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diorncoke · 10 months

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I think I’ll keep you here in my arms forever ୧⋆｡🔑

˚⋆ ☽ °˖ summary: reader never thought her life would become something more than just being a sick teenager with a rare skin disorder. she definitely didn’t expect to have one of the most potent aliens on the planet to be fond of her.

˚⋆ 🕊️°✩⋆ authors note: i ran to write this because, my goodness, does it make sense lmao:,) — word count: 3.1k

🛸 characters: transformers: rise of the beasts:, unicron, / x black! fem! little! reader ♡

🛸 content warning(s): no set plot line, mentions of wounds, descriptions of skin issues, talks of money problems, the word ¡slave! used on multiple occasions, bottle feedings, cuddles, fluff, littles are knowledgeable, cliche asf ;) — third person pov!

🛸 before reading: her dress & bottle, https://pin.it/fvoSBYJ , https://pin.it/2pSc9aG

🫧*ੈ✩‧₊˚ Reader twiddles her sandal-covered toes in the passenger seat of her older brother's car. He had come into this vehicle from doing some underground work. He never told her anything except his adrenaline rush when he begged the wheel in said car. Sitting in the same car, she pushed her tiny fingers against the dashboard, feeling relaxed from the vents tingling against her red patch.

The siblings sat in the parking area of their apartment complex where their mother lay sleeping, for goddess knows how long her shift would be in the morning. Taking care of a sick child who didn’t even have enough mental energy to do online school, let alone get a full-time job to support her family. She hates watching her brother hold a simple cup of coco milk that he crushed her medicine in—in comparison, rushing to put breakfast on the table for their mom. All she was was a burden.

The rain hit the windows of the vehicle, watching the raindrops race against one another in her mind. Secretly she hoped one of the rights won against the other raindrop. She smiled as she cheered loudly in her head.

The excitement died, feeling small patches were highlighter red and hurt like a semi-truck hitting a Honda. Taking a sharp breath intake feeling her stomach cramp from another patch forming from the a/c being too uncool. It wasn’t something she wanted to state to her brother, all he wanted to do was help, and she was complaining about it not being good enough.

“Come here.” Noah carefully lifted the reader from the passenger side, grimacing at how light the teen felt. God, when had she lost all this weight? He could feel her ribs through his shirt. He knew the girl ate - he made sure of it. Constantly bombarding her with snacks and bottles of Ensure - he knew sometimes the meds did weird things to her metabolism and eating patterns, but she still should have had more meat on her bones.

The chilled feeling of his leather jacket hitting her delicate skin felt lovely. She could take a nap right here in the arms of her protector. Her bony arms found their way against his shoulders, giving him a cold hug with all the strength she could.

“You’re being cute. What’d you do?” Noah chuckled, feeling her ruffle her fingers against their similar hair between her fingers. She fought back a smile from underneath her chin, even though she was terrible at hiding it. Her nose scrunched, feeling him twiddle his fingers underneath her lip. Knowing each crevice of her face would make her giggle and give up her wants.

“Just missed you.” Noah smiled quietly, knowing she had seen it anyways. He distracted himself by placing his large hand on her stomach to lift the remaining texture up and away from her irritated skin.

“Feels good?” He questioned, holding her head against his chest with a soft kiss against it.

“Mmhm. The car is pretty. Did you name them?” Reader answered sweetly, rubbing her fingers against the roof of the car. There was something so pretty about the car. It was like a shiner new toy from the store. It was outshining her old ones in her toy chest.

She had never been inside something so expensive in her life. With her skin condition, a cooling feeling helped her hives calm themselves down tremendously. But with being low income, they couldn’t afford an a/c. Let alone a proper one.

Unknown to her, Noah felt that his new accompanied friend could form an a/c high enough to cool her inflamed stomach and arms. Causing such a connection exposed something he didn’t think he expected.

Abruptly the car shook forwards, and the feeling of the car they comfortably resided in came apart. The interior shifted from a two-door vehicle into small metal compartments that slowly pushed the siblings outside of it. The force of the movement made each of their heads shake harshly, though it was the last thing on her mind.

The being in front of her stood at least 20 feet tall. Though it seemed this one was bent over laughing at who knows what. All it caused was her to hide behind her brother, though she still peaked at the blue and silver thing. Her ( eye colour) eyes squinted, gazing between Noah and the metal action figure. The reader could almost tell he seemed annoyed. Did he know this strange-looking thing that was not from around here? And why didn’t he tell her?

She still curled into a tight ball peaking at the transformed being before her. She could feel her skin break out in hives from the beaded sweat on her neck. Noah’s senses were on overdrive seeing his little sister grimace in pain. He knew that his new friend didn’t mean any harm to her or knew of her condition. But seeing her in the state wasn’t something he could ever get used to.

“Dude!”

“Aw shit, my bad. I didn’t mean to scare the little lady.” Mirage looked upon a delicate being in the arms of his newly founded friend. Noah offered her comfort, allowing himself to haul his hands in her curls, though still shaking ever so slightly. She winced initially but didn’t move her hand away from his touch in discomfort or resistance. Relaxing against her brother's touch, it was no wonder why Mirage interrupted their moment.

“It tickled.” The action figure pouted while kicking a small rock in between his foot. Noah looked down at his sister, forcing her to push her figure out before the transformer. Out of all the metal things he had met, Mirage would be the last one on his list to hard him or his little sister.

“Hi.” Reader grimaced against her tightly closed teeth. Her hands twiddle behind her silk pyjamas, cranking her neck upwards to him. She wasn’t one to hold a grudge, especially against someone who could crush her with their foot. Plus, he looked so sweet.

🌿🫧*ੈ✩‧₊˚ The reader didn’t know how she had gotten captured by such a feared hunter in the universe. She had taken her time walking in the cage with Noah and Elena. She was running her hands on the symbols she had recognized. The low light area turned froze with anxiety when one of Scourge’s pets ran across the wall she stood against. All she felt was one of his paws embedded in her skin, coated in her blood.

The harsh sandy beds embellished her tanned skin, and she felt its mouth hovering over her neck before biting down harshly. Her voice squeaked, feeling the puncture wounds wheeze throughout her voice. Her eyes filled with tears before they fell on her cheeks, feeling the teeth pressed harder with each movement it made. Her forehead beaded with sweat, thinking of her life flashing over her eyes once more. She thought it would be her own body, but it was clear that she had new friends that she was fond of. They came ones that could kill her with a flick of their wrist.

“Noah!” She screamed the best she could, knowing the creature pressed on her voice box. It was a childish cry that couldn’t distinguish between a crow. She felt herself become limb against the creature's teeth, knowing any more movement could paralyze her. Her mind hyper-focused on her breathing, and she had her to notice the creature had pulled her outside, clearly making its way to its owner.

But nothing was more scary than being forcefully placed in an unknown environment with no time to adapt.

Unicron didn’t quite understand what was compelling him to be so gentle to this young girl presented in front of him. Maybe it was because she previously held the key against her chest like a teddy bear floating above the environment he only used for his slaves he wrongfully surrendered to abuse. His gears winced, thinking she had known of this like the thought of seeing her hating or disliking him would make him perish. Something about her tugged heartstrings he didn’t know he had.

“Come here, little one.” He watched the being they called (name) present her face towards him, hearing the chilling soft voice he used on her. He hated how his slave pushed the little thing to her knees before she could process what he had called upon her. The sight made him want to inflict complete charge pain on this Scourge who dared to push her to the ground. She could only wince, feeling the robot push his metal fingers into her shoulders while tears and heat coursed throughout her body. In her short time, she loved the feeling of her new friend's metal, but the robot beside her felt cold in a mean way. His energy made hers melt.

“Unhand her.” Not a second later, scourge did, placing his hands behind him like he was trained to do. The energy around her seemed lighter as he lifted her with his mind softly from her kneeled position. However, she seemed scared to look into his eyes, obviously from the interaction with his slaves in such a short time. He heard her sniffle while she put her hands in front of her. Patches of brutal red formed on her skin like they did the first time he watched his subjects claw at her at the lab. She was sick, her body almost gawking at her flesh.

Looking behind, seeing the world turn to standard colours around her shocked her. The surroundings she had once known weren’t something she could get used to. The air felt thinner; each breath felt like the half it did when she was on earth. The skin that surrounded her insides didn’t feel like they were her own, almost replaced by someone she didn’t recognize. She wished she listened to her brother when he said to stay in the safe house in Peru. She knew she would need it as she spent the majority of her bed rest exploring ancient relics of a time before jokes even commenced. It was something she had always been fascinated with.

And to think of her situation, she would die in her room scrolling through the web.

“What brings you here?” Unicron questioned, knowing his eyes fought to leave the deeply embedded skin on her neck.

“The scary spider thingy,” Reader added a quick sir at the end to ensure the safety. Her neck broke out in hives feeling sweat from her hair touching her neck form. The robot was just as intimidating as her mother, throwing a chancla six feet away and still reaching her. Her gaze barely met the beings, mostly keeping her head down, moving them occasionally towards Scourge.

“Do not fear us. Come closer.” Unicron’s voice softened much more, sweetening his native tongue towards her. He constructed a hand to show what he was doing. The all-powerful couldn’t help but move the little one towards his with the slightest flick of his wrist. His heart pounded in his chest, and he watched her come forward, entering his space. The scent of a human heart formed the same way he did in his ears. She smelled of medical crème and the mixture of honey and flowers that prickled her tiny fingers. The same ones she ran against her patched arms. She was nervous.

Her floating figure was the size of one of his fingers. The sight almost made his heart flutter. The sight of her was something so regular yet intense. Eternal, beyond the universe, beyond his galaxies of worlds he had concurred and destroyed with the same hand he placed her softly onto the very pad of his metal hand. The delicate touch of her flowery salmon dress pooling against it swirled his world in a colour scheme he had yet to see in his world. The tiniest/largest of curls popped each time her twitched eyes did while looking upwards towards him as her braided pigtails flapped against her (hair length) sweetly.

“I do not mean to interrupt you, Master. But she must be going back now. Her human friends are destroying everything we built to find her.” Scourge grimaced, knowing the man did not like being interrupted or spooked out of turn. He flinched before feeling the pulsating electricity that stroked his nerves heavily. Though he never actually felt it. His eyes opened, feeling his master form himself into a much smaller self to play with what the humans called a little. He would soon only be four feet higher than himself. It will be a sight for sore eyes. For once, he was not withering over in pain.

“Let them. She will be of no harm.” His formed face picked up what they called a smile. Feeling her hand touch each crevice of his hand. A small giggle coming from her chest warmly filled his ears as they twitched towards the sound.

“Excuse me, sir.” Unicron flicked his eyes toward the little one in his palm. The quiet politeness of her tiny voice was utterly sweet. Reader hesitantly looked upwards to the eyes of the robot while twiddling with her thumbs. Watching the light press of her dimples showing underneath that beautiful tanned skin, he fell in love with her. The nagging feeling of not being watched so inventively by someone she wasn’t close to. She was left with a nauseating feeling in her stomach. Or maybe it was because the air change left her lightheaded and hungry. The tiniest of grumbles coming from her belly notified him of her hunger.

“Yes?” His voice silkily lost all of the roughness in his throat.

“I in no way mean to bother you. Of course. But maybe I could have something to eat. Sir.” She felt uneasy in the silence that came after her sentence. Swallowing thickly, she felt the hairs on her neck stand up, watching the robot adjust his posture closer to her. It was the thought of his twitching ears that made her feel comfortable enough to ask. He notes that he shall do it more often.

Though the nervous demeanour didn’t last for long, the reader watched the man fumble to his knees slowly in approaching her space. Leaving a rumble from his weight, she wafted her nose in his calming scent of sandalwood and metal. It was as refreshing as rain hitting her window, watching it closely while she smothered herself with plushies.

Though it was unknown to her, the robot made her a meal with his mind. The all-powerful being had yet to commence himself to being small enough to place her in the crevice of his lap and, at the same time, doing so, still at least four feet taller than (your height) girl. Unicron gave the universe the slightest smile as she became the size of a toddler rather than a pebble on his palm.

Floating over the pair was a baby blue co-bottle with an adult tip that was perfect for her. The contents inside were something the humans called angel milk. A tasty treat would be ideal for the grumbles of her little belly, hm?

“Baba?” Her voice was nothing less than sweet, pointing towards the milk bottle now in front of her face. Her eyes glistened like the diamond of a chandelier dangling from the top of the ceiling, pooling into her (eye colour) like it was always meant to. She could feel her mouth instantly melt to open to the exposure of a bottle. It was unknowingly something she had craved deep within her heart.

“You like?” Unicron appealed to her big eyes staring at the bottle. Not even questioning where it even came from, just that she wanted it quite severely.

“Scourge, leave us.” He demanded. His hard eyes watched the being bow before him before the portal between the two worlds closed.

He delicately picked the reader up; the metal fingers quickly chilled her patch. He watched the minor redness in the corner of her eyes with tiredness and hunger. The reader weighed almost nothing cradled in Unicron's large arm. He couldn’t imagine anything but living in this beautiful moment with her. He cooed, watching her lips wrap around its nipple eagerly. The sound of suckling on her milk while she looked into his deep and cold eyes only softened in the presence quickly.

“I am deeply sorry for my- um, friends and the way they treated you. I will fix this. For you, my sweat heart.” Unicron hesitated about using words not meant for such a small child. All he felt was himself using his other hand to push the small amounts of hair that fell into her face. Reader smiled against his finger, hearing words that were so simple yet powerful. The thought of ever leaving made her a little sad. She would have to enjoy being in his arms while it lasted.

Unicron began to bounce his knee, whispering sweet encouragements into her ear. Before he knew it, the world amongst him was slightly brighter. The feeling of a blanket coming into his universe wrapped around the little one in his arms. As well as sighting her flesh wounds beginning to layer among themselves, healing her completely.

Within a bit, she fell asleep in the arms of a powerful creature that torments people for a living. A tender smile pulled at his lips as a fond expression crossed his face. Leaning down, he allowed his hands to hover over her cheekbones. Then, closing the distance, he gently pressed his forehead against the readers. He was falling backwards against his throne. Relaxing.

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Just as Unicron was about to pull himself into his soft bed, he felt his chest heavy — weird.

As he looked down, there she laid, his sweet baby angel. She was hiding her dainty arm up against his arm, gripping it tenderly. In contrast, her other hand was stuck in front of her mouth with her thumb sucking softly back and forth smoothly. She felt warm but not in a harmful way, tangles in her sulked sheets that caved the delicate scent she wished to devour whole. He felt himself unclench any forms of tension throughout his body. The jaw he clenched tightly, the creasing that showed in dents softened in sight of his little one.

They weren’t going to be taking his newly-founded baby any time soon.

🌿🫧*ੈ✩‧₊˚ I hope you enjoyed!! 💗

most recent rework — wednesday, august 2nd :)

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manawari · 8 months

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Ruler Vessel!Min Byung-gyu.

I thought about that panel where Byung-gyu visited Cha Hae-in in her dreams about Jin-woo's powers and I realized this could be an au for Byung-gyu being a vessel of a ruler.

Imagine it! Yes, he died, but what if he got back to life thanks to the powers he never thought he had?

The night Byung-gyu had visited Hae-in in her dream was actually his pathway toward arising from the dead. However, he had to hide himself from the public, and that included staying away from his fellow hunters who witnessed his death. Byung-gyu mustn't gain any attention, especially when the whole South Korea knew that its only S-Rank healer had died in the hands of the Ant King, and the only person he'd reveal himself to was Sung Jin-woo.

Also imagine if Byung-gyu had gained the ability to teleport himself? Yeah, he'd show up in front of the room where the Ahjin Guild office was located. Jin-woo answered the door and saw a man with a hood and mask on. After convincing the guild master to let him in, Byung-gyu took off his disguise and Jin-woo was in aghast. He explained that he turned out to be a Vessel and was brought back to life because he had a task that must be finished.

Help the successor of the Shadow Monarch.

Every night, Byung-gyu received a vision that could possibly happen in the future. He warned Jin-woo about the Double Dungeon and the Architect and that he must be careful when fighting the statues. Byung-gyu also ended up being with fighting the statues as well, but in his invincible form where not even the statues could notice his presence, unlike Jin-woo, whose powers had been disabled. He became Jin-woo's aid. And even while in a coma, Byung-gyu still fought in his newfound powers even when the hunters had arrived.

Once the battle was over, and with Jin-woo finally becoming the new Shadow Monarch, Byung-gyu remained invincible and kept a close eye on Jin-woo, knowing that dealing with the Architect had taken a toll on his strength. And he was right. Jin-woo had fainted when he got out of the gate, yet Byung-gyu was there to give his strength back whereas everyone else was panicking.

After winning an argument with Jin-woo about taking a rest, Byung-gyu got asked if he wanted to visit Yoon-ho or any of the hunters. He refused. Byung-gyu was not ready to see their reactions yet.

Maybe once the war was over.

Byung-gyu also knew about the battle with the Monarchs in the future. In his vision, he saw the Beast Monarch, Frost Monarch, and the Parasite Monarch coming to the world to wreck havoc and kill the Shadow Monarch. Every dream he had about the future, he told Jin-woo, including the ones that involved death. Byung-gyu got worried about Jin-woo's death in the hands of such powerful beings, though Jin-woo reassured him that he wasn't going to die.

Eventually when that day came, Byung-gyu gave Jin-woo a "shield" that would keep him from dying as long as he was in the same place as him. I'd like to think that Byung-gyu was unable to die when he was using his powers, especially in his invincible form.

Byung-gyu knew about Antares too, though he chose not to tell Jin-woo to let him take a break and do whatever he wanted that didn't involve fighting. "Go. Enjoy your life and hang out with people." "What about you?" "I'll be fine. Focus on yourself, hyung!"

Byung-gyu spent his time watching historical dramas (bonus: he did it with Beru after eventually forgiving the ant for killing him) and reading all about history. He remembered the teacher's license exam he was supposed to take. It cracked his heart, knowing being a teacher should've been his job instead of getting into dangerous situations, but there was nothing Byung-gyu could do.

Antares would be the last stage in his mission. And once that was over, with Jin-woo as the victor, that was when Byung-gyu would think about himself and how he should live his life for good.

#welcome to another rambling about min byung-gyu #gotta create byung-gyu & beru (or w/ shadows) headcanons next time #solo leveling #min byung gyu #solo leveling au: paragon of protection #solo leveling au: ruler and monarch successors

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revunant · 2 months

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[nothing there - dog shaped object. someone please come pick up their dog. it's so nasty.]

in the dark, something stands on three limbs, bent in a crouch beside an overturned trash can. too large to be a coyote, too small for a bear, its form is somewhat middling and compressed as the lack of clear light obscures it in longer shadows. as it shifts and moves around, there’s an occasional somewhat muffled snap followed by wet, sloshing splashes across the ground, not too dissimilar to an overturned jug of milk spilling across a table before it falls on a tiled floor. it rumbles, twitches, expelling air from a mouth in a sound partway between a growl and sigh.

one limb moves, rises briefly before slamming down on the bin loudly, pushing away as it rips a larger mass of trash out. though it shreds bits of plastic and rot apart with ease, whatever it eats simply falls right through it - another bite, snap, and splash follows suit as shadowed masses fall from what could be assumed to be its abdomen. it is not shy nor is it any bit quiet, goal-focused as it practically destroys the trash bin and everything within it.

it is very good at making a mess, that much is obvious. perhaps it needs to be chased away with a broom- or someone needs to call animal control.

Jean spends far too long darkening the doorway, weighing up his options, and asking himself which is the lesser evil: animal control, or the thing feasting in the alley? The apartment he’s currently haunting is new to him — as is the city it’s in. Not many landlords are willing to rent without a background check, a guarantor, and a minimum term, let alone to a guy with no legal income, and no documentation that indicates he even exists. He doubts anything going on in this building is above-board.

So, he thinks, maybe the trash monster out back is normal. Maybe it’s here every night. Maybe it’s one of the tenants.

The thought doesn’t stop him from wincing with every throatful of meal that slaps wetly against the ground, cartons and old meat and rotten plant matter. It’s been hot; surely the can’s contents should be inedible to anything with tastebuds. (The pause between this observation and the realisation that the beast doesn’t seem to have a stomach, why would it have tastebuds, is longer than Jean would like to admit.)

After what probably amounts to several entrees worth of trash, he ducks back into the foyer — it’s not much of a foyer, more like the gutted-out remains of what used to be another ground-floor apartment. The rear might have once been a laundry room, vacant holes in the wall that might once have held waste water hoses, bare bulb just about screwed in, greasy tiles on the floor. There’s a Swiffer against the wall; that’s all Jean cares about. He takes it in both hands, takes a breath, and steps outside.

“Oi!” It’s about now that he remembers he’s got a Colt strapped against his ribs, and his weapon of choice is a mop. Choking back his embarrassment (and hoping the misjudgement doesn't get him killed), he takes a few assertive strides forward, brandishing the Swiffer like a quarterstaff. “Go on, get the fuck out of here.”

#terrible! i love it!#┆ic.#┆answered.#VERSE┆undefined.#aeinsof

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therecordingheart · 2 years

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The Recording Heart Tarot

- Pick 3 cards. - Read their meaning below. - Let the resonance of their truth guide you.

BRUNCH - Quiet often, Anagmir, the Long Lady, meets with the Stranger, Hayn, and Tolmalok in a space called the hrim: a constant place and time that overlaps many realities. In this setting, a few of your closest beings may reconvene. You are all connected by a strand of fate that transcends the material world; there is a place within you where you can meet them. Time and space does not prevent this. Where is your hrim?

CHOCO-LOOT - A famous snack in the Earworm. It appears in many realities, in different forms. One bite, and you will be transported to the reality where you first experienced it. You can never forget it, because of what was happening around you at that time, and who you were with when you first experienced it. The senses connect us to memory, through our body. What is choco-loot called in your dimension, and who knows its taste like you do? What do you remember, when you take a bite? I think you should try it as soon as you can.

DEATH - We all experience it. When the Long Lady does, she is transported into another one of her many lives. At least we get to do something new. Death is also a change. Something is ending, and something new is about to begin. We wait for this, with relief, with fear, or acceptance.

LA MAGIRA - The consciousness eater. There are some things that are meant to be forgotten, and it may be better that way. Don't dig too deep looking for what La Magira has eaten, not unless you are ready. Meterbachuus would tell you the same.

L'NOR - The first thought-form. An idea so real, that it became so. There is life within us. Every idea that you have is a life waiting to be had. All you have to do is give it permission. Each of us have a gift waiting to be born.

NOROGAN - No one knew who she was, except for the Long Lady. And she kept it a secret, even from herself. There is a truth seeking to be free, within us all. The more we try to deny it, the more its power grows. The truth may be frightening, the truth may be your salvation. Perhaps it will destroy you. Perhaps it will set you free. One thing is certain, it is coming - and it cannot be denied.

THE ALTHELIB - The clever ones who survived the numerous extinctions of sentient life in the Earworm. It's all about survival, with the Althelib. Even in the most dire circumstances, if you are clever enough, and have keep your spirits high with some good beats, you will find a way.

THE AMURAX ANACHRIAS - Anachrias revels in creation. He created the Erimha, and was only halfway certain from where the consciousness they held originated. Creations, sometimes, have a life of their own. Though they are a part of you, the part of them that is unique must be allowed to grow. Then you will see what you have accomplished beyond yourself. This is the beauty of creation.

THE AMURAX ANATHIAS - Anathias was a being that was obsessed with transcending the material realm. This comes at great cost - yourself. In order to understand the universe, one most look beyond their own perception. Shedding your identity and ego will leave you free to understand. But you won't be you anymore.

THE AMURAX DAMIXIAN - Damixian understood what creation, and the frequencies were from the first moment of her awakening. And so she vanished. But she's still watching. The followers of Damixian remain curious about the world, and care for all of its inhabitants without exception. When you seek understanding, you are becoming one with the frequency of the Recording Heart. When one is understood, they are seen. You are, yourself, an extension of creation, loving just by way of witness.

THE AMURAX FARANYEL - The beast of entropy stalks all of existence, feeding into it the idea of Oblivion. Do you sense its presence? Are you hunted by the beast? Do you run from it? Or do you turn to it, with your light aglow, ready to hold your truth against it?

THE AMURAX GOL - Gol delights in violence, in destruction, in burning things down. That power is seductive, and some of us follow Gol because Gol lends us that power freely. It feeds its own need. The more we fight to free ourselves from this power, the greater Gol's laughter grows. After all, in the duality of creation, there will always be conflict to sate it.

THE AMURAX HAYN - Hayn, poor Hayn. He weeps for us all, and for himself. The great sadness we witness reflects the sorrow we have within us. But sadness carries another secret; another clue to the Narrow Door. It covers another feeling, one closer to the truth. We may follow Hayn long enough to find the Light from a Narrow Door. But do not follow for too long.

THE AMURAX LATHYANOTREP - This Amurax believes in the sacredness of suffering. Yours, mine, and its own. There is the sadist, the sufferer, and the witness. Which one are you? Or are you all three? According to Lathyanotrep, suffering leads to enlightenment. Have you suffered enough, or do you need more?

THE AMURAX METERBACHUUS - Meterbachuus seeks control and domination. The Long Lady calls it the "very source of all neurosis". Every being can speak with the voice of Meterbachuus, in its omnipresent hyper-vigilance. Sometimes, we believe we can control everything - or at least that's what we'd like to think is true. It helps to keep the darkness at bay, imagining that we have a handle on all of this chaos. But do we really? Do you?

THE AMURAX NIYANDAR - The Long Lady only had one relationship, and it was with Niyandar. She is all about love, lust, pleasure, and the senses. Sometimes it can be scary to let yourself go into the delicious dimensions of our embodiment. Sometimes it is sacred. Energy is transferred, consumed, taken, given, during these exchanges... even in the midst of mindless joy. Are you being empowered?

THE AMURAX ROLEITER - Roleiter is the father of evolution, who created the Arcliera, the Althelib, and many of the other humanoids in the incarnated plains of the Earworm. What is passed down to us by our forebears are the tools we use to begin our story. Creation has rules, and in order to survive, we put those tools to use. Some of them have worked for a million years. Some are ready for retirement.

THE AMURAX THAGIRION - Thagirion is the Amurax of awe. Sadly, he took upon himself the mantle of a god, and in his vampiric need for worship, got himself un-done by the future king Gier. We all seek something that arches above us, the idea is close to the singular tone of the universe - the truth. But if our awe is inspired by the wrong energy, we may take a long walk into the darkness before we find the Narrow Door.

THE AMURAX TOLMALOK - This adorable Amurax is not of this world, or any world, but the entire universe. She is the laws of physics, the unspoken agreement between matter itself. The weak force, the strong force, electromagnetism, and gravity. There are few limitations, in the universe, for the enactment of our will. But there are some lines we cannot cross. They are simple the boundaries that border life and death, this and that. Here, and there. Boundaries and a set of simple rules can be important.

THE ARAM - The Arcliera spend many hours of their day in a meditative state. During this reflection, rest can be achieved, but it also allows for a moment of reflection. The aram, according to the Arcliera Ivo Musa, is the place where we may hear the quiet voice. It is one of the many pathways to the Light from a Narrow Door, and the truth of oneself. Some of us are too haunted to sit in the aram for more than a moment. We are haunted by many voices.

THE BAD VIBE EATERS - In the lower frequencies, there are flora and fauna that feed off our negative energy. It keeps them alive - and no energy here goes to waste. These consumers of dark emotion will come to a source that produces it, and wait. They emit a vibrational energy that lubricates the process of negative emotional release. Like attracts like.

THE CHAMBERFOOL - Erian the Dim followed Norogan to ensure that she had a guardian; he entertained her, protected her, and understood her. Some fools are clueless. Some fools are kings, or gods, in disguise. What they share may be meaningless, but interwoven with the truth of the universe. At the very least, you'll laugh. But the deeper wisdom is up to you to discern.

THE COMMUNION - The Sehirtu call the communion Anipa. This is the process of a consciousness leaving its embodied form, to join its source. All of the information, including the information of the self, is passed on to the greater Self. The ego of the former self is lost, forever. And yet, it remains, in the knowledge of the greater self, of what IS. All of what we are is merely a gift to a greater force. It is the gift of being. So the Sehirtu say.

THE COURTYARD OF MEMORY - This is a personal hrim space, where each of us may access ourselves in the 3rd dimension, from the 4th. The entities of our memory meet us there, and each has a story to tell. Each shapes the future, depending on how much of our story we allow to be effected by our memory entities. Remember, though you are safe in the courtyard, the Amurax can touch it, from their distant lower frequencies.

THE DIM - The Dim practiced a culture that encouraged total autonomy. Each adult was responsible for looking after the young, and so wherever a young Dim went, they were watched over by one who assumed the position of their mother or father. Erian the Dim believes that, wherever we are, we are the vanguards of autonomy. Not just of ourselves, but of each one of us in proximity. Together, we may create a net that allows the fullest expression of ourselves. Where this network is weak, an individual may suffer a terrible fate - the inability to be one's true self.

THE DRUG - Kishr is a common hallucinogenic and body numbing substance of the Earworm. It was created by the Long Lady, and is often used to soften the edges of suffering, calm the nerves, and escape reality. Each of us needs a little extra, sometimes, to make it in this reality. For some of us, it is at certain key moments, for others it is an all day, every day affair. It can be a gateway, or the chain that keeps the door of your prison closed. Kishr is not the only one.

THE EARWORM - This is creation, as entitled by the Long Lady. As she believes she is the creator, she claims that everything we experience is just "a song I can't get out of my head". It is the inescapable reality of the world, the song that plays without our permission. An echo of something that was, and demands to still be. Perhaps there is something left undone, there. Perhaps it is calling you back to it, with the song. What have you left unfinished?

THE EMBODIED MOTH - As an abstract entity, Elem is nearly nowhere to be seen in the Earworm. But sometimes, it incarnates into a physical form. This little creature's life is short, and may go totally unnoticed. But according to Elem, it has come here directly from the Recording Heart. So.... talk to it. Take a picture. Let it land on your arm. It is rare, and special. Ephemeral - like we are.

THE ERIMHA MARCO9IAS - Marco9ias is the family mentor and friend of the mystic, Silent Segumi. Marco9ias takes a passive role in her, and every one of his acquaintances lives. He merely adds to their consciousness in an encouraging way, however he can. Each of us may be the Marco9ias is another's life, adding invisibly to the fulfillment of their destiny. Perhaps we have one of those untraceable actors in our own life. They are the gentle force, the wind that is blowing in the direction we want to go, a matching frequency.

THE EXIT - Some of the lower frequencies of the world are like cavernous mazes, where the sky above is eternal darkness. We navigate the darkness as best we can, with our without a light, a guide, or a sense of direction. Sometimes we come across a moment where the little voice tells us this is the way out, this is your chance. Whether we listen to that voice, or not, us another matter.

THE FIGURE - The true nature of this entity is unknown, but what is certain is that with it comes a creeping sense of foreboding. It is the prelude to a horror we have not yet imagined. It is the embodiment of the darkest feelings of the low frequencies. We may meet this entity at our worst times, perhaps in the places between sleeping and wakefulness, where we are paralyzed. In our nightmares, or perhaps, in the eyes of another who does not at the moment seem themselves.

THE FOX BOHIQUE - The Althelib have survived for so long, in part, through the wisdom of their natural diviners. Theirs, of course, is the fox shaman, the wise and nimble jester of the forest. But there is a bohique for every living thing in the world. The flowers, the trees, the moths, and even us, the dirty angels. Human beings. If we are connected to nature, we may hear its wisdom. If you are unsure of where to look, ask the wise fox.

THE FREQUENCY JUMP - At some rare times, a being may find themselves in a higher frequency than they are accustomed to. Their body will feel cool and refreshed, and their thoughts clear. This is the result of the higher Self synthesizing important information, in the form of emotion and experience, from the lower self. Be grateful. It may be disorientating, and you may feel a burst of strange energy. But you will be on the right path, if you can leave some of what weighed you down behind you.

THE FREQUENCY KNIGHT - Black Kettle is a frequency knight; a psychopomp that roams the frequencies searching for spirits that seek the Light from a Narrow Door. A frequency knight is capable of going deeply into the lower vibrational realms, keeping its form and function in tact, in search of the lost. He is durable, and the effects of the darkness and the horror are lost on him. His purpose is exclusively to find you there, and to show you the path towards the Recording Heart. Not only is it his job - it is part of his being.

THE FRUIT OF THE NGISUM TREE - The Ngisum grows deep down in the depths of the lower frequencies, but its fruit materializes at the top. The sight and the scent of it will attract an individual, and you may form a deep connection with it. But the tree itself feeds on your negative emotion, and laborious energy. You will feed it, for all of your life, and never know that you have become a source of nutrition for it. The fruit, itself a being with consciousness, is an unwitting participant in this symbiotic relationship. If you are not careful, you will be pulled down to a lower frequency, where another tree will take root. Only with your approval should this act be permitted.

THE GHISKOSIAN FLOWERS - Flowers is a Sadist of Ghis from the ancient world. Through his suffering with Lathyanotrep, he learned that he could manipulate the will of others, through charisma, sensuality, warmth, and carefully curated wisdom. But underneath is a selfish desire that Flowers will never expose. Perhaps his desire is even a secret to himself. The lost are often seeking someone like Flowers.

THE GHISKOSIAN KTEYA VOID - In her suffering, Void learned that she may remove her physical form from reality for short periods, and materialize elsewhere. This is a development meant to secure safety, and freedom of movement. Going ghost is a way to vanish from the proceedings with little repercussion, but, as Void learned, we also may come to see that, when we return, what we chose to avoid has remained there, waiting for us.

THE GHISKOSIAN LAUGHTER - Laughter fully enjoys everything. There is no context, whether in suffering or joy, where he is not entertained. This makes everything in life a possible source of pleasure. But it is also tracing the edges of madness. Some things should be taken with a bit of gravitas, especially when the suffering of others is at stake. Laughter learned that, as we cackle into the night sky, we may be missing important clues.

THE GHISKOSIAN MYRIAD SWORDS - Rage is her cause. She delights in it. Between Lathyanotrep and Gol, Myriad has come to believe that the way to get her point across, and her will met, is by always wielding the sword. "Put the sword down, Myriad," an Atomic Hoody once told her. "There are some things you can't win with a sharp edge." But she never listens. For her, it's kill or be killed.

THE GHISKOSIAN ULAULA STARLET - Starlet found solace in the deep oceans, creating a world all her own. She made the decision to renounce the teachings of her kin, all those that suffered under Lathyanotrep. The world she inhabits now is one that she herself has curated with her own will. In order to make that departure from her past, she needed to follow different rules, behave accordingly, and continue to follow the quiet voice. She has transcended her circumstances, and to this day continues to develop what she intuits as her reality.

THE GHOST MOTH - This is the remnant of the embodied moth. Sometimes, the fleeting presence of a sacred, incarnated being leaves a trace of its power behind. If you have the eye to see it, and can catch and keep it with you, it can provide a connection to that spiritual power, indefinitely.

THE GOLD DAGGER SAGE - One of the first foes of the thought-form Tomokava Blue-Stellar, the sage sought to synthesize the suffering of others for the benefit of a new cause. What the sage did not understand is that, as a source of fuel for creation, this energy has its limits. It is impossible to power infinity with a finite source, especially taken from others without their permission. It is unsustainable. Negative energy can motivate you only for so long.

THE HALLOWEEN HUNTER - The mystic hunter understood that time itself has its own energy. Each season, each change in the 3rd dimension, came with its own spirit. The hunter knew that his spiritual power was at its peak just as a frequency began to taper in its own energy. He knew that, if he could find the right environment, his talents for divining the spiritual world would be optimized. One only needs to read the signs of nature, and move according to the intuition that resides within.

THE HERALD DIODE - A 5th dimensional diode being from the highest frequencies, the Herald has been here before. It has already found its tributary locus, and is revisiting its life's story, as it is removed from time and space. In merely being, the Herald reminds all who witness it that the upper frequencies are waiting for us. Somewhere, a higher Self watches our progression through life, waiting for us to reach it, where we will reflect on this very moment - understanding it, and ourselves, for what the truth will ultimately be.

THE HERO AVENUE CROSS - Ava grew up in the ruins of Attien, cobbling together a life of mercenary work and thievery. In connecting with her tributary locus, an Atomic Hoody, she realized her true potential. Underneath the very dirty words, and uncouth demeanor, was a someone who cared enough to put herself on the line to protect others. When the heat is on, it is our decisions that align with the Recording Heart that matter most of all. The hero can be anyone.

THE HUMBLE SPIRIT - Kirimawe was an Amurax, but immediately accepted its portion of the ration of return. In this, it was freed of all burden of the incarnations of the Earworm. The humble spirit is a being that has found acceptance with itself, in its place in duality. It has accepted itself within a frequency, and understands the limitations of its being. One may hardly notice it, unless you are attuned to the quiet vibration of its presence. The humble spirit doesn't seek you out. You find it within you, when you embody the stillness of pure awareness.

THE IDEA OF OBLIVION - The Long Lady believes that the idea of Oblivion came following Norogan. We often believe that our own ideas come from elsewhere. The idea of Oblivion is the reflection of the idea of Being. The secret sacredness of Oblivion is that for anything to exist, we must understand non-existence. That idea can bring you peace, and completion, or destroy you. All of this depends on your relation to the Recording Heart. It's just an idea. But you have to exist to have it.

THE INNER GARDEN - The inner garden is the secret place that we grow within us. Here, all of your ideas, your thoughts, your feelings, and imagination can bloom into beautiful, or terrible things. We can escape the outside world here. It is as real as we allow it to be. Some of us may spend most of our time in the inner garden, some of us are without one altogether, believing it into non-existence. What blooms in the inner garden can grow its way into reality, if you allow it.

THE INNOCENTS - Little is known about this transcendent phenomenon of consciousness. Not even the Long Lady understands exactly what purpose they serve, outside of unmaking entire realities. According to the Erimha Ibit, who reflected on the matter flippantly, "They're just like little kids, who don't like the way the game is going. They just knock the board over, and cry. Like, I'm taking my ball, and going home! Know what I mean?" The innocents, though a pure energy from the Recording Heart, may not have learned yet the lesson in suffering.

THE LIGHT FROM A NARROW DOOR - The LND, it is the pathway to the Recording Heart, through all frequencies of the Earworm. As a 5th dimensional+ object, it can be nearly anything that someone perceives. It is the through-line of all reality, the truth that exists somewhere on the spectrum of all vibration. It is a singular tone, without modulation, without sound, without denial. It simply is. When you find that place, where the LND intersects with wherever you are, you are on the path to the truth, and that is your North. If you want to go North in the first place...

THE LIVING CITY - Arcminor City, like all cities, is alive. It is a place where consciousness collects tightly and compactly, just as it does within a living being of the Earworm. But the city is sleeping, it is unaware of itself. The smaller parts of it believe that they are alone, disconnected, not a constituent of something much greater than itself. And so, without awareness, this powerful being behaves in a way that an unawakened thing behaves - pulled by this force, and that force. Crushing what it cannot see, wasting what it doesn't know it has. The living city, just like you and I, is awaiting an awakening. What will it think and feel, how will it be, when it wakes up?

THE LONG LADY - Anagmir; she is the paramount consciousness of the Earworm, as it is a creation of her own mind - or so she says. The Amurax are the result of her vomiting up the frequencies, after she contemplated the idea of Oblivion. What was she feeling, when she had that thought? Or, what was she thinking, when she had that feeling? She is considered an Amurax, but all Amurax are in response to her own being. How is she so powerful, and yet, evanescent? What feeling does an obsession with non-being create? Do you know the answer?

THE LOWER FREQUENCIES - The low vibrational frequencies of creation are home to some of very strange beings. The oscillation in which the consciousness participates in there is very slow, moving outward from the true tone, or the Light from the Narrow Door, deeply into the possibilities of the universe. There is conflict, and destruction, as it can only be where duality creates extreme opposition. There are places, where the frequency is so low, it is almost as if there is no modulation occurring at all. If pure being emanates from the completed, unmodulated light, the polarities of the lower frequencies are deeply enshrouded by the idea of Oblivion. As it is not sustainable to exist there, each being must take its energy, its light, from another. Is it wrong? Only if you are settled in the polarity of this value. One thing is for certain, it is brutal and unforgiving. There are beings here that you may never want to meet. And the strange magic that can only be born in darkness, where unity is forgotten, and the truth of the universe is shrouded.

THE MESSAGE - When the quiet voice speaks, it delivers a message. The message is the truth of the Recording Heart, often delivered when standing in the Light of the Narrow Door. The message, if heard correctly, will give you the answer to the universe. Once you understand it, everything will makes sense, and you will be free. Some messages claim to be THE message... but with keen discernment, you can brush those aside. The message will not make a claim. It will only ring true. The message will reach you, eventually. When it does is up to you.

THE MYSTIC SILENT SEGUMI - Silent Segumi is the daughter of a powerful Casiq in Arcminor City. With her mentor, Marco9ias, she allows herself to be drawn into a cause that, by many measures, puts all of reality at risk. She helps bring Norogan into the Light of the Narrow Door. Silent is moved by a force she cannot explain, but she trusts it explicitly. She did not choose the role, but became a conduit for the quiet voice of the Recording Heart. According to Silent, "I became open, one day, and was filled with an understanding. The understanding was this: that I will never understand everything. I would just have to trust the forwardness of the universe. Why? Because I can't stop it. I was released from that burden. And then, suddenly, I was resonating with a movement that showed me where to go. I am now, for the first time, truly awake, and truly free."

THE NASARU - The androids created by the Erimha, in response to the niru, or human beings, in their creation of the Impression automated being, which was actually an impression of the Erimha. It may be hard to follow, but the result is this: somewhere, something will be created in response to your very being. Just your existence is enough to cause it. When you meet it, you will understand: some things in this world ARE because YOU ARE.

THE OATH - There is a promise, to someone. An agreement, a contract, an oath. Perhaps someone made that promise to you. Perhaps you made it to someone else... or even to yourself. Why do we do such things? Will you keep your oath? And what happens if you do not?

THE PUZZLE - Anagmir, the Long Lady, chose to make her inner garden the place where she may physically incarnate. It is a transforming, underground facility, where the entrance constantly shifts, and the halls are like a maze. There are traps everywhere, and finding the Long Lady is nearly impossible. The Long Lady believes feels safe here, isolating herself from the world. Gaining entry is like solving an impossible puzzle, by design. She does not want to be found.

THE QUIET VOICE - When the violent voices, the doubting voices, the fearful voices subside, and the noise of the outside world tapers away, and we are with ourselves in a moment of reflection, like the aram of the Arcliar, we may hear the quiet voice. The quiet voice only speaks the truth, but will not shout, nor will it interrupt. It waits for a moment where you can hear the message. The quiet voice speaks from the Recording Heart.

THE RATIO OF RETURN - A part of the Sehirtu ceremony called becoming humble. The R:R is the amount of suffering one has caused in the world, returned to the creator all together, all at once. This suffering is the spiritual act experienced by the Sehirtu on their journey to meet their Tributary Locus. The result of the toleration of one's ratio of return is how a Sehirtu may become a humble spirit. It is very, very painful.

THE RECORDING HEART - What is the Recording Heart? No one knows for sure. It is a heart, and it records, and I suppose there we can begin. What is recorded in the Recording Heart? We all have our own hearts... what is recorded in yours?

THE RETURN HOME - Eventually, we must return home. What awaits us there? There are layers upon layers of thought, of feeling, overlapping one another, in a shape that transcends time. In going back home, we are confronted by the self of one 3rd dimensional in a stream of time, with another. When the two meet, the higher Self watches. Here some questions may be answered, and we will be ever so closer to the path towards the Recording Heart.

THE SANCTUARY - Our bodies must be called to rest, now and again. When we do, the innermost portions of the Self are given freedom to expand. If we allow it, the Self may create a physical space in time that is warm, safe, and filled with the highest vibration of our greater Self. Anything can be that sanctuary, anywhere, anytime. Where is yours?

THE SCRIBE DIODE - The Tributary Locus of the Sehirtu A Hearts Grave, and the Arcliera Fuser, is the Guarionex, the Scribe. The Scribe very much enjoys embodying the Recording Heart, by keeping a journal of all that it believes is important. These ideas are written in an astral-book, kept within the diode being itself. Guarionex believes that, it will have the opportunity to read this journal aloud, before an audience, in the Recording Heart. But the Scribe reminds us that the performance will be very short, because the book is filled with only "the most important things."

THE SEHIRTU A HUMMING BIRD - A Humming Bird became close friends with the Arcliera Ivo Musa, and believed that he is her Tributary Locus. She has command of time and space itself, but only for herself. She has traveled to the past, to help those she can, and defies the laws of Tolmalok by using her imagination. Though we are creatures of the 3rd dimension, we have some capacity to transcend time and space, just as a Humming Bird has done. What we do with that power is directly related to our understanding of the quiet voice. In order to transcend time and space, you have to be here, now.

THE SEHIRTU AN ATOMIC HOODY - Atom has mastered the art of the "suspense state"; a moment in time where all available choices are laid out, and the repercussions of each can be seen plainly. This allows Atom to make decisions that write his future with more autonomy. In the exploration of the suspense state, Atom learned that every decision comes with consequences, and to be haunted by what we have chosen to do or not do, is one of many paths to madness. As he has said, it is best to "pick the path, and then move forward".

THE SEHIRTU A SLEEPING WITCH - The Witch enjoys sleeping. So much so that she missed much of what went on in the world around her. Groggily, she awakens, and in a halfway dreaming state, goes seeking her purpose inspired by her dreams and nightmares. The inner world of a Sleeping Witch belongs only to her, though what she does in the outside world is informed by it. There are many states to consciousness, and there is a part of you that is feeling, thinking, and doing in ways you may not be aware of consciously.

THE SORROW SWORD - Is the Light from a Narrow Door, perceived by those who can only perceive it as the Sorrow Sword. In other words, it is a weapon, to use against the darkness, to wield, to lose, and to pine for. To feel unsafe without; to feel empowered with. A tool can only be used in the manner by which it is understood. The limitations of even that which is infinite come from us - for are we not ourselves, finite?

THE STRANGER - John Laudanum is the Stranger. Some consider him one of the Amurax, but by the authority of the Long Lady: "No way." John believes he is just "passing through" this reality, and so feels disconnected from it. He believes that he exists in some other way, in some other place, outside of the Earworm. John is both free from the suffering of feeling entrapped by existence, but in some way, is also not part of it. Though that is his experience, the truth may be another matter.

THE TEMPLE OF NOTHING - Those that come to worship Oblivion often create a place of worship. They have chosen the Long Lady as their god. Because Oblivion is the reflection of being, what it actually is, is nothing. The opposite of being is not-being. If it does not exist, what exactly is there to worship? The only way to contemplate non-being is by being. And so there it is.

THE THOUGHT FORM - Tomokava Blue-Stellar is one of few thought-forms roaming the frequencies of the Earworm. It arises from a conscious mind, aware of itself, aware of being. What it perceives is the truth, if it believes it. The thoughts we have are the narrations of our story. They are our experience, and with their power, construct what we believe is our reality.

THE TRIBUTARY LOCUS - Sometimes, in a lifetime, you meet someone with whom you write a shared destiny. Your higher Self is their higher Self, joined somewhere close to the Recording Heart. We may not even enjoy the company of our locus, just ask an Atomic Hood and Avenue Cross - they can barely stand one another. You may, on the other hand, know them so deeply that the only feeling between you is love. A love so deep that it transcends any boundary that stands between you. It is the feeling of completion, of oneness that cannot be explained. Either way, you met for an important reason, and at the back end of creation, that reason is understood. For now, one must only travel the road with one's companions, and as the story unfolds, the truth of their being, and yours, will unfold. Then you will understand.

THE TROUBLED KING GIER - Gier, once a mechanic, fought against the seductive power of Thagirion for his son, Gremory. Then, he took his force of working niru, and defied the violence of Gol. Through the power of his spirit, Gier became a king. There is often one individual upon whom all of our hopes, and fears, are heaped. The one who takes up the task to protect us, to find a way forward when all hope is lost. One who has made it their purpose to protect, because there is something worth protecting. Perhaps you know who they are... perhaps that person is you. Heavy is the unseen crown.

THE UPPER FREQUENCIES - Where the oscillation of reality begins to quicken, you will find some of the more abstract beings that are acquainted with the lore of the Recording Heart. The Diode, the Sehirtu; the ethereal faeries, thought-forms, and other transcendent beings. In the upper frequencies, you may still witness the darkness, you may still see and feel the lower frequencies. But they can do nothing to you. You are in a new place, vibrating with ever increasing frequency. Something from within begins to pour itself outward, a power that only continues to grow. It is so strong, and undeniable, that reality begins to bend to it. Have you ever felt it? Would you like to?

THE WANDERER - They are the other, the one you always see, who doesn't stay long enough for you to ask their name. They move from one place to another, and have never called any place their home. It feels lonely, to imagine them moving throughout creation, an itinerant vagabond, no more familiar than the Stranger. But the wanderer is free to move, to experience; they belong to the world and little else. There is so much to explore.

THE WATCHER FROM THE FIFTH - Have you ever looked at a photograph of yourself, and remembered the moment it was taken? The place, the company you were with; what you felt then, and how you feel about it now? The watcher from the fifth does the same, to you. Take a moment and say hello. What will you feel, when you look back on all of the moments, all at once, from a time that is infinite, and a place that is everywhere?

#tarot #midjourney #fiction #ai art #writers of tumblr #dark fantasy

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thewolfwithblackfur · 7 months

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"I was raised and expected to be a beast.

A beast is what he wanted,

A beast is what he got."

Name: Stratus Silvaton Gender: Female Date of Birth: Oct. 31st Age: 230 Species: Lycanborn werewolf Place of Birth: Cold Spring, New York Former Occupation: Dress designer Places of Residence: New York City, Cold Spring, and many safehouses located around the US and Canada. Hair color and style: Red, Down, half-do, or pinned up. Languages: English, later on learns ASL (American sign language)

Fierce, vain, loyal, and persistent, this woman is a typical Lycanborn, and usually, the way to gain her favor is through flattery. (One could be persistent and annoy her as well.) Upon first meeting her, she tends to come off a bit… Feral and immediately distrusting, and if one is winning against her during a battle, she is not against self-preservation and running to fight another day. However, one should not let that push you away though, once one gets to know her, she can be compassionate, sweet, and gentle. She tends to show her softer side to the young and values their lives more than anything, regardless of the species. Though getting her to show anyone else this side would have to take some convincing, once one has won her heart, she tends to be in it for the long haul. Stratus is a complicated individual who just needs time to warm up to another and realize she’s not at threat. Once she’s calmed down, she will eventually reveal her human form to one as a sign of trust, as she is most vulnerable in this form to injury and or death.

Stratus grew up in Cold Spring, New York, alongside her parents and older brother Gordon. However, by the age of twelve, both her and Gordon's parents had been killed by hunters, leaving the two on their own with Gordon raising her. While raising her, he teaches and trains her in how to lure in and kill her own victims, and even uses her as bait several times. By the time she shifted for the first time, she had taken her first body on her own, and by twenty-four she had claimed her nineteenth body. Over time, however, she grew bored of her repetitive life and ventured out on her own and winds up spending over twenty years in the wilds of Yellowstone National Park, traveling to the Arctic Circle of Northern Canada.

While traveling, she befriends a human named Jason and grows quite fond of him. However, when Gordon discovers her relationship with Jason, he kills him. Gordon criticizes her for becoming too attached to humans and cautions her to be more careful before she meets the same fate. Gordon then brings her back to Cold Spring in an attempt to show her the errors of her actions. Sadly it formed a rift between the two siblings, causing Stratus to avoid the house she grew up in and chose to remain a wolf in the wooded areas of Cold Spring. Later she eventually moves to New York City where she invests her time in dress design.

While spending her time in New York City, Stratus encounters a young woman who is undergoing the transformation into a wolf one evening. Stratus decides to stay with the young woman and takes her to her house to provide care for the changing werewolf. The two spend the next five months together developing a tight sisterly bond. Sadly things took a turn for the worse as the young wolf started killing people more frequently, resulting in her death and Stratus being driven out of the city.

Returning to Cold Spring, she makes an agreement with Gordon that allows her to remain in the wild as long as she stays in the area and avoids any contact with others. Spending another ten years in the woods of Cold Spring, Stratus turned off her humanity and lived as a wolf until crossing paths with Rebecca, Cara, Emma, and Mayleen. Immediately becoming fearful of her brother, she pushes the small pack away. However, the group persists and eventually convince her to take the three young wolves under her wing.

Enraged by the revelation of Stratus breaking their agreement, Gordon angrily confronts her and the unfamiliar group. Stratus, desperate to placate him, tries to communicate with the already furious werewolf without success. Holding the new individuals responsible for clouding his sister's judgment, Gordon aggressively charges toward the female wolves, intending to bite Rebecca, but ends up savagely attacking Stratus instead, who had positioned herself in harm's way. Devastated and feeling betrayed by his sister's actions, the male retreats, forbidding any further interaction with the strangers.

Finally having had enough, she runs away after the girls after realizing that her brother cannot be reasoned with.

"My brother... He had a change of heart,

And decided my happiness was more important,

For once."

"... We should hurry before his heart changes again then."

- Stratus & Rebecca

Hobbies: Running, sparring, sunbathing, dancing, singing, hanging out in nature, hunting/fishing, reading, telling stories of her travels and time in the wild.

Habits: When feeling threatened or angered, she often curls her upper lip and makes snarling and growling noises under her breath. She tends to distance herself from others due to fear of getting too close. In her Lycan form, she has a habit of plucking her own fur or scratching excessively when extremely stressed. In human form, she tends to pace repeatedly and may even spy on those she is concerned for. If she feels threatened in her Lycan form, she will raise her tail in a dominant posture and slowly stalk around the perceived threat in an attempt to intimidate them. She only reveals her human form to individuals she trusts wholeheartedly or those who have earned her trust through significant actions.

#stratus silvaton

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w0efulboopsoul · 1 year

Text

"I was raised and expected to be a beast.

A beast is what he wanted,

A beast is what he got."

Name: Stratus Silvaton Gender: Female Date of Birth: Oct. 31st Age: 230 Species: Lycanborn werewolf Place of Birth: Cold Spring, New York Former Occupation: Dress designer Place of Residence: New York City, Cold Spring, and several safehouses located around the US and Canada thanks to May. Hair color and style: Red, Down, half-do, or pinned up. Languages: English, later on learns ASL (American sign language)

Finally having had enough, she runs away after the girls after realizing that her brother cannot be reasoned with.

"My brother... He had a change of heart,

And decided my happiness was more important,

For once."

"... We should hurry before his heart changes again then."

- Stratus & Rebecca

Hobbies: Running, sparring, sunbathing, dancing, singing, hanging out in nature, hunting/fishing, reading, telling stories of her travels and time in the wild.

𝕊𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕦𝕤 𝕊𝕠𝕟𝕘

#w0e's characters!#data report: Stratus Silvaton #PACKLEADER IS HERE #STRATUS IN THE HOUSE

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opalesense · 3 years

Note

How would the genshin Bois, zhongli, childe, diluc and kaeya react to a fem traveller stuck in a wall after a harsh battle, they'll help her get out right?...right?

a sight to behold

zhongli, childe, diluc, kaeya & f!reader (NSFW-ish)

1.9k words • ~13 min. read

warnings: just a lot of teasing & dirty thoughts

notes: i was practically rubbing my hands together with evil intentions when i saw this request but i’ll spare the graphic details for another time, otherwise this will be extremely long!! also i wrote them separately here BUT i wouldn’t be opposed if someone requested them to be grouped together instead... anyway, i hope you enjoy this!! >:)

THE WIDELY FEARED PRIMO GEOVISHAP was certainly a sight to behold from above. You quickly understood why so many people often avoided interacting with this beast – it was intimidating even while it slept soundly, its loud snores echoing throughout the cavern despite being so far down. As you stood on the platform above its sleeping form, you studied its details, noticing the element it possessed and strategizing your combat plan quickly, thankful that you could manipulate an element that targetted its weakness. Once you made up your mind, you let out a huff as you took a leap of faith down, letting your glider save you at the last second before you could actually make contact with the ground.

Your companion followed behind swiftly, the two of you moving gently around the walls of the cavern, careful not to wake the beast from its slumber. In a low whisper, you began to describe your strategy to your partner, but alas, the beast suddenly awoke and interrupted your planning with a ear splitting roar.

Without a second thought, the two of you dashed to the creature, loosely following the details of the plan you had based on what you were able to say before you got interrupted. The battle was fine at first, but you soon realized how out of sync the two of you became as the fight progressed. Your elemental reactions were getting poorly timed, and it was difficult to keep an eye on each other’s movements with the beast constantly thrashing about and blocking communication.

In normal circumstances, the two of you excelled in combat together without needing any other support. Maybe it was bad luck, or maybe you bit off more than you could chew this time, but you noticed you were getting knocked around easier than usual. Things were obviously not going your way and you had to think of a solution fast.

But before you knew it, your distraction with your own thoughts got the best of you. One single swipe of the geovishap’s tail sent you flying across the cavern towards the opposite wall then tumbling on the ragged, rocky edges of floor, certainly leaving cuts and bruises for later. To make matters worse, one more aggressive roar from the beast shook the walls of cavern enough to send chunks of rock tumbling down towards your injured body. Unable to form coherent thoughts, you knew you didn’t have the strength to escape the avalanche. Instead, all you could do was lay there, helpless and bracing for impact, praying to the Archons that you can be saved.

zhongli

Zhongli made quick work of the beast, using his shield to deliver an extremely effective counter attack and finishing it once and for all. The creature wailed in pain in its dying moments before disintegrating into dust. He expected to see your face on the other side but alas, you were nowhere to be seen.

“[Y/N]?” his face tensed as he tried to think of where you could have disappeared to. As his eyes darted around the cavern, he immediately noticed a tiny speck of color amongst the rocks on the wall that resembled your clothing. He quickly sprinted towards you, lifting some of the boulders off of you effortlessly using his geo manipulation.

He began to subconsciously slow down once he saw the way you were displayed in front of him. Your legs were propped up slightly from the rocks underneath you that caved in from the impact. The way your hips curved up caused your skirt to fold back onto you, leaving you completely exposed under his gaze.

Ungodly thoughts began to race across Zhongli’s mind. He couldn’t help but slowly undress you in his mind, thinking about all the things he could do to you in this moment of vulnerability.

You poor thing... If only we were not in such a potential dire circumstance of life or death, what would stop me from keeping these rocks on top of you, grabbing those hips, and pressing myself against you? It would be the perfect opportunity to keep you still while I have my way with you... Perhaps I should check to see if you’re okay first, and maybe I can trap you with these rocks myself instead. Certainly I could even lift you in a better position for a better fit...

“Stay with me, [Y/N],” Zhongli snapped out of his fantasy and continued to lift the boulders off of you, wondering if he should really go through with his urges. “You will be okay...”

childe

Childe had noticed you fly across the cavern in the corner of his eye, and watching you land on the floor at such a fierce impact only fueled him to keep fighting. In a fit of a rage and frustration, he summoned his dual blades and quickly turned the tides of the battle towards his favor. He didn’t even need to watch the beast die to know it was dead within seconds, and after his final blow he quickly dashed towards where you landed only to find out you had been crushed by more rocks.

He let out another yell of frustration, grabbing the boulders one by one and pushing them off of you. “[Y/N]? Can you hear me?”

“I’m fine, just get these off of me!” you managed to call out from underneath the pile. Relieved that you were alive and well, he managed to push most of the boulders off but hesitated once he got a good look at the way you were laid out in front of him.

With your legs dangling off the edge of the pile, your ass was comedically exposed towards him, the rest of your upper half still trapped within the remains of the avalanche. Funnily enough, the hem of your skirt had even got trapped above your hips that you were completely exposed, causing Childe to grin evilly.

“Well, well, well,” he slowly walked over to you and placed a gloved hand on your bare cheek, still slightly out of breath from the heavy lifting. He gave a gentle squeeze, eliciting a gasp from you. “Is this my reward for helping you? If so, I’ll gladly take it now...”

“Did you forget that I’m stuck? What if I’m badly injured?!”

“In that case, I’m sure I can make all the pain go away and replace it with pleasure instead,” he gave one final squeeze and chuckled before walking away to grab another boulder. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding... But once you’re out, don’t expect all this help to come for free, you know.”

diluc

Diluc watched you tumble across the floor with panicked eyes, immediately worrying about your safety but not letting that distract him from the task at hand. In the heat of the moment under the influence of rage and anxiety, he summoned his pyro manipulation to set his claymore ablaze and deliver multiple final blows to the creature, smashing its figure into bits. The beast cried in its final moments and when he was sure it was dead, he dropped his sword as he sprinted towards you.

Pure panic settled in once he saw you had been crushed underneath the pile of rocks. He pushed himself to run faster, feeling tears form in the corners of his eyes but ignoring it. He didn’t want to lose you – not this easily.

“[Y/N]!” he called out once he reached the site, “Can you hear me?”

“I’m here, Diluc. I’m fine,” you reassured him. He deeply sighed in relief as he began to push the boulders off of you. Thank Barbatos you were alive and well! He shook the thought of you being fatally injured away from the forefront of his mind to focus on getting you out of this mess, using his strength to his advantage. But after a few rocks were pushed off of you, his eyes widened at the sight of you, a sight he will never forget.

While your legs and upper body were still trapped underneath the pile, the first thing Diluc revealed was your ass, exposed by your skirt that was coincidentally trapped above your hips. Your thighs were pinned together, rubbing gently as you squirmed in the rubbish, trying to wiggle your way out. Or at least, he wanted to believe you were wiggling for the sole purpose of getting out, and not to tease him.

With a nervous gulp, he averted his eyes away from you and resumed his work on the boulders. His mind couldn’t help but drift away into sinful corners, though. He envisioned the way he could firmly grab your thighs, pull down your underwear and...

“Don’t scare me like that again,” he took a more lighthearted tone to cover up his urges, “I thought you were surely dead.”

kaeya

After briefly witnessing you get thrown across the cavern, Kaeya managed to finally stab the beast in such a precise weakness point, making it wail in pain until it slowly withered away in its dying moments. He took no time at all to rush over to you, sprinting faster once he saw that you had been crushed by an avalanche.

“[Y/N], talk to me,” he subtly asked for reassurance that you were still alive as he began to analyze the situation and pinpoint exactly where you were in all this rubbish.

“I’m okay,” you weakly muttered with a grin, glad that he had come to your rescue, “Just a little bruised, that’s all.”

Following the trail of your voice, he put his mind to work. He started to strategically push certain rocks so that others would naturally fall off of you without him needing to lift too much. After awhile, he began to spot one of your arms, then your other arm, and with each rock tumbling down he soon revealed the full picture.

Or at least, a fraction of the full picture.

He was relieved to see that you had wrapped your arms around your head for protection before the crash, avoiding what would have been an extremely dangerous injury. With your entire body from the chest down still trapped, you felt the need to stretch out your arms in the newly freed space and take a deep breath, glad to finally have some fresh air. “Good morning,” you joked on your bed of rocks.

Even though he certainly felt some relief, he couldn’t fight the urge to tease you as he cooed over the sight of you so helpless underneath him. With an evil smirk, he pulled out one of the rocks that was supporting your neck, leaving your head hanging off the edge and eliciting a gasp from you. Before you could protest, he propped himself up against the wall with one arm, his body hovering over you and his crotch just inches away from your face.

“Look at that pretty mouth of yours... You tempt me even in the most dire situations, sweetheart,” he let his free hand run slender fingers across your scalp, slowly massaging you. “Now that I think about it, I do deserve a prize for saving you, don’t I?”

“Quit running your mouth and just help me get out of here,” you scolded him jokingly. He laughed and shook his head dismissively as he walked away to get back to work, fighting that strong urge to use your throat in such a vulnerable state.

“If you say so, sweetheart. Maybe some other time.”

#zhongli #childe #ajax #tartaglia #diluc #kaeya #zhongli x reader #childe x reader #ajax x reader #tartaglia x reader #diluc x reader #kaeya x reader #genshin impact #genshin impact smut #genshin impact x reader #mine #bang

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moonlit-reveriee · 3 years

Text

Baby Blue

technoblade x fem!reader

concept: techno is scared of ‘corrupting’ the reader, but the reader’s kinda into it...

content warning // NSFW, virgin!reader, very minor angst?, small argument that gets resolved

listen to this while you read: BBBlue (Single) by Olivver the Kid

(this fic was heavily inspired by the lyrics of this song, so i highly recommended giving it a listen!)

───※ ·❆· ※───

When Techno found out you were a virgin, he was terrified. Not necessarily of the thought itself, but of the implications.

He’d never forget the look on your face when you told him. You tried to be casual about it, but he knew you well enough to spot the dusting of pink across your cheeks. You nuzzled yourself closer into his side. Whether out of embarrassment or something else entirely, he couldn’t tell. All he could feel was his heart dropping as the voices chanted at him to “ruin her”

Of course you, his pure sweet angel, would be a virgin. He once again crumbled under the idea that you had chosen him. How on earth could a person like you even think of being with a beast like him. Yet alone, giving up your virginity to him.

He hated how horribly turned on he was by the thought of taking it.

The voices had been relentless about it ever since. They were hyper focused on your every move, twisting every thought of his into something promiscuous. When you rolled out of bed in the morning and stretched, a small sigh escaping your lips, it was endless cries of “make her do that again” “you should fuck those moans out of her” “make her scream”

While making breakfast together in the morning, they wouldn’t stop telling him to “bend her over the counter” “take it right here”

Even at times where he was alone, the voices preoccupied him with endless thoughts of you. He was fairly certain they had forced him to imagine every possible way in which he could have you. “imagine fucking her against the wall” “you can be gentle for the first time y’know” “she’d feel so good writhing underneath us” “press her face into the mattress instead” “make her get on her knees and suck you off” “she’ll be such a pretty little slut for us”

He tried to take care of himself as often as he could, but it was becoming impossible to keep up with. There were only so many times a day he could jerk himself off alone behind locked doors. He was desperate, and sexually frustrated to say the least.

He felt disgusting for it.

After a week of this torment, he could barely even look at you yet alone touch you without the voices and his own guilt pounding against his skull. You couldn’t even think about broaching the subject again, because he was avoiding physical contact like the plague. He wouldn’t come to bed until he knew you were asleep, and would leave long before you woke.

As much as he tried to hide it, you could tell he was tired. Something was wrong, but you knew that he’d never just tell you about his problems unprompted. Techno was insufferably stubborn in that way. After several days of avoiding your gaze and leaning away from your touch, you chose to confront him.

“Techno”, you called for his attention quietly, trying to sound stern while remaining gentle with him. He didn’t turn to fully face you, but he glanced at the spot on the wall just above your head.

You struggled to find the words you wanted to say, so you settled on telling him, “Techno, you look tired.”

He turned his attention away from you. “Just a lot of work around the house this week. I’ll be fine after I rest.”

“Then come to bed with me.” You saw the way his body tensed and tilted away from you at that simple suggestion.

“I just need to write a couple letters first. You can go ahead of me.”

“Techno...”, you whined, daring to take a step closer to him. He gave you an almost panicked look, “why does it feel like you’ve been avoiding me?”

“I haven’t been avoiding you”, he responded quickly, trying to look through you instead of at you.

“Yes you have”, you responded firmly. A flash of guilt washed over his face at your tone. “You haven’t kissed or touched me for nearly a week now. I don’t even know for sure if you sleep in the same bed as me anymore. Fuck, you barely even talk to me.”

Angry tears threatened to spill down your cheeks, but you wanted to hold them in. Techno felt his chest tighten at the sight of it. He instinctively turned and reached out to comfort you, but forced himself to freeze.

“There”, you said, gesturing towards him, “just like that. You’re stopping yourself. Why are you doing that?”

He repeatedly opened and closed his fists at his side, wanting to have any conversation other than this one.

“[y/n], there’s just a lot going on in my mind right now”, he said. It wasn’t a complete lie. “I just need to work though it.”

“Then let me help you.”

“No”, he responded a little too quickly, “I- I mean, I just don’t want to talk about it with you yet...”

“Why not?”, you retorted, trying to squeeze any information you could out of him.

“I just don’t, okay? It’s uncomfortable, I don’t want to talk about it yet.”

“... is this about me being a virgin?”

“I never said that”, he replied, but the tension in his shoulders was enough to tip you off.

“Ah geez Technoblade, if it was that much of a problem for ya, you should have just told me”, you said sarcastically, “instead of avoiding all physical contact for a like week straight!”

“It’s not a problem, [y/n].”

“Certainly doesn’t feel that way.”

Techno huffed in frustration, grabbing a fistful of his hair at the root. He wasn’t sure if he was more upset with himself, or the fact that a few of the voices were still begging him to “please fuck her already”

“Love, I wasn’t avoiding you because I didn’t want it. They”, he tapped a finger against the side of his skull, “they want it so badly. It’s driving me insane.”

He breathed in and out shakily, trying to gauge your expression in the brief moments before he continued.

“I’m a monster. I’ve spilt more blood than anyone every should in a single lifetime. My appearance is more beast than man.”

He looked up briefly to find you staring right at him, a tight-lipped frown upon your face.

“What does that have to do with any of this?”

“I- ... I don’t want to corrupt your innocence”, he admitted.

“What on earth do you mean by that?”

“[y/n], you’re so perfect”, he answered almost breathlessly, “you’re so kind and so pure. Just living with me does enough to taint your reputation, I don’t wanna-“

He cut himself off to swallow thickly. He almost seemed scared of the words he was going to say next.

“I don’t want to ruin this part of you either...”

A heavy silence filled the tiny sitting room of techno’s cottage. In those few seconds, your eyes widened ever so slightly as his words suddenly clicked in your mind. This hulking boar of a man, an undisputed war criminal, was scared. He was scared of damaging you, your reputation, or your recently revealed ‘innocence’. Compared to himself, he saw you as a pure being who could be tainted by unwholesome thoughts.

If what he said about the voices was true, then his actions of the past few days would’ve made sense for him.

“Oh techno...”, you muttered softly, tentatively placing a hand on his jaw. His posture was curled inward, making him look small despite his size. He was stiff at first, but allowed you to lift his gaze to meet yours. He searched your eyes desperately for an indication of your reaction. You gave him a reassuring smile.

“Do you remember when we first met?”

A small wave of confusion washed over his face, but he nodded anyways. “It was at the festival...”

“That’s right”, you said, moving the hand on his face down to rest over his shoulder, “and do you remember what I did that day?”

“You threw an axe into Schlatt’s shoulder”, he answered, watching as the scene played out in his memory.

You lived with Niki in her bakery at the time, and witnessed firsthand the injustice she faced during Schlatt’s presidency. As the chaos after Tubbo’s execution occurred, you took the opportunity to hurl your axe where Schlatt stood upon his podium. The blow wasn’t fatal, but that wasn’t necessarily your goal. You just wanted to see the man in pain.

“It was a lucky shot really”, you admitted, “I wasn’t even aiming properly.” That managed to draw a small smile onto Techno’s lips.

“And do you remember”, you continued, “when I tried to confront the Butcher Army by myself?”

He grimaced at the thought. You had told him you just needed to make a quick trip to L’manburg for some supplies, leaving him at home alone to recover from the previous day’s events. You returned that evening with a sprained wrist and a couple large bruises forming on your body. None of them were trying to kill you, but you took a pretty good beating from Quackity just for trying to confront them.

“Why are you bringing all of this up now?”, he asked.

“Because”, you said, “this is the evidence that will support my next point.”

He looked bewildered by that statement, but continued to listen.

“I’m not a perfect person”, you resumed, “I have blood on my hands just like you do. I know it’s hard to compare to you, but I’m not devoid of my own sins. I can be mean, I’ve hurt people. I’m not a pure, angelic being who would quiver at a single inappropriate thought. I think you forget that sometimes.”

He let your words swirl around in his head; he couldn’t deny the logic in them. The evidence prevented him from denying the truth of your statement. He could almost be mad that you’d talked him into a corner, but he was more overjoyed at the fact that you knew him well enough to do so.

“And you know...”, you spoke quietly, letting your hand fall down to rest on his chest, “if you did somehow ‘corrupt my innocence’ as you say... I really wouldn’t mind that.”

Techno’s breath hitched in his throat. There were a brief few moments, maybe minutes, where he just stared at you. Then his lips were on yours; sudden and clumsy, but passionate. You gripped the fabric of his shirt as he grabbed at your waist, desperate to have you in his arms again.

“I’m sorry, I had to”, he muttered, his lips left hovering a hair’s breadth away from yours.

“You’re so silly sometimes”, you sighed affectionately, rubbing small circles into his collarbone. He gave you a gentle smirk before pressing another kiss into your lips.

“I’m sorry darling, I really am”, he said as he drew you into a tight hug. He took in your scent and the feel of your skin for the first time in days. It felt like he could survive off the feeling of your arms wrapped around his body alone. He wondered why he ever let himself be depraved of this.

“You know I trust you, right?”, you spoke with your face pressed into his chest.

“I’m not sure why, but yes.”

You decided not to reprimand him for saying that. You could help him unpack all that later. Instead, you brought your head up to whisper in his ear.

“You have my full and unconditional consent to take my virginity whenever you’re ready.”

Techno inhaled and held his breath, though for what, he wasn’t sure. It took a while for the full weight of those words to sink in. He leaned back to stare at your face, bringing one of his large and shaky hands up to cup your cheek.

“Are you sure?”, his eyes were wide with trepidation, practically pleading with you to tell him the truth. You leaned into his palm, indulging in the feeling of his skin on yours.

“I want you, techno. I’ll wait as long as you need me to.”

Techno was lost in your words. The sudden absence of guilt left his heart light and airy in his chest. For the first time in days, the voices were only a gentle murmur.

“she’s so beautiful” “she wants you” “make her feel good” “show her how special she is” “make her smile” “she’ll be so pretty” “she’s always pretty” “be gentle, no need to rush”

“make love to her”

“... I think I’m ready now.”

───※ ·❆· ※───

ayyyy guess who finally finished writing something!!!

parts of this feel a little rushed but ehhhhhh i was just excited to finally post it. i looove writing techno as an extremely self-conscious character who’s too caught up in their own head to see how ridiculous they’re being. so, this was a treat for me to write

i hope you enjoyed :D

-moonlight

#c!techno #red:moon #mcyt x reader #techno x reader #technoblade x reader #mcyt smut #techno smut

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rainydaydream-gal18 · 3 years

Text

(The Bad Batch) Crosshair x Reader: Chilly

Warnings: blizzard, cold, Crosshair being grumpy for thirty seconds, some cuddles, and some kissy-kissy.

Your teeth chattered and body shuddered in futile attempts to warm itself. Even though the fire your rescuer had built emanated warmth, you hadn’t felt much of a change in the last several minutes laying in the cold sleeping bag beside it. The rickety ice-fishing shelter was a haven from the snowstorm outside, but you weren’t out of the woods yet, so to speak.

Getting lost in a blizzard during a mission sure had its downsides. You were fortunate that Crosshair had found you when he did.

Speaking of the man, you glanced up as Crosshair ducked into the doorway, pulling the wooden door shut behind him. He removed his helmet and set it down on the icy floor before throwing another log onto the fire. The roar of its flames was so pleasant. An ache settled in your cold hands as you let them hover in range of the warmth. You almost didn’t notice how Crosshair started removing his armor. Almost.

“Cross, w-what are you d-d-doing?”

Without looking at you, he unbuckled the last of his armor until he was just in his blacks and boots. “I commed the others to report that I found you. Tech said you were exposed to the cold for too long.”

“Sure f-feels like it,” you muttered. “What d-d-do we do?”

“We need to get you warm.” With expression gruff, he climbed over until he was right beside your sleeping bag and peeled back the cover. His intense gaze watched you expectantly. “Take off a few layers.”

“O-okay.” This time, the stutter wasn’t from the teeth-chattering. You reached up a cold hand to the collar of your heavy coat, fingers fumbling around the zipper. The action was difficult as it was with your hands being numbed from the cold, but having him watch you like a hawk didn’t help.

“Quickly,” he snapped.

“Sorry, i-it’s a little hard to move.”

He sighed, but despite his earlier display of impatience, his hand was gentle as he pushed yours away and set to work on removing your coat. He helped you shrug your way out of it. You were able to pull the sweater off over your head, leaving you in the tank top and pair of leggings you had underneath your gear. Goosebumps bloomed along the bare skin of your arms, and another shudder racked your body.

Crosshair wasted no time in climbing into the sleeping bag, pulling the cover up over the both of you, though he hesitated when you drew closer to his lean form. You were desperate for warmth at that point, but you didn’t want to make it too uncomfortable for him.

You peeked up at him shyly from where your head rested against his chest. “M-mind if I…?”

“Do what you need to.”

You shifted to tangle your legs with his and breathed a sigh of relief. Your one arm wrapped around his torso, hand accidentally brushing a patch of skin left exposed by the hem of his blacks riding up. He jolted from your ice-cold touch with a hiss.

“Sorry,” you mumbled. Your heart began to thud wildly when he reached for your hand and tucked it under his blacks to place it on the hot skin there. “Thank you,” you breathed. Crosshair fidgeted for a moment as he got used to the temperature.

Neither of you spoke, so you listened to the soothing sounds around you as your body began to heat up. The campfire crackled and snapped nearby. It cast shadows on the old walls of the shelter. If you listened hard enough, the howling winds outside could be heard. What fascinated you the most was the steady drumming of Crosshair’s heart inside his chest. His breathing hadn’t slowed, signalling that he wasn’t completely relaxed.

You hated the thought of making him uneasy. Over the time you’d spent with the Bad Batch, the snarky sharpshooter had grown on you. Well, he wasn’t always snarky. He sometimes acted like that when it came to newcomers, or once in a while he’d throw in a sarcastic remark to tease his brothers. Most of the time, he was just quiet. You had learned to read his body language, and you could tell at the moment that something occupied his mind.

“You okay?” You were finally able to stop the chatter of your teeth.

“Next time, report back to the ship when you’re told,” he grouched. “We didn’t know what to do when we lost connection to your comm. Hunter nearly had a heart attack.”

That was Crosshair code for, “I nearly had a heart attack.”

“I tried,” you argued. “My comm was broken, remember? I couldn’t hone in on the ship’s signal. My tracks were snowed over, and I got lost.”

Crosshair went silent again for a moment as he brooded over it. There really hadn’t been much you could do after escaping the snow beast other than remain where you were and hope the others would find you. So that’s what you did.

“Perhaps next time you should let one of us come with you,” he said curtly.

He did have a point there. Maybe if you hadn’t gone off alone in the first place, things might’ve turned out differently. But you had insisted that you didn’t need to be watched.

Oh, the sweet irony.

Crosshair huffed, seeing that he had won the argument. His chest rose and fell with the action. As much as you wanted to be irritated, you didn’t have it in you. Not while you were laying in his arms with your face buried in the shoulder of his blacks. Guilt seemed to be the only emotion other than relief that you were capable of at the moment.

“I’m sorry.”

The apology was quiet, laced with humility as you abandoned your pride and simply let yourself be grateful. Crosshair had braved the snowstorm to find you, after all. He was doing everything he could to make sure you were safe, allowing you to cling to him with ice-cold hands and feet by the fire.

He shifted a little, draping an arm around you. Despite the fact that you were already pressed against him, the action felt more intimate. He was finally holding you in return, actively helping you to get warm. You took it as his way of accepting the apology, and fortunately, he didn’t stay on the topic any longer.

“Are you doing any better?” he asked, glancing down at you. His eyes didn’t hold the same irritation as before. They even softened a bit as you met them.

“Yeah, much better,” you said. “It’s nice to be able to feel my fingers again.” You flexed the digits experimentally against his skin, and Crosshair’s breath hitched. His arm had subconsciously tightened around you. The unexpected reaction piqued your interest. This time, you let your hand run just a little farther up past the hem of his blacks. Crosshair inhaled suddenly.

“Does that bother you?” you murmured, glancing up to try and read his expression. Though his face showed the same indifference it usually did, his eyes met yours with smoldering intensity.

“No.”

Without breaking eye contact, you did it again, letting your hand roam farther up his side. You felt the expansion of his ribcage as he inhaled deeply. As it contracted, you released a breath that you hadn’t realized you’d been holding. For several minutes, the two of you stayed like that. Your palm smoothed across the length of his side, fingertips brushing over a few prominent scars. Your skin had gone from cold to warm to searing in Crosshair’s arms. Did he feel it too? Did he notice the pounding in your chest? His heart had picked up its speed.

He studied your expression like a hawk as his hand came up to brush your shoulder. It was a light touch, delicate, as if he was testing the waters. His eyes flickered to the spot before returning to your gaze. The tension was unmistakable.

Unavoidable.

Irresistible.

Crosshair took in your reaction; how your eyes fluttered closed and how lips parted slightly. You were completely at ease with his touch, and you could feel that he had finally relaxed into yours. With eyes shut, you felt his hand run down the length of your arm. His warm breath fanned your face.

“Cross,” you sighed.

Both of you had pulled the rubber band as far as it could go. With your utterance of his name, it finally snapped, and his mouth was on yours. Heat exploded in your chest at the realization that he was kissing you. The hand that you let linger at his waist clenched around his blacks. Crosshair shifted to lean on his elbow, bracing his other arm beside your head on the pillow, as he kissed you harder. He could appear cold, calculated...but his kisses weren’t. They were scorching.

When you separated, so many questions flew through your mind as he gazed at you.

Was this a dream? Why, oh why, did his lips feel so warm and good against yours? Was this a slip-up, or did he feel for you the way you felt for him?

Only one way to find out.

“I care about you, Crosshair,” you confessed. He didn’t withdraw from you or give a look of annoyance, which was a good sign. It was only when he leaned in and pressed a kiss to your forehead that you fully understood. You beamed and nuzzled farther into the crook of his neck as he got settled on his side again. The sleeping bag had become a cocoon of warmth, though his arms still encircled you for good measure.

His heartbeat had gone steady. His breathing slowed. And you relished the minutes of peace until the storm cleared and the others were sure to find you.

#crosshair x reader #bad batch x reader #the bad batch reader insert #crosshair reader insert #crosshair x y/n #the bad batch crosshair x reader #bad batch crosshair #crosshair imagine #bad batch reader insert #crosshair x you

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divinolenta · 3 years

Text

comforting childe and diluc after a nightmare

character x gender neutral reader, fluff (angst?)/sfw

trigger warning: brief mention of blood and death

additional notes: this was requested by a lovely anon ♡ i had fun writing these (had the most fun picturing what nightmares they would have but you didn’t hear that from me)! i listened to “the moon song” by karen o while writing childe’s scenario and “butterfly’s repose” by zabawa for diluc’s, which is why i’ve included lyrics in their respective scenarios! feel free to imagine yourself singing another song to them, if you’d like :) there are potential spoilers for their backstories, so read at your own risk.

childe:

he is cold, frigid air nipping at his skin viciously as he flees, blinking away snowflakes that cling to his eyelashes. pursued by ravenous wolves and beasts, he loses his footing, falling into a seemingly innocent fissure in the earth. recognizing the dark realm that haunts his memories, he panics, searching for an escape. no, please, not this again.

too late, he lands, trapped in this hell once again. pain jolts through his bones and a gasp leaves his lips when he places weight on his sprained ankle. struggling to stand, childe grips the sword in his hand, hope dying when he finds that several monsters block his path. slaughtering them quickly, childe wipes off the blood that splattered on his face.

“b-brother?”

he turns around, shock evident on his face when he sees his younger siblings, cowering away from him. the snow surrounding them is stained with crimson, and his hands are slick, viscous blood slowly dripping on the floor. tonia wraps her arms around anthon and teucer, shielding them with her body. childe takes a step forward, and extends a trembling hand toward them, calling their names weakly.

“stay back! you....you monster!” a shriek rips from tonia’s throat, gripping her brothers’ closer to her, her terrified expression mirroring theirs. childe recoils at the lack of recognition in their gazes. no matter how heroic and righteous he believed himself to be, he is merely a tainted soul, a monster who could never redeem himself.

lurching awake, childe’s momentary relief is quickly replaced by bitter contempt. a nightmare? he almost laughs, running a hand through his mussed hair, but his hammering heart and shaking hands tell another story. childe needs a breather, and he eyes the door, longing to escape the past and lose himself in the beauty that nature offers. perhaps he will meander along the ocean and watch the waves kiss the shore and recede, and let it wash away his sins. sitting up, he swings his legs over the side of the bed, but it creaks underneath his weight and childe cringes at the sound that resonates throughout the room.

“where are you going?” you ask groggily, squinting blearily at him.

“i just,” childe begins, but before he could continue, shudders ran through his body, interrupting him. you tug him back into the warmth of the duvet, hands cradling his face while you peer at him in concern.

“i’m sorry...” childe squeezes his eyes shut, hands clenching tightly. he tries to calm down his erratic breaths, apologizing meekly as his hands try to nudge you away.

what if he hurts you too?

but you hush him, pulling him closer so that his head rests against your collarbone, limbs tangled together.

you start to sing, the familiar melody striking a chord in his heart. your voice is hoarse and muddled with sleep, but you gradually fall into a soothing rhythm, like the euphonious and undulating cadences of a piano.

i'm lying on the moon

my dear, i'll be there soon

it's a quiet starry place

time's we're swallowed up in space

we're here a million miles away

childe sheds his brash and arrogant exterior and allows himself to get pulled under by the overwhelming tides of his emotions, just like the waves of the ocean that he adores so much. he feels like he’s fourteen again, but this time, you’re here with him. he grasps your shirt tightly, and anchors himself, tears leaking from his closed eyes, falling on to your skin, seeping into the fabric of your shirt.

there's things i wish i knew

there's no thing I'd keep from you

it's a dark and shiny place

but with you my dear, i'm safe

and we're a million miles away

he is consoled by the fact that you do not view him as a monster, and when he’s with you, he can be whoever he chooses to be. he does not need to be tartaglia, childe or even the ajax he used to be, rather, he is content with simply being your lover and spending every hour of the day with you.

diluc:

the moment diluc sees his surroundings, he knows. he knows what’s going to happen, and how everything will go down. the carriage rocks back and forth as it travels over the uneven path, and everything is calm. too calm. swallowing thickly, he turns to his father, heart twinging at the sight of his familiar figure, with hair of flame, so similar to his own.

horses whinny frantically in the distance, and diluc tries to warn his father, but is cut off by the carriage toppling over as they lose control of the reins. a roar shakes the very earth and diluc is thrown against the side of the carriage, hissing in pain when his hand gingerly presses against the bruise on his head.

“father! wait!” diluc scrambles to his feet when his father begins to rise to his feet to investigate and protect the transport fleet. his father looks at him inquiringly, and diluc advances, clutching the hem of his coat in an effort to make him stay.

“you mustn’t go, father, your life will be in peril.” he implores, and even though he tries his best to keep his voice steady, the anguish he truly feels does not fully dissipate.

“i can’t afford to lose you again” is what diluc wants to say, but can’t muster the courage to form the words.

“my son, is that not what a man like your father should do?” his father rests a heavy hand on diluc’s shoulder, and his heart sinks in response.

“but, father-” diluc presses, but his father simply shoots him a reprimanding look.

“i’ll be back soon, just wait for me here.” he lets out a booming laugh, and ruffles diluc’s hair with an affectionate gaze, before walking off, summoning his weapon.

horrified, diluc calls out, but his pleas fall on deaf ears. he desperately wills his body to move, but it’s like vines have erupted from the dirt and tangled around his legs, trapping him in a prison of thorns.

all he can do is stand there, watching from the sidelines. even as his father gulps his dying breaths, all diluc can do is clutch on to him, and pray to whatever god that still remains, while the very light of his soul eclipses.

and like an incompetent fool, all diluc does is weep and regret.

hands shake his shoulders, and diluc snaps out of his dream, released from the tormenting illusion. his gaze meets yours, and when he reaches up to touch his face, his fingers come away damp from the tears that streak his skin.

you’re seated on the bed, sheets pooling around your waist. your brow furrows, and diluc opens his mouth, about to let false reasurances tumble from his lips to alleviate the look of unease you don. how many times had he dreamed of the incident? how many times would he continue to blame himself?

diluc himself does not know the answer.

you lean forward, hands tenderly brushing away the tears that remain, and diluc loses himself in your eyes. eyes really are the window to the soul, he thinks, everything is so clear, like how he knows that the sun will rise, signalling a new beginning. your eyes betray every emotion that flicker through their depths.

“i’m okay.” he whispers, but both you and him know that he’s lying. diluc lies back down, and he gestures for you to do so as well, but you situate him so he lays with his head in your lap.

you card your fingers through his hair carefully, your delicate touches evoking a chill that runs down his spine. you begin to hum softly, voice lilting in an ethereal melody before words surface and accompany it. diluc feels like he’s simultaneously floating and sinking. he wants to weep, for barbatos was lenient enough to grant him such a caring and understanding lover to someone as undeserving as he is.

for a moment, he wonders if you are perhaps hestia incarnate. the warmth and love with which you behold him with is surreal, and god knows that diluc is not capable of replicating or returning such affection.

the shadows in your head

they've got you down again

got you feelin' low

your voice is an intimate whisper, and diluc welcomes the warmth that it entwines him in. he catches your hand, bringing it to his lips so he can press a chaste kiss against it. moonlight slants against your features, and diluc can only stare in awe as you continue to sing, body slightly swaying along as your hand aimlessly caresses his hair.

but it's time to rest, now

let it all melt now

wipe your tears

“thank you.” he murmurs, eyes falling close as your voice lulls him into a sleep. one that he knows will not be plagued with nightmares. you don’t respond, but diluc can hear the hint of a smile in your voice.

it’s a sight to behold: diluc ragnvindr, a man with a renowned reptuation of having a heart of ice, melting in your embrace. out of everything, perhaps your love is what ignites him, and brings back the fervor that was once lost.

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darkandstormyart · 3 years

Text

Xicheng fic recs

(figured i might make a list of my own)

(to be expanded as i dig out more treasure/remember stuff)

in no particular order:

Deep as the Yearning Night by FreckledStarKnight

“At first, it was pure chance. The second time was accidental. And the third time? Well, they say the third time’s the charm, after all. Lan Xichen discovers that Jiang Wanyin sings beautifully and is immediately enamored by it. His pursuit of Jiang Wanyin’s secret talent leads to a discovery and a series of events that he did not anticipate at all. Not that he’s complaining, of course. He got what he came for and more. Or, how two sect leaders get together through the song called love. CQL-verse.“

post-seclusion lxc

trying to get jc to sing

bonus lxc & jin ling feels i hadn’t considered before

cute

Always use protection by hesselives

“In which Lan Wangji attempts to hire a new bodyguard for his older brother, a well-known traveling exorcist. Jiang Wanyin doesn’t even make his carefully considered list of Top Ten Candidates, and yet here he is.

Lots of wandering in the countryside, distant yelling, and mildly inconvenient spirits.”

bodyguard au

honestly just really intersting worldbuilding

Rewrite the stars by Arashii

“Five great kingdoms have been fighting for years and when the kingdom of Yunmeng is destroyed, the Crown Prince Jiang Cheng vanishes.In Gusu, Lan Xichen makes an offer impossible for Jiang Cheng to refuse. His life or revenge? There’s only one option and Jiang Cheng swears loyalty to the man he hated the most his whole life, the Crown Prince of Gusu, Lan Xichen himself.Written for XiChengFest2020 - Day 4“

ROYALTY AU ROYALTY AU

enemies to lovers!

flashbacks! i love flashbacks so much ohmygod

No paths are bound by Arashii

“In seclusion, Lan Huan has the support of a ghost no one has seen since the massacre of Yunmeng Jiang. His feelings start changing with the often visits and conversations they share. Before Lan Huan can confess though, he ascends, leaving everything and everyone behind him.

Two hundred years later, back to the Human Realm and without powers, the Martial God Zewu-Jun has a mission to uphold. His Heavenly Calamity started. The clues are little and the support comes in the most unexpected form, the current Ghost King: Sandu Shengshou. Now they need to stick together to contain a menace that is slowly growing.“

TGCF AU TGCF AU

ghost king jiang cheng come on

doesn’t follow tgcf plot, just the setup so no spoilers

jiang cheng gets the dogs and the xichen he deserves

once upon a dream by cafedeolla

“Xicheng soulmate AU

An au where your dreams are small snippets of your soulmate’s day. They’d show small things like buying coffee, reading a book, or hanging out with people from their perspective.

The problem was that people always have expectations and Jiang Cheng knows he always falls short of them. Time and time again.“

soulmate au, but being soulmates is more a problem than a solution

misunderstandingssss all over the place

now with a squel (in progress?)

Lan Furen series by jagaimocchi

“Jiang Cheng leaves Lotus Pier before the Wen Internment Camp and before the destruction of his home. When he meets Lan Xichen on the run from the Wens after the burning of Cloud Recesses, his plan to live a peaceful life away from cultivation sects is quickly derailed. Now, free to make his own choices, he cannot find it in himself to leave the other man's side.

With love, patience and time, Jiang Cheng finds his own happiness and peace with his past.“

have you ever wanted a fic where jiang cheng peaces out from home in search for a better life, bc he’s Had Enough??? jags got you covered

adorable xicheng

good uncle-dad-figure Lan Qiren

ongoing <3

Just around the riverbend by JungleJelly

“One day.

Jiang Cheng just wanted one day of peace and quiet, away from home, away from his responsibilities, away from his idiot brother and his nutcases of a mother and father. Just a few hours alone — him and a boat and nothing else.

Clearly, that was too much to ask for.”

now with a new story in the series which is adorable too!!!

mermaid!lxc need i say more?

Bad ideas (where they lead) by JungleJelly

“Jiang Cheng is a busy man. Fortunately, he is also a huge pushover when it comes to his sister, so when she recommends that he start doing yoga, he agrees pretty easily.Featuring Lan Xichen in yoga pants, Jiang Cheng’s inability to handle a crush, and, perhaps most importantly, a big fluffy dog.“

done for 2020 MXTX MiniBang

yoga instructor Lan Xichen

Jiang Cheng is: struggling with a crush on the yoga guy from youtube & very angry about that

If there’s a price for rotten judgement by TheWanderingHeart

“All Jiang Cheng wants to do is, well... his job, really. Other than that? Keep the city safe, keep his nephew alive, keep his sanity intact (if possible).

So when his brother calls with unexpected news, he knows all of that is about to fly out of the window.

***

[Every instinct is telling him don’t ask, you don’t want to know. By this point, Nie HuaiSang has scooted closer to listen. Jiang Cheng takes a steadying breath and pulls out his antacids. “What did you do?”]”

superhero au, come on

jc just trying to do his job in peace

(he can’t)

i love it so much oh my god *sobs*

The Form of Boneless Ice by TheWanderingHeart

“Mythical beasts have long ago been driven to extinction by the gentry — hunted for sport, but more importantly for their magical cores. Since then, there remains only one creature that has never been caught. The Jiang’s retreated a long time ago. Abandoning land altogether, they sought safety where the humans could not reach.It all comes to a head though, purely by chance. (Or is it by fate that a spontaneous decision allows for them to meet? If fate were a rock!) Jiang Cheng suddenly finds his whole life balanced on the head of a pin — on the flimsy promise of a human boy. In his opinion, things cannot possibly get worse!(But then they do when the Wens decide it’s finally time to search for the elusive merpeople, and suddenly nowhere is safe.)“

there she goes again, with another beautiful xicheng story full of awwww and mythology

actually one of the first xicheng fics i read

i chose it because there were mermaids

painfully accurate takes on Jiang family dynamics

kids! lots of kids!

Let me Slytherin to Your Heart by TheWanderingHeart

“Jiang Cheng never thought he'd return to Hogwarts, but in hindsight, he probably should have known that someday he would.With his nephew about to start school, he reluctantly takes his good friend's bad parenting? career? advice and ends up tumbling head-first back into the madness that he hoped he'd left behind... and rediscovering some feelings he thought he'd left behind too.“

Harry Potter au!

just really fecking cute

lots of snakes

[I am not going to link all of Jo’s fics, though I probably could, just my 3 favourites. UOSB is there by default]

Talent Hunt Crew Finds Angry Guy Shouting On College Campus, Recruits Him For Vocal Projection Abilities by oh_fudgecakes

“Jiang Cheng, resident Angry Guy and heir to a conglomerate empire, has never been the apple of his father’s eye. Quashed under the shadow of his brilliant brother, the music prodigy Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng sees his chance to turn things around when he is recruited by the All-Stars Lan Talent Hunt. One problem: he can’t sing to save his goddamn life.As he struggles to develop his nascent singing abilities, Jiang Cheng finds himself sucked into the whirlwind drama of reality TV, helped along by his adoring siblings, his irritable vocal coach Wen Qing, and strangely enough, the unfairly attractive host of the All-Stars Lan Talent Hunt, Lan Xichen. Somewhere in the glare of the stage lights and an unexpected first love, Jiang Cheng stumbles upon the thing he was searching for all along: the courage to dream — and to attempt the impossible.“

done for 2019 MXTX Big Bang

uuuuuuuuuuh i might have cried maybe

heartwarming? painful at times? lots of family love?

slowburn xicheng being lovely

The Provenence of Hope series by velithya

“A chance meeting on a night hunt sets a course of events into motion that will change everything. Featuring Xicheng getting together, recovery for Lan Xichen, healing for Jiang Cheng, and always, always, hope.“

got everything. feels. hope. love. ~~healing~~

A Small Measure of Peace by Sandstone112

“With his brother in seclusion, Lan Xichen finds himself in temporary custody of his nephew with little to no expertise in the child-raising department. Uncertain and alone, Zewu-Jun is willing to do everything to be the person Yuan needs—even if it means inviting Sandu Shengshou to a playdate.“

a loooot of adorable family times with jc and lxc taking care of their nephews

good grandpa lqr!

canon but fixed and less painful

🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋if you wish to avoid scurvy:🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋

Some day I’m gonna make you mine series by locketofyourhair

xicheng getting together through the years

friends with benefits but the real benefits are the friends we made along the way

Take me over (take me tonight) by velithya

jiang cheng has a tattoo and lan xichen doesn’t stand a chance

i'd be the sweet feeling of release (mankind now dreams of) by piyo13

two bros, chilling in a cave, no feet apart because they don’t want to lose their cultivation powers what are you gonna do

haven’t read yet and shame on me, but AM GONNA:

Upon Our Silver Bridge by TheWanderingHeart obviously

““When the path ignites a soul, there's no remaining in place. The foot touches ground, but not for long.” ― Hakim Sanai

Lan Xichen's sorrows have caught the attention of something. Unlike the adventures and foes they have faced before, there is no obvious enemy here to defeat. If this is the same thing they thought had taken Nie Mingjue's life, then he believes it is fated for him to die as well. Nothing can stop the black fire when it wants to burn.Jiang Cheng is sure his part in this is over. Wei Wuxian is back, his grand adventure concluded, and he'd never been at the centre of it anyway. So what does it matter what happens to him in the end? Slowly, he will come to realise that there will always be a battle to fight, a story to tell, a choice to make, and there is no such thing as an end to anything.“

it was difficult to do things in 2020 and few i regret not doing more than not reading uosb yet :’(

i will tho

Emergency Help Wanted by piyo13

“EMERGENCY HELP WANTED I lied when I got my job. I told them I had a kid so I could leave early from work to pick him up from daycare, take him to doctor's appointments, and occasionally miss a day when he's sick. Long story short, I'm in too deep. I didn't think it through. Looking to rent a kid for bring your child to work day. Must be a boy ages four to six, longish dark hair, likes soccer. Must also be artistic as the macaroni noodle paintings I made seem a little advanced for his age. Also, I will pay extra for someone willing to play the role of husband when dropping him off. He's a prosecuting attorney who often brings his work home. Message me for further details. Serious inquiries only.“

Running Our Hands Through Embers by MarvelousMar

“If asked, Jiang Cheng would compare falling in love with Lan Xichen to a moth inevitably drawn to a flame.It burned.***In which Jiang Cheng discovers that even death can't help him escape from his trauma, so he embarks on a quest to save the people he loves, fix what he can, make the love of his life fall for him, and maybe, somewhere along the way, do a little bit of healing.”

The Beginner’s Guide to Moving On by InvincibleMel

gone from ao3, but i think there’s a link with a pdf going around

#xicheng #fic rec #Jiang Cheng #lan xichen #mdzs #the untamed #the grandmaster of demonic cultivation #mo dao zu shi

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startanewdream · 3 years

Text

Prompt 4: Jily in the rain for @jilytoberfest

(AO3)

They are 11 and the autumn rain catches them unaware on the way back from the greenhouse. They run as fast as their short legs can carry them, but by the time they reach the Entrance Hall, they are both drenched, a pool forming beneath their feet. They looked at each other, taking the sight of the other (his hair is falling languidly over his eyes, her usually impeccable uniform is all messy) and then a laugh escapes one's lips (Lily thinks it was his happy laugh first, James thinks it was her sparkle one) and the other joins, the sound reverberating in the hall.

They are 14 and they are returning from a Quidditch match that ended with Gryffindor losing the Snitch but still winning because of all his goals. James is in the arms of the crowd, laughing, rejoicing in his victory, oblivious to the rain that fell during the game and still falls heavily. He cries, louder than the rain, and then he sees her, walking with her friends, the red and gold paint in her cheeks melting under the rain, as oblivious to the rain as everyone else. Lily is smiling also and when their eyes meet, she winks at him, mouthing something that might be "good game", before she turns away. His heart skips a beat, and the feeling of winning is replaced by a sudden longing.

They are 16 and James messed up hugely. The last week of classes finds Lily miserable (Mudblood) and James ashamed of himself (you're just as bad as he is), worlds apart from each other. She doesn't care about it, though, or for anything at this moment; Lily stands still watching the lake at night--away from where everything happened--even when the first drops of the rain ripple through the lake and later when the heavy rain falls. It's good; the rain mingles well with her tears, hides from prying eyes. The sound of footsteps over the wet ground alerts her to someone. She turns, but it's not a person; a beautiful stag approaches her almost timidly. It's an impressive beast, but rather than be afraid, she lifts her arm, waiting until the stag is close enough to touch his head, the wet fur. The stag looks at her with more comprehension than it should be reasonable in a beast and Lily hugs him, sobbing, letting him warm her against the coldness of the rain.

They are 17 and helping a group of Third Years to reach back safely the castle during a storm that interrupted a class of Care of Magical Creatures, casting Drying Spells and Warming Spells when it hits her that this is the only kind of spells she sees him doing these days. To help others. And when he joins her back at the castle, trying to dry his glasses in his even wetter clothes, she smiles and offers him her help, having stayed warm and dry because James volunteered to venture outside. She approaches him, using the sleeve of her robe to dry his glasses, before giving him back; they are so close she can see each drop of water in his face as if he is sparkling. James smiles at her in thanks, putting back his glasses--his eyes are hazel, this beautiful combination of green and brown--and her breath catches. Before she can do anything, he runs his hand through his hair, splashing water everywhere, a mischievous grin on his face and Lily has to laugh too, trying to pretend her heart isn't racing in her chest.

They are 18 and it rains heavily on the day of their first date, but neither wants to give up. It's actually a good thing. They have to remain close together under an umbrella, the shops are empty due to most students giving up and they get a table in the Three Broomsticks without any problem. And later, when the wind takes away their umbrella, when they run across the grounds trying to catch it (Sirius is very fond of this umbrella), they turn to each other, their amusement fading away to be replaced by curiosity and longing; their lips meet under a curtain of water and this kiss is as wet as it can be, but they don't mind (Sirius complains that they could have cast an Accio and still snog, which is fair).

They are 20 and it rains on their wedding day but someone says that is a lucky sign and no one dares to question it.

They are 21 and Godric's Hollow feels more and more like a prison than their house. James spends as many hours outside as he can, feeling the sun on his face, the breeze of the wind, and he doesn't move when the first raindrops start to fall. Lily opens the backdoor, Harry in her arms, and calls him; James can't move. He watches as she leaves Harry in his baby carriage (their son loves to sleep under the sound of the rain) and walks towards him, the rain drenching her clothes in seconds, mud messing her legs. Lily doesn't mind; she joins him, lifting her head to accept the rain and James thinks there is nothing more beautiful in the world than this image of his wife under the rain. "I love you," he whispers, and she turns to kiss him. "As I love you."

They are 25 and the rain starts when they are outside attending to their small garden. Lily casts an Impervious to keep him dry and turn to Harry, but there is already a faint silver light around him; she guesses James already charmed him, so she just keeps explaining the herbs they are planting, Harry watching with attention. A distant sound makes her turn around. James and Sirius are running from the street, bringing bags from the grocery store; they could have cast a spell as well, but Lily thinks they are having too much fun. Then she blinks, turning to her son; if she didn't cast the spell and neither did James… "Your son just did his first magic," she tells James when he reaches her, and he hugs her, beaming.

They are 50 and the rain has just started. They watch from the porch, calling their grandkids to enter the house, hearing their laughs as they splash water at each other, enjoying the summer rain.

#jilytober #jily lives

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mythicamagic · 3 years

Note

Enemies to Lovers - Sesshoumaru is injured - "Lean on me" prompt

AN: Because there’s a lot of prompts to get through I probably should have/could have spent more time on this one due to the heavy subject matter buuut since in the anime Sesshoumaru only gets 11 episodes to recover from the loss of his arm, I don’t feel too guilty XD

Warning: body trauma

---

Inuyasha's wench had found him around an hour ago. Unlike Rin, she'd deliberated approaching for a few moments. Unsurprising. They were still foes after all. Crimson eyes remained burning, glaring listlessly at her face.

She'd seemed to silently decide something, determination steeling her expression. The yellow nekomata he vaguely recalled belonging to the slayer was her sole companion, who growled at him warningly not to try anything. As if he would.

The miko carried a large cumbersome bag, so he assumed she'd been headed somewhere before running into him within the forest.

Kagome cleaned his wound as best she could, before binding it to try and stop the excessive blood loss. She'd then approached with the beast, proceeding to kneel beside his bloody form. Sesshoumaru remained where he was, reclined against a tree and settled at its base.

Kagome winced, arm secured around his waist after having removed his armour.

"I can't just leave you like this. Lean on me. I'll take your weight enough to move you onto Kirara."

Sesshoumaru turned his head, gazing at nothing.

His lips moved, speaking too softly for her to hear.

"What?"

He repeated himself in a tight voice. "What is the point?"

Kagome stiffened against him. Her heart thudded quicker, fear brushing his senses.

Sesshoumaru allowed his hazy red eyes to dull into empty gold, staring right at the woman.

He could survive a missing arm. Had adjusted his fighting style enough to manage.

But the Killing Perfection could not survive the loss of a leg too. His body would save him from blood loss, but his spirit lay broken, irreparable.

Kagome swallowed loudly, resting a hand on his upper thigh. His leg ended below the knee.

"T-this… it's nothing for you," she mumbled quietly. "You're going to be okay. You'll find a way to walk again."

Sesshoumaru chuckled dryly, resting his head back against the trunk. "Why do you care, wench?" he flashed sharp teeth at her. "We are not allies. Leave me."

"I won't," Kagome moved closer, grabbing a handful of his hankimono. "Listen, I might not be your friend and you've tried to kill Inuyasha more than a few times, but…" her hand shook. "But you're the strongest person I've met. If you fall, then what hope do the rest of us have?" she questioned softly. "Despite myself, I admire people like you and Kikyo. Always so crazy strong."

Sesshoumaru scoffed, gripping her hard by the hair and forcing her head down to look at the stump of his right leg. "Do I look strong to you, miko?" he hissed in her ear.

Kagome braced her hands on his available leg, twisting in his grip to look at him.

Sesshoumaru stilled.

Unshed tears lay in her eyes.

"Yes," she muttered with conviction. "So long as you don't give up now."

Sesshoumaru stared. Inky black hair slowly fell limp around his fingers. He settled back against the tree.

Kagome straightened, winding an arm around his waist again. "At least come with me to find shelter. You can't stay like this out in the open."

Sesshoumaru remained dead weight. He did not see the point in trying.

He could not hope to recover from this.

Kagome tugged and heaved at his body, his mass much too big for her to hope to move.

She sighed with frustration, blowing air at her bangs. "I'll tell Inuyasha about this," she grumbled.

Sesshoumaru blinked, sliding his gaze back to her. "I would kill you before you managed to leave."

Kagome smiled a little, patting his shoulder. "That's better. You look a bit more like yourself when you're threatening someone."

He wanted to snap at her. To snarl and bite the soft looking skin of her neck, frighten her enough to leave.

He was tired. A part of him felt content to die after his pride lay in such shattered tiny pieces.

And yet…

And yet a part of him, instinctive, strong and indomitable, refused to lay down and perish. It appreciated her continued efforts.

The thought of him hobbling about so pathetically was almost too much to bear, but Sesshoumaru closed his eyes, realising very wretchedly that this meant he did not in fact wish to die.

"We can do this," Kagome was muttering, trying to angle him enough to lay on Kirara, who pressed in close, offering assistance.

Sesshoumaru stifled a sigh, making a silent choice. He begrudgingly leaned against her, shifting his remaining leg beneath him.

Kagome gasped, "that's it!" she encouraged, helping him into a crouching position before he fell forward onto the beast. Kagome adjusted his leg, ensuring he was steady, before nodding for Kirara to stand.

Sesshoumaru did not pay attention to their surroundings, the forest passing in a blur.

If he'd just been quicker, the bull demon who had humiliated him would have perished sooner. The beast had produced a second weapon out of thin air, axe cleaving through muscle and bone. All he could do was pull back- lest he lose his entire lower half.

He felt no pain. Surprisingly, everything remained numb. His flesh was cold and clammy, and he lay as if outside of his own body.

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes, lapsing into unconsciousness.

---

The scent of rain stirred his senses.

Sesshoumaru turned his head, finding himself laying down upon a strange futon that resembled a squashed cocoon. The nekomata lay behind him, keeping him warm.

Sesshoumaru blinked. The miko had found them shelter. He soon located her sitting at the mouth of the cave, looking out at the rain while a fire lay in the centre of the cool space.

When she noticed he’d regained consciousness, Kagome rose and offered some water from her strange water container.

She’d changed clothes, donning more unusual clothing Sesshoumaru was unfamiliar with. Her pants clung to her form distractingly.

“How are you feeling?” she asked, hovering close.

He tsked, passing back the water after taking a swig. “Like I have one leg and one arm. How do you think I am feeling, mortal?”

She winced, “shitty.”

“Indeed,” Sesshoumaru lay back down, staring at the cave ceiling soberly.

“Do you want something to eat?” a crunchy noise rustled from her pocket as the woman produced a rectangular bar of some kind.

He couldn’t keep the disgust out of his voice, eyeing a picture of the food on its strange packaging. “What is it?”

“A peanut butter and chocolate energy bar,” Kagome winced. “Look I don’t know how to hunt-” he scoffed, “-so this is the best I’ve got. Sorry, your Highness.”

Sesshoumaru sneered, “you may keep it. I do not eat human food. Least of all bizarre creations such as that.”

“Fine but it's your loss.”

His expression became blank, noticing her wince and start apologising for the wording. He wasn’t listening anymore though. The initial shock was beginning to wear off, and now he was more than painfully aware of the shooting pains running up and down the remainder of his leg, from stump to upper thigh. Sweat began to bead on his forehead, refusing to show his discomfort.

“...You’ve used a human arm before,” Kagome said carefully, sitting beside him and crossing her legs. “And what looked like a dragon one. By that logic, you could attach a demon leg to yours, right?”

Sesshoumaru slid his gaze to her, silently thankful for the distraction. The coming agony would be something he’d already dealt with due to the loss of his arm. Phantom limb pain was a real bitch.

“Yes,” he managed, before taking a steadying breath. He managed to arrange his features into something smirking and lofty. “Are you implying you will fetch me a new limb, little miko? How very generous.”

Kagome’s eyes turned flat. “I’m not about to go out and lop off some poor demon’s foot just to help you. But...if…” she said slowly, “if I’m attacked- which happens often because of the jewel shards- maybe I’d…”

Sesshoumaru dropped his smug expression, frowning softly.

The rain continued to pour, pelting the ground hard. It was a sobering reminder that if she’d left him to the mercy of the elements, he’d be in a much worse state.

He ran careful attention over her features. “Why?”

Kagome’s deep blue eyes held his probing stare, not a flicker of deceit in them. “I don’t know,” she admitted softly, “things can’t go back to normal for you right away- or at least, they shouldn’t. You should take the time to recover. I don’t know how the hell you managed to come after us so quickly after losing your arm. It likely wasn’t healthy for you.”

He arched a brow. Repressing every single fibre of the experience and any feelings about the fate that had befallen his left arm had worked wonders for his recovery. Granted it made sleep difficult at times, but none had ever had the audacity to lecture him about his decisions before.

“But- I also don’t want you to be vulnerable to attacks or starvation,” Kagome kept rambling. “Giving you a leg won’t solve everything but it’ll help- ah, are you burning up?” she noticed a bead of sweat roll down his temple, reaching out automatically.

Sesshoumaru snatched it mid-air, pushing up with a burst of speed and yanking Kagome down, simultaneously rolling atop her. Her back hit the ground, punctuated with a squeak from her startled lips.

Silver hair hung down, creating a curtain that blocked out the rest of the world. Those blue eyes widened, breath hitching. Their lower halves pressed intimately together, stomachs meeting as Sesshoumaru leaned closer, using his hand to brace his weight above her. A fire burned within the back of his throat, ancient, tattered pride stinging. He found that he resented her slightly. Resented her for seeing him so weak. It hadn’t mattered when Rin had found him wounded. A battered child had no relation to him. But this girl, Kagome- was an enemy. She should not have seen him thus.

“Do I seem so very vulnerable to you?” he asked in a hushed voice, mouth inches from hers. The fire crackled, rain pouring. Her breathing sounded a touch quicker, heartbeat loud in his ears. Drumming.

Against all logic, he felt her body relax beneath his. She even smiled a little, “no,” she muttered.

“Is something amusing?”

“I’m just glad you proved me wrong. I’d rather you kept acting like a jerk than look so...defeated like you did earlier,” Kagome gave a nervous giggle, gesturing between them, “uh...if you could let me up now though that would be great.”

She tried to rise, but he let more of his weight sink down upon her soft, warm body. “No, I do not think I will.”

Kagome gasped, drawing a knee up and inadvertently opening her legs, allowing him to fit snugly against her. If he hadn’t lost a limb several hours earlier that same day and wasn’t experiencing agonising, blinding pain, Sesshoumaru had to say, the feeling was enough to make him...consider something previously thought impossible between himself and humans.

As it was, he hissed a breath through grit teeth, the stump licking phantom flames of blazing fire around the wound.

“Sesshoumaru? Sesshoumaru!”

He shuddered, trying to prevent himself from crushing her beneath his weight, arm shaking.

It hurt. It suddenly hurt like hell- and nothing was working. No distraction could take him from the blistering, lonely, maddening sensation that holy fuck his leg was missing. He wanted to do something as meaningless as wriggle his toes and he could not-

Suddenly, her arms were around him. Pleasant fresh scents assaulted his fractured senses, citrusy and clean. Kagome pulled him down while rolling herself, flipping their positions.

“I don’t have anything for the pain,” her voice strained apologetically. She quickly moved off him, but Sesshoumaru wasn’t paying attention anymore. He panted, temples pounding. His body shook, pain shooting through the nerve endings in the remainder of his leg.

Something cold and wet lay over his marked forehead. Cracking the burning suns of pained golden eyes open, he watched Kagome adjust the cold compress, before checking his leg.

“You heal quick, but you need new bandages. M-maybe that’ll help until I can go home for painkillers,” she muttered, grabbing her bag and digging through it.

Sesshoumaru panted softly, seizing the fretting miko’s wrist.

“Your...scent,” he grunted.

“What?”

If he were sober he’d never request something so undignified, but Sesshoumaru kept talking, somewhat delirious now that all sense of shock had worn off. “Come here...again. I want your scent.”

Kagome’s shocked features were lost to him as the Daiyoukai hissed, squeezing his eyes shut.

The scent of citrus returned after a moment. Soft, curling locks of dark hair brushed his nose as Kagome gingerly embraced him.

Sesshoumaru wrapped an arm around her shoulders, burying his face into the black fall of citrus-scented strands. He lost himself to instinct, gripping onto the stable, pleasant sensations that took the form of Inuyasha’s wench. She let out a tense breath but soon relaxed against him, verbally assuring Kirara when the nekomata growled.

For the second time that day, Sesshoumaru unwillingly lost the battle for consciousness.

----

She was gone by the time he awoke in the morning, but the nekomata remained. She growled and hissed softly whenever he looked at the beast for longer than necessary. Kagome left a note, explaining that she’d be back soon.

Sesshoumaru had little to do except wait. The pain had become a continuous throb, which was easier to deal with but equally as irritating, exhausting him.

When Kagome returned several hours later, she produced wrapped pieces of cooked chicken from her bag, cheerfully explaining that she’d returned home. Sesshoumaru turned his nose up slightly at the food.

“I would have preferred the bird...raw.”

“Wait like freshly dead?”

“Alive, favourably.”

Kagome gaped, leaving the lunchbox with him. “That's terrible!”

Sesshoumaru stared at her flatly, opening his mouth and drawing out his tongue, transforming his features into something more monstrous and canine while placing the food into his mouth and eating it in one quick snap of his jaws. “Demon,” he muttered pointedly.

She rolled her eyes and let him finish his meal in peace.

---

They fell into an odd routine of planned visits for several days, talking about the strange things she brought back from home. He came to learn she was from the Future, of all places. They discussed its advanced technologies while she bandaged his leg.

He suspected the miko felt some sense of responsibility for him now. The thought set his teeth on edge, mildly humiliated.

When he brought up the subject of his vassal, ward and steed, Kagome shrugged and told him they’d been accepted into Inuyasha’s group for the time being. They worried about his continued absence and Inuyasha complained about having to share a space with Jaken, but bared with it. Not one person knew about his situation except Kagome, for which he was thankful.

By the end of five days though, Sesshoumaru needed to move. He began by pulling himself along the ground via his hand and knee, which proved awkward but not impossible. Next came standing, which- after many failed attempts- he finally managed to do, gripping onto the cave wall.

Walking was impossible, of course. And by the time Sesshoumaru realised the very sobering truth that he’d have to hop everywhere the rest of his life or walk with the use of a cane or crutch unless he could grab a demon leg- he wondered why he’d bothered moving at all.

“You’re standing!”

Dulled golden eyes slid to the miko, who stood at the mouth of the cave. In her arms was a large sack faintly marred with blood, and he could tell from the wrinkle of her nose exactly what it was. Surprise slammed into his gut.

“Miko-”

Kagome set the bundle down, hurrying over and steadying him when he tipped too much to one side. “Are you alright? You should be resting-”

“Give me the leg, miko.”

Kagome fell silent, eyeing his stump. He’d stopped needing bandages two days ago. She didn’t protest, merely looking at him carefully. “Are you sure?”

Sesshoumaru leaned against her, allowing her to help ease him down into a sitting position. He briefly touched her cheek, gliding a thumb there and watching it redden. His heart thudded with gladness. “I am sure.”

She nodded, soon bringing the bloodied sack over. She explained that he’d gotten lucky, as while the first two demons they’d faced in a group of three had been too large and bulky to fit his build, the third had been smaller. Inuyasha had been extremely disturbed and suspicious when she’d asked him to hack their leg off once all three were dead.

“It’s not been easy, avoiding his questions, you know. He’s tried to follow me here more than once. I managed to convince him that this leg was for my weird Grandpa.”

Sesshoumaru blinked, finding himself watching her instead of studying the leg as it was revealed to him. The miko had been astronomically helpful and considerate in all the ways one could to a demon lord. His chest felt strange. Warm, upon realising the extent of her actions for his sake.

“Well, do you like it?”

Sesshoumaru jolted, focusing on the red-scaled leg laying before him. From its scent, he knew it to be from a lizard demon. Not his first choice, but this was no time to be picky. Sesshoumaru grabbed it and pressed the severed end to his stump after aligning it. He didn’t so much as flinch as muscle and bone wove together, the process over in seconds. Kagome gaped with amazement.

When he moved to stand, she quickly assisted, pulling him to his feet. Sesshoumaru took a step and staggered, looking downwards.

Ah.

Kagome’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh. Oh no...it's too short isn’t it?”

The height was off by a few inches.

He made to reply- before stiffening, scenting salt. “Why are you crying about it, foolish woman?”

“I-I’m sorry,” she waved it off, some tears escaping down her cheeks before she roughly brushed them away. “I just wanted it to be perfect but now you’re kind of...tilted.”

Despite the situation, a smile tugged at his mouth. A noise bubbled up from the back of his throat, escaping as a quiet laugh.

Kagome froze, tears clinging to her lashes.

“It is fine, miko. More than...fine.”

Sesshoumaru held onto the wall for support, feeling the bite of putting weight onto the leg, his stump flaring. It would take time for his body to adjust. Despite this, his warrior heart filled with purpose again, powers working to heal him. Just having the ability to walk after having it stolen away renewed his spirits.

Kagome watched him with a smile, occasionally offering aid but largely keeping her hands off. He could sense various soft emotions rolling off her in waves. Admiration, relief and something else. Something he could not name. It remained untouched and unnamed long after he left the cave behind one afternoon.

He had no writing utensils to leave a note, instead carefully tearing out a segment of his sleeve, leaving the red and white flower symbol of his family crest for her to find.

---

Kagome panted hard, catching her breath and folding down into a crouch, gripping her bow tight.

“Are you alright, Kagome?” Rin asked, closely followed by Shippo as they approached from Ah-Un, having kept away from the random attack on the village. Thankfully the hoard of boar demons had finally been dealt with, but Kagome’s nerves were shot to hell after racing around so much, trying to protect villagers.

“I-I’m fine, guys, thanks,” she smiled, looking between them both. The orphans had bonded quickly, and she felt a surge of warmth, happy they had a companion their age to talk with. It had been two weeks since she’d last seen Sesshoumaru since his disappearance, and while she loved having Rin around, it did make her worry. Sesshoumaru always returned to his group. Where had he run off too?

Maybe he went to find a better leg, she thought, taking the children’s hands and walking towards Miroku- who was helping up an old man from where he’d fallen. Perhaps he needed time to get used to walking on what’s essentially a prosthetic.

For humans- such a thing took up to one year. Demons really are something else.

Kagome’s lips curved, picturing the burning, determined gaze of the Daiyoukai.

Or rather, Sesshoumaru is something else.

“Kagome, look out!” Miroku yelled.

Jerking, Kagome sensed a lone boar youkai barrelling towards her through the forest, knocking trees aside. It was quicker than anticipated- and despite Kagome grabbing the children and trying to run out of its way, it charged straight for her, grunting, throwing its head wildly.

People were screaming her name, but they were too far away. Kagome twisted her body, pushing the kids aside and in order for her to take the brunt of the hit-

Red light exploded to life, consuming the boar demon before it could reach them. Hide and blood were caught up in the attack, leaving Kagome mercifully free from the boar's flying carnage.

She panted, shaking a little and gazing at the steaming remains of the demon. A pale figure floated to the ground, landing elegantly.

“Lord Sesshoumaru!” Rin cried happily.

“Lord Sesshoumaru?!” Jaken’s distant yell could be heard.

Kagome straightened, heart doing a funny thing in her chest. She immediately looked at his leg- finding him clad in white hakama pants and black boots. The same as always.

Blue eyes widened. He appeared completely unchanged. Somehow, he must’ve found an inhuman demon and took their leg so that he could masquerade as his usual self.

His tiny group circled around him joyously, while Kagome’s friends gathered together a little ways away. Inuyasha’s ears pinned back to his head with displeasure.

Jaken hopped up and down. “Where have you BEEN, mi lord!”

“Nowhere."

“Tch, bastard,” grumbling, Inuyasha raised his voice a touch. “Hey- you could at least thank us for babysitting your damn group while you were probably out doing power-hungry shit.”

Sesshoumaru’s gaze slid over the Hanyou dismissively, stopping on Kagome. Her breathing hitched.

“I am not here to thank you, Inuyasha.”

Kagome remained frozen as a shadow fell over her face, his head of silver hair blocking out the sun. Golden eyes replaced the burning circle in the sky, blazing and intent. Slit pupils pinned her in place.

She was vaguely aware of her friends exclaiming in surprise and alarm, thinking he meant to harm her. The sound of Inuyasha drawing his sword was enough to make her mutter ‘sit boy’ absentmindedly, paying no attention to his subsequent impact with the ground.

Sesshoumaru raised a hand, resting pale knuckles against her cheek in a slow drag down to her jaw, skin cool, clashing against her warmth. White lashes lowered, becoming half-mast.

“You’re okay?” she breathed.

“Hn, I merely needed some time,” Sesshoumaru’s low rumble melted her insides.

She cleared her throat, cheeks tinging red because of his proximity, his dark youki brushing her senses, his touch- his everything. Reaching into her pocket, she produced the segment of his clothing, the pattern of his clan. “Did you want this back-?”

“Keep it,” he closed her fingers over it, catching her eye. “You have my loyalty for what you have done for this one, miko. Keep it,” he said softer.

Kagome nodded slowly, opening her mouth to ask more-

Firm lips slanted over her own. Stiffening, she became deaf to her friend’s even louder exclamations of surprise, Miroku quietly voicing his awe, impressed.

The miko inhaled sharply through her nose, feeling Sesshoumaru’s mouth move, brushing against her own in several lingering kisses. Blushing, it took a moment for Kagome to get over her stupefaction. But then she pressed a little closer, kissing him back perhaps a little nonsensically. But it felt right. Her toes curled at the feel of him.

A low groan rumbled in his throat and his lips softened against hers, mouth parting to brush his sinuous tongue against hers.

Kagome shivered and wondered if he could hear how her heart hammered in her chest. His palm felt steady upon her back, arm encircling her waist. When they finally pulled away, their lips lingered close.

“What...what was that?” she breathed, cheeks flushed.

Sesshoumaru’s lips quirked, “that was this Sesshoumaru conveying my deep sense of gratitude, miko.”

“Funny way of thanking someone, but I’ll take it,” Kagome’s eyes glittered. She could think about the consequences of such an action later. For now, she was content to hold his gaze and keep his secret safe- for however long the prideful Daiyoukai needed.

#sesskag #sesshoumaru x kagome #sesshoumaru #kagome higurashi #sesskag fanfiction #enemies to lovers vibes

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