#time travel with some ridiculous misunderstandings

[ironhoshi]

Cal flinches. Fives wants to shoot whatever made his vod react like that.

“No,” Cal says, twisting his hands up in the long sleeves of the borrowed top. When they had found the nipper stowed away on the ship he had been wearing a comically oversized poncho in bright pink. Now he is wearing something the General had dug out of the depths of somewhere. “I'm fine.”

Echo hums. Fives knows the other doesn't believe him, he doesn't believe him.

[arisewanekosuki]

travelers helper AU where is the reason why S/O is oblivious to all the men liking her is because every single time she showed an interested in a hot guy. They turned out to be gay, so she’s convinced herself that all of the men are gay and possibly even dating each other. (Couples she thinks are real are Alhaitham x Kaveh Cyno x Tinari Zongli x Childe Kaeya x Venti Nuvilet x woirthslie ) and I watched their reactions to finding out that she thinks they’re all gay

Ok this idea is funny xD But to anyone who like those ships, pls don't take it as some kind of hate towards those ships or something. --------- The guys are devastated after learning you think that they are into... each other. All of them wondering where did they make a mistake? Kaveh found it ridiculous, him and Alhaitham?! He wondered if you think so because they live in the same house? But there are many people who are friends and share homes… You even invite all your friends to live in your Teapot!! He really couldn't understand from where this idea came from… Is it because they bicker so much? But it didn't make sense to him!! Kaveh was anxious… do you not see him as a man or something? He is overthinking this whole thing. At this point he is debating whenever to show you his plans of the house he wants to make for you both in future.

Alhaitham was more clam about it, analyzing from where this idea may come. It's not like he and Kaveh were affectionate to each other and he couldn't recal any moment that could make you think like that about them. He will state that, no, he is not interested in Kaveh in such way (or anyone else, both guys and girls, that are not you) And yet you still say "That's okay! I won't judge! I will support whoever you love!" At this point Alhaitham may confess his feeling to you but the problem is that there is always someone by your side…if not Aether then other guys. And the worst thing is Kaveh always appears too, making the misunderstanding even worse.

Cyno at first thought this is some kind of joke. But after seeing that you're not joking he was bewildered. Why would you think so? "You two sometimes look like parents of Collei" Parents? But when they were in Mondstadt he was sure you heard how he and Tighnari bickered who would be the 'older brother'… right? Cyno was silent. Trying to come up with something that will make you believe him that he is interested in you. Because whenever he would say that, you would be "ah Cyno! Please don't joke like that!" he would never joke about things like this... The General Mahamatra for now tries to avoid talking to Tighnari when you are close…

Tighnari only furrowed his brows. Him and Cyno? Big nope!! Just imagining that he would hear more jokes from Cyno if they were together already gives him a headache. The Forest Ranger was getting more and more irritated that you for some reason don't want to accept when he says that there is nothing between him and Cyno. So he started to approach this in different way. Thankfully Cyno already was avoiding him when you are close. So he can now start to be even bolder with his affections towards you. If you still refuse to believe that he is attracted to you, then you may expect to hear a confession soon.

Zhongli asked you if you can repeat yourself. Oh? Him and Childe together? In romantic relationship? Zhongli was thinking where this came from…Is it because he often uses Childe's mora to buy things?But that was only that… and that Childe often bothers him so they could spar. Ah. Maybe this was the reason, maybe you think that 'sparings' are something different. Humans are truly interesting. He will ask you why you think so, patiently listening to your explanation. He is amused by this.

Childe laughed, but after seeing you are not laughing he stopped and said "Wait...are you serious?" He will say that there is nothing between them, even says that he prefers girls (to hint that he likes you) but you responded with "It's okay! You don't have to hide it! I accept you and I'm sure your family will accept this as well!" You're cute…. but why don't you want to believe him?! Should he shower you with more gifts? It would be better to invite you for a date but with Aether being around it's not that easy….

Kaeya was amused, but he didn't expect that you will think that Venti is his boyfriend. One part of him wanted to joke about it but other part was worried that you will take it too seriously and he will lose his chances with you. The cavalry captain doesn't worry about it too much. He will simply tell you that you're wrong and he will continue showering you with affections.

Venti was a bit hurt by this. Were his love songs and poems dedicated to you not enough? Or maybe this is your way to tell him that you're not interested in him? He can't really understand this… he never was affectionate to anyone else like he is towards you. But after learning he is not the only one that you think is into guys, he felt relieved. At least you didn't think that he and that block head are into each other.

Neuvillette was confused by this. There are already many things that he can't understand about humans. But he was sure that you will realize that he is trying to court you… not the Duke of the Fortress of Meropide… After that for some days it was raining in Fontaine. He decided to tell Furina about it, hoping for some advice in this situation. But she only started to laugh. After she calmed down she promised to help him to clear this misunderstanding.

Wriothesley already knew how oblivious you are but he never expected that you might be this oblivious. He will say that there is nothing like this between him and the Iudex and if you still insist about that then well…if there will be a chance for you two to be alone you can expect him to kabedon you, making you look into his eyes and he won't let you go till you stop thinking that he is interested in anyone that is not you.

[chelseeebe]

jinx

18+ mdni. no smut but eddie is a grade a asshole to poor reader. mentions of weed and alcohol throughout. eddie munson x fem reader.

a/n: first off, anon i am sooo sooooo sorry it has taken me this long to fulfill your request!! i absolutely loved this request and am absolutely honoured that you came to me for it<33 i hope i've done it justice and that you still care to read this:') side note, i've updated my masterlist as i have slacked a bit but everything should be on there now ^.^

love me some chelseeebe angst—imagine fuckboy!eddie plays at the hideout right like regularly. reader starts frequenting his show days bc she likes him obviously but he starts noticing something. every time she comes in, something goes wrong. either he messes up a chord or cant see to flirt properly therefore no one ends up warming his bed as of late or something of the sort

his immediate first thought is ‘she’s a jinx!!!’ bc what other explanation could there be in his boy brain??? so he asks her to stop coming in. she does and yet he continues to mess up bc all he can think abt is her.

itd be so sexy if u added a moment of realization/angry love confession where in the middle of him being like you’ve bewitched me or something!!! he realizes hes the one obsessed with her.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

the party hums on in the background, a small group gathered outside to rob eddie blind, smoking away his entire supply. 

robin giggles nonsensically into steve’s shoulder, too high for her own good. 

“if you’re gonna smoke all my shit, the least you can do is come watch us tomorrow,” eddie had been nagging his friends to come down the hideout for months. they’d gathered a solid crowd now, not much but it was a start. 

robin groans, nancy and jonathan shift in their seats, steve can barely muster enough energy to reply and argyle snores. hardly enthusiastic about his dreams. 

“i’ll come,” you offer, bright-eyed as you smile politely at him from the floor. 

a friend of a friend, someone robin met in class and had dutifully introduced to the group. he didn’t know you well, nor had he ever really cared to. 

“i don’t think you’d like it, sweetheart” eddie retorts, flattered that you’d try and spare his feelings but he didn’t need your pity. 

“why? you can’t be that bad,” chuckling quietly to yourself. 

his eyes narrow, scoffing, “we’re not,” misunderstanding, or maybe just not caring to humour you back, “come if you want,” he shrugs nonchalantly, not as if any of his friends had offered to attend. 

“okay,” nodding along, “i will.” 

“alright,” turning his attention back to the embering joint glued to argyles fingers. 

who cares if you come? eddie certainly doesn’t. 

-

sure enough, the same couple dozen old drunks fill the bar, their glossy, zombie-like eyes stare back at him from the floor. he’d complain but beggars can’t be choosers and all that. 

they’re partway through the second song when something reflects in his eye, a low-cut sequinned top that would definitely look better on the floor of his van. 

it’s only when his eyes travel up that he realises it’s you who’s wearing that shirt, already looking straight back at him. a newfound look about you, thick lines of black line your eyes, worlds apart from the mousy girl who’d invited herself last night. 

“and we’re-,” he sings, an abrupt case of dry mouth as the next line struggles to come out, “we’re.. uh,” the entire song erased from his memory within seconds. 

he steps back from the mic, blinking rapidly in an attempt to trigger his voice though all he can see is you and that ridiculous top. 

gareth’s head whips round, still strumming along before picking up eddie’s slack, continuing the lyrics on his own, not without a damning glare in eddie’s direction. 

holy fuck. 

he’s just, taken aback, that’s all. shocked that you’d even bother to come, less so put the effort in to actually look the part too. 

his eyes don’t leave the back wall for the rest of the gig, practically stumbling through all of the songs as his head threatens to wander. trailing back to you only as they finish, walking off stage to down the harshest whisky the bar would allow. 

you saunter over a couple minutes later, while eddie tries his hardest not to stare right down your shirt. he’s not certain that he won’t choke on his words if you speak to him. 

“you were really good tonight,” you assure, smiling softly as his band mate turns to gawp. 

“uh, yeah.. thanks,” eddie fumbles, gripping the neck of his beer bottle, “thanks for coming.” 

there’s an aura surrounding you, like a wretched spell you’d evoked in him, turning him to a bumbling fool. 

“i’m gonna head out..” gesturing to the door, “see you around,” waving your fingers coyly at him before disappearing. 

his eyes linger at the door, wondering if maybe you’ll turn around and come back. not that he wants that. just curious as to why you’d come out just to see him play. 

“now who the hell was that?” jeff ogles, receiving a swift elbow to the ribs from eddie and a loud oof as he clutches his side. 

“a friend of a friend,” brushing him off, “don’t be weird about it,” jumping the gun to squash any sorts of ideas festering in his mind. 

“you’re the only one being weird about it,” jeff retorts, grabbing his beer and shuffling off. 

“i’m not being weird,” eddie calls from behind, “i’m not!” 

okay maybe he was being a little weird. 

who cares? 

definitely not eddie. 

-

this week, he feels more prepared to see you nodding along in the crowd, robin had joined you albeit looking less than impressed. 

eddie’s killing it, at least he thinks. avoiding looking anywhere in your direction, keeping his gaze on the stumbling drunk at the back instead. 

but the thoughts of you can’t help but creep into his mind, were you enjoying it? do you think he’s bad? why does he even care so much? 

his hand slides down the neck of the guitar, playing the wrong chord entirely, his fingers curating a mind of their own. 

fuck fuck fuck. 

why does this keep happening? 

gareth glares at him again, he had never been so frustrated with his idiot bandmate in his life. sure eddie liked to dick around in rehearsal but never on stage. 

if eddie ever wanted a career in music, he needed to get a monumental grip on himself. weird girls he barely knew should not have the capacity to ruin his career. 

after they clamber off stage, eddie makes a point of not going over to the two of you. no, you can come to him. 

though he wishes you’d just be a little faster at it if he’s honest. too busy squished into a booth with one of the younger regulars to care about him. 

heat rises in his chest, searing his cheeks a bright rouge, “-who is that?” gareth interrupts, bumping into his arm. 

“who’s who?” eddie coughs, clearing his throat as his eyes snap back. 

“that girl you’ve been staring at,” peering across the room to get a glimpse. 

“i’m not staring at anyone,” abruptly turning his head in the opposite direction, proving to himself that he wasn’t staring, not really. 

“you’re a liar,” gareth calls him on his bullshit immediately, “go talk to her! she’s hot,” scooting his friend along. 

“no she’s not,” you looked good tonight, he’d give you that, “can everyone please just stop being weird about this? first jeff- now you? honestly, i don’t get it,” working himself into a frenzy over what really was nothing. 

gareth’s eyes widen, scoffing at his melodramatic performance, “alright man.. calm down,” shaking his head in mild disgust. 

eddie was totally calm, you know, apart from his heart pounding in his chest. 

nothing major. 

-

filthy, downright pornographic sounds fill his cramped van, certain that it was rocking side to side with the utter obscenity happening in the back. 

chloe sits atop of his lap, tongues dancing around one another as she glides her hips back and forth. she was a regular, slightly older than eddie, at least he thinks, they’d made eyes a few times but only tonight had he gathered the courage to go and speak to her. 

any other time, eddie would be rock solid, pinning her down and fucking her into the dusty floor. today, it’s just not happening. 

his mind elsewhere, too preoccupied with nonsense to appreciate the opportunity at hand. 

he's thinking about you and the fact you’d left the bar without ever coming over to him tonight. what the fuck was that about? 

had he done something wrong? 

he breaks apart from her mouth, heaving into the tiny gap between them, “i don’t know what’s going on..” he chuckles awkwardly, looking down at his useless dick, “normally something happens by now..” 

she frowns, deep-set, showing her age more than before, “oh.” 

he reaches down, furiously palming his cock through his jeans. 

nothing. not even a twitch. 

he wants to curl up and die. never in his three years of actually getting laid has this ever happened. eddie got hard at the drop of a pin, he’d only have to think about boobs and his jeans would shift. 

so why the fuck wasn’t it working tonight?

“i’m gonna go,” chloe scowls, clambering over his legs, gathering her bag while not even attempting to hide her disappointment. 

eddie shoots up, pathetically crawling after her, desperate not to let her go. 

“it’s not me!” he screams out, watching helplessly as she crawls out of the van, “it’s you!”

no. 

“wait no! shit, that’s not what i meant,” peeking out of the van to find the empty parking lot, zero women to be found, “fuck sake.” 

left to wallow in his self-pity, alone, in the back of his dirty van. 

just as he deserved. 

if this was some karmic intervention, telling him to be a better person, he certainly wasn’t paying it any attention. 

-

another party meant another night of eddie trying to understand why the hell you had such an effect on him. 

it’s not even like you’re doing anything particularly riveting, sat with your drink in hand, nodding along to robin’s story. 

he can’t stand it. 

you have to go. 

maybe not like that, but he had to put some distance between you. there’s no way he could keep his sanity while you were still a constant in his life. 

eddie sidles over, feeling like the smartest guy in the room. he could do this, separate himself from you and your clutches and go back to playing as he once did. 

you smile upon him appearing, sickly and sweet. it makes his heart thump in the weirdest way. 

“oh.. hey,” playing this entirely nonchalantly, “i just thought i’d let you know that we’re not playing next week,” lying through his teeth, guilt ridden but really, it was necessary if he wanted to play a gig without fucking up the entire time. 

“oh,” sounding somewhat disappointed, “okay.. how come?” 

shit. 

he can’t think of a single valid reason as to why they wouldn’t be playing. 

“jeff’s sick.. real bad,” feeling even more guilty for lying about his friends health, wondering if he’s cursing jeff as you did him, “might even be a couple weeks off at this point.”

eddie was a terrible person. 

but so were you. 

bewitching him under some spell, forcing him to play terribly and embarrass himself in front of women 

you’ve jinxed him. a bad omen cursing him to play like a fucking amateur. that’s the only logical explanation his pea brain can conjure up anyway. 

that meant you had to stay away from the shows, from him preferably. 

he couldn’t understand why you have this effect on him, why your mere presence has him becoming a floundering fool. you don’t intimidate him, not even close. 

it’s almost as if he cares too much about what you think, to the extent that he overthinks it so hard that he fucks up. 

a curse that could only be broken with some distance between you. that way he could focus on the show instead of you and your doe eyes reflecting off of the stage lights. 

that’s what he’s praying for anyway. 

-

eddie despises wednesday’s. itching to get his classes over and done with so he can get his small taste of stardom on that tiny hideout stage. 

at some point over the last few weeks of you being an omnipotent presence in his life, he’d grown accustomed to crossing paths with you before the gig. 

crossing campus with your chin tucked down, arms wrapped tight around your books. typically only sharing a smile or a short nod. 

but this week you saunter over, resembling a frightened deer even more than usual. 

he pulls his headphone from his ear, anticipating whatever nonsensical, vaguely cute thing you were going to say. 

“hey,” he nods, a coy smile. 

even now you have his palms sweating, overthinking whether he should’ve said hi or hello instead. 

“you didn’t have to lie to me,” you start, brows furrowed, “it’s fine if you don’t want me to go to your gigs anymore, i don’t care,” a disappointed frown plaguing your normally cheerful face. “i thought i liked you eddie, really- but i don’t know anymore.. you’re not a good person.” 

you turn to walk off before he can even compute your words. 

oh shit. 

“wait!” he calls but it’s useless, “i didn’t- i wasn’t- fuck.”

it was unthinkably cruel, he didn’t think you’d ever find out. and maybe that was his problem, assuming you didn’t care enough to find out. 

guilt addles his chest, weighing heavy on his heart. for good reason too. 

eddie was an asshole. a true, grade-a asshole that wayne would positively despise him for. 

wait wait wait. 

you liked him? 

you liked him?

absolutely not. no way. that wasn’t what this was about.

or it’s not supposed to be. 

no, this was some adolescent feud, a confusing, one-sided, friendship that he couldn’t get a grip on. 

you didn’t like him. girls like you weren’t supposed to. 

-

it’s not at all surprising that he plays like absolute shit tonight too. 

guilt ridden for forcing your hand, for making you look at him like that. as if he were the worst person to walk the earth. 

shit, maybe he was. 

kind hearted people didn’t lie and deceive. no, kind hearted people came to gigs they obviously didn’t give a shit about. kind hearted people feigned interest in boring spiel about weed strains and whatever the fuck else eddie jabbered on about at parties. 

you, you were kind. kinder than he deserved. 

gareth slaps him harshly on the back the second they’re back behind the curtain, a scornful yet pitying scowl on his face, “look man,” he begins, “i dunno what’s going on with you but i don’t know how much longer they’re gonna let us play here if you keep playing like that.”

eddie sighs, because he knows this. he’s well aware that his performances have been lacklustre for weeks now. he just doesn’t really understand why. 

at first he thought it was just because you were there, a distance friend who would feed back to his friends about how good, or bad, he was. 

but that wasn’t it. 

you were there, and then you weren’t. and he still played like shit. 

somewhere entangled deep within his wretched heart, he thinks that maybe he just wanted to impress you. 

a nice girl, cares about her studies way more than he does, pretty too and you didn’t look at him like he was just some out of touch stoner with crazy dreams of his band getting big. 

you were polite, listening to his wacky stories and dreams of playing for thousands, in fact, you encouraged them, more than his friends ever had for sure. 

eddie’s not sure if, or how, he’ll ever be able to make amends for how he’s treated you. 

-

he’s making himself sick with worry. guilt wracking his brain. 

you don’t turn up that night, obviously. 

eddie’s eyes mindlessly search the crowd for any hint of you. his fingers failing to correspond with the rest of band, always playing a beat behind. 

you had infected him, ruined his once masterful skill to just a shell of what it once was. 

he doesn’t lay opportunity for the boys to speak to him again, rushing out of the bar as soon as his guitar is back in her case. 

there’s only one place he can think about going. 

a few months back, you’d hosted robin’s birthday party there and eddie had disgraced your bathroom with a girl he can’t even remember now. 

his fist bangs on the door, hoping the light in the upstairs window was you and not one of your roommates he’d have to shamefully apologise to. 

the orange light cascades over your face, peeking out from the barely cracked door with a frown that would scare any man off. 

“what’re you doing?” you spit, looking backwards in hopes he hadn’t woken the entire house up. 

“listen,” he sighs, “i’m real sorry about.. you know, lying to you,” his shoulders slumped over themselves, “but i just- i can’t fucking play when you’re there, can’t play when you’re not,” sounding utterly pathetic, begging for you to cure him from this sudden sickness. “i don’t know what to do anymore,” dragging his hand over his face. 

rightfully earning his spot as the worlds biggest fucking loser, stood on your doorstep begging for an answer. 

when he opens his eyes enough to look at you, you’re scowling back at him. nothing like how he had planned this situation in his head. 

he’d hoped that miraculously you’d understand, accept his apology and somehow still feel the same as you had. 

because that was it, really. 

too terrified to face the fact that he liked you too. 

somewhere in his heart of hearts he’d known it from the start. that’s why his heart fluttered when you’d volunteered to come or why he’d struggled to even touch anyone else. 

“what do you want me to say?” shrugging, “i won’t come back, that’s fine,” he wishes you’d just follow the script he’d curated for you. 

eddie doesn’t want you to stop coming, he never had. it’s killing him that you even believed that, twisting the knife in his chest further and further the more your bottom lip juts out and your eyes water. 

“actually, maybe it’s best if we don’t talk anymore,” you suggest, throwing him completely off kilter. 

woah. 

that wasn’t at all what he wanted nor was he trying to say. he just couldn’t gather the actual words he needed to express that to you. 

petrified that he’d admit to his feelings and you’d just turn around and laugh, how could someone like you ever like such a cruel man? 

“wait no, that’s not what i meant-,” bargaining with you for a little time to explain himself, though you definitely didn’t owe him any.

“-thanks for coming eddie, i’ll see you around,” flashing him a crestfallen smile before abruptly closing the door in his face. 

-

public humiliation was truly the only way eddie could think to make it up to you. 

well that and maybe a little big nudge from robin. 

he’d rather stupidly asked about you on saturday night, confused why you weren’t there alongside robin, who had very quickly got him in check. 

“why do you think dumbass?” she snapped, snarling her teeth at him, “you were an asshole and now she’s doesn’t want to come anymore,” her glare powerful and harsh, "i'd say you were lucky she didn't punch you in the face."

he’d deserve it. 

it had taken weeks of convincing to get you anywhere near the hideout again. not to mention the hundreds in free weed he’d had to bribe robin with to get her to help. 

you stand in a dark corner, hands folded against your chest, puzzled and irritated by robin’s incessant begging to get you here. 

“there’s someone here that i wanna apologise to,” his eyes don’t find you as easy this time, after weeks of missing your presence, he’s not used to you actually being in the crowd again, “if you know us, you know i can be a bit of an asshole sometimes, uh..” they find you, the lump only growing in his throat, “i’m sorry,” tunnel vision blocking out every other body in the room, “i’m really, really sorry.”

you blink, staring back at him like a deer caught in headlights. it makes him a little bit nauseous to recall how dreadfully he’d treated you, how you deserved absolutely none of it. 

your gaze lowers, and eddie can’t decide how to take it. he wouldn’t blame you if you decided to never forgive him, but he also couldn’t take it if you didn’t. 

his voice cracks a little as he speaks, “this is.. uh, we’re corroded coffin,” stepping back from the mic to gather his thoughts before the drum comes crashing in. 

-

eddie plays the best he’s potentially ever played. 

a force overcoming him to prove that he truly wasn’t as much as a loser as he’s shown himself to be.  

usually, he couldn’t wait to be off that stage and to the bar but today he’s dreading it. 

knowing that you’re somewhere out there waiting for an explanation. 

or maybe you weren’t. he wouldn’t blame you if you’d decided to leave soon after he’d embarrassed himself with that shitty apology. 

gareth runs up behind him, using his shoulders to launch himself into the air, “holy shit! that was amazing!” the boy presses a slobbery kiss to his cheek before continuing, “whatever the hell you did, keep doing it because that was insane!” running off past eddie to grab his weekly complimentary beer. 

a sudden sickness fills his stomach, slyly hoping that he could slip out of here before anyone else noticed him. 

you stand across the bar, waiting to catch his eye with your lips curled only ever-so-slightly. 

eddie’s limbs go stiff, still entranced by your jinx. by you.

your eyes trail away to the door as his follow, shuffling your way through the bustling crowd. 

his legs carry him without a second thought, out into the cool night as his eyes frantically search for you. 

he finds you perched against the crumbling stone wall a few feet from the entrance, just far enough away from the prying eyes of the smoking patrons. 

“i didn’t think you’d ever come back here,” is all he can say, feet trailing along the gravel. 

the streetlight glistens orange from your eyes, staring up at him from your perch, “i didn’t want to,” your smile only growing as he nears, “robin made me.” 

“oh,” it wasn’t as if he didn’t know that or that he didn’t orchestrated the entire thing, it just felt odd to hear it from your mouth. 

“i’m glad i came,” you clarify, allowing him to finally release the breath held tight in his chest. 

eddie dares to move closer, sitting back on the brick just inches away, “yeah?” 

you nod, the great big smile he’d forced away making a return at last, “yeah.” 

suddenly the air feels thick, it was easier apologising on stage, those people didn’t know him, they didn’t care. but now, sat here in front of you, it feels like he’s swallowing knives. 

“i’m really sorry for making you feel that way,” though it sounds meaningless now the damage was done, “i don’t know if you still care about me at all, but i- um,” his throat runs dry, clamping his eyes shut. it felt easier that way, somehow, “i think the reason why i was such.. an asshole,” the light flickers through his eyelids again, deciding that you at least deserved to see him, “fuck,” he exclaims, staring back at your confused expression. 

“it’s okay,” soothing even now, “you don’t have to explain yourself to me,” a twinge of sadness running through your tone. 

“no, no i do,” eddie persists. he’d fumbled once, he couldn’t do it again. “shit man,” he sighs, “i’m trying to tell you that i like you too, or maybe not too, i know i was an ass and i don’t deserve your forgiveness-,” your lips cuts him off mid-mumble, surging forward to press them against his blathering ones. 

he has to blink a couple times, taking in whatever the fuck was happening to him. 

you pull back, disappointed that his brain had been to fuzzy to focus on kissing you back. too preoccupied with trying not to explode and paint you in red. 

“really eddie.. it’s okay,” returning to your usual reserved self while his brain still struggles to compute. 

“can we do that again?” he asks politely, keeping the bubbling excitement to a minimum. 

you laugh, a real, throaty laugh, something he hadn’t heard in weeks, “only if you promise to stop talking,” leaning in once more, the rigid wall suddenly feeling like it was about to collapse from underneath him. 

your soft, cherry-tinted lips press against his forehead a second time, allowing him to gather his brain from a pile of mush on the floor just enough to actually kiss you back. a tender hand reaching out to caress his stubbly cheek, sending shockwaves through his limbs. 

you’re interrupted again by a loud whoop from behind, robin clapping wildly as she emerges from the bar, “now you two have kissed and made up, can we go home now?” 

[thegirlamongthestars]

what would you do? - c. alcaraz

author's note: it is not my first time writing smut but it's been a long time since I've done it. So sorry for any mistakes or bad wording.

summary: Carlos faces his female nemesis, who happens to be a WTA player, in a brutally honest and steamy training session

wc: 2,7k

warnings: +18 content, smut, fingering, protected sex (play safe! put it on!), riding, filthy as fuck

Roland Garros 2023

It all began with a seemingly routine press conference, and honestly, I thought nothing of it. I was still riding the high from my last match, feeling confident and ready. Adriana was next up, and I’d heard she was having a stellar tournament so far. So when she walked into the room, I was just another player waiting for my turn at the podium.

The press conference kicked off, and the questions were flying fast. Adriana started speaking about her training regimen, the hard work she’d put in. Then, I remember that time we shared space at the gym for a strength routine. I couldn’t keep my thoughts out about how she looked that day. Her concentration making her look exquisite and the way the sweat was shining on every inch of her soft-looking skin. Due to the memories and quite out of nowhere, I made a strange noise—like a half-chuckle, half-clearing-my-throat kind of sound. It wasn’t intentional but it came out as a reaction to my memories of her and as an attempt to calm myself. The image had been stuck in my mind, and I guess it just slipped out.

But what I hadn’t realized was how it came across. Adriana’s head snapped toward me, her eyes flashing with irritation. The room went quiet, all eyes on us. I felt the heat rise in my face. I hadn’t meant to insult her, not in the slightest. It was just a stupid, misplaced reaction.

The media seized on it, turning it into a headline: Carlos Alcaraz mocks Adriana’s training. Suddenly, a harmless moment was spun into a full-blown feud. Adriana began avoiding me, keeping her distance, and every interaction felt charged with tension. What had been a simple comment turned into something far more complicated, and no matter how many times I tried to smooth things over, it only seemed to make matters worse.

I couldn’t figure out why it bothered me so much. It wasn’t just the rivalry—it was the fact that something so small had escalated into this ongoing, uncomfortable dynamic.

Roland Garros 2024

Here I was again, one year later. The grounds were buzzing with the usual excitement. My game was sharp, my confidence high, but today felt about more than just a practice. When I saw Adriana around the venue, I quickly made up my mind about confronting her. We really needed to sort out the ridiculous misunderstanding that led us to this “enemies” dynamic. I hated having that type of reaction on her. I really hated it, well except when she pierced me with those fierce green eyes. At those times, I couldn’t help but feel like a teenager with crazy hormones.

I arrived at the court for the private training session, and she was already there. Doing some rallies with her coach. Her hair, surprisingly, was down displaying her light brown strands. It looked so soft it made want to grab it.

Five seconds on her presence and I was already this worked up, I really needed to start focusing.

I called my team over, keeping my voice low so she wouldn’t hear. “You guys head out. I’ve got this.”

They looked at me, confused, but didn’t argue. They knew better. One by one, they packed up and left, leaving me alone on the court. I watched her as they disappeared, and just like I expected, she glanced over.

She wasn’t stupid. She knew exactly what was happening.

To my surprise, she didn’t hesitate. With a quick head movement to her own team, she motioned for them to leave as well. They looked just as confused as mine had, but they didn’t ask questions. When they were gone, it was just the two of us.

The tension and the heat travelling through my body was immediate.

She picked up her racket, gave me a smirk, and walked to the baseline of my court. “So, what’s this about, Carlitos? Are you here to teach how to train properly?”

Her tone was playful, but I could feel the heat behind it. We weren’t kids anymore. Whatever had been brewing between us back then? It wasn’t going away. If anything, it was stronger now. More dangerous.

I shrugged, coming with an answer to match her question. “I’m sure I could teach you a few things”

The court suddenly felt much larger with just the two of us. The quiet settled around us, and I could feel my pulse pick up. It was like the air between us shifted. Heavier.

We kept rallying, the sound of the ball filling the silence, but it was different now. Every glance, every movement, had weight to it. I could see the way her breath quickened after each shot, the way she’d pause just a second longer before serving, as if she was aware of me watching her every move.

And damn it, I was.

Her ball, that I could have easily returned, turned into a point on her favor. She noticed that I was distracted and by the look she gave me, I knew she knew my reasons.

She stepped closer to the net after her shot, and I did the same, barely noticing how the ball stopped bouncing, the match forgotten. We were both breathing heavier now, but it wasn’t from the workout. I could feel her presence, feel the heat rolling off her, and suddenly, I wasn’t thinking about tennis at all.

“Distracted?” she put her hands on the hem of the net, getting closer to me and leaving her cleavage straight to my eyesight.

I was trying very hard to control the impulse of throwing myself all over her so I just shared the truth “Pretty much”.

“What if we play a game?” the mischief in her eyes sent a shiver down my spine.

This girl was dangerous. But this was the danger I liked. So if she was going to be shameless, then this was a game for two. I nodded and she began to explain.

“We are going to start a rally and at every point you win, you get to ask me a question; and vice versa”

“Okay, nic-“ she cut me off.

“But if you don’t want to answer to the question you have to take off a piece of clothing” her gaze expectant to my reaction. “Not the shoes, though. I don’t want you to break and ankle”

I started walking backwards, with my arms spreading, inciting her. “Bring it on, Adriana”

The first serve flew across the net, sharp and fast, landing just inside the baseline. Adriana’s return was quick and powerful. I sent a strong forehand cross-court, watching her sprint to catch it. She was good. Too good. But there was a flicker in her movements, the smallest hesitation when I moved up to the net, her eyes locking on mine for just a second too long. That was all I needed.

She missed the ball, and it sailed past her, bouncing off the back fence.

“One down,” I said, my voice low but teasing. “Do you really hate me?”

She laughed and lifted her t-shirt to dry her forehead, leaving her belly on display “No”

“Then why d-“ she left my words hanging again.

“Ah-ah, that’s not how it works Alcaraz” her head moving side to side cheekily. “Be brighter next time”

The next point was fast, both of us hitting with more force than necessary, trying to keep the upper hand. But this time, I lost focus, my mind more on her than on the game. She took advantage of it, hitting a perfect shot down the line that I couldn’t reach in time.

Her turn.

“Have you ever taken some of your personal time to watch a game of mine?”

She knew what she was doing. She already knew the physical effect she had in me and now she was trying to find out if I kept her on my mind.

She walked to the net, stopping just inches from me. “Well? What’s it going to be? Are you going to answer the question or…?”

I gave me her a slow, deliberate look, then—without a word—reached for the bottom of my shirt and tugged it over my head. My well-formed abdominals instantly showing and tan looking better under the sun rays. I saw how her breath caught for a second.

“That’s enough for you?” I asked, my voice smooth.

She swallowed, trying to keep her cool. “For now.”

I lost the next point, a backhand going wide.

I saw her leaving her racket on the bench and the way her hips swung while walking towards the net, had me hypnotized. She moved her finger on a “come here” motion and I did.

 “Are you brave enough to take off my t-shirt?”

This woman was going to be the end of me. At this point, I was not taking care of controlling my hormones and that was starting to note under my pants. I didn’t know how I would react the moment my fingers touched her skin, but my desire made me get closer to her immediately.

Her gaze was on mine all the time and at the moment I traced her waist with my fingertips, she bit her lower lip. I couldn’t help but release a lust filled pant. I raised the fabric until it was resting on top of her breasts, and I let my hands there for a moment, holding the sides of her rib cage. I looked down and it was undoubtedly the worst idea I’ve had in my life. Ironic, considering that I was having the greatest sight I’ve ever seen.

At that moment, something snapped in my head and all I could think was “fuck it”.

“What would you do if I kissed you right now?”

“That’s not fair” she put her hands at the nape of my hair, leaving us mere inches apart “It’s not your turn”

I could sense that she was saying that just to control herself so when I saw her licking her lips, I didn’t think about it twice. I leaned in; one arm on the net, the other enclosing her waist, pulling her even closer.

The moment our lips met, electricity shot through me, white-hot and consuming. Her lips were soft, but the kiss was anything but gentle. It was fierce, hungry—like we’d been holding this in for far too long.

Her hands found their way to my chest, nails scratching my pectorals. I couldn’t help but press my bulge to her hips and she left a moan on my mouth. I could feel her heat more than ever. The taste of her, the way her tongue moved against mine—it was intoxicating, better than I’d ever imagined.

And I had imagined it. More times than I cared to admit.

I needed more—more of her. The net between us was the only thing keeping us apart so with one swift motion, I gripped her firmly, lifting her off the ground without breaking the kiss.

Her body reacted immediately. She wrapped her legs around my waist, pulling herself tighter against me, her arms circling around my neck. At this position, she could feel me directly on her core so she didn’t wait much until she started grinding against me.

While we were still kissing, I started to walk us to one of the facilities built, for leaving our personal belongings, right next to the courts. During the way, Adriana moved her lips from my mouth to my neck and I almost tripped with my own feet. Her tongue followed her lips and she soon started giving small bites until she reached my ear lobe.

“You’re aggravating” she whispered looking into my eyes when we sat on the bench where I left my stuff.

“And why is that, honey?” now I was the one taking good care of her neck. I found a sweet spot of hers right under her chin and I had her moaning again.

“That day when you laughed at me” she was barely able to form sentences right now. “Y-you…”

“I didn’t laugh at you” my hand started trailing down her belly until it was placed on the hem of her skirt, my fingers surpassing the elastic but stopping there. “Do you wanna know what actually happened?”

“Y-yes but don’t stop”

Her neediness steered the fire within me even more and I complied her wishes. I kept my trail down, until I reached her wetness. I bit her jaw in response of knowing how much she desired me. With my fingers coated in her, I went up again and once I found her clit I started tortuously slow strokes over it.

“When you started talking about your gym routine all I could think about was how good your butt looked on those leggings you were wearing the time we trained together” I kept my ministrations, but I slowly entered her with two of my fingers turning her into a moaning mess. “About how badly I wanted to fuck you right there and then”

Her only response was arching her back leaving her breasts right at the height of my mouth. I started to give sloppy kisses and bites to the flesh that was sticking out the sport bra. The sounds she was making were sending me to another dimension and my dick was throbbing so hard that I was afraid she could feel it.

“I want you to fuck me here and now” she paraphrased my previous words.

I could feel my heart racing in my throat, my voice hoarse and needy “At your commands, reina”

With our lips and tongues having a full battle into a kiss, I reached my backpack. Right now, I was thanking that friend of mine that told me to always carry a condom on my wallet. When she saw what I had in hand she took it. Now she was the one slipping her hand through the waistband of his pants. When she palmed me over my underwear, I had to focus hardly on not cuming. She freed me and despite I was hard as a rock she gave me two strokes before putting on the condom.

“I knew you were big” she shamelessly said before licking my lower and upper lip. “Those white shorts are quite revealing”

I couldn’t stand it anymore, so I pushed the skirt and panties aside. She noticed I was on the edge, so she grabbed me and introduced it in herself. When she sat down completely, we both let out a satisfied grunt. Immediately, we reach for each other’s lips. There was something wild about the kiss we were having and we both felt it. The way we were sucking and biting each other's lips relentlessly and the way she was moving above me. Our skin rubbing together hard and the sound of us colliding making us both moan uncontrollably.

I then grabbed her tightly by the flesh of her hips, the movements double in speed and when my member reached the exact point inside her, I could see how her eyes rolling back. The pitiful sound out of her lips confirmed it to me and I started hitting the spot relentlessly. My stamina allowing me to increase the rhythm and depth even more, making us lose our minds.

“Touch yourself” I commanded her, and her dutifulness drove me dangerously near to the orgasm.

After a few more minutes of giving everything in us to please the other, we combusted into each other’s bodies trying to extend as much as possible the pleasure wave we were in. When our breathing pace slowed down, I grabbed her chin to make her look into my eyes and then we melted into a soft and delicate kiss.

“So, we can call it a truce?” I teased her when she snuggled up against my chest and I managed to get the sweetest laugh out of her lips.  

“Don't tempt fate, Carlitos”    

[wangxianficfinder]

In the mood for...

June 6th

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1. your favourite top!lwj fics? thanks! <3

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2. Hi!!! For itmf I was wondering if anyone has seen fics where someone or wwx points out that lwj hasn’t shown that he likes wwx. Like he’s genuinely confused because lwj is mean.

Alternatively if you guys have anything similar to One Summer Evening by Radistears. Preferably where wwx doesn’t forgive lwj easily. I honestly want lwj to be sad :)

Thank you!!! @monojadi

Honesty is the Best Policy (Except if You're an Asshole) by piecrust (E, 22k, WangXian, Porn with Feelings, College/University) It's not a 1:1 match but might scratch the itch for #2. It features a lwj who needs to do serious groveling.

我的皇后是農民 | sowing seeds in the cold palace by sweetlolixo (E, 84k, WangXian, Imperial Palace, Emperor LWJ, Imperial Consort WWX, Farmer WWX, Angst, Romance, Wingman LJY, Wife-chasing-LWJ, Arranged Marriage, Best Boy A-Yuan)

the river and the sea by sasamelons (T, 7k, WangXian, Soulmates, Arranged Marriage, Misunderstandings, Angst with a Happy Ending, Idiots in Love, Falling In Love, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Mutual Pining)

When the Words Stop Coming by mrcformoso (T, 7k, WangXian, Canon Compliant, POV WWX, POV LWJ, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, Pre-Sunshot Campaign, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, Canonical Character Death, Love Confessions, Rejection, LWJ is a Panicked Gay, Temporarily Unrequited Love, Trauma, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, Angst with a Happy Ending, Sad with a Happy Ending)

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3. Hii so I don't even know if books like this exist but if they do please share. What I'm looking for is books where it's wwx sending his child or children to the cloud recesses lectures. It can be Sizhui or some other child/ren that he has but yeah it's just him sending the child to the sect lectures. @thatperson0-0

The Murder of Crows by cerbykerby (M, 101k, WangXian, Slow Burn, Pining, Yiling Wei Sect AU, Everybody Lives but also not really, Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, WWX adopts kids and talks to birds for 13 years, expanded demonic cultivation skills, Angst, Fluff, Dark, but also Light, Eventual Romance, Humor, Family, Hijinks & Shenanigans, ridiculously powerful WWX, almost-enemies to almost-friends to almost-lovers then back to almost-enemies then finally to lovers, because we all know it's gonna take lives being threatened to make these two confess)

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4. Hi i have a request for intm. Do you guys have any recs for a jealous LWJ…specifically fics in which Lwj starts dating, distancing himself from wwx and wwx gets jealous but then wwx gets attention from others and Lwj gets jealous and chases wwx? Thank you!!

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5. itmf your favorite fics featuring yiling siblings dynamics specially when they are being protective and ride or die; it's also lovely when they are just being soft and intimate with each other. wangxian is always a bonus <3 the only thing i detest is chengqing ship

💖🔒 love, in fire and blood by cicer (E, 360k, wangxian, Canon Divergence, YLLZ WWX, Arranged Marriage, political scheming, Gratuitous Domesticity, Mutual Pining, EXTREME SLOWBURN, the inherent eroticism of the forehead ribbon, The Mortifying Ordeal of Being Known, neither wwx nor lwj want to be Perceived, but sorry kids! it’s gonna happen!, rated E but the the NSFW stuff doesn’t begin until chapter 19!, bottom LWJ in chapter 20 and 27)

Grave dirt by esama (T, 92k, wangxian, canon divergence, necromancy, demonic cultivation, farming, found family, pre-slash, politics, Fix-it of sorts, yilingwei sect au)

💖 do not envy the roots that hold you down by eccentrick for rianitida (T, 12k, WangXian, Reincarnation, WQ is a Lan, Canon Divergence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort)

With Surgical Precision by metisket (T, 20k, WQ & WN, WQ & WWX, WangXian, Time Travel, Families of Choice, sibling bonding through murder)

Meet you at a different place by tawaen (M, 57k, WQ & WN, WN & MXY & WQ, WQ & WWX & WN, Eventual WangXian, Ghost General WN, Ghost WQ, Canon Divergence, WQ comes back to haunt the cultivation world, Bad idea to kill the one person who didn't kill anyone, Cultivation World Critical, Not JC Friendly, Wen Remnants Deserve Better, Sīsī Deserves Better, MXY Deserves Better, POV WQ)

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6. any fics were wen qing ends up marrying one of the nie brothers? especially if it's huaisang? i read a fic where he asks permission to wei wuxian to court her (in which he awnsers that it's her choice, and if she wants itnhe will support her)

The Hand is a Voice (that can sing what the voice will not) by captain_apostrophe (E, 124k, WQ/NMJ, NHS & NMJ, WQ & WN, NHS & WN, Fix-It, Canon Divergence, Non-Canon Relationship, WQ Lives, and is awesome, it's not Beauty & The Beast okay, NHS Being A Little Shit, Marriage of Convenience, arguing as a love language, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Minor Original Character(s), Everybody Lives, Slow Burn, only a little bit of smut, Childbirth)

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7. any fics were wei wuxian is a good politician? or a community or sect leader, but without the resources, contacts and support from the other sects, but with the civilians

🔒 a star called sun by thelastdboy (E, 120k, wangxian, SL/XXC, JC & JYL & WWX, JYL & LWJ, WWX & WN & WQ, JYL/JZX, Canon Divergence after Xuanwu Cave, Fall of Lotus Pier, But worse!, Power Imbalance, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Not Everyone Dies AU, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Canon-Typical Violence, Sunshot Campaign, Miscommunication, Heavy Angst with a Happy Ending, Slow Burn, Major Character Injury, Loss of Limbs, Chronic Illness, Seizures, WWX’s Three Months in the Burial Mounds, Wēn Remnants Live, Wēn Remnants Deserve Better, WWX Creates a Sect | Yílíng Wèi Sect, Additional Warnings In Author’s Note, Hurt/Comfort, Selectively Mute LWJ, Service Animals, Crows)

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8. itmf fics that have some sort of court and legal drama, like in kizukatana's the truth will out (when caught in video); it can be either modern or canon setting, but in a wwx vs the sects kinda of deal with some real consequences for the antagonists besides just proving wei wuxian innocent or letting him live when he proves himself useful

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9. im interested in fics with in depth and interesting characterizations for wen ruohan, wen xu and wen zhuliu, with them interacting with wwx if possible <3 thank you

Loneliness Knows My Name by Jaywalker_Holmes, Treef (T, 208k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Eventual Happy Ending, Unreliable Narrator, Hurt/Comfort, Fix-It of Sorts, mutual idiots) although it only features Wen Ruohan with Wei Wuxian.

Sunset, Sunrise by Ariana Deralte (ArianaDeralte) (T, 41k, WWX & WRH, WangXian, WIP, Time Travel Fix-It, Crack, Temporary Character Death, sorry I killed a-Yuan for a few paragraphs before the time travel, WWX is a Wen, Genius WWX, WRH gets to rewatch the series as a treat, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, in this house we acknowledge that all the sects have flaws, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, WWX Has ADHD, Bad Parents JFM & YZY, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Autistic LWJ) WWX, WRH, WN and WQ return to the past and WRH decides to adopt WWX to repay him for taking care of the remnants.

I'm sorry, Good bye by NHaraki (M, 35k, WWX/WRH, WIP, Jiang Family Bashing, Time Travel Fix-It, YZY Bashing) It's in Indonesian, it focuses on WWX, WRH, WC, WX. Zhulio is there too, but I think he hasn't been focused on yet. CW: Attempted suicide though. I translated it via Google Chrome and that was passable

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10. itmf the most unique time travel fics.

preferable, but not necessary: wwx focusing on himself instead shrugging his trauma and grief off, does have wwx keep using his gui dao, cultivation sect critical, not jiang sect nor jiang vheng friendly

Ad Oblivione by Baph, HikariNoHimeWriter (M, 70k, WangXian, Time Travel Fix-It, Temporary Character Death, Canon-Typical Violence, POV Multiple, Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, Identity Reveal, Golden Core Reveal, Cultivation World Critical, Not JC Friendly, Abusive YZY, Angst with a Happy Ending) Not sure about cultivation world critical, but has everything else you asked for, & definitely unique

we’re starting at the end by Miss_Enthusiasimal (M, 92k, WangXian, JC & WWX, Time Travel, Canon Divergence, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Golden Core Reveal, Burial Mounds, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Starvation, emaciation, Cannibalism, Self-Harm, Amputation, Suicidal Thoughts, Sunshot Campaign, let JZX and WWX be friends club)

A Life Without Regrets by naqaashi (M, 74k, wangxian, JFM & WWX, JC & WWX, WRH & WWX, LXC & LWJ, LQR & LWJ, LWJ & NHS, Canon Divergence, Time Travel Fix-It, Angst and Humor, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Crack Treated Seriously, musical cultivation, Slow Burn, Pining, Rogue Cultivator WWX, Murder Husbands, PTSD, BAMF WWX, Demonic Cultivation, POV WWX, Cultivation Sect Politics, Worldbuilding, No Yīn Iron, Genius WWX, Inventor WWX, Artist WWX, Musician WWX, Night Hunts, Fate & Destiny, Bad Parent JFM & YZY, Golden Core, Cultivation Theory, Sentient Burial Mounds, Father-Son Relationship, Dysfunctional Family, Grief/Mourning, Parent-Child Relationship, Angry WWX, Pining WWX, WWX is Not Okay, No Golden Core Transfer, BAMF LWJ, Pining LWJ, POV LWJ, Angry LWJ, One-Braincell Wangxian, Love Confessions, Idiots in Love, WIP)

❤️ I Started From the Bottom/And Now I’m Rich by x_los (E, 57k, WangXian, WWX/Others, Mutual Pining, Marriage of Convenience, Arranged Marriage, No Sunshot Campaign, Fix-It, WQ Lives, Transmigration, Time Travel, Weddings, Sugar Daddy, Sugar Daddy, Black Widow, Protective Siblings, Dysfunctional Family, Family Bonding, Sugar Baby, consort, Politics, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Crack Treated Seriously)

Lay my body down by tawaen (M, 48k, WWX & WQ, WWX & WN, wangxian, WWX & JYL, Canon Divergence, Time Travel, Rogue Cultivator WWX, Eventual WangXian, No Golden Core Transfer, Not Cultivation World Friendly, Canon-Typical Violence, Not JC Friendly, What if WWX saw the first siege of the burial mounds and said Nope to the war, OCs, OC point-of-view for one chapter for plot reasons)

The Darkness Before Dawn by PsycheStellata707 (M, 113k, wangxian, Angst with a Happy Ending, Time Travel Fix-It, Canon Divergence, BAMF WWX, Attempt at Humor, PTSD, Oblivious WWX, WWX-centric, Blind WWX, Sentient Burial Mounds, Everyone Lives AU, Except Those Who Deserves to Die, Oblivious Pining, Not Canon Compliant, WIP)

We'll Build A Dynasty (one the heavens can't shake) by One_eyed_God (T, 66k, WangXian, WWX & WQ, WWX & WN, WWX & JYL, canon typical Jiang family dynamics, BAMF WWX, Canon JC Characteristics, POV Outsider, Hurt/Comfort, Pre-Relationship, WWX is a Wen, Sect Leader WWX, Genius WWX, The Casual Intimacy of Hand-Holding, A Love Letter to WWX, Not JC Friendly, Time Travel Fix-It)

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11. itmf a/b/o modern au fluff fics like “insert coin now for extra fife” by TriviasFolly? thank you!!

Train Rides Change Everything by Seriana (E, 385k, WangXian, NHS/WX, JC/NMJ, JYL/LXC, WIP, A/B/O, Alpha/Omega, Non-Traditional A/B/O Dynamics, Mpreg, Abusive Jiang Family, Alpha LWJ, Omega WWX, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Slut Shaming,bFluff and Angst, Unplanned Pregnancy, Feelings,bAbusive YZY, Bad Parents JFM & YZY, Beta JC, Omega JYL, Modern, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Beta NHS, WC Being an Asshole, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Misunderstandings, Mating Bites, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Scenting, Scent Marking, Scents & Smells, Slow Burn, Forced Marriage, First Time, Forced Bitching, Alpha WX, Minor Character Death, Murder, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Kidnapping, drug overdose, Sexual Tension, Omega JC) It's a long one with pretty much everything - romance, comedy, drama, murder, mystery, smut, conspiracies, hurt/comfort...

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12. An ITMF request, but a specific one: has anyone done a fusion/riff on the old movie "Three Men and a Baby"? (I know there are a lot of "accidental baby acquisition" stories but I specifically mean an AU of 3MaaB)

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13. Any fics where Lan Zhan or Wei Ying turn into like an animal and then the other takes care of them, not knowing who it is (they know eachother normally, they just dont realize they are the animal)? Bonus points if before the animal thing, Lan Zhan is still acting cold to Wei Ying

🔒💖 blue-ribbon bunny by cicer (G, 15k, wangxian, modern, shapeshifting, supernatural elements, fluff & humor)

in the arms of the angel by ScarlettStorm (E, 37k, WangXian, Modern with Magic, Fox WWX, animal rescuer LWJ, Minor pining, major shenanigans, Comedy, Smut, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, Adhd WWX, the mortifying ordeal of getting your head stuck in a peanut butter jar, and getting subsequently rescued by your crush, there were in fact two beds, but LWJ knows what he's about, Blowjobs,bFrottages, witch rights, Scent Kink, Like a lot of scent kink, mildly telepathic sex, courtship via kittens)

🔒 and in the spring i shed my skin by wvlfqveen (T, 11k, WangXian, Modern with Magic, Professors, Shapeshifter LWJ, Not Quite Necromancer WWX, Mutual Pining, WWX being an oblivious idiot, Fluff, Love Confessions, yunmeng trio, Family Feels,bget JC therapy 2020, Kissing, Перевод на русский | Translation in Russian)

love & longing, rabbit edition. by jaws_3 (G, 18k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Animal Transformation, Mutual Pining, Fluff, two dumbass teenagers in love, First Kiss, Getting Together, Rabbit LWJ, Spanish Translation Available)

Kitty-cat by canis_lupus (E, 98k, WangXian, WIP, Cat WWX, Modern with Magic, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, dom LWJ, Sub WWX, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Jiang Family Dynamics, Abusive Jiang Family, POV Multiple, WWX Has ADHD, Autistic LWJ, Masturbation) is a great one, it's not finished but gets updated fairly often 🙂

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14. heyo this is for itmf! are there any fics which go like handler/ serial killer? basically anything w wangxian being badass and/or killing people

no wips pls! they give me anxiety TT @bunnycoffeeumcat

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15. Hello, for the next ITMF, I would like to ask for fics where when no one was there with wei ying, lan zhan was. Not burial mounds wen settlement days, but uk...

Wanna read about Wei Ying going through the darkest lowest time of his life and lan zhan is there with him.....

🔒🧡 rain falls and soaks into the earth series by RoseThorne (T, 57k, WangXian, WIP, Near Death Experience, Attempt Drowning, Madam Yu Bashing, Recovery, No war AU)

🧡 Company by WithBroomBefore (T, 29k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Pre-Relationship, Getting Together, POV LWJ, Fix-It, Pre-Canon, at least to start, WWX goes to Cloud Recesses, But Not In The Usual Way, fear of character death, Everybody Lives, Hurt/Comfort, Happy Ending, Light Angst, good teacher LQR, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, brief discussion of past minor character suicide, Kitten, Not YZY Friendly)

golden when the day met the night by glitteringmoonlight (Not Rated, 95k, WangXian, WIP, Slow-ish burn, Sugar Daddy LWJ, which is an anachronistic term for this fic but it fits, Light Angst, Fluff, Developing Relationship, WWX gets all the appreciation he deserves, even if he's a bit confused about it at first, warprize au with a twist, in that everyone thinks WWX is a warprize, but LWJ has only platonic and honourable intentions, at first, Eventual Smut)

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16. hello, itmf fics where dragonji hoards wwx as his treasure (like "These Mortal Treasures" by ChilianXianzi). thx!

💖 Hoards and treasures by apathyinreverie (T, 21k, WangXian, Siblings, Family, not particularly Jiang friendly, YZY Bashing, slightly darker Gusu Lans, LXC being the best brother, Some manipulation, But with the best of intentions, and not between wangxian, Dragon LWJ, Fox WWX, Smitten LWJ, Fluff, perfect happiness, adorable WWX, Romance, Some worldbuilding, courting)

A Baby Dragon’s Guide To Seducing Your Huli Jing by sweetlolixo (M, 102k, wangxian, Fantasy, But still in the Cultivation World, Dragon LWJ, Fox WWX, Younger LWJ, Older WWX, Fluff, Humor, Eventual mpreg, Angst with a Happy Ending, Best Boy A-Yuan)

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17. I am in the mood for wangxian fics that are like...the opposite of pining while fucking. I want something where the romantic realization/confessions happen fast or early in the story, but for whatever reason, the physical side of their relationship is the slow burn part. Like, that could be because it's long-distance, or strict chaperoning during a betrothal, or anything really that keeps them from being able to indulge in the more physical part of their relationship. Just want to see these two burn for each other for a long time before the pay off. Thank you!

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If you didn’t get an answer to your ask here, don’t forget to make use of @mdzs-kinkmeme and MDZS KINK MEME on Dreamwidth. Authors actually do use them for ideas. You may get what you order!***Your prompt doesn’t have to be kink! Fluff, crack, whatever - it’s all good!***

[dingodad]

This might be a ridiculous question, but does Lord

English have control over sburb? The alpha timeline

Is set to only be the one that allows the creation of

Lord English after all. Does being Lord of Time mean

that he is the one causing all the doomed timelines

to be destroyed or that he is causing Skaia to do it?

Is Skaia just in a way another one of his unwilling

servants? I guess what I’m saying is, are Lord English

and sburb even against each other? Sure his

machinations cause the destruction of universes,

which is the opposite of sburb’s purpose, but also

his influence is why those universes were made in

the first place.

one of the biggest persistent misconceptions homestuck readers have is that all events in Sburb are controlled by some overarching, interfering intelligence, and that this intelligence's name is Skaia. when a character is given a particularly cruel or gruelling hero quest, "Skaia orchestrated it"; when a character's actions cause a timeline to become a doomed offshoot, it's because "Skaia didn't want that to happen". but this is explicitly untrue:

ROSE: ... Skaia is a very passive entity. It only "knows" and "sees," but it never quite "acts." ROSE: When it is asked to change everything, there is only so much it has control over. ROSE: In fact, it has control over exactly one thing. The defense portals. ROSE: It can decide to send important meteors to different points in time than originally planned, thus creating alternate realities.

(remember how all games of Sburb start off with the exact same parameters, and it's only data input by the players that causes events to deviate?)

this is related to, and compounded by, another misconception which came to be common toward the latter half of the story: people fundamentally misunderstand what a "narrative" is and therefore get it into their heads that in order to be a narrator a character needs some kind of "narrative powers" - where did dirk get his "narrative powers"; how can doc scratch be the author-figure of alternia if he "doesn't have narrative powers"? people think that, in order to have dominion over the incipisphere, Skaia must be some kind of wizard, capable of both predestining events and shaping reality to match its predictions. and i have occasionally humoured or implied support for this interpretation by referring to "what Sburb wants" or "Sburb's agenda", but these are merely convenient anthropomorphisations. the fact is that anyone can tell a story, and almost any kind of power can be wielded to reinforce a chosen narrative: highbloods control the narrative on alternia simply by living a long time; lord english controls the narrative not by conducting every single event to his whim but by being present at the beginning and setting small, key events in motion... Sburb is much the same. a video game is a type of story which can control its outcome with rules and code, but that's the full extent of its power; the rules and code can't change, no matter who's playing the game, no matter what the supercomputer running the game "thinks", and no matter what immortal time-travelling demon may or may not have hijacked the process.

in one sense, yes, Skaia has been made Lord English's "servant". but in another, more important sense, Skaia cannot "serve" anything, nor can it be "for" or "against" anyone, because it is not a moral entity. Skaia is simply the cosmic force of creation, and creation and destruction are not good and evil. creation is an intrinsically neutral act, which can be at one time beautiful and at another time devastating - as in cancer, which is a disease caused be cells reproducing without limit! (and in the inverse: not only is destruction not always a net negative in homestuck, it is almost always a requirement for growth and rebirth; heroes must die to become gods, planets must die to give birth to new universes... the destruction of universes is not a uniquely disparagable crime that Lord English is committing, but rather a larger manifestation of a pattern that is intrinsic to the ecosystem of Paradox Space itself, just as it is intrinsic to real-life ecosystems.) this is in fact exactly what Karkat alludes to when he speculates the universe he created is cancerous. as should be obvious, there's nothing actually physically wrong with the universe he created; it's just that, like a virus or a cancer, Lord English has hijacked the process of creation for his own ends and made his own birth inevitable if the process of creation continues unchecked - a process which the horrorterrors, gods of death who at first seem to be malevolent but are in fact revealed to be victims, attempt desperately to prevent!

[honeybeepoliinator]

Many are misunderstanding things in Bridgerton season 3 in part2 & aren't paying attention to Polin as characters & their Journey as a couple...

Book Colin wasn't best friends with book Penelope, She was friends with the entire family, but she was never close to him like how show Penelope is close to show Colin. In the show not only they were best friends since childhood, but she even knew/met him before she became friends with Eloise. Both versions have their own journey and shouldn't be compared

Book Pen in her long time as LW most of what she published is child's play compared to what show Penelope published. Show Penelope is also more deeply hurt, overprotective ( for the Bridgertons) & bit aggressive in her writing than book Pen. Show Pen was reckless and a lot of what she published was serious scandals not only that, but she published about scandals related to the Queen/Royal Family & she directly even challenged the Queen a lot of times

Colin reaction was more than justified in his anger, even more, than book Colin, in the books, most of what Pen wrote about him in LW was that he was charming & yes it did annoy him because he felt that he was reduced to that, but in the show, Pen wrote things related to Colin things that affected him deeply from the Marina scheme to calling out the fake persona he was hiding behind at the beginning of s3. After & because of the Marina issue, many including his own siblings called him naive & he felt that he was treated as a child, He was already struggling with self-worth, how he was ignored by others & what happened traumatized him & made him feel more lost than before. In s3 when he came back from his travels he had built this wall on his real personality & true self because he thought that others including his own family don't care about his interests & stories and he tried to be like other men in the ton, and when Pen in LW called his fake persona out he felt he was losing the walls that he built to protect himself & it added to his insecurities

Show Colin genuinely loves Pen & always values her opinions, so of course he will be more hurt & sad about LW being Pen. He also just figured out the depth of his feelings for her, and because of her love he came to the realization that him being himself was the correct thing & that he doesn't need that fake persona he built to protect himself. He became vulnerable and showed his sensitivity again without feeling ashamed or scared of doing so like before. So by finding out the person he loves deeply, his closest friend, the one he opens up to is someone who not only wrote things that hurt him (unintentionally), but the fact that she has this other persona/double life, hurt him deeply and they were engaged & has only days left before their wedding. It was a lot for him to process in a short time because he knows that he loves her deeply & doesn't want to let her go ever, but at the same time, it is hard to try processing that in a short period

People showed grace to Eloise & her feeling of being hurt by what Pen wrote and her hiding LW secret from her, but the same people are refusing to show the same grace to Colin despite like I said Colin in the show really didn't have much time to process things like at all. It took Eloise a year to come to terms with Pen being LW & forgiving her and people are upset that Colin was even mad for two weeks, it's really ridiculous how he as a character isn't allowed to feel hurt about something that affects him deeply

It's so weird that Pen was also allowed to feel hurt by his comment about her for a year, refusing to answer his letters, taking all her anger that was due many factors to take that anger on him, to be allowed to use LW to publicly call him out in a moment of anger & he isn't allowed to feel little angry over the LW reveal

I do know that some were upset by the entrapped line that he said to Pen saying it was harsh and yes it was harsh, but again that is man hurting, when he said it, it was the first time he saw her after the reveal, he is someone that has been traumatized by being lied to before during an engagement & while that he knows that she didn't trap or scheme him, what happened brought back those memories and this time it was related to the girl that he really loves, so he was just hurt & his face while angry he also regretted saying that when he saw Pen reaction to the comment. Pen also despite getting affected by the comment, she still understood why he said it & forgave him over it because she knew he didn't mean it & knew the history of his trauma

He let her leave alone in the carriage because it was Pen's family carriage, she was with her own servants & he was also still following her with his own carriage, he just didn't want to ride with her in state of anger plus he knew she was safe

Him not sleeping with her because he was upset & has a lot of inner feelings to work on & process are more than valid and actually the correct thing to do. It was clear he desperately wanted to be close to her & it was clear his love & desire for her, but if he ended up sleeping with her while they didn't resolve their issues, it would've skewered him and in the end, it would've made Pen feeling used ( as someone who been in relationship & slept with my ex while we both didn't resolve our issues, it made things worse not better & it hurt our relationship and hurt our intimacy more till it didn't feel meaningful anymore)

Colin never wanted to bring negative feelings & anger into their marriage bed nor did he want to sully it in that way. For him, that's a place of joy, love & passion only. He wants them both to be clear-minded when they get intimate. It just shows who he is as a person & how kind, mature & respectful person. He loves her & he has also been struggling with feeling not worthy of her and he feels that he made things worse for her and he felt guilty about that too, so even when he really wanted he just couldn't. He wanted all their passionate moments to come from a place of love & not a place of hurt, anger & guilt

At the wedding, he shows that he loves her & will always love her, and is just trying to work on his feelings because he knows that she is his soulmate. He noticed when she was walking down the aisle that she was worried & not used to the attention being on her and he nodded and gave her a reassuring smile to tell her that he still wants that & he wants her. Their vows were real too & at the wedding breakfast he had mostly figured out a lot of his issues, but whenever he tried to go to her he was getting interrupted & after they were lost in each other eyes during their dance, the moment was interrupted by the queen & the queen showing up reminded him of the remaining issues they needed to resolve

Some people coming after him for going to Cressida to call her out & saying he was mansplaining to her and isn't taking into account that she was desperate because she didn't want to marry an old guy, but like how would he even know about that. He went there to try to protect Pen in his own way & he already doesn't like Cressida like he literally saw Pen getting bullied by Cressida all the time over the years. He still said to her that all of them have their own loneliness & that they all deal with it in different way despite everything he did understand she was lonely

Some people are sad about the ton reveal being planned by Pen & helped by her family unlike how in the books it was planned by Colin & helped by his family. She stood up for herself, she defended herself, took ownership of her mistakes, finally used her own voice & healed generational family trauma. All she wanted of him in the show is to let go of his savior complex and to just support & trust her decisions and that's what he did in the end and that was beautiful & perfect

[olderthannetfic]

I really dislike those "How to draw (insert poc)" and then it's a guide telling you DON'T EVER DRAW THESE FEATURES! And then they make a figure with those features and label it "Bad." But the features are normal fucking features, but they made them "extra bad" for the art in some way, maybe by making the skin tone really bad. (Ashy, too saturated, etc.) or by drawing the features in an ugly style.

Maybe if you, on purpose have to make something extra ridiculous and uglified to make a point, then those features aren't actually that ridiculous on a poc? Maybe you just don't like them or are focusing on a very small pool of features you prefer?

Or they completely go off the rails and freak out about artistic shit like "If you draw a black character with blonde (still coily) hair, you're whitewashing them and implying that white traits are more desirable." As if black people can't dye their hair, or straight for that matter... OR WIGS??? Or like "Poc are never this pale." and then just ignore that people can be super pale and still poc. Pale=/=White. You also get hair tutorial posts that will straight up say that the only hair type a black character should have is on the spectrum of complete coily, 4ABC, maybe at most 3C.

Many of these posts don't even consider mixed features, or they ignore varying features because they forgot that poc features exist across a spectrum, especially where a lot of travel happened. A lot of "How to draw Asian (features)" are really hyper focused on East Asian features, which makes the title a lie. How about labelling it "How to draw East Asian (features.)" instead. Then acknowledge that you're still only guiding for a very specific set of features in most cases. (The amount of times these guides have basically completely excluded SEA features, or in other ways said that those features don't exist in Asians. Come tf on.)

Then there's thing like completely misunderstanding undertones, so they completely remove that tone from the colorwheel. Yellow, purple, red, are undertones poc can have, you need to know how to use them, not say "They're racist, never use." Learn undertones, no, no one is bright purple, red or yellow, but you have undertones. That's also how color correcting make-up works, it's about the undertones and then you negate them; color theory. Black people can have purple or red undertone, but they're not "purple" 💜 or "red" 🟥(I question if these people have weird colors on their device, so they might not see it?) Maybe their drawing ends up good, but the advice some give can really handicap a lot of artists with a different method of coloring.

--

[chasingbutterfliesintoeternity]

A very self indulgent, all the tropes, PJO/EPIC crossover/time travel fix-it plot

(Ithaca Saga spoilers ahead)

So I have another crossover idea (not the one I’m planning to write) that’s been living in my head, and it’s so self indulgent and ridiculous it was only ever meant for me. But post Ithaca Saga listening party, I want to write down my thoughts and share them for reasons mentioned in my previous post. I would also like to note that I have an unhealthy obsession with C-novels and this is part of the inspiration.

So this AU opens in the EPIC timeline with a very old Odysseus on his deathbed, thinking about his life and his deepest regrets: letting his crew die and never properly reconciling with Athena. And in true C-novel fashion, his regrets (and probably Athena’s) are enough let him be reborn and have a second chance to fix his life. So Odysseus dies and the next thing he knows he opens his eyes and he’s young again, standing on his ship sailing out of Troy and Eurylochus is telling him that they’re running out of supplies.

Meanwhile in the PJO timeline, Percy and Luke/Kronos are facing off in the battle for Olympus and as Luke decides to sacrifice himself Kronos lashes out one last by cursing Percy and throwing him backwards in time. Olympus is saved but Percy is missing and Poseidon isn’t happy with that result and finds a way to follow Percy through time. So now we’ve got a reincarnater meets transmigrater situation going on.

Back in the EPIC timeline, despite all his attempts to avoid it, Odysseus still has to resort to going to the cyclops island to find food. But now Odysseus is more careful and tricks Polyphemus into breaking guest right immediately before taking him out using archery or something. Unfortunately Polyphemus still finds their identity before he dies because some crew members start a war chant or something. Fortunately, no crew members die and Poseidon is a little distracted from sending more revenge than a storm because he senses forces intruding on his domain (Percy and PJO!Poseidon).

Anyways Percy gets yeeted onto the cyclops island after being flung through time and runs into Odysseus as he’s packing up supplies in the cave. Odysseus is immediately suspicious because Percy looks a lot like Poseidon and Odysseus is like 90% sure this is a mortal disguise and he’s being tested. Percy is also very on guard because he can sense that Odysseus doesn’t like him and tries not to reveal anything about himself aside from being lost and stranded, which doesn’t help this misunderstanding. Neither does the storm that follows them as they leave the island. Then Athena shows up and makes some cryptic comments to Ody about killing one son and picking up another. She equally cryptically mentions she’s not going to be around for a bit because she senses a disturbance in time and needs to check that out but treat the kid well and you’ll probably be fine.

Where’s PJO!Poseidon? Well unluckily for him he’s landed on the wrong side of the world. Luckily for Percy and Odysseus this means that EPIC!Poseidon is to busy heading that way to check out the larger domain intrusion to bother them and Percy calms the storm pretty easily. No mortal can pass Poseidon’s storm? Sure. But a demigod son of Poseidon is a loophole. By this point EPIC!Poseidon and Athena are both trying to track down PJO!Poseidon, but he keeps losing them. Not intentionally, he actually doesn’t know he’s being tracked and just haphazardly transporting from place to place because he a bit disoriented and has his powers dampened from travelling through time.

Eventually EPIC!Poseidon decides to check on that pesky mortal who killed his son… and what do you mean he’s reached his homeland? So he goes spawn camps outside Ithaca, but when Odysseus and his fleet pulls up, his attention is drawn towards Percy, the second intrusion into his domain. Which leads to this encounter

“There you are! Of course you’re with the coward”

“Hey! leave my son alone!”

“Why are there two of you!?”

That last one is Athena, who’s finally tracked down the disturbance in the force.

So they’re all doing the Spider-Man meme right outside of Ithaca.

Anyways PJO!Poseidon convinces his past self that having a grudge against Odysseus isn’t worth it. Odysseus, who has already lived through this is probably darkly amused. But also very bemused at how easily he managed to get everyone home. Athena figures out how to get the PJO timeline seaweed brains home and everyone lives happily ever after.

[2ch3rr13s]

// Chase me to the ends of this world //

the man you love has decided to chase you, how dare you make a call of his feelings and leave him without letting him explain? he is unhappy when finding you, but is determined to talk with you and confess his own feelings. He has no idea what follows after as long as you both handle it together. Tw- angst, misunderstandings, confessions, fluff, some kissing(?!?! me n u when??)

Zhongli

wc-1075

Even though he promised himself to not chase after Y/n, he couldn’t keep that up anymore after the second month. He could only see their presence everywhere no matter what he did though his busy working days.  

Signing papers? He would always think Y/n would burst into the room at any given second and drag him off to go accompany with whatever they needed help with. Drinking tea? He could only ever think of their past conversations, their laughs and smiles. Talking with Tartaglia? He could only reminisces their pointless bickering with the harbinger as he watched them with a smile.

He would constantly remind himself that they were no longer there in Liyue to come pester him or fill his days with joy, or ask him of anything anymore. He would no longer be able to experience that until he forced himself to get up and make things right himself.  

As soon as the second month of Y/n missing from his normal days, he got up and left telling Hu Tao of his departure, but nothing more, Zhongli just couldn't take it anymore. The first person he would question would be Barbatos seeing how Y/n thought of the young-looking god as a brother.  

Before he could even pass through Stone Gate, there stood a bard clad in green, “Barbatos,” he spoke lowly, and the bard looked up with a small smile, “Rex Lapis, what a surprise! Now, why are you entering my nation?”  

Zhongli closed his eyes while crossing his arms, stating his reason out loud would be rather embarrassing, but for the sake of finding his dear quicker, he would put that aside, “I’m in search of Y/n, do you have any information of their whereabouts?” Venti let out a small laugh and motioned for the ex-archon to follow after him as they traveled through the land of freedom.  

“Y/n came here a bit ago, saying they couldn’t bare to be in Liyue anymore, any idea why?” Zhongli didn’t say anything as Venti turned to look at him for a second before he continued to lead the way, “Y/n should be at Windrise around this time,” he mentioned as they finally made it past Dawn Winery.  

“When you see Y/n, please just take to them,” Zhongli nodded as the bard nodded to himself, “Then I trust you will be able to journey safely the rest of the way then?” Zhongli nodded once more, “You need not to worry about me Barbatos, once I talk with Y/n, hopefully we will return home together.”  

Venti let out a small laugh, “Then this is where we part, it was nice seeing you again old man,” just as Zhongli was about to retaliate the little man was gone in a whisp of the wind leaving the ex-archon to shake his head as he continued on his journey to the large tree.   

The closer he got, the more his heart had hammered against his chest threatening to fall out, his hands got hot and wanted to pull off his gloves, but he shook the thought away as he began to think of what he would even say when he finally found Y/n.  

A simple ‘I’m sorry’ was definitely not good enough to say, but he knew for sure, his feelings would be voiced before the day would end. No matter what ridiculous lengths he had to prove his feelings, he would do anything for them.  

Once arriving at the tree, he could see their figure, it took everything in his body to not just run and engulf them in a hug. Their beautiful face was contorted into one of confusion as they looked up from their book to see him of all people, “Zhongli?”  

He shook his head as they began to stand up, and instead took a seat next to them, “Why are you here?” Zhongli let out a sigh as he took their hand and pressed a kiss to the back of their hand, “You left me a letter, and didn’t allow me to explain myself dear,” Y/n frowned as they pulled their hand back.  

“Then explain,” the muttered as Zhongli nodded with a small sigh, “During the Lantern Rite, me and the Traveler were talking casually, anything and everything came into mind, then little Paimon asked about relations to you,” Zhongli felt his cheeks heat up the more he talked. “And when I went to apologize to you the next day, knowing of the conversation I had the night before, I could hardly look at you.” 

Y/n was frowning still, but then Zhongli took their hands in his, “Y/n dear, you promised to be there by my side all those years ago, I never told you before, but I do indeed love you,” Y/n shook their head with small tears in their eyes. “Why now? Why are you barely telling this to me now?”  

Zhongli sighed as he brought them into a hug, “I thought I was obvious, but I guess not, and before you left Y/n,” They looked up at him as he gave them a small smile, “I was taking up more work so I could clear my week earlier so I could make it up to you,” their lips parted as they stared up at him. “I was planning on confessing then my dear.” 

They let out a groan as they melted into his arms, “I’m an idiot,” they muttered as he squeezed them as a laugh slipped past his lips, “A little bit, but I’m glad to have told you now.” Y/n looked up at him and reached up placing a small kiss to his cheek. “I’m glad too Zhongli, Morax, or Rex Lapis, cause now I have you here with me now.”  

A glow in his eyes made them smile, “They’re all you, but different, it doesn’t mean I love you any less, no matter what,” Zhongli buried his face into their shoulder, “You're too good to me my dear.” He glanced at them with a look in his eyes that they had never seen before.

"May I kiss you dear?" Y/n felt their face was on fire as they nodded slowly as his words as he cupped their face in his hands, and closed his eyes leaning to brush his lips against theirs, making sure that this time, he would do everything in his power to keep them happy and by his side until the end of his days.

Diluc Ragnvindr

wc-1025

Everyday Diluc would wake up, get dressed, go to work, and hope to see Y/n there, and each time he had gotten his hopes up, it would be shattered the moment Charles had shaken his head. He counted the days since they left, never failing to mark each day off on his calendar, until a full year had passed. Instead, he knew if he wanted to see the one, he held dear to his heart, he would have to track them down.  

And he did, he went back to past letters to dig up the bittersweet conversations they had, and then he finally had the information he had been looking for, their homeland, Inazuma. He bit his lip but nodded to himself as he packed a bag for his trip to the far land. It didn’t matter, he knew the reason why they had fled here to Monstadt, so he must have hurt them terribly if they went back home.  

When setting foot in the foreign land, he knew he had his work cut out for him if he was going to track them down, so he asked around, but being in a new place and knowing no one, he only had one reliable source. “Ad Astra Abyssosque, oh, Master Diluc, you’re a long way from home.” 

Katheryne, the only one to know nearly everything about nearly everyone, Diluc let a sigh escape past his lips, “I think you already know why I’m here,” the woman nodded, “Y/n L/n, right?” He nodded as she gave a small laugh, “Their home is in Ritou, you can find the L/n’s estate there.”  

And off he went without another word, no matter how tired he was from his boat ride here, he was determined to talk with them before finding a place to stay for the night. Talking with Y/n and making things right was his top priority. A semi-familiar family crest was carved into wood, and he knew he seen it before and darted to the front door.  

Knocking on it, he waited for a few minutes until a short woman with short hair, and e/c eyes opened the door, he knew he found the right place, “Uhm, is Y/n L/n here?” The woman nodded, “Who are you?” The woman closed the door as she exited the door, and the man moved to the side as he watched her. “Diluc Ragnvindr, I am a... a friend of Y/n’s.”  

“Ah, the one who broke their heart,” she stated sarcastically, “I should harm you boy for breaking my child’s heart and making them come back here, but I got to see them again... So, I will allow you to speak with them, be glad their father is out the picture or else things would’ve been worse for you.” 

“Take off your boots before you enter,” he did as he was told as a small boy lead him elsewhere, “This is N/n’s room! See you later,” he ran off as Diluc stared at the door for a bit before lightly knocking on the door, “Come in,” a small voice that he knew by heart made him hesitate for a second.  

When he slid open the door, their back was faced from them as they were doing some little girl’s hair, “What do you want?” They asked, although their voice was soft, he knew that they had no idea who he was exactly. They were brushing the little girl’s hair and had a hair pin in the corner of their mouth.  

“Hey Y/n...” The pin fell from their mouth as their hold on the little girl’s hair faltered at their head whipped over to him. “Y-You...” They glanced back at the girl, and sighed before moving their hands randomly in Diluc’s eyes, “Yuki-chan, please, uhm, could you give me and my friend a moment?” The little girl nodded with a smile as she grabbed the brush from their hand and left without a word.  

“Why did you come here?” Diluc opened his mouth to speak as he looked at them, which made it a bit harder. They were dressed in traditional clothing instead of the clothes they were used to seeing them wear in Mondstadt, so they looked absolutely beautiful/handsome to him now. “I missed you...” 

Their heart skipped a beat as they turned around to hide their flustered expression from him, “That a bit out of character of you Master Diluc,” Y/n mumbled and they heard the floorboards creak under his weight as he moved to them. “I’m serious Y/n, I missed you,” his hands had wrapped around their waist as he buried his face into their shoulder.  

Y/n could feel his hair tickling their cheek as it suddenly felt hotter in the room, “I love you,” their heart skipped a beat as they turned to him abruptly, “What?” His eyes were soft, and his face was as red as his hair, “I love you Y/n,” he muttered once more as his hands cupped their face. “Please... Can I kiss you?”  

Hesitantly they nodded as his lips brushed against their softly, as soon as it started it ended leaving both of them looking at each other bashfully. “I’m sorry I should’ve told you sooner...” He muttered as his arms encased them into a hug, “I was talking to Traveler that night about you when you were supposed to meet us, I was going to introduce you to them.”  

His body was warm against theirs and his hug was so calming and comforting they could melt right in his arms, “I’m sorry I never told you, I wish I did sooner,” Y/n’s arms squeezed him as they let out a small laugh, “It’s okay, I made a rash decision,” they could feel him press a kiss to their head.  

“Would you be willing to come back with me?” Both hearts were beating rapidly at the question, one in fear, and the other in near excitement, “Yes, archons, I miss Mondstadt’s food,” he let out a sigh of relief, then a chuckle. “Nothing else?” They shook their head as an innocent look was upon their face. “Oh, you hurt me Y/n.”  

Kamisato Ayato

wc- 1090

Time seemed to move slowly, and he knew not of what to do, his heart felt heavy knowing that Y/n was no longer in Inazuma. He could go after no matter how much he wanted to because of his work. He was drowning in work, it was suffocating as he stayed up countless nights to complete the papers, only to pass out over the work.  

How was he ever going to go after Y/n if he couldn’t completely complete his work? After another night full of work, and him passing out over the papers, he woke up and found himself in bed, everything was cleaned, and most of all, all his papers were done. With wide eyes he turned to the door as it opened, in strolled in his dear sister and their housekeeper.  

“Oh, brother, you’re awake now!” Ayaka cheered and Thoma had presented breakfast to the siblings and made his way out the door to give them some space, “Ayaka, why is everything in my room suddenly looking as if everything is done?”  

Ayaka let out a giggle, “Me and Thoma decided to help you out a bit. You need a break, and I know how much you miss Y/n, so me and Thoma decided to help you out a bit and do the rest of your work until you get back from your vacation,” Ayato furrowed his eyebrows, “Vacation?” 

Ayaka nodded, “You’re going to Y/n’s homeland, we hope you rekindle with them, now hurry up and pack your bags, your boat ride leaves at noon,” he was still at a loss for words as the rest of his day went by as a blur.  

But by nightfall, he found himself in Sumeru with a woman with dark hair and yellow highlights, blue eyes, named Dehya and she was his escort. He had made small talk with her, and as they made their way to the streets of Sumeru. “Uhm so, Dehya,” the woman turned her head to him, as he spoke lowly. “Do you know anyone by the name of Y/n L/n?”  

The woman turned forward again, “And why do you want to know that?” Ayato sighed as she lead him up the spiral walkway up to an inn, “They are a dear friend of mine that had fled from our... well my homeland, and they came back here.” Dehya placed a hand on her hip, “Rest for the night and I’ll offer up some information up over breakfast for a price.” 

The night was filled with Ayato restlessly waiting for the sun to rise, tossing and turning all night but somehow managed to get some shut eye. Waking up in the morning begrudgingly, he dressed for the day, and was met by Dehya waiting outside his little room. “Y/n is actually a friend of my girlfriend’s, so we’ll head there and get some information of their whereabouts.” 

Through Sumeru they traveled, day and night camping out a bit before journeying further, by the third day, they made it to Aaru Villiage, the tall mountains hiding the place, and Ayato was nearly greeted with a spear to his face. Heterochromia eyes stared down at him as Dehya had to calm the unknown woman down.  

“Candace! He’s a friend, please,” with that she let her polearm disappear as she gave a small smile, “Very well, why did you come here then foreigner? Usually, people don’t venture out to the desert for nothing.” On the walk, Ayato explained his situation with a flustered look upon his face.   

“Oh, I should have every right to stab you with my polearm for hurting Y/n, then,” Dehya stepped in front of her girlfriend with a nervous grin waving her arms around. “Hon! He’s here to apologize to Y/n, not make things worse!” Candace scoffed as she lead the two to the village, “Y/n’s here actually, I’ll give you two only ten minutes to talk then you go back to Sumeru City.” 

Ayato sighed, “That’s all the time I need,” she lead him to a house in the middle of the village, and opened the door, “Ten minutes,” she stated once more and Ayato inhalded deeply, until someone rounded the corner making his heart stop in his chest momentarily, “Candace you’re ba.... Ayato...? What are... What are you doing here?”  

His body was frozen, he couldn’t move, and he had no idea what to say to them after not seeing them for weeks, “I... I came for you Y/n,” they let out a scoff as they crossed their arms, “And why would you do that? I thought I wrote to not come after me.” Ayato shook his head as he stepped closer to them, “You only stated you were a coward, and you said nothing about chasing after you.” 

Their eyes hardened into a glare, “Well, you have to go back, aren’t you busy with all your work anyways?” Ayato sighed, “I wouldn’t be here if my work wasn’t being handled by someone I trust; Ayaka decided to take over for me until I get back.” Y/n shook their head as they crossed their arms, “I doesn’t make sense, why did you come here to find me?” 

Ayato let out a chuckle as he held out his hand motioning for them to take it, hesitantly they slipped their hand in his as he pulled them in his embrace. “And I thought you were smarter than that darling,” Y/n felt their cheeks burn as they shook their head, “Shut up commissioner,” he pressed a kiss upon their head.  

“What about the traveler?” Ayato shook his head as his hand had began to pet their hair, “What of them?” Y/n felt their throat tighten as the words slipped past their lips, “Don’t you have feeling for them?” The commissioner shook his head, “None for them, but for the very person who stands before me love...”  

Their heart thumped rapidly against their chest as Y/n looked up at the man with an expectant look. “If you want me to say it out loud, then say it dear, otherwise it’ll just linger up in the air,” Y/n sighed as they looked up at him with a flustered face making his own heart flutter in his chest, “Please... Voice your feelings out loud, so I know you are genuine Ayato...” 

His hand cupped their cheek as his eyes continued to stare into theirs with warmth, love, and adoration, “I love you Y/n,” and with that his lips pressed against theirs softly to further prove his love for them.  

Alhaitham

wc-1014

He knew not what to do since Y/n left, everything seemed to get him more irritated as the days passed without their presence in his daily routine. He found himself missing them no matter how much he tried to push those thoughts and feelings to the back of his mind.  

He knew if word got out about their absence, he knew that scholar that delivered the letter would probably push all the blame to him, so for the sake of not having to deal with that much later down the line, he begrudgingly sent off to where he knew they would reside. Their homeland Liyue, was luckily the neighboring nation, so it shouldn’t take that long, right? 

Wrong, it was so much more mountainous than what he was used to, rocks, cliffs, and more hostile beasts were present in every turn and path he took. He just wanted to go back home and never return to the outside world, but by some miracle he managed to safely make it to Liyue Harbor without any further complications.  

The scenery was new, and he would be lying if he said he wasn’t curious about the land, but he needed to focus on the situation on hand; find Y/n, talk with them, and hopefully return to Sumeru with them. He sighed as he walked down the street people walking by and oogling at him; tall, handsome and foreign, who wouldn’t stare at him as he walked by? 

He needed to rest after traveling for days to make it here, so he took a seat in front of a man telling a story about the god to the lands he was in; The God of contracts, Rex Lapis or Morax, he went by many names. A man in front dressed in browns, golds, and oranges stood out to the scribe’s eye.  

Although he didn’t really want to speak with anyone or socialize, he shook the feeling away as he looked over, only to see the man already glancing at him, “You seem troubled and in need of some guidance, yes?” Alhaitham felt his hearft stop for a second, now that was scarily accurate, he nodded curtly.  

He motioned for the scribe to sit in front of him, “Tell me of your troubles stranger.” and with that, Alhaitham shared his story reluctantly, trying to mask his heartfelt feelings for the one he was searching for with some little white lie. “The way you speak of this person, you seem to hold them in high reguard,” oh, so much for hiding his feelings. Now being found out by a stranger was quite embarrassing.  

“And, I also have a feeling of who you speak of, dear little Y/n, they have bright/dark eyes, s/t, and they are about y/h,” Alhaitham nodded at a loss for words, that was exactly who he was searching for, how did this stranger know so much? “Well, the last I seen them today,” the scribe leaned in to hear the man’s words, “They were getting commissions from Katheryne.” 

He nodded as he stood up, “I thank you for your assistance... What is your name?” The man took a sip from his cup, “I am Zhongli,” his eyes darted up as he looked at the scribe, “Now off you do scribe,” Alhaitham walked a bit before turning back only to see the man walking in the opposite direction, how did he know? 

Children ran past him, as he kept his eyes forward, only to feel someone bump into him from behind, “Oh, sorry,” they muttered as they went past him, and up some stairs, but he stopped in the path as his eyes went to their figure, the very person he was searching for, and without wasting a thought he followed them.  

They were speaking to Katheryne, he waited until they were done collecting their rewards, and tapped them on the shoulder, their smile fell when they turned to him. “What are you doing here?” Alhaitham furrowed his eyebrows, “Why did you run away then? If you didn’t them maybe I wouldn't have to chase you down to another nation because you just assume things,” Y/n scoffed as they walked away from him.  

Before they could get far he grabbed their wrist and led them to an alleyway and blocked the way for them to leave, “Let me go! Archons, I don’t want to talk with you!” Their eyes filled with tears as they glared up at him, he nearly faltered, but shook his head. “No, you’re not leaving until we talk Y/n.” 

“Why do we even need to talk? I left because I didn’t want to talk about anything, I just wanted to come back home,” they sobbed on the floor pathetically as Alhaitham kneeled in front of them and cupped their face wiping away their tears, “And why would you assume my feelings for anyone?” 

They looked up at him as he wiped their tears, “I don’t love Kaveh like that, he was my friend and I wanted to return our friendship, but I can’t force that upon him,” Alhaitham wrapped his arms around them, their face buried into his shoulder, “I don’t care what stupid nonsense I have to say in order for you to return back home with me, just please don’t leave me again like this...” 

They could feel him press a kiss against their forehead, they looked up at him as their face flushed no on longer flushed from their crying. “I-I don’t understand...” Alhaitham sighed as he sat on the ground in front of them, “Do I have to say in all of the languages in Teyvat Y/n?” He asked, a bit irritated by their inability to fully comprehend the situation.  

“No... I just want to hear you say it...” Oh, they just need confirmation and reassurance, his eyes softened as he nodded and fully brushed away all their tears, “Well Y/n, you could’ve just said that” his lips pressed against their nose a small smile displayed upon his face as he looked them in their eyes. “I love you Y/n.” 

we have reached the end of this mini series, sorry no pt. 2 for other characters, but i hope you all enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing <3

[chevelleneech]

Watching Frankie Biggz react to the BTS guide, and apparently he said at some point that Tae was acting bitchy during episode 3 of AYS, and got attacked by people who claims he called Tae a bitch.

I don’t watch his reactions to AYS, so I have no idea how that situation went down, but in his reaction to the guide he’s explaining himself and is saying people apparently told him AYS is scripted, and that the show wrote Tae acting the way he did.

I hate that. Tae’s solos in particular are so fucking loud and obnoxious, that they’ve genuinely convincing people AYS is a scripted travel series, just because someone said Tae was acting bitchy. I disagree with Frankie, personally. I didn’t see any difference in Tae’s actions or words, but I’m also a long time fan of the group. I have a better understanding of his personality than someone just coming into the fandom, but that goes for all fans.

Those of us who have been around for 2+ years let alone 10, will obviously know Tae is much more dry and comes across as bitchy at times, and that’s fine. That’s his personality, but it doesn’t mean he can’t also be funny and care free. But to blatantly lie to someone and claim the entire show has been pre-determined and scripted, is such bullshit. Because going forward, Frankie isn’t going to have a true understanding of who Jimin and Jungkook are.

Do I anticipate this older man shipping them? Obviously fucking not, but him feeling as if he was manipulated by a script into viewing Tae a certain way, means he’s going to watch the remainder of the series with the wrong assumption. He’s going to think Jimin and JK are doing and saying things they’ve been written to do and say, and that paints an entirely different picture of their bond.

I truly fucking hate Tkkrs and toxic solos, because one single misunderstanding has led to a new fan stepping into an entirely different mindset now. Because not only is he goi g forward thinking AYS is fake, thus JM and JK likely don’t interact the way they’re shown in the show, but he’s also going to go forward believing Tae is a target of the company in some way, because he was written to come across as bitchy, when the fan made guide show him as being upbeat.

So ridiculous how easy it is to trick new fans, and it’s asinine that the majority of the fandom in Frankie’s comments aren’t calling it out. They’re just saying to not let negative fans get to him, and other (deserved) commented about how it’s okay to take a step back if he wants to. But no one is telling him those toxic fans stem from one specific issue, and that’s them hating Jimin. That’s them hating the fact that Jimin has a relationship (or whatever status) with Jungkook that Tae doesn’t, so they make up bullshit ass lies to make the importance JK himself has put upon Jimin in his life, seem less than what it is.

A handful of people trying to tell him the show wasn’t scripted and that’s just how Tae is, in a metaphorically crowded ass room of people yelling fuck shit, is just not working either. Especially when some of the people telling the truth, are also tacking on their own lies. Saying Tae was probably just tired or upset in episode 3, the same was JK was irritated in episode 6. IRRITATED WHERE!? The entire episode is him saying how happy he was to be back in Sapporo, and having fucking snowball fights with Jimin. He was smiling and laughing the entire damn episode, but one single moment of him JOKINGLY saying he’s being angry for the the sake of the show trumps all?

Fuck those people man. And I know I should be so frustrated, but Frankie Biggz seems like an alright dude so far. He’s a little older and says what he thinks, and the fandom hates that, but some people also welcome it, and that’s cool. But he also seems genuinely interested in the groups musicality as opposed to just wanting to watch them because he sees other people getting into kpop. So it’s incredibly annoying that Tkkrs got to him and are lying to him about who Tae is, as well painting a false image of Jimin and Jungkook’s dynamic.

[chroniclesof15]

The Doctor, the Stage, and the Alias

Well, now that I’ve had a bit of time to reflect on it, I suppose I should finally talk about my most recent stint on the stage. And no, I’m not referring to another alien confrontation or some kind of grandiose galactic event, but rather a good old-fashioned play. A classic. And I’m not going to lie -- there was something thrilling about it. The spotlight, the lines, the dramatic pauses. There’s a certain… magic to performing in front of an audience. You wouldn’t think the Doctor would be the type to enjoy it, would you? But oh, how wrong you'd be, darling.

It all started when I thought it’d be fun to try something different -- different for me, that is. You know, get out of the TARDIS, leave the whole time-traveling, world-saving business behind, and just, well, perform. I’m not unfamiliar with a bit of acting -- let's be honest, I’ve played countless roles throughout my life. But this time, I decided to take it up a notch. A bit of comedy, a bit of tragedy.

Enter the play.

Now, to avoid any unwanted attention (because, trust me, the Doctor has a way of drawing attention to himself), I decided to go incognito. Oh, I could have just used a simple alias, but no -- where’s the fun in that? So, I became… Ncuti -- yes, Ncuti. It was a name I came up with on the spot. The TARDIS might’ve conveniently nudged me toward something that sounded good, but in the end, I think it worked rather well. You see, “Ncuti” has a sort of vibe about it, doesn’t it? Strong, confident, a bit mysterious. Perfect for me, don’t you think?

Performing in this play (oh, you know, The Importance of Being Earnest), I couldn’t help but laugh at how ridiculously human the whole thing was. The pettiness, the misunderstandings, the social facades. It was like I was looking at the universe through the lens of a magnifying glass, and it made everything so… comically small in comparison. But it was delightful. I’m sure Ruby would have rolled her eyes at the farce, and Rogue would’ve caught on to every ironic twist -- but, they weren’t with me at the time. It was just me and the audience, and I had a rather marvellous time.

The best part? The costume. Oh, darling, you should’ve seen me in my outfit -- bright, colourful and a REALLY big skirt. Of course, but with just a little Doctor flair. After all, if you're going to play a role, you have to own it, right? And I did, with a bit of my usual panache. Honestly, I’m not sure I could’ve stayed out of the spotlight if I tried. What can I say? Being Ncuti was liberating… but it was also a reminder of how much I enjoy these little detours. A bit of performance, a bit of pretend, and for a few hours, I wasn't the Doctor. I was just a man, on a stage, in front of an audience. It was a refreshing change.

[muninnhuginn]

hello! for the wip ask game: 🌀🌧️☔

hi! sorry for taking ridiculously long to answer this, but thanks for asking ^^

🌀Post the fic summary for a fic you haven't written/published yet. It can be hypothetical or something you really plan on releasing...

Went for the placeholder summary of the angsty CXS-QL siblingisms fic I've been stalled on for months:

It's not that Cheng Xiaoshi wouldn't like Qiao Ling as a sister. It's just that she has her family; he has his. That's all there is to it. That's all there will ever be.

🌧️Share something angsty from your WIP.

This is from the siblingisms fic. Hopefully makes sense without much context, but tldr Cheng Xiaoshi and Xiao Li are at the store having accidental emotional (un)honesty hours:

Cheng Xiaoshi muttered, “I’m not going to make the mistake of pushing myself into somewhere I’m not wanted.” That hadn’t been what he’d meant to say. “Not that I think– Maybe when we were younger, it was one thing, but Qiao Ling has her own stuff on, nowadays.” Better. Xiao Li's expression was unreadable at that, so Cheng Xiaoshi cleared his throat and continued, “You do get that, right?” It came out more pleading than he was comfortable with. He clearly hadn't convinced Xiao Li, whose eyes narrowed. For a second, Cheng Xiaoshi thought he might leave it be, but then he moved closer. Cheng Xiaoshi resisted the urge to shy back, well aware there was a shelf directly behind him. “Look,” Xiao Li said, resting a hand on Cheng Xiaoshi’s shoulder. “You’re young. You’ve got your whole life ahead of you. Now is the time for you to make mistakes, alright?” The grip on his shoulder tightened until it verged on painful. “Make your mistakes now so you don’t make them later.” Xiao Li looked away then, allowing the harsh lights of the store to catch his wrinkles. He seemed old, all of a sudden. “Don’t presume you know what’s going on in someone’s else’s mind.”

☔Is there a fic concept you have that you'd like to just explain and share because you're not sure you'll ever write it? If so, what is it?

I've got two here. One Link Click (donghua version), one White Cat Legend (cdrama version specifically).

The Link Click concept is something I may attempt one day, but eh, for now it's just in my head. So, the hospital-boat loop in season two. I subscribe to the idea that Lu Guang never meant for Cheng Xiaoshi to loop back in his place at the hospital. And I'd love to explore the implications of that if you actually follow them through. Lu Guang may not have even *realised* that Cheng Xiaoshi went back at first, so in this concept, when he realises what happened (due to CXS casually referencing the phone passcode of trauma LG did not know he knew), he freaks. Thinks CXS could have seen something when was possessing him (s2 finale spoilers obviously :V). And in trying to dig to figure out *what* Cheng Xiaoshi knows from his possession that time (which is... basically nothing) Lu Guang would basically give the game away to some extent. Hadn't decided if to make it full reveal or not, but that was the gist (still not written a proper reveal in general, but at some point I should at least try rather than dancing around it).

The other concept. So, honestly, I *know* there are probably fic with this as the basis but none of it is in English so I'm stuck pawing sadly at the sidelines. White Cat Legend (cdrama not donghua) time travel fix-it with qiubing. Where they both go back and don't realise the other has also gone back and so spend the whole time suspicious of each other. I hadn't gone any further than that because I know time travel fix-it deals tend to be longer than a short one-shot which is all I trust myself to write, but their whole canon loyalty/distrust dynamic is so compelling. They're both falling on swords for each other whilst refusing to clear any of the misunderstandings up. So turbo charging that dynamic with time travel and giving them the chance to fix everything if they'd just talk *properly* to each other is like catnip to me.

[xo-edwinspaynes]

tell us more about cordelia! something you love, something you wish we knew more about, something you relate to, something you've discerned that we might not have seen yet, why she doesn't seem to know any neurotypicals yet might be neurotypical herself, etc. just cordelia. i think we should talk about her more

Cordelia, Cordelia, Cordelia!

She is my daughter. She delights me. She confounds me.

Despite being one of my favourite characters in TSC, I find everything she does baffling. Every time she is faced with a choice, any choice at all, she does the exact opposite thing than I would have done. For her, she makes the right choices. If I made her choices, though, I'd rip my own hair out. We are SUCH different people.

I actually really like this. A lot of my favourite characters are important to me because of the ways that I find myself mirrored in them. Matthew, Alastair, and Thomas are all great examples. Cordelia serves a different function to me as a window character. Watching her is like a huge character study in someone Very Unlike Me who's extremely complex, likeable, and ultimately lovely.

Matthew and Cordelia

The sole exception to this "Cordelia-and-I-make-different-choices" rule is when she runs off to Paris with Matthew, which I would have done. It would have been a good decision for me but was actually an awful one for her.

I'm going to be a little rambley here, but I want to talk a little bit about her relationship with my Best Blorbo Matthew. I think that she fundamentally misunderstands him, which is interesting for me to watch as someone who's so similar to Matthew. I might dissect the whole scene one day when I have time, but there's this bit where she's rejecting him where he's going on and on about all the places they can travel to. She says, "we can't always be running away." This was so interesting to me!!! Because it was so obvious to me that Matthew wasn't running away. He's planning his dream future full of unknown adventures, and he's trying to fit her in. She's too settled, she wants to be settled, and that's okay! They're just not compatible. But she so greatly misunderstands what he's trying to do, and I kind of turn my head to that scene to go "huh. That's why I don't understand her."

Daisy, My Daughter

There are so many things I love about Cordelia. I absolutely adore her bravery and her compassion, and I think she feels a lot. I think she's strong and independent.

I think that she's capable of being crafty and sneaky when she wants to be (see: the wording of the oath she has Lilith repeat to her in ChoT.) She's my daughter, my ridiculously frustrating daughter, who I know has a brain somewhere in there that she never uses.

I also will say that I really like the drive that she has to be a hero. It's refreshing to see a girl character who actively attempts to realize a goal like that rather than someone who's thrust into a world Chosen-One-Style. Both Clary and Tessa were "Chosen One" type characters, which served their genre well for the time. Cordelia, like Emma, was just an ambitious Shadowhunter, and I find her story very interesting as a result. And I like how Cordelia is in part driven by a desire for merciful, compassionate heroism (unlike Emma, who was driven by a desire for revenge). It sets her apart from all the other Emma-type Badass Warrior Girls who want to go out and kick as much ass as possible.

She's such a delightful person and one I would be proud to call a friend IRL. And she's a great character in a lot of ways, though I think there are some narrative issues holding her back.

Cordelia and Cassandra Clare's Narrative

I feel like Cordelia is the one character that I wish I could steal from Cassie and repurpose. I generally really like what Cassie does with most of her characters, and I like a lot of the things she did with Cordelia. If I didn't, I wouldn't love her so much. But I think that with some VERY MINOR tweaking, Cordelia could have been even better.

The issue with Cordelia is that the author gives her very little agency. The narrative serves to protect her and James as the Herongraystairs kids, and I get that, but it feels like Cordelia is often just dragged along for the ride. Like, she is the main character! Why is she given almost no agency or real choices? Why is she just swept along with the narrative as a pawn in this large chess game that is TLH? I was talking with a close mutual @alastaircarstairsdefenselawyer a while back who said it would have been great if Cordelia became Lilith's paladin willingly to try to take power from all the awful men who abuse it. I would have loved this! If Cordelia had been allowed to get just a little bit messy, bend the rules of morality, and make some mistakes, she would have been even more incredible than she is.

The Impact of Lacking Agency

This narrative issue manifests as my least favorite Cordelia character trait: her hyper-naivete. She is so naïve in a way that is almost unbelievable to me as a reader. Like, her response to "dad's an alcoholic who's been abusing me since I was 10" is "huh!!!! That's why I found gin bottles everywhere and he was super clunky and they stopped serving wine! Who'd have guessed?" And, she literally swore fealty to this dude who said he was Wayland the Smith because... he said so? Like ??? Girl!!! Other people, especially your brother, have paid a great price for that naïveté. That bothers me.

The thing that's annoying about this is that I've come to the conclusion that Cassie didn't intend for Cordelia to be so naïve. It was a side effect of giving her no agency. If someone is an adult, that means they necessarily have agency; if someone has agency, they lose moral purity. Ergo, Cordelia was necessarily naïve.

Alastair and Cordelia

I also feel like re: the writing, I find Alastair and Cordelia's dynamic to be simultaneously excellent and irritating. Because he sacrificed his whole life for her! It should not have taken her several months and a murder accusation to marginally stand up for him! I'm sorry!

But I also really love their relationship, especially in ChoT. It makes me so happy to see them joking around together like normal siblings, and I feel like Alastair by Beloved Blorbo gets to kind of... be a normal guy with his little sister, if only a little bit. He doesn't need to act in loco parentis anymore, and they're immediately messing around. I love it.

Again, I wish the relationship were written in a more cohesive way. Maybe it's because I don't have a sibling. But it feels like Cordelia DOES acknowledge that Alastair is the constant lifelong protector that she wants to call out to when she's scared. But she also simultaneously says that he's like quicksand unprompted and tells Matthew that he must think she's terrible to love him.

Cassie, why!?

Cordelia and her Neurodivergent BFFs

This is a funny observation you make, that she "doesn't seem to know any neurotypicals yet might be neurotypical herself." And I agree, actually! I don't really have a lot of thoughts on this besides "that's just who she naturally wound up around because of her familial and life circumstances." What do you think of it? I'm curious to know. <3

[rmorde]

I think it's beautifully tragic that it ended up being Sukuna who freed Gojo from his loneliness and made him feel like a human not a god.

It's sad, but it doesn't diminish his love for the students imo.

Objectively, yes. You are absolutely right, Anon. It is a beautiful tragedy. Can't deny that Gege must have crafted #236 as a way to give Gojo a lovely yet ironic send-off. The man everyone touted as the heroic teacher and savior was suffering from isolation brought up by circumstance. Only the villain could save him and end the never ending cycle of sacrifice he was trapped in.

I know it sound ridiculous but frankly, imo, Gojo is sacrificing and being selfless all this time on hindsight. As revealed in the Afterlife Airport, Gojo just wants to have fun and be connected with people. That is his most selfish desire. However, he forgoes those desires and instead dedicated himself into serving others.

Gojo is very simple. Gege said so himself and I could see it only now.

-> Gojo just wants to live happily with friends and have fun with his powers. -> Gojo realizes he cannot do that because people suffer. Suffering is something he had come to know intimately through Geto and Amanai. He wants no one else to experience that. So, he tries his best to prevent others from going through it by being responsible in his own unconventional way. -> Gojo tries to build a better world where people get to have a choice (unlike Amanai) and would not have to fight alone (unlike Geto). Both of these are anti-thesis to the current culture of jujutsu society. -> Gojo cannot kill the higher-ups to get what he wants because it is not a permanent solution since others would just replace them. -> So, Gojo plays the long game. He undermines the higher-ups by becoming a teacher instead of a simple yet effective foot soldier. This is the toughest part because it's like a Heavenly Restriction. Gojo takes in young sorcerers and acts as a buffer for them. In exchange, Gojo has to do missions with barely any time to spare. Those spare time he does get, he uses it to teach his students in a goofy way.

On the surface level, Gojo looks like a happy-go-lucky asshole who never takes anything seriously. However, the guy is working all the time, isn't he? When does he gets sweets? Between jobs while travelling for missions. When does he play around? While fighting curses or partaking in school events which are essentially his job. When is he being so goofy? While teaching his students which again is his job.

No wonder he is so sadistic against curses and downright nasty with his teasing at times. Gojo needs an outlet from all that stress of being worked to the bone. The guy doesn't get a day-off. Even worse, no one really realizes it because of the first impression he makes as a competent weirdo and his lack of delicacy makes him so off-putting that no one really digs deep on what exactly he is doing or how he is doing. His reputation as "The Strongest' could not have been of any help too.

Gojo has simple goals and is very simple in his methods at achieving it. There are no hidden agendas, double meanings, sugarcoating, or anything. Whatever he says is exactly what you will get.

However, everyone in and out of the JJK-verse, tend to make a molehill out of everything Gojo does or says. No one could get an accurate reading on him because as "The Strongest", he must have something grand up on his sleeves like a selfish plan for some sinister selfish goal.

-> Nanami: He is the biggest example for me among the adults. I love him but it's clear that he does not really like Gojo and misunderstands him a lot. He cares about him like a professional colleague and former schoolmate. However, they're not besties. I think Haibara's loss is too much of an overwhelming barrier between them.

Nanami is wise and mature but it's clear in the story that he is human too. Despite logic telling otherwise, he puts Gojo on an unreachable pedestal and resents him for failing him one time - the death of Haibara. This is something I really like about him because it shows that he is not perfect and his emotions cannot simply be ruled over by cold logic. I'm sure Nanami understands that it was the higher-ups that screwed them over. Hence his protective and supportive nature towards Yuji. But, again since Nanami put Gojo on a pedestal, he cannot help the slight bitterness he would always have towards the Six Eyes user.

Because of that bitterness, Nanami does not see Gojo beyond the surface level. Although, another reason might be is that he is scared to see Gojo as human who can get hurt like them too. To think of Gojo as a person might break Nanami's worldview.

-> Megumi: His relationship with Gojo is complicated to say the least. While I love to headcanon them as a loving perfectly functional family, I know in canon that they're not exactly all sunshine and rainbows together. Megumi has a very bad first impression of Gojo and it is something that persists throughout their times together. He is like that "first-child" phenomenon of a parent figuring things out on how to properly treat a child and got fucked up by it.

Gojo did did everything wrong in their first interaction. He did save Megumi and Tsumiki. He even gave the kid a choice on what to do and was planning on telling him the truth about Toji. Those were kind actions BUT that was after Gojo delivered the disgusting news about Megumi being sold like cattle. To cap it all off, Gojo encourage the boy the get strong.

So, how else would Megumi think of him other than being nice on the surface but with a hidden a agenda underneath?

Everyone thinks of Gojo poorly despite everything he does and is only appreciated for his powers. I think the only exceptions are: Yuji, Yuta, and Shoko.

-> Shoko: She was a trio with Gojo and Geto. Out of everyone, she knows him best and truly take his words in for what it is. The trouble tho is they cannot connect because of a misunderstanding. Shoko often waits for Gojo to take the initiative in their interactions first. While Gojo, on the other hand, buys into Shoko's aloof neutral facade and respects it by not getting her roped into his affairs.

-> Yuji & Yuta: I grouped these two together because they are very similar in their relationship with Gojo. They were both outsiders to the jujutsu society and was saved from execution by Gojo. The man was their lifeline literally. Their first impression on him has largely positive despite his weirdness. In fact, out of everyone, Yuji and Yuta are the only ones to see Gojo as a person first then "The Strongest" second. They both worry for him and wanted to rush in to help him (Yuji in Shibuya, Yuta in Shinjuku). I believe the only obstacles that stop them from reaching out to Gojo are: -> He is their teacher. That is both a generational and power gap that is difficult to overcome even in real life. -> Their peers and environment are kind of pressuring them to follow the norm of "Gojo is the Strongest. Don't worry about it. He'd be fine alone."

I had high hopes that it is Yuji, Yuta, or Shoko that could break through Gojo's lonely cycle of sacrifice. If there was anyone that can cross that divide, I thought it would be them after some character development.

So, it is a bitter pill to swallow for me that it was Sukuna that did it first and robbed them of the opportunity by killing Gojo instead. It fucking hurts because it was so unfair for Gojo but more so on the trio who had seen him as a person but were unable to communicate it properly.

In my PoV, Shoko, Yuta, and Yuji were so fucking close at saving Gojo from loneliness and correcting him from his mistaken belief that his love is always one-sided - that no one could ever understand him despite the care he gives judging from the flower metaphor that he used. I partly blame Geto for this and also jujutsu society's toxic culture.

I'm mad and upset that Sukuna got to Gojo first before everyone else has a chance which makes it a beautiful tragedy indeed. I respect Gege for that.

But subjectively, I'm upset about it and find the whole thing so difficult to accept because for that very same reason. It's a tragically beautiful conclusion which makes it a harrowing reminder that this is JJK and JJK is not a pretty world when all I ever want is for Yuji and Shoko to not lose so much more.

[taoofshigeru]

What Else To Do But Talk? (Partitio Yellowil x Ori)

Partitio and Ori spend time at a tavern. (~2200 words)

A sequel to this fic, with the same warning. Giga-turbo Octopath Traveler 2 endgame spoilers ahead!

-----

Since Ori came to, the two of them had spent a lot of time not talking.

Which was good because she had no idea how she was going to elucidate on any of this.

Partitio was just always there. He was a familiar grip on her hand, a glass of water or a flip for her pillow when she did find the few words needed to ask for it. And whenever he wasn't, that apothecary Castti wasn't fussing over her wound, changing her bandages or making sure she swallowed all her medicine.

And so her body got better. She felt her strength returning by the day, but it didn't to much to alleviate the pit in the bottom of her stomach. Her sins were many, and they were not going away just because one woman stuck hard to a policy of treating the sick until they weren't and one man was nicer to her than she had any right to expect.

Still, she didn't think about leaving. Not after that first talk with Partitio. She remembered being held in his arms, crying like she never had in her entire life. And the walls in her heart, walls she had built up with a lot of training and practice in information warfare, had crumbled into so many hills of sand. It made it hard to find some things, mentally.

But it also made her more open, or at least less resistant, to new things. So when Castti told her she was ready for some outside air, and later when showed up with a modest pink dress with a frilly white collar that happened to be Ori's size, she found herself shrugging and getting changed.

"Remember, she's ready for walking, but she still needs to be treated with care." Castti, who now had six other patients in Oresrush to attend to but was still fussing over Ori's outfit, had been insistent that no patient of hers would go out in Partito's old rags. "She's back to sleep in her bed tonight, or we'll be having words, young man."

"Yup, nothin' to worry about there." Partitio, her escort for the night, was cordial and chipper about the whole thing. "Lookin' pretty good there, Ori."

"Uh, okay?" She was feeling light-headed already. "Are we really going out for dinner? You should know, I don't even have a leaf to my name."

"Aw shucks, I guess ya lost my calling card." He fished around in his pocket and came out with a single silver leaf. "But since we're already friends, I'm happy to put up a spare."

"Your business card." She smiled and clutched the single silver leaf in one hand, gripping it so, so tightly. "That's so like you. You took a mildly maladroit misunderstanding and turned it into yet another one of those ridiculously charming things you do without even trying!"

"Aw shucks." She must've imagined him getting flushed a little in the flickering light by the doorframe. "Follow me, we're goin' out for a change of pace." He held out his hand, callused from years of mine labor.

She gripped the merchant's hand with hers and let him pull her along the town's main street…

…

She ended up following him to a tavern.

It was a well-kept place in a corner of town, off the main street but not too far off. Partitio was met with cheers as he walked in, as well as questions about his cute lady friend. He smiled and deflected him, just about as shy as Ori had remembered him. Everything she learned about this man had reinforced her two initial impressions. One, he absolutely was this kind. Two, he absolutely was this cool.

They reached the table, and one of the barmaids came by to get their order. Partitio got a mug of hops-brewed stuff from the Conning Creek Distillery. Ori settled for plum juice. She wasn't much of a drinker, anyhow.

They made small talk until the drinks arrived. After her first sip, she opened with the question that had been bothering her ever since she woke up. "I guess you got to my brother before he made it to Vidania, huh?"

"Aw, no, that eagleboro fella' succeeded all right. Tossed," He coughed his throat loudly, "lit off the flame and called Vide down."

"Oh." She felt really small all of a sudden. "So Vide must've hurt a lot more people." She took a sip of her mug of plum juice to avoid talking. To avoid considering all that extra suffering that now lay at her feet. She took a big quaff in the hopes that downing it might buy her more time than a sip would.

"Nah, me'n the friends got there first. Handled it 'fore it got outta hand." He shrugged.

Ori spat out her entire mouthful of plum juice.

"You're telling me you BEAT Vide?" Purple liquid was dripping down her cheeks, and all over the table. But she was too shocked, too flabbergasted to care. "You're telling me your chummy cadre of compatriots gobsmacked the god of shadow? In a fight?"

"Hehe, whew there, Ori." Partitio, now soaked in purple fruit juice, fanned himself with his hat. "Sure, Vide was a tough hunk of evil, purpler than this here plum juice. But he wasn't nothin' the eight of us couldn't take on together." There was that grin, that gods-damned grin she had fallen so hard for. "I could tell ya the fun story. Give ya a scoop?"

She leaned in close, arms reaching down to pull out a notebook that was, of course, nowhere in her pocket. "You have to tell me how this happened!" Fumbling around, she grabbed one of the white napkins off the table. Partitio handed her a pen from out of his pocket, and she began scribbling furiously.

"So the first thing that happened was Castti poked 'em right in the eye with a spear. And then…"

…

"So then I told 'em." He leaned in with a conspiratorial tone. "Ya know, if you're gonna take over the world, plunge it into shadow or whatnot, don't ya think you'll be needin' a solid base of funds?"

"And he just, listened?"

"Well, not at first. He tried to cast a spell that would'a turned me into a statue, but Throné had me covered and it just rockified a few of his scales instead. And I kept talkin', outlinin' the case for why that fella might just wanna have twenty thousand clams in the back pocket. And there was a lotta maniacal laughin', a lotta 'The Night Will Claim You'," His voice hit a falsetto for the impression.

"Pfft!" Ori had no idea whether the impersonation was accurate, but she knew she found it funny. "Go on, you boisterous buckaroo." She was still furiously taking notes. With the borrowed pen on yet another napkin.

"But I could tell I was talkin' my way into it. Then later on, big guy was windin' up with a punch that woulda knocked Temenos and Osvald eight hundred leagues underwater. And ya know what I said?"

"Ohh, what?"

"Fifty thousand leaves will buy you a mighty fine torture dungeon." He chuckled. "And I just plopped 'em down on the other side of the dais and gave big purple this look."

Ori stared at him in dubious disbelief. "And Vide just, went over there to grab it? Skipped the whole attack."

"That he did. Ate the money like candy, too, which I ain't never seen before and don't plan on seein' again." He lifted his flass to take a drink and realized it was empty. "The mercs I hired were kinda sour about whole thing. Fair's fair, guess it kinda cut inta their salary." He cast the mug aside and shrugged innocently. "Next thing ya know, Osvald's back on his feet, stunnin' him with One True Magic (II) and then Ochette bit 'em in the face and the fella weren't gettin' back up again after that. Most don't. Nah, he just griped a little and then slunk right back into the dark."

"You did it, you really did it!" Ori tossed the twenty-third napkin full of scribble scrawl onto the pile she had been building. She had been too enraptured by Partitio's tale of doom deferred to realize she was now out of napkins, or that the tavern was mostly empty. "You and your genial group of good eggs looked malice in the evil eye and said Evil? Nay!" The silence that followed was deafening.

Or maybe that was just because the pub was entirely empty, aside from the two of them and the bartender. Who was giving them a look. Oh no.

Partitio meanwhile, was counting out coins into a small sack. When he was finished, he hefted the thing and threw it in a perfect arc to the owner of the tavern. "Why don't I lock up tonight, pardner?"

He nodded wryly. "Why am I not surprised?" He finished cleaning the last glass, then walked over to their table and slapped a key on their table. "Noon tomorrow, buddy."

"You got it."

He had cleared out, and the two sat in silence before Ori finally let out with what had been on her mind. "So, what am I supposed to do now?"

"How d'ya mean?" He didn't seem confused. More like he just wanted to hear her talk.

"How am I supposed to live my life?" She shook her head. "Now that I decided I want to live one? My brother's gone, my profession was always a cover, and my old 'friends' are about to get hauled off to inquisition but good. I have to start from nothing. Worse than that, I have a dozen balance sheets' worth of blood on my hands. Blood I'll never be able to wash off. And that, facing up to that is terrifying." Her voice cracked a little.

"C'mon now, Ori." Partitio shook his head. "You might be in some pretty dire straits, but ya can't have nothin' so long as you're alive. What is it ya like?"

She was struck by the straightforward nature of his assertion. The idea that yes, someone like her could be worth something. "I, I haven't really ever thought about that. …I don't think there's anything."

"Really? 'Cause I thought ya liked words." He grinned at her hefting up his empty mug to gesture at the stack of napkins. "Yer always puttin' em together in real pretty ways that simple folk like me could never manage."

"I, I do? But writing was just…" She thought back to all the articles she had written. To those moments when her pen had come alive. The moment she found just the right word in the treasure trove of terminology inside her think tank to make a headline glow. And she realized, herself. "…my favorite part of being alive. You're right."

"See now, that's a start." He rose up and took the key off the table. "We better be gettin' home soon, tho, or Castti will chew my ear off for keepin' a recovering patient out past sunrise."

She clutched at the stack of napkins, which she suddenly knew was her first step to something bigger. Her next words were whispered under her breath "…until I met you."

The tycoon was polite enough, after shutting up the tavern door with a padlock, to offer her his hand for the walk back.

"Partitio?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you. For everything." She sighed deeply, then looked up at him in the flickering torchlight. "I, I think there's one more thing I like. Something I want." She squeezed his palm again, then re-gripped it, lacing her fingers in with his.

"Eh? And what's that?" He looked down at her curiously as she wrapped her other arm around his.

"I want someone who knows how to see people. Someone who knows right from wrong, and can teach me to see the good in people too." Leaning in, hoping he would notice. "I think that'd help me uh, write better."

"Gee uh," Partitio scratched the back of his head, "I think you're a pretty good judge of character yourself, as it happens."

"Are all my innuendos really not getting traction here? They're starting to feel more like innuendon'ts." She turned her face away from him, pretending to sulk.

"Heheh, that one went over my head. Try again, though?" Did he get what she was trying to say?

Gods be damned, she was going to make sure he would. She pulled him down with as much force as her tired, weakened limbs could muster. It was enough to bring his head down low. Low enough for her to hit the big, sloppy softie with a bigger, sloppier kiss. His lips, rough and chapped by desert sands, somehow manged to be gentle as he leaned forward to return the gesture. "I love you, you tender-yet-titillating tycoon. Do you need me to stamp the headline on your face? Again?!" She wiped her lips off. "Gods, you taste like plum juice."

He smiled back at her. "Nah, nah, I think I got that one." It was a smile she still had trouble feeling like she deserved, but she was willing to accept that it was a smile he meant for her. That was progress.

~End~

Part 3