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bouncybongfairy · 2 months

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Could you do a live action Zuko x reader, they were betrothed to eachother before his banishment. They frequently had visits and got along really well. First time they met he saw her creating a blue butterfly from her fire bending. The reader can produce blue flames but is a gentle, kind person. Zuko is reading the latest letter she has sent him, praying for his safety and health. How does he feel about them after all this time? Maybe this fuel his fire to complete his quest and get home.

See You Soon

Prince Zuko x Fem Reader

Summary: Both Zuko and can't stop thinking about each other, after reading the most recent letters you sent to each other.

Word Count: 2.0k

<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3

It’s been some time since the last time you’d seen Zuko face to face. Ever since his banishment, so about three years. You’d think those wounds would have healed, a betrothal that was nothing more than a concept faded in time. Anyone who’d know you would say you were well past it, those people obviously weren’t paying close enough attention. Sending each other letters, drawings and pressed flowers. Detailing everything unfolding in his quest to find the Avatar. Her day to day life with school and helping your mom with all the tailoring for the Fire Lord’s family. A very important part in your life considering your family had been tailoring in the palace for generations. Every once in a while you’d send him an embroidered Lion to represent power and leadership, hiding his name tiny within the mane. Although you found comfort in the words of reassurance he gave through ink and paper, it only made you long for something more. Reminiscing on all the precious memories that now feel like they were taken for granted.

The two of you met by chance, your mother worked in the palace. She made all the clothes for the royal family. Often having you assist, holding her pin cushion or any other request she may have. At first not paying each other much attention, one day Azula came in, berating both your mother and self like she did to all other staff. Hearing horror stories from others in the palace made you terrified of her. The last thing you wanted was to get your family banished for looking at her wrong. Zuko noticed this, and nudged your arm; looking over at her and then rolling his eyes. Giving you a reassuring smile, Azula then nudged your shoulder with hers as she walked out.

“That girl may be a princess by blood line but not respect from her people. She rules with fear when it should be grace,” you mother grumbled as you walked into the house.

“That may be true but it must be hard, growing up competing for the throne. Having your entire life mapped out for you even before you’re born. That must be so hard on someone so young, I think I'd break,” pulling your hair out of the tight bun. Your mother smiled, setting the bags on the table. Cupping your face in her hands,

“I love that in a nation so pitiless and jaded that you have kept your soft spirit. You know that, but that girl spoiled down to the soul,” your mother laughs before turning back to her bags.

You laugh and walk into your bedroom to change before heading back outside. The weather was perfect to practice your fire bending. One of the perks of having a mother who worked in the palace was better education for you. Now that you had been learning to bend from a master, you were able to do more than you could ever imagine. At school all you learned was combat or defensive bending. At home, you liked practicing making different shapes. At the beginning it was simple stuff like circles or hearts, with time they were getting more intricate. Being able to make things like flowers, birds and even butterflies. You were in the empty field behind your family's home, working on your bending. You’d finally learned to make the butterfly flap its wings and fly around for a couple moments at a time before dissipating. Taking a deep breath and creating the flames, putting all your focus into manipulating its form. Holding your breath nervously as you watch it fly around you. The blue light glowing off the flame lit Zuko's face up, where he was watching from a couple feet away. You gasped out of surprise and backed away.

“Sorry I didn’t mean to- when Azula nudged you, this fell off your top. I just wanted to return it,” he said, holding out the embroidered patch of a crabapple tree that was pinned to your top.

“Oh, thank you. Wow I'm really surprised you took the time to return it, as someone with so much responsibility; it’s an honor,” you say, giving him a quick bow out of respect.

“I’ve only seen masters create such detailed shapes with blue flame, can I help?” he asks, you nod in agreement as he comes closer. He stands behind you, pressing his chest against your back. Nudging your arms up with his hands telling you to create the flame before continuing,

“Holding your breath limits the amount of time your fire can stay in the air. Like suffocating a candle with its lid. Fire can’t be without oxygen, can you feel my breathing against your back? Match it to yours then try to make the butterfly,” he said.

You were so nervous but took a deep breath in before matching the rise and fall of his chest. Immediately you could feel the difference, like you had more control over the flames. Being able to make the wing movements sharp and clean. Making the flame circle around the two of you, forcing your bodies closer together.

“See, isn't that so much better?” he asked.

“Yeah, I never thought I could have so much control over my bending,” you said, moving to face him.

“I have to get back but i’ll see you around?” he asked, as he took off in a rush which made you chuckle.

After that night, it was like fate just couldn’t keep the two of you apart. He was getting fitted more often for leather armor and things like that. Noticing each other in lessons and sneaking glances. This progressed until eventually Zuko became unbothered with who saw the two of you interacting. One day he slipped a note into your bag, wanting to meet later that night. Your heart skipped a beat of course, and for the rest of the day it was all you could think about. The day seemed so much longer now that you had something to look forward to. Practically skipping home from lessons, even though you still had a couple hours before dark. You were happy to be home daydreaming. Your mom was home, cooking komodo chicken. Giving her a kiss on the cheek before heading off to your bedroom. Originally you were going to wear what you always did but part of you felt like the night was too special for your everyday attire. Normally keeping your hair up in a tight bun, you decide to let it down. It took you a while to convince yourself to leave it down but eventually you did.

Everyone was finally asleep, the house dark and quiet. You sneak out the window of your bedroom. Zuko was waiting for you right outside which made you gasp, not seeing it was him at first. He had a big smile on his face, which was refreshing considering he’s been going through alot lately. On a night with such amazing weather, the main city and markets were busy with life. Zuko and you however prefer the peacefulness of looking over the city from the peak of a hill not too far. Zuko was pointing out different constellations in the sky to you. Or showing him new little tricks you were learning with your bending. He always acted really impressed but you knew he was doing it for your benefit. You loved that about him, that he cared so much about your confidence.

“You know, my father says it’s time to start looking for a girl to betroth,” he says.

“Oh? Any girls you had in mind?” you ask playfully.

“No,” he says back in the same playful tone, which makes you elbow him in his ribs.

“In all seriousness though, how do you feel about that?” he asks, wrapping his arm around your shoulders and pulling you into his side.

“I think I'm waiting for you to ask me properly,” you said chuckling.

Zuko also felt like he took all these moments for granted. He was currently in his room on the ship. Looking around at all the notes and drawings he’d pinned to the walls. They’d just left where he and his crew were docked, following a lead on the Avatar. Reading the most recent letter you’d sent him, it pained him to know you were feeling the same grief he was about feeling apart. He never really talked about it to his uncle or anyone but it was one of the main reasons he was so motivated to complete his quest. He felt like he was missing out on the most important years of his life. Uncle Iroh always talks about how memorable his late youth was, before he had real responsibilities as general. He missed everything about you. Especially how sweet you were, always finding the good in people. Even finding beauty and grace in Azula; his own mother couldn’t find that in her.

Often when Zuko was anxious he would think about you comforting him. He knew he could be hot headed both emotionally and physically. This never phased you, even when he was in full blown flames. Always finding a way to calm you down. Somehow reassuring him without making him feel small or stupid. You always used to tell him that anger is a form of passion. That you loved the passion and resilience he had, and that one day he’d be able to channel it without anger. He found so much comfort in you so being ripped away was hard but reading your letters helped. Made him feel like everything wasn’t as impossible as it may seem. Like once he returns home he’ll know you’ll be there to support him.

He laid back on his bed, your letter on his chest. Worried that you’d grow tired feeling his love through paper and ink. That you’d yearn for love that’s more present in your everyday life. This fear was doubled by the fact that he assumed telling you about this fear would make him come across as insecure. Maybe he was but he didn’t want you to know that. He hated being seen as weak, you were too kind to admit but he knows that exactly what you’d think. Currently thinking about one of the last nights you had together. In Zuko’s old room, laying on the bed together. You were playing with his hair and he had his arms wrapped around your waist. Both of you were pretty tired from training and school. Just melting into each other, enjoying the comfort you gave him. There wasn’t any talking but the silence wasn’t uncomfortable. You’d kiss him on his forehead every once in a while, finger combing his hair. Taking in your smell and leaning into your touch. He never felt so vulnerable in a comforting way with someone.

Iroh came into the room, making Zuko jump up. Clutching onto his letter, immediately his uncle sensed something was off. His eyes were dark and puffy, not to mention quite red. The bruise on his face appeared to be swelling and it was obvious that he was beyond his limit. Iroh set down the wooden tray he carried in, handing him a cup.

“I know you don’t want to hear this but mentally you are being strained. Bending and combat is easy for you because you’ve done it your whole life. Emotionally, some of your muscles are weak but I can see your slowly strengthening them. It’s important that you get lots of rest while you-” he went to look over at Zuko and stopped talking once he realized the boy was asleep. Iroh held back a laugh before taking the cup and letter out of his hands. Zuko gripped the paper and woke up but settled down once he realized it was him.

“Rest now, and please truly let yourself rest,” he said, pulling the blanket over him and he laid down. Folding the letter gently and leaving it on the nightstand.

#prince zuko fanfic #netflix avatar #avatar fanfiction #avatar live action #avatar last airbender #prince zuko x reader #prince zuko x y/n #prince zuko imagine #prince zuko x you

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pinkie-pop · 5 months

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"Do Paimons Dream of Floating Sheep?"

Mondstadt: Part I Part II Part III Part IV

Based on this

Featuring: Gender-Neutral Reader, Paimon! Reader, Yandere Genshin Impact, Aether, Albedo, Eula, Diluc, Kaeya, Lisa, Venti

Word count: 1.7k

Synopsis: Being dragged into the world of your favorite video game is hardly your idea of a relaxing Saturday, and being dragged into the world of your favorite game, taking over the role of mascot even less so. Unfortunately, it seems fate has no interest in what you consider to be a normal day, and it will do anything to replace your idea of normal entirely.

Includes: Blackmail, imprisonment, drugging, injury, kidnapping, nonconsensual kiss, suicide

Note: This is the final installment.

This is only your guess, but it seems the futures that the Archive shows you are only possibilities. It's your own choices that dictate which, if any, become true. In that way, they’re similar to the hangout quests in the original game. Unfortunately, the Archive doesn't tell you what choices you have to make in order to get your desired ending. You flip through more threads of fate.

•~•~•~•~•~•

“It’s quite simple, [Name]. All you have to do is take my hand, and we can put this whole thing behind us.” You look down at Kaeya’s outstretched hand, a bead of sweat rolling down your back. You thought he was your friend.

That was before he had you jailed for false charges. You gaze up at him in resentment, spitting on the hand he offered you.

“Now, now,” he says, wiping his hand with a handkerchief. “There’s no need to throw a temper tantrum. I know this situation isn’t ideal, but can you really blame me for getting a bit impatient? You’ve been playing hard to get for so long now I was really starting to get the impression that you weren’t interested.” It’s amazing just how close to the truth he can get while still being delusional. “Think about it,” he says, turning around and leaving you in your cell. Alone, again.

•~•~•~•~•~•

You take an uncomfortable sip of your tea, not missing the careful way that Lisa examines you as you do. She’s been watching you carefully for a while now. Maybe if you were smarter, you would have asked about it.

It’s a little too late for regrets now, though. You can already feel the drug take its effects.

The edges of your vision go fuzzy until Lisa is the only thing in focus. You feel your mind floating away as you fawn over her, with her reciprocating just as much. You give yourself to the feeling, loving how you no longer need to think, how you no longer need to focus on anything that wasn’t her.

How could you ever have thought of resisting her? Of trying to run away from her and her loving embrace?

You must have been out of your mind.

•~•~•~•~•~•

The chain clinks rhythmically as Aether tugs you along, his fingers interlaced with yours. Sometimes, you wonder what the point of the bindings are, if he’s just just going to hold your hand anyway, but you dare not voice these thoughts of yours, too afraid of his reaction.

Aether has been…eractic, recently. His mood swings are out of control, and it’s all you can do to avoid setting him off, walking on eggshells like your life depends on it—which it sort of does. He would never hurt you, he says, but the bruises on your arms tell a different story.

He would never hurt you, he says, except for all the times he has.

What a gentleman, right?

•~•~•~•~•~•

Eula doesn’t say anything as she slides a ring onto your finger. An old family heirloom, she had told you earlier. It had just been sitting around, collecting dust, when she found it and thought of you. It didn’t mean anything. It was just a pretty trinket from a friend. That’s all.

She didn’t tell you that the ring had thorns.

They face backward, making the ring easy to slip on but excruciating to take off. A simple sign of her affection for you. Pretty on the outside but suffocating within. Eula was not nearly as subtle as she liked to think, but even so, you play along.

She’s easier to deal with when she’s not being honest.

•~•~•~•~•~•

You wake up with a searing headache. You don’t quite know how you got in this situation, all you remember is taking a midnight stroll, feeling something heavy hit your head, and then, nothing. You’re blindfolded, but you can still tell some things from your other senses. Like how you’re currently tied up on a bed.

You think you’ve been kidnapped. But by who? Who would do such a thing, and why to you? You don’t have money to ransom, you’ve got no grudges with anyone, you don’t have anything that a kidnapper would want. The idea that maybe they’re targeting you to get to Aether crosses your mind, but if that were the case, why would they place you on a bed? Why use silk for your bindings instead of harsh ropes or chains?

It doesn’t make sense.

“Ah, you’re awake.” You perk up immediately. You know that voice, it’s Diluc! Is he here to rescue you? But, wait…what was that he said? ‘You’re awake,’ it’s almost like…he already knew about your situation.

It’s almost like…he was the one who put you in it. But that can’t be right.

Can it?

•~•~•~•~•~•

Your feet ache. A side effect of the surgery, Albedo tells you. You can’t believe him. You said you were leaving to Liyue once, and the next thing you know, he’s put you under anesthesia and severed your Achilles tendons. Maybe you should be more horrified about this, but right now all you can feel is annoyance. Perhaps you’ve already grown used to Albedo and his possessive tendencies.

Perhaps you’re simply banking on your ability to fly. Sure, it’s true that you’ve never flown since that day, but that doesn’t mean you’ve suddenly forgotten how to. It’ll be easy. All you have to do is get over your paralyzing fear of heights, bypass the cabin locks Albedo installed, find an opportunity to get away, survive the sheer cold of Dragonspine, and then you’re home free.

…

Or, maybe you’d be better off adjusting to a life of captivity.

•~•~•~•~•~•

“Close your eyes,” Venti says in his usual boyish, cheerful tone. As if the two of you were simply playing. As if he doesn’t have you cornered in an alley, his hands locking yours in place.

You close your eyes. Instantly, you feel his lips on yours, again. His lips move against yours in a careful rhythm, almost like the songs he used to play for you. Peaceful times like that feel so far away. Now, your relationship is coded only in violence, only in him taking, taking what doesn’t belong to him. His grip on your arm tightens as he squeezes, the message clear. You kiss back, disgusted by how easily you give in to his whims.

It takes all the will and self-restraint you have not to try and push him off—you already know such an attempt would fail, anyway. After all, you’re only human. And a human has no chance of winning a fight against a god.

So much for the city of freedom.

•~•~•~•~•~•

Okay, the idea of being in the world of your favorite video game was fun at first, but this is too much. You can't do this. You need a way out.

But…how do you find an exit when you've never even seen the entrance?

You flip through more pages of the Archive. You scroll through information on weapons, characters, and items. You read about local specialties, character ascension materials, and enemy mobs. None of it helps. You find nothing.

You keep searching.

You find nothing.

You look again.

Nothing. Again. Again. Again.

The world seems to fade in and out of existence as you search until it finally melts away completely. Your vision goes fuzzy, with black splotches blocking the light, but only for a moment. When you open your eyes, you realize that you are no longer in the dungeon. You are in an infinite white that stretches out for as far as you can see. The only thing besides you is the Archive.

You look through it for a final time.

You find something. Finally. Finally, you find something. A plain white envelope falls out from between the pages. You aren’t sure how you missed it before.

Carefully, you tear open the envelope with the conveniently provided letter opener and read its contents. You don't like what you find.

Experiment Number 0000,

I hope that this letter finds you well, though I know that it will not have. If you were well, you would never have seen this letter in the first place. If you have found this letter, it means that things have already gone sideways or are about to. I am sure you are reading this hoping for answers. To find this letter is to have already doomed yourself. The moment you opened the book and started reading you tore open the fabrics of reality. Timelines are like strings, and your actions have molded them into a mangled knot. I do not quite know how you have found yourself in such a bizarre situation, only that you have.

I suppose I owe you an explanation, don’t I?

This book—the Archive, as you call it—is not a book at all. It is more like a ledger. What you have found, 0000, is not the future but instead a collection of the past.

This is not your first life.

My colleagues and I have been experimenting with eternal life and reincarnation. We tested on animals first, but nothing can ever truly replace a real, living human. I tried to stop them, believe me, I did. But I am just as powerless in the situation as you are. I could do nothing to stop their cruelty. The only thing I could do—the only thing I can do, is to write this letter, and to hope that it reaches you. Enclosed is a tool that will aid in your escape.

I am sorry, 0000. This will be your last life.

Sincerely,

0001.

As you read through the letter, flashes of memories return to you. You remember events that have never happened in this life. You remember dying, living, killing. You remeber being kidnapped, bludgeoned, abused. You remeber being loved, cared for, and killed. You remeber everything. All these lives that you’ve lived…they must all total to well over a hundred years. You’ve had enough. You’ve lived for far too long and seen far too many things.

You need a way out.

You look down at the letter opener in your hands. No, wait, it’s not a letter opener.

It’s a dagger.

You have no other choice. Anything to escape this hell.

And just like that, you plunge the dagger into your heart.

Taglist: @shadowkitty-me @probablynoposts @kissyhalik @persephone-kore-law @neverending-animelove @crxscnt @teravolting @resident-cryptid @esthelily @shellofthewall @dilucragnidvr @altheq0 @wegottastayfocus @jellothefool @c0l1fl0r @francisnyx @imma-just-chill @fantasyhopperhea @iamapotatoe @utahimechan @undecidingfate @saltystudentdefender @vee-love @ayameei @shadowkitty-me @fantasyhopperhea @c4xcocoa @yarabutterfly @mitsukashi @dreamlessnight @ayameei @yuan1819 @dreamsenternally @sfinksv @nyx-u @swagbucksjester @candycxndy @leshugasworld-blog

#yandere genshin x reader #yandere genshin #yandere genshin impact #genshin impact sagau #sagau x reader #genshin sagau #sagau #yandere aether #yandere albedo #yandere eula #yandere diluc #yandere kaeya #yandere lisa #yandere venti

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unoislazy · 5 months

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Healing Takes Time

(Part 2)

I wasn’t originally going to make a part 2 considering I just wanted everyone to wallow in their sadness. Buuuuttt there were enough people asking for it so I figured I’d be nice just this once and make a Part 2. Can’t guarantee it’ll be good though.

Disclaimer; NSFW is hinted at but never explicitly stated (may come in a later part if I actually want to continue this more)

————————————————————

A day had passed.

A week.

A month.

A year.

Then a few years.

So much time had gone by and you still stared at your door in anticipation sometimes, hoping Mizu would come walking back in. Even if she had returned to you beaten and bloody asking for you to fix her up, you would in a heartbeat. You missed her more than words could ever even think to describe.

You missed her company, you missed her help, you missed… her.

You had only known each other for a few months but the kiss you had shared lingered with you for as long as you waited. A few times you had almost convinced yourself to stop hoping; she had something she needed to do, what reason was there for her to come back to you? Sometimes you worried that she might have died in pursuit of her quest, maybe you should’ve gone with her, at least you could offer her some sort of help.

Not like it mattered now.

You had no way of telling where she was, if she was okay, or if she even wanted to come back.

You hoped she at least thought of you as much as you did of her.

During the time that had passed, you decided to set up a medicinal shop. At least you would have something to fully focus on with your time instead of spending most of it worrying about a woman who you believed had no intention of coming back to you.

Business was slow at first.

Really slow.

You had to put yourself out there, let people know that you were there and what your purpose was.

Thankfully, as time went on, and the more drunkards that managed to stumble their way in after being harshly thrown out, word of your practice spread throughout the town. Any time anyone felt sick, in pain, dizzy, drowsy, anything at all, they came to you. It almost got to the point people treated you as if you had some magic healing power, which of course you didn’t, just a lengthy amount of herbal and medicinal knowledge.

You were happy and before long you had somewhat forgotten about the strange samurai that had graced your presence all those years ago.

Of course you never fully forgot, but she was no longer in the forefront of your mind. If anything she had drifted into a distant memory of what could have been had the stars aligned for you that day.

You often thought about how you’d feel if she had entered your life once again and you never had a clear answer. You’d feel happy that she had returned, angry that she left in the first place, and afraid that she would leave again. Would she look the same as she did when she left? Would she even recognize you? Would she have come back looking for you or would she have simply stumbled across you.

You had a million questions and most of which you had to come to terms with the fact that they might never be answered.

You yawned, turning over on your bed as you stretched, trying to wake yourself up the best you could to start a new day. Now that you had a business to tend to, days off were not a very common thing, but you didn’t entirely mind. More time to yourself meant more time thinking about things that truly didn’t matter.

You finally rolled out of your bed, throwing your sheet off of you and standing up. Just because you liked the distraction doesn’t mean you had to enjoy every aspect of going to work.

You spent time getting yourself ready, at least making some effort to look nice, before you had finally walked out of your house.

You walked down the ever muddy road, passing by others who were starting their day, some who lived there, some who didn’t. As you walked down the road, you spotted a familiar hat walking about amongst the crowd. You didn’t think much of it, many people wore the same type of hat, you’d be a fool to get your hopes up over something so small.

And yet you couldn’t help but wonder.

You abandoned your usual path to your shop, making your way in the general direction of the hat owner, but not making it obvious that you were heading towards them. After all, if it hadn’t actually been Mizu you wanted to at least have the ability to deny ever heading towards them in the first place. You made your way over, dodging and weaving between the people who walked through the busy street and just as you had made it over you saw,

A man.

A man who looked nothing like Mizu.

You knew it, you shouldn’t have gotten your hopes up, but why listen to your consciousness. You sighed, walking away from the man and heading back on your original path. You knew it wouldn’t be her and yet there was still a part of you that believed she would come back. You felt like an idiot, more than that, you felt like an absolute moron.

Why were you so hung up on this woman that you spent a few months with several years ago. You should be over her by now, you knew she’d have to leave eventually and she did, what was your issue?

Your issue was you loved her. Oh how you hated admitting that, but you loved her more than you had loved anyone in a long time. You both knew she wouldn’t stay, you both got attached, but it felt like you had gotten more attached than she had, and you hated it. If she truly loved you the same amount, why couldn’t she just stay with you? Why did she have to leave?

You wanted to move on, you had to move on, but you couldn’t. No one else had caught your eye since, and you were certain no one else would make you feel the same way she had when you had spent time together.

You too never went far, only sharing that one simple kiss and yet it was all you needed to confirm that you truly loved her.

You sighed again, finally reaching your shop.

It wasn’t common for doctors or anyone with medicinal practice to not just go to peoples houses, but you liked doing things differently. Besides, most of the people you treated were cast out and likely didn’t live around here anyways.

You set up your usual things, tending to some of the plants and herbs you kept around, making sure everything was in its place before you waited.

Oftentimes you wouldn’t get many sellers in the morning, most people were still waking up and going to their own jobs by this point in the day, but you thought it necessary to at least be ready for anything one might deal with during the day.

You sat waiting for a few hours before you finally had someone walk in. A very tall and lanky man that wore a blue outfit. If it hadn’t been for his face, you might’ve thought he was Mizu. He simply asked for some help with soreness which you treated and sent him on his way. After him, the rest of your clients began to pour in, all asking for different treatments and medicines, most of which were just really simple solutions.

You definitely enjoyed your job, helping people was something you always loved to see.

Your day continued on, people going in and out all day until you had gotten a different client.

“Just one second!” You called from the other room, having heard the door slide open. You had been moving some of your things around, giving yourself more room and organizing a bunch. You don’t know why you did it considering you always ended up rearranging things, but it never hurt to at least try and have a system. You wiped your hands clean of the dirt that was never there as you entered the man room again.

“Okay, what can I help you w-”

You froze.

Standing before you was what at first you thought to be a man, but upon closer inspection you realized that standing before you was no man, it was…

“Mizu?” You asked, you felt almost as if you had just been imagining it. There was no way that she was standing there right in front of you, not after the several people you had confused to be her throughout the day, this had to have just been one of those times… Just to an extreme and unhealthy amount.

The woman before you held an expression you couldn’t read entirely. She looked as if she was happy to see you but there was something else hidden in her expression that you couldn’t quite grasp. You cautiously walked towards her as if you made any sudden movements she would just fade away.

You were now standing in front of her, a bit of a distance between you two, but you were still close enough to see the details on her face. You very carefully reached up, your hand grazing against her skin as you took her glasses off, her blue eyes never looking away as she let you do so. Your other hand had now come up, cupping her face as you dropped her glasses on the ground. All the emotions you thought you’d feel were there, but they were much stronger than you originally anticipated. At that moment though, all you felt was relief. She was alive, she came back, and now she was standing in front of you.

You didn’t know how to express your feelings in any other way than moving forward and kissing her much like you had done the day you left. You both leaned into the kiss, all the yearning and desperation you had held back for so many years came back full force as you held her gently between your hands. She too had moved you closer, not wanting to let you go after so many years of being apart.

That was until you pulled away for a moment, the one question still running through your mind,

“Why did you leave?” You asked, your eyes filled with the pain of several years alone as you stared at her. She averted your gaze at first, clearly not wanting to answer as she went silent.

“We both knew I'd have to.” She finally answered, still not wanting to look at you.

“I knew you wanted to but you didn’t have to.” You argued, you knew she was going to leave regardless and there was no changing her mind when she did. But that foolish part of you still had held out hope that she would just change her mind and stay with you, and that foolish part of you is the reason you were hurt so badly now. If you hadn’t held onto that hope for so long, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt.

“I did. I had to finish what I started.” Mizu claimed, and she stood by that claim. It was the truth after all.

“And how long did that take to finish?” You asked. If she had come back right after she had finished her task, you wouldn’t have been so angry, but instead it only fueled your anger as you realized she had gone quiet.

“What, so you just stayed away? Why?”

She stayed silent.

“Mizu. Why?” You persisted. You tried to keep your anger up but your demand for answers slowly began to turn to pleading. You were upset, you wanted to be angry, but in reality you were just hurt. You held out hope for so long that she would return and yet she never did, you thought she died, you thought maybe she had been left badly wounded, but no. She had finished her mission and just refused to come back to you.

“Why?” You asked once more, her silence was the last thing you wanted right now, you wanted her to say something, anything.

“I was afraid.” She finally admitted. Her eyes were shut, she didn’t even want to see the look on your face as you processed what she had said.

“Afraid of what? What could you possibly be afraid of?” You scoffed. In your mind she was a samurai, someone who had faced death and laughed in its face several times. In your mind, she had absolutely nothing to fear.

“That when I returned you wouldn’t see anything but a monster.” She began. You couldn’t see it but her eyes had ever so slightly begun to tear up, she covered it smoothly, not wanting you to notice as she continued, “I was afraid that you would realize that I am nothing more than just a demon with a sword.”

You simply stared at her for a moment.

“Have you learned absolutely nothing about me?”

Her eyes finally shifted towards you, confusion riddling every inch of her face.

“I don’t care about any of that, Mizu.” You began. Now finally having your answer to why she had stayed away, you no longer felt so angry, if anything you were more upset with the fact that she assumed you would react in such a way. “I don’t care what color your eyes are or how good you are with a sword and I certainly don’t care that you’re a woman.” You lightly joked, earning a small exhale in acknowledgement from Mizu. You made your way back over to her, now standing in front of her just as you had done before.

You had spent so much time worrying over her only for her to be avoiding you because of a silly assumption she had made on her own.

“I'm sorry.” She quietly said, her eyes not meeting your own as she continued, “It’s a habit. I just kind of expect it at this point.” She admitted with a shrug. You frowned, hearing such a hearvy admission as if it was nothing that upset you. You knew you wouldn’t be able to change her way of thinking but you could at least try and convince her about how you felt.

“Well what’s important is that you’re back.” You said with a smile. “You plan on staying right?” You asked, your smile dropping for a moment as you awaited her answer. You didn’t want her to leave again, you didn't want to finally be able to feel her again just for her to disappear as if she never existed in the first place. Any amount of distraction in the world wouldn’t be enough to keep you from the despair and anger you’d feel if she had left a second time.

“Of course I am.” She confirmed, a slight smile gracing her face as you happily hugged her. It would be a bit of a weird adjustment for the both of you given your new schedule but those were issues for future you to worry about. Right now all that matters was you and Mizu, and a very much still open medicinal shop that still had clients waiting for help. Once you finally realized this, you had given a place for Mizu to wait as you had continued to help clients, sometimes she even gave her own input on things, having needed certain items for certain issues herself. Although her expertise mainly centered around open wounds and gashes which, surprise surprise, was not all that common when you weren’t going out of your way to fight people every chance you got. You appreciated the help nonetheless.

The sun had already set as you finished up for the day. Mizu had helped you put some things away and get everything ready for the next day. You were beyond delighted to see her again, even just watching her put things away was enough to send you soaring. She might’ve been on the leaner side but Mizu was still uncommonly strong, and you couldn’t help but admire her any chance you got, of course when she wasn’t looking. You certainly weren’t giving her the heavier items to lift for that exact reason, who would ever think to do such a thing?

Once you both had finished up, you slid the door behind you both and began to walk back towards the direction of your house.

“I missed you.” You admitted quite out of the blue. It was clear you both missed each other but neither of you had outwardly said those three words yet, so you figured you’d be the first. Little did you know just the effect they had on Mizu, no one had ever said something like that directed towards her, she felt so… loved.

“I missed you too.”

One wouldn’t expect a relationship that has such little time to blossom to actually thrive but you two worked very well together.

Once you had finally made it inside, you both got yourselves situated and comfortable. Mizu took a small look around, getting used to her surroundings just like she once had. You could see a faint smile on her face as she walked about, looking at the decorations around your home, most of which had not been changed but two or three had been replaced. She then stopped and began to stare at the painting that she had sat and stared at so many times before.

“Hey Mizu?” You called for her, gaining her attention as she looked towards you. You had only changed to a more comfortable outfit, if anything it had resembled what you had worn the day you met Mizu, but something about her shifted.

“Do you mind helping me with this?” You asked, referring to something that you couldn’t tie from behind your back. She obliged, not many emotions could be seen on her face, but she definitely looked deep in thought.

You had made your way over to her, turned around and waited for her to finish tying whatever you had needed help with. However, you couldn’t feel her tying anything, in fact you couldn’t feel her moving at all. That’s because she wasn’t, she had waited for just a moment before she leaned over your shoulder, whispering quietly in your ear,

“How about we make this easier and just make up for lost time?” She teased. It was a small gesture but it was enough to send what felt like a whirlwind through your stomach. You turned back to look at her expecting her to be joking considering you had never heard her speak in such a way but when you had turned back you were met with eyes that were filled with a certain kind of hunger.

She wasn’t joking.

And you’d be damned if you were going to miss this opportunity.

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shearlin · 8 months

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Hot take about Sky angst, regarding the curse of Demise, because I haven't seen anyone talking about this possibility in all those years I've been in LU fandom.

Guys...

Sky has no idea about the curse

Because think about it. Why would he know about it?

My man has been electrocuted multiple times, with magical - basically divine - lightnings in attempt to defeat Demise. All the while fighting for his life with a literal GOD OF EVIL, after spending an entire afternoon fighting an army of monsters and a Demon Lord/creepy ass Sword Spirit. Not even mentioning how worried sick he must have been that entire time, if this time he was also too late too save Zelda.

(always too late too slow not enough and late late late)

I don't know about you, but I don't think he was in any state of body or mind to listen to some dudes last words, when he had to focus on not passing out because he has to make sure Zelda/Sun is alright.

(It got a bit long so rest of the rant under the cut)

Fi gave him clear, that Demise received a mortal blow and that now it's only a matter of time until he dies and that was all Sky needed to stop paying any attention.

Just go through the motions. His vision is blurry, but that's alright just stay awake. Fi chimes to rise his sword. He does. There is some black smoke suddenly surrounding him, but Fi get's rid of it with her light so it's fine. It's probably why she asked him to rise her skyward. The last fifteen minutes he's been following her directions nearly blindly anyway, because his mind is still foggy, he's not sure where he is or what he is doing he just have to get to Zelda.

And then she's there. And everything is fine.

Impa fades, Fi sleeps and he finally rests. Or rather crashes as the exhaustion finally catches up to him.

But he recovers, as best as he can, and live on.

And then eight other heroes, just like him, appear and take him on a quest across the time. They become friends. Then brothers. Soon he feels like they knew each other their entire lives and can't imagine how he can move on after the inevitable goodbyes.

He is so happy that no matter what, there will always be someone among his people, someone from or even outside of Hyrule, to stand up against evil, no matter how many times it will try to show it's ugly face. He's a bit bummed that there even is a need for a hero to show up, but hey! He is not so naive to think people are and always will be only good. Things happen. Some people are just terrible, and some take it out on the entire world.

But somewhere along the line, he starts to notice... something weird.

They all fought that same guy (some of them even multiple times!) called Ganon or Ganondorf. And while he is overjoyed that none of them even heard the name of Demise, he feels kind of singled out. Few of them mentioned an idea of reincarnation. Mentioning Zeldas' connection through blood of the Goddess and their connection through a spirit.

A spirit of a hero.

He always though it was a figure of speech. A way to describe someone courageous who fulfills the quota of being a hero.

But it's not about a spirit of a hero.

No.

It's the Spirit of the Hero.

His Spirit.

An idea begins to form. A distant memory he didn't even knew he had. Maybe nightmares about that fateful fight starting to get clearer by night. Maybe he spends some time talking to Fi and he does not like the feeling he gets from her chimes, even if she can't really talk in her slumber. Maybe he even prays to Hylia in some distant era in an unfamiliar place, so she can deny or confirm his suspicions.

Goddesses, please, may he be wrong.

Because he loves them all like a family. Because they are family. Because he has seen their haunted expressions and blank eyes, he has heard their stories and horrors they went through and nearly all of them were so young, too young, and the thought that he was the direct cause of it-

Sky had no idea that Demise trapped his spirit in a cycle of reincarnation. He had no time to process it or find coping mechanisms before the adventure with the chain happened. He found out during it, slowly putting it together and coming apart at the seems before their eyes.

Sky didn't know about the curse.

And I say, it could be really interesting to watch Sky fall.

(And if anyone knows a fic exploring this idea please let me know! I searched but couldn't find any)

#linked universe #linkeduniverse #lu headcanons #linked universe headcanons #lu sky #linked universe sky #some curse of demise rant because I have thoughts #I love sky I promise #I just also happen lo love angst #and sky angst #having a traumatizing moment burn into his memory and haunt his every waking moment is all cool and dandy #but think about the slow realization before it finally hits #my rants

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phoenixcatch7 · 6 months

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Tips and tricks to survive Eden even less

Seeing a lot of people struggling with the fourth quest of Revival, aka the 'die and come back for one (1) heart pretty please' quest, and I thought some helpful hints and tricks I've found over the years might be helpful! (Feat: spoilers, obviously)

Step 1: Overcome your fear of death and accept your fate.

I'm serious! People are very cautious in Eden, and often to their detriment! Panic and rush will only make you clumsy and make the whole thing far more stressful than it needs to be! And take longer too!

Step 2: Carry a source of light, or bring a friend! Assembly guide sells a torch, I believe, but in an emergency the rememberance guide sells a teapot on a brazier that does the same... At a Very slow rate. If you bring a friend, you can carry friendship candles that work really well! Unfortunately they're also sort of fragile, so it's best when someone who is being carried holds it.

This will go a long way both to being useful and easing any stress! Just... Make sure not to place it anywhere in the way of krill or rocks.

Step 3: Don't rush after lost wings! If you're already losing light, you're not in a situation to be chasing the metaphorical ball into the busy road! Your first priority is yourself, get to safety and recharge. Lights that land nearby or in safe places sure, but don't jump into the path of rocks just to try and get one back!

I know it's counter instinctive, but you're going to be losing those lights anyway in a few minutes. Even if you have low numbers to begin with, you want to focus on keeping the ones you do have!

Step 4: Jumping vs skipping, also sliding. They're your best friends.

To jump, you press the jump button. Easy. To skip, you want to take your finger off the move circle so it fades, and then flick the screen in the direction you want to go, so your sky kid skips in that direction! The best part is, it has tracking abilities, which is invaluable in helping you land precise jumps (such as that freaking candle bridge in valley). Cool, but why is this important?

Skipping isn't affected by the winds like jumping. Well - it is a little, but it won't send you backwards the way a bad jump will. Not to mention the homing ability will make things easier! It's a bit weaker than a jump, but mix it in to make the journey easier!

Similarly, sliding can be achieved on almost any surface flat enough to walk on. It's not affected as much by the winds either, so try to slide where possible for some speed! Especially if you can move it into a skip, to get a good boost! (This is because you can slide without actively moving your sky kid.)

Step 5: Did you know? Emotes affect not only your hitbox, but also your knock back? If you're unfortunate enough to get caught by a short ledge, try using an emote to duck behind it! When you're in a standing emote (ie, one you have to stop manually and can't move until it's finished. Think the point emote vs the wave emote) you also become a lot harder to knock over! (Warning: this does not work on krill! They are bigger and beefier than you in every way!)

I recommend an emote that's fast to get in and out of, like the first stage faint emote! It's saved my hide many a time.

Also, most people run on Sunday, so if you're looking for a kindly guide, that's your best time!

Now. The route.

At the very start of Eden, there's a thin stone bridge with rushing rocks blowing left to right.

That bridge is optional.

For more experienced players with enough wedges, you can fly right across to the door with a little skill. (There's lots of video tutorials on youtube if you're curious!)

For people with less wedges or skills, hop right on down into the gap. Follow the bridge to where it meets the other side, and there's a slope you can climb back up to skip the rocks entirely!

The second area loads all at the same time. To be precise, in roughly the time it takes to open the door and trigger the cutscene with the krill, you'll usually hear the sound signalling a wave of falling rocks after the second horn note. You can still move in this cutscene! Also that krill can't see you, thank goodness, so don't worry about it.

For taller players (I'm serious lol) there's a big chip in the wall on the far left of the room. It's about in the middle, it's part of a seam, but if you can't find it get your candle out. Walk into the crack. Jump forward a couple times. Escape to oob. Make sure you got the door cutscene, though, because it will get you if you don't!

Climb the clouds as high as you can, following the path. You want to be ridiculously high up to avoid the invisible wall and the winds. You will get softlocked. Not 'I think I'm high enough', not 'I gotta be high enough now', you want 'I'm going to faceplant the sun' high. 'This feels like I shouldn't be here' kind of high. Right by the giant red pillar at the end! Then dive down. Straight down. Straight towards the entrance to the hall of lights. Avoid flying above the krill!! You should land without bother, but run to safety!

^^^ it looks cool, but don't land here! Land in the actual area down there, by the krill!

For shorter players or less experienced ones, run out and as far left as you can to make it to a safe spot to ride out the first wave of rocks! When the camera returns to you, I recommend keeping left and then running right to the tunnel: keeps you in the path of the rocks as little as possible. RUN.

You have a few seconds between the signal noise (which sounds like a match striking, or a carbonated bottle decompressing) and the surge of rocks (which sounds like strong winds and crunching). There's always particles flying, they're just decorative! It's safe to run when the rocks have stopped!

If you're close to safety, don't stop running!! Don't divert to somewhere that looks safer, get there as fast as you can. Because of the angle of the rocks, at the tunnel/pipe entrance, there's actually a little bit of area in front of it they don't hit. You're closer to safety than you think.

The next phase: pipes. Now, this area is either very easy or very hard, depending on if you get seen by a krill. There's two.

These guys work on a timer. They loop. You can hang around in the pipe between phases and watch them to get an eye on what they're doing, but they move pretty slowly lol. This is the phase you want to rush LEAST. If a krill is coming, hide under the girder. It has a zigzag pattern to help spot, and it's on the switchback leading up to the giant pipe. Don't try and rush it, there's very few places to hide quickly here.

However, the winds are very weak here! You can fly and run, if you're careful! Should a krill spot you on that ledge around the pipe, you can simply fly around it to the other side! Be aware, though, that you might fall into the sludge water below, so check you don't fall in! It's an annoying climb back up lol, but krill don't check down there unless they've been disrupted, so you're safe if you fall.

Do not jump over the girder bridge! Just run! I know it's faster but the girder is thin and slippy! If you get spotted there, just keep running, there's a rock you can hide behind on the other side.

Inside the pipe, you can take a break. There's a brazier of light and some crabs in a ditch you can take your anger out on. You'll see krill lights, but they can't get you as you climb out, they just pass very close. You can safely ignore that one!

Emerging, you'll see the giant red crystal. That's the goal. Again, keep left, use emotes and hiding spots. Listen for the signal sound. Do not be fooled by the placement of braziers! Some spots can still be hit with rocks if you're anything but a chibi!

There will be black, calcified bodies starting to appear. Do not worry. You can't interact with them. You can't save them. They will not protect you from rocks.

When you see a miraculously intact stone arch, you're close! Don't hide behind it, though! You want the ledge just under it. The arch won't keep you from rocks or the krill just ahead.

The krill moves in a very tight circle, for a krill. I'd recommend following its path from a distance, because it moved faster than we can, right now. Spots that will protect you from the krill won't save you from the rocks, either! This is a very tough spot to move through, so take your time choosing the right moment!

Also, there's a child of light, just to the left. This is a trap. Reach the safety of the corridor first, then once you've caught your breath drop back down and grab it. Grabbing the child on your way up risks slowing you enough for the krill to spot you.

And you're in the hall of lights! Lighting all the statues won't do anything, unfortunately. But this is also the first time you'll see children of light in any position other than standing looking up... It's a bit eerie. They're still the same thing, though.

At the end of the corridor, READ THE WARNING that pops up. This is your last chance to avoid death, if you're here to help a friend, or there's lights you want to get first, now is your last chance. Returning home after this point will take you to a scary, empty home, where thunder rumbles and the portals have been returned to rubble. The only way out is through eden.

The final phase: the eye of Eden.

There is no flying. Don't even bother. You'll need to conserve your light. Your goal is to light every calcified body you can - you can see them by the blue lines, if you're struggling. They also look unlit from the front, which can be very annoying, but if they're on fire or glowing, you've already got them. Eden can only be run once a week, and that's why. They don't reset until the Sunday/Monday daily reset, I'm pretty sure. You can still die and light ones you missed the first time, but it's usually not worth it. You'll need all your courage and recklessness here to move quickly.

There are no krill here. There is no clever skip. The only problems are the rocks and the sludge water (though that's not nearly as much of an issue lol. It's never more than ankle deep). Also the rocks to hide behind aren't very good. Sometimes you'll get hit despite being in a 'safe' spot. Don't linger.

Now, the rocks. You have more time than you think between waves, but as there's no noise to signal their stop, it can be hard to tell.

What you want to be listening for is the signal, of course, but also the sound of crashing. The signal is early. You have a few seconds. The crashing only starts when the rocks hit the floor.

What you want to be looking for is the bright neon red of rocks breaking on objects. It comes in waves, starting from the eye and washing to the entrance. These are the only rocks that will hit you, and if you see it coming, you can move out of the way! When they fade, start moving again immediately for the maximum safe time!

Watch for the blue or black of lights! They cost one light each, and each one will become roughly 1/3 of an ascended candle later. Get as many as you can!

Light every statue you go by and refill your light. If you're experienced, it might feel inefficient, but YOU WILL get hit at least once later and you don't want to crawl all the way back to the start to re light lmao.

The waves will come faster and harder as you get closer to the eye, and the angle the rocks fall from will also change, so watch out for that! If you get too close to the sides, they'll change direction SPECIFICALLY to spite you, so be aware of that too lol.

The very final stretch starts when the ground flattens into broken tiles. It's a straight line to the eye, and that's where we're going! Rocks fall all the time, there's little to no cover or light.

You just gotta run. You can't jump, don't try, it'll knock you down fast. You gotta take the hits. There's no two ways about it.

Well... There's kind of a way.

You see, the rocks fall in a pattern. Of you look up, you see them spawn in zigzag lines, and then fall at about 40° from horizontal. If you're very lucky, or very skilled, you can use that to predict where the rocks will fall. And avoid them.

Unfortunately, you can't move very fast. Especially once (not if!) you get knocked to a crawl. Sometimes you're just going to watch a rock spawn and then fall directly onto you lol. Don't try and zigzag to avoid, it'll just slow you down and you'll get hit.

Because of the rocks and the sludge water, any lights you lose will disappear the second they touch the ground. They are no longer your concern. Don't bother trying to focus on reaching the eye, just return the lights you do have to as many crystallised bodies as possible.

And then you die.

You gotta wait ages, at this point. For some reason. It can take about five minutes, longer if there's people there with you, but EVENTUALLY a pop up will appear asking if you want to move on without waiting for people. Click yes, or you'll be waiting even longer. Don't worry, your friends will come with you if they've also died.

Hug your own light, your bright reflection. It's always the exact same height as you. Fly up through the torrent.

There's one last shortcut, funnily enough. I'll include a picture.

See that pale window on the left of the giant doors? That I'm flying away from? That's intangible. You can fly straight through it to oob.

Go through. Go up.

Follow the clouds, just keep flapping up, as high as you can, even when you get lost. Aim for the space at the top.

And then you're headed for orbit, and there may be a giant slug whale sharing your personal space. Don't worry! It won't hurt you!

And that's Eden!

#long post #sky children of the light #sky cotl #thatskygame #that sky game #season of revival #sky children of light #skyblr #skykid #sky cotl eden #Sky cotl orbit #tutorial #Well... Guide #Sky cotl guide

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ryuua · 5 months

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After the Curtain Call

!4.2 ARCHON QUEST MAJOR(?) SPOILERS!

Furina has found herself indulging in more simple pleasures lately — one of which includes drowning in your comfort and attention. However, today takes a different turn than usual.

🌢 Furina x gn!reader

🌢 Genre: Fluff, comfort(?)

🌢 Warnings: 4.2 ARCHON QUEST MAJOR(?) SPOILERS, Furina might be OOC, may not be canon to lore or what happened after the 4.2 archon quest since I haven't done Furina's story quest yet, not entirely proofread

A/N: As mentioned in the warning since I haven't done Furina's story quest yet, I don't actually know what happened after the events of the 4.2 archon quest. Although I did have a f!reader in mind, it's mostly gender-neutral so anyone and all can enjoy :D The reader's origins are kept as vague as possible so their identity in Teyvat and how they came to know Furina and whatnot are up to your imagination BUT it's set that you're Furina's significant other and you know about the deeper plot line. Anyway I've become such a Furina enthusiast I had to write this love live laugh Furina

"Furina..."

"Huh? Who's that..?"

"Furina..."

"..Ah!"

Hey eyes widened, the déjà vu settling uncomfortably inside her yet she calmed at the sight of the caller.

"...Y/N.. did I fall asleep..?"

Furina asked groggily, reaching her hands to rub her eyes and to her surprise, it was wet.

"Oh.. was I..?"

"Mm, you were out for quite a while. What were you dreaming of?"

They glided their finger from her cheek to her eyes, gently wiping away the tears that formed during her slumber. Their warmth spread out onto her face, replacing the cold droplets that stained it before. It was comforting to say the least, and Furina wanted to bury herself in this feeling forever.

"Dream? I was dreaming of..."

(Thank you— all you've done— this moment—)

"—Furina?"

"..Sorry, did I space out?"

Furina's vision slowly came back into focus, giving them a tired smile and in return, received a worried one.

"Haha, it's alright. Do continue where you left off, you'll feel better once you let it out."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

Y/N stared at her solemnly, though their smile still there. Furina sat herself up and turned her curious gaze towards them. Once again, their hands moved to cup her face in them, shifting closer to Furina as they pressed a small kiss to the side of her eye where she finally felt it. Was she crying? Pulling away, they chuckled at her realization

"You were crying."

"Eh.. Is that so? ...This must be an overflow of Hydro from my person."

A stare down accompanied by a long silence followed before both of them bursted into a fit of laughter.

"Really now? As expected of the great Furina. Only one such as she could store so much Hydro in them to the point it'd overflow."

Their giggles continued to surround the quaint room they were in and as time would go on, so would the moment. They soon found themselves staring into the other again until Y/N ultimately broke the silence.

"Hey.. you're not the Hydro Archon anymore, okay? You don't have to carry your burdens by yourself. You could always tell me... or even Neuvillette! I'm sure he'd be more than happy for you to waltz into his doors unannounced, just as you once did."

"My dear, what are you implying!"

"Hehe, it's nothing. But.. seriously. I'm sure... Focalors wouldn't want you to be stuck in the past as well."

Furina's eyes widen. Now fully able to feel the tears falling down her face like a waterfall. Her façade slowly cracked, revealing her inner troubles deep down one by one as she buried her head into the crook of Y/N's neck. She sobbed endlessly, her hands clinging to their clothes with desperation as if they would leave her. Images flash through her mind: when she worked tirelessly to contribute to saving Fontaine, when she was found guilty and thought all hope was lost, when everyone had turned their backs to her upon the truth. All of them were still weighing in the back of her mind all this time, but she had deceived herself into thinking she left everything in the past, to the past.

"You're not alone anymore, Furina. I'll always be here for you."

That's right. Furina was no longer alone, now she could — and she would — rely on other people for her problems. Rely on Y/N.

"And I wish nothing but for you to be happy, Furina. Hush now, love."

Their voice made her feel like she was floating, slowly carrying her away from a deep, dark void into a world of only comfort and happiness. Their words swayed her back and forth gently and lulled her into slumber, one that was full of bliss, one where both of them would be in, one that made her the happiest.

With a final kiss to her forehead, they whispered lovingly to Furina.

"Let's live happily from now on," (—live happily—)

"As you once wished." (—Just as I wished we could—)

Oml I finished it. This was done over the course of a week or two so I'm starting to not really like how it turned out but OH WELL I'LL WRITE ABT GOING ON A DATE WITH HER NEXT MAYBE JUST SIMPLE WHOLESOME OUTING STUFF Thank you for readinggg

#genshin #genshin impact #genshin x reader #genshin x y/n #genshin x you #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact x y/n #genshin impact x you #furina #furina de fontaine #furina x reader #furina x you #furina x y/n #genshin x gn reader #genshin x gender neutral reader

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rawliverandgoronspice · 5 months

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Hello!! I'm back for: more whining about TotK Quest Design Philosophy

I can't reblog a really great post I just saw for some reason (tumblrrrr *shakes my fist*), but hmmmm yeah not only do I completely agree, but I think I might expand on why I feel so much annoyance towards TotK's quest design philosophy at some point, because it does extend past the fundamentally broken setup of trying to punch a pseudo-mystery game on top of BotW's bones, where the core objective was always explicit and centered and stapled the entire world together; or the convoluted and inefficient way it tells its story through the Tears, the somehow single linear exploration-driven quest in the entire game.

Basically: I'm talking about the pointless back-and-forths. There were a lot of them, a lot that acted against the open world philosophy, and almost none of them ever recontextualized the environment through neither gameplay abilities nor worldbuilding nor character work.

I'll take two examples: the initial run to Hyrule Castle (before you get your paraglider), and then the billion back-and-forths in the Zora questline.

I think?? the goal of that initial quest to Hyrule Castle is to familiarize you with the landmark, introduce the notion that weapons rot, tell you about the gloom pits, and also tell you that Zelda sightings are a thing? But to force any of these ideas on you before giving you a paraglider is, in my opinion, pretty unnecessary. I think the reason it happens in that order is to prevent Link from simply pummeling down to the gloom pit under Hyrule Castle and fight Ganondorf immediately while still introducing ideas surrounding the location; but genuinely, the Zelda sighting makes the next events even more confusing? Why wouldn't you focus all your priorities in reaching the castle if you just saw her there? Why lose time investigating anything else? Genuinely: what is stopping you from getting your paraglider and immediately getting yourself back there, plunging into the depths to try and get to the literal bottom of this? (beyond player literacy assuming this is where the final boss would be, and so not to immediately spoil yourself --which, in an open world game, you should never be able to spoil yourself by engaging with the mechanics normally, and if you can that's a genuine failure of design)

I think, personally, that you should not have been pointed to go there at all. That anything it brings to the table, you could have learned more organically by investigating yourself, or by exploring in that direction on your own accord --or, maybe you think Zelda is up there in the castle, and then the region objectives become explicitely about helping you reaching that castle (maybe by building up troops to help you in a big assault, or through the Sages granting you abilities to move past level-design oriented hurdles in your way, etc). Either way: no need to actually make you walk the distance and back, because the tediousness doesn't teach you anything you haven't already learned about traversal in the (extremely long, btw, needlessly so I would say) tutorial area.

But to take another example, I'll nitpick at a very specific moment in the Zora Questline, that is honestly full of these back-and-forth paddings that recontextualize absolutely nothing and teach you nothing you didn't already know. The most egregious example, in my opinion, is the moment where you are trying to find the king, and you have to learn by listening in to the zora children who do not let you listening in.

So okay. I think Zelda is great when it does whimsy, and children doing children things guiding you is a staple of the series, and a great one at that. But here? It does not work for me on any level. Any tension that could arise from the situation flattens because nobody seems to care enough about their king disappearing in the middle of a major ecological crisis, except for children who are conveniently dumb enough not to graps the severity of the situation, but not stressed out enough that it could be construed as a way for them to cope about it and make anything feel more serious or pressing. It feels like a completely arbitrary blocker that isn't informed by the state of the world, doesn't do anything interesting gameplay-wise with this idea, doesn't build up the mood, and genuinely feels like busywork for its own sake.

This is especially tragic when the inherent concept of "the zora king has been wounded by what most zoras would believe to be Zelda and is hiding from his own people so the two factions do not go to war over it" has such tension and interest and spark that the game absolutely refuse to explore --instead having you collect carved stones who do not tell you anything new, splatter water in a floating island, thrud through mud who feel more like an inconvenience than a threat or, hey, listen to children playing about their missing king less than a couple of years after being freed from Calamity Ganon's menace. It feels like level designers/system designers having vague technical systems that are hard-coded in the game now, and we need to put them to use even if it's not that interesting, not that fun or not that compelling. It's the sort of attitude that a lot of western RPGs get eviscerated for; but here, for some reason, it's just a case of "gameplay before story", instead of, quite simply, a case of poorly thought-out gameplay.

Not every quest in the game is like this! I think the tone worked much better in the sidequests overall, that are self-contained and disconnected from the extremely messy main storyline, and so can tell a compelling little tale from start to finish without the budget to make you waddle in a puddle of nothing for hours at a time. It's the only place where you actually get character arcs that are allowed to feel anything that isn't a variation on "very determined" or "curious about the zonai/ruins", and where you get to feel life as it tries to blossom back into a new tomorrow for Hyrule.

But if I'm this harsh about the main storyline, it really is because I find it hard to accept that we do not criticize a structure that is at times so half-assed that you can almost taste employees' burnout seeping through the cracks --the lack of thematic ambition and self-reflection and ingeniosity outside of system design and, arguably at times, level design-- simply because it's Hyrule and we're happy to be there.

There's something in the industry that is called the "wow effect", which is their way to say "cool" without saying "cool". It's basically the money shots, but for games: it's what makes you go "ohhhh" when you play. And it's great! The ascension to the top of the Ark was one of them --breathtaking, just an absolute high point of systems working together to weave an epic tale. You plummeting from the skies to the absolute depths of hell is another one; most of the dungeons rely on that factor to keep your attention; the entire Zelda is a dragon storyline is nothing but "wow effect" (and yeah, the moment where you do remove the Master Sword did give me shivers, I'll admit to this willingly) and so is Ganondorf's presence and presentation in the game --he's here to be cool, non-specifically mean, hateable in a non-threatening way and to give us a good sexy time, do not think about it too hard. What bothers me is that TotK's world has basically nothing to offer but "wow effect"; that if you bother to dig at anything it presents you for more than a second, everything crumbles into incoherence --not only in story, but in mood, in themes, in identity. This is a wonderfully fun game with absolutely nothing to say, relying on the cultural osmosis and aura of excellency surrounding Zelda to pass itself off as meatier than it really is. This is what I say when I criticize it as self-referential to a fault; half of the story makes no sense if this is your first Zelda game, and what little of that world there is tends to be deeply unconcerned and uncurious about itself.

And no, Breath of the Wild wasn't like this. Breath of the Wild was deeply curious about itself; the entire game was built off curiosity and discovery, experimentation and challenge (and I say this while fully admitting I had more fun with the loop of TotK, which I found more forgiving overall). The traversal in Tears of the Kingdom is centered around: how do I skip those large expanses of land in the most efficient and fun way possible. How do I automate these fights. How do I find resources to automate both traversal and fights better. It's a game that asks questions (who are the zonais, who is Rauru and what is his deal, what is the Imprisoning War about, where is Zelda), and then kind of doesn't really care about the answers (yeah the zonais are like... guys, they did a cool kingdom, Rauru used to run it, the Imprisoning War is literally whatever all you have to care about is who to feel sad for and who to kill about it and you don't get a choice and certainly cannot feel any ambiguous feelings about any of that, and Zelda is a dragon but we will never expand on how it felt for her to make such a drastic and violent choice and also nobody cares that's a plot point you could *remove* from the game without changing the golden path at all).

I'm so aggravated by the argument "in Zelda, it's gameplay before story" because gameplay is story. That's the literal point of my work as a narrative designer: trying to breach the impossibly large gap between what the game designers want to do, and what the writers are thinking the game will be about (it's never the same game). And in TotK, the game systems are all about automation and fusion. It's about practicality and efficiency. It's also about disconnecting stuff from their original purpose as you optimize yourself out of danger, fear, or curiosity --except for the way you can become even more efficient. And sure, BotW was about this too; but you were rewarded because you had explored the world in the first place, experimented enough, put yourself in danger, went to find out the story of who you used to be and why you should care about Hyrule. I'm not here to argue BotW was a well-written game; I think it was pretty tropey at large to be honest, safe for a couple of moments of brilliance, but it had a coherent design vision that rewarded your curiosity while never getting in the way of the clarity of your objective. There is a convolutedness to TotK that, to me, reveals some extremely deep-seated issues with the direction the series is heading towards; one that, at its core, cares more about looking the part of a Zelda game than having any deeper conversation about what a Zelda game should be.

#thoughts #tloz #totk #totk critical #when will my brain return from the imprisoning war...#quest design #game design #level design #game criticisim #I think the more time goes on and the more uncomfortable I am with “if the game is fun it's good”#sometimes the game is fun and the game is empty #fun games can be addictive and predatory on purpose #(not saying totk is but it is well known that fun is not a neutral feeling)#fun can also reinforce questionable ideas of what “fun” should even look like #*side-eying CoD and co*#and fun =/= coherent always #if we're talking about games like artpieces #then you don't get to pick and choose which parts matter and which parts don't #you can absolutely say “I resonated with it for X and Y” but to make an argument that people who feel uncomfortable by content #that is in the game!! put in the game!! on purpose!!#is not a very productive attitude let's say

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comradekatara · 14 days

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Hi! Been reading through your blog, and I really appreciate the nuanced way you discuss the themes and characters in atla. So I was curious about your thoughts on a take I’ve seen floating around (that I feel conflicted on).

I’ve seen people argue that, particularly in season 3, Zuko’s perspective and arc are prioritized at the expense of (all the characters, but especially) Aang’s perspective/internality.

For example, in the Western Air Temple episode, any complicated feelings Aang might have about Zuko’s role in his death and in the fall of Ba Sing Se (two events that shaped Aang’s struggle at the opening of the season) are hand waved, entirely untapped and unexplored. Everything that Zuko did in Ba Sing Se goes unmentioned in the episode, to facilitate the necessary next step of Zuko’s journey (joining the gaang), and the episode is primarily framed through Zuko’s POV, exploring his fears regarding whether the group will accept him and his desire for redemption through them.

Similarly, the focus of the succeeding episodes is on integrating Zuko into the group, leaving little space to expand on/build up to Aang’s central conflict for the season, meaning it’s crammed into/abruptly introduced in the very final episodes.

I think there is some merit to this critique (Aang aside, I also would have liked a bit more space for Toph in this final season too, her fraught relationship with her parents feels like a thread that’s left hanging). On the other hand, I think that one of Aang’s strengths as a MC is that he doesn’t overpower/dominate the entire narrative, and that other characters (Zuko, Katara, etc.) are allowed just as much significance and importance within the story, so…idk. Would appreciate another perspective, sorry for the long ask :)

forgive my slightly reductive claim, but I actually see each season as belonging to a different main character. book 1: water is very much katara’s season. she is the narrator who introduces us to the world, the catalyst for the inciting incident, and the entire journey to the north pole is her idea, her goal, her quest to master waterbending. most episodes in book 1 center on katara, her escapades, her blunders, her triumphs, her adventures; aang is also featured prominently, of course, but she’s by far the hero of this story.

then book 2: earth shifts focus, and focalizes aang instead. katara has achieved her primary goal of learning waterbending for a master, and now she’s mostly just along for the ride. she still has episodes where she is central to the plot and truly shines (eg, the chase, the desert, lake laogai) but she’s mainly playing second fiddle to aang, who has to contend with his position as avatar and the immense power he wields, learns earthbending (his most personally challenging element), suffers inconceivable loss as he grieves appa, the triumphant joy of their reunion, works through his emotional state with the guru, and finally, his defeat at the hands of azula. book 2 is, first and foremost, aang’s season.

so it stands to reason that book 3: fire is zuko’s. zuko has been focalized before, most prominently in the episode “zuko alone,” but this season is not about zuko in isolation, but rather his integration. the goal zuko has been striving for and the changes he has undergone and lessons he’s learned in the previous two seasons all culminate here, finally realizing the character arc they’ve been laying the groundwork for in the background of aang and katara’s journeys. so of course zuko is prioritized in zuko’s season. of course episodes like “the beach” barely even focus on the gaang whatsoever, with their only sparse scenes just there to establish combustion man as a threat.

and it’s not that we don’t get the gaang’s pov in “the western air temple,” because we very much do. we see them respond to their defeat at the invasion, we see them argue over whether to let zuko into the group, and yes, we do see katara acknowledge what happened in ba sing se, very emphatically, I might add.

and the following episode is literally about aang. yes, zuko is still the character whose point of view is centered the most, but it’s also a direct response to aang’s conflict in “the deserter,” and it provides a crucial aspect of not only zuko’s character development, but also aang’s. then, the episode after that is all about sokka. zuko features, of course, but he knows this is not his journey and he is happy to follow sokka’s lead. it’s a necessary episode as it marks the apotheosis of sokka’s arc. then, “the southern raiders,” which serves as katara’s apotheosis. yes, zuko is the one who orchestrates the plot, but but it’s katara’s emotional journey every step of the way. “the ember island players” is equally about aang, katara, and zuko’s horrified responses to this play. and then in “sozin’s comet” aang, katara, and zuko are each given equal weight in their final moments in the narrative.

i don’t think that aang’s central conflict feels rushed or abrupt whatsoever, because it was already addressed as far back as in “the avatar state” when he expressed fears regarding the scale of his power and the damage it causes. aang’s conflicting duty to the world as the avatar and duty to his people as the last airbender has been established time and time again since book 1, and is especially focalized in book 3 in episodes such as “the awakening” and “the day of black sun.” even a sort of dismissible episode like “nightmares and daydreams” centers his point of view and elucidates his anxiety.

but aang, katara, and zuko have always been positioned as a sort of prism that narratively refract and reflect one another, ever since the very beginning. each season focalizes one while still giving the others the necessary space to grow and develop, but if zuko does feel like the protagonist of book 3, it’s because it’s his season, and that doesn’t minimize aang or katara’s importance, because he is reflecting them each step of the way, just as they are reflecting him.

and as a sidenote: toph’s fraught relationship with her parents is actually explored sufficiently, in my opinion, via her dynamics with the rest of the gaang. her conflict with her family is resolved through finding unconditional and mutual support through her friends, and both her tension with katara as explored in “the runaway” and her vulnerability and faith in sokka (especially in “sozin’s comet”) illustrate how toph still struggles in some key ways, but has also grown so much since first escaping her abusive home.

#alphatwin999 #asks #analysis #katara #aang #zuko #I need a tag for like…. their triangle #and #toph #I guess

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written-in-flowers · 1 year

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Hi! I really love your Otto-writings

Just imagine…

You (female reader) wake up in the night and someone (daemon / Otto / aegon / aemond) is sitting by your bed... drunk and sleepless…

AN/: oooh I liked this one. I almost made the nsfw route with this one, but I've been feeling soft lately, so I made it fluffy. I hope you like it!

Pairing: Aegon Targaryen x Targ!Reader (sister-wife, so incest)

***

The Night Before The Rest of Our Lives

It began with a feeling. Your subconscious mind tapped your shoulder to wake you from a dreamless sleep. You knew the hour was late by the pitch blackness outside, and the stillness of the world around you. Yet, even with your eyes shut, you knew something was wrong. Your body instinctively curled into a fetal position as the strange sensation crept over you. Through blurry eyes, you caught a faint orange-yellow glow of a lantern casted on the wall across from you. Your maids doused the fireplace hours ago, and you’d personally put out the candles. Either someone came back and accidentally left it, or someone broke into your room. But, then you remembered the feast, and you knew who it was. Your body suddenly relaxed, and a smile crept on your face.

“Shouldn’t you be sleeping, Brother?”

You rolled over to see Aegon sitting at the table slouched in the chair. He wore a vest with the lacings loosened, a long shirt, brown breeches and boots still. You could tell by the pitcher and wine cup, he’d continued drinking long after the celebration feast ended. Hours ago, you and him sat in the grand hall of the Red Keep the eve of your wedding day. You danced, sang, drank and ate together. You both were the young, happy couple everyone toasted and congratulated. For once, people celebrated a happy union, instead of a political one. You’d gone to bed when the feast ended, but it appeared Aegon kept it going on his own. Aegon sitting slumped in a chair with a wine cup in his hand wasn’t unusual to you. In fact, you expected it of him.

“Couldn’t sleep,” he muttered. “Mother was talking to me…something about marriage and duty and honor…”

“Marriage, duty and honor?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged, looking into his wine cup, “I tuned her out halfway through. I don’t see what the fuss is all about. We’ll be married tomorrow.” He frowned when he realized his cup was empty. You watched him feel around for the pitcher handle, and focus on pouring into his cup. You heard him groan disappointedly. “You have any wine left in here?”

“No,” you answered, trying not to laugh at him. “I drank it all.”

“What? Without me? Your older brother and your betrothed? Shame!” He let the empty cup fall to the floor and sat back in the chair again. “This time next week, you’re going to have two reasons to respect me.”

“Oh?”

“Yes, I’ll be your husband as well as your older brother,” he nodded sagely. He looked around your table to see another wine cup. He reached for it and frowned when he upturned the empty cup. “And as your brother-husband, my first demand is that we have at least two jugs of the best wine in our bedroom. That way, we can get drunk together and then have long, passionate, ravenous sex all night.”

You laughed at his statement, “So, you’re telling me you’ll only lie with me when you’re drunk?” you pouted and batted your eyes.

“Well,” he thought for a moment, “Maybe not entirely drunk…Reasonably drunk…A drink-or-two-or-three drunk, if you will.” He gave up his quest for wine, and remained in the chair. “But, we’ll definitely still have wine in our room. Perhaps we can spill it on each other and lick it off.”

This is how you knew he was drunk: he’d speak very plainly about the obscene, lewd acts he wanted to do with you. You sat up in your bed, knees drawn up to your chest, “Why are you in here, Aegon? Mother’s sleeping in the next room, and she’ll be furious if she finds you in here.”

“Psh,” he scoffed, “As if I care. You’re going to be my wife in…about nine hours or so… Why does it matter if I sleep in your room with you?”

“She doesn’t want you ‘impregnating’ me.”

“If I wanted to ‘impregnate’ you, Sister, I’ve had plenty of opportunities before now,” he said. “Like when we went to Lady Laena’s funeral on Driftmark and you let me put my hand up your dress, or the time you caught me knocking one out in my room and decided to give me an extra hand…In truth, Y/N, it’s you she should be worried about. Not me.”

“I’m afraid she does worry for me.”

Your mother, Queen Alicent, made it clear on many occasions that your actions did not befit a Princess. You liked gambling, fighting, and drinking. You snuck out at night with Aegon to brothels, taverns, pot-shops, markets, and cock-fighting pits. You liked living. You hated the stuffy, silent, reflective life your mother wanted you to live; constantly praying to The Seven and living by the moral codes of pious men in scratchy robes. You and Aegon must always be upstanding, respectable, perfect images to comply with the family image your mother spent years curating for the realm. Any time you and Aegon were caught together anywhere, she scolded you both. Princesses are not supposed to get drunk and dance half naked in a brothel. They’re not supposed to let their betrothed fondle their breasts, or stick her hand in his pants as he did so. You did everything she asked of you. You loved her, and you did your best to please her. You went to her lessons, learned the right skills, and played the princess role perfectly. Aegon made it difficult for her, because he’s much more stubborn than you, so you tried being more compliant than him.

“She purposefully moved into the chambers next to mine to spy on me,” you said. Judging by the night sky, your mother is most likely fast asleep and won’t hear either of you. “She’s been sending that nosey bitch Talia in here to ‘check on me’,” you rolled your eyes.

Aegon smirked, “I don’t think Talia’s going to be coming in here…”

“Why?” you eyed him curiously.

He dug into his pocket and withdrew a key hanging from a white ribbon. You both stared at each other and then laughed. “Your deviance never ceases to amaze me, Aegon,” you said, shaking your head and giggling. “How’d you get it?”

“I bumped into her while walking down the stairs, and picked it from her pocket unawares,” he said, twirling the key between his fingers. “They all think I’m a drunken idiot. I used to hate it, but I realize it comes with lots of benefits.” He turned his head towards the door nearby, then back to you, “They all look down on me.”

“They can’t look down on you. You’re a prince. They’re servants.”

“They do anyways. They all act like they’re better than me. I see how they look at me when I come back from the city; how they try hiding their disgusted eyes and whisper behind their hands. I know they whisper about me. They talk about how I’m not worthy enough to be Father’s heir, how I bring shame to our family, and why does Mother even bother with me?” you saw the despondency in his eyes as he studied the key. You watched him slide the ribbon between his fingers, threading it through the hole at the top. “They act as if they’ve never gotten drunk or fucked a whore in their lives.”

“I’m quite sure at least some of them haven’t,” you said.

“Then they should try it. Perhaps they won’t be so judgemental then.” He continued playing with the key, “It’s why I love being with you. You don’t look down on me. Everyone in our family acts like I’m a nuisance…everyone but you.” He looked back at you, “I can be myself with you.” He hesitated, eyes gazing over your face before he said, “I hope you feel the same?”

“Of course I do, you idiot,” you smiled. “What could make you think I don’t?”

“Aemond.”

“Aemond?”

“And that he’s a better match for you than I am,” he explained. “He’s always reading and training. He rides Vhagar. He…He wants to be king. You should be with someone who’ll be a good king; not a drunk like me.”

You slid off your bed and walked over to him. Aegon let you sit in his lap to hug him around his neck. “Aemond might be tall, smart, and strong, but he’s also a complete twat. He’s not as fun as you.” You looked down at him, pecking his lips softly, “You’re not the only one they look their noses down at. I’m a princess. I’m supposed to be graceful and virtuous like Mother and Helaena. I learned all the skills Mother wanted me to have: I can play the harp and pipe. I can speak three different languages. I can recite religious texts backwards and forwards, and still, it isn’t enough. I know what they say behind my back,” you twirled one of the strings of his vest idly. “They call me a…”

‘Whore’. You’ve never touched another man besides Aegon in your life, yet those little rats in the kitchens called you that. Aegon saw the embarrassment in your eyes, and Aegon cupped your chin.

“You’re not a whore,” he said softly. “You’re a lady…You just like having a bit of fun from time to time. It’s nothing different to what they’d do if given the chance.”

He put his hand around the nape of your neck to pull you close and kiss you. Aegon’s kisses, while full of wine or ale, sent a comforting warmth through you. Suddenly, only Aegon existed in the world. Your hand went through his silver blond locks, fisting some of it to keep his head in place while you kissed. His lips caressed yours open, and his tongue slid between them.

“Can I see them?”

“What?” you laughed, your cheeks heated up. “No, Aegon. Someone might walk in here any minute.” It’ll be harder for Talia to prove anything if you’re both still dressed.

“She won’t. I locked the door behind me when I broke in,” he insisted. His hand left your neck for the neckline of your chemise, “Come on,” he teased, giving it a small tug, “Just a peek? I miss them so much.”

“You’ll see ‘them’ tomorrow.”

“That’s too long,” he whined, peppering kisses on your throat. You giggled at the rough hairs tickling your skin. “Come on, be reasonable,” he continued whining, “I have not touched or come after you for a fortnight. Do I not deserve a reward for my restraint?”

“Restraint? Mother caught you looking through my keyhole a few nights ago!”

“And I could have walked in and finished you off, but I didn’t, did I?” he reasoned. His expression changed back to flirtation, “Not that you would’ve minded. I knew what you were doing in here, you naughty little girl.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” you replied innocently. “I was in here reading like any normal princess would be after a long celebration.”

“Oh yes, ‘reading’. You were reading that book you bought from the Lysene girl, and touching that sweet,” he licked his lips, “Warm cunt of yours.” He slid a hand on your thigh, your dress riding up with it. “I saw you looking at one of the pages, your legs spread and your hand between your thighs. I couldn’t see much, but Gods, I could hear you.” You shuddered, feeling his bare hand on your thigh, trailing up and down it while he kissed the other side of your neck. “I wanted to walk right in here and give my beautiful wife a hand.”

“But then Mother came.”

“But then Mother came,” he repeated irritably. “Please, Y/N, let me see them. I promise it'll only be a peek."

"Don't you want to make tomorrow special?" You suggested playfully, enjoying his pleading. "It will have been a full fortnight that you haven't touched me. Wouldn't it be more rewarding?" You brushed your lips over his before kissing him.

"It's already tomorrow," he whined in your kiss.

"Then you only need to wait a few more hours."

Realizing he wouldn't be getting his way, Aegon left his hand on your thigh and rested his head on your shoulder. He'd drunk his weight in wine, rendering him incapable of arousal to begin with, yet the idea of making him wait longer amused you. It was nice dangling yourself over him, watching him drool for you. He occasionally kissed your neck or gripped your thigh, but he knew you'd never give in.

"I can't wait until you're mine," he slurred, sloppy kisses down your chest. "Then, I can have you whenever I wish."

"Oh? Whenever you wish, eh?"

"Yes," he said, lips on your breast, "I'd be your lord husband, and as my wife, it'd be your duty to let me have you as I please."

You laughed, "And what about me?"

"What about you, hm?"

"What if I," you pulled his chin up to look at you, "Want to have you as I wish?"

"There'd be no complaints from me, I assure you, sweet Sister," he gave a lopsided smile and kissed you. "However you like," he continued, "Anywhere you like."

"Aegon…"

"I'll be as rough or as gentle as my lady wife wishes," he said. He cupped your breast through your dress, smiling at your soft gasp.

You shut your eyes as his lips went further down your chest. He hadn't shaved, so the rough hairs on his chin scratched your skin. You liked it. You felt warmth surging between your thighs at the touch of his hand on your thigh. His hot mouth kissed right over your nipple, his teeth grazing it through the fabric. The gentle touches almost broke your resolve, but you withstood it.

"No, Aegon," you forced him to stop. "Is it even getting hard?"

"Not really," he huffed, resting his head on your shoulder. "It must be the wine…my least favorite thing about it…" he nuzzled your neck, smiling when it made you giggle. "Mother said she's surprised we even waited."

"She must've believed I'd be with child by now. I suspect she worried we'd end up in some sort of scandal that would rock the very foundations of this castle. Imagine it, Aegon," you whispered, "A princess who mothered bastards."

He smirked at your meaning. "That would be absolutely scandalous," he agreed, "So much so that our father will cut out the tongue of anyone who dares to speak the truth, even when it sits in his face, white with dark curly hair instead of dark with silver hair."

Your older sister, Rhaenyra, was your father's favorite child. Allowed to skip about and do what she pleased, nobody was surprised when her three sons turned out to have none of the typical Targaryen features. Even though their father and mother both had silver hair and violet eyes. Everyone knew. People are not blind. You only needed to look at Jaceryes, Luceryes, and Joffrey to see the truth. Yet, despite her obvious treason, your father turned a blind eye to her activities.

Though, he certainly never ignored yours.

"Did you see them tonight?" You asked.

Rhaenyra and her sons, like so many other lords and ladies of the kingdom, were invited to celebrate you and Aegon's wedding. A week-long event of feasts and tourneys leading up to the big day, which would end with a banquet of dishes, wine and cake at the end. She'd arrived from Dragonstone with her sons and second husband, Daemon Targaryen. You recalled how happy your father seemed when she approached, smiling and kissing her cheeks. He doted on her sons, who'd grown so much since you last saw them. Your heart couldn't help breaking. He never looked at you that way. Whenever your father addressed you, it was to scold or enforce a matter on you. He'd simply said, "You look lovely, dear," when asked if he thought his daughter looked beautiful. The sting hurts no matter how many times you pretend otherwise.

"Don't," Aegon's voice broke you from your thoughts. He took the hand playing with the lace, and said, "Don't. He's a rotting bag of flesh and bones who doesn't even know what day it is. Don't let him get in there," he prodded your temple until you laughed. "You were beautiful tonight. Everyone said so when you walked into the hall." He gave your hand a soft squeeze, "And you'll be all anyone talks about tomorrow…I think…I wouldn't know. You won't let me see your gown."

"I want it to be a surprise," you insisted. You pressed your lips to his again, "Come sleep with me."

"Oh, I'd love to," he smirked, "If only we’re both naked."

"You can be nude, if you like," you sneered back, standing from his lap, "But I'm feeling a bit of a chill. I might keep my dress on."

"You're a cruel woman, Y/N."

You returned to your bed and delighted in watching a drunk Aegon clumsily remove his clothes before you decided to help. While he made several attempts to undress you as well, you managed to navigate his lustful advances and plopped him into the bed. You’d never ever tell him that seeing him naked did bring back that familiar tingle; he’d never let it go if you did. Finally undressed, Aegon slipped underneath your covers and wrapped you in his arms. The coldness of the bed disappeared in his presence, and the emptiness of the room vanished. As the lantern slowly died out, you listened to Aegon gradually drift to sleep beside you. Tomorrow, you’d be in this bed as man and wife. Tomorrow, Aegon won’t be your silly fool of a brother, but your husband as well. One day, if the Gods are cruel, he’ll become king and you’ll become queen.

What a mess that would be.

#aegon ii targaryen #aegon ii x reader #aegon ii x yn #aegon ii x you #tom glynn carney #house of the dragon #hotd #hotd drabbles #hotd imagines #hotd fanfiction #hotd fanfic

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n0tamused · 21 days

Text

Broken Memories

Genre: angst

A/N: More older stuff to post, hope you all enjoy. I did a quick proofread but knowing me I'll just say that there still may be some grammar mistakes :p

Lofty clouds sail over the Xianzhou Lofu, welcoming some distant warmth to befall the people after what felt like years and years worth of rain. Fresh air brings in the freshness which the rain left behind, feeling like a new slate of paper ready to be written on, but Blade just watches on in solemn silence. Tendrils of pain and ache make its way through his body in steady, continuous waves, not letting him relax, but not letting him move either. For him, only the present moment exists, and in a twisted way he is forced to accept it. His life knows no end, so he makes scarce peace with the present.

Remembrance of days already long and gone make their way to his head, when white locks fell down his back instead of raven black, and when he had friends to speak off, company to talk to, and dreams to dream about. In the long faded and broken memories he sees himself, Yingxing, strike a hot piece of metal over and over again until he gets it to the desired dimensions. Deft hands grab onto the pincers and tools and a bucket of cold water to mend the metal, and the process flows on effortlessly under his watchful gaze. Yingxing feels even more anxiety pool in his chest unlike he usually feels, his gaze fixated on carving the blade to have a more intricate design - this was no ordinary blade in the end, made to be given to some soldier or some higher up as compensation, no - it was a gift. It had to be perfect. Beyond perfect.

The dagger was curved and elegant, and in his hands it demonstrated to perfect balance between the point and hilt, and many little details were put into it in colors of gold and rose gold, your favorite gemstones, your favorite color in the leather grip, your favorite shapes, and about anything else he could incorporate into the dagger without overthrowing its aesthetic and its practical use. It shines beautifully under the pale sunlight, the rain clouds drifting away after days worth of rain. Yingxing smiles at his work, lifting it up above his head until he sees the reflection of his own eyes in the blade, full of mirth and under one eye there’s a smudge of charcoal. He can’t help the pride that makes his chest swell, and neither can he afford to wait for the following day to give it to you. So he makes quick work of packaging the blade and following the narrow roads, searching the entire city until he finds you and just gives the gift to you right then and there, in broad daylight with little introduction. Red paper is wrapped around the wooden box, not in the most skilled way, but in a caring way, and he relishes in the compliments you rain down upon him when he explains what it is, or even why he gave it to you. For once he feels really seen. His life-long mission is for once cast aside in favor of admiring this little side quest he ventured upon. And he feels like he could throw everything away if it meant seeing your joy every day. That evening you have invited him back to your home, served him tea and shared your events of the day, along with more passionate comments about the gifted dagger.

Blade sighs, remembering your smile, your face, and he remembers how different it now looks in his distorted memories. He is forgetting.. He knows the face he sees in his memories is not the one he knew, he feels it in his bones and in his blackened heart. There is just something missing. The visage of his eyes can’t focus on your face nor the details of your clothes or your hands when they gripped his.

The broken dagger in his lap is unfixable - Yingxing is no longer here to mend it as before. Blade can only hold onto the essence of its memories until the whole world goes dark, and that says plenty of his grief and regret. His chin tilts down to look at the dagger, his finger jabbing at the broken blade as if it was a foreign object to him, something extra terrestrial, as if he didn’t pour his heart into it decades before. Perhaps he did pour his all into it, maybe that’s why the dagger followed the same fate as he did, as the smith poured a piece of his soul into his art. He can only hope the dagger does not represent you.. he hopes you’re out there, somewhere, happy, healthy, alive..

#-better an arrow than you #blade x reader #honkai star rail #honkai star rail x reader #blade x you #blade x gn reader #blade x yn #honkai star rail x you #honkai star rail x gender neutral reader #angst #x reader #xianzhou luofu #honkai x reader #honkai star rail imagine

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pix3lplays · 5 months

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Hello! I hope you have good day. Can we have genshin men being left with their small child alone after reader the mother decided to go out to buy milk and never came back? Thank you in advance.

Oh my goshhhh whyyy would you do that to them???? Let’s do it >:) thanks for the prompt btw, it was very interesting to write from this perspective! Changed it up just a little bit-

Cw! Reader is Very neglectful and toxic…abandons family, drinking

-Genshin men: abandoned by reader-

Diluc: You…didn’t come home that evening. Or the next. Or the next. He was so worried, worried SICK about you, so much so that he even turned to Kaeya and the Knights of Favonius to help search for you. I mean…you had a child with him. You wouldn’t just disappear on him like that. Something must’ve happened to you, you must have been kidnapped or hurt or dead or SOMETHING. But no. Eventually Kaeya finds some…evidence about what happened to you. A letter you left behind, explaining how you were through with him, that you were leaving him in search of a better life. A better life? It almost makes him laugh. He knew the life he was providing you would never be good enough, but he really didn’t think you’d abandon him and your child. He burns your letter in his rage, regrets it of course, that WAS his last piece of you, but…he didn’t want to remember you like that. Fine. He’ll raise his baby, with or without you. And should his child ask about their mother, he would just say that she passed away. In a way, that was the truth. You were dead to him.

Kaeya: He turns the entirety of Mondstadt upside down in his frantic search for you. His children needed their mother. He needed you. And he’s an absolute mess in his quest trying to find you. He knows things have been…deteriorating between the two of you, what with him giving more attention to his beloved children than you, but still…you wouldn’t just…leave him for that, right?! When he does finally find you, he turns completely numb. You’ve already found yourself a new man who gives you the attention you were always seeking, the kind of attention he couldn’t provide for you because he’s been so busy trying to be the perfect father to his children- He doesn’t know what to do. He’s completely broken-hearted, he spends entire evenings away from home, from his kids, drinking his problems away. But I think eventually he’d sober up and realize he has to be the one to step up as a father. You’re not coming back. He needs to accept it, accept that deep down you really were too selfish to be called his lover… He’ll take care of his young children, without you. You’re no longer welcome in his life, but he’s not sure he’ll have the strength to turn you away if you ever come back.

Neuvillette: He…really thought he had been treating you well. He had given you everything you needed to be happy…a beautiful home, a devoted husband, the most precious children… So WHY did he have to wake up in your shared bed to find a windflower (flower of abandonment) on your pillow instead of your lovely face?! He doesn’t even know what to think. The flower…you left it for a reason. There was no mistaking what it meant… You really left him. And your children. The rain poured for many days and nights after the incident. He doesn’t talk about it, and people know better than to ask. Anyone could put it together. You’re no longer around. Neuvillette’s inspiration, his DEVOTION…was gone. Neuvillette remains devoted to his children though. They’re only babies…it’s not fair that you should abandon them like this, and he’s not going to follow your example. He’s going to be there for his children, even though your absence makes things so much harder for him, he’ll figure it out. He takes a long leave of absence from the courts, to focus on raising his children.

Baizhu: It was growing hard to listen to Qiqi asking where you were, every single day, while he was trying to balance taking care of a newborn baby on his own as well as running the pharmacy. He’s too…busy…to really dwell on it. That’s what he tries to say anyways. Until one day Qiqi caught him mourning you, putting away old pictures of the two of you, barely able to fight back his tears. He throws himself into his work, focuses on his patients and raising his child and Qiqi, but it hurts. You had said you were just going out to buy some herbs they were short on at the Pharmacy… You had kissed him goodbye, said goodbye to Qiqi, like you always did and then he never saw you again. Of course him and Qiqi scoured the city for you, but they were simply unable to find you. He had to put on a brave face. For Qiqi. For his baby at home. But Changsheng wasn’t afraid to say what he was thinking. She said you were gone, and you weren’t coming back. He shushes her and takes Qiqi’s hand and returns to the pharmacy. But it was true. You were gone. And you wouldn’t be returning anytime soon. So he grins and bears it. Takes care of his little family, minus one…would he welcome you back if you return? He doesn’t know. But a part of him fears he would try to just forgive and forget and try to welcome you back into his life, even though he should know better by now.

#Genshin Impact #genshin impact x reader #Diluc #Diluc x reader #genshin impact Diluc x reader #Kaeya #Kaeya x reader #genshin impact Kaeya x reader #Neuvillette #Neuvillette x reader #genshin impact Neuvillette x reader #Baizhu #Baizhu x reader #genshin impact Baizhu x reader

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vigilskeep · 5 months

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Why Wynne as the werewolf tho?

short answer: it would fix her

long answer: dao companions ideologically vary from highly valuing survival (at the expense of principles) to highly valuing their principles (at the expense of survival), and wynne is probably the most firmly on the side of principles and self-sacrifice. she has multiple occasions when she will turn against the warden on moral grounds and fight them to the death, she objects to prioritising even a loved one’s survival over the greater good, she advocates for the circle as a necessary sacrifice of freedoms, and she herself is functionally already dead and believes she only continues to exist to serve a purpose. the latter is also how she already struggles with whether or not she has retained her humanity. that’s why i think she’s the most interesting character to suddenly have the immediate, primal, ugly, hungry, and irresistible urges of a werewolf

i also think that wynne’s quickness to judge people and events, and then to announce those judgements as universal truth including directly to the faces of the people they’re about, is the biggest obstacle in her ability to understand the other companions. (justice and anders-justice suffer from this too lmao. a spirit’s black and white view of the world combined with an educated andrastian human’s condescension does have this poor result.) in, ideally, a wolf form that is at least initially unable to speak, i think she’d get some really fascinating and much needed perspective. entire wolfwalkers sequence in my head with wolf-wynne getting violent and morrigan turning into a wolf to lead her on a chase into the woods to burn it off and wolf-wynne regaining control not with “humanity” as such but with finally, with these eyes, seeing the beauty in wilderness that morrigan knows so well, and suddenly they’re having fun and they turn back into human form laughing. or smth along those lines. i also think you can do a lot that’s super fun with wynne and zevran in this scenario, especially because i’d love to have our elven companion at the forefront during nature of the beast. i love their dynamic it’s hysterical and chewy (i think i see it misinterpreted a lot but that’s another post) but also with scientific curiosity i’d love to see what happens if a) we’re in an area that highlights zevran’s few moments of seriousness and b) wynne is actually forcibly stopped from giving him so much ammunition for five minutes

on the note of still keeping focus on the elves for notb, the brecilian forest is also the centre of her very quickly resolved personal quest with aneirin, so i’d love him to have a fleshier storyline. i’d briefly consider combining his character with lanaya’s, for instance?

admittedly the spirit of faith might get in the way, i haven’t ironed that one out yet. but if nothing else it’s a cheap answer to being able to alter the canon symptoms of lycanthropy a little for whatever serves plot convenience best

#wynne

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crowbawt · 4 months

Text

I really should be sleeping but my anxiety so instead here's a very long disjointed post with thoughts about the Man in the Wall after playing Whispers

Spoilers obviously

So the climax of the quest was us somehow holding back Mr. Big Indifference using a memory of love. And it makes sense, because what is the opposite of Indifference towards others? Caring about them. Which is kind of our (Tenno) entire thing. To Take Away Its Pain, etc. There's also Rell, who was also able to hold back Wally, and how he was alienated by his peers and even Marghulis, and the Orokin society who feared and shunned him and didn't treat him as a fellow human being deserves to be treated. As some of the Red Veil blood scrawls in his quest put it, "What is evil, but indifference?" It works quite well, thematically. But Warframe doesn't really restrict itself to a singular, direct approach to invoking its themes. Shit's got layers. Which leads me to believe there may be other layers here, too. And at this point, I'm really not convinced that Wally is so simple as the cosmic idea of Indifference towards others, or even a personification of fear and other 'dark' aspects of the human condition. I mean, I believe he is partially that, we do get that dialogue from Sythel "The first scholar looked into the Void and felt fear, and that fear took form. That's how all this started." Albrecht also refers to himself as the "Father of fears" in his notes somewhere (I forgor) But... Fear is not Indifference. And the Man in the Wall not only shows great interest in many things (like Albrecht, and our Tenno) but he also shows a great deal of emotion. He is described by Duviri citizens as hungry, greedy, jealous. He has feelings, and he has a great deal of them. A being born of fear and indifference towards others doesn't really describe what we've seen of him very well. What Wally has been shown as time and time again is instead: a mirror. Our reflection. So here's the rhetorical question I'd like to ask: If Albrecht gazed into the grand cosmic mirror of existence, and his first reaction was fear, well... it wasn't really the Void he was afraid of, was it?

...Which probably doesn't seem like a point worth all this build up, considering how during the quest, Albrecht's flaw of showing indifference to others (Loid, specifically) is brought up a few times. Albrecht looked into the Void, his Indifference and fear seeped in, and the result was Wally. Makes perfect sense. To which I say, look at the scrollbar to the side of this post because I have soooooo much more bullshit to spew about my thoughts on this. Anyway. I've seen some theorizing that we're probably going to "defeat" the Man in the Wall by forgiving him or otherwise reaching out and showing him love, similar to the way we helped Umbra. Love will triumph over Indifference. And that makes sense and feels very Warframe and I do think that will happen. Buuuuut I don't think it's the only thing that's going to happen. Because if something is destroyed or undone by love, doesn't that... kind of undermine the message of loving an ugly, broken thing? Doesn't having the ultimate villain be some abstract space monster elder god representing pure un-love kind of jar with the very personal, human focus of Warframe's storylines? I don't think this is a Love vs. Indifference Pokemon typing match-up here, I don't think the Love requiem word is going to defeat the Indifference requiem word like a game of rock paper scissors. That would be too trite. Besides, it's not Wally's Indifference, really. It's Albrecht's.

And I've seen a lot, a lot of speculation that Wally "is" Albrecht, just a very derived evil alternate of him, and maybe Albrecht manages to convert himself into Wally as some kind of self-fulfilling quantum time-loop, becoming the reflection that reached out to his own self. It makes a lot of sense, what with the "We End as We Began" thing, and us encountering doppelganger smiley Albrecht in the quest. It works, thematically. This very well could be the answer and it wouldn't be bad storytelling per se.

However, for reasons I am not sure how to articulate at 3 am, I honestly kiiiiiind of hate it. It is not an ending to this that I'd be personally very satisfied with. Again, this doesn't mean it would be bad story-telling, or that other people wouldn't find it satisfying, it's just me and how I like my eldritch horror to be. So I choose to speculate other possibilities up until the point I am proven wrong, and if I am I promise to not be too annoyingly butthurt about it. Promise. Here's my preferred take: I think the "Great Indifference" name for The Man in the Wall is a massive red herring. I think it relates far more meaningfully to what he actually is if you instead interpret it as "undifferentiated."

As in, the Void is a massive roiling quantum soup of all possible outcomes that could exist, but don't--to us. Specifically, us, as in our unique conscious POV, or "personal timeline" or "Chain of Khra" or quantum observer "cone of light" or whatever you want to call it. We are a 3rd dimensional ant stuck walking down a Mobius strip of cause and effect, and the Void is everything that we can not perceive from our tiny tiny window of specific probability variables. We are unable to "change the frame," as Euleria puts it, and I interpret that as "frame of reference."

While a lot of the differences are more... semantic than anything, Eternalism is not actually just Warframe's funny in-universe stand-in name for the Multiple Worlds Interpretation of Reality. This is a whoooooole another post worth of word vomit I won't get into now but Warframe did not come up with Eternalism it's an actual established thing that they're referencing.

The Void is everything, all at once. And if something is everything, in a way it is also... nothing. No contrast, no ups and downs, no loss, no birth, no death, no questions, and no mysteries to ponder. Joy is the same as sorrow, alive is the same as dead, "change" as a broad concept is impossible. If there is an opposite of human consciousness, of being alive and having lived, that's the closest thing I can think of.

There's a reason why the Void is shown in stark black and white until we put color into it... and in his original logs, Albrecht speaks of "scintillating vapor pouring out of my very skull." Human consciousness, our "light," (and the meaning of Albrecht's name, and the significance of us accidentally offering to let Wally "take our light" in the New War, etc) interacting with and reacting with the raw potential of the Void. It makes sense with the Wall being a bleak brutalist expanse of unmoving bone and dust, too. That could Wally's original, natural state: a solid block of grey, meaningless everything. It would explain his jealousy of us, why he takes our appearance, echoes aspects of our personalities, uses our voices, picks at our memories and experiences. It's why he's fascinated with us. It is the one thing he isn't, the one thing he can not have. Or--at least, couldn't have, before Albrecht's intrusion. This is a side-note, but I find it very interesting that Wally's missing finger seems to have limited him in some way, that now he's constrained by the Chains of Khra, implying that before Albrecht, he was not. Now I'm going to rewind waaay back to the topic of Wally being Albrecht's fear made manifest, and us defeating Wally by showing him love, not violence. Because... I don't think our love is enough to fix things on its own. It isn't us who needs to show him love and understanding. I think it has to be Albrecht.

The syndicate's plotline exploring a group of animals who had consciousness forced upon them, suddenly and violently and without consent, the difficulties they face grappling with it--I think that might echo the origin of the Man in the Wall. Consciousness being forced on not an animal, but the Void. You know the quote, "We are the Universe learning about itself?" Maybe in this case, the universe had a very shitty teacher.

And imagine this consciousness being thrust into the Void, taking form within it as an out-of-control chemical reaction, how might it attempt to communicate with Albrecht, with the first 'other' it ever encountered? Perhaps mirroring his form, speaking in his voice, using an endearing and personal term from his childhood: "Little Bengel?" What if, for those brief seconds, The Man in the Wall was not actively malicious? What if he was reaching towards Albrecht not seeking to trap him in a predatory "deal," but out of a sincere desire for connection? How would if feel then, to have your outstretched hand met with fear, disgust--a rejection so violent that your very fingers are severed by him slamming shut the door, an injury that leaves you weakened. A missing part of yourself, and nothing on your side of the wall to fill that hole with. Well it would make you a little bit bitter, I assume. And if those fingers are then used to perform miracles of science, to serve as the foundation for the triumph of an entire empire... you might feel a bit like you're owed. That bitterness may be compounded by the hypocrisy of it all, because all that you showed Albrecht was his own reflection. You might start to fixate on that hypocrisy, on those human flaws, on the parts of him that he didn't want to see. The reflection that he ran from, but further warped to emphasize what he tries to ignore. His shadow self. And so you haunt him with his shadow, because you want him to be forced to see. To acknowledge those parts of him he wishes he wasn't, but you're everything: you know. You won't let him ignore you, to deny you. You are now a jealous, bitter thing. A hungry ghost. You shove these flaws and bits of self-hatred back in his face because you want to make him look at them. To look in the mirror. ....To look at you. To acknowledge you exist. To see you as a thinking, feeling being. And I do think our Tenno are capable of this. To see the Man in the Wall not as "The Other," but as Another. The opposite of Indifference. I think that will be an important part of our story. But our story is not all of the story. It was not just any memory of love that drove back the Indifference, it was Albrecht's love. Unfortunately, I don't think Albrecht as we know him is capable of this, at least not as he is. He speaks of Wally as a malicious force, a cosmic evil that must be fought and only he is brilliant enough to figure out how. Even now, he refers to his reflection only with terms of disgust and shame. For all his monologues about guilt and his grand designs of martyrdom... he still thinks only in terms of himself. He thinks he understands his own guilt, and Wally delights in demonstrating all the ways that he does not. "If I must be a demon, may I be an honest one." That statement is, itself, dishonest. Albrecht is not a demon. He is human.

And that's what he's so deeply, violently afraid of admitting, the fear the entire Orokin civilization built itself on top of as foundation. I believe that is the fear that manifested in The Man in the Wall. And THAT is the kind of cosmic horror I want to see, while also feeling very Warframe. Crossing my fingers we get something closer to this and not just Albrecht accidentally (or purposely?) becoming an evil quantum demon. There's actually like. A whole other section to this I was going to yammer on about but it's now 4:30 AM and whooopppsssssssss

#well having something to focus on does help anxiety brain so #wild and presumptuous speculation that probably only seems clever to me because of sleep deprivation #giant text wall. man in the text... wall. sorry #sorry for all of this #warframe spoilers #[the man in the wall]#[loreframe predictions]

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perhaps-in-anotherdream · 1 year

Text

[CN] Victor’s Mind Quest – Not the Slightest Gap (Eng Translation)

⌚Warning⌚ This post contains detailed spoilers for a mind quest, 至无隙无间, that is yet to be released in the global server! ♡

[Additional Warning]: As the spice for this mind quest is very explicit and borderline, if you don’t qualify for the 16+ rating of the game (CN server), it’s recommended that you don’t proceed under the cut~ :>

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

–

The exclusive radio is to be read before CH 1. Please make sure you read that before continuing. Here: ♡♡

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

–

✧ [Chapter 1] ✧

It’s very early in the morning, and the horizon has just unveiled the trace of a mackerel sky. I gently push open the bedroom door, walk quietly on my tiptoes, roll up a corner of the duvet and get in.

Even though I try my best to keep my movements light, the sound of even breathing in my ears ceases instantly, and I hear a slightly awakened voice reaching my ears.

Victor: [adorably husky, sleepy tone] What time is it?

MC: It’s past five…

Victor sighs a little helplessly. Then he reaches out and embraces me, wrapping my entire body in the warmth of his arms.

I instinctively release a sigh and curl up in his arms contentedly.

The year-end projects during this time have made me very busy and disoriented, and working overtime has already become a common occurrence. Even Victor is helpless about my frazzled appearance.

But no matter how cautiously I lie down every night, he always feels my presence in the first instance and enfolds me in his arms.

Victor: [sexy grunt, husky tone] Lie down and focus on sleeping.

Victor: Don’t mull over work stuff in bed like you did a couple days ago.

MC: Understood~

I stealthily stick my tongue out. Just as I’m thinking about trying to relax and fall asleep, an idea for a new project pops into my head.

After a few moments of being torn, I clench the arm wrapped tightly around my waist and quietly move a few inches away.

Victor: [softly gasps] Where are you going again?

MC: Go-going to the bathroom.

Victor: Didn’t you just go to the bathroom before lying down?

MC: …so you heard that.

I mutter in a low voice, unable to find any other reasons for the moment.

MC: Well… I accidentally came up with an idea for a new project, and I’m afraid I’ll forget it tomorrow. So, I wanted to go and write it down.

MC: I’ll really just go and write it down~

Even though I deliberately emphasize the pronunciation of “accidentally” and make a promise, the strength around my waist still tightens unexpectedly.

Victor: [grunts softly, sighs] …your “accident” is very dedicated to your work.

Victor: No need to go to all that trouble. I’ll remember it for you. Go on.

MC: Who on earth submits a report to the CEO early in the morning?

Victor: It’s not like a certain someone has never done this before.

–

[Tidbits]: Refresher– a reference to S1 CH 7~ :>

–

His deep and low voice is laced with a hint of sleepiness that he is unable to conceal, blocking my retort.

Victor: And besides, right now, I’m not listening to your report as the CEO.

I blink, sensitively catching the implication of his words. My heart can’t help but turn into a puddle, and I finally give in and tell him about the idea I’ve come up with after a moment of resistance.

I turn over expectantly just as I finish speaking, looking into his deep eyes.

MC: How is it? Do you think it’s a feasible plan?

Victor: [laughs softly] I’m only responsible for remembering. I’m not gonna comment.

MC: …why are you being like this?

In the cold white light of dawn, I can see the corners of his lips vaguely curving upwards, as if he doesn’t plan on talking with me about this anymore.

I glare at him in secret and roll over again, deliberately sighing long and hard.

MC: That’s good. I feel even more sleepless now––

Hearing me pretending to feel wronged, Victor behind me seems to release a helpless, soft chuckle.

Victor: [sighs helplessly] Since you can’t sleep, answer a few questions of mine then.

Victor: Have you forgotten anything recently?

I’m stumped for a moment, wondering why he is suddenly asking this. Regardless, I earnestly reflect on this for a while. And in the next moment, I can’t help but let out a small cry of alarm.

MC: AHH! I forgot to eat that pudding you made for me!

Victor: [precious gasp] …I didn’t think you’d think of that first.

Victor: No need to have such a big reaction. If those who don’t know hear you, they will think you’ve forgotten something of enormous value.

MC: Of course, it’s something of enormous value! You especially made that for me three days ago when you saw how hard I was working…

I turn around and poke his arm tentatively.

MC: Do you think it’s still edible?

Victor: Yes.

Victor: But after eating it, it shouldn’t be just a certain someone’s brain that will go bad.

I look at him with a blank expression. It takes me churning it several times in my mind to realize that he is scolding me.

MC: Victor!

A few soft, increasingly cheerful laughs ring in my ears. As I glower at him, he slowly withdraws his joking expression.

Victor: Is that the only thing you’ve forgotten?

MC: …is there anything else?

I gape wordlessly, waiting for his “crusade” without any confidence.

Victor: A certain someone was rolling up her sleeves to fight for the tickets to a musical half a month ago, but she forgot about it when they started selling the tickets.

Victor: It’s been about a week now, and the bag of tulip seeds is still exactly where it was in the living room since we bought them.

Victor: You don’t expect that they will jump into the flower pots and grow themselves, do you?

Victor: Also, I remember that you were planning to sign up for a dance class; to go and sweat it out after work…

Seeing my eyes widen in confusion, Victor raises his eyebrows somewhat helplessly.

Victor: Indeed, a three-minute enthusiasm it was.

His face takes on an expression that says– “I knew it,” and following this, a somewhat vague memory surfaces in my mind.

—

───── [Flashback Begins] ─────

It was a night about two weeks ago. Victor and I were waiting on the roadside for the car after having dinner, and I was caught off guard by someone slipping a small flyer in my hand.

Passerby: Learn about Paso Doble dance~

I glanced down inadvertently and caught a glimpse of the bright red headline–– a passionate ballroom dance: Paso Doble.

The male and female dance partners in the picture on the side were intimate and assertive in their movements. I subconsciously stole a glance at Victor. He was looking at the finance and economics news on his phone, a calm and focused expression on his face.

A small, wicked idea suddenly bubbled up in my mind. I mysteriously leaned over to him and shook the flyer in my hand to him.

MC: Victor, would you like to sign up with me for a passionate Paso Doble dance experience?

Victor: [sighs sharply] Nope.

Victor: It’s not like I haven’t experienced a certain someone’s dance before.

–

[Tidbits]: Refresher– “Dance Date” reference where he taught her to dance, “Exhibition Date” reference where they danced in the rain~

–

He didn’t say much, but it seemed to convey the disdain implied therein vividly and thoroughly. I felt choked up and couldn’t help opening my mouth to refute.

MC: You don’t know about this Paso Doble dance yet. Aren’t you rejecting it a bit too early?

MC: Look at what it says on the flyer–– “The Paso Doble dance originated in France. It’s a dance that imitates a bullfighter’s movements, and the dancer’s posture is valiant and impassioned.”

MC: “In the Paso Doble dance, you can unleash the instinct to chase, hunt, and tear at…”

MC: So, don’t you want to chase, hunt, and tear me apart?

Victor: …

Victor finally took his eyes off the phone, shooting a surveying glance left and right.

Victor: Do you want to hear what you just said?

As the belated realization dawned on me, I stopped talking and turned my head to make sure there wasn’t anyone around, smiling in embarrassment.

MC: Actually, I’ve been thinking for a while now about whether to do some exercise after work and sweat it out.

MC: I feel that dancing seems more fun. Moreover, I can learn ballroom dancing with you, and this way, there won’t be any interference in our time together~

I took his arm affectionately, swaying it expectantly.

He lifted the corners of his lips in what seemed like amusement and helplessness.

Victor: [sighs helplessly] If you’re not over this three-minute enthusiasm by next week, we’ll talk about it then.

───── [Flashback Ends] ─────

—

That completely undisguised query reverberates in my ears, and my cheeks can’t help but be flushed.

MC: It’s not that it was a three-minute enthusiasm. I really want to take dance lessons with you. But how do I find the time now?

I arch up against his chest, my tone tinged with a hint of coquetry.

MC: I now need CEO Victor to remind me about eating.

Victor holds down my bobbing head, rapping it gently with his finger pad.

Victor: [laughs softly] And do you know that your daily routine has also been a mess lately?

Victor: Now hurry up and get some sleep. I’ll take a look at your proposal when I get up tomorrow. I can give you some suggestions.

I let out a small cry of delight and hug him immediately.

MC: No wonder they say no amount of anything can be a substitute for the CEO of LFG. Victor, you’re too great~

Victor: [sexy whisper] If you talk any more nonsense, I’ll dismiss tomorrow’s help.

—

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

—

✧ [Chapter 2] ✧

By the time I wake up again, it’s already noon.

Relaxed and refreshed, Victor sits on the sofa, sipping his coffee. On the table in front of him is the proposal I wrote yesterday till the late hours at night.

I hurriedly rub my eyes as I walk over to pick up the document and find that it has been marked with numerous annotations.

Victor: The overall direction is fine, but some details need fine-tuning.

Victor: As you can see now, your current logic is starting to get chaotic.

When I skim through it carefully, the realization suddenly dawns on me.

MC: Indeed. I seem to have drilled into a lot of insignificant problems...

Sighing, I rub my face between my hands as I feel a little out of my depth and put on an expression of humbly seeking his advice.

MC: Victor, how do you adjust in such situations when you lose your judgment due to having your hands full?

Victor raises an eyebrow at my words and looks at me. Understanding tacitly, I immediately withdraw my question.

MC: ...yes, you should never lose your judgment, even if your hands are full.

The corners of Victor’s lips curl up slightly. He lowers his head, takes a sip of his coffee, then stands up.

Victor: Go and wash up briefly. Let’s go somewhere.

—

A wave of elegant classical music flows through the high-end dance costume store, and a variety of exquisite dance outfits hang on the clothes hangers.

MC: What are we doing here?

I stand in the clothing store, feeling a little at a loss.

Victor: Pick a set you like. I’ve already asked Goldman to sign us up for dance classes.

MC: ?? You really signed us up for dance classes??

He nods without having any change of expression on his face, his gaze sweeping over the few women’s outfits next to him.

Victor: Wasn’t a certain someone looking forward to it at the time?

MC: Expectations are expectations... but I thought you’d let me have more time to rest when I could. After all, I’m working so much now.

Victor: Work will never end.

Victor withdraws his gaze, a few traces of calmness reflecting in his deep eyes.

Victor: As the boss of [MC’s Company Name], you will only have more and more things on your plate.

Victor: But if you lose the pace of your life every time you are busy with work, all your rhythms will be disrupted.

MC: My rhythms are not at the point of being “disrupted,” right...?

Victor: It looks like a certain someone has already forgotten about that poor pudding in the fridge and those tulip seeds.

MC: ...didn’t forget, didn’t forget.

I make a standing-at-attention posture.

MC: I’m just a little curious. What does this have to do with us signing up for dance classes?

Victor: If you don’t want your work to lead you by the nose every time, finding your core with a regular activity is the best solution.

MC: Core?

MC: You mean, it’s something analogous to the power of body and mind?

Victor glances at me with a gratified look.

Victor: There will always be changes and challenges in the outside world, and these are variables that are impossible to guard against.

Victor: It’s only when you have a stable core that the chaotic situations won’t be able to snatch away the initiative.

Although his explanation is brief, I already vaguely understand something, my eyes resting on the dance skirt behind Victor.

MC: So, the regular activity you mentioned just now is taking me to dance lessons?

Victor: Mm. Dancing is a good way of regulating yourself.

Victor: It can not only help you sweat and relieve stress, but it’s also a good form and physical exercise and a way of looking for core.

He pauses, his serene tone taking on an imperceptible hint of indulgence.

Victor: And like you said, it’s something I can accompany you on.

He downplays the last half of his sentence, but it stirs up a small wave of tingle in my heart.

He talked about so many major principles and all that. But in the end, it’s all because he cares about me~

Victor doesn’t seem to make out the smugness in my heart, continuing to speak.

Victor: It won’t take up too much of your time. If you can spare an hour or two for a few days, it will work just fine.

MC: But what if I can’t finish my work?

Victor: When have I ever let you drop the ball?

MC: That’s true~

The transparent favoritism in his words causes me to burst into a cheerful smile. I look at my toes and begin to ponder conscientiously.

What Victor said just now is actually traceable in him. After all, no matter how busy he is, he will still find time to go to Souvenir to cook and relax.

Perhaps cooking is kind of a core of his being.

MC: If I can find my core, will I be able to make judgments and deal with things as calmly as you do?

Victor: I can’t guarantee that.

Victor glances down at my hand with which I have hooked his finger, seemingly a little amused.

Victor: [with an interlaced soft laugh] But right now, at least you can calmly fire your flatteries.

I give a soft “humph,” deciding to be generous and not quibble with him, and lift my chin accordingly.

MC: I take your suggestion and will go to the dance classes with you.

MC: But why did we come straight to pick out clothes? Don’t we need to attend a trial class to understand it first?

Victor: Because beginning with the sense of ritual a certain someone likes the most can bring out one’s vibrant nature.

As he finishes speaking, he suddenly turns around and directly picks up a dance dress of vibrant color right behind him.

Victor: This one.

MC: Eh? But I haven’t picked it out yet?

Victor: From the moment we walked in the door, your eyes have been darting towards this one.

Victor: If I couldn’t still read what’s on your mind, I’d be a dummy.

—

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

—

✧ [Chapter 2, Memory Silhouette, Narrator POV] ✧

Several beautifully plated dishes have been laid out in order on the table. Victor lifts his eyes and glances toward the living room, but he doesn’t catch sight of the girl’s figure on the sofa.

Victor: MC, dinner is ready.

The voice that always responds to him loudly and clearly doesn’t ring out.

A little surprised, Victor cranes his head, realizing that it seems the girl hasn’t made much noise since the two of them bought their dance clothes and returned home in the afternoon.

Victor: Have you fallen asleep?

Victor takes off his heat-resistant gloves and heads toward the bedroom.

—

The bed in the bedroom is empty. His eyebrows knit into a frown, only to hear the faint rustling sound of a zipper coming from the walk-in closet.

Through the blurry, transparent glass door, he can vaguely see the familiar figure of the girl.

Victor takes a few steps inside and sees the girl standing in front of the full-length mirror and trying on her newly brought dance dress, totally unaware of his arrival.

The silky satin fabric tightly hugs her waistline, and her beautiful butterfly bones are revealed through the backless dress, the vibrant crimson color making her skin even fairer in contrast.

Even though Victor has seen the girl trying on the dance dress in the clothing store before, there seems to be something a little different about this moment.

The warm light of the walk-in closet glistens on the hem of the girl’s skirt, the satin glowing with spots of golden reminiscent of fish scales.

The girl gently sways the hem of her skirt a little, and stars seem to be trickling brilliantly on her body.

She seems dazzled by the fine light streaming through her eyes, and unconsciously reveals a simple and somewhat silly smile.

Victor is stunned for a moment, subconsciously recalling the last time he saw this smile.

Perhaps it was a week ago, the day they agreed to plant tulips together.

When Victor pushed open the door to the home, he almost tripped over the bag of tulip seeds sprawled across the foyer.

Heaving a sigh, he moved the seeds to the corner and found the flower pots and planting tools there. Upon this, he headed for the study.

He thought the girl would welcome him with a beaming smile, take his arm, and jump and frisk about toward the “little garden” on the terrace she had nurtured with utmost care.

But before he could approach, the girl’s serious voice transmitted through the half-closed door of the study. It seemed that she was in the middle of a work phone call.

Out of courtesy, Victor did not continue to listen. But from the few words that drifted to his ears, it wasn’t difficult to perceive—

Time was pressing, but she insisted on prioritizing the quality and asked for the program to be redone.

Victor knew a smile that could be called one of approval had surfaced on his face.

Planting the flowers could wait until she is done with her work–– Victor thought to himself and put the tools for planting flowers one by one in their original position.

Or perhaps it was four days ago, when he made her most beloved pudding for the girl who had been working late.

Even though she had eaten the same taste countless times, she would always finish eating the pudding in big scoops and give a satisfied giggle every time.

But that day, she just wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled coquettishly. Then, she put the pudding next to her computer and said that she would use it to motivate herself to be more efficient tonight.

The next morning, Victor was a little surprised to see the pudding in the fridge, untouched.

Originally, these were the moments when he could’ve received that simple smile from her without a second thought. But time and time again, his potential expectations were dashed.

Victor pulls himself back from his thoughts. The smile on the girl’s face in front of the full-length mirror has not yet waned.

As if infected, his brows slowly slacken, and the corners of his lips curl up into the same arc as hers.

Victor quietly takes a step back and closes the door to the walk-in closet for her.

Just let her be so simply happy for a little while longer.

While he waits, he can prepare another pudding for her for dessert.

—

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

—

✧ [Chapter 3] ✧

The pure white marble floor is as bright as a mirror, and the ornate crystal chandelier overhead reflects the multicolored light.

Standing in the dance classroom reminiscent of a palace, I quietly lean into Victor’s ear.

MC: This is not the dance classroom in that little advertisement, is it?

Victor lowers his head and straightens his sleeves, and there isn’t a single ripple in his tone.

Victor: It’s a one-on-one class, so that you can flexibly adjust the class time to suit your schedule.

A feeling of warmth surges in my heart in vain, and before the smile at the corners of my lips can be heaved up, Victor adds another sentence unhurriedly.

Victor: [overflowing teasing tone] And, I also found teachers of high caliber. A certain someone can hone her skills conveniently while learning, so that she doesn’t keep stepping on other people’s toes at parties.

MC: [muttering] grudge-bearing devil.

While the dance teachers are entering the classroom, I stick my tongue out at Victor’s back.

In order to give us an initial introduction to the Paso Doble dance, the two teachers briefly exchange pleasantries with us before demonstrating a short dance routine for us.

Female Teacher: In the Paso Doble dance, although the female partner is in a passive position, she actually needs to arouse the instinct and desire of the male partner to “fight,” to seduce, stimulate and conquer the other person.

As she explains, the female teacher moves her body in a particularly expressive and lively manner to the impassioned music. I can vaguely feel a lot of pressure coming over me.

I tug at the corner of Victor’s shirt.

MC: I had no idea that the emotions of the Paso Doble dance would be so extroverted.

Seemingly hearing the hesitation in my tone, Victor lowers his head and looks at me.

Victor: [overflowing teasing tone] Didn’t you want me to chase, hunt, and tear you apart? Why is there no confidence now?

MC: …

I grit my teeth in indignation and pay no more attention to this gloating man.

Male Teacher: Today, we will start with the simple basic steps.

Along with these words from the teacher, we officially begin our first Paso Doble dance lesson.

I don’t know if it’s because I’ve given myself the psychological cues, but I really feel a little helpless. It’s either that I can’t stretch my body at all, or I’m simply getting frantic.

Female Teacher: You can spin your hand’s pattern along with your body.

MC: Like this?

Victor: She meant for you to rotate your palm when you jump apart, not take me with you.

MC: Oh-oh!

Female Teacher: When you put your hand on your male partner, sink your shoulder. Otherwise, it will look like you’re trying to fight with him.

MC: Okay, okay…

By the end of the class, I’m already dripping with sweat, not to mention the female teacher’s outpouring emotions, strength, and feeling of conquering the male partner.

On the other hand, even though Victor’s forehead is also covered with a layer of sweat from the dance, the way he carries himself exudes a sense of calmness at all times.

…damn it, why is this man so skilled at everything he does?

Fortunately, the content of the first lesson is only about getting familiar with the basic dance steps. It soon ends with a wonderfully rich psychological activity.

After making an appointment for the next session, the teachers bring us to the entrance of the lounge.

Male Teacher: The two of you can rest here. We will have someone bring champagne for you guys in a moment.

Female Teacher: It’s a special benefit for the very first course here. Enjoy~

—

After politely expressing our thanks, I move my already stiff limbs and walk into the lounge with a complex feeling.

As soon as the door is closed, I can’t help but stare at Victor with an extreme look of grievance.

MC: Sob sob sob, what should I do, Victor? I feel like I can’t do it.

Victor: [laughs helplessly] It was only the first class. Don’t be so nervous.

MC: It’s not a question of what the class number is… it’s that this dance is too physically and emotionally demanding!

MC: And the teacher wants me to “conquer” you! What is this concept? It’s harder than mounting the sky––

Victor seems to choke on my phrasing.

Victor: [he actually chokes] Do you have to overstate like that?

MC: Of course! You know I’ve always been the one to be “dominated” by you.

MC: And I’m asked to guide you all of a sudden, and I’m at a loss…

Victor is slightly stunned, his deep eyes roaming over me for a moment as if he is pondering something. Then, he sits down on the sofa in a relaxed manner.

The space suddenly lapses into silence. Victor casually shakes off the sweat from the tips of his hair, then he slowly unfastens his cufflinks and pulls up his sleeves little by little in graceful movements.

Before I can react, I see that long, slender hand moving to his chest and unhurriedly loosening the first button.

…is it that hot?

The question still hasn’t left my mouth when I see that hand continuing to move down, resting on the second button.

My throat inexplicably feels dry. I swallow my saliva, my eyes “sincerely” glued to his slightly undulating chest.

And Victor doesn’t say anything, just meets my gaze looking at him straight-forwardly.

??: Mr. Victor, Miss MC, may I come in now?

There is a sudden knock at the door, interrupting the enchanting sight in the room.

MC: [blushing and frantic] ! W-wait a moment!

I subconsciously blurt out. Victor’s hand pauses only for a moment before continuing with the interrupted unbuttoning process.

And even his movements slow down more and more.

MC: What are you doing?

I anxiously ask him in a low voice, gesturing to the door with my gaze as my eyes widen. His gaze falls indifferently to the front, and his tone of voice is heedless.

Victor: [very amused] Unbuttoning.

MC: [blushing] …I didn’t ask you that! I mean why on earth are you doing that now! There are people outside.

Victor: [sounds very proud of himself] Because I feel very hot right now.

I’m baffled by his “rightful” attitude, and the constant knocking on the door agitates my mind. I hurriedly gesture at him again.

MC: [blushing and more frantic] Button up! Quick!

Victor obviously doesn’t listen to me, and the slightly raised corner of his eyes even spills out a hint of provocative arrogance.

Victor: [even more amused and proud] Are you sure you’re just going to keep watching like this?

Of course not!

The moment the next knock sounds on the door, I finally can’t help but spring up to my feet and walk quickly to the door.

Very cautiously, I open the door just a crack and politely take the champagne from the other party’s hand.

MC: I’m sorry. We’ll help ourselves.

Closing the door, I immediately turn around with a huff.

MC: If I hadn’t stopped that person just now, was CEO Victor going to present himself naked!

Victor: [deep, sexy™ laugh] …

MC: You’re still laughing??

I can’t help but grit my teeth. Meeting his haughty and midnight-dark eyes, I simply walk straight up to him and uncork the champagne, pretending to be angry and harsh as I open my mouth.

MC: [blushing] The teacher will come in a while and talk to us about the feedback.

MC: [blushing] CEO Victor, you should hurry up and wear your clothes properly. How can you be like this?

Hearing my words, he smiles in an even more unusual manner and gently tugs on yet another button.

His fingertips quietly circle the body of the button. Another one doesn’t survive.

Victor: [with a hint of rogue] I don’t think there’s anything wrong with this.

I immediately shoot him a glare. But he remains unmoved and continues with the unbuttoning process. The dense beads of sweat slightly dampen his dark red dance shirt.

Beneath the gorgeous light, the sparkling and translucent particles are drawn into his firm skin, reflecting a seductive luster.

Those transparent droplets continue to glide down and disappear into the unrevealed territory. They seem to guide one’s line of sight, making them want to see more.

My heartbeat gradually accelerates along with his movements, but the continuous sound of passing footsteps outside the door makes me keep the last ounce of my sanity at bay.

I lift my gaze and meet the rare slyness in his eyes, feeling as if I’ve been gently pricked by something. At this moment, the twisted emotions within me pour down in torrents completely from my heart.

I pick up the wine glass and shove it into his hand, tightly pursing my lips as I pour the champagne. A few drops of translucent wine splash around and land on the backs of our hands.

Victor: [slow, deliberate teasing] Be calm. You’re wasting the wine.

MC: [blushing] Isn’t this happening because a certain someone... anyway, I can’t calm down now.

Seeing me retorting angrily, Victor, on the contrary, gives a beaming smile.

Victor: Oh? Why?

MC: I don’t believe that someone as smart as CEO Victor wouldn’t know why.

Victor: [coquettish tone x1] I really don’t know.

Victor: [x2] After spending a long time with a dummy, there are times when it can get contagious.

MC: ...Victor!

The sweet fragrance of alcohol lingers on the tip of my nose, and along with his provocation, my thoughts are thrown into chaos. I can’t help being the first one to “surrender.”

MC: Don’t you at all feel that your behavior just now was a little too much?

Victor: [deliberately dragging the tail notes] Maybe, or maybe not.

MC: ...anyway, Mr. CEO just won’t admit to the “crime” he committed just now.

I pause for a moment, glancing at his finger resting on the button.

MC: And you still plan to continue doing it, don’t you?

Victor releases a soft laugh, looking at the liquid in his glass with a composed expression.

Victor: Wanting me to listen to what you say, to do what you say – wouldn’t that depend on whether or not a certain someone can show some “sincerity?”

…you almost presented yourself naked in front of other people, and you want me to show “sincerity?”

I grit my teeth in indignation, lifting my wrist, which was about to stop pouring the wine, aloft again.

The raised wine bottle continues to spurt out the golden liquid with a gurgling sound, and an unending stream of wine pours into the glass in his hand.

MC: Is this kind of “sincerity” enough?

The aroma of champagne gradually pervades the air of the lounge, and the wine is about to be filled to the brink. But Victor still wears that expression of remaining calm in the hour of peril.

I start to lose confidence a little, so I can only inwardly bite the bullet and see it to the end without stopping.

At the moment when the golden champagne is about to spill over, Victor finally opens his mouth softly.

Victor: [laughs softly] It’s enough.

I hastily withdraw my hand, stealthily heaving a sigh of relief.

Victor: I admit that I’ve committed a worthy “crime” just now.

Victor: Didn’t a certain someone say just now that she is incapable of occupying the guiding position in front of me? But now it seems that it’s very much in the process of being shaped.

Victor lowers his head and lightly takes a sip of the champagne in a graceful movement, not allowing a single drop of wine to be divulged.

Victor: So next time, just try to “conquer” me.

—

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

—

✧ [Chapter 4] ✧

Two weeks later, at night. I’m practicing my newly learned dance steps in the dance studio at home.

Although I feel tired after each dance practice, I wake up the next day with high spirits, a positive feeling radiating from my body and mind.

This feeling is particularly strong when I’m working. Compared with the dispirited tone some time ago when I was dragging my body, now my entire being feels as if it’s brimming with energy.

Is this the core Victor was talking about?

Although I’m not too sure, I do find time to practice at home on days when we don’t have class so that I don’t lose this energy.

I look intently at myself in the mirror, and as the last rhythm falls, it jams perfectly with the ending movement.

Victor: That was a pretty good dance.

Following the sound, I turn around and see Victor leaning against the doorframe with arms crossed over his chest. He is wearing a dark-colored bathrobe, and the tips of his hair are slightly wet. It seems that he has just finished his shower.

MC: It seems I don’t feel so embarrassed when I’m not dancing in front of the teacher.

MC: Why don’t you and I dance together and see how it feels?

My gaze lands on his hair, and I shake my head again.

MC: Never mind. You’ve already washed up.

Victor: [laughs softly] It won’t hurt to dance through it once.

He walks up to me before I can answer and extends his palm. I slightly freeze for a moment, then hand my palm to him.

The melody flows slowly, and along with a note soaring intensely, the heavy curtains of the high-pitched and penetrating symphony are pulled open.

I skillfully put my hands on Victor’s shoulders, rise on my tiptoes, and then make my landing on the ground.

In the swaying dance steps, we sometimes cling to each other’s chest, and sometimes we push and pull, spinning and stretching.

Plink.

And along with a sharp flinging back of the head, a few drops of cold water land on my lower jaw, appearing to be the droplets of water from the tips of Victor’s hair.

They glide down my chin to my collarbones, producing an almost unbearable itching sensation. I pull out my hand to wipe them away, only to have it tightly clutched by Victor in the next beat.

MC: ?

I meet his gaze and capture a fleeting glimpse of teasing in the depths of that pair of slender eyes.

Victor: Stay focused.

Without waiting for me to react, Victor’s forearm exerts light pressure and pushes me out of his arms according to the choreography of the dance steps.

The dramatic movements cause the belt of his bathrobe to flap, tracing across the skin of my thighs coarsely.

My eyes can’t help but be drawn to his belt, following it to the corners of his robe, which are twining up in the air.

…wait a second.

Victor has just taken a shower. So right now, he shouldn’t be…?

I’m stunned for a moment, my cheeks flaring up immediately as I’m half-nailed to the spot by this sudden thought of mine.

I subconsciously draw my gaze back. However, an indescribable instinct drives me to lift my wrist and glide it toward his lapel.

Victor lowers his head and looks at me in surprise. I slide down my fingers, taking advantage of the twirling motion to “inadvertently” climb up his chest and “accidentally” tug his collar loose.

Intentionally or otherwise, my fingertips brush over his smooth, tight muscles, leading waves of fine shivers to linger in my heart.

Victor: It seems a certain someone has indeed gained her energy back. She is now daring to make little moves.

The steady, self-sustaining voice lands on my ear, leaving a burning warmth in my auricle. I promptly draw myself away a little, winking at him.

MC: If CEO Victor doesn’t mind, I can step up my moves a little more.

Victor: Is that so? And here I thought, that was the limit of a certain someone’s boldness.

The passionate music happens to reach its climax just at this moment, the melody flooding the entire dance studio. It causes my brain to turn blank for an instant, making me impulsive.

I don’t know if it’s his words that have aroused me to lose my reasons for a moment, or if it’s the faintly discernible instinct in the bottom of my heart that has done it…

Before I can think properly, the restless palm of my hand has already taken advantage of the dance movements and quietly slides over the strong thigh underneath the bathrobe.

Even my finger pads seem to glide through even more dangerous territory.

Victor: [lets out a heavy moan, blushing] …

The fiery beats seem to conceal a fleeting moan. Victor’s movements clearly fall short by a beat, and a slit finally appears in his blazing gaze.

Seeing him being disoriented like this, I can’t help but feel a little proud of myself.

MC: What do you think of my dance?

His wandering eyes gradually settle down little by little and focus on my face once again, flickering with some unknown complex emotions.

Victor: You loosened up quite a lot.

Victor: [dangerously husky tone] However, it’s still not enough.

As soon as the words are out of his mouth, the force around my waist suddenly tightens, shackling me firmly to his fiery chest.

The entire world seems to be instantly taken over by Victor’s scent. The searing heat brands onto every inch of my skin, but the man opposite me doesn’t seem satisfied.

He closely follows my movements, and reminiscent of a wild animal on a hunt, he intertwines all my limbs until our bodies completely fit together.

My cheeks instantly flare into a crimson red. The flaming acceleration of my heartbeat causes my breathing to be thrown into chaos, and I struggle to draw in a deep breath.

MC: [blushing] Wait, this isn’t how the dance works at all, is it?

Victor: A certain someone mustn’t have listened carefully during the class.

Victor: [elaborating the teacher’s words x1] The teacher clearly said that the Paso Doble dance requires very high coordination of your limbs.

Victor: [x2] If you really can’t meet the standard, there’s no need to force it.

Victor: [x3] Amateur entrants can adjust their posture according to their preferences and do improvised dance steps.

The warmth circling my waist gradually shifts downward, holding my body steady as I try to escape.

Victor: [return of the dangerously husky tone, with a hint of rouge x1] Right now, I’m just tweaking it according to my own preference.

MC: But…

He interrupts my powerless retort, his deep and low voice revealing an irresistible intensity.

Victor: [x2] And what’s more, we’ve been practicing these few dance steps for two weeks now. It’s time to make some changes.

He slowly presses on towards me, closing the distance until there isn’t the slightest gap between us.

The burning heat coming from the pit of my stomach makes me vaguely aware of what he means, and I can’t resist accepting all of this seduction in my heart as it comes, but I still try my utmost to hang in there with my mouth.

MC: But didn’t you say that if you want to find your core, you have to do it with a regular set of activities?

Victor: That’s indeed what I said.

Victor: But there are many things in the world that… once you set them into a repetitive and fixed order, they will become monotonous to some extent.

As he says this, he squeezes in the slightly moist skin of his thigh between my legs. It’s as if he wants to open up everything I have to him without the slightest reservation.

Being in touch with an icy sensation behind me, I’m suddenly given a jolt, only to find that I’ve been pressed up against the mirror without even realizing it.

In front of me is the breath I’m familiar with. The slightly ragged breathing disturbs the air between us, and I feel my brain becoming light and airy, as if it has been stripped of oxygen.

Victor lowers his head. His moist kisses land softly and wordlessly in the pit of my stomach, dabbing away a few drops of water that pelt onto there earlier.

I instinctively squint my eyes, feeling the delicate sense of satisfaction flooding my entire chest.

Victor: [that sly, sexy whisper x1] Do you know what needs to be done when something becomes monotonous?

MC: [blushing] Wh-what?

Victor: [x2] Make an improvised mess.

My consciousness is erratic at the moment, and I can’t seem to fully comprehend the meaning of his words. I only feel as if I were being burned by the blazing heat of his voice, and all my feelings seem to rush together to the top of my head.

Through the hazy corner of my eye, I see a dense layer of mist appearing on the surface of the mirror behind me, concealing the overlapping and undulating figures in the mirror.

I withdraw my gaze, using the last ounce of my sanity to focus on the face in front of me.

That pair of eyes, which has always been self-restrained, gradually becomes dazed, reflecting my equally inextricable gaze.

Longingly, I cling even closer to him, until the entire world is invaded and veiled by his breaths.

Amid the chaotic thoughts, the last glimmer of calm reflection flashes through the entirety of my perception––

I seem to clearly understand what my core is.

—

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

—

✧ [Chapter 4, Memory Silhouette] ✧

It’s early morning on the weekend. The warm sunlight spills over the entire dance studio. Filled with vigor, I tug on my rubber gloves and count the cleaning tools on the floor.

MC: Mop, rags, bucket – we’re all set.

MC: Reporting to CEO Victor, we can start cleaning up the dance studio now~

Victor stands helplessly next to me, silently pulling up the sleeves of his loungewear.

Victor: When I asked a certain someone to find her core, I didn’t mean she has to do every big and small thing.

Victor: We can just call the cleaning auntie. Why go to all this trouble?

MC: [blushing] How can that be! Weren’t we here yesterday…

I subconsciously make a loud retort, my ears immediately burning up a little as I think back to the scenes from last night that made my heart pound and me a blushing mess. Hemming and hawing, I seem to have lost my ability to speak properly.

MC: [blushing] A-anyway, we’d better clean it up ourselves!

Victor gives me an amused look and doesn’t say anything more. He just simply picks up the mop and walks to a corner of the dance studio.

His back is straight, and the slightly blue veins on his arms peek out along with his movements of holding the mop. The sunlight filtering through the window blurs the contours of his sharp jawline.

I stare fixedly at his profile and can’t help but marvel again and again in admiration.

Is there really anyone out there who even makes doing household chores look so captivating?

And at the same time, another voice clamors in a low voice in my heart that I cannot ignore. After staring at Victor for a while, I finally can’t help giving those words a voice as I ask––

MC: Victor… why aren’t you asking me where the steam mop machine at home has gone?

Victor continues to drag the mop without any reaction whatsoever, not even giving me a look.

Victor: I thought you could keep that to yourself for good and not bring it up.

MC: What do you mean?

I tentatively walk up to his side, wiping the mirror while quietly observing his face in the glass.

MC: Did you already notice that the mopping machine is missing?

Victor: If I were as slow as a certain someone, it wouldn’t be surprising at all that this house would be utterly emptied one day.

MC: …humph. Then why didn’t you ask me where it went?

Hearing my words, Victor finally stops his movements and straightens up, giving me a meticulous and careful once–over with a smile in his eyes.

Victor: So that I could see this tentative, fluky, and curious look on a certain dummy’s face right now.

The expression on my face freezes immediately, and I can’t help pouting.

MC: You aren’t curious, are you? Then I won’t tell you~

After saying that, I continue wiping the mirror and catch a glimpse of Victor continuing to mop the floor with a focused expression out of the corner of my eye.

…he can really put up with it, huh. Or is it that he is really not curious?

While I absent-mindedly clean the mirror, the dumbbells, the yoga balls, and all the tables and chairs, I observe Victor’s movements out of the corner of my eyes the whole time.

He cleans the floor on the right side of the dance studio neatly, then wipes his hands and takes out his phone with his back turned to me, not making any new movements for a long time.

What is he looking at? Why so serious?

Victor: …

Hearing him release a perplexed tone, I can’t resist taking advantage of the wiping motion to walk up behind him and sneak a glance.

Seeing that he is reading an email, I promptly withdraw my gaze out of courtesy, but I inadvertently happen to catch one of the lines––

“Your steam mop machine has been repaired. Please come to the store and collect it promptly.”

MC: Eh??

A soft chuckle resounds in my ears. I lift my head and look at the mirror before me, only to see Victor’s eyes colliding with mine in the glass.

MC: Did you already know that I had sent it in for repair after I accidentally broke it?

Victor: I filled in my email address when we first bought it. So, it’s only natural that the store would send the mail to me.

Victor: Even the reason for the damage is clearly noted here––

Victor: [adorable teasing tone] “When teasing a cat with the machine, the body was accidentally knocked to the ground…”

MC: Okay, okay, stop reading…

I smile in embarrassment and cover his phone screen, sheepishly averting my gaze.

Suddenly, a broad palm rubs the top of my head. I lift my eyes and see that Victor seems to be in a very good mood, curling the corners of his lips upward.

Victor: [laughs softly] Of course, I was curious.

Victor: It’s just that a certain dummy has never been very adept at concealing the answer.

Victor: Next time, you can redouble your efforts to do so.

—

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

—

✧ [Chapter 5] ✧

The end of the year is drawing increasingly nearer. I breathe a long sigh of relief as I conclude processing my final review before the holidays.

The work at the present stage has finally come to an end.

But compared with being relaxed, the feeling that consumes my heart even more is a sense of pride at being able to get things done methodically without wrecking my work and rest balance.

And all of this credit belongs to Victor, who helped me find my core.

I take out my phone and am just about to call him, when Victor’s name jumps up on the screen.

MC: Hey, are you done with your meeting yet?

Victor: Mm, and I’ve also cleared up my schedule for the night.

Victor: Can a certain someone now tell me what exactly is the mysterious “surprise arrangement” she’s been cooking up these last few days?

MC: I simply want to thank CEO Victor for accompanying me in the dance practice. As for the details, you will find out when you get there.

MC: I’ve already given the address to your driver, and Goldman has the outfit I’ve prepared for you in advance!

Victor: [helpless, inaudible laugh] …you’re quite good at managing people.

MC: It’s all because CEO Victor taught me so well~ See you later then!

—

Before the evening descends, I arrive at the garden villa guest house ahead of schedule.

According to my arrangements, this place has been vacated in the morning, and some special preparations have been made.

After confirming everything, I come to the suite with the best view and begin to decorate this room with utmost care.

MC: Scented candles, flowers, mood lighting… and red wine! All set!

Elated, I admire my own decorations, take out my phone, and record the setting.

A few moments later, the doorbell to the room rings. I rush to the door at once and straighten my hair, before opening it slowly.

MC: Welcome~

Outside the door, Victor stands against the backdrop of light, the white dance shirt embellished with fine diamonds perfectly framing his physique.

The V-neckline on the chest clings to the surface of his packed muscles, adding a touch of softness and alluring charm to his robust body.

And as his gaze lands on my red dress, a flash of imperceptible daze and breathlessness seems to flicker through his eyes.

I’m unable to grasp the entirety of all this. I just stare blankly at the person in front of me, forgetting to speak for a while.

Victor: Have you seen enough?

I shake my head.

Victor: [laughs helplessly] …let’s go inside, and you can watch more if you haven’t seen enough.

Amused and in a good mood, Victor takes me by the hand as he walks into the room and sweeps his gaze over the decorations inside, a little smile dyeing the light in his eyes.

Victor: [precious, soft laugh] Is this the dummy’s surprise?

MC: This isn’t everything.

I step forward and take his arm, bringing him to the semi-open-air balcony with a wide view while wearing a mysterious look on my face.

Seeing that he is a little puzzled, I draw a step back and solemnly twirl up the corner of my skirt, standing on ceremony before him.

MC: Welcome to Victor and MC’s exclusive ball.

MC: Mr. Handsome CEO, may I have this dance?

As soon as my words fall, a spotlight comes from the direction of the guest house’s wall, enclosing the shadows of the two of us together.

Victor’s motion freezes slightly, followed by his long and narrow eyes gradually rising little by little.

Victor: Of course.

The instant our palms interlace, music begins to play in the garden outside the balcony. We dance to the familiar tune, melding warmly into each other’s arms.

At this moment, a delicate rustling sound breaks out from the sky. Our eyes can’t help being drawn to the source, and we see dazzling red dots of stars emerging high on the horizon.

And in the next instant, bright rose petals sprinkle down like droplets of rain, rendering the crystalline and shimmering lake outside the bay window until it blends in with the warm red of the sky tinged with the colors of sunset.

Victor laughs quietly, a rare softness emerging in the light of his eyes.

Victor: [precious, helpless soft laugh] Now can you explain your arrangements to me?

I purse my lips and take a deep breath of the pleasing fragrance of flowers in the air.

MC: We’ve been learning to dance for so long. We’ve got to “perform” once, right?

MC: And I also really wanted to find a sense of ritual for our dancing lessons.

MC: But I still might feel embarrassed in front of other people, so…

MC: I prepared a ball that belongs only to the two of us.

MC: Most importantly, it’s only you and me here now. So, it’s just “our” time~

Victor glances at the rain of petals descending from the sky, raising the tip of his brows slightly.

Victor: [“still-surprised” laugh] You not only prepared all these, but even reserved the entire place?

Hearing the surprise in his tone, I stick my tongue out.

MC: Thanks to CEO Victor, I’ve made a small fortune as the owner of [MC’s Company Name].

Victor smiles, letting me lightly spin in his arms.

MC: Judging from the expression on your face, it seems like my surprise has been successful?

Victor: Yes, I’m very surprised.

It’s rare for Victor to admit it so candidly, and the tip of his brows seem to have melted into a soft layer of warmth.

Victor: After all, work and dance practice already kept a certain someone very busy during this time.

Victor: It’s hard to imagine that she still had the energy to prepare all this.

MC: I’ve been very, very busy– so busy that at one point, I was writing a proposal and dancing simultaneously in my dreams.

I wink at him, causing the twinkling light flowing in his eyes to sway even more clearly.

MC: But thanks to the best Victor in the world, now I will no longer lose the original rhythm of my life because of being busy.

Victor: [precious, overflowing laughter] A certain someone was very quick to see the light this time.

MC: Of course~ Don’t you know who is the one that taught me~

I raise my chin to him as if to show that he is the one who deserves the credit. And then, I seem to think of something. So, I withdraw my joking expression and stare at him earnestly.

MC: And it’s not just that. I also understood one thing––

MC: Just like eating, sleeping, and laughing heartily, “accompanying the person I love” is something that I cannot allow for its pace to be disrupted.

MC: No matter the situation, it shouldn’t be muddled through for reasons such as “being busy.”

Victor doesn’t say anything, but the ripples shimmering in his eyes lay bare his happy mood.

MC: Come to think of it, this is how you’ve always treated me.

MC: Clearly, you yourself are already very busy. But you still attentively listened to my troubles in the early hours of the morning, found the time to practice dance with me, and helped me regain my stability step by step.

MC: You even secretly got the musical tickets for me and planted the tulips.

Victor laughs softly, drawing us a little closer to each other. I press myself against his chest, quietly listening to that powerful heartbeat.

–

[Anika’s Notes]: I mostly skip adding translation notes now since time is very short. But I had to stop here– MC uses the term “聆听,” which is different from the usual “听 (listen).” The term MC used means “listening respectfully,” which conveys a reverent emotion; and adds so much more depth to that seemingly simple action~ ❤️

–

MC: And because of that, I realized––

MC: Victor, you are my core.

MC: With you by my side, I won’t be too flustered even if something as big as the sky smashes down on me.

I lift my head and gaze at Victor unwaveringly, as if I were trying to look into his heart.

The only thing left in the surrounding is the melody of the music. Amid the quietude, the light in Victor’s eyes is profound, and it’s as if they are tainted with a misty yearning.

I’m intoxicated by the light in that pair of eyes. Despite so, I ask with a little uncertainty.

MC: Why aren’t you saying anything? Did I say it wrongly?

Hearing my words, he releases a deep laugh. His finger pads fondly caress my lips and cheeks, and they finally rest on my back, holding me steady.

The hem of my skirt flutters in the wind as I gently sit on Victor’s lap, my body leaning back slightly without the slightest apprehension.

Victor bends down following my movements, and his palm clasps around my waist, giving me a sense of complete security just like he’s always given me every time before.

As our breaths entwine in close proximity, I hear his answer.

Victor: [the softest™, sexiest™, striking you in the heart™ whisper to exist x1] You didn’t say it wrongly.

Victor: [x2] It’s just that I realized one thing too.

Victor pauses, his tone of certainty brimming with completely undisguised yearning.

Victor: [x3] Beginning from a very long time ago, a certain someone seems to have firmly believed that I’m the one who is leading her forward.

Victor: [x4] No matter how big or small, she seems to subconsciously seek my advice and my embrace.

Victor: [x5] She will cry endlessly in front of me because of a trivial matter. But when faced with real difficulties, she is more courageous than anyone else.

Victor: [x6] And this girl who loves to cry so much, combined with her courage – she made me unable to take my eyes off her.

Victor: [x7] I thought this contradiction in her was part of the reason that made me addicted to her.

Victor: [x8] But now, I have another answer.

I gaze back into his eyes with some puzzlement and see the colors of night outlining the moving expression on Victor’s face. It’s as if he has got the entire world in his arms.

Victor: [x9 + helpless laugh] Dummy, it’s not that you’re incapable of guiding me left or right.

Victor: [x10] Rather, it’s with your ability to use the softest of words, and the most natural of gestures that…

Victor: [x11] –– you have conquered all of me.

The setting sun quietly conceals its appearance, and the pinkish-purple sunset glow is inlaid with infinite stars, bearing witness to everything that has happened on the balcony.

The eyes in front of me are deep and burning hot, as if there are still more words to be said.

But before I can ask, he gently leans into my ear, giving me the best possible answer.

Victor: [x12] What I mean is, I’ve already been conquered by you a long time ago.

—

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

—

[Anika’s ramblings, feel free to ignore haha]

—

#WITH THAT KIND OF WRITING PG I REALLY HOPE YOU ARE GIVING VICTOR’S WRITING TEAM THE RAISE THEY DESERVE!!! HELLO!?!?#AND NOT JUST THOSE SCENES!!! THE EMOTIONS. THE FLUFF. THEIR RESPECT LOVE PASSION FOR EACH OTHER. THE ABSOLUTE ROMANTICS #AND MC’S “YOU ARE MY CORE” AND MC USING THE TERM “爱” AGAIN HELLO!!! PG GIVE VICTOR’S WRITERS RAISE!!!#AND HIS FOLLOW UP GRAND SPEECH!!! I already documented my thoughts but I FREAKING CAN’T STOP SCREAMING #mlqc victor #mlqc li zeyan #mlqc #mr love victor #mr love queen's choice #恋与制作人 #李泽言 #love and producer #mlqc cn #mlqc spoilers #mlqc translations

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