#which is absolutely fascinating to me haha

[pynkhues]

You gotta be talking about Backdraft..the movie that made me want to be a firefighter for years until i saw the actual training and my claustrophobic self decidedly changed my mind.

And yea...William Baldwin and Jennifer Jason Leigh were like a vacuum that sucked the air out of the atmosphere in that movie.

Nostalgia wise, I still love it. But it's 78% rotten tomato score was earned.lol

(x)

Hah! I am! I'm watching it right now! I can totally see watching it when you're young and being totally swept up in it, and having that nostalgic feel for it as a result. It really does have its moments, and a lot of the performances are solid, but oh my GOD, William Baldwin is bad (and Jennifer Jason Leigh! Who I usually like!)

The sheer volume of explosive fires too are kind of cracking me up though - a fireman apparently is being burned alive every minute of the day in the early 90s!

I do love that it made you want to join the firies though, haha, because I think it's working the opposite on me 😂

[vulpinesaint]

I was taking your angel/devil quiz and I took it twice for embarrassing reasons and I swear I picked all the same answers and got a different result. Did I pick a wrong thing by accident? Did I forget that quickly? What the fuck

I mean I agree with the second result more anyway but that's not really the point

there are a good number of questions so it's possible that you hit another one by accident! another likely explanation, though: the way the quizzes work is by tallying up the number of answers you chose that match up with a specific result, and when you end up with a tie between two results, uquiz automatically chooses one of them and doesn't tell you about the other. i'm not sure how it makes that decision, but it might be that you were tied between two results and it gave you a different one each time :)

or. y'know. live in my beautiful mystical impenetrable world with me. the quiz knew it didn't do it right the first time and gave you a better one on the second time around. <3

[light-wrath-paradise]

I love Cooking Companions and Dread Weight because where else can you experience being the antagonist literally everyone wants dead? The characters speak to you the way people in fandoms talk about the villains they'd have executed a thousand times if they could. Genuinely forgot how funny that shit is.

[violetrainbow412-blog]

Hello!

I wanted to order something from Wonka (2023) because I fell in love with it after watching the movie! So if possible, I would like something fluff in which Reader and Wonka are mutually in love but neither has enough confidence to declare themselves and Noodle helps them both to tell each other their feelings. (sorry if I didn't understand, the english isn't my first language)

A little push [W. W]

Willy Wonka x fem!reader

word count: 4.5k

note: first of all, I want to tell you not to worry because English is not my first language either (i'm Mexican, where are u from?) and second, I loved writing this, I had fun and I think I got a little excited with the words count, haha. I hope you enjoy!

taglist: @dyieying @reallysparklychaos [Timothée masterlist]

“Everything is amazing!” Noodle squealed, as he walked down the stone hallway and looked around with absolute fascination: from the chocolate river to the glass ceiling through which you could look at the blue sky.

After you had gotten rid of the Chocolate Cartel and the rest of the group had returned to their normal lives, Willy had finally started his dream of building a chocolate factory. Now that it was finally finished, you and Noodle had been the first in the world to have the privilege of seeing it. You had stayed in touch, of course, although it was almost always when he went to town in search of some materials for his creations, to sell chocolates on the streets or to work on rebuilding the store at the Galeries Gourmet.

"So you think?" he asked, smiling. He loved the girl as if she were his little sister and you imagined that her approval would prove to be quite important.

“Of course, it's magnificent,” she assured him. You looked out at the grass and waved at the little orange man (who you now knew was called Lofty) who was drinking from a small cup “Is the river real chocolate?”

“Of course it's real chocolate, who do you think you're talking to?” he murmured, almost offended “Go explore and eat whatever you want. I accept suggestions for improvements” Willy indicated to your friend, who smiled at you apologetically and bolted towards the glass bridge section.

“I think we'll finish the merchandise before the opening,” you joked and then Willy seemed to remember your presence.

His smile was extremely sweet when he turned to you to offer you to take his arm, like a gentleman, and so you began walking, a little slower and a shorter distance.

“It would be impossible, I assure you.”

“How have sales been?” you questioned and then he began to give you a summary of everything.

Abacus was still his trusted accountant so this whole matter was well monitored, which allowed him to make all the movements, purchases, and remodeling. While Noodle (whose name you knew wasn't hers, but you kept calling her that out of habit) was lost in the recesses of the enchanted castle you seemed to be in.

"A flower?" he offered you suddenly, leaning down to pull one of the ones growing on the floor.

"It is eatable?"

“Everything here is edible,” he said cheerfully. “Except me, I guess.”

“Maybe you are, although I think you'd taste quite peculiar,” you said in a soft, teasing voice, hoping he'd catch at least a little of your flirtation.

After everything you had been through at the launderette, as well as the time you had lived together after that, you had become good friends, but little by little you had begun to feel something else blossoming inside you. The boy was handsome, you had realized this from the first moment you saw him, but the more you lived with him you began to realize the great qualities he had. It was much worse when you added to all this the sweetness with which he always treated you and how attentive he was towards everything you wanted.

That's why you threw in some flirtatious comments from time to time, to test the waters, observe his reactions, and thus build an image in your mind to know if you had at least a chance.

“Let's find out,” he said, and your breathing hitched for a moment, but it came out as a chuckle when you saw him lick the back of his hand “Not that unpleasant, though a little salty, I’d say.”

You had to admit that you would have liked to see how your friend tasted differently, but for now you would just let it go. Maybe he was very innocent or maybe he didn't like you. 

“What are you working on now? Something new?” you asked curiously, taking a bite of your flower. It was delicious.

"Yeah! Actually yes. Now I'm thinking about creating a chocolate whose flavor contains the three meals of the day, so people who don't have much money could buy it and have the pleasure of the three foods. Oh, and I want to expand the sweets to sell in the store, not only chocolates, but also gum, candies, gummies... What do you think about that?

“Sounds like an excellent idea, Willy” you smiled. He separated from you when you reached the edge of the river falling from the waterfall, where he theatrically removed his hat to pull out a cup that he filled with liquid chocolate and then held out in your direction.

"Do you want?”

“I can drink a little,” you replied, while you took the porcelain container with your fingers and took a sip of the contents. There was something special about his chocolates that you still didn't understand, but he made them a thousand times more enjoyable. “Hhm-mmm.”

“All the chocolate is in constant motion, which makes it beat better and taste smoother,” he explained to you, as he got completely excited when it came to talking about the chemistry behind his creations. You noticed that he was looking at your lips and you were about to say something when he spoke: “You have a little… over there.”

"Here?" you asked, stretching your tongue in the direction where he had pointed, but Willy continued to look at you with some amusement.

“No, in… right there, uh… wait” he murmured and seeing your failed attempts to get rid of the stain he took a handkerchief out of his jacket pocket “Let me help you.”

Willy took a step towards you and you gasped when one of his hands came up to cup your cheek, as if he didn't want you to move your face. The other, with the help of the handkerchief, gently passed the corner of your lips.

You took the opportunity to look at him carefully, trying to record as many details as possible: some freckles that he had on the bridge of his nose, a trace of facial hair that he probably shaved in the morning, his bushy eyebrows above his beautiful eyes framed by long eyelashes and finally her pink lips that were pressed in on themselves as a sign of concentration. He was so handsome and so close to you that you were getting nervous.

He, unbeknownst to you, had his own swirl of emotions. The skin of your face that he was holding was soft and in that position it would have been enough to lean in a little to capture your lips with traces of chocolate, without you even noticing it and, probably, without you being able to deny it for a moment. But he didn't want to do that to you, he knew it wasn't correct and after all he didn't know if you felt the same way.

He hummed a word to let you know he was done and suddenly the two of you found yourself looking straight into each other's eyes, lost in each other's gaze. Just two fools in love who didn't realize it.

"What are you doing?"

You separated abruptly when you heard the voice of the girl, who had apparently been watching you for a few seconds, and looked at her accompanied by Lofty. Both of them were smirking.

“Huh, she… had some chocolate on her face and I…”

“Willy helped me remove it” you completed. You didn't even understand why you guys were nervous, it wasn't like you guys were doing anything guilty.

“Do you guys want to go see my lab?” Wonka murmured, trying to divert attention from whatever had happened just a moment ago. “You're going to love it. “I’ll even let you make a chocolate if you want, Noodle.”

“Okay,” she replied, shrugging her shoulders, but giving you a look that clearly meant: we'll talk about this later. 

When they began to walk, Willy turned for a second to look at you with a feeling that you couldn't decipher and then he returned his gaze to the front, just so that you wouldn't see the blush that had painted his cheeks.

“Are we going to talk about it?”

"Talk about what?" you asked absentmindedly, punching your pillow to soften it.

You and Noodle shared a room because you still couldn't find a place to settle and, furthermore, you had been hired at the library so there was no problem for Dorothy with you staying with them.

“Talk about how you and Willy almost kissed.”

“We weren't going to kiss!” you screeched immediately, turning violently to look at the girl.

“Well, that's what it seemed like. He had his hand on your face and you were so close.”

“He was just helping me remove a stain,” you defended yourself, although it was obvious that you had gotten nervous.

What if he had tried to kiss you? you suddenly asked yourself. No, it was impossible. 

“But you like him.”

“Noodle,” you squeaked under your breath, “What kind of questions are those?”

“Oh, you like him!” she concluded. For the girl, the fact that you were evading an answer was an answer in itself. “I knew it.”

“You can't tell him,” you said, resigned that the girl wouldn't let the matter go so easily. “You have to promise.”

"Why not? Maybe he likes you too”

“Well, I prefer not to know that,” you lied. It was obvious that you wanted to know, but you were too worried about ruining your friendship with him to do any real research.

"What is it that you like the most about him?"

"Stop"

“I won't tell him!” the little girl said, raising her hands in surrender. “I swear. I just want to know how it feels, I have never fallen in love with anyone."

The excitement in the girl's eyes ended up convincing you to talk to her about your feelings for your mutual friend and after letting out a deep sigh you sat down on the mattress, patting the spot next to your side as an invitation for her to sit too.

“You must swear to me that you will not tell him. Please,” you warned her and she nodded frantically. “I like his eyes.”

“I knew it,” she said again, victorious. “What else do you like about him?”

You thought the real question was: was there anything you didn't like about him?

“I really like that he is so kind to everyone. And I like that he is a dreamer, I like his curly hair and his strange clothes. I like when he’s cordial with me and I also like that he talks so… I don't know, so softly, you know what I mean?” you asked and she nodded excitedly.

Talking about it with someone was, in a way, very liberating and once you started you couldn't stop. You spent a long time talking about him, gossiping about the little moments that you thought meant some sign and listing your fantasies, while your friend listened attentively.

As the words left your mouth, you convinced yourself more that it wasn't just a crush, but that you were actually in love with that boy. And it scared you, to be honest.

“Will you ever tell him? “You would make a nice couple.”

"That's what you think?” you asked amused. You had already attacked a stock of chocolates that Willy had given you when he left the factory. “Well, I don't know, Noodle. If one day the conditions are right and he gives me some sign, I guess so."

The girl laughed to herself and registered her information in her mind, certain that very soon you would receive that signal and she would personally take care of it.

“Willy!” The man listened and when he turned in the direction of the voice, he found the unruly hair of his little friend.

“Darling, hello,” he greeted cordially, while he bent down a little to give her a hug “What brings you here?”

“I had a break at the library and I wanted to come see if you were here,” she smiled. The store was packed with people, as always, but they were in a quiet enough section “And I also wanted to ask for your help.”

“Sure, whatever you want”

“It's about Y/N,” Noodle said. Noticing that the man's posture straightened a little, she smiled victoriously, because the mere mention of your name had already captured his attention “But you must promise not to say anything to her.”

“My lips will be sealed”

“Well, it's about a boy”

There was silence, where Wonka frowned perceptibly. Noodle couldn't be happier.

"A boy?"

“Yes, I think he likes her. He goes to the library every day just to see her and he talks to her for hours and even helps her organize some of her books. You should see them, they are so cute together. And I want to organize a date for them”

“A date?” he screeched. He felt betrayed by the girl, although she clearly couldn't read her mind and therefore she didn't know about her feelings for you.

"Yeah! I want your help because I want you to make some delicious chocolates that will make them fall in love or something like that”

“My chocolates can't make someone fall in love with someone else,” he said immediately, although that wasn't entirely true. “And why do you want her to go on a date with that guy? Does he even treat her well? What does he look like?”

It was evident that he was, to say the least, affected by the information she was giving him. She could almost say there was some anger in his voice. Or maybe it was just jealousy.

“Wow, wow, calm down Willy. I thought this would excite you.”

“Why should I get excited?” he asked, honestly confused. Noodle had the boy right where she wanted him and he wasn't realizing anything. It was perfect.

“Because she's your friend and I thought maybe you'd like to help me get her a boyfriend. I don't know, for her to be happy and all that”

Willy Wonka remained silent. He seemed to be holding something in his chest that he didn't want to let out and judging by the look on his face she believed that even he might cry. Suddenly the girl felt the man's hand take her arm to take her to an even more secluded place, far from all the curious ears.

"She likes him? You know that?"

“I don't know, she hasn't told me anything.”

Lies, pure lies. She clearly knew that you were madly in love with the boy in front of her.

“I can't do you that favor you want,” he ruled. “But could you do one for me?”

"What do you want?" she asked, pretending to be confused. He took a moment before daring to speak.

“Please distract that boy. Don't let him get close to her."

"And why?"

“Because I like her,” he finally breathed out.

Bingo, she had gotten just what she wanted.

"No way! Are you talking seriously?"

“Yes, but you can't tell anyone, do you understand?”

“Well, it wouldn't be any use for me to tell someone if she is in love with that boy.”

“Don't you dare think about it,” her friend whimpered. There was no such thing as a suitor of yours and she felt like laughing, but she stopped herself. “She seems very interested?”

“Well, not that much, but he will be soon if he keeps acting like that with her.” Noodle snorted and then he pursed his lips and cursed under his breath, “Unless…”

"That?"

“No, it's nonsense”

“Tell me,” he asked, obviously distressed. He really liked you and he didn't want there to be a chance of someone else winning your heart.

“Well, I think she might lose interest in him if you tell her what you feel, don't you think?” she argued.

“What if she doesn't like me?”

“You won't know if you don't tell her!” She mumbled, feeling the same frustration she felt when she had that conversation with you. “Listen, you remember the flamingos at the zoo, right?”

"Aha"

“And do you remember that they didn't fly until they knew they could escape? If they hadn't flown, they would still be there. They had to do it to discover that there was a world out there, you know what I mean?”

“I don't think so,” he replied, concerned, and she rolled her eyes in exasperation.

“What I'm trying to say is that you should tell her if you want to know if she feels the same way. And who knows, maybe so” she murmured. If you knew what she was doing you'd probably be strangling her, but she just hoped everything turned out okay.

The man thought seriously for a moment, with his gaze lost as if he were immersed in his own world, and then he looked at the youngest.

“Well, how do I do that?”

Noodle jumped a little with excitement and pulled her friend to her until they reached a place to sit, prepared to talk to him as much as necessary for him to confess his feelings for you. Willy listened very carefully and by the end of the afternoon they already had a small plan drawn up, that with some luck she would be able to unite her two best friends into a perfect couple.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Willy felt like his heart was going to jump out of his chest when he started to look for you in the library, after more than a week of his conversation with Noodle, ready to confess what he felt to you that same afternoon or die trying.

He found you in the history section, carrying a stack of books and looking for the right place to put them. Even without trying you looked very pretty and a sigh escaped him at that, while he thought why it had taken him so long to consider telling you how much he felt for you.

“Huh, hello.”

"Hello, how can I help y…? Willy?” 

“That's me,” he said timidly. 

“How are you?”

“Well, everything is very good” as you left the books on a shelf and approached him you noticed that he was holding a solitary flower in his hand and you asked with your eyes the reason for it “Oh, this one is for you. It's not chocolate, it's just that I saw it on the way and it reminded me of you, because I know that's your favorite color and because... well, because it's pretty."

“Ow, thank you,” you said tenderly, reaching out to take the present and becoming a little embarrassed. “Were you looking for Noodle?”

“No, I wanted to ask you if once you finish you would like to go for a walk to hang out and… chat. The weather is warmer than ever and spring has beautiful sunsets,” he noted. You didn't understand why he seemed so nervous, nor did you know if you were misunderstanding the situation, but you felt your face turn a barely perceptible shade of red.

“I would love to, actually. But I have to cover a shift and…”

“I'll cover it for you,” someone next to you said quickly. It was Noodle, who had seemingly arrived out of nowhere. “You guys go have fun.”

“But your mom…”

“My mom won't say anything. Come on, go” she insisted, pushing you in the direction of the exit. You didn't know what that girl was up to, but you suspected she was up to no good and gave her a warning look.

“Huh, in that case I guess there is no problem anymore. Just let me go to my room to put on some other clothes and I’ll be back, okay?” you said with a smile. You looked at the girl again, as if searching for an answer, but this time she didn't even notice your look, so you went straight to what you needed.

Once there you took the opportunity to comb your hair, put on some cologne, brush your teeth, put on a pretty necklace, and things like that, hoping to look a little prettier for him.

You placed the flower on your shelf with special care and smiled at the boy's kind gesture towards you. When he said that it reminded him of you because it was pretty, was he calling you pretty? God, you hoped so.

Once you returned to where you had left him you noticed that he was waiting patiently in a chair and Noodle was nowhere to be seen, so you announced your arrival and both of you were ready to leave.

“I'm sorry I arrived unexpectedly” was the first thing he said, once you were outside. He wasn't lying, the atmosphere had started to get warmer.

“It's okay, you don't have to worry. I like surprises”

“I hope so,” he said, more to himself than to you.

You walked in silence through some houses and you took the opportunity to admire the landscape, without really knowing where you were going, but with some curiosity.

“Do you want to go to the pier?” he spoke again, because that was one of the destinations you could reach with the route you had taken “The sunset can be seen from there.”

True, he wanted to show you one of those spring sunsets.

"It's a good idea"

“Okay”

Then the man began to talk about something else, to distract his mind and to distract you, and that talk filled the silence of the entire road. When the sea was in front of you, you leaned against a white wooden railing with the sticky salt-smelling air hitting your face. You noticed that the sun had already started to set.

“The sea is huge,” you said suddenly. He leaned next to you, quite close, and this time he looked a little more confident. “Especially when the tide comes in, at this time.”

“Have you ever traveled by ship?”

“No, no,” you responded quickly. “It would be a disaster if I did that. I get dizzy easily and I would be afraid of drowning.”

“You get dizzy at first, but as time goes by you get used to it,” he assured, sounding amused at your response. “It's a good experience.”

“Did you see a lot of sunsets when you were at sea?” you asked, turning to look at him for a second and then returning your gaze to the natural spectacle.

“And sunrises too. The worst were the storms, you would imagine. But in general, there were very beautiful landscapes”

“I bet so,” you smiled. Your hair was blowing in the wind and Willy could only stare at you.

“Although I don't think any of them were as beautiful as you,” he murmured, in a tone so low that you thought you had imagined it.

You were silent for a second, watching the waves crash against the rocks, and then you were able to speak.

“You called me pretty twice today, did you even eat one of those wine-infused chocolates?” you tried to joke, to mask the fact that you were surprised and nervous in equal parts.

“No, it's not that,” he said, with a seriousness that worried you, as you were hoping he would divert the topic. “I really think you're pretty, very pretty actually. But… I mean, that's not the most important thing about you, I don't want you to think that. You were beautiful inside and out, like… your personality. It's brilliant"

“Oh, nonsense.”

“No, I'm serious.”

You could feel the few rays of sunlight that remained, in the distance, hitting your face, and when you looked at him you realized that it reflected a certain golden glow in his eyes. He was precious.

“Why are you telling me this?”

Everything around you took a backseat to the possibility that those compliments weren't just that, but something more, and then he took a deep breath before answering you.

“It wasn't a lie when I said I wanted to talk to you. It's something important to me and... well, I hope you're okay with this, because I wouldn't want to make you uncomfortable in any way."

"With what?" you insisted. A part of you told you that you were just misunderstanding everything, that he couldn't be referring to what you believed.

“Well, with the fact that I think you are a great person, that you are charismatic and kind and beautiful and that I like all of that a lot. I like you a lot"

The world stopped for a second and so did your heart. You wanted to pinch yourself to make sure it wasn't a dream, but it wasn't necessary because you knew that the breeze, the sun, and the sound of the waves couldn't be the work of a dream, just as the boy in front of you who was waiting for an answer couldn't be one either.

"Really?”

“Sure, why would I lie to you?” he expressed, sincerely bewildered. An involuntary smile lit up his face and then your hand went to hold his. It was big compared to yours, and it was warm.

“I don't know where all that came from, but I'm glad you said it. Because I like you too. Like, really a lot” you said shakily, and then he could breathe again.

“You don't know how happy it makes me to know that,” he smiled, while he brought your hand to his lips and gave you a sound kiss. Suddenly his hands went to your waist and he gently lifted you off the floor, giving you a spin in the air that made you laugh. “You like me too.”

“That's right,” you said, overjoyed to know that you were reciprocated. Had Noodle had anything to do with this confession? You knew it most likely was, but you would make sure to question her later.

“I was so nervous that you wouldn't like me.”

“How could I not like you, huh?” You exclaimed, raising your hands to his cheeks to force him to look at you. “You are perfect and even sweeter than your chocolates. Of course I was going to like you."

Willy blushed at the compliment and suddenly leaned in to hug you, hiding from your gaze captivated by him as he felt unworthy of it. You smiled widely while you stood on your tiptoes and let yourself be held tightly, while you saw the sunset in the distance and you left a soft kiss on his cheek, whispering a soft Love ya in his ear, hoping that that moment would remain engraved in your memory and that it was only the beginning of many more.

Noodle, from home, was smiling just imagining what you two would be doing and, in her mind, by this point you might have even kissed.

And while it wasn't like that, either way, watching the sunset in each other's arms was much more romantic and memorable for both of you.

[ask-the-pioneer]

"I've always been captivated by them. Something about the shiny exterior, how they glimmer when you tumble them around in your hands. My younger self would obsess about them, a childlike fascination. Even back then I instinctively knew they had value. My mom would use pearls I found to pay for a safe passage at scavenger tolls. We tried to bypass those points as much as we could, but sometimes it was unavoidable."

"It's a looong story…. I was found roaming the wilderness by my mentor, who brought me to er, an entity, called an interator. Do you know of iterators? Apparently they are what was left of an ancient civilization that once inhabited these lands. I couldn't wrap my head around it at first. Iterators are massive, absolutely huge, like mountains. Do you see that big structure of a regular, smooth shape?"

[She points towards Five Pebble's can in the distance]

"That is an iterator's «superstrucute». A mountain, the entire thing… is a person. It still sounds crazy when I say it."

"Ah, right, my name… like I mentioned, I got lost and my mentor found me. He brought me to his iterator. If my memory serves me right, his name is «No Significant Harassment», or NSH for short. I recall thinking at that time, «Harassment? I hope he won't be cruel to me». I had no concept of iterator names, their meaning, why it's three or however many words long. It was incredibly confusing to my young mind, though looking back at it I consider myself very lucky. The iterator was, dare I say, «god-like» (his own words), but benevolent. I saw how well he treated Hunter – my mentor – and it made me trust him more, even though I was scared and wary in the beginning."

"Would you believe it if I told you… there are stories written inside the pearls? That those things I’ve been obsessing about all my life are used for storing information? I had many of them leftover from when I lived at a scavenger outpost. One cycle, NSH noticed my interest, and – I wish Hunter had told me about this sooner, but – the iterator shot at my head with something…? And suddenly I could understand everything he said. Not that he said much, because I started crying loudly and ran straight out of there, haha. But before I bolted, he gave me one of his pearls as consolation. I think he felt bad for the scared little me."

"After that, he would eagerly read all the pearls I brought to him. That is how I learned more about the culture of the peoples who were here before me: the Ancients, their customs, why the iterators were built, and much more. It was like the knowledge of the entire world was suddenly revealed to me – to a seemingly insignificant being, a tiny speck in an endless ocean of life. It both made me feel very important, and very small. And, yeah, it has intensified my obsession with pearls beyond mortal limits. What if I could write into a pearl? I could archive the history of my entire species! All the stories my mom told me when I was small? All the places I’ve been to? Or other scugs have been to…"

[Her eyes widen, sparkling with glee]

"Y-yeah… that would be nice… sadly I am what I am – a slugcat. I don’t know how to do this very advanced stuff at all. I have no means of doing this. I once asked NHS for help, but there’s only so much he could guess from my frantic signing. I don’t think he understood me, in the end. But he did appreciate my efforts, and I was given a title – the Pioneer, like a person who is the very first to explore something uncharted. Apparently no slugcat before me thought of reading from or writing into pearls? I find it a little hard to believe."

"This one! This is a very special kind of pearl – it contains an ancient poem from which my name originated. See, my name was a gift from NSH the iterator. It’s spelled: «Mirmyntasseth». The best way I would describe it, is… it’s a name for a feeling, or an experience. The way it was explained to me, is that the word «Mirmyntasseth» is an expression of seeing a marble roll on a flat surface, then hitting another marble. Ah, right, you may not know this – a marble is like, like a pearl, but translucent and even more ornate. I was told that marbles were used by the Ancients for entertainment. They had a game where you rolled one to hit another. I'll admit, I can see the appeal. Throwing rocks is fun, although I image this game was considered a more dignified pastime."

[She tumbles the dark pearl in her hands, admiring its luster]

"The poem inside this pearl, one of its verses spells: «Eight Marbles Cast in Stone». The poem itself is long… very long… I had the iterator read it to me once, and we had to stop in the middle because the rain was coming. Maybe I will ask NSH to read it again, when I’m back at his superstructure with Hunter."

[Her gaze trails off to somewhere far away for a moment, a subtle grimace on her face. She closes her eyes and shakes off the thoughts that cloud her mind]

"So, um… yes… that is why I am called Eight Marbles Cast in Stone, or Marbles for short. I like how it sounds, it has a nice ring to it. And it’s a gift from an iterator, a god-like being. I consider it a great honor."

"…that said, I wonder why he didn’t just name me «Pearl»? Wouldn’t that make more sense? Maybe it didn’t sound cool enough. They’ve used pearls just to store information. I guess it’d be silly to be named «Dirt» because you doodle in dirt, or «Batfly» because you love eating batflies? Hmm…"

[yandere-romanticaa]

hi my love! is it ok if i can request any mtp character that has a darling that cannot speak english very well and has an accent? so when she gets kidnapped or when character acts like yandere towards her, she is confused because she doesnt really understand some of the english? but she tries her best to speak english haha<3

i’m sorry if it is hard to understand me, english isn’t my first language :< (like the darling above!! lol) please take care ana, i love you so much<3 and feel ok to ignore this, i just thought it wouldve been cute haha

The world had bowed to the United Kingdom. There was not a single corner of the globe in which the massive nation had not stepped foot in, trampling the lives of the innocent and forcing their customs onto the so-called "savages". Even if one was not from a colony, the effects of the nation could still be felt. Each little ripple could cause a massive tide, be it good or bad.

This is why you wanted to come to London.

Start fresh, seek out a new life. Oh, the thought of leaving your family terrified you to the core but the prospect of a better future was just far too good to pass up on.

London was a city of invention and hope, a place in which things were constantly in motion. Your English was abysmal at best, and the fact that you were foreign did not go unnoticed either. The highborn lords and ladies would look down from their carriages, as if they were the mighty gods who ruled over everything and anything that dared to take breath.

No matter. There was no time to worry about that.

Find work, get a roof over your head and some food in your belly. Those are the primary objectives. Make a fat paycheck and send some money back to family and loved ones, the thought of making their lives easier made your heart do backflips. With nothing but a single suitcase and almost no money, you were no better than prey in this den of wolves.

Fate was a fascinating mistress as none of the wolves had managed to sink their fangs into your supple flesh.

It was as if the stars themselves had gazed down at you and blessed you with a man so kind and gentle, a man who just so happened to be looking for someone who could clean his very expensive and lovely manor.

His name was Albert James Moriarty and on that very day, he had become your savior. He graciously offered his hand to you, his elegance shining brightly all over him like the sun as you stared at him in awe, wondering how you had managed to get so lucky so soon. In no time he gave you a uniform and informed you of your daily duties as best as he could. You had expected your lord to become impatient with you, to at least scoff under his breath for your inability to formulate a basic sentence, and yet that was never the case.

Lord Albert did his best to be patient with you, using hand gestures, facial expressions and sometimes even drawing out whatever his desires were or what needed to be done. He would mimic drinking tea with his hands, point to places that needed dusting and he made sure that you could at least understand basic greetings and farewells, just in case you needed them. When you had the spare time, he would have you sit down in his private office, the fire crackling behind you both as he handed you a book to read out loud. Albert would work on his papers as you clutch onto the book, eyebrows furrowed in concentration as you did your best to grasp the English language. In due time, you realized that he was giving you children's tales which were always filled with easy sentences, basic grammar and just a hint of whimsy.

There would always be a hint of a smile on his face as you read to him, as if he was pleased with your efforts.

The thought alone made you want to weep from joy. Preparing for the worst case scenario seemed to be absolutely unnecessary as Albert always had everything covered when it came to you and your needs.

Although, your lord did seem to act a bit odd at times.

That dashing green gaze of his would trail after you enter the room, his deep and soothing voice always lingering nearby as you dust the bookshelves, his accent only making him more appealing that he ought to be.

Falling for him was not an option. It just couldn't be. He was your boss - your lord - and surely a man like that would never cast his gaze to someone like you, right? His wandering eyes have been chalked up to figments of your imagination, the gentle mornings you would share with him were nothing but British customs you were yet to get used to.

Lord Albert was not a wolf.

He would never harm you.

And there was truth to that. You were one of the few people that Albert James Moriarty would never even think about laying a finger on.

As for the rest of high society...

That was a different tale to tell.

My darling, your English is lovely! If it makes you feel any better, English is also not my mother language as well! My apologies if this was too rushed, I just wanted to write something for Albert and you gave me the excuse to do so. Thank you for requesting and I hope you enjoyed it!

[lizhly-writes]

hi! here's a bunch of words i wrote when i was supposed to be working!

There were probably better conversations to have on your first date with your fiance than "how are things going with your ex-fiance," but by the fucking gods, Shang Qinghua couldn't think of anything else to say. He was curious! He didn't write Yue Qingyuan and Shen Qingqiu as almost married! That must have been a disaster. Shang Qinghua could only imagine the terrible back-and-forth during their engagement. Dissolving the engagement probably would have made it even worse! There was no winning! It was a trainwreck all around!

Ah, but Shang Qinghua should really say something else. Why was his mind so empty today? It wasn't like Shang Qinghua and Yue Qingyuan never talked. They regularly talked, they had overlapping spheres of influence, logistics was sort of an important thing to leadership. What did he and Yue Qingyuan even talk about? Paperwork?

"The weather has been impeccable today," Shang Qinghua said, at the same time Yue Qingyuan said, "How are things with Liu-shidi?"

Shang Qinghua stared at him. Yue Qingyuan stared back.

Wow! That question, straight out of the gate? Weren't their former engagements off limits as a topic of conversation? Weren't they supposed to have small talk first and coincidentally stumble upon it? Was Shang Qinghua showing more restraint than Sect-Leader-To-Be? Really?

"I thought Qiong Ding disciples were supposed to be diplomatic," Shnag Qinghua said.

"I thought my fiance wasn't supposed to make dramatic declarations of love to other men," Yue Qingyuan said.

Haha. Fuck. Fine. That was a point. In all honesty, Shang Qinghua hadn't thought the news would make it off An Ding and Bai Zhan, and even if it had, he hadn't thought Yue Qingyuan would care. Man was obsessed with his Xiao Jiu. Shang Qinghua fully expected Yue Qingyuan to drop all concerns in favor of running after that guy.

Speaking of which. "I'll tell you if you tell me how things are with Shen-shixiong," Shang Qinghua bargained.

Yue Qingyuan winced almost imperceptibly. "I hardly think that's of much interest," he said, like a lying hypocrite.

"Then you don't need to know anything about me and Liu-shidi, right?"

A pause. One. Two. Shang Qinghua watched, fascinated, as Yue Qingyuan's gaze skittered down and back up again.

"It isn't that I mind, if you and Liu-shidi are involved," Yue Qingyuan said. "It's only that I need to know about it."

"Because you're continuing your weird hatesex thing with Shen-shixiong and we need to have matching alibis?" Shang Qinghua said encouragingly.

"I don't have a weird hatesex thing with Shen-shidi," Yue Qingyuan said, which absolutely didn't convince Shang Qinghua that he didn't have a weird hate sex thing with Shen-shidi.

"Of course," Shang Qinghua said

"I don't even know what that means," Yue Qingyuan said.

"Don't worry about it."

"It's not hate."

"So it is sex!" Shang Qinghua didn't say, because a long-buried sense of shame within him reared its head. There was something a little sad, a little desperate, a little hurting in Yue Qingyuan's voice. It's not hate. It wouldn't be, from Yue Qingyuan. But from Shen Qingqiu? It didn't sound like they'd ever really worked out the Qiu Manor thing, so things had to be questionable -- nothing as straightforward as pure love. And if it wasn't love, then Yue Qingyuan had to be wondering. What sort of feelings were tangled in that mess they called a relationship, anyway?

"I'm not in love with Liu-shidi," Shang Qinghua offered as a concession. He contemplated reaching over to pat Yue Qingyuan on the shoulder. You know, as a sympathetic 'that's rough, buddy' gesture between bros. They were currently across from each other, so this seemed logistically difficult, but he could totally walk over if --

"Is it a weird hatesex thing?" Yue Qingyuan said.

Shang Qinghua choked on nothing. Yue Qingyuan smiled, just a little wry.

Yue-shixiong apparently had a sense of humor under all that perfect proper Qiong Ding bullshit!

"This is why we should get married," Shang Qinghua said. "We can have our own weird hatesex thing. It'd make Liu-shidi explode."

[zarla-s]

I just read your TF2 bot post and I’m fascinated. It has left me with a few questions though. Why/how were bots a problem for so long? What was the main incentive for botting (is it botting or boting??) Was it just to be an asshole? What’s your favorite baked good? Have a lovely day and don’t worry about answering my questions if you’re not in the mood :]

The bots were a problem for so long because Valve just didn't care, sorry to say. They just let it happen. I'm not sure when they started coming in in force, maybe after the Jungle Inferno update like six years ago? But they just kept pouring in and Valve just ignored it. It's really shameful how bad they let it get, honestly. They just kept putting out community updates like nothing was wrong.

Eventually after a lot of community pressure a year ago (#savetf2) they tweeted saying they were aware of the problem and then nothing happened. Then there was ANOTHER community movement this June (#fixtf2), and THEN at the end of June they ACTUALLY did something, which is why everyone was so shocked and skeptical at the time. Like the bots got so bad, it's hard to get across just how bad it got if you weren't playing at the time. It was bad. To suddenly go from that to totally bot-free was unbelievable. Frankly I'm still shocked they're gone! No one knows why Valve's acting now or how they're doing it (personally, I think they must have been working on these anti-bot measures for a while... maybe even since their initial tweet, but no one knows), but I hope they keep it up. I can finally teach people how to play in peace!

As for why they'd do this, yeah, it's just to be jerks. They just want to make people miserable. They have websites on Neocities you can find under the tf2 tag (I was looking through it for sites to link to my tf2 site) and they state themselves that they just like making people mad. I don't think they actually hate TF2 so much as they love the power rush from destroying something so famous that so many people love. Kind of a power-trip/control thing, with a dose of being desperate for attention. A lot of the more notorious bot hosters had twitters or youtube accounts where they invited people to rage at them uselessly, they loved it. They've also formed communities around botting and trolling people, so they have kind of a social investment in it (although they were quick to turn on each other when they suspected someone was a mole). Some of them sell their bot software or "bot immunity" for money but I think that was just pocket change, I don't think that was a real motivator.

After having free reign for so long, they reacted violently to the community movement in June. They were positive that nothing would happen to them, so they kept doing more and more outrageous things to prove it. They DDoS'd and DMCA'd the site for the petition multiple times, they doxxed and swatted one of the main bot fighters, they impersonated figureheads and posted illegal links to things, like they were really stepping over the line and gloating about it. They were extremely confident and to be fair, who could blame them? Valve's negligence let them get away with it for years. To suddenly have that power taken away from them without warning made them absolutely furious. They're still seething about it right now and plotting ways to get back in, but they haven't found one yet. It's a matter of pride for them at this point I think, that and a childish tantrum about not being able to ruin other people's fun anymore. Them targeting a baby game version of TF2 (TC2) also points to it being a power trip. If they can't ruin TF2 anymore then by god they've got to ruin SOMEthing!

Even now I'm not sure Valve can hold the line and I keep checking TF2 Casual every now and then to look for bots, haha. It's just hard to believe! I greatly enjoy hearing about bot hosters raging about it and suffering though, they deserve nothing less. Die mad about it!!!

In terms of baked goods though I like all kinds, although right now I'm thinking about brownies so I'll say that. |D

[faeriichaii]

Hey so I know this isn’t the most original idea but could you do a mutual pining Legolas x reader where reader braids his hair without knowing the significance?

For some reason I haven’t been able to find any of em recently but it is my absolute favourite thing to read 😔😔

Softest Touch ~ Legolas x Reader

A/N: that's also my favorite prompt ngl :) Anything that has to do with brading makes my heart melt haha. Btw thank you so so much for requesting <33 I appreciate it a lot :) I really hope you like the story!!

⇢ ˗ˏˋ Warnings: fluff ࿐ྂ ⇢ ˗ˏˋ Words: 933 ࿐ྂ ⇢ ˗ˏˋ Request: Yes (thank you <33) ࿐ྂ ⇢ ˗ˏˋ Meleth Nin ~ My Love ࿐ྂ

Summary: After looking at the etheral elven prince, you have the urge to weave your fingers through his silken hair, leading to more than just simple hair braiding.

Sitting on a log in front of the fire, you thank Sam for the soup he just handed you. Taking a spoon full of one of the rare warm dinners you get on your journey, you look at all of the other companions gathered around. Boromir playing around with Pippin and Merry while Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas sat on the log opposite of yours. Your eyes stop at the elven prince for a little too long, fascinated by his beauty. The light of the fire giving him a golden glow making him look even further ethereal than he already was. You noticed your growing fondness for Legolas weren’t just friendly feelings towards a companion as he once helped you out with your aim. Since then, it became almost a routine. After dinner, the both of you always decided to go a little further away from the company to practice your aim with the arrows (that you also carve together) and sometimes share a few stories of your past.

Finishing up your soup, you decide to join the other three on the log for a quick chat. Legolas notices you first and gives you a soft smile, before scooting over to make some room for you. Sitting down beside him you notice your close proximity and feel the familiar warmth spread to your cheeks. Looking at his side profile you see his beautiful white hair, which almost seems to glow due to the light source in front of you. The way his hair falls over his back makes it look like the softest of silk and you wish to run your fingers through it. “Legolas, I have been wondering if I could maybe braid your hair?” Gimli spits out his soup while Aragorn lets out a cough. Confused at their reaction about your request you look at them bewildered. Legolas cheeks were dusted in a soft pink as he clears his throat. “That sounds lovely.” Gimli abruptly stands up and staggers away, followed by Aragorn, who politely excuses himself.

Grinning at him, you stand up from your seat at the log and take your place behind him. Weaving your hands once through his hair you realize how soft it really is. You open the braid by his ear carefully, not to hurt him before deciding on a small herringbone braid. Parting his hair into two sections, you softly start to intertwine the strands together, sometimes accidentally brushing your fingers against his pointy ear. At the soft touch he accidentally lets out a gasp. “Are you alright?” You ask him, worried that you might have hurt him. “Yes, don’t worry.” Finishing up the braid, you move back in front of him and take a look at his face. A smile graces his lips before he thanks you.

The days have passed and you notice that Gimli, as well as Aragorn, seem to have started to call you ‘Your Highness’ as well as ‘Your Majesty’. You didn’t think much about it, until one night, during your watch. You looked up at the moon, while being perched onto one of the logs in front of the fire that has been put out since a few hours. The sound of footsteps nearing you made you look up at the source. “The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” Legolas says, before taking a seat beside you. Smiling at him you nod softly. Looking at his side profile, you notice the braid you had done a few days ago, still in tact and untouched. “Do you want me to rebraid your hair for you?” He hums softly at your question, signalling you to redo it once more. Opening the braid, you start weaving through the strands again. “I have a question I would like to ask you.” You mutter from beside him, completely focusing on his hair. “Do you know why Gimli and Aragorn suddenly call me by royal endearments?”

The elven prince chuckles softly before turning towards you after the braid is finished. “Well let me braid your hair and I can explain their behaviour.” Turning around you let Legolas comb his fingers through your hair, before he decides to start braiding on a small section. “You know, in my culture braiding is a very important and intimate gesture.” He starts, making you blush at his words. “Normally we only braid or let our hair be braided by someone we would like to court.” You gasp softly at the realization that dawns upon you. “I- I’m sorry I didn’t know.” You rasp out, turning around after Legolas is done with his braid. “Does that mean you don’t wish to court me?” He asks, tilting his head slightly. A bright blush creeps up your cheeks before you shake your head. “No I- I mean yes I do.” You look down at your hands, beginning to play with your fingers.

“I do have feelings for you Legolas. If I would have known that braiding indicates my feelings, I would have just done a better job at braiding your hair.” His laugh makes you look up at him, before he puts his hand on your cheek. “You now have enough chances to braid my hair Meleth Nin.” His thumb softly brushes against your cheek before he leans in. Meeting him halfway, your lips brush against each other in a soft kiss. Wrapping your hands around his neck you lean even closer towards him. The warmth of his body encasing you, making you feel like this is just a dream. Breaking apart you both smile softly at each other, basking in the moonlight above.

[crystalflygeo]

two long dragon tongues down your throat is better than one <3

So I was going to answer this like a normal ask just fangirling and screaming yes but then it kinda reminded me of this abandoned wip I had sitting in my docs and IT WAS TOO GOOD TO LET IT PASS.

So sorry this sat on my inbox so long csvajckwxbhaj I promise I am not ignoring :c <3 work is just killing me and also this got out of hand HAHA WHAT A SURPRISE

it was written before 4.2 dropped (maybe before 4.1 even I can't recall) so there are some little things here and there that are technically not canon anymore//hit

Neuvillette is absolutely fascinated.

The chief Justice of Fontaine has lived for many many years, seen, learned and experienced a lot of what the world has to offer, at least within the confines of his beloved hydro nation. Always a diligent man, carrying out his role and job at the court to perfection. Yet there was something he’d always… disregard.

Some more basic instincts pertaining to his true draconic nature.

He’d had enough in his plate as it was, practically managing the nation, keeping lady Furina both entertained and out of trouble, taking care of the Melusine, and a myriad of other duties in between. Truth be told, he was a tired old dragon not having much time or interest in the pursuit of a romantic companion.

So how did he end up here? Having a sample of the most sacred and valuable treasure of another dragon. Their mate.

Neuvillette is mesmerized at how your body reacts, jerking and trembling in unadulterated pleasure. Entranced a how your lips part with labored puffs and cute little sounds he didn’t know humans were capable of. High pitched whines, long drawn-out moans. Hypnotized by your eyes, usually so alert, so smart and playful… now glazed over, clouded with euphoria yet so raw and sincere in their emotions, begging him not to stop.  

And your scent… oh, the most decadent sinful scent he’d ever sensed. His pupils dilating and turning back to slits as his stare focused on your drooling pussy. His mouth dry, his fangs aching. He wanted to drown all of his senses in you.

Darkened fingers slide across your folds, a little colder than normal for a human which is why he’d always wore gloves, but you mewl appreciatively and gladly accept them. Clenching warm and wet around the digits.

And his breath catches.

“Hmmm… you’re doing so well, baobei.”

The Iudex’s eyes flicker momentarily at the other man, or should he say, other dragon. The former Geo Archon Morax, quite literally a mythical figure exuding an aura of power far greater than his current own. He is older, wiser, stronger, a deity once involved in the likes of the Archon war and the Cataclysm. In this little… exchange, Morax is certainly the dominant dragon, simply letting Neuvillette please you.

Morax holds you close to his chest, purring contently in a display of affection towards you and confidence towards the other male, as if he needed not to worry about another taking what is his. Neuvillette knows if he were to even remotely try something funny, he’d likely face the infamous wrath of the rock. Under normal circumstances, he’d find it a little insulting to be treated like this. If he had his full authority…

But these are far from normal circumstances.

And he’s currently rather… ah… enchanted by you.

“Curl your fingers towards you and pump slowly… she likes that.” Morax explains, voice deep and rich like syrup. His hands roam your shoulders and chest, massaging softly at your exposed skin while he plants kisses at your neck, occasionally nibbling of a few past marks from his own fangs.

Neuvillette does as said, experimentally, and is rewarded by a sultry moan and a buck of your hips towards him when you feel those fingers wiggle and rub at a spot deep inside you.

“Oh? Got it on your first try Chief Justice, why you may be a natural.” Morax chuckles.

The younger dragon appreciates the praise underneath the teasing lilt.

“Now, you may use your thumb to rub at that little pearl, it’s just begging for attention.” Your mate nuzzles against your cheek, his own thumbs rolling over your perked nipples. “Slowly, careful… she is very sensitive.” He adds with amusement.

He does so again, the pad of his cool finger brushing over your puffy little nub, the spark of pleasure is immediate and you toss your head back and squeal.

“Please please please…” You gasp out, breath shuddering, body trembling.

Tears gather at your eyes and roll down your cheeks, it’s so much it feels so good.

The younger dragon stops and blinks at you, his demeanor shifting suddenly. His hands slip over your thighs to you hips, as if trying to cradle you, hold you closer.

Morax’s eyes narrow if only a bit, curious but wary of Neuvillette’s sudden… protectiveness over you.

“You’re crying… have I hurt you? Are you ok?” He asks softly, attention solely on you.

Your heart could melt at that, who knew the ever serious and imposing Iudex could be so gentle? He truly reminds you of your mate sometimes.

You nod, catching your breath a moment. “I-I’m good. Feels good.” You mumble, cheeks heating up with the confession. Your body already lays bare and presented for him, in it’s most vulnerable. But to open up your feelings too… “People… cry when they’re happy too, you know?”

He seems to consider it for a moment, you can practically se the cogs turning in his head, it’s rather endearing, his brow twitches the same way Morax’s does when he’s pensive, perhaps it’s a dragon thing? “I have observed that before, yes, but why-”

“Emotions are powerful. When y-you feel… so much… you need a let out. Be it angry, sad, even happy… our tears leak out, like emotions overflowing.” You smile and shift a little, hiding your face towards the crook of your mate’s neck. “Weren’t you the one who said waters carry emotions?” You nuzzle there and Morax responds accordingly, his hands once again massaging and roaming your body, knowing you’re still pent up and the sudden stop was probably a little frustrating.

Golden fingers slide over your folds and sink in carefully, thumb circling your clit once more and you whimper. “That’s it, my love… I want you to feel good. We want you to enjoy, isn’t that right?”

Neuvillette straightens up a little to meet Morax’s gaze. Not challenging (not yet) but there is something.    

“Indeed.” He leans in to nuzzle at the other side of your neck, the soft skin there unmarked. Morax tenses his hold on you, a slight growl coming out from deep within his chest.

“Careful Chief Justice. Remember our agreement.”

“Of course. No kisses, no marks, no claiming. No strings attached.” His lavender eyes a dark purple now as he follows the soft slope of your jaw. “I wouldn’t dare break a contract with the deity that presides over them.” He chuckles. “I just want to test…”

Or rather taste. His draconic tongue laps up softly at your tears, his hands tease your nipples as if trying to get more reactions out of you and you whine, arching towards him as Morax’s hand keeps working at your core.

It’s so… intense. They are both so clear about their desires, slow and reverent, kind in their methods, but so assured in their dominance that they will get what they want.

And oh, to be desired by two dragons truly is something…

“Interesting…” He mumbles pulling back. “So sweet.”

Morax nips at your mating mark then and tilts your head to press your lips together, your mouth happily parts for him and you let out a muffled moan as that long split tongue slides down your throat. Your feet kick and your fingers claw at whatever is closer.

Half-lidded golden eyes stare down at you with satisfaction, blown with lust. A third finger sinking in on your sweet pussy, faster, your juices gushing obscenely around them.

That tongue teases and chokes you and more tears come out of your glazed eyes, eagerly caught by another one. Bodies pressed together, hands roaming, Morax’s tail curled around your ankle keeping you open, Neuvillette’s swaying after him with excitement, cool fingers pinching your nipples, massaging your breasts…

“Mmphff…!” You squeak, high pitched and tense as the pleasure tips you over the edge and your body locks up in a delicious powerful orgasm. You sob and whimper as they work you through it. Shuddering. You see stars. Can’t think only feel.   

Once it settles Morax pulls back and you melt against him, chest heaving, legs weak, muscles aching just a little, they continue to pamper you with affection and attention.

Your mate’s fingers retreat with an embarrassingly wet noise and much to your further mortification he brings them up to his face and that sinful slip tongue once again comes out this time to lick them clean.

Neuvillette stares transfixed.

You groan quietly, it’s obvious what he wants…

Morax on his part only lets out a short laugh, possessive instincts seemingly more at ease now. “Oh? Want to have a taste too? I can assure you will not be disappointed.”

Archons, the way those sharp eyes shift to you.

“O-okay…” Your voice is barely a whisper. “P-please be gentle though I j-just…”

Your breath catches in anticipation as Neuvillette’s hands rest on your inner thighs.

And then your dear mate pulls you back into a kiss.

[skylarkspinner]

fiber art adventures in egypt

I recently got back from a trip to Egypt & finally got around to organizing some pictures to share. One of the things I was most excited about was seeing what I could find on fiber arts and textiles.

Dropping everything under a read more, 'cause this will be a long post haha

first visit: the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC)

At the time of visiting, they had a special textiles exhibit. It covered Pharonic Egypt all the way up to modern times, although I only had time to check out the dynastic & a bit of the Coptic portion of the exhibit (which was what I was really hoping to see anyways)

Was super excited to see this diorama in person. I knew about it but had never seen good pictures of it. From the little I've seen of ancient Egyptian spinning, spinning with two spindles seems to be the norm rather than a master technique? It also shows up in tomb art, which the exhibit also shared:

They also used a different fiber preparation (splicing to create a rove of fiber, no traditional drafting to my understanding) so that probably made a difference? Regardless I really want to see if I can replicate the technique, especially because their spindles look so similar to modern spindles??

I took so many pictures of spindles, guys, and I fully intend to either have a few replicas made or to learn to make some myself. Also, although they were unlabeled... I'm pretty sure those are beaters for weaving? That was a bit of a trend with this trip, so much stuff was unlabeled :( I would've killed to at least get some date estimates for some of the stuff they had on display. I was nerding out in here though, and my family took a few pictures of how excited I was getting. A bit embarrassing, but eh haha

The exhibit also had a section on natural dyes used with a fun visual;

There was several diagrams specifically describing each dye source, but in the interest of not overloading on pictures I'll just list them out. For blues; woad, Yellows; turmeric, safflower, saffron, or yellow ochre; reds; madder, henna, pomegranate, and kermes. I originally thought kermes was another way to say cochineal, but it only seems to be distantly related.

next visit: Ramses Wissa Wassef Art Center

A small art center dedicated to hand-weaving wool and cotton tapestries. All of their work was museum quality & awe inspiring!!

Was even invited to their back rooms to watch a few of their weavers working; no I don't have room to put a room-sized loom anywhere but heck do I want one now

Our guide that took us through talked a bit about the natural dyes they use (all of their dyes are dyed in house with what they grow in their dye garden!!!) and got excited to hear I was also interested in natural dyes! He seemed a bit disappointed I'd never worked with indigo and. while indigo scares me, I'll take it as a sign that maybe I should try some time this year haha.

final visit; the Egyptian Museum

we really had to rush through this one which was a huge shame because it's packed full of artifacts. Also, the lighting in there is atrocious, so apologies for the not great pictures ahead.

They had a fascinating display of textile tools, more than what the NMEC had;

(Hand for size reference) I want all of these spindles! So badly! But a few of them look so much like a few of the spindles I own already?? A few of them had a spiraling notch, that's so cool? But also, what's going on with the one with two whorls? I have no idea. I'm fascinated.

Look at these whorls!! Although again, I'm a bit confused; the lack of labeling strikes again. Unsure why some of these "whorls" have two holes, or what the metal object with the wooden handle is. The display implies sewing needles, and some of them do look like it, but others.... really don't look like sewing needles. I'm absolutely enchanted by this little whorl though. I think it has birds on it?

More objects that I'm baffled by- the signage doesn't really indicate what some of this stuff is, if it's even known. Also confused by the object wrapped in white string in the right pic; it looks like a distaff but to the best of my knowledge the (ancient at least) Egyptians didn't use distaffs. It probably popped up in later times and was put in this display since it was still relevant, but I'm still not sure.

I have so many more pictures & thoughts but I'll save those for more specific future projects. I've been doing research outside this trip on ancient Egyptian spinning techniques and desperately want to go deeper into that, this trip just solidified how excited it makes me. If you made it all the way through this, many thanks for reading!

Bonus; look at this ancient linen 🥺

[dayluxe]

Days of Glory - The Beatles

¡ request are open !

pairing: The Beatles x fem!reader (platonic)

summary: you and the band reminisce about the past when they first arrive in the United States.

warnings: a bit long, use of affectionate nicknames between the band members towards the reader, a bit of McLennon's innuendo, use of the translator, a lot of nonsense.

w/c: 3.173

The boys and you had just landed in America for the first time. The emotion was running high.

It was well known that the band was loved by many and hated by few, but still you all felt nervous.

At first no one believed in you, well, in you rather.

Seeing a woman being part of a band with four boys was not the norm. People were shocked to see a girl play an instrument, and to behave so inappropriately according to them. Let's say that the boys didn't care about this.

you were friends with George, since childhood. You had lived side by side all your life, you were like nail and dirt. And when he began to be interested in the world of music, you were already in. You've been interested in other instruments before, leaning more toward wind instruments. But when his fascination with guitars arose, you accompanied him.

They were a good duo, everyone said so. They both wrote really good lyrics, and you sang them most of the time. His guitar went perfectly with your voice, and they spent hours and hours writing nonsense and doing choruses with his guitar.

When he met the boys it was amazing. George's creativity expanded, and he was excited to be part of a band, but another part of him didn't want to leave you. So she recommended you to them, she said that she had a friend with a spectacular voice and that she could do everything. For you it was a very generous gesture on his part, and you soon hired yourself by meeting the guys. It was a very chaotic process, as they were very jerky at times, but you got used to them quickly, and they got used to you too.

Soon everything was history. you went from parties to bars continuously. taking advantage of every opportunity to make themselves known and grow as a band.

His songwriting sessions were the rarest thing you'll ever witness. there were times when it was based on an exchange of words between John and Paul, and then you followed instructions. But there were times when the music simply flowed between everyone, like a river of notes and lyrics. Those days gave you the reason to continue doing that, to continue with them. to continue making music.

His story was long, and soon life gave him success.

Your role in the group was multitudinous. from doing backing vocals, or writing lyrics, to being the second drummer.

Your instrument store had been expanded. You didn't just touch the wind. You could go from woodwinds to string instruments with ease, giving you an extensive list of roles within the band.

And so we got here. You and your boys in the United States.

The flight was exciting. You had about 20 camera cartridges with you to take pictures. You wanted a memory of everything, absolutely everything. George was on your left, you had given him the window space for his luck. You couldn't sleep, in fact none of them could. Their laughter did not stop at any time, and questions such as 'do you think you will find a good bird there?' were the main topic for the teasing.

"I see you nervous, beautiful. Is it because of my presence?" you heard George say from your side "haha, how funny Geo. and no, I just think about the number of beauties that will be waiting for me when I arrive" you said in an arrogant tone "what a big ego, y/n, but in case you don't know, I'm their favorite, not you" John told you as he passed through the hallway. "Excuse me, we all know that I am the favorite, and that is very clear," you shouted back.

George next to you watched with amusement the little argument between the two of you. Those fights happened frequently, since their big egos clashed too much which sometimes also triggered fights when recording, but that's another topic.

"Stop both of you, it's obvious that the favorite is me" Ringo's voice was heard in the middle of everything. You and John stared at each other, waiting for who would say the first word "finally someone says something meaningful, thank you ringo" you said, as you rolled your eyes and leaned back in your seat. "Here among us, you are my favorite" George whispered to you next to you. you turned around, with a big smile on your face "you're my favorite too, Georgie" you said as you pinched her cheek.

that was a habit you had built over time. You remember the first time you did that, George looked at you with a big frown on his face. As if you had told me the worst insult in the world. The next few times you did it just to tease him and see his face, and over time he just got used to it.

"We're going to land guys, please take a seat and fasten your seatbelts" you heard people say all over the plane. Your nerves increased, just thinking about the number of people who would be in that place. expectant upon their arrival. You felt your nerves turn to nausea, and your hands began to sweat.

Your friend noticed your change in behavior, and asked if you were okay "I'm fine, just a little nervous. The usual," you told him. It was true, because of all the people in the band, for some reason you were the most nervous when you gave a concert. "If you know they will love you, right? Literally, those girls are obsessed with you, in a good way, obviously," he told you, and then grabbed your hand among more of his "so don't be afraid, just go out there and be you," he told you while kissing your hand.

The welcome was amazing. what do you say, it was spectacular. The girls (and some boys) were screaming and crying for the band, for all of you.

Your camera kept letting out little 'clicks' 'clicks' 'clicks'. Your cheeks hurt from smiling so much, but your mind couldn't do more than that and say hello. Your heart swelled just seeing the number of people that were there. Multiple groups with giant posters with their names and faces cut out. girls crying and shouting their names, ecstatic by their presence.

When they went down the stairs you felt yourself floating among people. Like your heart wants to go with the fans and hug them all, but you knew that would probably go very wrong. you greeted and gave friendly smiles to everyone, some girls cried when you turned to look at them.

When we arrived at the hotel it was all laughter and silly conventions with the boys. You and Ringo sprawled on the nearest couch. Paul went for something to eat, while John talked nonstop. George was looking at them all from an individual couch with amusement. He was smoking, as always.

"Did you see them, they're crazy about us, crazy!!" shouted John in the air, "Are you ready to hunt some pretty birds here Richie?" you said, as you elbowed him. "no, I already have one, and it's right next to me" he said while winking "who is it? Don't tell me you're going out with the pillow on the couch?" said John, before Ringo could answer you jumped defensively: "It's about time you said it, my dear Ringo. Just so everyone knows, Ringo and I are dating." You said in a dramatic tone, pretending to be caught up in something. "What?! I thought ours was real, baby. How do you go out with him?" Paul shouted at you as he left the kitchen "No, that's false, we all know who you're dating here, dear Paulie" you said looking at him with complicity. Everyone laughed and looked at each other. "Don't reveal his secret, my dear," Ringo told you as he rolled a lock of your hair around his finger.

The boys smoked and ate some. You decided to eat a couple of cookies with a soft drink you found in the fridge. they would eat after doing all the interviews they had for that day.

they were all on the balcony. The fresh air carried away the smoke of cigarettes, and was enveloped with the smell of the city. "Guys, have you ever imagined getting here? Like it wasn't just yesterday that we were in the cave playing for the first time, and now we have a bunch of crazy fans, we're America and in a super fancy hotel". You told them as you looked out over the city. Thousands of cars and people were passing through the streets. The air moved your hair and collided with your face, it felt warm and fresh, different from the air in liverpool.

they turned to look at you, thinking about what to say "well, i don't think any of us could have imagined getting to this place. but we are here, we managed to form a band that is loved and admired by many. no one imagined that, but we are all grateful to be here, together" said Paul looking at them all.

They all smiled happily, each of them deep in thought about the situation. "these are our glory days, don't you think?" said John, as a mischievous smile spread across his face "let's not dwell on that now, let's enjoy the present, and all those pretty girls crying for us" he spoke again as he let out a small giggle.

Before anyone could say anything, one of the staff came into the room and said it was time for an interview. Everyone got dressed up to look presentable, while you went to touch up your make-up.

The tour to the site was not long. It felt cheerful and lively as always, everyone was obviously excited.

When they arrived, multiple cameras blinded them with their flashes. they stood where they were told to stand in the usual order. A myriad of microphones were in front of you, all trying to get some of your attention. There were probably more than 20 journalists in that place.

Questions came and went, all naturally thanks to the friendly energy of the band. it was the turn of a journalist, her voice reached your ears and it was probably the most beautiful voice you had ever heard before. she shouted your name and then asked "what do you think about the many rumours that you are dating George or one of the boys, is it true and how do you take it?"

you laughed. because to the surprise of many, you didn't date any of them, let alone would you date any of them. that would be disgusting "well, that's a dirty rumour that's been around forever. i don't date my little Georgie, or any of them-" "too bad" Ringo interrupted your answer, everyone burst out laughing and you gave Ringo a playful punch in the side. "stop it, stop it. but no, i don't go out with any of them, it's funny to me that they think so, but they are all very unbearable as friends, imagine as a couple. but if you want you can be my next bird, i don't know, think about it my dear". you said and then winked at the journalist.

it was obvious that many people didn't believe you. but to be true, you as friends were very close, and many people during your career had created rumours that you had a relationship with each other, or even that you had a polyamorous relationship, a rumour that left you very shocked.

at one point during the interview a journalist asked what their inspiration was when writing and creating music, a basic question that more than one person asked. each of the guys gave their answer, from moments that happened, or just minimal objects. when it was your turn (after thinking your answer through) you spoke "i would say they all inspire me. i just look at each one of them, and my mind flies between lyrics and clever melodies. it inspires me to know that i'm here, with them, that we achieve what we achieve together. there are times when we record that i just look at them and think 'wow, they're all so magnificent' and it's a very intimate feeling, you know. like a connection that makes me create for them, for the band, for the people who listen to us, for us to keep growing together as a band and as individuals. i don't know, i think so".

your response left more than one person in the room moved. it had been a response of your own, you had always been known as 'the sentimental beatle', a nickname you didn't like so much sometimes. you were a romantic of sorts, and you didn't deny it. your lyrics embodied your passion and love for things, and people loved that.

"What a romantic answer that was, darling" you heard John say from the other side. You could see the smile on his face without even glancing at him "Well my dear John, that's the effect of being away from you" you said as you looked at him and smiled.

for the rest of the interview the boys looked at you with joy and warmth. your answer had touched their hearts, even John's. loving looks and smiles turned your way every time you were asked questions. the boys wouldn't say it, they are too proud for that, but they were really grateful to you.

They had no energy for anything else, just eating and wanting to snuggle into the soft sheets of their bed. "I'm hungry, I feel like the worm in my stomach is eating itself" you shouted as they entered their bedroom "I want to sleep with you" George said as they sat next to each other on the sofa "Me too Geo, me too" you said with your eyes closed as you snuggled under his shoulder.

"do you want to know a secret, Geo?" you asked him while you were still in the same position "tell me dear" he said. his hand played with your hair, all the boys loved to do that "i love you, you and the boys, you don't know how much" you said to him while you changed position to look him in the eyes. on his face a smile was drawn, a real smile that showed his cute fangs. "I love your fangs, and Paulie's eyelashes, just like I love Rich's rings, and John's glasses. I really love you, all of you," you told him.

Your smile was shy, but pleasant. one that a grandmother gives you after a cozy hug.

"Why do you suddenly get so loving?, it seems that you are saying goodbye, are you going to die? tell me no, please, I couldn't stand this band without you" he told you as his hands found his "don't be silly Geo, I just wanted to make you feel loved. You never say things like that to each other, I thought it was time to show you my love, didn't you?" you replied, letting out a small chuckle. You felt shy for a moment, embarrassed by your love. "You know a lot of secrets about me, and you know that one of those secrets is that I love you. I know, you know it, everyone knows it, and in case it's not clear to you, I'll tell you again. I love you, my dear, I love you," he replied.

They both laughed, as if they were two kindergarten children who had just gotten into a mischief. Their love was real, a soulmate love, but not a love from beyond. You understood each other as no one else did, but not in that way.

"Wait, stay here, don't move," you told your friend. You left without giving him any explanation, straight to your room in search of your camera. You wanted to capture this moment "I'm back. Now, look at the camera for me, please," you said as you placed the camera at your eye level. George didn't have time to say a word when he heard the camera click "you didn't let me know!" he yelled at you, you laughed "you looked good, I swear, plus the best photos are spontaneous, believe me" you said calmly. "I just heard a click, maybe he was taking pictures without me?!?" they heard John shout from the kitchen. Those guys really had no bottom. Soon they were all huddled in the armchair, laughing and fighting with each other.

You took multiple photos. from candid photos of them talking and laughing, to them being in funny poses. "Let's go out on the balcony, I have an idea" you told everyone. Everyone followed you, the air was a little colder thanks to the scarce sun. Their streets were still as busy as when they arrived.

they all settled behind the city. The blue sky was visible in the background, next to their buildings and apartments. You turned your camera around, trying to move it as far away as possible, and you took the picture.

At the time you didn't know it, but that photo came out perfect.

Ringo smiled as he showed off his rings. Paul smiled as always, with that beautiful pose of his. John was looking at the camera through his beautiful glasses, smiling like no other photo. George posed with his cigarette dangling on his fingers, smiling like when they were 10 years old, the smoke adorning his face in an angelic way. And you were in the middle, with the brightest smile in the world, your eyes shining as you looked at the camera.

When they returned from the United States you kept that photo with your life after seeing it.

You took it to all the other concerts you had together, always kept in your pocket as if it were a lucky charm. And every time you felt discouraged you saw it, closed your eyes and remembered the moment.

And every time you turned to the photo you laughed, remembering as if it were yesterday when you shouted "let's go for those little glories days" as they left the room for their first concert. You remembered how they laughed, everything they enjoyed that stay. You remember the euphoria of going out to play and feel how the screams of people made you vibrate. You could feel their excitement despite being about 20 meters away from them, and you loved that.

There was nothing more rewarding than leaving the concert sweaty and with the adrenaline rush. Still feeling the strings of the guitar in your fingers.

That photo wasn't just a piece of paper. It was your reason, your motivation. That was the reason why you were here, how you got here. That was your reminder of why you did what you did, and why you kept doing it.

a/n: something a little different, I wanted to feed my hyperfixation that I've had lately for the Beatles.

[zigrethsnotebook]

I apologize for writing a new request so quickly, it just popped into my head and seems very good. I hope you like it)Ford and the Reader.Ford is definitely a very passionate person and immersed in his interests, research, etc.? Imagine that in response to some simple question from the Reader he bursts into a whole speech, a lecture, in fact. That Ford goes a little into the wilds, so to speak. At some point he notices that he has been talking for a very long time and feels deflated. He apologizes and says that he probably got too carried away, but that the Reader (a person who is extremely honest and extremely closed, which often makes it look like she is not listening) replies something like:"You almost lost me an hour ago, but you talk so captivatingly about what interests you that I just couldn't stop listening"Very honest people of frequencies look a little rude, but if you get to know them better, you understand that there is simply no double meaning in their words. They say what they think! Which means that the Reader really likes listening to Ford, trying to understand his theories, even if she can't)That's the request. Quite chaotic, but I hope you like it) Thank you for reading!

ohh i can absolutely relate to the just listening to someone ramble bit, i love listening to people haha

An honest review

Ford x Reader

words: 1,189

tags: sfw, fluff, idiots in love

Ford had just made another grand discovery on his latest expedition into the depths of the forest and you eagerly followed him into his lab. He had stormed into the gift shop, barely looking up from his journal as he walked, the pen never leaving the page.

He was such a weird guy and you loved it about him. Down in the lab he immediately pulled out various jars and boxes and stored all the things he collected in them. While he did that you sat down backwards on his chair, letting your head rest on top of your arms on the backrest.

Ford rushed from one side of the room to the other, his tan coat floating behind him as he did so. He hurried around, pulling boxes and crates, putting stuff away, scribbling in his journal and muttering to himself. You smiled lightly as you considered whether or not he had noticed you following him.

After a few minutes of this he was done. He had pulled an amount of things out of his coat pockets which you deemed unlikely, but you were also aware that he had probably put some sort of... pocket dimension in his pockets. For storage. Or something.

Ford turned to you. Or, more accurately, to his chair and found you in it. He halted, raising his eyebrows. So he hadn't noticed. You chuckled a little. "Surprise." You managed to say and let your chuckle turn into a soft smile.

"How long have you been sitting there?" You hummed as if in thought. "I don't know. How long have you been here? I followed you down the stairs." Ford chuckled awkwardly and scratched at the back of his neck. "That long, huh?" You just nodded.

After a moment of Ford trying to be less embarrassed you perked up, lifting your head from your arms again. "What did you find out there anyway? It must have been pretty exciting if you didn’t even notice me here."

Ford blushed a little at being called out like that, but that was quickly overruled by sheer excitement at getting to share his findings with somebody. Somebody who was willing to listen.

He started when he heard the first unusual noise and didn’t spare any detail in either his observations or speculations. Ford had so many ideas and theories about what he had encountered today and since you actually asked him about it he didn’t hold back.

You let your head rest on your arms again as you realized that this was going to be a long one. You loved to hear him ramble. All his observations were a solid mix of fascinating and downright terrifying. You had no idea how he managed to be out there all alone and face some of these creatures.

All of his theories though? You didn’t understand half of them, even if you tried. And you did try. But it wasn't like you could get between his excitement and ask him about it. He was too lost in his story and you loved listening to it.

You watched Ford animatedly gesticulate along with his words and pace through the room. It was like your own private play in a theater and you relished every second of it.

Eventually, when he was about halfway done with his story, you suspected, he locked eyes with you. His eyes darted to the clock just above his desk and then back to your eyes. A little blush of embarrassment crept onto his cheeks.

"I just realized I've been talking non-stop for about 80 minutes. I'm sorry." Ford scratched at the back of his neck. "I know you asked me about this but you probably didn’t want me to give you a full lecture on the topic. So I'm sorry if I'm boring you with this."

Ford let his hand fall back down to his side. "If you want me to stop and you tell me so now, then I promise I won't be upset." He had an awkward and apologetic smile on his lips. He buried his hands in his coat pockets and looked away from you nervously as he waited for your answer.

You thought about it for a moment. "I'll be honest, you almost lost me an hour ago. But I just can't stop listening to you ramble on about your interests... It's just so captivating." You watched Ford blush an even deeper crimson as he met your eyes again.

Honest indeed. He knows full well that you have never lied to him and hearing you compliment him like that. To hear you say that you enjoy him basically lecturing you on the weird things in this town... that's something else. Something he hadn't expected to hear today.

Ford felt a tingly feeling in his stomach. Butterflies. He had to look away from your face or he'd have embarrassed himself further, either by saying something horribly awkward or worse. Kissing you.

You on the other hand watched all this happen, watched the gears slowly turn in his head. You knew he had a crush on you and relished in that feeling. He was just too adorable when he tried to hide his very obvious blush or tried to play it off when he found a reason to touch your arm.

You also had a crush on him, obviously. And you were planning to tell him about it really soon. As soon as you could work yourself up to it. Even though you knew he felt the same way you just couldn't bring yourself to tell him. It was still too scary to admit your own feelings.

A sigh escaped you as you got lost in your own thoughts which caused Ford's head to snap back in your direction. "Don't tell me I'm boring you now." You looked back up at him, huffed and answered him absentmindedly before letting your eyes fall to the floor again. "No, you could never."

It was a good thing that Ford's blush hadn't subsided yet, because it would have come back full force at those words. What did you mean 'he could never'? He wanted to ask for clarification but he didn’t dare. You probably just meant his scientific rambles. Not him personally.

After a moment you shook your head as if to shake off all your distracting thoughts and focused on Ford again. He was still standing in front of you, unable to move and unsure what to say. You smiled as you let your head rest on your arms once more.

"So what else happened?" Ford's eyes lit up with excitement. His heart all but lept out of his chest and into your arms. He gladly continued his story, his rambling, his lecture or whatever you want to call it. And you listened just as happily as he was to tell it to you.

Your gaze was soft and filled with nothing but fondness as you watched Ford take his hands out of his pockets again to gesture around the room with them.

You would tell him about your feelings eventually. As soon as he stops rambling...

[edges-of-night]

Hello! With your comeback I had a grand time re-reading all your past imagines :> they're marvelous! Hope you don't mind me requesting - I had an idea of lotr characters with reader that is in adoration, love, and interest with their hair (and also them! but that's just predictable isn't it, how can you not love them). Even if it's dirty, reader would sometimes help take care of it, and her hands would just go to them on their own. Reader would also love to play with them, and marvel at texture, colour, lenght when they're clean. I had a few characters in mind (Eomer, Boromir, Faramir, Aragorn, Arwena, our 4 lovely hobbits) but I do know that's a lot of them. I am also happy with you choosing only few characters of your taste, or deciding on a completely different one! Quite honestly I'm happy about reading whatever you wish to write in this theme. Pretty please, but also no pressure! And have a great day/night, whenever you end up reading it :>

Thank you very much for your kind words! I know I said the same about the last request I posted, but hair prompts are an absolute weakness of mine haha! I hope you’ll enjoy what I’ve written for your characters, nonnie ♡

(so many glorious L'Oréal style gifs to choose from! ↓)

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･ﾟ✧ Aragorn.

Rangers are not among the fairest creatures of Middle Earth, but you couldn’t care less – you are in love with Aragorn’s hair. When you’ve first voiced the thought, he was irritated, then amused. Now he softens whenever you go on and on about how beautifully his hair frames his face, how gorgeous he looks when it falls into his face as he’s lost in thought, humming some ancient Elven melody to himself. He may have pondered cutting it short before, but the thought is now discarded.

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･ﾟ✧ Arwen.

You often find yourself playing with Arwen’s hair whenever you’re close. You have spoken to her about it before, but thankfully Arwen has no problem with you touching her legendary dark and smooth hair. In fact, she likes the intimacy and finds your fascination with it cute. Though she has always loved her long strands herself, she is now in a good mood to try out elaborate, beautiful new hairstyles before your visits to Rivendell to surprise you – it’s like a secret language the two of you are sharing.

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･ﾟ✧ Boromir.

Boromir has never given his hair much thought; it needed to be practical and nothing more. Imagine his surprise when you offer to help him wash it after a long day of work, sweat, and dirt! He has much to learn in terms of hair care. But even if he was a little hesitant in the beginning, he enjoys your joint baths afterwards far too much! And you braiding his hair is just too romantic to miss. I figure Boromir would also be the kind of person to brag about how much you love his hair – perhaps not with the Elves, but all the more so with fellow Humans!

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･ﾟ✧ Éomer.

Seeing Éomer at the royal banquet in Edoras has you starstruck: The usually so haggard and modest horse lord wears his hair down in gorgeous dark blond curls, accentuated by golden strands framing the face you have come to love already. Those strands are usually pinned out of his face for practicality during riding and fighting, but now you cannot help but stare – which at first might irritate him. He may not understand your love for his hair right away, but he cannot deny the warmth your compliments spread in his chest and would eventually find it romantic to take care of each other’s hair.

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･ﾟ✧ Faramir.

You were enamoured with Faramir’s hair the moment you first saw him. His gorgeous waves make him look even dreamier than his kind eyes already do. When you first reach into his hair during a kiss, you blush and apologise – but Faramir loves the attention you give his waves and urges you to not hold back (in fact, he enjoys having his hair pulled). He would ask you about your opinions on which oils and waters to use in it and is in Seventh Heaven whenever you play with it during cuddles ♡

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･ﾟ✧ Frodo.

Frodo always makes sure his brown Hobbit curls look orderly and enjoys fancy oils, waters, and scents. He is genuinely happy about the presents you gift him to use in his hair. Your love for his curls doesn’t escape his attention, far from it. So, when your hands finally gravitate toward them as you read with Frodo, lost in thought and the legendary stories of your books, all he does is chuckle, letting you play with them until you self-consciously draw away.

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･ﾟ✧ Merry.

Since he is a bit vain in general, Merry is very protective of his hair. That said, he does have trouble taking care of it sometimes. Luckily you’re here to help! You help him wash it and compliment the colour and texture, which he delights him. Perhaps he would serve you a trick by casually telling you he would cut it short today – but you know better: This Hobbit loves both his hair and your fascination with it far too much for that!

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･ﾟ✧ Pippin.

Pippin wastes no thought on his hair: It gets stuck in branches, twisted in petty fights, and spilled by beer in the Green Dragon. Since he knows are you are “a hair expert”, he one day arrives at your door with a bunch of thistles stuck in his curls. Not only does he appreciate how well you take care of his hair, he loves how much you like it, too. He would kick his feet anytime you played with his curls and especially loves you ruffling them!

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･ﾟ✧ Sam.

When you tell him how much you like his hair, Sam initially thinks you’re joking. After all, both the hair on his head and on his feet is usually dirty and sweaty from gardening. And besides, who has the time for hair care anyway? But Sam soon realises you’re serious, especially after you stroke and caress his blond curls when you’re lying in his arms. You love how they fall into his green eyes when he looks at you all sweet ♡

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･ﾟ✧ Bonus: Galadriel.

Galadriel’s long, smooth, golden hair is the stuff of legends, which is why you were so surprised to hear you have been appointed her maid to take care of it. And Elves are so particular about hair, too! It is among your sacred duties to untie your Lady’s braids and brush her hair every night, shining in the lights of her beautiful Elvish rooms in Lórien. Sometimes, she would start humming and smiling and telling you how much she adored you taking care of her like this. Needless to say, she would eventually gift you a strand of her fabled hair ♡

[professional-spectator]

Hey there, it's IDK! I usually stick to writing in the third person, but I thought I'd try something a little different this time. If you want to imagine yourself as the reader, go right ahead! Though, fair warning, I've never been the best at those kinds of stories, haha.

I'm a huge Cyno fan and proudly main him in the game, so of course, he's going to be a part of this story! I absolutely love Sumeru, and I feel like there aren't enough fanfics set there, especially ones that focus on Cyno. I'm still deciding whether to make this a series, so please let me know what you think!

Okay, here's the little disclaimer and a heads-up: I don't own Hoyoverse, Genshin Impact, or anything related to them.

And a big thank you to @arn9tails for letting me use their Genshin size difference AU as the basis for this fanfic. The idea that Teyvat isn't scaled to Earth but is actually much, much larger really fascinated me—it's a pretty scary thought, isn't it? I also really liked the idea that people from Earth aren't resistant to it, which is what sparked this whole thing.

Also, just a quick heads-up: this story touches on some serious and sensitive subjects. It's inspired by SAGAU (Self-Aware Genshin Impact Alternative Universe), isekai themes, different isekai worlds, creation myths, and fanfiction in general.

Alright, let's dive into chapter 3 and see what adventures await our dear Oc!

Chapter 3 Paimon copy cat:

I sighed, realizing that no amount of reader inserts, fanfiction, chatbots, or fan-made otome games could have adequately prepared me for what I was experiencing. I felt incredibly small in this world, perhaps the size of a Barbie doll, and the food before me was stunning, as though it had been plucked straight from an anime. Had I not been so stressed, I would have undoubtedly been fan-girling.

Despite the plate still appearing enormous relative to my diminutive size, hunger overwhelmed me. I was ravenous, but without any utensils. Although I had prepared this dish countless times in the game, I had never actually tasted it back on Earth.

According to the game's lore, the dish was Biryani: "An aromatic rice dish. Stir-fry the meat until it's crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Then, stew it with condiments and long-grain rice. Sprinkle a few Padisarah petals before serving. Every grain is saturated with the aroma of fatty meat and condiments. The dish has an exquisite taste only found in Sumeru." To my exhausted and sleep-deprived mind, that description simply translated to "food."

At that moment, I likely resembled a wild animal.

"You look like a boar piglet..."

I immediately recognized Cyno's voice, followed by Tighnari, who looked utterly exhausted.

"Cyno..." The forest watcher shook his head, his expression weary. "Just ignore him..."

A wave of embarrassment washed over me.

The insult was like a slap. "I don't resemble a boar..." The denial escaped my lips before I could think, a purely defensive response born from injured pride. Hindsight suggested a more tactful approach might have been wiser.

"You do... you resemble a boar piglet," Cyno's voice, a resonant baritone from his towering height, corrected me. Stupid giant Cyno. A child? I was a fully grown woman, thank you very much. I couldn't discern his meaning – was he joking, or was it simply his blunt, unwavering honesty? A shiver traced its way down my spine. The mere thought of facing a real boar filled me with apprehension. My small size in this world already put me at a disadvantage, and if the boars here were anything like their Earth counterparts, with their indiscriminate appetites, I was in deep trouble. The food chain's hierarchy became painfully obvious, and I realized I was at the very bottom.

He locked his intense, crimson gaze on me, his expression inscrutable.

"Tighnari, I did not enjoy yesterday's dinner at camp with the boar..." he stated, his tone utterly grave, the slightest cock of his head the only hint of anything unusual. I could almost hear Tighnari's weary sigh carried on the wind. "He was such a pig..." Cyno continued, his voice as monotone as ever.

As a dedicated Cyno player, even I couldn't manage a smile. He was trying, I could tell, attempting to alleviate the tension, but his attempt fell completely flat. I had always pictured that if I ever met him in person, I'd be overcome with laughter, tears streaming down my face. But here, now, standing before the genuine article? Not a possibility.

"You see, the boar is a part of the pig famil-..." I watched, a bizarre blend of fascination and dismay, as he tried to analyze and explain the joke, only further entrenching himself in comedic failure.

Tighnari, muttering, "I should wash the dishes..." gathered the plates and walked away from Cyno, abandoning me. I wanted to scream, "Giant Tighnari, come back!" but I bit back the words.

He'd deserted me the instant Cyno began his jokes. I felt a pang of sympathy for Cyno; he seemed utterly oblivious to just how awful his jokes were. Now, I was trapped at this enormous table, forced to endure them. Kaveh's voice line suddenly sprang to mind, the one where he warned the Traveler to never listen to Cyno's jokes sober. Between you and me, I'd always dismissed it as the ramblings of an alcoholic. But Kaveh was right.

Cyno's voice cut through the silence. "Not funny? Mao?"

Mao. That was the name I'd settled on. A placeholder, really, a designated title in this bizarre chapter of my life. The fact that I couldn't remember my own name gnawed at me, a constant, low-level hum of fear beneath the surface. My emotions were a tangled mess, a chaotic storm of anxiety and bewilderment. And then there was the small matter of my current stature – I was, quite literally, the size of a Barbie doll. A cat minded you.

"It's not you, it's me..." The words tumbled out before I could stop them, and I trailed off, cringing inwardly. It sounded like a breakup line, ridiculous given the circumstances. Thankfully, Cyno didn't seem to pick up on the awkwardness.

The words rushed out, a torrent of pent-up worry and frustration. "I was abducted, along with my best friends, and I have absolutely no idea where they are. On top of that, I left my aunt in charge of looking after my parents, and they're both really sick. I'm supposed to be home."

Cyno's gaze softened as he took in her plight. Trapped in a world so alien, so vast compared to her own—he understood her fear, her disorientation. A deep frown etched itself onto his face. The practice of selling these "mini humans" was an abomination, a custom long outlawed in Sumeru. Yet, despite the ban, they still surfaced, these tiny beings, often brought to the Akademiya under the guise of research.

But these miniature people… they were different. They didn't behave as ordinary humans should. Most scholars accepted this at face value, attributing it to their diminutive size or unknown origins. Cyno, however, suspected a deeper, more insidious cause. He remembered Tighnari's insightful observation: these "mini humans" likely lacked the natural defenses, the inherent immunities, against this world's unique magic, its mana.

If Mao—the name they'd given her, since her own was lost to her—was similarly vulnerable… Cyno's mind raced. He couldn't be sure if the world's strange energies had already begun to affect her. The thought sent a shiver down his spine. Was it possible she might regress, devolve into the feral state he'd witnessed in other mini humans? He couldn't allow it. He wouldn't.

His resolve hardening, Cyno met her gaze. "We're going to get to the bottom of this," he declared, his voice firm, laced with a promise he intended to keep.

I nodded, but little did I know what the next day held. A day that would turn my world, quite literally, upside down.

I awoke the following morning, desperately wishing the events unfolding were nothing more than a bizarre dream. Alas, reality crashed down upon me: I was in a gargantuan version of Teyvat, perched precariously on Cyno's broad shoulder like some exotic parrot. My knuckles were white as I gripped his cape with my uninjured hand, fighting the dizzying urge to look down. It was a terrifyingly long way to fall. He had been striding purposefully towards Sumeru City for what felt like an eternity – a good four hours, at least.

How, you might ask, did I find myself in such a ludicrous predicament? Well, it all started something like this:

"Hey," I began, craning my neck to look up at Cyno. Without a word, he promptly scooped me up, his movements reminiscent of King Kong seizing his prize.

"I really don't want to go in your pocket..." I protested, my voice laced with apprehension. The last time I'd been confined to that pocket, I was bordering on the brink of a full-blown meltdown. Besides, the space was incredibly claustrophobic.

"How else are you supposed to travel, Mao?" He crossed his arms, a gesture I knew all too well.

"Walking, like a normal person..." I suggested, perhaps with a touch too much hope in my voice.

"You wouldn't be able to keep up, and the moment you set foot on the forest floor, I'm sure some ravenous beast would try to make a meal out of you," Cyno countered, painting a rather morbid, and frankly, unsettling picture.

"Isn't there any other way?" I pleaded, desperation seeping into my tone. Cyno sighed, a sound that usually preceded some form of compromise.

"I suppose I could pass you off as a jinni..." he conceded, his voice tinged with reluctance.

And that is how I ended up here, teetering on his shoulder like a brightly plumaged parrot. To add insult to injury, I was adorned in something vaguely resembling Princess Jasmine's outfit from the cartoon, albeit a significantly more modest version, for which I was eternally, deeply grateful.

"Do the Jinn really wear these?" I asked, my fingers gripping Cyno heavy cloak. Perched precariously on Cyno's broad shoulder, I couldn't help but feel like a slightly-out-of-place Princess Jasmine Barbie doll.

"Yes, when they take human form, they do." Cyno's voice was a low rumble. "But they're rare, you know. Most are kept confined – in jars, or bound to weapons, or even trapped within lamps."

I nodded, remembering the few Jinn scattered throughout the game's lore. They were creations of Nabu Malikata, powerful beings, but…

"Are they common?" I asked, my curiosity now fully ignited. I didn't recall encountering the Jinn all that frequently during my playthroughs.

"Common enough..." Cyno replied, his tone leaving me wondering just how "common" was "common enough" in this strange new reality.

Sumeru City was a feast for the senses, a vibrant tapestry of exotic scents and captivating sounds. I reveled in its beauty, often perched comfortably upon Cyno's broad shoulder, the rich aroma of spices swirling around me. Life was tranquil, until that moment that peace shattered with a single, chilling question. I overheard a voice, laced with avarice, inquiring, "How much for the Jinni?"

Being Barbie-sized, it seemed, offered no advantages in this situation. My tiny heart lurched within my chest. Did people truly see me as nothing more than a commodity, an object to be bought and sold?

"Not for sale," Cyno's voice cut through the air, firm and unwavering. In a swift, protective motion, he tucked me safely inside the secure darkness of his cloak pocket.

I wish I had an exciting secret to share, or that I had found something interesting in Cyno's pocket, but sadly, neither of those things happened. After what felt like forever, he finally pulled me out from inside his cloak.

"Mao? Are you okay?" he asked, his voice a tint of worry. I gave a slight nod.

"I'm fine..." I answered, my eyes scanning the room. It looked like an office, or maybe a bedroom—possibly a studio apartment. I noticed I was sitting on a desk, and in the corner, there was a bed and a bookshelf. I tried to remember, but I couldn't recall Cyno ever having an office in the game. I knew he had a place to live, but the details were vague.

"So, what now?" I blurted out, feeling anxious as I sat on his desk. He stayed in his chair, looking at me.

"For now, I need you to tell me everything you know..." His voice was strong and determined. I had a sinking feeling that I was about to be interrogated.

I was the size of a Barbie doll, a tiny intruder in a colossal, terrifying version of my favorite game. The thought of being interrogated by Cyno, my beloved character, sent shivers down my spine.

He began with deceptively simple questions, each a calculated probe: my date of birth, my mother's maiden name, the name of my childhood pet. With unnerving precision, he recorded every answer.

The inevitable moment arrived when I had to explain Genshin Impact to him. It was a daunting task, considering Teyvat was a world untouched by computers and the technological marvels of modern Earth.

"In your world, I'm a character in a game?" he finally asked, his voice sharp and devoid of warmth.

"Yes..." I squeaked, my gaze fixed on the floor, struggling to articulate the impossible. I braced myself for anger, for threats. Instead, an unsettling calm settled over him.

"That's interesting. What do you know about me?" The crimson eyes that I once adored now sparked with an intensity that filled me with dread.

"I know you tell jokes to diffuse tense situations. I know you received your Vision while reading a book on Sumerian law, before your appointment as General Mahamatra. And I know about Collei..." The words tumbled out in a rush.

"Is this game akin to Genius Invokation TCG?" he pressed, his mind already dissecting the information.

"Yes, in a way, but far more interactive..." I offered, struggling to find the right words.

"Hmm, could that be the reason for your divergence from the other 'mini humans'? Perhaps your immersion in this world through the game..." Cyno murmured, more to himself than to me, lost in a labyrinth of his own deductions.

Before I could even blink, Cyno's hand was upon me, scooping me up with the force of King Kong. I found myself staring up at him, my expression, I imagined, resembling that of a pouting kitten cradled in his massive grip.

"Give me some warning, will you? I'm not particularly fond of being manhandled..." I leveled him with a look that could only be described as utterly done.

"Mao, I assure you, no harm is intended. We simply must be on our way..." He then proceeded to deposit me, once again, upon his shoulder. I felt like a brightly colored parrot perched there, surveying the room. He reached for a jar on his desk, the lid unscrewing to reveal some sort of almond-coated treat. Chocolate, I presumed. He offered it to me, and of course, it felt enormous in my hands. I devoured it.

"Mao, you eat like a boar piglet..." A chuckle rumbled from his chest.

A blush crept across my face. Why was this man constantly comparing me to a piglet? It was the second time now!

"I do not!" I protested, perhaps a little too vehemently. I hadn't even realized I'd finished the treat so quickly. He offered me another. I also didn't realize how ridiculous I looked.

"You do. Though, I suppose it makes sense, in a way." Cyno seemed to be thinking aloud, more to himself than to me.

"The Traveler has a floating companion, bigger than you but smaller than a child, who possesses an enormous appetite. Perhaps it's your size, coupled with your intelligence, that drives you to eat more..."

The realization dawned on me. He was talking about Paimon. He offered me another almond, and I froze as his large finger gently patted the top of my head. A wave of conflicting emotions washed over me: embarrassment, anger, a strange sense of humility, a flicker of… pleasure? And underlying it all, a distinct anxiety. It hit me like a bolt of lightning: did he see me as another Paimon? Another almond, another head pat. Oh, I was a Paimon to him—a cute, adorable, albeit slightly annoying companion with an insatiable appetite. I glared at him, my annoyance palpable. I could practically see the thought bubble forming above his head: "Adorable, like a piglet."

High up on Cyno's shoulder, I felt like some strange, miniature parrot—a Paimon-esque creature under observation. I was doll-sized, perched upon the shoulder of my favorite character, being hand-fed almonds. It struck me then: did others yearn for their own Paimon? After all, the Traveler had journeyed to the farthest reaches of Teyvat, accompanied by the tiny companion. Perhaps that was the driving force behind the booming "Mini Human" market. But such thoughts were far from my mind as Cyno strode down the hall, my attention consumed by the almonds I munched on.

A confession: my pride stung a little. I was, by all accounts, average. In my daydreams of being Isekai'd, I always envisioned myself as the female lead, the center of attention. Back on Earth, I often felt like a background character in my own life. And now, here in Teyvat, the world of my beloved game, I was merely a tag-along. Not the heroine, not even a significant player—just a tiny sidekick.

As we delved further into the Akademiya, the familiar sight of the House of Daena came into view. A wave of awe replaced my earlier apprehension. This was the place where I had spent countless hours in the game, getting lost in the intricate library and longing to experience it in person. And now, here I was, although my current situation as a miniature version of myself clinging to Cyno's shoulder was difficult to overlook.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself," Cyno's deep voice rumbled, interrupting my thoughts. He gently patted my head, his finger feeling enormous.

"I am not! Stop petting my head!" My high-pitched, indignant voice echoed in the vast space. I clutched his cloak even tighter with my injured hand.

"Hmm?" He raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable. "Mao, you seem to be enjoying it," Cyno repeated, his face stoic and serious. Was he really that oblivious? Another almond appeared, an offering as if food could buy my cooperation. Sadly, it often did. With a resigned sigh, I raised the comically large almond to my mouth.

"I am not..." I mumbled, taking a bite of the almond. "Stupid giant Cyno, stupid almond, stupid head pat," I thought to myself.

"Why are you pouting, Mao?" he asked, tilting his head slightly.

"I'm not!" I retorted, probably sounding just like Paimon.

The earlier integration with Cyno had been intense, and Dori's name inevitably came up. I couldn't help but throw her under the bus, exposing her "Mini humans" operation—the one dealing with humans from Earth, like my friends and I. But that was then, and this is now.

We found ourselves in the House of Daena. I sat on Cyno's shoulder, feeling like a tiny, inquisitive parrot.

"What brings us here?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"I need to wait for something..." He eventually set me down on a table. Being so small was incredibly frustrating; a mountain of books towered over me. Why the secrecy? Couldn't he just tell me what was going on? I glared at him, only to receive another head pat in return.

I held back my questions. What were we waiting for, exactly? Just then, I saw him retrieving what I assumed were his Caskets of Tomes. In the game's lore, these card boxes were created by Sumeru Akademiya researchers and had a special mechanism for detecting others nearby who also possessed Caskets of Tomes.

I enjoyed the Genius Invokation TCG in Genshin Impact, but I was quickly learning that reality didn't perfectly reflect the game. The cards were half my size!

"Do you know how to play Genius Invokation TCG, Mao?"

Now I was completely baffled.

"In theory..."

He started explaining the game to me, but it was obvious he was multitasking; his attention was divided. He was watching someone, or something, else.

Perched on a thick volume, I felt utterly insignificant amidst the towering stacks of books that surrounded me. Before me, spread across the table, were the Genius Invokation TCG cards. They seemed larger than life, each one a miniature portal into the game's sprawling world. The characters depicted on the cards appeared almost holographic, shimmering like ethereal projections above the playing surface.

The selection of characters immortalized on these cards was a curious one, primarily reserved for figures of historical significance and those actively shaping society. It was why Cyno, Kaveh, and Tighnari had their own cards, their images gleaming under the soft light, while Sethos, Alhaitham, Dehya, and Collei remained absent. It was a stark contrast to the game I knew.

Cyno seemed to be juggling a multitude of tasks within the confines of his mind, his expression an unreadable mask. Even when the event he'd clearly been anticipating finally unfolded, he remained seated, betraying no outward sign of surprise or satisfaction. Once our game reached its conclusion, he abruptly scooped me up, depositing me unceremoniously into the depths of his cloak pocket.

Cyno conversation with Mao proved to be a treasure trove of information, particularly regarding her earlier circumstances. She recounted detailed observations of various individuals, painting vivid pictures with her words. One person, in particular, caught my attention: Cyno's observation of a scholar near the Akademiya. According Cyno had witnessed this scholar exchanging what appeared to be a coded note with another, hinting at Dori's network of informants embedded within the very walls of the Akademiya. Cyno's actions were so subtle, so expertly masked, that many believed he was too engrossed in our Genius Invokation TCG match to notice the clandestine exchange. But of course, nothing escapes Cyno's watchful gaze. Shortly after relaying this information, Mao, too, found herself scooped up and deposited into Cyno's pocket.

Once more, I was desperately clinging to the inside of Cyno's pocket. The constant bumping was almost unbearable. Was he engaged in another fight?

"Ugh!" The abrupt movements made my stomach churn. I was thrown around like a rag doll, screaming and struggling to hold on.

Through the thick material, I could hear his voice, loud and muffled.

"What information do you have regarding the black market for mini-humans? I am aware of who your superior is..." His voice was cold, leaving no room for argument or excuses. "There's no point in lying."

He sounded absolutely frightening. Then, in one fluid motion, he pulled me out of his pocket. By this point, I was almost used to being held up like this. The sudden exposure to the bright sunlight was nearly blinding.

I blinked, trying to adjust my vision as I realized Cyno had some unfortunate person pinned against a wall with one hand, while I dangled precariously from the other.

"Do you recognize her?" Cyno's firm grip was the only thing preventing me from falling, but I trusted him completely not to drop me.

"Take a close look..." He held me up, presenting me to the scholar's face.

"It's a mini; they all appear the same..." the scholar stuttered, although I noticed a hint of recognition in his eyes.

"That's rude..." I gave him a look that clearly said, "I'm so over this." I didn't expect his reaction; he screamed.

"It's talking! It's talking..." the scholar yelled, clearly bewildered. Apparently, according to the Akademiya, earthlings – their creative name for "mini-humans" or "minis" – weren't supposed to be able to speak and only had the intelligence of a cat or dog.

"What's wrong with it? Is this an abnormal...?"

"No, she isn't..." Cyno's presence alone was enough to easily intimidate the scholar. I was simply there for the ride, a prop in his interrogation. Before long, Cyno had gotten the information he needed and placed the scholar under arrest.

Once more, I found myself perched on Cyno's broad shoulder, feeling like a brightly colored parrot. He released the scholar he'd been holding to the waiting Matra, his expression hardening.

"We have much to do, Mao..." His voice, usually so measured, now carried a weight that made my non-existent stomach clench. I hated this diminutive form, this feeling of being a mere doll. I was not a child, despite the way he treated me. Another head pat, delivered with the force of his massive finger, only amplified my frustration.

"Can you please explain to me what's going on?" I demanded, glaring up at him with all the ferocity I could muster.

"We are going to get to the bottom of this," he declared, his gaze fixed on some distant point. "Clearly, you are the normal one in this equation. There is something deeply amiss when others of your kind arrive in this world... We are going to hold those responsible accountable. It simply isn't right to enslave an entire group of people for the sake of companionship... Especially when they are rendered unable to speak for themselves."

The realization washed over me then: I was now an unwitting participant in Cyno's personal quest for justice. Another head pat landed, and I could see he genuinely believed I enjoyed them. I didn't have the heart to correct him. A weary part of me screamed that I'd had enough adventure, that I just wanted to wake up from this bizarre nightmare. But deep down, I knew I no longer had a choice in the matter. My fate was intertwined with his.

"So, what now?" I asked, the question hanging in the air.

"We'll go undercover..." Cyno stated, a glint of determination in his eyes as if he had a fully formed plan already brewing. Undercover? That didn't seem like his usual style. He looked incredibly resolute, a man on a mission.

To be continued, maybe......

[kafus]

over the weekend at the knoxville regional pokemon championships, i met up with a longtime internet friend in person for the first time, and he traded me a very special pokemon - a unique celebi that takes a bit of context to explain the significance of

from november 2001 to january 2005, the building that is now a nintendo world store in new york city was actually an american pokemon center, which hosted the "Gotta Catch ‘Em All!" station, a large machine that you could pop your gold/silver/crystal cartridge into (or later ruby/sapphire/firered/leafgreen, but that's not relevant here) and get a special distribution pokemon unique to the store. often times these were normal pokemon in eggs with special moves they couldn't usually learn, but other times they ran distributions for shiny legendaries, and of course, the mythical celebi.

there's very few pictures of the machine and all of them are pretty low quality, but you can see an iteration of it here during the gen 3 era:

when PCNY (pokemon center new york) shut down, the machine and its contents were presumed lost forever, but due to the preservation efforts and the good luck of a few individuals, some of the distributions have been preserved, as well as parts of the machine and its software. this is extra incredible because almost all gen 2 save files from the time the machine was actually functional are long since wiped due to the battery inside dying, meaning that very very few of the gen 2 event pokemon distributed from this machine at the time still exist. i won't go super in detail on that in this post but you can read an article about all of that here (julie, the person who runs this historical PCNY fansite is incredibly passionate and if you want to know anything about the PCNY store i absolutely recommend reading her writing!)

so, one day when i was rambling to my friend (his name is Venty!) about my fascination with the PCNY machine, and how i wish i had been born early enough to experience that, as well as wishing that i could have traded with anyone in gens 1-3 as a child but never got to due to isolation, venty told me that he's actually friends with a guy (Professor Rex) who knows the guy who owns the remnants of the PCNY machine (Gridelin), and he would love to reach out and ask if there's any way rex could distribute a celebi to himself and trade it to him sometime so that eventually when me and venty met in person one day, he'd be able to trade the celebi to me.

i pretty much burst into tears and very passionately explained how much that would mean to me - not just because owning a celebi actually distributed from the historical PCNY distribution station is just... insanely cool, but because like i said, i had never traded anyone in the old internet-less generations of pokemon, and having that be my first was just... a monumental thought. i am deeply fascinated with old gen event distributions because of the tactile, interpersonal nature of them, in direct contrast with my isolation and loneliness as a child. it might sound silly to be so worked up over a collection of bytes/pixels, but i really couldn't believe venty would offer me something so kind. and not only did he offer to ask - rex said yes!!

so on may 21st last year (2023) rex traveled out and distributed the celebi to his pokemon silver cartridge. specifically, the celebi is from the "Celebi Present Campaign" which ran from the 22nd of november 2002 to the 28th of november 2002. the display on the monitor is the same video that would have appeared on the screen in the PCNY store, but flipped sideways here haha. (the gen 2 distributions were special and had custom animations for the legendaries and stuff, which you can watch here in full quality on gridelin's channel - there's videos of the other distribution animations on his channel, too!)

and then months later, during the weekend of august 11th 2023, rex and venty met up at the pokemon world championship in japan and rex traded the celebi to venty's gold cartridge...

...then, finally, just this past weekend, on sunday (february 4th 2024) venty and i finally met in real life for the first time at the knoxville TN regional pokemon championships, and with link cable in hand the celebi finally made its way to me in my hotel room, after crossing the ocean twice and passing through canada to the US to japan and back to the US...!!

gen 2 pokemon data isn't very complicated, but you can tell that my celebi is unique from the other PCNY celebis dumped online (here and here if you'd like to play with some of these historical pokemon yourself) because it has the trainer ID of 00204 which none of the publicly available celebis have - though of course to me, regardless of what becomes publicly available in the future (and i hope one day the common layperson can simply emulate the PCNY machine, video game preservation >>> unique collections always) this celebi will always be special and unique because of how it got to me, and because it represents my friendship with venty who i care so much about. it was an extremely kind gesture i will never forget and i can't believe how much traveling and how many people were involved with getting this tiny bundle of bytes and pixels to me. i hugged venty after the trade was done haha

oh, and by the way, don't worry, i have the hardware to back up my gen 2 save files so this celebi will never die even after my crystal cartridge battery eventually dies once more!! (also, while i don't think it would be an issue i do want to say please don't bother any of the people mentioned in this post...! gridelin & co are working on making the distribution machine in question available for anyone to use, it'll come out whenever it's out and for now there are dumps of the events that were recovered. i would not want them to receive any annoying requests for pokemon because of me. thank you!)