#the bazaar of bad dreams

[letslovefood]

Thank you all for voting for The Bazaar of Bad Dreams!!! I’m loving it so much!!

(Also considering making a book blog for like.. progress and reviews and stuff, lemme know what you think)

[myhikari21things]

Read of The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King (2015) (495pgs)

[madeofbees]

I have a strong sense of self, it is murder.

[allhailstephenking]

Stephen King Poll - Collections

[merrilark]

Really love how Stephen King novels always have moments that make me audibly go oh, regardless of how good or bad the payoff is by the end.

The short stories "Batman and Robin Have An Altercation" and "Herman Wouk Is Still Alive" in The Bazaar of Bad Dreams are frighteningly ordinary in terms of characters, and there's no ghoul or ghost or scary alien, but ohhh. I think those two are going to stick with me for a long, long time.

I want to understand how he does emotion and the human psyche so well. I hope one day I can twist people's hearts and horrify them in the "oh this is so real" way that King does. I want to write things so visceral that it sits in people's chests and minds long after they've finished reading it.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

book 7 part 9 thoughts!!

***THIS POST CONTAINS MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR BOOK 7 PART 9 OF THE MAIN STORY!!*** Please note: this is NOT meant to be a summary or a translation; these are only my initial thoughts on the events that roughly unfold. There may be details overlooked or misunderstood in this post, so PLEASE do not use this as a translation.

Kind of a short update this time! It spans parts 140 to 157.

As a reminder, only Vil is following Yuu and co. into the next dream. This is because traveling around with too many people may cause a bug in Idia’s dream hacking and/or it may make it easier for Malleus to notice them.

They land in Kalim’s dream!! There is a segment where Vil freaks out about falling and we get to see his cute squeaky-voiced vulnerable side again. (Yes, the others tease him about it 😂)

They use DREAM FORM CHANGE to swap between dorm uniform (for combat) and school uniform (for general interactions within the dream).

And this new location is…

HUH WHATm/s tHIS?????

It seems like the Scalding Sands, but we’ve never seen this before.

OOP THEre’S THE BOY

Those colors look really good on him!! But the hat looks like it’s floating or sitting on just the scalp… It feels like maybe it should be further down on his head. (Sorry about the weird screenshot chsvskwguejsk)

Kalim doesn’t seem to recognize our squad, nor NRC. He says that he goes to Qasr Sultanate Academy (guess that’s where the name of his new uniform comes from). It is founded on the generous spirit of the Oasis’s Master (the Sultan). The school was established 2 years ago by his rich ass father, since this area did not have a magic school prior to that. THIS IS NEPOTISM AT ITS FINEST, FOLKS

***Note: "qasr" -> castle or palace, "sultanate" -> a place governed by a sultan!***

Idia reasons that Kalim might be this way to avoid the tragedies that play out at NRC. The dream is sheltering him…

Everyone is dying of heat, so Kalim uses his UM to give them cool drinking water. He also has some servants (no Jamil) bring the roof over to them to help them cool off???

BUT THEN jAMIL PULLS UP AnD

iT’S SO WEIRD, WhY’ShE SO PERKY AnD KIRAKIRA…………………… ……. …… …. … . ……. .. . … …. . . . HE;S SMILING TOO MUCH, IT;S SUS...... THIS iS wROng (Side note, those colors are also nice on him!)

Dream!Jamil explains that he was hired by Kalim’s father but that their families never cared about their different statuses. In this dream, they basically grew up as real childhood friends and always talk honestly with each other.

The group reminds Kalim that Jamil isn’t REALLY like this. Vil especially lays into him, roasting Jamil’s character and going into how untrustworthy he is, etc.

Jamil tries to keep Kalim in the dream by using Snake Whisper. Eventually Kalim has his breakthrough, which is where the Groovy for his new card comes from. He realizes that he believed in a false yet convenient Jamil, he cannot face him anymore.

WAHHHHH look at him 😭 He’s leaking like a faucet… but he’s also trying so hard to wipe away his tears, to be strong and stand on his own to fight against the fake Jamil! Let’s give him a round of applause, folks 👏

(This also means that there is potentially a pattern being established with these new limited main story cards; the Groovies will probably be the character crying as they have their realization that this world is a fake one. Does that mean… Crying J word next time??????? Maybe??? Or nah??? 😭 GOD PLEASE NO MY HEART WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO HANDLE IT—)

Vil tells Kalim that he also did something embarrassing in his own dream so it’s fine. Kalim callously laughs when he hears about Vil bossing Neige around, then quickly apologies because he realizes he was supposed to deny how bad it is.

Kalim joins the party!! He says it feels weird because usually Jamil is the one to wake HIM up.

They hop into Jamil’s dream!! They appear to have landed in a Silk City bazaar. Ortho takes headcount of them like they’re students on a casual field trip, lol

Kalim enjoyed the jump but Vil seems to be having a hard time keeping up. Ortho and Silver will stay with Vil while the rest of them look for Jamil.

Yuu and co. fuck around in the market a little, getting coconut juice (well, Kalim buys 10 at once) and whatever. Guys… now is seriously NOT the time.

While giving them juice, the vendor suddenly becomes hostile towards Kalim and demands payment instead of letting him put it on his family’s tab.

OMG?????? Apparently in Jamil’s dream, the Al-Asims are broke and scam free stuff from the vendors 😭 WHILE JAMIL IS RICH AF

The vendor is calling the POLICE

Silver comes running to save the day!! He says he will pay for his friends and we avoid being hauled off to jail ✨

We continue our search for Jamil, deciding to trek to Kalim’s home in Silk City since that’s where the Vipers live irl. INSTEAD THEY FIND THIS DESOLATE PLACE (reusing the dried up oasis background)

A bystander explains that the Asim familt’s business failed so they had to give up their house. It got moved and repainted black and red… AND NOW JAMIL’S THE MASTER 💀

A guard comes to chase them off and recognizes Kalim as a servant. Turns out, the Vipers bought the old Asim home and employed them as servants to help them out.

… I saw this coming from a mile away, but the cringe of seeing it for myself is too much to bear…

LMAO????? Now we get a rhythmic/twistune of Yuu and co. marching in a parade with Jamil at the head of it.

WhAT YHE FUCK iS ThiS InTERIOR DESIGN, THAT’S LITERLLY A STatUE OF jAfAR DoING THE GOLFING SWING

Jamil is not enrolled in NRC; he is also enrolled in a new magic school called Jahir Sahar College (?).

***Note: "jahir" -> jewels, "sahar"/"sehri" -> wizard or magic!***

Jamil scolds Kaim for wearing a uniform of the wrong color and “corrects” it for him. Kalim casually says thank you but Jamil tells him it is, “JAMIL-SAMA, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!!” He reminds Kalim that the Asims owe the Vipers a debt so large that they cannot hope to repay it in their lifetime, so be sure to be useful to him.

… Bro is power tripping so hard 😭

Jamil becomes suspicious of us but Vil plays it off like we’re students come to research the Scalding Sands for a Film Club activity. He allows us to stay but backhanded comments that we look dumb so we won’t pose a threat.

Jamil then offers to give us a tour SiNCE HE’S THE STUDENT COUNCiL PRESIDENT (Rollo called he wants his title back). I’m guessing this is the case instead of him being dorm leader so Jamil is the ONLY top dog around.

Oh yeah!! Minor thing, magic carpet comes in at some point. Its its colors are closer to that of the magic carpet in the Aladdin film.

He orders Kalim to prepare a feast; Kalim provides water with Oasis Maker and grabs food from the kitchen—all of Jamil’s favorites! But no matter how eager to please he is, Jamil tells him off and makes remarks about how useless Kalim is 😔

xbshgejwgsowkw Yuu and co. are like “WOW, Jamil’s imagination is so strong so it’s going to be hard to wake him up!!” It’s okay, you can say he’s delusional/j

Jamil wavers a little because Kalim begins talking about their childhood memories. It’s stirring up his own recollections, and I think the dream’s interpretation of these evens is clashing with the reality that Kalim shares.

Blah blah blah

Dream!Kalim arrives to kiss Jamil’s ass :v aaand Jamil descends into the darkness…

What we see is a potential future in which Jamil succeeded in book 4; Azul and the Scarabia mobs are under his hypnotic influence… Kalim is gone… and Jamil plans to use the dirt Azul has collected to blackmail the other dorm leaders and take them down. (This lends credence to the idea of him being student council president in his dream because he wants to be the ONLY one in charge.)

LMAO????? Jamil shit talks the dorm leaders 💀 Like saying that no one likes Riddle anyway, how Leona is probably another lazy nepo baby, etc.

AnD THEN AfTER THE DoRM LEADERS HE’s PlANNING ON GOInG AfTER CROWlEY’S iRRESPONSibLE aSS 😭 Jamil has his sights set on ruling over the entire school…

AyO??????????

I THINK KALIM PUNCHED JAMIL AnD THEYmRE fISTFIGHTING?????? PLEASE, THIS IS PATHETIC

They shout about the things they hate the most about each other. Jamil hates Kalim’s optimism, Kalim finally FINALLY declares that he hates how two-faced Jamil is. It’s so intense even the hypnotized students are stunned????

Sebek wants to pummel Jamil too but Silver holds him back. His reasoning??? Sometimes people get emotionally charged and it’s better for them to let those out through their fists instead of their words.

I cannot believe that Silver Vanrouge in our lord 2024 really went, “No, no. Let them cook :)” 🤡

Kalim starts laughing because this is a unique experience to him?? Apparently he and Jamil never fought for real in the 17 years they knew each other. Jamil agrees and says if he neat Kalim up “irl” it would cause problems for everyone… and he realizes his wording and begins questioning the dream world because of that.

He finally wakes up! xbsnbsjwkwkwvdk Kalim is so excited his live 2D model is bouncing on the screen!

The goop returns and drags Jamil to a familiar scene where he OBs and then squares off against his Phantom, similar to what happened with Idia and Vil. Jamil calls his OB self pathetic and always looking for someone to blame. He now sees that view as narrow-minded and limiting.

His Phantom tries to goad him by likening their situation to being genies trapped in a dark and small space, existing to be used their entire lives and not being allowed the freedom they wish for. Admittedly, Jamil has pretty cool lines, saying he doesn’t like the Phantom forcing its own wishes on him. He’s reclaiming his freedom by renouncing the idea of pitying himself. He doesn’t plan to spend his whole life inside that lamp and his wallowing, he is going to make his own wishes come true—not 3 or 10 or 100, but every single one.

(Cue insane Jamil laughter here)

He of course gains the upper hand and rises victorious. Jamil tells Dream!Kalim that he is so polite and subservient it’s disgusting, then he uses Snake Whisper to send him away.

Jamil says there’s no point in changing roles or positions because ultimately the power to decide what happens is his and his alone. He also says he is not interested in power or freedom granted to him by someone else… He will take what he wants on his own! (Not sure why he’s announcing this when no one asked, but pop off I guess 😂 Vil gave a similar speech when he was facing his own demons, but shorter and I don’t think Idia just mumbled to himself before getting back in contact with Ortho.)

Meeting back up with Yuu and co., Jamil is added to the party! (Kalim tries to glomp him in a hug but Jamil expertly dodges ‘xbssvzjav$c(/?/)

Okay, so Vil is staying behind because he doesn’t feel well and doesn’t want to hold the group back. Kalim also stays behind because he’s still covered in bruises and such from fist fighting Jamil. This will probably be another pattern that occurs moving forward; only the OB boy moves on with the group.

Next time… Octavinelle’s dreams and maybe J word crying card 👀!

I think by this time, we already know what to expect in terms of general events. Going into a dream, experiencing it for a short time, learning shocking news about the circumstances, character uses UM, character learns the truth, character cries and fights the dream (who is trying to keep them there), character joins party. If it’s an OB boy, then they will get more screen time and a dedicated segment to fighting their Phantom and then giving a speech about their character development before joining us. Then only the OB boy will dream hop with the Yuu, Grim, Silver, Sebek, Idia, and Ortho while the boys stay behind with the projected selves Ortho creates. Rinse and repeat the formula, and you can probably easily predict what’s coming in future updates.

In terms of this update, I gotta say that I’m impressed Kalim finally followed through on the promise of decking Jamil… a promise he made all the way back in book 4!! While he doesn’t do it with any malicious intent, I think it’s a large stride going forward in having Kalim assert himself and acknowledge the faults that Jamil very obviously has.

As for Jamil... I think it’s becoming pretty obvious what they’re going for in those OB boy scenes; clearly, they mean to have it be like he is speaking to his “other half” in the mirror, a reflection of himself. In this way, each boy confronts the worst aspects of them and comes to terms with it. It’s meant to represent their character growth from when they first appeared in the main story. I’m just… not sure if I like how it’s been handled overall; I do like everyone’s speeches so far (they are good; Jamil’s especially slays with all the thematically appropriate allusions to genies and wish-granting), but I’m less enthusiastic about the context under which these speeches are given. I will most likely make a separate post going into detail about this, but I figured I’d at least lay my general thoughts out here first.

ahbfbyoqwv8yfqwv8q The highlight of this update this time was just seeing how unhinged Jamil's desires are when given no limitations. It's such a shockingly large role reversal to stick himself in the head honcho seat with zero opposition AND force Kalim into being humbled. When the tables turn on him, Jamil is so quick to being a ruthless and cold master 💦 HE'S FR THE TYPE OF GUY THAT ISNT JUST SATISFIED SUCCEEDING, HE ALSO NEEDS YOU TO FAIL The more of these dreams we see, the more we get the sense that Malleus's idea of happiness is VERY shallow. This was something already verbalized by Idia last update, but I feel it needs repeating because of how difficult to resolve Kalim and Jamil's relationship is. The way his solutions are so... absolute (Kalim and Jamil being besties and/or a complete role reversal) reminds me of the points I often hear from fans who say, "Kalim could free Jamil! Kalim should talk to his dad!" There's good intentions behind it, but it ultimately misses the forest for the trees (that being the complicated social nuances surrounding their families). It's an out-of-body experience seeing that viewpoint displayed via Malleus's magic, but it also feels cathartic to see it being dispelled as being nothing close to reality.

Those are all my thoughts for now!! Really looking forward to the next installment :)) and its potential for... crying J word... Though who knows, maybe it’s just for light trio only and I’m delulu—

[lasirenatarot]

💫🌟WHAT BLESSINGS ARE COMING YOUR WAY? 💫 timeless pick-a-card reading.

- SIDE NOTE: some days my intuition is craaaazy (today 23.07.2023 is one of those days😂), so I decided to do this very random reading. It may be disorganized and totally not resonating for some, but it may help others, as Im writing all that I get without a clear topic, so enjoyyy!!

Piles:

1->2

3->4

Photos: Magdalena Frackowiak for Harper’s Bazaar USA, september 2009

PILE 1

Okayy so possible blessings coming your way, those who chose pile 1:

Short term luck; possible salary raise/ bonus/ promotion; for some it may be a sum of money you didn’t have to work much for or somebody simply just gave to you, money you won from the lotery or gambling; giveaway wins; finding a banknote on the street; finding lost jewelry/items; for some it may be more sales of your products that certain month if you’re a business owner etc. - the main point is you will get sth bc of luck (money/present/item..), not much hard work.

More $€x, pl€asure, parties, celebrations (carefree times basically) coming your way.

You may go on a holiday where you celebrate sth, have pl€asurable experiences. All this may be after time in which you have been waiting on for a loooong time. Prior to that you may have been « isolating » yourself a bit so you can work on yourself, your mental health, cleanse yourself spiritually from bad energy you’ve had in you from the past & heal from sth.

Tip for this pile: don’t go into excesses; do everything in moderation - drinking,partying, $£x, don’t take unnecessary risks, don’t be greedy or careless with your money; going against that may lead to an unpleasant a-ddiction of some sort.

PILE 2

Hope after tough time. You may get good news about a situation you’ve been worried about; You may find a solution to a problem, the truth about sth which may later lead you to the solution..

Someone might have lied to you/ did you wrong, bc of that you felt like your « life » was falling apart but it was actually a blessing; Learning who was a fake person in your life and who was actually faithful was the blessing;

You will have new beginnings in your life- might be a new job/new relationship/new friends/even new home or area where you live;

some may start new important friendships, change in social circle is sth prominent in this pile; you might feel way more valued and happy in this new social circle;

Some might have found out about infidelities /lots of lies, which may be the reason for all these changes; the situation may look bad at first sight but it will free you from a burden that was never yours ro carry in the first place.

Changes might happen very quickly;

You will get on a new journey to find your true happiness

PILE 3

Okay the first thing I got may not resonate for many but if you’ve been wishing for a child/pregnancy, or to start a family, it may be coming soon.

Those who are not looking to start a family it may mean that you may have some carefree days coming ahead, you will live your life like a baby, without that much responsibilities;

Some may get some sort of inheritance;

Money

Moving to a new house;

A lot of you may cut ties with their past, get rid of their past bad habits, toxic people and situations; you have to leave your past experience behind in order to live your ‘dream’

A dream of yours you tought was impossible to get may come into fruition during this time you’re reading this/near future. You just have to be strong and keep the faith.

Love for many of you!!!!

You may get help from a female figure or your intuition on sth that is bothering you;

PILE 4

Healing;

GOOD HEALTH ( for me that is the biggest blessing that’s why I wrote it in all caps )

Huuuuuuuge changes in your love life!!!! I cannot stress this enough, so many signs here in the cards.

If you’re single, the love interest you meet might be VERY masculine, career oriented, might look cold on the outside (won’t be true when you get to know that person tho, they seem like a sweetheart, u just have to get them out of their shell..); might be a foreigner or you may simply meet them away from home/abroads;

Your « cup » will be overflowing with love and emotions, but you don’t have to lose yourself completely. Boundaries and everything in moderation are important things to have in relationships😄

If you were mistreated in previous relationships - you will get your justice.

Those who are in a relationship might get proposed to or move in together; become official if you haven’t already, sth like that => getting to the next level.

Glow up, confidence boost; end of melancholy;

You will get things you’ve even have not let yourself dream about bc it seemed delusional at the time, what u get will exceed all your expectations;

Off topic but, Pile 4, be careful of envy, gossips&lies. Get rid of your subconcious limitations.

As always, leave a comment if resonated & follow for more.

- La Sirena.💋

[sahisan]

★ summary: wanderer x gn!reader. cuddling headcanons.

☆ cw: sfw. fluff. a LOT of fluff. 525 words.

☾ a/n: IT'S ACTUALLY A REQ BUT I LOST IT FROM MY INBOX BY DELETING THE ANSWER IM SO SORRY PLS 😭😭😭

wanderer is really vacillating in offering AND receiving cuddles/hugs whether in public or in a closed space where no one sees you.

he'll go like "get your hands off of me!" without any insults, because... it's you. he can't really insult you since you can take it to heart too often.

but then will let out the most dramatic sigh you'll ever hear and rest his chin on your shoulder, one of his arms lightly scratching the scalp on your head and the other hand taking its place around your waist.

if you'll try to call him "hat guy" while cuddling he'll push you off the bed/couch without any hesitation. just so you know.

wanderer quickly discovers that you sleep really bad when no one's here to cuddle you, tell you a "sweet dreams" or give you a goodnight kiss on the forehead, so he often takes advantage of that (in a good way). wanderer can often find you restless, scrupulously working on some papers, but as soon as he proceeds to wrap his arms around you from behind, you realise that you can't resist your sleepiness anymore (and his cuddles, too).

he WILL offer to dance a medley (absolutely spontaneously) just because you have a vinyl music player in your bedroom that is already dusty as hell. no, not because he wants to feel your stupid human warmth coating all his being while he loses himself in your deep eyes. no, of course not, how could you even think that, you lowly-

after several categorical refusals to your "let me brush your hair" he agrees, but says no to "i want to braid your hair". and even stoically ignores your pouting puppy eyes.

yet, wanderer ends up lying on top of you, hugging you while you slowly run your fingers through his indigo hair, feeling how soft, even if it's - most likely, since he's a puppet - artificial, it is. you listen to his slow, quiet, appreciating humming against your chest. he falls asleep then though, and you decide that it's in your best interests to nor wake him up for now, and let the poor boy rest, even if he often rants about "i'm not like these humans, i don't need sleep."

he knows about where to touch you while your cuddling session and where to not; knows a lot about your insecurities since you always end up being cuddled by him if he notices you overthinking.

when at night he wakes up from another nightmare, wanderer lets you hug him and kiss his wet from tears cheeks, wiping them with your thumbs. he willingly tightly hugs you - and when i say tightly i MEAN IT. he grabs and clings onto you like you're his life vest, pressing his face onto your chest. neither of you care about if your clothes will get soiled in snot and tears. his sobs seem to slowly die down when you hug him back, tracing slow, careful circles on his back.

hums some cradle song he heard from a random kid on grand bazaar while being the big spoon for you to help you fall asleep.

[rea-grimm]

Looking through his eyes - Mihawk pt 1

You ate a devil fruit and now you can see the world through the eyes of your soul mate.

This devil fruit is made up.

He was the strongest swordsman in the world to begin with. One of the few pirates who were ignored by the government. He could have everything he dreamed of. However, he was missing something. He searched all over the world for it. He destroyed ships like nothing out of boredom.

That is, until that fateful day when he was defeated and cursed. That day he lost his legendary sword and his human form. In return, he got wings and became a hawk. He was supposed to fly around the world in search of his purpose. Only when he finds it will he find his original form.

You didn't know if it was just a joke. You ate a devil fruit that allowed you to see through someone else's eyes. There was even a legend about it. Whoever eats this fruit will see the world through the eyes of their soul mate. 

You were under the impression that it was all nonsense and that you had eaten the weakest fruit that existed.

In addition, you had the impression that the eyes through which you saw did not even belong to a person, but to some bird, because often when you looked, you saw a view from above. Never mind, it was a beautiful sight, but inside you hoped that it really could have been your soul mate's eyes. That somewhere in the wide world there is someone just for you.

You were walking through the bazaar on the small island, wondering why you didn't see anything from your other eyes. Every time you wanted to look, at the view from the sky or just like that, you were greeted by pitch-black darkness.

You passed one stand after another and nothing extra caught your eye. You stopped almost at the last one, which offered everything possible. However, it wasn't the things on display that caught your eye. 

It was a larger cage that was built on top of a barrel that housed a hawk with a cap over its head. The bird had beautiful black feathers a white belly and sharp claws. Even though he couldn't see, he sat there proudly regardless of the situation.

When you were younger, your father, who was a falconer and was still alive, trained you with them. You tamed an eagle, which you then went hunting with. Maybe you could train this hawk as well, and if that doesn't work, he'd still be better off free than here in this cage.

The buyer tried to stretch the price and negotiate, but he didn't stand a chance against you.

As soon as you reached your ship, you took him out of his cage and removed his cap. He sat on your hand and looked at you with his golden eyes. It's hard to say if at that moment you created some kind of imaginary agreement between you because when you released him into the air, you expected him to fly away.

That he will fly somewhere to find his happiness. No. He flew past your ship, looked around and landed not far from you. In that moment you knew you could count on him. As he flew, you noticed that he had beautiful, reddish feathers on the inside of his wings. You have never seen such colouring in any such bird. 

You were even more happy when you discovered that it was his eyes through which you saw the world. When you figured it out, you immediately started training.

You released him into the sky and moved while looking through his eyes. You felt like there was some kind of connection between the two of you because he knew exactly what to focus on and what you needed to see.

The hawk didn't have a bad time with you. And when he succeeded in something or there was an opportunity, you bought him some good meat. 

You found out by accident that he had a weakness for wine and while you were drinking yours, you poured a little into his glass. Although you were worried that it would be unhealthy for him, he had a different opinion. When he got drunk like that, he sometimes let you pet him.

At the same time, you had no idea how everything in this world was connected. You were one of the best thieves in the world and you chose the sword of the most famous swordsman in the world, which disappeared without a trace, as the goal you wanted to reach the top. 

His sword was subsequently confiscated by the Marines and hidden on one of their island bases. You had no idea that its owner was at your fingertips the whole time.

You left your ship on a blind part of the island that was not patrolled by marines. From there you started planning what to do next. You were studying the map of the fortress when Mihawk flew up to you and was looking at the map with you. With his help, you went through the whole island and found out the necessary things before you could go into action.

Everything had to work out perfectly. You had the timing right when the patrols were supposed to change. You had been watching them for a long time and you found out that they worked exactly like clockwork and had several blind spots between the alternations.

Once the time was right, you signalled to Mihawk and got to work. You ran with your planned route, using hawk eyes the whole time. From a height, you had a better overview of where everyone was standing and could react more easily to unexpected changes.

You avoided the guards who jumped around the corner or were late somewhere. You managed to get to the fortress undetected. You knew exactly which room the sword was in. It was just a matter of getting to the right window and picking a couple of locks before the sword was within reach. 

You picked up the black sword and strapped it to your back when you noticed that there were still a few valuables to keep as souvenirs. You filled your pouch and headed back the same way.

You made it safely out of the base and stopped just behind its walls. You walked down the forest path and a hawk circled overhead before he swooped down and landed on a crossguard of the sword.

 However, as soon as he touched it, there was a flash and he fell to the ground. It was strange. The sword did nothing to you. You carefully took him in your arms and walked with him.

When you were almost at the boat that was supposed to take you to the ship, you were surrounded by marines. You had the impression, based on how many were there, that they were waiting for you.

You immediately ran away. You ran into the forest and tried to shake them off. You ran to the cliff where the giant boulder was that you hid behind. From your hiding place, you heard the marines approaching and calling out to each other.

You cautiously peeked out from your hiding place. They completely cut off your escape route. However, most of the marines had their swords drawn and that worked in your favour as you were a more than passable swordsman. 

You placed the hawk on the ground and noticed that he was finally coming to his senses. You removed the stolen sword from your back and stepped in front of them. You counted your enemies and got the impression that the odds were in your favour.

You put up a fight. They didn't stand a chance against you and fell to the ground one by one. You found yourself on the edge of a cliff, but you were still confident of victory. 

What you didn't expect were shooters hiding in the thick undergrowth. You noticed them too late. Only when a bullet flew through your shoulder and completely knocked you over. 

You lost your balance and dropped your sword. The other marines took advantage of this and one of them threw you off the cliff.

Below you was the sea. A normal person would be able to survive, but for you, the sea meant death because as a devil fruit user, you couldn't swim. You didn't imagine this ending.

You took a deep breath before breaking the surface and trying to swim. As you expected. You had the impression as if the sea held you with invisible bonds and prevented you from moving. You couldn't do anything at all. It was slowly getting dark before your eyes.

Hawk saw your defeat before it happened. He had to make a decision. The whole time he thought he needed his sword to undo the curse, but the more he thought about it, the better he felt with you. 

Even in this weak form, he had the urge to save you. That's why he didn't delay and jumped into the water after you. However, during his fall, a similar light enveloped him as when he was cursed and fell into the water as a human.

PART 2

Mihawk Masterlist

[jymwahuwu]

okay but imagine yan! tighnari's and reader's fox daughter wanting to be a dancer in Zubayr Theater with Nilou. When their daughter's first performance happened there are some boys trying to court their daughter. Imagine father Tighnari's rage when he saw boys after watching the performance with his obedient housewife 😭 (ps: I just need Tighnari and y/n sweet and random moments plss)

This is so cute! love yandere family fluff!! So we got an overprotective dad tighnari who supports his daughter dancing but doesn't allow those brats to get close to his daughter😭

TW: yandere, (not mentioned here but actually) kidnapping, overprotective dad tighnari

yandere Tighnari breeding reader that rejects them An old classmate encourages you to continue your studies while taking care of baby foxes reader hinting that they weren't happy with the marriage by telling stories but their children snitched Yandere Tighnari and other babies are jealous of their new sibling

When the baby foxes are reading encyclopedia, patrolling with papa, observing the starry sky and insects, your little fox daughter has shown different talents - the sounds of nature are her favorite melody. She likes to dance in the water and in the forest. Tighnari was worried that his young daughter might be attacked by some wild animals, but it turned out that some wild animals would not attack her, but stopped to watch her dance. After the dance, she always runs into your arms and calls "Mama". You served her pastries and juice and hugged her tiny frame.

One day, your precious daughter came home with a flyer for Zubayr Theater and was bouncing around the living room. She said that she wants to go to Sumeru City and join Zubayr Theater! She wants to be a dancer like sister Nilou in the leaflet!

Tighnari doesn't want the fox babies to go to the city because he knows that the ears of foxes are too sensitive, and the lively sound of the Grand Bazaar is a nuisance to the foxes. Moreover, the urban environment is more complex than the forest. Babies are still too young to face this. Most of all, he hates the idea that you or any kid will leave him. However, Tighnari changed his mind as soon as he saw her teary face, so the two of you accompanied her to the Zubayr Theater.

Nilou covers her mouth in surprise as soon as she meets your baby fox daughter - the furry ears and tail are super cute!! She learns about your daughter's dream of being a dancer and how hard she has worked to make it happen. She smiled and said that she can teach her, and she is looking forward to the little new star of Zubayr Theater!

After months of training, your daughter is performing in public for the first time. On the way, you held Tighnari's hand tightly, telling him your worries and anxieties, and Tighnari reassured you softly that nothing bad would happen. The two of you are acting like every normal couple and parent, and it doesn't even occur to you that going to the city is your chance to escape.

This dance performance is choreographed on the theme of the moon elves. The dancing on the stage seems to be like elves dancing on the mysterious lake. You lean on Tighnari's shoulder with tears in your eyes, looking at the tiny figure and realizing how much she's grown now. And Tighnari smiles proudly, nods occasionally, and talks to you about the show.

After the performance, the two of you thank Mr. Zubayr for giving your daughter the opportunity to perform and train. When you return to the venue, you see several boys surrounding your baby fox girl. "Your performance was so good", "Are you a new dancer at Zubayr Theater?", "Your ears and tail…" . One of them even shyly offered her a flower, hoping she would take it. Tighnari stared at the boys, furious - He didn't realize that his daughter was of an age where she might have suitors! His gaze frightened the children, who flinched but said they would come to play with her tomorrow. You feel the hostility of your husband, smirk and pat him on the back - they are just a bunch of kids! It is normal for little kids to show affection and even crush to other kids.

Tighnari didn't think so. He gave you a glare because you weren't on his side - you probably wouldn't have laughed so hard if you knew you'd be punished after going home. But before that, he had to throw away the flower in the fox daughter's hand.

[accio-victuuri]

i know it’s early to interpret the song based on the teaser lyrics but with what we have, i think we can see what the subject and message of the song is. it is in the point of view of someone who appreciates everything that happened to them both past and present. and isn’t that such a good outlook?

wyb is not credited in the lyrics, but the composer is the same as like the sunshine. lyricist is dongyufang. but again, wyb definitely had some input and the song speaks to him or else he won’t sing it.

now it’s time for some clowning. you can interpret this and stretch it however you want based on every line but i’m just including some connections noticed by cpfs. 🤍

I love early spring and i will love late autumn. I love black hair and i will love gray hair.

the black and gray ( white ) hair in here most likely can talk about himself that he will love his youth and as he ages. it’s all good. but ofc the cpn spin is the contrast in their hair for a time. xz’s black and wyb’s is white ( chanel ). it’s giving the caption he used for his bday that he celebrate with xz on cql set ; that what he decided when he was 21, he will continue on till 81.

the white hair is reminding me of that old sus cpn and the lrlg that joked how xz is stressing wyb out with worry and he will have white hair because of it 😂

I love the wandering people coming home to their doorstep.

This is a line that i guess both of them can relate to, because of how many times in the year they spend away from their home. How they are both wanderers, but what he loves the most is when he/them gets to go home. No matter where they go, they will have somewhere to come home to. This line is also similar to LTS, where he goes — you’ve been wandering for a long time.

if you wanna go years back, there was a rumor that after the filming of cql, they had no contact but there was a sense of hoping to be with each other again.

I love the new and i will love the old. I love waking up from dreams and i will love daydreaming.

the love of new and old here is so romantic, at least to me. it may have a more general feeling in different interpretation, but to me, it’s someone who loves the relationship when it was new and no matter how long it lasts. wyb also loves to joke around xz being “older than him” but the truth is he really doesn’t care. if his comments about xz looking so young and how he doesn’t feel the age gap at all is any indication.

next is the subject of dreams ☁️

this one is the real hammer if you will. it brought us back to xz’s bazaar love confession and how he connected to dreams and waking up to it as when he found the one he loves. they are each other’s dream that has come to life. 😭😭😭😭 ( the bazaar confession is a pretty well known cpn so i won’t explain at length here. i talked about it before on my blog too )

I tightly hold on to the people i love. I love everything I lost in the past.

how he holds on to the people i love, which i think is very true for yibo. that he has a close set of people with him and his inner circle is trusted. but at the same time, he still appreciates those who lost in the past. again — very yibo. even if there are people who he had some falling out with, he won’t speak anything bad about them. and maybe if one day, they ask for forgiveness, he will grant them that.

i’m really looking forward for the two new songs! for his nye performances! the cpn we get is just a bonus! ❤️💛💚

[chimaerite]

under the weather

"A dish of fine bone marrow - an Italian ossobuco." Hannibal sets the plate down in front of Will. 

"How does it taste?" Exquisite, he'd imagine.

Will gives out a soft murmur - groan of delight, even. His eyes shut, and Hannibal knows he's enjoyed his time at the Lecter manor. They eat in silence, Hannibal admires Will's features as Will subconsciously admires his. On this particular day, Hannibal feels a little shame for not serving lamb instead. He pitches this to Will, lamb bone marrow - that would likely be a better farewell dish. As always, Will never disagrees, he goes stiff at the mere presence of Hannibal, like a lamb would.

However, his left hand slips it grasp, untighten itself from the fork he was holding and it clanks to the carpet grounds in an awkward thud. Hannibal eyes him, for rudeness is of the undeserving. Will makes no movement to retrieve it, and instead bites at his food roughly, head dipping awfully closely to the marinated sauce.

The stench of the food overpowers that of the sewerage. In the past few hours now, Hannibal wonders what went wrong in the pipelines, yet refuses to call a handyman. It's just fortune that Will fools to come at this moment, when the house smells dreadful. At least, that is not how Hannibal would like to be perceived - inelegant. Then, Will's right hand holds a bare structure to support his head lazily. The man is hunched, likely tired from his previous work shifts. Hannibal is only looking out for him, as always, regardless of how under the weather he was.

He picks another serving of bone over to his plate. Then, sets a new fork next to Will - after all, it's rude to treat a guest like such when it's a goodbye feast.

"Enjoying the meal, Will?"

The shorter man says nothing, slumped in his chair, dry pupils darting back and forth, already largely taken over by its sclera. 

Sighing at his ignorance, Hannibal sets down his cutlery, eyes darkening into upwards crescents. Will's mouth bubbles faintly at its corners from the shreds of long pig Hannibal had shoved down him prior. Hannibal feels sympathy, almost, as he maneuvers to Will's side.

"Let's get you to bed." He hums softly.

Hannibal reaches for Will's propped up hand, mildly frustrated at his cooperation, just as- 

another sliver of crimson seeps from Will's detachèd head onto Hannibal's pure cuffs.

Inspired by Stephen King's 'Under the Weather', from 'Bazaar of Bad Dreams'.

[kyber-crystal]

midnight rain || benji dunn

summary: 4 times you realize you love benji dunn and 1 time you finally told him you loved him (it’s him, it’s always been him, and it always will be him)

words: ~2.4k

warnings: angst, mentions of violence, did i mention angst. but there's a happy ending i promise. also a fair amount of crying cause we love a reader who’s not afraid of being vulnerable in front of the man she cares about. feminism Yes

a/n: can you tell this is literally my favorite trope ever. also this is my first ever full length mission impossible oneshot…so if benji seems ooc then pls keep that in mind LOL. i promise i’ll get better w the more i write. i tried my best :) anyway enjoyyy

dedicated to @the-multiverse-of-fandoms who wanted basically anything benji/imf team related, i hope this did your wish justice!! & to @ilsastrenchcoat for giving me that lil push to branch out & write something new :)

i. what happens in budapest stays in budapest

“So when are you going to tell him?” Luther’s voice cuts through the buzz of static.

You flinched, with your earpiece nearly falling out at the sudden motion. “I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“She knows what I’m talking about. Right, Ilsa?”

“What? That she’s in love with Benji?” Ilsa laughed in reply. “Oh. Of course she does. I thought everyone knew.”

“Can it,” you snapped, face feeling red-hot. “Last I checked, we were trying to track down an arms dealer. This isn’t the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.”

“London,” Luther corrected. You could practically hear him smirking. “This is burning slower than that damn White Barn candle I got on sale two years ago.”

You rolled your eyes and slid your gun back into its holster. Children. You worked with children.

But you knew they were right. They always were, but you would carry that admission with you to the grave if you had to. They knew you had fallen long before you did yourself—eight months ago when you were crammed into a tiny motel room in Budapest for a layover. The walls were so paper thin that you could hear Ethan snoring on the other side, and there was only enough room for one measly bed.

“I think the springs are broken,” Benji had pointed out.

“Very broken.”

“Did they forget to give us another pillow?”

“I think so.”

“Okay, you can take the pillow. I don’t need it anyway.”

“Benji, just take the damn pillow.”

“No, you take it. I don’t want you to complain in the morning that you don’t feel well rested.”

“…Fine.”

Just as you were about to drift off, you felt a warm hand squeeze yours and a familiar voice whisper “Sleep tight, I’ll bomb all the bed bugs and bad dreams for you.”

That ended up being the first nightmare-free, peaceful sleep you had in eleven years.

ii. home is where the heart is

Marrakesh right after sunset was unusually peaceful. The lively chatter of the bazaar below was calming down; and the weather wasn’t too hot nor too cold.

You had never seen so many stars like this in your entire life.

“You’re telling me that in all these years of living, you’ve never seen a sky full of stars?” Benji had asked you one evening during a team camping trip. “That’s not called living, it’s called dying.”

“I grew up in a big city, Dunn,” you sighed. “I would do anything for an unpolluted sky.”

“Benji’s inside, if you were wondering,” Ethan explained as he pulled out a seat next to you. “He just got back a few minutes ago.”

“Oh. Okay.”

He exhales and gives you a knowing look. “How long?”

“Ethan, you know I can’t…”

“What’s holding you back?”

“I don’t know, the weight of the world, maybe?” you guessed. “And when you’re constantly moving from place to place it’s hard to settle down and tell someone how you feel. It’s hard to find the perfect time…”

“There’s no such thing as the ‘perfect’ time, Y/N. You just need to find the right time.”

“But I don’t understand. It’s…for the first time in my life, I finally feel like I’m home…he makes me feel at home. But I can’t even say it. What if he doesn’t get it?”

“He will know. Trust me.”

“Who will know what?”

It’s impossible for Ethan to miss the way your face lights up as Benji steps out onto the balcony. He takes this as the opportunity to quietly step away, leaving you two to yourselves.

“Hi,” you say shyly, hands in your pockets.

“Hey, yourself,” he replies.

You step towards him and lean your forehead against his shoulder. He’s surprised at the sudden action but wraps his arms around you anyway, feeling grateful for your presence.

“Thank you,” you mumble against his shirt, though he’s not sure what exactly you’re thanking him for.

“Anytime.”

iii. he definitely is a fallen angel, right?

God, he had to be unreal, you thought as the Seoul skyline reflected off his face and washed him in a glowing gold. He could have just gone through hell and back and still look as if he had descended straight from the heavens.

You couldn’t look away. It was damn near impossible for you to.

You weren’t sure what you did to deserve him; he was far too precious for this cruel world. You walked through the doors of the IMF with eleven passports and a knife tucked against your thigh, not knowing what your future held. Benji, on the other hand, strolled in with the widest grin known to man on his face and eyes sparkling as if he had discovered the eighth wonder of the world. Polar opposites, and yet you’re drawn to him like a moth to a flame.

“Are you alright, Y/N?” Benji’s brows furrowed in concern. “Penny for your thoughts?”

“Just thinking…I really need a drink.”

“Nonsense, you can’t even walk straight,” he stated as he glanced down at your ankle, which had been wrapped up in bandages. “You don’t need the soju to be walking around like a madman.”

“Yes I do.”

“No you don’t.”

“I…”Letting out a shaky sigh, you bite the inside of your cheek until you could taste blood. “They almost got away. I almost jeopardized everyone’s safety and ruined the whole damn operation.”

“No, you didn’t,” he reassured you, “they didn’t get away. And besides…I think you did pretty damn great out there. Taking names, kicking ass, beating that one dude to death with the butt of your pistol…”

Your eyes shone with tears as you glanced over at him, a small smile now on your face. “You really think so?”

“Yeah,” he said softly as he brought a hand up to your cheek. You lean in to his touch and try to ignore the sparks that ignite as his skin brushes against yours. “I really think so. And you know what else?”

“What?”

“I think this calls for a celebration. How does charcoal-grilled KBBQ sound? Then we…we can go to that super cool design plaza north of the Han River and we’ll pretend we’re in another dimension. One where the IMF isn’t sending us on death-defying missions in which bad guys are out for our blood.”

The crinkles around your eyes make their first appearance in what seems like forever, and Benji’s heart warms. “You know me so well.”

“Well, of course. I’ve been trying to.”

He shrugs his jacket off and wraps it around your shoulders before pulling you close. You sink into him even deeper, and for a moment, you can pretend that everything is right with the world.

iv. as the world caves in

You don’t think you’ve ever cried in your life. Not even once.

Okay, maybe once. Twice. The first time was when you passed the field exam and you were so happy that you shed a few tears of joy.

The second time was right now: you watched as a strung-out Benji fought for his life in the hospital. You don't know how long it’s been since you got here, and all you could do now was pray to God that he would wake up.

You felt someone put a soft hand on your shoulder. “Sweetheart, you’ve been here for ages.”

Luther gave you a sad smile as he sat next to you. You swallowed the lump in your throat and closed your eyes.

“Why did it have to be him?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “but he’s going to be fine. He always is.”

“I hope…”

“Why don’t you go get some rest? I’ll let you know when he wakes up,” he offered. He could tell you desperately needed sleep. “Try to relax.”

“Okay…”

It’s a solid four hours later when Benji finally stirs awake.

He blinks and rubs his eyes. “Luther…? Hey.”

“You’re awake, that’s good,” he stated. “Your blood pressure has gone up a lot since Y/N gave you her blood. If she didn’t, we’d be shipping your ass off to the funeral home.”

“She did what now?”

“She gave you her blood. Doc asked around but none of our types matched yours, except hers.”

“Oh.”

“I told her she’d pass out if she kept crying after the blood transfusion, but she cried the whole day. She first cried when you didn’t wake up. And now she’s going to start crying because you woke up. She worries about you a lot, you know. So much so that she often neglects her own well-being.”

A strange feeling works its way through Benji’s system. You cared… “Can you tell her I want to see her now?”

“Sure.”

A few moments later, you walk through the door—obvious tear tracks on your face—and sit by his bedside. “Benjamin Dunn, what the hell were you thinking?”

“I wasn’t. Sorry…”

“You almost died.” You looked away and hastily wiped at your eyes. It didn’t help. “I watched you bleed out on the pavement and almost lose your life.”

He doesn’t know what else to say, so he simply reaches out and intertwines your fingers together, squeezing tight. More tears slip down your cheeks. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m just glad you’re not in a body bag,” you choked out. “I’m just really glad you’re not dead.”

“Me too. Now come here,” Benji says, and he moves over on his bed to make room for you. You rest your head against his chest and close your eyes, and he drapes an arm across your waist. “Thank you for waiting.”

You end up falling asleep to the sound of his steady heartbeat.

+i (v). it's always been you

It's hot as hell outside, your clothes are sticking to your skin, and you're sure that one hit would set you on fire.

“Why did we have to go into the middle of the damn Arabian desert?” Benji yells over the howling winds into his comm. He coughs as some sand gets into his mouth. “You can’t even build a sandcastle with this crap. I regret everything I said about disliking being in the van.”

“No idea!” you yell back. You wrap your protective scarves tighter around your head and mouth, and adjust your goggles. A loud bang! makes you flinch, causing you to quickly whip around and pull out your gun.

“Woah there, it's just me,” Ethan raised his hands in surrender. You slowly lowered your weapon. “Did you get the flashdrive?”

You nodded and quickly handed him the small piece of metal. He stores it away in his pocket before zipping it up. “Let's go.”

It takes another hour and a half to round up the whole team and escape safely. The sandstorm was worsening by the second and you would be incredibly lucky to escape relatively unscathed.

You’re breathing heavily as you board the helicopter and take off your equipment, leaning against the wall. You could still feel the man’s hands around your throat, trying to squeeze the life out of you.

The look of fury in Benji’s eyes as he pulled the trigger was permanently burned into the back of your mind. You’d never seen him that angry before—he was nowhere near what you’d call short-tempered. The most upset you’d ever seen him was when Ethan ate the last of his favorite potato chips a month ago. And even then, he didn’t raise his voice.

Benji crouches down in front of you and brings a cold towel to your face. It comes away stained a light crimson, and he tries not to panic. “Are…are you okay?”

“I'm okay,” you exhale. “Thanks for saving my ass out there. If you hadn't gotten there in time…"

“You're welcome,” he replies. “Why is it that we always take turns saving each other from near death experiences?”

“It's all part of the job,” you crack a grin. “Welcome to the IMF, where you go on suicide missions all the time but you're not allowed die. Pretty ironic if you ask me.”

“I know, right?” He sounds like he's going to say something else, but then pauses. Upon peering closer, he sees a series of blue and purple handprint splotches on the sides of your neck. “Y/N…”

“I'm okay, I promise,” you say quickly. “Don't worry about me.”

“I don't get how you can stay so calm in situations like this,” he says, exasperated. “You scare me sometimes.”

“It's no big deal, really.” But your voice cracks, and that's when you finally break down and burst into tears. “I’m used to danger. I just—”

“Hey hey hey, it's going to be alright,” he murmurs as he moves closer to bring you in for a hug, arms snaking around you and holding on as tight as he possibly could. Your tears slowly begin to stain his shirt with dark spots, but he couldn't care less. “You're safe and you're going to be okay. You are going to be okay because I'll be here for you. Always.”

“You promise?”

“Pinky promise.” He holds his pinky out, and you wrap your finger around his. “I swear on my life. I’m here to stay whether you like it or not.”

The words slip out before you could even realize what you were saying.

“God, I love you,” you mumbled against his shoulder, eyes squeezed shut. “More than anything. I should’ve…I really should’ve told you a long time ago. I don’t know why I waited so long to tell you. You felt like home to me and I found comfort in that and I loved you so much for it, Benji. I still do.”

The air suddenly feels heavy and that’s when the weight of what you had said finally sinks in. It feels like an eternity of awkward, strained silence all around before he opens his mouth to reply.

“I love you too,” he says, “Always have.”

And as your lips touch, all the aches and pains and barely-recovering broken bones seem to disappear. You can’t even remember why you were so upset in the first place because you’re safe here with him and he’s finally, finally kissing you, and all you really need to think about is the fact that the man you truly loved and needed more than anything had been right here all along and it was perfect.

The ride home is a long one, so you allow yourself to relax in his comforting arms and drift away to a distant dreamland. Ethan gently nudges Luther in the shoulder, motioning for him to take a glance back at the sight.

“You owe me twenty,” he reminds him with a toothy grin.

tags, including ppl who may be interested (lmk if you'd like to be added, or you can add yourself via this form!): @kenobismullet @voguesir @fl0ating @lady-elena-adeline

once again, my taglist has not been updated in a hot second, so i'm not sure which users are still active/if they've switched to another url. i apologize for any potential inconveniences !!

[taintedarabesque]

What books do you think Violet likes?

In the show we see her read The Stranger by Albert Camus, she’s come undone by Wally Lamb, Papa Hemingway by A. E. Hotchner, big fish by Daniel Wallace, The dead fathers club by Matt Haig and Saint Maybe by Anne Taylor so I think she’d definitely be into the classics like Woolf, Dostoevsky, Kafka, Tolstoy, Chekhov etc. She’s also seen reading Nana by Ai Yazawa so I think she’d read a lot of shoujo mangas

Some books I think she’d read are

- if cats disappeared from the world - Genki Kawamura

- My year of rest and relaxation - Ottesa Moshfegh

- Pure Colour - Sheila Heti

- Bluebeards Castle - Anna Biller

- The flowers of evil - Shuzo Oshimi

- Cassandra and the Wolf - Margarita Karapanou

- Bunny - Mona Awad

- The Bazaar of Bad Dreams - Stephen King

- The bones of an invisible person - Jun Ogino

- weird black girls - Elwin Cotman

- Tomie - Junji Ito

- The Devil thinks im pretty - Charlene Elsby

- Remembering’s - Sinéad O'Connor

- Fluids - May Leitz

- Dead Girl Blues - David Sodergren

- Any Man - Amber Tamblyn

- Where I end - Sophie White

[turretistrying]

Caged Bird and Chased Mouse

Part 3: The Beginning of the Never Ending Mouse Wheel

A/N: ahahahaha,,, im sorry? But at least im finally reaching the Sabzeru festival bit of this story, im sorry its been a while. The reader’s feeling about the arts is based on my own, because I’m an artist and anyone who demeans any form of art make me angry >:(. Let’s start ig (oh stars this is not gonna be good) Anyway’s send me asks if you want

Warnings: Swearing (fuck and shit)

You head hurts so bad, but at least you’re comfy (small victories).

You open your eyes to see… your bedroom? Oh, yeah, you’re in a pseudo dream so not really, you guess.

‘Wait if im in a dream why the hell do I have a headache?’ You ponder to yourself while siting up from your bed, your body missing the familiar coziness and warmth,

You look around in hopes to see the lil green girl, Nahida she said? You’re not a hundred percent sure, considering how… hazy everything felt in the moment, including the time passage. ‘How long have I been out?’ You wonder, knowing you’ll gain no answers without Nahida. You decide to wander around your room, seeing what you could do here. You walk towards the window, which shows the outside with the bird feeder you had been meaning to refill before being sucked into a nightmare that has been this experience thus far. Grabbing the ledge on the window, you try and open it out of pure curiosity, it takes a struggle you know it didn’t need before only to see..

Black. Everywhere.

You try the door to see if it’s the same situation (it was). Just a never ending darkness stretching on seemingly forever. Deciding that most of the items in your room was useless for really anything in the moment, you walk towards your desk that housed your device for playing Genshin. The wretched thing that condemned you to a nightmare, but you knew it really couldn’t do anything to worsen your situation (God you hoped not). Booting it up just showed your lock screen, so far so good, putting in the password bring you to…

Huh?

Genshin??

You sit there for a solid 5 minutes wondering ‘What the actual hell???’, because thats crazy, somehow more crazy then being stuck in the damn game itself. You snap out of your stupor and decide to click on the screen (which is no longer welcoming you by your email, but your ingame name. Your somewhat glad it wasn’t using your real name) waiting for the loading sequence, but it just skips to opening the giant door. You wait with just a white screen, no elemental symbols in sight. When it finishes you’re not greated by any playable character’s back, but by a spirit??

What?

It looked like you in a sense, it was transparent with a simple robe. You took a look at the icons that the normal attack, elemental skill, and burst was usually located, only to see a button that looked like it was punching (?), one that was touching, and the final one looked like it was… well you couldn’t really tell what it was supposed to be. But you decided against trying any of them out of fear of what might occur. Looking around you realized ‘you’ were right in the middle of Sumeru City, right next to the adventurer’s guild. Walking around was a bit odd, you were very used to hearing the character’s footsteps and clothes moving but this spirit had no noise at all.

You end up at the front of “The Grand Bazaar”, an area you had been meaning to visit before falling into a coma-state. Opening the door and walking down the small hallway led to somewhere that was bustling with festivities! It was so pretty with all the flowers and decorations, you wonder what the occasion is as you continue onwards. Looking at some of the food stalls you really regret not going there, it just looks so good (you bet it smelt delicious). Not paying attention you end up walking the spirit right though someone,

“Brr! Woah, did you just feel that?”

“No?”

“It was a really cold draft, how did you not feel that?”

“There’s no draft in here.”

You just stop to listen,

‘So this character is functionally a ghost? Huh’ You continue through the Grand Bazaar to another entrance, hearing a… familiar voice, one you haven’t heard in forever. Walking through the doors you see,

Lumine and Paimon.

They were talking with a strange looking man with 5 containers in front of him. But all you could think was how were they here. You remembered you left your team in Inazuma before getting sucked in because you set commissions there (you were grinding achievements), in all honesty you wonder where your team is at the moment… you hope they’re okay and don’t hate you. You walk up to the two, deciding to follow them for now, to follow a story you never got to see before getting sucked into this.

“—speaking of tradition, do you want some Yalda Candies? They're a festival staple, and I happen to have some boxes readied here. Take a look and pick whichever one you want.” The odd looking man with a mustache and flower hat offers Lumine and Paimon the mentioned candies

“Whichever one... Don't these boxes all look the same?” Paimon asks with her not at all annoying voice (you’re being totally honest!)

You muse while peering down at the containers with your character, “Yeah, they sorta do. But they do have some different colors!” You speak to yourself in the dream-room, simply speaking aloud.

“?!” Lumine suddenly started to look around them, seemingly startled

‘Wonder what Lumine’s spooked about?? Nothing seems out of place or weird…’

“Haha, this is the fun part. Each box contains a random flavor — it's up to the luck of the draw. Flavors include Lavender Melon, Harra Fruit, Sunsettia...” The flower man continues to talk, seemingly unaware of Lumine’s confusion.

Paimon, the flower man, and a regal looking lady kept talking to each other, but at this point I was focused on Lumine. ‘Maybe she can hear me with this character?’ You move the character to be closer to Lumine, “if you can hear me Lumine, uhm… Pick the 2nd container!”

Lumine immediately pointed to the 2nd container “I pick this one.”. Her sudden interruption made the three others pause.

Flower man cleared his throa, “uhm, A-atten-tion! That's unfortunately Harra Fruit. The Sunsettia candy was in the 4th one”

“Aw man! I thought you only won battles because you had good luck but i guess not” Paimon interjected

“That still sounds good! I’d assume Harra fruit tastes like dragonfruit so that seems like it’d be a good treat!” You say out-loud, then turn your voice to Lumine, “Thanks Lumine, ignore Paimon ahaha. I’m sorry I left you in Inazuma…”

Lumine seems to blush then nod to the direction of where my character was.

You follow the three throughout the day, and we finally arrive to watch the dancer Nilou’s performance. You were pretty excited, never have really seen a dance performance. While you couldn’t see it with your own two eyes in person, at least you could get as close as you could. But it seemed like there was someone yelling at Nilou.

The regal lady (that you learned her name was Dunyarzad) chimed in “I think I just saw the Akademiya's Grand Sage... Why is he here in person?”

The two Akademiya officials kept yelling at Nilou, while Dunyarzad looked like she wanted to step in and stop it. “Lumine, please stop Dunyarzad I don’t thing things will go well if she tried to intervene.” You whisper into Lumine’s ear, having become a bit worried for Dunyarzad since you discovered what she was dealing with.

Lumine listens and convinces Dunyarzad not to confront the Akademiya people. You get closer as a group to hear a bit better, and as you listen to what the Akademiya officials are toting about, it makes your blood boil.

You valued the arts before all this, buying several commissioned pieces, listening to music at any given point, and seen a musical or two. Hearing the Sages (?) demean those arts makes you want to punch them. “Not everything is about knowledge you old idiots! Art is human nature just let her dance, and besides the arts can be used to understand the past, and find more knowledge you fuckers. Be lucky I can’t physically punch you.”

You rant to yourself (maybe a lil to Lumine too, considering she can hear you) angry at what they’re saying. You move your character over to the Sage’s and spam the punch button (it satisfied you to know it was in-fact a punch button and watching the character’s transparent fists phased through the Sages made you deeply happy). While you’re enjoying your non-consequential vengeance, they leave (muttering how cold the Bazaar is) and Paimon and Dunyarzad starts to comfort Nilou while Lumine and you stay back.

Lumine and Paimon return to where they’re staying, you follow. They lay down for sleep and suddenly-

BEEP

The loudest noise you’ve ever heard in your life rings throughout the dream-room, your head feels like it’s about to explode. “FUCK!” Your hands try and block the noise from your ear but it’s too late and you faint from the pain.

You head hurts so bad.

You open your eyes to see… your bedroom? Oh, yeah, you’re in a pseudo dream so not really, you guess.

‘Wait if im in a dream why the hell do I have a headac- wait this feels familar?’ You ponder to yourself while siting up from you bed.

You stand up from your bed and walk (back?) to the desk with your device, opening to the Genshin door again. You click and wonder what the hell that noise was before you fainted (?) was. When it finishes loading, you see the spirit character you remember, with the three buttons, punch, touch, and mystery. You make the character run around, hoping you’ll find Lumine and Paimon. You got lost so many times unfamiliar with the layout of the city, eventually you end up back at the candy stand you first saw Lumine and Paimon. The flower man (you really need to find out his name..) was still there with the candy containers. ‘Wait, shouldn’t he not be here since the Festival was cancelled?’ You wonder to yourself, not realizing that Lumine and Paimon started to walk up.

“Farris, the Knight of Flowers, is another Sabzeruz Festival icon, and one immensely popular with children.” After hearing the newly familiar voice Dunyarzad, you turn the character’s camera behind you to reveal the 3 approaching.

“Haha, it's all thanks to Miss Dunyarzad's sponsorship that the children can meet the Knight of Flowers.” Farris (that doesn’t seem right…) replies, “Oh, do you want some Yalda Candies? I happen to have some boxes readied here. Take a look and pick whichever one you want.”

Your eyes widen, ‘Wait, i remember this! The fourth one has the sunsettia candy, but why is this happening again?’

“Uhh, what's to pick? Don't these boxes all look the same?” Paimon says the same thing she said the first time

You move your character behind Lumine, and your finger hovers over the touch button. You click on it, your character’s hand laches onto her shoulder. “Pick the 4th one Lumine.”

“Ah, excellently chosen! Number four is indeed Sunsettia.” Farris congratulates Lumine on picking the right one.

You follow Lumine and Paimon throughout the day (again?) until you reach the Bazaar again, Nilou’s performance supposed to be underway. But the Sage’s are there and yelling at Nilou, Dunyarzad wants to stop them but Lumine stops her. The Sage’s demean the arts, you ghost punch the sages, and Dunyarzad comforts Nilou.

Lumine and Paimon return to the hotel, they get ready for sleep.

BEEP

“SHIT NOT AGAIN” You scream, again, it still fucking hurt but you don’t faint this time. Your device crashed and everything around you became blurry and glitched and you felt sick. You closed your eyes for just a second, and when you opened them again, you were in bed.

‘Am I in a timeloop?’ You walk to the desk with your device, again. With the idea of a timeloop troubling you.

Genshin boots up.

Loads in as the spirit character.

Punch, touch, mystery.

Flower Knight and candy containers.

“Container 4.”

Sage’s yelling.

“Punch the Sages, Lumine”

Dunyarzad comforts Nilou.

Return to Hotel.

BEEP.

Headspliting noise.

Reset.

______________________________________

Im so sorry this took so long, IM NOT A WRITER. Also do you guys want me to put this on Ao3 I have an account but i’ve never posted a fanfic on it.

Taglist: (if your name is crossed out i couldn’t tag you! :( )

Taglist: @no-name-omo @moosieman12345 @tinandabin @esthelily @d0rmiens-fact0rem @lunalily19 @meerpea @justasleepyboi @lunarianillusion @cumbermovels @allblognamesaretakenlikereally @dulleyeddreamer @ello-its-me-ya-boi @jayastronomicnova @apple-ai @campanula-rotundifolia @kokomisimpppp @the-dumber-scaramouche @aintrovertmortal @i-loveyou013 @mochicurls21 @elernity

[the-masterless-press]

🥰 - Post-nightmare cuddles for griz (she's essentially your character now)

bam, its on ao3 now too:

you can also read it here, under the cut:

Griz woke up to her heart hammering in her chest and the back of her under-dress stuck on her back. A cool current of air made her entire body erupt in goosebumps, and she pushed herself to feel for and grab the blanket bunched at her feet. Soft snores came from the bundled up log on her side, seemingly paying no mind to Griz’s sudden awakening.

Even though the Bazaar’s debt to the Creditor was resolved and paid, nightmares of hard work going unnoticed or destroyed lingered weeks after the resolution. The dream specialist she visited said that they will go away once the source of her anxieties is dealt with, but to Griz’s despair they prevailed almost a month after the resolution. It didn’t matter how much work she buried herself in, nor what she did to keep herself occupied home, or how much she avoided sleep, dreams of being dismissed lingered like a festering wound in the back of her mind.

Like most wounds of that kind, there were easy solution to ease them. It usually sat on her nightstand waiting for moments where sleep didn’t come easy or when nightmares overstayed their welcome. And yet, as Griz felt around it, the bottle of laudanum wasn’t there.

It wasn’t a great habit; mornings after laudanum before sleep left her feeling groggier and more ill than usual. It, however, made her eyes heavy in just the right way, where all Griz had to do was close her eyes and drift off into a deep, dreamless sleep. After feeling nothing but a nightstand in need of a thorough dusting and trinkets, Griz let out an audibly disappointed breath and laid back down, careful to not disturb the woman beside her.

Griz tucked her blanket under her arms and stared up at the ceiling. She paid no mind to the shuffling and snuffling beside her, figuring it was just her guest getting comfortable. That was until she felt two eyes on her, with a husky question, “Y’awright?”

Griz looked at Betty—as well as someone human could in the dark—and contemplated her response. Earlier in the evening, Betty had trudged into her Bazaar apartment and asked to stay the night. It was a simple request one in need would make to a friend, and Griz allowed her to take up space in her bed.

It was only fair to do so, seeing as Betty was a great help despite the shaky start to their collaboration. She gave Griz a person to rely on, and a shoulder to cry on and vent to. Allowing Betty to rest in a comfortable bed instead of a fainting couch was the best thing to do here. And here Betty was, with her irrigo-tinged eyes looking for the obvious answer of why Griz was up at this time.

She had a nightmare and she is finding an excuse to not go back to sleep. And Betty happened to have a great nose for people haunted by nightmares.

“I,” Griz deliberated her answer for that reason alone. “I had a nightmare.”

“Obviously,” Betty replied, “What were you doing just there?”

“What do you think one does when they can’t sleep, Betty?”

“In my case—” began Betty, stifiling a yawn—”go into Parabola and pray they go away.”

That had to be an endearing image—Betty curling up in the lush grasses of the Jungle and waiting for them to pass. For someone whose hunting extended beyond the mirrors, Griz had expected Betty to wait for her nightmares and wrestle them into submission. Perhaps her instinct applied to people’s and not her own dreams, and Griz happened to be the nearest one with a bad dream.

Going through the mirror into a land of dreams was the last thing that crossed Griz’s mind in her journey to a normal sleep. “I’m sure that works out for you,” Griz yawned not soon after. “But the rest of us have our not as esotheric methods of aiding our sleep.”

Betty hummed a rumbly affirmative sound, scooting closer to her, “Is that working for you?”

Griz attempted to replicate that noise, but all she managed was a sound akin to an elderly dog’s whimper. She felt Betty’s breath tickling her ear, breathing slow as though she is fighting sleep, “I understand.”

With her voice so close to her, frustration yielded the longer Griz lay listening to Betty drifting off to sleep. She felt her guest’s breathing becoming deeper and slower, heart tightening with envy over her ease of sleeping with no worry of upsetting dreams.

On harder days, Griz sometimes found her mind wandering in different pastures, such as what it would be if she had a different job, or employer. If she were the head of an office, there would be no worries about imminent disasters threatening the livelihood of not just herself, but the entire city of London too. If she worked a simpler job, like Betty did with hunting monsters around London and the Hinterlands, all her worrying would be about would be the paycheck. Her dreams wouldn’t be those of bonfires burning documents she penned herself, of her old governess scolding her as she cried, nor of cloaked superiors waving away worries and tantrums of a frustrated woman who wasn’t being heard—

At the very least, Griz wouldn’t worry about returning to upsetting dreams and buying out an entire stock of Gebrandt’s Superior Laudanum.

“Griz?”

“What is it?” Griz opened her eyes despite the pleasant warmth of another person next to her.

There was a pause. Only the sound of sheets shuffling and breathing filled the room. Griz could feel her heart speed up its beating, anticipating Betty to tell her, in the bluntest of ways, to get a hold of herself. Maybe she should, considering the hour of the night. Sleep was an important tennet of fitness, making her a more efficient worker.

“Would you like me to hold you?” Betty asked, her voice softer than it was earlier, “You look like you need it.”

Maybe Griz did need someone to hold her. Usually, such requests would be denied, and Griz would have deported Betty to the settee in the couch. She would have been insulted by the idea she needed something as juvenile as a cuddle for sleep, but sleep hasn’t been easy to catch without it being restless or unpleasant. For all Griz knew, Betty’s touch could be just what she needs to not worry about nightmares.

Rolling over and feeling for Betty, Griz nestled her head into the crook of Betty’s neck. A deep, rumbling sensastion passed under her cheek, followed by a sound not unlike the deep purr of a weary cat. She felt Betty shifting and rolling onto her back as they sank into the bed better. Griz draped her arm across Betty’s belly instinctually, feeling whatever nervous tension in her shoulders melt away.

True to her words, Betty wrapped Griz up in a loose hug. “Is this alright?” Betty asked, hand gently rubbing Griz’s back.

There were many words Griz could use for the gentle touch along her back. She felt herself relax into Betty as though she were the mattress of her bed; if a mattress could be soft and firm at the same time and smelled like sweat. If it could hold Griz so gently as well, she would keep Betty around forever. Betty seemed pleased with the thought too, as the purring became louder. Griz felt her eyes grow heavy again as she sank further into sleep, ignoring the nagging of her mind with its new creation of potential disasters.

If there was one thing Griz could do now, it would be to drift off to sleep following in the footsteps of Betty, whose breathing turned to soft snores.