#tried to make some of them accurate as possible haha!

[manawari]

Solo Leveling men + Flowers

Choi Jong-in / Red Rose

meaning: love, passion, pride, beauty, & victory.

Baek Yoon-ho / Tiger Lily

meaning: courage, strength, confidence, wealth, & prosperity.

Yoo Jin-ho / Sunflower

meaning: loyalty, happiness, positivity, & admiration.

Min Byung-gyu / Dandelion

meaning: hope, healing, resilience, innocence, & transformation.

Sung Jin-woo / Daffodil

meaning: rebirth, new beginnings, hope, joy, and good luck.

Woo Jin-chul / Hydrangea

meaning: perseverance, determination, gratitude, grace, & beauty.

Eun-seok / Delphinium

meaning: big hearted, dignity, grace, cheerfulness, & goodwill

Liu Zhigang / Gladiolus

meaning: strength, faithfulness, moral integrity, remembrance, & endurance.

Go Gun-hee / Poppy

meaning: sacrifice, remembrance, endurance, & peace.

Sung Il-hwan / Protea

meaning: strength, courage, resilience, encouragement, & power.

Ma Dong-wook / Iris

meaning: hope, wisdom, trust, & valour

Lennart Niemann / Mayflower

meaning: hope, fertility, new beginnings, & boundaries/protection.

Thomas Andre / Alstroemeria

meaning: friendship, love, strength & devotion.

Goto Ryuji / Purple Clematis

meaning: royalty, power, & luxury.

[cityofmeliora]

Cardi / Papa IV talking about Nihil between "Miasma" and "Mary On A Cross" in Re-Imperatour 2023

i've been meaning to make a compilation post of these speeches for a while. i think the way Cardi talks about Nihil is kinda funny (and sometimes kinda sad). also he was *very clear* about Nihil being his dad long before Rite Here Rite Now, LOL.

i was able to find video of his speeches from 33 of the 58 Re-Imperatour shows. if anyone has better audio for these clips, or clips from the missing shows, please let me know so i can update! i tried to transcribe these as accurately as possible. but the way Cardi talks is kinda weird so there may be some minor errors, haha.

Toulouse, France (May 23, 2023)

"How 'bout this? I can play you a song that my daddy actually used to sing. You like that?"

Milan, Italy (May 29, 2023)

"You saw my, uh, daddy-o over there, right? Yeah… We're gonna sing a song that he used to sing!"

Barcelona, Spain (June 1, 2023)

"Now… You know my dad? He's, uh, he's no longer with us– mentally. But physically, every once in a while, he'll come out with his saxamaphone, and that's what you just saw. But we're now gonna sing a song that my daddy used to sing, once upon a time. You might have heard this one!"

Nantes, France (June 3, 2023)

"Anyway, I'm gonna sing a song now that my daddy–my papa–my father– he used to sing. So let's go!"

Amsterdam, Netherlands (June 4, 2023)

"You saw my daddy-o? My old papa? We're gonna sing a song that he used to sing, actually. Yeah, so you might have heard this one!"

Bochum, Germany (June 13, 2023)

"You saw my old, uh… mein vater, huh? Yeah? He's now a saxophonist– a dead one! But he used to be a singer. And we're gonna sing a song now that he used to sing back in the day… back in the day…"

Neu-Ulm, Germany (June 20, 2023)

"Well, you met my, uh… my dad. Mein vater, huh? Before he started playing the saxamaphone, he was actually a singer. He sang songs. And you know, he begged us before he passed: "Please play our song– my song that I used to do!" So you wanna hear the song that he used to sing? Here it comes!"

Spálené Poříčí, Czechia (June 22, 2023)

"But you know what? Before we leave, we're gonna play you one song that my dad used to sing back in the day."

Oslo, Norway (June 23, 2023)

"So. You saw what my old dad could do. Yeah… blowing that shit. You wish you were the one that he was doing it to, right? Hahahaha. Well, anyway, he used to be a singer, you know! He used to sing songs! They were okay. But we're gonna do one now that he used to sing. I hope you dig it. It's okay!"

Athens, Greece (June 25, 2023)

"You saw what my, uh, my papa… he, uh, he still blows that shit! Well, he's dead, but we roll him out for special occasions. But you know, he used to sing, like I do! And he was an okay singer, actually. I must have got it from somewhere, I guess. But you wanna hear a song that he used to sing? You might like this one."

Concord, USA (August 2, 2023)

"What do you think about Pops over there? You like that? You like when he blows that shit? Yeah. He doesn't suck at it, that's for sure. But anyway, once upon a time, he was actually a singer. Yeah. We're gonna sing a song now that he used to sing back in the day."

Auburn, USA (August 4, 2023)

"How do you like that? My old dad. He wasn't much of a father –he kind of sucked at that– but he sure as shit blows really good. Yeah, no, he– he's fine, he's fine, except for being dead. But y'know, we roll him out for the good occasions, and this is one of them. You know, back in the day, he used to be a singer. I hate to say it, but I think I got it from him. Yeah. He was an okay singer. But do you guys wanna sing a song that he used to sing, together with me? Alright… Go!"

Denver, USA (August 8, 2023)

"You like that blowjob? Yeah, I know. My old man. My old daddy-o. I know he blows. Still. Miraculously. Posthumously. But you know, once upon a time he was not an actual sucky singer. He was actually quite okay. We're gonna play a song now that he used to sing, and I hope you dig it. Alright?"

St. Louis (August 11, 2023)

"Give it up for my old man! Yeah… he still blows! Once upon a time, though, he was actually quite okay a singer. Do you wanna sing a song together now that he used to sing back in the day? Okay, let's do this!"

Milwaukee, USA (August 12, 2023)

"What did you think, huh? My old man… First he was just a fart that I met, and then I got to know that he was my dad. Yeah. He's– he was okay. For a sucker, he blows really good, actually, don't you think? Once upon a time, he was actually a kinda decent singer. Have you heard any of those songs? You wanna sing one now? Alright. Let's go!"

Chicago, USA (August 15, 2023)

"I don't know about your Pops, but mine sure fucking blows. Once upon a time he was actually a not-too-sucky singer, though. Have you heard anything of his stuff? You wanna sing one of his old songs? Alright. Let's do it then– come on!"

Cincinnati (August 16, 2023)

"How did you like that, then? Yeah, I know, my old dad. My old daddy-o. Still blowing that shit. I guess he's fine. Now, I don't know if you knew this but, once upon a time, he was actually a quite okay singer. Have you heard any of his songs? We're gonna honor him now a little and, uh, sing one of his old songs, okay?"

Syracuse, USA (August 18, 2023)

"That's my old man. Or was. Pretty sucky father, but he still can blow. He blew some really good shit there, didn't he? Right through his nose. Anyway, once upon a time, he was actually quite a decent singer. And, uh, y'know, did some tunes. And we're gonna do one now. You wanna? Ohhh!"

Mansfield, USA (August 19, 2023)

"Yeah. My old Pops there. Y'know, for years he didn't do much. Y'know… and uh, because he used to be a singer but now he just, uh, y'know, he does a good– y'know, he does a good blow job. But he used to be a singer. And he sang quite well. And, uh, we're actually gonna commemorate that fact by singing one of his tunes now. And we hope you dig it. Alright?"

Bridgeport, USA (August 20, 2023)

"How 'bout that? My old man. My old man… Well, he's a dead man now. But you know we bring him out for the blow job, and he does okay with that. You know, he was once upon a time a fairly decent singer. And I thought we, uh, might take this opportunity to sing one of his old songs. I think you've heard this one. It's okay."

Burgettstown, USA (August 23, 2023)

"How did you like that, though? My old Pop, with his saxamaphone. Ah, he's okay. Or he was okay. I guess he's not anymore. Anyway, we're gonna sing a song now that he used to sing back in the day, when he was singing. So… Come on!"

Bristow, USA (August 24, 2023)

"You know… my dad… not much of a dad. But he sure blows that good shit, huh? Yeah, yeah, yeah. He has always been an entertainer, I guess… even now, posthumously– Google that. He was, once upon a time, a singer like I am. And he did a few tunes. I don't know if you've heard them. They're okay– they're okay. But we're gonna do one of them now and, uh, you might wanna sing along. Are you ready?"

Camden, USA (August 25, 2023)

"Well, what do you think? My old man– he's a good blower of shit, huh? That would be his, uh, tribe name: "Blower of Tubes". But once upon a time his name could've been "Singer of Songs", because he was– used to be a singer, y'know? And he was a fairly decent one, actually. He was not that bad. They did a few tunes. You wanna sing one of them? Alright, let's do it! Come on!"

Houston, USA (September 2, 2023)

"How did you like that? My old man resurrected to come out and blow shit for you? Nowadays he's a blower, I guess. But once upon a time, he was a not so sucky singer, yeah– let's put it that way. And, uh, he actually did a few tunes. And, uh, we're thinking that maybe you wanna sing one. Are you down with that? Alright, let's get rippin'!

Dallas, USA (September 5, 2023)

"Heh, we even got my old dad sort of erected– resurrected. But yeah, I think he felt it, too. Maybe you saw the sax moving? He was once an okay singer. Did you know that? Yeah, he used to sing songs. Yeah. Would you like to sing a song that he used to sing? Alright, let's do it!"

Albuquerque, USA (September 7, 2023)

"So my old man. The old fart. Yeah, he can make wind move– I can tell you that. Blowing that shit. Once upon a time he was a singer, though. Did you know that? Yeah, he did a few songs. And I was thinking that maybe we should sing one of them. Just for shits and giggles. Are you down with that? Alright, come on!"

Phoenix, USA (September 8, 2023)

"Are you still feeling it? Yeah! I hope you weren't blown away by my… my old man. Yeah I know he blows that shit nowadays. [UNINTELLIGIBLE] But, uh, once upon a time, he was actually a singer. Did you know that? And a fairly decent solo, actually. So we were thinking that maybe you wanna sing one of his old tunes. Are you digging it? Come on!"

Rite Here Rite Now - Los Angeles, USA (September 12, 2023)

"How did you like that, then? That's my old man, actually. You know, we roll him out for the good nights. Once upon a time, he was actually a quite decent singer. Yeah. Did you know that? We're gonna sing a song now that he used to sing and, uh… Come on!"

Mexico City, Mexico (September 18, 2023)

"How do you like that? That was my– my old papa. He's okay. He's not that good. And I guess the apple doesn't fall very far from the tree... so he's okay. Do you guys know that he used to be a singer, once upon a time? Do you guys wanna play a song and sing a song that he used to sing? Let's go then, people!"

São Paulo (September 21, 2023)

"You like that guy? The old guy? He's okay. He's my old papa. Did you know that he was actually a singer back in the day? Do you guys wanna sing a song that he used to sing. Alright, let's do it!"

Buenos Aires, Argentina (September 24, 2023)

"You see– I'm your Papa, but that's my papa. He's an okay papa. Or he was. He's dead now, but we sort of drag him out for the good shows. Nowadays, he's just a saxophone player. But he used to be a singer, did you know that? Do you guys wanna play a– sing a song that he used to sing? Alright, let's go!"

Santiago, Chile (September 27, 2023)

"Anyway, you saw my papa there, right? Yeah. Once upon a time, he was a singer. Did you know that? We were thinking that maybe you wanna sing one of his old songs. Alright, come on!"

Sydney, Australia (October 3, 2023)

"So… how did you like that? That's my old man. Well… He never was much of a papa to me, but… it's okay. He does a good blowjob nowadays. Y'know what? Before he was blowing that shit he was actually not a too sucky singer, did you know that? Yeah! Once upon a time he was actually singing songs. So we thought that maybe you wanna sing one of his old tunes. You wanna do that? Come on!"

[antianakin]

hey, just wanted to say that i appreciate you creating this space to discuss more uh....unpopular takes on star wars. obviously fandom is a hobby and i don't want to ruin anyone's fun! but i also want a space to push back against fanon interpretations without treading on anyone's toes, you know?

like the whole obi-wan catholic guilt trope, jedi repression trope at large...i'm being dramatic but as an asian person, sometimes it sucks that this is such a prevalent idea about a heroic group that was influenced by buddhism and is very asian-coded. i'm not wording this well but just like how stories about european knights often reflect *the very best* of western values like chivalry, honor, gentility, i could really see a lot of the best of asian culture (a huge over-simplification) in the jedi.

but all that being reduced to "oh actually it's totally catholic guilt" or a inadvertently a regurgitation of prevalent asian stereotypes (the jedi as a group suppress individuality, they don't express emotions, they are too harsh, too unforgiving, lack compassion) is...frustrating to see, even though it's everyone's right to interpret & relate to things as they see fit.

especially when focused on obi-wan! even if we assume that obi-wan is repressed, secretly attached to an unhealthy degree but hiding it, or whatnot - the man quite literally airs the dirty laundry in front of mace and yoda, perhaps the "highest" members of the jedi. he says that he thinks anakin is arrogant, isn't listening to him. i dunno but a repressed person who hates confrontation and vulnerability probably wouldn't do that. he should've gone "haha nope anakin and i are totally fine masters, totally fine" instead of looking for advice & airing out his frustrations.

people getting angry at obi-wan for putting the jedi order over anakin is still annoying, but at least accurate. like yes! obi-wan does put the good of his culture and the galaxy at large over his old padawan! good for him!

but honestly all popular fanon obi-wan tropes go round on a roulette wheel waiting for me to pick one to be petty about lmao.

I definitely get what you mean about wanting a space to push back on common fanon interpretations without stepping on anyone's toes. That's obviously exactly why I made this blog in the first place. It's why I named the blog "antianakin" at all, it's supposed to be a giant neon warning sign to people that I'm not going to feel ashamed of some of my more negative opinions. It's why I use anti and critical tags as much as possible, and don't use the more general tags most of the time (aside from just... "star wars"). This is my space to put my feelings out there, positive AND negative, and I work really hard to make sure I'm not invading spaces that are meant for being positive.

I also often don't reblog people's posts that I completely disagree with JUST to talk about why I don't like their take. I won't invade someone's Jedi critical post in order to tell them that they're wrong about Star Wars. People have tried to tag me into posts like that, but I'm not interested in doing that kind of thing. If I DO want to say something about what I've seen, I make my own post about the issue.

It's interesting that you mention that stories about European knights often reflect what's viewed as the best of Western values, because so often when I see people talk about what would make the Jedi BETTER (or Legends versions of the Jedi that they think were done better), it's usually pretty clear that the Jedi are being turned INTO your more typical European knight to reflect those exact values. They're often wandering on their own, doing what they personally believe to be right whenever and wherever they want, defending the helpless wherever they find them by just riding in on a white horse and slaying an enemy or a monster. And of course some of those values they uphold are about what love and relationships should look like, too, so they all end up in committed monogamous relationships (even if it's with more than one person, it's still usually monogamous). This is one of the reasons I started getting frustrated with the High Republic novels by the third one because it started having that vibe that the "good" Jedi who stuck to more "traditional" ways of doing things and "traditional" values were so much more like your typical European knight, while the Jedi character doing something more modern and more political was losing his way and struggling with a desire for things he was repressing.

It's a feeling we've seen come up time and time again and it keeps getting tossed out in more recent shows, too, the idea that the Jedi "lost their way" from what they should've been, that they once used to represent something worthwhile and losing those traditional values is what caused their destruction and the only way to keep it from happening again is to go back to that. It's not hard to see where that storyline feels compelling, obviously, but it IS sad to see the values that the Jedi DO have in the Prequels in particular getting tossed aside as unworthy and to see their defeat being rewritten as THEIR failure instead of everyone else's.

I've had people tell me that this story feels like it has more nuance to it than the Jedi simply being the heroic victims and the Sith being pure villains. And I get why people think that, I just think that there's a lot of nuance they're MISSING in the story being told, and that that nuance exists EVEN WITH the Jedi still being the heroic victims and the Sith being clear villains. I am more than happy to help critique some of the WAYS that that story got told in the Prequels, the issues in the structure of the Prequels and how it maybe muddied some of the messages that the story was trying to get across, but I also think that that critique is SEPARATE from my feelings on the intended narrative itself. I don't think that the narrative itself is bad or lacking in nuance simply because it may not have been told perfectly. And, personally, I think that some of the more "nuanced" Jedi critical takes often seem INCREDIBLY simplistic themselves.

As for Obi-Wan, fandom will do what fandom does to its darlings. I've certainly done my fair share of simplifying my faves down to shadows of themselves because I happened to enjoy the shadow sometimes in its own right. But I do think that there's plenty of evidence to contradict a lot of people's more popular interpretation of Obi-Wan as a repressed, damaged, traumatized waif. I don't mind a LITTLE of that sometimes, usually when I read fics set in the early years of his apprenticeship with Qui-Gon following some of the events of Jedi Apprentice, but it comes with the context that Obi-Wan is still VERY YOUNG at the time and is dealing with some fairly specific things that have just happened to him and is still learning how to do that in a healthy way.

By the time you hit The Phantom Menace and ESPECIALLY the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan should no longer be a repressed, traumatized waif of a person. That's when it stops being believable to me because the character we see on screen in that time period never fits that description. Like you said, he's ACTIVELY confrontational to his superiors. He does do it with Mace and Yoda (and he does it in ROTS as well as in AOTC) and he does it with Qui-Gon during his apprenticeship, too.

The one other time I was willing to accept some of this characterization was in the Kenobi show where we do see him being more repressed and traumatized and less willing to stand up for himself when faced with confrontation with people like Owen. But one of the reasons this worked for me is because, much like with those JA fics, it comes with a VERY SPECIFIC CONTEXT, and it's done with the intentional purpose of giving Obi-Wan somewhere to develop. He also doesn't stay particularly submissive or waif-like for long, we see him gain back a LOT of his willingness to stand up for himself and confront people by the second episode. The message wasn't that Obi-Wan had ALWAYS been damaged and traumatized or that he was always "meant" for sadness or whatever, but that he had the capacity to find happiness IF HE CHOOSES TO ACT LIKE THE JEDI HE ONE WAS. The only reason he's struggling is because he ISN'T acting like a Jedi anymore. He's not finally figuring out how to handle his traumas, he's GOING BACK to being the person who can handle his traumas.

Anyway, yeah, I feel you, I have definitely experienced the roulette wheel of petty frustration at fandom interpretations of Obi-Wan lol. I can barely handle the "he drops his lightsaber all the time" joke because I feel like it often makes him come across as childishly incompetent.

[blissfullyapillow]

┆I’ve loved you from the start

‧₊˚ ⋅♡ Neuvillette x fem reader

‧₊˚ ⋅♡ wc: 10,483~

‧₊˚ ⋅♡ Prompt: pinning, pinning, and more pinning. Wait, it’s mutual?! Oh, your heart can’t take this… “Oh how I’d wish you’d wake up one day, run to me confess your love at least just let me say, That when I talk to you, Oh cupid walks right through, And shoots an arrow to my heart…. Oh the burning pain... Don’t you dare look at me that way..”

‧₊˚ ⋅♡ warnings: fluff, slowburn, mutual pinning, lots of Fontaine characters make an appearance, reader is referred to as Name instead of Y/N but same thought applies (reader insert)

‧₊˚ ⋅♡ Pillow Talks: Hi guys! I’ve spent the last few days writing this, and I have to say I’m in love with how it turned out! I had to do my man justice (get it?) with a fic I can be proud of. Anyway, I really hope someone can find joy and comfort from this fic. As a side note, yes this fic was inspired by the song From the Start, by Laufey. The specific lines stated in the prompt is what really inspired me to write this. Regarding Neuvillette, I tried to be as lore accurate as possible here haha. I wish you all a wonderful holiday season. Stay safe out there. With much love, Pillow ‹𝟹

‧₊˚ ⋅♡ Masterlist

Credits: sillyakito on pinterest

I tap an impatient finger against my knee as I take a slow survey of my surroundings. Everyone is patiently seated, although animated whispers reach your ears as citizens anxiously wait for the trial to begin.

I don’t know what to expect…

As the people beside me engage in idle chatter, I take a deep breath to mentally prepare myself. My friend convinced me to attend one of Fontaine’s public trails, insisting it was a rite of passage as a new citizen of Fontaine.

Unfortunately for the both of us, they came down with a cold the day before the trial.  I would’ve loved if they could accompany me, but I’m here nonetheless.

Another quick glance around the courtroom sets my nerves on end. I’m fine with huge crowds but at times they can feel suffocating. My finger tapping increases in speed as my thoughts begin to spiral.

Before my thoughts can completely spiral out of control, a loud sound catches the attention of everyone in the room.

There, sitting before everyone in a comically large chair, is the most beautiful man I’ve ever laid eyes on. Something that is no small feat in the world of Teyvat.

He has a commanding presence; there’s something about him that makes it difficult to pry my eyes away. He situates himself before the people of Fontaine, and before long the trial is well underway.

I wind up being swept up in the moment; I’m heavily invested in this case. I close my eyes for a moment, playing detective to deduce whom the culprit is.

The majority of the attending party is not as quiet as I’d prefer them to be; It’s hard to think when everyone is so rowdy.

“Oh my, did you hear that? She’s definitely guilty!” “Disgusting.” “Who? Her? I doubt it was her! Do you not see the remorse on her face? Oh, what poor soul…”

…

aha, that’s it!

I open my eyes with a triumphant expression. I’ve determined who the culprit is. At least, I think so. Now to wait and see.

“Order!” The man before the citizens of Fontaine slams what appears to be a cane to the ground. The room is immediately engulfed in silence.

I gaze at him in awe.

The man, who I now know is the Iudex of Fontaine, talks through his deductions before a machine generates the final verdict.

I silently cheer since I successfully determined the culprit.

Overall, I’d say this was a valuable experience. There are definitely some prominent flaws in how trials are viewed and the implemented system. Of course that was only one trial and I shouldn’t get ahead of myself, but something about the fate of another being viewed as entertainment just doesn’t sit right with me.

With my head in the clouds, I don’t pay attention to where I’m going.

Well, not until I accidentally bump into something.

A small “omph!” comes out of whatever I bumped into. That’s weird. Why would an inanimate object make a—

The sudden realization that I bumped into someone dawns on me. I’m quick to bow my head in embarrassment.

“Sorry! I wasn’t paying attention..” I hope they aren’t mad!

I blink my eyes open when I hear nothing, and I find myself face to face with a Melusine.

“It’s no problem. We can all be clumsy at times.” The Melusine smiles at me; it’s the most heartwarming smile to ever grace my eyes.

I can feel the way my heart melts as the Melusine continues to smile at me, although she tilts her head in confusion.

Oh, I haven’t responded to her yet!

“You’re right. Still, I’m so sorry for bumping into you.” A sheepish smile lifts my lips. The Melusine sighs as they shake their head in dismay.

“Oh dear. You remind me an awful lot of Monsieur Neuvillette. He tends to over apologize for things when it comes to us.” This time, I’m the one tilting my head in confusion.

“Monsieur… Neuvillette? … Did I say that right?” The Melusine nods her confirmation, although she seems a bit surprised by my confusion. Why, though? “Are you new to fontaine?” She asks. When I slowly nod my head in confirmation, her eyes sparkle with an emotion I can’t pinpoint.

“Ah, I see. Well, my name is Sedene. It is very nice to meet you.” Sedene holds out her hand for a friendly shake, and it takes everything in me not to squeal over how adorable she is.

I haven’t lived in Fontaine for long, but all of the Melusine have my heart. They are all so sweet with their own personalities, it’s hard not to have a soft spot for them! They especially helped me out with navigating the city when I first arrived, their eyes devoid of judgment or apprehension when communicating with me.

Sedene tilts her head at me once more, and it takes me a moment to realize I haven’t responded yet… again.

My face warms in embarrassment.

Why do I keep getting lost in thought today?

I smile at her as I extend my hand, and we shake. “So, what’s your name?” She asks me. “Name.” Is my response.

She considers my answer, trying the name out on her own. “Name… it sounds pretty.” Sedene’s thoughtful comment causes my smile to morph into a grin. “Not as pretty as Sedene! Still, thank you.” I bend down to my knees to be at eye level with her.

I notice her eyes widen slightly, but she doesn’t seem to take offense to my action. If anything, she seems overjoyed. “Y/N, have you met Monsieur Neuvillette yet?” I shake my head no in response to her question.

“Monsieur… Neuvillette…,” Sedene nods again to confirm I have said the name correctly as I speak, “..Who is he?”

She blinks her eyes owlishly, before she bursts into a fit of giggles.

I’m a bit taken aback, but I find myself joining in on the laughter. Once Sedene stops laughing she gestures for me to follow her. I oblige her request as she begins to skip away.

Before I know it Sedene has led me to a new area, and now I stand before a large door. Sedene politely knocks before a voice from inside calls out, “Come in.”

Huh, why does that voice sound so familiar?

My question is quickly answered once Sedene pushes the door open and I follow her inside.

Sitting before the both of us, at his desk, is none other than the beautiful Iudex of Fontaine.

Oh, Monsieur Neuvillette!

everything clicks for me, and I find myself feeling a bit overwhelmed.

I’m standing before such a prominent figure in Fontaine! With no appointment or anything! I’m sure you need to schedule an appointment to see someone like him, right?

Is there some sort of etiquette I should follow here?

I break out into a nervous sweat as Sedene introduces me.

“I hope I am not imposing on your work Monsieur, but I have someone I’d like you to meet. This is Y/N, and she is a new citizen of Fontaine.” I shyly wave and offer a smile as Monsieur Neuvillette fixes his gaze on me.

Archons, my heart is pounding!

…

He remains silent.

I catch sight of his curious eyes roaming my figure, before they leave me to return to Sedene.

A soft, warm expression takes over his features as he communicates with her.

It makes my heart squeeze painfully in my chest.

“You are fine, Sedene. I was just about to take a break from all of this paperwork anyway.” He speaks in a very refined manner, but his tone is more relaxed than it was in court. Obviously that’s to be expected, but still.

“Well hello Name, you can refer to me as Monsieur Neuvillette. Thank you for being good company to Sedene.” The Iudex of Fontaine now stands. He makes his way over to us.

I scramble my brain for a dignified response since the only fact in my mind is that I’ll be able to see his pretty features up close.

Oh,

He’s coming closer.

He’s standing in front of me now.

Damn, he’s even more handsome up close.

“Hmm?” He hums, prompting me for something. But what could it—?

Oh, yeah. I need to respond.

I open my mouth to thank him for his generosity, maybe even congratulate him on how smooth the trial seemed to go today.

Unfortunately, he chooses that moment to glance at Sedene, and he chuckles at whatever he sees.

Oh, my heart.

…

“Yeah.” Is my blunt, ineloquent response.

Oh ARCHONS why is that the only word that came out of my mouth?

He seems a bit taken aback by my lack of a response, but then he smiles.

At me.

He chuckles once more, and he lifts his hand. He moves his hand in my direction, and my entire body stiffens. His fingers grace my cheek.

My heart stops.

“You had something there. Do not worry, I have removed it.” Monsieur Neuvillette tilts his head in a polite gesture, a warm smile on his face as he retracts his hand.

I forget to feel embarrassed since I just had THE beautiful Iudex of Fontaine touch my cheek.

“Thank you..” I murmur, sounding a bit more eloquent this time.

“You are quite welcome. How long has it been since you’ve arrived in Fontaine? Do you hail from Liyue?” Neuvillette’s eyes roam my form once more as the realization dawns on me.

He’s studying my clothes, since I’m not wearing clothing native to Fontaine.

“Ah, yes. I just moved here recently. From Liyue.” When the word ‘Liyue’ leaves my lips, Neuvillette’s expression shifts for the briefest of moments.

It’s subtle, but I notice the quick frown that turns his gorgeous lips upside down, before they resume their neutral position.

“I see. Well, there are many things to enjoy in Fontaine. I hope you find Fontaine to be a suitable new home for you.” He sounds sincere, and it makes me happy.

“Thank you Monsieur.” I twiddle my fingers as my gaze leaves his face, to look around the room.

I assume this is his office.

There are shelves in the room, huge as they are, and there are two piles of paperwork on his work desk.

Sedene strikes up a conversation with Neuvillette, but I tune it out.

That is, until my name is brought up again.

“So, what do you say, Name? Does that sound like something that’s of interest to you?” I whip my head around to look at him, and his gaze is as fierce as it is intense.

Uh, what was the question?

He opens his mouth to speak, but before he can I interrupt. “Y-Yes! Sure, that sounds wonderful…” I chuckle nervously, hoping he doesn’t realize I didn’t catch his question.

He smirks at my response.

“So you don’t know what I have asked of you, yet you agree nonetheless? You are proving to be an intriguing individual Name. I shall see you here tomorrow then. Promptly in the morning, at 9, and not a moment later.” He turns then, walking back to his desk.

“Yes.” Is the only response I’m capable of mustering.

Oh my.. wait, did I say my question out loud earlier?

I watch as he sits down at his desk once more, that same smirk on his lips as he returns to work.

“Thank you for introducing us, Sedene. I shall see you tomorrow.” Sedene happily waves goodbye to Monsieur Neuvillette, and I hastily follow suit.

We leave Monsieur Neuvillette to his work, and Sedene happily bids me farewell outside of his door. “It seems you’ve intrigued Monsieur Neuvillette. That is not an easy feat (Name). I shall see you here tomorrow. At 9 o'clock okay? Don’t be late.” Sedene moves in to give me a hug, and I quickly bend down to return it.

As I leave the Court of Fontaine, I’m in a daze.

What did I just get myself into?

⋆｡𖦹 ° ♡⸝⸝ ✧˖

It’s 8:50. I am most definitely not running late to my surprise meeting with the chief justice of Fontaine.

On the contrary, I’ve arrived early!

Too bad my sense of direction isn’t serving me well..

“Um, excuse me? Do you know where I can find Monsieur Neuvillette’s office?” I kindly ask a Melusine I stumble upon.

They generously agree, and soon I’m led to the same door I stood before the previous day.

I check the time. It’s 8:57 now. How fortunate.

“Thank you so much!” I gratefully give my thanks to the Melusine before me. I bend down to give her a hug, and she accepts. “No worries. Thank you, (Name). It’s been a long time since Monsieur Neuvillette allowed himself to be involved with another person.” Oh?

Before I can ask the Melusine to elaborate, the door to Neuvillette’s office suddenly opens.

I look up, and he stands tall and proud above us. He awkwardly coughs into his fist as he glances at us. “Name. I’m glad you could make it.”

I take that as my Que to rise and properly stand in front of him. I discreetly wave goodbye to the Melusine as she skips away. When I turn back to face Neuvillette, he has a glint in his eyes.

I can only hope to decipher what it means.

He moves to stand beside me outside of his office, closing the door firmly behind him.

“Now, are you ready to begin?” I feel a sudden burst of energy surge through me, jumping up in excitement. “Yes! I’ll admit, I have no idea what we’re doing and I usually don’t wake up this early, but I’m ready!”

My words clearly take him by surprise, as his whole body stiffens and his gorgeous eyes widen.

“My… you sure are full of surprises.” He sounds smug about it for whatever reason, but I take it as a compliment.

“Sedene had asked me to show you around Fontaine, since you are new to this nation. Normally, this is not an activity someone of my.. position.. would partake in with a citizen. So count yourself lucky, as it was Sedene who requested it.” I eagerly nod my head in approval, and a shy “thank you,” leaves my lips.

He only nods, noticeably turning his head to look elsewhere.

He was struggling to contain his smile.

“Let us be on our way then. There is much to show you, while the day is still young.” So with that, Monsieur Neuvillette guides me out of the Palais Mermonia, which he later explains is the name of the building his office is located in, to show me the sights of Fontaine.

⋆｡𖦹 ° ♡⸝⸝ ✧˖

Neuvillette proves to be a wonderful tour guide, though I didn’t expect any less from him. He points out famous shops that the citizens rave about, making a point to mention Chioriya Boutique, run by a famous fashion designer from Inazuma. My eyes sparkle as I catch glimpses of the clothes, but Neuvillette is quick to continue our tour.

I can’t help but pout as we continue on. My eyes struggle to leave a particular piece that has caught my eye. Little did I know, Neuvillette was all too aware.

As we continue our impromptu tour, we run into many people who are familiar with Neuvillette. Each and every one of them express genuine surprise at seeing him out and about, especially with someone they’ve never seen before. 

A famous magician, Lyney, performs a magic trick for us as his assistant Lynette silently stands beside him. I politely applaud, enjoying the cool trick he managed to pull off. 

Halfway through the tour Neuvillette stops me. He pointedly looks towards a building a few feet ahead of us. My confusion morphs into one of delight as a girl runs out from behind it, quickly swarming Neuvillette as she asks for an interview for what apparently is the third time that week.

Later on, nearing the end of the tour, we run into a tall, beautiful lady. Neuvillette introduces her as the Champion Duelist, Clorinde. To say I'm starstruck is an understatement. She seems a bit stoic, but a subtle smile remained on her lips as she questioned what Neuvillette was doing with a citizen of Fontaine. 

I giggle as he slowly becomes more flustered with Clorinde’s obvious teasing, briskly walking off as he bids her a quick farewell soon after. She smirks, turning her gaze to me. I smile at her, and she nods politely before she continues on her way.

Our tour ends with a chance meeting, with none other than the Archon herself. 

Well, if the whispers you heard are true, then former Archon… ish? I don’t know the whole story, and it honestly sounds complicated. I don’t particularly care to know the details, as I give Furina a friendly wave of the hand. She stops to greet the two of us. She almost looks like she wants to ask Neuvillette what everyone has already, but she refrains from doing so, quickly entering her house with what appeared to be boxes of macaroni in her arms.

…

I think it’s better not to ask.

With that, my tour of Fontaine with Neuvillette concludes. The two of us return to our starting position, back to the Palais Mermonia. Neuvillette’s expression is hard to read as the two of you stand in front of his office door. “Thank you so much for doing this for me. Or, well, I’m not sure if it was entirely for me but either way I appreciate it! I got to meet a lot of cool people, although some of them made me nervous with how cool they seem…” You chuckle as you express your thanks. 

“No need to thank me. I actually enjoyed myself quite a bit.” You both send a smile in the other’s direction, before an awkward silence ensues. 

Luckily, you believe you’re good at handling these. “Um.. so, until we see each other again?” You extend your hand for a shake. He looks taken aback for a moment before he reaches out towards you, shaking your hand. 

“Until we meet again, Name. Truly, you are a lovely individual.” He politely nods, smiling at you before he turns, entering his office. 

His back is turned as the door shuts behind him.

Thank goodness.

You quickly place your hand over your heart, as the organ beneath your chest pounds violently against your ribcage.

Archons, how did you manage to walk beside him all day long? He’s genuinely an intriguing individual, and you enjoyed the various expressions he made. From a look of exasperation with the young reporter Charlotte, to looks of endearment as some Melusine waved to him when they spotted him, to an adorable look of embarrassment as Clorinde took it upon herself to extensively question his motives.

A soft look paints your features. Your cheeks, along with your heart, feels so warm.

You take your time leaving the Palais Mermonia.

Your only wish is that you’re able to meet Monsieur Neuvillette once more, even if your wish is quite far-fetched and impractical.

Who knew a rainy day would be the thing to grant your wish?

⋆｡𖦹 ° ♡⸝⸝ ✧˖

A heavy sigh leaves my lips as I hold my umbrella above my head. This rainy weather is quite fitting for today; after that trial I just witnessed, anyone would be sad. 

I roll my shoulders as I attempt to work out the kink in my neck. I stayed behind as the other citizens slowly filed out of the courtroom. The verdict weighs heavy on my chest. It was a tough case to watch, and it pained me to see the grief stricken look that crossed Neuvillette’s features as he announced the defendant guilty. 

I sat alone in the vast courtroom to give myself time to absorb everything that occurred. It almost felt like too much, but then again, I’ve always been one to put myself in others shoes even when it doesn’t directly affect me.

I shiver; it’s getting quite cold with this heavy downpour.

My gaze shifts to the sky. Although the circumstances were not ideal, I can’t help but feel a sense of peace wash over me as the rain splatters to the ground. A raindrop drips down from my colorful umbrella, splashing to the ground before my feet.

I’ve always loved the rain. Sometimes it can be a bit of a nuisance, but even so, there was something so beautiful about it. I adore all kinds of weather, but rainy weather has always held a special place in my heart. It calms me enough to sleep during late nights; it makes what would’ve been an ordinary night cozier and a bit special.

Nothing soothes me more than the gentle, or rough, splatter of raindrops against my window.

My  thoughts drift back to the present as my eyes come into focus. Whoops, I was daydreaming again.

I glance around, hoping no one spotted me zoned out, when my eyes connect with a familiar pair of dark blue-purple slit eyes. Said eyes widen, before they visibility soften. He takes long strides towards me, and my heart flips in my chest. 

‘Act cool, Name. Act cool,’ My thoughts warn me.

“It’s lovely to see you again, Neuvillette.” I cringe at my choice of words, internally berating myself for sounding cheesy.

“It is lovely to see you again as well, Miss Y/N.” Neuvillette smiles courteously in my direction, before his gaze shifts towards the sky. “Ah, my apologies. This heavy rain must be quite an inconvenience for you.” I glance at him, with what I’m sure is confusion on my features. Why is he apologizing for the rain? 

It’s not like he’s the one causing it. 

“No need to apologize for something that isn’t your fault Monsieur.” I’m not sure if I’m imagining the way his body winces. 

“No, no… ahem–” He awkwardly coughs into his fist, cheeks warm as he looks elsewhere.

Huh. How odd.

I shake my head to get myself back on topic. 

“Monsieur Neuvillette, do you have an umbrella?” My question draws his gaze in my direction. I suck in a sharp intake of breath at the intensity within his gaze.

“No, but do not worry about me. I’ll be fine.” He dismisses my concerns, stepping forward to walk in the rain. “It was nice seeing you again–” He pauses, glancing at his side. There I stand beside him, stubbornly holding the umbrella over his head.

He sighs.

“Y/n, I was honest when I said–” “I don’t care. I mean–” I catch myself, reminding myself Neuvillette is a respectable man that I can’t talk carelessly with as if he were a friend. “I mean… I understand. Still, please let me walk with you. I may be imagining it, but you do not seem well. I imagine a trial like that would make anyone feel ill. Not to mention you were the one presiding over the whole ordeal…” I’m a bit nervous that I’m overstepping my boundaries, but I figure it’s worth a shot.

Monsieur Neuvillette looks startled as he stares at me. I shift my weight from foot to foot, feeling awkward once more.

He suddenly looks away. Silence continues our conversation; with a gentle grasp of his hand, he removes the umbrella from my hand to hold it above the both of us. 

“Please, let me repay your kindness.” I nod, following him as we walk side by side through the torrential onslaught of rain. 

It isn’t long before we enter what appears to be an indoor cafe, ducking inside. Neuvillette closes my umbrella before he hands it back to me. I whisper my thanks, following closely behind as we find empty seats.

“Is there anything you’d like to try?” Neuvillette gestures to the menu in front of me. I feel bad, but I can’t resist looking over the menu. Scanning the various sweet items, my mouth begins to water. “This looks so good! Oh, but this does too. Hmm, maybe I want to try this…” I talk to myself, temporarily forgetting that Neuvillette is sitting in front of me. A sudden burst of laughter startles me, and I quickly place the menu down as I watch Neuvillette.

His eyes are crinkled, his hand running through his hair as he laughs unexpectedly.

Stop it, heart. 

He quickly composes himself, chuckling to myself. “You certainly seem eager. Please, order what you want. It’s on me.” I open my mouth immediately to protest, but he speaks before I can utter a single objection.

“The only thing I want to hear from those lips is what you want to order.”

Archons.

This man will be the death of me.

So, I oblige, telling Neuvillette my order before he promptly stands to leave, ruffling my hair as he passes.

My face burns. 

There’s simply no way he said that to me. No way. Nada. Zlitch.

Except…

I know what I heard.

Augghhhh.

I roughly put my head in my hands as I will my heart to calm down. You barely know the man, he didn’t mean it like that… yet.. 

I’m in trouble.

⋆｡𖦹 ° ♡⸝⸝ ✧˖

Neuvillette returns with my requested order, and I know my eyes must shine with horribly contained excitement. “Do not wait for me, go ahead and…” He struggles to contain his laughter when I don’t even wait for him to finish speaking, happily devouring the treat before me.  

He returns a minute later with my requested drink, just to see an empty plate. He really struggles not to chuckle. “Don’t laugh. I see it on your face, mister.” I warn. “Whatever do you mean, Miss Y/n? I would never laugh at a lady enjoying a sweet treat.” His tone is smug, accompanied by a grin. He places my drink in front of me before he sits in front of me once more. I pout at his obvious teasing, but decide to let it slide.

“Say, where’d you get the fancy glass? What’s in it?” I’m curious, leaning a bit closer in hopes of catching a glimpse at the context. 

“Ah, this? It is simply water, my drink of choice.” He looks all too elegant as he swirls the glass in his hand before he takes a long sip.

Your eyes are glued to his person. 

I should feel embarrassed at my shameless staring, really, but the sight before me is too beautiful to pass up.

The moment his eyes begin to open once he’s finished savoring the taste, I avert my eyes so fast it’s comical.

Unbeknownst to you, he witnessed the whole thing.

He won’t out you though, you’ve treated him with kindness by sharing your umbrella and he can only tease you so much. 

“Anyway, are you feeling better?” I ask. He looks confused for a moment as I take a sip of my drink. You can see the moment it clicks for him, his eyes visibly widening in recognition.

“Oh… yes… I.. am…” He seems completely taken aback by that revelation; it’s all too cute. “I’m glad. I know it mustn’t be easy presiding over cases, but you really do such an important job. I’m sure many are grateful that of all the people in Teyvat, it’s you whose the Iudex of Fontaine.” My words are sincere as I relay my honest feelings to him, closing my eyes as I take another delightful sip of the coffee I ordered.

This taste is absolutely divine. I haven’t had coffee that tastes this good in so long.

I keep my eyes closed as I savor the taste, slowly opening them. 

Just to find Neuvillette staring intently at my features.

To be fair, I did the same thing to him moments before, but gosh this feels embarrassing. I hope I wasn’t making a weird face!

I quickly avert my eyes, looking down at the table as I struggle to contain my smile, surely making an utterly goofy expression. 

I hear Nevuillette’s gentle laugh.

I slowly look up to see such a delicate look on his face; archons, I’ve always wanted to be on the receiving end of a gaze like this. Now that I am, I feel all too overwhelmed, yet simultaneously all too.. Elated. 

I giggle; it bursts out of me like a spoiler to a movie bursts from the lips of another. Neuvillette catches himself, coughing awkwardly into his fist, a habit I’ve realized he has, before he looks down at the table.

Now, we both look silly huh?

I smile to myself. 

I’m glad I was able to help him relax…

⋆｡𖦹 ° ♡⸝⸝ ✧˖

We step outside once more. I’m prepared to share my umbrella with him, whether he wants to or not! 

Thankfully, that isn’t needed. We both look to the now clear skies, as the stars twinkle above. It seems particularly easy to spot them tonight, not a cloud or raindrop in sight. 

I cheer.

“Look, Neuvillet- Monsieur! It’s stopped raining!” I excitedly point to the dreamscape of a sky, before I turn to face Neuvillette.

I falter at the fragility of his gaze; he’s as still as a marble statue carved to perfection, his fixed expression conveying a tempest of emotion as he longingly looks to the sky. 

“It’s over…” The words are murmured under his breath. My own leaves in quiet gasp, completely rooting me to the spot as his pulchritudinous expression holds me captive. 

A few moments of silence pass between the two of us, both of us admiring different things, yet they are entirely the same at the root. He slowly lowers his gaze to return to mine once more, and they hold me at his every beck and call, as they always seem to do. 

“Ah.. my apologies. I was lost in thought.” He smiles, turning his body to face me. “I appreciate the time we spent together today. I hope to see you again soon, Y/n.” His words cause my heart to flutter with an undeniable yearning that shouldn’t be there. 

Yet, my heart longs for the man standing before me, it performs somersaults in my chest  as he moves, ready to part ways.

“By the way, you can refer to me as Neuvillette.” His statement is simple, yet it holds so much weight. 

He nods in lieu of saying farewell, his steps echo throughout the quiet streets of Fontaine as he makes his way to his destination. 

I can only clutch my chest as I watch him leave, embedded to the spot long after his figure disappears from my line of sight.

Oh, Archons.

What have I gotten myself into?

⋆｡𖦹 ° ♡⸝⸝ ✧˖

My eyes unconsciously wander to the door once more, waiting for a hand to pry it open from the inside.

I hear giggles beside me, and I can only groan as I get caught red-handed in the act for the fifth time this evening. 

“Name, Monsieur Neuvillette’s meeting should be ending soon.” A sweet Melusine whispers into my ear. I can only muster a meek nod, returning my attention back to the task at hand. 

I’m waiting with a few Melusine, Sedene among us, as Neuvillette finishes his very important meeting.

I wandered into the Palais Mermonia of my own volition, just to find out that Neuvillette is occupied in a meeting. I planned on leaving after I heard the news, but a few Melusine nearby seemed to recognize me and asked me to sit with them.

Lo and behold, I’m here learning how to weave a flower crown with fellow Melusine as we wait outside of Neuvillette’s office.

“You’re doing great Name. Is this really your first time weaving a flower crown?” Sedene’s curious question boosts my confidence. “Yes, it is! I’m glad I’m doing so well that you felt the need to ask that.” Sedene happily nods beside me, before she skips away to tend to something.

I concentrate on weaving the final piece; my trembling fingers complete the flower crown. 

The group of us let out a collective cheer, before we quickly quiet down when Sedene scolds us. We are just right outside Nevuillette’s office after all.

“It looks so pretty! Look at the one I weaved.” A Melusine holds her flower crown up for me to see. It’s much more intricate than mine, but I only feel a swell of pride as I give her my honest praise. 

Suddenly, we hear voices from behind the door. My leg starts to bounce as my eyes remain fixated on the door, waiting for the moment it’ll open. 

I don’t have to wait long, mere moments later the door opens slowly, and Neuvillette’s guest is escorted out of the room. They wave to him, a short blonde with a floaty… thingy. Is that a toy or a person?

I almost want to rub my eyes to make sure I’m seeing things correctly, but I figure it’s best not to question it. I often encounter many creatures and people I wouldn’t expect, but they’re usually a delight in their own unique way.

The blonde traveler and their companion spot all of us sitting together. They seem like they want to come over. They place one foot in front of them before the small floating child beside them interrupts, loudly proclaiming “Paimon is hungry! We’ve gone way too long without food!” The blonde traveler stops and simply smiles, waving in our direction. All of the Melusines wave back in friendly greeting. Well, if they’re friends with Melusines then I see no reason to be cautious. I join the rest of my companions in waving. The blonde traveler winds up chasing the floating thing as they dash towards the exit.  

Huh. What an.. Interesting encounter. 

My thoughts are interrupted when the person I’ve wanted to see most finally emerges from his office. I feel my jaw go slack as I stare in his direction.

He has yet to notice me, so I take the opportunity to admire him. My eyes trace over his form, going painstakingly slow as they admire his length waist white hair. They settle on the adorable ribbon holding his hair in place. I tilt my head, noticing the almost horn like accessories adorning his head. I wonder what that really is? It suits him, but I wonder if..

All my thoughts come to a halt when he finally turns, and his bewitching orbs hold mine hostage. 

I couldn’t look away even if I willed it; nothing regarding his appearance has changed, but it’s almost as if.. The scenery, the world around me has grown more vibrant in color. 

The pounding in my chest feels surreal as he smiles at us. He takes slow and deliberate steps in our direction, curiously eyeing the flower crowns in our hands.

“Name, you may want to close your mouth.” Someone whispers in my ear. 

I immediately close it, feeling all too embarrassed.

Uh.. 

It’s not use. I can’t formulate a single thought.

I dumbly watch as Neuvillette finally reaches us, engaging in pleasant conversation with the girls around me. I pointedly look down, fiddling with the crown in my hands. What if he scolds me for being here, and distracting the Melusine from their duties? I’d hate for them to get in trouble because of me, or to be on the receiving end of Neuvillette’s disappointed gaze.

“Name. What has your mind so occupied that you didn’t notice me sitting down beside you?” Saying I jump in my seat is an understatement.

I’m startled, jerking before I turn to gaze into those mesmerizing orbs once more. I giggle awkwardly before I raise the flower crown in my hands. His gaze finally leaves mine, looking at the object in my hands. 

I’m relieved he’s finally stopped looking at me, but I can’t help but feel a bit sad as well.

What is wrong with me!?

I close my eyes and take a grounding deep breath in.

When they open once more, I feel much more composed. “Neuvillette, these girls showed me how to make a flower crown.” I hear words of agreement as the Melusine all speak up at once. “Yes, and Name has done a wonderful job.” “She’s great company, Monsieur.” “Monsieur, do you want to join us?” “Why don’t you try hers on Monsieur Neuvillette?” Neuvillette laughs, holding up his hand with the onslaught of comments.

“Ah, I see. I’m glad to hear it. I know firsthand how lovely her company is. I’d be delighted to join you all. I do not mind trying Name’s flower crown, as long as she is okay with it.” You gawk at Neuvillette’s smooth response to every comment previously directed at him. You assume it’s a skill he must’ve picked up being the Iudex of Fontaine, being able to take in information from multiple sources at a time.

“Um.. yeah, I’d love it if you could try mine on. Sorry if it isn’t as pretty...” A shy smile lifts my lips before I gesture for him to lower his head. He dismisses my concern with a simple, “Nonsense,” before he’s lowering his head for me. 

I easily place the delicate crown upon his head, admiring his well kept hair up close. 

My eyes find the horn like accessories once more.

I shouldn’t.

I really shouldn’t.

Yet I do.

My hand has a mind of its own, reaching out before they gently caress the blue accessories on his head.

I hear him suck in a sharp intake of breath as the Melusines around us gasps in dramatic surprise.

He doesn’t say anything for a moment, actually allowing me to continue.

I’m not going to waste this opportunity. I selfishly lift both of my hands, caressing each appendage as I feel the smoothness beneath my fingertips. My hands glide up and down; it isn’t long before they reach the base of the appendages. There’s no way this is an accessory, they don’t feel like one. Are these actual horns? Hm, if they are then surely he’ll feel it if I…

A careful squeeze of the bases has him jumping, jerking away from my touch. I immediately start to apologize, but stop myself when I catch sight of his face. His entire face is redder than the shiniest apple in Mondstadt, his eyes looking every which way as he clearly tries to compose himself.

For whatever reason his breathing is a bit ragged and he groans, hiding his head in his hands.

I’ve never seen Neuvillette look so flustered before; this sight is a treat for my eyes, and I’m enjoying every last second of it.

I can’t resist the small coo that leaves my lips.

He groans again.

“N-Name, thank you for the beautiful flower crown. I’ll keep it in my office. Please, excuse me.” He quickly stands, speed walking to his office before the door slams behind him.

You’re a bit bewildered now. And a bit confused.

If those are actual horns on his head, then is Neuvillette really a human? I mean, he could be a hybrid of some sorts maybe. I’ve seen those around when I traveled to different nations, looking for a new home to settle down in.

I feel a bit bad for touching his horns like that without his permission. My worried eyes turn to ask the Melusine if I upset Neuvillette, only to see them all crowded around me, eyes wide and full of awe. 

“Monsieur Neuvillette let you touch his horns Name!” “How unexpected.” “Oh my gosh you two are so cute!” “The other girls were telling the truth!” They all chatter excitedly amongst themselves, giddy and barely able to contain their enthusiasm. They quickly bid me farewell when the door to Neuvillette’s office opens once more, giving me quick hugs and pats on the back before they scatter.

One even wishes me luck.

What do I need luck for? I’m not entirely sure, but I’m definitely taking it. 

Neuvillette appears more composed when he sits down beside me, the flower crown still on his head. “I thought you were going to put the flower crown in your office?” I ask. He seems confused for a moment, before realization reaches his eyes.

“Ah, yes. I did say that. I decided your hard work deserves to be appreciated, so I will wear it until the day comes to an end.” His words elicit a broad grin to appear on my lips, and his eyes noticeably take in the sight.

A smile presents itself on his lips as we spend the next few hours just chatting amongst ourselves. 

I’ve learned that Neuvillette can be quite humorous, given the opportunity. I’ve realized a lot of things about him from our interactions. Like how he prefers to keep distance between himself and the citizens of Fontaine, since it is possible one day they may end up on trial. It makes this relationship we’ve formed a bit unusual, but I’ll be damned if it doesn’t make me happy.

He also loves water. He wound up telling me how water tastes different from each region, and the feelings they evoke in him when he indulges in their pristine taste. 

Oh, and the warmth he displays towards Melusines is just another thing that I love about him, he can be so–

Wait..

My entire body goes rigid as warmth engulfs every crevice and limb, my body burns like the hottest of waters against human skin. 

Well, my feelings are quite obvious, but to admit it so easily to myself would mean…

Neuvillette stops speaking, eyeing me curiously as I internally berate myself for developing such feelings. I truly don’t know what to make of it, so I simply grip my clothes in my hands, pushing my feelings aside.

Neuvillette seems like he wants to say something, but decided against it. His eyes glance at my balled up fists, and his eyes swirl with an emotion I fail to pinpoint.

“I see you’re still wearing clothes from Liyue. This is not a complaint, just a mere observation.” Ah. I look down at my clothes.

He’s right, maybe it’s time I get something that’ll blend in more. I mean, I see people around Fontaine wearing clothes from Inazuma, Liyue, and Mondstadt even, so there really is no need for me to buy new clothes. I feel comfortable enough to walk around in the clothes I used to wear around Liyue. Still, I have to admit I love Fontaine’s style when it comes to clothes. Maybe I’ll get something new, just to see how I feel in it.

Neuvillette slowly stands. My eyes follow his movements, and they take note of his offered hand. “Come, there is somewhere I wish to take you.” You don’t need to think twice; you happily take his hand, and he helps you stand. 

You dutifully follow Neuvillette, choosing to not read into the fact he has yet to let go of your hand.

⋆｡𖦹 ° ♡⸝⸝ ✧˖

I admit, I’m shocked.

Neuvillette escorted me to Chioriya Boutique, and in mere moments one of the staff took my measurements as requested by the Chief Justice. 

The bewilderment on their faces caused a snicker to slip from my lips before I stopped myself.

People’s reactions to Neuvillette are always so varied and dynamic, it’s very entertaining to see yet equally intriguing. 

Neuvillette bombards me with questions regarding my fashion choices before he relays this information to the staff. I wait, expecting something more to happen, but alas he ushers me away from the boutique. 

I sigh, pinching my nose. I really hope he’s not trying to get me anything. I’d love to pick something out for myself, but he wouldn’t let me get a word in edgewise! I couldn't resist his earnest gaze, so I wound up waiting to the side as he requested.

I look up when the sound of footsteps reach my ears. He approaches me, a satisfied pull of his lips sends my heart into overdrive.

“I have taken care of business here. Now, perhaps we could take a walk by a riverbank ro somewhere similarly fluvial.” He extends his hand to me once more. I’m baffled to say the least. I consider protesting, opening my mouth to insist he does not need to get anything for me, but his hard glare is warning enough.

My mouth closes unceremoniously, and I quietly take his hand. He’s radiant now, humming as he walks closely by my side.

I look to the sky, the blue hues have long since shifted to beautiful pinks and purples.

Oh, Neuvillette. 

You are none the wiser of the effect you have on me…

⋆｡𖦹 ° ♡⸝⸝ ✧˖

I wait outside the Opera Epiclese as a strong downpour of rain threatens to drown the poor souls who don’t have an umbrella. 

I didn’t witness the trial today, but it’s become a habit to walk with Neuvillette after his trials. He was conflicted about this habit when it first began, but now I notice the undesigned glint in his eye whenever he catches sight of me after a trial. 

So, it’s turned into a regular part of our daily routine.

Unfortunately it seems the trial wasn’t an easy one today; as people file out of the courthouse, sullen faces are many a dozen. 

My heart squeezes painfully in my chest; if the citizens' faces look so solemn, then I can only imagine…

Minutes pass, long after the last person left the opera house. I start to second guess if he’s even here anymore. Maybe he left so I wouldn’t have to see him? Fortunately, he chooses that moment to emerge from the Opera house. 

My eyes light up, excited to finally see him… but..

Oh..

poor Neuvillette…

I bite my lip when his calm, neutral expression catches my eye. Neuvillette isn’t one to openly express his thoughts and feelings through expression, but I know it must’ve been particularly harrowing if he can’t even muster a frown. 

He looks up, and his impassive gaze locks with mine. He feigns a smile as he approaches me. My hand grips the handle of the umbrella; my heart aches for him.

“Thank you for waiting for me, Name. I apologize for taking so long, shall we pro-” Something about his eyes, devoid of spirit, arrests me. His rigid movements evokes a dreadful throb in my chest. 

I drop the umbrella I’m holding, opting to rest my hands on his cheeks. He’s a bit startled by my actions, lifting his hands to rest on top of my trembling one’s. He sighs deeply, closing his eyes. 

He leans into my touch.

Silence ensues.

The cold nibs at my skin. It threatens to seep into me through the fabric of my clothes, but I couldn’t care less when the man before me is clearly hurting.

A moment passes before Neuvillette clears his throat. I already know he’s going to try and brush this off, like he normally tends to do. 

“Name, while I appreciate your concern, I don’t–” “Hydro Dragon, Hydro Dragon, don’t cry.” The rest of his words die in his throat. He’s silent, but I can see the effect the words had on him; his eyes squeeze so tightly it looks borderline painful.

“Name.. where did you hear..?” Oh. He wants to know where I learned about this.

“Do you remember that blonde traveler you had a meeting with that day? And the floating child thing, wait, I think they said their name was Paimon..” You think out loud, satisfied when Neuvillette stiffly nods in confirmation.

“Well, they were one of the attendees of today’s trial. They stopped to chat with me when they saw me waiting here for you. They told me when I see you and it’s still raining, if I say ‘Hydro Dragon, Hydro Dragon, Don’t cry,’ it’ll cheer you up.” My explanation doesn’t seem to surprise him. He only sighs.

It takes him a moment before he slowly opens his eyes.

“I… see. Well.. They were correct. I’ll have to thank them during our next encounter.” I smile brightly at him, and in response his gaze seems to soften. I look out to the sky; the rain has considerably lessened its intensity. Droplets still hit the ground, but it’s an improvement from the earlier downpour. 

“I do have to wonder though, why does an old children’s song speaking of the hydro dragon have such an effect on you, Neuvillette?” He raises an eyebrow, something I didn’t know he was capable of. 

I giggle as he informs me, “It’s not that the song has an effect on me per se, but…” “Hmmm?” I prompt him with a  gentle smile on my lips. He looks elsewhere. “It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me, hydro dragon.”

The way he whisks his head, still resting in the palm of my hands, to gawk at me confirms my underlying suspicions. Maybe I’m jumping to conclusions, but if I’m really not.. Then maybe..

I release Neuvillette’s face in favor of wrapping him in a warm embrace. He emits a choked sound from deep in his throat when I start to stroke his back, repeating the rhyme once more.

Neuvillette’s sigh sounds equally exhausted as it does exasperated. “Whoever created that rhyme must have believed the Hydro Dragon was akin to a bleeding heart. It could  not have been known if the Hydro Dragon would grieve for humans…” You ponder the meaning of his words for a few moments, before you respond with your own thoughts.

“While that may be true, it’s something only the Hydro Dragon knows the answer to. Whether he sympathizes with us silly humans…” I pull back to look at him. I’m really praying the love I feel stirring in my heart isn’t obvious on my face.

His eyes widen a fraction. He appears completely taken aback. I listen for the sound of the rain, and when I don’t hear it I look back to the sky. The rain has stopped now.

A droplet drips down from the building above, landing on my nose.

Neuvillette’s body shakes, and I return my gaze to him. 

He pulls me close as laughter racks his body. This is the first time I’ve ever heard him laugh so brazenly; I’d be a fool not to join in.

It takes a long time for our laughter to die down, but once it does Neuvillette speaks. His words, “The people of Fontaine are innocent. Through the time I have spent by your side, it was easy to determine that you share a similar verdict, Name.”

I avoid gazing into his eyes for the duration of our conversation, lest he notice my fairly obvious lovestruck gaze.

 

⋆｡𖦹 ° ♡⸝⸝ ✧˖

He takes a step closer, and I take a step back.

My heartbeat is loud in my ears; roaring louder than an obnoxious car engine as it speeds down the highway. 

He mimics every move I make; for every step back I take, he takes a step forward. This continues until I’m left with nowhere to retreat, back pressed firmly against the wall behind me. 

He takes his time approaching me as my eyes anxiously dart every which way. His office looks the same as I remember it, except…

My mind registers the flower crown on his desk, beside the pile of paperwork that he just finished. 

He kept it?

My thoughts are brought back to him when he’s standing before me, blocking my view of everything else that isn’t him. “Name, could you please repeat what you just said?” I swallow the lump in my throat. He sounds angry. Livid, even. All I did was make a joke about myself..

“I said that, uh, I’m sorry for ruining your image. Being seen with me must not be a good look for you, being the Iudex of Fontaine, and then I said my feelings for you were stupid–” He doesn’t let me finish, slamming his hands on either side of my head. 

SLAM!

I jump. 

I feel small between his arms and his imposing figure in front of me. It’s difficult, but I manage to maintain eye contact with him. The emotion in his eyes reflects a raging tsunami, oppressive with a dangerous glint that’d make anyone feel weak in the knees. My knees feel especially weak right now, being caged in like this. 

“The words you speak reek of lies. It’s a fabrication your mind has created to protect yourself.” His words are true and pierce through the walls I’ve been trying to maintain around my heart. “I don’t understand…” I whisper. 

another lie.

“What is it that you don’t understand?” His voice is low, and the words sound like a growl leaving his lips. “I.. don’t understand why someone- a being- like you, or how, you could possibly.. Return the feelings I harbor for you. You’re the Hydro Dragon after all, are you not? A respectable, prominent figure at that, whose company brings me pleasure and shines a light on my mundane everyday life. So, why, how is it possible that you… you said you…” I struggle to finish my statement, but he waits for me patiently.

“...You said you feel the same, but I don’t understand how you possibly…” He clicks his tongue, clearly aggravated. I don’t believe he’s aggravated with me, rather more, with what I have said. 

He closes his eyes. It’s almost as if I can see the gears turning in his head; he’s figuring out what he wants to say in response to my absurd claim, as he previously called it..

His eyes slowly open, and ardent determination is evident within his burning iris’. His next words stun me into complete silence, absolutely enraptured with the overflowing emotion seeping from his words. 

“Honestly Name, I’m trying to comprehend how you haven’t determined this for yourself, but it is alright. I will make things clear for you now, Celestia and the Heavenly Principles be damned; I yearn for you like a traveler yearns for a haven, a place of respite for their weary soul. My heart aches to feel the weight of your hand in mine. It longs to memorize every ridge of your palm, admire every dip and curve of your body, outline any and every beautiful scar that embellishes your natural beauty. So I’ll be damned if I allow you to stand before me belittling yourself when we are both aware that your words hold no significance; the truth of the matter lies in the longing gaze you’re giving me now. It lies in the quick withdrawal of your hand whenever mine ‘accidentally’ brushes against yours. It lies in precious tears upon your lashes, as you try to conceal your feelings for me. It…” His powerful words lose momentum as said tears escape the confines of my lashes, painting the planes of my face as they drip down at a leisurely pace. 

He lifts a gloved hand to wipe them away, before he pulls it back in a moment of uncertainty. I watch, beguiled, as he removes his gloves before reaching for my cheek, thumb tenderly caressing my tear stained cheeks. 

A strangled sob threatens to escape my lips, so he leans in, unhurried and deliberate with every movement he makes.

His lips brush against my own, yet they hover mere millimeters from pressing firmly against my keen lips. “May I?” His question is simple in nature, yet the implications of his words hold so much weight it threatens to suffocate you. It’s all you’ve wanted, truly, yet you find yourself in a daze. 

He waits. Patiently.

I close my eyes and breathe, and he breathes with me. 

So when I open my eyes once more, my answer is resolute, unyielding, in its truthfulness and authenticity. 

“Yes.”

I can feel his breathing speed up, as little puffs of air tickle my face. His hands feel softer than I’d imagined, as they rest upon my cheeks. 

His tentative lips eradicate the irksome space that previously separated us. I smile into the kiss, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. It doesn’t take long for the both of us to feel comfortable. Our lips part, only to seek the warmth of the other’s once more. This time, it’s Neuvillette who smiles as we kiss.

His lips eagerly taste mine as we explore each other. His hands move from my face to brush against my sides, stopping at the hips. They reside there, pulling me closer. A sweet hum reaches my ears, emitted from deep within his chest. 

Joy bubbles up from within as our kiss comes to a natural conclusion; Neuvillette pulls back to provide me an opportunity to breathe.

I feel warm all over as I study his smokey gaze. He’s breathing deeply, his chest rising and falling with rapid breaths. My palpitating heart can’t take much more of this. 

Yet, I verbalize no objections as he languidly captures my lips once again. He’s impatient now; his hungry lips seek to claim every aspect of me, mind, body and soul. His lips easily devour mine, his tongue, which sought entrance moments before, now laps against my own. 

A shiver racks my body as the warmth flooding my body threatens to be my demise. My hands seek purchase on his shoulder, pressing into his shoulder blades. I’m astonished by the passion within Neuvillette’s tender, yet heated embrace. 

I have to pull away, lest I be swept up in his treacherous waves. A wistful sigh escapes his parted lips as he rests his forehead against my own. I gasp for air; He stole my breath away, just as the mighty waves of the sea indiscriminately rob many of their ability to breath, resulting in futile attempts to resurface.

 I require more time than I’d like to admit to catch my breath. 

“So.. does this mean you like me or?” My joke does not go unrewarded. His unamused look drives me into a fit of giggles. 

Love washes over me, like a gentle caress, when he joins in.

I admire his unabashed laughter as his thumb rubs soothing circles on my hip. 

⋆｡𖦹 ° ♡⸝⸝ ✧˖

Distinct giggles can be heard from the other side of the door.

Neuvillette sighs.

He pinches the bridge of his nose, meanwhile my chest rapidly rises and falls in mirth.

“Do not encourage them.” He groans.

I overhear Sedene tell the other Melusine of the sight she was met with earlier this evening, as Neuvillette and I walked into his office hand in hand, and the girls gathered around her squeal with glee.

I peeked out of Neuvillette’s office a few moments ago, and my eyes were met with the adorable sight of a group of Melusine gathered around Sedene as if it were story time. 

Now, I rest my head on Neuvillette’s shoulder as he signs the last document of the evening.

“Oh dear. I worry they’ll continue to discuss this for many days to come.” I can only smile as his face is colored with endearment; his eyes soften and he fails to stifle a smile.

“I don’t see anything wrong with that. They’re having fun, and they care dearly for you, Neuvillette..” “Ah, that’s where you’re wrong.” His retort leaves me feeling confused, but he only reaches for my hand.

I watch as he plays with my fingers, humming a tune to himself. “Dear, they have come to care deeply for you as well. Do you not notice the way Sedene’s eyes light up whenever you speak with her? Or how Kiara always runs in your direction the moment she spots you? Or, how about when– mmph!” The rest of his words are muffled behind my hands, pressed firmly to his mouth.

I can feel the grin he’s making.

“Okay okay, point taken.” I grumble, removing my hands.

My heart flutters when he sends a wink my way. 

He turns his attention back to the signed document on his desk, moving it to the finished pile. “Speaking of caring deeply for someone… Name, I have something I wish to tell you.” 

“Should the day ever come where you choose to remain by my side, I shall reveal something I know will be of interest to you.” I’m sure my face looks as astonished as I feel, because Neuvillette simply laughs, running his thumb along my bottom lip.

“Now now, there’s no need to make such a face.” “What are you talking about? Reveal.. What?” He only closes his eyes, emitting a quiet hum.

“My name, of course.” 

My entire body stills as the gears turn in my head.

“Wait, so Neuvillette isn’t..” His eyes compel me, keeping mine locked with his as they open once more. A deep emotion lies within them, granting me a glimpse of the altruistic soul within. 

“I have always asked citizens to refer to me by my last name.” His words make sense, and with the knowledge I have of him, he is one to keep people at a polite distance. Still… It's a bit shocking.

Even so, I have no qualms with this arrangement.

“It’s a deal, I’ll patiently wait for the day you tell me your name. ..First name, I mean.” There’s a glint in his eyes that reflects pleasant surprise, albeit there’s a hint of a challenge that resides within them.

“Oh? You sound confident. Not that I’m opposed, that is the ideal outcome I desire for our relationship.” I smile, placing my fingers under his chin as I lean in for a kiss.

He smiles as our lips embrace each other, placing his hands firmly against my back.

I had every right to feel confident; after all, I finally was able to witness Neuvillette on his knees, ring in hand as his loving gaze threatened to break the dam I was avidly struggling to hold back.

My eyes glisten with unshed tears as I join him on the ground. I practically throw myself onto him as I embrace him, and his carefree laugh is an alluring melody to my ears. He leisurely slips the ring onto my finger, pulling back so he can properly face me.

“Now, are you ready for me to consummate our arrangement?” My head bobs up and down so fast that I make myself a bit dizzy.

Warmth gives Neuvillette’s features an almost angelic glow as a delicate finger, free from the confines of his gloves, brushes along my cheek. 

“Hmm…” He stalls.

I pout. He beams.

“Alright, alright. I will leave you in suspense no longer. My name is…”

⋆｡𖦹 ° ♡⸝⸝ ✧˖

Likes, Comments, & Reblogs are appreciated !!

[jaiden-zhou]

(3) casual iso <3

contents: headcannons, reader is a uniqlo employee for plot purposes, self indulget

this should tie this mini-series up haha unless..

also, i just threw some stuff in through google translate and it might not be accurate, just lmk lol

i said this too a little while back but if you see a uniqlo employee maybe it might be me lol

i procrastinated so hard on this lol

part 1, part 2

.

.

iso who, even after what happened at the tea shop, still is trying to build up the courage to properly ask you out, even after knowing you feel the same

iso who still is very subtle with his affection towards you, even when acknowledging you both like each other, occasionally holding hands under the table, hugs that last a little longer than normal

iso who at this current stage is not very good at initiating affection and anything physical is started from you, but it isn't unwelcomed.. please.. keep initiating it.. he's still really shy

iso whose affection is more often shown verbally, even still a bit quiet "you look really nice today.." "i missed you," "rúcǐ měilì (so beautiful).."

iso who stumbles over his words, red-faced and eyes averted for his confession "i want to be your boyfriend.." (he got jealous again)

iso stated, you think you hear a little bit of desperation in his voice and finally sighs a breath of relief (even though he already knew, baby's a little nervous) when you said you wanted to be his <3

iso who becomes more secure and even a little more confident in your relationship with him !

iso who starts silently holding your hand in public, he says it's because he doesn't want you to get lost or something like that,,

iso who likes to pull you by your side so you'd avoid running into anything, usually. (sometimes he just likes to feel you close and see that slight blush on your cheeks for once)

iso who still sometimes gets a little jealous

iso who keeps pda at a minimum to holding hands and maybe sneaky quick kisses

iso, if jealous, will hundred percent latch to you from behind, arms firmly around your waist with an indifferent expression on his face while you're still mid-conversation with someone (who is taking up too much of your attention he feels)

iso who likes to call you other things besides your lovely name, like 'dear', 'love', 'darling', 'tiánxīn (sweetheart)'

iso who likes physical touch like cuddles every night after work, intertwined fingers whenever possible, kisses of any kind behind closed doors

iso who just likes being really close to you <3

iso who makes a playlist about you, whether it songs that describe you, describe how you make him feel, or even just a song that he listened to while he was with you

iso who sometimes misses you when you work those long hours at uniqlo so he listens to the playlist wishing he was in your arms

iso likes going on casual dates with you, maybe visiting an aquarium or the movies, or just cooking dinner together and having fun in the comfort of his or your place

iso who likes shopping with you, he likes seeing the sparkle in your eyes when you spot something of interest. he thinks it's very cute

iso who gets a little flustered when you bring up wanting to do a matching thing with him, you two deciding on braided bracelets that both of you would make

iso's bracelet for you is with violet, black, and white threads that are a little messily braided together, he tried <3 while your bracelet for him is a little more cleanly done with colors of your choice

iso likes the idea of the bracelets a lot, he's very fond of them being made and exchanged with each other as a way of keeping close despite the distance. gives a lot of sentimental value to them (a way of him being a little possessive but he'll never admit it hehe)

iso, who even if the bracelet you made him doesn't match his style or outfit, wears it. doesn't take it off unless he's taking a shower (he wants to preserve it for as long as possible)

iso who still a little bit like a puppy in love, attention is on you, and is loyal like a dog, pays for you every chance he gets when you're not fighting back for the bill so he doesn't always be the one paying

iso who still gets flushed in the cheeks when you tease or outwardly flirt with him, again not unwelcomed but he is going to expect a kiss as compensation

iso who (it's pretty funny, and cute, to you) vehemently denies it when you tease that he's only dating you for your uniqlo employee discount

iso who is so poetically romantic and a little cheesy but is also so genuine and raw with his verbal affection to you that it leaves you a little taken aback with a hitched breath and pink cheeks <3

------

after a good little shopping session, wallets drained but it was alright, you two decided to grab a snack from a street-food vendor.

"you know yu," you pause to take another bite. "if i didn't think any better i would've thought you'd be dating me only to get my store discount haha,"

"nonsense," iso rebutted, not taking your teasing. "i could say the same thing about the drink discount i give you."

"haha, yeah you have a good point. it's funny though."

"mm even then," iso takes a small piece from his snack. "my adoration for you is deeper than the depths of the ocean, and farther than any star in the sky."

iso looks at you with such seriousness and intensity, yet his words are heartfelt and profound, it makes you flush for once and mouth agape.

"jeez, yu.." you use your free hand to cover your face as you avert your eyes to the side. "what, is this payback for all the other times i got you all shy?"

he gently guides your hand away from your face, moving in so close you can feel his breath. he tilts his head a bit and closes his eyes, leaning to connect with your lips for a soft peck.

"possibly," he pulls away with a small smirk.

"you know damn well i'm gonna get you back for this,"

"mhm, i love you."

------

tags: @arzhelzoe @animeisforkings

[betraumatizebaby]

I Signed Up for a Quest Not a Wedding Registry! AU part seven

Previous = Next

Tw: Implied S.A and forced pregnancy.

Odysseus rested his head on Penelope’s lap, his body sinking into the comfort of her presence. Odysseus close his eyes and smile as he felt her finger run though his hair. The world beyond them faded; for once, he allowed himself to forget everything—everything but her touch. Only forcing on her. Suddenly, "He did something to you."

Odysseus’s eyes snapped open as he look up at his wife, there was something was wrong. Her eyes—once familiar and alive—had turned pitch black, hollow as the void.

"What?" His voice cracked, his confusion raw. Clearly doesn't understand what Penelope saying. "None of this is real." Penelope murmured, her face beginning to dissolve like wax under flame.

Odysseus scrambled to his feet as his surroundings twisted and decayed into a grotesque corruption of reality. Covering his ears, he dropped to his knees, as overwhelmed by a cacophony of voices invading his mind:

“None of this is real.” “You are not home.” “He did something to you.” “Please wake up.” “There is something inside—”

---

He jolted awake, gasping, his body drenched in sweat. Scrambling for the bucket by his bedside and vomit. Another nightmare. Odysseus wiped his mouth. His stomach churned as he tried to steady himself.

Was this normal? Had Apollo or Artemis cursed him with their arrows? Could a god even fall ill? His eyes drifted to the marks scattered across his skin—purple bruises and faint impressions of teeth. The sight churned his stomach anew. The sight sent a wave of nausea through him. He felt sick. Not just sick. Wrong. He wasn’t just sick; he felt… violated.

Odysseus tried to make sense of the dream. He did something to you. What did he do? Or, more accurately, what didn’t he do? The sickness didn’t fade, and an unsettling craving gnawed at him—fruits of all kinds, though none were available here. He supposed it was natural, given that his diet had consisted entirely of seafood. Well, not always, but it might as well have been.

Maybe he could ask him for some—no! He slapped himself lightly, shaking his head. No, he wouldn’t indulge this ridiculous urge. No matter how unbearable it felt (and it was unbearable). Curling into a ball, he gritted his teeth as the ache in his stomach intensified. He pressed a trembling hand against his abdomen, his breath shallow.

There was something growing inside him.

Fix the grammer and try to replace overused word:

Mpreg canon!? Well, not quite yet. I always planning on making one of them pregnant I’ve always considered making one of the characters pregnant since I’ve never written a story about someone experiencing pregnancy—let alone someone struggling through it. Odysseus seems like the ideal candidate, not only because he blinded Poseidon's son, but also because it doesn’t feel as fitting for the others (though that doesn’t rule out the possibility entirely).

Even though this AU started as a lighthearted "haha, the crew becomes gods" AU, I want to address sensitive topics, like S/A, with care and respect. My main priority is to ensure that these themes are handled thoughtfully and don’t cause discomfort or make anyone, especially survivors, feel invalidated—despite my tendency to make jokes about darker subjects.

Anyway. This is my first attempt at a mini-fic in this AU, so please, I would love to hear your ideas, opinions, and criticism for this AU!

[blackandwhlteaesthetlc]

Pleasing Scent Samples

Hello, friends! I ordered the Big Lip balm from Pleasing and with it came a fun surprise.

I already gave my initial impressions to @twopoppies as soon as I opened the package. It’s been a couple hours or so now so the scents have dried down on my skin and I can take a second smell to let you know my thoughts.

Full disclosure, I don’t think I have a very sophisticated nose 😂 But I’ll try my best to describe as accurately as possible. That said, I’m sure I’ll miss the actual notes and ingredients so consider this the most unprofessional review you could get from someone that just really loves perfumes and doesn’t mind being totally honest for better or for worse.

RIVULETS

Pepper, pine, and powder with floral come through. It reminds me so much of Gucci Memoire but slightly lighter. These are the notes from Fragrantica and I swear Rivulets is very much this but slightly cooler.

It also reminds me of Diptyque’s Figuier scent too. Overall very woody and clean!

Unfortunately it just won’t stay on my skin. I tried it on my wrist and the back of my arm but it only lasts about 10mins or so and then vanishes. ☹️ I really do love it (I was also a fan of Memoire) but if I took the risk of buying it, I know I’d have to put some Vaseline or something else on first to hopefully help the scent last longer.

Bright, Hot

Delicious! Cinnamon, Vanilla, Fruity! It reminds me of bourbon with some sweet tanginess. Or maybe Peach Schnapps! Like it has the spiciness from alcohol but I swear it makes my mouth water like after biting into a ripe peach. This is what I wanted Tom Ford’s Bitter Peach to smell like but Ford’s is just too musky and overpowering for me. I’ll 100% be purchasing Bright, Hot though! It’s so much more pleasant and light. The fruity notes come through with this more vs the musk. And it STAYED on my skin. I’m so obsessed with it, I want it in as a perfume and candle (Harold, please 🙏🏽).

Here are the notes from Bitter Peach to get an idea of what I mean:

Closeness

Oh, she’s SEXY 😮‍💨

I told @twopoppies it smells like spice, pink fruity bubblegum and a pink bubble bath! I also get rose. Pink, pink, pink. They chose the sample card well.

This one is the heaviest scent, almost like oud with it’s dark muskiness. But that sweet floral scent just makes it completely intoxicating. I couldn’t stop smelling myself after putting it on, it also had the strongest lasting power on my skin.

If this is the scent people are describing a ��vaporub and sex” I don’t disagree but I don’t think the description necessarily does it justice. 😂 All the scents are definitely meant to be unisex so they all have a powdery, spiciness to them. But this one is just so alluring and HOT. It gives me sweat, heat and sweet playfulness.

The closest thing I could compare it to in my own collection of perfumes was Clean Reserve’s Sparkling Sugar.

But switch the Fruity and Musky amounts. Closeness is like this scent’s naughty sister. 🖤

And there you have it! As I said, I’m not a professional perfume reviewer by any means (clearly 🤣) but I hope this gives everyone some idea of what they can expect! And of course if anyone else got the samples and would like to add (or tell me I’m completely off the mark, haha) please do.

Overall I genuinely loved each scent and think there’s something for everybody here. My favorite compliment is when someone tells me I smell good so I’m really particular about what I wear but I can honestly say I’d wear all of these happily. I lean more towards Bright, Hot for my personal preference but Rivulets smells great for an everyday scent where Closeness would be perfect for a date night out. The quality also seems to be great so if you do plan to purchase like I am, I don’t think we’ll be disappointed with the product.

If anyone has anymore questions, I’m totally happy to answer. 🩵🧡🖤

[intergalactic-garbage]

prev post got 2 whole notes so im doing it (thank u @odysseus-crewmate-number38. kissing u on the mouth) i tried to make them all as biblically accurate as possible, while also taking into account how i simply understand them all better than rick (imjokingimjokingimjoking). picrew is all the one belonging to @potato-lord-but-not, i love you, am begging you to make a fat option so i can make frank zhang and have a complete set <3 mwah

i'm pretty sure that upon unpacking how much of him is Being a Good Soldier, jason would find that being a man is part of that. i don't really see xem using they/them for some reason, but i do think xe would look it all up really well and find neos and think they're neat. also xe wears headphones bc xe would not be able to get shit done without them. xe, as well as leo, does have overgrown hair in this, because nobody has time to cut it on the argo ii. (xe learnt the finger heart from kids at chb and won't stop doing it)

leo has his signature hoodie in which noone ever draws him ever, and he's obviously aroace, because i know the truth. he never dated calypso, and instead accepted his aroaceness <3 (has his little elf ears.) the scarf is really just practical. also his hair is big and voluminous, i saw it myself. richard doesn't get it

reyna is. in her braid, with a cool little imperial gold piercing, and done with everyone's bullshit. give her a break. also i think she's canonically those two flags? iirc. the eyes in the background i thought looked cool, and also she would definitely be on everyone's radar all the time as praetor. she would canonically use the celestial bronze gun ithink

piper also unpacked all of her trauma, and realized that maybe the reason she didn't like feeling "like other girls" is because, she is, not, in fact, a girl. uses she/they, still uses the sapphic label, because that's what they're most comfortable with. has their little flannel shirt, and a cap, because damn, hoo is during the summer, they'd all need a cap/hat to not die of the heat

hazel would, i think, genuinely believe that she's homophobic, and be really sad about that, until she'd realize that she really would quite like to kiss piper, and that the only reason she thought she hated gay people was because the only overtly gay person she'd seen up until then was octavian. (she would like to use the old pride flag ithink) anyway she's doing the t-rex hand thing because as we all know, she is autistic and loves horses. hence the hat. also i think she would wear glasses, i mean, she doesn't need brilliant eyesight underground, and who would've thought to test her in her first life

hazel is canonically the one to curse the most out of the 7, and she's just over all really expressive! don't make her the cute one! or well, do, but don't erase that she would also yell at someone if they were being a prick.

will is so talkative and oversharing and im sad that rick didn't realize that. he's a certified yapper. his mouth is open bc he's talking right now. unfortunately, potatolord doesn't have the option to give your characters baby fat, so these two do look a bit aged up from their 14? (they are so young)

hello pjo characters who got erased from hoo <3

rachel has behind her the bigender and the aspec flag. i really think she would like microlabels, and would definitely love to try out crazy neos and stuff. her art friends make that basically commonplace for her. he does have will wood t-shirt bc of course. and the necklaces with the eyes. haha oracle joke .also they do have gapped teeth thank u for askng

i wanted to give grover crutches, but i think ambulatory wheelchair user!grover is very good as well. picrew didn't have rasta cap option, sorry my mans. he has anxiety and constantly looks ill. i thought it would be funny if he was pansexual. haha. get it. and also the gnc flag over there, bc i use genderqueer in the classic way, "person who expresses their gender in any way, that wouldn't be considered within the 'norm'", which i think grover fits, and also it's like a cultural thing for satyrs

hi this one is pretty far away from canon but bear with me. i do realistically think, that thalia would've picked up smoking from beryl, just from a young age. i just find it likely. no she doesn't have a leather jacket, that's on me. i gave her as much of alt jewelry as i could. still not enough piercings though. and yeah no she hasn't got the blue hair streak, sorry. idek if that's canon. i wanted to give her more scars (picrew ran out, sorry), so she gets the eye one, and then also an eyepatch, because that's what being a hunter of artemis does to a girl. yes i think she would be gnc (pretty much can't be alt without that), AND aroace.

drew, they did you so dirty im so sorry baby. . . .. she is a lesbian. also had no idea how to deal with the pressure of leading a cabin after learning her adored sister was a traitor and then died. she eventually unpacked it slowly, and became better. she does still bitch though <3

hello my favourite character from chb who got nerfed after the last olympian and never brought back

clarisse is a lesbian, of course she is. and she was in love with silena, yeah. she is definitely thinner than she should be (that girl is ripped), and doesn't have nearly as many scars as she should. also she is, at all times, covered in blood, at least a bit. her own or someone else's depends. also she's from arizona? probably carries a gun, not even a celestial bronze one.

nico is as pale as death, has the stereotypical early naughties long emo fringe, box dyed black. yes he has the genderqueer flag, because that's the gender expression of alt people. queer. out of the norm. and an mcr t-shirt bc of course he would are you kidding me. also braces bc he is! young

thank u for coming to my rrtalk

[magewolf-the-artist]

Misc Domestic K-9 Thoughts Susan kinda acts as a shoulder to vent to whenever anyone needs to talk. She can’t really offer much in response or comfort since A, she’s the type to push things away and compartmentalize, and B… well, she can’t exactly promise everything’s gonna be okay, now can she? Still, sometimes it’s nice to just talk

Some days though she just kinda… shuts down emotionally. Just kinda lays on the floor and can’t find any motivation to get up or do anything. Thinking about everything and nothing at the same time, staring blankly into space

Charles usually stays with her during these episodes and depending on the day, he either just sits with her or rambles about random things like he would when they were both alive

Charles constantly does stupid shit and distracts himself because he doesn’t, he’ll start thinking about his daughter how he left them behind all his friends and family and how his daughter Lily is now without a father and that he never got to reconcile with his ex wife Emily and the fact he’s stuck in some stupid rusty metal cage and how his murder was never solved and-

Yeah, it’s best not to dwell on that. Ski ball is much more fun, anyways

Rocket only goes out at night to avoid unwanted attention. They exit and enter through the one window in the break room

On their late night excursions, Molly drags Edd to go stargazing and constantly gushes over how pretty the stars are here and points out the constellations. Edd doesn’t really understand most of it, especially her rambling about space, but he tries

Charles keeps track of the days via tally marks on one of the walls in the facility. Currently he is on day 2,553, which is off by a little over a year but it’s still pretty close considering they’ve all been stuck in a rinky dink bunker for the past 8 years

On that note, nobody else likes the calendar because it just reminds them of how long they’ve all been dead and trapped here. Charles kinda gets it but it gives him something to do, soooo…

Rosemary is kinda… frozen emotionally. She’s just as fragile and unstable as when they first got there and doesn’t do much beyond draw, think, and cry. Charles tries to get her to do stuff with him but she staunchly ignores him

Rosemary has complicated feelings regarding Rocket. On one hand she’s glad they at least had each other before she died, but she also feels like she failed them for not realizing Felix was spitting absolute bullshit and guilty that she can’t be fully there for them

She also feels like a failure of a wife and mother in general for not being able to find Jack and leaving behind Sophie

Charles kinda acts like the fun uncle to Rocket and often ropes them into his shenanigans

Everyone feels guilt about something in some way. Susan and Rosemary regret building and designing the animatronics respectively. Charles feels guilty about not finding Susan sooner. Rocket feels guilty because they feel like they’re deaths led to all this bloodshed

Now granted, Susan and Rosemary both know that neither of them could have possibly predicted any of this and Susan has assured Charles multiple times over that he wouldn’t have been able to do much for her anyways. Rocket though…

Susan is the most casual about her death and is very gallows humor about it. Rocket just kinda shrug and say, “haha yeah that sucked, anyways-“. (RETCONNED) Charles desperately tries to change the topic. Rosemary breaks down.

BSI employees who get assigned to stay at the K-9 facility complain a lot because not only is it dark, cold, and kinda creepy, but it’s boring. This and the fact it’s used to store everything from the original Bon’s Burgers, it’s jokingly referred to as The Graveyard Shift

I imagine Rocket overhears this one day and tells the others. Everyone kinda laughs at how unintentionally accurate that title is

Edd and Molly like to make fun of Bon a lot for a variety of things, but especially him not instantly killing his victims so they don’t scream (Geez, you’d think for someone who’s killed a bunch of people, you’d be better at it by now!)

This REALLY gets under Bon’s skin because he doesn’t understand why these children don’t fear him. The only reason he doesn’t retaliate though is because he knows he’ll get his ass kicked

Everyone else has differing reactions to Bon. Susan thinks he’s annoying as hell and isn’t afraid to let him know it, Charles is extremely unnerved by him, and Rosemary has a panic attack at the merest glimpse of him

Ashley is still a mess and everyone feels very sorry for her. They welcomed her into the fold right away and she usually hangs out with Rosemary, since they’re both extremely depressed

Ashley, Kevin, and Hilary completely covered one of the walls in drawings of penises while they were there. It’s one of the few things that can cheer Ashley up and she goes there if she’s feeling particularly nostalgic

Rosemary has banned Rocket from going near said wall and I imagine that conversation went something like this:

Rosemary: Edd, Molly, I don’t want to you to go near that wall anymore!

Edd: But moooom-

Rosemary: Don’t ‘but mom’ me! I don’t want you looking at such obscenities-

Molly: But mom, we would’ve already had the birds and the bees talk if we were still alive!

Rosemary: … *pauses for a moment, before slumping over and violently sobbing*

Edd: … Oh good going, Molly, you made mom cry!

Molly: Well it’s not my fault! I didn’t know she was gonna cry about that-

Edd: She cries about EVERYTHING, Molls. What did you THINK was going to happen?!

*They dissolve into unintelligible bickering as Rosemary continues to have a breakdown*

[luminouslywriting]

Chapter 32 (Mastermind)—MOTA Fic

A/N: And the chapter you've been eagerly waiting for has finally arrived haha! I sincerely hope that you enjoy this chapter. Please note that I did research on this chapter and tried to make said makeshift wedding as accurate as possible—but seeing as I am not Jewish, I also am aware that there may be inaccuracies. Thank you and enjoy!

Of all the things Ruth Sharpe was certain that the end of the war would bring, her elopement at the hands of her Uncle Yosef was most definitely not on that list.  In fact, the mere suggestion nearly sent her into a downward spiral—and Robby seemed to be acutely aware of that fact as he whisked her away to quietly talk that same night.  After all, the matter really was just between the two of them and no one else. 

It took some real dedication to find a quiet spot where the two of them could just talk, given the festivities that the end of the war had brought.  And further given the fact that everyone was going to be up until at least the morning, it would have been surprising to find anywhere that was truly unoccupied. 

So they made do with sneaking away to one of the planes and climbing up inside of it.  It was a hassle, given her dress and attempting to get her up into the thing—but once she was up there, she could appreciate that this man-made contraption had somehow kept the love of her life and Abe alive for the entirety of the war. 

Still, Ruth was struck by the fact that it was impossibly small in the area.  It caused a certain sort of claustrophobia as she looked around the plane.  “I can’t believe you guys spent so much time in these things,” Ruth admitted quietly, placing her hand on a dent in the wall of the plane.  

“I don’t plan on being in these hunks of junk for too much longer,” Robby admitted in a reassuring tone.  

Even in the dark of the night with the moonlight seeping through and the occasional bursts of colors from the fireworks, Ruth could feel his gaze on her.  It was a steadying force, like the beat of a drum keeping the beat of a band.  Ruth sank slowly onto the ground, considering his words for a long minute. 

A warmth bloomed against her side as Robby sank to sit beside her.  “I know this kinda stuff scares you.  You don’t have to pretend with me,” Robby added.  

In the depth of her heart, Ruth felt a small flicker of relief.  The simple fact of the matter was that something as serious as this was—it did scare her.  And not just because it would be her second attempt down the aisle, but because it was with Robby.  And she didn’t want to screw things up with him in any sort of way, shape, or form.  

Maybe it was just bad luck or the way that her life had thus shaped so far.  But for whatever reason, Ruth was certain that things just wouldn’t work out.  That if they were married, he would find some reason or rhyme to hate her and it would be her fault.  Why ruin a good thing?  Especially when the good thing was shaping up to make them both really happy. 

Slowly, Ruth nodded her head.  “It’s not you that scares me.”

Robby silently entwined his hand in hers, tracing over the lines on her palms with his fingers.  Every touch and stroke seemed to send lightning jolting through her system.  “So what does scare you about it?” 

“That—that—” Ruth just let out a huff of air.  “That if we do it, then things will suddenly fall apart.  I don’t have good luck when it comes to relationships anyhow. I just don’t want you to suddenly hate me for not—for not being the type of wife that you deserve.” 

“And what kind of wife do you think that I deserve?” 

Ruth nearly snorted at his disbelieving tone.  “One who doesn’t argue with you.  One who—who can give you children, can give you the sort of home life that you want to have one day.  One who won’t compete with you for work.” 

At that, Robby did in fact snort.  “First off—you argue because you’re fighting with and for me.  Not because you want to hurt me.” 

“Well, yes—but—” 

“Second, I don’t care if you can have kids or not.  I’ve known since I was a kid that you were gonna be it for me, Ruthie.  It’s always been you and me and it’s always gonna be you and me.  If there’s a family to make later on, then we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.  And home life?  Working with you?  That’s just fun.” 

Ruth’s eyes snapped onto Robby’s figure.  “You really do mean that, don’t you?” 

“Well of course I do.  I tend to be the truthful one out of the two of us, now don’t I?” 

“Funny,” Ruth said, shaking her head with a slight smile. “You really want to marry me?” 

“If that’s what you want.  And if all you want is for us to just be…this—whatever the hell this is—then I’m good with that too.” 

“Awfully progressive of you, Robby,” Ruth murmured, thoughts floating around in her mind.  “But as it so happens, I…I also want to be married to you.  But we simplify the hell out of the marriage ceremony and we are NOT having one when we make it back to the states.” 

A slight laugh spilled from Robby’s lips.  “You just don’t want to deal with your mother again.” 

“She was awful during Alice and Sarah’s weddings—I can only imagine what she would be like during ours.” 

“Then in that case,” Robby said, leaning forward and pressing a gentle kiss against her lips.  “Should we put together a wedding?” 

“I believe that sounds wonderful,” Ruth replied, grinning against the kiss. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Late May 1945

Dressed in a pale blue dress (it was the closest thing she was going to get to white on such short notice), Ruth Sharpe just adjusted the strands of her hair that had fallen around her face.  With Liesel and Sveta at her side, she had at least some of her mother’s side of the family to walk her down the aisle.  

She wasn’t truthfully sure how they had convinced everyone on Thorpe Abbotts to get in on the whole wedding—though she suspected that Abe and his endearing little doe-eyes had a part to play in that entire manipulation.  It had taken a whole two days to pull together the wedding in the simplest of terms, which was to say that they were missing a lot of the actual materials needed.  

Considering there was no wedding dress, no chuppa, and everyone was already gathered, Ruth supposed she would take what she could get before she and Robby shipped back over to Germany for the trials and for her to begin her work with the Jewish families of Europe. 

The Ketubah was quietly signed first thing in the morning of May 27th—an official wedding license for both Ruth and Robby that was simply a precursor to the actual wedding.  She wouldn’t get a ring until the ring exchange later during the ceremony, but for all intents and purposes, Ruth Sharpe was now Ruth Rosenthal.  Though she had never particularly liked the thought of changing her last name in any capacity, she found a small amount of satisfaction and pride in the fact that they were simply one—and they would always be one another’s.  

So here she was, about to glide down the aisle in what she could only describe as something straight out of a dream.  None of this felt real.  Not the fact that she was marrying Robby Rosenthal, not the fact that her uncle was the Rabbi performing the marriage, none of it.  She never could have guessed that when she decided to join the JAG-Corp and help with the war efforts, it would have led here. 

Abe had convinced a few of the guys to create a small path in the woods, where some overarching trees would serve as an arch.  Ruth glanced ahead into the little clearing at the group that had gathered.  “Feeling nervous?” Liesel questioned, tugging on her arm. 

A smile swept over Ruth’s features.  “A little.  Mostly surprised is all,” she reassured her.  “Now shall we?” 

With Liesel and Sveta on her arms, Ruth was escorted down the aisle and towards a waiting Robert Rosenthal.  He was in his dress uniform—really the only thing he could pull together on short notice either—and had a grin to match the heavens itself as his eyes met hers.  

Suddenly, in Ruth’s mind, nothing mattered.  Not the fact that a lot of their friends were here and had gathered for the wedding.  Not that only half of her family was here and no one from his family was here.  It was just about the two of them—and she wondered if she could have had this all along, had she just given up her pride and been less of a cold front at all times.  

The processional circling came next—and when then was done, Uncle Yosef got to talking.  But to Ruth Sharpe, none of it mattered.  Her gaze did not falter and did not leave Robert Rosenthal’s gaze.  She had always wanted to marry a good man.  It was fortunate that Ruth had once joked that the man she dated or married would be someone who had good morals and dealt several blows to Hitler during the war.  It only figured that Robby would be the one to fly 52 missions. 

Robby’s eyes twinkled with some sort of gleam in them—and it was one that warmed her all the way down to her toes.  They were done pushing one another away, they were done lying to everyone (including themselves), and they were finally accepting what destiny had had in mind for them this entire time.  Or rather, Abe Sharpe and his mastermind little brain.  

She hardly noticed the fact that Uncle Yosef had moved on to the blessing of the wine and had moved straight into the seven blessings.  Both Ruth and Robby had opted to replace the blessings with wishes instead—that way that they could make this entire thing their own.  And considering it was in a field in an airfield base, it was very uniquely theirs.  

That being said, Abe was the first one to read his wish.  He had a grin plastered onto his face as he rose, also dressed in his dress uniform.  “My wish for my dearest sister and soon-to-be-brother is that the two of you will always find joy—joy in fighting with each other for righteous causes, joy in fighting with one another for each other, and joy in the forgiveness of the fighting.” 

A slight nudge to Ruth’s arm brought her gaze back onto Robby.  He had a knowing look in his eye—and they both knew that the rest of their lives was going to be full of many arguments of different kinds.  It was just in their nature.  It wouldn't be them if they weren’t finding a way to argue about something.  

He leaned forward, mustache almost tickling at her ear.  “You’re the only person I want to argue with for the rest of my life,” he murmured. 

Ruth beamed at him.  She didn’t get a chance to respond as Harry Crosby—the second person they had chosen for wishes—stood up.  “My wish for the happy couple is that they can always find laughter together.  Life is full of ups and downs and so is marriage.  But if you can find laughter and joy together, then the bad things won’t seem as bad.” 

Liesel was the next person to grin and take her place with the wishes.  “My wish for my dear Ruth and friend Robby is that they will always have enough food on their table, enough room in their hearts for other people, and that the Lord will preserve them in His kindness.” 

Jack Kidd took over the next wish, with a slight deadpan expression and annoyance on his face.  “My wish—though I really just wished these two would work things out and they did—is that the two of you will always put each other first.  When you two work against one another, it’s hell.  But when the two of you work together, nothing can stand in your way.  Not the front-lines, not distance, not a war—nothing.” 

Her brother John was the next one to stand, a knowing expression on his face as he looked at them.  “You know, Abe always used to say that you two were a match made in heaven.  I’m starting to see what he was talking about.  It’s a happy day….and my wish for the two of you is that together you will build something long-lasting.  That people will remember and cherish.  That people will look up to.” 

Pappy rose next, beaming at everyone.  “My wish for my dear friend and the love of his life is that you two will always have good health.  That you will have a desire to communicate with one another and that as you strive to be close together, things will work out for your good.” 

The last wish, Ruth wasn’t sure how this particular figure had finagled things.  But Bucky Egan got to his feet, a shit-eating grin plastered on his face.  “Well, well, well—I always knew you were gonna surprise me, Sharpe.  So I’ve got a few wishes for the two of you.  That as you two annoy the hell out of each other in this marriage, you can find peace together too.  That you can push one another to be the best.  And that you can finally relax, please—for the love of God, Ruthie.” 

Laughter spilled across the crowd and then it was time for the exchanging of rings.  It went by faster than Ruth could have even processed.  But the minute that the ring was on her finger, Ruth felt nothing but relief.  For the first time in her life, Ruth felt as though things were finally right.  Like she was doing exactly what she needed to be doing.  Like everything was going to work out.  

So when Uncle Yosef handed them the glass of wine and the two of them shattered it, Ruth was certain she had never smiled so much in her entire life.  “You are now wed,” Uncle Yosef’s voice sounded in her ears, though it sounded a million miles away.  “You may now kiss—and we will all wish you Mazel Tov!” 

Though the kiss they shared was not one of passion like the other kisses they had snuck along the way, this kiss was the one that meant the most to Ruth.  She was held tenderly and lovingly and she clung to Robby as though he was the daylight after a long night of storms and darkness.  And when they finally pulled apart and the two of them were grinning like little kids—Ruth knew that their future was indeed going to be bright. 

[tamashi-tai-tamashi]

Just for curiosity, do you have the same problem with other dubs (such as the Italian, LATAM, French, Portuguese, etc...) that you have for the English one or is it just for that one?

Hope you have a nice day!

Heyy, thanks for the ask!

To answer your question, yes, I do! I am a dub hater in general, haha. I think watching the dub, no matter which one, is okay if you're like a casual fan who for example watch Dragon Ball when it happens to be on tv, but I really don't get big fans who still watch the dub (and they annoy me a lot to be honest 😭).

I criticize the funimation dub more because first of all, it's an english centered website, everyone on here speak english, and most users have english as their first language. So it's this dub that most Dragon Ball fans on here watch, it makes more sense to talk about this one. And if I tried to criticize other dubs I know like the french one (I am french), nobody would know what I am talking about or get the refs haha. Rare are the people who know Patrick Borg on tumblr.

But also, even though I have the same problem with all dubs in general, criticize all of them and think you should watch the original version no matter where you're from, the funimation dub especially annoys me because 1) there are way more english speaking fans who only watch the dub than people from other countries who watch the dub of their language instead of the og version. Like, in France for example, most real and big fans watch the japanese version. Almost nobody decides to watch db/dbz or the new Daima episode of the week in french. The only people who do that are casual fans who watch DB/DBZ/DB Daima when it's on tv and don't especially watch it on their own, or some idiots (often racists) who can't handle hearing japanese. It's weird for a fan in France to still watch the french version in 2024, and I know it's the same thing in many other countries. It's mostly americans who still only watch their dub (and sometimes have the nerves to criticize the japanese version...). 2) Most american fans don't know this but the english dub is imposed on fans all over the world. Many video games for example try to please the American audience by using the terms of the funimation dub, and we end up having to play with "Mystic Gohan" or "Kid Buu", many translations (like in subtitles, or books, magazines) are based on the funimation dub (which is very, very different from the original version, and doesn't translate the japanese lines well at all, so you can guess how terrible the final translations are)...it's annoying. When I buy a video game or a book about Dragon Ball, I want to play with the characters' real bames, read the most accurate translation possible, hear or read the official terms and not the american ones. As a result we all end up hating the english dub.

Anyway, I think the funimation dub is very, very bad for several reasons but I am a dub hater in general lol.

In short, yes, I have the same problem with all other dubs even though I talk about the funimation one more !

Hope you have a very nice day too!!!

[yuseirra]

It's been so long since I read the series... but I suddenly remembered about "Abide in the Wind" so I read the last few chapters and I'm getting enormous flashbacks, that was such a memorable piece and it still looks as beautiful as I remember-

spoilers for the ENTIRE PIECE AND PLOTLINE: So, a godly figure(dragon) falls in love with a human being. But she's so selfless and always gives up on her being and dies in every timeline. He couldn't bear to accept that, so he tries to bring forth a reality where she lives to be the truth but that is never possible, and he grows flawed and insane in the process. He starts to bring misery through collecting souls to replenish his energy to reattempt on rewriting the timelines, and the world starts getting destroyed. The entire world wants him gone, the flawed god and disaster that he's become.

The girl he loved and wished to bring back comes to recognize this in one timeline she's come across, and she's chosen as the successor, to become the next dragon(godly being) that should kill and replace him. But then she decides that she... despite her very selfless nature, started to have a single want. She wants him too.

So she decides to give up her past, present and future as a god to bring him back, and the laws of that world gets rewritten, she saves him and they get to be together with everything that's happened... becoming a past that lasts only as an alternate reality. Everyone lives happily in a rewritten world she brought, she forgets that she was once a god but he remembers

I... haha.. I'm getting really REALLY similar vibes with them in regard to hikaai rn I am not sure if this is a good comparison but,

That godly being started out very empty and prone to change. He was so pure and innocent, unknowing of everything, and that girl he fell in love with became the single thing he wanted. He was like a blank piece of paper. He actually ruined her life unintentionally by entering it, because her life was so peaceful before he came along and everything started spiraling into madness after he did... but she never really blamed him for it.

Anyhow, that girl doesn't respect her own life while she immensely cares for other beings. She kept dying because she disregarded herself. He realized it'd happen in every timeline, so in desperation and despair, he started trying to change fate- in which ultimately resulted in destroying himself to the core. As far as becoming a natural disaster.

What he goes through really feels similar to what Hikaru's going through after Ai's death, the difference is that... Abide in the Wind is pure fantasy. The dragon, he actively tries to collect souls to use as a source of power to reverse his beloved death and hundreds of thousands fall into misery in the process, the whole world starts collapsing into havoc.. well, what Hikaru may be kind of similar in essence you know. He started out to be this really, sweet and kindred soul but he utterly starts breaking down into insanity after the only person he loved winds up dead (and he believes that's his fault too;). He can't bear the fact that she doesn't exist anymore, so he starts coming up with some sort of reasoning to bring her closer to him (I am not sure if he thought that up on his own because it's so bizarre) and if what the songs are implying are accurate of what he's been doing, he's actually BEEN collecting some sort of "light"; I think that may have to do with people with the star eyes. So.. yeah. He could've been making some sort of sacrifices out of desperation too(goodness...) If he were to be a god.. -_- I wonder if he could have done the same thing to bring Ai back?; I wonder... he used to be so soft though!!!!! I wouldn't have cared about him this much if he wasn't like that, he's just.. broken apart...;

well, the dragon got saved. His beloved came to save him and give him back his life.

Idk about Kamiki. But I see how these sorts of stories.. never fail to get me intrigued.

wanting to reverse fate/being unable to accept loss and wishing the dead back, that's a theme that's explored a lot in fiction. It can't happen in real life, but like what they say in the piece itself as it begins, onk IS fiction.

What I can sense is that the character is suffering so bad and he's been so alone!!;; The songs and the plotline keep screaming that to me so it really bothers me, it just keeps grabbing my attention because this was a character that didn't deserve what's happened to him. Maybe he does now, but it's just horrible to be a witness of the types of emotional pains he's been going through, with it never being properly tended to even once. I don't even know if we're supposed to/ allowed to pity him because everything is still vague, so is he responsible for harming Ai or not, I am 99.9% positive he ISN'T, but the manga still just doesn't tell us that in a solid sense and leaves us hanging right, so it's so frustrating to wait. I'm sure they want to do something about this character and that's why it's been saved till last, but they better make it good and satisfying enough. I'm not asking for so much, I'm not even sure if he can be "saved" in a proper sense because he already lost the one single thing he loved more than his life. I just; want him to be addressed and explained properly, this guy has himself a story, but he never gets to tell his own tale. Because Aqua hates him and decides he must die. Everyone besides Ai doesn't want him. Not a single soul helped him when he needed it as a child except Ai, that's so unfair because he was a good one. It's just.. not a happy thing to watch. He can rot in hell if he deserves it??? But I want to know what happened!! They'll show it to us. It's just that I'm not in the future yet so I can't make anything out of it in the present. I actually have an idea where this will eventually head, I just don't have the patience because I feel things. They talk about pain and when that happens, you can't help but being stressed, right!

The final chapters of Abide in the Wind was beautiful, it's very colorful and memorable, and the writing for it was exemplar and poetic!! I definitely can say that's one of the pieces that influenced me as an artist... If you like stories where characters who share a bond eventually end up saving each other's fate, it may be worth a read! Reana is still one of my fav female protagonists, she's...so selfless. And that ties very strongly with how things play out in the story, it's why she was chosen in more ways than one.

[kiddotarot]

Thank you so much for the reading! I hope I wasn’t too late! I went blank as soon I went through your reading, I’m not sure of the reason though! But here is the feedback!

Emotions

Interestingly, you mention soulmate because I always tried to find wholeness in friendships. Well, that went bad haha but I think it correlates to your reading and taught me that I’m enough as I am and I don’t need someone to do things I can do myself. I initially did want my mother to create a beautiful environment for me but I’m very grateful for the environment she raised me in and for creating the person I am today. I do wish we cleared the misunderstandings and brought in a little more patience and empathy between us. This is SO true! I could never function without acceptance, but with recent introductions of rejections and failures, I’ve lost the emotional requirement for acceptance and administration.

Why are you here

This reminder was needed, thank you. I do feel responsible for incidents which logically speaking I wasn’t even involved in. Ah, I think I’m doing everything but that, I should make more efforts to connect to the divine and stop feeling and reacting to every occurrence.

Past life vibration

I don’t have a weak immunity now so I like to think it would be the former. Again intriguing because I was always attracted to the profession of healing and constantly asked to pursue it. Yes, I do neglect myself so I do need to nourish myself physically and mentally.

Communication issues

I’m not focusing on my spiritual side properly so I’m unable to accurately figure out a person but yes. People can’t fool me. Looking into their dark side, I do but I don’t use it against them. I don’t even let them know about it. I think as a result of my failed friendships, I found it necessary to analyse every person around me. But yes haha, I’ll stop it as soon as possible.

Love issues

Ah is this why I’m so repulsed by relationships? T_T But yes, I think I need no help in that department! I’m already on the way to completing myself.

Life path

My inner security is somewhat lacking so I’m glad you brought it to my notice. I do need to figure out what my inner resources are though. I’m also learning to detach myself from toxicity so the reminder popping up is also a good sign!

Past life Childhood

Self-image destroyed in childhood? This life, I did build it up but lost it again in my teenhood. I do need to fix that though.

Submitting to a powerful male… Is that the reason why I can’t stand men who try to ‘fix’ me? Past life trauma? Fortunately I have extremely good parents who wouldn’t let that happen so I think those problems do end in this life.

Mother karma

This explains why I’m so connected and protective of my mother in this life. I’ve experienced most of the lessons I’ve learned in life with my mother so I think that says something.

Healing

This. I did stop all my outlets to creativity because of certain events but I’ll start over again. Finding myself, I’m on the journey I hope.

Thank you so much again for your energy and time! I hope this review is satisfactory! If I’ve missed out on anything, please let me know!

I also have some questions I hope you don’t mind answering! If you don’t want to or can’t, please feel free to ignore it!

1) What did you mean by my parents not being there for me?

2) Are any curses or bad karma left over from my previous birth? (I would love to rectify them T_T)

3) Could this be my last birth since you mentioned practising detachment to become one with the divine?

First of all thank you so much for this long feedback its really going to help me to improve my practice. Now let get on question.

1. Every souls carried some wounds and bad experience related to childhood it also effect over current lifetime you can see a person and tell them they have a old soul which is more experienced like a child in a home is more mature and patience( mostly eldest child )than his parents and siblings then its and old soul our soul take birth to experience what missed and not complete desire it important to get let go and stay fullness in your heart and not to carry this experience in next birth.

2.Our karmas governed by saturan he is the real lord of our karma which we are going to experience in this lifetime and creating here your saturan sits in 10H and lord of 4H and 5H some parts its means karma related to family, property, childhood, romentic connection and work place your profession i think chiron( not sure ) is also there so your family can also a healing place for you .

3. Most of the people i read who are into spirituality and tarot , chart and other practice get it its the human life ultimate goal to do karma without any greed and get detached and build connection to Divine. You are lucky you are on right path .🫂

[jezzzebel]

so i hope you don't find this disrespectful or anything, but i'm writing a story about slavic paganism in my free time.

since you're a practicing slavic pagan i wanted to ask if it was disrespectful to make up lore for the gods or give them personalities and appearances as i imagine them in my head

i promise i'm doing loads of research on the religion and i'm trying to make things as accurate as they can possibly be but in order for the story to work i need to make up stories of the things that happened between the gods or purposefully change a god's role

i'm asking just because i want to release it at some point and i don't want slavic pagans to feel dissapointed about my portrayal of the gods and the religion :(

that.. is so disrespectful of you..

JUST KIDDING

I don't see anything wrong with that!!! I actually saw a post on here saying something like "why don't pagans make up their own myths??"

And i personally believe that, as long as we are respectful, and we don't put gods in bad light, it would NOT be disrespectful 💓💓🌺

In fact, I'm sure many slavic pagans would be so happy to see a story about their religion!!

In fact, i am happy now too haha 😆

Sorry if my reply to this was unsatisfactory!! I tried my best to explain my words but, no morning coffee hahahaha..

Also! If you need any help with the story,or just wanna talk about your idea,, i am always here to discuss and help!! 💕💕💕😸😸😸

[nyalisa-landale]

aaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

(lv98 msq spoilers, specifically several cutscenes playing in sequence)

we said if he tried any funny business, we'd jump in. he said if we tried any funny business, he'd raze tuliyollal to the ground.

so when lamaty'i gets an advantage in their duel, and he gives the order to raze tuliyollal to the ground, remind me again why we didn't jump in?????? because I'm pretty sure that counts as funny business! (and, further, since that was his consequence for if we did jump in... he's already done it! there's no consequence!!!)

I know, I know we told lamaty'i we'd let her kill him. but she even agreed that we could jump in if he tried something! and he literally did! alisa's got a verholy locked and loaded!

and sphene!!!!! "I'd do anything for my people!" yeah, anything except play nice with the nation your realm now finds itself in so that you can take advantage of their resources and research institutions to find a way to save your people that isn't "murder the whole nation that your realm now finds itself in"! especially since, as you can fucking see, you just tried that and they didn't take very kindly to it!!!

it's like they both have one braincell each and they're both set to murder, and since it's one each, they can't even rub them together to spark actual thoughts!

haha, spark. like the lightning that overtook sphene's shard and led to all this in the first place.

like seriously, sphene, babe, you made a (bad) choice. that doesn't stop you from making a different (better) one now. but you have to actually choose to do that. and she's so fucking confident that nobody can combat her and zoraal ja's forces, even though literally all she had to go off of regarding what the lands outside the dome are even like was what zoraal ja told her, and we know he wasn't painting an accurate picture, because he's so fucking full of himself! he's so absolutely positively certain that he's the best, strongest boy in existence and that nobody could ever possibly be stronger than him, and yet at nearly every turn he's losing and throwing a tantrum about it! at least zenos had the decency to actually be able to back up his talk!!!! "I had thirty years to build up unstoppable foreign technology with which to take over the world!" well I've got some adventurers, geniuses, and a fucking dragon that says no you don't! go cry in your room about it!!!!!

this was supposed to be a duel! why were you not duelling!!!!!!!!! stop making excuses, zoraal ja, we can all see that's what you're doing! fight your little sister to the death like a man!!!! but nooooo, then he might lose, and that's impossible, because he's the best, strongest boy on the star! so instead he runs away like the whiny little pissbaby he is!!!!!

...alisa has to still be stoned. it's the only way. zoraal ja is such a nothing threat that it doesn't even matter if she's sober or not. you've got this, lamaty'i! go kill him, babe, I've got your flower! and in the background she and alisaie are just snarking back and forth about how much zoraal ja sucks and how sphene's super short-sighted and how infinite growth is stupid and impossible.

[tos1701voy74656tmnt2012-cc]

TAG MBTI

Since I got into MBTI a few months ago, I've been trying to type every single person I know - real or imaginary. There are quite a few people out there like me who like typing TV characters, but there have been very few sources out there that talk about the MBTI of the 2015 Thunderbirds Are Go series. So I thought I'd discuss my thoughts on a few more controversial (main) characters on TAG. Keep in mind that these are just my thoughts, and may not be 100% aligned with the theories. This is all in good fun.

Disclaimer: as Gordon and Alan's types are quite straightforward and widely accepted, I will not be discussing them.

Most commonly accepted types:

Scott: ENTJ/ESTP

Virgil: ISFP

John: INTP

Gordon: ESFP

Alan: ISFJ

The Hood: INTJ

Not confirmed:

Kayo: ISTP/INTJ

Starting off with Scotty. People (myself included) call him the Commander, ie. ENTJ according to the 16 Personalities website. I've done the test myself on his behalf (self-righteous me haha) and the results are quite conclusive: ENTJ. This is quite accurate, given his decisive demeanour in the field which corresponds with dominant Te. That's why I think ESTJ wouldn't be too far off either.

As for ESTP, they're known to be very spontaneous (and frankly, crazy...no offence intended!) The main reason people get this idea is because of certain episodes (High Strung) that suggest Scott was something of a 'thrill junkie' as a younger person. However, the episode also suggests he is not proud of his past and is not like that anymore (or at least tries not to be). So my conclusion is that he has grown into his role as head of IR, which requires an ENTJ personality, while suppressing the extraverted sensing which is dominant in an ESTP.

Next up, Virgil. Virg's known to be the family artist, and ISFPs are the stereotypical artists. In that sense, ISFP is pretty correct - but Virgil doesn't exactly strike me as (and I'm making a big generalisation here) a crybaby. So what are the alternatives? First, I'd agree he's mostly an introvert, though he sometimes does give off a more E energy. Next, I'd say that he could he either intuitive or sensing, and he seems like the kind of guy to come up with a plan at the scene. So I'd go so far as to say he could be an INTP. Conclusion: ISFP/INTP.

Now with Johnny, most people can agree that he's INTP. I once read somewhere that he's INFP, however, which I thought was interesting - INFPs have the stereotype of being ignored all the time, which relates to John's situation of being the guy stuck on the lonely space station and the middle child. But it doesn't feel as if he has dominant Fi, so I agree with the opinion that he's INTP. INTPs are stereotypically nerdy, and although John isn't a complete dork, he is shown to be afraid of crowds (and in general, people!) particularly in episodes such as The Man From TB5. So INTP is fair.

Kayo is an interesting case. I have found literally zero consensus on the net on Kayo's MBTI, so I have just gone ahead and typed her as ISTP/INTJ.

Kayo is, how shall we say it, very cool. Even aloof, like an ISTP, the typical lone wolf or cool guy. ISTPs also tend to have good street smarts, being very versatile quick learners. That is what makes them good candidates for being spies, or in Kayo's case, covert ops. She's formidable because of her skills, quick thinking and determination in protecting her ideals (her insisting that IR get involved in the 'bad guy catching business') - dominant Ti.

Some people also think she's an INTJ for obvious reasons. In Legacy, she reveals she has all sorts of contingency plans for Tracy Island, and even her uncle, the great mastermind, fell into her trap. That sort of scheming is very INTJ. It's probably an influence of her having the Hood as her uncle.

You could argue that Kayo is completely INTJ, and I'd say that's possible as well. The reason I've put ISTP is that some of the things she does are a bit too physical and real-world, things that typical INTJs would die from. Of course, she could be an Fi and Se developed INTJ. It depends on how you look at it.

Now finally...our favourite villain, Hoodie Guy. INTJ, the mastermind. No one can deny that the Hood is the ultimate criminal mastermind, with his scheming plots and evil smirk (!) However, there are some qualities he has that aren't exactly INTJ, which is why I'd argue that he's an INTJ/ENTJ hybrid.

First, he's very impatient. We see this in a lot of episodes, and in Signals Part 2 he even admits he was short-sighted (and therefore impatient) to have tried to commandeer a Thunderbird. That's quite unlike an INTJ, who must be patient in waiting for their plots to unfold over time. The Hood is almost too rash to be an INTJ.

Secondly, INTJs are known for being cold and calculated, and although the Hood is that, he's also very personal. And by personal I mean he gets very hung up on personal vendettas, namely the one against Jeff Tracy. INTJs don't usually put the focus on people - unless the person is merely an obstacle in the way of them getting what they want. They do not act on impulse - dominant Ni ensures that. ENTJs, however, can be 'personal'. They have vendettas, and they will use dominant Te to act even if it's not exactly wise.

Finally, he's too famous. INTJs do not thrust themselves into the spotlight as the Hood did even in the first episode - that is way too not subtle for INTJs, who work from the shadows and get what they want without anyone being the wiser. ENTJs, on the other hand, are known and feared by the world. Sound familiar?

Of course, the many cliffhangers we get informing us the Hood has gotten exactly what he planned tells us he's still an INTJ - but not entirely. Things like personality typing are never black and white, and no one is completely 100% one type or another.