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whispereons · 1 year ago

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Oracle!Reader Part 13

Masterlist - Part 1, Part 12, Part 14

Warning! As usual, there are descriptions of violence, gore, and death! Ya know, the usual yandere imposter sagau stuff.

Leaning against a tree, you finished the last volume in 'Hilichurl cultural custom'. It was definitely the most informative with the next being 'Hilichurl Ballad Section'. You didn't plan on studying the Hilichurl language but it could come in handy.

You just didn't bother finishing 'Draft Hilichurl ballads'. Ella Musk's rough translation paper in her commission would be far more helpful than that. The game screen is closed as you think back to what you memorized.

Hilichurls worshipped the elements rather than the Seven, which makes sense due to their Khaenri'ah bloodline. Could you use the elemental power in your possession to distract them? Would they recognize you as they can control elements or would the curse from Celestia interfere?

Twirling your sickle mindlessly you keep watch on the camp as hilichurls continuously walk around. A Mitachurl carrying a rock shield sat in the base as a Geo Samachurl helped construct a tower.

Actually, now that you think about it, isn't it kind of strange how this is your first time encountering a Hilichurl? One of the most common enemies that appears in almost every location, yet it's only when you purposefully search for one that you-

"Mimi ye?"

Jumping away from the tree in shock, a sharp gasp escapes you as you turn around, your sickle held firmly. You resist the urge to raise it in defense.

A Hilichurl stands now in front of you with a crossbow, tilting its head. It would be cute if you weren't hyper-aware of the weapon in its hands. Relaxing your posture, the sickle in your hand is hanging to avoid making the hilichurl feel threatened.

"Hello, do you want something from me?" Awkwardly smiling at the masked creature, you speak slowly in hopes of not exciting it.

"Celi dada, mimi nunu!" It walks closer to you, making you cringe internally from the smell. It's not just a smell from bad hygiene, it smells like death.

"Are you curious about me? Do you want to see something cool?" You wait for it to react, which it does by strolling a bit closer before presenting your sickle.

It stops at the sight of the weapon and you watch nervously as its grip tightens on the crossbow. Hurriedly you push the Electro to crackle through the weapon but you don't swing it.

Not even as the Hilichurl begins to load an arrow.

"Nini movo muhe yoyo!" You repeat the few phrases that you drilled into your mind. The pronunciation is bad and the accent is horrible but the message is received by the Hilichurl.

The arrow is slowly removed from the crossbow as the Hilichurl points to the Electro and asks, "Eleka mimi-a-Domu?"

Racking your brain to recall what it's trying to ask you, you nod hastily. It wasn't attacking you so whatever it asked hopefully wasn't bad.

The Hilichurl begins to circle you as it gets closer, seemingly inspecting you. "Muhe ye! Mimi tomo!"

'Muhe ye' was something praiseworthy if you remembered correctly. It suddenly begins to push you towards the camp while repeating the same phrase.

Not willing to risk angering it, you let it push you down the hill and cross the small river of water. Your sickle disappears in gold specks before the other Hilichurls and Geo Samachurl spot you.

They all tense up with their weapons ready yet they don't attack until the Hilichurl pushes you in front of them. It begins to speak to the whole group loudly as they all peer at you from behind it.

"Mimi mosi ye mita!" Hilichurlian is spoken quickly as you look at the half-finished tower and the second tower that was completed. Could the towers be part of the worship they hold to Teyvat?

"Ya!?" The rock shield Mitachurl suddenly storms down the stairs from the main camp making you stare up at the Mitachurl in panic.

Shit, shit this was getting out of hand. Looking around the camp for some form of escape or distraction, the Samachurl stomps his staff onto the ground twice.

"Celi upa celi! Ye dada!" The Samachurl yells out, making the rest of the Hilichurls cheer and begin working faster on the second tower. You could hardly focus on that as the Mitachurl stops in front of you with a mean glare.

It towers over you with the rock shield looking almost as heavy as you. A snort of hot, stinky breath is pushed onto your face making your features scrunch up in disgust.

It begins to argue with the Samachurl as you recover from the horrid smell of the group. You weren't being attacked so that was a good sign, but how were you supposed to lead them away?

Multiple hands begin to drag you toward the half-built towers with their overgrown nails tickling your skin. Not wanting to be forced, you keep pace with the group. Looking down to not trip, you notice their feet.

It was kinda strange how they had five fingers but only three toes. The cloth-like fabric of their charcoal skin was also strange along with the horn-like features on their head. Perhaps the curse melted their clothing with them into one being? That would help explain why they wore so little clothing even in harsh climates.

The Hilichurls pushed you into helping with the tower construction, they all seemed enthusiastic to have you on board. Working with them, instead of fighting against them was far more ideal even if you had more work to do when it came to destroying the towers.

Not long after helping finish the tower, the Hilichurls and Samachurl celebrate. The Mitachurl sits on the perch on the base camp as the Samachurl begins to sway his staff.

"Eleka mimi-a-Domu~ Mita domu-a-dada!" As the Samachurl begins to sing, the hilichurls dance around both towers in sync. Sitting down you watch it curiously while keeping an eye on the Mitachurl.

"Mimi mosi ye mita!" From what the books said this song was supposed to be sung during festivals. What could they be celebrating?

A few Hilichurls arrive at the camp holding Geo clubs and shields. They pause at the sight of you until the Samachurl speaks to them, making them calm down.

One of them seems heavily injured and is escorted into the main camp with bleeding wounds. The smell of iron mingles unpleasantly with the sweat and dirt in the air. God, you regret having a working sense of smell.

The rest of the group brought back meat and rotting fruit? The meat was put to cook over the fire and the fruit was handed out. You only took a single fruit to be polite but it didn't smell... right.

It was a wet, overripe Sunsettia looking far more red than a normal orange Sunsettia. It was probably washed in the river but the water only made it muddy. You look around to see a whole basket brought to the Mitachurl who takes it with a huff.

"Ya celi mimi nunu!" The Samachurl exclaims before they all begin to eat. You try to put the dirt-speckled Sunsettia on the ground but the Samachurl stares at you with expectant eyes. It keeps the staring contest as the Mitachurl begins to look at you too.

Damn, you really didn't want to do this.

Smiling, you brush the mud off (that unfortunately smears it more) and try to ignore the gross possibilities of who and what touched the fruit. You chomp a good-sized bite and hold it in your mouth until the Samachurl nods in approval. The Samachurl begins to feast on his own Sunsettias and you try not to gag. You're about to spit out the piece in your mouth until the juice hits your tongue.

It's sweet. The slight bitterness is pleasant, if not familiar. Experimentally, you begin to chew on the fruit and savor the taste trying to recall what it is.

After a few more bites, you notice a weak burning sensation that travels down your throat. It's… alcohol? These Sunsettias are fermented. Not strong enough to get drunk off one, but after a few?

You look back to the Hilichurls and blanch at the empty basket. Now with what seems like the whole camp they resume the dance. The Mitachurl flops into the middle of the camp, dropping his empty basket.

The staff in the Geo Samachurls hands sways drunkenly as it sings loudly and off-key.

"Nini movo muhe yoyo! Nini movo mimi tomo~! Lata movo mosi yoyo, celi movo celi yoyo!"

Cringing, you finally got up and walked past the drunk Hilichurls. You could barely hear yourself think with all the noise, how were you supposed to plan with it?!

The only place within the Hilichurl camp that had a chance of keeping out the singing was the sole building. Casting a parting glance at the partying Hilichurls, you climb up the stairs and enter the hut.

The poor workmanship let drafts in as two lit torches kept it bright. The obnoxious singing gets quieter so you suppose the building served its purpose. A sole beat-up hilichurl lays on a straw make-shift matt, it groans in pain weakly.

You stop in the middle of the building, just a few steps away from the Hilichurl as you watch it. The question lingering in the back of your mind finally comes forth.

Why did you not want to harm the Hilichurls?

You had no problems attacking and even murdering people, yet your heart ached at the thought of hurting the cursed citizens. Was that it? Did you pity them to the point of refusal of harm? Or was it like you originally thought of the Hilichurl camp being too strong for you to face on your own?

Quietly, you take slow steps toward the Hilichurl, the torches cast your shadow to loom far above it as if swallowing it whole. Stretching out your hand your fingers inch closer to the wound winding down its back.

It must be in so much pain. Your fingers graze the cut just barely as you laugh at yourself. Were you always this hypocritical? Just yesterday you let a treasure hoarder bleed to death with his critical state, yet you tenderly touch this Hilichurl hoping that your power could heal it.

Even with your conflicting feelings, you smile as the Hilichurl begins to glow gold. If your touch was enough to heal it then Teyvat must recognize it as an animal rather than a human.

How sad...

The Hilichurl is quick to wake up once the light fades. A mumbled "Dala?" leaves it as it felt its body multiple times as if checking that it really was healed. It finally turns to look at you with a tense silence.

Smiling calmly, you stay standing as it shakily steps closer to you. "Unu, unu!" The Hilichurl falls onto its knees as it shouts loudly making you jump.

Loud thudding could be heard behind you. You looked behind you, a grimace on your face. This wasn't supposed to happen, what did it yell to the others?! You may have been against fighting them if you could avoid it, but between their life and yours, you come first.

Your sickle is summoned into a clenched hand as you move to turn around to face the sole entryway. Coarse hands grab your ankles and something rough lays on your feet. You freeze at the sight of the Hilichurl in a full bowing position at your feet with its cracked mask pressed against your feet.

Did it recognize you? Or is it simply trying to stop you and is still weak from its earlier injuries? Nerves aflame, you lift your sickle prepared to strike it down and start the fight.

The Hilichurls swarm the building making you freeze up. The Samachurl walks in with the Mitachurl trailing behind it. Attacking now would only lead you to being overwhelmed. All you can do is wait for them to make the first move. If only you remembered what unu meant!

The Samachurl speaks to the Hilichurl that is still clinging to your feet, yet the Hilichurl only repeats unu. That must have been the last straw for the Mitachurl as it yells with spittle hitting your shoulder. It grabs the Hilichurl and lifts it up into the air as you rub the spit off with a nauseating feeling.

The sound of the Samachurls staff dropping to the ground is what has you raising your head. Not a second later, all the Hilichurls get on their knees, yelling with enthusiasm.

"Unu! Unu! Yo unu!"

It wouldn't be a stretch to say that unu must mean something like god as lawa meant chief. There wasn't anything else they would bow to that wasn't a god. Even the mighty Mitachurl sets the Geo shield down to bow low enough that you stand taller than it.

If healing a single Hilichurl had this effect, then you never have to worry about Hilichurls again. This was just another thing to add to your growing list of plausible evidence for you being the Creator to use in the worst-case scenario.

Of course, this could be used against you just as easily. The Hilichurls are by technical means 'monsters'. The only people who know that they were once people are far too little. Some would even kill you to hide this fact...

With a heavy heart, you force yourself to remember not to let hilichurls know your identity from this point on. So many good opportunities are missed due to your stupid acolytes. You'll be stuck keeping this Hilichurl situation quiet for both you and the Hilichurl camp's sake.

Glum with disappointment, you resign yourself to finishing the commission and point out the tent. "All of you, follow me." With that, you leave the building as the Hilichurls rush to follow you.

There's no fear in your heart as you continue to speak while using hand signals to order them. Opening the map, you hum as you try to find a good spot to move them to. It would suck if they saw you destroy the towers and rebuild them before you get the reward for the job.

It takes a bit longer than you hoped due to the alcoholic fruit they consumed but soon enough they follow you farther south to the border of Tianqiu Valley. A nice open area is spotted and you stand there while pointing at the ground.

"Here, this will be your new home." The Hilichurls cheer and rush to work. You slide down to rest against a tree trunk. All you had to do was sit and wait until you saw a good chance to slip away.

Except, they just would not stop bugging you. Fruits, meat, flowers, and any relatively presentable objects were given to you constantly. It didn't help that the Mitachurl refused to leave your side after you winced at the sunbeam hitting your eye.

You had accepted all the gifts and mindlessly stuffed it all into your bag. It was a bit embarrassing to admit but the way they cheered and danced at your approval was nearly endearing. Keyword: nearly.

The stream of gifts came to a halt as the squishy sounds of slime padding along the grass came closer. A batch of big and small cryo slimes stared at the Hilichurls before jumping into the air to attack them.

The Mitachurl quickly leaves your side to attack them as the Hilichurls follow it into battle. Not a moment too soon either, the camp is almost done and you aren't sure if they would even let you leave at this rate.

It was a shame you had to miss watching the battle. Seeing the two most common mobs fight each other was a rare sight as they usually work together. With a bit of effort, you successfully escape without alerting the Hilichurls, smiling in anticipation at the sight of the old camp.

Electro is slashed at the tower as your sickle hits it repeatedly. The white winding tower breaks into a pile of rubble before you move on to the second one.

It's a little more difficult due to the wood pole that serves as a foundation but it comes crashing to the ground soon enough. In spite of your hits, the brown pole stays standing despite the marks you gave it.

Winded, you rest your hand against the pole and catch your breath. After a few minutes, you stand back up and raise your sickle to strike but stop at the sight of something interesting.

On the pole were the now translated words 'BELOVED CREATOR' in messy big writing.

That confirms it right? Not only do the people of Khaenri'ah worship you, but they also recognized you earlier. But if they were originally punished for refusing to be under a god then why did they suffer the same fate when they worshipped you?...

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Celestia wasn't intended to be a good or liked character in Genshin. Hoyoverse made it very clear that no one liked Celestia, so Celestia alone attacking the people of Khaenri'ah wasn't surprising, even in this world, but what about the Archons? What reason did they have to attack Khaenri'ah when the Archons worshipped you too?

Your mind spins with possibilities as your feet automatically head back to the newly built Hilichurl camp. After all, you couldn't leave them unsupervised when they knew your secret.

Besides being showered with gifts and what you assume are compliments isn't bad. You didn't have to worry about saying the wrong thing or acting suspicious around them. Their minds and bodies just weren't good enough to revolt against you. Still, it made you happy that you could relax around them with no consequences.

The camp should be made with lighter-colored trees due to the different environments. The stone flooring of the building would cool the temperature slightly along with whatever air slips in. They should be feasting on the food they gathered and celebrate your return. You would enjoy the positive attention that you haven't truly accepted since you arrived here as they sing and dance awfully.

So, why did the sound of weak gasps and clashing weapons fill the air? Why did the well-accustomed smell of blood overwhelm your nose to the point where you could taste it?

Your answer came in the form of a woman with flowing silk hair adorned with red ropes strangling a hilichurl till it went limp. The body hit the ground with a thud as it dissolved into ashes leaving a splatter of blood and a cracked mask.

The spear twirled in her gloved hands as the crane-like cape followed her body as she surveyed the area. Her clothes were dyed in dark red as the ruby liquid shined on the head of her spear. The crane-like beauty of Shenhe is lost on you as your eyes never stray from the bloody cracked masked.

Stumbling without care for whatever sounds you make, the bushes shake as you walk through. Shenhe looks in your direction indifferently as you emerge from the shadowy trees. Weapon at the ready, she speaks harshly like the worst winters.

"This is a dangerous area, go to Liyue and get any wounds treated."

She turns her head prepared to leave when a choked gasp escapes you. Head still angled to the ground, your features are hidden from view as she watches you.

"The Hilichurls, t-they took me. Did you really k-kill them all?" A shiver and soft sob wracks your body as you bend to clutch your knees for support.

"Yes, you can get help at Li-" Her dismissive words are cut off by your coughing fit. Tears spring to your eyes as you lift your head up letting her see your masked face.

She steps through the blood-stained grass as the horns, arrows, and scrolls break beneath her steps. There's a twist of a cap before a flask is pushed roughly into your mouth. The stale water that Shenhe clearly doesn't drink helps the bile in your mouth go down with a bad taste.

She brings it away and closes it as she barely glances at your face. She moves to leave again but your hand wraps around her upper arm tightly. Your voice shakes with emotion as you begin to speak.

"Those Hilichurls-s dragged me with them and thanks to y-you they're dead. They're really dead aren't they?!" Shenhe narrows her eyes in distrust at the way you finish your words.

"Goodbye." Emotionless as always she moves to wretch her arm out of your grasp but ends up gasping in pain instead. Her stomach bleeds into the black bodysuit as your sickle stabs her stomach. The grip you hold onto her is bruising as you stare up at her with indifference.

"They were only working on their home. Is it a crime for them to simply exist? You can't even understand your own existence, let alone empathize with another's. What right do you have to deny them the bare minimum in a world they didn't ask to live in?"

The words come out coldly as your teeth dig into your lips. The spear is stabbed into your right shoulder making you release her with a pained cry. She pushes you away, letting the blood flow out of your wound as you press your free hand onto it.

"You must be possessed by a demon." An ice talisman is summoned between her fingers as Cryo envelopes her weapon. The deep cut you left on her stomach continues to bleed but Shenhe ignores it. Meanwhile, you continue to press against your wound as the blood stains your hand.

Shenhe takes a step in your direction before a loud roar captures both your attention. The Mitachurl rushes in Shenhe's direction holding a brand new Geo shield. She steps back quickly but not fast enough to dodge the shield bash.

The satisfaction you get from watching her nose break and bleed is short-lived as her elemental burst is activated. The Mitachurl is already weak and once she's done with it, she'll be after you. It's that quick realization that has you running away from the area.

Wouldn't it be good to test if the statue of the seven could heal you? You skid to a stop at the old Hilichurl camp as you quickly bring up the game screen. As much as you would like to teleport without it, that requires you to remember what the location looked like, which you definitely can't with how fast your mind is racing.

The map is pulled up and you move to select the waypoint closest to the statue when your instincts scream at you. Something’s coming, something’s coming!

Letting your body lead, you dive to the left and grit your teeth at the pain of new scrapes forming. You watch in a mix of fascination and horror as it's overwhelmed by ice maidens. The near-death experience only leaves your nerves shot as you jump to your feet and continue running.

Shenhe already finished the Mitachurl, she's coming after you. The crackling of ice following and the lowering temperature are signs that only push you to escape faster.

The only exit of the area is a narrow gap between two mountains and you are distracted for a split second. The beautiful tree that rests over the sealed Azdaha overshadows you with every bit of grace you always imagined it would have.

"Transfiguration!" You didn't have Shenhe but it didn't take a genius to know she was going to use her skill. You can't keep running, not with these wounds. Not like you can fight her either no matter what creator buffs you get, it won't help you against the adepti's disciple.

From your right, you can hear the sound of crackling fire and Geo clashing. Swerving to the right, an ice talisman cuts your cheek but it's worth it as you spot Samachurl.

It's a huge hilichurl camp, at least two Mitachurls must be here! Grinning, you don't stop and hop over the shoddily made fence before it's destroyed by the cryo woman.

The camp is quick to begin attacking Shenhe as they must have judged that she was far more threatening. A Mitachurl holding an axe, and a shield bearing Mitachurl rush at the messy woman as you peek behind you.

Her lips are pulled into a snarl but her posture is clean as her spear weaves to hit any weak spots. Yeah, even with the Samachurl and Hilichurls supporting, you didn't have much time to escape.

You sneak into the now-empty Hilichurl hall-like building and pull up the screen. Impatiently you wait for it to load as the fighting continues on. It loads and you select the map quickly and find the waypoint on Qingyun Peak.

The noises abruptly stop before there's loud thudding as the whole area becomes cold. Panicking you press the 'teleport' button multiple times as the steps shake.

Iridescent eyes that hold boundless rage as the red ropes slip off meet your smug eyes as the light engulfs you.

Rubbing your eyelids as the light dies down to show beautiful scenery, you sit on a cold stone blankly. Just how dumb were you? Groaning, you flop backward and stare at the sky tiredly.

What a great idea it was to stab a homicidal overpowered woman with trust issues and only a small sense of morality. That makes it twice now that you were chased by braided-hair women that wield spears, except this time you knew better and could have prevented it completely.

But... you really didn't want to. If she had killed them after you said a proper goodbye then you would be upset but not like this. You wouldn't have been willing to employ that tactic again.

Just mentioning it seemed to direct your thoughts back to that day. Just like today, you had started to fully trust and unknowingly depend before they were taken away without warning.

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A young man stands with shaky hands as he stares at the now-dead body of the homeless man he shot. A panicked chuckle escapes him as his vision blurs and shakes at the sight.

No one would have to know. No one would even know. Nobody cares about the homeless, let alone a stray cat.

You're almost positive of that, that was his thought process before he spots you staring vacantly at your adoptive father and Ashtray. The only family that you had.

Tears burn your vision as you look at the gun in his hands. A weak laugh leaves you making the man stare at you nervously. You weren't even 18, yet you lost your father for the second time. The only difference was that you actually loved and remembered him.

"I really have to thank you, ya'know?" There's a slight voice crack when you speak but you smile at the guy despite it. "I mean, he was just soo annoying."

He smiles at your words, seeming to calm down at the friendliness and accepting nature you showed. "I know right? Constantly trying to convince everyone to 'make the most of your situation' or 'try to enjoy life while we have it' like what a fucking joke!"

His slimy laugh is accompanied by your fake laughter. It didn't feel real, you didn't want it to be real. Your feet carried you closer and your hand rests on his shoulder.

"Tell me about it. At least the old man's dead now! I can finally do the shit I wanna do." Your dad's blood from all the gunshots sticks to the nasty clothes and your filthy skin like paint. He didn't deserve to go like this, he deserved someone that isn't as selfish as you.

"Can you even guess half the stuff he made me do? Man, if I had access to a gun like that, shit he would have died way earlier!" The cockroach in human skin laughs and rests his palm on the alleyway side. A perfect match considering they're both utter shit.

"You're hilarious. How about this? I can introduce you to the guy that got me a hold of this, you can get it real cheap too! Of course, you'll need to pay me back in some way..."

You don't like that look in his eyes, you hate this man with passion you never knew you held until now. He's brought closer to you as you give a slight nod.

"But before that, I just gotta ask. I'm so fucking curious." Smiling with pride he lets you pull him closer.

"Sure, what is it? Just don't ask me for this gun, I paid a shit ton of money for it." Laughter rings out softly as every cell in your body resists the urge to strangle him.

"Don't worry man, I just wanted to ask." Your head tilts to the side closer to his ear as you whisper.

"Just how fucking dumb are you?"

Squelch

Your hand is bruising on his wrist that's holding his gun. Blood seeps out of his mouth as he coughs. The knife you thrusted into his chest where you hoped the heart was pulled out.

He gives his best to struggle the gun into a position he can shoot you but you didn't survive this long to be weak enough for that. The gun clatters loudly as it hits the floor, his mouth opens to scream but your arm gags him.

Bite marks litter your sleeve, hands punch and grab at anything but it's useless as you stab him again. Stabbing him repeatedly your fake grin twitches and twists into something unhinged.

It's useless to resist, your actions scream as you bring his dying body to the ground. A chuckle leaves you as you raise the knife high into the air and watch his eyes go wide with fear. It's cathartic, nearly healing, but you know nothing will heal you after this.

You stab him for what seemed like hours until his body is bloody with torn clothes. Bile and spit drip out of his mouth as his eyes stay open, his mouth frozen in a screaming formation.

Thoughts stab at your consciousness as you stumble over to your father's dead body. You could have just called the police and had him arrested. Maybe get one of the people who liked your dad to avenge him. You didn't have to do that.

But you did and you couldn't regret it. Resting your head on your father's chest as the tears and broken sobs are muffled in his clothes you continue to berate yourself.

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The blinding pain from your wounds is what drags you out of memory lane. The new wound from Shenhe isn't something you even want to see anymore. The lightheadedness you got from the blood you lost is making you dizzy.

Your medical kit is dug out and you apply the proper care for it. It hurts to even lift it but there's no one to help you so you push past the pain. Slowly, you walk to the edge and look down.

Cursing your bad luck you stare at the statue of the seven on a floating rock piece. Gliding was hard by itself, let alone landing on a small piece with such little experience.

Hissing in pain, you clutch the wound and close your eyes. You didn't have much of a choice, if you wait too long you might get permanent damage. What if the statue couldn't even heal you, you'd be losing time to get to Bubu's Pharmacy.

With a few insults to Shenhe, you deploy the glider and set for the statue. It's not that far and you land fairly easily. Good enough for your first solo glide.

With wary eyes, you inspect your surroundings before touching the statue. The glow it gives off is almost traumatic to your first day after getting thrown into Teyvat. You can only hope that this time you'll be able to handle the Archons better.

The puncture in your shoulder seals up nicely until not even a scar is left. The scrapes, laceration from Mountain Shaper, neck wounds from Cloud Retainer, and even some injuries you failed to notice heal up completely. You note the slight discomfort you feel from the wounds you didn't get to clean. It seems the statue can't deal with healing and preventing infections.

Even still everything you wanted to do is done now, it's best you leave before- "Pardon me."

A smile graces your face with ease as you turn around to face the handsome man. An overwhelming aura that silently demands respect paired with the manners of a humble citizen.

Zhongli's eyes glow with elemental power as he speaks with a voice that lulls you into a sense of security.

"Would you be willing to answer some questions?"

The only question is whether he came here as Zhongli or as the Geo Archon.

This one had a lot of different things going on. From the hilichurl to Shenhe and the long awaited Zhongli! I know there's a lot of components in my story and I hate to confuse you guys so I try to give little explanations when certain things become relevant. I am glad to get part of Y/N's backstory out! This is explaining the single life Y/N 'selfishly' killed before being thrown into Teyvat. I hope you guys enjoyed the gradual shift when it comes to gliding. First Ayato carried, then a team glide with the guys and finally Y/N by themself! Now I really need to start Fontaine before I'm spoiled by social media. I'm too curious for my own good. Yet again, my editor did good on this chapter despite how many times I was berated for normal mistakes. (If your name is italicized that means I couldn't tag you.) Taglist: @vvyeislazzy, @nikqi, @the-dumber-scaramouche, @etherisy, @yourlocalstranger123, @ra404, @iruiji, @goldenglow149, @haru-tofuu, @lsleepysimpl , @bebobeboben, @yuyuzi-ling, @amidst-the-tempest, @resident-cryptid, @mxd1zzy, @mochicurls21, @nervouseaglelover, @thedevioussmirk, @yumuramma, @kwqsla, @undecidingfate, @ehjane, @game-savvy, @akiramirae, @sielt, @fluffy-koalala, @formacoon, @sxftiebee, @khxii-i, @ursinaw, @chuuya-brainrot, @sweetbills, @kazuchaos, @snowfoxnix, @bluebelony, @conspicuous-mayonnaise, @pencil-of-ashes, @ghostlyintervention, @taiformaifoe, @sielt, @goaudduck, @carminerin, @maddysflowers, @zenith-of-all-zenith, @crazydreamcat, @leafanonsforest, @grimreapersscythe, @leylanx , @undecidingfate, @sapphireknown, @help-whatdoimakemyusername, @zhonglisfruityass, @fluffy-koalala, @mer0n37, @victoria1676, @mochinessss, @sinnful-darling, @emilymikado, @pix-stuff, @esthelily, @luxie963, @emmbny, @millienolife, @kbar1013, @xxblackroses623xx, @chxrlxtteee, @aludicpoet

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rafeslolita · 3 months ago

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| bad time to mention

pairing: percy jackson x aphrodite kid!reader

warnings: mutual pining, percy is a hopeless romantic :(, battle?, swords, ew ew, use of y/n

A/N: first writing!! i’m doing so so so so so at 1 clock in the morning yayayaya, sorry it’s SO short wth

it was weird just jumping into battle, you were only at camp for a month before getting thrown into a quest by the oracle. that quest being with percy jackson, of course. you were huffing and puffing for a breather as percy fights off an empusa for you, you were definitely not a fighter.

“you okay?” percy asks, placing a hand on your shoulder, riptide still in his right hand. “yeah, just needed some air” you nodding before standing up straight and making sure your bow was intact. “i’m almost out of arrows,” you sigh softly. “yeah, well that’s because you used most of them on a dumb gorgon that was minding their own business” percy sassily says, teasing almost. “shut up, sorry i wasn’t good at sword fighting, okay?” you chuckled as you walked along side percy.

the woods were dark, it was getting scary but you charged through it. and sometimes you found yourself mumbling to the gods on why they decided to give you a quest with percy “seaweed brain” jackson. while you were absentmindedly cursing yourself silently, a fury came from behind you and percy. percy was trying to nudge you to realize what was behind you, his sword raised and ready, “psst, y/n, there’s a fury” “what?” you turned around and your eyes widen in shock. percy, thinking that this would be the only good time to tell you, said “this might be a bad time to mention it, but i really like your perfume” “not a good time, percy!” you exclaimed as you readied your bow and arrow, pointing it to the kindly (definitely NOT kind) one.

#zoe writes ୭ ˚. ᵎᵎ #percy jackson #percy jackson x reader #book!percy #percy jackon and the olympians #yayayay #it’s so late #wow #x reader

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apollosgiftofprophecy · 6 months ago

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I saw a couple of posts here and on ao3 where you talked about how TOA Apollo has a stilted view of romantic relationships. Would you be comfortable explaining that, it got me really interested!

OKAY

gonna be putting this under a cut for length

Apollo and relationships. Specifically, ToA Apollo and relationships.

let's see if I can formulate the thoughts into words.

Right off the bat, Apollo does have a hard time avoiding those red flags (hello, Commodus), so much so that he can see them...he just ignores them.

This already tells us that he doesn't have the healthiest view on relationships, or what specifically a healthy partner would be like.

In RRverse canon, these are all of his confirmed, canon relationships/love interests;

Hyacinthus

Commodus

Naomi

Darren

Latricia

Cyrene

Daphne

Sibyl

(I probably missed some asdfhjk)

Anyway, I've noticed that in canon, Apollo's relationships tend to fall into two categories; Sweet or Sour, we'll call them.

Now the majority on the list are Sweet! They are fulfilling relationships with no indication of any bitter feelings- Apollo is not shy about telling us about his love life, and certainly doesn't keep it from us when a relationship went south.

What I find interesting is that all three of the Sours can help pinpoint Apollo's more jaded/stilted view on romance.

Let's kick off with Daphne.

First things first, Apollo is quite literally forced to fall in love with her. Like. That has GOT to screw with a guy. What's more, is that when Apollo explains to us how Eros's arrows work;

What people do not understand: Eros’s arrows can’t summon emotion from nothing. They can only cultivate potential that is already there. Daphne and I could have been a perfect pair. She was my true love. She could have loved me back. Yet thanks to Eros, my love-o-meter was cranked to one hundred percent, while Daphne’s feelings turned to pure hate (which is, of course, only the flip side of love). Nothing is more tragic than loving someone to the depths of your soul and knowing they cannot and will not ever love you back. The stories say I chased her on a whim, that she was just another pretty dress. The stories are wrong. - The Hidden Oracle

There's an implication that he and Daphne may have actually been...friends. Or at the very least acquaintances.

It's never stated in canon when Daphne happened, and the mythology itself is weird about the timeline, but it certainly happened earlier in Apollo's life.

Imagine being forced to fall madly in love with someone you know and they are made to despise you.

The self-confidence definitely took a blow here.

What's more...

When she begged Gaea to turn her into a laurel tree in order to escape me, part of my heart hardened into bark as well.

Apollo tells us plainly that what happened with Daphne shook his views on romantic endeavors. Though, it didn't keep him from engaging in romance, either.

Now, back to Commodus real quick. We already covered the No Red Flag Bell with him, and honestly, I won't spend too much time here because I got a whole meta list waiting to dissect these two XD

But Sibyl reveals something else about Apollo and romance- sometimes, he sees it as transactional.

The story of Apollo and Sibyl does differ from the mythology of them- in mythology, Sibyl tricks Apollo into granting her a long life, and he kinda just shrugs and says 'okay, but you didn't ask for eternal youth either so...whoops?'

In ToA, Rick switches it up a bit by having Apollo grant Sibyl a long life after she jokes about it, and when she further rebuffs him, he curses her with no eternal youth.

Alas, I knew what I’d been thinking—that she was a pretty young woman I wanted to get with, despite the fact that she was my Sibyl. Then she’d outsmarted me, and being the bad loser that I was, I had cursed her. - The Tyrant's Tomb

I promised you life, not youth. You can have your centuries of existence. You will remain my Sibyl. I cannot take those things away, once given. But you will grow old. You will wither. You will not be able to die.

Yeah, it sounds like Apollo more or less curses her with no eternal youth here.

(Daily disclaimer that mythology Apollo's love life is actually very good and you should read up on it :3)

Back to the transactional thing-

"You cannot refuse payment." “Payment?” She balled her hands into fists. “You dare think of me as a transaction?” “I didn’t mean—Obviously, I wasn’t—”

Now, do I think Apollo sees all relationships as transactional? No. But let's consider the Olympian influence for a moment here.

Olympus in the RRverse is rather fucked, no doubt about it. The gods do not help without first being given something, and that permeates through their whole lifestyles.

Apollo's not being transactional because ✨misogyny✨. He's being transactional because that's what he's been raised to believe. If he gives something, he gets something back. That goes for all the gods, male and female and everything in between.

Bacchus helps the demigods in Mark of Athena because they paid tribute to him. Whenever a god extends aid, burnt offerings are made in thanks- which is probably part of the reason why Hera got angry with Annabeth when she refused to give her burnt offerings in The Battle of the Labyrinth after she helped her on her quest.

Apollo doesn't seem to be as picky as some (ie, The Titan's Curse, where he helps out to help out. You can argue he got his sister back in exchange but that's not really typical godly exchange lol), but it's clear that mindset has somewhat transferred over into relationships.

Now, I also want to talk about how Hyacinthus affected him- because let's be real, he was the one that affected him the most without outside interference (looking at you, Eros).

Apollo has told us time and again that Hyacinthus was one of, if not his greatest, love. His death really left a mark on him, and I am of the firm belief that it's that mark that made him wary of forming too close of a relationship with others- even when he tries to convince them and himself they are his One True Love™️, it falls flat inside his own head.

Because let's face it- that spot is occupied by Hyacinthus, and the hole he left in Apollo's heart.

This isn't to say Apollo loves his other lovers less- heck no! Love is one of his defining qualities. He has much love in him!

It's just that Hyacinthus had a particular impact on him, and how he views relationships.

*vibrates in Hyapollo multific* I have...my own personal ideas...on what that entails...

And we see how touch-and-go Apollo is with other lovers! As soon as Commodus becomes emperor, he's gone. And only comes back in disguise, never revealing himself until he kills him.

Naomi, Darren, and Latricia are all obviously loving relationships from what we can gather, but it's clear it was never long-term.

Cyrene, really, is where I'd argue he got the closest to a long-term relationship with a mortal-ish person, but even so, they aren't in a permanent long-term relationship either.

Hyacinthus, however? I can see he and Apollo maintaining an everlasting romance.

...Also because that is exactly what happens according to the Spartans and who are we to deny what the Spartans declared about their national hero?

The only other exceptions to this I can see are his relationships with the Muses and (hello, fellow Apricity shippers) Boreas.

But even so...the Muses give off like, 'married co-workers' vibes, if that makes sense, and Boreas is more or less a winter fling (fandom forgive me, you know I am a shipper🫡)

Anyway. Hope this rambling makes sense or at least provides a platform for someone to put coherent thoughts together lmao

In conclusion: sometimes Apollo is transactional in relationships because of the culture he was raised in, and he has commit issues because of just how hard Hyacinthus's death hit him :)

have fun pondering :3

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tanoraqui · 1 year ago

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Having just read/reread 2/3 of the serieses, the most interesting side character in the assorted Percy Jackson books is definitely Chiron. Explicitly or very clearly implicitly canonical facts about PJO!Chiron:

Obviously, Chiron is the metaphorical heart of Camp Half Blood, and the one actually in charge of it regardless of whoever the gods appoint as Camp Director. He’s the best parent a lot of these kids ever have. If Chiron isn’t at Camp, something is wrong, either at Camp or something is so wrong elsewhere that he’s off dealing with it. If Chiron goes down in a fight, it is quite literally time to Panic.

He was blessed/cursed by the gods with immortal life “so long as there are heroes to train.”

Because demigod lives are the way they are, this has trapped him in an endless grieving cycle of training young people just enough to survive for a little longer before they’re killed. Enough to die heroically at age 15 rather than desperately at age 12, like.

His unhappiness with this mostly comes out in vague allusions to the fact that you will probably die on this quest, which he refuses to elaborate on, instead forcing a smile back into his face and handing you a first aid kit for the road.

Because of this? he never goes to Olympus unless explicitly summoned. This isn’t something that’s been barred to him, it’s a matter of principle.

Because of all this? the gods immediately scapegoat him for tree!Thalia’s poisoning, despite the fact that literally half of them are also Kronos’s children.

Despite all this, there is absolutely no indication that any villain ever attempts to suborn Chiron by offering him, and/or the youths under his care, a better deal. Presumably because they know he’d tell them (politely) to fuck right off.

Grieve though he does, care deeply for every child who comes under his care though he does, he is never (outright) cynical nor does he hesitate to embrace the mythological genre and role he’s in. He trains, guides, and guards where he can…and he encourages them to be heroes, risky though that is. The second it might be safe, he helps Rachel attempt to become the new Oracle, even though the last person to try went mad. He takes a dozen kids who came to Camp Half-Blood for the first time 2 weeks ago into potentially deadly battle to save NYC, as a “field trip.”

Chiron is as good at archery as Apollo at his best (Apollo admits this, privately). I don’t think we ever see him shoot an arrow that’s not a successful kill shot.

In about 36 hours, Chiron can raise a small army of wild centaurs from any or all herds throughout North America. There is no indication that centaurs will regularly listen to anyone else.

He’s an honorary member of the ruling council of satyrs.

Chiron periodically coordinates with hero-trainers from other mythologies to avert truly world-shattering disasters. He does not seem to regard this as the gods’ business.

He likes Dean Martin.

Truly the epitome of that one good teacher who genuinely understands and supports you as best they can while dealing with an unhelpful and often unfriendly school administration, whom you eventually realize is somehow even cooler in their non-school life!

#pjo #percy jackon and the olympians #chiron #pjo chiron #chiron pjo

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moosemink · 1 month ago

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Working alone looks different

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽ CH6 - The Offer ☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

Pairing: No actual Romance just some mentioned, JayRoy | TimKon | BirdFlash Characters: Batfam | Justice League Word count: 3.808 A/N: Last Chapter ! Now all that is left is to crosspost the two drawings I made for this fic. There is a second part to this story. I've posted up to Chapter 5 of it on AO3, but I'll wait to cross post it to tumblr because I am struggling HARD with chapter 6 rn ^^; AO3 Masterlist for W.A.L.D.

The Justice League dealt with overzealous, extraterrestrial enemies on an almost weekly basis. From gigantic hordes of small, slimy critters to towering behemoths. They’ve fought it all and by now they have a sort of routine to the battles.

But this fight was much different from their usual procedures. Instead of one broody bat there were nine. Tough one of those nine was still an enigma to the league as they had yet to meet face to face. So far they had only heard her voice.

The other eight had fallen into a terrifying routine. They moved from enemy to enemy with cold, quick efficiency while quipping and smiling. Batman was the only one of them that fought side by side with the league members like he usually did, the rest of the Batclan kept mostly to themselves and the other young heroes that had come to help. They did swoop in and save a league member every time it was needed though, courtesy of the ninth Bat, Oracle, who seemed to see everything happening on the battlefield. Her moniker truly fit her perfectly.

Billy settled down on a roof to take a breather and to see if they had gotten any closer to winning. He really hoped it was over soon, he liked Fawcett much better without swarms of aggressive aliens.

He was really thankful for all the heroes that had gathered to help keep his city save. He was admittedly especially excited that a bunch of young heroes had joined too. He sometimes really hated that his powers made him look so much older, he really wanted to get closer with the hero community that was closer to his actual age. He liked the other league members but they too often talked about stuff he just couldn’t relate to. Sometimes it was exhausting to fake that you paid taxes and did other adult stuff.

Billy observed the Battlefield and his gaze fell to the different members of the Batfam. Nightwing was fighting aliens alongside Red Robin, easily trusting his back to his brother. The man bend in ways Billy was sure shouldn’t be possible but Red Robin seemed to anticipate every move. Used to his seemingly boneless brother. The two switched their weapons between each other easily. Moving almost as one, they took out another handful of enemies and with a wide smile on Nightwing’s face and a calculating grin on Red Robin’s, they moved to another part of the battlefield. Leaving behind mountains of bodies. Billy was really glad that they’re on the good side.

He turned his head and spotted Red Hood, locked in a fist fight against one of the bigger aliens. Hood was cursing like a sailor and hitting the alien hard in places that really hurt, at least to a human. Billy winced when Hood landed another hard kick to the lower half of the bipedal alien. Said alien let out an enraged roar but promptly slumped down to the ground, Billy spotted a red arrow lodged in the back of the extraterrestrial being‘s head. The red helmeted vigilante gave Arsenal, or the building Arsenal was sniping from, a thankful salute, he then pulled his guns out of his holsters and planted a few bullets perfectly between the aliens four eyes and or their knee caps. He switched between four guns with trained ease despite being limited to two hands and reloaded with such speed that Billy almost missed it. His reserve of bullets seemed endless.

Black Bat was basically a deadly shadow, Billy had only seen her for a second at the start of the fight, since then he could only guess where she was based on the aliens that just seemed to randomly keel over dead. Billy felt a shudder run down his spine as he saw the terror on an aliens face as his comrades dropped like flies around him. Again Billy was really glad he was on the same side as the Bats.

Another blue-kangaroo-looking alien dropped dead next to Red Hood. Said vigilante wordlessly pulled a knife from somewhere beneath his leather jacket and threw it in the air. The knife promptly disappeared in the air as a shadow, Black Bat, caught it. At the same time a broken blade dropped on the floor next to Hood’s boot. Billy simply watched in awe as the path of dead aliens kept going after the weapon exchange. Hood also just kept going, downing a few aliens with targeted punches and ending them with a bullet each if his fists weren’t enough.

Signal was hard to watch, as he used his powers, he apparently had, to blind the enemies. He then easily took them out as if taking a walk in a park. Well, a park in Gotham, Billy didn’t think that any other place would have parks that were comparable to a battlefield. Signal‘s bright light lured a lot of Aliens in his direction, which would’ve definitely been a cause for concern, at least for a non-bat. Signal simply kept moving unbothered by the masses moving towards him, because barely any actually made it close enough to be dangerous to him. Before they could step into his range most were skillfully taken care of, either by decapitation via the, in Billy‘s personal opinion, scariest Bat, Robin or by a simple punch via the Batlings kryptonian counterpart, Jon.

Billy admittedly watched Robin and Jon the longest as they were closets to his age. He really wished to be friends with them. As terrifying as Robin was, Billy thought he was equally as amazing. And Jon seemed like he would be a lot of fun to hang around. His warm and inviting smile had given Billy the courage to try and befriend them. He had gone to Gotham as he knew he would have to start with Robin to have a chance to be accepted into their group but before he had the chance to transform back into his actual body he had run. Robin hadn’t even let him get a word in and the cold Batglare from the just a few years older vigilante had killed all of Billy’s gathered courage. But as Billy watched Robin and Superboy work together he found himself filled with determination to try again.

Mind made up to try to find hero friends his actual age again Billy’s thoughts got interrupted by a battle cry. His eyes snapped onto the source and he spotted Spoiler. She had teamed up with beast boy who had turned into a mighty steed. The purple vigilante was loudly cheering and whooping as she rode on the large, green horse's back into battle. Together beast boy and spoiler mowed down enemy after enemy. Any foe that survived their stampede was finished of by Kon, Wally or Bart who were loudly cheering them on. The cavalry moved over the battlefield quickly and deadly as Spoiler easily switched between the weapons she kept on her person and literally anything else she could get her hands on. Even alien body parts were used and Billy found himself cheering them on from his perch on the roof.

By the time that Billy managed to pull himself from watching the young heroes fight, he notice that the numbers of the enemy had dwindle to barely two dozens. They were trying to retreat, but they were unsuccessful, as the Bats made quick work of them. The biggest problem now was the giant portal still open in the center of Fawcett City. Definitely not something Billy wanted to keep around. It didn’t mash well with the city’s looks. The bright, glowing greens and purples clashed harshly with the city’s aesthetic. Billy also wasn’t a fan of a potential second attempt for world domination via an army of blue-Kangaroos.

He knew he could easily close it but Billy also knew that it would cost him the last of his energy and would reverse his transformation. Everyone would find out that he was actually little, homeless, ten year old Billy Batson. The thought terrified him and made him hesitate.

But the decision was taken from Billy by the last alien, it seemed to tried to call for reinforcements from the other side of the portal. Before Billy even fully realized what was happening his body was already moving. He used the last of his power to quickly close the gate as Green Arrow shot the offending extraterrestrial being.

With the strike of a lightning bolt and a loud crack of thunder Billy, in all his now again ten years old glory, found himself in a small crater on the street.

Of course, to his luck, right in front of the Caped Crusader himself. And of course, worlds-best-detective that he was, he immediately connected the dots,

“Captain Marvel.” A simple statement, really but it froze Billy in place, “Is this your true form ?”

‘Right to the point, huh ?’, Billy thought but he also knew that the Dark Knight, slowly joined by all the other heroes, was expecting an answer.

“Y- yeah. I- I can ex- expla-��, Billy started but was interrupted by the wave of Batman’s hand. The man had more questions and it was clear he wanted them answered.

''Your name.'' Batman wasn't quite glaring at Billy but the boy could feel the Bat's stare drill a hole into his soul. Yet the voice Batman used wasn't quite as scary as his usual Batman-voice. He didn't seem angry, which Billy had feared, he seemed more, curious ? Billy doubted that was the right word.

''B- Billy, Billy Bat- Batson,'' Billy stammered out. His eyes snapped onto the rest of the Batclan, that had gathered behind Batman, as they collectively sucked a harsh breath in.

''B, No !'', Nightwing chided.

''He probably has parents, B !'', Red Hood joined in.

''I- I don't...'', Billy muttered hesitantly but he bit his tongue as the Batkids all displayed various reactions at his words.

Red Robin had his head in his hands, Robin tsk-ed and shook his head as he crossed his arms defiantly, Signal looked a little excited actually, Black Bat whispered something that sounded a bit too much like 'little brother', Spoiler threw up her hands and walked away exasperated, Red Hood was crouched down with his head directed at the sky quietly whispering a string of curses under his breath and Nightwing looked, well just resigned.

''Batson...'', The big Bat muttered, ''I mean...'' He angled his head to look at his colony of children and seemed to try to reason with them, about what, Billy did not know. In fact Billy was highly confused, he couldn’t think of what made half the Batclan look agitated and the other excited. He watched as Batman slowly reached for one of his utility belt pockets.

''Father, please tell me you are not reaching for what I think you're reaching for.'', Robin hissed, clearly already knowing the answer to his query as it came out as more of a warning then a question.

Batman suddenly moved very quickly and before Billy knew it a stack of papers was thrust into his hands, an annoyed groan escaping Red Robin and a tsk coming from Robin. Billy had to blink a few times before the words on the front page registered in his head. In bold letters it read:

ADOPTION PAPERS.

Billy sucked a breath in too fast and started coughing. Concerned eyes landed on him until he regained his ability to breath. Billy looked at the people gathered around him. The league members looked as confused as Billy, except for Martian Manhunter, his face carefully blank and Superman, who looked like he was trying not to laugh. The Titans present, old and new, were in a similar state to Superman, all trying their best to hold in a laugh. Though Billy also received an encouraging nod from both Superboys.

Billy opened his mouth to say something but before any words could leave him Red Hood cut in, ''I'm calling Agent-A, the kid is considering it. For fucks sake old man.'' Hood took of his helmet and pulled out a beaten up flip phone and very pointedly stared at Batman as he hit a speed dial button and spoke,

''Hey A, sorry to bother you while you're cookin’. B’s done it again.'', Hood drawled, he let out a deep sigh before he answered the person on the other end of the line, ''Yeah no, Black hair, blue eyes, orphan, maybe 9? or 10 ? Probably Homeless... His last name is Batson, there is no way we could've stopped him A.'' He then just grunted a confirmation before he harshly clapped the phone shut and put it into one of his many pockets. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed again. He must've spotted Billy's perturbed face as he gave him a surprisingly reassuring smile. He then turned towards Nightwing and with just a look relayed something to the older vigilante.

Understanding his brother’s wordless message easily, Nightwing turned to Kon and told him to go and pick up 'Agent-A', whoever that might be. Somebody with Zeta access apparently, as that’s were Nightwing told the Kryptonian to pick Agent-A up.

The questions in Billy's head only doubled as Kon returned just minutes later with a polished, well dressed, older man. A butler, Billy realized. Fully dressed in a butler uniform and with as simple black domino mask pasted over his eyes. The man carefully dusted of his clothes after the Kryptonian set him down before striding over to Batman. It was clear pretty fast why the man was called to Billy, as the Batkids all considerably relaxed but Batman tensed.

''My dear boy, what did I say about adopting every child you find ?'', The man lightly scolded the Dark Knight, his hands on his hips. Again, excluding Superman and Manhunter the JL members all tensed at the man’s words but the Titans looked just about ready to break out in loud laughter.

“Not to.” The bat grumbled, “But-“, Batman started while gesturing vaguely towards Billy but he was interrupted by the wave of Agent-A’s hand, just like the Bat had done to Billy just minutes before.

Billy was trying hard to keep a giggle down at the down trodden posture of the Bat but he almost choked on his fit of giggles as the butler addressed him with his smooth British accent, “Now, child I will not stop you from accepting Batman’s offer but know that you can refuse it.” The man bend down and pulled out a linen cloth, with it he gently wiped some grime off of Billy's face, only hesitating for a second to let Billy pull away if he didn't want to.

But Billy didn’t pull away and actually enjoyed the gentle touch and the feel of the soft linen. He felt himself relax as the butler continued speaking, “You may think about the offer as long as you'd like, but I do invite you to at least come to our home for a meal and a shower dear boy.'' Agent-A gave Billy a soft and warm smile that almost made the boy forget where he was. Almost, as Hal suddenly blurted out a question, unable to hold his tongue any longer as was typical for the man,

‘’I’m sorry but who the hell is this and what the fuck is happening right now ?! Someone please explain ?! I can’t be the only one that’s completely lost, right ?!'', the lantern exclaimed, desperately looking at the gathered crowd, begging for answers.

All eyes snapped onto the green hero, some of the JL members muttered that they also very much would like an explanation as Red Hood called out a ''Language Glowstick, there are children present.'', while slapping his hands over Robin’s ears, who ducked away while tsking offendedly. Then there was silence as Batman signed something with his hands and the Bats promptly turned towards each other and discussed something between themselves, evident by the quiet chirping the league now knew was actually the Batclan’s secret language.

After a moment and a seemingly quite heated discussion Batman was pushed forward by both Red Robin and Nightwing. He cleared his throat and then spoke in his usual, I-eat-gravel-for-fun, voice, ''Justice League, meet Agent-A. The man that raised me.'' Billy's jaw dropped at that and so did Hal's, Barry's and Green Arrow's. Wonder Woman looked exited at the prospect of meeting the person that raised the Bat, same as Dinah.

''Agent-A is the reason we haven't died yet with our level of self preservation.'' Nightwing declared with much affection and a fond and cheerful smile.

''The best of us all.'' Red Hood added, his tone surprisingly warm and loving.

''Oh you commend me too much my dear children,'' Agent-A said with a fond look in his eyes and small but very warm smile on his lips.

''Well that's great and it's very good to meet you sir,'' Hal said with a charming smile towards the Butler, that was apparently Batman's dad or at least something close to that (Billy's mind was still blown), ''But can we get one thing straight please ? Spooky you gotta have mercy on us non detectives.''

''Hnn.'' The Bat just grunted and gestured for Hal to continue.

The lantern stepped forward and next to Billy so he could have a better view of the Batfamily and everyone else that was present. ''First of, can we all acknowledge for a moment that our teammate that we all thought was an adult is actually a fu- freaking child ?!'' Hal exclaimed while pointing at Billy and looking at all the people present.

Billy felt his face heat up as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. He turned his eyes to the floor.

''Well yeah but that is hardly the weirdest thing to happen in our line of work.'' Arsenal chimed in, the red archer opened his arms and looked around asking for confirmation which he mostly got from the other young heroes present.

''Batson, has always struck me as the most agreeable of the Justice League besides Father. It makes much more sense now why he did.'', Robin stated and even if Billy doubted that that was true, his chest warmed at the other boys words. He met the boy's eyes and gave him an embarrassed but thankful smile, a hint of a smile hushed over Robin’s face before his usual scowl quickly returned.

Hal looked a bit offended but the green hero persevered, ''Okay, fine. Just for the record though I wanna say that a lot of things make much more sense now.'' Hal turned to address Billy, ''I gotta be honest with you, you're not a good liar, taxes are not a weekly thing you know ?'' The lantern smiled at Billy apologetically,

''But like, am I understanding this right ?'' Hal leaned down and tried to take the adoption papers from Billy, who hadn't realized that he was still holding them, though the lantern was unsuccessful as Billy kinda didn't want to let them go. Hal looked a bit sheepish before giving up and deciding to simply point at the stack of papers instead, ''Spooky is trying to adopt said teammate right know. Just like that ?''

''Well that's how he took most of us in, minus the demon brat, so yeah.'' Signal shrugged nonchalantly, he then seemed to think about something before he quickly added, ''And Oracle, he's kinda unofficially co-parenting with her dad which is a special can of worms and spoiler hasn't signed any papers'' He just shrugged as if he didn't just open up more questions than he answered.

''I- I'll just not ask,'' Hal sighed, ''so Spooky just collects kids ? God that sounds so wrong and weird.''

''It's a bad habit of his,'' Red Hood chided in the direction of his father.

''Calling it a bad habit is really an understatement,'' Robin muttered, ''And you cannot chide father, when you've basically taken to adopting all of Crime Alley's kids Hood.''

''Pshhh, haven't actually adopted any,'' The yet went unsaid, ''You do it too Demon brat, just with animals.'' Hood grinned triumphantly as Robin sputtered for a moment before he just did his signature tsk, Billy quietly noted that he didn't refute Hood's words.

''Now, now the man has more questions,'' Nightwing interrupted the banter, an amused smile on his lips.

Hal was silent for a moment before he sighed and carded his hand through his hair in a manner of exasperation. He opened his mouth a few times to ask a question but words seemed to avoid him as in the end he just shook his head and said, “I don’t know what to say, there’s too many questions in my brain and I’m pretty sure you, family of paranoia masters, won’t answer most, if any, of them anyway.”

Batman just grunted his usual “hnn” as confirmation. Billy was sure if Batman could he’d only speak in grunts.

Agent-A seemed to regard Billy for a moment before the man spoke, “We can discuss the offer of adoption over some food. I do insist though that even if you refuse, you’ll at least let us support you in any way possible child. Let me extend that offer to any of your close friend or family if you have any.”, the butler gave Billy a knowing look and the boy had to remind himself that this man had raised the Batman, worlds greatest detective, part of a family in which ‘Like father, like son’ was truer than anywhere else. Of course the man would know or realize that Billy had family even if he didn’t have parents anymore.

Billy had to swallow hard at that revelation as Red Hood walked over to him and offered him a hand to help him stand up. Billy hadn’t even realized that he was still sitting in the crater the lightning bolt created. He hesitantly took the man’s hand and was pulled to his feet with a strong tuck. And as Hood decided to simply pick up Billy, after the boy's legs gave out because of the exhaustion of using all his energy for the day and the shock of Batman offering to adopt him, Billy simply let him.

All Billy could think, as he was carried towards the closest Zeta, was ‘Man, Mary and Freddy will not believe me when I tell them about today.”

And they truly didn't until Billy showed them the adoption papers that he had kept. He did so because he didn't want to seem rude, at least that's the reason he told himself and anyone who asked. Yeah, that's definitely why he kept them. He was absolutely not considering anything.

<- Prev. CH1 | CH2 | CH3 | CH4 | CH5 | CH6

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fostydosty · 10 months ago

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Rachel Elizabeth Dare chose to swear an oath of celibacy to the god Apollo as a part of gaining her oracular abilities. This entails visions of the future that she expresses through paint, green smoke bellowing from her mouth at inconvenient times, and being immune to divine retribution (and possibly being injured by literally anything?)

But… what if she swore an oath to his sister too?

Rachel Elizabeth Dare, daughter of mortals, chosen of the Sun and Moon. Immortal and ageless. Eternally prophetic. Can shoot an arrow through a keyhole. Can slay any monster and piss off any god. Her predecessor was cursed by Hades to never enter the Underworld…. Damn, that sucks. Too bad she’ll be 17 forever anyway.

Imagine fighting someone that see more clearly than any other creature (even some gods can be tricked by the mist in ways clearsighted mortals cannot) *can read normally and has an attention span*, can foresee your every move, and *you can’t even touch bc they are divinely protected*.

Her two oaths are:

I accept this role. I pledge myself to Apollo, God of Oracles. I open my eyes to the future and embrace the past. I accept the spirit of Delphi, Voice of the Gods, Speaker of Riddles, Seer of Fate.

I pledge myself to the Goddess Artemis. I turn my back on the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the Hunt.

Also imagine the twins bickering abt which one of them Rachel gets her archery skills from (it’s both. But mostly Artemis). She’d also be able to illuminate herself w moonlight and maybe have like a Will moment and glow like the sun too.

Also also imagine the only daughter of the highest god (above the age of 2), the daughter of war itself (sister to the Amazons, child of Rome, apprentice of the greatest sorceress in history), and the chosen vessel of the Sun descending upon you with a firing squad of silver arrows and two dozen other equally talented girls.

Let my girl be a badass plz and ty

#rachel elizabeth dare #percy jackson #trials of apollo #hunter of artemis #hunters of artemis #artemis #apollo #oracle of delphi #camp halfblood #thalia grace #reyna ramirez arellano #reyna avila ramirez arellano #circe

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thewitchofcedarandbone · 28 days ago

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January's full moon pull🐺🌕🕯️

Ace of Wands: This is a time to trust your gut and kindle the spark. The energy may be fleeting or it may be something more. Either way it is important to make the most out of that momentum.

Three of Swords: One cannot know joy without pain. You must honour even the most negative of human experiences, for without them our humanity would not grow.

Child of Swords: Embrace the beginner's mind. Allow yourself to view the world as if you are seeing it for the first time. Look through the unbiased lens of a child and speak with direct honesty.

Consumption: Keep things in moderation and favour what will sustain, satiate, and bring you peace. Overconsumption, even of the neutral or good, can eventually poison you.

Decks: The Spacious Tarot, The Cursed Arrows Oracle

#the spacious tarot #the cursed arrows oracle #full moon #wolf moon #monthly tarot #monthly oracle #theo bell

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starmocha · 2 months ago

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Oh, I'm still doing the recaps. At the very least for my own benefits in case I want to quickly reference something.

[Love and Deepspace masterpost ☆ Beyond Cloudfall masterpost]

SPOILERS FOR SYLUS' MYTH - BEYOND CLOUDFALL, CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 2

MC and the dragon arrive in Ivory City. When they enter the Sanctuary, many of the followers scatter the moment they see MC, who is supposed to have been dead at this point.

Seeing where MC grew up in, the dragon quips:

Growing up in a cage like this... No wonder your soul is so dull.

MC grapples internally with herself. On the one hand, she wants vengeance against the Judicator's Oracle who judged her and ordered her execution. On the other hand, she also needs to focus on staying alive.

She suspects news of the Fiend's appearance in the Sanctuary must be spreading like wildfire in the city, and once the Legion of Justitia arrives to handle the dragon, she plans on slipping away in the chaos.

She starts to talk to the dragon, mentioning how her revenge will have to wait as the Judicator's Oracle who judged her isn't around, but she stops abruptly when she notices the dragon appears disinterested in her plan for vengeance.

The dragon notices a mural on the ceiling and questions MC about it. The mural, titled The Fiend-Slaying God, depicts a scene of "a god-like figure in a bright red cloak, wielding a long sword as he executes an evil dragon."

MC explains that this god-like figure is supposed to represent the Sacred Judicator, and the evil dragon is, in her words, "Ahem, that's probably you."

MC is puzzled that the dragon keeps staring at the mural.

The dragon doesn't deign her a response. Instead, he looks at the text beneath the mural and comments that it's been exactly 1,677 years since he was sealed away.

MC is puzzled that he can read the text. The dragon questions her, and she explains that the text is written in an ancient language that's been lost to time. Now, nobody can read it anymore. She asks him about the text.

"The Fiend is the very essence of malice and greed, skilled at twisting human desires. He drives mortals to turn against each other, leading them to their own demise. Given time, the world will be swallowed by chaos and descend into ruination. The Fiend's arrival marks the onset of Doomsday. During the Battle of Tarus, the Sacred Judicator, with a will of iron, stood firm against the corruption of evil. In a war so fierce, he emerged as the sole, honorable survivor." He sealed away the Fiend, the very harbinger of Doomsday, deep within the planet's chasm. With the curse of Doomsday lifted, hope was restored to Philos.

MC mentions that she has heard the Fiend has a destined archnemesis. She assumes it is the Sacred Judicator.

Dragon: What a lofty title. MC: Yeah, this story sounds pretty fake to me too.

MC attempts to stall for time until the Legion of Justitia arrives so she can escape while they deal with the dragon. She shifts the conversation and starts to talk about the dragon's archnemesis, assuming it is the Sacred Judicator.

Just as MC is about speak, a Justitia arrow, "forged from golden ore and crackling with electricity" flies through, but one simple motion from the Fiend has the arrow disintegrating into particles immediately.

The Sanctuary is suddenly engulfed in a dazzling light that blinds everyone. MC uses this opportunity to escape, but the Fiend calmly comments, "How impudent." With a snap of his fingers, MC is immobilized, feeling a sharp pain from deep within her chest. Her body moves on its own, forcing her to turn back around again, and she witnesses a gruesome scene.

The guards are slaughtering one another, blood splatters the wall, and the candelabras toppled, setting the drapes ablaze. The once pristine white Sanctuary now resembles a haunting purgatory.

The dragon beckons her to him with one firm command, "Come."

She realizes it is his right eye that is manipulating everything.

The dragon is aware of her plan to kill him, but he scoffs at her pitiful attempt.

Once again, a golden light mixed with black mist is painfully pulled from her body. In the midst of her agony, the voice returns, desiring the dragon's eye.

MC attempts to persuade the dragon to spare her.

Wait! You can kill me whenever you like. But if you spare me, I can help you achieve more! And— I want to live and I want your eye. It's like how you want my soul. Is there a problem with that? It's just too bad that I'm not as strong as you.

He humors her, asking for an example of how she could help him "achieve more."

She thinks on the spot, scrambling in her mind for anything that would appeal to a dragon.

I... can help you amass a large amount of wealth and collect a lot of souls—whatever you need, I can get it for you.

Without a word, the dragon whisks her away, taking flight and soaring in the sky. With another snap of his fingers, he manipulates the energy of the flames. The Sanctuary, set ablaze and crumbling, falls to ruin.

The dragon remarks calmly:

For something as tedious as revenge, this will suffice. No need for a spectacle.

As the sun sets, the Fiend flies away with MC in his arms, arriving at a lair perched atop a cliff just as nightfall descends.

MC: ...Is this your home? Dragon: Have you ever met a fiend with a home?

After looking around, MC realizes she can't return to Ivory City. She accepts that the dragon's lair will be her home for the time being.

She returns and converses with the dragon.

MC: I suppose... You won't be eating my soul for now? Dragon: Assuming that was still the case, why would I even bring you back here? Stay put. MC: If I'm going to live here, my living quarters should at least be decent. Your cave is too... basic. What do you think?

The dragon allows her to choose from his treasures. She appears to be shocked by the vast quantity.

The dragon motions for MC to explore his treasures. The lair's been unattended for a long time, being covered in cobwebs and rotting wood.

She finds the different weapons "brought" to the dragon.

MC: I never expected your collection would be all weapons. Do dragons have hobbies too? Dragon: Your kind brought them here willingly. MC: I imagine they weren't... particularly polite about it. Dragon: Indeed. It's a shame those who brought them to me are all dead, and I'm still alive. MC: So, the sword that sealed you away... Was it really "given" to you by the Sacred Judicator in the mural? Dragon: He was just lucky to get his hands on it and fortunate enough to drive it into my chest. But only its true master can wield its power.

MC recalls the sword is now inside her. She wonders if she is its "true master." She attempts to summon it, but nothing happens.

She continues to explore the dragon's lair and discovers other treasures, such as fine clothes, paintings, and musical instruments.

She stares, apparently with desire. The dragon encourages her.

As MC holds a gem, the dragon's tail coils around her, tightening. He laughs as she struggles.

MC: ...No wonder you spared me. You want to fatten me up before going in for the kill. Dragon: Even so, you still cling to that gem despite being so close to Death's sweet embrace. You truly are a source of entertainment. MC: Enjoy my company while you can. I might bring you a deadlier experience next time.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

According to the legend in Ivory City, the dragon, proclaimed to bring about Philo's end, was sealed in the Abyss beneath the fiend-infested Tarus City by the Legion of Justitia.

The leader who drove his sword into the dragon's heart was revered as the "Sacred Judicator." He was glorified through monuments erected in his honor, and his followers built a grand Sanctuary in his name after his death.

The Sanctuary annually takes in some of the city's orphans in the Sacred Judicator's name. When the orphans come of age, a Judicator's Oracle will take them away to join the Legion of Justitia.

MC is implied to have been an orphan who grew up in the Sanctuary. However, instead of joining the Legion of Justitia, the Judicator's Oracle had MC thrown into the Abyss.

The dragon has been sealed away for exactly 1,677 years.

It's mentioned that the Fiend has a destined archnemesis, the sole person who can slay him.

The dragon reveals that although the Sacred Judicator had obtained the sword that should kill the Fiend, he was not the true master of the sword. Unable to fully wield the sword's power, he wasn't able to slay the dragon.

The greatsword now rests inside MC. She wonders if she is its true master then.

While all thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are my own interpretation of the reading, I actively encourage others to share their own view and offer their own perspective.

#love and deepspace #love and deepspace sylus #lads — beyond cloudfall #lnds recaps #lnds spoilers #lads spoilers #videos #the muscle memory to constantly ctrl + s while typing...#i feel like this second (third) reading is stirring up some questions #and iirc they do not get answered at all by the end #so #:\

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sirhamburrger · 3 months ago

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chapter 2: hokkaido-style ramen

double life [kuroo x f!reader]

word count: 1006 || prev || next

approximately seven and a half minutes ago she was slow dancing with the cockiest nepo baby in the building. he’d tried to get her a drink, and then he spaced out for a bit.

and then the chandelier had come crashing down on the both of them without so much as a warning.

approximately seven minutes ago said nepo baby insisted she leave him behind and get help. she'd managed to squeeze through the crowd to the back alley of the hotel, activating the nanofiber suit supplied by cyborg and oracle. she'd started looking around the back of the building, inspecting all the emergency exits.

and then she had run into two of the city's biggest villains.

and to top it all off: approximately two minutes ago joker had flung her back into the building she had come from - embarrassing her in front of several members of the justice league.

all in all, tonight doesn’t seem to be going very well.

a large piece of plaster breaks off the wall above her head, and she dodges as it cracks and crumbles into pieces on the ground. the caped crusader curses, having nearly avoided an overhead projectile of his own. she finds herself smirking slightly at this.

“so,” he says, tone thick with unspoken suspicion and dripping in sarcasm, “did you just happen to be in the area tonight?” her smile fades under her mask almost immediately. looking back over her shoulder, she sees the bottom half of his tight-lipped expression.

her scowl deepens.

“yes, i did. got a tip-off, actually. what of it?”

“i dunno,” he says mock-casually. “you just happened to know where two of the city's biggest villains are and when they planned to strike? sounds hella suspicious if you ask me-”

“well, i wasn't.” she cuts him off sharply, hackles rising at the doubt he shows. “i took a bullet for you once, have you forgotten? when will you quit insinuating-”

“i wasn't trying to insinuate anything,” he says defensively, and, oh, how she wishes she could be back in the ballroom enjoying a peaceful evening. even tetsuro kuroo’s company couldn't ever get worse than this.

“good. keep it that way.”

he sputters indignantly as keiji akaashi, also known as cyborg, attempts to stop him from making the situation worse. he and bokuto are the only ones whose true identities she's managed to find out; they're pretty easy to identify anyway. she hasn't had the same luck with oracle or flash or green arrow.

or batman, for that matter.

as for her? she have no intention of revealing her true identity and compromising her personal safety any time soon. that, too, is something she'd like to keep that way.

“where's flash?” she already knows superman has gone off to deal with some wreckage downtown, but the speedster's absence is conspicuous. (he's the only one who openly sides with her over batman.)

“sedated and sleepy and-” oracle's voice, coming through her earpiece, is cut off by incoherent mumbling in the background. “he wants hokkaido-style ramen.”

“tell him i'll treat you all to ramen if we can maybe get through tonight without another of our dear caped crusader’s snide remarks.”

“hey!”

she wants to make another rebuttal. but there are more pressing issues at hand, such as the maniacal clown villain and his long-suffering partner in crime. and unfortunately for her and the justice league, they are right here in front of them at this very moment. both of them.

“joker,” she says shortly. “and ace.”

the flickering street lights illuminate the two figures standing in the middle of the road. the slightly taller man, his smug face in all its freshly-painted glory, laughs heartily at her acknowledgement. his green-and-purple suit - horrendous shades of them, really - crinkles at the elbows as he crosses his arms over his broad chest. tufts of brown hair poke out from under his matching and also horrendous fedora.

the other man is practically the opposite of his partner - he dresses in practical combat gear, all black. he grumbles, running a hand through his spiky jet-black hair. a scar runs down the side of his face, the bottom half of which is covered by a gas mask. no doubt it's to keep him safe from the joker's laughing gas.

remembering their last encounter with the duo, she suddenly wishes she'd brought one of her own.

“if you're looking for trouble,” she states bluntly, “pick any other day of the week. we've done this a hundred and one times already, so if you could refrain from ruining a perfectly good saturday night, that would be just copacetic.”

joker laughs again. the sound pierces her ears.

“feisty as always, i see. good to see my favourite hero again.”

“i thought i was your favourite hero-” batman interjects, then shakes his head. “okay. why are you here tonight? we all know grand theft isn't your thing.”

joker's mouth stretches into a terrifying grin at that, and she swears she senses cyborg shiver slightly beside her. “that's for us to know and for you to find out,” he says smoothly. “dig a little deeper, heroes, and maybe you'll find what you're-”

“stop it with the theatrics and let's go,” ace growls, yanking on his arm in what seems incredibly out-of-place for their current situation. he throws a flash bomb down, smoke billowing through the air.

the three of them activate the thermal imaging lens in their eyepieces, but it's no use - the atmosphere is filled with steaming plumes of black smoke.

when it clears, they're gone.

“i heard someone mention something about hokkaido ramen-” bokuto, having swooped in, cuts himself off as he notices akaashi’s glum expression.

“it's fine,” she sighs. “we can still get ramen. my treat.”

he cheers, and akaashi seems to relax ever so slightly at the suggestion. she exchanges glances with batman, his expression unreadable. they both know the city won't be safe, not long as they are at large yet again.

the joker, tooru oikawa. and his ace, hajime iwaizumi.

author's notes:

i just know joker oikawa would piss iwa off so much because he's such a drama queen

chapters will probably be shorter from now on

that way i can post more frequently!

TAGLIST: @kr1nqu, @weezerbby, @honeytwo, @honeyfewr (open, send an ask to be added!)

(and i'll just tag @eggyrocks and @nectardaddy just for this chapter since you mentioned wanting to read this series before but aren't on the masterlist. lmk if you want to be added, no pressure at all!)

#haikyuu fic #haikyuu x reader #kuroo tetsurou #tetsurou kuroo #kuroo x reader #kuroo x y/n #kai writes #series: double life

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pinkopaque19 · 8 months ago

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The Myth Of Ambrogio

Ambrogio was a normal Italian man who went to see the Oracle of Delphi. When he saw the Oracle, what she told Ambrogio about the blood and the moon, the young man was confused, so he waited until morning to see her again. When he saw the Oracle and beautiful maidens again, Ambrogio noticed one of the maidens was the Titan goddess Selene, who he fell in love with, but what Ambrogio didn't know was that sun god Apollo was also in love with Selene.

When Apollo found out, he didn't want Selene to fall in love with the human, so he placed a curse on him so he could never walk around in the daylight. Ambrogio still loved Selene and knew that because she was a goddess and he was mortal she would live and would die so he went to the underworld seeking to meet with Hades. He made a deal for Hades to keep his soul while his body still lives on earth.

Hades accepted Ambrogio's deal; if could steal Artemis' silver bow and arrows he would make him immortal. Ambrogio agreed he went to Artemis asking to join her group of hunters; she trusted him and let the man join her followers. Ambrogio tried to take the bow and arrows but Artemis caught him and was angry that he lied to her so she placed a curse on him, making the silver bow and arrows give Ambrogio a burning allergic reaction. Fearing the hunting goddess's wrath Ambrogio apologized and asked to be forgiven. She would only forgive him if he proved his loyalty to her.

Ambrogio promised to prove his trust to her but like all her followers he had to never fall in love or get married like all of her hunters. This meant Ambrogio could never be with Selene ever but he agreed. Artemis decided to turn him into a hunter almost as great as herself. As the goddess of nature she gave him many enhanced abilities almost as great as her abilities. His senses, strength and speed to match many of the abilities that animals have. He was even given fangs and long claws like many animals. Artemis even gave him the power to heal making him better than all of her other hunters. But with all his new powers Ambrogio still looked human. Artemis gave him the power to change just like the gods themselves; the hunting goddess could change into a deer; she gave him the power to transform into a bat making him more like an animal.

Even though Ambrogio was told to never fall in love he still had feelings for Selene. Ambrogio became one of Artemis greatest hunters and because he proved his loyalty to her she gave him her silver bow and arrows allowing Ambrogio to take them to Hades. When Ambrogio returned to the underworld Hades kept his promise and he took Ambrogio's soul, now that he was immortal Ambrogio could finally be with Selene. However he learned a terrible thing when he saw her again he learned that Apollo punished and cursed Selene as well, she was now mortal and was dying.

Ambrogio brought her to Artemis, the nature goddess, who decided to help even though Ambrogio wasn't supposed to be in love. Artemis told him in order to save Selene he had to make her just like him. After becoming a vampire and shedding her mortal form Artemis, then took her to the moon and restored Selene's divinity. But with Ambrogio on earth and Selene on the moon, the two couldn't be together. Because he made a promise to Artemis, Ambrogio never married, he never loved anyone else but Selene. Though he created many more vampires just like himself and Selene.

After biting many people and changing them, Ambrogio and Selene called them their children. Ambrogio uses the venomous saliva that Artemis gave him to save Selene and to turn others into vampires while Selene shines the moonlight down upon their children to watch over them. Ambrogio and Selene's children gained all of the powers of their parents; enhanced strength, senses, speed, the ability to heal, vampiric poisonous saliva, turning into a bat and to have no souls. Another ability that the vampires gained was a virus in their blood that has no effect on vampires but any human that drinks their blood becomes just like them. The other vampires not only gain Ambrogio and Selene's abilities, but also their side effects such as their weakness to sunlight and silver. Because Ambrogio is a walking soulless corpse, most vampires don't have a soul and with Selene being a spirit separated from her dead mortal body other vampires gained the ability to turn what remains of their souls into a form of mist.

Because Selene and Ambrogio could never be together, the titan moon goddess fell in love with other beings. Though she has had other lovers from Endymion to Zeus and a few others, Selene still looks after Ambrogio and all of the vampires.

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beautifulsnake2162020 · 5 months ago

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We have it all (Hualian adopted daughter fanfic) Chapter 3

Gif by fyodcrs

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

Follower tags: @anonimgato1507

Chapter 3

Blood for blood, blood that you take will be cured from the blood that you give. That was both the solution and the condemnation Xiwangmu's oracle gave their family as they gather once again to make their sacrifice. Ji Huifen despised this but he had no choice but to attend to even know the criteria that they chose. It killed him to be away from his wife and child but for the sake of their future he needed to attend.

He passed by the temple of Xiwangmu and prayed for forgiveness for the crimes his family has done against her. He asks her for strength to endure what is to come.

"You need not attend that gathering." The priest serving as an oracle says. There is a feminine touch to his deep masculine voice. Ji Huifen has learned from experience that it is Xiwangmu speaking through him.

"Your holiness I must, for the sake of the child you have gifted to me."

"Then sit on front of my priest and we will attend within the safety of my temple." He does so and the priest presses his thumbs against his forehead.

He breathes and shakes his head at the memory.

He was here to do his job, as a mage serving in Xiwangmu's name. And everything that she has given him has been a product of her mercy. It is only fair that he uphold his end of the agreement. The fields of Jingdezhen have begun to lose their fertility and so he was sent to help restore it.

As he began walking through a narrow path surrounded by a forest and from the city proper he began feeling one or two presences. They weren't distracting so he ignored them for the mean time.

Until he felt himself pulled away by a seemingly sentient silk bandage.

"What the-"

And then the spot he had once been walking on was now occupied by a small needle like object that undoubtedly carried poison. Soon however he finds his way to Jingdezhen blocked by a rain of arrows and needles. He quickly forms a magical barrier to act as a shield.

"Thank you for saving me." He says reverently to the sentient bandage which seemed to nod back. It seems he had been more attuned and concerned about otherworldly threats that regular assassins became his blindspot.

One of the assassins comes out of hiding and continues to block his path to Jingdezhen.

"Prince Ji Huifen, we come here under the orders of King Ji Bocheng of Fu Dao. Tell us where the princess is and we'll leave you alone."

He narrowed his eyes at this.

"Tell my grandfather I would rather die than let him anywhere near her."

"He told us that you would say that." Another assassin says, he doesn't bother turning to where.

"He tells you to stop being stubborn and that the sacrifice is necessary for the curse to be lifted. Other people's lives are at stake."

"He is wrong - he knows what needs to be done. And it has nothing to do with the princess."

The assassins that now surround him begin to unsheathe their weapons.

"Last chance Prince Ji Huifen, where is your daughter? Surrender her to us and you and your wife will remain unharmed for the rest of your lives."

He prepares the magic he uses in his attacks.

"No torture or deathblow will make me give her to you." No matter what happens.

______________________________________________________________

"How did you two meet San Lang and Xie Lian?"

"Um - well."

"It's complicated." Mu Qing finishes while looking at the little girl. There was no doubt that she was one of the few mortals who could sense their otherworldly presence. But of all the questions that she had to ask them did it have to be that one?

"Huh? What's so complicated about it? Don't people just meet each other?"

"Let's just say that we have both known Xie Lian far longer than San Lang." Feng Xin says trying to keep the nervousness out of his voice. Hopefully that would satisfy her curiosity.

It didn't.

"So the three of you knew each other when you were mortal and you met San Lang after you became spirits?"

"Huh, what gave you that idea?" Even Mu Qing began struggling to keep the mask of calm indifference.

"Well he just said that you both knew Xie Lian longer than San Lang so my guess is that you all knew each other when you were still mortal since you both seem to be very close with Xie Lian but only familiar with San Lang."

"Damn she's quick."

"At this rate we might as well tell her that the three of us are Gods."

"Don't be ridiculous Mu Qing!"

"Well it won't be long before she guesses anyway!"

"It doesn't mean we have to confirm it."

"Also you two have the same type of spirit that Xie Lian has. I don't know what type it is yet but you both have a heartbeat but there is a light but powerful aura that doesn't cling to anything. Meanwhile San Lang is a ghost because there is a clinginess to keep his form and he doesn't have a heart beat. He's also powerful since he was able to carry me, but his spirit type is definitely different from you two and Xie Lian's. Um why are you two staring at each other angrily?"

"Oh just reminding him of something. Nothing to worry about Meng Ai." Feng Xin turns to face her not minding the pointed look that Mu Qing is giving him.

"So what do you want to do? Do you want to go to Puqi village?"

"Um I think it's better if I just stay here. Mama says that once I go inside Puqi shrine to not leave the grounds until she comes later to pick me up. She must have seen something in her visions this morning so I would rather follow her."

"How nice of you - see Fu Yao, there is still some good in this world."

"Of course there is, it just doesn't apply to you."

"Why you-"

"Meng Ai, if there's anything you should learn from today, it's to be better than Nan Feng."

"Better than him at what?"

"Honestly, be better at him in anything that you do. So anything else you want to learn from us?" She thinks for awhile as Feng Xin curses him through their telepathic channel and he replies with a snarky laugh.

"Do either of you know how to play Go or Xiangqi? I've always wanted to learn but Baba is busy with his work and Mama only knows Coan Ki." Feng Xin immediately brings out a Go board with enthusiasm.

"Meng Ai, prepare to watch as I make him eat his words."

"We're supposed to teach her how to play first you idiot. How is she going to understand the game if she doesn't know what's going on?"

"Nan Feng, how do you carry a Go board and Go pieces with you around?"

"Taoist magic. And since you want to learn how to play how do you want us to teach you?"

"Um can you explain it to me while I play against one of you?"

"Sure, why don't I teach you while we play against Fu Yao?"

"That would be unfair to her. I'm just going to end up beating you anyways."

"I thought this would be teaching her how it's played first!"

"It is! That's why she should play with me against you first."

"I have an idea! What if I spin this chopstick and whomever the narrower part points to will play with me."

"Hmph seems fair enough."

"Of course she's fair, she's nothing like you."

"PARDON ME!"

"I'm going to spin it now." Meng Ai couldn't help but giggle as she spins the chopstick.

"Ha! See that, the universe chose me to play with her."

"Doesn't mean that you're going to win." Feng Xin says as he crosses his arms as Meng Ai sits beside Mu Qing.

"Um do we play as Black or White?"

"White so that you could make the first move." "Black so that he could move first." Meng Ai laughs and spins the chopstick around again.

______________________________________________________________

Is this how it ends? Ji Huifen asks himself as another wave of assassins emerge from the trees. He's exhausted, and it seems his new friend the magical silk bandage can only do so much. And before he knows it he ends up on the ground and turns to see his would be killer.

Using the last of his energy he blasts them away and knocking them out with his spell. Fortunately it seems that the pathway to Jingdezhen is now open and he takes his chance as he creates a quick mist to cover his escape. Unfortunately he also loses the sentient silk bandage in the midst. He'll thank the being who sent that to him later when he reaches Xiwangmu's temple grounds. The closer he is to the temple, the closer he is to safety. He needs rest more than ever since making the portal going here from Hu village came at a high cost for his energy.

He reaches the city and quickly asks where Xiwangmu's temple was located. Thankfully, he was directed where to go and was quickly taken in by the priest.

"Rest. I have questions but it seems you need rest more than ever."

"Thank you, your Holiness."

And he allows himself to fall into the realm of sleep.

Just outside the temple were two figures, one in crimson and the other in white.

"Good work Ruoye." He gave a little pet to the silk band as he and Hua Cheng enter into the temple grounds. Hua Cheng being in the guise of San Lang. An adept greets them in the entrance.

"Good day you two, how may we help you?"

"We were wondering if you would allow us to stay for a while? My husband and I are exhausted from travelling and we believe we are meeting someone here?"

"Of course, let me check with his Holi - "

"There would be no need adept." The priest who was in charge of running the temple for the day says in a distinctly feminine tone despite the priest's masculine voice.

"Get them some of the best rooms as accomodation. I've already informed the others of their arrival."

"Of course Great Mother." The adept says urgently as they hastily depart from them to do their task.

"So this is how they know it's you." Hua Cheng states in a neutral tone.

"I don't always possess the bodies of my priests and priestesses. But I like to do it every now and then to let everyone know that there is a difference between my being and the mortal body who delivers my messages. Besides, we all have a vested interest in you two learning more of why we want you to adopt Meng Ai. And Ji Huifen cannot do that when he is dead unless he himself chooses to become a ghost."

"Did you know about the assassination attempt?"

"I had a feeling it could happen, Dianxie. But it was only the night before that the possibility became higher. And so I sent an urgent vision to his wife to get both of you to save him." The same adept returned them and began leading them to their accomodations.

"Oh speaking of his wife, I have also sent her to take care of your shrine at Puqi and to also serve as a temporary caretaker in your absence. She'll be there once she has finished her duties for my temple. Since Meng Ai is there, and Feng Xin and Mu Qing are now officially competing on who is the better teacher, I think it shouldn't be that much of a problem."

"Hopefully those two don't destroy the shrine when we return." Xie Lian says sheepishly.

"That's why Meng Ai is there. The little girl has a talent for diverting their otherwise destructive tendencies."

"Ji Huifen is currently resting and regaining his energy. You might be able to meet him later when he awakens. If you need anything else, you need only ask an adept, a priest or a priestess."

"Of course, thank you Xiwangmu." And on front of them she departs from her priest's body who massages the temples of his head for a bit.

"Do you need help?"

"Oh no it's fine, sometimes she's abrupt in leaving our bodies. But nothing that can't be solved with Ginseng tea." His voice now lacks the feminine tone that was present when Xiwangmu was present.

"Anyway here are your accomodations good sirs, dinner will be in a couple of hours. We could send someone to escort you to the dining area."

"Thank you once again." The priest bows to them before making his leave. The accomodations while not as grand as their bedroom in Paradise Manor was still more than adequate but still overall modest.

"Do you think we could discuss things here?"

"We're in a room in a temple of a popular Goddess, there's too many ears for a discreet discussion."

"Hmm good point. Who knows what anyone might do with such information."

"Well." Hua Cheng sits on the bed then pats the space beside him. His expression was affectionate, mischievous and suggestive all at once.

"I don't think anybody could eavesdrop if we whisper. We both also need our rest after we took care of those assassins together." Xie Lian chuckles as he eagerly joins him. They settle in a comfortable position as Xie Lian rests his head in the crook of Hua Cheng's neck and the latters hands are around his waist while his was on Hua Cheng's chest.

"Fu Dao, they were a trading spot that Xianle began trading with. I remember getting excited when one of my uncles would arrive at the palace filled with new goods from there."

"From a trading spot to an entire kingdom. One of the richest since it is through there that foreign goods from the silk road more often than not enter."

"Hmm, but why would the royal family need to make a sacrifice involving Meng Ai? Or more importantly what type of sacrifice would the king interpret to need his great-granddaughter? Surely a wealthy and thriving kingdom like Fu Dao wouldn't need to do human sacrifices."

"We can't rule it out Gege. Who knows what goes on in those walls."

"Hmm." Xie Lian snuggles closer, he finds Hua Cheng's hand and intwines their fingers together. Not to arouse but to savor in the intimacy of the moment.

"How about the royal family? Any idea what could possibly make their king hunt down his great-granddaughter?"

"There's no denying that at such a young age Xiao-Ai is skilled enough to see and talk to ghosts. That much is certain, then add the abilities of her parents and it's no wonder that to those who are discerning she's quite powerful. She just doesn't know how to use it or describe it. But she has great potential, especially if she'll develop new ones over time or if her powers will just grow."

"Do you think that's why they want us to adopt her?"

"Gege, you sound nervous."

"Considering my history of raising children, I'm nervous about making the same mistakes again. What if - what if she'll end up more confused like Ban Yue, or she'll end up too idealistic like Lang Qianqiu?"

"Gege." Hua Cheng shifts their positions bringing Xie Lian to rest on top of his as he caresses his back.

"You may have had a part in raising them, but even they are also the product of their own choices." He gives him a kiss on his forehead.

"Ban Yue is confused because she is still growing up. It's only recently that she is no longer in the influence of Pei Xiu that she's discovering who she is. And that boy who somehow ascended is idealistic and naive not because of anything that you have done, but because for a long time he couldn't comprehend nuance no matter how hard you tried. If you want to adopt her, I know things will be different."

"How?" Hua Cheng smiles as he caresses his husband's face.

"Because this time I'll be by your side, no matter what you decide." His heart was touched and he leaned in to kiss his beloved on the lips. He felt his lips open and he deepened the kiss. Doing anything and everything he can to express how much he loves San Lang. When they broke apart he leaned in to have their foreheads touch.

"San Lang?"

"Yes Gege?"

"We still have enough time for ourselves right?" Hu Cheng closes the gap between them as he brings him closer and sits up.

"Definitely, Gege."

_____________________________________________________________

"Hey! Stop coaching her!"

"I'm not coaching her, I'm telling her every possible consequence of every move she makes."

"How is she going to play on her own?"

"No, Fu Yao is being really helpful, I think I'm starting to understand a bit more now."

"See that Nan Feng, it's called teaching."

"Hello?" A woman's voice calls out from the entrance.

"Is anyone there?"

"MAMA!" Meng Ai jumps from her chair as she rushes out to embrace her mother. Mu Qing and Feng Xin looks out from the window as mother and daughter reunite.

"Oh my little darling how are you? Have you been good?"

"Yes mama, ask Fu Yao and Nan Feng!" Meng Ai leads her to them. Now up close they see that is is from her that Meng Ai gets her amber colored eyes and most of her features.

"Thank you so much for looking after her."

"It's no problem ma'am."

"Just doing our jobs, teaching her how to play Go was an amazing experience." Feng Xin gives him the side eye as he is feeling smug.

"Well I've been -" Her eyes begin glowing and her face goes into a trance.

"What's going on?"

"Mama is having a vision Nan Feng." A few seconds later she shakes her head and looks terrified.

"Aiai, stay inside the living quarters, I need to tell them something."

"Yes Mama." Once Meng Ai was inside she makes a gesture to them to follow her to make sure that her daughter cannot overhear them. She gives a brief bow before they see the seriousness in her eyes.

"General Xuan Zhen, General Nan Yang, there is going to be an attack tonight going toward this shrine."

"What did you see?" Feng Xin asks with the same amount of grimness.

"It seems to be a mix of soldiers, assassins, and magicians. It's the magicians that I'm worried about the most."

"Why?"

"I saw them control jiangshi and other types of monsterous creatures. I don't know how much time we have but if things get worse and should you need to make a difficult choice. Please promise me..." she looks toward the shrine where Meng Ai is. Her eyes begins to water at just the possibility of what may happen tonight.

"We will." Mu Qing says with sincerity as Feng Xin nods in agreement.

"Thank you for your vision, don't worry about us."

"Go to your daughter, we'll take care of everything here." Mu Qing says as Feng Xin begins sending a message through the telepathic matrix of the heavens.

"Thank you generals." She makes her way to the living quarters while they step out of the temple grounds.

One shared look and one shared nod was all they needed to begin making preparations.

AN:

Ji - Hope, huì fēn – bright philosophy

bó chéng–great success

Xiao-Ai - Little Ai

Aiai - Love love I'm not sure if people would actually do this with the name Ai specifically but I read that some names are repeated as nicknames.

Sorry if there is not much uncle moments with Fengqing. Hualian wanted to have a moment.

#We have it all #Chapter 3 #Hualian #Hua Cheng x Xie Lian #Xie Lian x Hua cheng #Fengqing #fanfiction #fanfic #heaven official's blessing #tgcf #Hua Cheng #Xie Lian #Mu Qing #Feng Xin #Family moments

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