak! 

I headcanon that the Dragon Priests were hymning. Dragons are not only fond of tinvaak; they are also very fond of words that come out of the mouth with a lyrical tempo. It’s something strange to them, a completely unfamiliar thing to their ears, and it definitely fascinates them. Miraak, of course, wasn’t an exception, quite the contrary! Thanks to Peter Jessop and his magnificent voice, I headcanon Miraak to have the most gorgeous voice, so his psalms were the most frequently heard around the Dragon Cult. Many of Miraak’s songs were reflective and mournful, often referencing Atmora and his life prior to Dragon Cult. Maybe Pippin’s song from LotR ‘Edge of Night’ is close to the songs I have in mind for him!    

What else? Oh, another headcanon I’m quite proud of, and it was also very liked by my fellow TES fans when I posted it on Tumblr, is that the Dragonborn puts out the stars when they go to Sovngarde to kill Alduin. After Alduin’s successful death, the stars and all the celestial bodies went through a massive supernova, and the night was converted into a day as Kyne’s Lights burned brighter than they had ever been! (here’s the link to that post: https://www.tumblr.com/bougainvillea-and-saltwater/731190179534143488/headcanon-when-the-last-dragonborn-goes-to?source=share)

[beautifulsnake2162020]

We have it all (Hualian adopted daughter fanfic) Chapter 7

Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction. I only do this for fun.

Premise: Not long after comforting a bullied girl named Meng Ai, Hua Cheng and Xie Lian find themselves adopting her and together they form a family they didn't know they had needed for awhile.

Story/Genre tags: Slice of life-ish (mainly), Family focused, Hua Cheng's houses finally become homes, there may be an overarching story but that's not the focus, Hualian being parents, Fengqing being uncles, Lang Qianqiu falling in love with someone who was raised by the Xianle squad, technically post-canon (though I haven't read the books so if there are some ooc moments please forgive me).

AO3 Link

Chapter 1, Chapter 2 , Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6

Follower tags: @anonimgato1507 @fd139 (I tagged you just in case - Lang Qianqiu makes his first appearance in this chapter)

AN: In honor of Meng Ai's birthday here is Chapter 7 - which is either posted before, on, or after, September 21. Yes this chapter will be mainly focused on her birthday celebration (the preparations leading up to it and the celebration itself). I couldn't help myself - I love the song so much.

Chapter 7

"When exactly are we meeting Chenxi?"

"We'll meet in a mutual event for our first meeting. She wants to ask a few questions. Probably to check what our intentions are in asking her about that part of her life. She told me through her oracle that I'm the first person in heaven to actually be interested in knowing anything about her imprisonment. Or at least the first person who wasn't directly related to her. Then she released her oracle and he then told me that if she has any more messages for us she'll send her oracle to either one of our temples."

They arrive in the semi-secluded residence of the now mortal Shi Qingxuan. Unsurprisingly it was located on a windy location. Shi Qingxuan's new residence was on a coastal region in a more secluded part of the beach. The winds were too strong for the anyone else. But the former Windmaster felt right at home, even when the winds no longer followed their will. When they were certain that no other mortals were nearby they rid themselves of their disguises as Nan Feng and Fu Yao and turned into their regular forms with a finishing touch of glamour to conceal their divine aura.

"Finally! I thought I would have to do something drastic to make you both return." Shi Qingxuan says as Mu Qing and Feng Xin approach their home.

"We've been busy." Feng Xin says as they enter Shi Qingxuan's home. A modest structure compared to their residence that they used to have. Well ventilated to allow the wind in what may have been a hot indoor dwelling. Spacious enough to allow room to move and to entertain a fair number of guests. But it was small enough to not be a headache when it comes to cleaning and maintenance.

"Doing what? Let me guess; sparring, dates, making sure Xie Lian is happy and martial God duties?"

"The job that you were supposed to do but you were ill."

"Speaking of which - here." Mu Qing shoves a brown bottle to them.

"Here's the second to the last dosage. Same instructions as before; half a cup once a day after a meal."

"Do I have to?" They whined.

"I already feel better."

"Then throw it in the sea. It's not my problem that you're still lacking in energy. Come to think of it I think I should be thanking you." They sighed and immediately began to drink their medicine as prescribed.

"Thanking me for getting sick? You can start by giving me these cosmetics-"

"Not happening." The three of them settles on the dining room as the winds grow stronger at midday time. Midday is when they typically visit since mortals don't like being in this spot at midday because the winds were too harsh. That way they can take a break from their mortal guises while checking up on a slowly recovering Shi Qingxuan.

"What job was I supposed to do?"

"Babysit Xie Lian and Hua Cheng's little girl."

"What?!" Mu Qing and Feng Xin couldn't help but chuckle a little at their surprised look.

"How - What?!"

"Technically she isn't officially their daughter yet. They and her parents want to ask her first before officially adopting her."

"Have you seen the way she called out for them when her father was in danger?" Feng Xin asks Mu Qing in disbelief.

"I know we haven't seen the three of them talk much but something tells me she wouldn't mind being adopted by them."

"Woah, woah, Nan Yang, wait, care to explain everything to the should have been babysitter - is she cute?"

"Her name is Meng Ai, she turns seven years old on the 21st night of September -"

"How did you know the details of her birth?"

"Jing Mei told me - she gave birth to her just after sunset."

"More details for the next babysitter please!"

"Hey I was interrupted."

"I was curious."

"You were saying Xuan Zhen?"

"She could detect the presences of the otherworldly, she got that from her father and her mother is an oracle of Xiwangmu."

"Let me guess, she could sense your divine aura?"

"A lot more than that." Feng Xin adds.

"She could sense that Xuan Zhen, Xie Lian, and I are the same type of spirit and could feel the differences from our divine aura to the ghostly aura of Hua Cheng." Shi Qingxuan's eyes grow bigger.

"At six years old!? I wasn't able to do that till I was 15! And I was only able to be good at it at 19!"

"Yes, it's impressive that she could do it without realizing it. What a talent she has." Feng Xin says with a smiles as he takes a drink from his tea.

"But she wasn't able to tell that you were Gods?"

"She hasn't had much exposure to divine presences and the three of us are probably the first beings she has interacted with long enough for her to make those observations. Interacting with ghosts on the other hand are an almost daily experience for her. It makes sense that she could tell that we are a different being from ghosts but not know that we are Gods."

"...I hate it when you are right."

"You also love it. Why else are we together now?"

"Wait -" Shi Qingxuan interrupts before they could continue flirting. As happy as they are that these two former enemies are now a couple, they were more interested in knowing more about the new little girl in their lives.

"If her parents are still alive then why are they adopting her?" Both of them shares a look before facing back at them.

"Long story short: They are the loophole and the key to giving Meng Ai a good life. I've mentioned that her mother, Jing Mei is an oracle and she receives visions."

"Just after giving birth to her, she received a vision of Meng Ai dying as a sacrifice to Xiwangmu at the hands of her relative while her parents were already dead."

"They asked Xiwangmu for a loophole and she told them that as long as she had one parent who is dead and one parent who is alive she'll be safe from those who want to sacrifice her. And so Hua Cheng and Xie Lian are that loophole."

"Hmm? How are they sure that Hua Cheng and Xie Lian counts as a loophole?"

"Chenxi clarified her mother's solution. A parent doesn't need to be blood related to count - uh - are you okay?" Mu Qing asks as shock is shown in their face.

"Chenxi - Xiwangmu's daughter - she's back? She's freed?"

"You know her Shi Qingxuan?" Feng Xin asks in interest.

"Yes - it's...it's been so long." A smile slowly emerges in their face.

"Chenxi is one of my professors when I ascended. She helped guide me in learning about my domain and how it serves the world. She's one of the best teachers I've ever had." Shi Qingxuan pours themself another cup of tea.

"When she disappeared I had thought at first that maybe she's just in her family's mountain. I couldn't blame her - I loved it there when she brought her students there to have a rest from our studies and heavenly duties. She's one of those teachers who genuinely cares about her students. She knows when to push us and when to make us laugh at ourselves and to rest from work." Then their face becomes darker.

"When I learnt that she was imprisoned...I tried to help. I secretly went against orders against getting involved."

"What happened?" Shi Qingxuan looks at them with a dark look.

"I don't know how, but they managed to use my powers against me. One of the men - I can't remember his face, just that he had green eyes - managed to somehow choke me the more winds I made and the more air I controlled." They take a moment to breathe and to calm themself. But to Mu Qing and Feng Xin it was clear that this was a traumatic experience for them.

"When I managed to somehow escape from that man, Chenxi sent a telepathic message to me to escape. I tried to tell her that I came here to free her. She rebutted and told me that just because I controlled the winds didn't mean that I had enough strategic experience to rescue her." They couldn't help but shed a tear.

"Her last message to me was that she was proud of me - but I was not meant to rescue her. And if I wanted to honor her I should live my life to bring joy and use my domain to serve. Wasting my life away for a task I wasn't meant for is a disservice to myself and others. After that I never heard from her again." They wipe the tears that they had shed and a small smile begins to emerge as they look at the martial Gods.

"Now you know one of the reasons why I am the way that I am. Even though I was immortal, life is too short to let it slip through your fingers. Professor Chenxi was right, she almost always is."

Should we tell them?

Probably - Chenxi might want to see them again

"How was she freed? How did you contact her?"

"We don't know the exact details but Meng Ai's father, Ji Huifan was the one who freed her and her mother, Jing Mei nursed her back to health. I'm sure she would love to see you again. We're going to meet with her in some sort of mutual event. She didn't specify what yet." Shi Qingxuan couldn't help but giggle at Mu Qing's brief flash of annoyance at the Chenxi's somewhat vague instructions.

"Yup, that sounds like her. Enough instructions to know what's going on but no further questions till she thinks you're ready for more or you need it."

"Xuan Zhen was able to contact her through her oracle. Maybe she'll make an exception for you since you were her student." They let out a sad sigh.

"I'm not immortal anymore. Her nearest temple is going to take me at least an entire month to get there. I don't mind the long journey but I guess I'm still recovering on how to function as a mortal. Aging and work and all."

General Nan Yang, an oracle of Chenxi is in the temple. She says that she has a message from Chenxi and requests permission to communicate with you through the spiritual channel.

"Well it seems we're in luck, one of her oracles is in my temple now."

"Then what are you waiting for? Another war? Give the oracle your password already."

"Hmph and you call me impatient."

Granted, give her the password. Tell her that General Xuan Zhen will also be joining us.

Feng Xin glances at Mu Qing and gives a small nod. Mu Qing puts his finger on their temple and enters their joint telepathic communication. In their mind's eye they appear in their respective places as they look down on a woman with bright orange and black robes. She was kneeling down with her head down as she waits for them to speak.

Rise oracle of Chenxi.

She keeps her head down as she stands up in the center platform of the spiritual array.

You have a message for us from Chenxi?

I do General Nan Yang.

Why do you keep your head down? General Nan Yang has already asked for the message.

The Goddess Chenxi is actually asking permission if she could speak through me. She instructed that I am not allowed to look at either one of you until you have granted her permission to do so.

This was new. They glance at each other in the spiritual array. Mu Qing shrugs before nodding.

Granted.

Immediately the oracle looks up and her golden glowing eyes looks at both of them. Her back straightened and her stance now more fitting of a dignified Goddess than a follower of hers. What followed was a voice that was drastically different than hers but one Mu Qing is familiar with. Only now he realizes that what he had heard was the dulled version of her voice. It was expected since she was speaking through her oracle's body. Just like whenever her mother possessed one of her priests or priestesses, her voice blended with her mortal follower's.

Good day Generals Nan Yang and Xuan Zhen.

Chenxi, this is quite the unusual method of reaching out to us. You could have just contacted either one of us directly.

I assure you Nan Yang that there is a reason why I'm doing it this way. The short answer is that we could be eavesdropped and I'm not taking any chances.

Eavesdropped in Nan Yang's mind? I didn't know that such a thing was possible.

You also didn't know it was possible to contact me through my oracle and yet you did. But enough of that. Please tell Shi Qingxuan that I will see all three of you in Meng Ai's birthday on the 21st night of September. It will be in Paradise Manor for obvious reasons.

Understood.

And speaking of Meng Ai, the little girl has been wondering where you both disappeared to. I personally recommend visiting her before then. She's already figured out that you two and Xie Lian are Gods and is currently trying to guess which ones are you.

Well it's nice to know we've made an impression on her considering who will be adopting her...It was also nice seeing her beat Nan Yang in Go.

You were coaching her!

She's still learning the game.

Chenxi chuckles a bit.

I'll see you in her birthday celebration. Don't forget to bring a gift for her. Till then, good bye General Nan Yang, General Xuan Zhen.

She then releases her oracle who immediately brings her head down and her posture now back to a humble follower.

Thank you for your service to us. Some of my followers will escort you back to your temple for your protection.

Thank you as well General Nan Yang. And thank you as well General Xuan Zhen for your presence.

You're welcome oracle of Chenxi, depart with Heaven's blessings.

Feng Xin and Mu Qing leaves the spiritual array. Both of them grin at Shi Qingxuan.

"It seems like your old teacher has heard you. She now expects to see you in Meng Ai's birthday in Paradise Manor. Which means Nan Yang and I will have to introduce you to her before then."

"Oh gre- AH CHOO!" Horror and denial is on their face as Mu Qing gives them a pointed look as Feng Xin sends a telepathic command to some of his followers to protect the oracle.

"Which means you need to get better before going anywhere near her. Rest I'll make dinner and herbal tea tonight."

______________________________________________________________

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

He feels himself scurry along the once familiar rooms as he hides himself in plain sight.

"What are the chances that they are no longer in these lands?" A figure asks briefly looking towards his direction which frightened him that he might be caught. He made himself relax despite his fear. He cannot afford to waste any opportunity to learn more about their plans.

"If they had gone to other areas of the silk road we would have known. Our network of contacts are too vast and prominent for us to not know."

"They could have gone through sea."

"Or to the archipelagic region with several islands."

"Again, we would have known if they had fled to those lands. We have spies in the Southern coastal area and they have been closely watching every single family who consists of a father, a mother, and a daughter. So far every batch of them is not them. I still believe they are still within these lands."

"Or they could have been transported to another world entirely." A figure with green eyes say as nearly everyone groaned.

"For that to be possible they'll need a lot of energy. And no unusual power surges among mortals have been detected."

"Stop all this worrying." A figure steps in. To anyone who didn't know or look closely, the man looked to be in his early fourties. Never knowing that he, like the rest of his relatives gathered within this room was several centuries old.

"Ji Huifen and his family cannot escape forever. We can take as much time as we'd like. What's important is that his daughter is sacrificed on Xiwangmu's altar. It doesn't matter if she's a little girl or an old lady, all we need is to take her before death claims her. Are we understood?"

"Yes Zufu Bocheng." They all reply as they settle themselves in their respective seats as Ji Bocheng takes his seat.

"Tell Ji Lihua to take her time. I trust in her abilities to track Ji Huifan. But she could be impulsive and impatient. Remind her that we have all the time in the world as long as the little girl is alive."

"We will Zufu." Ji Bocheng then gives the signal to their servants. It was when he heard the incoming groans and screams of pain that was getting louder just outside of the door that Ji Huifan decided that he has seen enough. He closes his eyes as he lets go of the mouse that he has possessed. He's had enough experiences of the blood feeding rituals and he doesn't want to add more memories to the mix.

We've got you Ji Huifen

Xie Lian's telepathic presence gently guides him back to his body. He awakens in the presence of Hua Cheng and Xie Lian. All of them seated under a tree that he had felt the most calm. Both of them had leant him enough power to allow them to telepathically see and hear what he has learnt.

"Hmph if they think they have contacts everywhere then it's a good thing that I have my own network."

"Still, I believe that it is best for you and Jing Mei to stay here for a little bit more."

"Thank you Dianxia. Mei mei Lihua is probably one of the best choices they have of tracking us down."

"Why? Does she have any special abilities?"

"It's because you're siblings isn't it?"

"Correct, Lihua and I are full blooded siblings. While our forms are quite different she could easily track me down because we share the same parents. Our other siblings are only half and if only one parent is shared, there's a large number of guesswork since the identity of our blood could also be shared by distant relatives with a common ancestor. But if both parents are the same, all she has to do is to track down anyone whose blood is the closest to hers." He sighs as they stand up and start heading back towards the manor.

"Having said that while she may be good at tracking me down, she isn't the best fighter compared to our other relatives. Knowing her she probably thinks this is more of a chore."

"What do you suggest?" Xie Lian asks.

"Keep her bored. Or make sure that nothing peaks her interest while staying on the task. If she's bored enough she'll move on to something else."

"On the contrary I suggest we keep her on the task." Hua Cheng says as they stop for awhile after all three sees Meng Ai and Jing Mei entering the gardens. This was a discussion that Meng Ai doesn't have to hear.

"You've mentioned that she's not the best fighter among them but she's the best choice to track you down. What if we finally eliminate her?"

"That...may work. But I'm not entirely sure if she will become mortal once again just by being drained of her blood till she passes out or if she also needs to accompany it with grief."

"Let's continue this at another time." Xie Lian says as they enter within earshot of Meng Ai and Jing Mei.

"Baba, Xie Lian, San Lang, I need your help -"

"They are not going to help you Aiai."

"But-"

"You're not old enough for a puppy."

"But mama the puppy and it's mama doesn't have anywhere else to go."

"Aiai - I know you love animals. But you cannot adopt every single puppy and mama dog that you see."

"Hmm? Where did you see a puppy Xiao Ai?"

"Mama was doing her water ritual San Lang, it's where she sees things through water. And she was just checking on the areas just outside of ghost city and in one of the nearby cities there's a puppy with it's mother and both of them looked alone -"

"And you are not yet old enough to take care of them."

"But mama their round green eyes looked so sad."

And that caught everyone's attention.

"Xiao Ai how would you describe the type of green eyes the puppy and its mother have?"

"They were beautiful bright green Xie Lian. Like jade if it managed to glow."

"They were glowing Aiai. But you are still too young." To everyone else it became clear why Jing Mei was refusing to allow Meng Ai to get anywhere close to them. Dogs typically didn't have eyes that had the color of bright glowing jade green. It was definitely something else that was in the guise of a puppy and its mother trying to lure innocent victims like Meng Ai who wasn't aware of the dangerous trap she was being lured into. Probably a couple of demons who was using glowing jade green eyes to lure victims into their trap.

Though that didn't mean Jing Mei was wrong in saying that Meng Ai was too young and not ready to take care of a pet.

Then Ji Huifan fortunately remembered something.

"Mei, doesn't Chenxi and Xiwangmu raise animals as a community pet?"

"Those animals are technically pets which belong to the Goddesses; which is why with a few exceptions they stay inside temple grounds and are never slaughtered or killed."

"I have an idea."

"I'm not taking one of their pets and gifting it to Aiai."

"No no, what if Aiai raises one and offers it on her birthday? Then we could see how ready she is for a pet of her own."

"Hmm that could work. It could show Xiao Ai here what it means to take care of another life who depends on her."

"And every week we check their progress. Her birthday is only a few weeks away and it would be a valuable experience for her."

"And how are we supposed to remain hidden while offering the future pet to Xiwangmu?"

"Xiao Ai doesn't have to actually leave here. Something tells me they'll send someone here for her birthday. What do you think little one? Are you up for the challenge your parents gave you?" Hua Cheng asks with a teasing tone.

"Yes please, pretty please."

"I'll be choosing what you'll be raising. And I will tell you now it's not a puppy. Xiwangmu already has plenty of dogs that play around in her temples."

"Okay."

"Don't worry Aiai we'll guide you. But it's still you who will be taking up the responsibility of raising the animal whom you will offer to Xiwangmu."

"Yes, baba." Meng Ai nods eagerly as she waits for more reminders from her new parents.

"Xiao Ai why don't you play with Ruoye for awhile." Xie Lian allows Ruoye to fly towards Meng Ai as it wraps itself around her hands while a part of it rubs itself against Meng Ai's cheek in their mutual delight.

"While you're at it, take E-ming with you. Just don't take E-ming out of it's sheath." The sentient scimitar coos in delight as Hua Cheng carefully gives it to Meng Ai with a subtle but noticeable glance to Yin Yu to watch over her while she plays with their spiritual tools. Once Yin Yu leads Meng Ai to a safe distance away from the four of them while still being within their vision, the discussion becomes serious.

"I'm going to investigate the hidden demon nearby."

"I'll come with you San Lang."

"How sure are you that it's just a demon? What if it's a demon summoned by one of the mage mercenaries to try to lure us out - or even worse lure Aiai out."

"That's even better Jing Mei, getting information will be easier. If you need anything Yin Yu will know what to do." In the distance they hear Meng Ai laughing as she was chasing Ruoye who was carrying a sheathed E-ming around a field of Asters.

"Please you two, let San Lang and I handle this." Ji Huifan sighs, shares a look with Jing Mei before they both nod.

"You probably already know this but from my experience these demons are the most likely ones that they've summoned." They listen intently before making their way to where the disguised demons were located.

The couple lands a short distance away from where the hidden demons disguised as a puppy and its mother were. Standing near them made their demonic aura more obvious to them.

"They don't seem to be puppets. But that might just be because whomever created them is highly skilled."

"Hmm my bet is that they themselves are demons since if they were just puppets they would need some external power source to do that level of deception while still keeping itself intact." The sun begins to set and children begin staying indoors or staying in areas that are more crowded than the sparse field where they are in now.

"How do you want to do this San Lang?"

"We go together but you could approach it first. You'll ask the easy questions." He turns to Xie Lian with a dangerous glint in his eyes that Xie Lian couldn't help but be drawn to even after seven years of marriage.

"While I ask the difficult questions."

"Do you think they'll be truthful?" Xie Lian quickly asks to try to ignore his blush. Though he knows that Hua Cheng had already noticed.

"We'll know, and we'll have our ways to finding out the truth." They share a nod as they make their way to the hidden demons. The one disguised as a puppy starts whimpering and making pitiful sounds as it looks at Xie Lian's figure approaching.

"Whomever you are go to your true form. There are questions that you need to answer - both of you." Xie Lian says with a serious but still approachable tone. But the once seemingly innocent look of both demons are now glazed over with darkness and anger.

"Don't make us force you." Xie Lian warns as he prepares himself for any possible attack. The demon in the form of a puppy launches itself at him but its demonic face with a mouth full of sharp teeth emerged. Xie Lian quickly moved away with ease and dodged an attack from the demon in the form of the mother dog. As he bent down Hua Cheng managed to grab their throats in each hand and both demons began choking with fear.

"Go to your true forms or I will make you." He throws both demons on front of them and they immediately go to their shadowy forms with reluctance and fear of the Crimson Rain Sought Flower.

"Now." Hua Cheng continues as he holds their jade green glowing gazes.

"We'll ask some questions and you are going to answer them. Lie and we will know."

"Hrraah...Fine...Graah."

"Why are you here?" Xie Lian begins.

"Krrah ... Krraah...to...Krraah...lure..."

"Lure who?"

"Hrrah...Graaah...a...krraah...little girl...KraAAh..."

"Do you know her name?"

"GrraAWAah...Hrraah...No...Krrraah..."

"How about what she looks like?" Hua Cheng asks in an intimidating tone.

"Krraah...Hrraaah...No...Krraah...GrAaAh!" They share a look.

Shall I make them show us?

Go ahead, you did warn them earlier.

"Hmph why don't we see for ourselves." Xie Lian slips his hand in Hua Chengs and intertwine their fingers while Hua Cheng with his other hand now outstretched reaches into the memories of both demons. He quickly found the memory he was looking for and projected them telepathically to Xie Lian's mind so they may both uncover them together.

"WE SUMMON YOU!" Cried a group of hooded and masked mages in a dark night without moonlight. The only light present was the candles arranged in a summoning formation.

"KRAahAHaha...GrahaAh...who summons...HrahaAah?"

"We do, youth devourers."

"We have a task for you."

"GRAhahaKraah...Offerring...HraAah...first." One of the mages lead two children who were in a trance to each demon. Xie Lian couldn't help but wince in horror as the youth devouring demons take their souls and devours them.

Gege?

I'm fine...its just awful

I know

"Satisfied?"

"Grahakraah...Yes...Grahaaah."

"We need you to capture a little girl."

"Her left eye is blue and her right eye is amber brown. She would be about six years old. By the end of September she will be seven years old."

"HRAAH...Krahaagh...why...Graaahk...us...kraaAAagh?"

"You youth devouring demons specialize in luring and hunting down children. Even in areas where mortals cannot easily go."

"We have prepared other offerings which you will recieve when you bring us the girl alive and with her soul intact."

"GraAAAahhk...krAaAh...her...KRaAaAhk...name?"

"She is known as Meng Ai, and her presence was felt in Jingdezhen before we lost track of her."

"Bring her to us and you will recieve the rest of your offerings."

"GRAaAh!" "HraAAaAghk!"

The memory ends but Hua Cheng keeps his control over the two demons.

"Should we ask them to lead us to them?"

"No need. I already know where those mages are, even if they travel around." Hua Cheng then summons E-ming out of its sheath.

"GrAAH krAAaAh - you liars! HraAahk!"

"We never promised your safety and continued existence." These were Hua Cheng's last words to them before E-mind destroyed them.

"Good job E-ming." Xie Lian says as the scimitar's eye looked to him for approval. Having received it, E-ming coos of soft delight.

"Hmm they're getting desperate. Something tells me that this won't be the last thing they summon to hunt or lure Xiao Ai to them."

"I'll increase the security measures when it comes to her safety. And when all else fails she still has our silver butterfly pendant on her. Our combined powers in that pendant should be able to protect her and send a message to anyone who dares harm her." Xie Lian couldn't help but smile as he notices how Hua Cheng is already thinking of her safety.

"What amuses Gege so?"

"I like this side of you. Being protective over our daughter. I don't mind seeing this more often." Xie Lian couldn't help but tease a bit as he brings himself closer to Hua Cheng's look of surprise.

"Is...is that so?"

"Mmhmm" He sighs as he embraces him with his arms around Hua Cheng's neck.

"Let's visit Puqi Shrine for awhile. Since Meng Ai couldn't be there for the meantime we'll have the bed to ourselves." Hua Cheng quickly takes out the dice and tosses it but barely looks at the number that will inevitably lead to Puqi Shrine. His gaze instead was focused on his husband as he feels his desire for him increase as he feels himself share an expression of lust with him.

"We're here Gege." He bends down to kiss him and to carry him as a groom would carry his bride. Never breaking the kiss he enters the living quarters and gently placed him on the bed.

"San Lang mmm" Xie Lian moans as he keeps Hua Cheng close to his lips with one hand while undressing him and teasing him with the other.

"Mmm Gege mmm."

They would deal with the damage left by the previous battle once morning arrives. For now they were savoring being united in their love.

______________________________________________________________

"White Lotus is clearly the better mooncake filling." Mu Qing argues as he, Feng Xin, and Shi Qingxuan went to the nearby town. It was their promised reward to Shi Qingxuan for taking care of themself to recover quicker and thus meeting Meng Ai earlier before her birthday.

"Its too subtle for a little girl's birthday."

"Well clearly not for Meng Ai since she loves it."

"She also loves the Red bean filling. The popular choice."

"Hey you two why don't you just go for the third option? You both mentioned you liked how her mom mixed both fillings together, why not go with that? Also," Shi Qingxuan browses the fabric on display.

"What do you think her favorite color is? Or or what colors do you think looks good with her?"

"The four of us secretly decided to give all three to her. We'll give her an official answer so that she won't suspect and so her mother could begin making it, Nan Feng and I will buy one mooncake with either White Lotus paste or Red bean filling and her new parents will buy the other."

"Red bean filling is easier to find and it easily sells out. Oh and I think you should just ask her since we'll be going there once we finish up here."

"Which is why we should buy the White Lotus one so that it's easier to get."

"Do you know how easy it is to screw up White Lotus mooncake?"

"Any mooncake made by an idiot will be screwed up. Why do you think we'll be tasting them first before giving it to her?" Sighing as they hear the argument continue Shi Qingxuan decides to ask the store owner if they had some fabric samples they could show. They couldn't help but laugh at both of them remaining firm in their arguments.

"Here you go sir, a book sewn with a small piece of all the fabrics we have in our store."

"Thank you so much. Come on you two, you can continue arguing outside." They say with a laugh as both of them follow them out.

"Is that your only gift to her?"

"Of course not, we're also giving her a Go set." Feng Xin says as Mu Qing enters the first store selling mooncakes. The Mid Autumn Festival was only a few weeks away and this year Meng Ai's birthday would be in the week after that. Stores were now selling their mooncakes as a form of advertising their products. By selling them now the public could gauge which stores would sell the mooncakes that appealed to their taste and stores themselves could gauge how many orders to prepare as the Mid Autumn Festival came nearer.

"Did you check with Hua Cheng and Xie Lian if they already have a Go set in Paradise Manor? I find it hard to believe that Hua Chengzhu wouldn't already have one."

"Well another one wouldn't hurt."

"Because he already bought it." Mu Qing says as he emerged with six small mooncakes. Three of the White Lotus Paste filling and three of the Red bean filling.

"I didn't buy it! It wasn't used and was just collecting dust in one of my temples and I compensated my priest with blessings in exchange for offering it to me."

"In other words - you bought it from your priest." Mu Qing rebuts as he eats his share with the red bean filling. While the taste itself was not bad it had a strangely sour after taste that he isn't sure that Meng Ai would enjoy. Jing Mei's remarkable mooncakes were smooth, flavorful and did not have any of the aftertaste he was currently experiencing now.

Perhaps it was just the red bean flavor.

He eats the White Lotus paste flavor filling and while the flavor was better than the previous mooncake, it still had that sour aftertaste.

It must be the dough.

"Uhm Xuan Zhen, I don't think a little girl is going to like this." Shi Qingxuan says as he swallows only out of politeness. But it was clear from their and Feng Xin's expressions that none of them were fans of the sour aftertaste.

"I know, this is a far cry from her mother's version."

"I honestly doubt we'll be able to find someone who could match hers."

"Describe how her mother does it. Maybe I know a place that will have something similar."

"Smooth, flavorful, concentrated in its flavor that just complements the egg inside it, sweet but not overwhelmingly so. Just enough to make you want more."

"It's almost like there is a subtle burst of it in every bite you take and because of its smoothness the flavors becomes more intense." Feng Xin adds as they begin making their way in a secluded area after they notice that it was late in the night and it was time for them to make their way to Paradise Manor. Mu Qing begins drawing a teleportation portal to get them close enough to the entrance of Ghost City.

"If she's willing to make us some, you'll understand what we mean."

"Are you sure Xiwangmu wouldn't let me borrow her for her visions and her amazing food? She's got plenty of other oracles." At this Mu Qing couldn't help but laugh.

"We've already talked about this, I highly doubt she would lend her to you just for those reasons."

"What if I send some of my followers to protect her and Chenxi's temples?"

"You don't need to request for her specifically! You can get anyone else to cook for you or to give you visions."

"Okay what if I teach Meng Ai how to fight?" Mu Qing pinches the bridge of his nose in both annoyance and amusement.

"Go ahead, try your best to convince one of the most powerful primordial Goddesses if you can borrow one of her most active oracles. I'm going to enjoy watching her kick your sorry butt." Now it was Feng Xin's turn to laugh.

"Hmph please, we both know you wouldn't let that happen."

"Well it looks like the portal is ready! Enough stalling let's go." Shi Qingxuan says quickly before Mu Qing could respond with what seemed to be a more teasing and flirtatious reply based on the expression on his face. Their flirting was often more confusing to the former Wind Master. At least whenever Hua Cheng and Xie Lian would flirt, their flirtations were more obvious and Shi Qingxuan knew to ignore it and give the married couple privacy. But with Nan Yang and Xuan Zhen being a relatively new couple (in public at least, they knew that the Generals were together a little longer before that) their flirtations with each other were a sometimes not so obvious and it was difficult to tell if the new couple were seriously arguing or if they were simply teasing and goading each other into initiating more physical forms of affection.

They emerge out of the portal and make a final check to see if their divine aura was obvious or not. Then they join the ghosts entering Ghost City.

When they enter the actual city they were greeted by Yin Yu.

"Welcome back to Ghost City. Just follow me to Paradise Manor."

"Thank you Yin Yu. What are they doing?" Shi Qingxuan asks in curiosity.

"It's going to be your first time meeting her, correct?"

"Oh yes! And might I just say I would have jumped at the chance of babysitting her if only I wasn't sick. But unfortunately I'm now mortal and I'm now more prone to illnesses." Shi Qingxuan gives a chuckle at the end. They decided that it was best that they take over the conversation since they aren't exactly sure what type of dynamic the other two have with Yin Yu. They are at least confident that Yin Yu and they can have an easy conversation. Or Yin Yu willingly listened to Shi Qingxuan's thoughts about almost anything.

"It is understandable, let's just say her mother has found her an animal that she will raise for the next few weeks and she will offer it to Xiwangmu on the day of her birthday." Yin Yu let's out a small chuckle.

"All because Xiao Ai wanted to adopt a puppy and its mother which turned out to be a couple of youth devourers in disguise."

"So she's taking care of a dog?" Feng Xin asks as they reach the entrance of Paradise Manor.

"Not exactly." Yin Yu says with amusement, when they reach the entrance of the building and before Yin Yu makes his leave he gives them one last hint.

"I hope you won't mind a certain meat being absent in your meals here - or at least whenever Meng Ai is present while eating. She's that committed." He then takes his leave and the three of them enter the manor. What greeted them was an amusing sight.

It seems that their presence was not yet noticed since Hua Cheng and Xie Lian had their backs to them while to their side was another couple who was looking down at what Shi Qingxuan presumed to be Meng Ai who was currently hidden by them.

"You know she can also eat bugs Aiai."

"No! Baba she'll be vegetarian."

"But you'll deprive her of nutritition and she's already the runt of the litter." Jing Mei says amusingly.

"But mushrooms are also protein!"

"I hate to agree Xiao Ai but plenty of mushrooms are toxic to both humans and animals." Xie Lian adds in a light tone.

"Aw." Hua Cheng chuckles in a way that they've only heard him do around Xie Lian. And now this little girl had the power to bring that out from him. Much to their astonishment. Mostly of Shi Qingxuan, but also to Feng Xin and Mu Qing.

"Xiao Ai don't worry, she's not going to be slaughtered. You're raising her to be Xiwangmu's pet."

"I know San Lang." They then hear a little squeal and what emerged was Meng Ai craddling a swaddled little piglet.

"Oh I'm so sorry we didn't notice your arrival." Xie Lian immediately says as he approaches the trio. It was then that Meng Ai noticed two familiar faces and one new one.

"Nan Feng! Fu Yao! Meet Chang-Chang." She holds up the little swaddled piglet as she eagerly runs to them. The piglet blinks innocently at them and as the three of them kneels down to her level to take a closer look.

"She's my birthday gift to Xiwangmu so she's actually her pet."

"Hello there." Shi Qingxuan says as they reach out and pet Chang-Chang on the head. Turns out the little piglet loves cuddles and immediately leans in on their hand.

"You know what - surprisingly cute." Mu Qing says as he gives a little pet to Chang-Chang on the head while Feng Xin pets her from underneath her chin. The little piglet, much like Meng Ai was happily soaking up all the positive attention from her new audience.

"Mama chose her for me because she couldn't get milk from her mama."

"Not enough nipples and too many piglets." Jing Mei clarifies from where she was standing.

"Is this why you don't want to eat pork until after she goes to Xiwangmu?" Shi Qingxuan asks and she nods vigorously.

"I didn't want to offend her. But don't worry since she'll be going to Xiwangmu in the morning, in my birthday party in the evening we'll be eating pork again." Feng Xin took the moment to carry Chang-Chang while Xie Lian formally introduced Shi Qingxuan and Meng Ai. After a few minutes he felt dampness in the swaddled cloth accompanied by Hua Cheng's laughter.

"Chang-Chang!" One of the servants accompanied Jing Mei in helping Meng Ai in cleaning the little piglet whose pee soaked through the swaddling cloth and dripped a bit on Feng Xin.

"I'm so sorry Nan Feng - if it makes you feel better Chang-Chang also peed on me when I was carrying her yesterday." Mu Qing laughs as he hands a handkerchief to Feng Xin.

"Don't worry Meng Ai, let's just say Nan Feng is used to fluids being dripped his way." Before she could ask further Jing Mei and the female servant ushers her out to clean Chang-Chang.

"Well would you look at that - it's nice to know that even Chang-Chang has taste in companions." Hua Cheng says as he joins Xie Lian's side.

"Hey! At least she's comfortable around me."

"Aw you two were right, she is adorable. Congratulations on your new little girl you two." Shi Qingxuan immediately says to quickly dissipate any incoming argument between Hua Cheng and Feng Xin. Even though they knew that these three couldn't help but bicker, they didn't want to start their visit with them bickering among each other (though it was still entertaining from their point of view). Xie Lian gives them a thankful glance and guides them to the dining room and takes advantage of Meng Ai being absent for a little while.

"Chenxi has contacted you?" Ji Huifan asks them as they enter.

"Yes, you knew?" Mu Qing asks.

"No, but she did send a message to Mei and I that she will be attending Meng Ai's birthday party."

"Huh interesting." Shi Qingxuan says as female servants begin placing food on the dining table. They couldn't help but wink at a few of them while also giving a sympathetic look. They recalled the time when they were going undercover and had to blend in among Hua Cheng's female servants.

"Any ideas on what are their next moves?" Mu Qing asks when they all settle down.

"Considering that they ventured into summoning youth devourers they would probably start summoning other demonic creatures." Hua Cheng says seriously. Xie Lian slip his hand into Hua Cheng's for their mutual comfort.

"Based on their last movements the entire group is mainly headed towards the southern areas. Probably to investigate if they had left or if their contacts have seen the three of them leave through the southern coastal areas. I'd like to request if you two could keep an eye on them."

"Of course." They then sense that Meng Ai and Jing Mei were coming. This time Chang-Chang was swaddled in a new cloth and was now laying inside a basket whose walls were high enough that the little piglet couldn't escape even if she jumped.

"Chang-Chang is not sitting on your lap."

"But my eyes are not leaving Chang-Chang."

"Chang-Chang already ate, she'll be more comfortable in your room."

"But I haven't yet and I need to see her at all times."

"Xiao - Ai would you like to put Chang-Chang nearby?" Xie Lian asks in a gentle persuasive tone and trying to find an approach that would help Jing Mei and Meng Ai have a compromise.

"She could be within your view."

"Okay Xie Lian." Xie Lian then takes the basket holding Chang-Chang on the seat in front of Meng Ai which was in between Shi Qingxuan and and Mu Qing.

"Don't worry, she's sleeping now so I don't think she'll relieve herself again. I just want to make sure I know where she is." With everyone complete they begin eating their meal.

"Say Jing Mei, by any chance do you still have any of those sample mooncakes? You know just so Shi Qingxuan here could understand Meng Ai's dilemma."

"Oh yes, I just made a new batch this morning - and no Aiai you're not getting any until your birthday."

"I was wondering if Chang-Chang could have some."

"I know what you're trying to do but the answer is still no."

"Meng Ai, think of it this way - once you get your mooncake on your birthday it will be much sweeter." Shi Qingxuan says now excited at finally tasting the coveted mooncakes of Jing Mei.

"That's true, but by then Chang-Chang will be with Xiwangmu."

"Don't worry Aiai, I'll make a pig friendly version to accompany Chang-Chang on the morning of your birthday when you offer her as a pet to Xiwangmu."

"Oh why didn't you say so mama!?" Finally satisfied the rest of the meal went on and by the end of it Shi Qingxuan now understands why Feng Xin and Mu Qing were no longer satisfied with just any mooncakes and why Feng Xin wants to borrow Jing Mei for her cooking skills.

"How do you like things so far Meng Ai?"

"Oh I love it Fu Yao. Everything is so red and warm and cozy."

"Ah so is red your favorite color? Oh and before I forget you can call me A-xuan. I give you my full permission." Shi Qingxuan says with enthusiasm. Meng Ai couldn't help but giggle as she shakes her head.

"Red is beautiful but blue is actually my favorite color."

"Oh why is that?" Feng Xin asks amused.

"Because whenever blue shows up in nature, it is always a work of art. That's why you don't see many things in nature that are blue."

"Hmm? But the sky is blue." Shi Qingxuan points out.

"And so is the sea." Added Mu Qing.

"The sky is up there, and the waters only reflect it, that's why they are blue. But there aren't many species of animals that are blue. There's no blue dog, blue cat or blue horses. But peacocks have beautiful iridiscent patterns on their feathers and the most beautiful butterfly in nature is the blue butterfly." At this she excitedly turns to Hua Cheng.

"San Lang, did you know that somewhere beyond our lands is the most beautiful blue butterfly? One of Baba's friends summoned some through a portal and it was the most beautiful butterfly in nature. And Baba explained that the reason why its so vibrant is because the butterflies are not using pigment, they use some sort of structure that is too small for us to see to make their wings blue. Since they live in a part of the world that rains a lot so they need to keep their wings vibrant even when they are wet."

"How interesting Xiao Ai." He says with interest as he listens to her.

"Oh yes and it's also why when you look at it in different angles sometimes it shifts in color - Baba what do you call it?"

"Iridesence."

"Iridesence! And it's the same method that Peacocks use for their feathers. That's why their feathers are so beautiful." By the end of the meal, the new people in Meng Ai's life have a good grasp on what gifts she would love and appreciate.

______________________________________________________________

"Thank you for visiting scrap collector gege!"

"You're welcome Gu Zi." Xie Lian says as the little boy is escorted to have his formal lessons by a teacher whom Lang Qianqiu personally checked would be good for Gu Zi's temperament and would be considerate of his background. Now he and his former Guo Shi were alone ever since the battle of the heavens against Jun Wu.

"Lang Qianqiu? Is there something in your mind?" Xie Lian asks as he hears Lang Qianqiu sigh.

"Am I fighting a losing battle...Guo Shi?" Lang Qianqiu turns to face him with uncertainty in his eyes.

"He still awaits for his father's return. I don't know if that's his original father or that monster anymore. No matter how much I try and attempt to explain things to him he rejects it. What if...what if this means I'm not ready to take care of him? Or worse, what if I mess things up?" Lang Qianqiu then realizes that as much as he tries...he needs his Guo Shi.

The man who willingly painted himself as the villain in his life so that peace would prevail and so that he could be the ruler who listens to the needs of his people.

"Qianqiu." Xie Lian starts with a gentle tone. Gentler than when he was Fang Xin Guoshi, but nevertheless it was still sincere.

"I also wasn't ready when I came into your life." Lang Qianqiu nods solemnly.

"But you managed to do it so well."

"But I wasn't perfect." The stillness yet cooling air of the heavens only emphasized that there was nowhere to run. Deep inside both of them they longed to be able to form a bond, even though it will never be like how it was. One of them believed he was undeserving and it was all a wishful dream but Xie Lian couldn't help but hope. Lang Qianqiu didn't know how to reforge it, but he had to try. To try his best even though it made him uncomfortable right now.

He misses him.

But he also knows that the wounds from the recent revelations were still too fresh. And he could see that his Guo Shi knows that some things take time to heal.

"Qianqiu, there is no such thing as a perfect parent or guardian." Xie Lian couldn't help but place his hands on Qianqiu's shoulders to reassure his former student.

"But that doesn't mean you shouldn't do your best. And I know you enough that you will." Lang Qianqiu's eyes become watery as he allows the words of his Guo Shi to sink in.

Somehow, even till now...he knew just what he needs to hear.

And he couldn't help but smile in thanks to him.

"I have an idea, why don't I introduce you and Gu Zi to someone. She's six years old but it would be nice for Gu Zi to be with children around his age."

"Ugh, I've tried Guo Shi. But he refuses to interact with them whenever Mengyou and I take him to the mortal realm. I'm trying not to force things on him. He's so obsessed with his father and Qi Rong that I'm afraid that he will miss out on living life."

"Don't worry. You still have time. And I have faith in you."

______________________________________________________________

"Chang - Chang, sit." The little piglet lay down instead of sitting. Taking a deep breath Meng Ai tries again.

"Chang - Chang, stand." Mu Qing, Feng Xin, and Shi Qingxuan watches her squeal in delight as they watch the piglet stand up. The three of them have decided to take her to Shi Qingxuan's new residence with permission from Hua Cheng and Xie Lian. Since those hunting her were specifically looking for a family of three - a mother, a father, and a daughter, they tended to ignore groups that didn't meet this description. As expected Hua Cheng initially refused until Xie Lian convinced him that Meng Ai needs to take trips outside of Ghost City since she was still mortal. Even if the powers they bestowed on her butterfly pendant was more than enough to allow her to live everyday in Ghost City, Meng Ai did miss being around regular people. It was only when Hua Cheng made a special kind of illusion on her so that anyone who wasn't taking care of her couldn't see what she actually looks like.

This also gave a chance for all of her parents to rest from taking care of her while Shi Qingxuan is making up for lost time by showing that they can be relied on as her babysitter.

After all there were at least twenty hidden wraith butterflies watching over her and their treatment of her. These hidden twenty were only visible to the trio of babysitters. Threatening them by their mere presence and proximity should any harm fall on Meng Ai while she is under their watch. Meanwhile there were another ten wraith butterflies playing with her and Chang-Chang.

"You know for someone who recently became a father, Hua Chengzhou is quite protective over little Aiai." Shi Qingxuan says as they fan themself to keep cool. While it wasn't a hot day, it wasn't cool enough to be comfortable either.

"I can't believe I'm saying this but I don't blame him. Qingxuan if only you knew what these cursed immortals had sent to hunt her down you too would be concerned over her safety." Feng Xin says as he takes a bite of the latest sample of mooncakes that Shi Qingxuan bought from the capital city of this area. It was definitely better but still not as smooth as how Jing Mei makes hers.

"Hmph, never thought the day would come when Hua Cheng would be protective over someone other than Dianxia." Mu Qing says as he puts a black stone on the Go board before turning to watch Meng Ai play and teach Chang-Chang basic commands.

"Chang-Chang, down." The piglet lies down and an enthusiastic Meng Ai gives her a treat. Even from where they were sitting they could see that the butterflies were being very gentle and playful with her. Some of them have began attaching themselves on her hair, keeping some of the stray strands from flying into her face.

"Chang-Chang, stand." The piglet stands and was rewarded with another treat.

"By the way, has she guessed your identities yet?"

"She already knows Xie Lian is the Crown Prince of Xianle when she asked him last dinner and said why she thinks so. He didn't have the heart to not answer her." Feng Xin places a white stone on the Go board before once again facing the direction where Meng Ai and Chang-Chang was.

"Well to be fair Nan Yang he is going to be her new father. If there's anyone whose identity she should know its him and Hua Cheng. She's quick so it won't be long till she guesses our own identites."

"Chang-Chang, walk." Happily trotting beside her and some of the wraith butterflies trailing along behind them they go back to where the trio were seated at the outer porch area of Shi Qingxuan's home.

"General Nan Yang! General Xuan Zhen! A-Xuan! Look what I taught Chang-Chang!" She doesn't notice the look of surprise when she immediately turns and commands Chang-Chang to sit, lie down, and stand. Shi Qingxuan couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh that's brilliant Meng Ai!"

"I know A-xuan! I can't believe she finally learnt my commands now." After Chang-Chang consistently follows Meng Ai's commands she picks her up and carries her as she settles herself beside Shi Qingxuan so that she may watch the Go game.

"Meng Ai what did you call Nan Feng and Fu Yao just now?"

"General Nan Yang and General Xuan Zhen. Xie Lian said that they've been bickering ever since their early days with him. And since Xie Lian is the Crown Prince of Xianle and since they have the same type of spirit as Xie Lian the only two Gods I know who like to compete with each other are Generals Nan Yang and Xuan Zhen." She turns to look at their Go game to see if she could recognize any patterns from their first lesson with her. As she was looking she hears both of them chuckle above her.

"You just had to predict it don't you Xuan Zhen?" Mu Qing only gives him a smug look in return.

"Oh but I do have some questions - what does Ju Yang mean? Did you have to become a giant in a famous battle? Why do some of the villagers and ghosts laugh whenever they say it?"

"Well-"

"You're not ready to know yet!" Feng Xin quickly says as he cuts off Mu Qing from explaining any further. This only lead Mu Qing to laugh at his expense

"Huh? Why not? Why is your facing becoming red?" She innocently asks confused.

"Meng Ai let's just say it was an embarrassing incident for Nan Yang here and that's why he doesn't like to say it."

"But I will."

"Because you're enjoying it."

"Why do you think I have all the poems memorized Qingxuan?"

"Oh I'm sorry Nan Yang - I could tell you an embarrassing memory of mine. Would that make you feel better?"

"Oh there's no need for that Meng Ai." Feng Xin quickly says but from her expression she was going to tell them anyway.

"One time somebody ask me to do the story of the butterfly lovers ten times. But I was confused because I don't know what they mean, and because this man wanted me to do it and not one of my parents. I didn't want to ask them what he meant so I just guessed. So I made ten different drawings of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai. It turned out that he wanted me to write it down. But for some reason mama and baba said that it was good that I didn't do it because that man wanted to get a sample of my calligraphy." Unbeknownst to her all three of them were alarmed.

"What did he look like?"

"I didn't see his face, but I remember he was wearing a hood and a mask. But it was during one of the village festivals when plenty of people were wearing masks."

The air became chilled at this new revelation. With the butterflies still on her hair at least they know that they wouldn't need to tell Hua Cheng of their new discovery. Feng Xin and Mu Qing share a look as the memories of their clones escaping the camp full of the hooded masked mages and the cursed immortal who was Meng Ai's aunt. What she almost did.

And now they learn that a mage mercenary had interacted with Meng Ai hoping to get a sample of her calligraphy. While they aren't entirely sure what that man was going to do with it, all three of them knew nothing good could come out of it.

"What happened to the drawings?"

"Oh I didn't like my drawings so Baba set them on fire so that the ashes could be used as a fertilizer."

They all breathed out a sigh of relief.

______________________________________________________________

"What do you think?" Hua Cheng asks as he shows Xie Lian the new modifications he made to their cottage. The cottage where they spent many of their passionate nights after their wedding. Now they both stand at the entrance of what would now be Meng Ai's room. A bed by the window since she loved waking up to the view. A desk to practice her calligraphy in and for her to read. Several stacks of blank notebooks and books on the shelves that she had always wanted to read.

And of course it was a tasteful blend of blue, Meng Ai's favorite color.

Xie Lian couldn't help but chuckle as he notices the paintings of blue butterflies and peacocks that decorate her walls.

"You really searched for and studied the blue butterfly she was talking about." Hua Cheng smiles at him with a knowing look.

"I couldn't make an accurate painting if I didn't examine the specimen itself. Fortunately I was able to get a sample of it and made some here." Xie Lian embraces him. Knowing that despite all his work he could still sense that Hua Cheng was nervous on whether Meng Ai would actually love it. But knowing her and knowing how she actually is when she is safe and happy, deep down Xie Lian knows Meng Ai would love it because Hua Cheng made it for her.

"San Lang, do you want to give it to her before her birthday in a few days? That way she could move in and if there are any changes she'd like you would know right away?" Hua Cheng couldn't help but gaze lovingly at him. Xie Lian always seemed to know what to say to relieve his worries.

"I would love that Gege." He bends down and they share a chaste but sweet kiss as their foreheads press against each other.

"Let's reinforce the wards so that we won't have to worry about any of them finding her and taking her away."

"I couldn't agree more Gege."

Three days before her actual birthday, while the rest of the world was in the midst of the week long Mid Autumn Festival, they lead her to the cottage. Ruoye once again acting as a blindfold. This time on Meng Ai whose hands were held by Xie Lian and Hua Cheng.

"I thought we would be staying in Paradise Manor?"

"We are still staying there. But you need to also be within the mortal world since its not good for a mortal to stay in Ghost City for too long." Hua Cheng explains as they guide her.

"Even when you and Xie Lian placed power on my necklace?"

"Even the powers of your necklace needs to rest and replenish every once in a while Meng Ai." Xie Lian says as they stop on front of the cottage and Ruoye unwinds itself as it goes back inside Xie Lian's sleeve.

When her eyes opened she couldn't contain her delight and hugged both of them.

"Can we go inside please?" They both laugh as she pulls them both to the door. Someone else would think that she was trying to convince them to buy the cottage.

"We have a few more surprises for you." Hua Cheng says as Xie Lian holds his hand to help with his nervousness.

Only for a few minutes as they here squeals of delight as she enters her room.

"Is - is this really for me? THANK YOU SO MUCH!" She drags them both inside as she jumps on the bed.

"Of course this is for you little one." Hua Cheng chuckles as he finds himself laying down on one side of the bed, Xie Lian on the other and Meng Ai laying down in between them with her facing him.

"Does this mean you wouldn't mind if I'm your daughter? Is it okay if I call you two Baba Lian and Baba Lang?" She asks nervously. A part of her is scared at still being rejected. But the love on both of their faces made her feel happy and safe.

She wasn't losing anyone, she's gaining more people who will love her.

"You are our daughter Xiao Ai." Xie Lian says as he leans on one arm.

"We both want you to be our daughter." After he said this Hua Cheng felt his anxiety fade away as their daughter, their Xiao Ai laughed with joy.

______________________________________________________________

The morning of the 21st of September had finally arrived.

Chenxi in disguise as one of her mother's priestesses arrives at the entrance of Paradise Manor. At the entrance was Meng Ai holding Chang-Chang who now had a blue collar around her neck. Behind her were her four parents and her three baby sitters. Everyone except Meng Ai instantly knew who she was. Meng Ai could sense she was a God but couldn't tell which one.

"Are you Xiwangmu?" She asks as she held Chang-Chang back.

"No, but she's very important to me. And I believe you have a pet offering for her."

"Will Chang-Chang be safe?" Chenxi smiles as she nods.

"I will personally make sure she is. Xiwangmu will love her. She knows you've been working hard on raising Chang-Chang." Meng Ai nods and makes Chang-Chang face her.

"You be good okay? I'll visit you if I can." She couldn't help but cry as she embraces Chang-Chang one last time. All the sleepless nights, all the time spent raising and loving her and training her...it will be over now but she knows it's because the priests and priestesses of Xiwangmu could better take care of Chang-Chang than she could.

Is that why it still hurts?

Chang-Chang sensing her sadness nuzzles her one last time as she gives her to Xiwangmu's priestess who now also carries treats and food for Chang-Chang.

"I'll be back later for your party tonight little Meng Ai. I'll just make sure Chang-Chang is safe." Chenxi smiles reassuringly as she escorts Chang-Chang to her mother's temple. There she will join all of her other pets offered to live a natural life.

"Mama it hurts." Chenxi smiles as she overhears her. Ji Huifen and Jing Mei did a great job at showing her that even they are going to be grieving. Grieving at the chance of not being the ones who will raise her. Even though they all know this is for the best, it doesn't mean that it didn't hurt.

A lesson that she herself had to learn the hard way.

She tucks that in the corner of her mind as she makes her way to the temple. There will be plenty of that when Nan Yang and Xuan Zhen ask her about that time in her life. Today was a day of celebration and she intends to keep it that way.

Once the sun had set Meng Ai's birthday celebration has begun. The guests being restricted to those she has already met but it was still more than just her parents.

While there were games that entertained her if you were to ask Meng Ai what the highlight of the night would be, it's that she got to eat all three flavors of mooncake.

"We didn't want to keep fighting what was the best flavor so we decided to give you all three." Hua Cheng couldn't help but rebut this as Feng Xin and Mu Qing gives Meng Ai their Go set gift.

"You're right, you and Nan Yang would prefer to fight over more petty things for the fun of it now."

"Pardon me!"

"Now now it's Xiao Ai's birthday."

"Hey Meng Ai, I've got you something!" Sensing another argument may happen Shi Qingxuan immediately interrupts by giving Meng Ai their present.

"Shi Qingxuan how were you able to bring a Guquin here without us noticing?" Feng Xin asks suspiciously and Shi Qingxuan couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Hey I still know and use magic, it's just not the same as before but obviously I am still highly capable for your information."

"And speaking of musical instruments." Ji Huifan and Jing Mei present their own gift, the Guzheng.

"I can finally learn the Guzheng and the Guquin. Oh it's so beautiful."

"This is the Guzheng I was playing when your father first met me." Jing Mei says as she begins playing a simple tune that gradually began to become more and more complex.

"It was once my mother's, and now it is yours Aiai."

"But-but how did you get it here?"

"We had some help." Ji Huifan says as he bends down and kisses Meng Ai's forehead.

"Remember, never stop learning. We will always be with you no matter what." She smiles as she embraces them.

"Thank you mama, thank you baba."

Now having experienced a pain similar to theirs she kisses both of them on the cheek.

And for the rest of the night, there was lively music heard in Paradise Manor celebrating the latest member of Hua Cheng and Xie Lian's family.

AN: I had to end it there for now because Chenxi's assessment and conversation with Fengqing would take place as everyone else is busy.

Zufu - Formal way of saying grandfather (at least according to google)

Mei mei - little sister

Ji - Hope, Lihua - Pear blossom

Chang-Chang - Flourishing (I found this in a site for chinese names for female dogs [ https://www.pupnames.com/dog-names/chinese/female ] )

I wanted to give Chang-Chang more scenes but I'm not too experienced with pigs as pets to contribute specific scenes.

I was so inspired and guided by the reconciliation scene in the story "A Splinter in the Heart" by theearlymorningmist (read here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54114421/chapters/137010871) although I will be approaching Lang Qianqiu reconciling with Xie Lian more gradually in this story. They'll still have the big heart to heart reconciliation talk but I feel Lang Qianqiu has to gradually be ready for it and needs to understand what it's like raising a kid first. Also just to make things clear - Lang Qianqiu is Meng Ai's love interest but I won't let them meet till after she grows up.

[onesunofagun]

Be advised of minor totk Ganondorf spoilers ahead--

One of the things that stands out to me about botw/TotK is the many ways we are shown that a connection of people to nature and the understanding of and respect for the spirits of the land-- an incredibly Shintoist outlook-- is integral to Hyrule's prosperity.

This is true of every Zelda, but the very Ghibli-esque nature of these two showcase it in a really forefront way, in how they show a destroyed and recovering Hyrule, post Calamity. The erasure and destruction of both historical record and knowledge of important skills, as well as a seperation from the people and their big and small Gods, is directly aimed at severing such connection.

That's the philosophical heart of the series, thematically. It's also part of why Link is named link-- a link to Hyrule for the player, but also one who links people together, and reforges broken connections so that something can heal and strengthen again.

(That's relevant to the rejection of Sheikah Technology too, and the ways in which advanced magic-tech is very much shown to be something of the Heavens, rather than Earth. The themes there regarding hubris and error, such as Calamity Ganon's turning the technology against Hyrule, are kind of playing on the dangers of that sacred connection to the land being substituted.)

A huge part of the damage done to Hyrule in Ganon's assaults comes in isolating people and weakening the spiritual forces of the land, often cutting off access to holy places of Hyrulean worship or attempting to destroy or defile them.

One of the effects of this to remember when pondering new details is that some of the things in botw/Totk's lore-- such as things we're told through word of mouth especially by contemporary Hyrulean people-- are deliberately wrong, or intended as having been widely misunderstood.

Hylians especially have lost a vast wealth of cultural and religious knowledge in the Calamity, and much of their previous population and settlements. Their access to and knowledge of holy sites and objects, and their meanings or respective spiritual guardians or deities, is incredibly limited and spotty.

It isn't the first time we see cultural knowledge waning like this in the series, either. Like a bad game of telephone, this knowledge gets distorted and diluted over time until it's merely a rumour or guess, that vaguely resembles the original tale or purpose.

A great example of this is knowledge of the Triforce upon the Great Sea in Wind Waker. The legend of the Holy Relic that contains the power of the creation Gods and its wish granting properties does persist, even beyond a cataclysmic flooding of Hyrule has buried most evidence of it. So much so that its mark can adorn the doors of Outset Island, clearly still holding purpose as a warding symbol at the very least, while treasure hunters and old men rave about the lost treasure of the wish granting cutlery, the Triumph Forks.

To this point, and in an interesting meta effect of this, Jerrin notes-- regarding the horned statue in TotK-- that, there being a goddess of light, her parallel and opposing twin comes in the form of the Horned God.

Which many players probably think odd. I did, at first.

At face value, we may think Jerrin is speaking of the demonic entity residing within the statue, because that is what we are most familiar with when we think of this statue in particular.

And while the entity trapped in the horned statue certainly is a member of the demon tribe, most players are probably going to be aware of the dissonance there-- Hylia's opposing match is and always has been Demise.

The entity tells us it was sealed inside that statue by the Goddess herself, long into antiquity, as a punishment for their deals with mortals. Depending on how you wish to interpret that, and especially considering we've seen members of the Demon tribe refer to a Zelda as 'the Goddess' still, it can be taken with a grain of salt which incarnation of Hylia did the sealing.

While it has become a vessel used to seal a particular demon, I believe that it already existed. The idea of sealing spirits and demons into containers is par for the course in Zelda and Japan, and this entity says that it was sealed 'inside this statue', rather than transformed into one (such as we see done to WW Ganondorf).

The Horned Statue itself very much matches the form of the Statues of Hylia in design, which are conversely noted to be rounded down over time by touch and prayer. They're worn from worship, and the Horned Statue isn't. The demon inside gripes about how people ignore it and don't even clean bird poop off it. It's pretty safe to assume that it represents the Horned God as, what Hylians would perceive to be, an evil idol. But in that, it represents the greater concept-- the demon tribe as a whole, as represented by their leader-- rather than the unfortunate being stuck inside of it (who most people besides Link apparently can't even hear).

As an aside, TotK has given us example of other spirits and minor deities being able to communicate to Link through them, in a manner almost reminiscent of Gossip Stones (and I believe that's on purpose). When he speaks to a typical statue of Hylia, for instance, it is reinforced that he is not actually hearing the voice of Hylia-- of course. What he is speaking to is, for the most part, an animistic delegate of a kind that acts as an intermediary.

There is a kind of spiritual awareness within the statue that performs a function, like a priest performing service, but cut right back to the essence of it. I don't mean to imply every statue has had a being forcibly stuffed inside of it to fulfill this task, but rather that the voice is closer to a result of the spiritual practices themselves.

The vessel of worship, through being worshipped, gains a spiritual identity as a link to the Divine.

The point is, it's unlikely that this entity is actually 'the Horned God' that the statue itself represents. It is supposed to represent the Leader of the Demon tribe. Demise is the natural opposite of Hylia, and he is stated to appear differently through the epochs, to each who sees him.

The opening cutscene of Skyward Sword very clearly depicts him in symbolic representation with horns.

And, I do not think that it is at all a coincidence that TOTK also presents us with a pretty undeniably horny Ganondorf, who is himself a reincarnation of that spiritual wellspring of essence. One of the thing to understand about the Tear he possesses is that it, with it's basis being a Magatama, is functionally amplifying his spiritual force and manifesting his potential.

In this state, he is very much supposed to evoke and represent Demise, and his role-- he is visually geared to make that connection clear.

He has become the Horned God that this ancient statue pays homage to.

When we view the aspects of these games through the lens of the average Hylian person, versus what we know from the long running meta of Zelda and it's extra materials as a whole, it becomes really interesting to decipher these sorts of red herring details.

At first glance something may seem to be a contradiction or an ill fit, but upon further inspection, starts to hold a lot of weight as a deliberate part of the internal world build.