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In Pursuit of Happiness | Various Genshin Impact Men x Reader
Okay honestly, did not expect such a response for this story. Haha. I’m not really a great writer either and even if I do have an idea, I force myself to continue the story despite having no plot. I just post. But thanks so much for all the love so far guys. This fandom has been really welcoming to me and its fun befriending people with the same love for the story and characters. 
If you guys are curious, yes, I post this along side ao3 and maybe even thinking about posting it on wattpad too but who’s to say. 
Well, due to popular demand, I shall post the second chapter. 
Not beta read/proofed, we die like Signora
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Summary: The task of an aunt was no easy thing, especially towards a rambunctious and curious nephew who can not sit still. After a bad car accident, the two of them awaken in the world of Teyvat where Y/n must do her best to not only keep herself and her nephew alive to find a way back home but to also beat back all kinds of suitors and become the pseudo mother to every child she meets and her nephew befriends.
CHAPTER 2: The Wandering Lady of Teyvat
People were getting more anxious and happen to be more rambunctious in finding the said Divine Creator.
Y/n had no bother in that as she was more focused in creating new works. It was a sight to see people, especially the women, swoon over the fictional Mr. Darcy after recalling as much as she could from the book. If she wasn’t going to read the books ever again if she doesn’t go back home, then she could at least write her favorite books for not only herself to enjoy but for others as well.
It was interesting to see children in Mondstadt to aim to become Spider-Man too, even singing the theme song.
Books were fun, but Y/n enjoyed taking walks just as much as she loved painting as she would always travel on foot with [Nephew’s name] following closely behind and when they got to a certain point, a few of their forest friends and creatures would pop out and follow them as well. Sometimes, Y/n would have a basket filled with food and her sketchbook since she would sketch the landscape. It was fun to draw the fantastical and beautiful vegetation all around her. It was especially fun to draw the creatures as well as it made her feel like she was a concept artist for a game or a show.
It made her feel like her favorite concept artists from her old world.
What she didn’t know was the powers as her being the Divine Creator were being unconsciously used as whatever she sketched and thought about would be created and brought to life somewhere in Teyvat. The creatures that she drew were at first confused at the world around them until they found more of their kind who then proceeded to inform the newly born creature of who created them – Y/n, the Divine Creator.
Y/n found it quite strange that the animals of Teyvat were always approaching her and her nephew. Heck, even the slimes and the hilichurls would approach them, attempting to do whatever they wanted like travel to Liyue and back or even go to Dragonspine. That was where the Pyro slimes came to use as they would hop around the two with Y/n taking notes and [Nephew’s name] waving at the Cryo slimes that were there, wiggling and emitting a warm aura around them. But there was just something about [Nephew’s name] and his connection with animals that seemed so natural. Even back home, he would always rave on and on about having a farm, a petting zoo, etc. It didn’t help that his dad grew up around a farm and helped raise animals.
He loved the animals and slimes so much that he brought back some of them to the Hilichurl camp they stayed at and nursed them back to health like the small songbird, a rabbit, and an enormous Hydro Slime he affectionately called Billy.
It was a strange day when Billy came to their every day lives as it seemed to have protected some other slimes that were guarding the path that lead to the Hilichurl camp from people. That was also something that Y/n picked up as people were afraid, even hostile towards the creatures that helped them so much. It didn’t seem fair as they were always a joy to be around. The Hilichurls were a hoot, dancing almost every night or when they are happy, the Mitachurls were these big protectors and [Nephew’s Name] had fun climbing up their backs or shields and they would always become a nervous mess when he was about to fall and always made sure to be mindful of their strength. The Samachurls were the wise ones, with one with an ability to heal, they were always there to help the others make a full recovery. They also helped Y/n with finding herbs and teach her about healing as well when the time came.
Her moment to shine came as she saw the big Hydro slime in front of her, giving her the hopeful and tired smile or at least what a slimes equivalent to a smile was. It kept looking at the young woman as she made quick work with the help of a Hydro Samachurl that was nearby as a Hilichurl held [Nephew’s Name] back as he was curious about the big slime.
It made a full recovery and [Nephew’s Name] grew attached to it to the point he named it Billy. With the slimes that he protected leading you to where the Hilichurls found them, Billy was protecting the slimes from the Knights of Favonius that were coming to investigate why the path they were in right now was fortified like a wall and the hilichurls were very aggressive to people these days. As a thank you for letting them stay with them, Y/n made sure to travel far away so as to not think that she was in kahoots with Hilichurls even though she was. She just didn’t want anything to happen to her new friends, especially since they were always helping take care of her nephew and he enjoyed their company.
As she was out, embarking in many paths and meeting new acquaintances, it was a sight to see that people made shrines of this Divine Creator. But the funny thing was that it had an uncanny resemblance to her own face, even gems the same color of her eyes right where the eyes should be.
… These people were serious.
She had to buy many cosmetics and remember all the make up tutorials she watched and studied under her sister to walk through cities as who knows what these people would do if they found someone that had similar features to her. It could go one way or the other – say that she’s blessed and highly favored by the Creator to have been bestowed a similar face or highly persecuted for committed blasphemy and hunted down like an animal for having a similar face.
If the people found out that the look alike can shapeshift, they’re going to tell the church.
Either way, she didn’t want to be involved much with the politics of this world, especially since she heard tell of the Fatui. What she’s been hearing were interesting and it would be best to avoid areas that they frequented, especially if she was with her nephew.
She will be damned if he ever got mixed with the wrong crowd of people in a fantasy world.
That and if she was reckless, her sister would murder her.
It sent shivers down her spine at the horrors she would endure if one hair out of line if they returned home. Such horrors gave her more chills than the icy winds of Dragonspine and Snezhnaya.
The good thing about being in a new world where neither of them had to worry about modern technology, school, or work is that they now had all the time in the world and with the ever-growing list of hobbies that Y/n partakes, she does lots of mineral and material collecting when she has the chance and even a few objectives to earn more mora in between the seven nations.
Money is money after all.
Spare no expense when it comes to her adorable nephew who she believes needs to be spoiled occasionally.
-x-
Today they were in Liyue, the two walking towards Liyue harbor, deciding to visit Bubu Pharmacy for a check up for [Nephew’s name]. She had full trust of the Samachurls, but she wanted a second opinion on her Nugget’s health.
Holding his hand gently, they climbed up the many steps to the grand building, but not before enjoying the scenery of the city and way to the pharmacy where they came to face to face with the receptionist, who happened to be a little girl with cute eyes and beautiful violet purple hair. She had to hold back her squeal as she found her so adorable before coughing lightly and flashed a smile.
“Welcome to Bubu Pharmacy. I am Qiqi.” Said the girl as she looked at the young woman, suddenly feeling warmth radiating from the lady that was looking at her. It mainly came from her, but she could feel slight hints from the boy that also stared at her with fascination.
“Hello Qiqi. I’m Y/n, and this is [Nephew’s name]. We’re here for an appointment for this one.”
“Appointment…” The girl suddenly made a focused face or at least how focused a zombie could look as she opened a book in front of her to then look up at the young woman again.
“Yes, appointment for [Nephew’s Name]. Dr. Baizhu will be here soon.”
She was already acting so grown up! Ah, her heart couldn’t take it as she almost fell over backwards if it wasn’t for her nephew holding onto her hand. She thought her nephew could be this cute, but this girl hardly even tried. Girls were always such a wonder as Y/n and her older sister always talked about either of them having a daughter and how they would spoil her rotten with lots of clothes though they already do the same thing to [Nephew’s name] already. But shopping for girl’s clothes was so darn rewarding,
Well, that is if they wanted to have a feminine clothing style. It didn’t matter to Y/n as they would be cute, nonetheless.
Dear lord, she’s started to sound like Elizabeth from Black Butler.
“Hi Qiqi! I’m [Nephew’s name]! I hope we can be best friends! I don’t go into the cities a lot.” The boy said sheepishly as he tried to get a closer look at the girl, who wore talismans on her body. She really was a zombie.
How cool was that?
Qiqi wore a dreary look on her face as she looked on at the boy, who was smiling at her. She hardly had time to leave the Pharmacy as she helped Baizhu quite a lot as the receptionist. Lately, it’s been getting a little hard because of the growing cold weather. After hearing all this, Y/n immediately went into mother mode and precured a blanket and scarf for the girl from her ‘Mystical’ bag of wonder that carried more that it should have.
Or at least that’s what Nugget calls it. He once saw his aunt pull out one of the axes for the Mitachurls.
Carefully wrapping the scarf around the girls’ neck and the blanket around the young girl, she stepped back to look her proud work, smiling at just how adorable she looked.
“There. If you need any more blankets, just say the word. Though you’ll probably have to look for me around the marsh.” She said a bit bashfully with [Nephew’s name] nodding more, probably thinking of having play dates with the zombie girl. Yes, his first friend that wasn’t a slime or a hilichurl was coming to fruition. Now if only his aunt could get the attention of a worthy man and it would all fall into place!
“I apologize for the wait you’ve endured.” There was a rich voice coming from behind the [H/c]-ette’s to see a tall and handsome emerald haired man. Yes, his hair was one of the first things to notice but the eyes were second as they appeared almost amber like – gold even.
Though the only thing that [Nephew’s name] bothered to notice was the-
“Snake! And it’s so pretty!” he cried out happily as he jumped forward and looked up at the albino snake wrapped around the man’s neck like a scarf. Back in their old world, there was the Caduceus, a staff with two snakes coiled around it – it was the official insignia of the public health service or anyone that worked within the medical field.
The snake seemed to bask in the attention as it lifted its head pridefully, looking at the young boy with interest.
“You are too kind, young one.” The snake said, earning a more awe look from the boy.
“And she talks too! An Albino snake that talks!”
Y/n had to cover her mouth at her nephew’s adorable fascination with animals again all while the albino snake seemed to already hold the boy in some high favor. Though, she didn’t escape the stare of Bubu Pharmacy’s doctor as she finally took notice of him and bowed lightly.
“Ah! Y-yes. Forgive me. And do not worry of our wait. Qiqi here was quite a delight with us.” She turned over to look at the young girl, smiling again as the doctor followed her gaze to see the same Qiqi be covered in a blanket and scarf all while it looked like flowers were floating around her as she gently snuggled more into the warmth that her new gifts provided.
“I see.” Baizhu was entertained to say the least as he looked at the woman before him, feeling as if she was quite familiar but couldn’t say otherwise other than feeling the warmth that radiated from her along with the young boy that she was with. She was a beauty, yes. And looked to be quite young, her [h/c] strands framing her face as she seemed to have quite a distant look. The clothes that she wore were a tad strange, making him believe that the woman in front of him was a traveler of sorts.
The two followed Baizhu to the back, [Nephew’s name] still talking to the snake, the two finding out her name was Changsheng.
Getting dressed into a gown, the boy soon answered all questions asked by the doctor and if he was stumped, Y/n would fill in.
The scars that were from a year earlier from the accident were still present and Baizhu asked about them.
“Treasure hoarders. He and I barely made it out only thanks to our family.”
The tone in the atmosphere darkened lightly but to Y/n and her Nugget, it was all just a fabricated story. Yes, you lost your family, but whoever was curious weren’t going to ask more about dead family members if that’s the story.
Changsheng having gotten close to the boy felt lots of sympathy as the boy had to see lots of horrors so suddenly. She felt sympathy for the mother as well, having to be the only one to raise the boy.
“I see. I’m sorry for your loss. I’m sure your son is blessed to have a mother like you.”
To witness the blushing face of the woman in front of her was blissful gift as Y/n quickly shook her head almost comically, her nephew laughing as the warmth from earlier had come back but this time it was much stronger.
So strong in fact that a certain amber-eyed archon noticed and almost dropped his cup of tea as he hurriedly stood to his feet and rushed out to follow where the warmth came from.
Back to Y/n, she finally attempted to speak.
“No. No! He’s not my son! He is my nephew. Well, I suppose I can see where people confuse us as mother and son…” she said, the blush on her cheeks still present as the emerald haired doctor chuckled in amusement.
“My apologies. I was in the wrong to assume. You two seem quite close.”
“Yeah! Auntie is very nice to me! She’s there for me even I know mommy isn’t here anymore.”
“Hey now. Stop that gloomy talk or else Dr. Baizhu won’t reward you with a piece a candy.” Y/n playfully pinched her Nugget’s cheeks, making him whine playfully but it did earn a laugh as Baizhu pulled up a small lollipop from his pocket. [Nephew’s name] then proceeded to behave, doing whatever Dr. Baizhu told him to just as they finished up, Y/n heard a voice.
‘Oh, great Divine Creator. Wherever you are, I hope that you are safe. Please, if you can hear me, please return to us. And keep my son safe wherever he is.’
Y/n stopped, clutching her head as her suspicion of who she is to these people were proving her right so far. And of all times to be proved right… what headache. Literally.
This is giving her Kamisama Hajimemashite vibes.
“Is something wrong? Do you feel pain?” Baizhu’s voice was next to her and turning towards him, her [e/c] eyes seeing the worried look, followed by her nephew and Changsheng.
“It’s just a passing headache, Doctor. Perhaps I’ve neglected to eat and drink this morning in worry of my nephew’s health. He’s been such a healthy boy and hardly gets sick but nonetheless, I worry.”
“He’s a healthy boy. In fact, almost too healthy. It’s good for children to take a tumble or two, you know.” Baizhu watched the [H/c]-ed boy talk to Changsheng more, wanting to know more about the snake as they blissfully ignored the two adults.
“I’m aware. Again, thank you Dr. Baizhu.”
“It’s my pleasure. Be sure to schedule another appointment if you want to be up to date with his health with Qiqi.”
The doctor walked them back out to the reception with Qiqi waiting patiently, writing down the names for next months appointment. Afterwards, she took off the scarf and blanket only for Y/n to shake her head and smile as she handed them back to the girl.
“Keep them. We have plenty more. I have too much time on my hands that I forget how many I make.” If Qiqi could get any happier, she would if it wasn’t for the fact she hardly makes any expressions. There were far more flowers radiating from her as she snuggled closer to the blankets than before. Baizhu and Changsheng showed them off as they waved them goodbye.
After walking a certain distance, walking to a secluded spot of Liyue harbor, Y/n and Nugget held onto each other. There was a small playful glint in her eyes as she eyed the clear skies, unaware of one man walking closer to them as he followed them when they left Bubu Pharmacy. He could feel the warmth coming from both, yet the one he was mainly focused on was the woman beside the child, who gently talked to them, saying a few jokes before walking towards a secluded part of the harbor – away from prying eyes.
“Alright Nugget. Hold on tight, okay?”
“Got it!”
They walked further into the alley way and before the Archons very eyes, the two shot up into the air suddenly but instead of falling towards the ground, they kept afloat without the need of a glider. The woman and child looked as if they were walking through the skies of Liyue and only him did he notice the strange phenomenon.
They walked all the way to the direction of Dihua Marsh, where he made sure to follow them.
I’m a big howls moving castle fan okay and cause I'm still waiting on Baizhu so I can pull him! Ah, Qiqi is so cute and I will literally adopt her if I ever see her. Also I’m trying to make these chapters long not only as a challenge to myself but also to just make it feel like a light novel hahaha. Oh, maybe I can make cover arts and just scenes of the story when I have the time. I’m kinda excited. Also, Billy the Hydro Slime is our mascot/friend. We must protect Billy. Anyways, thanks for reading! Be sure to like, reblog, ask me to add you on the taglist for updates, maybe even share some ideas since I’m still figuring out the plot. 
TAGLIST: 
@axolotlboo  @crazypriestess
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curiouschaosstarlight · 3 months
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Oh boy it sure is nice not being alloromantic/allosexual enough to be "normal" but also not aromantic/asexual enough to be a good aromantic/aspec person (:
Sure is nice to finally have a community I totally fit into, everyone is SO welcoming
#chaotic rants#“there's no platonic explanation for this!” there is actually#“when are you gonna get a date/get married/have kids?” never#“let's get you fixed up so you and your boyfriend/girlfriend can have sex! ^w^” “i dont have one” “oh im sure you'll find one :0”#“i dont want a significant other and i never will” “oh that's just your anxiety talking. it'll go away once your anxiety's cured!”#vs#“ugh all these allosexuals are SO OBSESSED with shipping”#“are allosexuals okay”#“not EVERYTHING has to be a ship”#“if you ship a canonically aro character you're erasing the representation and are evil and should be hurt/killed”#vs...#“who cares about the lore of this game? what if the characters just fuck and nothing else”#“lol that character isnt het/bi that makes no sense!” it has canonical proof/is obviously shipteased all the time but okay#“lol that character isnt bi/pan that makes no sense!” it's not contradicted by canon even the tiniest bit but okay#-finally finds a character that's ACTUALLY similar my experience being aroaspec-#-that character is the butt of every joke and a mockery of me and everyone like me as people-#“yeah the 'aroace character is obsessed with food' thing is an annoying stereotype! but it's all you're getting so be happy about it :)”#“lol this character that is canonically het and is constantly sexually harassed is actually canonically aroace.”#“what? you find that offensive and uncomfortable? fuck you im asexual and i get to decide what is and isnt canonically aroace” okay#“you think this other character is canonically aroace? uhhhh no you're wrong that's an offensive stereotype idiot”#-it's the one character in the entire canon that's literally never shown any attraction to anyone else-#“this character was turned aroace by this other character. even tho this is offensive with any other sexuality it's totally fine here!”#“also yes you're a bad person if you ship this character even though they're only aroace in fanon”#“here's our webcomic where everyone's gay or trans or both! ...what? sorry there's no aro or ace or aroace characters in this.”#“fuck you if you were hopeful there would be”#vs!!#“oh everything in fiction is a person's idealized reality!”#“shipping is everyone's idealized romantic/sexual relationship!”#“if you like this in fiction then you like it and want it to happen in reality!”
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jewvian · 8 months
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Trivial pursuit tntl edition with Amanda and Angela????? Oh baby oH BABY!!!!! I am in comedy heaven right now brb!!!!!!
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running-in-the-dark · 2 months
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got a new hard drive (had to, no space left 😔), so I'm using that as a reason to completely reorganise my files (mostly shows, movies etc)
I'm having such a good time 💖
#not sarcasm! it's so fun#the only thing that sucks is that I managed to break sonarr somehow. didn't touch a thing but okay sure#I'll figure it out#I've got to wait for a couple cables that we had to order anyway before I can start moving stuff around#I've been sooo frustrated with how chaotic everything has been so this is gonna be great#but yeah I've had to delete so much stuff already (not at all because I've been downloading too much John Larroquette stuff or anything...#😬😬)#and I've been complaining about it every day so my husband bought me a new hard drive 🙈#still not enough space but it'll do for now#I always think 'oh I'm not a data hoarder! I don't have nearly as much stuff as those guys on reddit or wherever!' but like. it's not#because I don't WANT to save all of it#I only have *checks* 16 TB now with the new hard drive. I'd absolutely get a bunch of 20 TB ones if I could but no instead I spend money on#dumb shit lol#anyway yay I can stop deleting movies! very exciting#lol if anything I'm a hard drive hoarder.... I've got 7 internal ones and 3 external ones now.#yeah I just add new ones and don't remove any#I don't even wanna say it because I'll jinx it but. I've never had a hard drive fail. in over 20 years of having computers. I'm scared it's#gonna happen but 🤷 so far it hasn't lol#well one external one started failing but it went gradually not all at once. so I was able to move everything off of it first#and I mean I have backups of everything that's important! but not any of the media stuff 😬 it wouldn't be awful but it'd definitely make me#sad because I'm sure there's things there's that I couldn't find anymore#personal
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vamprnce · 6 months
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think I need to process that whole Peter getting the symbiote mission bc I wasn't expecting that
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cinna-bunnie · 10 months
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the Evil Wizard playthrough continues at the Ringed City
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donuts4evry1 · 2 years
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Absolutely in love with the concept of Jellyfish dating sim!!!!!!!!!! .0. !!
If you ever need anything like assets, bgs, or someone to bounce ideas off of, I would absolutely LOVE to be a part of it and lend you whatever helping hands you might want ^u^
Of course you don't have to take me up on the offer, I know that you're fully capable on your own. I'm so excited about the concept though!!!!!!! I hope that this goes somewhere, whether that somewhere ends up being an actual finished game, or not. If it's just a more developing of this base idea, I'm excited to see it unfold. It's a great idea, that carries potential that I'm mad hype to exolore
AHH Thank you so much for your kind words ;w;!!!
I'll be sure to keep that in mind as well :). Maybe once I start stitching together code I'll make a discord server for the game so people can bounce off ideas (and also for possible beta testers... 👀👀?), and also be more uniform when helping me find assets
I don't have many solid ideas on what this game is going to be about, but I do know that it's probably going to be one of my most ambitious undertakings yet, so it'll be exciting ^v^!!
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aeipathic · 2 years
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@endlesscacophony​ says: 🎰 kicks down ur door
    meme || accepting
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[carefully reattaches the door] manners, lyn, honestly,
for funsies i went beyond fe3h and included all of your muses that i know and many of my muses that you know just to see what would happen >:)
1. xie lian & hilda — me crying with laughter already. if hilda tried to manipulate xie lian into things for her he absolutely would, but he’d be so sincere and kind about it that she’d feel a little bad. but also she’d quickly realize that he’s so prone to bad luck that it’s honestly easier to do things herself because he’s just as likely to accidentally trip into a mud puddle halfway through as anything
2. aizawa & dorothea — idek what to say about this one, except that the idea of an au where aizawa is a professor at garreg mach is actually kind of amazing, and i think he would consider dorothea one of his less irritating students
3. wei wuxian & ashe — ONCE AGAIN this is just inciting “wei wuxian teaches at garreg mach” as an au possibility, though also, “15-year-old wei wuxian is a student at the academy” is actually equally viable and potentially more hilarious. he’d be a golden deer i think. WAIT HE AND ASHE HANDSHAKE ON “WAS A KID ON THE STREETS WHO WAS ADOPTED BY AN INFLUENCIAL NOBLE”? they’d be friends actually,
4. lysithea & lambert — hello?? father figure for lysithea??? i know she has an actual living father but like. never stop at just one am i right. 
5. hilda & dimitri — listen i honestly don’t know WHAT their friendship would look like but i’m here for it. i think hilda would think dimitri is much too Serious and needs to lighten up mostly bc his intensity about things makes her uncomfortable and a little inferior:tm: but also. she thinks he’s a good guy
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VP was asking me what I wanted to do when I was younger, and I told her about studying psychology and wanting to be a psychologist.. & she was like, well the job you're doing now basically is about that! You handle employee relations and get to investigate people's behavior.
Like yeaa girll, but rn rn idc about people and their fucking issues 🥴 I'm worried 'bout me rn.
It was funny though cause I could sense the meaning behind everything she was saying, grooming me to stay doing something I recently let them know I didn't want to do.
Everything is calculated 😅 I know the game.
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kissingwookiees · 3 months
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those post where some guy is in the rank kitchen cooking a delicious looking meal in the most chaotic way possible and everyones like 'oh this dudes been a line cook' thats how i feel watching my dad cook
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Highly considering taking two semi-impulsive vacations in the somewhat near future. I wanna do a fun and chaotic one (like Vegas or NYC) and then I wanna do a more chill, kinda bougie one that's somewhere secluded (like the Cook Islands or Samoa). Like what if I just did that...
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bangerbug · 2 years
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Starting out in the gym is such a hate-love relationship man. like why are you making me so tired and sore and having me sweating like a hog. but. look at how better my sleep schedule is and how slowly my legs are turning more firm
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carrotkicks · 1 year
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Omg that last post of 16 chuuya and 22 Dazai, you should do the reverse with 16 Dazai and 22 chuuya (I think that’s be so cute/silly) /nf /gen
we'll im sure it'll be 100x more chaotic lol
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matrixbearer2024 · 2 months
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I Hate Mondays
Vox x CollegeStudent!Reader
A/N: This interlude was probably WAAAAAY overdue- but here it is! I was thinking of how to continue though eventually decided to let Vox kind of just deal with the whiplash of his chill downtime with you and his chaotic somewhat unhealthy workplace. I didn't want to really include conflict, just him again dealing with things he has come to realize but not entirely accept- it's Vox, when will he actually genuinely accept that he'd fallen fast and fallen hard for someone because they treated him like a decent human being? Either way, it's mostly fluffy stuff for now before I add your interlude idea requests into the story soon :)
A/N: I've also seen people sometimes write Vox with a little bit of an impostor syndrome, so a lot of his doubts and anxieties will kind of be reflected in this interlude. It'll all be okay though I promise! Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy and happy reading!
There's a saying that everyone hates Mondays.
Manic mondays, monday blues, monday's monster, etc.
And for Vox, after the weekend he's had with you?
That saying couldn't have been more true.
From a relaxed and chill two days, back into an insanely stressful and borderline chaotic work environment.
And as he stared at the stack of documents in front of him-
He didn't even want to begin.
The overlord would've repeatedly hit his head against the table if it didn't risk cracking his screen.
The last thing he needed was to worry you because of something stupid.
"VOX! I NEED YOUR HELP WITH THIS!"
"VOX! I NEED YOU TO DO THAT!"
"VOX! GIVE ME THIS THING!"
"VOX!"
"VOX!"
"VOX!"
Left, right and center-
His colleagues were definitely not short of any demands.
And it was slowly driving him insane from frustration.
They could be asking quite literally anybody else, but no.
They just had to bother him.
And the overlord was just in no mood to deal with the chaos right now.
With his packed schedule full of broadcasts and meetings-
Vox's patience was really running thin.
It got to the point where simply chose to ignore the other Vees after a while.
Not responding to their calls or texts as he holed himself up in his monitor room.
Was his daily life really this crazy?
It's such a jarring change from how he felt like during that weekend with you-
So much so that he was really having trouble believing it.
Still, he threw himself into work.
As the king of technology in pentagram city often would-
And he completely lost track of time.
So after a while just staring and tabulating some analytics on the many screens in front of him-
The last thing he expected to see was a notification from your chat to pop up.
"Hey, how you feeling? You seemed kinda off on your broadcast earlier."
Vox wasn't thinking of replying to you, he only noticed what he'd done after a reply was sent anyway.
"Color me surprised, I didn't think anyone would notice!"
He really had to stop reacting to you first and just think about it.
Still, his fingers were already flying across the keyboard before he could stop them.
"Vox, it's me. Of course I would notice. Did something happen?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary doll, just getting used to the grind again."
He cringed slightly reading that message over, did he really just send that to you?
You could be laughing at his poor attempt of using new slang for all he knew.
"That is how you use that word right?"
"Yeah it is lol. Can you drop by the hotel later when you're free? I know you're busy so it's okay whenever."
That made his heart skip a beat, something the overlord slightly berated himself for.
Sure, he'd come to the realization that he did in fact love you to some degree.
But it's not without clear hesitation.
He could very well be mistaken anyway.
You were just... friendly like that.
Yeah. Friendly.
"Why'd you ask? Miss me already dollface?"
"Don't be an idiot. I just wanna hang out with you."
Vox found himself needing to read your message over a few times after you sent that.
He still couldn't quite understand why you liked spending so much time with him.
Time was valuable and time was money.
At least in the literal sense when it came to his occupation.
And still you just wanted to spend yours with him.
Him.
No wonder Alastor made a jab at you having a bad taste in companions.
He was... not really the best in hindsight.
Not that he'd ever admit that fact, his pride wouldn't allow it.
But in regards to you?
You definitely deserved better than what you got.
"Besides, you need to take breaks from your work every now and then. Vel's been texting me nonstop that you already look like shit."
The overlord couldn't help but chuckle from the irony of that statement.
Velvette, though not as much as a certain moth, still contributed to his stressful day.
But it was still nowhere near as bad.
Vox dreaded having to go out and deal with the irate pimp again.
Another tantrum, maybe a screaming fest even?
His mood was souring even more just thinking about it.
"Actually, did you eat anything at all today? Or do you just skip your meals you workaholic TV demon?"
"That's pretty rude dollface."
"Am I wrong though? Anyway, answer the question Samsung."
Now how should he answer this?
It took one glance at his internal clock to confirm he'd actually skipped both breakfast and lunch.
Well, he didn't think you'd count just drinking coffee a good breakfast.
Would you really get upset enough to storm Vee tower if he replied honestly?
Actually you would- Vox wouldn't put it against your chaotic nature-
Hm... maybe he could lie to you just this once.
"I'm fine doll, seriously. Don't worry about it."
The overlord tiredly sighed.
He had another broadcast in a few minutes, whether or not he felt up to it.
It didn't help that there was this... heavy feeling in his gut that wasn't there earlier.
Was he feeling guilty...?
For lying to you?
And it wasn't even really a lie, just- an omission of some details.
A hand flew up to cover his screen, kind of like a facepalm.
You really have changed him, and he didn't catch it until too late.
"Vox, I worry about you regardless. When you throw your job into it as well, then all the more I'm concerned that you're not taking good care of yourself. I know what it's like to get lost in responsibilities, just... be more mindful of yourself okay?"
For someone who wasn't supposed to care, wasn't supposed to get close to anyone unless it had advantages-
The overlord couldn't help but feel genuinely touched reading your message.
Sure, you'd sent similar things before and even told him outright at times-
But it always had the same effect.
You cared about him, probably to the extent he unknowingly did for you.
Whether it was intentional or not, he found himself just a little bit happier because of it.
Most of the world he'd built up around himself was fake anyway, smiles and all.
So this little shot of genuine care...
Really struck him.
Though just as that train of thought went and left the station-
Vox just as quickly put a stop to it.
That fuzzy feeling in his chest had bloomed once again and he wanted none of it.
Well, more like he couldn't bring himself to continue entertaining it.
It was probably fine when the both of you were simply oblivious.
But now he felt like he needed to make a conscious effort to stop falling for you more.
Lest he risk wrecking everything just because he'd guessed wrong.
What would you see in a guy like him anyway?
"I will, thanks dollface. Anyway, I have a broadcast in a few minutes so I'm afraid I'll have to cut this short."
"It's fine go and do what you need to do, just drop by any time you need to okay? I'll be here."
Your flatscreen companion couldn't help but smile from your words.
Again, the way you treated him was just so... different from everything he was used to.
His tech empire, his company, his power and status-
It didn't matter to you.
Not at all when you were alive, and it clearly even carried over now that you were here.
How you could be so nonchalant about everything, Vox wouldn't ever understand.
Nor would he probably be able to comprehend.
But that wasn't really much of an issue compared to other things he felt towards you.
"I will. Thanks doll."
With that reply, the overlord went and got ready for his final broadcast of the day.
And it went as one would've expected.
Totally sideways off the rails and into a burning trash heap.
Fucking Mondays.
The broadcast itself would seem fine to the viewers, but behind the cameras?
It was practically a shitfest cranked up to eleven.
The cameras were rolling as usual and Vox was playing up his typical telecaster charm-
When Valentino decided to show up and throw a hissy fit then and there.
Sure, the viewers saw none of the chaos or madness-
But you knew something was up with your TV headed companion when his smile looked a little bit too strained on air.
It's not something everyone else would notice, but you would.
You always did.
And you were proven right when you heard some knocking on glass.
Ah.
There he was.
Vox was somehow sitting on one of the many ledges and railings that encompassed the hotel, it just so happens that this one was close to your room.
Didn't his broadcast just air?
You quickly shook off the surprise and confusion to open the window.
"Vox? What are you-"
"It's been a long day, wasn't in the mood to see the others. Just you."
"Then get in here, wanna talk about it?"
When your companion shook his head, that's when you knew his day was probably upside down when it came to anything going right.
Not to mention that for once, he actually dropped by and looked quite as bad as he felt.
His bow tie was undone, his shirt was untucked and messy-
Plus his coat and striped vest were nowhere to be seen.
Probably left at the tower you'd guess.
"Dude, you look like shit."
Vox rolled his eyes at you with a chuckle, moving to sit down on the floor while leaning back against the edge of your bed.
You would've told him to just sit on the mattress itself- but he probably wanted to lean on something so you just joined him.
"I've been told, almost nothing went right today."
"Guess that's why they call it a manic Monday huh?"
You both shared an odd look before laughing.
Of course it would be the stupid joke to lighten the mood.
But that was always how you both broke the ice, and if it works- it works.
"Perhaps, but I don't think it was ever this tiring before."
You simply shrugged, leaning your head on his shoulder and staring out in front of you.
Vox subconsciously moved an arm around you when he did.
He was way too tired to really care or stop himself though.
"Maybe it never was, or maybe you just got used to it. Vel did tell me that you never really took a break before you met me."
"Seriously? What else does she spill about me then?"
"Nothing too important, just that you're a whole lot different from how you were two years ago."
When your companion let out a thoughtful hum, that's when you knew he agreed.
Funnily enough, Vox wouldn't say much of anything when he was actually giving something a lot of thought.
So the fact he wasn't really talking as much as usual also spoke volumes to you about his state of mind.
Because as annoying as his comments and charming jokes could be sometimes-
It was fundamentally what made Vox well- Vox.
Which made him just shooting short replies and sentences a little bit more concerning.
"Hey, can I give you a hug?"
"What? Why would you need to ask that? You've already hugged me before."
"I know, but this time it genuinely looks like you really need a hug. This is different from the ones when we just joke around."
You almost wanted to smack your overlord companion when he just gave you a confused look.
Granted, this was hell so what the both of you shared was no short of peculiar.
But the point still stands-
Had no one ever given this idiot an actual hug before?
"Look, just tell me if something feels wrong okay?"
Vox didn't really know how to respond to any of your words.
What made your hugs from before so different from now?
Though when he'd suddenly found you straddling his lap, the overlord bit back a surprised noise.
What the fuck were you doing?!
He found himself tensing a little when you laid your head on his chest, your arms encircling behind him as well.
Oh what the hell was this-
"Just relax you weirdo, I don't bite."
You calmly laid there and listened to his pulse, it was a little faster than you'd hoped for but didn't mind.
The gentle hum of his circuits reminded you of a working desktop computer, which you found a little silly considering he was supposed to have a TV for a head.
Again with the bionic biology- you were getting more than curious-
Eventually though, Vox did calm down enough to actually live in the moment.
The smell of your shampoo, how warm and soft you were-
His arms moved of their own accord and reciprocated your hug.
His posture slackened and the overlord found himself properly relaxing with you.
It was just so... calm right now.
And he was so so tired.
What he would give to just be like this with you every day.
The next time you looked up to check on Vox, you saw his screen dimmed and a screensaver of his company logo just bouncing around the edges of his face.
Ah, so that's where he got it from.
You wondered what it was ever since he slapped it onto your laptop-
You couldn't help but smile when the reality finally hit that the tech overlord had fallen asleep during your cuddle session.
Sure, he was probably really tired-
But he trusted you enough to just let go and relax.
That made your heart swell with joy.
He didn't need to say anything about his day for you to know he needed comfort.
After all, he could tell you about it when he was ready to.
You did wonder why emotional comfort was such an odd concept to Vox-
But it was something you were more than willing to teach him.
Besides, you both had eternity down here in hell.
So you had all the time to spend giving your flatscreen companion the care he deserved.
Your pleasant thought bubble popped when you heard a weird noise from the overlord though.
When it happened again, you didn't take more than a second to connect the dots.
Especially given how late it was into the evening.
Did this idiot even eat anything today?!
No wonder he dodged your question earlier!
You'd let him sleep a little longer but you would wake him for dinner.
Seems like you were totally right to worry about this habits.
Stupid workaholic TV.
He was lucky you liked him.
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saltpepperbeard · 6 months
Text
Poison into Positivity: A List of What I Liked in OFMD S2
Hello hello everyone! Things have been a little rough around here. Even away from the more heated takes, I've still seen a few "down in the dumps" murmurs. To which, I'm giving y'all big hugs, but also offering up some little bits of warmth! I wanted to share quite a few bullets of the things I enjoyed about this season. Maybe it'll serve as a reminder, or maybe it'll just serve as a chaotic, silly little read as per usual PFFF.
But I invite you to read along, and even add some of your own points should you feel inclined! Also, this might not even be my full list; these are just the ones that came to me quickly/off the top of my head. Still, let's dive on down like a fantastical, dazzling goldfish, shall we?
All the callbacks/parallels. My goodness. When I tell you I'm a SLUT for metaphors/parallels/callbacks/etc etc. Seeing so many things and being able to just *Leonardo Dicaprio pointing meme.* I know people might not share that same opinion because some might view it to be excessive, but I personally LOVED being able to point at my screen and be like "oH EYYYYYYY!!!" Maybe because it makes for such immaculate gifset/meta material <3 SJKJDLHSK
The costuming and makeup. WHEN THEY TALKED AT ECCC ABOUT EVERYONE GETTING HOTTER, THEY WERE NOT KIDDING LMAO. EVERYONE LOOKED SO, SO GOOD. and listen, i am on my knees begging for them to give ed with his hair up back to us. i need Her back,,,ALSO, SOMETHING SOMETHING COMPLICATED EMOTIONS TOWARDS STEDE'S LATTER HALF LOOK, BUT ALSO...GOD DAMN, MR. DARBY,,,,,,
Speaking of Mr. Darby, the acting in this season. The ACTTTINNNGG. Everyone acted their ASSES off. Everyone put their entire piratussies into this season. Though, I'm PARTICULARLY impressed with Taika and Rhys, because again with their "oh we're comedians lol so idk drama can be Difficult Difficult Lemon Difficult." MMMM I THINK THE FUCK NOT, MY GUYS LMAO??? They both did SO well with all the drama and painful moments. The acting in episodes 2, 3, 6, and 7 in particular like...God. GOD!!!
I loved so many characters in this season, and I'll of course have to give two individual shoutouts to my two favorite new ladies, but man. LET'S GO FRENCHIE!!! ALWAYS A DELIGHT!!! FANG/KEVIN MY ABSOLUTE SWEETHEART. JIM SERVING ABSOLUTE FUCKING GENDER THIS SEASON. OLU OLU DARLING OLU. PETE NEVER MISSING WITH HIS ONELINERS. LUCIUS BEING SO THEATRICAL AHDJKSDK LIKE NATHAN PLEASE YOU KILL ME. ROACH MAKING ME LAUGH OUT LOUD NUMEROUS TIMES AS HE DOES. WEE JOHN AND HIS KNITTING AND DRAG!!! AND THEN OF COURSE MY DEARLY BELOVEDS, ED AND STEDE. I JUST LOVE THEMMMMM!!! But okay okay okay-
Zheng my beloved. I just love this badass pirate queen with her sweet little pigtails and her IMMACULATE LINE DELIVERIES SDHJKSKL. A lot of my favorite deliveries from the entire season came from her quite honestly. Please see: "Girl, how ARE you?" and "Hiiiiiii. I KNOWWW it's been a day" and "I've killed mediocre men. I've killed exceptional men. But you're the worst kind: a mediocre man who thinks he's exceptional."
AND ARCHIE MY BELOVED. She kills me because I remember seeing like, those ~*~audition tape whispers~*~ WAY back in the day, and subsequently thinking she was going to be quite a different character. Only for this silly goofy bubbly energetic darling to pop up and snag my heart. HER deliveries kill me also, like when she goes "Like...STEDE Stede?" and the whole "I was IN the fuckin' snake!" also hhngngngngnershkfhslkds tattooed ladies Hot :(
Speaking of which, the comedy. THE DELIVERIES. THE WAY I LAUGHED OUT LOUD NUMEROUS TIMES THROUGHOUT, EVEN WITH THE DEEP UNDERCURRENT OF DRAMA/ANGST. The whole bit where Stede is in hysterics over his cursed coat is just hsjkdhsklds; it will NEVER not make me wheeze. And then, like I said, almost EVERYTHING Pete says this season kills me; another thing that will never not make me laugh is "a doggie...?" weird little pirate show with weird little humor my beloved
The ROMANCE??? I genuinely was going into the season with the expectation of getting maybe like, one or two Gentlebeard kisses. Imagine my shock and utter delight when we ended up with FOUR, AS WELL AS AN INTIMATE SCENE, THE LETTER SCENES, AND THE LOVE PROFESSIONS. Like, one of them dropping a legitimate "I love you" felt like an unrealistic expectation--the HIGHEST dream tier really. And then wouldn't you know it. And that doesn't even account for all the rest of the couples either! The murder wives having their chaotic little moments of fucked up affection??? LUCIUS AND PETE GETTING ENGAGED AND THEN MARRIED??? HELLO??????
The sets! I know people have pointed out that the world felt a bit simplified this time around, due to budget restraints and what have you. But I still loved what they did with the world even with the various constraints. The market in episode 6 is a PARTICULAR favorite of mine; it's just so lush and colorful. I also love what they did with The Revenge during episode 6 too!
Also, this might be an unpopular opinion, but I really actually liked that they filmed on location. First of all, love that the Kiwis got to be right at home in Aotearoa. Love that they have an even more special connection to the show now. But second of all, I just like when scenery is...actually THERE? It feels way more TANGIBLE. Don't get me wrong; that hugeass wraparound screen that they use to film a lot of sets is a technological marvel. But I'm a sucker for practical.
The deeper and more complex dives into character motivations/trauma. Like, homie lol...When I tell you episodes 6 and 7 utterly set my brain alight in the best way possible. I was CHUGGING through thoughts. You know those gifs where someone is walking around and ranting/passionately talking,,, yeah. Yeah. Maybe because a lot of it "struck a chord" with me indeed, but I love love LOVE getting brain food like that.
Speaking of brain food, in PARTICULAR, the deeper dives into Ed's self-loathing and into Stede's troubles with confidence and masculinity. A lot of Stede's choices were fueled by those two things, and it was SO friggin fun to catch all of them, put them in a jar, and shake them around. I've seen a lot of people fearing his actions in the latter half were out of character, but to me, I don't see it that way. I just see a man who has been so spurned, so left behind, and SO deprived, a man who is stuck thinking he has to be someone else to mean something. And I think that plays a lot into even the EARLIEST developments we saw in season 1, so it was just so intriguing to watch everything messily play out.
THE INNKEEPER. THE INNKEEPER MY BELOVED. SO much about that episode absolutely has my heart. All the different developments, the stakes, the pacing, and the payoff at the end. Not to mention that I had a FEELING that mysterious figure in the trailers was Hornigold, so it was so SO validating to see him pop up PFFF. And also, all those dream/gravy basket sequences were so so good too. I don't know if it's the chemistry between Taika and Mark, or the deeper symbolism, or the lines that have become vocal stims for me SJKDLS (please see: ooOOoooO eddie eddie eddie...you're laying some heavy shit on me, bro), but man. MAN.
And this one gets its own bullet because of course it does: the fucking mermaid scene. Like, are we kidding. ARE WE KIDDING. THE ROMANCE OF IT ALL? THE FANTASTICAL-NESS INDEED?? THE WAY IT WAS ALL FUCKING PRACTICAL AND RHYS SWAM DOWN TO TAIKA AS A BEAUTIFUL LITTLE GOLDFISH AND THEY HAD TO THROW HEART EYES AT EACH OTHER UNDERWATER??? WHAT THE FUCK!!! And don't even get me started on Kate Bush lol. This Woman's Work might easily be one of my favorite songs, if not my FAVORITE song from the season. And man. Man. The whole meaning behind Ed seeing Stede as this beautiful, sparkly being, and not some hypermasculine/extraordinary thing. He fell in love with Stede for who Stede really is. And so I ADORE that acknowledgement.
Speaking of songs, the MUSIC!!! Absolute bangers all throughout. And I loved how there seemed to be even more intermixed within the episodes. Like God... "These are the kids..." 🗣️ HELLO MY LOVE I HEARD A KISS FROM YOU 🦗🦟🦗🦟🦗🦟 . And all the beautiful classic piano pieces and NINA SIMONE AND JUST HSJKDHSFJKLHSKD????
Okay, I've always had and STILL have complicated thoughts and opinions on Izzy, but man, seeing him interact with the Revenge Crew was really something. Seeing Stede's influence come over the lot of them like a warm blanket, extending its welcoming and familial hands...It was just lovely. I love seeing our little sea family care for each other so much. They've probably all hurt so so much in different ways, so to see them all being a collective heart is just so nice.
Speaking of which, the queerness of it all, the queer celebration of it all. The way the whole crew is just...a representation of queer people finding each other, and subsequently finding love and family in each other. Like, when the whole world wants to cast you out, you pull each other in. When no one else wants you, you take refuge in each other. And just...the joy, beauty, and wonder that can be found in that.
And speaking of which x2, the overall care that was put into the entire thing, the effort that was put into the entire thing. I know Max fucked us over with the budget, which subsequently fucked things like the intricacy, the amount of characters, and especially the pacing. But, I don't know; I personally could still tell everyone involved was trying so so hard to deliver for us. Based on the little details, the little callbacks, and the little moments that felt so catered to us, it just seemed so...gifted to us. Not to mention of course, the way they so deliberately chose to end on a hopeful note in case we never get a third season. They care about us. They've always cherished our excitement and passion, so it just...idk; it feels so special to have a bit more of an intimate connection like that. I've never been involved with a piece of media that so avidly SEES its audience, and celebrates along with us. So, despite everything, despite any sort of troubles, despite any sort of lows, that's a big part of what has me clutching all of this so closely to my chest. And I really hope they can still see that love, because I want nothing more than for them to see this beautiful story through.
Also, getting to enjoy this with everyone. Getting to ride the wave from the beginning of filming, all the way through the finale. Getting to see all the excitement, all the theories, all the art, all the fanfiction, all the gif sets, all the meta, and everything in between. It has carried me through some nastiness in my personal life, and has subsequently served as a very welcomed distraction. It's been such a pleasure getting to delight in this new content with you all, and I hope we get to do so into the future. <3
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