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pretentious-blonde · 3 days

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patched up

pairing: remus lupin x reader

summary: you help remus clean up after the full moon, reminding him once again how much he is loved, even if he thinks he is underserving

warnings: cuts, wounds, physical pain

a/n: all i write is hurt/comfort, and I'm not even mad

Remus sat on the old leather couch, a book in his hand that just couldn’t seem to grasp his attention. His free fingers traced small circles on your legs, which you had ungracefully thrown over his own as you lounged together in the living room. It was still early, just coming up for noon, you both were aware of the time. Even if the knowledge was unspoken.

It was the full moon tonight, and despite the routine that you both had become familiar with, the boy couldn’t shake the nerves that coiled and twisted inside of him.

You pretended not to notice what he was doing, glancing at the door every couple of minutes, waiting for the inevitable knock. James and Sirius would arrive any moment now, take him away, far away for yet another transformation. You were used to it by now.

One thing that was always constant was that they had always been there for him, he appreciated that, but he hated leaving you. Especially when you gave him that soft, reassuring smile. Like everything would be fine. Like everything was fine.

“Rem,” you spoke softly, catching those big, brown eyes. His body was tense beneath you.

“I’m alright, dove,” he gave you a weak smile, his fingers stopping their patterns to give your calf a light squeeze. “Just… you know.”

And you did know. Painfully so.

You nodded, understanding him completely. You were about to speak more, but were interrupted by the shrill ring of the doorbell. He stiffened even more at the sound. Hand stilling.

He sighed and closed the book, setting it aside. His gaze moved to the hand on your leg, not wanting to move it, wanting to keep the inevitable away for just a second longer.

“It’s time,” he tells you quietly, like he does every month. His voice carried a sadness that he couldn’t hide completely.

You place your hand on top of his own, your smile gentle but knowing. “I’ll be right here. Waiting for you to get back, okay?”

He stood up, pulling you with him, tall body towering over your own. He let his hand linger on the small of your back as you both headed to the front door. When he opened it, James and Sirius stood waiting outside, both smiling softly as they knew what was to come. The car behind them was still running, headlights cutting through the fog, casting a warm glow behind them.

“Hey, mate,” James begins, smiling up at Remus. “You ready?”

Sirius leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms over his chest, his usual smirk missing from his face. “We’re ready when you are,” he said. His voice light in an attempt to ease your boyfriend’s nerves. “If you need a breather before we go, just say the word.”

Remus shook his head, he would rather just get this over and done with, no more stalling. You could feel the stress in his body increase as the hand on your waist held on a little tighter.

Sirius, sensing the clear tension that settled heavily in the air, finally cracked a smile. “Don’t worry,” he waved his hand in front of him. “You’ll be back here with your girl before you know it.” He said, winking in your direction.

James also turns his attention to you, giving you a mock salute, “He is in safe hands, don’t you fret.”

“And we won’t allow him to get too grumpy when we return him,” Sirius added, side-eyeing the man standing next to you. Remus runs a hand over his face at their teasing.

You rolled your eyes and gave them a half-glare, happy that they were trying to keep things light.

“I trust you both,” you say, tone teasing but nonetheless truthful. “Bring him back in one piece.”

James nods. “You have our word.”

Remus lets out a small, grateful smile before turning his attention back to you. He tucks a strand of hair behind your ear, allowing his hand to linger on your cheek for a moment. “I’ll be back tomorrow evening, darling. I promise,” he tells you, his gaze was intense. The act of leaving you now was painful.

You leaned forward and hugged him tightly, his own long arms wrapping around you immediately. Secure and firm, he never wanted to let go.

“I know you will,” you whispered into his chest, voice muffled by his worn jumper. “I’ll be here.”

Remus reluctantly loosened his embrace, kissing your forehead gently as he allowed himself to linger.

“Thank you, sweetheart,” he murmured as he held your chin. Warm, tired eyes burrowing into your own. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” you say quickly. He already knew that but—god—did it feel good to hear you say it back. He turned towards the car behind him, giving you a small wave before climbing in.

Remus settled into the back seat as the other two slid into the front. He watched you as the car sped away, trying to push down the knots his stomach was tying. Sirius leaned back, tossing him a lighthearted grin from the passenger seat.

“Come on, Moony,” Sirius said, trying to help him relax. “It’s just another moon. We have done this hundreds of times now.”

"Another moon, another miserable night,” Remus grumbled, no longer having the will to fake a smile. You weren’t there anymore.

James glanced back from the driver’s seat, a sympathetic look now in his eyes. “You’ll be alright, mate. Besides, from the way you’re moping, I’d say you’re just lovesick.”

“Definitely lovesick,” Sirius said, nodding his head in agreement.

Remus sighed, staring out the trees flying past the window. “Yeah,” he said softly. “I am. I’m damn lucky to be.”

James and Sirius exchanged a quick, knowing look, but didn’t tease him further. Remus just wanted to get through this—so he could go back to the one person who made everything else worth it.

Remus tried his hardest to be silent when he entered, opening the door gently to lessen the loud creak, his movements were slow and heavy as he stepped inside. It was late—much later than he intended to be—every inch of his tired body screamed in protest at the slightest movement. He winced as a sharp pain shot through his ribcage, having to reach out and steady himself against the wall, closing the door behind him.

It had been bad this time. Really bad. James and Sirius had confirmed it, as if the fresh wounds couldn’t tell him that already. Their concerned faces still clear in his memory.

The cuts on his body were deep—deeper than usual—one stretching across his chest, another on his arm, and a particularly nasty one that covered the side of his face. He had no recollection of how he acquired them, but they offered a fresh reminder of what he was. What he could become.

He trudged up the stairs, each step more painful than the last, eventually making his way to the bathroom. He avoided the mirror, the last thing he wanted to see was his reflection—the scars, the bandages, the tired eyes that always seemed more hollow after the events of a full moon. He quickly redressed the lacerations on his torso, delaying touching the one on his cheek.

He didn’t want to see what it looked like, but he had no choice. He needed to change it. He would just have to do it fast.

Glancing up quickly, he caught a brief glimpse of himself. He felt the air knocked out of his lungs. Immediately he looked away, biting down another wave of familiar self-loathing that flowed through him.

He hated this—hated how he looked, how his body was always going to be a physical reminder of how cursed he was. How much of a monster he was.

With shaky hands, he removed a bandage from its plastic casing, placing it on his face as swiftly as he could. He pulled out a loose set of pyjamas and quickly slipped them on his aching body, just wanting to crawl into bed and pretend the previous night never happened.

He opened the door to your shared bedroom and paused in the doorway, taking in the sight of your sleeping figure. You were lying peacefully on your side of the bed, the soft rise and fall of your chest, the sound of your breathing drew him closer to you.

He paused before he got in, just standing there for a moment, taking you in, a bittersweet smile tugging at his lips for the first time in over twenty-four hours. He loved you. God, he loved you. The one thing in his life he would never get near his tribulation. The one thing that kept him going.

Carefully, he slipped in next to you, taking extra care not to rouse you. The ache in his arms flared up as he pulled back the heavy duvet, but he forced himself to ignore it. After all, what was a little discomfort when he could be close to you?

He shuffled closer, wincing at the pain that shot through his muscles, but it appeared to melt into the background as he felt your warmth permeate his skin.

For a moment, he was content just laying there next to you, watching you sleep. If you were awake you would probably call him a creep. He stifled a chuckle at the image that formed in his mind.

His heart ached—not from the wounds or exhaustion he had sustained, but from the overwhelming combination of emotions he felt for you. He hoped you were sleeping well, lord knows he wouldn’t be. Not with the soreness that was coursing through his drained body, but his own well-being didn’t concern him right now. What mattered was that he was here, with you.

With a soft sigh, he gently pulled your sleeping form closer to him, his arms trembling slightly with the strain. The throbbing in his chest flared up again, but he ignored it. Instead, he buried his face in your hair and let the steady sound of your breathing soothe him. He kissed the top of your head, whispering into the silent room.

“I’m home, love,” he murmured, voice almost inaudible as sleep began to pull him under. “Promised I would be.”

The first thing you felt when you stirred was a familiar warmth, strong arms wrapped around you, and for a brief moment, your heart swelled with relief. He was back. He always came back to you. But every time he managed to crawl back home you couldn’t help but worry if it would be worse than the last time. You shifted slightly, turning in his embrace in order to get a better look at him—that’s when you noticed.

The fresh bandages, hastily applied, peeked out from his long sleeve, another covering the side of his face. You ached for him at the sight of them. You pulled your arms from beneath the duvet, reaching out to touch the dressing. Your fingers hovered just above it, pausing mid-air as you stopped yourself. The last thing you wanted to do was hurt him more. You didn’t know what lay beneath them.

You wriggled out of his hold, taking additional time and care so as to not wake the man sleeping soundly next to you. He needed the rest. You were certain he would be in pain as soon as he rose, and as much as the idea of staying in his arms sounded heavenly, you decided to make yourself useful.

Padding quietly to the kitchen, odd socks on your feet, you grab two cups from the cupboard above your head. You had to go on your tiptoes to reach them. Usually, Remus would insist on getting them for you—he had once seen you clamber up onto the counter and it nearly gave him a heart attack—but he was preoccupied today.

The kettle bubbled softly as you pulled out the jar of tea, along with the packet of biscuits—chocolate, of course, his preferred choice. You prepared it in the way he taught you, letting it brew for a good couple of minutes before removing the teabag, pouring in a healthy glug of milk. You returned to the bedroom, steaming mugs in hand and the packet of biscuits under your arm.

The brunette began to stir at the soft crackle of plastic as you placed the treats on the bedside table, holding your own mug close to your chest as you sat on the floor beside the bed. You watched his eyes as they fluttered open.

“Hey,” you whispered, tilting your head to the side to look at him horizontally. “How are you feeling?”

He winced as he shifted over, his body still unbearably sore. His tired eyes met yours, and despite everything, he managed to give you a faint smile. It was hard not to when you looked at him like that.

“I’ve been better,” he replied, his voice husky with sleep.

You shook your head at his attempts to downplay his clear discomfort, trying to mask the worry in your eyes that was surely present.

“I made you tea,” you gesture to the cup next to you, pale wisps dancing around the top of it. He liked it hot, straight from the kettle. It amazed you how he could handle drinking it so fast. “And your favourite.”

“I’m a lucky man,” he said as he sat up, voice slightly strained as he finished his sentence. He reached out and dipped the biscuit in his mug, making a sound of relief as he popped it into his mouth, allowing the rich flavour to melt over his tongue.

He took a sip of his tea, sleeve rolling up slightly as he leant over, bandage visible. You didn’t want to mention how poorly they had been applied, you didn’t want to remind him. But it had to be done, for his sake.

“Rem,” you began gently, not wanting to upset him. “You need to change those.”

Immediately, he stiffened, his body pausing mid-sip. He loathed this part—being looked after and the vulnerability that came with it.

“Do I?” He muttered, voice lacking the spark it had when he woke up, clearly embarrassed at your statement.

You nodded solemnly, cringing at the discomfort in his eyes. “It might get infected,” you tell him. “You’re tired. Let me help you, please?”

He hesitated for a moment, an internal battle occurring in his head, before giving you one of his kind smiles. “Alright,” he responded, trying to keep the sadness from his voice. “Can I finish my tea first?”

You giggled, worry easing just a little. “Of course,” you say, nodding your head. “We’ll do it after.”

He placed his soon-empty cup on the side next to him, sighing heavily as he nodded to you. “Alright, love,” he said reluctantly. “I’m ready.”

You stand up slowly, reaching out to take his hesitant hand, leading him towards the bathroom. He traced your knuckles with his thumb as you both continued down the hallway. When you opened the door, he immediately hopped up on the counter silently. Ignoring the mirror and instead choosing to look down at his lap.

The first aid kit was under the sink, a pack that you always kept fully stocked. You quickly grabbed it before returning to your place in front of him, standing in between his spread legs. Your heart felt heavy at how exhausted he looked. How broken. But you refused to let him see that. He didn’t need to worry about you being worried about him. He had enough to deal with as it is.

“Can I take your jumper off?” You ask him softly, afraid of raising your voice. You needed to take care of him, and from the looks of it, he wanted to be as far away from this situation as possible.

His eyes left his lap and locked with yours. For a second, he looked as though he might say something, but instead, he just nodded. Words seemingly too hard to form right now.

You tried to keep your hands steady as you reached out, gently pulling the fabric over his head, keeping the material as far away from his body as you removed it. You folded up the material and placed it to the side, allowing him to get more comfortable with his bare skin showing before you gave him your attention again. But nothing could have prepared you for what you saw.

Bandages—there were so many of them, scattered haphazardly across his torso and arms. Each one was a significant reminder of what he had been through the previous night. You swallowed hard, putting on a brave face as you knew he was watching your every movement.

“You ready?” You asked, needing verbal confirmation as you knew this was going to hurt. Not just him, but yourself as well.

His lips twitched up into a half-smile, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “Ready as I’ll ever be,” he quipped, trying to take the edge off, but the pain was clear in his low voice.

You peeled off the dressings, not earning a large reaction from the boy sitting in front of you. Most of them had become unstuck as he slept, making your job easier. You reached for the cloth and antiseptic, deciding to start with the easier gashes first. Your touch was diligent and gentle as you cleaned him, dabbing carefully at the blood and dirt that clung to his skin.

He must have been shattered last night to skip this. That fact made you even more determined to fix this. To fix him. You couldn’t offer much, but you would do whatever you thought would help. Every few minutes, you’d glance up, wordlessly checking on him. Waiting for the swift bob of his head as he urges you to keep going.

“Am I hurting you?” You knew the answer already, but you needed to know how much.

“Only a little,” he lied, a faint smirk appearing on his face. “I’ve been though worse, dove.”

You roll your eyes at his ill attempt of humour, but at least he was able to crack a joke. That was a good sign.

“That doesn’t make me feel better,” you murmered as you pressed down on a particularly nasty cut, earning a small hiss from him. You hurried up when you heard the noise, not wanting to be the one behind his torture.

Finally, you turned your attention to the injury on his face, the angry red line that ran from his collarbone all the way up to his cheek. The sight of it yanked at your heartstrings and you knew you failed to mask your reaction, his body stiffened. Eyes darting away from yours as he attempted to look away. You caught his chin before he could withdraw into himself, forcing him to look at you.

Big, doe eyes filled with guilt, shame even, and it devastated you. He cleared his throat with a sharp cough, his voice gravely. “You shouldn’t have to do this,” he muttered, gaze dropping again despite the grip on his chin. “You shouldn’t—have to take care of me like this.”

You removed your hold on him, allowing both of your hands to continue working, dabbing gently as his mouth curled at the stinging sensation. “Remus,” you whispered, your voice filled with compassion. “I want to take care of you. I love taking care of you.”

He shook his head slightly, the conversation paining him more than your actions. “You’re too good to me,” he tells you, his voice monotone as if he was just speaking a fact. “Look at me, darling. I’m—I’m a mess.”

You smiled at the angelic boy in front of you and placed a kiss on his cheekbone, just above the cut. He really couldn’t see what you saw. What his friends saw in him. How he treated you all. He was the most selfless person you had ever met, going above and beyond for each and every person he cared for.

It wasn’t a skill that could be taught. It was innate. It was Remus. Always had been.

“You’re not a mess,” you say firmly. “You are mine. I love you—every scar, every mark, every part of you.”

You saw his throat bob as he swallowed, his eyes slightly glassy as he stared at you. He always struggled to allow people to give him affection, not believing he deserved it. He didn’t know where to put all the love you gave him. He always felt unworthy of it.

But in that moment, just the two of you in the cramped bathroom, illuminated by the small ceiling bulb. It felt right. Your fingers brushing over his scars, some fresher, some older, he thought maybe…just maybe. It would all be alright.

You finish the last dressing, smoothing it over his skin with the same tenderness you treated all the others. “All done,” you tell him, feeling proud of your handiwork.

Remus lets out a relieved chuckle at your pride. “I’d say you’ve missed your calling, love. Should’ve been a nurse.”

“Oh yeah?” You laugh, feeling the tension leave the room. “Maybe I’ll change careers.”

“I take it back,” he says quickly, eyes softening with affection. “I want you all to myself. I’m selfish.”

“Well, you’re in luck. I have the whole of today off,” you say, throwing the used bandages and their wrappers into the bin by the door. “We can do whatever you want.”

He raised an eyebrow, your words tempting him. “Anything?”

“Yep, anything at all,” you nod at him. “Within your...physical capabilities,” you quickly add. There is no way that would be happening in his condition.

“Well you’re no fun,” Remus frowns playfully, mischief still swimming in his eyes. “But I’m sure I can come up with something riveting for the both of us.”

You put your hands on your hips, assuming a determined stance. “I’m ready for whatever you’ve got in mind.”

He hums, pleased with your statement, lowering himself down from the counter and pulling his jumper back on. Grimacing as it brushes his skin. He motions for you to follow him into the living room, watching as he winces as he sits down on the couch, his face briefly tightening in pain. But then, true to form, he opens his wide arms and looks at you expectantly. “Come on then.”

You go to take a step forward but hesitate. You would love nothing more than to drape yourself over him, but the sight of his bandages stops you. “I don’t want to hurt you…”

A look of warmth crossed his face, shaking his head with a tender smile. “It’ll hurt more if you don’t let me hold you, darling. Come on.”

You can’t help but melt at his kind words, you gently ease yourself onto the couch, mindful of his injuries and not putting your full weight on him. His arms encase you instantly, pulling you impossibly closer despite the clear discomfort it caused him.

“You’re stubborn, you know that?” You scold him, your cheek resting on his chest, mindful of the dressing on the opposite side.

“Stubborn? No.” He quips, pressing a kiss to your temple. “Hopelessly in love? Maybe.”

You giggle, feeling his chest rise and fall beneath you in a steady rhythm. “A bit of both, I think.”

It’s his turn now to chuckle, his tired bones relaxing further into the soft cushions. “You might be right.”

You both just lie there in a comfortable silence, the sound of the world beginning to wake up outside only added to the ambience. He was at peace with you In his embrace, glancing down at you as you gazed at him softly. Fingers tracing gentle circles on an unharmed piece of his chest.

“So…” you begin, continuing your motions. “Any grand ideas for today?”

He shakes his head, stopping to meet your eyes, lips curling into a lazy smile. “Honestly? Just this. Just you.” His voice is playful but his words have never been more true. “Don’t need anything else.”

“Smooth,” you say sarcastically, suppressing a smirk of your own.

“I’m serious, love,” he chuckles. “I can’t think of a better way to spend today.”

Your heart soared at his words, you carefully shifted to cup his face. “I don’t plan on going anywhere.”

He pushes himself further into your palm, eyes closing for the briefest of moments, his hand coming up to cover your own. “Have I mentioned that you’re too good for me?” He tries to make it sound like a joke, but the familiar self-doubt can still be heard in his voice.

“Unfortunately, far too much,” you playfully glare. “You stubborn man.”

He reopens his eyes, now filled with an overwhelming amount of affection. It almost takes your breath away.

“Then I’m sure you’ve heard me say how lucky I am as well,” he teases, his expression never faltering.

“I’m the lucky one,” you grin cheekily, brushing back a stray lock of hair from his forehead. “My boyfriend makes an excellent cup of tea.”

“Is that all I’m here for?” He asks in mock offence, pulling you flush against him, despite the twinge of pain it caused. “Keeping me around for my tea-making skills?”

“Exactly,” you nestle your head against him.

At that moment, everything felt right to him. Just the two of you, safe, together. Nothing else mattered to him apart from the girl in his arms. He knows the pain will linger—the scars, the transformations, all of it. But with you—his anchor—it feels just about bearable. And for the first time in a long time. He allows himself to feel hope. The hope of your future together.

#remus #remus lupin x reader #remus x reader #remus lupin oneshot #remus lupin fanfic #remus lupin headcanon #remus lupin fanfiction #remus lupin angst #remus lupin fluff #harry potter #harry potter x reader #marauders x reader #marauders fluff

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immaturityofthomasastruc · 10 months

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IOTA Reviews: Representation

Oh, so NOW child abuse is bad. Could have fooled me last episode!

Let's get into the twenty-fifth episode of Miraculous Ladybug's fifth season: Representation

We start off with an English news report recapping the ending of “Revolution”, stating that Ms. Bustier is going to run for mayor, conveniently ignoring her attempted coup in “Collusion”. We also see that Gabriel and Tomoe are still uncomfortably focused on making Adrien and Kagami appear to be a couple in public, much to their dismay. While Kagami is visited by Argos (who once again sneaks up on her, like he usually does), Adrien realizes he can transform into his space form and see Marinette whenever he wants and transforms into Cat Noir, planning to reveal his identity to Marinette. Hey, did he even tell Ladybug about his sudden departure? Because it didn't go well the last time he left Paris without telling her (New York Special).

We then cut to Marinette right after the events of “Revolution”, going to the end of the year dance... even though when we saw Adrien and Kagami in London, the sun was still setting, and France's time zone is only about an hour later, meaning Adrien and Kagami must have flown there at ludicrous speed.

Meanwile, Argos and Kagami somehow got from London to Paris offscreen, and watch Marinette from afar, with Kagami revealing she knows she's Ladybug. They decide to tell Marinette that Felix knows who Monarch is in order to ensure his downfall. Nah, I'm just kidding. Here's the real reason they're coming to Marinette for help.

Kagami: My mother and Gabriel Agreste will never allow us to love each other freely. Only Ladybug can help us.

Yep, rather than prioritize the fact that Gabriel is endangering the citizens of Paris on a daily basis, Kagami is seriously more concerned about her relationship with her boyfriend being tampered with. This is like saying Lex Luthor is evil because he cheats on his taxes. Argos transforms back into Felix, and... oh, for the love of God... he disguises himself as Adrien in order to get closer to Marinette. You can't keep portraying Felix as this master of disguise if he only has ONE disguise!

Marinette sees “Adrien” and assumes he came back from London from her, assuming her boyfriend is much more active that the writers actually believe he is, so she tries to follow him while avoiding the guests at the party. Meanwhile, Gabriel and Tomoe learn their children are gone, so he goes to talk with Nathalie and—why the hell is she like that?

Seriously, this has never been established as something that happens when someone uses the broken Peacock Miraculous. Why didn't this happen to Emilie? She looks pretty healthy in her little coffin, and I doubt Gabriel is an embalmer.

Anyway, after Nathalie once again reminds us that she hates Gabriel, but not enough to call the cops on him, Gabriel transforms into Monarch and immediately detransforms back in order to akumatize himself into Nightormentor.

Nightormentor is a pretty average recolor of the Collector's design, which kind of makes sense, considering that Gabriel himself intended the Akuma for himself. The star pattern is okay, but there's not much I can really say. As for his powers, he's just another Sandboy, being able to force people to hallucinate their worse nightmares, only instead of a pillow, his weapon is a staff created from a pen containing the Akuma, with the Horse Miraculous' Voyage to boot. Why he didn't just give himself the same powers he gave Truth when he's trying to find Adrien is anyone's guess.

Cat Noir arrives at the Eiffel Tower to talk with Marinette, just as Nightormentor appears. The two fight, and after a few civilians get caught in the crossfire, Nightormentor escapes through Voyage. As Cat Noir heads to the Dupain-Cheng bakery at the advising of Max, Alya and Nino decide that the totally not useless Resistance should get involved.

While Marinette gives chase, Felix leads her into the school's art classroom, where he transforms into Argos and creates a Sentimonster using Kagami's ring. Felix and Kagami use the Sentimonster's power to do... uh... whatever the hell this is.

Yeah, this is basically a flashback, but the animators probably blew their budget needed for the new models on Ms. Bustier's baby bump, so we're getting this instead, thanks to the Sentimonster Argos created. There are several scenes of Cat Noir and Nightormentor interspersed, but like what I did with Marinette's flashback in “Derision”, I'll give you the summary before I talk about my problems with this.

When Adrien's mother and aunt, Emilie and Amelie, were born, Emilie (who was born seven seconds early) was trusted with the family heirlooms, the two rings we first saw all the way back in “Felix”. Even though this meant she would inherit the family name, Emilie didn't really like doing... whatever the Graham de Vanily family wanted her to do, but Amelie did. Eventually, while studying abroad, Emilie met Gabriel, and the two fell in love. Before marrying Gabriel, Emilie gave up her role as the sole inheritor of the Graham de Vanily family's vague legacy, while Amelie married a man named Colt to please her parents. Both couples wanted children, but it's heavily implied that Emilie and Amelie were infertile, so their wishes weren't able to come true. Emilie finally managed to get a bun in the oven thanks to the Peacock Miraculous, but this made Colt jealous that he couldn't have a child. Out of the goodness of her heart, Emilie asked Gabriel to give the Peacock Miraculous to Colt, in exchange for letting the Gorilla guard Adrien in the future. Using his own jealousy as a source of power, Colt got Amelie pregnant, though at the cost of his health. Colt figured this was the price he had to pay for using “sorcery”, and used this as an excuse to treat Felix like a monster and ordered him around using the ring containing his Amok. Felix himself was unaware that he wasn't human until Colt accidentally broke the ring (which wasn't one of the two wedding rings used to control Adrien and was an entirely different ring containing Felix's Amok), which he stole as soon as Colt died. This is meant to explain why Felix decided to steal back the Peacock Miraculous, in order to save his life. Felix later met Kagami, and the two explain that they need “Someone like Ladybug” to help them.

Now if your only information about this episode is through my summary, it seems simple enough. For everyone else who actually saw this sequence in the episode itself, I'm guessing your thoughts were about the same as mine.

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Let's go over every problem I have with this scene, starting with...

#1: The Way Kagami and Felix Explain This

Let me just ask something: Why can't Felix just talk to Marinette about what he knows since he now knows she's Ladybug instead of telling her everything through this weird play? You can still tell Marinette all of this without your two-man show. In fact, why did Felix have to wait until he knew Marinette was Ladybug instead of just talking to her the next time he saw her? Yeah, you could argue it's easier this way, but like I've been saying since Season 4, Felix has had no excuse to wait this long to tell Ladybug about the fact that he knows who her greatest enemy is.

And why the hell is it presented this way? Why does Felix have to recontextualize the story of his family's history in the form of a play? Why turn it into a stereotypical fairy tale that leaves out the names of all the important people, like Emilie, Amelie, Colt (whose name I only learned through the transcript of this episode), and Gabriel? If it was like a hidden message Felix and Kagami wanted to convey to Marinette, that would make sense, but why do they have to be so cryptic when they're only putting this show on for one person? You could easily avoid a good chunk of the questions this raises if this was a show Felix and Kagami put on for the public that Marinette was able to learn the information from. Yeah, it still wouldn't explain why Felix can't just tell Marinette about who Gabriel really is, but at least it's something.

The way it all happens kind of reminds me of this scene from this old Halloween special I saw a lot as a kid, Scary Godmother: Halloween Spooktacular. In that scene, some of the kids act out a scene of this little girl's parents entrusting her with a flashlight to explain why she carries it around, in order to scare off any monsters she runs into, using the graveyard they were in as a makeshift set. This scene works a lot more because it's done in more of a tongue-in-cheek way, with some of the kids breaking character to boost their own egos (for example, the kid playing the mom comments about how responsible she is), and how one kid in particular gradually gets fed up with the whole thing. The scene does its job at delivering exposition in a way that isn't meant to be taken too seriously, and it's clear this is being done by some kids goofing around in-universe.

With this episode, it's clear that the writers want the audience to take this whole backstory seriously in spite of how absurd it all is. Seriously look at this.

We are seriously expected to take this backstory seriously when it looks like some theater major's midterm project. The animators want it to look artsy and unique for the sake of making it look artsy and unique. Why does it look like a play these two put together themselves if they're supposedly using a Sentimonster's power to do it? If the unnamed Sentimonster's powers is how Marinette is seeing all this, why can't it actually be seen as a flashback? Was it always intended to be a handmade play that was changed to the product of a Sentimonster at the last minute?

I get that the animators probably wanted kids to pick up on the visuals of the play, but even then, it makes it hard to really stomach the serious themes this backstory brings up, like infertility and child abuse, with the way they're presented. Not only do Felix and Kagami all play the characters using these white jumpsuits and masks, they also do all the voices, meaning that the only “dialogue” we hear from Colt is delivered by Kagami putting on a deeper voice. Let me repeat that: the only times we hear Colt, the abusive parent and all around garbage human being, talk, it's done by a teenage girl trying to make her voice sound deeper.

But hey, maybe the goofy voice will be overshadowed by the nuanced depiction of child abuse, right? Right?

#2: The Portrayal of Colt and the Double Standards Regarding His Treatment of Felix

I have never seen a single show struggle this much to convey a lesson as simple as “Child abuse is bad”.

When it comes to the parents in this show, terrible parents like Gabriel, Audrey, and Tomoe are almost never held accountable for the way they treated their children. If the writers aren't claiming they really love their children deep down, they're either downplaying how cruel they are at best or playing their behavior for laughs at worst. But here we are, the penultimate episode of the fifth season, and we finally have a parent who is unambiguously treated as a terrible human being with no redeeming qualities... and I still have problems with this.

This flashback really goes out of its way to let the audience that Colt was a real piece of scum in life. He only wanted a child out of jealousy, used his Amok to force Felix to do whatever he wanted, was heavily implied to have physically beat him at times, and blamed him for his poor health on his deathbed when he was the one who wanted to use the Peacock in the first place. Now that I think about it, why did Colt even use the Peacock to create Felix instead of Emelie? Was the episode so determined to paint Colt as a bastard that he wanted to be the one to create Felix himself?

The point I'm trying to make is that the show doesn't really explain why Colt was like this. Why was he such an angry man who treated his only child like crap? I don't know, because all the show's telling me is that he was just a dick. He honestly feels more like a caricature than anything else. He's only as terrible of a person he is in order to make the audience sympathize with Felix. I'm not saying that what Felix went through was okay, but it has the same energy as scenes of Gabriel talking to Emilie's body. It's mostly there to make the audience sympathize with an antagonistic character in spite of all the things they've done.

What's really weird is that even though the whole point of this play is so Felix can tell Marinette Gabriel is Monarch, so what does Colt have to do with this? I'm not saying he's not worth mentioning, but it makes no sense for Felix to tell Marinette about his abusive father before he tells her about Gabriel. It feels more like Felix wants to find a way to excuse his actions before telling Marinette about Gabriel being Monarch. And remember when “Derision” made a big deal about Chloe's terrible parents not excusing her actions? Funny how that conveniently doesn't apply to Felix in this episode.

In fact, let's talk about the elephant in the room: The fact that this episode aired right after “Revolution”, an episode that literally said a character living under an abusive and controlling parent was a fitting punishment for her. HOW THE HELL IS THIS ANY DIFFERENT FROM THAT? If anything, this episode really shows the double standards this show has about child abuse, how the only way your situation can be taken seriously is if you're a “good victim”. Chloe's a “bad victim”, so she doesn't get any sympathy when her mother outright says she's going to take control of her life, yet when Colt actually takes control of Felix's life, we're supposed to sympathize with him now. Why am I supposed to feel bad for Felix now when you just told me I shouldn't feel bad for someone in a similar situation last episode?

In fact, one theory I have about this backstory is that it was intended to kill two birds with one stone, no pun intended. I believe that this episode wasn't just written to give us more insight into who Felix is as a character, but also to show the audience what “real” child abuse is like. As far as the show is concerned with Gabriel, Audrey, and Tomoe? They're not actually abusive parents, Colt is, so you should condemn his actions, and not those three. It's blatant double standards, which is nothing new for this show.

#3: The Way Amelie Just... Lets This All Happen

In my “Derision” review, I discussed how strange it was that so many people in Marinette's life did nothing to help her against Chloe, and the same thing applies here with Amelie.

This episode never really explains where Amelie was when Colt was abusing Felix, much less if she was even aware of it. At least with Marinette's parents, they didn't know because most of Marinette's suffering was at school. Amelie lives with Felix and Colt, so what's her excuse? She seriously didn't overhear Colt yelling at Felix or notice the orders Colt gave Felix? Was she just that ignorant to her child's suffering? Remember, this is supposed to be Felix's good parent.

In fact, does Amelie even know Felix is a Sentimonster? Yeah, “Emotion” established that Amelie knows Felix is Argos, but this episode doesn't really make it clear if she knows Felix is a Sentimonster or not. If it was clear Amelie knew nothing about what Felix really was, it would arguably make things easier to stomach, as she wouldn't know the power Colt had over him.

Instead, even though she's Felix's mother, the show doesn't really explain what she actually did when Colt was making Felix's life a living hell, especially since the flashback says that Amelie was forced to marry Colt, so you can't even say she was blinded by love here. Hell, I'm not even sure if Amelie knew the cause of Colt's untimely passing.

#4:This Doesn’t Really Do Much to Explain Felix’s Actions

Now before you say I'm being insensitive, let me make one thing clear: My issue isn't with the fact that this was done to get the audience to sympathize with Felix. The problem I have is that the backstory doesn't do enough to explain why Felix did the things he did.

Okay, Felix wants the Peacock Miraculous. Understandable, he doesn't want to die, so he has to do morally questionable things to preserve his life like betraying the only person capable of stopping the man who can kill him. What's less understandable is his plan to get the Peacock Miraculous from Gabriel. You'll notice that the backstory didn't mention Felix's first appearance, where he only stole the rings belonging to Amelie's family, and he didn't even think to look for the Peacock. Instead, it cuts from Felix realizing he's a Sentimonster to him striking a deal with Gabriel, not even mentioning that he gave Gabriel back one of the rings as part of the deal, which still makes no sense.

If Felix's goal from the start was to get the Peacock Miraculous, why did he bother stealing all of Marinette's Miraculous as a bargaining chip for the deal instead of the family ring? In fact, why did Felix even steal the ring and wait an entire season to trade it back to Gabriel for the Peacock a season later? And for someone who claims to care about Adrien, he really didn't see anything wrong with giving Gabriel one of the two rings capable of overriding his free will.

As a matter of fact, why the hell is Felix even so hostile towards Adrien? Why did he go out of his way to smear his reputation in his debut episode if all he wanted to do was make a bargain with Hawkmoth? In “Risk”, he mocked Adrien for how he talked, while Adrien himself was aware of how he made him look bad in front of his friends, and that's not even getting into how he made himself look like Adrien as part of his plan to betray Ladybug, which would have screwed him even more if Adrien wasn't already Cat Noir. For someone who claims he wants to protect him from Gabriel, Felix really doesn't care about his cousin all that much.

In fact, why does Felix even hate Gabriel at all? The show hinted that the two had a history, yet during the backstory, which I need to remind you, was told from Felix's perspective on the events, has a surprisingly generous portrayal of Gabriel. Did Felix know Gabriel was Hawkmoth/Shadowmoth/Monarch during his first appearance? Does Felix blame Gabriel for how Colt treated him growing up? Does Felix hate Gabriel for how he treats Adrien? Did Gabriel intend to get Colt sick in the first place? Seriously, what is Felix's deal with Gabriel?!

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How does a flashback organized by Felix himself do nothing to really explain why he did the things he did?

#5: The Fact That There Are STILL Several Unanswered Questions Here

For something meant to fill the audience in on several important topics, there are still so many questions about the history of the Agreste and Graham de Vanily families.

Other than the vague backstory about them being rich, we still know nothing about Emilie and Amelie other than them being rich and possibly infertile. We don't know if Amelie ever loved Colt, if she knew he was abusing Felix, or if she even knew if he used the Peacock to play god.

On a related note, why did Emilie and Gabriel decide to use the Peacock Miraculous to create a son instead of adopting? Scratch that, why did she specifically create a Sentimonster to give birth to like a normal baby? Was there some kind of Macbeth-esque guideline that Emilie had to give birth to a child in order for said child to get the inheritance? Did she use the ring to control Adrien like Gabriel does now? Seriously, this is the character the show's conflict is all based around, and we still know nothing about her other than the fact that she was nice.

This flashback just makes no sense, and is such a stupid and confusing way to deliver exposition.

Anyway, during all this, Cat Noir and Nightormentor are fighting, and for the third time this season, Cat Noir attempts to Cataclysm him someone, even when he had Nightormentor pinned down. Nightormentor breaks free and hits Cat Noir with his magic dust, causing him to hallucinate... Cat Blanc?

Yeah, the script calls this form “Anticat”, but given how it looks like a reused Cat Blanc model coupled with the petrified people of Paris, this is clearly meant to bring Cat Blanc to mind. The problem is that NEITHER CAT NOIR OR NIGHTORMENTOR KNOW ABOUT THAT. Why would you remind audiences about an Akuma that technically never existed?

Better yet, is this what Cat Noir trying to his Cataclysm on people this past season (Destruction, Jubilation, Derision) has been building up to? The fear that he'll lose control? You could have fooled me, as he never really showed that much remorse for almost hurting people other than Monarch. Yeah, you could argue that because Nightormentor based his hallucinations off his victims' worst fears, but again, this fear had little to no buildup this season because Cat Noir never felt any guilt for Cataclysming Monarch after “Destruction”, and whenever tried to use his Cataclysm on other people, Cat Noir never really realized the weight of his actions. If you want to make a character arc about Cat Noir worrying about hurting people with his powers, go more into the guilt he feels for hurting Monarch and using that guilt to affect his actions. Don't just use some “Cat Blanc” nostalgia bait to convince the audience that there's been a character arc.

Nightormentor takes advantage of Cat Noir's emotional state to get his Miraculous, only for the Resistance to save Cat Noir by... throwing stuff at him. And this is how they defeat him. While Nino, Alya, Ivan, and Zoe distract Nightormentor, Kim and Max help Cat Noir focus, Cat Noir Cataclysms Nightormentor's baton.

Zoe traps the Akuma in a jar, Cat Noir doesn't take it, he heads off to detransform and confess to Marinette, only for the hallucination to still affect him since Ladybug didn't use Miraculous Ladybug to fix the damage, and even though he knows it's just a hallucination, he still uses it as a reason to not reveal his identity to Marinette, even after Ladybug de-evilizes the Akuma herself.

The episode ends with Gabriel and Tomoe locking Adrien and Kagami in these white rooms while under heavy surveillance to ensure they won't escape, vowing to start “Operation: Perfect Alliance”. Because these two like using the word “perfect” more than they like subjecting their children to what one of my anons referred to as “white torture”.

Because that's a good way to keep your children under control: psychological torment.

Other than the stuff with Felix and Kagami, this episode was pretty dull.

There's just not much I can really say here. The plot was barebones, all Marinette did was listen to Felix and Kagami's story so the writers didn't have to involve any of them in the main conflict, and even Cat Noir confronting his akumatized father doesn't have a lot of weight to it because towards the end, it focuses more on Adrien's nightmare instead of his relationship with his father.

This episode is nothing more than a prologue for the final battle. It's only here to establish Adrien and Kagami's presence in London, Marinette learning Gabriel is Monarch, and even more setup for Gabriel and Tomoe's final plan. And trust me, the buildup will be far from worth it.

THE BIGGEST IDIOT OF THE EPISODE IS... FELIX

It's amazing. The only time this season Felix goes out of his way to actually help Ladybug, and he still screws it up. He abducted Kagami from her hotel in London without thinking of Tomoe hunting him down again when that was the entire plot of “Pretension”, only decided to tell Marinette he knows who Monarch is because he's getting in the way of his relationship with his girlfriend, did so in an unnecessarily convoluted way, and even though he made a big deal about not wanting to use Sentimonsters in his last appearance, he still used one to tell Marinette his life story instead of just saying “My uncle is Monarch”.

And if you think Felix will get a chance to truly redeem himself in the finale, think again, bucko. Other than a brief cameo, this is the last thing he'll do this season. Aren't you glad the writers made this character prominent for seven episodes over three seasons and did nothing else with him?

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whispereons · 1 year

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Oracle!Reader Part 13

Masterlist - Part 1, Part 12, Part 14

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Mimi ye?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

Not even as the Hilichurl begins to load an arrow.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Why did you not want to harm the Hilichurls?

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

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

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

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

How sad...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Unu! Unu! Yo unu!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

----------------------------------

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Just how fucking dumb are you?"

Squelch

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

------------------------------------------

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Would you be willing to answer some questions?"

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

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

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cozymoko · 1 year

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How about platonic yandere tomoe any ideas

PLATONIC YANDERE TOMOE

WARNINGS: yandere themes

YOKAI

Human or not, the infamous fox demon had found himself growing quite fond of you. To him, you acted similar to a mouse, frolicking around in what is said to be a world of lions — Or rather, yokai. Poor thing!

In the beginning, Tomoe was not a willing companion. Brushing off your presence as though you were nothing but a mere speck of dust in his sight. He swore your voice brought him ineffable migraines that could send anyone plummeting to their demise. That you hindered him on nights he’d decided to partake in several late-night rendezvous.

Killing you was certainly an option. He had nearly succumbed to such selfish wishes plenty of times, as he could not fathom living with a shadow that was not his own. Yet, he could not.

There was some innocent charm behind your admiration for him, Though annoying, it intrigued him more than he could ever imagine.

Sure he was awfully dismissive at first: roughly pushing past you, and even ignoring you when you spoke. But it was just a phase!

“Where is that troublesome child...?” A rhetorical question as the yokai sat quietly on a still branch. Narrow eyes scanned the forest floor, restless and annoyed beyond belief.

It was true that he'd enjoyed your presence much more than he let on. So much so that he found himself, anxiously awaiting your return. The two of you often met under a bustling jade tree, merely five minutes away from your village. It stood out thanks to its towering height.

Poor Tomoe, scared out of his mind! He was so excited to see his favorite human that he came much earlier than usual. Silly fox, thinking you'd so carelessly abandon him. It's hilarious, truly. Now, run along, we wouldn't want him to massacre your village due to a little misunderstanding now would we?

The fox demon reached out, swiftly taking hold of the collar of your vivid kimono. His ears twitched at the shrill cry that tore from your throat in displeasure. His lips twisted into a tight scowl as his eyes lingered over your shocked expression. Tomoe sighed, “You're late.” before releasing his hold.

You roll your eyes, pulling your lips into a taut line. “Yeah, I was held up with chores.” Tomoe watched you in what you thought to be disbelief, but you merely ignored it. “I'm surprised you waited on me, what's the occasion?”

Golden eyes shift to catch you gaze, but only for a moment. “Don't worry your about such minor things.” He said, lightly flicking the center of your forehead with a gentle hand. “Now, let's go.”

#—🍁#x reader #yandere x darling #yandere imagines #yandere x reader #yandere #yandere x y/n #yandere hedacanons #yandere tomoe #yandere tomoe x reader #tomoe x reader #kamisama hajimemashita headcanons #kamisama kiss headcanons #kamisama kiss #kamisama hajimemashita #yandere male x reader #male yandere

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the-travelling-witch · 1 year

Text

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐒𝐓

summary: what do they do and how do they cope after you suddenly go where they can’t follow?

pairings: xiao :: kazuha :: (abyss prince!) aether :: childe x gn! reader

warnings: angst, reader dies/ has died; [xiao] unnamed illness; [kazuha] mention of kazu's friend (tomo); [aether] somewhat graphic description of body transmutation/ body horror (just to be safe), possible deviation from khaenri'ah lore; [childe] (description of) blood, wounds, (mentions of) murder, violence over all

the loneliest- måneskin || genshin impact masterlist

a million miles away [pt. 1 - scara, venti, kaveh, zhongli]

𝐗𝐈𝐀𝐎

"You'll be the saddest part of me A part of me that will never be mine It's obvious Tonight is gonna be the loneliest You're still the oxygen I breathe I see your face when I close my eyes It's torturous Tonight is gonna be the loneliest..."

Dark clouds hung over Liyue’s skies, the air heavy and oppressive. No wind swayed the trees and the afternoon was void of the sounds of chirping birds, no doubt seeking refuge from the desolation clinging to the landscape like wet clothes to skin.

Right under the towering Wangshu Inn, a group of black-clad individuals trekked through muddy grass, hardly standing out against the gloom. It was difficult to tell day from night with the sun completely blocked from view, not a single ray of light illuminating what would usually be the beauty of the Guili Planes.

Indeed, their vastness was a beauty to behold, brimming with life and chattering travellers while the delicious smell floating from Wangshu Inn’s kitchen watered the mouths of returning adventurers. Yes, it had been a long time since anything filled Xiao with so much serenity and peace as watching the sun melt into the mountain tops while you sat with him until the stars shone their light onto the two of you. Finally, after countless millennia of wandering in the dark, he had found something akin to a home.

You had picked a magnificent site as your final resting place.

When your testament had been read, your wish to be laid down in this unconventional location had shocked your friends and family. The journey all the way from Liyue Harbour to Wangshu Inn could be a treacherous and arduous one if you weren’t prepared, so concerns about visiting and maintaining your grave grew loud. Yet, with the help of the innkeeper Verr Goldet, who was well aware of how much you had treasured your time here, assuring everyone you would be well taken care of even on your next journey, your family honoured your wish.

Piercing amber eyes watched as more mortals dressed in all-black gathered for the human rite of passing near the inn. A funeral, that was what you had called it. The purpose was the same though; a life had ended and now those who mourned offered their last respects. Separating from the crowd was the figure of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor Director and although Xiao couldn’t hear what she was saying where he sat, he guessed she was commencing the ceremony. One after the other, members of your family took turns giving speeches and while he didn’t dare go within ear shot, he didn’t need to; the way people’s shoulders shook and how others went to embrace them and dabbed at their tears told him enough.

After a while, even the last of the mourners had left the funeral site and only then did featherlight feet graze the branches of the nearby tree in fleeting touches before the yaksha dropped to the ground several metres away from your grave. A shielded candle on your tomb was all that illuminated his surroundings. The sight of the tombstone rooted him in place, not sure if he should really approach you one more time.

After all, this was his fault.

As if the world agreed with him, the second Xiao set foot onto the path towards your eternal resting place, cold drops battered against his skin and, like black ink bleeding onto a page, they stained heaven and earth. Normally, the adeptus welcomed the cleansing feeling of the rain but on this day it did nothing to wash away the grief hanging heavy between tree trunks and rocks. Instead, it seemed to pull him under as it weighed down his feet and pressed down on his lungs. Still, he continued forward, driven by the need to talk to you again, even if it was only once more.

Even in this weather he could see how polished the headstone was, not at all withered by harsh conditions like the ones he’d come across before. There was no need for him to study the carved letters of your name or the lifespan that was hardly more than the blink of an eye to him, they might as well have been ingrained in his heart rather than this stone. Yet he flinched back when his fingers brushed the intricately written quote underneath.

“The connection between us is too strong to sever. So let us continue this eternal dance together.”

It was a conversation between the two of you he remembered vividly, both voices ringing clear in his ear. Back then, he had been scared by the consequences being together would have, especially for you who wasn’t meant to be exposed to karmic debt. But you had taken his hand and gently intertwined them; face-to-face with your warm smile, he didn’t find the power to pull away. So, instead, he foolishly brought you closer.

And at first, your time together was truly and genuinely perfect. Not only did you both learn a lot about the other’s way of life, you also showed him a love he never experienced before. Sure, his fellow yaksha had cared for him like a family but you held him so carefully as if he were something delicate, not a weapon but someone to be held dear. In the beginning, he was offended. Did you really think he was that fragile? When you, however, reassured him that even the strongest and bravest fighters need to be cared for, he silently melted into your embrace and soon he’d come to miss the feeling if you weren’t there to greet him.

It was only when simple colds turned into you coughing uncontrollably that his worries slapped him awake again. Despite your protests that you were fine, Xiao ushered you to see a doctor in the city. His anxieties were proven right when you came back with a crestfallen expression, barely able to utter the devastating words ‘chronic illness’.

Over weeks and months, you worked hard on all the therapies and rehabilitation methods you were given, yet despite your best effort it wasn’t enough. Your body could not fight back against what was happening to you and you grew weaker still. Another doctor’s appointment later, the word ‘fatal’ hung over your head like a sword threatening to fall any second.

Yet, in the face of your own death sentence, you remained strong. Far stronger than he ever could be. You spent more time with him, travelled more, tried things you never had the chance to before. To everyone else you portrayed a picture of dignified acceptance, still it wasn’t quite enough to hide your feelings from him. Not when he could hear your sniffles and suppressed sobs coming from the opened balcony door on yet another sleepless night. When he reached out to hold you, you hastily wiped your tears and showed him a wobbly smile, playfully chastising yourself for staying up too late.

The following day, you still woke up with him, made breakfast as he got ready to leave and pressed such a painfully loving kiss to his lips before he leapt off the balcony. Although it was something you did every day, there was still something off about it, something that gnawed at him all day. As he drove his spear through demon after demon, he couldn’t help but replay the scene over and over again, his mind jumping from bad to worse.

It didn’t prepare him for finding your unconscious body on the wooden floorboards of your shared home. Spear clattering to the floor, Xiao rushed over to cradle you against his chest but no matter how often he spoke your name, you wouldn’t come back to him. Alerted by the commotion, the innkeeper called for a doctor immediately but even then, they couldn’t do anything but confirm what everyone had dreaded.

The letter on the table didn’t catch his eye until much later. Next to it lay a woven charm made from an adepti technique he’d shown you and preserved qingxin flowers you had picked together. It was clumsy handiwork but to him it was more perfect than anything else. He was careful as he broke the letter’s seal and held the decorated paper between his gloved fingers. As he soaked up your words, Xiao felt his knees weaken and he had to take a seat before continuing to read. You thanked him for your time together, apologised for leaving early, expressed your hope to see him again one fateful day.

Even recalling it now as he stood in the chill of the rain made his head hurt, his soul feeling like it was being torn into a million directions. How could you be grateful, how could you be sorry, how could you miss the reason pain had befallen you? You should have been angry and should’ve yelled at him, hit him, hurt him, not comfort him. Not smiled at him or held him. He didn’t deserve your kindness and your warmth and your love.

Seeing your name carved in stone like this was much worse than Xiao could have imagined. It radiated a finality, an unyielding reality there was no waking up from. The sudden rush of his suppressed guilt flooded his mind and had the adeptus keeling over onto the muddy grass. There was a pounding in his head and he tugged harshly at his roots to make it stop. Despite having no need for food, he felt nauseous as he clutched his stomach with one hand while the other dug into the soil in front of your grave.

He should have known the black bonds would ensnare you too, the clutches of his karmic debt too powerful to escape. Despite knowing better, he still selfishly took your hand all that time ago. When he reached for you like a man drowning, he thought at first you were his salvation. Too late did he realise he was dragging you down into the pitch black depths with him.

In his foolishness, he had doomed you and now you had to pay the price.

The thought tore a pained sound from him, more akin to a wounded animal than anything human. By now it was hard for him to differentiate between physical and mental sensations, he couldn’t be sure whether the pain he felt was real or just his imagination. Just when it became too much to bear and black spots danced across his vision, a faint call of his name caught his attention.

“Xiao, breathe,” a comfortingly familiar voice reached through the fog of his mind and pulled him back to the surface of reality where he sharply inhaled some much needed air. “It’s okay.”

Looking around frantically, he searched for the origin of your voice just to succumb to the realisation that there was nobody there. Only the dancing flame of the candle in front of him moved during the descent of night. Unlike the damp tear tracks streaking his face, you were but a figment of his imagination.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Xiao wiped over his cheeks and rose to his feet. With uncharacteristically clumsy fingers he placed a small incense burner and a jade talisman next to the silk flowers and glaze lilies left by the funeral attendees before making a fleet-footed retreat to the top of the inn.

Once again, you’d dispelled the karma threatening to overtake him when it became too overwhelming to bear. He wasn’t sure if he deserved it but he would see you again. Until then, he’d carry on with his duty and uphold his contract without falling prey to the madness within. All to be reunited with you when the time came.

When your family came to visit your grave some time later, they were positively perplexed at the pristine condition it was in. No moss covered the stone, the flowers had been replaced with vivid ones growing around your resting place and the candle had been changed out for a new one. When they asked Verr Goldet about it, the innkeeper merely smiled knowingly, reiterating that there was someone here who cared deeply for you.

𝐊𝐀𝐙𝐔𝐇𝐀

"...There's a few lines that I have wrote In case of death, that's what I want, that's what I want So don't be sad when I'll be gone There's just one thing I hope you know, I loved you so..."

The scratching of a pen filled the wooden cabin of the Alcor, the yet-to-dry ink reflecting the last golden rays of the sun. From right outside the circular window, the cries of seagulls could be heard as a flock of them returned to their nest for the night. Waves gently swayed the flagship of the Crux, the resulting sea spray carrying more salty air into the room.

Kazuha paused his writing, pen lifted over the first line of the letter as maple eyes reflected the shift of the sun from amber to a molten crimson. When it started sinking beneath the line of the horizon, he picked up a box of matches to light a candle. For a few seconds, the burnt scent of wood tickled his nose before it evaporated. Such was the nature of the world, everything must come to an end, not even eternity would change that fate; whether it was the sinking sun, the spark of a flame or the life of a treasured person.

He dipped his pen in ink once more before lifting the end to his chin in contemplation, deciding on what to fill the page with this evening. Kazuha’s eyes traced the words of the first line which were at this point engraved into his heart, then set pen to paper in practised motions.

My love,

I hope this letter finds you well.

Worry not, I’m enjoying good health myself and life on the Alcor is treating me well. Unless the crew starts drunkenly singing again; I normally do not suffer from sea sickness, however, … I leave the rest to your imagination.

Otherwise, my days have been rather quiet. Although, whenever we anchor somewhere, I’ve been granted the most beautiful of views. All the places we hoped to visit together one day, they’re as magnificent as we imagined. I wish I could show you the sceneries of Teyvat’s nations; the sunsets and sunrises, the lush forests and gurgling rivers springing from majestic waterfalls. I’m certain you’d enjoy them quite a lot.

Still, despite having seen a lot of what this world has to offer, I can confidently say, nothing compares to your beauty. Even though it has been a while since I’ve been graced by your radiance, I have no trouble recalling it before my mind’s eye. In fact, it is harder not to think of you within every waking moment and my most cherished dreams are those of you.

I see the curves of your lips in the petals of silk flowers, the brightest stars do not compare to the sparkle of your eyes and no amount of lamp grass can illuminate my nights like your smile can. When the afternoon breeze brushes my cheek I am reminded of your gentle touch, the waves whisper stories like you do while curled up by my side, the dancing glow of crystal flies is not nearly as captivating as you coming to see me.

As you can tell, you have positively enchanted me, my dear, and I find it hard to steer my thoughts in a direction which does not lead me back to you; I wouldn’t have it any other way. So, it comes as no surprise that I long for the day I will enjoy your precious company again. Oh, what I wouldn’t do to hold you in my arms again, now and forever. If I could only be granted this one wish, I truly would not yearn for anything else ever again because every moment with you feels like the calming essence my dreams are made of.

The next time we reunite, I’d be honoured to share my most recent works with you; there are quite a number of haikus, sonnets and odes you have inspired. Until then, I’d be pleased to hear from you, wherever you may currently be.

My heart belongs to you always and forever,

Kazuha

With a fond smile, the crimson-eyed samurai waited for the ink to dry before folding the letter carefully and tucking it safely away in an envelope. Reaching for the maple-leaf carved wax seal Beidou had generously gotten for him, Kazuha pressed the stamp down with measured strength. Once it had cooled sufficiently, he adoringly brushed his bandaged thumb over the seal, then turned the letter over and gracefully looped the curves of your name onto the front.

Opening the top drawer of his desk, he placed the envelope on top of the neatly stacked letters already occupying the space. Soon, he’d need to find a different place to store them, lest they quilled over. After all, there was no address they could be delivered to anymore, nobody to receive the feelings he spilled onto the page. Or maybe there was, just not on a plane of existence he could perceive.

Exhaling a tired sigh, Kazuha lifted his gaze outside his window again. There, the moon was glowing a bright white while surrounded by stars, evoking distant memories of a fluffy kitten playing amongst the flowers of an Inazuman meadow.

At the sight, he couldn’t help but wonder, were the two of you at peace? Did you meet somewhere he had yet to explore? Did you get along well? Were Tomo and you watching over him from high above, smiling to yourselves about the person he had become, the choices he made and would make? The thought filled him with peace and joy, yet also, excitement, despite the circumstances.

After all, it would mean Kazuha, too, had the possibility of joining you once his time came and that hope helped calm his heart, no matter what storm he had to face.

𝐀𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑

"...'Cause I don't even care about the time I've got left here The only thing I know now is that I wanna spend it With you, with you nobody else here Tonight is gonna be the loneliest..."

A crimson moon had risen over Khaenri’ah that night, the very foundation of the land shaking under the attacks the nation suffered. People were running for their lives on unstable footing, trying to escape the scorn of the gods, despite not knowing where -or if- they would be safe. The noise in the city was loud enough to drown out your own thoughts, cries of humans and monsters alike echoing through the smoke-filled sky.

Holding onto your hand tightly, Aether dodged several panicked people, trying not to get you caught in the chaotic mass of moving bodies as fear spread among the civilians like a plague. Both of you staggered slightly as you reached the edge of the central square when another quake of the ground sent more buildings crumbling to the ground.

After running for several more minutes and creating distance to most of the people, you stopped to catch your breath as you surveyed the destruction below. The city you had moved to was hardly recognisable, dyed in the scarlet of flames and the charcoal of smoke. In the distance, you could spot hordes of rifthounds crossing the border to Teyvat’s other nations, only further aggravating the forces of ‘divine punishment’.

Aether wrapped an arm around your shoulder and pulled you close, guiding your head to rest on his shoulder. Even as he shut his eyes, he couldn’t keep out the flashes of light wreaking devastation on the nation. Focusing on the warmth radiating from your body, the blond let his hand wander over your arm as if to confirm you were still with him. You stood like this for a while until the loudest of the noise died out and the worst of it seemed to be over.

Or that was what he thought. Because soon thereafter, shrill shrieks coming from the city pierced his ears, pitched in an agony he had never witnessed before. Not on any world he had visited in the past had a sound chilled his blood and made his skin crawl from the sheer terror it conveyed. It was a chorus of voices drifting up from below, contorted in both confusion and pain.

Frozen in shock, Aether barely felt you twitching in his arm until it turned to full-body spasms and you wrangled free from his embrace. Stumbling backwards, you clutched your head and doubled over, barely able to stand on your own feet as groans of discomfort started straining into screams as well. If he thought it was nightmarish before, seeing the person he loved scratch down their own face in torment while their voice grew hoarse from screeching in pure misery was indescribably cruel.

Reaching out to do something, anything, to help, he heard the first sickening crack of what could only be bones and his stomach dropped a little lower every time the sound echoed through the dreadful night. By the time it stopped, Aether suppressed the urge to throw up the acid in his stomach to relieve the nausea which had overcome him.

But still, that sensation was nothing compared to the ice cold dread washing over him when instead of you, a small haggard creature with a large mask covering its entire face stood in your place. It was dizzy and disoriented, yet, as soon as Aether made a move towards, it clumsily scurried away from him.

Looking down into the centre of the city, he saw a large number of strange creatures of all sizes swarm the place as the people around them dove out of their way. Overall though, the number of entities didn’t seem to have changed and there was simply no way these strange beings could have switched places with the civilians this quickly. Surely, it couldn’t be…

In a small voice, he called your name and watched as the masked creature cautiously studied him before taking a single step in his direction. A falling piece of debris hit the ground near the two of you and, quick as lightning, the thing flinched back and ran to the square where most of them had gathered, ignoring his calls to wait.

The events of that night still replayed in his mind and haunted him when he closed his eyes. Oftentimes, he’d wake with a start, drenched in cold sweat and gasping for air, startling his then travelling companion Dainsleif on more than one occasion. How could he ever forget the strangled cries ripped from your throat as you were transformed into what was now known as a hilichurl for no fault of your own.

After the catastrophe, it soon became clear that both the transformation and the immortality placed upon the people of Khaenri’ah were a curse by the gods, led by the Heavenly Principles, as retribution for the nation’s sins. But you had done nothing wrong; neither had most of the people affected. You merely moved to a place not ruled over by the gods. You were not deserving of any punishment; it was the epitome of injustice.

Over time, and despite Dainsleif’s strongly principled company, Aether’s grief slowly withered away and gave birth to frustration, anger and a certain yearning for revenge. That corrupted seed was nourished by every bloody hilichurl mask he came across on their travels, not wanting to think about what that could imply. The rest of Teyvat wasn’t even aware of the fate their beloved gods had doomed Khaenri’ahns to; to them, his fellow people were merely monsters to be slain.

First the Heavenly Principles separated him from his sister and then they took away the one person he found comfort in, who gave him stability and hope for the future. In a sickened way the thought drove him forward. Whether it was to move against the Heavenly Principles or find a way to break the curse, he needed to do something. Even if breaking the curse would reveal what he feared every time he saw a rotted out hilichurl camp to be true, he’d endure it better than the uncertainty gnawing at his stomach.

So, to his own shock, he wasn’t surprised by how quickly he warmed up to Clothar Alberich’s proposal of establishing a new organisation of Khaenri’ahns, who were able to retain their self-awareness, and aiming to topple the divine thrones. To enact his own justice upon the world, which cruelly brought its own down on him, Aether would do anything.

He’d even become the Prince of the Abyss.

𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐄

"...And I just keep on thinking how you made me feel better And all the crazy little things that we did together In the end, in the end, it doesn't matter If tonight is gonna be the loneliest..."

The stench of blood hung in the air, the taste of iron filled the Harbinger’s mouth every time he breathed in. His left eye was only partially opened as the skin around a nasty cut on his temple swole up. It would certainly bruise, perhaps even leave a scar if it went uncared for, yet he hardly spared it a second thought.

As he moved to take out the last of his enemies still standing, the edges of his torn clothes dragged through the underlying wounds and ripped open those the fabric had clung to as they started building crusts. Childe’s breathing was ragged from both physical strain and a severe blow to his rib cage, one of them probably broken by the impact. Well, this wasn’t supposed to be a one person job after all.

But all his work had been so incredibly dull recently, so he purposely sent his subordinates to the wrong location and moved in alone, just to feel the thrill of battle. Normally, a battle in which the opponent was strong enough to wound him to this degree would shoot adrenaline straight through his veins, yet, it felt like nothing but a chore to him. No pride, no joy followed him as he dragged his damp shoes through the scarlet puddles on the cave floor, not even flinching at the cracking sound as he stepped on what he presumed to be someone’s hand. He didn’t care enough to look down.

The way back to Liyue Harbour was uneventful. Those who showed their faces learned pretty quickly that Childe wasn’t to be trifled with if they valued their lives and it wasn’t long before he dropped from the roof of Northland Bank, startling the Fatui Soldiers currently switching shifts.

“M-My Lord,” one of them stammered as her eyes snapped from the tattered scarf to the droplets staining his hair a darker shade of red to the various gashes littering his body. “Your subordinates have been search–”

The Harbinger dismissed her with a mere wave of his hand and motioned for them to open the door. The two quickly scrambled to oblige, their frightened eyes still clinging to his back as he strode through the pristine halls of Northland bank, bloody footprints leaving a trail to his office. Other staff members on duty practically jumped out of his way with a simple glance at his usually bright face, fearing they’d end up as another stain on his sullied uniform.

Dropping into the chair behind the heavy oak desk while heaving a deep sigh, Childe discarded the scuffed red mask before sliding his gloved hand down his face, wincing as he put pressure on his fresh cut. Eventually he tipped his head back with a low groan.

The stale silence of paperwork and files was oppressive, adding to the pressure pounding through his skull. A tiny, rational voice in his head scolded him that this kind of reckless behaviour needed to end, that he was destroying himself. But the crazed part of his brain pushed back hard against the painful familiarity and steered his mind far away from every possible memory associated with it.

Casting his eyes down on the tabletop, he felt his mood sour even more at the fresh stack of letters waiting to be opened. Among the countless Fatui sigils, one particular envelope caught his eyes though; one with the address scribbled in childish handwriting.

Discarding his crimson-dyed gloves and picking his siblings’ letter from the pile with slow fingers, Childe opened it with careful motions. Instantly, a light flutter stirred in his chest at their antics, the stories they told from home and the instances where Teucer definitely pestered Tonia into including a certain detail.

The curve of his smile dropped when his eyes landed on the last part of the letter. Under his tightening grip, the letter he cherished so much before started to crumble and crease as his expression hardened again.

“Ajax, when are you bringing your partner again? You mentioned that they liked the dish mom made last time they visited, so I practised really hard to make it for them the next time. We’re really looking forward to seeing them again! Also mom asks when you’re getting married but I told her to be patient.”

As he stared down the words like they had personally wrong him, he didn’t notice the blood droplet running down the tip of his hair before it fell onto the letter. Childe watched as the red mixed with black, wetting the ink until the curves of your name had disappeared into nothingness, much like you had. One moment there, the next… gone.

In a moment of clarity, which came far too late, the ginger wiped frantically at the letter, trying to retrieve you but it was no use. By the time he stopped, the entire paragraph was smudged in a greyish smear of red and black.

Dropping the scarlet letter, Childe supported his lead-heavy head on his hands as he dropped forward, hunching over his desk in defeat. This time it wasn’t blood which wetted his palms but salty tears, the first ones he’d shed since your passing.

It felt as if someone had dropped a ton of bricks onto his shoulders as the glass he kept his feelings in broke and they flooded his consciousness like waves crashing onto a small fisher boat.

Almost, Childe could feel the grip of your hand in his as you were running across Liyue’s Planes, away from the chaos by his own design, your excited laughter mingling with his own until you fell into the soft grass next to each other. Or how you'd huddled together for warmth under the starry skies of his home, steaming mugs clutched in your hands. He could vividly remember how you brushed away his bangs to press a searing kiss to his temple, eyes so full of love as you looked into his.

But what did it matter now? Why look back when you weren’t next to him anymore? When he couldn’t hold you anymore or bring you back home to meet his family? The family you would have become a part of?

All at once, his wounds started to burn and ache, every breath felt like he was dying as his broken ribs expanded and sunk around his lungs. His mouth tasted bitter with blood and he fought to keep his lunch down. He cringed at the sticky feeling of exudate running down his temple and trickling into the corners of his eyes, glueing his lashes together as he blinked. Even now, you were still right. He was destroying himself. But this time, you weren’t there to stop him.

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