#yuli talks

[shslprince]

in a pregame mmhr mood

[not-rascal-artz]

Can you draw Yuli from the game pop’n music? I saw you had requests open.

Sure! :D (also yeah they’re still open lol)

[justyouraverageuselesshuman]

I feel like drawing Yuli again, so ima draw him in dis↓

[klugpuuo]

i fucking hate the darkside detective so fucking bad ohhh h mm y ygod

[garak]

my favourite characters so far in gk are surely hijikata, koito, and tanigaki. tsukishima and usami are also growing on me likely because i love any of tsurumis underlings and their strange relationships with him... tsurumi is also of course a stand out character. honorable mentions go to ienaga and edogai for being main characters to ME even if they are currently irrelevant and dead respectively

[ciaossu-imagines]

For the sleepover

Ronin Warrirors

Character Talk, or really anything. Admin choice. Big into the fandom and love to see thoughts, character talk, ship ideas, anything and everything.

Oh my gosh! I am almost screaming on the other side of this screen because you don’t even know how happy this ask makes me! Nobody else I know has ever watched the show or is interested in checking it out, where it’s so old. I love it dearly though, but have never really met too many other fans or been able to find people in the small fandom it has who are interested in talking to me. So this is just very exciting for me! Do you have any favourite characters? Moments? Thoughts on the characters? While I don’t really ship, do you? Do you have OC’s for the fandom or are you canon only? I’m so interested. I’ll do the character talk meme, at least some of them, because you mentioned it, but always up for any talk!

Why do you like or dislike this character?

So, I will say there’s really no characters that I actively dislike fully from this fandom. Even Talpa has his charms and while Yuli can piss me off at times, he’s a literal child and he’s acting like a child would in a scary situation.

I really like Ryo. I think that while he’s stubborn and a little foolish at times, he’s very brave and he does genuinely care about people. He’s got a big heart and I personally have always just gotten the vibe that he’s very simple as a person, not very materialistic or judgmental about others based on class or looks.

Sage is an interesting one because honestly, I remember hating him as a kid when I first watched this. He was easily my least favourite character but he’s grown on me through the years. I think it really was just how stoic he is in comparison to some of the others that threw me off him as a kid but as I’ve aged, I really love how mature he is as a person. Learning the story of how he got his armor also endeared him to me, because that’s just a really cool story.

Cye is adorable. I love how calm and even-tempered and just kind he is, and his affinity to water has always appealed to me. Despite moving around a lot, I’ve been blessed in that a lot of the places I’ve lived have only been, at most, a couple hour’s trip to either large lakes or to the ocean. Currently live close to water – it’s something that relaxes me and that really appeals to me as a person, so he’s always been my second favourite probably because of that.

Kento amused me the most as a kid when I first watched this and there hasn’t been any rewatches where he hasn’t made me laugh at least once or twice. While he can definitely be stupid, you can tell he genuinely cares about people and he comes across as one of those well-intentioned, slightly stupid extrovert himbo friends and as I have the extreme privilege of having a couple of those in my life, cannot say how much that energy can make a life better.

I’ve made no secret of the fact that Rowen was among my first fictional crushes and has been one of my longest fictional others. I love everything about him, plain out, and though I see his flaws, he’s perfect.

Mia got the short end of the stick because of the time Ronin Warriors came out. Honestly, she got a little better writing than a large majority of the female characters at that point because her story wasn’t made a huge romantic thing and she did have some use and was shown to be very intelligent. It’s just that well-rounded, incredibly fleshed out female characters with goals, dreams of their own, and lives outside of the boys of the story weren’t really part of straight shonen in the 90’s. I think she deserved better but I see a lot of positives as she is.

Yuli, as I mentioned, does piss me off at points but at the same time, I do see him as being an interesting character. He had a lot of potential but again – he’s a kid in a very scary situation and honestly, it’s amazing how brave he could be at times.

The Ancient One…always been kind of neutral. Extremely plot important but I really wish we’d learned more about him.

I want White Blaze as a pet.

Talpa had that voice and I loved it.

I remember, again, as a kid, hating Lady Kayura. Kind of felt jealous of this really pretty, super strong, badass girl. I’ve grown to really enjoy her over the years though and I think having a strong female who could fight and had this great storyline was really great for the show, especially as (kind of mentioned) the female representation at the time wasn’t great all around.

Anubis had one of the first ‘villain redemption’ arc that I remember ever seeing and he’s a large part of why I love that trope and those types of story arcs.

Kale is…just kind of there for me. Honestly, he’s cool enough, but he’s not someone I think a lot about.

Sehkmet had one of the coolest character designs of the show. Also love his snarkiness.

Dais had the coolest powers. I remember thinking that, despite being a bad guy, he was one of the coolest characters and honestly, his power set is still really great to me. I found his fighting scenes really enjoyable, probably the most out of all of them.

Favourite canon thing about the character?

I love the fact that Ryo is more of an introvert than you’d expect someone of that character archetype to be. He definitely comes across as the guy who needs his alone time the most and I think he gets that alone time by being in nature.

Sage really has this incredibly rare and wonderful sense of honor and a real strong sense of right and wrong and I wish at times that I was more like him. He’s also not too proud to take the fall for someone else, to save their honor.

Cye had the most gentle heart and he really felt like he was the one who kind of facilitated and helped build the friendships I do see the Ronins having with each other. I feel like he’d be the guy that all the others would share their secrets with.

I adore the fact that Rowen enjoys mystery novels, but that’s coming from someone else who really enjoys that genre and likes imagining recommendations he’d give and talking about our favourite mystery stories together.

Kento seems like someone who really does try to make everyone happy and comfortable. He feels like the guy who would notice someone being left out in group gatherings and who would go out of his way to include them.

Mia really is insanely smart and hard-working and I admire that greatly about her.

Yuli really did want to be helpful and he was always trying his best to be brave.

The Ancient One tried his best.

White Blaze is perfection.

Talpa had a great voice and wonderful hair.

Lady Kayura was the first really bad-ass female character I remember.

Anubis had a great story arc all around. I recommend watching just for that alone.

Kale’s character design was actually pretty cool.

Sehkmet never gave up. He definitely seems like the kind of person who doesn’t let anything keep him down, at least not for long.

Dias would have made a killing as a Vegas magician, just saying. He seems like he’d have the charisma and showmanship to really rock that career too!

Least favourite canon thing about this character?

Ryo had a real issue, at points, with being almost borderline arrogant and stubborn.

Sage was almost too proper and needed better communication at times.

Cye definitely needed better communication skills.

Rowen, for someone really smart, had a real annoying habit of just blurting out super obvious stuff (I like to blame it on some maybe subpar writing at points).

Kento needed to learn to look before he leaped because he pulled some stupid shit that he would have realized wasn’t for the best if he’d thought for just a couple moments.

Mia needed to stop putting herself in danger.

Yuli REALLY needed to stop putting himself in danger.

The Ancient One could have stepped in a lot more than he did (I have always held that he was kind of under-utilized and I would have loved to see him explored more).

White Blaze is perfection, fuck finding a flaw.

Talpa was obviously a crazy megalomaniac, so there’s that.

Lady Kayura…okay, but she’s 12, why did we need a shot of her bare ass.

Anubis obviously had some arrogance issues, however, he was able to work on them so go him!

Kale was too loyal to someone who he had no right to be that loyal to, but I actually love that. It’s just the only flaw I could really find to talk about. I think it makes a lot of sense for his character and for the kind of relationship the Warlords and Talpa had.

Sehkmet felt a little one trick at times in his attacks but that’s okay, he was trying his best.

Dias….needed to be explored in terms of his personality more.

If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?

Short and sweet, not going to lie, I put every fictional character into a KHR! Crossover-verse at some point. I definitely love thinking about the Ronins and the Warlords as part of Mafia family, with the Warlords in particular being a family of elite assassins who kind of have a rivalry with the Varia. The Ronins are a smaller family being targeted by this group of assassins who turn to the Vongola for help and protection.

What’s something you have in common with this character?

With Ryo, we are similar in that we are more introverted and we both love nature and animals. I don’t have a lot in common with Sage, though I’d like to think I act with honor and have strong morals. I feel I have the most in common with Cye, not just the love of the ocean, but the gentle personality and the slight tendencies to go along with our friends and to keep things calm and peaceful and happy with them. Me and Rowen share a love of science and books. Kento is pretty much my opposite, though I like to think that, though shy, I’m quite friendly and try my best to make others feel happy and at ease. Like Mia, I’m hard-working. Like Yuli, I can sometimes run off at the mouth without thinking about it. Like The Ancient One, I’m not around a lot. Like White Blaze, I’m quite silent. Like Talpa, I stick to my goals even when I suffer set-backs. Like Anubis, I can learn to admit I’m wrong. Like Kale, I have some cool looking scars. Like Sehkmet, my makeup game is strong. Like Dias, I love magic.

What’s something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like & 8. What’s something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

I honestly have not been able to be in the fandom enough to really see what’s largely done with the characters, so no opinion here!

9. Could you be roommates with this character?

I feel like I could easily be roommates with Cye, Rowen, Ryo, Mia, and maybe Kale. The rest of them maybe not.

10. Could you be best friends with this character?

I feel I’d have the closest friendships with Cye, Rowen, Kento, Ryo, and Mia.

11. Would you date this character?

I would date Cye and Rowen!

12. What’s a headcanon you have for this character?

Ryo takes really fantastic photographs, thanks to living with his father. It’s just that photography never ended up sparking any passion for him but given a good camera, he can take good pictures. It’s only the crappy quality cell phone cameras that he just can’t seem to grab good pictures on.

Sage follows his father into the legal sphere in a way when he grows older, getting into law. He becomes a criminal prosecutor.

Cye knows how to sail, can paddleboard, and has gone white-water rafting.

Rowen has hypoglycemia that gets worse as he ages and in his later years, he has to use a glucometer and properly treat the condition.  

Kento really loves pro-wrestling.

Mia honestly has a real guilty pleasure for young adult romances, especially things like Twilight. She was definitely Team Edward.

Yuli makes good grades in his school years and graduates in the top three of his class in high school.

Talpa gets songs stuck in his head super easily and hums when he thinks no one can hear him.

Lady Kayura, at some point, learns to ride a motorcycle. She really loves seeing just how fast she can go on them and has had some close calls, though she has never actually crashed.

Anubis, despite having really long and thick hair, doesn’t really do anything special to take care of it. He’s definitely one of those ‘3-in-1 shampoo, conditioner, body wash’ guys and because of that, his hair is really dry and prone to split ends.

Kale, despite how fearsome he looks, has a real soft spot for cute baby animals.

Sehkmet would be a fan of celebrity gossip.

Dias would be a huge Pen & Teller fan.

13. What’s an emoji, an emoticon and/or any symbol that reminds you of this character or you think the character would use a lot?

Ryo and Rowen both call more than they text and when they text, it’s very minimal. Ryo sometimes uses the thumbs up and 100 emojis.

Sage never uses emoji’s. He types very properly, with proper capitalization and punctuation.

Cye uses very basic, starter emoji’s, like the smiley faces and hearts that he knows for sure what they mean. Some of the emoji’s people send him he gets really confused by.

Kento uses gifs way more than he uses emoji’s. He’s got anime reaction gifs for everything.

Sehkmet throws together the most random combinations of emojis just to fuck with people, so they’ll try super hard to try to figure out what he means.

14. Assign a fashion aesthetic to this character.

Ryo dresses really simply, honestly. He’s very much a jeans and t-shirt, maybe a henley long sleeve shirt in the fall, a sweater in the summer. He’s drawn to reds and other vibrant colours. He doesn’t really like socks a lot and wears a lot of sneakers. He’s the type who wears his clothes completely out before he thinks about throwing them out and replacing them.

Sage has a more proper, almost preppy sort of style. He’d be the type to throw a blazer over a t-shirt and some well-fitting jeans, to fancy up an outfit. He wears a lot of natural fabrics too. Polyester and cheap materials don’t appeal to him and he doesn’t really bargain shop. However, like Ryo, he does wear his clothes until they’re in such a bad state that they need to be thrown out, so it’s not like he’s wasteful with the money he spends on clothing.

Cye has a very pastel, beach-casual sort of style. He likes capris, linen, blue hues, and dockers. He prefers pull-over sweaters to hoodies, and has no problem wearing board shorts around town.

Rowen switches his style fairly often, honestly. He can’t settle into one particular style but just kind of buys what he likes, making an eclectic mix of different styles. He’s not really all that great at colour coordination though, so some of his outfits kind of aren’t that great, not going to lie.

Kento’s very relaxed in his style. It’s muscle-tops, t-shirts with the sleeves rolled up with jeans or overalls. He lives in his sneakers, loves crazy socks, and has a couple different baseball caps.

Mia has a sort of preppy style. I honestly feel like she’d wear anything Blair wore on Gossip Girl.

Yuli kind of copies the style of the older boy’s a lot. He goes through phases with all of those styles until he really figures out what he likes and what suits him the best. He’s very experimental with fashion and it takes him a while to figure that out.

Lady Kayura seems like she’d rock leather pants, just saying. I feel she has two moods – goth girl or dainty princess and sometimes she even mixes those two together. It’s really all down to how she feels that day.

Kale seems like he’d kind of dress like a biker. Like, that’s really the vibe I get from him.

15. What’s your favourite ship for this character, 16. What’s your least favourite ship for this character & 17. What’s a ship for this character you don’t hate but it’s not your favourite that you’re fine with?

I honestly don’t really do canon shipping. I admit to having some self-ships in the fandom and I used to have a friend who was into the fandom and whose OC I really shipped with Kento! Honestly, I cannot not ship my friend’s OC’s with their canon characters of choice because I love my friend’s OC’s and seeing what they do with them.

18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?

I have to say that I really love Cye and Kento’s friendship. I find Ryo and Sage’s friendship interesting, along with Ryo and Rowen’s friendship. I wish we’d seen a lot more of the dynamics between the different warlords as well, because that’s something I’ve always been really interested in and would love to hear people’s opinions on!

19. How about a relationship they have in canon that you don’t like?

I know a lot of people see Ryo and Mia as a couple but I just never saw it and really don’t feel it, but that’s just me.

21. If you’re a fic writer and have written for this character, what’s your favourite thing to do when you’re writing for this character? What’s something you don’t like?

I really love writing self-inserts for this fandom, though I keep those only for me because I know they won’t interest the other fans. I love doing headcanons for any of the characters, getting the chance to dive into who they are, what they enjoy, all the different parts of their characters. I also love thinking about and writing the platonic little things in between the characters and trying to figure out what relationships they would have between them, both platonically or who wouldn’t get along, who would be kind of frenemies, rivals, etc.

22. If you’re a fic reader, what’s something you like in fics when it comes to this character? Something you don’t like?

Honestly, I love all fics, though I do tend to skip the super shippy ones that focus only on romance, with no other plot points. I will happily take any and all fic recommendations for this fandom, not gonna lie.

[shippingcannons]

This morning my friend and I boarded the bus and an adorable little boy said hello to her. She replied "hello" and the boy, delighted that someone actually answered, started a conversation with us. At some point he asked me a series of English questions ("how do you say ____?" "How do you say ___?") Because he wanted to show off what he's learned on tv. I listened to all of his questions and when he didn't know the answer I gave him the answer.

He was three years old and his mother kept apologizing and saying that "he's just really energetic" and "whenever someone answers him he takes it as a hint to pester them" even though we told her it's okay.

Some kids really just want someone to talk to them. Listen yo their stories. Answer their questions.

(unrelated but a little related: once I did a tour for a group of seven-year-olds and they asked so many questions and listened to all of my answers! They were more attentive than most adult groups I guided)

One thing that I’ve found delights children is fully indulging a question on occasion. One a friend’s six-year-old said “what’s in your purse?” And I took every single item out of my purse and showed it to her and told her what it was and she just sat there attentively for the whole inventory because she genuinely wanted to know what was in my purse.

[infinitydesigners]

Not A Drill!

I have big Infinity Nikki news to share!

First, watch this, and then I'll talk about the news:

Did you catch the ad placement for Infinity Nikki? It looks stunning on mobile!

But more importantly, did you recognize the blue dress? Here's a closer shot:

That's the Fairytale Swan dress, but in blue.

Dyes will be a feature in the game!

What colors will you use first for the dyes? What suits or pieces will you dye first?

And this extra special news comes from the official IN Discord:

It's been confirmed... we're getting Infinity Nikki this year! (Thanks again, yuli, for the translation!)

I think this is the link to join the Discord? But please let me know if it doesn't work. I'd love to see you around there :)

That's all I have for now. More news and lore coming up soon, Stylists!

[gloriium]

2!!!

yulie is closest with ace and deuce since they experience the most together! they're always getting into trouble together. i think ace and deuce would teach yulie a lot about the world of twst...also riddle's hope would be that yulie talks them out of bad choices (it doesnt work)

also definitely sebek since theyre in the same class!

i think he would be close to all the first years, kalim, rook, and cater as well. anyone who's a little more outgoing to offset her.

[whiskey-bumblebee]

I'm On Fire (Chapter 2)

Pairing: DBF!Aaron Hotchner/Reader

Word Count: 2470

Warnings: older Hotch/younger reader, cheating, daddy issues, a little bit of angst

Taglist: @littlepeanut03 @rosaline-black @moonmark98 @yuly @jazzymariexoxoc @frogoko @morgthemagpie

You're staring at the kitchen sink, a full glass of water on the counter to your left. Alone again. It's been days since you've seen your dad.

You let your head rest in your hands as you prop your elbows up on the counter. Aaron had left his number in your phone when he dropped you back home after your late night drive. You were using every ounce of strength not to call him.

It had been a week or so since that night, or morning, you supposed, since you'd watched the sun rise together, when you teased him for his Spartan taste in coffee and breakfast food. You hadn't heard anything, and you were starting to think it must have meant nothing to him. You were nothing but his friend's daughter. Another thing to take care of, like the unmown grass, or filing taxes.

Despite how little you seemed to mean to him, you couldn't stop replaying your conversations in your mind. Although you'd been sleeping for much of the time, when you were awake, you'd talked about everything. He'd opened up about Haley, the way that their marriage was slowly disintegrating because of their different goals, his difficult work schedule. He'd hesitated before telling you another piece, unsure if it was even appropriate to mention it to you.

"She's started..." He sighed. "She's started trying to tamper with the birth control we use. She hasn't refilled her prescription for the pill in a while and..."

He turned away from you as much as he could, fixing his gaze on something on the left of the horizon. His voice dropped to a low whisper.

"The other night when we were... You know what I mean. She tried to pull off the condom. A week ago I was looking in my bedside table for one of my watches, and the condoms were all over the place. The drawer was sticky, so I picked up one of them," He paused again. "It had a hole in it. I thought okay, leak, I'll just throw this one out. But I looked at one of the others, just in case, and..."

"Oh my god," You said softly. "Aaron, that's not okay. If someone I was dating did something like that..."

You felt your jaw clench. How fucking awful was that? Trying to trap him with a baby? It was one thing to try and convince him, to try and save their marriage, to talk about why he was hesitant, but it was a different thing entirely to start taking matters into her own hands. It would obliterate the last of the trust between them. It was sick.

He'd talked a little about his college years, but his playful smile told you there was a lot he was holding back.

"C'mon, Seattle in the 90s? You must have gotten up to no good," You said, trying to eke out some information. "Concerts, weed, girls?"

"I focused on studying," He said, and pressed his lips together.

"You're lying again. That's one of your tells," You pointed at his lips. "You go like this."

You mimicked his expression, the physical manifestation of withholding information or some emotion.

He looked over at you and laughed. "You'd make a good profiler."

"Profiling," You said dreamily. "And you get to travel all over the place. What's it like?"

"It's hard work," He said slowly. "A lot of the time it's unpleasant. But I like to think we make a difference."

"Could you profile me?"

He looked over at you, his expression serious.

"It's not like astrology, or palm-reading" He said. "You might not like what I have to say."

"I won't hold it against you," You replied. "I'm sure none of it will really be new to me. I spend a lot of time thinking about who I am and how I got here."

"You're independent, probably more than you should be, but that says more about your father than it does about you." He paused, taking a breath, and looked over at you again, sadness in his eyes this time. "You're constantly reading the people around you, or at least me, trying to figure out what they're thinking."

You nodded. "It's not just you."

He pulled into the drive through, joining the long line of cars queuing for their morning coffee. For a moment, you thought about how the two of you must look to anyone who took a second to look through the windscreen or one of the windows. You, in a salt-starched button up shirt. Aaron, in a faded blue t-shirt and the joggers you'd been wearing a few hours before. A strange pair of lovers, or maybe just a strange pair.

"The reason you read everyone is because you use it as a pre-emptive defense mechanism. If you know how everyone is feeling, you can adjust your behaviour to avoid making anyone upset."

"Oh," You said. "So that makes me... a psychopath, or something?"

Aaron chuckled and shook his head, looking at you properly now that the car was safely stopped. "No. It makes you like a lot of other women."

"Oh," You said again, somehow feeling even more dejected. "Just ordinary."

He shook his head, reaching across the centre console to wipe some salt from your cheek. "You're far from ordinary."

"Next in line," Came the staticky voice from the speaker. "How can I help you?"

"What do you want?" He whispered.

"Something sweet," You replied. "And a bagel."

He relayed the information to the disembodied voice.

"Is that all?"

"No, could I also get a black coffee? No cream, no sugar, and do you have a bacon and egg sandwich?"

"Sure. Drive up to the next window."

"Thank you," Aaron replied, shooting you a conspiratorial smile. Why did you feel like you were getting away with something?

"Mr. Bacon and Egg," You teased.

"What?" He replied, reaching for his wallet. "Nothing wrong with the classics."

There was a knock at your door, and you jumped. Your dad?

You took a big sip of water before making your way to the door, then peered through one of the little glass windows to see who it was. With a sigh of relief, you undid the deadbolt. Aaron.

"Is your dad home?" He looked you up and down, but there was no hunger in it.

Your brow furrowed. "No."

"We need to talk," He said, letting himself in, locking the door.

Your stomach dropped through the floor. Here it comes. He's going to tell me that I've been coming onto him and it needs to stop. Head heavy with shame, you let your body fall to the couch and looked down at the rug. He's married, how did you think this was going to end?

"Haley's leaving me."

You looked at him, waiting for the next sentence. None came.

"Aaron," You breathed. "I'm so sorry."

"I went for a drive," He said. "To the beach. In Delaware."

There was a long silence, and he walked to the kitchen and back, bringing you the glass of water you'd abandoned.

You took another sip, looking down at the floor again.

"I..." He took a seat beside you.

You looked at him, searching his face.

"I can't read you," You said softly. "You need to tell me."

He looked deep into your eyes, no doubt seeing the feelings you had for him. You couldn't put words to them yet, but you had a feeling your eyes were telling a story your heart hadn't yet been able to commit to. "I didn't like the beach."

Agony tearing through you, you broke the eye contact, rubbing your face with one of your hands. What had you expected?

He took your hand in his, pulling it from your face. His grip was rough, but it was nothing compared to the confusion and pain radiating through your body.

"No," He said insistently. "I didn't like the beach because... It wasn't the beach. It was you."

You looked at him hopefully, praying to every god whose name you'd ever learned that your heart was right to start beating wildly, full of anticipation.

He whispered your name, his hand coming to the side of your face as the space between you seemed to shrink.

"Haley wouldn't mind," You whispered.

"She wouldn't," He replied, his face close enough to yours that certain syllables sent his lips brushing against yours. He rubbed his nose against yours, waiting to be seized by a sudden rush of morality. It didn't come.

You closed the gap between you, taking his chin between your thumb and forefinger, sealing your lips to his. For a moment you stayed like that, just pressing your lips together, not moving, hardly breathing.

Then it was like lightning- his lips moving against yours, his weight starting to shift on top of your body as you slipped beneath him, your hands moving to cup his back, hips dropping open to accommodate his body in this new position. The harsh noises of your breathing between frantic kisses, the wet sound as your tongue just barely left your mouth, tracing over his lips. A thud as his hand met the arm of the couch, supporting his weight. And if that all was lightning, the electric lick of light across a bright sky, the rest was apocalypse, the hounds of hell breaking loose as your bodies settled against each other, his tongue snaking across your lips, testing the seam of them, whether you'd let him in. You tugged his bottom lip between your teeth, running your tongue across the slightly swollen skin as you released his lip.

You settled into a rhythmic tempo, swaying against each other like the waves on the shore, the push and the pull like something divinely inspired, driven by the moon, something of a greater magnitude than mere magnetism. Something like gravity.

When you broke away, it was all changed. Even from this distance, hardly an inch away from him, you knew the world had tilted on its axis. You became aware of the sound of children playing outside, the ring of a bicycle's bell. You were certain that if you walked outside, you'd see them riding their bicycles straight into the sky, or the birds would be flying upside down. The warmth of the sun would radiate from the ground, and the tickle of the grass would rain down on you.

Your eyelashes seemed like monuments as you blinked slowly, attempting to clear your vision. When you opened your eyes, nothing had changed. There he was. There you were.

The sun warmed your bare skin as you curled into Aaron's chest. Something about the kiss had been draining, as beautiful as it was, and you'd led him upstairs to rest. He traced shapes on your back.

"That was intense," He said, finally.

"I'm tired," You said, suddenly feeling like you might cry.

"I shouldn't stay."

You tilted your head to look up at him, taking a moment to appreciate the way that he looked in your bed, his short dark hair contrasting with your cream-coloured pillow.

"You could," You said.

He shook his head.

"I thought you said Haley left?"

He nodded. "She did. But your dad could come back any minute."

It was your turn to shake your head. "He won't be here until Tuesday. He stays at her place from Thursday night until Tuesday morning so they can have weekends."

"Generous definition of weekend," He scoffed. "He should take better care of you."

"He makes sure there's food when he comes. And besides, I can take care of myself."

"You shouldn't have to," He said softly, stroking your cheek with the back of his hand. His voice was filled with fondness, and you broke his gaze so you could rest your head against his chest again.

"You take care of me," You whispered.

"I could," He whispered. "You deserve to know what it feels like."

There were butterflies in your stomach. You lay like that for another hour, waiting to decide what to do. There was no clear path forward, you knew that much.

"I should go," He murmured. "I have some errands to run before everything closes for the night, and work in the morning."

"What are we going to do?" You said softly, sitting upright.

He sat up too, swinging his legs out of the bed.

"What if this is it?" He replied. "The simplest thing to do would be to leave it here."

"Aaron," You said, your voice breaking. "I couldn't live."

You reached for your phone.

"Can I take a photo of us? So at least I know it wasn't a dream?"

His mind flicked to Penelope, and her incredible capacity for unearthing files from anywhere. Your phone was far from secure, and he just couldn't risk a photo like that ending up somewhere it shouldn't.

He shook his head. "It's too risky. No one should find out about this."

You sighed, looking over at the wall, the last of the day's light filling the room with light, although it was limited to a square in the shape of the window.

You took him by the chin, pulling him gently into the light.

He laughed.

"What?"

"Hell of a metaphor," He said, shaking his head with a small smile.

You raised an eyebrow at him, but he shook his head. You dropped the subject and gestured at his shadow on the wall, the silhouette of his head.

"How about this?"

You leaned into the light, leaving your silhouettes facing each other.

He nodded. "That works."

Careful not to let your phone cast a shadow, you framed the shot and looked at him while he looked at you, both of you fighting back wide smiles. Your phone clicked softly, and you checked to make sure the picture was okay. You nodded and showed it to him. He smiled and kissed your forehead, wrapping an arm around you.

"This isn't going to be easy," He said.

You took one of his hands in both of yours, and looked at him seriously. "I don't need easy. I do need you."

You both sat there for a moment, letting your words hang in the air and permeate your skin.

"God," You breathed. "I can't believe you said what if this is it? I couldn't leave things here. I'd die."

"How about this?" He said, echoing your words from earlier. You followed his gaze as he looked down at his hands. He slipped off his gold wedding ring and placed it on your bedside table.

"My promise this isn't it."

You looked at him, tears forming in your eyes, and nodded.

He took your hands in his, and pressed a kiss to them before enclosing them completely in his.

[ligiawrites]

Here are the new Belle Cards!

Hey, everyone.

If you've been following me for a while, you might remember a post from 2021 talking about the "Belle Cards."

Belle Cards are the Five Kingdom's equivalent to our Kpop merch, and it's one of my fave tidbits of lore from this world haha XD Belle Cards are often provocative and sold/traded in very specific, hidden places in every big city, so i hope you'll enjoy seeing them! Ko-fi members can download the high-res version of the cards if they want (it's the perfect size to use as your phone wallpaper).

Here's the folder. Yulie's card is the first--to celebrate the release of TdW in a couple of weeks--but I'll soon post the cards for the other members of the cast + the characters in LtGBtK as well.

And if you're not on ko-fi, here's a peek so you can bask in Yulie's muscular glory too. 😳 ♥

[shslprince]

Been getting more talkative on here so im really happy to get more asks about momota/maki/v3 in general I love yapping about these things!!

[accio-victuuri]

Yuli Entertainment’s interview SBMS exclusive interview with Xiao Zhan ☀️

Xiao Zhan: I have some questions about Shengyang

"The value of an actor lies in using his work to speak and having a very real feedback connection with the audience."

At the end of 2019, Xiao Zhan had just celebrated his 28th birthday. He received the script of "The Sun Is With Me" and met the 26-year-old Sheng Yang in the script.

About the same age and having similar work experiences, there seems to be some wonderful connection between Sheng Yang and Xiao Zhan. Coupled with the lively and lovable characters in the script, it seems to be an obvious choice to take on the drama.

In Xiao Zhan's work resume, he has played the roles of a lonely and cold prince, a young man with infinite sincerity, a soldier who strives to break through himself, a doctor who is cold on the outside and hot on the inside, etc. These roles have given Xiao Zhan different life experiences. But he still seems to be missing a life-flow work - after Sheng Yang met the audience, this role filled the gap.

The script took more than three years to write. Xiao Zhan also experienced some of his own growth during these three years, which made him have some doubts about his firm choice of Shengyang, "I At 31 years old, how can I play the role of a young brother who is new to the world and has no experience in the world? Can I convince the audience?" In his heart, Xiao Zhan asked himself repeatedly.

Xiao Zhan told screenwriter Li Xiao all these questions.

The original Sheng Yang was lively and innocent, with endless energy. In Li Xiao's words, "He was a sunny and light character." This was also Xiao Zhan's initial feelings about Sheng Yang, but such a character was very Soon there was a round of challenges.

After writing more than 20 episodes of the script, Li Xiao's emotional life has changed, and he has a deeper understanding of the love story between his younger brother and his older sister. "The younger brother who really wants to fall in love must be very mature in his Temperament and ideas." Li Xiao said.

26-year-old Sheng Yang actually has several years of work experience. Should he still be a big boy who doesn't understand the world? Is it possible that I admired Jian Bing for ten years because of an advertisement ten years ago? Should Sheng Yang be a completely straight-forward and passionate character? Can I fall in love with my sister Jian Bing just based on pure love?

These questions seemed to have different answers in Li Xiao's mind. At this time, Xiao Zhan met Li Xiao for the first time at the script planning meeting.

Xiao Zhan's doubts and Li Xiao's thoughts collided at the same time, "Sister Li Xiao and I have met each other late." In Xiao Zhan's eyes, Li Xiao is a person who is very serious about work. The two people's thoughts about Sheng Yang We hit it off right away at the first script meeting.

Xiao Zhan was worried that he might not interpret well the "image of a fledgling, inexperienced younger brother" that was almost overthrown by Li Xiao, and he transformed into a more resolute character, a bit stubborn, and a more serious Sheng Yang. He is no longer a novice in the workplace, but a character with strong personal abilities, inner aspirations, and a sense of maturity.

When encountering difficulties, Sheng Yang is responsible; he also has his own persistence when he extends an olive branch to Jian Bing after losing his job; choosing to start a business is not a young and energetic impulse or a hothead, "We want the audience to believe that Sheng Yang After everything he has gone through, I believe in the decisions he has made," Xiao Zhan said.

Xiao Zhan participated in such script meetings three times in total. The communication with Li Xiao also extended from the script itself to the two people's taste in art. "We will talk about some of the works we have watched recently, and she will recommend many to me." I also saw interesting movies, TV series, and even FM and audio books through her recommendations, and I saw a lot of good works that I had never seen before.”

It is in this atmosphere that Sheng Yang's image becomes more and more full-in Xiao Zhan's heart, Sheng Yang is no longer just a cold description like words, but outlines a complete character portrait. All Sheng Yang's choices The motivations become clear. Only by convincing yourself can the audience have the possibility to believe. Sheng Yang's changes finally gave Xiao Zhan the confidence to perform.

"Now Shengyang has a clear growth line, and the family atmosphere is also clearer. His sense of responsibility and ability, as well as his ability to withstand stress, have improved. His relationship with Jian Bing has also become more grounded and more capable. Make people believe it." In the three years of script creation, Sheng Yang, like Xiao Zhan, has grown up.

"SBMS" was filmed in Chongqing, a city where Xiao Zhan has lived and can give him a sense of security. It may be easier to find the "sense of life" desired in the play in such a city.

Even so, Xiao Zhan was still a little nervous before joining the group, "What I'm particularly worried about is actually that I want to interpret the character of Sheng Yang in a very life-like and natural way. If I can make everyone feel that Xiao Zhan is not acting, but If he is Sheng Yang, then it will be successful."

How to interpret a life-like character is a lesson that Xiao Zhan must complete.

Director Song Xiaofei once took Xiao Zhan to Shengyang's home. After entering Shengyang's room, Xiao Zhan first stopped and looked around to familiarize himself with the environment. Then he went to tidy up the quilt and pillows he was going to sleep on. He sat on the sofa again, then got up, came to the desk, and adjusted all the ornaments on the desk to where he could easily reach them.

"I particularly like the Shengyang family. The art teachers in "SBMS" are very good. They made the Shengyang family very life-like. So when I walked in, I didn't feel like I was acting at all. Instead, it felt like I had already I’ve lived here for a long time.”

In Shengyang's room, Xiao Zhan seemed to see the house where he lived when he was a child. Whether it was the living atmosphere or the environment, everything was too similar.

With such an atmosphere, Xiao Zhan wants to show the role of Sheng Yang better. Therefore, he is always a little nervous, "I have never acted in such a life-oriented drama, and I will be a little uneasy." From the first day of filming, Xiao Zhan would send the director a message every day. information.

"Director, do you think there are any adjustments today?"

"Director, do you think this is okay?"

"How do you feel?"

"How about the scene tomorrow?"

Xiao Zhan likes the feeling of being in the sun on the set of "SBMS". He communicates, discusses, and creates with the director every day. For Xiao Zhan, this is a way to make progress.

On the first day after joining the group, Xiao Zhan's first scene was the scene where Sheng Yang met Jian Bing in a restaurant ten years later. Song Xiaofei deliberately put this important scene on the first day of filming in order to retain Xiao Zhan's character. The feeling of just getting to know Bai Baihe is exactly what the character needs.

Recalling the first day of filming, Xiao Zhan thought it was "quite fun." On the second day, when filming the scene where Jian Bing was drunk and Sheng Yang took care of her in the hotel, Bai Baihe's acting skills brought some touches to him. .

"The plot of that part was that Jian Bing asked for a song. Sheng Yang asked what the title of the song was. Jian Bing looked at Sheng Yang and said, "I really love you." What impressed me deeply was the look in Sister Bai's head when she raised her head. This was very shocking to me at the time. I saw the light in her eyes and her whole state directly and closely, and I really learned a lot."

The excellent performance of the opponent actor also inspired Xiao Zhan's energy. In the subsequent scenes where Sheng Yang muttered to himself, Xiao Zhan's performance was more refined than when he was walking.

Director Song Xiaofei is always good at capturing the impromptu reactions of actors under the camera, and that reaction is the most real and the most touching to the audience. Xiao Zhan said: "In the play "SBMS," I Just do subtraction, don’t think too much about the design or anything else, it’s enough to just immerse yourself in the character.”

Sheng Yang's lines are life-like, but they also convey viewpoints. To be able to express these views without preaching is a test of the screenwriter's creative ability, and it is also a test of the actor's line performance.

Director Song Xiaofei does not ask the actors to say their lines exactly according to the script, which makes it seem a bit rigid. Most of them do not deviate from the original settings of the script, and the actors can handle it as they feel comfortable. "This is similar to the costume dramas I have made before. There are still some differences. For costume dramas, there is his own way of segmenting lines and saying words." Xiao Zhan said.

In addition to family, love and other story lines, Sheng Yang's work scenes are also very important. When walking into Shengyang's office, Xiao Zhan, who had also been a designer, even had a sense of time travel. "Those work stations, hand-drawn tablets, pens, and even the office and design software in the computer are all too familiar." Sitting at Shengyang's workstation, Xiao Zhan will feel relaxed.

"Although these software are not commonly used now, and the technology is a bit degraded, it is still possible to make some pictures and cut some short films when filming." While waiting for the scene on the set, Xiao Zhan would occasionally make two random sketches on the draft paper. , this sense of atmosphere created an inexplicable connection between him and the character Sheng Yang.

In "SBMS", there is a scene that moved the audience and called out the truth: Sheng Yang lost his job due to a certain project accident, but he did not complain to his parents. Instead, he behaved as usual every day and went out to find a job at the designated time. , go home on time to accompany your parents.

Xiao Zhan fully understands Sheng Yang who reports good news but not bad news, because the way he gets along with his family is similar to Sheng Yang. Xiao Zhan likes the noisy but harmonious way of getting along with each other in the play, " Parents will quarrel and have arguments, but they love each other very much, are very happy, and are very beautiful." During the filming of "SBMS", Xiao Zhan's parents visited him twice. For Xiao Zhan, This is also a kind of happiness.

The audience said that "Sheng Yang is Xiao Zhan in the parallel world." Sheng Yang, a Chongqing native and designer, has a high degree of similarity with Xiao Zhan. Xiao Zhan himself also felt that "in the process of playing Sheng Yang, I will It's a little bit unconscious." For example, Sheng Yang and Xiao Zhan would scratch their heads when they were shy.

"But I'm also afraid that everyone will feel this way." Xiao Zhan said, "I'm afraid that the audience will project their feelings and emotions towards Xiao Zhan onto this character. Although Sheng Yang and I have the same career, in fact we are in the same profession. The personalities are still different, Xiao Zhan may be quieter and more stable, while Shengyang is more outgoing."

There will definitely be some connection between the character and the actor himself. The real reaction given during the filming may include Xiao Zhan's own temperament in some of Sheng Yang's scenes, but this does not mean that Sheng Yang is the actor. Xiao Zhan.

If the audience feels that Sheng Yang seems to be truly living in a certain time and space, it may also mean that Xiao Zhan's interpretation of this character has achieved a landing effect. The "sense of life" he wants to show has been The audience approved.

Broadcasting three TV series in one year is a very rare achievement for an actor. Xiao Zhan also knows clearly, "The value of an actor lies in using his works to speak and having a very real feedback connection with the audience." In the future, TV series are still Xiao Zhan’s main development direction, what will be his next work?

[liviavanrouge]

Families

What's small turned to a friendship

Baizhu: Ming! Can you take Qiqi to collect those one herbs?

Ming: Yep! I got it!

Ming: Qiqi! Let's head out!

Qiqi: *Nods, hurrying after Ming*

Ming: *Heads down the stairs, her ponytail swaying behind her*

Baizhu: *Smiles, watching them go then turns away*

A friendship turned to a bond

Albedo: *Sits with his sisters and brother, working on his experiments*

Dorian: *Sits still, letting Klee do his hair* Careful

Klee: I will, you'll look awesome!

Goldina: *Stands beside Albedo, helping with his work*

Minata: *Smiles, finger painting nearby*

Elizia: *Watches Goldina and Albedo curiously*

And that bond will never be broken

Xingqiu: Xenia! Where are you?

Xenia: Qiu!!!

Xingqiu: *Kneels down, holding his arms out*

Xenia: *Leaps into his arms laughing, beaming up at him*

Xingqiu: *Stands up, carrying her back*

The love will never get lost

Gaming: *Walks up the stairs to Liyue* I'm gonna win!

Gilda: *Hops up the stairs, giggling* No you won't!

Gaming: Yes I will! I'm gonna win this time!

Gilda: *Hops up the last stair, beaming* I WIN!!

Gaming: Oh man! I was so close!

Gilda: Better like neck time, Big brother Gaming!

Gaming: *Chuckles* Let's go eat

And when brotherhood come first

Kaeya: *Summons his sword, holding an arm out in front of Vixo*

Vixo: *Stares at the rustling bushes*

Kaeya: *Perks up, a few squirrels scattering from the push* Ah little critters..

Vixo: *Sighs in relief*

Kaeya: *Smiles at Vixo amused and ruffles his hair*

Then the line will never be crossed

Avios: Old man? Dane?

Venti: Hey Avi!

Dvalin: *Nods in greeting to Avios, reading a book*

Avios: *Looks at Venti suspiciously* What are you up to? Where's your wine?

Venti: No wine today, Dane didn't have to drag me from the winery!

Avios: *Looks at Dvalin* Is this not weird to you?

Dvalin: *Smiles* Nope

Avios: *Sighs and walks away to his room*

Venti: *Smiles, hiding his stash of Mora to send Avios to a good school*

Established it on our own

Lilla: HEY GUYS!!

Lyney: LILLA!! *Runs over and throws his arms around her*

Lilla: Laughs, smiling at them all*

Lynette and Freminet: *Hurries over, joining the hug*

Kano: *Walks after them, smiling*

Lynelo and Leena: *Beams, running over* Hi Lilla!

Freya: *Leaps into the hug, Lilla catching her*

Lilla: Careful, hahaha!

Angelina: *Beams at her, holding Arla*

Lilla: Let's have fun! I'll take you all out

Lyney: Hahaha! YEAH!!

When that line had to be drawn

Thoma: *Smiles, Titan sitting in his lap, holding a sparkler*

Titan: *Beams, waving the sparkler around*

Thoma: Careful, you might hurt yourself

Titan: *Holds the sparkler still, beaming* Okay!

Titan: *Leans back against Thoma, smiling*

Thoma: *Chuckles, holding his own sparkler*

And that line is what we reached

Kioshio: *Throws several punches at Wriothesley, weaving around several thrown his way*

Wriothesley: *Lunges forward, holding an arm out*

Kioshio: *Shields his chest, tanking the attack*

Wriothesley: Good job, ready to catch the next criminal?

Kioshio: *Nods* I am.

Wriothesley: *Chuckles and ruffles his hair* You're too serious for your own good

Kioshio: *Fixes his hair, smiling* I know..

So remember me when I'm gone

Chiori: *Nods to Carmilla as the two finished the dress* Good job, 'Milla

Carmilla: *Beams up at her, giggling*

Chiori: *Perks up then fixes Carmilla's loosening bow* There, one should look her best you know

Carmilla: Yeah! A lady looks her best!!

Chiori: *Nods to her* Always

How can we not talk about family

Yoimiya: *Smiles, helping Yulis hold his sparker* There you go!

Yulis: *Waves his sparkler, running around*

Yoimiya: Oh! Be careful, Yulis!

Yulis: *Waves to her with his free hand*

Yulis: *Turns and runs away, running off with some Liyue kids*

Yoimiya: *Smiles after Yulis* Staying in Liyue for him to heal was a good choice

When family's all that we got?

Murkus: *Holds Shuyu with one arm*

Ganyu: *Pokes his cheek* You're too protective

Shenhe: Indeed..

Murkus: You both are too protective...

Xianyun: *Smiles amused* As your older sisters, it is within their right to be protective

Murkus: Mother Xianyun!!

Xianyun: *Chuckles* Fret not, I understand

Murkus: *Huffs embarrassed*

Everything I went through

Xiao: *Sits with Xayda beside him, watching the stars*

Xayda: *Stands up, laughing as she hopped in place*

Xiao: Training! Now! *Vanishes into thin air, smiling*

Xayda: *Leaps up, vanishing after him*

Xiao: *Reappears on top of the Inn*

Xayda: *Reappears two feet from him* I DID IT!!

Xiao: *Nods to her* Good job...

You were standing there by my side

Emilie: Enchantis!

Enchantis: *Runs over, smiling*

Navia: Phibee, time to head home!

Phibee: *Leaps into Navia's arms, beaming*

Clorinde: *Picks up Makio and Cherub, holding them both* Thank you for the invitation

Emilie: *Smiles, holding Enchantis' hand* It was my pleasure!

And now you gon' be with me for the last ride

Tighnari: *Smiles as Sahara finished writing* Nice job

Collei: That was so great, Sahara!

Amon: Indeed...

Cyno: *Pats Mahil's head amused*

Roma and Kael: *Looks over Cyno's shoulder then grabs his headpiece, running off*

Cyno: Boys!!

Zahid: AHAHAHA!!

Kaveh: *Laughs, Kaine sitting beside him

Kaine: *Looks over from his homework surprised*

Alhaitham: Dottie, read this one

Dottie: *Takes the book, his legs sprawled across Alhaitham's legs* Oh..this looks fun!

Alhaitham: *Nods, smiling slightly*

@queen-of-twisted @yukii0nna @zexal-club @albedomestic-airline

[monkey-papermoon]

Here is the first chapter (I call them Verses to incorporate music terms which has plot relevance later) of my story, of which I have 10 Verses, The first chapter is a bit rough but I gradually learn as I go along and where i'm at in the story now is a lot better in my eyes. Hope you enjoy! any questions please ask :)

The Ballad of Longdead Yuli 

Prelude 

 ⌖ 

  "I've walked this road for many a year, unsure if I will ever find what I'm looking for, I often wonder if there is anything to look for anymore, or perhaps this world has long since swallowed any hopes of prying eyes ever meeting it again. I have no reason to continue, yet still my body pushes forth, driven by... in search of..." 

  In this world there exists a tree. One whose roots span through every quarter of this planet. Harboring the population within its expanse. A mainstay hardly questioned nor pondered upon as anything but truth... 

This story is one of purpose. Crossing fates; Identity, the indominable human spirit and what it means to be alive. 

Our story could begin anywhere. In the comfort of a home where someone has cracked open a book under some light; on someone's free time away from their busy life; A passing glance from a library visitor and so on. But, for our purposes, we begin with sand blasted wastes, a girl of no name, and most importantly – A Diary of Dust. 

Verse  

    ONE  

D slid shrewdly down the steep cliff-face, breathing in with a gasp as she reached the foot of it. The desert night was just giving rise to the morning sun, as such it was still frigid. The ringing of gunfire was still in her ears, she had been running from them. Unsure if she stumbled upon something she shouldn’t have or if she simply happened upon some gunslingers too eager on the trigger.  Regardless her instinct was enough to make her not turn back and find out. She was unsure of how long she’d been running, but at this point, she thought, she was sure to have lost them.  

D spent her whole life learning to survive in the desert, the easiest place a vagabond can slip away if they so ever have the need. She had no home to speak of, but she quickly learned the tricks of a thief, such as ways to conceal oneself amongst crowds, and not to seem out of place while stealing one’s needs, or desires. As such, D would be in and out of towns. She may appear one day, scrounge what she could, and be out of sight the next. Avoiding the chance of the local law being tipped of the existence of a thieving vagrant in their midst. Since she could walk and talk, she’d done this to survive, at any cost. Surviving and scavenging was all she knew. All she knows now though, is the Sun is quickly rising upon the horizon, it was going to be very hot very soon, and she spotted shelter. 

The small building, dilapidated and half swallowed by the dunes, was unsuspecting enough. D managed to kick her way inside without toppling the aged wood responsible for sheltering her, which was a win.  

She quickly slung her cloak off and tossed it to the side, nudging her goggles onto her brow. She didn’t realize just how out of breath she was, she slid down against the nearest wall to catch her breath for a minute. It wasn’t long before her eyes began darting around to her surroundings, a scavenger’s curious eye for pickings in tandem with the need to catch her bearings for the coming day. She still had some rations from her time in Witherwood, albeit rot had begun to set in. No big deal, she was no stranger to it, but she needed more food soon. She was doubtful this shriveled shack would have anything, but maybe whoever left this place behind left a can or two of something. She was hopeful, at least. 

As her brain stopped focusing on her breathing and her other senses returned, the musty smell of wood rot nearly took out the breath she had just regained, rot wasn't too common in the desert, as rain seldom fell. Regardless, she covered her face with the cloth around her neck and started looking around. The building was not too large, but there was a lot more to the inside as she initially thought, sand had not fully penetrated what remained, save for the few spots it managed to sprinkle its way inside. Despite the building being submerged in sand, she was able to stand straight up. In doing so, however, she learned the building was tilting on its axis, the furthest wall was at quite a decline, and it wrapped around a corner, but that was shrouded in darkness.  

From where she stood, there were cabinets and drawers. She eagerly leapt in hastily swinging open the cabinets and pulling the drawers from their hinges. Nothing, nothing, nothing, and nothing. Defeated, her head dropped, there had been nothing to take save for some old wood for fire, if the rot would even take to burning. Some time passed; she was slumped against the wall with the row of empty cabinets, she took one last bite of a half-rotted apple she had stolen. She started to make her way towards the hole she made to enter. Without trying, though, her body stopped, she looked again at the darkened proceeds beyond the corner of the far wall, something about it was calling to her, and, if just for a moment, she swore she saw a bright flash of yellow as if the sun had burst through the dark for just a second. It was impossible, she thought. Every thought and instinct she had was to turn away and leave, but her body was telling her to move towards it.  

 

Accept the dark and you will uncover light... The world, entangled in lies, will it accept truth? These thoughts were not hers, and they were oh, so loud, beckoning her closer and closer. Her legs, as if she were a marionette, were moving on their own, they felt heavy, almost unbearably so. She was kneeling now, the room had gotten steeper somehow, as if her being there was enough to tip the house, the corner was inches away, the thoughts, almost desperate cries now, were ringing in her ears. A veil of countless lives... Locked in time, everlasting, unchanging... Will... You...  Question? D winced, her skin felt as if it were burning, her chest felt as if she were pinned, her whole body felt as if it were vibrating intensely. She had no choice but to watch as her body turned the corner, the thoughts, as if a hundred voices in union; SEEK TRUTH. Just then, her vision became overwhelmed with the now almost searing yellow light. Suddenly, she regained control, the light was gone, and her body collapsed under the freedom it once had. 

It took her a minute to regain control, as she did, she peered into a dark room, she knew it was risky in old buildings like this, but she took a match and lit it. She was standing inches from a pool of murky water, a strange sight in the desert but after what just happened, she didn’t question it, she was still breathing heavily and quite confused, but she now knows the source of the rot. The insufferable smell of mold and the darkness was enough to make her want to turn back. But whatever that had been, she felt she needed to figure it out. In front of her was a glint of metal, as she brought the match closer it was a wooden lockbox, the corners of which were ornate with metal. She saw nothing else in the room that had not already been thoroughly devoured by the water. She needed to pull it out of here, but the dark was intense, she struck another match and put it between her front teeth, it slightly burned her nose, but it was enough to get it out and into the first room she entered. 

She anxiously pried the box open, if this was the cause of what happened, she wasn’t sure if she wanted more of it. Her body kept telling her to open it though. The box held three items, a rusted revolver, a knife wrapped carefully in leather, and a book in pristine condition, The building owners' items before leaving, or biting it, she assumed. The gun was in disrepair, a shame because it would be of good help if she ever needed it. She fastened the knife to her beltline and looked over at the book. She couldn’t read very well, what little she did know was from her only real friend Verrill, but she loved stories. She grabbed the book and flipped through the pages with the notion that Verrill could help her read it when she saw him again. But there was nothing on the pages, every page she passed was blank. She pouted and tossed the book over her shoulder.  

She was stumped, there was no clear reason for what happened to her. I really got to stop eating rotten food, she thought. As she was gearing to retrieve her cloak from the ground, she saw something in her peripheral; yellow mist. She snapped her head around at the book laid ajar on the ground, bright yellow lettering seemed to flood the page. She leapt towards the book and picked it up, in doing so, the letters spilling across the pages, rapidly changing. She attempted to fix her sight on the page and began to sit down in hopes of figuring out something...BANG, a shot rang out in the distance, then another, and another. 

Shit, did they find me? How? She thought; No, the shots are too far, and there's no way they could have tracked me on foot through the sand unless they were right behind me. She knew one thing though, she had to leave before they got any closer, she's not dumb enough to get into a gun fight. Especially not with just a knife. She stored the book in her satchel, grabbed her belongings, fixed her goggles on her eyes and fashioned her cloak into a shawl, before slipping out of the building,  

The sun was in full effect now, from the looks of it, near noon, how long have I been there? She wondered, and took a quick glance back at the building, nothing was visible save for the hole she had made, it was sinking. Shots continued to fire in the distance, and she thought of running the opposite way. Her body, though, had other ideas. Against her will again, and much to her frustration, her body moved towards the gunfight. 

Her legs moved on their own for some time and gave way to freedom as she reached the summit of the dunes, she saw the source of the gunfire, a person dressed oddly fancy for the desert pinned behind a carriage, a barn, and two apparent gunslingers firing back and forth. This was not her fight, but the words echoed in her head again; SEEK TRUTH.  

D slipped down a pit in the dunes and close to the barn. She felt she needed to help the fancy man, so she slipped off her old knife which was too dull to use anymore, and she threw it towards the barn near the 2 gunslingers, yelling “HEY!” before crouching out of sight, which seemed enough to distract the men, two shots rang out, two bodies hit the floor. The fancy man holstered his gun and started making his way hesitantly towards D. 

Whoever he was, he was clearly apt with a gun. She sprang up and raised her hands in the air showing no weapons, the fancy man came closer, taking his hands away from his gun, The bowler hat on his head laid atop long slickened black hair which spilled out like waterfalls on either side of his neck, he looked to have some age on him, there was wispy grey hairs on both sides of his head, his face was clean shaven, He was androgynous, D could believe they were either sex, not that it mattered to her much; She had met all types of people amongst vagrants and wanderers. He was sporting a sand peppered white suit shirt, under grey vest and grey slacks, “I won’t kill you, just keep your hands up for now and come over here” The voice was equally in between, but it wasn’t the time to question that. She started walking towards the fancy man, “toss the knife to the ground and hand over your bag” he said. Great, I help someone against my will and where does it get me? Robbed. She thought, as she complied.  

The person took her bag and started rummaging through it, taking a quick look at every object and tossing it on the ground “Really? Is this all you have for food?” they asked. She replied, “If food is what you want, ask!” She replied, the person ignored her, shaking their head. Suddenly, their face turned pale; a grave expression now painted them. 

 They were holding the book D had taken from the house earlier. “Sit.” he said, “you can put your arms down.” D did as they said, up-close now and the person before them was no more discernable than they had been. Their face was rather round, and they had high cheek bones that pushed outwards from slightly sunken eyes. The person stared at the book for some time, D didn’t know if she should speak up or not. “Can I have my bag ba-” “Where did you get this?” they snapped. D answered meekly “Old house in a dune back that way” she said, pointing behind her. “Dunes? No, that’s not right” he said, looking pensive “That your book?” D asked, Ignored again. “This was buried in Lake Nevorrie, in a house, yes but... that can only mean...” 

 Their face turned from pensive to excited, as they jumped up, their demeanor changed, now sticking their hand out invitingly “How rude of me! The names Coy Allard, what’s yours?” D, taken aback at the sudden change, she reluctantly shook Coy’s hand. She didn’t talk very much, she learned most of what she knew from Verrill, who himself was a quite well-spoken man, but a rather poor teacher. “I don’t know name, but I’m called D” “Dee?” Coy asked, following with “where did you get that from?” D answered by pointing towards the satchel now at Coy’s feet, which had a D engraved on the largest fold. “Ah, do you like it? ‘D’ I mean.” Coy asked. D just shrugged “Don’t pay attention to it much” she said. “Huh, we’ll put that aside for now.” Coy sat again, tossing the book to D. “What did you see?” they asked. “Huh?” D asked. “Did you see anything, hear anything... Read anything?” The memories of the events in the house earlier had started to resurface, despite her usually poor communication, she retold the best she could, the thoughts that hadn’t belonged to her, the blinding light, her lack of control and the dancing Symbols upon the page. 

Coy removed their hat, sliding their hair back and sighing. “Well, that’s that. Fate sure is funny, I worked in the name of that book for ages after its original owner died ‘til I lost hope, I had sworn it was cursed, my goals were fruitless. I’m sure he spites me for it, but I didn’t want my life to be dictated by that book anymore. I guess, though, that book and I are tied by fate.” they laughed, “though, can’t say I didn’t miss the chase” they continued. “What is this? Am I cursed?” D held the book tight to her chest, if this book was cursed, maybe keeping it closed was the best Idea. 

Coy snickered, “poor choice of words on my part, age must be catching up” They sat forward, pointing to the book, a grin stretching across their face. “You aren’t cursed, friend, not unless you lack wanderlust or fight. No, you’ve been chosen by the Augur, and what you have there, is the Diary of Dust. Have you read it?” D shook her head “Can’t” Coy put their hat back on, tilting their head slightly “The words won’t show up?” They asked. “They do, I can’t read, and the letters don't stay the same in this. My friend Verrill helps me read” she said.  “That makes sense, the letters will only show to those blessed by Augur and will change to any language most understood by the reader. If you can’t read, they will rapidly change until you understand.” Coy responded, rubbing their chin “I guess I'll just have to teach you to read”. Not easy to trust, D jumped up defensively “No! Verrill will help!” she said sternly. Coy responded “We can’t just bring along any random guy! You don’t understand, the Augur chose you, you’re a target now. Which means others around you are in danger too.” She clenched her fists, “I’m used to danger! My whole life is dangerous, Verrill is my friend!” Coy took a deep breath, putting both their hands up in front of them in surrender. “Look, I don’t want to fight you, we just met, you don’t trust me. If you need Verrill we will seek his help, but you need to understand, we need to be quick, we can figure it out as we go” they said, pointing at their carriage. D unclenched her fists and nodded hesitantly, Coy handed her satchel to her and she picked up her knife, she put the book into the satchel, as they both topped the carriage. 

It was a long ride with few words spoken, they spoke of location and plan, but no words beyond that. Their goals were the outskirts of Verronas where Verrill sets up cart, he was a snake oil salesman, his trade was dealing in false hope, but the people of Verronas were aware, they’ve long since ran him out of town, everyone knew his products were junk, and his prices too high. It was rare someone was desperate enough to turn to him, and when he sensed a dying man, he’d spin a great comforting story surrounding his product, to ease the customer's mind in his last days, he almost always refuses to take their money He was an interesting man, but not a bad one. The snake oil was a front for his true passion, he loved books, and always had a story to tell. Growing up Verrill was the closest thing D had to a father figure, they’d spent years together running around the wastes, getting kicked out of towns and always getting into mischief. Verrill was her best friend, her only friend. He’d tell tales of his years as a student in the great library of Umbrias far to the east, or his time as a sand raider ruling the dunes, becoming feared and mighty, or his time as a Sherriff’s deputy that took out the infamous Copper-king Lucci Hall. She knew deep down they were tall tales, but she loved them. She had a lot of time to learn from him how to read but her mind was always on other things, and he always said that he hated to see her pout. 

As they neared the city of Verronas they reviewed the plan again, it was to stop by Verrill's cart, asking if he would come with them, or at least say goodbye as their goal would have them travelling, likely to not return. D was used to traveling, but she always stayed within a set radius. After today she’d be leaving it for the first time, which was both exciting and daunting for her. Her emotions were lying between the two, a bittersweet symphony for her last days in the wastes, she just hoped it wouldn’t be the last she’d see of Verrill, he was important to her, regardless of time apart. 

Time passed as the rumbling hooves shook the carriage. Coy and D were nearing their goal, they rode up 20 paces away from Verrill's cart, as to make a quick exit once they’re done. Coy stayed on the cart to get going as soon as they could. D quickly grabbed her satchel and eagerly jumped to the ground off the carriage and ran to the cart. She saw Verrill behind his counter, but something was off. Verrill was a burly, olive-skinned man with curly black hair and a beard that rode his waist. He almost always wore thick pin-striped pants and suspenders with no shirt. He was almost always in good spirits and wore a smile more often than not. Though that smile was now a bleak grimace. 

 She always had a way of cheering him up, so she ran up to the cart. “Verrill! I found a cool book, this guy I met said it’s important. We have to go real soon, I thought you’d be able to help and ride with us.” Verrill slammed a book on his counter and fixed his sights to the distance, “No, I don’t want you here, you need to leave.” he said sternly. “B-but you always love talking with me, what did I do? Can I come in?” she stammered. Verrill’s eyes widened, he left his cart to meet her face to face, narrowly slipping out of the door as to not show the contents. “You need to leave D. You’re nothing but trouble! If you don’t leave, I'll make you leave.” Verrill boomed. D began to cry and started punching Verrill in the chest repeatedly. Begging him to change his mind or explain, he did not. With eyes full of tears, she looked up at Verrill, he looked pained, his expression began to distort, his façade was gone, giving way to a face now wet with tears and full of sorrow. He mouthed to her "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry. He wrapped his arms around her tight for just a second, releasing what he was really feeling 

D, stunned, saw Coy running towards them in her peripheral, Verrill quickly turned and grabbed the book he slammed on his desk a minute before and shoved it to her chest, moving her back a step. She glanced at the book before looking back at Verrill. He was sobbing now, and he began opening his mouth once more, releasing a bellowing “RUN!”  

Before she could react; the breath was taken from her lungs, she cried out to no avail. As she was tackled to the ground, A pain like she never felt; A shot rang out, Verrill was dead. D’s vision flashed, then faded to black. 

[teriyakichop]

Yup, they're still talking about me.

I wake up, I check Tumblr, and sure enough they're still hating on me in Wyrmguard. All because they wanted to see Fireworks, I told them to pay attention, they didn't pay attention, and they missed it. But somehow, that's MY fault??? lol unbelievable. Oh, and apparently they're angry at me for using the word "retarded" which is a common word in the English language, and is in various dictionaries. But for some reason, I'm a villain for using that word? lol! That's like how people hate when the word "moist" is used...but it is a common word in the English language, and is in various dictionaries. Meanwhile, I roll up in Stormwind and I get the usual greetings and waves and RP requests. I appreciate them all, but it wouldn't surprise me if those Wyrmguard Pussies Anonymous are the ones wanting to be around Yuli. They'll hate me as Anonymous, and then they'll love Yuli when she comes around. I'm their enemy, and I'm also their fantasy. Simple as that. <3